A Way Out

Chapter 18

                Stefan Salvatore was not in a good mood. Katherine’s screeching turned whining at having to give so much blood for a cause of Klaus’ had given him a migraine by the time he left her. He hadn’t even been too fond of the idea of yet again giving Klaus access to doppelganger blood but Klaus assured him that it was needed to rescue Caroline. Stefan, of course, didn’t fully believe him but he didn’t really have any other options. To make matters worse, he was now schlepping through an unfamiliar bayou he knew to be a haunt of werewolves.

                Stefan walked for a while, wondering if he was going the right way. Until he heard the screams. And smelled the blood…so much blood. Having been Klaus’…’sidekick’ let’s say, for a time when he had been trying to make hybrids the first time, he knew too well the signs of a wolf massacre. He sighed. At least he knew he was going the right way. He followed the sounds and the smell until the screams stopped. By then the smell was so strong it was more than enough to guide him. But he was in no hurry to get there. To see yet another example of Klaus’ carnage firsthand. He continued at his regular pace.

Until he heard Klaus’ voice shouting the name of the one he did all this for.

“CAROLINE!”

He vamp-sped ahead to the wolf camp, only to see Klaus and Elijah over the too still body of his best friend, Klaus’ wrist still at her lips. He dropped the cooler he had been carrying and raced over, pushing in between the two Originals unceremoniously. She couldn’t be dead, not now, not like this…Nothing. He took her head in his lap, with some resistance from Klaus. No, no…He placed one hand gingerly on her blood-stained cheek and stroked her soft, blonde hair with the other. Please, Forbes, just open your eyes, just, please for me, one breath…Caroline did not move. He fought the hot tears stinging the back of his eyes and brought his forehead to touch hers.

Then…she coughed.

Stefan sat bolt upright at the sudden movement of what he thought was his best friend’s corpse. She coughed again and again, spattering blood on his shirt, but he didn’t care. He laughed and hugged her closer. Klaus’ face lit up with relief and Stefan heard Elijah release a breath he must have been holding for some time. The coughs racked Caroline’s bruised body and she groaned at the pain the movement brought. The sound alerted the men to the many tiny pieces of wood sticking out of Caroline’s body; the burns were starting to heal, thanks to Klaus’ blood.

“There’s a cabin not far from here, on a lake, where you can tend to her. I’ll take you,” said Klaus, reaching for Caroline.

Eyeing Klaus’ outstretched arms, Stefan gathered Caroline in his own and replied, “Lead the way.”

The symbolism of the moment was not lost on Klaus, who said nothing and raced away, Stefan at his heels. One problem at a time.

When Klaus returned to the camp, he could hear and see a few of the werewolves beginning to stir. At the far end, he saw his brother inspecting the contents of the cooler Stefan had brought. He walked over and did the same. Many small test tubes containing blood were packed in ice inside.

“Will it be enough?” Elijah asked solemnly.

Klaus shrugged, “If it isn’t, I will make do with what it yields.”

His brother’s cold, distant tone caused Elijah to bow his head in shame.

“These are people, Niklaus,” he began, “People that you, with my assistance I am ashamed to say, just murdered. If having their necks snapped, backs broken, hearts ripped out or throats torn to shreds wasn’t enough, now they are going to be turned into your little hybrid army, to serve you, fight your battles, ensure your happiness…the least you could do is treat this moment with the gravity it deserves.”

Klaus purposely avoided his brother’s gaze. One thousand years and Elijah still had the ability to make him feel shame. Not that he would ever give him the satisfaction of knowing. As if orchestrated by a divine entity, just then, one of the wolves woke up, jerking upright and heaving a loud intake of breath. The wolf looked around joltingly, his expression going from confusion to sorrow to absolute terror. Grabbing one of the test tubes, Klaus smiled and made for him, throwing just three words at Elijah.

“Duty calls, brother.”

Stefan sighed as he removed what he hoped was the last toothpick from Caroline’s neck. Every one he yanked out of her was met with a yelp of pain and he wished he could just let her sleep and recuperate but her vampire body would not heal with wood in it. He sat down on an overturned box next to the bed and held her hand, not firmly, he knew she was still tender.

Her eyelids shook, then fluttered. Finally her eyes opened, just a crack. She shut them again, then re-opened them further.

“Caroline?” Stefan whispered hesitantly.

Hearing his voice, Caroline tried to turn her head towards it but when her neck muscles screamed, so did she.

“Shh, shh, don’t move. It’s me, Stefan. I’m here. You’re ok.”

“Sss…St…Stef…an?” she moaned.

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t try to move or talk. Just rest. You need to rest and get better.”

“Th…the wol…wolves…”

Stefan softly pushed back a tendril of her hair from her face. “They won’t hurt you anymore, Care.”

He held her hand as she slipped into much-needed slumber. Once sure she was asleep, he went outside, pulling a washcloth from his pocket. When he could see from her dreams that she was deeply asleep, he would try to clean her up a little, get some of that blood off her skin. As he dipped the cloth into the lake water, her words floated through his mind.

‘The wolves…’ she had said, so broken and scared.

Those wolves would never hurt her again, that was guaranteed. But there was another wolf Stefan had to worry about now. A wolf whose bite she had felt already. A wolf who he was sure would not easily give up his prize. But Stefan owed it to Caroline to protect her and that he would, or die trying.

‘Damsel in distress…cabin in the woods…big bad wolf…Caroline would have a field day with this stuff,’ he thought with a chuckle.

Author’s Note: First of all, I want to say thanks to all those who favourited, followed, reviewed this story. It’s that stuff that keeps us writers going, it means so much. Also, thank you for sticking with me. There have been dry spells and the story could be better, I know. But on to the point. The end draws nigh. I’m thinking of maybe doing a sequel that ties up more of the story but that depends on you guys. Review and let me know what you think of that idea…or don’t think of that idea. That being said, Rock on, #tvd fandom J