Shout out to xForgottenxFlamex for giving the first review! You're awesome, and I'm glad you're enjoying this. And thanks to everyone who followed and favorited so far. You guys are also awesome. Here's the third chapter, its a fairly long one, and I hope you enjoy it. Leave reviews with your thoughts :)

Chapter 3

8 years later.

Caroline stepped out of the ship and onto the docks of Port Royal. It was just as beautiful as she remembered it. Mystic Falls had proved to be as calm as john had promised, however he refused to mention the fact that it was probably the most boring place on earth. Caroline dreaded the past eight years living there, but tried to make the most of it. John had put Caroline in charge of multiple events back at Mystic Falls in hopes of keeping her busy and out of trouble.

However, once her mother had grown deathly ill Caroline's time had been strictly devoted to Elizabeth. Upon hearing the news of his wife's untimely death, Bill Forbes sent a letter to his old friend John, asking him to return Caroline to Port Royal.

"Caroline," her father greeted her with a saddened smile. Looking at his daughter for the first time in eight years, he was taken aback by how much she had grown. She was a young woman now, and resembled her mother so much that it hurt when he looked upon his daughter.

Caroline held in much resentment towards her father over the last eight years, and finally seeing him now she couldn't even bring herself to fake a smile for him.

"Father," she said coldly, gathering up her skirts and storming past him to the carriages. Elena watched as Caroline so rudely rejected her father's greeting. She bowed apologetically before Governor Forbes, and followed after Caroline.

"Give her some time to heal Bill," John advised, gripping his friend's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "She's taken Elizabeth's death the hardest."

"Yes," Bill managed to suppress the pain in his expression. He cleared his throat, "It's been hard on all of us."

A man named Damon with silky black hair and icy pale blue eyes watched as Caroline stepped into her carriage. A spark of recognition engulfed him. "Well, well what do we have here," he said to himself with a sly look in his eye. "Looks like the Governor's daughter is back in town."

Damon had no time to waste, he knew this piece of information would prove to be very useful, and just as he was about to scurry off he saw Elena following after Caroline. Never in all his life had Damon seen a woman with such beauty. It took all his will power to pry his eyes away, and get back to the task at hand.


"Just… place it over there," Caroline instructed the men carrying the chest with her belongings. "I'll put it away later. I'd like some privacy please." The men put the chest down in front of Caroline's unnecessarily large and extravagant bed. With her father's new position, he had acquired quite a bit of wealth. This new estate was nothing compared to their home in London, but it suddenly meant nothing to Caroline. Despite the pretty rooms, and grand staircases, this home would never compare to her old one because it lacked something vital. Her mother.

Caroline sat down on her bed, taking in her new room with a sigh. It all felt meaningless to her. What was the point in having all of this wealth, all of these dresses, all of these fancy parties, and fancy things to show off? In the end none of it would matter. In the end, her father would die and she'd be left with nothing but a big gaping whole in her chest and a pile of money to suppress the pain.

Tears began to blur Caroline's vision when a knock resonated from her door. "Who is it?" Caroline croaked, wiping her eyes quickly, and pulling herself together in the five seconds it took for her room door to open. "Tyler?"

"In the flesh," he shot her his signature smile before taking her in. Eight years after they had last seen each other, and Caroline still managed to strike him with her beauty just as she always had. She was no longer the little girl he had held in his memory, but a fully blossomed woman. "H-how are you?" he spoke nervously, distracted by his attraction to Caroline.

"I'm alright… given the circumstances." She admitted with the first smile she had given since her arrival. Tyler had also grown from his child-like figure. He was much taller now, still had the same disheveled brown hair and warm brown eyes, but he had acquired quite a lot of muscle mass. Caroline could make out his well toned physique underneath his clothes, and couldn't help but be impressed. Quite a lot of muscle mass indeed, she thought to herself.

"Well, I was sent here to inform you personally that there will be a ball later this evening, held in my home, and you have been accordingly invited."

"I am honored by your invitation Tyler," she smirked at his proper tendencies. "I shall see you later this evening then."


Caroline made her way downstairs to join her father and the Gilberts for lunch reluctantly. She had been avoiding her father all day, but she knew she couldn't fight the inevitable. After all, they lived under the same roof now. She wondered what sort of boring small talk the Gilberts and her father would engage in this afternoon, and to her surprise the subject of their talk was about pirates when she sat herself down.

"Lord Lockwood and I have been working closely over the past few years to manage the… pirate problem. We've constructed a great militaristic force here at Port Royal to fend them off, and devised laws of punishment for anyone who conspires in piracy," Governor Forbes explained as they all listened intently. "We have a list of the most troublesome pirates, but of course none of them compare to Niklaus Mikaelson."

The name sounded so familiar to Caroline, but she couldn't recall it

"Niklaus Mikaelson?" John Gilbert asked. "Surely he can't be of relation to the Mikaelson family? They're one of the most influential families South of Virginia."

"No I can assure you this mongrel has not a single drop of noble blood. He's one of the most notorious pirates to plague these waters, and he has the greatest bounty for his head," Governor Forbes spoke of him with such hate, and Caroline couldn't help but wonder what terrible deeds this man must have done to be the most wanted pirate in the Caribbean.

"All this talk of pirates is all very unsettling," Katherine stated, "Can't we talk about more important things such as the Lockwood Ball?"

"More important things?" Caroline was disgusted by Katherine's vain nature. "If a ball is more important than a dangerous pirate epidemic than surely you need to get your priorities straight." It was the first time Caroline had spoken during their meal, and already she was causing an "improper scene".

"If anything, you should be the one regarding this Ball more highly, Caroline. After all it is your engagement party," Katherine smirked, and Caroline stared at her incredulously. "If there's anyone who needs to get their priorities straight, it's you darling."

"Katherine!" Isobel chided. "Mind your tongue, we are guests in this home and you will not disgrace us like this."

Caroline got up from her chair and stormed out of the room, leaving her food untouched. She heard her father calling after her, but she paid no mind. She headed straight to her room and locked herself in there. So this is why Tyler had personally invited her to come to this so called ball. He was courting her, and surely the ball was just an excuse to have the two of them properly introduced them to the public as a potential couple. Caroline knew Katherine over exaggerated on the engagement part of it. Lord Lockwood and her father would never dream of rushing into things like that, but nonetheless it was set in stone.

Tyler would court Caroline, and after a few months he would propose, and Caroline would have no choice, but to except. The two would marry, unifying the two families, and together they'd inherit their families' fortunes. Inevitably, Tyler would follow in his father's footsteps and become Governor, and Caroline would become a trophy wife. That was how it worked around here, and it was all part of a plan that their parents had agreed upon without their consent. Or at least, without Caroline's consent.

She cared for Tyler, there was no denying that, but was she really prepared to marry him? She'd known Tyler as a child, but she had changed a lot since then, and surely so did he. If she really thought about it, she didn't know Tyler very well, and although he seemed like a gentlemen through all their proper conversations, there was no way to know what kind of person he really was. That's what she hated most about this lifestyle. There was no genuality. Everything was masked by this blanket of properness that dictates what you say and do. Oh how she dreaded it all.


Later that evening, Governor Forbes and the Gilbert family departed for the Lockwood Ball, leaving Caroline behind. She had claimed that she was still suffering from sea sickness and that she was in no condition to attend. She and her father both knew that it was all an act to get out of attending the ball. However, Her father didn't protest. He knew better than to worsen his situation with his daughter by forcing her to do something she clearly did not want to.

Caroline unpinned her blonde curls and let her hair flow freely. She slipped out of her evening gown, and put on her night dress. Looking through her drawers for her brush she spotting a necklace—the necklace. She took it out and held the chain in front of her, examining the milky stone pendant that hung from it. Back at MysticFalls, she had gotten a black smith to do her the favor of repair the chain, swearing him to secrecy. He complied, not quite understanding why it was so important to keep such a thing a secret, but he didn't question her motives.

After a few moments, Caroline decided to put the necklace on. She clutched onto the pendent, and memories of the boy she had saved flooded her mind. She couldn't quite remember what his name was, it had been so long, but she remembered every detail of his face. She wondered where that boy could be now; probably dead if he continued his life as a pirate. What with all the laws and enforcements put in place, the pirating days were surely numbered.

Caroline hid the stone pendent in between her breasts as a precaution. She didn't want anyone noticing the skull engraved onto it. She made her way to her bed, after brushing her hair, and drifted off to sleep. That night she dreamt of her encounter with the pirate boy, relieved of her usual nightmares regarding her mother.


Screaming. That's what Caroline had woken up to. The sky was still dark, which indicated that the night was still young; Caroline was probably still alone in the house. As she got out from her bed to look out the window she heard a crash come from downstairs followed by obnoxiously loud male voices. Pirates. Port Royal was being attacked, and Caroline was left defenseless here at home, and wished that she would have just went to the ball with the others.

Caroline scanned her room for some kind of weapon, and settled for her wrought iron candle holder. She scurried out of the room, knowing that if she made it to her father's library downstairs, she'd be able to hide in his secret room. He'd told her about his safe room while he gave her a tour of her new home, and for that she was now grateful. Once she left her room she was able to see over the railing into the bottom floor. The door had been kicked open and standing in the middle of the entry way were two men dressed in filthy clothing, holding pistols in their hands.

It was the first time Caroline had seen a pirate in the flesh. She didn't count the boy pirate because nothing about him was pirate like at all except for his necklace. One man had disheveled jet black hair and frightingly pale blue eyes that were less than welcoming. The second was a man with greasy brown hair, hazel eyes, and brooding facial features.

One of the butlers of the house came out, clearly still recovering from sleep. He snapped out of his daze once he saw the two slovenly looking men. "What in heaven's name is goin—"

A shot rang out, and Caroline covered her mouth to suppress her scream. The butler's body fell cold to the ground as the blue eyed man blew the smoke from the end of his pistol showing no remorse.

"She's probably upstairs," he said, looking up at the railings of the second floor. Caroline's heart sank once his eyes met with hers, and she immediately ran into the corridor. "Well what are you waiting for?! Go get her, Stefan."

"Why do I always have to be the one to do the dirty work?" he complained.

"Because I'm the oldest, little brother, and I said so. Now quit your moping and go after her before she gets away!" With a protestant growl, Stefan ran up the staircase towards Caroline's direction.

"Come on sweet heart, let's not waste our time chasing after one another," Stefan said menacingly as he trailed closer. Caroline was in a complete state of panic. There was no way she'd be able to get into the library in time, and so she had to resort to plan B. She ran into the closest room, and surely enough Stefan followed. "Ha! There's no where else to g—"

Just as he entered the room Caroline smashed her candle holder on his head, and Stefan collapsed onto the floor, disoriented. Caroline took the opportunity and ran out of the room.

"Damon! She's getting away!" he groaned. Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's incompetence. He took his time going up the stairs and saw that there was no sign of Caroline. She had to be hiding in one of the rooms; there was no where else she could go. He lurked into each room quietly, scanning it carefully until finally he came across a bed room with a rumpled carpet facing a large wardrobe. The wardrobe door was left open with just a tiny sliver of space so that Caroline could see what was outside.

Damon smirked, knowing exactly where Caroline was, but still proceeding to torment her with fear. "I know you're here poppet," he said quietly. "If you come out, I promise I won't hurt you." Caroline watched as he roamed around the room, looking under the bed and behind curtains. Her heart felt like it was pulsing in her throat, and she was breathing heavily. "You've taken something. Something that wasn't yours to take and we want it back."

Caroline searched through her memories not knowing exactly what it was she had taken. Before she had the chance to really think about it, he was there. She saw his icy blue eyes peering at her from the crack, and gasped. "Hello poppet" The wardrobe door flew open and he grabbed Caroline's wrist, just as she was about to club him with the candle holder. He grabbed Caroline by the waist and hauled her over his shoulder. She kicked and screamed, but it was no use. He was much stronger than she was.

"Let's go Stefan, we got what we came for." Stefan stumbled over, clutching his injured head.

"She hit me in the head with a candle holder," he stated begrudgingly.

"And I'll gladly do it again!" Caroline spat. They were already out of the estate, and all around her Caroline saw chaos erupting. Royal Navy officers in red coats lay slaughtered on the ground, women screamed for salvation, and the only light came from the blazing flames that engulfed the townspeople's homes. It was utterly horrifying.

"Can we kill her now?" Stefan asked eagerly.

"No you stupid pig. We take her to the ship," Damon said and Stefan gave Caroline a devilish grin that chilled her to her core. "She has a meeting with the Captain."