Mom & Daughter Duo
Caroline's POV:
I am waiting for my mother in living room, to have a heart to heart. I didn't call mom to check whether she will be returning home tonight. My mother was more of sheriff than a mom, so she would immediately pick up on my anxious and become aware that something is wrong with me. I am watching Pride and Prejudice in Netflix to calm my nerves down.
I hear my mom's cruiser parking in our driveway, she enters home placing the keys in the bowl. Once she is living room "What are doing this late Caroline?" she asks while viewing the TV.
I turned off the TV "Just watching a movie, while waiting for your mom" I said. She looks me suspiciously and her hand lands automatically on her revolver. I am at the verge of tears seeing my mom's action towards me. But I controlled by giving myself a pep talk that this is a second chance at life for me and I should make every second count with my mom.
"Waiting for me? Why Caroline?" she asks. I didn't move from couch, to display that I am not a threat to her at any cost.
I am looking down at my fingers tied together in my lap, "I know you know about me, mom" then I look up to her in the eye.
She didn't make any move and did not remove her hands from pistol, just stood there looking into my eyes warily.
I continued "I know that you made Matt act as compelled today to give you intel on me. I know that you hate vampires and hunt them down. I know that was the way you were brought up. I just want to explain myself to you mom, I do not want to lose you. I do not want you to see me as a disgusting thing. I'm still your daughter Caroline only mom"
"No, you are not. My daughter died and you are monster in her disguise"
I cried hard at that statement. I tried to calm myself and started taking slow breaths in and out to control myself. I'd have to try different approach to make her listen to me.
"No mom, you do not know me as a daughter and now you do not want to know me as a vampire either" I said with monotone.
My mom's shoulders relaxed a bit at my statement. She dropped her hands down "What are you saying?"
"Please sit and listen to me mom. All I ask is for you to listen this once before you decide on anything. Even I would leave the house if you were not comfortable around me after this chat."
She ponders a minute, then sits into the recliner chair opposite to me on other side of the coffee table.
"What do you know about Vampires, mom?" I questioned knowing her answer.
She responds immediately "They blood sucking monsters".
I took a deep breath "I want to know what all you know about Vampires mom"
"If the person dies with Vampire blood in their system, that person will become Vampire. And vervain is the herb which can be used against Vampire. If we have vervain in our system vampires cannot control our mind. A stake through their hear will kill a vampire a permanent death"
"Yes, mom that is all correct. How long have you been known of this mom?"
"As long as I can remember. Being the founder's family of this town, we are educated on this from the adulthood. Why are you asking these questions Caroline? What are you up to? If you harm any of the founding families in anyway…"
"Ughhhh, God… Mom stop, You worry about your founding families and have no remorse or whatsoever to your daughter who was dead without your knowledge. Do you even know how long ago I have died?" I ventured out at my mom's interrogation and protectiveness against others more than her own daughter. I know that I have made peace with my mom, we were good once in another life, but I could not control my emotions of living through the same judgements and insecurity I feel at this moment.
Tears didn't stop flowing through my cheeks while my outburst. My mom relaxed fully and had a few tears of her own seeing me this way. She was fidgeting her fingers, looking away she tried to hold her tears back. We both sat few minutes in peace.
I started with hush "I was not asking questions to kill or eat anyone mom. I just want to know, how far your knowledge of supernatural world is. And I will also tell you everything and anything you want to know about." At my pause she took a long breath and nodded.
"I know of Vampires. What do you mean supernatural world? Are there creatures other than vampires?"
"Yes mom. Vampires aren't the only supernatural creature is there to exist. There are Werewolves, Witches, Siphoners, Heretics and more." I gave a moment to let the information sink into her.
"And as you taught, not all supernatural creatures are monsters' mom. Yes, vampires must drink blood to survive. But that doesn't mean they have to kill the person. Before all that I have been wanting to ask you a question long back from the moment I came to know about supernaturals"
She bobbed her head for me to continue, "Why you haven't told anything about this to me mom?"
"You are just a teenage kid, Caroline. What do you want me to say to you? Would you have believed me anyway?"
"Fair enough, but you know that those animal attacks are not from actual animal. It is because of vampires. But why you haven't given vervain to protect me from any of those. I know you got vervain from Zach, mom. Seeing my history teacher die, Vicky being attacked by one, all those disappearance of sorority girls, even after all these you didn't do anything to protect me mom. Why? Why am I not that important to you? What do I have to do to be seen by you? You are my mom; you are supposed to love me unconditionally."
I sobbed on my knees between coffee table and the couch I was sitting till I felt a hand over my shoulders, my mom's hand. I looked up to her "You are important to me Caroline and I love you. I didn't explain anything to protect you. The lesser you the lesser you'll be in danger. That is what I thought would be right for you. To enjoy your days in high school and come out with flying colours as you always dreamt off. I didn't mean any of this to happen to you."
She picked me up, sat me in the couch and sit beside me her hands over my shoulder hugging me sideways. "I am very sorry that I made you feel this way honey. It is not my intention. I was just trying to protect you as I know"
"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to hurt you, but that is how I really felt when you ignored me for your work. I felt like no one loves me, everyone leaves. Dad abandoned me when I was kid, you are always at work, even Bonnie loves Elena more than me"
"Sweetheart, that's not true. Even your dad is not with you he truly loves as I love you, I know that for sure. And you know Steven he loves as you are his daughter. You have more than two parent figure in your life that loves you. And anyone will be happy to have you as a friend Caroline, you are caring, loyal and protective, what not to like?"
I smiled a little hearing my mom's word, soothing to the wounds of heart. I took her hand which is not on my shoulders and held it for few minutes before continuing.
"Thank you, mom. That means so much to me." She smiled lightly and nodded her head.
"As I was saying mom, vampires are driven by blood. But it is not necessary to kill the prey. I know this makes you uncomfortable, but you must know everything there is to know about vampires before you go head on as a vampire hunter." She listened to me patiently.
"I have transitioned in a hospital after my accident on the Founder's Day fire. Being vampire does not change who we are as a person mom. It will only magnify all the characteristics we had as a human. I have transitioned with the blood bag in a hospital, I do not know anything about vampire at that time, just an urge to drink human blood. I even do not know that I have died on that day before drinking the blood. Once I drank one blood bag fully, it all came to me in pieces. Every time I have been compelled to do something for someone, every time I have been insulted, used, and abused. I had to live through that again with all these heightened feelings."
She interrupted "What do you mean abused?"
"That is a story for another time mom. I can't live through that again now; I will definitely come to you once I'm ready." She accepted and patted my hands to continue.
"When it became too much to stay in hospital, I have compelled a nurse to let me out. Then in a carnival I met Matt and hugged him. Then again, my cravings got out and I ran from him. Since loads and loads of people there, I accidentally killed a person when I started to drink.
That was my one and only kill as a vampire. And for that already Bonnie tried to kill me on a carnival. Stefan protected me and explained her that he will take care of me. He was only there when I had no one, he taught me everything about vampires, to hunt animals.
I tried animal blood, but it doesn't work for me. So now I'm only drinking from blood bag. Please understand mom, I have not chosen to be a vampire. But I am doing everything in me to be a good one at that."
She sighed "Sorry Caroline, I was not a good mother as I am a sheriff. I will try to understand you."
"That's all I ask mom. We can go day by day from here. And I want you to go for a full body checkup in this week mom."
"What? Why?" She looked at me confused "why are you saying this, Caroline?"
"It's not out of the blue mom, you are working too hard to think about your age. And when is the last time you had one these check-ups? For my sake mom, please."
"Okay I'll go to Mysticfalls hospital by this weekend"
"Thanks mom. I'm very happy that we had this conversation. And I want you to maintain your façade with Matt, only till I could have a conversation with him. Please mom."
She stood up and said "Okay, as you wish. But Caroline, I want you to come to me if anything disturbs you or you have anything at all. I do not want you to suffer in silence or alone. I'm always here for you and I promise not to judge you."
I hugged her and nodded my head "Sure mom, no more secrets. And this should be from both the sides. I will answer any questions and clarifications you have anytime you want." I say slightly leaning back without getting out of hug fully. She tapped my cheek and bobbed her head as yes.
Then we both went to our respective rooms for rest. It was a roller coaster of emotions for both of which drained our energy. I have refreshed in a bathroom and changed to pyjama shorts set and landed in bed. I took my mobile phone and sent a text to Klaus that my conversation is over and available for him if he needs anything.
I started to wonder, how his conversations with all his siblings would have gone. Lucky me, I have only my mom to explain and set things straight. For Klaus, it is a full herd of siblings, hard crowd to cover.