A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! Here's the next chapter :)
Caroline sighed as she dropped her keys on the desk by the door. She has been working non-stop and staying at work even past her working hours the last three days. She just didn't like going home knowing Nathan wasn't there. For the first time in 17 years, Caroline truly felt alone.
She shrugged the feeling away though, she shouldn't dwell on any of those feelings. With an air of determination, she stormed towards the liquor cabinet and opened it with a flourish. Inside was a few bottles of wine but none of the hard stuff. But what else did she expect? Sure, she had the occasional glass of red, but it wasn't like she could get full on wasted whenever she wanted. She had a kid to raise. She can't go on partying like a teenager anymore. Right, she's going to call the girls and invite them for a girls' night in. It was long overdue, anyway.
She grabbed her phone and was about to dial Katherine's number when her phone staring ringing.
"Hello?"
"So Nadia and my moody thirteen year old that apparently hates the world right now are staying at their father's for the weekend."
Ah, speak of the devil. "I was just about to call you, actually. Fancy a night in with the girls?"
"It's like you're reading my mind. So I was thinking, you, me, Bon and maybe my dear sister Elena if she's not so busy being basic. We'll bring the drinks, you take care of the pizza."
Caroline laughed at that, feeling like she was the teenager instead of the mom. Its just like old times, really.
"I have alcohol here, you know." Caroline said as she grabbed the notebook where she writes down the delivery numbers.
There was silence on the other line.
"Yeah..We'll bring the booze." Katherine repeated.
"Hey!"
"See ya in 20!" Katherine chirped then hung up. Caroline shaked her head and went to her room to change out of her work clothes into something more comfortable.
Two hours, Friends marathon, a box of pizza and a bottle of Jack later..
Caroline, Katherine, Elena and Bonnie were all sprawled out on separate couches on Caroline's living room.
"I just love this couch.." Katherine said as she stared at the ceiling. "I could lie down in this thing forever."
"Yeah, Nathan says the same thing. I literally have to drag him out of that couch." Caroline said and finished her glass of red in one gulp.
She leaned back on the bean chair she was sitting on with a happy sigh. Its been a while since she's been this relaxed and carefree. She loved her job, she ran a small event planning business as well as being a part time drama coach at one of the top art universities just a little bit outside town. Sure, it may seem a lot at times and she wasn't particularly a fan of the extra long drive she had to take to the university but her jobs supported them and gave her and her son a comfortable life. And it wasn't as if she wasn't enjoying it. She loved running events like she did back when she was in high school and she loved teaching drama as well. Aside from that, running her own business allows her to control her time and be able to be a mom that is present in her son's life. She didn't want to her son to grow up like her. Her mom seldomly spent time with her because of the nature of her job. Caroline understood though because being a sheriff required late and unusual working hours. And it was great, she was home when it was time for dinner and they'd talk about their day. Then during the weekends, they'd do various things such as go to the movies, or eating at their favorite restaurants after one of Nathan's soccer games. Sometimes it's just the two of them and the other times they'd all hangout with Caroline's friends and their kids. Even though it was only the two of them, Nathan grew up surrounded by a lot of people who loved him. Caroline knew that Nathan often wondered about the father he never met. She knew that he often felt left out whenever his friends would bond with their fathers or during father-son days at his school. His Uncle Matt always went with him to those though, for which Caroline was so grateful for.
Ugh..this is why she doesn't drink that much. Drinking leads to her thinking of thoughts that she would usually block out and desperately tried not think about.
Thoughts that lead to her other son, Clayton. She always wondered how he was, if he was happy.. The day she had to give him up was the worst day of her life. It hurt her even more than the day she walked out the door and left Nik.
Niklaus.. now that was a name Caroline hasn't said outloud in years. Yes, she wonders about him as well. She tries not to dwell on thoughts about him because it would usually lead to "what ifs". What if she hadn't left? What if she stayed and they worked things out? But what if she stayed and things just got worse? There were times when she wanted to pick up the phone and call him. To ask how he was, to ask about her son. The last she heard from him was before he settled everything and left for London. During the divorce process, twins stayed with Caroline at her mother's house during the weekdays and stayed with Klaus during the weekends. His sister Rebekah eventually flew in from London to help him. It was a difficult few months. Caroline was surprised it didn't take longer. Perhaps it was due to Mikaelson's influence. And perhaps it was also because Caroline signed a prenup. It was her idea. Klaus refused, but she was so young back when they met and got married, still a senior in college. She didn't want Klaus to think that she was marrying him for any other reason aside from the fact that she loved him and wanted to build a family with him. So because of that, there wasn't any problem with the division of assets and other stuff. The only problem Caroline had to face was the fact that she was going to lose one of her sons. It was a miracle how she survived those months knowing that she would soon say goodbye to Clayton or Nathan. It wasn't as if Caroline or Klaus chose which child they would take. They weren't toys that one could choose from. And she couldn't bare to choose. It just wasn't done. Either way, she was losing one of them. Clayton could've ended up with Caroline, and Nathan with Klaus.
The last time Caroline saw Klaus was when he was leaving to return to London. She went to the hotel that he, Rebekah and Clayton were staying at during their last few days in Mystic Falls (they had already sold their house by then). She went to say goodbye to Klaus, and to her son. He had handed her a cheque with a ridiculously large amount. Klaus told her it was for them to start a new life comfortably. Caroline wanted to feel insulted and to refuse the money and say that she could very well provide for her son but eventually, she thought of Nathan. She did already have a job and savings but it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't allow her pride to deny Nathan the life he could've had if they hadn't separated. Klaus had actually wanted to give her the means to start her own business but Caroline refused. She wanted to earn it herself. And she did. After a few years of hard work, she was finally able to save enough and open her own business. Caroline was also able to buy them a nice house and pay for Nathan's education all by herself. And even if they don't exactly live in a mansion, they were happy and comfortable. Caroline made sure that Nathan would never have to want anything more than what he was given. And she'd like to think that aside from his longing for his dad, he was content. And for all that, she was proud of herself. The money that Klaus had given her all went into a savings account for Nathan to use when he was old enough.
The day Caroline had to say her final goodbye to Clayton was possibly the worst day of her life. She remembers how much she never wanted to let go of Clayton, even as they were about to board the plane to London. Caroline always wrote letters to Clayton for his birthday every year but she never sends them. Because that was the agreement they had in court. They each take one son. That way, they'd never have to see each other again. Its been almost seventeen years but Caroline could still feel the pain of losing her other son. She knows that it will never go away, the pain. But she has to live with it. It was not fair and Caroline would forever despise the side of her that gave up her other son. But what was her other option? She'd take both kids? She wouldn't do that to Nik. And if he took both, she'd never want that as well. It was complicated.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Elena asked her all of the sudden, pulling Caroline out from her depressing thoughts.
"It's nothing.." Caroline shrugged and poured herself another glass of wine. She glared at the bottle. It was supposed to make her forget, not make her think.
"I know you, Care. C'mon. What's bothering you?" Elena nudged her shoulder as she tried to fit herself beside Caroline.
Caroline scooted over to make room for Elena. "It's really nothing.. was just thinking about..stuff."
Elena's face was filled with understanding as she placed her hand on Caroline's. "Okay."
Caroline smiled at her, grateful that she didn't have to explain herself.
"Alright, I'm just realizing what a depressing sight this is." Katherine said, jumping up all of the sudden which made her kind of trip over the box of pizza. "Let's hit the clubs?"
Bonnie laughed. "Aren't we a little too old for clubs?"
"And what clubs? You mean, the Grill?" Caroline joked.
"No, the new one. The one that Tyler owns that opened a few months ago. C'mon. I'll drive." Katherine beamed, dangling a set of car keys in her hand. Caroline blinked. It seemed like it suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"But can you drive in that state?" Elena asked, looking concerned.
Katherine waved away Elena's concern. "I'm fine. I hardly drank a thing. Let's go!" She said and started making her way towards Caroline's bedroom. Caroline assumed to borrow a pair of heels in exchange for the flats she was wearing.
Caroline contemplated declining, but then she remembered that she did want to forget and just let loose for once. This was going to be a long night.
xxxxxxx
Clay hoped he didn't look as ridiculous as he felt. He was currently wearing a white fencing jacket, fencing gloves and a fencing mask. He was suddenly thankful for all those times he and his dad played sword fighting in their garden while his Uncle Kol played commentator and his Aunt Bekah ignored them, sipping on her tea. Yeah, his family was medieval like that.
It was eight in the morning and even if he was usually a morning person, he wished he could just go back to the cabin to take a nap. An excrutiatingly loud alarm woke them up at six. At first he tried to ignore it but it was useless because he was sure that he would still be able to hear it all the way from London. It was that loud. Last night, Clay and his cabin-mates decided to bike around camp. They ended up seeing an abandoned house and decied to take a bit of a tour. They snuck back to their cabin past curfew and decided to watch a movie. It's been almost a week since camp started and Clay could honestly say that he was genuinely enjoying his time here. Mornings usually consisted of various physical and team-building activites, then lunch, then during the afternoons they had another activity but this time matching their personal interests. Clay usually spent his afternoons in a painting workshop. After that, they were free to do whatever they pleased. Then dinner came and usually there was a bonfire after dinner. Clay hadn't had the chance to meet other people aside from his cabin-mates but he was thankful that his cabin-mates seemed to be as dorky as him. Maybe they were grouped by their level of dorkiness, Clay thought with a snicker.
"Ready?" Hans asked, standing beside him.
"Yup, as swift as a coursing river and with all the strength of a raging fire." Clay said. He thinks that Hans was already sort of used to him blurting out random things. He was way past worrying about that now. And anyway, he needed to concentrate on the battle he was about to embark on.
Yeah, he has sort of has a flair for the dramatic. Blame his father.
"So its Clay Mikaelson representing Cabin B." Becky, the one in-charge for the physical activities, said through her megaphone. "Please step forward, Clay."
Clay followed her instruction and stepped forward into the field. He could hear his cabin-mates cheering him on. Yeap, he got this.
"And for Cabin B, Nathan Forbes! Please step forward." Becky continued, motioning for the guy on the other side of the field.
Clay peered at him, trying to figure out if he's talked to him or saw him before. Cause, you gotta know who your opponent is. Maybe he taking this a bit too seriously. But can he be blamed? He was basically shit at all the other sports they played so far. He can barely throw a ball, let alone shoot it inside a basket. This is the one sport he excelled at.
His opponent Nathan, as Becky called him, stepped forward with an air confidence in him. Clay tried to mimic Nathan's confident stride as they walked towards each other. He stopped halfway though when he realized that he probably looked like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time.
When they were finally facing each other, Clay noticed how they were about the same height and the same build. This was gonna be a fair fight then. Even though they were both wearing masks, Clay could swear that they were sizing each other up.
If he listens closely, Clay swears he could hear Pompeii by Bastille playing in the background. Or I'll Make a Man Out of You.
"Okay, when you hear the whistle, you may begin!"
*whistling sound through the megaphone*
"Begin!"
Nathan immediately executed a flurry of thrusts and slashes but Clay elegantly parried and dodged each and every blow. Without missing a beat, Clay quickly launched a counter attack aimed straight at Nathan's stomach. But Nathan quickly jumped back, evading it completely. Nathan's looked like he was starting to get agitated. Clay smirked, knowing that he practically had this in the bag. Sure, Nathan was fast and athletic, but he surely wasn't experienced at fencing based on his reckless attacks, Clay thought. Wow, since when was he this competitive? Clay quickly dashed forward and aimed for Nathan's chest this time. The attack looked as if it hit but Nathan was able to dogde it just in time.
"Uhm. That was a hit wasn't, it?" Clay asked Nathan.
"Close, but not quite." Nathan arrogantly shot back.
After that momentary exchange, both of them quickly jumped back. Clay could hear various cheers from both teams, but he his mind was so set in the game that it didn't really affect him. Nathan, on the other hand, seemed distracted. Clay noticed that the lake was right behind where Nathan was standing, meaning he could no longer dodge Clay's attacks by jumping backwards. Taking advantage of this, Clay quickly dashed forward and thrust his sabre towards Nathan once again. Nathan, not realizing that the lake was right behind him, quickly jumped backward. However, as he was about to fall into the lake, he quickly grabbed Clay's outstreched hand, and they both fell into the water.
"Hell!" Clay exclaimed as they both emerged from the water. He can hear Nathan muttering a series of profanities behind him.
"What the fuck did you do that for?!"
Clay turned to face him. "Me? You pulled me!"
"You PUSHED me in!" Nathan shot back.
"I certainly did not push you." Clay stated as calm as could because first of all, why are they conversing when they should be getting out of this bloody cold water. He started swimming back.
He looked up to see several worried faces peering at them. Becky looked so worried that is was quite a hilarious sight. She had her hands outstretched towards them like she didn't know what to do.
With the help of their cabin-mates, Clay and Nathan were finally standing on solid ground. He could practically feel Nathan glaring at him. Clay really ought to take his fencing mask off now. And that he did.
Once he took it off, someone nudged him.
"You okay?"
Who was this? Ah well, probably just concerned. "I'm alright. Freezing cold, though."
The guy gave him an odd look. "What the hell, man? Did the cold water suddenly give you an accent?"
"What?"
"What the fuck?" Someone said from behind him. Clay turned around and saw well..Bloody hell. He knew that he can get a bit bizarre sometimes, but was he going mad now?
Clay was so in shock he didn't know what to say. "Uhm. So you look like me." Well, wasn't he being Captain Obvious?