This chapter is the longest I've completed so far, as the plot is taking a more exciting turn. Hope you enjoy!
Caroline's eyes fluttered open expectantly. A gasp escaped her rosy lips. The landscape that met her gaze was mesmerising, it was as though she'd landed on her and Klaus' very own private island. She struggled for words, not knowing how to translate the beauty that was filling her senses into coherent speech. She was sitting in a frail, wooden rowing boat, her posterior still slightly on edge. Wildflowers sprung out from the banks around her in all directions in an array of bright, florescent shades. She'd never known such tranquillity.
"Klaus.. wow" she stammered, stealing a quick glance at his face. He looked almost as beautiful as the setting surrounding her, bathed in the sweet glow of the moonlight.
"Do you like it?" he asked, already knowing her answer. He had learnt so much about Caroline in such a short period of time. Klaus prided himself in the conquering of this, Caroline wasn't exactly what you would call an "open book". There were layers to her that one had to earn their way through.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful." She replied simply. The water was calm underneath them, flowing serenely and offering a therapeutic hum to her over-sensitized eardrums.
Klaus was gazing at her. "Neither have I."
Caroline stifled the sudden urge to giggle. It was difficult to believe that the night of the ball was only a few nights ago, and how much had happened since. She'd given into her feelings for him so quickly, and yet it seemed like a lifetime. It was as though this is what she had been waiting for all this time, she'd never particularly felt fulfilled until now.
She felt warm arms wrap around her waist, Klaus was at her side. She leant against him and sighed happily. He stroked her hair so softly, tickling her, and gently kissed the top of her head. Caroline felt all of her worries, ties and problems simply float away. It was impossible to feel pain or hurt here, not surrounded by this beauty. And yet midnight was drawing ever closer, and Caroline's mother was the Sheriff, after all. She needed to avoid unwanted attention and questions that would lead her mother closer to the truth.
Caroline sighed; "I could stay here forever." She half-wanted to make these words a reality.
"Then let's." He smiled, willing her to take him up on his offer. He could think of no better way to spend eternity.
"You make this so hard!" She moaned, half-laughing; "We have to go. I have to go."
Klaus obeyed immediately, untangling himself from the embrace that they had caught themselves in. He took his position back opposite her, and began to row once more. Caroline felt the warmth of his touch leave her and attempted to repress a shudder of withdrawal. They'd become so attached so quickly, so passionately that it frightened her. Once they were out of that wonderful, picturesque setting, Caroline could not prevent the worries enveloping her mind. If her friends found out about this, they would not understand; there was no question about it. None of them had seen even a glimpse of the goodness that Caroline had experienced so deeply. Tyler would never forgive her, and she was sure he'd end up dead if he tried to take vengeance against Klaus. Klaus' family would also use her in a bid to sabotage him, she was certain. There was no other option, then; if she and Klaus wanted to continue whatever it was that was going on between them, they'd have to abandon their lives in Mystic Falls. She took Klaus' awaiting hand that led her back to solid ground, and glanced at him wonderingly. If she did this, if she left with him, she'd be giving up her entire life here. Yet Tyler, Elena, Bonnie, Damon and Stefan would all be safe. If she just left with him even for a little while, she was sure that Klaus' evil side would vanish entirely. She looked at Klaus once more, a decision forming plainly in her mind. She began to voice her proposal aloud, and everything changed in his countenance.
"Elena, its Sheriff Forbes. Listen, Caroline didn't come home last night. She left a note saying she was leaving for a while but that's it. No clue as to where she's gone or who with. If she has mentioned anything to you about this, please tell me immediately. I'm worried about her, Elena. Call me as soon as you get this."
Elena keyed the 'end call' button on her cell in disbelief. Caroline would never leave Mystic Falls without telling anybody, something serious must have happened. She called Caroline's cell immediately; there was no reception. Elena had the terrifying suspicion that she had already gone, and far.
After calling back Sheriff Forbes, Elena paced around her kitchen. Unrealistic and improbable ideas were running through her mind; did Caroline and Tyler leave in an attempt to sever Tyler's sire bond to Klaus? Maybe, but Elena was certain that Caroline would have at least told her before doing so. A sudden idea sprang to her alert mind; she could ask Bonnie to do a simple locator spell. As she began to dial Bonnie's number, the doorbell rang.
Elena opened the door and gasped. Rebekah stood there, anger quite clearly reverberating from her. Elena attempted to slam the door shut once more, but Rebekah was too strong. She forced Elena's hand back as the door swung wide open.
"Now, I know I haven't been invited in so I'm quite happy to wait here until I can snap your pretty little white neck. But first things first; what have you and your boyfriends done with Klaus?" Rebekah seemed genuinely worried about her brother, and Elena assumed that they had reconciled their relationship.
Elena exhaled impatiently; "What are you talking about? I don't have time for this. I have my own friend to find." She tried to shut the door again, but Rebekah held it there once more.
"Not that bimbo Caroline?" She asked, eyes flaring with sudden suspicion.
"What do you know about Caroline going missing?" Elena asked promptly.
"You figure it out." Rebekah replied and marched away from the Gilbert household. Elena stood in the doorway, thinking. Klaus and Caroline both disappearing at the same time was too much of a coincidence. He had taken her; she realised, and ran to call Damon immediately, slipping on the wooden floor of her home as she rushed.
Rebekah held the phone to her ear, talking animatedly; "He's fine Elijah. He's left with that vampire Caroline." A hum from the other end of the line ensued. "I can't explain how I know right now, look, I'll fill you in later. I'm on my way back. We'll find him Elijah, he started this war, and it's his responsibility to finish it." She snapped her cell shut sharply. Truth be told, Rebekah did not care about any "war" in Mystic Falls in that moment. She was extremely hurt by her brother's actions. He'd never abandoned her before, not like this, they'd always been together over the years, even if she had had a stake in her heart for a century of them. This Caroline had entered her life and ruined everything; from her first day in Mystic Falls she knew she'd be a problem. She saw herself as a human in Caroline, which was part of the reason she had envied her life so manically.
"Damon; it's Elena. Klaus has taken Caroline." She rushed frantically. A muffled exclamation sounded from the other end of the line. "We need to find Bonnie, and ask her to do a locator spell. It's Caroline, Damon." Elena hung up the phone, her thoughts reeling. It didn't make sense, why would Klaus take Caroline? He had everything he wanted right here in Mystic Falls, there was no ulterior motive for him to leave with her. Unless, Elena thought, she had noticed Klaus spending as much as time as were possible with Caroline at the ball. Perhaps he had fallen for her and kidnapped her? Elena shuddered at the thought; Klaus couldn't and did not feel. That was improbable. Then she remembered, Caroline had left a goodbye note. None of it matched up.
Bonnie, Damon, Stefan, Elena and Sheriff Forbes were gathered in the classroom of Alaric Saltzman. In that moment he entered quickly, slamming the door behind him.
"We have ten minutes, guys." He announced, joining the group gathered around a single desk. There, spread across the desk, lay a map of the world. Klaus thought big, and it was unlikely that he'd stay in any of the surrounding areas of Mystic Falls if it was true and he had kidnapped Caroline.
Bonnie made eye contact with Sheriff Forbes, raising a small, yet sharp envelope blade, and waited for her to offer her hand.
"I'm sorry I have to do this, but you're mother and daughter. The connection will be stronger." She explained. The sheriff approached Bonnie and held her hand above the map, palm facing upwards.
"I understand." She rushed. She appeared agitated, and the purple around her eyes was a tell-tale sign that the Sheriff had not gotten any sleep the previous night. She must have been waiting on hand should Caroline need her for anything, Elena realised sadly.
As the blade cut a small, yet deep cut into the Sheriff's palm, Stefan and Damon moved slightly, uncomfortably. Elena gave Stefan a warning glance, but there was no need, he had recomposed himself as she made eye contact with him. She had no time to think about that at the moment, however.
"Here." Bonnie muttered, directing Sheriff Forbes' hand upside down, allowing the blood to drop in large beads onto the map directly below. Bonnie began uttering a spell animatedly in the bizarre witchy dialect. The flames dancing in the candles around her grew rapidly and danced wildly. It was working. The blood formed into a large red clump and travelled along the map. Elena's eyes darted around the group as it did so. The Sheriff was watching the blood's journey intensely, whilst Damon and Stefan appeared lost in thought over by Alaric's desk. Their eyebrows were furrowed together in their confused and stressed state, and Elena remarked mentally how alike they looked in that moment. It was the first time she'd really noticed their resemblance as brother's in their appearance.
Elena's reverie was interrupted by a sudden quietness. The group were staring at the map in disbelief. Bonnie's voice quivered; "She's there." And Elena's eyes darted towards the map in the direction of Bonnie's finger. The blood had formed around Italy, Rome specifically.
Damon's voice echoed emphatically and disbelievingly through the classroom; "She's in Rome?"
The classroom door opened with a loud slam. Elena moved automatically to hide the map and its contents from view, but it was just Tyler. He glanced around the group before muttering; "They're in Rome, Klaus and Caroline. And he didn't kidnap her, if that's what you were thinking." He diverted his eyes to the ground, but there was no mistaking the sullen and despairing tone of his voice.
"She wouldn't have willingly gone with him, Tyler!" Bonnie exclaimed. Elena agreed with her, the Caroline that they had known all of their life would not have abandoned them and left for another country with a psychotic hybrid. There was no possible chance.
"Oh, yes she would, and believe me, she did." Tyler murmured, staring intently at each of them. He launched into an explanation of everything that he'd seen and made connections of since the ball, and each face in the room turned to an expression of utmost horror and convulsion at his speech. This could not be happening, Elena thought, the darkness of disbelief consuming her. She yielded to it gladly, after all, it was much more preferable than accepting the terrifying reality of the situation.
