Picture Of Us
Part 2
The door of the boarding house slammed open and banged against the wall as Stefan stormed inside. He had a look of pure rage on his face, and a determination in his step. He went to the trunk were they kept their weapons and began pulling out the things he would need. Crossbow, wolfsbane grenades – he wouldn't use vervain for fear of hurting of Caroline in the crossfire – stakes, and a machete that he didn't even realised they owned. Handy for cutting the heads of hybrids.
Damon had heard the bang and had come down the stairs to investigate. He saw Stefan pulling weapons, and fear for what happened gripped him, had something happened to Elena? "Stefan? What's with all the weapons?" He vamped over and took Stefan's wrist to force him to look at him, "Is it Elena? Did Klaus do something to her?"
"No!" Stefan growled as he pulled his hand out of his brother's grip, and balled it into a fist, "Klaus took Caroline."
Damon wrinkled his forehead in confusion, "Blondie? What the hell would Klaus want with her?"
"He wants to hurt me." Stefan replied, before grabbing a rucksack and filling it with weapons.
"But why would he use blondie to do that?" Damon didn't understand, they had barely spoken since Stefan had come back, and while that was strange considering how close Caroline and his brother were, he put it down to Stefan being a dick without his emotions.
"Because I love her, Damon." Stefan answered honestly, huffing the rucksack over his shoulder, and wishing this conversation was over so that he could save Caroline.
"What!" Damon's eyes widened almost comically wide, shock clear in his eyes, "How? Since when? Are you serious?!"
"While I would absolutely love to discuss my love life with you, of all people." Stefan rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth in annoyance, "I have to go save the woman I love from the man I hate most in this world." He leant in close to Damon and growled, low and dangerous, "You can either help me save her or you can get the hell out of my way. "
"Well," Damon smirked, "I am not going to let my little brother walk into the lions den without his big brother to protect him." He strolled past his brother and called over his shoulder, "Do you want me to call Ric for back up?"
"Sure. But he will have to meet us there." Stefan did not want to waste another moment where Klaus was hurting Caroline. Just the thought of what he might have done to her made the feels ripple under his eyes and his hands to clench. He needed to get to Caroline as soon as possible, take care of Klaus, so that she would be back in his arms where she belonged.
Damon was driving the Camaro as fast and recklessly as he normally did, though he was sure Stefan wasn't about to complain, in fact he wouldn't be surprised if he told him to speed up. Stepping his foot on the gas just that much harder, he turned to his brother and couldn't help but smirk, "So... you and blondie, huh?"
"Yeah..." Stefan's heart clenched as he thought of Caroline, she was his world and he just needed her back, or else he would go crazy without her. He would move heaven and earth until she was back in his arms, "I have never been happier."
"How long have you two been together?" Damon asked curiously, sending a smirk in his brother's direction, "Are why have you kept it secret?"
"A week. Ever since her birthday." Stefan smiled as he recalled the earth shattering kiss they'd shared by the falls, and every one since, "We just wanted to have some time as just us before letting everyone know."
Damon looked at his brother and really took in his expression and body language. His eyes were a storm of emotion, ranging from fear, to determination, to pure unadulterated rage. His fists were clenched white in his lip, and his foot tapped against the floor in an increasing rhythm as his impatience shone through. He couldn't help the small, barely even there, smile that formed on his lips, "You really do love her."
Stefan didn't even hesitate, "More than I thought possible."
"We'll get her back." Damon reassured his brother, determined that they would get Caroline back.
Stefan could only nod. He didn't want to think about the possibility of not getting her back, that wasn't even an option in his mind.
Hang on, Caroline... I'm coming for you...
Caroline was hanging from her arms in a basement, her hands were shackled by manacles attached to a chain that hooked on a loop on the ceiling. Her head hung limp between her stretched shoulders, her blonde hair was splattered with her own blood, the usual curls were flat and stuck to her face. The pretty blue sun dress she had worn for Stefan was covered in tears and rips, blood soaking through the material. The smell of vervain was heavy in the air, her wrists were rubbed raw and burned from it.
She was a mess.
Thanks to Klaus and...
Her eyes slammed shut, just thinking of his name caused her heart to break in her chest and a feeling of betrayal to sting her gut.
A tear ran down her cheek.
Earlier that night...
Caroline was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed at the knee, her eyes scanning through some fashion magazine she couldn't remember buying, as she waited for Stefan to arrive. They had been spending every night together since her birthday, and she was still floating on a cloud of bliss even after a week of being together. They hadn't done anything besides kissing, as Caroline didn't want to rush into anything with her best friend, scared that this wasn't real and she would lose him.
Over the past week they had been snuggling together watching her favourite movies, or she had been gazing in awe of Stefan as he cooked dinner for them, or she had been hunting with him in the woods which always turned into a passion filled kiss between the two of them, or he would lay her down on her bed and kissed her so ardently, or falling asleep with her head pillowed on his chest, and waking up with them spooning - Stefan's arm wrapped around her waist tightly, his fingers tangled with hers, his face buried in her neck, and the sounds of his breathing tickling her ear. She had never felt so happy before.
Knock. Knock.
Caroline smiled as she heard the knock, thinking that it was Stefan at the door, even if it was a little earlier than expected. She jumped up and all but ran to open the door. In her excitement she hadn't checked who was there, and flung it open wide. The smile on her face dropped at the sight of Klaus.
"Not happy to see me, love?" Klaus asked, smirk curling his lips as his eyes scanned over her, "Why you are a pretty little thing, aren't you?" He stepped closer to the threshold making her take a step back, his smirk only widened, "I can see why the ripper likes you so much. You are delicious, Caroline."
Caroline resisted the urge to shudder in revulsion as Klaus' eyes swept over her body, his gaze creepy and uncomfortable. She was relieved that he had never been invited in and therefore couldn't enter her home, she was safe from him. She crossed her arms over her chest, and with an air of confidence she didn't really feel she sassed, "Whatever. I don't need your creepy stares, Klaus. Ew." She really did shudder this time, "You haven't been invited so you can't come in. SO say what you want to say and leave before Stefan comes."
"You think I can't get to you, Caroline?" Klaus asked, his eyes dancing with dark amusement. He raised his hand and ran it along the shimmering barrier, "I always get whomever I want, love." His eyes gazed behind her and his smirk widened into a full blown grin, "I don't need to be invited inside."
Caroline frowned as Klaus grinned at her, not understanding his air of confidence. Suddenly she felt two hands grab her arms and twist them behind her back. She gasped in surprise, wondering who has gained entrance to her house, her mom wouldn't just invite anybody into their home.
"Not when one of my hybrids already has been." Klaus' voice was damn right smug, a chuckle escaping him at the way Caroline froze in horror.
Please don't be who I think you are... Caroline turned her head to the side and felt tears spill from her cheeks as she met Tyler's eyes.
"I believe you are already acquainted with him, love?" Klaus leant casually against the door frame, a smirk on his face at the betrayal on her face, "Ex-lovers, was it?" Seeing her silence he nodded his head at Tyler.
Tyler hesitated for only a moment before releasing her arms and quickly snapping Caroline's neck. She dropped to the ground on the floor between them.
"You know what to do." Klaus said, and watched Tyler carry out his instructions.
Tyler knelt down beside Caroline, grabbing the bowl full of pot pourri chucking the contents on the table and placed it under her hand. He took a knife out of his pocket, and slit her wrists collecting the contents in the bowl. Once finished, he took the bowl and walked towards the wall to write Klaus' message in Caroline's blood.
Tyler walked over to Caroline and he picked her up bridal style, following Klaus out to his car. Taking them to wherever Klaus was going to hold her.
Now...
When Caroline woke up she was in a basement and manacled to the ceiling. Tyler stood in the corner, avoiding her betrayed glaring eyes, and Klaus in front of her with a sharp knife in his hand and a maniacal grin on his face.
The first cut along her arm had hurt but she had bit her lip to not give Klaus the satisfaction of hearing her scream. By the fifth cut, a deep slice along her inner thigh, a whimper of pain pushed past her lips, unable to keep it in any longer. The next cut slicing her abdomen had a scream finally leave her lips.
Klaus only grinned and doubled his efforts.
Caroline screamed every time he stabbed or cut her, her dress now ruined, and soaked with her blood. Her face was covered with tears, and blood, and sweat, sobs racking her body as the pain finally began to overwhelm her. There was a pool of blood beneath her feet, she could feel the slide of the blood down her legs to drip off the end of her foot. She was losing a lot of blood and was on the verge of passing out.
Tears slipped endlessly down her cheek as she thought about Stefan, he was coming to see her and she was not there. Would he think she stood him up? That she no longer wanted to be with him? Or would he think something happened to her? He must be going crazy thinking about where she was. Or had Klaus bragged to Stefan that he had captured her? She just didn't know. Part of her wanting Stefan to be her knight in shining armour and rescue her like he always does, but another part of her was terrified of Stefan barging in here guns blazing and Klaus killing him.
Interrupting her thoughts Klaus slid the blade between the valley of her breasts, leaving a small line of red in its wake, "You are beautiful, love." He raised the knife to his face and ran his tongue along the blade, groaning as he tasted her sweet blood, "And you taste magnificent." His grin was lascivious, "The ripper mustn't be able to resist you."
Caroline attempted to throw her head at Klaus, her body jerking uselessly as she couldn't gain any momentum.
"So much fire." Klaus' eyes lit with interest, he would take great pleasure in breaking the young girl the ripper loved. She shook his head with disappointment, "I must be going, love. I expect Stefan very soon."
"Don't hurt him!" Caroline cried, scared for Stefan, and also terrified of what Klaus would do to him.
Klaus just winked at her. He turned to leave, and ordered Tyler, "Keep an eye on your ex-lover, mate. If she tried to escape..." He looked over his shoulder and smirked at Caroline, "Kill her."
Klaus left, and Tyler stayed in his little corner. He was looking anywhere but at Caroline, unable to look in her eyes and see the disgust and betrayal that he knew must be there.
Caroline glared at Tyler. Her eyes full of anger, hurt, and betrayal, as she vowed, "I will never forgive you for this, Tyler. I hate you!"
Tyler winced, and turned his head more to the wall so that Caroline wouldn't see the tear that escaped his wet eyes and travelled down his cheek.
Stefan and Damon pulled up just outside the gates of Klaus' mansion. Alaric was already waiting there for them, learning against his own car.
Stefan picked up his bag of weapons and went to stand beside Alaric. He put the rucksack on the car loading his pockets with grenades and stakes, then he loaded the crossbow. He stared at his brother and Alaric asking, "Ready?"
Alaric nodded, "Yep." He had a shotgun, filled with vervain laced wooden bullets, and his pockets were full of his own grenades.
"Let's do this." Damon preferred brute strength, and would use the strength that vampirism and human blood afforded him. He turned to his best friend, "You go though the back. My brother and I will crash the front door."
As one they entered the grounds, Alaric making his way to the back entrance, while Damon and Stefan walked to the front door. They shared a look before they both raised their foot and kicked the door open. They stepped inside and were immediately greeted with their first hybrid.
Damon thrust his hand deep within his chest and pulled out his heart, throwing it over his shoulder.
Soon after, two hybrids appeared, Stefan pulled the pin and threw the grenade at them. A moment later screams were heard from the hybrids as their skin burned as the wolfsbane melted it off. With them distracted with their pain, Stefan and Damon, ripped their hearts out of their chests.
Alaric appeared from behind another hybrid, thrusting a stake straight through his chest, and throwing his body to the ground.
"Look for Caroline." Stefan instructed Alaric, who nodded in reply and quickly disappeared as he began his search. Stepping over the bodies of those he killed, he marched through the parlour, his hand clutching the stake in his hand.
Klaus was lounging on his chair, a glass of red liquid which could only be blood in his glass. He smirked at the bloodied Stefan and Damon, he raised his glass to them, "Took you long enough, ripper. I'm disappointed." He shook the glass, trying to tempt Stefan, "Sure you don't want a taste? It's an excellent vintage, aged seventeen years."
The familiar smell finally registered with Stefan, it was the same bloodied scent he had smelled at Caroline's. That was her blood in that glass. Roaring with white hot rage, Stefan was across the room in a second, knocking the glass out of Klaus' hand so that it smashed on the ground, with his other he thrust the stake in Klaus' heart, "You son of a bitch."
Klaus was slightly surprised at Stefan's attack, while he knew he was more than capable of starting a fight, he had never seen him quite so angry before. Then his eyes shut as he temporarily died, soon enough he would waken again.
Stefan hovered over Klaus, and growled at him, "I want to kill him so bad."
Damon placed his hand on Stefan's shoulder and squeezed, "I know, brother. But we don't know how. Not yet anyway."
Stefan clenched his jaw, just glaring down at Klaus for a moment before abruptly turning away. The smell of Caroline's blood in the air turned his stomach. What had Klaus done to her?
Alaric ran in the room, his gaze automatically catching Stefan's, something in his eyes must have given him away because Stefan had vamped in front of him.
"Did you find her? Where is she?" Stefan could read pity in Alaric's eyes and he refused to think the worst. She was okay, maybe hurt, but she was okay, she had to be.
"She's not here." Alaric replied, his eyes sympathetic.
Stefan stared at Alaric, his jaw clenching, his hands balling into fists. He let out a cry of rage, and then began throwing and tossing whatever he could get his hands on against the wall. He screamed and cried until their was not an object in the room that wasn't affected by his rage. He slammed his fist into the wall, and allowed a tear to slip down his cheek.
Where the hell are you, Caroline?
Caroline had not stopped staring at Tyler. She could see by his posture that he didn't want to be doing this, and by his refusal to even look at her. She could used that to her advantage. She would still never forgive him for his betrayal, but she would try her hardest to convince him to go to Stefan and tell him where she was. She cleared her throat and called softly, "Tyler?"
Tyler made no move to show that he'd heard her but Caroline knew him well, his arms tightened just that little bit around himself. He was listening to her.
"You need to go to Stefan." Caroline kept her voice soft, keeping her pain and hurt out of her voice, "If you ever cared for me you have to tell him where I am."
"If I cared, Care?" Tyler spun around to face her, the wet track of his tear glistening against his cheek, "I loved you... I am in love with you, and I thought you felt the same way."
"Tyler-"
Tyler cut her off, continuing, his heartbreak clear in his voice, "You break up with me because you don't like the fact that I'm a hybrid now. And then I find out you're with Stefan."
"I broke up with you because you were sired! You were turning into Klaus' mindless slave!" Caroline cried out, unable to stop the truth spilling forth from her lips, "And I was proved right. Did you even hesitate for a moment before you entered my home and broke my neck because Klaus told you to?"
Tyler bristled, but he had no response, he knew that he had followed what Klaus wanted without even thinking about it.
"Please, Tyler." Caroline begged, tears clinging to her lashes, "Please save me from Klaus. He will kill me." She implored Tyler wit her gaze, "Don't do what you did with the wolves. Don't hesitate. Fight. Fight for me. Fight for yourself. Fight the hold that Klaus has on you."
Tyler was silent for a moment before asking in a broken voice, "Would you have loved me if I had fought for you harder?"
"Tyler, please don't." Caroline whimpered, tears running down her face, afraid that Tyler wouldn't do anything to help her if she didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. She couldn't. She wanted Stefan, she always had, and had pushed it aside because he was with Elena, and she thought he would never go for her. He had told her himself that it would never happen between them, only it did. And she knew, absolutely knew, deep in her bones what she felt. She was in love with Stefan, and had been for far longer than she'd care to admit.
"It's okay, Caroline." Tyler's voice was thick with tears, "I never even deserved you in the first place. I always knew that there was something between you and Stefan." He choked out a laugh that sounded more like a sob, "I guess I was right."
Caroline closed her eyes, despair filling her at the thought that Tyler would just let Klaus do what ever he wanted to her, without doing anything to help her. With one final attempt to reach him she called his name, "Tyler?" And opened her eyes.
She gasped, sobs escaping her throat.
Tyler was gone.
He had just left her for Klaus to do with what he pleased.
Damon, Alaric, and Stefan, trudged back into the boarding house, an air of defeat surrounding them after their failure to rescue Caroline.
Stefan walked straight to the alcohol. He half filled a glass and drank the entire contents. Slamming the glass back down, and turning around to rest his back against the table, only then did he notice Elena sat on the couch.
Elena stood up as she noticed the blood on Stefan and Damon's hands, and the splattering on Alaric's jacket. What had they been doing? And why didn't she know about it? She looked between the three of them, and asked with a touch of hurt in her voice, "What's going on?"
"Oh, you know, just getting rid of a few stray dogs." Damon went to pour himself a drink, chuckling into his glass before taking a sip, "It was really a community service."
"You went after Klaus' hybrids, why?" Elena walked over to the brothers and placed her hand on Stefan's arms, "Did he threaten me again?"
Stefan roughly pulled his arm away from Elena and moved to the other side of the room, "Not everything is about you, Elena."
Elena's eyes were wide with hurt and unshod tears, "I didn't-"
"You never mean to but you still do." Stefan rolled his eyes, tired of ignoring Elena's selfish and self absorbed tendencies. He didn't have to anymore as he well and truly over her, and in love with someone who was selfless, kind, compassionate, and always so happy. Just the thought of Caroline made his heart constrict, god he needed her back.
Elena turned to Damon and asked, "Why did you go to Klaus'?"
"Because he took Caroline." Damon answered, refilling his glass and handed one to Alaric.
"Why?" Elena asked confused. What did Klaus want with Caroline? He didn't need her for her blood, she hadn't tried to hurt Rebekah despite their rivalry at school. It didn't make sense.
"Why?" Stefan replied his voice thick with tears, he glanced at Elena, his eyes wet and full of despair, "He took her to get to me."
Elena was still confused, "Why wouldn't he take me? Is it because I'm the doppelgänger?"
Stefan felt like banging his head against the wall, Elena still stubbornly refusing to see what was in front of her. He ran his hands over his face and decided to be more like his beautiful girlfriend and be blunt, "He took Caroline... because she's the one thing I can't live without... I love her so damn much... and now he's taken her from me..."
Elena gaped at Stefan, shocked speechless. Stefan loved... Caroline? She should be more hurt and angry at the thought than she was, oh she was angry and hurt and jealousy stabbed through her gut painfully, but she had been falling for Damon when Stefan was away, and how could she truly be angry when Stefan himself had witnessed undeniable moments between her and his brother, when they were still together. She couldn't really act like the injured party when she had done a lot more to hurt Stefan when they were together.
"Touching as this is." Tyler's voice was suddenly heard. He had to repress a smile at the four faces suddenly turned in his direction, "I think you might want to know where a certain blonde is."
In less than a second Stefan was in front of Tyler, and his eyes were pleading for good news, "Where is she? Is she... Did he... hurt her?" He braced himself for Tyler's answer.
"She's hurt bad, and she's lost a lot of blood, but if you get some blood in her she should be fine." Tyler answered, Caroline's words had gotten to him, and while he couldn't directly release her because of Klaus he could tell Stefan where to find her.
Stefan took a deep calming breath, and chose to focus on the positive that Caroline was still alive, hurt but alive. He asked Tyler, "Where is she?"
Tyler told him the address, and not even a moment later Stefan vamped away. He stared at the spot where only moments ago Stefan stood, he really did love Caroline, not that Tyler blamed him, as she was easy to love.
"He's in love with Caroline." It wasn't a question but a statement as it truly hit Elena that Stefan was in love with her best friend.
"Yep." Damon nodded, and couldn't resist adding, "Barbie found her Ken."
"Seriously?!" Alaric laughed at his idiotic best friend.
"What?" Damon shrugged innocently, "If the hair fits."
Elena and Tyler rolled their eyes.
Stefan ran into the abandoned house which if Tyler's information was correct was where Caroline was being held prisoner. As far as he could tell he didn't detect another presence in the house, only the weakened heartbeat of the woman he loved. He vamped down to the basement, and felt tears spill down of his cheeks at the sight of her.
Caroline was strung up from the ceiling, her arms pulled tight above her as she hung from the shackles. Her dress, which was once blue, was torn and ripped and stained with her blood. Her arms and legs were covered in dried blood. Even her hair had blood in it.
"Caroline..." Stefan whispered in a broken voice, seeing her so hurt made a vice squeeze around his heart.
Caroline lifted her head, and cried with joy as her eyes met Stefan's, "Stefan..."
Stefan ripped the manacles off of her, uncaring that the vervain burnt his hand, all he cared about was getting Caroline down. She fell limply into his arms, her strength having gone with her blood loss. Not even thinking he raised his wrist to his mouth and tore into the skin there. He placed his bleeding wrist to Caroline's lips and ordered softly, "Drink."
Caroline didn't even hesitate, she placed her mouth over his bleeding wrist and softly sucked on his blood, feeling some strength return to her, but only enough to stand and perhaps get back home. She kissed the healed skin briefly, before looking into his eyes, "Thank you!"
Stefan bent his head and covered her lips with his. He kissed her with desperation, with fear, with hunger, with all the pent up emotions that had built within over the night. He had come so close to losing her, if Tyler hadn't told them where she was, he would have never found her. His hands tightened around her body at the thought, his kiss becoming a bit more deeper.
Caroline cradled Stefan's cheek and let him kiss her, she knew he needed the reassurance and she wouldn't deny him. She could only imagine the pain, fear, and worry that he must have gone through.
Stefan left her lips to whisper harshly, "I love you, Caroline."
Caroline kissed the side of his mouth and replied, "I love you too, Stefan."
Stefan kissed Caroline desperately for a minute before releasing her. He smiled at her, stroking her cheek, before he curled his arms around her back and under her knees to carry her back home.
Stefan never let his gaze stray far from hers, his arms holding her tightly against him, his nose nuzzling in her hair and breathing her in. He would never let her go, he couldn't live this cursed life without her sunny and beautiful smile to gaze on for eternity.
She is my home...
Caroline wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck, and laid her head against his chest. He felt so good against her, and she just enjoyed being wrapped in the arms of the man she loved. She breathed in his alluring scent, and listened to the comforting sound of his heartbeat. She drifted off to that gentle rhythm.
Stefan smiled down at the sleeping angel in his arms, his love for her filling his heart and overwhelming him with how happy simply holding the girl of his dreams in his arms made him. He decided to avoid the madhouse of questions his home would be and headed towards Caroline's instead.
Is she okay?" Liz asked concerned, at the state of her daughter.
"Nothing, that sleep and a hot shower wouldn't fix."
"Take her to her room." Liz smiled at Stefan, and watched as he went up the stairs holding Caroline so reverently. He really loved her daughter.
Stefan carefully lifted the dress off his girlfriend to discard across the room. He laid her down on her bed, and carefully got in behind her. He buried his face in her curls, his fingers sliding through hers and rested their joined hands against her heart. He let his tears soak her hair, the fear he had been going through finally hit him.
Caroline woke as Stefan's body shook with his tears. She rolled over to face him, and pulled him against her, rubbing her hands through his hair and up and down his back, "Ssh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm safe. I love you." She repeated this little mantra until it calmed Stefan.
Stefan raised his fingers to trail reverently against the side of her face, "I love you, Caroline." And he joined their lips in a passionate loving embrace. He would never let her go again. He couldn't resist whispering to her sweetly, "I love you, Caroline."
Caroline smiled at Stefan, her eyes bright with happiness, "I love you too, Stefan."
Stefan pulled her back for a earth shattering, mind melting, absolutely glorious kiss with the love of his life.
THE END
AN – Hope you liked it! And I hope the fight scenes made sense.