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Chapter Six
Original Sin
Mystic Falls, Virginia 2010
"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.
In that moment, the horrid realization hit her. There had only ever been truly one vampire who had ever really creeped her out.
"Katherine." Caroline hissed, eyes darkening fast.
"Bingo!" A perfectly manicured hand suddenly appeared around the blonde's throat as Katherine took her hold once more. "Now… where were we?"
"So, Damon was right… you weren't in the tomb. Shouldn't surprise me, I guess." Blue eyes narrowed into a glare. "You always were a selfish, psychotic bitch."
"Now, now, Caroline, there's no need to be cruel, I came here to warn you."
"Warn me? You really think I am that much of an idiot? Why would I trust anything you have to say after all you have done is lie to me? You know about my past and you have kept it from me for so long… You only look out for yourself. That's the way it has always been and always will be." The blonde's eyes were full of fire as she spat it all out.
"You misunderstand me. I'm not here to warn you because I give a damn. On the contrary, if I could, I would destroy you now… But, unfortunately for me, I need you alive, so I'm only going to say this once. Stay out of my way or I will end everyone you have cared about." Caroline couldn't help the sudden panic that shot through her veins, the words invoking long forgotten feelings as an image sprung into her mind. It was an image she didn't recognize and yet, part of her felt she did.
The first thing she saw was the blood. The room was stained in red. It was all over the floor, on the walls. Then all she could see were the broken bodies that littered the filthy ground. Not realizing what she was doing, she turned the nearest body over. Cloudy, dead eyes met her own.
He was so pale, so very pale, his hair looking all the more dark in comparison. His lips were chapped and open in what could have been a scream… The only color was the red that was dripping from the gaping wound in his throat.
Caroline snapped out of her thoughts when suddenly Katherine let go of her, causing her to sink to her knees. The brunette smirked down at the silent vampire.
"Look at you. You're pathetic. You should've learned by now that love is nothing but a weakness. Don't forget; keep out of my wayl" There was a whoosh as Katherine blurred away.
Caroline barely noticed her departure, her mind on other things. She thought of all the ones she cared about. Stefan. Elena. Bonnie. Matt. Tyler. Jeremy. Damon, even. And then there came the ones already dead. Lexi. Anna. Pearl.
She thought back to the image, the bloody image. 'I will end everyone you have cared about' Katherine's voice said mockingly in her head.
Everyone you have ever cared about. Everyone you have ever cared about. Cared about.
Cared about.
And then it came together. The image.
Could it be that losing Lexi, Anna, and Pearl was not the first time Caroline had lost people she loved?
Perhaps… Perhaps the image was a memory… But why would so many centuries pass and not a single memory had come to her until today? Maybe… Maybe it had something to do with recent events triggering bad memories…
Whatever the case, there was only one thing that Caroline truly knew right now, and that was that she could never allow such a thing to occur ever again.
Katherine had to be stopped.
When Katherine murdered Lisa in cold blood, turning her and making her into her little pet, to get back at Elena, Caroline wasn't sure what to feel. She had never particularly liked the human girl but she would never have wished her death on her either. She knew the turning must've really hit Matt though. Elena had told her he was worried about her. Caroline just hoped they would be able to help the girl.
In the meantime, however, the need to get rid of the Pierce woman was never direr.
But what was she to do? If she made a move, Katherine would know and then no one would be safe.
They needed a plan. And fast.
Caroline just entered the Salvatore house a week later when she caught the tail end of what seemed to be a very important conversation.
"Isobel's research here in Mystic Falls was rooted in folklore and legend, at the time of which I thought was fiction." Came Alaric's voice.
"Like that amazing vampire story." Sarcastic comment. Definitely Damon.
"Aside from vampires, what else?" Elena asked.
"The lycanthrope." Of course, Caroline thought, the Lockwoods.
"Wait, like werewolves?"
"No way. Impossible. Way too Lon Chaney."
"Is it?"
"I've been on this plane 160 some odd years and I've never come across one." Caroline decided now was as good as a time as any to make her presence known.
"Well, seeing as I have been around for more than four centuries, I'd say I know more than you do, Damon." She said, entering the parlor. The others looked at her in surprise, not realizing she had been waiting right outside for most of their little talk. "And, let me tell you, werewolves – not as impossible as you think." Now the looks turned from surprise to disbelief.
"It's impossible." Damon insisted. "Don't you think I would have seen one by now? If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"
"Dead." Caroline sat down next to Alaric, who was looking at her curiously. Unlike most of the rest of their gang, Alaric very rarely saw this side of her, the old side that didn't act like a stereotypical blonde teenager in class.
"What do you mean dead?" Stefan asked, face crunched into a concerned look.
"Well, I don't know that much about werewolves, but what I do know is that centuries ago they were hunted near to extinction by vampires. Which is why they're a rare sight nowadays." Elena was about to ask another question but Caroline raised her hand to gesture for her to be quiet. "I know what you're going to ask, 'why were they being hunted?' And the truth is I'm not sure. But, from what it seemed like, at the time, the vampires were scared."
The silence that followed seemed to stretch as they all mulled it over. She knew it was a hard thing to swallow, finding out there was another intelligent species besides your own. But, they would have to get prepared to have their worlds flipped every now and again for what was to come.
And, they should've realized, if there was one thing Hollywood movies got right about vampires, it is that they always came with werewolves.
"When was this?" Alaric finally asked, breaking the silence.
"I was still a baby vampire then, so during the 1500s." Caroline stated.
"Did you ever see a werewolf?" This time is was Elena who was asking the question.
"Yes, once. This was way back when…. When I was with Pearl and Anna. We had arrived at a small town in southwest of France where we had planned to visit some old friends of Pearl. Only, when we got there, her friends were dead. The next day, a man came to us and warned us to leave town, or there would be dire consequences. We should've left but we didn't. Pearl never liked to admit she was wrong…." The blonde vampire had to take a moment to collect herself; it still stung to think of the woman who had been like a mother to her. "Anyways, long story short, a couple of days later, we were attacked by what I thought at the time was a wolf. But it was fast, way too fast, and, after Pearl killed it and we got the hell out of there, she told me it was a werewolf." She glanced at each of her friends. "And that is all that I know about werewolves."
"Great." Came Damon's sarcastic reply. "So all blondie here told us is that werewolves exist. We need to know more." He turned to look at 'Ric. "We need to see Isobel's research."
When Caroline volunteered to go with Elena, Damon, and Alaric to Duke University, she didn't realize what she had really gotten herself into.
"Sorry you couldn't come too, Stef." Damon said as he watched his brother and Elena standing by each other. This, of course, led to some touchy-touchy PDA by the happy couple and an annoyed look by the elder of the two Salvatores. Children, Caroline thought, with a roll of her eyes.
"OK…" Caroline said, trying to break through all of the awkwardness. "Time to go."
"I couldn't agree more." Damon stated, hopping in the front seat. Meanwhile, Stefan opened the back door, and gestured for Elena to get in the car. Just as Caroline was about to join her, a hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced up at Stefan questioningly.
"Can you keep an eye on them for me? I'd rather they not kill each other." He asked, voice low so that only she (and Damon) could hear.
"Of course." She replied, reaching over to squeeze the hand that was on her arm reassuringly. "Now stop worrying, we'll be fine."
"If you say so, bella."
"I do. Now, seriously, we have to get going." Caroline reached up for a brief hug before saying her goodbyes and joining the others in the car, only to soon notice the overwhelming tension.
Why did I volunteer for this again?
Caroline couldn't be more happy to finally be at Duke University. When Damon and Elena were mad at each other it was like they were two small children. Not that she didn't understand why Elena was angry; Damon had snapped Jeremy's neck, after all.
Caroline had ended up ignoring them for the rest of the car ride, instead opting to hold a quiet conversation with 'Ric, mostly about recent history. He seemed really interested about what she had to say, after all, she had experienced the most history out of their little gang. And he was a history teacher. Simple question of connect the dots. Caroline was just glad she could distract the guy from thinking of his ex-wife, at least for a bit.
Their group was currently looking around Isobel's office, whilst the grad student, Vanessa, went to get the lights. Caroline was standing by the bookshelf, looking curiously at the various volumes. She immediately noticed a few books on Mystic Falls, dating back to the 1800s. There was also another book that caught her eye. It was an old one, that was for sure, and on its spine was what she assumed to be a sigil or a seal; it was a stylized M, surrounded by five stars. She was just about to grab it when she heard Elena gasp.
Caroline whipped around just in time to notice the crossbow that Vanessa had in her hands and Damon jumping in front of Elena, getting an arrow in the back in the process. Caroline immediately blurred across the room and grabbed Vanessa's crossbow, watching how the human girl's eyes widened as she snapped the thing in half with a simple twist of her wrist. She then was quick to grab the girl so she wouldn't run. Though she and Damon weren't exactly the best of friends, she still didn't appreciate him getting shot.
As Elena took care of the arrow, Caroline and Alaric forced Vanessa down into a chair. The girl sputtered, clearly terrified out of her wits.
"P-Please! Okay, I freaked! Alright, you would've done the same thing! It is not possible! Katherine Pierce can't be alive and D-Damon Salvatore died in 1864." Vanessa stuttered out nervously, before glancing to Caroline. "And you, you shouldn't be here, either! Okay, I-I read Isobel's research-"
"Well then you should know just how possible this is." Alaric interrupted.
"It's all a little more real then you believed, huh?" Caroline added in as Elena and an arrowless Damon reentered the room. Elena then proceeded to try and explain their situation and was finally able to convince Vanessa into helping them out.
They then began pulling out all the things relevant to Mystic Falls as Vanessa told them what it all meant. In a quiet moment, Caroline approached the girl, who immediately tensed up when she saw who was standing next to her.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. And neither will Damon; I'll make sure of that." She said, putting on the most cheerful smile she could muster. "I was just wondering, I mean, you seem to know a lot of about all of us, is there…. Is there anything you can tell me about, well, about me?" She waited patiently whilst Vanessa took a shuddering breath, apparently trying to calm herself.
"Well, I don't know much, Isobel's research centered mostly around Mystic Falls… But I do know you were there for a while back in 1864?" The brunette said as she continued to look through the box, before pulling out something and handing it to Caroline.
It was an old picture of her and Anna and Pearl, in which they stood in front of the apothecary Pearl had owned. Caroline felt tears rush to her eyes and blinked several times, knowing she couldn't just keep crying. She had to be strong. Instead, she thanked Vanessa and pocketed the photo.
I am so sorry, Anna. Pearl.
Caroline could barely stand the car ride back to Mystic Falls. If she had thought the tension was too much before, it was much worse on the way back. Of course, she had overheard Elena and Damon's conversation, so she understood why things were so tense, but there was really nothing she could do for either of them.
The silence did allow for her to mull over some of the things they had found out during their trip.
Namely, the sun and moon curse. Caroline had the odd inkling it was not the first time she had heard of it. But it made sense. Why else would vampires have gone through all the trouble to kill off so many werewolves?
It was worrying though, that a bite could be fatal. She just hoped nothing would happen, but, with the Lockwoods being of werewolf blood, it was best to be on their guard. Just in case.
Lisa was killed. This time for good. Katherine killed her when she sensed her betrayal. Caroline had never hated anyone more. Katherine's reign of terror needed to end.
The only remotely good thing that came from Lisa's death was that Katherine was in the tomb. Stuck there just as she was supposed to have been back in 1864. Caroline couldn't help but feel it was poetic justice. Of course, her only good feeling was ruined when Elena came to her for help. She wanted to interrogate Katherine, ask her what the hell happened way back when. At first Caroline was going to refuse, really, but then, when she thought about it, it was the perfect opportunity for not just Elena, but for her as well.
Caroline already knew Katherine would never say a thing to her about her past unless it hurt the blonde vampire in some way. But Elena… Elena was an entirely different matter.
Maybe Elena can help me get to my past…
So she helped her, went with her friend to the tomb and opened it up for her... and now she was here distracting her other friend, her best friend, Stefan. Hence, the bad feelings. They were in sitting in the Mystic Grill, where she had lured him… How could I do this to him?
At first they discussed Tyler and his transformation into a werewolf; Caroline had decided to help him out. She knew well enough the pain of being alone. So she had let it slip she was also different to the Lockwood boy, that she was a vampire. Guess once you spill a secret for the first time, it gets easier to do it a second time.
But she couldn't help it! Tyler was her friend!
Once she had gotten Stefan over that, she began talking about things she had been wanting to tell him for a while... Such as the image that she had seen a few weeks ago.
"I just, I don't know, Stef…" She sighed, putting down her fork. "I've never remembered anything before so I can't be sure if it's real… But I feel like it is…"
"I don't know either, Care… Are you sure it wasn't a different memory, from later on? Maybe some massacre you witnessed and blocked out or something?" Stefan sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he pondered the possibilities.
"I'm sure. This… This was older. Like, you remember things from when you were human, right? From your childhood?" She asked, trying to find a way to word everything. It was just so difficult, she'd never had to describe something like this before. This was new, and, to be honest, it scared her more than she had expected. I guess after so long not knowing who I really am, I'm afraid to begin knowing… I'm afraid it'll be bad…
"Of course." The younger Salvatore replied, shrugging.
"Well, I think that is kind of what this feels like. Only, I don't think I was a human child, but, I guess you could say, a vampire child… I don't know, it's probably not that important…"
"What are you talking about, Care?" Stefan suddenly exclaimed, almost angrily. Caroline looked up at him in surprise. "Of course, it's important. Look, I know I'm no Lexi, but, if you want to talk about this stuff then come talk about it, don't wait weeks!" He glanced at her, leaning forward onto his elbows. "You're finally remembering something, Care, isn't that what you always wanted?"
"You're right." She smiled. "Of course, you're right." Stefan smiled back, but Caroline noticed the sadness that lighted his eyes. She reached out and placed her hand gently on his. "It's ok… I miss her too, you know." This time Stefan's smile was real, it was small, but it was there. He squeezed her hand once before letting go.
They continued to talk, Caroline sidetracking Stefan every time he attempted to leave. The more she did it, the more she felt a pang of guilt with every distraction. Eventually, though, he caught on.
"OK, now I'm leaving." Stefan said, annoyed. He made to move away.
"Wait… ummm…" She panicked. Crap! Of all the times I run out of things to talk about, it just had to be today, didn't it?
"No, Caroline, you have two seconds to come clean." He's using my full name… That is not a good sign.
"What do you mean?" The blonde tried for the innocent act. Of course, Stefan, having known her for so long, immediately picked up on it.
"I'd believe the whole innocent act a little better if I didn't know how good you were at providing a distraction on demand. Plus, you've never been able to lie to me… Where is Elena?" There was a moment of tense silence until, finally, Caroline sighed.
"I can't tell you." Stefan immediately looked confused and, at that moment, Caroline wished she could sink into a black hole and never come back. Why did I agree to this? Oh right! Because I was too damn curious to stay out of this whole mess.
"You can't tell me? What, are you kidding me?" His expression angered.
"I'm sorry, but… I can't tell you." She tried again.
"Caroline, Elena was kidnapped, she could've been killed, and you're seriously not going to tell me where she is?"
"She's not in any danger. I would not have let her put herself in danger." Caroline defended.
"Put herself in danger where? What are you-?" A look of horrible realization entered Stefan's eyes. "She's with Damon… isn't she?"
"Ew, no!" Caroline immediately exclaimed.
"Then where- Where is she? Listen, if you're my friend then you'll tell me where she is." Ugh, why did he have to pull the friend card… That's I'm going to go to Hell for this… Crap, I'm screwed.
"Stefan, you know I'm your friend, I have been longer than anyone! But, I'm also Elena's friend and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to tell you where she is. Look, I promise you, she needed to do this… She had good reason to. Otherwise I'd have never let her." The look of disappointment and betrayal on her friend's face nearly broke Caroline's heart. She had never felt so guilty.
"Fine." He grumbled. But before he could get away, however, Caroline once again opened her mouth.
"Are you mad at me, Stefan?" She asked. "If it helps any, I really am sorry…"
"I guess I am mad… But, I get why you won't tell me, Care… And I do trust that you made sure she was ok." He sighed again. "I have to go, ok?" Without another word, he turned and left.
Caroline sighed; she knew, well, hopefully, Stefan would forgive her. Still, she felt horrible... used, almost. But, what should she have done? Elena was maybe her only chance at getting anything out of Katherine... What could she have done? Even Stefan said my past is important... Besides, Elena would have gone with or without permission... The guilt was eating her up, though. She never meant to hurt anyone but it seemed like everyone around her was getting hurt anyways...
What's wrong with me?
Caroline found herself heading back to the tomb, to check up on Elena. As soon as she was in range though, she heard not only the distinct voices, or voice she supposed, of Elena and Katherine, but also that of Stefan. Suddenly Caroline felt panic course through her; had something gone wrong?
Before she knew it she was blurring down to the tomb.
"There it is. That's the ultimate lie, isn't it? You spun this whole thing so we would have to get the stone from you." Caroline recognized Stefan's accusing tone.
"I didn't spin anything, Stefan. It's the truth." The blonde vampire was nearing the tomb, very close to the steps down.
"No, let me guess. You want to trade that stone for your freedom." Stefan barely glanced at Caroline as she arrived on the scene. Luckily, she was relieved to see thateveryone seemed up on his or her feet and they were all ok. Well, Caroline could've done with Katherine having at least a scratch, but she guessed she couldn't get everything you wanted… "You manipulative, psychotic bitch."Stefan snarled, continuing on.
"My freedom?" Katherine almost laughed in reply. "That's where you're wrong, Stefan. I don't want my freedom, because when Klaus shows up to kill us all and he will… I'll be in the tomb where no vampire will enter because they can't get out." She stared at the Salvatore in triumph. "I'll be the safest psychotic bitch in town."
This left them all in silence, speechless. Well, that was a plot twist if Caroline ever saw one…
"Well," Caroline glanced back at the Petrova vampire, surprised to see brown eyes meeting her own. "I'll be one of them, at least." This caused the other to stare at her in shock as Katherine slowly backed up into the tomb. The blonde vampire felt herself pale, wondering what that statement really meant.
"What do you mean?" Stefan suddenly called after her. "What do you mean?" For a second, Caroline thought they would get no reply.
"Ask Caroline."
When Caroline finally gathered enough courage to glance up at Stefan, she found him looking at her in confusion, pity, and, to her shame, for the very first time, the tiniest amount of distrust.
There was only one thought in her mind…
What is wrong with me?
A few weeks had passed since what Caroline liked to call the Katherine debacle. Since then so much had happened. Elena had made a deal with a man known only as Elijah. Caroline had yet to meet the apparently ancient vampire but when she did, she wasn't going to be afraid to give him a piece of her mind. Jeremy had done the stupid thing and gotten stuck in the tomb causing Stefan to go in after him and free him. Of course, that only led to him also getting stuck in the tomb. Damn Stefan and his hero complex! Then, the illustrious Elijah freed Stefan at Elena's command, but compelled Katherine into staying there. The fact that he is able to compel vampires is more frightening than any of us could have imagined…
And then there was also the whole Rose thing. Caroline had never met the vampire before, despite them being of similar age. She was nice enough, Caroline supposed, but it was really the effect she had had on Damon that made the Forbes vampire truly come like her. Her friendship with Damon had brought out the human side in him; one she had not seen much since he actually had been human. It made her think of her own friendship with his younger brother.
But then she died, the werewolf bite even more horrific then they originally thought. And this time it was Damon who lost a friend. But, Caroline liked to think he had also gained a new one (or an old one, more like). Damon and her held a tentative friendship now, but a friendship all the same.
Despite the fact that Caroline wasn't able to do much during any of this, she had had her own problems, lately. Mainly involving Tyler Lockwood, resident werewolf. He was also her friend and she'd helped him come to terms with what he is. She had been helping him, but, for his protection, she'd also kept most of her involvement a secret. Stefan was the only one who really knew what was going on.
Only, this morning really worried her. He'd appeared in front of her house when she was headed to her car, wanting to talk. This didn't particularly surprise her; he did so quite often. So when he came, she immediately started reassuring him that the transformation would get easier, just as she always did… But, he just stared at her, quiet.
And then came world war three when Tyler asked her one question: "What happened to my uncle Mason?" Caroline had immediately known all of her careful planning was blown apart right there. Somehow, he had found out about Stefan and Damon and the part they had played in Mason's death.
Just as usual in her life lately, Caroline really didn't know what to do. Who knew choosing to live a life, a real one, would be so difficult? Luckily, Stefan had come to her aid and agreed to talk to Tyler.
Her only other consolation during the entire ordeal was the fact that Stefan and Elena hadn't brought up Katherine's comments about her… yet, that is. Oh, she knew well enough the topic would not be avoided forever, but, for now, she was perfectly happy ignoring the whole thing… It's just, what Katherine suggested… it worried her… She acted as if she knew something about Klaus and the Originals… And the scary thing was that Caroline couldn't be sure whether or not she did…
Sighing, Caroline pulled herself away from that line of thinking, knowing it would probably just drive her absolutely insane. Instead, she focused on getting into her car, despite the fact that the mundane task wouldn't help her get her mind off things…
"Excuse me." A voice she didn't recognize called from behind her. Caroline turned to glance at the unfamiliar woman. "Caroline, right?" And immediately the unfamiliar woman was not so unfamiliar anymore. Wolf, her mind told her.
"Yeah." She replied, looking around and noticing that no one else seemed to be there.
"I'm looking for Tyler. You haven't seen him, have you?" This must be Jules, the vampire realized.
"Nope." She denied. "Not since earlier. Sorry." She turned back to her car, hoping that Jules wouldn't continue this. Caroline didn't relish the thought of killing someone in the middle of a street.
"I know you're lying." Well, there goes the subtlety plan.
"Really?" She turned back to Jules. "How? Is that one of your little wolf tricks?"
"Actually it is." Caroline disliked little wolf girl's smug tone so she turned, and smirked to herself.
"Well…" Her eyes began to rush with blood, fangs lengthening. "I have a trick too." She turned, quick as lightening only to be vervained in the face. Unfortunately for Jules though, vervain didn't hinder Caroline; still hurt like hell though. Still, she managed to tackle Jules into the wall of the building opposite.
Too bad she didn't here the footsteps behind her though. Or the sound of a gun being cocked.
Bang!
She fell.
Black.
Caroline walked around aimlessly, the blackness around her taking away all her senses. All that was left was herself and the man standing across from her. As she looked at him, she felt the sudden urge to reach out and wrap herself around him. But it would not happen, it had not happened in the last thousand times she had dreamt this particular tale.
Instead, they stood across from each other, forever at a state of limbo. Had Caroline been able to, she would somehow shatter the nerve-wracking limbo that came every time she closed her eyes.
'Who are you to me?' She asked the shadow man in her dreams... The one that gazed upon in her with eyes that were a shade of blue that she had never seen. His eyes were absolutely mesmerizing. 'Why do I know you?'
And then as she reached out to him, wanting to touch him, finally. But then as she felt herself get sucked into his blue, blue eyes… but he didn't disappear. He didn't disappear as he had every other night…
Instead, the dream, for she knew, as always, that this was a dream, shifted in a flash.
She found herself watching two people from above. A man and a woman. They were riding horses, laughing and talking.
When the woman looked up, Caroline was shocked; she was looking at herself.
She never saw the man's face.
Flash!
She watched herself as she held hands with the same man from before, standing together in a circle of fire. It was almost like a twisted mockery of a wedding.
"Through life, through blood, and through shadow." They chanted… Bound. They were bound…
She never saw the man's face.
Flash!
She saw them sitting together in bed as she held a ring.
"It took you long enough."
She never saw the man's face.
Flash!
Now she was floating and everything went black. She felt herself drifting…. Drifting….
"Wake up." She heard a voice and turned to face it. She was back to the beginning, gazing at the shadow man. His voice continued to urge her on. "Wake up… Love, you must open your eyes… Open them!"
And so she did.
Pain. That was the first thing Caroline registered when she opened her eyes. A blinding pain centered in her forehead. She gasped as the bullet pushed its way out of her skull. Finally, it dropped into her hand and she felt her skin sew itself back together. In a few moments there would be no sign of her ever being shot.
She immediately tried to get herself out of the cage that her captors had so kindly put her in, but she found herself weakened, maybe a quarter or less of her usual strength. They must've put more vervain into my system while I was out, a lot more.
However, her attempts of escape stopped abruptly when she suddenly noticed the man sitting in front of her cage, watching her like she was some kind of animal in a zoo.
"I see you got that bullet out." He stated. "That was nasty." Caroline looked around, trying to find some other way to get the hell out. "I got lots of wooden bullets. Other toys." He continued. "It's going to be a long night, sweet pea." He lifted his gun and shot her in the shoulder.
Caroline hissed, not allowing herself to cry out; she be damned if she became this guy's plaything. Soon enough, the bullet was out and she edged closer to the bars, keeping her eyes on his.
"It'll take more then some second piece of wood to down me… sweet pea." She mocked breathlessly. She knew mockery probably wasn't a good idea when the guy only smirked ominously in return.
This time when he brought up his gun, he shot her three times.
This time Caroline couldn't hold back the scream that bubble to her throat.
In her haze of red pain, Caroline didn't notice when Jules entered the trailer, demanding proof. She did, however, notice when the guy shot off another two rounds. She screamed desperately, just wanting the pain to stop.
Why is this happening to me?
What is wrong with me?
"So," The bastard's voice filtered through her panicked mind. "How many vampires are there in this town, anyway?"
When she didn't reply, he sprayed vervain into her face again causing Caroline to gasp. Still, she didn't answer his question. She instead proceeded to curse him in every language she knew.
"Well…" The guy sighed.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Caroline yelled at him, kicking at the cage. "Why?"
"You're a vampire." He stated, as if it was obvious. "Why not?" Three pieces of sharpened wood flew into her neck, causing her let out a small cry of pain.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
She had enough. She just wanted to be away from this cage, away from him.
"Let me out!" She screamed, desperate, kicking again.
"What was that?" He repeated, mockingly.
"Let me out!" She tried once more.
When nothing happened, Caroline knew she had to calm down. Stefan and Damon would come and save her, right? It was going to be ok… Taking a deep breath, she centered herself, shifting to the middle of the cage where she sat with crossed arms. When she next looked at her torturer, she was completely serene, as if she wasn't being shot full of wood and vervain for the past hour.
Be strong. You're not girly and you're not weak.
"You do realize that when I get out of here, and I will, I am going to rip your heart." She smirked, leaning forward so that she could clutch the bars and stare him right in the eyes. "You really shouldn't have gotten on my bad side."
Caroline briefly enjoyed the anger in his eyes before another bullet hit her.
This time she didn't scream.
She laughed hysterically, instead.
When Caroline heard the comforting sound of Stefan and Damon's voices, she immediately tried again to open the cage. Then Tyler came running in and she knew this was her chance. It took longer than she wanted but she managed to convince him to open the cage.
As soon as she was out, she didn't allow herself a moment to enjoy her freedom, opting to head straight out and help the Salvatores with the wolf pack. Of course, considering her luck, Jules was already there waiting for her. In her weakened state, the werewolf was able to pin her against the wall of the trailer, a gun to the back of her head. When Tyler's head popped out of the door, she felt her hope rise suddenly.
But he just… stared at her…
It made her angry, so angry in fact that she managed to wrestle the gun away from Jules as she whipped around quickly and pull her into a chokehold. Her fangs lengthened and she posed herself so that she would be able to rip into her throat.
"Stop!" Caroline recognized the voice of her torturer and turned her gaze to him. He was kneeling beside Damon, a stake held over his heart. "If you she dies, he dies." Then Brady, as she found her torturer was called, smirked at her. "Looks like there will be no heart-ripping for you, sweet pea."
For a second Caroline thought she had lost again, when suddenly both Brady and Jules, along with the rest remaining wolves, screamed loudly, clutching at their heads. Caroline let go of the werewolf, watching as she writhed about on the forest floor.
"What's happening?" She asked, bewildered. Glancing around, she soon noticed a tall African-American man walking towards them, with his hands held out. Warlock.
"Elijah made a promise to Elena, I'm here to see it's upheld. You need to go." He said.
Caroline felt relief course through her system, knowing that the whole thing was finally over. She made her way to the man when she felt the Salvatore brothers join her, Stefan placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Caroline immediately brought herself closer to him, wanting nothing more than to simply fall asleep and forget this all.
"Get out of here." The warlock commanded. "Now."
They didn't need anymore prompting and so the three vampires began their trek back home. Caroline felt herself shutting off the world, wrapping herself in a nice cozy bubble of obliviousness.
"It's ok, bella." She distantly heard Stefan say.
"Yeah, we got your back, blondie." Damon agreed, trying for snark but coming off more concerned than she knew he wanted to.
Caroline just nodded, letting them lead her away.
That night, Tyler came for a visit, trying to apologize, but Caroline was not going to forgive him that easily. No way. But, when Stefan came back, dragging Elena and Bonnie with him, knowing that Caroline needed some girl time, the blond vampire thanked him with a grateful smile.
It was in that moment that she knew that her friends, her true friends, were always going to be there.
Just like she would always be there for them.
Though Caroline, like the rest of the sane world, thought Damon's idea for a dinner party was a ginormously bad idea, when he invited her, she didn't refuse. After all, what more perfect opportunity to meet this mysterious Elijah everyone is always on about? So, despite her misgivings, she said she'd come.
So, here she was, waiting patiently, well impatiently, for the older vampire to arrive. And then finally, finally, there was a knock on the door. Damon answered it to reveal a handsome man, with a strong jaw, and longish brown hair. He wore a dark suit and his eyes revealed a sharpness and intellect that was a rarity nowadays. He was not to be underestimated.
After she heard the finish of his and Damon's 'who can make the best threat' game, Caroline decided to introduce herself. The funny thing is though, as she approached, Elijah's face suddenly turned shell-shocked.
"Ah, Elijah. I would like you to meet a very good friend of mine, Caroline Forbes." Damon said, pulling Caroline forward by the shoulder, looking down at her questioningly. She simply shrugged; she didn't know why Elijah was reacting to oddly, either. She decided to ignore it, however, and stuck out her hand to the much older vampire.
"It's nice to meet you, Elijah." She said sweetly, smiling as brightly as she could muster. That seemed to pull the man out of his stupor as the shocked look was soon wiped away and replaced with emotionless mask he had donned before. He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he went the old-fashioned route and kissed the back of her hand lightly. There was something strangely familiar about this whole situation, Caroline realized.
"A pleasure." Elijah said, staring at her straight in the eye, keeping a hold of her hand. Caroline didn't try to take it away, knowing she couldn't have even if she tried. Finally, he pulled away, causing her to almost sigh in relief. "I'm sure, Ms. Forbes, that you and I will have some interesting conversation tonight, seeing as we have both walked the earth for quite some time."
"What was that?" Damon asked when Elijah went to greet Jenna.
"No clue."
Throughout the dinner, Caroline felt Elijah staring at her and it made her increasingly uncomfortable. So when Damon and he left for a few moments, she was tempted to leave. However, it was the strangest thing, when Alaric used the white oak dagger on him, Caroline had the smallest feeling of guilt… As if she owed him something.
She'd been sitting across from him when it happened and the way he stared at her when he was dying really disturbed her.
He stared at her as if he knew her.
Of course, it was only later on in the evening that they learnt that the dagger had to stay in Elijah for him to stay dead. They also only learnt later that when a vampire dies, his compulsion wears off.
It's a shame, really, because then they could've avoided freeing Katherine.
She knew this was a bad idea.
Klaus.
Klaus, the Original, the scariest of them all, had come to Mystic Falls, using Alaric as his human puppet. He had shown up at the Mystic Falls High dance, practically stalked Elena, and 'killed' Bonnie… Of course, Caroline had heard this all second hand…
This time, Caroline had chosen not to go to the dance; she loved her friends, honestly, she did, but with all that's been going on lately, she just couldn't find the enthusiasm for it. She didn't want to be a party pooper either so she'd told everyone else to go and have fun…
Clearly, that didn't happen.
Klaus. His name alone brought shivers down Caroline's spine. They had been talking about his arrival for so long, it almost seemed like he would never actually get there, kind of like a dream that they would never reach, well, nightmare she should say. But then he came, choosing Alaric as his vessel. She wondered how he learnt to do that, transfer bodies… But then, she supposed he had lived more than a millennium. If that was enough time to forge an entire fake curse such as the sun and moon curse, then surely it was enough time to learn a few tricks along the way.
Caroline herself couldn't imagine being more than 1000 years old. What must he have seen? What must he have experienced?
If she were in other circumstances, Caroline thought that perhaps she would want to get to know the ancient vampire.
They had only very recently found out that Klaus was in fact Eiljah's brother. Despite this, it seemed Elijah wanted nothing more than Klaus' death. The closest thing Caroline had to brothers were the Salvatores, and she could never imagine wanting to end them, no matter how many terrible things Damon, and, indeed, Stefan, had done in their lives.
But, Elijah, he wanted to end his brother.
Klaus.
Caroline wondered where he was now. Whether or not he was planning their deaths.
She sincerely hoped not.
Caroline opened her eyes slowly. They were heavy and she wanted nothing more than to close them again and just sleep, but, something was urging to get up. Eventually she was able to get them all the way open and she lifted her pounding head. She immediately knew that she had been vervained again.
Then she noticed the fact that she was shackled up to a wall. And that Tyler was sitting right across from her. Damn it! The warlock, he did this! The warlock had attacked them when Caroline ran into Tyler after he came back to check on his mom. Caroline soon realized just why they were taken; they would be part of the sacrifice that Klaus needed to complete in order to lift the curse that kept him purely vampire.
"Tyler." She said, getting his attention.
"You okay?" He immediately asked.
"I think so." She replied, yanking at the chains.
"I already tried." Tyler added, watching her attempts to break herself free. She kept trying but found it was in vain.
"Those witches vervained me." She stated, sighing. It would be no use trying to break free; she was simply too weak.
"Who were they?" Tyler asked.
"I think they're with Klaus." More like I know, Caroline thought.
"Who's Klaus?" The blonde vampire almost felt like laughing at her friend's question.
"Oh, Tyler" She said. "You shouldn't have come back here."
Klaus is here, after all.
Caroline shivered.
After she explained all about their current predicament to Tyler, Caroline almost lost all hope for any rescue. On the bright side, however, her strength was returning quickly. Her age was helpful factor in that regard; it helped to build up some tolerance to vervain.
Suddenly though, her hopes were answered when she heard the distinct crumbling and footsteps of someone entering the cave like room in which they were held. Sure enough, Damon soon appeared.
"Damon?" Caroline asked as the elder Salvatore made quick work of the chains.
"Told you we have your back, blondie." He said. "By the way, Matt's outside with a rifle loaded with wooden bullets; you have some explaining to do."
"What do you mean? I didn't tell him anything." Caroline said as she stood, rubbing at her wrists.
"Don't worry. Tomorrow's problem; let's just get you out of here." Damon said, interrupting her protests. He began to lead her out of the room when Caroline stopped, glancing at Tyler.
"Wait, Damon, no." She stated. "I'm not leaving without him." Caroline would never abandon her friends. Damon scoffed but ended up freeing Tyler anyways. Between the two of them they managed to get Tyler to his family's cellar, locked up nice and tight. Before they did it, however, Tyler attacked Damon; luckily, Damon was not alone and Caroline helped him out.
However, during that time, Stefan called Damon, telling him of how Klaus had Elena. "She's already gone, Damon." Stefan had said. "Klaus came; he took her."
Caroline had never felt such panic in her life.
But then, when Damon told Caroline he's 'take care of it', Caroline knew what she had to do.
It was time to make good on her promise to take care of her friends. Even if that meant sacrificing her own life.
Caroline followed Damon as he made for Alaric's apartment, where they knew Klaus was staying.
"Go away, blondie." He sighed. " Weren't you going to go help wolfboy?"
"He's fine." She replied, crossing her arms. "Besides, we both know it's you who needs help. You can't go and take Klaus on, on your own! It's suicide!" Caroline's exclamation was indignant and full of worry.
"I know." Damon almost whispered it, but Caroline heard it all the same.
"You know?" The older vampire exploded. "And you're still doing it? Have you gone completely bonkers?"
"I'm doing it for them." Caroline knew he meant Stefan and Elena. "Besides… I got bitten." Bitten? Oh no… Werewolf bite.
"Oh Damon, I am so sorry." She said, grief flooding her features; she couldn't lose another friend. "But I'm still not letting you do it." Damon looked like he was about to argue but Caroline beat him to it. "At least not alone; I'm going with you, whether you like it or not. Look, Alaric has invited the both of us in before and you need help. So, let me help you." Her voice was almost pleading as he considered.
There was a long silence until Damon finally replied.
"Fine." He said, causing his companion to sigh in relief. "But you better not slow me down."
Caroline stood nervously beside Damon as they hid together in the apartment across from Alaric's, waiting for the imminent arrival of Klaus. The blonde vampire could barely hear his footsteps coming up the stairs and, with each step, her heart seemed to beat faster and faster. The feeling was foreign to her; there were not many people in the world that had such an affect on her.
The footsteps came closer and closer until they finally stopped. The door to the other apartment opened slowly; Caroline's heart beat even faster. Does he know we're here? Is he waiting to take us by surprise?
And then she heard the voice, an impossibly beautiful voice. It was deep and flowed a British accent. It was quite simply the most alluring voice Caroline had ever heard.
And it belonged to the one person they all hated.
Klaus.
"Where's Maddox?" He asked Katherine in that lovely voice of his. "He should be back by now."
"I don't know." Came Katherine's reply. Caroline felt Damon bristle next to her, restless. "What are you doing?" The brunette vampire then asked. "Where's Elena?"
"I sent her off with Greta." Klaus replied, his voice rumbling. "It's almost time." And then it seemed like Damon couldn't help himself; the vampire blurred away from her before she could stop it and right in front of their enemy, in front of Klaus.
"I wasn't aware you'd been invited in." Was all Klaus said, not seeming in the least intimidated.
"I've come here to tell you that you have to postpone the ritual." What are you, Damon? Her heart was telling her to reveal herself, but her gut told her to wait.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Klaus replied; the darkness in his tone made an unexpected shiver run up Caroline's spine.
"Yeah, but that was before I rescued your werewolf and vampire and killed your witch." The elder Salvatore stated.
"Excuse me?" The Original growled in return, his anger almost tangible even to Caroline who was several yards away.
"And you can kill me for it, I don't care. It was all me." Damon…
"Katerina, give us a moment." Caroline heard the other vampire's footsteps as she did as Klaus commanded.
"I've heard about you; the crazy, impulsive vampire, in love with his brother's girl." The blonde vampire swallowed, getting more nervous by the second. "I knew one of you would try to stop me; it was just a 50-50 guess on who…" Caroline suddenly heard what sounded like a recorded screaming. "The nice thing about werewolves is they tend to travel in packs; need a closer look?"
"Jules." Wait… Klaus has another werewolf? Oh no, this is not good.
"When you spend a thousand years trying to break a curse, you learn a thing or two." The oldest being of them all said, his tone mocking. Caroline's instinct suddenly told her something very bad was going to happen. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself moving towards the other apartment "First rule: Always have a backup. Backup werewolf. Backup witch…"
"Backup vampire." Damon finished for him. Both him and Caroline knew what exactly that meant. No! Not Damon! Caroline moved faster.
"I've got that covered too." Caroline entered the room just soon enough to see Damon's neck get snapped.
"No!" She screamed, watching as Damon fell to the floor. She didn't hear the miniature gasp that came from the person standing across from her. When she finally managed to tear her eyes away from the horrific sight before her, she turned them on the other vampire in the room…
He was the most striking man she'd ever seen, handsome, strongly built and with the most beautiful blue eyes. Blue eyes that were looking at her in confusion, shock, and familiarity.
"Caroline?" His lovely voice twisted into an almost desperate tone as he said her name.
My name? How…? And then it clicked; it made sense! It was what all the signs had been leading to; she had just been too blind to see it!
"You-You know me?" She stuttered out. His face shifted from shock to something akin to amusement.
"Tell me, love." He started. "Do I?"
Caroline stood still, silent, simply staring at her would be enemy. At Klaus. During the silence, she confirmed something. She finally figured what this feeling was that she kept having ever since she had heard of Klaus.
There was a sense of familiarity there.
"Yes." Caroline finally replied in wonderment. "Yes, I think I do."
As you probably noticed, this chapter is much longer than most, (more like 2 chapters in one), so it is kind of my Christmas (or holiday) gift to you :) Happy holidays everyone!
For those of you who are worried if there will be Forwood; don't worry! It's not going to happen in this story, they're just friends ;)
Some of the dialogue in this chapter was pulled word-for-word from the show from episodes 2x04, 2x09, 2x13, 2x15 and 2x20. Also, the first part of the dream sequence was taken word-for-word from ch. 2 of this story; the rest was referring to events that occurred in TLTLB.
Also, sorry for all the typos! I only had time to go through this once…
Next chapter: We look into Klaus' side of things on his arrival to Mystic Falls.
I wish you all a holiday season filled with klaroline :)
RW