Hi (slowly peeks around the corner nervously)...it's been a long time, I know! After the end of TVD and TO as well as life getting in the way I've not had much chance (or motivation) to continue writing. But as if struck by the creativity gods, I couldn't let a good plotline go to waste.
Caroline seems different. She's no longer bubbly or put together and seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Having saved baby Mikaelson from being sacrificed, she needs to play this out like planned without succumbing to her own tragedies or the darkness that's trying to take over.
Enjoy x
She was never meant to see New Orleans like this.
It was meant to be food, music, art and culture - not a city on the verge of a war.
A war she was about to bring to its peak.
The last few months had shown her that their last play would result in the collapse of the final domino, she knew how the final piece would fall - broken people, broken factions…a city that would burn in fire and rage for eternity.
She could walk away, save herself the effort and simply turn a blind eye. Say goodbye to this hell-hole of a city and within 24 hours be on the other side of the planet, close her eyes, hit the little switch and take what she wanted.
Take what she deserved after the year she had.
"Are you sure Caroline?"
The blonde continued to stare into the back of blue pickup truck, the white sheet did nothing to cover the stench of blood and decay nor did it erase the memories of the last year or the life of the individual lying beneath the sheet.
Her eyes returned to Stefan, they flickered behind him for a moment - Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 - before returning his gaze. For vampires with incredible healing abilities, she wondered whether it would be harder for others to notice the pain his eyes reflected, she hoped it would. The whisper in the back of her head grew louder with one question.
Did his sunken eyes mirror hers?
"Let's go."
The baby's cries rung out through the cemetery.
"If you touch her, I will kill you all!" Rebekah screamed trying to push her way closer to the child, Genevieve smirked as the two witches in front of her clasped their hands together and stared Rebekah down - the blonde Original recognised them as Harvest girls.
"You fool!" The witches raised their hands towards Rebekah as she collapsed to the ground. "To come against us in the place of power, in our strongest hour…" Rebekah saw what seemed to be ghosts appear in front of the girls, all who had their hands out towards Rebekah, "...you don't just face us 2, you face us all!"
"NIKLAUS!" Elijah scrambled along the gravestones, the hole in his chest still healing and slowing him. Elijah pressed his back against the mausoleum, his fingers pressing against his heart, he should have already healed by now but knew the witches must have laced the arrow with white oak ash.
"NIKLAUS!", he called louder, honing his ears to hear even the smallest of breaths from his brother.
Nothing
He took a ragged breath steeling himself, when did things ever go the way their family intended -
THUD
Elijah whipped his head down the path, the scent of fresh blood filled the air, and the image in front of him did nothing to ease the tension in his shoulders. Blood was soaking the white sheet and bleeding into the ropes that were wrapped around the object.
Not an object.
A person.
He choked as he caught sight of the hand that had slipped out of the sheet, Elijah stumbled toward it, his eyes set on the silver band wrapped around the owner's finger.
The elder Mikaelson collapsed to his knees, his feet struggling to will themselves to get closer…
… "So back to the murderous witches," Elijah pulled the cake box out of Hayley's hands and replaced it with a bowl of cereal, "I have some concerns."
"They're evil, and my life is still magically linked to Sophie Deveraux which is not comforting" Hayley shook her head.
Elijah smirked, "Yes I think it's time we started to take care of that", he pulled out a silver band from inside his suit jacket and held it up to the brunette wolf, "I had this spelled by a witch I trust to…alleviate…some of the symptoms of that link", he gently took her hand in his, the ring slowly slipping onto her ring finger "wear it, at all times" he murmured giving her a smile.
Elijah's breath left him, his hand reaching out to graze the corpse's skin.
"Hayley?"
This couldn't be happening, not now, not when they had been so close to the end of this. "Hayley", he grasped the hand tightly, the hand continued to emanate warmth, "Hayley" his voice came out in a plea, he dragged himself closer reaching up to pull away the rope and sheet.
He needed proof. Proof without a doubt that it was her.
"Please…" he whispered into the air, his fingers hesitantly pulling the sheet dow-
Elijah's chest lurched forward, he let out a strangled gasp, he knew without looking what had happened, it would be mere seconds before the darkness and numbness swallowed him whole.
After all, he'd grown accustomed to having a dagger pushed through his heart several times over the last 1000 years.
"Nik!" Rebekah screamed, wishing her brother would come hurtling at them any second. "She's just a child, please don't hurt her!" The blonde begged, her head now in her hands at the pounding her skull was taking, "please…"
Genevieve walked towards the Original with the dagger, no matter how hard she tried to move her bones seemed frozen in place.
"The sacrifice will take place, but for the kindness you showed me," Genevieve kneeled in front of Rebekah, "I will ensure you won't have to witness this."
The red-headed witch plunged the dagger into the Blonde's chest, her features desiccating with no hope of revival.
Genevieve looked up at the man walking towards them.
"She's all yours, Marcel."
He gave her a razor sharp smile, "what a shame" he whispered as he lifted Rebekah into his arms, "you could have been so much more, cherie."
Marcel cast his eyes to the altar, "end this quickly, I have a kingdom to reclaim." At her nod, he flashed a grin to the witch and sped away with the daggered Original in his arms.
"He's taken Rebekah." Caroline whispered as Stefan sped to her side, she looked at his blood-stained hands before their eyes met. "Did you do it?"
He shook his head, "I've looked everywhere, best guess is they got him out of the picture already."
"And Hayley?"
"There's something you need to know…"
"Phasmatos Infero Eseri Gratas, Disasustos Vom…Phasmatos Infero Eseri Gratas, Disasustos Vom…" the witches continued to chant, drawing their power from the ancestors and focusing all their magic on the child.
The baby's cries got louder and louder, the red-haired witch raised the knife above the child and with her final words plung-
A metal arrow from the fencing flew into the red head, her body pinned to the wall as blood poured from her lips.
A few seconds of peace fell over the cemetery.
And then all hell broke loose.
Caroline flew back into the metal fence, her bones cracking under the weight of the spells the harvest girls were throwing at her.
"Phasmatos Morsinus Pyrox Allum…"
She couldn't help the screams that left her lips, it was unlike anything Caroline had experienced before, it felt like her blood was beginning to boil right out of her.
She needed to stop this, to stop them. Her hands reached out to grasp something - anything - and just as she felt her vision blur, she grasped the brick and launched it in the direction of the chanting until it all finally stopped.
Caroline released a sigh, calm washing over her for a moment at the feeling of having a clear head before her hearing was encompassed once again.
The baby's incessant cries immediately gave Caroline relief, she didn't spare a glance at the witches who were now on the floor dead with crushed heads at the foot of the altar.
"It's okay, it's going to be okay…" Caroline sped towards the baby, casting a swift eye over the cemetery to make sure there were no other threats about to show themselves.
Satisfied with the lack of extra bodies, Caroline used her vampire abilities to pull the dead bodies closer to the foot of the altar. She took the knife that was now lying on the floor and pushed it into the red head's side before resting it on the altar.
A bloodied knife would be enough proof for now.
Caroline picked the child up, the feeling of having her so close weighing heavy on her chest. She looked down at the baby, her cries having died down the moment she was given comforting words and let out a shaky breath as she felt the burning of a connection between them start to settle in her.
Swallowing the emotions back, she looked away from the child, Caroline was not going to lose the baby.
Not again.
"You're safe," Caroline's fangs slowly descended, "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise" the child stared at her as the blonde took her tiny hand.
The baby opened its clenched fist almost reaching out to Caroline's face to follow the lines that were forming under her eyes, "it's just a tiny little pinch," the vampire gently pushed her fang against the tip of the baby's finger causing a droplet of blood to ooze out.
The blonde ran her finger along the drop of blood, leaving no trace on the baby's skin, before wiping the droplet onto the blade.
"There we go," her features returned to normal, "that wasn't so hard now was it" she murmured.
If anyone asked her what had happened tonight, she would never tell them of the tiny smirk that she swore graced the baby's lips.
His smirk.
Stefan had heard the commotion and chanting from the other side of the cemetery and raced back to help his friend.
He was relieved at the sight of Caroline holding the baby and whispering comforting words to her. He ignored the pang in his chest at the image before him and focused on setting the sheet covered person to the ground.
"Caroline?"
She stepped away from the altar, "I think we're done; we need to get out of here" she stepped down from the altar, Stefan's arms opened to take the child. "Be as quick as you can, the longer we wait the more questions will be asked. Just…" Caroline knew as she laid the baby in his arms that he didn't need to be reminded of the urgency of this, but it comforted her to say it out loud, "hurry."
"Are you going to be okay?" Stefan eyed the blonde and then the scene at the altar that she had to give the final finishing touch to.
"Yes."
Lie
"I'll be fine."
Lie
"Go. Now."
Caroline knew he wanted to say more, the words were on the tip of his tongue. She was glad he didn't. She was glad he had left. With her.
She turned swiftly, walking to stand a few feet from the mutilated bodies. She steeled herself and focused on the mantra in her head.
I am light, I am bright…I will not let this darkness reside.
"Incendio…", the scene was suddenly ablaze, the shadows of the flames reflecting on the gravestones and bricks.
I am light, I am bright, I will not let this darkness reside.
If anyone else had been watching her they would have been terrified.
I am light.
Her jaw clenched.
I am bright.
Her eyes wide open no matter how hard she tried to close them, her nails digging into the palms of her fists to draw blood, the veins under her eyes rippling.
I will not let this darkness reside.
She felt it - just for a brief second - the darkness cloud her mind, wanting to entice her to fall deeper into the abyss
I am light
Her eyes glazed over completely in a sheet of black, her bright blue orbs disappearing.
I am bright
Her lips stung with the desire to part, to whisper words that were not meant for this city, not meant for the world.
I will not let this darkness reside.
And just as quickly as the darkness had swept over her, it was gone…
Stefan stood at the doorway watching the brunette, and peered curiously at her as she leapt upright.
"It's okay!" Hayley looked around bewildered. "Hayley, it's okay," Hayley's blood pumped hard throughout her body, god she felt so exhausted and weak, "it's me, Stefan, do you remember me?"
Her eyes finally focused on him, "how..?" She gasped as the memories of the last few hours suddenly came back.
"What the hell does that mean, you psychotic little bitch!" Hayley screamed at Monique as she felt the arms hold her firmly to the stairs. "I won't let you take her! I won't!" Hayley screamed at the top of her lungs hoping someone would hear her.
Memory after memory crashed into her.
"Please…" Hayley whimpered as she watched Genvieve hold her daughter, "...please can I hold here?", she wasn't expecting the overwhelming joy that filled her bones as the baby was placed into her arms, Hayley's eyes suddenly found Klaus' eyes. This wasn't how their baby was meant to be brought into the world and their look shared that. She was meant to be safe.
Hayley clasped her neck
She could feel the blade slice her throat, the blood running down her neck, her baby being pulled from her arms.
"My bab-" she choked on her breath, "where, where is-"
Stefan stepped closer hesitantly, "it's safe here, Hayley, no one can find you, you're safe." He inched closer, Hayley's eyes went wild as she looked at him. "She's safe. She is healthy and completely safe." He looked her over, "we need to figure out if you're okay?"
Hayley's fingers grazed her throat, "where is she?" She demanded, her eyes suddenly getting darker. "Where. Is. My. Baby."
"I'll take you to her, but you need to be in control for that," his words were choked as Hayley's hand wrap around his neck. He didn't want to, but he threw her off and pinned her against the wall instead.
"Listen to me." He squeezed his fingers briefly to get her eyes to focus on him, "your daughter is safe. But we don't have much time. I need to know how you are, Hayley, it's important, your baby's life depends on it."
Hayley's confusion made her relax momentarily, "I feel fine," she gritted her teeth, " I feel exhausted and…hungry."
Stefan studied her eyes, he knew this look very well, he'd seen it in his mirror too often, he released her. "I think you were right."
"Hayley."
She knew that fluttering little heartbeat, spinning on her heel, her eyes focused on the child in the woman's arms.
"Hayley, you need to listen to me," Her eyes snapped to the woman's face.
Bonnie Bennett
"Hayley you're in transition. You're a hybrid now." Bonnie stepped closer to the brunette making sure that Stefan was still within arm's reach just in case. "To complete the transition, you need to feed." Bonnie stood resolute, keeping the child close to her.
"On your daughter."
Caroline couldn't remember the last time she had simply just sat down and took her time to watch people walk by going about their lives. This year and everything that had happened within it felt like an eternity had already passed and every second of it was like she was constantly on edge, looking over her shoulder, waiting for the drop in the ocean that would ripple back onto her.
But for now - just for this moment - she relished the peace in building just being.
"What can I get you?" Caroline turned to the voice and saw Camille smiling at her, the blonde vampire dropped her head for a brief second and smiled, "It is happy hour", Camille pointed to the specials board that stated what she had just said in bright colours.
Caroline looked back up at her, "Just 1 please?"
"Of?"
"Surprise me." Camille frowned as Caroline turned back to watching the people pass by under the darkening sky.
It was funny how a human like Camille could be in the centre of such a volatile town, Caroline watched her briefly and surmised that if the darkest parts of the town hadn't got to her already then they probably would soon. She had always been an optimist, but coming from Mystic Falls she had learnt that even the most innocent souls became something of collateral damage if not worse.
"So, I know you said 1," Camille set the tray topped with 2 cocktails down onto the table, "but it's happy hour so come on, no one says no to a free drink" Camille smiled brightly.
Caroline laughed, "That is true," she nodded, "but I tend not to drink a lot," Caroline leaned in closer to the bartender as she moved to pull the tray off the table, "and I'm a complete lightweight." Caroline bit her lip innocently, "How about you join me? It's not a good look for a girl to be drinking by herself" she glanced around the bar gesturing to a couple of the men, "if you catch my drift?"
"My bos-"
"-can let you have a little break, right? Besides, I'm new in town and I don't exactly have many friends here…yet" Caroline shrugged pulling one glass towards her and pushing the other towards the human.
Camille grinned and sat down placing the tray on the side of the table "Oh gone on then," Camille raised her glass gently tapping Caroline's "welcome to New Orleans…" Camille raised her eyebrow
"Caroline."
"Pleasure to meet you Caroline, I'm Camille" they both took a sip from their respective drinks.
"The pleasure is all mine Camille," Caroline set her glass down and leaned forward, her hands coming together under her chin, "So…what's New Orleans like? Any exciting spots you recommend I see whilst I'm here?"
The blonde human nodded enthusiastically and began to drop names as if it was her second job - well, considering this bar seemed to also be a tourist spot it was no surprise that Camille knew the best sites like the back of her hand.
Caroline let her continue to rattle on, smiling and asking questions every few moments to appear fully invested in the conversation.
It was different finally meeting Camille in the flesh. It was nice to speak to the bartender as if she was a stranger who she had met right in this very moment.
"Oh, and the beignets, don't leave without trying them, you'll find that most cafe's serve them but the best place to go is to Cafe Du Monde, trust me, you won't regret it."
"Thank you, Camille, I'll be sure to try those soon."
"Cami?" Caroline looked up at the dark-skinned man that was now approaching their table
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I practically begged Camille to join me," Caroline bit her lip innocently, "I didn't mean to get her into trouble with her boss" the blonde looked at her companion regretfully.
The man let out a deep chuckle, "Boss?" he shook his head as Camille stood, "She wouldn't follow any orders I gave her even if I was her boss."
"But…I do need to get back to work," Camille grabbed the tray and took her drink raising it in cheers to Caroline, "Caroline this is Marcel, a regular. Marcel, this is Caroline, she's new to town, I'm sure Marcel would be more than happy to be friendly" Camille gave him a pointed look "and provide recommendations for you stay, Caroline". With that she gave Caroline a smile as she sneakily took her cocktail with her behind the bar.
Caroline's gaze continued on Camille whilst Marcel slid into the empty seat, "New to town, then? What miserable place did you escape from to find yourself in my glorious city?" Caroline eyed him in confusion
"Your city? What are you, like the mayor or something?"
"Or something, yes." He gave her a wide grin showing his teeth. "Not the mayor though, that's a little too on the small side for me." Caroline laughed nervously, still showing confusion on her face.
"Well, Mr 'or something', I'm from Washington, just on an adventure travelling down the coast with the destination of Houston, and I thought I'd stop off in New Orleans." Caroline shrugged showing him the bracelet on her wrist that had several colourful charms hanging off it, "another charm to add to the collection and I've heard rumours about some excellent gumbo" she took another sip of her drink, "so here I am, following the rumours."
Marcel eyed her curiously before leaning, "well, I'm glad to welcome you to-"
"-Camille already did the welcoming speech, and her's was much better with the free drink included" Caroline waved her hand and laughed, Marcel mirrored her chuckle before reaching his hand out and flicking one of the charms on the bracelet.
"Well consider this a welcome from the King, cherie." He flicked his eyes from her bracelet back up to her face. "But there are certain rules you need to abide by during your stay here, sweet Caroline."
"Rule-?"
"Vampires, just like all the factions in this city, need to abide by certain rules." Caroline's eyes widened.
"How did you know?" She whispered leaning closer, let her gaze swiftly pass around the rest of the bar before returning to the man opposite, "How did you-?"
Marcel leaned back grinning, "I know everything, Caroline, but you don't need to worry about that." He waved a waitress across, "You just enjoy everything that New Orleans has to offer you, sweet Caroline. In fact, I'm hosting a party in a few days that I would love to see you attend." He ordered a few more drinks as he continued, "And as for the rules," his gaze flickered down to the daylight ring sat on her finger, "those rings are a gift that I bestow on the vampires of this city who have earned it, and those who have not only come out to play during the night." Caroline's eyes followed his as he looked out of the window to see a shadow pass over the opposite rooftop, "So I do suggest you be careful, there's a lot of people who may be desperate to have what you have Caroline." He leaned back in his chair once again, "As for the rest of the rules, well they're quite simple, there are only 2."
"1 - no killing fellow vampires," Caroline's senses were on high alert as a couple of people came into the bar, Marcel grinned at them, "they outnumber you anyway and 2…" he glanced at Camille, "no killing humans, it's…" he grinned causing Caroline's stomach to twist "bad for business."
Marcel picked up the drink the waitress had just delivered raised his glass "Welcome to New Orleans, sweet Caroline." And with that he stood from his seat giving her a nod before heading to the opposite end of the bar chuckling loudly with wide arms greeting his companions.
"All you need is a drop," Stefan held the needle out towards Hope's finger, "and then it'll be complete, can you control yourself Hayley?"
Hayley couldn't stop looking down at her daughter in awe, she was so beautiful and pure, "she's my daughter, of course I can," with a glance at Bonnie who gave him a wary nod, he gently pricked the child's finger drawing a single drop of blood.
Hayley smiled at her daughter who had started to cry, simply taking her hand and kissing the bleeding tip of her finger making both the blood and the cries disappear.
"You're gorgeous" Hayley whispered to her daughter holding her close.
'It's done'
Caroline deleted the message instantly, and leaned against the bar catching Camille's eye "How much, Camille?"
The bartender shook her head, "it's on the house," she glanced at Marcel, "Marcel can be intense-"
"That's putting it lightly" Caroline murmured under her breath.
"-but he means well." Camille glanced at her ring and gave her a small smile, "He's just…cautious about new people, especially when they're not" she leaned in "human."
"Oh," Caroline bit her lip, "you know?" Camille nodded and the vampire breathed a sigh of relief, "okay, that's much better than thinking it was just his reaction to me" both of them laughed lightly, "thank you Camille, and I hope you have a lovely rest of your evening." Caroline returned her money into her bag and gave the blonde a final glance, "I'll see you around."
"Here most days, so I'm certain you will. Goodnight, Caroline." And with that both blondes went their separate ways, Camille attending to another patron of the evening and Caroline smiling as she made her way out into the New Orleans night.
The moment the blonde had rounded the corner, the smile dropped.
God, she hated this place.
Stefan and Bonnie had disappeared around the corner and left Hayley in the middle of the room holding onto her daughter, neither had tried to force the child out of her arms which was a good sign.
In fact, they had both tried to help.
The hybrid didn't remember either of them much from Mystic Falls, but she knew Bonnie was a witch and Stefan was of course a vampire, surely as a witch she must have also known about the prophecies of her daughter…and yet Bonnie hadn't interfered in any way since Hayley arose from the dead.
As she processed their presence, she finally had a chance to look around the room - if you could call it that - and notice the outdated walls and furniture. It was dilapidated to say the least, damp emerging in the ceiling, dust across most of the items in the room, windows cracked and looking close to falling.
In fact, the whole place looked like it was close to collapsing from a strong wind.
It was when Bonnie brought in a baby's car seat and sat it on the dusty table in front of her that she finally wondered what both her and Stefan were doing in New Orleans helping her of all people. It wasn't like they owed her a debt and from what she had previously heard they weren't exactly friends with any of the Mikaelsons even if they did part on amicable terms.
"What are you both doing here?" Hayley asked, was this another ploy of sorts? It wasn't exactly the first time someone had tried to use her against the Mikaelsons - hell, the entirety of the current situation was because someone was trying to get to them. "And why did you help us?" Hayley stepped forward, almost in an offensive stance, she would have set her daughter down but she didn't for a second trust that any place would be safe for her other than her mother's arms.
Bonnie swallowed hard, "We'll tell you everything once we get going, it'll be safer for both of you the sooner we leave."
"Leave? Leave where? New Orleans?" Hayley stepped back shaking her head, "We're not leaving, I need to find Klaus and the others," she shook her head, "Klaus was there when it happened," she looked down at the baby, "did you not see him?"
"Hayley, look, a lot changed very quickly when you were…" Stefan walked further into the room, "we'll explain everything, but we don't have a lot of time. You need to trust us, okay? Trust us to keep you safe"
Hayley shook her head, "Trust you?" she scoffed, "I barely know you."
Just as the words left her lips, the door slammed shut and in walked the last person Hayley thought she would see.
"But you know me."
"What are yo-" Hayley looked at the woman in front of her in disbelief. "What are you doing here, Caroline?"
Caroline walked towards Hayley stoically, "I'm trying to help you and your daughter." She glanced over her shoulder, "Look, there is too much to explain right now, and we simply just don't have enough time to do that."
"So, give me the cliff-notes version then" Hayley gritted out staring the blonde down who sighed.
"God this was never going to be quick was it" Caroline murmured before straightening up and staring at the brunette, "Okay, a quick summary it is, and then we're leaving." Caroline licked her dry lips, "You gave birth, you died, you came back and now you're a hybrid-"
"Yes, I know I got that-"
"-in that same space of time, Elijah and Rebekah were taken. The Harvest girls died, the witches are in disarray, the werewolves broke the treaty, and any moment Marcel is going to once again become judge, jury and executioner."
"The pack broke the treaty? But Jackso-" Hayley was confused to say the least, none of this made any sense. Not their presence, not how much Caroline knew and definitely not what would cause her pack to break the treaty – it was after all the only thing keeping them safe in the city.
"I don't know all the details yet Hayley" Caroline signed allowing her gaze to drop to the baby in Hayley's arms. "What we do know is that everyone who was after her, thinks that both you and her are dead." Hayley inhaled sharply, "It means…" Caroline gently placed her hand on Hayley's arm, "It means you're both safe, but in order for you to stay like that we need to leave." She let her hand drop and pulled the car seat sitting on the table closer to them, "We have to go, now."
In the past Hayley would have at least fought, drawn this out until she had no arguments left but now - as a mother - she didn't want to waste any time. And there wasn't anyone else she could possibly trust if what Caroline was saying was true.
"You'll tell me everything as we leave, right?" Caroline nodded. Hayley slowly set the baby into the car seat making sure she was safely tucked in before taking the car seat and beginning to follow Bonnie who was leading the way.
"Wait," the hybrid looked at Caroline who was walking beside her, "what about Klaus, where is he?" Caroline's shoulders sagged, Hayley's grip tightened on the car seat, "He wouldn't willingly leave, not after what the witches did." The brunette looked down at her child remembering everything her and the Mikaelsons had gone through before the witches slit her throat. "Caroline, he would have been one of the first people protecting her...why is it you?"
The hybrid grew quieter, whatever happened while she had been incapacitated had resulted in Klaus not making his way to their daughter. He had sworn that their child would be protected at all costs, he had proved that time after time. And yet, there was no sign of him or his siblings.
Caroline glanced between Hayley and the door; the blonde knew the hybrid was right. It should have been Klaus protecting his heir, not her. Klaus was much stronger than all of them combined and was probably more prepared for what enemies would come for the baby. The words in answer to Hayley's question formed on Caroline's lips, but not a whisper leaving them.
"We don't know where he is…" Stefan murmured as he held the door open for Hayley.
Whatever had happened to Klaus couldn't distract them from leaving - they had no choice but to get out of the city and leave everything else behind.
"Come on," Caroline whispered, gently leading Hayley and the baby out of the broken building.
A few months ago...
"I need to find Damon," he thrust the keys into Caroline's hand, "I can't leave without him." Stefan opened the door and pulled the blonde towards it. "You need to get out Caroline, get to the border and I'll meet you there." He pushed her against the car.
"Stefan, I can't..." the blonde whispered through tears.
"Caroline." He shook her hard, her eyes wavering to his, "I'm not losing my best friend. So, I need you to get out. They wouldn't want you to die here and you know it."
"I deserve it, I couldn't sav-"
"You do not deserve it. You don't deserve any of what happened. And we'll get through it, Caroline, together." He clasped his hands on her shoulders. "I can't do this without you Caroline, any of it. I need my best friend, always." Caroline nodded slowly, the brunette opened the door of the car.
The doors of the Salvatore boarding house flew from their hinges, Stefan pulled Caroline down beside the car but was relieved to see Bonnie run through them.
"Caroline!" Bonnie rounded the car and throwing her arms around her friend who broke down completely in her hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." The ground started shaking under them, Stefan pulled Bonnie into the car.
"Bonnie, get out of Mystic Falls now." He grabbed Caroline and sped her to the other side of the car pushing her into the passenger seat. "Do not stop for anything, or anyone." He slammed the door shut and leaned down to look at them once more. "Don't trust anyone, stay safe and..." he squeezed Caroline's bloodstained hand, there wasn't anything else he could say, this wasn't meant to be a goodbye, but it started to sound like one, "...we'll get through this, together."
And with that Bonnie sped them out of the Salvatore drive.
Stefan ran towards the Mystic Grill to find Damon.
Caroline picked up the pink blanket lying on the passenger footwell and cried harder into it as they drove past the blonde's burning house, her fingers simultaneously clutching her locket and pressing the bloodstained blanket tighter to her chest.
The road seemed never ending as they headed West out of New Orleans towards California, even now that they were 40 miles beyond the city border, Caroline couldn't help looking back in the wing mirror to make sure they weren't being followed.
She was certain that the plan was working the way she had anticipated it to but even so she couldn't shake the feeling of something, or someone watching her. She closed her eyes and her fingers slowly played with the locket as she tried to calm herself.
At the beginning, it had taken her hours of focus to kick her brain back into gear and keep her emotions simmering below the surface, months later she was still only barely clinging to her sanity and composure.
"How did you find us?"
Caroline kept her eyes closed, things were already starting to become complicated, and her brain hurt from trying to censor how much information she gave away.
"We knew you'd be at the heart of a surge in magic, in an ancestral place where the coven would need to harness the energy of the full moon – the cemetery seemed to be the obvious option." Bonnie explained, "After that, it was only a matter of time before we found where you were."
It wasn't exactly how they had figured it out, but it was close enough to the truth.
"Have you chosen a name yet?"
"Have you chosen a name yet, Caroline?" Stefan leaned forward in the chair brushing his fingers against the soft hairs.
"We didn't get as far as that; you know with the constant danger and everything." Hayley murmured, "but I suppose you'll be needing one soon, won't you?" she brushed her fingers along the baby's cheek as she slept peacefully.
Marcel stood with bated breath in the cemetery watching Davina by the burnt corpses. Her hands floating over a line of blood that was slowly moving toward the altar.
"Well?"
Davina ignored Marcel and continued to whisper the incantations and followed the trail of blood as it moved of its own accord up the steps and climbed vertically along the alter coming to stop in the middle.
"The child died here, Marcel."
The vampire eyed the surrounding buildings, there was more blood and damage than he had anticipated, and several burnt bodies that he hasn't expected to find.
"With the sheer amount of magic I can feel, I think that once the sacrifice took place, the magic must have blown back with stronger consequences than anyone thought there would be." Davina held her hand over a corpse and then the ash that lay scattered around them, "every inch is covered in magic, and not the kind that would be used for a simple fire spell."
Davina backed away from the scene, "I can't even hear the ancestors right now Marcel, but I'm certain the sacrifice was complete."
Marcel nodded slowly, she may have been young, but Marcel knew the extent of Davina's power and trusted her completely. "Well, that's what I like to call a success." He placed his arm around Davina's shoulder and led her out as soon compelled humans quickly got to work cleaning up the mess behind them. "How about we get some of those beignets to celebrate?" Marcel grinned.
A few months ago...
"Oh my-" Bonnie pressed her arm across Caroline's chest as the car came to a sudden stop.
"Caroline, it's not real." The brunette couldn't figure out how this was happening, but she was damn sure this wasn't real.
"But...they're right there," Caroline gasped as she heard the air fill with what she knew to be the most beautiful sound in the world. She opened her door, hesitating as Bonnie's wrist wrapped around her arm.
"Caroline, look." The blonde focused on the woman standing in the middle of the road, "that's not your mom," the woman's gentle smile twisted into a dark smirk, "it's Silas.."
They'd finally arrived at a small house that had the exterior or being the perfect home for a perfect family. A white picket fence, a huge front lawn with bright flowers at the edges and a porch swing painting the beginnings of a perfect picture.
The engine stilled and there was pure silence around them, not a soul was awake at this time of night, a welcoming silence as everything seemed to just be completely still.
"Where are we?" Hayley asked, it was a residential area with what she imagined was filled with loving families.
"We'll be staying here for a little while and then head further out." Caroline got out whilst the rest followed, Stefan opening the door for Hayley as she brought out the car seat and the baby with it.
There were a billion other neighbourhoods with just as many cosy and safe houses, why did it have to be this one that they stayed in? Caroline of course knew the answer to her own question, she had already tried to think of other options but this one was the quickest, easiest and most sense to use for tonight. People had always praised her for her organisation and logic...today was one of those days when she wished the ground would swallow up the house and force them to look for other options.
"You okay?"
Caroline nodded slowly taking a deep breath, shutting her car down and slowly making her way up the drive. A weak smile graces her lips as she recognised the rabbit sitting in the flowerpot by the porch swing near the door. She lifted the pot, pulling out a key that fit perfectly into the front door lock.
Her fingered tightened along the door handle. The last time she had been here, everything had been different, she had been happy.
The blonde was snapped out of her thoughts when a piercing cry rang through the night, the baby had woken from her sleep, Caroline immediately opened the door and beckoned the others in.
"It's not much, but it'll do for the next few hours." Hayley flicked the switch, but nothing happened, "it doesn't have power, but there's some flashli-" Caroline stopped mid-way towards the kitchen as the room lit up.
"Witch, one. Power company, zero." Bonnie smirked giving an innocent shrug. The baby's cries grew.
"I think there's some formula in the cupboards," Hayley gave her an odd look, "I'll grab it for you." Caroline proceeded into the kitchen without a backward glance.
Bonnie led the hybrid up the stairs, "Stefan mentioned there was a crib here for her", the witch proceeded to open the doors of the rooms one by one as Hayley followed with her sleeping daughter in her arms.
Hayley looked into the open rooms; bedrooms, bathrooms, no blood or mess which could have suggested anything untoward...in fact, if you ignored the dust then this house was absolutely normal.
"Here..." Bonnie opened the door wider, they were welcomed to a child's room, the walls were painted pink, a crib pushed up against one side with a pink mesh canopy draping around the edges. A rocking chair stood in the corner, the floating shelves on the opposite wall with books and stuffed bears sitting on them.
Whilst it wasn't what Hayley had been expecting – she wasn't expecting much at all, let alone the setup in front of her – it was perfect.
"You're getting used to this pretty quickly." Bonnie spoke, she nodded towards the sleeping baby who was now lying in the crib, "Motherhood. You're a natural." She left, her parting words causing Hayley to smile.
Thanks to her newly developed hybrid hearing, she knew that Caroline was downstairs – her steady breathing placed her somewhere in the living room - and that Bonnie and Stefan had just left, something about trying to pick up some essentials for them even this late at night.
Even though the adrenaline from the transition was still pumping through her veins, she had stayed seated in the rocking chair keeping her watchful gaze on her daughter. Hayley was at odds, she knew the Mystic Falls trio hadn't told her the full story, there were so many pieces that didn't fully fit and so many pieces that were yet to be found in this puzzle.
The first part of the puzzle was the trio's presence. Whilst Bonnie's explanation was logical, it still didn't explain why they were here in the first place. Or why they were helping her.
The second part was her pack. Sure, Caroline had mentioned that they didn't know the full details of what had happened in New Orleans, but nothing could explain why her pack had broken the treaty. The treaty bound each faction to a peace declaration that had been cemented by the witches using the blood from each faction's representative. A consequence of a faction going against the treaty meant that the representative would have been killed. In this case, with the werewolves breaking the treat, it would mean that Jackson would stand trial and die. None of the pack would have dared to let that happen which is why what Hayley was told didn't make sense at all. Her pack wouldn't endanger their alpha.
The third part was the Mikaelsons. She poured through her memories hoping to find some remnant that gave her a clue as to what had happened to Klaus. The last she had seen of him was the witches using their powers to keep him pinned to the wall just as her throat had been slit. Hayley only presumed that he was still alive – the last of the white oak had after all been destroyed by Elijah and if Klaus died then she was certain his entire sire line would have perished with him, and she hadn't heard of the world's vampire population suddenly decreasing so that was definitely a good sign.
The hybrid hadn't known that Rebekah had returned to New Orleans, after the explosive fight between the siblings surrounding Rebekah's actions in Mikael finding them in the 1920s the blonde had been exiled from the city by Klaus. Hayley had formed a tentative bond with the female Original as the months had passed and she was saddened when Rebekah had left without a goodbye, but she understood.
Hayley's chest ached as she thought of Elijah. The feeling of his hand on her cheek still lingered, she trusted him and his promise to keep them safe and she wondered where he was right now. Like Klaus, Elijah couldn't have died. The hybrid swallowed hard, living with the Mikaelsons had proved something to her – there were worse fates than death that could just as easily break an individual.
The final part of the puzzle was Caroline. Even though it had been just over a year since the hybrid had seen her, she remembered her well. And she knew something had changed with the vampire. There was something guarded in her eyes, her blonde hair seemed to have lost its shine and she seemed on edge constantly – the complete opposite to the self-assured former Miss Mystic Falls. Whatever had happened to her, a piece of her soul had been lost along the way.
Hayley was brought back to the present, she sped to the side of the crib just as a yawn escaped the tiny creature's lips – how could anyone want to hurt something so vulnerable and innocent?
After ensuring that her baby continued to sleep undisturbed, she took her time exploring the room. Even though there were still remnants of dust in places, every part of this room looked new – the crib didn't have a scratch of use on it, the stuffed toys looked like they hadn't seen a day in a child's hand and the books were brand new. Hayley ran her fingers along the spines, typical baby books from first word to the first day of school. She stopped on the end of the row, a pure white book with gold patterns along its spine caught her attention.
She pulled it from the shelf slowly and turned it over, the cover was embedded with a single golden word in elegant print.
Lizzie
Hayley slowly opened the book and passed from page to page to understand, but every page she turned to was blank from beginning to end - why would you dedicate a book to someone but not complete it?
Realising she wasn't going to get anymore answers from it, she made to place the book back onto the shelf when a small square fell to the ground.
Caroline stood by the sink staring at the blood sitting at the bottom of it, she slowly brought the bag to her stained lips, inhaling deeply and taking a small sip. The liquid coated her tongue, she swirled it around her mouth hoping that just this once she could manage to keep it down.
She retched immediately spitting the vile substance out and dashing her hopes once more. It no longer tasted like it used to, she wasn't afraid to admit that at the height of her vampire identity when she had mastered control of the bloodlust that she enjoyed the flavour finding it decadent and moreish.
But now it was everything but that.
She quickly squeezed the rest of the liquid into the sink, binned the bag and ran the taps to get rid of the evidence. Stefan and Bonnie didn't know about this part, and she was going to make sure it remained that way.
Once the evidence was gone, she turned and leaned back against the counter, her eyes on the dining table in front of her...
"Well, what do you think?" Caroline spun with a giant grin on her face, "it's not fully done yet, we need some cutlery and a little more work in the garden but-"
"Sweetie." Liz tilted her head and smiled. "It's perfect." Caroline smiled, her bubbly energy calming at her mother's words, Liz took her hand and led her to the dining table in the middle of the kitchen and urged her to seat just as she did. "It really is perfect, Caroline." She rubbed her thumb over her daughter's hand, "You're doing amazingly, I'm so proud of you."
Caroline's eyes filled with tears, "Really?" she murmured searching Liz's eyes.
"Really." Liz nodded, "Now let me guess...you chose pink, not purple, right?" Caroline's eyes widened.
"How did you guess?" Caroline's eyes narrowed, "You didn't sneak a look whilst I was outside, did you?" Liz shook her head, her finger coming up to brush the side of Caroline's nose, as she pulled them away Caroline saw pink paint smeared across Liz's fingertips.
"For a highly organised vampire, you missed a spot." They giggled taking in the moment of pure unbroken joy.
Stefan and Bonnie would be returning soon, and Caroline was looking forward to having more voices in this house. While the house lacked photos or evidence of memories, every inch of it haunted Caroline. It was soaked in what had been, what could have been and what was.
Caroline's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing that spontaneously filled the house, the blonde sped towards the location and found herself looking at Hayley with the phone in her hand, her thumb hovering over the screen.
"Hayley, don't." Caroline said adamantly, the brunette shook her head.
"It's one of the witches Elijah trusted, and if he trusted her then so do I." Hayley made to answer the call, when the phone was suddenly snatched out of her hand, "Caroline! She could help find them!" Hayley hissed, making to move towards the blonde who dropped the phone and stamped on it with such force that it broke into tiny pieces. The ringing stopped.
Caroline suddenly found herself pushed against the wall, Hayley's glowing yellow eyes filling her sight, "You had no right to do that, we need her help!" The blonde gritted her teeth and pulled her out of the room into the hallway before pushing her away.
"We don't know who to trust, Hayley." Caroline's voiced was as hard as steel, "what part of 'everyone thinks you're dead' did you not understand?" She hissed, "because if you had answered that call, and it was someone who we couldn't trust on the other side then we would have rumours flying around New Orleans within the hour and tens of witches or more trying to find you." Caroline nodded towards the room, "we cannot afford to have anyone doubt your or your daughter's death, Hayley. It's hard enough keeping ourselves hidden, we do not need any doubt to enter anyone's head."
Caroline's shoulders sagged with the weight of the situation, her eyes pleading at Hayley who nodded slowly. The blonde's sight caught the small square in Hayley's fingers, "where did you get that from?" Caroline whispered, glancing back up at the brunette's face.
Hayley looked at the photo, she'd only given it a glance before the phone had started ringing, but as she looked now her lips parted in shock and her eyes filled with confusion. It was polaroid – a woman with short hair had her arms wrapped around the tired but smiling woman – Caroline - in the hospital bed who has in turn holding a small bundle close to her chest.
Elizabeth Forbes, 15th March 2023 x
"How..." Hayley started but ceased to speak when the image was pulled from her fingers. She saw tremors run along Caroline's hand; the blonde closed her eyes just as the black veins rippled under them.
Caroline could feel the seams coming undone, the simmering emotions were turning into a whirlpool, the darkness was just on the edges on her mind waiting for a break in her willpower to take hold of her again.
"Hayley, listen- " She whispered, the edge to her voice putting the hybrid on high alert. Caroline inhaled a sharp drawn breath, the cool air soothing the burning in her throat, her fangs were slowly dropping, and she bit her lip hard trying to steady herself, she took another breath before opening her eyes. "-listen to me carefully-," her voice was slowly returning to normal "-because this is going to be the most important thing I tell you." Caroline swallowed hard, her fingers gripping the photo. "Your job is to protect your daughter; she is your priority. Everything else, you leave to me."
Hayley knew this wasn't sweet little Miss Mystic Falls anymore.
"From one mother to another...do not ever forget that."
...peeks around the corner again... I hope I haven't lost much of my storytelling skills (if I had any to begin with!)
See you when the creativity gods strike again :D