Chapter Eight
Caroline blinked rapidly as her eyes readjusted to the light of the candles that surrounded the circle. She didn't see Sheila anymore, but there was a figure in the center of the circle. After a few seconds, Caroline's eyes adjusted, and she stared at the figure in front of her.
"Mom?"
"Hello, Caroline." Regina's voice was soft and calm, it sounded almost like a river. Her blonde hair fell gently around her face, her blue eyes shined with kindness and a little bit of mystery. She wore a light blue dress, a leather belt around her waist. On the porch behind Caroline, Sheila Bennett noticed that she looked almost exactly like her daughter.
"You're actually here." Caroline had begun to cry again, tears falling slowly down her face. She stood as close to the edge of the sand as she could, her mother stood on the other side.
"I'm here, my dear. You have grown into such a beautiful and strong young lady. I am so beyond proud of you and what you have done."
"You've been watching?"
"Of course I have. You are my daughter, I didn't want to miss a second of your life. If I could, I would be with you in person, but I have always been with you, cheering you on. You are so much like your father, and you are everything I ever hoped you would be. I couldn't have raised you better, your father chose a wonderful mother for you."
"She isn't you, though."
"I know, but you didn't need me."
"Yes I did, I need you."
"No, Caroline, you don't. You want me, and I totally get that, but you have never needed me. You have everything you need to do exactly what you are supposed to do. That will never change, there is a reason for everything, and everything turns out for the best. I know you want me, I know that the spell makes you long for another time, and for me. But Caroline, you have never needed anyone, you are beyond capable to be exactly who you need to be without anyone else's help. You can do anything, and I am always with you, even when you can't see me."
"What am I supposed to do? My friends are pulling away, and I don't know what he did, but Damon somehow hurt me, and I feel so alone. Mom, what do I do? I don't know what to do?" Caroline cried, her mother also had tears falling down her face.
"You do exactly what you have always done. You be yourself. One day they will all see exactly who you are, and they will realize that they were wrong to overlook you, to treat you the way they did. Caroline, you have the ability to change the whole world. You have so many on your side, and I know it is hard when you feel alone and like you have no power, but that is so far from the truth. You are joy and light to this dark world, Caroline Ahana. They will all see it someday." Regina spoke with a calm, comforting voice, as she stood in front of her daughter. Just like Elijah, Regina knew exactly what had been happening. She knew what Damon had done to her daughter, and she knew the way Caroline's friends had been treating her. She also knew exactly what was to come. Regina wished that she could hold her daughter and her husband and tell them both everything would be okay, they both seemed to be holding the world on their shoulders. Regina wasn't an idiot, though, and she knew that her family would make it through. She knew her daughter's destiny, she knew that her daughter would change the world of the supernatural. She just wished she could be the one to hold her hand and tell her it would all be alright when the world felt like it was falling down around her.
"What if I fail?"
"You won't. I know that this world is scary, and there is so much that seems to go wrong, but there is a bigger story being written my dear, and you are a part of it. The ancestors are calling me back, but before I go, my dear girl. Please never forget the truth, I am always with you, you are more than what they tell you, and you are stronger than they will ever know. Live out your name. I love you more than you will ever know, my beautiful daughter. Tell your father I love him. I love you both, Always and Forever, even beyond forever's end." When she finished speaking, she disappeared with a breeze, the circle of salt blowing away with it. Caroline fell to her knees with tear in her eyes,
"I love you too, Mom. Always and Forever." Sheila Bennett returned to Caroline's side and held her for a while longer while she cried before helping her grab her stuff and driving her home.
Caroline spent the next day in a daze, thankfully it was the weekend, so no one really noticed that she stayed in her room most of the day. Elizabeth had been informed of what had taken place the night before, so she made sure to check on her daughter throughout the day. It was late in the afternoon, after the third time she had caught her daughter crying, that she decided to make a phone call. Elijah answered almost immediately,
"Hello?"
"Elijah. How are you?"
"Elizabeth. I am well, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you?"
"It's about Caroline." Elizabeth began.
"What happened?"
"Sheila Bennet went to help her last night after I called you. Caroline was worse than ever before, and Sheila thought she could help. She cast a spell with the ancestors. She tried to explain it to me, but it was all very confusing. The thing you need to know is that Caroline somehow talked with her mother last night, and now she has locked herself in her bedroom for the whole day, and every time I have been home she has been crying." Elizabeth explained.
"Shit. I am on my way, I will be there by the end of the day."
"Elijah."
"Yeah?"
"Just hurry, I don't know what to do, and neither does Sheila, she thought the spell would help."
"It did, it just is going to take a bit for her to get over that." Elijah replied, he then quickly hung up before immediately heading to the plane to get to his daughter.
Caroline sat in her room crying for most of the day, it was the end of the day, before she knew it she had been sitting in the corner of her room for the entirety of it. She had thought about opening the book to read a letter, but she didn't know where to start. So, she had sat in silence in her room, crying, trying her best to relieve the only conversation she had ever had with her mom. She had heard her mother come in and out throughout the day, but she never came into her room. It was a little after ten when she heard the door open again. This time, though, there was a knock at her door.
"Come in." Her voice was raw from the tears. She was surprised when she looked up to see her father standing in the doorway. He wore a gray suit with a blue tie, he looked perfectly put together, but his face was sad as he looked at his daughter.
"I heard what happened."
"I thought you couldn't come."
"I couldn't. Yesterday. But each day is a new day, and I got a call. I heard you were able to have a conversation with her."
"Yeah, I was."
"So, why are you crying on your bedroom floor?" Elijah asked, sitting on the floor next to his daughter.
"It was unreal. I didn't know what to do with it. So I took today to try and figure it out."
"So are those sad tears, or happy tears?"
"Both."
"Well, I was able to find the last tracker that my brother had on me and get rid of him, so I am free to stick around for a little bit. I thought I would spend a week or two."
"Really?" Caroline's voice held disbelief. She had barely been able to talk to him recently because of the trackers from Klaus, she had really started to miss him.
"Really. I figured we could spend some time together, I could help you with homework, and be more of an actual father rather than a supernatural one."
"That would be great. Dad?"
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Could I ask you a question?"
"You, my dear, can ask me anything." Elijah replied.
"Are the Salvatore's vampires?"
"Yes, they are."
"Does that mean that Damon could have compelled me?"
"Yes, it does."
"Is there a way to make it to where he can't?" Caroline asked her father, she knew that he knew what had happened, probably more than she did.
"I can get you some vervain, but you will have to keep it under the radar or the whole town will be trying to get it, and that could be a problem at some point."
"I would appreciate having some."
"I will get you some while you are at school tomorrow. Then all you have to do is take a little bit every day. You can make tea, put it in coffee, just eat it, whatever you want to do."
"Thanks, dad."
"Of course." With that, the two of them fell into silence. They sat together for another hour or so before heading to bed. Caroline was excited about the week ahead. Not only would her dad be around, but Friday night was career night at school. She loved career night, and she had really missed her dad.
The week went really fast, and before she knew it, she was at career night. Her father was staying through the weekend, so she had three more days with him. The night was going really well, and she was having a ton of fun until Bonnie ditched her. Thankfully, Logan Fell offered her a ride.
"Hey, Damsel in distress. Need a ride?"
"Oh, my word. Logan Fell, channel 9, is that you?"
"I used to babysit you, Caroline Forbes. Don't mock me."
"Well, I was supposed to go home with Bonnie, but I can't find her."
"It's not a problem, really. It's on my way."
"Ok." with that, Caroline got in his car. Once inside, she continued.
"You know, this is fate."
"And why is that?"
"Cause I'm interested in broadcast journalism. So, can I ask you a couple questions?"
"Anything you want. First, buckle up."
"Ok." The moment she turned her head, he pushed it into the window, and that was the last thing she saw.
Elizabeth was driving to find Logan when her phone rang. She glanced at the number before answering.
"Where are you?"
"Your daughter has expressed an interest in journalism. I think it's important to foster young minds."
"What do you want?"
"The satisfaction of turning your daughter into a vampire." Through the phone, Elizabeth heard the brakes squeak. Then the phone cut the call. So she pulled over to wait for the call. Logan Fell had messed with the wrong child.
Logan Fell, slammed on the brakes when he saw the figure in the road. Once stopped he got out of the car, slamming the door.
"Who the hell are you?" Logan yelled.
"I am your worst nightmare." Elijah's voice was low, almost reaching a growl as he spoke. He wore a dark suit without a tie, his fangs fully bared, he hid none of his nature from the man who threatened to hurt his daughter.
"Get out of my way."
"I have an alternate plan to that. I think I am going to kill you slowly, painfully, unlike any way you have ever felt. Then I will burn your car, and wipe everything you own from existence, you will disappear off the face of the earth. No one will care, no one will mourn, and you will be buried in a shallow grave with no marker, only to be forgotten until you become a snack for the worms." Elijah moved quickly, and before long screams were echoing around him. That's when Elijah heard someone coming. Logan fell wouldn't make it through the next few minutes, so Elijah grabbed his daughter and flashed back to the Forbes' house where he laid his daughter on her bed and healed her. After a moment, Liz ran into the house.
"Is she okay?"
"She is fine, she should wake up soon."
"Logan?"
"Injured enough to die, but someone was coming, I couldn't reveal myself. There is a small chance that he is alive."
"If he is, I will handle him later. Thank you."
"I will always protect her, Liz. We knew this was coming. I should have been better prepared."
"There was nothing you could have done without making yourself known." The moment she finished talking, her phone rang. Elijah stayed by Caroline's side while Elizabeth stepped out of the room, After a moment she came back in.
"They found Logan's body by the old Fell warehouse. He is dead." Elijah only nodded.