AN: Here's an update! Funny story, I always upload a chapter as soon as I finish writing it and publish right after, but sometimes I forget that just cause I put it in doc manager doesn't mean it's published, hahaha, yeah. So here's the update after forever! I pushed myself a bit in this chapter to get the emotions right, so hopefully they work and give you some feels :)

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 Eight

"Niklaus, Niklaus get up."

Niklaus would have grumbled a reply, but there was an urgency in his sister's voice that forced him to open his eyes. His sister was kneeling beside him, her hands on his shoulder with a frantic look on her face. Next to her was Elijah, his expression one of concern.

"What is it," Niklaus asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"Miss Caroline," said Elijah, "She is not here."

Niklaus' eyes widened, he sat up abruptly, "What do you mean she is not here?"

"What do you think brother, she's nowhere in our home," Kol said bitterly, but there was worry in his eyes.

Niklaus glared at his siblings, "Why am I the last to know? No matter, we need to find her."

Elijah released a sigh as his siblings began to bicker about what they should do and what their next plan of action should be. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be willing to listen to the other's idea and thus meant they would not get anywhere with this conversation. Elijah has found himself standing off to the side as his siblings argued in hushed tones.

Though he considered breaking them apart, he decided to think a bit more on the matter of Caroline. Elijah had noticed a shift in Caroline as the day continued after the altercation she had with their father. She had appeared fine when he saw her for the brief moment, but when he returned home, she wasn't acting like herself. If anything she seemed hollow and out of focus.

At dinner she had remained silent almost the entire time, she likely wouldn't have said a word if not for Rebekah and Niklaus trying to keep her included. Mikael has been silent throughout the meal, but he never looked to their guest. Elijah studied Caroline between glances and noticed something else, that his mother seemed to be eyeing her as well. The difference he noticed was her gaze had not been one of concern, it was one of intrigue. She often looked this way when she was made a new concoction with various herbs. Perhaps something had happened between the two.

When dinner came to an end, Caroline has appeared like her usual self as far as Elijah was concerned. She went to help his mother with some organizing and everything seemed to be fine. Again, she seemed well enough, but Elijah had a feeling something else was wrong. Especially when Caroline and Rebekah were sitting by the dying fire earlier this evening with somber expressions where happy smiles once were. Since Caroline's arrival, the two girls had been near inseparable, constantly at each other's side.

Once again, Elijah thought she was fine. They went to bed, only for Rebekah to wake them with this news and that left him here, standing close to a window while his siblings continued to go back and forth. It would not end well if their father were to discover that their guest was no longer in the house, upsetting Mikael was not an option. None of them wanted to risk the chance that his wrath would fall to her. After what had happened just this afternoon, it truly would not bode well.

The possibility of her being taken was terribly slim, though it would bode in favor so that Mikael's wrath would not go to her. However it was likely she ran off. As the conversation continued, Elijah noticed his siblings were getting nowhere, but he had yet to think of a solution. Finn and himself knew the woods better than their siblings, if anyone was going out there it would have to one or both of them.

Niklaus knew the woods just as well, however given how emotionally distressed he appeared Elijah decided it would be best that he not go in search of her. Besides should father find him missing, he would face a much harsher punishment than the rest of his siblings. Getting Finn to actually help without going to their partners was proving to be a challenge considering he seemed prepared to wait for Caroline to return, which only infuriated Niklaus further.

"We have to do something," Niklaus whisper yelled at Finn.

Finn released a sigh, "She likely didn't go far. I'm sure she will return when she is ready."

Elijah wanted to agree with that, however as he continued to glance out the windows of this room, he remained uncertain of the likelihood she could find her way back if she went too far away from the light. A single torch remained, but it was dying out.

"Though I wish to agree with you brother," Elijah remarked, his eyes still watching the lit pathway, "We have no idea how long Miss Caroline has been gone. There is a possibility she is lost out there."

"All of you are blowing this out of proportion," Finn commented as he took a seat on his bed.

"You should not be this calm, what if she's hurt or was attacked," Niklaus argued, he grew more frantic by the second, "We need to go after her, we need to find her."

Rebekah ran her fingers through her hair, "We could tell mother. She has her tricks, perhaps she could find Caroline."

"Better idea, we don't tell mother and I can locate her," Kol said, speaking for the first time in awhile.

Kol had an affinity to the ways of their mother, he was able to partake in the power she could. Their father strongly discouraged him from learning anything from Esther in that regard, but Kol was not one to listen to authority well. In secret, he watched and studied his mother to learn her skills and tricks. Esther never taught him directly if Mikael was home, but if he was away on a hunt, they would have lessons. Niklaus narrowed his eyes, "We have no use for novice abilities that could result in a terrible accident."

Kol made a mock offended face, "You wound me Nik. I could find her, I would just need something of hers."

"Well we don't have anything that truly belongs to her," Finn said with a scowl, "Doesn't it need to be an object she holds dear or has had in her possession for a long time?"

Kol leaned back against the wall, "I was trying to help is all. You consider I might actually be worried about our fair guest unlike you brother?"

"No one is suggesting you do not care," Rebekah assured, "We are all worried about our new friend. Arguing will get us nowhere, we need to divide and conquer. Finn or Elijah, one of you needs to search the nearby area for her. See if she left a trail. Kol, you can try it out on her favorite dress we made days ago and see if it leads to anything."

"Is there anything I can do," asked the youngest Mikaelson, "I want to help find Caroline too."

Rebekah smiled at him, "I'm afraid not this time brother. Myself, Niklaus and you will have to wait this out."

"Rebekah, you cannot be serious," Niklaus said incredulously.

"There is nothing we can do at the moment," Rebekah said patiently, "Besides, our parents will be suspicious if they happen to check on us and see the lot of us gone. Finn and Elijah can get away with it as father sends them on night hunts all the time. Kol is always getting into mother's things so no surprise if he gets caught in her area."

Niklaus wanted to argue with her, he wanted to yell that she was wrong and he didn't care what Mikael or Esther did if they were all gone. He just wanted Caroline to be okay, he wanted to find her and bring her back here where she could be safe. This feeling of powerlessness was one he despised, there had to be something he could. However as he stood there, an idea did come to his mind as to where Caroline may have gone. The other day when they had gone to well, she had said something to him. How it was like the one she had at home, that it looked the same if not a little worn down.

My village has a well just like this one. If I stand here long enough, I can pretend I'm there and my friends are with me.

If Caroline had become overwhelmed with the homesickness she spoke of, perhaps that is where she would have gone.

"There won't be a need," Niklaus whispered, he moved to the side and slipped on his vest, "I know exactly where she is."

"And where is that," Elijah asked moving from his place.

"A well," Niklaus said, "I will go and bring her back."

"Wait, allow one of us to go with you," Rebekah said grabbing his arm.

Niklaus glanced at Elijah, "Elijah and I will go. Should father learn of our absence, I expect you lot can come up with a story."

"Of course," Rebekah answered as Kol said, "Maybe."

Henrik hit his arm lightly, "Not funny. Don't worry Nik, we have it under control."

Niklaus smiled at his youngest brother, "Keep them in line Henrik, you'll be the wisest of us all."

With that Elijah and Niklaus left their home quickly and raced towards where Niklaus believed Caroline to be. It would have been quicker to take the horses, but it would have alerted their parents. Traveling on foot with a torch was the best option they had. This lead them to where they were now, with Elijah watching from beside a tree as Niklaus walked over to the figure leaning on the well. He suspected that Caroline's grip on her emotions would not last much longer, he knew it would come down.

Though he felt sympathy for her, he wished her not to be in such anguish, but knew it was necessary if she was ever going to heal. Niklaus walked over to Caroline hesitantly, he could tell it was her even in the darkness of the night, but he did not want to frighten her. No one should be out alone in the forest at night. Despite the well being just outside of the village's reach, it still did her no good to be here alone. He was concerned, but he felt angry that she would run off the way she did in the first place. Why he was so upset by this was beyond him, only that he was angry and perhaps even a little afraid.

Caroline didn't mean to end up here. In fact, she just wanted to stand outside and look at the stars while she breathed in the fresh air. However when she stood outside, she felt the weight of the world fall onto her shoulders and she had to get away. Get away from any and all reminders that she was not in Mystic Falls anymore, at least not in the twenty first century Mystic Falls. That thought, the reality of it stole the air from her lungs and pierced her heart. That was when she started running, she saw the village and ran further and harder.

She was no longer a vampire, she no longer had the speed or stamina it provided her. However it didn't stop her as she continued to sprint through the night to the well. Why exactly the well, just because if she looked down at it, she could pretend she was still home in her Mystic Falls and not here. Not here probably centuries in the past. Based on what one of the villagers said in passing, she assumed it was tenth century or maybe ninth.

Tears pricked her eyes at that thought, that she had somehow been sent a thousand years to the past and couldn't remember how. Her memory, it was muddled and everything was out of order. The faces of her friends and enemies were blurred, for a few minutes she forgot what Bonnie looked like, she couldn't remember what color Elena's eyes were, she couldn't remember what Matt smelled like. It didn't last terribly long, but it took so much effort out of her to remember the little things, to call on memories was killing her.

It reminded her of the feeling of compulsion, how she just knew them, but she couldn't remember anything else. It flickered in and out, but what scared her the most was if she would forget them entirely. The thought of forgetting them made her angry, it made her feel miserable. When she heard the sound of crunching leaves, she almost panicked. However when she glanced over her shoulder to see who it was, she was slightly relieved to see in the distance it was Niklaus and Elijah.

Guilt gnawed at her stomach, if they were out here it meant they were looking for her and so were the others. This family had been kind to her and now she had caused them trouble. She didn't even want to consider how pissed their father would be, but she didn't care about him. He could screw off, but the rest of the family… that was where he built stemmed from. She turned away, her focus looking down at the water that could barely be seen. Moments passed, but Niklaus appeared by her side with a torch for light. She couldn't look at him, she just couldn't. She turned head away.

"I apologize, you and your brother shouldn't have come out here," Caroline whispered.

Niklaus' reply was swift, "And leave you out here alone? Not an option sweetheart."

Caroline glanced at him with an indignant look, "Think I can't handle myself?"

"I never said such a thing," Niklaus remarked.

"You implied it."

"Not at all."

"Yes you did."

"Caroline, I did not imply such a thing. Stop trying to change the subject."

"Subject of what exactly?"

"About why on earth you thought it would be a good idea to run off in the middle of the night without informing one of us or allowing one of us to join you," Niklaus said, his anger barely restrained, "It was reckless. Something could have happened to you and we would have been none the wiser."

Caroline looked at him then, her eyes glowing from the firelight, "I can take care of myself. My parents taught me to defend myself, I would have been fine."

"And I suppose you would have found your way back to the house without a problem," Niklaus questioned, a challenge in his eyes.

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, her voice was quiet, "I would have found a way back."

Niklaus replied, "And if you hadn't?"

"I would have," Caroline snapped, she inhaled sharply, "I would have been fine. You didn't need to worry."

"What did you expect when we found you missing in the middle of the night? What if someone or some beast came out and attacked you? You could be dead, have you already forgotten that it was the wolves who roam this very forest who took your family and friends away days ago," Niklaus said, but as those last words left his lips, he regretted them instantly.

Caroline gaped for a moment at him, the surprise on her face clear as day for Niklaus to see, but she recovered quickly. There was hurt in her eyes at the painful reminder and then anger replaced it. She clenched her hands into fists before opening them.

Her eyes burned into him, she gritted her teeth before answering, "No, I have not forgotten. You have no right to scold me about this, you are not my keeper!"

Niklaus exhaled, "You are the responsibility of my entire family, we all care about you and were worried. We feared the worst!"

Caroline said nothing, the anger and hurt was clear.

"I apologize, I should not have brought up your fallen friends and mother. I, I was afraid for you, the thought of something bad happening to you," Niklaus shook his head at the thought.

It truly terrified him, to consider the possibility of losing her. The thought caused him physical pain, as if a sword were being pushed through his heart.

"Well nothing bad happened," Caroline remarked bitterly, "I am fine."

Anger sparked in Niklaus again. How could she be so flippant about this? Did she truly not understand the danger she could have been? Did she not understand how worried and upset he and his siblings were when they realized she was gone?

"The point is something bad could have happened and you would be lost. I cannot and will not stand for it. Did you even think before you just decided to take off," Niklaus asked though it came out more as a demand,"What were you thinking? Clearly you weren't thinking otherwise you would not have run off like this."

Caroline struggled not to hiss, "I'm not an idiot Niklaus! I am more than capable of looking after myself and have managed to do so without help in the past. Yes, okay, I shouldn't have taken off without saying anything and I didn't intend to be gone for so long. I just, I needed to get away from it all."

"What exactly did you need to get away from," Niklaus asked, his tone had softened.

"Everything," Caroline said as she looked away from him, her fingers moved across the well stones, "This well. It is, it is just like the one from my ti- village. A place I will never, ever see again." Caroline's voice broke as she continued, "Where I grew up, I will never see it again. The people I knew, gone forever. My, my friends, my parents… everyone I have ever loved- everyone I care about is gone."

Caroline bit her lip as a sob threatened to leave her, tears had already begun to fall down her cheeks and she knew they would not stop soon. Her family, her friends, were dead or really they didn't exist yet. She had no way to get back to them, no way to contact them, they might think she's dead, but she's trapped and alive somewhere else. Somewhere they can never reach.

Niklaus felt something in himself break at the sight of her this way. All his anger at her disappearance, the fear of something bad happening to her all left him and it was replaced with concern. He chastised himself for being so harsh with her. The tears that fell down her flushed cheeks, he wanted to wipe them away and was surprised at how much he wanted to do so.

Even though Niklaus had been attracted to various women in the village, he never quite found himself wanting to provide them with the same form of affection. Sure he imagined holding hands, kissing or even further, but never the little things like wiping tears away. Though he wanted to now, he would not overstep.

"I just, I just miss them," Caroline breathed out regaining her control, "I want to hug them again, just one more time- my best friends are gone, my mom, she isn't, isn't here and I need her. I need her. I-I'm gone, I, they aren't here. And what, she said, your mom and Kol were, they were talking and I couldn't, couldn't believe it. It can't, be real, it can't. Then Mikael, argh Mikael! It's all, there's just so much happening and I can't, I can't-"

"Caroline," Niklaus said softly, his eyes wide in fear and sorrow. She was spiraling, she was truly spiraling and he knew very soon she was just going to fall completely apart.

A sob escaped her as she went on, "I'm here alone, there's nothing, nothing I can do. I-I can't change anything. I'm trapped, and there was, was this bird and I don't know, everything hurts- they're all gone, they are gone. Everyone is gone. I can't get home, they can't get me, I- I there's, ah I can't breathe-"

"Caroline," Niklaus said, trying to get her attention, "Caroline, love look at me."

Caroline looked up at him with a heartbreaking cry through trembling lips, "They're gone Niklaus! Everyone is gone! I'm all alone, I'm all alone."

Then Caroline broke. Her hand flew up to her mouth as she couldn't fight the sobs any longer. Bonnie and Elena, her best friends were gone and she would never see them again. She would never get to graduate with her friends, go to her senior prom, decorate her college dorm. Her future was destroyed, her future was gone and reduced to sticks and stones without the people she loved. Bonnie, Elena, Matt, Stefan, Tyler and even Damon. They were in trouble!

What if they were dead? What if she managed to get home and they were actually gone? Wasn't there another enemy on the loose? The Original vampires right? She couldn't remember, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. She had to get home, but she didn't think she ever would and the thought hurt so much. Even if she was by chance a witch, she would never be able to create a spell to take her to the future, take her a thousand years to the future. A spell to take her to the past existed right, so there should be one to take her to the future, but how would she accomplish that? The answer was obvious, she couldn't.

"I feel so, so hopeless," Caroline admitted, she wiped her tears furiously away, "I, I don't know what to do. I, there's nothing I can do. It's all over, my life is over."

Niklaus put his hands on her shoulders, he bent down ever so slightly so that he could look directly into her sea green eyes, "I know there is not much I can say that will help you now, but you must hear this. You are not alone Caroline."

Caroline's expression broke further, more sobs threatened to escape her and the only thing Niklaus could think to do was hug her. He pulled her into his arms and she did not protest. Caroline buried her face into his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist as she cried into his shirt. Niklaus ran his fingers through her golden hair, his grip tightening around her.

Though he wished he could enjoy holding her in his arms, all he could do was feel saddened as each sob shook her body and there was nothing he could do to help her. There had to be something, anything he could do to help her, to ease the pain she was in, but he knew all that he could do was be there for her.

Caroline had never felt so broken before than she did in this moment. Every sob that left her, all the tears and unfortunately snot that soaked into his shirt, did very little to make her feel any better. She just wanted to go home, for this to be some type of bad dream that she would wake up from. That tomorrow she could wake up in her bed and see her mom before she left for the station. Go out into the town and help her friends in the battle to stop some curse from breaking. A sharp cry forced it's way out of her and she could only hold onto Niklaus to support her as she felt gravity increase and her legs start to give away.

"Please," she cried into his chest, "Please take me back. I want to go home."

Niklaus moved with her until the two of them were on the leaf covered ground beside the well. His hold around her did not lessen, he rested his chin on her head and did move one arm so that he could rub circles on her back. It seemed to have a positive affect as her sobs began to subside slightly.

"I know you feel as if you have nothing left," Niklaus said to her, "For now it will take your breath away, but one day the feeling will no longer weigh so heavily on you. There is so much left in this world for you to see, so much that your family and friends would want you to know."

Caroline's grip tightened at his words, her sobs reduced to heavy breaths as she struggled to get her emotions under control. She found his heartbeat, it was steady and strong, the opposite of how she felt right now, but she took some comfort in the rhythm along with his even breaths. This was so embarrassing, but she couldn't find it in herself to really care about her break down. All she wanted was her friends, she wanted her mom, she just wanted to be home.

Niklaus held her closer, he continued, "I wish I could give you your loved ones back. If I could give you anything and everything, I would do so in a heartbeat if it meant you would smile again. Name it, and it shall be yours."

Niklaus heard her make a noise between a laugh and cry, but knew she couldn't speak. This hug and his words were not enough, he knew that and just hoped that she found some comfort in what he had done. After several long minutes, Caroline's breathing had evened out which he took as good sign. Though he noticed she was leaning more heavily on him than she had been before.

When he looked down at her, he noticed her closed eyes and that she was asleep. He didn't want to wake her, he wanted to let her enjoy the peace dreams could offer her. Niklaus looked out in the distance to see Elijah still waiting a little ways away, patient as ever. As gently as he could, Niklaus adjusted Caroline in his arms and carried her home. The brothers walked in silence back to the house where their siblings were still waiting for their return