Chapter 17

It had been several days since the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Lexi had decided to stay for a while, knowing that the original family was in town. Having the real-life legends near her favorite person made Lexi nervous. Stefan was again involved with his brother, and a new Katherine had come out of the woodwork.

And Katherine had managed to show her face to the Salvatore brothers on the arm of Elijah Mikaelson. With one of Katherine 2.0's best friends on Klaus Mikaelson's, even if that was not smooth sailing. Lexi had to stifle a laugh at a legendary vampire ordered about by a modern teenager. The surprising gang had left before Lexi could officially meet the vampires; until then, she thought it was a mere myth.

It took a few days before Stefan agreed to take her to the newly built Mikaelson mansion. Originally Lexi had not planned to return to Mystic Falls so soon. Her paramour, Lee, decided that perhaps it would be good for her to return. The way Damon looked at her made Lexi think that she had only survived her visit due to the craziness around them.

Something tickled her mind after that day on the roof. Damon was dangerous, and his relationship with her best friend was toxic at best. Damon and Stefan may have the urge to fix their relationship over the decades it doesn't change the fact that vampirism has made been very different from their human selves.

Damon could logically think out of guilt for his actions, but Stefan could not. Stefan got lost in the spell of human blood, and Damon used it like sweet teeth. Lexi wasn't stupid. She knew the brothers loved each other; both made rash decisions to help the other over the years. Stupid decisions Lexi most often had to help clean up. In a hundred and sixty years, they had never been able to accept the differences in each other without an argument or the ability to compromise.

Damon's way of helping an addict was to drown him in the source of addiction and learn to control it, he says. The problem with addicts is that they don't have that control, and most don't have the trigger that allows someone who gets out of control to pull back. That's what Stefan was, something Lexi was sure was genetic.

Lexi was just thankful it skipped Damon…his human self may have felt guilt but the vampire version of him…Lexi was sure that if he allowed himself to feel the guilt or empathy he used to feel, Damon would drown in it. He locked it away like Stefan needed to lock away human blood.

"Lexi? We don't have to do this," Stefan tried again to change her mind. Lexi smirked at him, "afraid I'll find a new best friend?"

Lexi offered her friend a smirk as she tapped on the dark wood of the front door. Stefan looked distinctively uncomfortable; Lexi had also noted the change in her last visit during his birthday in November. A familiar-looking blonde answered the door, wearing skin-tight blue jeans and high-heeled boots. Lexi could see that Rebekah had chosen a blood-red off-the-shoulder top.

"Stefan," The original sister said his name as if the vampire couldn't decide if she missed him or was angered at his presence. Lexi considered Stefan at his worst and compared that to Damon on an average day. Rebekah might have been feeling both.

"Rebekah Mikaelson, I'd like for you to meet my best friend, Lexi Branson," Stefan formally introduced the two women.

Rebekah's eyes trailed up and down the female before her. A fellow blonde with nicely tanned skin, beautiful hazel eyes with a stance that spoke of confidence. Not a baby vampire, not as old as their first sires but twice the age of Stefan. Rebekah's face broke into a smile, "What are you doing with Stefan Salvatore? Don't you know he's an idiot of the biggest proportions? Right next to his brother."

Lexi's gaze turned towards Stefan, her arms crossed, "What did you idiots do?"

Rebekah's smile widened, "Come on in, and I'll tell you all that Stefan would prefer to forget."

The way Stefan's face turned to sorrow and resignation at the curious look in Lexi's eyes at the offer alerted Rebekah to an important fact. Lexi was someone who mattered to Stefan Salvatore.

"Don't mind if I do," Lexi accepted graciously.

Lexi did an excellent job of not looking overly impressed by the grandeur of the Mikaelson home. Rebekah looked on in approval; it seemed Stefan did have some taste after all, if Rebekah was not the only woman of substance that had ever entered his life. "How do you know Stefan?" Rebekah asked.

Lexi snorted, "I was visiting this lovely town in 1864 when I ran into Stefan Salvatore. The idiot was making a mess of the entire town, and his brother seemed to have given up on him, not realizing Stefan had an addiction problem that could be managed."

Rebekah turned towards Stefan, "Oh, so Ripper Stefan comes and goes then?"

Stefan frowned, "I had gotten off the wagon when we met Rebekah. I wasn't myself back then. The '20s were a rough time for me."

Lexi nodded, "It took a while to track him down back in 1922, but I did. I spent over a decade trying to get him back under control. Asshole wasn't very cooperative about it either."

Rebekah laughed, "Does a personality change happen to all of those you helped? If not, I might be mendable to introduce you to Kol."

Lexi raised her brow, "Is that a boyfriend or what looked to be one of your many brothers?"

Rebekah smiled, "So you do pay attention."

"I'm also around a while. I always thought the originals were a myth, a scary tale to keep us in line," Lexi admitted. "Stefan never told me he had met one."

"Oh, I wasn't the only one he met that decade," Rebekah laughed. "He formed a sort of bromance with Nik. I can admit, at times, I was jealous."

XXX

It was the weekend.

Two days of pure peace in which Caroline planned to do absolutely nothing as a typical teenager all weekend. Outside of a date later in the evening with Nik. His way of trying to make things up to Caroline for keeping something this big from her. Caroline admittedly was unsure of how to feel. Her friend Elena was an essential ingredient needed to break the curse, but her boyfriend and his siblings were content to wait until Elijah's potion could be tested.

Niklaus had said Elijah had been adamant about protecting Katherine when they found her as a human. He was sure the potion would do as it promised but was willing to wait to ensure her friend's safety. Rebekah and Kol both muttered that it would hardly be a loss but willingly backed Caroline up, seeing her determination to protect her friend. Even if they were barely speaking these days. Caroline was pulled back into reality with a knock.

The blonde groaned, knowing that her mother had already left for work. Sheriffs didn't get days off. Especially not in a small town, one filled with potential murderers. Did it count as murder if they needed to kill to survive? Caroline questioned herself. Was it any different than a lion or a wolf hunting its prey?

They didn't call that murder.

The knocking persisted, and Caroline yelled out, "I'm coming! Hold your horses!" She threw the covers from her and skipped to her closet, where she pulled on a pair of jeans and a black tank top with a light white jacket. Flipping her hair a few times as she looked in the mirror, Caroline nodded to herself.

No time for make-up, but if anyone was coming this early on a Saturday, they obviously should know Caroline was a teenager. Teenagers were not morning people; science said so! Caroline opened the door to find Elena and Bonnie at her door holding what looked like to be sleepover bags. Was that her favorite movie? Candy?

Bonnie smiled sheepishly, "We called your Mom, and she said that a sleepover was okay. That is if you want to?"

"A sleepover?" Caroline repeated, looking over at Elena. The brunette looked even more remorseful.

"As an apology," Elena admitted. "We haven't exactly been good friends lately. We've been friends for ages."

"And we've seemed to all develop a similar secret in the past year," Bonnie muttered, causing her friends to giggle nervously. Caroline's smile cracked a little… she did have plans later. But she was looking into the pleading eyes of her long-time friends.

Nik would understand. He wouldn't be happy, but he would understand. Instead of telling them that she had plans later that night, Caroline smiled brightly. "We haven't done that in ages."

Caroline invited Bonnie and Elena inside, where they automatically moved to put their stuff in her room. While her friends entered her room, the blonde sent her boyfriend a quick text. She was apologizing for the change of plans but how important it was for her to regain normalcy. When her phone buzzed, alerting her to his reply, Elena had already stepped back out.

"What should we do first?" Elena questioned, holding out a couple of magazines. "Marry, Fuck and Kill or Who Wore it Best?"

Bonnie, answering, laughed, "It's Caroline. Shouldn't it be obvious?"

The trio looked at each other and laughed as they all echoed, "Who Wore it Best!"

Elena shook her head, "We all know Caroline is going to vote for Taylor Swift in every scenario."

Caroline huffed, "It's not my fault that Taylor is an amazing example of how it's perfectly possible to be the best dressed on every occasion."

If one were to ask Caroline, the day was beautiful. The girls played a couple of rounds of Who Wore It Best while turning on the music in Caroline's bedroom. Bonnie chose the theme first, complaining that they had horrible taste in male artists. Her two best friends stuck their tongues out at her. They completed every sleepover tradition the trio ever had.

Caroline was ecstatic until Elena and Bonnie seemed to share a look. Caroline frowned at seeing the silent conversation the two of them had. Of course, this wasn't just for her. The blonde looked at the clock as it rang out to 11 in the evening. Caroline looked at her two friends and steeled herself for what could only be an attempt at information.

The question is, what did they think she knew?

They didn't think she'd try to hurt Elena to help her boyfriend, did they? Elena glanced over at Caroline with a shy smile. "Care…I don't want this to come out wrong, okay?"

"Okay," Caroline said slowly. She was enunciating every syllable to the point Bonnie had to hide a laugh.

Elena was twisting her hands, a sign that she was nervous. "Caroline, have the Mikaelsons ever talked about who Katherine was?"

Caroline coughed, "I know that they met when Katherine was human. They are pretty sure Elena is somehow a descendant of hers. Nik admitted that Katherine hadn't introduced the vampire world best. He was pretty goddamn awful. Rebekah once told me at the time, Niklaus would often use his sex appeal to try and get what he wanted out of people."

The two watched as Caroline rambled out her answer. It was truthful that Bonnie could tell that Caroline was not lying. Caroline Forbes had never been able to lie or bend the truth; however, it had been a skill the trio had often used to their advantage. Bonnie wondered if Caroline was telling them the whole truth.

"I figured we must be related, "Elena sighed. "Katherine said so herself. After Halloween, it's clear she's a vampire. I'm just curious why is she here? Is she after Damon and Stefan?"

Caroline looked confused, "Why?"

Elena looked a bit sheepish, "Katherine is the one that turned them. They thought she was stuck in the church…it was how they were turned trying to save her."

XXX

Aurora de Martel took a deep breath as she listened to the Monks lead her current class in deep meditation. The ancient vampire was deep in her thoughts, focused solely on deepening her chest with every breath, feeling calm, a rarity for a vampire with some form of mental illness. While not completely unheard of in her human years, something was previously thought to be a curse from God as punishment for their sins.

The door opened, and an aged monk walked toward Aurora, giving her a piece of paper and shooting an irritated look at the monk, making a note to show her displeasure. Later she took a deep breath, took the message, and exited the room. Snarling, Aurora ripped the letter to shreds. Looking around, she found no one. Aurora punched a wall without a monk to take her anger out, hearing how her bones cracked with the pressure that shot adrenaline through her system.

Aurora,

Our dear friend Niklaus seems to have re-emerged back in a sleepy American town called Mystic Falls. Rumor has it he is dreadfully obsessed with a little blonde human. Is it time for a reunion?

With love,

Your Brother

Aurora growled, making her way to her room. The clock inside said that it was nearing 5 p.m. The monks would be coming soon to give her enough vervain to keep her sedated—Tristan's latest attempt at keeping her from causing a rampage out in the world. Not entirely unnecessary, Aurora would admit. Her slips often led to that dreadful Mikael coming after them back when the compulsion was still in place.

Her door clicked open, and a monk, Aurora, never bothered to learn their names. Why should she? Their lives were so fleeting compared to hers. Aurora was the longest-running resident in this monastery, with her brother paying the greedy bastards to keep her drugged. But her brother seemed to have finally released her compulsion. Once he realized that he could free her from the compulsion via letter, Tristan allowed him greater freedom.

Brothers, Aurora rolled her eyes. They wanted to be her savior yet could not be bothered to come and see her. She looked out the window and smiled, thinking about the reunion that was about to happen.

"Lady Aurora?" The monk questioned. One of the rare ones who spoke, she supposed. What a pity. Aurora turned towards the monk, feeling her teeth sharpen as she used her enhanced strength to keep the monk from moving. She could feel his blood entering her bloodstream as she sucked on the wound she had made. Once the monk was drained dry, she released him with a heavy thud onto the cold floor.

"Sorry about that," Aurora murmured. "The starvation diet never works, you know?"

XXX

Monday

Rebekah tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at her usual table, looking for her favorite female human. Kol sat beside her looking annoyed at her incessant tapping. He brought his hand over hers, "Bekah, that's enough. You'd drive a hornet's nest mad."

Rebekah scowled over at her brother, "We haven't had a chance to talk to Caroline since the dratted pageant. She canceled on Nik!"

Kol rolled his eyes, "Yes, I still have ringing in my ears over his dramatics. You already compelled the office staff to inform you that Caroline was, in fact, here today. We share a lunch. You will see her; calm the fuck down."

Rebekah hissed, "Niklaus fucked up, Kol. What do you think is going to happen?"

Kol looked at her, amused, "Niklaus will go on a murderous rampage to work through his fury. I may even get a good party out of it.

Rebekah nodded, seceding at that point, "then what?"

Kol's mouth twisted, "We continue as we were."

"Before Caroline entered the picture. Where were you before Caroline accidentally found us in the cellar?"

Kol flinched, "daggered."

Rebekah nodded, "Exactly. While I've doubted our brother for dating a human…what with his reaction to any of my lovers."

Kol rolled his eyes at the way Rebekah's tone soured. "You have horrible taste, sister. That is why they always end badly."

"As if you lot didn't kill most of them," Rebekah said flatly. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that if Caroline and Niklaus end, then all progress Nik has made will likely be undone. Besides, for a human, Caroline is very likable."

Kol sighed, "What can we do about it?"

Rebekah looked up to see Caroline walk in carrying what Rebekah was sure was a very inedible school lunch. The blonde waved her hand, catching the human cheerleaders' attention. The cheerleader looked over; Rebekah waited for a beat until she heard Elena's voice calling for Caroline to sit with her and Bonnie. The blonde looked torn looking between the two groups.

Caroline mouthed. "Sorry," she said as she scurried to Elena and Bonnie. The Bennett witch looked over at the Mikaelsons and frowned. The witch looked over at Caroline and back to the vampires. Bonnie's eyes softened in understanding as Caroline sat down. The witch said something, earning a frown from the doppelganger as Caroline looked back guiltily.

Rebekah was internally seething. Kol leaned over and said, "I can't say her taste in friends is very good."

"I will kill Niklaus myself if he can't fix this," Rebekah vowed. "I've never seen our family…so functional even when we were children."

Kol sighed, looking at Caroline, who was talking about her day, "Do you think she told them anything?"

Rebekah paused, looking over at her brother, "What could she tell them that would put a damper on our brother's plans? He already promised her to try and save Elena."

"Do you think she told Elena about the ritual?"

Rebekah shook her head, "She knows Niklaus will do anything to break his curse. Telling Elena runs the risk of making her bolt… which means she will be more likely to die. Caroline does not want to hurt either of them."

Kol hummed, "The question then becomes whom will she stay loyal to."

"Kol," Rebekah warned.

"I like Caroline," Kol promised. "It's just that you have her boyfriend who lied to her for some time; you know very well she would count omissions as lying. Human Morals, honestly. Then you have her childhood friends who tend to gang up on her and one who is constantly in the limelight. I don't know about you, but neither side looks all that tempting."

XXX

"All right, guys, that's the end of practice," Caroline called.

Bonnie and Elena fell to the ground taking swigs of water as they fell into conversation. Caroline looked around as her squad started to pack up their belongings. Rebekah walked up to her with an uncertain smile on her face. Caroline smiled shyly back.

"I'm sorry," They both started. Rebekah paused before bursting out in laughter at the same time as her fellow blonde. Caroline got her to laugh under control first, "I know why you didn't tell me."

Rebekah shook her head, "We've been getting closer. I should have tried to tell you. It's just that you and Nik were getting on so well. I was afraid you wouldn't take it well if it didn't come from him."

Caroline's blue eyes were practically glowing with understanding. The teenager nodded, "I wouldn't have taken it well. I mean..err, I didn't."

The two laughed as Rebekah said, "Kol is still talking about how whipped Niklaus was acting. How does it feel to have one of the most powerful beings in the world following you around like a wounded puppy?"

"Nik isn't," Caroline started before being forced to stop by the look Rebekah was shooting her. "Are you telling me he has never apologized to you?"

Rebekah had to pull her lips in tightly together to suppress the outward groan that threatened to escape. Caroline honestly looked confused despite knowing the Mikaelson family for what was it two years? The period for Rebekah was like an ant, and the vampire knew the nuance of truly knowing a person required. Her brother had not hidden his feelings for the tiny human in any way. Was she that blind to herself?

Rebekah had thought her friendship with Elena might have made Caroline harder on herself, and how the people in town reacted made Caroline's self-esteem lower than it should have been. She knew Elena took center stage in Mystic Falls. Bonnie was the gold star best friend, and Caroline was classed as a golden-hearted but still mean high school cheerleader. Caroline also had specific morals regarding family… but

Did she not know?

"You saw my siblings, and I daggered."

"I knew he had long temper fits and struggled to apologize, not that he never did it!" Caroline gasped. "That makes so much more sense."

Rebekah couldn't hold in her laughter anymore, "Caroline never changes. I haven't laughed this hard in centuries!"

Caroline pouted. Rebekah smiled at the teen gently "you are the only person my brother has willingly begged, pleaded, or apologized to. Whatever tiny amount my siblings and I have glimpsed can't compare to what Niklaus is willing to do to keep you. He promised to look into saving Elena, right?"

"Yeah…I still find it highly suspicious that the one guy who appears to adore me is also in need of one of my best friends" Caroline shot her a look. Rebekah had to keep her sigh to herself; sometimes Caroline was perceptive, then she was blind… Humans honestly.

"He didn't expect to find you. He was finalizing plans to look for the doppelganger, but he did not have proof she existed. The fact that you were friends didn't sit well with him. I tried to get him to tell you, but…after some of the things he learned, well, Elena hadn't earned any sympathy from him when it comes to your friendship," Rebekah stated gently.

"No sympathy?" Caroline parroted. "As far as Nik knows, he needs to kill her!"

"She also hasn't been the best of friends to you," Rebekah shot back. "You've been upset more than once over them. Even when you disliked them, they kept the Salvatore secret from you, but you understood because you kept our secret too. They were still pissed at you!"

Luckily the rest of the squad long left the field. It was just the two blondes. Caroline looked angry as she huffed. "Listen, I get moody okay? I know I'm far from perfect, and Elena seems to do everything right. I know that is not true, but that's how it feels. I can't help but feel our friendship is rocky because of me, not because of them. They are great, even if I know they mess shit up too."

"The fact that Elena has never realized that many of the guys you express interest in soon show up for her is a problem," Rebekah stated. "Bonnie is a Bennett, and I've met my share of them. She is a strong witch, but she is ill-prepared. Kol is baffled at her lack of knowledge of her people. It will get her killed. She also suffers from Witch Bitch syndrome, in which they are the master judgers and often struggle to realize when they cross a line. It's part of why Kol loves them. He misses the power he used to possess and enjoys helping to see a witch grow. He also loves to see good things get tempted by the dark."

Before Caroline could speak, the vampire continued. "You also care about these human town festivals; they mock you for it."

"They are joking," Caroline defended.

"You have friendly jokes and messing around; then you have consistent mocking of your interests. How often do they join you without needing an apology?"

While Caroline was left speechless, Rebekah couldn't help but feel guilty at the amount she spilled onto Caroline. Yet her friends were Caroline's most prominent blind spot. Her goodness and willingness to forgive were a treasure, but if Caroline could feel confident in making her brother acknowledge his wrongdoing, she was strong enough to do it with her childhood friends. Rebekah hugged the blonde, "I have to get going… Elijah thinks he found a way to test his potion safely, and Katherine is likely to mess with it."

Caroline nodded, "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." The two girls walked to the lockers, with Rebekah leaving after the human encouraged her to go.

"I'm just going to my car," Caroline laughed. Caroline shook her head as she watched her friend…was Rebekah, a friend? She was her boyfriend's sister. But Rebekah had a trait Caroline had always valued. Brutal honesty, and for that, Caroline considered them true friends, not just in their social circles due to Niklaus.

"Hello, Blondie."

Caroline's eyes widened as she saw the older Salvatore brother, who had appeared interested at the Mystic Grill not long ago. Caroline cursed internally as she noticed that her car was behind him. Taking a step back, Damon chuckled.

"Afraid? I see you do have some smarts."

"What do you want?" Caroline questioned.

Damon grinned, taking a step closer, "Answers."

"I doubt I have the answers to those questions," Caroline retorted.

"True, but I'm more than willing to bet that I'm more likely to get them if those Mikaelsons are busy wanting to keep you alive."

Caroline was out before she even realized she was in danger.

XXX

The following day, Bonnie and Elena were waiting for Caroline at the front of the school. The two-school dwelling Mikaelsons were walking up to the school when the Sherriff's call pulled up to the school. A frantic-looking Liz Forbes looked around and called out for all of them. Kol and Rebekah shared a questioning look before turning around to meet the Sherriff halfway.

"Have any of you seen Caroline?" Liz questioned, looking around, her blue eyes locking onto Bonnie and Elena. "Girls, have you heard from Caroline?"

"No," Bonnie shook her head. "You haven't seen her?"

Liz looked at the teen, upset, "She never came home. I thought perhaps she didn't want to spend the night alone." The Sherriff turned to look at the Mikaelsons. The pair looked upset as Kol spoke in the negative, wrapping an arm around his sister to keep her from bolting.

Liz's shoulders sank, "That's what I feared. Listen, I need you guys to keep a lookout. Where was the last time you saw her?"

The girls all answered, "Cheer practice."

Liz turned towards the school, "Thanks. Call me if you hear from her, all right?" Liz picked up her radio and called out orders as she headed to the office.

The group stood there for a moment before Elena spoke up, "Is Caroline in danger?"

Rebekah growled, "They would live to regret that choice. You lot didn't speak with Caroline after practice?"

Elena shook her head, and Bonne added, "We saw her talking with you. You didn't have a sleepover?"

Kol sniggered at the idea of his sister at a sleepover earning an elbow in the ribs, "Kol call our brothers."

"Do you want to unleash that jar?" Kol asked skeptically. "If Caroline is…"

"It's Caroline," Elena echoed. The brunette seemed to be shocked as they turned toward her. "She's my best friend… She wouldn't miss school. Her GPA is too important to her."

Rebekah looked triumphantly at her brother, "call them."

XXX

A.N: Well, that didn't end exactly as I expected it to…, but when you have the inspiration, you must take it where it leads! So lovely reviewer, how was it?