Chapter 17

"Caroline we need to talk" I hear Elijah's voice come out of the other end of the phone.

"Elijah, why are you calling me? Why do you have Nik's phone" I ask starting to panic.

"Calm down Caroline, I need you to listen to me. Marcel has made a move against Nik, he has a group of witches holding Nik, but we think he might come after you. Marcel has found out about you and Nik, and will use you against Nik to get what he wants. He cannot kill Nik, but he can kill you to hurt Nik. I need you to pack a bag and go to the mansion. I will call Bekah and have her meet you there. I do not want you left alone for any reason. If something happened to you, we would lose Nik. Do you understand me Caroline?" he asked

"Yes, I will go right now" I say hanging up the phone in shock. Someone has Nik, and they want to use me to get to him. They want to kill me to bring him pain. Who would do that? I know that I need to pack, but my brain won't let me. I keep running through all the scenarios of what they are doing to him, and what they would do to me if they found me. I have been kidnapped and tortured enough times, but to think they would do it just to get to Nik makes my blood run cold.

I didn't even realize how long I had been sitting on my bed till I felt a pair of arms on my shoulders. I turn to see Stefan sitting beside me.

"Come on Care, we need to get you packed Bekah is waiting outside for us." He says trying to get me up.

I stand up and shake my head. "You are right. Let's get packed and get out of here before anything can happen." I tell him grabbing a bag and throwing clothes into it. A few minutes later I am packed and headed out the door with Stefan and into Bekahs waiting car.

I enter the big house and head up to Nik's room. I close the door and crawl into his bed; I can still faintly smell him on the sheets. Thinking of Nik and where he might be pushes me over the limit. I curl up into a ball and fall asleep crying.

CKCKCKCCKCKCKCKCKCCKCKCKCKCk

When I awoke the next day, I hoped that it had all been a bad dream. But looking around and seeing that I was in Nik's bed made it all too real. I went down stairs and found Bekah, Stefan and Kol in the kitchen.

"Morning Care, how are you doing?" Stefan asks pulling me into a hug.

"I am ok, thanks for the help last night." I say hugging him back.

"So you are the reason that Nik has not tried to Dagger in me in a while" I hear Kol say from the counter

"I guess so"

"Well then we best keep you safe while Elijah rescues Nik. I like happy Nik he is much more fun to annoy." He says laughing. "Well I am going to go and see a witch about a protection spell" he tells us hopping off the counter and heading out the door.

I grabbed a blood bag from the fridge and drank it slowly. I am not really hungry but I know I need to eat. As I am finishing the first one, Bekah is handing me a second.

"You will need to drink to keep your strength up; also we are going to start feeding you vervain so that if Marcel or one of his goonies gets you, you cannot be compelled. Elijah has a stock of Niks blood that he is shipping to us. He wants to have some on hand in case Marcel is using wolves." she explains to me.

"OK, anything else? I am really tired I think I am going to go back upstairs and try to sleep." I lie not wanting to be around anyone at the moment. I grab the second blood bag and head upstairs. I crawl back into the bed and turn on the TV, drowning out the sounds of the house.

CKCKCKCKCKCKCCKCKCKCKCKC

Several hours later I wake up and hear giggling down the hall. I pull on one of Niks sweaters and follow the noise. Once I am standing in front on Kols bedroom door I realise why the giggles are so familiar. It sounds like Bonnie. Confused I push open the door to find Bonnie lying on the bed with Kol hovering over top of her tickling her and peppering her with kisses. I clear my throat and kol looks back over his shoulder.

"Want to join?" He asks with a smirk as Bonnie pushes him off.

"Caroline, I can explain... wait why are you here? Stefan said you went to see your dad for a few days." She asks obviously puzzled by the situation.

"It looks like you girls need to do some catching up" Kol says getting up and kissing the top of Bonnie's head before leaving the room closing the door behind him.

"So... you and Kol? What happened to Jeremy?" I ask sitting on the bed beside her.

"We broke up about a month ago. We agreed to still go to prom together as we are still friends, but we lost that spark. I ran into Kol one night at the grill and we got talking and then arguing and then making out. He drives me crazy, but in a good way. You know?"

"Ya I get it, I just thought you had this vendetta against vampires?"

"I do, or did. I don't approve of his lifestyle but he understands so much about mine. He knows more about magic than even Grams did. He grounds me and challenges me. We agreed to keep it quiet for a while. I was not ready for the slaughter that would come from Elena learning I was dating an Original. It has been safe to be at his house since Klaus and Elijah left and Bekah is always with Stefan at the boarding house. So... that explains why I am here, why are you?"

"I am under house arrest. There is some big bad out to get me to get to Nik, so Elijah has Bekah and Kol on protector duty."

"You are the reason I had to do that protection spell on the house this morning. Kol wouldn't give me all the details just said we needed to make sure no one other than the ones currently inside were to be allowed in."

"Yep, that would be because of me. Nik has pissed off some old rival in New Orleans, who has a group of witches holding him captive until he agrees to leave the city and not come back. Because they cannot kill him, they decided that they would go after me to get to him, so I am stuck here with 24 hour protection."

"Ok, I know he has some obsession with you, but why would going after you get to Klaus, and why are you calling him Nik?"

"Well it might have something to do with the fact that I have been dating him for the past 10 months. I fell in love with my own Original. We have kept it secret but slowly people are finding out. First it was Stefan, then Elijah and Bekah, then Kol and now you. So that is why I am here and why you are here." I say waiting for her reaction.

"I am happy for you Caroline" she says pulling me into a hug. "I am not one to judge, I am with my own Original and he makes me happy, and I can see how happy you have been this past while. It is nice to have a friend know about Kol, and I am sure it is the same for you."

"You are right. It is nice to have support. I am with you on the not telling Elena, she would freak if she found out." I tell her laughing.

"Ok well the Caroline Forbes I know would never sit back and wait for someone else to save her. I say we go down stairs rally the troops and figure out a way to get Nik out of this." Bonnie tells me with enthusiasm grabbing my hand and dragging me out the door.