Hello, my lovely and loyal readers. I'm happy you're here. Please, check out my crossover event "Auld Lang Syne." Thank you to everyone who helped me achieve the honor of being the favorite author of over 100 readers. And it's so close to 100 followers so it would be lovely to see that tip over the 100 mark by next Saturday. On with the show…
Chapter 8: History Never Ends
On Monday morning Caroline walked over to Hayley's bed and laid down beside her roommate. "Hayley, come on. Please, get up. We have to get to class." Tugging at the covers on top of the other girl's head, she heard a whimpering sound and felt movement shuffling beside her.
"Go away, Care," Hayley moaned as Caroline threw an arm and a leg over her friend.
"Get up!" Caroline yelled into Hayley's ear causing Hayley to sit bolt upright in the bed.
"Caroline, get off me and my bed. Or I will put your unseeing butt on the floor," Hayley warned.
"I have surgery tomorrow and I don't want to be alone today," Caroline moaned.
"Then go hump your boyfriend and get out of my bed," Hayley snapped back, jerking her comforter over her head.
Caroline sighed. She really didn't want to have to do this. But drastic measures call for drastic actions. Walking over to the bathroom, she poured a glass of cold water and then walked into the room noiselessly. Stepping toward Hayley's bed, she tried again, "Hayley."
"No!" Hayley snapped and rolled over.
Caroline groaned and then dumped the glass over where she hoped Hayley's head was. "Are you crazy?" Hayley screamed, jumping out of the bed and Caroline felt satisfied.
"Are you going to class?" Caroline snapped at her.
"You did that just so I would go to class?" Hayley screamed.
"Hey, ladies, what's with all the yelling?" Damon asked as he stepped through their door like he lived there, too.
"She threw cold water on me," Hayley yelled.
"Because you refuse to go to class because Elijah knows you have a crush on him." Caroline replied. "Hayley, you can't avoid him forever. You can quit the class but he's Rebekah's brother. Do you think he's going to never come over to see her? Or that if you go to Kol and Klaus' that you'll never see him?"
"I wish I were blind," Hayley retorted.
"No, you don't," Caroline yelled at her. "You know if you want to act like a child you can just crawl back under your covers and hide from the world. I'm going to class now." Whirling around, Caroline started to leave, feeling furious.
"Caroline, wait. I'm sorry." Hayley yelled. "I'll go to class. Okay?"
Smiling, Caroline turned to face Hayley. "Good. Hurry up. I'm tired of being late to classes and I don't know if Damon is in my underwear drawer."
"He is," Hayley told her.
"Snitch," Damon snapped.
"Pig," Hayley snapped back.
"Oh, whatever. Stefan has better comebacks," Damon told Hayley as the bathroom door closed. "Speaking of Mr. Broody Pants. I hear you and he have not been hanging out too much lately. What's the deal, Blondie? He misses you. He won't stop going around his room checking his answering machine and writing his diary 'Dear Diary, Caroline has not talked to me in one hundred hours, thirty-six minutes and seven seconds. I miss her sooo much. My tears are making the ink run. This pillow smells like peppermint which reminds me of her. I am going to lick my pillow now. Dear Diary, It has been 100 hours, thirty-eight minutes and seven seconds since Caroline spoke to me. I licked my pillow. It tasted like feathers. Caroline's hair is light like a feather. I think I'll write a poem dedicated to Caroline's hair. It will be called 'Ode to Caroline's Hair.' Maybe if I change my own hair she'll like me. I should get it curled. Klaus has curly hair."
"Damon, come on," Caroline yelled as Hayley came out of the bathroom.
"What did he do that was creepy this time?" Hayley questioned Caroline sounding suspicious.
"I didn't do anything, "Drama Queen in the Making". You girls are just a pain. I'm going back to my comfy bed with my comfy girl. Bye," Damon called.
"Screw you, Salvatore," Hayley yelled.
"In your dreams, Marshall," Damon called through the door.
"Ugh, where did you find him anyway? Was he sitting by the side of the road and you thought he had been abandoned? Then you found out why. But it was too late to take him back because you were afraid you would be accused of animal cruelty." Hayley muttered as they left for class.
"No, actually I was hit by a car and he found me. Guess I was bleeding to death and he took me to the hospital." Caroline told Hayley seriously.
"Really?" Hayley asked.
Caroline began to laugh. "NO! We met about a month after I met his brother, Stefan. Stefan was the new kid in town and he didn't really know anyone. I used to sit alone at lunch and he just came over and sat one day and started talking. Then I came over to his house to see him, that was the one month later, and Damon was there. He started in with his usual snarkiness. Then he noticed that I was blind and started to act weird until I told him that I preferred him as a jackass."
"Huh, well, that sounds more like Damon than his saving someone's life," Hayley mused.
Caroline had a question for Hayley. "So, is it close to that time of the month?"
"What?" Hayley exclaimed. "Gee, Caroline I'm not sure where that's coming from. Do you need a tampon or something?"
"Not that time of the month," Caroline whispered. "You know the other one. Where you get down on all fours and howl at the moon."
"How do you know I don't do that for other reasons?" Hayley teased.
Running into Hayley with her shoulder slightly, Caroline began to laugh, "I'm sure you do do that for other reasons. But, seriously, Hayley, I want to know. I want to help if I can."
Sighing, Hayley pulled the door to the building open. "We can talk about it after class." Swinging the door open to their classroom, Hayley led Caroline over to their seats and sat down. Caroline heard the shuffling of papers at the front of the room while Hayley was taking a long time to pull her textbook out.
"Did you get lost in there?" Caroline whispered when Hayley sat back in her seat.
"Huh?" Hayley whispered back.
"I was wondering if you got lost or if you're avoiding Elijah?" Caroline whispered back.
Hayley groaned, "I'm not avoiding him. I'm just not talking to him."
"You have to at some point," Caroline argued.
"No. No, I don't," Hayley snapped. "Would you like me to sit somewhere else?"
"No," Caroline retorted.
"Good morning, class. How are you all today? It's a bright and shiny Monday morning and it is time to discuss the turn of the century. Can anyone name any major events that occurred during the year 1900?"
"The Russian Revolution," someone shouted.
"Pearl Harbor," another student yelled.
"World War I," another called.
"The Olympics," another yelled.
"Vietman," another called out.
"Haight-Ashberry," someone shouted.
"The birth of Katy Perry."
"Women gained the right to vote."
"Movies."
"Virginia Woolf killed herself."
"Okay. Okay. Yes, those events transpired during the 20th century. However, I was looking more for specific events during the year 1900. Do any of you know of any events that happened during that one year?" Elijah questioned the class to utter silence.
Caroline leaned down in her seat and dropped her pencil. Reaching down to grab it, she jerked Hayley down with her. "The Boxer Rebellion," Caroline whispered.
"What?" Hayley replied as Caroline moved back to sit in her seat.
"I can't believe you knew the answer and didn't tell him!" Caroline stage whispered to gain Elijah's attention.
"Excuse me, is there a problem Miss Forbes?" Elijah inquired.
"Other than the fact that Hayley totally knew one of the answers and is holding out on you," Caroline told him with a loud sigh and then looked at Hayley.
"I… uh… The Boxer Rebellion?" Hayley called out and Caroline heard her roommate's breathing quicken.
"Yes, Hay- Miss Marshall. The Boxer Rebellion is a major event that took place during the year 1900." Caroline tuned Elijah out as he began to explain what had happened when the peoples of China had thrown anyone who was not born in the country out leading to the end of imperial rule in China.
"How did you know that?" Hayley whispered to Caroline when Elijah was busy talking to someone on the other side of the room.
"I was one of those students in high school who did extracurricular assignments so I could get scholarship money for college. One of the assignments was to write a paper on a non-American historical event and I picked The Boxer Rebellion," Caroline informed Hayley as Elijah concluded his lecture.
"Miss Marshall, may I speak with you for a moment?" Elijah called to Hayley.
"Ummm… okay." Hayley got up and headed toward the front of the classroom and Caroline decided to stay in her seat until the room had emptied out. She heard Elijah asking Hayley if she would be interested in a part time job because he currently needed a research assistant. Now, Hayley was asking if the university even had money for TAs to have assistants and Elijah reassuring her that it would be his money that would pay her salary.
As the last of the students left, Caroline heard Hayley asking if it was appropriate given the fact that Elijah knew how she felt about him. Elijah was telling her that it would be a way for them to spend time together that was productive on both their parts in a professional sense of the manner. If they both felt there was more to be explored after the term ended then they would have had the opportunity to get to know each other without the discomfort of first impressions and all that.
"That sounds like a deal, Mr. Mikaelson," Hayley told him before coming over to collect Caroline. "Oh, my God. This is so great. I love you, Care. I owe you like a box of chocolates or something."
Getting up from her seat, Caroline smiled widely as they left the room to hurry to Biology. She really needed make it a point to be on time to one of her classes next week. "Hayley. Caroline." Elena shouted to them from a different side of the room this time. "We're over here."
"Did you get rid of Damon?" Caroline asked only to have someone grab her leg and she fell into his lap.
"Guess again, Blondie," Damon replied as he picked her up and sat her in the seat beside him.
"I hate you," Caroline snapped.
"No, you don't," Elena said from behind her, placing a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "I think you kind of love each other. Just keep it platonic or I will be dissecting Damon for chem lab."
"Ha ha, my girlfriend, "The Soon to be Dr. Gilbert," Damon said and Caroline heard them kissing.
"Ew," Caroline muttered before she heard a beep beside her. "Hayley, what are you doing?"
"I just got a text from Elijah," Hayley replied.
"You gave him your number?" Rebekah asked from in front of them.
"Tart, Kol muttered and there was the sound of someone being smacked.
"Ow," Kol whined. "Hayley, you are a-"
"Hello, class," Dr. Wes' voice floated through the room and Caroline tuned him out. This was the longest class of her day. She could hear Hayley texting about ten times during the lecture.
"Oh, Elijah is so sweet," Hayley whispered to her.
"Uh huh," Caroline replied.
"Would you stop having inappropriate fantasies about my brother during class?" Kol muttered to Hayley.
"Which brother?" Damon asked under his breath.
"Shut up, Damon," Bonnie whispered.
"Yes, Damon, please, shut up," Stefan muttered from Damon's other side.
"Stefan?" Caroline gasped. She had forgotten he was in this class.
"Yeah," Stefan said quietly.
"Damon, move over. I need to talk to Stefan," Caroline whispered.
"No," Damon snapped. "Just act like you're going to get a snack and leave."
Sighing, Caroline got up and felt Stefan take her hand to lead her out of the room. "I'm coming, too," Hayley whispered.
"So, am I," Elena whispered.
"Why don't we all just leave?" Damon snapped and they all got up and left during the middle of the lecture. "Lunch?"
They headed off to get some sandwiches and sit out on the quad to eat them. "Elijah?" Hayley called and Caroline tried to repress a grin.
"Hayley? What a coincidence meeting you out here at this time. Don't you have class?" Elijah asked her, sounding vaguely amused.
"Class is lame," Damon told him. "Damon Salvatore. You must be the Mikaelson brother we haven't met yet."
"Yes, I do believe I am," Elijah replied with a chuckle. "Are all of you cutting class?"
"Yes," Tyler told him. "We wouldn't but that guy has a stick up his ass or something."
"Tyler," Rebekah snapped and there was the sound of smacking. Then more smacking. And then the sound of Rebekah giggling. "Tyler, stop that."
"What am I missing?" Caroline asked anyone who was listening.
"Rebekah smacked Tyler and he started tickling her. I think they're kind of flirting." Stefan whispered.
"Oh," Caroline replied.
"Hello, people. It's one of my favorite students and the one that would be if she would just give in and take my class. Elijah, how are you today?" Marcel greeted the group. "Caroline, where is your other half, honey?"
"He's off somewhere," Caroline told him.
"And you have surgery tomorrow? That is what you told me, right?" Marcel asked.
"Yes," Caroline replied. "At 9 am."
"Right, you go ahead and tell Klaus if he wants to take tomorrow off to be by your side while you're adjusting to go ahead and take it. But don't take advantage. 'Kay?" Marcel told her and Caroline grinned.
"Thank you so much, Marcel, I would hug you if I could see you," Caroline told him happily.
"Hopefully you will soon," Marcel told her and then she heard him stride off.
"Caroline, what did you want to talk to me about?" Stefan asked after they sat down.
"I just wanted to make sure that we're okay. I mean everyone has been saying these things… and I don't know what to think." Caroline moaned quietly.
"About?" Stefan asked.
"About you… About you liking me as more than a friend…" Caroline told him feeling awkward.
Stefan was quiet for a moment and then he whispered to her. "Caroline, they're wrong. I had a thing for Elena. But I didn't want to upset Damon because we've been through enough. So… I got over it."
"Oh, Stefan. It must suck seeing her with someone else," Caroline told him placing a hand over his.
"You have no idea," Stefan muttered sounding angry for a moment. "Especially when you know he's just going to hurt her in the end but you have to sit back and watch. And you know she'll be coming to cry on your shoulder… again…"
"LIAR," Damon yelled.
"What?" Caroline's head turned in the direction of Damon's yelling.
"I did not take you underwear!" Damon yelled at Rebekah.
"Then how did they end up on the bulletin board of the student bloody union, you stupid wanker!" Rebekah yelled at him.
"Now, Rebekah you live in a dormitory and there must have been other people who come in and out of your room. Besides how do you know they were yours?" Elijah murmured.
"Because they say property of Rebekah Mikaelson," Elena pointed out.
"Oh," Elijah seemed to not know what to say in response to that. "But you took them down, yes?"
"Yes," Rebekah told him quietly.
"And what time was that?" Elijah asked.
"I went to the union to get a cup of coffee before going to the library and it was six am," Rebekah told him.
"Therefore it was quite early and more than likely people were not up and certainly did not approach the underwear to look for a name written in them." Elijah reasoned with his sister.
"But you don't know when they put them up in the first place," Rebekah argued with him.
"What is this about your panties on a billboard or some such nonsense?" Klaus asked. Caroline felt his arms and legs wrap around her from behind. "Hello, love."
"Hello, lover," Caroline replied and she thought she heard Stefan growl slightly.
"Something wrong, mate?" Klaus questioned Stefan.
"Nope," Stefan replied. "I've got to go. I'll see you all later."
"Stefan," Damon called.
"Wait up," Elena shouted and Caroline heard the three wander off.
"Your mates are a bit off," Klaus whispered into Caroline's ear.
"Yeah. Sometimes they are," Caroline whispered back, leaning into him.
"Are you looking forward to seeing them for the first time soon?" Klaus whispered.
"Yes. And no," Caroline told him. "I don't know. I'm scared."
"Don't worry. I'll protect you," Klaus told her and then chuckled.
"I'm sure you'll try," Caroline whispered, closing her eyes and enjoying the time with her friends. Right now, she was just going to enjoy the sunshine and the warmth of Klaus' body encircling her own.
Happiness = reviews.
I'm really happy that people are still enjoying the story. It means a lot since I wrote in kind of rush over a period of two or three weeks. The plan is to finish the story over the summer so that you will continue to receive weekly updates until it's complete. Oh, and I hope your looking forward to next week's episode because Caroline's surgery finally happens. I'm not really good with medical writing (I will never be able to write ER or Grey's) so I hope you like the chapter.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing: maytaesalvatore, ilreid, Guest, WeasleysGroupie, Redbudrose, Aiah, MissDK, AurorMartinez23, lanibapt (for FIVE reviews) and Hello Beauti.
Peace,
LL