Chapter 2 : Things Have Changed
They had flown into Lynchburg, given that Mystic Falls was too small to have an airport, even a private one. Tyler was still sulking from having his neck broken twice during the flight and Bonnie was longing for fresh air. The sun had just been about to rise in Paris when they left, and they got to see it rise again after they had landed. Caroline let the autumn wind blow through her hair and she breathed it in deep. While she had always considered England to be her home, there was something about this smell, even with the modern stench, that took her back a thousand years.
"I still don't understand the purpose that I serve here. I don't want to shift, so why should I have to come along?"
Caroline had had enough of Tyler's muttering and Bonnie didn't even flinch when Caroline threw Tyler to the ground and put her foot over his neck. Tyler flashed up and tried to take Caroline down, but she was far stronger and threw him back down again. This time, she put some weight down on his neck. He didn't dare try to stand again.
"For starters, Tyler Richardson, I cannot trust you to roam around Europe on your own. Second of all, we are a family, and we stick together. If Bonnie and Stefan are here with me, then so should you be."
Tyler muttered under his breath 'some family' and Caroline pushed harder. She didn't want to hear his bickering. Why oh why couldn't the bloody daggers work on him? She had to find something that could be used instead of silver. He was becoming too much for even her patience to handle.
"And finally, you are required here because you left a bastard child in that slut Vicki a thousand years ago, and your line still continues. Stefan tracked them down. I need you to get me the moonstone."
Bonnie turned away, as if she wanted nothing to do with the argument. Bringing up Vicki was not something that happened often and she knew better than to interrupt Caroline during a moment like this. Tyler's eyes went wide at those words, and he bowed his head slightly, as though admitting his submission. Caroline removed her foot and started walking towards the black car that she could see waiting for them.
Vicki... as much as she hated bringing up the slut, she had been useful. Ending both the Alpha and Beta bloodlines... Both the Forbes and the Lockwood lines would have ended with them, but Tyler had been stupid enough to get a village girl pregnant first. His line, at least, had continued, and they had stayed in the area. Now, a thousand years later, she knew that the moonstone her father had held so dear would be in the keepsake of the present day Lockwoods.
She had more than just the moonstone to thank Vicki for, though. There had always been rumors of Tyler's lecherous ways, but Caroline had ignored them. They didn't really matter back then. She had no real choice with the man her father had chosen as her husband. After they had all been turned, she had continued her romance with Tyler. They had flitted out of each other's beds for a few centuries. However, once Tyler had confessed to cheating on her while human, while she had still been innocent, time again with the town whore, she had been done with him. He still scratched an itch that only another power creature could soothe on occasion, but now she was disgusted at ever giving him the time of day.
Bonnie held out her arm towards Caroline, and she accepted it, linking arms tightly. Caroline could hear Tyler behind them, muttering something under his breath, but she ignored it. He knew better than to fight her again so soon. She was quite certain that his neck was at least still a little stiff from being broken so many times.
Stefan stepped out of the car and Caroline could see out of the corner of her eye that Bonnie had a large smile on her face. Caroline released her arm and Bonnie rushed forward and jumped into a big hug with Stefan. Caroline kept walking, cooly, and stopped a few paces away. Tyler came up beside her and they watched as Stefan gave Bonnie a smile and asked her about her rest. He then helped her into the vehicle and turned back towards the remaining two Originals.
"How long has it been since you last saw him?"
Caroline's eyes almost hurt, looking at Stefan. He was wearing his typical dark button down with a jacket over it, but she was a little surprised to see him in jeans. Ever since dress pants had gone out of style, he had fought it, sticking to a business attire at all times. How much had things changed that even he was starting to wear 21st century pieces?
"Twenty-six years," she whispered in response.
Stefan wasn't looking at her. No, he was looking at Tyler. Tyler went towards him and they both offered a hand. They shook, then Stefan punched him with his free hand. Tyler reeled back from the hit the looked back at Caroline, who made no move to stop them. Stefan knew that Tyler was stronger, so why had he punched him?
"You didn't have to be a little shit and compel the Queen of England, Tyler. It's not like this was your first birthday alone."
Tyler rubbed his jaw for a moment, then punched Stefan. Stefan fell back almost to the car, but Caroline still didn't move. They both knew she was in charge, but among the men of the group, they still fought for second. Regardless of her and Tyler's past, Stefan had always been her best friend and the one she could count on.
"You could have at least fucking called."
The two of them stared at eachother, then embraced in a hug. Caroline stood watching as Tyler climbed into the limo, and then it was just she and Stefan. She stepped forward as Stefan did, and they stared for a moment. Her eyes locked with his.
"You look different."
Stefan looked down at his clothes, then glanced back up at Caroline and quirked an eyebrow. He knew that she was talking about his new pants and slightly open shirt. So unlike the posh Stefan she had grown used to. "So do you."
She nodded. The last time they had seen each other, she had been wearing a lot more leather and shown a lot more skin. But things changed. They were ageless, and yet they still changed.
"Still have your ripper tendencies under control?" Her smirk slid across her face as she watched his eyes flash in horror for a moment, and he glanced down. She just loved the way that the word 'ripper' rolled off her tongue. Of all them and their evils, it was Stefan that relished in the blood the most. It was one of the things that she loved most about him... and something that she also feared. The little bit of humanity left in Caroline feared the guilt that weighed upon Stefan's nonexistent soul every time he lost control.
"You are still a bitch, Caroline, but I have missed you."
Stefan pulled her into a hug and she smiled, enjoy it. They hugged each other tight, then walked towards the limousine. She saw that Tyler already had a bottle of liquor open and Bonnie was ignoring him. They had never been friends, even when they had all been human. It was only because of his friendship with Jeremy and Caroline that he had been turned.
Caroline slid in first, followed by Stefan, and she went all the way in, sitting with her back to the driver. The other three sat facing towards her, albeit on different sides. As if he could sense what she wanted, Stefan pulled out a glass and a bottle of expensive scotch, poured some, and handed the glass to Caroline. She nodded to him as she accepted it and took a sip.
"How long is the drive to Mystic Falls?" Bonnie asked, and Stefan turned his head slightly towards the witch. Tyler was still pouting a little, his hand held over his already healed jaw, and guzzling down whatever bottle he had grabbed. Disgusting.
"About 45 minutes."
Bonnie nodded, then rolled down the window. The fresh air came inside and Caroline sat back, far away from the window. She didn't want to smell the grass and the trees and the residual smell of werewolves. There was a reason she avoided small towns. Packs tended to stick to the countryside and smaller towns. It was painful being reminded of what she couldn't have.
"Where is Anna?"
Caroline looked over her glass as she spoke, watching Stefan. His face was cool as he looked at Caroline, and she shrugged a little, as if it mattered none. They eyed each other for a moment and Caroline shrugged again and took another sip of her liquor. She set the glass down beside her and leaned forward to pull out the pack of cigarettes she had earlier stuffed in her boots. Stefan coughed slightly as he saw her pull them out and she glared at him for a moment, then returned them to her boot.
"Anna? Jeremy's Anna? You found her?"
Caroline had forgotten for a moment that Bonnie had been asleep a few years when Anna had been discovered. Well, not really discovered. She was an unwanted pest. Better to say had begun following them again. Caroline had brushed her aside and Stefan had ignored her, but she knew that Tyler and the girl had partied together some. Anna had quickly dropped that once she realized that Tyler no longer had Caroline's favor.
"She came around about twenty years ago, claiming that she had been looking for Jeremy for years. I had no time or patience for that girl nine hundred years ago, and I still don't."
Bonnie nodded. No one in their group actually LIKED Anna. She brought out a darkness in Jeremy that bothered them all. He was the youngest of their group as Elena's little brother, and seeing the evil he performed with Anna had his side had been a bother. At the same time, he had also been his happiest with her.
"Why isn't Jeremy with us, then, if Anna has reappeared?"
Tyler's eyes immediately went wide at Bonnie's question and tried to sink down into his seat. Stefan shifted a little, suddenly appearing a bit uncomfortable at the direction of the conversation. Bonnie glanced at the two boys, not realizing what she was asking Caroline. Caroline's eyes had already blackened slightly and she glared across the space at her friend.
"Do not speak of any of THEM." She practically spat the words and Bonnie immediately shut her mouth and resumed looking out the window. Screw Stefan's desires. She reached into her boot and pulled out her smokes and lit one. The smoke filled her lungs and she relaxed slightly. The veins that had been rising to the surface receded and her eyes cleared again.
No one was looking at her now. They knew better than to fight her on this. The three that were missing had all been daggered for a reason and would remain that way until Caroline was ready for their family to reunite. Jeremy didn't want to live unless he had Anna, and with Anna he always caused too much death. Damon had caused three wars before Caroline finally put him down, and Elena had thrown a fuss over it. They had all been undaggered again for a time, but when they started to show a desire to rebel, she had returned them to their coffins.
"Anna is currently attending the local high school. She has befriended the local witch and her brother, although the witch seems powerless."
Caroline rolled her eyes and sat back. Of course, how useless of Anna. "And what do they have to do with my doppelganger?"
Stefan coughed slightly at her words, or perhaps it was the smoke, and Caroline took another large drag. She blew it out slowly, in Stefan's direction, and let her smirk slide across her face.
"Katherine is dating Elijah, their elder brother. You know, the family itself is rather interesting. The eldest brother I have actually met, Finn. He is a local doctor. And the middle brother, if you can believe this, carries the werewolf gene, unactivated."
Tyler sat forward at this. Anything werewolf interested him, regardless of how much he denied wanting to activate it. "How does only one of them carry the gene?"
Stefan shrugged. "That, I have no answer for, but he is also the Town Sheriff."
Caroline snorted into her drink as she was taking a sip. The town sheriff hadn't even killed anyone? The entire town was just waiting to be slaughtered, and after she had her sacrifice, she would kill them all, one by one. The entire town of Mystic Falls would be destroyed.
"Call Anna, and tell her to meet us at the house. I want to know everything she has to share about this family."
Stefan nodded and pulled out his phone while Caroline sat back, relaxing. Only a few weeks now, and things would change. They would be different. This threat that had been following her family for so long would have no chance against her. She would be invincible. And she would destroy anyone that stood in her way.
.:| Queen of the Heartless |:.
They pulled up to the house and Caroline had to admit that Stefan had good taste. Whereas Stefan had always been the nobleman with largest estates and grand houses in the country, she had always prefer the lavish apartments of the city. She wanted to be where the action was, surrounded by beauty, art, and music. Where the blood flowed easily.
Bonnie hopped out of the limo first and went straight to the freshly planted flowers out front. She walked past them with her hand extended over them, and everything began to bloom. The smile on her face was carefree and she twirled for a moment, enjoying the wind. For a moment, Caroline envied Bonnie and her relaxed nature. She wanted to join her and just be a young girl again, but things were already in motion that she had to help along.
Stefan stepped out next and she watched him straighten nonexistent wrinkles from his jacket. When would he ever learn to truly relax? Tyler crawled out and immediately stalked into the house, saying something about finding his own room. Caroline took the hand that Stefan extended to her and came from the vehicle last.
Her one bag was pulled from the vehicle and the two boxes of grimoires were taken in by the driver. Stefan moved to take her bag but she picked it up instead. There were too many important things in there to just hand it over. Stefan nodded to her slight move and began walking inside.
Bonnie was now walking across the grass with her nose pointed towards the forest. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be dancing and swaying with the wind. Caroline needed her to concentrate, but a few minutes would not hurt anything. "We will be inside, love, whenever you are ready to join us."
She knew that Bonnie had heard her, although the girl made no sign of response, and Caroline followed Stefan inside. The inside was as elegant as ever. A long winding staircase, high ceilings, and a lovely fragrance of roses and blood. Stefan always did know how to please her. Every piece of furniture and decoration looked to be a few hundred years ago, from a century when they had all been happy.
Tyler was standing at the top of the stairs looking around. "Oy, which one is my room?"
Stefan opened his mouth to answer but Caroline spat out, "Mutts sleep outside, Richardson."
Tyler picked up a vase from the table at the top of the stairs and hurled it at Caroline's head. Stefan flashed forward and grabbed it, then held it close to himself. "This is one of a kind."
The two men stared each other down as Stefan walked up the stairs and set the vase back down. He then towards to the right at the top of the stairs. "The first door on the left is your room. The one across from yours is Bonnie's, if you will so direct her when she comes in?"
Tyler stomped off to his room and Caroline let a smirk grow across her face. "Now remind me, love, why is it that Tyler is allowed to roam free? While a dagger does not work, we could always just dessicate him. He could be kept in a coffin for as long as we chose. No more dealing with his temper tantrums!"
Stefan didn't find that amusing at all and kept a frown on his face while Caroline continued up the stairs. "Oh yes, that's right. You forbid me from putting down anymore of our friends and convinced Bonnie that I was being paranoid. Imagine if we did not have to constantly clean up after Tyler?"
She was now standing on the top step beside him, but still had to look up at him. Stefan was much taller than she, but the way she looked at him would have made it appear the other way around. Stefan looked away from her and didn't say a word. She stepped forward and lightly patted him on the shoulder.
"Nevermind about that, sweetheart. We will all be reunited again, soon enough."
Stefan kept looking away from her but started walking down the hallway away from Tyler's room. She followed him, knowing that he was leading her to her rooms. It had always been an unspoken understanding that the Master Room was hers. He opened up the first door on his left and stepped back. She took a step inside and saw a large piano to one side and a number of paintings and books around the walls. She nodded to him and he pointed to the door across the hall.
"My room."
She nodded and he continued back deeper. There was only one door left on this hallway, and it was the one they were walking straight towards. She knew from the dimensions of the house that this room had to be quite large. He opened the door and she stepped in. There was already a fire going and a large four poster bed. She had a sitting area, a large wine cabinet, and a balcony. She could see a large closet off to one side, along with the bathroom. All in all, it was a room fit for a Queen.
"Thank you, Stefan. Notify me when Anna has arrived, dear," she said dismissively, and shut the door behind herself. She could hear Stefan walking down the hallway and going into his own room. She set her bag down on the bed and went into the bathroom. Everything was as she required - a large tub, a shower, all of the little amenities that made a house a home. Stefan had already supplied the toiletries and towels and she was certain if she looked in the closet, she would find a few items of clothing already waiting for her. He had thought of everything, again.
She rested her hands on the countertop and leaned forward, looking in the mirror. The mask on her face was still hard, and she looked down. A flick of her wrist and water was coming from the faucet. She splashed some on her face and looked up again, relaxing. She looked tired. Withdrawn. Hungry. Less than a month, and things would change.
Patting her face dry on a towel, Caroline walked over to the large doors that led on to presumably a balcony. She opened them and stepped out, seeing only woods. It was wonderful and freeing, surrounded by that much nature, but she couldn't get the smell of werewolf from her nose. It was a tantalizing tease, knowing that there were some that still roamed these lands. They had been her father's lands, and they should have been hers. When she was Queen, she would take it all back before she destroyed it.
Turning away from the open doors, she walked over to the bed and flopped down. There was nothing she could do now but wait. Bonnie would want to get settled in before getting to business and Stefan seemed unwilling to talk until Anna arrived. Tyler was going to be useless until she gave him an order. All she had to do now was wait.
.:| Queen of the Heartless |:.
An hour later, Caroline heard a knock at her door. She sat up and the door opened slightly to reveal Stefan. He bowed his head slightly towards her. "Anna has arrived and Bonnie is all settled in. I have had a meal prepared for us, and then we may discuss plans?"
Caroline sat up on the bed and ran her hand back through her blonde locks. She nodded to him once then pushed herself off the bed. There had better be REAL food there. She wasn't going to eat human food just because Stefan and Bonnie appreciated it. She was a Vampire - she wanted blood.
Walking down the stairs and following her nose, she found the dining room. Bonnie was sitting across from Anna, asking her about her travels, being as polite as possible. Tyler was lounging back in the chair beside Anna, to the left of the head of the table, looking rather sullen. Stefan was still standing beside his chair to the right of the head of the table. She stood there for a moment and took in the image before her, then walked towards her seat.
Stefan, ever the gentleman, pulled out her chair and she sat in it. He then sat down at her right hand and nodded to a woman Caroline could only assume was Stefan's hired help. Plates were then brought out to all of them and the wine glasses were filled.
"How many have you compelled to fill your household?" she asked, emphasizing the your. Never before had they lived in a house that was not hers. She would visit, on occasion, but she made certain they knew it was her home that they lived in.
"I have, on your behalf, hired a cook and a maid. I assumed that once you arrived, you would make the necessary changes as you deemed fit to make the house more your own. It is already in your name."
Caroline gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you, Stefan, for your kind gift."
Silence settled over the table as they all took in the fact that Caroline was secure in her place. She was at the head of the table. They were here for her sacrifice. Their friends were still locked away in a place only Caroline knew of.
"Tell me, Anna, how many men have you fucked while Jeremy sleeps?"
Anna had dropped her silverware at the words, Bonnie was muttering under her breath about tact, Stefan was glaring at her for being so crass, and Tyler was trying to keep from laughing. Caroline didn't move a muscle as she kept the smirk on her face while her eyes showed her disdain for the girl. Anna then looked up from her plate towards Caroline, knowing that she was the only way to get back her lover.
"I did as I had to, to get by, but I have remained true to Jeremy."
Caroline raised an eyebrow and looked down at her food. It did smell good, and human food was on occasion enjoyable. She took a few bites of it then looked up again to see Tyler glaring at his empty wine glass. He was then looking around the room for someone to give him more. She was getting tired of his constantly intoxicated state and grabbed her steak knife from the table and slammed it point down into the hand that rested on the table.
He yelped out in pain and everyone else jumped back, startled, but Caroline didn't release her hold on the knife, so Tyler was unable to remove it. "Control your drinking, or I will have you locked in a coffin and thrown into the fucking ocean."
Tyler looked up at her, his eyes full of anger, but when he saw the anger in her eyes, he bowed his head. Caroline jerked the knife out of his hand and threw it down onto the table.
"I'm tired of these pleasantries. I want to know, right fucking now, what the hell we are doing to prepare for the sacrifice."
Stefan rose from his chair, his calm face unwavering, and stepped behind Caroline's chair to pull it out. She glared up at him and let him help her out, then led all of them into the sitting room. Tyler was eerily silent as his hand Healed. Bonnie, Tyler, and Anna all sat on the couch while Stefan sat in an armchair. Caroline remained standing beside the fireplace.
"Tell me about my doppelganger."
Stefan remained seated with his arms on the chair and his fingers interlaced in front of him. He stared into the fire, not looking up at the anger on Caroline's face. "Her name is Katherine Pierce. She is an only child. Her parents are dead. She lives alone, but her boyfriend often stays over. His name is Elijah Mikaelson, and he is a Vampire Hunter."
He paused at that and their eyes locked. Stefan shook his head slightly and Caroline nodded, confirming that he was simply a hunter. "Katherine has become part of the Mikaelson family. That is why I sent Anna in to the school, to befriend the youngest two Mikaelsons. One of them is a witch, Bonnie, and she has no idea how to use her powers. I doubt she even knows they exist."
Bonnie nodded. That would make her happy, having someone new to teach. Given that Bonnie had no family to pass her magic on to, students were always something she appreciated.
"There is also still a werewolf presence... Tyler's family, actually. The Mayor carries the gene but it has not been activated. His son has not activated it either. He is a student at the same school the youngest Mikaelsons attend.
Caroline looked at Tyler, who had sunk down into his seat. His family line being continued was always a sore subject of the group and was an easy way to make Caroline even angrier than she already was.
"And the other Mikaelsons?"
"Klaus is the town sheriff. He carries the werewolf gene unlike his other siblings. There is also some sort of hatred between him and the Patriarch of the family, who is in and out of their lives. They all had a younger sibling that died a week ago from unknown causes. And then that leaves... Finn."
Caroline raised her eyebrow. Stefan had mentioned knowing him on the ride over. "What about Finn?"
"He knows that I am a Vampire, Caroline. He and I have crossed paths a few times. He does not know I am in town, but he could easily recognize me. I told him some of our family, but I doubt he told any of the others."
Caroline pursed her lips together and nodded. So, Stefan had been telling humans about their family. As if she wasn't working hard enough to protect them...
"Bonnie, I want you to spell this house. No one can get in without our permission. I want no one around that we don't allow. After that, I have all of your grimoires. Do whatever research you must to prepare for the sacrifice, then attend the local high school. Get close to this witch."
Bonnie nodded and hopped up from her seat, ready to get to work on protecting the house. Caroline then turned to Tyler, who was already looking up at her as though he knew what was coming.
"Congratulations, Mister Richardson. You get to go to High School!"
Tyler groaned and muttered, "Come on, Care."
She flashed forward and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. "Get close to the werewolf. You need to go find me my moonstone. Find it and all your deeds of the past thousand years are forgiven."
Tyler nodded and she dropped him back down. Tyler tried to retain his dignity by getting up slowly but the fear was oozing off of him. He slipped upstairs and she waited till he was gone before turning to Stefan.
"I presume that you set aside a room for Jeremy?"
Stefan nodded. Caroline then turned to Anna and let her eyes dilate. The girl knew better than to try and look away. "Anna, go upstairs to Jeremy's room, and don't come out unless I say so."
Anna immediately got up and ran to Jeremy's room. Good. That took care of her, for now.
She then flopped down into an armchair and stared at Stefan. He watched her from across the room, and Caroline ran her fingers back through her hair. "Whoever he is, he has gotten closer."
Stefan nodded. Of all the family, he was the only one that seemed to believe that there might be some truth to Caroline's paranoia. There were too many times that people around them had died. That homes had suddenly been burned to the ground. That her favorite horse had been shot. Things had happened over the years that made Caroline fear something was following them.
"After I have become a Hybrid, I will destroy this threat and reunite this family. But, I need your support on this, Stefan. I need my big brother. My right hand. I need you to promise me that at the end of the day, you will stand beside me."
Stefan stared at her for a moment, then nodded his head. "Of course, Caroline. We chose each other. Always and Forever."
.:| The Lone Pup |:.
Klaus knew something was wrong. There was something in the air that was drawing at him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, and it had nothing to do with Mikael being around. He had always had this extra sense that something was in the air before it happened. Like the wind was telling him to prepare himself.
Standing out front of the Sheriff's station, he put his hands on his hips and looked around at the town square in front of him. His gun was loaded on his hip and he feared that for once, he would have to use it. Something was coming to Mystic Falls, and he wasn't sure if he was really prepared.
I want to give a huge shoutout to my girls livingdeadblondegirl, the deej, and a little blonde distraction! They are all fabulous writers and wonderful friends, and have welcomed me into this Klaroline tumblr writing fold. Thank you, lovelies!
Betas : livingdeadblondegirl, swingklaroline, suchaglamorouslie, the deej
Story Idea from FadingTales and CandiceMorgans on Tumblr
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