Hello, my lovely readers. Believe it or not, this story will conclude. Hopefully I will find time to finish it up by the end of 2018 or early 2019. Fingers crossed. On with the show…
Chapter 45: Hold My Hand
Screams pierced the cave and Caroline placed her hands over her ears. She closed her eyes. She could almost feel Hayley's pain as the other girl wailed in pain and terror. Placing her forehead against the cool earth floor, Caroline tried to think of how she could help Hayley.
Lifting her head, Caroline called out, "Rebekah!"
"Yes?" Rebekah's reply sounded dull. Caroline heard the sound of a boot hitting a rock wall and a muttered expletive, "Damn," coming from Rebekah's corner of their prison. "What?"
"I need you to do me a favor," Caroline called. She walked over to the invisible barrier, wishing she could see Rebekah's face.
"Sure. Why not," Rebekah's enthusiasm left Caroline with the desire to strangle her. That would have to wait. After a pause, Rebekah added. "Tell me, what can I do?" The ache in her tone reflected Caroline's.
"I need you to project us into Hayley's…room," Caroline groaned at the term. She did not want to say cell. She did not want to think of what it would be like to give birth in a prison. And might have to have her own babies, here. Maybe Rebekah would, too. The idea made her fingers curl and her claws come out. She wanted nothing more than to tear Silas apart. But he wasn't here. She had to focus on a fight they might win.
"Right," Rebekah sounded unsure. "Let's see if I can remember how to do this. And this will not be easy with you outside of my physical space." Caroline waited, she heard what she thought were the sounds of Rebekah sitting down and a low hum coming from her friend. "Are you ready?" Rebekah called.
"Yeah." Caroline nodded, closing her eyes and waited.
"Help me!" Hayley begged and Caroline opened her eyes.
Hayley laid on an old blanket. Gee, Silas couldn't even spring for a couple of pillows. Rolling her eyes, Caroline moved to sit behind Hayley. "Hey. Hey, we're here now." She wrapped her arms around Hayley's waist, rubbing the little bundle of joy who wanted to come out and greet them.
"It's too soon!" Hayley whimpered, her eyes on Rebekah, who took hold of her right hand, squeezing it tightly.
"Now, love, women have been popping little buggers out for centuries. So, this one's a bit early. We'll make sure he knows he's loved and happy." Rebekah nodded at Hayley, her gaze flicking to Caroline who saw the trace of doubt on her friend's face.
"He's going to be so spoiled by everyone. And Elijah is going to be a great dad," Caroline told Hayley, sweeping her friend's hair behind her back and pulling a band off her wrist to tie it with.
"I want Elijah," Hayley moaned. "Please! I want him with me! Oh, God!"
Rebekah frowned. "I'm going to take a quick look to see how things are doing with the newest member of the Mikaelson clan."
Hayley nodded, her head fell back on Caroline's shoulder. Her wide eyes closed and Caroline felt Hayley's body slump the tiniest of bits. "Hey, you can't go to sleep." Caroline whispered, stroking Hayley's arm. "Come on. You've got a baby to meet."
"I'm tired, Care," Hayley said. Opening her eyes, Caroline noted that they looked glossy. "Please…"
"Hayley bloody Marshall. You sit up and you push!" Rebekah demanded, her left hand gripping Hayley's knee, firmly. Her eyes bore into Hayley's and Caroline thought that maybe Rebekah should be a doctor.
Sitting up, Hayley bore down before releasing a long scream. "Owwwwww!"
"Another!" Rebekah shouted. "Your baby is almost here!" Caroline wanted to peek at what was happening. She could smell her friend's blood beginning to coat the blanket they sat on. Hayley's skin turned paler and paler. Her breathing came out in shallow, little gasps and Caroline held onto her.
"You're going to be fine, Hayley. You and the baby," Caroline told Hayley who nodded but she looked anything but fine. Caroline knew her friend was dying. Would die, soon.
"Hayley, open your mind to me," Caroline said quietly, stroking her temples and closing her own eyes as Rebekah continued to order Hayley to push and then to stop as she did something that Caroline no longer wanted to see.
"Okay," Hayley sighed, relaxing under Caroline's fingers.
"Hayley," Elijah's voice made Hayley tremble. "I'm here," he said.
Caroline felt hot tears running down her cheeks. She saw Hayley open her eyes and smile. "Elijah, I knew you would come. You wouldn't leave me, here." Hayley looked around the hospital room. "Where are Caroline and Rebekah?"
"They're in the lobby. Waiting for you get done here. Then they can come and visit you, me and the baby." Elijah pressed a kiss to Hayley's forehead. "My mother's out shopping for some of the most ridiculous baby items."
"I bet," Hayley let out a weak laugh. "Did I have him yet?"
"Oh. Yes," Elijah nodded as a nurse came in with a wriggling bundle in a blanket.
"Can I hold him?" Hayley said, her eyes moving to Elijah who took the baby.
Nodding, Elijah handed the baby over to her and Hayley stared at him. "Hi there," she said, grinning and rocking him back and forth. "Hi… We didn't think of a baby name yet."
"We can think of one later," Elijah told her. "You should rest. You've had a long day." He took the baby and Hayley nodded, closing her eyes.
"Elijah," Hayley called, just as Elijah stood at the door, about to leave the room. "His name is Carl. After Caroline."
Laughing, Caroline hiccupped at the same time that Rebekah let out a sigh of relief. "He's out. My nephew is out. And he's gorgeous, just like his mother." She held up a little baby boy who let out a powerful wail. "And he's a typical Mikaelson man, already demanding his share of the world."
Opening her eyes, Hayley looked dazed before she spotted her baby. Her arms went out and Rebekah forced herself to her feet. She moved with the squirming bundle of arms and legs. Rebekah settled beside Hayley and handed over the baby to his mother. He stopped crying long enough to stare at his mother.
"Hi, Carl," Hayley said with a grin.
"Carl?" Rebekah looked confused. "What kind of bloody name is Carl Mikaelson?"
"She's naming him after me," Caroline said, holding out a hand and Carl grabbed her pinkie, holding on with a strong grip. "We've got a little fighter on our hands."
"After you? I did all the bloody work!" Rebekah complained, their problems of the moment forgotten. "Hayley, darling, you are simply delirious. You need time to think of a proper name for the baby like…John, or David, or Ares?"
"Are you kidding me? John is like the name of way too many guys," Caroline scoffed. "And Ares? Do want him to get his ass kicked, like every single day of his life?" She watched Rebekah glare back at her.
"Why don't you tell me a better one?" Rebekah snapped.
"Alright. How about William? My dad's name is Bill, which is short for William. William Mikaelson is not so bad, right?" Caroline inquired. She shifted her gaze to Hayley whose eyes were turning dull again. "Bekah, take the baby!" she shouted.
Rebekah scooped up Carl, or William, or whatever he would end up being called and held him close. The baby let out a wail, his eyes turning to his mother who slipped in Caroline's arms, her head falling backward. "Hales, don't die on me!" Caroline shouted.
Ripping her wrist open, Caroline shoved it to Hayley's lips. "Drink!" she cried. "Come on, Hales, you just had your baby. This is no time to die on us! William needs you!"
"Hm…" Hayley's eyelids fluttered and she parted her lips. Caroline searched her friend's face and felt relief when Hayley gripped onto her wrist, holding on tight. After a moment, she opened her eyes and stared at Caroline. "Thanks," she said.
"You're welcome," Caroline said.
"You should keep the name for your own baby," Hayley added, sitting up and Rebekah handed over Carl to her.
"What about Erik? It's a good Viking name," Rebekah added, rubbing her own middle.
"Or you could use the name," Hayley pointed out.
Rebekah shook her head. "It's no good. Mine's a girl. And I've had enough out of Marcel. Wanted to name the baby Matilda, of all things." She shook her head. "Thinks she'll end up working in a library with a name like that," she muttered.
"What's wrong with working in a library?" Caroline demanded.
Sighing, Rebekah stood. "I can only keep this spell up just so long. And now that… Oh, don't make me say that blasted name yet…" Trailing off, Rebekah shook her head. "We should return to our own cells. Hayley, if Silas comes, pretend you are still in labor and hide the babe from him."
"Yeah. Because it is so easy to hide a newborn, who wakes up and begins crying from a super old, ancient psychopath." Rolling her eyes, Hayley offered Carl a drink while Caroline looked around the cave for something clean to cover the baby up with.
"Real nice," Caroline said, finding nothing to keep the baby warm with or soft to make him comfortable.
Hayley removed her sweater and wrapped her little man up with it. If she stayed that way, she would risk becoming ill and might make the baby sick. As much as it pained her to do so, Caroline would have to figure out a way to ask Silas for a few things—without making him suspicious.
"We'll be back," Rebekah said, cupping Carl's head and smiling when the baby looked up at her.
Caroline closed her eyes and reopened them to find that she sat, once again, inside her little part of the cave. Now, she had nothing but time to think. Hopefully, Klaus and the others were working on a way to find them and free them. She, Hales and Rebekah would not allow history to repeat itself. This time their kids would live and thrive.
~0~
Much sooner than Caroline would have wanted him to, Silas arrived. She could hear him at the entrance of the cave. Or she thought that it was the entrance. With Silas, you never knew. He could be masking the sounds of his true movements, in case they ever found a way out of here.
Hayley let out a wail. Right on cue, Caroline would have smiled, but she did not know if Silas was in the cave, with her. "Still haven't delivered, have you?" Silas chuckled. "Oh, well. I can be patient," he added. "And how are you, Rebekah?"
"Go to a rotting hell!" Rebekah retorted with venom lacing her tone.
"Good," Silas replied. "I'm happy that you're still enjoying your time here."
Footsteps neared Caroline's part of the cave and he entered through the invisible wall like it did not exist. Caroline wanted to howl in frustration. She wanted to attack him, force him to allow them out of here. But if she failed, they might die in here.
"And how are you, my lovely Caroline?" Silas asked, coming to stand in front of her. He stroked her cheek, his eyes slithering down her body. "How are the babies?" he asked her, placing a hand over her middle. His smile made her temper rise and without a second's thoughts, she lifted her fist and hit him in the nose.
Staggering backwards, Silas cupped his nose which had begun to bleed. Caroline felt the vampire inside her react and she launched herself at him. He fell underneath her weight. Tearing into his neck, Caroline drank from him, feeling his warm blood coat her tongue and run down her throat.
Suddenly Caroline fell back. She crawled away from Silas, her head pounding. He held up a hand, watching her through dark, angry eyes. "Do not do that again, or I will see you in the next life," Silas snapped.
Licking her lips, Caroline forced herself to her feet. "You starved me. I can't help it. I'm hungry. And you know werewolves, we're all temper." She shrugged, waiting to see if he would punish her further.
Pausing, Silas' face remained expressionless and then he let out a laugh while Hayley continued to scream, drowning out the sound of a delicate, muffled crying underneath.
"You're right, Caroline. I need to feed you." Coming over to her, Silas took her hands in his. "Forgive me?"
"Okay." Caroline forced herself to nod.
"Good," Silas brushed his lips against her cheek. "I will return to check on the progress of our little mother-to-be." He moved back toward the wall, his back to it. He did not intend on turning his back on Caroline again.
This was her opportunity. "Silas," Caroline said, moving toward him.
"Yes?" Silas watched warily.
"Bekah and I popped into Hayley's…cell. And she's going to need some things. For a baby, when it comes." Ending her comment with a warm smile, Caroline waited.
Again, Silas paused and Caroline got a sinking feeling. "Like what?"
"Blankets. Maybe something she could bathe him in. Fresh water would be good. And you'll have to feed her, you know, until Bekah and I give birth. You wouldn't want to risk Hayley's baby becoming sick and dying while you wait on us, would you?" Caroline watched Silas' eyes flicker as thoughts raced through his mind. If only she could enter his mind, see what he was thinking. How she might manage that made her want to puke.
"I'll come back with some things before midnight." Silas said.
Caroline nodded and felt relieved when Silas exited the cave. "Rebekah, can you get us back into Hayley's…place."
"It's a bloody cell! You already called it a bloody cell!" Rebekah shouted back.
Gritting her teeth, Caroline found herself back inside Hayley's cell. Rebekah stood, hands on her hips. "Where is the baby?"
Hayley pulled her shirt up to reveal Carl. He had gone to sleep. At least one of them could do that in this hell they were living through.
"Next time, could you ask for provisions for me?" Rebekah snapped, glaring at Caroline who rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry I thought of Hayley and Carl first," Caroline snapped.
"His name is Erik," Rebekah spat back.
"Shouldn't we be trying to figure out how to get out of here, before Silas returns?" Hayley looked from Caroline to Rebekah.
The two blondes glared at each other before Rebekah shrugged. "It would be easier if we could be in physical contact. I could draw from your powers."
"Then we'll work on how to get out of our cells," Caroline said.
"We have until midnight," Hayley said.
"And none of us knows when that is," Rebekah snapped back.
"Yes. We do. We just have to concentrate on the moon," Caroline tapped into her werewolf nature. "We have a few hours to kill. So, let's make it into a challenge. Whichever one of us gets out of their cell first wins… I don't know what, but we'll think of something." Offering her friends a smile, Caroline watched Hayley and Rebekah stare back at her. "Come on? Where is your competitive spirit?"
"Are you sure you were never a cheerleader?" Hayley asked, rocking Carl.
"Nope." Caroline shook her head. "Maybe in another life." Turning to Rebekah, she nodded.
Finding herself back in her own cell, Caroline looked around for something to dig with. Nothing. Makes sense. If she were to trap her enemies in a cave, she would not help them out by giving them tools to escape. "Looks like I'll be doing this the old fashioned way."
"Who are you talking to?" Rebekah demanded.
"No one," Caroline retorted.
"Right," Rebekah groaned. "It would be clever if we had a spoon."
"Like one of those old movies with Charles Bronson?" Hayley added.
"Who?" Rebekah and Caroline called back.
"Never mind," Hayley groaned.
The sounds of digging filled the cave. Caroline had decided to dig close to the invisible wall, but not too close. At one point she broke a nail, her fingers digging into rock and she cursed, pulling out her hand to find it bleeding. Grunting, she balled her fist and punched the rock until it gave way.
"Enough," Rebekah cried. "I need a break."
"Hayley, take a break, too," Caroline called out.
"Already taking one. Carl's hungry, again. And so am I," Hayley sighed. "I wish I had a Big Mac."
"That's disgusting," Rebekah called. "And I wish I had one, as well."
"When we get out of here, we'll stop at the closest McD's. Then we'll let the boy know we're free," Caroline promised her friends. Climbing down into the dirt tunnel she created, Caroline continued to make her way forward. She did not mind the dark, having lived a great part of her life in the darkness. All she had to do was use her hands to find her way. And her instincts.
Caroline debated on whether to dig a hole through to the corridor which Silas used to gain entrance and exit the cave system, or if she should dig her way into Rebekah's or Hayley's cells, first. If she entered the corridors first, she might be able to find a way out of the cave and they could escape. Or she could dig her way into Rebekah's tunnel, help Bekah out. Then the two could help Hayley get the baby out of here. However, if they were stuck in the corridors when Silas returned, and he caught them…
Drowning the thoughts that filled her head, Caroline made her final decision. She clawed at the dirt that surrounded her as quickly as she could. If some part of the structure caved in on her, she might be stuck here when Silas arrived, also an unwanted outcome.
After what felt like a year's worth of digging, Caroline's fingers pushed through dirt and she felt air on her bleeding fingers. She forced her head through the small hole. This must be what it was like for a vamp who was buried. Caroline shuddered at the thought and jerked her upper body through before sitting down and freeing her legs.
"Caroline, are you out of that blasted hole?" Rebekah demanded.
"Yeah," Caroline called back. Getting to her feet, she dusted as much dirt as she could from her clothes. Thankfully she did not have a mirror. She walked over to Rebekah's cell.
"Dear," Rebekah tsked, hands on her hips. "I do hope you have thought of a way out. I do not intend on looking like that." She flicked a finger of Caroline who frowned back at her.
"You look fine, Care," Hayley called, bouncing Carl in her arms. The baby whimpered. "Go! Find a way out of here!"
Nodding, Caroline marched toward the glowing light in the sky. Sundown. They would not have much more time before Silas would return. Placing her hand on the entrance, hoping to be able to pass through it, Caroline cursed when she found that it was spelled, too. "Damn it!"
"He's spelled the entrance, hasn't he?" Rebekah called out.
"Yes," Caroline called back. "I'll have to tunnel our way out like I did from my…cell." Rebekah was right. There was no point in calling it anything else.
"Fine Bloody hell. Work quickly," Rebekah shouted, sounding tense.
"Okay," Caroline nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. Kneeling down, she thought that it would be easier if Rebekah and Hayley were helping her. But if Silas came in and found them gone from their cells, he would be suspicious.
Groaning, Caroline began to dig. She hated to leave her friends above ground. But this might be the only way they got out of here alive. Digging as quickly as she could, Caroline concentrated on the goal of getting to Klaus, of getting Hayley and Carl reunited with Elijah, of Rebekah not trying to kill her if she screwed up.
Caroline found herself deep beneath the earth when she found water at the bottom of her tunnel. She did not fear drowning, or snakes. What she was thinking about was if there might be a body of water close by. Maybe they could swim out of here?
Just as her thoughts moved through scenarios that involved trying to get a newborn baby through a waterway cave tunnel, her hearing alerted her to a problem above ground. "NO!" Hayley shrieked. "Leave him alone! Please! Give him back to me!"
"You have your own problems to deal with," Silas' reply chilled Caroline. "Caroline, sweet girl, you've cost you darling sister much more than I would have taken from you. But, don't worry, I'll be back to collect from you, too."
"Caroline! Caroline, help!" Hayley screamed. She sounded like she was in pain.
Not thinking, Caroline turned in her tunnel and began to climb back upwards. Just as she moved two feet back up, she found the tunnel collapse around her. Muffled sounds from above warned her of what she would find when she arrived. "Hayley?" Rebekah shouted. "Hayley, darling, wake up!" A loud sob came from Rebekah. "Please! Don't leave me here with Care!" The sobs continued as Caroline fought her way to the surface.
When Caroline came out of the cave, she ran to Hayley's cell. Rebekah had projected herself inside. Shaking her blonde curls, Rebekah rocked back and forth, Hayley's lifeless body curled into Rebekah's. "She's dead!" Rebekah wailed, "And Silas took the baby."
Closing her eyes, Caroline sunk to her knees and let out a howl of grief. She could feel herself transitioning before she began to dig with a fury. Her wolf needed to be with her lost pack member, and to tear the heart from her foe.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
Jessica