⚜️ Chapter Theme Songs ⚜️
Yesterday Is Gone - Candice251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloBGfXxuX9
Accountable - Blxst x Bino Rideaux251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxK5REg8tK
Hussle & Motivate - Nipsey Hussle251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytiUuf9jom
Remember Me - Nicki Minaj251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwJ7H71OaE
Scars. - Gallant251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4eOydzpm3
Our Break Up Song - Candice251Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQ3BdEGziq
So, there you have it folks. I'm back in Mystic Falls and shit has already hit the fan.
The memorial for the council members was a shit show. This hotshot new hunter is no better than a vampire. He used April Young, an innocent human, and almost killed her to draw us out. I couldn't even properly reunite with my boyfriend before almost losing him again! The new guy blew into town and pumped Tyler full of strange wooden bullets, then he went and shot him with a whole stake. I mean, seriously. We can never catch a break out here.
I can't wait to go back to New Orleans.
A few days had passed and I was finally going to get to spend some time with my boyfriend. He was out of the hospital and didn't know I was coming over. Which fully explains the surprised expression on his face when he finally opened the door and saw me.
"I ditched Rebekah's ditching party," I said jumping into his arms before kissing him.
Hmm.
He seemed kind of hesitant... then I saw all the guys in his house. Makes sense.
"What's with all the testosterone?"
"Hybrids," he said. "I'm on house arrest."
"Says who? Your mom?" Oh please. "Come on, sneak out."
"Not my mom, Caroline..." That look he just gave me, no way... Klaus?? He's back in town? I thought I could avoid him a little longer.
"You're kidding me. Klaus?"
"You should go to the party," he said. "I'll be fine here."
"But, I'd rather hang out with you..."
Why does it feel like he doesn't me to stay?
"Trust me, I am no fun right now."
Why doesn't he want to spend time with me? I know damn well I haven't done anything to deserve such treatment. What the hell even is this?
"Okay then," I said.
I'm sure he's just on edge because Klaus is here. I mean, who could blame him? The guy took over his body for a minute. With his permission, yes, but I'm sure the experience was disconcerting. And now, the same guy is staying in his house to protect him from some crazy vampire hunter. I guess I should be grateful to Klaus for keeping my boyfriend safe, but I know he has some ulterior motive doing this. I just don't know what it is... yet.
It had been a few days since the failed party ditching attempt with Tyler, so I was grateful when Bonnie invited me over to her house for some girl time. It was about damn time we catch up with each other. I still hadn't told her about my time away from Mystic Falls!
"Hey, Care. Thanks for coming. Woah, your nails!"
"I know right?! Your cousin took me to get them done while I was in New Orleans. Whenever you guys visit me out there, we can have self-care days! Manis, pedis, and tattoos if you're interested." I modeled my full set for her. "I have so much to tell you!"
"Wait, tattoos?" She asked in surprise. "You got one??"
"Oh yes I did," I said standing up out of my seat. "Don't freak out."
"Why wou— Care!"
I chuckled as I started taking off my pants. How else was I going to show her my new tattoo? It wasn't like I was wearing a dress today.
"Oh relaaaax, you wanna see it right?" I didn't wait for her to answer and I turned to show her my new tatt.
"Girl— woah! That looks awesome! Did it hurt?" She asked.
"Hell yeah, it hurt like a bitch. I passed out twice," I said with a chuckle. "But my piercings didn't hurt at all. Ooooh it's gonna be so fun to have you guys come to the Crescent City, I simply can't wait."
"Me either..." she said trailing off.
"Uh-ohh," I said as I pulled my pants back on. "That doesn't sound good. Let me guess... something happened on that little trip Elena told me about while I was gone?"
Bonnie, Damon, and Elena had apparently gone to visit Whitmore to see some creepy occult professor guy.
"It was... weird."
"Well, what happened?" I asked. "Professor Shane gave us some helpful information but that's not the problem."
"What is it then?" I asked.
"Damon and Elena," she said. "Under the guise of teaching her the proper way to feed, he had her doing it in public at a college party. She lost control and I caught them when they were dirty dancing with each other. When I got her attention and she got ahold of herself, she couldn't believe what she had done. He's changing her, Care."
"So when you say she lost control... what do you mean?" I asked. "Did she go crazy with bloodlust? Start getting territorial? Hurting people?"
"Well, that's the thing. No one was getting seriously hurt. It actually seemed like she was having fun. It was a halloween party, so there were costumes and fake blood already. No one could tell where the real mixed with the fake," she said. "With Damon, it was like she was actually enjoying being a vampire."
"He was so mean about it, too." I watched as Bonnie got up to start pacing. "He basically said that Elena is just like him now, a killer. He said that I was only mad because he could make feeding fun, that he could revel in it and not rip people to shreds like Stefan."
"He's right, a vampire's basic instinct is to kill and in regards to Damon's teaching style... loathed as I am to even admit this, he generally has the right idea," I said shrugging with slight indifference.
"What??" I could tell she couldn't believe my words. I wouldn't have either if I didn't have my Crescent City experiences.
"Look," I began carefully. "When I was in New Orleans, I learned how to embrace being a vampire without judgement and having to worry if I'm offending anyone. I could take full advantage of what I am. I fed at exclusive parties, I made sure my humans were alright, and most importantly, no one got hurt. Granted I was in a city ruled by the supernatural, the principles were very much the same."
"Wow." She sat back in her chair, thinking about what I was telling her.
"As for the two dirty dancing, I told Elena I wouldn't judge her boyfriend choices." I crossed my arms. "She's no longer with Stefan right?"
"I don't know actually," she said. "Last time that I checked, she was still dating Stefan."
I sighed.
"I'm always going to be team Stefan for Elena," I said. "I told her I would respect her choice, but she needs to actually make one and stop stringing them along. Whoever she doesn't pick is going to need to get away for awhile, I can tell ya that."
When Bonnie didn't say anything, I looked down at my hands. There was something I had been thinking about for a while now and I didn't want Bonnie to take it the wrong way.
"Bon, you know I love you right?"
"Of course, I love you too." I could tell she was confused as to where I was going with this.
"I just want you to know that I am grateful to have you in my life. I want to make sure you know how important you are. None of us would be alive without you. I'm grateful that it's your magic that keeps me alive during the day. I'm grateful that even though I know you don't like vampires, especially given what happened to Ms. Sheila, but you do all you can to help your friends. I don't know if you've forgiven me for what I did when I first turned, but I am so sorry for killing that guy. I didn't even really know what I was doing at the time. I'm a baby vampire, I still am and—
"Care, I shouldn't have treated you like I did. You were completely blindsided by the supernatural world back then and it was wrong for me not to be sensitive to that fact. You had zero control over what happened to you," she said.
"Bon." I reached over to touch her hand. "I appreciate you saying that, but—
"I also want to apologize for not doing more when it came to Damon..." she trailed off. "What he did to you was unforgivable. Elena falling for him regardless of that fact is not okay and probably why I'm so against them being together. You're one of the strongest women I know, to be in the same room as him and deal with it..."
"Let's not talk about those two, I can't even bring myself to understand his appeal given my personal experiences with him or why she would choose him over Stefan, but thank you for saying that."
She nodded and squeezed my hand with a smile that I returned.
"Promise me something."
"What?" She asked.
"If you ever need a break from being the town witch, please take it. Get away for a while if necessary," I said. "We know first hand magic can sometimes take its toll on the user and I don't want anything to happen to you."
There were tears in our eyes, the conversation taking a heavy turn.
Brushing them away, I looked at my phone as it just vibrated.
I think it's time that we meet up, Care-Bear. Don't you? Come see me in the cemetery.
- Kitty Kat
My gawd. What the hell does she want now?
"Alright Bon, I've gotta go." I gave her a tight hug. "See ya later."
By the time I reached the cemetery, Katherine was already there waiting for me.
"You better have a good reason for dragging me out here, Katherine."
"Well hello to you too," she said feigning hurt. "I came here to bring you this."
I took the folder she gave me. Inside were a bunch of official looking papers. Inside the flap, was a check with my new name on it. Oh, that's riiiight. I must have told her about my little spontaneous name change.
The amount of money on the check made my eyeballs almost pop out of my skull.
"You're not trying to pay me off for smothering me to death in the hospital, are you?"
"Of course, not. You're much better off as a vampire anyway." She scoffed. "It's your cut."
"My what??"
I payed more attention to the details of the bank statements and the business proposal.
Holy shit, the bitch did it.
"You actually started the business?" I asked incredulously as I continued perusing the information. I was so busy looking at the paperwork, I missed the genuine smile that graced her lips.
"Well, it was your idea. Remember? I just ran with it."
"Damn, how long did it take you to even start this up?" I asked.
"I can't reveal all my secrets, Care-Bear." She smirked. "But, I will be setting up a new base of operations in Los Angeles soon. You're welcome to run things in New Orleans."
I didn't know what to think.
"That is, if you're interested."
Oh I was interested alright. I guess this was her way of making amends... I'll bite, pun definitely intended. I'm for damn sure not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I was going to look for a job to balance apartment expenses but this is way better. This doesn't mean we're besties now, but I didn't hate her as much as I used to.
If I'm being honest, I stopped hating her a long time ago. I actually kind of liked the crazy girl. There was something about her... maybe it was her confidence.
"I'll think about it," I said giving her a noncommittal answer. "Although, I don't know the first thing about running a business. Plus, I'll be in school."
"In the fall, you will. I figured I could show you the ropes over the summer before school started."
"Hmmmm." I pretended to think really hard about it. "I guess I could do that. Now that I'm back in high school out here, I had already planned to move back down there right after graduation."
"Then it's settled," she said grabbing my hand to shake like we were in corporate. "Welcome to the team, my fellow blood dealer."
"Oooo, sounds dangerous when ya say it like thaaat." I laughed.
She laughed with me. At that moment, I decided I liked the sound. I'm still wary of her, of course, but at least she was no longer a serious threat to me. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that having Katherine Pierce as an ally was way better than having her as an enemy.
Maybe in a century or so, we could even be friends.
Fuck!
One thing always leads to another in this town. The hunter who is somehow still alive took April, Jeremy, and Matt to hold hostage at the grill. The guy is crazy! He had werewolf venom before because of Tyler and Elena got sick from it. That time, Klaus was here to help. But I know he's not here right now and everyone is risking their lives again. Who knows if they'll be alive by the time Klaus gets back!
It's too damn much.
I was waiting with Tyler at his house to hear from Elena but it doesn't feel like he wants me here. He was on edge and I could pick up on the nervous energy that radiated off of him. I have no reason to be insecure in our relationship but my female intuition is telling me that something is seriously wrong.
Walking around the house, bored, I ran into an interesting face. It belonged to a girl I've never seen before.
"Uh, who are you?"
"Who the hell are you?" Woah, she's rude and clearly feels entitled. Is she who Tyler was hiding from me? If they were just friends, why would he feel the need to hide her??
"Caroline," I replied.
"Ohh, you're Tyler's girl. He told me about you," she said nonchalantly. "I'm Hayley."
"Well, Hayley. That's pretty crazy because I haven't heard a thing about you."
"I've been staying here a few days," she said. I could tell that she was completely over the conversation.
Staying here? Let me take a deep breath.
"Excuse me?"
"I needed a place to crash, Ty's a buddy. He was kind enough to offer," she said. The smugness was emanating from her.
"I know all of Ty's buddies and I haven't heard a thing about you. So how about we cut the crap?"
Pause. Let's take a poll, shall we? She's calling him Ty, she's been staying at his house, and I'm just now meeting her. All of this is happening without Ty saying a word.
"Yeaah, I don't do teen drama," she said. "Take it up with Ty, excuse me."
Wow.
I should have known something was going on here. Where the hell did he even meet her? Please don't tell me it was when he was breaking the sire bond...
I heard raised voices just then. What were they arguing about now?
I walked into the room and caught some of the conversation. Just listening to them was irritating me. Tyler and Hayley were arguing about how its dangerous to blindly follow Klaus' orders. I mean, they're not wrong but turning this into a pissing contest with the original hybrid is not how to handle things.
"You think you can stand up to Klaus?" A hybrid named Dean challenged Tyler. "Here, prove it."
He handed Tyler the phone to call Klaus. I had a feeling this certainly wasn't going to end well.
"Tyler don't..." I trailed off. He obviously wasn't listening to me, I could tell. I'll just eavesdrop to make sure he doesn't say anything stupid.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Klaus." He said with a cocky tone.
"Tyler. I hope you're not causing problems."
"I can do whatever I want. I'm not sired to you anymore," he said.
"Fair enough. Though I do happen to know your little secret about your time in Appalachia."
Hold on, secret? Appalachia was where he was when he had to turn endlessly to break the sire bond. Don't tell me...
"What was you friend's name? Hayley, was it? You'd probably prefer I kept that to myself. I'm sorry mate."
So, I was right. I know Klaus doesn't realize I'm here and is using that information to lord over him. But, it wouldn't be possible if nothing ever happened. Wow.
"Are you going to answer or should I just assume you're going back to being... How did you phrase it? Oh yes, my little bitch."
I could feel the tears welling in my eyes.
Wow. Just, wow.
It had been a couple of days since I found out about my boyfriend's indiscretions and I had enough time to cool off, so I decided today I would get answers. Of course when I go to get them, Hayley and Tyler are all hugged up. I know her friend just died, but damn. Hug someone else.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"
"Caroline, it's not like that," Tyler said with his hands up.
Like hell it isn't.
"I keep waiting for you to make up some dumb story so at least I can call you a liar," I said with my arms crossed. "Is that now?"
"I'll let you two talk," Hayley said.
"Thank you, how big of you!"
"You have to understand—
"No, you don't tell me what I have to do." It was time to give this motherfucker a piece of my mind. "I went through hell when I thought you died. I cried like an idiot. I left town to start over because I felt like I lost everything. I kept myself busy because I knew that if I stopped to let myself think about you, I would lose it and break all the way down. I would lose my entire shit. And this whole time you've been keeping a secret from me about falling for some werewolf in the Appalachians?!"
"I never fell for her," he said trying to convince me otherwise. Oh, so he just slept with her then.
"Oh please." Spare me.
"Caroline, she saved my life!" He raised his voice a little. "I almost died trying to break the sire bond. Hayley was there for me, she helped me get through it. But, nothing else happened!"
"Then why would Klaus think that?" I asked with my arms still crossed over my chest.
"Because I'd rather him think that than know the truth."
"You'd better spill that truth if you even think that we're still going to be together after this," I said with a glare.
"There are other hybrids that need to be set free," he said. It looked like he truly believed his words. "Hayley and I can help them. But if Klaus found out about what we're trying to do, he'd kill us all."
I knew one thing was for sure. Hayley and the deliverance of the hybrids was just another thing he was putting before me. Yes, it was a noble cause but there are ways to keep it from Klaus without putting our relationship on the line. Yet another thing he's done without considering how I would feel. I saw the way he held the wolf girl. There are feelings there whether he wants to admit it or not.
He was so upset when he found out that Klaus likes me and how I kept a fucking picture, how the hell did he think I would act when I finally found out about Hayley? While I admit that I enjoyed Klaus' affections, I stayed true to my relationship!
As much as I wanted to believe Tyler, that female intuition just keeps nagging at me. One thing about a woman? Dead or not, that intuition is never wrong.
Sigh.
I should not have agreed to this and yet here I am, going back to Tyler's house to keep up the ruse that he and I are fighting so that Klaus doesn't find out about those damn unsired hybrids.
I knocked on the door and waited for somebody to answer.
Oh look, the object of my frustration.
"Brought your stuff," I said. "Old laptop, your jersey, the charm bracelet."
"Care... this isn't a good time."
"Just take it," I said roughly shoving a box into Tyler's arms. I had to make it believable and you bet your ass I did. I was still irritated that we even had to do this in the first place.
"Caroline," a British accented voice said. Klaus. I actually hadn't seen him until now. "By the break-up drama unfolding before me, I assume you've met Hayley."
He took my non-answer as an answer.
"Alright, come on. Let's go," he said to his hybrids. "Let's leave them alone, your talents are needed elsewhere."
"For what?" Tyler asked.
"I think you've got more important things to deal with, mate."
Klaus wasn't wrong. Hayley and Tyler had to unsire more hybrids and that definitely was more important. I guess they were saving lives.
I rolled my eyes as I shut the door behind those who left, making sure they were really gone.
"Do you think he bought it?" I asked, a smile pulling at the corners of my lips. I was kind of proud of myself. I pulled one over on the mighty Niklaus Mikaelson.
"Hell, I bought it." Ahh wolf girl, I still don't trust you nor did I ask for your slutty opinion.
"Thanks for the heads up that he was here, Hayley." I'll play nice for now.
"You girls are good liars," Tyler said before he kissing me in front of her. I guess he thought he was proving a point by doing that.
I watched her reaction from the spaces in my hair as we kissed and I got confirmation of what I knew all along.
Something definitely happened between them in the Appalachian Mountains. Whether or not they actually slept together, I don't know. But something caused Hayley's feelings for my boyfriend to grow.
Here we fucking go again! I'm back at the grill where I'm supposed to keep Klaus busy while my fake ex boyfriend does whatever he's doing with another hybrid, Chris.
He was drinking alone at the bar so I sat right next to him.
"This place looks pretty good considering your hybrid got blown up in it."
"Caroline," he said putting his drink down. I could tell he was happy to see me. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I want you to give Elena back."
"Ahh, they sent you to sweet talk me." Oops, the jig is up. "Well, good form, but I'm afraid I can't do it."
"Why not?"
"She needs my help," he simply said.
I scoffed.
"Look, I'm not going to burden you with the gory details. I know you have enough on your plate already."
Aww is he trying to be considerate? Oh yeah, Tyler and I did just fake break up.
"That's none of your business, actually."
"Yes, well, just know that if Tyler was still sired to me, he never would have hurt you." Well, he's absolutely right about that. I guess he learned his lesson from when he had the idiot bite me. "I wouldn't have let him. Can I, at least, offer you a drink?"
"Yeah, thanks." Might as well have fun while I'm here.
My phone buzzed as I was waiting. Apparently, the plan fell short. Welp, time to come clean.
"So, here's the thing. I didn't just come here to try to get you to release Elena," I said.
"You don't say," he said. His tone dripping with sarcasm. Uh-oh he's gonna kill me when he hears the next part.
"I came here to distract you so that Stefan could go to your house and break her out, which he did." Oh no, his face is turning murderous. "And, don't get mad. Then he lost her."
Dammit. He's leaving and he's upset.
"Klaus!"
"Caroline." He stopped me in my tracks. "You're beautiful, but if you don't stop talking I will kill you."
Shit.
"They figured out how to stop the hallucinations," I blurted out.
"Okay," he said turning around. "You have ten seconds to tell me."
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