Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.
A/N: Brace yourselves, my lovelies. We're about to enter a shitstorm of pain in the next few chapters. Just a warning! Remember to review! Reviews fuel my motivation (which means more chapters and a happy writer. And a happy writer is a nice writer-she'll make sure not to do too much harm to the characters, mwuahahaha!). Enjoy. ;)
"I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this," Miranda confessed.
"Devin's eyes shifted to the night sky above them. The moon didn't frighten him-it hadn't held that power since he'd been truly alive.
"It won't be too long now-just until the ritual begins."
"Which won't happen until who-knows-when," she retorted. "I can't keep being her stupid hench woman. That wasn't why I began doing Expression."
"I know," Devin told her. "I realize that you've given up everything for this. But before you know it, Garnet will be entirely dead. She'll be free from this plane and from the Otherside. She will be gone. For good."
"I hope you're right," Miranda said. "I really hope we can get rid of her once and for all."
A week.
It had been a week since Caroline had seen her dad get murdered and a week since she'd made the mistake of kissing Klaus.
She knew she was being childish but she couldn't look at him-it was weird. The harmony they'd had was now lost in limbo.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," a girl beside Caroline had said at her father's funeral.
Caroline had managed to smile despite not even knowing the girl's name. She remembered how Liz had walked up and let out a strained sigh.
"I hate funerals," she had said. ""Especially the service after the burial part."
"Mom," Caroline had whispered softly. "Are you okay?"
"Your father just died, Caroline," Liz scoffed. "Of course I'm not okay. I might have been divorcing the man but I'm not heartless. Contrary to your belief."
Caroline huffed. "I'm trying to be here for you-"
"I know, sweetie. I just...Need time to process this."
Caroline had watched as her mom walked away. What the hell was she supposed to say to that?
Caroline had left the post-burial service after speaking with her mother. She had trudged to the nearest park and sat on one of the benches. It was a pretty morbid afternoon.
Everything about the way she watched the world seemed off. It seemed wrong without her father and it sure as hell wasn't fair that she got to live and he got to die. He had always strived to be a good man-something Caroline had noticed more as he'd gotten sicker. He was selfless and yet he had died.
It went to show that good people weren't immune to having bad things happen to them. It made Caroline think on how she wasn't like her father-she wasn't a selfless person who wanted to help others. When had she ever thought about doing something for someone other than herself?
Something inside of her twisted, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Perhaps, despite being some kind of angel, Caroline wasn't meant to do good things on this earth. Perhaps her destiny wasn't to bring light and save people. What if her destiny, her fate, was to bring about darkness?
She had watched the citizens of Mystic Falls mourn her dad. All she could think about was how everything she touched seemed to fall apart.
Bonnie added a few more ingredients to the pot, her mind busy trying to remember exactly what she'd heard her Grams say.
"Should've written it down, Bennett," Bonnie griped.
Contacting the Otherside would take a toll on her, she knew that. But maybe there was a witch who knew alternatives to sacrificing Caroline and practically the entire Original family. Despite witches not getting along with vampires, Bonnie didn't have anything against them anymore. Every bad thing that had occurred between herself and her friends with vampires was in the past. It was better to be amicable rather than suffering at every turn.
And with Rebekah being mortal now, it seemed like the prophecy really was coming true.
An original witch. Original vampire, hybrid, and the Chosen witch.
Bonnie bit her lip.
Rebekah. Klaus. Caroline. There were for sure part of the ritual. It was only a 50 percent guess on whether Elijah or Kol was going to get picked.
"Dammit!" Bonnie hissed, drawing back as the pot steamed. She nursed her burnt finger.
"What are you working on, love?" Kol asked. He saw her cradling her finger. "You okay?"
Bonnie nodded. "I'm fine. I just got a bit distracted."
She sighed, looking at the pot. Her Grams had left to teach her afternoon classes, so it was just her and Kol alone.
"How was the funeral service?" she asked.
Kol shrugged. "It was quaint. Most of the people invited had left after they buried Bill."
"And Caroline?"
"She looked okay-she'd been trying to get her mother to open up to her-it wasn't working."
"Poor Liz," Bonnie said. She had only been able to stay for the burial-not the service after.
"Kol?" Bonnie asked a bit later.
The vampire looked at her intently.
"Do you think we can do this? Defeat Garnet, I mean."
Kol shrugged. He moved closer and kissed her cheek. There was something very, very intimate about the gesture. They may not have been touching 24/7, but that didn't mean there wasn't any affection.
"I think if we stick together we have a chance."
Two days later, Klaus insisted that Caroline return to training. Except this time, Caroline decided to train with Bonnie and Rebekah.
"This is weird," Rebekah admitted after successfully lighting multiple candles. "I know I did this as a child, but now it's so weird."
Caroline opened her eyes. She'd been trying to make a connection to psychically marked objects, the way Bonnie could. "You're telling me. This is pointless."
Sheila rose from her chair. "I suppose you don't possess the ability, Caroline."
Caroline shook her head. "Yeah, it was not working out." She handed Sheila back her necklace.
"How's it going, Rebekah?" Bonnie asked as she returned to the living room.
"It's going," the blonde vampire responded softly, her blue eyes entranced by the dancing flames in front of her. "If I were still a vampire, being this close to a flame would make me antsy."
"I thought fire couldn't kill an Original," Caroline asked.
"It can't-we heal after it much faster than a regular vampire," Rebekah explained. "That doesn't mean it doesn't suck to temporarily die from burning to death. It hurts like a bitch."
Caroline was about to respond when there was a sudden knock on the door. Sheila rose to answer it.
"What?" she griped slightly.
Klaus' eyebrows shot up at her tone. Nevertheless, he pushed it aside, his eyes searching for Caroline. "We need to talk," he said to her.
Caroline blinked slowly, nodding as she got up from the chair. Sheila moved out the way and Caroline walked out the door, shutting it gently behind her.
"What did you want to talk about?" Caroline asked as they walked down the porch steps.
Klaus shook his head. "Not here," he stated abruptly.
Caroline opened her mouth to say something else but decided against it. Instead, she followed his lead. She didn't ask questions as he drove to the Falls. Instead, she looked out the window; at all of the trees as the buildings began to become scarcer and scarcer. She didn't dare to talk about the kiss, she couldn't bring herself to.
Klaus killed the engine and got out of the car, Caroline watched as he began walking briskly to the waterfall.
Confused, she got out and followed him, her heart pounding slightly.
"What is with the mystery?" she asked at last when they reached the wooden bridge. The roar from the water was overwhelming, but it would've made Caroline more uncomfortable if there hadn't been any noise whatsoever.
"Why?" Klaus asked bluntly. He turned to face her, his blue eyes searching her puzzled face. "Why do you continue to do this to me?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You!" he exclaimed in frustration. "You do these things... These things that make me question our arrangement of things."
Oh. Caroline thought as she drew back slightly. Oh. He's talking about the kiss.
"I..."
"No-" he interrupted. "We're on the brink of life and death, Caroline and I still have no clue what you're thinking or how you even think. Everything you do is out of the blue, it's random and I can't figure you out."
"I'm sorry?" she said, her mind lost. "What do you want me do about that?"
"You have no idea," Klaus said, his hands clenching the railing of the bridge. "You have no clue how long I've racked my brain thinking you didn't exist. When Aiana showed me your face in a vision, I was so sure it was a stupid trick."
Caroline remained silent.
"I was so sure it was just another set up my mother had concocted in order to get rid of me. Perhaps even in death she wanted me to be miserable. But I believed it, despite my outer instincts telling me not to. I searched for you-for that face-throughout the centuries. What would I do with you? I didn't know. I just knew that I had to be close to you. I had to know you."
His head turned to look at her. "And here you are, alive and real. And I haven't the slightest clue how to act or what to say."
He pushed himself away from the railing. "And we're on the brink of impending doom. We're literally on the cusp of dying and I've run out of time."
"Why can't you tell me what you really want to say?" Caroline whispered, blinking rapidly to avoid the tears that threatened to fall.
"Because I don't know what I want to say," Klaus rasped. "How can I?"
"You're scared," Caroline assessed. "I get it. You've been told all your life that you're this heartless monster that kills everything he comes across. But I've seen that other side of you. The one that cares."
He remained silent.
"It's okay to care, Klaus," Caroline said softly. "It's okay to be afraid of whether or not we'll actually die in that ritual. It's okay to show that you do love your siblings and that everything you've done was for them. Yeah, killing innocent people wasn't a very good move but you're trying."
Caroline moved closer, her hand reaching out to touch his shoulder lightly. "It's okay."
He didn't say anything-instead, he turned around so fast it was hard for Caroline's human eyes to keep up. But the next thing she knew, he was holding her close, his face buried in her hair.
Her eyes widened. Throughout the limited time that she'd known him, this was so uncharacteristic of him. She supposed this was it-the moment she'd secretly been waiting for. She knew they couldn't dance around this for much longer.
Although it didn't make much sense to her that he'd seen her somehow in a vision so many years ago, her heart told her to go with it. Her heart kept telling her to accept him the way he was.
She shut her eyes, remembering all of the awful things his siblings had told her about and how Elena had confessed that Klaus had killed her to break the hybrid curse.
Maybe she was sick and twisted, but she didn't care about any of that. In moments like these, she could catch glimpses of a better man. A man who had been massively misunderstood for the duration of his life. She saw snippets of how his personality had been molded from having a mother that didn't show affection and a father that had showed his hatred to openly.
She didn't see just the unredeemable monster so many others saw. She saw a man who still had the chance to find his light.
It's a frightening symmetry, isn't it? Caroline's conscience chimed in. You're depicted as this light-as a salvation. Yet you're drawn to darkness.
Shut up, Caroline's brain battled.
She squirmed a bit and Klaus released her from his hold.
"I didn't mean to do that," he said.
"It's okay," she said. Above their heads, the sky overcast with clouds and the small drizzle of rain began to fall. Caroline frowned, her eyes looking at Klaus. "I don't remember there being a chance of rain."
"Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence," he added, motioning to his car. "We should go."
"Yeah," Caroline said, pulling her cardigan closer to her body.
Rebekah outlined the rim of her glass. She watched the small fizz bubbles of the soda float within the liquid, her ears attempting to drown out all of the noise from the other customers.
"Need a refill?" Matt asked, smiling slightly as she jumped slightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine. And, no thanks," she said.
"Sucks, doesn't it?" he asked.
"What does?"
He shook his head. "Not being able to compel yourself an actual drink?"
Rebekah managed a small smile. "I suppose it's for the best. Human livers don't take well to excessive consumptions of alcohol."
Matt laughed. He poured tequila into a shot glass and slid it to her. "On the house."
Rebekah looked at the shot glass and smiled bigger. She could feel her cheeks heat up slightly. Her hands took the small glass and tipped the smooth liquid into her mouth. She winced slightly as it burned down her throat.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.
Matt shrugged. "I don't know. I guess now you know what it's like not being able to keep up with a crowd full of vampires."
She tilted her head slightly. "I do believe this is the longest chat we've ever had, Matt."
They locked eyes for a second and she swore her heartbeat picked up slightly. Whatever this was, it was trouble.
The rain was beginning to fall with force by the time Caroline and Klaus made it inside. He reached to switch the main hall light on to no avail.
Frowning, he gave Caroline a meek look. "The storm must've burnt the lights out."
Caroline shrugged. "I'm not scared of the dark. Besides, there's still some light outside even with the rain." she pointed out, using her chin to signal to the window.
Klaus shrugged. "I'll get some candles anyway in case the lights stay off when it's darker."
She watched as he walked off into the dark hallway. Biting her lip, she moved towards the parlor, closing all the curtains so she couldn't see any lightning. It was something she had always done as a child- for some odd reason she feared the harsh forces of nature. It seemed too cruel.
She heard footsteps behind her and she turned. "Do you know where Rebekah is?"
Klaus shook his head. "I haven't heard from Rebekah since she was with Bonnie and you earlier this evening," his eyes looked up at her. "Do you need some spare clothes? I'm sure Rebekah has some she can part with if you'd like?"
Caroline shook her head. "It's okay. I don't really mind. It's just rain."
Klaus' lips quirked and she frowned.
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just- you're so peculiar. Every time I think I've got you figured out you find a way to make me think otherwise."
Despite the chill in the air, Caroline blushed. Klaus noticed and he seemed to roll his eyes at his own comment, looking back down and avoiding her gaze. Again, Caroline pursed her lips.
"Why do you do that?" she asked lightly.
"What?" he retorted softly.
"You say something so... Deep and meaningful and then you shy away from your feelings. Why?"
He gulped.
"It's been the easiest way to avoid getting hurt more than I already have, love."
There was a heaviness in the air and it sent a tingle up Caroline's arms. "I won't hurt you, Klaus. You can open up to me- God knows I've opened up to you."
His gaze returned to her, cautioned. They didn't say anything- they just stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time ever. The rain was pouring outside but the longer they stared, the quicker the world outside faded away until it was just the two of them. Completely and utterly alone... Together.
Her heartbeat quickened when she saw him take three long strides to cross the room and pull her against him. His hand found her chin, lifting it slightly until his lips connected with hers. His lips were soft and inviting and she gasped at how quickly his touch warmed her entire chilled body up.
Caroline kissed back, her own hands tightening around his shoulders, never wanting to let go. It wasn't like their kiss they'd shared that night in the woods. It wasn't filled with regret or turmoil. No... This kiss was everything Caroline had hoped it would be. It was warm. Safe. Secure. Complete. She never wanted the feeling to end.
Klaus' hands roamed her back, holding her body tightly against his own. Never would he have imagined having Caroline in his arms like this. He didn't think it was possible for anybody, let alone Caroline, to take up with his moody, sadistic ways. But here she was, knowing just how much of a monster he was and she still accepted him. She still wanted him.
And he wanted her. Always.
He let his hand get lost in her damp curling blonde hair, kissing her harder and with more wanting. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. After a few moments, she pulled back enough to whisper softly.
"Yes."
His heart soared as he pulled further away to look her in the eyes. "You don't have to... It's not what I'm looking for, Caroline."
"I know-but I want to."
She let out a breathy sigh, kissing him again. She ran her hands down his shirt, finding the hem and lifting it. He stepped back to let her take it off completely and shut his eyes, relishing in the sensation of her running her hands across his chest. He pulled her against him again, making a small noise from the back of his throat. That seemed to give her more confidence as she found his belt and began to undo it.
Her hands skimmed the sensitive skin of his hip bone and he shivered, feeling vulnerable and exposed. He felt her lean in; felt her body heat radiate onto his own skin. His hands took their time to slide off her cardigan, the wet fabric sliding slowly down her arms. His mouth traveled from her jawline to her collarbone. He moved the strap of her tank top aside and kissed the soft bare skin there. He felt her shiver at his ministrations.
Caroline gasped as Klaus grabbed her roughly then. He lightened up on his grasp and scooper her up into his arms. There was a blur and suddenly her back hit his bed slowly.
Her slender fingers traced the outline of his lips. "It's okay," she said again. Klaus nodded, planting his lips firmly on hers as the world seemed fade away, leaving nothing but the two of them in its wake.
There was a thud as the grimoire fell to the floor, the pages splattered all across the hardwood.
Bonnie huffed, bending down to pick up the mess when her eyes landed on a funny looking page. Weird, she hadn't seen that page before.
She tentatively picked it up, feeling the aged paper crinkle slightly at her touch. Her eyes searched the markings and her eyes took in all of the details. This was a spell-a spell to the Otherside.
But something wasn't right. Bonnie's forehead crinkled as she nipped at the corner with her finger, feeling where the paper split in two. She used her other hand to hold one end as she peeled the first layer of the paper off. Her eyes widened, the archaic symbols catching her eye. This wasn't regular magic. This was something darker.
The knock on her door made her jump.
"Who is it?" Bonnie asked, scrambling to get the pages of the book together hastily. She managed to jam the two pages in the back of the grimoire just as Kol opened the door.
"Aren't we going to meet Elijah? He had something important to discuss with us," Kol said. He took in her expressions and sighed. "What is it?
"Nothing, I just-" Bonnie stammered, her eyes shifting to the grimoire. "I just saw something I wish I hadn't, is all."
His brows furrowed. "Like what? What is it?"
Bonnie shook her head, waving it off as if it were no big deal. If only he could see she was dying inside. "Forget about it. We should get going anyway."
Kol didn't look convinced. Nonetheless, he lightly grabbed her hand. "We can do this," he said. She knew what he was referring to.
He was talking about the ritual, about how they were planning to conspire against Garnet's commands. Deep down, her heart sped up just a bit. Her heart seemed to believe he was talking about something much more personal as well. She knew he knew about her doubts about them being together, and she wasn't sure if she should be comforted or ashamed. Here he was, the big bad vampire, giving himself completely to a relationship she believed was doomed to end.
She willed herself to smile, her action not reaching her eyes as she did so. "I know," she breathed.
Caroline's eyes fluttered as she awoke from her slumber. She was vaguely aware of the arm tentatively holding her close to another body. She had to remind herself of what had just occurred. Of what she'd just done.
I just slept with Klaus, she rambled, her heart beating wildly. I just slept with him.
Caroline was suddenly overwhelmed with shame. What would Bonnie think? What the hell would Elena think? Would they think she was weak and easy for being so careless? She'd just crossed a line that shouldn't have needed to be crossed.
And for what? For the sake of quenching the thirst that burned within her? To satisfy the burn that she felt inside of her body every single time she was with Klaus?
She blinked rapidly now, trying to gather her wits. Slowly, she tried to pry herself from Klaus, wincing as he shifted his body. Her green eyes met his blue ones and there was a second of silence before the corner of his mouth turned up slightly.
"I don't regret it," he said.
Caroline held the sheet up closer to her bare body, suddenly very aware that she was stark naked next to him. Even though she was very aware of what they'd done, somehow she still felt kind of embarrassed.
"Do you?" he asked.
Her eyes searched his face for any form of reassurance-anything to tell her that what she'd done wasn't a formative mistake. What she saw was somewhat comforting: he cared. The look in his eyes in that moment was something Caroline had always craved. He wasn't looking at her as some piece of meat the way most guys had. He was looking at her in the way she'd always secretly hoped; like she was only light in the darkest corner of the universe.
Without a second thought, she reached out and took his hand. She could feel the roughness in it from hundreds of years of painting, amongst other agendas. She was aware of the soft drizzle of rain outside and how the air smelt of moist soil.
"No," Caroline whispered.
"Supra planum invocabo auxilium sorores. Et venite ad ipse!"
Bonnie's hands began to tremble slightly as she felt the rush of power. The flames of the candles surrounding her wavered frantically, never going out as the leaves began to rustle around her. She felt the cold wind tickle her face and she clenched her eyes shut.
There was something utterly frightening about tapping into this kind of power. She had felt Miranda do this kind of magic-and as luck would have it, Bonnie had been drawn to it like metal to a magnet.
Faintly, she could hear her heart beating rapidly. She regretted not having told her Grams about what she was doing; she regretted being alone in the woods near the old tomb that had hosted many vampires for years.
"Supra planum invocabo auxilium sorores. Et venite ad ipse!" She willed her eyes to open as she drew out the knife from her pocket. She moved the shining blade down across her arm and cursed in pain. She winced, turning the cut over so her blood trickled onto the ground. The flames intensified and Bonnie felt a heaviness in her head. Her eyes began to droop slightly. Her heartbeat kept speeding up-so fast that she was certain this wasn't possible for humans. Then, nothing.
Her heart stopped and her lifeless body dropped to the ground. The flames went out and the wind ceased. Silence fell upon the woods.
"What the hell?" Bonnie said, her eyes widening as she saw her body hit the ground. Her hands were numb and she had no clue what she'd just done.
"Bonnie Bennett," a voice spoke.
Bonnie whirled around, her eyes alert as blonde hair came into her line of vision. The woman was older-her eyes seemingly older than her actual face depicted and suddenly, Bonnie's alertness was softened. It was as if she knew who she was… But her name…
"My name is Esther," the woman said. "Esther Mikaelson."
"Mikaelson," Bonnie repeated. "As in, Klaus?"
"Yes. Niklaus is my son," Esther spoke softly. "His siblings are my children as well."
"What-?" Bonnie began, confused as to why she was suddenly seeing Klaus' mother.
"You summoned a witch from the Otherside, Bonnie. You called, I came forth in good faith," she offered. "I know what you want. You want a way to save my children from the ritual Garnet has planned. You have entered the Otherside. You are dead, Bonnie Bennett."
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-Fanatic4Fiction