A/N: Thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and all the alerts and favorites. You guys are wonderful. I was not planning on updating till Friday but since I got some many reviews and alerts. I decided to update right away. I cannot guarantee such a quick update in the future but lots of reviews do cause me type faster So here is chapter two I hope you like it. Thanks.
"What's your name?" Kol asked advancing cautiously towards her. He had never seen her before nor had he ever seen any girl alone this deep in the woods, so late in the afternoon. He watched as her eyes slowly closed and her body began to fall to the ground. He rushed to grab her before she hit the earth swiftly lifting her up into his arms. He let out a worried sigh looking down at the girl as he began the long walk back to his home.
He noticed her begin to stir as they were half way to his village.
"Well hello again, I see you have finally decided to wake. May I have the honor of knowing your name? Seems only fair as I am saving you from a likely death. Why would you be alone in these woods? Sunset will be approaching soon." Kol asked slightly frustrated while she stared up at him. She had just now noticed she was in his arms. She felt her body tense as she wanted to jump free from his grip but decided for the time being she seemed safe with him. She knew not to get too comfortable however as she was unsure where he was taking her.
"Caroline." She murmured.
She had no idea where she was and even though it seemed impossible she realized it was not the same time period she was in yesterday. She was certain if she was in a different point in time she would have to be very careful. She cursed herself for not paying more attention in history class as she had no idea what to expect.
"Well Caroline, may I ask how you found yourself out here, all alone? "He asked his tone surprising her. She had never before heard his voice filled with what appeared to be concern.
"I don't know?" She answered softly. She figured until she had time to think things through, she should say as little as possible.
They must have been getting close to a village of some sort as they still seemed to be in the forest but she could hear the sounds of people talking and running about. As they entered the village her jaw dropped instantly.
She was definitely not in the twenty-first century anymore. She was not sure what year it was and found herself growing frustrated as she leaned her head into Kol's chest closer than before. That is when she heard it. She could not believe her ears but there it was. Kol had a heartbeat. She had heard her friends say that Klaus was 1000 years old which meant…oh my god, she thought.
She had no idea what to expect as he carried through the village. They walked past numerous little huts made of mud and logs. Most were pretty close together and were relatively small. There were women sitting on logs with large wooden buckets full of murky water. One woman pulled what Caroline believed to be a sock out of one of the buckets.
She let out a sigh as she could not imagine washing anyone's clothes in a bucket. I am so not doing laundry like that, she said to herself.
There were men walking in small groups with large blades at their sides and children running around playing with much smaller swords made from wood. She was quite impressed as the children's swords had so much detail carved into them. She noticed Kol come to a halt in front of a larger size hut.
"Mother!" Kol called as he sat Caroline on a wooden bench in front of a large fire pit. There was a giant cast iron kettle hanging above it and what looked like a cast iron grate next to it. She was unsure what types of food they would have available in this time period just as she heard her stomach growl. She was becoming quite hungry as it had been awhile since she last ate. She continued to look around and noticed three other benches, one on each side of the fire.
"I'll be back in a moment." Kol smiled softly before walking inside, leaving Caroline alone to take in her new surroundings.
The benches were not very wide and looked to only fit two possibly three people. She again found herself drawn to the intricate carvings in the wood. She could tell the people in this time period took pride in their work. Part of her wished she could have a bench like this in her yard. It was rustic yet beautiful. She ran her hands over the carvings admiring them.
"Beautiful isn't it." She heard behind her. She turned to see who had spoken to her when she saw him.
Klaus. He looked the same but something was different. His hair was longer and much like Kol he had an aura of innocence about him.
"Yes, very" She answered softly looking back at the carvings. "Who ever made these has wonderful taste. The detail is amazing." She continued.
"Thank you." He smiled genuinely at her before sitting down next to her.
"I am Niklaus." He said sweetly.
"Caroline" she replied with a small smile. "So you made these benches yourself?" she asked, trying to hide the surprise in her voice.
"Of course." He said beaming with pride. Caroline had never seen his face look quite like that before. She could not deny he was gorgeous. His eyes were the most intense green- blue color and when he smiled like that his dimples made it impossible not to cause her to smile in return.
"May I ask what has brought you to our home?" He asked looking back at their hut.
"Kol, He found me in the woods and carried me here. I guess he figured your family could help me." She said cautiously as she was unsure what my next move should be. Should I excuse myself and leave, where would I go, she wondered.
"You must be Caroline? My name is Ester, I see you have met my other son, Nicklaus." she heard from a woman walking from the hut and now sitting next to her as Klaus had stood when his mother had walked over.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I don't mean to be any trouble. I am not sure how I ended up so lost." Caroline replied quickly. She could not help but feel fear creeping in as she remembered how Ester had tried to kill all of her children in the future.
"Do not be silly my child, you are no trouble at all. We most definitely cannot send you away when you are unsure where your family is." Ester replied in a calming voice which instantly relaxed Caroline. Maybe Ester was not so bad. At least not at this point in time.
"Thank you for your kindness. I truly appreciate it. I don't really… have anywhere else to go." Caroline said quietly turning her head slowly to glance up at Klaus.
"Well, allow my son to show you where you can stay. I will see you at dinner, in which time you can meet the rest of my children and my husband, Michael." Ester stood and walked back to the hut.
Michael? How had she forgotten? He was definitely someone she was going to be afraid of. She would have to be very cautious around him.
She turned towards Klaus for him to lead her to where she would be staying when she heard Kol walking towards her as he had emerged from their home.
"Mother says I can now show you where you will be staying. Are you ready?" Kol asked glancing at Klaus and then back to her.
Caroline looked up at Klaus who just nodded a good bye and walked into his hut.
"Ready as I'll ever be." She told Kol as she stood up.
"So, your mother seems friendly." Caroline said trying to make small talk. She wanted desperately to be alone in a place with a bed where she could rest and do some thinking.
"Yes, mother is very good to us." Kol said as he led her behind their hut and past a few others.
"And your father?" she asked quietly not sure what else to add.
"He is a good man, but…he is a tough man as well." Kol added before changing the subject. "So you met my brother, Niklaus."
"Yes, he seemed friendly enough" She said trying to remain indifferent. She remembered what Rebekah had said to her and what was written on her arm but there was no way they could send her through time and think she would fall at Klaus' feet.
"He is friendly…that's for sure." Kol chuckled.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked curiously.
"My older brother Elijah, well let's just say Niklaus is very friendly with his beloved." Kol snickered.
"Really, well that's unfortunate for Elijah but not really any of my business." She said quickly as they had finally stopped in front of a smaller hut.
"When the village has visitors we allow them to stay here. It's enough for three to four people so it should be perfect for you." He opened the leather door and held it for her to walk in. It was about the size of her room at home which surprised her as she expected it to be smaller. Although it was quite dark. She noticed blankets on the floor over some piles of straw. Kol showed her where the lantern was and then turned to leave.
"Dinner will be ready at sunset. I shall see you then." Kol said before leaving her there alone.
She quickly fell to the bed and let out a loud sigh. Finally she could think. She could breath. Ok so she knew what time period she was in but she had so many other questions. She laid down and closed her eyes to take everything in when she quickly jumped up. She hadn't noticed earlier but she was no longer a vampire. She had a heart beat and she felt very much alive. She was so preoccupied with all the changes she had not even noticed. She had heard the witch tell Elijah she would be a vampire here. Then she also remembered how the witch had added if everything goes as planned. Oh no she thought, what else could have gone wrong?
Had they sent her to the correct time they had planned on. She tried to calm herself down before remembering she should get ready to head over for dinner soon. There was no place to wash up so she would have to remember to ask about the nearest water supply. She hoped it was not the lake she had fallen into before as it seemed quite a long walk.
She noticed the sun begin to set so she started to walk back to Kol's Hut. Her hut was not far from theirs, about a three minute walk.
When she arrived she noticed Ester was handing out plates of food to everyone.
"You must be Caroline, I am Rebekah. Kol has told me all about you." Rebekah said as she handed a plate to Caroline and sat next to her on one of the benches.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Caroline replied a bit surprised to see Rebekah seem friendly towards her although she was certain it would not last if Rebekah was anything like she was in the future.
"Hello Caroline, I hope you have found the shelter we provided to be adequate for your stay." Ester asked walking over to her.
"Yes, it is more than enough. Thank you." She nodded with a smile.
"Let me introduce my family. This is Finn and Elijah with his friend Tatia. You have already met Kol and Niklaus and this is my youngest son, Henrick. My husband should be here shortly. Please enjoy the food. The boys just got back from hunting, so it is very fresh." Ester said as she sat across the fire from her and began eating as well.
Caroline had smiled and nodded at everyone as they were introduced. She could not believe how much Tatia looked exactly like Elena. Watching Tatia laugh made Caroline miss her friends dearly.
She could not help but notice Klaus staring at Elijah and Tatia as they laughed and talked. He reminded her of Damon. She did not realize she was staring at him as she was lost in thought when she realized he was staring at her in return. He smiled slightly at her and she quickly dropped her head to her plate to eat. She was starving but quickly realized she had no clue what the meat was. She did not want to appear ungrateful so she closed her eyes and took a bite. Whatever it was, it was actually quite good.
Besides some small talk with Rebekah she remained quiet through dinner. Michael finally showed up towards the end and said a quick hello before sitting down to eat. He seemed as he had no interest in her which she was very happy about.
After dinner she helped clean up and then started to walk back to her hut alone.
"Would you like me to walk with you? It is not safe to walk alone at night." Klaus said as he walked up beside her. Even when he was human he was just as charming, she noticed.
"Thank you." She answered remembering she was human now and it was unsafe to be out here alone. She could only imagine what their first aid kit consisted of and it caused her to shiver at the thought.
When they arrived back at her hut he began to say goodbye before she spoke "Tatia seems nice."
She was not sure why she said it, curiosity she assumed. What made Tatia so special that he would risk his relationship with his own brother? She could not believe he was as hopeless as the Salvatore's were when it came to love.
He looked down at the ground and then back at her with her smile "Goodnight Caroline."
He then walked away into the night.
She had hoped she did not upset him but honestly why did she care. If he was foolish enough to fall for the same girl as Elijah, she surely would not feel sorry for him.
The next day she noticed everyone in the village seemed to be preparing for something. She and Rebekah were in charge of bringing supplies to some underground caves. As soon as she heard this she realized it must be a full moon tonight. Rebekah explained it all to her and she pretended to be shocked that werewolves existed.
Everyone was in the caves now except for Klaus and Henrik. Tatia was with Elijah and she seemed genuinely concerned for Klaus. Could she just be another Elena, truly caring for both men or more like Katherine who just loved to toy with them? Caroline winced at the thought, she did not care either way.
After what seemed liked another hour she could not help but start to feel some concern as well. It was getting late, they could hear the howls from the wolves outside as everyone sat quietly huddled together. Where could Klaus and Henrik be?
Finally, they heard someone enter. They were yelling but she could not make out what they were saying. Michael and Ester and some of the other adults ran towards the entrance. She heard Ester cry out a scream so loud Caroline had to cover her ears. She tried to see what was going on but everyone was in front of her surrounding whoever had just entered.
Finally, she heard Michael screaming at Klaus. He was calling him horrible names no father should ever call his son. Even if he was not his real father it was still unacceptable.
When she was finally close enough to see what everyone was crying over she saw Klaus covered in blood and on the ground was Henrick. His body still and limp as Ester rocked him in her arms, her piercing cries filling the cave.
Michael was pushing Klaus while Kol and Elijah were trying to step in between. Michael managed to get a few punches in before Elijah had Klaus out of the way. Klaus had just stood there. He let his father hit him and scream at him. He just took it. She knew he blamed himself for what had happened to his brother.
Everyone was crying and hugging and she noticed Klaus walking back towards the entrance to leave.
"Wait! You can't go out there." She yelled out to him but there were too many people in her way, he could not even hear her over the cries. She was desperately trying to get to him but everyone continued to block her way. Finally she pushed through and managed to grab his arm from behind just as he was about to go out the entrance.
"Please, don't go out there." She begged as she stood directly behind him now.
He did not even turn to look at her, but he spoke softly. "It does not matter. I deserve to be out there. It was my fault… I knew I should not have let him go with me." His voice began to crack "I just wanted to see." Klaus said trying to hold himself together but it was obvious no matter how hard he tried, she knew he was in pain.
"See what?" She asked walking over and now standing in front of him.
"The wolves change. I wanted to see and Henrik came with me. I should never have allowed him to. My family will never forgive me nor should they." He mumbled. It appeared as if he was already dead inside. He was still looking at the ground before he began walking around her toward the entrance again.
"Please, don't go. You did not mean this to happen. Your family knows that." She spoke louder as she reached out to him and pulled her arms around his chest from behind to bring him into an embrace.
He stood still for only a brief moment before ripping her arm from him.
"Do not touch me!" He hissed at her. He was now turned and facing her. For the first time since he had had entered the caves she could not see his face clearly. She noticed Henrik's blood on his cheeks mixed with tears. He had tears in his eyes and it shocked her. She had never seen this side of him.
He quickly tried to compose himself , wiping the tears away. He looked up at her and gave her a look of pure anger before he turned away to make his escape.
His damn pride, all she wanted to do was comfort him. She should give up and just walk back to the group but before she knew even why, she reached out again, this time with more force than she knew she was capable of and wrapped both arms around his chest. She pulled herself tightly to his back. She was not letting go and he would have to deal with it. If he wanted to kill her so be it. He was human after all so I far as she knew he had never actually killed anyone yet.
He tried to remove her arms again but failed. She knew even as a human he was still a strong man and she was just a girl. Had he truly wanted to, he could have thrown her off but he didn't. He slowly began to calm down and he let his body slide to the floor. She kept her body attached to his as he fell. He leaned his back into her chest. She quietly held him as he sat between her legs with her arms holding him a tightly as she could. She did not hear him cry or even make a sound but she could feel his pain.
She so felt horrible for what he was going through but she knew there was nothing she could do except keep him here, with her, till morning.
Sunrise finally came and when she woke he was gone. Everyone was just starting to wake and leave the caves. She decided to go straight to her hut and let the family have their privacy.
As she lay in her bed she realized what this meant. She had remembered Elena telling her how Ester turned her family to vampires after Henrik was killed. How did she not think of this till now? What did this mean? Would they be turned soon?
Caroline stayed away all day from their home. She had not slept well so she used the time alone to catch up on her rest. She awoke late in the afternoon and decided to go for a walk. She was starving but did not want to bother the grieving family.
She found herself at the lake that she had fell into her during her arrival and sat on the grass in front of it, trying to push all the questions from her mind. She felt guilt that she did not try to stop Henrik's death. Maybe if she had arrived sooner she would have remembered. She also wondered if she had saved him, what that would have changed in the future. It was getting dark out so she began to head back. She was thankful she had left a trail of rocks every few steps on the way to the lake so she would find her way back. She was never very good with directions and could not risk getting lost.
When she arrived back at her hut she noticed sitting on her bed was a plate of food. She was thankful it was there as she was starving at this point and she could not help but wonder who had brought it. She wanted to think it was Klaus but knew it was more likely Rebekah or Kol. She sat quietly and finished the food before lying down and going to sleep.
The next day she was awoken by the sounds of crying outside her hut. She quickly stood up and walked outside. She found Rebekah sitting in front of a tree behind her.
"Hi." Caroline said softly. She knew Rebekah was grieving so she sat next to her quietly and just let her continue to cry. Caroline leaned over and hugged Rebekah as her crying had turned harder and she was now panting between tears.
As they sat there, Rebekah trying to calm herself, Caroline noticed something was different. Rebekah seemed different. Before she understood what it was she felt Rebekah bite into her neck. She quickly pulled away and jumped to her feet.
She looked at Rebekah who was still sitting and noticed her face. It had happened. It must have been last night. She was now a vampire.
"I am sorry… I don't know what's happening to me…" Rebekah cried out as she brought her hand to her lips and felt her fangs in her mouth.
Her eyes shot open and she began to stand as she stared at me. I quickly understood what was happening. She was looking at Caroline like she was something to eat. Caroline quickly turned and began to run, she ran as fast as she could even though she knew it was no use with Rebekah's vampire speed. After a few minutes she began to slow and turned around. She was alone back in the forest again.
Why had Rebekah not followed her? She shivered at the thought of Rebekah finding her meal elsewhere. She let her body fall into a large tree next to her and looked up into the clear blue sky as she began to sob uncontrollably. She knew she would be stuck here in this time and place forever and as a human she certain she would not last long.