Happy 2018!
Caroline hadn't been deliberately avoiding her mother since the wedding, she just hadn't made herself available to talk to her over the phone or in person.
She wasn't a monster of course, she had sent her a text, letting her know she was safe and she's pretty sure that Matt was reporting everything back to Liz under threat of incarceration otherwise, but she had put off giving her testimony.
Until Thursday, when Liz had texted her that morning,
From Mom: Sweetie, you know I support your need to pretend everything is okay and business as usual, but we are going to have to talk about this. I can be in Richmond this afternoon for late lunch or early dinner.
Caroline read the message with a sigh and considered that she wanted to try the new mid-range restaurant that had opened up down the street anyway. It had the benefit of looking nice but not too expensive, which considering she had spent a lot of money on a wedding and honeymoon that she hadn't even got to experience, was just was she was after at the moment.
At least, until her commissions began rolling in again.
But right now, she was glaring at her budget application on her laptop and regretting having spent the extra two hundred dollars on the flower package, which while it had definitely been perfect, had ultimately been a waste.
Fortunately, she could throw herself into her work, distracting herself with learning about the latest Disney or Pixar characters that every kid now wanted for their birthday theme and which vegan bakery in town had the best totally-can't-tell-everything-is-substituted cakes and desserts.
When two pm rolls around, she gets a text from her mother that she's downstairs and waits another ten minutes so she can catch up with Johnny before informing Melanie that she's headed to lunch.
Melanie, who had already been contacted by Esther Mikaelson and whose pupils had practically turned into green dollar signs at the commission rates she could be looking forward to.
Caroline vaguely remembers that her co-worker had promised her first-born child in gratitude but considering she's newly single and thinking about taking a vow of chastity, she's definitely not ready for motherhood.
As expected, Liz in deep in conversation with Johnny the security guard and Caroline practically has to strongarm her out of the building, her cheeks burning from the sympathetic glance the man had given her.
She guessed her mom had told him why she wasn't on her honeymoon.
At least Liz waits until they've sat down inside the restaurant and ordered their entrees and mains before diving into the conversation,
"So," she puts her hands on the table in the same position in which she interrogated suspects.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Not particularly.
Still, Caroline starts giving her the bare bones of the tragic clusterfuck that was her wedding day and finds that by the time she's covered Sunday lunch with the Mikaelson family, she's able to segue-way into how she felt about the catastrophe.
"I mean, Tyler and I have been together since high school," she rants, digging into the bread sticks with relish before remembering Genevieve's warning about gaining weight,
"I thought we would be together forever and then…he pulls this crap on me? On our wedding day no less? If he'd got cold-feet, fine, I would have understood that, but what I don't even know is, if a guy who cheats on the big day and then goes off on the honeymoon anyway is a first-time cheater or if this is just the first time I've caught him…"
She pauses to sip on her white wine while the waiter delivers their meals and then continues,
"Seriously, I'm sure in a year or so I'll look back and be glad because any guy who cheats on his wedding day could cheat any day after that but right now, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know, I feel like something is coming around the corner, something as bad or even worse and just treading water."
Liz clears her throat, sticking her fork into her pasta, "Well, Tyler cheated on you and Carol was…peak Carol, so sweetie, those two can't really outdo themselves at this point,"
"And…" she adds, after taking a mouthful of spaghetti, "While I always thought Tyler was an okay person, I am glad Carol isn't becoming a member of our family after all, that woman has always been a monster."
"You know she's refusing to give back wedding gifts?" Liz reveals, causing Caroline to choke on her soup,
"Mmm-hmmm, she's told everyone who asked that she and Tyler would be keeping them as recompense for the trauma of the day."
Caroline groaned, "Oh my god, she is seriously the worst!"
"Not to mention the things she said to your father and Steven could and would constitute as a hate crime."
The two of them spend the rest of their lunch bitching out Carol Lockwood, suggesting that she'd botoxed her face and wondering if she would be wearing bikinis for her and Tyler's honeymoon. And Caroline is feeling deliciously mean as she and Liz walk back to her workplace, where they come across a familiar stately blonde in the lobby.
"Oh, Caroline dear!" Esther waved, "Thank goodness you're here, I think I broke your dear boss, Genevieve."
Considering Genevieve had once had to plan and oversee eight political campaign parties over a St Patrick's Day weekend with politicians 'rediscovering' their Irish heritage, Caroline doubts anything could actually break the woman, and hastens to reassure Esther of the fact.
"I don't know," the woman hums, "See I'm on the board of quite a few charities and foundations and have a number of events planned this year."
She then looks over her shoulder, "Oh, you must be Caroline's mother, my you two have such a resemblance."
Liz smiles, holding out her hand, "You must be Esther, thank-you so much for looking after my daughter on the weekend."
"Oh, it was no trouble at all," she demurs, "Really, she's such a delight, so much nicer than the scruffy heathens I call my children."
The two of them begin exchanging pleasantries, asking questions about their careers, discussing the weather and how terrible traffic was in Richmond.
Caroline checks her phone, sees she's running late and tells them that she has to head back upstairs.
They hardly even notice her leaving.
"You know," Nik groused on the phone to Elijah, "I say this often, but I am actually legitimately concerned now that we're a family of psychopaths."
Elijah made a non-committal hum as he read over his files, "I wouldn't say psychopaths, perhaps a few of us leaning towards sociopathy, would I be comfortable having us all tested? Definitely not, but thus far we haven't strayed too far into the realm of hoarding of coffins in basements."
Yet, is the unspoken word in that statement and Nik wonders when his family just accepted the fact that they were all mad as bloody hatters.
"Mother has somehow schemed to have a half dozen foundations book Caroline's company for events this year," Nik revealed, ignoring Lucien barging into his apartment,
"Alright, that is cause for concern," his brother admits, "However, I think we can hold off on the intervention until she puts Caroline's name on the Christmas card."
Nik pauses, "You don't think she would, do you?"
Elijah's laugh comes loudly down the phone line, "Good God, Niklaus, no! At least not this Christmas, but unless Caroline presents with some serious flaws between now and next November, I might put the idea in her head myself. She is a catch…"
"Oh, sod off," he interrupts, "She's been single for a grand total of one-hundred-and-twenty bloody hours, how is it that nobody in this family understands restraint?"
Lucien, who had been perusing his fridge, bursts out laughing, "You come from a family of alcoholics," he adds, unhelpfully, "You lot can't even restrain yourself until noon on a weekend, why should you practise self-discipline in any other area of your lives?"
Nik hangs up on Elijah, because he's not the sympathetic ear he was hoping for and turns to his friend, "Why are you even in my home?"
Lucien grins, "Rebekah messaged me," he explains, pausing to scull a beer,
"Said I should 'get the goss' from you about your feelings for Caroline."
Burying his head in his hands, Nik issued a long, smothered curse word that apparently caused his friend to feel a rare stab of sympathy,
"Relax mate," he said, patting his shoulder, "I think she's just interested in doing an internship with Caroline's company and wants a definite in."
"And what the bloody hell do you want?" he demands, "Because last I checked, Freya isn't using my shower or lounging about my apartment in her knickers."
Lucien raised his eyebrows, "Well that's a relief," he smirks, "I know you lot have the whole close sibling relationships that only children dream of, but flouncing around each other in your underwear strays a little too far into George R. R. Martin fantasy territory."
Ah yes, Game of Thrones, the reason he'd learnt that there were people out there who fantasized about blonde twins or siblings, regardless of their gender.
The reason he and Rebekah had quietly agreed that they would never go out drinking together because they didn't want to risk those kinds of propositions in bars or clubs.
"Speaking of your sisters," Lucien begins, "I'm getting a call from one right now."
He tosses the phone to Nik who presses the button without even looking, "Don't you have enough minions in your high school without adding my co-workers to your bloody collection?"
"Oi," Rebekah snapped, "Mother said you're not allowed to swear at me."
"We're British," he points out, "Bloody is no more a swear word for us than arse."
Rebekah inhales sharply, giving a hum of discontent, "It's still vulgar."
They'd be going for hours at this rate.
"What do you want, little sister?" he demands, snapping his fingers at Lucien when he goes to drape himself on his couch,
"We have to do work experience for credit," she explains, offering him only half the information and assuming he knows the rest,
"I want to do my placement with Caroline's company."
Because God forbid she go the easy route and take a position at his job or even Sage's restaurant.
"Okay," he sighs, "And when do you have to do this placement?"
When he receives only silence as an answer, he reaches for his own phone, wondering if his sister had left everything until the literal last minute.
Instead, when he prompts her again, she gives him a date that he has to actually check on the calendar.
"That is the better part of a year away!" he protests, "There is no chance your school requires you to have everything sorted before the term prior!"
Rebekah issues a ragged sigh that Nik would expect from his older brother after a solid twelve hour surgery,
"Of course not, you blithering idiot," she confirms, "But it's best to ask Caroline now!"
He snaps his fingers at Lucien again, pointing to the wet bar, because his friend's comments about his family's alcoholism had hit a little too close to home and he didn't need him to know how expertly Nik could decant a whisky bottle one handed.
Except he receives only a pointed middle finger in response and it becomes necessary to throw a wooden spoon at the interloper.
"I assume there's a reason why?" he queries, "Some important detail I am apparently missing?"
"Duh…" his sister drawled, "Same reason why mother is being so friendly to her right now!"
Because she was an old biddy who apparently wanted all her children married off like it was the tenth century?
He barely manages to form the pronoun before Rebekah launches into her explanation.
"When a girl breaks up with a guy she's been with for a long time, she's left feeling vulnerable, especially if they have the same friendship group…" she begins,
"So, she needs to do a lot of socialising and reaching out to receive affirmation that she still has her friends, hasn't been abandoned, etcetera. At the moment, Caroline is in the best frame of mind to make new friends and down the line, she'll be very grateful to us."
Right.
That was both brilliant and slightly concerning in its blatant emotional manipulation.
He would expect nothing less from a Mikaelson.
"I'll speak to her later." he promises. Making a mental note to maybe warn his new friend.
Screw what Elijah said, at a certain point, they should probably get a psychological evaluation.
Perhaps they could even get a discount, for every five diagnoses of psychopathy, you'd get your sixth free.
"Hey baby," she purred into the phone, "I haven't heard your sexy voice in so long, I miss you."
Ending the call, Jules resisted the urge to hurl her device against the wall, settling for tossing it violently onto the bed instead, where it was almost immediately lost amongst the blankets and pillows.
She then stops to consider whether or not she'd put it on silent, it wouldn't do to miss a call from Tyler.
Although, she hadn't even checked the time difference between East Coast and St Tropez and urgh, who the hell even took their mother on their honeymoon in the first place?
If the fiancée wasn't an option, then surely the mistress should come next?
Idiot.
Of course, this idiocy was why Jules had been drawn to Tyler in the first place.
His idiocy, his ego and his arrogance.
The perfect combination for any conman- or conwoman- worth their salt.
Hell, any half-decent scammer.
And it hadn't hurt that he was easy on the eyes.
Usually, Jules had to aim for men approaching their midlife crisis, when it was still early enough for them to be so flattered by the attention of a pretty young woman that they'd hand over their black AMEX before they'd even got to the second date but late enough that their common sense had been overridden by their narcissism.
Typically, her targets were middle class men or those who were first-generation wealthy, the ones that hadn't grown up having to fend off flatterers and leeches and didn't know the warning signs.
Until Niklaus Mikaelson.
She'd nearly hit the jackpot with him.
He came from a long line of money, but family trauma- thank-you daddy Mikaelson- meant that he and his siblings had careers and a humility you didn't find in anyone who could claim a Plantagenet as an ancestor. They used their trust funds to pad out their lifestyles, not fund them entirely and when she'd met Sage, she realised that they didn't insist on marrying within their own class or tax bracket.
Unfortunately, Nik hadn't been as ready to settle down as she would have liked, so she'd made a skilled play for his older brother Elijah.
She'd had it all planned out, she would seduce him, they would be caught in the act, his guilt would distance him from his family and gradually isolate him until she was all he had, they would be married and after a few years she'd walk away with a hefty divorce settlement.
Except she'd totally misjudged him.
Turned out, Elijah valued his brother more than he did a girlfriend.
Even a hot one.
So, he'd ended things with her, and despite her grovelling and attempts to win him back, he'd cut off contact completely.
Which is why she'd been forced to move on to Tyler Lockwood.
He was from a tiny little town that didn't even register as a potential weekend getaway from Richmond. A moneyed, first-timer in Richmond, with an unacknowledged fear from being the tiny fish in the big pond for the first time in his life.
And with a high-school girlfriend as his fiancé?
He'd been almost too easy for Jules to catch.
Of course, he wasn't a total monster, he had tried to break things off in the days leading up to his wedding, but all it had taken was a naked selfie the night before and she'd found herself being invited up to his room.
If only they hadn't been caught.
She'd almost felt a stab of guilt when she'd seen the bride-to-be staring at them in horror.
Almost.
It wasn't her fault after all, she couldn't steal someone who didn't want to be taken away.
Besides, it seemed to be working out in her favour.
Tyler was probably going to be single now.
And once word got out, probably with a lot less friends than he'd started with.
Which meant if she played her cards right, she might soon be Mrs Lockwood.
At least until she found someone even wealthier to 'fall in love' with.
The only issue might be his mommy dearest.
After all- what kind of man took their mother on their honeymoon?