Author's note: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Also, special thanks to jessnicole for being my 1200th reviewer! In this canon-ish AU, Klaus is on the brink of breaking his curse and decides to eavesdrop at the tomb where his werewolf and vampire sacrifices are having a surprising conversation...
Warning: Some angst (references to Caroline's past abuse) and some well-deserved gratuitous violence mixed in.
"Gameplay is all our life. Either we guard, attack or develop pieces."
― Vineet Raj Kapoor
It was a beautiful symmetry — this perfectly crafted plan coming to fruition. Klaus smugly peered into the Fell's Church tomb from the inconspicuous crevice, refusing to leave even the slightest detail to chance at this late stage. Nothing would prevent this ritual from taking place. His loyal followers had delivered detailed reports on all of his chess pieces in Mystic Falls; however, there was something...rewarding about surveying the board for himself.
The rattling of chains alerted Klaus to the two prisoners awakening. The vampire and the wolf. The wolf seemed inconsequential; his supernatural lineage the only worthwhile aspect of his mundane existence. But that vampire. Maddox's reports occasionally contained colorful diatribes regarding the exacting, bossy nature of the blonde inside, and now Klaus was eager to experience it firsthand.
Caroline raised her head to blearily take in her surroundings, hoarsely asking, "Tyler? Where are we?"
Tyler shakily tried to stand, only to be forced back to the stone floor by the short chains. "Fell's Church Tomb, I think."
There it is. Klaus watched in fascination as Caroline's blue eyes immediately widened. Clever little thing. "Oh, my god! We were taken by Klaus' creepy minions for his ritual!"
At the wolf's confused expression, she explained, "We found out the sun and moon curse are bullshit. Instead, Klaus is this super-secret Original Hybrid thingy and needs to unlock his wolf side in a ritual best described as what would happen if de Sade and Lovecraft hate-banged."
Klaus barely concealed his delight at Caroline's cheeky description. The ravishing blonde had unexpected depths. His family had purposely crossed paths with de Sade, intrigued by the outlandish tales surrounding the 18th-century libertine and indulged in the erotic sadism his writings brought to the forefront of society. Of course, the French nobleman didn't truly understand perversity until Kol and Elijah properly tutored him. Klaus vaguely recalled Rebekah ate de Sade's muse for his most famous work, Justine, in a petulant fit of jealousy.
Unsurprisingly, Tyler's brow furrowed as he asked, "Uh...so was that Day-Sad and...Love-something homework we were supposed to do?"
Cheeks turning a faint pink, Caroline confessed, "They're on the course syllabus for Psychology of Terror in Gothic Literature I'm planning to take next fall at Whitmore." At Tyler's raised brow, she added defensively, "There's nothing wrong with being prepared! Just because I can redo freshman year for centuries, doesn't mean I should be a slacker! Freshman year should be carefully mapped out because it sets the tone for your whole future!"
Klaus suppressed a chuckle at her righteous indignation. Such fire. He'd never been a fan of Lovecraft's work, but if the little vampire found some merit in his rambling drivel, perhaps it warranted further study. The bit of rock overhang he'd rested his palm against suddenly snapped when he noticed that the dimwitted wolf kept stealing admiring glances at Caroline. Fortunately, both creatures were so new to the supernatural that they hadn't fully honed their senses, and didn't notice his presence. He idly wondered how best to abscond with Tyler for his ritual without Caroline's interference. The thought of her coming to harm felt...distasteful.
Klaus was jarred from his musings of commanding Maddox to cast some sort of spell to achieve his goal when Caroline suddenly gasped, "Tyler! Klaus' ritual — he needs sacrifices!" Shaking her head, she bitterly added, "A vampire and a werewolf."
"He's going to kill us?"
"Yes," came her quiet reply. When she sat up a bit straighter, there was a determined look in her gaze and a sharpness to her tone as she abruptly said, "You just left. I thought you'd at least tell me you were leaving."
He squirmed uncomfortably, sighing a bit. "You want to do this now?"
Klaus leaned forward nearly banging his forehead against the rough stone in his haste to understand the exact nature of their relationship. Surely they weren't involved? A clever creature like Caroline would never be enticed by a boy with so little depth.
Her laugh was harsh. "We're dying tonight, Tyler. Kind of out of options for finding the 'right' time."
"I figured you hated me. I mean, you were a friend when I didn't have anyone." His eyes were downcast as he told her shakily, "And you deserved better than someone like me."
While Klaus agreed with Tyler that Caroline deserved far better, he still sighed in irritation. Apparently, he wouldn't be able to sacrifice the vexing little wolf without raising Caroline's ire.
There. At the edge of the forest, a familiar scent pushed its way onto the air, and Klaus wrinkled his nose in disgust at the intruder who flashed the rest of the way to the tomb's entrance.
"My, my, what a touching scene — werewolf and vampire sharing a mutual admiration for each other. It's like one of those trashy romance novels — or a so-bad-it's-kinda-good porno," Damn Salvatore told them, eyebrows wriggling suggestively.
Klaus found the elder Salvatore to be an insignificant gnat, a pest unworthy of more than casual disinterest, but he didn't mistake the rage that flashed in Caroline's blue gaze as she studied him. He also despised the aroma of terror that subtly colored her scent now. Regardless of her steel spine, this magnificent creature was afraid. The information his followers had collected did not contain anything between Caroline and Damon that would warrant such a reaction. Perhaps he should pay the insufferable braggart a leisurely visit.
"You're here to rescue us," she said flatly, glancing over at Tyler who shared her incredulous expression.
"Well...yes and no..." Damon trailed off in a tone full of mocking regret.
Caroline narrowed her blue eyes, shrewdly stating, "You're here to rescue Tyler. Just Tyler." She ignored the wolf's startled protest and icily explained, "Vampires are a dime a dozen in this town and super easy to make. But wolves are hard to come by since you have to be born into it and if Klaus is missing that ingredient, he can't do the ritual."
Damon's laugh was cruel as he leaned down beside her, tugging on a strand of her hair. "Not bad, Blondie. Looks like I didn't fuck away all your brains." He cocked his greasy head, stage-whispering, "Plus, you've gotten mouthy since you were turned and might decide to start telling certain tales to Elena." His pale fingertips walked along her arm as he added, "But if you beg me to save you, I might change my mind."
The smile on Caroline's face was as unexpected as it was frightening. The fear she'd stank of the moment she'd opened her eyes in the tomb was gone now, replaced by a cold certainty. "I've done a lot I'm not proud of; I've been silent about things that eat away at me. But I'll be damned if it's my rapist who rescues me. I fucking refuse to owe you my life."
Tyler's surprised outcry was a ragged bellow as he struggled to reach Damon despite his chains. The wolf had spirit and had risen in Klaus' estimation. But Tyler's anger was nothing compared to the searing fury that Klaus experienced. He'd intended to have the doppelganger's aunt turned for the ritual, a final punishment for the aggravation she'd caused, but it appeared to be unnecessary. He'd found his vampire.
Incensed, Damon stood, glaring down at Caroline as he seethed, "Ungrateful bitch. I hope Klaus stakes you nice and slow."
"And I hope your dick gets ripped off."
Sneering, Damon turned to Tyler, ordering him, "Alright wolf boy, enough with the drama. Let's get you out of here."
"No fucking way," Tyler snarled. "What you did...the minute I get out of here, I'm ripping out your throat!"
Chuckling darkly, the vampire started to examine the chains, looking for a weak spot to break. "Yeah...not really giving you a choice here. You're coming with me whether I have to drag your hairy ass right through the forest."
A cocky grin slid across Tyler's face as he replied, "Go ahead. Break them. The full moon will be up before we get out of the woods — and my wolf can't wait to hunt you down."
Damon dropped the chains as though he'd been burned, and whirled around angrily at Caroline's laughter.
"What's the matter, Damon? Afraid Tyler's bite is worse than his bark?"
"Laugh all you want, Blondie. You're chained in here with a werewolf and when that full moon rises, you'll be the only one still stuck in those chains. Werewolf bites are deadly to all vampires, you know."
Caroline didn't deign to reply; instead, she leveled Damon with an unflinching gaze. Klaus was in awe of the little vampire — she radiated power. She was unflinchingly brave, prepared to face down her death with more courage than he'd seen in creatures several times her age. He paid no mind to the useless Salvatore's mutterings as he fled. Damon wouldn't get far.
"Can you break out of your chains," Tyler urgently asked her. When she struggled uselessly against the iron, he promised, "I'll hold off my wolf as long as I can, but once I change, I won't be able to stop, Caroline. I'm...I'm sorry."
Impressive. The wolf possessed the capacity for loyalty. With this unexpected revelation, Klaus was feeling magnanimous and instead would sacrifice one of the other wolves he'd carefully sequestered for his ritual. He'd have Maddox cast a sleeping spell to prevent Tyler from turning, and ensure that both he and Caroline were tucked safely out of the way while the ritual took place.
With a reluctant sigh, Klaus quietly stepped away from the crevice, carrying with him the determined look in Caroline's gaze as she continued to try to break her bonds. Such fire.
She should be bruised. She should be bloody. She should be dead. However, she was none of those things. Caroline didn't understand what happened last night; when she and Tyler woke up again, they were in the tomb, but no longer chained. How did someone sneak past them both and break the chains without them realizing it? The implications. As she trudged up the steps to her front door, she tried to piece together what happened. Klaus never collected them for the ritual, and somehow Tyler never changed. Klaus had backup sacrifices — but why? Clearly Damon hadn't rescued them, so why weren't they sacrificed?
Coming home first before checking on everyone else was probably selfish. The little voice she often tried to drown out, the one that was all logic and dark sarcasm, lazily observed, 'But no one ever bothered to check on you.' It felt as though she was on the verge of making some tough decisions — the kind that would hurt, but not as much as they would've before she was turned. Raking her nails through the mess of knots in her blonde curls, Caroline headed inside. She was kidnapped and nearly died last night — if that didn't earn her an extra-long, skin-scalding, hot shower, then nothing did.
The white box was sitting in the middle of her bed, topped with an elegant red bow that curled along the edges. There was no note, and Caroline carefully opened the lid, curiosity getting the better of her. A hysterical giggle escaped her lips as she tried to understand what she was seeing. Nestled inside artfully arranged, blood-splattered tissue paper, the flesh was an angry red, ragged as though it had been clawed. Ferociously. For a bizarre moment, she was reminded of cats who bring fresh kills to their owners.
This was an offering.
Someone had ripped off Damon's dick and giftwrapped it for her.