Menomonie, Wisconsin.
When she envisioned traveling the world, a small, rural farming town of mid-Wisconsin was not on her list. If it wasn't for her crossing paths with Adeline in Boston, Caroline would have never been stuck in this non-existent town but then again, the quiet, picturesque town is the perfect haven. Everyone expected Caroline to seek anything but a five something thousand populous town of horses, collies, shepherds and fishermen but in a strange current of events, Caroline with optimistic eyes saw how fairy-tale like the quiet town was. Stallions and mustangs raced against the fence posts as her bright red Cadillac –courtesy of Adeline for temporary use –zoomed forward on the gravel road, kicking up pebbles behind her. The vintage convertible was in good condition –Adeline was determined to keep her great grandson's legacy in mint condition.
Thinking about Adeline's devotion to her family (even though she surpassed them all) tempted Caroline back to her darker thoughts, the same ones that drove her from her confinement. The same memories than become too much to bare, the same reminders that caused her to scream and tremble…everything about Mystic Falls drove her to her wits end and eventually, little Loyal Caroline cracked and abandoned every tie of torment holding her in that Hell.
She shook those memories away as quickly as they had crept up and focused on the road ahead of her, smiling as another horse ventured into her peripheral vision. It was a calming, beautiful sight –to be reminded only of serenity and the simplest aspect of life. Old men in tractors plow their fields and distant barking of dogs, and little metal boats floating over the river, rods looming over the sides while bright bobbers dangled over the surface, lures swirling underneath tempting the fish below.
The 60's Cadillac slowed as she came across a closed road, carefully rolling onto the high, narrow road, while leery of the low branches looming over her. The woods began to close in on her as she elevated onto higher ground. Only a few more moments before she would break through the dense woodlands and into an opening where the typical two-story 1930's Victorian farmhouse rested, overlooking 8 acres of hard-worked fields by the past generations of the Chaluner family. Was Chaluner her real name? Caroline mused as she drifted the car to the side by the smaller of the two sheds.
She made the small journey to the front porch, tenderly sweeping an admiring hand over the historic piece of wood that held so many memories for both of them, even if the months Caroline has visited couldn't compare to the centuries Adeline experienced. This small little 3 bedroom house was almost home now but Caroline wouldn't let herself fall for that delusion, not with the thin ice she was treading since she escaped the confines of Mystic Falls.
"Addy," she called out loudly, probably far too comfortable than she should've been but this place was her refuge, her safe haven. She shouldn't have to worry. Her bright eyes gleamed at the variety of timeless photos lining over the staircase, almost in order from Adeline's roots. Caroline slowly ascended the stairs as she watched Adeline's story from frame to frame. The first was the oldest, with delicate hand carved oak encircling a faded black-and-white photo of a large family of 7. One of them was Addy herself the middle child, grasping her father's hand as they posed on Ellis's pier. She didn't change a bit, and even in faded colors, Caroline could still identify her long dark locks and bright, child-like eyes. A small arrogant smirk lined her thin lips, as her playful eyes glanced towards her neighbor, an identical girl, whom Caroline supposed was her infamous sister, Marjorie. Marjorie did not reciprocate her sisters playful smile, instead, portrayed the mature oldest child, a role she took proudly. Her posture was tight and stiff, a younger child in her arms, clinging to her neck.
Adeline didn't disclose the boys' names in the photos except for Cassidy, a boy no older than 10, overdressed in her father's large black shoes and coat. A cap adorned his head, shrouding his eyes but assuming but his line of genetics and Adeline's comment on how the boys took after their father, he would have James Chaluner's coal black eyes.
Caroline moved to the second photo, set after their settlement in a Boston slum, where the small, crammed space was evident in their lack of possessions yet Marjorie and Adeline held a sense of strength and optimism in their faces. Adeline was the one radiating light and laughter, with an open smile, while Marjorie raised her head higher above the others, holding Cassidy's hand to the side.
The next two photos were set four years afterwards, split as the family parted ways. Those two were Adeline's least favorite but still kept them for significance of her family's time line. One was of Marjorie and Adeline and their last day in the city, dressed as elegantly an immigrant Irish family can, with wide skirted petticoats and caps, eager to tour around town during the last days of fall. Marjorie still adorned her infamous half-smile and Adeline with her tilted head, boisterous hand gesture and uncontained dark locks. The other photo was of Adeline and her father, along with the three youngest children –including Cassidy –upon the foundation of what would be the historic farmhouse. Adeline didn't seem as…happy…with a smaller smile, lower eyes, and damp hair.
Ironically, Adeline's depression predicted the same depression to precede the very depression that would starve the family…with the exception of Adeline.
The next was of Cassidy…the only surviving human member of the family, his sons, his only daughter, and their aunt, the ever youthful Adeline who adopted Marjorie's similar expression of maturity. The children clung to Adeline's pleated skirt, as Cassidy distanced himself from the family black sheep…vampirism wasn't anywhere near accepted as it was with Cassidy's grandchildren.
There was a single portrait of a beautiful auburn girl, the one who was in Marjorie's arm on Ellis's pier, except older, in her 20's, elegant in white lace dress, veil uncovered from her face, revealing a face almost identical to Adeline's except for lighter hair. It was then Caroline figured out how Adeline kept her own bloodline. The unnamed child was Adeline's but kept a deeply buried secret and remained so even from the rest of the siblings who were too young to remember Adeline was impregnated at 15, rape or not.
James could not turn his daughter away, not after they had lost their mother to tuberculosis. Instead, he hunted the bastard, beat him dead, and escaped to the Americas before anyone gave a shit to grant the low life the justification of a trial. Rapist or not, James would certainly be hung for the murder. Adeline would hold him on a pedestal for that alone, explaining the paintings and pictures of the tall Irish man all over the office overlooking the fields, that was his favorite place after all.
James also was the reason for Adeline's transition. He loved his daughter so much that when the impending fate of death post childbirth lurked, he sought out the local doctor, using the exact words "whatever you can, anything and everything in your power," and somehow the doctor interpreted that into feeding the dazed teenager vampire blood.
"Addy, I'm here, where are you?" She hollered, turning at the end of the staircase towards the first door –Addy's room. It was small and quaint but bright, wide with two sets of windows, unveiled curtains seeping the beaming sunlight through the spotless panels. A simple quilt adorned the queen bed, patches of history and colors reminding Caroline of Adeline's hospitality and comfort.
Caroline ventured back into the narrow hallway, peeking into the other tidy rooms until the she became frustrated with the absence of presences. She returned downstairs and back outside to see if by chance Adeline was in the shed, making sense if she would've been unable to hear Caroline. She pulled the rotten doors apart and snuck into the dark, crowded side garage, maneuvering around junk and antiques from the late 1800's. It was dark and the dust lined windows didn't help obstruct any line of lighting that might aid her. She should've brought a flashlight from the kitchen but she didn't and she'd have to endure to consequences of cuts and bruises and possible wrath of Adeline if anything were to happen to her precious family heirlooms.
"Addy, you aren't this quiet at all, at least give me some kind of response," Caroline demanded, beyond annoyed. Something toppled to her feet, digging into her rib cage before clattering to the floor. "Damnit," Caroline cursed loudly, glad that perhaps Adeline didn't hear that at all. Perhaps she could blame raccoons….until she saw the busted legs of the chair. "Fuck," she cursed again, trying to find the missing on, kneeling down but it was almost impossible to see with all the clutter and shadows. She stood back up, ignoring the busted chair temporarily as she examined the rest of the artifacts. Glassed photos, wooden tools of James's carpentry trade, forgotten frames, metal devices of some sort (a saw drill perhaps?) and an instrument case being the nearest in her reach. She stepped forward towards the end of the shed where a slender line of light gleamed upon a flow of hair, startling Caroline who leapt back.
"Addy!" she proclaimed angrily, "ugh, you scared me half to death," she announced, clutching her breast while sighing heavily. "Why didn't you answer me?" She demanded. She stepped forward but Addy didn't move in the slightest. "Addy…" she drew out cautiously, unsure. "Adeline, are….are you okay?" She reached forward with shaky hands.
She still couldn't touch Adeline, even with her back facing her. Caroline took a deep breath and pulled on her shoulder but jerked back when she felt how stiff it was. She shrieked in fright but after a moment of deep thought, she gathered her courage and grabbed hold of Adeline's shoulder, clutching the thick cotton fabric of her sweatshirt and pulled back, suppressing the urge to cringe as Adeline was lodged between something, unable to go any further. Caroline was glad in the darkness she could barely see anything except for Adeline's dark hair. Adeline slid back, and her hair fell from her face, and sprawled out over a box behind her while her face turned to Caroline's, eyes shut and face cracked and greyed. Caroline leapt back and shrieked, crying out incoherently as the deadness of Adeline's face scarred her mentally.
Luckily for them, Adeline and she lived miles away from the nearest man or woman, so Caroline's shrieks and cries went unheard, with no threat of alarming bystanders. Caroline continued to cry out, covering her mouth with trembling hands and she leaned back against the wood shelf for support. With the new distance, Caroline could now see the device of Adeline's demise.
The broken leg from the chair she had stumbled over before. The very jagged edged leg protruding from her back and impaling her against the thin wall of the old shed.
She couldn't see the blood dripping down her clothes and onto the floor but Caroline could already imagine it.
She looked away and closed her eyes as another wave of agonizing cries bubbled up her throat. She doubled over, mustering little strength to keep her up, as the full weight of Adeline's death poured on her. Adeline had been killed, for Caroline's crime –if running was a crime at all, but her cowardice was and Adeline was another collateral damage in Caroline's futile escape.
Katherine was right. She ran and it angered him, and reorganized his agenda so he'd devote his limitless time to making her suffer and run for as long as he wanted her to. He wouldn't stop. Adeline didn't deserve this. Caroline had brought this destruction and death upon her. She could've spared Adeline this fate if she left her alone but her selfishness and need for companionship overrode her common sense. Adeline's generous friendship was repaid with a stake in the heart.
A ringing in her pocket momentarily distracted her and she fumbled with her pocket searching for her phone, knowing very well it was no coincidence she would receive a call no shortly after her friend was brutally slain. Her lips curled into a snarl as she read the ID.
ADDY C
She did not hesitate to answer the call, a new found surge of anger replacing her incapacitating pain. She growled, no bothering to wait for the person on the other end to speak.
"She was innocent," Caroline began, instinctively protruding her fangs from her gums as her lust for blood heightened, brought upon by her uncontrolled rage. "She did nothing to you. She did not deserve this, you monster!" She heard an intake of breath on the other end. "She was my friend. She helped me when I most needed it, when you and any other person couldn't, and this is how you repay her. You are the most selfish son-of-a-bitch I have ever met. If you can't have me, no one can, huh? If I'm not happy with you, I can't be happy at all! This ends here. If anyone is going to be running, it's you. I'm going to make sure I repay you in ten folds the misery you brought upon me. I'll go to the end of the earth to assure that you will never experience an ounce of happiness again. And in case you still haven't gotten the hint, I hate you. I absolutely hate you."
She hung up the phone and with her new found surge of courage and adrenaline she hoisted Adeline from her impaled post, cringing at the tear of skin that followed when the tall figure fell from the makeshift stake and into Caroline's arms. She grunted at the weight, as Adeline's height and age made her significantly stronger and heavier than Caroline's smaller and younger frame. She dug into her deep strength and dragged her out of the shed and into the light, now aware of the extensive damage inflicted on Adeline's body.
Adeline was too pretty, too bright to have a hole gouged into her torso. Caroline's eyes watered profusely as she imagined Adeline's warm green eyes and rosy cheeks. The way she chuckled lowly and how it almost sounded like a purr because it would vibrate loudly in her rib cage. She would no longer be able to hear her honey sweet voice anymore. Caroline knelt down and ran a finger down her face to wipe a stray lock from her face.
"I'm so sorry," Caroline choked out. "I'm so sorry," she bowed. Her bright golden strands mixed with Adeline's dark mahogany locks. "You were an amazing friend to me, one of the best, the best friend. You helped me out through so much. You got my humanity back, gave me a sense of adventure and yet stability, too. You gave me so much and I let my selfishness get the best of me. Now you're dead and….it's my entire fault…." She choked before regaining somewhat of a steady voice. "I swear I'll make him pay. It's the least I can do. Please don't hate me."
Caroline spent the remainder of the evening as quickly as she could staging Adeline's body comfortably in her beloved bed, enlightened by the orange hue of sundown. She almost looked peaceful, Caroline thought as she swiped a few strands of her hair over her face to hide her greying complexion. She wasn't ready to burry Adeline in the dirt quite yet. Adeline didn't deserve that treatment. Caroline couldn't muster anything else to say and hesitantly heaved herself off the bedside and scurried down the stair, wiping tears from her face as she bid this chapter in her life goodbye. Farewell to the enchanting stories of the early Victorian age, the long journey across the Atlantic, the Irish landscape of Scotland, the authentic music of pipes and fairy like flutes that she'd play occasionally…most of all, Caroline would miss the warmth Adeline would present in her opening arms and enlightening smile.
Adeline was all the good things of vampirism… and someone had to destroy it. It was always him. She shut the door behind her with care, as if Adeline was sleeping. She locked it with care and returned to the Cadillac, her only source of transportation. Caroline made a haste to rev out of the driveway, devastated by the fact she'd never see that little farmhouse again.
The neighbors only caught a glimpse of the red blur but paid no attention to the roadster so long they had their own errands to run.
They did remember a black van making its second trip around to the property, enough to stir curiosity but inaction from nearby farmers. The black SUV rolled up the hill hastily, much to the protest of the passenger who was nauseous from the furious drive. He all but collapsed on the ground while the driver slammed the door behind him, storming onto the porch snarling.
"Caroline, come out," he shouted, startling a nearby cat that had strayed onto the yard. It hissed and darted back into the protection of the woods.
"She's long gone, Klaus," the passenger explained coolly. Klaus shot him a burning blue glare, flashing his fangs before returning his attention to the door, kicking it in. The door fell on the floor, skidding before stopping at the archway leading into the kitchen.
"You still can't get in," the passenger continued, "so long as we're not invited."
"Really," Klaus sarcastically bit back. He shot him a narrow glare before stepping inside, grinning victoriously, "because if I can recall from that lovely conversation Caroline shared with us, the owner is dead so therefore invitation no longer exists," his voice echoed as she scavenged through the house, demanding Caroline again.
"As if she'd stay in place thinking you'd be nearby," the passenger retorted, rolling his green eyes. "She probably made the call while she escaped. You know you frighten the daylights out of her."
Klaus spun around and vamp sped at him, pushing him back violently until he skidded across the gravel. The passenger simply got up and dusted the dirt off his jeans and button-up dress shirt, never minding Klaus's anger.
"Shut up, Stefan," Klaus roared, startling a hoard of birds stooped on a tall oak. They scattered away. Stefan remained unmoved and continued to stare ahead, firm.
"It's true," Stefan continued, stepping inside and leaned towards the narrow staircase. "Caroline is smart. She knows when she needs to get the hell out of town, a skill she's been practicing since her mom died. She's second to Katherine when it comes to hiding from you."
"It doesn't make since why she hates me," Klaus growled as he passed Stefan and stomped up the staircase. "I promised her the world, to take her places she'd dreamt of, and then she throws it in my face by running away without telling any of us?"
"Her mother died," Stefan defended. "She felt alone and neglected. Damon and I were too busy with Elena who Caroline blamed for the source of all our problems. If it wasn't for Elena releasing Silas, Liz would still be alive, but she isn't so she blames all of us for not doing anything. Instead of dealing with it, she turned her humanity off and ran away. It was probably the smartest move she made considering what happened afterwards. She knew good timing."
"I was there! She could've come to me. All she had to do was call me," Klaus fumed, snarling as he barged into a random bedroom, glaring at the empty space. "I would have taken her away. It should have never gotten that far!"
"But it did…" Stefan admitted. "She felt abandoned by you, Klaus. I know that for sure. You didn't say goodbye to her. You moved on in her eyes. And put the Hayley situation on top of that sundae, she felt insulted you would still find another outlet while 'waiting' for her. That did not get you fidelity points at all. All in all, we screwed her over so she gave us the big finger and left our asses behind. Considering what she could've done as an alternative, I'd much prefer that than having any of our hearts ripped out." His voice trailed off when he noticed Klaus's hypnotized state. His eyes narrowed in on the dead vampire under the quilt.
"I suppose that Caroline's way of paying her respects," Stefan mused. "At least she has some care…"
"Stefan," Klaus cut coldly. "She's had her humanity on for a while or else she wouldn't have replied as furiously as she had minutes ago. Adeline's death hurt her, her words hurt me…"
"…I'm going to make sure I repay you in ten folds the misery you brought upon me. I'll go to the end of the earth to assure that you will never experience an ounce of happiness again. And in case you still haven't gotten the hint, I hate you. I absolutely hate you…"
He cringed at her searing words, stunned by how much a proclamation of absolute hate could cut him to his core. Although, he was anxious to see how she'd "repay" him when there was nothing to repay. He never intentionally meant to make her suffer. She's the one who kept running and putting herself in situations where she'd have to force herself to leave. If only she stayed and listened to him instead of believing in her delusion that he'd actually set her aside. That was far from the truth and it amazed him how gullible and insecure she was. He never killed anyone close to her though, ever, no, in fact, he repaid them with the promise harm would never come to them so long they disclosed Caroline's whereabouts and future plans. The clever Irish girl was cunning with her words, using past and present tenses and literal terms to confuse him into thinking something otherwise.
"Yeah, she was here." "Is she here now? No."
He should've killed her but he knew if he did he'd get the reaction he just received over phone. That's why he settled with a threat and stormed off, already humiliated by his defeat when the girl refused to disclose anything personal about Caroline. It reminded him of Kol's preference for "sharp tongues." No wonder his brother was enchanted with the Scottish lass.
"I didn't kill Adeline. You know damn well she was fine when we left. It makes no sense why she would be staked afterwards," Klaus mused, kneeling down to hitch the quilt closer to her chin.
"Someone staked her but it wasn't us, so who?" Stefan inquired more to himself than Klaus.
"I don't know but I'm not leaving Caroline's trail until I find out whom because maybe Adeline wasn't his intended target," Klaus growled, rising from the ground to return to his vehicle.
"Aren't we going to bury her?" Stefan asked, following Klaus outside. He watched as Klaus gathered some matches and a gallon of gasoline from the trunk and lined it around the frame of the house, dousing the garden of wild flowers and weeds lining the Victorian home. Stefan swallowed painfully as he watched the simple house begin to smoke, black clouds rising from the ground as flames began to eat away at the chipping white paint. Stefan leered back as Klaus stormed back to the Ford and climbed into the driver's side, waiting patiently Stefan to join him inside. Stefan shot the house one last sorrowful look, quite aware at Caroline's palpable disapproval.
"Caroline gave her a burial she deemed appropriate," Klaus remarked. "I don't want to desecrate Caroline's sacred sentiment. Now hurry, we want to get on her trail."
"We don't even know where she's going," Stefan argued but stepped inside.
"We're getting close. I know where she might be heading. Adeline had a sister, Marjorie, who Elijah was infatuated with before Katerina came into the picture. If memory serves me right, she and a few others faithfully stay in Boston to keep order. "
"She won't hurt Caroline, will she," Stefan asked but his voice whimpered to sound almost like pleading.
"Quite the opposite," Klaus snidely remarked with bitter eyes as he pressed down on the accelerator. "Caroline will be the most protected vampire in that city when Marjorie is aware of her close ties to her sister. That's why we need to beat her there."