A/N: So I'm back with an update a little earlier than I anticipated. I had some free time this weekend. As usual, I want to praise all of you who continue to support this fic, particularly those who leave reviews. I appreciate all of your comments. I'm not just saying that. I like to know that I'm not working away at these chapters to get them posted for nothing. Again, I hope that I incorporated the original dialogue and storyline from TVD effectively into this chapter.
Please ignore any spelling or grammatical errors. Editing is tedious work.
I hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think!
The sunny morning stood in stark contrast to dark clouds that hung in her mind like a lingering storm.
She shook her head at the car clock before removing the key from the ignition. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. The thought of being awake at this time made her yawn instinctively. It's not like she should be tired. She had fallen asleep almost instantly last night. Still, she found herself emotionally exhausted. So much had happened in the past few days. She wanted to be at home curled up on the couch immersed in some mindless re-run of 'Say Yes to the Dress' as opposed to her own problems.
Perhaps cleaning up the debris and decorations from the dance would achieve the same goal. She could find a stereo from the AV room and plug in her iPod. The music and work would distract her.
As she approached the doors to the school she actually found herself hoping that Rebekah wouldn't show. Both of them were control freaks. She just wanted to clean the way she wanted to and at the pace she preferred. She hated the thought of Rebekah barking orders at her.
Plus when Matt arrived Rebekah would be useless anyways.
Her phone began to ring as she entered.
The display read 'Tyler' and she sighed.
She had almost forgotten that Tyler had volunteered to help clean up last night.
So much for the day to herself, she thought.
Her aversion to Tyler unnerved her. First she felt like she was appeasing him, now she felt like she was avoiding him. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair to Tyler. She knew she had to get her shit together.
She answered the phone.
"Hey."
"Hey," Tyler replied.
She could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong, and immediately prepared herself for the worst. That's what a guilty conscience will do to you.
"So I know I said I would help you out this morning, but it looks like I'm gonna have to ditch your clean up committee," he told her.
"What do you mean you're ditching my clean up committee?" she complained, trying her best to sound upset and disappointed.
She wasn't.
"Klaus called..."
She stopped with the mention of his name.
"He did?" she asked apprehensively.
This was it. Tyler knows, she thought.
"He's leaving town and wants me to pack up his house," Tyler explained.
Her feelings were scrambled between relief that Tyler was still in the dark, and melancholia over Klaus's imminent departure.
"Well, since when does sire bond equal mover slave?" she asked annoyed.
Tyler chuckled.
"Since I realized you're not gonna dump me for him," he replied.
She winced at his words.
"Ugh, he's being petty," she realized.
Klaus was being petty. Clearly he would only accept her choice kicking and screaming. He was mad that she refused him. Thus, he would retaliate by dangling his fake control of Tyler above her head to make her anxious. He would occupy Tyler's time just so she couldn't.
"And he still thinks I'm sired to him," he reminded her. "It's fine, I'll keep up the act and it will all be over soon. I'm late, I gotta go. I love you," he said quickly.
He hung up before he could hear her whisper hesitantly an "I love you too" back.
Those words now almost felt empty and meaningless.
How could she tell Tyler she loved him? Look at what she had done to him...
She hung up and tried to calm herself before proceeding to the cafeteria.
When she heard a small sound behind her she jumped slightly and then turned around to investigate.
"Hello?" she said, before laughing at herself.
Clearly, her paranoia and anxiety were getting the better of her. There was no one there to respond.
She shook her head at herself as she reached the cafeteria.
Much to her amazement and dismay, Rebekah was already there cleaning.
This wouldn't be a quiet morning after all.
Matt's apparent absence would make things worse. At least he could mediate between the two of them. She loathed the thought of being alone with the original sister.
"Where's Matt?" she inquired, holding onto hope that he was simply running late.
Rebekah glared at her as she collected some more trash.
"He bailed. Got called into work at the last minute," Rebekah informed her.
"Are you kidding me? So, it's just us?" she complained, upset about the lack of help, as well as the help who actually decided to show.
"Yes, and you're late," Rebekah scolded her. "Clean up committee started at eight o'clock," she reminded her.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"It's like 8:02," she retorted.
"Exactly. I managed to turn up on time and I didn't even get to attend the dance that I organized," Rebekah replied as she walked by to empty the trash can into a larger one.
Suddenly she didn't feel so angry about Rebekah's annoyance with her. Rebekah's absence at the dance had quickly reminded her that both she and Rebekah's lives had been altered in a way last night.
If she was going to spend the rest of the day cleaning with Rebekah, she might as well show her some sympathy. Perhaps that would mollify her.
"I'm sorry about your mom..." she started, hoping Rebekah wouldn't take it the wrong way, "I mean, I know you like, hated her and everything, but still...I'm sorry," she said genuinely, surprised at how decent she was being with Rebekah.
She did understand. In the last few months of his life, she had come close to hating her father as well, but that didn't erase the years she spent loving him.
Rebekah considered her words blankly.
"I'm sorry about your teacher. He seemed like a nice guy," she finally said, conceding to her the same decency.
Okay, so maybe Rebekah wasn't completely devoid of empathy. Maybe they could put up with one another for one day.
"Yeah, he was," she answered, as she started for the wall decorations.
"I'm sure Matt looked dashing in his costume last night," Rebekah thought aloud to herself, changing the subject.
She wondered if this was an attempt on Rebekah's part to annoy her, or if it was just a way to make small talk; the casual musings of a centuries old teenage vampire who had a crush on a boy.
The thought made her smirk to herself. Rebekah had always come off as cold and calculated. Her apparent weakness for Matt humanized her in a way. That's not to say she didn't fear for Matt's safety any less.
Why was Matt always into girls who could put him in harm's way?
"He did," she answered in an effort to quench Rebekah's curiosity.
She felt the need to as a means of trying to make up for Rebekah's involuntary non-attendance.
Rebekah's eyes burned with jealousy.
"In a strictly platonic way of course," she smiled at the original, hoping to calm her down.
Rebekah's face relaxed and she smiled back.
"Other than that, you didn't miss much," she explained as she began to remove the wall decorations.
She heard Rebekah snort from behind her.
"Of course I did. I missed the sight of you trapped in a gymnasium with my brother and your 'boyfriend'" Rebekah corrected.
She paused briefly at Rebekah's mention of Tyler and Klaus, but attempted to carry on nonchalantly with the task of cleaning up.
"Of course your eyes weren't on Matt last evening," she concluded, sounding reassured. "You were likely too busy admiring my brother in that vintage white suit I gave to him for his birthday one year...nineteen twenty-one, I believe," Rebekah recalled.
She was not about to dignify Rebekah's attempts to make her uncomfortable with a response.
"He no doubt made an appearance at the dance for you," she added.
The scoff and eye roll she was holding back were finally enacted.
"He told me he came for you..." she attempted to clarify.
Rebekah laughed.
"There's not a thing in the world my mother could have said as me to convince Nik to attend a high school dance," she stated. "He went for you," she emphasized.
She shook her head at the thought.
"No, he didn't," she denied flatly. "If he went for me it's because he knew Tyler was back in town."
"Perhaps that was part of it...but it's only because he fancies you. He's jealous," Rebekah pushed.
Rebekah's persistence was making her blush and she could feel the muscles in her face curl into a small smirk despite her bitter internal protests.
"Judging by your expression, I'd say the feelings are mutual," Rebekah said observantly.
She forced a frown and glared at Rebekah.
"The feeling is not mutual," she replied.
"Then what do you call sleeping with him?" Rebekah retorted, knowing full well that she had the ultimate hand to play.
She sighed, but decided she wasn't about to let Rebekah get the better of her.
She rested her hands on her hips.
"I'd call it none of your business," she answered sarcastically.
Rebekah smirked, seemingly impressed by her ability to go toe to toe with her.
"Nik is my brother, so I'd say it's my business," Rebekah answered.
She turned her back on Rebekah and began to re-package some of the decorations to be used for a future dance.
"I mean, you obviously feel something for my brother despite what he's done to your friends. You wouldn't have risked everything you have by sleeping with him if you didn't..." Rebekah suggested.
"Can we just stop talking about this?" she asked Rebekah, becoming more and more furious by the second.
The last thing she wanted to do today was discuss Klaus. The last person she wanted to discuss Klaus with was Rebekah.
"Are you sure you want to?" Rebekah asked her cryptically. "I mean, I really am the only person you can talk to about it...both Elena and Bonnie would turn their backs on you the second they found out about your little tryst with my brother," she noted
She could not deny that Rebekah was right. There was no one else she could talk to without exposing her guilty thoughts and deeds. Bonnie and Elena would surely disown her as a friend if she told them.
Regardless, she still didn't trust Rebekah enough to confide in her.
"I have nothing to say to you. Please, let's just get this place cleaned up so we can get out of here," she hissed to Rebekah, hoping she'd take a hint and drop the subject.
And she did...for a few minutes.
"You know...we're leaving later tonight," Rebekah reminded her.
"Your point?" she retorted, trying to convey the impression that she didn't care.
Rebekah shrugged.
"I'm just surprised Nik didn't ask you to come along," she chuckled, "at first I thought the possibility was dreadful, but if there's one thing I can't stand more than you, it's the prospect of being suffocated by three egotistical male vampires..."
- "I said no," she interrupted.
Rebekah looked at her confused.
"Klaus asked me to leave with the both of you, but I said no. Whatever was going on between your brother and me is over. So there's nothing more to say," she said quickly, hoping to skip over the emotions her words made her feel.
"Because of Tyler?" Rebekah asked, appearing confident she had found her answer.
She looked at Rebekah seriously, hoping her expression and lack of response would motivate her to keep guessing; to discover the true reason.
"I'm sure your brother would like to think that way...to blame me," she hinted.
"The doppelganger," Rebekah answered decidedly. "You won't go with Nik because of Elena. I knew it," she concluded.
She said nothing to confirm or deny Rebekah's assertions, even though they were correct for the most part.
"I told Nik as much. He never listens to me," she complained. "I'm beginning to think Nik would give me up for the doppelganger," she mused.
She laughed slightly at Rebekah's attempt at a dark joke. However, she couldn't help but suspect that there could be some truth to her words.
They stood there awkwardly for a few moments.
"I'm gonna get started on the gym," Rebekah said, breaking the silence, before heading for the cafeteria doors.
When Rebekah was out of range, she released a heavy sigh of relief.
Before she could even make any progress on the cleanup effort a commotion in the hall grabbed her attention.
Curious, she darted into the hallway only to find Rebekah against the lockers and Alaric ready to kill her with a white oak stake.
Alaric's presence confused her, but she had no time to think. Rebekah could be the original vampire she descended from. She couldn't let her die.
She rushed Alaric, pinning him against the lockers.
Rebekah acted next, and plunged the stake violently into Alaric's chest.
They both stood back, hoping to catch their breaths as Alaric succumbed to his death, but when Alaric began to remove the stake from his body, they both looked at each other in bewilderment.
Rebekah quickly rushed out of the school and she followed closely behind.
The only thing on her mind now was survival.
Once outside, her car was within her sight and she bolted towards it as she pulled out her keys.
Alaric was approaching; she could see his reflection against her car. The distraction caused her to drop her keys.
She cried out in defeat before everything went black.
He took his time, carefully removing the paintings from the wall he had only put up weeks ago and slid them into a large crate made especially for this purpose.
This was not how he had planned his stay in Mystic Falls. He had been aiming for something more long term. Damon and Stefan had set up residence here, so why couldn't he and the rest of his family do the same? They were here first after all. That was the intention. After driving the Salvatores out, he intended to watch over Elena as she lived out the rest of her life here. He would protect her in exchange for a small donation of blood every once and again.
More than that, there would have been somewhat of a permanent residence for him and his siblings. Running for centuries was tiring. He didn't want to run. He wanted to be in one place long enough to remember it. The fact that he had even went through all this trouble to renovate and hang his artwork signalled as much.
But with no sign of Elena purging herself of the Salvatores anytime soon, and the possibility that his mother could still be out there plotting against him in spirit, there was no other option but to leave. Mystic Falls offered him no protection. He was a sitting duck waiting to be killed here.
As he opened one of the bureau drawers to inspect its contents, he noticed the sparkle of the bracelet he had gave to Caroline for her birthday.
He had thrown it in this drawer hastily after she left here angrily the night of the ball his family had hosted.
Removing it, he draped it across his hand.
It was a priceless piece. Indeed, it had been worn by a princess almost as beautiful as Caroline at one point in time.
It wasn't such a long story though. He had merely said that to avoid discussing the subject with Caroline. That same princess he had mentioned gave it to him before he killed her, as he routinely did then. She was nothing to him; merely someone to amuse him; to pass the time with; to punish. Anyways, she was married; in love with another man; unavailable to him, except with a cocktail of seduction and compulsion. Motivated by a lethal combination of resentment and repressed emotion, he had used all his familiar tricks to destroy her. Strangely, despite the compulsion, she could sense the inner turmoil plaguing him. She could sense that her death would come at his hands. She removed the bracelet off her wrist shortly before he killed her. He could distinctly remember her telling him to give it selflessly to a woman who deserved it; one who had caught his attention rather than one who's attention he had caught - in other words, compelled. He was to give it to a woman whose life he had preserved rather than took.
It had been a strange and poignant experience. He had never been confronted by his actions like that, let alone by someone who was most severely impacted by them. Her words had stuck with him over the years, and oddly, he felt like he owed it to her. He never went out of his way to carry out her request by any means. Admittedly, Caroline had been the first one to fulfill the princess's criteria.
To his dismay, Caroline had rejected the gift. It was almost some sort of bad karma; the princess haunting him from the grave.
If he was being completely honest, his urgent departure had as much to do now with Caroline's rejection as it did with Elena and preserving his own life.
Her refusal to leave with him had played continuously in his mind like a broken record the past two days. He hated that it even affected him.
He had told himself repeatedly that it was better this way for both his sanity and survival, but that was little consolation for some reason.
Besides, he could never give her what she wanted anyways, despite confidently proclaiming to her otherwise.
She wanted love.
He wasn't capable of it.
Perhaps she was better suited with Tyler after all, even though the idea disgusted him.
"What the hell is this?" Tyler asked angrily snapping him from his thoughts.
Speak of the devil.
Of course, his bitterness had gotten the better of him. He always had been a sore loser. Hence, his ingenious plan to have Tyler spend the day packing his things thus rendering him occupied; unable to indulge in the prize he hadn't even known he was in a competition to win in the first place; Caroline. Indeed, she was more than a prize to be won, but nevertheless, Tyler had won her. He had lost.
He dropped the bracelet back into the bureau drawer discreetly before turning to face Tyler.
"Excuse me?" he asked, signalling to Tyler that his question and tone were out of line.
"This!" he said, holding up a red jacket in his hands for emphasis. "This is Caroline's. Why do you have it?" he demanded.
The jacket Tyler was holding had been the one Caroline had left here unintentionally in her eagerness to leave after their heated argument the other night; after he commanded that she leave.
He had found the jacket not long after she left. He had - purposely or not - neglected to return it to her.
It had not been left out intentionally for Tyler to find, he had simply forgotten about it. Tyler finding it was just a happy accident.
He smirked at Tyler, debating whether or not he should take this lovely opportunity to inform him of the truth and spoil everything.
The vengeful side of him was itching to share all the details; another side of him, the foolish side that was still hopelessly attached to the young blonde vampire urged him to bite his tongue.
He would do just that, but there was still some fun to be had.
Walking towards Tyler, he examined the article of clothing in Tyler's hands.
"She must have forgotten it when she was here the other evening," he said vaguely.
Tyler gritted his teeth and he could tell that he was struggling to keep calm.
"She was here?" he asked.
He laughed playfully at the young hybrid's question and took the jacket from him, fingering the stitching in the material.
"Well, while you were on your little trip to where ever it was you went, Caroline and I spent some time together. We actually became quite close, really," he explained casually, as if it was no big deal; as if he wasn't speaking to Caroline's jealous boyfriend.
Tyler looked furious and ill.
"Not to worry mate. I just wanted to get to know the girl you're so enamoured with," he mused.
"That's why you drew a picture of her?" Tyler challenged.
He shrugged innocently.
"You saw that did you?" he asked Tyler, playing dumb. "Her father had just died. She needed something to cheer her up. It's not like you were here..."
Before he could finish his remark about Tyler's absence, Tyler's fist flung towards his face, but he caught it before it could make its impact.
"Now now...I don't think that's a very good idea," he spat, nearly crushing Tyler's fist in his hand.
It felt good.
Tyler yelped in pain and he released his grip only slightly before picking up the baby hybrid by his shirt.
"Like I said...mate...you have nothing to worry about. I'll be leaving town tonight and you and Caroline will be free to carry on with your little relationship. You should be so grateful that I was here to look out for her; grateful that I haven't decided to take you along with me and separate the both of you," he lectured Tyler.
Tyler nodded in agreement; the sire bond reclaiming him and putting him back in his submissive place.
He dropped Tyler back to his feet.
"I am grateful to you Klaus," Tyler reassured him.
He grinned before turning darkly serious once more.
Lunging towards Tyler, he pushed him up against the wall, his forearm under his neck.
"Excellent. I graciously accept your gratitude, but if you ever hurt her, know that I will hunt you down and destroy you," he threatened.
Tyler swallowed hard and nodded.
"Now finish packing the rest of my things and kindly return Caroline's jacket to her when you're done," he ordered as he thrust the article of clothing against Tyler's chest and pushed him to the side.
Eager to please, Tyler scurried out of the room to continue packing things in another part of the house.
He himself returned to sorting through his own possessions.
Not long after resuming the process of packing did he hear his sister barge through the front doors of the house.
He could tell by the way she was walking that something had clearly upset her.
"Alaric Saltzman just tried to kill me," she declared once she reached him.
He stepped into the school apprehensively but ready for a fight.
This was not how he had anticipated the day would go.
It was supposed to be simple. He would use Tyler as his sired minion for the day to pack his things while he snatched Elena. Then, he, Rebekah, and Elena would be off to where ever he decided would be best. Whichever location would keep those pesky Salvatore brothers at bay would be best. He snickered at the thought of them pathetically worshipping at the doppelganger's feet.
Instead, here he was walking down an eerily quiet school hallway on his way into a death trap.
Perhaps this whole thing was a set up? He wondered. Maybe Alaric was somehow working with the Salvatores?
He brushed the thought aside as he recalled Stefan's panicked expression. He was never good at lying or faking a mood.
Alaric had this planned. He was trying to lure him in with bait and of course he was falling for it.
Interestingly, Alaric had selected both Caroline and Elena as his bait of choice.
He had noticed Caroline's car in the parking lot, and as he walked past decorations from last night's decade dance, he quickly realized how Alaric had snatched her.
Last night Caroline had mentioned her clean up duty this morning. She had urged him to make sure his sister was in attendance. Caroline had been here with Rebekah. Yet when Rebekah had informed him earlier of Alaric's return from the dead, she had said nothing of Caroline. He cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner.
He gritted his teeth, wishing his sister was here so he could strangle her instead. She had neglected to tell him on purpose. She knew there was a possibility that he would stay behind to help Caroline. It was no matter anyways, because he had remained, but for the doppelganger.
The doppelganger was just within reach and he was not about to waste all his efforts now. He would not let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He needed hybrids and Elena's blood would give them to him. Alaric would not stop him.
This new set of circumstances made him uncomfortable. For once, he was not the bad guy. He was the knight in shining armour coming to save not one, but two damsels in distress. It was a peculiar thought, one that made him cringe.
He hated having his weaknesses put on display.
Elena, as the doppelganger, was quite obviously a weakness, but Caroline on the other hand had come out of nowhere. Somewhere along the line she had become a liability; a weakness of his that could be used against him. How did that happen? He had even warned himself about her.
Despite the fact that she had selected Tyler and refused to leave with him, he knew that this rejection did not mean he would let Alaric slaughter her. He was prepared to leave her behind, but he was not prepared to leave her to die. Indeed, she was a weakness.
These weaknesses would be the death of him if the Bennett witch could not successfully follow through with the desiccation spell. His weaknesses would be the death of him if Stefan and Damon did not come to his aid as per their plan.
His death was less of a concern than was the death of the doppelganger, or as it seemed, the death of Caroline.
As he rounded the hallway towards Alaric's classroom, he could hear frantic footsteps and laboured breathing. He could smell her familiar flowery scent; he knew it was Caroline.
Instantly, he felt an overwhelming surge of suffocating relief fill his chest.
She had managed to break free somehow and was running in his direction. He stopped and prepared himself.
Sure enough, she came around the corner at full speed and he grabbed her immediately.
He pulled her against him and quickly covered her mouth with his hand so that no one, especially Alaric, would hear her screams of surprise and terror.
Her body was trembling against his with fear.
"Shhh. It's okay. It's okay. It's me," he whispered to her. "It's okay, you're safe," he reassured her.
She fell quiet and relaxed under his hold. She was relieved. He relieved her.
He spun her around to inspect her. They didn't have much time.
Holding her face in his hands, he studied her for injury. Her face was ghost white and he could see the fading burn marks on her cheeks and corners of her mouth from vervain. He frowned at the sight. It made him even more enraged.
"Why didn't you run with Rebekah?" he scolded her quietly as he brought her face closer.
"I tried," she squeaked, looking up at him with those captivating eyes of hers.
"You could have been killed," he whispered as loud as he could, shaking her by her shoulders.
"I know," she said softly as a few tears fell down her cheeks.
Without giving it much consideration, he grabbed her face once more and kissed her hard.
He had never intended to kiss her. It was an instinctive uncontrolled action. He couldn't explain it.
When he pulled her away from him, she looked just as confused as he did.
He thumbed some of her tears away and stared at her intensely.
"We'll get Elena. You go straight home. You stay inside, do you understand?" he explained.
She looked at him as if in a daze.
"Do you understand me?" he repeated.
"Thank you," she replied as she nodded.
He started for Alaric's classroom, but stopped when Caroline grabbed his hand.
"Klaus..." she spoke.
Turning back around, he was met with the soft touch of her lips against his.
Just as soon as it happened, she broke the kiss self-consciously. Her face lingered close to his; their foreheads were practically touching; she was standing on her toes; her eyes were closed.
"Be careful, okay? He's strong," she warned in a whisper, her doe eyes opening to meet his once more.
They gazed at each other for a few fleeting moments, before he pried himself away for the doppelganger.
Despite her inner hesitations, she had heeded to his demand and rushed out of the school, stopping only to point Damon and Stefan in the right direction.
When Klaus said 'we' apparently Damon and Stefan is who he meant. They must have had some plan in the works to save Elena; perhaps to bring Alaric down. She found it ironic that the three of them were working together.
She could barely drive home. Her hands were shaking the wheel so erratically. She thought for sure she was going to die. What's worse is that Elena was still being held captive by Alaric. She felt guilty for abandoning her, but more suitable help had replaced her - even if that included Klaus. What mattered was keeping Elena alive at this point. The vervain had made her too weak; she was of no use to her friend anyways. She had to go home and regain her strength and power.
Once home, she grabbed a full bag of blood from the fridge and indulged readily. She could literally feel her body rejuvenating itself as the blood replaced the poisonous vervain in her system.
Realizing that her mother was still asleep prepping for another night shift, she tip-toed to her room where she began to pace frantically as she tried to get a hold of anyone with news. Nobody was answering.
Tyler wasn't even answering his cell phone and she began to panic. Where the hell had he been when she was being held captive in the school by Alaric? Where was he now?
She fell back on her bed and huffed in frustration, trying to figure out what she was going to do next. What could she do to help her friends?
Klaus had told her to stay inside.
How could she stay inside during a time like this? Her friends needed her; he needed her.
He told you to stay inside, she reminded herself.
She bit her lip as she let her thoughts briefly turn from Elena to her encounter with Klaus in the school hallway.
Although Elena had gotten her out of immediate danger, Klaus had also helped save her. Surely she would have ran back for Elena had Klaus not been there to reassure her.
She had never been so elated to see him; to feel his protective arms around her. She couldn't believe he even made her feel that way in the first place.
He himself had looked relieved to see her. He kissed her.
Just when she thought she could move on; that her moments with Klaus had come to an end; he had literally stopped her in her tracks.
He kissed her, she thought again, wondering what was going through his mind?
She had kissed him. She kissed him right out in the open for anyone to see. What was she thinking?
Why did fate keep pushing them together? Why was he always there when she needed to forget him most?
She needed to let go.
Cringing in frustration, she punched her fist into her mattress and brought her legs up onto the bed.
She spent another few minutes trying each of her friends and then repeating the process, until sleep overtook her.
The vervain had made her weaker than she anticipated.
She woke to the sound of the front door shutting. It was her mother leaving for another shift. She had barely slept for a half hour.
As much as she wanted to see her, she was glad her mother didn't disturb her. She didn't feel like dragging her mother into another vampire mess.
She shot up from bed and tried calling her friends once more; still no answer. She even tried Elena's home phone.
If things had gone according to plan, Klaus would be back at his house preparing to leave.
She would go there first
Once she changed into fresh clothes she proceeded to collect her things.
She left her room and opened her front door only to be confronted with Tyler stepping onto the porch.
"Tyler..." she said surprised, "where have you been? I've been trying to call you!" she cried.
His hands rested on her shoulders.
"We got him," he said, his face breaking into a smile.
Her heart swelled with relief.
"You got Alaric? He's dead?" she asked with excited anticipation.
His expression fell flat and he shook his head.
"No...We got Klaus," he said, his spirits lifting again.
Her brows furrowed with confusion.
"What do you mean you 'got' Klaus? If he's dead then that means you're..."
- "He's not technically dead. Bonnie did some desiccation spell her mother originally did on Klaus's father Mikael. They had intended it for Alaric, but he was too strong..." Tyler explained.
She felt numb.
"I don't understand..." she whimpered, overtaken with emotion.
"The desiccation spell severely weakens Klaus to the brink of death. He's still alive, but barely. Damon and Stefan are going to hide his body so Alaric can't find it," Tyler clarified.
"How did this happen?" she asked, not even sure what she was asking anymore, or if it made any sense.
"If Elena dies, Alaric dies. Alaric was ready to kill Klaus, but Elena threatened her own life. Alaric let them go. Klaus brought Elena back to his house...he was going to drain Elena of her blood so he could make more hybrids but also kill Alaric..."
- "Klaus was going to kill Elena?" she squeaked.
Tyler nodded.
Why was she even surprised? It had always been about hybrids for Klaus, nothing more. Backed into a corner, Klaus had clearly resorted to drastic measures to preserve his ultimate goal.
"I was there..." Tyler continued. "Klaus told me to leave to get more blood bags. Instead, I got help from Stefan and Damon. Long story short, Klaus found out I broke the sire bond, and all three of us helped Bonnie carry out her spell on Klaus. Alaric is still out there, but as far as Klaus is concerned, Elena is safe, I'm safe, and if Klaus's blood created you, Damon, and Stefan, you're all safe too now that desiccated him," he concluded proudly.
She smiled meekly as he took her into his arms.
Now Klaus really was gone. She felt sick to her stomach.
He pulled away and held her out in front of him.
"Are you okay? Damon and Stefan told me Alaric had you in the school with Elena. I can't believe I missed their texts..."
If it was possible, she felt even sicker.
"You mean they texted you when I was in the school and you just missed their texts?" she inquired.
Tyler nodded hesitantly...guiltily.
"Yeah, but I didn't have my phone. I was all over Klaus's mansion packing..." he reminded her. "I'm so sorry Caroline. I don't know what I would have done had anything happened to you," he apologized.
"You mean you were too busy faking your sire bond to help your girlfriend," she corrected him as she shrugged away from his touch.
He scoffed.
"Come on Caroline, I could have missed their text doing anything. I'm sorry. I feel terrible that I wasn't there," he assured her, as he tried to reach for her once more.
She knew he had a point, but she still felt angry. Klaus had been there. Tyler had not.
He managed to pull her towards him once more, cradling her face in his hands, much like Klaus had earlier.
"I'm sorry, okay? But what matters now is that you're okay, Elena's okay, everyone is okay," he said.
Klaus was not okay. She was not okay.
She nodded anyways.
Turning away from his gaze, she fell against his shoulder.
They stood like that for a few minutes as she struggled to hold back tears.
"Where were you going?" he finally asked her once they parted from their strange embrace.
Her mind raced for an appropriate answer. She could have easily been honest with him, simply claiming she went to Klaus's because she thought Tyler might be there, or Elena, but she decided not to risk raising any more red flags.
"Elena's; I was going to Elena's to wait for her or any news," she lied.
"Well let me take you there. Damon and Stefan are dropping Elena off at her house after they make a quick stop back at their place. Elena will want to see you," he informed her.
"Okay," she agreed.
She needed this as much as Elena needed this. She needed a distraction. She needed to convince herself that this outcome was the best for everyone, herself included.
Klaus was gone for good. Fate would never intervene and push them together again. Despite everything, that reality depressed her.
She had no choice but to forget.
"Tyler," she called as she followed behind him to his car.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Let's stop at the convenient store before Elena's...and give Matt and Bonnie a call; make sure they're coming to Elena's..." she requested.
"Why?" he asked confused.
"I think we have some celebrating to do," she said, mustering the best and brightest fake smile she could.
He grinned and nodded as they both climbed in his car.
She had barely noticed the cool breeze outside, but as she got in the car a chill ran down her back and she rubbed her arms to remedy it.
"Cold?" Tyler asked.
Of course she never experienced cold, but she felt it for some reason nonetheless.
"I forgot a jacket," she noted.
"Here," he said as he reached with one hand into the backseat.
Her eyes widened briefly as he handed her a red jacket; her jacket; the one she had worn to Klaus's and had forgotten absentmindedly in her rush to leave.
"I found it at Klaus's," he explained.
As she put the jacket on she waited for him to freak out.
The jacket smelt like Klaus.
"Tyler...I..."
- "It doesn't matter now," he interrupted her.
He smiled and kissed her hand. After they stopped at the convenient store to pick up some celebratory liquor and snacks, they met Bonnie, Jeremy, and Matt at Elena's.
None of them had really brought up the events of the day. Everyone preferred to forget about it and move on it seemed.
So, she put on a brave face and acted accordingly.
Elena arrived shortly after as they were all in the kitchen preparing drinks and food. She could overhear Elena saying her good-byes to Damon and Stefan at the front door.
"What are you guys doing here?" Elena asked as she entered the kitchen.
"Welcome to our victory party!" she announced happily.
Elena looked surprised and confused.
Regardless of what happened to Klaus, seeing Elena in one piece had brought a genuine smile to her face. She had thought for sure one of them would not make it to the end of today.
"What victory? We failed. Alaric's still out there," Elena reminded everyone.
Everyone, including her scoffed at Elena's attempt to rain on their parade.
"We know, but we've been trying to get rid of Klaus forever and Caroline convinced us to enjoy it for a night," Bonnie chimed in.
"Gonna be honest, I'm a little pissed none of you let me help you take down Original brother number two," Matt said to the group as he put his arm around Tyler.
"Yeah, he would have taken you right down to the hospital, bro," Tyler explained as she finished pouring shots of tequila for the group.
"Please, I'm more stealth than that. I'm like a ninja," he defended himself.
"Yeah, you wish," Jeremy joked as she brought Elena her shot.
"Here, you need this," she informed Elena, handing her the drink.
Elena looked at her unsure.
"I heard," she said to Elena as she nudged her head towards the front door, referring to Elena's speech to the Salvatores about her confused feelings. "And you know that sooner or later, you're gonna have to choose, right?" she told her friend.
"I know," Elena answered somberly.
She rubbed Elena's arm in an effort to comfort her.
"Give me your hand," Tyler said as he approached Elena.
He poured salt on her hand.
"Thank you for standing up to Klaus like that," Elena said to Tyler.
She winced on the inside.
"Let's just say it's been a long time coming," Tyler assured her, alluding to the sire bond.
"Way too long," she said as she put her arm around Tyler in an effort to conceal her lingering reservations. "Alright, let's drink!" she announced.
That had been one of her better ideas all day.
"I do not condone this, by the way," Elena said disapprovingly, staring directly at Jeremy.
"You survived Klaus, alright? Make an exception. You can go back to being responsible tomorrow," Jeremy argued.
"Okay," Elena replied, bringing the shot to her lips.
- "Hang on. Do you guys hear that?" Tyler interrupted, prompting everyone to pause from indulging in their shots.
She looked at Tyler with concern, and tried to listen for what he heard.
"That is the sound of a Klaus free life," he explained to everyone with amusement.
Everyone laughed. She forced hers.
"To a Klaus free life," Elena said, raising her shot glass.
She had wanted this party to forget about him. Everyone was making that impossible. She was becoming light-headed.
Everyone raised their glasses in response to Elena's comment, and she followed suit apprehensively.
"And to all of you. My family," Elena added.
"Cheers," everyone announced in a broken unison.
She turned away from the group as she readily downed her tequila shot. The smooth burn of the alcohol felt good against her throat. Its numbing effect was almost instant.
While everyone else recovered and began to engage in conversation she poured herself another drink, eager to numb the pain even more; eager to completely block him out of her mind.
In time, he would mean nothing to her.
But now, he was all she could think about.
Her chest felt heavy, her stomach was in knots, and it was all she could do to keep breathing.
She could feel her throat constrict and her vision went blurry as her eyes glazed over with water.
Moving away from her friends discreetly, she slipped upstairs to the bathroom.
Once she was sure all three doors to the room were securely shut and the water tap was running, she finally allowed herself to break down.
The last time she cried like this was when her father died. She couldn't understand it. She didn't want to understand it. She simply let her emotions take the lead.
Turning from the invasive stare of the mirror, she slid down the bathroom vanity so that she was sitting on the floor tile.
Why the hell did his absence hurt her this much?
He couldn't be gone just like that.
In her emotionally reckless state, she did something she would probably live to regret.
Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, she dialed Rebekah's number.
His siblings deserved to know what happened to him, she reasoned. They would come looking for answers. Eventually, they would find out.
Surely, they would be angry. They would likely try to retaliate despite the threat Alaric posed, but if she told them now, perhaps something could be worked out. She would talk to Elijah rather than Rebekah, knowing he would be more reasonable.
"I see Alaric didn't kill you. My brother must have rescued you and Elena," Rebekah answered.
She said nothing in response.
"Caroline, why are you calling me? I doubt you want to have another girl talk with me after this morning," Rebekah said sarcastically.
She inhaled sharply through her nose, making it blatantly obvious to Rebekah that she had been crying.
"Caroline, what's wrong? Is Nik okay?" Rebekah demanded.
"I need to speak to your brother Elijah," she said. "Do you have his number?" she asked.
Rebekah scowled.
"Whatever you have to say to him, you can say it to me," Rebekah urged. "Where is Nik?" she asked once more, clearly becoming emotional and agitated.
"Just give me the number!" she cried to Rebekah.
"Fine," Rebekah replied. "I'll text it to you," she said bitterly before hanging up.
Within seconds, she received a text message from Rebekah with Elijah's phone number and she called it immediately.
She waited anxiously for an answer.
"Caroline, Rebekah said you would be calling," Klaus's elder brother's voice informed her.
She wondered how Rebekah was able to tell her brother so quickly.
"So tell me, what news do you have of my brother Niklaus?" he asked.
A/N: So did you like it? Let me know!
The jacket Caroline wore in 3x21 was it red or pink? I say red, but whatever. Maybe I'm colour blind.
The next chapter will probably be the last that incorporates original dialogue and content from the show. It will obviously focus on the season three finale. I haven't exactly decided how I want to approach it, but any insights, tips, comments, etc are much appreciated.
As I begin to plan the original portion of my fic, I'm also curious for your input. I like to take reader opinion into consideration as much as I can, while remaining true to my original intent. I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'm curious to know which one of Elena's friends you think should discover her affair with Klaus first and how? Logic would say either Tyler or Bonnie, but let me know your thoughts.
Also, I've been tossing a number of end scenarios around in my head and I'm curious to know in general what kind of ending you would like to see...happy? sad? bittersweet? I've been contemplating an idea for a continuation so would you be okay with something sad or bittersweet if it meant a happier ending may come later? Again, let me know your thoughts.