Chapter 16: Forever is for the young

Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

Caroline and Enzo had been walking in the woods for what felt like an hour in the quickly-turned-unbearably-humid weather before they finally reached a large cemetery. "Seriously!?" Caroline hissed. "This is the property Damon wanted us to check out!?"

"According to the witch in Austin; this was the last place Leila Gardiner visited before her death."

"Well, duh! Because she was clearly buried here!"

"C'mon, gorgeous. Don't tell me you're frightened of some lifeless bodies." he teased with a wink before taking a step towards the cemetery.

Caroline grabbed his arm before he could enter. "Wait!" she hissed. "Did you hear something?"

"No, Caroline. I didn't." he scoffed and shook his head before walking ahead.

"Enzo!" she whined and looked around with a racing heartbeat, her skin crawling from the thought of wandering around in a creepy cemetery. But it didn't beat the awful thought of being left alone outside of a creepy cemetery…

So, she hurried after him and stayed close behind, just in case. It did make her want to roll her eyes at herself but damn it; he was like a hundred years older than her anyways so if there was ever a good reason for a girl to look to a guy for safety – it would be right here, right now.

As soon as they stepped closer to the large metal gates, Caroline felt it. The atmosphere felt thicker all of a sudden, as if some force was pulling them back and kept them from entering... "A boundary spell?" she guessed, making Enzo nod.

"Only one way to find out..." he said before stepping closer to the open gates, standing one foot away and raising a hand to test their joined theory.

But before he could neither confirm or deny their hypothesis... A voice made him flinch back. "Good day."

Caroline stared ahead at a tall man in, what seemed to be, a very expensive suit. His hair was dark and styled, his eyes brown and narrowed as he calmly assessed them from the other side of the gates.

"May I help you with something?" the man asked, casually putting a hand inside his pants pocket.

Caroline swallowed hard. "We were just looking around." she said, making him tilt his head slightly as he eyed her.

Suddenly, a smile began to grow on his face. "I believe we haven't had the fortune of meeting yet, Ms. Forbes." he said, making Caroline's heart stop out of fear while Enzo glanced over at her in bewilderment.

"However..." the man continued as he began walking towards them. "I reckon you have a rather complicated relationship with a few of my siblings..."

Caroline stared at him as he stopped just a step away from the invisible boundary between them. She had no idea what or who he was talking about since she was fairly sure she hadn't seen this person in her entire life... But then, the wheels began to turn in her head as she started to recognize some of his characteristics...

He stood straight, spoke properly in a British accent and seemed unmoved whatsoever by the strong magic surrounding the cemetery...

And siblings!? Could he be -?

"You're Elijah." she concluded with a slow voice, as if not believing it quite herself.

He smiled, a very small and polite one as he nodded to her. "It is a pleasure." he chimed and raised his hand to shake hers before he stepped over the boundary and within her reach.

She looked at his hand unsurely for a long moment, trying to remember what Elena had told her about Elijah all those years ago... She remembered how her friend had trusted him to be noble, a gentleman and a man of his word. But was she safe in his presence?

Before she could reach a conclusion, Enzo had launched himself towards him and was immediately flung away like a softball, landing on the ground far behind her. She stared at her friend before turning around to Elijah once more.

"I do not take too kindly to threats nor attacks, Ms. Forbes. Which I'm sure you can understand, knowing my family." he told her while fixing the sleeves on his suit nonchalantly... Coldly... Making her shiver slightly.

"I guess Klaus told you I was here." she remarked, trying to keep a tough exterior. "Did he send you to smooth things over with me?"

"As the matter of fact, Niklaus has no knowledge of this interaction. I took it upon myself to seek out answers to questions he brought home after having encountered you the past evening."

"What questions?" she mused, glancing back at where Enzo was standing up and slowly making his way back over to them. She looked at the Original with a sigh. "Is this about Marcel?"

"No, it is not." Elijah interjected before looking over at Enzo. "Will your friend be attempting something like that again?"

Enzo shook his head mutely while taking a place beside Caroline.

"Very well." Elijah said with a nod. "How about you let me in on whatever reason it is which has brought you here?" He raised a hand in the air to gesture the cemetery.

"Like I said." Caroline shrugged. "We were just looking around."

"In the most infamous Witch Cemetery of all of Louisiana?" he asked with a subtly raised eyebrow. "I'm afraid it sounds far less casual than you make it out to be, Ms. Forbes."

"Well, I don't really feel like having every single detail of my errands for the day reported back to your brother." she quipped, biting her tongue as she saw his semi-friendly smile fading away.

"You are a fascinating woman." he responded with narrowed eyes. "Standing so boldly in my proximity when you know all too well of who I am and what strengths I possess... Surely you are not naive enough to believe your history with Niklaus allows you the benefit of speaking so leisurely to me?"

She swallowed hard, wondering how on earth this guy could be Klaus' brother when he was the exact damn opposite... Sure, Klaus had his scary moments, but at least he could take a joke. And some teasing. Caroline refused to submit though and shrugged. "I'm just hoping it will be enough to keep you from killing both me and my friend."

Elijah looked cold for a moment before his face loosened up and a hint of a smile spread across his lips. He nodded at her. "Perhaps it is." he mused and glanced over at Enzo. "Or perhaps that kind of mercy only extends so far..." he threatened then, so casually that Caroline felt her heart stop again in fear of not being able to predict what he might do to Enzo...

Since Klaus would only care about what happened to her.

"We're not here to stir up any trouble." she stuttered quickly. "And if coming to this place meant stepping over some kind of line... Then I'm sorry." she said and grabbed Enzo's arm. "I guess we'll be leaving."

Elijah nodded at that. "That would probably be best."

"Come on." she said to Enzo, tugging him away from the Original and back into the woods from which they had come.

"Please don't tell me your friend is as terrifying as that guy?" Enzo hissed once they'd gotten far enough to hopefully be out of earshot for Elijah.

"I think that's a family trait actually." Caroline muttered before walking faster. "Let's go get drunk somewhere. We need a break from all of this..."

"Agreed." Enzo said with a nod before glancing over his shoulder to where they'd left Elijah and began walking faster too.


Four years ago
Dallas, Texas

The wind whipped at her face as she ran through the city. Strange thoughts and whispers filling her head and making her feel on edge.

They're using you...

You're such a fool, they've played you from the beginning...

He's lying to you...

They all are...

Don't trust them, don't trust anyone...

When she reached the botanical gardens, she found a private spot by some trees. Away from prying eyes and far from the children playing and locals having picnics… She paced back and forth, her hands fidgeting and shaking, her skin burning from the sun.

A thought hit her then, causing her to stop in her tracks immediately. The ring, it's cursed.

You're going to die...

Take it off, save yourself...

Sliding the ring off, she began to finally feel a bit of relief. But then the sun crept over her skin and it burned worse than the venom in her veins. She felt like she was boiling from the inside out.

Quickly she put the ring back on again and let out a long breath. "Silence. Finally." she thought as her mind was no longer in a whirlwind. She went through her call log to see if she could call Valerie back and see why she was late...

But there was no longer any history of the missed call. Even the voice mail was gone. It was like it had never even happened.

Magic. They're using it to lure you out. To kill you...

She felt rage built in her chest, and hunger scratching in her throat. All sounds around her amplified, every footstep and laughter and ringtone were bringing her closer to snapping.

Blood. You need blood. Now.

And just like that, she pulled a jogger aside and ripped into his neck fangs first.

If he screamed, she didn't notice. There were no sounds, smells, nothing else but the blood. And her urge to drink it - all of it. Now.

More...

Kill him...

Drink it all...

The whispers returned as the man's body became slack in her arms. Suddenly the blood changed in taste, and just like that Caroline was repulsed by it instead.

She dropped the man in a loud thud and ran before anyone could see her. Ending up leaning over some railings near the White Rock Lake, her head spun as she threw up all of the man's blood. She couldn't stop until there was nothing left inside.

And then she stared down at the mess over her clothes and shoes... and noticed her reflection in the water beneath her. It was the eyes that chilled her, dark and fiery red against her fair skin...

She looked like a monster.

With that, she ran. Unsure of which direction, blind to her surroundings... All she felt was the wind as she ran and ran... Vast deserts turned into deep roadside-woods and the burning sun changed into a dark and starry sky.

Finally, some peace and quiet. Caroline let out a deep sigh as she lay down on the asphalt road and looked up at the darkness above. The hallow inside of her felt as dark as her surroundings, as if she was joined with the rest of the emptiness. As if she was where she belonged, nowhere. And alone.

The bruise from Tyler's bite hadn't healed yet, but the wound didn't hurt anymore. Instead, felt sore, and tired and... Empty. She had been for some time now, she just hadn't been able to name it until now. But as the werewolf venom made her muscles buzz and her throat dry up... She could finally lean into the hollowness and drown in it. The pain. The past. Her mistakes. Her losses. All of it.

A part of her hoped she would see her mother, if only for a short moment. Just long enough for her to hug her one last time. Maybe she'd even see her father, and the twins... Or at least how they would've turned out. She wondered if there would be any traces of her on their young faces, if they looked like she had imagined when pregnant with them. And then, she began to think about the people she would leave behind. And how much better they would all be without her.

A grim smile spread across her face as she felt the ground vibrate underneath her.

It's time.

A car slowly neared her, the couple in it was arguing over something and yelling at each other… It was perfect, they seemed far too invested in their dispute to notice a woman lying in the middle of the road. Once they did, it was too late.

The car's breaks squealed loudly as the driver tried to avoid the body in front of them. Her body wasn't hit, instead the car spun around its axis and rolled off into the ditch. Caroline grinned as she straightened out her arms and legs, getting off the ground and heading towards the wreck.

The crushed engine began smoking as the man noticed the head of blonde hair next to his face. "Help. My wife… She's hurt." he groaned in pain, his face covered in small shards of glass. "Where is she?"

"Why?" Caroline croaked out.

"What?"

"Why do you care?" she asked, her curiosity sounding as genuine as it felt.

"She's my wife." he breathed out, confused of her question.

A cold laugh escaped her lips at that. "Obligation." she stated as an answer to herself. She then grabbed the door separating them and flung it to the other side of the road. "Pity." she listed on and dragged the man out to stand in front of her.

He wobbled on his seemingly broken legs. "But not love." Caroline pointed out as she felt her senses fill with the sound of his heartbeat. She almost didn't catch what he said next.

"Please. She's pregnant."

Caroline's body turned to stone at his words. She stared down at him, her face suddenly slack. "What?"

"Sh-she's pregnant." he repeated.

Then Caroline heard something else. A truck. It was headed towards them. At first, she tried to figure out how to hide the car wreck she had caused from their upcoming audience. But then, she realized that the blood she had felt a deep craving for didn't belong to the man. But someone else.

Turning away and dropping the husband on the side of the road, she quickly spotted the woman as she limped her way up from the other end of the ditch. She seemed to be in chock, trying to walk over to the car without realizing that half of her body was battered and bruised.

Caroline couldn't understand how the woman was standing with the very clear injuries, as if she knew that something was more important. Maybe love. Or self-preservation. Whatever it was, it struck her with awe to see the little human possess such strength and will…

But the chock and adrenaline seemed to confuse the woman when she noticed the truck nearing them. And so, instead of steering out of its way – she tried to run in front of it. Waving her arms over her head and calling for it to stop and help them.

"Wait!" Caroline yelled out and rushed after her. She managed to push the woman out of the way just in time. But then Caroline turned back to the truck and freight took control of her legs, instead of ducking away she stood still. Frozen to the spot. And the strong headlights blinded her just before the crash.

Then, everything turned pitch black.


Half an hour to midnight – and the moon's apex – and they were still waiting for Elijah to return with the last ingredient. Valerie went over the spell for the umpteenth time as Stefan paced back and forth in the motel room.

"We may need some extra dill, just in case." Valerie said, mostly thinking out loud as she tinkered with the ingredients. "Or perhaps we should double the sage to compensate instead..."

"Why aren't they here yet!?" Stefan muttered out in frustration, stopping to lean against the table with a defeated face.

"I'm sure they're on their way." she said, trying to calm him as she continued to study the potion in front of her. "So, if we were to add sage then it will be easier to drink but maybe it compromises the distributions slightly..."

"I have a bad feeling, Val."

Those words made her stop and look over at him. He wore a sad frown which she recognized from the day they left Mystic Falls - after he had been to see Caroline at the hospital just short of a year ago… "Stefan, I wanted to tell you..." she said, thinking back to the flash she'd seen in her vision. "About Caroline-"

His wide eyes studied her with patience, making him look so vulnerable and sad. "-I think she... She will come around. Eventually." she finally said, pushing down the guilt in her gut as she looked away from him.

"Thanks." he said softly to her, a hand resting on hers as he gave a tight-lipped smile. "I really hope that's true."

Something else filled her throat then, maybe jealousy or sadness. But she just felt so inadequate suddenly. As if she would never compare to the bright and beautiful Caroline Forbes. It made her want the earth to swallow her whole right then and there.

As if she had conjured it, a sound came from outside of the motel. A rustling of leaves and a strange presence. "I don't think that's the Mikaelson's..." Stefan said, watching the door as if waiting for it to be broken down at any minute.

"It's not safe." she said, reading his intentions before he even moved. But her words fell short as he quickly opened the door and ran outside to check. "Stefan!" she called after him, feeling torn for a moment before running to catch up with him outside by some woods.

"I guess it was just the wind." Stefan said, making her sigh in relief. "Let's head back, I should call Elijah and see what's taking them so-"

But as they both turned to leave, something appeared in front of them. A dark wolf, glaring at them with golden eyes and bared teeth.

"Is that...?" Valerie breathed, not having seen one before.

"Werewolf, yeah." Stefan said as he raised his palms at the growling canine. "Let's just back away..."

The wolf moved towards them, making them both freeze up. Valerie quickly raised her hands in an attempt to try and keep it at bay. "Emanus Vide." she said firmly, making it kneel in front of them.

It shrieked in response, shaking its head and wrinkling against the ground.

"Stefan, get back to the motel." she said, earning a horrified look from him.

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Stefan, I won't be able to hold him for long. Go, now!" she commanded, making him wince visibly before shaking his head. With that, he disappeared into the wind and she let out a sigh as she dropped the spell.

Closing her eyes, she prepared herself for the attack as the animal recovered and started at her. But it never reached her, instead it let out a pained howl as it was flung away by something else.

When she looked to her savior and saw the amber in his eyes surrounded by dark veins, she knew she was finally meeting the renowned Klaus Mikaelson.

"I see you have trouble following orders, sweetheart." he said with a crooked grin. "Were you not instructed to stay in the motel until our arrival?"

The wolf drew their attention back to it as he growled and barked at them violently. Valerie raised her hands again as she prepared to try and keep him back - but Klaus grabbed onto her arm to stop her.

"Wait." he said, his eyes locked on the animal. "I know you."

The canine reacted with a loud howl as he threw his head back to aim at the night sky.

"Can you turn him back?"

"What?" Valerie stuttered, staring at the Hybrid in terror. "I-I don't know I..."

"Try!" he growled at her, the traces of the wolf in him on display.

She gulped and nodded quickly. Closing her eyes as she thought of the first transition spell that came to mind. "Vis optorqueo, vis convertat. Vide parei!"

The wolf reacted immediately, throwing himself on the ground in a loud shriek. It's fur seeming to vibrate as his legs broke and bended uncontrollably.

"It's horrendous." Valerie whispered as they watched the transitioning take place.

Klaus glanced at her with a frown, but remained quiet as the wolf wringed in agony at their feet. Finally, the body became more human than canine as a man started to look back at them. His eyes glowing and his face contorted in misery.

"Wait... Tyler?" Valerie gasped, running towards him then. "Tyler, what are you doing here?"

He heaved a deep breath before staring up at Klaus. "Caroline." he grunted out, his transition continuing as the wolf slowly became a man. "I bit her. She's dying."

Valerie looked back at Klaus in chock, but he was no longer there. Instead, Stefan looked at her with Elijah by his side. A scowl on the young vampire's face as he watched Tyler on the ground, covered in sweat and bruises.

"What did you do!?"


Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

The vampires had spent a few hours at the nearest bar, drinking their troubles away as their mission seemed to turn more and more hopeless daily. When they were first informed of the witch whom they were looking for was dead, they hadn't viewed it as much of a problem. Especially considering how witches seemed to dance with death rather often and somehow always won. But without permission to visit the graveyard, their hopes of communicating with Leila Gardiner vanished.

It also didn't help that the Mikaelson's seemed adamant in keeping them from getting anywhere with their plan – so long as they were not a part of it, it seemed.

"So, will Elijah tell his brother about today?" Enzo asked, earning a deep sigh from Caroline as she tilted her glass slightly in her hands.

"Definitely." she replied, unsure of whether it was a good thing or not. "I don't know if it helps us though."

"What, him knowing about your comings and goings?" he teased her as she rolled her eyes in response. "What exactly is your relationship with this Klaus?"

She scoffed lightly before turning her eyes at him. "What is your relationship with Bonnie?" she challenged, sighing as he turned away from her with a brooding scowl. "Come on, Enzo! I've been dying to ask ever since I first heard that your extended little trip through Europe turned into something – in Bonnie's words – 'more'."

"She said that?" he quipped, a smirk forming his face.

"Yeah, and nothing else. So come on, tell me. Why are you doing this? Helping us save Bonnie? I mean, did you guys... You know?"

"How about this; I tell you everything there is to know about Bonnie and me. In exchange for the complete story behind you and the hybrid?"

"So, there is something between you two?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do we have an agreement, gorgeous?"

"Alright." she shrugged. "But you start."

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that. We'll do this fair and square, each answer one question truthfully at the time. Yes?"

"Sure. But I'll go first." she insisted and cleared her throat. "So... did you and Bonnie turn into something?"

"I'm going to need a more specific question than that, Caroline." Enzo scoffed.

"Fine! Did you ever sleep together?"

He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "No." he said, seemingly honest. "Did you and -?"

She raised her hand to cut him off and grimaced. "Once." she answered, making his eyes grow round and wide. "But I was totally available at the time."

He nodded with an amused smirk. "Very well."

Caroline took a moment to think her next question through before she came up with something she was dying to hear about... "Are you in love with her?"

Enzo had been about to take another shot and his arm froze mid-air. He put the glass down and cleared his throat. "Yes."

Caroline stared at him for a moment, wondering what was going on in his mind when he faced her and turned the tables all of a sudden. "Are you in love with him?"

"What?" she stuttered. "Who... Klaus? Me? No, no I'm not in love with him. No, that's not what – I mean we never… It wasn't like that." Enzo raised his eyebrows at that in disbelief, but it was her turn to ask a question now. "Does she feel the same for you?"

"You'd have to ask her that." he mumbled then, making her feel somewhat bad for the man.

"How long have you had feelings for her?"

"Forever." he scoffed and shrugged lightly. "Pretty much since the day I first met her."

"You can't be serious."

"What?"

She shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared at him. "That's not true, stuff like that… Like, 'love at first sight' - it isn't real."

He studied her silently for a moment, causing her to squirm under his gaze until he looked away. "Whatever you say, gorgeous."

The words made her lean closer with fascination. "How do you know?"

"Know what?"

"That whatever you felt for her was real? That it was actual feelings and not just… I don't know… A crush? An attraction?" she mumbled as he looked over at her again. "How could you be so sure of yourself just like that?"

"Why do you ask?" he retorted. Causing her to shy away with a sigh.

"I don't know, I just… I don't get how people can have such strong feelings like, right off the bat."

"You've never experienced it yourself?"

She mulled over the words in silence, watching the glass in her hands to avoid his gaze. Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, she gritted her teeth slightly before deciding to speak up. "No." she stated, a tone that put an end to the subject as she felt the urge to have the ground open up and swallow her whole.


Four years ago
Dallas, Texas

Klaus had scoured the city. The campus, her apartment, even the hospitals. But she was nowhere to be found.

She was dying.

Caroline was dying.

And he couldn't help her.

The realization was tearing him apart inside. He pounded against a tree in frustration, watching it fly back in a loud crash. In the moment he wondered, after having watched Tyler Lockwood ache and turn in order to deliver the message, which of the men felt more pain: Tyler who had turned forcefully by magic - or Klaus, as he kept searching for a poisoned and dying Caroline with no trace to follow.

I let her down, he thought. Feeling like something inside of him was breaking at the truth behind it. I should've been there.

He listened to his vast surroundings, the wind running through the trees and the cars driving past him. And then, a tiny glimpse of hope arose.

A siren.

He hurried to follow the direction of the ambulance, finding it miles out of town as it sped through deserted roads with flashing lights. The radio informing the paramedics of an accident having occurred on the 37 near Winnsboro. A wreckage of a car crash had resulted in a truck swerving and hitting someone on the road. A young woman. And she had miraculously survived the crash, despite her acute injuries.

It could be possible... he thought as he ran past the ambulance and ahead to the crash site. Maybe she had been delirious, hallucinating... Maybe she had crashed a car and stumbled out onto oncoming traffic. Maybe... Maybe she was still alive.

As he neared the site, he heard voices. Witnesses giving their testimonies to a couple of deputies.

"She was lying in the middle of the road! She made us crash!"

"She came out of nowhere!"

When he arrived, he saw blood everywhere.

A pregnant woman was crying, clearly in shock. A man stood yelling, explaining how the woman had caused their accident and tried to kill them. Telling the police about her face, how it had turned into something else...

The truck stood parked at the side of the road, the driver talking to another deputy as he waved with his hands in gestures. "She saved the lady, but once I saw her it was too late."

And that was when his eyes fell on her. The sirens from the ambulance informed him that it had finally arrived. The paramedics quick to run to her side with a stretcher and bandages. Everything seemed to have slowed to a stop.

Her blonde hair had turned dark from the blood, her body mangled and twisted in all the wrong directions. Her face covered in dark veins, seemingly having spread from her shoulder - where the bite looked to be. Her eyes were open but glazed. And her heart... it wasn't beating.

"She's roadkill, Brad. What can we do?" The words made Klaus spring to action. He grabbed onto the paramedics and compelled them to take her to a hospital. Then he jumped into the back of the rig with her and quickly bit into his wrist.

"Come on, love." he pleaded as he waited for her to feed on his blood. "Drink, Caroline. Come on..."

Finally, she responded, her chest lifting lightly as she began breathing again. The weight lifting off of Klaus' shoulders was the heaviest he had felt in all of a thousand years. This young vampire, her breathing and her heartbeat, had full control over him. He could only compare it to the pull he felt to his daughter, as if he couldn't breathe if she wasn't. "That's it, love." he whispered against her forehead, as he stroked her hair slowly with his free hand.

Her injuries were extensive, he studied her body with a tight throat as he wondered where to even begin. But as she ingested his blood her wounds started to heal slowly. Her bones cracked back into place. However, the bite mark on her shoulder was still evident, the look of it made him want to break Tyler Lockwood into a million pieces.

It would take long for her to heal, at least at a hospital he could ensure they cared for some of her internal injuries. But he knew she would need blood to recover fully. "Brad! Pull the car to the side, I need your assistance." he called out, remembering the name that had been used by one of the paramedics earlier.

He gained a nod from the men as they followed his instructions. They switched drivers as 'Brad' entered the back at the same time as his colleague started back on the course again. Klaus grabbed the paramedic's arm and told him not to scream. Then he bit into it and switched it with his own.

Caroline quickly responded and fed eagerly, making Klaus sigh in relief. "Thanks for lending a hand, Brad." Klaus grinned as he squeezed the man's shoulder. "How far to the nearest hospital?"

"Maybe 15 minutes." the young man answered, his face turning slightly pained as Caroline continued feeding.

"I'll need you to contact her next of kin." the hybrid explained as he stroked her cheek with a soft smile aimed at her. "Alaric Saltzman."

Brad nodded and pulled out a phone in search for the contact information. "Yes, sir." he said, earning another small grin from the Original.

"Hear that, sweetheart? You'll be just fine." he whispered and pressed a soft kiss against her temple.


The phone call had sobered him up entirely, like an ice-cold shower or an electric shock. But when Alaric entered the hospital, nothing the doctor said made sense.

"What do you mean accident? What was she doing out there?" he asked the younger man as they kept him from seeing her.

"Perhaps you would prefer to rest for a moment, sir." the man said, leading him to a waiting area. "Sober up." he continued.

The words brought a jolt of anger to Alaric as he pushed the doctor's guiding hand away. "Don't touch me! I just want to see her, where is she? Is she awake?"

A nurse showed up by the doctor's side with raised palms. "Please, sir. Calm down."

"Calm down?!" Ric echoed. "You don't understand! She is the only family I have left! I need to see her, please just let me go to her room-"

"Ric?"

The light voice cut him off as he recognized the woman suddenly by his side. "Ginnifer?"

"What's happened? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah... It's just, my friend. Caroline." he said, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "She's been in an accident apparently, but they won't let me see her."

"Okay, come on. I'll see what I can find out. Ok?" she said, her soft face making him swallow his anger with a nod.

"Yeah, ok." he said as she led him to a nurse's station. "I just don't understand, I just saw her... She always stays late at the campus library so I didn't think anything of it when she never showed up for dinner… But now..."

She nodded softly and started typing on a computer. "Sarah, could you please get this nice man a cup of tea or some water?" she said to a nurse close to her who quickly left to follow the request.

"I don't understand, Ginnifer... Do you work here?" he said, leaning against the desk between them in a sigh. "I didn't realize you were a-"

"A nurse?" she finished, smiling at him with a shrug. "Well, with all the addiction talk at AA it leaves very little time left for other personal information. And lucky for you that I am, because I am going to help you get in to see your friend."

"Her name's Caroline Forbes." he said then, the worry returning to fill his stomach with gravel. A pair of hands showed up with a cup of tea directed at him. "Thank you." he whispered and accepted it. "And please, apologize to the doctor from me. I didn't mean to lose my temper like that... I just... I don't know."

"You were worried about your friend." Ginnifer said, another soft smile on her face. "No one is better equipped to understand that than hospital workers."

He attempted to smile back, nodding lightly. "Right."

"So, apparently Caroline is being brought in with injuries from a car accident. The paramedics are en route and have informed us that she does not seem to be in need of surgery. Which means she'll probably be fine."

The breath that left Alaric's lips felt as long as ever as the relief washed over him.

Ginnifer picked up a tablet and took his arm. "Come on, let's go wait for her."


"How could you do this to her!?" Valerie watched as the young werewolf had his head nearly chewed off by the Salvatore back at the motel. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the vampire, and it irked her deeper than she cared to admit.

"And you!" Suddenly the yelling was aimed at her as she watched Stefan's furious scowl with gravel in her chest. "You knew she was in danger and you didn't say anything!?"

"I didn't know for sure." she protested. "I told you, all I saw was her face. It didn't exactly provide me with any information potent enough to share with you."

"She could've died!"

"But she didn't!"

His eyes widened as he watched her then, looking revolted and shocked at the person before him. "You didn't know that for sure, Val."

"You're right. I didn't." she admitted, ready to speak again when the door suddenly opened and interrupted them.

"My brother informs me that Caroline will be fine." Elijah said, walking over to them with a bag in his hands.

The room let out a collective sigh of relief at that as Valerie reached for the bag containing the last ingredient for their spell. The heart of a doppelganger.

"Not yet." The Original abruptly held the bag from her with a steely face.

"Pardon?" Valerie said, eyes wide and confused. "We don't have much time left."

"First, you will follow your end of the deal."

"What?" Stefan said, his anger suddenly turned to a new target. "You can't be serious, Elijah."

"The way I see it, we have given you the spell, ingredients and all means necessary for you to proceed with your protection ritual. And yet, no progress has been made on our part of the bargain."

"I gave you three locations already." she corrected as the older vampire merely shrugged in response.

"And now, I wish to receive the last three."

"After the spell."

"Now." he demanded, making her gulp and fidget with her hands. "Unless you were never planning on fulfilling your end of the deal."

All eyes turned to Valerie at that as she closed her eyes in a hiss.

"Wait, that's not true. Is it?" Stefan said, his tone empty and flat as he looked back at her with unrecognizable eyes.

"I used to call many of the Strix dear friends once, Stefan. I do not wish them any harm." she confessed.

"What did you think was going to happen here, Val!?"

"You don't understand." Valerie began to plead but it landed flat.

"No, it is you who do not understand, Ms. Tulle." Elijah said, walking towards the half-witch with threatening steps. "You have only a few more minutes before the full moon begins to wane. Which means you either give me what I ask now, or you will have to wait another month for the spell to work."

When Valerie continued to look torn and unconvinced, he spoke again. "And as we all know, you can't afford to wait for another full moon. Considering how you have already risked yourselves by practicing magic so openly. I'm certain that pesky enemy of yours has already tracked you down by now." he mused with a nonchalant shrug. "The question that remains, is whether you would prefer to leave Texas with your lives intact or not."

"Valerie, please." Stefan said as his sad eyes met her then. "Give him what he wants. I beg of you."

Valerie watched him with a beaten-down scowl before sighing and grabbing a piece of paper in a defeated hurry. Scribbling quickly the last of the addresses onto it and handing the paper to the Original. "Here. Now, the heart. Please."

Elijah nodded and made the exchange. As soon as it was done, he had disappeared into the night. The door left ajar in his wake. Valerie quickly turned back to the potion and finished the spell as fast as she could.

"You think you can do it?" Stefan pressed on, earning a quick nod from her as she pulled the heart out of its container.

She grabbed some strings and tied them around the heart, forming a pentagram on both sides of it. Then she dropped it into the potion, chanting silently as it began to boil.

"Emanuste, amnis sangui. Amnis vi praesidium, amnis celo velamentum. Amnus sic erunt." Throwing a final herb in, the potion created a small explosion with white smoke rising from it. She watched it for a silent moment as the liquid stilled and the previous steam evaporated. "It worked." Valerie whispered; the relief evident in her voice as she turned to Stefan with a smile.

He grinned back. "It worked?"

She nodded eagerly and leapt into his arms in triumph. "We did it!" she giggled, overjoyed.

He hugged her back and exhaled deeply. "We did it." he whispered.

"You sure did."

The voice made the two of them freeze. They slowly turned around to find Tyler's body falling to the ground with his neck twisted. And the man standing above him looked over at them with a grin.

"It's about damn time too, I thought you would never finish it!" Julian said as he studied them with dangerous eyes. "Now, how about a sip of that pretty potion you cooked up there, sweet Valerie?"


Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana

Klaus did not enjoy hiding in the shadows. It made him feel like the kind of monster in the dark which Hope sometimes had nightmares of. And if there was anything Klaus didn't want to be, it was a monster. He had worked hard to keep his family safe, both from others and sometimes from themselves. But after a while he started to wonder if perhaps the best thing to do for them would be to protect them from him instead.

Much changed after he unleashed his werewolf side. Things became… clearer. Easier even. He started to understand some of that dark rage which had been pent up for as long as his hybrid-self had been suppressed. On that first night when he'd turned, he felt relief. After having felt like a bastard and the odd man out for over a millennium; he was finally his true self. The person he was supposed to have been from the start. He was finally given what had been his birthright, passed down to him from his biological father… He was finally the Hybrid. The Original Hybrid.

And with that, all the pieces to the puzzle seemed to finally fall into place before him. However, he soon realized that even though much had changed after he broke the curse; some things remained precisely the same…

He still craved a loyal family who would never leave him. One who would love him selflessly, unconditionally and to no end, the way a parent was supposed to love their child. The kind of love he had been deprived of throughout his entire life. This realization maddened him… After everything, he was still that little, helpless, angry boy who was afraid of being alone… Of never being loved.

Of never being able to love in return.

Hope had helped, his precious littlest wolf. She had changed him. For he could not, would not, be the kind of parent he himself had had. He needed to be someone who could love his child, even if he remained unsure of whether he was still capable of such emotion or not.

This, of course, did not mean he wouldn't rip out the hearts of anyone who dared hurt her – with his teeth. However, he supposed that was the closest he could come to loving another being; by protecting them with his life and doing everything in his power to ensure their happiness as well as safety. In the end, wasn't that what Rebekah was always going on about? Wasn't that love?

Or was this love? This horrendous feeling in his stomach as he remained still in the dark with Elijah, awaiting Caroline in her hotel suite, only to hear her with someone else… It was the same feeling he'd had when he saw Caroline standing closely together with Marcel the other night…

Was that love? Feeling so utterly jealous and lost and mad and ruined at the mere thought of Caroline possibly choosing another man – Without even giving him a chance?

Or had it been love when he had used every smidge of self-control collected throughout his existence to stand up from that forest floor that day and leave Caroline behind all those years ago? Even as every fiber of his being screamed and ached and craved to keep her in his arms for the rest of eternity?

Or was it perhaps love when he granted Tyler his freedom as her graduation present, only because all he wanted was for her to be happy? Even if it wasn't with him and even if it included doing something that went against his entire nature… All for her.

Klaus noticed Caroline's presence coming closer to the door, her companion in tow, and considered shutting his hearing off to sulk a little while longer. But her racing heartbeat drew him back in as she opened the door slowly. Only slightly ajar first and then all at once with a push as she seemed ready to attack.

Her companion stood partly in front of her, an arm extended as if to try and protect her. The man's posture remained alarmed, but Caroline visibly relaxed a little when her eyes met Klaus'. For a short moment, he couldn't fight the smile that forced its way on his lips at the sight of her; she was truly enchanting. Her golden waves bouncing over her shoulders, her lips pursed slightly, the dark blue in her eyes intensified as her fair skin shone like porcelain in the faint moonlight.

He wondered then whether she'd be happy to see him. A flare of hop rising in his chest for just a moment. However, he then remembered the strained conversation the last time they spoke. And with that he suddenly felt foolish for expecting her to show any kindness or care after how they'd left things between them. The mere memory made him drop his gaze to stare daggers into the floor.

Elijah broke the silence as Caroline's heartbeat slowly returned to normal. "Ms. Forbes. Pleasure seeing you again." he said with as proper a tone as ever and a polite nod of his head. Turning to the man next to her with the smallest hint of a humored smile on his lips. "Your friend seems calmer this evening."

The man assessed the two dark shadows on in the hotel room, an uncertain look displaying across his face. "Um… Elijah, hi." Caroline responded, straightening her back slightly. "Enzo, it's okay. You can leave."

"What?" the man hissed and stared daggers into her skull as she kept her eyes on Elijah. "I don't think so, gorgeous. We already established that you tend to end reunions like these rather horribly."

Klaus' skin crawled at the lad's endearment for the blonde, bothered by the way this man was still trying to shield Caroline from a non-existent threat. "They're not going to hurt me." she retorted and finally stepped away from Enzo's shadow, only to be stopped by his hand on her waist pulling her back and making Klaus' fingernails dig into his palms.

"Well then I'm sure they won't mind a little extra company." he challenged then and threw a glance over at the brothers. "So, gentlemen, please do explain your hiding in a young woman's room at such a late hour."

Elijah sighed and shook his head, raising a finger into the air. "I suppose you still may need to be taught a lesson then, after all." In the blink of an eye, as soon as his brother had spoken the last syllable of his sentence, Klaus saw the rapid movements of Caroline standing in front of Enzo as Elijah headed towards them both.

And without thinking, Klaus' reaction was to stand in front of her, keeping his brother from breaking the obnoxious man's neck. Despite his shared desire to do so. "Let him stay, brother." he groused at Elijah then.

"If she trusts him enough to be here, he must be of some importance." the hybrid added as he turned to face the young vampires. "However, I do believe an introduction is in order."

Caroline had a slight look in her eye that voiced her thought loudly to Klaus, the words 'do I have to?' ringing in his ears as she sighed and admitted defeat. "Enzo St. John. You've already met Elijah Mikaelson." she said and gestured with her hand. "This is his younger, cockier, way more irritating and far less polite brother, Klaus."

He smiled as she finished her sentence with a cock of her head, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Well, love, I do believe you missed a few more charming details. But I will let it pass this once, since we are in somewhat of a rush."

"What's wrong?" she said, the humor suddenly evaporated from her voice.

"Nothing's wrong." Elijah answered with a soft smile, one Klaus recognized as much less of a reassurance and much more of a façade than anything else. "However…" he remarked and took a few steps towards Caroline.

Klaus let out a silent grunt at his brother in a warning as he heard Caroline's heart starting to race again. Her discomfort, perhaps even fear, was apparent, but she seemed to keep a brave face despite it. His brother stopped next to Klaus and began trying to smooth out the tension with his formalities. "We've come with a rather blunt question to ask you, Ms. Forbes. I hope you do not take offends to us calling upon you in the middle of the night."

She nodded at him. "Okay… So, what is it?"

"We need you to explain your intentions for coming here." Elijah finally said.

Caroline was silent as Enzo studied her and the men closely. Other than her heartbeat, she made no sounds. Her face had fallen completely, looking both surprised and… plotting.

Yes, plotting. Klaus was certain he'd seen that expression on her before, she was preparing herself to lie. And it pained him to know that she still couldn't trust him enough to be honest with him. "Caroline." Klaus warned then, as she opened her mouth to answer.

She shut it and looked over at him, blushing slightly as she understood that she'd been caught. He enjoyed the sweet color spreading over her face, befitting of her beautiful face. She quickly cleared her throat and brushed her hair back from her shoulder. From Klaus' experience this wasn't a very good sign either. It looked like she was steeling up, bracing herself for something. Another lie?

"Okay…" she sighed. "Like I told you, Elijah. Me and Enzo aren't looking for any trouble. I'm sure our business here will be resolved within a week, so don't worry about me dragging in any drama into your city or whatever. We just need Marcel's help with some things."

There were so many thoughts whirling around in his mind as he took her words in. She was in business with Marcel. She wasn't going to include him in them, nor give him any information on what it was that she was doing here. She would be gone within a week, rushed due to the impression that he didn't want her here…

"Ms. Forbes," Elijah asserted then. "If me or my brother insinuated that our concerns are based on the theory that you will disturb the peace in our home, then let me assure you that is not the case. We are merely baffled as to why you seem to be tiptoeing around us, sneaking around and hiding away while you tend to this business of yours…"

"I'm not hiding." she immediately chimed in. "And don't take this personally or anything, Elijah, but not everything needs the attention of the Originals."

Enzo drew a sharp breath, clearly realizing how unusual such a retort was to a man like Elijah. Klaus grinned at her then, feeling pride swell in his chest over her boldness. Even more so, he realized just how much he had missed that revolver mouth of hers – firing bullets at all who dared cross her path.

"Very well." Elijah drawled, sounding half-impressed and half-amused himself. "Then I hope you will forgive us for the intrusion, and I do so wish that you would consider accepting our invitation."

"What invitation?" Enzo stuttered then, making Elijah's soft smile turn slightly stiffer.

"To dinner." he shared. "At the mansion. Regard it a welcoming engagement. An opportunity for all of us to get reacquainted, and for some of us to get acquainted with you for the first time."

"Dinner?" Enzo echoed with a lost expression.

Klaus studied Caroline as she remained silent, it was a rare sight for her to act so unsure. But then she seemed to remember something and shook her head. "Yeah... I don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't understand…" Elijah hesitated, as if giving her a chance to change her answer. But Klaus saw it in her eyes; Caroline had made up her mind.

"I do appreciate the gesture and I sincerely hope you won't take this the wrong way but… I'm trying to get through all of this without involving your family. Unless it is absolutely necessary that is." she stammered with an apologetic grimace.

"I see." Elijah said with a slight furrow, he wasn't used to not getting his way. Especially not with a vampire of such a young age. That was Caroline for you, Klaus thought with a smirk.

"Well, in that case… We shan't take up any more of your time, Ms. Forbes." his brother declared. "Do enjoy the rest of your night."

Klaus flinched then. Were they leaving already?

"Thanks, you too." she told him with a suddenly shy smile. "Um, say hi to Rebekah for me… Or don't… It might be a few centuries too soon for her to start liking me yet."

Elijah nodded at her courtly, letting the subject pass with honorable grace. "I do however hope you will reconsider our offer for dinner. We can't very well let you leave New Orleans without a proper welcome and farewell to the city after all." he retorted. That was Elijah for you. Still attempting to get his way even whilst going up against someone as stubborn as Caroline Forbes.

She nodded at him mutely, her eyes glancing over at Klaus once more. He clenched his jaw and looked over at his brother. "Elijah, would you leave us for a moment?" he asked slowly.

Elijah smiled shortly before looking back at Caroline. "Good night, Ms. Forbes." he said and repeated the motion towards the man next to her. "Mr. St. John." he nodded and disappeared within a second.

Caroline turned to Enzo and gave him a pointed look. "I just need a minute. I'm sure you're tired and want to head back to your room anyway, right?"

Enzo looked over at Klaus and smirked. "Yes, of course. I have no desire of being the third wheel." he mocked, winking at Caroline before heading towards the door. "Just don't keep her up too long, will you?" he pressed on, causing Caroline to throw the keys in her hand towards him.

He managed to leave and close the door behind him just before the keys dug into the wall where he had stood. Caroline looked over at him apologetically and turned her eyes to the floor. Silence hung heavily over them while she awaited something from him. However, he was unsure of what to say. The last time they had spoken hadn't exactly gone the way he had imagined…

"Well… I came up here to answer some work mails and then get ready for bed…" she suddenly announced, walking past him and beginning to dig in a suitcase as it laid splayed over the bed. "So, if there was something you wanted to say then you should just get on with it."

He studied her for a moment as she put some garments in a pile and then rested her hands on her hips, looking back at him with an expecting face. "I am sorry about our previous run-in, Caroline." he muttered, a genuine sadness in his eyes as he looked her over. "You know very well what I…" he trailed off with a sigh and looked away shortly. "I simply ask to not go back to acting like enemies. Truthfully, I don't believe I could bear it."

She remained silent for a moment, until he met her eyes once more. Nodding shortly, she turned to sit by the bedside and gestured for him to take a seat next to her. At first, he felt unsure, afraid of crossing a line and upsetting her once more.

All he wanted was to simply be there for her, and she seemed adamant in keeping him away instead. She spoke up once he joined her on the bed. "Honestly, Klaus. I don't know what to think or say or even how to act when you're around." she admitted silently.

He met her eyes with a soft smile before looking down at their hands as the lay rather close on the duvet. "I know what you mean." he uttered softly as he fought off the urge to hold her hand in his. Instead, he reached towards the daylight-ring on her finger and studied it silently for a moment. Turning it lightly while he tried to gather his thoughts and figure out what to say next.

"Why were you at the cemetery today?" he asked, feeling stupid for not coming up with anything better to break the sudden silence with. She only scoffed at him, making him quickly continue speaking before she could get upset. "I was simply asking because –" he began but she cut him off.

"Is this seriously what you want to talk about right now!?" she exclaimed and abruptly stood up with her arms crossed. "Not the fact that you and your scary-ass brother broke into my hotel room and started interrogating me from out of nowhere?"

"What of Elijah's arse?" he probed. She looked at him with wide eyes for a long moment before she suddenly broke into laughter. Beautiful, glorious, and just short of angelic, laughter... Making it impossible for him to resist joining in.

"It's not funny!" she protested, throwing the closest piece of garment within her reach at him. "He really did freak me out!"

He caught it effortlessly, lifting the skirt up to study it. "I assure you, sweetheart. If you wish to school me, throwing your clothes at me may not be the most effective strategy."

Huffing in annoyance, she quickly tore the skirt away from him and put it back on the bed. He smiled at how he had managed to turn her mood around and took a step towards her. "Caroline..." he began as she backed away from him, making him stay put on his spot a few feet away from her. "I do hope you have not fallen under the impression that I wouldn't be willing to help you if you asked for it. No matter what it may regard."

She shrugged. "Well, like I said: I don't need nor want your help. But when I do, I'll be sure to ask for it."

"When?" he echoed with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him. "If."

He grinned and shrugged. "Then I best remain nearby, in case you were to change your mind on the matter." he teased.

"Is that your way of trying to get me to hang out with you?" she scoffed, a small smile tugging at her lips.

He chuckled shortly and took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between them. "Well, love..." he said and studied her face for a moment, looking into her wide and observing eyes. "I believe it's safe to say that I would always seek out a reason which included you spending time with me." he murmured softly before raising his hand to run the back of his index-finger over her cheek.

Her skin was as soft as he remembered, and the tiny twitch in her heartbeat made his stomach flip. He moved a strand of her hair away from her face and placed it behind her ear, his thumb brushing over her jaw as the rest of his fingers moved to stroke her scalp near the nape of her neck. The sudden magnetic pull between them made him draw his hand back out of fear of overstepping. But as Caroline cleared her throat and looked away from him, he caught a glance of a slight blush on her face which made him smirk happily.

"I will leave you for now then." he announced and turned away from her. Before he reached the balcony door, from which he and Elijah had entered earlier, she spoke up again.

"Wait." she called out, making him close his eyes as he fought off a wide grin. Slowly, he turned back around and studied her as she took slow steps towards him.

"I…" she stammered, shaking her head as she seemed to regret having spoken in the first place. "I just… I don't…"

For one short second, Klaus was certain she wanted him to kiss her. Something in the way she looked at him, eyes shimmering with untold truths. Her lips parted and her heart beating like a drum in his ear… His breathing stopped as he tried to read her mind, failing, and deciding to leave while they were still on good terms. Instead of doing something that could jeopardize whatever progress they may have made so far. "Goodnight, Caroline." he said softly.

She ran her fingers through her hair and crossed her arms over her chest, nodding as if accepting his words before speaking. "Goodnight, Klaus." she whispered with a sudden shyness that made him smile at her once more before flashing away into the night. A swelling joy warmed his chest, and a growing excitement grew in his stomach as he wondered when he would be able to see her again.


Four years ago
Dallas, Texas

"Do you realize how difficult it is to track down a doppelganger without someone from their lineage, hm?"

Julian walked towards them with a tiny grin, his eyes sparking with anger. Stefan instinctively stood in front of Valerie to shield her from him. "How did you find us?"

"Oh, I never lost you." he quipped, brushing his fingers over the open grimoires and spell books on the table. "San Fransisco, Guadalajara, Caracas... You've really had quite the itinerary planned out."

"Why haven't you-"

"Killed you?" Julian finished Valerie's thought with another wicked grin. "Oh, I have been tempted. Believe me. But there were things to sort out first... And of course, I couldn't kill you before you completed the spell for me."

"What spell?" Valerie stammered, earning a deep chuckle from him.

"Oh, let's not play coy, dear. It doesn't suit you well."

"So, what now? You take the potion and disappear?" Stefan asked.

"Well, not exactly. There happens to be quite a few more steps in my plan than simply that. But why would I tell you any of it, hm?" They watched him as he filled a small vial with the potion and raised it in the air. "Salud." he said and drank it all in one swoop.

"Ugh, never been a fan of dill. But that should certainly do the trick." he muttered as he pulled out a lighter and a flask, unscrewing the cap and pouring the liquid into the potion. He smiled wickedly as he flicked the lighter and dropped it into the bowl.

Valerie tried to jump forward and stop him but it was too late. The potion burned in colorful flames as he watched on with satisfaction. "There. Step one: all done." he crowed before turning towards them. "Now time for step two..."

His face changed as he jumped at them, fangs ready and hands prepared to rip their hearts out. But he was stopped, frozen in place like a statue. Valerie and Stefan both stared on in chock as a woman entered the room with her palm raised.

She studied them for a moment before raising her other hand towards them as well. "Wait!" Tyler exclaimed, having woken up again as his neck was healed. He walked up to the woman with a smile. "You came."

"You didn't answer my calls, I got worried." the woman said in a thick Latin accent, her brown eyes meeting the vampires again. "Them?"

"Friends." he assured her, making her nod. "Mila, meet Stefan and Valerie."

They nodded in greeting towards her, still looking unsure and confused over the frozen Julian before them. "Is he going to stay like that?" Stefan asked.

"Si." she said. "At least for long enough until we are all miles away from here." she turned to Tyler then. "We need to leave immediately. Did you acquire the blood?"

He frowned, earning a confused look from Stefan. "I tried. But it didn't go the way I'd hoped."

"Wait, what blood?" Stefan asked, earning a guilty frown from Tyler.

"The blood of someone in agony." Mila answered instead.

"Ric." Valerie realized and glanced over to Stefan, he scowled in response.

"That's why you came?" he asked. "Why you bit Caroline?"

"We do not need to have this conversation here." Mila insisted. "Come, let's go. I'll cloak us temporarily, but it won't hold for long."

Valerie hurried to pack her spell books and grimoires, and whatever remained of the potion - in hopes of being able to reconstruct it.

"Wait." Stefan called out as he stood looking back at Julian.

"Don't." Valerie said, reading his mind.

"I could kill him right now."

"And he could have an army around the corner just waiting to kill us next."

He visibly struggled with himself before finally nodding. "Let's go."

They all followed then, leaving the frozen Julian behind.


Caroline gained consciousness before her body had fully healed. She felt like she was cut open in half, as if every square inch of her skin and body was covered in open wounds and blood.

Her mind tried to piece everything together as she established that she was in a hospital. But she couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Because if humans had rescued her and brought her here, then they would have noticed her unnatural healing capabilities. And that could mean that she wasn't safe.

As she lay still and slack and defenseless, she noticed a presence in the room with her. A panic began to hit her as she became gravely aware of the danger she was in. She tried to will herself to move, to heal, to get up… But all she could manage to do was slightly flicker her eyes open.

The room was very bright and her vision blurry as a shadow walked towards her. Thoughts raced in her head as she tried to assess her chances of surviving this. Could she scream? Could she attack or run away?

Her body was still refusing to move as the stranger lifted a hand up to her face… But instead of strangling her, as she expected, the person stroked her cheek softly. She realized then that a single tear had traveled down her cheek. The hand seemed to dry it off, as if the person was comforting her.

Alaric, maybe? She couldn't imagine anyone else. She had no one else. After all, even with Ric, she was alone.

And so, if it wasn't him…

"I would deeply appreciate your staying alive, Caroline."

The voice seared through her dizzy thoughts as she tried to focus her eyes on the mysterious man by her bedside.

"However, I am no stranger to feelings of hopelessness." the voice continued. "It is easy to give in to. Only the strongest survive such pain and darkness."

Caroline suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if she was experiencing a very vivid déjà vu, just as the man leaned closer and whispered in her ear.

"There is so much more than what you are feeling right now, love. The only way to experience any of it, is to keep fighting."

She felt a slight shiver run through her as the voice reminded her of something, or someone. But just as she looked up to confirm her suspicion, another voice broke through the silence.

"Care!?"

Now that was Ric's voice for sure.

She blinked a few times as he suddenly stood where the stranger had just a second ago. But now they were gone. Or maybe they were never there in the first place?

"You're awake? Finally, thank god… Are you healing, Care?" Ric asked, pulling her attention away from trying to catch a scent.

Her eyes managed to focus on his as she tried to figure out the answer to his question. Aside from obvious hallucinations and her lack of control of her body's movements… Yes, it seemed like she was healing actually.

"I'm so sorry, Care. I haven't been sensitive to what you are going through. After all, you lost them too." he said softly, squeezing her hand. "But that's all going to change now. I am here, Caroline. Please, don't go and leave me without you. We have no one else but each other."

She agreed silently as she failed to nod her head in response. "I'll get you out of there tonight, before the doctor realizes your… condition." he said and gave her a short smile as he stood up and sat down on her bed. Rolling up one of his sleeves as he continued. "I've been waiting for you to wake up before…" he brought out a thin knife and sliced his wrist. "You need your strength now more than ever."

She realized what he was doing and tried to protest as he held his wrist towards her mouth. "Shh… We need to get out of here right now, Care. This is not the time for moral dilemmas and strict diets, alright? Just drink and heal." he assured her silently.

When the blood hit her tongue, there was no longer a discussion. The hunger took over instead and controlled her body as her hand suddenly flew up to press his wrist closer to her. Quickly, she began to feel the healing process starting as her body tensed up in reaction. And soon she managed to move her limbs normally.

Just in time, as she caught the sound of a doctor walking towards the room to catch them. She grabbed Ric then and flew out of the bed, disappearing into the dark street before anyone could see either of them.