Caroline leaves the warehouse in the morning, dragging Alaric with her. She has no worries about him, she has compelled him to follow her story. She steals a car and makes it back to Mystic Falls, making herself look properly disheveled in the process. She cuts her skin the way she knows Niklaus would have done it, spilling blood on her clothes. She always did pay attention to detail.
Alaric wakes up slowly as she is driving. She had hoped he would be unconscious when she returned, but she has to think on the fly.
"You should let me give you blood," she says to him.
"No, I'm fine," He says, groaning.
"Or would you rather one of the Salvatores do it?" She asks, looking at him knowingly. Damon would be focused on preventing the ritual, and Stefan would be helping Elena through her last day.
She bites her palm and offers it to him, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. She knows that her reflexes should be enough to handle any possible accidents, anyway.
Alaric reluctantly lets a couple drops fall into his mouth, and lets out a large sigh of relief as he begins to heal. They get out of the car and get into the house together. Their arrival is barely acknowledged except by Bonnie and Stefan. Damon is on a rampage.
Elena is missing, and so is Elijah. That means mass panic in the Salvatore house. The phone call from Elena doesn't help either. When she says that she trusts Elijah, Caroline can see how Damon's jaw clenches and flexes. Stefan, on the other hand, is fine. He respects Elena's choice.
Honestly, for Caroline, Elena has only one choice, and that is Stefan. He will respect her decision even if she chooses to die. And knowing Elena, she will choose to die.
She finds out that the werewolf has returned, because his mother was injured. No doubt Niklaus' or Maddox's doing. She wonders how long it will take for him to be captured. Not long, she imagines.
The ritual will take place soon, she knows, and all that is left is the doppelganger. But she doesn't understand why Elijah would want to meet with her. What would he say to her? She finds out as soon as Elena returns to the Salvatore House. She gathers everyone there and spills everything to them.
"The Originals are a family?" Bonnie asks, surprised. She seems to see the Originals as a shadowy organization that roams the world, killing everyone they come across. This is mostly their fault. Their anonymity, their basis in legend and not in fact has always been their safe haven from Mikael.
"Yeah." Elena says. "Weird to think about, huh?"
"No kidding," Bonnie says, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, and, can you believe this? Klaus has a wife," Elena says, laughing. "She's an Original too."
"How on earth," Damon says, his face a wide-eyed look of incredulousness, "did that psycho guy get a wife?"
Caroline feels a bite of indignation. "If they're as old as they claim to be, arranged marriages were common then. It's probably that."
"Well, I'd be terrified out of my mind if I had to marry that monster," Elena says, flopping down on a couch. "I feel bad for her."
"I'm sure she's as strong as the rest of them were," Stefan says. "Don't let your sympathy for the girl stop you."
"Well, did he say where the other Originals were?" Caroline asks. "Does Klaus have any allies?"'
"Even if we have allies, we have a deadline," Alaric says, crossing his arms. "Klaus said the ritual will happen tonight."
Elena seems to be preparing herself. She is willing to die, she knows it. But the doppelganger offers up new information. "It'll be fine. I trust Elijah. He says he wants to avenge his family."
So she had been right. The presence of the doppelganger had been a trap all along. Elijah had thought they had dropped the coffins in the sea. In a way, that he truly believed that lie hurt a lot more than it should. Did he truly believe so low of them? Apparently so.
Dublin, 2005
They hadn't been there for a while. But they do have an apartment Southside, and they are currently dominating the small vampire population in the country. It's not an extremely important conquest- certainly, it's no New Orleans or Chicago in terms of supernatural population. But it's an entertainment, a way of enjoying the ten year respite from Mikael. Klaus is not normally happy for the presence of a Bennett witch, but in this case, he is grateful.
They meet with several leaders throughout the city, checking to make sure that none of them are even daring to attempt treason. What these people often seem to forget, even the older ones, is exactly how ancient they are. They have lived in long-gone eras where a king could do as he pleased, and treason was worse than murder. Morals have changed so often over the years that they have no qualms about theirs.
It is no secret that blood covers their hands. Him more so than her, if they are to be honest. But Caroline is not to be underestimated.
Sometimes, as a test, she goes and baits them, just to see what they will do. It does not take a while for word to spread and for her name to become infamous, just as feared as his is. A familiar pattern. He is loud displays of power and ferocity, and she is a subtle death just to make a point. They are balanced. It is what makes them a good pair, both at work and romantically.
Of course, this does not make them the most well-liked pair, though Caroline inspires much more loyalty than he does.
Still, something feels off about the certain state of affairs. The people are much too compliant. Even with the fear they've garnered, the Irish always have a protest to make against them.
They find out what is so wrong when they walk into their apartment to find Elijah there, surrounded by their subjects. Who are devoted to him now, by the looks of it.
"What is the meaning of this?" Klaus asks, a low, controlled growl. His head flickers from side to side, combative.
"This is for our family, Niklaus," Elijah says, his normally calm voice carrying a tremor of rage.
"Then punish us," Klaus says, opening his arms before letting them drop to his sides.
A brutal aneurysm rips through the both of them, and they fall to their knees, screaming and clutching at their heads. This is not the work of one witch, rather, a dozen, all of them with their arms outstretched. Elijah has always been able to negotiate with witches. Kol was the one who could do it even better, but he was currently out of commission.
Klaus fights through the pain to rip the head of one of the witches, but the pain lessens only slightly. The vampires they controlled for ten years restrain him, each of them holding one limb.
"Well, you've beaten me, brother," he says, his head a maelstrom of pain. "But you cannot kill me. There is only person who can do that, and you are not him. So what will you do?"
"Tell you to run," Elijah says. "Run from this place."
Niklaus grits his teeth, but with a sideways glance at Caroline- Elijah had put her in pain and let him converse, which was probably because he was predictable and she was not- he capitulates.
"Fine," he says, practically spitting the word. "Take the city, take the land. We'll leave."
Elijah does not look fulfilled by this kind of revenge, but he takes the surrender, which is completely uncharacteristic of the former ruler of this piece of land. Elijah looks like he wants more than that, but he reassures himself that there is not much more his brother can do.
Niklaus knows that Elijah would never try to kill him.
Mystic Falls, 2010
She goes into her room as inconspicuously as she can, closing the door and turning up the radio to blast some pop drivel. She pulls out her phone and dials; he answers on the first ring.
"They know," Caroline says urgently.
"What?" She knows he's scowling, frowning.
"Elijah told them everything," Caroline says, frustrated. How could he?
"Do they know about you?" He asks urgently. She is in the lion's den, if both Elijah and a Bennett witch are involved.
"No, he didn't give any names," Caroline says, "He hasn't seen me, thank the gods, but be careful. Have you got everything?"
"We've got the werewolf, and Greta's bringing up a vampire," Klaus affirmed. The Tyler boy would come back, he was sure of it. As far as he had gone, he would come back for his mother. That was something he could count on most people to do.
"Backups?" The wolf would bring the pack with him, and he had a special case in mind for the vampire.
"Obviously. Come on, Caroline, what did you expect from me?"
"I'm just making sure you're not being rash," She says. "That is what you're known for."
"Even if I deny that you're going to know its true," Klaus says. "Will Elijah be a problem?"
"I don't know," she admits. "I've been avoiding him, I don't know whether he'll be on my side. Just know that they're going to try to save the doppelganger in any way possible. You need insurance against that. The girl's very self-sacrificing, it won't be difficult to manipulate."
"Okay," he says. "Anything else, love?"
"Place?"
"Already got that planned. There are jail cells nearby."
"And I expect you'll want me to fetch them for you?" She rolls her eyes. "Your debt is just piling up, Niklaus."
Niklaus starts to say something, but she stops him.
"Someone's coming," she says, hanging up. She speeds over to her desk and begins to pretend to do a random piece of homework.
The door opens, and Damon walks in. "Whatcha doin', Blondie?"
"Just some homework," she replies, putting down her pen.
"Don't you think this isn't the time for schoolwork?" Damon asks.
"Is it wrong for me not to want to do something halfway?" She asks, standing up and putting her hands on her hips.
"It is when your friend's life is in danger," he replies hotly. "Listen, we're getting rid of the sacrifices so that Klaus can't perform his ritual. We've got Tyler, and we're going to figure out where he put them."
"Why not one of us?" Caroline suggests.
"You know, I don't think he'll choose you," Damon says, "You see, I think he has a soft spot for you."
"What are you talking about, I've never even met him." She says.
"Now, that's a lie," Damon says, twirling his finger and rolling his eyes. "How did you escape?"
"He was arrogant," she says, shrugging. "He only tied me down and stuck me with little vervain and just let me be. He was more concerned with Alaric."
"I have to admit you're a talented liar," Damon says. "But see, I have sources that say otherwise. And a certain someone seems quite familiar to you."
Elijah. He told.
She felt a hand on her neck and heard it snap as her world went black.
Klaus has already begun to settle in the empty apartment that has become his base of operations. It is certainly not as grand as he can make it, but that is hardly his biggest concern. He is about to achieve his greatest triumph.
The werewolves are his, the vampires are his, and the doppelganger is easy to manipulate, now that he has her aunt in transition. Hardly a difficult manner. All he'd had to do was visit her at that college of hers and take off that vervain trinket of hers. She hadn't even known the importance of it, about vampires in general.
It is lucky that Damon Salvatore visits him while he is in such a good mood. He has no patience for him and his brooding.
"Damon Salvatore," he says by way of greeting. "I've heard of you. Crazy guy in love with his brother's girl." If this child less than a fifth of his age would like to try and manipulate him, he has another thing coming.
"Klaus," the boy replies. "So, here's the thing. You want to do that ritual thing, and, well, I can't let that happen."
"I would advise you stay out of my way, lest you be crushed." The threat is delivered in a bored way. This day is his, he doubts anything will change.
"Well, I've already gotten in your way," Damon replies, shrugging. "Oops."
Klaus tilts his head to the side, waiting for the inevitable explanation. If there's one thing he knows about this guy is that he loves to talk.
"Dead witch," The Salvatore says, ticking off fingers. "Escaped vampire, escaped werewolf, captured Original- now, you'll forgive my math, but that seems to add up to a wrecked plan."
"You're a fool if you think capturing Elijah will become leverage against me," Klaus said.
"Yes, that's one Original. I think you might be slightly more invested in a certain blonde one." Damon is smirking now, sure of his victory.
Caroline. How did they know?
Elijah. Anger shivers up and down his spine- soon he will be able to feel it as the wolf, that long-lost part of him. He wonders whether they are doing anything to her. Now, he knows that the doppelganger is too soft-hearted to allow torture from either Salvatore. But Elijah… despite his claims of a higher moral standard, he is still as knowledgeable in torture as the rest of them. He wants to push Damon against the wall and stake him in the gut, force him to let her go.
Instead, he shakes his head, pouring himself a drink. "I pity you, mate."
"Any particular reason why?" Damon asks.
"Before, she was just annoyed with you. Now, she's particularly angry with you." This elicits no reaction from Damon. Klaus forgets that this is not Copenhagen, not London, not New Orleans or Dublin. Threatening people with each other is not going to work, because these people have no idea what the pair of them are capable of. "And, she's always had a special hatred for doppelgangers."
That gets Damon's attention. Typical.
"And you are going to return those vampires and werewolves," He says, getting up and swirling the drink.
"What about Caroline?"
"Caroline's a given." Klaus says, shrugging. "She'll get out, one way or another. I would suggest you let her go to minimize bloodshed on your side."
"Elijah tells me she's never been daggered before," Damon says. "We have a dagger, we can introduce her to the experience, stop her from hurting anyone."
Klaus has always been the impatient one. "You will fulfill all of my demands."
"Now, I really don't see a reason why," Damon says. He has bravado, a projection of carelessness. He really does care for that girl. Funny.
"Just a word of advice, Damon," Klaus says, facing the Salvatore. "You don't get to live this long without thinking ahead. So…backup witch, backup werewolf, and, you guessed it, backup vampire. And you're going to love which one this is." He grins. "How do you think the doppelganger will feel seeing her aunt die in front of her? She's in transition right now."
He can see the triumph draining from Damon's face, which brings him an inordinate amount of pleasure.
"So you have until tonight," Klaus says. "This ritual will happen one way or another; it's up to you who those sacrifices will be." He has been waiting too long for this day for it to be ruined by a half-baked plan from a man desperately in love.
Damon begins to stride angrily away, but Klaus can't resist throwing another barb.
"You should probably get Elena comfortable, now."
"Why are you doing this?" Caroline takes extra care to add notes of whininess to her inflection. "Come on, would you trust Elijah over me?"
"I'm sorry, Caroline," Stefan says, looking through the door. This is humiliating. It is not enough that she is in this cell, but she is restrained as well.
She drops all pretenses of her persona and returns to her normal voice. "Don't say sorry, Stefan. I'm sorry for you, because you are just another lovesick fool caught in the doppelganger's spell."
Stefan just looks at her pityingly and leaves. She doesn't want pity.
"Elijah!" Caroline snarls, struggling against the ropes that bind her. The vervain burns, but the betrayal of her brother in law infuriates her enough that it is not her primary focus. "ELIJAH!"
"Whoa, calm down, Blondie."
She snarls like a feral animal, vampire features dropping. She does not want to see, hear, or interact with, Damon Salvatore.
"I will cut out your stomach and pour the acid down your throat," she says, and she wishes he could understand the barrage of curses in several languages she can throw at him.
"You really didn't seem that crazy when we took you in," Damon says, looking mildly offended.
"I would say something along the same lines, but you've always seemed this crazy," Caroline returns. "What time is it?"
"Almost time for your crazy husband's crazy ritual," he says.
She breathes a sigh of relief. He will still regain the wolf, as they had always dreamed.
"What on earth possessed you to marry that guy, anyway?" Damon asks, sitting down. He's trying to bait her.
"You do not get to try to understand me," Caroline growls. "I imagine you tried one way or another to stop the ritual."
"Well, Elena is determined to die, so that plan's in the trash," Damon says, sounding dejected. Caroline wants to laugh viciously, but breathing hurts, the rise and fall of her chest rubbing up against the rope around her middle.
"How long are you going to keep me here?" Caroline asks.
"Depends on how long we need you," Damon says, and his eyes flash with something close to anger, but not completely. "So you're in for the long haul of pain."
"Are you trying to out-villain the villains?" She asks, laughing painfully. Does the doppelganger make everybody lose their good judgement? "Did Niklaus tell you of our exploits? What we did to entire villages? You want to talk about being a villain, you don't even scratch the surface."
"Let's see what you'll be saying in a month." Damon says.
"You really think you can keep me here for a month?"
Damon scoffs, but leaves, presumably to do something rash concerning the doppelganger.
As soon as he leaves, she lets her fangs emerge from her gums and begins the painful process of biting through her ropes. The burning herb mixes with her saliva, and she has to spit on the ground every few seconds, but eventually, she makes it through the ones binding her hands together. Then, she unties the ones around her middle, then her feet. She screams into her teeth as her skin is burned and repairs itself continuously, the pain enough to make any human pass out. But she is not human.
It takes several tries, but she kicks down the door, sending it crashing down to the floor. She brushes herself off, trying to regain some of her dignity.
I need new clothes, she thinks.
She hears the familiar whoosh of vampire speed, but she's faster. Damon comes up behind her, and she turns around, catching his chin in her hand before wrenching it to the side, snapping his neck. With another swift movement, she impales him through the stomach with a table, heaping plenty of heavy objects on top of it.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," she says, striding casually to her room. She changes her clothes quickly- that's twice in a day, though she's done much worse runs, considering how bloody her past is.
She finds her phone and dials, but doesn't bother with a greeting. "Where are you?"
Niklaus explains that he's already in the woods behind the Lockwood property.
Makes sense. The werewolf family, they would have jail cells. The woods are not particularly dense, but they have changed much since she was last in them. Which would make sense considering that was a thousand years ago.
It's almost time. The light is nearly gone and the moon is rising.
She finds Niklaus watching over Greta as prepares the ritual. The torches, the circles. He is tense, but she can see the anticipation cutting through every part of him.
"Did I miss anything, eskelde?" She calls out.
"Caroline," he greets, grinning. "I knew you weren't going to miss this."
"It's the event of a millennia," she says, "I was hardly going to let the Salvatores keep me from it." She looks at Greta critically. "What happened to Maddox?"
"Dead. Killed by Damon Salvatore."
"Pity. He was a lot easier to manage."
Greta is impatient as they wait for the moon to rise to its apex, but the two of them are willing to wait for a couple more hours.
Elena walks into the clearing with her head high, Stefan Salvatore at her side. She seems serene, completely at peace with her fate. A martyr.
"Let's begin, then," Niklaus says, and she goes off to retrieve the first sacrifice.
Season 2 is almost over! And now, more AU-ness. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
If you guys like the flashbacks, tell me. I certainly like writing them, they're really fun. A thousand years of history, it's great to explore. But keeping time streams straight is going to be hard. So if you spot any continuity errors, just feel free to point them out.
Please, please, please, review. I want to know how you guys like this.
-PhoenixCycle