Just an idea I had. I apologize if anyone seems out of character; I haven't watched Legacies beyond season one and haven't kept up with a whole lot of what is going on.
I also apologize in advance if this sucks, it's been years since I wrote anything for Vampire Diaries.
It had taken years of from being away from her children, traveling the world, chasing down every rumor, every legend, but Caroline had finally done it. She'd found a way to stop the Merge and save her daughters. But it would come at a cost.
These thoughts ran through Caroline's head as she stood in Alaric's office, telling him her plan.
"No," Alaric said immediately once she finished speaking. "There has to be another way."
"Don't you think if there was, I would have found it by now?" Caroline asked tiredly, having already considered that very possibility. "I've looked Ric, there is no other way."
Alaric opened his mouth to argue when there was suddenly a knock on his door.
"Dad? Is Mom in there?" Josie's voice asked from the other side of the door.
"We heard she was back," Lizzie's voice added.
"I have to do this Ric," Caroline said gently. "For them. And you know it to."
And he did, deep down. Alaric just didn't want to admit it. But he knew there was no other way.
"You don't have to do this Caroline," Alaric said in one last ditch attempt to talk her out of it. "We can find someone else."
"What kind of mother would I be if I didn't?" Caroline said softly.
Alaric's shoulders fell, knowing there would be no talking her out of this. Not that he'd been able to talk her out of anything anyway, Alaric thought with a mix of dry humor and bitterness.
"Dad?" Lizzie called from the other side of the door, annoyance in her voice.
"Just a second," Alaric called out before lowering his voice. "How are we supposed to tell the girls?"
"By telling them the truth…and hoping they can handle it," Caroline said gently.
Alaric and Caroline stood in silence for a moment, the gravity of the moment hitting them both. Then, slowly, they turned back towards the doors.
"Girls…could you come in here?" Alaric called out.
A split second later, the doors opened and Josie and Lizzie walked into the room. Caroline's heart clenched n her chest as she saw her daughters and how their eyes lit up upon seeing her.
"MOM!"
Caroline found herself enveloped in twin hugs by her daughters. As she returned them, Caroline felt tears prickling at the edge of her eyes, knowing she was about to break their hearts.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Josie, sensing something was wrong, pulled back, looking at her mother in concern.
"Did something happen?" Lizzie asked as she let go as well, seeing Caroline wipe her eyes. "Mom?"
"Your mother and I need to talk to you," Alaric said after a moment. "Sit down."
The twins exchanged bewildered glances, sensing something was wrong.
"If something going on, just tell us," Lizzie insisted and Alaric and Caroline exchanged a glance before Caroline gave a slight nod, seeming to give in.
"As you know, your mother has been away, trying to find a way to stop the Merge," Alaric began.
"And you didn't find anything?" Josie asked.
"No Josie, I did," Caroline revealed. "There's a ritual, one that will stop the Merge, permanently."
"So why do you look like it's the worst news ever?" Lizzie asked and Alaric looked at Caroline sadly as she tried to find the words.
"The ritual requires a Witch to perform it on the sight of a feat of great power. The blood of a Doppelganger is needed to power the spell. And the last part of the ritual…is of a Vampire willingly giving up their life," Carline revealed and paused, waiting for the news to sink in.
She didn't have to wait long.
"No. You can't-you can't leave us!" Lizzie exclaimed, her mother's intentions sinking in at once.
"Mom, please don't," Josie pleaded, ice filling her veins.
"Don't you think I would stay if I could?" Caroline asked gently, trying to fight the tears. "Being your mother has been the highlight of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"Then why are you leaving us now? There has to be some other vampire that would agree to it!" Lizzie argued.
"Even if there was, I can't. How can I ask someone else to give up their life, their loved ones so I can have more time with my family? I've seen the kind of damage making sacrifices for someone else's family can do, I can't ask someone else to do that for me," Caroline said, thinking of all the times she, Stefan, Damon and their friends had made such sacrifices for Elena. "I have to do this, for you."
"We don't want you to! Not if it means losing you!" Josie protested, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Oh Josette," Caroline walked over to her, gently taking her face in her hands before looking at Lizzie, who had tears in her eyes. "Elizabeth. You both have so much more to live for. Getting married, having kids, graduation. And I know it's not fair that I'm leaving you both. But one day, when you have kids of your own, you'll understand why I had to do this. There is not anything I would not do for you two. I wish there was another way, I really do. I wish I could see you grow up, get married, have kids of your own…but you'll only get to do those things if I do this. I've made my peace with that."
"And now we need to to," Josie said softly, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
Caroline wrapped one arm around Josie before holding out her own towards Lizzie. Crying, Lizzie rushed to her mother, wrapping her arms around her as Josie clung to her. As his daughters cried, Alaric watched the scene sadly, tears falling from his own eyes.
That night, the family of four had one last dinner as a family. Despite the sadness that loomed over the evening, Caroline couldn't have wished for a more perfect night. Lizzie and Josie told her all about what she'd missed, the classes, the boys and girls they were seeing, all the challenges they'd overcoming, Alaric occasionally chiming in. It was a perfect evening.
But eventually, it had to come to an end. And so, that night, the four of them wondered into the woods around the Salvatore Boarding School.
After a quiet walk, they came upon a familiar sight. A circle drawn in the dirt, surrounded by torches. The sight where, years earlier, Josie and Lizzie had transferred the power of the Hollow into Klaus Mikaelson.
Standing by the circle were two people: a dark skinned woman in her late thirties with shoulder length dark hair and a Caucasian man with blue eyes and dark, greying hair that appeared to be in his early to mid-forties. Two figures that were familiar to all four of them.
"Bonnie, Damon, thanks for being here," Caroline told them gratefully.
"Wouldn't be anywhere else Blondie," Damon said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Caroline…are you sure you wanna do this?" Bonnie asked, her eyes pleading with Caroline to reconsider. "Once I start…I won't be able to stop."
"I'm sure," Caroline said without hesitation and it was silent for a moment. "Elena couldn't make it?"
"She just…she said she couldn't bear watching another person she loved die," Damon said, his eyes apologizing on behalf of Elena.
But Caroline understood. It was why she had opted out of watching Klaus kill himself. After all the loss she had suffered, she hadn't wanted to see another person she cared for die.
"It's okay, I understand," Caroline assured him. "Tell her I understand."
Damon nodded, his eyes conveying his sadness. If you had told her twenty years ago that she'd be glad Damon Salvatore was here to see her off, Caroline would have called you crazy. But, after her mom had died, seeing how much it hurt Damon, she began to understand what Elena and Bonnie had seen in him. And it had also helped to have someone around who missed her mother and Stefan as much as she did.
"Elena didn't leave you high and dry though," Damon said as he pulled out a vial of blood. "Doppelganger blood, just like the doctor ordered."
"Then I guess we're all set," Bonnie said, swallowing the lump in her throat as Damon handed her the vial. "Care…you shouldn't leave anything unsaid before…"
Caroline nodded, turning to around to face her family. Her girls, fighting tears as Alaric was trying so hard to be strong. She knew they'd need him now more than ever. But she knew he'd never be alone, Damon, Elena, Bonnie and all their friends would help her family through it. It was why she able to do this, knowing they would be taken care of after she was gone.
"It'll be okay," Caroline said gently, walking over and placing one arm around Lizzie and Josie each. "I'll be okay."
"It's just not fair," Lizzie said emotionally as she clung to her mother. "It's not fair that you have to leave us after we spent so long apart."
"You're right, it's not," Caroline agreed softly, kissing Lizzie's forehead slightly before doing the same to Josie. "But someone told me once that life isn't about our final moments, it's about the moments leading up to them. I have treasured every moment with you two. No mother could have ever been more proud of her daughters. I'm grateful that I got the time I had with you. I'm so proud of you both and I know you'll continue making me proud. Be good to each other and to your father. Have at least one epic love. Go change the world as the two extraordinary women I know you'll become. Don't blame yourselves and know that I will always love you."
For a long moment, Caroline stood with her daughters in her arms as they clung to her. But, reluctantly, she untangled herself from them. As Lizzie and Josie watched her tearfully, Caroline smiled at them before turning to Alaric.
"Take care of our girls," she told him.
"You know I will," Alaric said, his voice coming out gruffer than he intended.
"I do," Caroline said with a smile. "But it never hurts to hear."
Caroline took a moment to look at her family one last time. Then, she turned around and walked up to Damon. To his surprise, she wrapped him in a hug.
"Please, look after them," she whispered in his ear. "And if something happens to Ric-"
"Elena and I will watch out for Lizzie and Josie," Damon promised, returning the hug. "Tell your mom hi for me. And when you see him…tell him thank you. And that I love him."
"I will," Caroline promised as she pulled back.
"Caroline…" Bonnie trialed off, choked up as her best friend approached her.
"You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know I could never have asked for a better friend. And that if anyone had to do this, I'm sorry it had to be you," Caroline said with a sad smile. "I love you."
"I love you to," Bonnie said emotionally, pulling Caroline into a hug.
Caroline returned the hug, embracing her best friend. After a long moment, Caroline let go, stepping back.
"We can't put it off any longer," Caroline said gently.
Bonnie nodded with a shaky breath, knowing Caroline was right. Reaching into the bag she had behind her, Bonnie pulled out a stake that she then handed to Caroline.
"You have to be the one to do it. But not before I say," Bonnie ordered and Caroline nodded. "Step into the center of the circle."
Caroline nodded, stepping into the circle as Bonnie then turned to the others.
"Josie, step over there, Lizzie on the other side," Bonnie instructed.
The twins walked into the circle, Josie walking to the right edge of the circle and Lizzie on the other side. Bonnie watched for a moment before taking a deep breath. It was time.
Bonnie began chanting and the flames on the torches flared. Bonnie threw the vial of blood into the circle and it shattered upon making contact with the ground. The blood almost immediately caught on fire and the torches flared again. The flames flew up into the air before flying down, surrounding Josie and Lizzie in waves of flames.
"Caroline, now!" Bonnie shouted over the roar of the flames.
Caroline looked down at the stake before looking back at Bonnie, Damon, Ric and her daughters and smiling.
"I love all of you," Caroline said before driving the stake through her heart.
The next thing Caroline knew, she was waking up in the woods. Pulling herself into a sitting position, Caroline looked around.
It was the same woods for sure, but things were different. Ric, her girls, Bonnie and Damon were gone, so was the circle and torches. And it was daylight out. Was this…Peace?
"Caroline."
A beaming smile crossed her face at the sound of the familiar voice. Looking over her shoulder, she almost cried.
"Mom," Caroline said breathlessly and Liz smiled at her.
"Hi Honey," Liz said.
With a cry, Caroline got to her feet and launched herself at Liz. In life, such a blow would have knocked Liz off her feet. Now, she simply wrapped her arms around her sobbing daughter.
"I'm here Sweetie," Liz said gently.
"The spell. Did it-did it work?" Caroline asked as she pulled back to look at her mother.
"Yes, it did."
Startled, Caroline turned around, eyes widening at who else was in the clearing.
"Jo," Caroline said and her daughters' biological mother smiled at her.
"Hello Caroline. It's good to see you," Jo greeted as she walked over to Caroline.
"The spell, it worked?" Caroline asked as she registered Jo's words and she nodded.
"Bonnie completed the ritual; the girls don't have to do the Merge now. Neither will any of their descendants," Jo assured her and a knot loosened in Caroline's stomach. "Thank you Caroline. For being their mother. For doing what I couldn't, for sacrificing everything for them. I couldn't have asked for anyone better to be their mother."
"I had a great example," Caroline said, glancing at Liz who smiled.
"I'm glad to see you Caroline, even if I'm sad you're here so quickly. But I think there's someone else who'd like to see you even more," Liz said, glancing over Caroline's shoulder.
Caroline followed her mother's gaze, seeing no one behind her. But, in the distance, she could see the Salvatore school. No, not the school, the Boarding House. Had she still been alive, Caroline's heart would have begun racing as she realized who was there, waiting for her.
"Go," Liz said gently. "We'll have time to catch up later. Go to him."
Caroline didn't need to be told twice, running towards the Boarding House. She raced through the woods, making it to the Boarding House in less than a minute. Walking up the steps, she stopped in front of the front door, suddenly hesitant. After a moment, she raised her hand to knock but the door had already opened.
"Caroline," Stefan said breathing her name like it was a prayer.
"Stefan," Caroline breathed.
For a moment, they simply stood there, staring at each other. Then, Caroline lunged forward, pulling Stefan into a kiss. Stefan returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her. After several moments where they just held each other, they pulled back, their foreheads nearly touching as they basked in each other's presence.
"I told you, I would love you forever," Caroline told him.
"And I told you I would love you forever to," Stefan reminded her with a smile. "And now, we finally can."
Do I think this likely to happen in the show? Unlikely, if only because it doesn't seem likely for Candice King to reprise her role as Caroline. But if she did, having Caroline sacrifice herself to stop the Merge would not only be a great way to resolve that storyline, but to write Caroline out of the TVD universe and give her a proper ending. Having her find Peace with Liz and Stefan would simply be an added bonus.