"Maybe another prompt would be that Caroline is the one that takes the dagger out of him instead of the person that did it. Maybe Caroline is the one that had those dreams and not Bonnie. I realize that Bonnie was not dreaming of Kol...but I kind of thought that the person in Kol's coffin was going to be a twin of Klaus at the time. Because she kept on dreaming about Klaus. Maybe Caroline could be dreaming about Kol and she is confused and curious and decides to help him? She could be a witch in this if you want, instead of a vampire. I don't really care. Or she could be a recarnation of a past love of Kol, that could be the reason why he was giving her dreams to help him." -RideEmLikeACowboyJazzy
"What about the Mikaelson Family was at Salem in 1786 and there Kol meets Caroline,who is a witch? Then they are forced to flee because Mikael is catching up? Some years pass and he is told that she was executed for practising witchcraft." –xXAncientBaneXx
"an established relationship and Caroline's bad ass side comes out ?or maybe Caroline and kol kicking ass in NOLA?" –P.M
"Caroline shows Kol how to use new technologies and introduces him to the 21st century." –mejillian
Wow, this was fun to write. And I can hear the requests for sequels already.
When Elena's parents die that summer before junior year, Caroline and Bonnie had spent nearly two weeks with their best friend trying to comfort her. After a month though Elena was slowly getting better but still a far cry from the happy girl before the car crash and Caroline and Bonnie were worried for her. While witches returned to the earth and gave it power after their death, humans were different. Some found peace and some didn't and Caroline thought it would be a good idea to see if Elena's parents were alright and had move on in their afterlife.
Bonnie tried to refuse at first. They weren't newbie witches by a mile but contacting the dead had always been something of a no-no for the two of them. While their coven was old and had been in Mystic Falls for years, it was small and didn't have nearly the amount of power other covens had. But Caroline and Bonnie had both proven gifted at a young age and could surely do a little spell just to prove to Elena that her parents were okay and hopefully help herself move on.
Elena was purely human though and while it never irked her to be the normal one amongst her witch friends, she looked nearly envious to not be able to talk to her parents herself. Caroline tried to reassure her though. "It'll only be a minute anyway. We'll bring back whatever message they may want to give and that's it."
Elena nodded but looked at her feet again as Bonnie placed her father's watch and her mother's comb on the table where they'd drawn a circle with some chalk. Several candles were on the dark wood as Caroline shared a smile with Bonnie, holding the other girl's hands as they began the spell.
Caroline continued chanting even as she sliced her palm, the sting giving way to a droplet of her blood landing on the circle of chalk before a gust of wind blew out the candles in the room. She and Bonnie immediately stopped chanting as Elena finally looked up to see their confused expressions.
"Did something go wrong?" The brunette asked before Caroline sshed her.
"Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert?" She called out hesitantly as the wind picked up, the cold wind from the window blowing their hair. "Are you there?"
Caroline tried picturing the Gilberts, searching her memories for any significant memory of them. She remembered when she was five years old and playing with Elena in their living room. Mr. Gilbert entered through the front door and before Elena could jump up to greet her father enthusiastically, Mrs. Gilbert rushed to her husband to kiss him hello and to accept the bouquet of flowers he brought with him. "Happy anniversary, honey." He murmured to her.
Caroline stiffened as she felt a light touch brush against her shoulder and she turned around expecting to see Elena's dad but instead found a handsome boy, around her age, smiling at her.
She tried taking a step back as the boy followed her, his dark eyes never leaving hers. She felt like the mouse and he the cat to swallow her up with one bite. He was just playing at the moment though but it didn't make it any less frightening. For he was handsome, probably more good-looking than any boy in town with chiselled features, his dark hair slicked back and he was wearing old-fashioned aristocratic clothing but the gleam in his eyes only screamed 'predator'. She knew this wasn't some sweet, well-intentioned teenage boy.
She was trapped as her back hit the wall, her fingers trying to grasp unto something to protect herself with but found nothing. The boy just kept on advancing until he was a hairsbreadth from her, his solid form pressing into her as his lips hovered over hers, whispering, "Hello again, sweetheart."
All the windows in the room broke into a million tiny pieces as the boy disappeared, leaving three girls terrified at what just happened.
"Who was that?" Caroline asked, making both Elena and Bonnie look at her warily. "The boy? Who was he?"
"I didn't see anyone," Bonnie explained. "It seemed only you did."
"You didn't see my dad?" Elena asked, looking disappointed and bless her but Caroline wasn't really in the mood to pity her as always. She was too freaked out about how her spell had gone wrong.
"I don't know who I saw but it definitely wasn't your dad."
There weren't that many men in the coven, the majority of warlocks were outnumbered by witches and this is the reason why Caroline's friendship with Damon Salvatore made most people wonder. Damon was years older, having been almost the same age as Elena's Aunt Jenna and yet the two of them were thick as thieves. Supposed the age difference should've made their friendship difficult and Caroline should've been friends with his younger brother Stefan instead but Caroline found that Damon had the soul of a thirteen year old boy.
The older warlock had graduated college just last year and was back in town, helping with his family's many business venture and constantly teasing his little brother for mooning on Elena Gilbert like some lovesick hound. In his spare time, he hung out with Caroline who in his opinion "took her witchy education far too seriously".
"What's with the frown, Magical Barbie?" He quipped as he and Caroline sat on a bench at the park, the blonde in question looking troubled as they watched the scenery around them.
"Nothing just witch stuff."
While Damon enjoyed being a warlock and all the fun that came with it, he had never been into all the coven craziness and happily stayed out of it, preferring a good time to witchy drama. Surely, he wouldn't want to talk about magic anyway and how Caroline potentially did something that now caused her to see the ghost of an unknown boy. But he was older and more experienced and could probably know what to do to fix this situation.
Caroline fiddled with her paper cup of coffee before finally turning to look at her male best friend. "Bonnie and I did a spell."
"Uh-oh, that sounds like adolescent witchcraft problems," Damon shook his head and patted Caroline's head jokingly. "Now, now, what did the baby witches do this time?'
Caroline rolled her eyes at his antics before explaining. "Elena was being all mopey and I thought it'd be good to check and see if her parents were okay so it'd help her move on more easily."
"And?" He prompted with a quirked eyebrow.
"Something must've gone wrong because I didn't see Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert, I saw someone else. Someone I didn't know."
Damon looked at her, trying to absorb this information before taking a sip of his coffee. "They had probably moved on then. If you were reaching for them and they weren't there then somebody else must've taken the opportunity and stepped in."
"So it could've been just any random spirit?"
Damon nodded. "Most probably. We really don't know that much about what happens to non-witches after they've died. It was probably just someone with unfinished business."
"You mean like Casper?" Caroline sighed. "So some random spirit didn't get to what? Skii at the Alps? And now he realized that he needs to do that before he can move on?"
"Why has the spirit still been following you?" His blue eyes bore into hers seriously. "Cause if that's the case this situation could get sticky. Not every spirit wants to go back to do something good."
"You mean a dead serial killer is following me around because he didn't reach his kill count or something?"
Damon poked her abdomen for her snark. "You could be in danger here, blondie. Better tell the coven so they can undo the spell and fix all this."
"But they're gonna get so angry I tried a spell like this without consulting them!" Caroline pouted. "They're just gonna nag me again."
"That's the price for doing something foolish, oh my young witch." He tapped her nose and grinned at her. "Don't worry, Sabrina, one day you'll get to nag a teenage witch for being stupid as well."
Caroline scowled at the idea she'd ever be anything like the crabby old women and poked Damon in the side as retaliation.
It was just glimpses at first. He'd be there in one moment then gone the next. But as time passed, he seemed to get stronger. When at first he'd been a nearly translucent, quiet image now he was becoming corporal. He'd touch and move things in the room to get her attention.
He only seemed to be barely malevolent, more bothersome than evil as he played out the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star with her wind chimes. But it was only when he began invading her dreams that she was beginning to get scared. They weren't anything too horrific, more disconcerting as often times it featured the two of them in intimate settings. He'd often be holding her in his arms, enveloping her with his scent and his lips on her skin.
His hands remained above her waist and he never outright kissed her but when she woke up to find her entire body tingling with want, she wanted to scream. My sweetheart, he'd whisper in her ears. His hands lightly tracing ever widening circles on her on her belly as his lips travelled down her neck. My lovely girl.
This was another night of these maddening caresses and at this point she was ready to sock him for inspiring the dark twisty feeling in her belly that wanted to pull him closer and strangle him to death but not before some hot, hate sex. She stopped his hand at her waist and light began pushing him off her. They were on the couch in her living room, the exact same one she used to watch the Teletubbies on. She wanted to suddenly wretch at how wrong this all was.
"Problem, dove?" He asked glibly as she pushed him to the farther side of the couch, away from her. "I thought we were really enjoying ourselves there for a moment."
"Get out of my head," She hissed as he moved closer again. She summoned a knife from the kitchen and pressed it to his neck. "Can you get hurt in this dream? You want to find out?"
He didn't seem the least bit intimidated by her and grinned in delight. "It's nice to know you're still feisty, poppet."
"Still?" She didn't miss his wording, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we've known each other before. Different time, different place, different name but I'd recognize you anywhere," He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I've waited so long to see you again, Carreen."
She gasped as she woke up in her bed. His voice in her head echoing one name. Carreen, Carreen Carreen. Who was Carreen?
Caroline found out about Carreen Forbeis in one of her ancestor's journals. Carreen Forbeis and her brother William Forbeis migrated from Scotland in 1784 but had not arrived in Mystic Falls as Caroline originally thought her ancestors did. They made their home in Salem which had been peaceful until the witch hunts and they were accused of witchcraft. William was able to get away and make his way to Virginia but Carreen wasn't so lucky as she was hanged along with other accused of practicing magic.
She'd known about William Forbeis fleeing Salem as many of her coven had come from there as well but it was the first time she'd heard he had a sister who was executed. Did this Carreen know of the boy haunting her? It would certainly explain his old fashioned attire and way of speaking. But why was he haunting her now?
The wind chimes were playing a tune she seemed to recognized but she could not place where. It was sweet and light and brought tears to her eyes. She tried to imagine the boy in her dreams playing the tune on piano and a headache pierced through her, images and sounds suddenly pushing through her memories. It was all too fast to comprehend at once but he was there in all of it. And she knew, she remembered now who he was.
She blinked as she found herself on the floor of her father's study where she'd been reading William Forbeis' journal. And crouched in front of her was the boy – Kol, she remembered now. Handsome, charming, dooming Kol who loved her and abandoned her to her fate as he told her I'm sorry, Carreen. I'm so sorry. He was her last thought before the rope snapped her neck.
"Leave," She nearly growled and he wasn't surprised at all, not moving an inch. "Get out, Kol!"
"You remember now," He said, looking happy as his fingers reached out to touch her.
"Get out!" She shouted, getting to her feet. Her head still ached and she felt exhausted after having her past life, the life of Carreen Forbeis shoved unceremoniously inside her head. She did not have time for some past lover's bullshit. "I don't want to see you, Kol! Leave and never come back!"
He stood up as well so he was hovering over her, as tall as he was. "You have every right to be upset with me Carreen but you need to listen-"
"Oh, like you did when you left Salem with no explanation?" She scoffed. "They hanged me, Kol, and Will had to watch me die, unable to do anything!"
"I wanted to take you with me," He leaned down closer so she could see into his dark eyes that had melted her so easily long ago. "You have to believe me. I really was going to bring you along with me."
"Then why didn't you?"
"We were already miles away when I decided to come back for you but my brother Nik, he…he decided it was too dangerous so he locked me away." He swallowed as he looked at her with so much regret, it was making her feel ill with her clashing emotions. "I tried to fight him. I tried to get back to you…but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough."
"He daggered you," She concluded, already knowing why he was appearing before her now. "And you're still in that coffin."
He nodded, looking down.
"And you've just been waiting for me to come back so I can get you out," Caroline let out a hollow laugh. "Of course, it's all about the Originals again. You bloody drama queens."
He smiled slightly as her old Scottish accent bled through. "Mikael was killed some time ago and they're back in New Orleans, trying to get the city back from that street rat Marcel. I need you go there and undagger me."
"Yeah, that's happening." She rolled her eyes. "Carreen Forbeis may have been some naïve lovesick witch but Caroline Forbes does have a life.
"Our love story ended a long time ago," She crossed her arms defiantly as she stared him down. "I don't own you anything."
"Come on, Carr," He smiled at her, disarming and sweet. She wanted to smack him. "For old time's sake? You did love me once."
Carreen's memories felt fresh in her mind and she resisted the emotions bubbling inside of her. Carreen had loved Kol with her whole being but Caroline didn't. She was terrified of him as she remembered from Carreen's memories what he was. And what he could do and would do if she helped him.
Vampire. She remembered teeth and red eyes. Carreen scared and fascinated as Kol drank from her wrist. You taste fantastic, love.
Kol's fingers caressed her cheek in phantom touches, not quite there but like the wind kissing her skin. "Please, Carr? I want to be able to kiss you again."
She closed her eyes at his words. "Don't do that. Don't lie."
"I'm not," He assured her, his ghostly fingers touching her mouth, tracing her lips. "You may not love me in your new life but that doesn't mean I'm over you."
Carreen or Caroline? Who was she even? She felt like she was losing her head. Two lives, two sets of memories competing for a place and the most dominant feeling from Carreen was…
"I don't know how I feel," She murmured as his fingers lifted her chin so she can look him in the eye. "I loved you so much before and now…"
"Now I can come back and we can start over," He smiled softly. "Somewhere nice like we planned all those centuries ago."
She wanted to believe him and the promises that was so lovely to hear. As Carreen, she'd fallen for all of them, besotted with the idea of spending her life forever with him. Caroline was wary though, trying to not be as foolish in her new life. She refused to waste away her life again.
"Please, Carreen." Those dark eyes were pleading with her and she was melting and pliant to do as he wished. "I need you. Only you."
She sighed and stepped away from him. "Well, I've never been to New Orleans. Sounds like it'd be fun."
The drive to New Orleans consisted of Kol in the backseat, yapping on and on about this that. He kept asking about the things he was seeing in this century and she'd try her best to explain. But his questions never seemed to end and after she let him fiddle with her phone and he nearly almost deleted all her contacts, she'd told him to sit quietly at the back of the car or she was turning around and leaving him to rot away in his own personal coffin. He'd pouted at that and called her mean.
She sighed to herself in exasperation. Why had Carreen been so in love with him? He had the mental capacity of a five year old and the temper of one if she recalled. Was she really going to go head to head with his family for him?
She remembered the other Mikaelsons, all beautiful and fucked up in ways you wouldn't believe. Elijah though appearing quite sane was just as crazy as his siblings. Rebekah was a harpy and Klaus was a psychopath. And she had to meet them again in her new life.
When they arrived into town, Kol instructing her towards the mansion his family called home there. Getting out of her car, she marched up to the front door and made her way in since it was unlocked. Arrogant old vampires, she scoffed. Of course they think they're invincible.
Her fingers twitched for a white oak stake. And when Rebekah came downstairs and looked at her like she'd seen a ghost (and in a way she was), she merely smiled and called out. "Hey Bekah. Are your brothers home?"
"Carreen?" She gasped out and Caroline rolled her eyes before subduing her with a spell.
Kol frowned down at his unconscious sister. "Careful. She is my baby sister."
"And a raging bitch if I recall," She moved past the other girl on the floor and started walking before turning back to Kol. "Well? Let's get you up and about. Where's your body?"
He gestured for her to follow him and they made their way down to the basement. It was dark and Caroline took out her phone to use as a flashlight. She could've done a spell but she didn't see any candles and she'd rather not accidentally kill herself. She blinked as she saw the three coffins and immediately went to the one nearest to her.
She gasped as she saw Finn, the only Original she'd actually liked. He'd been kind to her when she was Carreen. Sad and tortured but he'd called her 'duckie' affectionately and treated her more like a sister than he did to Rebekah. Seeing him daggered in his own coffin made her want to rip out Niklaus Mikaelson's eyes from their sockets.
She grasped the dagger embedded into Finn's chest cavity and gave it a tug. She knew he wouldn't wake up right away as it took them a bit of time to reanimate themselves. Instead, she placed the dagger in her purse and made her way to the coffin Kol was standing in front of. "This one yours?"
He nodded and she lifted the lid. Sure enough, Kol's body was there, green and grey like a corpse. She tsked. "You really let yourself go, Kol."
He scowled at her and pointed to the dagger in his chest. "Could you just take it out?"
"Is that any way to talk to your saviour?" She gave him a look. "I could just walk away right now and leave you here with the dust bunnies and spiders for company."
He rolled his eyes and impatiently motioned for her to do the undaggering. She stuck out her tongue childishly at him but did what he wanted. As soon as she did, his ghostly image disappeared and she glanced down at his body and waited for him to come back to life. She hid the dagger in her purse as well and moved to the last coffin, finding it shut. The light thrumming in the wood though indicated quite clearly this was the result of magic and she wondered who Klaus was hiding there before Finn gasped back to the land of the living.
"Hey Finn!" She greeted as the vampire sat up in his coffin. She walked towards him as he looked around wildly. "You've been out for a while, I'm afraid."
"Carreen?" He relaxed a bit when he saw before asking. "Where am I? What year is it?"
"You're in New Orleans. It's the year 2010." At his widening eyes she smiled sympathetically. "I know, it has to have been…wow, a really long time for you."
"How are you still alive then?" Finn looked at her in confusion. "Did Kol turn you?"
"Not quite." She sighed as she thought about how weird this all was. "Short version. I was hanged at Salem, got reincarnated and Kol found me again. He bothered me until I drove here to undagger him and here we are."
Speaking of, Kol just gasped himself awake.
"And that's my cue to leave." She helped Finn out of his coffin before saluting him. "See you around, Finnie."
"Wait, where are you going?" Kol demanded as he practically leapt from his coffin and to her, now in his corporal form he could hold her in place and prevent her from leaving, much to her annoyance. "What about us?"
"I agreed to undagger you, not start a relationship with you again," She shook her head. "I learned my lesson the first time round."
Kol looked crestfallen and was ready to protest when Klaus' overdramatic shouting from upstairs all got their attention. They all winced and Finn grumbled. "I see he hasn't changed."
Later, after the Original brothers got in a scuffle upstairs with Kol and Finn determined to kick the shit out of Klaus while Klaus tried to dagger them again. But since both daggers were still in Caroline's purse, all the three managed to do was make a mess of the house. Caroline and Rebekah (who was now awake) watched the fight from a distance and waited for it to end. It only ended when Elijah arrived and simultaneously managed to look pleased and annoyed at seeing all his siblings together again.
So after the eldest Original calmed everyone down and forced them to sit at the dining room table like he was the father and they his unruly children, they all decided to air out what they wanted to do now.
"I'm leaving town," Finn said immediately. "Being around you all makes me want to die even more."
"And there's no way I am staying here after that cunt daggered me for centuries because he has control issues." Kol spat, glaring at Klaus like he was the devil. "I hate you, I really do. I want to rip out your heart from your arse and then shove it down your throat."
Caroline grimaced at that. Always with such lovely imagery that one. She had such good taste. How did she ever let him go?
"I daggered you so Mikael wouldn't have killed you because you were too stupid about some witch," Klaus turned to Caroline. "By the way, nice to have you back, Carreen."
"It's Caroline now."
He considered her with a frown. "Carreen suits you better."
Elijah interrupted them as he said with finality. "Kol, Finn, I know you're angry with our brother for keeping you daggered for so long and I apologize as well for not aiding your release sooner but let us try to get past all of this and be a family again. We are back in the city that was once and is our home again."
"Hmm, let's see? Do I care?" Kol looked up like he was mock-seriously considering it before shaking his head. "Nope, not really. I am not spending another day with you people."
He stood up and started walking away. "Finn, you coming? Carreen, get a move on."
"It's Caroline," She corrected even as she and Finn got up to follow him. The rest of the Originals stood up as well, Elijah protesting as they made their way to the door.
"Wait!" He beseeched almost pitifully and that made them stop to look at him. "I know this family has its problems but we need you right now. Our family needs to be united more than ever."
"Yes, I know all about Marcel." Kol rolled his eyes. "Just kill him already."
"It's not that simple…" Klaus groused.
"No it isn't. Because you're not just dealing with him and his renegade band of vampire idiots, you also have to deal with some crazy witches and two packs of bloodthirsty werewolves." Kol shrugged at their shocked expressions. "I heard things while I was out."
Rebekah stared in panic at Elijah. "What are we going to do?"
Caroline decided that she had enough witnessing the Original family soap opera and opened the door to quietly make her escape but Kol pulled her back and slammed the door shut. "You're not going anywhere, Carr." He muttered.
She glared at him and poked him in the chest sharply. "This is your family's madness. I'm going back home. And it's Caroline."
"Sure you are, sweetheart." He grinned at her mockingly. "Wherever you go, I go. That's the deal."
She gaped at him and smacked him on the arm. He didn't even flinch. "We are not in a relationship. We are so over."
"Says who?" He countered petulantly.
"The rope snapping my neck!"
"Ahem," Klaus interrupted them. "No one is leaving. It's going to take a combined effort to wade through this upcoming shite storm. And sorry, Carreen - Caroline –whatever your name is– but a witch as powerful as you could really be useful."
Caroline was furious and glared hotly at all of them. "You cannot make me stay here."
"We're not forcing you to stay," Elijah placated carefully. "But we'd really appreciate it if you did decide to help us out for a while."
Caroline frowned and looked at the faces of each of the Originals, all looking quite desperate and sighed to herself. This might just be an even worse mistake than the first time round but she couldn't seem to escape this lunatic family. She couldn't have been reincarnated somewhere farther away, could she? She couldn't escape Kol.
Kol, who was behind her now and though he didn't have his arms around her, he was so close that his breath fanned her ear as he whispered, "Stay, Carreen. Please."
She closed her eyes in defeat. She was a goner. And she stepped away from Kol to clear her head and damn herself as she said, "Fine. But on one condition."
They looked at her expectantly.
"Call me Caroline."