Author's note: Hello, everyone! Thank you very much for your reviews and follows. As you know, this is my first ever multi-chapter story so I'm in need of a beta. If any of you are interested in editing my story, a quick note in the reviews or a short PM will do. We'll take it from there.

I've also gotten requests regarding the other couple pairings for this story. Don't worry, I'll give them all their shining moments soon. For now, let's take things slow.

Summary: AU / Original Vampire, Caroline Salvatore, will stop at nothing to break her Hybrid curse. Running from their father, Alaric, Stefan and Caroline come across Niklaus and Rebekah Mikaelson in the 1920's. Fearing that they were getting too close, Caroline compels them to forget, and daggers Stefan. Only for the four of them to meet again in 2012. Klaroline / Stebekah

Mid Eighth Century

Caroline eyed her opponent warily as she shifted the heavy sword in her hands. She took deep breaths to regulate her breathing as she looked for an opening in her adversary's defence. With one last steadying breath, she lunged at her challenger, wielding her sword at him.

Damon took a step back, effectively dodging the blow of her sword. He swung his own swiftly in her direction without a moment's hesitation. She silently cursed as a red gash appeared on her forearm, where the Damon's blade sliced her skin. The sword in her hand suddenly felt heavier in hands as the cut began to bleed.

She frowned as she saw him grinning at his handiwork. She gripped the handle tightly as she spotted a slight limp in his posture. Most likely from the small injury he had sustained while hunting down a wild boar earlier. She took this as her opportunity to strike, and swung her sword at him, just like how he trained her to.

The action took him by surprise as he struggled to block her sword with his. Metal clashed against each other as the two opponents fought for victory. Damon let out a strangled groan as Caroline's sword finally met it's desired target. He dropped his hesitantly as he reached down to assess the damage on his right leg.

Caroline gasped at the rapidly bleeding wound on her brother's leg. She tossed her sword aside as well as she strode to aid her brother.

"I'm sorry, brother. It seems that I may have been carried away by the fight. I did not mean to maim you" she said. Caroline roughly tore the hem of her dirtied dress as she tied it tightly around her older brother's leg as a makeshift tourniquet.

Damon chuckled in response. "Don't fret, Cara Mia. This is only a flesh wound. It would take so much more to maim me"

Caroline gave a small him as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Father would be much displeased to know that you have been making our dearest Caroline cry, brother" Stefan said, as he made his presence known to his siblings.

Damon rolled his at his younger brother. "You slay me with your words, dear brother" he said sarcastically.

Stefan only grinned in response. "I believe our dearest Caroline has already done the slaying for me, Damon"

Caroline giggled at her brothers' silly antics as Stefan extended his arm to help Damon up. With love swelling in her heart, she stood up and brought her arms around the two men. The brothers shared a look before smiling down at the blonde girl as they returned her embrace.

"Come now, let's get those wounds treated before they begin to fester" Stefan said, as he moved to break the embrace.

The three of them made their way to the Salvatore's hut. It was easily spotted from a few yards away. The chief's hut had always been the biggest one in the village.

The smell of food assaulted their senses as they entered the hut. A tall, young blonde woman stood, preparing the food for the night's supper. She looked up at the three siblings as they made their way inside.

"I was wondering where you three wandered off to. Father was looking for you all day" she said as she wiped her hands to hug her siblings.

She stopped midway as she eyed the cut on Caroline's forearm and the bleeding gash on Damon's leg. She tutted at both of them. "Stefan, why don't you attend to Damon's leg while I clean up the wound on Caroline's arm?"

Stefan nodded at his eldest sister before escorting Damon to his hut.

"Come now, Caroline. Why don't you sit down over there while I get some herbs for that cut?" the older blonde said, as she moved about to find the necessary herbs.

Caroline nervously wrung her hands together as she hesitantly took a seat. She threw worried glances at the older blonde, anxious about the lecture that was inevitably coming.

The older blonde returned with a few fresh herbs in hand and a wet towel cloth. She gently cleaned the younger blonde's wound wordlessly.

"Caroline…" she started, wanting to put the younger blonde at ease.

It had the opposite effect on Caroline, as the sudden call of her name caught her off guard and caused her to flinch. "I'm sorry, Lexi. Please do not be angry with me" she said, her voice cracking.

Lexi placed the wet cloth on the side as she shook her head and moved to embrace Caroline.

"I am not mad, dear sister. How could anyone be mad at you, sweet Caroline? I am merely worried about you. We have both lost so much that I am on edge for what the future holds for all of us. I do not wish to lose you too, Cara" Lexi said, as she patted the younger blonde's arm soothingly.

"I am truly blessed to have siblings like you, sister. I dare not imagine my fate if Father had not saved me from those horrible wolves a fortnight ago" Caroline said, as she held onto her older sister tightly.

Lexi let out a small sigh. She did not dare to imagine that either.

Caroline could hear her heart thumping in her chest, its loud insistent beating has been ringing in her ears for last few miles. She couldn't remember how long she had been running. She did not know where she was going. She simply took off wherever her legs could take her.

Tears ran down as she moved to wipe them off. Her vision blurred further as she realized her mistake. Her hands were still wet from the blood of her family, and her action had only caused her to smear blood on her eyes. She quickly wiped it off with her sleeve as she ran away from the approaching howls of the wolves behind her.

She spotted shadows a few yards away, as she pushed her legs to run into that direction. She silently hoped that her eyes were not deceiving her. Voices started to find their way to her ears as the last dose of adrenaline propelled her way into the small clearing.

Three sets of eyes gazed at the young woman that had suddenly appeared before them as she unceremoniously dropped on the ground from exhaustion. The eldest male quickly made his way to help the woman off the ground as the nearing howls pierced the silent night. The younger males tensed as they held their swords defensively.

The eldest male scooped the young woman in her arms as he nodded to the two younger males. They started to run towards their village, fear coursing through them as the howls seemed to become louder and louder. The eldest had taken the lead, running as fast as he could without injuring the young lady in his arms, while the two younger males followed behind.

Just as the village appeared on the horizon, two large wolves blocked their path. The eldest male nodded at the two younger men and made his way around the wolves. The two remaining men moved to cover their father, as he escaped with the young man in his arms.

Alaric's legs felt like giving out, but he could not give up now. He smiled to himself as he found himself outside his hut. He threw a glance behind him as he saw his two sons trailing a bit far behind him, with their bloodied swords in hand.

A woman came out of the hut, with a pot in hand. One look at her family's dishevelled state had caused her to drop the pot on the ground. She rushed to her father's side as she gazed down on the young lady in his arms.

"What happened, father? Who is that?" she asked frantically.

Lexi motioned her father to bring the young lady into her hut. Alaric set down the girl in his arms onto his daughter's bed as his daughter stepped out to gather the necessary herbs.

Caroline began to stir, suddenly aware of her foreign surroundings. She quickly shot up to a sitting position as her eyes fell on an older man sitting on the bed. She inched away from him, scared that he was one of the wolves after her.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. She was terrified, but her pride had let her keep her composure in tact for the time being.

The older gentleman gave a hesitant smile, not wanting to scare the young girl away. "My name is Alaric Salvatore. My sons and I were out hunting at night in the forest when you stumbled across us. You had fainted right after you appeared in the clearing where we were. We heard the howls of the wolves from the neighbouring village and made the decision to take you with us for your safety" he said, eyeing her carefully, waiting for her reaction.

Caroline let out a breath that she did not know she was holding and visibly relaxed.

Lexi returned with a basin of water, a clean cloth, and a few herbs in hand. Caroline's attention strayed from Alaric to the new presence in the hut.

"This is my eldest daughter, Alexis. You may call her Lexi. She will tend to your wounds, and will gladly offer you new dresses to wear" Alaric said, as he stood up and helped set up the materials in Lexi's hands.

"Father, where is she?" a male voice asked, as two young men entered the hut.

Caroline sat up straighter, causing Lexi to turn towards her younger brothers and glare at their brashness.

"Caroline, these are my sons, Damon and Stefan" Alaric introduced, as he motioned towards the two other males in the room.

Caroline took in their dirtied and bloodied appearance. She bit her trembling lip as tears flooded her eyes once more. Lexi moved closer as she held the younger girl in her arms as quiet sobs began to rock her body.

"Thank you for saving my life" Caroline said quietly.

Damon and Stefan each offered a small nod in acknowledgment before making their way to exit the hut.

"You may stay with our family as long as you like, Caroline. May I know the name of your father, dear child? So that I can send word to him of your safety" Alaric said.

Caroline shook her head violently. "My family is dead, Alaric. The wolves slaughtered them in the night. I was lucky to leave with my life. I had nowhere to go, but I ran as far as I could from those monsters. It was then that I stumbled upon you and your sons in the forest. I cannot thank you enough for the protection that you have provided a mere stranger"

Alaric smiled at her and moved closer to sit beside her. On her other side was Lexi, holding her hand encouragingly.

"We, too, know what it is like to lose family. My wife, Isobel, had died giving birth to our youngest, Stefan. All three of my children had been too young to comprehend the loss, but we all felt it all the same. My offer to stay with my family stands, Caroline. We do not wish to replace the loving memories that your family undoubtedly holds in your heart. Rather, we are offering a chance for you to make new memories of being in family. We will be here as long as you need us" Alaric said as he patted Caroline's shoulder.

"Thank you, Alaric. You have been most kind" she said.

Alaric smiled at her in return. "I take it that you will be taking me up on my offer and stay with us?"

She nodded. "Yes, as long as your family will have me. I am forever in your debt, Alaric."

"Please, call me Father."

After changing down from her dirtied dress robes into something more appropriate, she made her way back to Lexi to help prepare for supper. It was then that she came across her older brother, Stefan. A stunning brunette was by his side.

"Caroline, I want you to meet Tatia. She is to be my wife" Stefan said, as he introduced the beautiful woman beside him.

Caroline smiled and nodded.

"Caroline, it's almost time for supper. Come now, let's prepare before Father and Damon come back" Lexi called out, frowning at the woman beside her younger brother.

"It was nice meeting you, Tatia" Caroline offered a small wave, before making her way to Lexi.

Once out of earshot, Lexi grabbed her hand and pulled her in towards the entrance of the hut. "I do not trust that woman, Caroline. Neither should you. She may have all the men in the village fooled with her charm and looks but I am wiser than that. She continues to lead our younger brother Stefan on while she shamelessly entertains other men's advances. She already bore another man's child, and has refused to name the father of her baby. I fear that it is because the father is another woman's husband. Consider yourself warned, dear child. Do not let her fool you."

The younger blonde only nodded in response. She had learned to keep to herself in the village. She held the older blonde's opinions in high regard and had decided against getting to know the brunette woman she met earlier.

"Hello, Lexi. Here are the herbs that you requested earlier" a female voice said, interrupting Caroline from her thoughts.

Caroline directed her gaze towards the entrance of the hut, where an dark skinned woman stood carrying a basket of herbs.

The dark skinned woman smiled at Caroline as she extended her hand.

"I am Ayanna Bennett. Sorry to startle you, dear. I have heard that the chief had rescued a girl in the forest from the neighbouring wolves. I hope that you have been coping well since then"

Caroline shook the older woman's hand and said, "Yes, the Salvatores have been nothing but kind to me"

Ayanna frowned down at Caroline's hand as she shook it, a worried expression gracing her features.

"What is your name, child?" she asked, more forcibly than she had wanted.

Caroline dropped her hand, suddenly scared of the older woman's forwardness.

Lexi dried her hands with a cloth before making her way towards Ayanna. "Don't scare her, Ayanna. My sister has already been through enough." Lexi scolded.

"Forgive me, my dear. I should blame my old age for my forwardness. It was not my intention to scare you. I hope that I can redeem myself in your eyes. Here, take these herbs" Ayanna offered, as she placed the basket into Caroline's hands.

"Lexi, if you will, please accompany me on my way back to my hut. I have a few other herbs that may be of interest to you" the older woman said, as she motioned to Lexi to follow her outside.

"Caroline, why don't you start the preparations. Are you familiar with herbs?" Lexi asked.

Caroline only nodded in return.

"Good. Feel free to use any of what Ayanna has brought to us. I will be back shortly, dear sister." Lexi said, as she made her way out of the hut.

"I do not appreciate your actions, Ayanna" Lexi warned, as she followed her friend into her hut.

"I apologize, Lexi. I did not mean to offend your sister. I am merely concerned for your family's safety." Ayanna said, as she offered Lexi a seat.

"Caroline is family, Ayanna. I appreciate your concern, old friend. It is indeed alarming to have a stranger live in your home but she is harmless. She is perhaps one of the sweetest people I know" the blonde said.

"As I've mentioned, I did not mean any offense. I sensed her pure heart when I touched her hand"

Lexi looked sceptically at the woman across her. "So what is the matter, Ayanna? What causes you to worry for my family?"

Ayanna sighed. "I picked up on something else when I touched her hand. She came from one of the villages nearest to the neighbouring wolves. She is part wolf, Lexi. I am scared that the wolves will come to our village in search of her. As harmless as that child is, I fear that she may only bring danger to your family."

Author's Note: I know I'm going in an unbelievably slow Klaroline pace but I want to cover as much background as I can so that we can have smooth sailing for the later chapters. Don't worry, I've got it all plotted out. For the next chapter, we'll know how the Salvatores were made into vampires, and Caroline's Hybrid curse. That, and the Mikaelsons make their reappearance!

See you next chapter, sweethearts. For now, drop me review and tell me what you think so far.