Chapter 4
"This is what modern teenagers do for fun? Run into the woods and drink alcohol?" Came a snobbish British accent toward her right.
Caroline sipped her classic beer in a red plastic cup and raised it towards the newcomers, "Welcome to life in a small town."
It was the night of the back-to-school bonfire; the school had barely been in session for a week. Caroline was already questioning her sanity. The bubble blonde watched as her newfound vampire besties looked onward with grimaces. When Kol grabbed Caroline's cup, the blonde was about to tell them they could shove their snobbery up their asses.
"Get your own," The blonde snapped, earning a charming grin from the only brunette of the trio.
"You should respect your elders. Isn't that also something you small southern towns do?" Kol countered.
"Doesn't count when you look my age," Caroline grumbled. "Do you want any from the tap Rebekah?"
Rebekah's nose twitched, "No, thank you, but I'll go with you. Kol, try not to behead anyone while we are away," the vampire countered, giving her brother the stink eye.
Rolling his eyes at his sister's antics, Kol subtly scanned the crowd of underage teenagers. They weren't too far from town, many teens were under the legal limit, and the keg was not even hidden. Kol mused that if the Sherriff's daughter was unafraid, why would anyone else be? Three months since his stint in his coffin, Kol could say he immensely enjoyed the change in morale. It did make him wonder, however, with the history of this town, just how unaware were they?
According to his brother Caroline's father definitely knew what they were. The adults were not wholly clueless…just untaught and often misinformed. Thanks to the misinformation his family liked to spread, only now as his gaze caught sight of a familiar face. Kol wondered if perhaps they were too cocky.
Elena Gilbert arrived alongside the latest addition to the Bennett clan. Tatia's descendant was whispering to the young witchling. Kol could practically see the magic spark off the witch. His time honing his magic in secret certainly paid off, as his eyes narrowed at the look of unease the Bennet held as the female Gilbert walked off towards the younger Salvatore.
It was apparent that the witch had no clue what Stefan Salvatore was, let alone the Mikaelsons. Yet her wariness proved her magical prowess. She didn't have the academic learning a witch her age should have, but her instincts were strong. Why wasn't the witch coven training her? According to rumors, the girl still had her grandmother, born Bennett.
Kol chuckled into his cup; doppelgangers were all the same. He often wondered if Tatia had been a doppelganger or if she was the original? Ayana certainly hadn't mentioned anything other than warning his mother of how deep she studied. Scanning the room, Kol's mouth twisted into a smirk. Perhaps he could have some fun. Before he could charm his way between a couple of delightfully drunk females, his dreaded sister and Caroline managed to make their way back.
"Back so early?" He questioned.
Rebekah shrugged, "Caroline didn't trust you wouldn't mess with any of the students here."
Kol touched his heart, "Caroline, you wound me."
Caroline was not amused, "The last thing we need is a new cult, Kol."
Just as Kol was going to defend himself, a scream could be heard. Caroline jumped in alarm while the two vampires' focus narrowed. Caroline's hand slipped into Kol's shoulder, "Do you think that was?" The blonde asked hesitantly, unsure if she wanted the answer.
"I don't know," Kol murmured as another joined their little group.
"Caroline! There you are," Bonnie gasped, grabbing her friend's hands into her own. "Come dance with me."
"Did you not hear that?" Caroline asked,
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "I saw a few of the football players run off. They probably trying to scare one of your cheerleaders."
"Yeah, of course. Silly me. Mom's worry must be getting to me" Caroline laughed it off. Bonnie looked over at the two vampires suspiciously. Kol grinned, tilting his head in curiosity when the witch didn't outwardly react. Other than a slight revulsion, it clicked in his head.
Oh no, that would not be due.
"Bonnie, right? I'm Kol remember?" He re-introduced himself holding out his hand for the witch to take.
"Bonnie Bennett. We have a history together alongside Caroline and your sister," Bonnie reminded him.
"Yes, but we were barely introduced. This party seems a bit boring. Perhaps you ladies would prefer something else?"
Caroline piped up, "I could use some real food."
Bonnie looked warily at the Mikaelsons. Caroline felt her pulse quicken. Did she notice something about the siblings? Oh god, they could not kill her. "I think Elena is busy, so she is out. But sure, let's go to the Grill."
The trip to the Grill did not take very long. Bonnie and Caroline first entered the Mystic Grill while the Mikaelsons emerged behind. Unaware of the chaos after they left, the two friends took their seats in a booth, quickly ordering their usuals.
"I can't believe you didn't tell Elena or me about the Mikaelson," Bonnie admonished her friend with a teasing smile. "Are you and Kol?"
The mix of laughter and alcohol that Caroline burst out hit Bonnie in the face as the blonde leaned over, gasping for air. Bonnie watched as her friend's blue eyes twinkled in amusement; Bonnie wiped the tiny spit away from her face with a smile.
"So Kol is not your pen pal," Bonnie guessed.
"What makes you think my pen pal and I are anything more than friends?" Caroline asked curiously, for once feeling a happy lightheartedness as she talked with Bonnie. It had been forever since she really hung out with either of her best friends. Elena living with her did not count, for Elena barely looked up from her journal the entire time.
"Oh please," Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Don't think I haven't noticed how secretive you've been over this guy. I take it he is an older sibling?"
"He's the middle sibling of the whole lot," Caroline admitted. "We only recently even began dating. The whole long-distance thing was a turn-off."
"You spent an entire year writing to a guy you met while visiting your dad" Bonnie shook her head. "I can't believe your parents allowed that."
"Dad is begrudgingly accepting." What Caroline didn't mention was that she was almost a hundred percent sure that her father knew about vampires. Nik must have said something to him because Bill Forbes did not ground her or try to keep her away from him. In fact, Bill Forbes simply told Caroline that until she was sure that perhaps it would be best if Liz continued thinking they were just pen-pals. Caroline decided that since she had never seen her father hurt, whatever tool Nik chose to convince her father was his business.
"Care, you are dating an older guy!" Bonnie laughed. " I can't believe you kept this a secret for so long! You would have sniffed this out of me ages ago. Spill Caroline!"
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything!"
"His name is Nik" Caroline decided to shorten his name, knowing that he was known by Klaus in the supernatural world. "We met at the Art Gallery that Stephan got me to practically run. They were horrible at it. Do they not host events in big cities? I thought the social scene in the city was supposed to be sublime!"
"Caroline," Bonnie called back, reminding her of the conversation. Smiling sheepishly, Caroline started regaling her dear friend with how they met. Unknowingly a dark-haired young gentleman stepped into the Mystic Grill, walked up to the bar, and ordered a drink with a wave, glancing over at the various occupants searching for his next prey.
"Right! Where was I?" Caroline babbled with all her attention to her childhood friend. Bonne leaned in as the blonde described her first date with this Nik. Bonnie laughed as Caroline said he single-handedly complimented her while dismissing the waitress after the two left the art exhibit.
"He sounds a lot like you," Bonnie grinned. "A strong-willed person capable of biting remarks that leave most people unsure of what just happened."
"Bonnie!" Caroline shrieked, blushing. "I do not do that!"
Bonnie snorts as the Mystic Grill's door opens to two familiar faces searching the bar looking relieved at spotting Caroline still safely nestled beside Bonnie. The male of the pair gently took the blonde's arm leading his sister to the bar, whispering, "Let them be. We can use this time to get more information that Caroline is less likely to share with us."
The blonde hummed in agreement nodding towards the bartender, her eyes flashing as the man forgot to ask for identification. They watched as Caroline shared her past two summers in somewhat surprising detail. Except for any mentions of their brother in the bedroom, to which Kol was eternally grateful.
It had been about a hundred and fifty years since he had heard one of his siblings engaged in coitus. Kol was in no hurry to gain further insight into his sibling's private affairs. Niklaus insisted on such large mansions, Kol knew, to provide as much privacy as possible, particularly after that one affair with Rebekah and her creative use of a candlestick.
Kol shivered, thinking never again.
"Caroline doesn't look like the one for any tact," Rebekah looked at her brother with a curious expression. "Just as evil thought has passed through your awful mind? As grateful as I am, she is not sharing those details; she reeked of him. Our dearest brother was ravenous with her. I can't believe he managed to stay celibate for so long."
Kol shushed Rebekah, "Do you really want to discuss our brothers' sexual adventures?"
Rebekah shivered, "God no. It's just amusing watching Caroline dance around the fact she was sleeping with our brother minutes before she found us." From the corner of her eye, the blonde watched a dark-haired man. Clearly, a vampire, based on the large ring on his finger with a familiar stone, walked into the bar.
"Kol," Rebekah hissed, slapping her brother on the arm.
"Would you like to intervene?" Kol murmured, his eyes narrowing at the man who ordered a drink while glancing over at Caroline and Bonnie.
Rebekah's mouth twitched, "I would, but the witch seems to dislike vampires."
Kol snorted, "The witch's power is being wasted. Who is supposed to be teaching that girl?"
Rebekah hummed, "Perhaps checking in on the Bennett family would be prudent. Nik would hardly dislike having more witches on standby."
"If she is anything like Ayana…"
"She won't put up with your bullshit?" Rebekah laughed as Kol's mouth formed a pout.
XXX
Caroline looked across the table from Niklaus at the ice cream shop downtown. She had just discovered the truth about his family- what they were the previous night. After getting dressed down in front of his siblings and promising she would meet him here the next afternoon, Klaus let her go. She wore green shorts and a white tank top with a long-sleeved, light, thin jacket on top, looking down at her vanilla ice cream, avoiding his gaze.
"Sweetheart," Klaus's voice rumbled low in his throat. "I would appreciate it if you would look at me when we talked." Recalling with perfect memory how his siblings raged at him once Caroline was safely outside the home. As always acting as the meditator, Elijah, the man of reason despite throwing his irritating I-told-you-so, glances over at his younger brother.
"Do we have anything to talk about? You lied to me for a year. AN ENTIRE YEAR!" Her blue eyes turned glacier looking him straight in the eye. Caroline's fury caused Klaus to subtly readjust himself, the thought of her fury doing delightful things to him. He wished he could pull her closer to him and show her what her anger did to him.
Yet those icy blue eyes would not be denied, "I wanted to protect you from what I was. What we were for as long as possible. Why destroy your world unless it was necessary?" She would have never felt safe in the world again. Caroline Forbes was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary world. He feared what knowledge of the supernatural would do to her spark.
"Destroy my world?" Caroline asked skeptically.
Klaus chuckled, "Now, is that the first question you want to ask? Darling, have you felt safe since finding out about what I am? That sense of safety, I wanted to preserve it. I never wanted you to have to live in fear."
"Instead, you lied," Caroline frowned. "You didn't trust me to keep your secret safe."
"In my defense, the first chance you got. You did unleash my siblings, who, by all accounts, have multiple reasons to hate me," Klaus said sarcastically.
"Attacking your siblings is rude!" Caroline slammed her hand against the table, glowering at the man before her. "Fighting with your siblings should not mean stabbing them in the heart, literally."
"Differences in our upbringing, Sweetheart" Klaus shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms. His eyes darkened as Klaus looked her over, trying to gauge how well she could handle the truth. She knew about vampires, that his vampire were vampires, and that a stake in the heart could not kill his siblings.
"Tell me about your upbringing," Caroline demanded, leaning forward in a whisper, her vanilla ice cream long forgotten. "Help me understand."
Klaus stayed quiet for a moment, knowing that now that she had some knowledge that Caroline would, at the very least, need to know a little bit more. For example, how to harm lesser vampires and what to look out for, at the very least, give her an edge even if she refuses contact with them after this. Klaus felt his heart clench at the thought of Caroline walking away from him now; he had spent a year working on her trust, her confidence building her up to be the queen he saw.
"Our family's story started over a thousand years ago, love," He whispered low enough that only Caroline could hear. Leaning into her, gently grasping for her hand, grinning when the blonde didn't immediately pull away. "It starts in your little hometown."
Caroline gasped, "Mystic Falls?"
"The lands had no name at the time. The world was only beginning to find new lands to explore. We were of Scandinavian descent, and you'd had been taught to think of us as-, "Klaus was interrupted by Caroline.
"Vikings," She whispered.
Klaus grinned, kissing her palm, "Yes, Vikings. My father was a fierce warrior, and my mother was once part of a village he had raided. My father's tribe took the survivors in as servants, wives, and almost anything in truth, but my mother held a secret. She could practice magic."
"A witch?" Caroline mumbled, "Like Bonnie's grams?"
Klaus chuckled, "If they come from a long line of witches, possibly. They are rather secretive out of necessity." To be truthful, he had one of his many minions research the inhabitants of her little town. The powerful Bennett line was still around, leaving Klaus to believe his little love had befriended a powerful witch in the making.
"You were once human, then?" Caroline asked, looking him in the eyes, subconsciously licking her lower lip. It took all of his self-control not to lean in and take a bite.
"Yes. My mother and father had multiple children survive infancy. There was Finn, the oldest, Elijah, Myself, Kol, Rebekah, then finally, the youngest, Henrik."
Caroline didn't respond, knowing she had not met or heard about Henrik until now. Learning about the era in which he was human, Caroline could only guess what happened to Henrik.
"My parents had known loss before, and we had an elder sister Freya; her death was what encouraged our family to move to the new world where my younger siblings and I were born" Klaus let out a sigh pressing his lips against her hand once more. "We lived in a rather peaceful village, but we had a neighboring tribe that turned into wolves on the full time."
"You mean werewolves exist?" Caroline's voice went up an octave, earning a low, darkly chuckle from her boyfriend, lover, friend? Ugh, Caroline hated that she couldn't define what they were at that moment. From how he never let go of her hand, Caroline suspected he wouldn't relinquish the title of boyfriend so easily.
Did she want him to?
Caroline turned back to his story, shaking her head, "The wolves were peaceful; you must understand at the time that magic was something to be believed, not skeptical of. It was an ability that brought fear to people, even my father, who urged her to hide her magic despite marrying a powerful witch. When it was apparent that Kol had the gift, not Rebekah, our father scolded her for attempting to teach him."
"So not only was magic something to be fearful of, only women were allowed to do it?" Caroline sniffed, thinking about the young man she had met last night. She recalled how Bonnie's grandmother talked about magic and how reverent she was. Did Kol feel the same way? While the boy was grandiose and full of confidence, it also felt like he was in pain, as if he kept moving so quickly, as if Kol was searching for something he had lost.
"The Vikings were many things, Sweetheart. They could be seen as progressive in many ways, but our father was decidedly not in this. He feared what being capable of magic could do to his children. He reluctantly allowed our mother to make a friendship with a known witch, Ayana."
"Your father deserves a punch in his groin," Caroline muttered, smiling slightly at the shit-eating grin that appeared on Niklaus's face.
"It was on a full moon that Henrik had begged me to take him to see the wolves. We were so young; we thought we could handle it. So I helped Henrik to sneak out from our family's hideout during full moons to climb up into the trees to watch them."
Caroline felt her heart plummet, "What happened?"
"Henrik had lost his balance; I went to grab him and pull him into the woods somewhere they wouldn't spot us, but it was too late. I had fought them off the best I could…." Klaus's voice lowered as he took a breath. "Henrik was mortally wounded from the fall or a wolf bite, I am unsure. All I know is that one wolf, in particular, had howled at the swarm of them, and suddenly they left us alone, allowing me to take my brother home."
"But he was hurt," Caroline said so quietly that only Klaus's supernatural reflexes allowed him to hear her words.
"Bitten during the swarm, his arm had been injured in the fall, and I couldn't get down to him in time," Klaus seethed. "I brought him there. Henrik was my responsibility."
Caroline immediately brought his clenched hands to hers, pressing her lips against his calloused fingers. "You couldn't have known what would happen. You've snuck out before, didn't you?"
Klaus gave her a sad but dark look, "Yes."
"Then it wasn't your fault. It was a horrible accident; you couldn't have been much younger than you are now physically," Caroline stuttered at the end because he was technically over a thousand years old.
"I was a young man, twenty-three years old. Like most men that age, very arrogant."
"It was not all your fault," Caroline insisted. "Henrik's death was not your fault. It was an accident; you had been safe all that time. Of course, you thought it was safe!"
"You are much more forgiving than my father. After… our parents were distraught and tried to find a way to protect their remaining children. That was when our father bid our mother to save us with her magic. When she turned to Ayana, the witch warned our mother about the consequences. Magic always comes at a price."
"Our mother used the blood of a girl in our village, one with a magical bloodline other than Ayana's. The girl was someone Elijah and I cared about deeply."
"You were both in love with her and were in constant sibling rivalry over her," Caroline read between the lines with a sigh. "Of course you did."
"I didn't love her" Klaus shook his head. "I thought she was pretty, but I greatly enjoyed antagonizing my brother. I wanted him to fight for something for once."
"Did your mother kill her?" Caroline asked hesitantly. Someone capable of using magic whose children were now vampires. It was hard not to imagine that their powerful witch of a mother made such a sacrifice. It would also explain their need to drink blood.
Klaus shook his head, "No. She only asked for some drops of blood. They had called us in after our mother completed the spell. Before we knew it, our father had us take a sip of her blood before stabbing his sword through us all."
"Your father killed you?" Caroline gasped, unable to look away from the man she thought she knew enough of.
"When we woke up, they forced us to drink the blood of another to finish the transformation. However, they had no idea what they had unleashed with such a powerful spell."
"The vampire myths? Sunlight? Blood? Coffins?" Caroline named off, looking at Klaus questioningly. She only spotted coffins with his siblings in them. It made her doubt they slept in them nightly.
"Exaggerations of the truth or completely made up. The coffins, I confess, were the work of Kol" Klaus shook his head. "He needs elaborate jokes."
"So what is the truth?"
"When we woke, my siblings and I were trapped in our home. Only when Ayana gifted us pieces of blessed jewelry with a lapis jewel could we enter sunlight without harm."
"Alright, so the sunlight rule is real, but there is a loophole," Caroline whispered.
"We could not touch vervain that grew near the old tree our mother used in her spell. It poisoned us, but we could become close to immune with time."
"Like constant training. Give yourself a little to develop a tolerance" Caroline nodded to herself.
"Exactly" He smiled. "We need blood to survive, of course, and the only wood that can harm us is the white oak from which helped give us life."
"So wooden daggers are sort of true."
"For younger vampires, the ones turned by us or those they sired can be harmed with a wooden dagger. We and those we sired were all gifted with special abilities, such as making someone do our bidding, a trick we call compulsion. It's a sort of mind trick."
"Compulsion?"
"I've never used it on you," Klaus reassured. "I have, however, stepped into your mind and given you some memorable dreams, even a few daydreams." Caroline's blush only deepened his smirk.
"Moving on," Caroline stuttered.
Klaus chuckled, "To keep it simple, my siblings and I have abilities those we sired, and their own protegee do not. In general, the older a vampire becomes, the stronger they are. To be an original, obviously, we are the oldest, but our powers work on other vampires without fail. Younger vampires with enough practice, but it takes much more effort. An original can only be killed by the white oak stake, while others can be staked with anything. All vampires are vulnerable to vervain, but we can mute the damage if we take certain steps. Still, if a human were to ingest it, they would be protected from a vampire's compulsion, and if a vampire drank from them, it would injure the vampire."
XXX
"Hey."
Caroline was shaken out from her memory to come face to face with a stranger. A handsome stranger if not for the way he was eying her with a predator-like zeal. His dark hair fell before his face, and he had beautiful blue eyes. Caroline felt her body's hair stand up, trusting her instinct, homed in by her boyfriend's many vampire lectures this past summer. Her eyes landed on his hand, where she spotted his ring; it took everything she had not to gasp outwardly. Licking her lips nervously, Caroline forced herself not to shudder when his eyes flashed, taking her actions as positive rather than fearful.
"What's your name?" Damon purred, taking Bonnie's former place. Luckily, Rebekah slid next to Caroline, wrapping an arm around her.
"Care! There you were; Kol and I were looking everywhere for you," Rebekah glanced over at Damon, raising her brow, "Who the hell are you?"
Damon looked irritated, "Damon Salvatore. My brother and I just moved back into town."
"Your Stefan's brother?" Caroline asked, tilting her head to the side, glancing over at Rebekah, who looked just about ready to murder the man before her. The blonde was acting strangely around Stefan; now they meet his brother? Who had a daylight ring? Caroline hadn't focused on Stefan too much but noticed how strange Rebekah acted around him.
"My younger brother," Damon smirked, "You've met him already, I see."
Rebekah's nose twitched as her grip on Caroline's arm tightened even as Kol made his way over, sliding onto Caroline's other side, sandwiching her between the two originals. "Only briefly," The female initially lied, knowing his brother had not been in contact with Stefan during their time together in the 1920s.
"I showed your brother around the high school," Caroline explained. "Rebekah and her brother are also new to town."
"I see my two favorite ladies have been busy," Kol drawled, glancing over at the elder Salvatore. He came up just as Caroline had begun talking. Kol glanced over at Damon's dark hair falling into his eyes, aristocratic facial features, leather jacket, and smirk. The brunette snorted at the younger vampire, "Not trying to pick up underage girls at a restaurant, are you? Technically, it has a bar, but this is a rather small town. You must know it is unsafe to assume they are of age."
Caroline crossed her arms, leaning into Rebekah's embrace as she watched Damon's eyes narrow on the necklace around her neck and the stones both Rebekah and Kol wore. The blonde almost snorted when his eyes glanced toward his hand. Caroline and Rebekah shared a look as Damon leaned back, "I see your friends have arrived and will keep you in good company. Have a good night, Caroline."
Damon was nearly outside when Caroline mutters, "He only heard you call me Care. How the hell did he know what my name was?"
"Vampire, darling," Kol muttered, "this fucking town is full of them."
"Now he knows about the both of you?" Caroline asked quietly, worryingly. Rebekah patted her arm softly. "Many vampires pass through this town. It's not exactly unheard of. The important part is his lack of reaction; he has no idea who we are. We are unsure if he even noticed our jewelry, but if he did. We are just another pair of vampires. "
XXX
Klaus glowered as he lowered his phone as it dimmed on the light against Caroline's text, informing him that she was safe and would see him tomorrow. His eyes glowed yellow as he spotted Finn carrying a small suitcase, "Just where do you think you're going, brother?"
"To find Sage. After all, we have nine hundred years to catch up on," Finn's monotone voice drilled into his head.
"Where? She could be anywhere. I highly doubt she is waiting for you," Klaus laughed, only to groan as Finn's hand clenched around his throat. Klaus grabbed his brother's hand, using his strength to pull it away with effort.
With a flip of a magazine, Rebekah's presence was announced. Klaus idly wondered when Caroline managed to bring any of those into his home. Rebekah flipped through a page, "If you have a human teenager under your protection, why can't Finn have his precious Sage? No matter how awful we find her."
Kol snickered from his spot next to his sister as their eldest brother glanced in their direction to glower at them; the two were lounging on a couch, the female's legs against her brother. "Sorry, brother. Your Sage is hardly the most wonderful company; it's not as if she likes us any better than we have ever liked her."
Klaus coughed as Finn let him go stretching out his hand. The two siblings stared at each other for several seconds; Rebekah rolled her eyes, "Boys…you think you'd get tired of dick-measuring contests after a few hundred years."
"Excuse me, sister, some of us have been asleep for the last nine hundred; excuse me for not being as civilized as the rest of you," Finn droned softly.
"It's not like our brother has a habit of daggering his siblings for a minimum of decades at a time," Kol scoffed. "Consider yourself lucky that you've only been daggered once!"
"Yes, some might consider that a kindness," Elijah drawled, entering the foyer and glancing at his youngest siblings with exasperation. Kol smirked up at the most restrained of his siblings while Rebekah stuck her tongue out. "Unfortunately for Klaus, having seen so many of my siblings daggered repeatedly has significantly lowered my consideration of his kindness."
"Come to save the day, Elijah," Klaus murmured, rubbing his neck as he looked toward Finn with something akin to respect.
"I came bearing gifts for our reawakened siblings. I should have expected to walk into another drama," Elijah raised a brow as each sibling caught a cell phone.
"What the hell is this?" Rebekah picked up the phone by its edges. Kol rolled his around in his hands as Finn looked at it with a strange fascination.
"That would be a cell phone. It's the latest version of the telephone. Only now can it be brought with you," Elijah explained to Kol and Rebekah. "Finn, this is a device that allows you to get into contact with others from long distances. I've preprogrammed everyone's number onto your phones. Klaus, hand me yours, and I can add their numbers for you."
Klaus uncaringly tossed his phone into Elijah's hands, "Finn, how do you plan on finding your former lover? Sage would never be where we are."
"He doesn't need to," Elijah snorted, tapping his fingers, quickly inputting his siblings' numbers into the phone, and tossing it back, "I have her number."
"Why the hell would you do that?" Rebekah shrieked, pulling her feet underneath her body and using her hands to hold herself up. "It's bloody Sage!"
"Why wouldn't I be able to contact one of the oldest vampires? The one we should be concerned about is Aurora," Elijah glanced over towards Klaus and Rebekah, who let out a long sigh almost in unison.
"Crazy bitch that one turned out to be," Rebekah groaned, "I can't believe the bitch had me turn her!" Kol shuddered, glancing at Niklaus, "How do you know Caroline won't turn out to be just as nutty as that?"
Several hands slapped Kol across his body, "Ow! We only just met the teenager! It's a valid question."
"Caroline, while certainly controlling," Elijah ignored the amused look his youngest siblings sent Klaus, "Miss. Forbes obtains straight A's at her high school and participates in a few extra-circular activities. She is, Kol would put it, a control freak; however, she shows normal development patterns in emotional maturity if on the low end regarding self-esteem. She is by far from what Aurora was as a human."
Kol shrugged, "she certainly knows how to entertain."
Rebekah laughed, "You only say that because she taught you about Finding Nemo."
"I think she was rather put out about the lack of people are not food support groups in the vampire world, " Kol mused.
"You were the one who kept telling her that she was indeed food," Rebekah smacked him. "You had just been fed!"
"I was daggered for a bloody century," Kol snapped. "I couldn't help it if I was hungry. Besides, Klaus's stench was all over her. I wasn't that stupid."
XXX
The next day Caroline kept playing with her necklace, the one Nik had given her with his family crest filled with vervain. She waited by her locker before school, waiting for Elena and Bonnie to show up. Her mother had sat her down before school, explaining that a classmate had been attacked.
Poor Matt, Caroline bit her lip, worrying about how her sweet friend would handle having his sister in the hospital and his mom on another bender. Liz Forbes alerted her daughter that animal attacks were increasing and that another deputy had to collect Mrs. Donovan from the Mystic Grill early in the morning. The Sherrif wanted Caroline to check in on her friend if he needed anything.
"Caroline!" Bonnie greeted cheerfully, walking beside Elena as the duo stopped at Caroline's locker.
"Did you hear about last night?" Bonnie asked, glancing over at Caroline; as the sole daughter of the sheriff, Caroline had first-hand knowledge of most things that went on in her mom's department, no matter how hard Liz tried to keep her out of it. Anything to do with law-breaking in the rumor mill, Caroline knew the truth of in a heartbeat.
"Weird, right? Poor Vicky," Caroline frowned, looking over at her two friends. "Elena, you look upset; what's wrong?"
"Jeremy was the one who found her," Elena glanced around, biting her lip in worry. "We fought about him hanging around with Vicky the night before. Now he's found her attacked; I'm worried about him."
"Well, his parents did die last year," Caroline spoke softly, trying to refrain from sounding harsh, "no one expects you to be completely like you used to be. This is how Jeremy is dealing with it."
"He's turning into the school stoner. That's not okay," Elena hissed, glancing around to make sure no one could overhear.
"Says the walking zombie," Caroline finally snapped.
"Caroline!" Bonnie hissed, looking worriedly over at Elena, who looked like she swallowed a melon.
"I'm trying, Care," Elena whispered.
"Elena," Caroline bites her lip. "Look. I'm sorry okay? How you deal with it is totally up to you, but that goes for Jeremy too. Give him more credit before you think he is slipping into the permanent juvenile lane."
"Your right," Elena offered her a small smile. "I guess I'm just going into overprotective sister mode."
"He's your brother, Elena," Bonnie said soothingly, looking over at Caroline and shooting her a look that screamed to try again.
"This is Jeremy. He cares about Vicky; that's a good thing, isn't it? It shows he is not cutting off any emotions," Caroline pointed out, smiling, unaware of how different she sounded from the recent past.
"Since when did you get so wise, Care?" Elena laughed, wiping a stray tear.
"Since she's been hiding an older boyfriend from us, I assume," Bonnie teased, laughing as Elena's eyes widened.
"Older boyfriend?" The brunette gasped.
"Dear lord. Please tell me you are not gossiping about Nik," Came the obnoxious voice of Rebekah Mikaelson, leaning against a neighboring locker. The older blonde smirked at Caroline, "I understand you and my brother have a thing, but please do it somewhere out of my hearing range. There are some things I clearly don't need to know."
Caroline snorted, "I've met your family. Privacy does not exist."
Elena and Bonnie shared an amused look as their childhood friend crossed her arms and eye-rolled the newcomer. Elena couldn't help but stare at the newcomer. Something about her left her uneasy, similar to how Stefan talked to her last night. It was as if the newbies all shared this social awkwardness. As if they were trying very hard not to move too quickly, despite only having talked to Stefan a handful of times other than finding him strikingly handsome, if not a little strange, was that he understood.
Rebekah Mikaelson made her feel wary as if her entire body screamed to stay far away. Shaking her head Elena offered her a strained smile, "Caroline's dating your brother?"
Rebekah smiled, eager for the doppelganger to be at ease. Keeping her away from possible enemies would be more manageable if the girl liked her. After all, who wouldn't like Rebekah? She was gorgeous and intelligent, and if needed, she would use the good looks of her brothers to lure in the young woman. Rebekah wanted to be liked. This was the first time since New Orleans that her family was being given a chance to settle. The first time since her turning that she could be human.
Deep down, she doubted that the doppelganger was much different than her ancestors. Tatia was a flirt who enjoyed having the village men lusting after her, not genuinely interested in settling down. Katherine was a young girl who, Rebekah reluctantly admitted, was tricked by Klaus, but she soon learned how to be devious and conniving.
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Towards the outskirts of town, on lands that used to belong to some Mystic Falls founding family without current descendants, Klaus and Elijah surveyed the land. Elijah let out a disgruntled sigh, "Remind me why you are so interested in owning a home in the lovely small town of Mystic Falls?"
Klaus held his sketch pad in his hands, formations for what, in a few hours, would be a blueprint for a grand house. The dirty blonde gazed up from his sketch, "I have my reasons. Some of the reasons I imagine you would approve of."
"And the ones I won't approve of?" Elijah asked, stuffing his hands into his suit pants.
"I've learned that if I want something done, I better do it myself. I cannot trust the verification of a doppelganger on minions, nor can I trust her safety once our hunch is verified," Elijah found the tone his brother used to be vexing at best. The two continued to walk around the grounds that the Mikaelsons had just bought and placed into Caroline Forbes's name.
"Have you even asked her permission?" Elijah muttered.
"I was under the impression she would be thrilled to have me around more often," Klaus smirked.
"Would she be thrilled that you put a giant plot of land in her name? You plan to also place our future living quarters in her name?" His questions landed precisely as he intended, with Klaus's jaw clenching.
His drawing pencil broke.
"If it means she will be safe in our home, then yes," Klaus's voice was low enough that even Elijah had to strain to hear.
"You are worried about our enemies. You've taken great lengths to avoid being known on sight; few people know the Originals are more than just a myth," Elijah said softly, falling next to Niklaus, his eyes attempting to observe any sign of trouble.
"She's taken our story in stride and readily agreed to use \some precautions, such as the necklace. I take those as signs she means to stay for a while, and I have no intentions of letting her go for the foreseeable future."
"Caroline is safe in our presence Niklaus. You even have Rebekah and Kol guarding her along with the doppelganger. Do you really think either of them will come to harm's way with our siblings at their sides?" Elijah questioned softly.
Klaus scoffed, "You and I both know they would choose to save Caroline over the doppelganger simply to end any feelings of debt."
Elijah smirked, "True, but you must admit Rebekah and Kol have come to enjoy your human's company in the past few weeks."
Klaus groaned, "She taught them all about her generational favorites. Kol has not stopped shouting that idiotic saying, "Fish are friends, not food," without laughing like a hyena."
"Here, I thought it was rather poetic. After all, she did unwittingly undaggered three starving vampires and survived."
"Elijah, " Klaus gritted his teeth. "Can we not reminisce about Caroline almost being sucked dry by our siblings."
"You care for her," Elijah stated.
"Obliviously, she is an amusing human even by your boring standards, "Klaus smirked. "But she is human and will turn to dust after I can blink."
"Unless you turn her."
"You make it sound like I want her around forever," Klaus shook his head. "She is a distraction, perhaps one for the entire family by how amused you are by her."
Elijah hid a smile before letting out an audible sigh, "You are not going to build a palace, are you?" He avoided mentioning Caroline further, knowing that his brother would snap angrily. Niklaus might be in denial about his feelings, but Elijah knew what a distraction of Klaus's looked like.
Series of one-night stands, plots against those who made moves against their family, even a friendly tryst with a temporary ally. He has seen it all. As Rebekah put it, their brother could warm any woman's bed he wanted, but he never let them in. Elijah could count the number of women his brother had genuinely cared for on any level on the one hand. They might amuse him and last as a bedmate for a few nights; one memorable one lasted six months. She was a witch who used Klaus as much as he used her. Theirs was a companionship, a friendship made out of necessity.
Klaus had never given his heart away. When Elijah heard rumors about his brother prolonging his stay in Atlanta, the original never stayed in a city longer than necessary. Finding out about Caroline was a surprise. At first, he thought Klaus was just playing with the girl, but when he returned to the same city a year later, Elijah knew that Caroline Forbes was not what she appeared to be.
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A.N: What do you guys think?