Hello, my lovely readers. It's been awhile. Thank you, writer's block. Hope this chapter is up to par. On with the show…
Chapter 31: Gone
It had felt like years for Caroline since her roommates had chosen to move out. Rebekah was living in Marcel's house. Hayley had moved in with Elijah who was renting a home with Kol and Klaus. This left Caroline all on her lonesome after Elena and Bonnie had rented an apartment off campus. As much as Caroline had tried to make friends with the new people across the hall from her, there was nothing. Just zero interest on her part.
Sitting down on her bed on a Saturday morning, Caroline flipped through her list of contacts. Her finger hovered over Klaus' name. She needed to see him. She needed to know that he was doing okay without her. Was that too much to ask? Moving to press her finger to the button to begin the call, she was startled when there was a loud knock on her door. Really, it was more like a pounding on the wood.
"Caroline!" Rebekeh hissed through the wood. "Caroline! I know that you are in there. I can bloody well smell you. We need to talk," she continued in a hushed voice. Other than mild interaction during the preparation for Marcel's rendition of Rent, they had rarely spoken unless it was during a class. Rebekah knew how to hold a grudge and apparently she had most of the group's ear on that topic.
Getting up, Caroline walked over to the door. She wondered whether she had done something to piss Rebekah off, again, since this was obviously not a social call. Unlocking and swinging the door open, Caroline folded her arms, waiting for Rebekah to begin speaking when Rebekah shoved her way past Caroline and slammed the door closed. "What is the problem, Rebekah?" Caroline snapped. Just because she missed her friend did not mean she would put up with her crap.
"Hayley is missing!" Rebekah announced with her hands on her hips. If it weren't for the fact that there were mascara tracks on Rebekah's cheeks, Caroline would assume this was a really bad joke.
"Missing? As in not able to be found, missing? Or just took a walk without bothering to inform Elijah while he was reading Don Quixote, missing?" Caroline quipped, trying, desperately to lighten the mood because Rebekah's news had her back stiffening and her fangs trying to descend.
Rebekah scowled at Caroline. "She's been gone since Wednesday. We tried everything we could think of to find her. I bloody well went to my brother's home and took the place apart trying to find a clue of where she would have gotten off to. There is nothing. Not a tiny clue. She's gone. Vanished into thin air and you know how the bloody police feel about me so that is not an option."
"How's Elijah?" Caroline asked, trying to stop her claws from tearing the flesh of her hands.
"How do you think he is?" Rebekah shook her head, sitting down on her old bed. "He's in shock. He keeps saying that she will return to us. That he will use every resource that our family has to find her. He went to Father, but even he has not been able to find a single clue. Father is furious because of the child."
"Oh, God," Caroline gasped, looking at the ceiling. She had forgotten about the baby for a moment. They needed to find Hayley, and now would be good. What if they were after the baby? Why? Caroline had no clue but someone would have to have a use for a baby werewolf from the Mikaelson family. No doubt Mikael had more than a few enemies.
"Who else knows that Hayley is missing?" Caroline questioned Rebekah who was on the edge of tears again but was trying not to show it.
"Nik, Kol, Bonnie because of Kol. Elena because of Bonnie. Damon. Marcel, obviously. Mother," Rebekah listed off after taking a calming breath.
Thinking about it, Caroline paused. "You don't think your parents would have taken Hayley for some kind of weird ritual that they didn't want you to know about or anything like that, would they?"
Frowning, Rebekah shook her head. "Our parents might be odd and possibly evil, however, I would not go that far. No, Mother is devastated. She was looking forward to a new baby in the home since I will not be producing children."
"Why cant's you have kids?" Caroline blurted without fully processing the statement before it came out.
Narrowing her eyes, Rebekah stared back. "Because Marcel was turned into a bloody vampire. And the last time I checked vampires cannot reproduce. Unless in your limited time as the bloody Hybrid who ran off with her tail tucked between her bloody legs, you found out otherwise?"
Sucking in a deep breath, Caroline had no idea what to say. There was nothing that would make Rebekah feel better. She was right. As far as Caroline knew there was no way the girl would ever have her own family, at least not with the man that she loved. "Not as far as I know," she whispered, causing Rebekah to chuckle mirthlessly.
"Yes, that is what I thought," Rebekah sighed. "But this conversation is not why I am here. I am here because we need your help. You are the most powerful being on the planet at this time, yes?" she asked Caroline, her gaze intense.
"I guess. Yeah," Caroline replied. She no longer liked to think in those terms since it had cost her the people that she cared about most.
"Yes, well. I want you to use your influence over whoever you have to, to bring Hayley and that baby home safely. She is my family… As are you… and, when in times of crises, we are united," Rebekah finished with the hint of smile or a smirk on her face.
Caroline felt her own lips twitching upward but this was not the time to feel warm fuzzies. This was the time to bring the missing wolf in her pack home. Today. "Okay. Let's go," Caroline got to her feet and marched toward the door. "I will make some calls and see if anyone else has seen our girl. The nicest thing about my power is that people tend to do what I say without my having to repeat myself," she muttered while pulling out her cell and making a call.
"Hello? You've reached the most handsome man in the universe's phone. How can I help you?" a voice echoed in her ear.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Damon, get over yourself," she replied.
"Care, long time and no one is supposed to talk to you according to the puppy who tried to inflict me with her bite last week. And the week before that. Oh, and the week before that," Damon continued with a laugh.
"Yeah," Caroline flicked her gaze toward Rebekah who was listening with a smirk. "That must have been fun. Anyway, I was thinking of people who might have taken Hayley and I started thinking about how there is this weird Dr. Wes Maxfield. He's got this thing where he offered me extra credit for some kind of project but at the last minute I told him that something came up because it felt like something was off."
"Okay. And this means you want me to go find out what the good Doc is up to in his lab?" Damon inquired and Caroline could almost hear his grin of delight through the phone.
"Yes. And I am coming with you. Bring Lena," Caroline ordered, hanging up on Damon before he could argue with her. Turning to Rebekah, she bit her bottom lip. "You should try to see if Elijah needs anything," she told her friend who raised her eyebrows.
"So you want me to babysit my distraught brother?" Rebekah snapped as they neared the parking lot.
"I just don't like the idea of your being out when George is still on the loose," Caroline said, placing a hand on Rebekah's arm who flinched.
"Yes, of course. Are there any other leads you plan on following, or is that it?" the Mikaelson sister inquired with a frown.
Shaking her head, Caroline watched Rebekah walk away from her before she touched her phone. "Bonnie, hi. It's Caroline." She waited to see what Bonnie would have to say.
"Hey, Care. I would love to talk but Kol and I were headed out -" Bonnie began when Caroline sighed loudly.
"Sure you are. This will take a minute. Rebekah came to see me and told me about Hayley." Taking a breath, Caroline continued. "I need you to see if you and Kol can do a locator spell on the guy who hurt Rebekah. Do you think you can do that?"
There was silence on Bonnie's end for a moment. "We would need something of his. Do you think that you could find anything that belonged to him? Or… maybe he gave something to Rebekah?"
"You mean other than great trauma?" Kol snapped and Caroline closed her eyes. She should have known that Bonnie would tell Kol what they were talking about. Maybe the witch had the phone on speaker.
"Yes, Kol. I'm sorry. But if we find him we might find Hayley," Caroline told him to which Kol snorted.
"If I find him then I will make sure that he goes back to the bloody grave he crawled out of," Kol snapped.
"Just be careful. And let me know if you need me to try to find something for the spell," Caroline added the last part as she unlocked the door to her car. Driving to the Salvatore Boarding house, Caroline had one more thought. Pulling out her phone, she made a quick call.
"Caroline?" Klaus greeted her and Caroline gripped the steering wheel, denting it. She wanted to see him, to touch him, to never leave his side again. However, she couldn't. She had to let him go for the time being until they could find a way to deal with this sire bond bullshit. It pissed her off horribly.
"Klaus, can you do me a favor?" Caroline whispered into the phone knowing that he would do whatever she asked, no matter what it was. He had no choice.
"Of course, love. What is it that you need from me?" Klaus replied and he sounded so damn happy to hear from her that it was breaking her heart.
Feeling a tear run down her cheek, Caroline wiped it away quickly. "I need you to get Marcel and go back to your family's house. Rebekah said she was sure that they had no involvement in Hayley's disappearance but we can't skip anyone as a suspect… And there might be some kind of clue that no one looked at there."
Klaus was quiet for a moment. "As you wish, Caroline," he replied. "Be safe."
"Yeah, you too. And don't split up. I don't want anyone going off on their own. We don't know why someone took Hayley and anyone of use could be next on their list," Caroline informed Klaus who chuckled. "That's funny," she snapped.
"Thank you for the concern. I'm sure we will be fine. Did you want to meet up later after we're done?" Klaus' voice was so full of hope that it hurt Caroline to deny him.
"No, not tonight. Bye, Klaus." Caroline hurriedly hung up as Damon and Elena exited the house with looks of determination.
"Of to find a wolf girl, we go. High ho, high ho," Damon began to whistle as Caroline got out of her car and rolled her eyes. Holding out her arms, Caroline hugged Damon before slapping him in the back of the head.
"This is not funny, Damon," Caroline snapped, feeling irritated.
"I know. I was just trying to lighten the mood," Damon told her as they approached his car.
"Do you really think that Dr. Wes took Hayley?" Elena asked, her eyes wide. "I heard this rumor that he does experiments. It's all top secret and stuff. I only know 'cause I was talking to one of his TAs who was drunk at this party and -"
"Male or female?" Damon asked, his eyes glowing with jealousy and Caroline rolled her eyes as she climbed in the backseat of the Camaro.
"Male," Elena replied with a sneer she directed at her boyfriend. "As I was saying, he, Jesse, said there was something that Dr. Wes wanted his help with and after that first night in the lab he did not want anything to do with the extra credit projects. Ever again."
"Do you know where this Jesse lives? On campus? Off campus? Maybe he would know more information," Caroline said, popping her head between the front seats before Damon could begin another tirade.
"I have no idea," Elena told her. "But he did give me his phone number."
"And you kept it," Damon shouted from his seat.
"Damn it, Damon. This is important," Caroline snapped, slapping him in the head again because it made her feel better.
"Hit me again and we all end up in a ditch. Got it," Damon warned, staring daggers at Caroline who smiled back but slid into her seat.
"Toss me your phone," Caroline demanded, holding out her hand for Elena's phone. Elena tossed it to her. Caroline looked through the list of contacts before she found the name "Jesse" listed. Hitting a button, she placed the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" Jesse greeted them, sounding confused.
"Hi, Jesse. This is Caroline Forbes. I'm a friend of Elena Gilbert's. She gave me your number because I'm in one of Dr. Wes' classes and I seriously need some help for this big test. Do you think you could help?" Caroline asked the man she had never seen in her entire life.
"Ummm… sure," Jesse replied uncertainly.
"When did you want to meet up?" Jesse asked her.
"Where are you now?" Caroline asked.
"I'm at the library. First floor," he told her.
"Good. See you soon. I'm the hot blonde," Caroline replied quickly and hung up. "Hit the gas, Damon."
Caroline was tapping her feet all the way to Whitmore. The moment that they got to the school, she jumped out Damon's car and jogged on foot to the library with Damon and Elena not far behind. Once she made into the building, she strode over to a "Quiet Area." "Which one is he?" Caroline asked Elena who pointed at a young man who was hunched over a text book.
Nodding, Caroline hurried over and plopped down. Jesse looked up at her and looked surprised that she didn't have a bag or any books. "Ummm…" he began when she leaned forward.
"You want to go with us. Now," Caroline ordered Jesse who got to his feet, stuffing his books in his bag.
"Who's us?" Jesse asked when he noticed Damon and Elena in the doorway. "Where are we going?" he asked Caroline who smiled back.
"We're going to visit your boss," Caroline informed him. Damon threw his arm around Jesse's shoulders while Caroline led them out the front doors. When they were far enough away from the general populace, she turned to Jesse. "Call Wes. Tell him you changed your mind and that you want to help with the experiments. And act like you mean it."
Jesse nodded as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Dr. Wes," he said in a mock cheerful tone.
"Hello, Jesse. Did you get done grading those assignments?" Wes asked and Caroline shivered at the sound of his voice.
"Yes, I did," Jesses answered.
"Good. You'll have to excuse me but I'm a bit busy at the moment," Wes began when Jesse jumped because Damon applied pressure on his neck.
"Actually, Dr. Maxfield, I wanted to tell you that I had a change of heart and wanted to help you with that… extra credit project," he told the Doctor.
"Really? That is great news. I'm happy to hear that. I've been a bit overwhelmed in the lab today and need your help. Could you meet me now?" Wes asked.
"Yes," Jesse replied.
"Good. I'll see you soon," Wes said before hanging up.
"Okay. So, we're headed to the biology building," Caroline started to head in that direction when Jesse called after her.
"That's not where he goes. He goes to the basement of the Medical Center," Jesse told her and Caroline shook her head. It looked like it was a good thing that they had decided to use this guy after all.
Heading in the right direction, Jesse led them to the university's medical center and down the staircase to an area that Caroline had never seen. Grabbing Jesse, she looked into his eyes. "You got tired of studying and went for a walk. Go now," she ordered him.
After the T. A. left, Caroline headed toward the doors of the "lab" followed by Damon and Elena. Entering the room cautiously, Caroline saw Dr. Wes standing over the prone figure of a man with jet black hair. He was covered in blood and looked like he was in in pretty bad shape. "Jesse, you're quicker than I -" Wes began. Turning around, he came face to face with Caroline. "Ah, Miss Forbes. I thought you said you didn't have time for your extra credit."
"I made time," Caroline replied before punching Wes in the face when he reached for a needle containing, who knew what.
"Enzo?" Damon gasped. Caroline ignored Damon because she was determined to kill Wes after she extracted information from him.
"Where is she?" Caroline demanded.
"Who?" Wes asked when Caroline grabbed the needle and held it to his throat.
"You know who I'm talking about," Caroline snarled into Wes' face.
"I've had so many of your kind down here that you'd have to pick a number," Wes laughed, causing Caroline to seethe.
"Care, stop. He's no use to us dead," Elena pointed out and Caroline felt annoyance seeping through her veins.
"Fine, we'll interrogate him," she began when Wes pulled out another needle and stabbed Caroline in the arm with it.
"You'll be doing nothing of the sort if you want the antidote to that," Wes told Caroline as her vision blackened. She heard a crash and a howl of pain form Wes.
"Stop it, Damon. You're killing him!" Elena cried out as Caroline felt the world swimming in front of her eyes.
"Bit of help, gorgeous?" the man who had been lying on the table top asked, Caroline as he slid off the table. Caroline wondered in her muddled state how he had gotten out of his restraints.
"Yeah," Caroline said weakly as he pulled her to her feet.
"It is a horrible thing having no bloody control over your own body," the man was saying as Caroline felt her body spasm.
"WE need to get her out of here," Elena was saying.
"Nice to see you, too, mate," the man muttered at Damon.
"Not now, Enzo," Damon snapped and Caroline tried to focus on what she thought was Damon heaving Wes over his shoulder.
"Seen your brother, lately, Damon?" Enzo inquired.
Damon growled. "Nope.
"I have. In one of the bloody cells down here in this rank excuse for hell," Enzo retorted.
"What about a girl, a werewolf?" Elena questioned him.
"There was one," Enzo told them. "Haven't seen her in weeks. Think she's dead."
Caroline's body slumped in Enzo's arms at the news. They had failed and there would be hell to pay.
Comments? Questions? Thoughts in general?
Thank you for reading, faving, following and for reviewing.
Thank you to mrmr. Jo. 505 and to Lavanya for pointing out that I posted a chapter from another story on here. Oops.
Guest: You're welcome and thank you for reviewing.
Redbudrose: I think that Caroline changes how she behaves to a degree after the sire bond is broken mostly because this is her first relationship and she's still trying to find a groove. So they have a lot of all too human problems to work through along with supernatural ones.
Yes, Caroline is a major control freak and technically she is the leader of this merry little band. Unfortunately, with that position comes taking responsibility for her actions and she's still trying to figure out where to stop herself.
Sorry for the long answer.
Peace,
Jessica