A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I can't believe the response this fic has gotten, and I'm so happy that you guys like it so far :D
Anyway, so remember when I said that this would be updated sporadically and it was going to be a palette cleanser? Well, I decided to rework the plot, and now it's probably going to be a LOT longer and more complicated. This will probably be my next big project after Travelers (but don't quote me on it, because as you've probably noticed I'm incredibly indecisive).
I changed the summary as well to make it reflect the new plot better. I hope you guys are okay with this turning into another bazillion-word monstrosity. :P
Thank you so much to justanotherfiveminutes for being a fabulous beta ;)
Enjoy!
-Angie

2011

"So, you're saying that we have ten days to resurrect Bonnie and your brother, find a grimmoire that no one's seen in almost a thousand years, and use it to kill some guy you used to know who's planning on repeatedly sacrificing witches to become a vampiric energizer bunny?"

"Yes."

"And you let me sleep in until noon? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I did all the necessary introductory research and procured a witch to assist us with the communication spell. There wasn't a reason for you to be awake, and you'll need your rest for what I've planned."

"I'm not having sex with you. I am here to resurrect Bonnie and kill this guy. That's it."

He smirked, and she immediately wanted to facepalm.

"While that wasn't what I meant, the fact that it's on your mind speaks volumes, does it not?"

She glared at him.

"Either which way, we need something that belonged to your friend so that we can contact her, and by extension my brother. Do you have anything?"

Caroline bit her lip. "I don't think so. I wish I'd known when I left Mystic Falls. I could check in my car to make sure, though. She might have left something in it. Where's it parked?"

Klaus shrugged. "In the garage, most likely."

"Okay, where's the garage?" Caroline asked impatiently.

"I'll take you."

She followed him back behind the mansion down the road to a large building, which he unlocked so that she could see a large row of cars. He led her down to the end, where her car was parked, and looked at the space number before speeding back to the entrance to take her keys of a hook with the space number under it.

He waited silently as she dug through the glove compartment and found some lip gloss that belonged to Bonnie that she'd borrowed, and they went back to the house to meet Klaus's witch to do the connection spell.

"You didn't threaten her or anything, did you?" Caroline asked suspiciously.

"No, Caroline. It may surprise you, but I do have contacts that genuinely like me as a person, and some of them happen to be witches."

"Like Greta?" Caroline mumbled.

Klaus made a face that looked like a cross between a grimace and amusement. "Jealous, love?"

She snorted. "Yeah. Also the Queen of England."

He snorted and opened the door to let her back into the house before leading her to a large room where the witch was waiting. She nodded once towards Klaus in greeting before turning to Caroline.

"You'll be the one to talk to her," The witch said to Caroline, not even bothering to greet her or make small talk.

As they were on a time limit, Caroline decided to not call the witch on her rude behavior and nodded, facing the direction that Bonnie was supposed to appear from. However, the woman that materialized in front of her wasn't Bonnie.

"Who are you? Where's Bonnie?"

"I am Ayana," The face said, smiling slightly, "And your friend is safe. I have come in her place to help you with your task."

"How are you going to help me?"

"I will assist you in finding the grimmoire."

"Okay. Where is it?"

"You're asking the wrong questions," Ayana said, smiling mysteriously.

"How am I asking the wrong questions? You told me you'd help me find the grimmoire, but you won't tell me where it is?"

She shot a glance at Klaus, who couldn't see or hear Ayana and was frowning as though he was trying to recall something very important.

"The better question, child, would be 'When is the grimmoire'."

"Excuse me?"

"It will all become clear in time. Pardon the pun."

"Pun? What? What are you talking about?"

Her vision swam and she felt faint, her knees giving way, unwilling to support her. The last thing she heard before she blacked out was Klaus's panicked voice.

"Witch! What have you done?"

970

She felt groggy when she awoke, and twisted around to test her range of movement, swearing slightly under her breath when she felt the rock poking into her back. Pain when she first woke up was always a bad sign. She flexed her fingers, relieved that her daylight ring was still present–though her not burning to death really should have been a sign–and slowly pulled herself to sit up.

What was the last thing she could remember before she went unconscious? The witch–Ayana–was talking to her, spewing some nonsense about finding things out in time.

She strained her ears to listen for abnormal noises, but she couldn't hear anything except birds chirping and wind rustling through the trees. She opened her eyes and glanced around at the soft grass that surrounded her and clear blue sky. She couldn't see Klaus anywhere, or his witch. Panic suddenly took hold of her. Where was he? Why did he leave her alone in a forest? Where was she? Footsteps approached in the distance, crunching through the leaves of the forest, and she tensed, ready to defend herself..

Ayana–the woman she'd seen from the other side–briskly walked into the clearing and stopped in front of her, seeming to be both physically present and very much alive. Caroline could hear the woman's heartbeat clearly. She was wearing a hideous dress that covered almost her entire body, almost a straight line from her neck down to her ankles. Her sharp eyes immediately focused on Caroline, who shifted uncomfortably at her stern gaze.

"You are not a witch," Ayana said matter-of-factly.

Caroline stood up. "No. I'm not. Where am I? What's going on? What did you do to me?"

"I did nothing to you. I sensed a magical disturbance, so I came to investigate."

"But... But you were just talking to me from the Other Side. How do you not know what happened? You knew who I was before I blacked out."

"I do not understand. I do not know who you are nor where you have come from. And I certainly am not on the Other Side. I am very much alive."

Caroline glared at the witch, her hands on her hips. "Look, we both know that you're full of it. Stop denying it and tell me what is going on."

Ayana briefly closed her eyes, and Caroline was suddenly reminded of the look on Bonnie's face when she was trying to convince Elena not to run off and get herself killed. "Again, I do not know."

Could she be telling the truth? And where was she, anyway? "Where's Klaus and the other witch?" Caroline asked, suddenly even more panicked at Ayana's refusal to give any useful information.

"I assume that you speak of Esther? She is the only other witch here. And as for Niklaus, I would assume he is hunting with his brothers, or occupied with the Petrova girl," Ayana's lip curled at the mention of her, "I would assume that you know them?"

Hunting?

"Um. Yeah," Caroline said, resisting the urge to add a sarcastic comment, "But wait, I thought Esther was dead."

Ayana frowned. "Why would you think such a thing?"

Caroline closed her eyes and opened them again. She was in a forest with a witch in an ugly dress who appeared to not remember anything that had happened. Esther was still alive, and she was calling Klaus by his full name, which, to her knowledge, no one did. Ever.

A better question, child, would be 'When is the grimmoire'?" Ayana's voice echoed in her head.

No. Fuck no. She was so not okay with this.

"What year is it?" Caroline asked slowly.

Don't panic, Caroline. Deep breaths.

She frowned, but seemed unsurprised. "You are not from this time?"

"Just tell me."

"It is the year nine-hundred and seventy."

Caroline, you have the worst luck in the history of forever.

One thousand forty-three years? Were the Originals still human? Were they vampires already? When did they even become vampires? Did that mean they knew her before her time? Well, her actual time? Should she change anything? Could she change anything? More importantly, could she go back before she changed anything?

"You have upset the balance," she continued, "and you are not human. You must return. But it will take time," She paused, then continued slowly, "No. You have come with a purpose."

"Upset the balance? It's not like I chose to come here, okay?"

A faint smile appeared on Ayana's face. "You will understand in time," She paused for a moment, cocking her head to the side before continuing, "The spirits insist that you must remain here."

Typical mysterious witchy-talk. Caroline stood up slowly and brushed off her dress, her hands shaking. She couldn't go back. She wouldn't see Elena or Bonnie or Stefan or anyone from her time again—Or at least not for a thousand years—And Tyler… Take deep breaths, Caroline. You are in shock, and this will hit you later, but for fuck's sake take charge for now. It's what you're good at. Keep. Control. You can do this. "So, I guess I'll be here for awhile then?" She asked, fighting to keep her voice light.

Ayana was still wearing an infuriating I-know-something-you-don't-know smile. "Perhaps. I will return to the village and retrieve garments for you to wear, and then we shall speak of why you are not human."

She watched Ayana walk away through the trees and let herself have a small breakdown. Her purpose? Why was she here? She and Klaus had a plan. They were going to resurrect Bonnie and then find Kol who was supposed to know where the grimmoire was, but instead she'd been pulled back in time a thousand fucking years.

Was she supposed to retrieve the grimmoire here? That's what the Ayana from her time had said.

Okay, Caroline. Focus on the task at hand. You can wallow in self-pity later. What's the plan? The plan, she decided, was to adapt to this time period, and make a long-term plan later. The grimmoire supposedly disappeared in the 11th century. She could make a timeline of events. You're not going to find the grimmoire in the next ten minutes, so get your shit together.

If she was just supposed to grab the grimmoire and go, how was she supposed to do that? How would she get back?

And why this time specifically, anyway?

Klaus. Everything always came back to Klaus. She wondered if the point was the change him somehow. It seemed ridiculous on its face, but her words came back to her in a rush.

I know you're in love with me. And anyone capable of love is capable of being saved.

Oh, this so went above and beyond the call of duty for witchy mind-fuckery. There was no way, at all, ever, that she could "save" Klaus–make him keep his humanity–especially since that would most likely require her reciprocating his incredibly inconvenient feelings for her, which she totally didn't. Really.

And he didn't even know who she was anyway, at least in this time period.

She heard someone coming towards her and looked up to see Ayana returning from wherever she'd been, clutching a bundle of fabric.

Coarse fabric, ugly color, unflattering cut—why did nothing ever go her way? She let out a sigh and slipped the dress over her head, pulling off the dress she'd been wearing underneath and throwing it on the forest floor, along with the bra. She desperately wanted a mirror.

Ayana waved her hand and a crackling fire appeared. "Hey!" Caroline shouted angrily as all of her clothes were tossed into the fire.

"Better to be safe than regretful," Ayana said simply, looking completely unruffled at Caroline's indignation.

That had been one of her better bras.

"Did the spirits tell you what I'm supposed to be doing here?"

Please don't say save Klaus.

She was silent for a moment before she turned away. "Come. I will escort you to the village."

"Why won't you answer my question?"

"You will understand in time."

"Stupid witchy riddles," Caroline mumbled. It's like they think they're clue-givers on Dora the Explorer: Teenage Vampire Edition. As they walked, Ayana began a lecture on behavior in this time, and how Caroline would be expected to "comport herself," in addition to some pointed comments about her lack of politeness. Caroline followed her sullenly and had to stop before the door of Ayana's tiny cottage.

"You need to invite me in." Caroline said.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Umm. In order to enter your home I must be invited."

She didn't move.

"Please."

She nodded. "You may enter—"

"Caroline." She supplied, walking through the door.

She shut the door and turned around. "Now, please, seat yourself at the table. I would like to speak of how you came to be here, as well as how you are not...human. You are not a wolf, either. Why must you be invited in order to enter my home?"

A succinct description of vampires followed. Ayana's eyebrows seemed to recede more and more into her hairline as Caroline talked. When she had finished, Ayana turned towards the fire, filling a bucket with water and setting it on top.

"So you are saying that you were turned into a monster."

Caroline frowned. "I'm not a monster, okay? I mean, yeah, there are some vampires that are monsters, but I am one of the nicest frigging vampires you will ever meet. I can drink from animals to survive here. And, anyway, in the future there are ways to deal with that, like-"

"Do not speak of the future. I do not wish to know. It may upset the balance," Ayana said quickly, holding up a hand, "And watch your tongue."

"Sorry," Caroline mumbled, trying her best to actually sound it.

Ayana didn't seem to buy her apology, but sighed and continued anyway. "We must develop a history for you."

"What?"

Ayana sent Caroline a pointed look, and Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Um, I beg your pardon?"

"You cannot just appear here. This village is small. You must have a reason for coming. You are the niece of my friend Leah and her husband Benjamin. You will move to their dwelling—"

"But—"

"Do not interrupt," Ayana reprimanded, ignoring Caroline's huff, "You will move to their dwelling. I would usually not approve of the loss of free will, but you said you had the ability to make others forget. You will do this. I suggest that you create a history that is similar to your own. The others in the village will ask about it. I shall escort you after the evening meal. You will help. Watch the pot and do not let the water spill over. Ask questions now; it is better than making mistakes."

The evening passed slowly, the only talking was in the form of questions every few minutes, and Ayana escorted Caroline to the house that she would be living in just before dinner.

A middle-aged woman with wispy blonde hair and smiling eyes opened the door. After inviting Caroline in, Ayana nodded at me.

"I am your niece Caroline, the daughter of your sister Elizabeth. I have come because our village collapsed in a fire. I was out doing chores, so I survived. You will not be suspicious or ask about my comings and goings. You will treat me as a part of the family. You will provide me with clothing, food, and other necessities. You will truthfully answer any and all questions I ask. You will forget what I just told you, but still do as I say."

Ayana excused herself, and Caroline helped Leah with dinner, chatting with her about family history as they worked. Leah and Benjamin had a daughter, Mary, who had married already and moved to another village with her husband. She warned Caroline about the full moons, and told stories about the other families in the village, including what Caroline knew to be the Original family.

Benjamin returned home shortly after Caroline and Leah finished dinner, and Caroline compelled him as well. He was a tall man with a full beard and a serious face, but his laugh was deep and loud. Caroline liked them already.

They prepared a bed for her (and by "bed" she meant "pile of blankets") and once Caroline heard their breathing even in sleep, she allowed herself to acknowledge the tugging need for blood that had been bothering her the entire afternoon. She needed to feed.

When she left the cabin for the forest, she nearly shrieked when she found Ayana lurking just outside the door.

"I was just about to wake you," Ayana said, looking amused at Caroline's surprise.

"Why?"

Ayana nodded towards the forest, and Caroline fell into step with her.

"I have a theory about the spell that has been cast on you. The spirits have informed me that you have a task to complete, and I suspect that you will be returned to your time when the task is fulfilled. I could be wrong, however."

"Do you know what my task is?"

"To restore the balance."

"Right. Whatever. I think that I have to find a grimmoire."

Ayana raised an eyebrow, and Caroline shrugged. "For a spell in my time. It's from the Lakestrom line?"

"I see. I do not know of the Lakestrom family, but perhaps it will appear. Or perhaps you do not have to retrieve the grimmoire to complete your task. I do not know."

Caroline had a niggling feeling that Ayana did know, but decided not to address it. "Well, do you know how long I'll be here? Or anything that could possibly help?"

"I do not."

So she would be stuck here until she fulfilled some mysterious task? She didn't know how to live in this time period. Sure, she would adapt, but she didn't want to be there. She felt her breath shudder, and tried to blink the tears away. "I want to go home."

Ayana sent her a sympathetic smile. "This must be difficult for you, I understand. Unfortunately, as I said, there is no telling how long you will be here. You could complete it a week from now, or it could take years. I do not know. The spirits have not told me."

Caroline sniffled, and Ayana paused for a moment, seeming to have an internal argument with herself, before reaching out to pull Caroline into a hug. "Do not worry, child. You will be safe, and I will help. I give you my word."

"Thank you, Ayana."

The woman pulled away and nodded. "Of course. I will leave you to whatever you are planning on doing at this time of night."

"Good night."

Ayana didn't respond, but smiled before she walked away.

Caroline set off to feed. The Stefan Diet was sadly her best bet at this point, and she was not looking forward to picking the fur out of her teeth. After draining a deer, she decided that she should investigate the timeline issue.

She was a visual person, and though she didn't have any pen and paper, she could improvise. She walked deeper into the forest, knowing that the villagers most likely didn't go in that far, and found a suitable log with a crack already in it. She stuck her fingers into the sides and pulled, grimacing at the crack of one of her nails breaking. The log split unevenly, but enough that Caroline would be able to smooth it down with a knife. She worked for a few hours to make the surface more even using a sharp rock she'd found, and once she'd had enough for the night, she realized that she was sticky, had three splinters, and was covered in wood chips.

She needed to bathe. She decided to explore the forest to find somewhere, and stumbled across a meadow of vervain before finding a lake, both locations she committed to memory.

She washed the debris off of her and returned to the cabin to sleep. Leah shook her awake early in the morning, shoved a bucket into her arms and told her to retrieve some water from a creek nearby.

She hadn't found the creek the night before, and was trying to decide whether she should ask for directions when she heard someone move near her. She turned around to see Rebekah about to tap her on the shoulder, and the other girl smiled. "Who are you? Are you new to the village?" She asked.

Caroline, she doesn't know who you are. You could definitely use a friend, especially one in the Original family. Be nice. "Yes. I arrived yesterday to live with my aunt and uncle."

"I am Rebekah. It's nice to meet you."

Caroline smiled. "You, too. Do you know where the creek is? My aunt asked me to get some water, and I don't know where to go."

"Yes, of course. I am on my way there to get water for Mother. Would you like to walk with me?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

Rebekah smiled brightly and Caroline fell into step next to the other girl, thankful that Rebekah seemed to be much more talkative at this point in her life. It became clear to Caroline as they chatted that Rebekah had become bitter and angry over time as a result of being denied freedom and friendship by all of her older brothers. She was easy to talk to, and Caroline found herself enjoying the conversation.

When they returned to the village, Rebekah asked shyly if Caroline would like to walk with her the next day, and Caroline accepted before they parted ways.

That day and the rest of the week followed the same routine. She and Rebekah would walk to the creek together every morning and then return to the village where most of the day was spent doing various chores. After nightfall, Caroline would sneak out to her spot in the forest and work on the timeline.

By the Friday after she'd arrived, she had a rough idea of the order of events. The Originals were turned after Henrik was killed by werewolves, and then slaughtered the entire village due to bloodlust. Esther cursed Klaus to suppress his werewolf gene, so he killed her. Finn got daggered sometime in the next hundred years or so. Skip ahead about four hundred years to the whole Katherine incident. The time between Katherine escaping and 1920s Chicago was basically a giant blank space within which Kol was daggered, Klaus killed a hunter, and the three remaining siblings were splitting and reuniting. Rebekah fell in love with Stefan, Klaus daggered her. Skip ninety years to The Elena Show…

She carved it all into the log in pictures, feeling very pleased with herself when it was done.

XXX

Leah shooed Caroline out of the house in the late afternoon the next day, telling her to meet the other people in the village. Caroline didn't know where to start. The center of town was full of people, but she wasn't sure whether she was ready to be thrust into the proverbial lion's den just yet. Instead, she headed in the opposite direction towards the forest, deciding she'd procrastinate by taking a bath instead. She felt grimy. There wasn't any modern shampoo, and her hair felt disgusting and greasy. She had accepted that she'd be on an endless camping trip for the foreseeable future, but she wasn't all that happy about it.

Her bath was mostly uneventful, though she was already sick of having no towels. On her way back to the village, she dried her hair with her fingers while trying to figure out a way to avoid having to meet people.

She was a social person, but she didn't feel comfortable meeting people because all she'd be able to think about was how they'd be dead once the Original siblings transitioned.

She felt like she needed to plan how she'd fulfill her task, but she didn't know what she was planning for. Unless Ayana stumbled on information about the missing grimmoire, Caroline was basically stuck. She had no idea what the witches really wanted her to do, though if she were honest with herself, she knew she probably wouldn't follow their directions anyway, especially if they involved Klaus.

It suddenly occurred to her that Klaus might like her because he'd already met her. Was that possible? No. He would have met millions of people in the thousand years he'd lived, and it was unlikely that he'd remember someone from his village, especially since he and his siblings had murdered them all. It seemed ridiculous to her.

No, there must be some other reason.

She was so concentrated on her inner thoughts that by the time she registered someone approaching she'd nearly bumped into them. She looked up to see Elijah looking down at her. "Good day." He greeted, frowning.

"Good day," Caroline responded hesitantly.

He just stared at her, and they stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before he continued. "My name is Elijah. You must be Caroline. Rebekah was very excited to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Elijah."

He just nodded, still studying her critically.

Caroline stood there for a few moments until she realized that he wasn't about to continue talking, and moved past him to walk back to the village, rolling her eyes once she knew that he couldn't see her. She had only gone a few yards when she heard brisk footsteps behind her, and she slowed to allow Elijah to fall into step beside her.

"A lady should not walk alone so close to nightfall. May I escort you?"

She resisted the urge to point out that she couldn't exactly say no, and instead walked beside him in silence for most of the way, stopping once they got to the main square. Caroline was confused at the sudden pause, and was about to excuse herself when she saw Klaus approaching them out of the corner of her eye, motioning for Elijah to wait for him. He clapped Elijah on the shoulder once he'd caught up to them.

"Brother, I have been looking for you everywhere. Father wishes to speak to us about the next full moon," He began, before turning to Caroline, looking her up and down before saying smoothly, "And who might this be?"

Caroline couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. She hated when people talked about her as though she wasn't there listening. "My name is Caroline. I am staying with my aunt and uncle, Leah and Benjamin."

He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles, a dimpled smile on his face. "Good evening, Caroline. My name is Niklaus. It is lovely to meet a woman of such beauty."

Her lip curled. "Lovely to meet you," She said, her tone conveying that it was anything but 'lovely', "I'm sure we shall see each other around the village in the future."

She resisted the urge to smile at his confused face–clearly he wasn't rejected often–and turned to Elijah. "Thank you for escorting me, Elijah. I believe that I can make my way home from here."

Elijah nodded and seemed to be fighting a small smirk at the pout on Klaus's face.

Klaus saw his brother's taunting face and immediately pasted on another smile. "I will look forward to another encounter with you, sweetheart."

Caroline rolled her eyes and walked away.

There were times that Caroline had admitted to herself that Klaus had shown his tender side. He had made her want to see the good in him on several occasions, not the least of which being the speech he gave her on her graduation day. There were a few times when she'd considered for just a flash of a second letting herself fall for him.

Unfortunately for Klaus, this was not one of those times. He was being an arrogant jerk, and Caroline really wanted to tell him to go suck a fat one. However, she didn't think that the insult would be as appropriate in 970 as it was in 2011.

The two men continued talking about Mikael, but once they thought she was out of earshot, she heard Elijah snort with laughter.

"I think she likes you," He said sarcastically.

She allowed herself a tiny smile.

XXX

The next two weeks passed quickly, and Caroline and Rebekah became fast friends. There were very few moments that she could steal to feed besides at night, and she had been bunny-hunting one afternoon when she heard a veritable stampede coming toward her from the direction of the village. She quickly sped away to the nearby creek to wash the blood off of her face. The footsteps were coming towards the creek at an alarming speed. She had just finished wiping the last of it off of her chin when she saw a group of boys laughing uproariously while heading in her general direction. It was Elijah, Klaus, Kol, and a young boy that must have been Henrik. Mikael followed behind them at a slower pace.

She had heard stories about Mikael in her own timeline. Her impression of him wasn't good, and she was slightly curious to see how much of what she'd heard had been true. She stood behind a tree near the creek to watch. The boys seemed to be catching fish while Mikael sat by the creek-side doing absolutely nothing productive.

Elijah and Klaus were working on one side of the creek and Henrik and Kol on the other. Elijah caught a fish in the odd net-like tool and brought it to the bucket next to Mikael. He returned to the creek just as Klaus caught a fish, and stood up, accidentally elbowing him in the chest. Elijah let out an annoyed oomph and lost his balance, but sat up laughing and pulled his brother down with him. They were thoroughly soaked when they came back up, but continued their chore, laughing and joking as they did so.

Quickly growing bored, she wandered back to the village. She had only gotten within twenty feet of the house when Leah caught her arm. "Caroline, dear, would you mind going to the forest and finding some branches? The roof has a hole again."

The roof almost always had a hole.

"Yes, Aunt Leah."

She turned back to the forest and started walking, grumbling to herself as she went. Elijah, Kol and Henrik were walking out of the forest as she went back in.

"Good afternoon, Caroline." Elijah said. He was shifting from foot to foot, looking extremely uncomfortable. He gestured to his siblings. "This is Kol and Henrik." Henrik gave her a big smile and Kol smirked at her. "Pleasure to meet you, Caroline."

She repeated the greetings back, wondering where Klaus and Mikael were. She could just feel that something was wrong, but she couldn't explain how. She realized that Elijah had been talking, and tuned back in to find that he had been asking where she was going.

"Aunt Leah sent me to the forest to gather some wood. Our roof needs to be patched again."

Elijah nodded and politely excused himself and his siblings. She thought that it was odd that Elijah looked so guilty and seemed to be in such a hurry to get his siblings away from the forest.

Suspicious now, she walked further into the forest, made sure that she was alone, and then sped to the creek to see if something had happened. Sure enough, Klaus's arm was bleeding, but not badly, and he was still standing. He was staring at a fuming Mikael, who was glaring right back.

"See that you are home by sundown." Mikael said, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening and he was a normal parent giving his son a curfew, and then strode away back towards the village.

Klaus sat down as soon as Mikael was gone and closed his eyes. He seemed to gather himself for a few moments and then stiffly stuck his arm into the creek. He hissed in pain as the cold water hit.

He held it there, the blood clouding the clear water like an unfurling parasite, and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Caroline decided to leave it alone. If she knew Klaus at all, he would not appreciate the intervention unless he was weak enough to not be able to fight it off. Not that she could lose in a fight to him at this point in time, but he would later become a vampire.

And she would be a vampire before him.

And she would be stronger than him.

Would he still be able to compel her? He would still be an Original, the length of time Caroline had been a vampire didn't affect the fact that he was created and she was turned. Just as in her timeline, the only vampires that would be able to compel her were Originals. The difference was that in this timeline, Klaus wasn't in love with her.

Caroline took one last look at Klaus and decided to come back before sundown just in case he hadn't left yet. From what she had gathered about his time as a human, Mikael would find any excuse to hurt him, and being late would definitely qualify.

She used her vampire speed to gather branches and twigs into one spot in the middle of a clearing and then started back to the village. She made it to the edge of the forest when she heard some rustling to her left. Caroline crept up towards the noise and had to restrain herself from gagging out loud.

The sight of Elijah and Elena going at it against a tree was officially burned in her brain forever. It couldn't be Elena, though.

Tatia.

That bitch that was stringing along Klaus and Elijah.

What is with all the doppelgangers and their determination to fuck up the friendships of brothers everywhere?

Whatever. It was disgusting, and she needed to leave. Now.

She had only taken about twenty steps in the direction of her house when her vampire hearing picked up yelling coming from the trees behind a set of houses to her left. It sounded like Rebekah and Klaus were having a screaming match.

Could this family not go three hours without a screaming match?

Caroline took in the scene as she approached. Rebekah was in tears, her fists clenched and her chest heaving. She was clearly trying to yell at Klaus, but was too upset to get the words out. Klaus just stood there staring at the terrified-looking boy who was standing next to Rebekah, and didn't seem to be listening to his sister at all. In fact, he seemed to be internally debating something. Without any warning whatsoever, he punched the boy in the jaw. Rebekah screamed and Caroline raced over. Klaus raised his arm to punch the boy again, but she caught his wrist and yanked it down. "Don't. Move." Caroline growled at him. He raised an eyebrow.

Fuming with rage, she turned to the boy and made eye contact. "You will go home, and you will forget that this conversation happened."

She turned to Rebekah and considered what to do. If Caroline compelled her now, she'd remember it when she turned. Caroline gently touched her shoulder. "Calm down and tell me what happened, Rebekah. Is everything all right?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but Klaus cut her off. "No, Caroline, everything is not all right. My strumpet of a sister was letting that boy intimately touchher."

It took a lot of effort to not break down laughing and to keep an angry look on her face. Intimately touch her?

"I didn't ask you," Caroline said stiffly, still trying to push down her smirk, and subconsciously ignoring how she was supposed to speak, "Shut up, and let your sister talk."

He opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Caroline interrupted before he could even start. "You don't get a vote. Be quiet."

He complied, looking faintly amused at her bossiness. "I was just—just talking to Erik, and he—he touched my shoulder. And then Niklaus was walking by and—and he started calling me names and—and yelling." Rebekah said while simultaneously hiccupping and sobbing.

"Okay," Caroline said quietly, deciding to compel her. If she remembered it later she'd know it was to help her. Hopefully. She made eye contact with Rebekah and held her arm gently. "You need to stop crying, calm down, go home, and get some rest. All right?"

Rebekah nodded mutely and turned away to walk home. She hoped that it sounded enough like a comforting speech from a friend that Rebekah wouldn't realize that she had been compelled.

"What did you just do?" Klaus asked once Rebekah was out of earshot.

"Oh, I think I could ask you the same question, Klaus." She deflected, instantly reverting back to being furious.

"Niklaus," he corrected.

"Whatever. Why did you punch him?"

"He was touching her inappropriately. She is my sister. If she will not defend her own honor, then I must do it for her."

Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose. "Klaus, you are an infuriating misogynistic douchebag."

He frowned, "Pardon?"

Oh. Those aren't actual words yet. Clearly the idea of women's rights didn't exist in the Middle Ages. Neither did unsanitary vaginal cleansing tools.

She sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind. Just stop trying to control your sister. It will make her hate you. Just respect her choices."

He laughed. "Caroline, she is a sixteen year old girl. She does not make "choices" yet, if she ever will. And you didn't answer my question."

Caroline awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. Should she compel him? Compelling Rebekah would probably fine. Hopefully she wouldn't even notice it happened, and if she did she at least understands the concept of "help." Caroline felt like compelling Klaus would be synonymous with sentencing herself to a long, painful death.

"I was just helping Rebekah. You were being really rude."

He hmm'd and stared at her long enough to make her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She was about to say something to break the awkward silence, but then he said, "I have never met a woman quite like you, Caroline."

Yeah, because it's the fucking 10th century.

"I'm sorry to hear it," She said dryly.

He gave her a true smile, showing his dimples. "May I escort you home?"

"You may."

They walked in a comfortable silence, and once they reached the door she turned to say a quick goodbye. Before she could tell him to leave, he surprised her by picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles again. "It was a pleasure to escort you. Good night, Caroline."

"Good night, Klau—Niklaus."

"If you wish to call me Klaus, who am I to correct you? I should instead be grateful that you are addressing me at all," he kissed her knuckles again and then let her hand fall back to her side, "Good night, sweet Caroline."

She blinked.

What. Just. Happened?

She was both very annoyed that even though she was a vampire she could still blush, and very happy that he didn't have vampire sight yet and he was unable to see it.

A/N: So, what did you think? Please let me know if you like (or dislike) the direction the story is going. Any opinions on that?
The way the time travel in this works has been influenced (very slightly) by Somewhere In Time by SerpentInRed, which is one of my absolute favorite Tomione fics (which you should read if you're into the Harry Potter fandom). There will definitely be a LOT of changes in terms of the mechanics, themes, and consequences, but that's where the original spark for the idea came from. The plot's all mine though ;)
The only way a writer gets better is through constructive criticism. Bring it on!
Hugs!
-Angie