I was going through my drafts when I found this and, after reading through it and tweaking it a little bit, I decided, 'hey, let's just publish this and see what kind of response it gets!' So - here it goes! c:
Warning: includes major character death.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.
:-:
Caroline Forbes was bored.
Sitting in the break room at work, she trawled through E! Online's mobile website on her phone, while adhering to cop stereotypes everywhere as she ate a jelly doughnut. She finished her treat off, brushing away the powdered sugar from her jeans, just as she reached the end of the most recent article to catch her interest. It was another one critically analyzing—with painstaking attention to detail, she might add—Kim Kardashian's latest Instagram post and what it meant in regards to her relationship with Kanye.
Once again, rumors of an imminent break-up were circulating.
Blowing out a sigh, she glanced up at the clock on the wall, the hour hand at four while the minute hand inched around, impossibly slow, to one. Still another hour and a half to go, she thought wearily, rolling her eyes as she clicked onto another article—this time about Ryan Gosling as he promoted his upcoming movie.
It wasn't as though she didn't like her job—she loved it. While most little girls dreamed about being princesses and supermodels in their youth, she had dreamed about yelling 'freeze, buster!' and throwing criminals behind bars, just like her Mom had done—while maybe, perhaps, being a princess part-time on the weekends. She worked hard to get where she was and she relished every second of being a cop—mostly. It was the slow days she hated, the days where she seemed to do nothing but chug down Matt's way-too-bitter coffee while typing up a multitude of case reports, waiting for something—anything—new to come in and distract her from the ever-growing tedium.
Unfortunately, in Mystic Falls, there was a lot of those days.
She got up from behind the break room table, personalized mug in hand as she went to refill it with coffee, stirring in about four teaspoonfuls of sugar before she deemed it anywhere near drinkable. The pink box from the bakery was still there, lid wide open to reveal the tempting goods inside, and she plucked another heavily glazed doughnut from within it. She had Zumba with Bonnie on Thursday—she could work it off then, she reminded herself, biting into the delicious confection without any further hesitation.
"Hey, Care," Matt poked his head in around the break room door, blond hair falling over his sparkling blue eyes, "Saltzman wants to see you in his office. ...Is that my doughnut?"
His gaze flickered accusingly from it to her. "No," she lied hastily, swallowing her current mouthful down thickly as he raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, "I'll bring you a box in tomorrow—I promise."
"You better," he shot back at her good-naturedly, his chiselled features dimpled by a wide smile, "Don't forget Saltzman."
"I won't," she assured him.
He disappeared then as he returned to his desk, the door shutting gently behind him. Caroline sucked in a deep breath and, using her phone screen as a makeshift mirror, checked her appearance quickly. She straightened the lapels of her grey fitted blazer and, with her thumb, wiped away the mark of powdered sugar that had accumulated at the corner of her mouth.
With green eyes and a winning smile, she was undeniably pretty and, contrary to widespread opinion, it actually worked for her in a job like this. No one ever suspected the perky blonde at the frat party to be the undercover cop until the ecstasy had already been revealed and, suddenly, she was telling you to 'put your hands behind your back' and was reading you your Miranda rights—all while her quarterback lookalike of a partner called it into the station.
Leaving the break room, she made her way straight to the captain's office, her heart thumping, in loud staccato rhythm, against her rib cage. Captain Alaric Saltzman was, inarguably, one of the greats. He worked alongside her Mom in the 90s, gaining local and even some national fame when he successfully caught the Council Killer—a disgruntled Mystic Falls citizen who had, for a whole year, systemically picked off and murdered the members of the Town Council for supposedly failing them all in their duties. It had been all anyone had ever talked about when she was a kid, stealing every headline and seeping almost unfailingly into daily conversations.
She remembered thinking what an honor it was to finally get the chance to work with him when she had first joined the force—fresh out of the law enforcement academy and filled with anticipation for her career ahead—even blurting out as much to him, over a handshake, when they had first met as employer and employee. In the three years that had followed her first day, her admiration of him had never once wavered or dimmed—not even in the slightest.
Pausing palpably at his open door, she rapped the wood slightly with her knuckles, "Uh, you wanted to see me, sir?" she asked him, lips curved into a polite smile.
Captain Saltzman glanced up from his paperwork at the sound of her arrival, "Forbes, yes, come in and please just close the door behind you," he said, beckoning her inside with a brief wave of his hand.
"Okay," she nodded, doing as he'd asked.
"Take a seat," he gestured to the worn empty chair that stood in front of his desk and she slipped into it, hands fidgeting nervously in her lap.
She watched as he inhaled a deep breath and, in that moment, her nerves got the better of her as she said, all in one rushed exhale of a breath, "You're not about to fire me, are you?"
Saltzman's brow furrowed in confusion, "What? No," he replied, shaking his head and she couldn't help the sigh of relief that fell from her lips, "No, I called you in here to actually talk to you about the possibility of a promotion."
"A promotion?" she echoed him, her interest sufficiently piqued.
"Yes—well, as you know, we find ourselves in need of a new Detective Sergeant now that Thompson's retired and I wanted to know if you thought that maybe you'd be able to handle the position?"
Her eyes went wide, "Oh, my God, seriously?" she exclaimed, her voice edging dangerously close to an excited squeal.
"Well, yes. We did consider outside hiring but when we tried to contact the only guy who showed any interest in the job, he never got back to us. So what do you think?" he said, levelling her with a serious gaze, "Do you think you're up to the task?"
"Yes, sir! Oh, my God, thank you, thank you—you will not regret this!" In her enthusiasm, she leapt to her feet, arms already spread wide when she froze uncertainly, "Would it be totally inappropriate if I hugged you right now?"
"Probably, yes," he remarked, though with an amused smile playing in the corner of his mouth.
She nodded, allowing her arms to fall to her sides as she opted for a handshake instead, "Thank you, sir," she said again breathlessly, "You have no idea how much this means to me. I can't wait to call my Mom and tell her."
"About that, Forbes. I'm gonna have to ask you to hold off on telling anyone just yet. At least not until it's officially announced tomorrow morning," he told her.
"Oh, yes. Of course," she bobbed her head in agreement.
"Alright then, I think that's all we have to discuss here—unless you want to ask me anything?" he arched a questioning eyebrow at her and she shook her head, "No problem—dismissed, Forbes."
She left his office with a grin etched onto her features—one that Matt asked her about as soon as she slid into the swivel chair by the desk opposite his, "No reason," she replied with feigned nonchalance before, glancing around her, she dropped her voice to an excited whisper, "You'll find out tomorrow morning."
Moving her mouse, her computer sprung to life—the black screen shifting to reveal her desktop background. One of her favourite photographs stared back at her - a holiday snap of her and her two best friends, Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert, all huddled together on the beach and nursing fruity cocktails. She smiled faintly at the sight of it, unlocking her phone as she prepared to text them both her news despite what Captain Saltzman had said. But, come on, these were her BFFs, her besties, her amigos—he could hardly expect her to keep it from them.
When half past five finally rolled around, Caroline shut off her computer and smiled over at Matt, "Any big plans for tonight?" she asked him.
Ducking his head coyly, he exhaled a quiet laugh, "Yeah—a date actually," he replied, shrugging into his coat.
"Wow, way to go Matt," she grinned, "Who's the lucky lady?"
"Uh—April Young. Yeah, Jer introduced us a couple of weeks ago. She seems pretty cool," Matt said, lifting his shoulders in a shrug, though there was a definite pinkish tinge to his cheeks.
"Awww, well, good luck. Let me know how it goes," Caroline added, with a saucy wink as the two of them walked out of the main office.
"What about you? Anything exciting planned?" he asked her in return, pushing the button that would summon the elevator.
"Well, Tyler's out tonight so I think I'm gonna grab some take-out, throw on my comfiest sweats and marathon something on Netflix. You know, have some me time. I might actually get around to catching up on Grey's Anatomy tonight," she replied, a blissful look overcoming her features as she anticipated her night of relaxation.
The elevator gave a soft ding! sound, the doors sliding open as a cool mechanical voice announced: 'Second floor.' A man was already in the elevator, gaze locked on his (by the look of it) extremely expensive, state-of-the-art cell phone. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a black wool trench coat, a collection of beaded necklaces hanging from his neck. When he realized that the elevator had come to a stop, he glanced up to reveal stormy blue eyes as he gazed at something behind them.
His shoulder brushed against Caroline's as they passed each other—him leaving the elevator, while she was just about to get on. "Sorry, love," he said, the words carried over to her by a smooth British accent.
"Who was that?" Matt wondered aloud as the elevator doors slid shut, hiding the stranger from sight.
"New tech guy, maybe?" Caroline offered with a shrug, as she leaned over him to press the button for the ground floor.
When they reached the parking lot, they said their goodbyes and parted, Caroline slipping into her 2011 Ford Fiesta with ease. Catching a glimpse of Matt reversing from his own space behind her, she spared him a final wave in the rear-view mirror. She twisted her keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life before dying to a gentle purr. The Taylor Swift CD she'd been listening to on the way into work started up at the same time the car did, picking up where it left off and she hummed along cheerily to the chorus of Blank Space.
A bubble of excitement swelled up inside her as she glanced back at the station. She couldn't believe it. She had just finished her last official shift as a detective. From here on out, she would be Detective Sergeant Caroline Forbes.
And she couldn't wait.
:-:
Caroline bit her lip and smiled when she heard her phone chime from inside her pocket, the elevator doors of her apartment building sliding shut behind her. Balancing her box of pizza (barbecue chicken and green peppers) in her left hand, she fished her cell out of her jeans and typed back a hurried reply to her boyfriend, Tyler.
God, she loved how that sounded. Tyler, her boyfriend. Her boyfriend—Tyler. The two of them had been high school sweethearts (Homecoming King and Queen, Prom King and Queen, Cutest Couple of the Class of '07—you get the idea) but they'd drifted apart once college hit. He'd gone on to semi-seriously date a Wiccan in the year above them (Liv... something) whereas she'd attempted to find herself, working hard and staying single—for the most part. There had been that six-month-long no-strings-attached deal she'd worked out with Enzo, a fellow student in her psych classes. It had been fun—brief, but intense. She would never have anticipated any sort of reunion ever happening between her and Tyler, until, one day, they had stumbled into each other in the town square, a chance meeting which had, of course, led to a drink in the Grill and then to an offer of dinner—all climaxing in sex on the fur rug of his prime location apartment.
And since then, they'd gone back to dating. Going strong for almost ten months now. She had to admit, she was proud of them.
Exhaling a quiet laugh, she texted back a smiley face, accompanied by a wish that he 'have fun' and a mock-warning that he better not have 'too much fun.' Some of his old college football teammates had blown through town, dropping in to pay him a visit (read: get rip-roaringly drunk on beers down at the Grill while laughing about the good old days), leaving Caroline alone in her apartment with only her large pizza and her jumbo stick of garlic bread for company. And Chace Crawford, if she decided to continue with her Gossip Girl marathon.
She came to a stop in front of her apartment and, rummaging in her bag for a moment, caught her keys in her right hand. The CCTV camera for her floor, stationed right by her door, swivelled around to catch her on tape, its red light blinking ominously. She lifted her gaze up to it and spared it a brilliant smile.
Her apartment was dark, her curtains still drawn from where she'd forgotten to open them that morning, sufficiently blocking out any glimmer of street light from filtering in. She sighed, rolling her eyes as she groped around blindly for the light switch, while trying her best not to drop any of her food.
She froze when she heard the unmistakable creak of a floorboard.
Her hand flew to her hip where her standard-issue gun was holstered. She sucked in a deep breath, preparing to shout curses and warnings when, suddenly—
"SURPRISE!"
Caroline's eyes widened, blinking rapidly as light suddenly filled her apartment, illuminating the twin grins of Bonnie Bennett and Elena Gilbert, as they each took in her sufficiently shocked expression. She gasped, her hand coming up to her mouth as she exhaled a delighted—if albeit startled—laugh, kicking the door shut behind her.
"You guys!" she cried, taking a step further into her apartment and dumping the pizza onto the kitchen counter, "What are you doing here?"
"Duh! We're here to celebrate your promotion!" Elena beamed, wrapping her arms around Caroline's shoulders in a congratulatory hug.
Caroline beamed, squeezing Elena back before her gaze grew suddenly serious as they broke apart, her eyes flickering between her two best friends, "You do know I haven't actually got it yet, right?"
"Yeah, but you basically have," Bonnie chipped in, with a knowing smile as she rooted through Caroline's cupboards for glasses, "Captain Saltzman did say the job was kind of already yours, right?"
"Well... yeah," Caroline admitted, a smile slowly returning to her features.
"Well, there you go!" Bonnie laughed, pulling the blonde into a gleeful one-armed embrace, "Just think, Elena—our best friend is Mystic Falls' own Detective Sergeant Caroline Forbes!"
Elena giggled, before going on to gesture at the array of treats they'd taken the liberty of laying out on top of her kitchen table, "We've already stocked up on all the things we need for a fabulous girls' night in—Chinese food, wine, chocolate..."
"The works," Bonnie summarised neatly as she uncorked a bottle of red wine and began pouring it generously into three huge wine glasses.
Caroline smiled at her friends, green eyes bright with affection, "You guys are the best," she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around them both as she drew them into a group embrace.
"We know," Bonnie and Elena chorused laughingly.
As Bonnie excused herself to the bathroom, Caroline and Elena began unpacking the box of Chinese food at the kitchen counter. Taking a sip of quick sip of wine, Caroline opened one of the cartons and stole a prawn from the portion of chow mein—Elena's dish of choice.
The other girl raised her eyebrow, "I saw that," she said, with a good-natured smirk.
"Don't worry—I'll let you have some of my sweet and sour chicken to compensate," Caroline replied, with a wink.
Caroline watched as her friend's smile slipped just a fraction, though still her eyes were bright when she asked, "How are things going with you and Tyler?"
"Pretty good," Caroline nodded; at Elena's probing stare, she elaborated, "OK, really good. Tyler's really sweet and he's matured a lot since high school. How's Stefan?"
"Yeah, he's good," Elena replied, though Caroline detected a lacklustre quality to her response.
Reaching out a hand, she touched the other girl's shoulder gently, "Elena, are you—?"
At that moment, a door opened and Bonnie emerged from the bathroom, accepting the glass of wine Caroline offered her with a grin, "So," she asked her friends, "Have you guys decided what we're watching?"
"Grey's?" Elena asked them, her gaze flashing questioningly from Caroline to Bonnie and then back again.
Bonnie and Caroline shared a look, "Grey's," they agreed in unison.
Four hours later, as the clock neared eleven, Caroline was incredibly happy, nestled in between her two best friends on the couch, her stomach full of Chinese food and pizza, while Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo saved lives in Seattle on the TV. As the end credits to the current episode rolled, and Netflix prepared to continue onto the next one, counting down the seconds, the chime of a phone going off caused all three of them to check their cells.
"It's me," Elena said, after a moment, a cloud of worry descending over her dark brown eyes as she read the message hurriedly.
"Everything OK?" Bonnie asked her, her brow crinkled down in concern as she replaced her wine glass on a coaster on the coffee table.
"Yeah," Elena replied quickly, after a slight delay; she blinked, a smile coming over her features as she rolled her eyes in mild exasperation, "Jeremy just wants me to pick him some stuff up from the store. I better go before it closes."
She stood hastily, grabbing her purse and jacket from where she'd slung them over the back of the couch earlier, "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow," she said before adding, with a tiny half-smile: "Try not to get too far ahead in Grey's without me."
"What does Jer need? I might have it here and then maybe you could stay for a little while longer," Caroline suggested, a hopeful gleam in her eye.
"No, it's OK. I should be going now anyway—I've got a big day at work tomorrow," Elena said, forcing on a bright smile, "But tonight was really fun, it was. I'm so glad we were able to do it!"
"Me too, but—hey!—we're all still on for dinner on Friday—right?" Caroline called after her, glancing quickly at Bonnie, who nodded in confirmation, before returning her gaze to Elena who was nearing the door, one hand already outstretched and resting on the handle.
"Of course! And I'll be expecting to hear all about your amazing new job then, too," she replied, tipping the blonde a happy wink and opening the door, "Love you guys."
"Love you, too!" Bonnie and Caroline returned in unison, as the door closed gently behind their friend.
A beat passed between them, in which they listened to Elena's footsteps fade into silence, before Caroline turned sharply in her seat to look at Bonnie, her top teeth worrying her bottom lip anxiously, "OK—was it just me, or was she acting really weird?"
"It wasn't just you," Bonnie assured her, chewing contemplatively on a salsa-laden tortilla chip as she stared briefly at the door Elena had just left through.
"Well, what do you think it is?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows raised, "Work stress? Did she and Stefan have a fight or something? What?"
"She didn't say anything to me but..." Bonnie remarked quietly before shaking her head and reaching out a hand to place comfortingly on Caroline's arm, "Don't worry about it—we'll just arrange to talk to her tomorrow and, together, we'll get to the bottom of it."
"OK, that sounds like a good plan," Caroline agreed, nodding, her eyes darting to Bonnie's empty wine glass while the effects of her own alcohol consumption buzzed pleasantly through her veins, "You can stay at mine tonight, by the way."
Bonnie's eyes followed Caroline's gaze, flickering from the glass to the two empty wine bottles and, then, finally to her friend, "Thank God," she sighed, the words intermingled with a relieved laugh, "I don't think I'm in any shape to drive home tonight."
"It's OK," Caroline giggled, before sighing wistfully at the TV screen, "Oh, my God, McDreamy is just so beautiful."
:-:
Caroline awoke the next morning with the worst headache. Too much wine, she groaned, groping around blindly for her cell phone. Rubbing the lingering sleep from her eyes, she waited until her vision focused before she read the time.
8.30AM.
Crap! First day of a new job and she was going to be hungover and late. Perfect start. She showered quickly, throwing her hair up into a quick ponytail and dressing in a floral print dress and jean jacket. A touch of gloss across her lips and a sweep of mascara over her eyelashes and she was ready to go.
In her lounge, she saw that Bonnie had already left, the blanket she'd borrowed folded at one end of the couch with the pillow placed neatly on top of it. At least she'd made coffee, Caroline noted, pouring some from the glass pot into her hot pink travel mug. Taking a sip, she almost spluttered when she checked her watch. She really had to get a move on.
To her credit, she pulled into the station in decent enough time, even managing to stop at the bakery on the way there to pick up another half a dozen doughnuts for Matt. Getting into the elevator at work, she drained the rest of the coffee in her travel mug and checked her phone. There was already a text from Bonnie, wishing her luck on her first day in her new position, and she replied to it with an amused grin, expressing her hope that her friend wasn't too hungover from the night before. Slipping her cell back into her bag, she surmised that she was only a littlehurt that she hadn't received a similar message from Elena.
The elevator doors slid open, the mechanical voice announcing her arrival on the second floor, and she strode, purposeful and confident, into the main office. This was the first day of the rest of her life. She was Detective Sergeant Caroline Forbes and she was on her way to the—
"... and I hope that we can all work well together."
Caroline stumbled to a halt at the sound of a new voice. Her brow furrowed when she saw the man she and Matt had met coming out of the elevator the day before standing in the center of the room, her co-workers gathered around him and listening to whatever he had to say with rapt attention. There was even a sprinkling of mild applause when he finished. What? As the door swung shut behind her, he turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised and the corner of his mouth plucked up into something resembling a smirk.
"You must be Caroline," he said to her and she bristled unconsciously.
"I am," she replied slowly, moving to her desk where she dumped her empty travel mug and the bakery box full of doughnuts; she regarded him with a cool gaze, one perfectly-shaped eyebrow arched and her arms folded defensively across her chest, "And you are?"
"Klaus Mikaelson," he said, taking a step towards her and reaching out a hand, "I'm your new detective sergeant."
Her cool exterior thawed, giving way to the fiery prickle of shock and betrayal, "What?!" Caroline demanded, wide eyes flashing past him to where Captain Saltzman stood in the entryway to his office, his hands in his pockets.
"Forbes... Caroline," Saltzman called to her, surprising her with the use of her first name, "Can I see you in my office for a moment, please?"
She exhaled a breath of a laugh and shook her head, "Sure," she replied, marching past him.
"Everyone else, get back to work!" Saltzman boomed, before he turned back into his office and closed the door behind him, "Take a seat, Forbes."
Caroline dragged her eyes from where some award was hung up on the wall to look at him, her expression stony, "No, thank you, captain. I think I'll stand," she retorted, her foul mood rendering her tone snappish, "I thought you said that job was going to be mine."
The captain exhaled a deep breath as he eased himself into his own chair, and massaged a spot just above his left eyebrow, "It was, but... do you remember I told you that we were considering outside hiring as well?" he told her and she nodded carefully.
"But you said the guy never called back," she countered.
"And he didn't," Saltzman replied, his hands clasped, white-knuckled, on the desk in front of him, "Until last night. He paid me a visit here after you all had left and said he'd like to take up the job. You have to understand, Forbes, he has more experience than half the people in this station—he's been working in this field for almost ten years and he's solved some very high-profile cases in his time."
She snorted delicately at that, unable to help herself, just as the door behind her opened and her current worst enemy—Klaus Mikaelson, what kind of name was that even?—walked inside because apparently knocking had gone out of fashion since yesterday. He stood in the captain's office, hands clasped behind his back, looking deceptively innocent in a pair of jeans and a grey Henley, but there was an overly confident—no, arrogant—way about him and he carried himself as if he owned the place. Which, she supposed, might just be the case in the not-too-faraway future. After all, he'd already stolen her job after only a single conversation - she wouldn't be surprised if he already had his eyes on the captain's.
"I do hope I'm not interrupting," he interjected, his features having adopted a decidedly smug expression as he glanced between her and the captain.
"You are," she retorted, with a mirthless smile, as she regarded him coldly, "But you know where the door is."
"Forbes," Saltzman cut in warningly, raising a pointed eyebrow at her and making her feel very much like a scolded six-year-old, "This is Niklaus Mikaelson, formerly of Chicago's Homicide Division. You might have heard of him in the press."
Caroline had. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew who he was. He'd been the lead detective on a number of different cases that had made up some pretty major worldwide headlines. It made her wonder, though, why someone of his renown, who could have basically any job he wanted just by clicking his fingers and announcing, 'I'm here!', would take up a position in somewhere as decidedly small-town as Mystic Falls.
"Mikaelson, this is Caroline Forbes—one of the best detectives we have here," Saltzman was saying, the sound of her own name pulling her from her reverie as he gestured to her with a wave of his hand, "She comes from a long line of cops."
"Well, let's hope she lives up to their reputation," Mikaelson said, his gaze never wavering from her, and she felt her hands shake with anger.
She was just about to open her mouth and tell him that just because she wasn't some detective known across thirty five of the fifty states did not mean that she wasn't a good cop—and who was he even to suggest that of her, after only knowing her for all of five minutes—when Saltzman's phone rang. All three of them glanced over to it, the captain answering it on the second ring.
"Saltzman," he greeted whoever was on the other end curtly.
Caroline made to leave, to give him some privacy while he was on a call, but when she saw that Mikaelson hadn't moved, she stood firm also, her hands balling into determined fists. She kept her gaze firmly on her shoes, while Mikaelson continued to look at her—his blue eyes scorching as they seemed to burn into her and she knew he was sizing her up, assessing her. He was probably one of those sexist guys who had already jumped to all the wrong conclusions the minute he saw her.
At least there was one upside if he planned to stick around here, in Mystic Falls—she could prove him wrong on each and every one of those.
There was a click as Saltzman hung up the phone and he raised his eyes to regard them both gravely, "A body's been found in the alleyway behind the Grill. Female, mid-twenties," he said and Caroline felt her heart twist, but she swallowed hard—she had to be professional about this, "I want you both to check it out."
"Right away, sir," Caroline replied, nodding.
:-:
The area around the Mystic Grill was abuzz with activity. Civilians craned their necks in interest, while reporters for The Mystic Falls Daily milled about, looking for the latest scoop as they yelled questions to the two uniformed police officers that had already been called to the scene to keep order. Mikaelson pushed his way through the crowd with a practised ease while Caroline followed behind him, in the clear path that was already left in his wake. She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. The last murder case she'd seen had been almost two years ago—a mugging gone wrong.
"Caroline," one of the uniformed officers approached her, his expression decidedly grim as he lifted the yellow police tape for her and Mikaelson to duck under.
"Rick, hey. What have we got?" Caroline asked, her heart thundering in her ears.
"Well, female in her mid-twenties. Definite head wound, though we're not sure if that's what killed her," Rick replied, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants; his eyes flashed briefly to Mikaelson as he left their conversation, moving towards the body that was already shrouded by a white sheet, "One of the girls who worked here found her this morning when she was opening up."
"OK, thanks," Caroline replied, nodding as she attempted to process the information, "See what you and Shane can do about this crowd, would you, please?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Rick replied, beckoning his partner over.
Sucking in a deep breath, she walked over to where Mikaelson was stooped beside the body, his fingers already furled around the end of the sheet. Caroline braced herself as he prepared to lift it away, a guttural sound—caught somewhere between a sob and a scream—falling from her lips when he did.
Female. Mid-twenties.
It was Elena.
:-:
Dun, dun, dunnnnn.
So, there was the first chapter and, I guess, just let me know what you thought? As always, reviews are loved! c: