A.N: Warning the first part of this chapter will reference in minimal detail to rape and abuse I mentioned in chapter one. This is a warning for those who feel they will be triggered. You may skip to the three X mark I use to separate scenes.
Chapter 13
The next morning Liz Forbes was at home for once, not having to take the overnight or be on call. Mystic Falls was quiet at the moment. Leaving the sheriff with a break. The elder Forbes woman smiled when she saw her daughter walk downstairs in a pair of old pajama bottoms and tank top half hazardly making her way to the kitchen.
"Late night, Caroline?" She greeted softly.
The younger blonde's back straightened her neck turning to see her mother sporting a cup of coffee, surprisingly not in her uniform. Caroline took a moment to really look at her mother, a soft warm feeling entering her.
"Mom, your still here" Caroline mumbled to herself taking the few steps from where she was to reach down and hug her mother. Liz wrapped her arms around the younger blonde securely. The two women remained wrapped in each other's arms for several for minute before the Sheriff pulled away.
"I'm sorry I haven't been around much. Are you okay? I feel like I've known where you been but haven't really gotten to see you" Liz questioned looking her daughter in the eye. Caroline winced as a feeling of guilt crept up into her heart. Caroline hadn't really thought much about what being back truly meant until now. She woke up to being bitten by a lovestruck werewolf, who she had long since grieved and gotten over, to dealing with Salvatore-Elena drama that was her teenage existence.
Having to relive the death of her father really just made Caroline laser like focus on things she could deal with. Like a hybrid who had a major soft spot for perky blondes, Bonnie's battles with vampires and her magic, Elena's love life that centered around Caroline's dead ex-future husband and the man who abused her then turned weird enemy because they fucking cared about the same people.
Like Liz.
Her mother who was looking at her with such worry. Caroline broke tears falling on her cheeks.
"Oh Honey," Liz whispered pulling her daughter into another hug. Caroline laid her head onto her mother's shoulders, "What happened baby?"
Caroline's hand started to fiddle with Klaus's bracelet, "Mom, actually there is a lot we haven't told you. I'd like to tell you, but you have to promise me not to freak out okay?"
This did nothing to ease Liz's concern, it only amplified. The sheriff breathed deeply before giving her daughter a nod.
"Okay, I promise not to speak until you have finished. Is that alright?" Liz promised keeping eye contact with her daughter.
"I need you to know that I love you, mom. When the Salvatore's first got to town, before I was, I was so jealous of Elena. Typical teenage, Caroline. I wanted to be seen, chosen first but being me when all I ever felt was second fiddle. When Stefan had rejected me, I picked the first stupid asshole who winked at me."
Liz leaned forward and held onto her hand, "You can tell me Caroline."
Caroline took a deep breath, giving her mother a watery smile, "It was Damon."
Caroline felt her mother's grip tighten around her hand. Liz's breath was shaky as she asked, "I don't understand, what was it that he did?"
"I flirted with him then he took me back home, here. At first, I wanted it you know. Handsome man who was interested. But then it changed he stopped to compel me into silence before feeding on me… The worst part was he continued to have sex with me despite being under compulsion. I could feel what I wanted to feel, but I couldn't react. I was out of my own body, yet I was in it. My reactions were not my own… he didn't stop Mom. This continued for a while, he would feed on me, biting me all over my body. He would compel me to forget and never tell anyone. I asked him to let me go…to stop…" Caroline stopped abruptly, looking towards her mother.
Liz Forbes looked angry; tears welled up in her eyes as she pulled her daughters hand into her chest.
"Now you listen here Caroline, none of that was your fault. None of it. Damon is no longer welcome in this home. I'll stake him myself" Liz kissed her forehead as Caroline cried into her shoulder.
Caroline sniffed, "As much as I would love to see that, Damon Salvatore means nothing to me."
"I'll kill him anyway" Liz growls causing Caroline to smile weakly. The vampire watched as her mother wiped the tears from her eyes, hands clasped together. The dark heavy feeling that had lived in the dark recesses of her mind started to lift. Her mother not only believed her, but she did not try to fight for Damon. Caroline knew her mother's love, but she always feared that her own past as a trouble child and her friendship with Damon would cause a split of her mother's loyalties.
She really should have known better.
"There's still more…"
XXX
Bonnie stepped through the threshold of the Forbes household holding her grimoire. The two friends hugged each other tightly before the witch moved on to hug Liz.
"Did you know? About what Damon did to Caroline" Liz asked.
"Mom!" Caroline looked mortified.
Bonnie looked taken aback by the question as a thoughtful look graced her features, "Damon is always around Stefan and Elena. I knew that something happened with Damon, before I knew he was a vampire. I did not know the extent other than Caroline refused to press charges. Then the ancestors decided to show me some ugly truths."
Liz sighed, "Charges wouldn't stick. Damon no doubt would have compelled everyone to get out of it."
Bonnie held Caroline's hand, "It doesn't help that it seems once Damon helped Elena that all his crimes seemed to go away."
Liz frowned, "Elena knew?"
Caroline shrugged, "To be fair I am unsure of how much Elena actually knew like Bonnie. All I knew was that I wanted to be there for her. She's lost so many people, but she cared for the Salvatore's. She saw something in Damon, despite knowing at the very least he was abusive. I vowed to hate him for all eternity after I remembered everything once I transitioned. Even got to shock him when I turned totally beat his ass. At the time I thought it was enough…until well until I realized that I was allowing myself to be bait."
Bonnie shook her head, "Elena does love you Caroline, but she does…."
"Get herself into trouble where everyone else ends up having to pay the price? Bonnie, I've had years to come to terms with my dynamic with Elena. I come second the only difference is I've stopped letting her friendship decide everything I do in life."
Liz ushered the two into the living room, "Like dating a thousand-year-old vampire?"
Caroline laughed, "He's technology older than that. But mom I told you, Klaus has always been there for me. He always will."
The two blondes shared a smile, "Why do you think I allowed him into this house on your birthday?" Sheriff Forbes turned to Bonnie, "Can to revoke Damon's invitation?"
The witch looked down at her grimoire, "I've miss used magic lately, I'm not sure if they would let me… but for Caroline? I'll try. Anyone else you want to add to this?"
XXX
"Hello Bonnie, what's going on?" Caroline answered with a chirp. Surprisingly the ancestors had given Bonnie their blessing to perform the spell over the Forbes household. Bonnie confided in Caroline that the ancestors were still incredibly angry with her, citing that dabbling in the darker magics is what has gotten them into trouble in the past. Caroline was standing in front of Lockwood Mansion where Tyler, his hybrid bodyguards and Hayley were staying. True to his word, Caroline had yet to hear Stefan or Damon muttering about a possible cure. Only downside was that Connor, the vampire hunter, still kidnapped Matt and Jeremy causing Elena to turn into a murderous rampage killing the hunter.
"Have you seen Elena?"
"Um. No? Why what is going on?" Caroline asked, fairly sure she in fact did know what was going on.
"Professor Shane informed us that when a vampire kills one of the Five the vampire gets barraged with visions until they kill themselves" Bonnie sighed, "Can't we ever get a break?"
"Then we should probably stop killing supernatural creatures before we have all the information?" Caroline retorted.
"Care, how the hell do we get into these messes?"
"Bonnie, the only thing I can say is maybe we should move," Caroline smiled as Bonnie's laughter could be heard over the phone. Knowing that there was no realistic way for her to stop her friends from discovering the map to the cure. It was a relief that they knew that killing Kol would kill Elena, creating a safety net for the original. Walking into the mansion to find Hayley lounging on one of Carol Lockwood's finest couches. The blonde rolled her eyes, the bitchy mayor called her a floosy, yet Hayley is allowed all over the damn house.
"Who are you?" Hayley asked, brown eyes looking her up and down making Caroline feel as if she was being dismissed. Apart of her that was still very much insecure Caroline wanted to tear the bitch apart. She was stopped from replying by Tyler's entrance.
"Care?" He asked confusion written all across his face, "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were back in town. I wanted to see how everything was, I heard you were given bodyguards" Caroline shared a smile with Tyler. The baby hybrid whose arms were crossed in an attempt to look tough looked thoroughly amused at the exasperation in his ex's voice.
"Ahem," Hayley's voice screamed annoyance, as the brunette sat up with her arms crossed looking between the two of them.
"Hayley this is Caroline. Caroline this is Hayley, she is a werewolf who helped me break the sire bond" Tyler introduced. The blonde placed a beaming smile on her face, pretending that she had no experiences with the little wolf. She raised her hand out to take Hayley's who shook it reluctantly. The looks the two wolfs shared had Caroline wondering just how much had Nik let them win? They clearly were not good at hiding things, and she knew her group of friends were no better.
"Listen, I don't want to interrupt whatever this is," Caroline tried not to make a face but finding Tyler's disapproving stare maybe she should have tried harder. "Bonnie just told me that when Elena killed the vampire hunter that she was cursed."
Tyler looked concerned, while Hayley looked over at Tyler her face that normally looked like she smelled something bad morphed into what appeared to be concern. Not that Caroline could tell, the last time she interacted with the werewolf was when her neck was snapped. Bitch.
"Is Elena okay?" Tyler asked just as his hybrid bodyguards walked into the room with a grinning Niklaus.
"Ah, Sweetheart. I see you've met Tyler's little girlfriend" Niklaus greeted walking up to the blonde, a possessive look on his face as he tilted her head towards his kissing her softly. Hayley looked amused, her lips pressing together to hide her amusement while Tyler roared. He stood up his hands breaking the coffee table.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You break up with me to be with him?" Tyler roared.
Niklaus had a huge smile on his face placing his arm around Caroline who pulling it off of him with a glare. His grin only widened, "No hard feelings, mate? Best man won. I understand there was an awkward break-up…"
Hayley placed herself in front of Tyler telling him to calm down. Caroline took a couple steps away from the original, her eyes telling him he would be hearing about this later, the bastard only grinned. "Elena is hallucinating. We are still looking for a way to stop it" Caroline turned to Tyler.
Niklaus placed a hand on her shoulder, "Love, don't you worry. I've just come back from speaking with the Salvatore's. I've put her under lock and key until the visions can be dealt with."
It took all of her might not to scream out loud. The way Niklaus met her eye, however, Caroline could be rest assured he did not give them any more information. The blonde did not know whether she wanted to tear out the hybrids heart or maybe his liver? She was so infuriated that he locked up one of her best friends, again!
"I'd advise you lot to stay low. We have a potential vampire hunter in town. I'd rather not risk one of my hybrids," with that Niklaus kissed Caroline on the forehead smirking over at a seething Tyler. Once he left, Tyler turned to Caroline expectantly. The blonde sighed motioning for them to sit down.
"He is not telling me everything" Caroline said more to herself than the company she was keeping. Then it hit her, Professor Shane must have told them about the way to cure Elena. Why hadn't Bonnie mentioned it?
Wait…Damon was involved. Meaning she was probably trying to figure out a way not to use Jeremy as a Guinea pig for this experiment. Letting out a groan the blonde stood to get up.
"Just tell the hybrids to be careful okay. I'll leave you both to whatever. Tyler I'll be in and out for the pageant" Caroline said reminded at the end. The blonde could only hope the two decided not to get into Niklaus's way. They were unsireing as many hybrids as they could. The vampire just did not know how she could stop them, outside of killing them.
She may hate Hayley; doesn't mean she wants her dead.
XXX
Caroline found Stefan walking around in the woods, blood on his lips. Caroline leaned against the trees watching as he furiously attacked a deer. She could smell Elena's scent all over him. She waited for him to finish and turn towards her.
"You know it's not a good idea to sneak up on a guy when hunting?"
"I haven't been around as much, I thought I should check in on you."
Stefan sighed, "That was probably a good idea. Damon's been keeping me from going off the band wagon…again. But we are not exactly in the best place right now."
Caroline nodded, remembering a similar conversation she had with the man before her. She couldn't fix the brother problem, especially because it was Damon. She simply tried not to murder the man most days. So, she did the next best thing, "Damon's been acting like your sober sponsor."
Stefan laughed as he took the towel the blonde offered him. "I can do that, you know. Feel free to call me whenever you want to kill someone. Whenever you need. I'll be there" Caroline offered.
Stefan smiled at her, "Thanks."
The two sat on a fallen tree for several minutes. They starred out into the woods that surrounded Mystic Falls. It took Caroline several tries before she said, "Damon raped me."
Stefan turned his gaze at her remaining silent, as she spoke. "He fed on me, which I assume you had already guessed. What I don't think you've managed to guess is what when he compelled me, it meant I could no longer consent. Compulsion it doesn't just make you do what someone else wants verbatim…"
"It locks you away, where you can see but can't really control much" Stefan finished for her.
"Yeah."
Stefan didn't say anything for a while, "I'm sorry Care. I don't think I ever really thought about it, how you experienced it. I knew he fed on you, but I didn't think…"
"He'd use his bed warmer as a blood bag. Or that by compelling me to not freak out would make me want to say no, but being unable to do much to fight back? I asked him to let me go, but he wouldn't. At the time… it was hurt you because hurting a friend of Elena's…"
"Would hurt me by extension" Stefan finished with an angry growl. His head bowed towards his hands.
"I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, Stefan. Your brother's actions will always be his own. Vampires I think get like that, where they only truly care about their own needs, I don't even mind having been fed on. I was food, what I really minded was he continued the sexual parts while I was under compulsion. I couldn't say no, he made me not want to but inside I cried out for it to stop. How is that not assault"
"I knew my brother was a monster, I just did not believe it would go that far. Why do you stick around? You've stayed even when you and Damon are always nitpicking at each other" Stefan asked.
"Elena, I loved Elena. Now though? Now I'm starting to think it be better if I lived my own life. I can still care but I don't think I can stay so close to the drama. Especially when…" Caroline dropped off.
Stefan turned toward her, "When what?"
"It's not my place to say."
"May I ask a question?" He asked.
"Might not answer" She teased hitting his shoulder with hers.
Stefan laughed, "That's more than fair. You've changed… you seem to know things that you shouldn't. Why is that?"
"Simple answer? Ancestor's witchy ways."
"That's not an answer" He laughed.
"It's an answer, just not a very good one. They sent me back to this point in time, from the year 2090. I've lived this all before."
XXX
Rebekah was lounging on Caroline's bed throwing one of her throw pillows into the air. The owner of the room was next to her. Caroline's head tucked into the elder's shoulder.
"So, you told them" Rebekah's attempt at subtly was laughable. The baby vampire stretched out her hand to catch the pillow before the other girl could catch it again.
"I always thought that somehow they knew what happened to me. They knew about the bruises and the feeding, but they did not jump to the next" Caroline tried not to sound bitter. No matter how many years have passed for her, this topic always managed to feel brand new.
"People come across differently. Damon happens to very much like Nik in that aspect kind to Elena but a monster to you. Showing you a slight kindness out of his feelings for Elena. The major difference is not a single one of my brothers would ever touch a girl without explicit consent. Once they compel, they do not touch the girl" Rebekah spat, "Far too many lines get blurred in compulsion."
"I think I want to leave," Caroline said suddenly.
The older vampire smiled pulling herself onto her stomach in order to better give Caroline her attention. "Where would you go?"
Caroline laughed, "I don't know? Paris, maybe? Nik has a list of places he wants to take me."
Rebekah hummed softly, "Graduation? You may have the original memory but this if the first time for your mother."
"I planned on staying until graduation. I couldn't not allow my mom to see my graduate."
Especially when she knew just how much time she had left with her mother. Caroline made the decision not to inform her mother of the cancer, but she did tell her mother that she got sick and would die that way. Caroline wanted her mother to live her natural human life the way she wished.
"That's good. I'd hate to finally get a high school graduation only for my brother not to show up due to his girlfriend dragging him across the world" Rebekah teased, her tone displaying a tad bit of worry.
"No matter where we were, Nik would show up for you" Caroline grabbed her hand.
A.N: This is a pretty heavy chapter. I struggled deciding what to do. I do not want to make her friends evil, but I am trying to display their blindness when it came to their focus over Elena rather than other's safety. I do believe the Salvatore's focus on Elena was clearly the driving force, but the entire gang was almost always Elena focused. Yes, she had a hard life, but her best friends were losing loved ones, grieving while trying to save her life. Elena cared but pretty quickly she was back to focusing on her love triangle or trying to stay human.