Chapter 7.
So it's another time jump. This time it's nearly seven years. Klaus' son was named Nik after his father of course. Hope is now a 17 year old teenager and twins are nearly 16 as the Merge is drawing near. So Caroline and Alaric are desperately searching for a way to avoid it. The twins still don't know anything about it. Caroline is currently in Prague having a lead but she has had many good leads over the years that have gone nowhere. Klaus is helping in New Orleans, doing a search of his own. Actually everyone is one way or the other trying to help. Except Camille who doesn't want to have anything to do with Caroline's problems.
About the Merge, I changed a few things about the process to fit the story and changed the age when it's so suppose to happen, so i wouldn't have to do too big of a time jump. But this chapter is all about the Merge. Camille is only mentioned.
"So how is your search going. Any good leads?"
Klaus was on the phone with Caroline as always in the evenings when she had gone alone to travel. Sometimes he had been with her, but sometimes she had to go alone.
"I talked to a witch here, she gave me some contacts. I spent the day talking to them, but they didn't have anything to say that I didn't know already."
"I'm sorry, love. Tell me again how the merge is suppose to happen."
Caroline sighed and told it again that it wasn't even anything they did willingly. On their 16th birthday, the minute that they get that age, they start hearing voices that tell them to start the merge, to hold hands and say an incantation until one of them dies. The mentally weaker one. "I'm afraid that it's going to be Lizzie as she is bipolar and her mind is fragile."
"Nobody's going to die, not on my watch."
"Klaus, their birthday is in a month. What if we don't find a way out of it?"
Klaus could hear panic in her voice and that she was on the verge of starting to cry. He wanted so bad to ease her pain, have something useful to contribute, but he had nothing. The witches in New Orleans didn't know much about the Merge. Klaus still didn't get along with the NO witches but they helped him out of fear. If only he hadn't killed off so many of them.
"Caroline, love, breath. We will find something. Neither one of your daughters is going die, I assure you."
Caroline, now more calm, decided to change the topic. "So how's NiK and Hope?"
"Well, Hope spends most of the time in school, I don't see her that much. Last I heard there was a boy in the school for whom she wanted to stay there as much as possible."
"Another one. Which one is it now?" Caroline asked.
"Langdon Hamilton"
"Oh, yes, Langdon. You have nothing to worry about, he's a prefect gentleman and has no ulterior motives."
"I know, I did the background check, you know."
"Right, you are Klaus Mikaelson, you have to be on top of everything."
"Right now, I would like to be on top of you."
She could hear him smirk.
"Would you now?"
"I would."
"Well, maybe you can, in a week or so."
"In a week, what are you talking about? I thought you'd return the day after tomorrow?"
"I'm sorry, honey, but I need to fly to Bukarest in the morning and then maybe to Budabest, there are gypsies there, who may know something."
"Gypsies aren't very trustworthy, Caroline. Really, don't waste your time."
"I wasn't planning to, but I'm desperate Klaus. I need to try everything."
Klaus sighed in surrender. If Caroline Forbes wanted to do something, there would be no stopping her, that much he knew.
"Anyway, you didn't answer about Nik. Have you told him that he would be joining Hope for school come fall?"
"Yes, and he's very excited about it. I guess he needs friends his own age."
"And he isn't still upset about having to live under Hope's shadow as everyone would expect him to be able to magic as well."
"If he is, he isn't talking to me about it. Maybe you can get something out of him. Or Camille."
"Uh, talking about the mother, where is she?"
"In her apartment, I'd gather."
"You don't know, how could you not know?"
"I've been busy, you know. And it's not like she's in any danger."
"You don't know that."
"Fine, I'll send someone to look after her. Satisfied?"
"I wouldn't use that word, but yes."
"You want to know about the Merge? You say your daughters are about to merge? But you're a vampire and not a witch?" A gypsy she found in the streets of Bukarest asked her.
"Me and my daughters are a long story and I don't have time to tell the tale. Can you help or not?"
"Well, the tale of the Merge is very old. It wasn't always done in one coven of the witches, many covens did it to pick the leader."
"So they got rid of it, how?"
"There's spell and a potion that if used together would destroy the link and thus rendering the merge useless but there was also a blood sacrifice involved."
"A human was sacrificed?"
"No, a witch from another coven. A baby witch."
"You want me to kill an innocent baby?"
"To save your daughters, yes."
"What about the spell and the potion. Do you have them?"
"No, but I can get them, for a price."
"Of course," Caroline rolled her eyes. Gypsies would never do anything without getting money for it, she knew it. And they drank vervain, so she couldn't compel her either.
"How much?"
"100 000 dollars."
"Are you insane? Do I look like a bank to you?"
"You look quite rich, travelling the world to save your precious ones. How precious are they?"
"Just give me some time."
Caroline took out her phone and picked his name from the contact list as she didn't know who else would help her with that kind of cash.
"Hello, love. To what to I owe the pleasure of you calling me in the middle of the day? Usually we do this at night."
"Klaus, care you lend me 100 000 dollars?" she asked with a tremble in her voice. She had never asked him for money. They had kept their wallets separately but now she didn't have a choice.
Klaus was surprised, to say the least. He never expected it from her. He thought she was too proud to ask for money from him.
"I would give you all the money I have in the world, but what is this about?"
So Caroline told him about the spell and the potion that the qypsy could procure from another for a price.
"Caroline, 100 000 dollars is a sandwich money for me but I'm reluctant to give it to you cause as I said gypsies are not very trustworthy and I don't want to see you hurt and disappointed."
"Well, imagine how hurt and disappointed I would be if one of my girls died." She snapped.
Klaus closed his eyes for a spell and then reluctantly agreed to help, "I'll wire the money."
"Thank you, Klaus, so much."
"Don't even mention it, love."
"One more thing, Klaus."
"What is it?"
"The spell requires a baby witch to be sacrificed."
"You are going to kill a baby?"
"I don't know, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
"Caroline, I'm afraid for you, of the path you have decided to take."
"Yeah, I would be worried too, but I don't see another choice."
"Okay, we'll deal with it."
"Bye, Klaus."
"Talk to you soon, love."
So Caroline got the spell and the potion needed to perform the ritual. And returned home.
"Do you think Freya could work this magic?" Caroline asked Klaus.
"Already talked to her. She's going to do it. We wanted Vincent to help with this too, but he backed down when he heard about the sacrifice. Speaking of which, are you sure you want to go through with it?"
"I'm not sure," she said sadly, "But what choice do I have."
"Okay, I'll get you the baby."
"You have one, here in New Orleans?"
"No, but one witch, about to give birth, is being brought here from somewhere in Virginia as we speak. Caroline, what about your daughters, you have to tell them about the Merge."
"Too late for that." Hayley said as she entered the room, "Hope already spilled the beans."
"What are you talking about?" Klaus asked her.
"It was really Alaric's fault, he had left the book about it just laying there on the kitchen counter for a half an hour before he remembered to return for it. But Hope found it and read it and Hope being Hope and their best friend, couldn't help herself. She just called me, that the twins are really upset."
"Oh my god, I have to call them. Excuse me." And with that Caroline left the room and went to his bedroom, searching for a quiet place to have that phone call.
"Mom, how could you keep this from us? Is that the reason you have been travelling so much?" Josie asked.
"Yes, sweetheart, that's why I have been away from home so much."
"But when were you planning to tell us?" Lizzie asked.
"Soon, very soon."
"You should have told us sooner. Now we have so little time to prepare and to say goodbye to one another." It was Lizzie this time.
Caroline's heart broke at hearing that. "You don't need to say goodbye to one another. I'll fix this. Your Mom is going to fix it all" she tried to hold the tears back.
"Mom, don't cry. You are right, it's going to be alright." Josie tried to comfort her mother.
When had she grown up so much?
"Yes, it will. I'll come home soon. And I love you two so much."
"Love you too mom. Bye"
So Caroline put the phone down as she let out the tears that she was holding back, starting to cry like a baby. In matter of seconds, Klaus was by her side holding her in his arms.
"Let it all out, love. You'll feel better then."
The next day Alaric came to New Orleans with the twins. The twins were left to hang out at Hope's room while the grown ups – Alaric, Caroline and Klaus – talked things through.
"So Freya does this spell and the twins need to drink the potion and everything will be merry?" Alaric asked, incredulous.
"Not quite," Klaus said vaguely. He knew Caroline should be the one to tell him the whole truth.
"The spell also entails a sacrifice, Rick."
"What kind of a sacrifice?" Alaric asked.
"A witch's baby." Caroline answered, knowing what his reaction was going to be.
"Wait, WHAT? A baby? You can't be serious. No this is not happening. We are not going to be sacrificing any children." Alaric said,in shock.
"It's either the baby we don't know or it's one of your daughters."
"Caroline, does he have to be part of this conversation? I mean I know he's your boyfriend but this is kind of our family matter."
Caroline gave Klaus a look that said that maybe it would be better for him to leave.
But Klaus didn't move a muscle.
Alaric looked at Klaus and said "Very well. Omg, care, you have already decided to go though with it."
"I have and I want to be the one to do it-"
"Caroline-" Klaus started.
"No Klaus, I have to be the one. It's the least I owe myself for the quilt." Caroline cut him off. "But my biggest worry is that if the twins are going to be present during the spell, how could we protect them from seeing the sacrifice!?"
"Don't worry about it, love," Klaus told Caroline, " Already talked to Freya and she said that we'll do the sacrifice in the end and we can usher the twins out by that time".
Caroline sighed in relief, "That's good to know."
"Caroline, it's gonna bite us in the ass I know it." Alaric said and left the room.
"I'm going to go and tell Freya to set it up. It happens tonight at midnight. So get ready."
Klaus, Freya, Caroline, Alaric and the twins were at the cemetery, doing the spell in a place that has seen some sacrifices or near sacrifices.
"You know, when Hope was born, the NO witches wanted and almost succeeded in sacrificing her." Klaus whispered Caroline as Freya started the spell.
"Why are you telling me this now? To make me change my mind." Caroline whispered back.
"No, just wanted to get it off my chest, I guess."
"My latin is a little rusty, but did Freya just said something about four natural elements?" Caroline asked Klaus after a minute watching Freya do the incantations.
"Yes, air, fire, earth and water. She's going to use them. Fire is already burning, the water bucket is ready, it's measurably windy outside and earth soil is also being used."
"How do we know that the spell has worked it's magic?"
"You'll see."
Freya used those elements like Klaus has had said, said a lot of latin words that Caroline didn't understand. Then took the potion and dropped some blood in that which the twins needed to drink.
"Wait, whose blood is that?"
"Alaric's, their biological relative's blood was needed. But not much, don't worry."
Then the twins drank the potion and Freya said something else in latin when the wind started to blow faster, it started to rain and all the torches in the cemetery ignited. And then Caroline grabbed Klaus' hand as a little earthquake happened.
"It's done now. There's only one thing needed-"
"Oh, yes, girls, with me now!" Alaric ordered the twins to join him as he was leaving this thing.
"Wait, what's happening. We want to see it through" Lizzie whined.
"Yeah, it just started to get interesting." Josie added.
"Girls NOW, Hope is waiting for you at home."
When Alaric had left with the girls Freya ushered them to finish this, "We don't have much time if you want this to work."
Caroline pulled out a knife, special knife from Klaus' personal collection and went to the woman who had been brought in by Freya. She yelled at them, screamed actually that they would all go to hell.
"I'm so sorry," Caroline said as she put the knife on pregnant woman's throat. She tried to do it, but couldn't. The visions of that night when she had killed those children to save Camille's life, began to appear and her hand started shaking.
Then she felt someone taking the knife out of her hand and she knew it was Klaus. With tears in her eyes she gave the knife to Klaus and walked away.
Klaus looked in the woman's eyes a second and then in one swift movement cut her throat like it didn't mean anything for him. But Caroline knew that it did. This time was different than all those times he had killed and maimed throughout history for his own pleasure. Now he was a father and these things weighed more heavily on him. Still, for her, he did it. So she nor Freya had to do it.
"It's over, let's go home," Klaus told Caroline wrapping one hand around her. And so they walked back to the car.
A little over 3 weeks later
Caroline had been staying with and visiting Klaus and Nik for a few days but had to leave the next day for the twins' sweet sixteen birthday party.
"Caroline, do you have to go?"
"Yes, Nik, I'm sorry, but I have to go and attend Lizzie's and Josie's sweet sixteen birthday party."
"Could I came with you?" He continued to ask questions that Caroline didn't want to answer.
"I think you are little young for this party. It's basically teenagers all around."
"But you will be there."
Her heart melted at that. Although Nik didn't call her "Mom", she sort of was a mother figure for him. The cool mom, Caroline liked to think.
"You know what, Nik. After the party, I will bring the girls to NO again and you can hang with them."
"Awsome."
"But now it's dinner time. Let's join Freya, Hayley, Hope and your dad for dinner. And I think Freya brought someone special with her. And Marcel should be there too."
"Hey, I was beginning to think that you wouldn't come" and Klaus' face just lit up upon seeing them come down the stairs.
"Why wouldn't we come, I know that family dinners are a must attend here."
"Caroline, um, meet Ernesto, my boyfriend." Freya gushed.
And now Caroline noticed the hot latino type of a guy next to Freya.
"Nice to meet you, Ernesto. So how long have you been dating this hottie?"
Something rushed through Klaus upon hearing Caroline use the word "hottie". Wasn't she a grown woman now?
"About three months now"
"Aah, the happiness and general bliss of the first three months. Klaus you remember the beginning?" Caroline asked Klaus.
"Vaguely," he pouted.
What the hell makes him pout like that?
After the dinner, Caroline and Klaus were in his bedroom, getting ready to go to bed.
"So want to tell me?" Caroline asked
"Tell you what?" Klaus asked back absentmindedly.
"What got you pouting like that?" Caroline asked back.
"I'm not pouting," Klaus answered, feigning no interest talking about it.
"Okay." Caroline simply said.
Then she went to hug him from behind, trailing kisses along his neck.
Klaus broke free of her, " I'm not in the mood, Caroline!"
"Since when? Since when are you not in the mood?"
"I don't know but maybe you want to go next door and do the same thing to that "hottie" in Freya's room?" He lashed out.
"What are you-" And then the realization hit her. "Omg, Klaus, you can't be serious?"
Then she tried again, this time going in front of him and starting to plant little kisses on his jawline, "You know...you are... the hottest guy... on this planet...for me. So why...don't you... just let me... love you?"
Klaus thought about it for a second and then swooped her up to throw her on the bed, making her giggle.
In Mystic Falls the next morning. Alaric was downstairs, in the kitchen, making breakfast for himself and the girls, when Lizzie ran down the stairs, yelling "Daddy, daddy, come, please! Something's wrong with Josie."
Without answering Alaric ran upstairs to the twins' room to find Josie laying on the floor.
Alaric tried to wake Josie up, but she was already cold and had obviously died hours ago.
"No, no, no, no NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," he yelled and cried.
Caroline was already in the courtyard with her bag, ready to leave, talking things over with Klaus when she got the phone call from Alaric.
"Oh, hey, Rick, I just wanted to call you to tell you-"
"Caroline, something's very bad has happened." He's voice was drained and almost a whisper.
"What, It's not the girls, is it?"
Klaus listened to the conversation next to her, already having a feeling he knew what had happened.
"It is."
"What`? What, Rick, tell me what's wrong?" she started to panic.
"There's no easy way to say it, but I think that the Merge happened last night."
"What are you talking about? We did the spell to prevent it, everything went as it was suppose to." She cried to the phone. Then her voice was almost a whisper, "Who?"
"Josie didn't survive it."
Caroline dropped the phone on the floor and almost fell to her knees before Klaus caught her in his arms. She was in pure shock, her body limp in Klaus' arms as looked just nowhere.
Klaus holding her, picked up the phone.
"Caroline, are you there?"
"She's here, she's in shock. Can't talk right now. Alaric, you have mine and my family's condolences. I'm really sorry to hear what happened to Josie."
"Yeah, thank you. Tell Caroline, when she's able to function again, that I'll take care of everything on my end, that all she has to do, is come to Mystic Falls.. for the funeral." Rick said, having hard time saying out loud the last part.
Klaus swooped her up in his arms like the night before and took her to his bed and laying her gently on the bed to rest. And then went to tell the news to Hope.
Caroline was in shock but could hear Hope crying in the other room. And Klaus telling everyone else what was happening. She heard Freya say that she did everything that was on the papers and she has no idea what went wrong. But that she was going to find out, even if she had to fly to Romania to talk to those gypsies. Hayley told Klaus that she thinks he needs to let her be, let her tell him what she needs when she needs it as she remembers wanting to be alone after separating from Hope after she was born. Klaus said that she was going to kill all the gypsies in the world for this. Hope said that Caroline needed him there, not across the world.
Then, when he heard him leave his bedroom, he followed her to the courtyard where she left her bag.
"Where do you think you are going?"
"Home, to bury my daughter, Klaus!"
"You are too upset to go anywhere."
"Please don't tell me what I can and cannot do."
"Okay, let me at least drive you to the airport."
"Klaus, I want to be alone, don't you understand, I'll get a cab."
"Okay, let me call you one then."
"okay, do that."
He turned away from her for a second but it was enough for her to flee.
She walked the streets of French Quarter as she thought about her little girl dying. As she walked, the more upset she got, until a realization hit her. The only thing that could help ease her pain, the only way to save her from all that grief was to turn it all off. He would leave Alaric and Lizzie alone to mourn but they would understand, she thought. She turned to an alley and after a little hesitation closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, she felt like a totally different person. She looked at her clothes, colorful dress and a pink jacket on, she decided she first needed to change the outfit.
So I haven't paid much attention magic stuff during watching TVD, The Orignals and Legacies as I have concentrated on character interactions so I used my fantasy. And major character death had to happen to keep the plot moving. And I have no idea how much money Klaus has, to call 100 000 very little, but again i just guessed.
I'm thankful for all the reviews and likes and follows and I gather that a lot of the fans of either couple don't like the story but I love writing it and I have so many ideas what else to write about that I don't really care. All reviews are appreciated though. It's becoming more Klaroline story now, but I won't say if it stays that way.
For Camille fans, the next chapter will have a lot more of her.