Chapter 2: Crazy to Crazy

"You´re mad. Bonkers. Off your head … but I´ll tell you a secret …

all of the best people are."

- Alice in Wonderland

New Orleans Centre for the Mentally Challenged

Camille had almost forgotten about the incident two weeks ago, when she was on her way to a lecture on schizophrenia at the New Orleans Centre of the Mentally Challenged.

She was hooked immediately by the professor as he explained the difference between the different forms of acoustic, optical, and olfactory hallucinations. The audience was glued to his lips as he introduced selected cases of resulting paranoia and personality disorder. The way he talked creating an amazing atmosphere.

Afterwards they were split into small groups of two to three people allowed to enter the different sections of the hospital to observe and talk to various patients, psychologists and staff members to get some closer insight.

As the hours passed Camille tried and decided to get some coffee for herself.

She approached the nurses' room and she appeared to get lucky as she saw a nurse with a blond ponytail typing pretty fast into a computer.

"Excuse me "Cami announced herself.

"Just a second" was the quick answer. The nurse turned around and openly smiled at her. Cami was honestly surprised as she recognized her "Camille … How can I help you?"

Camille was speechless "You work here ?"

"Yes"

"I" Camille chuckled "I thought maybe you could let me out so I could get some coffee.

"Well that is certainly possible; why don´t you allow me to finish this up and I will get us some from the secret stash … it will just take a minute." Caroline laughed.

"Sure, whenever you are ready "Camille responded still a little in shock but horribly curious.

"So you´re a psychiatric nurse?" Cami asked

"Yes I´ve been for quite some time, you are here for the lecture?"

"Yes it was amazing" Cami chuckled "I am working on becoming a psychologist"

"Ambitious goal" Caroline replied.

"Yeah well crazy to crazy right?"

"There is worse in the world" Caroline smiled sadly "Blessed are the ignorant"

This was not what Cami had anticipated. She knew Caroline was most likely older than Marcel considering that Rebekah had been daggered for a while, but also because she saw the faint light of wisdom and century old memories in Caroline´s eyes. She really wanted to know so she decided to go for it. "What do you say, I have to get back to my group, but maybe we could meet next week for some coffee?"

Caroline watched her with curiosity and sympathy. "I would love to"

Café Le Fleur

Cami slowly skimmed the crowd after she had entered the small café. She was the first one to arrive. She picked a small but comfortable corner close to the windows and ordered a Cappuccino. She loved this small café which created an atmosphere she believed to be European flair.

As Caroline arrived a couple of minutes later. Cami waved at here.

"Hey I´m so glad you made it "Cami smiled after Caroline joined her at her table.

Cami was intrigued as she watched Caroline how she behaved and seemed to perfectly blend in into the human non-supernatural environment, how she talked to the waitress, even how she ordered her chai. It was so different to Marcel and the Originals, who always stuck out and did not even try to hide their power, strength and superiority, no they even stressed their believes with their behaviour and their arrogance towards the inferior species.

But Caroline seemed different. She was without question old, but she was integrated, she had a job, possibly a life and nothing that obviously separated her from society's standards. How on earth was this woman that seemed incapable of hurting anyone connected to the Mikaelson family?

"How long have you been in New Orleans? " Caroline interrupted her thoughts.

"I came back when my brother died" not that long ago.

She had no idea why she told all this to a complete stranger, but Caroline seemed nice, she was friendly and appeared to be good friend potential? Right? After all it had been a while since Camille had met anyone who seemed this close to reality and so normal that it got her thinking on what would have happened if she had never met Niklaus Mikaelson. And so before she even noticed she had started talking about her brother, her uncle, even over Marcel.

Caroline smiled and laughed and made sweet comments and though she kept a little distance, it was perfectly fine with Cami and she started to relax.

Soon their conversation switched to the work life topic, and as Caroline laughed and told about colleges, patients, and the inability of some people to acknowledge mental disorders as legitimate diseases, her eyes were shining bright as she moved her hand to stress her words, she was one of those people who could speak with their whole body without seeming ridiculous. And feeling far too comfortable Cami just spilled what was on her mind and could have slapped herself the minute she spoke the words "If I did not know that you are one of them, I would not have believed it."

Caroline froze for just a heartbeat, before she raised her cup, took a sip and smiled at Camille. "What are you referring to?" Cami was stunned even in this situation she was different. If she had been a stranger and made this comment to Klaus, she would most likely be dead by know. But Caroline just looked at her as if she really had no idea what Cami was talking about.

"You do not have to pretend …"

Caroline raised an eyebrow still looking directly into her eyes.

"Fine … I …I will start from the beginning. The night we met for the first time. I was with a friend. … I know what she is and I know what you are because I know what she is and I know what my boyfriend is."

Caroline placed her cup back on the table, carefully folded her hands and raised her eyes once again to Cami. "Hm" Caroline inhaled deeply "What are you trying to tell me Camille." She formulated it carefully. It saddened her little that Cami knew, she had really started to like the blond therapist. Though she was really curious, who that friend of Camille´s was. For Caroline there were now to options, she either pretended like Camille was crazy, leave and never see her again, or she would stay listen to her further explanation, ignore the topic and try to keep her new friend, which would be great because she hadn´t made any friends yet and maybe Camille might even be able to get her up-to-date to the current supernatural situation in this town. Caroline knew if she waited too long she would have to dismiss option one, so she changed the topic.

"Is he treating you well?"

That hadn´t been what Camille expected, but she was relieved she had no intention of losing her new friend so soon. She told Caroline about Marcel and him wanting to be the king of the city and the wolves and the witches and the battle for power. She also told her about Klaus and Marcel, how Klaus came back and claimed the throne and that all his siblings had arrived in the city as well.

Caroline shook her head "Oh dear, I hope I can avoid them for some time I assume everyone has to pick a side."

Cami nodded, that's how they want it she pressed her lips into a thin line. Then a small V-line appeared on Cami´s forehead. "They know you are here, I mean both parties do, the bar I was with Marcel and Rebekah Mikaelson, she is the one that recognised you."

Caroline looked up "Rebekah Mikaelson" and for a second she seemed to be very far away as she repeated the name. "I haven´t heard that name in a very very long time."

"You know the Mikaelson family."

"Yes, I think I do."

Camille watched Caroline, she seemed to be very far away and though she really wanted to know more, she decided to not push it for now. Hopefully she would get another chance to ask her all about it.

"So tell me how did you end up working psychiatry?"

Caroline laughed and though her eyes were not shining that bright anymore, she focused on Camille and asked her what she was referring to.

"I mean you are, what you are, in a ´normal´ hospital you could really save people, so why mental disorders?"

Caroline fell in silence.

"I don´t know, perhaps for exactly that reason, the fact that you cannot heal dementia or schizophrenia, they cannot be fixed that easily, they need to find a way to live their life, medication, therapy it can help, it certainly makes it easier, but they have to work on it and even if they are stable there is always the chance of relapse, a trigger, a breakdown. There is only one way, moving forward. It is necessary if you want to survive."

Camille skimmed her face for any hints. "You are still talking about your patients, are you?"

"Does it make a difference, there is no cure for vampirism either. … You are speechless?"

"No it´s just nothing I ever thought to hear something from one of your kind."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You are nothing like them Caroline, like Marcel or Klaus or Rebekah it gives me hope."

There was a meaning inside these words, that impressed her but she decided not to pursue this today. "Well, it´s been a while since someone detected what I am?"

Soon the two women parted, with the promise to meet again sometime.

Later that day Caroline´s thoughts were racing, at least a few Originals were alive and residing in this city, here in New Orleans. She poured herself a cup of tea, Caroline believed in fate, she also believed that you meet every person twice in a lifetime, but after so many years she hadn´t believed she would ever see them, ever see him again. She forced her thoughts to stay away from that one person. And instead remembered that cold night she encountered a vampire for the first time in her life. It happened rarely that Caroline allowed her thoughts to travel to that time, to those precious memories in a time she connected to true happiness and purity, a time her heart was still beating.

Beating like the knocking of the door of one of the last cold nights the fading winter would bring to them. She remembered answering the door and she remembered the dark haired men with those dark brown eyes standing in front of her. He seemed as the cold would not bother him at all, as he politely smiled and asked whether he had found the house of Jack Builder.

All at once she felt like she was 16 all over again.

Author´s note: I am so sorry it took me a while to update, but I promise the next chapter is already in the making. I know it is a little weak but I hope you were still able to enjoy it.

Ok some of you might think where the hell is she going with this crazy talk ;)

Alice in Wonderland ones said "I can´t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." And just like Alice, Caroline can´t be the same, so I believe we need to get a feeling of present Caroline and the person she was many years ago to feel and experience the difference between the two, to get a feeling what she went through and I promise it was lot.

So next chapter we will write the year of the Lord 1174 and we shall hear the story of a very human Caroline.

I also want to thank EVERYONE who read my story that far and THANK YOU so much for your reviews and comments I love all of them. :) Feel free to ask me questions especially ones predicting the coming events ;) review or pm.

So, I have to ask you I am working on the outline of the present part of the story and I am a little lost, so I need some input, what pairing would you guys prefer to be the outcome, so it will definitely be Caroline, but there are the options of: Klaus, Elijah and possibly Kol. I would love to hear your thoughts :)