Hey guys! You'll get to learn some more about Katherine, Chandra and a tiny bit of Klaus in this chapter, but it's not much. Lots of flashbacks in here too, as this is a flashback episode. I hope you enjoy!
Previously on Everything Changes...
"Oh, the witch is totally crushing on me." he smirked. "Did you get the journal?"
Anna shook her head. "No, but I know where the Gilbert's is, and I'll get it."
They beamed at each other before Ben leaned down and kissed Anna before they walked off together.
Third Person POV
Caroline woke on her own, her eyes fluttering open to the dim light filtering in through the cracks in her blinds.
Groaning softly, she wiggled deeper under the covers, not really wanting to get up just yet.
"Rise and shine, Blondie," Damon said. He was sitting at her desk chair, and had been for the past ten minutes, waiting for Caroline to awaken.
Caroline, still half asleep, sat up, the covers falling around her waist, her her a mess.
"Oh my god, Damon!" she exclaimed, her eyes landing on his relaxed figure. She pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders, while simultaneously raking a hand through her messy locks.
"What are you doing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
He didn't respond, simply peered at the blonde with thinly veiled interest.
"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it!" he smirked and said as she pulled the blanket up even further.
Caroline scoffed in annoyance and scooted back to lean against her headboard. "What do you want?"
"We have some very important business to discuss, Blondie."
Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How long had he been sitting there anyways?
"And it has to be right now, of all times?"
He shrugged. "We have lots to do, now that we're all friends and working toward a common goal."
Caroline flashed him a slightly confused look, and he continued.
"I know brother dear informed you about him helping me."
"And that means I'm helping too?" she retorted.
Stefan popped his head in, his eyes narrowing when he saw his older brother in Caroline's room.
"Damon, what are you doing?" he demanded, stepping inside.
"Ah, good, you're here, like I told Blondie, we all have important business to discuss." Damon said dismissively.
"So, in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal, to get the Grimoire, to undo the spells. First things first, Stef – since you're Elena's boy toy, I need you to get her family's journals." Stefan raised an eyebrow at his brother's command, but didn't protest.
"You, Blondie, any idea where your family's journals are?"
Caroline felt Stefan's gaze on her, and she remembered where they were, feeling her heart increase in her unease, she shrugged. "I remember hearing about them when I was younger..."
His piercing blue eyes stared into her for a moment before shrugging. "Find them, the location could be in either journal."
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, Care." Stefan put in, shooting his brother an annoyed glance. He knew he would have pulled this, seeing as how Caroline was a Forbes.
"I'll check into it tonight." she said, sliding back under the covers. Caroline pulled them over her head, and sighed loudly.
"Good." was all Damon said.
"How do we even know that this journal will hold the location of the Grimoire? We're really gonna take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of an obsessive dimwit to me."
A smirk drifted across Damon's face. "Klaus remembers him. So yes, in lieu of any other opinions, we are."
The blonde, who was previously hidden beneath her heavy duvet, sat up. "Okay, what is a Grimoire anyways?"
"A witch's cookbook." Damon shrugged, eying her pajamas for the second time.
She was wearing a silky tank top, and every time she moved it seemed to reflect the morning light, easily catching Damon's eye.
Caroline scoffed quietly before clearing her throat, and Damon glanced up, not even pretending to be embarrassed.
"Every spell that a witch casts is unique unto itself, so every witch documents their work." Stefan explained, and Caroline nodded slowly.
"Yeah, cookbook." Damon stated for a second time.
"What about our mystery vampire? He obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever's out there knows who we are." Stefan looked to the blonde. "And who Caroline and Elena are."
"And I don't like that advantage, so..." the raven haired man clapped his hands together. "Chop, chop." he got up and headed for her door, passing by Stefan.
Damon stopped and turned back around, walking backwards slowly. "You know, I really like this whole menage, threesome thing we got going on here." he smirked down at Caroline. "We're a good team – plus, it's got a bit of a kink to it." he laughed. "Don't screw it up." he added, more seriously and left the room.
Caroline rolled her eyes, and Stefan flashed a look that said.
Brothers.
With a sympathetic smile, Caroline got up. She walked into her closet, and got some clothes for the day.
~0~
Flashback to 1864
The sounds of a horse drawn carriage hit the young woman's ears. She smirked, two more heart beats coming into her supernaturally long ear-shot. Whenever they came into view, the horses slowed slightly, at the driver's instructions. The blonde got up, and ran towards the carriage, putting on a desperate facade.
"Please! Please, help us!" Chandra ran toward the carriage as it comes to a halt.
"Please, my husband, he's been hurt! Please help him!" she pleaded again, her blonde hair and wide eyes sticking out in the moonlit night.
The driver leaped down from his seat and went to check on the 'husband' in the road.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? It's not safe." said the passenger, also exiting the carriage.
"No. No, sir. It's not safe." Chandra said lowly, baring her fangs. She sunk her teeth into the man's neck. He screamed as she drained the life out of him.
Meanwhile, the driver was still kneeling over the dark haired man's body, but turned around when he heard the screaming. He saw his passenger's dead body lying by the carriage, and his eyes widened. His heart leaped, and he scanned the scene for the girl, but couldn't find her. He looked back the other way and Chandra was right there, inches away from his face. Her eyes became red and she drained the life from the screaming man. Tossing him aside, she didn't bother to wipe the blood from her chin.
"And that's how it's done." Chandra announced, wiping her pale bloodstained hands off onto her dress.
The dead 'husband' – Damon Salvatore – sat up cautiously, looking around in a mix of awed terror.
"What happens to the bodies?"
"Well, I'll take them into the woods and the other animals will finish them off." another voice said, walking into sight from the woods. Klaus stood there, staring down the frightened man. "Are you sure he's ready for this, love?" he asked Chandra, who pursed her lips.
Damon ignored the man's question, nodding eagerly. "I'm ready. I want you to turn me."
"When it's time." she nodded slowly, and Klaus began to drag the bodies away. When he was out of sight, her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Kiss me."
Damon hesitated, seeing the blood on her face. He took a handkerchief from his coat pocket with a flourish. When he went to wipe the blood away from her pretty face, the blonde grabbed his hand, stopping him. She shifted closer to him, glancing down at his lips through her lashes.
"You should get a taste." she whispered, moving into kiss him.
"Sorry." Damon said in embarrassment as he moved away, still uneasy about the whole situation.
"Don't be. Soon you won't be able to get enough." Chandra shrugged, and started to get up, before Damon pulled her close to him, kissing her with a fiery passion.
Chandra smirked into the kiss, and Damon pulled away.
The blood on her chin had left a smudge on his lips, which she wiped away with her finger.
"You still haven't told me why Klaus is here." Damon said softly, breaking the silence. "Is there something going on between the two of you?" he continued shyly.
Chandra leaned back, giving her lover a blank stare. "He's my mentor, is all." she murmured, and that was...partially true.
~0~
Chandra walked down the stairs of the Boarding House, pouting. She had been with Damon, kissing- amongst other things- and Pearl and Katherine called her away. What a shame.
"It's good to see you Pearl." Katherine said to Pearl, when her friend had finished her descent.
"Perhaps we could talk outside." Pearl said lowly, and looked pointedly to the two friends.
"Emily?" Chandra said, glancing over Pearl's shoulder.
The maid looked up expectantly. "Would you please tell the Salvatores that we've stepped away for a bit?"
"Which one would you like me to tell first, Miss Chandra?" Emily asked, completely serious.
Katherine narrowed her eyes.
"It doesn't matter, as long as they get the message that we have stepped away." Chandra replied smoothly, but still noticing the suspicious stare she had received from her friend.
The ladies exited the house and walked down the porch steps, heading across the yard.
"So, ladies, how long do you plan on staying with the Salvatores?" Pearl asked. "People talk, you know. You two carrying on with the brothers, doesn't help either."
Katherine clenched her jaw, always one for silent anger.
Chandra, on the other hand, had a fiery temper if pushed too hard. "Are you implying something, Miss Pearl?"
"The Salvatores have been very kind to take us in." Katherine said, trying to take the attention from Chandra. "As far as everyone here knows, we're poor orphan girls from Atlanta who lost our families in the fire, and met on the journey to here."
"A match you lit, no doubt." Pearl murmured, and Chandra giggled, forgetting about the accusation for the time being.
The three stopped at the edge of the yard, and Pearl stared across to a young girl.
"Honey! Please be careful!" she called, and the friends looked curiously over to the dark haired girl, who was going over to pet a horse.
Turning back to Pearl, the mother continued. "Honoria Fell came by the apothecary yesterday with a case of this elixir. She asked that it be sold at a reduced rate." She handed the bottle to Katherine, who inspected it before handing it to Chandra.
"I don't follow." Katherine murmured, and Pearl looked at her carefully. "Try it."
Chandra had the bottle uncorked before Katherine could get her hands on it. Sniffing it once warily before pouring a tiny bit into her palm. The blonde bit back a yelp as it burned her.
"What in the hell?" Katherine murmured. "Why is there ver-"
"They know!" Chandra bit out, and Pearl nodded.
"They're trying to find us, and they're getting crafty about it." Pearl sneered, taking the bottle back.
Chandra furrowed her brows. "The townspeople ingesting vervain? Well that's inconvenient."
"It might be time for us to move on again." Pearl said lowly, and Katherine shook her head.
"No. I like it here, I'm not interested in leaving just yet."
Chandra nodded in agreement.
The soft footsteps of Pearl's daughter, Anna, caused the conversation to come to an end. "Is something wrong?"
No one offered a reply to Anna's question.
~0~
Present Time:
"Hey it's me again, Anna." She said to Jeremy's voice mail. "Stalker chick and Foosball champion. I'll be at the Grill later, if you want, y'know, a rematch or whatever." she chuckled awkwardly and shifted positions on the hotel bed.
Glancing up as Ben excited the bathroom with a towel around his waist, she hung up.
"Who are you calling?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Jeremy Gilbert." she replied nonchalantly, the name making her stomach flip, despite her better judgment.
"You're not, like, into him, are you?"
Anna forced a scoff. "I need him for something, get over it."
Ben walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, letting in sunlight. The light scalded his skin, causing him to smoke.
"Oh!" he said through gritted teeth, reacting quickly. "Dammit!" he shoved the curtain shut and danced away from the light.
"Dude, you gotta stop doing that." Anna said, shaking her head in disbelief.
You'd think that getting burnt alive would be a reminder to him.
"I know. I just- I keep forgetting." he admitted.
"You're new." she encouraged. "You'll get it."
"You found the Gilbert journal?" he picked up an old journal laying on the bed, and Anna raised an eyebrow.
"Does that look like the Gilbert journal?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, it's old and musty, and how am I supposed to know the difference?" Ben shrugged, tossing the book back down onto the bed.
"I don't know, I figured maybe, just maybe, you've been paying a little bit of attention since we met." she snapped, getting up off the bed.
Caroline's POV
Stefan and I sat at the breakfast bar of Elena's house, watching her comb through boxes.
Stefan hadn't told Elena that he actually wasn't going to help Damon, that he had lied to him. I guess it was to keep her safe, but still, I thought she should at least know. Stefan, on the other hand knew his brother 'better than I did' which was true, and thought it would be best to keep her in the dark.
"I really think Damon believes everything he's done, every move, he's done for Chandra. For love." I said suddenly, the thought leaping to my lips.
Elena made a face. "It's twisted."
"Kind of sad to me." I murmured, and Stefan looked at the two of us.
"There are other ways to get what you want. You don't have to kill people. Damon has absolutely no regard for human life, and he enjoys inflicting pain on others." Stefan sighed his green eyes got a faraway look to them. "For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again."
"So, what do you think is going to happen if the tomb gets opened and Damon gets...Chandra?...back?" Elena asked, studying Stefan curiously.
Stefan shrugged, and I could tell that his back was slightly tense. He didn't want to lie to her, but he had to if he wanted to keep her in the dark. I realized.
"I think that no matter what he promises, he'll get what he wants in the end. Chandra back." Stefan said normally, and Elena exhaled loudly, picking up a photo.
"That's Jonathan Gilbert." Stefan pointed out, and he got up to stand behind Elena.
Elena dug further into the box, and murmured. "What's this?"
A faint recognition passed over Stefan's face, but it left when Jeremy walked into the room.
"Hey." he greeted, then looked towards the boxes. "What're you guys doing?"
Elena smiled, and I noticed it seemed forced.
That's strange, I wonder why?
"Hey. Just going through some stuff, feeling sentimental." she shrugged. "Dad had this old family journal from years ago, and I thought I'd dig it up."
"Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"
"Yeah, what do you know about it?" Elena asked, and then I realized that Jeremy had done a report on it recently, and lent it to Alaric!
How could I have been so stupid! I'd known where it was all along, and totally forgot!
I groaned in annoyance with myself and Stefan shot me a confused look. I smiled weakly, knowing he would probably ask me about it later.
"I just did a history report on it." Jeremy replied, voicing my realization.
"Oh." Elena said, looking at all the boxes. "So where is it now?"
Jeremy shrugged. "I gave it to Mr. Saltzman. He wanted to see it."
The three of us exchanged wary looks before Jeremy left.
Third Person's POV
Mystic Falls High was dark, and the only lights in the empty halls were the occasional exit signs, glowing a dim red.
One classroom, adjacent from the rest, had a bit of light peeking out through the cracks. Now, most teachers wouldn't and couldn't be found in their classrooms on a Sunday, at 6 o'clock at night. And most teachers wouldn't be intently reading an ancient journal about vampires, either.
But then again, Alaric Saltzman, wasn't your average history teacher.
I met Barnett and Giuseppe this evening. The journal read. I saw the skepticism in their eyes when I showed them William's compass.
~0~
Flashback, 1864, Giuseppe Salvatore's Study:
"We're supposed to believe that can track one of them?" Giuseppe asked in disbelief, looking from William to Jonathan.
"What it is?" Barnett Lockwood questioned next. "Magic?"
Jonathan shook his head, and William explained for his friend. "It's science."
Barnett shook his head. "I'll believe it when I see it."
A creak at the study door caused the men to glance up, their conversation ceasing.
It was Stefan – Giuseppe's youngest son.
"Excuse me, father." he said, dipping his head. "I didn't know you had guests."
Giuseppe didn't say anything more than, "We'll be done in a few minutes, son."
"I'll come back." Stefan murmured, and nodded at the others. "Forgive me, Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Lockwood, Mr. Forbes."
The younger son left, closing the door quietly behind him.
"Have you told them?" Jonathan asked, and the father shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Giuseppe, we need all the men we can get." William said gently, nodding at the compass.
"I'll tell them." he looked at a small picture of them on the wall for a brief moment before continuing. "You can count on my boys."
William and Jonathan met eyes, exchanging an uneasy gaze. "Good. This works – will work – and we'll need everyone's help." William murmured before getting up and exiting the room.
Present Time
Alaric stood in the teacher's lounge, the copier machine humming softly as it scanned the pages down. He took the last few pages off the tray, and put them in a locker.
Meanwhile, Anna roamed the halls, waiting for Alaric to exit.
With a soft click as the locker shut, he left the lounge and walked back to his classroom, tossing the journal onto the desk. He took his place back at his desk, and began to grade papers.
Anna, still in the hall, decided to mess around with him for a moment, get him distracted. It would make him much easier to take care of later.
She sprinted by his door, and just like she expected, he came out into the hallway.
"Hello?" he couldn't see Anna's dark figure, as she was hiding behind the wall, just around the corner. "Someone there?" he called again, and he turned the opposite way.
At this instance, Anna sprinted into his classroom with her supernatural speed.
Alaric paused at the other end of the corridor, and suddenly took off in a fast walk to the teachers lounge. He opened his locker and took out a black duffel bag. Unzipping a hidden pocket in the lining, he reached down and pulled out a blow dart gun – but this one was modified – it used wooden stakes. Cocking his gun, he walked back to his classroom, pausing outside the door.
Little did he know, Anna was already long gone, and someone else was standing there, waiting.
In one swift movement, Alaric rounded the corner into his classroom, and shot a stake.
Stefan grabbed the stake without effort and stared at Alaric, an eyebrow raised. Alaric began to reload another stake, simultaneously walking back towards the door. Stefan easily blocked his way though, suddenly standing behind him, and the next thing Alaric knew, Stefan had a hold of his shirt.
Alaric swallowed nervously.
"You shouldn't have done that." Stefan said, and it was then he saw his student in a new light.
With a shove towards the desk, Alaric stumbled, and Stefan used this moment to take the gun from him.
"Have a seat." He said, ignoring Alaric's obvious hostility.
Stefan pointed at the chair, insisting that Alaric did what he was told.
Once he was seated, Stefan examined the gun. "What is this, compressed air?" silence. "Did you make it yourself? Who are you?"
Stefan stepped forward, and Alaric flinched, if on instinct. "I'm not going to hurt you...unless you try that again." Stefan informed him, completely honest.
He gave Alaric his weapon back, and took a seat on one of the student desks.
"Now, who are you?"
"I'm a teacher." Alaric replied, still slightly hostile.
"Are we gonna have to do this the hard way?" Stefan returned, and Alaric continued.
"I'm also a historian. And while researching Virginia, I – made a few discoveries about your town."
"So you show up like Van Helsing. Come on. Tell me the truth." Stefan pressed again, and Alaric let out a heavy sigh.
"My wife was a parapsychologist. She spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here."
"Where's your wife?" Stefan asked, glancing down to Alaric's left ring finger. There was a ring on his hand, but it wasn't a wedding ring.
"Dead. A vampire killed her."
"Where's the Gilbert journal?" Stefan asked, not commenting on the whole death-by-vampire subject.
"What do you want with it?" Alaric retorted, as if he forget who was technically asking the questions here.
"Where is it?" Stefan asked a second time, his tone more demanding this time.
"Its on my desk." He said with a jerk of his head.
"No, its' not."
Alaric furrowed his brows and glanced over at his desk, which was void of any journal.
He looked back at Stefan. "It was on my desk."
~0~
Flashback to 1864
Chandra and Katherine were at the apothecary, smelling different perfumes and chatting away.
"Have you thought any more of what I've said?" Pearl asked, coming over to Chandra.
She was usually more level-headed then Katherine, who had a tendency to be self-centered and a runner.
"We'll leave soon, Pearl, I promise. Katherine and I need to take care of a few things first." she replied evenly, looking pleased at the current bottle of perfume she had.
"You both plan on turning them, don't you?"
Katherine walked over, hearing the conversation, and smirked devilishly.
"Please, be careful. That's all I ask." Pearl said lowly, and Katherine shrugged.
"We'll all be safe, I promise." Chandra murmured, and Pearl nodded in defeat.
"Mr. Gilbert's coming." Katherine squealed, looking at Pearl. "Quick, your cheeks."
Chandra's long pale fingers darted to Pearl's face, pinching her cheeks.
"Perfectly rosy." the blonde grinned at her work and Pearl turned to look at Jonathan, who was now standing in the doorway to the store.
"Miss Pearl? May I have a moment?" he questioned.
"Yes, Mr. Gilbert. I'm still waiting for you to explain that comet in the sky." Pearl replied coolly with a smile.
The two left, and Chandra looked over at Anna. "Your mother has an admirer."
Emily, who was in charge of watching Anna while the ladies were busy, smiled down at Anna, who couldn't help but to beam back.
~0~
"As descendants of the Founding Families, they'll want to know that they can count on you." Giuseppe said to his sons as they walked together across their property.
"Of course they can. Is there any doubt?" Stefan asked, looking to his father.
"I'm not sure your brother Damon understands the importance of duty." he replied, studying the younger sibling's reaction.
"Damon left the Confederacy on principle. It was his choice and should be respected." Stefan defended. His brother's time in the army was always a sensitive subject with Giuseppe.
"You'll forgive me if I have trouble respecting a deserter."
"Well, I never asked for your respect." Damon said, stepping out from behind a shrub.
Their father stopped, and looked at Damon blankly. "Good for you, Damon. Because all I have is disappointment."
The tension in the group was so thick you could practically see it. Stefan, always a peace-maker, changed the subject.
"You said the town is in trouble?"
"There's been too many deaths. It is time for us to fight back and stop these killers." His father said firmly, clenching his fist.
"Killers? What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, his mind not jumping to Katherine or Chandra as a killer.
"We live amongst demons." he said mysteriously.
"You're being cryptic now, father. Why don't you just say the word?"
"Vampires. They exist. And they live amongst us. But we have a plan to kill them. And you're going to help us." Giuseppe looked at Stefan expectantly, and he nodded, understanding the situation. He then looked to his eldest son, who made no mood to indicate his thought or opinion on the matter.
~0~
Present Day
Damon was in the gently-used kitchen of the Boarding House, slicing a tomato. Much to any onlooker's surprise, Jenna was there too, drinking a glass of wine, chatting with Damon.
"My father never approved of anyone I dated, which only made me want them more, of course. What about you?" he asked, moving the tomato aside with the knife.
"There were a few guys. Logan isn't the only loser I've dated." Jenna said with a shrug, drinking a big gulp of her wine. She pulled herself onto the counter and leaned against the cupboard.
"They ever find him? Or is he still missing?" Damon wondered aloud, looking curiously to the missing man's ex.
"He's not missing. He's in the Bahamas working on his tan. Very entitled, that one. Marches to his own drum." she threw her head back, draining the last bit of wine. "He's a Fell. They're all snooty."
Damon laughed, and turned around, grabbing the bottle for Jenna and refilling her glass.
"Hello, Blondie." Damon said to no one in particular, and Jenna furrowed her brows, turning around.
Caroline walked in not even a second later. Her eyes widened when she saw Damon cooking, but they got even wider when she saw Jenna there.
"Hey?" Care greeted, clearly confused.
"Hey!" Jenna smiled wide, jumping down off from her seat on the counter. "We're cooking dinner."
"I can see that." Caroline murmured, gazing at Damon with suspicion.
What kind of game was he playing?
"Is Elena or Stefan with you?" Jenna asked.
Caroline glanced over her shoulder, and Elena came into view. She expressed the same shock and confusion as her blonde friend did.
"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked innocently, and Elena blinked.
"Uh – he'll – uh – be here soon."
Caroline leaned against the counter and watched Damon with a curious sort of distaste.
A/N: You should read me! V V V
Alright! That's it for part one! I experimented writing in 3rd person pov, because I know some of you prefer reading that way. I'm super excited to write the next part of this episode, too!
I finally have an idea of the whole doppelganger thing, how that's going to go down, and how Klaus and Caroline and the gang are going to play into that! ;) So yep! We're over halfway done with the first season! I hope I don't have any plot holes, if you think of any, let me know and I'll fix them!
Since I'm now accepting one-shots, I got a request for a Daroline one-shot from the lovely TinkStar87, and I've already uploaded it and posted it! The title is Night of Illumination!
Here's a tidbit from that story!:
My eyes widened in shock. "Why would I know?"
"Don't lie to me, Blondie." he stepped closer and I stepped away, feeling my back hit his dresser.
"I'm not." I said firmly, and he got even closer, staring down at me, his blue eyes intense.
His eyes flickered down to my lips, and if I was still alive, my heart would have probably had a heart attack.
No, Caroline! This is Damon we're talking about here! The Damon that compelled you! He took advantage of insecure human you!
I felt his breath on my lips now, and I darted to the side. His strong fingers caught my wrist, and tugged me back to him with surprising force.
"You can't just look at me like that and expect something to happen!" I snapped, forcing myself away from him. "I'm not like that anymore! You can't compel me or expect me to forgive you for-"
"I know you aren't." he said, his eyes narrowed.
"Do you?" I demanded. "I know you're hurt that Katherine wasn't in the tomb, and ever since then you've been giving Elena this look." Damon's expression darkened before transforming into the smirky eyebrow thing he often gave Elena. "That look! That right there! You can't expect to give that to her – or me, and have us melt!"
I turned away.
Suddenly his supple lips were on mine, and I gasped between his kisses.
So, if you like Daroline, and you like a bit of fluffy goodness, go check it out? ;)
Q: What are your predictions for the future? / What have/are you doing this summer?
Alright! Love you guys! Thanks for over 300 reviews, I about had a heart attack when I saw that, and 200+ follows we have! That's seriously crazy! (: xx