Hey!
Firstly, thankyou all so much for the reviews, favourites and follows! This story had reached over 100 followers, thank you all so much and I hope you all continue to enjoy it! :D
This chapter is pretty long but I wanted to get a lot in so I hope you don't mind, there is some Klaroline thought guys (woop woop)!
It's almost half 4 in the morning over here so I better be off to go sleep, happy reading! :)
(I don't own VD if I did April would be dead..I mean..what is the point in her?)
Caroline heard Ayana's panicked voice as she fled towards them through the pitch black forest.
Erton remained at her side though not touching. She shuffled away from him and shivered in the cold from terror and pain.
"Oh my dear Caroline!" Ayana exclaimed as she reached them, a candle burning in her hand, it's light illuminating the forest around her. Caroline kept her gaze on her swelling ankle, it was large and purple, dotted with bruises.
Ayana tut under her breath before capturing her gaze. "What happened Caroline, why were you out here so late?" Her face was one of sympathy and apprehension.
Caroline did not know what to say, her heart beat rapidly and her mind was clouded from the nights events to even fathom an excuse. Surprisingly the monster beside her spoke up.
"I offered to take Caroline on a midnight stroll mother, to apologise for my awful behaviour, she slipped and hurt her ankle, it is my fault."
Caroline stared at him with her mouth agape; it is as if he were a totally different person than he had been earlier. She could not understand him. One moment he was terrifying and the next her was the old Erton..
It did not matter, he was still a monster to her.
But she did not go against his claim, choosing to remain silent and merely nod her head at his speech. Ayana clicked her tongue in thought, shaking her head she said: "Children, children, it was very foolish of you to wander the forest so late at night, you can never know what wanders this lands when night falls."
Caroline knew she was talking about the beasts, she had momentarily forgotten about them.
The woman stood before her with a quizzical look on her face before pointing at her son to stand also. "Erton, please help me to get young Caroline here the herbs and remedies needed to take care of this nasty injury."
Erton stood and walked over to stand beside his mother. "We shall need oils, herbs and salts for her ankle." He nodded his head.
"Dear Caroline, do you want Erton here to carry you back to the house or can you wait a little while for us to return." She did not want him touching her ever again, her answer was clear.
"I shall wait here if you do not mind Ayana, I dare not move my ankle even the slightest fraction." Her voice was surprisingly strong, despite the pain she felt inside.
She felt Ayana's cold hand on her ankle and flinched. "Sorry dear, I am just trying to measure the extent of the damage." Caroline nodded her head before realising she could not see her. "All right."
After a few more minutes of Ayana prodding painfully at her ankle she said. "Okay Caroline, we shall go and get the correct medicines needed and be back shortly, try not to move it, just stay were you are." With a pat on her cheek, Ayana and Erton left her alone.
Caroline thought about staying, for a swift moment it crossed her mind that maybe it was for the best, to stay put in this dark and dismal forest, let Ayana heal her wound and eradicate her incessant gene, maybe after that she could leave…
No. The thought fell from her mind as quick as it came. She had to go, this was her only window of opportunity.
The wind was picking up by now and the wind was shaking the tree's branches and whistling through her ears as if beckoning her forward.
Using her aching hands to pull her backwards until her back collided with a tree, the bark poking into her back Caroline hauled herself against it. The ground was slightly damp with the morning weather but Caroline put her weight upon her good foot and braced her hands behind her on the tree.
The pain shot up her leg as she leant on the injured foot, Caroline grit her teeth and mentally yelled at herself to stop focusing upon the pain and run whilst she had the chance. Ayana and Erton could return at any moment and catch her in the act so she must go, now now now!
The wind whipped at her hair and she decided to focus upon it, the wind rustling the trees and disturbing the plants and weeds which littered the ground.
Taking a deep breath she hopped on her uninjured leg quickly through the dark forest, she splayed her arms out to the sides for balance as she heaved her aching body towards freedom.
When her leg ached within a inch of its life she leant against the closest tree her eyes could make out and took 3 deep breathes.
Both her legs now having their own pulse, Caroline felt as if she would collapse into a heap on the wet sodden dirt but her fear's overcame her exhaustion, she was still not far enough for Ayana and Erton to not see her, so after counting to 10 and mentally readying herself Caroline set off hopping through the forest. Towards home, she hoped.
As she drew further into the forest, the trees became scarcer allowing the moonlight to infiltrate the forest, Caroline could see the trees in her close vision and the dirt beneath her feet.
Her feet were littered with small cuts from the thorns and twigs on the floor which had snagged and sliced at her skin, the wind washed over her body and the thin fabric of her dress allowed it to filter to her skin, a shiver ran up her spine as the crisp wind hit. Her vision blurred at the cold and she almost lost her balance against the tree.
"Come on, get it together!" she whisper-shouted to herself under her breath.
Maybe she could rest for a little while, rest her weeping eyes and nurse her leg, just a little while. She slumped against the tree, her eyes drooping, teetering over the edge of consciousness.
So close to sleep, Caroline made to sit down upon the dirt when the something broke through the night, making her stand to attention.
"CAROLINE!" Ayana yelled into the night.
Her heart, which was being to steady began to throb in her chest again and her screaming ankle begged her to stop, but Caroline frantically pushed herself off of the tree and continued to hop her way into the night.
Ayana continued to shout behind her causing the blonde to push further on. Her foot collided with a rock and she fell to the earth with a grunt. She held back a scream as her bad foot banged against the earth. Not wanting to take another fall she decided to change tactics and began to crawl through the soil, leaves and twigs.
She would rather damage her hands than feet and stopping was not an option.
Her knees and hands took the brunt of the sharp objects upon the ground but she did not care, anything to get away from here, she swore in that moment, as she crawled over rocks and sticks, slicing at her hands and banging against her knees, that she would never again step foot in this god forsaken forest.
Time passed – how long Caroline did not know, or care. But the moon had sunk from the sky ready for the sun to rise. The dawn light hurt her eyes as she continued on all fours through the bitter forest. How far had Ayana's been for the Mikaelson's?
Surely she was close. Please please let her bet close.
Her whole body was numb with crawling and her body was sweating profusely from the fear and what her body had been through.
Reaching a rather large tree, Caroline flopped her body against it as if she were a discarded piece of meat and closed her tired eyes. She was not there a second before the darkness took her.
Nik and Henrik had had no luck at catching any game, they had been out for about 2 hours and so far Nik had had only a near miss with a rabbit and Henrik had only got his knife caught in several undeserving trees.
His patience with his little brother was wearing thin, he had taken Henrik out many times to teach him to hunt but the younger boy did not seem to have taken of his teachings into practise.
"Henrik, brother, I think we better go back, father shan't be pleased with our empty hands but we still have the game I caught with Elijah yesterday, that shall have to suffice."
Henrik had his back to Nik and did not reply. Nik, getting vexed at his brother, his temperamental anger seemed to have peaked in the last few months.
"Henrik, are you listening to me!?" He shouted, his anger mounting at his brothers ignorance.
Henrik still did not look at him but turned slightly and pointed ahead of him. "What?" Nik said in frustration, his father would be angry if they returned late.
"I thought I saw…" he trailed off, much to Nik's annoyance.
"What? What did you see?" He put his hand on his brothers shoulder and looked over his shoulder to where Henrik continued to point.
Was it a beast he saw? At that thought it made another person come into his mind, someone he swore to himself never to think of again, it made him feel things he did not wish to feel. The first few months of her absence was awful, Nik had never felt so alone, his siblings did not come near him for he gave no tolerance for any of their chatter. After a few weeks he began to hate her, why had she left? They planned to flee together, so many times they spoke of it, the two of them against the world…it had meant nothing to her he figured.
So he chose to forget her, push the blonde beauty deeper realms of his mind and lock her in a box, never to be opened.
It was a pointless endeavour however, because he thought of her all the time.
And he could never hate her, not even if he tried.
"It is! It is!" Henrik yelled, breaking Nik's reveries. He clapped his brother on the shoulder, covering his ear at his yelling.
"What on earth Henrik? Who? What?" He asked, looking in the direction his brother was walking towards.
"NIK!" Henrik yelled from a towering tree in the distance. Heaving a sigh, Nik ran towards his brother.
"What is it brother!" He demanded, the hunt was clearly a mighty disaster and Nik did not care for dawdling. It was early in the morning yet the family would be demanding their first meal and Nik could not come back without anything AND be late.
Henrik was staring ahead, his eyes squinting and brow furrowed as if he was trying to make something out.
Nik followed his gaze and his eyes landed upon a blonde head, her hair was tangled and dirty but he would recognise it anywhere anyway it was. Pushing past Henrik he ran towards her, her whole profile coming into view as he came closer.
His legs couldn't get him there fast enough.
She was dirty, her face scattered with mud and one of her cheeks had a small cut across it, dried blood surrounding it. Her arms also showed small marks, some deeper than others.
He reached her. Caroline. His Caroline.
He knelt beside her and took her into his arms. Her sleeping head against his chest, his heart racked against his rib cage, wanting to break free it was soaring so high.
He held her to him as if she would disappear before him. He wouldn't let that happen, not ever again. He sat in front of her, keeping her close to his chest. He was panting into her hair one hand on the back of her sweaty head and the other around her shoulders. She could not leave his grasp.
Nik could not believe it, she was here, Caroline, she was back. His face was plastered with a smile, a genuine smile – he had not had one on his face once in the months of her absence.
Caroline groaned against his chest and he pulled her away from it to survey her features. The smile remaining on his face, he was beaming. His hands went to her face and he kissed her dirty forehead. "My Caroline.." her whispered into her hair kissing the top of her head.
Caroline pulled away from him and stared in his eyes, a mixture of emotions behind the blue-green orbs that had forever captivated him. Confusion, relief and … pain.
They sat there, in the early morning light, staring at each other, drinking the other in – not quite believing what they saw. It was not until Henrik placed his small hand upon Nik's shoulder that they averted their eyes.
Caroline watched as a brown haired boy came over to the blonde one and tapped him on the shoulder. The blonde man looked angry and pushed the brown boy away, he seemed annoyed and shouted at the blonde man but the blonde ignored him and focused his gaze back to her.
He said something but it's hazy and muffled.
Caroline's eyes were blurred with sleep and unshed tears and her mind was hazy from sleep and exhaustion. She wiped at her eyes and blinked profusely, trying to see whom her saviour was. Her eyes began to focus and when they did, her mind became clear and her body became mobile again.
"Nik.." she breathed. It cannot be! It cannot be! If she had the energy she would jump into his arms, but instead she falls against his chest and rubs her head against it as if she were a dog demanding to be pet. She hears him chuckle and it sent her over the edge.
Tears of utter, utter joy sprang from her eyes and onto his soft cotton shirt. Her arms came to life and wrapped around his shoulders squeezing him to her as if they were one.
"Nik, oh Nik, is it really you, is it?" She exclaimed, taking her arms from around him and capturing his face with her hands. Moving them from his neck up to his chin and cheeks before splaying over his forehead, her thumbs moved back to brush over his closed eye lids.
"It is me Caroline, do not worry, it is me." He assured her, his voice thick with emotion.
Another batch of tears rolled down her cheeks as he grinned at her, his cheeks denting as she knew they would. Her hands brushed over them in a smooth caress, she had dreamt of this face so many times, and here he was, in front of her.
His hands made their way around her neck and he pulled her towards him as she settled in the crook of his neck, it smelt like him, burning wood, spice and lingering sweat. She nuzzled closer and breathed a sigh of content. Home.
"Nik we must go back." Who was that? That voice she knew, that sweet voice, full of innocence and purity.
Nik groaned and Caroline felt the vibrations on his neck, it made her smile. "Henrik.." he growled and turned his head in the boys direction. But at the mention of Henrik's name Caroline removed her head from Nik and looked at the boy.
Henrik had not changed much in her time away. His dark hair had grown to just above his shoulders and he held two sharp knives in his hands, one with a piece of bark stabbed through the end.
His piercing blue eyes were on her and his expression was one of happiness and worry, she supposed they had been hunting and must get back, for Mikael.
Nik's warm hands remained around her with no intention of moving, she never wanted him to move, she felt so safe in his embrace. Henrik was persistent with their needing to return, Caroline laughed when Nik shot his brother a sour look.
"Nik, darling Nik, it is fine, we shall return home, together." Oh, how long had she waited to say those words?
He rolled his eyes at his brother before kissing her swiftly upon the forehead and picking her up by her hips. "Wrap your legs around me" he said when she gasped at the quick movement. She did so delicately, not wanting to hurt her ankle, but as he began to move her ankle began to hit against his back and she yelped in pain.
Nik stopped abruptly and looked into her eyes. "What is it?" He asked, his brow furrowed at the pain on her face. She did not want him to worry, not now. But he would find out eventually. So she replied with the truth. "My ankle, I hurt it in the forest, it's fine, a little bruised but fine." She attempted to reassure him but it was no use.
Much to Henrik's annoyance Nik removed her from around his torso and sat her down onto the ground and moved down her leg, when his gaze came upon the bulging ankle, littered with cuts and darkened with black, blue and green bruises he grit his teeth and tensed his jaw.
"Caroline.." he began in a dark voice. She interrupted him quickly.
"Nik, I am fine, more than fine, we shall tend to it when we return alright?" She brushed her finger over the crease between his brows attempting to relive some of his unneeded tension. He captured her finger and gave it a quick kiss before nodding and taking her into his arms, one arm around the bottom of her back and the other under her legs. Caroline laid her head against his neck as they moved on towards home.
Esther was the first to spot them as the three came into the clearing from the surrounding forest. She spotted Henrik first, his face contorted into a smile, a large smile. Why was he smiling so?
Then the answer came strolling a few moments later, Niklaus came into view, his face beaming, literally, Esther could see the glee radiating of her son. He was carrying something in his arms and Esther looked down.
Her mouth opened agape. Caroline?
Surely it was not time for her to return?
And what a state she was in!
Esther had never seen the child so dirty, she had never seen any of her children as so!
The girls hair was a tangled mess upon her head, leaves, dirt and twigs poking out of it, her plain blue dress was ripped in several places and caked with mud and grime. It was once a soft blue colour but now it was much closer to a dismal brown.
As the two drew closer Esther made out the slashes and bruises which littered the girls arms, none of them were deep but there was many, seemingly from branches or thorns. Her hands were almost black with dried dirt. Yet her ankle was by far the worst, it had swelled to almost twice its size and it was littered with blotches of bruises and cuts. Her legs were almost swarmed with minor cuts and bruises, her knees were red and had indentations of rocks and small stones causing it to look lumpy and distorted.
Nik lay her against the large log surrounding the spitting fire which she had just lit. He took hold of one of her berry picking baskets and turned it over, allowing Caroline to lay her foot atop of it.
Esther had never seen Niklaus so caring, he handled Caroline as if she was going to break at his touch, his fingers barely connecting with her skin as he caressed her cheek and placed a kiss upon her sweat stricken forehead.
The blonde reflected his enchanted gaze at him and the two seemed lost in a world of their own.
Esther felt rather uncomfortable gazing upon them, as if she was infiltrating a special moment, but she could not get over the question of why and how Caroline had returned.
She discarded the washing she held in her arms upon the other log and came towards the two of them.
"Caroline, I did not know you were due back so soon." She said in a kind voice.
The girl started, as if Esther had broken her from a trance. She smiled weakly up at her and she saw a shaking hand reach for her sons, who captured it into his own securely.
"There was a change of plans." She replied after some consideration, her voice was small and shaky.
Esther had not heard of any change in their plans. "Oh really?" She quizzed. "How so?"
She did not mean to bombard the girl with questions, Esther was simply curious of her sudden reappearance. But at Caroline's furrowed brow and worried eyes, she felt her questions could hold for now, she had clearly been through some turmoil and Esther did not wish to make it worse.
"I do not have to answer to you." Caroline replied, her voice was louder but she stumbled over her words slightly.
Esther – not wanting to fight with the wretched girl – nodded her head in defeat before returning to her washing, clearly not wanted.
She took another glance at the two of them however, she feared what Mikael would say upon his return, he had lied to them, when he had told their children she had run away when it was obvious perhaps now that she had not. Mikael was temperamental at the best of times, but especially when he was caught of guard.
"Argh!" Caroline groaned as Nik smothered some sweet smelling concoction onto her legs, his hands were delicate on her torn skin but the clear paste ran into her cuts causing them to sting harshly.
Nik's hand tensed over her knee. "I apologise." He looked up at her through his lashes and she could not help but smile at his very sheepish gaze.
"There is no need to apologise Niklaus, you did not cause them." She rolled her eyes at him and she could not describe how good it felt to do so. His hand continued their ministrations about her leg and Caroline leant back against the wall, the feeling of his hands upon her was tantalizing, she felt as thought it was eradicating any notion of Erton's hands. She shook her head at the thought of his name and locked his into the back of her mind.
Nik and Henrik had moved her into the room which all the children slept and her eyes had filled with tears at seeing it again, she would sleep here tonight, at home. Esther had informed them that Mikael had gone out to find them some food after deciding that Nik and his brother had clearly failed, or just frankly taken too long at finding any. Elijah, Finn and Kol had joined him and Rebekah was out picking berries to see if she could dye her plain dresses with them.
They were alone in the room.
Nik broke her thoughts by asking. "I shall ask you who or what caused this Caroline, but not today, today I just want to enjoy being with you here, enjoy having you home."
At that she leant towards him and made to kiss him before realising that they hadn't exactly done that yet and withdrew, instead taking a detour and kissing his cheek. She did not look to see if Nik caught her going to his lips but with his next words she knew he had.
"Very keen aren't we?" He joked, causing Caroline to blush profusely, not able to catch his eye. Causing Nik to chuckle and kiss her forehead, neither of them could get enough of each other.
"Shut up." She groaned, as he laughed at her red stained cheeks.
"Yes, please Nik, save us all from mushy sentiments and shut up."
Both of their heads whipped around at the sound of Kol's teasing voice. Their moment was broken. Both heaved a heavy sigh.
"Father is none too pleased with her return it seems." Finn came into the room announcing, nodding his head towards Caroline.
"I have a name." She replied in a bitter tone which made Nik want to kiss her there and then.
Finn only shrugged his shoulders and fell down onto the floor with a leather bound book. Kol rolled his eyes at his brother and turned back towards the pair leant against the far wall.
"Father is having a bit of a moan at your being here Caroline, though I do not understand as why, Nik and Rebekah have been pining after you like children searching for a lost toy these past few months." He raised his brows knowingly before retreating into the front room.
Nik gave her an eye roll at his brother. But their playfulness quickly gave way to apprehension as another figure loomed in the doorway. His large body blocking the morning sun from entering causing the room to darken.
Nik stopped soothing Caroline's leg with the serum and sat beside her awaiting his father's harsh words which would inevitably come. Mikael had most likely lied to them, Caroline had not run away and even if she had she clearly desired to return.
He had lied and been caught having done so, Mikael did not take well to being beaten, it was when he hit back the most, Nik sat beside Caroline, his whole body rigid with tension ready to defend her, Caroline sat the same way, ready to defend him with all she had.
Each of them had the other back, their best friend, their soul mate, and each would do anything to stay together, they would not be parted again.