I told you guys I wouldn't update as quickly as I did with the last chapter... But here I am juggling two jobs and finals week, and I still manage to update within a week *flips hair*
So, I'm almost all caught up on TVD. I've altered the previous chapters a little so it follows what we already currently now, but there weren't any major changes, so you guys don't have to reread them. I don't think I'll write about the whereabouts in NOLA until I catch up on the new season of TO, I hate straying too far away from canon. But don't worry, we'll get to see what happens during Damon and Stefan's little adventure in the French Quarter eventually.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter 3: Aspire, Inspire, & Perspire
The Louis Armstrong Airport stood just 11 miles west of the bustling city of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Salvatore brothers stepped out from the plane and trudged into the entryway of the airport. The roof stood high with a concave interior, glass window panes encircled the center where the ceiling made a dome-shape. Navy blue chairs aligned in rows were filled with waiting passengers while sunlight shined down from the glass onto the rushing people who were all too determined to reach their destinations.
Quickly maneuvering their way through the crowds of people, Damon and Stefan hastily went down the metal escalators. They didn't bother bringing any luggage because they weren't planning on staying long in the first place. The plan was simple: find Klaus, and bring him to Whitmore to heal Caroline and bring back Elena's memories.
When they finally exited the doors where a colorful mosaic greeted them, they stepped out onto the street and took a good look at what was ahead of them. The streets were packed with people, shops lined the sidewalks, and traffic on the roads. Damon and Stefan looked at each other taking in the immensity of New Orleans.
How could they possibly find Klaus in all this?
"So, where to first, brother?" Damon asked.
Stefan looked over the bustling crowd.
"I have no idea."
Elena came back to her dorm room with a handful of blankets in her arms, setting them gently on the edge of Caroline's bed before going back to her side. Caroline was still sleeping.
"How was she?" she asked.
"She was murmuring in her sleep," Matt replied. "But for the most part, she was peaceful."
"Thanks for keeping an eye on her while I got more blankets."
Matt nodded, "I don't mind. I know she would've done the same for us."
Elena smiled to herself. He was right, Caroline always put others first. Despite her controlling nature and blunt opinions, there was no doubt that Caroline was selfless, something she came to acquire after becoming a vampire. Elena could see it. Ever since Caroline turned, she was stronger, braver, and more caring. It only strengthened their friendship, but it saddened her to think about the many times Caroline was pulled into these unfortunate situations. Elena couldn't help but blame herself. She recounted all the times Caroline was put in danger to protect her. She had endured far too many torture sessions and werewolf bites for a lifetime considering she had an eternity.
She softly rested her palm on Caroline's forehead. Despite the sweat beads covering her face, Caroline's skin was cold.
Poor, Caroline.
Picking up a blanket, she proceeded to wrap it around Caroline's shoulders.
"Did you get a hold of Sheriff Forbes?" she asked. She knew Liz would want to hear about this.
"Yeah, she said she'd be over here as soon as she could," Matt replied. "She's been preoccupied looking into the vampire hunting group that Tripp was in."
"Did she find anything?"
"So far, nothing."
"It's all so strange. How can there be vampire hunters in Mystic Falls outside of the Council?"
"Honestly, I don't know," Matt breathed, "None of this makes sense. But Tripp told me that a vampire compelled him to think he was the reason his wife died until he crossed into the border. But we both know, Mystic Falls hasn't been magic free till this summer, so there's no way it's been going on for that long."
"You're right," Elena thought. "Do you have any idea who might have been working with him?"
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it includes a couple of people in the task force, maybe even the trainers."
Elena shuddered, "Keep an eye on them, okay, and gather as much information as you can. We're going to need to know their next move now that they know what we are."
Matt nodded, "I'll try my best."
There was a knock.
Elena and Matt looked up when the door opened. Tyler strode in with his gym bag slung over his shoulder.
"Where have you been?" Elena frowned.
Tyler chucked the gym bag to Matt. He pulled the zipper down to reveal an assortment of chips, Gatorade, beer bottles, and protein bars.
"I stopped by the student store and picked up some food after practice. I figured if we were going to be here watching over Care, we might as well have something to eat while we wait for Stefan and Damon."
"Thanks, man."
They started to rummage through the bag. The three of them sat around the room and ate, completely unaware of Caroline's constant torment
Caroline jumped. There was a pounding feeling digging into her head. She wailed.
Where was she this time?
Her head hurt as if a nail was being hammered into her skull. Folding over her knees she took sporadic deep breaths.
Calm down, Caroline, calm down.
Taking her trembling hands she touched her forehead and whimpered. What used to be flawless porcelain skin, was now tarnished with a gaping red hole. Dried blood surrounding the wound.
Using her fingers, she dug them into her head and scraped at the bullet that was lodged in her skull. Pulling it free, she held the red mess in her palm and yelped. Dropping it, she sat back and tried to wipe the blood away as her wound healed. The dent in her skull popped back into place and the flesh sewed back together.
Taking a look at her surroundings, she realized she was trapped in a metal cage. Her breathing quickened.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Hurdling forward, she grasped the rails and shook them vigorously. They didn't budge. Spotting a latch at the bottom corner, she squeezed her arm through the bars, frantically trying to reach for the contraption. Stretching out her arm as far she could, she could only manage to barely touch the latch with her fingertips before she jumped back.
A man sat before her, calmly lounging on a chair with a gun resting in his hands.
"I see you got the bullet out," he said. "That was nasty."
Caroline rigidly sat back.
"I've got lots of wooden bullets," he lifted up his gun, "Lots of little toys."
Caroline frantically tried to think of ways to escape. Maybe she could lure him close enough so she could grab the keys, or kill him. Or maybe-
The man had a malicious smile on his face, "It's going to be a long night, sweet pea."
Aiming the gun, he shot her in the chest. Caroline screamed and bent over. The bullet had splintered into one of her ribs, the shards digging in. Taking short breaths, she tried to ignore the pain, but she could hardly breathe without the shards threatening to puncture her lungs.
Trying to concentrate, she listened to what was around her. Maybe she could make out where she was? Focusing her hearing, she closed her eyes. She could make out the sound of a woman's voice outside.
It must be that bitch, Jules.
"You made a mistake, Stefan," threatened Jules. "I'm gonna give you a chance to fix it."
Caroline waited for a response from Stefan hoping he was there, but she only heard the murmurs of his voice through a cellphone.
"Right here, want proof?" Jules barged into the RV and held the phone out to the man. "He needs proof."
Turning his attention from Jules, the man lifted up his gun again, this time he shot Caroline's shoulder. She screamed, recoiling as the bullet burrowed into her arm.
Jules stormed out of the RV.
"I hurt her again, and she's dead. Bring Tyler to me, the clearing by Wickory Falls. You have 20 minutes until she dies."
Crawling to the opposite side of the cage, Caroline tried to distance herself from the man for fear he might shoot her again. She had to get these bullets out to think straight. She wedged her fingers into the places she got shot and pried the bullets out. She squealed when her nails scraped against her open wounds. Dropping the bullets down to the metal flooring, she hopelessly looked at the man before her.
He had a cold look on his face. His eyes screamed disgust and hatred for her kind, and she could see he wanted nothing more than to kill her.
She knew she was going to die.
She gripped at the bars, crying to herself. She kicked at them, kicking them so hard that the cage shook under her desperation to get out.
"So how many vampires are in this town anyways," he asked leaning towards her.
Caroline looked at him hesitantly. There was no way she was going to rat out her friends, but she knew if she didn't say anything he'd just continue to torture her. The thought of him introducing her to more of his torture toys absolutely frightened her. But she pressed her lips together and kept them shut despite her quivering lips.
The man got out of his seat and leaned against the bars before pulling out a green squirt gun. Vervain shot out from its nozzle, seeping into her face. Caroline screamed trying to wipe it away, but the vervain burned her hands and dripped down her face, mixing with her tears.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she kicked at the door again, "Why are you doing this? WHY?"
Pulling out another contraption, he replies, "You're a vampire, why not?"
She watched him put wooden sticks into what looked like a black straw. He shot the wooden darts into her neck, right above her collar-bone. She screamed again.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" he put his ear against the cage.
"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!"
Caroline mercilessly kicked at the cage, driving her boots into the bars. The man frowned at her and exited the RV, rejoining Jules outside. Caroline tried to reach for the latch again, but with no luck. She had to get out. But how? There was no doubt in her mind that they were going to kill her. Werewolves and vampires were sworn enemies by nature, no way were they going to spare her life after they got Tyler.
Tyler, she thought.
She remembered the look of hate he had earlier that day. He was so furious, so betrayed. He wouldn't come to rescue her, she had lied to him. All of them did. Caroline sat back in her corner and wept. She was going to die.
She wouldn't get to say goodbye to her mom or tell her the truth about what she was. It scared her that her mother might reject her, but she wanted to be honest with her, that was her mother afterall. She wouldn't be able to see her dad ever again. It upset her that she wouldn't be able to ask him why he abandoned them. Why he couldn't stay for her? And she wouldn't be able to fix things with Matt. Things were looking up and she would've been able to talk to him after his closing shift if she hadn't been taken. She hadn't even gotten to go to prom, or graduate high school, or decorate a dorm room with her friends. There were just so many things that she had left to do, but now all those things seemed so trivial and far away.
She was trapped and it frustrated her that even though she was a vampire now, she was still weak.
Making one final blow at the cage, a new wave of tears came. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she was strong, ageless, and fearless, she was still imprisoned in a cage of her own insecurities and weaknesses. She felt no better than the human Caroline. Maybe even worse.
She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the cold metal bars, wallowing.
Why wasn't she strong enough?
With her eyes still closed, she could hear her surroundings changing. The eerie silence of the woods was suddenly replaced with the slow hum of an orchestra playing. The familiar tune of Falling Slowly played softly by an orchestra in the background. Caroline could hear the chatter of people talking and the rustling of feet moving. The chirps of birds and the buzz of bees filled her ears until the slow strum of the instruments enveloped her ears.
"Caroline."
She opened her eyes to be met with soft blue ones. Klaus stood in front of her dressed in a black suit, a tie, and a grey button up. In one hand he held a bottle of champagne and in the other two champagne glasses. He smirked when he noticed she was checking him out. Her face quickly turned into a frown.
Not this again.
"Someone's tired," he smiled. "Too busy single-handedly running the pageant to sleep, love?"
"Well," she asserted. "If you want something done right, you gotta to do it yourself."
He let out a laugh, "I guess it worked out then, seeing that the pageant is a success. Is it not?"
Caroline overlooked the ceremony. Flowers garnished every table, bottles of champagne were being poured to tinkling glasses, people were dressed up fancily and enjoying themselves, and the sweet melody of the orchestra echoed throughout the courtyard. Everything was perfect.
Caroline smiled to herself.
It was moments like these when she finally got to appreciate what she had created that she was filled with a feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment that she had made something so perfect.
"I guess, it did work out," she replied still admiring her work.
Klaus looked at her and admired the woman that stood before him.
Wrapped in her intricately designed green dress and perfectly wavy hair, she was nothing less than a queen. An angel sent from kingdom come with skin that glistened in the sunlight. She was the goddess of light, and her warmth never failed to astound him. If only she had any idea of what she was capable of, that her talents surpassed these petty events of planning for high school dances and town pageants. She could rule the world with him if she knew just how remarkable she really was.
Caroline spotted Tyler dressed up in his suit sitting at a table talking and laughing with Hayley in her strappy tight red dress. She cringed at the sight of them. Even though she knew this was all pretend, it didn't stop a pit of insecurity from taking root. She was painfully reminded of how Tyler had spent a lot of time with the brunette while trying to break his sire bond.
Wasn't that how she and Tyler fell in love in the first place?
Caroline had been there for him from the beginning after he triggered the werewolf curse and had stayed by his side since then, helping him through it all. So, who was to say that the same didn't happen between Hayley and Tyler all those nights shifting into a werewolf?
She scowled and looked away.
Stupid human insecurities.
Klaus took a step forward and looked at her concerned. She looked up at him. Sadness.
Lifting up the bottle of champagne he offered, "So, how about that drink?"
The sadness melted away and she smiled hesitantly.
Was this his own weird way of comforting her?
She would never get used to how nice he was to her. But turning her attention away from the Tyler and Hayley, she walked ahead of him and he followed.
When they were finally away from the pageant, Caroline slowed her pace allowing Klaus to walk by her side. They trudged through the lush green grass, following a path along the pond.
"Mind telling me what happened there between you and Elena?" he asked.
"Nothing, just the usual Elena and Salvatore brother drama," she groaned.
"I see, the young doppelgänger still has those boys wrapped around her finger," he chuckled. "It must run in the Petrova bloodline to entrance men."
She rolled her eyes.
"Must be. In middle school all the boys were crazy for Elena, always asking to go on dates with her or asking her to school dances. The boys just loved her."
"I suppose history has a funny way of repeating itself."
Caroline looked at him curiously.
Klaus continued, "When Elijah and I were still human, we were also in love with a Petrova doppelganger. Her name was Tatia."
"Must be in the Petrova bloodline to attract brothers," Caroline muttered. "How'd that go?"
"How do you think it went, love?"
"Oh right, your mom used her blood to turn you into vampires..."
Awkward. So does that mean he has a thing for Elena or Katherine or..?
"It's okay, love," Klaus chuckled. "I've moved on from the Petrova's enchanting ways."
Caroline laughed at that.
"Well, Damon and Stefan could learn a thing or two from you."
"And what about you?"
She glanced over at him curiously.
"Are you always being pursued by men?"
"Me?" she asked surprised. "Oh God no! In middle school, no guy liked me. I was an annoying perfectionist, not to mention a complete control freak. Definitely, the chaser-type..."
"Is that so?" He looked at her doubtful.
She nodded.
"Yeah, I wasn't really nice to people either. I mean, if I hadn't forced Elena to build a Barbie castle with me when we were younger, we probably wouldn't be friends now. She was the only one who could tolerate me…"
She trailed off when she realized she was saying too much. When did she start getting comfortable around Klaus?
"I'm sure all those boys probably regret not pursuing you now."
She stopped in her tracks and looked at him.
"But why?"
She knew what he was going to say, and she should've punched herself in the face for provoking him to say it. But something inside her wanted to hear him say those words.
He turned back to her, standing inches away and said, "Well, because of how beautiful you are now."
Caroline looked at him, unable to form words. She just held her mouth shut, she didn't trust her ability to speak, especially considering how close his face was to hers. Instead, she stared at him dumbfounded. But he made no move. His eyes just searched hers. The damned hybrid had successfully rendered her speechless, not an easy feat. And now that she was caught off guard, now what?
But they stood there, gazing at each other. She could feel the warmth omitting from his body as he took one step closer.
Oh God.
His lips were centimeters away from hers. Those soft dark lips beckoning her. If she so much as made the slightest move, they would touch and she would be devoured.
She quickly broke out of her trance and took a step back and replied, "Enough about me, um, we were talking about Elena."
"Ah, yes, Elena," Klaus said slightly disappointed. "Judging by your conversation with her, I presume she's fallen for the other Salvatore?"
"I hope not," she groaned. "I don't see how she could! He's selfish and impulsive, and, I mean, he's Damon! It's just, as her best friend, it is my duty to warn her when she's making a giant mistake, right? And now she's taking Damon's side on everything."
"So, being a vampire has changed her," he offered.
"But being a vampire only amplifies who you already are. It doesn't turn you into a completely different person," she argued.
Klaus replied in a sarcastic tone, "It's very peculiar."
Caroline looked at him questionably. "What's that look for?"
"It'll all make sense eventually," he grinned back at her.
She knew he was hiding something for his own amusement, she just didn't know what. She let it go.
They finally came to a bench resting atop the grassy knoll where a large oak tree loomed over.
"Whatever, just," she took a seat on the wooden bench. "Just find the cure already."
"I'm working on it," he smiled.
Klaus sat next to her, leaving some space between them. Setting the glasses down, he started to open the champagne bottle. Caroline looked at him.
Hesitantly, she asked, "Would you ever take it?"
"Now why would I want to cure myself of being the most powerful creature on the planet, hm?"
"So, there's not one single moment in your whole life you wanted to be human?"
POP!
The cork flew off the bottle as Klaus proceeded to fill a glass with champagne.
"How about you?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, and go back to being the neurotic control freak I was before?" she laughed. "I think I'm doing everyone a favor by being a vampire. At least this way I can control myself."
Klaus chuckled as he handed her a glass of champagne, they clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. Sitting in comfortable silence, they enjoyed the view of the pond.
"But I must admit," Caroline said after taking a sip. "Life used to be a lot easier."
"Life used to be a lot easier," Klaus repeated.
He got up from the bench as Caroline looked at him confused.
"Don't you miss the days of." He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket he read aloud, "'Chair of the Mystic Falls Beautification Committee' and the 'Director of the Policeman's Yearly Raffle.'"
Caroline's eyes grew wide, horrified.
"Is that my Miss Mystic application? Where did you get that?" she demanded.
Standing up she tried to grab it from him, but only managed to smack it out of his hands.
She was embarrassed, she didn't want him to look at her work. She wasn't trying to maintain a facade around him, she knew he liked her, so this was probably his way of getting under her skin. But really? Her Miss Mystic application, of all things?
He caught the wrinkled piece of paper and continued reading in a mocking tone, "'When I am chosen, I intend to redefine excellence.'"
Caroline ran her hand through her hair in frustration. How did he even manage to get his hands on her application? It was supposed to be locked up at City Hall.
"Now I'm really enjoying your use of 'when' here. It's very confident," she turned to him and nodded, ready to beat the crap out of him until he gave her back her application.
He was reveling in her embarrassment. He continued, "'And above all, I promise to aspire, inspire, and perspire…"
Caroline put her hands on her hips.
"Obviously, we found a shortage of words ending in 'spire'," he chuckled.
"Yeah, it's hilarious!" Caroline lunged at him again, determined to burn that application in the fiery depths hell when she had it in her possession, "It's just–"
Klaus outstretched his arm so it was just out of her reach. They exchanged looks, both waiting for the other to make a move.
A smile crept at the corner of her lips. Suddenly the thought of Klaus going out of his way to break into the town office to retrieve a copy of her Miss Mystic application seemed ridiculously silly to her. Caroline couldn't help but laugh. She tried to cover it with her hand, but when she looked back at Klaus, who was laughing with her, she couldn't help but imagine him rummaging through file drawers trying to find her application.
She couldn't contain it any longer. She laughed some more, taking a seat back on the bench. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who mercilessly slaughtered Katherine's family for revenge, who killed her best friend in order to perform a ritual for his own selfish needs, and who spitefully killed his failed hybrids. She wanted to hate him, she had every right to. But every time he made her smile, and every time he made her laugh, and every time she caught him looking at her the way he does, she'd forget all about the bad things he's done.
Klaus refilled her glass and his, so while everyone else was at the ceremony, they were enjoying each other's company alone atop the grassy knoll sipping champagne and talking about the world.
And BOOM, the end of Chapter 3! I swear, every time I start to write these chapters, more ideas pop up! Still praying it all works out.
I actually had to re-watch the episode for when Caroline was first kidnapped and tortured just to make sure I was retelling things as accurately as possible. Sorry, it wasn't any new information like the last hallucination when I made up how I thought Liz and Bill got divorced.
Hopefully, the transitions between Caroline's bad hallucinations and good ones aren't too terrible. I wanted to look like every time she had a hallucination of a scarring moment in her life, her mind always turned to the good memories to ease her pain *cough*cough Klaus *cough And yes, you can expect that pattern to continue in this story.
As for the second part of her hallucination, this one's literally my favorite Klaroline moment. I just love how cute they are together. I also hope you guys enjoyed that little scene when Klaus is standing dangerously close to Caroline. That was a reference to a promo picture for TVD season 4 when Klaus supposedly kissed Caroline, but the scene was removed because "it wasn't romantic enought".. Well, I just made it romantic, so the writers can suck my ass.
On a side note, here's the Question of the Day: Who do you think is running the vampire hunting squad in Mystic Falls?
I've got one more final tomorrow and then I will have all the time in the world (besides work) to write! So, feel free to review or leave feedback, I do enjoy readin what you guys have to say!