Caroline

"Wakey, wakey, Carebear." Caroline grabbed her pillow and threw it in the direction of the voice. "You missed." An amused chuckle announced. Caroline opened her eyes and saw Kol standing in her room, smirking at her. "I hate you." But Caroline got out of bed anyways. She glanced at Kol and he left the room to let her get dressed. Once she was presentable she headed to the common room. "Katherine?" Caroline was surprised to see the brunette. "Don't look so damn disappointed to see me, Blondie. It's been months." The blonde hugged the other vampire. "It's good to see you."

Caroline meant it. She was relieved to see Katherine. A lot had happened over the past months. Bonnie had gone back to LA, saying that she missed Jeremy. Caroline didn't blame her, but they kept in touch. Kol served as a messenger most of the time. She felt that Kol truly cared about Bonnie, but she hadn't had the courage to speak to him about it. Bonnie still helped from a distance. She'd asked her grandmother about Gaia and her grimoire, but she hadn't heard back from her yet.

So far, they hadn't had much luck. Katherine hadn't found anything in Borthwick Castle, except something about an old ghost story about Ann Grant. The story went that Ann got pregnant from one of the lords of the castle. When the truth came out, the girl was captured and imprisoned in the Red Room. Later on, she was brutally murdered on the order of the lord. Some people reported sightings of the ghost and other weird hauntings. Unfortunately, there hadn't been a way to verify. So much for their first lead. Katherine had gone on a bit of a wild goose chase after that, visiting all the places where Kol and Gaia had ran into each other. She'd come up empty.

"So, what do you think about going on an adventure this summer?" Caroline looked up from her cup of coffee. "An adventure?" "Yeah, let's have some fun and do crazy things and live." Caroline thought it over. She was planning on visiting her mother in Mystic Falls and spend her summer there, but she was intrigued by Katherine's offer. The world was out there after all. "Fine. But I'm going to go to Mystic Falls first and spend some time with my mom." "Alright. We're leaving in two weeks. I'll start planning." And with that, Katherine sped out of the room. "You're going to be in over your head, Care." Caroline was about to respond when Elodie walked out of the room. "Was someone here or did my ears pick up something that wasn't there?" "Elena was here. We made up." "That's good news. So, any plans for summer break?" "Heading home and then spend some time with my friends. You?" "We're going to go to my family. We haven't really made plans." Marissa said as she walked from her room and poured herself a cup of coffee.

There was a knock on the door and Caroline opened it. It was Jasper. "Hi, Care." She smiled at him. "Hi." She guided him into the hallway. Jasper was about to say something but she stopped him. "You're a great guy, really nice and sweet, but I think it'd be best if we just go back to being friends." She could see the hurt on his face. Caroline had been contemplating breaking up with him for a while now, it wasn't fair of her to keep him around just because he made her feel normal. "And here I'd hoped to bring you home for the summer. I guess we're just at different points in our lives." Caroline felt a pang of regret. She hadn't realised that Jasper had been that into her or that serious. Way to go, Caroline. "I'm sorry, Jasper." She didn't know what else to say. Jasper nodded and walked away.

"Poor guy. He didn't even saw it coming." "He'll get over it." Caroline hoped. "And if not, he can start a self-help group with my brother who's obviously still pining after you." Caroline shot him a glare before heading back in the room.

They all said their goodbyes, knowing they'd see each other again next year. They'd all got through their first year at Harvard and were planning on enjoying their well-deserved summer break. Caroline enjoyed the time with her mother. Things had quieted down in Mystic Falls, it was back to normal, no more supernaturals prowling around the town.

She'd been back home for a week now. It felt a bit strange. Caroline hadn't heard anything from Kol and truth be told, she kind of missed having him around. Not that she would admit that to Kol's face. It was nice spending time with her mom. She told her all about Harvard and how amazing it was. Her mother seemed to be doing good as well. She was happy to have her daughter back.

They were having dinner at the grill when she got a call from Bonnie. "Hey Bonnie, what's up?" "I may have something useful. Remember when Katherine went to Borthwick Castle, but didn't find anything? Well, I've been trying to contact Ann Grant's spirit, but I couldn't get in touch. It appears that Ann Grant is called a Grey Lady, the kind of spirit that is tied to a certain place. She will only appear at certain specific times." "When?" Caroline asked. Finally, a breakthrough. "Well, in three days from now, after midnight, her ghost ought to appear in the Red Room." "Alright, we'll go then." Caroline regretted that she'd have to cut her visit with her mom short, but maybe she and Katherine could come back from their vacation early. "I can't go there, Care." "Why not?" "It's a ley spot. Look, I don't have much time. Jeremy's waiting for me. Kol will explain. Don't go alone, especially not after what happened last time. Be careful." And with that Caroline hung up.

"What's wrong?" Her mother asked. "That was Bonnie. She and Jeremy are having some trouble and she was wondering whether I would go see her." Caroline felt a bit guilty. She hadn't seen her mother in such a long time, and here she was, cutting her visit short. "It's okay, Caroline. You have your life. Bonnie's your best friend, go visit her. We'll catch up another time." Caroline smiled. "We can at least finish this dinner first."

They were having dessert when Kol and Katherine walked in. "Hey Care, sheriff Forbes." Katherine easily slipped into Elena mode. "Elena, what a surprise. I hadn't known you were in town." "I'm just here to pick Caroline up." "I hadn't realised that you were leaving this soon." Katherine sat down next to Caroline, grabbing the blonde's fork and eating some of her cake. "Our plane's leaving in a couple of hours." Katherine said before stuffing another piece of cake in her mouth. Caroline glared at her. "There's something different about you, Elena." The sheriff noticed. "She's been spending too much time with Damon. That's why she needs a getaway with the girls." Caroline quickly answered. Katherine smiled proudly at the blonde.

Three hours later, Caroline was sitting on a plane, ready to depart. She was nervous and excited. "Chillax, Barbie. You can't die, remember?" "I'm fine, it's just that I've never been to Europe before." "First time for everything." Caroline nodded.

Kol had explained why Bonnie hadn't been able to come with them. Ley spots are places where the veil between the world of the living and the Other Side were weakened. If Bonnie were to be there, she would be like a beacon of light, calling all the dead supernaturals to that places. And with so many of them gathered, there was a possibility that Ann Grant wouldn't show up or that it would be too crowded to make a decent conversation. On top of that, Bonnie could become overwhelmed and who know what might happen then.

They landed at Edinburgh airport in the middle of the night. After spending the rest of the night at a hotel near the airport, they left the next day for Borthwick Castle. The castle was now a hotel. The room where Ann should be showing up was the Red Room. After some compelling they were able to stay there for two nights. Caroline felt bad, but she couldn't afford to stay there otherwise. Kol had left them to their own devices, stating that it may not be a good idea for him to be there either.

"Now this is more my style." Katherine said as she entered the room. True to its name, it was red. They talked some more before going to bed. Tomorrow would be the night when they got to talk to Ann Grant and hopefully get a lead. Anything would do, really. They headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. After having breakfast, Katherine leaned back in her chair. "I'm starving. Who will I have?" Katherine said as she was looking around the room. "Katherine." Caroline hissed. "Come on, Care. Aren't you? When was the last time you had some blood?"

And when Katherine brought it up, she suddenly realised that she would need to feed. "I'll go catch a bunny or so later." "Seriously?" Katherine sighed. "I'll guide you through it. You have to learn to do this, Care. Especially since we don't know what might happen. Last time I was close to getting answers, I was attacked. By freaking chimaera's. You need your strength and a bunny won't keep it up. And have you been taking vervain?" Caroline had been building up a tolerance for vervain. She'd been drinking it every day now. But drinking straight from the vein was something Caroline just couldn't do. "Kat, I can't." "I'll make sure you don't kill anyone. You have my word." But Caroline shook her head.

"I can't just take someone's blood and then wipe their memory of it. I don't want to violate people like that." And then Katherine suddenly grasped what was holding the blonde back. "I'm sorry." Katherine meant it. "This is the first time anyone has ever apologised for that and it's not even your fault." "It was Damon, wasn't it?" Caroline nodded. "He used me. He used me as his personal blood source, he abused me, violated me. I had gaps in my memory, there were times when I didn't know how I ended up somewhere. I was nothing more than an obedient, compliant thing. And then I became a vampire and I remembered. Yet, after all this time he never once apologised. At times, he still treats me this way. He still dismisses me so easily." Caroline was glad to finally get this out of her system.

"I'm sorry, Care, honestly. But, you need to learn this. Your survival can depend upon this. I know you don't want to violate people like that and I respect and admire you for that, but you have to drink from the vein." Katherine coaxed Caroline. Finally, after five long minutes, Caroline nodded. "Alright, I'll do this." Katherine had the decency not the cheer. She knew that this was something that Caroline would always be conflicted about while Katherine believed that it was one of the things that made you a true vampire.

"Okay. Take your pick." Caroline still felt uneasy about the whole thing, but Katherine was right. In order to survive, she needed to learn how to drink from the vein. She looked around. There weren't that many people, but her eyes fell on two guys in suits. Katherine followed her gaze. They weren't bad looking, in their early thirties. Katherine got up.

"Time to show you how it's done." With a confident stride Katherine walked towards them. " "Hi." Katherine purred. She immediately caught the attention of both men. "What brings you handsome men here?" It became clear to Caroline that Katherine liked to put on a big show. "Kat, can we just get this over with?" "In every job there must be done, there is an element of fun." Katherine said in exasperation. "Did you just quote Mary Poppins?" "Sue me." Katherine said before turning her attention back to the two men, who were obviously a bit lost at what was going on. Katherine showed her most flirtatious smile. "How would you two feel about spending some time with me and my friend?" "Uhm…" "Just say yes." Katherine put in some compulsion and the poor men had no choice but to comply.

Katherine guided them to a secluded area where they would not be disturbed. "Don't make a sound." Katherine said before turning towards Caroline. "Alright, do you need me to show you or how do you want to do this?" "I have drunk from the vein before. It's just…" Caroline shuffled around a little bit. "How do you make sure you don't kill them. Or go all ripper." Caroline nodded. "Well, it's about control, mostly. But it's also about being aware of everything. You can't get lost in it. Focus on the heartbeat." "Can you show me?" Katherine smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. Don't forget to listen."

Katherine walked up to one of the men. She put a hand on his cheek. "It's okay, don't be scared." And then Katherine bit the guy. Caroline stood there and observed. She noticed that after a while, the rhythm of the man's heart changed. There was a difference in the blood circulation. That was when Katherine pulled back. "You're up." Caroline took a deep breath and walked towards the other man. She looked back at Katherine who nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't let you kill him."

Okay Caroline, you can do this. She looked at the man and told him what Katherine had told the other guy. Then she bit him. When the blood hit her it was hard to focus at first. It was so overwhelming. God, it was so good. Then she remembered that she was draining a man of his blood and it immediately snapped out of it. Focus, Caroline. Focus. She chided herself and listened to the heartbeat. She pulled back when she heard the change.

Katherine applauded. "See, no harm done." Then Katherine compelled the men to forget what had happened. "Care, it's okay. You're not a bad person because you enjoyed it. It's normal. It's like enjoying ice cream or chocolate cake as a human. Drinking blood from humans is in your nature. Don't feel guilty about it." Caroline nodded. She was feeling conflicted about what she had done. But then again, she was a vampire. While she would still keep using blood bags as her main source, she could at least drink from the vein without having to worry about killing the human. She nodded. "Thanks." "Anytime. Come on, let's go walk around the property. I hear there's a wedding today. Let's crash." "We don't have the right attire, Kat." "Then let's go find some."

Caroline couldn't believe the brunette. The girl was reckless and impulsive and she had no limits whatsoever. When Katherine saw something she wanted, she just went for it. Caroline could admire that in her. They wound up crashing the wedding. Katherine had stolen two dresses from one of the guests and had somehow managed to convince Caroline to wear one. Then Katherine had offered a pair of her extremely high heels to make the outfit complete, but Caroline had kindly declined the offer. She didn't trust herself in such high heels. They wound up having a lot of fun. They danced and laughed and ate cake. And around midnight, they went to their room to talk to Ann Grant.

"Booh." Kol said when Caroline and Katherine walked into the room. "Hilarious." Katherine said while rolling her eyes. "You girls look pretty. What did you do?" "We crashed a wedding." "And you didn't invite me. I'm hurt." Caroline shushed Kol. "Can you just be quiet? This ghost could show up any minute now."

They sat there in silence, waiting for the ghost to show up. They didn't dare to say something out of fear for disrupting the spirit or something. At one thirty, a chill swept to the room. Both vampires were on high alert. The lights went on and off for a couple of times before keeping the lights completely off. "Two vampires and a ghost. Now that is something you don't see every day." There was a girl, standing in the middle of the room. She was emanating light. "Sorry to disturb you, but we need your help." "You did not disturb me, Caroline. It has been centuries since I have had peace. I have been waiting for a long time." "Goody for you. Look, we'd like to get some answers so could you get to the point, please? I'm not really comfortable, no offense." Katherine said impatiently. She didn't like the feel of this, something felt bad, as if there was something lurking around a corner.

"You can feel her moving closer. Don't worry about it, not yet. For the time being you are safe. This will have to be quick, I do not have a lot of time." It did make Katherine feel better, oddly enough, she actually believed this Ann Grant. "You are looking for Gaia's grimoire. You have a long road ahead of you, I'm afraid. She made it difficult and challenging in order to keep it safe. She didn't want it to fall in the wrong hands. There is a roadmap to guide you through. Not everything will be revealed immediately. You'll get clues, riddles you'll need to solve in order to find out where it is hidden. I fully believe that you can do this. The three of you seem to be a formidable trio. One who has the knowledge, the other who has the genius and one who has the heart. Don't give up, not on yourself and not on each other. You'll need one another when this search is over. My time is almost up. I know you must have a lot of questions, but I cannot answer them, my apologies for that. The map is hidden in this room. After the first full moon after Lughnasadh will reveal its first clue. Good luck."

The ghost started to flicker. "It's hidden under…" But before she could finish her sentence she disappeared. The lighting came back on, the chill left the room. The trio exchanged a look. "Witches and their riddles. There's a reason why I do not like working with them." Katherine said as she started scouring the room, trying to chase the uneasy feeling away. "What do you think happened?" "You don't feel it?" Katherine asked. "This feeling in your gut that says that something isn't right?" Katherine nodded. "Yeah. What do you think causes this?" "Probably the mysterious 'she' Ann mentioned." The room was almost completely turned upside down until Katherine finally found something. Under a creaking floorboard there was an old looking parchment. "You think this is the map?" Katherine asked holding the paper up. "Only one way to find out." "We wait until the end of August." Kol said. Katherine nodded, quickly searching for when the first full moon in August fell. The twenty eighth.

They called Bonnie with the news. They finally had a lead. And someone who would be following there every move. It made them uncomfortable. They would have to look over their shoulder and be extremely careful.

Caroline and Katherine decided to put the search to rest for the time being and got ready to leave for their well-earned vacation.