Sequel to time ties (chapter 12)

Mystic Falls couldn't possibly be quiter, the night claiming all of its citizens as they slumbered in their homes. Only the crickets and stray animals keeping her company from a far.

And her, well she was awake, eyes wide open as she stared from her window at the empty streets, her house as silent as everything was with the exception of her mother's soft snores.

Her hands ran through her curls, the motion both comforting and distressing.

It wasn't fair, she thought; it was such a short duration that she stayed in the fifteenth century, half of which she didn't know she was in a different era to begin with. And yet, she still struggled with re-adapting to her home, becoming dosed eyed as she swam through her thoughts. Bonnie or Elena shaking her back to reality and her looking at them in surprise.

She was not oblivious to the worried glances they shot each other behind her back nor the whispered worries, and if that had failed to grab her notice, then the incessant questions didn't.

Questions that she couldn't, wouldn't answer. Like what happened and who did you meet and where did you stay. Not when she had some of her own, like why back then, why with him?

Why Klaus?

A name that brought back all of the conflicts she tried to push away. Whose presence had both wrecked and salvaged her and ugh, it wasn't fair.

Did he know? Caroline bit her nails at the question that plagued her mind; relentlessly seeking out answers that she didn't have. Would he remember what he identified as a blonde stranger or would those memories be lost in the millions a thousand years had acquired.

Moreover did she want him to.

Sighing in exasperation at herself, Caroline clenched her fist and stood up, throwing a jacket around her and headed for the door.

The fresh air was just what she needed. No noise or inquisitive people or trivial unimportant things, just nothing, nothing, nothing.

Stretching her muscles, she took off for a sprint until even her heightened eyesight couldn't make out some of the blurs. She stopped when she reached the creek, squealing in childish delight at the euphoria that rushed over her.

Not paying any attention to the rustling in the trees, Caroline screamed in shock when a wolf figure appeared in front of her. Her chest heaved in startled breaths, eyes focused in precise caution as the wolf kept staring at her. It growled at her when she attempted to step away.

Stilling in place, she briefly debated the odds against her running from a wolf, concluding they weren't in her favor.

The wolf snarled, baring a hint of teeth in warning before turning in the opposite direction behind some bushes.

Hearing bones snapping, Caroline's eyes widened, her breaths coming out in silent gasps. Her head looked upwards towards the sky, the crescent of the moon staring back at her. How could she be so oblivious; not noticing the lack of full moon in the sky. Now she would inevitably come face to face with the one person she didn't want to.

How so very delightful.

"Hello sweetheart," Klaus lilt voice ran loud and clear and despite herself, a part of her was not opposed to running into him.

Caroline didn't bother to reply, using the vast openness of the forest as means of escape only for Klaus, fully clothed, to flash in front of her as well, effectively blocking her path. Risking a glance at him, she saw his boyish smile ever in place.

She coughed to break her self imposed awkwardness, "hi."

His eyes lightened up, in what she didn't know. "May I ask what are you doing here?"

"Walking."

"So late into the night?"

She snorted, face mixture of mockery and cheekiness "Did you become the sheriff while I wasn't aware."

He huffed out a small laugh, his footsteps as light as her own, "still feisty as ever, Caroline."

Not missing a beat, her shoulders tensed. "You remember," she deadpanned, unsure of how to react.

Klaus didn't seem troubled, as if the revolution that they met in another lifetime wasn't something at all surprising and wasn't that thought scary.

"It's hard not to, when an extremely talkative, extremely charming baby vampire literally falls from the sky in my castle."

"You didn't know I was a baby vampire then," she pointed out, a rather useless reply but it was all she could do to keep her mind from swarming her with more inquiries. How did he remember? Had he awoken in the middle of the night, eyes gold as the crisps of these memories haunted his mind? Had he even wanted them?

Getting a raised eyebrow in reply and something akin to understanding, as if he knew what went around in her brain, Caroline fought down the heat blooming in her cheeks.

Silence rose between them, the crunching of twigs and dry leaves underneath their shoes dangling like a lullaby between them.

A nervous chuckle rasped its way out of her, "it was so weird," she said "the whole travelling to the past thing."

She noticed Klaus carefully listening to her words and, encouraged by his attention, the frustrated string of emotions bottling up inside of her raced to break free.

"It was interesting in hindsight but sometimes, sometimes I…" she trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to proceed.

"You confuse both time periods?" Klaus finished for her, voice so so reassuring and oh, she just wanted to sink in it.

Caroline nodded.

A curious glint entered his eyes, softly he murmured, "I always did wonder how you'd react when you travelled back to your time."

Her feet froze mid-step in ice chilling shock at this, disbelief and anger both coursing through her as her brain processed what Klaus just said, what he implied.

Her voice was a whisper of ire, "you knew."

She had thought of the complications of him remembering, the shared secret of a stolen memory in front of fire comings to the forefront of her mind, but had never thought of the possibility that all along Klaus might have known and god how stupid was she?

Memories didn't simply appear and disappear out of thin air. They faded, with time, but they were still there.

Klaus didn't act confused about what she was referring to, but there were no signs of apology, the perfect image of a controlled monster.

"I can't even look at you," Caroline spat, flashing away.

One. Two. Three.

She mentally counted as the tick of her watch continued. Humming slightly under her breath, she listed the reusable materials for any upcoming dances, ignoring the tightness in her chest in favor of concentrating on her task instead.

The door gave away and none other than Rebekah entered. She took one look at her, groaned, then murmured irritatingly "not you too."

Caroline ignored her peculiar remark instead asking pointedly, "Why are you here?"

The original smiled slowly, " You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun to yourself, now did you?"

"Well, I was hoping to."

They both worked in silence, Rebekah beginning to list some of the boxes herself…

"So, what did my brother do that has you moping so?"

Caroline shot her an unamused look at her goading tone, "firstly, I am not moping," she said. "second why would you think that Klaus has anything to do with me."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, you and Nik have the most obvious tell-tale signs ever contrary to what you two think."

Caroline wasn't sure how to retort, uncomfortable at the direction Rebekah was taking this.

"I suggest whatever happened, you talk it out, especially since the tortured artist mood can only amuse me for so long,"

Persisting out of sheer spite alone, and mind you she had plenty, she insisted, "nothing happened."

"Honestly Caroline, I can tell when you're lying."

Exasperated at this mess of a conversation, Caroline sneered. "Yeah, well go use your freaky psychic abilities elsewhere."

Footsteps ringing loud and clear on the pavement, her nerves spiked up slightly but she squashed them down. She came here to have answers and she was going to have them and no one especially Klaus freaking Mikaelson was going to stop her.

As if the hybrid in question heard her thoughts, the door opened, him impeccably dressed with a lazy smirk on his face. "Caroline," he purred "to what do I owe the pleasure."

"Look, let's stop beating around the bush and get it over with because I have a question and I won't leave until you answer it."

Arching an intrigued eyebrow at her steely tone, Klaus gestured for her to enter and led her to the living room.

"So why didn't you tell me?" Her tone was biting like she meant it to come out as and Klaus didn't flinch, not that she's a fool to expect him to but still it would have stroked her satisfaction to see anything but the amusement etched so clearly on his face.

He approached her, rolling a lock of her hair that fell out of her neatly arranged updo. "And risk changing the very course of history? I consider myself capable of many things, Caroline, but never a crime such as that."

Her scoff didn't need voicing, so set on her face as it was, disbelief and anger and oh he wanted to go down that route, didn't he. "What you'd be changing exactly, besides, you know me starving for days."

"Plenty of things, love, for instance you appearing in the first place." He said. "We both know that the minute you were told about your impending journey, you would've rushed to the Bennett witch searching for any means to stop this."

"Rightfully so."

He shook his head. "I couldn't have that."

She snapped, her anger uncoiling at his dismissiveness, "who gave you the right, that's not something for you to decide."

He flashed in front of her, and damn him damn him damn him to the Earth and back, for always managing to take her off guard.

"I am not a selfless creature, Caroline." She resisted the urge to snort, because didn't everyone know that. "And if keeping things how I want them means omitting some truths, then so be it."

She walked out of the mansion, more conflicted than before.

So this could have another part but maybe not. Who knows. Certainly not me.

If you could maybe leave a few words telling me what you think that would be fantastic.

Have a nice day!