A/n: Edited on 10/6/2019.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, or the lyrics shown. The lyrics is only shown to help put the right mood for the chapter. The only thing I do own is the plots I write for this story and the Original Characters I create.

Chapter 4: Sun Goes Down

Mystic Falls

Present - January 18, 2011

Darkness had fallen over the small town. This darkness was not from nightfall, but from an oncoming storm, one that was fueled by the death of Caroline Forbes.

The town was unusually quiet, but that is exactly how Klaus wanted it to be. This was his chosen method of torture; his enemies didn't know how or when he would come for them.

Once the Bennett witch lost her power, the containment spell was broken and Klaus was freed. His brother's body forgotten, he raced from the Gilbert house with Caroline still in his arms. He took her to his home where she would be safe, and he could grieve until she was to be laid to rest.

He dared any of those miscreants, Caroline's so called friends, to come near him. He was just itching to wreak havoc, but then again that would be way too easy. Klaus wasn't going to give them that kindness for he enjoyed the element of surprise.

Therefore, he decided to wait it out. He wanted the paranoia to eat away at their core; cause them to lose focus and keep them guessing until they reach their breaking point. He wanted this for every single one of them, not only for the death of his brother, but also now for Caroline.

He has certainly changed since coming to the godforsaken town, and none of what he had seen or experience in the past could have prepared him for this type of pain. If anything, he learned a very valuable lesson for his time here.

Loyalty isn't worth shit.

Over his thousand years of life, he couldn't count how many times he had been stabbed in the back. This wasn't just about his pack or his parents, but also his own siblings. The people that had pledged 'always and forever' had walked out on him.

Once home, he laid Caroline's lifeless body out on his neatly made bed. Hours or perhaps minutes could have passed before he decided to move from the spot at her side. He reached down to fix one of her curls that had fallen over her face; even in death she was so beautiful.

He wouldn't leave her, not even for a much needed hunt. Time had no presence for him; he had no perception of it at all. He had already finished the supply of alcohol in his home. He even gone far as to raid the secret stash of scotch he kept in his art studio. However, no matter how many times he drank himself into a stupor, nothing would numb the pain he tried to push into the deepest and darkest part of his being.

Though the intruder made no move to make their presence known, Klaus felt it behind him. He had learned a thing or two in his thousand years, and he wasn't about to be stabbed in the back again.

"Klaus?" A female voice spoke softly.

She was the last person he expected.

"It's rude to linger in doorways." Klaus said without turning.

With her arrival, he had dared to hope that she could somehow help…but that was not the case, the deed had already been done. Finally turning to look at the slight female leaning against the doorframe he continued. "You made a risky move coming here. Has it occurred to you that I am currently the last person that cares to be bothered?"

She warily made her way towards the hybrid, her eyes falling to the dead vampire on the bed. Being sympathetic to all creatures, human or not, her heart clenched at the sight of the blonde beauty that was gray as ash. She could see the pain etched on Klaus' face, but she couldn't afford to empathize with him. She couldn't show any weakness.

"I can't stay long, but at least let me clean her up."

Klaus watched her every move with scrutinizing eyes as she went back and forth from the bathroom, bringing out clean towels and a basin of warm water. In a careful fashion, she started the process of removing the dried blood from Caroline's skin.

"I envy her," Klaus' deep voice broke through the silence. "Even in her death her light still shines through, but it doesn't matter now. She's gone."

She rung out the cloth one final time, the water in the basin was now a muddy brown. "I need to change her clothes. These are ruined." She made sure to have Klaus' permission before she did anything. "I'll go find one of Rebekah's dresses."

Klaus barely nodded to her as she left the room in search for a dress. He still couldn't pull his eyes away from Caroline; he just couldn't accept that she is gone.

His visitor reentered the room and began to cut away Caroline's bloodied clothes, throwing them into a nearby garbage can. She changed the dead vampire into a pretty blue, black, and silver dress that where the skirt ended right at her knees. A black floral design was printed on the dress with more silver accents that made it sparkle like diamonds. It reminded Klaus of the dress he had bought for her the night of the ball. His mind floated back to that night as silver heels slipped on to Caroline's slender feet.

"There is no reason to stand there pretending to be afraid of me when we both know that you aren't." Klaus remarked.

Her eyes flared up, but she didn't make a move. She just continued fixing Caroline's hair. "Klaus, we need to bring her body back to her mother for the funeral. You can get back to your drunken grieving later." She threw something into his lap. "Here's a blood bag. I don't need you thirsty and in a rage out in public."

Klaus growled lowly at her as his hybrid face shifted, but being used to this side of him, she was not fazed by it. "I no longer have feeling. Not anymore." He tipped back his glass of scotch, finishing it off before going for the blood.

"Anyone with half a mind can see what you feel for her. It is natural to grieve when you lose someone you care about. You know you can't hide from me, but I can feel your emotions. I know who your heart beats for."

"You know nothing!" Klaus snapped.

She sighed to herself. This was typical Niklaus. So stubborn, like talking to a brick wall. He never did trust her intuition and was always trying to prove he had no weaknesses. He was fully and completely in denial.

"You know better than that," she said knowingly. "Whenever you're ready I'll be down stairs." She knew it was only a matter of time before Mystic Falls was going to feel Klaus' revenge.

Klaus was once again alone in his room with the body of the girl so full of light.

New Orleans

Past - January 1910

Darkness. Again with the darkness.

Caroline was tired of being left in the dark. She was always in the dark with her friends, in death, and now in the afterlife with only Kol to annoy her. Waking up from a broken neck was never easy, but this time it was taking longer than usual.

Caroline's eyes began to open, taking in her surroundings. What used to be hard earth underneath her was now a soft material, though it was still lumpy and smells damp. As she rose up into a sitting position, a dull pain emitted from the back of her neck.

"God," she groaned, rubbing her neck. "Each time that happens it hurts more and more. I so need a good night's sleep."

"It is morning." A female voice spoke.

Caroline turned to the direction of the voice seeing a tall and slim, young woman with skin the color of dark caramel. The woman walked across the room to the bed that Caroline now realized she was lying in. Caroline was now able to see the details of the woman's face as the dim morning light coming in through the windows. Her dark raven hair was a stark contrast to her dark gray, almost nearly black eyes. What worried Caroline was the bitterness held in those eyes.

Pulling the quilt back off of her body, Caroline was baffled by the clothes she was wearing and wondered who had changed her. She was in a soft cotton nightgown that went all the way down to her ankles. She knew something was off because she had either stumbled upon an Amish community or was no longer in the twenty-first century. Nothing felt right anymore.

"I know you have many questions, but it would benefit you to hold your tongue. Especially considering the situation you got yourself into last night."

Caroline didn't like the condescending tone of the young woman. She was still a vampire and could easily teach her a lesson in manners. Caroline didn't need to be talked to like a young child who didn't know a thing about the world, but she couldn't let her emotions get the best of her. She was a guest in this woman's house after all.

"No offense, but you don't know a thing about my situation, so if you don't mind I'm gonna ask whatever questions I want." Caroline had been dragged through hell and back and didn't need some girl giving her grief about it.

The woman's face furrowed into a mix of disgust and resentment. Not long after that, a jolt of hot pain pulsed inside of Caroline's skull. She remembered the familiar pain. It only confirmed that the young woman was a witch, and a short tempered one at that.

"How dare you, you ungrateful little abomination. You are lucky we even had the inkling to take a creature like you under our care."

Caroline cried out in pain, holding her head in a futile attempt to dull the stinging pain of the aneurism.

"Maggie, stop!" An accented voice rang out, dropping the concentration of the witch and ceasing the pain.

Another woman ran into the room, trying her best to calm down the young witch. "She didn't mean you no harm, child." The older woman directed towards Caroline before turning to the young woman, a harsh reminder in her voice. "He told us not to let any harm come to her, and you'd be best to heed his warning."

Maggie glared at the older woman, but finally relented. Running around with a vampire as her housemate practically was humiliating enough, but now they were taking in strays, and one far worse than the vampire boy. She found all of it disgusting. "Adelaide, you do not get to tell me what to do and it is repulsive that you let the likes of him order you around like a commoner."

In that moment, Caroline realized that the older woman was a witch too as she trained her eyes onto Maggie.

Adelaide's stern stare was enough to let anybody know who controlled the reins. "He is no master of mine, I assure you." She said before putting herself in between the Caroline and Maggie. "He serves a purpose to warn us of the other vampires' doings. We need her healthy and you are not making things any better. Now go Magdalena and help downstairs with breakfast. I will see that our guest is tended to."

The young witch didn't spare a second glance as she slammed the door on her way out of the room, mostly just to annoy the elder witch. Adelaide changed her focus back to the young girl resting in bed. She couldn't help the smile that came over her, reading all of the emotions in the girl's eyes.

"What is your name?" Adelaide asked, hoping to start a conversation with an easy question.

Adelaide's brown eyes watched every move the blonde made, seeing her hesitation. Adelaide couldn't blame her for it though. Aside from the girl's youth, Adelaide saw intelligence in her fixed gaze. Moving slowly, she sat on the bed, making sure to leave some distance between them. "I'm not going to hurt you," she reassured. "You must be thirsty."

Caroline looked on with confusion as Adelaide rolled up the sleeve of her dress, exposing her dark skin. Caroline heard the alluring sound of the blood pumping through the witch's veins. It was so tempting and would only take a brief second for her to overpower the witch and feed. However, she remained frozen in her place. She couldn't drink. Not again. The last time she had taken from the vein, she had killed a man.

When Caroline sunk further back on the bed away from her, Adelaide pressed on. "Are you not hungry? You have been through quite an ordeal."

Most vampires drink from the vein, but Caroline didn't want to. She wouldn't let herself. The fear of killing someone and her currently heightened emotions would be too much; she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

"I…I can't…" she whispered softly.

Adelaide nodded in understanding, seeing how uncomfortable the idea was making her. She got up from the bed, and just when Caroline thought that Adelaide was leaving, she went over to a chest of drawers and picked up a knife and silver cup. With a quick, clean cut of her wrist a steady flow of red blood started to fill the metal cup.

All Caroline could focus on was the torturous sound of blood dripping, slowing as the wound started to heal.

Once the blood had filled the cup over half way, Adelaide held it in both hands, extending it towards Caroline as a peace offering.

When Caroline made no move to accept the cup, Adelaide insisted. "I mean you no ill will child, please drink."

The blood was so tempting. Throwing moral logic out of the window, Caroline gave into her thirst and brought the cup to her lips. The sweet taste of the blood rushed over her senses. All she could think about was savoring the substance that she had been deprived of for who knows how long. As the cup emptied, her thoughts cleared and she noticed something odd about the blood. It held a peculiar taste to it unlike anything she had ever had before. Caroline had never had blood from a witch before, but there was something more natural to it; natural and powerful. It seemed that each species had their own flavor whether it is human, animal, wolf, vampire, or hybrid.

She guessed that almost five minutes had passed as she tried to get every last drop from the cup. As she finished the witch took the cup away and that was when Adelaide heard the girl finally speak of her own accord. "Thank you," Caroline said meekly.

"You are welcome." The witch crossed the room again to sit down next to her. "My name is Adelaide, but most people just call me Adele." Looking down to her wrist, she muttered a quick incantation for a healing spell, after which she held out her hand for the girl to shake.

Feeling safer now that she had been fed and thankful for being taken in and not having to be around Kol anymore, the blonde returned the handshake. "I'm Caroline."

Adele could tell that Caroline had questions that were running rampant inside of her mind. Beside what Kol had told her when he brother Caroline to them, she had little to go on, but she would help the poor girl out as much as she could as long as Caroline was willing to open up as well.

"Do you know where you are?" Adele asked, curious to see how much Caroline knew about the situation.

Being a witch as long as she had, her instinct on dealing with any supernatural being was sharpened. She had plenty of dealings with vampires, werewolves, and other rarer creatures. These types of creatures seemed to flock to the bayou, and Adele needed to keep Caroline safe; she didn't want to think about the consequences if she didn't.

Caroline didn't know how she had been transported here, or if here was still the other side, or if she was still dead. Not knowing how much she was allowed to divulge without toying with fate, she chose to stay quiet.

So they both sat still, observing each other and waiting for the other to speak first. Adele admired how brave the young girl was, resisting answering knowing full well that a witch as powerful as her could easily make a vampire talk. Caroline had a spunk that reminded Adele of someone she had known a long time ago. The witch's thoughts often wondered how she was doing and where she was, but for now she brought her focus back to Caroline.

This peculiar creature had a natural beauty to her, Adele mused. She had blonde waves that stopped at the top of her breastbone. Her blue-green eyes were always expressive with emotions, and they shined bright in any darkness. Her skin was much lighter than Adele's own. New Orleans was a large mixing pot of cultures and though Adele had grown up in a Creole family, she was used to being around people with every shade of skin. In the city, one never knew who or what they would run into. Although, with the segregation and racial tension of the south, people usually tend to flock to those they are familiar with.

Caroline's cautious eyes read the witch's body language, which indicated no ill will. She had a smile that could put anyone at ease, but Adele's dark brown eyes had a fearless yet motherly nature to them. There was also an air of wisdom about the witch that Caroline noted to never underestimate. She wasn't sure if this came from years of study or growing up on the harsh streets of New Orleans; perhaps it was both. She was taller than Caroline by a few inches, and she had dark curly hair to go with it.

"The only thing I remember before that jerk Kol so rudely snapped my neck was that I am in New Orleans." Caroline said in annoyance.

Adelaide couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. Caroline's reaction was completely valid when it comes to the rash actions of the male vampire in question. Kol was known around these parts as a trickster and the only reason why he hadn't been caught and punished was because he was in good with the vampire that ran the Quarter. Both Kol and the self-proclaimed 'King' of New Orleans were diabolical, charming, and dangerous men. They loved to be kept entertained, mostly by females, and would party until the wee hours of the morning. Adele was at odds as to which of them was harder to deal with.

Kol had snatched her up with the intentions to feed on her and then leave her for dead, this being the little game he liked to play when he found himself in a large city and was bored. It was only later when they realized what she was that he sought out Adele in order to take full advantage of his unique find. Sometimes Adele wonder why she allowed him to run with them in the first place, but then again there was a certain advantage of having a vampire like him around.

"Yes, I know all too well. Kol tends to have that effect," Adele mused.

Caroline paused for a brief second confused. "You know him?"

"Child, if I told you everything that boy has put me through, we'd be here until we were rotting in our graves." Adele said truthfully. Out of all the original vampire siblings, Kol was the most conniving and cunning, but his joking nature should not be conceived as kindness. She would take Kol over his brothers any day though; he had a soft spot for witches, perhaps because his mother was also a keeper of nature's balance.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Caroline laughed and slid her legs over the edge of the bed, trying to stand up slowly. Adele was at Caroline's side helping steady her. Caroline didn't necessarily need the help, but she was glad there was now a person willing to look out for her needs for once.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you helping me? Aren't witches and vampires supposed to be arch enemies or something?"

"You mustn't judge all of us by the behavior of Maggie." Adele started. "I have been a witch for a very long time and I've learned that life is too short to be negative all the time. We cannot undo what Esther Mikaelson did centuries ago, so why waste energy hating what we can't change? I learned to live with it and it has brought some amazing people into my life. If only Maggie could see this, but she is so set in her ways for such a young age."

They kept talking about Caroline's 'situation' but she felt they didn't know the half of it, so what was wrong with her?

"Rest assured, though I am thankful for your hospitality. I didn't ask to be here and I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

"I would not have taken you into my home if I thought you would be a burden." She smiled and walked over to the chest of drawers. "There are some clothes for you in here. Once you are dressed, please join us for breakfast, if you are still hungry that is." Adele went to leave the room but was stopped by Caroline's pleading voice.

"Please…wait!" She still had no idea why she was here or why they were being so accommodating. "Can you explain why you all keep talking about my…situation?"

"You mean you don't know what you are?"

"Yes, I am a vampire." Caroline answered.

"Not just…" Adele started. "Look into the mirror and concentrate on your true nature, and it will show itself."

"Is the riddle necessary?" Caroline muttered under her breath, becoming tired of no one give her any straight answers.

Adelaide laughed and shook her head. "No, but you'll figure it out soon enough. You are a smart girl." She winked back at Caroline as she neared the door. "I'll see you downstairs when you are ready."

Caroline sighed, frustrated not only with herself but also her situation. There was that word again; she needed to figure out why everyone was walking on eggshells with her and better yet, why she was in New Orleans and not relaxing on the Other Side.

"Just get it over with, Caroline." She scolded herself. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the edge of the wooden dresser. She closed her eyes and focused like when she wanted her fangs to drop. There was something drawing up deep within her, something unfamiliar, yet it felt just as much a part of her as her beating heart. Her eyes shot open as a rush of power shot through her and her physical features started to change.

Looking in the mirror she gasped from shock, she flew back from the mirror as fast as she could, ending up all the way across the room. Cautiously, she looked into the mirror again.

"No…this can't be right," she was almost in tears. She was devastated when she found out that she has been changed into a vampire against her will, but now this and she still didn't have a say in it.

The whites of her eyes were now pitch black with gold irises in the center. Dark protruding veins emerged around her eyes and she now had two sets of fangs that ripped through her gums as they elongated. An instinctive hiss came from her lips as she gazed at herself. This was all wrong; this wasn't her.

Though she was neurotic as a human she at least knew where she belonged in this world. Now taking in her surroundings for a final time she realized that there was perhaps only one other person who was like her.

Reaching up to touch her fang, she groaned in confusion, frustration, and anger. If being a vampire was already considered an abomination and werewolves were unpredictable killers, where did she fall? Looking back at her in the mirror was a combination of the two evils.

A hybrid.