Sorry this took so long but I was lacking inspiration. I finally got it done and hopefully, have another one written before college starts for me next week. I might combine prompts that go well together. Stay tuned.
This was inspired by Heroes and Sky High. And if you ask - No, I will not be continuing this. No matter how much you beg.
Prompt: "Kol becomes caroline's knight in shining armor" -CastleLover96
Also, guest reviewers, please give some kind of name. I feel weird crediting a prompt to 'Guest' or 'anon'.
Did you know what happens when babies are first born?
Sure, there's a lot of blood, screaming, sweat and tears. Of course they all gush over you after the doctors have cleaned up all the gunk of you. And your parents can't believe that you're finally with them and they whisper – because they don't want to scare you – about how perfect you are. Isn't that just lovely?
It was a different case if your parents were Gifted.
You don't immediately get gushed over, first they clean you up, get a blood sample from you and then they mix that with a special serum that will determined how you're going to have to live your life. If it comes out blue, your parents take you home and you live the rest of your life as one of the special people. If it's red, you get placed in a mundane family and have to get a regular job like everybody else.
One parent would do to pass on the mutation gene that gave you a special ability like flying, super strength or shape shifting. Two means you could have more than one if you're one of those lucky bastards. And if you somehow ended up with that gene when both of your parents are just stereotypically and boringly Normal then wow, you're a winner. The last one is a special case. The mutated gene which they call the Holocene Gene is passed down through genetics so there must've been someone in your family who was Gifted and they passed that on to you but again, rare case.
Usually Gifted babies were from Gifted families. Some have legacies of doing all sorts of good and bad in the world. There were the Heroes and Villains but they all start of as Gifted and go to that special school, St. Gabriel's Academy for the Gifted, in the middle of town. Kids that go there know they're awesome, everyone knows they're awesome so they act like the special dickheads that they were.
I wasn't saying all of the Gifted are bad. They did grow up to become Heroes, saving the world one kitty stuck up in a tree at a time and It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman kind of way. Those Heroes did a lot of good in the world and we're grateful and everything. But when they were young…
They're jerks. Horrible, cocky jerks that looked down upon as Normals (or 'Normies' as they like to derogatorily call us) just because we couldn't freeze an entire lake with a touch of our pinky or read minds. Really, they were jerks.
And the worst jerks became the Villains. As in, world domination and kick a puppy kind of way. There weren't that many Gifted families that have legacies for being Villains but they were a few. But good or bad, my parents taught me one thing: Stay away from those Gifted pricks.
There was nothing wrong with being perfectly ordinary or Normal. That was my stance on that ever since we were seven and Matt Donovan declared that he was going to be a Hero despite the fact he had no ability besides his cheesy, disarming smile.
"I want to be special and save the world." Matt said, grinning at me all blue eyes and blond hair. Sweet like apple pie, the All-American boy and despite being besotted with him at that age, I scowled and said, "Special's overrated."
But I guess I couldn't really blame Matt for wanting to be 'special'. Normal was less stressful, less danger but also less exciting. Every day at school I could almost hear the quiet groan of the student body as they trudged along their day like zombies. We breathed in the soiled air and repeated the same motions, only broken by decade dances and charity car washes. There was no life here, just routine.
The only exciting part was when some Villain sends a giant robot near the school area and we're sent home so we could watch the Hero of the Week save the day in our TVs at home or when it's senior year for the Gifted.
What happened in senior year? Two words: Citizen Protection.
As the title suggests, a citizen was protected. A senior Gifted would come to our school, was assigned another student (not necessarily in the same year) and the Normal student was watched over by the Gifted student until the end of the school year. The teachers of St. Gabriel's plan all sorts of 'tests' for the Gifted student, such as elaborate kidnappings and dressing up as hooligans to 'attack' the Normal student. The Gifted student had to make sure their charge was safe and not seriously harmed. If they didn't, they failed and never graduated.
That's how most Villains were made.
Yes, yes, how sad and tragic and stupid. What the hell was with that system? What if the Normal student got injured in some way the Gifted student could not help? Well, too bad for them because they're still going to end up in a life of wickedness and crime whether they liked it or not.
Cruel maybe but that's their life and their problems. As I said, special was overrated.
I blinked at my Dad for a full minute, not saying anything. He winced and adjusted his tie, loosening it before fixing it back into place. It was a nervous habit of his, one he ended up with when he first became principal of the high school two years before I started there. With his stoic expression while he did, no one would think he was actually uncomfortable, fastidious maybe but I knew my Dad. I knew when he was unhappy because his hands were tied.
When I first started high school, I didn't expect to be treated differently than all the other students just because my Dad was the principal. My Mom was Police Chief of the city and that didn't mean I was exempted from any trouble so Dad treated me the same as any other student. If I messed up, I got punished, even a little more harshly than others to be honest. My parents wanted me to be a good student and good citizen and I knew better than to let them down.
But I couldn't help but feel that Dad just let me down.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, I kept blinking as I tried to absorb the information my Dad just gave me. I didn't know what to say for once and that was surprising because I talked non-stop most of the time. Somebody call the newspapers, Caroline Forbes is speechless!
Dad cleared his throat when the silence was stretched too thin. "Caroline, I know you're not happy…"
"That's an understatement." I felt dazed. This had a dream, a really bad dream – a freaking nightmare.
Dad continued as if he hadn't heard me. "But there is nothing I can do about this. You know these things are random lottery. You got picked this year and the good thing is, after this, you can't get picked again so just bear with me." He let out a sigh when he saw my scowl. "It's only a year, Care Bear, after that you never have to deal with them again."
He couldn't really promise that, could he? At some point in my life I was bound to interact with the Gifties, they practically owned the city. So I just had to suck it up and deal with a few skits where I am in 'danger' and just wait for my assigned 'protector' to come and save me. It was only for a year and my senior year would be Gifted-free, I could at least count on that.
I let out a defeated breath and slumped back on the chair I was sitting on. "What's his name?" I asked.
Dad piped up. "Kol Mikaelson. Tall, dark hair, pyrokinetic. He's supposed to be incognito so you'll barely notice he's there."
Nice, I get stuck with a literal hothead. And even though I couldn't see him, I would still know he's there, lurking, watching me like some freaking stalker. And yeah, his grades were on the line here but couldn't they have picked someone else? I mean out of all the girls at my school, why me?
After school, my friends and I hung out at our favorite café. As far as first days go, this had to be one of the worst. I usually looked forward to the first day of a school year but I spent almost all of it, sulking that I had to be the protected citizen. The others that had been chosen were pretty hyped up about it but not me. I wanted my privacy and freedom back.
Dana was discussing the new cheerleading routine for Friday's game (which I already finished drawing up last night) and how best to tackle the more difficult parts of practice (aka how to shut Tiki the fuck up because she was still bitter about not being named captain this year after the last captain graduated) when the world literally exploded.
Nah, someone just threw a mailbox at the window and ended up knocking one of the tables down. There was some panic and people scurrying out of the way of broken glass but it wasn't like this had never happened before. It was all part of our world of Heroes and Villains, civilians get glass stuck in their hair and a few cuts.
We were too far away from the mess to really be affected so we just started crawling towards the corner of the room and out of the way of any Villain who's decided to cause havoc today. The café owner is now guiding people towards the exit at the back and the civilians quickly but orderly obey.
I'm near the counter when a hand grabbed me by the arm and my ponytail whipped said person in the face as I pivoted to see who it was.
What greeted me was a tall, dark-haired boy who was looking very pissed. There was some smattering of glass in his black jacket like dotted stars, ultimately making him look like a good representation of the night sky.
His dark eyes were practically searing down at me as he frowned. There was a fresh bruise on his jaw and he looked pissed.
Tall? Check.
Dark hair? Check.
Pyromaniac? (His hand felt uncomfortably warm on my arm and I could feel it through the layer of my sweater) I'm gonna say check to that.
"Kol?" I asked.
And he gave a small nod before started dragging me out of the shop.
We're walking away from the café – okay, walking was too slow. Brisk walking maybe. No, running. I'm running because while Kol was brisk walking, his hand tugging on my wrist forced me run to keep up with his longer legs. His grip was too tight and I was starting to chafe.
"Hey, um, Kol?"
So eloquent, Care.
He grunted in response.
"Is it always that…that extreme? The practice tests?"
He let out a snort and spared me a glance with those searing dark eyes. "That's the light stuff."
Whoa. It's going to get worse? I mean, throwing mailboxes around wasn't really that bad compared to giant robots but what kind of tests were the Gifties supposed to go through? I thought it was just going to be a bunch of teachers in costume, trying to mug me in an alleyway.
I guess not.
"I'm Caroline." I say after a minute of silence. Kol is still tugging me along and the awkward silence, now draining itself of the adrenaline is making me fidget.
Kol whips his head around to look at me. "What?"
"Caroline. My name's Caroline."
He stops walking and turns to me fully.
"You're Caroline Forbes. You're seventeen and a Junior. You're the daughter of Principal William Forbes and Police Chief Elizabeth Forbes. You're an honor student, a cheerleader, head of the prom committee, and student body vice president. You've dated three boys, one of which is your close friend, Matthew Donovan. Your favorite color is pink, your favorite food is Cheetos and your favorite movie is Finding Nemo." He finishes with a flourish and I could only blink.
"How-"
"They gave me your file and I like to do thorough research." He explained like it wasn't creepy at all. "Did I get something wrong?"
I narrowed my eyes at his arrogance. See? Gifties were such pricks. No wonder their teachers were being so hard on them. They totally deserved it.
"Yes." I bit out, glaring at him some more. "I'm head cheerleader and my favorite color isn't pink but dusty rose. Do your research properly, Sherlock."
With that I walked away, leaving him to follow me.
Kol took me home and left just as quickly. Homes were restricted for the tests which I was glad for since I couldn't stand another minute with the hothead.
Dad came home a little bit later and I helped him make dinner. Mom came home usually in the middle of dinner or after so we usually made more for leftovers so she could heat them in the microwave if she stayed later at the police station.
We made idle chit chat during dinner just random topics of no importance when Dad asked about 'My Hero' aka Prince Fire breather.
"I met him today during a practice test. They threw a mailbox into the café I was in." I answered my Dad with a shrug and he looked concerned.
"Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?" He asked. When I showed him the band aid hiding the small cut on my arm, he frowned more and looked trouble.
"Usually the practice tests are pretty light. They aren't supposed to involve anything that can cause real harm to the civilians..." His voice trailed off and he seemed lost in thought. I watched him lost in his own thoughts before he spoke again. "Just tell me if something like this happens again."
Nothing as exciting as that happened again for the next three days. If anything I barely saw Kol at all, if not for the smell of smoke in the air I would sometimes get a whiff of I would think that Kol didn't even exist.
I went through the daily routine of my life. Cheer practice, prom committees, student council meetings, homework and the occasional visit to the bookstore since the cafe we liked to go to was still being renovated. My friends and I hang out at the lounge area and just talk about school and the woes of being a teenage girl.
None of my friends were chosen for Citizen Protection so they've been asking me about Kol. And I could only tell them what I knew about the little I knew of him from our one meeting.
"He's tall, has dark hair and eyes and he's a pyrokinetic."
Dana perked up at that. "Ooh, an Elemental? They're usually the most interesting ones, embodying their element all. So is he like fiery and stuff?"
I blinked. "You could say that."
"So how hot is he? No pun intended."
I rolled my eyes. "Just scorching but he's a total prick-"
My sentence was cut off as three masked men, all in black, entered the bookstore, holding the shotgun and rifles. One of them quickly closed and locked the only door out and stood guard there. The other two proceeded to shout at us and force every person in the bookstore to the ground, clutching each other in fear.
Dana whimpered beside me on the rug in the lounge and she looked ready to cry. I tried to calm her by assuring it was alright but one of the masked men came up to us and pointed his gun at me.
I stared up at him with wide eyes and he growled out, "Are you Caroline?"
"Why-"
He cocked his gun. "Are you Caroline Forbes?"
Dana was sobbing into my shoulder now and the man grabbed me by my arm and dragged me up, shaking me to loosen Dana off. When Dana finally let go, the man dragged me towards the other men who quickly and efficiently as they came in left the store with me helpless for an escape.
They put a bag over my head and pushed me inside a van and I tried to keep myself calm. My mom had always tried me to prepare for practically any eventuality since I could walk including kidnapping situations like this and I tried to remember what she told me.
Keep quiet, don't speak so much, remember my parents' phone numbers and try not to get myself killed. Do. Not. Panic.
Problem was, I was panicking. Quite badly. I was shaking and my hands were damp from cold sweat. I kept thinking that this would be a great time for a hero to rescue me now. Please. Before it was too late – oh please, before it was too late.
"…why does the boss want with some teenage girl anyway?" The man who sounded nearest to me asked. And I reeled in my panic to try and listen. I felt like this was important and I had to know why I was being kidnapped.
Another man answered. "Apparently something to do with legacies or whatever. I stopped listening until he discussed payment."
"Wait, what legacy-"
The van screeched with a sudden halt. And I heard the sounds of the men panicking and the van door opening. There were gun shots and shouting with what felt like forever before the van was being opened again and the bag was pulled off my head.
I almost sighed in relief as I saw Kol who untied the ropes on my wrists and then hoisted me into his arms, carrying me out of the van. I didn't look at the bodies of my kidnappers on the ground but could only stare at Kol's determined expression. He looked like a War God after battle. It was mesmerizing and I could not look away.
"Is she okay?" An unfamiliar voice asked and I turned away from Kol to look at the other boy standing there. He had dark hair and eyes but with softer, rounder features and his hair was cropped shorter. He was the same height as Kol but more muscled.
Kol glanced at me before answering his companion. "Yeah, she's fine."
The boy smiled at me and it was close to a grimace. "I'm Jeremy. Kol's friend."
"Caroline."
"I know." He explained when I looked at him questioningly."Kol asked me to track you when you were taken. I'm a Clairvoyant. I can find anyone in the world."
"And I don't have super strength." Kol dropped me suddenly, making me land painfully on my ass. Kol dusted imaginary dust off his clothes, all the while scowling at me. "You could afford to lose a few pounds, Forbes."
I gaped at him indignantly before getting up and dusted dirt off my clothes. I turned back to Jeremy cause he was a great deal more pleasant than Little Fire Boy. "Was that a practice test?"
Jeremy exchanged a glance with Kol before answering. "Yes."
When I got home, my parents were not happy to say the least. They called St. Gabriel's headmaster and asked why the practice tests were so extreme but no one was answering. Dad was pissed and Mom was determined for answers. They both started making phone calls and I finally just went up to my room for some sleep when I realized they didn't plan to stop for a while.
The next morning, I went down for breakfast and found Dad in his office, talking to someone on the phone. He finally hung up and looked exhausted, like he hadn't had any sleep which must be the case since he was still wearing clothes from last night.
I pushed open the door more and entered the room. "Daddy?"
He looked up at me with tired eyes, heavy bags under his eyes and the lines of age on his face more pronounced than usual. He looked haggard. "Care bear, you're up."
"Is everything alright?"
He looked conflicted for a minute before answering. "I guess there's no point in not telling you. I just got off with phone with Headmaster Lockwood. Turns out Kol was expelled just right before that incident with the café."
I blinked, trying to absorb this information in. "Expelled? But the practice tests-"
"-are not really practice tests. Someone has been trying to harm you, sweetie. And we don't know who. Kol has been voluntarily protecting you this entire time."
My head was spinning. "But why would anyone want to hurt me?"
Before Dad could answer, the knockout gas filled the room and all I saw was black.
I woke up cold. And that I realized was because I was in a dark, dingy apartment and the A/C was on full blast. I also had no blanket.
I scowled at this before realizing that yes, I was kidnapped. Again.
Oh hell.
I looked around the small room and tried to find a way out. The only door was locked and when I looked out the window, learned that I'm on the 20th floor. This was just getting better.
I didn't have much on me when I was kidnapped so I was still in my pajamas with my messy bed hair. The only thing I had on me of importance was the peridot ring my nana had given me before she passed away when I was seven and they took that away.
Damn it. I really liked that ring.
The door was slammed open with a bang and a tall man, probably in his mid to late twenties entered the room. He was just a bit taller than me with pale skin, dark blonde hair and a full mouth. His green eyes were the same shade as my peridot ring as he held up with one hand. "Missing something, love?"
I refused to rise to the bait. "What do you want?"
He smiled a sinister grin before tossing my ring into the air, catching it effortlessly as it fell.
"What do you want with me?" I kept asking. "Who are you?"
"So many questions. Does Kol tire of your incessant babbling or does he just set your hair on fire to shut you up?" He chuckled. "He used to do that to Bekah before her powers developed and she started freezing his hands."
There was something familiar in the way he spoke, like he knew Kol for years. And I felt like there was puzzle here. But I did not have nearly enough pieces to get an outline to start and put it together so I just stared at my kidnapper as he kept playing with my ring.
When I was too quiet for too long, he stopped. "Do you know much about your grandmother?"
"Just the basics. Nana wasn't much for sharing." I answered briskly. Wondering where he was getting at.
"Well, let me help educate you then." He gestured to the lone chair at the side and I obediently took a seat. "Your nana was a very special woman. Everybody knew who she was. Because everybody was terrified of her because of her powers."
I stared at him in complete disbelief. "What are you talking about? My grandmother was not-"
"Gifted? Oh she was. Helen Coleman -as she was called back then- was notorious for her ability to steal the abilities of other Gifted individuals, simply with a single touch. She acquired millions of powers over the years and at some point was the most powerful individual in the world.
"That was until the Heroes stripped her of her powers and prevented her from ever stealing again simply with this ring." He twirled the peridot ring in his fingers. "This little piece of jewelry neutralizes the power of anyone wearing it. Helen agreed to wear it as long as no harm came to her family."
I tried to reason with this lunatic to no avail. "Even if all that was true, my Dad's not Gifted. And the Holocene Gene is hereditary."
His peridot eyes had a knowing gleam in them. "I know, darling. But you forget that the gene can skip a generation or two before appearing once more. Your father's not Gifted but you are."
He laughed at my expression of pure horror and denial. "You poor thing, just had no idea did you?"
"You're insane. I'm not Gifted."
"Why do you think your nana left this ring to you in her will? Sentimental value? Oh no. She knew and so did your parents. Didn't they insist you wear it at all times?"
I tried to deny it. "No, no, no, no – that is not true! I can't be…"
"Gifted? Believe it, pet. You know it's true."
It was a good thing I was sitting down or I would've fallen to my knees. This was too much information to take in. My nana, the old lady in the photos who my Dad talked about when he had too much scotch, was the most powerful individual in the world at some point? And that I was Gifted too? It can't be true, it can't-
"Caroline," I looked up at his first usage of my name and watched as the peridot ring in his hand turned black and became ash. "I showed you mine. Now show me yours."
"But I don't-"
"Oh, don't be shy!" He pulled me up by my arm and pressed himself against me, with his hands like brands on my shoulders. "Do you know St. Gabriel's school motto? 'Ad vestras mundi munera' - Your gifts are for the world to see."
I shook my head in panic because I did not know what power I had or how to use it. But he was having none of it and took out a silver pen out of his pocket and placed it in my hands. I watched it instantly turn black and into ash.
But that was-
"Incredible. Replication without taking the ability or affecting the person you absorb from." He grinned. "You're going to be so much fun."
"Not for you, Klausandra." A familiar voice said and at the doorway Kol appeared. He looked more bruised than I last saw him and smoke was wafting off his clothes. "Forbes doesn't want to be your BFF."
"And I was so looking forward to braiding her hair." 'Klausandra' retorted sarcastically and Kol grinned.
"Always knew you were a poof."
"And I always knew you'd grow up to be a fop, little brother."
Wait, little brother?
"He's your brother?" I practically exclaimed and the two men didn't even flinch.
"Long story, Forbes. Tell you later." Kol told me and turned back to his 'brother'. "Klausimodo, give up already and stop embarrassing yourself."
"I think you should do that, e-Koli. I have this area surrounded by my men."
"The Salvatore brothers and Bonnie Bennett have taken care of them, along with the help of our siblings who were more than eager to help spoil your plans." Kol pointed out with a smug grin. "And your hostages? The Gilberts and Tyler Lockwood have already gotten them out and secured them."
Kol's brother was looking very pissed off right now and shoved me away a bit too hard that I stumbled and almost fell to the floor as he stalked towards Kol. They were a foot apart and staring right into each other eyes as he growled out, "You will never defeat me!"
"I already did." Kol replied sardonically. "Our parents are outside the door. Oh, I'm sorry! My Dad and our Mum are there. No one still knows who or where your father is, Woe-Is-Klausy."
It happened quickly. I saw Klaus hands reaching for Kol to turn him into ash and I reacted. In that millisecond for his fingers to touch his brother, I threw a strong gust for fire at Klaus enough to engulf him completely in flames.
Kol stopped the fire before Klaus could die but he was still badly burnt and would be in the hospital for a while until some Giftie with regenerative abilities can donate him some blood. I met Kol's parents briefly as they took away Klaus and also Kol's other siblings who spoke to Kol in a corner for a few minutes before leaving as well.
I got to meet Kol's other Giftie friends such as Bonnie Bennet (a telekinetic), Damon Salvatore (a flyer), Stefan Salvatore (super speed), Elena Gilbert (aerokinetic), and Tyler Lockwood (super strength).
"You alright?" Kol asked me as I started to look faint and pulled me to the side and away from the group.
"Um, they're sort of overwhelming me right now."
"I know they can be a bit much but once you get used to them, they're alright."
"I mean their abilities."
Being around all these Gifties made me feel like an air balloon being filled with too much hot gas too fast. With Klaus and Kol, I barely felt the replication because of the stress I was in at the time. But now all the new powers were making me feel dizzy and bloated.
"Klaus said my nana stole powers by touching people. I haven't touched any of your friends and yet I can feel their abilities already replicated."
"That's because your ability isn't Ability Absorption like your grandmother. It isn't Ability Replication like Klaus thought it either. What you have is something else." Kol explained. "You can absorb and replicate their ability just by being in a person's presence. It's almost instantaneous and it means you can gain any ability you want."
The realization dawned on me. "Like my nana did. She became the most powerful individual in the world. She had millions of abilities."
"Billions actually but-"
"Kol! I'm not enjoying this, okay? All I want right now is to go home, hug my parents and go take a long nap. And tomorrow, I'm gonna go back to school and live the rest of my life as a Normie."
Kol snorted. "You're not a Normie, Forbes. Never have, never will. The only reason you weren't in St. Gabriel's with us was because of your grandmother."
"She was just trying to protect me!" I protested. I would not let him talk ill of my nana like that. He didn't really know her. And no matter what, my nana was trying to protect me from these band of lunatics they called Heroes.
"Nevertheless, she left you vulnerable for any Villain to go after you once they made the connection." Kol said. "And I seriously doubt you can go back to life as a Normie now. The neutralization ring is gone and the only one who makes it is in space so you might be waiting a while. Trying to master abilities is a bitch and I'd like to see you try and plan prom when you're accidentally setting things on fire."
I glared at him and his matter-of-fact tones and logical reasoning for crushing my dreams. "You're ruining my life."
"No, I'm helping you begin it." Kol countered before smirking and tucking errant, messy blonde curls behind my ears. "You look like hell. Better not look like this on your first day of classes, Forbes. St. Gabriel's does have standards."
I opened my mouth to protest because there was no way in hell I was attending his freaking school and have to see him and his cocky smirk everyday but he leaned down fast as lightning and I was overcome by soft lips and hot breaths.
Kol Mikaelson was kissing me and all I could do was stay still in shock before the heat became too much and I responded. All the stress, shock, panic, fear of the last few days had caught up to me (and I would blame it on stress and insanity later) but I kissed him with all the wild abandon in me and all I could taste was smoke, spice and Kol.
Then he pulled away the heat still engulfing as both and he leaned our feverish foreheads together and smiled genuinely for the first time I've seen him. "This is gonna be fun."