I'm very glad with the response I received from the last chapter, and here is my answer! Since the tally was tied between I Dream of Caroline and this one, I've decided that this one will be finished this weekend, and the other one will be finished by next weekend!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT! IT MEANS SO MUCH!
Please remember to review at the end! :)
Two Weeks Later
Determined, that was a great word, and described the woman standing in the back of the cabin with only a black tank and gray yoga pants.
Her fingers were curled into fists, and her arms were standing at the ready, waiting for the blow her opponent was about to make.
She dodged to the side, and pushed her arms forward, successfully blocking his advance. She brought her right arm back, and swung out towards his face.
He blocked the advance, and swung her around, bringing her to his bare chest. She opened her hands, and pushed down, effectively breaking the contact, and catching herself before she landed on the ground.
"Good job, love."
Caroline whirled around, and a smile broke through her determined set features, and she nodded her head. "At least, I didn't fall flat on the ground this time." She remarked, wiping her hands over her pants.
He smiled, and lifted his hand to brush a sweat drenched strand of blonde hair from her face. "Improvement," He responded, as she leaned forward to kiss him, lightly.
"What can I say; I've had a great teacher." She whispered, feeling his arms surrounding her waist, and pulling her closer to his body.
He hummed, and brushed his nose over hers. Nothing made his life any more perfect than this moment with her in his arms.
"I need to take a shower." She remarked, pulling her head back with a smile on her face. "Care to join me?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
He smiled, and groaned; picking her up in his arms, and practically ran into the cabin with Caroline laughing along the way.
~XXX~
"We got a match."
Stefan turned just as his brother entered the room with a piece of paper in his hand. "Who?" He asked, shaking his head.
Damon held out the paper, and smiled, roughly. "The man following Caroline," He answered, as Stefan took the paper from his hand. "I went to the library to check her office, just in case, and there was a boy there who asked if she was alright." Damon began, shaking his head, as he realized he needed to cut the long story short. "He said there was a repair man named Tyler, who came in a lot, and tried to hit on Caroline, but he gave her the creeps, so she never accepted it."
Stefan's eyes darkened. He knew the reason why Caroline rejected the Tyler's advances, but only a few did. He also knew a Tyler. "Lockwood?" He asked, as Damon nodded.
"The very same," Damon answered, pointing to the paper. "I ran over the security tapes at the library, and low and behold, we got the son of a bitch." He added, with a dark tone.
Stefan nodded, and smiled, but it was a dark smile. "I'll send the message through the channels. Klaus should receive it soon." He replied, picking up the office phone.
Damon nodded. "Still no word?"
Stefan sighed. "None, except that they are fine." He answered, stiffly.
Damon hummed, and backed up. "I'll leave you to it, then. Let me know if you need anything else, brother." He offered, closing the door behind him.
Stefan nodded, and closed his eyes as the phone was answered on the other end. "Lockwood, pass it on." He stated, roughly, before hanging up.
"Damn it."
~XXX~
"I can't believe you are burning it." Caroline remarked, entering the kitchen with her wet hair falling down her back, and her bare feet making light noise on the hardwood floors.
Klaus frowned, and turned to take in her short shorts, and one of his t-shirts. "It's not burning, love." He remarked, turning to look at the hamburgers on the stove.
She laughed, and approached him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and placing a light kiss on the base of his neck. "I'm teasing, Klaus." She whispered, placing her chin on his shoulder. "Though, I think the cow is officially dead." She stated with a laugh.
He rolled his eyes, and chuckled. "Well, I did promise you a meal." He responded, turning his head to catch her eyes.
She smiled, and kissed his cheek. "You did." She whispered, backing up to view him in his entire splendor with no shirt and jeans with bare feet.
"I meant a cooked meal, Caroline." He stated, glancing over his shoulder.
She bit her bottom lip, and nodded. "I know."
He lifted the patties out of the skillet, and turned to face her with a feral look in his eyes. "Now, who's insatiable?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
She laughed, and shook her head, as her arms wrapped around his neck. "I can't help it, Klaus." She began, nodding her head up and down. "I spent ten years waiting for you to come back into my life, and knowing," She paused, looking down at his chest, before lifting her eyes back to his, so he could see the mild fear in her eyes. "And knowing that Mikael could show up, and take this away from us," She continued, licking her lips. "I want to love you as much as I can." She added, running her fingers over the skin of his shoulders, down to his chest, and lifting them back to interlock behind his neck.
He smiled a sad smile. "I want that too, love." He returned, bowing his head, and placed his forehead on hers for a moment. "But we do need to eat, Caroline." He reasoned, after a moment.
She laughed, softly, and pulled back. "I'll concede, but afterwards…" She paused, leaning forward to kiss his lips.
He laughed, and returned her kiss, before leading her towards the stove, and together they fixed their burgers and ate, content that this was their life.
~XXX~
"Do you have a lock on their location?"
Tyler nodded, and sighed. "I have a roundabout location." He answered, pointing to a place on the map, as the sun beat down above them at a convenient rest stop off the Interstate. "They were spotted in Virginia, a place called Mystic Falls." He added, with a glance towards his boss.
Mikael smiled and chuckled. "So, he took her home, did he?" He asked, more to himself than anything. "Sentimental bastard," He whispered, shaking his head. "Good work, Tyler." He added, turning his head to look at the young man beside him.
Tyler nodded. "What about your wife and son?" He asked, folding the map, and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
Mikael smiled, and lifted his eyes to the horizon. "If I know my bastard of a son, then he would have sent them to the same location." He answered, stiffly. "The heart was the one thing he never could overcome." He added, opening the door to his large SUV, and climbed in the backseat.
"What do you want me to do?" Tyler asked, tilting his head to the side.
Mikael sneered, and laughed. "Follow behind." He answered, grasping the handle of the door. "I'm sure Caroline will be more than happy to see you." He added, closing the door, and instructed the driver to drive on.
Tyler smiled before climbing in his silver corvette, and followed them. "I'll be to see her." He remarked, glancing at the picture on his seat.
A picture of Caroline in short shorts and a tank top.
The picture from her teenage years.
~XXX~
"Are you sure?"
Caroline paused in the doorway, and lowered her eyes as she took in Klaus' stiff back and tense voice.
"Damn it, Marcel, that doesn't give me much time!" He shouted, with his hand gripping the rocks of the fireplace.
She licked her lips, and moved quietly into the room, and set the drinks on the table, causing him to turn to face her.
He groaned, and nodded. "Fine, let them know. Thanks," He responded, hanging up the phone, and threw it on the couch.
Caroline tilted her head, and moved towards him, lightly touching his shoulder. "He found us, again?" She asked, though it was intended to be a statement.
Klaus closed his eyes, and bowed his head. "Apparently, one of Mikael's contacts intercepted a message I sent to Stefan intended for Elijah, and tracked it back to the town." He answered, his voice laced with anger.
"So he doesn't know we are here in the mountains…" She trailed off, shaking her head.
Klaus growled, lowly, and glared at her. "No, but it won't take him long to figure out where we are, Caroline, besides…" He paused, lowering his eyes.
She read the concern on his face, and slowly pieced the puzzle together. "Esther and Henrik are in town aren't they?" She asked, figuring it out.
The look on his face said it all.
"If Mikael finds them…" She trailed off, filling in the blanks in her mind.
"I can't take the risk of him reaching my mother, love, nor Henrik." He interrupted her thoughts, letting her know.
She nodded, understanding. "Then we have to go help them." She remarked, lifting her chin high with defiance. "Don't even think about arguing, Klaus." She added, lifting her finger at him. "This is your family, and mine too, or they will be." She argued, watching a smile light his face.
"I don't want to risk you, Caroline." He stated, letting his smile fall. "If anything were to happen to you…"
She held her hand to his lips, and shook her head. "I hate that argument, Klaus. You keep saying that if anything were to happen to me, well what about you?" She asked, her eyes flashing.
"I waited ten years to be with you, and I'm not going to wait ten years more just because your snake of a father has got it in his head to kill me to make you suffer." She vented, letting her frustration out. "This is as much your fight as it is mine, and I refuse to let him win." She added, pronouncing each word individually.
"Now, we leave in the morning to see about your mother and brother." She announced, nodding her head with certainty, and turned on her heel to leave him, but he caught her upper arm, and she turned her head to shift her gaze from his hand to his eyes.
He smiled, and pulled her closer. "Do you know how much I love you, Caroline?" He asked, watching her smile.
She turned to face him completely, and stepped into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist. "About as much as I love you." She answered, shifting her eyes over his face.
He scoffed, playfully and shook his head. She opened her mouth, and slapped his ass with her right hand, causing him to glare at her.
"Don't argue," She scolded, with a gleam in her eyes.
He laughed, throwing his head back. A deep solid laugh that made her laugh with him, despite the news they had received moments before.
He shook his head, and gathered her in his arms, holding her close to his body.
Both knowing that this was going to be the last happy moment between them for a while.
~XXX~
Esther gazed out the window, and sighed as the storm clouds gathered outside.
"Mother?"
Esther smiled, and turned from the window to gaze upon her seventeen year old son, her youngest out of the six children. "What is it, Henrik?" She asked, watching him roll his eyes.
She knew he hated to be called Henrik, but he overlooked it with her, Elijah, and Klaus, to the others, he was Henry, but to them he was Henrik.
Henrik stepped further into the room, and his golden curly brown hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his blue eyes shimmered in a faint glow.
He was the image of Klaus, not like his other brothers, which is probably why Mikael never cared much for him.
Henrik noticed the distant light in her eyes, and quickly ran to her side. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice not as British as the others.
She smiled, and touched his face, lightly. "I'm fine, just news of your brother's dilemma finally hit me." She answered, gently.
Henrik smiled, and nodded his head. "He'll be alright, mother. He has Caroline." He remarked, with certainty.
She smiled, and hugged her son. "I know, my love." She whispered, as he returned her hug.
She just had to believe it.
Please be kind!
I should say there is a storm happening where I am, so some of the chapters may be a little late, but I'll try to have them up soon!
The Mythology story, Protecting the Oracle, will be up tomorrow! (6/5/16)
Again, this story will be the one finished this weekend, and I dream of Caroline will be finished by next weekend!
Until Next Time...
