Thank you so so much for all the reviews! I've spent the past two days pretty much doing non-stop writing for this story. I'm really excited about where it's going and to get it out to you guys. As usual, the more reviews, the more I'm encouraged to edit and update faster :)
xx
Caroline looked around then down at herself once more.
She'd looked at what she was wearing about a million times and the room she stood in at least half as many times.
Initially she'd panicked, knowing she was entirely out of her comfort zone in this time period. But there was something worse about being dressed like she belonged here and being given a room. It was scarier.
And being this alone and isolated was definitely new. She was so used to having the ability to text any one of her friends if she felt lonely but here, well – she was pretty sure 1013 didn't have wifi.
All she had here was Klaus' pre-vampire and hopefully pre-crazy family that they were currently lying to and his mother, who had frozen them out.
And then there was him, of course. But there was danger to making the biggest villain back home her safe haven here. She couldn't let herself forget that, no matter how lonely she got.
A light knock sounded on the door and she almost jumped, she'd been so deep inside her own head.
"Come in," she called lightly, looking down at her dress again.
Her eyes widened when Klaus stepped in, dressed very similarly as the human version of himself had been – a linen shirt beneath a long leather vest along with leather pants and boots.
"Um."
He didn't seem much more coherent, silently allowing his eyes to roam her form, his jaw slightly slack.
"That bad, huh?" she winced.
It was seriously the plainest dress she'd ever worn, a burgundy piece of fabric that pretty much went straight from her shoulders down to her toes with no embellishments whatsoever. Oh, and sleeves.
He shook his head but it was another while till he spoke.
"On the contrary."
He took a step closer and she raised a brow, though she couldn't keep a small smile from her face.
"Seriously? I've never worn anything less revealing."
He looked amused. "That's beside the point. It's just… fascinating seeing you dressed this way."
She met his eyes solidly for a moment before rolling hers and sighing.
"Whatever, weirdo." She gave him another once-over. "Are you wearing your 'twin brother''s clothes?"
She'd made the air quotes with her fingers and he rolled his eyes before sighing and dropping down onto what would serve as her bed.
"It only made sense, they fit perfectly, after all," he shrugged.
She smiled but it faded quickly and she sat down beside him.
"It isn't long after this, is it?"
He didn't speak for a long while before looking at her, his eyes wondrous.
"How did you know?"
She looked away.
"Guessed, mostly. After your mom said the medallion sends you to a poignant moment in your life."
He sighed. "It's the next full moon, the one after the one that Esther plans to send us home with."
"Do…" She drew a breath. "Do you think we could change it?"
He was silent till she met his eyes again.
"If Henrik doesn't die, my parents don't turn us into vampires, I die in a few measly human years, and we…"
"Never meet," she realised.
He nodded and his eyes burned into hers so much that she was forced to look away again.
Then she smiled as she remembered everything she'd ever read or watched involving time travel.
"Or everything stays the same and in some alternate timeline things just go differently."
She turned to smile hopefully at him but lost her breath when she saw the way he was looking at her.
Like not even that would be enough.
As she looked down at the clay ground, something occurred to her.
She cleared her throat. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"Why William?" She looked at him again. "Why'd you choose William as your fake name?"
His forehead wrinkled. "It was the first name that came to me."
She searched his eyes, wondering when she'd become so good at telling when he was lying.
"Speaking of names," he began, "we should probably decide on what to call my double."
She took a breath, nodding. It wasn't a bad idea.
"I vote Innocent Klaus."
He stared at her solidly for a long while before letting out a breath.
"'Past me' should do fine."
"Fine," she sighed. "Lame, but fine – he's you so you get to name him. But just know that if this situation were reversed we'd be calling the other me Alterline or something awesome."
He broke out into an adorable smile, shaking his head in amusement.
"Duly noted."
She smiled too then looked around with a little sigh.
"So, we're really staying here, huh?"
He imitated her actions then frowned. "It would appear so. For two entire nights."
"Well… maybe it won't be that bad."
"You've spent five minutes with my mother and you already hate her," he pointed out.
She couldn't help a grin.
"True, she's not exactly… cuddly, but I'm not really used to cuddly moms either. And besides, if I can deal with spending forced time with you then I'm pretty sure I can handle three days with your family."
She winked and he chuckled.
"Don't pretend you didn't have fun."
With a smile she couldn't hide, she rolled her eyes. "You forced me to go on a date with you, whatever fun I may or may not have had is irrelevant."
He smiled, seemingly enjoying himself.
"Is that why you didn't call after?"
Caroline scoffed. "The guy's supposed to call, not the girl."
He angled his body to her with a raised brow, that perpetual smirk in place.
"Then you wanted me to call?"
Realising she'd fallen right into the trap he'd set her, her jaw dropped speechlessly, and his smirk widened.
She was still floundering for a reply when there came a knock on the corrugated steel bedroom door, seconds before it was flung open.
Kol's shaggy dark hair hung to his jaw but his mouth was stretched into his trademark mischievous grin, his eyes shining. She swore the guy was either always high on life or just constantly mentally working out ways to get up to no good. Possibly both.
"Dinnertime, lovebirds."
Klaus turned to smile at his brother.
"We'll be out in a minute, mate."
Kol did an eyebrow dance, to which she rolled her eyes, before leaving.
"You forgot Ye Old English."
He chuckled. "You realise it's no easier for me than you?"
"What I know is that only one of us is missing texting."
"Yes, well, perhaps this experience will prove instructive – civilisation did in fact exist before emojis."
She couldn't help it, she giggled.
"I can't believe you know what emojis are."
"I'm old, not dead, Caroline."
She raised a pointed eyebrow and after a second they both burst into laughter.
Vampire jokes never got old.
Eventually their laughter wound down and she spoke.
"We should probably go out there and face the non-dead you."
He nodded and she stood, about to leave, when he caught her arm.
She looked at his hand and he quickly let her go before standing too.
"Just don't forget to refer to him as Niklaus and me as William."
She hesitated, still thinking of his hand on her, then nodded.
"This is seriously weird."
"Agreed. Unfortunately Esther is our method of returning home, and she requires us to maintain our aliases for the sake of her rickety marriage."
She raised an eyebrow but he avoided her gaze and on instinct she looped her arm through his and put on her most posh voice.
"Then let's go to dinner, William."
