Chapter 10
Mystic Falls was a small town, a very freakishly small southern town. They had enough of a population for only elementary and high school. Elena's so-called middle school years were spent attending the same school as six-year-olds. It was a tiny town. The worst thing that happened to this town in years was the accident that had taken her parents last year.
Before that, the Forbes divorce had been the town gossip for over a year. Until Caroline's father came out, the sole source of entertainment had been the gossip about Mason Lockwood and just how bad the feud with the Mayor went. Then, out of nowhere, the Salvatore brothers show up. Niklaus Mikaelson decides to move his family into town, and suddenly, the streets of Mystic Falls are under animal attack watches.
This was supposed to be a great year. The year Elena didn't have to worry about leading Matt on, she started living her life again. Instead, Elena was dealing with a boyfriend who was not….normal, and her little brother was off with a girl on her way to becoming the newest Mrs. Donovan.
The music was blasting so high that Elena was sure she would regret all these parties when she grew old if she grew old at this rate, her mind racing towards the fact a woman was walking around looking exactly like her. Before she could even get answers, everything was swept away to prepare for this Halloween party.
"Where is he?" Elena murmured, her brown eyes glancing around in a vain attempt to look for her brother. Worry was building up the longer she could not find him, knowing there was a newborn vampire out there.
A newly turned vampire with whom her brother had a thing.
"Looking for anyone, in particular?" The comforting voice of one of her oldest friends came alongside a familiar British accent that Elena had recognized from overhearing Caroline's conversations on the phone.
"Care! There you are! Niklaus, right? I don't think Caroline's introduced us yet. I'm Elena," the brunette said, giving him a bright smile, attempting to hide her nerves. The hairs on her arm stood up as if her entire body told her to be careful. The blonde was smiling with the taller man at her side, the two looking like they had stepped out of a painting.
Perhaps it was the fact that Caroline had been so secretive about him for so long., Or maybe it was the fact he hadn't been around, which made Bonnie and Elena joke that Caroline had indeed made him up. If Elena was honest, it might be how Caroline seemed different from all the Mikaelsons.
Damn, even the man's smile was predatory, Elena thought as Niklaus Mikaelson brought her hand to his lips. "Pleasure." Elena's gaze went from the sculpture's perfect man to her bubbly friend with a knowing look.
Caroline's smile never left her face as the blonde grabbed Elena's arm before the brunette could say anything more. The cheerleader glanced at Niklaus, who nodded before slipping away quickly within the crowd. Caroline could vaguely see his siblings slowly following his way away from the group.
"What's going on?" Caroline asked her friend. "Don't tell me you are still fighting with Stefan."
"Sort of. I've found out what Stefan has been keeping from me. It's Jeremy that's got me concerned. I'm afraid Vicky will drag him into whatever trouble she has gotten herself into." Elena lied so smoothly; Caroline was almost impressed.
Then again, it wasn't as if she could be candid. Caroline was honestly glad that Elena now knew about vampires; from the concerned look on her face, it appeared the brunette knew the dangers. Sort of.
According to Niklaus, Stefan was dangerous at one point, yet Kol rolled his eyes whenever the vampire was brought up. Saying that whatever he used to be, the vampire was washed up on whatever diet he kept.
"You think Vicky, of all people, can drag Jeremy into something he doesn't want?" Caroline said, deciding to be the voice of reason. Jeremy had been making plenty of dipshit decisions on his own.
Vicky is one of them.
"He's my little brother, Caroline," Elena hissed. "You wouldn't understand. I have to look out for him."
"Acting like a nagging sister will keep him safe from the boogeyman." Caroline rolled her eyes. "Have you ever thought that maybe by being on his case, you only push him away? He's grieving."
"Didn't you say we need to stop grieving?"
"I said it was time to allow yourself to be a little happy. Jeremy allows himself to feel his emotions. You turned into a zombie," Caroline defended herself. "Do you want my help looking for him or not?"
"Yes, of course," Elena let out a sigh. "Care. I'm apprehensive people are going to stop giving him chances. Vicky isn't good for him."
"Let's try upstairs? I think I see Bonnie." The girl in the Aphrodite costume pointed toward the dark-skinned witch. Elena cracked a smile. "She is going all out with the psychic stuff, isn't she?"
"Let's see if she can use her psychic powers to find your wayward brother," Caroline joked, as out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the Mikaelsons leaving the room. Internally she hoped that whatever the fuck was going on with Vicky, the Salvatores, and all that Niklaus could handle it.
It was her junior year, and the last thing she needed was vampire issues ruining her grade point average. She was Caroline Fucking Forbes, and she had plans damn it. The trio of childhood friends was again devastated as Bonnie quickly agreed to join their little search party. Not that Caroline had any doubt. They would have done anything for Elena.
Would they do the same for her, however? As Caroline's grip slipped from Elena, Bonnie quickly took her place on Elena's other side, but the blonde fell behind. Looking at their backs, her mind drifted to how Rebekah had stopped Damon from trying anything with her.
What would have happened to her if she hadn't met the Mikaelsons?
XXX
If there was one thing that Vicky Donovan had always hated, it was pity. Hated every so-called whisper, the glances, the way mothers would smack their teenage sons for glancing at her ass. Ever since she could remember, the people of this town would look at her and think one thing.
Poor Child, when she was in elementary school. She and her little brother were one of a handful of single parents in Mystic Falls. But no, that was not what they pitied her for. Her mother was at the Grill every night, drinking her sorrows away and slipping into a different man's bed every night.
Looks just like her mother. Once she hit middle school, the boys became slightly more congenial to her.
Boy, don't you dare touch her. Don't you know where she's been? As soon as Jimmy Mason opened his mouth about her losing her virginity to him her freshman year. He had been sweet, kind, and much kinder than last year and offered her a good time. Let her forget for a little while.
Forget that her mother was the town whore, a drunken floozy who couldn't even be sure that the father of her children was the man whose last name they shared. He showed her what a good time truly was.
She never stopped looking for a good time after that.
Well, that was true until she decided to party with Damon Salvatore. The man had a look of sin about him. He didn't even pretend to be a good guy, a good son. That night, Vicky wanted to do nothing but forget.
Forget Tyler Lockwood and how he treated her like second-rate. The way Tyler's face would ground seeing her near the younger Gilbert thrilled her. Not tonight; however, she didn't want to be a fling against the bathroom wall of the Grill. She wanted a man to bring her to his bed, where she would leave in the morning.
So she offered Damon Salvatore the most sultry and playful grin before accepting his invitation. She didn't remember much past accepting his bottle of bourbon. When the next day came, Vicky groaned, alerting anyone nearby of her awakening. Her eyes were barely able to stay open. God, everything hurt. It was nighttime, God damn it! Why did the lights hurt her eyes? What the fuck happened tonight?
Vicky vaguely recalled seeing Tyler Lockwood earlier that night. Her memory was fuzzy; the last thing she clearly remembered was the older Salvatore. He had promised her a fun time, and he delivered. Vicky moaned softly as she walked along the familiar streets; that was when she could hear the noises of a party. Despite her head pounding and the itchy throat Vicky assumed had more to do with the bite on her neck than actual hunger, Donovan walked towards the noise.
That's right; it was October. Halloween.
Tyler was a dick, not wishing to ruin his precious family name by being linked with her as more than a casual fling. Well, screw him. A flash of dark hair caused her mind to switch.
Jeremy.
She had to find Jeremy. He was a sweet boy, a bit needy, perhaps. Jeremy would be happy to see her. He would be pleased with the trick she learned last night. Suddenly, a glorious idea came to her: Tyler would be seething if she was seen with the younger Gilbert.
That would show Tyler that Vicky Donovan was nothing like her mother. Vicky was better, hotter, and would not be tied down by getting knocked up and marrying the first one willing to marry her. That was when Vicky saw Jeremy.
"Jere!" She called, smiling at the wide-eyed look on Jeremy's face.
"Vicky! Where the hell have you been? Everyone's been looking for you," Jeremy fired at her, holding her at arm's length. Vicky laughed, gently pulling his hands away, curious at how much easier it was than before.
Oh, that's right. Vampire.
The dipshit Damon Salvatore bit her. Vicky rubbed her neck, suddenly thankful for the scarf covering around her neck. "Where's Matty? I didn't mean to worry him." Vicky sidestepped Jeremy's questions.
Jeremy didn't look convinced but shrugged it off. After all, this was Vicky Donovan; nothing could keep her down. "I assume he's at the party the Mikaelson's are throwing. Elena went with Bonnie to see Caroline."
That's right, Matty's little blonde friend, the hyper one. "Not Tyler's?" She questioned, accepting his arm and allowing him to lead the way. She felt her throat clench as something sweet touched her nose.
Blood. Vicky shook her head, barely catching the last end of Jeremy's answer.
"Tyler must be pissed," Vicky laughed in delight.
Jeremy sighed, "Why don't you go find him? It's Tyler that you want anyway." He started to pull away when Vicky gaped at him.
"Jeremy, don't go!" She pleaded, grabbing him, only to get-go when he cried out in pain.
"What the hell, Vicky? Did you take steroids or something?" He touched his arm, looking over at her cautiously.
"Don't know my strength, I guess," Vicky laughed. "I'm sorry, Jere. I didn't mean anything by it. It's you I was looking for anyway."
"Not Tyler?" Jeremy asked skeptically.
"Not Tyler. Now, don't you want to dance with me?" She teased, holding out her hand despite the pain in her throat. Damon's earlier warning echoed in her head. Vicky remembered now that she would need to feed soon.
"Okay," Jeremy answered. "But if we see my sister, we have to hide. I don't want another lecture about it being a school night."
"Deal."
Vicky lasted five dances, successfully dodging the greyhound that was Elena Gilbert before she felt herself sniffing Jeremy's neck. Only when Jeremy jerked away from her did Vicky realize that her teeth had sharpened into fangs.
"I…I gotta go," She quickly said before running in the opposite direction of Jeremy Gilbert. She couldn't hurt Jeremy. It didn't matter that he smelled delicious or that she knew he would forgive her.
She didn't know if she would be able to stop. Vicky didn't care about Mystic Falls or the people in it, but she did care about a handful of people. Her brothers, Tyler and Jeremy, fall into that small category. Ignoring Jeremy calling her name, she would make it up to him later.
When she wasn't so goddamn hungry.
That was when she caught the eye of a teenage boy; he grinned at her, raising his red plastic cup to her. Vicky found herself smiling. He would do. The brunette sauntered up to him, taking the cup from him and taking a sip.
It tasted off on her tongue. She recalled Damon saying their senses were heightened. Her eyes narrowed. Was this boy trying to drug her? If he wanted to play, she would show him whom he was messing with. It didn't take long for Vicky to get an invitation to go somewhere private.
She is busy sucking her victim dry when an amused chuckle brings Vicky out of her blood high. She glanced up to see the tall form of a dirty blonde man with a smirk alongside an equally beautiful blonde.
Mikaelson's. At least, that's what she thought they were called. New people didn't interest her very much.
"With my little eye, I spy a baby vampire drinking a man dry," The blonde female sang softly as more footsteps could be heard.
"Bloody hell, Donovan," Came the newly familiar voice of the man who had introduced her to this existence. Soon, she was standing before the two Mikaelson and two Salvatores. The two Salvatores glanced over at the Mikaelson.
"I knew there was something off about you," Damon muttered, glancing at the siblings.
"And you are a horrible Sire," Rebekah sniffed. "Darling, you are getting blood on the rug. You do realize that came from Paris, don't you?"
"You can afford a new one," Damon snorted, glancing over at this silent brother. "Stefan?"
"I remember."
"Remember what?" His brother asked, annoyed. "We got a situation on our hands, brother."
Stefan glanced over at the two blondes across from them. Rebekah suddenly would not look him in the eye while the male smirked at him. "Of course you do, Stefan. I had wondered if a silent command would do it. My hypothesis stands."
Rebekah snorts, "Great, you have your favored pretty boy back. What are you going to do about Murder Barbie over here?"
Vicky scrunched her nose, "Who the hell are you calling Barbie? You're the freaking blonde always in heels."
XXX
What do you get when you add missing Mikaelson's, a-wall friends who quickly lost her in a crowd, and a raging Halloween party?
Trouble.
Her lovable murder-happy fluff monsters were hiding something. While not uncommon, Nik admitted to having secrets he should share in time. This secret had something to do with her town and her friends. Friends who refused to tell her exactly what was going on. If Caroline hadn't already been in the know, she'd be furious to learn that they'd leave her in the dark.
The blonde, dressed as Aphrodite, narrowed her eyes when she finally spotted Elena's younger brother. "Jeremy," Caroline called out with a smile as she reached out her arm to touch his shoulder with her hand.
As much as she wanted to rip the younger teen a new one, the cheerleader reframed. Barely, to be honest. She felt him turn towards her with a questioning brow. The blonde continued to smile at him, waiting for him to speak first.
"Uh. Did you need something, Care?"
"Have you seen your sister? Bonnie? Or perhaps a single Mikaelson that is supposed to be the hosts of this shindig."
Jeremy rolled his eyes, making Caroline twist around a little. "Okay, maybe I enjoy being the boss a little bit."
"A little? Care you took over Elena's tea parties. I distinctly remember somehow becoming a butler when I was supposed to be going out to play ball with Dad."
"I was magnificent, wasn't I? Now, where is Elena?" Caroline turned the conversation back around, more than a little proud of how she had managed to drag little Jeremy into the girl's tea parties growing up.
"I haven't seen her" Jeremy shrugged. "Anything going on?"
Aside from the fact that Matt's sister was missing, she and Elena were dating vampires, and Caroline was confident Vicky had fallen victim to a vampire? Considering the "animal attacks" only started after the Salvatores officially arrived was suspicious.
"No. She was just worried about you… you know, with Vicky."
"Vicky's here. She walked off; I've been trying to find her to ensure she is okay. She was acting weirder than usual," Jeremy confided with concern.
"You didn't call the cops? She's been missing for hours," Caroline replied, wincing at how it sounded even to her.
Jeremy narrowed his eyes, "She was fine. She just wanted a few more hours until she got another lecture."
"Okay. I get it. Mom is the sheriff, after all. If I see her, I will tell her you are looking for her, okay? If you see her, tell her to contact the sheriff's office so they can stop looking for her. I think my mom would enjoy some sleep," Caroline internally winced, knowing how hard her mother had been working to find the missing teen.
Vicky did have a history of going off on her own; Liz Forbes hadn't been too worried but was still concerned. The Donovan girl hadn't been missing when animal attacks were going on before. Caroline quickly notified her mother about Vicky's status as soon as this all played out.
She had a terrible feeling Matt was the one who was going to suffer the most.
XXX
Elijah felt rather than heard the contraption that was a cellphone. With an annoyed sigh, He clicked the answer button without glancing at the screen.
"Hello?"
"Come join the party, brother. We found something delightful," Came Kol's cheerful voice. From the lack of music in the background, they were not in the barrier of the Halloween party that he had laid bare.
Elijah could hear Rebekah snort; that was probably the most brilliant move her brother had made outside of prohibiting the party, to begin with. Not that anyone could genuinely prohibit Kol from doing anything. "And why would I leave the party you decided to host then ditch?"
"We caught the Salvatores red-handed with a newly turned Vicky Donovan. Isn't that the sweet sister of that blonde quarterback Rebekah is so fond of?"
Elijah felt a migraine coming on as he switched gears. He could see Caroline talking with the younger Gilbert. At least neither of them could get into trouble that way. "What happened?"
"Ground floor, Your office."
Deciding that it would be a terrible idea to allow his siblings to have the deciding factor, Elijah no less turned towards the stairs in his office. Not bothering to knock, letting some cheesy teen ballad play into the room. He glanced down, noticing Vicky Donovan on the floor with her neck snapped and blood all over her mouth dulled out by the heavy music. She looked up at Stefan, who looked at Rebekah and Nik warily.
"Someone tell me what the bloody hell is going on?"
Rebekah turned towards her brother, barely glancing at the unconscious teen on his floor. "Damon Salvatore has appeared to create a new vampire." Stefan winced at the truth of the words while Elijah kneeled beside the young girl.
"Has she been given human blood?"
"This is our problem. How the hell do you know about vampires?" Damon questioned, not bothering to deny that he was Vicky's sire. Which was the sole reason Damon's head was not on a spike about now.
Niklaus raised a brow, "Not going to deny it?"
Damon shrugged, "You are not part of the council, and Sage is with you. Your twitchy siblings have not allowed my brother or me to be alone with your blonde girlfriend. I can only assume you are one of us. Why you settled here of all places now, that is what I am curious to know."
Niklaus chuckled darkly, "You have no idea who we are, but your brother does."
Damon glanced over at his brother, who nodded, "Damon. What did Sage tell you about being a vampire? Who turned her?"
"Her lover," Damon shrugged. "Left her because his family didn't approve."
"Damon, I'd like you to meet the disapproving family members," Came Sage's voice from the doorway. "A teenager? Damon, I thought I taught you better than that."
"This is the bloody family that judged you?" Came Damon's incredulous voice. "They judged you but accepted Miss. Cheerleader?"
"I'd be careful what you say about my girlfriend," Niklaus warned. "You have just laid a bomb on our feet in a town full of vampire hunters. Hunters that while my family can survive, you and yours, I'm afraid, are much more vulnerable."
Damon raised his hands, "She is all yours, but this town has zero chance of knowing what to do if they meet a real vampire."
"Yet you turned a teenager into one. One with a history of bad decisions," Rebekah snorted. "Not even Kol is that moronic."
That was when Vicky moaned.
XXX
Kol truly outdid himself; Caroline had to begrudgingly give the original as she glanced around at the dancers surrounding her. The fact that someone far older than her could potentially throw a better party than her stung. Caroline hated being second-best. Something anyone who knew her could attest to.
Along with the fact that both Liz Forbes and Miranda Gilbert held pictures of a five-year-old Caroline in pigtails destroying Elena's first-place gingerbread house. After that, Caroline vowed always to be the best, so she worked hard to win. Except Caroline could win class president, Elena was always the most popular. The boys always preferred Elena's sweet smiles to Caroline's kind but harsh critiques of doing better.
Caroline only wanted them to be the best version of themselves. Yet, no one appreciated it. Bonnie and Elena would roll their eyes whenever Caroline began talking about their futures. How important it was to start planning now. Taking a sip of her drink, Caroline sighed as she watched her two supposed best friends dancing.
Bonnie forced Elena onto the dance floor after spotting Jeremy. Saying she had spent enough of the night worrying and it was time to have fun. Caroline agreed but couldn't relax knowing that her gang of misfits was somewhere with Elena's Salvatore's.
Something was off.
It was only when Caroline spotted Sage out of the corner of her eye that the blonde knew the party was over. Glancing at the clock, the cheerleader saw it was midnight. Taking a calming breath, Caroline, head held high, walked onto the makeshift stage and grabbed the microphone. Caroline spared a moment to apologize to the vampires within the building before letting her voice ripple through the room.
"ALL RIGHT, EVERYONE OUT. YOU ARE ALL CINDERELLA NOW FORGET YOUR GLASS SLIPPER AT GET THE FUCK OUT."
The crowd looked up at her; Caroline crossed her arms, daring any of her classmates to go against her. This was her boyfriend's house; with every blood Mikaelson not in sight, it was Caroline's house. Given how the host, bloody Kol Mikaelson, was nowhere to be found, her classmates seemed forced to agree.
The entire floor groaned, but it said a lot about Caroline's Queen Bee status that not a single person tried to fight her on it. The blonde watched as Sage and a strangely quiet Finn escorted the drunk teens out with a satisfied smirk.
Huh, when did they join the party?
Finn, visibly irritated, takes the keys of one drunk football player until Matt apologizes to Caroline before saying he will take him home.
"If you see my sister, call, okay?" Matt asks as Caroline nods, trying to ignore the horrible feeling in her stomach. Especially when the blonde spotted the guilty look that crossed Elena's face.
While Sage and Finn usher everyone out, the blonde takes a step closer to her best friends. Caroline hugged Elena tightly, "Elena, I've been looking everywhere for you!"
Elena hugged her back, "Sorry, Care, tonight's been a crazy night."
"Now, Miss. Gilbert, I would say that was an understatement," Came a familiar British accent.
The group turned to look at Niklaus Mikaelson with his arms crossed, surrounded by his remaining siblings, Finn and Sage, having just closed the doors to the manor. Coming up behind them was Stefan and Damon Salvatore.
Elena immediately looked towards the Salvatore's, "Stefan, Damon?" She called hesitantly, glancing over at Caroline.
Damon snorted, "Your Cheerleader friends know everything, Elena. Turns out you are not the only teenager with a vampire fetish."
XXX
A.N: The truth is out! As always, please let me know what you think!