Fate
Chapter Seven - Make This Go On Forever
In the chaos that erupted after Ingrid's life altering words, no one noticed the familiar faces entering the compound. Not until Klaus was shoved against the wall and held by his throat by none other than Stefan Salvatore. Of course both men attempt to assert their dominance which only leads to more shouting and chaos. "Why didn't you call me?" Stefan screamed at the elder vampire as his grip tightens on Klaus's neck.
"You were on a honeymoon rippah, and besides I figured Rebekah didn't want to deal with your lingering emotions for Caroline at that moment." His words were intentionally crafted for hurt towards anyone and anything that was cornering him, and it always worked. "If I recall you married my little sister not even a week ago, and somehow your honeymoon was cut short because of Caroline..the woman you used to love. I think that calls some things into question about your feelings; don't you think so 'Bekah." Klaus angles his head towards his little sister who stands in the background with her arms crossed watching the showdown.
She shakes her head and lets out a huff, "unbelievable Nik. After all this time you still think I'd choose the wrong man. Stefan and I are married, we've had every discussion possible about Caroline and our past lovers. Low blow, but nice try anyways brother." As Rebekah rolls her eyes she grabs her carry on bags and retreats upstairs to her room. The honeymoon officially over now that the fights had begun.
"She's right Klaus, and whether you like it or not Rebekah is my wife and my family now. So whatever is going through your mind right now about Caroline and I, forget about it...that romance died a long time ago." Stefan looks away from the hybrid and loosens his hold as he steps back and a ragged breath leaves him.
Stefan stumbles back and the tears well in his eyes, "she was my best friend Klaus. And she died...no one told me. No one called me, and I didn't get to say goodbye." Before the hybrid could attempt what he calls an apology the young vampire had flashed upstairs to his shared bedroom with Rebekah.
"Good job Niklaus, always the lover." Freya cheers her brother on with dripping sarcasm from the balcony as she leans over the rails watching the scene below her. "Anyway while you were throwing a childhood tantrum we were trying to let Ingrid explain why she believes Caroline is actually alive. So if you would be interested in joining us," the eldest Mikaelson leaves her words hanging in the air as she too retreats to the room where all the magic happened in the compound.
In the seemingly quiet town of Mystic Falls, the things that go 'bump' in the night roam around under the cover of darkness. The streets are empty, the grill is full, and the football fields are gearing up for the first game of the year. Even the Salvatore house is unusually still, but the place that breaks the pattern is the cemetery.
A man stands over a freshly dug grave, shovel in hand, and dirt covering his clothes. "It's high time you were reunited with your body my sweet Caroline," the coffin is lifted out of the ground with the help of a few men and loaded into a truck. The hole is quickly re-filled and replaced like nothing happened there, but in reality an empty grave lay there with the tombstone of the one and only Caroline Forbes.
"Wait so let me get this straight, you think that Caroline's soul is trapped somewhere?" Klaus states as he paces the floors of one of the many rooms of the Mikaelson home. He chuckles and takes a rather large gulp of his bourbon before staring at Ingrid once again. "You know nothing about magic or the supernatural world...dead is dead most of the time."
Ingrid shakes her head and stands to her feet refusing to cower at the confidence this man exudes. "Exactly dead is dead, but most of the time. I've watched Caroline die twice now in the last two weeks I have gotten to know her," Klaus's gaze snaps to the redhead at the words 'twice' but the woman shakes him off and continues. "Anyways, she told me that over the years she'd discovered this gift of indestructibility. A vampire that couldn't die, even with a stake to the heart. She mentioned something about tracking down the last...was it white oak I believe, and that didn't even work."
"Caroline has white oak?" Freya stands to her feet instantly as the worry for her family's safety overrides the desire to bring a friend back. "Did she say what she did with it?"
"Calm down aunt Freya," the youngest in the room places a calming touch on her aunts arm. "Caroline would never intentionally hurt us."
The redhead unfamiliar with the notion of what white oak was shakes her head and turns the attention back to her, "no she said once she realized it wouldn't work on her she destroyed it. I'm assuming it was to protect you all." She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair wondering how she got into this mess in the first place, 'oh right I was looking for my parents.' Ingrid blinks hard trying to refocus on the task at hand.
"If I'm understanding what Ingrid's saying, and please correct me if I am wrong. Caroline can't die, and even when she is 'killed' with things like stakes she comes back to life."
"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying Hope," she sighs in relief that someone understood what she was saying. "I know that must seem impossible even for vampires, but I watched it happen with my own eyes. Her heart was ripped from her chest by some crazy witches and hours later she was fully functioning and pushing me onto a plane with her." The room sits astounded by the notion that a baby vampire seemingly unspecial in the supernatural aspect could be gifted with something even an original didn't have. True immortality.
"Did she mention anything odd as to why she would have crazy witches trying to kill her?" A new voice comes from the doorway as Kol Mikaelson stands there looking at the confused redhead, "my apologies darling I'm Kol, their black sheep of a brother. I'm also a little bit of a witch expert so spill please," the playful tone of his voice is confirmed as he jumps over the back of one of the couches to plop down in its seat.
Crinkling her brows and pressing her palm to her forehead, "she did actually. For a few years Caroline had been getting these letters and threats, which is why Freya and Hope were in Mystic Falls with us to research more on this topic. Someone who called themselves the Teacher?"
"Great. Just terrific," Kol leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. "This is just like Silas all over again." The Mikaelson's who were familiar with the Silas debacle stare at him waiting for a further explanation.
"Now might be a good time to gift us with your knowledge little brother," Klaus's impatience is clear by the way his jaw is tightened.
"If the teacher is involved in this we might as well abandon her and move on with our lives. Before we're all dead," Kol sits back nonchalantly as the rest of the room glares at him.
"Remind me why we resurrected you again?" Klaus states as he looks at his brother.
Kol sighs and leans forward, his elbows on his knees focusing on the pretty redhead in front of him. "Did you perhaps read the story about the Teacher love?" To this Ingrid timidly nods her head and the wily former witch smiles brightly. "Fantastic so that means there's one less person here I have to explain this to," Kol winks at her and a heated blush creeps up her cheeks like flames.
"Kol stop flirting and get on with it," Freya rests her head in her palm waiting for the real information to be delivered.
"Alright, alright as you wish," he jokingly holds his hands up in a mock surrender. "Legend has it that 2,000 years ago around the time of Silas there were 5 witches - some of the most uniquely gifted ones of that time. Each one possessed an ability that was just theirs, and their Teacher protected and guided them in these abilities. Despite being a mere Traveller himself, the man did all he could to train these students of his." Kol sighs and sits back as he recalls the times he'd heard the legend retold to him through the centuries. "The story goes that the Teacher one day grew envious of his student's gifts and wanted to claim them for himself. Become the most powerful being to walk the earth, and combined with the spell of immortality that Qetsiyah had just created he would be unstoppable."
"Get to the point brother," Klaus sips on his drink watching annoyed at the storytime he was having to endure.
The vampire glares at his brother before continuing, "as I was
saying before I was so rudely interrupted. The Teacher devised a plan to take Qetsiyah's immortality spell for himself and then sacrifice his students to steal their power. Trying to make this story short as possible, they discovered his plans and in a last act before their deaths they hemorrhaged enough magic to create two realms. One for their eternal power to watch over the supernaturals, and another to lock away their Teacher for all time."
"Of course like all villains he promised to escape," Ingrid chimes in smiling at the original sitting across from her.
Kol smiles at her as he leans forward once again, all of his focus on the redhead before him. "That's right. You are a smart one aren't you little red?" Ingrid smiles at the nickname she hadn't heard in years from her family. The moment quickly fades as Kol clears his throat and leans back once more putting up his tough guy facade. "Like this lovely person just stated he did vow to escape, and to do that it required one important ingredient. This may be legend passed down by covens, but I suspect it's more true than we know."
"Kol! Out with it already, we don't have time for your games," Klaus's anger is easily detected by the members of the room. They're all put slightly on edge as they tiptoe around him with his unstable temper.
"I am getting there brother." Kol grits his words through his teeth as he huffs and rolls his eyes at his elder brother. "Legend has it that the Teacher needs the heart of his wife to escape his prison. It's what put him there in the first place so it would be what gets him out as well."
Hope chimes in as questions rise in her by the minute, "but Caroline is barely 40 years old. She wouldn't have any connection to this Teacher dude at all. Unless…"
The witch savvy Mikaelson smiles at his niece, "I see where you're going with that. No Caroline is not actually his 2,000 year old wife, but there are rumors that the Teachers wife had a secret child with her lover before she was married. Our dear Caroline very well could be a direct descendant of the Teacher's wife, which would explain why he's so interested in her."
"Yes what it doesn't explain is why my daughter is connected to Caroline. Or how to get her back," Klaus scowls deeply as he waits for someone to give him the answers he desires, but no one speaks up. "I'm going for a drink, call me when there's news." The hybrid quickly leaves the room and the tension fades slowly as he flashes out into the streets in search of some way to release his anger.
Freya sits in Rousseau's as Cami pours her a drink in the early afternoon, "that bad?" The bartender questions wondering what could be troubling the Mikaelson family this time. A few years ago the blonde psychologist had made the decision to turn into a vampire to be with Marcel which was an odd combination when many first saw them together. But now the pair mainly stuck to themselves by the docks in Marcel's place, and Cami continued to bartend on a regular basis.
The Mikaelsons and Cami had made an arrangement a decade ago where she would work at Rousseau's as the bartender and in exchange for protection for basically eternity she would trade them any information pertinent to the city's supernaturals. "Yeah...my family is always complicated, but these last few weeks have been on a different level of crazy." Freya gulps back her drink and sets the glass down motioning for the blonde to refill it.
"I get it, Klaus is your brother after all. What's more crazy than usual though? The wedding?"
She shakes her head downing the second shot, "no the wedding was fine. Minus a run in with an old family friend that my siblings used to know. Long story short is that she's in trouble and somehow it's connected to Hope, ugh" she sighs and lets her head hang down a little. "There's just so much death and destruction, and for the longest time we had a peace. But now...it's just different. I can't shake the feeling that death has been chasing my family for centuries and it's starting to catch up with us."
"I would call that paranoia Freya," the bartender places a gentle hand on top of Freya's. "Well not exactly paranoia, but you've survived more than any normal human could fathom. More lifetimes than I could even count on top of that...my point is that after all this time you finally have your family back together. Fear of losing them is normal, but don't let demons or problems or whatever it is get in the way of happiness. Even Klaus can be a little pig headed at times," Cami laughs and squeezes her friends hand before moving down the bar to serve a few more customers.
"Can I buy you a drink?" A random voice questions to her left as Freya turns her attention to the handsome man who'd just taken the seat beside her.
"Excuse me?"
The man shakes his head holding out his hand, "sorry I guess I should introduce myself before coming up and asking if I could buy you a drink. Dumb guy move," he smiles showing off bright white teeth that almost dazzle the confident and sarcastic witch. "My name's Brett."
"Amelia Earhart," the witch states as she hold out her hand to shake Brett's. He chuckles at her fake name and watches as she drinks another shot after the introductions. "Yes you may buy me another drink...or two, and no you may not know my real name."
"That's fine, you'll tell me anyways once I charm you into it." He smirks and Freya stares him down, both seeing the challenge and refusing to back down. "Alright you win miss Earhart. Drinks are on me tonight," he slaps down a few bills on the counter and tells Cami to keep the drinks coming for he and 'Amelia Earhart.'
Freya leans over staring at the mystery man taking in his dark skin and beautiful smile. Her slightly drunken nature mixing stranger and friend into one even plane. "So what brings you to New Orleans? Better yet what brings you to this bar to pay for my drinks at...5:45 in the afternoon?"
He gulps down his drink and turns to the blonde, "well the second part is easy. I came into this bar to get food and saw you all alone up here and decided to wing it. See what happens if I hit on the pretty lady." Brett smiles at her as the blonde simply stares at him skeptically, "and the why I'm in New Orleans is a longer story that would take more alcohol to divulge."
"Hey Cami," she calls the bartender over. "Bring us the bottle please, and for tonight my name is Amelia Earhart to this stranger." Brett smirks at the clever woman sitting before him, "now we have alcohol and I have plenty of time."
In the slowly setting sun Hope, Ingrid and Kol sit around attempting to do locator spells on Caroline. Each method they try fails though, and the trio are starting to lose hope. "Why don't we try a beacon?" Kol states looking at his obviously tired niece. "That way if she wakes in her body we'll be the first people to know where she's at."
Hope nods in agreement and sets out to gather the ingredients for the spell. Fifteen minutes later the young witch had finished the spell set to go off the moment Caroline woke...if she ever did. "Great now that that's done, I'm going with Elijah to see mom in the bayou. Don't taunt Ingrid uncle Kol, and if he does Ingrid there's a dagger in the kitchen you can stab him with. It'll put him to sleep until a responsible adult gets back."
"I'm hurt you think I would harm a hair on sweet little red's head," Kol mocks back at his niece with a smirk. "Besides I am a responsible adult now."
"Who told you that? Grandma?" Hope rolls her eyes as she slides on her leather jacket, "oh and I know you wouldn't hurt Ingrid, but you'd definitely make her want to hurt herself with your non-stop jabbering."
"Go visit the squirrels Hope," he calls out to her as he shoo's his niece from the room.
Ingrid sighs and leans back into her seat basking in the quiet. She runs her fingers through her straight red hair, "please don't say anything to ruin the peace and quiet right now." Kol chuckles as he looks on at the girl curiously.
"I'm just curious," she groans as his voice cuts through ruining the moment of silence. "How did a random girl like you end up meeting Caroline Forbes halfway across the world. Then she took you to Mystic Falls with her, and somehow you've ended up with the Mikaelson family within a span of three weeks?"
She looks at him as a knot tightens in her throat, "I was looking for my parents."
"Oh I see...orphaned."
"No, I had adoptive parents. My mom growing up was great, but then I found out I was adopted and I needed an excuse to leave home. That seemed like a good enough reason." She shrugs her shoulders and looks down at the floor as she fidgets with her fingers mindlessly. Kol merely sits back and waits for her to continue knowing full and well that she would eventually. "When I came to Tel Aviv I was aimlessly searching for answers, and I'd ended up there off a tip some random lead gave me. I still don't know how I got that tip, but it took me to the archives room that was on the estate where Caroline lived."
"That's no accident sweetheart, and I would go as far to say your being there was planned. By who, I'm not sure. I'd suspect the same person taunting Caroline, but we won't know unless we dig for answers."
"Dig for answers?"
Kol smiles at her brightly and slowly, hesitantly reaches across to take her hands in his, "of course. We're going to find out every answer to any possible question you have love. Who your birth parents are, why you were sent to Caroline, and maybe we'll find out more than we bargained for along the way."
"We?" She questions with a curious look in her eyes.
"Darling you're going to have to stop questioning me like that if this is going to work. Just say yes and then be happy that you have me on your side little red."
"We have to find her first. Caroline is alive, she has to be."
"I know."
Somewhere far off and underground, the system of cages and cells are empty except for the woman's body that housed Caroline Forbes. She sat against the wall breathing shallowly. Having finally been given food and water not long ago, she'd begun to feel a little better. As good as she could get being trapped in someone else's body, in a cell, and being held by some mysterious villain dude.
In the distance she can hear what sounds like chanting growing louder and louder. Caroline cowers against the wall attempting to blend into the hard material as the voices seem to reach her very cell. The sound becomes so loud at one point she has to cover her ears to save the fragile hearing of her human vessel.
Black dots cloud her vision and for a moment she blacks out, but as her eyes open once more she's staring up at a cleaner room. How long had she been out? Looking left and right, she finds that she'd been placed on a table. The walls around her are painted an odd teal shade with the color chipping off the walls. A single bunk sits in the far corner and a sink with a mirror across the room.
Caroline slowly steps off the table and shivers as her feet make contact with the cold floors. Tiptoeing over to the sink she peers in the mirror seeing her familiar reflection. "Welcome back Caroline, and let the trials begin." A voice states from a speaker above her as gas begins to pour into the room. 'Vervain,' she thinks to herself as the room clouds with the smokey substance and once again she collapses.
So here it is chapter seven! I had been meaning to post it a few days ago, but of course life happens. This is un-edited so please excuse any mistakes, and I will most likely go back later and edit them if needed. Thank you all so much for reviews and follows and for being invested in this story and the journey of this new Caroline - I also hope I can write the complex character of Klaus to justice.
Anyways per usual I don't own TVD/TO and I so wish I did because the characters were done so dirty in the end. Please comment, share, follow/favorite and I will hopefully be back soon with chapter 8!
Always and forever friends :)