Author's Note: I am posting this second chapter tonight because I have gone so long without an update. I did not think this chapter was going to be this long, but the story grew when I started typing. I hope it seems in character, let me know!
Disclaimer: Any recognizable details belong to the creators of TVD/TO; I simply borrow what I can to keep the story as close to canon as possible. I do, however, own my storyline.
"Was that a Salvatore I saw licking his wounds with a bottle of bourbon in the Quarter, Rebekah?" Klaus keeps his voice as nonchalant as he is able, but knows that he's not fooling his sister. Her brow quirks but she returns to her magazine without responding. The Virginian vampire's scent fills the room, and there are noticeable blood drops in the entryway, so he is sure that his sister had an…encounter with the sarcastic man. "Really, Bekah. Bringing that relationship drama into the house at a time like this…"
"Get off it, Nik. You know that there was no relationship there. Just sex…kind of like you had with Hayley," the Original sister still doesn't look up from the magazine in her hands, but the hybrid knows that he has her full attention. A quirked brow of his own and she sighs before turning her gaze to meet his. "What do you want me to say? He needed to be acquainted with my boot. A couple times. You can hardly judge me for that. I know he's not your favorite person." She rises from the couch and makes to leave to room, not surprised when she feels long fingers wrap around her forearm and stop her escape.
"Why did he need to be bloodied this time, sister? I can only assume it has something to do with Mystic Falls and the perpetual cycle of dysfunction those children find themselves enduring. Was another one of them bit trying to out snark a werewolf?" Letting his hand fall away, Klaus crosses his powerful arms across his chest and regards his sister curiously. He can feel that she is withholding some kind of sensitive information, has since she returned to New Orleans, but he has know idea what that has to do with the elder Salvatore.
"I don't know about a wolf bite, he didn't actually ask for you. They are seeking out Caroline. Picked up my scent at her house when we left and are tired of her taking care of herself instead of them. Damon," she spits his name out as though it offends her just to say it, "thought I had her tucked away here and would hand her over just because he asked."
"And…why did that cause a fight? Surely you are able to outtalk even someone who is so enamored with their own voice."
Heaving another tired sigh, Rebekah sets her shoulders before she responds. They were walking a dangerous path with this discussion. If her brother gained too much information, she would have her hands full just trying to keep him from waging another war before he has a handle on New Orleans. "I merely reminded him that Mystic Falls isn't all that it is cracked up to be. That maybe…Caroline just wanted some time away from the insufferable doppelganger and her infinite problems."
"And…what exactly was it that he wouldn't want me to learn? If that's all you said to him, I can't see why my name was brought up at all…?" Prodding his sister to be honest with him, Klaus admits that he was in courtyard while the two were fighting, that he had heard a portion of the argument before he left to deal with another member of the Correa organization.
"The two…have a history. I was simply saying what needed to be said to get him out of the house. Whatever inferences he may have made…" Rebekah's eyes grow wide as she sees her brother's glow golden. She can't avoid the truth much longer.
"The truth, Rebekah," the elder growls, barely containing his rage as she dances around the subject. There is more to the story between Caroline and the raven haired vampire that brought so much havoc into her life. He has known that since his arrival in Mystic Falls.
Under his compulsion, Katherine had explained that Damon had followed Stefan to town when the younger had come upon the newest doppelganger. In an effort to make life difficult for his younger sibling, something Klaus could agree with as he had done the same to all of his siblings sometime over that last centuries, Damon had attacked numerous citizens and students in the small town and done nothing to cover his tracks. The weeks that followed brought the council back together and led to many close calls for Stefan and then Caroline when she turned. Klaus knew that Damon was partially responsible for that as well; the girl had been injured in a move by the council and had been given blood from Damon in order to heal her injuries. Of course, her actual death and transition was brought on by Katherine herself when she was trying to collect offerings for the Original to use in his ritual, so he may spare her life even after all of these years.
From Tyler, Klaus had learned about Caroline's early days and weeks as a vampire. He knew that she had transitioned alone, and killed that first night. But the only part of the story that seemed relevant was that Damon had nearly killed her then. This wasn't the only time the threat had been thrown around, and the older vampire's disregard for the blondes safety was relevant even when he wasn't actively out to get her. The numerous times the group had thrown Caroline at him more than proved that on their own.
But none of this seemed relevant enough for the supremely cocky vampire to flee after only a minor tussle with the vampire before him as he had. All of these thoughts fly across Klaus' mind as Rebekah processes his request and tries to formulate a diplomatic response to answer his questions without sending him into a rage.
"Before she changed, Caroline had gotten caught up in one of Damon's plans to tear Stefan down…" The hybrid stiffens at her words and she stops instantly. Planting a hand against her brother's chest, Rebekah shoves him toward the couch. "Sit. I will get us drinks and we can discuss what I have to tell you. But, Nik, you must remember to keep Caroline's current safety in mind, rather than reacting to her past that she has clearly survived. Can you contain yourself? Or am I wasting my breath even trying to talk to you?" Rebekah raises her brow at him as she strides confidently toward the drink cart against the wall. She knows he's not going anywhere. When it comes to Caroline, her brother will likely always be able to reign himself in until he had time to properly plot out his revenge. Returning with a glass over filled with scotch, the younger blonde hands it off and sips slowly at her own.
Once they have both settled into the couch cushions, at least feigning calm, she turns toward him. "I didn't find this out before, Nik. You need to know that. She doesn't dwell on it. Probably because no one else admits anything happened," her eyes roll harshly as she half whispers the last sentence. "Caroline only told me about this while we were packing things up for her to leave. I was trying to warn her about what could happen to her if she gets found out. I was recounting some of the more…brutal treatments I have been victim to at the hands of people trying to get information on you the few times we were estranged in the last centuries."
Rebekah doesn't need to look at her brother to know that his brow is pulled in a pained expression. He is likely remembering a time in France when she was captured and held prisoner for months until the brothers found her. Being a vampire, and an Original at that, Rebekah had come out of it mostly intact, though there had been a period of time in her healing when she had been nearly unrecognizable in her pain and distrust. Imagining Caroline going through even a fraction of that tore at both of the siblings, but Rebekah prepared to continue. If nothing else, knowing that she was able to come out of her ordeal as the person she was now would comfort elder Mikaelson.
"She cut me off very early in my warnings, telling me that she would be fine in a dismissive tone…" Rebekah's accented voice quieted as she drifted into the memory, sharing as much of the experience with her brother as he needed to hear.
"I will survive, Rebekah. After all, don't you know, it's what I do," Caroline doesn't even look up from packing her bag as she shuts down the elder blonde's story.
"I don't think you understand what I am telling you, Caroline. If anyone were to discover who you are, who Hope is, they will not be lenient with you just because you are a pretty young girl. There are beasts out there, far more despicable than even my brother has been to you and your friends," she shudders slightly as the memory invades her mind against her wishes. For a moment, she doesn't see the nineteen year old blonde in front of her, but her own visage staring back, covered in healing bruises and cuts, and a dullness in her usually glittering eyes. The men had taken anything they could from the petite blonde, and had broken her in the process. If Nik and Elijah hadn't found her, Rebekah is under no illusions that she would have survived with her mind intact. "My family has enemies that will find your youthful appearance even more appealing a toy for their violence."
Caroline looks up at her then, seeing the pain in the older girl's gaze as she mindlessly bounces the tiny bundle in her arms. The pain is a recognizable one; the vampire has seen it in her own eyes, staring out from the mirror. A deep breath steadies her voice enough to stop the girl from reliving her own tortures, "I understand, Rebekah. I…went through something similar. Just a pawn in a story I didn't even know was playing out…"
The girls eye each other momentarily, feeling out the waters of trust they have spent the night wading through. Eventually she continues, "When Damon first came to Mystic Falls, back when I was still human and weak minded, I was stupid and thought that if he wanted me then I was worth something, even if no one else did. I got drawn in by the 'other brother' as I said to Elena, because Stefan only cared about Elena, just like everyone in my life. I didn't even know what danger I was in, just that I was covered in bruises and bites that I couldn't explain. But I was fine with it, you know?" Caroline's eyes clear for the first time since she began as she regards Rebekah. "No, I guess you don't. Compulsion…it's suffocating. I remember knowing that I should be terrified, that I should beg my mom or Stefan or someone to help me, but my brain didn't want to? I guess that's the way to put it. No, I wanted to, but I couldn't. I just couldn't make the words come out.
"The night that I changed, I didn't know what was happening—I had been compelled by Stefan at that point to forget everything that had happened. To forget that vampires existed, that I had been used as a blood bag for one. But then memories started to come back, in bits and pieces. I remembered the night I met Damon, after Stefan had turned me down and I was crying to Bonnie about it. Then there was this…gorgeous guy with eyes for me. And a couple days later I invited him to walk me home, to come in for coffee. I remembered waking up in lingerie I didn't recognize, with blood all over my pillow and my neck and shoulders. I have never been so scared. Not even when I was bit and dying of werewolf venom, either time," the young vampire tries in vain to lighten the mood when she sees the other woman's knuckles turning white as she clenches the blanket that Hope is swaddled in.
"I tried to escape the room, but obviously I was no match for Damon. He through me down on the bed and compelled me to be quiet. He told me to lay back…and just take it. Not even to enjoy it, just not to fight…I cried the whole time. I just wanted it to be over. I remember, I didn't want to let him hear me cry and I…I bit down on my lip so hard that I bled. And that made him even more…enthused. He sucked my lip into his mouth—something that should have been erotic and enjoyable, and he sucked the wound dry while he…continued his assault on my body. After he had finished, he laughed at me. And then he told me to get dressed and take him out for coffee…"
Caroline stands from where she had sunk down on the bed, turning away from the tears she saw in the other girl's eyes and returning to her near full suitcase.
"How…" Rebekah stops and clears her throat, not wanting to fight her tears while she spoke. This information was making her see the blonde who had fought so hard against her brother's affections in an entirely new light. It must have been hell to see someone who identified so closely to her abuser, so intent on bending her to his will. The blonde wanted to smack both men, but knew she would have to settle for berating her brother when she made her way to New Orleans. "How long did he—?"
"Weeks," her answer is quiet, but both women have supernatural hearing and she doesn't need to repeat herself. "I think…I think Stefan had an idea. But he didn't know for sure until the Founder's Party over a month later. I slipped up; wore an open knit cardigan to the party, and Elena finally noticed the marks that weren't even hidden on by back and shoulders. She told Stefan and they used me to vervain him. Just in time, too. I had run out of usefulness," she spits the words out, hating her weaker self. "He meant to kill me when he drank that time, but the vervain put him down. Elena found me when I started freaking out, and took me home. Stefan compelled me to forget later that night and they gave me a vervain filled necklace the next day. So when I changed, this all came at me throughout the day and I confronted Damon that night. When he realized what had happened, he tried to stake me…and he's been a daily part of my life since."
Her story finished, Caroline zips her bag shut and shoved her arms into the sleeves of a leather jacket before making her way down the hall and out of the house. It takes Rebekah a few minutes longer to absorb all that she has just heard. And a few more to control her tears, deciding that she could ruminate over it all after the girls separate and she gets on the road for the long drive to her family. Joining Caroline at her car, the blonde just turns an understanding gaze her way before ducking to fasten Hope into her seat. In an unforeseen moment of familiarity, the thousand year old teenager leans into a quick hug to the taller blonde.
"Thank you, Caroline. For all that you are doing for us. I should have known that you understood the risks. I am sorry for prying, but more sorry that you have such despicable people in your life that this happened to you in the first place." She keeps her tone positive and grateful, knowing that the other girl hadn't opened up like this before. That she likely hadn't meant to do so now, and that she would want to move passed it if she were in the opposite position.
"You're welcome. Please, let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. I feel like you are handing me a free pass while you rush off to battle, like I'm not really doing anything," Caroline smiles appreciatively at the Original, knowing that she won't press for more information. She only hopes that she will be able to keep it to herself, knowing at least one violent hybrid who will take it as a personal offense. And, for all the anger Caroline aims at Damon, she doesn't want anything to happen to her friends and they will all get involved if Klaus goes after a member of the group.
She turns to get into the car, ready to drive off. She has already decided that she will head to Chicago. Stefan had often spoken of his good memories of the place, Original related and not, and knows that his apartment is the perfect place to start her new life. Before pulling way, she rolls her window down. "You're stronger than you think, Rebekah. I know how broken you feel inside. But look how far you have come, all that you have survived before and since that happened to you. When all of this is over, I hope we can help each other move on from and let go of all of the pain we still carry around."
Rebekah is in tears as the small Ford pulls away, wondering how someone can be so genuinely good after all she has been through. For the first time since arriving in modern Mystic Falls, she understands what Nik sees in the baby vampire.
Klaus is shaking on the couch beside her. Rebekah's vision clears as she comes back to the present, and she sees his face contorting. The pain at the story and the anger at the creature responsible for nearly extinguishing Caroline's light are warring on his stubbled features. Without thinking, the girl reaches out to clasp her brother's hand, drawing his attention out of his own mind.
"She didn't tell you, Nik, not because she didn't trust you," the tears that fill his eyes prove that this was the fear she saw dancing in her brother's gaze. "She certainly didn't tell me because she does trust me. She has simply repressed this memory so deep within herself to survive the life she's been trapped in for the last few years, that she honestly didn't think it was important. You have to know that. Her own friends disregard it all and she has to do the same or she will be trapped in that anger and pain and fear everyday when she has to deal with Damon. But, she doesn't need you to take vengeance right now. She needs you to bring her home. Her and Hope, they need to be with us. That is where you need to focus this energy, please. We will deal with him later, after we get them back. I promise, Nik. We will avenge all of it. With Caroline."
The last sentence snaps Klaus out of his emotional spiral. Caroline. She was what mattered, and if she could move passed all of this to do what needed to be done, surely he could do so as well. He scrubs a hand over his face and downs the rest of the scotch in his glass. Feeling more in control of himself, the hybrid is about to address his sister when his phone chimes from the foyer table. Flashing from the room, he lifts the device and opens the notification. It shows a text message from (123)456-7890.
Stefan found me, he is in Chicago now. He knows I have Hope, but not who she is. Do what you need to with that.
"Come, sister. We have to track down the other Salvatore and do some damage control for our girls."