Rebekah was honestly a little surprised, pleasantly so, that Caroline's attack didn't come in the form of scratching like a pathetic cheerleader, but instead she served a proper right hook right at Klaus' chin. Followed by fast and furious punches and kicks left and right with lightning speed. She didn't have much training, that much was obvious, and her technique was plainly lacking but she was relentless and ferocious in her advance, forcing Klaus to retreat.
Klaus could've of course restrained her at any given moment but that wasn't what Caroline needed right then so, he sidestepped some of the hits and allowed some of them to connect, but he never fought back. He had volunteered her his blood, and she was determined have it. To him she was like some glorious ancient Goddess of Death and Destruction personified in her righteous fury. Fierce. Lethal. Eternal.
Damon wasn't sure what the hell Klaus was up to, and he was definitely up to something, but this whole trip was proving to be worth it for just this chance to see Blondie beat the crap out of Original pain in the butt. It didn't even matter that Klaus was plainly allowing it to happen, 'cause hey, blood was blood, and Barbie was drawing her fair share of it. Honestly, Damon hadn't known she had it in her.
The two mortal men still rooted to the floor by compulsion looked on in horror. They were no strangers to violence themselves but this, this was the stuff of nightmares. What were these creatures? They moved almost too fast for them to be able to tell what happening, but every time the creatures slowed down the female monster had drawn more blood from the male. How could he still be standing, breathing? Any normal person would've been dead many times over by now.
Stefan overrode the Sheriff's objections at being escorted out of the warehouse, and listened to her protests dispassionately. Though he couldn't see what was happening inside the warehouse, his other senses gave him a pretty clear picture; the savage snarls mixed with grunts of pain, the sounds of fists pummeling flesh and bone, the smell of blood... So even though the Sheriff was threatening to make sure the water supply of Mystic Falls was going to be filled with vervain, he kept her far enough for her not to see or hear anything that was going on. And, Stefan was pretty sure Liz wasn't actually going to follow through on her vervain threat. Caroline was one of his best friends, and he knew her. She would not want Liz to see her like this.
The image of her mother's bloodied face swam through Caroline's mind. The deafening sound of impossibly fast heartbeats from her mother's kidnappers were the only sounds she could hear. The dark haze that had taken her over obscured Klaus' face before her and all she could see instead were the faces of those pathetic humans whose blood she craved. She would make them suffer, and then she would rip out their throats. Merely ripping out their hearts would be too quick, too merciful.
Snarling, she bared her fangs and attacked yet again. Why couldn't they at least try to fight back? It would be so much more satisfying if they'd only make the effort, however futile it might be.
At least there was blood. She could smell it all around her. But she wanted more. She wanted their screams of pain and fear. Why were they so silent? The air was definitely drenched with fear but the source of it appeared to, curiously, be behind her.
Enraged, Caroline let out a vicious growl and went for the ultimate price. Her nails tore at the bloody face in front of her, before sinking into the man's exposed neck. She yanked his head closer and with a triumphant snarl, brutally sank her teeth into the soft throat.
As soon as the familiar blood filled Caroline's mouth, the dark haze she'd allowed to take her over, gave way to reason, once more. Not being able to stop herself, she gulped down a few mouthfuls of Klaus' blood, and it most definitely was Klaus' blood she was tasting, before ever so carefully detaching her teeth from his neck.
Blinking her eyes to clear her vision, the dark veins on Caroline's face disappeared, and shortly after her clear, blue eyes met Klaus' serene gaze. His clothes were torn and his face was battered but already healing, though the blood she'd drawn was still smeared all over him.
Caroline was at a loss as to what to say to him. She felt spent, weak as a new born kitten, but also lighter, as if she could breathe again.
Lifting her hand to cup his already healed face, Caroline leaned closer to press a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you."
Her soft voice drew Klaus out of the apparent trance he'd been in, and he covered the hand resting against his face with his own. Reveling in the feel of her now soft fingers against his skin, Klaus turned his head slightly to place a gentle kiss against her palm.
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
The quiet moment was shattered by Damon who'd been watching the tender display in growing disgust. "Oh, for crap's sake, enough with the gooey stuff! What are we going to do with these two?"
Holding Caroline's gaze for a moment longer, Klaus then released her hand and turned to look at the two humans. "Well, that'll depend on Caroline." Ignoring Rebekah's huff at his words, Klaus turned back to Caroline. "What would you like to do, sweetheart?"
Slowly facing the men who had wrecked havoc to her world, Caroline felt her rage surge again, only this time it was easier to gain control over it. Taking a deep breath, she approached the sweating men, enjoying the stench of fear emanating from them.
"Can't have what I want. So, I'm open to suggestions."
"Love, there are more ways than one to make a man suffer," Klaus whispered into her ear, smiling. "Remember what you are."
These unsettling words finally made Gary speak up in protest. "You can't kill us. The Sheriff said she needed us alive."
"And I needed my mom unharmed," Caroline hissed at him. "We don't always get what we want, do we?"
"But..."
"Shut up!"
Caroline didn't even realize she'd used compulsion until Klaus smiled at her. "That is what I was talking about, love. You have the power to make them do what ever you desire."
...
By the time the local Sheriff along with the deputies from Mystic Falls arrived to the scene, Liz Forbes had her story straight and the rest of them had made themselves scarce.
Milo Disher and Gary Beckett spilled their guts as soon as Sheriff Forbes told them to start talking, even though the mere sight of her made them tremble with irrational fear. It took hours and hours for them to confess to absolutely everything they had ever done to break the law, no matter how insignificantly. And it took more time still, for them to recite every little detail they knew of their boss, Mr. Flynn.
Disher and Beckett weren't done until the early morning the next day. They couldn't stop talking even though they both knew doing so would ensure they were as good as dead. As soon as Mr. Flynn would hear of their confessions, and it would happen sooner rather than later, he'd make sure of it.
...
"Now that was a bloody waste of my time," Rebekah huffed as she and Klaus arrived back to the mansion. Then she amended her statement slightly, "Well, the part where Caroline beat you to a pulp was mildly entertaining."
Turning off the ignition, Klaus gave his sister an unconcerned grin. "Don't worry, Rebekah, you'll be getting your share of fun. Those two were just minions following orders, there's still the mysterious Mr. Flynn to take care of."
Rebekah snorted. "Why would you bother? You heard the Sheriff, they're human, and she wants their pathetic human justice to take care of it." Pausing, she gave his brother a speculative look. "Or, is this all for the benefit of the insipid Caroline?"
Unperturbed, Klaus shrugged. "I don't like lose ends."
Finally perking up a little despite herself, Rebekah smiled. "Do you have a plan, Nik?"
"Always."
...
Geraint Flynn was not pleased. What should've been simple enough a task had exploded spectacularly all over them, and there were no guarantees that he'd be able to dig himself out of this particular hole. Much as he loved his wife, he wished Vera's side of the family to the deepest pits of hell. They wouldn't be in this mess had it not been for her moronic brother who, quite frankly, deserved everything that was coming his way.
Milo Disher had worked for Geraint for eight years. And although he'd never made it to the innermost circle, for obvious reasons, he'd been both capable and loyal. He'd proven that may times over during the years. And Gary Beckett, though he'd only been within their organization for two years, had done enough to prove that he could handle himself in a tight spot. There was no way those men would've told the cops anything, let alone everything. And now, apparently, the FBI was involved.
"This reeks of compulsion."
His companion furrowed his brow at Geraint's statement. "Vampires?"
"Definitely."
"You don't think the Sheriff...?"
Geraint shook his head at the suggestion. "No, my source has already confirmed that the good Sheriff of Mystic Falls is still recovering from her injuries."
"One of the deputies, then?"
Geraint contemplated the suggestion for a moment. "Perhaps, though unlikely. But I think it's safe to assume it must be someone close to the Sheriff." Tapping a finger against his desk, he thought for a moment. "I believe we need to take a little trip to Mystic Falls before the Feds get their case together and come calling with a warrant."
"Shouldn't we rather be taking care of Disher and Beckett?"
"Probably." Geraint gave mirthless laugh. "But I'm going to see this thing in Mystic Falls through, first. I'm going to find out who ever was stupid enough to interfere with my plans, and I'm going to make them regret it." At his companion's troubled look, he continued, "Don't worry, cousin. Alma's already working on the Disher and Beckett situation. We're not finished, yet."
...
Five days later
"How's your mother doing?" Elena asked, as the three girls gathered their books for the next class.
"You know my mom, she doesn't really know what to do with downtime." Caroline checked that she had her notebook before facing her friends. "The doctor made her take a week's medical leave before she's allowed to go back for light desk duty."
Caroline still got upset whenever she thought of what had happened to her mother, but her grip on her emotions was firm and there was no danger of a meltdown. Caroline couldn't quite pinpoint in her mind what had been the last straw that had made her lose her precious control so spectacularly back at the warehouse, but she was determined that it would never happen again. She shuddered just thinking what might've happened had it not been for Klaus... Sure, Stefan and Damon would've stopped her before she could've killed anyone, but she wasn't completely convinced they would've been able to bring her out of the terrifying dark haze, unscathed.
Bonnie's voice brought Caroline back from her memories. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here, Care..."
"Bonnie, stop blaming yourself!" Caroline gave her friend a quick hug. Bonnie had apologized dozens of times already and for something that absolutely wasn't her fault. "I know you would've helped, but really, who could've seen this one coming? It had nothing to do with anything supernatural. And anyway, Klaus found us a witch, and we found my mom in time, so... it's okay, she's going to be okay." Caroline mustered a brief smile for her friend's benefit.
"Care's right, Bonnie, you have nothing to feel guilty about." Elena gave a supporting pat on Bonnie's shoulder before turning back to Caroline. "But, I still wish you'd have called me when all of that was going down."
Sighing lightly, Caroline met Elena's troubled eyes. "And, like I've told you before, there wasn't anything you could've done, either. I love you guys for wanting to help, really, but it's not like I was on my own. I had Stefan and Damon with me, and two Originals."
"Speaking of which... How an Earth did you get Klaus to help you? What made you even think of going to him?" Elena couldn't quite understand how that had come about. "You don't now owe him like, your soul, or something, do you?"
"Seriously!" Rolling her eyes, Caroline couldn't help but snort at her friend's half-serious question. "Look, I was desperate. And he came through, no questions asked." Pausing for a moment Caroline briefly debated whether or not to tell her friends everything that had happened, though she imagined that at some point either Stefan or Damon would inevitably spill the beans to Elena, but she wasn't quite ready to go for a full disclosure just yet. "He was really helpful."
At her friends' dubious looks, Caroline continued. "No, he really was. Look, I don't pretend to know why he chose to help, but he did and I, for one, am grateful. If it wasn't for him, I..." Swallowing, she shook her head briefly as if to clear it. "I'm just glad he was there."
Bonnie and Elena shared a look, now they were getting worried. Caroline hadn't really told them what had transpired that particular afternoon. She'd given them the bare facts, sure, but had pretty much glossed over any specifics. "Care, what happened there?"
Closing her locker, Caroline forced a small smile. "Guys, it's okay. I'm fine, my mom's gonna be fine, so there's really nothing more to tell."
"Caroline..." Bonnie's green eyes searched Caroline's face, troubled.
"Seriously, it's nothing." Caroline met her friend's gaze steadily. "I'll tell you guys about it one day, but not now. Okay?"
Holding Caroline's eyes for a moment longer as if she could pull the answers she wanted from there, Bonnie finally nodded slowly. Caroline had been through a traumatic experience so, it was probably just too soon for her to live through it again by telling her and Elena all about it. Though it was perfectly understandable, it didn't stop Bonnie from worrying about her friend.
"Anyway," Caroline said faux-brightly, determined to change the subject, "you haven't told us yet how your romantic weekend with Jeremy went."
Although an infinitely happier subject, now it was Bonnie's turn to try and deflect while simultaneously hiding her blushing cheeks.
...
At the same time, having left the rest of their small group to the hotel, Geraint Flynn and his cousin, Tony, enjoyed a late lunch at the Mystic Grill, accompanied by a young, sandy haired woman.
"All right, back to business, then. What have you found out, Cassie?"
"Well, the Sheriff doesn't exactly have a sparkling social life. Her work pretty much is her life, well, besides her daughter, that is." Cassie made a face to show what she thought of that sorry state of affairs. "She seems to be friends with Mayor Lockwood, but that's pretty much it. Oh, and there's one of the Salvatore brothers, the dark haired one... Damon, I've seen them talking on a couple of occasions."
"You've done a good job, Cassie." Geraint smiled. "Your father would've been proud."
"Thanks, Uncle Ger." Cassie grinned, pleased with the praise. "So, now what?"
"I think, based on what you've just told us, I should have a closer look at the Sheriff's daughter, while Tony here will check out the Sheriff's Department."
Cassie's grey eyes widened with excitement. "You think the daughter's the one? 'Cause you said before that it's probably not one of the deputies."
Smiling indulgently at his niece, Geraint gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. "We won't know until we have a sniff, but she sounds like a strong candidate."
...
"Good. Keep after him, and let me know as soon as you find out where he's going." Klaus finished his call with a slight frown.
His inquiries on Mr. Flynn had revealed pretty much what he'd originally expected. Geraint Flynn appeared to be a fairly reputable business man in Savannah. He operated mostly in construction, but he had certain extracurricular activities that weren't much advertised. His inner circle appeared to be fairly tight-knit, and comprised mostly of immediate and extended family. Much what one would expect to find out of a slightly shady businessman. But there were certain whispered rumours concerning the man that had made the back of Klaus' mind tingle, which was why he'd sent one of his hybrids to follow and observe Flynn.
He hadn't expected the man to make his way to Mystic Falls.
"What's the matter, Nik?" Rebekah sauntered in to the study. "You look... constipated, actually." She grinned at him cheekily.
"Charming, as always, Bekah," Klaus answered dryly, used to his sister's antics. "Geraint Flynn is in Mystic Falls."
Arching her brow in surprise, Rebekah poured herself a drink. "Unexpected, not to mention suspicious. Do you think he's going after Sheriff Forbes, again?"
"It would be rather foolish of him, and I don't think Flynn is that stupid. But he did come here personally, for a reason."
...
Geraint Flynn and his niece watched as Caroline, Elena and Bonnie headed to their cars after school. Taking a discreet sniff as they carefully passed the three girls, Geraint nodded at his niece.
As soon as the three friends had driven off, Cassie almost jumped with excitement. "Well?"
"The stench is unmistakable," Geraint growled, his natural animosity towards vampires surfacing.
"Should we follow her now?" Cassie asked.
"No. It's still daytime and she has the advantage over us. We'll wait for nightfall before making our move," Geraint said slowly.
Frowning a little, Cassie didn't quite follow her uncle's logic. "But how are we going to get her to come to us?"
"Don't worry." Geraint smiled grimly. "It'll only take one little phone call."
...
Bonnie, Elena and Caroline headed to Bonnie's after school to study for an upcoming biology test. After hours of reading and quizzing each other, the subject inevitably moved from biology to other things.
"Have you heard from Tyler?" Elena asked, munching on an apple.
"Nope. Haven't heard from him for the past three months," Caroline said a little testily, she really didn't want to be thinking of that crappy situation.
"Caroline, he's out there trying to break the sire bond," Bonnie reminded her, trying to ease some of her friend's obvious irritation.
"I know, and it's a great reason but, honestly, lately I've been feeling like it's just a really great excuse," Caroline confessed, sighing.
Elena's gentle eyes widened at her words. "You don't mean that..."
"Maybe I do." At the look the other two girls gave her, Caroline shrugged a little helplessly. "No, I get why he's gone, and it's fine, I don't expect him to check in with me every night, or anything. But why does not being here also mean not being in any kind of contact? 'Cause there are these wonderful new inventions called cell phones that could be used for, I don't know, texting every once in a while, at least. I've left him voice mail after voice mail but he's never bothered to return any of them."
"I know it can't be easy, Care, but if I understand correctly, he's in a really remote area." Bonnie tried stay positive. "Maybe there's just no coverage."
Caroline gave her a look that spelled exactly what her thoughts on that were. "Not one measly text in three effing months, Bon. I don't even know if we're still technically supposed to be dating or not."
Bonnie and Elena shared a look, they really didn't know what to say to their friend to make her feel better. And, Caroline was right, surely Tyler could've found two minutes to send her a message during these three months no matter where he was.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline pushed all thoughts of her maybe-boyfriend out of her mind. It was time to change the subject again. "So, Elena, tell us, have you made up your mind about who you're gonna choose, Stefan or Damon? 'Cause if you have trouble choosing, I could tell you who's got my vote?"
And then it was Elena's turn to groan, she really didn't want to go through this same conversation yet again. Running a hand through her long hair, she sighed. "No, I haven't made a 'choice'. You know, I really do hate this. I try so hard not be like Katherine, but here I am, driving a wedge between brothers. And I honestly don't mean to."
"We know you don't, sweetie." Bonnie gave Elena a warm hug.
"You know, maybe you should just pick a name from a hat and choose that way?" Caroline quipped with a wide grin.
Laughing, just as Caroline had intended to, Elena nodded in mock-agreement. "You know, maybe I should. Let Fate decide. Or, maybe I'll go completely off the map, and 'decide' on neither."
Still chuckling, Caroline gathered her books. "Well, at least one of us has her relationship on the right track. Bonnie, you should let us in on your secret."
Smiling happily, Bonnie bashfully played with her hair. "Yes, Jeremy and I are doing great right now. But you two know that we've had our ups and downs before we got here."
"But the important thing is that you're definitely on the upswing now." Caroline smiled, happy for her friend.
"Oh, hey, would you two have time to come with me to the boarding house?" Elena asked suddenly, noticing the time. "We're trying to plan a surprise birthday party for Ric."
"A surprise party? For Ric?" Bonnie asked, smiling. "I don't know. He doesn't really seem the type to enjoy something like that."
"Oh, we're not planning anything big, just something small and relaxed but with the whole gang," Elena explained.
"Actually, I'm supposed to meet Jeremy soon," Bonnie said, "but he didn't mention anything about this party planning thing."
Elena laughed a little when she heard this. "Yeah, we asked him to come, but he said he'd already made plans. Though, he didn't mention that the two of you were going on a date."
"I guess we could swing by..." Bonnie began slowly.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Elena said, still smiling. "I don't think we'll get any actual planning done tonight. This'll probably just be a little pre-planning thing, so that Damon can get his so called 'incredible' ideas out of his system." Elena actually used air quotes when she explained this.
"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what is Damon's idea of a brilliant low-key birthday party?" Caroline inquired.
"If I understood his hints correctly, it's either to get everybody absolutely hammered, or to take Ric to a so called 'gentlemen's club'."
Bonnie and Caroline groaned simultaneously.
"I know!" Elena exclaimed in complete agreement. "That's why I need one of you to come with me tonight, so we'll have majority to overthrow his crazy ideas."
"What about Stefan? Does he agree with Damon?" Caroline asked, slightly grossed out at the idea that one of her best friends might in fact have such bad taste.
"Stefan's actually been no help at all," Elena harrumphed. "He claims he'll be happy with whatever we decide, and he refuses to take sides. Hence my need for backup."
"Sure, I'll come, but just for a little while. I promised my mom I'd be home for dinner," Caroline agreed.
...
Rebekah returned home just in time to hear something shatter against the wall, followed by loud and creative swearing.
"What did the coffee cup do?" she asked, surveying the scene in the kitchen.
Glaring at her, Klaus tried to reign in his temper. "My hybrid just informed me that Flynn has Sheriff Forbes. And, as it turns out, he's also a werewolf."
The last bit of news made him throw another dish against the wall, a saucer this time. Yes, he'd ordered his hybrid to keep his distance as he kept on eye on Flynn, but it would've been helpful to have this one piece of information sooner. What good were hybrid senses if one didn't bother to use them? Why was he surrounded by complete imbeciles?
"I knew there was something about him..." he muttered, furious. Then, collecting himself, Klaus glanced at Rebekah, his mind made up. "Come on then, let's go."
"Is it time to have my fun, then?" Rebekah asked with a delighted grin, following Klaus as he called out for the two hybrids currently on the premises to follow them.
Not bothering to answer his sister, Klaus hurried to his car, reluctantly pulling out his phone. He knew Caroline wouldn't be happy about the news and he wished he could spare her this, but he also knew that unless he let her know immediately, she'd be furious with him.
"Hello sweetheart, I'm afraid I have some bad news..."
...
"Oh, come on, it's perfectly traditional to celebrate with drinks. Lots of drinks." Damon grinned enthusiastically.
"Sure, if you're an Irish stereotype in a bad sitcom," Caroline retorted. "No, I agree with Elena. You guys can get sloshed any old day you want, this is about Ric's birthday, and it should be something special."
"Just out of curiosity, has anyone checked with Ric if he's already made plans of his own?" Stefan asked, having at last grown tired of the back and forth between the girls and his brother. "I mean, what if he just wants to spend the day with Meredith, or something?"
Surprised, Damon and Elena looked at each other expectantly.
"Damon, it was your idea to throw him a surprise party," Elena reminded him, slightly amused. "Didn't you at least try to ask if he's already made plans?"
Caroline's phone rang, taking her attention away from the staring match into which Elena and Damon appeared to be engaged. Seeing Klaus' name on the screen Caroline took a few steps aside to get an illusion of privacy, but knowing full well that both Salvatore brothers at least would be able to hear both sides of her conversation.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hello sweetheart, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Mr. Flynn... you remember the two... beings who had your mother..."
"Yeah, not going to forget them anytime soon." Caroline clenched her phone a little tighter, though careful not to break it, she needed to hear what he had to say. "What about Flynn?"
"He's in Mystic Falls." Klaus paused for a moment, and heard her breathing hitch a little. He really just wanted to wring somebody's neck, preferably Flynn's, right about now. "He's a werewolf, and he's got your mother."
And just like that, her world crumbled to the ground, again.
For what felt like several minutes, but in reality was only a few seconds, Caroline couldn't hear anything but those last few words in endless repeat in her mind.
He's got your mother.
No. This was not happening again. They were supposed to be all human, and the human justice system was supposed to be taking care of them, making sure they'd get nowhere near her mother again.
It took her a while to realize that Klaus was talking again. With some effort, Caroline concentrated on his voice in her ear.
"My hybrid's following them as we speak so, we'll know where they're going. We'll get her back, love, I promise."
Letting out a harsh breath, she ignored the worried queries of her friends around her, and concentrated on Klaus and his promise. "Yeah, we're gonna get her back. And I want to make sure this is the last time this happens, my mom's off limits."
Objectively Caroline knew that it was impossible to keep anyone absolutely safe, but she could make sure that Flynn and his people would never get another chance to harm her mother.
"We'll make sure they learn their lesson," Klaus promised.
Caroline's phone made a beep, letting her know that she had another call waiting. Checking her screen, for a slip-second Caroline felt her knees give out.
"I have another call coming in. It's my mom."
"You know who it'll be." There was an urgency to Klaus' voice as he willed her to obey. "Listen to me sweetheart. Do not let them know you already know they have her. And do NOT go to them by yourself. He has part of his pack with him, and you'll be no help to your mother if you're dead, love. We're on our way so, you'll wait for us. Promise me, Caroline."
She switched the calls without saying a word.
...
TBC