Fate
Chapter Four - You're Dead
If someone had told Hope Mikaelson a few hours ago that she'd spend her aunts wedding watching a mysterious blonde woman like a hawk, she would've called them crazy. Yet low and behold here she was...watching a mysterious blonde. She looked on cautiously as several people from Stefan's side of the family came up to her and greeted the blonde. In her 18 years of life Hope had never seen someone so talked about at another woman's wedding.
"Keep staring like that and your face will stick," her aunt Freya laughs slightly as she hands her niece a glass of champagne. "Don't worry I told your mom it was sparkling cider. So why are you staring at Caroline like that? I doubt your father would be happy if you caused trouble with her."
"That's Caroline Forbes?" Her voice comes off a little loud for the people nearby, but luckily the woman in question doesn't seem to notice. Freya nods in response as she takes a sip of her own champagne, "that's the blonde vampire from my dreams aunt Freya." Hope whispers in her aunts ear as the pair exchange a confused and worried glance before looking back at the infamous Caroline mingling with several of the vampires.
Across the room Caroline chats with the few people she knew at the wedding. With Bonnie ever present at her side, the pair meet up with Tyler and Matt who were also invited to the festivities. "Care," the former quarterback exclaims as he spots the vampire for the first time in years. He embraces her tightly before stepping back to get a good look at the woman. "You look great. Who knew you'd look the best out of us at 38," Matt jokes as Caroline takes in the aging man.
She looks at Matt and Tyler who'd spent the last two decades aging along with Bonnie. Both are showing strong lines on their faces from time and their hands are gaining slight wrinkles as both men prepare to enter their 40s in the next few years. Caroline's gaze moves to the mirrored wall nearby examining her perfect skin, and though she dresses older and appears to have matured, she's still the 17 year old that was turned 20 years ago.
"Well I mean immortality has its perks when it comes to having perfect skin forever," she jokes while reaching for a glass of champagne on a tray nearby. "So I hear that you moved to Texas?" Caroline looks to Matt as he nods in confirmation.
"Yeah I did about 6 years ago, and it was one of the best decisions I could have made. They offered me a job in the police department in Houston and it was something I couldn't refuse, especially since it got me out of Mystic Falls and away from hunting vampires." Matt smiles as he pulls out his phone to show Caroline the image of an adorable little boy on his screen. "That's John, but now he's a little taller and just hit the double digits last month. Penny is home watching him while I'm here," he smiles at the mention of his longtime girlfriend and their son.
Crossing arms she laughs as Tyler slaps a hand on his friends shoulder, "and somehow you're still not married to that girl. You have a kid together, you live together, and she moved across the country to settle down with you. If Stefan Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson could get married and have their happy ending then so can you."
"What about you Tyler?" Bonnie probes as she smirks at the werewolf who'd kept his lips shut tight about a love life. "You live in Tennessee now with a wolf pack so I'm sure you've met a lot of eligible hot ladies."
"Of course I have, they're just not real relationships." His voice drifts off as he feigns someone calling his name and quickly exits from the group conversation.
Caroline giggles lightly at the former cocky werewolf fleeing the scene. "I'm sure he will tell us the minute he finds the one, and then I'll come back to visit you all again." She sighs as she thinks back to the ceremony just an hour before. The way her eyes had found Klaus in an instant, and his own blue orbs had met hers with an intensity that hadn't dwindled even after decades apart.
Part of her had always thought that he moved on eventually and out of friendship kept sending her letters on her birthday. She mourns the loss of her box of belongings with the crumbling of her home just a short week ago. Her thoughts quickly draw her back into the memories she shared with the hybrid, and every moment they'd shared flashed in her mind. If he'd promised to wait however long it takes for her to be ready for him, what if she never was ready? There was a finality in his promise of last loves and forever, and somehow that scared the young girl within more than she'd like to admit. And yet when she saw Stefan watching his now wife walking down the aisle without a second glance to anyone else, she knew that she'd always wanted someone to look at her that way.
"Great after party," an unfamiliar voice sounds from beside her. Caroline turns to face a young girl - human from her heartbeat - with auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. She seems to be no older than her teenage years, but everything about her is familiar in a way.
The blonde nods in return as she leans against the bar she'd walked over to, "yeah it is and the food is to die for." Caroline sets down her champagne glass and calls over the bartender for something stronger as her eyes find Klaus Mikaelson in the sea of people once more.
"So how do you know the bride," The young girl inquires.
She shakes her head, "I know the bride and the groom, but I grew up with the groom when I was human some two decades ago. He was my best friend once upon a time," her voice drifts off in a reminiscing way that causes the younger girl to look at Caroline with curiosity.
"Care to elaborate?"
Caroline chuckles, "not if I want to find my arms ripped off by the bride. She and I weren't too close when we knew each other."
"Ah...I see. So you were the other woman," she smirks at Caroline.
"No, I mean yes, but also no. Stefan and I were together but that was years ago. It's been almost 13 years since I last saw him actually. So when I got the invite to their wedding I was shocked that he even wanted to invite me," Caroline fibs through her teeth knowing very well that Tyler sent her the invitation without Stefan's knowledge.
The young girl stretches out her hand to shake Caroline's with a bright smile on her lips, "I'm Hope by the way." Her eyes go wide as she shakes her hand realizing who she'd been talking to.
"Hope Mikaelson?" She knows the answer to her question already, but the need to ask outweighs her logic that there's only one girl named Hope that would've been invited to this wedding. Hope nods as Caroline shakes her hand and simply replies, "Caroline Forbes. It is a pleasure to meet you Hope." The two share a smile and short words before parting ways agreeing to meet once more before Caroline leaves town again.
Klaus stands against the wall nursing a glass of bourbon as he watches the party from a distance. He occasionally listens in on others conversations and says a few words to familiar faces passing by, but ultimately he remains unnoticed. His stare lands several times on the blonde vampire floating around the room mingling with her old friends, and he can't help but admire how beautiful she'd become over the years.
Granted, Caroline was always beautiful to him, but this was a different kind of beauty. One that had been aged like a fine wine and was waiting for someone to take a drink from it's perfection. Klaus shakes his head as he tries to rid his mind from the thoughts of Caroline Forbes, but his ears fail him yet again. He tunes into the conversation she shares with Tyler Lockwood as the pair catch up with the quarterback. Apparently no one had seen Caroline in over a decade as she'd been travelling the world.
He wonders if she'd travelled to the cities he once mentioned to her in Mystic Falls, but those thoughts are quickly squashed as Elijah comes up to his side. "You're stalking brother," he states.
"No on the contrary Elijah I'm being observant of all the guests. Our sister deserves the best wedding possible, and that means no outbursts from the scooby gang that somehow got invited." Klaus takes another gulp of his bourbon and then refills the glass from the container nearby.
His brother places a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention, "if that were the case Niklaus you would have been focusing on everyone at the party and not just Miss Forbes." Klaus rolls his eyes and tries to ignore his elder brother who continues to stand nearby like a fly that wouldn't leave him alone. "If I remember correctly she's the one you've sent letters to for the last twenty years in October?"
"How did you know about those?"
"We all live under the same roof Niklaus, you'd think secrecy was extinct in this family after a thousand years." Elijah sighs and pats him on the shoulder once more, "enjoy the party, and perhaps talk to the lady as well?"
When he returns to his observation of the party, Caroline is nowhere in sight, but then he hears her laugh in the distance. Just across the room their eyes connect for a split second and then she returns to the conversation with the woman next to her, which just so happened to be his daughter.
Klaus had often wondered how well the blonde would get along with Hope, and if Hope would even like Caroline. Now as he watches the pair laugh and joke of random things for a few short minutes, he knows the two women were somehow meant to be friends.
The sun had long set and somehow the party at the Mikaelson compound remained in full swing. Music blaring, lights dimmed, drinks everywhere, and the occasional drunken idiot attempting to hit on Caroline. Rolling her eyes at the vampires nearby she retreats up the stairs in search of a quiet bathroom. She checks her phone seeing the texts from Bonnie who had previously returned to the hotel to call her family for bedtime, but for some odd reason Caroline had decided to stay and party for a while longer.
Now looking at the rager going on downstairs, she sorely regrets that decision. As she wanders the halls of the home she's grabbed by someone and pulled into a side room. Immediately she has her captor against the walls prepared to attack, but she backs off when her eyes meet Hope's. "What is this about Hope?" Caroline questions as she smells the strong and familiar scent of sage and spots another blonde woman across the room.
"We need to talk Caroline," she states as she goes to pull out her grimoire from a shelf nearby.
Her brows scrunch in confusion wondering what this young witch could want. "About what? We just met a few hours ago, and I have no clue who this is over there." She gestures to Freya who'd just stood to her feet after completing what appears to be a privacy spell.
"I need to know how you're alive when just a week ago I watched you die."
Ingrid wandered around the unfamiliar streets of Mystic Falls, and found it quite strange how she'd ended up in this small town. Having come from London and travelled to Israel and yet somehow she now stands on American soil, and part of her was glad to be here. To be done with her never-ending searching for who her parents were, and to be doing something exciting and adventurous in her life. Something that was just for her, and she liked that.
Walking into the Mystic Grill she wanders over to the bar to pick up an order she'd previously called in, and just as she goes to leave something odd catches her eye. Ingrid watches in fascination as she sees a younger looking Caroline standing across the room with tears in her eyes. She stands silently watching the scene play out as an older man tells her that he's leaving town for good, and she can't come with him. Her head tilts in confusion as Caroline calls out to the man as her dad, and as quickly as the scene is there before her eyes it's gone.
She looks around the grill to discover life had carried on the past few minutes as if nothing had occured in the dimly lit space. Shaking the moment from her thoughts, she turns and exits the grill; but that doesn't bring much relief either. As she walks outside to see the starry night above her she looks around frantically and notices her watch reading 3 in the afternoon, "this isn't right."
Ingrid shakes her head trying to figure out how she could see the stars and the night sky so clearly at this time of day. Looking down at the ground and closing her eyes tightly she opens them once again to see the light of day had returned, and all was normal. In a panic she rushes towards the rental car Caroline had got them and speeds back to the Forbes residence.
The air was cold and damp in the bayou of New Orleans, and he feels the cool breeze against his bare back. Whilst stretching out his sore muscles, he moves to find a stack of clean clothes in a bag nearby. "You ought to be more careful Isaac," a voice says from behind him and he turns to see the alpha of the Crescent Wolves. "Someone catches you turning at will and they'll ask questions that I don't know the answer to."
Isaac eyes her as she's dressed in casual clothes now, but her hair and makeup seem out of place from the rest of her look. "I can take care of myself Hayley," he states whilst pulling his shirt over his head. "No one knows who I am or what I can do, and if they did I could easily get rid of them and the problem."
"Yeah I'm sure you can take care of yourself Isaac, but the minute
someone gets hurt I know to find you." The she wolf crosses her arms taking on an alpha stance that demands authority and respect from wolves and humans alike. She sighs though dropping her shoulders and moving closer to the young man, "I know I've said this too many times. You live in New Orleans now, and you're a wolf whether you have a special ability or not - you're always welcome in our pack Isaac. You will always have a family with us if you want it."
Hayley Marshall smiles at the man before turning and walking away. Leaving Isaac alone in the bayou once again, and the sound of the animals the only thing to keep him company. 'You know she's lying,' the all too familiar voice speaks in the back of his mind.
He grips the sides of his head as his eyes turn an odd golden with specks of blue. "Get out of my head," his teeth are clenched tightly attempting to will the voice from his mind. Forcing the mysterious voice to loosen its hold on him.
'I will leave and return soon, but someday you will come to me Isaac.' The voice speaks and it fades away brining sweet relief to the young wolf, but that relief is short lived when he remembers that the voice promised to come back. And it's never broken its promises in over 15 years.
Caroline runs her fingers through her hair trying to gather her thoughts. Standing in front of her were two of the most powerful witches to exist - and they both just happened to be Mikaelsons. "I don't even know entirely how it happens," she starts with and plops down onto the couch nearby. "It all started seven years ago when I joined a rebellion where I was against a tyrant vampire ruler. He murdered so many innocents, and did as he pleased...it was disgusting to watch."
"And yet you stayed in the town? Why not leave and move onto a more peaceful life without the supernatural war?" Freya questions the blonde vampire, but all three women immediately know the reason why Caroline chose to stay.
"It was home, and I couldn't leave the people that had so quickly become like family." She sighs thinking back on Ethan's first encounter with her over a decade ago. He'd been such a light in her life when she had felt so alone for a time. Shaking the reminiscing thoughts from her head, she continues. "Anyways, I decided to stay and join the rebellion there to take down Cyrus - the vampire ruler guy. Eventually we went to throw a coup one night, but we were caught. Someone had alerted Cyrus of our plans, and it was a bloodbath. So many lives were lost on both sides that night...including mine. That was the second time I had died in my life; the first being when I was turned."
"So you dying has happened before?" Hope wonders what's so special about this young vampire that she could somehow beat death just like an original. "It sounds almost like how an original would be. Have you tried to test the death theory?"
Caroline nods her head as she grabs the glass of bourbon being offered by Freya. She chugs the whole drink quickly before moving on with her story. "Of course, I tried everything I could think of. After Cyrus killed me the second time with a stake through the heart, I woke up several hours later in a shallow grave with the rest of the rebellion that had died. Which is what allowed me to sneak back in and kill Cyrus...he never expected a baby vampire to come for vengeance and win." She smiles remembering the euphoria of the vampires final moments, and the intense feeling of power that'd weighed heavy on her.
"If you were just turned like a normal vampire, and no one performed any spells to altar your natural state...I have no idea how you came to be so indestructible." Freya quickly thinks over any spell that could give answers to what Caroline Forbes truly was, "and I'm also quite curious as to why my niece is somehow psychically connected to you."
At these words Caroline's interest piques, "you said Hope is connected to me? How? I had no knowledge of this." The news just delivered floors the blonde as she could've shared a connection with Klaus' daughter for who knows how long now.
"It's nothing really," Hope shrugs off the comments from the two other women in the room. "I've just been having these intense dreams for the last few months of you. Nothing major, but it's like glimpsing into your life...without seeing your face, hearing your name, or knowing where you are."
"Okay…" her voice trails off as she tries to process the idea that a teenager had been dreaming of Caroline's life for months now. "Hopefully you didn't see anything that could scar you for life," she chuckles nervously before relaxing when Hope shakes her head. "Is that how you knew I died recently?"
"I saw it happen, your heart being ripped from your chest. The creepy witches chanting...and your friend dying." Hope looks to the blonde sympathetically whilst Caroline looks at anything but the two others in the room. The young Mikaelson places a comforting hand on Caroline's knee, "we're going to figure this out. I believe that, and I also believe that you came to New Orleans for a purpose - one which we have yet to discover, but it is for a good reason."
Caroline chuckles thinking to herself, 'yeah I came here to see your father after almost 20 years apart.' Words she would never say aloud, or admit to herself. "Well this has been quite the experience, but I should head back to my hotel."
"You could stay here tonight," Freya adds before even processing what her siblings would say.
Fortunately the vampire shakes her head, "no it's fine. I came here with my childhood friend, she's a Bennett witch actually." The elder Mikaelson's interest rises at the familiar last name that was somehow famous in the witch community.
Hope stands to her feet as the other women do, "perhaps we could come back with you to figure out more details on why this is happening to us?" Caroline simply nods before quickly leaving the room and the compound altogether.
"Your father will never agree to us going to Mystic Falls Hope," her aunt shakes her head at the idea of Klaus' reaction to that request. "But, we could go there under the ruse that you're touring the local college there. Which has a fantastic occult studies section," Freya smirks as her niece nods in agreement. Just like that the plan was formed.
"We're going to Mystic Falls."
Well I had planned to post this last night, but schedules got in the way - and that made me more determined to get it out tonight. I'm finally starting to get a decent layout of the story and a majority of the plot. I was unsure of how I wanted to finish it until a few days ago which I think I've finally settled on that too. I'm so glad to see your reviews and to know that you're all enjoying the story, buckle up because it's going to be a wild ride from here on out! I'm hoping to keep updating pretty regular like this (as I've mentioned before) but we'll see how that goes since college is also so very fun. The biggest thing for me is checking back through what I've written because I absolutely HATE plot holes and refuse to have them in my story...and I hope I don't let any slip by unnoticed as this progress.
Anyways like always I don't own TVD/TO and please review with your thoughts!
Always and Forever Fam ;)