Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter is a bit less fraught with horrific bits but there is still some painful bits. I promise that Ch. 40 will be lighter. On with the show…
Chapter 38: Break Your Heart
Sleep evaded Caroline. She could lie in bed and try to forget these new—or rather—old memories. So many lives. So much pain and death and terror. At three o'clock in the morning, Caroline slid off of the guest bed—in the Parkers' home—and walked out of the room. She didn't go very far because Kai was waiting for her.
"Can't sleep? Huh?" he inquired, eyes twinkling with humor.
Caroline nodded, hugging herself. "No. I can't."
"Come on. I'll make you some hot chocolate and we can talk about how I can solve one of your problems for you," Kai said, turning and heading for the stairs.
Kai seemed kind of weird but Caroline would take weird over homicidal any day. Shivering, she walked past her friends' guest rooms. Rebekah was on the phone with Marcel. Their voices were soft but Caroline's hearing picked up everything they said. "I'm fine. Truly," Rebekah whispered. "Don't fret."
"I'm not. I just wish you'd come by and told me in person before you took off, across the country. I could have come with you," Marcel was saying.
Rebekah sighed. "This is something I had to do on my own. Please, try to understand. I do love you, you know that."
"I know. I'll see you tomorrow," Marcel said and the conversation ended.
Caroline heard Rebekah shift on her bed and thought of inviting her for hot cocoa, with Kai, but thought maybe Rebekah needed to be alone right now.
Passing by Bonnie's room, Caroline did not hear anything. "She's in the library. Studying," Kai informed Caroline, stopping and glancing back at her.
That made sense. The Parker family had a lot of books on the supernatural at their disposal and probably a ton of witchy-related topics for Bonnie to explore. If Caroline didn't make her leave, Bonnie might try to stay there for a month, just to study and work on her powers.
They kept going and Caroline noticed that Damon and Hayley weren't in their rooms. "They're in the dining room. Talking," Kai told Caroline. "They've got some stuff to work through. I'd love to sit in the room and listen but I'm trying to work on 'not using my powers to invade other people's personal lives.' Hell, who am I kidding? I spent three hours sitting there. But they just kept sitting there, not saying much so I got bored and I knew you would be coming out of your room soon and need my help."
"Are you sure you're not psychic?" Caroline asked him as he led her down a hall.
Kai grinned. "Want to see a cool trick?" he asked her and then he grabbed her hand. Caroline frowned but didn't yank her hand away. They walked into the dining room. Damon looked up for a moment. "Did you see that?" he asked.
Hayley glanced up. "You mean the door opening by itself? Yeah. It's probably just Kai wandering around and sticking his nose in other peoples' business." She grumbled, picking up a glass of milk and narrowing her eyes at the space around her. "Hey, Parker, mind your own business!" she yelled.
Kai grinned, pressing his finger to his lips and leading Caroline toward the kitchen. They entered the kitchen while Damon growled. "You better stay out."
"Whew. That was a close one. I thought they might decide to find me and rip me a new one," Kai laughed while pulling down a pair of glasses. "I don't know why they didn't complain the first time I was in there."
"Maybe they were busy dealing with other things," Caroline mumbled, staring at the floor.
Shrugging, Kai poured milk into a pot and turned on the burner beneath it. He pulled out a tin filled with chocolate that Caroline could smell from where she was. "And in honor of your tastes," Kai pulled out a blood bag and poured some blood into the glass. "B positive, right?"
"Yup," Caroline nodded. "Thanks."
Kai grinned. "I try to keep my guests happy. Since I have so few of them."
Caroline nodded. "Don't you get lonely?"
Kai looked thoughtful. "Yeah. Sometimes. But my sis, Liv, comes by to visit once in a while and my other siblings. When they aren't busy with other things."
"You have other siblings?" Caroline asked him, feeling curious. As an only child, she had an obsession with other people's siblings.
"Yes. Lucas and Jo. Jo's my twin and Luke is Liv's. We all used to live in this house, with our dad, but he was bit of tyrant and had slipped off the roof one day. Really horrible tragedy," Kai shook his head slowly while dipping a spoon into Caroline's glass and mixing the milk, chocolate and blood together. "Marshmallows?"
"You don't seem broken up about your father's death," Caroline said, her body tensing while Kai pulled out a bag of marshmallows and popped one in his mouth; chewing slowly.
Titling his head to the side. "I'm not. He wasn't a very good dad to me. Back to you. You have a sire bond problem and I'm going to offer you a solution. And you're not going to like it very much. At all. So, let's take these to go." Kai picked up his mug of hot chocolate and the bag of marshmallows.
"Go where?" Caroline asked, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at Kai.
Grinning, Kai pointed upward. "To the roof. Man, the view from there is phenomenal. You can see the sea from there."
"You mean the roof that you father fell off?" Caroline demanded.
"You fall, you'll live. No worries. Come on." Kai beckoned Caroline out a side door. They walked up a set of stairs that led to the top of the house and to the roof. "My dad used to say I was a freak but then he fell. After that, I became the head of the family because Jo wanted a normal life and mom ran away. Or that's what I told Liv and Luke. They're better off with that fairy tale. Our parents were not very nice people."
Caroline stared at Kai. "And you are?"
Grinning, Kai looked at the sky. "There's got to be a balance, Caroline. You. You're part of that. Your kids. If they ever live through one of your lifetimes—that's their destiny—to keep the balance between good and evil. Me? Whether I'm good or evil, doesn't matter, I am part of the balance. That's my job and will be, 'til I have a kid and they take over."
"Okay," Caroline replied, she took a sip of her hot chocolate and felt herself relaxing. "This is good."
"It's a secret recipe. Good for mothers while they're in the first trimester. Little something special in there to make the baby stronger." Winking at Caroline, Kai took a sip of his drink. "Does nothing for me."
"How did you know?" Caroline asked and then rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
"Back to you and your sire bond problem." Kai began, turning to Caroline with a serious expression. "Remember how I said you wouldn't like it… Well, when I get done talking, please, don't throw me off the roof? It won't kill me but it will hurt me a lot more than it would hurt you."
Narrowing her eyes at Kai, Caroline waited and he told her his thoughts. When he finished, she sipped her drink calmly. His idea was insane and might ruin her relationship with Klaus. He would hate her for it. But if it worked… Finishing her drink, Caroline got up. "Thanks for the drink," she said.
Kai got up to. "I hope it works for you."
Caroline nodded before looking at him, her eyes a deep golden color before she shoved him off the roof top. Kai screamed, and she watched him fall, her head titled to the side. Broken neck. That would hurt to recover from. Dropping off the side of the house, Caroline came to stand beside Kai, who let out a choked breath. "Here," she muttered, biting into her wrist and offering him her blood.
"No. Thanks. I'll recover," Kai mumbled through hissing breathes. "Just get me inside and into bed." Caroline took him up upstairs and said good-bye before she packed her bag. She went downstairs, to wait for the others and for the next day to begin.
ABCD
Six hours later, Caroline and her friends were on a plane home. She sat between Bonnie and Damon. Rebekah and Hayley sat in front of them. They were all unusually quiet. Bonnie sat with a book in her lap. Her bag was above their heads—with several books that Kai let her take back to Mystic Falls—to help them.
Caroline could not stop thinking about Kai's idea to break the sire bond and her stomach turned at the thought. It wasn't right. Not that everything she had done in the past two years had been right; but there had to be a line drawn. Something that stopped her from doing whatever she pleased; to whomever she pleased.
Looking between the seats, Caroline saw Hayley's head had fallen onto Rebekah's shoulder. Rebekah did not complain about the possibility of Hayley drooling on her. She continued to sip her glass of champagne and flip through a copy of Vogue.
Sleep pressed down on her and Caroline closed her eyes. Her whole body spasmed as a new memory forced its way into her mind.
"Rebekah? Hayley? Damon?" she called, running down an alleyway. Her skirts were too bulky, preventing her from running too quickly. The people around her spoke French. A man grabbed her wrist. "Madam," he said, pulling her away from a crowd. "Where have you been, darling?" he asked, kissing her before she could answer.
"My friends," Caroline said, between kisses. "I need to find my friends. They're missing."
"Don't worry about them. They are safe," Henri muttered into her ear, pressing his lips against her neck, his hands on her waist. "There is only us. Do not run away, again."
"But I'm married," Caroline whispered back urgently. "Bastion will kill us both," she told him as he took her hand and they ran down the street. "Oh, Henri, we can't," Caroline cried as Henri yanked her into a room and closed the door behind him.
"Oh, but we can. We must. I love you, Caroline. I've waited for you. For so long. You cannot imagine what it is like to like to love someone from afar but to never have them," Henri said, turning her around and yanking at the laces off her dress, until it fell in a heap at her feet. Caroline giggled as he made quick work of her corset, twirling her back around to face him and climbing on top of her. "You were always meant to be mine," he muttered into her ear.
Caroline gasped as Henri moved on top of her, his lips on hers, his body making her body fiery with desire and passion. She loved her husband but he did not make her feel the way that Henri did. No one made Caroline feel as wanted as Henri did. He told her he was her soul mate and she believed him.
Falling asleep, Caroline dreamt of fire and her friends screaming in pain. Henri came toward the building on horseback. "No!" he yelled. "Not again! Caroline!" he screamed. "Caroline! Damn it!"
Then the image melted away. A young man stood before her. Not Bastion. Not Henri. Not any of her former lovers or husbands. "Hello, Caroline," he said with a smirk that made her heart pound.
"Hello," Caroline said nervously. His clothes were strange. His pants made of an odd material and his hair was far too short. Looking down, she found that she, too, was dressed oddly. Her dress was far too short and where were was her corset and gloves? "Where am I?" she asked the stranger.
"I love you. Come home," the man said.
"I will," Caroline promised him.
Waking up, Caroline jerked in Henri's arms. "I have to go," she told him, gathering her clothes and running off.
ACBD
"Caroline, wake up. We're here," Damon's voice woke Caroline, and she moved, straightening up in her seat. "Dreaming again?" he asked her, his eyes burning into her.
"Yes," Caroline admitted. Bonnie got up and pulled her bag down; nearly falling over. Caroline grabbed the bag and nodded at Bonnie. Bonnie began to walk behind Rebekah and Hayley. Damon followed Caroline off the plane.
Once they were done with the security checks, they moved on to meet up with those who'd come to collect them. Klaus stood with a wide smile on his face and Caroline saw a flash of him through the past Caroline's memories. "Klaus!" she cried, running across the lobby, and throwing herself into his arms, kissing him fervently.
Caroline heard Hayley's and Elijah's happy reunion. Followed by a more subdued one between Rebekah and Marcel. Elena had come. Caroline pulled back to watch as Damon strode over and kissed Elena on the lips. She saw Hayley glance at Damon before burying her face in Elijah's neck. Oh, yeah. That would be a problem for another day. Bonnie greeted Kol with a hug and came over to collect her bag from Caroline.
"Did you bring back anvils?" Kol demanded, starting to open the bag when Caroline kicked him. "Ow. What was that for?"
"Just carry it," Bonnie whispered to him. Kol rolled his eyes and shouldered the bag.
As a group, they left the airport but then they split up. Caroline fell asleep again, her head resting on Klaus' shoulder and he stroked her head while she slept, preventing her past memories from resurfacing when she was so close to her future.
Marcel drove them back to the dorms and kissed Rebekah good-bye. Hayley came in after a long time and climbed into bed. Rebekah had climbed into bed with Hayley and was hugging her in her sleep. Klaus curled up with Caroline and they slept peacefully.
ACBD
When Caroline woke up again, she felt rested and calm; ready to face what she had to do. The task that Kai had given her. The one that she dreaded with her whole being.
Getting up, Caroline walked over to the closet and pulled out a dress. "Hey, guys!" she called. When no one woke up, she let out a howl and three pairs of heads whipped in her direction. "Thank you. Now, I thought that since we're all feeling kind of crappy, we should go out tonight and party."
"I can't," Hayley said, pointing at her bump.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline shook her head. "Just because you can't drink, doesn't mean you can't dance or have fun. You're a werewolf, you're pretty much indestructible," Caroline pointed out. "But if you don't want to…"
"Hell, yes, I want to," Hayley said, getting up, she walked over to the closet. "But I don't really have anything to wear."
"We'll get you something on the way," Rebekah said. Nothing would stop Rebekah from a good shopping trip. And she loved the challenge of finding something new.
Caroline and Rebekah dressed. Klaus told them he'd drop by his place and meet them wherever they ended up at. Rebekah looked up shops with maternity wear, grimacing until she found something that might work. They left the building, got into Rebekah's car and took off.
Within ten minutes, Rebekah made a salesgirl cry. "Does she look like a kindergarten teacher to you? Make her look hot!" she yelled and the girl scurried off before coming back with a red dress. "See, I knew you could do it."
Hayley looked at the dress. "Red? Really? On a pregnant woman?"
"Oh, come on, no one's going to care about the baby bump. All they'll see is a curvy girl with super long legs and lots of cleavage," Rebekah admonished, eyeing a pair of heels.
"Whatever," Hayley said, tugging at the hem off the dress.
Caroline shook her head. The sooner they left and got to the club, the better. The three left the shop and then headed to a club that Caroline had picked. Rebekah had texted Marcel because they hadn't had a date night in forever. Klaus was on his way. Hayley decided that she wanted to put off being on a date with Elijah for another night.
"Why?" Rebekah asked, glancing at Hayley in the backseat.
Hayley looked out the window to her left. "I can't talk to him. Not yet."
"Why ever not?" Rebekah replied, her eyebrows rising.
"Because I don't know how to tell him about my past," Hayley snapped. "Would you just back the hell off?"
Rebekah shook her head and pulled into the parking lot of the club. The three friends got out and walked up to the line. It took far too long to get inside and the bouncer had eyed Hayley's bump suspiciously. "Shouldn't you be at home knitting or something?"
"What kind of Neanderthal crap is that?" Rebekah demanded. "I would like to speak to your supervisor."
"It's okay, Bekah," Hayley said. "I'll go home."
"No, wait!" Caroline leaned closer to the man. "It's a practical joke on her boyfriend. She's got an inflatable beach ball under there. Understand?" she asked, watching his eyes dilate. Smiling, Caroline waited.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Please, go in!" the bouncer let them in and Caroline grinned at her friends.
Stepping inside, they were assaulted by loud music and spinning lights. "I'm getting old," Hayley groaned. "This feels like a billion years ago."
Caroline tugged her friends toward the bar. "Virgin margarita for this one," she pointed at Hayley. "I'll have a shot of vodka, same for her," she nudged Rebekah who was looking for Marcel.
"Sure," the bartender said.
Hayley turned her back to the bar while Caroline took her shot glass, pressing it to her closed lips while Rebekah downed hers. "Another?" Caroline asked.
Rebekah nodded. Taking another shot; Rebekah smiled. "Lovely. "Another please. For both of us!" she called to the bartender. Rebekah had knocked back at least ten shots while Caroline watched her. Then Marcel showed up. "Dance with me, lover!" Rebekah cheered, grabbing Marcel by the hand and dragging him onto the dance floor.
"Care to dance with me?" Klaus asked Caroline.
"Any day of the week," Caroline replied, allowing Klaus to lead her away.
Pressing her face into Klaus' neck, Caroline inhaled deeply. She missed this—being with him—letting the whole world melt away until they were the only two people who existed. "I missed you, Caroline."
"I missed you, too," Caroline whispered back. She snuggled into him, feeling loved, protected and hating what she was going to do to him tonight.
After the song ended, Caroline took a step back. "Klaus, I'm going to go get a drink," she told him.
"I'll come with you," he offered, moving to follow her.
"I need to have a talk with the girls," Caroline told him, kissing him on the cheek.
"Right," Klaus looked disappointed.
Caroline walked over to the bar. "Rebekah," she called and Hayley glanced at her, sipping another virgin drink.
Rebekah looked over at Caroline. "What? I'm trying to dance here."
"We need to talk," Caroline told her, watching Rebekah roll her eyes before turning to Marcel. Rebekah kissed her boyfriend in a way she wouldn't kiss him in public most of the time.
"Oh, tongue," Hayley giggled into her drink. Caroline's eyebrow rose. She hoped it was virgin.
Rebekah marched over to Caroline. "What is it? I was having a perfectly good time before you interrupted."
"I need to talk to you," Caroline snapped, her eyes glowing. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Hayley asked, looking at the other two. She slid off her seat and Caroline groaned.
"We are not going anywhere. You are staying here," Caroline said, pushing Hayley back onto her stool. "I need Rebekah for this."
Hayley looked at Rebekah who folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on," she snapped.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "You're drunk and you can't seem to hold your alcohol and I'm being a good friend. Let's go!"
"I'm not that drunk!" Rebekah yelled. "Now, let me go before I give you a blasted migraine," Rebekah snarled, trying to wrench herself away from Caroline.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline reared back and punched Rebekah before grabbing her by the arm, dragging her out of the club. "Caroline, what are you doing?" Hayley protested, hurrying after them. "Caroline, stop!"
Caroline stopped in the parking lot and flashed her fangs at Hayley. "I said you're not invited!" she snarled.
Hayley's jaw dropped and she went back into the club. Caroline closed her eyes. "Rebekah, I'm sorry," she said, before she opened her wrist and then opened Rebekah's lips. "Drink," she hissed, closing her fingers over Rebekah's nostrils. Rebekah swallowed Caroline's blood as Caroline bit into her neck, gulping her blood down.
"What are you doing?" Klaus' voice sounded so loud it hurt her ears. Caroline licked her lips, feeling nervous about her next move. "Caroline, have you lost your bloody mind!" he shouted. "Stop this madness!" he shouted, marching toward her. Marcel came toward them and Caroline sped away with Rebekah still clutched in her arms. They were fast but she would always be a little bit faster.
Caroline stopped running when she was near the campus. Kneeling—she sank her fangs back into her friend's neck—draining her blood completely. She'd tried to make it as painless as possible. Lying Rebekah down; she waited.
Klaus showed up second later. "What have you done?" Klaus screamed, "Rebekah, sister, come back!" he cried, shaking Rebekah. "Why? Why would you do that?"
"To end the sire bond. It was the only way." Caroline's voice sounded emotionless and she felt her heart breaking. "She'll be one of us now. I gave her my blood."
"She did not want this life!" Klaus shouted, tears running down his cheeks as he rocked Rebekah's lifeless body in his arms.
Marcel came, saw Rebekah and attacked Caroline who easily fought him off. "What in the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted. "You turn me into this and now her? Rebekah was your friend. She's Klaus sister!"
Hayley arrived seconds later. "Rebekah?" she breathed, dropping down beside Klaus and Rebekah's body. "Oh, Bekah."
"I'm sorry," Caroline whispered.
"Go!" Hayley snarled. "Just go! You've done enough tonight!"
Caroline had to agree. She hoped they wouldn't hate her forever because they needed each other. They couldn't fight alone.
Thank you for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing.
Guest: Hello, Stef! Thank you for your review of Ch. 7. I love crazy dinners with the Mikaelson and Co. Kol is a bit of an ass, ha-ha, especially in that chapter.
Peace,
Jessica