Bonnie Bennett

February 1st 1993 - March 17th, 2148

See You on the Other Side

Caroline smiled as she rested a stone on the grave marker, blinking away the haze of tears from her eyes. She hadn't made it to the funeral but that was probably for the best. She doubted a church full of witches would have appreciated an Original in their midst.

The emails had begun to peter out a few decades ago, probably around the time she stopped taking the herbs. Even so, the headstone must have sent a few tongue wagging. Even in the 22nd century, a hundred and fifty years was a long time to live. Caroline thinks she understands she chose to stop. Her husband, Aaron, was buried beside her, and two of her daughters were on her left, as well as a grandchild. What had her father said? A parent should never survive their child.

Of course, then he'd tried to kill her. That had been a tense Thanksgiving. It had taken her a few months to convince Klaus not to kill him, and another few before she trusted him not to sneak off and do it anyway behind her back. .

Caroline pulled her wrap around her shoulders as she looked around the graveyard. She had kept her word to Bonnie, she had stayed away as long as she'd been alive. She walked slowly over to her mother's headstone. It was made of granite and had a pretty grain, and just held her Mother's name and birth and death date. She'd resisted the temptation to be sentimental, Liz wouldn't have appreciated it.

The clang of a gate told her Bonnie's granddaughter had at arrived as promised. She had invited Caroline to the house but she'd turned it down. She owed Bonnie at least that.

"Elena," she said aloud, managing not to wince at the name. The Bennett witch smiled and made her down the lane. She was pretty, petite and far older than Caroline had expected. Bonnie had stopped sending photographs years ago and Caroline had been a bit hurt at the time but she understood now. It must have been hard to see your children and grandchildren grow old and die.

"Caroline." There were smile lines at the corner of her eyes. "It's lovely to finally meet you."

They clasped hands and Caroline pulled her into a hug."You're as pretty as your namesake."

A snort escaped the witch. "Well, we both know that ain't true." A wry smile appeared on her lips as she reached inside her jacket. "This is for you. I would have mailed it but...you know."

Caroline stared at the letter in her hand before taking it, immediately recognising the handwriting even after all this time. She slid a finger under the flap and ripped it open, her eyes scanning her short, final message.

"Is it what you were expecting?" Elena asked, and Caroline paused, examining the Bennett witch for for any sign she knew what was in the note. It occurred to her that Bonnie may have insisted her granddaughter be called after their old friend for more than nostalgia's sake. It was a reminder.

She was loved, she was precious.

Don't kill her.

She had to trust Bonnie hadn't shared her secret, had to trust Elena hadn't stolen her secret, and had to believe she was now the only person on this earth who knew her fatal weakness.

"It's perfect," Caroline said, folding the thick, creamy leaf of paper and slipping it back into its envelope. She'd burn it later.

"Are you sure you don't want to come back to the house? Your husband can come too."

Caroline shook her head. "It's a lovely offer, but no thank you." She grasped her hand. "And remember, try not to invite any ancient unkillable vampires into your home unless you're really, really desperate."

Elena actually looked puzzled. "But you're family, Caroline."

Oh, dear Bonnie, Caroline thought. What did you tell them? Fairy tales about childhood friends and obstacles easily overcome, no doubt. Nothing even remotely related to the truth.

"Sometimes, Elena, it's family who can hurt you the most."

A cloud passed behind Elena's eyes but she nodded as they began to walk back to the gate. "Has it changed much?" she eventually asked, changing the subject. "The town I mean."

Caroline laughed. "Not as much as you'd think - although, The Hangout? I think I preferred it when it was called The Grill."

A wry grin passed over Elena's face. "Yeah, Nanabon used to say the same thing."

"Nanabon?" Caroline echoed, smirking. "She kept that quiet."

"Yeah, probably didn't want you to rib her about it."

"Hey! That's part of the best friend package, I'm allowed," Caroline teased, as they reached the gate. On impulse, she rooted around in her purse until she found what was looking for. Business cards had gone out of fashion over a century ago, but vampires were old fashioned. "My contact details are on the back, but remember-"

"-not unless I'm really, really desperate, I know," Elena, with a sad smile. "Tell me, I have to know. Are you happy?"

Caroline paused. Nobody had asked her that question in a really long time. "Most of the time," she said.

"I suppose that's the best you can hope for," Elena said softly and Caroline nodded, before turning towards the car park. In the corner of her eye she sensed a movement. Another witch was waiting for Elena just out of sight; at least one of the new generation had some inbred caution.

"Smart girl," she said under her breath, as she left them behind.

Klaus was leaning against the low bonnet of their car, his finger trailing down the trasluscent screen of his tablet when she rejoined him.

"Ready to go?" she asked.

The screen went dark as he tucked into his jacket and he delicately reached out to push a curl behind her ear. "Are you?" he asked. "I can reopen the house if you want."

Caroline felt an instant of temptation but she rejected it. "I'm not ready yet." She gave him a sly smile. "Was that Elijah?" It had been nearly a century since they'd released him from his coffin but things were still a little tense.

Klaus pursed his lips. "He has invited us to New Orleans."

"And by us, you mean you," Caroline teased.

"No actually, he made a point of inviting us both." Caroline stiffened, it could be an olive branch but, more likely, it was another machination to pry her from his brother's life. She was about to say so when she caught the flash of hope on Klaus's face. He would never say it but he missed his brother.

"Let's go," she said. "I eventually got Rebekah to come around, why not Elijah?"

"Rebekah barely tolerates you, love." Klaus said with a sigh, as he stood and unlocked the car.

"The key word being tolerate," Caroline said. "It's been a century since she's tried to actively kill me - that's progress." They got in, and the electric engine purred softly.

"Destination?" The onboard AI demanded.

"New Orleans," Caroline called out.

"I'm sorry, this vehicle does not recognise the passenger's command."

Klaus raised his eyebrows at her and Caroline snorted. "This car hates me," she said.

"It just recognises I'm the Alpha Male, love," he said, and Caroline threw him a dirty look.

"Whatever, just make it go. We have places to be."

"Car," Klaus drawled. "Please set New Orleans as our destination."

"Destination established." The car slid forward into autodrive and Caroline leaned back in the passenger seat, looking at him coyly. They had a few hours to kill, and it wouldn't hurt to remind Klaus why he liked having her around so much. She'd had over a century to claw herself into Klaus's heart, Elijah wasn't going to dig her out that easily.

A grin crossed Klaus's face, as if he knew what she was thinking. "By the way, have I mentioned Elijah and Katherine are dating?"

Caroline's eyes widened with horror. "No way!"

"Yes way." There was an evil glint in his eyes that made her nervous.

"No, Nik, whatever you're thinking, we're not doing it."

"Oh, I think we should."

The scenery sped by as Caroline banged a hand against the console.

"Please refrain from damaging the dashboard," the car intoned.

"This is a nightmare," Caroline declared, and Klaus's smile widened into a grin. .

"C'mon love, it'll be an adventure, I'll make it worth your while."

Caroline pouted. "Promise?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Promise."

A small smile pulled at the corner of Caroline's mouth. "You have a plan, don't you?"

He kissed her again. "Tell me, love, how so you feel about becoming a queen?"

They sped onward.

FINIS