Hi all! Here's chapter 7! Will hopefully have the next chapter up tomorrow :) thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited! BLEW ME AWAY! This chapter may make you doubt me a little but Klaroline is going to happen so have no fear! It's up to Lily to make it happen ;)
ZodiacsKlaroline-totally planning on making her a knockout! The masks add mystery as well so Klaus is gonna be pretty stunned!
Happy reading everyone!
Lily felt a familiar rush of exhilaration as the plane touched down at LaGuardia airport. Although she had been to New York many times during her lifetime, often accompanied by Rebekah intent on splurging wads of cash on clothes and shoes, she couldn't help the little flutter of excitement that coursed through her veins as they swept over the New York skyline.
It hadn't been easy convincing Klaus to let them go to New York but eventually he had given in to his daughter's demands and puppy dog eyes. With gritted teeth and a gruff voice, Klaus had handed over his credit card and informed Lily to do whatever made her happy before flitting away to tear off some heads in order to regain some of his self-respect.
Elijah had been very eager for his niece to begin bonding with Elena who was his sort of girlfriend. They weren't labelling it, he had said haughtily to Lily's amused expression, because they were above labelling. He had all but shoved them out the door in order to get them to spend time with each other. Little did he know that Elena was actually going to be taking a separate flight to Florida instead so she could spend time with her baby brother.
Rebekah had been the hardest to convince mostly because she was miffed at the idea of Lily wanting to go shopping with an adult vampire that wasn't herself. She was even more put out when she discovered that they intended to go dress shopping for the masquerade ball that she was organising for her only niece. Lily had eventually managed to placate her by saying that she could hardly take time out to go shopping with her if she was to be organising the whole thing on such short notice.
"And I wouldn't trust anyone else with this kind of thing other than you, Bekah." Lily had said and received a beaming smile from her aunt.
With the Mikaelson family placated, Lily, Ella and Elena had made their way to the airport, opting not to take the private jet so as avoid the watchful eyes Klaus had no doubt trained upon his daughter via his compelled employees and sired vampires. It had been easy for Elena to compel them all seats to their destinations and she had boarded her flight to Florida with a cheerful wave and a promise confirming she would meet them at the airport when they returned.
Now Lily was hailing a stereotypical yellow taxi with an excitable Ella by her side. It seemed to only take mere seconds for them to arrive at their destination although in reality it had taken far longer than that. Ella leapt out of the cab thrusting a handful of notes into the driver's hand and tugging Lily behind her.
"Here we are!" Ella trilled with a broad smile gracing her pretty features. She heard no response from her friend and so turned to face her with concern. Lily was staring at Bar American with a blank expression on her face, her hands twisting around each other and flicking her long locks nervously.
"Lily? What's wrong?" Ella asked, reaching a hand out to touch her friend who barely registered her touch and remained silent. Ella, however, felt the rush of emotions that Lily was feeling course through her body as if they were her own from a single touch.
"You're scared and nervous."
"Wouldn't you be?" Lily shoots at her, eyes wide and arms crossed. "This woman refused my father because of her hatred of me, someone she has never met. How am I, the person she must hate and resent most in the world, going to convince her to give my dad a chance?"
Ella smiled warmly at her, confidence oozing from every pore in her body.
"You're Lily Mikaelson and Lily Mikaelson doesn't back down from a challenge. You can do this, Lil."
Lily glanced at her, fear evident in her eyes. Upon seeing the confidence and complete and utter faith that was present in Ella, those eyes suddenly lost their fear and became filled with steely determination.
She could do this.
She will do this.
Taking a breath and Ella's hand, Lily strode forward into the unknown.
xoxoxo
The bar was crowded and the atmosphere lively as Lily and Ella cut their way through the inebriated people. It was late evening by now, the girls having taken a flight about mid-afternoon. It hadn't been difficult to get into the bar with Ella's fake Ids. They sat at a table towards the back of the bar, eyes trained on the stage waiting for the Open Mic night to start. Lily was gulping her water nervously knowing that drinking alcohol would not make this challenge any easier and Ella lounged lazily in her chair, her eyes roaming the room for any gorgeous men that might glance her way and sipping on her white wine.
"Have you thought about what you're going to say to her?" Ella asked.
"Not really. It's probably not a good idea to lead with 'Hey, I'm Niklaus Mikaelson's daughter' though." Lily sighed.
"No probably not. She might recognise you though. You look an awful lot like your dad and Rebekah." Ella noted.
"I hope not. I don't want her to run away from me without getting a chance to talk to her."
Suddenly the loud music that had been filling the bar gave way to silence and then a sharp noise as someone adjusted the microphone on the stage before making the announcement of who was to be first up. Lily looked around the bar but couldn't see Caroline yet. She felt a flood of despair at the idea that she might not even come and this would have been a wasted effort.
Half an hour later and the doors swung open to the bar again. Lily registered a blonde head of hair and long legs clad in skinny jeans and a pair of knee high boots before the girl disappeared into the crowd. She couldn't help but feel that that girl was the one she was looking for.
"Next up, Caroline Bennett!"
"Bennett? I thought her surname was Forbes?" Ella asked, confused.
"It is," Lily replied, "Sounds like she's changed it so that she can't be found as easily."
They watched as the vampire in question ascended the stage. Lily knew without a doubt that this was her. She recognised her face and curly hair from her father's sketches. Caroline was smiling as she took in the crowd but Lily could tell that it didn't quite touch her eyes. They were blue pools of sadness. She wondered briefly how often Caroline had to hide behind her smiles. The thought made her sad.
The first few chords of the song drifted through the air and Lily instantly recognised it as Caroline opened her mouth to sing, closing her eyes.
I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you
Lily and Ella stared at Caroline open mouthed as she tore into the chorus. She sang beautifully and with such heartache.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead
"Oh my god. Your dad must have really done a number on her." Ella whispered, careful to keep her voice low so that it wouldn't reach Caroline's ears.
Lily was frozen in place, unable to reply.
Caroline continued to sing finally wrapping up the song.
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead
She finished the song to thunderous applause and although she smiled Lily could see the pain that filled her eyes even from her distance across the room. Caroline descended the stage steps and began to head towards the exit.
"Come on!" Lily whispered, yanking Ella up by the hand and following Caroline into the night.
She was only a short distance away and the girls followed her for a few minutes still unsure as to how to approach her. Would she be angry or confused? Lily still didn't even know what she was going to say to her although inwardly she thought going with the truth would be best.
All of a sudden Caroline disappeared, leaving the girls stunned and unsure on what to do next.
"Who are you and why exactly are you following me?"
Lily and Ella turned around to see Caroline directly behind them her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed at them.
Damned vampire reflexes.
"You're Caroline Forbes, right?" Lily blurted out. Stupid question, she thought to herself, I already know it's her.
If it were possible, Caroline's eyes narrowed even further.
"I don't go by that name anymore which leads me to wonder who told you who I am and what you want with me."
"You, um, you know my dad." Lily stuttered.
Caroline snorted but then took a closer look at Lily's face and gasped. This girl in front of her had his eyes and the hair was reminiscent of Hayley's. She could even see Rebekah's nose and those god damned dimples that were popping out as the girl smiled slightly.
It was silent as Caroline gaped at Lily, unable to move because she was so shocked. Lily and Ella shuffled together a little nervously as the streetlights winked from above them. The evening air was cool and breezy causing the girls to shiver a little.
"Er, not to be rude but would it be okay if we did this conversation inside somewhere? It's just really cold out here." Ella asked.
Caroline turned her head to stare at Ella blankly.
"Are you his daughter too?" Caroline whispered with wide eyes.
Ella burst into laughter causing the other two to jump.
"Oh god, no! I'm Ella, Ella Deveraux. My mum's a witch that works for Klaus. I'm a witch too." She said proudly.
Caroline nodded briefly before gesturing to the girls to follow her down the street.
"My place isn't too far from here." She stated walking forward once more.
Lily was shocked that she wasn't running away from them but grateful all the same and followed Caroline swiftly down the street.
xoxoxo
Caroline's apartment was a two-bedroom affair located on East 54th Street. It contained a kitchen and spacious living room and en-suite bathrooms in both bedrooms. The walls were painted a pale yellow which gave the place an airy and light feel. It made Lily flashback to the thing she heard her dad say most when talking about Caroline. Full of light. The apartment was full of nice things, an expensive and large TV with a huge collection of DVDs. The sofas were soft and inviting and Caroline had pictures filling almost every surface. It made the place look homey and warm and Lily had to suppress a smile when her eyes landed on a sketch of Caroline and a horse hastily tucked away between books.
Caroline cleared her throat as she brought Ella and Lily their drinks. The silence between them was awkward. Nobody seemed to know what to say. Ella decided to be bold and break the silence.
"You have a lovely apartment, Caroline."
"Thanks, Ella. Now would the two of you mind telling me how you found me?"
It was a long story but Lily filled her in on what had happened with Kol and Bonnie whilst Caroline just sat there and listened, nodding in places. When Lily finished, Caroline sighed.
"Okay, so now I know how you found me can you tell me why you even wanted to in the first place? You don't even know me."
"But I do know you, Caroline. My dad has been telling me stories about you for as long as I can remember. I nicknamed you Golden Girl in my head when I was little and he told me the story of how he saved your life. He constantly talks about you because he never wants to forget you. And I came here because I want to convince you to give my dad a chance."
Caroline stared at Lily, smiling slightly.
"You're very like your father. He persistently asked me to give him a chance but just as I was about to, everything changed."
"Look, I know that you love my dad and I know that my dad loves you and I would do anything to make him happy because he has given me everything. I know that you don't like me and you resent me for what happened between the two of you but he deserves a chance at happiness." Lily was practically begging Caroline now.
Caroline looked horrified by the idea Lily had in her head that she hated her.
"I don't hate you or resent you. Klaus and I were just never meant to be. The timing was completely off and too much stuff has happened for anything to happen with us. I did resent you at first. You signified everything I always wanted and I thought it was terribly unfair that your dad got to have it and I didn't. But I realised that resentment was pointless and how could I resent something that made him so happy. I've been chasing happiness for the last twenty years and I still haven't found it yet."
"You love him and being with him would make you happy. I know that being with you would make him happy." Lily said.
"How can you be so sure that I love him?" Caroline asked.
"I can see it in your eyes. When you saw me and how much I look like him, your eyes lit up. And Elena also told me that you did." Lily admitted.
Caroline released an exasperated sigh.
"Elena Gilbert is terrible at keeping secrets."
"She only had your best interests at heart. She misses you." Lily said.
Caroline smiled wistfully.
"I miss her too." She finally admitted.
"She's living with us in New Orleans."
"Figures she would run straight to Elijah." Caroline said.
"I want you to come back with us. It's my birthday next week and we're having a ball and I would like to invite you to it." Lily stated boldly.
Caroline just looked at her sadly.
"I know what you're trying to do, Lily, and it isn't going to work. It's very sweet but you have to know that your dad and I are never going to happen. Tomorrow I'll book you and Ella tickets to go home and we'll pretend this didn't happen. You can sleep in the other room for tonight."
And with that the conversation was over. Caroline collected their glasses, showed them their room and bid them goodnight.
"Well that failed." Lily said miserably.
"I don't know," Ella said as she flung herself onto the double bed, "I think you just need to wear her down. She clearly loves Klaus you just need to convince her to take a chance. Show her what she's missing out on by isolating herself."
"How do I do that?" Lily asked frustrated.
"Tomorrow, we'll all go shopping and you can show her how much she is missing by not being a part of your family by being yourself."
Lily pondered Ella's words as they got into bed and started to drift to sleep. She figured she had at least twenty-four hours in which to change Caroline's mind.
And Lily never backed down from a challenge.