For what it seemed like years, Elena and Bonnie stared wide eyed at Caroline, stunned and disbelieving. That was their response after Caroline briefly told them about the stake, and about Klaus.
And about what she feels for him.
When Caroline couldn't take the silence anymore, as well as the welling fearful tears, if there are such, in her eyes, she began to speak quietly.
"Aren't you going to say something?" She asked with a soft, almost broken voice.
Silence.
"Come on, please say something" her voice now pleading.
It was Elena who seemed to return first from her mind wandering.
"You're in love with him?" she said in disbelief. "With Klaus?"
"It can't be. I don't believe it." Bonnie stated.
"I know it's hard to believe but it's true. And no matter how many times I try to deny it, it is true." Tears are starting to flow down Caroline's cheeks.
Elena and Bonnie looked at their friend and all they see in her eyes is the helpless truth that she's in love. They feel and they see how genuine and sincere Caroline is and so each of them tried their hard to face this truth.
Caroline can see the pity slowly forming in their eyes.
"I'm sorry Care but if it's true, I had to ask..." Elena said carefully. "About the plan, did you have something to do with-"
"No I didn't." she said firmly. "It's okay, I knew you'd ask that. But no, I am always on your side, I never told Klaus any single detail about the plan."
There was another silence.
"God this is hard. You believe me don't you? Because it would really hurt so much if you don't." Caroline spoke in a low whisper. Somehow, speaking is indeed really difficult when there's a lump in the throat.
Elena and Bonnie embraced Caroline at once she broke down in tears.
"We know, we know. It's okay Care. We'll find a way for this to be alright, okay?" Elena comforted her friend. "We believe you."
Bonnie let out a smile. "Well, at least we got the stake now right? There won't be any trouble now." Bonnie said.
The comforting words and embrace of her friends had somehow melted down the painful stone in her chest. She knew her relationship with Klaus can't be something that's okay. But she thanks her friends for telling her that they understand and they are willing to listen.
"Alright," Bonnie pulled away and held Caroline firmly. "Now I want you to tell us exactly what happened... from the start."
Caroline wiped her tears, breathed out a very deep sigh, and started to talk again, and explain everything to them, about Klaus and her.
In the Mikaelson mansion, Rebekah looked at her brother with cold eyes.
"Where have you been?" she asked, annoyed. "Do you know the stake is missing?"
"Bekah, be patient. They will return it." Klaus replied while he painted on his canvas.
Rebekah narrowed her eyes on her smiling brother who arrived this morning with nothing on his face but glee.
"Do you happen to know where is it then? You seem like you don't care that it's missing."
Klaus dropped his brush and looked at his sister.
"I said it's fine. I'm sure they will return it before the day ends." Klaus smiled.
Getting more suspicious and impatient, Rebekah only stood, irksome, with her arms crossed.
All of a sudden though, the two turned their heads at the sound of the mansion's doorbell downstairs.
"Elena?" It was Elijah who opened the door.
"Hi" They heard Elena.
"This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"
"I'm here to return the stake"
Klaus's smirk widened as he raised an eyebrow at her slightly surprised sister.
"Hello darling, how are you?" Kol appeared beside Bonnie as she walked down the street after she left Caroline's home. "I have to stay I'm sorry for me and my sister's little stunt the other night. I hope I didn't scare you" he said, with the cocky grin plastered on his face.
Bonnie scoffed at him. "You don't scare me Kol"
Kol's grin got wider. "Well that's a pleasure to know"
"You irritate me" Bonnie kept on walking, now faster.
"Now now let's not be so hateful. Remember it's not our fault. A deal is a deal. Deals have rules. And rules are meant to be followed. Otherwise, chaos..."
Kol shrugged, his smile slowly shrinking.
"...which is exactly what we're having right now that the stake is missing." Kol continued. "Darling, you're lucky my brother came back in a good mood."
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Whatever, of course he is. Why are you following me, what do you want anyway?"
"I want the stake." Kol stated as a matter of fact-ly. "Now have you and your friends found it already?"
Bonnie made a sigh. "Of course." she muttered. "Elena's already on her way to your house to return it. She should be there by now"
Kol stared at Bonnie. He then brought out out his phone to text his sibling for confirmation.
"Looks like you're right." he said with a wider grin, and with a sudden change of mood. "So, what's your plan for today? Anything I can help you with?"
The same confident smile is now again on Kol's face, with less sarcasm and more amusement.
Raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, Bonnie stopped to look at him.
"What's my plan for today? I want a Kol-free day, and you're not helping" she snapped at him.
"Easy darling, I'm trying to be friendly. Anyway, shouldn't I be the hostile one between the two of us?"
Bonnie started to walk again.
"Don't you have any more important thing to do than bother me?" Bonnie said sharply to him.
"Now that the stake's found? No"
"Shouldn't you be celebrating with your brothers?"
"Uh, no"
"Or terrorizing your baseball coach with your bat?"
"No"
Kol's grin is as unwavering as Bonnie's sarcasm.
"Or maybe hitting on another cheerleader?"
"Well... aren't you a cheerleader? I mean it's quite nice to know that you don't see this exactly as 'hitting on a cheerleader' because the phrase doesn't sound pleasant to my ears"
Bonnie once again made an irritated sigh.
"Why don't you just play more games on your xbox?"
"Done with it, so no"
"Are you really going to leave me alone Kol?"
"No"
"Ugh I give up! What do you want?" Bonnie finally surrendered, stopping once again to face Kol.
"You tell me." Kol said. "You seem like you're troubled when you left your friend's house. I just want to be of help."
Bonnie eyed him suspiciously until something occurred to her mind.
"Well..." Bonnie started, with a voice now gone softer. "I do need to get some things."
"Perfect, I can help you." Kol smiled.
Bonnie thought for a while before she spoke again.
"Do you happen to know where I can find rare herbs? And no questions please if you really want to help me." Bonnie stated.
"I spent many years admiring witches. And I know just the right place where they find special herbs" Kol winked.
For the first time that day, Bonnie smiled back at Kol.
"I'm here to return the stake." Elena said to Elijah.
"Come in"
The two sat across one another in the sitting room.
"Would you like something to drink?" Elijah offered.
"No, thanks I'm fine. I'm just here to return this and... I have to tell you something important."
Elijah nodded as he watched Elena sit tight on the couch with the stake held tightly in her hands.
"It's good to know you found it. It would be truly disappointing if you didn't."
"Yeah, we just uhm, we misplaced it."
Rebekah on the other hand now appeared at the doorway of the sitting room in a flash and then walked noisily towards Elena.
"Misplaced?" Rebekah scoffed. "That one single thing that's actually a thousand times more important than your life, misplaced?"
Elena only looked back at Rebekah with knitted eyebrows, ignoring her remarks.
"Rebekah" Elijah called. "If you don't mind, Elena came here in peace. Let's not start any fight."
Rebekah snickered. "Elijah, Elijah, always Elena's savior. Alright fine, hand me over the stake and I'll leave you two alone in private and you can do whatever you want."
With a nod from Elijah, Elena stood on her feet and went towards Rebekah to give her the stake. Rebekah took it with her usual smile and left a few words for her.
"Elena, I heard about what you did. About your boys? I have to say, good move." Rebekah's grin only got wider in amusement. "You know, bringing Elijah in your little circle will just make everything less complicated." She grinned in sarcasm and then she was gone.
Elena stared at the air in front of her. Of course, everyone knew by now, she thought. She isn't exactly proud of it, she knew it's terrible that she slept with Damon after breaking up with Stefan but what can she do, whatever she felt that time is real and she can't just ignore that. And the next thing she knew, it happened.
She frowned in distress and tried her hardest to turn around and walk back to where she was sitting.
"Ignore her" Elijah said, the calmness of his voice and his entire presence had given Elena some ease.
She smiled at him. "Thanks"
"Now, what would you like to discuss about? Is something bothering you Elena?" he asked.
"I know you already know about what happened, about what Rebekah was talking about a while ago. But this isn't about that. I hope you don't think of me as... as..."
A slut? Elena was having trouble finding the right words. But at that moment, she was very concerned of what Elijah must be thinking about her.
"I think of you right now as a lady in distress." Elijah said, not letting her finish her words. "That's all. And I'll be glad to be of help."
Elena couldn't express how she felt after she heard him. What she knew though, is she felt relieved. She looked back at Elijah after releasing a breath she held and smiled at him. She's glad that Elijah is always kind to her.
"Now, tell me what troubles you."
Elena felt the warmth in his voice. She moistened her lips before she faced him directly.
"Its about my friend Caroline." Elena started. "She says she's in love with Klaus. Bonnie and I think it might not be real. I'd like to ask your help to convince Klaus that he let us test this thing with Caroline."
For the first time, Elijah looked at Elena with furrowed eyebrows.
"You are saying Caroline has feelings for Niklaus?"
Elena nodded.
"And you don't think it's true?"
"No, I'm not saying it isn't. But we think Caroline was just enchanted or... or... was under a spell. Bonnie and I just think she and Klaus... it's just... it's-"
"Impossible" Elijah finished her statement for her.
"Yes, exactly!" She replied at once.
"And why is that? Please do explain."
Somehow, Elijah has a feeling that he won't like where this is going.
"Well..." Elena started to talk.
Elena didn't notice that Elijah, no matter how calm he may appear, has already changed the way he sees Elena. With narrowed eyes and now with a glass of wine on his lips, Elijah kept on watching Elena as she spoke.
"He's Klaus." Elena continued to talk. "He's not capable of any feelings. He did terrible things and we're afraid he's just playing with Caroline. He... Klaus... he might be planning something else. He doesn't love! He doesn't care, I mean, he's an Original."
And that did it or Elijah. Slowly, he stood up and dropped the glass on a table with a thud. The sound made Elena stop talking and turn her attention to Elijah.
In a few seconds though, her eyes became wide at the realization of what she just said.
"You are saying that we are not capable of returning feelings of affection, nor possess it?"
"No" Elena answered abruptly. "I mean, not you, you... you're different. It's Klaus we are worried about."
Elijah only looked at her in silence. Elena stood up and something in her does not like the way Elijah is seeing her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." She started to speak. "Elijah... I'm sorry I offended you, please... I-" Again, Elena can't find the right words.
When Elijah only remained standing looking at her in disappointment and disbelief, Elena began to let the tears welling in her eyes fall down.
There is this constant heavy feeling weighing down in her chest since the time everyone knew about her and Damon. And now that Elijah's looking at her this way because of all the wrong words she said, the weight in her chest just keeps on getting heavier and heavier.
"I'm sorry." Elena's voice has started to break. "It's just, everything has been really hard lately and I don't know what to say about things anymore. It's just, I can't take it anymore, I have hurt so many people now, Stefan, and even Damon, I'm not even talking to them now!"
Elena started to cry.
"And Jeremy... he... my brother knew about Damon and I... and the looks he give me is full of disappointment! And Matt... whenever he looks at me I can only see pity. Stefan doesn't even look at me anymore. I think I did a terrible thing Elijah. And now this, Caroline, I'm concerned about her."
She had him in surprise right there. Elijah did not expect Elena to break down in front of him like that. He surprised himself as well when the next thing he did is hold her in his arms.
"Shhhhh..." Elijah comforted her, the strands of her hair are in his hands as he held her head onto his chest. "It's okay Elena. I'm here. I will help you."
Elena kept on crying.
"Shhh, it's okay. One problem at a time." Elijah whispered to her.
At the backyard of the Bennett house, at the garden, there's a table, and some chairs, lots of pieces of leaves of different colors, stems, roots, bottles, water, mortar and pestle, an original vampire and a Bennett witch.
"For what exactly are these herbs for?" Kol said when they returned from his day trip with Bonnie.
"I told you, I won't answer your questions."
"Would you like some help grinding?"
"I needed all the help I can get from you, so thanks, and you may go" Bonnie said, still busying herself with her herbs.
"Oh come on, tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone" Kol said, playing with a stem. "These are hard to find, you saw what I did to get this thing back there in the woods. At least you owe me some explanation. I'm really curious you know."
Bonnie rolled her eyes. She was spending time with Kol these past few days-in reluctance-and although she kept on giving unfriendly retorts towards him, she had become somewhat comfortable at his presence.
"Fine" Bonnie said. "Anyway, you'll know about this eventually."
Kol beamed.
"This is for Caroline." Bonnie continued. "She said she's in love with your brother and we want to make sure it's not something that Klaus has done against her will. I mean, like a spell or something. It's not impossible, Klaus has many witches. When she drinks this, we will find out."
"Wait, what?"
Kol asked, the smile has now gone from his face.
"Your friend likes my brother too? But she's been pushing Nik away every time. I've seen her, I've seen how she talks to my brother. No one talks to Nik like that. Except for me of course, or sister."
Bonnie only shrugged. "Yeah, she does. She told us and apparently Klaus knew as well. For months. They're keeping it from us."
Kol's eyes grew wide in this discovery. And then he laughed. Loud.
"And now I knew where all those strange things with Nik was coming from. How could I ever miss that?"
Bonnie kept on grinding some stems.
"But I don't understand." Kol continued. "Why do you have to do this? Nik doesn't resort to a witch's spell just to make anyone like him. Trust me, the thought would never even occur from a man like my brother."
"We just want to make sure okay?" Bonnie sighed. "It's just, all these are too difficult to believe in, it's too surreal. I mean, he's Klaus... and Caroline with him is just so... it can't be."
"Why? What's the problem with that?"
"Klaus killed people we love."
"So did Damon." Kol answered at once. "Don't get me wrong. I never like Damon but I've heard... Elena slept with him."
"But Damon's changed." Bonnie's voice suddenly got softer, somehow trying to convince herself of something and to defend her best friend Elena.
"But he still did all those things." Kol answered. "Also, my brother hasn't killed anyone for a while now, has he? I'm not saying he's not going to kill anymore because clearly that's an understatement, but that is also true for Damon, or any other vampire out there, like Caroline, and Stefan."
Bonnie knew this was coming. She has nothing to say because what Kol said is true and so she spent the rest of her energy in finishing the herbal concoction she's been making silently.
"Look, I want to make a bet." Kol continued to talk, grinning.
"What kind of bet?" Bonnie replied sharply.
"If this thing worked with Caroline and it turns out that her feelings aren't real, I won't bother you anymore."
Bonnie stopped to look at Kol.
"And if they're not?"
Kol displayed once again his confident smile.
"Then you have to go out on a proper date with me."
It took Bonnie a while before she finally spoke.
"Deal"
Then Bonnie smiled as secretly as Kol does openly.
"I heard the stake was misplaced."
Caroline turned her head around to find Klaus walking towards her. They're at the Grill and Caroline was just having her early dinner snack.
"Hey" She smiled at him.
Klaus sat beside her as he eyed Stefan and Rebekah drinking at the bar.
"Apparently, some things have been going on around here." Klaus continued to talk. "So much tension. How is Stefan? I've heard about happened."
"I've talked to him. And nope, it's not getting good. Anyway, I have news for you." Caroline said.
Klaus faced her with a smile.
"What is it? Are you ready to accept my offer?"
Caroline bit her lip. Before they separated the previous night, Klaus has asked her something.
Once before, Klaus has made an offer to her. But that was when Caroline was still in love with Tyler and she wants to do nothing with Klaus but ignore his irresistibly insinuating advances. And last night, he made the same offer to Caroline again. High school is almost over and she's been thinking it over.
"Actually, it's not about that." Caroline answered. "I told Elena and Bonnie... about us."
Klaus shifted on his seat.
"And... you know they still don't trust you right?" she asked.
Klaus smirked. "Frankly love, I don't have a problem with that."
"Listen, they just want to make sure this thing I have for you is real and Bonnie knows a way. She's been making some herbal preparations. When I drink it, they would know."
Klaus only made a low laugh. "About that. Elijah has told me. Fine by me, do whatever you want."
It was Caroline's turn to shift on her seat.
"Aren't you going to ask me how it would work?"
Klaus raised his eyebrow as he watches Caroline.
"How?" he asked.
Caroline made a deep sigh before she moistened her lips.
"When I drink it, I'm going to forget about my feelings about you for three days, until the full moon. I will see you the same way I saw you the first time we met, which is well, I know isn't exactly good but, this will only be for three days..." Caroline said. "Okay?"
Klaus only stared at her. "And then?"
"After three days, if what I feel about you returns, then all will be fine."
Klaus nodded. "And if not?"
"Then I'll stay like that, feelings gone."
For a while, Klaus only looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.
"Three days" he muttered.
"Yeah, three days." she said. Once again, Caroline ran her tongue on her lips. "And after that... you know what?" she asked.
"What?"
"Maybe... just maybe... I'll finally have to take you up on that offer..."
Klaus closely watched Caroline and when he saw that gleam of passion and excitement from her eyes, a grin slowly formed on his face, sending sudden shiver in Caroline's spine.
"I'm sure those three days would be interesting." he said.
With that, Caroline beamed at Klaus and found herself reaching for his face to kiss him. Klaus instinctively held her waist towards him and kissed her long and hard. Caroline played with his hair while Klaus ran his hand over her back.
Once they broke the kiss, Klaus looked straight to her eyes and placed his lips on her ear.
"You realize we're here in a public place do you, love?" he whispered.
Caroline's eyes widened at his words and suddenly sat straight on her chair. Only Bonnie and Elena knew about them and it would be a shock for anybody else to see them like that. She was too excited about her future with Klaus that there hasn't been any other thought in her head. She ran her hands down her hair to make her appearance more proper.
Klaus, meanwhile, laughed quietly while he raised his glass towards the gaping, mouth-opened, Rebekah and Stefan at the bar across them.
to be continued...
Hi! thanks again guys for all the reviews! please keep them coming! what do you think of the chapter? :)
Can you see how the ending will be like? or not be like? Sorry there aren't lots of klaroline here :)
Please tell me what you think! :) I'm glad you like the fic :)