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AN: Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited this story. And always, a special thanks to those who reviewed! Reviews make me really happy and make me also write faster! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Three

Fuel for the Fire

"Caroline, grab Elena, get a cab and wait for me." Caroline was just about to protest to Bonnie's odd change of heart, but she gave her a serious look and Caroline decided to obey. She collected her purse, looked at Nik for the final time and headed to the door.

It took Bonnie only a few minutes to come back.
"What happened? Why did we have to leave so quickly? You were completely fine until you shook hands with Nik," Caroline asked, a bit annoyed. Yes, Nik had been very annoying, but Caroline had actually started to enjoy his company. There was something about him that she was drawn to. He annoyed her, but he did not make fun of her. Caroline knew she was being irrational, but she was attracted to him. And she could not help herself. He was so handsome, and the way he danced… Caroline had had crushes before, but never had she felt this sort of need to be close to them before. When they danced Caroline just wanted to close the gap between her and him and kiss him. Caroline blushed just thinking about it. This was not the way she had been raised. She should be thinking about the men her father had carefully picked out as her prospective husbands. But she was sick and tired of others telling her what to do. Nik seemed… dangerous.

"Can we talk about this when we get to Elena's? I rather not talk about this in here," Bonnie said and looked at the cabbie. Caroline was not known for her patience. She scoffed and turned to look out of the window. She shivered as she remembered his hand on hers, on the small of her back and his voice when he told her she definitely was not like most women. Caroline sighed. She was getting way ahead of herself. He probably wasn't even interested in her.

The girls got out of the cab and Caroline could not get in soon enough. She needed an explanation. She had actually started to enjoy Nik's company and not just his looks, and then Bonnie started acting all weird and telling her to leave.

"Okay, spill," Caroline ordered as she shed her coat on the sofa and sat down. Bonnie sighed. Elena sat next to Caroline, but Bonnie stayed on her feet.
"Remember when I told you that I was a witch?"

"Yes, and Elena and I laughed and had our fourth glass of champagne." Bonnie had told them she was a witch about two weeks ago. Caroline was not superstitious and had brushed it off as Bonnie being drunk.

"Well, it's true." Caroline and Elena looked at Bonnie with matching expression of doubt.

"This is the 20th century, Bonnie. Look, the lamp is lit because of electricity. A few decades back and we might have claimed it to be magic, but it can all be explained with science." Elena said and switched the table lamp on and off to prove her words. Caroline nodded in agreement. Bonnie had truly gone mad.

"I know it is hard to believe, so I am just going to show you, okay?" Caroline and Elena just stared at her. "No one else is here, right?" Elena confirmed this, making Bonnie to grab a nice decorative pillow from an armchair. She searcher her purse and for some reason was holding a knife. She punched the knife in, making Caroline and Elena protest to her weird behavior, but Bonnie just ignored them and let the feathers in the pillow fall down on the floor. Bonnie lifted her hands above the feathers and closed her eyes. Nothing happened for a while, but suddenly, the feathers were no longer on the floor, but flying around the room. Caroline let out a scream and Elena just stared at her friend.

"Oh dear god, our friend is witch," Caroline muttered as she watched Bonnie flying the feathers around the room and laughing at their dumbstruck expressions.

"I still feel like I'm dreaming." Elena nodded in agreement and caught a feather, trying to make sense of all this. Only a few short seconds away they had lived their lives, not believing in anything supernatural. And Caroline still wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it with her own two eyes. Caroline had read books and fairytales where magic was real, never believing in it, but wanting it to be true. And now she found out it was… It was too amazing to be true.

"But how is this possible?" Caroline whispered, watching the feathers floating in the air. It was truly mesmerizing. Bonnie let her hands fall to her sides, the feathers dropping on to the floor, motionless.

"I was born with it. It runs in my family. I haven't been practicing for long, but my Gramps says that I am quite powerful. But that's not what I wanted to talk now. I just needed you to see that so you would believe my warning," Bonnie said and took a seat.

"What do you mean? This witch thing is so interesting, I want to know more!" Elena demanded.

"It's about Klaus, or Nik, or whatever you call him." Bonnie's gaze fell to Caroline. This was not going to be good. "He is a vampire, Caroline. You need to stay away from him." Caroline stared at her friend. She didn't know how long she stared at Bonnie. But she could not move, could not say anything. This was just starting to be too ridiculous. Nik couldn't be a vampire. He just couldn't. Caroline liked him. She wouldn't like him if he was a vampire, right?

"I can't believe you. How would you know that?"

"As a witch I can feel it. When he offered his hand and I took it, it became very clear to me. And I am sure he knows I am a witch. You need to stay away from him, Caroline. Vampires are very dangerous. He might claim that he is in control of the thirst, but there is not a single vampire in existence that would not have killed someone. It is in their nature. They lust for blood. They enjoy killing." Caroline shook her head, she could not believe this. She rested her head to her knees. She believed Bonnie. Why did this have to happen to her? But of course no one nice would be interested in her. He wanted her blood, not her.

"I can't believe this…" Caroline murmured as she felt Elena's hand stroking her back soothingly.

"I know all this is extremely hard to take in. But I know you will come back to the Inn and I needed you to know. You need to be safe. He might come back. If he is stupid, or really strong. I am a witch and therefore I have an advantage. I can immobilize him, and usually vampires respect witches and steer clear of us. Now that you know, it will be easier for you to avoid him. Also, I'm going to give you necklaces. They will be filled with vervain. It's poison for vampires. They can't compel you."

At that point Caroline and Elena looked at Bonnie with puzzled expression. Bonnie sighed and stared explaining everything there was to know about vampires. They could live forever, but you could kill them, with a stake to the heart, or with fire. They couldn't walk during daylight, but a witch could make a spell that would allow it, so you wouldn't be safe even during the day. They drank blood, but they functioned much like humans. They ate, slept and they had a beating heart. But they were stronger, faster and more powerful. Bonnie talked about the blood lust and the ability to turn off their humanity. That was what made them so deadly. If they turned it off, they would feel no guilt, no remorse.

Bonnie, Elena and Caroline stayed up long into the morning. Elena and Caroline wanted to know everything there was to know about the supernatural world, and oh boy, there was a lot to find out. Finally, at four in the morning, the girls were in their beds. The Gilbert's had plenty of quest rooms and tonight, Caroline wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

She had read vampire novels. Her father of course would never approve, so she did it in secret. Elena's aunt Jenna shared her passion and she smuggled her copies to Caroline. The novels made her blush, but she savored every one of them. She couldn't get enough. She knew it was silly, but it had been her escape from the reality. The reality was never better than the novels; she had learned that a long time ago.

She had pondered why she had always been so drawn to fantasy, and only recently she had figured it out. It was the power. Naturally, vampires were bad and sinful, but they were powerful. And Caroline yearned to be someone other than her fragile human self. A vampire would never be made fun of, never hit, never abused. If she was a vampire, she would be free. Free to do whatever she wanted. And she longed for that freedom.

She wanted her life to be unpredictable. Because right now, Caroline could see how her life would go on. In a couple of years she would be married to some boring businessman who didn't care what she thought, but about how she looked and how well she could cook. She would have children and she would stay home and take care of them. She would be forever trapped. She had no future other than being a mother and a wife.

A shiver ran through Caroline's body as she thought about her inevitable fate. She hadn't seen a way out before. But right now, she couldn't help but think she had hope. If supernatural beings existed, then surely Caroline could be more than a wife?

Three days passed by before Bonnie allowed Caroline and Elena back to the Inn. The past three days had been agony for Caroline. She couldn't get supernatural beings and Nik out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. She was fixated. Caroline was secretly hoping she would see Nik. He was the only vampire she knew. And she was intrigued. Caroline touched her new necklace, it was beautiful and Caroline was happy to wear it, but it seemed odd that such a delicate thing could keep her safe.

"Are you all right?" Elena asked Caroline when they were inside the Inn. Caroline nodded and shifted her gaze so she could see what Elena was looking at. It was Matt, her new boyfriend, or something. Caroline was in for another lonely night. But for the first time, she really did not mind.

"Just go, I'll be alright." Elena smiled at her and left her standing alone. Caroline sighed and ordered a vodka tonic and sat down to an empty table. She was already on her second drink when he appeared.

"I did think I would see you here again," Nik said and sat down. He was as handsome as ever. He was no less attractive to Caroline now that she knew what he was. Perhaps he was even more attractive.

"I can't stay home forever, now can I?" she asked, more bravely than she usually did. Vodka does that to people. Nik smiled at her.

"But you know what I am, and you are still here. Aren't you scared, love?" Caroline shook her head. She felt safe. It was completely stupid to feel that, but she couldn't help her feelings.

"Bonnie is watching." She simply offered as explanation and touched her necklace.

"And you have that pretty necklace. But didn't Bonnie tell you that it is better if you ingest it? Because otherwise, it is of no use, darling." Nik said with a smirk, holding her necklace. She gasped and touched her neck, only to find it bare. She hadn't seen a thing. Caroline tried to wrap her head around on just how fast he really was.

"Give it back, please," Caroline demanded with a stern voice.

"Only if you agree to dance with me," Nik muttered and held out his hand. She took it, without hesitation. Suddenly she turned her around and she could feel his chest against her back. Her heart went wild when he leaned in to put the necklace back around her neck. She could feel his breath against her ear. She shivered.

"You shouldn't have come, love," he whispered into her ear before he spun her around and steered her into the dance floor.

"I couldn't stay away." She admitted, shocked that she had actually said that. She had been almost too shy to admit it to even herself, but it was the truth. She looked up at Nik's face and noticed him frowning.

"You shouldn't say that. You should be afraid," he said, his voice low and dangerous. But she couldn't bring herself to fear him.

"But I am not afraid." Nik shook his head as he spun her around.

"Why?" Caroline couldn't give him an answer. She had thought about it, but it was too hard to admit it, even to herself. Even thinking about it made her feel like she would be turning her back to everything.

"Why aren't you afraid, Caroline?" Nik demanded. She couldn't face him.

"Caroline, tell me that you do not want to be a vampire." Caroline couldn't manage to get a word out. How did he know? She hadn't said a word.

"I don't want to stay human, either," she whispered. The song kept playing, but Nik stopped. He muttered something under his breath, but it was to quite for her to hear. He didn't let go of him but he wouldn't look at her.

"You have no idea who I am, Caroline. You have no idea what I am capable of," he growled. Caroline swallowed and took a step back. He looked… dangerous. Suddenly he was moving, dragging her along. Caroline wanted to shout but nothing came out of her mouth. She tried to search for Bonnie, but they were moving so fast that she could not focus her gaze. What had she gotten herself into?

"You want to be a vampire? Well, let me demonstrate what vampires do," he hissed and grabbed another girl near the back exit, but still not letting go of Caroline. She tried to struggle, tried to get out, but his grip was impossible to shake.

"You will come with me, and you won't make a sound," Nik said to the girl, who just nodded and followed Nik and Caroline out. So this was compulsion… Caroline was scared. She wanted to go back in time and change everything. She wanted to never go to the Inn and never meet the man that was now gripping her so hard that it hurt. She had tears in her eyes, but she tried to will them away.

"Look at me, Caroline. Look!" Nik yelled, making Caroline back against the tile wall. She let out a whimper, but looked at him as he commanded. He moved his eyes from Caroline to the beautiful black haired girl, who just stood there, not making a sound. In an instant, Nik's face shifted. It was no longer the beautiful face she had been so attracted to. He had dark veins below his eyes and his eyes were red. He opened his mouth, revealing a pair of deadly fangs. He was a predator, Caroline could see that now. He leaned in to the girl and pierced her skin. Caroline let out a cry, but it was so weak she doubted anyone would be able to hear it. She sunk against the wall, nausea trying to take over. His face was buried in her neck for what felt like an eternity. Finally he lifted his head and looked at Caroline straight in the eye. The girl had gone limp. Caroline realized that she was dead. Dead.

Blood was dripping down his jaw. He let the girl fall to the ground. He didn't move, just watched Caroline and her terror filled face.

"You are monster!" She shouted, finally finding her voice. The tears she had willed to keep at bay were now running down her cheeks. He never took his eyes off her.

"I never claimed otherwise." He said and wiped the blood off his face. "Now, run. Run before I catch you." And run she did.

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