Chapter 1 : The Call That Starts It All

The streets of Paris were empty and dark by this time of night. Only a few dared to wander outside the safety of their homes, knowing that something did in fact go bump in the night. It had been a few blocks since she had seen anyone, but she kept going, knowing that she was drawing closer to her prey. Any other night she wouldn't be so picky, but there was something in particular she was searching for. She was not one to give up on the hunt. No, she enjoyed it. Relished in it. She savored the chase.

Her boots made no sound as she stalked along the shadows, her vampire eyes searching for a sign that she was drawing closer. Nothing moved in the night, but her ears did hear something. A light thud. A beat. A new hunt had suddenly begun.

Caroline stalked after the sound, knowing what that repetitive beat signaled. Life. Blood. Dinner. Her earlier hunt could be put on pause. She had been tracking Tyler Richardson for nearly a thousand years, and he never could hide for very long. She always found him, and he always knew to fear her wrath.

Turning a corner and standing in the shadows, she found the owner of the heartbeat. A young man was leaving a house and walking down the streets. She could smell the sex coming off his body, even from this distance. He was a bit beneath her normal meals, but she was feeling a little tinge of hunger in her gums. Why deny herself when she could take what she wanted right now?

She used her supernatural speed to flash in front of the man, and he looked up, startled, and took a step back. An easy grin set across his face as he looked her up and down. He didn't know the danger that lay behind this particular set of straight blonde hair and bright blue eyes. An easy smile set across her face, and the guy returned it.

"Wow, didn't see you there. Almost ran into you. Not that I would have minded."

Caroline's smile turned into a smirk and she turned around and walked towards a set of shadows nearby. The man followed quickly, clearly unable to resist the allure and power that radiated off of her. He tried to get her to stop, asking her her name, asking what she was doing, but Caroline kept walking, knowing that he would follow.

She turned around once she was near the shadows, and beckoned him forward with a finger. The man came to her, and she gave him an alluring smile. Her words were smooth and seductive. "What's your name?"

The man grinned and leaned against the wall that was behind Caroline's back. "Mike."

She put her lips together while giving him another smile, but then her eyes locked with his and began to dialate. The words were sickly sweet as she gave him a command. "Mike. Do not talk. Do not move. Do not scream."

Her words died off as she saw the compulsion work, and her fangs dropped while the veins around her eyes began to grow. Mike's eyes went wide, realizing that he couldn't ask her what the hell she was and he couldn't move at all. The compulsion had gone over beautifully and she just watched the fear wash over him.

"Who am I? Is that what you want to know?" She leaned forward and closed her eyes, smelling the skin along his neck. Mmmm, it was negative. She always loved any blood that was negative. There was something rare about it that always teased the senses. She pulled back from him and tongued one of her fangs. "I am Vampire."

Her teeth sunk into his neck and she sucked the blood from him, savoring the taste. He didn't move but she could tell that he was growing weak quickly as she drained him. Perhaps she was a bit more hungry than she had originally thought. The beat that had been filling her ears was slowing, and she grabbed the front of the man's shirt to hold him upright.

One of the two cell phones in her skinny jeans pocket started to vibrate and Caroline stopped in her drinking. If she answered the phone then the last of the blood would be wasted and she wouldn't get to feel his heart stop in her hand. Problem was, the phone that was signalling a call was not the one that most people used. Oh no. Only two people called this particular line.

She released her teeth and pulled the phone out at the same time. She glanced at the name on the phone then hit the answer key. "What do you want, Salvatore? You are interrupting my dinner."

The man's heart had stopped and she dropped him in disgust. Caroline ran her thumb under her lip to collect the excess blood and sucked it off. She licked her lips again, checking for any more blood, then let her fangs recede.

"Caroline, where are you?"

She began to walk down the street, sauntering really, enjoying the feeling of the warm blood rushing into her system. "Paris, love. Currently hunting down that idiot we call our friend. I am thinking of visiting my home in Barcelona after I deal with him, if you want to come join me."

She knew that Stefan wouldn't accept. He seemed to enjoy the countryside the past few centuries. Too many people around, and his ripper tendencies would surface, and nothing annoyed Caroline more than having to clean up a mess that she didn't cause.

"I'm in Mystic Falls. You need to come home."

Caroline stopped in her tracks and looked down at her phone, double checking the caller. Stefan knew better than to ask her to visit there. She had skirted around the entire area as a whole, not even visiting the capital of the baby country. She wanted nothing to do with Mystic Falls or anything that reminded her of the past.

"Very funny, Stefan. Now, what did you really call for?"

"Caroline, I am not joking. I found something. You need to awaken Bonnie and come. I have already secured a house to your standards and I think you will find this trip rather worthwhile."

She just laughed as she began walking. Of course he would have a house for her. He knew the requirements of her going to a new town. She was an Original. The most powerful Original. She had people do the ridiculous tasks for her. If Stefan chose to take care of things, then that was his wasted time. She had better things to do.

"Stefan, if you think that just securing a house for me is enough to get me to return to that particular- why do I need Bonnie?"

Her feet stopped again and she waited for his answer. There was no reason to awaken Bonnie. In fact, Bonnie had said not to wake her for at least 10 more years. She may be powerful, but even Caroline knew better than to go against the Original Witch's request.

"Caroline, she looks just like her. Acts just like her. I didn't think it was possible, but the prediction Bonnie made... It's true. There is a doppelganger. Tatia's doppelganger. You don't have to find another way. We can break the curse."

She almost dropped the phone she was holding in shock. There was no possible way that there was a doppelganger. Caroline had traced Tatia's line when they discovered the loophole and it had died out. It was why she had spent the past two centuries collecting grimoires for Bonnie to study every time she awoke. She knew that there was some other way to release her true nature and they just had yet to find it.

"I will dagger you for a millennia if you are lying to me."

"Caroline, come to Mystic Falls. See for yourself. I've already got Anna searching for the moonstone and finding a local werewolf. By the next full moon, you will be free."

Her eyes flicked up to the sky above her and stared at the moon. The moon had been full two days earlier, and by the next time it fully rose, she could call herself hybrid. She could awaken her werewolf half. Caroline would finally be released of the binds that tied her down. She could be what she had dreamed of for a thousand years.

"Call the house in Cambridge. Tell them to send Bonnie to Versailles. Now. I'll awaken her once she arrives. I have my plane with me, and we will come straight to Mystic Falls, after I find Tyler."

She could practically hear Stefan thinking on the other side. "I will not bloody desiccate him. I might just break his neck... once or twice. Tyler is the only one of us that has a family connection left to Mystic Falls and he can smell out werewolves better than the rest of you. He can earn back my trust by helping me with the sacrifice."

Stefan scoffed in the background, as if he knew that Caroline would never actually trust Tyler. It had been seven centuries since she made that mistake. Tyler could only be put into a coffin with the help of Bonnie, and Bonnie refused to do that while the rest of the group already filled coffins. Perhaps one day they could all be free, but not until she was invincible. Not until she could take down whatever threat was following them.

"I will meet you at the airport, then. Let me know what time you are landing."

Caroline hung up the phone, having nothing left to say to Stefan. She would do far worse than dagger him if he was lying to her. Of all the Originals, save for Bonnie, Stefan was the one she could rely upon the most. Only twice had he ever betrayed her, once due to his bloodlust. The other time had been because of Elena. If a doppelganger for Tatia was now involved, she knew that her trust in Stefan could only go so far. The allure of the Petrova blood would not be diminished after even a thousand years.

The pleasure of the hunt was gone now. She had a car to meet and a plane to catch. Torturing Tyler with fear would have to wait until later. She tilted her face up into a breeze and sniffed, looking for the telltale stench that seemed to radiate off of Tyler. It was a mix of women, liquor, and blood that was truly unique to him. She used to think it was amazing. Now, she only felt disgust.

Running a few blocks, she stopped again and looked around. Her ears could faintly make out the sound of his grunting. She stepped right up to the house and listened, knowing she couldn't enter. Tyler always did seem to love humans for companions. Something about knowing he was more powerful than them. Clearly, he still had issues because of her.

Caroline glanced up at the balcony and jumped to it, then kicked in the glass door. A startled Tyler had sat up on the bed and began cowering in fear. The human was also shrieking and grabbing the sheets, but Caroline didn't care. "Let me in, or I will burn this house to the ground."

Tyler was contemplating his choices, but he knew that Caroline would do as she said. She had done it many times before. He pushed the human towards her and Caroline let her eyes do the magic. Gaining entrance, Caroline stepped in.

"Thank you. Tell me, did you drink any of his blood?"

The girl shook her head no, and Caroline ripped out her heart. She ran her tongue up the palm of her hand and wrinkled her nose. O positive... how... common.

"Caroline, come on. I'm sorry. I didn't think you would be so mad about this. You told me that I was on my own."

"Bloody hell, Tyler. You cannot just compel half the Royal Family and have the Queen give you a castle. We are no longer in the 1400s. If you wanted a fucking castle for your birthday, you should have said something. I would have given you one of mine if it was so important."

Tyler glared at her and she rushed at him and sunk her hand into his chest. Caroline was glad she had rolled up the sleeves of her leather jacket before going out. She actually really liked this one. Her hand tightened around his heart, and while it wouldn't kill him, it was causing him great pain. He didn't even try to fight back. Tyler knew she was stronger.

"I should lock you in a bottomless pit for the next century for this. It took me a month to clean up your mess. You are lucky that I have a job for you. We're going back to Mystic Falls."

Tyler's eyes went wide and he went to ask her what it was, but she was too quick, yanking her hand out of his chest and snapping his neck. Tyler fell to the floor and she wiped the excess blood on his chest. Content that enough was off, she pulled out her other cell phone. She dialed a number and ordered a driver to her current location. After washing her hands, she stepped back into the bedroom and looked around for a bottle of liquor. Tyler never went anywhere without something.

She found the bottle and sighed. Tyler was an Original, and yet he was drinking cheap bourbon? No wonder she had gotten rid of him. His standards were atrocious. She found a glass and poured herself some, then glanced over to the girl's nightstand. Laying there was a half empty pack of cigarettes. She picked them up and put one in between her lips, then reached into the side of her boot and pulled out a zippo. She lit the thing, then sat back to wait for the driver.

This was one of Caroline's few guilty pleasures. She had always been told that women had no place drinking anything more than wine, but that had never stopped her from learning to appreciate every liquor that developed over the years. When tobacco had come to Europe after the "discovery" of the new world, she had adapted a taste for that as well. There was a time when smoking had been a man's activity only. She was always told it was a man's world, but at the end of the day, she was the most powerful being alive.

Her eyes flicked back to Tyler, who was still dead from the broken neck. He would awaken within the half hour, the Original blood healing him rather quickly. There was a time when the fact she was a woman hadn't mattered. It still didn't matter amongst her friends. It had never mattered to the man that would be her husband. Her father was the Alpha. So was she.

Caroline tried to deny it, but every full moon, she thought of her father. He had been so proud, the leader of the pack. In the village, he lead the Council and he was never argued with. They all knew why, even those that were human. The power that oozed off of the man was undeniable. His family had always led the werewolves of the entire region, and that power had never been disputed.

And Caroline carried that same blood. Even when she had tried to deny it. Tried to fight it. She had had no choice. Her father never forgave her when every full moon came and she didn't shift. She still remembered the beatings where he told her that no one would accept her as anything less. That she was his daughter. That she had to lead the pack as well. And yet still, Caroline had refused to kill.

It was ironic, really, that the village girl that wouldn't kill just once to become the thing her father wanted most was now one of the most feared killers in the world. The death that followed in her wake was unparalleled. And in a month's time, she would finally do what her father had always demanded. She would unlock her werewolf side.

She took another sip of her drink and looked at Tyler once more. His neck was back into place, but he was still out cold. He had been fine with her not killing. He had still respected her as his Alpha. They were going to be man and wife and yet still he knew not to test her dominance, else she would activate her werewolf gene with his death. How was it that even the man her father had hand picked for her understood her better than her own father?

She sucked down the last of her cigarette and put it out on the dead girl's body. She wouldn't mind none. The sound of a car stopping outside alerted her to the arrival of her driver and she grabbed one of Tyler's legs, then dragged him down the stairs and to the front door. She could easily pick him up, but the satisfaction she was receiving from this treatment of his body was just so lovely.

The driver had gotten out and opened her car door, then came to Caroline and picked up Tyler. The man immediately put Tyler in the trunk, as though he knew she wanted nothing to do with the currently dead original. Sitting down in the back of the limo, she grabbed her favorite bottle of scotch and took a nice long drink, washing out the filth she had been sipping earlier.

"Take me to the house. I need to gather a few things, then we will be on our way to the airport. No rush. And should Tyler wake up, just ignore it. I think he deserves a few minutes of privacy." She had, after all, not bothered dressing him.

.:| Queen of the Heartless |:.

The home that she kept in Versailles was no where near the largest, nor was it even the most grand. It was, however, the one that she appreciated the most. From Paris, she could easily travel to anywhere else in Europe. Great pieces of art covered every wall, the gardens were always kept in bloom, and the lands were large enough for her to just run. It was the only place that she could truly run free, as the entire property was spelled to keep out trespassers.

Getting out of the limo, she left Tyler behind, where he had been pounding on the trunk for ten minutes already. She was glad that it was reinforced steel in all of her vehicle's framework. She really had no patience for dealing with a temper tantrum right now.

Walking upstairs to her room, she grabbed a large pair of sweatpants and a tshirt for Tyler, knowing that neither of them wanted to have to deal with his naked self for the next few hours. Throwing them at one of the servants and telling them to get Tyler clothed but NOT let him in the house, she then went about collecting her own things.

She had been moving around for centuries, but Caroline still had a few keepsakes. While she had been wearing her father's necklace and a beaded necklace on her hunt this evening, there were three more that soon hung around her neck. She grabbed her rings from the box and slid them both into place, one on her left thumb, the other on her right middle.

Next, she grabbed a single bag and tossed in a pair of boots and a set of black pumps, another pair of jeans, and a few tops. She could buy whatever else she needed once she got there. The last thing she collected was a stack of papers that she kept in one box. While some were recent, others were older. There were drawings that Tyler had done of their families. A few photos of she and Stefan when they had still been close. Various writings she had done in her loneliness. And most of all, her sheet music. While it was all committed to memory, she still couldn't bring herself to leave it behind.

Handing her bag to a servant, Caroline went downstairs to find an enraged Tyler outside of her door. He was glaring at her, furious that she had compelled the house staff to never let anyone in unless she said to. He was stuck there wearing the clothing she had sent down to him.

"Took you long enough to get out of the trunk."

Caroline left the front entryway and went to the nearby sitting room to grab a glass of wine. Filling a tumbler full, she then grabbed the ipod that was sitting on the shelf. There was a particular song she wanted to hear that just... fit her mood. Things were changing, and she felt more powerful and alive than ever.

"Caroline, what the hell do you mean we are going to Mystic Falls? What could ever possess you to return to that god forsaken place? And why must I go?"

Tyler was yelling at her from the front door and she half considered letting him in, just so he would sit down and shut up. "If you do not stop talking, I will break your fucking neck."

That shut him up for a minute and she came across the song she was looking for. Clint Mansell filled the air... Lux Aeterna... Eternal Light... There had been a time that Kings had sworn there was a glow of light around her. Popes had claimed that the Light of God shown through her. Men had worshipped her, saying she was eternally beautiful. They had never known that what they saw was not light. What they saw was her power. There had been no light coming from her in centuries. Only darkness.

"Come on, Caroline. You can't be that mad at me. You've done far worse."

Caroline stood up from her chair and sped over to the front door, where Tyler had jumped back slightly. She threw her full glass of wine at his head and he barely ducked it. She was furious now. Why didn't he understand that they still had to keep a low profile? There was a reason why no one knew where she was at any given time.

"Seriously, Tyler? Seriously? You compelled the Queen in front of a number of witnesses. Then when people asked questions, you told them that the Queen owed you, and made her agree. You could have at least compelled the entire room, or done it when no one else was around. You brought attention to yourself, and all of us! You endangered us all!"

Tyler was looking at the ground now, sulking. Caroline ran her hand through the top of her hair, pushing it back from her face. It was like she was the only one that cared anymore. After a thousand years, they were all still alive, and somewhat together. She had done that. She had protected them. And they treated her like shit for it. Why did no one understand that she did these things for THEM?

"Care, I'm sorry-"

She flashed out the front door and grabbed Tyler by his neck. He was taller and bigger, but she lifted him easily. "Do not call me that. Care died a long time ago."

She had practically spat out her nickname that her father had given her so long ago. She had allowed her friends to use it for a few centuries, but things were different. She was no longer innocent. That blonde idiot had died years ago. She could never go back to being good.

"Caroline. Why do we need to go back to Mystic Falls? You and I, we both hate that place. We aren't wolves, Caroline. We can't just go home and pretend we are part of the pack."

Her eyes started into his, and suddenly Tyler's eyes went wide. He realized then what was going on; he knew now why they were returning. While Tyler wanted nothing to do with being a werewolf, it was all she had longed for. When the call of the moon came, Tyler drowned himself in liquor while Caroline ran through the woods, wishing to shift and stretch her body as it was meant to. She was supposed to be a werewolf. And now, she could be a hybrid.

"There is a doppelganger. I mean to complete the sacrifice. You can do it with me, but if you do not, then there will not be another chance. There is only one moonstone."

Tyler nodded and she set him back down to the ground. The song had ended and Clementi came on, soft, caressing. She missed the early nineteenth century, going to parties, dancing, being carefree. During those years, whoever had followed them disappeared for a time. They had all been undaggered for a few years, save for Jeremy. Jeremy would always demand to go back into the box until they returned Anna to him, and Anna had been missing until twenty years ago.

She missed her family. She missed how close they had all once been. She missed seeing Damon and Elena sickly in love. She missed Tyler always making comments to Bonnie that made her blush and to Stefan that made him moody. She missed Stefan actually smiling. She missed Jeremy not sulking over the one girl that loved him. She missed them as a whole. And once she was invincible, she could reunite them.

A car pulled up in front of her mansion and two men got out to carry in the coffin. Tyler turned around and didn't have to ask who was inside. They all recognized the chamber that Bonnie had spelled to hold her body. Even though she was part vampire, the spirits had deemed it necessary for Bonnie to retain her magic. Every few years, Bonnie would rest for a decade or so.

Everyone assumed it was because carrying that much magic in an undead body was too much for her to handle. They thought that her undead body was dying time and again when she cast spells. Only Caroline knew the truth. She was a witch, and she missed connecting to nature. Now that she was part vampire, nature feared her. When she was in her sleep mode, however, she could communicate with the spirits. Bonnie was lonely, and only Caroline understood.

Escalla came through the speakers next and Caroline stepped out of the way to let the coffin come inside. She flipped open the lid, and laying there was an eternally radiant Bonnie. Of all them, she had killed the least. Even Elena, with her claim to morals, had shut off her emotions once or twice when the loss of her twin had been too much. Only Bonnie had clung to her humanity, as the witch part of her demanded.

She lightly touched the side of Bonnie's face and smiled. She had missed her oldest friend. She brought the girl to a sitting up position and a servant came forward. Caroline bit into the woman's wrist and held it up against Bonnie's mouth. The veins began to grow and Caroline watched the blood drip in. Bonnie's fangs grew and she unconsciously started to drink. After a few seconds, Bonnie's eyes opened and she released the woman's wrist. The girl disappeared to go bandage the bite mark.

"What year is it?" Bonnie asked, and Caroline carefully helped to lift her out of the coffin. She and Stefan were the only two that had an invitation to this particular home.

"2012, sweetheart. I'm sorry to have woken you so early, but we need to go to Mystic Falls."

Bonnie's feet had met the ground and she glanced around for a moment. Caroline knew that her friend would want a change of clothes to fit into this era a little better and started leading her up to her own room before they left for the airport.

"Why? Caroline, nothing lies in Mystic Falls for any of us but death. The spirits have warned me. This isn't a place any of us should return to."

Caroline calmed her friend as she continued helping her to walk while the blood began it's magic. They were up the stairs in no time and Caroline went ahead to her room to grab a pair of jeans and a loose top that would please the Original Witch. Bonnie changed quickly, then slid on the sandals that Caroline had tossed her last. They weren't Caroline's style, but she did try to keep a few changes of clothes for her friends in each home, in case they had to be woken.

"Stefan found something... I can't believe it's real, but-"

"The doppelganger."

Caroline nodded and looked at Bonnie, her eyes filling with hope. There was no mask to put on around her oldest friend. "I can finally unlock it, Bon. I can finally be a hybrid. Will you help me?"

Bonnie stared at her for a moment, then gave her a smile. Caroline returned it and they walked down the stairs to an impatient Tyler. Everything was going to be different, now. She was finally doing it. Unlocking her true nature. Soon, she would be the Queen of all that was supernatural.

.:| The Lone Pup |:.

Niklaus Mikaelson was reclining back with his feet propped up on his desk and a bottle of bourbon in his hand. It was already half drained, but he still didn't feel numb. That was all he wanted. Emptiness. Instead, he felt it all. He was heartbroken. He was hurt. He was furious. And it was all because of one man.

A father was supposed to love his children, no matter what. They were supposed to help them prepare for the world and care for them. Always forgive them. At least, that was what everyone else had. Not the Mikaelsons. Their father had been abusive to all of them, but mostly Klaus. When their Mother had died of suspicious circumstances, Mikael had disappeared, leaving three barely adults in charge of three kids. Now, here they were, 6 years later, and they had messed up.

Henrik had been complaining of pain for ages. Klaus had just assumed the boy was trying to get out of school. Even Finn, the doctor, had ignore the signs that were around them. But when the baby of the family hadn't woken up one morning, the oldest three felt the world come crashing around them. They had screwed up, and now Henrik was dead.

And then Mikael returned. The dirt of Henrik's grave hadn't even firmly settled yet, and the man that had terrorized them all for years reappeared. Turned out that the drunk had heard of the death of his youngest child and wanted to play the distraught father. Everyone feared him too much to stand up to him. Not even he, the Sheriff. The Mayor had simply turned a blind eye to it, and left the five remaining Mikaelson children to deal with it.

It was only Klaus that felt any wrath, though. Mikael had stormed into the Mansion they all still lived in and demanded to see "the bastard." All of them had been confused by the term, but when his eyes had flared up at the sight of his middle son, all the signs that had been there for years pointed to the truth. Klaus was not his son.

And when Mikael had started swinging at Klaus, he hadn't fought back. Kol had immediately grabbed his shrieking sister and held her back when she tried to charge forward, and Finn and Elijah both grabbed their father and pinned him to the ground. Klaus had just laid there on the ground, still shocked. Mikael had then disappeared for the past week, until tonight.

Everyone else had gone home for the evening, leaving him on the night shift alone. He had often worked the night shift so that he could be home to take Henrik to school. He could see Finn before he disappeared to the hospital. Talk with Elijah before he disappeared with Alaric. He would sleep all day, then spend the afternoon with Kol and Rebekah. With him working at night, someone was always home during the day.

Now, he didn't want to go home. His deputy had tried to get him to take a few days off, but Klaus was scared of the ghosts. His mother had haunted the halls for years, and now Henrik had joined her. When the phone rang and pulled him from his thoughts, he assumed it was old lady Fell, calling about someone sneaking around outside. The woman needed to realize that boys still snuck in and out of girl's bedrooms. And Klaus wasn't driving over there just to end a boy's good night.

"It's your fault, boy."

The voice on the other side of the line had haunted Klaus for years. Whereas the rest of his children were called by their names, their full names, he had always been 'boy'. Always boy after every hateful accusation that had come his way.

"Mikael." The man wasn't his father, and he wouldn't call him such. He didn't deserve the honor.

"Why is it, boy, that my youngest son dies, and I'm still stuck with your whore mother's bastard? Tell me that, boy."

Klaus had hung up the phone, not wanting to hear it. He had immediately dialed the house and Kol answered. The phone was then handed off to Elijah, as Finn was still at the hospital. Elijah agreed to make certain he was the one to answer the house phone the rest of the night, just in case, but Klaus knew that it was himself that Mikael blamed the most.

Mikael hadn't tried calling again. The station was completely quiet. The only sound was the swish of the bottle as Klaus tried to drown away his past.

A/N : Told you it would be up soon!
Betas : livingdeadblondegirl, suchaglamorouslie, jesseelena, The Deej, swingklaroline
Music Inspiration : xxwhisperofdreamsxx : Requiem of Dreams