The Scars Not Seen: A Klaroline Fanfiction

9. Closer, Closer Still

Closer, Closer Still

Dover, England 1560

"Nik?" Rebekah asked as she entered his chambers. She had only just received the news of what had happened and had ridden to her brother's estate as fast as she could. The entire Forbes family. Slaughtered. Rebekah was not one to get upset over the deaths of humans but for the Forbes family to have to die… She was only relieved that both Richard and Caroline managed to avoid it.

"Nik?" She called again, looking around, finding nothing. Where is he? The servants had said that he had yet to leave his rooms, but she supposed no human could truly track. Sighing, she went off in search of the one place Niklaus would be, the place he always was during times of high distress; his studio.

When she found his studio, Rebekah was relieved to see that she had been correct in her assumptions.

"Nik." The odd thing was, he wasn't painting or sketching or anything of the like, as she thought he would have been. No, he was simply sat there, his head in his hands, hair disheveled. All around him were his art supplies and various pieces of work. Only, they weren't strewn on tables or on easels as they usually were. Instead they were thrown all over. Glass jars were shattered, paintings were torn in half. Rebekah tried to contain her worry, but it was in vain.

She hadn't seen her brother such a mess since Katerina.

She was hesitant as she approached him, stepping carefully around the broken objects that covered the floor. Once she stood in front of him, she gently tapped his shoulder. This seemed to bring him back to life as he suddenly stood up, bewildered. Now that Rebekah was closer, she could see just how tired, broken Niklaus looked. Broken like the things on the floor.

"Niklaus?" He didn't reply. "Brother?" She tried again. This time he glanced down at her, his eyes dark and full of turmoil. "What is the matter?" She looked around, finally noticing just what was missing. "And where is Caroline?"

"Gone." Nik growled out, his voice haggard. He looked away from his sister, his eyes far off.

"What do you mean gone?" Rebekah could feel her stomach sinking. Please tell me you didn't…

"I mean I sent her away." He yelled, turning an angry gaze on her before sitting back down in the same position as before.

"Oh, Nik." She whispered. "What did you do?" Do not tell me you have decided that now, of all times, was the moment to begin being honorable?

"I did what's best." He replied, his voice barely reaching her ears. "I sent her away."

Rebekah, not knowing what to do, simply placed her hand on his shoulder, trying, in some small measure, to provide comfort. She knew it wouldn't do any good, either way.

Oh, you poor, poor fool.

Mystic Falls, Virginia 2010

Rebekah sighed as she made her way into the high school, her annoyances a mile high. Honestly, why didn't Stefan just tell her and her brother that the doppelgänger was still alive? Oh, right, because he loved the girl. Rebekah tried to ignore the sting she felt knowing that he had never truly loved her that way.

Well, at least now all would be taken care of. She was going to help Nik in his little mission and, after that, they could both leave and Rebekah would never have to look at another doppelgänger again.

Unfortunately, as she just realized when she heard the voice echoing down the halls, she would first have to face someone she really didn't think was a good idea to see again. Rebekah had been their the first time Klaus lost Caroline, she wasn't sure any of them could take it again. Yet, some small part of her couldn't help but wonder what she was like now. Had she changed as much as Stefan? Though she'd never say it out loud, Caroline had been a sister to her at one point, albeit a very distant sort of sister, and Rebekah would be… disappointed if the other blonde vampire lost her spark.