Hello, my lovely readers. I know. I said that I would try to update this story—weekly—and failed. It is one of favs and I do intend on finishing it, hopefully, sometime early next year. On with the show…
Chapter 39: Moment of Truth
Texting. Her life had becoming a world of texting. Message after message to her friends. Hayley and Rebekah had frozen her out. Klaus wanted nothing to do with her. Elijah and Kol were not speaking to her. Even Esther and Mikael ignored her; after she found their cell numbers. Bonnie was taking the Mikaelsons' side because of Kol. Damon and Elena were on an out-of-state trip—something to do with Stefan—who she also hadn't spoken to in long time.
"Good morning, Gorgeous," Enzo called and Caroline groaned. She sat up on the couch that Enzo let her crash on that night. He'd found a little apartment close to campus so he could monitor Dr. Wes' activities. Caroline knew he was planning an elaborate revenge plot but she had too much to deal with to try to stop him—for his sake more than Wes.' Wes needed to die. Painfully.
"Hey," Caroline said, running a hand through her hair which had seen better days. "Coffee?"
"Of course. And pastry. Only the best for my best gal pal," Enzo winked, offering a steaming cup of mocha something with a cheesy pastry.
"You treat me so well. I think I'm going to enjoy staying hers," Caroline said before sinking her teeth into her breakfast. "Oh, that is too good."
"It is, isn't it?" Enzo pulled out his own pastry, taking a seat across from her. "How are things on the turning-old-friends-gone-enemies-back-into-friends campaign going?" he inquired, licking his thumb. "Not that I'm not enjoying your company. I do so love having you around. But, you see, birds tend to get squeamish when they find other birds at a bloke's flat…"
"So I'm preventing you from hooking up?" Caroline asked him, her eyes wide while she stuffed food into her mouth.
"Yes, love," Enzo nodded slowly with a guilty look. She didn't think that Enzo did guilty but it was nice to know he did, if only for her.
"Okay," Caroline dusted off her hands. "I will get out of your hair." Grabbing her coffee, she got up and moved to gather her things into her bag. Most of her things were still at the dorm room. She'd left them there hoping that she'd have a room to return to and that Rebekah would not make a bonfire with her stuff.
Enzo got up. "Caroline, I think it would be best if you talked with your mates. No more of this texting nonsense. What is wrong with this era—is all the bloody technology. It's better to have a chat with a person when you're in their bloody face."
Caroline could feel his eyes on her while she shoved her feet into her shoes. "Yeah. Right. Of course. Later." Pushing her bag over her shoulder; she stood up. "Thanks for the place to crash. I'll see you."
"Caroline," Enzo reached out, grabbing her by the arm. "Don't go like that."
"Whatever," Caroline scoffed, forcing a laugh. "I'm good. Okay." Hugging Enzo, she whispered, "Don't kill anyone."
"I won't kill anyone who doesn't deserve to die." Enzo hugged her back and walked her to the door. "You take care of yourself, Caroline."
"I will," Caroline smiled and slipped into the hallway. Her smile slid downward as she shifted her bag, headed downstairs and out of the building. Her destination was unclear. She could go back to the dorms, over to Klaus,' the Salvatores' or to the Mikaelsons' home. Enzo was right. She had to confront her friends.
Pulling out her phone, Caroline texted Hayley and Rebekah again. "Past mistakes are always a bitch to fix. Meet me at home," she typed and then shoved her phone into her back pocket.
No matter how much her friends might hate her right now; they had to deal with the prophecy before time ran out. This meant they had to be on speaking terms to fight their mysterious foe. Caroline just wished that he hadn't changed his appearance time after time. She remembered a few of his past incarnations. He changed each time. Never looking the same twice. How was it possible that he could change, but, she, Hayley, Rebekah and Damon stayed the same?
Another mystery to solve. Heading toward campus, she felt startled when someone caught her by the arm. "Caroline? Hey!"
"Stefan?" Caroline gasped, turning and throwing her arms around him. Things between them would always be complicated but he was still her friend and she missed him. "I thought you were out-of-town, with Damon and Elena?" she said, tucking a curl behind her ear.
Stefan rocked back on his heels. "We just got back. Took a little trip to a retreat in California to meditate and learn to deal with what happened in that lab. How's Enzo doing? He was there longer than me." Stefan's eyebrows furrowed and Caroline missed his caring about people.
"He's…getting better. I was staying with him for a couple of days," Caroline told Stefan with a grin.
Nodding, Stefan smiled down at her. "Did you want to get a cup of coffee? Catch up?" His eyes were hopeful and Caroline felt bad.
"I would love to but I have to meet up with Hayley and Bekah. We're going through some stuff. Sorry about being cryptic." Caroline glanced in the direction of her dorm building. "Rain check?" she asked.
"Of course," Stefan replied, he hugged her again and then walked off.
Caroline felt just a little bit better on her way to the dorm—until she got there to find an angry wolf and an angrier, tri-brid on her hands. "Hi," she said, closing the door behind her.
"This had better be good," Rebekah snarled.
"It is," Caroline began when a knock at the door sounded. Hayley got up, walking around Caroline, not bothering to look at her and opened the door. Elijah, Kol, Klaus, Marcel, Damon, Elena and Bonnie came into the room. "What are they doing here?" Caroline demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "This is supposed to be a meeting between the three of us."
"That's been the problem," Klaus snapped, glaring at her. "For so long you've been our leader and you have failed in your duties thus far."
"Are you kidding me?" Caroline hissed. "I kept you alive! I gave you what you wanted: you wanted to be a hybrid and you are one! Everything I've done, I've done in the name of our family!"
Rebekah scoffed. "When you killed me, was that in the name of this family?" she demanded, her eyes burning into Caroline's.
"Yes. You're going to thank me for that." Caroline crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why would she thank you for making her into a monster?" Hayley yelled. "Why would you think she wanted to be like you?"
"You know, Hayley, I have had enough of you acting like this!" Caroline lost her temper; her voice rising. "Like, when push comes to shove, it's you and Rebekah, and I'm the freakin' villain!"
"It was me and Rebekah!" Hayley shot back, coming to stand in front of Caroline. "You ran away! Remember! You frickin' ran away! And then you came back and everything was supposed to just go back to normal, like when you left it didn't leave this gigantic hole it our lives! You were my best friend, Caroline! You and Rebekah! And then you just up and left us! And then Rebekah got hurt and I got knocked up and you were supposed to be here! And now you frickin' turned Bekah into a frinkin' bloodsucker!"
"Hey, enough with the vamp-bashing!" Damon shouted, coming to rest a hand on Hayley's shoulder.
Caroline felt an irresistible desire to be vicious wash over her. "Yeah, Hales, listen to your other boyfriend!"
"What?' Elena cried, her face draining of color.
Caroline smirked. "You want the truth! Here's the truth! Rebekah, Hayley and I are freakin' reincarnations! We live, we die, we repeat. And Damon, he was supposed to protect us, Hayley, not me. I wasn't chosen for that duty. He failed in his duty, time, and time again. And I'm guessing it's because time, and time again, you couldn't keep your freakin' legs shut to him!"
"Damon, what is she talking about?" Elena whispered, hugging herself, tears filling her eyes.
Elijah walked to Hayley. "Hayley, is this true?" he looked shocked and angry, his gaze moving to Damon who had backed off.
"Yeah, it's true," Hayley choked out. "I didn't know before the trip to Portland. I'm sorry, Elijah, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was trying to figure out how…but I couldn't handle it, so I kept it to myself until I could understand what it meant."
"You didn't trust me to understand?" Elijah stared at Hayley whose shoulders shook as she sobbed. "I need to go."
"Elijah, don't leave, please!" Hayley cried but Elijah opened the door and kept going.
Moving in front of the door, Caroline looked around at the others. "Anybody else feeling the need to flee?" Elena nodded and left the room. "Anybody else?"
Klaus just glared at her. "Do you have a lover from the past, too, Caroline?" he asked her, his words slamming into her. "Someone to ride in one on a white horse to save you from yourself?" Turning around, he punched the wall behind him, and Bonnie jumped, looking warily at Klaus.
"Some of us aren't vampires, or have super healing, so can we keep the violence to a minimum?" Bonnie snapped at Klaus.
Kol looked around him. "What do you mean you're bloody reincarnations? Am I one, too?"
"No. Not that we know, anyway," Caroline told him.
Kol rolled his eyes. "Of course, because I never get to be part of something that interesting."
"Shut up, Kol!" Rebekah snapped. "You have no idea what this means for us." She glowered at Kol who shrugged, looking under Hayley's bed and finding a box of Lucky Charms. Taking a seat on Hayley's bed; he began to eat. When everyone stared at him; he opened his mouth, "What?" he demanded.
Marcel focused on Rebekah. "Bekah, tell me what is going on?" he pleaded, taking her hands in his.
Rebekah swallowed heavily. "It appears that we are cursed, Marcel, to be born over and over again. To be stalked by a mad man who wants our children, to break some curse that was placed upon him… And it's happening again. He's here and he'd coming for Hayley's baby."
"You said our children," Marcel replied. "As in more than one."
"Yes, he comes for all three of the children," Caroline stated.
Klaus looked at her. "It looks like he chose the wrong time to come back since vampires can't reproduce and four of us are now vampires." He looked at Rebekah, Marcel and then stopped on Caroline.
Looking back at Klaus, Caroline sucked in a deep breath. "And that's the other thing we need to talk about…" Her heart began to race in her chest while Klaus stood; staring at her for a long time. "I'm pregnant," she told him.
For a long moment, Klaus stood, staring at Caroline and she felt dizzy, placing her hand on the wall behind her. Then his arms were around her; holding her up. "It's mine?" he asked her.
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "No, it's Peter Parker's. Seriously, Klaus? What the hell?" she groaned, shoving him away.
"I wanted to be certain before I became excited about the news," Klaus grumbled, drawing her back into his embrace.
"Oh, so, since she's going to be a mummy you're going to forgive her for killing me?" Rebekah yelled, glaring at Klaus, folding her arms over her chest.
Klaus looked back at his sister. "Bekah, this is my child."
"I bloody well know that," Rebekah snapped. "That doesn't mean you should bloody well become all warm and fuzzy with my murderer."
Caroline pulled away from Klaus. "Rebekah, don't you get it. You're all three! You're the one who's going to save us this time!" she said, coming to stand in front of Rebekah and placing her hands on her shoulders. "This time, we're going to do things differently and we're going to win. And you're right. I'm not our leader. You are!"
Rebekah's blue eyes widened. "Me?" she looked confused. "How?"
"You're the vampire, the wolf and the witch," Hayley added. "It changes each time. Caroline's right. It's you this time. You're our leader."
Rebekah again looked surprised, her eyes widening as she took in their words. "But I'm the youngest of my family. I'm always the one who everyone is looking after. How can I lead?" she looked at Klaus.
"You've been trying to since you were born, sister," Klaus said, coming over and wrapping his arms around her. "It is your time."
Tears ran down Rebekah's cheeks. "What if I get us all killed?" she asked, looking at Caroline and Hayley. "What if I am dreadful at it? I must have led before and it did not turn out in our favor; now did it? We keep coming back."
"Rebekah, you're a great leader," Damon told her, coming over and patting her on the shoulder. "I mean Hayley's usually the bravest of you. She goes into battle like a warrior, fighting with her last breath. Caroline is our strongest leader. Her fighting skills are second only to mine. But you, you're the heart of our group. Your love keeps us motivated, reminds us of who we care about and what we're fighting for, not against. Each time, you've brought us closer to winning. This guy, whoever he is, he doesn't understand love, loyalty, friendship, the ties of family or love. We can always use that against him."
Sucking in a deep breath, Rebekah calmed down. "Right then. Thank you for the pep talk, Damon, I didn't know you had it in you."
Damon chuckled. "I don't really. I just listen to the crap that Stefan spits at people and recycle it."
Caroline laughed and Damon smirked at her. "I guess this means we're okay. Sort of." She looked around at what remained of her group of friends.
"Sort of," Hayley added.
"If you all don't mind, I'd like a moment alone with Caroline," Klaus announced, his gaze moving from to his family and friends; settling on Caroline.
"We're going," Marcel said, taking Rebekah's hand. "You and I, we've got a lot to catch up on, Bekah." He led his girlfriend out of the dorm room.
Hayley snatched the box of Lucky Charms away from Kol. "I was eating those!" Kol complained, following the wolf.
"I need them more," Hayley snapped, glaring at Kol.
Bonnie stopped at the door. "Talk later?" she asked Caroline.
"Sure. Thanks for coming," Caroline called back. Although she hadn't invited Bonnie to come, she was willing to admit that it was nice to have someone who wasn't accusing her of screwing up their life in the room.
When they were alone, Klaus took Caroline's hand, leading her to her bed. Sitting down, he pulled her down beside him. "You're having my child?" he asked. He reached over, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for her stomach. Caroline grinned. Seeing Klaus feel this nervous endeared him more to her.
"Yeah. I know we didn't plan this. It just kind of happened and you're probably still pissed at me for what I did to Bekah and we're still in college and I'm not sure we're ready for this kind of responsibility and our lives are a total mess and –" Caroline stopped talking when Klaus crushed his lips to hers.
Caroline slid her arms around Klaus, neck, pulling him on top of her. It felt like a century since they had been together. Clothes fell to the floor and Caroline gasped when Klaus' lips moved down her neck, over her breasts, down her stomach and over her legs before he moved so they were facing each other and they began to move together like they did this every day. "Klaus," Caroline began when he kissed her again.
"Don't. Don't talk," Klaus muttered and Caroline nodded, absorbing the feel of him, their bodies so close, limbs intertwined, moving slowly but gaining speed. Her head fell backward as he pulled her upward, pressing her back against her headboard. She could feel the wood digging into her back. Her fangs came out and she slid them into his neck.
"Klaus, I love you," Caroline moaned. She couldn't help it as she pulled back to look him in the eye.
"I love you, too," Klaus muttered into her shoulder, driving her further into the wood behind her. "I've always loved you, Caroline. I always will. I'll always find you."
"Huh?" Caroline groaned and Klaus pulled back. Only he wasn't Klaus. Henri stared back at her and Caroline screamed as he held her against the headboard, his lips crushed hers again and she struggled against him but he held onto her. She couldn't get away. "Stop!" she cried. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"
"Caroline!" Klaus shouted and Caroline realized she was straddling him, her hands on his neck, trying to rip his head off. "Caroline, stop!" Klaus choked out. "You fell asleep. You're dreaming, love! Stop! You're going to kill me!"
Falling backward, Caroline grabbed the sheets that lay crumpled beside them. "Oh, God! Oh, Klaus! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I thought you were! Oh, no!" Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at the violent purple marks on Klaus' neck where she'd hurt him.
"Caroline," Klaus reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder and Caroline yanked away from him.
Getting off the bed, Caroline wrapped the sheets around her tightly. "You should go home," she whispered. "It's not safe here, with me," she warned Klaus before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. She turned the knobs on to fill the tub with hot water to cover her choking sobs.
"Caroline, let me in, darling," Klaus' voice called to her through the door. "Please, do not shut me out."
Shaking her head, Caroline stared into the water. "I can't," she told him.
"Caroline, I will break this blasted door down." Sighing, Caroline brushed away her tears and got up on shaking legs. She walked over and opened the door to look up at Klaus. "No one is safe around me," she said quietly. "All I do is get everyone killed."
"Caroline, you can control what you do. And you are not the author of every tragedy we have experienced lately. I killed Elena. I begged you to make me into a hybrid. Marcel was turned by Katherine. Rebekah took a life because she felt it was what she must do in the moment. None of us are without fault. You cannot make yourself into the villain of this piece. I will not allow it. Do you hear me?" Klaus demanded, taking her face between his hands and kissing her.
Caroline pulled Klaus to her, and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Do you want to take a bath with me? I'll try not to drown you," she joked, a tentative smile appearing.
Klaus smirked down at her. "I can think of a few ways to keep you awake," he said, picking her up and causing her to giggle. She had missed this so much. She just hoped that they both made it out of this mess alive and she also had to figure out how to make sure Rebekah got pregnant very, very soon.
Klaus made her forget all of her troubles once they were in the bath tub. Caroline felt pleased that he didn't hate her and that for five seconds they could be a normal couple or as normal as they got to be on an average day.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Answer to guest review:
Guest: Thank you. You are truly lovely. I hope that I will be able to post another update, next week, too, with a fun, light chapter.
Peace,
Jessica