Chapter Three : Making Friends
Stefan had originally wanted to take Caroline out in the woods to some of the areas of their past, but she had pushed it off. She didn't want to see where her parents were buried. She didn't want to see the area that her house used to be. She didn't want to find the tree that had kept growing after Tyler carved their initials into it. She didn't want any of those memories. Not yet, at least. And not with Stefan.
So instead, Stefan had convinced her to go into town. Caroline would have rather just let everyone else deal with setting up the sacrifice, but Stefan was certain that she would want to get the general layout of the area. She had hoped to spend the day with Bonnie, but the girl had left early to run in the woods. Tyler was gone as well. Something about going into the city to find clothes he actually liked. As long as he returned and didn't cause a massacre, Caroline didn't care.
So now, here she was, in the middle of nowhere, walking down the street with Stefan. He had convinced her to try and blend in more with her clothing, but she really wouldn't listen to the words of a man wearing a three piece suit on a Saturday. She had stuck with her normal jeans, boots, tank top, and jacket. Her hand kept unconsciously going to her neck, feeling the leather cords there. It seemed only fitting that she wear her father's necklace while in Mystic Falls.
She could smell food coming from an establishment with the name 'Mystic Grill' on the sign out front. There was also the stench of greasy mess that she was certain would make even her Vampire stomach sick. Stefan had promised, however, that there would be alcohol, and she needed a drink after this little walk.
Caroline stepped inside and the room went a little quiet. All eyes were suddenly on the newcomers. Small towns... any outsiders came and everyone was suddenly interested. The stares were more than just those for a newcomer, though. They were all on her. She casually walked to the bar and sat down, Stefan a pace behind her. Caroline didn't know whether it was her beauty or the authority that caught their attention, but neither bothered her. They should recognize that she was superior to them.
The bartender came forward and she let her eyes dilate. "Two glasses and a bottle of your best bourbon."
The man nodded and ran off to get it. Stefan sighed beside her and she turned her head slightly towards him. "Don't even start with me, Salvatore."
Stefan shrugged and sat back in his chair. He wasn't going to argue with Caroline, especially in public. He wasn't quite sure if she would compel everyone to forget everything, or just massacre them all, but either way, he didn't want anything happening. He was still hopeful he could save this town from her wrath, doppelganger included.
"Are you sure this is a good idea to send Tyler to the school?"
Caroline picked up the bottle that had been deposited in front of her and poured a finger into each glass. "Now why wouldn't it be a good idea?"
Stefan took a sip of his drink then sat back in the chair. "Tyler has the least control out of all of us, not because he struggles to control himself, but because he doesn't want to. And you want to send him into a world of teenager problems and hormones?"
Caroline smirked to herself and turned her head towards Stefan. "Sweetheart, I don't expect Tyler to keep control. I know that he will screw up. And then I get to punish him for it."
Stefan nodded his head and looked down at his glass, then swallowed the entire thing. He picked up the bottle and poured twice the earlier amount and drank all of that too. It was hard at times to see and hear all of the evil that your closest friend has performed over the years. He could still remember a blonde haired child running barefooted with her hair back in two braids and a handful of flowers. She had been the kindest and gentlest soul of them all. And now, that soul was gone.
Caroline was leaning forward at the bar, holding the glass in her hand while she stared off against the wall. "Tyler has had this coming for centuries. I cannot just allow him to roam any longer, and once the curse is broken, he will try to fight me for power. All of the pent up animalistic need for blood of a millennia let loose at once? I will have to put him down first."
Stefan nodded his head slightly. "Tyler seems to think that you breaking the curse won't break it for him as well. He wants nothing to do with turning."
Caroline just shrugged. "We are what we are. We were born this way. He must accept that he is also part werewolf. Regardless, he will be locked in a coffin the second that I have completed my first shift. Sooner, perhaps, if he forces my hand."
She could hear the door open behind her and didn't turn to look. Stefan did, however, then turned back to face away from the door quickly. "The Mikaelsons just walked in."
Caroline ached to turn around but she continued facing forward, wanting to know the entire hand before she played her cards. "All of them? Including my doppelganger?"
Stefan shook his head slightly.
"Which one is which?"
Stefan kept his voice low as he spoke so that only she could hear. "Finn has the reddish hair, tallest I think. Wearing scrubs. Elijah reeks of vervain and is wearing a button up shirt. Klaus has on a leather jacket and gun, stinks of wolf."
Caroline growled slightly at that and Stefan remembered that Caroline was part wolf as well. It was so easy to forget at times that she was part of both groups.
"The girl is Rebekah, the witch. Be careful, I don't know how much she knows. The other boy is Kol. Bit of a flirt, but you know how to handle them."
Caroline nodded and took another swig of her drink. Someone was approaching the bar behind her and she refilled her glass with another two shots. She didn't turn her head, just took a sniff. Wolf. It was Klaus. She knew that Stefan and Finn had a past and that Elijah was likely trained to recognize vampires.
If Klaus was aware of his Werewolf heritage, even without activating the gene, he would recognize the smell of the undead. It was a sickly sweet fragrance of blood that even Caroline grew tired of at times. The man had stopped beside her and asked for three beers from the bartender, then glanced at her slightly. Caroline didn't look at him, just let a smirk slide across her lips. She could sense his eyes on hers.
"No beer for me, Niklaus. I have to get back to the hospital!"
Stefan was looking straight at his drink and Caroline flitted her eyes at him for a second. Their eyes locked and they waited a moment for the man beside her to collect his drinks. She could hear a boy jokingly saying the beer could be his, and then what sounded like a soft punch. Caroline knew she had to make a trip to the hospital after this, and was glad to know that her target would be there.
Klaus had collected his now two beers and took a glance at Caroline again. She glanced towards him and their eyes locked. He seemed to pause in his steps as she glanced down at him, taking in his fitted jeans, unbuttoned collar dress shirt and waistcoat, and leather jacket. She knew there were muscles hidden under those clothes. The gun on his hip likely only had regular bullets in it and she got no scent of vervain. She would greatly enjoy playing with this fine piece of man.
She then turned her head away from him, looked back down at her drink, then heard him returning to his table. A voice, the one that had asked to have the other beer, asked who she was, and Klaus had muttered something about no one. She was certainly not no one... and it was about time she introduced herself.
"Stay here for a moment, Stefan, until I call for you."
Stefan's mouth opened to say something but Caroline had already gotten up from her stool. He had tensed up but wouldn't turn around to look. She turned her body slowly and looked down towards the Mikaelson bunch.
There they were, chit chatting about their day. Rebekah the Witch sitting beside Kol the flirt, with Klaus the Sheriff sitting at the head of the table, and Elijah the Hunter and Finn the Doctor to the other side. A pretty little family. Finn and Elijah had their back towards her and Klaus' eyes locked with hers as she began gliding towards them.
She stopped at the foot of the table and suddenly all of their attention turned towards her. She had a smirk on her face and crossed her arms, waiting for someone to say something. They all just kind of looked... shocked. She could practically smell the fear from someone, and arousal from another.
Klaus jerked out of his chair after a moment, as though he finally got his brain around him. He offered his hand out towards her. "Hi, I'm Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson. Sheriff of Mystic Falls. You must be new here."
Caroline eyed his hand for a moment then took it slowly. He held onto it tighter than necessary but she didn't speak, just flicked her eyes to everyone else. They were all watching her. She let a sweet smile slide across her face.
"I know who you are, Sheriff. And this must be your family?"
Klaus nodded and broke his eyes from her. "Uh, yes. These are my brothers, Finn-"
Finn nodded at her from his chair, still unable to close his mouth.
"Elijah"
Elijah eyed her warily.
"Kol-"
Kol had already gotten out of his chair and was offering his hand to her. She took it and he kissed the back of it.
"Kol..." Klaus growled, and Caroline flicked her eyes back to him as she pulled her hand from his younger brother. She recognized that growl. That was the growl of a man used to being in charge. She would certainly enjoy playing with him.
"And our sister Rebekah."
Rebekah eyed her for a moment, then muttered, "Charmed."
Klaus nodded at the group then looked back up at her. "Would you like to join us, Miss..."
Caroline laughed softly and shook her head. "Oh no, thank you. I actually have a few things to attend to. I just wanted to meet the lovely Mikaelsons that I have already heard so much about. My... brother, if you will, has told me all about you."
She nodded her head to the bar where Stefan was sitting, still, not moving or looking back.
"Stefan, won't you come join us?"
Stefan pushed himself out of the chair and walked over beside her. His eyes met Finn's, and she watched in amusement as the human's eyes went wide. "Stefan Salvatore? What- what are you doing here?"
Stefan eyed him for a moment, then spoke. "Hello again, Finn. Thank you for having the good sense to be frightened."
The atmosphere of the table shifted to confusion and Caroline stepped away from the foot of the table, stepping behind the youngest Mikaelsons. Her steps were slow and she let one hand graze over the shoulder of Kol, and then continue to Rebekah's. They had frozen, not truly knowing the danger around them.
Finn saw her movements and jumped out of his chair, but Stefan grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down into it. "Do not worry, Finn. We aren't here to bring trouble."
"Yet," said Caroline, then stepped to stand beside Klaus. He was eyeing her and his eldest brother, confused, and she continued her steps. She lightly touched one of Klaus' curls and eyed Elijah. The stench of vervain was heavy and she was surprised to not smell it on his siblings. Was he so careless as to not protect his family as well?
She then offered her hand to Finn, in greeting. He took it slowly. She held onto it for a moment, then tightened a little so he couldn't pull away.
"I know that Stefan has told you all about our little family, but please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Caroline. Caroline Forbes."
Elijah's eyes went wider, recognizing the name. He got out of his chair this time and Caroline rushed over to him, slightly faster than a human. Her hand grabbed his shoulder and slammed him back down into his chair, much harder than the force Stefan had used on Finn.
Klaus' hand went to his gun and Caroline laughed. Elijah was shaking his head at him, and Klaus looked confused up at her. "Please, sweetheart. Bullets don't hurt me."
The term was lost on the rest of the group and she glanced down at Elijah. "How interesting, that you know who I am, as does your elder brother, but not the rest of your family. Do you truly care so little for them that you do not protect them better?"
Elijah and Finn were both tense, knowing who she was. She released her hands from their grasp and held them up, as if in surrender, and walked behind the youngest Mikaelsons again. Both Finn and Elijah were staring at her, the fear rolling off of them. There was nothing they could do to stop her if she chose to kill any of them.
"Dr. Mikaelson, would you and your... Hunter of a brother... care to join myself and Stefan for dinner? We have purchased the mansion just outside of town. I swear to you, you will not be harmed."
Finn glanced up at Stefan. If nothing else, Finn seemed to trust Stefan more than her. "You will be safe, Finn. I am a man of my word. I make a deal, I keep a deal. If you come to our house tonight and do not try to harm us, then we will not harm any of you."
Finn nodded and looked at Elijah. "Stefan is honorable. We should trust him."
Caroline laughed. "Oh yes, you trust the ripper over me? How strange."
Stefan had tensed at her words and she flashed him a pout. "Does your little friend not know that? Hmm, seems like we shall have to talk about this later."
The rest of the table was still tense and she leaned forward between Kol and Rebekah. Her head turned to Rebekah first. "You might want to make some new friends, love. There is all sorts of fun and magical things you still need to learn."
Rebekah had tensed up and Caroline knew that the girl had some idea of her witchy abilities.
"Her name is Bonnie, sweetheart. Get to know her."
She then turned her head to Kol and ruffled his hair slightly. "Be a good boy, Kol. There are things that go bump in the night."
Her eyes then flicked to Elijah and Finn from across the table. "Finn, I will be by the hospital to visit in an hour. We shall need to change the arrangement you have with Stefan. I have a new supply for you. And Elijah, please shower tonight. You reek."
She then pushed herself up and walked around to Klaus. Her eyes locked with his and she slid her finger underneath his chin. She lifted her finger slowly and Klaus stood up. "I can smell the power and intrigue coming off of you, but do realize, love, that I am the Alpha around here. Hmm, so many unanswered questions with you. But, no worries. I shall find them all out soon enough."
She leaned forward and smelled the side of his neck, trying to see if she could sense the werewolf line. He was frozen in front of her and the fear almost masked it, but she still knew that smell. She pulled back from him in surprise and looked at Stefan.
"Tyler..." she whispered. She then looked back at Klaus. "Is your family related to the Lockwoods?"
Klaus glanced at his siblings then shook his head no. "The Mayor? No."
Caroline tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment. The werewolf line smelled just like Tyler, and yet... her eyes lit up as she realized the secret in front of her. Well, well, well, it seemed as though cheating and affairs ran in the Lockwood bloodline.
"Oh, Sheriff. There are things about you you cannot even possibly imagine. But, as I said. No worries, love. Everything will come to light soon enough."
She stepped away from the werewolf and went to walk out the door. At the last second she glanced back at the family who were all still staring at her. "And Sheriff. You may not want to kill anyone, darling. Unless, of course, you like to run a little wild."
.:| The Queen of the Heartless |:.
Stefan was silent as they left the Grill, but she knew he was fuming. Stefan prefered to be much more subtle, and work things out like a gentleman. Caroline, however, liked to make an impression. The Mikaelsons would know not to get in her way. She had established her control. And tonight, she would establish a few rules as she prepared for the sacrifice.
They had walked about a block before Stefan turned down an alley and slammed his fist into the brick wall. It creaked a little and Caroline turned to him, hand on him, waiting for him to say something. Her lips were pursed and she just waited as he shook out his now broken hand.
"Feel better?"
Stefan turned towards her, his face full of anger, and Caroline took a step back in shock. Why was he so mad at her? What had she possibly done to infuriate him so? Now, Stefan had approached her and was shaking her by her shoulders. She looked up at him, her face the same scared little girl that had feared her father so many years ago.
"Caroline, you shouldn't have approached them. Most of them don't know anything about Vampires, and I would consider Finn to actually sometimes be a friend. And don't think I didn't notice your threat against Kol. You can't just do that, Caroline."
Stefan was yelling at her now and she turned her head away from him, waiting for the incoming blow. He had stilled in his movements, then she felt his arms wrap around her. She let out a little gasp of air she had been pointlessly holding in and clung to him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered out. "I just wanted to figure this all out. Gain control before they take it from us."
Stefan was nodding and stroking her hair, feeling bad for having yelled at her. Sometimes he lost a bit too much control, and he remembered how the yelling and shaking had always scared her. When everyone else was too busy, it had always been Stefan that saved her from her father. "I'm sorry for yelling, Caroline. I was just angry."
Caroline nodded and pulled away, angry with herself for letting him scare her. She was stronger than him, and yet she had broken down like that foolish human girl all over again at the first sign of yelling. "I just want to be free, Stefan. I feel as though I have been caged in one form for my entire life and I just want to be let out. I was not supposed to be like this. I was born to be a shifter. I just want to shift."
Stefan nodded and pulled her back in for a hug. They stood there for a moment and she pulled back again, this time letting the calm overtake her face. She dabbed at her eyes to clear the tears and turned back to him.
"I have to go to the hospital."
"Don't hurt him, Caroline. Finn Mikaelson is a good man."
Caroline nodded, then looked down at the ground. "I just want to give him my blood instead. I want to know how much he is using, and how often."
Stefan shrugged at those words, and a silence settled over them. Stefan went to leave the alley, then turned back at the last second to reaffirm her. He knew that Caroline was nearing a breaking point. It was written all over the mask on her face.
"I'll stand behind you, Care, no matter what." She looked away at the use of her nickname. "Just, please, I'm asking you to be careful. I want our family reunited."
Caroline looked up at him again and nodded. "Me too, Steff. Me too."
.:| The Lone Pup |:.
Elijah and Finn had rushed all of them home as soon as the mysterious Caroline had left the Grill. All of them were handed a water bottle filled with some herb that was supposed to keep them safe and told to drink some every day, but Klaus was still confused. They had tried explaining what Vampires were, but how could they really believe in something supernatural? Vampires didn't exist. And yet, they had all seen her speed. Her power. And Elijah and Finn were too afraid for it to not be real.
"Listen to me, Niklaus. Caroline is the most feared and hated of all Vampires. Whatever you do to try and escape or best her, she will get vengeance. Our friends, this family and anyone that we have ever loved... they will die. There is no fighting her. We must simply give her what she wants and hope we are left alive in the end."
Klaus sat back and looked around the room. "And what about what she said to each of us?"
Rebekah spoke up first. She had been the most calm of the group. "I'm a witch."
Everyone turned and looked at her with shock. She just shrugged. "Mother told me once that it was in our blood, and that I could learn to use my powers one day, only she died before... I can't do anything with it, but Caroline said that a witch called Bonnie is going to help me."
Finn nodded his head for a moment. "I remember Stefan talking about her. Bonnie is more than just a witch - she is also a Vampire. Stefan said that she was good and rarely hurt anyone, but she is still a Vampire. Be careful with her, Rebekah."
His eyes then looked at Kol, who shrugged. "She just told me to be a good boy. Personally, I think she is far too sexy to try and kill me. We would have beautiful children... except for the whole dead part."
Elijah and Klaus' eyes locked. A good boy? Sounded like she was threatening him.
"I have to go to the hospital," Finn said, and looked away from his siblings. "I've been using Stefan's blood since I met him to Heal. Not all the time, but, do you remember that time Rebekah fell out of a tree? She broke a few bones, and with that blood, she woke up fine. I'm pretty sure that Caroline is going to take it away from me. Why else would she need to see me at the hospital?"
Enough had already happened that no one was really shocked. Finn then excused himself, knowing he had to get back to the hospital before Caroline did. Klaus looked up at Elijah, who had been sniffing at himself for a while.
"She could smell the vervain on me. I think I better shower before dinner." He left the room, leaving Klaus with his younger siblings.
"Nik, about what she said to you... why did she ask about the Lockwoods?"
Klaus just shrugged. "Who knows. It doesn't matter. I'm sure I will find out soon enough."
But it did matter. He wasn't really a Mikaelson. He was something else, and Caroline could sense that about him. He had always known he was different. His anger was uncontrollable and he was stronger than the rest of his siblings. Something was different, and now an Original Vampire was asking about who he was related to. She knew something, and he was going to find out.
AN :
Still no cover. Sigh. Anyone wanna make one?
I have to get myself into a pattern. Mondays and Fridays will be QotH. Tuesdays and Saturdays will be TOS. Sundays and Wednesdays will have little previews of upcoming chapters on my tumblr. Thursdays are for me.
Also, I'm writing a Klarolijah Smut piece. Idk if I will toss it into the drabbles/oneshot story or make it it's own, given how big it is, but keep your eyes open. It's a OS, so don't beg for more, else I might give in.
Betas : Jesseelena, suchaglamorouslie, livingdeadblondegirl, The Deej
Shoutout : Cassie - Guest : Oh my god, I adore you. Please stop being a guest. Please join Tumblr. I want to squish you and love you forever for your comments. Like, seriously!