Note: The Role of Alaric Saltzman will be played by Misha Collins, or someone else, for me, anyway.
Hello, my lovely readers. We get thr origins of how Alaric became a hunter and Caroline makes a bold move. On with the show...
Chapter 16: The Rumors of My Death Are Greatly Exaggerated: Part II
1994:
"Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone!" Alaric Saltzman sang along with his car radio. His fingers tapped away to the Whitesnake song. "I ain't wastin' no more time!" He checked the rear view mirror before pulling into Rolling Heights High school parking lot. He was going to be late for his first period class, but it didn't bother him. He'd just moved into an apartment, far away from his drunken dad and angry mom. Rocking Heights, Ohio, was a new start.
"You're listening to a Whitesnake' classic hit: 'Here I Go Again,' on Radio FM 92.3. Thanks for tuning in. We'll be back with a little Freddie Mercury as our ode to The Best of the Eighties continues-" The DJ's speech ended abruptly as Alaric switched him off. He removed the keys to his Mustang and pushed his door open. He bent over to check his hair. Not too much product. He ran a hand through it and did not bother to remove his sunglasses as he made his way towards the front doors. At age eighteen, his primary concern was finishing high school and finding a job he didn't think was lame.
2011:
At age thirty-two, Alaric Saltzman's primary concern was whether his young charge was going to get herself killed. Well, again. She could be deader. Not walking, and talking, and making sarcastic comments, and making plans with her friends, and... Well... She could just cease. That would be bad. That would be all things bad.
Walking through the double doors of Mystic Falls High, Alaric removed his sunglasses. He was not a kid anymore. When he went to first period, he was the one at the head of the classroom. His teenage self would have grown and sunk down in his seat at the thought of his future. "So, so lame!" He would bemoan their fate. "And you teach history! Why not English? Another lecture on The Civil War? Are you kidding me? Can't you teach something cool...like the history of Henry the Eighth? Guy lost it and started hacking his wives' heads off! Or the French Revolution?"
"Death is death," Alaric would say. "The totality of the horrors humans visit upon each other. Cruelty. Carnage. For what? Economics? Money? It all came down to money. So many people hurt, tortured, and tormented so people could have more. And, arguably, the worst war the U. S. has seen on its land because of money and power over others. That is what I teach. A lesson in horror."
Students began to file into the classroom. Alaric picked up a piece of chalk and began to write on thr blackboard: The Battle of Willow...
1994:
"Alaric! Alaric Saltzman!" Bebe Turner's voice followed Alaric as he made his way towards his car. He turned on his heel to find Bebe tugging a pink scrunchie out of her long blonde curls. The wind caught her hair, sending it flying around her face. He could smell the honey in her shampoo. She gave him a wide, inviting smile as he tried to be casual, leaning against the driver's side door.
"Hey, Bebe." Honestly, Alaric fid not know Bebe knew he was alive. He'd only been at the school for a couple of weeks, but he had learned the social hierarchy quickly enough. And Bebe Turner was queen bee. Prom Queen. Homecoming queen. Head cheerleader. And real life fantasy girl for almost all of the boys at Rocking Hills. She was tall, leggy, and knew just how pretty she was.
Coming to stand in front of Alaric, she sized him up before tilting her head to the side with a mock-pout. "I need a ride. Derek is being a dick. Again!" She sighed and frowned before batting long lashes at him and smiling. "So, can you give me a ride, Ricky?" No one ever called him that.
Alaric almost melted into the parking lot as Bebe watched him. "Yeah. Yes. Sure." He hurried to go around the side and open the door. She slid into the passenger side and grinned up at him, sunlight flashing off her teeth. "Come on, Saltzman. Let's go!"
2011:
"Mr. Saltzman?" Roger Aimes stared at Alaric. The boy's eyes were wide, his mouth downturned. "You okay, Mr. Saltzman? You seem kind of out-of-it."
Alaric's brows rose. "Oh?" Several of his students nodded. Some of them looked bored. And a few others were not paying attention. Then again, they never did.
Roger toyed with a pencil, both ends balanced between his hands as he worked it up and down. "Um... Who is Bebe?" Lips pursing, Alaric wondered if he had started speaking aloud until Roger nodded at the board behind Alaric.
Turning, Alaric found he had written Bebe's name on the board. He'd followed writing the year 1821 with Bebe. Damn it. Why now? But he knew why now. Bebe. Caroline. This day needed to end. He had to talk to Caroline before... Before...
1994:
"I'm still sweaty from practice. Can you pull over?" Bebe's tone was so low that Alaric could barely hear her over Cyndi Lauper's singing that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun!" He turned down the radio, and glanced at Bebe over the rim of his sunglasses. Had he heard her right? They were driving by a wooded area. Did she intend on changing out there? Or in his car? Either idea made him nervous. And it seemed to show.
Bebe's bright blue eyes began to glitter. A huge smile appeared on her face as she glanced at the woods, and then back at Alaric. "You're not afraid of little, old me? Are you, Ricky?" Her mouth moved just within reach. Lips parting as she sighed.
"No." Alaric shook his head. His tone was firm as he pulled over. "Not you-" He looked up to find Bebe had hopped out of the car and was dancing towards the woods, without her bag. "They just want..." she sang, disappearing amongst the trees.
"Damn it!" Alaric banged on the steering wheel. If something happened to the golden girl, he would be blamed. He might even end up on trial. Shoving his door open, he paused the door closed, and strode into the trees.
Inside the woods, Alaric could barely see in front of his face. Darkness consumed him as he began to call out: "Bebe! Bebe!"
A laugh came from up ahead. Then "Are you coming, Saltzman?" Bebe continued to laugh.
2011:
"Are you coming?" Blinking, Alaric found Jo Laughlin standing in front of him. Her wide eyes searched Alaric's. She did not look concerned, more annoyed, like she'd said something important, and Alaric had not been listening.
"I'm sorry?" Alaric stared at Jo as she opened a picnic basket. At some point his class must have ended, and Jo came in with their lunch. She was working the night shift. They'd planned to have lunch in his classroom. She opened a bottle of grape juice.
"Sorry. I was thinking about..." Alaric stopped himself from telling his girlfriend the truth. He was thinking about a dead girl.
"Caroline." Jo guessed, pouring them drinks. "There is only so much you can say to a person. At some point, you just have to let her make her own decisions. If she gets lost; she knows you'll be there to guide her back to safety."
1994:
"Do I need to leave behind breadcrumbs?" Bebe's voice teased Alaric. Her question was followed by her cheer top flying his way. He caught it, and followed the direction it had come from. "You're getting warmer!" She cooed. Her skirt came flying. This was followed by a giggle. He kept going as the rest of her clothes followed.
Exiting the woods, Alaric found he was in a small clearing. Apparently the woods led to a lake. Bebe bobbed in the water. "Come join me!" She held out her arms. He dropped her clothes, kicked off his boots, jerked his shirt off and undid his pants. She laughed when he almost fell to the ground.
Alaric ran into the water and Bebe wrapped her arms and legs around him. "Now, isn't this better than taking me home, where my boring parents are?" She asked him, mouth moving to his neck.
"It's kind of like the beginning of ten different horror films-" Alaric began when Bebe's mouth closed over his. His hands moved to her back. Maybe they wouldn't die. Or maybe he'd die happy.
A snarl from behind him made Alaric's priorities change. "Shit!" he cried, turning to find a very, very large wolf watching them. It let out another snarl, and licked it's lips, baring it's fangs. Dog. No, wolf. Alaric had never seen a wolf this big before. He hoped to never see one again. They needed to get out of there.
Easing around, to look for Bebe, Alaric found himself alone in the water. Another low laugh came from the clearing, and Alaric felt the small hairs on the back of his neck rise. "Bebe?" He whirled to find Bebe standing beside the wolf. She stroked his fur. That smile Alaric had found sexy now felt terrifying. "Well, Ricky, this is what you call a typical good news, bad news proposition. Bad news is you're gonna die. Possibly painfully. Good news is, I might turn you. What do you think, Derek?" She inquired, leaning over in Alaric's shirt, tickling the wolf's chin as it drooled.
2011:
"Good news? Or bad news?" Jo asked. Her eyes were shinning. She looked so excited. Alaric wished he knew what she said.
Um..."
Jo frowned and looked down. "How was the turkey? Too dry?"
"No."
"I made tuna," Jo snapped. She began to pick up trash, got to her feet, and stomped over to the trashcan, dumping the trash in her hands. She made her way over to the basket and shoved the bottle inside. Grumbling to herself, she took hold of the blanket Alaric sat on, and began to tug until he got up.
"Jo, I am sorry!" Alaric tried as Jo folded the blanket and grabbed the blanket. She gave him a dark look before striding over to the door. "Jo!" He moved to block her exit.
Jo's eyes were on the floor. Her voice was low as she said, "You're not ready."
"For what?" Alaric coaxed when the bell rang.
"They're waiting for you!" Jo nodded at his students. They stood outside the closed door. He did not have a choice. He had to let them in, and her out.
1994:
"We can wait all night long, Ricky!" Bebe called. "Or I can come in after you. Me. I'm patient. Derek, wolves, they're not known for theirs." She smirked, and placed her hand on her hip.
"Why should I? You and Derek are just going to shred me!" Alaric called, buying time. He needed a weapon. If he was going to die out here, he was going to go down fighting.
Bebe laughed. Would she stop doing that? Nothing about this was funny. "You think I'm a wolf, Ricky?" She grinned at him. "Think bigger!" She sported fangs and her eyes had gone pitch black like her pupils had grown far too large. "Vampires are in, baby."
"You're a vamp?" Alaric began to make his way toward her. Derek snarled.
"Don't he jealous, Derek. You know I love you." Bebe winked at him and Derek took a seat on his haunches. Eyes on Alaric, Bebe strode toward him. "Come on, baby. Let me give you a kiss. You'll never want to wake up."
"Bet you say that to all the boys!" A new girl emerged from the woods. She glanced around with an arched brow. "Wow! I mean: Wow! This is such a cliché! The woods? Sex a lure? Please! This is the nineties, girl. This scene is tired. How about a school gym?" She stepped closer, her hands splayed. "A dance. Everyone looking pretty. You come in all 'Grrr! I'm a vampire! And the people are like: Ahh! Help us! I come in. Rocking a cute outfit and hair. Kill you. Then dance with the prom queen? Or king? Or maybe both? Hmm." She tapped her chin, un-phased by the danger she was in.
"Run!" Alaric shouted at the girl who looked like she was no more than sixteen. But he could not afford modesty. This girl was going to be a snack for Bebe and Derek before they killed Alaric.
"Oh look, honey. Someone sent us a bread basket!" Bebe grinned at the girl.
The girl smirked back. "Plan B. You two die!" Jerking a piece of wood from behind her back, she took a running leap at Bebe. Bebe snarled and shoved the girl away. But thr girl had left a nasty scratch on Bebe's arm. The vampire let out a snarl. "I'm gonna make it hurt!"
The girl simply laughed as Derek tried to land on her. Rolling out of the way, the girl lashed out with a booted foot. It caught Derek in the ribs. He let out a howl of pain. Panting, the girl got to her feet, her long black and red curls falling down either side or her face. A smile appeared. She was enjoying the fight. "Catch me, if you can!" she taunted the couple.
Bebe let out a hiss of annoyance. She glanced at Alaric. "We'll be back. Don't go far!" Then she sped off, with Derek bounding behind her.
Gasping for air, Alaric ran to grab his pants and tug them on. He had to go after them. Driving into town, to find help would take too long. And who would believe the head cheerleader, and the captain of all the sports teams were a vamp and a wolf?
Alaric dove into the trees. He still could not see a damned thing. But he did find a nice, hefty piece of wood. If the girl was right, this would kill a vamp. Then again, she seemed to have a death wish...
The silence was broken by Bebe screaming in rage. "Der-ek!" Alaric ran toward the cry. He found Bebe. She was kneeling over Derek. The girl stood a few feet away, winded, and holding an axe. Another blonde had joined the action. "You always forget the weapon's bag, Anna. And one day, it will get you killed."
"No killing my boyfriend!" Bebe shouted, running toward Anna. The smaller girl lifted the axe but Bebe kicked it away. Grabbing Anna by the throat, she flung her into a tree. "You die, Slayer! And then I kill your friend! And that boy, in the lake! The one you tried to save!"
The second blonde cocked her head to the side. "That boy? I think he has something for you." Her mouth tilted up in the corner.
"What?" Bebe looked confused.
"Anna!" Alaric tossed the wood to Anna who caught it.
Bebe pouted. "But whose taking me to prom, now?"
"Prom is canceled!" Anna shoved the wood into Bebe's chest who staggered backwards. Anna pushed off from the tree, and with a flying kick, she shoved the wood all the way into Bebe's heart. She did not become a pile of dust and float away. But she did look dead-dead.
"What was that?" Alaric asked the two females as the blonde unzipped a bag and pulled out a shovel with a folding handle.
"That was death. Now, go home, and lock your door behind you." Anna took the shovel and began to dig a hole.
Alaric could not move. The blond sighed. "Hi!" she called. "Walk with me." She headed through the woods. Looking at Anna, Alaric realized she was better at protecting herself than he was. Nodding, hw followed the tall, blond. "I'm Lexi Branson. Part of The Hunter's Council. Our job is take care of monsters, like those two; so you can sleep at night."
"How do you get a job doing that?" Alaric asked.
Lexi scoffed and turned to him. "You don't."
"But I can't go back to my life. I mean... The disappearances. Two weeks ago. Wild animal attacks? Other towns? It sounded like bulls hit them. And, now, I know the truth. I can't go back!"
Sighing, Lexi shook her head. "Fine. You want in so bad. The Council is based in New Orleans. In thr French Quarter. Tell 'em: 'Lexi sent you.' If you've got what it takes, maybe, one day, you'll get your very own Anna."
"Really?" Alaric smiled at the thought.
Lexi groaned. "Your car is just up ahead. Walk straight. Avoid girls with fangs." And with that, she went back into the woods.
"Cool." Alaric said, going back to his car. "My own Slayer. Righteous!"
~0~
During the eternity that was history class, Caroline could feel Alaric's Saltzman's eyes on her. She kept trying to pretend to take notes. Blah. Blah. Blah, she wrote. Finally, she glanced at Bonnie who snuck a peek her way and then looked at the front of the class before looking at her book. Tyler was doing the same thing. His eyes went to the open window to his left. Yup. Alaric was going to try to stop her. And, no, Caroline had made up her mind. He would just have to learn to support her. Or to get the hell out of her way...
Caroline's other major problem was what Elijah told her about Hayley. And what Hayley might have told Julian. But what could Hayley have really told Julian? It would be impossible for the new Slayer to know what Caroline was. The only people who knew were Caroline, who had yet to tell anyone else. Freya, who did not seem the type to spill someone else's secret. And Kai. Kai loved living in Pennsylvania, and did not seem like the type of person who came out of his library/home in order to go blabbing about demon-kind.
So, really, the only problem Caroline had was Alaric...
As she thought, Alaric's voice rose: "That's all for today, everyone!" he called out.
Brows rising, Caroline's eyes ticked to the clock. They still had ten minutes of class time. Why was Alaric ending early?
"Who is Anna Zhou?" Bonnie asked, leaning closer to Caroline.
With a frown, Caroline looked to the blackboard. Anna Zhou 1979-1985 stood out on the board that Alaric was wiping down. He'd written that for Caroline.
During Caroline's first year as the Slayer, Alaric led her out to the Salvatores' woods. They had sparred and he told her of a girl Caroline's age. "She was smart. Resourceful. Strong. Funny. You could say she is the reason I became the man I am today. Anna Zhou never made her seventh birthday. She was killed by a vampire. No one knew who. He lured her out of the house she'd been staying in. Took her to an open field...and you do not want to hear what he did to her." Alaric had paused, holding a sword tight, his hands shaking. "Her mentor. The hunter in charge of her, Alexia Branson, took off the next day. The Council sent twenty men out to track her down. To bring Lexi home. But they couldn't find her. Most said she died of a broken heart. I don't think so. I think she went on a revenge mission. I hope she caught the bastard. Either way, she never turned up."
"Caroline, can you stay?" Alaric called, brushing his hands of chalk dust, and pulling her back to the present.
Getting to her feet, Caroline zipped her bag shut. "Sorry, Dr. Saltzman. I've got a cavity. Small town. Hard to make an appointment with the dentist. Maybe tomorrow." She did not wait for his reply. Caroline even by-passed Bonnie and Tyler. Hurrying out the door, Caroline made for the first exit, and left the school building.
A nice walk back home might relieve some of the tension Caroline was feeling. Ordinarily, she might get in a training session with Hayley. But Caroline did not want to talk to the girl. And she also feared that in her current mood, she might knock the younger girl's teeth out. No. It was better if Caroline headed home. Get away from everyone.
Caroline slipped her key into the front door lock. Her ears perked up. Her mom must still be at work. Heading for her room, Caroline shoved the door closed with a back-kick. It felt satisfying for the door to slam shut behind her. Bag falling off her shoulder, she felt less weighed down. Her fingers tugged her boot zippers down and she kicked them off. Her feet led her to her bed. She turned around and fell on her back with a long sigh of relief.
A gentle breeze began to float through the air as someone slid her window open. Oh, good. Maybe someone had come to burglarize her house. She needed to beat the crap out of something. Then a musky scent hit her nose. Pine. And sunshine. Crunchy leaves. Klaus. She did not open her eyes even as she she felt his body heat close to her legs. A soft thump sounded. Twice. More, soft sounds that most humans could not hear. A zipper. Then warm hands on her knees.
"Hello, Klaus," Caroline said, not opening her eyes as he tugged her up the length of the bed. Their fingers intertwined. His hot mouth melted against hers as he pressed her into the bed and she moaned. One of his hands moved along her body, fingers splayed over her chest as he undid her pants and tugged them off. Yes. This could help her blow off steam. And then some.
~0~
Waking up, Caroline glanced at her phone. She lay next to Klaus. Her body ached. One of her legs was almost off the side of the bed. She ran a hand through her tangled hair. Her head turned to find Klaus lying on his back. He was dead to the world. Lying back down, Caroline buried her face in her pillow. Then she heard someone knocking at the front door.
With a groan, Caroline rolled onto her side. One look at Klaus, she could tell he was not getting up. With a smile, Caroline got up. She grabbed her phone off the floor. Ric. He'd called five times. Of course, he didn't know that Caroline was upside down and a little too busy with her hybrid to take the least one of Ric's calls. He probably did not want to know. And she did not feel like telling him about getting back together with Klaus.
The knocking continued. "I'm coming," she muttered, belting a robe and jerking the door open. "Ric, hi!" she tried for perky.
Ric folded his arms over his chest. "How was the dentist?"
Caroline opened her mouth to reply. But Alaric shook his head. "Can I come in?"
"No." Caroline shook her head. "Mom just came home."
"Like the dentist?" Ric snapped. "We need to talk, Caroline!"
"Fine!" Caroline walked outside and shut the door. She walked over to Ric's car and got inside. Folding her arms, she looked at him after he got in.
"Caroline, you think you know what The Council is. What they do. What you are?" He ran both his hands through his hair and she saw how blood-shot his eyes were. He looked like hell. "Our job. Your job. We all hunt. We hunt the 'bad guys.' That is our mission. But you, what you are now. It spits in the eye of everything The Council stands for. To them, you are evil. You are an abomination. They would hunt you to the ends of the earth. And if you think-for one second-that what they did to Kol, or Damon, or Elijah was the extent of what they do; you don't know a damned thing!"
Turning to Caroline, Alaric stated her in the eye. "They will take Bonnie. And Tyler. And me. They will torture us until we can't take it anymore. And we still won't give you up. They will kill your parents. They will kill anyone who tries to help, or protect you. And they will send you bits of us. And when they take you... They will make an example of you. Your death will take days. Weeks, maybe. Every horror you can think of will be visited on everyone you love, until no record of their very existence will remain. Because keeping humanity safe is the mission."
"Okay..." Caroline nodded. "It's okay, Ric. You don't have to worry."
"Yeah?" Ric looked relieved and Caroline hugged him.
"I have to go back to bed. It's been a long week already. You should get some rest, too. Maybe walk hone. I don't like the idea of you behind the wheel." Alaric nodded. He pulled out his car keys and offered them to Caroline.
"Maybe go to Jo's. For the night," Caroline added.
"Jo and I had a fight. She's got the night shift, too."
"Then grab her flowers at the gift shop." With a smile, Caroline got out and went back in. She laid down next to Klaus, but could not sleep.
~0~
At first light, Caroline slid out of bed. She opened her closet and removed her bag. She had dressed while Klaus slept. He still not wake as she stood over him. She might have written him a note, but it would seem too much like "Good-bye." So, she did not.
Instead, Caroline went to the window and climbed out. Promising herself she would return.
~0~
Standing in front of an apartment door, Caroline counted four heartbeats. Her fist came up, and she rapped open the closed door. Foot steps led to the door. A pause. And then Marcel Gerard stood in front of her. "I'm here to see Julian." Caroline announced.
"Let her in." Julian ordered Marcel. Marcel did not look happy, but he moved aside. Caroline stepped in and dropped her bag. "Caroline, you look well for a dead woman."
Hayley got to her feet, mouth opening but she caught Caroline glancing at her and shut her mouth.
"Looks like you were wrong." Caroline waited.
Slowly, Julian smiled, looking at Caroline. "The Slayer lives!" he declared, waving at Caroline. He turned to Hayley. "And on this day, the creatures of the night did tremble, for he said: Two! I present unto the world, two warriors. And so shall they bathe in the blood of the wicked and the unclean! The Prophecy is true!" He waved for Caroline and Hayley to come forward. He locked their hands together. "Together, my girls. You shall be unstoppable." Caroline and Hayley stared at each other, again, Caroline felt like she needed to learn how to research because there seemed to be a lot she did not know. Some of it strange. A lot of it creepy.
Thank you for reading, faving, following, and reviewing. :)
Be safe,
-J