Chapter Twelve
"That game sucked!" Caroline complained once the game finally ended. It was about eight o' clock at night and they were currently driving around Chicago, trying to find a motel to crash for the night.
"Caroline, you're not a football fan." Klaus reminded, a hint of amusement splashed across his face as his girlfriend continually complained in the passenger seat.
"Remind me again why she's here?" Damon muttered, annoyance clearly laced in his voice.
"Oh, go fuck yourself, Damon." Caroline growled, briefly spinning her head to glare at the cocky Salvatore.
"With pride, Blondie." He smirked, enjoying the sight of an angry Caroline Forbes; she was so pissed, her cheeks tinted red.
"Why are you always in such a bad mood, Caroline?" asked Jeremy, as he lounged in the backseat with Damon. His brown eyes looked out the window, glued to the city lights. "It seems like this past month, you've been nothing but bitchy." He added, stifling a yawn since he was drained from the amount of driving and the game.
"I'm not always in a bad mood, Gilbert." Caroline defended. "I apologize if I hurt anyone's feelings; I guess I'm just worried over the fact that our friends are alone for the night in a ghost town!" She spat out in sardonic tone.
"Love, they'll be okay. You spoke to Elena earlier, right? Like you said so yourself, they're fine. They can protect themselves. What's the worst that can happen?" Klaus said, nonchalantly, not at all bothered about that fact.
"Honestly, have you guys seriously forgot what happened the other night?" Caroline shrieked, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Remember the creepy truck that showed up at the campsite? Has it ever crossed your dimwitted minds that maybe the creepy trucker person lives in that town and could possibly hurt them?"
"You are thinking way too much, Blondie. Be careful, before you fry that brain of yours." Damon warned, his words sarcastic.
"You guys are unbelievable." Caroline muttered, her eyes darting out the window. When she wasn't looking, Klaus slipped his hand into hers, but Caroline only pulled her hand away from his touch. She didn't want to acknowledge him or anyone at the moment. The stress was finally getting to her, and it was draining her.
Soon, Klaus found a cheap motel and ordered two rooms for the night. They all decided they would wake up early in the morning and make it back to where Elena and Stefan were.
Caroline was scarily quiet as she lounged in the chair that was located at the corner of their room. Both her hands were clasped together in front of her face as she stared forward. Klaus was busy resting on the bed, busy changing the channels on the TV. He decided to leave his girlfriend alone for a while.
Caroline couldn't help it; she was so worried over her friends. Absentmindedly, she grabbed her cell phone just to make sure there was no missed calls or messages. Nothing. With a sigh, Caroline dialed Elena's number and waited for an answer. No response.
"You're killing yourself, love." Klaus commented, softly, his eyes glued to the TV screen.
Caroline didn't respond, instead she rose out of the chair and stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door, making her English boyfriend cringe from the harsh sound.
Inside the bathroom, Caroline leaned her head against the door and breathed in and out deeply. Get a grip, Forbes. She silently told herself. Pushing herself from the door, she balanced herself against the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
The always perfect Caroline Forbes didn't look like the Caroline Forbes she saw in the mirror. Her blonde curls deflated like a balloon and her eyes held a raw emotion: fear. She never feared anything severely, but the last recent days, she thought she was going to throw up.
Oh no.
Her gut twisted painfully and Caroline dove. Slamming the seat up, Caroline gripped the bowl of the toilet and heaved her contents out. It hurt so fucking much. She couldn't breathe as she continually gagged and gripped until her fingers turned white.
The door burst open and Klaus strode in, wide-eyed. Immediately, he crouched down beside the blonde and pulled her limp hair out of her face. He looked away with a grimace as the foul stench of vomit spoilt the air inside the bathroom.
Tears of pain and frustration slid down her cheeks as she began to sob, her head still positioned over the toilet, in case she needed to relieve herself more. Comfortingly, Klaus placed his hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles to calm her. He hated seeing her cry, he never really knew what to do to help make her feel better. Except maybe take her out for a shopping spree, he thought with an eye roll. Shopping always seemed to make her feel better.
"Would you…" Klaus swallowed, grimacing as he forced the dreadful words out. "Want to go shopping?" The only response he received was a sharp wailing noise. "Is that a yes?"
"No!" Caroline's voice was muffled.
"Oh…" Klaus didn't know what else to say. He was in shock; Caroline Forbes didn't want to go shopping? That's a first. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"
Caroline wiped her tears away and leaned away from the toilet. Grimacing at her disgusting state, Klaus ripped some tissue and wiped her mouth free from bile. Caroline softly closed her eyes and allowed him to blot away the sickening filth from her face.
"Thank you…" she acknowledged quietly.
"No need to thank me, Caroline." His voice was equally quiet, intense. His cobalt eyes held her own.
"You know," Caroline started, her breaths shaky. A myriad of tears collected in her eyes and she closed them. "I haven't been completely honest with you, Klaus."
He stared at her, confused, but didn't say anything. Where is this going?
"Everything's been so chaotic lately. God, I wanted to tell you and everyone the greatest news ever, until everything got fucked up." Caroline cried, more tears trickling down.
"Love, what are you talking about?" asked Klaus, genuinely clueless.
"I was so scared." She admitted, gently. "I'm still scared. I'm fucking scared of everything right now. I'm scared for Elena. For Stefan. I'm scared for my future. Klaus, I'm scared." She cried even more, close to sobs at this point.
He held her face tenderly in his strong hands, pulling her close, their foreheads touching.
"There's no need to be scared, Caroline. I'm right here—"
"I'm pregnant."
Klaus' heart stopped.
.
.
.
She choked back a sob.
"Oh my God!" she cupped a hand against her mouth. Without realizing it, she dropped the scalpel. The hurricane of tears returned and Elena took a few steps back as she unfortunately comprehended the horrifying fact that she knew the person stuck inside that sickening contraption.
Stefan.
"No. No. No." Elena repeated as her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She took another step back and felt her back collide against something or someone. Elena felt a firm chest and the tears rushed down even faster. She knew who it was behind her.
"Kill me." She decided, whispering. She couldn't bear the pain of this nightmare any longer. Elena wanted it to go away. "Kill me, please." She begged, still facing forward, her back against his chest.
No response. What the hell is he waiting for?
"Fucking kill me already, goddammit."
No response.
"What are you—"
Elena turned around to face the person.
She released a murderous scream.
Whoever this person was, it wasn't Bo. At least, Elena didn't think so. Although, the person seemed to reach the same height as Bo. Her eyes draped over his body, noticing the work pants and worn-out long-sleeved tan sweater. His hair, Elena realized, was long – as long as hers possibly, and dark, much like the color of Damon's hair.
His face, it wasn't even a real face – it was a mask.
A mask made of wax. The features was molded to resemble a person's face. It appeared to be sculpted to fit the stranger's features. His eyes – his right one was a startling blue and the other one was missing.
"Oh my God…" Elena cried, stepping back, completely terrified of the thing in front of her.
"Did you find the little bitch?" A voice called out from the tunnels, echoing into the basement. Elena immediately recognized the southern accent.
She turned to run the opposite direction, but the man was far quicker than she was. Before she could manage to get a few feet away, he glided his burly arms around her. Elena shrieked and tried to lash out to defend herself, but with failed attempt. Her violent actions did nothing to the man as he held on her firmly, one arm across her shoulder, while pinning both her hands behind her back in one grip. She struggled like a fish being caught on a pole.
Bo strolled into the room, clutching his wound on his chest, courtesy of Elena. He smirked devilishly as he noticed Elena captured.
"You're gonna pay for the damage you caused me, little girl." Bo threatened, his voice low and dangerous.
Elena narrowed her eyes. "You're just pissed because you got your ass kicked. Three times, if I remember correctly."
Bo forced out a bitter smile before he casually picked up a carving knife from the tray of various supplies. Elena's eyes grew as he slowly advanced towards her, the blade of the knife practically gleaming as it edged closer to her. Fuck. She tried to step back, but couldn't, due to the fact that the man was holding her in place.
"You only brought this upon yourself, Elenaaa…" He drawled her name out, sending shivers down her spine. "If only you behaved like a good girl, you wouldn't be stuck in this predicament, now would you?"
As he stood in front of her, he raised the knife.
She closed her eyes.
Tight.
Waiting for the blow to happen.
The next thing happened so fast, it took her a few seconds to analyze. She was pushed back.
Behind the man in one fluid motion.
Her eyes opened and she found herself behind the man in the wax mask.
"What the fuck are you doing, Vince?" Bo snapped, sharp and aggressive. "Get. Are you fucking deaf? I said get!"
The man didn't say anything.
"What?" Bo sneered. "Don't tell me you're protecting the little bitch."
Elena retreated a hesitant step back, watching the scene unfold in front of her closely. She had no clue who the person was, but she did not appreciate the way Bo was acting towards him.
"Stupid freak." Bo shook his head, clearly annoyed. "You want the girl? Fine. But once you're done with her, make sure to save some of that ass for me, ye hear?" When he didn't receive a response back, Bo smacked the side of his head harshly, making Elena flinch. "Answer me when I'm talking to ya!"
In return, the man nodded his head in bleak acknowledgement.
"Much better," Bo said before he stepped back and glazed his greedy eyes over the teenage girl trembling behind the masked man. "Luck is on your side for now, Elena." Then, turning to the man, he said, "Make sure she doesn't escape. If you wanna kill her and get it over with, be my guest. Soon, the town will be perfect. Ma would be impressed." He patted the masked man on the shoulder and turned to leave the room.
Elena stood, completely frozen to her spot. What the hell just happened? She looked at the strange man, studying him until it clicked in her head. This must be Vincent. The artist of those pictures. So… does that mean – are Bo and Vincent related? Siblings, perhaps? Bo mentioned their ma. Elena's mind was reeling.
Vincent was still facing the direction where Bo left the room. Then, slowly, he turned around and looked at the petite girl.
Elena's heart hammered as she waited for him to do something.
He inched a step forward.
She remained glued on the spot, panic stricken. She was experiencing that same moment when Bo arrived at the campsite in his truck and only sat there, watching them. That moment where all she could do was freeze up.
Quicker than she knew it, the masked man was standing right in front of her. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye as she waited for her life to end at any moment. He was watching her thoroughly, as if analyzing her. Studying her features.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and more tears dripped out of her ducts, trailing down her tanned cheeks.
Something soft touched the corner of her eye. Light like the tickle of a feather. She peeked one eye open and was utterly stunned to see that it was his finger that was wiping her single tear away.
Vincent seemed fascinated by her. His touch was gentle, surprisingly. It was as if he never touched a woman before, Elena didn't know. He was glazing over her features, seemingly captivated by them. His finger trailed over her cheek and then feathered through her thick, dark hair.
Elena didn't know what to do but just stand there, dumbfounded. Why wasn't she dead yet? The man tilted his head at a curious angle and pinched the ends of her long hair. Her erratic heartbeat slowly decreased as she peered up, staring at the carefully molded mask.
Finally, Elena pulled back and looked away, starting to grow uncomfortable. Her eyes drifted closed for a brief second, suddenly feeling hopelessly drained. The man seemed to realize her tired state as he moved past her and into the corner of the room where a bed sat.
The masked man pulled back the thick comforters and stepped away, silently gesturing her.
Elena stared at him – she didn't know if she should trust him. She only backed away until her back hit the wall on the opposite side of the room. Slowly, she slid her back against the wall and down until she was sitting on the floor.
Vincent didn't do anything. In fact, he only stared for a moment before retreating back to his desk, as if she wasn't cowering in the corner. He took a seat and she assumed that he was doing more sketches, or something.
Silent tears streamed down. Her eyes stared at the figure strapped in the contraption. Stefan. Her heart ached. She felt numb. Softly, she closed her eyes, trying to keep her sobs quiet.
She was mourning the loss of her boyfriend.
Shortly, she fell asleep.
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Date Posted: 09/02/14
A/N: A lot quicker than expected update. Only because I didn't have homework today and I had nothing else better to do. Apologies for the shorter chapter, hope you guys don't mind :D
- Nina