Hello again, I'm glad to see that everyone appears to be at the least intrigued with what's to come next and I hope it stays that way, I will warn that I plan to spend a couple of chapters exploring this transition so hopefully that's of interest to you, but if not it won't be long before we are moving on from our little viking village. But who could becoming with us? ;)

Chapter 10

Light is the first thing that Caroline is aware of, and she is aware of it in a way that she never has been before. It's painful; it feels like the sun is rising directly into her eyes. On top of that she can hear several arguing voices, each shrill scold and low toned growl feels like a crack of thunder going through her brain and she groans a little in pain.

Her head is still pounding and before her eyes can even open she can feel something in the air shift, the energy changes, the voices stop and everything is still. She groans again and slowly starts to peel her eyes open, hand flying to her head as her lungs fight to gasp in giant gulps of air.

"What the bloody hell?" the voice is feminine, young and familiar but Caroline can't quite place it until she takes in her surroundings and Rebekah Mikaelson is standing right over top of her

"Rebekah? What am I doing here?" she asks in confusion, looking around expecting to see the whole family standing in this small bedroom, surprised to find it empty but for the two of them "I thought I heard voices, people were fighting-"

Before Caroline can even finish her sentence several loud footsteps fight and push each other up the stairs. She cries out at the sound and cradles her head in both hands until one voice cuts through all of the clamoring

"Stand back" there is a whoosh and several loud thuds that don't do anything to alleviate the pain in Caroline's head

"What is happening mother?" Rebekah asks before the door even opens

"Leave us Rebekah" Esther says, as the door swings open with too much force, magically propelled into the wall behind it. It takes everything in Caroline to open her eyes again and meet Esther's gaze as Rebekah slowly slinks out of the room

"I don't see why you must kick me out, everyone in this house will hear every word you say anyway" Caroline raises an eyebrow at that and Esther merely shakes her head,

"Send Elijah and your father to hunt. Make Kol stay inside and come get me the instant Niklaus returns" Rebekah nods her head and Caroline perks up a little at the mention of Klaus' name but before any words can leave her mouth Esther is shutting the door behind her daughter and Caroline realizes there are more pressing questions to be asked.

"What… what is happening to me?" Caroline whispers

Esther sighs, closing her eyes for a moment before fixing the girl in front of her with a sad smile. She reaches forward gently, holding her hand out. Caroline swallows hard, removing her hand from rubbing circles on her temple she places it lightly into Esther's and watches the blood drain from the older woman's face

"I am so sorry child, this was never my intention"

"What was never your intention? What is happening?" Caroline's voice is angrier than she expected, coming out on a low growl as she nearly crushes Esther's hand in her own. She pulls back immediately when she hears the pained wince come from the woman in front of her and stares at her hand, unaware there was that much strength inside of it "what is happening to me?" she asks again on an almost silent whisper

Esther raises her almost injured hand and slowly wipes away the tear that rolls down Caroline's cheek "I cannot express how sorry I am that this has happened to you, it is my fault in every way, Kol could not control himself after what I made him"

"Please, Esther, my brain feels like it is pounding out of my head and I am quite convinced there is sandpaper in my throat can you just tell me plainly what is going on here?"

"You are dead" Esther says bluntly, taking the girl's request to heart

Caroline laughs, "I certainly feel like it"

"Caroline I apologize but I am quite serious. Last night you were killed and for some reason you have been revived in the same way my children have. I was unaware the spell could be replicated and I need you to tell me what happened that brought you back in this way"

"I don't understand anything you are saying. What happened to your children? Is that why you have all been locked in the house?"

"Caroline I need you to focus. What happened?"

"I… I don't remember. I remember talking to Bonnie and then Kol was there and Bonnie started acting so strange and she was telling me to go outside and then I was with Kol and- oh my god. Oh my god your son killed me! He- he snapped my neck like it was a twig how was he so strong? How could he do this to me?"

"So you don't remember anything helpful then," Esther says standing up, clearly upset. She shakes her head "I am sorry that this has happened to you, but we are finished speaking now. I do wish I could give you the opportunity to say goodbye to your family, but you must understand that no one can know about any of this"

"What do you mean say goodbye? I'm fine, sure I feel a little sick but whatever happened I'm ok"

"I am afraid you are not, but you will be before too long I promise. The pain will likely worsen within the hour but the whole process should not take longer than sundown" Esther's smile is sad and genuine and full of pity

"What process?"

"Dying"

XXX

The feeling of his teeth sinking into actual human flesh instead of grizzled fur is a sense of euphoria that Klaus doesn't think he will ever be able to describe, he didn't truly think that he would be able to push the vision of Caroline's limp body falling to the ground from his mind, but for the few fleeting minuets that his teeth sink into this village girl's flesh he doesn't see broken pale skin falling onto soft white snow, he doesn't see wide blue eyes staring lifelessly into the distance, he doesn't even see his own hand tearing one of the more useless organs from his brother's body. All he sees is red. All he feels is red. It is fast and hot and completely all consuming.

Until it ends

And he watches broken pale skin fall onto soft white snow. The irony is not lost on his tightly clenched heart.

Klaus falls to his knees beside this girl that he does not know, this girl that he prays is not dead. He never meant to kill her, he just needed a distraction; what has he done? Before guilt and tears can take over a different feeling seems to settle itself into his bones

Anger

This is not his fault; he is not responsible for this girl's death. Kol is. Kol has killed two women on this night.

Klaus doesn't quite believe his own accusatory thoughts, but he does finds that between the anger in his gut and the aching despair in his chest he doesn't have any room for guilt to seep in.

"Niklaus what have you done" the voice is soft, high, afraid

"Go home Rebekah. I do not wish to speak of it"

Rebekah shakes her head, looking down at the lifeless body of a girl she once knew. Not well mind you, but she had seen her around, knew of her family. In this moment she realizes how right Kol is, not in his actions but in his belief that they must leave. This village is not big enough for them. They will destroy everyone they care for if they stay.

Rebekah tears her eyes away from the carnage, trying to ignore the way her own fangs slip free at the sight of fresh blood. She removes the thick fur coat she is wearing and throws it at her brother. She knows it will be tight but she can't stand to stare at him so completely covered in blood. She has a reason for being here after all. She ran out the second her mother banished her from the room. "Caroline didn't die"

Before she can finish her sentence Rebekah finds her self several feet off the ground, her brother's hand wrapped tightly around her throat in anger "do not lie to me, I saw her. This is not a game, it is not a joke and it is not funny," he growls, practically noshing his teeth at her and Rebekah wants to cry. She wants to cry in mourning for her brother, the man who would have never even thought to raise a hand to her, this man in front of her wears Nik's face but something has twisted inside of him beyond even their mother's curse. His temper is worse than ever, he is angry and territorial and always growling at her over something.

She manages to grab the upper hand and twists his wrist fully back, freeing herself from his grasp "you have to believe me when I tell you that she is not dead, but if you don't go back to that house right now she will be soon" Rebekah pauses, shaking her head at her brother "I don't know what you did Niklaus, but I do not think this is going to be the blessing you think it is"

"I didn't do anything" he grits out defensively and Rebekah casts her gaze to the dead girl at his feet, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air

"Mother is planning something, I know it. If you care for this girl-" Rebekah's sentence trails off into the cold air and falls only on the ears of the dead, because her brother is already long gone.

XXX

Klaus nearly tears the front door off its hinges as he speeds into his family home "where is she" he throws Kol up against the nearest wall, cracking the wood and his brother's spine on impact

"Drop him, Niklaus" Esther's voice cuts through his growling

"I should tear his heart from his chest and bury him in a shallow grave" he spits

"Oh it isn't my shallow grave you should be worrying about, brother" Kol's voice is entirely too calm, his mouth curving into a subtle smirk

"What is he talking about mother?"

"Niklaus I need you to understand that this is for the best" his mother's voice is calm and soothing, he recognizes the tone as the same one she always uses to convince her children to forgive their father.

"What. Did. You. Do"

"Nothing. Which is exactly what you will do"

Klaus can feel the hand that has been holding his heart in a crushing grip since the moment Kol snapped Caroline's neck slowly start to loosen. He releases his brother and casts his gazes upstairs "so it's true? She- she's alive?"

"She is not alive" Esther says calmly "she is dead, your brother killed her because none of you can control yourselves" her voice rises in anger and Klaus steps forward threateningly, fighting against every urge inside that is screaming at him to break every bone in his mother's body until she lets him see Caroline.

He resists that urge, turning on his heel to flash up the stairs; he can hear her slow heartbeat pulse and it sends his racing as he reaches for the door knob, his hand hitting a hard, invisible wall before he can reach it "what is the meaning of this" he growls, beating his fist against the wall

"Klaus?" her voice is raspy and weak, but it is undeniably her. Almost against his will Klaus feels his hand press against the wall that separates them

"Caroline" his voice is almost as broken as hers despite being in perfect health. He can hear his mother reach the top of the stairs and he turns around

"What is happening to her?" Klaus wants to be angry, he knows that deep down he is, but he wants answers more than anything else. He wants this bloody wall down.

"She is transitioning"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that if she drinks human blood as you all did she will be exactly as you and your siblings are"

"And if she doesn't?"

"She will die"

Klaus' eyes widen and his brow furrows "then why the hell is she sitting behind a magical barrier? Take it down! I will go find her a-"

"A villager?" Esther cuts him off "A person for her to drain of blood is that what you were going to say? Is that truly what you want for her? This woman you claim to love. This girl whose parents practically created our village. You want to bring her a citizen to murder just so that she can live forever with the same curse you must all bear"

Klaus' jaw tightens "you speak as though you were not the one who cursed us in the first place"

"And you speak as though it wasn't your reckless actions that forced my hand!"

"I never asked Henrik to follow me into those woods"

"But he did. He followed you and he died because of this girl and now you want someone else's child to die for her. I will not allow it!"

A million separate plans and schemes fly through Klaus' brain at his mother's words, perhaps he should feel bad for what he is about to do, but he simply doesn't.

"At least let me see her one more time. Please mother, let me say goodbye"

Esther's eyes soften "I am sorry son that is a risk I cannot take"

"You can keep the barrier up" he speaks without hesitation "my blood will not turn her, it cannot. Just release the barrier long enough for me to enter and then restore it. Please. Even if this is my fault, she is dying because of what you did. If you do not feel that you owe me anything, you owe it to her. To her mother. Don't let her die alone"

Esther's head nods slowly, she is lost for words, she wants to defend herself, to speak sense to her son but he does have a point and so she lowers the barrier. Her heart is not stone, after all. Not yet, anyway.

The wall is back up the second that Klaus enters Rebekah's bedroom, but none of that matters because he can feel his arms wrap around Caroline, his hand strokes her hair slowly as she buries her head in his shoulder and sobs

"Shh, shh it will be okay sweetheart, I promise. It will be okay"

"I heard everything" she tries to keep her voice calm, but how can she "it won't be okay. Nothing is okay"

"Do you trust me?" he asks carefully"

"yes but-"

"I love you" he says slowly, lifting his finger to his lips in a gesture for her to remain silent as he slowly removes the borrowed fur coat, dropping it to the ground and revealing the white shirt underneath, stained deeply with fresh not yet dried blood. Human blood.

Caroline shakes her head violently, tears falling from her cheeks as she fights the pricking in her gums "no I can't. I- I can't"

"It only takes a drop" he says on a barely audible whisper, slowly dipping his hand into the fresh red blood, watching Caroline fight against her own body.

Caroline can feel her body tense as she watches the blood, sees it seep into Klaus' skin. She watches his hand intently, gritting her teeth so hard she thinks they might burst out of her skull. She can't drink blood. Can she?

Rational thoughts and moral debates fly out of her mind in an instant as Klaus moves closer to her, running his blood stained thumb over her mouth.

Suddenly nothing else exists. The scent hits her nose, her entire body contracts, and her tongue darts out to lick her lips. "more" she half moans, half growls. Caroline locks her eyes on Klaus' bloody shirt and she launches forward, pinning him to the ground, licking the blood from his shirt in an animalistic frenzy

"easy, easy love, believe me I have thought of you in this position many times before, but now is not the time"

When her eyes meet his they are dark and veins extend beneath them. She growls at his attempt to push her away, fangs dropping from her gums and he knows in that moment that he did the right thing. He did what he had to do.

Because look at her. She is Beautiful. She is frenzied and wild and free. She is a predator, a hunter. She is going to live forever and he is going to have her forever and that simply isn't a decision he will ever be able to regret.

The journey is just beginning, but I will break in at this point in the story to confirm that despite everything that will happen in the millennia to follow this moment, it does remain true that this is one of the very few actions that Niklaus never once, not even for a second, regrets.

Has my presence jarred you, dear readers? Perhaps we have come so far that you nearly forgot how old of a tale this is. How everything that you read has already come to be and passed a thousand years ago. I wish that I could tell you this is the end of everyone's pain and suffering, but unfortunately, it is only the beginning…