The next morning, Carolyn was eating a truck-load of breakfast while the others ate a normal amount. Hayley was laughing at her as she stuffed her face and Rebekah was making faces at Hope, who was shrieking in laughter. Klaus and Elijah were talking in hushed tones, probably about the counter-attack while Kol and Davina were whispering to each other and laughing.

It seemed like a normal family.

Carolyn felt her heart clench as she was painfully reminded of her old family and she slowed her eating. Hayley noticed and put a hand on her leg under the table, but didn't give any other indication that she'd noticed.

For that, Carolyn was thankful.

Carolyn continued to eat, albeit slower, even when the others had left. Rebekah had taken Hope to go and play while Kol and Davina snuck off, giggling. Klaus and Elijah left in a hard silence. Hayley stayed and waited until there was complete silence before she spoke.
"Are you gonna tell me about what happened?" She asked gently. Carolyn put her fork down and sighed, "I suppose I have to, don't I?" Hayley grabbed her hands, "Not if you don't want to," she paused, "It just looks like you need someone to talk to," Carolyn sniffed and wiped her eyes, "I do," She nodded. Hayley turned and focused her attention on Carolyn. "My family used to be like that," She started. Hayley nodded, "I can understand that. Mine used to be... until I triggered my curse," Carolyn put a hand on top of Hayley's.

Flashback

13-year-old Carolyn was sat at the dining table, laughing at a badly phrased joke her 5-year-old sister told her. Her parents were at the top of the table, talking in hushed tones while her older brother was smiling with his girlfriend. Carolyn's oldest brother was on his phone, not talking to anyone, but smiling at the antics of his younger siblings. Her parents pulled away from whispering and laughed at their children.

That was when the family were a whole and were happy...

/

Hayley nodded and smiled sympathetically, "That seems like a nice memory," Carolyn nodded, "It was... and it was the last." Hayley frowned, "What happened after that?" Carolyn bit her lip, "Something bad... its why I ran away,"

Flashback

Carolyn, now 14, was in her bed reading her book because she couldn't sleep. Her little sister, Daisy, was asleep in her bed at the end of the room, snoring quietly. Her parents, Sarah and David, and eldest brother, John, were asleep as well, but her older brother, Steven, was out still. He snuck out to go to a house party.

There was a crash downstairs. Carolyn put her book down and got out her torch. She made her way over to Daisy in the corner, who was still asleep. Carolyn could hear footsteps and presumed it was her parents, so she calmed down a little bit. Her doorknob twisted open and Carolyn moved closer to Daisy, who was now tittering between awake and asleep. The door opened. Carolyn screamed. Daisy screamed.

Something big and definitely not human was crouching in front of the door. It snarled and snapped the air, creeping closer to the young children. Daisy began screaming. The thing lept through the air at Daisy. Carolyn jumped in front but got swiped away with a scream. She fell to the ground, her vision blurry. Watching from the other side of the room, she witnessed the thing tear Daisy apart, blood squirting everywhere. Her sister's screams were abruptly silenced with a gurgle. Carolyn let out a yell for her parents. The beast turned and started to creep towards the injured Carolyn but stopped. It writhed on the floor, letting out some form of a yell. The thing twisted and turned. Carolyn crawled onto the bed and watched with a morbid fascination. There was a loud crunch... and her brother Steven was on the floor.

Her parents barged in, guns in hand. Steven looked up at his dad. Carolyn glanced over, surprised to see a cold hatred in his eyes. Her dad aimed the gun at Steven's head and fired.

/

"Oh my god, Carolyn... what happened after that?" Hayley asked, her voice breaking. "I found out that my family were part of some ancient cult and that they had to kill their youngest son and daughter as a sacrifice... my parents became desolate and abusive after that. John left home and moved in with his girlfriend in Australia and I ran away to my Cousin in Ohio... then I met James... you know the rest," Hayley gasped shakily and pulled Carolyn in for a hug, "Jesus... my family wasn't that bad, and they were awful." Carolyn smiled, "Yeah, well... I'm just glad I got away. I couldn't have stayed there any longer than I did," Hayley nodded and the girls sat in silence for a while.

"Ok, I've made a decision," Hayley announced. Carolyn frowned, "What?" Hayley grinned, "We're gonna shop for baby stuff!" Carolyn laughed, "Yeah ok. I could do with some things for the baby... wait, there are no baby shops nearby... how are we gonna do it?" Hayley smiled, "We're gonna use Rebekah's laptop and my unused bank account." Caroly grinned, "Let's do it,"

/

"Did you find out her name?"
"Yes sir, it's Carolyn,"
"Anybody else?"
"Apart from the hybrid wolf, no sir. Not that I was aware of,"
"Good... get your scouts ready, go and scout the house,"
"Then what, sir?"
"You attack,"
"Anything else, sir?"
"Yes, take out Niklaus first... and leave no survivors except the girl, she remains unharmed."
"Yes, sir,"

/

"Hang on, before we do shopping," Hayley began, "We need to know the gender!" Carolyn laughed. "What? We can't shop for clothes if we don't know the gender? Can we?" Carolyn snorted, "Ok... where's Davina? She knows the gender," The girls set off to find Davina, who was performing a spell. Hayley muttered the words along and Carolyn frowned. "She's doing a protection spell of some sorts, probably on the baby," Carolyn nodded and watched, fascinated. Davina's fingers wiggled and moved in a pattern. Carolyn found herself tracing the spell with her own fingers unconsciously. Hayley watched with wide eyes. Carolyn felt a warm puff of air radiate through her body. Davina stopped chanting with a falter and watched as Carolyn continued the spell. Her eyes were shut and the pronunciation was flawless. Davina glanced at Hayley, who shrugged. They watched in fascination as Carolyn began to glow a faint golden. Her eyes opened, but there was no pupil, just the white of her eyes.

Hayley gasped as the light got 10 times brighter. Davina began chanting a spell to counteract the spell Carolyn was performing. Davina shouted one final word and Carolyn's bright light shut off instantly. She stumbled when her feet touched the ground. "Carolyn, I think you just tapped into your powers," Davina spoke, analysing her. "Yeah, that might explain why you survived the vampire bite! A human wouldn't have done!" Carolyn frowned... then smiled, "That actually makes a lot of sense," Hayley frowned, "Why?" She asked. Carolyn grinned, "I very vaguely remember performing a spell just over 6 months ago. James made me perform a permanent spell on myself to not be compelled... then I woke up with no memories of it." Hayley gasped, "That's why Klaus couldn't compel you the other week! He can't!" Carolyn laughed, "Yeah! Ah, that's a relief... Davina, you ok? You look lost," Davina was silent for a few seconds before she spoke, "You need to be even more careful now then," Carolyn looked worried, "Why?" She asked. "Because, now, you're a witch who might be carrying a vampire... never has this ever happened before. People will be after you, no doubt." Carolyn was about to respond when someone cleared their throat from behind, "Does someone want to explain why the house's electricity just went out with, quite literally, a bang?" Hayley laughed. "Oh, Elijah," Said man was in an apron, covered in some sort of food. "I lost a bet to Kol," He explained. The three girls laughed.

/

"Is the house secure?"
"Yes, sir. Nothing out of the ordinary,"
"Good... rally the others, we attack tonight,"