Thank you to KandyFloss, batgirl2992, yolotiffanie, Guest, Carasedrin, thegurlwhowrites7865, TopazDragon, The Plant Reader, Tardis356, shadowfaxangel, l0lzxp, LadyKlaus, Paradisa, EternalLoveDreamer, lily94, lisolotte, PsychVamp, Sci-fi Christian, I Love All TVD Books TVD Klaroline, Clara, justine, chillwithJyl, arabella, Bullet2tm, OKBooey31, InuGnome17, BlueJean542, Lovely Rain Dancer, LorenaLaufey, ILoveYou1978, tiredstudent09, MarsterRoo, CeceVolume, Princess Aziza and epic sweetness712 for reviewing!
I have to apologize (I AM SO SORRY) for the late update; school seems to be taking over my life. I also just want to inform you that this will be the last update until after the 19th December because of exams. I hope you all don't mind!
Anyways, thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this newest installment! Fair warning, this is very Caroline-centric as we will be speeding through the rest of season one.
OH, and, for the sake of continuity, let's just pretend that the whole Miss Mystic thing happened BEFORE Anna and John Gilbert, okay?
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries
Chapter Five
Farewell Felicity
Mystic Falls, Virginia 2010
A few months had passed what Caroline liked to call the 'big reveal'. All that she had worked at for a year to hide had suddenly gone all to bits as Caroline had spoken out. But she had done for the sake of her friends, and, luckily, she had had some foresight to call in some help. No one got humans to understand like Lexi did, it was just the way she is, her talent.
Just the way she was, that is…
"So, what do you say, Lex?" Caroline held the phone to her ear as she awaited her answer.
"I'm due for another birthday visit to Stefan anyways… I'll see you soon." Her friend's voice came through the phone and the older vampire's shoulders slumped slightly in relief.
"Great. 'Till then." Caroline quickly pressed the end call button and gathered her things, ready to head over to the Salvatore house. Stefan was feeling quite down as of late, for obvious reasons, and she was trying to make of this as painless as possible for him.
Luckily, if everything would go according to plan, it would only be a few more weeks of this.
She just needed to wait a little bit longer.
Caroline headed to the front door of her house, tired from the long day she had had. However, she was soon able to sense another presence and immediately she went on high alert. Covertly, she glanced around, cautious until she spotted Stefan, head in hands.
He was sitting on the porch, waiting.
As Caroline opened the door to her house, she immediately knew something was out of place. She dropped her school bag on the floor and warily made her way down the front hall. Soon enough, the out of place 'thing' made her presence known.
A fast blur headed towards her but Caroline was no spring chicken in the vampire world. She was quick to jump to the side and grabbed the blur in a headlock, fangs bared.
And that was when the 'blur' started laughing; it was a very familiar laugh and Caroline soon joined in with a laugh of her own.
"God, Lex, why must you always do that!" She exclaimed, letting go of her old friend. Said friend spun around, wearing a smirk.
"What can I say? There's not many people who can catch me mid-run nowadays." Lexi squeezed Caroline in a brief hug before she stepped back and her smile turned into something more serious. "So, when are we going to do this?"
"Well, technically you came for Stef's birthday, which is tomorrow, so, I'm thinking, what better birthday than for him to have both of his best friends there to celebrate with him? And, I think getting him and his girlfriend back together would be a pretty unforgettable birthday present." The older vampire smiled widely.
"I don't know Caroline, remember 1953? That was a pretty wild year."
"Please, that will not compare to this year."
Caroline had been right, it hadn't compared. It just hadn't.
"Ok, so girl's night, then?" Lexi asked, already making herself comfortable in Caroline's living room.
"Of course! And I have just the perfect thing." She said, pulling out the champagne from where she stood in the kitchen. She blurred back to the living room and fell into the couch next to the other blonde.
"So, how are you going to tell her?" The question hung in the air for a moment.
"I don't know. But, I think it's best I do it alone. You can just… pick up the pieces. It's what you do best, after all." She smiled at her friend hopefully.
"Fine, fine." Lexi grumbled. "Let me guess, I'll be on Stefan patrol, and then when you tell Elena and she is completely devastated, I'll convince that having a vampire as a boyfriend…" she glanced at Caroline "… or best friend is not a bad thing." She rolled her eyes.
"What would we do without you, Lex?" Caroline replied with a laugh.
Stefan lifted his head from his hands as he seemingly heard her footsteps. His striking green eyes were filled with tears as he stared at her helplessly. She tried to smile at him reassuringly but for some reason her lips simply wouldn't lift into such a happy expression. Instead she decided to just return his devastated stare.
"Did you know it's Stefan's birthday, today?" Elena asked Caroline, both of who were seated on the Gilbert girl's bed. Just moments before, Caroline had come by on an 'unplanned' visit.
She had yet to spill the beans about it all, though. And the thought of saying everything, talking about with what she was to someone who didn't already know… and knowing that their opinion mattered to her… she wasn't sure what to think. For the first time in a long while, Caroline was actually very nervous.
God! She hated this feeling! She was a vampire, she shouldn't feel so attached to her human feelings... But, still, she was. It made her who she was, much as she sometimes wished it didn't. A human stuck in an immortal body.
Perhaps that is why she was such a controlled vampire.
"Yeah, of course." Caroline replied, trying to crush her inner turmoil. Caroline met Elena's eyes, steeling herself for what was to come. Stefan better be grateful… "I always knew…" She whispered, no longer talking about birthdays. Following her instincts, she grabbed her friend's hands and tried her best to get her point across. "I know." Is all she said.
Caroline could see it, the realization as it came forth in Elena's brown eyes. She could see the confusion. The horror.
But her she didn't let go of the vampire's hands.
"You mean-? You know he's-?"
"Yeah." The word came out whispered.
"But, how?" Elena asked, brow furrowed.
"Because…" She took a deep breath. "I am one too."
Elena's hands shot out of her own. Caroline let them go. There, she said it. She admitted it. Now, she just needed to make Elena see it her way… see that vampires could be people, good people, too.
"What do you mean?" Elena's voice had a desperate edge.
"I'm a vampire, Elena. Like Stefan." The words almost brought a sense of relief to said vampire; she no longer had to hide who she was.
"You're kidding, you have got to be kidding." The brunette shot up from her perch on the bed. "How is this-? How is this possible? How could I not have known?" She gazed to Caroline in confusion. "And how did Bonnie not know? Or any of us?"
"I have had a long time to learn how to hide in plain sight. You didn't know because you couldn't have. You didn't let yourself even believe in the possibility." Caroline stated.
"And Bonnie?" Elena asked again.
"Bonnie may be a Bennet, but she is still a new witch and I know some tricks. Concealing spells and things like that." She explained, not going into to much detail. The trouble she had had to go through to acquire those spells was best left unsaid.
"Do you… Do you drink people blood?"
"I mostly drink from animals, like Stefan, but I do have the occasional bloodbag. Animal blood allows us to survive but, to be strong, you need the real stuff." Caroline gazed at her friend as she paced around, processing, trying to solve an impossible mystery.
"I just don't understand…"
"I am really sorry, Elena. About all of this. I should have trusted you with this sooner. I shouldn't have told you now, when it's only another burden to know… It's just… I wanted to escape for a while. I wanted to have a human life, or, as close to as I could get." Caroline sighed, shifting her eyes to her lap with a world-weary gaze.
At that moment, at the opposite end of the room, Elena realized just how old Caroline must be, how much she must have seen, and how lonely it seemed to have been.
"I'll go now, okay? Just, please, give us a chance. Try not to hate us right away. We are not all so bad. I mean yeah, we have the tendency to sleep through the day and bite people's necks but, some of us are able to control it…" The blond trailed off, knowing now was not the time to ramble. "Well, see ya." She headed for the door.
"Wait!" A call came; Caroline turned. "I don't hate you, I couldn't. You've been the best friend I could ask for, for as long as I have known you… I just, I need some time to think about this…" Elena ran her fingers through her brown locks, nervous.
"It's okay." Caroline smiled once at the human girl, relieved that she was being open minded; it was more than she had asked for and she was extremely grateful for it.
With one last thankful smile, she walked out of the door.
Caroline joined Stefan on the porch, sitting next to him. She took Stefan's hand in her own, knowing that he needed a friend, that she needed a friend. She felt the tears return to her own eyes and she watched his own slowly fall, leaving a trail down his cheek. He looked away from her, not wanting to cry in front of her, and, Caroline knew, trying to be strong for her sake. That's when she could no longer hold it in, a desperate sob escaped her and she squeezed his hand tighter.
Lexi and Elena hit it off right away, just as Caroline had expected. One could assume no less when it came to Lexi. Caroline watched from afar as they engaged in a conversation about love and whatnot. Everything was going to plan. Elena was opening up to the idea of vampires. Just as Caroline had thought, the fact that Elena now knew more 'good' vampires was beginning to help her cope with it.
Suddenly, she felt a presence beside her as Stefan leaned on the bar, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Let me guess, this was the plan that you have been hiding from me all this time?" He asked.
"How did you know I was hiding something from you?" Caroline replied, shocked.
"Please, bella, you and I both know you have never been good at hiding things from me; especially when you're excited about it."
"Well, was my excitement worth it?"
"Definitely. I couldn't have asked for anything better." Stefan smiled a rare, genuine smile at her. "Thank you."
"Well, it wasn't just me." She gestured to Lexi. "And our plan hasn't been completed. Yet."
"Thank you, anyways." Stefan repeated, rolling his eyes slightly, before giving her a quick squeeze; his version of a hug.
"You're welcome." She replied, hugging him back.
Caroline soon found herself leaning into Stefan, her head on his shoulder and his arm wrapped securely around her. As she felt his own sobs tremor silently through his chest, she turned and encircled her arms his waist, trying to provide what little comfort she could. His hand rubbed her back gently, knowing that he was not the only who needed comfort.
Caroline exited the Mystic Grill with Matt, making sure he and a very drunk Lisa had a clear way out. After she had helped her friend put the girl in the car, she headed off when she heard the sound of conversation between two very familiar voices.
She rounded the corner only to see a very unexpected pair in the midst of what looked to be an unpleasant conversation. Well, it was understandable; after all, if there was one person in the entire world that Lexi disapproved more than anyone, it was Damon Salvatore.
She was about to break up the argument when, a police officer, the sheriff, she believed entered the scene.
What happened next happened went by so fast that, for a moment, Caroline believed she had simply dreamed it all.
Damon staked Lexi.
Lexi, her oldest friend, her sister, fell limp to the floor.
Dead.
Caroline was unsure how long they sat there. But, she did know that she had deserved more. Lexi had been their longest mutual friend. Caroline and Stefan lost a best friend, a family member.
She had deserved more.
Finally Caroline unwrapped herself from Stefan, and she stood, gesturing for them to go inside. Once they both entered her house, Caroline glanced back out into the night once more, and shut the door.
I am so sorry Lexi. I am so sorry that I didn't do more for you.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
It was only a few days later that Stefan was carrying out his plan to destroy his brother. He asked her to help him. She considered it. She almost agreed to it, her hate for her friend's murderer burning strong.
But, ultimately, she declined.
She declined because she knew that Damon's death would break Stefan, for good. Sure, Stefan may hate his brother now, but, just as always, he would forgive him. Just as Damon would always, silently, forgive Stefan.
It was the way they were; two brothers that both loved and hated each other. Caroline could simply not separate them one last time.
And, despite the fact that she hated Damon right now, Caroline knew that this would not last either.
But, she couldn't sit by like this anymore. She couldn't watch Damon being all… being all alive, somewhat, when Lexi was rotting somewhere in an unmarked grave. She just couldn't be around him, not yet.
Now it was her that needed time.
So, that very night, Caroline packed her bags and left, not telling anyone when, or even if she would return.
When Caroline did return, a couple months later, it was because Stefan had called her to tell her about the death of the only mother she remembered, the death of Pearl. Caroline hadn't even known she was out of the tomb. She hadn't even known Anna had been there. But Stefan, his voice saddened, had explained. He'd explained how she died, and how Anna was now alone. So, Caroline hadn't had another thought about it; she had packed her bags, and she had returned. She would be there for Anna, just as her and her mother had been there for her.
So, she went back to Mystic Falls and her friends were there waiting for her. Elena, Stefan, Matt, Bonnie, even Damon. They had excepted her back with open arms (well, a smirk in Damon's case). She'd smiled and laughed with them, but no one brought up her time away from their home, her home.
And then she went to find Anna, only to see her in the company of none other than Jeremy Gilbert. Her and Anna had a long awaited reunion, but it was tinted by the loss that now stood between them, the years they had spent apart. Caroline had soon realized that there was not much she could do for her once-sister. She gave Anna a long hug and told her that should she ever need her, she would gladly be there. And then Caroline, knowing Anna was not alone, not when she had Jeremy.
Later, Caroline had put on her brave face, made her appearance as Miss Mystic Falls, standing tall on the float, without an escort. Contrary to popular belief, wearing clothes from the time did not mean they were actually in 1864; having an escort was not a requirement, at least in her book.
Besides, boys were messy, and that is the last thing she needed at the moment.
After the parade, Caroline decided to go home and unpack. She'd made her return to Mystic Falls and was planning to stay. Apparently too many things had gone to crap without her. At least that was what Stefan had told her, Damon muttering in the background. From Isobel 'dropping by' to Lisa and Matt getting together, things had definitely gotten messy. Before, she went home, though, she had promised her friends she would be back later.
Only, when she got there, she found out that Pearl's murderer had kidnapped Anna and the Salvatore brothers. She had only gotten there in time to help Elena and Bonnie get Stefan and Damon out of the flaming building.
Anna was already gone.
Caroline tried to keep it together. She tried so hard. The others didn't understand. They hadn't known Anna for she used to be. They hadn't known her as the little sister Caroline used to think of her as. They hadn't known her as the one who helped a vampire find her way. Pearl and Anna. They had been a family to her when she had no one else. They may have spent more than a century apart after Pearl was locked in the tomb, but Caroline never forgot what they had done for her.
And, now, to lose them both?
She was devastated.
And what hurt all the more was that she could garner no comfort from her friends, because they only knew Anna as the girl who kidnapped Elena. They only knew Pearl as the vampire who couldn't control the others who had escaped from the tomb. They didn't know them as the mother and daughter who had both loved and lost but had still gone on through the centuries with kindness.
Yes, Jeremy had felt the blow of their loss, Anna's in particular, but, even he could not understand, at least not fully. Still, it hadn't stopped Caroline from giving him a crushing hug and reminding him he was not alone in his grief. The desperate look on his face was still burned into her mind.
If only she had returned sooner! Then she would've been able to save them! All of them! But, could you? Could you really have saved them? Anna was no weakling, she was older then you and even she had not survived. Stefan and Damon barely made it through.
Sighing, Caroline wiped away a stray tear that made it out of the corner of her eye.
No one understood, not really. Caroline was alone in this.
So, she decided to put on her brave face. She had lived many centuries, there was no reason to let her emotions continue to control as they had ever since Lexi passed. She needed to be strong. Something like this could not happen again.
It was up to her.
Later that night, Caroline was sitting in her living room, unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she would Anna's face, or Pearl's. Sometimes she would even see Lexi's. So when Elena called her asking to meet at the football fields, sounding desperate, scared, and confused, Caroline told her she'd be there in five minutes.
Caroline blurred across town, knowing that it was safe to do so at this time of night. When she reached the fields, she found them suspiciously empty. Odd… She slowed from her run, looking around.
Something's wrong. Elena's doesn't prank call.
Seeing as things really hadn't been going things the way she wanted them to, Caroline allowed her fangs to lengthen, at the ready and circled around cautiously. Can't hurt to be safe, right?
It was only a few moments later that she heard a distinct crack from behind her.
She twirled around, hissing, ready to jump at her foe.
Scared brown eyes met hers.
"Elena!" Her fangs immediately retracted. "Oh my God, I am so sorry!" Caroline exclaimed; even though they had long made up, things were still a bit… awkward.
"Don't worry, it's just me!" Elena replied, curled hair hanging loosely around shoulders. There was a few seconds of silence as the two looked at each other. There was something off about the whole situation, Caroline thought. This was just so unlike Elena…
"Where were you before?" She asked, suddenly distrustful. "There was no one here."
"I was hiding behind the bleachers, waiting for you." The way Elena said 'waiting for you' made a cold shiver run up Caroline's spine.
And that's when the horrid realization hit her. There had only ever been truly one vampire who had ever really creeped her out.
Mystic Falls, Virigina 1864
Caroline was sick of Katherine's treatment of the Salvatore brothers and she had had enough. They were good men, innocent men, they did not deserve any of it. Katherine may be older than her, but Caroline was, simply put, fuming.
"You will put a stop to this, Katherine." Caroline cried angrily, holding onto the very thin line of self control she had left, her eyes already flashing scarily. "Or I swear, I will not hesitate to-"
"You will not hesitate to what, dear?" Suddenly Katherine whirled around from where she had been staring at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, she was right in front of Caroline, gripping her chin painfully tight. "You have no hold over me, you little harlot." She hissed. "You had always thought you did because of him…"
Katherine eyes drifted away from Caroline's own, confused ones. What is she one about? And then her cruel brown eyes snapped back to hers and her hand tightened impossibly more. Try as she might, Caroline could not get loose from the older vampire's grip.
"What will you do, Caroline? Tell the council? And to whom do you think they will listen? You? You are nothing more than a stranger here, visiting friends. I, on the other hand, live in the house of one of the patriarch of a founding family and both of his sons would willing die for me." Katherine smirked dangerously.
"Willing? Forgive me, I did not know that there was a new word for compulsion." Caroline returned, still struggling.
"Why must you always get in the way?" The other vampire practically growled as she hit Caroline back into the wall, her head hitting the wood so that it splintered upon impact.
"What is it you have against me? I have done nothing to you!" The blond defended.
"Nothing. You must mean nothing you can remember." At Caroline's wide eyes, Katherine let out a bark of laughter. "I know more then you might think. Why did you think I had been tormenting you all these years? Yes, it has been rather enjoyable, but did you truly believe I would spend so much of my time on a nobody? Even you cannot be that naïve…." Katherine leaned closer, her lips at the other vampire's ears. "I simply enjoyed the fact that I could get my retribution slowly, watch you suffer at my hands, and that, during all of this, you would have no idea why… It was the perfect formula to drive anyone to the nuthouse…" The brunette lowered her voice to a whisper. "But, let me tell you a little something, Caroline; I know everything…."
Suddenly, Caroline found her strength back and slapped Katherine away. Hard. The brunette flew in the other direction, and when she stood back up she looked positively furious.
"Tell me." Caroline's whisper was dangerous, dark. She had never felt so much hate for a single person in her entire existence. All this time she had kept her past from her… "Tell me!"
But, instead, Katherine threw back her head and laughed. And then she blurred away too fast for Caroline to pursue.
It was that night that she was captured by the founder's council and entombed under the church, along with most of the rest of the vampire population of Mystic Falls.
Caroline never saw her again and her answers were lost.
For good.
Mystic Falls, Virginia 2010
"Katherine." Caroline hissed, eyes darkening fast.
"Bingo!" Then a perfectly manicured hand appeared around the blonde's throat as Katherine took her hold once more. "Now… where were we?"
London, England 2010
Klaus' hand was sure and steady as the brush moved seemingly by itself across the canvas. The world moved around, but here he was, in a bubble, still. Just as he always would be. This was his forever.
His fated silence was interrupted by the sudden opening of a door as one of his vampires burst into the room, winded.
Klaus sighed heavily but did not turn, eyes still focused on his painting.
"This had better be good." He stated, matter-of-factly.
"I apologize, sir." The other vampire said, trying not to let his fear of Klaus show. "There have been rumors, sir. Rumors that I thought you might be interested to know." The vampire said nothing more, knowing that speaking out-of-turn was never a good idea around the Original.
"And this rumor is?" Klaus prompted, still not turning as he brought the paintbrush across the canvas once more.
"The doppelgänger, sir." Klaus froze at the words. "There are rumors that there is a doppelgänger, and that she is human."
Then Klaus did turn. And, when he did, he did so with a smirk.
"Tell me everything."
That's it for season one! Before I sign off, I will just say we are VERY CLOSE (hint, hint NEXT CHAPTER) to Klaus' return. Anyone have any suggestions for his and Caroline's meeting? I would be glad to hear some ideas ;) Also, we will learn more about Caroline had been up to when she was gone next chapter.
Also thinking of writing a different long-chaptered klaroline fic… Ideas?
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!
RW