Hello, readers!
I think I said this story would be roughly five or so chapters. Nope! We're just at the halfway point. Thank you for sticking with it. This is the longest chapter, thus far, and you'll find out why. It's a lot. I enjoyed writing it immensely, even though it called for more research than I've done for a while. I did my best to not contradict anything (even going back to previously posted chapters and making a couple of edits…which I dare you to figure out!).
As always, I am happy to receive constructive criticism and/or praise. But I'm also just grateful that you're here.
One more chapter, and then things start to take a rather drastic turn…
Happy reading!
Jenn
Caroline did it. She earned Klaus' trust. Enough to make him give her back her belongings, anyway. Of course, in-line with his nature, he'd laced a less-than-subtle threat into his words, as he handed her the laptop and cell phone.
"Please keep in mind that, should you make any foolish choices, there will be rather unpleasant consequences. Let's not undo all of the goodwill between us, love."
She took the electronics and rolled her eyes. Glancing down at the phone, she saw that Bonnie had just texted her about returning from town. Apparently, the bridal shower was a success and Bonnie and Enzo were now exhausted from all of the festivities. She was going to rest and unpack for the rest of the day, and she wanted to see Caroline on Tuesday.
*Glad everything went well! Tuesday sounds good. Lunch in town? You pick the spot*
Caroline sent the text as she walked to her room. After setting the items on her nightstand, she glanced at Rebekah's portrait and studied it for a moment. When Klaus had finally admitted that the featured woman was his sister, it had only heightened Caroline's interest. She was a vampire, like her brothers…if they're so indestructible, how did they die? How did she die?
The phone chimed and Caroline checked to see if Bonnie had already responded.
*Yes! I'll text you that morning…see you Tues!*
She set the phone back onto the nightstand and walked back out to the main living area. Klaus was roaming the house, taking down certain paintings and stacking them on the stained couch. The blood was still covered with a towel, albeit a different one, because Caroline had tried and failed to completely remove the mess from the upholstery.
"What'cha doin'?" she asked, placing her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.
Klaus looked up, after placing the fifth painting on the pile, and smiled.
"I'm gathering old canvases. I feel rather inspired, as of late, so I think I may explore that creative vein and see where it takes me."
"With those? Wait," Caroline frowned. "Are you going to paint over them?"
His smile dried out considerably. "Well, yes. That's what we artists are known to do, love."
Caroline rushed to the couch and searched through the pile, one by one. She pulled one from the stack carefully and held it up for him to see.
"This one? Seriously? You're going to paint over this adorable Parisian bistro?!"
"It was in Prague, actually, and it's not there anymore. Just a moment in time," he shrugged. He turned around and stared at a still life of a bejeweled comb. "They're all locked in here, anyway," he said, as he lightly touched his temple with two of the fingers on his right hand. "You can't tell me that you've never thrown away a photograph." He went to remove the painting from the wall, placing a hand on each side of the square canvas.
"Don't touch that!" Caroline ordered.
Klaus let go and spun around to face her, surprised to see her stern brow and set jaw. His eyes trailed down to the painting that she still held, although now her arms held it in a protective embrace.
"If you like it that much, darling," he gestured toward her hands, "it's yours."
And she smiled.
Tuesday arrived in a flash, and, true to her word, Bonnie text messaged Caroline that morning.
*Do you like Mexican? There's a place on the boardwalk that has THE BEST shrimp tacos…La Dama del Mar?*
*K…pick me up at 11?*
*Yep! Be there soon*
Caroline hummed to herself, as she prepped for her day. The weather was already considerably colder, so a sundress and jacket wouldn't do. She opted for a pair of jeans, her black riding boots, a ribbed grey top with small magenta flowers dotting the fabric, and a black hoodie. Once her hair was curled and her makeup was finished, she bounded out of the room and headed straight for the coffee.
Klaus was painting in the living room, but it was too early for Caroline to tell what the subject was. She did appreciate that he had already lit a fire. After grabbing the coffee, she fell into one of the armchairs. The vampire, facing the front door, was deep in thought, playing with the various colors on his palette.
"Heard your phone chiming earlier. Care to fill me in?" His back stiffened, as he spoke, but he didn't turn to face her.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to lunch with Bonnie. Maybe do a little shopping. She'll be here at 11."
"Should I trust you to keep my secret?"
"Um, I don't know, Klaus," she shot back. "I'm sitting here, willingly, in the same room as a vampire that drinks human blood, sipping my coffee and enjoying conversation with him." Klaus did turn, then, and sent her a beaming smile. Caroline raised an eyebrow and drank from the mug. "Or trying to, anyway. It's kind of hard, when he's so paranoid!"
"Centuries of living amongst humans will do that to you," he replied, quietly. He went back to his canvas, and Caroline watched him work.
"How close are you to finishing my portrait?"
"I like to take my time," he said, still focusing on the new painting. "It helps to set certain projects aside, tackle something new, then return with a fresh eye."
Before they knew it, Bonnie's red coupe pulled into the driveway. Her curls were now secured into neat cornrows that flipped around her shoulders, as she went to exit her car. Her baggy jeans looked like they belonged to Enzo, and they were relying on a belt to stay anchored to her hips. The light grey thermal shirt almost matched Caroline's, but it was mostly covered by a cropped white sweatshirt. Caroline answered the door, and Bonnie immediately slid past her and into the home.
"Hey, girl!" the brunette called out. Her eyes focused on the painter, although his back was to her, and she gave her friend a bawdy look. "Hey, Klaus. Whatcha workin' on?"
He stopped, then, and turned to face the guest. "Hello, again, Miss Bennett." Sending a sideways glance to the canvas, he sighed. "It's supposed to be a cup of coffee but nestled amongst other items. I may have to scrap it, though."
"It used to be a mountain lion," Caroline added, sourly. "But apparently a man with multiple estates and a luxury car can't be bothered to buy blank canvases."
Klaus chuckled, hearing the teasing tone within her biting words.
"You ladies have fun," he wished them well, along with a dashing smile.
The duo left, and, once the car was pulling out of the driveway, Bonnie started in on her friend.
"Okay, what has changed? It's been, like, less than two weeks! What's with the flirting and what else is going on?"
Caroline's thoughts careened into each other. Flirting? We most certainly were NOT. He's a monster! I'm a human! He's a thousand years old, and I'm some dumb, uncultured, naïve girl, as far as he's concerned.
"Nothing!" the blonde said aloud. "I mean, yeah, it's gotten better, like I already told you, but nothing more is going on."
"Whatever," Bonnie shrugged, clearly unconvinced. "I know what I heard and saw."
"Change of subject! How was your trip?"
For the rest of the car ride, Caroline listened and peppered little sounds of agreement, while Bonnie shared what her week had entailed. They pulled into the restaurant's parking lot, and both ladies gathered their belongings.
"So, what hairstyle are you doing for the big day?" Caroline asked, opening her door and stepping onto gravel.
Bonnie waited until she was out of the car and had locked it, before answering.
"I have a couple of different ideas." She threw her keys into her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "Enzo prefers my natural curls, but I think I'll have an asymmetrical look. Not sure if I want braids or to just slick the hair down on one side."
"When are you getting married, again?"
"May 8th. Well before the tourists invade for the summer," the brunette lifted an eyebrow and finished her statement with a frown.
"Does it get that bad, here?"
"You'll see."
After lunch, Bonnie drove Caroline to a grocery store and then to a clothing boutique. As they loaded the last of their bags in their car, the blonde took inventory of how many bags she'd have to lug into the house. Klaus' house. When both ladies were in their seats, Caroline leaned back and closed her eyes.
"You have no idea how much I needed this, today, Bonnie," she sighed. "My life has been a series of ups and downs," she frankly stated, opening her eyes to look over to her friend, "but Klaus moving in really threw a wrench in my plans."
For a moment, Bonnie was silent. Then, after starting the car, she nodded.
"Then, we have one more errand to run."
Caroline started to ask where they were headed, but after they'd exited the parking lot, it was clear. Only one block away from the boutique, the car was now parked outside of Mr. Donovan's office.
"Oh, um…" Caroline started, but stopped.
Bonnie jumped out of the car and eventually stood outside the office door. Peering in, briefly, she turned around and was surprised to see the blonde in the car. With a hand motion directing Caroline to join her, she waited by the door. In the car, Caroline took a deep breath and moved to joined Bonnie.
"I know you probably already reached out to him, but let's see if Matt has found any new places!"
"I-" Caroline barely got out, but Bonnie was already walking through the door.
Inside, Matt Donovan was sitting sideways at his desk, feeding a scanner various documents. He wore a deep brown pullover cardigan that had a mock turtleneck. Although he was concentrated on the paper he currently held, he glanced up with a smile and brief greeting, when the ladies stepped over the threshold.
"Hey, Matt!"
"Bonnie?" he informally addressed the young woman, giving a wider smile of familiarity. "Whoa! You look great! Geez, it's been years! What have you been up to?"
"Finishing college, moving back home, getting engaged," she wiggled the finger with the ring up to emphasize her point. She took steps closer to him, while Caroline followed in her wake. "Grams mentioned that you took over for your uncle, recently. How's it goin'?"
Matt shrugged. "Not bad. Just a lot of paperwork to go through. I'd like to bring this office into the twenty-first century, already!" He looked over Bonnie's shoulder and nodded to the silent person in the room. "Hello, again, Caroline."
"Hi, Matt," she responded succinctly, giving an awkward half-wave. "You two know each other?"
"We went to school together. Pretty much all our lives," he laughed. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, was it your grandmother who dropped off the keys to the house for Rebecca Cliff?"
"Yep, that was Grams," Bonnie confirmed. "And, speaking of the house on the cliff, Caroline and I came by to see if you have any other options. Even though I'll be sad to lose her as a neighbor!"
Matt gestured for them to sit in the chairs across from his own. He then sat down, himself, with a confused expression.
"What are you talking about? Is something wrong with the house, Caroline?"
Bonnie immediately shot a displeased look at the woman who sat blushing in the other seat.
"Um, so the homeowner decided to move back in-"
"Wait, what?" Matt shook his head. "I didn't hear anything about this. The lawyer should have alerted me to the fact that the lease was now broken."
"So, when Klau-, er, Mr. Michaelson, Mikaelson, actually," Caroline fumbled through the words, "when he arrived, we worked out an arrangement that I could remain there in the downstairs bedroom, until I could find another place to stay."
"When was this?!"
"Well, it was a couple of weeks ago, but I had kind of a bad fall, so I didn't really get out much, for a while." A silence fell upon the room, so Caroline began to babble. "I mean, at first he wanted me out of there ASAP, but then I think he felt sorry for me. He called his lawyer and let him know the situation, and we agreed to kind of stay out each other's way in the home. But now, we're becoming friends. I think. I mean, he still definitely reminds me that it's his home, but we're getting along pretty well as roommates. For now."
Her mouth clamped shut, then. Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP, CAROLINE! Now's not the time to overshare…
"I'm so sorry, Caroline," Matt murmured and leaned further back in his chair. "It's been less than two months. I thought, for sure, that clause in the contract was some kind of loophole for the owner to use if you turned out to abuse the home on your end. And I could tell you weren't that kind of tenant, so I figured you were good to go." He gave her a sad, sympathetic smile. "If I thought, for one moment, that a member of the family would just barge in and take up residence, I would have had steered you in another direction." He turned to his computer and brought his hands up to furiously type on the keyboard. "I'm sure I can find something for you, soon. Just give me a couple of days to do some research, and I'll be in touch with you. Are you sure you're okay staying at the house, for now? Would you like me to book you a hotel room in town?"
Caroline shook her head emphatically. "No, no, I'm fine. But I appreciate you offering. Are you going to, like, email me? Or should we set an appointment?"
Matt brought something up on the monitor and then scrolled up and down.
"Let's go ahead and set up an appointment. Are you still without a car?"
"Yes," she sheepishly admitted. Bonnie gave her another cynical look.
"Okay, then…" More scrolling. Caroline assumed he was looking through his schedule. "How about I pick you up on Friday at 10am? That'll give me enough time to put together a few options to show you."
"That should work," the young widow agreed.
Bonnie and Matt had another brief conversation about their personal lives, and then the ladies left the office and returned to the car. Once inside and on the road, Bonnie spoke up first.
"I can't believe you didn't contact him! You DO like Klaus, you liar!"
"No!" Caroline immediately shot back. "No, it's just…I really did get hurt-"
"Oh, yeah, sure. Can't send an email or call your agent, when you're on your death bed with scrapes and bruises," she mockingly chided her friend. Caroline huffed and didn't answer, so Bonnie continued. "Fine," she shrugged. "You don't want Klaus. Matt is single, good-looking, and a business owner. Maybe I should set you guys up!"
Caroline groaned.
The rest of the car ride was filled with more neutral conversation, as well as a cordial competition to see which one of the young women could best match their voices to the pop singers on the radio. The contest ended in a fit of giggles, and the red coupe was suddenly parked alongside Klaus' own sporty vehicle.
"Do you need any help getting all this in?" Bonnie asked.
"I might-"
But then Klaus was walking toward them, opening Caroline's door and offering her his hand to pull her out.
"Welcome back, ladies," he smoothly greeted, flashing a grin to the driver as Caroline took his hand. "Judging by the volume of bags in the back, it must have been a fruitful outing. May I help you with those?"
"Sure," Caroline answered him, turning around to grab her purse and the items in a canvas bag from the boutique they'd visited. She then stepped away, and Klaus grabbed the remaining items that Caroline pointedly claimed.
His arms were laden with bags, humorously so, but he stood as straight and unperturbed as if he carried none.
"I'll let you say your goodbyes," he directed to the two of them. "Miss Bennett, it was a pleasure to see you, again. Best wishes for your upcoming nuptials." He took the bounty and returned to the house.
"Who talks like that?" Bonnie laughed. "Still, he's ridiculously hot. And you, Caroline, are just deluding yourself. Good luck with that!"
"HA! Anyway, thanks for the day out. See you later!" Caroline closed the door and walked toward the house, herself.
Klaus left the door open for her, so she was easily able to enter with her full hands. She gently kicked the door shut behind her and took the purse and shopping bag straight to her room. She could hear the vampire in the kitchen, most likely putting away the groceries she'd just purchased.
"Who talks like that?" Klaus does. Who still acts like this much of a gentleman? No one other than him, from my experience. Too bad he's not human. He'd be, like, the perfect guy.
Later that day, as they cleaned up after dinner, Klaus suggested a walk.
"But it's dark," Caroline reminded him. She placed a dish into the dishwasher. "And let's not forget the last time I went for a walk at dusk."
"Yes, well, now a vampire will escort you," he smirked, leaning back against the counter and folding his arms. "It's a full moon, so even your inferior human eyes should be able to see where you're going."
Without thinking, Caroline lightly swatted his bicep and laughed. His eyes darted down to her lips and lingered.
"And I'll keep you safe, love," he quietly promised.
She swallowed and then coughed, choking on her own saliva. She grabbed her glass of water and took a long drink. Klaus looked at her expectantly. There was something in his eyes that begged her to say yes.
"Okay."
Twenty minutes later, she'd changed into navy sweatpants, a gray college sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail, with the curls mostly flattened from the day's activities. It was too cold to try to look cute. The wind would be whipping through the air, especially on the shoreline, so leaving her hair down wasn't an option. Not like I care, Caroline thought. It's just Klaus.
Walking out to meet him, he was dressed in a cream-colored thermal long-sleeved top and jeans. His shoes were a dressier loafer, but he didn't seem to be concerned about wearing them casually. The lighter-colored top clung to his arms and chest, showing definition that Caroline tried very, very hard to ignore.
They walked out of the house and down the cliffside in silence. Klaus walked along the edge, keeping Caroline safe between himself and the rockface. When they reached the damaged plank, he nonchalantly skipped that step and used a longer stride to reach the next. The full moon illuminated everything it touched, and the crashing waves were the only sounds filling the air.
On the beach, they walked side by side. Caroline crossed her arms under her chest, keeping her core as warm as possible, while Klaus's hands rested within his front pockets.
"I'd like to share a little more about my family, if that's all right with you," he said, breaking the natural quiet.
Her head snapped so quickly to look at him that her ponytail swung around and onto her cheek. A few hairs caught in her mouth, so she used a hand to brush them away.
"Of course," Caroline forced herself to look away, out toward the water.
After a small pause, Klaus began his story.
"My mother did what she did out of love and fear. After Henrik… she felt that making her children immortal would ensure our safety. Freya ran, and Mother lost another child forever, for the decision that was made. Our father didn't know of Mother's plans. I think, deep down, she knew he would never understand or approve.
"We awoke with such a ravenous hunger; a bloodlust that was instantly apparent. We craved it. Just as much as we needed air to breathe. To crush yet another myth, we vampires are not undead creatures. Our bodies withstand temperature, blunt trauma, disease, injury, and even mortal wounds. Our senses are stronger, keener, and more developed than when we were human. Nothing ages, so nothing deteriorates. We stay forever in our prime, our hearts pumping our replenishing blood to instantly restore and heal us. Our minds hold onto every detail of every event," he explained, and then he stopped.
Caroline noticed that they were almost a mile from the cliff. A shiver went up her spine, but she wasn't afraid. Klaus sat in the sand, which surprised her, but she hastily joined him. They sat facing the ocean, with Caroline staying silent. Waiting to hear more.
"As it turned out, our mother was right to keep our father in the dark. Or wrong, depending on your point of view. Fear and love," he mused, cracking a sardonic smile. "Our father acted upon the same two emotions. When he came into the barn and saw us feeding on the young woman from our village, he grabbed his sword and charged at the monsters he saw. We were dead to him, in that moment. Abominations of the children he had raised. Finn, equally horrified at what he had become, tried to placate our father."
Klaus paused, and he looked over at Caroline to fortify his resolve. She looked back at him, too, wide blue eyes staring back into his own.
"Father impaled him, and Finn fell to the ground in pain. It wasn't a fatal wound, for a vampire, but we didn't know that, yet. We stood around my eldest brother, my mother, father, brothers, sister, and I, in utter disbelief. We waited for death to take him, but he didn't die. He cried. Desperate to be freed from the curse that had damned him to our father. And, as we stood in shock, the sun rose. Beams of light pierced through holes in the walls and hit our bared skin like liquid fire. I would liken it to acid. It was agony, and, again, our instinct to survive superseded any other thought. With speed we didn't know we had, we fled into the woods and found a cave deep within the forest near our home. The four of us, my other older brother, Elijah, my younger brother, Kol, myself, and Rebekah retreated into the darkness of the cave, inspecting the wounds that the sun created and marveling at how quickly the scars disappeared. Our bodies had changed. We all looked older. Before our transformation, Rebecca was fifteen years old. She'd gone through her womanly changes, but now she looked to have aged another ten years. Kol was sixteen, but he now had the appearance of a mature man. Elijah was the eldest, at twenty-three, so his appearance was the least changed. I was nineteen, but my siblings said that I, too, looked like I was identical in age to Elijah."
"I guess that makes me older than you," Caroline teased.
"In no logical way does that make any sense," he chided her back, shaking his head. "Going on with where I left off, we'd inadvertently found a bear's den. Still craving blood, we killed the creature and fed, but the blood was distasteful. Disgusting, really. Is there a food you hate?"
Caroline's eyebrows raised and her mouth went agape, surprised to have a question so unexpectedly posed. The vampire waited patiently for an answer.
"I, um… I don't really like… um…" Caroline bit her lip and tried to think of an honest answer. "Lima beans?"
Klaus chuckled. "Lima beans, hmm? Okay, I can work with that. Imagine you're eating a bowl of mashed lima beans that have sat out for over a day."
Her nose reflexively scrunched in disgust and that seemed to make Klaus smile, too.
"Could you eat it?" he asked, continuing the comparison. "Technically, yes. It would be some form of sustenance, but it'd make for a miserable meal. Not something you'd want to be a staple of your diet."
"Yeah, thanks, I get it," Caroline chided and finished with leaning her body to lightly knock him in the shoulder. "So, you ate a bear, it tasted gross, and you instantly realized that the only suitable food in the animal kingdom was human blood."
He laughed, again, at that. "No, but we did realize that not all blood was desirable. We even tried feeding on each other, in that cave, which was a better solution but still not as satisfying as the young woman's we'd tasted earlier." Caroline tensed, and he became serious. "I'm not positive of all the science behind it, but I wager that it has something to do with the vampire blood needing to assimilate human blood in our systems. When we cross species, ingesting animal blood, our bodies ultimately reject it. Or most of it. When we feed on humans, our blood quickly bonds with it to rejuvenate our own. When we feed on each other, the different strains of vampire are somewhat resistant to each other – similar to different human blood types."
"I guess that makes sense," Caroline quietly chimed in.
"Anyway," Klaus continued and leaned back, resting his hands on the sand behind him. "We stayed in the cave until nightfall. When we returned to our family's barn, there was a pile of ash in the place where Finn once knelt. The sword was gone. Finn was dead, and we knew that the one and only thing that could truly kill us was the sun."
Caroline turned toward him and sat with her legs sprawled underneath her and her left hand bracing her on the sand. Her right hand flew up to point at his nose.
"You lied! No, wait, you've been in the sun, and nothing happens! You said it doesn't hurt you!"
He smiled and brought a hand up to gently lower the hand that hovered in his face. Holding her hand in his, he looked down to the blue stone ring on his finger. She didn't pull her hand away.
"Mother found us, first. Father was apparently searching for us in the woods, not expecting us to return so soon. She'd witnessed her eldest son's death. Our brother burst into flames before their eyes, and it was the final proof our father needed to justify our deaths. He cursed his son as a demon, and then he removed the sword from the ashes and set out to hunt each and every one of us down. Mother, in the meantime, knew that her plan to immortalize her children had an unforeseen flaw: sunlight. However or from whomever she received the vampiric spell also gave her the key to our deliverance."
Still holding her hand, Klaus nodded down to the ring.
"Jewelry?" Caroline asked, undoubtedly confused. "Is this from your mother? It seems… newer than something made a thousand years ago."
"It's the stone. Originally in one piece. A large lapis lazuli stone," he spoke, and Caroline studied the ancient artifact. "Normally, it's only fairly strong, but this one is mystical and fortified. It's as hard as a diamond. Still, I am quite careful with it. That stone and its power to protect vampires from the sun has never been duplicated. It's one of the reasons that I keep a discreet profile. Although I am stronger than any vampires that were turned after me, I don't need to invite trouble."
She looked up, then, to find that Klaus was already staring at her. When her hand twitched within his, he instantly let it go and looked back toward the water.
"We broke up the stone, Rebekah, Kol, Elijah, and myself. Each of us took a shard. They started off as amulets we wore around our necks on leather cords. When Kol lost his, Elijah split his in two. By that time, metal chains were more popular, so we switched to pendants. To avoid suspicion, we cut the stones into more manageable, purposeful shapes, as uncut crystals were often seen to be full of mystical energies. Eventually, the stones were whittled down into rings, the easiest to see on one's person, and the most comfortable way to wear the stone at all times. And, with the death of our brother, and with the splitting of the stone, we made a pact: always and forever. We would remain loyal to each other, devoted to protecting one another from any who would come between us."
He leaned forward, now, and placed both hands in his lap, using the fingers of the hand without the ring to play with the ringed finger. Caroline recognized the gesture, as well as the hesitation in speech to be his method of coping with anxiety.
"Our father hunted us for the span of his lifetime. We weren't hard to track, back then. Not understanding how to control ourselves, we would sweep through a village and leave a trail of death behind us. It wasn't hard for Father to recruit wronged individuals to his cause. We were on an island, and we didn't know much of the world that lay beyond it. Father was only able to kill Finn, but he laid the groundwork for those who would hunt us for generations after his death. He told his followers of our bloodlust and invincibility and of our one weakness. They passed it on, sometimes adding their own superstitions and assumptions. It's where the myths came about that vampires fear crosses, garlic, and all that nonsense. We traveled down through what is now known as North America, feeding on tribal nations that came up with the term 'wendigo' to describe us."
"No way…" Caroline breathed out.
Klaus caught her eye and smiled mischievously.
"Tall, pale-skinned, cannibalistic creatures with ravenous hunger… they called us skeletal, but that was an exaggeration. We were taller and thinner than most men of that era. I suppose we acted like feral beasts, too, back then, hiding amongst the trees and hunting in the shadows. We continued south, feeding and exploring, sometimes settling in a new area for weeks or months. It was before the world had been properly charted. It seemed, too, that the further south we traveled, the warmer the weather. That was all novelty to us, not having ever lived or traveled so close to the equator.
"Eventually, we found ourselves in the midst of a new civilization: the Mayans. Like their neighbors to the north, their skin was darker than ours. We knew we wouldn't be accepted into their society, so we stayed on the outskirts, studying and feeding when the opportunities presented themselves. They already had a set of gods and monsters, when we arrived. But, as more of their members went missing or were found exsanguinated, their pleas for peace increased. The human sacrifices that were once sporadic happened monthly. They raided other cultures to find prisoners, when thinning out their own tribesman was no longer tolerated. They tried different ages, different venues, and different methods to find the ritual that would successfully appease the demons that hunted their kin.
"During one instance, a young girl was tied to the pillar of a temple. They slit her throat, perhaps seeking to mollify us, knowing our diet, then fled into the temple. Kol ran up to the temple's opening and crushed the stone, causing a cave-in that blocked the exit and prevented anyone inside from being able to see us."
Klaus looked over to see Caroline's horrified face, so he sighed and gave her a sympathetic look.
"It wasn't a death sentence for everyone trapped inside. We just wanted time. They eventually moved the rocks and freed themselves," he rolled his eyes and laid back onto the sand. He felt Caroline staring down at him, but he focused on the full moon above them. "There was nothing to be done about the girl, who was only about twelve or so. Around Henrik's age. Elijah had a sudden change of heart, not wanting to feed on her, but only to comfort her in her final moments. He looked into her eyes and told her not to be afraid, that he wouldn't hurt her. She instantly fell into a kind of trance, waiting for him to say more. So, he told her to ignore the pain and focus on finding a path to whatever awaited her after death. She didn't struggle, she just stared at him, until her body slumped lifelessly against her constraints. We were shocked. That was our first clue that we had some sort of sway over the emotions and actions of humans."
Caroline was silently crying, tears making tracks down her face. "That poor girl…"
"Yes," Klaus said into the air, still not meeting her eye. He swallowed. "The real wonder of it was that we didn't speak their language. At this point, we only spoke old Norse." He peered over to her, seeing her eyes welled up with tears and glinting in the moonlight. "Ek drekkja innan sinn logr þinn augun."
"That sounded nice," Caroline smiled, wiping the tears away. "What did that mean?"
Klaus looked back to the skies. "It means… I said that I was sorry. For making you cry."
"Oh, well, I'm fine. You actually lived it." A pause. "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share this with me."
"We didn't understand or speak her language," he pressed forward, choosing not to acknowledge the young woman's final sentiment. Perhaps a part of him worried that sharing his past was unwise. Then again, he could always make her forget. "But she still understood and obeyed. Kol was the first to employ the art of compulsion to his hunt. It's a kind of hypnotic state and, not unlike hypnosis, it can be literal or figurative, dormant or triggered, depending on the intended use. For us, it was like a mental telepathy. But it does require eye contact. Kol grabbed a guard from the edge of the village and ordered him not to make a sound. When the human complied, Kol was delighted. He drank until the man was drained, then left the body to be found.
"Elijah was both intrigued and furious. He'd always felt that Kol was careless in his hunting. However, for Elijah, and eventually for the rest of us, this created a new era of feeding on humans. Now, we had the ability to immediately calm our prey, feed, and release them under a compulsion to forget the entire encounter. Killing humans was how we ensured there were no witnesses; it also limited the amount of time we could remain in one place without drawing too much attention."
"Have you-" Caroline interjected, struggling to ask her question, "have you…ever done that to me? Compelled me or hypnotized me or whatever?"
Klaus took a deep breath in and held it for a moment before finally releasing it. "The night we met, you were basically talking within your dreamlike state. I compelled you to go back to sleep. That was the only time I've used it on you."
He waited to see if she wanted to know or ask more, but her mouth just hung open in surprise. Not wishing to completely derail his story, he went back to where he'd left off.
"It took about two hundred years for us to begin experimentation on how to make more vampires with our blood. I'll admit it was my idea. Elijah detested it, Rebekah thought it was a waste of time, but Kol became even more passionate about changing a human into one of us than I was. I just wanted to know if it was possible. Kol had found a new mission. The catalyst must be obvious, I'm sure: European exploration of the New World.
"We were still in what is now known as Mexico, when Cortés arrived with his ships. It's humorous, now, to think that, although we shared European heritage with them, we were as baffled by the paler-skinned invaders as the Mayan people were. But, when we saw the ships, the idea emerged to flee one continent for another. Using our powers of compulsion, we stole one of the ships and its crew to return to whatever world they had arrived from. I found out, centuries later in a history textbook, that our absconding with one of Cortés' ships had caused the paranoid man to destroy the rest of his fleet, thinking that his forces would abandon him.
"In 1519, we arrived in la ciudad de València, España. Now, finally, all of the pieces were in place. We were around people that we could blend in with, once we learned their language and customs. And, little by little, we did. First, we stayed in the countryside, within the home of a nobleman, un vizconde, using his resources to hire tutors, tailors, and anyone else who could help us enter into better society. We learned not only Spanish, but Latin, French, and English, which was expected, at that time. Once we were part of the gentry, we were able to move up into the nobility, and then we were able to acquire even more land and wealth. Elijah was extraordinary at business matters, so we owed our prosperity to him. Rebekah enjoyed our new lavish lifestyle, and she made sure to do whatever Elijah asked. Kol was…less content. I hate to confess that I wasn't exactly encouraging him to stay in line.
"Now that we were properly settled and in the public eye, I was rather bored. Kol missed the hunt. The kill. I felt similarly, although it was less about killing and more about finding something that would entertain the beast within me. I took to experimenting on the humans around us. I knew what happened when I fed on them, what their blood meant for my body, but I wanted to know how my blood would affect theirs. The first was a servant. I pulled the young man aside, fed from his neck, then bit my finger and applied the wound directly to his. The skin repaired itself as quickly as my own, although I could tell that he was still weak from the blood loss. I ran to tell Kol.
"We went from healing minor wounds to major illnesses and disease. Elijah was more sympathetic to the humans' suffering than the rest of us, so he allowed my brother and I to continue, as long as we didn't draw too much attention. Occasionally, though, a body would show up with no color. Kol did attempt to keep his sport away from our family, but it didn't stop Elijah from beating him without mercy. Our little brother ran away, and Elijah demanded that Rebekah and I stay. I think we were all convinced he would return. Meanwhile, Kol tore throughout Europe, feeding, gambling, and engaging in whatever debauchery he could find. He left bodies throughout his wake; he was the one that discovered the process of making a new vampire from his blood. The key was death. A vampire must share a portion of their blood with a human, then the human must die, while the vampiric blood still runs through their veins. When the heart stops beating, it is the vampire's blood that takes over and instantly changes the metabolism, heartrate, nervous system, and all other major bodily functions. The human doesn't actually die…they turn into a vampire."
"How much-"
"How much blood does the person need to have in their body to invoke the change?" Klaus finished for her, while glancing in her direction.
Caroline's mouth snapped shut, able to identify the change in his demeanor. Guarded. Suspicious. What, like he thinks I want to be a vampire? Seriously?
His eyes had hardened, staring at her, but then he relaxed and blinked slowly.
"More than a drop," he vaguely added. "Kol left more than dead bodies behind in his tour of Europe. He made new vampires. I was impressed by my little brother, despite his lack of taste in choosing which humans should join our race. To our surprise, we could compel them, too. They had the gift of compulsion over humans, but they couldn't influence us. Some of them we killed, ordering them to greet the sun in a remote area, and some we let live. Undoubtedly, the survivors made more of our kind, throughout the years.
"Our brother eluded us for almost 40 years. He was the cleverest of our family," Klaus said with a smile at the memory of his little brother. "Even when we were almost upon him, we were too late. In 1620, he boarded a little ship called the Mayflower to set sail back across the Atlantic. He wanted to go home. Apparently, his hedonistic lifestyle had caught up to him, too, and he had a religious epiphany of some sort."
"Kol was on the Mayflower. THE Mayflower?! How could you just gloss over that? That's a major historical event!" Caroline lay down next to him, propped up by her elbow and situated on her side. If Klaus didn't care about getting sand everywhere, neither would she.
"It was just a ship. It may be an important event to you, now, and even to the pilgrims back then. But to a vampire, it was just a ship. It was deemed a miracle that there was only one fatality, which we found out about centuries later, but it was obviously Kol's doing. By this time, Elijah was done chasing our brother. He returned to Spain, now decades after we'd left, and reclaimed his title as an heir of our family. Rebekah remained with him, at his request, and I couldn't fault her for wanting to have that stability and luxury she had grown accustomed to. I, however, vowed to find our wayward brother.
"But going home proved to be a disastrous decision," Klaus finished the sentiment and then took a deep breath. Caroline bit her lip, nervous for what was to come. "I don't know exactly what happened. I know that Kol probably lived for a short time amongst the pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, but that he eventually relapsed into his feral activities. More vampires were made, more deaths spread up and down the Atlantic coast of North America. It drew the attention of the descendants of those who knew how to hunt us. Kol's recklessness caught up to him, and I had to read about his death in the journal belonging to one of his killers."
Caroline audibly gasped. She desperately wanted to ask all the questions in her mind, but she feared that her probing would silence him…as it had in the past. Klaus rolled on his side to face her. He looked slightly upset, but not as emotional as Caroline suspected he felt. Three brothers and a sister dead…the two remaining siblings in Spain…Klaus alone somewhere on the east coast…geez…
"They stalked him the same way we did in Europe: by following the bodies and monsters he left behind. The vampires they caught were all killed. They found the perfect solution: behead the beast, dismember the body, then leave the pieces strewn about in a field or some location without shade overhead. Then, the sun takes care of the rest."
"But, how-" Caroline interrupted, "you're impossibly fast, stronger than any other creature, and I thought you said that the sun was the only thing that can hurt you. Without your stone, that is. So, how – how did they even get close enough to your brother to…to do that?"
He cast his eyes down, staring at the moonlit sand. "I only know what I read. It took me a while to track down the men who celebrated killing what they called the 'King of the Vampires.' Within the two years he was back home, his exploits must've spread far and wide. The journal said that, with help from the natives in the area, the humans ambushed my brother with arrows, spears, and even pitchforks raining down upon him. Kol fought back, but his wounds were severe, and the torment didn't end. They charged him, and though he fought many of them off, they were able to cut of his limbs. Most of the natives left, once the monster was incapacitated. Maybe due to some superstition? I'll never know. But the vampire hunters…they didn't leave until Kol's ashes began to blow away.
"I killed them all. The hunters, the natives that allied themselves with our enemies. So great was my bitterness and rage, I was responsible for unrest in the area between the two nations, so that they continued to slaughter each other, long after I'd gone." He still didn't look at Caroline, knowing better than to see the horror and disappointment in her sapphire eyes. Instead, he sat up, again, and stared into the dark horizon. "I was done with America, for now, so I returned to Spain to see my brother and sister and deliver the news of our little brother's death in person.
"They took the news of Kol's passing hard. Harder than I expected. Elijah locked himself in his chambers and destroyed everything within his room. Rebekah cried for days. After the tears were gone, she walked around like her soul, too, was absent. I suddenly hated being around them both. Without Kol, Rebekah seemed whiny and entitled, while Elijah was too bossy and overprotective. I left Spain for France, then traveled to see my family's ancestral lands of Norway, and then settled for a time in Sweden. I toured most of Europe, again, but this time I was able to do so at my leisure. I focused on my art, learning from masters and experimenting with different styles.
"Occasionally, I would run into other vampires. Most were sired by those made by Kol. It was interesting to note the differences. The farther from our bloodline, the less power they possessed. They also seemed to have less control over themselves and their powers. For the most part, of course, I only saw humans. I watched the world change, and I did my best to change with it. My experience taught me that, if I couldn't blend into society, I could be singled out and hunted down. It happened on a couple of occasions, but I don't wish to speak more on that." Klaus took another deep breath and looked down at Caroline. She looked very much like she had the first time he'd seen her, lying in his bed on her side. Unlike that first meeting, he very much wanted to lay back down and take her into his arms. Her face was so pleasant, so nonjudgmental, at the moment. She just listened and took in every word.
"So, you were just on your own? For how long?" she asked, given that Klaus hadn't continued his story.
"A century and a half, or so, I'd say," he shrugged, looking back out to the ocean. "Rebekah ended up leaving, too, within that time. I think Elijah became too much for her to handle, as well. He always acted like he knew what was best for our family. Rebekah's wild streak was bound to cause conflict between them. She left for England. It took years and years for her to do so, but eventually she admitted that she wanted to hear more about the opinions people had of the 'New World,' which was merely a modernized version of a land that had been our home. She wanted to hear about it, but she wasn't ready to venture back across the ocean.
"Elijah left Spain, too, but he didn't attempt to follow either Rebekah or myself, surprisingly. He went to Italy, settling in Genoa, and I saw him a couple of times there, in my travels. I never regretted my decision to leave, but I do take responsibility for the fact that my leaving led to unforeseen consequences." His jaw clenched, and the steeled pain in his expression must've been apparent enough for a worried Caroline to sit up and lock eyes with him. "I left, then Rebekah left, and Elijah was, for the first time, on his own. His siblings had abandoned him, either through death or departure, and there was nothing he could to do reunite us. I was fine, on my own. I've always been quite independent. Rebekah thrives upon her ability to impress and delight others," he said with a genuine smile, thinking of his little sister. "She usually has…" the smile faded just as quickly, as he corrected himself, "had…quite the following. Elijah, I think, hated to be alone. He met a woman in the province he was in, someone of lower standing and great beauty.
"Again, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I know that Elijah eventually turned her. I think it was with her permission, knowing my brother's high moral standards, but he clearly chose poorly. She had another lover. Someone of her station, I believe. Once she became a vampire, she turned others. Her lover, a little brother, a girl in her neighborhood…she showed no self-control. And Elijah must've been blinded by love. I'm not sure who slaughtered her human family members, but I know it wasn't my brother. If she knew the slightest bit of his character, she had to have known that, too. It didn't stop her and the others from attacking him. Being stronger than each of them individually didn't mean he could stop them as a group. I don't know exactly what they did. The one that I found and caught was hardly helpful. She said they ripped him to shreds, skewered the pieces on a pole and hid right before daylight. I was so incensed, I did the same to her, making sure she met the exact same end. Then, I hunted each of them down.
"I killed most of the vampires of that clan. Most of them died as my brother did. When I finally caught up to his little paramour with her lover, she was wearing Elijah's ring. One or both of them had resized it, to be used as her wedding ring to the oaf that had her heart. I listed off the deaths of their friends, and he charged me. I tore his arms off and then broke her legs. While she healed, I rendered each limb from his body, and skewered the two arms and legs onto a sharpened branch. I laid them out in a clearing in the forest, followed by his still-connected torso and head. He was in great pain, but he was very much coherent. By the time I'd finished with him, her legs had healed, so I grabbed her by the arm and drug her to the same spot. I offered her two choices: a quick, merciful death alongside her beloved husband or the opportunity to give herself to me and be spared."
Caroline gasped, again, and Klaus knew that this part of his past was particularly wicked. If she could get through this without wishing to withdraw her friendship, there was nothing more that she needed to fear. He couldn't bear to look over at her, now.
"She didn't even hesitate. As the sun began to brighten the horizon, she quickly disrobed and then grabbed my belt to begin her seduction. I spun her around to face the man she'd so willingly betrayed. He cursed her, as the sun rose, and his body enveloped in flames. I could feel her tremble against me, watching him meet his final end and most likely confused as to why neither of us were affected. I grabbed her wrist, the one whose hand held the key to her salvation and brought it to her face. I told her it was my brother's ring, and I showed her my own. I explained the power behind the stone, and she relaxed against me. After the ashes of her husband were no longer smoldering, I pulled the ring from her finger and threw her toward his remains. She screamed as she, too, caught fire. And I stayed to watch. When it was over, I spit into the pile of dust and pocketed Elijah's ring."
Caroline shuddered.
"Once more, I had the unfortunate duty of sharing the death of our family member with Rebekah. I sailed to England to tell her in person. That was in 1737. My sister was bereft, but her consolation was that I vowed to remain with her. We were inseparable, after that. We lived in London, which is how we perfected our accents. Being wealthy siblings, there was no shortage of parties, grand events, and other celebrations. But, because we wouldn't age, we couldn't stay there longer than about a decade. We visited most of the nations of Europe, even traveling to the Orient. After fifty years or so, knowing that most of the people within our acquaintance were dead, we returned to London and took up residence there, again. Rebecca wanted to go to the newly formed United States, but I wasn't ready. We stayed in London for another 10 years, then moved away and toured most of South America. I enjoyed it, greatly, and I could've remained there, but Rebekah wanted to return…so we did. London was much changed, this time around. The fashion, the machines, the people and ideas. With Rebekah, everything was exciting. She made everything an adventure…"
Klaus' voice dropped off, then, and he swallowed a lump in his throat. He stood, rather unexpectedly, then offered a hand to Caroline for her to join him. She took his hand without hesitation, and he pulled her up as though she were made of air.
"Let's return to the house, now, is that alright?" he asked, after letting go of her hand.
"Sure," Caroline agreed, turning toward home and folding her hands back under her chest.
They began at a leisurely pace. Caroline stayed silent, hoping that Klaus would finish his story. Of all his siblings, she wished to know the most about Rebekah – the enchanting beauty in the portrait and the imagined friend in her dreams.
"The world changed at a breakneck pace, now. It still does, when you have eternity to witness it. Rebekah loved the newest fashions, literature, media – you name it. It was only the two of us left, but she was content. And her happiness was mine, as well. After ten more years in London, we were off to North America. I think I mentioned that we lived in New Orleans for a time, didn't I?"
"Yep, when we discussed Jane Austen. But I thought your vampire brain remembered every little detail about everything. Is that not the case?"
Klaus turned his head to face her and gave her an appraising smirk.
"It's more fun to share the conversation than it is to recite everything back to you like a record," he said with a quirk of his eyebrows. "Anyway, we moved around the continent, exploring lands we hadn't lived in for centuries. You cannot fathom the experience. I'm sure you've watched streets develop in your hometown. Housing is built upon vacant lots and corner stores go in and out of business as the years pass by. Now imagine how that feels on my scale. I lived in untamed wilderness. I saw settlers land from foreign places and build better structures than I had ever lived in. I returned and saw looming cities that had paved streets and manicured bits of nature that weren't even native to the area.
"When we arrived here, it was mostly untouched. The land was purchased by a religious colony, but they hadn't made much use of it. Rebekah wanted to set up roots here, where we could enjoy the fierce beauty of the cliffs and oceans while helping to shape what the town would become. I'll skip over most of our part in founding Rebecca Bay, as you already know the most important points." He stopped and Caroline stopped alongside him. "You want to know about Rebekah, so I'll stick to telling the rest of her story."
Klaus stuck his hands in his pockets. In a confident showing of support, Caroline gently snaked her hand under his arm and held herself against him. He smiled, but he didn't look at her. He was staring at a spot on the sand. To her right, she saw that they were still about a quarter of a mile from the house. The beach was still empty, save for a few birds that were flying overhead.
"She met a man, here. But wait – I should probably backtrack a bit to explain something, first." His bicep flexed and twitched, with Caroline's arm circled around it. "We knew, from the moment we began to hunt humans for their blood, that eternal love was not something we should seek. First, it was because we regarded them as prey. Later, we lamented that we were the only immortals in existence, and we couldn't figure out how to replicate the spell. Then, once we knew we could create others like us, it was an unspoken rule that we needed to be wise in choosing humans to turn. Ironically, it was Elijah's rule that we not make more vampires. And so, for centuries, we found love, but we never let it rule us. Every affair was brief. We wooed our partners, enjoyed their charms, and then compelled them to forget us. And we moved on. That was our life. And, when Elijah broke his own rule and paid such an unbelievably steep price, our wariness of sharing an eternal commitment with a vampire lover was further justified. So, when I say that Rebekah fell in love, I mean that she fell so deeply in love that she, too, was willing to abandon the way we'd lived for centuries in favor of having him with her forever."
Caroline knew the story ended badly. It ended with Rebekah's death. Another betrayal, perhaps, like with Elijah? But still… it's so sweet and romantic. I loved Stefan, but I'm not sure our love was that epic. Or maybe it was, or could've been…if we'd had the time to develop it…
"He wasn't a founding member, but he and two business partners came to our budding community in 1922 to start their company. Rebekah was smitten from the first time she saw him. She'd been in one of the boutiques downtown and noticed him and one of his partners moving furniture into their storefront property. Apparently, he noticed her, too, because he began to inquire after her. They had quite the love affair, and I approved of him as much as I had any of Rebekah's previous beaus. We remained in Rebecca Bay for longer than originally planned, because of him. When we arrived, in 1910, Rebecca could pass as 15, while I claimed to be 19. I was the youngest of the founders, but still respected because of my money and fabricated lineage. In 1922, Rebekah needed to be seen as 27, and I was supposedly 31. Even with new skincare products, makeup, and claims to superior breeding, we were walking a tightrope. Rebekah was irrationally distraught at my suggestion to leave and return in half a century or so. As with most decisions, I let my sister have her way. We remained another two years, with the agreement that staying longer than that would raise too many questions amongst our neighbors.
"It took a while for her boyfriend and his partners to grow their little business. I think that's why the relationship between them remained stagnant. We went to speakeasies in cellars and basements hidden in the larger surrounding cities, partied with abandon on sailboats in the bay, and even lounged in our little home. When she asked me to paint a picture of our home and ourselves, I happily agreed. She wanted to give the portrait of herself to her love, but, for one of the few times in my life, I refused her. She gave him the painting of our home, instead. At the end of two years, we were both sad to leave – but it was a day long overdue. It was time for Rebekah to make him forget. He could recall the both of us, of course. But his connections to us needed to be permanently severed. I'd already written us out of the minds of his partners and a few others within our social circle. I was packed and we were to leave the next morning. Rebekah packed, too, and then she went to say her goodbyes.
"It…she didn't tell me…that is…" he made a sound of frustration and used his one free hand to grab his jaw and pull on the skin. He dropped the hand to his side and let out a loud breath. "I didn't know that she planned to turn him. They met at his home, and she explained what she was: a vampire. She said she was careful; she didn't scare him with her fangs or darkened eyes. She showed him her strength and speed, while he gaped and gawked. She told him that she still loved him and that she wanted to make him one of us, so that they could live forever…together. Whatever he said was too painful for her to share with me. I only know that she compelled him to forget not only their love affair but everything he knew about her, as well. She returned that night in a mess of tears. I told her it was for the best, and she nodded. I wished her goodnight and reminded her of what time we'd have to leave for the train station in the morning."
Caroline heard the lump in his throat. She sympathetically swallowed, too. She tightened her grip on his arm and leaned her head against him. His free hand came up and gave her woven hands a couple of light pats to thank her.
"Sometime in the night, Rebekah removed her ring and laid it on her vanity. She never removed it. Never. None of us did. She wrote a brief note, apologizing for what she was about to do and ordering, as her final wish, for me to not take out my anger on the man she'd loved so earnestly. Then, she went down to the beach and remained in this spot, until dawn."
Caroline gulped and looked to where Klaus was staring. And he can remember everything. How does he know that it was right here? Did he... No, I don't think I want to know. I know I don't want to ask…
"I'm so sorry, Klaus," was all she whispered. She said it to him, and to the air, the sea, and the patch of sand they both beheld. I'm so sorry, Rebekah. I wish your story had a happy ending. I hope you are at peace…wherever you are. She shivered.
"Come on, love, let's get you back. I'll light a fire and you can go to sleep. I'll stay up and make sure the house is warm enough for you."
Klaus slowly turned them both back toward the house, letting her arm continue to rest within his own. They didn't speak for the remainder of the night, save for a solemn good night. He listened to Caroline's breathing until the rhythm became slow and measured. The fire he'd made was down to the final embers. He used his hand to extinguish them fully, letting out a light hiss of pain, then he deftly made his way upstairs.
After closing the bedroom door behind him, he kicked off his shoes and lay down. He inhaled and found himself missing Caroline's scent on the sheets. He'd washed them over a week ago. He sat up on his elbows and stared at the portrait next to the door.
He'd painted her in a red dress, similar to the one he'd seen in his dream that first night. With black beading and accessories, she looked so perfectly put together. A vision. Her eyes didn't stare back at his, though they did meet those belonging to his self-portrait. The two subjects hung across the room from each other, doomed to be parted by the divide and forever gazing into the eyes of the other.
Emotions welled up within him, and much of it he couldn't truly decipher.
I need blood…
And he fled into the night, searching for it.