Baby Mikaelson

Chapter Six: The Offer of Friendship

Caroline Forbes

I'd decided to be an adult and face whatever came my way in the days following my departure from my friends. I had quit any additional clubs I shared with them, hoping to avoid any debate or disagreements within the club that might cause another Caroline vote for eviction, and I had shut off my phone at night in an attempt to avoid any late-night phone calls that they probably regretted by morning. Every single day after school I went straight home afterwards. I didn't do anything out of the ordinary that would raise eyebrows; I kept a level head and was very calm about the situation. I refused to do anything childish and refused to turn into a completely different person overnight. I believed that if I suddenly acted differently, it would draw attention that I simply did not want. I hadn't gone to The Grill either; I hadn't attended any dances or town events. I truly believed deep down that one of my friends was waiting to confront me, and if they were to confront me drunk, I would somehow be the bad guy for even talking to them when they were in that condition; no doubt I would even be blamed for their drinking. I could even hear it in my mind: "You're the reason they're drinking in the first place."

The more time I spent away from them, the happier I found myself. My stomach wasn't tense anymore; I wasn't concerned every time my phone rang, and I didn't worry I'd have nightmares. I was completely guilt-free. I did avoid them in the hallway; I had a suspicion that I would be passing one of them and I'd suddenly be confronted with "She just said hi to you, and you walked right by her." Nothing was said when I knew deep down.

I knew it was wrong of me to assume these things were going to happen, but deep down, I couldn't help it. Both Elena and Bonnie were walking around school like two mean girls; they weren't causing any issues at school and they weren't giving anyone a hard time, but they always seemed to be in a bad mood. It had been four days since I had left our little group, and in those four days, I overheard that Elena might be considering leaving the squad because she didn't like the routines Rebecca was coming up with; she said they were too daring and not in the traditional style that had won the school trophies in the past.

I had watched from a distance at the routines Rebekah had the squad practice; like I said, I had quit in order to look into new things for myself, but that didn't mean I had suddenly lost complete interest in cheering. Some of the moves were different, and yes, they were a little daring, but Rebekah had made up for that by selecting only the best on the squad to test them. She had even added one extra practise a week, which, by the looks of the squad, was working out well for them.

I knew deep down that despite all the pain and misery Rebekah and her family had caused, deep down all Rebekah seemed to want now was normalcy. It appeared she just wanted to be a normal teen girl—a cheer captain, someone who went to dances and was the last one to leave. I knew I shouldn't be interested in what she did; she was, after all, still Rebekah Mikaelson, and I was aware of what she could do. Then again, I was aware of what I was capable of doing too.

Rebekah and I hadn't talked since she left me the note on my car. I didn't feel we needed to, and I believed she felt the same way. No doubt she had noticed I wasn't talking to any of my old friends. I had expected some little comments by now, but she seemed to have her hands full; whenever she wasn't at practice, she seemed to always be on the phone to one of her brothers. I never did listen in on her conversations, for I had no interest, but every once in a while we would catch each other's eye in the hall.

I had a feeling Rebekah believed I was going to do something to myself, and by quitting the squad and not talking to my friends, I was giving her signs that was my intention. I believed she had reached out to me, believing I was going to hurt myself beyond return. I didn't want her to think that way, whether she was evil or not; to be walking around thinking someone was going to do that to themselves had to rattle you to your core.

If this was what she believed, the last thing I needed was for her to share this with her siblings, especially with Klaus. He'd probably lock me up in his mansion until he figured out what was going on. He had a strange way of trying to get across whatever small measure of him was still human—that it cared, well, as much as it could care under the weight of that monster within him.

So, when Friday finally arrived, I stayed behind, waiting in my car until the parking lot had cleared. Leaving only the cars of the football team, cheerleaders, and faculty behind. School vacation began today, and all my classes had loaded me with homework. Luckily for me, I had some free time right now, and within an hour I was done, finding that my efforts to take more detailed notes in class had actually paid off. I stocked my bag with all my completed assignments and tossed the bag over my shoulder before getting out of the car.

I made my way across the parking lot and towards the field, where the jocks were running laps and the squad was off to their side with Rebekah coaching them on. I stood and watched from a distance; lucky for me, Elena wasn't there. It wasn't long before Rebekah spotted some of the girls smiling over at me by the stands. After ten minutes, Rebekah left them to run the routine and made her way over to me. Her hair was tied back high behind her head, and she was wearing a teal tank top and black shorts.

"I'm not lingering," I told her before she could say a word.

She just nodded and looked over her shoulder, checking on her squad.

"They look good."

"Chloe is weak in the center, and Heather-"

"She needs to work on herkie," I said, guessing where she is headed.

Rebekah turned back to look at me.

"You're doing great," I said, feeling Rebekah may actually be doubting herself.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I don't know really, I just wanted to check it out," I shrugged, laughing slightly.

"What do you think?"

I looked over at the squad. "I would never have thought of pairing Tracey and Mel for the turn; Mel is stronger than I thought."

"So you approve?"

I met Rebekah's eyes and shook my head.

"No, you don't need it, and besides, you don't want it."

She smirked slightly then. Without a doubt, this pleasant moment would not last long. One of us was bound to ruin it fairly soon. I had been thinking about Rebekah a lot over the last few days. Every time I did, my mind went back to Bonnie, Elena, and I at The Grill, and at that moment, I realised they weren't going to ask me if I was considering motherhood in the future if it was in fact possible. I knew if I even considered telling Rebekah, then I was risking Elena too.

But then I reminded myself that the chances of Elena giving birth to another doppelganger were a hundred to one. If Rebekah was seeing a hybrid herself, then she was at risk every single time for pregnancy, and if I was going to learn from my experience with my old friends, then I had to be the bigger person and tell her what she was risking.

"Can we talk?"

"It's possible," Rebekah said, and she tried not to smirk, or so I believed.

We went up to the stands, climbing until we were just a few rows down from the top and out of earshot of others.

"This isn't going to be an easy thing to tell you."

"If you're coming after my family again, I would suggest—"

"Rebekah," I said softly, to her surprise.

She even turned herself around to face me. I liked this about Rebekah; she did see through people.

"I'm not telling you this so we have a secret and we can bond." It's not like that; it's just-" I sighed, "I'd want someone to tell me the truth."

Rebekah shrugged slightly but nodded her head, encouraging me.

I looked away from her and looked down at the squad.

"So I think deep down that it would help move this conversation along if I were blunt about it."

"Are you capable of being anything else?"

"Are you?" I asked.

In that moment, we were both holding in our laughter, much to my surprise.

"Tell me," Rebekah said.

I swallowed hard and tried not to blurt it out.

"Are you having sex with any hybrids?"

I looked at her then.

"If you think Tyler—"

"No. "I don't," I shook my head, "not him."

Rebekah focused on me and then looked into the distance.

"I assume you have a reason for asking this?"

I nodded

Rebekah looked back at me.

"I am," she told me.

"Were you safe?" I asked immediately—not my best moment.

"Vampires can't catch anything."

In that moment, I turned around to face Rebekah fully, tucking my legs under and making myself as comfortable as possible in that moment. Rebekah straightened up and leaned forward slightly.

"Actually, they can," I told her.

Over the next ten minutes, I explained it all. I didn't say any names, but I knew she would guess who was responsible for finding out this information. I left out the fight I had with my friends over it and the details of how I came to find out about it. I explained that even though the chances were weak, there was still the possibility, just like in humans, that it would take place. So I advised her to take care if she didn't wish to find herself in that situation.

"It would be cruel to joke," Rebekah said finally, breaking the silence between us.

I met her eyes. "I swear that it isn't." Rebekah, listen to me. Like I said, I'm not telling you this so we can bond over it. I'm telling you because I hoped someone would do the same for me if I didn't know I was risking my body. This isn't a case of enemies to friends."It's just that rare moment of one woman helping another without any agenda behind it."

I knew the risk of talking like this—Rebekah could have laughed her head off. But after living a thousand years, I'd imagined she'd seen this exchange before. I knew I didn't sound like the Caroline she knew, and deep down I was cringing at myself for saying it that way. But I was also proud—proud that I had said it and even more that I had meant it.

"You don't want me to tell my brother, I assume?"

"You can tell Klaus if you want; I think he should be told, but I think it'd probably be better if you told him yourself," I sighed."If he's seeing someone, he might be—"

"He's not seeing anyone; anyone with a brain stem can see the way he looks at you, Caroline."

Wow, she was all salt and no sugar; she really just went right there. Right there, she went for the jugular.

"I know what he says and claims, but..."

"Can we save the whole "you love your boyfriend" speech?" Rebekah asked

I fell silent.

Rebekah looked down at the squad, still in shock.

"The first time I ever left my brother's side was when I first realised I had been robbed of the gift of children." Rebekah shared, "People say all the time they'd love to go back in time, but the truth is they wouldn't if they knew the horrors of the time." When I was still human, I can still remember my mother coming home late one night, her hands and clothes covered in blood. She had been cooking us dinner when the woman who lived next to us with her new husband went into labour. My mother helped her in her delivery and gave everything she could to ease the mother's pain. She told me later in life that the mother had bitten through a wooden spoon from the pain, and after she gave birth, the father left and took off for a week because his wife had birthed him a girl and not a boy."

I watched Rebekah closely as she went back in time.

"The next morning, though, the mother was out hanging up her family's clothes, with her baby tied against her chest in cloth. Real women back then didn't stay in beds; they were on their feet so fast that some even bled to death in the days that followed." Either they had no choice or their husbands wanted them to prepare for their next. Numbers provided belief power. My father was an example of a true man back then. Anyway, the mother saw me watching her little one and let me hold it in my arms. It was a small baby, not even the length of my arm, and I loved it so quickly, as we do."

Rebekah smiled slightly, still looking anywhere but at me.

"In that moment, with those green eyes looking up at me, all I wanted was to be a mother." "Even if it meant I was only blessed with a single one. I would be happy. "I would find joy in their happiness and strength in their sadness."

Rebekah looked at me and said, "But we all know how that story ended."

"I'm sorry"

"Yeah," Rebekah said, turning away.

"No, I mean it."

She looked back at me. "I am," I told her again.

Then I asked what my friends had failed to ask me.

"Would you do it?" I asked her

Rebekah immediately looked away from me, saying, "If you're going to get all mushy on me,"

"Forget it," I said so softly I barely heard it.

"Would you?" Rebekah asked, breaking my train of thought.

Our eyes met, and I shockingly began to nod my head immediately.

"So would I," Rebekah confessed.

I stood up, knowing any more time would only cause Rebekah to want the last word before heading back to practice.

"Thank you for telling me," Rebekah said as I turned to walk away.

I bit my lower lip. I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask this, but knowing I would have to, I did.

"Are you going to check if—" I asked, not turning around to face her.

"I'll take care of myself," Rebekah said.

Rebekah had been having sex with a hybrid recently; I didn't know how often or who he was, but it didn't matter. She knew she'd have to double-check that she hadn't gotten pregnant in the process. Two nights ago, while my mom was on shift, I had driven out of the state to the largest Walmart I could find, become a blur to the human eye, and stolen a test for myself. I didn't even wait to get home before checking; I had pulled into a diner down the street and used their restroom.

Weeks of unprotected sex with Tyler, and I wasn't pregnant.

The test was negative.

"At the risk of pushing the limit," I sighed, "Can I help?"

Rebekah fell silent for a moment before answering me.

"I'll be fine. Just go"

I began to walk down the steps of the stands then.

"Where are you going?" Rebekah called out to me.

I turned to look back at her. "You just said—"

She rolled her eyes. "You moron, we're on holiday as of today; where are you going?"

I shrugged. "Lay low for a week, I guess."

Rebekah stood up then.

"What?" I asked.