A/N: As always, I apologize for any mistakes you might find. English is not my first language, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill.
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has been reading this and leaving me the most amazing comments. Trust me, your response is a MAJOR boost to keep me going but it's not been easy writing this story. Chapters are turning out ridiculously long, thinking the structure for this is super difficult and I have had to restart bits and pieces more times than I'm used to. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be tbh. lol So yeah, it's really your support what's been giving me the inspiration I need to keep going.
Please, don't hesitate to leave a comment! I really look forward to knowing what you guys think. :) And thank you very much to those of you reading this.
"Tell me, Cami. Does that sound evil to you?"
Cami?
Caroline stops dead on her track, attention suddenly piqued. Shamelessly, she glues her ears to the closed door, straining to hear the conversation.
She knew Klaus was home, and locked up in a room all morning. She didn't know he had guests.
And it seems like it's not just any guest either.
"I don't believe in evil as a diagnosis."
Caroline scrunches up her nose at the sound of the woman's voice, fighting to contain the undignified grunt from escaping her.
The girl with the angel wings, who's dating Marcel and who Klaus categorically said he was not interested in, but who now happens to be locked in the living room with him, having some kind of philosophical conversation about the nature of evil.
Klaus has kept the plantation a secret from almost everyone under the argument that it's safer this way. Sophie Deveraux and some of her witchy friends aside, no one knows the Mikaelsons are there. Caroline is made to live a phantom-like existence within the space between her bedroom and the kitchen because the risk of Marcel finding out that a witch has become pregnant with Klaus' miracle hybrid baby is too jarring.
But he seems to have no problems at all bringing Marcel's own girlfriend into the house.
He must really trust this girl.
"I think you have unstable personal relationships, stress-related paranoia, chronic anger issues, fear of abandonment," Cami continues. "I think you could benefit from talking to someone. Professionally."
For someone Klaus doesn't have a relationship with, Cami certainly nailed him down. It took Caroline years to understand that Klaus' issues weren't all just fundamental evil, but rather deeply rooted in self-loathing, insecurities and traumas he only knows how to process through violence. They must have been spending a lot of time together. And talking, by the sounds of it.
"I think I prefer to talk to you."
She can hear Klaus' smirk in his voice, can imagine the wolfish glint in his eyes. Caroline grinds her jaw, feeling a stab of jealousy.
That lying dick.
"So I'm going to offer you a job," Klaus continues excitedly. "As my stenographer."
"Ok. What are we writing?"
"My memoirs, of course. Someone should know my story."
Caroline snorts. That man's ego is larger than the moon. Oh, Caroline could certainly tell Cami some stories about Klaus. She would run away screaming before she even got to the end of his first year in Mystic Falls.
"And that will give us time to discuss other riveting subjects," Klaus adds. "Like your handsome suitor, Marcel."
"Excuse me. My private life is -"
"Your private life is, as it turns out, essential to my plans," Klaus says drily, all the warmth and the easy flirtation completely gone, replaced by a kind of authoritarian tilt that admits no discord. "You see, Marcel wants you. And because of that, he will trust you, which serves me. The thing is, the French Quarter is on the verge of war. On the one side, there's me. And on the other, Marcel... Along with a very powerful witch and an army of vampires."
"What?" Cami's voice sounds choked. Scared even.
So she has no idea about the vampires. Has been going out with Marcel all this time not knowing what he is. What Klaus is.
Caroline is overcome by a sudden wave of anger, and also a pang of pity for the girl. Klaus is handsome, mysterious and incredibly charming when he wants to be. What girl wouldn't swoon, being at the center of his attention? But he's manipulating Cami. Keeping her tame and friendly to use her against Marcel, putting her in unnecessary danger even. And she hasn't got the faintest idea of any of it.
She hears a loud gasp with an edge of a sob, and then Klaus says, "You're frightened. Don't be."
She knows that tone. He's compelling Cami.
Caroline clenches her hands tight, nails digging into her palms. She remembers another charming, handsome vampire trying to do the exact same thing to her, unaware that she couldn't be compelled. She was so terrified that she became paralyzed, unable to react, to scream or fight when he sank his teeth in her neck. Her father told her all about the evil vampires, how ruthless they are, but that was the first time she was ever seeing one in the flesh, and all those bedtime stories she spent her early childhood hearing came back in a rush, overwhelming her.
Don't be afraid. Don't scream.
She still shudders at those words. Caroline has come a long way, has learned to never stand in fear of anything or anyone ever again, but that kind of abuse — it leaves a scar. And she just cannot stand by while a vampire does to another woman what Damon did to her.
Especially if said vampire happens to be the father of her child.
Oh no, he won't.
"I'm not scared anymore. That's amazing. How did you -"
"It's called compulsion," Caroline says, barging into the room. "It's a nasty bit of vampire trickery I'm sure he is planning on telling you nothing about."
Klaus rolls his eyes with an air of infinite patience, like Caroline has just ruined his fun, and takes a step away from a very confused Camille.
"Don't you knock, love? I'm kind of in the middle of something here."
"Yes, I've noticed."
"Who are you?" Cami asks, blinking her huge green eyes at Caroline.
"Right now, I'm pissed off. What the hell are you doing?" she asks, pinning Klaus under a death glare and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wasting my time, thanks to you," he grumbles. "Camille, I'm afraid we'll have to cut our meeting short, sweetheart."
"Wha-what? What is go-"
"Don't worry, love. It's all fine." Klaus places both hands on the girl's shoulder, forcing her to focus on him again. "You won't remember being here today or anything that just happened, especially not meeting my lovely friend. You'll only know that you agreed to be my stenographer and we'll talk more later. Now go, and have a nice day."
Cami's expression, that had been ridden with emotions just a second before, becomes absolutely blank as oblivion takes over. She then just turns around and sees herself out like nothing happened.
Klaus arches his eyebrows at her in a Happy now? way and goes to pour himself a drink.
"Seriously?" Caroline says, following him with her hands on her hips. "Compelling yourself a friend?"
"She's not a friend, she's a spy. I've told you this already."
"That's even worse, Klaus! You're putting her in danger."
"Nonsense. Marcel adores her."
"Yeah, until he finds out she's spying for you. Do you really not see the problem in this? You're taking away her agency, and not for a good and honest reason. It's selfish and cruel, forcing her to go out with someone she might not even be interested in. That's abusive!"
"I only compelled her to go on one date with Marcel. I never said anything about her having to like him, or do anything else for that matter. I didn't even tell her to keep him interested. Whatever feelings she has, and clearly she's developing some, it's all her own doing. You could say I did them a favor, playing cupid," he says, smiling.
Caroline shakes her head, using every ounce of self-control in her body not to whack him on the head. "You're unbelievable. A favor compelling her to date a guy just to keep you posted on what he's up to and then come here and - I hope to God talking is all you're doing to her, Klaus."
His lips twist up into a smirk. "Is that a tinge of jealousy I sense, love?"
"It's a tinge of I'll your kick your ass from here back to Mystic Falls if you're compelling a girl to sleep with you."
"Whyever would I do that? We both know I don't need to compel women into my bed," he says, waggling his eyebrows at her once before swiging from his drink again.
Caroline scoffs. "Don't change the subject. You have no idea the kind of damage that might cause to a person. I know that doesn't usually mean much to you, but this is a life you're toying with."
"Spare me the lecture, will you, Caroline?" he says, very calmly but giving hints that his patience is starting to run thin. That's Klaus for you. Ending arguments by showing his teeth. "We're in a position of inferiority right now. Marcel has an army and an all-powerful witch, not to mention my brother."
"Which you gave to him!"
"And now I want him back. Don't you? Aren't you oh so worried about Elijah's well-being? Wouldn't you do anything to have my dear brother safely returned to our family?" Caroline scoffs in disbelief at the accusing twist in his voice. Like any of that is actually bad. It's amazing how Klaus manages to turn the purest of intentions into serious offenses, almost like Caroline is betraying him somehow just by showing concern for Elijah. "I don't know what exactly you think is happening here, but let me put it in no uncertain terms for you. This is war, Caroline. If you want to win, you can't play fair, because, rest assured, our enemies won't. Marcel is keeping a sixteen-year-old prisoner to do his bidding. How much lower do you think he'll be willing to stoop?"
"Well, then use me." Klaus laughs — actually laughs, humorously. "What? At least I know what I'm getting myself into. I'm volunteering. And if it comes to that, I have a good fighting chance."
"Oh? You're serious? Pardon me, love, I thought you were telling a bad joke."
"Why?"
"Do you have to ask?"
"Why not?!
"Because I'm not putting you in danger!" he roars, finally snapping.
What he's saying is, I'll gladly sacrifice others — everyone, anyone — but not you. In his head, that's noble. But it makes absolutely nothing better — Caroline is not ok knowing Klaus is out there putting innocent people in harm's way for her.
"My plan is working out fine, and already bearing fruits," he speaks after a moment. "For instance, I've found out through Camille that Davina will come out of hiding this evening."
"What?"
Klaus' lips curve up into a smug little grin at her sudden interest.
"There's a jazz festival taking place at the Quarter tonight and apparently the girl is a great admirer. Marcel has agreed to let her go and asked Cami to be her chaperone. Which gives me the perfect opportunity to approach the little witch."
"And do what?"
"Convince her to switch sides, of course."
"What makes you think she'd be interested?"
Klaus shrugs. "I don't. But it can't hurt to introduce myself."
"What about me?"
"You're staying put — for real, this time."
"Klaus—"
"You can fight me all you want, Caroline. You will lose."
She snorts. "Condescending much?"
Klaus finishes his drink, then approaches her, a solemn look in his eyes. "If Marcel finds out about you, he will stop at nothing until he gets you. I know you're not weak, Caroline. But you are a weakness. And if he has you, he has everything."
There's a thousand things in Klaus' logic Caroline would like to protest, but the unexpected earnestness in his eyes and the almost pleading tone of his voice leaves her bereft of words. Klaus has always had this kind of effect on her, which she guesses he knows and is not afraid to use to his own benefit.
Caroline can respond to this temper tantrums and paranoid accusations, to his violent behavior and even his unreasonable bouts of jealousy. But his sincere concern and heartfelt rejoinders always give her pause, make her a little weak around the knees.
Her lack of response, which he probably takes as conformity, satisfies him. "If you'll excuse me now, I have business to tend to."
Caroline bites on her lower lip, mentally cursing herself for not being more assertive as he brushes by her. Right before he exits the room, she tosses over her shoulder, "Stop compelling Cami!"
"Have a nice day, Caroline," he says, and five seconds later she hears the front door closing.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The tap, tap, tap of Caroline's pacing is driving Rebekah out of her mind. She needs to remember she's living with vampires now. There is no such thing as soft padding.
Rebekah tries to block it out and focus on her research, but she can sense Caroline's movement behind her, can even feel the way her nostrils flare, and it's all Rebekah can do not to turn around and throw something at her to make her stop. It's so annoying.
The only reason she hasn't done anything yet is because, a) Rebekah does not assault pregnant women, and b) it's Nik's baby. Part of her feels sorry for the poor soul who ends up carrying her brother's offspring. She can cut Caroline some slack. Emphasis on some. She would be mad out of her mind if it'd happened to her, too.
Then again, she would've never fallen for Nik's cheap charm, so it serves Caroline right for being so silly.
"Why is he so frustrating?" she blurts out after eons of barely concealing her anger.
Rebekah rolls her eyes. She heard the two of them having an argument of sorts this morning and deliberately stayed away so she wouldn't even know what about. Ever since they started talking again, it feels like they can't have a single interaction that doesn't end with one or both of them worked up.
Elijah would probably know how to handle it. She, on the other hand, just wants to push their faces together and get them to exorcise all the sexual tension they try so fruitlessly to cover up with hostility through something slightly more beneficial than fighting so they can be done with it and move on, and maybe be in a better overall mood. At least if they're having sex they're not screaming at each other or... Well, she takes that back. Never mind.
"Frustrating is Nik's middle name," Rebekah says mindlessly.
"He never listens! Why can't he just, for once in his life, act like a normal person and pay attention to other people's needs? Why can't he just care?"
"Are you being serious now? You've known my brother for roughly three years and you choose to realize Nik is a selfish arse after you become pregnant?"
"He wasn't always like that. He knew how to be nice every once in a while. Even sweet. He actually paid attention to the things I said. Even to the things I didn't say."
"Do I need to remind you he was trying to get in your pants?"
"There was no guarantee he would ever succeed."
Rebekah has to laugh at that. Did she really think she was being subtle? "Whatever you say."
Caroline groans again.
"You're getting too worked up, child," Agnes speaks. Rebekah almost forgot the old witch is there.
They've taken to stopping by to check on Caroline now and she isn't entirely sure how to feel about it. They're conniving little mouses, those witches. As the daughter of one, Rebekah's learned never to trust them. But then Caroline is a witch too and they seem to be strangely protective of their own people, even if they don't belong to the same coven.
Whatever. If Agnes gets her to shut up so Rebekah can concentrate, she'll be more than grateful.
"I'm fine," Caroline says, finally slumping down on the couch.
"Have you seen a doctor yet?"
"I'm fine, Agnes."
"You're pregnant. Just because your baby is magical, it doesn't mean that your body has suddenly become immune to everything. You are overdue for a check-up."
"And how am I supposed to do that, exactly? Pop into the Quarter for a quick ultrasound? A witch pregnant with a baby werewolf. I'm sure the vampires are gonna love that."
"A lot of women would kill to have a child," Rebekah says, not really keeping the edge of bitterness from her tone. "Strikes me as odd that you're not taking better care of yours."
Caroline goes quiet for a moment, and when she speaks again, it's in a lot less combative tone. "This isn't an ordinary pregnancy."
"I know a doctor out in the Bayou, off the beaten path," Agnes says. "I took the liberty of making an appointment for you. Tonight. After hours, so no one will know you're there. I'll take you. The vampires will never get word of it."
Caroline sighs. "Fine. Bayou baby doctor it is."
"Brilliant," Rebekah says. "And maybe get her some floral medication too, so she'll calm down a bit."
"What are you doing, anyway?" Caroline asks.
"I'm trying to narrow down the possible places Elijah could be."
"I thought you didn't remember anything."
"I remember details about the attic Marcel took me to. There were shutters on the window behind Elijah's coffin."
"Klaus said Marcel was going to give him back."
"And where is he, then? I'm not going to just sit back and count on Marcel's good faith. His delay in returning Elijah could mean an infinite number of things. Who knows what that witch could be doing to him right now."
"Is there anything I can help with? I'm good with researches."
Rebekah shifts on her chair to look back at Caroline. For all their differences, the girl seems to honestly want Elijah's safe return. If Rebekah remembers anything from her brief spell at Mystic High, Caroline truly is a beast when it comes to projects. But this is something she'll have to do on her own.
"Thank you," she says, sincerely. "But I think you should concentrate on the baby now." And then, as an afterthought, she adds, "It's what Elijah would want."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It's a testament to how truly screwed up everything is that Caroline would accept to see an obgyn in the middle of freaking nowhere. To say it's a clinic would be a stretch. It's an old barn that, but for a tiny little light on the outside, looks completely abandoned. There's no way this place would be approved to function. It can't be safe.
"This is the doctor's office? Seriously?" she asks Agnes as the witch parks her car.
When she said off the beaten path she hadn't been joking.
"Dr. Paige is only this far out because Marcel's men kept terrorizing her patients. Werewolves need medical attention, too. Especially the pregnant ones," the woman says calmly, a gentle smile on her face.
Caroline makes a face. Under normal circumstances, she would've conducted an extensive research, several visits and checked every bit of reference before choosing a doctor to oversee her pregnancy. But this is no normal circumstance, and no normal pregnancy either. She guesses a doctor who's used to dealing with werewolves might turn out to be the best option after all — even if her office could be easily mistaken for a slaughterhouse.
"Go and talk to her," Agnes presses. "I promise she won't bite."
Caroline exhales. "What the hell," she relents, getting out of the car. "I'm already here."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Marcel should really see about choosing better company.
Turns out his loyal followers aren't as tight-lipped as he would've liked. All Rebekah had to do to coax a bit of gossip from them was promise to take her brother with her when she leaves New Orleans, which — honestly, have they met Klaus? They're either too naive to believe an all-powerful hybrid would do anything she asks or too desperate.
Either way, that boy, Diego, gave her just the tip she needed to finally find the place she was looking for.
Marcel may not be clever when it comes to picking his minions, but he surely is when picking hideout spots to stash Original vampires and super powerful teenage witches. St. Anne's church seems totally inconspicuous from the outside. In the middle of the French Quarter's impressive architecture, no one would pay the smallest bit of attention to an abandoned building on the verge of collapse, not even Rebekah, if she hadn't noticed the familiar shutters on the windows.
Finding the way to the attic is easy enough — at the back of the church, just past the sacristy. And when she opens the door at the top of the staircase, Rebekah knows she's found the right place.
Davina isn't there, as Klaus mentioned she wouldn't be — something about a music festival in Bourbon street — but Elijah's coffin is. Rebekah feels her heart jumping in her chest, a smile breaking onto her face as she sees his sleeping form inside.
But when she tries to go to him, she finds that she can't. An invisible barrier keeps her from entering the attic.
Of course.
Why didn't she realize there would be a boundary spell? Marcel would never leave the place unguarded, not when it keeps such precious treasure as a sleeping Original. Damn it. Rebekah should've brought Caroline with her.
Just as she's about to fish her phone out of her pocket to call the little witch and ask whether she's done with her doctor's appointment, Rebekah is engulfed by darkness. A violent chill runs down her spine, like someone just turned a bucket full of ice cold water over her head. She takes a gasping breath, and when she opens her eyes again, she's no longer at the attic.
Or in the 21st century, for that matter.
She's at a courtyard, right next to a carriage with horses and everything, wearing clothes she hasn't worn for almost a hundred years. There's an odd sense of deja-vu, like she's been at this place before, in this exact same dress.
"What the bloody hell?" she mutters under her breath, taking in her surroundings.
"Rebekah, language. Please."
She whips around at the sound of her brother's voice. He smiles at her, all dapper in an old tuxedo, fixing his white gloves. "Elijah!" she cries, rushing to wrap her arms tightly around his shoulders. God, how she's missed him... "What is all this?" she asks, pulling away slightly.
"You don't remember? You and I went to the Opera House together," he says, offering her his arm. She wraps a hand around the curve of his elbow and they start strolling together. She remembers it now. This gown, the carriage... That's why it's all so familiar. It's a memory. Elijah must've pulled her inside his mind. "It was your first foray back into New Orleans' society after Niklaus removed the dagger from you. It's a memory only you and I share. I need you to know this is not another of Davina's tricks."
Oh, her clever, clever brother...
"How are you awake?"
"Davina withdrew the dagger, unaware that doing so even once would negate its power. In a few hours I should be as good as new."
"So what the hell are you doing? Take me back to the attic so I can find a way to get you out."
Elijah offers her a cryptic lopsided grin. "I'm afraid I'm not quite ready to leave yet, Rebekah."
"What? What are you on about?"
"This girl, Davina. She's curious. Willful, too. Soon I'll be able to speak with her, perhaps even propose a truce of some kind. If we can end this war between the vampires and the witches, we'll be able to eliminate the threat to Caroline and her baby. Perhaps then Niklaus and our entire family can finally know peace."
Rebekah sighs. Bless Elijah's heart, really. His faith in their brother's redemption is unshakable, and so is his loyalty. But Rebekah's frankly starting to tire of these hopeful promises when Niklaus does absolutely nothing to earn it. He betrayed all of them and conducted his own secret plan at the masquerade ball, which clearly didn't work. And while she's been running all over town trying to find this attic, all he can think of is getting his paws on Davina. The secret weapon. That's all he ever cares about. Power. Elijah is a fool for believing there's hope for Niklaus.
"In the meantime, Rebekah," he continues, taking her hands between his palms and giving her a gentle squeeze. "I need you to look after Caroline."
"Oh, bloody hell."
"She's our family now, sister. And I need her and her unborn child to fall underneath our protection. Swear to me, Rebekah."
The look in Elijah's eyes is a near plea. There's absolutely nothing in this world Elijah would ask of her with such heartfelt sincerity that Rebekah would ever be able to deny. She wants to save him, first and foremost. And then she wants to get the hell out of New Orleans. But if this baby means so much to him - if doing right by Caroline is truly so important, then Rebekah will keep his promise for him while she waits.
"I swear," she says. She blinks, and when she opens her eyes again, she's back at the church.
Time to go find the little witch, then.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The sound of the baby's heartbeat sends Caroline into a daze.
It's fast. Strong. Steady. Alive.
As a ripple of anxiety passes through her, she realizes that none of this had felt completely real until this very moment. She knew she was pregnant. She knew what it entails. The scare at the French Quarter was enough for her to comprehend the level of peril that child is in, and to understand she has to protect it at all costs. But it was all very objective, mechanical almost. A knee-jerk reaction rather than an epiphany or an enlightenment. She was a lioness looking after her cub because that is what mother nature has made her for.
It hadn't completely dawned on Caroline that there is a life inside of her. What it actually means. In less than seven months, the bump in her stomach will push out of her and she'll have a tiny little person in her arms. Her tiny little person. That she made herself. A little person that will be entirely dependent upon her for years to come. That will be hers forever, no matter what.
So far, everything had felt oddly like an interlude, or that's how she was processing it anyway. Like there would be an end to this part, a finish line to be crossed that would somehow make everything settle back into its regular progression.
That illusion is completely dispelled by the boom boom boom of the baby's heart. This isn't a mere disruption. This isn't something she can be done with. It's her baby. Whatever happens now, her life will be forever tied to it.
There isn't a screen for her to look at, Dr. Linda's clinic is as precarious on the inside as it is on the outside. But just the sound is enough to overwhelm Caroline with a kind of emotion she hadn't felt yet. Or ever. She's been through an incredibly complex rollercoaster of emotions since she arrived in New Orleans; fear, confusion, anger, yearning, whatever-it-is-that-she-feels-for-Klaus. But she was yet to feel love. Pure and unadorned and like nothing she's ever experienced. Unconditional love.
There's a strange energy in this kind of love. It's not the same as the kind of affection she has for her mother or her friends, however honest and strong that may be. It's not like the romantic feelings she's had for other people either. This feels powerful. Almost like magic.
It's hard to believe that she and Klaus have done this together, made a little person. Caroline keeps trying to understand what was so unique about that night that made this possible. It was certainly remarkable in several ways. A night that populated her dreams for weeks after. Suffices to say that her expectations of what being with a thousand-years-old hybrid would be like were all splendidly exceeded. But as far as she knows, mind-blowing sex does not make miracles — although her multiple orgasms that night had certainly felt like it. Caroline can't believe that Klaus went celibate for over a year after breaking his curse. So unless all the other girls he slept with were all much more careful than her, it doesn't make sense that she'd be the only one to get pregnant. The witches would know if there were others.
It makes her think of the words meant to be.
Caroline has never been one to believe in fate. She believes in chance, in making your own luck, which is why she's always been such a hard-worker. Every time someone tells her she can't do something, that she isn't good enough, it just makes it all the more satisfying when she invariably proves them wrong. Believing in fate would mean accepting that she's just not cut out for certain things. Like magic, for instance.
Which is what her father used to believe.
Too weak, too undisciplined, too reckless. Bill Forbes thought he'd been cursed with a failure of a child. And for a long time, that's what Caroline believed, too. But one day she decided she wasn't going to be the disappointment her father cut her out to be. She worked tirelessly, relentlessly, and proved to everyone that she could be as strong as any other witch, even the naturally gifted ones such as Bonnie. If magic didn't come to her freely, then she would bend it until it answered to her.
So no, Caroline does not believe in fate. But when she tries to come up with an explanation to why she ended up pregnant with a miracle baby, she can't find one. All she can think of is how perfect being with Klaus had felt. How right. It's the exact same feeling she gets now, listening to her baby's heart go. It makes her think that, although it was clearly an accident for both of them, this can't be wrong.
Whatever may have happened between her and Klaus since that night almost three months ago, however strained their relationship has become, when they came together, there had been nothing but passion. Devotion. Caroline never felt as desired or appreciated as she did on that night, never wanted anyone the way she'd wanted him. The look he had in his eyes, how lit up she felt by his touch, the words he kept cooing in her ears, the devilish smile as he worshipped every inch of her body with his lips… It's all seared onto her mind.
In that moment, as they lost themselves in heat and ecstasy and months and months of an ill-concealed attraction that was tearing them apart with need, they'd loved each other.
Nothing bad could ever come out of something so right.
Circumstances are less than favorable. The future is still scary and unsure. Caroline still has no idea if she can even do this right, knows that she is not ready. Her life is upside down, so messed up is hard to even make sense out of anything. But that baby — it has nothing to do with that.
She suddenly misses her mom so much. Impending motherhood has this weird effect of making her feel like a little girl again, scared and yearning for her mommy's embrace. Liz would know exactly what to say. She would hold Caroline's hands, look at her with those big eyes of her, always so kind, so full of warmth, and she would smile. It's gonna be alright, honey.
"Your baby's heart rate is perfect," Dr. Linda says, pulling Caroline out of her daze.
She blinks, sitting up and taking a few tissue papers to clean the gel off her belly. "Yeah. She's a tough one," she says, still a bit distracted.
"Your blood pressure is a bit high. But I've got something for it."
The doctor walks off to the next room, where Agnes is waiting by the front door. Caroline's phone buzzes in her pocket. It's a text from Rebekah, asking where she is. At clinic with doctor, she types back.
Then a lot of things happen almost at once. Caroline hears a wolf howling right outside, sending her a weird sense of urgency that makes all the hair on her body bristle. She goes to the window to check, and realizes a car has just parked outside, right next to Agnes', very quietly, all lights off. Four big guys are stepping out and heading to the door.
When Caroline looks gain, the doctor has just returned to the consult room, a strained smile on her face.
"Here, just take these," she says, trying to give Caroline a few pills and a glass of water.
She takes an instinctive step back. "You know, I'm not very good with pills."
"Well, me neither, to be honest." Dr. Linda shrugs, walking past Caroline to get something from one of the cupboards.
The men are now talking to Agnes by the door, their eyes all locked on Caroline as they speak.
Something's happening. Something bad.
When Caroline turns back to the doctor, she's got a huge needle in her hand and an apologetic expression on her face that tells Caroline everything she needs to know. The wolf howls again, and some kind of primal instinct awakens inside of her, just as it did with the vampires at the French Quarter.
Caroline wraps her hands around Dr. Linda's arm and, with a strength she never realized she had, twists it around. There's a loud crack, and the woman screams. Caroline takes the needle and sticks it into Linda's neck before rushing to the door and locking it up, the men outside already running towards her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she mutters under her breath, trying to think of what to do, the doctor now lying totally still on the floor. Whatever that thing was, it was supposed to take Caroline down.
How did she not realize this was a trap?
The window. It's old and rusty, but she manages to loosen it open with one hard pull. She could use her powers, but staying and fighting is only going to delay them. Those men outside — they're with Agnes, and if they're with Agnes, they're probably witches. If she attacks them, they'll attack back, and it'll be five against one. Not to mention, they have probably come prepared. And with witches fighting off at the Bayou, it won't be long before the vampires come crawling out of the shadows.
Caroline jumps out the window as the men try to take down the door. It won't resist for much longer, but before they can get inside, she's already running, disappearing into the woods.
She has no idea where's she's going, or even how far from civilization this place is. She didn't think to pay attention as Agnes was driving her there. Very smart, Caroline.
She just runs and runs and runs, losing herself in the deep Bayou. Her legs are taking her almost out of their own volition. The surge of adrenaline must be huge, because she doesn't feel tired. Quite the opposite. Caroline feels strong like never before. Almost inhumanly so.
There's a whooshing sound and then an arrow hits a tree right by her side, narrowling missing her arm. The men at the clinic couldn't have caught up so fast. Which means there were more of them hiding somewhere. Damn it. Those sons of bitches are not joking around.
She stops, hiding behind a tree so she won't be an easy target, and then one of her attackers appears to her right. Caroline grinds her teeth, snarling at the guy like a beast, snapping his neck as though it were a twig. A second man comes, a crossbow aimed at her, but she's fast. Much faster than him. And stronger too. She takes the crossbow from him and hits him on the back of his head. There's a loud crack, a splash of blood, and then the guy drops to the floor.
A third one appears — For fuck's sake, seriously?!—, a good feet away, another crossbow pointed at her chest. He's too far for her to reach him before he can shoot. Magic it is, then.
Before she can start chanting, however, someone whooshes in and breaks the guy's neck. He drops down like a sack of potatoes.
"Well," Rebekah says, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. "I'm impressed."
Caroline lets out a sharp breath, her heart hammering away inside her chest. "I'm not."
"Who are they?"
"Witches."
Rebekah frowns, ready to shoot another question, but they hear shouting, branches crackling, not far.
"Won't they freaking give up already?!" she growls.
"Run. Get out of here," Rebekah commands, and when Caroline hesitates, afraid to leave her alone against lord knows how many of them, she screams, "Now!"
But there's no time. There's another whooshing sound of an arrow cutting the air, and then Rebekah lets out a strangled cry before dropping to the ground.
"Rebekah!"
Caroline starts towards her, but she feels a sharp pain on her shoulder, something piercing flesh and shattering bone. Then her world goes suddenly white and she doesn't see anything anymore.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Klaus is going to kill her.
If her brother still had the daggers, Rebekah is certain she'd be looking the next 150 years tucked away in a box. Since he doesn't, his revenge will likely be a lot more painful.
Caroline is gone. The witches took her and Rebekah has no idea where or how long ago it was, doesn't even know where to start looking.
She woke up in the middle of the woods with a wooden stake in her chest, totally alone. The last thing she remembers before desiccating is Caroline screaming her name. It's unlikely that she managed to get away. Rebekah tried to follow her tracks, but got lost pretty fast. She may have heightened senses, but she's not a wolf. The only way to track her down would be through smell.
Which is why she had to call Klaus.
And he is going to kill Rebekah for letting Caroline go to a clandestine clinic with a bunch of witches all on her own.
How the hell was she to guess the witches secretly wanted Caroline dead? They were supposed to be allies. Elijah made a deal with those traitorous vermins, and they've upheld their side of the bargain so far, however unorthodox Klaus' methods may be.
Elijah.
The thought of facing his disappointment scares Rebekah far more than facing Klaus' wrath. She made him a promise that she'd keep Caroline safe and barely two hours later the girl may already be dead. How could Rebekah be so easily beaten by a bunch of witches who can't even use their magic? Juvenile. Elijah is never going to forgive her.
Maybe she should give the daggers back to Klaus. This way he can put her out of her misery quickly and she won't have to be there when Elijah finds out she's the one responsible for the end of all his hope.
When she realizes she'll never find Caroline and the rest of the witches, Rebekah backtracks and returns to the clinic, see if she can get any clues, but there's nothing and no one there anymore, except for Caroline's car and the passed out doctor. She doesn't know exactly what happened, but has a feeling the woman isn't completely innocent. If this was a trap, she was in on it. There's a needle still stuck in her neck, and she can bet Caroline was the one to do it. Whatever it is, it's strong. The woman's heartbeats are incredibly slow. It takes a lot of self-control for Rebekah not to finish her off as she deserves, but she leaves it to Klaus to decide the doctor's fate. It'll surely be far worse than anything Rebekah could ever come up with and for once she won't disagree with Klaus. That bitch deserves to suffer for turning on a pregnant lady.
There's a whooshing sound and when she turns around, Klaus is there, standing by the door with murder in his eyes.
She considers thanking him for abandoning his quest for power to help his family, but realizes before opening her mouth that he's not gonna take lightly to that kind of commentary.
"Who took her?" he asks, voice deceptively calm, but cold as ice.
"Witches."
"What witches?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I don't know," she repeats, slowly. "I had an arrow in my heart."
A snarl crosses Klaus' face, but before he can start throwing accusations her way, wolves start howling outside.
"Lovely," Rebekah scoffs. "Witches, vampires and now the werewolves are in on it as well. Do you think maybe your cousins know where she is?"
She brushes by her brother to see what's the deal with the wolves, but when she opens the door, Caroline is there. All disheveled and dirty, with blood stains on her face and clothes, like she's been lost in the Bayou for a week. She can barely stand, tripping over her own legs.
Before Rebekah can go to her aid, Klaus is pushing past her so fast it's a blur, his hands on Caroline's shoulder to steady her.
"What happened?" he asks, a desperate edge on his voice. "Tell me what happened."
Caroline blinks lazily. "I don't remember."
Klaus pulls her closer, inspecting the large blood splatter on her shirt. "You're completely healed," he says. "There's not a scratch on you."
"I..." Caroline starts, stops, looking down at herself as though she is just as confused as Klaus to realize she isn't injured.
"Leave her alone." Rebekah elbows Klaus out of the way and takes Caroline's arm, guiding her to sit down on the steps in front of the clinic. She looks knackered, the poor girl. And so very confused.
"Who healed you?" Klaus asks, eyes still raking her up and down in search of something he might have missed.
"It's the baby," Rebekah says, her ears capturing the baby's heartbeat. "It's part werewolf and it's got vampire blood. Your own child healed you."
Caroline exchanges a quick glance with Klaus, her eyebrows knitting as though asking if that's even possible. Her brother's silence is all the answer she needs. Rebekah doesn't mention what she saw in the woods, the way Caroline battled those guys who were at least twice her size without using any magic, because Klaus doesn't need any more reason to freak out. But it was not normal, and now Rebekah understands why. The baby is feeding Caroline its powers through the blood they share. Healing her, making her strong like a werewolf. Rebekah wouldn't be surprised to find out her witchy powers have grown as well.
"How did you escape? Outnumbered, unarmed." she asks.
Caroline's gaze becomes distant for a moment. "I think... I think it might've been... A wolf." Her frown deepens.
"Your baby is a wolf, too. They're trying to protect her."
"The witches were supposed to protect you," Klaus roars. "When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraux -"
"It wasn't Sophie," Caroline cuts in. "It was Agnes."
"Sophie, Agnes. It's all the same to me. I'll slaughter the lot of them."
"Not if Elijah gets there first."
"Elijah?" Caroline turns to face Rebekah. "You found him?"
"Yes. And I spoke to him. He has a plan. All he asked is that we take care of you."
Klaus' face stills and sets, his mouth drawing into a displeased move. Rebekah has a sudden feeling that Marcel's uneasiness might not have been the only reason why he daggered Elijah.
"So, uhm," Caroline starts. "Can we go home now? I think I need to sleep for a week."
When Caroline stands up, her face becomes pale, her eyes unfocus and she's about to drop, but Klaus is there before Rebekah can even think.
"I've got you, love," he coos softly as he puts his arms under her and lifts her off the ground, concern etched onto every line of his face as he carries her back to the car.
There's something in the picture Rebekah's missing, she's certain of it. But she stores it for later. Right now, they have more important things to worry about. Like what the hell are those witches really up to.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Caroline stays in the bathtub until the water gets cold.
Her body is all healed up, but it's as though she can still feel it in her soul. Sustaining the powers of a werewolf/vampire hybrid in a very human body is straining. She keeps touching the spot where the arrow pierced flesh and bone on her shoulder, the memory of pain still vivid in her mind.
She puts a hand on her still almost non-existent belly, wondering how can something so tiny be so powerful.
Her poor baby... Not even born yet and already she has to fight for her life, saving her mother's ass to survive.
And the witches...
She trusted Agnes. That bitch went to her house pretending to be concerned for her child's well being and then tried to have her killed. If Caroline wasn't feeling so exhausted, so emotionally drained, she'd go snap that old rag's neck herself. After beating down two men with her bare hands, something tells her she can crush Agnes with her fingertips.
And she was annoyed by the excessive calmness of her first few weeks at the plantation... She takes it back. Now all Caroline wants is to be left in peace for the next six and a half months.
She gets out of the tub, puts on a fluffy robe and goes back to her room, looking forward to 15 straight hours of sleep, but when she returns to her room, Klaus is there.
"Thought you might be hungry," he says tentatively, nodding towards a tray on the nightstand. There's a tall glass of juice, a large chunk of brie cheese and some jam. Caroline can't help the smile that creeps onto her face. She's been adding cheese and jam frequently to the list of things for him to get her, but she didn't know he knew she was having it together, just jam on a piece of cheese like it's a toast. It's her first pregnancy craving. Apparently Klaus has been paying more attention than he lets on.
Unfortunately, just the sight of food makes Caroline's stomach roil with nausea.
"Thanks," she says. "But I don't think I can eat anything right now."
Klaus nods. "Are you all right?"
She grins, cocking her head to the side. "You don't have to stand guard. I'm feeling better."
A shadow crosses Klaus' face. Caroline can hear his teeth clenching. "I let those witches get too comfortable," he mumbles. "Come into my house, lure you out to the Bayou... I should've never trusted them."
"It's not your fault, Klaus," she says, softly. "I trusted them, too. It never crossed my mind that Agnes would..." she trails off, shaking her head dejectedly.
"If that witch knows what's good for her, she'll leave the city tonight, go very, very far and never return."
The barely veiled threat sends a shiver up Caroline's spine. Normally, Klaus' way of dealing with everything through violence would bother her, but not now. Agnes didn't just try to kill her, she tried to kill her baby. She deserves whatever revenge Klaus cooks up for her.
"Where were you?" she asks, sitting down on the edge of her bed.
"The Quarter. Trying to win Davina's trust."
"You met her?"
He nods. "As Camille said, she attended the music festival at the French Quarter tonight. I think I might've swayed her inclinations."
"Wow. That's huge. If Marcel doesn't have Davina on his side, he can no longer control the witches. Although... I'm not so certain that's a good thing anymore."
"Yes, it is huge. But not as huge as you getting attacked by a mob of angry witches in the middle of the Bayou."
"I had quite a day," Caroline says around a sigh. "Before the doctor tried to stab me with a needle, I actually got to hear my — our baby's heart, for the first time." A genuine smile breaks way onto her face. "It's so strong."
"I know," Klaus says, his eyes moving to her belly for just a second.
"Right," Caroline nods. "I keep forgetting you can hear it all the time." She places a hand on her stomach, her eyes becoming distant for a moment, thoughtful. "It's amazing, isn't it? How something so small can be so... resilient. She's strong."
Klaus smiles, flashing her his dimples. "I'm not surprised. She's your daughter, after all."
"Yours too." It's hard not to notice the shift in Klaus' eyes. Still haunted, still dark, but intense and warm. However strained their relationship might be at the moment, however distant Klaus might feel, they have something compelling between them, something bigger than anything she might want from him. Something that binds them. While everything and everyone seem to conspire to drive them apart, making her think that there cannot be two more dissimilar beings in this universe than the two of them, this — the child they've made together — transcends all differences. "We made something pretty special, didn't we? Completely bonkers. But special."
"Yes, we have," Klaus says, giving her a look that lasts for a bit too much, and then she has to look away, feeling her cheeks start to blush.
"I think I need to lie down for a bit now."
"Of course."
Klaus makes it to take the tray, but Caroline stops him. "Leave it. I might get weird cravings in the middle of the night."
He nods, smiling. "If you need anything else..." he trails off.
"Thank you," Caroline says, earnestly. "Not just for the food, but... For carrying me home. That was kind of embarrassing."
"No need to thank me. Not yet. Wait until I bring you Agnes' head on a silver platter."
"All right, TMI." Caroline waves a hand in front of her face. "I'm already feeling nauseous as it is."
Klaus stays there for an awkward moment longer, almost like he doesn't know what to do, then gives up and says, "Good night, love."
Caroline watches as he shuts the door behind him, wishing for just a minute that things could be different between them, that she could go back to that night in Mystic Falls, where everything fell into place, made perfect sense. She could really use the company. But alas... It's not to be.
Because I got a couple of comments asking about this, I need to clarify something, in case this chapter didn't make it clear. Guys, it's not gonna be twins. They've been listening to heartbeats since the first chapter, and the witches know. It's a girl, just one. I'm sorry if that's disappointing, but I did mention I was going to keep things as close to canon as possible. So no twins.
I feel like this is a good time to remind you all that this is The Originals season 1. I made a long warning about this before chapter 1 so you knew exactly what to expect from this story. Keep that in mind.