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I – The Hunter
Caroline Forbes considered herself a pretty open-minded person. Yet when her stoic father told her, with a straight face, that vampires are real and he, himself, is a vampire hunter, she should be forgiven for bursting out laughing. She had lived with Bill Forbes since her parents had gotten divorced a few years ago, and she had never thought him capable of cracking a joke.
Sure enough, he wasn’t joking at all, as the cellar (a cellar, how cliché was that!) under their house proved. The place looked like it came from a B rated horror movie, making Caroline scrunch her nose in contempt. The young cheerleader prided herself for not having a breakdown when she was introduced, rather unceremoniously in a supernatural world, where undead dead men walked the streets looking for blood, and hypnotizing their victims with a look.
When Bill went into detail about Mystic Falls’s (the town that Caroline saw nowadays only when she visited her mother) founding families and their long held tradition of vampire hunting that was passed from parent to child for centuries and how Caroline herself will one day become one, she drew the line.
“I won’t make a career out of staking Dracula wannabees, no matter how cool it sounds. I am going to be a journalist!”
And while it was truth that she didn’t want to ruin her carefully crafted plans only to play Buffy, secretly, she had always thought being a vampire was even cooler than being a slayer. She never told her father that, of course. She had self-preservation instincts, thank you very much!
II – The Masquerade
The dress was as uncomfortable as it was beautiful. The dark burgundy color looked good on her complexion, but it was too tight and the young woman did not appreciate the feeling of the lace against her smooth skin. Coupled with the black mask adorned with silver lace, Caroline’s outfit was gorgeous and extremely uncomfortable.
Still, she supposed it was worth it because there was no way she was going to a masquerade to interview the mayor of New Orleans looking subpar.
When she had been hired for the online newspaper after finishing college with a journalism major, Caroline knew her life wouldn’t be like that of Lois Lane in an Superman comic, solving crimes and winning Pulitzers every day. Still, was she asking too much when she wanted something more than fluff pieces or random celebrity gossips?
This interview was the most exciting work she had been assigned to date. The fact that the mayor had personally invited her to his New Year’s Eve Celebration was even more flattering.
Caroline did her best, mingling among Louisiana’s crème de la crème. She initiated a couple of conversations with those she found interesting. And by interesting, she meant sketchy enough to hide a couple of skeletons in their closets
She had planned to use the opportunity to dug up as much dirt as she could.
Or at least that was the plan before some guy decided to monopolize her attention. A rich guy, judging by his perfectly-tailored black suit, who wore no mask, because no one had told him that masks were a must for a masquerade apparently.
“May I have the pleasure to know the name of the most beautiful lady at this dreadful party?”
This was the very first thing he asked her, and in a British accent no less, and Caroline couldn’t help but snort.
“Your flirting needs improving. And so does your outfit. Did nobody tell you this is a masquerade?”
The guy had the nerve to smirk and Caroline was being slowly charmed, against her better judgement.
“Believe me, sweetheart, I don’t need a mask. None of these people do, actually, but they wear them anyway. Not just tonight, but everyday of their miserable lives. Do you know why? Because they are too pathetic to even admit their own misery”
“I also wear a mask. Does that also make me pathetic, too?”
Her tone wasn’t as biting as she would have hoped. His smirk only grew.
“I certainly hope not, love. You are the most interesting thing I’ve encountered in awhile. It would be a shame if you turn out to be…. disappointing”
Caroline’s eyebrows rose in both shock and disbelief.
“Wow, insulting me to my face before I even know your name. Well, at least I know you are certainly a frog, not a prince charming.”
He let out a breathless laugh, surprised at his own amusement.
“Klaus Mikaelson, at your service” he introduced himself with an arrogant tone, and actually bowed. “May I know the name of my Cinderella?”
Yeah, Caroline had horrible taste in men, and the first impression wasn’t the best, but the guy was witty, rich and interested. She could do a lot worse.
So, she decided to keep playing this flirtation game. Who knew, he might turn out to be Prince Charming, after all.
“Only if you can guess it!”
**
It was well past midnight and more dances and champagne glasses than the blonde could count before Klaus finally guessed right:
“Caroline?”
She grinned at him and kissed him on the cheek as a reward.
“Yep” she answered, popping the ‘p’. “Caroline Forbes, journalist at the AZ Gazette at your service.”
“So, you are a journalist?”
Now he actually looked surprised and a bit amused.
“No wonder you were so interesting to find out what each of the more famous guests I introduced you tonight hides in their closet.”
She shrugged unashamed. Just because she had decided to give him a chance it didn’t mean she would just give up her goal for the evening.
“Why did you become a journalist?” he asked, sounding genuinely interested.
“I don’t know. I guess I always liked the idea. I am nosy and judgy, so it seemed like a perfect fit. Better than being a vampire hunter”
She added the last part as a joke, even if remembering their discussion from her eighteenth birthday still gave her chills. She has always tried to keep vampires out of her mind after she had learnt of their existence, but sometimes jokes were the only way she could cope with how crazy her father’s life was.
However, Klaus reaction was completely unexpected. He went stiff all of a sudden, and Caroline might not have noticed it if she hadn’t spent hours in his company, seeing how relaxed he was even when they got into hard topics like politics or sex.
“Vampire hunter? Was that ever an option?” his tone was joking, but it lacked the warmth it had every time he had addressed her before.
She wanted to know everything about him and his possible connection to the supernatural, before a terrifying thought entered her mind. What if he was a vampire himself? Could she have been standing side by side with one of the soulless creatures her father had warned her about. Surely she would have known… Suddenly she remembered the photo he had shown her when they had talked about their families of him and his sister (who looked too pretty and too judgy for Caroline’s taste) standing outside in the clear sun, dated only a few days ago. Vampires didn’t have sisters or families and they surely didn’t walk into the sun, so she forced herself to calm down and answer the question:
“Teenage fantasy from watching too much Buffy” she said, smiling like it was a silly thing. “I gave up on it pretty quickly because I realized being a vampire would be way cooler”
If Caroline wasn’t so tipsy, she might have noticed the evil glint in Klaus’ eyes at her last declaration
III – Cinderella Unmasked
There have been many moments in Klaus’ (unnaturally long) life when he had wondered where he had gone wrong that he had ended up in odd (and most often than not, embarrassing) situations. To name a few of those experiences: that time the Pope had caught him in a threesome with both his son and daughter, the time when he had bought an entire island by accident (he was still paying taxes for that one despite not knowing where on Earth to find it) or when he had listened to Kol and rented a brothel. To be honest, he shoild have known better than to listen to Kol. That always ended in disaster.
And now, sitting alone at a table in this mediocre restaurant waiting for his “date” to show up was one of those times. What would others think idf they saw the Original Hybrid behave like a teenager who went out with a girl for the first time in his life? Would they wonder how he had ended up in such a situation? The answer was simple: Caroline. His not-so-mysterious Cinderella had somehow gotten under his skin. Enough for Klaus Mikaelson to actually consider asking her out.
What was so special at this girl? Everything, supplied a traitorous voice. And nothing. She is just a human girl, you somehow find her special.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? There was nothing truly special about Caroline Forbes, except how she had managed to enchant him, seemingly on accident. While Klaus had felt attracted to women thousands of times in the past, with Caroline it was…. different. He was attracted to her, yes, but he also thought of her as a sort of kindred spirit, ever since her drunk-ish confession that she would love to be a vampire.
But that’s not all, is it? The voice asked again. No, of course it wasn’t, that would have been too simple. No, Caroline had enchanted him: with her witty remarks, her beautiful eyes and her infectious laugh. When he was in a less poetic mood, he had thought of her as a parasite come to monopolize his thoughts and suck away his energy. Klaus had found himself trying to draw a few of the New Orleans sights, and yet all he could do was sketch her. Over and over again. Every time he closed his eyes, an image of the young woman would pop up on his mind.
If he had been anyone else, he would have thought he was in love, but that was plain ridiculous. Klaus Mikaelson was the Original Hybrid and for a vampire love was weakness. He did not love and he did not care. So no, it wasn’t love, it was more of a fascination (obsession, some might call it).
He glanced at the watch, Caroline was officially one minute late, which was unusual. Punctuality was one of the traits he admired most in her. Something must be wrong. Unexpected and unwelcome worry blossomed in his chest. Caroline was human, and as a result she was fragile (weak). While nothing and nobody could kill Klaus (at least not anymore), almost everything could end his lovely Cinderella’s life. And that just won’t do for the Original Hybrid.
He looked at the wine glass placed at the other end of his small table. He had asked the waitress for her best wine and asked her for two glasses as soon as he had arrived. The wine was a dark red color, no one would suspect a thing if he would just add his blood in it. Caroline wouldn’t even realize it, vampire blood has no taste after all. And if she drank it, with his blood in her system, not even death will manage to take her away from him.
Five minutes later, Caroline came rushing in.
“Sorry for being late, my jerk of a boss didn’t let me go before the articles were all edited. Ugh, sometimes I really wish he would just retire”
“It is no problem, love” Klaus assured her, like he hadn’t spent the last quarter of hour worrying endlessly for her.
To his surprise, the so called “date” turned out even more enjoyable than he could have hoped for. Caroline was a very good conversationalist, listening attentively and engaging even in the more complex topics, never afraid to state her opinion.
And in these blissful moments, his phone rang, breaking the spell that surrounded them.
At first, Klaus wanted to ignore it, but so very few people called him and when they did, the calls were always too interesting for him to just ignore them.
Just as he had predicted, he saw Marcel’s caller ID. Well, this promised to be good. He excused himself to Caroline and went on the balvony to answer:
“Marcel, this better be important, I have business to attend to”
His adopted son ignored his dramatic “greeting”, and went straight to the point:
“Klaus, have you daggered any of your siblings lately?”
“Hmm, let me think. Why, yes Marcellus, I have in fact daggered all of them. Why? Is that a problem for you?” he asked mildly, liked they were talking about the weather.
“I have no problem with it. But, I thought you might wanna know someone woke up Rebekah and she seems to be out for your blood”
And with this dramatic statement, Marcel hung up.
Klaus tried not to show in frustration, he had a date to return to, after all. Marcellus’s didn’t fool him for a second, he was clearly the one behind Rebekah’s alive status. And now his dear sister will want to cause him troubles.
Yet, he decided he will deal with it after his date with Caroline would end. It was not polite to let a lady wait for you. And Klaus has been very polite since meeting Caroline Forbes.
IV – Death
In retrospect, Caroline should have known something was bound to happen. Her date with Klaus has been more than perfect, the not-so-mysterious man that had charmed her during the Mayor’s party had proved himself to be the perfect gentleman from beginning to end, when he had offered to drive her home. But nothing is that easy when you are Caroline Forbes.
She has politely turned him down, pointing out that both of them drank wine, so driving was not safe. Instead she had let him call her a cab. After stepping down from the cab, she made her way to her apartment complex, when another blonde appeared in her path. Caroline blinked, and stumbled back.
The other girl, however, seemed unfazed.
“So, you are Nick’s latest hobby, aren’t you?” she drawled out in a British accent, confusing Caroline even more.
“What?”
The blonde ignored the question, circling her like a predator will circle its prey. Dread crept through her spine, realizing that’s what she most likely was for the other woman. Caroline has been quite the alpha bitch in high school, so she knew both how to threaten others and when she herself was threatened.
The young woman kept walking around her, sizing her up, like one will size a lamb prepared for the slaughter. She did not seem to like what she saw in Caroline, for her nose scrunched up in disgust. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke:
“Tell me, does my brother love you?”
The question was so abrupt, it took a moment to sink in.
“I don’t even know your brother! I don’t even know you! ….. WHO ARE YOU?”
The last words were shouted in frustration, tears rolling down her face. Caroline was panicking, she didn’t understand a word from this woman, but she could deduce the other blonde’s intentions. As quietly as possible she tried to reach for the phone in her purse, hoping the darkness will provide her cover.
It did not. Her attacker was faster than she could have predicted and caught her hand in mid-air, just before she could reach her phone. Caroline suppressed a shudder at the other girl’s touch: it was cold. Too cold to belong to a living person.
Now that she was near her, Caroline could tell she was much younger than expected. Almost a teenager. Yet, her bored expression coupled with the cruel look in her eyes made her look much older. Her eyes…. For some odd reason, Caroline found them very familiar:
“Who are you?” she asked again, this time in a whisper.
“To answer your question, little human, I am Rebekah. Nick’s sister.”
She said the last part like it was supposed to mean something to Caroline. It did not. She still didn’t know who Nick was.
Apparently, Rebekah realized it at the same time, because she smirked.
“It does not matter anyway. You are, after all, just collateral damage”
Before Caroline could fully comprehend the meaning of her words, Rebekah snapped her neck. The last thought the young reporter had before hitting the pavement was that Rebekah’s eyes looked just like Klaus’.
V - ….and afterlife
Caroline woke up. This wouldn’t have come as strange, if this was any other day. But today, she had been murdered (by a girl with Klaus’ eyes, her traitorous mind supplied. The sister from the picture he had shown her, she finally connected the dots.) Yet, here she was, alive, awake next to her apartment building, in the middle of the night. May haps she had had to much to drink and had passed out. Not very classy, but possible. Certainly more plausible than being killed by a stranger and then waking up. Rebekah must have been a hallucination of her drunken mind. It would explain her odd behavior. Tho, why her subconscious chose to show her dreams in which Klaus sister killed her was beyond the young woman’s comprehension. Yet, it was the most likely option, because she did not dare to think what it meant for her if all had been real, the word vampire still too fresh in her mind.
Trying to regain what was left of her dignity, Caroline dusted her dress and entered the building.
She did not feel drunk. She was walking straight and her vision was spotless. The one thing that felt off was the gnawing hunger that seemed to grow with every second that passed.
Lost in her own thoughts, Caroline bumped into Mr. Wilson on the stairs. He was one of her neighbors, a forty-something jerk that has never said a nice word to her. She turned to apologize, but instead she felt something happen to her face. Fangs dropped out of her gums and before she could comprehend her own actions, she buried her teeth in Mr. Wilson’s neck. The man didn’t even have time to scream as Caroline started draining him of his blood. It was like instinct, drinking and drinking the marvelous liquid, like she had been born to do this. The hunger in her belly started to dissipate, but the monster in her wanted more.
Please
The word was a weak whisper, but it was there. Caroline realized, somehow surprised, that the man had been pleading with her to stop for some time now. With an effort, the young woman managed to disentangle herself from him. Without her body to lean on, Mr. Wilson fell to the ground.
But he wasn’t dead. His eyes were wide and disoriented and his heartbeat was slow, but there. (Caroline decided that she would worry about the fact that she could hear someone’s heartbeat later. Cross each bridge when you arrive there and all that)
Now she needed to make sure her victim will not call the cops on her.
MR Wilson looked weak and frightened. He tried to crawl away from her as she approached, but Caroline was too fast (superhuman fast)
“Mr Wilson, I… I am so sorry. Please, please, don’t…”
Don’t what? How ridiculous it was: a monster begging its prey. She shouldn’t beg, she should demand.
She pulled him to his feet, like the full grown man weighted nothing. He was pale and trembling, and while Caroline was no doctor she could tell the blood-loss might kill him if he didn’t get help.
“You can go to a hospital as long as you don’t tell anyone about what happened tonight.”
Before she could regret her choice, she got another surprise when the man repeated her words, like he was in a trance of some kind.
Caroline looked into his eyes, they seemed to have lost part of their panic and bow looked… almost dreamy. Was she hypnotizing him? Was that a vampire power? She haven’t heard of it in movies or books, but movies and books were written by humans, so they should be more wrong than right.
“Mr. Wilson, you will forget what happened tonight. In fact, you will forget you’ve even seen me. You will…. Go to the hospital, but you won’t remember a thing about what happened to you”
Like a mindless puppet, her neighbor repeated her words, and then, left the building presumably to do just that.
Caroline let a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know how this works, but it’s awesome” she whispered to herself.
She couldn’t deny the truth anymore she was a vampire, a monster, the very thing her father and mother had hunted and killed for years. Yet, she did not feel like a monster. She felt…. confused, tired and wary.
And to think this was all because of Klaus…..
Klaus!
She needed to find him. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a vampire as well. He would know what to do.
Hopefully.
VI- The reunion
When Rebekah decided to show herself, Klaus was more or less aware that she might have done something in retaliation for what she considered an injustice. Personally, Klaus thought daggering her wasn’t quite as bad as she made it seem. At the very least it gave him much needed quiet.
A quiet he was longing for now, hearing her gloating. He tuned her out, thinking on possible punishments for both her and Marcellus.
“….did you really think I wouldn’t find your pretty Caroline?”
This caught his attention.
He vamp-sped and caught her by the throat.
“What did you say?” he growled; dangerously low.
Rebekah only smirked.
“Why, Nick, did you really get attached to the little human? Who would have thought! Don’t worry, I gave her a swift death. Something that you rarely granted the men I loved”
Klaus felt rage like never before. For the first time in a millennium he wanted to kill his sister for good.
He wanted, he wanted…..
Caroline
He wanted Caroline, he realized. But he would never have her. The woman he had fallen in love with (he saw no reason to admit it to himself now) was gone. He will never see her again, never hear her laugh, never talk to her again. Caroline died before she could even live. He had wanted to show her so much. The entire world should have been hers, and all she got was dust and death.
With a cry of anguish, like a wounded animal in terrible pain, he threw Rebekah with as much force as his desperation could muster.
Love is weakness.
What a fool he has been! He had been the Original Vampire Niklaus for centuries and had mocked others for their love and now, he was the fool. His very soul have been wrapped with a velvet chain and he had found himself not only unable to escape, but also not wanting to. Caroline has made him feel alive in a way nothing else ever came close to.
And now her death shattered him. He couldn’t even bring himself to gather his thoughts enough to plot revenge against Rebekah.
His sister had no such reservations, however. Picking herself up, from the ground she came closer to the hybrid, not quite done gloating.
“Oh, brother, I am sure Caroline was lovely, but you don’t have to pretend to mourn her this hard….”
Whatever else Rebekah wanted to say, she never got a chance, as someone broke her neck.
“Bitch, that’s for killing me!”
That voice…. Klaus raised his eyes from his sister’s unmoved body to …
“Caroline”
“Hi, Klaus. Nice to see you again. I guess you are somehow to blame for this”
Caroline showed him her vampire face. He felt a laugh bubbling in his throat.
His Caroline was alive. More than alive, she was a vampire. She had an eternity now and he fully intended to take advantage of that.
“I am afraid, sweetheart, you got caught in the middle of a family fight. My deepest apologizing for your death”
His tone was too smug for the apology to be sincere and Caroline knew that. She scoffed, but decided to be easy on him after witnessing how distressed he had been a few minutes ago, when he had thought she was dead.
“You are lucky I enjoy vampirism”
“You do, love?”
Now Klaus sounded delighted, his head swarming with the possibilities eternity gave them.
Caroline closed the space between them. It has been less than ten hours since turning, but everything was more heightened than before. Including her desire for him.
She kissed him. Hard. Without the need for air, the kiss lasted entire minutes. When she finally broke away, she did in order to answer his question:
“I do”