"Hello! Is there anyone home?" Caroline called out as she strolled into the Lockwood mansion, where the Salvatore brothers were residing along with Matt. "Help is here, in case anyone needs it for creating some nuisance in the city."
Valerie appeared by the stairs, cautious but not unkind.
"What are you doing here?" Caroline inquired.
"Well, I live here for now. Stefan and Damon are upstairs if you want to talk to them," Valerie replied.
"Stefan, why is she here?" Caroline asked when he came down.
"Long story short, Care," Stefan began, "Valerie, Damon, and I wanted to kill Julian, who was Lily's boyfriend. But before we could do that, she arrived with her Heretics and saved his body. When he wakes up, he's going to kill Valerie. That's why we're searching for a safer place for her. And before you ask why we didn't invite you, it's because you suffered so much last week. We didn't want to include you or Bonnie."
Caroline started to protest about their failed plans when Damon joined them. "So what brought you here, Blondie?" he asked.
Before she could answer, her phone rang. "Hello, Bonnie. Why are you crying, Bon?" Caroline asked, her concern growing as everyone became alert.
"Care, you guys need to come to Ric's place," Bonnie's voice trembled on the other end.
"Is everything okay? What happened?" Caroline asked.
"When I went to check on his place, I found him shot dead. He killed himself," Bonnie revealed, her voice breaking.
"No, how can you say that, Bonnie? Tell me you're lying!" Damon shouted into the phone.
"Damon, please calm down. We're coming soon, Bonnie. Please take care of yourself," Stefan said, trying to keep his composure as no one else was in any condition to speak.
They all rushed to Ric's place in Whitmore. The car ride was silent, each of them grappling with the loss of another close friend in just two months. First Jo, then Elena, and now Alaric. They had been so caught up in their own lives that they hadn't noticed Alaric falling apart. They had thought he was managing well, moving on from his great loss with his job. But none of them could truly feel his pain—he had lost his whole family, his love, and his children at the hands of a psychopath.
The next day, Caroline, Bonnie, Stefan, Damon, Matt, and Valerie organized the funeral for him, as well as for Jo since she hadn't been buried yet. Jo was laid to rest in her family plot, and Alaric was buried next to her, hoping they would find each other in the afterlife.
After a few days, Stefan, Damon, and Matt returned to Mystic Falls, but Valerie stayed in Whitmore as it was safer for her to stay away from Mystic Falls. All three of them were sorting Alaric's house as none of the Mystic Falls gang have courage to do it before.
"What's in this?" Valerie asked, holding up a hard drive she found on his study table.
"Let's check it out. Care, bring the laptop here," said Bonnie.
Although the three of them weren't exactly best friends, they were trying to be civil. When they connected the hard drive to the laptop, they discovered a video paused in the middle.
"Oh, it's Ric's wedding video. He must have been watching it before... you know," said Caroline, her voice trailing off. The video was paused at the moment Jo and Alaric were at the altar. "Now we're going to see the worst part, where Kai kills Jo," Caroline explained to Bonnie, who hadn't attended the wedding. The scene continued with Kai's brutal attack on Jo, followed by his address to the Gemini coven. The coven members then began chanting to kill Kai.
"Guys, close this. It's too painful to watch, especially now that both Jo and Ric are gone, along with their unborn children," Bonnie said, her voice thick with emotion.
"Wait," Valerie said, her eyes narrowing. "I recognize this chant."
"Of course, you do. You're from the same coven. You must have heard it somewhere," Bonnie remarked.
"No, this chant is special. It's used to transfer a fetus from one uterus to another. Did you say Jo was pregnant? They might have been trying to save the last members of the coven by transferring them to another uterus," Valerie elaborated, her tone serious.
"So, you're saying that the babies might still be alive?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening with hope.
"Is that possible?" Bonnie inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"It's certainly possible. You can use a locator spell to try and find the babies if they're alive, using something that shares their DNA," Valerie suggested.
"Okay, let me get some of Ric's hair from the dressing table. You two set up everything else," Caroline instructed.
"Since we don't have his blood, these small beads will help us locate Alaric's children," Valerie explained as she prepared the spell.
The beads started circling around the Whitmore area, eventually scattering across the table, and suddenly, the map caught fire.
"What happened? Are they dead?" Caroline asked, panic creeping into her voice.
"No, they're here," Valerie said with certainty.
"Here? Where? I don't see any babies floating around. Can you, Bonnie? Please stop giving us false hope," Caroline demanded, frustration evident in her tone.
"They're inside you, Caroline. Trust me," Valerie stated firmly.
"I don't believe in your farce. I'm leaving. Are you coming, Bonnie?" Caroline asked, turning away.
"Caroline, you go ahead. I'll stay and finish sorting through Ric's things," Bonnie replied, her voice calm and reassuring.
When only Valerie and Bonnie were left, Bonnie asked, "Are you really telling the truth?"
"Why would I lie about something so sensitive? What do I gain from lying about Alaric's baby?" Valerie responded, her eyes sincere.
"By the way, how did you know the spell?" Bonnie inquired, curiosity laced with skepticism.
"I used it for my child," Valerie answered, a pained look crossing her face, shocking Bonnie. "But unfortunately, I couldn't save my child. That's why I wanted to kill Julian—he was the one who killed my baby." Valerie's voice held a deep sorrow, her eyes reflecting a long-accepted grief. Bonnie didn't ask any more questions, not wanting to add to Valerie's pain. They decided to complete the task another time.
When Caroline reached her room, she couldn't stop thinking about the possibility that Ric's babies might be inside her. The thought was overwhelming, and she didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. Seeking comfort and clarity, she decided to call Klaus, hoping he could make her feel better.
"Hello, love. How are you? How was Alaric's funeral?" Klaus asked, his voice warm and familiar.
"I'm fine. How are funerals of loved ones supposed to be, Klaus? Leave it. Tell me, how are you?" Caroline replied, her voice tinged with sadness.
"I am well. But you don't sound very well, dear. Something is bugging you. What is it?" Klaus inquired, his concern evident.
"How do you always know that, Klaus? Are you a mind reader?" Caroline asked, a hint of a smile in her voice.
"No, love. I just know you well enough to tell your mood from your voice. Now, tell me what's bothering you," Klaus asked lovingly.
"You won't believe what happened today. Did you know that babies can be transferred from one uterus to another?" Caroline asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"I haven't seen it, but I've heard of such things. Kol was more informed on these topics," Klaus replied thoughtfully, his voice faltering slightly at the mention of his brother. He knew Rebekah was working on a way to bring Kol back, but the memory still pained him.
Caroline then recounted everything that had happened that day. Klaus listened intently, silent for a few moments as he processed the information.
"Klaus, are you still there?" Caroline asked, her anxiety growing.
"Yes, love. I'm here," Klaus reassured her.
"Do you believe it? I must have noticed if I was carrying two one-month-old babies in my stomach for last one month. Oh my god, does this implies I might be pregnant?" Caroline's voice was filled with a mix of disbelief and fear.
"Calm down, love. Everything's going to be okay. If you were pregnant, you would have heard the heartbeat. I was able to hear Hope's from the very beginning. Try using your supernatural hearing," Klaus suggested soothingly.
"No, I can't hear anything," Caroline said, her voice tinged with disappointment.
"Then it's very unlikely that you're pregnant. But I would suggest you take a test. Caroline, if such conditions arise, I really want you to come here because I'm worried about you. When are you coming to New Orleans, love?" Klaus asked, his concern deepening.
"I was thinking of joining you in New Orleans once this heretics problem is solved. But now, I can't think of anything. I really wish you were here, and I could lose myself in you and forget everything else. And before you say anything, no, I want you here, but I understand that you're needed there, so don't even think about coming here. I love you and miss you," Caroline said, her voice filled with longing.
"Oh, love. You know that's why I love you so much, always thinking of others first. But please come here soon. I really miss you. If you don't come soon, I might just kidnap you from there," Klaus said, his voice a mix of affection and playful threat.
"And you know why I love you? Because you were always there when I had no one. You always uplift my mood. Today, I was so conflicted, but now I feel better after talking to you. Okay, I've got to go, Klaus. I'll call you after the test. Bye. Love you," Caroline said, her voice softening.
"Bye, Caroline. Love you too," Klaus replied, his voice filled with warmth and a touch of sorrow.
Footnote: I know everyone must be thinking how Klaus can be so much chill about Caroline being pregnant, but it also true that he loves Caroline more than his ego and would be happy with her happiness. Also now having Hope he understand how a child can change in person's live or you can say Vampire's life. Also Klaus can't come Mystic falls because of the event which were happening in New Orleans in season 3 in The Originals. If anyone have not seen it don't worry I will cover all the important points of season 3 in upcoming chapters and my story is changed from season 3. So just enjoy the story. Thank you for reading.