Hey, Klarophants!
As promised, I'm back with an update! I'm kind of surprised too since I was busy with exams and reports due this week. What's even more astonishing is, that this happens to be my longest chapter yet! It's literally 2,000 more words than my last chapter. So, I'll try to keep this short, but this chapter reintroduces a lot of storylines I left behind when I was only writing about Caroline's experience, so this chapter refreshes your mind on what's going on. I also introduce some characters from the shows I haven't touched on yet, so expect to see how their stories tie in with the main ones.
Lastly, I'd like to thank lovelybellarke from Twitter for creating a beautiful cover photo for my fanfic! I absolutely adore it!
Anyways, have at it!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter 13: Good Things
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
The slow tempo of heartbeats all drumming at once. It was alluring, addicting, hypnotic. It was as if he were at a symphony, each pulse beating at once. He could barely hear over the resounding beats. Pushing himself up, his bones easily snapped back into place, blood dripping from his mouth. He could still taste the richness of Finn's blood on his tongue.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Finn clung to his neck staring horrified at his brother, blood still oozing from his wound. He shivered as he watched Elijah lick the corners of his bloodied mouth, his eyes transfixed on him.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Although his pack stood closely behind him, he still felt fear for the ravenous beast that stood before him.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
One of his men walked towards him cautiously.
"What would you like us to do, sir?"
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Without turning to him he said, "Kill them."
Silence.
For that split second it was silent. All he could hear was the sweet sound of quietness. Looking at the men and women before him, he could see how hesitant they were to attack him. The looks of doubt painted all over their faces. It wasn't just blood he could smell. It was fear.
Elijah grinned.
He lunged forward.
One after another, they charged at him and one by one he took them down. They'd team up to hold him back, but he'd easily overcome them biting into their flesh every chance he got whilst the beating drum continued to play.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
One tried to hold him in a headlock while another punched his abdomen. He spat out blood with every blow. Angrily he dislocated the wolf's arms, freeing himself from his grip. He leaped forward grasping the other wolf's neck, sinking his teeth into her soft skin. Others tried to pull him away, but he refused to let go, not until she dry. Taking the body, he viciously threw it at them. They staggered back.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
More rushed forward, growling with rage. They each grabbed his arms, pulling at his ligaments while one punched him in the face relentlessly, blood-spattered from the original's mouth. His lip split with every hit. But he broke free and decapitated him with a swift slash of his arm. He kicked at the others, ramming his heel against them as they stumbled to the ground.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Taking another's head, he smashed it against the hard edge of the fountain ruthlessly until their skull had shattered. He threw the limp body across the room, until the end of a chair penetrated his side, its end sticking out of his stomach.
He felt nothing. No pain. No exhaustion. Just hunger. An insatiable hunger.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Pulling the chair leg from his side, he turned to his attacker and began to mercilessly beat him. Splinters flew from its end as he continued to hit him long after he was dead. Dropping the leg, he turned to face the others. None dared to step forward.
Elijah's eyes turned to Finn.
BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.
Elijah wiped the blood from his chin as he strode towards him, stepping over the mounds of bodies and puddles of blood. But just as he was only a foot away, a wolf grabbed his leg and bit him.
The effect was almost instantaneous. A surge of pain shot through Elijah's leg and he toppled to the ground. More wolves came. Elijah tried to bat them away, but they only inched forward. They dug their jaws into any available spot, injecting their venomous bite.
He wailed, propelling them away.
BA-BUMP... BA-BUMP... BA-BUMP... BA-BUMP…
Slowly his vision began to blur. Red spots filling his view. Whether it was blood or just his delirium he knew not.
Finn marched up to him, his feet only inches away from his face. He laughed to himself. Kneeling down, he lifted Elijah's chin and looked down at him.
"Don't black out yet, brother. You're going to want to see this."
The wolves yanked Hayley and Rebekah down from the staircase. They tried to wrench Hope from her mother's arms, but Hayley refused to let go.
"Go to hell!" Hayley screamed at them as they tried to pry her from her arms.
Rebekah thrashed, trying to break free from their clutches.
"Let go of me you damn mutts!"
Elijah looked up at him hopelessly. "Please… Finn… le… let them go…"
"After your little stunt today?" Finn shook his head. "I don't think so."
Dropping his head to the ground, Finn stood back up.
"But first."
Focusing his magic on Elijah, he forced the venom within him to boil. Elijah yelped, clenching his fists.
"Stop it, Fin, stop!" Rebekah screamed.
"Don't touch him!" Hayley joined.
Finn flicked his finger making Elijah's body flip up, snapping his spine.
"NO! Let go of me!" Rebekah squirmed, "Stop hurting him, please!"
Elijah's body sagged back onto the stone floor motionless. Breaking the end of a table, Finn inched towards him, ready to stab him through the chest. An evil glee in his eyes.
"NOOOO!"
Rebekah finally broke free and ran towards Elijah, shoving Finn aside. She fell to her knees and cradled Elijah's head in her lap.
Finn growled, "Who the hell are yo–"
"Stay away!" she shrieked.
A gust of wind rushed from her extended arm slamming Finn against the wall. He looked at the woman in shock.
Who was this girl?
Getting up he rushed back forward, ramming his magic against her. Her body was thrown into the blood-filled fountain. A trickle of blood dribbled down her forehead.
Finn walked past Elijah's mangled body and studied the woman he had just attacked. She stirred.
"Don't move," he warned. "Try to attack me again, and I will kill you. Now tell me, who are you?"
Rebekah's eyes flicked open. What was originally deep brown eyes were replaced with cloudy white spheres. Finn took one step back.
"Did I not tell you, to stay away," a deep ancient voice slurred from her lips.
"What."
Rebekah pulled herself out of the fountain, a mixture of blood and water dripping from her clothes.
"Your efforts are feeble, Finn. But that's to be expected from someone who wasn't trained in magic by me," she treaded towards him.
Finn lifted his arm, ready to chant his spell, but with the clench of her hand, he felt his connection with magic cease. He looked at her in shock.
"If you think you can beat me," she said. "You are foolishly mistaken."
With the rise of her arms, the room was enveloped with a blinding white light. Finn covered his eyes and the chaos began.
Hope's cries echoed through the compound just as Klaus flashed into the entryway to be greeted by the mess. Furniture was flipped over, scattered bodies littered the floor, and blood stained the walls while Hope's cries continued to fill the air.
He ran to Hayley who sat against the wooden pillar, trembling as she clung to Hope. He knelt to her side.
"What happened here?"
It took a moment for her to respond. Her wide eyes still fixed across the room.
"It… it was… Finn…" she struggled to find her words. Klaus gently rubbed her shoulder. "Finn attacked us and…" she nodded across the room. Klaus turned his gaze to see Elijah's crippled body lying face down on the stone floor.
Ushering Hayley up, he left her side to aid his brother while she calmed Hope. Stepping across the bloodied crevices, he approached Elijah's body and rested his head against his chest. Klaus studied his injuries. There were several bite marks surrounding his arms and a nasty one on his leg. The cuts were sickly yellow and oozed a puss. His blouse was torn and his pants ripped to shreds. Blood covered almost every inch of him.
Rolling down his sleeve, as he did many times before, Klaus bit into his wrist and pressed it against Elijah's lips.
Slowly, Elijah regained consciousness and once he had regained his strength he pushed Klaus' arm away. He bowed to his brother in gratitude before walking away. His eyes lingered to Hayley's. She looked at him sadly while he turned away ashamed.
Rebekah struggled to get up. She pushed her back against the fountain. Klaus moved towards her. Looking for any injuries just as he did with his brother, he found there were only a few cuts and bruises, but when Klaus moved closer to check the gash on her forehead she flinched away.
"Don't come near me!" she squealed.
"Don't be ridiculous, Rebekah, there is a cut on your head."
He tried again, but she shied away.
"Don't touch me, Nik!"
Klaus looked at her alarmed.
"What's wrong?"
He studied her expression. She pressed her lips together and shook her head. She covered her face with her hands and wept.
Getting down on his knees, he pulled her into an embrace. Her tears began to seep into his shoulder as she sobbed. He held her tightly while her fingers gripped his jacket. He stroked her back softly while she cried.
"Nik, I don't know what to do!" She burrowed her face into his chest. "Just make it stop, Nik, please make it stop!"
"Make what stop? What's wrong, Rebekah? What happened?"
She shook her head. She pulled away and looked at Klaus. Her tear-stricken face was deathly pale as trickles of blood oozed from her eyes. She stared back at him terrified.
"Nik…" she whispered. "I don't know what's wrong with me?"
Rebekah's eyes rolled back, her body falling limply in his arms. Holding onto her drooping body, he grabbed her legs and lifted her up in his arms. He walked back to Hayley and Elijah who inched away alarmed. He looked at them frustratingly.
"Someone tell me what the hell happened," he demanded angrily. "Now."
Elijah and Hayley exchanged looks, but they didn't answer.
"I believe I can be of some help."
Kol emerged from behind the dining room door. He walked slowly, eyeing Rebekah's motionless body cautiously. Klaus stared at him impatiently.
"Well?" he pushed.
"You might want to put her down," Kol motioned to their sister. "You're going to want to sit down for this."
Bonnie sat at the dining room table with a cluster of books. Old headphones wrapped around her head while Sugar Ray's "Every Morning" played on repeat. Shuffling through several maps and old books, she marked spots on the map with a black sharpie and a yellow high lighter.
Kai entered the room.
"Morning Bonbon," he greeted.
When he didn't get a response he frowned.
She was too engrossed in her work. Moving behind her, he leaned over her and rested his hand on top of the map she was writing on and tugged her headphones off.
"Hey!" Bonnie swatted at him, she reached to retrieve them.
"I said 'Good morning, Bonbon,'" he grinned, mumbling in her ear.
She immediately elbowed him in the gut making him drop the headphones and back away grasping his stomach.
"Good morning to you too…" he grumbled.
"Get away from me, I'm busy," she snapped.
Bonnie went to grab the headphones and put them back on, but Kai rested his hand firmly on them. She looked up to him and frowned.
"Real mature, Kai."
"Bonnie, I'm bored."
"Yeah, well, that sucks."
He took a seat on the dining room table and pushed aside her opened books.
"Hey!"
"Entertain me," he pleaded.
"That sounds a lot like a personal problem," she said as she heaved a notebook from under him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm working right now."
Kai quickly latched onto the notebook with both hands. Bonnie scowled at him and held onto it tightly. She tugged it towards her, but Kai refused to let go. He pulled at it again.
"Kai. Stop."
Bonnie pulled back.
"How about, no."
He pulled again.
They began to pull back and forth.
"It's mine, Kai! Let it go!"
"But I wanna see!"
"Well, too–" Bonnie yanked the notebook viciously, almost freeing it from his grasp, but his body followed. Kai tumbled across the table, his face inches away from hers, "…bad."
It didn't take long before Kai broke out into a grin. He pretended to lean forward for a kiss before Bonnie pushed him off the table. He stumbled to the floor laughing to himself. She rammed the chair into him, but he continued to laugh.
"Did you see the look on your face!"
Grabbing books, she started to throw them at him, but he easily dodged, his smile only growing wider.
"You pervert!"
He laughed and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt.
"Can you blame me?" he chirped. "I've been stuck alone in this prison world for almost two decades."
She looked at him frightened, his grip tightening around her wrist. He looked down at her, a devilish grin on his face. She tried to break free, but Kai held her back. He moved closer towards her, so she could feel his breath on her face. Using his other hand, he easily plucked the notebook from her hands. He let go.
Just as he went to open it, Bonnie dove forward to snatch it from him, but he blocked her with his body.
"Kai–"
"Just let me look."
He skimmed through the pages and looked back at the map. Setting the book down, he turned back to Bonnie who stood nervously to the side. His expression was indiscernible. Kai approached her, towering over until he stood only inches away. She flinched.
"Bonnie," he said.
She looked up at him as bravely as she could. This was it.
"What, Kai," she spat.
"Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go swimming!" he burst out.
What.
"I know exactly where this place is," he pointed at the map. "I used to go there all the time."
She looked at the psycho-maniac confused.
"So what do you say," he beamed. "You want to go today?"
She looked at the page the notebook was open to and the map that lay over the table. How could he get that idea from– She stopped herself.
Bonnie forced a smile and replied, "That would be great."
Kai beamed back at her before leaving the room to get his swimming trunks and some of the Salvatore's expensive towels. She watched him leave the room. When he was out of sight, she quickly began to stack the books away and fold up the map. She stuffed them under the seat cushions of the couch she always slept on and put the notebook and map in her bag.
The important thing was, he didn't know she was trying to escape.
Caroline held the door open as her mom trudged outside. Instead of her usual sheriff uniform, she was dressed in light denim jeans, a white shirt, and a cardigan. She smiled appreciatively at her daughter as she let the door close behind them.
Another session done, Caroline thought ushering Liz to the exit.
It was only her second time going to the hospital with her mom since Liz told her about her tumor, but she seemed to be getting better or at least, she pretended she was. So as they left the entryway of the hospital and waved goodbye to the nurses, Caroline and Liz stood outside the hospital steps.
Liz turned to her and smiled.
"Thanks for coming again, sweetie. I know sitting with your mom while she gets injected with medicine for an hour isn't exactly how any teenager wants to spend their afternoon."
"It's okay, mom," she replied. "I know it must be hard for you to go through all that alone."
They began to walk down the steps together, Caroline holding onto her arm so she wouldn't fall.
"I called the doctors back at Mystic Falls to transfer all my medical files here last week. They said the transfer should be complete by tomorrow," she went on.
"You don't have to do that," Caroline stopped in her place. "I mean, you've been going to that hospital since I was a kid since you were a kid."
"That old place," Liz waved her hand. "It's fine. That place hasn't been renovated in years, Caroline, and besides, it's just another hospital."
"But mom…"
Liz clasped her hands around hers.
"I just want to make sure that the last moments I have alive, whenever they are, are with you," she explained. "Okay, hon?"
Caroline looked at her sadly but nodded.
They continued to walk down the stairs until they stood waiting on the sidewalk.
"So what time should I come over to the dorms, six?" Liz asked as a black and white car pulled up to the curb.
"Six sounds great," Caroline agreed opening the passenger door. "I'll have sandwiches ready for us when you get here."
Liz smiled to her colleague who sat in the driver's seat before stepping inside.
"Did you want me to bring Friends or How I Met Your Mother?" she asked as she buckled her seat belt.
"We've already seen Friends three times," Caroline laughed.
"Hey, without Friends there wouldn't have been a How I Met Your Mother," Liz joked. Caroline closed the passenger door. "But I'll bring them both anyways. Bye, honey. See you soon!"
"Bye, mom," Caroline waved just as the police car pulled away from the parking lot.
Watching the car disappear, she stood alone on the sidewalk. She began to walk towards the direction where she parked her car. Rummaging through her bag she pulled out pages of research and her car keys. Jumping into the driver's seat, she set them on the passenger seat beside her while she typed an address into Google Maps.
Destination: Duke University.
Klaus patted a wet toilette over his sister's eyes, wiping away the streaks of blood that had stained her face. Pulling the covers over her, he wrapped them around her shoulders while she slept. Hovering his palm on her forehead, he could feel the heat emitting off her body. He sighed.
What was wrong with his little sister?
No doubt some form of witchcraft. Maybe it was a hex. Or the side-effects of being stuck in a house full of witches for several weeks. Whatever it was, it was killing his sister and he couldn't allow that.
Hayley lightly knocked on the open door.
"They're waiting for you downstairs," she said. "And Hope's asleep. I think we should go talk with them."
He nodded.
Reluctantly leaving his sister's side, he joined Elijah, Kol, and Hayley in the dining room.
"So what happened," Klaus scowled. "I leave to run some daily errands and I come back to my house in ruins, my compound flooded with werewolf blood, my child almost taken from me, and my little sister is dying."
The three of them stood in silence.
"I suggest you speak fast because my patience is quickly diminishing."
They hesitantly looked amongst each other before Hayley spoke first.
"I was putting Hope to sleep last night when I heard the gates crash," Hayley started.
"And I was with Rebekah upstairs when we too heard the commotion," Elijah added. "It was Finn."
They all turned to Kol.
"And where were you in all of this?" Klaus questioned suspiciously.
"Don't give me that look, Nik," Kol frowned. "I was in the dining room having a drink."
"And you didn't think to help us when Finn attacked?" Hayley exclaimed.
"What'd you want me to do? Fight him? It was simple math, Finn's a stronger witch and I'm weaker, me against him would be my death!" Kol defended.
"Not only are you a traitor, but a coward too," Elijah spat.
"Careful, mate, wouldn't want another rerun of last night, now would we?" Kol pressed. "How many wolves did you kill this time, Elijah? A couple dozen or so?"
Elijah scowled.
"Stop," Klaus scolded them. "Save your fighting for our enemies. We have no time to waste bickering, our sister is dying upstairs! Now, what else happened?"
"Wolves," Elijah continued. "His pack of mongrels came barging in to defend him, and like the weakling Finn is, he made them do his dirty work."
"And then Elijah spitefully slaughtered them all," Kol added. Elijah flashed him another glare.
"Brother, you must understand I only wished to shorten the fight and kill the enemy who's been harassing us for months now!" He snarled at Kol. "That's more than I can say for you."
"Elijah got bit," Hayley cut in. "And Finn had his remaining wolves grab Hope, Rebekah, and I. Before he was going to kill us, he was hurting Elijah. But then Rebekah broke free."
"And?"
They grew silent. Klaus impatiently tapped his fingers on the table.
"It was like a power I have never seen before," Kol spoke. "One moment she was poor, defenseless Rebekah and then suddenly it was like she had all the power in the world. And this wasn't the first time I had witnessed this amount of power from her before either."
They all glanced at him questionably while Klaus listened intently.
"The same thing occurred when I had Rebekah and the Salvatores held captive. A flash of light and suddenly the room was spinning like a pressure was pushing against me," he went on. "How else do you think they escaped?"
"Wait," Hayley broke in. "Damon and Stefan Salvatore were here? Why?"
"Nothing of the matter," Klaus replied.
"But that's beside the point," Kol interjected. "Whatever happened out there. Whatever's going on with Rebekah, it's a power I've never seen before."
Klaus turned to Elijah and Hayley who nodded in agreement.
"This can't be of Esther or Finn's work," Elijah inquired. "He fled just as the chaos began."
"And I doubt the witches in the French Quarter have anything to do with this either."
"So what are you saying?" Klaus asked.
"I don't know what to say," Kol shrugged. "But I think our enemy is a lot closer than we think."
They had been trudging through the woods for half an hour. The lake turned out to be a lot farther from the Lockwood estate than she remembered in her dream. When they finally arrived at their destination, the trees parted to reveal a glassy blue lake in the center. The water so clear that you could see everything below.
Kai tossed his bag on a patch of grass and began to strip. He threw his shirt at Bonnie who swatted it away.
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed, throwing the shirt back at him.
"Giving you a show," he winked before hurling his pants at her to reveal his navy blue swimming trunks.
"Well, I'm not your laundry bag, so keep your clothes somewhere else," she chucked them back.
After setting her stuff down, she overlooked the lake.
The center was where the water was darkest, just as she had remembered. Although it was light out, the sight was still frightening. The thought of getting sucked into the dark hole haunted her mind. But she had to check it out. Especially if it was her only way out of this retro-hell.
She looked to her side to see Kai grinning back at her.
"What?" she asked annoyed.
He motioned to her clothes.
Her eyes grew wide.
"Are you waiting for me to change in front of you!?" she yelled.
"Your words, not mine."
"Nice try, but I'm not swimming. Not with you at least," she muttered.
"What," he ran towards her. "But you have to. That's why we came here today."
"'Your words, not mine.' I'm just here to," she thought for a moment. "Admire."
"Me or the view?" he teased.
She rolled her eyes unamused.
"The view, you idiot," she pushed him aside, her hands accidentally brushing his skin. She quickly pulled her hands away embarrassed, all the while Kai's smirk only growing.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
"Excuse me?"
"My skin, I mean. I can give you a hug if you'd like."
He extended arms, stretching his torso that revealed his nicely toned body. Bonnie backed away.
"No, get away from me."
"Oh well," he shrugged. "Your loss."
Turning from her, he walked toward the shore and waded into the water. Bonnie set out a wool blanket under a tree and pulled out her notebook and map, and began to write. She had to plan.
Matt got shoved back and fell to the ground. Nate, his sparring partner, walked towards him with a grin on his face.
"Come on, Donavan! Kick his ass!" his teammates encouraged on the sidelines.
Nate got into position beckoning him to go after him again.
"Yeah, come on, Donavan," he provoked. "Is that all you've got?"
Pulling himself back up, Matt went back into position. He swung at him, barely missing his face. Nate laughed. Matt went to go again, this time with a three-punch combo, but still missed. The guy was quick, he'd give him that, but his hits weren't strong enough.
This time Nate swung first, Matt dodged only to be met with Nate's other arm hitting his chin.
"Get him, Donavan!"
Matt backed away slightly, shaking his head, but maintained his position.
Nate swung again, missing him, but kicked Matt to the ground. Just as he was going to kick him again, Matt kicked him in the chest making him sprawl backward, just enough time for Matt to get back up. Before Nate could recover he swung nailing him on the right cheek. He swung again with a left upper-cut making Nate stumble back. Nate tried to retaliate by going in for another swing, but as he lunged forward, Matt kicked him swiftly in the chest.
The crowd cheered.
As Matt hovered over him, Nate grumbled in defeat. Matt offered his hand.
"Hey, good fight, man," he said as he pulled him up. "You get a little cocky when you think you're winning and forget to keep your guard up while attacking."
Nate nodded.
The rest of the squad patted him on the back.
"Way to go, Donavan, thought you almost lost it there!"
"Yeah right, as if Nate could beat, Matt!"
"I know, that last move was killer!"
Matt smiled in appreciation.
Another member walked towards the group.
"Donavan."
He looked up.
"Steven wants to speak with you."
Nodding, Matt waved good-bye to his comrades before following the messenger while the rest of them continued to spar. They entered the brick warehouse and into a separate room where Steven sat.
"Donavan," Steven greeted. He nodded towards the messenger to leave, the door closing behind him. "Have a seat," he offered.
"Sir."
Matt took a seat once more on the velvet couch next to Steven's leather recliner.
"Do you know why I have you called you?" he asked simply.
Matt looked at him nervously and shook his head. "No, sir."
"I've been observing you at practice, Donavan," he stated. "You're getting sloppy."
It was true. Ever since he went on that mission to capture the "deranged vampire" in the woods, he had gotten progressively worse. The moment he realized he had hurt one of his friends, he couldn't bring himself to forgive what he had done. He had hurt Caroline unintentionally. If Stefan hadn't been there to stop them, they would've caught her and she would've been subject to torture and abuse, and there wouldn't have been anything he could've done to stop them.
"Sorry, sir. I'll work on it."
"So tell me what happened, son," Steven leaned forward. "What's going on? Did you get injured on the mission? Or…"
"It's just," he paused, thinking of an excuse. "I have never seen a vampire up close before."
Lies. He dated a vampire. Two vampires actually. He even had sex with an original vampire for a whole summer. But he needed a reason for his lack of performance in the field lately.
Steven nodded his head understandingly.
"They're frightening, I know. But once you learn to hone your skills and learn to exploit their weaknesses to your advantage," he said. "You'll never be afraid of them again."
Steven got up from his seat and poured himself a drink before taking a sip. Matt watched him cautiously.
"But that's not the only reason why I called you in today."
"It's not?"
He shook his head. He turned to face Matt again.
"Remember what we talked about?"
Matt nodded. "Some kind of key you wanted me to get for you."
"Yes, but we'll hold off on that one till the end," he explained. "I need you to confirm something for me."
"Yeah, sure, anything."
Steven smiled.
"It has come to my attention that one of the oldest founding family members' sons have returned to Mystic Falls just three years ago. It seems he was in your graduating class," he started. "Tell me, do you know a Stefan Salvatore by chance?"
There was a resounding knock at the door. As the door peaked open a smiling Enzo stood at the entryway.
"Hello, Stefan."
"Enzo," the brown-haired Salvatore replied apathetically. "What do you want?"
"Your brother and I are shooting pool tonight at the bar, care to join us?"
"I rather not, but thanks anyway," he replied still unamused.
"Suit yourself. Nice house, by the way, buy this while your brother was away?"
Stefan frowned.
"Seeing that I can't exactly return to the one in Mystic Falls, it seemed logical to get another."
"Right," Enzo smirked.
Damon came down the stairs and waved to Enzo.
"Hey, buddy!"
They exchanged a handshake.
"Long time, no see. You ready for tonight?"
"Absolutely, what better way to spend time together than play with balls and sticks."
Damon laughed and patted Enzo on the back. Enzo flashed a smug look to Stefan who looked at him indifferently.
Just as they were about to leave, Damon stopped.
"Damn it, where's my phone?" He patted his pockets, "I'll be right back."
Damon ran back upstairs leaving Enzo and Stefan alone again.
"Billiards, huh."
"It was his idea," he shrugged. "You never know when he might disappear to another dimension again. At least this way I'm spending time with my friend."
"Right, because I don't spend enough time with my brother," Stefan said with a fake smile.
"I'm just saying, you didn't seem to spend a lot of time trying to bring him back."
Stefan went to say something but stopped when footsteps could be heard from the top of the stairs. Damon came down scrolling through his messages. He wiggled it in his hand.
"Found it, little bastard." Damon shoved his phone in his jacket. "Alright, let's go!"
Enzo smiled as Damon walked past him.
"Are you coming or not, Enzo?"
"I'll be there in a moment."
Enzo turned back to Stefan.
"Before I forget, I have to ask you something."
"Well, don't leave me waiting. What do you want?" Stefan crossed his arms.
"Ever hear of an ancient witch coming to Mystic Falls a couple centuries ago?"
"I get the feeling you did."
"I did some research, and I found that that witch apparently came offering a gift. A gift to cure the world of all evil. Weird, huh?" he grinned.
"Yeah, weird," Stefan agreed cautiously. "And where did you get this information?"
"Let's just say I met some interesting fellows while I was locked up with those wannabe vampire hunters," he laughed. "I mean, what is this, Pandora trying to take back her box?"
He laughed some more.
"We're missing happy hour, Enzo!" Damon called from the driveway.
"I'm coming!" He turned back to Stefan. "But I suppose it's just another myth, you know, like vampires and werewolves. As if those exist." Enzo winked before leaving. "Don't stay up too late, kiddo. He and I won't be back till late."
With that Enzo joined Damon in his car. The engine roared as they drove away. Stefan closed the door concerned. He'd have to check on something when the border was down because there was no way they could've found out. And yet they did.
But how?
Kai emerged from the lake, dripping all over. He walked back to where Bonnie was sitting and grabbed a towel from his bag. Wiping his face, he turned back to her.
"You should really go for a swim. The water's nice."
Bonnie looked up from her book.
"And it'll be nice tomorrow too when I'm not busy," she answered.
Sighing, he continued to wipe the rest of his body before laying at the foot of the tree. The sun basked down on his bare body that glistened with moisture from the lake. Bonnie's eyes turned away immediately.
They sat in silence.
"Y'know. I still can't believe you just got rid of your magic like that," Kai said with his eyes closed.
Bonnie froze. She didn't respond.
He opened his eyes and looked up at her.
"But I guess that's coming from someone who's never had magic of their own," he continued.
"It's not all that great," she mumbled.
He laughed.
"Y'know when I was a kid, I used to steal magic from my siblings while they were sleeping. I'd siphon just enough for the following day so I could prove to my parents that I could practice magic."
"Well, obviously that didn't last long."
Kai sat up, resting his arms behind him, holding himself up.
"You're right, it didn't. As I grew older, the spells became more complicated and more magic dependent, and at some point, I just didn't have enough," he went on. "Eventually they caught me stealing magic from my twin sister."
Bonnie set her notebook down.
"That's when they realized what I really was. A siphoner."
"Did you ever think of telling your parents the truth from the beginning?"
"That's a cute thought, Bonbon, but I don't think you understand how witches see siphoners," he laughed. "We're abominations. The scum of the witch community. The atrocities of the sacred art. Outsiders."
She studied his face, but there was no sign of sadness when he spoke.
"It's not like being a witch is all that amazing."
"Really?" he asked fascinated.
"Yeah," she scoffed. "It was the moment my friends realized that I was a witch, that they realized they could use me for anything."
"Like what?"
She laughed to herself.
"How about freeing a tomb full of vampires, or opening a casket of a thousand-year-old witch, or dropping the veil to the Other Side? And let's not forget the countless locater spells my friends used at their disposal," she ranted. "I've done almost every kind of magic there is."
She cringed at the memory of years of being pushed around by others, being forced to perform spells she hadn't fully understood, doing things she had never intended. In the two years she discovered her powers, she had resurrected the dead, completed an Expression Triangle, and died twice in the process.
"Impressive," Kai nodded. "I guess I was right to assume that you are a powerful witch."
"Was a powerful witch," she corrected.
"Right, was," he repeated.
He turned to admire the lake.
"Tell me, did you ever once do something for yourself?" he glanced back at her. She turned away. "I don't mean to pry, but it seems like you were giving more to your friends than they were giving to you."
"Once," she said softly.
"What happened?"
"I died."
He looked at her confused as if he had seen a ghost.
"Uh, then…"
"I'm alive now, obviously. But when I tried to bring Jer–, my friend, back to life, I used too much magic to resurrect him and it kind of killed me in his place."
"Oh."
"Yeah, something about nature always finding balance."
"And where is this friend now?"
"In Mystic Falls, alive, I hope," she smiled to herself.
"Hm," he thought out loud. "Well, Miss Bennett, you're probably the strongest witch I've ever encountered, and I've learned a lot about you today."
She looked back at him.
"Like what?"
"That you truly are 'brave, loyal, and patient,'" he replied. "And that's exactly why you're stuck here with me."
Caroline followed next to the doctor, holding out the research she had printed. They strolled through the university's medical center as they talked.
"And that's when I read your article in the 'New England Journal of Medicine.' You talk about tumor reduction using Hypothermia treatments," Caroline spoke.
Doctor Moore looked to her impressed.
"That's not exactly a light reading, dear. I don't even assign my students to read that journal."
"Well, I didn't say I completely understood it," she laughed nervously.
Digging into her bag, she pulled out a folder.
"These are my mom's charts," she handed them to him. "Look, your bio says that you're an amazing expert on glioblastoma and I really, really need an expert because my mom's doctors are telling her that she's not a good candidate for clinical trials."
Caroline looked directly into the doctor's eyes.
"And you're not going to give me any grief on insurance or confidentiality or anything except your honest opinion," she compelled.
The doctor nodded before he looked through Liz's charts, scanning each page carefully before answering.
"Her doctors are doing everything right."
Caroline's heart dropped.
"It's a Grade IV tumor," he continued. "They could try full-brain radiation, but that would seriously impact any remaining quality of life. She'll face cognitive and verbal decline, motor loss, personality change, and meanwhile, she could still be prone to developing a morphine-resistant pain."
She swallowed her tears.
"So, you're saying that there's no feasibly medical solution?" she asked.
"I really wish there were, but there's nothing we can do."
He handed the charts back to Caroline and walked away.
Taking a deep breath, Caroline pulled out her phone. Two thirty-six pm. Her mom would be expecting her in three hours, and it would take her at least two and a half hours to drive back. She quickly dialed a number and held it to her ear listening to the phone ring. A voice picked up.
"Hello?"
"Elena," she spoke hesitantly. "Do you still have that patient? I'd like to see him."
It was past midday, the sun had just passed its peak. The cloudy grey horizon painted the sky with a gloomy look of despair. Marcel sat over the edge of an abandoned parking garage. Weeds peaked from the cracks and mold stained the walls with thick brown. From across the river, he could make out the French Quarter. His home, his kingdom.
Klaus' child was alive, a revelation discovered shortly after barging into what used to be his home to ask for the hybrid's aid. He didn't think to question how Klaus' child supposedly died, he figured the wolves had killed her when the Guerrera's attacked. But to see his child in Hayley's arms was shocking, to say the least.
He hadn't thought about confronting Klaus about it. He feared what he might do if he found out that he knew about his precious child. One of two things could happen; either he'd be killed on the spot or compelled to forget everything, and the thought of forgetting this piece of information would be such a loss.
This could be his leverage. His chance to take back the kingdom that Klaus had so unfairly taken from him. The kingdom that was rightfully his. But was he really willing to risk it all with that child? He knew Klaus' wrath would be endless, and it would be pointless to work against Klaus when they had yet to find another way to stop the hybrid without killing him so the rest of his line wouldn't die alongside him. Besides, Klaus provided protection. Why leave the winning side. Finn was obviously doing a terrible job of stopping his siblings. He shook his head.
Josh, a twenty-year-old vampire with dark brown hair, entered with Gia, a young woman with raven hair and deep brown eyes.
"Marcel, they're here," he announced.
He nodded.
Getting up from his position, Marcel towered above the edge of the garage. Looking down at the small crowd of people below he took one step forward, plummeting to the ground before landing gracefully in front of them with ease.
They backed away astounded, a mix of fear and curiosity on their faces.
He brushed off his pants before standing before them.
"My name is Marcellus, but you can call me Marcel," he began. "What you just saw is probably something you've never seen before."
He paced in front of them, looking each of them in the eye. Gia and Josh joining him from above.
"What you're about to see is like nothing you've ever experienced, nothing you'll ever be able to do without my help," he went on. "Because trust me when I say: being a vampire is a thrill like no other."
Joe walked quickly through the hallway, stuffing files in their compartments and signing papers from nurses.
"Yes, I need painkillers for patient five and a feces sample from patient four," she spoke to the nurse.
The nurse nodded and left to retrieve what she had asked.
Alaric tapped Joe's shoulder holding two cups of coffee. Joe smiled.
"I'm glad I caught you before you touched a feces sample," he joked. "Here, I brought you a café latte with a pump of vanilla, an extra shot, and whip cream on top with caramel drizzle, just the way you liked it."
She took the warm paper cup from him.
"It's two pumps of vanilla and two extra shots of espresso."
"Darn, I'll get it next time."
She kissed him.
"Thank you," she smiled, "But I've still got a lot to do."
She began to walk away. Alaric followed after her.
"How about we do something tonight? What time do you get off? I'll pick you up."
"Not tonight," she turned back to him. "I've got interns to teach at five, and nonstop patient hearings from now until ten. Maybe another time."
"Ten it is then!"
"It's kind of late, don't you think?"
"For old people, yes."
Joe frowned.
"But we're not old!" he added. "Come on. You work all the time. We can go midnight bowling and grab a drink after? How does that sound?"
She looked at him for a moment, thinking. Before nodding.
"Ten o'clock," she agreed and kissed him again before walking away. "But prepare to get your ass kicked."
The doorbell rang. It's bells echoing through the small room. Getting up from her seat on the couch, Camille placed her research papers on the coffee table next to her mug. She was dressed in jeans and a loose blouse as she walked to the door. Looking through the peephole she saw a puffy-eyed girl. She quickly unlocked the door.
"Davina, what's wrong?"
Davina stood teary red eyes. She looked like a mess. Her lips quivering when she responded.
"Kol… Kol broke up with me."
"Oh honey, come on in."
Camille held the door out wider and ushered her in. She sat her down on the couch and wrapped her arm around her.
"What happened? Why'd you guys break up?"
"I don't know," Davina cried burying her face in Camille's chest.
Grabbing a box of tissues, she handed them to Davina who proceeded to wipe off her smeared make-up.
"Lately we've been working on this spell together," she started. "But it's really hard and complicated, so we've been having troubles trying to get it to work."
Taking the tissue box, Camille set it back on the coffee table as Davina continued to talk.
"And I don't know, but I went to help Marcel and his friends with this thing, but then things got out of hand, so Kol had to show up and save us," she explained. "But I thought we left on good terms. But when I left to see him yesterday, he told me he didn't want to see me anymore becausehefoundsomeotherwitchtodothespelland-"
She began to cry hysterically again, throwing herself over Camille while she tried to soothe her. There had to be something in her psychology notes about how to properly comfort teenage girls in distress, but she must've skipped that chapter.
"It's okay, it's okay, Davina," Camille said calmly, rubbing Davina's back.
"No, it's not okay!"
"Did you try to talk to him after that?"
"No, I think he's mad at me because I tried to prove to him I was capable of doing the spell. But then I failed," Davina wailed. "I failed, Cami. I'm a failure!"
She cried some more.
Camille sighed as she wrapped her arms around the young witch. Just another day as a human in New Orleans she supposed.
Caroline rushed into Whitmore hospital. Maneuvering through the busy hallways, she rushed passed countless rooms before coming across a group of students dressed in red polos. Searching through the crowd, so looked for a familiar brunette.
Elena's hand popped up, waving to her from the middle of the crowd. She quickly excused herself from the group of students and she rejoined her blonde friend.
"Hey," Caroline greeted.
"Hey."
Elena pulled her into a hug before letting go.
"Perfect timing," Elena sighed. "We were about to identify pee samples."
They shivered together in disgust.
"So how've you been? How're the sessions with your mom going?" Elena worriedly asked.
"Well, for starters, I actually attend them with her now," she answered nervously.
"Well, that's good."
"Yeah," she swallowed. "I mean, it's still really hard for me to see her like this. But she's always really happy when I'm there with her, so I guess that's all that really matters."
Elena rested her hands on her shoulders.
"You're doing the right thing, Care."
She nodded her head.
"Are you sure about this though?" the brunette asked.
She hesitated.
Was she sure about this? She could be risking her mother's life. But if she didn't try, her mom could lose her last chance of survival. At least this way she'd know that she had tried everything she could.
She looked back to Elena and nodded confidently.
"Yes," she confirmed. "The doctors say she has about two months left in her, if the chemo works, she'll maybe have another three months, but that's still uncertain."
Elena looked at her sadly.
"I'm not ready for my mom to die, Elena. Two months, five months. It'll never be enough. I have to try."
Elena nodded her head understandingly.
"Alright. Come with me."
The two of them began to rush through the hall to a separate wing of the hospital. Frequently, Elena had to flash her medical badge to the other nurses who looked at them questionably until they finally made it to the last room of the corridor.
While Elena pulled up the patient's medical file, Caroline peaked through the glass window.
The blinds were shut to the outside window and the curtains were almost completely covered. Only a lamp brightened the dimly lit room. A middle-aged man slept soundly atop the hospital bed, covered with white sheets.
"So this is him?" she asked.
"Yeah, his name is Daniel. He's an ex-soldier from the army. He was sent here about three months ago from his station at Virginia Beach," Elena read from the file. "Apparently he had collapsed during a mission, and the doctors found a tumor in his brain. He shares all the same medical conditions as Liz, except he has about a week left in him. Now he's just running the clock."
She handed her the file.
Caroline placed her hand on the doorknob.
"You're sure?" she asked again. "I mean I'll closely monitor him for the next week or so and let you know how he's doing. But, Care, if he dies. It's–"
"I know, it'll be on me," she nodded reassuringly. "Thanks."
Caroline entered the room and closed the door behind her with a click while Elena stood outside keeping watch.
Entering the room, Caroline looked down at the sickly man before her. His eyes were slightly sunken in and his skin pale. She could barely see the slow heaves of breath coming from his chest otherwise she would've mistaken him of already being dead. She moved towards the bed and opened the file.
"Daniel Jacobson. An inoperable tumor," she read. "They've been zapping your brain with radiation for months now and yet they still couldn't save you."
The man grumbled.
"Yeah. I'd be groggy too if I were on that many painkillers. My friend says that all they can do is make you feel as comfortable as possible while you wait for the end," she paused. "I'm really sorry to hear that."
She moved to sit on the edge of the bed and read on.
"It says 'next of kin: none.' I'm sorry to hear that too," she moved closer. "But you see, on my mom's chart, on this spot, next of kin. That's where my name goes. Caroline Forbes. I'm all she's got, and she's all I've got."
Rolling down the sleeve of her cardigan, Caroline bit into her wrist so blood freely oozed. She softly pressed her wrist to his mouth so he could drink it. His eyes fluttered open as he looked at her confused. The monitor's beeps beginning to ding faster.
She looked into his eyes.
"Hey, I know we just met," she compelled. "But you're not going to remember any of this."
The beeps began to slow until Daniel's eyes closed. Pulling her wrist away, Caroline let the magic heal her wound. Just as she opened the door, she looked back down at Daniel full of hope and worry. She exited the room, Elena following after her until the door shut with a click.
Setting a box down among the others, Hayley and Jackson slouched down against the stacks of boxes, exhausted from a long day of carrying packages and furniture. They breathed heavily until their breathing returned back to normal.
"Well, I think that was the last of them," Jackson said standing up.
He offered his hand for Hayley to grab, pulling her up as well.
"That wasn't too bad," Hayley replied resting her hands on her hips. "Four flights of stairs, no biggie."
Jackson laughed.
"You'd think Klaus and his incredibly rich family could afford to give you guys a condo with at least one more elevator."
"I don't mind," he admitted. "Good exercise."
"I suppose."
Hayley began to walk around the empty room. There was a couch, a kitchen and a bedroom with a bath with boxes scattered everywhere waiting to be unpacked.
"It's actually pretty nice."
She knew Klaus was probably just trying to win the favor of the wolves just so he could manipulate them into doing his bidding. But what could they do? Their pack and several others were being controlled by Finn, and at least this way Hope would have more protection. But it still felt wrong to marry someone for your own benefit and not love. Especially since she still had a lingering feeling for a certain original vampire.
She looked at him sadly.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's nothing, really."
She nodded, but he was unconvinced.
"Hayley, we're going to be married soon," Jackson walked towards her and took her hand in his. "And I want us to be able to tell each other things."
But that was something she couldn't do. There were too many secrets. Too many things she wasn't proud of and afraid to tell him. And it killed her inside that she couldn't be honest with him. Not yet, at least. A look of guilt washed over her face.
"But I understand if you don't want to right now," he said sincerely. "Just know I'm here to listen."
"It's just," she sighed. "Family drama, I guess."
She slid her back against the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Jackson joined her.
"Did you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know. It's kind of…complicated."
"Try me," he smiled.
"Where do I even start?" she joked. "They're always fighting, and believe me when I say 'always fighting.' Whether they're on the same side or not, they'll always find time in the day to bicker at least once."
Jackson laughed. "And?"
"They're really secretive too, they don't even tell each other stuff. They all have their own personal agendas going on, and I feel like I'm stuck in the middle because I'm Ho–" she stopped herself.
Jackson looked at her curiously.
"You're what?"
She stared back at him regretfully, trying to suppress her desire to tell him the truth. Here Jackson was just being an honest guy who'd do just about anything for her. And here she was, his fiancé, who still couldn't bring herself to tell him the truth because of the danger it might elicit.
She glanced away.
"I guess that's what I get for searching for a family all my life," she chuckled to herself. "Figures I get stuck with the most complicated family of them all."
"Hey," he leaned forward. "You did find your family. Here, with us. Your pack. And when we're married and all this is done, we can get out of here and live our lives with the pack like we're supposed to. Free from witches, and vampires, and hybrids."
It was a nice thought. A dream that could never come true. If only he knew the complications it would bring. Who would take care of Hope? How could they escape from the one man that's unkillable? How could they ever be free?
She smiled sadly.
If only it were true.
Finn barged into the quiet greenhouse covered in dirt and disheveled clothing. Viciously he tore at the room, scattering spell parchments and empty vials to the floor. He slammed his fist on the table angrily.
Who was that girl and where did she get all that power?
What he had witnessed was indescribable, a power he had never encountered before and it was residing under the roof of the very enemies he was trying to take down. It had taken him months to master the art at such a degree, and even then he still couldn't comprehend the true limits of his power now that he was channeling his parents.
Desperately he searched through the spells that Esther had left behind, reading each one carefully trying to find a niche to gain more power, but they all pointed to dangerous practices.
He swiped the parchments away. Useless.
With the girl on Klaus' side, they were impossible to defeat, and there was no way he could channel that amount of power in such a short period of time without killing himself in the process. He needed a plan. A way to get her on his side. But judging by her desperate actions towards Elijah, she seemed to favor him. What puzzled him the most was that the woman even knew his name, but he couldn't recall ever meeting her.
He glanced down at Esther and Mikael who still lay dormant. Their power surging through him. The power was intense, but nothing like he had seen with the girl. He paused.
So why not channel her?
Slow jazz music played outside. He could barely make out the tune from the opened window of Rousseau's. Klaus sat quietly at the bar, his elbows resting heavily on the table with his hands wrapped around a glass of bourbon. His thumbs rubbed against the edges as he slowly twisted the glass in his hand. He knew it was getting fairly late, but he had no intention of leaving any time soon.
He had to find a way to save his sister. Whatever was possessing her was something he, nor his family, had ever seen before. But what boggled his mind the most was why Rebekah? Why her? What made her a candidate for such torture? She was barely a witch, an amateur at most. She had no previous practice in magic, nor any interest in it.
The amount of power she was holding was too overwhelming for her control that it was literally killing her. He shook his head angrily. Once he found out whoever was the cause of this, he'd kill them ten times over for hurting her.
"Klaus," a voice called, pulling him from his thoughts.
He looked up to see the blonde bartender dressed in her usual waitress attire. She walked towards him.
Camille. A grad student looking to get a job in psychology. He had just met her the year before when he tried to compel her to spy on Marcel. But since then, her use to him had diminished. Now she was nothing more than an outlet. It amused him to listen to her try to make sense of his life and categorize them into different groups, ss if his problems were anything but "ordinary".
"Did you need another drink?" she offered.
He lifted his glass to show it was already half full.
"I'm fine, thanks."
"So how've you been? How's the family?" she asked as she took a towel and began to wipe down glasses.
"The usual," he replied, taking a sip of his drink. "And you?"
"Well, if you count watching over a heartbroken teenage witch for a day normal, then I guess the 'usual'."
"I presume you're talking about Davina."
"Yeah," she sighed. "I was working on a research paper for my graduate degree and she showed up at my door absolutely teary-eyed."
"Well, that's unfortunate."
"For her, yes, for me, not so much," she went on. "She told me Kol dumped her for some other witch. Do you know anything about that?"
He shrugged.
"Beats me. My little brother has always had a fancy for powerful witches."
"So you're telling me Davina isn't a powerful witch?"
"I've dealt with stronger."
"So I suppose you know this new witch."
"Not necessarily. But I get the feeling I know who it is."
Camille rested the towel on the sink and leaned against the ledge.
"Well, where is she from?"
"Just a small town in Virginia."
"Really," she asked. "Do you have any friends up there?"
He laughed to himself.
"I wouldn't exactly say that. But I did have two of them visit me just recently."
"Really? Wow. How long were they in town?"
"For the day, I suppose. They just needed my blood."
"So they're supernatural friends," she thought out loud. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say they're vampires since they want your blood."
He nodded.
She looked at him questionably.
"So they're vampires in Virginia too?"
"They're vampires everywhere, sweetheart."
"Y'know, that blows my mind. I mean, just a year ago I found out vampires were real, but now to think that they could be anywhere is kind of." She paused. "Scary."
He looked back up at her with his devilish eyes but continued to drink his bourbon.
"Do you still go visit? To that small town, I mean."
"No," he answered bluntly. "I'm a little wrapped up here."
"Well, what's holding you here?"
For one thing, his sister was slowly dying from some unknown cause. His child needed protection from those who'd try to harm her. His brother was still suffering from a post-traumatic experience from his mother. And an Expression Triangle was in the midst of being completed. But he couldn't tell her that, she had but only been gotten a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. Her human mind wouldn't be able to comprehend the logistics of the troubles he tackled every day to protect those he loved. So he resorted to something less "supernatural".
"We're in the middle of preparing for Hayley's marriage to Jackson."
Cami cupped her mouth, her eyes wide.
He looked at her confused.
"She's getting married? That's so exciting!" she cheered. "When's the ceremony?"
"It's hard to say when my elder brother and father are trying to kill me and my family."
"Oh, right," she calmed herself. "Crazy brother and murderous dad on the loose. Got it."
He downed the last of his drink, before getting up from his seat.
"Wait, Klaus."
Cami inadvertently grabbed his arm.
He stopped and looked down at his arm and back at the nervous blonde. She quickly pulled her hand away embarrassed.
"Um. I know you're probably going through a tough time right now. With Hayley's wedding plans and your family always in danger," she spoke. "But just remember there are good things out there, Klaus. It may not seem like it now, but they're out there. Okay?"
He paused, thinking to himself, before nodding appreciatively. Leaving a hefty tip, he walked out the door.
He remembered stepping out of a hot shower. As he stood in front of the foggy mirror, he could feel the droplets of water sliver down his body. Taking a towel, he wiped the center of the mirror so he could see himself more clearly. He turned to his right where he had dug pruning shears in his back for hours. He lightly touched the area where his wound would've been, but it had already healed.
He sighed.
He had never encountered someone as powerful as Silas before. Somehow he had been able to trick him into thinking that a piece of the white oak stake was lodged in his back. The reminder of hours of relentless prying made him cringe at the humiliation. This Silas fellow was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
After drying himself off, he set the towel down. He glanced down at the clothes he had worn earlier.
Pants covered in blood.
That simply wouldn't do. Especially not in front of Caroline. He'd have to get some out of his wardrobe. Or a shirt at the very least.
He wrapped a towel around his waist and placed his necklaces around his neck before exiting the washroom. Stepping out, he immediately felt the cold air shiver over his bare chest. His room was only a couple feet away.
Caroline entered the hall carrying a box of baking soda and a jug of vinegar.
"Hey, Klaus. So I found these in your kitchen, and I think I read in a website that they could clean up blo–" Her head shot up to face him when she stopped. Her eyes grew wide as they trailed down his body to the flimsy white towel that was barely wrapped around his waist.
"Oh my god!" she screamed. Turning around, she closed her eyes. "Put some clothes on, will ya!"
"You can look," he mused. "I certainly don't mind."
"Oh my gosh, no!" she faced him, but one look at his naked chest, sent her head spinning the other way again.
He laughed amused.
She huffed away loudly into the other room still carrying the box of baking soda and jug of vinegar. He watched her disappear behind the wall muttering to herself before heading to his room. Rummaging through his wardrobe, he searched for an appropriate attire. He settled with his usual apparel: a grey Henley and a pair of jeans.
Entering the other room he could see Caroline throwing handfuls of baking soda onto the wooden floor where his blood had been.
He stood behind her and said, "You're going to need more than that, love."
Jerking forward, the box of baking soda fell from her hands as she quickly spun around to see Klaus. She frowned.
"Don't do that!" she exclaimed, shoving him away. "You scared me!"
"Well, who else would be here, love? This is my house after all."
"I don't know, Silas maybe."
He chuckled at her remark. Glowering, she looked back down at the mess she created. The box was nearly half-empty with its contents scattered all over the floor.
"Look what you made me do," she grumbled. She knelt down and tried to shove the extra powder back into the box.
"I would hope your keen vampire hearing would've heard me entering the room," he said joining her. "But I suppose I was wrong to assume."
She flashed him a glare, while a smug grin was on his face.
"If you must know. I was thinking."
"Hm, is that so?" grabbing the box, he poured whatever contents he had picked up. "About what?"
She sighed.
"This whole thing with Silas."
Dumping the remaining powder back into the box, Caroline grabbed the jug of white vinegar and began pouring a little bit of it over the baking soda. She waited for it to soak.
"Don't worry, love, I've got it covered," he assured her while handing her a small hand towel to wipe up the mess.
"Oh right," she mocked as she scrubbed at the wooden flooring. "Because you were doing so well without me, right?"
"True," he admitted. "But that's not to say I don't have a plan up my sleeve."
Not when you have no shirt on, you don't, she thought to herself.
She pulled the towel away to observe her work. Though the mess was cleared, a faded stain of blood still remained.
"What the hell," she pouted. "Google said it would work."
Klaus chuckled as she dropped the towel defeated.
"I figured as much," he said getting up.
She glanced up at him slightly offended as he left the room and returned with another jug.
Bleach.
"Take it from someone who's had to cover their tracks for centuries."
Uncapping the bottle, he poured it over the blood stain. Taking the towel, he rubbed the wooden floor until it was gone. He looked up at Caroline with a haughty grin.
She rolled her eyes. Grabbing the box and jug with her, she moved to the next location where blood had been. The carpet under the piano. He joined her with the bleach.
"Well, your plan better work before tomorrow."
"And why is that?"
She looked at him astounded. She waited for him to catch on, but he just stared back her blankly. She threw her arms up.
"Hello?" she gawked. "Prom."
He laughed.
Caroline frowned. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just not something I'd consider important."
"Prom is so important," she defended.
"Really, now," he challenged.
"Yes," she insisted. "Prom is like the one night when it's socially acceptable to spend hundreds of dollars on your hair and makeup and wear big gowns in public."
"You can wear fancy gowns all you'd like, love. I have a room full of them upstairs."
She scowled.
"Well, not every day is a Mikaelson Ball, Klaus," she retorted.
She began to scrub away at the carpet again. He snickered.
As he watched her scrub, he couldn't help but think she was a spitting image of a Cinderella. He chuckled to himself. Caroline gazed back at him anxiously.
Taking the towel from her grasp, he said, "Allow me."
He began to rub away at the stain while Caroline sat back observing.
He's so close, she thought.
She could still feel the heat emanating from his body. The bare body that she had been plowing at for hours with pliers. She had almost forgotten that her hands were all over him while she tried to search for the lodged stake that wasn't there. But there was something there. A strong back, with lean muscles shaping every crevice and a triangle tattoo engraved on the upper right corner of his shoulder. Before she could realize she had been staring intently at his back, he turned to glance at her.
"Is there a problem, sweetheart?"
She shook her head embarrassed.
"Uh, no."
They got up and moved to the next location. In front of the fireplace. Once more she poured baking soda and white vinegar on the stain, while Klaus scrubbed and added bleach.
"So what're your plans for prom?" he asked curiously.
Not that he was thinking about stopping by to steal a dance or anything. He was merely curious.
She looked at him surprised.
"Well," she began. "I'm going to pick up my dress from this new boutique down by the Grill, and then get my hair and make-up done at home. I'm supposed to show up at the dance a little early to check on the votes for Prom King and Queen and make sure their crowns are ready. But after the dance, I think we're having a party at Tyler's house whe–"
She slowly trailed off when she was reminded that her boyfriend wouldn't be attending. Because her boyfriend was out in the world trying to flee death. Because suddenly it dawned to her that the man before her was the reason why.
"I should go."
Caroline got up abruptly, Klaus' gaze following her. She began to rush towards the hall.
"What's wrong, love?" he asked, following after her.
"You!" she faced him angrily.
He stopped in his place.
"It's you," she repeated. "You're what's wrong."
He stared back at her blankly.
"You're the bad guy, Klaus," she went on. "You're the reason why my best friend's aunt's dead. The reason why my boyfriend's a hybrid and why his mother's gone. The reason why we even met Katherine in the first place who started this whole mess. It was you. You're what's wrong."
He looked at her defiantly.
"And."
"And you've done terrible things, Klaus. Terrible things. And I just don't think you deserve my help."
She turned to leave.
"And what about you."
Caroline froze.
"What, do you think because you drink blood in moderation it makes you any less a vampire?" he challenged.
She faced him angrily.
"Do you think because you suppress your desires to kill that you're any less than the ravenous beast inside? Or that you're nothing like the monster that you hide?"
He had her attention now, and this time, it was his turn to talk.
He sneered.
"Yes, I am the man that makes people quake in fear. The man who's killed scores of people and has ravaged hundreds of covens for centuries," he slowly stalked towards her. "Yes, I killed Elena's aunt to break my curse, hell, I even killed her mother too. Yes, I turned Tyler into a hybrid and killed his mother for his betrayal. And yes, I terrorized Katherine for five-hundred years for fleeing her fate, and guess what, sweetheart, I don't regret killing her whole family either. So call me what you wish; a villain, a rogue, a monster. I'm not denying what I've done. But it's who I am, sweetheart, it's what I do."
"Then why me," she pressed. "Why call me for help? Why not call Rebekah or Elijah? Or ask one of your hybrids?"
"Well, why not you?" he cried.
She scoffed. As she turned away, he seized her arm, yanking her to face him.
"Don't you dare turn away from me."
It was more of a plea than a demand. She gazed at him uncertainly as his eyes bore into hers.
"You know what effect you have over me."
"No, I–"
"Yes, you do."
She turned away guiltily, but his gaze didn't stray.
He never cared much for how she'd manipulate him. How she'd use her whims against him so her friends could sneak around his house or engineer plans behind his back. He didn't care. He was almost happy enough to oblige as long as she was in his company.
"You're kind, you're compassionate, you put other's problems before your own," he said weakly. "Why wouldn't I trust you?"
Trust.
He trusted her, something that she didn't expect to hear from those lips. After all those times she was sent to distract him, he still trusted her. So much so that he didn't even hold his family at such a high regard. It was frightening how much control she had over him, how vulnerable he was, and what her actions could do.
What were his words again?
I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity. Because of you, Caroline. It was all for you.
Those words resonated in her mind as she gazed back at him. Pulling away, she shook her head and walked back to the fireplace to help clean up the mess. As she knelt down, she looked back up at Klaus.
"I think this could use a little more bleach."
He nodded silently and handed it to her. As she took the jug from him, he walked away to a separate room.
Taking his phone out, he dialed his sister's number. It would probably be best if he called her now to check up on the situation seeing that he was uneasy to confront Caroline after their talk. He held the phone up to his ear and listened to it ring.
"What do you want, Nik?" Rebekah answered annoyed.
"An update on our search for the elusive cure."
"Let's just say that things have gotten complicated. In fact, why don't you speak to one of those complications," she handed the phone over. "Here."
"Complication speaking," a familiar voice answered.
"Big brother," Klaus smiled in recognition. "At last you join the fray."
"Somebody had to take charge. And now that I have, I've got the cure and I'm bringing it back to Mystic Falls."
"With a long list of demands, I assume."
"Not that long."
He heard the slam of a car door on the other line.
"Come home, brother. We'll settle this like family."
Klaus hung up his phone and prepared to return back to the other room.
"I used all your bleach."
Caroline entered. She walked past him as she wiped her hands with a towel.
"Hey," Klaus reached out and grabbed her arm again.
She spun around to look down at her arm and then back at him uncertainly.
"Thank you, for helping me," he said.
"Yeah," she paused awkwardly.
He looked at her in utter gratitude as she tried to turn her eyes away.
"Well, if you need anything else," she shoved the towel to his chest. "Don't call me. I have a prom to plan."
Once more she turned to walk away almost making it to the hall when Klaus hesitantly called out.
"Friends, then?"
She paused.
Biting her lip, she faced him.
He looked at her uneasily, waiting for her response.
"Are you gonna let Tyler come back into town?"
His face fell.
Caroline shook her head slightly, before turning away.
"You might've noticed," he blurted. Caroline turned to face him again. "I'm not exactly scouring the earth for him, am I?"
A small smile broke on Caroline's lips before she once more turned and left the room with a little skip in her step. As he watched her go, he couldn't help but smile as well.
I'll take that as a yes.
Klaus lightly knocked on the bedroom door. Peaking in, he could see Hayley holding Hope in her arms. His daughter was fast asleep wrapped comfortably in her mother's arms. Hayley looked up to him and smiled. Getting up she placed Hope in his arms.
"She's sleeping now. But you can hold her."
As Hayley silently left the room, he slowly set Hope back down in her cradle, watching her sleep. Her small breaths coming from her chest and the way she lightly clung to his finger made him smile to himself.
Yes, there are good things, he thought.
And the first person to show him that was a blonde vampire back in Mystic Falls.
It was dusk. Bonnie stumbled through the Lockwood property as she searched through the woods for the lake. Kai was back at the boarding house sleeping soundlessly when she had slipped away. All she carried was a small pack with the map, her notebook, and flashlight.
When she had finally reached the clearing, she immediately began to strip. As she lifted her shirt over her head, she felt the cold air sting her bare skin. She did the same with her shoes and pants, shoving them in her bag. She hadn't had time to pick up proper swimwear from her old house, so she was just in her undergarments. She set her items under the tree and walked slowly to the edge of the lake. The moon illuminated the clear water.
Taking her flashlight with her, she took one step into the lake, the icy cold water enveloping her foot. She shivered but pushed forward. She continued to wade into the lake until she was chest deep. She could still feel the soft sand under her feet, but as she went deeper, the bottom became harder to see. When she had barely her chin above the water, she took a deep breath of air and dived in.
It took a while for her vision to adjust. But soon the moon's light shined through the surface so she could see her surroundings. She continued to swim towards the center, making large strokes. When she needed air, she'd swim back up before going back down. She was getting closer. She could tell by how it became darker.
When she had reached the center, she looked down at what was below her. A gaping hole the size of a crater. It was dark and she still couldn't see the bottom, so she turned on her flashlight. Still nothing. She dove deeper, her flashlight leading the way. It's ray of light revealing stony walls that shaped the basin. She swam deeper into the dark abyss until she was no longer visible except for the air bubbles escaping her lips.
Tah-dah and chapter 13 concludes! Forgive me if it's boring at some parts, but it had to be done for story development. I don't particularly include things in these chapters for shits and giggle unless it's Klaroline related.
So yes, I included Camille and Enzo. Though they're not my favorite characters since they're wannabe Klauses and Carolines, and they're the most useless characters in the show, I do have plans for them.
And yes, the baby plot is included if it hasn't been obvious. Although I believe it was a terrible TERRIBLE mistake by the writers, as I said before, I try to stay as canon as possible (except with a twist).
And the Klaroline moment: I always wondered what happened before Klaus called Elijah. What I really like about this pairing is that they always have honest arguments (i.e. Decade Dance, ball, about the cure, etc.). But for this moment, I always wondered why Klaus would call her for help? She's almost as manipulative as him, but he trusted her.
"Good thing" was a reference to when Camille and Klaus danced and she said, "There are good things" in the show. I like to think that among the art, music, and culture Klaus has seen, Caroline was the first thing that came to mind when she said that.
I'd like to apologize beforehand if I don't update for the next two weeks. I know I just finally started to update again, but it's my finals week and I have a lot of projects, presentations, exams, and papers due. That's college for ya. But don't you fret, I will return! I always need a little bit of Klaroline in my day.
Until next time!
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Chapter Question: What do you think is sitting at the bottom of the lake?