Warning: Character death.
Hello, my lovely readers. Two more full chapters and an epilogue to go. Who will survive the fic? On with the show…
Chapter 48: Final Act: Part II
The flames burned bright and Caroline felt a scream of rage building inside her until she let it out. Other people only paused for seconds, to stare at her, before they hurried off to deal with their own feelings. Caroline pounded the grass with her balled fists. Silas could not win. Marcel could not be dead. This is not how her friend's story ended. No! This could not be happening.
"Ma'am. Ma'am. We need to clear this area." A firefighter pulled Caroline to her feet. She would have hit him, but even in her grief-stricken state, she knew he was just doing his job.
"Okay," Caroline mumbled. She allowed her body to go limp. Her face went blank. She needed to play up the shock. She needed to be just another human. And then she needed to get the hell out of here. If Silas were willing to risk exposure at this rate, who knew what he had planned for her other friends?
"We need to get you checked out." The firefighter set Caroline down in front of an EMT.
The EMT began to check Caroline for injuries. "How close were you to the blast, miss?" the young woman asked, checking Caroline's chest with a stethoscope.
"Not too close," Caroline lied. She had to go. She had to go, right now. Edging off the back of the ambulance, Caroline caught sight of a girl she knew from her freshman Lit class. The girl was limping. "She needs help!" Caroline pointed the girl out.
The moment the EMT turned her head, Caroline drifted off, into the building crowd around her. There would be plenty of patients for the EMT to work on. Caroline was not one of them, and she did not have the patience to sit there, waiting for the other woman to give her the go-ahead to leave the area.
Pulling her phone out, Caroline made a call, "Klaus, where are you?"
"Headed toward the school." Klaus stopped talking. "Is there something going on there?"
"No," Caroline could not seem to be able to stop herself from lying. "Yes. There was an explosion." She hesitated. "It was the theater hall." She waited for that to sink in. Hearing Klaus' growl of anger made Caroline's eyes fill up. She had no time for tears.
"Rebekah mustn't be told," Klaus uttered, his voice low, almost a growl.
"I know." Caroline knew that Rebekah would be devastated. And when she found that they did not tell her, right away, she would turn her wrath on them. They would have to deal with that later.
"We need to find Silas. We need to end this now!" Caroline hissed into the phone.
"You need Hayley." Klaus' reply made Caroline close her eyes.
"No. Just me." Caroline heard Klaus' muttered curses before he spoke again.
"Caroline, you cannot fight him. Not by yourself." Klaus' words came out slow and Caroline could tell he was doing everything he could to control himself. She was surprised that he did not crush his phone in his hand.
"Yes. I can," Caroline replied. Some part of her knew this was not true. It was Rebekah's time. Rebekah was the one who would end Silas. But Caroline thought she might be able to soften him up. She could weaken him, and when Rebekah found him, he would be easy prey. Just as they had been for him, time and time again.
"Caroline, do not do anything stupid," Klaus hissed into the phone.
"Klaus, you know that I love you. Right?" Caroline whispered.
"Yes, love." Klaus waited and then added. "Wait for me."
"I will see you again. In the next life. When we're both free." Caroline hung up and shoved her phone into her back pocket. "No one else has to die for me. You've got what you want, Silas. Just you and me."
Stalking forward, Caroline set her mind to the task at hand. She would find Silas. She would fight Silas. And she would die. She just wished she could find a way to protect her babies first. "I'm sorry," she whispered to her unborn children. "He can't win. He can't have you. Ever."
With a heavy heart, Caroline disappeared into the darkness.
~0~
Re-tracing her way back to the caves; Caroline inhaled deeply. She was hoping to catch the scent of Silas. He had to be nearby. He'd want to catch her, or Hayley, going back to help Rebekah escape.
When Caroline did not smell him; she gritted her teeth. She could not go in. Rebekah would figure out what happened to Marcel, and she would want to leave. Being trapped down there might make her safer than the others. Or not. Thinking about what had been bothering her before, Caroline felt her breath hitch in her throat.
Finding Marcel had not been a trap; it was a diversion. "Son of a bitch!" Caroline shouted. Without another thought, she ran for the tunnel she and Hayley had used to escape. Entering it, she used her anger to propel her forward. When she got to Rebekah's cell, Caroline let out a howl of anger. "Silas!" she shouted.
Silas did not appear and Caroline did not know whether to be grateful or furious. He'd taken Rebekah, hidden her away somewhere else. Of course, he wanted the one being who could end him out of the way, and kept in a safe place, until the time of birth.
Growling, Caroline left the cell. When her head popped out of the tunnel, a hand snaked down and grabbed her by the hair, jerking her into the light of the new day which had just begun. "Caroline, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Hayley yelled, letting go of Caroline's hair and glaring.
"What the hell are you doing here? Did Klaus call you?" Caroline snarled, balling her fists. Of course Klaus called Hayley. Seriously!
"Caroline, down girl," Damon snapped, moving between the two friends.
"You were planning on taking him on? All by yourself? Are you insane?" Hayley demanded. "Marcel was our friend, too."
"It's my fault!" Caroline shot back.
"Oh, really? Is your name Silas?" Hayley yelled, her eyes wide with fury.
Elijah and Mikael watched the scene unfold in silence. Caroline darted a glance their way. She could see the toll this night had taken on father and son. This is not what she wanted for any of her friends or family. "You should go home," she told them.
"Mikaelsons fight together," Mikael told her. "You are one of us, Caroline. Your children are my blood. I will fight, and die, by your side." He came to kneel before her and Caroline could only stare at him. Elijah moved to kneel beside his father and Hayley moved to kneel by Elijah's side. Caroline's eyes moved to Damon.
"That's your pack." Damon nodded at the Mikaelsons. "You're stronger than ever. Let's find Silas and kill him."
"Rebekah's missing," Caroline told Mikael, whose eyes moved to meet hers. She knew these were the words that would invoke a fiery anger inside the father.
"The witch took my child?" Mikael got to his feet. "Allow me to be the one to strike the first blow."
Caroline shook her head. "Let someone who's a little less likely to die. Then you can jump in, by my side, and hit Silas as many times as you want to." She offered Mikael a smirk and Mikael returned the gesture. It felt good to be part of a large family.
Klaus arrived and ran to Caroline. "You are not going to fight him without me, Caroline."
"I kind of figured that out," Caroline smiled and gave Klaus a quick kiss on the lips. "Let's go." With more confidence, Caroline turned to the others. "I'm not sure if we're all going to make it. I want you all to know how much it means to me that you're willing to risk your lives to stop Silas."
"Only done it a couple of times before, or a couple of hundred." Hayley shrugged. "One way, or another, Silas is going to pay for taking my baby."
"Our baby," Elijah added.
Hayley nodded. "Our baby. And we're going to bring our son home."
A moment of silence followed in which Caroline darted a glance at Damon. Damon looked into the sun, his mouth closed, but she could tell he had something to say. With luck, everything that needed to be said would be said—once Silas was out of their lives—for good this time.
"What are we waiting for?" Damon finally asked, looking to Caroline.
"We need to find Rebekah," Caroline said, frowning. "Hayley."
"Time to pop in and see what she is up to." Hayley closed her eyes and Elijah caught her before she could drop to the ground.
Caroline smiled at Klaus before following Hayley's lead.
"Rebekah?" Hayley was already calling when Caroline became aware of her surroundings. "Caroline?"
"I'm here," Caroline said. They were in Rebekah's mind and all Caroline saw was blackness. "Rebekah?" she called softly.
Rebekah did not reply. "Rebekah?" Caroline and Hayley called. "Rebekah, wake up!" Hayley shouted. "Rebekah, we need you! Your nephew needs you! Wake up!"
"Rebekah!" Caroline continued. "Klaus and I want to find you. We can't if we don't know where you are. Open your eyes!"
Darkness and silence followed.
Reluctantly, Caroline opened her own eyes. She looked to Hayley whose eyes were full of angry tears. "What's wrong?" Klaus demanded. "Where is she?" He turned Caroline to face him and he stared into her eyes. "Caroline, tell me where is my sister!" he shouted into her face. Shaking Caroline, Klaus' lips peeled back from his fangs and Caroline knew he meant to convey a threat. She also knew he would never harm her and the babies.
Dropping his hands from her arms, Klaus stormed around Caroline, moving toward Hayley, in a way that had Caroline's hand shooting forward, to grasp his upper arm and whirl him back toward her. "She doesn't know. I don't know either. I'm sorry, Klaus."
"You can't go back in?" Damon demanded, folding his arms over his chest. "Come on, Caroline. We've been doing this for how long? You're just going to give up on Bekah like that? Huh? I thought she was your soul mate. Sisters forever. Until the end of time kind of thing? Guess my faith is sorely placed." Rolling his eyes, Damon began to walk away from the group.
"Damon, where are you going?" Hayley called after him, her hands on her hips.
"I thought I'd go find some ladies who had some real loyalty," Damon retorted, turning on his heel and walking backwards with a smirk on his face. "'Cause the women that I was sworn to protect; they would go to the ends of the earth for each other. And, see, I thought this incarnation of my favorite ladies would win this time. Sorry. I guess I was betting on the wrong team. Bye." He waved his fingers at them and Caroline narrowed her eyes.
"We're going back in," Caroline snapped. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift.
"Rebekah, damn it! WAKE UP!" Caroline shouted into the darkness.
"WAKE UP, REBEKAH!" Hayley joined Caroline in her efforts. Together the two continued to scream at Rebekah. "BEKAH!"
When light began to filter through Rebekah's eyelids; Caroline peered around. She noted tiny details. Tiny, familiar details. "I know where you are," Caroline cried.
Eyes popping open, Caroline sat bolt upright. "She's at the Salvatores'," she told them. "I would know that house in my sleep."
Hayley was already on her feet. "Let's go save Bekah."
"Wait!" Elijah called after them. "This Silas. He most likely knows you're coming. He might have set up a trap. We should be cautious."
"To hell with caution, Elijah," Damon snapped, waving Elijah off. "We need to find our girl, kill the bad guy, and get the baby back to his momma. Then we go out for drinks."
"Or we make a plan," Elijah snapped back.
"Hey, guys, this is not the time to have a fight," Caroline snapped. "We can plot, on the way to the house." That decided, it was time to go to the Salvatores'.
~0~
Damon stopped his car and Caroline and Hayley were the first two out of it. Caroline could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. For a second, she lost her nerve. Then Hayley took her hand. Turning to look at her best friend; Caroline smirked at the girl. "'Til the bitter end."
"'Til the end and back," Hayley replied. She squeezed Caroline's hand before letting go. Together they marched toward the house. Caroline could hear the sound of Hayley's heart beating and the blood pumping through her veins.
The front door opened, seeming to beckon for them to enter. Glancing over her shoulder, Caroline looked at Klaus. She saw his look of fear being replaced by a rage that would only be quenched with the blood of his enemy. Turning her gaze back to the door, Caroline stopped dead in her tracks.
"Girls, how good of you to join us," Silas said. Coming out the front door, he grinned at Caroline and Hayley. "I planned on coming to find you, but you were kind enough to come on your own." His smile widened as he met Caroline's eyes. "I've missed you."
"I didn't miss you," Caroline snarled.
"Oh, that hurts." Silas shook his head. "I'll just have to think of a way to punish you." Lifting a hand, he drew his fingers forward as if picking something up. Clenching his hand, he drew it forward, and Klaus went sailing past Caroline.
"Klaus!" Caroline shrieked. She watched as Klaus came to a stop before Silas. Klaus dropped to his knees, two feet from the witch. Body beginning to shake, Klaus leaned over and began to emit torrents of blood. "Klaus!" Caroline sped toward Klaus. Slamming into an invisible barrier, she screamed, pounding it with her fists. "Let him go! Let him go! I swear, Silas, I will kill you!"
"I know you'd like to," Silas said. He lifted his eyes to meet Caroline's. "Instead you get to watch the man who defiled you die."
"Leave him alone. You don't want him. You want me!" Caroline screamed.
"But I also want to watch your lover die," Silas told her, cocking his head to the side; Silas smirked. "You see, Caroline, a vampire is not supposed to pass through a witch's barrier. Klaus is dying for his efforts."
"He didn't pass through it. You sent him through!" Caroline shouted as Klaus continued to emit blood. His body was growing weaker. Caroline could see his hands loosening in the grass beneath his fingers.
"Caroline, don't watch!" Klaus choked out. "Turn away, love!"
"How pathetic," Silas said with a chuckle.
Caroline snarled. A blur came out of nowhere and Silas let out a scream as someone latched onto his neck. When his green eyes went wide, Caroline grinned as she recognized Enzo. "Sorry, looks like my friends decided to join the party."
Silas let out a growl and then he closed his eyes. Seconds later, Enzo dropped to the ground, his neck snapped to the left. Silas turned away from the vampire. Walking inside the house, he returned with a stake. "I don't care how many of your little friends I have to make a point of killing. I will have what I need." Lifting the stake, Silas drove it into Enzo.
Letting out a scream of rage; Caroline pounded on the barrier. "You dick! I'm going to kill you and I'm going to enjoy it!"
"Not as much I'm going to enjoy this!" Silas began to chant loudly and Klaus' body left the ground. He began to howl as the change into a werewolf began; his bones snapping into wolf form.
"Leave him alone!" Caroline snarled. Closing her eyes, she dropped to her knees and began to dig. If she had to, she would tunnel through the damned spell, and kill Silas where he stood.
"You'll be too late," Silas taunted her.
Elijah and Mikael had been so quiet that Caroline forgot that they were there when Esther's voice made her stop digging. "I call on the spirits to help me end this ancient evil!" Esther intoned. "Grant me a path, to enter this space!" she cried.
Caroline was seething, her fangs out as she turned to look at Esther. Elijah and Mikael were holding Esther's hands. She was drawing power from them. "Go, Caroline!" she cried.
Nodding, Caroline rushed the barrier. She felt a weak spot and took full advantage. Flying through it; she tackled Silas. "Are you ready to die?" she demanded, her hands on either side of his face.
"Did you really think it would be so easy to kill me?" Silas replied with a grin.
"Let's find out." Caroline twisted Silas head to the left.
Silas let out a groan and his neck snapped. With a sigh of relief, Caroline got to her feet. Panting, she moved back to Klaus. Klaus was covered in sweat, having returned to his human form. She could see how weak he was. Placing a hand on his cheek, she pulled his head into her lap and she pressed her lips to his cheek. "You're going to be okay," she whispered.
Caroline lifted her mouth to her wrist and took a bite. Feeling the blood oozing over her flesh; she held it to Klaus' mouth. At first he did not latch on and Caroline felt miserable tears begin to run down her cheeks. "Klaus, I don't want to raise these babies without you. Okay? So, you have to come back to me. Alright? Just drink. Okay. Just drink my blood. You'll feel so much better."
After a couple of more agonizing seconds, Klaus took hold of her wrist and he began to gulp down her blood. Feeling his fangs sliding more deeply into her, Caroline felt a desire to be alone with him that could not be quenched with his family so close by.
"You should go find Rebekah," Caroline ordered the others. "We'll be there soon." She pressed her lips to the top of Klaus' head, enjoying the now gentle tug of his drinking from her.
Mikael led the search party into the house, leaving Caroline and Klaus on the front lawn. "We're going to be okay now," Caroline whispered to Klaus. She looked down at him and smiled.
Klaus looked into her eyes. "He's not dead, love."
"What?" Caroline turned to find Silas. He sat up and cracked his head from side to side.
"Ouch," Silas grunted. His head turned to take in Caroline and Klaus. "Not dead. My mistake." He lifted his hand and Klaus and Caroline let out screams of pain.
The sound of footsteps from inside the house sounded and Silas waved his free hand. The front door to the Salvatore Boarding House slammed closed and locked. Fire lit up around the house, encircling it and Caroline watched Hayley in the window. "Caroline!" she screamed.
Caroline turned to Silas. "Let them go!"
"No!" Silas snarled. "I don't need her. She's done all that I needed her for. Her time is done."
"What about Rebekah?" Caroline snapped. "You still need her."
"Did you think that I would keep her, here?" Silas let out a laugh.
Caroline felt confused. Her head hurt so much. Her vision was blurring. "But I saw her. She was here."
"That is what I wanted you to see. Rebekah was never in that cave, with you and Hayley. Just me. Just you, me, Hayley's baby make three." Silas grinned at Caroline. "And when Rebekah gives birth, she, too, will no longer be of use to me. I will be able to end this foolish little devotion that you feel toward them. We will start over again."
"You're not going to kill her!" Caroline snarled.
"Oh, yes, I am," Silas waved his hand and the flames were swept by a wind.
Caroline could only scream as the fire began to burn the house. "NO!" she screamed as she watched Hayley back away from the flaming window. "NO! Hayley!"
"She's served her purpose," Silas said.
Feeling like she was dying, too, Caroline pushed herself to her feet, and ran toward Silas. He let out a snarl. Caroline fell to the ground as blackness edged toward the corners of her vision.
"Die, you asshole!" Tyler Lockwood came out of nowhere and threw a sword. It flew through the air, punching through Silas as Liv Parker came toward them, hand in hand with Bonnie.
Silas began to gasp as blood poured out of his mouth and then he dropped to the ground.
"Is he dead?" Caroline cried, on her knees and panting.
"Nope," Damon said, and Caroline looked up as Damon, Elijah, Hayley, Mikael and Esther came out of the house. Mikael carried his wife, who was coughing from the smoke. "Not dead. Yet!" Damon kicked Silas and shook his head. "We're going to have to keep trying."
"Fine by me," Hayley said. Taking the hilt of the sword, she jerked it out of Silas before she shoved it through his heart. "I can go all day, and all night, if I have to. You in, Care?"
"You bet I am," Caroline said. She got to her feet and moved to stand over Silas. "We're going to kill your immortal ass. And this time you're not coming back."
Silas began to chuckle. "You think you can defeat me?"
Silas' chuckle ended when Caroline took the sword and shoved it through his mouth, making him gag and spit up blood. "Yes, I believe I can," she replied, with a smile that left her feeling cold. Or they would both die from the effort.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
J