With Many Happy Returns [Klaroline]

Monster

“What-” Caroline whispered to herself as she slowly awoke, but her voice broke as pain cursed through her body.

She was lying down on a hard wooden table and her hands had been shackled together somewhere over her head. Her feet were locked to the table as well, leaving her stretched out and vulnerable for whoever had taken her.

The cold air that pricked her skin made her notice that both her red cardigan and boots were gone. That left her in only her thin white dress and by lifting her head slightly; Caroline could see that it after all still was white. No blood. Yet.

A noise from somewhere in her blind spot made her turn her head, but she couldn’t catch sight of the other person in the room. ‘Room’, Caroline realised wasn’t really a fitting term for where she was being kept. The stone walls and overgrown plantation reminded her of something out of a scary movie.

Caroline bit back her painful groans as she pulled at her restraints, but they didn’t seem to move an inch and she relaxed her body with a frustrated sigh. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been in situations like this many times before. Was it some sort of conspiracy against her? ‘Always kidnap Caroline’ had to be the motto.

“Who’s there?” Caroline asked in a hoarse voice as she heard steps from somewhere behind her. A shadow fell over her moments later and Caroline found herself staring up at the woman from the dorms.

“It’s just me.” the woman replied in a warm southern accent that completely contradicted the malice her gaze held.

“And who the hell are you?” Caroline sneered back at her as she glared back. She didn’t know when – or if – help was coming, but she definitely weren’t going to beg for mercy. She had been through too much shit these past couple of weeks to just give up and cry.

“Ah, yes. I remembered you as quite the spiteful one. Seems as if my memory serves me correct.” the woman responded with amusement and Caroline felt herself become angry.

“Look, lady, I have no idea who you are or what you want from me, so let me go before my friends come and kill you.” Caroline threatened back, not sure how empty her words were.

“Well, perhaps you remember me with a different face.” the woman said and Caroline frowned in confusion. “My son has taken a particularly… liking to you.”

The witch watched as the wheels spun inside the blonde’s head and smirked as her eye widened in realisation.

“Esther? Klaus’ mother?!” Caroline asked with disbelief and seemed to look at the witch in a whole new light.

“And a brain to go with it all. Niklaus made a surprisingly good choice with you.” Esther replied with an eerie smile that made Caroline shiver and feel even more vulnerable than before. Did this mean she wasn’t in Mystic Falls anymore?

“Listen, if you’re trying to get to Klaus through me, it won’t work. We haven’t seen each other for months and I’m sure he’s forgotten all about me.” Caroline tried to reason, hoping that the Original witch would believe her.

“You greatly underestimate yourself, young one.” the witch mused as let a finger glide across Caroline’s cheek. The blonde tried to shy away from the touch, but Esther just followed. “I have seen from the Other Side how Niklaus pines for you. I know what he promised you.”

Caroline wasn’t sure which of the two promises the witch was talking about, but heat rose to her cheeks at the thought of both.

“I’m not telling you anything.” Caroline told with a lifted chin as she met Esther’s gaze, but the witch just laughed at her.

“I don’t need you to tell me nothing. I have not brought you here to hurt you, Caroline. I brought you here to hurt my son.” Esther sneered back at her and the blonde felt how fear cursed through her veins.

She had had nightmares about this. Enemies of Klaus coming to take her, because they thought she meant more to him than she really did. She was a baby vampire and he was the Original hybrid. In the scheme of it all, Caroline meant nothing.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough? Maybe your children would like you better if you stopped trying to kill them all.” Caroline told her with a snarky voice, not sure where she got the courage from.

“Mind your tongue, child.” Esther bit back and Caroline couldn’t stop herself from flinching at the hard tone. “I have sacrificed more for my family than you will ever know. And I have come back to save them from themselves. An offer I am willing to grant to you. Maybe you will be the one to persuade Niklaus to listen to me.”

“What?” Caroline asked confusedly as she didn’t understand what Esther was talking about.

“Finn and Kol, my other two sons; I have brought them back as warlocks. I wish the same for the rest of my children. To give them a mortal life and stop all of this bloodshed. But Niklaus has denied me.”

“Seriously? Do you even know your own son? Klaus would never want to become mortal again.” Caroline scoffed at the witch, who sent her a calculated smile in return.

“But what if he was given the chance to have a family? To start over with the woman he loves? Maybe even have a child to replace the one he lost.” Esther narrated with an almost soft voice and Caroline stilled at the information she had been given. Klaus’ child was dead? How didn’t she know that? Right, because Damon usually brought her gossip from New Orleans and he had been death for four months.

Esther didn’t seem to notice Caroline’s sudden paralysation and continued on undeterred.

“I can give you your life back, Caroline. You can choose whatever body you want and I will transfer you into it. You can be a witch, a human or even a werewolf if you wish so.”

“And what? I’m supposed to grow old with Klaus and pop out children for him? Who says I would even want to be with Klaus? I mean, 70 years with that guy would drive anyone crazy.” Caroline told the witch with a roll of her eyes, almost forgetting the situation she was in.

“Let’s not fool ourselves, dear. We both know that when the right time comes, you will stay with Niklaus for the rest of your immortal life. But I can give you more than that.” Esther urged the baby vampire and Caroline almost laughed in response. If Esther really wanted her help, then maybe she should have asked nicely before chaining her to a table.

“More than an eternity?” Caroline asked with a dubious frown and a flare of anger appeared in the witch’s eyes.

“I can give you children. They will bring you more love and joy that you could ever hope for in your immortal life.” Esther sneered at her, but Caroline didn’t flinch this time.

“Because that has worked out well for you.”

“Are you willing to accept my offer?” Esther inquired with a steely voice and Caroline sent her an unyielding stare in response.

“No.” was Caroline’s short answer, but there wasn’t a shadow of doubt in her voice.

“So you’ll stay a monster.”

“You’re the monster!” Caroline hissed at the witch. Her head flew upwards and her mouth opened in a soundless gasp, when a large knife was suddenly thrust through her heart. Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked at Esther, but they soon closed as Caroline’s head fell back on the table.

The witch didn’t waste any time as she quickly plucked the petals from the same orchid she had used to put Elijah in his dream state. She gently placed the petals on the dead girl’s collarbone and then raised her hands above Caroline. When her magic had done its work, she removed the bloodied knife from Caroline’s chest.

When the blonde came back to life, she wouldn’t awake to the world she knew. She would be trapped inside her head and nightmares as Esther proved to her who the real monster was.

“You might have fooled yourself, child, but I see your heart’s true intent. But do not fret because soon you can stop feeling guilty. Soon you will hate Niklaus as much as you wish you did.” Esther whispered into Caroline’s unlistening ear as she stroked her blonde hair.