Solar Flare
Summary: Her life was taken from her unexpectedly. Saved by an unlikely someone, she is given a second chance. And she plans on taking that chance to make her name known. Mikael Mikaelson will never forget the girl whose hair shined like the sun and eyes that were as blue as the ocean. He would never forget the fierce warrior princess his son sired. No one who ran from Mikael during 1919 would forget the solar flare that was Caroline Forbes.
I do not own The Vampire Diaries, The Originals or its characters, just this plot bunny and a few characters.
I.
An Unlikely Wedding Guest
1852
Today was supposed to a happy occasion. She was supposed to be feeling happy that she was getting married. She was the only daughter of William and Elizabeth Forbes, the younger sister of Will Forbes. She was beautiful, with eyes the color of the sky and hair the color of a sunflower. Many loved her personality, she was sweet but also had a bit of a spoiled streak. She knew she could be immature, but she wasn't sure why she wasn't happy. She had always dreamed of having a beautiful wedding.
Yet as she was allowed her servants to finish dressing her, she couldn't help but feel like she was preparing herself for her funeral.
Her freedom, what little she had anyway, was being murdered today.
A knock on her door caused her to snap out of her thoughts. "Come in."
The door opened and a woman with short blonde hair walked inside. She was no older than perhaps her early forties and she wore a soft red dress. Elizabeth Forbes, affectionately referred by her husband and dear friends as Liz, stared at her daughter with a timid smile. She truly was beautiful in her wedding dress. Her blonde hair was curled and fell to her back, her lips painted a soft red while the veil covered her face.
"You look beautiful," Liz remarked as she walked forward. She cupped Caroline's cheek and caressed it gently. "Truly beautiful Caroline."
Her daughter gave her a smile. "Thank you, mother."
Liz nodded. "Are you nervous?"
"A little bit," Caroline answered but she wasn't sure if she should ask her mother her heart's true question. Was she doing the right thing? Marriage was sacred notion, one she was almost certain her parents knew of. Their recent move to the town of Mystic Falls just two years before was sudden. Her brother, Will, had been angry when they left their home in London, where they had been born and bred, but Caroline understood. They were not ones to cause a scandal, especially since it was it had been rumored that her father had been having extramarital affairs, but not with female company.
Caroline and Will had suspected for years that their parents marriage would falter, but mostly from financial issues. Rumors of affairs, were something completely different.
"You'll do fine, my dear." Liz said with a smile and cupped her daughter's cheeks. "You'll be a beautiful wife and a lovely mother."
Caroline smiled weakly. She could only hope so.
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Kol had been to many weddings before and had dined on plenty of guest in the process, but this wedding seemed to interest him. He had wondered into the chapel, to search for his next meal when his eyes landed on the most beautiful creature dressed in white. The bride had caught his eye and he couldn't help but wonder, why was she marrying a man like Alexander St. John?
The man was known for his gambling, his whores and his drinking, in addition to his vampire hunting and experiments. The beautiful woman, with sunshine colored hair and fair skin, didn't belong to a man like that. He was almost certain she belonged with a man of importance. Someone who would love her for who she was. Whoever she was.
As the priest spoke about wedding vows and the usual, he obtained her name. Caroline Forbes.
A beautiful name for a woman like her.
After the wedding ended, he made his way to the bride. She had just dismissed a guest when he stepped into her line of vision. "A lovely wedding," he offered her, though she could tell from his tone, he was lying. "Tell me, love, how does a man come across an exquisite beauty such as yourself?"
Caroline smiled weakly at him. "I suppose the right amount of power and influence can help."
Kol snorted. If that were the case, he supposed he could have outbid the idiot known as Alexander St. John. "Pity, such beauty as yourself is wasted on a fool. But, to each their own I suppose." He held out his hand for her. "Kol Mikaelson."
"Caroline," she responded. "Do you know my husband?"
It felt weird saying that word, husband. She took another look at the man who stood before her. He looked to be a year or so younger than her, only twenty. His eyes were a dark honey, though she could see so much wisdom and age in those eyes. His hair was a chestnut hue, and held in a ponytail. He smiled at the girl, his teeth pearly white and she couldn't lie, he was handsome.
"I've heard of him. To be honest, I was just passing though." Kol answered. "I'll be heading out in a few days."
"A few days?" Caroline said, sounding rather disappointed. This stranger intrigued her and she couldn't help but wish she knew more about him. "A shame, you seem so at home with this town."
"Mystic Falls is my home," Kol smiled weakly at her, memories swimming in his eyes. "However, I've taken up residency elsewhere. My family is currently enjoying themselves in New Orleans."
"Is that where you are headed?"
"For a small time, a month or two. I'm thinking of heading back to London for a time." Kol said remembering fondly the good times he had in London. All the women, all the freedom from Nik. But he had promised Bekah he would visit her before heading that way.
"I miss London." Caroline said, a fondness in her tone. "It was my home before we settled here."
Kol smiled softly at her. "Perhaps I shall a trinket to you. A reminder of home."
The statement shocked both of them. Caroline, because this man was a stranger who was willing to give her a little bit of home. Kol was shocked because he was unsure of why he wanted to make her smile. Why did he want to keep her smiling? Perhaps it was because she was unhappy. He wasn't sure.
"You would do that?"
Kol looked her in the eyes, his filled with truth. "I would do anything for you, Caroline."
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1854
She died when her skull cracked on the marble floor of her foyer.
Caroline Elizabeth St. John, nee Forbes, died at age of twenty-three; two years into her marriage while having a spat with her husband. He had been drunk, and as he had before, he had taken his anger out on her. But unlike before, when there were nothing but bruises on her arms or being slapped, this was different.
There was no coming back from the dead.
She could feel the blood starting to pool, dampening her hair and moving down to her neck. So this was how she died. Above her, her husband peered down at her body, fear in his eyes and horror over his actions. It was the last thing she saw before she was taken by death.
When she came around again, she was staring up at the night sky, the stars bright and the sounds of the forest were crisp and clear in her ears. But that wasn't all. She could smell the dirt beneath her, smell the moss on the ground and the musk of a male. She sat up and turned, confused to see Kol Mikaelson.
Was this death or purgatory? Did you envision a dear friend as your guide to heaven? Caroline was unsure, but she looked up at the specter and asked, "Am I dead?"
"Not yet, darling." Kol spoke and bent down to help her up. He looked pained, almost angry before he cupped her cheeks and kisses her forehead. "I'm just glad you're awake. Do you remember anything?"
"I died," she answered. "Alexander was drunk and we ended up arguing over it."
"How, darling? How did you die?" Kol questioned. He had been walking into the courtyard of the manor when blood had alerted him, He had found her body and whisked it away before Alexander could do anything to it. He had been happy he had been slipping droplets of his blood in her tea every morning, thanks to him compelling a servant.
"Alexander caught in the hallway and he grabbed me. I struggled to get away and he pressed me against the railing. He shoved me," she whispered and brought her hand to her mouth. "He shoved me over the railing."
Kol growled, the sound starting low in his chest and growing as it rose to his throat. He caught Caroline's flinch of fear and stopped. He was frightening her and he was trying to do anything but that. "My apologies, darling. I've never liked that piece of scum you took as a husband."
Throughout the two years of her marriage, Kol had been a dear friend. He would visit every six months and sometimes earlier. He had been on his way to see her before she died.
"Kol," she called and looked him in the eyes. "How am I alive?"
Kol sighed. "Darling, you're not alive but you're not dead yet either."
"What?"
"You're in transition, my dear, to becoming a vampire."
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2009
Zach set the book down, his eyes set on the leather bound book. His mother had been killed by her husband. That was something he needed a moment to get over. Beside him, his dad looked slightly uncomfortable.
"Did you know?" the twelve year old asked after a beat.
"I...I did. Your mom was very open with who she was," Adam said. "She had no regrets with the actions that followed, by the way. I won't tell you, that's something you have to keep reading."
"Alexander was a horrible man."
"He was," Adam agreed. "A terrible man who got what was coming to him."
Zach blinked and looked up at his dad. The man shook his head and instructed him to read. Adam arose from the couch and announced he was going to get a cup of coffee and some juice for his son. Zach reached for the book, took a breath and continued to read.
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1854
A vampire.
The things she had heard of only in passing since she moved to this sleepy little town, that was what she was possibly going to become. The undead, who survived on blood and could not walk into the sun again. Kol had explained to her that he had been slipping some drops of his blood in her system through her morning teas. That would explain how rejuvenated she felt everyday and then he had sometimes doubled the dosages when Alexander would lay his hands on her. That morning, he had had the maid, Frannie, put more than usual in her tea and mask the taste.
"How long do I have?" she whispered.
"This time tomorrow night." Kol answered.
"And I have to drink blood?" Caroline asked. Kol nodded and she sighed. She wanted to live, she had so much life she had missed out on and now it had been robbed from her.
"It's your choice love." Kol informed her. "Now come along, we have to get you some clean clothes. We'll talk more once you're cleaned up."
Caroline nodded and the two departed, heading to Kol's own home not too far from Mystic Falls.