Thanks for reading, my lovely and wonderful fans. This is Katherine's first dare so beware. Ha ha! Have fun!

Chapter 8: Triple Dog Dare You

It was a simpler time back before Katherine Gilbert had been invited into the dare club. I suppose we were all feeling badly for her. Now, I think we made a huge mistake. Yawning, I woke up to Elijah sitting on the end of my bed. "Lijah?" I sat up rubbing my eyes tiredly. "What's wrong?"

Elijah's cheeks were red and wet. He did not answer my question at first and I began to feel afraid. "Niklaus," he began slowly. Then he closed his mouth abruptly like he did not want to continue. Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair. He was beginning to scare me.

I scrambled to the end of the bed. "Elijah." Placing a hand on my brother's shoulder, I stared at him. "Elijah, please, tell me what happened."

Elijah turned to face me. His eyes conveyed sorrow which terrified me. "Niklaus, there has been a terrible accident."

"Oh," I felt my eyes fill with tears. "Was it Mother of Father? Don't tell me it was Kol or Bekah? They're just babies." I pleaded.

Elijah shook his face. However, his face was still contorted in grief. "No, Niklaus. It was no one in our family…" I listened to my brother's words feeling momentary relief before he finished. "It was Damon and Caroline."

"What?" I gasped, crouching beside him. Now, I was clutching at his sleeve. "No. Lijah. Not Damon and Caroline. No." I began to cry in earnest in spite of what my father had told me. "They're okay." Jumping to my feet, I pulled my pyjamas off and pulled the drawers open to get my jeans and t-shirt out. Jerking my clothes on quickly, I grabbed my sneakers from beneath my bed and shoved my feet into them.

"Where are you going?" Elijah called quietly as I opened the door to my room.

"I'm going to see my friends," I told him not bothering to face him. He was lying. I just had to prove it. Elijah had never lied to me. But he was now. Or he was wrong. He had to be wrong. I ran down the stairs past my mother who called to me but I kept going.

"Niklaus," my father called as I pulled the front door open. I ignored him and kept running. All I could think about was the first day of school, the coat closet and Caroline's kiss. 'I'm going to marry that girl,' I told myself. So, they both had to be okay. Because we're going to be friends forever. My feet were pounding the pavement closer and closer to the Forbes' house.

I suddenly stopped when Katherine came out followed by the rest of the dare club, except for Bekah and Kol. They all looked sober. My brother, Finn, came toward me and the look on his face caused me to begin backing away. When I turned to run I slammed into Elijah. "Nik," he said as he wrapped his arms around me.

I wailed. I couldn't help myself. I was six. Damon was six. Caroline was only four. This was not right. Kids were not supposed to die. I began to pummel my brother who allowed me to pound on his chest. At eleven, Elijah was already the rock of my siblings. He was sturdy when I was unsteady, my emotions taking control of me.

I felt arms wrapping around my shoulders rocking me. "We should go see them," Elijah told me. Wiping away my tears, I sighed.

"Okay. Let's go." I wouldn't believe it until I saw them. We walked as a group to the cemetery. When we had walked all the way to the back Elijah, Finn and Alaric pulled a door to a crypt open. "They're in here," Katherine informed me. Her eyes were wide with pity. She patted me on the shoulder as I walked into the crypt.

"What happened to them?" I asked the others as they walked inside.

"We don't know." Alaric told me as I walked over to look down at Caroline's pale little face. Placing a hand on her cheek, I felt tears pool in my eyes again.

"It was vampires." Katherine whispered. "We all know it. You saw the marks on their necks." She accused Elijah.

I whirled around to face them. "What do you mean it was vampires?" My heart was pounding in my chest. 'But if it was vampires then maybe they weren't dead after all,' I thought with renewed hope. Of course, they'd never age but I would still have my friends.

"Kat, you're crazy," Elena told her sister wrapping her arms around herself.

"Kat is crazy," Bonnie, Tyler and Matt joined in.

"Get out of here." Katherine yelled at them, waving them away. "As I was saying, it must have been vampires. They had these little holes in their necks. Right here." She pointed to her neck.

I watched, feeling a little sick in my stomach. "Where's Stefan?" I asked, gulping.

Katherine's eyes widened. "Oh, the vampires must have him. We should go look." She walked out followed by my brothers and Alaric.

I was left alone with my dead best friend and my dead… ummm… whatever… friend. Staring at Damon, I frowned. Walking over to him, I stared at him. He looked happy which was weird. Then his eyes snapped open and he lunged at me. "Grrr…" Damon snarled, opening his mouth with fangs bared. I jumped back and whirled around to run when I came face to face with Caroline.

"Ahh…" I yelled when she jumped on me, reaching for my neck. Damon held my arms down.

"Hi, there, Nik," Damon greeted me, smiling with his new fangs. I tried to pull away as Caroline leaned down with her mouth wide open. I closed my eyes waiting for the pain. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Then there was laughter. My eyes popped open and I stared up to see Caroline pull her fangs out. "Hi, Nik," She said giggling.

Damon was laughing hysterically as he pulled out his own fangs. "You totally fell for that."

Katherine walked in and she high fived Damon. "That was even better than I thought it would be."

Sitting up, I grabbed Caroline by the shoulders and began to shake her. "How could you?" I yelled at her until she started to cry when Damon pulled me away.

"It was just a joke," Damon told me, his eyes wide with shock. "It was funny. Don't be angry, Nik."

"I'm going to kill you." I shouted at him, wrapping my hands around his neck.

"Whoa." Alaric called as he and Elijah pulled us apart. "No killing in the dare club."

After I had calmed down, Katherine, Elijah and Alaric began to explain the dare. "Okay. So, this is how it went down." Katherine began with a wide grin.

Three hours ago:

Katherine was sitting on her bed, bored out of her mind. Having called the girls and finding that all of them were out, she had groaned and flopped back. Staring at the ceiling she thought of things to do. Clean her room? Hell, no. Terrorize Lena and Jer? Sounds like fun but she did that yesterday. Paint her nails? Already done.

"Am I that boring?" Katherine asked her room which did not respond. Well, at least she wasn't nuts. Drumming her fingers on the bedspread, she contemplated the paint on the ceiling. Then it occurred to her. "The dare club."

Picking up her phone, she dialed Elijah's phone number. "Hi, Lijah. Are you doing anything special right now?" When Elijah said no Katherine smiled to herself. "Good. Can you gather Damon and Caroline? I thought of a great dare."

Hanging up the phone Katherine wandered downstairs and found her family eating breakfast. "Hi. Mom. Hi, Dad." Katherine called with a wide grin that meant she was up to something.

"Hi, honey." Miranda called from the in front of the stove. "Do you want me to make you something?"

"No, thank you, Mom. I'm going to go to the Mikaelson's house. Can I take Lena?" She opened her eyes wide with just the right amount of innocence.

"Sure, Elena, stay close to your sister." Miranda ordered her younger daughter.

Elena reluctantly slid off her chair and followed her sister out the door. "Where are we going?" Elena asked her sister. Even at four she was used to Katherine lying.

"We're going to the cemetery after we get the other kids." Katherine strode ahead of her sister forcing Elena to chase after her.

When they got to the Mikaelson's Elijah was waiting with Damon, Caroline, Finn and Alaric. Katherine ignored Alaric and Finn because they had no role in her plans yet. "I dare you to pretend that vampires killed Damon and Caroline."

Caroline's eyes became huge. "No. I don't want to."

Damon shook his head. "That's stupid. Why would we do that?"

"Because we're going to scare Klaus. That's why. And it will be funny. So, just do it." Glaring at Damon, Katherine waited for his answer.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I don't know."

"Come on, Damon," Katherine stomped her foot. "Everyone has to do your stupid dares. Now, I want you to do mine." She pouted feeling hurt that it felt like this was the one dare they wouldn't do. 'Why did they invite her to their stupid club anyway if they didn't want her to make any dares?' Katherine thought sullenly.

"I'll do it," Caroline said, pulling at a curl nervously. "But you're not going to let any real vampires get me, are you?" The girl bit her lower lip staring at the others.

"Vampires don't exist." Damon snapped. "If the kid is going to do it, I'll do it, too." Standing up straight, he looked at his club members. "How does this work?"

"We have to go to the cemetery and put you in a tomb like you're really dead." Katherine told them and Caroline shivered.

"And you'll need fangs." Alaric told them.

Katherine nodded. "And Elijah will tell Klaus what happened to the two of you. We'll have to go your house, Care, and act like we're sad and stuff. Really freak Klaus out." After they were sure of the plan they walked to the cemetery. Elijah, Finn and Alaric pulled the door open to one of the tombs. "Okay, here's your new place." Katherine gestured for Damon and Caroline to walk inside. "So, you lay down like this." She laid down with her arms crossed. There and there." She pointed at where she wanted the two. "Then you want to jump up and scare Klaus after he comes in and we leave."

Caroline looked at the spot where they were supposed to lay down. "It's dirty." She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Yeah, and it smells." Damon added gagging.

"Too bad." Katherine snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "Now, we're going to go." She began to walk away when Caroline grabbed her arm.

"No," Caroline cried. "You can't leave us. I don't like the dark."

"You'll have Damon. Don't tell me you're going to wimp out?" Katherine stared down at Caroline, pulling the younger girl's hand off her arm.

"No," Caroline pouted as she went to sit with Damon.

"Remember when the door moves to get in position," Katherine called.

After the door was closed Damon and Caroline hugged each other. "They'll be back." Damon told Caroline.

"It's so dark," Caroline whispered. "What if there's a mummy in here?"

"What if Klaus' Mummy is in here?" Damon teased, causing Caroline to giggle. They waited until the door opened and then go into position.

Present time:

"It was funny," Caroline told Klaus. "You should have seen your face." She opened her mouth and widened her eyes in an O of surprise and fear.

"I hate you both," I told Caroline and Damon.

"No, you don't," they told me. I shrugged and walked out of the tomb.

"I'm going home," I called over my shoulder walking in front of the group. On the way we walked to the Gilbert's and I kept walking as they dropped them off. Then I heard them calling me back.

"Wait up," Elena called. "My parents are at your house." There was a note on the door of the Salvatore's and the Forbes' homes, too. We walked to my house and went inside. What we found in the Great Room made us all scream in terror. It was like a scene from one of those horror films that out parents didn't let us watch and that Katherine smuggled to us.

All of our parents were dead, suffering from bite wounds to the neck. There was blood on their clothes. My brother, Kol and my sister, Bekah came running in with Stefan and Jeremy. They were all crying. "They got Mummy and Daddy," Bekah wailed.

I gathered my sister into my arms as Elijah picked up Kol, who was desperately sucking his thumb. "Who did this?" I asked her.

"They did." Bekah pointed at Lexi and Anna, who were now standing in the doorway. The two babysitters gaped at the mess in the Great Room when my father began to get up blinking and moaning. When he saw us he opened his mouth to reveal fangs.

"Food," my father hissed and the other parents began to get up all staring at us with fangs displayed.

I screamed. "Everybody run." And we fled into the hallway every child for him/herself.

Back in the Great Room Lexi and Anna were puzzled. "What was that?"

Mikael shook his head pulling the fangs out. "Oh, just a bit of fun with the children. They think they're funny so I followed them on their little adventure. I decided to have one of my own before they came home.

"Do you think we should tell them we're not really vampires?" Bill asked.

"No, this could fun," Mikael told him.

"Think of it," Miranda chimed in. "Go to bed. No. I slip the fangs in, not only do they go to bed; they brush their teeth without further prompting."

"I wonder if I can get Caroline to eat her vegetables now?" Liz wondered aloud.

"Yes, think of the possibilities," Mikael told them with a grin.

Can I say our parents were a little crazy that year. Perhaps. But that was nothing compared to what happened years later.

Thank you to everyone who has read, written a review for favorited and/or followed this story thus far. I hope you're still enjoying it because there is a lot to come and there are two chapters before they age one whole year. I know it's slow but there are all these little milestones I want to try to hit on and they'll go by faster than you think like out childhoods.

Thank you to ferrylis, WeasleysGroupie, Redbudrose, LizGarza, fanfictionlover2013, Sissymac and The Irishshipperholic. If you want to see something happen or I forgot a request, shoot me a review. I want to know what you think and/or want to see.

Love,

LL