Hello, my lovely readers. We have new Slayer prophecies to untangle, romantic problems and some Klaroline. On with the show..
Chapter 8: I Had a Dream About You
Light shone through the library windows. Its rays were almost blinding. A fist swung outward, making contact with a boy's jaw. A girl let out a quiet laugh as the boy in front of her shook off her blow and waved his hands for her to continue. "Haven't had enough," she called, her foot flying through a spray of golden orange light. The boy shook his head. "Fine," the girl called out as her foot continued to arch toward his face. He went down but his free hand wrapped around her foot. They both fell to the floor. The light from the window continued to glow around them as the girl tipped her head to the side and laughed aloud. "God, Tyler, you're really not much of a sparring partner today, are you?"
"Sparring?" Tyler replied. His breath was coming out in quiet pants. His fingers went up to encircle her cheek. Hayley inhaled. The wolf's chest worked up and down as she straddled him. "I think I might have to look for an upgrade," she muttered. Her eyes went to his lips. Her head bent forward and she could almost taste the mint of the gum he'd been chewing ten minutes before their session. Almost…
"Hayley, what are you doing?" Tyler's voice startled Hayley. He stood by the bookshelves. "We need to be researching. You know that." His eyes went down to a table down below.
Alaric stood beside it. "All hands on deck, Hales." Funny. He never called her that.
Caroline sat in a chair, a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. She shook her head before she picked up the mug. "She's not ready for any of this." She began to sip her drink and Hayley watched blood begin to pour over the rim and dribble onto the floor.
"Caroline, what are you doing?" Hayley cried, staring in horror at the older Slayer-Vampire-thing. "I thought you'd stopped drinking human blood!"
"Who said its human?" Caroline retorted. "Ugh! This book is useless! Bonnie, can't you bring one up from Europe?"
Bonnie sat on the table. Her legs were crossed and she began to chant. "Sorry, Caroline," Bonnie's voice came from the bookshelves and she appeared beside Tyler. "Freya is keeping me busy…with work." She rolled her eyes and hurried back to the stacks.
"Hayley. You shouldn't be here." Marcel's voice. Right behind her. Hayley whirled around to find Marcel. He stood in the courtyard of the Hunter's Council. "You need to stay out of it. Caroline has it handled."
"No. She's out-of-control." Hayley shook her head and whispered. "She's drinking human blood!"
"Everyone know that is not human blood," Rebekah said. She stalked over and held up a man' limp body. "This human bloody." She took ahold of the man's head. "See, he agrees." She forced the man's head to bob up and down. "Bloody useless. This one is. We say we need a Slayer. They give us a child. Look at her for pity's sake."
Hayley looked down at her clothes and found she was wearing a onesie with feet. "I'm sixteen!" she shouted.
"Happy birthday, Hayley!" Klaus cried. Then he pulled out a knife. "Did you really think you'd make seventeen?"
"I didn't," Kol quipped. Hayley whirled to find Kol sitting beside Caroline. Caroline did not even seem to note Kol sitting next to her. "She's never going to grow up." he said, putting an arm around Caroline's shoulders.
Caroline's head suddenly fell off and Stefan appeared behind her with a grin. "Oops," the vampire said, giggling and trying to put Caroline's head back on. "She's defective. Forgot to read the instructions."
"Hayley, snap out of it!" Tyler called. He stood at the bookshelf. Caroline was still alive. Alaric was shaking his head at Hayley. Bonnie was meditating.
"I'm coming," Hayley called. She shook her head and moved to join Tyler in the stacks. Her eyes wandered back and forth. It felt like she'd walked into a much larger library. "Tyler?" she called out.
"Over here," Tyler called. Hayley pushed a door open. "Oh?" Her brows rose as she walked into a bedroom. "Is this your place?"
"Duh. My parents are loaded," Tyler replied. "Come here, baby." His lips crushed hers and Hayley fell back on the bed as Tyler began to undress her.
"Shit," Hayley sat up. "I forgot the manual. You can't have sex without the manual. I'll be right back." She tugged her shirt off the floor before making her way back into the stacks. "Oh, come on! Bonnie, stop moving the manual!"
"It wasn't me! It was Kol!" Bonnie called back.
"Well, that makes sense," Hayley muttered, feeling irritable.
Walking to the end of the stacks, she found herself inside the empty library. "Where did everyone go?" she called out. Her breath misted in the air. "Hello?" she began to shiver, rubbing her arms as she moved down the stairs and headed for the doors.
In the hallway, Hayley saw snow on the floor. Weird. It was still fall. She continued on her way until she heard music coming from the gym. "Winter Formal?" she questioned the banner. "Seriously?"
Inside the gym couples danced and did not even seem to mind the giant snow man with razor sharp teeth chasing the guitarist from the band, around. "What the hell?" Hayley muttered to herself.
"Care to dance?" Elijah. Turning on her heel, Hayley almost said "No way in hell." Then she saw Elijah's suit and his smile and she melted. "Yeah. Okay. One dance. I'm not Caroline. I don't go for old guys. Even rich, hot, kind old guys." Hayley took Elijah's hand and they began to spin around the room. "But I do have to ask: Is sex with a vamp better?" she couldn't help herself.
"What?" Elijah seemed amused and Hayley shook her head.
"Kidding," Hayley muttered. She felt stupid.
"That's alright, love. Sex with a vampire is like nothing you can imagine," Klaus whispered in her ear. No! Hayley jerked back and stared in horror at her dance partner.
"Klaus! Where the hell is Elijah?" Hayley shouted, trying to break from his iron-clad grip.
"What do you want with Elijah, love?" Klaus asked, a frown on his face. Passing by a wall of mirrors, Hayley blinked at Caroline in Klaus' arms. Wait. No. How? Touching her hair, Hayley found blonde curls. "Are you alright?" Klaus asked before choking as blood ran from between his lips.
Klaus fell, taking Hayley with him and Hayley looked up to see Julian cleaning a sword. "Worked for Mikael," he said. "Time to finish the job." Then he lifted the sword to plunge it into Hayley's heart. No, Caroline's. He thought she was Caroline.
Screaming, Hayley woke up on the ground. A woman sat beside the tree. She picked up a cup of tea and spilled it across the table. "The future does not lie, Hayley. Death awaits." The woman's dark eyes moved to Hayley's and she felt so cold her spine stiffened. "Don't forget what she is." She tipped back her head and laughed while Hayley burst into sobs.
Waking up, Hayley sat on her bed. She began to pant. "I have to warn them," she cried. "I have to warn them."
~0~
"Breathe in. And out. Nice. And slow," Freya's voice came to Bonnie from far away. Their fingertips were touching but Bonnie could feel herself drifting away from the plane of existence they were on. She felt like she could touch the stars that shone outside her window tonight.
"Don't drift too far. You might not come back." Freya's fingertips slid over Bonnie's palm, encompassing her wrist. Bonnie let out a quiet sigh. Her back arched as Freya massaged her wrist. "We're getting closer," Freya murmured. "You're getting so strong, Bonnie."
"Because of you," Bonnie replied. Her eyes drifted open and she noted that they were levitating above her bed. The candles glowed five feet above their wicks. She wondered idly about taking out the smoke alarm batteries next time. How would she explain to the nice firefighters that she and her friend were simply doing some magic? There was no actual fire tonight. Just flames rising with the heat of the magic.
Eyes trailing to Freya, Bonnie saw the blonde looking back at her. The look on Freya's face made Bonnie shiver. There was a kind of hunger that Bonnie was only used to seeing with Kol. But with Freya there was something that Bonnie could not name. It felt different. Eternal. Magical is the only word that Bonnie could think of.
Closing her eyes, Bonnie continued to concentrate. "The object needs to slip out of your body. For a brief moment and then to return. It's like walking out of a room. But you have to keep the door open so you can return." Freya's words came from afar, again.
Nodding, Bonnie tightened her grip on Freya. The reassuring feel of the other witch's warm skin under her own allowed Bonnie to float outside of her body. She imagined a room. Her own room. Going to the door, she walked out of it. Turning, Bonnie looked at the open door and smiled to herself. She went into the hallway and then danced down the stairs, feeling lighter than she'd ever felt before.
"Freya?" Bonnie called out. She twirled in a circle. "Can you hear me?"
"Yes." Freya's voice came from behind her. Bonnie turned to face the witch.
Laughing, Bonnie held up her hands. "I did it."
"I know." Freya nodded. Her hands went up to cup Bonnie's face and Bonnie inhaled sharply when Freya's lips met hers. It didn't feel like kissing Kol. It felt soft and Bonnie felt her worries drift away from her as Freya continued to cup her face. Bonnie's heart pounded in her chest as she pulled back to say something. Freya's expectant look made Bonnie fear what she had to say.
Then the doorbell began to ring. One long ring. Followed by a short one. Followed by an even longer one.
Suddenly Bonnie was back in her body. She let out a cry when her back met her mattress. "Sorry," she muttered to Freya, slipping off the side and running downstairs. Flinging the door, open Bonnie stared at Hayley. The girl's hair was tangled and she looked like she'd been crying. "Hayley?"
"Something's wrong. I had a dream." Hayley shook and hugged herself.
"A Slayer's prophecy," Freya's all-business tone made Bonnie turn to look back at the older witch. "I'll make some tea." It looked like they'd have to talk later.
Right now, they had to deal with whatever ominous news Hayley had brought to Bonnie's doorstep.
~0~
Friday. It was a Friday. Already. Caroline could feel her excitement overwhelming her. She'd taken the time to curl her hair, picked a pair of earrings her mother had given her for her fifteenth birthday. Her grandmother's rubies. So pretty and delicate. They went well with the red dress Caroline chose for tonight. She hoped it did not give off the wrong signals, like she thought she and Matt would be having sex tonight. Not that she would mind having sex with Matt. But Caroline wanted this night to be sweet and simple.
Smiling at her reflection in the mirror, Caroline grabbed a black jacket out of her closet and tugged it over the dress. "Its show time," she muttered to herself when the doorbell rang.
Feeling lighter than she had in over a year, Caroline went over to the door as the bell went off again. "Coming!" Caroline called out. She wondered if Matt felt as nervous as she did.
Caroline's smile died on her lips when she found three girls and no boys on her doorstep. "Hey? What's going on?" she asked, already having a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"You can't go out tonight," Freya said. The look of doom-and-gloom on her face made Caroline frown.
"What Freya means to say is: You probably shouldn't go out tonight," Bonnie corrected Freya. They looked at each and something passed between them and Caroline was not sure how to interrupt.
Her eyes went to Hayley, who looked pale and more like a ten-year-old who'd seen a ghost than the smart-ass girl who thought she could kick the world's ass and keep going. "Hales?"
"She had a dream," Freya said with emphasis on the word dream.
Caroline had had a few of those in her time. "A dream like me and Harry Styles or a dream like the-end-of-the-world-is-here?" Her eyes flicked over her friends.
"Like something bad is going to happen to all of us," Hayley replied. "To you." Her eyes went to the doormat.
"Klaus?" Caroline felt her hands ball into fists at her sides. "It's Klaus. Isn't it?" She wanted to scream. Just one night. Just one simple, perfect night. She just wanted to go out and feel like a regular girl. For one freakin' night. And here was Klaus to ruin it. Again!
"Not Klaus," Freya jumped in.
Bonnie added. "Not only Klaus. Hayley?"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "You should come in." She did not want Matt to walk into this conversation. It would be bad enough having to tell him they could not go out; he didn't have to be dragged into her drama.
Moving to stand in the middle of the living room, Caroline folded her arms over her chest. "Okay. Spill." She stared at Hayley who had just sat down.
Hayley glanced up at Caroline. Her eyes were wide and she gulped. "Well… I was sparring with Tyler. And you were drinking blood –"
"You might want to jump forward," Bonnie suggested. Her tone was gentle and she patted Hayley's knee.
Sighing, Hayley rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. In my dream, you were dancing with Klaus when Julian stuck a sword through you. Both of you." She stared at Caroline before her eyes went to her hands. The girl's hands were in her lap and she stared at them like they belonged to someone else.
"Oh?" Caroline frowned. "Who is Julian?" The name sounded sort of familiar but she couldn't remember why. Her eyes ticked to the clock on the wall. Matt would be there, soon, to pick her up and her stomach tightened.
"Julian is the head of The Hunter's Council," Hayley supplied.
"Um." Caroline hummed. She'd yet to meet him. But, according to Ric—on the two separate occasions Caroline recalled Ric mentioning the jackass—Julian was a jackass. "Great." She went to the door. "Well, Matt should be here soon. So, I'll talk to him. Then you can explain why I should put this date off."
"Caroline, you don't understand," Hayley cried. She was on her feet now. Her eyes were burning into Caroline's.
Just as Caroline opened her mouth to reply, she heard someone pull into her driveway. She walked over to the curtain and peered outside. Matt. He looked a little nervous. She could see that he'd paired a button-down shirt with a pair of slacks and even wore a tie. He opened the passenger side door and then stepped back. Caroline's hand went to her mouth when she saw Matt turn around with a bouquet of daisies. They looked so bright and happy in their wrapping. Again, Caroline felt horrible about how things were going tonight.
With a sigh, Caroline went to the door. She placed her hand on the knob and turned it. "Hi, Matt," she said at the same moment Matt moved to punch the doorbell.
"Shit! Caroline!" Matt placed his free hand over his heart and let out a laugh. "Sorry! I mean, I didn't mean to curse. At you. I mean. Sh—Hi!" He waved a hand, then stared at his raised hand and ran it through his hair. "Sorry. I'm nervous."
"I can tell," Caroline let out a laugh. "You brought flowers."
"I did." Matt looked at the flowers and then shoved them at her. "Man, I am blowing this. Aren't I?" Poor Matt looked like he wanted to sink through the ground.
"Hey, Matt!" Bonnie called out and Caroline turned to find Bonnie a few feet behind her.
Matt's brows rose as he looked from Bonnie to Caroline. "Hey…" he called back.
"Matt, I am really sorry. But something's come up…" Caroline felt her heart sinking as Matt looked like she'd punched him.
"Oh? Is it Slayer stuff? Can I help?" Matt asked, looking at Caroline, a tiny spark of light coming back into his eyes.
"Not unless you have superpowers you're hiding from us," Hayley said, popping into view.
"I know how to shoot a crossbow," Matt told them, shoving his empty hand into his pocket.
Caroline reached out and took his flowers. "Come in. I'm going to put these in some water." She turned and made her way into the kitchen. She could hear Matt still talking and Hayley's remembering how to annoy people while Caroline busied herself with the flowers. Something dawned on her while she was putting the flowers in a vase. "Hayley, did your dream include dinner and movie?"
"No. Why?" Hayley asked, perching on the edge of Caroline's couch.
"Then we're going out. I'll call you if something comes up." Caroline said, turning and made her way over to Matt's side. "I've had enough of losing my normal, human moments to a life no one ever asked me if I ever wanted. Don't wait up."
"Caroline!" Bonnie cried as Caroline tugged Matt toward the front door. "This is not a good idea."
"Anything and everything in my life is not a good idea," Caroline retorted. "Bye." With that said, she opened the door and marched outside. God help the first person, vampire, werewolf or so-called Hunter who came near her tonight. Tonight, she was going on a damned date.
~0~
"How is your burger?" Matt asked, before taking a sip of his soft drink.
"One of the Grill's best so far," Caroline replied. She felt good. She could not remember feeling this light and happy in a long time. Possibly ever. This was exactly what she needed.
"Ah. Isn't this cute," one of Matt's fellow football players moved to stand over their table. "Matty's doing charity work. Not that I wouldn't be able to Make-A-Wish tonight." His eyes went below the table and over Caroline's legs with a sneer.
Matt sat back in his seat. "Jared, man, we're on a date. You mind going back to whatever cave you climbed out of until practice."
"Sorry, brother. My bad. I can see you're trying to score with the undead. Let me get out your way." Jared took several steps back, laughing as he went. He moved to join some of their fellow players and Caroline rolled her eyes.
"There's always a jackass, isn't there?" Caroline sighed, picking up a curly fry.
"They really do live up to the stereotype," Matt replied, shaking his head.
"Thankfully there are gentleman like you to give us hope." Caroline smiled at Matt who grinned back at her. For a minute, she thought they could have a real date. "So, I was thinking we could go back to your place and watch The Notebook… Unless you'd rather watch something else."
"I've never seen The Notebook." Matt leaned closer. "But I'll be happy to watch it if you like it."
"Ah!" Caroline giggled, taking Matt's hand and sliding her fingers between his. This night was becoming one she knew she'd never forget.
Then Jared went flying through the window and glass sprayed over patrons only a few feet from where Matt and Caroline sat. Seconds later, one of Matt's fellow football players came back into the Grill. His hand was clutching his neck. "Help!" he shouted.
Caroline was on her feet and she ran toward the boy. "What happened?" she demanded, taking hold of the boy by the shoulders.
"An animal. Some kind of an animal attacked me. Its eyes. They were glowing…and it bit my neck… It tossed Jared through the window like…like…like… Dear God, help us…" the boy began to cry.
Turning around, Caroline saw Matt's expression. "Stay with your friend," she ordered him.
"Where are you going?" Matt demanded, catching Caroline by the elbow.
"I'm going to go hunt down an animal," Caroline retorted, jerking her arm away. She marched over to the pool table and held out her hand. "Can I have that?" she said to a thirty-year-old man playing with a friend. The man took one look at Caroline's expression before he handed the pool stick to her. She stomped toward the front door. This animal was so going to regret ruining her perfect night.
Flinging the door open, Caroline stalked into the parking lot. Perking her ears up, she could hear the sounds of rustling nearby. Someone was whimpering. Someone else was thirsty. She could hear the gurgling sound of someone drinking. Vampire. A very angry vampire. Feeling a wash of the vampire's rage, Caroline rocked back on her heels for a moment. Even the vamp's victim's pain and anguish were nothing compared to the rage that filled its attacker.
"Hey, Fang Face. Show yourself!" Caroline snarled out. She knew the vamp would be able to hear her. There was the sound of a snapping. Bone. And then a squishing noise. Plop. Caroline grimaced as she looked at the head that the attacker had just lobbed her way. "Thanks for that," she muttered.
Stalking around the car the head landed on, Caroline saw a blood trail and followed it. Her feet led her to a leg. "Are you kidding me?" she shook her head. "Do you want to expose the supernatural world?" she questioned the vamp who was obviously unstable. Her eyes narrowed when she found a hand. "Enough with the bread crumb or body parts," she called out as she moved closer to the road that led to the Grill. "Come out and end this! Now!"
"Where is the fun in that?" Caroline' blood ran cold when she turned to look into the glowing eyes of her former boyfriend. "Klaus. I should have known. You do love to make an entrance."
"I have a certain flair for the dramatic," Klaus said, holding out his arms. "Come, give us a kiss, sweetheart."
Snarling, Caroline went running toward Klaus. She used the pool stick to volley herself into the air and did a somersault before she kicked Klaus in the chest with both feet. He went flying several yards. Sitting up, he let out a laugh. "I see you're angry I ruined your little date."
"Oh. You didn't ruin it. You're just in the way." Caroline broke the pool stick over her knee. "Not for long." She stomped toward Klaus who jumped to his feet. She whirled in a circle, meaning to come down on Klaus' side with one of her stakes before driving the other one through his heart. He would survive the staking but he'd be out for the next couple of hours.
Plunging the stake forward, Caroline found that Klaus was not there. Her eyes went over the darkness when she found a hand clamped around her throat. "You should have stayed in your grave," Klaus muttered into her ear. Caroline felt his fingers tear across her flesh and she let out a howl of pain.
Falling to her knees, Caroline could feel herself choking on blood and she could also feel a stinging sensation from where Klaus' claws had gone through her flesh. Her vision blurred and she turned on her hands and knees to stare at Klaus. He did not look happy as he knelt down and cupped her chin. "This is for Caroline," he said as he took one of the stakes she'd dropped. He shoved her onto her back and moved to place the stake over her heart.
Shaking her head, Caroline's eyes welled with tears. The words: "Klaus, it's me," would not come out of her throat. Instead, she clawed at his hand which held the stake, staring into his eyes and wished he could understand her—that he could snap out of whatever grief-driven madness consumed him right now.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow," Klaus said, his hand coming down to drive the stake into Caroline's heart.
When Klaus' hand stopped, Caroline felt confused until Klaus' eyes rounded and went downward. A piece of wood stuck out of his chest. "Bloody hell," he muttered before he fell over.
"I didn't think that would work," Matt said as he came into sight. He held a crossbow in his hands and Caroline would have laughed if she weren't struggling to breath. Matt pulled out his phone. "Bonnie, we need help," Matt cried into the phone, taking Caroline's hand in his. Caroline's eyes moved to Klaus.' Hopefully her friends would show up before the hybrid woke.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
-J