IMPORTANT POLL - PLEASE VOTE

Should Elena cheat on Damon in the story?

Baby Mikaelson

Chapter Twenty - We're Going to be Sisters

Caroline Forbes P.O.V

When I pulled up in front of my house I cut the engine and made a mental note to clean out my car and wash it. I made little notes like this when I was my most relaxed, I hadn't felt like this since my time in Vegas, and despite only being there for a few days it felt much longer. I knew the reason I felt so relaxed and at peace there, sure the Mikaelson family distracted me, Klaus pampered me every chance he got and Rebekah and I in some level became close but it had nothing to do with any of that. I could admit to myself now it was because it the longest time I'd ever spent away from Elena and all my other friends.

Hearing what Elena had to say back at The Grill was not the only reason my mind was suddenly so very clear. Sure she pushed a number of my buttons as she always did but I knew the deeper reason behind my sudden clarity.

I liked Klaus.

I didn't like Elena.

I didn't like Klaus looking at Elena.

But most of all, I didn't like the way Elena looked at Klaus.

Elena didn't smile at him, no smirk past across her lips, nothing at all had been exchanged but their eyes had met. Deep down I knew on some level he must be attracted to her, it seemed every guy in Mystic Falls seemed to like her at some point, I'd even caught a few married fathers at fund raisers looking her way, some even asked her to dance at times. Was I jealous? Yes I was. I'd admit that. Men looked at her the way they looked at Katherine, they were all just hoping she'd give them a second look.

None of them knew her personality and it didn't matter to them I guess. She was just so beautiful, she wore little make up, she just appeared effortless and yet superior to every other girl.

Was she aware of this?

Sometimes I did wonder, I would come home from charity fund raisers or a founding families event, go into my bedroom and start unpinning my hair or take off another time period dress and I'd let my mind wonder.

I believe deep down Elena was very aware of the attention she got from men. I don't know the reason behind her silence about it but it worked to her advantage. Her silence made her all the more humble and innocent in the eyes of those around her. I doubt she even mentioned the attention of men in any of her diary entries.

She had a pull on men, her eyes were as dark as her heart these days.

Deep down I knew, she brought that guy Jake back to the boarding house for reasons behind even her explaining. She had covered it up with a seemingly dramatic break from reality, chocked it all down to the pressure of wanting a child or the lack of attention from Damon. She was good at that, passing off current mistakes by reminding people of her past or their own prejudices against her.

I understand that compared to the rest of us she has been through more, I've never pretended to understand her pain. But her actions, her mistakes were made by her, she couldn't continue to blame her own thoughtless, selfish and shocking choices on other people.

She brought Jake to the boarding house believing Damon was out of town, believing they would be all alone and knowing Jake was willing to donate sperm in the future in order for her to become a mother through the assistance of a hybrid. In my heart, now with the passage of time I believe she brought Jake to the house in order to sleep with him.

I was past the stage of worrying about my thoughts, they were my thoughts and mine to hold forever without fear. So here were my thoughts, free of my own judgement and fear.

I believe given the chance, Elena would have slept with Jake that night. I doubt she would have gotten herself drunk in order to do it, I believe she would hate herself more but she would have slept with him in Damon's bed. I think in the morning she would have hated herself, she would have gotten rid of the baby sheets, spent the whole day cleaning the boarding house to remove any traces of the night before. She would have turned her phone off of course, only making Bonnie the paranoid, worry all day for her.

If she had become pregnant, she probably would have kept the baby and through her powerful manipulation, she would have convinced Jake that it was best for everyone if they lied and said Elena got a sample from him. She would have cried, reminded Jake of everything she had lost throughout her life and how the baby was now everything to her, he would have felt so drained by the end of the conversation that he would find himself offering to leave and never come back, Elena would beg him to stay, whilst hoping he wouldn't, he would wish her well and no doubt he'd probably touch her belly, this selfless act no doubt would have made their eyes meet and Elena would have probably leaned forward and kissed him then. She would spent her drive home telling herself that just like her 'goodbye kiss' with Damon when he was dying from his werewolf bite that it was just that, an innocent kiss goodbye when in fact, it was cheating. It was a moment of intimacy shared with another man that was not her boyfriend.

If I had stayed in her little circle I would have watched all of this unfold and stand by with Bonnie picking up the pieces of her Elena's life, building her up to make her whole again. Making her life my whole life yet again.

This was not going to happen to me again.

I stepped out of my car feeling warm, rubbing my palms together slowly as I made my way up the walkway towards the front porch. I let myself in and shut the door behind me.

The first thing I did was head for the bathroom to take a shower, I cranked the heat up so high I found myself stepping away from the water several times as I lathered my skin up in lemon scented shower gel, I used a wash cloth and took off all of my make up, using the water from the shower to rinse and repeat several times until all traces of my make up and all my efforts to blend into my high school role were gone. Today was going to be about being real and it started right now with something so small as make up.

I turned off the shower and dried off before making my way to the sink counter to brush my teeth and towel dry my hair. I felt good, I felt clean and not at all rushed for time.

I made down the hall to my bedroom, I finished drying off, put on some deodorant under my arms before dumping the damp towels into the hamper. I collected two sets of sweats from my my chest of drawers, both sets consisted of lose pink cottons bottoms and a soft almost cashmere soft white jumper also loose fitted. I put on mine before heading to my closet and collecting a pair a packet of new cotton underwear along with new cotton white socks, both in their original packing, both unopened. I put this set together along with the trousers and jumper, carried them into the bathroom and sat them on the sink counter.

I went around the house closing all the doors before turning on the heat nice and low, I collected a box of matches and went around lighting a few soft toned orange candles in the hallway and in the sitting room. I closed the curtains in the sitting room fully giving the entire room a gentle candle light glow, I put on one small lamp in the corner to give the room that soft light it needed. Over to the television I collected the DVD Pretty Woman and put it on putting it on pause and at the ready.

I collected the throw blanket we kept around the back of the sofa and draped it over the sofa completely before clearing off the coffee table. Into the kitchen I went into the fridge and gathered some vegetable soup I had been saving for my dinner that night, I went to work preparing some lunch. The soup cooked nice and slowly on the stove while I worked around the kitchen. I gathered two bowls and plates, cut up some slices of bread and poured two glasses of orange juice to go with it. I carried the bread and juice into the sitting room before returning to the kitchen to stir the soup and add seasoning.

I then returned to the bathroom, bending down to the lower sink cabinet I began hunting through all our bottles of essential oils, finally in the back finding the two I was searching for Sweet Orange and the other Eucalyptus. I took both with a small glass of water into the hallway, plugging in the small humidifier, filling it with fresh clean water before adding a equal amount of the Sweet Orange and the Eucalyptus in. It was the scent of healing and relaxation.

I returned to the kitchen and paused in my stirring listening to a car pull up out front. I turned off the stove and from the pot poured the soup into the prepared bowls. With a small chap to the front door I used a dish towel to dry off my hands before heading down to find Rebekah looking back at me through the centre glass panel of the front door.

I opened the door to her and smiled, just not ear to ear I wasn't going to be fake about this.

"Well, you called so what do you want?" She asked me

"Ok" I nodded "What I want is for us to talk, no agendas, no drama. I want us to talk to each other. Really talk"

"We're not friends"

I paused and took my time, I tried again.

"I don't want us to be friends. I've had friends and it never works out. Even as I say this I can feel your reaction but-" I met her eyes "Rebekah, just know that I hear it even as I say it, no matter how crazy and immature it sounds. What I want, is for us not to be friends. I want us to be sisters"

Rebekah didn't have an immediate reaction like I expected her to have. She didn't take her eyes off me though, I expected judgement, laughter even, I didn't expect her to hand me to the floor and continue on.

"Not fake sisters, not bitch about each sisters. Like I said-" I stopped to take a breath "I want you and me to be sisters and not friends. Friends just come and go, just like I did to you in Vegas. But I want something I can't walk away from. It doesn't mean we need to like each other, all it means is we're gonna be through for each other, we can judge each other, hate each other but we're still here. We don't need to hug, read each other with a look, none of that. We just need to be here"

Rebekah just continued to stare at me, her expression blank.

I feared I had crossed enough lines already, she could leave and go back to her brothers or to the school and have a right good laugh at my expense. But despite that and the fear threatening to swallow me whole I continued.

I spoke softly "Come in and know that I'm already here. That I'm in"

After a beat, Rebekah stepped inside.

I closed the door behind her and turned around to face her.

She took her first look around and walked up to the photo frames across from us keeping her back to me.

"What are you cooking?"

"Erm, I made soup. Vegetable"

Rebekah turned back around to me then "If this is a game to you and your friends-"

"They're not my friends. No wait, what I mean is-" I stepped towards her to limit the space between us "This isn't a game to me, this isn't a scheme. I'm not lying to you and I am not lying when I tell you this. I think, no I know that, I know that, I need you to help me"

"With what?" Rebekah almost snapped but then seeing the way I flinched immediately caught her off guard.

We locked eyes and I didn't hide my uncertainty from her, I wore it proudly and unashamed.

She caught me off guard by stepping forward herself.

"Alright" She said nodding her head softening her tone "Tell me"

"I just need a little help" I said as my eyes filled with tears and dripped down onto my cheek immediately.

I wiped it away before she could say a word and I cleared my throat and took a deep inhale.

"Just a little help" Rebekah said softly like I might just break

All I could do was nod my head and hold back tears that had come from nowhere and were beyond my control as I clenched my teeth together hard and gathered myself.

I couldn't look her in the eye "What I need is" I stopped to begin again "What I need is, I need you to go to the bathroom, put on the sweats I put out for you, I need you to take off your make up, sit with me and eat some vegetable soup, watch Pretty Woman and when we're both ready-" I stopped to clear my throat and wipe away another fallen tear "When we're ready we'll pause it and we will talk" I cleared my throat and it was an ugly ugly sound but I didn't care, it was all throat and not pretty in the slightest.

"I need you to help me get away from Elena and help me find my confidence" Again with that I wiped away another fallen tear and never looked Rebekah in the eye once.

"Please" I sniffled

Rebekah placed her hand on my shoulder and I closed my eyes, feeling the heat from her hand on my aching shoulder. I felt my shoulders relax and with that came the pain from the stress, I had been so tense and in order for my body to relax now it needed to go through the pain of letting go of the stress.

I kept my eyes shut and listened to Rebekah walk down the hall and step into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

I opened my eyes and wiped them, thankful for taking off all my eye make up then. I gathered two tissues from the box in the hall and dried my eyes before making my way to the kitchen. I immediately went to the medicine cabinet above the fridge and got myself two aspirin which I took immediately to help with my pain. Stress wasn't just mental, it was physical too.

I collected our bowls of soup and took them into the sitting room, sitting them down beside our organised lunch, everything mirrored each other and my effort towards our time together was clear now. I sat down and draped some of the blanket around my legs with our soup bowl ready on the coffee table now in front of me with the cut up bread and glasses of orange juice. I took a look around the room, the heating was on, the candles were burning, the curtains were drawn and the movie was ready.

With the Sweet Orange and Eucalyptus filling the surrounding rooms I breathed in deeply.

I was home.

I was relaxed.

Rebekah came into view then, she had taken off her make up, tied her hair back and around behind her head, she had put on the clothes I had laid off for her and she did look comfortable.

She took a minute which didn't surprise me before she finally walked over to me, she picked up the blanket and put it over her legs just like I had before she took a look around the room.

"I'm going to say something. I'm not going to look at you and say it but I'm going to say it and then you're going to put on the movie immediately" Rebekah said facing forward not looking me in the eye.

I placed my hand on the remote control for the DVD player and waited.

Rebekah remained silent for a moment further before finally speaking.

"It's gonna be okay" She told me.

I wanted to speak.

I wanted to nod in agreement because I did believe her in that moment.

I wanted to thank her.

But I did nothing but what she asked me to do.

I turned on the movie.

Elena Gilbert P.O.V

The day had gone by in the blink of an eye and I was filled with such positive energy. Not only did I get good grades from last week's pop quiz in my first class of the day but during lunch Bonnie was at the dentist so I managed to get a jump start on all next week's classes in study hall. Now I would have some free time for myself and that's exactly what I needed more than anything right now. Shane had called my phone during lunch break, I refused to speak to him but he still continued to pursue me regardless.

He wanted me so badly and I didn't know how to handle it. Nothing had happened between us and nothing was going to happen. He was a widow and clearly still very much in love with his wife. Otherwise why would he tell me he only wanted to sleep with me? He didn't want to get close to me and make a connection because he clearly still loved her. Besides, I loved Damon and would always love him. I thought about him every single day despite Shane's efforts to get inside my head and make me doubt our relationship.

My connection and passion with Damon was still very strong and we enjoyed each other. Shane wasn't going to make me forget him no matter how many times he told me he wanted me each day, no matter how many times he told me he was thinking about me, or what he thought of my body, or fantasies he had where he and I would...

It didn't matter to me. Shane had this all turned around and twisted in his mind. Yes alright I did dream about Shane from time to time and yeah okay, we did have sex in my dreams, sometimes we were in Damon's bed and sometimes we were in my old bedroom in my house, one time I even dreamt that he took me to a hotel and we were together in a hot tub. What made the dreams so twisted was I felt like myself in the dream from start to finish and in the dreams, I never wanted Shane to look at me during our time together, which meant he would be with me and I felt like, like I was an animal, a serviced mare. Shane didn't seem to mind in the dreams, sometimes he called me by my name and sometimes well sometimes, he'd call me 'Caroline'

I even had a nightmare in which he told me he wished I was blonde sometimes.

Even in my dreams I was reminded of my fight with Caroline. She completely destroyed my self esteem and she was the reason I had become so drained mentally that I was left dreaming of men who weren't Damon. I knew Caroline couldn't control my dreams but the reality was that she hadn't apologised to me properly for what she had done to me. I had held my tongue as I always did and tried my best to make peace but sometimes she'd look at me a certain way and I'd be reminded of all the horrible things she had said to me and to the people I care about.

I was still a broken and shattered mess, I had given up my dreams of having a baby and Caroline didn't even ask me how I was coping with it. I mean take this morning for example, she clearly saw how tired I looked and yet she just let me continue on about Rebekah without stopping me to ask me how I was doing. I was clearly focusing on Rebekah to avoid my own pain and a true friend would have seen right through that and called me on it. But Caroline seemed so distant to me these days, like the lights were on but no one was home.

I get that sometimes there is a lot going on in our lives but we all still manage to look up, look around us and ask the people with us 'So how are things going for you?'

This is what she does, she gets so wrapped up in her own problems that she doesn't look around her. I knew exactly what her problem was and she thought I didn't, she thought I couldn't read her but I could.

She was wracked with guilt over our fight and she was clearly submitting to me with her silence. She must have seen me like an alpha in some way, but giving me this silence she was trying to let me know she wanted to hear from me, she wanted to know what she had missed while she was off in her bad mood. While I was on my own dealing with Damon, dealing with Shane and trying to build things with Jake, she had been off sulking like a stubborn little child unwilling to deal with the consequences of her actions.

I didn't even know where to begin with her, I mean did she need a hug? Or did she need a little tough love. She probably needed both and she was waiting for it I could tell. She hadn't even shown up for school today, it was more obvious every day that her anxiety about what she had done to me was building more and more.

I held all the cards of course, she put them in my hands but choosing to act this way. So of course I would make her feel better, she would never be the bigger person that had always been my job in our friendship.

So I had left practise, taught the girls a new routine and wiped out all traces of Rebekah's notes on their line up and posture. Now I was at the mall in search of a little gift for Caroline. I just wanted to let her know that I was thinking of her and that I did in fact forgive her, even if she couldn't forgive herself. I was ready to move on and I wanted her to know that.

Into the first store I came across I headed inside and bought her a new cream coloured scarf which I asked the sales assistant to wrap in tissue paper for me.

After that was done I decided I may as well get myself a couple of items since I was here. I bought myself a latte in the food court and went from there.

I went into a cute little boutique and bought a cute peach blouse I just couldn't say no to, in the next store I bought two new pairs of jeans, one in black and the other dark blue. There were a little stung in fit but they made me feel good and put a little bounce in my step which was needed. I bought a few new make up items including two new palettes, a usual choice of foundation, a new mascara, then some shampoo and conditioner, along with a hair mask and a box of waxing strips.

I took all my bags so far out to the car and loaded them all into the trunk before I made my way back inside to go to the next floor up.

I stopped outside a jewellery store to admire their centre piece in the display it was a beautiful necklace chocker, valued at fifty thousand dollars. It was simply stunning and beyond my imagining, it seemed to twinkle in the light, almost winking at me like it knew how badly I wanted to take it home. I watched then as one of the jewellery store employees dressed in their all black attire and gold name tag proceeded to remove the necklace from the display.

I decided to go into the store then to see who was purchasing such a luxury item. I stopped dead at the sight before me then, Klaus Mikaelson.

Klaus was across the store standing on the other side of a counter display with a range of necklaces in front of him, he was speaking to an older gentleman in a tailored suit, no doubt the manager or owner or the store. I looked down at the luxurious necklaces on display for him, he was no doubt buying them for Rebekah or even...

I swallowed hard at the sight of Klaus picking up the necklace I had admired into his hands and smiling as he admired the quality of the diamonds and continued to talking with the older gentleman.

Caroline, he was probably buying her another piece of jewellery.

She had told me all about the bracelet he had attempted to give her before. Some back story about how it had originally belonged to a Princess at some point in time. Here he was again attempting to buy something to win her affection. He had no chance, Caroline wasn't everything she could be but the very least she was not a cheater.

Caroline had principals as strongly as I did about cheating. I loved Damon with all of my heart and would never do anything to hurt him.

He always wanted to impress Caroline like he had a chance with her. She didn't deserve some things especially given recent events. I watched closely from behind a display wondering how Klaus could buy such things for her given everything that she had been up to recently. He wouldn't care that she had almost destroyed our friendship, he didn't care if I lived or died I guessed. But still the idea that he spent so much time and money on her when in reality, well as harsh as it sounded and it sounded very harsh and mean.

Caroline wasn't near as beautiful as well lets say Bonnie and I.

I hated myself a little for thinking such nasty things but it was no wonder, Caroline had hurt my feelings so badly that of course I was still hurting and could easily let myself think such things. She had no one to blame but herself for that and I think she would even admit that herself.

He was going to buy her the necklace I had admired, I had seen it first and yet she was going to have it?

There she goes again taking what little things I wanted for myself. Now I would have to smile and pretend I liked it on her.

If Caroline hadn't completely destroyed me in front of all of our friends then I wouldn't be feeling like this right now. I wouldn't be acting on it either...

I crossed the store towards Klaus and stopped at his side, I felt him looking at me from the side but I waited before lifting my head to look his way. I then smiled at the man working behind the desk feeling Klaus still watching me. I looked down to a necklace the employee was holding it was a diamond festoon necklace.

"Can I try that on?" I asked him turning my body a little to the side as I asked.

"Of course, Miss" The older man replied and made his way around the display.

I proceeded to brush all my hair to one side, before I slowly brought my hand up and brushed my fingers down the side of my bare neck on Klaus' side. I could feel him watching me the whole time. The employee clasped the necklace on and even got my a hand mirror to admire it. I was wearing a scooped necklace top so nothing was getting in the way of me admiring the necklace fully.

"It is a beautiful piece" The older man said to Klaus then.

"How much?" I dared to ask knowing full well I could not afford such a thing.

"It's forty two thousand"

I thanked the employee and he unclasped it for me.

I wanted to ensure Klaus would remember me wearing this if he gave it to Caroline. In that moment there was only one thing to do. No matter how bad it made me look.

I looked up at Klaus through my lashes.

"Stiff" I said softly so only he could hear it and his jaw clenched.

Out of angry or something deeper who could tell? I wasn't sticking around to find out. I made my way out of the store then not daring to look over my shoulder to see if Klaus was still watching me.

I didn't stop until I was a few stores away and out of his sight, I disappeared into a clothes shop and tried to distract myself from my own thoughts.

It bothered me that Caroline got attention that I did not. Damon would never even think to buy me something like that. I wouldn't want him to spend that much money on me anyway.

That was the truth.

But why did Klaus continue to pursue Caroline so relentlessly? He was probably doing it really to get under my skin to...

I stopped dead in tracks in realization, how could I have been so blind? How could I not have seen it so clearly?

Klaus Mikaelson always went after what he could not have, Caroline said it himself he had even seduced a freaking Princess. He wasn't after Caroline, he was trying to get a reaction from me this whole time.

I recalled during the sacrifice as I was drained how full his lips were, how as he drained me had clung to my body and pulled me against him. I was so swept up in my grief for Jenna and my physical pain that I had blocked out the way he had practically sucked on my neck with his lips as well as with his teeth. I hadn't told Stefan at the time but Klaus had not only drained my blood but, he had also been licking my neck as he drained me without Stefan being any the wiser.

I remember the way my jaw had fell open when I first felt him do this, the nerve that he could get off on this had sickened me. Of course he was trying to seduce Caroline, she was one of my best friends, he was clearly trying to get a reaction from me.

Klaus was a monster, a killer and the villain in my story.

Did I see what the other girls saw in him? Yes I saw the hair, the lips and the blue eyes. I wasn't blind but still it didn't change the villain.

Klaus was just like Shane and probably thought of her like he did. Wanting nothing but her body to do with whatever he wanted. I walked over to the lingerie section of the store and picked up a black Diamond Kiss Chemise with crotchless black lace panties to go with was the type of thing Shane would pick out for me, Klaus well, he wouldn't include the panties at all.

I hated myself and my thoughts in that moment. But was I so wrong to think such dark things? After everything I had endured I wasn't about to feel even more horrible about myself.

Now Klaus' motives for pursing Caroline were clear to me. He wanted my attention but he wasn't going to get it. Shane hadn't gotten anything from me and never would.

I mean a gun to my head I would confess that I found Klaus more attractive then Shane. And if I had to have one foolish night then I know who my choice would be with too.

I hated myself but something had me curious.

Did Klaus really look at me the same way he looked at Caroline?

Was Klaus attracted to me? Had he always been attracted to me from the start?

In his mind was I the best? Or was Caroline?

Was I so wrong for thinking these thoughts? They were only thoughts were no weight behind them.

I mean even if he did find me more attractive then Caroline, she was always going to be there distracting him like she always did.

Caroline Forbes P.O.V

I locked the front door behind me and stepped out into the cold, it was just after eleven that night and I walked down the walkway to the taxi Rebekah had ordered for us. I climbed into the backseat with her.

"Where to ladies?"

"Airport"

IMPORTANT POLL - PLEASE VOTE

Should Elena cheat on Damon in the story?

Dont be a skipper, be a reviewer