Darkest Temptations

by Katrina-H-Creates

Caroline and Klaus devise a plan to flee Mystic Falls in the middle of the night after the hunter arrives and are willing to put everything on the line to begin their new lives together. A heartbroken Tyler refuse to accept reality and sets out to find them. How far will Klaus go to defend his new love?

1. Chapter 1 NEW

READ FIRST!

Hi everyone, just to clarify that this story has been re-written recently. But the general plot line remains unchanged. I hope you enjoy.

---

Darkest Temptations

Chapter One: Framing the Hunter

Caroline Forbes

There was a tidal wave of dread and commotion ripping through Mystic Falls that cold winter's night. The memorial held mere hours ago for the lives lost in the gas explosion at Pastor Young's farm resulted in blood being shed and the hunter's second attempt on Tyler's life. Theories were circulated from one house to the next, eyewitness accounts were challenged, and the notion that Mystic Falls was no longer safe was spreading like a plague. I'd witnessed Tyler's assassination attempt and witnessed the hysteria among the crowds as they rushed the church exits in a last-ditch effort to survive, each of them convinced Tyler was dead and they were next. I had gone to the memorial confident that if the hunter were to show, we would stop him in his tracks, yet he eluded our capable hands yet again. A part of me died in the church today, and I secretly let go of the conviction that I still belonged in this picturesque community and that Mystic Falls would always feel like home, regardless of what paranormal events came our way. But after today, a part of me wanted to leave Mystic Falls forever and never come back.

I returned home from the memorial just before four and locked myself in for the night, knowing my mom would be working all night and tomorrow. I changed out of my dress and ridiculous heels, which I swore I'd never to wear again, and into a pair of dark blue jeans, a white vest, and an oversized cream-toned ecru button cardigan. I dumped today's clothes into the hamper before making my way down the hall to the sitting room, laptop in hand, pausing to check the lock on the front door again as I passed it. I sank down onto the couch, reaching my left hand up over my head in search for the couch throw, draping it over my crossed legs before finally powering up my laptop. Since the moment Carol Lockwood and my mom suggested Tyler and I flee Mystic Falls, I've been consumed with this growing dread that one day that would be the case.

Tonight was different, I could no longer succumb to the dread and mask it with a hot dinner and some Netflix, I needed an outlet, a small project that would take my mind off our current predicament and towards a solution. Perhaps I merely meant to distract myself, if only for a few hours, before I crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling. At first, my search history was innocent,

Flights out of Atlanta for the next five to six hours

Mountain lodge rentals

Renting cars with cash only

24/7 pawn shops in the Atlanta area

Even if Tyler and I were on the next flight out of here, it wasn't enough to protect us from the hunter and anyone associated with him that we didn't know about yet. The perfect line of defence was to bring a supernatural element into the mix. Again, I started simple with protection spells, barrier fields, and cloaking charms, however, there was no guarantee of success in any enchantment, if even one ingredient was lost or forgotten, that was enough to bring everything down around us. I decided upon a different approach then, instead I harnessed information on witches throughout history who had to rely on one protection spell or another to ensure their own survival against the enemy of man. Expanding my search as far back as the sixteenth century, reading preserved and catalogued documents pertaining to alleged witches of that time period. I began to read about their lives and families, how quickly everything changed for them when they were suspected of witchcraft, I went through the letters they wrote to their families as they waited in a jail cell in unspeakable conditions while awaiting trial, as well as about the witches who managed to escape, those who somehow thrived despite the nightmare that was their daily lives for a very long time indeed.

The further I looked, I found one name in particular continuing to make an appearance. Holly Elizabeth Doyle. Her date of birth was unknown, however, it was believed she came to the United States with her parents somewhere in the very early seventeenth century. Her father was a carpenter who organized a marriage between Holly and a very promising apprentice of his by the name of Jonathan Petersen. Unbeknownst to Mr. Doyle, his eldest daughter Holly had no intention of marrying, and when Holly divulged this to her future fiancée, he went straight to the town pastor, claiming that instead he did not want to marry Holly as he had suspected for some time that she was in fact a witch. Sensing the wolves at her door, the young Holly made the very courageous decision to flee in the middle of the night and spare her family the heartache of a trial. After years of turmoil, starvation, and countless degrading jobs, Holly would come to a newly constructed town by the sea. Here she would find steady work as a housemaid in one of the larger houses, it was here she would meet Olivia Wilson, a vampire, and Harriet Richards, another witch.

In less than a year, they would all be accused of witchcraft with no circumstantial evidence, none of the girls had practiced witchcraft in over five years. A few of the town's folk, however, were not impressed by their ability to construct medicines that treated the suffering and impoverished. A new herb was starting to feature in many of the town's more lavish gardens, making it harder for Olivia to feed and procure discreetly. This particular herb burned her throat and made her very weak. Each of them considered running, but it was Holly who instead devised a plan for them to remain together and beyond the grasp and pitchforks of the town's folk. She carefully devised a spell with the assistance of Olivia, Harriet, and a man Holly was set to marry by the name of Joseph Jones.

On the night they were set to perform the spell, Holly, Harriet, and Olivia became Joseph's wives. Each of them took the same vows, each wife holding equal measure in the eyes and heart of their husband as their bond of love and sacred trust was formed forever. Together they constructed a fire, and each of them surrendered their blood to the flame before joining hands and chanting the same enchantment as the flames grew high above their heads. Upon the last chant, the flames extinguished without a breath of wind to aid them. Holly would later write in the journal she kept in her last year of life that she could still recall the feeling of the spell wrapped around her that night like a blanket as they all worked together to escape, packing their lives up into a single horse and cart, never to be seen again. Holly, Harriet, and Olivia remained married to Joseph for the rest of their lives.

Harriet was the first to give Joseph a child, Holly would give him his next four. It would be another five years of prayer and devotion before Olivia would finally be blessed with her first child.

"Wait a second. That can't be right." I said then

I sat upright on the couch, tilting the laptop screen back slightly as I re-read the last few sentences before confirming that Olivia was indeed a vampire. Olivia's history was unknown, how she came to become a vampire wasn't documented, nor was her life before she came to meet her friends and husband. However, her desire to have a baby was recorded in Holly's journal, where she wrote of the different methods Olivia would try throughout the years, she'd go to church and pray almost daily that she would be blessed. Until one day she finally became pregnant, with no complications throughout the pregnancy or the next one that followed just two years later. Olivia would go on to give her husband a total of five children. Holly would go on to write how she did not hear of another vampire pregnancy until she was fifty years old, it was such a rare occurrence that, in time, it became nothing more than a rumour and soon a believed impossibility. Further into the journal, Holly speculated that she believed that each child born from their marriages appeared to strengthen the spell in the years that followed. Holly wrote, "The cloak that I had not felt around me these last few months has returned stronger than ever since the birth of Harriet's son, now we can be rest assured that our bloodline was always meant to be shared, that the spell continues to hold, and will throughout our lives with the blessings of children to come." Although there is not much information surrounding Holly's death, it is said that she died around 1764. Followed the next year by her husband, and then Harriet just a few months after that. Nothing further was written about Olivia or any of their children.

I was at a complete loss for words, vampires aren't able to have children. Damon told Elena this himself years ago. Stefan told me the same thing the day I got my daylight ring, he wanted me to be aware of everything my body could and could no longer do now that I was a vampire. I didn't sleep that night or the following night, but I could still recall the feeling of tracing my nails up and down my lower belly, feeling numb to my core, as if I had woken up in some sort of nightmare, the type where you can't outrun the bad guy because suddenly your legs no longer work.

Klaus immediately came to mind, he was the oldest vampire I knew, he'd done and seen everything, if anyone on this planet would know the answer to this question, it would be him. There was no possible way he'd lived so long without even hearing of such things. I'd never ask him about such things, he had made his intentions towards me very clear to both Tyler and me. I had kept my distance from him for a while now and planned to keep it that way, whenever he was around me, it made Tyler uncomfortable, and I didn't want that. His charm and expensive gifts would be better suited to a girl not in love with someone else. Despite my constant rejection, Klaus had relentlessly pursued me, I couldn't even consider looking him in the eye and asking him about vampire reproduction.

Furthermore, it had nothing to do with the job at hand of distracting me from the pandemonium that awaited me tomorrow morning.

I continued my investigation. Holly underlined a lot when she wrote about the spell. Holly emphasized that the ritual had to be done exactly as she had written it, the fire, the blood, the chant, and the joining of hands. The magic had married them in a righteous union, eternally binding them together. The charm would project an invisible shadow over them that only they could feel, keeping them secure from the clutches of their adversaries. Even though I was eager to find a spell that would safeguard Tyler and me as one, there was no way I could replicate the same enchantment.

It would require the union of three women to one man, with each participant completely trusting the others as the spell permanently joined them as husband and wife. I couldn't bear the thought of sharing my relationship with Tyler under any circumstances, even if it meant life or death.

The reality was that that was where my mind was right now. This felt like a life-or-death situation, not my first, of course, there had been more than I cared to count since I became a vampire. Tonight was different, I couldn't tell if it was the events of the day, the hunter lurking in the shadows, or the cold in the air. But I had to make the most difficult decision of my life, fight or flight. Tyler had no intention of fleeing Mystic Falls after what had occurred today, he wanted the hunter dead for his actions against him. When we entered the memorial this afternoon, we were on the same page, but not anymore. I hadn't told Tyler anything, so he wasn't to blame for not knowing how I felt now. I should have been more open about how witnessing him being shot had completely altered my perspective. I should have simply been honest with him and confessed that I no longer felt safe in Mystic Falls.

Tyler and I had gotten caught up in each other's supernatural secrets, and we had allowed the heat of the moment to play a crucial factor in our relationship. We'd get into these life-or-death situations and then have sex, the fact was, I was embarrassed by how fast we'd gotten together. We'd used sex so many times to escape uncomfortable discussions about whatever paranormal activity we were coping with at the time. Instead of being upfront and honest with one another, we used our bodies to vent our frustrations. Why couldn't I just tell him how I felt? What was the truth behind my smile?

I'm not content, living here isn't enough for me anymore, and I've been numbing myself with sex to avoid dealing with my emotions.

If I was sincere about leaving Mystic Falls for good, I had to be honest with myself about what I wanted.

So here it goes...

Tyler and I had never been a couple, we'd never had a conversation last longer than five minutes without the supernatural side of our lives interfering, we didn't know a thing about each other the way we should have by this point, we'd never slept together through the night, never seen each other's baby pictures, had a meal together, even ate lunch together in the school cafeteria, he'd never asked me out on an official date, we'd never taken a day away from all the Mystic Falls drama and gone out of town, and despite myself, there were moments when I questioned his feelings for me

As the enormity of my reality struck me like a bus, I dried my eyes with the sleeve of my cardigan. I'd never felt so alone, so disconnected from myself, as if I'd been sleepwalking through my life for the past few years and was finally waking up. I'd grown up with such aspirations and excitement for my future, I was so certain of myself and what I wanted out of life, and yet I had nothing going for me. I had no college prospects, no idea what I wanted for a career, and I hadn't bothered obtaining a summer job because my days and nights were occupied with dealing with some new drama, wiping my friends' tears, fooling around with Tyler, and keeping everyone together as we endured yet another day in this apparently pleasant and sleepy little town of ours.

When did I suddenly decide the lives of my friends should come before my own? Why did I wake up worrying instead of smiling before my head even left the pillow? When exactly did I put my life on hold? Why did I quit being part of so many community projects and groups that I loved?

The reason behind all of this was because I told myself time and time again that it was necessary. I'd been dealing with all of this for years, and in doing so, I had wilfully made the choice that my life could wait. Even my education at school felt redundant after what we endured on a daily basis, and yet it was another downfall of mine. I went to bed with my phone, and I'd text and DM until I couldn't keep my eyes open. When did I stop reading books or even a magazine? When was the last time I had a project of my own? When was the last time I felt proud of something I accomplished as Caroline Forbes, the Sheriff's daughter, and not as a vampire?

The truth is, I wanted to be part of a community again. I wanted to help people and be relied upon to make a difference. I wanted to move somewhere warm where the air smelled clean and where people took pride in their daily lives instead of just survive them. I wanted to have my name on a mailbox, a nice lawn, and tastefully constructed decorations for all of the holidays. I didn't want to go somewhere where people stuck on a fake smile, but instead live somewhere I could meet and converse with genuinely good people who wanted to do good by their fellow man, live by example, and help keep their town a nice place to live.

I was overwhelmed with an unending guilt that dried up my throat and caused my insides to knot up. I was picturing a life that didn't involve my mom or Tyler, I didn't know exactly who I'd want by my side in this life I envisioned for myself, but I knew deep in my heart that part of me would be alright if I were to set out without them. I felt ready to leave home, I wasn't exactly torn up over the idea of dropping out of school, and the truth is that I already felt ready to leave Tyler. I shouldn't have been able to drop my guilt like a hot potato, and yet that's exactly what I managed to do. It would be harder for me to leave my mom than it would be to leave Tyler.

If we weren't together anymore, that meant I would be able to use Holly Doyle's spell and enter a new life with a shield wrapped around me against anyone who might seek to find me. But I couldn't do this spell alone, it required three other people to perfectly replicate it. Holly said so herself in her journal entries. This spell would require two other women and a man to complete it. Whoever participated in this with me would be agreeing to leave Mystic Falls and enter into a marriage. My mind immediately went completely blank the second I even entertained the idea of it. If I asked one of my friends, they would judge me, worry about my sanity, and question how I could ask such a thing of them. I would never consider compelling someone into helping me, there was right and wrong, and that was every shade of wrong combined.

However, the idea of beginning my new life without at least one familiar face was enough to bring tears to my eyes. I dried them before settling my head on the pillow behind me, closing my eyes, and breathing deeply in an effort to calm myself. I had put my own life on hold to take care of my friends because they needed me, and the idea of abandoning them now to ensure my own happiness was making me feel suddenly very ill. Elena, for example, was still a new vampire, and she needed my support as she learned to control her thirst and her new senses. Today she had almost attacked April at the memorial and needed my help to compel the poor girl to forget what that horrid hunter had done to her.

My eyes flickered open then, and my body leaned forward from the pillows. Was it merely coincidence—or, dare I say, fate—that in the moment I turned my mind to possible women to help me escape, two of the most vulnerable ones needing an escape more than anyone else came rushing to my mind? Had I subconsciously been thinking about both of them this entire time? I had never had a strong belief in fate, too many things had crossed my path in life so far to make me doubt its existence. But the rush of warmth coursing through my body at the idea of asking them had me at a total loss for words. I felt stronger, awake for the first time that day, and filled with a reassuring happiness that I couldn't put into words.

That feeling was short-lived when reality set in like a stone, blocking all the good and bringing forth the bad. Elena was a new vampire, however, she was also very much in love with not only Stefan but also Mystic Falls. She had family here, ties to keep her here, connections in the community, and beyond that, this was where her parents were buried. There was zero possibility that she would even consider leaving Mystic Falls with me, I knew that. The only thing separating us was that I wanted to leave and she did not.

Then again, she had no idea that I was so consumed with the idea of leaving town, so who is to say she wasn't thinking of doing the exact same thing? And especially given the events of today, she had fed on Matt in public, she'd almost attacked April, and she almost revealed she was a vampire to everyone in attendance when she was on stage and inches away from losing control. Today had been a long and exhausting struggle, and she was in pain. She was horrified over what she had done, and she hated herself for almost hurting April.

But the idea of her rejecting my idea and seeing the look of disgust in her eyes was enough to make me feel ill all over again. Elena was my best friend, we hadn't always been as close as we are today, but I couldn't, no, I didn't want to imagine my new life without her in it. She'd hate me for leaving Tyler in the dark and entertaining the idea of marrying someone else—someone I didn't love. She thought Tyler and I were perfect for each other, but sadly, that wasn't the case. What people see and what they know are two very different things. If there was even the slightest possibility Elena was on the same boat as me, then I had to brave it and ask her to come with me.

I wasn't going to pretend I knew much about April, she had gone to boarding school at a young age and had remained there ever since. She had visited her family on the holidays, and we had exchanged the usual pleasantries through the years that followed, but nothing more. April, like the rest of the town, remained in the dark about all the supernatural activity around them. There was no doubt in my mind about asking her, it would mean being honest with her about everything, and that would be a challenge in itself. However, I knew, just like me, that April didn't feel like she belonged here anymore, and after losing her father in that horrible explosion, she had no ties here and might take up the chance to escape.

I suppose at the end of the day I didn't have to worry what Elena or any of my friends thought about me, even if Elena said no to being part of the spell, it didn't matter, for I planned to leave Mystic Falls regardless. I didn't belong here anymore, and I refused to spend another second not being honest with myself about what I wanted for my life.

Finding two women was only the beginning, finding a man to enter into such an arrangement would be impossible. There was no man out there who could handle the responsibility of being married to three different women at once. He'd have to be the type of guy who didn't know the word quit, who achieved brilliance, and never settled for anything less. The type of guy with the means and resources to get us out of Mystic Falls and keep us safe for the rest of his life. A man who could handle the responsibilities of a husband, who would thrive in a life with three wives, someone who could open his heart to not just one but three women, and...

"Oh my god, Klaus," I gasped.

If there was one man alive who would delight in having three wives, it was surely him. Klaus would practically marvel at the idea of three women being loyal to him alone, taking his name, and committing themselves through blood. Come to think of it, I couldn't think of anyone else who would delight in having three different women in his life. Unlike other men before him, Klaus wouldn't feel the same measure of guilt about sleeping with three different women—not that he would have to, I suppose, after all, they would all be his wives. However, I doubt even someone like Klaus could be completely unfazed by such an arrangement. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind, however, when it came to his resources and connections. Klaus could have us out of Mystic Falls in less than twenty-four hours, he could erase our existence here, and he had the financial means to support three wives without batting an eye.

Like I said, Klaus had made his intentions towards me very clear, he was attracted to me, and I knew he wanted to sleep with me despite my relationship with Tyler. Klaus was well versed in the world of seduction, he'd probably had more girlfriends and liaisons than all of the men in Mystic Falls combined. If he'd loved them or not was not my business, if he was making me out to be the fool and playing the same game he had for a thousand years, then I'd have something to say about that. Hand on heart, a small part of me was attracted to him, he had the alpha thing going for him, and despite myself, it was a turn-on for me. I like his confidence and, at times, even his arrogance. But most of all, I liked that he didn't treat me like the girl I was, somehow, he always treated me like the girl I wanted to be, or should I say woman?

Klaus saw me for the woman I wanted to be, and he pursued me with a hunger I had never known before. Sometimes I'd catch him stealing a glance at me from across the room, our eyes would lock, and we'd both know what he wanted and what he believed I needed. I wouldn't lie to myself and say I didn't feel something for him physically, I'd dreamt about him a few times following the night of the Mikaelson ball. There was one dream that stuck with me, where I'm wearing a backless black dress at an art gallery and he finds me alone admiring a painting and he begins to caress the skin of my back without our eyes meeting, he's daring me to surrender to him, to be the first to break, and yet I hold strong until I awaken a sweaty mess, unsure of my feelings.

However, when things became intense between Tyler and Klaus, my dreams came to an abrupt end, and my insignificant, petty, and childish attraction for the bad boy was never touched upon again. Klaus, however, was more relentless than ever in his pursuit of me, as if my constant rejections of his advances were a sport to him, a game that he was daring me to enter into with him. Time and time again, he showed up in my life as the hero or the villain, depending on him, which served his own selfish desires. I had never known anyone like him, and he knew it, he was worldly and highly educated, and in his eyes, Tyler was just a small town boy that was blocking me from my true path in life. I couldn't imagine what sort of life Klaus thought I should be leading outside of Mystic Falls, but I doubted it would be far from his side.

But there was no possibility that Klaus could handle the responsibilities of being a husband to one, let alone three women. While caring for their wellbeing and providing emotional support, he wasn't sensitive or the slightest bit gentle. I hadn't grown up with the greatest example of a solid marriage, but I knew the demands of one, and Klaus didn't have the greatest track record of commitment or of showing loyalty to anyone past his own family. I couldn't see him making a home with anyone, maintaining a lawn, paying the bills, or doing the laundry.

Then again, did I have it in me to be a wife? Right now I was picturing a life with someone who wasn't my boyfriend, someone I hardly knew and most certainly didn't trust with such life-altering responsibilities. He didn't have it in him to be a husband, but he wouldn't be entering into a typical marriage either, so what did it matter? I mean, I didn't even know what girls I would ask to enter into something like this, but if they agreed, they'd be entering into the marriage the same day he did, so it would be new to everyone of us, so of course it wouldn't be perfect, but no one ever really wanted things to be perfect. Even the best photographs have flaws, but they're captured and framed regardless, because it's the imperfections that make life all the sweeter, no one is perfect, nothing is ever done perfectly, and yet the efforts made are what make us the greatest versions of ourselves.

I couldn't picture Klaus as my husband, but the idea that he wouldn't only be married to me was something else. April and Klaus, to my knowledge, had never met, she had no idea what he had done to us or his history, I wouldn't keep this from her, I planned on telling her every little detail, it was important to start completely fresh. But Klaus and Elena had a long history together, he had murdered her, drained her of her blood, and killed Jenna right before her eyes to become the hybrid he was today. When I thought of suggesting his name to her, the idea of a happy new life just went completely out of the window. Elena would never love or trust him, he had destroyed her family and changed her life forever, there was no coming back from that. However, there was nothing written in the spell about love being a component, all that mattered was the sacred bond of trust that ensured the marriage. If Elena and Klaus could vow that they were at least a partnership, then that's all it would take, and if the pair were hell-bent enough on escaping town and the hunter, then I believed they could both agree to that at least.

But before I could pitch the idea of this new life, I first had to make it into a once in a lifetime idea that none of them could refuse. I didn't know about the others, but I couldn't see myself sharing a house with two other women and a man, we were all married too. The marriage itself was really out there, and all of us living under one roof would be beyond troublesome. But we couldn't live far away from each other because we'd be in a brand new town and we'd want to remain close.

If Klaus were to agree to be our husband, then every wife deserved to be with him in their own homes. If we could find three houses right next to each other, then we'd have separate but equal lives with one another. That way we could level out the backyards so that they were one big garden, the neighbours wouldn't suspect anything that way, plus it would mean Klaus could go between houses without notice. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he could afford three houses, but his idea of a new life would probably be in a mansion with staff and a grand piano.

Elena, April, and I had grown up in a picture-perfect setting, and this was all we ever knew. I didn't want us to go somewhere that we weren't going to be comfortable, I wanted to move to a new suburb, as I was sure they would too. But if we were going to get three houses right next door to each other, then I'd have to look into new property developments. Somewhere we could move in on the same day without too many questions from the neighbours.

We'd need a schedule—something put in place that would work for everyone involved. Either we could switch off weekly or perhaps daily, that way Klaus would live in all three houses but each night or each week he would be with one wife in particular depending on the schedule. I doubted he'd mind an arrangement such as that, if the girls agreed and the marriages worked out, Klaus would have three women in his life, three loyal women sworn to him alone through blood, and we all knew how he felt about loyalty.

We had to move somewhere no one would think to look at us. Klaus had probably lived all over the United States, so I had to consider places that wouldn't have the nightlife he craved, somewhere far from Mystic Falls for us, and a place where everything could begin anew and we would all be together. I expanded my search from state to state with a few promising areas but nothing with properties directly together, so I extended my search further to the west coast.

"Utah" I reed aloud before selecting it.

I explored new property developments first, if there wasn't a place for us, then there was no reason to read any further into the state as a whole. There were five different developments in progress at the moment, but only one was now accepting offers on their newly constructed houses. I couldn't help but smile ear to ear when at long last I finally found three houses for sale side by side, each of which had its own individual layout, both interior and exterior, each of the houses had four bedrooms, with two baths and en suites for each of the master bedrooms, as well as two attached garages. Each property was so new and untouched that neither of them even contained a hint of a lawn in front or back, we'd need to buy sod and begin everything from scratch. It just screamed out with its promise.

The first house cost five hundred thousand dollars. It was a beautiful brown house with maroon shutters on the windows and a small porch in the front. This property had a large sitting room and dining room combined, which led through a large archway to the kitchen with adjoining laundry and pantry areas, with a smaller sitting area just off the kitchen. Unlike the other two properties, this house contained a basement, which would be perfect for buying in bulk, requiring fewer trips to the grocery store for us, which meant fewer times the three of us would be seen together in public. I enlarged the photograph of the master bedroom, studying it. If this spell came to be, then this would be the room I might be sharing with Klaus, this is where we might even have sex one day or even make babies together. I couldn't think like that right now, it felt rushed and not to be touched upon, at least not yet anyway.

The middle property was painted dark green on the second floor with a light gray tone to the bottom, again, this property had the same style of front porch, but the front door wasn't in the centre of the building but rather further to the right. It had its own driveway and a private pool area out back. It had a smaller kitchen but larger bedrooms. It came to a total of four hundred and ninety-five thousand. As I studied the pictures, part of me began to picture April living in this house, tucked in the middle of the property between Elena and me. If she agrees to the spell, then this would be her house with Klaus. April and Klaus didn't have the same history as Klaus did with Elena and me, and I believed that if April could somehow look past everything he has done and consent to be his wife, then I truly believed it wouldn't take the two of them very long to become more involved with one another. April was full of life, she was beautiful and the type of girl Klaus sought out for himself. I knew my attraction to Klaus was strong, I understood Elena and Klaus might never be physically together, but I doubted it would be very long before April and Klaus were together in that sense.

Finally, the end house came in at a total of five hundred and twelve thousand dollars. It was a beautiful shade of light blue and gray together, and just like the other properties, there was no paint on the walls, no carpets, nothing. The kitchen was larger than the middle house for sure, and unlike the other two houses, there were larger closet spaces in each of the bedrooms. This house had a more open layout, but it still felt homey and warm. After reviewing the layout of the property, I thought this one in particular would suit Elena best. The master bedroom was down the hall from the other three bedrooms, if she and Klaus weren't going to share a bed, then this house would work out best for her. I knew I was wrong to make assumptions about a marriage that might not even happen, but I deeply believed it would be the case with them. I couldn't imagine Elena being the slightest bit interested in him, she was very much in love with Stefan, no matter what Damon did to convince her otherwise.

Klaus wasn't blind, he knew how beautiful she was, her beauty was effortless, she was the girl next door. But she was so much more than that, she had the biggest heart of anyone I'd ever known, and Klaus knew that too. He saw the lengths she had gone to in order to ensure her friends and family remained safe, even if that meant putting her own life on the line. I'd imagine him to be very attracted to her—maybe as attracted to her as he was at one point or another. One thing I knew for certain was that Elena had always wanted to be a mother, and now that I knew vampires had the ability to have children, I knew Elena wouldn't pass up the chance. Deep down, I believed she'd want it even if it meant Klaus being the father.

I sent all of the information I had gathered to the printer, which included,

Everything I had gathered on Holly Doyle

The key components to the spell

The blue prints, house descriptions, photographs, property prices, property taxes, and insurance groups

The fastest routes out of Mystic Falls

Directions from Mystic Falls all the way to Sandy, Utah

Information on gas stations and food stores for the journey

How to hot-wire a car

I had to be smart about how I used the time I had left in this town. I needed to bite the bullet and contact Elena and April, meet with them, and talk this out. If I didn't have them on board with me, then I wasn't going to consider reaching out to Klaus and alerting him to my plans to leave town. Whether or not the girls were with me in this, I planned to be out of Mystic Falls by daybreak tomorrow. Nothing was going to change my mind from this moment on, I didn't shut off my emotions, I kept them in check. I just went to that place inside myself that got things done regardless of the circumstances. I had to get out of here, and I wouldn't stop until I reached Utah.

I wouldn't be caught out about any of the steps between here and there, every single move I made from this moment on had to be correct, one wrong move, and Tyler and my friends would be able to track me down. Over the next ten minutes, I unscrewed the back of my laptop and removed the hard drive, using my strength to snap it in half to get rid of the information I had gathered on the spell and the houses in Utah. I collected all of the information I had gathered from the printer and stapled it together into it's own sections, storing it inside a black plastic wallet, which I kept with me as I left the house. I got into my car and made my way into town. I pulled up at a nursing home and dumped half of my hard drive into their dumpsters around back, the other half I dumped at the old library on the other side of town. Then I tracked down a pay phone in the town square, keeping my head down as it was directly across from the grill.

I called Elena's number and asked her to come over for a few hours. She agreed, she needed to talk about what had happened, but she had to go to the boarding house first and change her clothes. I made my way back to my house, the streets were quiet. It was just after two in the afternoon, and already it felt like a ghost town. I thought I would be filled with guilt as I drove past all the old familiar statues, buildings, and houses, but instead I felt relieved because I knew in my heart it was the last time I was ever going to see them again. I was saying one last farewell to everything I had ever known and was ready wholeheartedly to enter into the next phase of my life, which was Utah.

I pulled up at my house and locked the car before making my way back inside with the information tucked under my arm. Everything had to be in place for Elena's arrival, I would have one shot at getting this right. The entire house had to give off an allure of warmth and ease. Our discussion was going to be intense, it was going to get very uncomfortable for both of us, and the subject of Klaus might just destroy our friendship for the rest of our lives. My stomach was in knots just thinking about her possible reaction to the idea of marriage and Utah. She could flat out refuse the offer, she could laugh and completely destroy me, she might even hate me for suggesting such a thing. But at the same time, she might be in the same boat as I was, refusing to accept the reality that this town, this life, and these constant run-ins with death weren't the lives we were supposed to lead.

Elena had ties here that extended beyond her relationship with Stefan. She had Jeremy to consider, since Elena turned eighteen, she had become his legal guardian. She was legally responsible for his well-being, education, and development. There was zero chance Elena would leave Mystic Falls if that meant leaving her brother behind. Now that the hunter was here, no vampires or anyone associated with them were safe, they were merely targets, and we were well versed in his aim after today. Jeremy wouldn't want to leave town and leave everyone else to fend for themselves, that wasn't the type of person he was, or Elena, for that matter. The only thing that would get Jeremy as far away from Mystic Falls as possible was compulsion, and that decision was entirely in Elena's hands. Jeremy was always talking about an art school he wanted to attend in New York. Elena could compel him into going there alone, force him into believing it was for his own good, and convince him that not remaining in contact with anyone from Mystic Falls was for the best. She could write letters to him, set up a PO box outside of Utah in which she could get his responses, go old school, and have no traceable activity that might aid our friends in finding us.

There were a great number of factors to consider, but unless I had Elena, April, and Klaus on board, I couldn't waste time thinking about them any further. I wasn't emotionally ready to address everything that I would be leaving behind. For now, my focus had to remain on the task at hand, and establishing a comfortable and safe space for Elena to arrive to was the priority right now. I kept the curtains open, but I brought the lace net curtains down to dim each of the rooms. I was moving around each room swiftly, too afraid of what I might think or do if I dared to slow down for a moment. I lit some orange-scented tea light candles in the sitting room and hallway before I switched on the humidifier by the front door, adding a few drops of lavender oil to the water.

I went into the bathroom and poured some bleach down the toilet before flushing and making the toilet paper into a point. I collected a small, rose-scented candle I use for bubble baths, lit it, and placed it by the sink to give the room a gentle glow. I kicked off my shoes after I returned to my bedroom and took off my jacket, sliding my cardigan back on from before. I turned up the heat in each of the rooms, I wanted her to feel warm and at home. I switched on the television and selected Father of the Bride Part 1 from my saved recordings, letting it play in the background on mute. I headed into the kitchen and put on some microwave popcorn and two glasses of Coca-Cola with crushed ice and straws, which I served on a tray with napkins at the ready. I placed it down on the coffee table and, along with it, a box of tissues from the hallway should things became as intense as I feared they might.

I dimmed all of the lights in the rooms and switched on the floor lamp in the far left corner of the sitting room to give just enough light and no more. There was an air freshener I had bought during the Christmas holidays that I just loved, it was pine-scented, and I used it just a few minutes before Elena was due to arrive. Everything was checked off my list for her arrival, I even had the time to squeeze my feet into my favourite pair of slippers before she was knocking on my front door in her typical jeans, sneakers, t-shirt, and jacket—nothing out of the ordinary and no questionable look as I unlocked the front door. I was glad my calling from a payphone and my lie about my dead cell phone had flown right below her raider.

She made her way past me, and I softly turned the lock on the front door. I understood that a lock wouldn't stop a hunter, but it might slow him down and give us five vital seconds at the very least. Within under five minutes, we were on my couch with a blanket around our legs, her on one side and me on the other. We'd each had a handful or two of popcorn and enjoyed our drinks. I watched her across from me, settled and happy to be here. She had relaxed more after telling me about the horrors she had endured today before the memorial had even begun. I had listened to her horrors about the bathroom, her blood-soaked dress, and wondered how she possibly kept it together enough to remain there afterwards and be surrounded by so many humans at the same time. Even the most self-controlled vampire could slip with that much going on around them. I was so proud of her, she had come so far already since becoming a vampire, and she was doing beautifully.

I went on to share with her certain methods that I myself had found helped control my thirst. But I was quick to remind her that we are all different, and just because these methods worked for me didn't mean they would serve the same purpose for her. We were all our own people, and this journey as a vampire had to be done her own way at her own speed, or she would lose herself in the advantages of an immortal life and forget about all the disadvantages that came along with it. My biggest fear for her would be if she lost her humanity all together. Elena was the most selfless person I had ever known, without her humanity, she'd be a completely different person, and that would be a nightmare. I told her how proud I was of her, and we both got a little teary, but luckily I had tissues at the ready for both of us. I told her how amazing it was to see her holding onto her loving personality and goodness despite what had happened to her on the bridge.

"Is your mom coming home tonight?" Elena asked and helped herself to another sip of her drink.

"I doubt it. She's got to look over all of the witness statements taken from the memorial and put together a statement to be read at tomorrow's town meeting. Even if she did come home tonight, it would be to grab a microwave dinner and a change of clothes and nothing more."

"I can't imagine what she's dealing with or how her day will be tomorrow."

"Me neither." I agreed.

I planned to compel my mom to leave when the time came, either with them or alone, either way, it was better for her to begin a new life outside of Mystic Falls. I had everything in my mind already about how her life would be, I'd make sure I got it all right and ensured her every happiness, but I wouldn't be part of that new life, I knew after tonight I would never see her again. I couldn't and wouldn't risk going to visit her, I wouldn't lead anyone to her and put her life in danger after she spent my entire life protecting me and the people of Mystic Falls. She was going to be alright without me, but I doubted how I'd make it through without her.

"She's a credit to this town." Elena commented then.

Sooner or later, I was going to have to tell her the truth. Either she'd be on board or this would be the last time we'd ever see each other again. I might suggest this life in Utah and marriage to Klaus and send her running for the door. If this did happen, I'd have to pack a bag and be gone by the time Tyler or any of my friends could make it over here to confront me about it. They'd shame me for suggesting such a life, but I didn't care, just because it wasn't the typical normal didn't mean it would be any less beautiful. Life should be about our own versions of beauty and love and no one else's. It was my friend's small-mindedness that had sucked me into this phase I had been stuck in from the moment Katherine put that pillow on my face.

I was sick and tired of it. Play their version of what was right and good for the group. No, I refused to continue playing. I wanted to be free of them, free of the apparent responsibility I held toward them and toward this town. I wanted to go to Utah and finally, at long last, enter adulthood. I wanted to be an adult. Stop dressing the way I did to impress Tyler instead of being comfortable and warm. I wanted to be part of a community that gave to me as much as I gave back. It was time to break the silence and be honest with my friend, either she was with me or I had a long road ahead of me alone. Which I would face with my head held high regardless if I was alone or not.

I excused myself and made my way into the bathroom, using the facilities before washing my hands and making my way into my bedroom, where I had left the paperwork for this exact moment at the ready. I returned to the sitting room with the wallet tucked under my arm and two fresh glasses of Coca-Cola. Elena smiled at the sight of them as I placed them down on the coffee table. I returned to my spot on the couch, draping the blanket across my legs and adjusting the pillows at my back, feeling strangely calm and ready to begin the conversation that would change the rest of my life. I slid the wallet out and placed it directly on my lap before finally looking her way, finding her eyes lifting from the wallet and back to me.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, her eyes tightening in anticipation of my answer.

She was worried already, she saw how quickly my expression had changed since returning. Now the lights were switched on behind my eyes again, and Elena noticed the change faster than a hiccup.

"Everything is fine, but I do have to talk to you about something important."

Even my voice sounded different, more mature even, and so quickly.

I couldn't believe how steadily I was handling this. I was proud of myself, filled with joy and not even a hint of nerves, even my posture was straighter. It was like the adult version of me had stepped in to handle the next steps, and I was grateful for it.

"But you're okay, right?"

"I'm okay now, but I lied when I told you I was alright after the memorial. I wasn't alright today, it hit me like a bus, and I shouldn't have kept that from you."

"You saw Tyler being shot, Caroline. I don't think anyone would blame you for being a little shaken."

"Reality hit me hard today, and this hunter showing up and causing all of this mayhem has really gotten under my skin and-" I paused, then

"And what? Tell me" Elena encouraged, her gentle eyes full of warmth and compassion as she followed my every word.

The moment had finally arrived, and there was no turning back. This would forever be the moment that altered our friendship for the rest of our lives, no matter the outcome. If she agreed, then tonight we might very well marry Klaus and leave Mystic Falls to begin a new life as his wives. I took a deep cleansing breath, holding it in and blowing it out like a birthday candle, slow and steady, not caring to watch Elena's reaction to my sudden bazaar behaviour. I just kept telling myself that, no matter what, I'd be gone from this town by morning.

"I'm leaving Mystic Falls, Elena. I'm making arrangements tonight, and I'll be gone by morning." I finally, at long last, confessed.

The weight I didn't even know had been there fell off my shoulders as quickly as a raindrop. I felt my entire body relax despite Elena's expression as she tried to make sense of my decision.

I reached out my hand for hers, watching as she took it before I met her gaze. I kept my voice soft and level as I told her.

"Please just hear me out." I pleaded

She was itching to speak, to get answers to all the questions mounting in her head right now, along with possible reasons for me to stick around and continue on here as the self-controlled blonde perfectionist. But instead of doing any of that, Elena surprised us both by nodding her head and replying.

"Alright, I'm here."

She was worried about me, that much was clear from her expression. She never learned how to mask her emotions, and why should she? She wore her heart on her sleeve, and that's what made her my best friend. I couldn't imagine a life without her, and now I can only pray I don't have to either. So I had to just be open and honest with her, speak with an open heart, and get it all out there once and for all.

"Elena I don't feel safe here anymore. I understand that this is our home, we grew up here together, we have family, friends, and ties in the community, and I'm sorry, but it's just not enough to keep me here a second longer."

She opened her mouth to speak, and I was ready to be hit with the reality check that I would be leaving my friends behind and with the hunter at our gates. But when I pressed my lips together harder to stop myself from finishing my own sentence the way I had done countless times over the past few years, Elena was the one to stop herself instead. She didn't say a word, she'd seen me silencing myself and ready to give her the stage, but she didn't take it, instead, my dear friend began nodding her head, encouraging me to continue. I'd like to think that if we were in each other's places right now, I would do the same thing for her and allow her time to explain what was really in her heart.

"This isn't a bad response to another bloody event in my life, it's not delayed shock from watching Tyler being gunned down like a criminal. As much as it kills me to admit it, seeing him get shot wasn't the worst thing I've endured this year alone. It doesn't even make the top five, and knowing that says a lot to me."

Again, Elena had to stop herself from speaking out.

I was going to lean forward and perhaps even take her hand, but I held strong, keeping my back as straight as an arrow as I continued on. I'm not mixing words, I'm being direct and honest with her about my feelings.

"I'm sorry that I've asked you here alone and burdened you with all of this news. I haven't even told Tyler what I plan to do. The only one I wanted to tell was you because you're my best friend, I'd even go as far as to say soul mate." I told her and felt myself getting slightly choked up, seeing tears prick Elena's eyes then.

I cleared my throat and sniffled, praying to keep it together long enough to tell her the next part.

"Elena, what I'm about to tell you is going to be very difficult for you to hear. And despite everything your heart and mind are begging you to do, I'm asking for you to give me the floor long enough to explain myself."

I saw the doubt in her eyes, she was gripping the blanket slightly now too, I should have turned the heating up higher, she was probably cold to the touch from all the shock. But there was no turning back now, I was going to see it through to the end no matter what. I moved my hands over the wallet on my lap, feeling the cold surface of the plastic material against my warm palms.

"Regardless of what happens after I tell you this, you need to know upfront that I'm leaving Mystic Falls for good. I've made my decision, and I'm comfortable with it. I'm not asking that you understand or accept it, I'm merely asking for you to hear me out and listen to what I have to say, not only what you wish to hear." I told her.

To my surprise, Elena remained silent.

"Over the last couple of hours, I've been doing some research. After I decided that I was going to leave town, I knew I needed more than a passport to ensure that I could have a life free of this town. I don't want to worry about something following me and destroying the new life I have pictured in my mind. So I began looking into spells, specifically protection spells, shields, barriers, cloaks, or whatever you want to call them. I researched spells that didn't require a witch to cast them, but instead vital ingredients and exact replications of the original spell. And I found what checked all of the boxes, it doesn't wipe anyone's memory of you, but the spell makes it next to impossible for other supernatural beings to track you. Not even ghosts can break through this spell after it is cast. To put it simply, it's a clean sweep for anyone involved in its casting."

I stopped then to take a much-needed and well-deserved breath. I hadn't blurted, nor had I gone into great detail either. I had the materials in front of me for Elena to read through should she wish to, and if not, that was alright by me.

"Before you ask, I'm not running away from anyone. I'm not scared of this new hunter or what he might have in store for me. Things are fine between Tyler and me, there hasn't been an argument or disagreement that has led me to do this. I'm not running away from home because I'm not a child, I'm choosing to leave and begin a new life for myself that no longer involves any supernatural activity. I don't want to be human again, I've accepted being a vampire and I've gotten it completely under control. I'm choosing to leave because I believe it's what's best for me, I've spent too long with my life on hold, filling my days with cleaning up yesterday's mess and the day before that too, keeping myself busy with the new evils blowing in town."

And with that said, Elena could no longer keep silent.

"Maybe you just need a few days away from all of this. Bonnie and I could come up with a plan, and..." Elena stopped when I reached out and placed my hand upon hers, a tight smile upon my lips as I slowly shook my head back and forth.

Watching the realization hit her like a highway truck. This wasn't going to be fixed with a few days in the sun, even if the company was my two best friends. This wasn't something to be fixed but rather changed for the better.

"I'm so sorry, Elena. I am, and I mean that."

"We all get caught up in things, but we can't just walk out on our lives."

I let go of her hand, then my smile remained in check ever so slightly as I moved back from her.

"This isn't living, Elena. To me, this is merely existing, if not just flat-out surviving. Day after day, and it's not what I want anymore."

"But we have people here counting on us. What about Bonnie? Why tell me to come here and not her?"

Come on, keep going. I tell myself this before responding to her.

"Because this next phase of my life doesn't have Bonnie in it."

"What do you mean? How can you even say something like that?"

I took a moment to steady myself and not snap at her, she had been very patient with me, and if I was going to be an adult about this whole thing, then I had to appreciate the good with the bad.

"Did you ask me to say goodbye here?" Elena asked, breaking my train of thought.

She needed answers, and now was the time to finally give them to her, which meant telling her about the spell and its components. So I began right from the start of my research. I began to tell her about everything I had read about Holly Doyle, down to the tiniest detail. I explained about what she was, how young she was when she fled from her home, her struggles, how she came to meet Olivia and Harriet and then, in time, the man who would become her husband, the supernatural hardships she faced in her new town, how the town turned on them, how Holly constructed the spell to give them a new life together, and finally, about the night they came to cast the spell and marry the same man.

Elena was speechless, and I was grateful as I was nowhere near done with my research. I went on from there to explain the spell's success, how they adjusted to their new lives after they escaped the horrific people of their town by the sea, how life was for her, and how she adjusted to sharing her husband with two of her best friends. I took Elena's hand in mine as I began to explain about the children born from the marriages, how Holly and Harriet, being witches, conceived without issue, but Olivia, who was a vampire, struggled to conceive. Elena gripped my hand upon hearing this, her eyes were filled with FRESH tears that fell down her cheeks and all the way down her neck as I continued to share with her. I watched the shock, relief, and finally happiness cross her face as I shared Olivia's story and how she finally became pregnant, and all about the children she brought into the marriage. Tears had pricked my eyes too when I shared this news with her—how I had felt while reading it and the relief in my heart when I realized I still had the ability to become a mother. How Holly wrote about the strength of the spell increasing through time with the extension of their bloodlines I shared how they all shared a happy life together, not always easy and at times very difficult, but always together for the rest of their lives.

I collected the boxes of tissues from the coffee table then, collecting a few of them and handing them to her, knowing her happiness would fade very quickly from here.

"The reason I told you all of this is because I've made a decision about what I want for my future, and it's not going to be easy for you to hear."

It was now or never, and I felt confident in my decision to tell her, she'd either accept it or she wouldn't, and either way, I was about to begin the next chapter of my life right here and now.

I took a deep breath before I flatly stated the truth about asking her here tonight.

I told her that I believed this spell was the key to leaving Mystic Falls forever—to get away from the hunter, ensure we'd never be followed, and finally say goodbye to all our mistakes that led us here. I was up front with her and watched her reaction to the news that I planned to ask her, April Young, and Klaus to be part of this spell with me. Her frame became immediately stiff and rigid at the news, she made no measurable effort to hide her shock and fear, for which I couldn't blame her. I quickly followed up by assuring her that if she was not on board, then the spell was a non-starter and that I would leave town alone. I, continued on, not pleading my case to her but rather explaining my reasoning behind such a bold and unprecedented request. I told her my thoughts and feelings regarding asking her first, how I believe my support would help her enter a new phase of her life as both an adult and a new vampire, and how I believed we could get Jeremy out of town tonight and on route to New York, towards his goal of art school and a life in the city. Then I moved onto the subject of April Young and how today's attack had proven how exposed she was now that her father was gone, she hadn't been in town long enough to make any new friends, and how, without the financial support of her father, she'd have to remain here and attend school with us rather than her school abroad. Elena remained at a complete loss for words, but at the same time she made no effort to rush for the door either. She was a vampire now, and she was more than capable of leaving without issue—not that I would make any attempt to stop her.

Then came the subject of Klaus, and I watched her closely as she continued to listen to me despite her obvious discomfort. I explained that his crush on me had nothing to do with my decision to ask him to be part of it. It was merely the reality that Klaus was the only man alive that I knew that could handle three wives in his life at the same time. That if I had asked Stefan or Tyler, then both our hearts would have broken seeing them attempt to handle such a life, arguing with them daily that we couldn't be their priority anymore, and that all three wives had to hold the same measure of love and respect. Not that I believed Klaus had love in his heart for any of us, he would however feel our loyalty through the spell, and that's all that mattered. I reminded her that this spell wasn't formed in true love but rather in partnerships, a trust that this spell was forever, and that those casting it believed wholeheartedly in its promise.

I explained to her that I didn't expect this spell to make Klaus into a different person, but at the same time, he's never been given an opportunity like this to become someone brand new, and he could live as close to a human life as we could. I told Elena point blank that she did not have to be romantically involved with him should she agree to this. I told her straight out that I didn't think the two of them would work out. That if they were to participate in the spell, then their marriage would be their business and not mine. Klaus wouldn't be there for the same level of emotional support as any husband, but she would have April and I for that. This wasn't some love affair for any one involved, it was a spell and the promise of a better life that would remain our focus.

I told her that starting this new life meant being honest with April from start to finish. She had to be told about our secret, the founding families, Katherine, werewolves, dopplegangers, and especially every minute detail we knew about Klaus. If this spell was going to work, then everyone had to be in it 100 percent, or it would not work. I explained that because she hadn't endured the same history with Klaus as we did, then April and Klaus might be the first to become romantically involved. It was then that I reminded her of Holly's theory that bringing children into the marriage and continuing the bloodline of those who cast the original spell appeared to strengthen the spell through time.

I looked her directly in the eye and told her that one day in the future, whether that be ten or twenty years from now, I might consider motherhood. I kept my focus on her, locking eyes with my best friend and telling her that one day I might be open to the idea of having a baby with Klaus, not just for the benefits of the spell but to finally have something returned to me that I thought was lost forever. I told her how desperately I wanted to be a mom—to love a child unconditionally and watch them grow. If their birth strengthens the spell, then that's just a small bonus in the grand scheme of things to come. I told her I wasn't in love with Klaus, but that I wasn't blind to his attraction to me at the same time. I told her that none of this works without full disclosure. It was the first time I was admitting the truth to myself about what I wanted my future to look like. I wanted to have babies, tears threatened to spill just at the idea of seeing their faces for the first time.

Elena remained silent as I cracked open the plastic seal of the wallet, watching her as I collected the first batch of paperwork relating to the spell and everything I had already shared with her. I handed it over without hesitation, or perhaps just a little, and a very reluctant, almost trembling Elena reached out and accepted it. She turned the pages around in her direction and fell silent as her eyes finally left mine and went directly to the first page. I didn't move a muscle for the next thirty minutes or so. I watched her read from page to page, taking it all in for herself, reading everything from Holly's journal entries to the spell itself. The pages of each book were discoloured and had suffered some fading over the course of time, but they were still very readable.

All the time I watched her, I just kept hoping that her reading this was a good sign of things to come for us. But at the same time, she may be reading it to find out everything she can about the spell so that she can prevent it. There was no point in thinking that way, Elena was aware that if she chose not to be part of the spell, then I would be going my own way without performing it. So her reading about it now was surely a good sign.

When she came to the last page, I reached my hand out to take it from her, but she did not pass it to me. Instead, she ran her fingers down through her hair before helping herself to a few sips of her drink.

There was no point in holding anything back further, so right then and there, I decided to be honest about my idea for Utah. Elena watched me retrieve more paperwork from inside the wallet before handing it over to her along with the research I had gathered relating to the fastest possible routes out of Mystic Falls and directions to Sandy, Utah.

"What is all of this?" Elena asked as I handed it to her.

"I wanted you to have all the information I had gathered so that you could see that this decision wasn't made on the spur of the moment. I wanted you to see the life we could all share together."

I watched her go through the descriptions of the houses, looking through all of the photographs and blueprints I had gathered. I fought back my smile when Elena came to the house I imagined for her, and unlike the first two, she took her time reading about this one. She'd even traced her fingers across the picture of it's front room before turning the last page.

"I don't understand," Elena confessed.

She was right to be angry, for I hadn't explained it to her correctly, yet again, it was cart before the horse, and she was the one suffering for it. I edged slightly closer to her on the couch after I too took a few sips of my drink to clear my throat and replenish.

"If we did the spell, we'd need somewhere to live together outside of Mystic Falls. I thought none of us would be comfortable remaining in the same state, so I began to look at other places for us to live. I know I was making assumptions by doing this, frankly, it's rude and gross what I've done. But I needed you to see how serious I was about establishing a new life for us to all share together. We'd need to go somewhere no one would think to look for any of us, including Klaus. Utah seemed like the perfect fit, and I thought if we approached Klaus with a place we wanted to go, then he wouldn't really get to lord over us about it, he'd not get his way for once, no mansion, no house staff, but rather real life and a fresh new home at the ready for us."

"But Caroline, there are three different houses here."

"Three houses side by side to one another."

"I still don't get it." she complained

"If we were to move there, we'd have to keep up appearances with the neighbours, we couldn't have people asking questions about why Klaus appeared to be at a different house every night or every week, whatever the case might be. But if we levelled out the backyards as one, then the neighbours wouldn't see any of us going between any of the houses, none of them would be aware of the fact that we were all together."

Elena stacked the papers together, sitting them between us as she shook her head.

"You've made assumptions, you didn't even know what I would say about this."

I crossed my legs together, and Elena did the same, and we adjusted the blanket around our laps. I had hurt her feelings, and I was sorry to have done that.

"I shouldn't have looked into houses."

"How did you even come to think of such an arrangement anyway?"

"Honestly?"

Elena nodded, daring me to continue and not looking at all impressed by my actions so far.

"I thought that us marrying one man would be a big enough adjustment for us. The idea of us all being under the same roof felt forced, and I didn't want that to be the case. The marriage requires us to trust everyone involved, and if we were under the same roof, we would see him through the years being affectionate towards the other wives. It might cause unnecessary jealousy and tension."

"I wouldn't imagine that being the case for me if I were involved." Elena blurted out then.

"Plus, when I move, I'm going to be giving up this phase of my life and entering adulthood. I'm going to be honest, Elena, I don't care about finishing school anymore."

"But Caroline-"

"No, please listen to me, it's redundant to me now. I've faced life-and-death situations and seen more death and mayhem in these past few years than anyone else in our class should see in their lifetimes. I'm tired of timetables, cheerleading practice, and above all, I refuse to ask permission to go to the bathroom."

To my surprise, Elena was nodding in agreement on that, and it was a very welcome sight indeed.

"I want to move to Utah and have a house of my own, I want to pay my own bills, hold down a job, pick up my dry cleaning, go for a run, clip coupons, make a pot of coffee in the morning, and hopefully have someone standing by my side at the end of a bad day."

"And you think that person is Klaus?" Elena practically screeched

"Elena, if you aren't part of this, then Klaus is never even going to know I've skipped town."

She kept her eyes locked on mine when she then said, "What about Tyler?"

She wanted honesty, and she was going to get it.

"I love Tyler, but I'm not in love with him. We're not a couple, Elena. We endure supernatural situations, and then we have sex and a little pillow talk, but the train stops there. When I think about how I almost skipped town with him, I could scream at myself. I would have been back here in less than twenty-four hours having realized that I gave up my life for a boy and not a man."

"You're both still only teenagers."

"We are, but technically so are you and Stefan. Are we really going to pretend that my relationship holds a candle to what you share with Stefan?" I challenged her.

She opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself when our eyes finally met. She couldn't look me in the eye and pretend she wasn't that type of person, and we both knew it.

"Okay, so things aren't going great between you, but there's no reason to do this spell."

"I'm not doing the spell to avoid breaking up with Tyler. This spell has nothing to do with him at all. This spell is a ticket to a new life, honestly. This spell has nothing to do with him at all. This spell is a ticket to a new life, honestly, Elena, I could cry at the idea of it alone." I told her and looked away when tears threatened to surface.

"Hey, talk to me," Elena encouraged in her soft voice, gentle and low, as she reached for my hand, taking it.

I locked eyes with her, and watching the tears fall, she handed me a tissue without pause.

"I'm so miserable here." I confessed to her as I began to dry my eyes.

"I'm starting to get that." She told me over my sniffling.

When I locked eyes with her, Elena's chin began to quiver, and she edged herself forward on the couch towards me, and we hugged. Neither of us looked at each other as we came to grips with the fact that this might be the last time we ever see each other. When we let go, Elena went to the bathroom to toss some water on her face while I returned to the kitchen. I got myself a painkiller for my oncoming headache before I refilled both our drinks and put on a new bag of popcorn. I returned to the sitting room to find Elena had returned and was waiting for me. I placed the tray of popcorn and drinks back down on the coffee table before taking my seat.

"I'm sorry I asked this of you." I confessed as I took my seat before she could say anything.

"You were desperate, you needed a friend. I get that. But it's far from borrowing a sweater or copying my homework."

"That's true." I agreed, and we both smiled at each other.

"I'm not mad at you, Caroline. But I need to understand. Why me of all people?"

"Well-"

"You can be honest. I'd rather you did." She explained

"I just didn't want to be alone."

She wanted honesty, and I gave it to her. Elena smiled in response to my amazement. It was almost as if she had been expecting that to be my answer.

"I know it's hypocritical because I'm telling you about the spell at the same time as telling you I'm leaving town either way."

"It is a little."

"What I'm asking of you is the most selfish thing I've ever asked for in my entire life, I know that, and you know that. I'm asking you to give up the only life you've ever known, your relationship with Stefan, and the chance to see Jeremy grow up into the great guy we all know he's going to be."

Elena sighed and stretched her legs out over the inside of the couch, and I followed suit, our legs side by side as we faced one another.

"If we suspended reality for a second and pretended I agreed to do this, how did you imagine it all going down anyway?" she asked me

"Honestly, I hadn't gotten that far. I thought of a way for you to get Jeremy to safety and routes for us to take out of town. All useless without your participation, of course."

"What did you have in mind for Jeremy?"

"It doesn't even matter, don't worry about it, you're not coming, and it's okay."

"Tell me," Elena said as she picked up the paperwork between our legs, her eyes not lifting from the pages in her hands, causing my heart rate to increase at the sight.

What was she up to? Was she merely curious? Or was this an elaborate scheme to delay me?

"Did you call or text anyone when you went to the bathroom?" I accused her

"No," she replied again, her eyes not shifting from the pages as she turned from one to the next.

"It won't stop me from going if you do."

"I left my phone out here on the couch." She told me before placing the paperwork onto the coffee table.

"You're asking a lot of questions all of a sudden." I explained

"...I know"

"Why?"

"Because the more you explain things to me, the more at ease I feel about it."

"About what?"

"...What I might want to do." She confessed

I leaned up from the pillows, her eyes not leaving mine as she watched me do so.

"Are you considering coming with me?" I dared to ask

"I feel like a terrible person," she cried, her eyes filling with tears.

"No, you're not," I told her, helping her then, clasping her hands around her drink so that she could take a few sips before I dapped her eyes dry for her.

"That's why I'm asking about Jeremy because you know what he means to me. He needs to be safe. I need to hear your idea, or I can't even think." She told me

I returned to my space on the couch and put my hand down on her leg, holding her ankle in support as I began to explain my idea to ensure Jeremy's safety.

Elena listened to every suggestion closely but I could see the wheels spinning, and the uncertainty in her eyes was causing my stomach to knot up.

"But what about the hunter? I mean, we can't just abandon everybody."

"We're not abandoning them."

"We are."

"If you need me to be cutthroat rational about this whole thing, I can be. The hunter's human, and he's got some skill, but he's also got Damon on his trail already, and he's pissed him off big time."

"But he got the jump on Damon out in the parking lot."

"Damon had just spent that past half hour surrounded by humans and breathing in April's blood. All the while keeping an eye on you on stage, worried that you were about to lose it in front of everyone and reveal yourself. He was distracted, and the hunter seized his opportunity. Besides, I've never heard of anyone getting the jump on Damon and living long enough to tell the tale."

I reached up behind the couch then for the air fan we kept on the window stand next to some photographs and a few books, and I switched it on and angled it directly towards Elena on a low setting to help her then. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and let the air cross her face, sweeping her hair back from her shoulders.

"I know this is moving too fast, and I can see how uncomfortable you are. I just wish there was more time for you to make a decision."

Elena looked towards me then and asked, "Why do you have to go tonight?"

"Because it feels like it's time. I know you don't want to hear it, but it feels like tonight is my last night in Mystic Falls."

"You say that, and I feel sick." She confessed

"Imagine how I feel."

"I just can't imagine you not being here and not seeing you every day. What are you going to tell everyone?"

"Nothing" I answered point-blank.

"Wait. No. What do you mean, nothing?"

"I don't owe anyone an explanation."

"I didn't say you did. But you at least have to give them the chance to say goodbye."

"Why?"

"Because they're your friends and your family, Caroline. Don't act like they're not."

"Elena, I want you to listen to me."

I sat myself upright, then crossed my legs together.

"I'm very grateful for all of them, they've all saved my life at one point or another. But I don't want to say goodbye, and I don't feel I have to either. I don't want to say goodbye, I'd like to just slip away in the night. I know how selfish that sounds, but I've spent too long living my life based on the thoughts and emotions of those around me. Placing their needs before mine"

"It's been tough on all of us the past few months."

"Let's not pretend anymore, Elena. This has been going on for years now."

She bowed her head, surrendering to the truth of it, which wasn't easy to accept. I appreciated the moment of silence between us, however, it allowed me a split second at least to picture what my life might look like tomorrow and the next day. Finally, I was looking forward to the next day instead of wondering what new beasty would come into our lives next. Come tomorrow, we could be in a different state, on our way to Utah and our brand new lives together. This all depended on April and Klaus agreeing to the marriage too. I had to keep that in mind and not get ahead of myself too much.

"What about your mom?" Elena questioned me.

I was wondering when we'd get to the subject of the people I was leaving behind. Elena wanted the spotlight off her for a bit, which was understandable.

"I've thought about it, and there's no chance I'm moving on to a brand new life and leaving her behind in Mystic Falls." I told her

"So what are you going to do?"

I cleared my throat before answering her, "I'm going to make up an excuse to get her home—something she'll believe like I'm locked out or my car won't start. When she's back, I'm going to cook her a nice meal, and then after it, I'm going to compel her. It will break my heart to do it, but it's necessary for her safety. I'm going to make her believe that it's time for her to retire. I'll submit an email to the board and explain that, given the recent attack on a political figure's son within our community, she believes the force needs fresh blood. I'll submit another email to her team at the station to inform them of her decision to retire and tell them that she's off to live with her sister in Texas, and she'll be in touch once she settles in."

"And you think they'll believe that?"

"Today was a lot for even the best sheriff's to handle. They'll think today's events were enough to convince her it was time to turn in her badge."

"I'll compel her to stop by the office on her way out of town, she can pretend to be on the phone so no one tries to talk to her. I'll compel her to go into her office, place her badge and service pistol in the top drawer of her desk, and leave. By the time we're done loading up her car, no one will be at the station anyway. It will probably be after midnight. And I'll leave after she does."

"You're sure about this?"

"Retiring and spending more time with her sister was always on the cards. She'll do great there. I'll compel her to never contact anyone in Mystic Falls again."

"You're not going to write to her, are you?"

"I'll wait a few years until I know for sure she's not being watched by anyone in Mystic Falls. I'll reach out to her then, and only then. I'm going to cover my tracks so well that it will be like we both just disappeared."

"You know Tyler will never stop looking for you."

"Part of me believes that, and then the other half of me wonders how long I'd hold onto hope of finding him if he disappeared on me the way I plan to disappear on him. He'll either look for me or he'll hate me forever. I'm prepared either way."

"You say that like it means nothing to you."

"I know right now you are on the fence about leaving, and that's okay. But where I am mentally right now, Elena, I am already packed and on my way to Utah. I don't feel guilty, perhaps it's waiting for me until the second I'm walking out the door. I don't know. But I know right now the only place I want to be is Utah."

Not knowing what else to do, I guess Elena retrieved the information on the houses again. Tears pricked my eyes when she moved through the pages until she was reading through the description of the end house again.

"Are you thinking about coming with me?" I asked her

Elena nodded and sniffled, not lifting her head to look at me.

I reached forward, placing my hand over her knee above the blanket, but she didn't look up.

"Do you want me to talk some more?"

Elena nodded and turned the page, a few tears sliding down her cheeks as she did.

"What do you want to hear?" I asked her

"Uh, plans. Tell me how we'd even do this."

"Alright." I agreed to do so.

"But before I do that, you have to tell me what you want." I instructed her.

I turned my head away in an effort to help her find her voice, sometimes when someone isn't looking your way, it's easier to find the words.

Elena cleared her throat loudly, helping herself to a few quick sips before telling me, "I want to do this. I'm not sure about the whole Klaus part. But if you're right and all the spell requires is my loyalty to the spell and to him, then that's something I can do. I don't know if I'll be able to be in the room when April is told the truth about us, but I'll try. I really just want to be gone by tonight. Once I know Jeremy is sorted out and he is on a train, bus, or whatever to New York, I will feel better and more capable than I do right now. But you're right, it needs to be tonight. Because it's not enough for me anymore either."

With that, I finally turned to look Elena's way, and she raised her head to look back at me.

"I love him, I do." She cried

"I know" I replied, but with a whisper.

"But it's just not enough," she sobbed, shaking her head.

"Okay"

Elena was a mess after the truth was finally revealed. I held her in my arms for over twenty minutes as she cried for the end of her relationship with Stefan, for the friends she was leaving behind, for the farewell to her hometown, and for the life she would have had if she had stayed behind. She was in no condition to see April by the time she was done, and I needed to take care of her. Despite her protests, I had run her a bath, lighting the entire room by candlelight and filling the tub with oil and bubbles to ease her shaken nerves. I laid out fresh towels for her and put her clothes on the heated towel rail so they'd be warm after she was done. While she was in the tub soaking her troubles away, I had gone into the kitchen and made us some chicken noodles, adding freshly chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and a sprinkling of garlic powder to them before serving. I prepared us two very large glasses of fresh orange juice to have with them. I placed two aspirin on her plate, she'd probably have a horrible headache at this point and needed relief.

We ate together in silence, tucking into the noodles, which were amazing. We gulped down our drinks so quickly that I refilled them twice before we'd even finished our food. We sat together on the couch with the throw around our legs for twenty minutes or so, watching Father of the Bride and relaxing after a frankly exhausting afternoon. It felt right to take this time to recharge after our heart-to-heart, we had a long night ahead of us, but it was important that we take this time now.

After providing me with April's contact number, Elena stayed behind at my house to clean up the dishes while I made my way into town to the use another pay phone. Elena and I both agreed that it was better that we didn't risk our phone records, we didn't want anyone back at home to put two and two together about all of us disappearing when we did. If April did agree, then I would be back here again later tonight calling Klaus, but from a different pay phone, like I was doing right now when I called April. I asked her over to mine, telling her that Elena and I wanted us to get together and talk about how she was doing after today. I gave her my address and told her parking on my street was a nightmare, so maybe she could walk over instead. Elena had suggested we tell her this, it was one less thing to worry about, and this way no nosy neighbours could tell any of our friends that there was a car they didn't recognize outside my house that afternoon.

I picked up some strong coffee on my way home from town for April, if she was going to come with us, then she needed to load up on caffeine. It was going to be a very long night for all of us. When I returned home, I was immediately filled with reassurance that Elena was with me in this decision by the sight before me now. She had cleaned up the dishes, straightened up the sitting room, made a new bowl of popcorn, set out the cups for the coffee, lit a few more candles, put Father of the Bride back to the start, and sprayed the room with air freshener. Elena and I quickly exchanged hugs before we put a plan into motion. We discussed who would tell April what and when, we agreed the supernatural element should come before the marriage, and we even went so far as to arrange where we would sit when we talked to her.

April was quick to arrive, she had changed out of her clothes from the memorial and was now wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized red blouse with some bracelets. We welcomed her, took her coat, and encouraged her to make herself comfortable on the couch. Elena sat beside her while I took a seat on the armchair across from them after pouring everyone a cup of coffee. Elena and I took a long sip, exchanging glances. Elena was in this with me now, I knew in my heart that we weren't going to let each other down and that we were going to be out of Mystic Falls by morning. Now we just had to hope that April would be coming with us.

After we talked about today's service and gave April time to express her feelings about her father's death, Elena and I exchanged a brief look, knowing it was time to begin, it was after six now, and we needed to keep an eye on the time. Elena was the first to speak, as we agreed she would be. Because April and Elena had a closer relationship, it only made sense that she should be the one to finally break the news. Elena brought up the missing people, the stolen blood bags from the hospital, and the alleged animal attacks to April's attention. She'd been at boarding school these past few years, she'd only heard brief mentions of such bizarre things around town. Elena had taken her hand when the moment came to tell her the truth behind it all. Elena took her time with her, she was soft-spoken and paused often to give April some time to adjust to the news as it unfolded before her.

Finally, the vampires, werewolves, Katherine Pierce, hunters, hybrids, the Mikaelsons, the witches, and the works of the founding families were revealed to her. April was shocked, horrified even, as we expected she would be, she was in denial for the most part, and at one point she thought we may even have been pranking her. She looked around the room for hidden cameras at one point. But reality hit hard when she realized her dad's involvement and how the gas explosion may not have been an accident after all, as she had secretly suspected it might have been all along. We didn't bat an eye when a teary-eyed April asked for proof that we were indeed vampires, after promising us both not to lose it, Elena and I had both proven it to her. With me, I revealed the dark pulsing veins beneath my eyes along with my fangs, and with Elena, she revealed how quickly a small nick on her arm would bleed and heal itself in just under a few seconds.

April had a lot of questions for us, and through it all, I continued to pour the coffee while April made her way through the tissues. Overall, she handled the news rather well considering how quickly it had been dumped on her. I had even made her a bowl of soup and some crackers to put her more at ease and show her we were still the girls we were when she walked in the door—she wasn't at risk, she was very safe, and it was going to stay that way.

I was the one who took on the responsibility of telling April about Holly Doyle's spell. I took her through it step by step exactly the way I had with Elena. I provided her with all of the research I had gathered and finally confessed to her about our plans to leave Mystic Falls that very night, as well as our plans to use this spell to protect us from any more supernatural drama. I handed her the information on the houses, placing the middle house on the top of the pile and telling her that this is the house we thought she should stay in if she were to join us. We explained our reasoning in asking her to come with us, how the hunter had attacked her today in the church and the reason why she didn't remember it, how we had compelled her to go home without saying goodbye to anyone because her dress was a bloody mess in the wake of her attack.

She was hurt to hear that we had done this to her, but she was indeed very grateful that we had not only confessed to what we had done but also healed her. She was glad not to have the memory of her attack, today had been painful enough already for her. April took some time alone in my backyard after that, she wanted to read over the information and properly understand everything involved. She knew all about Klaus and his family, we hadn't shielded anything from her, so she understood the type of man that she would be marrying if she agreed to participate in the spell. Elena and I had cleaned up inside, occasionally glancing at her through the window in the kitchen. When April came back inside, all she wanted to know was that she'd be safe with us, that this wasn't a decision everyone would regret and change their minds about in a few days or a few weeks, and that she needed a promise from us that we were in it a hundred percent and that no matter what, we wouldn't lie to each other from this moment on.

We didn't need words, we all responded with a hug, somehow drawn to one another as we came together as one. It felt right, as if it was always meant to be us together, and I think in that moment we all felt it too. We sat down together after that, and over the next twenty minutes, we agreed upon a few matters that were better addressed now rather than waiting until we arrived in Utah. The list included what we wanted our lives to be as wives together and what type of schedule would work best for us when it came to us and Klaus. April wanted information about what our next steps were, but I quickly explained to her that before we could do another single thing, we needed to reach out to Klaus. Elena was a bit reluctant, but she was on board with the decision. After blowing out all the candles, gathering the paperwork, and each of us going to the bathroom twice, we were ready to go. We left our phones at my place, the less we were tracked, the better for us. We had a plan in place that we had constructed together, with everyone feeling that their voice and ideas had been heard. I turned on the heat the second we got into the car. We didn't talk, for there was nothing more to say, it was as if each of us was using the time to construct a list of everything we'd need to do should Klaus agree to the spell.

I pulled in when we arrived at the pay phone next to the now-closed butcher shop. I scrolled through my list of contacts to Klaus's name and quickly dialled in his number, looking over my shoulder at Elena and April parked across the street from me, their eyes on me as I held my breath in anticipation, hoping and fearing to hear his voice.

"Who is this?" Klaus answered

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief before answering, "It's Caroline."

I could almost hear him move the phone away from his ear to check the caller ID then. At least now I knew he had my number listed.

"I'm in town," I explained a moment later.

"Why the late-night call, love?"

Of course, he immediately reads too much into it. What was he hoping to hear? That I had dumped Tyler and was now wanting to sleep with his enemy? No, it was much worse than that, I wanted to marry his enemy.

"I have to talk to you. Can we meet?" I asked then.

"I don't know, love, it's close to my bedtime," he replied, his words practically dripping with sarcasm.

I looked over my shoulder back to the girls for a moment before facing forward and arching my brow. "Seriously?" I hissed through gritted teeth.

Klaus chuckled on the other line, sighing loudly, "Alright, when?"

"Right now, at the cemetery."

"Another elaborate scheme for your friends to trap me?" He asked

"Guess you'll find out soon enough." I told him before slamming the phone down, not giving him a chance to follow up with another sarcastic comment.

I hurried back over to the car, getting into the driver's seat, and turning to face them both.

"What did he say?" Elena asked

"Did he agree to come?" April asked straight after

"He's going to come. I'm guessing it will take him twenty minutes to get there from his place, hopefully that's where he is. It's just a five-minute drive for us."

"So everyone knows the plan?" I asked

Elena swallowed hard.

"Hey, it's going to be alright," I reassured her then.

April placed her hand over Elena's shoulder then.

"What if he rejects the idea and calls Stefan right in front of us?" Elena fixed her eyes on mine.

"You can't think like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it won't help." I told her

"She's right I mean, he could reject us, he might even laugh at us. Oh my god, what if he laughs at us?" April gasped

"Let's just calm down" I said softly, switching on the engine to activate the heating.

"We're going to handle this together. Have either of you even stopped to consider for a second that he might just say yes?" I dared to ask

Everyone fell silent, then stared blankly ahead at nothing and no one.

"I don't even know what he looks like," April said softly, breaking our silence.

Elena gave me a nod of encouragement to drive, and I did. Pulling back onto the road before looking April's way in my rear view mirror.

"I mean, you guys told me about him. I know about all the hurt he has caused and his personality, but I mean, come on, give me something at least." She pleaded

I cleared my throat before answering, not bothering to look Elena's way, knowing she'd rather die than hear about him.

"He's around five eleven, he has dark blonde hair and, uh, sort of dark green eyes, he is attractive." I then looked to Elena, who didn't look like she wanted to strike me dead for the comment like I feared she might.

"You said he's over a thousand years old, but is he young-looking like you guys?"

"He looks around his early twenties," Elena answered her then.

"But his personality is beyond that, he's got the old soul thing going for him if that's of any help."

"Is he well built?" April asked, causing both Elena and I to glance back at her.

"Yeah," I answered her as we pulled into the cemetery.

I parked my car far in the back and completely out of sight of the main road. We got out of the car together, and while Elena made her way into the cemetery, April and I filled the bag we had brought with us with crisp fallen leaves before snapping a few sticks off the old maple trees around the lining of the cemetery grounds. Elena returned with a large cast iron pot that was used these days for potting plants, it was an original piece stretching back to before the seventeenth century.

We helped each other carry the necessary items to the large rock wall behind the cemetery, out of sight of anyone walking by that evening. We were all chilled to the bone as we filled the pot with all of the stuff we had gathered together. We then stood at the corner edge of the cemetery behind the wall, trying to keep the wind off of us as we waited for Klaus.

"What if he doesn't show up?" Elena asked to keep her arms crossed around herself to keep warm.

I, on the other hand, kept an eye on my watch, peeking my head out from behind the wall, waiting to see a glimmer of headlights.

"He'll show," I assured her.

Klaus wasn't going to turn down a chance to meet with me alone. Besides, deep down, I believed he knew I wouldn't be calling if I hadn't gotten myself into trouble I couldn't possibly get out of without his help. Ten minutes later, with everyone huddled together for warmth, we heard the distant sound of a car drawing up. I stepped out from behind the wall to find a black Bentley pulling into the cemetery car lot beside my own. I watched him get out of the car, arming it and drawing his collar up around his neck as he searched around, his eyes finding mine in the darkness.

He made his way towards me, tucking his hands into the pockets of his long black coat, as I crept around behind the wall out of sight.

"Is it him?" April asked, and I nodded.

"You have to do the talking," Elena said then as we heard Klaus edge closer, his shoes snapping twigs as he came around the corner.

He stopped dead, finding we weren't alone as he thought. His eyes landed on mine before Elena and then finally April, who attempted to smile at him but whom he brushed off quickly, focusing his attention on me.

"Not exactly what I had in mind, love," he groaned

"It's not a trap," I assured him.

"Not exactly a party either, is it?" He smirked, taking a closer look at our surroundings.

"I need your help."

"I assumed you did."

"Thank you for coming," Elena broke her silence then but made very little eye contact with him, which was understandable.

"I'm April, by the way." April innocently attempted to introduce herself to him with glee.

I watched Klaus hold back his smile and, no doubt, laughter at her foolish attempt to make a good first impression on him. It was an impossibility with him, as she was now learning for herself.

He returned his gaze to me. "I'm listening, love," he said.

I looked to both Elena and April, who nodded in response, still shaking from the cold.

When my eyes locked on his, I spilled the beans, "We're leaving Mystic Falls."

Klaus' face dropped, and he made no measureable effort to conceal his anguish at the idea of us taking off. He brought his attention from me to Elena, who quickly dipped her head down, unable to deal with the strength of his glare.

"I see. So why did you ask me here? A final farewell?" Klaus asked me

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Then I suggest you start making some sense, sweetheart." He demanded

"We want you to come with us." I replied quickly before he could become any angrier.

Klaus once again looked at all of us, one after the other. "You're comedians," he said.

"It's not a joke," Elena confirmed.

I watched Klaus as he fell silent, not knowing what or who to believe.

April then proceeded to hand me the paperwork she kept tucked away inside her coat. She kept her eyes from Klaus's glare as she passed by him and returned to Elena's side, where I assume she felt safe. Klaus hadn't made the best first impression, he was angry, and I had to pray that this would change his mind. My stomach had been in knots since he arrived, and they weren't letting up. I'd gone to the bathroom twice before we left, and already I needed to go again. I wasn't sure if I was excited or terrified. I did, however, know that I was glad Elena and April were here with me, almost as if we were already a team.

I took a deep breath in, finally looking his way as I held out the wallet for him to take. We made sure the first section of the wallet that he would come across contained information relating only to the spell. Everything about the routes to Utah and the houses was in the back out of the way.

"If we're going to get out of Mystic Falls together, we want to use this spell to ensure no one ever finds us again."

"Who are you all running from?" Klaus questioned

"No one," April replied.

Klaus studied her for a moment, and I watched April as she stared right back at him, she was stronger than she looked, and she was wise to his game already.

Klaus brought his attention back to me, and I looked down at the information in his hands.

"Fine." Klaus agreed to read it with a heavy sigh.

We all looked at one another as he opened the first page, Klaus's eyes not lifting from it as I made my way over to Elena and April, each of them holding their breath. We watched him together as he turned from one page to another, taking his time, especially when it came to the journal entries containing information leading to the spell and everything that went with it. Klaus's eyes darted to us then, and on instinct we all reached for each other's hands as he did. He knew what we were asking now—his dark eyes, cutting through us like knives, told us as much. I wanted to vomit, I wanted to dig my own grave right then and there as I awaited his response. Both Elena and April gripped my hands as Klaus studied one after another. Taking a deep breath before returning his full attention to the page in front of him again.

We all looked at each other, not sure what to think. Why didn't he say anything about what he had read? Was it good or bad that he was continuing to read on?

I cleared my throat before I said, "Klaus?"

He lifted his hand up, indicating to me to stop and not interrupt his reading, his eyes not lifting from the page.

"What do we do?" April mouthed to me, and I shook my head in response.

He didn't say a word or look up at us until he reached the very last page and returned it to the wallet. I wasn't sure if I should talk first or let one of the others step in and do the talking. April didn't know him, and Elena had a history with him. I knew it would be awkward, but I didn't expect silence, Klaus always had something to say about everything. I let go of the girl's hands then, causing Klaus to notice for the first time that we had indeed been holding hands.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Elena asked Klaus

He looked her way then before answering, "I doubt you'd like to hear what I'm thinking right now, sweetheart."

"We know what we're asking," I said.

"No, I don't think you do, Caroline."

"It was my idea." I told him

"It was" Elena confirmed, and April nodded in agreement.

"Why would you of all people want this?" Klaus asked me

"It's not just about what I want. Not anymore. It's about all of us."

"Why not simply run?"

"Anyone we've ever known who has left this place has ended up returning due to one supernatural occurrence or another. We don't want supernatural elements to be part of our daily lives. We want to start fresh. We're sick of being here, Klaus."

"You've fought me tooth and nail to keep your little town standing."

"And look at where it's gotten us. Living in a place where people are attacked at funerals? That's not the life we want or deserve." Elena responded

"Which one of your little friends got hurt this time?"

"Me," April replied to him.

"And Tyler," I followed up.

"There's a hunter in town. We don't know what his end goal is, but he's already made it clear he knows who the supernatural is in town. Like he senses it or something." Elena explained

"He does, he'll practically smell the vampire in you the moment he steps into the room."

"Wait, you know about hunters?" I questioned him.

"For some time, they've appeared throughout the years, never surviving long enough to catch up with me. I've heard legends through the years of appearances in Spain and here in the States." He told us.

"Well today he cut me and left me to bleed to death at my own father's memorial." April spoke out then.

Klaus looked at her then but said nothing, watching her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before shrugging her shoulders.

"He's never going to get near you again." I told her

"She's right, April," Elena confirmed.

"Back to the matter at hand, sweethearts." Klaus said as our eyes met again.

"We need a spell to protect us from anyone in Mystic Falls ever finding us again. This was the only spell I could find that would protect us from being tracked and that didn't require a witch to cast it."

"So the little witch isn't involved in this?"

"No, Bonnie doesn't know a thing. No one does but us."

Klaus's eyes tightened then, a smirk creeping across his full, masculine lips.

"Explain," he ordered

I looked to Elena, who nodded in agreement with my telling Klaus the absolute truth, before I turned to look back at him.

"We're not going to tell anyone about the spell because it's none of their business. We've talked about it, and we've all decided that what's best for us is to just slip away in the night."

"Tonight?" He asked

I nodded in response.

Klaus merely stared at us after that. I hated when he didn't speak, it made me nervous. I wanted to know what he was thinking, and it always felt as if he were teasing me by denying me answers.

"You're all willing to pack up and breeze on out of the little town you love so much without saying a word to either Stefan or Tyler about your destination or your intentions?"

I looked him dead in the eye as I responded, "Our business is our own. This town isn't where we belong anymore. We belong with you." I told him and took Elena and April's hands soon after.

Klaus watched our hands link together before he locked eyes with me again.

"You expect me to believe you?"

"You don't need to compel me to know the truth. You see it in our eyes, and you know it."

"Don't tell me what I know."

"Then don't tell me what I want. Let me show you instead." I instructed him and brought my attention back to the wallet still clasped in his hand.

Klaus lowered his brows, confused, before he reopened the wallet and looked further into the back, both girls' hands gripping mine as he pulled out the information on Utah.

"What's this now?"

"Read it. Unless you're not interested in what we want," Elena challenged him.

"You have me curious, but far from interested." Klaus said his eyes were on the page.

"He's lying." I said, causing Klaus to smirk as he turned the first page.

Over the next five minutes or so, we watched him read over the information on the houses. From one to the other, the house descriptions, the photographs, the blueprints, and the property tax were all there. When he finished, Klaus was smiling from ear to ear and trying to contain his laughter.

"Now this part you will have to explain." He told us.

"We want to live in these houses."

"I gathered that much myself, sweetheart, shame you didn't look into a house for this husband of yours, you all seem so certain you will secure for this brand new life."

"You'll own all three houses. The deeds will be in your name, and we all agree to stay off any official documentation, that way, you have a clean investment and we have nothing."

"Hardly a selfless act. You're asking me to spend over a million dollars for all three of you to play house."

Klaus looked to me for answers then, when it became clear that Elena and April weren't going to step up.

"We're not going to be dictated to, we will have a say in our lives in Utah. But we've all agreed that in return for your side of this spell, we will give you something in return."

"Dare I ask what exactly that might be?"

I squeezed both girls hands, and they did the same in response, encouraging me to go on and keep doing all the talking when all I wanted was to find the nearest bathroom. I was a bag of nerves but somehow kept it together in front of him. I didn't want him to think for a moment that I had a doubt in my mind about Utah. I just couldn't believe I was pitching all of this to him right now, asking Klaus Mikaelson to be my husband and buy three houses in Utah for us. It was crazy, and yet I wanted my new life so badly I could scream.

"Before we came here tonight to meet you, we agreed upon a couple of things as future...wives."

Klaus just stared back at me, saying wives still didn't feel right but it had to be said.

"We're not going to be the same girls we are now. When we cross that town line, we've each agreed that all past wrongdoing and mistakes will be left in the past. Some may be harder to forget than others, but we're going to enter this new life without hostility. We've all talked and agreed that life won't be easy in Utah, at one point or another, we're going to want to come back here and return to what we have right now. We're going to fight, yell, and even take a few days away from each other. But we have made a vow to each other as women that we will not let petty jealousy come into play in these marriages. Which means that you don't have to worry that we're going to think that one day you might love one of us more than the other. We're not entering this marriage in love, but every one of us, and I mean every one of us, has agreed that we will be open to love."

Klaus then glanced at Elena as I suspected he would, and she stared back at him, she didn't dip her head or turn away, this was real for her too, it wouldn't be love going in, perhaps not even for decades, but one day she'd be open to something more, and that was enough.

When Klaus looked at me again, I continued.

"The reason there are three houses and not four is because each wife will have one house, which she will share with you and, in time, any children that might follow." I said

Klaus looked away then.

"Why didn't you tell us about vampires being able to have children?" Elena asked him.

"It's been a rumour for years, I never even heard of a vampire giving birth until some fifty years ago. I imagine the chances of a vampire becoming pregnant by a hybrid are..."

"Are what?" I demanded that he finish.

Klaus locked eyes with me and said, "A certainty."

I cleared my throat before speaking, "We weren't sure if that was something you might want or not. But we wanted you to know that we're open to the idea of that possibility.

"If you're just looking for a sperm sample, love,"

"We want a husband." April stopped him before he could make another senseless joke.

"This isn't a game." Elena said next

"Why would I agree to be part of something like this?" he asked

"We don't want to be here anymore, it's not home. Is it home for you?" I asked him

Klaus didn't answer, of course, he looked away from us instead before turning his back on us fully.

"You're asking the most powerful creature in the world to give up everything he's known and move to the suburbs with not just one, but three wives."

"Yes, we are." I confirmed

"At the end of the day, you're being offered sex with three pretty hot girls." April joked, then

"April," I warned her, shaking my head.

Klaus turned back to us, then his hands returned to his pockets after tucking the wallet under his arm.

"We're not saying life in Utah will be perfect. But you have my word that we'll make it work somehow."

"How are you suggesting we do that, love?"

"We agree to give you the overall say."

"Excuse me?"

"Like I said, we won't be dictated to. But if we're going to stick with how the spell was back in the day, then we're going to give you, as our husband, the over all decision on things."

"Such as what?"

"Any problems that arise, any of the big decisions. We'll come to you directly."

"And what about the other decisions?"

"The day-to-day life tasks will be up to us. We're going to have wives meetings, possibly every day. We'll take care of the utilities, take care of the houses, and any other future tasks in that regard."

"You're talking about playing house again, love."

"I don't know what games you grew up with, but a husband and three wives were never part of any of my playground activities. We're not going to be wearing aprons, Klaus. We want real life, which means it will get messy, but not for you. Not when the schedule is put in place." I told him

"What schedule?"

"The reason behind three houses and not four is the schedule," Elena told him then.

"You will have a life with each of your wives in your separate houses, and every day when you come home from work or whatever it is you might do out there, you'll go into the house of the wife you're scheduled to be with that night." April explained to him

"You're sharing me?" Klaus asked, trying to contain his laughter.

"You're sharing us. Sharing our lives and making our marriages work" I told him

"I doubt it's the wedding you all envisioned, so why settle for it?"

"None of us are going to have a normal life, Klaus." I spoke softly, keeping my eyes on him as I began to shake my head.

"Not ever," I told him.

Klaus paced for a moment before asking us.

"Why ask me?"

"Who else do we know that could handle three different marriages at once?" I challenged

He looked at Elena then.

"We're not going to pretend that you and I can get along, love." He questioned her

Elena stared at him for a moment before telling him, "I'm not going to change my mind if that is your concern."

"I've watched your melodramatic love with the Salvatore brothers for months. I can't imagine a life in which you give up on both of them for your own greater good." He told her

"Then why am I standing here right now?"

Klaus stared blankly at her, cut off by her boldness. He was right to question her, anyone in town who knew her knew how much she loved Stefan. She loved him, she would have died for him if it meant giving him just a second longer to live. But since Elena became a vampire, I think she was reminded daily of the life she had before her parents died and what they wanted her life to be, she didn't get involved with any community efforts, she didn't talk about college, and I can't even recall the last time I saw her writing in her diary. All these things had stopped when the supernatural element had come into her life, and Klaus was now ensuring that this wasn't an in-the-moment decision for her.

He returned to his pacing, nothing dramatic, just merely back and forth.

"Why buy houses right next to each other?"

"Well, I figured it was best. That way the neighbours wouldn't see you going into different houses every night. We could keep the backyards level, and you could go between houses without issue. Plus, we want to be close to each other."

"What makes you think I'll agree to this?"

"Sex with three girls," April replied, causing both Elena and I to shoot her a glare yet again.

"Who are you?" Klaus questioned April as she stopped dead.

"April Young"

"What are you?"

She looked at us then back at him, "Ohhh, you mean, uh, I'm human. But I know what you are obviously."

"I'm not an obvious sweetheart."

"No, none of you are. I mean, tonight, when they told me they were vampires, I swear I nearly puked and ran at the same time and I was wearing my favourite top."

"What does she mean tonight?" Klaus asked Elena and I.

"Well, I didn't know until..." April stopped dead then.

"You told her all of this in a single night, and she agreed?" Klaus asked, then stepped towards April.

"She's not a spy, Klaus."

"What kind of human agrees to such a thing in just a single night?"

"The kind that just became an orphan." April answered him as he stepped in front of her

Klaus looked at me, and I mouthed "Today" before he returned his attention back to her.

"I don't have anything else."

"It's hardly a life-changing step up." Klaus told her

"You don't know what my life was like before tonight, so let's not pretend to know each other." She shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips.

The Klaus, we knew what had ripped her heart out of her chest, and shown it to her before she hit the ground. But instead, he merely turned his back on her and returned to where he had been before.

"They said you were intense," April commented as he turned to face us.

"What else did they tell you?" Klaus asked, looking at Elena and me again.

"That you didn't believe in love, but you knew loyalty when you saw it."

None of us said a word, each of us just listenint to the rustling of the tree branches above as a breeze brushed through them. I didn't know it at the time, but this was the exact moment Klaus knew he wanted to marry us. And it wasn't my words or Elena's that did it but rather April's, she had proven to him that despite all of our transgressions against him in the past, we had gotten to know him below the surface. We weren't asking for his love, we were giving him our eternal loyalty in the form of blood and marriage, and that was what he needed to hear.

"Are you with us?" I asked him

Klaus stepped forward towards us and said, "Your boyfriends will be nothing but suspicious if you all disappear on the same night."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Elena asked him.

He took another step towards us before responding, "Listen and learn."

Klaus explained that throughout the years he was on the run from Mikael he learned a great many lessons in how to disappear and remain hidden, and he had a plan in mind to ensure that our friends would look for us but they would soon fear we hadn't even made it out of Mystic Falls alive.

His idea was for us to return to our homes and put measures in place to frame the hunter for our deaths. Klaus explained that our friends would be hell-bent on finding us, and the only way to ensure they would stop themselves was by manufacturing evidence that we were dead. After we informed him of what we knew of the hunter and his methods against us, Klaus devised a plan for us to follow, knowing that both Elena and I planned to send Jeremy and my mother away that very night.

Klaus instructed Elena and me to leave the cemetery that night, Elena was to call Stefan and tell him that she planned to sleep at my house tonight. She would instead go home to her house and force Jeremy to leave town. She would compel him to go to New York by bus, so there would be no evidence that Jeremy made it out alive either. I would do the same for my mom and follow the plan I had told him about. He then instructed us to put on gloves and wipe down every inch of our houses with whatever peroxide or ammonia products she had. Every surface, dish, floor panel, door handle, and ceiling Anything that might have her fingerprints or scent on it was to be wiped clean. Take all of our clothes, curtains, bed linens, towels, and area rugs and wash them. Pack up everything we need and keep it by the front door. Then get blood bags containing our own blood type and pour at least four to five bags total all over the floor of two different rooms of our houses. Use the gloves and spear the blood all over before wiping it all up again with paper towels. After it's all cleaned away, burn the used paper towels and get rid of them for good. Then take a toothbrush or some hard thistle brushes, coat them in the blood, and go to areas of the house where blood splatters weren't obviously found, some could be on the leg of a chair, a few drips on a darker-colored floor board, and a door mat. The blood splatters had to be small, they had to look like the hunter had merely missed them when he was cleaning up after killing us.

Elena would then do the exact same thing over again with Jeremy's blood type, and I would do the same with my mom's. Klaus would supply me with a handwritten note that would state on it that Elena and I have run away, that Elena is struggling to cope as a vampire, and that I'm going to help her adapt. It wouldn't be in any of our handwriting, and Tyler and Stefan would know this and suspect something was up. When the boys evidentially compelled police to take a look over the houses, the blood on the floor would light up like Christmas under the right lights. The boys would be handed police reports that stated it appeared four people had bled a significant amount of blood and that it had been wiped clean by the culprit. The compelled experts would tell them sooner or later that whoever dropped to the floor never got back up again, not after losing that amount of blood. When they later revealed that the house had been wiped clean, Tyler and Stefan would put the pieces together.

The hunter had followed us home from the memorial and learned where we lived. He then went to Elena's house first, killed her and Jeremy, and sent the text to Stefan so that he'd have a few hours to clean up the mess. He'd then come to my house and do the same thing, he'd killed my mom and I and left behind a note suggesting that Elena and I skipped town. Our clothes and personal effects would be gone, Jeremy's belongings would remain at the house so that he was merely a missing person, and my mom would be gone by morning too.

Given that April had been attacked by the hunter already, it didn't make sense to frame him for her murder. Cleaning up two crime scenes in one night would be difficult enough for him. So instead, Klaus suggested that April fake her own death and write a letter that explained she had been wearing vervain and was aware of vampires long before the memorial, so today, when we tried to compel her, she faked being taken under our influence, came home, and became sickened by what we had attempted to erase from her memory. When asked where she lived, Klaus suggested the train tracks just down by her house. April was instructed to drip, not press, a few drops of her blood onto the rails and rip a piece of whatever she wore to the memorial and place it just slightly off the tracks where they'd surely find it.

Klaus would head home and compel his staff to clean the entire house from top to bottom before erasing their memories that they ever even worked for him in the first place. He'd pack a bag, he didn't need much else. It would look like he had just left town for a few days. Stefan would know that he'd never leave town without his art, so he'd believe that Klaus intended to come back for them, which wouldn't be the case. Klaus said he could be gone from Mystic Falls in under an hour. We explained to him that we had come up with a plan together about how we'd get to Utah. We planned to travel just the three of us, steal a car—something that wouldn't draw attention—sleep in shifts, and not stop for anything but gas. Klaus then instructed us to not even stop for gas, at the first station we reached, we were to fill up as many gas canisters as we could and store them in our trunk.

The girls I talked amongst ourselves as Klaus wrote the letter we discussed. We made it very clear to April that she'd never ever be able to return, as people would believe she was dead. But she was quick to remind us that our boyfriends would think the same of us. We checked over our shoulders to find Klaus's back to us as he stood over the bonnet of his Bentley writing. We locked hands with one another and once again agreed that this is what we wanted to do and that from this moment on we'd never look back, we were in this together, and we were Utah bound.

The girls and I went through all our necessary steps for when we left the cemetery, point by point. I would be the one to arrange a car for us, I already had one in mind. We agreed to meet at my house at exactly four o'clock that morning, the pair would walk there as they couldn't bring their cars and leave them there after we were gone. We agreed to all dress in black with hats and hoods up to avoid any of my neighbours who might be up that early for work or walking by the window after a trip to the bathroom. We weren't even going to risk the sound of luggage wheels against the sidewalk, we had everything in place. We agreed that one hour before we were due to meet, we would turn off our phones and get rid of them. Elena and I would put ours down our street storm drains, and April would break hers and dump one half on one side of the train tracks and the other on the other side just down from it.

When Klaus joined us, he handed me the letter, and together we all walked around the back of the cemetery to the cast iron pot now filled with all the gathered leafs and twigs. We went through the chant one last time together to ensure we all knew just what to say and when. While Klaus lit the fire, we took the small kitchen knife I had brought with us and made a small nick in each of our palms. I was the first to cut my palms. I handed the knife to Elena, who nodded her head, encouraging me to walk ahead to Klaus. I gave them each a small smile before turning to make my way towards Klaus, who was now staring at me by a roaring fire, and as I edged closer, he cast his bloody hand out for mine.

This was it, this was really happening, I couldn't believe it.

I reached my hand out for his, and he wrapped his hand around mine, which felt so small in comparison. His hands were softer than I imagined, all the times we had danced together I'd worn gloves. Our blood began to mix as I moved around the pot to his side, my eyes never leaving his as the heat from the fire melted away all the tension I was carrying all over my body. When I relaxed, he felt it. I looked down at our joined hands then, and it became real to me. I had just become Klaus's wife, and from this moment on, I would forever be the first woman to marry Klaus Mikaelson. I thought I'd feel all manner of things should this ever come to be, but I never imagined I'd feel so sure of my decision as I do now. The way he looked at me, the way I was looking back at him, it was real. I had never felt so pure, so effortless, and so true.

Elena was next to join us, and I wasn't disheartened when Klaus's eyes left mine to focus on her. I instead smiled as she approached, she, however, wasn't smiling nor was she upset or frowning, she was just a little reluctant. She was marrying her enemy, and they both knew their marriage would be the most challenging of all. I watched Elena as Klaus reached out his hand for hers, she didn't accept it until she was standing with us by the fire. Klaus kept his eyes on Elena as the wind swept the hair from her shoulders, she was looking right back at him as she became his wife. This was their wedding, and they were making the best of it that they possibly could.

I didn't worry about anyone witnessing this, we'd hear anyone coming a mile away, and besides, right now I would happily do the spell, get in a car, and just go. I was that ready to get out of town, if it weren't for our responsibilities to our families, I would have done just that.

Klaus watched April then approach us, she was the only one out of us to send a small smile his way as she reached out her hands for mine and Elena's. Now that the circle had been formed, April was now Klaus's wife too. The pair smiled across at each other over the flames as we

began to chant, none of us missing a beat, it was surprisingly perfect. The flames grew high above our heads, the heat from them making each of us sweat and shut our eyes as we continued to chant, none of us stopping, the heat was but a memory and the flames were now but a gentle simmer as we came to the end of the spell, each of us focusing on what little flames remained as we said the last verse, and the flames disappeared completely from sight until there was nothing but burnt remains.

I gasped loudly, tightening my grip on Klaus and April's hands and watching the others equally startled as we were hit with a strong, invisible force. It was as hot as the flames, it was the shield taking effect, wrapping around each of us and binding us together forever under its protection.

"You guys felt that right?" April gasped

"I did" Elena gasped trying to catch her breath.

Klaus and I merely nodded in response, still trying to recover.

We looked around at each other and released our hands, Elena and I turning to help April with the plasters we brought with us should we need them. We covered both small cuts on her palms before we smiled at each other and turned to look back at Klaus, who revealed the wallet to us.

"I assume this is now mine?" He asked

"How long do you think it will take you to get the deeds?" Elena asked him

"I'll ditch my phone after leaving town, pick up a burner, and have the houses in my name by early tomorrow morning."

"So given the driving time, you'll probably get to Utah a good few hours before us if you hit the road right away." I said, then

"I should arrive around the same time as you. I have to make a stop along the way."

"Why?" April asked.

Klaus then looked down at his hand, watching it heal, before answering, "We'll each require new identification, birth certificates, passports, employment records, bank accounts and credit cards."

"You know someone who can get you all of that?" she asked.

Klaus smiled at her innocence. "I know a lot of different kinds of people, sweetheart," he explained to her.

"Uh, so, is this goodbye for now?" I asked him

Klaus looked away from us for a moment before asking, "You'll follow my instructions?"

I nodded and looked to Elena and April, who quickly followed suit.

Klaus, not being one for goodbyes, turned on his heels and began to walk away from us. When he stopped dead and turned around to look back at us, he found all of us staring right back at him. It was almost as if he were capturing this moment, seeing us all together one last time before we were to meet again in Utah. He was looking at us not as the girls he saw when he first arrived but rather as who we are now, we were his wives, and we were going to be together forever.

"Darlings," Klaus bid us farewell with a slight nod before turning into nothing but a blur.

"Jesus!" April gasped seeing this.

We turned to face her, and she said, "I'm sorry, I just, wow! I've never seen anything like that. Do you guys move that fast too?"

"We'll have to tonight." I said

"This is really happening," Elena said then as her eyes filled with tears.

April and I looked at each other before moving towards her together, each of us wrapping our arms around the other, holding each other close as we all surrendered to our tears. It was a release for all of us and came right at the moment when we needed it most. It was official, we weren't the girls we were when we woke up this morning, this was who we were going to be from now on, and it felt right. And so we cried. We cried for those we were leaving behind, for the guilt we felt for faking our own deaths, and for the hurt and grief we would cause those that we loved the most in this world. We'd be gone by morning, and these first few years of our lives would be nothing but a distant memory with time.

When we let go, we dried our eyes and said our goodbyes, each of us heading in opposite directions as we left. I made my way back towards my car while the others made their way back home. I couldn't stop thinking about Klaus, he was on his way home right now, knowing that we were his wives and knowing that one day in the future we might even have children together. Was he thinking of us? He had enough to think about, we all did. The night had barely even begun. But one thing was for sure—as strange as it may sound—I already felt married.

When I arrived home, my mom's car was parked outside the house. The sight of it immediately drew tears to my eyes, a soft sob escaped my lips as I cut the engine to my car. I didn't have to make up a reason to get her back to the house anymore, it was time for us to say goodbye. I dried away my tears, fixed my hair, and straightened up my jacket before making my way inside.

We met in the hallway, she was just seconds from walking out the door when I stopped her. I removed the vervain bracelet that I had given her, barely registering the pain as it burned my skin. Tears began to stream down my face as I locked eyes with her before she could register what was about to happen. I sobbed and sobbed as I compelled her to believe the story I had constructed for her and what her future would be. I watched the gentle calm wash over her as she was consumed by my influence and came to believe every single word. Like I had told Elena I would, my mom and I sat down to a last meal together. We talked and laughed, and it was everything I needed it to be for what came next.

The emails were sent within the hour, and as far as everyone else was concerned, my mom had retired and was on her way to Texas to live with my aunt. The same aunt who had divorced her husband a year earlier and who was now living in Long Island, where my mom would be heading within the hour. We packed up her room, every item that was boxed was first scrubbed down by me and carried out to the car, which had also been scrubbed down and now stunk of bleach. My mom would take this car as far as Atlanta, I compelled her to leave it parked in a large car park where it would blend in for days. She would then purchase a new car, which she would pay for in cash, before making her way to Long Island. In her mind, I was going to be alright, and she was very comfortable with how our relationship would be from now on. She would never reach out and speak with anyone from Mystic Falls again, she'd never even remember any of their faces.

We said our goodbyes in the house, I couldn't risk any of my neighbours seeing us by her car. She had showered and was wearing new clothes, she wasn't wearing any of her usual products, so they wouldn't be traceable for anyone to follow, and it would be as if she never existed. We hugged and kissed one another goodbye, and my now-happy and retired mom waved to me as I stood by the sitting room window watching her drive off. I crashed down to the couch the second she was out of sight and couldn't stop myself from crying, I was inconsolable, screaming into whatever pillows I could get my hands on to drown out the sound.

I could have remained that way all night, but I couldn't, for there was just no time for any of it.

I picked myself up and dried my eyes, immediately tying my hair up and out of the way. I had to begin now so I wouldn't run late for the girls arrival at four. I poured myself a large glass of orange juice and then another, trying to hydrate before the real work began. I retrieved my shower cap from the bathroom and a box of latex gloves from under the kitchen sink, snapping them on and heading out to my car to scrub it down. Armed with a cloth, bleach, antibacterial spray, and polish, I went to work hard. All the chairs, the head rests, and the floor mats were scrubbed first. I never came up for air for a second, my forehead coated in sweat and my cheeks glowing hot. The dash board was next, then the steering wheel, the mirrors, the seatbelts, the CD player, the glove box, the interiors of each door, the door handles, the windows, the interior roof, the exterior roof, and even the license plates were all scrubbed with the same level of gusto.

I put all my clothes in the washer first, followed by all the items Klaus had insisted be washed to remove any traces of our scents. While the washer and dryer worked double time, I continued on with more cleaning. Every room, every floorboard, every counter top, door handle, light switch, and even the freaking shampoo bottles were scrubbed in with some cleaning solution or another. To put it simply, you couldn't breathe in the house after just one hour. All the windows were opened, the cold winter's air blowing through and helping to shift not only the dust but any remaining traces of our scents. Speaking of which, Tyler wouldn't be able to tell anyone the name of the perfume I wore, and I wasn't about to make it easy for him, so after emptying all mine and my mom's products down the sink, I drenched the pipe with drain cleaner, smashed each perfume bottle, and tossed the glass over the fence and into my neighbour's compost, never to be seen again.

I collected what suitcases remained from the hallway closet and laid them out flat on my bedroom floor, placing my now washed and pressed clothes into them piece by piece. Fitting everything else I was taking into four suitcases total I wheeled them out to the hall and placed them right by the front door so they would be there when the time came.

While I had been cleaning, a small chicken had been cooking in the oven, and when it was done, I portioned it up into bite-sized pieces. From the fridge, I collected some fresh lettuce, a red onion, and some red and yellow peppers. I slowed down my pace at long last and began to really pay attention to what I was doing—I was preparing food for the journey ahead of us. I hadn't told Elena or April of my intentions to do this, in fact, the subject of food hadn't really come up in discussion much that night. A small smile formed as I began to really take my time and lovingly prepare food for the two girls who had agreed to come with me to start a new life together. We were going to be in the car for a while, and I wanted to make sure it was as comfortable as possible for us.

I started with some chicken sandwiches, coating the chicken with spices and mayonnaise, slicing up the vegetables just right, and constructing them together. Next, I made some plain ham sandwiches along with some tuna sandwiches too. I used all the remaining vegetables in the fridge and cooked a mouthwatering pot of vegetable soup, which I poured into a large flask to keep it warm. As for the sandwiches, I wrapped them up individually in tin foil, keeping all the edges neat and crisp as I stacked them one at a time into the tupperware I had laid out. I took care in securing everything together just right, making sure nothing was crushed. I placed them all together in a large black holdall.

I then added some individual chilled bottles of orange juice, water, and a few cans of cola, red bull and sprite. Next came the chocolate bars, crackers, peanuts, large bags of chips, babybels, boxes of raisins, and a whole tub of fruit. It might seem like a lot, but the food was going to go to waste if it remained here. Besides, this meant we didn't have to pull in anywhere for food once, which meant we'd reach Utah quicker. I collected some plastic utensils, paper plates and plastic bowls, napkins, and face wipes. After all of this was packed, I collected three smaller individual flasks and made up hot chocolate for each of us. It would be cold when we left town, and our nerves would probably be shot to hell, so it was best that we had plenty of things to help keep us warm. As the hot chocolate heated, I collected a packet of painkillers for the road too. None of us would have taken care of ourselves properly tonight, we were all rushing around trying to get out. Sooner or later, our bodies were going to catch up with us, and we were going to crash hard. After the hot chocolates were ready, I slipped some mini marshmallows into each flask before breaking up a fudge bar and adding some to each flask and finishing with some double cream. I placed the bag with my luggage on top so I would remember to put it in the backseat of the car for when we needed it.

I collected my phone from where I'd left it and brought it with me as I headed outside, snapping it in half between both hands with minimal effort as I cut across our front lawn. One half down the first storm drain I came across, the other just down the street. I made my way towards the driveway of the Baker family, they were out of town for the winter, one of their kids was involved in some snow sports that took them up into the mountains. My mom kept an eye on the place whenever they were gone, they kept an old brown Ford station wagon in their garage, which I was now about to steal. We needed a car to get us to Utah, we couldn't take our own. We needed something that would blend in, something older that you wouldn't expect us to drive. I broke the large padlock off in my hand with one swift movement. Thankfully inside the garage there were a few gas cans, they weren't a little dusty and smelt damp like the rest of the garage, but they do. They kept their key on the front wheel, they never used this car, I think it might have even belonged to one of their parents before them. The Bakers wouldn't be home for a few more weeks, which meant it would be weeks before this car would even be reported stolen. We had a golden opportunity, and I was going to take it.

I drove the car back to my house and parked it in front of my own. We were going to be stuck in this car for a while, so it was important to me to get everything about it set up properly. I brought some cleaning products from the house and used them to wipe I don't know how many years of dust were inside, four cloths were caked in dust by the time I was through. I then went over everything with polish, shining everything up until it felt up to my standard of being clean and presentable. I replaced the dried-out air freshener they had with a new lavender-scented one, one for the front seat and one for the back. I brought out freshly laundered pillows, placing one on the backs of each chair in the car, along with a blanket for each and thick fluffy socks. Again, I felt like I was overdoing it, but then I thought of the mess they'd both be in by the time they arrived back here. And if I could make things just that little bit better by providing a cup of warm soup and some fluffy socks, then I was going to do it.

When I returned inside, I put the cleaning supplies into my trash bag and went around the house, shutting and locking all of the windows before wiping my finger prints from them. I snapped on a fresh pair of gloves and made my way into my bedroom to collect the blood bags. I kept them out of sight for my mom's sake. I followed Klaus's instructions, two pools of different blood types in two different areas of the house, my blood type and my mom's, both of them spread out across the floor to make it appear to the investigators that whoever died in this spot may have bled to death. I wiped up the blood with the kitchen roll, burning them all afterwards over the kitchen sink before emptying a bottle of bleach down the drain with any charred remains. Then the small blood splatters they would eventually find were upon on the base of a floor lamp and the other on the bottom of a dining room table leg.

I made my way into the bathroom then and began to run myself a hot bath. I had exactly 45 minutes before Elena and April were due to arrive, and I wanted to get myself cleaned up before I left town. I stripped out of today's clothes and covered them in the remaining bottles of bleach before emptying them into the rubbish bag with all the used cleaning supplies, sponges, and rags that I had used over the past few hours. Wearing nothing but a towel, I ran at full speed as nothing more than a blur two streets down, emptying the trash into a large industrial trash bin where a house was being renovated before returning home.

I added bath oil and bubble bath to the steamy water, I wanted it to be as hot as I could tolerate, because only then would I feel truly clean. But before I could get into the bath, there was other work to be done. Filling the sink with hot water, I retrieved my razor and shaving foam and began to shave my legs, then my bikini line, and finally under my arms. I coated my face heavily in a rich coconut facial mask, letting it sink into my skin as I brushed my teeth, flossed, and applied teeth whitening strips. I wiped the mask off with a hot washcloth before applying a nose strip and tying up my hair.

I stepped into the bath and sunk down into it as the steam gathered around me. I kept the light in the bathroom off and the hallway light on instead. I let myself lie back in the water for about five minutes or so, feeling the hot water work its magic. I felt stiff and swore after all the cleaning and needed this now. I shampooed and double-conditioned my hair. After I was done in the bathroom, I flushed my nose strip down the toilet, and the towels I used were put in the washer. The bathroom, especially the tub, was wiped down completely, by the time I was done, you would have never even known the tub had been used tonight.

I put drain-o and the last of the bleach down the bathroom sink and toilet before leaving to change. I had laid out clothes that I wanted to change into for the journey. Starting with large brief underwear and a non-wired bra, I wanted to be comfortable on the road and wouldn't see Klaus again before changing. I put on a pair of black leggings with a large cotton jumper, I blew dry my hair and collected any stray hair afterwards, I tied my hair into a ponytail and fed it through my black cap as I slid it on, and I adjusted my bangs in front. I checked my reflection as I slid on my black sunglasses, these were all necessary to us, we believed, until we were at least out of the state. I put on a pair of black running shoes and knotted them before taking one last look around my bedroom.

I checked the time, and it was now ten minutes to four. I was officially down to my last ten minutes in Mystic Falls. My heart was battering against my chest just thinking about it. I was nervous about leaving, I wanted to stay close to my bathroom every time I thought of tomorrow when our friends realized we were missing, but it was necessary. It was cruel and probably the worst way we could have handled this, but if they believed we were dead, they would stop looking for us, and if they thought the hunter had us hidden somewhere, they'd never stop.

Using the sleeve of my jumper, I went around the house one last time and wiped down the door handles, light switches, and locks on the windows. I shut off both the power and the water. I then retrieved the letter, explaining mine and Elena's decision to leave Mystic Falls, and placed it on the hallway side table in plain sight. The house was in darkness, which suited me well in that moment as I entered my last five minutes. I didn't have it in me to take one last look around the house again, I couldn't even keep myself still. My mind was racing as quickly as my heart. I just kept praying that the girls hadn't had a change of heart. The street was completely empty. I stood by the front door, staring through the glass panel, the keys to the station wagon gripped in my right hand.

My eyes filled with tears then, when a dark figure appeared on the street. It was April, and she was carrying two large suitcases in either hand with the straps of two large gym bags across her chest. She was wearing a black oversized hoodie over black skinny jeans, the hood was up over her head, and she had a black beanie hat on beneath it along with her sunglasses, and just like mine, even her shoes were black. April kept her head down as she crossed the road towards my house. I tucked my sleeve around my hand as I opened the front door, both my hands trembling as I picked up my first two cases and carried them outside with me.

April looked my way then, and seeing me on time with bags in hand, she picked up the pace. I had reached the station wagon and unlocked the trunk by the time she reached me, I helped her with her luggage first, both of us moving as swiftly and quietly as possible. April tapped my arm then and tilted her head to one side. I turned to find another dark figure coming out of the shadows, then realized Elena had arrived. I ran back up the pathway to my house then to collect the last of my luggage and the holdall containing all of our food and drinks. I set everything down beside the door and locked it behind me before wiping down the handle, removing my finger prints. I returned to the girls then, and together we all helped one another load up the trunk, taking care of each other's cases without any of us saying a single word.

As Elena and April loaded the last case, I placed the holdall in the backseat. I got into the driver's seat and started the engine, with Elena climbing into the passenger seat and April taking the seat directly behind her. We all shut our doors in sync before each of us locked them behind us too. I guess we all felt rather vulnerable, after all, we were about to cross the country together. I adjusted the mirrors to suit and pulled onto the road, telling myself not to look back but only forward. No one said a word as we made our way through the town square, there was no one around, not even another car on the road, the town was silent.

I wanted to break the silence, ask how they were up to, and find out if they were coping okay with everything that was going on, but I didn't. None of us said a word, as if a single sound would alert the entire town to what we were doing.

We had arranged the route before hand, we were taking the fastest possible way out of Mystic Falls. Our friends were asleep in their beds as we disappeared in the night, never to be seen again. Ten minutes later, we were on the back road out of town, with only tree lines on either side of us now. The only light in the distance was the small LED light featured above the town sign, wishing drivers a fond farewell from Mystic Falls. April unbuckled her seat belt then and slid between us at the sight, each of us looking to the other as we drove past it and over the town line.

Tears filled my eyes the second we crossed it, it was official we were on our way to Utah. I cleared my throat and turned on the car heater. I glanced over at both Elena and April, who were also fighting back tears. Feeling the cold, I used my thighs to balance out the steering wheel as I adjusted the pillow at my back and carefully draped the blanket I had packed for myself around my legs. The girls quickly followed suit, each of them sending me a smile when they saw the lengths I had gone to in order to secure their comfort.

"We'll be warm really soon" I promised them, breaking the silence then.

"Do you think he's left town already?" Elena asked as she brought her blanket up around her shoulders.

"Something tells me he has, he's properly hundreds of miles ahead of us by now." I responded

"So now the journey begins." April said behind us

Yes, this is where our journey truly begins. Three of us together on the road, following our husband to a brand new life.

We were now officially bound for Utah.

---

Thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting Darkest Temptations. Please be sure to comment below.