I'm back! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this started, but I'm here and I'm uploading so there you go.
Also, I was guilty of writing stuff like 'I don't see the point in updating, if no one is reading it,'. That's was kinda shitty of me to do, so I guess apologies are in order (see what I did there?)
Also I edited Chapter III a bit. I was re-reading it and I realized I did some things that made absolutely no sense however it doesn't change the plot line, so you won't have to go back to read that in order to understand this.
But onto other stuff, to be honest, I wasn't really happy with the interactions between Klaus and Caroline in the last chapter, but I'm hoping to fix that up this time and with the next chapter too.
So get reading folks, and tell me what you think!
Chapter V - Apologies
Caroline woke up the next day with no scars from her night in the dungeons and none of the rotting odour to match. She was back in the guest room she was in before, her eyes etched with the sights of the dungeons, and the burns from the ropes…
It was scary that she was actually used to it. The pain she's expected.
Caroline always was expected to have a happy face the next day. It happened once when her father was trying to 'fix' her as a newborn vampire. It happened again when that werewolf Jules and the rest of her dog pack came for her. And now.
No doubt Klaus was expecting that too. How could she tell? Well, the dress that was laid out for her on the chair, beautiful as it was, screamed the whole 'forget-that-I-tortured-you-for-endless-hours' and 'let-me-buy-your-forgiveness'. And she would have to either way, because it was either forgiving the man, or having her heart in his hands.
It was when Caroline was taking a moment to admire the workmanship on the dress that a maid knocked on her door before entering in.
"Your Lady," the maid curtsied. Was she expected to do that too? Caroline bowed her head in acknowledgement, signalling her to go on.
"The Mikaelson brothers are requesting for your company this morning. Lord Klaus wished to see you in the dress that he picked out. The one you have in your hands, My Lady."
Caroline rolled her eyes in annoyance.
'Of course they did,"
No doubt to ask her about Ebony again. The witch that didn't really do anything other than send Katherine and Caroline to the past. She didn't know the stupid lies she would have to come up with this time around to cover her ass.
"Tell them that I will be arriving downstairs shortly," Caroline answered curtly.
"M'Lady, surely…?"
"Yes?"
"You would need help with your corset," the maid asked, before hastily adding "M'Lady."
Caroline looked back at the dress. The corset, luckily didn't look as bad as the ones came beforehand as Caroline recognized, and she was sure it was going to knock the lungs out of her breath, but also she wanted to revel in the idea of wearing a dress like the one in her hands right now.
"Well, come on. Help me get in this dress," Caroline smiled at the frightened girl.
She took a sip from the tea that the maid brought with her (after she put on the dress), and quickly spit it out, the offensive burn on her tongue.
"M'Lady, I am so sorry," the girl gushed, as she ran to Caroline.
"You assumed I was a human," Caroline stretched her neck out by rolling it around, gearing herself up for what was to come. She slowly put the teacup to her lips, and chugged down the entire thing. Her throat burned as she coughed out in pain. She glanced at the girl, whose eyes were impossibly wide.
"I need to protect myself against The Originals. I would really appreciate it if you would keep on putting vervain in my tea every morning." Caroline told the maid.
"Of course," the maid obliged. With that, the maid got up from the edge of the bed where they were both seated, and left.
Caroline gripped the sheets adorning her bed.
How am I going to get out of here?
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Klaus woke up that morning with a smile on his face. If he honed his heightened senses carefully enough, he could hear Caroline breathing.
Caroline.
Klaus knew that he needed to make up for the hours Caroline spent in the dungeons. So he decided that she should get the finest dress the country had to offer.
Women love fine dresses.
He got himself dressed for that, calm and collected. Caroline would succumb to his charms soon enough.
"Gwen," Klaus called out to the maid, and when he heard no answer he tried again.
"Gwen!"
"Here m'lord," Gwen answered. Klaus should have been annoyed at her insolence, but even the maid couldn't put a damper on his spirits.
Don't get him wrong, there was an instant attraction to Caroline, and he knew that she was someone special. He would enjoy seducing her now that he knew that she wasn't from Mikael. And having her beg for death.
It was a pity that she had to die.
You, boy. You coward.
Klaus closed his eyes in shame. He was still being taunted five centuries from his father. He was still affected by the harsh words of his father.
"M'Lord?" the maid pulled him out of his thoughts. Klaus looked up at her,
"Of course. I need you to go to the market and get me a dress from the the finest booth."
"Any favourite style?"
He pictured her in a corset, her already round breasts spilling out of the top. Her small waist. Her perfect smile.
"Blue corset," Klaus mentioned curtly, and turned on his heel to see his brother's face.
"Ahh, Elijah. Good thing you're here. We have much to do," his grin amused.
"You're not planning to wear a blue corset are you? Because I do not appreciate being ridiculed as the man whose brother decided to go crazy and wear a blue corset,"
"Relax, brother. Simply buying our sweet Caroline a gift. Perhaps she would be willing to spill more about the witch that made her that daylight ring,"
"You must understand, that if she has a witch on her side, there is more to her than either of us realized. Are you sure she is dimwitted enough, not to see through the bribery you have planned for her? Especially after last night?" Elijah callously asked.
"Of course she isn't dimwitted. I just need for her to understand the finer things that we Mikaelsons have to offer, entice her to change her mind about us" Klaus had his full grin, teeth and all.
"Of course, brother", Elijah rolled his eyes in exasperation. He still didn't understand the infatuation that Klaus had on Caroline. He didn't understand where his brother's head was leading to, and whether he had to do any damage control.
But Elijah would do it regardless of consequences. Because Nik was his little brother.
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Katherine's eyes widened at what she recalled from last night. The change in memories. At no point in her lifetime was there a mention of Caroline Forbes or Katherine Pierce from Elijah, the only brother that truly talked to her, and got to understand Katherine when she was Katerina.
Caroline was changing the past that Katherine trusted would stay concrete. Now, even that was unsure.
"Must this girl mess up everything", Katherine thought to herself.
She supposed, it was partly her own fault. She was the one that left Caroline without a babysitter in the cruel world of the late 15th century. It was because of Katherine that Caroline had managed to find herself in the clutches of the Originals. The ones that wanted her dead for 500 years.
500 years
Katherine wanted to change the past, so her future can be better. Maybe she can save her family after all. It was only a year between her arrival to London and when her daughter was given away for adoption. It must mean her family was still alive.
I want to go back home. Bulgaria.
Than, to make it up to Caroline, Katherine would bring to her - like a present - a trusted witch, that will send her back to the future and away from the Mikaelsons.
Katherine walked into the kitchen, greeted by one of the last remaining maids.
Everyone else was drained of blood.
She couldn't be expected to live alone. Katherine would have fed on her otherwise.
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Klaus was happy to see Caroline in the blue dress he arranged for, as she was called downstairs to the main dining hall. Situated in a long table, Klaus with enough ego to take up the head of the table, and Elijah on the other end, left Caroline with a seating smack-dab in the middle.
"I'm glad to see you're wearing the dress I gifted you Caroline. It looks ravishing on you,"
"Hmmhmm." Caroline's annoyance was obvious. Klaus glanced at his brother Elijah, willing himself not to punch the amused smirk he had on his face.
Elijah was indeed surprised at the changed behaviour of Klaus. His baby brother spent the night lecturing him on how much Caroline didn't mean anything to him. How much of a fine conquest she will be. And yet, here was his brother, the Original everyone feared the most, attempting to impress this baby vampire, in vain.
"It seems that I owe you an apology for falsely accusing you of being a spy to an enemy of mine," Klaus started off.
"You're right. You do owe me an apology. When are you going to do so?" Caroline argued.
Klaus gave that look to Caroline, not impressed, but his eyes showed a bit of amusement. Elijah glancing at the two vampires quickly excused himself and left for the garden where he knew Katerina will be.
After Elijah left, Klaus continued.
"I'm sorry, Caroline. For keeping you locked in the dungeon last night,"
"Better,"
"What do you mean? I gave you an apology. What more could you possibly want?" Klaus asked, incredulous at her remarks.
"I just need to go back home. And to go back home, I need contact to a witch,"
"That's all? Don't worry Caroline. I have contacted that witch,Ebony you call her."
"How is that possible?" Caroline questioned. She still remembered that little antique owner from Spain. How is it that she could be here, in 1492 England?
"I recognized that name. From the one you spoke of that day we first met. She's agreed to meet us in the townsquare," Klaus mentioned.
"The town...square?" Caroline gulped.
"Join me. I usually make my weekly visits to the townsquare,"
"Uhmm...okay?" Caroline's answer came out as a question.
"Splendid," Klaus answered, before shifting into an uncomfortable silence.
"Great," Caroline thought to herself...sarcastically of course.
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Katherine didn't know what to do. It was the first time in a long time that she ever felt lost to the situation around her. No matter what, no matter when she always found herself one step ahead, but this time, it seems she was two steps behind.
And so Katherine thought it was best to contact Elijah again. A rational person might think to not contact Elijah, in fact to never contact any of the Mikaelsons, or Caroline for that matter, and simply find a witch to get home. But one; time travel is not easy. One would have to draw from dark magic to complete the task, as she suspected that witch from the antique shop did.
The bigger reason for why she stuck around to contact Elijah was simple; her gut feeling was telling her that their next talk would hold valuable information for her. She would be getting headaches, no flashback this time, but regardless, she could tell it was because of the effects from the time travelling.
Katherine didn't know what was going to happen, or the effects of staying here for too long.
And she didn't want to stick around to find out.
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It was a couple hours after Caroline had that awkward breakfast with Klaus and Elijah when she went back to her room. She wasn't given a tour of the very large castle and since she had absolutely no idea how people in this day and age told the time, she didn't know when Klaus would take her to see Ebony.
She had no idea what to expect. Klaus seemed to like the way she talked and acted, but Caroline had absolutely no idea as to whether or not she can fare in public. Things like mM'lord or M'lady were obvious, but what about currencies? And how do you address people in the booth? Sir? Madam?
"This is so tiring. I just want to go back home,"
With nothing better to do, and since Klaus thought that a tour of his wonderful castle isn't a part of his manners, she thought she would take one on her own. Besides, who knew where Klaus was, why should she be by herself going out of her mind in boredom.
She walked out of her room and started walking in a random direction. Caroline didn't consciously search for her. It was like an act of God.
The first thing Caroline heard was the heartbeats. Caroline stopped in the middle of the hallway because she was in shock. Yes of course it was possible that it was just the heartbeat of a wandering maid, however, Caroline knew that the part of the castle she was in was abandoned. It was why she came here in the first place.
It was after that, that she heard the breathing. They were light and airy and quite frequent.
At this point Caroline was unconsciously and unceremoniously walking toward the sounds of human life. As she held her ear to the door in an attempt to peak in the crack, she saw a woman, a girl really, pacing back and forth. It was the flash of brown curls that got to her, and without warning she opened the door.
"Katherine," Caroline gasped.
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Klaus was the first to hear Caroline.
He was listening to Elijah talk about the important business ventures that needed to be discussed, and all the dreads one decisions to be made.
Klaus' idea of zoning out was listening to Caroline. At random times of the day it wasn't surprising to him to hear Caroline sing some unfamiliar song with references he wasn't aware of.
"Must be some Scottish thing,"
"What was that, Niklaus?" Elijah asked.
"Pardon me?" Klaus gave a confused expression, hopefully good enough to mask the very obvious and very stupid mistake.
That's when he heard Caroline again. Patterning of steps that edged closer and closer to the room above them.
The doppelgänger's room.
Without a second to waste Klaus sped to Katherine's room and opened to door without hesitation. He felt Elijah's presence behind him, which he was grateful for but didn't acknowledge.
He was too busy baring fangs at the girl he fancied, cause she was holding the girl he needed in a chokehold.
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The Next Day
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Elijah was at the town square well before Klaus and Caroline. He may have been slightly older than Niklaus and his other siblings when he turned but Elijah wasn't dumb. He knew that Klaus and Caroline still had unresolved feelings from last night and right now, and he felt it best to get away from the commotion that is the younger generation.
It was why he decided that he would walk ahead, in favour of some of the nicer booths. Elijah walked over to the blacksmith's booth. He worked on beating the metal to shape, making swords as Elijah watched.
It was then he felt a presence.
"Katherine," he cordially acknowledged.
"As much as I would like to say I'm here because I missed you, it's not,"
"What are you doing here? Klaus finds you, and you're dead. And I'll be daggered for not saying anything to him," Elijah questioned the woman in front of him.
"What can I say, I find a thrill in doing the forbidden," Katherine smirked at Elijah.
"What is it? Tell me and get on your way,"
"Stop asking the wrong questions, 'Lijah,"
"What…?"
"You've been asking Katerina some sly questions. I'm telling you to stop. You're literally messing with time here," Katherine chided him like a school boy.
"Don't..." Elijah started again.
"I've been getting headaches this past week. I don't know why, and I know vampires don't get headaches. So I'm asking you to help with this. Find me a witch. Please,"
He looked at this girl.
"You're not telling me the whole story,"
"I'm not. But if I told you, you would think I'm crazy. I think I'm crazy. Just let me talk to the witch first,"
With reluctance, Elijah agreed.
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Klaus noticed Elijah talking to some woman, with her back facing him. Although her back reminded him of Katerina's, he figured that couldn't be true since Katerina was back in the castle, with the company of Trevor. Klaus isn't blind to Trevor's affections for Katerina, however as long as that doesn't cloud his judgement, he was quite fine.
But Klaus knew that he wasn't fine, in the risk of danger from the woman in front of him.
Last night...after he dismissed Katerina and Elijah from the room, his conversation with Caroline left him reeling. He never understood up until now how out of tune he was with his emotions.
"Why didn't you tell me that you knew the location of Katerina?" Caroline demanded. She was furious at him. What a sick man lives inside that body of his?
"You have no right to delve into my reasons why I didn't tell you," Klaus started to say, but he didn't finish.
"Actually I do, considering I needed Katherine to go back home,"
"See? I don't even know where home is for you. You won't tell me," Klaus confessed. He hated that he was half-whining to her.
"I can 'delve' into your reasons, but you're trying to pick at mine?" Caroline demanded.
"I have my reasons to look into your story,"
"Yeah, because your distrust is obvious," Caroline argued back.
"Yes, yes it is actually! What do you think? Some random stranger finds her way into your home, starts asking questions about the bloody doppelganger, and you're just going to answer them with no questions asked? Because love, I won't," Klaus clapped back just as hard.
"Well you're the one that took me that day Klaus. And kept me locked in a dungeon, for God's sake! Not to mention, dragging me out of bed to fall victim to your various torturous techniques. Guess you were testing them out on me,huh? And to think I'm supposed to trust that you'll keep my best interests intact?" Caroline's voice started to raise in volume.
"Love, you're starting to make a scene," Klaus figured this reaction would come. He expected it, and he didn't blame her, but what happened last night probably confused her, scared her. And he hated that he was the reason for it.
"Whatever. Let's just find Ebony and go," and with that, Caroline stalked away.
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Katherine overheard the entire conversation between Klaus and Caroline. She was surprised at just how much punch the little blonde had in her. Who knew the baby vampire, could so easily talk down the most dangerous, oldest vampire since time itself?
Katherine figured that Klaus would lose his shit, and get all temperamental on Caroline. That was expected of him. She knew that Klaus would momentarily forget that Caroline is a lady, and that keeping her in a dungeon was probably not very manly of him to do.
However, she noticed the obvious thing Klaus had for Caroline. Something for her, or on her. Whatever it is, Katherine needed to know to what extent it went to. Because the more Caroline was staying in this time period, the more Katherine's brain started to hurt, and the more the past was starting to change, the more she suspected she wouldn't make out of this alive.
OMG, finally! It's been so friggin' long. I don't even know why to be honest. I had 2 weeks of winter break, back in Christmas/New Year's time. But also, I had shitloads of exams and shit. And I started a new semester in school. And I was applying to university so there was that.
So this chapter did not go in the direction I was expecting it to go in. But I hope you like it!
Till Next Time,
Ann