Stormdancer

by deathsweetqueen

To know Niklaus Mikaelson is to know Aliyah. It took everything she had to walk away from him. But she had no choice; she didn't want to hate him after loving him for a thousand years. But Niklaus always intended to take back what was his, and that was Aliyah. She may run and she may hide, but he would find her. Will she be strong enough to walk away again? Klaus/OC. Post 1X14 AU.

13. Welcome to the Jungle

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries in any shape or form. But I do own my OC.

A/N: So, we aren't getting to Bad Moon Rising just yet and this is the last original chapter, I promise. At least, for now. I didn't think Aliyah's confession would take two whole chapters, so we'll just have to see where we get in this one. This is the first hunting adventure with Caroline and Aliyah and Bonnie and Tyler's dinner, finally.

And I got more than 200 reviews in my mini-hiatus! Oh, I love you guys so much. I know this update is really, really late and I'm so sorry, but I'm glad to see people still enjoyed this fic while I was gone. I just got really caught up in university work and I spent so long writing the chapter I'm working on and I finally finished it and I'm so glad you guys put up with me for so long. And I love the reviews. Keep 'em coming!

Reviews:

HaruHarry: I'm glad you like my characterisation of Aliyah and Elijah's relationship. Don't worry, they've got plenty of moments coming ahead. That whole comparison between Aliyah and Esther will come up again, I promise. Especially in Season 3 and The Originals. If Hope is born in this story, she will not be Hope. But I'm not going to say anything else, because I want it to be a surprise.

TetraGirl: Yeah, it's kind of a sore point for her. She doesn't like to be compared to Esther, but she can acknowledge the similarities though. She will have some really spark-filled encounters with Mama Original. I love Carlijah. I ship them so hard. But, sorry, not in this story. Mainly because of the strange relationship Aliyah has with Elijah. Caroline would never go for Elijah, especially since he's Aliyah's ex-husband. She would find it strange. But if I end up doing a purely Klaus/OC, no triangles whatsoever, I probably will make Carlijah a side pairing.

LoveLiveLife22: Yes, even Aliyah feels like Elijah should find someone to settle down with. But I'm having a hard time finding a girl for him. I've already settled Bonnie and Caroline's pairings, so it can't be them. So, I'm going for either Katherine, an OC or Gia when we get to The Originals, but I think I'll push for an OC. Klaus still loves Aliyah. But they have a very unhealthy relationship. There's a lot of suspicion and conspiracy and resentment between them and it shows. They love each other, but a part of them hates each other as well. But it works for them, I don't know. He's not really fine with the fact that she left him. And there's a flashback of that in this chapter. I have more flashbacks of their time together coming up, but no face-to-face interaction until The Last Dance. Sorry.

Aiphira: I agree with you. I was a little nervous of this chapter because to me, it just seemed like this large hunk of text with her telling her story. But that had to happen sometime, so I decided to get it over and done with. I've made little tweaks in the Originals' past and there's still a little more to go. Caroline isn't sired to Aliyah. Her relationship with Aliyah has more to do with her own personality being enhanced by her transition. As a human, she was a perfectionist and she gives the impression that she'd do anything for her friends, so I used that to make her loyalty to Aliyah kind of all-consuming. She hates to disappoint people and when she gives her loyalty to someone, she gives it completely. That's how she is with Aliyah. She hates the idea of disappointing her sire because that's how much she cares about Aliyah. She kind of latched onto Aliyah physically and emotionally after that moment in the bathroom and she can tell that Aliyah would only do what's best for her, so she can trust her enough that she doesn't want to disappoint her. There's no sire bond because Caroline's feelings didn't exist before Caroline's transition, she feels grateful but not to the extent of one of Klaus' hybrids, she just doesn't want to disappoint Aliyah because disappointing her is not an option in her book. Yeah, Bonnie in early season 2 really made me angry. She was quite prejudiced for someone who hadn't really met all that many vampires, not to mention someone who didn't even believe that she was a witch until a few months before that. You'd think with someone who had that kind of history, she wouldn't be so quick to judge. I think Aliyah's presence in that time after Sheila died really helped Bonnie change her outlook on vampires. Now, she's just angry at Stefan and Damon and Katherine, specifically, and not all vampires. With Aliyah, she can trust that not all vampires are homicidal maniacs. And I'm glad you're digging the Caronliyah!

Nikki-Chaos: I'm sorry you had to read the chapter twice. I had a bit of a problem with the structuring the chapter. They would go off the subject and it was hard bringing them back. Aliyah isn't perfect. She has made mistakes in her life and hurting Elijah is one of her biggest regrets. But I also think that she tried to do the best she possibly could in that situation. She had no idea that they were going to be turned into vampires. She thought she'd be married to Elijah for the rest of her life. So, she decided to fall in love with him. She kind of forced herself to fall for him and it worked. There's a lot that's happened in a thousand years and I promise more will be revealed. In this chapter, we have a flashback between Klaus and Aliyah during the eighty-five years they were apart. I am including The Originals in the story, but with twists to it. Hayley will not be a big part of this story, more of an antagonist in Season 4 and The Originals. It's interesting how you mentioned Klaus cheating on Aliyah. I think the one thing that characterises their relationship, except for the fact that they love each other completely, is that they are very unhealthy together. But they can't let each other go. So they hurt each other. I think it would be interesting to have Klaus cheat on Aliyah in the future in the name of getting back at her for some offence he thinks she's committed. So, I may have Klaus cheat on Aliyah in The Originals.

Guest: Thank you so much!

NicoleR85: Thank you so much! Aliyah does have a lot of regrets and hurting Elijah is the biggest one. We'll see that in Memory Lane when we see some Kaliyah interaction and see exactly what happened in 1492. I've already started to write the chapter which features Elijah for the first time and I love writing him, especially with Aliyah.

RaeSage: I'm not saying anything about whom I'm pairing Caroline with. Bonnie and Caroline will not tell Elena about the Hybrid curse because they think that Elena will do something stupid if she finds out. And Elena did do something stupid even before she knew the truth about the Sun and the Moon curse. Rose will be terrified of Aliyah and I've already written their first scene together. Hayley will only be an antagonist in Season 4/The Originals and hopefully, she'll die very quickly into it. Mainly because I hate her. You got it right, Aliyah is like a mother to Marcel and we'll see how upset she was by his death when I talk about the 1920s after they fled New Orleans. Aliyah won't be explaining her tattoos just yet. A little while longer.

Guest: Aliyah will not be having Klaus' baby. I'm not willing to break the canon that says that vampires can't have children. So, both Aliyah and Klaus will not be conceiving a baby in the story.

PrincessMagic: Thank you!

Elin: I know, we're getting closer and closer!

Guest: Thank you so much!

PracticallyCharmed: The next couple of chapters will go faster. I don't have a story-focused episode for awhile. I have a few twists planned for the storyline of The Originals. I think Bonnie may become Davina's protector, but if Davina went against Klaus, Bonnie would be on Klaus' side because of Aliyah, and Aliyah would protect Bonnie from the New Orleans witches. I don't want her to meet Shane because then we'd go into the whole Silas storyline and I don't want to do that. But thank you so much for your ideas! It's interesting to see what my readers want to happen!

chibichibi98: I know, I really want Nikliyah to be reunited, because there's a lot of interesting scenes that happen between them. Not just the smut, but the fights as well, because the two go all out when they're fighting, no holds barred. Because of Aliyah's role in Caroline's and Aliyah's life, I will be changing the storyline a bit. Now, Tyler will be taking most of Jeremy's role with Bonnie in Season 2 and Bonnie will be taking Caroline's role with Tyler in Season 2, but Caroline will have a special friendship with Tyler without it going to romance. I want Caroline to break up with Matt quick because I really don't like them together and Season 3 will be very different to canon, more because Bonnie won't be so outwardly against the Originals because of Aliyah. She's not going to be best friends with all of them – she and Rebekah even come to blows. But she won't kill them because Aliyah would get hurt. I love Koroline too, but I am remaining tight-lipped on Caroline's pairing in this story. I'm glad you like the Tonnie too! Thank you so much for your review!

Lady Syndra: Trust me, it'll get sadder.

Skyeward MusicLover: Thank you so much!

tate4eva: I'm glad you liked it!

bipop: Thank you!

annie: Thank you!

FFLover 4ever: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like Aliyah and the relationship she has with Bonnie and Caroline. Yeah, Tonnie has a lot of similarities with Nikliyah in this story and a lot of people will be commenting on it. Klaus and Elijah will be coming in soon and Rebekah in early season 3, so the Originals are coming soon and we will be getting to The Originals earlier in season 4, mostly because I don't like the whole Silas storyline.

Werewolfe22: Thank you so much. Aliyah will not become pregnant with Klaus' baby because I'm sticking to the canon that vampires can't have children and witchy interference won't work on Aliyah anyway. Hayley will be a character in Season 4 and TO Season 1, but she won't be a major character. I'm not giving away Caroline's pairing because it's a surprise, but hopefully you like it! But I'm so glad for the vote of confidence. It's good to know that my readers trust my judgement.

ArisaY12: Thank you so much! It's not so much as a love triangle, but there is history between the three and there are some romantic elements to the Alijah relationship. But it is Nikliyah endgame. I promise.

AnnieAC: I'm so glad you like it! I'm not a huge fan of Elena because I question her decision-making for an eighteen-year-old girl and I hate how she never seems to get any comeuppance for the things she does. I think Stefan would be better off with Elena because she kind of screws him over. She should've had the decency to stay away from Damon after she broke up with Stefan, because she knew it would destroy their relationship. She should've been the bigger person and walked away I don't know. I feel like she makes poor choices and says stupid things, so I don't really like her. But I think my story shows how much I dislike Damon. Klaus is older than Aliyah by one year. They used to be best friends before they got together, because Esther and Ayanna were best friends, but you'll see that in detail in the flashbacks. Oh, honey, you're grammar's fine. There's no need to be self-conscious.

jamie: Thank you so much! You're so sweet! There's some Tonnie in this chapter and Aliyah teaching Caroline how to hunt.

rivebay: Oh, I'm so glad you like it so much! You're so sweet! Hopefully, you continue to like it.

Zapped: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the Bonliyah and Bonnie's development. I'm making her a bit more mature, changing how she acts, so she'll change the way she reacts to the events. Her motives and her priorities will change because I feel like there's so much that we never got to see with Bonnie and I'm glad you like it. Oh, that's adorable. I think I might use 'angel warrior princesses' in the future. Really fits them, doesn't it? Don't worry, they'll get plenty close in the coming chapters. Bonnie and Caroline need Aliyah and Aliyah really need Caroline and Bonnie, so they'll become heaps more close.

Wikked: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the story so much! It's going to be pretty explosive when Aliyah and Klaus finally reunite and I'm so glad you think my Klaus is very TVD like. I don't want to give a lot of it away, but it's really unlikely that it would be public but it will be pretty nerve-wracking :)

randomlittleme: I'm trying to make Caroline and Aliyah's relationship more than a sire bond, if that makes sense. Sire bonds are based on pre-existing feelings and gratitude and loyalty, but Caroline's relationship with Aliyah is much deeper than that. As a human, Caroline hated to disappoint people and I've kind of enhanced that and projected it onto Aliyah. The Tonnie is only going to get stronger when the werewolf thing comes up. As for whether Tyler breaks his curse or not, well, I don't want to give a lot away. I'm so glad you didn't mind the repeat of the history lesson. I mainly included it to show how the Originals' history had changed with Aliyah's presence in their life. Katherine and Aliyah have a complicated relationship which will be really explored in the next few episodes. You'll learn just how intricate their history is and hopefully you enjoy it! But I am so glad you're enjoying the story right now!

mary: Aliyah will be taking Bonnie, Caroline and Tyler along with her to NOLA but I'm keeping my mouth shut on the pregnancy thing for now :)

Wicken25: So do I. I love Elijah too much not to give him a happy ending. I do have one planned but it's a bit far off. So expect a bit more angst.

WibblyWobblyFez: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I just got caught up in university and I haven't had the chance to write properly. But thank you so much for thinking that I have a gift!

Samantha: I'm so glad you enjoyed my twist of the backstory. Aliyah has a pretty good relationship with the Originals. She's been a part of their family pretty much her entire family and they all think of her as such.

Stormdancer

Chapter 13

Welcome to the Jungle

Later that night, Caroline and Aliyah sat in Caroline's room, while Bonnie fetched the three something to eat from the kitchen, bringing up two blood-bags for Aliyah and Caroline as well.

"So, Aliyah, how many vampires… have you… sired…?" Caroline asked, awkwardly, wrapping her arms around her knees and pulling them to her chest.

Aliyah pushed her back off the couch and leaned in. "Not as many as you would think, Caroline." She said, seriously. "Maybe a handful of people over ten centuries, darling. I don't go around turning vampires on a whim." She explained.

Caroline frowned. "So, why did you… turn… me?" She asked, confused.

"You were hurt and you needed to get better." Aliyah shrugged. Caroline's face fell at the nonchalant explanation and she started to look away from Aliyah. Aliyah sighed and stretched her hand out over the bed, taking Caroline's slim fingers in hers. "Sorry, that was a bit too calm for the likes of this conversation." She amended, rubbing the back of her neck.

Caroline bit her lip in nervousness. "So, why did you turn me?" She asked, quietly, feeling her emotions well up inside her to the point where she felt as if she were on the edge of a cliff from which only a single push would send her over the edge.

Aliyah smiled. "Because I like you." She said, honestly. "I think you're strong and determined and bright and beautiful and sweet." She shrugged. "When I saw you sitting in that hospital, I wanted to make sure you wouldn't die because of a car crash." She said the last words in disgust. "You deserved so much more than that." She admitted.

Caroline wiped a tear away from her cheek. "I'm not… strong." She muttered. "After what Damon did to me…" She trailed off, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

Aliyah saw Bonnie stop dead in her tracks in the doorway out of the corner of her eye. She took a deep breath, her hands falling to Caroline's shoulders and squeezing. "That, above everything else, makes you strong, Caroline. Let no one else say differently." She finished, sternly.

"Why do I remember all of a sudden?" Caroline asked, suddenly, her cheeks wet from the tears that fell unwillingly from her eyes.

Aliyah licked her dry lips and looked a little uneasy. "When a human goes through transitioning into a vampire, any vampire's compulsion on them wears off." She said, gently.

"So, when Damon compelled me to forget everything…" Caroline said, slowly.

"Well, everything that he compelled you to forget, you would remember after you transitioned. Although, I'm still not sure whether Stefan also had a hand in it as well." She shrugged.

"But what he did to me…" Caroline whispered.

"It is over and it will never happen again, Caroline." Aliyah said, slowly. "I told you that I turned you because I thought you deserved better, that was true, but I also turned you because you remind me much of my sister-in-law, Rebekah."

"Oh," Caroline nodded, slowly. She hesitated. "Where is she now, anyway?"

"In a coffin." Aliyah said, without thinking.

"She's dead?" Caroline gasped, covering her hands with her mouth, her eyes widening.

"No," Aliyah's eyes widened as she realised what she had just said. "No, sorry, she's not dead."

"But you just said she was in a coffin-" Caroline protested.

Aliyah took a deep breath. "Well, you see, the thing is-" She paused. "Niklaus. He has these mystical silver daggers that he likes to use on us when one of his family inevitably commits some kind of offence against him." She explained, wryly. "These daggers, if we're stabbed in the heart with them, they keep us dead for as long as they're in our hearts. They're dipped in the ash of the white-oak tree, so they are particularly harmful to us."

Caroline gasped. "Your husband stabs you to death?"

"Yep." Aliyah said, smiling, knowingly. "He's an absolute prick, don't you think?" She shook her head.

"Has he… well, has he ever stabbed you?" Bonnie asked, suddenly, walking into the room, her brow furrowed.

"A few times over the centuries." Aliyah shrugged. "He stabs his siblings usually much longer than me. Happy wife, happy life, and all that jazz." She said, a pang in her heart as she thought about Finn, Kol and Rebekah. "He knows if he stabs me for too long, I may do something drastic to pay him back." She explained.

"But you left him." Bonnie said, slowly.

"I did. After he daggered my sister-in-law, Rebekah, in the 1920s." Aliyah explained. She shifted in her seat. "Rebekah was always his favourite sibling." She said, grimly, her hand sliding across the curve of her neck as she thought about those she had lost. "I left him because it was all I could do to stop myself from hating him after all he's done. If I stayed, I would have hated him, I'm sure of it." She whispered. "Even the thought of hating him makes me feel sick to my stomach."

"You still love him." Caroline said, quietly and knowingly, her blue eyes boring into her sire's dark, almost-black ones.

Aliyah smiled, sadly. "Yes, I do. I always will. When you've…" She licked her lips and Bonnie wrapped her arms around her shoulders from the back, her hand stroking soothingly through Aliyah's hair. She bit down on her lip and shook her head, running her tongue over her teeth. "When you've lived for as long as I have and when you've loved someone for as long as I have, you find it hard to stop loving them. No matter what they do." She said, mournfully.

"Would you ever go back to him?" Bonnie asked, curiously, her hand coming onto the back of the chair.

"Before… I heard about Sheila and you, Bonnie, I would have said 'no bloody way would I go back to him'." Aliyah sighed and rested her head on her hands. "But things change and I've changed since I've been in Mystic Falls. And Niklaus has a way of getting under my skin." She murmured.

Caroline reached over and squeezed Aliyah's hands, delicately, saying more to her sire in that single gesture than her words could.

It was a promise of loyalty, one that Bonnie was echoing through the comforting strokes of her fingers through Aliyah's dark curls. It was a promise that they would stand by her should she make the cataclysmic decision of walking right back into her husband's arms. And there was the thought in their heads that told them that it was very much likely that Aliyah would do so.

Maybe even to save them.

"And knowing Niklaus, he's already on his way to Mystic Falls." She said, darkly. "And, unfortunately, our problems are likely to begin before he arrives in Mystic Falls." She growled.

"He'll want Elena for the doppelgänger." Bonnie said, knowingly.

"Yes." Aliyah nodded. "There's a very good chance he already knows about Elena." She clucked her tongue. "And you may have realised this about your friend, but she has an infuriating martyr complex." She rolled her eyes.

Caroline frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Elena is very tiresome in her determination to save everyone from whatever predicament they inevitably find themselves in." Aliyah said, dryly. "Of course, usually, said person is only in a predicament because of something to do with her." She shook her head. She looked at Bonnie and Caroline, intently. "You mustn't tell her anything about what I told you." She said, earnestly.

"But why?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow, tensing slightly. "I mean, if Elena's the doppelganger, shouldn't she know what's going to happen?"

"I would agree with you if Elena didn't have a martyr complex that pull every single person that cares about her in danger." She shrugged. "But she does and she'll do something stupid."

"Stupid like what?" Caroline asked, confused.

"Like giving herself over to Niklaus so that she can save everyone. Then everyone else will put their lives at stake to save her and then everyone dies. Except for Niklaus." Aliyah said, sharply. "My husband has a way of winning even when you think you have just defeated him. It is his gift." She muttered.

"We can help, Aliyah." Bonnie said, determinedly, tightening her arm around Aliyah's shoulders. "You can teach me more magic and you can train Caroline how to fight and we can protect Elena and you from him." She said, earnestly.

"I don't need protecting from Niklaus." Aliyah shook her head.

"Won't he be angry that you've been keeping Elena from him? And well… you know… you did kinda walk out on him." Caroline pointed out, awkwardly. "I mean, from what you've told us about him, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to just forgive you for something like that." She raised an eyebrow.

Aliyah cracked a smile that bled into the corners of her mouth. "He isn't." She laughed, harshly. "In fact, I think I may be lucky if he doesn't dagger me for a few decades for leaving him like that. And if he finds out that I've deliberately been keeping Elena from him, the Gods know what sort of punishment he'll fashion for me." She shook her head.

"Would…" Bonnie began, hesitantly. "Would he…" She bit her lip, unsure of how to approach the delicate subject matter. "Would he hurt you?" She asked, haltingly.

Aliyah's eyes widened as the surprise of Bonnie's question finally hit her. "He wouldn't." She said, reassuringly.

Both girls had remained silent and terrified as they waited with baited breath for her answer. It was a surreal thing to wonder whether a woman who seemed to exist past the boundaries of natural life, whose eyes and lips screamed power and death in its extremes, could be brought down by something so humbling as domestic abuse. It was all they could do to breath a sigh of relief when Aliyah shook her head in the negative.

Bonnie could feel her magic trembled around her, her fingertips sparking when the sensation of the power. She would have tried her damn hardest to reach in and pull out Klaus' innards if Aliyah had confessed that he had touched her in anger. Caroline pursed her lips and clamped down on every single scrap of her self-control to not let her vampire features emerge. She barely managed to stop her eyes from bleeding red and her fangs from descending, a sudden burning urge flowing through her veins to claw into anyone who had dared to harm Aliyah, even her husband.

"Niklaus is a right prick," Aliyah smirked. "But he'd never raise a hand to me." She said, earnestly. "But he is able to devise very creative punishments for those who manage to anger him." She looked up at them, her eyes dark with dread. "He may even kill the two of you just to prove a point."

Caroline and Bonnie looked at her, horrified.

"I know I said that my husband doesn't like to dagger me for very long. But that's only because I usually give him hell if he does so. The longest he's ever daggered me for was over a century back in the 13th century." Aliyah explained.

She swallowed hard, remembered the sickening sensation in her stomach when she had woken from her hundred-and-ten-year long slumber and realised that the love of her existence had left her to rot in a coffin.

"My husband is a sadistic bastard, I have no qualms about warning you of that." Aliyah said, darkly. "I have learnt my lesson when it comes to making moves against Niklaus. He daggers us without thought or guilt and he always seems to be the only one happy." Her voice was like shards of ice.

"Your in-laws…" Caroline trailed off.

"With the exception of Mikael, all of have been daggered by Niklaus. He carts them – and myself and Elijah, when we are daggered – in coffins wherever he goes, until he deigns to release us from the dagger." Aliyah shook her head.

"The guy stabs you to death and you still love him." Caroline shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes." Aliyah nodded, wryly, able to see the lack of reason that consisted of her marriage. "Just as Niklaus will still love me despite me swanning off in the 1920s and keeping Elena from him." She sighed and shifted in the seat, straightening so that she could stare at Bonnie and Caroline with all of the seriousness that her next sentence required. "Bonnie, Caroline, what you must realise is that my marriage endures despite the horrible things my husband and I do to each other."

Caroline frowned. "What have you done to him?"

Aliyah's lips curled into a desolate smile. "I left him." She said, simply. "I swore to him over a thousand years ago that I would never turn my back on him and I did. I, although indirectly, prevented him from breaking his curse in 1492 and I am standing in the way of him breaking his curse currently. I have betrayed him, no matter how much I may attempt to justify my decisions in the past, I have deliberately worked against the man I love the most in the world." She crooned.

Caroline and Bonnie swallowed hard, seeing the pain in Aliyah's eyes that older vampire wouldn't dare express in her words or through tears. They watched her lips part and her eyes harden, her face completely devoid of any emotion as she confessed her inability to walk away from Niklaus despite everything they had done to each other.

Their marriage wasn't healthy, but it was their marriage and it worked for them. She wouldn't dare relinquish her husband, not for anything in the universe.

Bonnie licked her lips. "Are you sure we have to keep this from Elena? This has to do with her too." She said, pointedly.

"It's not that I think we should keep it from her forever," Aliyah said, reassuringly. "I would rather make sure I have a way to save her from dying in the sacrifice before she does something stupid that alerts Niklaus to her presence in Mystic Falls. All I'm saying is that we keep this knowledge to ourselves for the time being."

"I still think she should know." Bonnie protested.

Aliyah gritted her teeth. "Bonnie, listen to me," She said, harshly, and Bonnie and Caroline were stunned by her suddenly unforgiving tone. "As of now, my husband is only coming to Mystic Falls to take me away." She said, darkly. "As far as I know, Niklaus knows nothing about Elena and all he knows is that I am here. We have the upper hand here. He will be blindsided when he comes to Mystic Falls and finds Elena. But it also means we don't have much time to come up with a way to save her." She snapped.

"I want to help her, Aliyah." Bonnie said, quietly. "She's my best friend."

Aliyah nodded, reluctantly. "I had a feeling you would say that." She shook her head. "But I really don't want you a part of this." She looked at Caroline. "Either of you." She bit her lip. "You see, he'll want a vampire sacrifice. And that is why Katherine turned you."

Caroline started and a fearful look entered her eyes. "What do you mean?" She asked, haltingly.

Aliyah dragged her teeth over her lower lip. "Katerina has been running from my husband for five-hundred years. She thinks if she gives Niklaus everything he needs for the sacrifice, he'll pardon her and she'll be free to live her life." She explained. "She needs to give him a witch, a werewolf, a vampire and the doppelganger. Elena's the doppelganger, I'm sure she has a witch planned, but now that she knows that Bonnie's here, she may make a move to give you over to Niklaus as the witch. But Niklaus already knows that the reason I am here in Mystic Falls is because of you, Bonnie."

Bonnie's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I received a text from an unknown number the night Caroline was turned and Niklaus mentioned you in the message." Aliyah shrugged. "So, I'm guessing from that he knows you are here in Mystic Falls." She looked at Bonnie and Caroline, pleadingly. "But, please believe me, both of you, I will not let him hurt either of you." She said, earnestly. "I gave both of you my word that nothing will happen to you as long as I am there. I can and will convince Niklaus to find someone else."

Bonnie swallowed hard, a sudden, terrifying thought striking her. "He needs a werewolf for the sacrifice too." She whispered.

Aliyah nodded, grimly. "The Lockwoods." She replied.

Bonnie's eyes filled with horror and, despite her wishes, her hands started to shake. "Tyler." She breathed, her shoulders slumping.

Aliyah pursed her lips, her eyes burning. Caroline bit her lip, her eyes shifting from Bonnie to Aliyah in one, quick swoop.

"Great," Bonnie said, sharply. "Your husband is going to kill the guy I'm in love with." She chuckled, harshly.

She paled when she realised what she had just confessed to and closed her eyes, resolving to come to terms with her unwavering feelings for Tyler Lockwood at a different time. She would have to. She was meeting him that night for the dinner they had missed out on her birthday. She was so sick of denying what she felt, especially when she knew Tyler returned those feelings wholeheartedly.

If Aliyah and Caroline were surprised by Bonnie's sudden revelation, neither of them said anything. Caroline and Bonnie had been best friends since the sand box. She, above everyone, knew the unresolved, tremulous relationship between Tyler Lockwood and Bonnie. While she herself looked upon the degenerate football player with nothing more than distaste and while she knew exactly what people thought of her – shallow, neurotic, useless, unobservant – she was very much aware of the absolute fire-starting, sheet-burning, toe-curling desire that existed between the two. Bonnie could swear that there was nothing going between her and Tyler, but it was kind of hard to believe her when they went to the movies and Tyler kept his face buried in Bonnie's neck, like a dog scenting his bitch, and Bonnie simply continued as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

As for Aliyah, well, as she could do was smile and remember exactly what it was like to come to that gripping and heart-stopping realisation, back in the tenth century, that she was madly and irrevocably in love with her best friend. She remembered her eyes widened and her hands shaking and Kol smirking – the prick – as if he needed nothing more than to look her in the eye to know exactly what her mind had come up with.

"Only if he activates his curse, otherwise, his uncle is the more practical choice." Aliyah said, quietly.

"It's so easy for you to say that, isn't it?" Bonnie spat, anger and fear rushing through her at the possibility of having to choice between her loyalty to Aliyah and her love for Tyler.

"Don't, Bonnie." Aliyah said, warningly.

"What? Pretend that you have all of our best interests in heart. Yeah, sure, maybe you care about Caroline and me. But, Elena? Tyler? They're just collateral damage to you, aren't they?" Bonnie growled low in her throat, her moss-green eyes flashing and the furniture rising in the air as her magic danced around them.

Caroline's gaze moved around the room, her eyes stunned as she watched Bonnie work her magic. It was definitely surreal to witness her best friend use her magic as if it were a utensil she was using to spear her food. Watching her green eyes flash and her magic tremble around the room, the witnessing to what seemed like a great blaze of power, made her downcast as she realised how much her humanity had restricted her when it came to experiencing the world she had found herself in.

As a human, her interactions to the supernatural world had been limited to the personal blood-bag, whore and servant of a sadistic bastard of a vampire. She had missed one of her best friends realising that she was the spitting image of a manipulative bitch who had toyed with two brothers back in 1864, two brothers, who it seemed, had fallen for her best friend – ew, talk about twin fantasies. She had missed said best friend finding out that she was adopted and that her biological mother – married to their history teacher, for God's sake – had willingly been turned by 'sadistic bastard of a vampire' and was apparently working for 'manipulative bitch', who had suffocated Caroline with a pillow and kick-started her transition into a vampire so that 'manipulative bitch' could escape from a guy who had been hunting her for over five centuries for stealing something from him – but, come on, Katherine couldn't think she could just get away with robbing one of the first vampires in existence of something that would help turn him into the most powerful creature on the face of the planet.

She had missed Bonnie's enlightenment into her heritage, how she had realised that her grandmother's drunken ramblings about being a witch were the actual truth. She had missed Bonnie's Grams' death as a result of using too much of her powers to release someone in the tomb under Fell's Church, who hadn't even been there in the end. She had missed Bonnie's mounting hatred of the Salvatore brothers, who had brought so much pain and death into their quiet, lonesome little town, and slow-burning resentment of Elena, as the girl managed to go on with her life, toying with two brothers – which is apparently a genetic quirk, going by the stories of both Katherine and Tatia – while Bonnie's life fell apart all around her, only managing to pick up the pieces from around her with the aid of a kind, inspiring, much older vampire, determined to protect the last of her line at all costs. She had missed Bonnie growing into her powers and becoming a formidable force, with the help of her millennia-old, Original vampire great-aunt – a hundred times removed, apparently – so much that the young witch was now able to go toe-to-toe with vampires who had centuries on her and come out unscathed and victorious.

Sometimes, Caroline felt truly small. And then she was brought back by Aliyah's soothing fingers and Bonnie's warm gaze and she didn't feel as small as she did before. Because, now she had a sire, her friend – someone who fought for me – who cared for her deeply and would protect her. And she had always had a best friend in Bonnie Bennett, who was now a remarkable witch, but now she was able to respect her best friend for her unconditional strength, a sweet young girl who had lost so much at the hands of vampires but was determined to do some good in the world.

And she would fight for them. For her sire and for her best friend. She would fight for her family.

"That's enough, Bonnie." Aliyah snapped and jumped to her feet, advancing on the younger girl, but keeping her anger in check as it threatened to overwhelm her for a brief moment.

She was so sick of being doubted.

"All I have done, all I have ever done since I arrived in Mystic Falls is protect you." She growled out through clenched teeth. "I saved Elena, when I dislike her greatly. I truly cannot stand the doppelganger. In fact, her very presence sets my teeth on edge. But I have protected her. I saved her from the tomb vampires, I protected her from Isobel and I intend to protect her from Katerina's machinations. Bonnie," She shook her head in disbelief. "You do realise that I am working against my husband to save Elena's life. My husband… who doesn't deserve to have this curse on him, no matter the horrible things he's done in a thousand years." She said, darkly.

"Aliyah, I-" Bonnie began, her eyes widened as she saw the tremendous hurt that had rushed into Aliyah's obsidian eyes. "I didn't mean-"

"I saved Damon – and I sincerely hope that Caroline will forgive me for saving that waste of space."

Caroline flushed as she realised just how long Aliyah had been aware of what Damon had done to her, and trembled with emotion and euphoria as she realised that Aliyah had been protecting her right from the beginning.

"I saved Stefan, even though – while out of the three, I actually sort of like him – I can't help but hate him and his brother for what they have done to you, what they did to Sheila. I hate that he is determined to save Elena at all costs and he does not care who gets caught in the crossfire." She snarled.

"I care for none of them, Bonnie, but I saved them. I saved them for you. Because I knew a part of you would break if you became the cause for Elena's unhappiness. No matter how much pain the girl has caused you, you love her as a sister, and I do not fault for you those silly notions. Every act I have done in this town has been done in your name and with your blessing." She barked, her eyes colder than either Bonnie or Caroline had ever seen them.

"I saved Caroline, I helped her, not because of you, but because I have never turned my back on any of the vampires that I have sired in my long life. I have protected you because you are my family, the last of my family. If you love Tyler, that makes him my family, just as Caroline is. What do you want me to do to prove it?" Aliyah asked, desperately.

Bonnie swallowed hard, seeing the sincerity and hurt in Aliyah's eyes. She realised just how much she had offended Aliyah with her accusations and felt a pang of regret hit her in the gut. She licked her lips, nervously, and approached her cautiously, as if she were a skittish animal. She wrapped her arms around Aliyah and she could feel Aliyah's body tense underneath hers at the warm physical contact.

"I'm sorry." Bonnie whispered, her voice muffled by the way her face was buried into Aliyah's collarbone. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know you would never… It's just that… I can't let Tyler get hurt, Aliyah." She whispered, urgently.

"And he won't be." Aliyah swore, her fingers tracing Bonnie's shoulder blades. She pulled away and beckoned Caroline to come closer to her and Bonnie, curving her hand around the younger vampire's shoulder. "But Katerina intends for you to be Niklaus' vampire sacrifice and one of the Lockwoods to be the werewolf sacrifice. At the current moment, it's likely that Mason Lockwood will be the werewolf sacrifice because Tyler hasn't broken his curse yet. Bonnie, that means-"

"I have to make sure he doesn't break it." Bonnie nodded, determinedly. That was definitely something she could do. To break the curse, Tyler would have to kill someone and that was unacceptable in her eyes. "Don't worry, he won't."

Aliyah dragged her teeth over her lower lip as she regarded Caroline. "I don't trust Katherine not to come for you herself. She killed you for a reason and I'm sure she'll come back to collect. So, next thing on the list is to take you hunting tonight and I'm going to begin your training. You're sired directly from an Original, so you should be stronger than someone with diluted vampire blood in their system. You'll be stronger than Stefan and Damon when I'm finished with you, so if Katerina does come for you, you can fight her off." She said, grimly.

Caroline nodded, emphatically. "Hunting? As in humans?" She asked, nervously.

Bonnie looked slightly uncertain. "Lee-Lee, I'm not really sure-"

"It'll be fine." Aliyah said, reassuringly, to both girls, patting them both on their hands. "I'll take care of Caroline, I swear. Do you remember what I told you, Bonnie, about the way I hunt?" She asked.

Bonnie looked thoughtful and she nodded after a moment. "You said that you don't like to kill humans when you feed." She murmured. "You told me that you only go after people who are particularly willing or people that make you angry."

Aliyah nodded and turned to Caroline. "I'll make sure that you don't kill anyone, Caroline. I'll teach you to hunt my way, and if you really have a problem with it, I'll make you sure I stock up on the blood bags for you." She promised.

Caroline nodded. "Okay." She swallowed hard, remembering the feeling of hot, sweet blood falling on her tongue, and forced herself to keep her vampire features down.

"What about Tyler?" Bonnie asked, haltingly. "Should I tell him about all of this?"

Aliyah shrugged. "I don't think he knows about any of this, judging by what you've told me about his reaction to Mason's eyes or what Caroline told me about what happened to him on Founder's Day." She bit her lip and looked at Bonnie, intently. "As for telling Tyler, I trust your judgement, Bonnie girl. If you believe that he ought to know, then you can tell him." She ran her tongue over her lips, delicately. "I would rather you not tell him about me, though. Mainly because of Mason Lockwood's presence in Mystic Falls. I am unsure of the motives behind his sudden return to Mystic Falls, but I am of the opinion that it isn't wise to trust him until I know exactly why he's returned. But I also understand that it's hard to explain the whole 'witch' heritage without explaining about vampires in this town as well, seeing as it is likely that there are vampires in this town who will be gunning for him." She said, slowly. "So, if you feel like it's the best idea, tell Tyler about what he is, so that he can be prepared, and feel free to tell him you're a witch, but try and keep my name out of it. I can't trust that he won't go and tell Mason everything and I'd rather keep a low profile for the time being."

Bonnie nodded, forcefully. "I won't tell him about you or Caroline, I swear." She murmured, her head falling onto Aliyah's shoulder.

"Aliyah, my mom… what should I do about her?" Caroline asked, weakly.

Aliyah pursed her lips. "I have absolutely no idea how to broach this subject to her, Caroline." She said, honestly, shaking her head. "We have to be very delicate about this. She is a part of the council and we don't want them coming after us if something goes wrong." She said, determinedly. "That being said, she is your mother and she deserves to know, no matter what her reaction will be."

"Do you," Caroline chewed on her lips as her blue eyes went wild, shifting from side to side. "Do you think…?" She shook her head. "She'll hate me for this, Lee-Lee." She hissed out through clenched teeth, her blue eyes darkening.

"I don't know." Aliyah said, honestly, and Caroline felt tears come to her eyes. She sighed and reached over, wiping the tears away from Caroline's smooth, pale cheeks. "But I will tell you this one thing, I am here." She murmured, soothingly, curling her slim fingers in Caroline's blonde curls. "I will always be here. Whenever you need me, you needn't feel shy about approaching me. You are my fledgling and I am your sire. In my eyes, that is a bond forged in blood and death and it will last the entirety of eternity." She said, pressing her forehead against Caroline's. "We will talk to Liz and we will explain everything. My mother may have turned her back on me, but I won't have yours do the same to you." She said, determinedly.

Caroline relaxed her head against Aliyah's collarbone and felt Aliyah's hands slip into her hair and stroke through it, comfortingly. She could almost feel the older vampire's blood thumping through her veins, the comfort from her sire and her proximity soothing a few of the warring sensations in her stomach.

Aliyah's hand dragged down the length of her throat as she tipped her head back. She shook her head back, running her tongue over her teeth, thoughtfully. She looked down at the two young girls in her arms, each buried in the crooks of her neck, Bonnie's arms sliding around hers and Caroline's waist and Caroline's hands twisting in Bonnie's hair and stroking down Aliyah's shoulder blades.

"I have a feeling that everything just became infinitely more complicated." She said, wryly.

---

"Where are we going, Lee-Lee?" Bonnie asked, curiously.

The three were storming through the woods, all set for a day of hiking in the woods.

"We're going down to the caves near the Lockwood cellar. I told you I'd prove that I'm a thousand years old, the proof is in those caves." Aliyah said, simply.

Caroline frowned. "But… we're going in the opposite direction of the Lockwood mansion." She pointed out.

Aliyah chuckled. "No one ever said that we were going that way." She rolled her eyes. She came to a spot and patted her feet down on the ground, feeling it, momentarily. "Yep, this is the spot."

She slammed her foot down on the ground as hard as she could, and before Bonnie and Caroline could fall into the large manhole and that she had created and land on the large pile of jagged rocks on the bottom, Aliyah had already grabbed them both by the waist and jumped into the pit, landing gently on the bottom and settling Bonnie and Caroline on the ground.

Caroline looked around, amazed. "So, what is this place?"

Aliyah brushed off the rocks and dirt that had fallen onto her clothes and sighed, looking around with a smile curled on her lips. "A thousand years ago, we would all go underground whenever there was a full moon, in fear of the werewolves from the other village. I saw my first werewolf here." She shook her head.

Aliyah crawled through the small-sized hole in front of her, holding out an arm and helping Caroline and Bonnie through it as well, until they came to a big empty, open space, much like a large cavern, with walls of rocks surrounding them. She held out her hand and gestured to the wall right in front of them. Caroline and Bonnie squinted through the darkness and Caroline's improved eyesight allowed her to see what looked like strange letters in a different language engraved into the walls in some sort of white chalk. Her eyes ran over the various words on the wall, spotting a few familiar letters, like 'M' and 'R' and 'B'.

Bonnie licked her lips and squinted again. "What is it?"

"Go closer." Aliyah urged. "Caroline can't because there's a barrier spell preventing vampires from going near the images on the wall, but she can see it from here. Just be careful and go and see it."

Bonnie pursed her lips and walked, carefully, forwards until she reached the far-off wall. Her teeth dragged over her lower lip as she observed the various words inscribed on the walls, wondering what they meant. She tipped her head back, seeing that the line of words started from quite far up, going low. She turned around and saw a bunch of other symbols engraved into the walls, hastily, in a row, as if describing a story.

"What do they mean?" Caroline asked, curiously.

Aliyah pointed to the first word in the line. "From the top, Mikael, Esther, Elijah, Henrik, Finn, Niklaus, Aliyah, Kol and Rebekah."

"Wait, so why are your names on these walls?" Bonnie asked, turning around.

"Rebekah wrote our names here back when we were human." Aliyah mused. "She was using a blade to carve the letters in the walls." She smiled, despite herself. "Niklaus made some stupid comment about how women shouldn't handle blades and Rebekah always hated it when people told her how girls were supposed to act. She slammed the blade down on his hand and sliced his palm." She shook her head, grinning. "She always did have a temper."

Bonnie grimaced. "Something tells me I wouldn't like your sister-in-law." She muttered.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at the names on the walls. "So, wait, what language is this?" She asked, curiously.

"Futhark." Aliyah answered, immediately. "Or Old Norse."

"Old Norse?" Caroline's brow furrowed. "You mean like Vikings?" Her eyes grew excited. "You were a Viking? That's so cool!" She exclaimed.

Aliyah cracked a smile. "It was a different life to the 21st century. It was all huts and chores and farming. Very unglamorous. In fact, Rebekah and I used to dream about living in a big city and going to a ball and getting dressed up." She shrugged. "We were pretty much commoners. Then, we were turned into vampires and the world was suddenly open to us. We could be whoever we wanted to be, however rich we wanted to be. We could live in huge castles and throw parties and wear pretty dresses and act like the gentry when they were children of a simple village landowner and I was the daughter of a witch pretending to be a healer."

Caroline rubbed her back, sensing that this was a dismal topic for her sire to talk about. Her eyes lit up, her curiosity eating at her.

"Did you drink beer from skulls?"

"No." Aliyah laughed, shaking her head. "The mugs were made out of wood. We called them bjór-ker – beer goblets. No human skulls, I swear."

"Were the men really dirty?"

"No." Aliyah chuckled. "I would never have kissed Niklaus or Elijah if they were dirty." A smile played on her lips. "Actually, one of my chores as Elijah's wife was to give him a bath."

"What?" Caroline's eyes widened. "No way. That's so demeaning. I mean, talk about Dark Ages. But, wait, this was like a thousand years ago, so it probably was the Dark Ages. But it's still pretty sucky that you had to freaking bathe him. What, was he too lazy to do it himself?" She took in a deep breath after that rant and blushed as she realised that she was babbling.

Bonnie cracked a smile at Caroline's familiar rambling. It was a touch of normalcy when being faced with so many dramatic changes in her life. At least she could count on Caroline to remain the same, vampire or human, Caroline Forbes was Caroline Forbes.

"No." Aliyah snickered at the rambling. "It wasn't that he was lazy. But it was expected that if he spent the entire day in the woods, hunting for our survival, the least I could do as his wife was to make sure he had no work when he came home to me." She shrugged. "Mind you, you'd be surprised how erotic the experience is. Washing my husband is definitely one of the more intimates times I've had." She waggled her eyebrows.

"Really?" Caroline asked, sceptically. "I still think he should be able to wash himself. I mean, it's got to be demeaning, right? He comes home, all dirty from hunting, and he expects you to wash him?" She stopped when she saw the blatant amusement in Aliyah's and Bonnie's eyes. "Why are you both looking at me like that?" She asked, defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aliyah shook her head, a smile curling on her lips as she bit back the laughter. "Really, nothing." She waved off.

Caroline frowned, suspiciously, at both of them, but let it slide.

Her eyes lit up.

"Did you really wear those helmets with the devil horns?"

---

"So, what do I say?" Bonnie frowned in confusion. "Have fun?" She offered.

Aliyah laughed, winding down the window of her Lamborghini. "'Have fun' seems appropriate." She said, approvingly.

"Although, I'm still not sure about that." Caroline muttered under breath, snuggling into the passenger seat, looking down at the low-cut cream chiffon shirt she wore and shimmery old-gold shorts, coupled with off-white pumps.

"Keep your phone on," Aliyah ordered Bonnie. "And let me know if anything happens. I don't want to take any chances with Katerina walking around." She said, warningly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom." She said, sarcastically. "Anything else."

"Yep," Aliyah said, cheerfully. "Don't forget to use protection and if you plan on bringing him back to the house, text one of us so we don't come back early." She grinned.

"Oh, you suck." Bonnie hissed, half-heartedly.

Aliyah cackled, throwing her head back, and turned the key in the ignition, speeding off.

"So, wait, we're not hunting in Mystic Falls?" Caroline wondered, sceptically, as the car passed the town limits.

"No," Aliyah shook her head. "Whenever I stay in a town like this, I don't like to draw attention to myself. So, if I hunt or even get blood bags, I do it all a few towns over from the town I'm staying in." She explained.

"Why?" Caroline frowned. "I mean, you're an Original vampire, right? There's not much that can hurt you, even if people did find out what you were."

Aliyah cracked a smile. "Caroline, I don't mean humans. I've been running from both Niklaus and Mikael for the past eighty-five years." She said, slowly. "I can't draw attention to myself or they would find me."

Caroline pursed her lips and looked at her, curiously. "Have they come close?"

Aliyah nodded. "Niklaus has. Mikael did back when we were all together. But Niklaus has come very close to catching me a couple of times in the last couple of decades."

"So, you haven't seen Klaus in eighty-five years." Caroline shook her head.

"Well," Aliyah drawled, sheepishly. "Not so much. I came across him in a bar in 1969. I was just about to tuck into this very cute boy that was sweet on me, and Niklaus came out of nowhere and snapped the bloke's neck."

"I am yours, Aliyah. And you are mine." Klaus drawled, slowly, his voice low and smooth, and he loved the way her dark eyes flashed at the statement. "It is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago. Now, I will give you all the time you need rid yourself of any reservations you may have and come back to me. After all, we are truly immortal and time means nothing to us in the long run. But I will not watch you throw yourself at other men. You will not play games with me, hellcat." He brushed a few curls away from her face, lovingly and dangerously, reminding her that he could cause her pain just as soon as he could cause her pleasure with his touch. "You were correct all those years ago when you left me, wife. I am violent. And psychotic. And I suppose I am also dangerous and obsessive and possessive. I have not evolved all that much since the Viking Age." He shrugged.

"I am a savage, my love." He kicked at the corpse at his feet. "Play around with your women, if you must, but only for a drink. You will never let another man put their hands on you again. If you ever let anyone other than me into your bed, Liya, this boy's fate will be benign compared to what I am capable of. And you know what I am capable of." With that, he pressed his lips to her forehead, mockingly, and walked away, disappearing into the shadows, leaving her trembling against the wall.

Caroline stared at her, horrified, and she nodded.

"Yep, my husband's a right bastard, isn't he?" Aliyah shook her head, wryly.

"So, where are we going?" Caroline asked, curiously.

"We're going to a pub in Charlottesville. It's called 'Voodoo Queen' and it's where I go when I'm feeling particularly peckish." She shrugged. "There are some times when I just need to sink my fangs into something."

Caroline looked at the tight, white dress, with a jewelled necklace and peep-toe silver heels, that Aliyah was wearing and decided that it was adequate bar-wear and that Aliyah had great taste in clothing.

"So, you feed on innocent people." Caroline said, uncertainly. "Like what Damon…"

"No." Aliyah said, firmly. "No, I don't do things like that." She growled low in her throat. "I despise people like Damon, Caroline. I have killed men for less than what he's done to you." She said, darkly. She licked her lips. "When I was human, a thousand years ago, I was a witch. But the thing is, sometimes, fear can prevent a witch from exercising their magic. The kind of time I lived in, rape was more common than people would like. It was frowned upon but the shame that raped women felt was enough for them to keep their mouths shut. Once, when I was around twenty, I was cornered by a few men near the market. I had left Rebekah alone to pick a few things up and I didn't notice them come up behind me."

Caroline bit her lip as fear assaulted her. She remembered trying her hardest to creep out of the room after that first disastrous night with Damon, wearing that awful yellow lace excuse for lingerie that she didn't even remember putting on – she would take great amounts of pleasure tearing into shreds when she could go home. She remembered the heart-stopping terror when he had appeared right in front of her just as she was about to reach the door. She had screamed and begged and cried and he just went on as if it were music to his ears.

"Did they… you know?" Caroline asked, haltingly.

"No," Aliyah shook her head. "But I remember them pinning me to the ground. I tried to lash out with my magic, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work. I was too scared. They hit me a few times. Then, suddenly, just as they were pulling my dress up my legs, someone pulled them off me. Niklaus, Elijah, Kol and Finn were all there, swords in their hands, furious beyond belief. Rebekah helped off the ground and wrapped her arms around me as the four Mikaelson boys beat the thugs bloody." Aliyah mused. "They were always protecting me, the idiots." She chuckled.

"I'm glad… it didn't happen to you." Caroline whispered and averted her eyes to stare out of the window at the passing road.

"Well," Aliyah swallowed hard. "I wouldn't say that." She said, uncomfortably.

Caroline paused and turned wary eyes on Aliyah. "What do you mean?" She asked, carefully.

"My husband has many enemies, darling." Aliyah said, darkly. "Sometimes I have been used against him. Sometimes, they have violated and tortured me in an attempt to get to my husband."

Caroline's brow furrowed. "But you're an Original vampire. Wouldn't you be stronger than the vampires who were torturing you?" She asked, confused.

Aliyah nodded. "Yes, but things like vervain and wooden stakes still hurt me, just not to the extent that they would a normal vampire." She explained, her eyes darkening with remembrance. She chewed on her lower lip and placed an arm on Caroline's shoulder. "What I was trying to get at, pretty girl, was that I understand what it feels like to be used in that way." She said, pointedly. "I try my hardest not to kill. I usually find some university girl who's pretty much willing to let me bite her."

Caroline frowned. "There are girls who want to get bitten?" She asked, incredulously.

"It's the whole vampire craze that's been sweeping the nation." Aliyah explained, lightly. "More girls are going out at night, begging to be bitten." She rolled her eyes. "I only drink as much as I need. They are always intoxicated, which means there is less of a chance that they'll remember the next morning. Otherwise, I compel them to forget. I also make sure they get home fine." She shrugged.

"Why?" Caroline asked, curiously.

"Because I don't approve of what I have to do to keep myself alive. I don't have to be a monster. I am capable of it, but it doesn't have to be the entirety of who I am. So, I try to show my humanity in ways like this. Of course, there are times where I have lost control." She shrugged. "When I first turned, the bloodlust was overwhelming. That coupled with my depression of losing my magic, as well as my conflicting relationships between Elijah and Niklaus, led to many dead bodies, I'm afraid." She said, mournfully. "And then, there was the time right after I was daggered for the first time." She swallowed past the lump in her throat, remembering the sensation of all-encompassing betrayal that had driven most of her bloodlust back then. "I led massacres like they were nothing just to prove a point to Niklaus. That he couldn't just stuff us in boxes like toys." She shook her head.

Caroline blinked, unable to believe that the kind-looking woman sitting beside her and driving the car was capable of such unimaginable slaughter. The Aliyah that had pulled her through her transition and the Aliyah that used to murder people without a care in the world seemed like two completely different people that it was practically impossible for Caroline to picture that they were the same person.

"But sometimes I do lose my temper in some of these bars." Aliyah purred. "Sometimes I see a man attempt to hurt a woman and I lose control and I drain them dry." She shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, quietly.

Aliyah pursed her lips. "You'll see for yourself, shortly. At least, I hope we get lucky tonight."

---

Aliyah enjoyed the burn of the whiskey as it ran down her throat. She remembered centuries of too-strong ale and spicy wine, drinking down the liquid as if it were God's gift on Earth. She remembered tasting the bubbly lightness of champagne for the very first time in the 17th century. She remembered getting drunk on bathtub gin with Niklaus in the 1920s in Chicago, his arms around her waist like a steady prison as she drank the illicit liquid. Yet, whiskey had always been one of her favourites over the last thousand years.

There was something always familiar about whiskey, the way it slid down her throat, making her mouth water and her stomach burn. The contradiction of it being cool and burning, woodsy and crisp at the same time. It took her back to better times. Times of curling up with Niklaus in front of the fire. His hands in her hair and her head against his chest, listening the comforting, slow beat of his heart.

Caroline slid onto the bar stool beside her. She snatched Aliyah's glass of whiskey, despite the older vampire's protests, and downed the entire glass in one large gulp, shaking her head as she did so.

"Wow, the burn's much less." Caroline stared at the empty glass with amazement.

Aliyah smirked. "Perks of being what we are, pretty girl. No hangover." She waggled her eyebrows.

"Why do you call me that?" Caroline asked, interestedly.

"Well," Aliyah drawled. "You are very pretty. And that was probably the first thing I noticed about you." She held up her glass to her. "But I like the nickname," She pouted. "Don't you?"

"My dad used to call me Care Bear. Bonnie and Elena call me Care. But no one's ever given me a nickname like that before." Caroline said, quietly.

Aliyah patted Caroline on the shoulder, comfortingly. "So, why don't you scope out the scene, darling? See someone you like?"

Caroline frowned with confusion. "Do you have to like the person you're going to drink?" She asked, puzzled.

"It makes the experience better." Aliyah clarified. "Having a drink should be fun, not a chore." She winked.

Aliyah took a glance around the bar. She observed that it was a dodgy one, with quite a few guys leering at her and Caroline, which she promptly ignored and rolled her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes trained on a sleazy-looking guy in his mid to late 20s, talking to a blonde girl with more of her breasts popping out of her shirt that in it. The second shot of whiskey that she bought froze halfway to her mouth when she saw the sick bastard drop a small, round white tablet into the blonde's rainbow-coloured cocktail.

"And I found him." Aliyah growled under her breath.

Caroline frowned at her. "What do you mean? Who is it?"

Aliyah nodded at the middle-aged man sitting at one of the tables.

"Him?" Caroline said, disgusted. "He looks like a Ken doll! I don't want to bite him. That's just gross."

"Well, he just dropped a white pill into that girl's cocktail, so I thought he'd be the perfect victim." Aliyah shrugged. "But if you wanna find someone else…" She trailed off.

"No." Caroline jumped to her feet, her face etched in determination. "Let's go." She said, darkly.

Aliyah smirked to herself and slid to her feet, calmly.

"So, what do we do?" Caroline looked at Aliyah, questioningly. "I mean, I can't bite him in front of all of these people." She pointed out.

Aliyah nodded. "Go and compel the girl to go find her friends." She instructed. "Then compel the man to follow you into the alley. Make sure he doesn't run until I get there." She said, firmly. "I'll make sure the girl gets home safely."

Caroline nodded, a little nervously. Aliyah's face softened and she placed a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder, squeezing gently. Caroline felt herself relax under Aliyah's hand and she bit her lip, chewing on it, thoughtfully.

"I don't know if I can do this." Caroline confessed.

"You can." Aliyah said, firmly. "And you will." Her lips parted. "I'll be right there with you, Caroline." She said, reassuringly.

"What if I lose control?" Caroline whispered, feeling her heart thump erratically as the anxiety threatened to overwhelm her.

"You won't. I won't let you." Aliyah said, slowly. "I'll pull you back if I think you're losing control. Caroline," She sighed. "This isn't the first time I've been around a newly-transitioned vampire. I know what to do. I want you to trust me because I won't let you do anything that goes against your morals." She said, determinedly.

Caroline nodded, jerkily, and took in a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, indomitably. She led her head straighten and strutted over to the older man and blonde college girl, her hips swaying seductively as she did so. Her blonde curls danced around her face and a sultry smile curved on her pink lips, falling back into old methods of seduction. If there was one thing she was good at, she was good at throwing men off their game.

She strode up to the man and girl and tapped the girl on the shoulder. The girl rounded on her, her eyes bloodshot and her lips wet from the cocktail she had just been gulping down. Caroline let her senses stretch out and she could smell the sickly burning smell of the alcohol on her breath and the bitterness of the drug on her tongue. She gritted her teeth, controlling herself before she terrified the entire bar with her sharp fangs and bloodthirsty eyes. She smiled a fake smile and let her pupils dilate, staring into the blonde girl's brown ones.

"Leave. Go and find your friends." She said, darkly.

The blonde nodded and slid to her feet, sluggishly, stumbling away from the table without so much as a second glance back to the older man who had been opposite her, whose cheeks were turned blotchy red with fury. Caroline smiled, deadly, and raised an eyebrow at what she supposed was a handsome man. Blonde, straight hair – like a frat boy douchebag – and a strong jaw, perfect smile – like some stupid surfer jackass. She thought, darkly.

Before he could stagger to his feet, clearly affected by the few rounds he had, and start shouting at her in anger, she trailed her fingers down his cheek, stilling him, forcing herself not to gag at the thought of her fingers on his oily skin. She compelled him, licking her lips.

"You will follow me to the alley. You will not make a sound or tell anyone what is happening to you. You will not struggle and you will not run away." She growled.

The man nodded and repeated everything she said. Caroline smiled and winked over at Aliyah, who raised her glass, cheerfully, in reply. She watched as Aliyah slipped off her bar stool and made her way over to a gaggle of young college students, which the blonde, roofied girl had been a part of her. She strode in the opposite direction, making her way to the back door of the bar, looking behind her, momentarily, to make sure that the man was following.

"Hello." Aliyah said, smiling at the girls and boys. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the blonde girl leaning against the wall, haphazardly, looking dead to the world. "I thought I would just let you know. I saw your friend with that bloke from earlier. He slipped something into her drink. I just thought you might want to get her out of here before something happens." She said, sweetly.

One of the girls jaw dropped. She quickly recovered and started to stammer, looking back at her friend, fearfully. "Thanks for telling us. We'll take her straight home."

Aliyah smiled. "Cheers." And she walked away in the direction that Caroline had gone in, following her out the back door. She stopped in front of the door when she saw the man lying on the ground and Caroline pressed against the wall.

"What's wrong?" Aliyah asked, worriedly, flashing over to Caroline and pulling her away from the wall, her arm around her shoulders, steadying her.

"Nothing. He just attacked me when we got out of the bar. I threw him away." She stammered, pressing her head against Aliyah's collarbone, trembling in her sire's arms.

Caroline could hear the blood thumping in the man's veins, she could almost taste it on her tongue. She could feel her fangs descending and the veins under her eyes throbbing. She burrowed into the crook of Aliyah's neck and felt the older vampire's fingers weave into her hair.

"I need you to take deep breaths, pretty girl." Aliyah said, soothingly. "Long and deep breaths. Focus on the sound of my voice and nothing else." She said, firmly.

Caroline nodded against her skin and took deep and long breaths, focusing on the sound of Aliyah's low purr of a voice. She took in a deep breath, letting the scent of her sire overwhelm her and felt the comforting tremble of the older vampire's blood running through her veins and soothing murmur of Aliyah's heartbeat.

"Okay, now?" Aliyah asked, quietly and soothingly.

Caroline nodded and took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders, determinedly. Aliyah was filled with a sort of pride she hadn't seen since she had watched Bonnie perform the aneurism spell for the first time, incapacitating that tomb vampire. It reminded her of 1922, when she saw Rebekah's light blue eyes light up when she caught sight of Stefan Salvatore for the first time. It was then at that moment, that she had known that Rebekah would move on from Marcel's death and love again. And when she looked at Caroline now, she knew that the younger girl would move past everything that Damon Salvatore had done to her and would be a brilliant vampire. And she, for one, couldn't wait for that transformation.

"Well, have at it, darling." Aliyah waggled her eyebrows. "Tuck in."

The man managed to stumble to his feet, despite his drunken stupor, glaring at them with bloodshot, angry eyes.

"Who the fuck do you bitches think you are?" The man slurred, swaying on his feet. "Is this some sort of kinky lesbian thing?" He smiled a sneering, sickly smile that set Caroline's teeth on edge, hoping that the blonde girl inside would be thankful for the rest of her life from being saved from such a twisted man. "'Cause if it is, I really wouldn't mind watching."

Caroline flared with anger and her fangs lengthened and the veins under her eyes throbbed, her eyes flooding with blood. She bared her sharp teeth in a vicious smile and lunged for the man, the widening of his eyes and the sudden onset of fear that she could smell making her mouth water. His scream was muffled by her hand as she pressed him against the opposite wall, swooping down and digging her fangs into the soft flesh of his neck.

She moan as the sharp, sweet taste fell onto her tongue, warm and wet, feeling her cravings be satisfied that she didn't think was possible. She could taste the sweetness of the blood and booziness of the alcohol the man had downed. The heady taste of the alcohol diluting the blood was enough to make sure that the blood didn't overwhelm her. She licked her lips and she continued to drink until she could feel his heartbeat start to quicken and him slumping in her arms, having finally taking enough blood to send him into an almost unconscious state.

She pulled away, licking the last drops off her tongue, running her thumb over her damp lips and sucking the digit into her mouth.

Aliyah pushed herself off the wall and strolled over to Caroline. "Tell you what, you've got great control for someone who's only been a vampire for around two days." She smirked, proudly, wrapping an arm around Caroline's shoulder.

Caroline stared down at the fallen form of the man, her mind warring between the disgust in feeding off an innocent human, but also remembered exactly what she had saved that blonde college student from experiencing, any previous uncertainty drained away from her.

She turned to Aliyah. "What about him?"

"He'll definitely survive. You didn't take a lot of blood." Aliyah murmured. "But if you feel more comfortable, you can feed him some of your blood."

Caroline nodded. "I do kind of feel bad." She confessed. "I mean, it's wrong to feed off humans." She whispered. "It feels too much like what Damon did to me."

Aliyah looked thoughtful. "I can see that. But, if you'd like, you don't have to feed like this often. I would rather you get used to drinking from humans though. Only because I don't want you to end up like Stefan."

Caroline frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, Stefan?"

"Well, Stefan's what vampires call a Ripper. It's a name given to particularly sadistic vampires who enjoy mutilating their victims." Caroline faltered. "It's the reason why Stefan limits himself to drinking animal blood. Because he can't control himself when he drinks human blood. But you have an immense amount of self-control for a vampire for your age." Aliyah murmured, proudly. "And blood bags won't always be in the vicinity." She pointed out.

Caroline looked uncertain and chewed on her lip. "That would work." She said, slowly. "I could target guys like this so I wouldn't feel bad. Or, like how you said, girls and guys who are willing. I could feed them a few drops of my blood and they'd heal." She nodded to herself, straightening. "I can do that." She said, firmly. "Ugh," She grimaced. "Is it weird that I feel really horny right now?"

Aliyah started to laugh, her smile widening. "No." She snickered. "It's not. It's a side effect of the blood. The… uh… increased desire to shag is just a part of the bloodlust." She grinned. "But I can tell you, it makes for some really good sex."

"Really?" Caroline asked, doubtfully.

"Very nice sex." Aliyah waggled her eyebrows. "Some of the best sex I ever had was when I had just finished feeding or when I was right in the middle of feeding." A wicked smile played on her lips.

Aliyah shook her head, feeling heat pool in her stomach as the memories assaulted her. She remembered the many times that she and Niklaus had shared a human between then, both of them biting into the girl or boy's neck, watching their victim's eyes roll back in their head out of pleasure, the seductive pull of the blood making them both moan.

It was a short time between the feeding and Niklaus' eyes devouring her body as the blood dripping from her lips, and the flashing over to the wall, where Niklaus proceeded to pin her by the hips and drag her skirts up, spreading her legs so that he could thrust into her and watch her wail inches away from his lips. Then, all he had to do was swoop down and lick the remnants of the heady blood still staining her mouth, groaning at the taste of the blood and his hellcat on his tongue. And then she would whimper and cry out until his hips jerked against hers, frantically, and brought her to the edge over and over again.

"Trust me, best sex for vampires is with blood. Be it with human blood or bloodsharing, it's just the bee's knees."

"Bloodsharing?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"It's when two vampires exchange blood. It's a deeply intimate and personal process and it makes for great sex." Aliyah shrugged. She looked at Caroline, sternly. "Never bloodshare with just anyone, make sure you have very deep feelings for your partner before you do something like that." She ordered.

Caroline smirked and saluted her. "Aye, aye, sarge!" She giggled.

"Oh, very funny, you little swot." Aliyah grumbled. "Now, come on. I didn't get a text from Bonnie, so I'm fairly sure that the house is safe to go inside."

"Ugh, that is an image I really didn't need to see. Tyler Lockwood having sex." Caroline grimaced.

---

Tyler remained quiet and both he and Bonnie ate their food in peace. Finally, he reached over and took Bonnie's hands in his, looking at her intricately patterned peach dress and blue and purple pumps. He thumbs stroked against the skin on her knuckles and Bonnie looked down at their joined hands, swallowing hard as she ignored the pleasurable tingles his touch sent.

"You know, last year, I was actually going to ask you to Homecoming." He chuckled. "I thought if I actually plucked up the courage to ask you, we'd finally get our acts together and actually be together." His hands tightened around hers. "You were staying at your Grams' place and I was going to climb up through your window the night before. But when I got there, you were telling your Grams about how someone had already asked you."

Bonnie swallowed back the tears. "I was hoping you would ask me, but it was the night before Homecoming." She explained, weakly.

"I didn't know that." Tyler smiled, sadly. "All I thought was how much I was in love with you, how much I would always be in love with you and how I would never have you." Bonnie's fingers touched her throat at such an honest confession. "Then, there was that party." Bonnie blushed. "Don't be embarrassed, Bonnie Rabbit. It was the best night of my life." He confessed, quietly. "It was the night I got everything I wanted. You were so sweet and beautiful and it felt so good and I felt ecstatic the next day because I'd always have a part of you that no one else would. Even if I couldn't have you ever again, I could at least have those memories."

Bonnie bit her lip. "I've thought about that night every day since." She confessed, the redness rising in her cheeks.

Tyler grinned. "Good." He said, wickedly, his fingers stroking the sensitive skin of her wrist. He sobered. "I don't need the booze or the one-night-stands. Those girls mean nothing to me, Bonnie." He said, earnestly. "I know you're keeping something from me. But I don't care. I don't think there's anything you could tell me that would stop me loving you." He murmured. "All I need to know is whether you love me back."

"God, sugar, you're such an idiot." Bonnie laughed, wetly. "Of course, I love you. You're my Stray." She whispered. "There's a reason why."

Tyler laughed and tugged her across the table, crushing his lips to hers in one, quick swoop, his hand cupping her face. His thumb stroked against her cheek and Bonnie whimpered as his mouth moved over hers, purposefully. His fingers weaved into her hair and her small hand curled around his wrist as Bonnie felt the arousal settle low in her stomach and simmer and Tyler felt himself harden when he finally got Bonnie's sweet taste on his tongue after so many years and nights of haunting dreams. It was only when the entire restaurant started cheering that they finally broke away from each other, sinking back into their chairs with beaming grins and bright red blushes on their faces.

"Well," Bonnie cleared her throat. "I suppose that was a long time coming." A smile curled on her lips. "A very long time."

Tyler grinned.

---

A/N: I thought that was an appropriate place to end this chapter. I promise, next chapter will consist of Bad Moon Rising. But I've kind of liked writing the original chapters :)

I hope you guys liked the chapter. The Bonliyah, Caroliyah bonding and Tonnie finally got together! I've changed certain bits and pieces of Caroline's transition and her personality as a vampire. She will be drinking from humans every now and then because I really do enjoy a dark Caroline. Bonnie and Tyler finally got together and I can't wait until she confesses what she really is.

Anyway, hope you like the chapter and don't forget to tell me what you thought!