Ashes and Wine

Chapter One: Bad Luck

KALIN. I took a deep breath, re-reading my mother's most recent letter. It was from April and from its contents I could tell it would be the last one for a while. Not that I replied to them, but I enjoyed hearing about what was happening back home and with Caroline. A few times she even mentioned Tyler knowing it would ease my worrying mind. I could never bring myself to reply to her letters, not after the way I left or the reason why. At first I didn't even keep in contact with Caroline, needing to distance myself from my family, only sending cards and presents for the occasional holiday to show I was okay. Only recently, after years of neglect, did I let Caroline back into my life. My mother was right, with everything happening back home my little sister needed me.

This most recent letter was nothing like the others. There was no underlying begging of forgiveness or telling me about how everyone was doing. It was quite the opposite actually. I always knew Mystic Falls wasn't as normal as everyone thought, hell just look at me and what I am! I'm anything but normal. What I once remembered as a small, quiet, and safe little town had turned into a breeding ground for "animal attacks" and freak accidents that were apparently all due to supernatural beings; according to my mother, vampires. She was right about them existing (if werewolves like me did, why not their mortal enemy?), I just never pegged Mystic Falls for their nest. I knew its history of vampires running a muck, but the town always seemed too perfect, in my experience, for anything bad to happen. I suppose that mentality is down the drain, along with the thought that I could live a semi-normal life.

Standing up from the couch in my living room, I walked into the conjoined kitchen and put the letter into a drawer with the others. I sighed, thinking about whether or not to give up my life here in Massachusetts, along with my stubbornness, and go back home. I rid my head of those thoughts before grabbing my jacket and bag, putting my lanyard over my head and heading to the door. After turning off all the lights and locking my door, I ran down the stairs of the apartment complex to my car. I drove down the street, past apartments just like mine, heading towards Boston College for my classes of the day, my mother's letters haunting my mind the entire way. It was going to be a long day.

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STEFAN. This entire summer with Klaus had been Hell. After giving myself up to him to save Damon, he dragged me across the country looking for wolf packs to change into hybrids. I'm ashamed to say that I had killed so many people for Klaus' bidding, but it was to save my brother and the love of my life. Luckily, none of them worked and all of the werewolves died before completing the transition to hybrid. Klaus was still alone and without an army, the only plus to this "vacation" away from Mystic Falls.

Apparently Klaus had run out of leads because we were laying low. The last werewolf we tracked down was Ray Sutton and, once again, it didn't turn out well, this time ending with Elena and Damon finding us before I had to rip out Sutton's heart. Now we were on the road, driving to where, I didn't know. All I knew was that we were heading north; farther away from Elena and Mystic Falls; further away from my freedom, if it even existed. "Stefan," Klaus spoke breaking me out of my thoughts, "Turn right here, then stop at building 6A." He turned back to the window after giving me the directions. He never told me where we were going or who we were going to see. I knew we were in the town over from Boston in Massachusetts, but that was from observations while driving. Clearing my throat, I intended on finding out specifics. "So Klaus, who exactly are we going to see?" I brought my eyes away from the road for a second to look over at him and found Klaus smirking to himself.

"Oh, just an old friend Stefan," he replied. "Don't worry. You won't have to kill anyone today. Hopefully." Klaus smirked over at me, waiting for me squirm in my seat, knowing I wasn't comfortable with his aptitude for aimless murder. "Ah, here we are." Klaus told me to park across the street from the apartment where his "friend" apparently lived. Getting out of the car, it felt nice to stretch my legs after the long drive from Tennessee. Tennessee. . . Seeing Elena again almost made want to forget about Klaus and run back to her, but I knew I couldn't. He would kill everyone I loved. Besides, she was safe with Damon and Alaric. Come on Stefan, do you really believe that? My conscience was right. With Damon in charge of protecting Elena, she was in even more danger; all because he was in love with her.

Klaus began walking across the street to the apartment door. "C'mon mate! Better get inside before she gets home!" He yelled over to me and flashed his signature smirk. I feel sorry for whoever she is, I thought to myself as I joined him.

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KALIN. My last class of the day had just ended and I was getting into my car to head home and crash when my phone started ringing. I looked down at the number and debated ignoring it seeing as how it was work. Against my better judgement, I answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Kalin, it's Duff." My boss answered. Just as I figured. "Hi, Mr. Hannigan. What can I do for you?" Please don't ask me to come in, please! "I know today is your day off, but can you come into work? I'm sorry to ask, but Kelly called out," And the dreaded words were spoken. An inaudible sigh escaped my lips as I laid the back of my head on the seat. Before I could talk myself out of it, I agreed to come in to cover my co-worker's shift, only because I know the hell of working the night alone.

I didn't have a chance to stop by the house before what was now my shift at a small, yet well-known, bar downtown began. Luckily I had a set of work clothes in the trunk of my car, allowing me to quickly change in the bathroom of the pub before clocking in. Not even a slight bit out of breath, I hurried behind the counter whilst tying my apron around my waist. My only friend, and coworker, Mia, laughed under her breath. "Running a bit late, eh?" She glanced over to me before handing a customer another beer.

I huffed, blowing the bangs out of my face. "It's not called being late when it's your day off," I stated shortly. Mia didn't bother to hide her laughter this time. As per usual, I messed up or had bad luck and she found it amusing. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my notepad and pen out of my apron and went to take some orders. I worked as a waitress, while Mia was one of the best bartenders, but when we got really busy around midnight or so (when people were more focused on drinking than food) I would go behind the counter and help her tame the infamous crowd that O'Hannigan's authentic Irish pub was known for. Of course this meant that I wouldn't be getting off of work until well past midnight, but that's just an average night for Kalin Forbes.

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STEFAN. "So where is she?" I asked Klaus once he had gotten off the phone. Klaus and I had already been waiting quite a few hours in the girl's apartment. It wasn't really big, or super small, and held very few legitimately personal items. Sure there were clothes strewn around randomly and other things, but no photos or personal touches to the place. After searching through her home, and sitting and waiting, Klaus finally grew impatient and called one of his witches to locate her.

"A pub a few miles away. Get in the car, Stefan. We're going to go fetch dear Kalina." Klaus's British accent rang out clearly in his frustration with the wasted time as he stalked towards the door. We left the apartment, this time with Klaus driving. It was around eight o'clock and traffic was nonexistent as Klaus seemed to know exactly where to go, probably having sped through these streets decades before. Ten to fifteen minutes later, we ended up in the parking lot of a bar called O'Hannigan's.

I turned to Klaus, waiting on him to bark out an order. All he did was smirk and get out of the car, before saying, "Found you, love."

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KALIN. The bar was slow, but that was to be expected for eight o'clock. The real partiers didn't show up until at least ten. For now it was just the usuals and a few tourists who came in for a drink and some good food. Not that I was complaining.

At the moment, Mia and I were washing some glasses and chatting about anything and everything. She may have been my only friend, but she was my best friend. "So has your mom sent you anymore letters?" Mia asked. She knew about why I left my hometown and how my mother sent me occasional letters, but that I never replied. I didn't tell her about the last one I had received because of its contents. Mia was my best friend, and she knew almost everything about me, but not about my "furry little problem" as J.K. Rowling and the Marauders would say. I didn't want her to know and become involved in everything that came with knowing about the supernatural. Once you know, you can be made a target, and she didn't need to be in danger.

"No, I haven't." I gave a short reply before going back to work, not wanting to talk about my mother or Mystic Falls. Mia opened her mouth, probably to give me another lecture about forgiveness and the importance of family, but dropped her jaw once she looked towards the door. Confused, I turned to look in the same direction as her, wishing I hadn't as soon as I saw familiar blue eyes and blond curls. "Klaus?"