Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All rights belong to L.J Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Hey, sorry for the wait. I started a new job, real life, you know. Thanks for the response for the last chapter. Thank you to my betas: TallDarkAndHandsome and TigerLilly1995. They are amazing! Here we are – longer author's note at the end.
[TPJ]
She hated being stuck in the body of a teenager. She remembered her adolescence very well and had no desire to revisit it again. It also made going to bars and having a drink all the more difficult.
"Vodka tonic please," she ordered.
The bartended gave her a quizzical stare. "You look like my kid sister," he said. "Let's see some ID."
The vampire stared at Ben, admiring his almond eyes and boy-next-door smile.
She leaned closer to him, flashing a charming smile.
"How about you just give me what I asked for and we go about our business?" She purred.
The human looked taken aback at her directness, but he didn't grab any alcohol.
"Look, kid…"he started firmly. "I need this job. I can't serve you hard liquor."
With her head tilted to the side, she evaluated Ben.
"That's right," she agreed. "You are in a bit of a bind, aren't you Ben?"
Ben scowled. "How do you know my name?"
A slow smile formed on her plump peach lips.
"I've seen you around town. It wasn't that hard to pick it up," she said.
The blonde wretch, Avery Thayer, had the nerve to contact her a few hours ago informing her that the tomb underneath Fell's church was soon to be opened. Something of which she was already aware of, not that she shared that bit of information. She had been in Mystic Falls for almost a month, getting a lay of the land and formulating her own plan.
She needed a vampire to be her eyes and ears. The local bartender was as good as any. Ben McKittrick was young, yet old enough to infiltrate the crowd she was targeting, if need be. Ben was easy on the eyes too, which was a plus.
"How about you pour me that drink, Ben and we'll talk? I bet the things I have to say will be of interest."
The boy's thin lips were pursed, starting at her in disbelief.
"Is that so?" He wondered.
She smirked, rolling her eyes. He wasn't the first to underestimate her. She used her height and her demure good looks to her advantage.
"I know that you're a townie," she said, resting her chin on her hands. "All your friends went away to college, leaving you behind and every day you wish that you had spent more of your high school days working on your grades than relying on your throwing arm. The football part worked out great, but you're still stuck here. It's killing you."
Ben gaped at her, his expression was a cross between astonished and irate. He couldn't believe she'd just said that.
She smiled innocently, continuing. "I could offer you something to pull you out of your doldrums Ben. Something better than a few years of college campuses and hangovers."
"What," Ben guffawed. "Like drugs?"
She grinned at his lack of imagination. The transition might be good for this country bumpkin.
"I was thinking, something more like strength, power and staying hot forever."
He stared at her, his expression guarded, but there was a flash of hope there. Something that she had been banking on. She extended her hand to him.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Anna."
[-0-]
"I've been looking for a Fell journal," Caroline said.
This was Caroline's first visit to the Boarding House. Damon insisted that she come over and she agreed to sneak away. He offered to cook dinner, Caroline offered to watch. While Damon worked his culinary magic, Caroline shared some of what she'd been up to the past few days.
"I take it by your frowny face that that hasn't been going so well," Damon guessed.
"I've turned the apartment upside down and I haven't found anything," she sighed. "I could just ask Meredith, but I don't want her asking questions, you know? I'll probably go to my Uncle's before school."
"Tobias Fell…right," he said. "He seemed cool. Snazzy dresser. What else, Nancy Drew?"
Caroline frowned, wondering when they'd crossed paths. "You met him?"
Damon nodded. "Founder's Ball. After you dissed and dismissed me, I got to go to a super-secret Founder's Council meeting."
This piqued her interest. "They let you in to a council meeting?"
"Well duh," Damon sassed. "I am a Salvatore."
Caroline threw a wad of shredded cheese at him.
"Angel Face," he said. Warning, but playful.
Caroline looked at the cheese and then back at Damon, wearing a mischievous grin.
He was smiling back at her as she decided to eat rather than throw. "Don't be cute."
Caroline lowered the food in her mouth slowly, deciding that Damon meant business. He went back to cooking, satisfied that he won, even by forfeit. "So how does it work?" She asked after a beat.
Damon was at the stove stirring a pot of homemade marinara sauce, adding spices. He looked like a seasoned Food Network star with a dishtowel draped over his shoulder.
"Hmm?"
Caroline placed the bowl of grated Colby Jack cheese on her lap and started chewing away.
"I mean, you eat food, right? Aren't you like…?" She faltered in between bites, not sure how to articulate.
"You can say it," Damon coached, sensing her hesitation. He smirked, pausing to taste the sauce before adding in some more herbs.
He turned to her, blue eyes smoldering.
"Dead?" His tone was light yet challenging
Caroline kicked her legs lightly as she chewed, her eyes never leaving his.
"Dead," she said finally, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Vocalizing it wasn't as terrible as she thought. "Except you aren't."
Blonde brows knitted together in concentration – she didn't know if it was a trait from the Fell's or the Forbes' that drove her to understand the ins and outs of everything.
"So how are you able to do this?" She questioned, waving around the kitchen.
Damon placed the cooked noodles neatly to a baking tin.
"As long as I drink blood, I can eat and drink normal stuff just fine." He added meat, sauce and some cheese from the bowl on top of the noodles, completing a layer.
"Right," Caroline nodded. "How does it work? The blood."
She hoped that he could tell she was trying to be understanding and open, regardless of her awkward questioning. Caroline had thought about it a lot in the time she spent apart from Damon, damn near obsessed about everything she'd learned so far. Logically, she knew that would be better for her to take Bonnie and Elena's advice and stay the hell away from Damon, let Bonnie and her grandmother complete the tomb spell and let the Salvatore brothers walk out of her life, but she couldn't stay away. She didn't want to.
"I feed from people, but blood bags mostly." It was casually spoken while Damon added another layer to their lasagna dish.
Caroline knew this. She'd seen enough television to know that that was how vampires ate, but hearing it out loud still shocked her.
"Have you fed recently?" The question fell from her lips before she could stop herself from prying.
Damon stared at her, keeping some space between them.
"I have," he said, his voice not ashamed, just matter of fact.
Caroline blinked, oddly comforted by his words even though she still wondered what he meant by 'mostly'. Had he killed people? Did he like that sort of thing? She closed her eyes, reminding herself that Damon wouldn't hurt her. If he wanted to, he would have. Damon seemed to sense her mini panic, he smiled charmingly in hopes to reassure her.
"No animal blood then?" She was doing a tap dance around what she really wanted to know, too afraid of the answer.
Damon laughed, shaking his head at her. Caroline smiled and shrugged her shoulders while nibbling on more cheese.
"Hey!" She whined, laughing with him. "I'm only a product of my time," Caroline threw in for her defense. "All I really have to go on is Stephenie Meyer, Joss Whedon and Bram Stoker."
Damon laughed harder, taking the bowl from her, Caroline pouted and Damon placed his finger on her puckered lips.
"Of the three, I'd say Joss is the closest."
He finished preparing the pasta dish and placed it in the oven. Caroline watched him, checking him out/admiring his domesticity. He was in his signature black button-down and dark jeans, his feet were bare as he moved around the large kitchen freely. Damon walked over to where she sat on the countertop. He yanked the dishtowel from his shoulder and set it on the counter beside her. Their eyes were mere inches apart.
"Can I see?" She whispered, surprised that she even asked. "Your other face."
Damon narrowed his eyes, not mean, but judging her sincerity.
Caroline could see the indecision all over his face. She reached up, brushing his fringed locks from his forehead. Damon closed his eyes and then opened them to stare at her reverently.
"Show me," she gently coaxed.
When she slept she dreamed about the faces Lexie and Damon wore that night in the alley. It had truly scared her, but as the days went on Caroline came to the conclusion that if she was going to get past this, she needed to see. She needed to know. Not just what she was learning in the Founding Family journals, but from the vampire prospective. Her family had spent generations hating these creatures, but unlike them, Caroline was getting a chance to know one on a personal level. How could she pass that up?
Damon changed his face at will and walked in between her legs. Caroline reached out tentatively, touching the bluish-black veins along his cheekbones and lightly tracing the red rimmed skin near his eye sockets. The fierce, glacial blue irises she'd grown accustomed to, were now a sickly green, nearly eclipsed by large dark pupils. It wasn't a sparkly, hard as marble, twentieth century virgin in front of her or some pasty Goth in a cape sporting a goofy accent. Damon was terrifying and beautiful and so many things that Caroline couldn't name. He was a real vampire.
Damon blinked a few times, his face returning to normal.
"You don't have to act intrigued, Angel Face," he insisted. "You can scream and run if you want. I'd let you hit me, but I don't want to ruin my shirt."
Caroline's hands were now cupping Damon's face. She shook her head.
"How does it work? How does someone become like you?"
Damon placed his hands on Caroline's skirt-clad thighs.
"You really want to know?"
Caroline offered him a half smile.
"Tell me," she commanded.
Damon pursed his lips, giving her that evaluating look once more.
"You'd have to have vampire blood in your system when you died," he said. "Once you wake up, you either compete the cycle by drinking human blood or you could choose not to and die permanently. It's a whole thing."
She nodded, processing the information, her thumbs absentmindedly rubbing up and down Damon's neck. He squeezed her legs. She could feel the heat of his skin through her thigh-high stockings.
"You're warm," she realized, looking at his hands and then his face.
Damon shrugged. "I drink a lot of alcohol. And coffee. It helps with that."
Her lips pursed, taking in the facts. "Garlic's not an issue?"
"I need good breath, for kissing," he said leaning in, smooching the side of her mouth before blowing air in her face. Caroline giggled, smelling the pasta sauce he had just taste-tested before kissing the opposite side of his jaw.
"Churches? Holy water?"
He refuted them with the shake of his head. "I can enter uninvited and holy water tastes way better than tap."
"Do you sleep?" She wondered, thinking about the lore she'd picked up from her teen fiction novels.
Damon grinned slyly. "Not in a coffin, but I in a very expensive king-sized bed that I'd love –" He stretched out the 'o', making the word sound dirty. "– to show you one day."
"Is it hard for you?"
Damon looked down between them to where his hips were practically aligned with hers, then back to her face with an impish grin.
Caroline bit her lip, blanching at her unintentional innuendo, and hit Damon on his broad shoulder.
"I meant, you pervert, is it difficult for you to be around me?"
Damon continued to smirk and Caroline felt her heart and her girly parts begin to tingle. It had been over a week since they had been alone together. When he left her apartment, Caroline thought it would be best if she had some space. She needed time to think and process everything and when she was around Damon, it was hard to think objectively. While reflecting, Caroline decided that she would keep what she knew to herself. She still trusted Damon and so far, he had kept his word; things in Mystic Falls had returned to normal. Stefan was still masquerading as a high school student, but he was keeping his distance from her and her friends and Caroline had not heard any word of Lexie.
"Caroline?"
She hummed as her focus shifted between Damon's lips and his cool blue eyes.
"Kiss me," he begged.
Caroline rolled her lip between her teeth, gnawing at the skin as she stretched her torso, bringing her mouth to his. She felt his hands gripping her hips and she widened her legs so that he could be closer.
Her arms draped over his shoulders and she laced her fingers behind his neck as Damon kissed her lips lazily and deep.
"I won't lie…" he sighed huskily. "You are kind of food." His voice was airy and joking, but he added in a more serious tone. "I won't hurt you."
Caroline nodded. His reassurance didn't stop her heart from speeding up, she was afraid and excited, unsure of what was worse.
Damon's hands were now underneath her sweater, sliding up and down her skin torturously slow. They both groaned.
"And I love that," he confessed, kissing her jaw. "The sound of your heart, but it isn't what drives me crazy."
Caroline leaned against the cabinet, her breathing labored. "It's not?"
Damon shook his head in denial.
His fingers traced the bones of her clavicle and he smiled when she shivered.
Damon was tapping at her heart in time with its rhythm, staring at her skin.
She could hear the silent implication wrapped up in his innocent gesture. They might not be ready for epic talks or grand declarations, and Caroline wasn't expecting one anyway, but it was wonderful to know that whatever they were feeling for one another was more than a passing fling. Caroline could already see it going the way of love. She and Damon had an interesting chemistry and while their budding relationship wasn't anywhere near the ballpark of conventional, whatever was brewing between the pair was something Caroline was not willing to turn away from. Right then she made the choice to leave her reservations behind and step into the unknown.
Caroline kissed Damon, parting her lips so that she could taste him and he let her. She felt Damon's hand slide along the back of her neck and she pulled him close. He groaned when she let her fingernails drag along the muscles of his back. Caroline's mouth moved to Damon's throat, brushing her lips across his neck.
"What's gotten in to you?" He asked, his voice still breathy. "Not that I'm complaining."
Caroline smirked, mimicking Damon's. She was pleased hearing and feeling the stuttering of his breath and the tightness of his body. She loved knowing that she had this effect on him. It made her feel powerful. Desirable.
"Can't I kiss you?" She countered innocently.
Damon wet his lips and let his hand pass higher under her sweater making her muscles clench. Caroline shivered feeling the heat of his skin and the sensual way he gripped her.
"You can do anything you want," he told her, she didn't miss the desire behind his words.
Caroline smiled. Enjoying the humanity of the moment. She was out of her element when it came to the supernatural, it would be up to Damon to guide her, but this, being physical, was something she could do. Obviously, Damon had lifetimes more experience than her, but at least on some level, Caroline felt confident enough in herself to say that she was on a more level playing field. For now they didn't have to be a human and a vampire, they could just be two people enjoying each other's company.
"Damon," she said in a low whisper.
"Yeah?"
She gave him her most seductive smile, loving how he was waiting on her cues, giving her some semblance of control.
"Kiss me."
Damon studied her face, wearing an expression Caroline couldn't name. She moaned in response when he leaned in, passionately capturing her mouth with his own. His warm tongue slid into her mouth and met her own languidly as though he were trying to savor the taste of her. Caroline pulled him close once more, wrapping her legs around his waist and Damon deepened their kiss. She gasped as Damon's hands danced over her body. One hand traveled higher on her thighs, the pads of his fingers made her skin tingle in the most delicious way while the other molded to her breast, kneading it with practiced ease. Caroline tiled her hips, hoping to feel him and relieve some of the pressure building between her legs. He was too good at this.
The couple was interrupted by the clearing of someone's throat.
Caroline peeked over Damon's shoulder and scowled at Stefan who stood in the kitchen archway, leaning casually with his arms crossed.
"I wasn't expecting dinner and a show."
[-0-]
It pleased Tobias Fell that of all the Founding Families, his was the only clan to still reside on the land they originally owned in the 1800s. Tobias' ancestor, Thomas Keeping Fell, constructed a beautiful neoclassical style home with a wrap-around porch for his wife that still stood proudly today. His home wasn't a gaudy monstrosity of an estate, like the Lockwood mansion, but a true representation of an elegant southern plantation house. Tobias was surprised to find that on this particular morning he wasn't home alone. He entered his study only to find his great-niece, Caroline, rummaging through his things.
Of all his nieces and nephews, Caroline's mother, Elizabeth, had been his favorite. She was a precocious little thing as a child. A trait she had passed on to her daughter. He remembered watching Caroline running through the grounds, trailing after her older cousins, demanding to play with the bigger kids and insisting that she could keep up. In the long, hot Virginia summers, that same spunky, flaxen, curly haired child would sit on the veranda in her grandmother's lap as they sipped sweet tea telling each other stories.
As odd as it was to find Caroline sleuthing in his study on a school day, it wasn't uncommon for any member of their family to find her in there. It was one of her favorite rooms of the house. When Caroline was still a little girl and her parents were too busy to watch her, Tobias' brother, Caroline's grandfather, Franklin Fell, would set her up in that very same study. For hours she would play make believe on the faded rug. Sometimes her grandpa would be working at his desk and she would play near his feet or the old man would ease himself down on the floor joining her games, entertaining her the only way a doting grandfather could.
"Do I even want to know why you snuck into the house to read scripture before school?" Tobias asked.
Caroline looked up from a musty old bible and smiled at him sweetly.
His great-niece's eyes narrowed slightly. She rose from her hunched position and a slight blush rose in her cheeks. "Uncle Toby."
For a moment she was seven years old, only half repentant for being caught. Tobias mirrored her smile as he started at her from the doorway. He looked as though he'd just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren photo shoot, all tweed, khaki's and deck shoes with silver, windswept hair.
"Surely you can't be my niece," he joked. "I haven't seen you in ages. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me." His tone was good natured while mocking hurt.
Caroline giggled, unable to help it when she saw him pout. She walked to him, giving him a hug.
"I'm sorry," she gushed. "I know I've been MIA lately."
"That bible belonged to my mother," he paused, holding his hand out. Caroline passed the book to him. He revealed a page in the front. There were names of their family members and the dates of their birth. "Should we start looking into a good seminary school for you, my dear?"
Tobias' bright eyes shined with amusement.
Caroline bit her lip, embarrassed. She shrugged while shaking her head.
"I don't think I'd fit in much there, Uncle Toby, do you?"
He handed the bible back, smiling while staring at her fondly.
"No, I can't say that your spirit and fervor would suit the church. Was there something I could help you find?" He nodded his head toward the bookshelves.
"Well…I was wondering if you or grandpa kept any of the Founder's stuff in the house?"
Tobias' gray eyebrows shot into his hair line. She had never shown any interest in family artifacts before, with the exception of her grandmother's Miss Mystic tiara from the 1940s.
"Founder's stuff?" He echoed.
"Elena showed me this cool journal," Caroline clumsily explained. "I was just wondering if we had anything like that. You know, diaries from back in the day…"
"Is there any reason why you would want to read something from Thomas Fell?"
He knew that Caroline was lying - her rushed speech and stiff posture gave her away.
Could it be possible? Did she already know about the vampires?
It wasn't such a stretch. Mystic Falls had been relatively quiet since the mid-nineties, but the number of vicious animal attacks, even in the last fifty years were damning. Luckily for The Founder's Council, the citizens of their town hadn't gotten any out sourced investigators involved to get to the bottom of the not so sporadic violence that occurred in their little suburb. Caroline was his niece, a Fell, it was in her nature to seek out the truth.
"We've got this history repot due and Elena has been bragging about this journal like it's the second coming. I read it and honestly, Jonathan Gilbert sounds like a drunk. I just wanted to compare facts, you know? See if I could find any source material that was more credible."
Tobias hated that The Council had ruled to keep their children out of the loop. What purpose did it serve? Preserving their innocence wouldn't do them any good when facing the supernatural. It was better to be prepared for what was out there in the world.
He rolled his eyes.
"Source material? Credible?" He laughed. "Any more jargon and I'd swear you were Logan."
Caroline smiled, thinking of his wayward son Logan no doubt.
"Logan is a journalist," she reasoned. "I'd be embarrassing him if I didn't have my terms right."
Tobias passed her, walking toward the shelving. He bent down slightly and picked up a faded black book with a frayed red tie around it. His bones creaked as he rose, but he shrugged off the pain. He looked good for a man pushing seventy, but there were times, like now, when he felt it.
"This might interest you, my dear," he said.
He passed the aged book to Caroline and gently she opened it and flipped through the pages.
"Gently," he cautioned, he was a part of the historical society and very sensitive about items that needed to be handled with care.
Caroline stopped on a page and Tobias watched her read the delicate script. There were names that would be familiar to her making it clear that it was from the same era as The Gilbert Journal. She flipped the book over, hoping to find the name of the owner.
"This belonged to Honoria Fell." Her fingers traced over where her ancestor's name was printed.
Tobias nodded.
"Honoria was a descendent of the disbanded Saponi Indian tribe," he told her proudly. "She and our ancestor Thomas met when he was in North Carolina on a missionary trip. He brought her back with him and turned her into a southern belle. She was a healer. Some of it native medicinal remedies and a lot of the 1860s modern medicine. She was a respected woman in town, very involved with the Original Founder's Council."
Caroline hummed, looking back through the pages, gingerly this time.
"I think you'll find it an interesting read," he said thoughtfully. "Let me know what you think when you're finished."
She smiled at the page before gracing him with the same easy grin, once again reminding Tobias of Liz.
"Thanks, Uncle Toby," she smiled.
"You're welcome, sweet girl."
Caroline reached into her pocket and grabbed her cellphone checking the time. She frowned, no doubt behind schedule. "Well, I better get to school. I'll come by later okay? For a real visit."
Tobias chuckled.
"It's gracious of you, making time for an old man like me."
Caroline giggled.
"You're my favorite old man," she reassured him.
She went to him, rising on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Tobias watched her retreating from, solemnly.
With each passing day Caroline got further away from the innocent girl she was and closer to her supernatural destiny. Tobias had a hunch. Caroline's good friend, Elena Gilbert had been bitten. If both girls were looking at family journals, then it would only a matter of time before they put everything together, if they hadn't already. What Caroline couldn't know of was the affliction she inherited from her father, William Forbes: the doppelganger blood.
Thirteen years ago, a powerful vampire had rolled through Mystic Falls looking for Caroline, hoping to end her young life. Liz had confided in Tobias, telling him of the plan the Bennett witches had devised to keep the vicious beast away from his great-niece and to protect the town. Tobias was a student of folklore, he had read many stories of doppelgangers in his time. By definition they were harbingers of misfortune and death. The reality was that Caroline and whoever had come before her were vessels, their blood a powerful ingredient for all modicums of magic. Caroline would always be a target in the supernatural realm, someone to be used for the gain of others.
Tobias loved Caroline, she was the daughter of his favorite niece. He had promised Liz years ago that he would do whatever he could to help keep Caroline safe, but as a human, there was only so much that he could realistically do. In the grand scheme of things what was one branch in comparison to the whole family tree? Above all, Tobias wanted the Fells to survive and he would do anything in his power to ensure that, with or without Caroline Forbes.
[-0-]
Caroline dove into Honoria's journal the second she left her uncle's house.
As a girl, I remembered hearing stories from the elders of an herb, said to ward off the demons. It was from a plant that only grew from the base of a sacred tree. After weeks of correspondence with my family in North Carolina, I learned that the tree was still in existence. A tall white oak. I have searched and searched on the harvesting grounds of the Salvatore Lumbering Company and finally I found it. Guiseppe made Thomas facilitate a trade for the herb – which I found most uncouth, but it is no matter. The herb has come in a parcel today. A beautiful violet flower called verbena or vervein. If the legends are true, this will expose the demons and protect us. If I am successful, the vervein will soon be manipulated into liquid form to either be worn as a perfume or ingested like a tonic.
Another page read:
As the sun sets in the west, I find myself clutching my children to my breast for the nights are filled with terrors. I must remember my verses. The book of Joshua says, "No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Lord, I pray this herb you have provided, on this land You've given us to tend for Your glory, works. Grant us Your righteous strength so that we can protect the good people of this town and that we can expose the demons who live among us and bring a small bit of heaven to earth. Use the Founders, Heavenly Father, to carry out Your will. I will bring it to the apothecary in the morning for Pearl to sell at half rate.
Caroline was so transfixed that she didn't hear Bonnie sit down next to her.
"Hey, can I talk to you?" Bonnie asked tentatively.
Caroline looked up from the page startled.
"Sure, Bonnie," she said with an easy smile. "What's up?"
Her best friend stared at her, her mossy green eyes clouded in concern.
"You've been avoiding me." It wasn't a question, but an accusation.
Caroline slumped her shoulders guiltily.
"I didn't mean to," she offered sincerely. "I've just been caught up in my own stuff."
Bonnie nodded her head in understanding, but the frown on her face deepened.
"Do you think I'm a freak now or something?" Clearly she wasn't convinced with Caroline's explanation.
Caroline balked in surprise. "What? Bonnie no! Not at all, you're my best friend." She reached for her hand. "Seriously, I've just been preoccupied with all this…" Caroline paused, looking around before whispering. "Supernatural stuff."
She couldn't tell her friend that she started seeing Damon again on top of it all.
"I've been looking for a journal from my family and I finally got a hold of one," she shared.
Caroline dropped her bookmark on the page she was currently on and passed Honoria's journal to Bonnie.
Bonnie lightly touched the pages. "This is amazing."
The blonde nodded. "I know. It makes it all more real. You know?"
Bonnie smiled. "Yeah."
"So how are you with everything?"
Bonnie pursed her lips, looking thoughtful.
"It's been kinda boring," she sulked only to laugh Caroline's scandalized face.
"You're a witch," Caroline said in awe. "A real life Sabrina, and you're telling me it's boring? Talk about a letdown."
"We haven't gotten to any of the magic stuff yet," Bonnie pouted, ignoring Caroline's pout. "My grams has been drilling history into my head the past few days. That thing with the feathers the other night was all she showed me."
Caroline tilted her head, her eyes shining with empathy. "I could see how that would be a little frustrating. What about the tomb spell? Your Grams has to teach you at some point."
"She wants to do it on Halloween. We're gonna use the power of the full moon to unlock the power of the crystal which will open the tomb, so hopefully I'll be learning something soon."
"Halloween?" Caroline muttered, counting the weeks. "That's so soon."
Bonnie scrunched her face up. "Not soon enough if you ask me. I just want to get this over with and have everything go back to normal."
"Yeah," Caroline agreed lamely, not sharing Bonnie's enthusiasm.
She wondered what would happen after Damon and Stefan get Avery out of the tomb. Would both brothers immediately fall back under the mysterious Avery's spell? Caroline couldn't imagine any girl so special that a man, let alone two men, would be willing to put their lives on hold and wait to free her. Would Avery want to stay and rebuild her vampire haven from the 1860s? Would Caroline meet her?
Bonnie sighed, tugging on her curly black hair.
"Did you hear from Elena over the weekend?" She asked.
Caroline shook her head.
"I saw her at The Grill on Saturday and you'll never guess who she was with."
Caroline's forehead wrinkled, while she eagerly awaited the gossip.
"She was having lunch with Tyler."
Caroline sat up straighter. "Tyler? As in Lockwood?" She laughed. "He was really sweet with her when we were at the hospital…didn't you tell me they had a thing over break?"
"Yeah," Bonnie said. "I guess after all that Stefan garbage they've decided to try again."
Caroline frowned, not focusing on the blond Salvatore, but Tyler's other romantic interest.
"I wonder if he's done with Vicki?"
"I think we should give them a minute before we jump on Tyler about his intentions," Bonnie cautioned, ever the protector. "'Lena will never forgive us if we spook Tyler before they even start."
Caroline grimaced. "He already hurt her once."
Bonnie smiled, her attention on the student parking lot. Sure enough, Elena was walking shoulder to shoulder with Tyler, both brunettes looking cozy and comfortable.
"I think they're cute," Bonnie said watching them fondly.
"Yeah," Caroline agreed. "For two people who don't do relationships they look awfully coupled."
Bonnie murmured in agreement. "I hope this time it works out."
[-0-]
"Caroline!"
It was lunch time and Caroline was sitting outside by herself with the journal opened. She looked up, seeing Stefan jogging toward her. He sat down, cozying up to her on the grass, grinning when Caroline squirmed away.
"You bellowed?" She asked haughtily.
Stefan leaned over, trying to sneak a peek at the book.
"Whatcha' reading?" He quizzed, sounding like the annoying younger brother Caroline never had or wanted.
She closed Honoria's diary, making a move to tuck it safely in her bag, but Stefan grabbed it, using his vampire reflexes.
"Another first-hand account from my youth. Interesting," he said as he flipped through the pages briskly. "How many of these are there?"
Caroline shrugged. "I don't know." She cringed at the way he was handling the diary. "Would you knock it off?" She whined. "Be careful with that; it's really old. Just like you."
Stefan was grinning down at the pages. "She makes jokes," he said before reading aloud. "My husband Thomas…"He stopped to look at Caroline. "This belonged to Honoria Fell?"
She smiled, thinking of her ancestor. "Did you know her?"
Stefan grinned smugly. "Oh yeah. She was hot. Kinda like Meredith in a way. They have that whole exotic-girl-next-door thing."
Caroline rolled her eyes as she bopped Stefan in the shoulder. He rubbed his arm, mocking injury.
"You're so mean to me."
She laughed at his indignant tone. "Because you're a disgusting creep."
He narrowed his eyes at her, but his wide mouth was still upturned in a smile.
"You say that, but I don't believe you," he said confidently. "You want to hate me, but you don't."
Caroline started at him, blinking in disbelief.
"You attacked my friend," she growled, hating that he could rile her up. "You could have killed her."
Stefan held a finger up and smiled in his defense.
"Focus on the 'could have'," he advised. "Elena didn't die."
"You made her your girlfriend," Caroline continued listing his offenses. "You fed her your blood –"
Stefan cut her off.
"I didn't make her do anything with me, we just hung out and the blood was just an insurance that she wouldn't tell anyone about me. I had to do it. She couldn't be compelled. What's the deal with that anyway?"
Elena didn't know any more than the rest why Stefan had not been able to compel her that night.
"She doesn't know," she said.
Stefan raised his thick brows, as if to call bullshit.
"Honestly, she doesn't know anything."
"I suppose I'll have to table that for now," he muttered, more to himself than to Caroline. "Are you done making excuses about why you supposedly hate me?"
"Did you miss the part when I called you creepy?" She cried, half whined, half laughing. A part of her admired his persistence. Why did he need her approval?
Stefan smiled. "I'm awesome."
Caroline's lips drew together in a thin line. "You really like yourself."
"And I'm handsome. Admit it."
He was attractive, Caroline wasn't blind or too stubborn to recognize it. She felt a connection to Stefan the moment she bumped into him on the first day of school, but when she looked into his deep green eyes with tiny flecks of amber she didn't feel like she was meeting the real Stefan. There was a mask around him. A fake swagger that he cloaked himself in that immediately put her off. Caroline didn't know how to describe it, or even justify how she knew for certain that Stefan wasn't being his true self, but she knew.
She gave him a calculated stare. "You're okay," she conceded flatly.
Stefan laughed. "Beautiful and mean. We could be friends, Caroline."
Caroline scoffed. "Maybe if you start being nicer and promise to never look in on my make-out sessions with your brother, like ever again, I'll consider it."
"It's not my fault you put the moves on him in a public space!"
[-0-]
Ben had been the Golden Boy of his class, all his life people swore up and down that he was meant for great things. He excelled at sports, lettering in varsity sports, but his heart belonged to football. Like most boys his age, he dreamed of being scouted at a high school game, playing college ball and being drafted into the NFL. Coach Tanner did manage to get a scout to their state championship game his senior year, but that man told Ben something he'd never contemplated. He was too skinny. Too slow. Too scrawny for college football. Not just for that college, but for any of them and to forget the professional league period. With no hope of receiving an athletic scholarship or any real financial support from his low-income family, Ben watched his friends pack up to start their lives outside of their hometown, while been took a bartending job and hoped to save for community college.
He and his small Asian companion talked in length after he closed The Grill for the night. Discussing the ins and outs of vampirism. At first he was skeptical, but he got a good look into her deep brown eyes and he found her to be sincere when she promised an out of the stagnancy that he was drowning in.
The pair walked toward the motels just off of Main Street hand in hand, a bottle of top-shelf bourbon in Ben's free hand. Her room was modest, two beds, no clutter, but there was a lacy black bra draped over desk chair in the corner. To get him more comfortable, they shared a few wigs of alcohol and a few kisses before the girl handed him a tiny vial of red liquid.
"It's my blood," Anna told him. "Drink it and we'll start."
Part of him knew that he should be afraid. Never in a million years did he imagine himself in a situation like the one he found himself in. What if this chick was lying? What if she tried to kill him and he actually died? How was she even going to kill him anyway? She was so little.
"Don't be afraid," she said soothingly. "You want this, remember?"
"I want this," Ben said in a daze.
All his doubts and fears fell away and Ben felt secure in his decision. She was a vampire, she had promised to make him like her. He would be young and strong forever. He would have lifetimes to see the world and explore things he only ever dreamed of.
Ben felt that dying kinda sucked, no pun intended, there wasn't even a shred of dignity in having your neck snapped, but it was better than those epic and totally painful deaths from all his favorite movies.
When he awoke, Ben was overwhelmed by pain. Part of it was from the freshly mended bones and the other was from a burning in his gums and the hunger bubbling within him.
"Dude, let's get you some blood."
Ben frowned, he'd never seen this guy in front of him in his life. The guy sitting across from him was tall and lanky. He had a crew cut and hazel eyes.
"Who are you?" Ben demanded.
"Noah," he announced, placing his hand on his chest. "Anna didn't mention me?"
Ben looked at him skeptically. "No."
Noah rolled his eyes, getting up from his chair.
"Let's go, dude," Noah repeated. "You gotta eat."
Ben rose slowly, his body moved faster than he intended. He looked at the bed and at Noah who watched him with an amused look on his face.
"Newborns," he chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll get your sea legs eventually."
Noah walked to the door, opening it wide for Ben to walk through.
"You're gonna be drawn to a lot of things, but I need you to stick with me got it? If you don't I'll have to knock you a round. I'm a lot older and stronger than you."
Ben nodded, swallowing down the aching hunger he felt. The promise of blood made it hard to concentrate, it was something that should have alarmed him, but for whatever reason it didn't.
Noah let him to Glen Oak Tavern, a bar Ben had gone to many times. The older vampire made quick work of finding a girl and without coaching, the razor sharp fangs hidden within Ben's gums extended and for the first time he fed.
The first few days of being locked up in the hotel room with Noah and Anna had been miserable. Ben was hungry all the time. Anna was never around, she had some fancy ring that let her walk in the daylight. Ben burned himself often, forgetting that unlike his new roommates, he was a slave to shadows. He hated the smell of his sizzling flesh each time he reached for the worn cream curtains of their windows, but Ben didn't know he'd miss the day so much, but it was worth it to get a brief glimpse of the sun. It was true what all the songs said: he didn't know what he had till it was gone. Noah babysat him most of the time, making his displeasure of the situation known every chance he got. During the day they drank from blood bags, though Ben preferred to drink it from the source. He hated the coppery old taste, it reminded him of the vial Anna had given him days before.
On the fourth day, Noah insisted that Ben was ready to return to his normal life, Anna reluctantly agreed. His mission was to get close to Caroline Forbes and her little group of friends. Ben remembered the blonde. She was two years younger than him, but she was on the varsity cheerleading squad her freshmen year. He had seen her around, she was still cute, blonde and perky; her girlfriends were all the same. Getting in with their crowd didn't sound too bad. When the sun set he walked to The Grill, compelling his boss to forget that he had missed so many shifts.
He didn't see Caroline Forbes that night, or the weird one with the nice eyes, but he did see the annoying one with the hot legs – Elena Gilbert and his old pal, Tyler Lockwood. Ben walked over to their booth, surprised and happy to be interacting with people of his choosing for a change.
"Hey, Tyler," Ben greeted, patting him on the back. "What's going on, man?"
Tyler's head focus shifted from the girl sitting across from him, to Ben. The junior smiled, extending his hand out of a shake.
"Nothing much," Tyler said. "What's good, McKittrick?"
The second their hands touched, Ben was struck by how warm Tyler's hand was. His skin felt different from the Ben's boss, which was odd. Both men were human, there's shouldn't have been such a noticeable difference.
"I'm cool," Ben nodded, recovering quickly. He grinned down at the girl.
"You're Elena, right?" He asked, already knowing.
The brunette smiled, offering him a shy wave while she blushed. Ben bit the inside of his cheek to keep from vamping out.
Elena shrank into herself slightly, looking flattered. "You remember me?"
Ben laughed.
"I didn't graduate that long ago," he said in a flirty voice. "I remember you cheering for me. You were the one with the nice legs."
"Well," Tyler grumbled. "Elena and her nice legs cheer for me now." He was looking up at Ben, daring him to challenge his not so subtle bro way of saying 'step off'.
Ben laughed again, Elena joined him, but her eyes were on Tyler, obviously enjoying his jealously.
Ben could hear Tyler's heart pumping rapidly and he swore he could hear the kid's blood boiling under the surface. He didn't smell like Elena, there was something musky and woodsy about Tyler that continued to unnerve Ben. It made him thirsty and uncomfortable. Like part of him should be preparing for an attack.
Elena reached over to take Tyler's hand in hers.
"He was just teasing, Ty," she said sweetly while sticking her tongue out. Ben looked away as they stared at each other, smiling like love-struck-teens.
"Sorry man," he said a moment later. "I wasn't making a move on your girl."
Tyler nodded stiffly.
"How about I get you guys a drink on the house?"
Elena and Tyler look at him shocked.
"Word?" Tyler asked.
Ben shrugged. He was a vampire. He didn't care about the law. He didn't have to.
"Sure." He leaned down, whispering to them. "I'll spike some Sprite with Vodka. Just don't get sloppy."
Tyler and Elena grinned. "Sure," they said.
Ben walked toward the bar, trying to shake off his odd feelings. He had fed, practically gorged himself before he went to work. He wasn't hungry, why was he so uncomfortable around Tyler? Did he want to feed from a dude? No, that didn't bother him; blood was blood. Ben looked across the restaurant to where Elena and Tyler were sitting and that the hostile feelings instantly returned at the sight of him. Ben wanted to rip Tyler's head off and he didn't know why. He pulled out his phone, sending a text to Anna.
TO ANNA: Something's up. Can you come tonight?
Her response was brief and not as concerned as he hoped.
TO BEN: Did you kill someone?
Ben frowned.
TO ANNA: No, but I'm fantasizing out mauling this kid I went to school with.
His phone buzzed instantly.
TO BEN: You'd be surprised how normal that is if you're a human or vampire. Noah and I are in the middle of something. I'll be there as soon as I can. Don't kill anyone.
Ben steeled his nerves and brought the two teens their alcohol as promised.
Over an hour had passes and Anna had yet to show up and Ben felt like he was going nuts. He stayed behind the bar, knowing that Tyler and his girlfriend wouldn't come to him looking for more free drinks, but he watched them vigilantly, using his superior hearing to eavesdrop.
"What's wrong with you?" Elena barked in her bratty voice.
She and Tyler were in the middle of a game of pool. Elena leaned on her cue, she bit her plump bottom lip as she stared at Tyler with concern.
Tyler's brow was dipped in concentration. From where Ben stood, he could still hear the boy's heart pumping over the noise of the crowd.
"I don't know," he said. "I just feel weird."
Elena rested her palm on Tyler's forehead, checking his temperature. Instead of responding to the tender motion, he jerked away.
"I was just checking to see if you were okay, gosh."
Tyler sighed, his body slumping in defeat. "I'm sorry."
Elena set the cue on the table. "Do you want to leave?"
Tyler looked away from her, his eyes locking with Ben's. Rage spiked in Ben he could see that reflected in Tyler's eyes.
"Do you want me to leave?" She guessed.
Tyler blinked, staring pointed at the girl.
"What? No."
Elena put a hand on her hip and jutted her chin at Tyler.
"You've been making eyes at Ben McKittrick all night and it's kinda freaking me out. Are you going all Brokeback Mountain on me?"
Tyler laughed dryly.
"Am I supposed to even know what that means?"
Elena walked across the table getting in Tyler's face. Ben admired her gusto. Tyler dwarfed her in size.
"I'm giving you a second chance and you're making eyes at some guy," she said, full of attitude. "You're supposed to be flirting with me and checking out my boobs not whatever it is you're doing. I can go home if you wanna have guy time."
Tyler rolled his eyes, but he edged closer to Elena, placing a kiss on her lips.
"You're ridiculous you know that?"
Elena smiled, giving him another quick peck. Tyler wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I'm gonna go freshen up," she told him after another kiss. "I'll be back in five."
Tyler watched Elena head toward the restrooms before turning another cold glare at Ben.
The younger teen balled his fists, stomping toward the bar.
"What's your problem, dude?" Tyler asked.
Ben feigned innocence. "Nothin'."
Tyler pulled a face. "You keep looking at me. What is that?"
He promised Anna he wouldn't kill anyone, but the longer he looked at Tyler, the more he wanted to do it. Would that really be such a crime? Ben would be doing the world a favor. Did anyone really need another dumb jock wasting rapidly depleting natural resources?
"How about we take this outside," Ben suggested.
Tyler looked behind him, probably for Elena. She was still in the ladies room.
"We're seriously gonna fight?" Tyler looking back at Ben.
Ben smirked. "I don't like you. I wanna bash your face in."
It wasn't necessarily true, he liked Tyler Lockwood well enough a few days ago, before he was a vampire.
His eyebrows rose into his hairline, but he wasn't afraid of Ben's admission. "You barely even know me."
Ben licked his lips. "I know you plenty. You're just another rich, waste of space, jar head. You'll peak at eighteen, just like me and this time next year, your cute bimbo of a girlfriend won't even want your sorry ass."
With each word, Tyler's veins pulsed with anger, making him smell incredible to Ben. He couldn't wait to get Tyler outside and rip his throat out. It would be his reward for resisting so long.
Tyler had heard enough. "Yea, let's go. I'm gonna kick your ass."
Tyler unknowingly followed behind the vampire out to the service entrance of The Grill. It was a small, poorly lit alley with little room to maneuver. There would be little space for Tyler to escape once Ben got feeding.
Ben turned around, smiling smugly at his former schoolmate with his arms outstretched.
"Give me your best shot, Lockwood."
Tyler frowned. He was puffed up, angry and itching to fight, just like Ben wanted.
"You're sick dude," he said in disgust and pity.
Tyler threw the first punch, had Ben still been human, he would be on his ass. Instead, Ben's face snapped to the side, his jaw crunching and resetting. He looked at Tyler, revealing his predatory features.
"What the hell?" Tyler gasped. Ben smiled, picking up the scent of Tyler's fear. "Your eyes!"
"That was a good punch, Lockwood. I'm impressed."
Tyler shrank away in fear, Ben saw him reaching in his back pocket, for what, he didn't know.
"You know, you smell amazing," Ben said. "I don't say that to dudes, but yeah. Very nice. I'm looking forward to killing you."
He walked toward Tyler, fangs bared. He didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight, so Ben went with it, thinking Tyler was in shock.
"You're a vampire?"
Ben paused. "You know?"
They were silent, each boy evaluating the other. After a brief hesitation, Ben decided that Tyler needed to be dealt with quickly.
"Sorry Lockwood," Ben said, truly feeling bad for the punk kid, but just barely.
Ben charged toward Tyler, knocking him back into the brick wall of the alley. Tyler groaned, trying desperately to keep Ben and his teeth away from him. His heart rate was higher than ever, perfuming the alleyway with the scent of his unique blood. Ben was desperate to know what Tyler was, why he smelled the way he did and why it effected Ben with equal parts rage and bloodlust.
Tyler and Ben continued to struggle. Tyler's knee thrust upward, jabbing Ben in his ribs. The vampire staggered back, surprised that the impact bothered him in the first place. Quickly, Ben recovered, aiming to charge at Tyler again. He made a lunge, not seeing that Tyler had pulled the object from his hand. Several things happened at once.
The door to the alleyway burst open as Ben was pierced in the heart by the wooden stake in Tyler Lockwood's hands.
Elena and Anna tumbled into the narrow walk way each crying out in horror while Ben slumped to the ground.
The world seemed to slow around him as he watched the two humans and his sire frantically moving around him. He could see their mouths moving, but he could no longer hear their words as his world went dark.
[TPJ]
A/N:
Please review, it motivates me to keep going and makes my day! I can't improve without critiques and overall impressions.
-LOVING TO to pieces these days! I'm so glad Rebekah will be back this week. TVD is killing me. Fuck Stefan, he's terrible. I know I promised I'd be doing some Steroline…I can't. Everytime I think about it I get all riled up. TPJ will be Daroline until Klaus rolls through and then getting Klaroline together will be a bumpy ride but its my OTP, ya feel me? Whatever is gonna happen between Steroline on TPJ is going to be one-sided. It will be juicy and hopefully you'll love it. I'm so glad Liam and his pointy face are out of Elena's love-life, I don't remember her being so exhausting. Bonnie –always getting the short end of the stick. Julie Plec is so rude. Please save her and send Caroline to NOLA, homegirl has nothing going on.
-FYI, I plan on doing one or two more chapters this year, I really want to get to the opening of the tomb. I'm gonna take a break on this for Christmas and New Year's, so that my betas and I can deal with our holiday obligations.
-I won't be dropping off the face of the earth though…I am planning on posting a story called 'In the Lights' after Thanksgiving. It's Klaroline :smiley face: Caroline Forbes is a singing competition cast off who gets picked up to be the opening act of The Originals world tour.
-Fanfic Nod: I devoured a story called The Travelers by Angelikah earlier this week. Its Klaroline and lovely. Please check it out.
