A/N: Not gonna lie, I'm really excited about this chapter. Something magical takes place below, hope you enjoy it.
Summary: Klaus was not the only one affected by the hybrid curse, denying him his werewolf side. The curse had a second victim, his wife Caroline, who for a 1000 years he thought was dead. Only days before he is meant to break his hybrid curse, he learns she is alive and closer than he ever imagined. Klaroline!Time travel story.
Chapter Four
Caroline, Rebekah and Niklaus returned to the house in good time, while the girls went to help Esther with lunch, Niklaus decided to wander off outside for a bit. His thoughts went in all sorts of directions, yet they continued to return to the young woman with golden hair and sky blue eyes. After everything she had endured, he wanted to do something to help her and ease the pain he knew she was in. The carving seemed to be the best option, though it didn't seem like enough.
Niklaus stopped a ways from the house on his walk, he glanced back to see she was outside talking with his younger brothers. It brought a soft smile to his face, though he couldn't imagine why when the sight before him appeared ordinary. However he knew that it was Caroline who made the sight before something special and beautiful. A moment later, she looked up to see him watching her. A sheepish smile formed on her face and she did a little wave to him which he returned with ease.
"You seem quite taken by our guest," Elijah remarked beside him, a grin on his face.
Niklaus didn't glance at him, "I have no idea what you mean brother."
"The oblivious act does not suit you brother," Elijah remarked, a knowing look in his eyes.
Elijah and Niklaus were close, despite their contrasting personalities, the pair had a strong understanding with one another. It was not difficult for Elijah to see his brother was infatuated with the young woman. He could not discern however if these feelings that were growing in his brother were serious or simply another boyish interest. In all honesty, Elijah was certain that it was too early to tell whether or not his feelings for Caroline were true.
However he could note that he hadn't seen Niklaus act this way around a woman before. When it came to the women of the village, he showed off an air of confidence with relative ease, it was a more subtle side, but it was clear. Yet with Miss Caroline it seemed that he had to try a bit harder and tended to show his shyer side. It intrigued Elijah to see the change however he wouldn't press the subject yet. For now, he would watch and see how this would play out.
"Something you want to say," Niklaus asked his brother, his brow raised slightly.
Elijah glanced from his brother to Caroline, "Not at this time. Come along, we'll need to gather more wood."
Niklaus followed his brother wordlessly. Perhaps some work in the woods would push her from his mind. Though he found the further away he walked, the more she occupied his mind.
After lunch, Caroline became lost in her thoughts as she did chores with Rebekah. Though she wasn't usually one to remain silent for long periods of time, she found when she did try to speak her throat would tighten as her emotions started to overwhelm her. It had been a few days since she arrived here and she knew with absolute certainty that she was trapped in the past with no hope of getting home.
Of course Caroline liked to look on the bright side and have a light at the end of the tunnel, but slowly and surely she was losing her ability to see a light at the end of this tunnel. Never seeing the people she loved again, that was dark. She had met some new people that was light, but not bright enough. The more she tried to push the negative thoughts, the harder they crashed into her mind.
"Caroline," said Esther breaking her from her thoughts, "Would you mind getting some more water?"
Caroline shook her head, she answered smiling, "Not at all."
Caroline was relieved to have a moment to step away from it all. Grabbing the pale, she left the house and walked to the back. In the distance she noticed Elijah, Finn and Niklaus were fighting with swords while Mikael watched them. Mikael was not her favorite person here, he was harsh and cold in all manner of speaking. He also seemed to have invented the word intimidating.
Niklaus hadn't received anymore harsh treatment like she had seen that night, but it meant something worse would come which terrified Caroline.
Quickly pushing the fear away, she walked to the little well in the back and started to get it set up. One pleasant thing she really enjoyed was the sounds of the forest, rustling of leaves in the wind, birds chirping and tweeting to one another. It filled her with a sense of peace which was exactly what she needed given the anxiety she felt about her situation.
However as she listened to the birds, she heard one of the chirping sounded frantic, almost pained. Caroline looked away from task in the direction of the bird, the water forgotten she followed the noise. In a few short strides, she found the source of the noise to be a little blue bird. It's wing was red from blood and she noticed a branch had pierced it's side.
"Oh no," Caroline whispered as she slowly approached the chirping bird, "Hey there, it's okay. I won't hurt you."
Caroline took a few hesitant steps, the bird at first seemed to be terrified, but it settled when she stopped moving. Getting onto her knees, Caroline studied the injured bird. Though she loved animals and considered being a vet at one point, she didn't know anyway to help the creature.
For a moment she considered maybe she should remove the stick, but she also knew sometimes removing the piercing object would be a bad thing. Caroline glanced over her shoulder wondering if she should get Esther or Rebekah, but went against the idea almost instantly.
She didn't want to bother them with something so small when there was still so much left for them to deal with. Plus she still needed to get the water back to them. Her attention returned to the injured bird, it's chirping had lessened and Caroline wondered if it was going to die. The thought hurt more than she expected.
"I'm sorry little bird," Caroline told it, she swallowed thickly, "I wish there was something I could do, but I don't know how-"
Caroline stopped short when she noticed something, the blood on the bird's wing was… disappearing. She blinked a few times as she watched the blood vanish without a trace and the wound where the branch had pierced it's wing… it was gone. The stick fell without a sound and the little blue bird stretched it's no longer injured wing before taking flight, leaving her alone on her knees feeling warmer than she had before. Had she imagined the bird was injured? No, she couldn't have.
"That was impressive."
Caroline nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of a voice. Her heart rate increased tenfold as she looked back over her shoulder to see Esther who wore an apologetic expression. When had she gotten there?
"I apologize, I hadn't meant to frighten you," Esther said softly.
"It's okay," Caroline said as she rose to her feet, she wiped the broken leaves and twigs off her dress, "I was just lost in thought. I'll uh, I'll get the water now."
Caroline moved to walk past her, but Esther grabbed her wrist. Her hold wasn't firm, but it was strong enough to keep Caroline in place. Panic flared inside Caroline for the briefest moment as she looked into Esther's brown eyes. The look on the older woman's face could be described as thoughtful or scrutinizing, either way it made Caroline severely uncomfortable and she found herself wanting to get away from the woman.
"You do not need to hide with me," Esther said, "I assure you, you are safe here. What you have done for that bird, it is a gift."
Caroline frowned, her brow furrowed, "What? I didn't do anything."
Esther could tell that Caroline was being honest, but that didn't quite make sense to her. It had been obvious to Esther since the first night the girl arrived that she had magic in her veins. Never tapped into, but still it was there within her, a witch. Witches gave off an energy, usually it could be felt by other witches through physical contact, hence why Esther grabbed Caroline's wrist. T
he first night she had come, she felt the magic without touching the girl which had intrigued Esther. However she considered that it must have been from the wolf attack, but once her wound had healed, the energy remained the same. Bloodlines often gave off their own energy signature and Esther had been familiar with a number of bloodlines, but this was not one she recognized.
Her grip tightened ever so slightly as she concentrated for a moment more on the magic's feeling coming from the young blonde before her. This magic, it was warmer and pulsing with hidden power that had yet to be reached. It was different, but the definitely magic that belonged to a witch.
"Caroline, are you familiar with witches," Esther asked curiously. Perhaps she had never been introduced to magic.
Caroline nodded unsurely, she knew that being a witch in just about anytime in the past was horrible. If Esther thought she was a witch then Caroline would be screwed, totally and completely screwed. However considering this village was home to wolves, she thought there was a pretty good chance she would be okay. With that in mind, she managed to steady her growing concern.
"I myself am a witch," Esther told her gently, "I would recognize a witch's magic from anywhere and you child have it. You healed the bird with it, without a spell."
Caroline gaped at her, she composed herself quickly, "I'm not a witch, no one in my family was either."
Esther did not look convinced, "It is possible that it skipped a generation or so if you are not aware of any in your bloodline. However I am unfamiliar with the magic aura surrounding you."
Caroline exhaled, "Not to be rude, but you are mistaken. I am not a witch. A good friend of mine, she was. I know the signs of magic."
"And that was a sign of magic," Esther pressed, her eyes held Caroline's gaze, "You possess magic Caroline."
Caroline shook her head, "No, no it's impossible."
A soft smile formed on Esther's face as she released Caroline's, "Nothing is impossible."
Without another word, Esther walked away leaving Caroline to her thoughts and there were plenty of them swirling around her head. A witch? No, she couldn't be a witch. Bonnie was a witch, Bonnie had magic she inherited from her mom, her grandmother and all other ancestors.
The Forbes line hated vampires and she was pretty sure all magic was deemed unnatural by their point of view. So there was no possible way they were witches. Her mom's line, the Maclynths, they weren't witches. Her mom would have told her about it or maybe she wouldn't have. After all, it wasn't like her mom told her about her involvement with the council and being vampire haters.
Caroline felt her breath quicken as black dots swarmed her vision. There was no way she was a witch, but she wondered if the magic Esther felt was from her vampirism. Even though when she woke up here, she didn't have any of her vampire abilities or the need for blood, she wondered if some of it was still in her. That had to be it. However there was a twinge of hope that entered Caroline that she be a witch. That meant she could do magic and possibly find a way home.
Caroline looked back in the direction the bird had flown in before exhaling a little uneasily. She quickly got the water and headed back inside.
The conversation with Esther seemed to hang over her head throughout the day, she couldn't quite shake it no matter how much she tried to throw herself into the chores. She actually finished everything in record time, but that meant she didn't have any other release from the raging thoughts of being a witch.
Caroline found herself walking out of the house, she looked to her right to see the boys and Mikeal were fixing the huts together. Mikael and Finn seemed to be doing most of the heavy lifting while Niklaus and Elijah were making adjustments. Caroline noticed Kol and Henrik were standing off to the side looking bored. Caroline guessed there wasn't much they could do at the moment. Niklaus was hammering away when he caught sight of her causing him to pause in his work.
He looked directly at her and offered her a smile as she waved to him. Though Niklaus had found many women in the village attractive, he had never been this drawn to anyone for their beauty or their words. He would have stared at her longer, but his father's bark broke him from his daze and he went back to work. However, he noticed that his younger brothers had taken off in the direction of Caroline, likely to see if she needed anything and keep her company. Niklaus thought jealousy was beneath him, but he couldn't help a slight scowl as the feeling stirred within him.
"Enlighten me brother," Elijah started as he stepped away from the wall he was working on, "what has caused that expression?"
Niklaus didn't take his eyes off Caroline, "Seems our brothers have decided helping with the rooms was uninteresting and went to see our lovely guest."
Elijah nodded, "I see. Jealousy is not a good look on you."
"Hilarious," Niklaus remarked dryly, "I am not jealous. In fact, I am most pleased that our little brothers are being nice to our guest."
Elijah raised an eyebrow, amusement in his eyes, "Even now you are a pitiful liar."
Before Niklaus could respond, Mikael called them over to do some more work. However the conversation was far from over, at least for Elijah anyway. He was surprised to see his brother so taken with a young woman they barely knew, but it intrigued him. Not to mention the possibilities it held. Finn and Elijah were just at marrying age, Niklaus right behind them.
If he should find a wife, it would get him out of their home and away from the cruelty of their father. Elijah knew that the first time he saw his father strike Niklaus, he should have struck him down. He had never felt so strongly about anything, yet every time he tried the one who got hurt was his little brother. The same one he wished he could protect.
He would need to speak with Rebekah on this matter, seeing as the two young women were friends and getting closer with each day, she would be able to discern Caroline's feelings. If there was a chance that Caroline felt something for Niklaus, it would make things almost too good to be true.
Meanwhile, Caroline was walking around with Henrik and Kol who were eager to have something else to do besides work on the huts. The brothers were gathering wood as they walked allowing Caroline to simply stroll with them and enjoy some conversation. It was nice. Henrik was incredibly sweet, he reminded her a bit of Matt.
The youngest of the family looked the most similar to Niklaus when it came to facial structure, though his hair was dark like Elijah's and Finn's. Kol had his moments of sweetness, but he certainly lived to tease and have a good time. He appeared more like Elijah and Finn, but with the complexion of his other siblings that was on the paler side. His carefree attitude made her think of Damon, only not in an annoying or obnoxious way. The thoughts of them made her chest ache for a moment, she hoped they were doing okay.
"Have you been down to the creek yet," Kol asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I have not," Caroline answered.
"Well we certainly have to fix that, isn't that right Henry," Kol said, a bit dramatically.
Henrik nodded, "The creek is a must see. It's really nice and the water is always at a pleasant temperature, no matter the season."
Caroline smiled, "It sounds lovely, but shouldn't you two be getting back to your chores?"
Kol shook his head, "Well love, I for one am done for the day, though Henrik may have something else he needs done."
Henrik frowned, "I can't remember what."
"Then it mustn't have been important," Kol said grinning, he looked at Caroline, "What do you say? Journey with us to the creek for a bit? I assure you, it isn't far. Right up that hill there."
Carolin looked at the hill he nodded to, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to stop by for a few minutes. Lead the way."
Kol's smile grew, "Excellent. Come along you two."
The trio quickly made their way up the hill to the creek and Caroline had to admit, it was certainly beautiful. Despite the overcast day and the chill in the air, the creek water was warmer than she expected and the surrounding area seemed more lively than the rest. While it was obvious the season of fall was in place, winter appeared to be approaching sooner.
Though Caroline had been informed of the start of the winter months was at least another month away. Rebekah had told her it Haustmonour would start soon. Caroline had no idea what that meant, but Rebekah drew a circle of their calendar for her. Based on the drawing, Caroline realized it was September here and in the coming days it would be October. Her birthday would be coming up. Her birthday was further away in her time though.
"It is a bit on the dreary side, but I spend quite a good deal of time here practicing," Kol explained as he grinned.
"And what do you practice here," Caroline asked curiously.
Kol winked at her, "Just a bit of… gardening."
Caroline tilted her head slightly to the side, "You garden?"
Henrik snickered, but said nothing.
Kol shrugged his shoulders, he jumped over the creek, "I am a man of many talents. Perhaps one day I will show you just what type of gardening I do, especially with the winter months coming. However when the summer season returns, this place is the most beautiful."
"Will you be staying with us," Henrik asked hopefully.
Caroline frowned, "I, I am not sure."
Kol's smile faltered, "Do you not like it here?"
"What, no I do," Caroline quickly reassured, "I just don't, I do not want to overstay my welcome and be a burden."
"You couldn't possibly be a burden," Henrik told her.
Kol shrugged his shoulders, "We're all burdens in our own right, but I am certain everyone would be glad to keep you around, especially Niklaus."
Caroline thought that was interesting, but she didn't comment on it. There was no denying that she was in some or all ways attracted to Niklaus. His handsome features certainly didn't hurt, and his personality was sweet, but she could see he had a strength behind it that seemed to be tucked away.
"Enough of trivial matters," Kol said a moment later, "For now, we will have some fun."
"Fun, what kind of fun," Caroline asked with her arms crossed over her chest.
Kol's grin only grew, "Just this."
Without warning, he jumped into the creek with as much force as he could muster, splashing Henrik and Caroline who happened to be standing a bit too closely to the edge. Caroline released a surprise shriek and Henrik a laugh. Kol's laughter seemed to be carried up by the wind, his smile contagious.
"Oi, so that's how it's going to be," Henrik said as he too jumped into the creek just beside his brother, "This means war."
Kol replied playfully, "Well come on then, show me what you got. We shall fight to the death for fair Carolena's hand."
"Challenge accepted," Henrik declared.
"For Carolena," Kol shouted as he kicked water at his brother.
Caroline brought her hand to her mouth, barely stifling her laughter at their antics, "You are both ridiculous!"
"Only for you," Kol said right as Henrik splashed him.
The two boys went at each other, splashing happily as Caroline watched on the side unable to stop her laughter. It was the most carefree she had seen any of the family since her arrival and she had to admit, she loved the sight before her. It allowed her the chance to forget about all the stress and anxiety that had been weighing her down recently. Eventually, Caroline found herself in the water with Kol and Henrik.
The bottom of her dress was soaked and she was glad she wasn't wearing her favorite one as cleaning this would take awhile, but she was enjoying herself. It reminded her of the times she went to the water park with Elena and Bonnie every summer, it made her want to laugh and cry at the memories. She couldn't dwell on it long as she tried to dodge one of Kol's attacks. However the fun was not meant to last, especially with the angered voice that caused them all to freeze.
"What foolishness is this!?"