A/N: Hey guys!
Thank you for the responses to this story! Some of you have requested an update, and I can assure you I'm not abandoning the story, but I'm in the middle of an extensive exam period, so that leaves less time for updates.
This could be the last one for a while, but I will try to have a new chapter up by at least June 1st. Hope you'll bear with me until then.
Enjoy this one as the plot thickens even further!
"What do you mean, Caroline's in Norway?"
Elizabeth Forbes was anything but happy as she paced the length of her office, getting an update on her daughter's whereabouts over the phone, an update delivered by Damon who'd gotten the information from a recently returned Stefan.
For Caroline's safety, Liz and all of Caroline's friends had agreed to keep a low profile and never discuss anything related to Caroline in the open. However, Liz hadn't seen or talked to her daughter in almost four months, and the only news she'd gotten had been from Bonnie who had been able to speak to Caroline a few times since she took off. As if that wasn't bad enough, this new information that Bonnie had dug up, about Caroline not just being a vampire, but a different type of hybrid, it was driving Liz a little crazy with worry.
She hadn't had the best relationship with her daughter after she and Bill divorced, but recently things had gotten better and Liz wanted her daughter home, safe, where she belonged and with the people who loved her. And that was another thing, after learning about Caroline's new situation, Liz had reached out to her ex-husband, hoping he had some answers for her. So far, she hadn't heard back from him, but that didn't stop her from trying to get ahold of him.
She'd even gone as far as calling Steven, only for her ex-husband's partner to tell her that Bill was out of the country, and he had no idea where he was or when he'd be back. He did assure her that he'd tell Bill she'd called when he heard from him, but Liz was tired of waiting, and she was even more tired of sitting back and doing nothing while her daughter was out there, looking for answers across the world.
"That's what I said, Liz. Look, she's not alone, she's with a friend who is helping her. That's all any of us know. Bonnie is doing her witchy mojo thing, and Stefan and Tyler is digging around, doing research, so right now there's nothing else we can do. If you want to protect your daughter, you need to just let us do what we're doing and you go on like normal. If any of the Mikaelson's shows up looking for answers, just tell them Caroline's staying with her dad or something, and remember to keep taking your vervain. We've got this, Liz. Trust me."
Liz couldn't believe this had become her life. Trusting vampires, but it was true none the less, and it wasn't like she had much of a choice.
"Fine," she sighed, not liking it one bit, "but the second you hear something I want an update."
"You got it, sheriff. Listen, I have to go, Ric just showed up. If you feel like a drink later, you know where to find me."
Damon hung up and Liz dropped her phone on her desk, taking a deep breath as she turned to look out the windows and stared out at the town square. She'd grown up in this town, it had been her home for as long as she remembered, but knowing what she did and what she'd been told as she grew up, she wondered why she hadn't just packed up and left town when she found out she was pregnant. If she'd been somewhere else, raised Caroline somewhere else, none of this would have ever happened to her.
"Hello sheriff," turning at the sound of a voice she didn't recognized, she saw a tall dark-haired male standing in the open door to her office. He wore a suit, and there was this aura of "danger" surrounding him. She'd been around them long enough to recognize a vampire when she saw him, and from what she'd learned of the original family, she'd say this was one of them.
"Elijah Mikaelson," he introduced himself as he stepped into her office and closed the door behind himself. Automatically, her hand settled on her gun. She knew perfectly well normal bullets would do nothing against a vampire, but her bullets were laced in vervain so he'd get a shock if he tried something.
"Mr. Mikaelson, what can I do for you?" His eyes had immediately zeroed in on her hand on her gun, and as she spoke his eyes lifted to meet hers and he offered her a polite smile.
"I have no intention of causing you any harm, Sheriff Forbes, I assure you."
"Well, forgive me if I don't take that at face value. From my experience, most vampires can't be trusted."
"And yet you trust the likes of Damon Salvatore." Liz tensed, worry creeping into her mind as her eyes briefly flickered to her phone. It was possible he'd overheard her conversation with Damon, had been made aware of her daughter's current location, and seeing as his entire family was apparantly looking for Caroline, that was not good.
"Let's just say Damon and I have a understanding."
"Yes, I've gathered as much. And I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, though before you jump to conclusions and do something rash, like shoot me with those vervain-laced bullets, you should know that I've come here to offer you a deal of sorts, or if not a deal, some reassurance."
Not sure where he was going with this, she was none the less interested in what he had to say.
"I'm listening." This man, this vampire, Elijah Mikaelson, took his time as he studied her and examined her office. She waited patiently for whatever he had to say, but it was a strained patience that it would last for so long. Thankfully, as he walked to stand by the side of her desk, staring out the window's of her office, he didn't make her wait long.
"I've been walking this earth for a thousand years, Sherriff. I've seen empires rise and fall, I've fought in legendary battles and I've met people whose influence linger on society today. I have also, for the better part of ten centuries, been my brother's keeper. And never, in any of the thousand years my family has walked the earth, have I seen my brother as he is now. I'm sure, as a mother, Niklaus is the last person you would want fixated on your daughter, and during any other circumstance I would agree with you. However, I feel the need to impress upon you that he has no ill intentions towards her. He is, it seems, despite their brief knowledge of each other, quite taken with her."
Liz didn't feel very reassured about any of that. Elijah was right, she wasn't happy that the most powerful being on the planet was fixated on her daughter, whether he wanted to hurt Caroline or not, though it did bring some sense of relief that her daughter wasn't staring down an eternity of misery at the hands of a mad man.
"Why are you telling me this?" It was an important question, and hopefully one that would get them to the real reason for Elijah's visit.
"Because, my family, Niklaus especially, has grown impatient with Mystic Falls and it has not escaped us that we are unwelcome among your town's population. My sister, Rebekah, has attempted to talk Niklaus into leaving several times, but he's adamant we stay for the simple reason that this is your daughter's home town, and sooner or later she will be tempted to return. I have a way of getting Niklaus to agree to leave your town, and I can assure you with his current mood, it will benefit no one if we stay here. However, the success of my plan relies entirely on your willingness to assist me."
Well, Liz definitely wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.
"What kind of assistance are we talking about?"
"Nothing nefarious, Sherriff. It won't include any harm coming to either you, or any of Caroline's friends, which of course includes Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennet. You will all be left as you are, no longer to be bothered by me or any member of my family. All I ask, is that when you get word of your daughter, you share this with me. I won't ask you to give up her location, because I know as a mother you won't jeopardize her life and it's clear you don't fully trust me, but any information regarding her safety, how she's doing, that type of thing would be greatly appreciated and valued."
It all sounded very simple, reasonable, acceptable. But, it also sounded to good to be true.
"That's it, just updates on how she's doing? Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad deal, but it sounds a little too easy."
"Yes," he agreed and looked at her, "because I cannot assure you that Niklaus, and by extension the rest of our family, won't continue looking for her. However, should we find her, I give you my word in return that I will alert you of it. I have a feeling, Sheriff Forbes, that at the end of all of this, your daughter will need her friends and family as she deals with it all. My brother is not an easy man to handle, as you well know, and at a certain point I believe she will learn that lesson better than most. She'll need her mother for when that happens."
Liz took a deep breath, contemplated this original vampire's offer and sighed before grudgingly nodding her agreement.
"Fine, but I want you out of town by the end of next week."
Elijah smiled and inclined her head.
"We'll be gone by the end of this weekend."
With that, he turned and walked out of her office and Liz was left wondering whether she should tell Damon and Caroline's friends what just happened. In the end, she decided to keep it quiet, just for now.
Just until she figured out what to do next.
They were stopped at a road-side diner. They'd been driving non-stop for two days, tracking down the many leads that Bonnie had sent their way the last couple of times they'd been in contact, and they hadn't come up with a whole lot.
Caroline watched as Hayley left her seat to go grab her food, and then all of a sudden, it hit her. She hadn't fed. Since London, Caroline hadn't had a single drop of blood, and whether she was a vampire or a hybrid, that just didn't make sense.
"You okay?" She'd been so emerged in her own thoughts that she hadn't even realized Hayley had come back to the table, carrying a styrofoam container with a cheeseburger and fries, and that made Caroline hungry.
"I haven't fed, Hayley." She said quietly, leaning slightly towards her companion, and Hayley's hazel eyes took her in.
"Okay, do you have a stash of, you know, sustenance available?" The brunette asked carefully before taking a big bite of her own burger, and Caroline shook her head.
"No, I mean, of course I do, but that's not what I'm talking about. What I mean is, I haven't had a drop of blood since London, and even before then, I only had it whenever I was with Katherine, but not because I was hungry. It was just, I don't know, I thought I needed it so I drank it. But, Hayley... I'm not that type of hungry."
"Right, I'm thinking this is a conversation for the road, but just saying, if you're hungry for something else... This burger is really good."
Okay, whatever the hell was going on with her, and her freaking weird body, Caroline decided to do what her friend suggested. Seeing as they were coming up with a whole lot of nothing, the trip was likely going to be a long one, and even if her body miraculously didn't need blood to keep functioning anymore, it had to be dependent on some kind of nutrition right. Besides, it had been ages since she'd been able to appreciate the true magic of a decent cheeseburger.
Pushing away from the table, she ordered her burger and compelled the cashier into thinking it was already paid for, with the addition of forgetting all about her and Hayley ever having been there and to delete whatever surveillance recording the place might have of them. Honestly, with everything she was discovering, she knew she'd have to face Klaus sooner or later, but not until she was ready for it. Ready for him.
Still, even as they were going further down the country, looking for answers, Caroline had just scratched one item on the top of her priority list. To figure out why she didn't crave blood anymore, and how the hell that was even possible.
Anna Jensen watched the two women leave the diner and get in their car before she turned away and quickly headed to the breakroom to get her phone, calling out to her boss that she was taking five as she did.
"It's me," she told the voice at the other end of the call.
"Listen, the one we've been waiting for? She just left the diner, and she's got a friend with her."
Anna listened for a few minutes before speaking up again.
"My guess, they seemed to be in a hurry so you don't got a lot of time to get ready. Thiry-forty minutes, maybe an hour, but that's cutting it really close."
The voice at the other end replied, and she nodded.
"Right, I'll leave here right now, I should be there soon."
Hanging up, Anna grabbed her stuff and told her boss she had to go because of a sudden family emergency. Mikke didn't question her, Anna had a lot of "family emergencies" over the years. Then again, her family was huge. It was just the way it was with a pack. Everyone looked out for each other, always.
And this situation... well, it was an all hands on deck type of thing.