Untitled @anomilymous-blog - Tumblr Blog

Chapter 1

Mystic Falls, Virginia. 2016, Summer. It was seven, in the morning when the alarm went off drilling through Caroline Forbes' skull, who was in a dreamless sleep. She growled in annoyance as she rolled over the pillow covering her ear to stop the awful sound as if it would deafen her. To make it worse, the sunlight beamed through the window right into her face and the golden curls. Why on Earth did I set up the alarm clock for this early? She asked herself. She was finally up and reached out to turn off the alarm clock. It was then, her phone rang. Without checking who it was, she quickly picked up. "Caroline Forbes!" Her eyes went wide in response to the loud shriek of her name. If she wasn't awake before, she was sure the voice did it. It was a rather spirited shriek than a vexed one and then the huge wrecking ball banged on her head, making her gather everything at once. She also heard the background clatters, which was not quiet necessary to make her grasp what today was. "Oh, my god!" She countered in a hoarse voice. Elena Gilbert understood that Caroline had been slumbering this entire time. It seems someone is behind the schedule, Elena cackled to herself. "No." Elena retorted. As hard as it was to consider this, it was the truth. Caroline had overslept on this very important day. She had gone through discussing this day with Elena and Bonnie, also The Salvatores, Matt and her boyfriend, Tyler Lockwood a million times and everyone was almost getting a little maddened by that. But she was Caroline Forbes for calling out loud. Miss Mystic Falls. The one who was seamless at doing what she does yet, the second best. She never grumbled about it though. She's perfect at hiding her feelings. But really? What is she not perfect at? "Oh no!" Without waiting for a riposte, she hung up the phone and threw her blanket to the other side and was gone before anyone could have blinked. "She's up!" Elena announced to everyone while letting go of a balloon. It landed on the ground and sprang quite a few times before Stefan Salvatore's boot became the barrier. He sneered at her and mimed, 'I love you'. She laughed and shook her head. They had being going out since high school and now they were engaged. Elena's ring sparkled in the sun as she worked on with the balloons. Elena was a popular novelist. She has already written seventeen stories and every one of her stories were better than her previous work. She was certain her parents would be gratified of her success. It was not only her parents who pushed her towards that field. It was her friends and mostly Caroline due to Elena's great language skills. Stefan was doing medicine in Whitmore College. He had always wanted to be a doctor and was very hardworking. But he made sure he had time for Elena, the love of his life, even though Elena did comprehend that the route to becoming a doctor is a very challenging one indeed and she doesn't want to add pressure to it. He loved her even more for this, but he never made her feel lonely or left out of his life. He would always visit her whenever it was a break. This summer break, he had the best surprise planned for his girlfriend. Although, the magical night could not have been so miraculous if it weren't for Caroline who ornamented the place and made Stefan go through literal hell to guarantee that he wouldn't mess up his proposal acts. Of course, she didn't ask the exact words since it was up to Stefan to say it and only Elena warranted to hear them, but she did give a lot of instructions on what to wear, how to hold her hand, how to walk, not to mention she even picked up the piece of blind folding clothe! She just wanted Elena to have a perfect night! Caroline Forbes would do just about anything for those who she loves. "Wait - what? You mean Caroline was asleep?" Bonnie Bennett asked as she passed the streamers and glitter gun to Matt. Matt carefully put the blue layers side by side in a decorative pattern, the same exact way Caroline had asked him to. Then he carefully sprayed the glitter over them. Bonnie Bennett was an air hostess - one that she didn't really plan of becoming at first. But circumstances led towards it and that's when she apprehended this was the best profession for her. She formerly wanted to be a cook but no matter how hard one tries, something's are just not meant to be. She loves her job. She particularly loved the idea of being able to travel to different countries and sometimes getting to spend a day or two there. In fact, she had a long flight tomorrow morning, one leading to Poland and then travelling from Poland to New Orleans. She was supposed to stay in New Orleans for about two days and then return back to Mystic Falls – her home. She had to get a goodnight sleep tonight or she'll be exhausted tomorrow. She was lucky that even though Mystic Walls was a small town, it still had an airport! "The Caroline Forbes? You're talking about-" she sneered. "-our best friend, the very neurotic inhumanely systematized perfect at everything she does, Caroline Forbes, right?" Because Caroline was never late. For anything. She was the one who organized all the school activities, the dances and not to mention the prom - yes the prom. One of her exquisite work to which most of the teachers praised her and pointed out that they have never even witnessed a prom as splendid as that. She was amazed that everyone had a good time. "Yes Bonnie," Elena babbled, pumping air into a blue balloon with a hint of silver. Caroline's work of art, but needless to say. Elena reminisced the high school moments for a bit. How they have been friends since childhood. How they did almost everything together. The traditional fabulous sleepovers they all had each weekend, at each one's house. Always the four of them. This made her think about her twin sister Katherine who ran away at the age of 18, right after their parent's tragic accident that happened the night they all graduated from High School. After Katherine left Mystic Falls, it was harder for Elena and Jeremy to get through everything. Although they have never seen each other face to face for almost a decade now, they do text each other almost every day. But Elena can sense the space between them. She knew Katherine was hiding something – something she would rather keep veiled. She was always good at that. Katherine was a well-known fashion designer. She didn't have the nerve to face her siblings, out of fear of being loathed and so, she had made Paris her home. Damon handpicked two paint buckets and walked across to colour the other side of the small garden." Blondie overslept after giving us all a piece of her mind to not mess this up!?" he exclaimed. He began colouring the cardboard with the brushes. He sneered. "I guess she's finally transitioning into a human, huh?" he smirked back for reassurances and was shot with glares and head shakes. "Seriously, I don't know what Lockwood sees in her," he muttered as Tyler walked pass him. Tyler shrugged. "But, if you hurt her in anyway, you'll have a piece of my mind!" he said to Tyler who just raised his eyebrows at him. Tyler knew he meant it. But he didn't care. He was the Mayor's son. Who could possibly touch him? Damon and Stefan moved to Mystic Falls a couple of years ago, after their Mother's death. Stefan was only seven when it happened. Damon has been looking out for his brother and has been nothing less than a father to him making sure he got the proper education and everything else that he needed, because, their father had failed to do so. Their parents had left a lot of money for both of them, enough for a life time. Damon often illuminates an image of himself as selfish. But he was the exact opposite. He would do anything for those who he loves.. Damon and Stefan's father, Giuseppe Salvatore was legendary around the world. He was a self-raised tycoon who was well known for manipulating people. He was so influential and powerful that no one could have stopped him. Rumor has it that he even killed for sport. Everyone feared him. Until he passed away of lung cancer, just recently, he had been a member of the town council. Damon had freshly joined the Council of Mystic Falls and has been working with the Sherriff, Caroline's mother for over a year through which their relationship has developed into a Mother-Son relationship. Damon, being the eldest, in what they implied as 'the gang', looked out for everyone and is always over protective of everyone in the group thus earning the respect and love of the Mayor and Sherriff. In the couple of years he's been in Mystic Falls, he had made sure no harm could touch the people he cared about. His only regret was not being able to stop Katherine from running away. The girl he has been in love and is still. He braced Elena and Jeremy through the time when they lost their parents and visited Katherine in the hospital, who completely altered right after the accident. He wanted to be there for her every day, but something told him that it's not what she wanted. Why else would she run away, after he vowed to be there for her, no matter what? He did feel a little imprudent for saying the words that came out of his mouth that day. "I'm here!" She called out with a big grin on her face. Her blond curls were just as perfect as it could have been, bouncing a little bit as she made her way to everyone. She was striking even without any makeup on. Everyone looked at her and smiled. For some unknown reason, all of them just loved her despite her being her. Caroline looked around at everyone. Things are so different now. She remembers the days in high school how they were so reckless and it was only Caroline who had a tiny bit of seriousness within them. And maybe, just maybe, that's why she got everything that she wanted. Caroline is now a local journalist, and everyone in Mystic Falls adored her, treating her like a celebrity. Not that it was something new to Caroline Forbes - she was the head cheerleader and the head event organizer in High School. Even then everyone wanted to be her friend. She did everything so dreamily that she was every individual's role model. She also owns a library, herself. This was a side dream of her as she so lyrically put it. It's located about two blocks away from the Grill, their official hangout place since High School. When Caroline was not working, she would spend time with her friends in the Grill and like a routine she would never miss to visit her own library every day at 9 o' clock. She spent time their reading different stories and doing some research about different topics. "Yay!" Bonnie was delighted. Kind of. "Hey, Care." Tyler greeted with a smile and a soft kiss on her lips. "Morning, Caroline." Stefan said. He was clasping Elena from behind. "Someone was in a deep slumber." Elena ridiculed. "Well, honestly, Care, I thought you ran away with some guy leaving Ty behind." Matt made a joke. "I'm not running away," She defended herself. "At least not today." "It's Caroline. She'll spend weeks planning her run away and make us go through it a couple hundred times before she actually makes a move." Bonnie chuckled. "That is so – weird. But it's true. I'm – " she was interrupted by a rather bothersome Damon. "Slept well?" He smirked as he let down the brush and walked towards her. "Shut up, Damon." Caroline snapped back. He loomed towards her, put his right hand over her shoulder, kissed her head and said, "Come on, Barbie," He smirked. "You should be happy. You trained these kids so well during high school; I think they are getting the hang of 'How Caroline Forbes would do it' thing in your absence." She quivered her head. "Okay, I overslept." She lastly confessed her palms pressed together lightly, right above her chest, accepting her defeat. She had an embarrassed look on her face. "I'm done with -" he pointed to the cardboards that he just finished colouring in blue. "Whatever the hell that is…" "Oh! It's perfect!" She hopped up. The cardboards were so appealing. She couldn't believe Damon pulled it off - but like every time, he did not cease to amaze her. The cardboards were supposed to cover the walls of Caroline's house, temporarily. She kissed Damon on the cheek and muttered, "Thank you!" "Sure." He replied, his hand still around her shoulders. Then she suddenly remembered her mother, Liz. She could be here any minute! "Damon, my Mom-" "All taken care of Carebear. She won't be home until 7." "What did you do?" "Do you trust me?" "Well..." "I'll take that as a yes." He sneered at her, sarcastically. "You've nothing to worry about." A faint smile grew on her face while looking at everyone from a close distance. Stefan gave Elena a slow kiss. They both looked at each other and laughed before focusing on the balloons. Matt and Bonnie took care of the other decorations, hanging streamers inside the house, while Tyler and Jeremy Gilbert worked on a little dog house. She knew her Mother liked Dogs and she was going to get it for her. It arrives in two days. But for now, she was going to give her the dog house. The best birthday present ever, from all of them. Her eyes were glowing in the sun and she had a gratifying look in them. Her golden hair was tenderly swaying to the serene rhythm of the air. She was happy. She was very close to her mother. Even though she was always busy working, she made sure to spend enough time with her daughter. She was all Liz had. After the divorce 14 years ago, she was partly broken. But she was keen on hiding the broken pieces from Caroline and secretly put them together until it healed itself and suddenly before she even realized, it did not hurt so much anymore. They were more alike than they knew. One by one came to her and stood beside her, looking at the decorations they had worked so hard on. It was... Caroline did not know the right words to describe what she was seeing, but she knew it was faultlessly spectacular. "This is it," she whispered. "My Mom's 53rd birthday..." "Yup! And it's already perfect!" Elena murmured silently, but enough for everyone to have heard it. "Your Mom will love it," Bonnie hugged her best friend from a side.. She just simply smiled. New Orleans, 2016, Summer. Half past three in the evening and he was nervously walking back and forth in front of the main gate of the Mikaelson mansion. He straightened his grey Henley shirt with a slight pull from either side of it. He wore a set of dark necklaces around his neck. He could have waited for them to return, have a nice cup of tea and read a book or two, or perhaps even watched the news. Maybe even go through the plan once again to make sure he had it all mapped out in his head to wipe out any doubts of mistake being made. The guards were heavily armed, ready for an attack if necessary. They could sense how worried their boss was, but knew better than to question it or offer some reassuring words. He was the one with the temper; the one who they knew had no humanity in him. He didn't care about anything or anyone who was not family. With good reasons, reasons they didn't know. Reasons he and his family had buried within them, concealing them from the real world. His life was not normal. It could never be. Not after the terrifying things he had to endure all those years which still feels like yesterday. He never really overcame it. He had believed long ago that, those reasons are what made them what they are today, Billionaires. Yes, the famous Mikaelsons who had millions of branches all over the world, the Mikaelsons, the worldwide conglomerate. So powerful that no one dared to cross them. Anymore. Not again. The name was no secret to the world. Even the children knew about them, wanted to be like them. Little did they know how broken each Mikaelson was. If they knew, they'd run away. When he was only but a child, their father found about their mother Esther's affair with another man which resulted in him. Since then, he did nothing but came up with different ways to torture the little boy. Even before Mikael discerned the matter, he never truly loved Klaus. The Mikaelson siblings wanted to make it stop. But Mikael was more powerful than he looked. He would beat little Niklaus with a whip until he was bloody and lost consciousness. But Klaus would not scream. He would not give a monster the satisfaction of his scream. He would not scream to let everyone else who watched shatter into pieces. It was he who whispered to the ears of Finn and Elijah that everything's going to be just fine. It was Klaus himself who would hug Kol and give him a smile trying to convince him otherwise, when he would worry after the beatings. It was Klaus who'd wiped the tears off of her little sister, Rebekah's cheeks every day after his whipping. Henrik was just too young to understand any of it, giving a horrific look to Klaus. Even then, he smiled through it, not wanting his family to worry about him. But how could they not? Esther was too ashamed of not being able to stop the unreasonable treatment her son was receiving; she had almost completely shut Klaus out of her life. She tried to make it right. But she loved him. A lot. And so did Klaus. … and in those moments, when Klaus would endure the beating whilst he ignored all his instincts telling him to scream – to let it out, Esther realized how wrong Mikael was. Her son was not weak. He was brave. Brave and strong like a wolf with its pack. She was never able to say it to him, she could not stop sobbing. Klaus stopped walking for a second and closed his eyes. He was startled by the loud honks. Before the car stopped, the front door opened and a girl with long blond hair stepped out and ran joyfully towards Klaus with open arms. She was wearing long black jeans with matching pair of boots and a dark navy blue shirt with a black girly leather jacket. Her long necklace danced to her running as she made her way quickly to Klaus. "Nik!" She yelled. "Niiiiik!" She laughed harder as she went right into his arms forcefully. She landed hard into his firm body, merely shaking him up and not pushing him back even a little. His smile was handsome. A little hint of devil in both his eyes, but it also had a ray of light somewhere deep down hidden, it is as if he had forgotten he had it. "Little sister!" He exclaimed. "I assume by this, you are perfectly fine and not to mention rather calmed." He pulled her away gently to see her pretty smiling face. "Is there a reason for that?" "I can assure you I'm better than fine," she looked over her shoulder and cocked her head. "Now that I'm here. With my family. I never wanted to go there in the first place - but you wouldn't listen to my pleas." she playfully shrugged her brother annoyed when she got a laughter in return. Elijah and Kol walked up to them. "Well, now that you mention it, 'Bekah, we had to make sure you were away when we furnished our home," Kol rolled his hand over Rebekah's shoulder playfully. "You know just in case you throw your temper tantrums at the beautifully organized furniture and pottery work - of course - Nik's dull work of art." Klaus rolled his eyes. "Enough Kol," Elijah warned. "Your sister had a long flight - let her rest until dinner. We have more to discuss." he gave Klaus a nod and Klaus smiled in return and patted his shoulder motioning to come inside. "What about me? I flew across the country to make sure our dearest Bekah got home safely - not concerned about that now are we?" Kol complained. "Kol, when you are done being mischievous and only then, do contemplate about getting inside." Elijah lastly said before he walked inside the opened gates towards the white Mansion with a huge water fountain in front of it. Kol growled. "He's still as boring as he were — when you left Bekah." Rebekah turned to face her brother. "And you are as obnoxiously annoying as I remembered, Kol. Surely we have to do something about the two of you, what do you think Nik?" "I say we leave them be. Let's get inside, shall we? Henrik has already asked about you, twice." Klaus requested. "He did?" Rebekah asked as she and Kol followed Klaus to their 'home'. "Liz? Where are you?" He called Liz just 15 minutes before seven. It was a short day, they couldn't have imagined how fast the day went and yet everything was ready and perfect. All of them were dressed in different shades of blue. The house too was covered in different types of blues and the cardboard sceneries that Damon so proudly made was temporarily glued to the walls and to the ceiling. While balloons were scattered all across the living room flooding the dining room as well, which was filled with delicious looking food - all her favourite. And at the side of the kitchen, just next to the fridge, was a beautiful cake with unlit candles. "Bonnie, get ready to light the candles as soon as you get word of Damon, okay?" Caroline asked her before she walked out of the dining room. "Mrs. Lockwood, please have a seat. My Mom will be here any minute now and thanks for the help-" "Caroline, darling. No problem with that. Besides, we are almost family now." Carol ran a hand through Caroline's hair. How she adored her. She has loved her like her own daughter since the day she was born. They both walked out of the kitchen chattering. Stefan was almost about to take some fries from the table when he was startled by a voice – Caroline's voice. "And Stefan!? Do not peck at the food at least until the party begins!" He was shocked. "How did you -" he started asking and turned around to Bonnie who was next to the fridge. She scoffed. "How did she know?" he asked curiously. Bonnie shrugged. "It's Caroline. She has heightened senses. It's like – supernatural abilities." Both of them laughed. "Liz is on her way. She just passed the grill. She must be here any minute," Damon informed everyone. He sat next to Elena and sighed. "So, you're marrying my little brother huh?" Damon asked with a devil grin on his face. "Yup. Here to give me the 'if you hurt my little brother, I'll hunt you down and kill you' speech?" Elena asked, shifting to face him. "Wh- what are you talking about?" There was a funny look in his blue eyes, and the crinkling of the forehead between the eyes. "I'm here to tell you if you don't make my brother's life miserable for eternity, I'll hunt you down and then kill you." Elena shook his head and idyllically laughed at his sarcastic comment. "You're a good brother, you know?" She have him a little push on his shoulder and he smiled. "I'm the evil brother, Elena, come on! Give me some credit." He got up and walked into the kitchen after patting Elena's head. "So, Bon-Bon? On light-the-candles duty, huh? Better not burn down the damn house or you'll have a very angry Blondie to answer to." "Thanks, nut." she rolled her eyes before smiling at him. Damon grabbed his brother by the neck and pushed Stefan closer to him, childishly. "Damon –" he almost choked on his drink. "So, you're getting married before your 28 year old brother!? Have you any shame?" "Wouldn't have happened if you'd expressed your feelings earlier to the other twin." "You mean the evil one?" "Yup." "Hmm." He took the drink from Stefan's hand and drank it himself. He the handed it over and straightened his shirt. "Feel better?" Before Damon could answer, they all heard a car pulling up in front of the house and bolted to do what was necessary. As soon as Liz walked through the door and turned the lights on, everyone yelped, "Surprise!" She was truly astounded and her mouth curled up into an 'o' shape. The Mikaelsons were all gathered, expressing their togetherness as they all sat and had dinner, like a normal happy family. But it is only they, who know what they've been through. They have been through hell. And not only Niklaus, every single member of the family endured a certain torture, everyone had a different story. "So, I arrive, not twenty-four hours ago and I'm dumped with a load of crap about taking someone's life," Rebekah pointed out which seemed like a complain. "Great! What's my part in it?" but instead she was excited. "We are leaving you out of this sister, for understandable reasons," Elijah explained. Their dear sister just arrived from Switzerland, after completing her studies and finally fulfilling her dreams as a child – to become an architecture. At the age of 18, Rebekah was sent to Switzerland for further studies. She did whine about it but also knew why she had to do it. They had to blend in and create a good image. They had to disguise their true nature from the world and pretend like their childhood was not horrifyingly dreadful. They had to beam through it and spread a tale, plausible to others until they nearly started falling for their own lies. "But I want to, Elijah. This is the first not-so-boring thing I'll be doing in a very long time," she said in her defense. "For you killing people is not-so-boring? And I thought I was the evil one here." Kol looked at Rebekah before taking a bite of his salad. He was the Mikaelson playboy, different woman every day. Kol was the Mikaelson photographer. He's mostly booked. He usually takes pictures for celebrity wedding, or even most importantly for models - his favourite. That's how he meets his women. His personal rule is - no commitment, no strings attached. "I didn't say I wanted to kill someone -" Rebekah put down her folk on her table as she spoke to persuade his older brothers. "And I don't recall mentioning about a certain death," Elijah said, in his calm tone. "Unless we have to," Klaus implied smug-smiling. "It could be the only way –" "No bloodshed." Elijah warned. "That was all I –" "Come on, Elijah. Isn't that what they deserve? I would love to have some fun. Now, you're not going to act all noble with me, are you –" Klaus was interrupted. "Brother, what you don't comprehend is... the reason we are compelled towards making such outrageous decisions is bloodshed itself. I can't see how it becoming the solution to it." Elijah was serious. "Oh yes!" Kol yelped. "You can't fight fire with fire - is that the saying? I don't know - I'm never really good at sayings," he was ignored. "Kol," Rebekah kept her fork, and showed him her doe eyes. "Please take me with you on this. I'll watch and learn." "Bekah - I'm going to New York tonight - in fact I have to leave in 30 minutes. Nik's carrying it out. Besides, I've done my part in it, haven't I Nik?" Kol winked at Klaus. Rebekah shrugged in annoyance. She really wanted some violence right now. Of course, she has been taking classes all through those years she spent in Switzerland, how to fight like a pro, how to defend herself. Her older brothers did too. But of course, they trained themselves harder. "Rebekah - listen to your big brother! Let this one pass. This is the first official move we are making - " Klaus was interrupted. "But I'm not going to ruin it-" "It's easier to work alone - I can't concentrate on what I am supposed to do if I am too busy protecting you," Klaus tried hard to convince her. "Do we understand each other?" Rebekah stared at Klaus giving him a stubborn look. Then she finally murmured. "Fine. So what's the actual plan?" "Well, I suppose, I'm expected by our guest. I don't know much about her, but from what Elijah gathered, after work, she usually spends time with her crowd in some pathetic diner, was it? Then she walks home. But of course, I shouldn't expect her to do the same exact tonight, now should I? I think her address is written there somewhere, it's a small town, will be easy to find her if not find somebody who could find her…." He explained. "That's it?" Rebekah asked, full of questions. "Nah, of course not. That's just the easy part." Klaus took a sip of his wine. "I suggest you check out her file - Have you seen it even once?" Elijah asked. "Frankly speaking brother, you described her to me. Blonde hair, blue eyes –" "Go through the file. It's on the desk in the study." "I will. And I won't jeopardize this. You have my word." "So, when are you leaving for the airport? And where are you even going?" Rebekah asked. Klaus checked is watched and smiled. "In two hours." He then gave every one a look. "To Mystic Falls. Where it all began." After dinner Klaus went to the study. The black file was where Elijah said it would be. He seated himself on the big leather chair and smiled to himself. "You'll be avenged..." he whispered, looking at two photographs on his desk. He then opened the file. The truth was, Klaus had been going through the file, and he knew every word in the paper. But what took him surprised was the picture of the girl. She was truly beautiful, with blonde wavy hair that went beneath her shoulders. Eyes, very blue and tender. She was tall and slim and the dress she wore lightened out how beautiful she must be under it. Her smile was indescribable. This 26 year old, small town lady was able to bring him into a trance every time he looked at her picture. Sure he has seen amazingly pretty ones but... She wasn't like that. Unknowingly, he ran his fingers on the picture. He read through the file and made sure to look back at her picture every now and then. God, he thought sadly. Too bad for her though... Or not. He quickly closed the file, took a quick glance at his watch. 7:30 PM. Well, I better get going, he thought. As he began thinking about her, a smug smile appeared on his face. "I'm on my way, Joshua," Klaus informed as he walked through the long fancy corridor. "Um... Sir I thought you..." He stammered. Klaus knew something was wrong. Joshua was a pilot who operated one of the two private jets the Mikaelsons' owned. He has been working for them since the past six months - although Klaus doesn't trust anyone but family he sometimes liked this boy. He was well behaved and always listened. He also feared Klaus, perhaps that's the reason why he adored him a little. However, Joshua never really made a mistake. He listened well, he would follow every command, he was never late and never messed things up. His stammer confused Klaus to the core of what was truly the matter. "What's going on?" Klaus questioned. Rebekah was having a glass of scotch and trying to speak to Henrik whose attention was barely towards anything but the book he was reading. Rebekah looked up from Henrik to see her brother's worried face. "It's - I was told that - " "What the bloody hell is the matter, chap!?" Klaus said a bit louder. "I was told to fly to New York and we are already set and – and – " "And who demanded so?" There was a moment of silence before Joshua spoke again. "Kol Mikaelson, sir." Of course, Klaus thought. Kol had mentioned about flying to New York - something about a Models Photo-shoot that was one of the most expensive of all. He wouldn't miss it for the world. Like old times, he forgot to mention that he'd be taking their private jet. How on Earth will he ever get to Mystic Falls on time!? "Let me speak with him?" He asked. "Sure." Joshua said to Klaus. Klaus heard him requesting someone to hand the phone to Kol. "Nik!" Kol yelped. "The delicacy on this one truly is a value-for-money!" Kol ran a finger on the blonde's lips. She giggled in return. "It's a shame you don't do –" "What are you doing?" He asked, furiously. Kol sighed. "Claire." Klaus heard a giggle yet again. "Kol." " Did I fail to mention that I have a photo-shoot in NYC? No wait, I did not. I am saddened by how less attention you pay to me." "Oh, yeah, I did hear it. You just failed to mention you'll be on my jet - " "Ours, brother. Wasn't it you who said what's yours are mine?" "Kol, this is not a matter to mock about. You know – I am going to kill you for this." Klaus was boiling up inside. "Aren't you on your way to do that already?" Kol asked. "I could've been. But your childish behavior once again sabotaged the means to do so, and now, how the bloody hell do you expect me to get there!?" Kol laughed on the other side, making Klaus angrier "Looks like someone is flying commercial." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It was almost 10 and the party had ended thirty minutes ago since Liz had had a long tiresome day. All the guests drowned her with lots presents and well wishes. When Liz was finally asleep, Caroline joined her friends for to spend some quality time with them at the Grill. Matt and Damon were called at the station to deal with a council problem – a fight between three high school students. Elena and Stefan wanted to spend some time this summer before Stefan had to go back to Whitmore. They bid them goodnight and were gone. So it was only Caroline and Bonnie - at the Grill in their personally always reserved table, eating French fries and onion rings. "I have a flight at 9 in the morning." Bonnie informed Caroline. "You know Bonnie, you're so lucky?" Caroline took three fries together in her mouth. "You get to travel around the world while the rest of us are stuck in this small little town." "At least we love the town," Bonnie replied, taking a sip of her coke. She was not drinking tonight as she didn't want to deal with a hangover while she was on board. "Yes we do!" Then Caroline realized, "Bonnie - if you have a flight shouldn't you resting and getting a goodnights sleep instead of hanging out with me?" That was the plan Bonnie had. But since everyone was snatched away from Caroline tonight, she didn't know what else to do; she just couldn't let Caroline be alone. She felt guilty to let her ever be alone since Caroline was always there for her. Every single day, even throughout the whole 'Jeremy cheating on Bonnie with Anna' thing. "It's okay; I can hang out with you for some time-" "No, no." Caroline shook her head. "You're not sacrificing that for me. Go. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm planning to surprise Tyler tonight." "Ooh. That sounds naughty," Bonnie joked. "Trust me, it is," she nodded and they both laughed at their own joke. Caroline forced Bonnie to go home then she headed towards the Lockwood mansion. Mrs. Lockwood would certainly not mind at all for dropping in a little late. She's going to marry Tyler soon, even though she is yet to receive a proposal. She was sure Tyler would be her husband. In fact, she has been for a long time now. She believed he was working on it. As she stepped out of her car, she acknowledged they she was still wearing her party dress. It was a blue dress with a tiny sleeve and a decent neckline. The dress had a fancy pattern of drawings in silver and reached her ankles. The house was unlocked, for her luck, and she wondered why Tyler never gave her a key in the first place. Inside, there were almost no lights, the living room was dark. She heard noises coming from Tyler's room as she made her way towards his room. The door was opened, just a crack, and Caroline could see Tyler moving like a cat on hot bricks. She sensed something was wrong. "This can't happen Hayley," He said. He moved away, still tensed, holding his head with both hands. It was then, when Caroline finally saw her – the brunette. Her eyes fell directly to her swollen tummy, and that moment, that horrible moment, she felt despair roaring into her as the realization dawned. She needed no further justification of what was happening. "Well guess what Ty, it has. I didn't know where to go." She moved closer towards Tyler. "My foster parents kicked me out three month ago and I had no one else to return to." "Well, I can't be a – a – father!?" It was her boyfriend's child growing inside someone else. "I don't want to be a mother either!" She yelled walking closer to Tyler. "But –" "How about you take care of it!?" "Gee, why do you think I am here?" She folded her arms across her chest and smirked. "Just so you could pour me some rich-people scotch from a pretty bottle so we could get drunk and have sex again!?" Caroline's eyes were in tears. She covered her mouth with her hand and froze for a millisecond. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. She wanted to run away - so far until the feelings of hopelessness and utter disgust went away. She wanted to run until she could just expunge what happened. But she didn't. The rage was building up inside her. She wiped her cheeks from the other side of her palms and barged in. The room went mute for a second. "Caroline!? What - " He just stared at her face. She was hurt and the broken look she was giving scared them both. "I came to say goodnight, Tyler," she walked a little closer to him. "But I think the more appropriate thing would be to congratulate you." She turned around and started walking really fast but Tyler grabbed her hand and turned her around. "Wait!" "Don't touch me!" She jerked him off. "I can explain." "Actually, Tyler, from what I've gathered, I don't need an explanation." She tried really hard not to burst into tears. "So, when are you due, by the way?" She asked Hayley, who had guilty expression "Look, I'll give you two a minute." Hayley's voice was a bare whisper. "Thank you! How big of you," She glared at Tyler before she started to storm out. "Why don't you follow her, because, my work here is done!" "No! Wait!" But she was already off the stairs. "Caroline, please! Let me -" the door slammed shut. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Klaus was a bit furious. Nothing had gone according to the plan. His jet was literally high jacked by his irritating little brother and he couldn't find the guest. She wasn't at her house when Klaus crawled into her room through the open window. She should not leave it open, he thought as he looked around. Even if it had been closed, Klaus could have easily gotten into her room without damaging so little as the lock. He was sort of glad she wasn't in her room: he had enough time to go through her stuff and witnessed a lot of them. Her smiling pictures, good times with her friends, different celebrations and the list could be endless. His next stop was the library. No luck there either. So he decided to take a little break before he checked the rest of the town, making his way to the Grill for a drink. "Scotch, please," he ordered. He was calmly enjoying his drink, drifted into her thoughts, when a lady in a blue dress slammed her hands on the table. "Matt!" She was trying really hard not to shake her voice, Klaus understood it. "There you are." She sighed. He looked at her and couldn't believe it was her. Whom he had been searching for this entire time. "Hey, Care. What's up? Where's Bonnie?" Matt asked, as she sat on the stool in between Klaus and Matt. "She has a flight in the morning. I shooed her off to sleep." Caroline said, still hurt hidden in her voice. " - hey Luke Parker, my adorable friend! I need shots and keep 'em coming!" She informed, and Luke the bartender nodded with a smile. Matt was looking at her, puzzled. Caroline usually never acted this way. Unless she was going through hell, and Matt knew it wouldn't be easy to get her to open up. After four continues shots, Matt held her hand and asked her, "Hey, hey, Caroline. What is going on?" "Right!" She said letting go off his hands and flying her own hands in the air. "I - uh - I have a surprise for you -" as she got off the stool, she dropped her purse. "Shit." She cursed. This made Klaus smile, at how cute she was acting. He couldn't help it, so he took a glance at her once again and concluded that the picture didn't do justice to her. She picked it up digging through it and finally found out what she was looking for. Handing the piece of paper to Matt, "I have been asking my Mom to find out this for months and we finally have a lead on – uh – her. She gave this to me as soon as she came in and I didn't wanna bring it up in front of everyone." Matt took the piece of paper from her hand and asked her, "What is this?" "It's an address – " she tittered but then cleared her throat with a serious expression. "It's where your sister lives..." "You found out... where Vicky lives?" He asked. "Yes Matt. And you have to bring her home... Help her, don't give up on her. I know she's a little – stubborn and way pass the line but... She needs you. Don't make the same mistake your mother made on you two..." she smiled. Matt had no words to say. He couldn't face himself right now. His sister Vicky was a drug addict. She ran away from home every now and then but this time, she never came back. It has been seven months and no one heard of her. Matt finally snapped and decided he'll live his life since he cannot do this anymore. He just couldn't. He abandoned her. However, tonight, a drunken Caroline made him realize how big of a coward he was. He was speechless. Caroline had already drank the whole bottle and ordered for another. Klaus smiled for himself again. He wanted to just pick her up and hug her for being so cute, pretty and caring. "Thanks... and you know-" "No Matt, I don't wanna hear it!" She covered her ears for a bit. "No hear me out," Matt said a little loudly. Caroline placed her hand on the table for a second and before Matt could start talking; the bottle was literally in her mouth. Klaus pressed his lips together to stop from laughing out loud at her gulping voices. "I just wanted to say thank you. You do a lot for all of us - you're selfless and caring and every other positive quality..." he scoffed and put a strand of her hair behind her ears. "It's sometimes... we are so into our lives that no one remembers to ask you how your day was and how you have been... for that I'm sorry." Caroline burst out in laughter. "Oh!" She waved her right hand at Matt, while resting her head on the table. "I'm fine Matt! I am always fine!" "No, you are not always fine, Care. And it's okay. You don't have to pretend you're okay all the time. I know that Tyler sometimes treats you badly – horribly – let's face it, he's a jerk. But you hide that in you and cry for yourself. You don't have to pretend like everything's okay so we won't worry about you. We owe it to you since it's you who's always concerned about our problems. I mean sure, if Damon finds out of the way Tyler sometimes treats you, he will kill Tyler but you don't have to hide it in you... Anyway, I know something happened between you and him otherwise you wouldn't have emptied all that," he said showing two bottles of tequila. Klaus was listening to their every word. How could anyone possibly treat her unfairly? She was beautiful, caring, and obviously very selfless. She was perfect. But why would she even let someone treat her badly? Klaus was imagining how luxuriously he would treat her but as soon as he recognized what was going on in his mind he gave him a mental slap. What the hell is your problem? Why am I thinking about her as if she's mine? Besides, she's a Forbes - I could never fall in love with - BLOODY HELL!? Love? I don't recall hitting my head before coming to Mystic Falls. He sighed and concentrated on their conversation. "Okay," she said. "I will share. But not now. Now you need to see your sister and when I say now, I mean now." "Care, I could find her tomorrow-" "No!" She cried acting like a child. "Now, Matt. Please." "What about you?" He asked. "And what happened?" Klaus felt a bit uneasy and his temper started rising when Matt took Caroline's hand in his. He wanted to beat Matt to a pulp for even thinking about touching her. He wanted to break his hand and for a second, he imagined himself doing so in front of everyone. There was a moment before she replied. "Ask me tomorrow." After a lot of fighting about Matt wanting to drop her off, she still wouldn't agree. She wanted Matt to go get her sister. Caroline convinced Matt to go by agreeing to call Damon when she was done. Klaus was sitting there, following her every move. He wanted to go talk to her, but he couldn't. He was a bit nervous at this but slapped himself yet again. But then he remembered, he had never been romantically involved with anyone and he was incapable of it. The only relationship he ever had was with a girl named Tatia, but he was never serious with her. He just went with it, the constant on again off again relationship that was dragged for 5 whole years. He ended the relationship one year ago, completely. And ever since then, he hasn't been with a woman. He scolded himself for being imprudent about this, to think of her as a girl. He repeatedly told himself to stop with the lame thoughts and ridiculed for even letting such cross his mind. But all he could think of her was how much he wanted to look at her. He was brought back by Caroline, when she stood from her stool and started walking towards the door murmuring something to herself. She could barely stand. Klaus threw some bills, a lot more than what he must have purchased and ran after Caroline like a lost puppy. As she reached to the door, she slipped, but Klaus held her. She did let out a soft scream, "Oh!" "Careful there, love," she heard a dreamy British accent and he was dreamier than his voice. "So handsome!" She shrieked. Klaus looked around, and fortunately the road was dead. He smiled at her comment. "Am I dreaming? Because I don't -" she was about to fall again, but Klaus got a hold of her. He kept his hands wrapped around her waist firmly, and Caroline had gripped his jacket. She giggled. "Because I don't think that - that - such handsomeness exists in this world." Klaus laughed out loud. "Well, you too are ravishing, Sweetheart. I say let us-" "Then we should be a match made in heaven!" She smiled and laid on his chest lightly. Klaus had a rush of feelings going through him. Things he never felt, things he didn't know he or anyone else could feel. He stroked her hair a little bit before she completely passed out on his chest. A smug smile grew on his face as he picked her up in bridal style, carrying her towards a parked car. Klaus carefully put her in the seat and took a moment to look at her sleeping so soundly. "Well, this was easier than we all thought, now wasn't it, love?" He smiled to himself at his victory. He got into the car and drove away.

anomilymous-blog

Conflated

Prologue. Mystic Falls, Virginia. 16th April, 2000.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Sherriff Forbes declared smacking her bare hands at the side of the long desk, where nine other people were seated. All the members of the Mystic Falls Council were confined into the meeting room which stanched of anxiety and nervousness “The council will be held responsible.”

“We are aware of that, Liz.” Carol Lockwood raised her voice, her arms crossed against her chest, biting into her perfectly manicured fingernails.

“Well, what do you suggest?” Liz questioned. “This was the plan to put a stop to what could have happened - to act against nothing but a threat given by him! And now, she is dead! His. Wife. Is. Dead! We had to keep her as leverage against the My- ”

“We took the responsibility of protecting one of our own by killing one of them! This only worsens things!” Grayson Gilbert announced. “He’ll retaliate and this time, I’m afraid there will be a massacre and he’ll rip our damned heads off and keep them as trophies.”

“We had no choice but to kill her! She was going to shoot Giuseppe and he acted in self-defense!” Logan Fell snapped.

“It’s true. I mean – “ Giuseppe Salvatore was interrupted.

“It’s not our fault she tried to shoot - ” Logan tried to convince everyone..

“It is, Logan!” Liz Forbes banged her hand again. “If we hadn’t kidnapped her - ”

“Then he would have killed An - ” Kelly Donavan was interrupted by Miranda Somers-Gilbert.

“Who is dead anyway! Everything - is just a mess! It’s all screwed. We failed. And now he is on the loose and I fear that Grayson’s right… What if he comes after us!? What if comes after our children!?” She threw her hands up in the air.

“We won’t let that happen, Miranda…” William Forbes trailed off.

“How?” Liz glared at her husband, her blue eyes shooting daggers. “Enlighten me, Bill.”

Richard had sat on his chair, throughout the discussion. He seemed to be drifted into a deep thought. “We frame him…” Mayor Lockwood informed. “For murdering his wife.”

“What!?” Miranda and Kelly said at once. Everyone else glanced and the Mayor. Liz was still stunned by the new idea suggested by the Mayor; it took her a moment before reacting.

“That is insane! We did this. This is our doing - ”

“Liz, would you rather let him run loose and drag our asses to prison leaving our children behind - under the care of a pathetic foster system? For God’s sake, think! We did not have the permission to carry out the plan, yet we did it to protect this town! If the government finds out about this, we lose everything! If not, we are in danger. And so are our children.” Mayor Lockwood gestured. He took a moment to sigh. “He’s a threat now. He will kill us all. We made a mistake and now we are forced to fix it. ”

“You call this fixing the mistake!?” Miranda shook her head, hugging herself.

“This is just covering up one mistake with another, don’t you think Mayor? This doesn’t make us any better than monsters like him.” Rudy Bennett suggested.

“It will put away the monster that we’re all afraid of,” Mayor said. “One that’s perhaps a bigger monster than us. This is not the time to think about doing the right thing. It’s the time for choosing the safest choice. To protect our families, our homes, our town.” He locked his eyes in Liz’s. “And that’s the only choice we have if you come to think about it.”

“Besides,” Logan Fell put his arms together. “You all witnessed what he did to the Lebonnairs. It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it.” He gave each one of the members a quick glance. “I’m with Mayor Lockwood on this.”

“But what about the bodies?” Kelly Donavan asked impatiently. “We have nothing to frame on! We never found them - ”

“Grayson’s a doctor,” Logan turned his attention to Grayson. “Stealing two unidentified bodies from the morgue seems like an easy job and the post mortem reports could be altered, can’t it Mrs. Gilbert?” He gave Miranda a crooked smile. “The rest could be left to us. Bill could plant the evidence while… Giuseppe fixes the bodies in his fashion. Sherriff could play along with the Mayors and me giving dramatic interviews to the press.” He turned to face Kelly, who was the reporter of Mystic Falls, who unfortunately belonged to one of the founding families.

“You all must be one brick short of a full load!” Liz yelled.

“Liz,” Carol placed a hand on Liz’s shoulder. “You need to calm down - ”

“Grayson,” Mayor Lockwood talked. “You know your job. Do this for the sakes of your children. If we don’t put away this monster, we are all doomed.”

After a while of thinking, Grayson Gilbert finally nodded.

“It is the only way,” Mayor Lockwood gave all a convincing look. “You know I’m right.”

In spite of the whirling distress that stormed within them, they believed he was right about concealing the truth, no matter the cost. It had to be withheld even though the solution was very unjust. That was the night a selfish decision was made by the Council, whilst being completely unaware of the fact that they were provoking an indubitable catastrophe that would venture everyone’s life.

They were nothing but fools to think that this was indeed the end of a terrifying chapter that they’d never again have to encounter, when it had been the beginning of their demise all along.

- - - - - - - -