Title: the other Mikaelson girl

Pairing: Caroline/Damon: Damon/Elena/Stefan: Damon/Katherine

Rating: M

Warnings: Language, Violence, and Sexual Situations

Alternate History: Caroline the eldest daughter of the Original family has been on the run from Niklaus since the daggering of Rebekah. But when she receives an interesting call with the promise of finally ending the Hybrid she finds herself in Mystic Falls, faced with a man from her past that she hasn't been able to forget.

Important Note: This chapter is set in "Klaus" and "The Last Day". Sorry if this chapter seems at all contrived.

Her eyes

She's on the dark side

Neutralize

Every man in sight

Angel, Massive Attack

VI

"What do you mean you know her?" Stefan spoke up, the room having gone deathly silent after his brother made his revelation known.

"I mean," the older Salvatore began, sending his brother a hard stare, "that I know her. I've been remembering things I never knew I'd forgotten."

"Wait," Elena interjected, face pale at the notion that the man had a history with the Original sister. "When you say forgotten, you mean…"

"Compulsion." Damon clarified. Behind his eyes there was an unfamiliar sheen of a man who was confused out of his mind. She would be too—if she was suddenly being bombarded with memories of someone she hardly knew. She sympathized with the man.

"What are you remembering?" his brother inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I remember—" Damon paused…a part of him wanted to keep the memories to himself. The fact that he'd obviously had an intimate relationship with the girl would not bode well with Stefan, who was adamant on finding any reason to make it any clearer that he would never have a chance with Elena. But, another part of him was so painfully confused. Why had the blond compelled him to forget they'd been together and why had she not mentioned it when they reunited? Had he been too difficult to be with?

"Damon," Stefan called him from his rambling thoughts. "What do you remember?"

"I remember the smell of honeysuckle…and vanilla," he began, mind already drifting back to the latest memory to return to him, "and jazz music. And bourbon…she liked bourbon."

"Wow," Elena and Bonnie breathed at him romanticized words.

Silence. It was the warlock this time to speak first.

"What do we do now?" Luka asked a tremor in his voice as he addressed the room. He hadn't even had time to grieve for the loss of his father. No idea how Klaus could have gotten to him, killed him and still managed to make it to the school in time for Caroline. "How do we kill Klaus?"

"Caroline had a plan," Bonnie sighed, casting her eyes down in memory of the girl who'd sacrificed herself to keep them alive; spared everyone the loss of killing Ric. "I think it's time we honored it."

Under any normal circumstance she'd refuse putting the life of a human in danger, but—this was for Elena, her best friend. If she could save the girl, she was willing to do whatever needed to be done.

:}{}{}{}{:

He stared down at the grayed corpse, lips set in a thin line as he watched her remove the dagger meant to keep the man obsolete. It was a rare thing…to go from one opinion to another. He had thought reviving Elijah would be the dumbest thing they could do. Now he saw it as the only option at the moment that didn't end with one of the dead.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Damon?" the Gilbert asked quietly from where she sat on the cold, cement basement floor.

The man stared down at her. She was still beautiful, still gentle and loving in nature. But for some reason…when he looked at her now, the pull that had been there, urging him to take her right from under his brother was no longer there. He still cared about her. In a sense, even loved her. But it wasn't the overwhelming kind of love that had consumed him the moment he laid eyes on her; Had burned him to the touch, with bitter words and memories of his failed romance with Katherine.

"I think it might be better if I wasn't here when he wakes up," Damon declared, opting out of answering her question with a definite answer. Truthfully, he didn't know how well it would do. Hell, they'd daggered him. That must have been an act of dishonor or something to the man.

He turned, exiting the small cell. He heard her calling after him…with that voice that had been able to cut him in two, make him want to just break down and go along with her…but he ignored it. He couldn't be around when Elijah woke up. The man would be ready to kill him. He only hoped that Elena would be able to get him on their side using that voice.

:}{}{}{}{:

He didn't know why but some force within him…was pushing him to do this. To come storming the castle looking for the damsel in distress, a title he usually reserved for Elena—and at another time in his life, Katherine. It was stupid and he was being an idiot just showing up at Ric's apartment when he knew Klaus was possessing him.

"I don't think that this is a good idea," Andie whispered as they made their way up the stairs of the apartment complex.

"You're an investigative journalist," Damon said to the woman. Admittedly the only reason he brought her was because he was pretty sure he would not be able to enter the space. "We're investigating."

They came to a stop, before a door with a number 9 that identified it as Alaric's place.

"Hi Alaric, you home?" the woman inquired, knocking on the door with the prompting of the Salvatore. "It's Andie…Star. Jenna's friend."

She offered up a shrug at the lack of reply. No—he wouldn't give up now. Damon looked behind him, making sure the hall was clear before setting his sights on the door knob. With a few sharp turns of the handle and a click, the door creaked open. Andie sent him a hesitant grin, pushing the door open.

"Thank god."

Katherine. She stood at the entrance. So Klaus hadn't killed her. He couldn't deny that a tiny part of him was glad she was alive. She had meant something to him in the past, for over a hundred years he'd loved her. But with all the memories coming back of Caroline, he was beginning to wonder if he'd already moved on from the girl and simply forgotten.

"Wow," Andie breathed as she stepped inside the residence. "You were right. She looks exactly like Elena."

Katherine craned her head as the unfamiliar woman observed her.

"Yep." Damon muttered, an invisible barrier keeping him from entering. "Thought you might be dead."

The brunette stared at him for a moment. Relief was evident on her face at the sight of him. "Unfortunately, not."

"We are here to rescue you." Andie informed her with a wide smile, moving past the vampires to look around.

"No sweetie. We are here to see if she deserves to be rescued." The Salvatore reaffirmed, studying Katherine's amused expression.

"Right." The newswoman nodded in remembrance. He had said something along those lines.

"I figured you still might be kicking." Damon admitted, regaining her attention as Andie wandered off further into the room. "Alaric-Klaus was blending way to easily. Figured he had probably had some…coaching."

He waved the small vile of clear liquid for her to see.

"Is tha—"

He curled his fingers around it, speaking up, "Vervain. Salvation."

"It's not going to undo anything." She sighed as she stared back at him with those dark eyes.

At a time in his life they had held such promise. Of love…adventure. Now all he wanted was for them to turn, shift into the deep blue that could drown him like the tides of some unwavering storm.

"There's always a loophole." The Salvatore stated. It was true. Compulsion had its limitations. Even he knew that. "Did he tell you to stay in this apartment until he said it was okay to leave?"

She opened her mouth him reply, but closed it when she discovered no words would form.

"You can't say," Damon noted as her expression fell. "Did he tell you to do absolutely everything he says to the end of time?"

"No," Katherine drew out before realization dawned on her with the man's next statement.

"There's your loophole. Drink this and it will prevent any further compulsion."

She took a few calculating steps toward him, reaching out for the vial. He pulled it out of her reach before she could lay a finger on it.

"Give it to me!" She exclaimed with an annoyed expression.

"Answer one question first." Damon said, twirling her only form of hope in his fingers. She looked to him expectantly, waiting for whatever he had to ask. "You know Klaus. You've managed to evade him for years…"

"I'm not hearing a question." Katherine retorted. His eyes fell for a moment before returning to her with a new vigor behind them.

"What would he do with a daggered original?"

Her brows shot up in surprise. As far as she knew the only Original in Mystic Falls other than Klaus was his brother Elijah. And he had already been dealt with. She craned her head in thought.

She recalled the bond that Elijah and Niklaus shared. The unbridled love that flowed between them and their sisters. They had been a small family unit. A dynamic that at the time she wished to be a part of. Klaus, in his heart, loved his family. She realized that, and it was one of the reasons she'd been so drawn to him. He cared. He had power and was the ultimate authority. But underneath all of that he had an undeniable fear of being alone. Of that she was sure of.

"He'd keep 'em close." Katherine said after a moment of thought.

"Why?" the Salvatore asked, unsure if he believed her.

She rolled her eyes. "Say what you want about the man, but he loved his family. It was the one redeeming quality about him."

There was a thoughtful look on his face as he tossed her the vial. "Here. You owe me. And I will collect."

:}{}{}{}{:

Klaus had gone after Jenna. Jenna—who was innocent and uninformed about vampires and crazed Originals. She was not ready to hear the truth from Elena. And even less prepared for the guttural fact that her boyfriend was being possessed by a vampire keen on killing the Gilbert girl. He was surprised Stefan had been able to keep the man from running a knife though her stomach…and even more so that she had yet to fully breakdown. All in all she was taking the newfound knowledge in stride.

But none of that mattered at the moment, he thought as he sat with a pensive expression on his face. What Katherine had said struck a chord within him. If she was right that meant Klaus was keeping Caroline's body somewhere. Obviously not in Ric's apartment, but somewhere he felt comfortable enough to hide a dead body. And in Mystic Falls that cut the list down to very few locations.

He absentmindedly thanked Andie as she placed a glass of bourbon in his hand. He downed it, letting its contents wash over him.

"What can I do, Damon?" She asked, kneeling down before him and placing a comforting hand over his. His eyes swept over her pleading face. She truly wished to help him. Very few people did.

He sighed, setting the glass down on the edge of the coffee table. He needed a plan he realized, if he wanted to save Caroline. And he did. The prospect of leaving her in the hands of her psychotic brother was enough to make his heart ache. But—she had left him. Compelled him to forget her. Why would she have done that if she had not wished to be rid of him?

Damon returned his attention to the woman kneeling before him. "Just…go home Andie."

He closed his eyes as he felt the warmth of her hand leave him. A sudden coldness creeping over him as she left the room.

Everything was falling apart. Jonas was dead. Bonnie was on a mission to kill Klaus. And Caroline was gone. Nothing was as it was supposed to be.

"Damon." He turned his head toward the secondary entrance to the room as Elena appeared, Elijah following at her heels.

He stood to his feet.

"Elijah and I have renewed the terms of our deal." She informed him. Damon looked to the Original who wore an expressionless countenance. It didn't appear as if he was going to kill him.

"Really?" He asked, though that had been what he'd been hoping for.

"You…and your brother will come to no harm at my hands." Elijah informed him. There was a sudden sadness in his voice as he continued. "I only wish my sister had not been so foolish as to confront Niklaus on her own."

The Salvatore's recalled the empty feeling he had when he'd made it to the cafeteria of the school only to find that she was gone. Now all he had was the promise of killing the man. It wasn't as if he would be able to find her in time for the ritual…

:}{}{}{}{:

"Hey, Andie," He spoke into the cellular as he closed the door to his room behind him.

"Damon!" She greeted brightly. Unsure if he'd gotten over whatever it was that had upset him. "Do you want me to come back?"

The man rolled his eyes. He had thought long and hard about it. If he wanted to find someone that Klaus was hiding he had to get creative. He had to be sneaky. And he had to be smart about it. The only person he knew that could be all of these things was the reporter. "Not tonight, Sweetie. I need you to do something for me…"

"Of course," Andie said, eager to please him. As he'd programmed her to be. "Anything."

"How good are you at sticking your pretty nose where it doesn't belong?" Damon inquired as ideas ran through his head of where Caroline could be.

"Oh, I'm excellent."

He lay in bed, his eyes cast to the ceiling. He had found himself unable to sleep that night. Memories coming back to him with a paralyzing frequency. There were intimate touches…the soft taste of her lips…the heady scent of the ambrosia of life…and the feeling of love… The most important one, the day Caroline compelled him to forget her, returned, too. He had thought it was a dream at first, but the more it replayed through his mind the more he was positive it had been a memory.

Chicago 1922

His eyes fluttered open at the sound of running water. He turned his head, finding his bedmate gone from her side of the bed. Damon slowly sat up, climbing out of bed. The cool breeze flew through the open window of the bedroom. It washed over his naked frame. He suppressed a shiver, making his way toward the source of the noise that awoke him.

The sweet aroma of chocolate filled the hall. Damon paused at the entrance of the small kitchen. There she stood, at the sink; her back to him…offering him the perfect view of her ass. She had put on one of his crisp, white shirts. It was almost animalistic the way he watched her as she cleaned out the bowl of the excess chocolate she had been using. The way she shirt rode up with every movement of her arms—

"You do know it's incredibly rude to stare, Damon." She spoke up, cutting off his ever wandering thoughts. She cut the facet off, turning slowly to face him. Her eyes danced over his bare body in praise. She watched as he took a step forward—a familiar glint in his eyes.

"Maybe I like what I see." He said in a husky voice, closing the space between them until he had her pressed into the sink. Caroline's lips curved into a grin and she brought a hand to his face, cupping his cheek gentle.

"Morning. I'm baking a pie," She whispered softly, fingers gliding down the smooth expanse of his cheek, past his neck until she reached his chest.

"Morning," He sighed, allowing her to pull him in for a long, sweet kiss.

There was that flavor of vanilla and…sunshine. He savored it.

The way she felt against him, fitting perfectly against him. It was all so…right. She was right, for him. The Salvatore felt—for the first time in his existence—that someone cared about him. Loved him. She made him forget about everything else, everyone else. Even Katherine, whom at a point in his life he loved completely, couldn't compare to the way the blond made him feel.

It was like with her he wasn't Damon the vampire. With her he was Damon the man.

Plain and simple.

She pulled away slowly, pressing her forehead to his. He loved when she did that; when she looked into his eyes with her serene, blue orbs. He felt an overwhelming feeling…one that he couldn't quit explain.

"I love you," Damon spoke softly, raising a hand and pushing a strand of blond hair behind her ear. She was lovely in every way. Warm, loving, gentle—but there was another side to her. She was a complex creature. The way her mind worked. The unique perspective she had. She fascinated him.

"I love you, too," Caroline murmured, leaning up to capture his lips for another searing kiss. He cupped her cheek, dipping his head down to meet her hungry pace. Her arms shot up, wrapping around his neck, pulling his body closer.

:}{}{}{}{:

The familiar sound of ringing pulled him from the memory. He scooped it up from the bedside table, reading the name flashing across the screen. Andie. His heart skipped a beat and if felt as if it had fallen to the pit of his stomach. He his answer, bringing the device to his ear.

"What do you have for me?" Damon asked. She couldn't have found where Klaus was keeping the blond's body so quickly.

"Right now, I'm following some guy that left Ric's apartment this morning." She whispered. Oh, so she was playing detective. He recalled Elijah mentioning that the hybrid liked to travel with an entourage. Witches to be more specific. Maybe the man was a warlock working for Klaus. "It looks like he's heading over to the Lockwood estate."

"Why are you whispering?" He inquired. Another thing he wondered, why would he be going to see the Lockwoods? They weren't particularly friendly toward witches if his memory of their ancestors served him correctly.

"Oh, sorry," Andie said more clearly. If it wasn't for his compulsion she would never be putting herself in harm's way. Never be helping him safe another woman. "Wait, he's pulling up into the driveway. I'll call you back."

He heard the mocking sound indicating the end of the call. He moved, sitting at the edge of his bed as mix of voices filled his head. Elena, Stefan and Elijah were discussing the ritual. Without him. It always seemed that he was the odd man out.

As much as he wanted to save Elena he was growing tired of her playing martyr. But he understood her, he really did. She was so willing to give herself over to the devil just to protect the people that she cared about. If he had the chance he would do anything to protect Caroline—who seemed to filling his every thought. It was all consuming the way he felt about her. Like a dam had been built up in his around his heart and the moment she died…and the compulsion wore off…a flood of emotions he had never experienced before with such force overwhelmed him. It took his breath away. And know all he could think about was getting her back.

:}{}{}{}{:

"Breakfast of champions, huh," Stefan's voice cut through the morning silence. The older Salvatore gulped down half his glass of bourbon before responding, scowl set across his face,

"I'm surrounded by idiots. I need all the help I can get." No one had brought up the subject of searching for Klaus may have hidden the blond. Not even Elijah who seemed firm in his stance on killing their brother. The only solace he found was in the fact that Bonnie was adamant in keeping her promise to the girl that she'd follow through with her plan.

"You know you're not helping." Stefan sighed.

"Sorry if I'm still a bit broody, Stefan," Damon said without a hint of remorse in his voice. "It must be an effect from the compulsion I realized I was under."

"What do you want me to say, Damon?" his brother exclaimed, turning until their eyes were locked in a heated stare. "Sorry some girl compelled you to forget you two ever met?"

Damon's expression fell. He found the words he wanted to say almost too hard to voice. Like if he said them he would somehow be unable to deny the fact that he'd gotten over Katherine a long time ago. And that the girl he'd been trying so hard to keep alive, Elena—had not been the woman he was meant to be with. But he did find the strength. And so he said them.

"We were in love."

"Wha—what?" His brother was in disbelief. Never had he heard such pain in Damon's voice. It was a side to him he hadn't seen in a long time.

"I remember…being in love with her." Damon breathed out, staring at Stefan with a strange look in his eyes. "I remember waking up in the morning and being disappointed that she wasn't lying next to me."

Stefan's eyes softened at his admittance. If there was something he knew about his brother, it was that when he loved someone he put his whole heart into it. Somehow, Caroline had gotten past all the barriers Damon had put up after he'd thought Katherine had been trapped within the tomb.

"Damon…" Stefan began in a gentler tone.

"Oh, god I'm not drunk enough for any brotherly bonding right now." The Salvatore groaned, taking another gulp of bourbon before turning to leave. He spilled the remaining contents out onto the back porch before heading inside. As far away from Stefan as he could get.

:}{}{}{}{:

He had finally met the infamous Klaus, in the flesh.

And again, he was unimpressed. But the threat of what the coming night was enough to keep him for doing something in that moment that would cause his imminent death. It was not, however, enough to keep him from going after the werewolf he'd reserved for the ritual. Tyler Lockwood.

He was beginning to understand now why one of the man's witches had paid a visit to the estate. But he was also worried. It had been hours since Andie had called and he was starting to suspect something had happened to her.

He'd pushed the thought aside long enough to get the information he needed out of Katherine. She did not wish to be sacrificial lamb sent to slaughter. That was why he now found himself trekking through the woods, headed toward the tomb.

"Did you really think Klaus would leave the wolf unprotected?" a voice called out. He turned, catching sight of a man wearing a black coat. The warlock that had visited the Lockwoods, he presumed. But then, where was Andie? Hadn't she been following him?

"Wishful thinking," He shrugged thoughtfully before running toward him. Laying the warlock out on his back, hands wrapped firmly around his neck. Choking the life out of him.

The man's hand shot up and an unknown force pushed the Salvatore away. His back collided into the stone structure and he fell to his stomach.

Unbearable pain ran through his body as the warlock suddenly stood over him; using the forces of nature to slowly, painfully kill him.

A gunshot rang out through the quiet wood as the man fell to his knees, a spot of red suddenly forming in the center of his chest. Damon stared up at him in surprise before getting to his feet, breaking his neck with a few swift movements.

His eyes found the face of his savior. Alaric. He thought the man had went back to comfort Jenna. Apparently not.

"What are you doing here?" Damon inquired as the man approached, shouldering his rifle.

"Saving your ass." Ric stated firmly before a grin broke out across his face.

They made their way down to tomb, the Salvatore using his vampiric strength the push the door open.

"Damon?" Tyler's voice piped up in surprise as he entered the tomb, Ric trailing behind him. "Mr. Saltzman?"

"Don't worry Tyler," Alaric said smoothly as Damon stood before the boy. "We're here to save you. Right, Damon?"

The Salvatore stared down at the boy for a moment. "It's getting dark soon. How fast can you get the hell away from here?"

"I need to get to my families cellar." Tyler informed him. Face devoid of fear as he stared back at the vampire. It appeared the Salvatore was losing his touch. "I can lock myself up."

Damon took a step forward, crouching down before him as a serious expression flashed across his face. "Don't make me regret this." And with that he broke the boy free of his chains.

:}{}{}{}{:

She had been following the man all day. She'd been there when he'd escaped the Lockwood manor before an ambulance arrived to take Carol to the hospital. She'd been watching when he snuck up on Tyler and used some kind of voodoo magic to knock him out. And she'd been listening when he'd called someone who worked at a warehouse just outside of town, ordering him to have… the coffins….readied for when they left town. It was the first lead she'd had all day. And she had to follow it. For Damon.

The poor man was a wreck. She heard it in his voice last night. The way he begged her to go home. It was so unlike him. Usually he wanted her around so that he could vent his feelings to someone. But since the original sister, whom she know remembered thanks to the worn off compulsion, was neutralized he'd changed.

He was different somehow. And he needed her; now more than ever, to come through for him.

Andie had managed to locate the only warehouse on the outskirts of town. She climbed out of her car, creeping up the side of the building as silently as she could manage. She peeked around the corner. Nothing. No one was there. Where were the guards? She wondered aloud as she made her way to the entrance. She pulled open the door with ease, sliding inside.

It was quiet. Her eyes caught a bright light—she moved toward it hesitantly until she realized it was coming from another room lined with a long window allowing anyone to see inside. She peered in, noting now that the guards that were supposed to be watching the perimeter were entertaining themselves with a game of cards. She internally rolled her eyes as she pressed on.

How was he supposed to find one person among all the crates the warehouse held?

Andie looked around her, stopping every so often to observe the marked labels of a wooden box. She paused, noting that most of the crates were big enough to hold a body. How the hell was she supposed to find the right one?

"What are we doing with this one?" A voice inquired, alerting her to a guard heading her way. She moved quickly, ducking behind a stack of crates. Her eyes followed him as he passed her hiding spot.

"The man said put it in the crate." Another voice said. There was a hint of static—it was someone on the other end of a walkie-talkie.

She noted that the guard was pushing something…a coffin on wheels? Since when did warehouses hold dead bodies for people? And was the man they'd mentioned the same one she'd been tailing all day?

"Oh, shit," the guard exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.

"What is it?" the man on the other end inquired quickly. Andie froze; wondering if he had seen her somehow.

"Jeff, I forgot my crowbar," the guard sighed. "Can you bring it down here?"

The other man, Jeff apparently, snorted. "Not even if you paid me."

"You're really going to make me walk all the way back?" He asked darkly. At Jeff's sudden silence he groaned, disappearing in the direction he'd just come from. Leaving the coffin behind.

Andie moved away from her hiding spot, making sure the area was clear before taking a step forward. She had to be some kind of lucky…because this was ridiculously convenient, coincidental—however anyone else might see it.

She reached an arm out, hand going to its lid. She really hoped it was the Original girl, or else she was going to need years of therapy. A shiver crept down her spine and her fingers tingled as she lifted the top and caught a glimpse of hair.

Blond hair! It was her. And she looked beautiful even with the sunken in features and grayed skin. She'd arrived just in time, she thought. She couldn't believe she actually found the girl.

Andie's eyes fell to the dagger that impaled her heart, hand hesitantly wrapping around it and pulling. Damon would be so proud of her. Albeit surprised that she'd succeeding in saving the damsel in distress all on her own.

"Well, that was relatively easy." She muttered to herself, looking down at the weapon in her hand. Her eyes flickered to the blond and she leaned forward. She'd been the one to dagger Elijah. Damon's orders. Luck seemed to be on their side that night because not long after Stefan had called them warning them to keep the dagger firmly in place of his heart. They hadn't taken it out yet.

She wondered how long it would take for the vampire to be revived.

"Step away from the coffin," A familiar voice ordered. The guard had returned. She froze, having been caught. Andie turned around slowly, eyes growing in size as she caught sight of the gun pointed at her. Since when did security guards have guns?

"I'm just here to save someone," she said, it being the first thing that came to her mind. "It will only take a minute…I think."

"I'm going to ask you to step away from the coffin one more time," He said, voice growing more aggravated.

"I swear, if you just give me a minute—" The relative bang was enough to end her speech.

"If anyone goes near this coffin, kill 'em."

Andie's eyes flew open in shock, hand moving to where the bullet had hit. He'd shot her. He'd actually shot her, she realized a second later as a stingy pain overwhelmed her. She fell to her knees, eyes drifting down to the red stain forming on her side. It was like all the energy within her was gone and she was drifting away along with it. She fell to her back, hands clutching her side. Her eyes cast to the ceiling. She's was going to die there, she realized as the bright light of a bulb hanging overhead blinded her.

:}{}{}{}{:

He'd been bitten, by fucking Tyler Lockwood of all people. He hadn't realized that until after the fact. Suddenly remembering his dear friend Rose and what happened to her after she'd received a love bite from Jules. Ric had run off, trying to draw it away from him. And worse, Klaus had come and gone, taking Elena with him. When his brother had called to tell him he could almost hear the devastation in his voice. He'd saved Tyler—who'd basically bite him in the ass and killed the man's warlock. The Original had made it clear that no matter what he did the ritual would be happening tonight, also revealing that he always had a back up before snapping his neck.

:}{}{}{}{:

Chicago 1922

"What's wrong?" He asked, studying her worried expression as she returned to their usual table. Their night out had been interrupted by a man who'd appeared at their table, telling them that there was a man named Elijah on the phone wishing to speak to her.

Damon could not deny the twinge of jealousy that he felt when she did not tell him who he was. Or why he was calling her…

He grew silent as she slid into her seat, eyes staring out into space. She hadn't heard him. Now he was worried.

"Caroline," Damon tried again, reaching a hand out and placing it over her shaking one. "What's wrong?"

She finally turned to look at him. There was an unfamiliar darkness in those blue orbs. Not of evil…but of fear. What could the man have said to frighten her so much?

She was an original. One of the oldest living vampires on the planet. She was the strongest vampire he'd ever met. What did she have to be afraid of?

"I—I need to leave," She stammered, lips set in a frown.

He nodded in understanding. "Okay, I'll get our coats and we can go back to the apartment."

The blond shook her head. He had never seen her look so upset. "No, Damon. I mean…I need to leave."

When she saw that he didn't quite understand what she was saying she sighed. "I have to leave…and you can't come with me."

Confusion flashed across his face before it hardened into lines of seriousness. "Who was that on the phone? What did they say?"

She had been perfectly fine up until that phone call. She had been happy. They'd been having a wonderful evening, as per usual whenever they were together. He could not believe the sudden shift in her mood.

"It doesn't matter, Damon." She whispered as she leaned forward, catching his eye. "All the matters is that I love you. And because I love you…I can't risk knowing you weren't safe. So, I need to leave. And you…" Caroline felt a silent tear trail down her cheek as she chocked back a sob.

This was possibly the hardest thing she ever had to do. Tell the man she loved to forget her. But that was what love was about. Making sacrifices, protecting one another.

"…you need to forget me." She whispered, staring into his icy, blue eyes. "Forget everything about our relationship. You came to Chicago to bug your brother, and had fun…drank a lot of bourbon, met amazing people…ate a few of them. And never met me...never fell in love."

He nodded roboticly at her words. Caroline wiped away another tear. This was the end. She couldn't run with Klaus and Rebekah and bring the man she loved into all of her family drama. She refused to let him be a pawn in the never ending game of chess between Nik and their father.

Caroline leaned forward, stealing one last kiss. And then she'd be out of his life.

"I love you Damon. I promise we will be together again.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a review.

Author's Note: I know many of you might be thinking it was convenient that Andie found Caroline right when she was about to be crated up with the other Originals, but I did this on purpose. I did not see any other way when I was writing it out, especially when I already knew how I wanted the next few chapters to play out. Having all the originals back, I felt, would have made it more difficult for me to write what I want to write. Anyway, thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.