AN: New chapter. Silas returns…
Six. Holy Water
"Everything would shine, wherever she would go, but looking at her now you'd never tell." ~Holy Water, Big & Rich
"Caroline. Caroline, wake up my sweet."
Caroline opened her eyes blearily. The night had been an ordeal, filled with memories of killing Matt and watching Liz die. It felt like she had only just fallen asleep, and now someone was trying to wake her up.
"Eurgh… what time is it?" she groaned, rolling onto her side so she could see the alarm clock.
"10:38," the voice that had awoken her said at the same time that Caroline managed to make enough sense of the world to see the numbers for herself. It also meant she had enough sense to recognize the voice, and she felt a chill of fear run down her spine.
"Are you here to kill me?" she asked Silas, refusing to look in his direction.
"Of course not, Caroline. I'm here to see how you're doing. You left me rather suddenly… with a stake in the heart. I'll admit, it hurt a bit."
Caroline slowly sat up and began to consider her best course of action. There was the window, or the door. There was also always the option of screaming and hoping that someone came to her assistance.
"I wouldn't suggest running, sweet Caroline," Silas said. "Or screaming. The first Original to come through the door will die."
Caroline felt the bed behind her lower under Silas' weight as he came to sit on the edge. Moments later, she was tugged backwards hard by her hair. Silas held it wrapped around one hand, while his other went to stroke her neck.
"I'll admit, you surprised me," Silas said, looking into Caroline's eyes. He was in his actual body, and so his eyes were grey. "I'm impressed, even. I underestimated you, and you took full advantage of that. Though I do dislike that you immediately wound up in Klaus' bed. Tell me, sweet Caroline, did you tease him the way you teased me, or did you let him between these sweet thighs of yours?"
"You sound like the villain from a bad romance novel," Caroline hissed, yanking her head and trying to pull her hair from Silas' grip. The elder immortal just tightened his hold. "And maybe I did. Maybe I rode him like a freaking stallion. Are you jealous?"
"If I thought for a moment you were telling the truth, I would be," Silas replied. "Best you know, if you do get the idea to ah… ride him like a stallion, not even you on your knees begging for mercy will save the life of Niklaus Mikaelson."
"Kill him, and you kill me," Caroline pointed out.
"That is a problem," Silas agreed. "One I'm working on dealing with. Which is why I must go now. I have a witch to meet about some spells, but I will see you again soon, Sweet Caroline. Our time together may have had a slight setback, but nothing that we can't work with."
Silas pressed his mouth to Caroline's, but before she could bite him or shove him away, the grip in her hair disappeared, and so did Silas.
Caroline was left sitting in the middle of the bed feeling sick.
STILL-DOLL
Elijah turned up with the cure but without Katherine.
"So, this is it?" Rebekah asked as she and her siblings stood around Klaus' desk looking at the small bottle. "It seems so… insignificant."
"Looks are deceiving, Rebekah," Elijah replied. "Now, would you care to tell me why you demanded I return to Mystic Falls with the cure?"
"Would you care to tell me why you returned without Katerina Petrova?" Klaus shot back.
"Did you really expect Katerina to come anywhere near you?" Elijah replied. "She is not so stupid, brother."
"No matter. Katerina is not the person worrying me right now." Klaus reached for the cure, but Elijah's hand flashed out and grabbed it first.
"Not so fast, Niklaus. I have some conditions you must meet before you receive this," Elijah said, moving so that he kept the desk between himself and Klaus.
"Of course you do," sneered Rebekah. "Really, Elijah, the way you cater to those doppleganger bitches is pathetic. How many times do they have to betray you before you stop loving them?"
"No one ever stops loving a doppleganger."
The three siblings spun towards the door. Caroline leaned against the frame watching them. The emotions Klaus had seen shining through the cracks of her vampire façade the previous night were gone. Whatever weaknesses Caroline had in her wall against humanity had been carefully hidden. The girl who stood before them had no light, she had no weaknesses. She was cold as ice and untouchable.
"It's true," she continued when the Originals just continued to stare at her. "Elena is a stone cold bitch right now, and the Salvatores would still throw themselves onto a stake if she said that's what she really wanted. Katherine killed Jeremy, tried to kill Klaus, even unleashed your father, and Elijah there will apparently still barter for her life. Once you love a doppleganger, the only way to get over it is to love the next one." Caroline straightened and entered the room. "What I want to know is how you convinced Katherine to give you the cure before you had Klaus' word. Are you sure it's even real?"
"Miss Forbes," Elijah greeted. "You seem different."
"I turned off my humanity," Caroline replied with a shrug before meeting Klaus' eyes. "Silas was in my room."
"What?" Klaus roared, and within a blink he was in front of Caroline, looking her over for any signs of harm. When there were none, he rested his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes. "Did he touch you?"
"Of course he touched me," Caroline responded, shrugging off Klaus' grip and making her way to the mantle where he kept his best scotch. She poured herself two fingers, considered the glass, then filled it right to the rim. "Between the two of you, I keep expecting someone to take a piss on me to mark their territory. Tell me, Elijah. You're the smart sibling, from what I've seen, what is it about me that draws all the monsters? What about me screams victim to the world? Because I'm getting tired of it."
"From what I've observed, you're the anti-thesis of all that Silas is. Or at least, you were. The dark will always wish to destroy that which is light. That is the nature of darkness."
"Poetic," Caroline said before tossing back the scotch. "It's also a load of crap. Have any of you ever met me? And I mean really met me. I'm a bitch. Rebekah knows I'm a bitch, because she was on the cheer squad with me for months. I'm obsessive, and a control freak and I'm also a little bit narcissistic. Hell, I've turned off my humanity. Silas paid me a visit. And I still had to spend half an hour on this"—Caroline lifted up her curls—"before I was willing to come downstairs. I know my faults. I see them even clearer now that there's none of that pesky humanity to make me feel all self-conscious. So why can't they see them as well?" Caroline rounded on Klaus, her eyes finally filled with life again, even if it was anger. Caroline might try to hide the cracks, but they were still there. "Well? Why can't you?"
"Because you're also charming, and kind, and loyal to a fault. For someone who has had to torture and manipulate to receive any sort of loyalty, can you not see how you might appeal?" Klaus replied. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but Caroline seemed to be on the edge of control. She might try to wave off Silas' visit as nothing, but Klaus could see that it had cut her to the quick. That whatever pieces of herself she may have managed to glue back together were in danger of shattering once more.
"Then why does he want to break me? If it's all of the good stuff that attracted him, then why does he want to destroy it?" Caroline asked, sounding like a lost little girl.
"Because as horrible as Nik may be, he is not pure evil despite all his best attempts," Rebekah replied. "He looks at you and sees those wonderful things he says are in you, and it makes him want to be better. But Silas doesn't want to be better. Nor does he want the reminder that there are better things than him. So he will destroy you, because you are his opposite and he wants you to be weaker than he is. You're right; I know you're a bitch. I also know that you never give into intimidation. I've seen you reduce girls to tears with a few words. Are you going to let this Silas destroy you, Caroline Forbes?"
Caroline took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She reached out for the scotch and Elijah, seeing what she wanted, quickly flashed forward and poured her another half glass. With her eyes still closed, Caroline tossed back the alcohol. Once she swallowed, she opened them once more. The ice was back, her walls were once again in place, but Klaus worried. When a vampire turned off their humanity, it was supposed to sever all emotional ties, but Caroline seemed to flicker. One moment she was cold and empty, the next she was unstable, seeming unable to separate herself from the emotions that threatened to swallow her whole.
"You missed your calling as a motivational speaker," Caroline said to Rebekah. "Klaus said you had the cure, Elijah."
"Indeed, I do," Elijah responded, his voice carefully blank.
"Great. What do you want for it?"
Elijah looked taken aback at the blunt method of Caroline's negotiation, but he played along with it.
"I want Niklaus to grant Katerina pardon."
"Of course you do. Fine then, pardon the bitch and let's be on our way," Caroline said, turning back to Klaus.
"It's not that simple, Caroline. Katerina has been a rather large pain for a rather long time. Pardoning her is not so simple."
"Look, this is how it is," Caroline snapped, digging her finger into Klaus' chest. "Katherine killed me. She smothered me with a pillow, and once it turned out that I became a vampire, she tormented me and planned on handing me over to you as a sacrifice. I have a hundred and more reasons for hating Katherine Pierce. You, on the other hand, created her. You wanted to use her as a sacrifice, she wanted to live, so she outwitted you. In vengeance, you killed her family. She has every right to want you dead, you have no right to want her dead. So get over your childish grudge and pardon the woman so that maybe, just maybe, she'll get the hell out of all of our lives."
"You're overstepping your bounds, Caroline," Klaus growled, grasping Caroline's wrist and pulling it back so her finger left his chest. "Just because I care for you doesn't mean I will obey you like a sad little puppy."
"No, you'll do it because Rebekah is right. Despite your best efforts, you're not Silas. So stop trying to be. As much as I hate to feel pity for Katherine, you ruined her life, Klaus. It's been five hundred years. Let her try and piece it back together." Caroline pulled her hand free from Klaus, only to turn it around and twine their fingers together as they had the night before. "If not for your brother, who obviously has a serious hard-on for her, then for me?"
"You ruined that a bit," Klaus replied. "By saying the word hard-on. Rather crass, Caroline."
"Says the guy who slept with the Appalachian Wonder, Hayley? I mean, does that girl even know what class is? I'm pretty sure you have no right to call my taste into question."
Caroline once again pulled away from Klaus, moving this time to sit in the leather chair behind the desk. She grabbed the scotch on the way and poured herself another glass before propping her feet up on the desk.
"You know, I kind of get why you're so controlling now. This set up totally makes me feel like Tony Soprano. It's kind of awesome." Caroline watched Klaus as she took another sip of scotch.
"How did you find out about Hayley?" Klaus asked through numb lips. It was a scenario he had dreaded, almost as soon as he had finished the act. Caroline finding out about his indiscretion and turning him aside because of it.
"Silas mentioned it. He seemed to think it might bring out some anger towards the were-bitch. By the way, I told him I rode you like a stallion. Considering your previous sexcapades, I didn't think you'd care too much. He didn't believe me, but he did threaten to kill you ever I ever made it a reality." Caroline shrugged and took another drink. "This is really good scotch."
"You are crass without your humanity," Rebekah observed. "What would the Miss Mystic panel think of you now?"
"Before or after I ripped out the jugulars of all the other competitors?" Caroline shot back. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I already won my title, no compulsion needed. No matter what else happens, that can always go on my resume. But we're getting off topic… pardoning Katherine, yay or nay? Maybe we should put it to a vote. I vote yay."
"It's not as simple as you wish it to be, Caroline. If others find out I pardoned Katerina, they will view it as a weakness and-"
"Weaknesses aren't allowed?" Caroline cut in. "Seriously Klaus, if that happens, you tear off their heads. It's pretty simple, really."
"Caroline is right, Niklaus," Elijah joined in with the convincing. "It's been five hundred years. Enough is enough. You need never lay eyes on Katerina again, if that is what you wish. Just allow her freedom."
"Oh for… when was the last time actively pursued, Katerina, Elijah?" Klaus demanded. "You were the one obsessed with her for centuries. If the woman is too foolish to realize that I simply don't care enough to hunt her down, then let her keep running. After her actions with the Gilbert boy, it's not me she needs to worry about anyways."
"Well then," Caroline said to the air as Elijah and Rebekah both stared at their brother. "What was that whole, I am alpha, she pissed me off, she must die thing for, then?"
"I dislike being ordered about," Klaus muttered with the smallest of pouts, and Caroline actually let out a snort of near-laughter, which drew the stares of siblings to her now.
"What? It was funny. He's like a twelve year old. Go back to staring at Klaus. He's the one who just admitted to basically faking a five hundred year old vendetta. I mean really, who does that?" Caroline motioned with her glass. "Does this mean you faked it with Tyler, too? Should I be telling him that he can saunter right on back and everything will be fine?"
"If either of them were in front of me, I would kill them," Klaus replied, both irritated and somewhat relieved that Caroline seemed to be somewhat level again. "Just because I have better things to do than hunt them doesn't mean I wouldn't kill them if they were in front of me. And Tyler's situation is a little different. Five hundred years, and Katerina has only ever been involved in one failed attempt on my life, after which she rapidly fled. Tyler, on the other hand, was involved with numerous attempts, turned all my hybrids against me and stuck around, as if I would simply let him live. It doesn't work like that, Caroline. Katerina knows to stay away, even after pardoned. Tyler would not. The boy is too foolish."
Caroline shrugged.
"Whatever. If that's all figured out, then give me the cure and let's get this show on the road."
"I fail to see how having the cure will help you," Rebekah stated. "Unless I'm mistaken, he is still over two thousand years old and possibly a witch-vampire hybrid. You are a mere baby vampire whose ability to even maintain a state of inhumanity must be called into serious question. What do you expect to do with the cure?"
"I was considering sleeping with Silas and then shoving the cure down his throat as he bathed in the afterglow," Caroline deadpanned in return. "I managed to escape from him with a similar maneuver, so why not?"
"Absolutely not!" Klaus replied, and it was only when he saw Rebekah and Elijah's shocked expressions that he realized he had bellowed the words. He cleared his throat, and made sure to bring his voice to a more acceptable volume. "Such a plan would involve you going back to him. First of all, he would be suspicious of such an act, particularly after your daring escape. Second, he nearly broke you last time, and he manipulated you into killing one of your best friends. While I really have no care for the Donovan boy, I dislike being outsmarted by anyone, and that is what happened. You will remain here, where the three of us can keep an eye on you, until such a time as we conceive and successfully complete a plan to end Silas' life."
"And maybe he'll manipulate the three of you into killing each other instead," Caroline responded coolly. "Only he won't kill you, Klaus, not yet. Not until he's broken the bloodline ties. He has witches working on it. Apparently killing his little toy, i.e me, isn't in his cards yet. But Rebekah and Elijah? They'll be fair game. And we both know how talented Silas is at manipulation. He doesn't get to kill anyone else. This will end with me and him, or I'll take myself out of the equation all together."
"Him and me," Elijah corrected softly, his gaze on Caroline shrewd. "And by taking yourself out of the equation, I assume you mean suicide. I fail to see what that would accomplish."
"Nothing for you, but it means I don't have to worry about going through Silas' brand of torture again. If Silas wins this, if we don't kill him, then I will take the cure myself and die as a human. That way, I by pass the other side and am out of Silas' reach forever." Caroline stood, leaving her glass on the desk. "I have to go to my house. Take care of Mom's stuff. The funeral is tomorrow, right? I'll have to practice my sad face as well."
Without another word, Caroline left the three siblings behind.
"One of us should go with her. Try to talk some sense into her," Elijah said.
Klaus opened his mouth, to say that he and he alone would deal with Caroline, but Rebekah surprised him.
"I'll go. Girl-to-girl, I'll figure out what's going on inside of her head, because she isn't acting rational. Not like a humanity-less vampire usually does. There's something seriously wrong with her, Nik."
Klaus didn't reply, he just picked up Caroline's glass, looking down at the clear bottom. Rebekah was right, there was something wrong with Caroline. Silas had broken something essential in her, and even without her emotions, the madness sometimes shone through.
Klaus didn't know if he could save her from what was coming.
AN: And that is chapter six. As you can see, Caroline is walking a very thin line between sane and insane. And Klaus likes people to spend their lives in fear of him, even though he really doesn't care enough about them to hunt them down. Cause that's how Klaus rolls.
This was totally a transition chapter, but I needed to write a bit more about how Caroline is dealing with everything. As you can see, she's pretty much down to Silas dies, or I do. And there's more to come, the poor dear.
As always, please review!