Chapter 5
Author's Note: This chapter includes storylines from The Originals, and a pairing of two TVD characters, one of whom went on to be a main character in The Originals.
Caroline knocked on the door of the headmaster's office, glancing nervously at Bonnie, who smiled reassuringly at her. It was late at night, and they'd finally arrived at the school and managed to make it to the headmaster's office by 10:30 PM. Hopefully Alaric would still be up. Caroline felt a little nervous about her newfound connection with Bonnie, too - she feared slipping up and revealing, explicitly or implicitly, that she and Bonnie were more than just friends now.
The door opened to reveal Alaric, his beard unshaven, lines of worry stretching across his face, and a perfectly haggard look that scared Caroline. She knew Alaric, and she knew he didn't succumb to stress easily - and although she knew they were under immense pressure, this was scaring her out of her mind.
"Ric, what - "
He shook his head wordlessly and gestured to them to come in. They did, and he shut the door behind them, before walking over to the chair behind the desk and collapsing into it.
"Hey, hey, hey." Caroline knelt by the side of the chair and took his hands in hers. "When's the last time you had a good night's sleep?"
"Sleep? You think I can sleep when there's a student who was erased from existence on my watch and I don't have a clue how to restore everyone's memories?" Alaric shot back irritably.
"Ric, if you had any way to stop it from happening or ensure things went better, you would - "
"We were using a blood fountain the Travelers created to depower the students in case they went rogue. I can't even begin to list everything that's wrong with that statement." Alaric retorted.
"The Travelers? As in that group of horribly dangerous witches that included, among others, Silas, Amara and Qetsiyah?" Bonnie couldn't believe her ears. "You used one of their devices as a backup in case the students 'went rogue'? What the hell were you thinking?!"
"We weren't." Caroline said, anguish flooding her face. "Ric needed all the advantages he could have - it's not easy running a supernatural school as a human, even if you're a former vampire hunter."
"No, I get that." Bonnie responded agitatedly. "But if you were so worried about Ric being outmatched, you could've found some sort of artifact he could use - there's tens of them right here, and very few of them require the user to be a supernatural. This is why the honor council decided they couldn't trust you, isn't it?" Bonnie asked Alaric, who inclined his head in assent. "Damn it. I'm so sorry, Ric."
"Well, I guess that's what you get for trying to run a supernatural school as a human." Alaric said abruptly.
"No. That is not the problem here, and both of you know that." Bonnie said fiercely. They looked up at her in confusion. "The reason why you two are making these reckless decisions is because you're both overworking yourselves the way no one should ever have to. Caroline's attempting to manage the school from a continent away while trying to find a fix for the Merge, and you, Ric, are trying to run the school without any way of dealing with supernatural threats that doesn't involve over-reliance on the students' own abilities. They're students, not full-fledged supernaturals, and they're here to study, not to get into battles involving some sort of unstoppable supernatural force of hell. Obviously, the students need to be able to help (and protect themselves) if things get really desperate, but the first line of defense has to be the teachers. And if you had some sort of artifact that you were using instead of that - excuse my language - stupid fucking crossbow, you might be able to be part of that first line of defense."
Caroline didn't have anything to say. Bonnie was right. She was absolutely right.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway - I'm gone now. What about the new headmaster? You still haven't found a suitable candidate?" Alaric asked Caroline.
Caroline shook her head.
"Ok, you two cannot keep dealing with this alone." Bonnie said fiercely. "You can't search for a new headmaster, find a fix for the Merge, and manage everything remotely or, for that matter, here, at the same time." She said to Caroline. "And you can't drink yourself into a stupor over this whole situation." She addressed Alaric.
"I'm not drinking - "
"Who do you think you're fooling, Ric? If I were to open up that desk right now, what would I find? Because I'm pretty sure one of the drawers contains enough alcohol to embarrass a sailor."
Alaric did not have any response to that.
"I thought so." Bonnie said quietly. "Caroline's right - you need to get some sleep. We're here now, we can handle things. Just go."
"Fine." Alaric said shortly before walking off. Caroline shut the door behind him and turned to Bonnie.
"Thank you. I think we both needed a kick in the pants." She said softly.
"God, Caroline, this is a mess." Bonnie said heavily, turning to her friend. "You were right - you need help with everything, not just a spell. I'm glad I agreed to come back. I think I'm gonna have to stop my travels and stay, for good."
"I'm sorry ..."
"No, stop apologizing." Bonnie said sharply. "If I knew what you were dealing with here, I'd have come back in a heartbeat - not because I'm in love with you, but because it's the right thing to do, Caroline. You should've come to me much earlier. Why didn't you?" She asked gently.
"I guess we just got used to dealing with things alone - just me and Alaric - and then we felt embarrassed asking for help ..."
"Caroline, what's the point of being a friend or any sort of loved one if you're not going to ask me for help when you need it?" Bonnie asked softly, caressing Caroline's cheek. "I can't stand to see you in pain. I just can't. And no matter what ... awkwardness there might be between us, I want to be there for you, always. I wanted to be there as a friend, and now I want to be there because you're the woman I love."
Tears began to prick at the corners of Caroline's eyes.
"I missed you so much." She started to cry softly. "I love you so much, Bonnie Sheila Bennett."
"I missed you too." Bonnie said heavily. "I love you, Caroline Elizabeth Forbes-Salvatore."
Caroline couldn't help it. She couldn't help standing mere feet away from Bonnie as she lovingly called Caroline by her full name. She couldn't help the explosion of feelings inside her that she'd bottled up for so long.
She moved towards Bonnie and kissed her, keeping it long, slow and deliberate, allowing her lips to wrap around Bonnie's as gradually as she possibly could. Bonnie kissed her back slowly, leaning into all the feelings she'd repressed for so long before their lips locked and happiness like she'd never felt flooded her mind. They shared a few more long, slow and sweet kisses before they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Bonnie instinctively smiled at the maddening irony of being interrupted just as they'd finally kissed, and took hold of Caroline's jacket in an attempt to hold on to her for just a second longer.
"Ugh!" Caroline exclaimed, causing Bonnie to laugh softly. She laughed helplessly alongside Bonnie. "I can never catch a break."
"No, you cannot." Bonnie said, dissolving into helpless giggles. "But that's about to change."
"Can you really promise me that?" Caroline asked softly, staring into Bonnie's beautiful eyes.
"I can." Bonnie responded quietly, looking back into Caroline's eyes.
"Well, right now, we have to attend to that knock." She said, reluctantly disentangling herself from Bonnie.
She went to the door and opened it, revealing a girl she definitely did not know, which clearly made her Hope Mikaelson. She wordlessly stepped aside to let Hope in before shutting the door and going back to her place at Bonnie's side. She knew from experience that you couldn't hear anything from outside the door, so she wasn't worried that Hope would figure out what was going on between them.
Hope watched Bonnie and Caroline with a curious expression. Even though she hadn't heard anything from outside the door and consequently hadn't the faintest idea what was happening inside, it had taken a while for Caroline to answer the door. And there was something about the way Bonnie and Caroline were behaving around each other that reminded her of two other people she'd known, barely a few years ago.
Back when she was 15, Hope had gone home the day her summer vacation was due to start and let herself in with her key to find that her mother was nowhere to be seen. Curious, she'd looked around the house only to find the closet door ajar and voices coming from inside. She'd decided to eavesdrop, putting her eye to the crack between the door and the wall, and that fateful decision had led her to a discovery that had impacted her deeply.
Her mother was crying softly in the closet, and Aunt Freya had her arms wrapped tightly around Mom, trying to console her. Suddenly, Mom looked up at Aunt Freya.
"Keelin ..."
"Yeah, things aren't great between us." Aunt Freya said heavily. Hope's eyebrows rose. Aunt Freya and her girlfriend had seemed to be one of the strongest couples she knew. What had happened? "She's convinced we don't talk at all, and although she won't say it, she probably thinks it's because I'm too committed to you and Hope."
"Can you blame her?" Mom replied softly, trying to wipe away the tears that kept coming inexorably out of her eyes. Hope recognized that her mother was folding under the stress of managing everything at home. She hated seeing her mother in pain. She was glad Aunt Freya was there, but sometimes, she was afraid it wasn't enough. She wanted to go in and hug her mom and tell her everything was gonna be okay, but she didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. "It's almost like we're your real family and she feels like an outsider."
"Are you blaming me?" Aunt Freya turned to Mom, a hint of reproach in her voice.
"I'm not blaming anyone, Freya. I don't know what to do, and sometimes, it feels like you're the only one who understands what I'm going through. I just understand that Keelin might feel like she has reason to be jealous - we spend a whole lot of time together for two people who aren't partners, even if we count the fact that you're helping me raise Hope."
"She has no reason to be jealous. We knew what we signed up for when I agreed to help you raise Hope, and she co-signed."
"Don't give me that, Freya." Mom responded sharply. "Every time something goes wrong with her, you come here to Rousseau's and to me. Maybe you feel like you have no one else, but I don't agree that it doesn't look suspicious. After all, if you did secretly have feelings for me, it wouldn't look all that different, would it now?" She asked sharply.
"If I did have secret feelings for you, Hayley Marshall, it wouldn't look like that." Aunt Freya responded, her hard green eyes hardening even further.
"I know." Mom responded, her voice hard, an undercurrent of anger flowing through it. "It would look like this."
Hayley moved quickly, pushing Freya up against the wall and kissing her, hard. All the pent-up frustration of not being able to be with Freya despite the fact that she'd been falling for her since the day Freya began helping her raise Hope poured into the kiss, Hayley massaging Freya's lips with her own as roughly as she could. She broke the kiss a second later, only to find Freya gasping in surprise at the intensity of the kiss. She felt a little guilty - Freya hadn't kissed her back.
"I'm - "
Freya cut her off with an even rougher kiss. Hayley gasped in surprise for a second before kissing her back, some of the frustration now gone and her breathing becoming more normal. Freya ran her fingers through Hayley's hair, her hard green eyes bearing a slightly confused expression.
"You were saying?" She asked, her voice a little breathless.
"I'm in love with you." Hayley admitted.
"I'm in love with you too."
Freya and Hayley kissed again, this time much more softly and gently.
Hope's eyebrows had disappeared up into her hair. She just didn't know how to feel about that - except that if they were happy, she was happy for them. Later on, Hayley had explained everything to Hope, and Hope had finally understood what had happened between Mom and Aunt Freya. From the way Hayley and Freya had behaved around each other from that day on, trying to hide their love for each other, Hope knew exactly what was going on between Bonnie and Caroline, even if their love was different from Hayley and Freya's.
But that wasn't all. There was something that had happened much earlier, before Hope had even been born, which Hope knew about from her mother.
Hayley had left a cryptic message on Caroline's phone, asking her to come see her at a neutral location. So she's finally found a place of her own and stopped screwing Tyler, Caroline thought to herself. Color me shocked. Caroline had no intention of going - the little werewolf slut had snapped her neck the last time they saw each other, and she'd set off a series of horrible events, not to mention the fact that Caroline never liked Hayley, at all. She instinctively disliked her, and with the neck-snapping, she knew she'd been absolutely right to. But somehow, Caroline found herself going - if only to make sure the werewolf wasn't up to another nefarious plot that would have consequences for Caroline and her friends.
She pushed open the door to find the werewolf standing across the room from her. Caroline sped across the room and slammed the werewolf against the wall with as much force as she could muster. She wasn't going to snap her neck, since she didn't want a dead werewolf on her hands, but she'd certainly pay her back for the neck-snapping she'd faced at the werewolf's hands. The werewolf held up her hands in self-defense, angering Caroline even more. She proceeded to slam the werewolf into the wall repeatedly, before gripping her throat in a vice-like manner and beginning to throttle her. Hayley struggled under Caroline's grip, her breaths becoming shorter and shallower.
Caroline finally let go of Hayley after about a minute, the werewolf nearly out of breath. She choked and began drawing in a series of deep breaths. Once she was breathing somewhat normally again, the werewolf held up her hands in self-defense.
"I can explain." She said.
"You ran." Caroline snapped at her. "You helped Klaus get access to his hybrid army, and you ran. You used Tyler, and me, and everyone else, and you ran, to God knows where, and you think you can just come back here and expect me to let you explain? Why the hell would I do that?"
"Shane promised to bring me to my real parents."
"Always a sob story. As if that makes up for anything you did." Caroline responded, her voice full of distaste, disgust and anger.
"It's not a sob story." Hayley said angrily. "My entire life, I've been pushed around by people who hold more cards than me. Atticus Shane promised he'd help me find my real parents - he never said anything about helping one of the most dangerous supernaturals in the world build an army of hybrids. Or about antagonizing you or your friends - I knew nothing about you or anyone else before I arrived here - Tyler kept his past a secret from me when I met him, and I only learned the truth about him from Shane. I didn't even care about any of you, and when I told you I didn't want teen drama, I meant it - all I wanted was to find my parents, and that didn't happen, so I'm screwed. I know you disliked me almost instinctively, and maybe you were right - maybe I just am the kind of person who uses people and then discards them - or maybe I just wanted something so badly I'd do anything to get it."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" Caroline asked in disgust.
"Because I came back here. A smart person wouldn't do that, which means I'm either an idiot or I have nothing to get out of lying to you. You hold all the cards, anyway."
"A bite from you can kill me." Caroline snapped.
"Fine." Hayley said angrily. She tossed a vial to Caroline. Caroline caught it in surprise. It contained ... "Klaus's blood. No wolf venom can work against it."
"Again, why the hell should I trust you?" Caroline asked in disgust. "For all I know, this is your blood."
"Because the reason you instinctively disliked me had nothing to do with me being untrustworthy, and everything to do with your feelings for Tyler." Hayley retorted. "And I'm tired of this. I told you I didn't want teen drama, but hell, maybe I disliked you for no real reason other than my feelings for Tyler, too. And this is beyond stupid. I don't want that, and neither should you. As far as anyone else knows, I'm gone anyway - I ran, and I'm never coming back. If you want to be with Tyler and he wants to be with you, nothing's stopping you two from being together. If you don't, well, even more reason for us to recognize that fighting over a guy is stupid, and move on. Woman to woman - can we please just put an end to this madness and move on with our lives?"
"There wouldn't even be any madness if you hadn't come back here." Caroline snapped.
"So you're still going to continue this ridiculous fight because of Tyler?"
"Go to hell." Caroline snapped.
"Ugh! God, I hate you so much!" Hayley exclaimed.
'The feeling's mutual."
"Damn it, Caroline! Just stop!" Hayley yelled at her. "I can't do this, alright? I came back here to make amends, because God knows I should. It doesn't matter that I did what I did so I could find my parents, because I turned your life upside down in the bargain and that's exactly what everyone in my life has done to me - the moment things got 'inconvenient' for them, they screwed me over and left me hanging high and dry. Now, you can hate my slutty dress, my general demeanor, and everything else about me - but you have to believe I don't want to fight about Tyler anymore, ever, and that I wanna make amends to you. If I'm selfish and I only understand someone else's pain when it resembles my own, why wouldn't it make sense that I understand how you must've felt when I betrayed you when everyone else in my life has betrayed me?"
"Oh, I have no doubt you understand." Caroline said bitterly. "I just don't believe for a second that you're willing to take the next step. And for the record, I do hate your slutty dress and your general demeanor, even though the one you have on right now isn't slutty." She snapped, disgust emanating from her.
Hayley threw up her hands in despair.
"Fine. Then this conversation's over." Hayley flopped down on the couch in exhaustion.
Caroline sped over to the couch, physically lifted Hayley from it, and flung her straight at the wall so hard it must've been the supernatural equivalent of being hit by a falling skyscraper. The werewolf hit the wall and the sound of her bones cracking reverberated around the house. She slid down to the floor and stayed there, momentarily crippled as her healing factor worked on the broken bones. She stared at Caroline in anger and surprise.
"What the hell was that?"
"Again, you helped Klaus Mikaelson gain access to a hybrid army and, as you admitted, turn our lives upside down. This conversation is not over until you tell me what you're really doing here, bitch." She leaned down and whispered that last word as venomously as she could. "And no, I don't care about Tyler, this is about your betrayal and that only."
"That's a lie." The werewolf retorted. "You hated my guts from the moment you met me, and it was only about Tyler, or else you'd have accused me of something nefarious rather than accusing me over and over again of sleeping around with him. I get it - but I honestly couldn't give less of a damn if I tried to. I don't have feelings for Tyler - not anymore - and even when I did, he was too devoted to you to cheat on you with me. It never even got that far. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't believe me. You're a vampire - you can tell if I'm lying. I want to make amends to you, and that's all I came here for."
Despite her disgust and anger at the werewolf, Caroline leaned into her super senses, listening to Hayley's heartbeat, monitoring her pupils, and keeping an eye out for anything untoward in her behavior. After all, Hayley was right - vampires could tell when people were lying, even if the people in question were supernaturals themselves. They rarely used that ability, mostly because in tense, combative situations, it didn't really help - but right now, Hayley was practically incapacitated, and Caroline had the upper hand, so she decided to do it anyway. Hayley's pupils were moving at the normal rate, her heartbeat was steady, if fast, and there were no telltale tics. She was telling the truth.
Caroline exclaimed in disgust and walked away.
"See? I told you I was telling the truth."
"I don't care!" Caroline yelled at her. "Do you have any idea how much pain you caused me? I want you gone. If I have to physically throw you out of Mystic Falls to ensure that, that's exactly what I'll do."
"Caroline!" The werewolf yelled at her, so agitated that Caroline had to turn around and stare at her. "Do you even understand what you're doing? I brought you that vial of Klaus's blood. I have information about what he's doing. I have information about what Katherine's doing - she tried to use me, too, before she decided I'd outlived my usefulness and tried to have me killed. You're going to ignore all that, and send me away just because you have this ... infatuation with Tyler?"
"You're the one who keeps bringing up Tyler, not me." Caroline snapped at her. "It's almost like you wanna believe that's the reason why I want you gone. In fact, it's almost like you have some other reason entirely for coming here, and that's why you keep letting me slap you around. You're lying about Katherine, aren't you? You're still working for her, probably because she promised you she'd reunite you with your parents, just like Shane did - and you were stupid enough, or desperate enough (which are both really the same thing) to fall for that, again. I don't know whether to hate you or to pity you, Hayley." The werewolf raised her eyebrows at Caroline calling her by her first name. Caroline ignored her. "You're a sad, pathetic little person, and when we take down Katherine, you're going down with her."
"For the last time, I'm not working for anyone - not Shane, not Klaus, and not Katherine. I came here to make amends to you, and that's it."
Caroline turned and advanced upon Hayley, her hand raised as if to strike the werewolf.
"You're still keeping something from me - " She said, face contorted in anger.
"Fine!" Hayley yelled.
Caroline stopped short and stared.
"I slept with Klaus." The second she admitted it, Hayley wanted to sink into the earth and disappear from sight as if she'd never even existed.
"Ugh." Caroline said in disgust. "You really are a slut."
"Probably." The werewolf responded, her lip quivering. Caroline couldn't believe her eyes - the werewolf actually looked sad. "I mean, he saved my ass from Katherine and I guess I was grateful, but yeah, you're probably right - I am a slut - I keep sleeping around with people even though there's no reason for me to."
Caroline softened involuntarily. The werewolf was being sincere - she could tell even without using her vampire powers as a lie detector. She sat down gingerly a short distance away from Hayley - the werewolf was still sitting with her back against the wall and her legs stretched out as she waited for her healing factor to finish working.
"So you slept with Klaus?" She asked.
"Yeah." The werewolf admitted, her lip trembling. "He saved me from Katherine, we got really drunk, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in some bed somewhere with my arm draped around his chest - because I'm a fucking idiot." She chuckled mirthlessly. "After that, I was so disgusted with myself I took off, not even caring where I was going. I spent a few days beating myself up for everything I ever did, and then I found myself in Mystic Falls again, with only one thought - I need to make up for what I did." She closed her eyes in anguish for a second before opening them up again. "That's the only reason I'm here, Caroline." The werewolf said, smiling helplessly. The hard edge that her eyes usually had was gone. "I genuinely want to make amends to you. That's why I let you slap me around - mostly because I deserved it, and partly because, well, I don't want to fight anymore."
"You're still keeping some sort of secret." Caroline said, trying not to sound accusatory - after all, the werewolf certainly wasn't lying - she was keeping something a secret, but she wasn't lying.
"Fine." Hayley said softly. "I told you I didn't want teen drama, but it wasn't just that - us fighting over a guy feels, well, so depressingly predictable and cliché." Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I know, I know - we're not in a movie, this is real life - I just mean that this is exactly what happens. Two girls tear each other to pieces over a guy, and for what - he's going to end up happy either way, one of them will end up getting her heart broken. And our drama is over anyway - you have feelings for him, he feels the same way about you, I was just a brief irritant - why do you still need to fight with me over him?"
Caroline hated to admit it, but Hayley was right. About all of it.
"Fine." Caroline gave up and admitted it. "I'll kill you if you ever tell anyone, but I think you're right - about all of it." The corners of Hayley's mouth quirked up in the beginnings of a smile. "So, what do you wanna do about it?"
Hayley sighed softly and looked away for a second. Then she turned back to Caroline.
"I want to apologize." Caroline looked at her in some surprise. "I'm truly sorry - for everything." Caroline looked away in frustration. The werewolf was genuinely trying to apologize - she could tell - but did she want to forgive her? Hayley went on. "And this may sound really weird - but I don't actually hate you, and I hardly know anything about you - so I wanna get to know you." Caroline looked Hayley straight in the eye at that last part - it was often said insincerely by women pretending to want to be friends with other women - but the werewolf seemed really genuine. It really impacted Caroline - she'd never felt that request was genuine - she'd always seen it as a stunt, but Hayley was looking straight at her with the hardness that usually characterized her eyes gone, and Caroline could swear she was genuinely trying to reach out.
"If you're screwing with me - "
"I'm not, Caroline." Hayley said quietly. Caroline believed her - every instinct she had was telling her that Hayley was being sincere and genuine.
"Fine. What do you wanna know?" Caroline asked.
"Whatever you feel comfortable telling me." Hayley said softly, leaning back against the wall and sighing heavily. "I do have a vested interest, but it's just that you keep talking because it distracts me from the pain." Caroline couldn't restrain herself from laughing softly at that - Hayley smiled at her, in what seemed to be the first genuine smile she'd ever given Caroline.
"Do you wanna hear how Tyler and I met?" Caroline asked softly. Hayley rolled her eyes.
"Really? You think I wanna hear more about Tyler? Ugh." Hayley said in annoyance. Caroline giggled softly, earning her a look of mock annoyance from Hayley, which caused her to laugh even harder. "You do know that you have a life outside Tyler, or for that matter any of your other boyfriends, right? What about your mom and dad, or Bonnie Bennett - that girl you seem inseparable from?" Hayley shot her a curious look at that. Caroline rolled her eyes. Hayley dissolved into peals of laughter at that. When the laughter subsided, she continued. "What about you? What does Caroline Forbes want in life? There is so much more to you than Tyler, and I wanna know that - I wanna know you, not Tyler. If I wanted to hear about how you and Tyler met, I'd just ask him, and watch him get all mushy and soft while still trying to act tough, and get some entertainment out of it while I was at it." Caroline dissolved into laughter at that. "I'm serious, Caroline." Hayley said gently yet firmly. "Who is Caroline Forbes?" She asked softly.
So Caroline told her. She told her all about her childhood, her complicated relationship with her parents, how she was captain of the cheer squad, an honor student, the head of nearly a half-dozen committees, and how she was planning to compete for Miss Mystic Falls. She told her about Elena and Bonnie - her two best friends - and how they practically grew up together. She told her about her ambitions. Hayley listened with attention, which surprised Caroline - she'd never have thought someone like Hayley Marshall would be interested in knowing who Caroline Forbes was - but it turned out that despite all her insecurities, there was someone genuinely interested in getting to know her, and that was (extremely unlikely though it seemed) Hayley Marshall. She nearly broke down recounting the story of how her father had tried to torture the vampirism out of her, but somehow, Hayley's presence proved comforting even through that. Time passed so fast it was evening when Caroline finally stopped speaking, and Hayley decided to try getting up.
Caroline offered the werewolf her hand. Hayley took it and raised herself slowly from the ground. She leaned against the wall for a second, before moving gingerly to the couch and lowering herself down on it as gently as she possibly could.
"Does it still hurt?" Caroline asked softly and a little guiltily.
"No." Hayley responded softly. "The pain's gone."
She sat down on the couch, and Caroline sat down next to her. Hayley reached out her hand gently and placed it on Caroline's cheek. Caroline expected she'd have the impulse to remove it immediately, but she didn't - somehow, Hayley's soft, warm hand on her cheek felt oddly comforting, just as it had felt when she'd poured her heart out to the werewolf and been pleasantly surprised to find Hayley listening with rapt attention and genuine interest.
"If I'd known all this about you ..."
"Well, you didn't." Caroline said softly, trying not to sound accusatory.
"I know." Hayley said softly. "I just meant that the more I hear about you, the more I feel like I'd have really liked you." She caressed Caroline's cheek softly with her thumb.
"Why? After all, it looks like we have nothing in common." Caroline pointed out.
"Yeah, well, I guess opposites attract." Hayley said, moving closer to Caroline and taking the vampire's face in her hands.
"I guess they do." Caroline said breathlessly, meeting Hayley halfway. Kissing Hayley was different than kissing anyone else. Hayley's lips wrapped comfortably around hers, and she was neither too gentle nor too rough, kissing with just the right intensity. Caroline half-rose from her sitting position, leaning over Hayley as she kissed her, while Hayley leaned back until she was lying on the couch. Caroline arranged herself comfortably on top of Hayley without breaking the kiss. Hayley's hands slid downwards gently until they were around Caroline's waist - she caressed Caroline's waist as Caroline massaged Hayley's lips with her own. They kissed again and again, enjoying the feeling of their soft, supple lips pressing against each other.
Caroline woke in a comfortable bed, snugly ensconced in Hayley's arms. She looked up to see the werewolf still sleeping, her beautiful face more peaceful than Caroline had ever seen it. She admired Hayley's sculpted features for a few long minutes before the werewolf finally awoke and smiled sweetly at Caroline.
"Hi, gorgeous." Hayley said softly, smiling sweetly at Caroline, admiring her beautiful features and the love that overflowed from them.
"Hi, beautiful." Caroline responded softly. She realized all of a sudden that they'd woken up in much the same position that she'd have woken up with a guy in - Hayley's arm was around her shoulders, close to her hair, and Caroline's hand was on Hayley's chest, her fingers curled up in the very center of it. She realized with a start that the tip of her right-hand ring finger had fit snugly into the start of the hollow that was Hayley's cleavage, which she traced almost involuntarily downwards, causing the werewolf to laugh softly and press a kiss to her forehead before running her fingers through Caroline's hair.
"Last night was ..." Hayley began.
"Incredible." They both said at the same time, smiling at each other. Sex seemed such a pedestrian word to describe it. They'd genuinely connected, in a way neither of them had ever thought would happen. And it had been incredible - it had been one of the most wonderful experiences of Caroline's life. Hayley's soft smile gladdened Caroline's heart in a way she didn't think was possible - the werewolf had beautiful dimples, and when she smiled - when she genuinely smiled, there was a kindness about her eyes that betrayed her tough exterior. Caroline would never have thought she'd fall in love with Hayley Marshall, but it had happened, and now she lovingly caressed Hayley's face, feeling safe and happier than she'd ever been in the werewolf's arms, while Hayley ran her fingers gently through Caroline's hair.
"Can't we just stay like this forever?" Hayley questioned speculatively, shooting Caroline a sly look.
"Baby, you know we can't." Caroline said softly, pressing a kiss to Hayley's soft, supple lips.
Hayley sighed and kissed Caroline again.
"I love you, Caroline Forbes." She said softly.
"I love you, Hayley Marshall." Caroline responded softly.
They kissed again, and Caroline disentangled herself from Hayley after that, getting up so she wouldn't be tempted to stay. Hayley sat up and hugged Caroline gently from behind, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. She moved closer, pressing a kiss to Caroline's cheek. Caroline looked back at Hayley to see her eyes full of love and affection and relented, pressing a soft kiss to the werewolf's lips.
"I love you, but I really have to go." Caroline said, her face inches from Hayley's.
"Please don't." Caroline looked back at Hayley. Hayley looked almost woebegone. Caroline had never seen that look on her face before. The fact that Hayley seemed this saddened shook her.
"Hayley, what do you think is gonna happen when I walk out that door?" Caroline asked, her voice trembling in fear. After all, she was afraid of the answer herself, as afraid as Hayley was.
"You're gonna go back to Tyler, and your life, and we're never gonna see each other again." Hayley said, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
No, Caroline thought to herself. No. No! She pressed a kiss to Hayley's lips. Then another. Then another. It felt like she was fiercely kissing Hayley just to try to deny what was going to happen.
"No." She said firmly after planting another kiss on Hayley's soft, supple lips. "I love you. I love you. And we're gonna stay together, and get married, and live the rest of our lives together, even if I walk out that door and go back to my life right now."
"Caroline ..." A sole tear trailed down from her eye. "It's a nice thought, but it isn't gonna happen." Hayley was crying, in a way Caroline had never seen her cry - her heart was broken.
Caroline pressed a kiss firmly to Hayley's lips, caressing her cheek and placing her forehead against Hayley's.
"I love you." She said almost plaintively. She wanted to start crying. "Please don't cry, or I'm gonna start crying, and then ..."
"I love you so much." Hayley said, tears streaming from her eyes.
Caroline wiped away the tears and kissed Hayley again. She wanted to impress the feeling of Hayley's soft, supple lips against hers in her memory forever. She kissed Hayley again, and again, gently wiping away Hayley's tears as Hayley wiped away her own. Planting one last kiss on Hayley's lips, Caroline got up from the bed.
"Caroline ..." Hayley's voice was soft and plaintive.
"I'm so sorry, Hayley. I love you so much. I love you." She turned away and attempted to leave, but Hayley caught hold of her hand. Caroline turned back and caressed Hayley's cheek one last time before she fled the room, afraid of her own feelings. Outside, she collapsed against the door and began to cry her heart out. She knew this was ridiculous - all that stood between her and Hayley was that door and her own hesitation, but as determined as she was, Caroline knew she and Hayley could never be together the way they deserved to be, no matter how hard she tried. She'd never cried quite like she did that day. She'd never wanted something so desperately but known with such certainty she couldn't have it. She knew Hayley was sitting against the door on the inside, crying her heart out too, because she could hear her, and because she could sense her even without hearing her. Somehow, after an hour spent crying on that cold, hard floor outside Hayley's bedroom, Caroline had gotten up and fled, hoping to outrun her feelings.
Hayley hadn't just told Hope about this, though. She'd shown her daughter, by allowing Hope to enter her mind and see it for herself the way a witch could. Hope had never felt such visceral sadness for her mother before. She knew Hayley had plenty of sadness in her life, but seeing this had broken Hope's heart that day. As it did today, as without any warning, she started crying her heart out in front of Bonnie and Caroline.
"Hope? Hope!" Caroline exclaimed, taking hold of the girl's shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay. We're here." She wrapped her arms tightly around the girl, while Bonnie pushed the chair closer to Hope, so Caroline could lower her gently into it. Caroline knelt in front of the girl and took her hands in her own, wiping away her tears gently. She'd never seen a girl Hope's age cry like that, but then Hope had been through hell - even if Caroline didn't know exactly what had happened, she knew enough.
"We know, Hope. We know. I can't even imagine what you must've been through in that hell, but we're here now, and we're gonna help you get through this. Okay? We're right here." Caroline hugged the girl tightly again, and wiped away her tears, trying her best to console her.
"It's not ... just ... about that." Hope stammered, her eyes full of sadness and pain. Caroline felt a sharp, shooting pain right through her heart - if she'd been there when Triad attacked, if she'd just been there to protect the students ...
"Is there something else bothering you?" She asked Hope, her voice soft and gentle as could be.
"Do you remember my mother?"
Caroline was momentarily dumbstruck by the question. Then she realized that since Malivore had wiped her memories of Hope, her memories of Hayley could've been affected too.
"Yeah. Malivore didn't affect my memories of Hayley. I remember her."
"No, I mean, do you remember my mother, Caroline Forbes?" Hope asked, pain and anguish filling her face.
Something struck her. Caroline Forbes ... the last time someone had called her that ... she gasped. Well, it wasn't the last time, but Hayley had been the only one to call her that without knowing her full name. Hayley had told her daughter about the time Caroline had broken her heart.
"Hope, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break Hayley's heart ..."
Bonnie placed a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder. Caroline had cried like she never had, the day she told Bonnie about Hayley. They'd really fallen in love and had to end things the very next day. And they'd both fallen for each other, hard.
"I know you didn't mean to!" Hope exclaimed. "And you didn't! But that doesn't mean it wasn't the most painful thing she had to go through in her entire life."
Caroline's heart broke in anguish as she recalled that day.
"Did your mom ..."
"Yeah, she told me. No, she showed me - because she wanted me to see it for myself."
Hayley had used Hope's witch ability to show her daughter everything that had happened that day.
"Hope, I'm so sorry ..."
"It's not your fault." Hope said, her voice full of anguish as she wiped away her tears. "I just ... I saw you two together, and it reminded me of ..."
Oh, dear God, Caroline thought to herself. The way she and Bonnie were behaving around each other was enough to recall her and Hayley all those years ago.
"Hope ..."
"I know you loved my mother." Hope said quietly, wiping away her tears. "She died, and didn't get to be happy with anyone she loved - not my uncle Elijah, not Aunt Freya, and not you all those years ago." Oh, Caroline thought to herself. Hayley must have hidden her feelings for Freya much the same way Caroline was now trying to hide her feelings for Bonnie. Caroline had never known about Hayley and Freya - or Hayley and Elijah, for that matter - beyond the fact that that fateful night with Klaus had led to them raising Hope together, she hadn't known anything. She felt guilty - she'd never even checked up on Hayley - she'd never even gone to New Orleans to see her. Caroline felt like her heart would break all over again - now Hayley was dead, and she hadn't gotten to be happy.
Bonnie held on to Caroline as tightly as she could. If Hayley was watching them from above somewhere, she was certain she would want Caroline to be happy. And Bonnie wanted to be the one to bring Caroline that happiness.
"You don't need to start mourning my mom or regretting everything." Hope said softly, taking Caroline's hands in hers. Caroline looked up at the girl in surprise. "All she wanted was for you to be happy, and Bonnie makes you happy, so ..." Caroline looked at Bonnie over her shoulder, her eyes full of tears. Bonnie hugged her tightly from behind, and Caroline leaned into the touch.
"I just ..." Hope began, and then looked away, unsure how to say what she wanted to say. "I don't wanna feel like I'm destined to go through the same pain my mom went through."
"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked gently.
"What if you don't manage to find a way to get everyone's memories of me back? What if I'm destined to die in order to defeat Malivore, regardless of what I want?"
Bonnie knew something about losing out and getting saddled with pain regardless of what she wanted. It had just been incredible luck that Caroline still carried a torch for her after all these years, but that didn't mean she hadn't had to watch her friends and the Salvatores suffer, and sacrifice and sacrifice to help them stay alive. She'd lost Enzo, and that was after a long string of losses and horrors she'd had to endure during which none of her friends had been there for her the way she needed them to be, not even Caroline. She'd literally been a ghost, and no one had noticed.
"No. That's not happening, Hope. Not on my watch." Bonnie said firmly. "Things are going to change around here, do you understand me? You're not going to be dealing with any of this alone anymore. You're a student, not a child soldier. You're here to learn about the supernatural and enjoy your school years, not suffer at the hands of some unstoppable devilish supernatural force. We know you've already been through way more trauma than anyone should ever have to be, but whatever you think is gonna happen next, you need to know that we're not gonna let anything happen to you that is anywhere near as horrible as being erased from existence by Malivore. I promise you that."
"I just want a normal childhood." Hope said sadly.
"I want that for you too, and so do we all." Bonnie said, taking Caroline's hand when Caroline looked back at her. "Now, it's getting late, and you should probably get some rest. Alright? We'll talk about this in the morning."
Hope nodded. Caroline laid a comforting hand on the girl's cheek, wiping away some of the tears that were still coming out of her eyes. She hugged the girl again, before sending her on her way. Once Hope had left, Caroline turned to Bonnie.
"That girl has been through enough trauma for a dozen lifetimes."
"I know." Bonnie said heavily. "And it's our responsibility to make sure she doesn't experience any more."
"God, I knew running a supernatural school would be ... complicated to say the least, but I never imagined it would be as horribly difficult as this. I thought we'd gotten rid of every major threat in the supernatural world when we took down Katherine that day. I never even knew that ... Malivore ... even existed."
"Yeah." Bonnie responded heavily. "Yeah. None of us knew things could get so out of hand. I'm sorry for being so hard on you, and Ric."
"No, you were right. We shouldn't have ever let our guard down. This is the supernatural world, after all - the fight never ends."
"Well, now you have me to fight that fight alongside you." Bonnie said quietly, stepping closer to Caroline and caressing her cheek.
"I know. I'm glad you're here, Bonnie." Caroline hugged Bonnie tightly, and then the two women got to work on finding a fix for the problems Malivore had caused.