Chapter Text
Caroline: Year 2764
Mystic falls remained the same as when Caroline was still young and human, the Caroline who didn’t even know what truly went bump in the night. Now Caroline was the thing that went bump in the night, and helped other supernatural beings like herself, well what’s left of them at least. Her friends had done some serious damage while searching for the cure, they had realized Silas which nearly ended the world, killed multiple originals leading to the death of all but 3, broke the prison world, destroyed the other side, and destroyed hell.
Caroline grimaced thinking back, they really had been stupid, and none of them had even lived to see the damage they’d caused the supernatural world except herself of course. Truth be told Caroline did blame her friends after all the bloodshed and death because of their stupidity many supernatural species had nearly died out.
Magic had become unpredictable; witches no longer had the spirits to commune with and became much weaker, werewolves curses could activate even without causing a death, or they’d drop dead themselves. Caroline had even heard of some losing their wolves all together, she remembered the way Klaus had talked about the pain of having his wolf bound away inside him, but losing it all together, she could only imagine. Vampires were now nothing more than a myth, very few survived, hunters didn’t even carry vervain or stakes anymore. But that didn't stop Caroline from drinking vervain everyday. The Salvatore school only had one vampire and she wasn’t even a student, after Lizzie and Josie had died Hope had begged her to let her take over the school, let her help people. Caroline was grateful, she had been wanting to leave for decades at the time, so she had let hope run the school.
Over the years she checks in making sure Hopes alright, she had become a daughter to Caroline, they’d helped each other grieve and grow. Hope and Kol were the only Vampires left from the mystic falls days, as well as the only Mikaelson vampires. Freya had gone on to have children so the Mikaelson line still existed just not any who knew what family they were apart of.
Caroline stopped in front of the school she’d helped create all those years ago, putting on her best mystic falls smile before stepping through the threshold. She began making her way to Hope’s office, watching students go to their classes or dorms. Not much had really changed over the centuries, the preservation spell hop had casted over the town definitely helped, she couldn't help but stress over the message she received. Hope had said she’d spotted a pair of dopplegangers.
“Hope are you sure?” Caroline questioned “If your right that means two pairs of dopplegangers have been produced within 700 years.”
“Yes- I know those faces! I know how serious this is, I called uncle Kol to check it out, he said it was definitely a doppleganger.” Hope responded her voice trembling, the faces of Elena and Stefan flashed through her mind, If theres already a new set of dopplegangers has already been born, then the magic in their world was getting worse.
“-and its not just that! My magic has been acting haywire, we need to figure something out.” Hope continued.
She’d left for Mystic Falls immediately after the phone call, the pit in her stomach hadn't left, god what was going to happen. What did they do? Caroline got to Hope’s office and opened the door, finding Kol and Hope already sitting inside. Hope flashed over to her, engulfing her in a hug, Kol sent her a grin from where he was seated. Hope broke the hug backing up grinning.
At least she's happy.
“Alright what are we doing” Caroline said bluntly, to be fair she’d always been blunt her friends
used to complain about it all the time.
Kols grin fell “ I found a coven who’d be willing to help. They said they could perform a spell that could undo the damages caused. A complete reset.” Kol spoke, for once serious.
Caroline didn't like this, but its not like there were options. “How?” she asked.
Hope looked between the two with concerned glances. Kol continued “ they sent us back. To when it all started. Its our only chance, we don't have any other option besides death.”
Caroline knew he was right, in fact he was right nearly all the time when it came to magic. “Alright. When are we doing this?” Caroline looked determined, if this worked then no one else would suffer, if they failed who knows how many the spell would kill.
Hope spoke up “we could go now, they’re not far from here, and its a full moon. That plus doppleganger blood would definetly help a spell like that be completed.”
“Lets go grab some dopplegangers then.” Kol grinned, standing up grabbing his keys. Caroline stared in horror.
“You are not driving.” Caroline warned, shaking her head remembering the last time she let him drive, she might be immortal but that doesn’t mean she wants to die in a car crash. Again.
Hope broke out laughing, nearly falling over. Kol pouted in response, handing over the keys.
After a tense car ride, they arrived at the witches residence. They walked up in silence, before hope could knock on the door, a witch opened it. “Vampires. I assume you're here about the spell?”
The witch’s voice carried the weight of expectation, as though she had been waiting centuries for this exact moment. Her eyes flicked from Kol, to Hope, to Caroline, lingering on each of them in turn as if she were taking their measure.
Caroline’s instincts screamed at her to leave. Every cell in her body was on edge, the old vampire reflex that had kept her alive for centuries whispering trap, trap, trap. But she didn’t move. If this was their only chance, hesitation could cost them everything.
“Yes,” Kol said smoothly, stepping forward like he owned the place. “We’re here about the spell.”
The witch arched an eyebrow, her lips curling in the faintest suggestion of disdain. “Of course you are. Come in, then. But know this—what you ask will not come without price.”
Caroline exchanged a glance with Hope, who looked uneasy but nodded. They stepped inside.
The coven’s home was nothing like Mystic Falls, nothing like the Salvatore School or the sprawling mansions of their past. The house was old stone, its walls covered in runes that pulsed faintly with power. The air itself felt heavy, charged with the residue of centuries of magic. Caroline inhaled, and the scent was sharp—incense, herbs, blood. She shivered.
They were led into a circular chamber lit by hundreds of candles, their flames dancing in a rhythm that didn’t match the stillness of the air. The witches—seven of them—were already waiting, cloaked in deep crimson. Their faces were shadowed, but their eyes glowed faintly with power.
Hope stood straighter, her magic instinctively rising in response. Caroline could feel it in the air, vibrating off her like static.
One of the witches, older than the rest and clearly their leader, stepped forward. Her hair was silver, braided down her back, and her hands bore the scars of countless rituals. She studied Caroline first. “The last of your kind,” she murmured, her voice both reverent and pitying. “I can see the weight you carry.”
Caroline’s throat tightened. She hated when witches spoke like that, like they could peel back her skin and see all the grief and guilt she kept locked inside. She forced her Miss Mystic Falls smile back onto her lips. “Let’s just get to the point.”
The witch’s gaze shifted to Hope. “The Tribrid. You are the key, more than any doppelgänger’s blood.” She tilted her head. “Your magic is fractured, yes?”
Hope swallowed and nodded. “It’s… getting worse. Spells don’t hold. Charms collapse. I can’t control it anymore.”
The witch’s expression darkened. “The world itself is unraveling. Every action of the past took—every tether they cut—has left magic bleeding. If nothing is done, all of creation will fall.”
Caroline bristled at the words, but she didn’t argue. She already knew the truth.
Finally, the witch turned to Kol. “And you. The survivor who should not have survived. You carry both curse and gift in your blood. You, too, are essential.”
Kol’s grin returned, sharp and wolfish. “Well, isn’t that flattering.”
The witch ignored him. She raised her hands, and the candles in the chamber flared. “Here is the truth. To reset the world, to send you back to when the first stone was overturned, requires sacrifice. You will not return as you are now. You will be rewritten. The world will be rewritten with you.”
Caroline frowned. “Rewritten? Meaning?”
The witch’s eyes pierced through her. “Memories could fade. Some of what you know now may cease to exist altogether. The spell does not promise mercy—it promises only a chance.”
Caroline’s stomach dropped. To lose Hope? Possibly lose the memories of her daughters, of Klaus, of all she had fought to protect—it was unthinkable. But so was letting the world burn.
Kol’s face had gone unusually still, no trace of humor left. Even he seemed shaken.
Hope, however, stepped forward, her chin lifted with stubborn determination. “If that’s the price, then I’ll pay it. I can’t let the supernatural world collapse. My family fought too hard for me to give up now.”
Caroline looked at her—this girl, this woman, who had become her daughter in every way that mattered—and felt her chest ache with pride and fear. Hope was braver than anyone Caroline had ever known.
The witch raised her hands again. “Then we begin tonight. On the full moon. With the blood of the doppelgängers and the power of the Tribrid, the spell will tear time open. Once it begins, there is no turning back.”
Kol exhaled, muttering under his breath, “Well, guess it’s now or never.”
Caroline tightened her jaw, her decision made. “Then let’s finish this. Before it’s too late.”
…
The witches began chanting, their voices weaving together like threads in a tapestry. The air thickened, pressing against Caroline’s chest, pulling at the very core of her being. Somewhere deep in her bones, she felt the shift begin—like the world itself was already tilting, preparing to swallow them whole.
And for the first time in centuries, Caroline let herself wonder if she was ready to start over.
The chanting grew louder, echoing against the stone walls until it felt like the whole chamber vibrated with power. The witches circled Caroline, Hope, and Kol, their movements deliberate, the sound of their voices ancient and terrible. Runes on the walls flared to life, glowing blood-red. The air was thick with magic—raw, untamed, and frightening.
Hope’s eyes glowed faintly gold, her tribrid nature straining against the pull of the spell. Caroline felt it, too—the way the magic tried to tug her apart, shredding her strength and stitching it back together again. She gritted her teeth, refusing to falter.
Then the lead witch raised her voice above the others. “The balance requires anchors! The doppelgängers’ blood, the moon, the vampire, the hybrid bloodline. But the Tribrid—” Her gaze cut to Hope, sharp as a blade. “—the Tribrid cannot pass through. She is the bridge that holds the ritual open. Without her, the spell collapses.”
The words landed like a dagger. Caroline whipped around. “What? No. Absolutely not.”
Hope’s face went pale, but she didn’t look away. “Caroline—”
Caroline shook her head violently, panic clawing up her throat. “No, no, you’re not staying here alone while we go back. You’ve lost too much already. I won’t let you lose this, too.”
The witch ignored Caroline’s protests, her chant unbroken. Power surged, filling the chamber until the candle flames turned white-hot.
Hope stepped closer, her hands trembling as she took Caroline’s. “It has to be this way. If I go through, the magic tears apart. You and Kol—you’re enough. You can fix this.”
Tears pricked at Caroline’s eyes, hot and stinging. “You’re my family, Hope. You’re—” Her voice cracked, words failing under the weight of centuries of love and grief. “You’re my daughter. I can’t leave you.”
Hope’s lips wobbled into the smallest smile. “You’re not leaving me. You’re saving me. Saving all of us.” Her voice broke, but her eyes were steady. “You always said I was stronger than I thought. Prove yourself right. Go. Fix it. Give us back the world we deserve.”
Caroline wanted to argue, wanted to scream, but she saw the truth in Hope’s eyes. Saw the resolve there—the same kind of fire Caroline herself had carried when she was younger, when the world had seemed impossible and she had fought anyway.
Kol’s voice, unusually quiet, cut through the moment. “She’s right. If Hope doesn’t anchor us, this whole thing unravels. It’s now or never, sweetheart.”
The magic surged again, brighter and more violent. The ground trembled beneath their feet. Caroline pulled Hope into a crushing hug, burying her face in her hair. “I love you. Don’t you ever forget that.”
“I love you too,” Hope whispered fiercely, clinging to her. “Now go. Make it count.”
Caroline pulled back, her face streaked with tears, and let Kol grab her arm as the witches’ chanting reached its peak. The runes blazed like fire, and a rift split open in the air before them—a swirling void of light and shadow.
The spell roared, wind tearing through the chamber, pulling Caroline and Kol toward the rift. Hope held her ground, her eyes blazing gold as she anchored the magic with every ounce of strength she had. Her scream of effort echoed through the chamber as the spell consumed itself.
Caroline’s final sight before the world vanished in white light was Hope’s face—tear-streaked but unyielding, a warrior holding the line.
And then everything went black.