Locked to alpha_hybrid & without_reason

[puzzle_piece]

The last memory before her death as she lay on the cold hardwood floor was that of the first dance they had attended as a newlywed couple, she remembered how his breath had been a constant warmth on the base of her neck. She stood in his arms, overflowing of champagne could be heard as her eyes closed in relaxation. Nik leading her across the dance floor with a firm hand on her hip, the scent of her husband overwhelming all senses just as it was the moment she realised death was facing her again.

Her true loves name on her lips as she gasped her last breath, her entire body convulsing before becoming still.

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[alpha_hybrid]

The speed at which Klaus moved would have made any vampire look slow in comparison. Caroline’s infection was increasingly getting to the stages of dangerous and Nik refused let her leave him again. Not now. Not like this. Why couldn’t it be simple? Luck would befall most couples and true love in tales would always find a way but it seemed Nik’s whole life was simply cursed. Unfortunately one he now shared with Caroline. At first he chased, then second he pushed her away for her own good but it didn’t work. Impossible to stay away from one another it seemed he’d finally match his equal and this made any curse worth the risk.

A mixture between anger and fear boiled through his veins as he shot inside and instantly beside her. “Caroline!” There was a second’s pause where he waited for an answer, a movement, a breath…anything. But nothing happened and his fears grew. Biting into his wrist in a desperate attempt to try anything to bring her back, nothing seemed to work.

“No…come on, we had a promise.” Nik held her, refusing to believe she was gone he closed his eyes and entered her memory. He got there within enough time to feel them dancing together. Instantly recognizing the place of her memory as one of his favorite places, but before he could speak the world around them seemed to slowly be fading into darkness. He was too late. This was her time to go. Holding on for as long as possible the next time he opened his eyes Caroline body was cold as stone with the familiar black veins of a dead immortal now creeping across her.

“Again? Nik when will you learn.” The familiar annoying voice of Rebekah came from the doorway. Nik refused to reply. Half because of what had just happened and the other out of anger as he didn’t like people, even family seeing his weakness laid exposed.

It took a few minutes for him to try and regain himself but he did it pure monster that came out. Within seconds Nik flipped a table up and sent it crashing to a wall, glass smashing everywhere. “Don’t push me little sister.” He picked up a broken shard of glass and pushed it with so much force into her shoulder that he’d pinned her to the wall. “No one enters this house, no one leaves got it?”

There was a wince of pain from Rebekah who saw in Nik’s eyes that he wasn’t playing around. “She’ll come back Nik, she’s family.”

He knew she was right but it didn’t take away the pain he felt when this happened. It always felt like he had failed her. “I’m not leaving this house until she comes back.”

[puzzle_piece]

She couldn't see him, her vision a blur but Caroline felt the change in the air as Niklaus sped towards her. Tears itched the back of her eyelids as she realized that yet again the curse that had been placed on her had come into full force - the infection from the wolf bite was spreading through her veins. Caroline could feel it as she struggled with breathing, a process that usually was the easiest of task for both humans and vampires like herself and her family.

The feelings she had felt over 100 years ago came back to her in floods a mixture of despair and anger at the notion that the love of her life would yet again be going through a personal hell and turmoil as he sat back and watched his wife pass away in front of his eyes and not be able to do anything about it. The two previous times that she had died had become harder for him, especially the aftermath of her not knowing about the life she had built with Niklaus and his siblings who she loved dearly as if they were her own. At his voice Caroline again felt the tears that would have threatened to spill if she wasn't so close to death.

Caroline felt her body being lifted and the familiarity of her husbands scent filled her senses. Gaining enough energy she clutched at his shirt, the last movement she would make before her world filled with blackness.

[alpha_hybrid]

There were often times that Nik thought about using a Witch to restore Caroline’s previous memories. But as pondered this thought for the hundredth time, gazing out the extravagant window and into the darkness, he knew witches involved would be a bad idea. He could hear his mother’s words echoing that everything had a price. No doubt it was possible to do this but who knows the damage it would cost. No. This was the way it now had to be.

The room, dimly lit all apart from the fire that blazed not too far from him was the Mikaelson’s study. Soaked in royal reds and dark oak it was a room fit for a King, or Queen for that matter. Caroline’s body was placed delicately on a couch big enough to fit a several people, the black silk sheets from their bedroom wrapped around her as if to comfort her lifeless body.

“Every time this...” Nik spoke at the window, not even blinking away from the night he was transfixed upon. He’d heard Elijah enter the room. That familiar scent of nobility hanging in the air.

“You don’t have to tell me Niklaus. I know this is hard for you.” He spoke so calmly that an element of Nik wondered if his brother was being sarcastic. Holding his tongue he tore his gaze from the night and towards his brother. At this point Elijah poured himself a drink and took a seat at the nearest table. “Rebekah is quite concerned with your behaviour. I appreciate this cannot be easy for you but threatening your family is not going to make this any easier. Caroline is family now, we shall all play our part in building new memories and showing her who she is.” This was Elijah’s way of telling his brother that they are there for him without bowing to Niklaus’s anger. Words were so fragile when Nik was ruled by his temper.

“Spare me the talk brother. We’ll do the same thing we’ve always done.” Trying to downplay how much this was effecting him, Nik lent over the fire and rested an arm against the warm grey marble. “The Lockwoods are going to pay for this. I’ll hunt down every member of their family, every possible tie to that bloodline.” His words were dedicated and strong. It was the tone his family had come to know, meant there was any change of changing his mind.

“If you think that will help.” Elijah took a sip of his drink and looked at Caroline’s body. “You know Niklaus in all the years we have walked this Earth I have never seen you so enthralled by one woman. Perhaps there is hope for you after all.”

“Don’t mistake my grieving for weakness dear brother.” And with that Nik pushed away from the fire, flashing Elijah a flicker of his hybrid eyes before topping up his glass. “Every time this happens I wonder if a part of her slips further away. Of course I pull her back the best I can but curses have never been kind, especially to me. I wonder, should I tell her we’re married, should I tell her we are her family.”

“What are you getting at Niklaus?”

“There is a part of me that wonders, if left to her own devices without us, would she find me again. They say true love finds a way but perhaps I should test it.”

Elijah thought carefully before he replied. “You want to hold back on telling her everything until she is ready? If you two are meant to be then I see no problem with this. Let her heart work it out for itself.”

At that moment their talk was interrupted by Rebekah who of course was listening to the entire thing. “What’s there to be afraid of Nik? If you’re both so convinced you’ve found true love then what’s the worry? We’ll show her what she is, show her how to have a good time and we’ll see what happens from there. Well unless you’re scared of Cole stepping in.”

“Cole isn’t a threat. What we have is stronger than that.” Nik snapped.

“Well then it’s settled. No telling her you two are married or together. You start from the beginning and we’ll see what happens.”

And with that the three of them waited for Caroline to wake.

[puzzle_piece]

Waking up with a gasp Caroline leapt forward as much as the black sheets she was wrapped in would allow her to, something glistened in the corner of her eye and as she looked down she was greeted with a thin gold band glistening on her wedding finger. Taking a look around she was met with an unfamiliar room and voices could be heard from within another. Getting out from the sheets was a struggle but she had and as Caroline stood she noticed what she had been laying on, the only way to describe the bed was oversized. Making her way out of the bedroom she made her way to the room where the voices were coming from.

Peering around the doorframe Caroline locked eyes with three people who she at a guess knew that they resided here. Biting her lip she made her way into the study, for some reason she felt safe with these people - whomever they are .

[alpha_hybrid]

As the three of them stood in the room waiting for Caroline to awake, Cole grew bored of listening to their theories and talk of Caroline’s memories. Instead he pulled his zippo out from his pocket and started flicking the lid back and forth more of annoyance to others than anything else. “And when were you planning on letting the rest of us know about your little experiment?” Cole said, strolling into the room as if he owned everything inside. That cocky air of confidence like a teenager that couldn’t be controlled instantly capturing the attention of the others. “If there are games to be played I wouldn’t want to miss out.”

“I’m not sure you should be included in this Cole. Between you and Nik I think it is safe to say a lot of damage can be done and we wouldn’t want to draw attention to ourselves. Both of you are bad enough on separate pages let alone the same.” Elijah glanced to Rebekah who by now had her arms folded across her chest. “When she rises we will see what exactly she remembers and we will take it from there. No harm shall come to her Niklaus.” There was a long pause where Elijah took a sip of his drink. ”Are we all agreed?” Like a father waiting for the approval of his children one by one the family agreed to what they were about to do. Nik of course found this the hardest of all. It was one thing to have to win over her heart every time this happened but it was another to have his brothers into the mix. But as Rebekah and Elijah had said, if true love was real then maybe Nik had nothing to worry about. Still the protectiveness he had over Caroline surged like an uncontrollable monster under his skin.

The four of them didn’t have long to wait. Wrapped up in Nik’s bed sheets but still clothed underneath they watched the figure of the family member they knew now lost in a room she knew oh so well. A million questions exploded into Nik’s mind. Does she know she’s a vampire? Does she remember more than last time? Less than last time? The more questions happened the more Nik fought back that pain of longing in his chest. He stood strong and proud amongst the four of them, fully aware that even though she doesn’t remember him, Caroline was still the most remarkable and breathtakingly beautiful woman he has even known.

Rebekah watched Caroline with the smile like a lost sister had come home. Caroline and herself had always found their connection when this had happened before and Rebekah was confident it wouldn’t take long to rekindle that bond. She wasn’t worried about any of this. If anything she was a little jealous that Caroline had that experience of falling in love over and over again. If Caroline and her brother found their way back to one another perhaps Rebekah might believe the true love that her brother claims to have found, actually exists. But first why not show Caroline all the fun she’s been missing.

Cole, relaxed and pinging his lighter back and forth, watched her enter the room with a wicked smile. If it wasn’t for Nik he was almost sure it would be him with Caroline. They had come so close but fate had a different plan. This time it wasn’t going to be that easy. Already Cole had the perfect plan formed for getting Caroline to not only enjoy herself but switch off that humanity. In some weird twisted way he thought making Caroline the darkest version of herself might push away Nik and bring her closer to him. It was a risk Cole was itching to find out.

While everyone wrestled with their thoughts Rebekah stepped forward and gave Caroline a welcoming hug. It was a gesture so rare for their sister to give but with Caroline it was put down to an exception giving the circumstances. Elijah was the only one with a clear head enough into reality to speak. “We’re glad you’re finally awake Caroline. Please, take a seat. We mean you no harm.” He gestured to the couch across from the four of them and waited for her to take a seat. “There is no easy way to explain this to you so please take your time. We are your friends, we mean you no harm. We all live, including you in this mansion. The bite you sustained was from a werewolf, unfortunately it couldn’t be healed without some consequences and as a result you’ve awoken without any memories to which I am sorry.” Sitting down across from her in an attempt to make Caroline feel less intimidated by the four of them standing in various points around the room. Elijah’s gaze held nothing but truth in his words. “I can answer any questions you might have but for now I think it would be better if you were to stay with one of us while you piece everything together. My name is Elijah, to my left is Rebekah and to my right is Cole and Niklaus. I’m afraid until we know you are safe this is the only option, it might also help you piece together some of what you have lost.”

If there was one thing Elijah was good at, it was empathy. However putting himself in Caroline shoes he couldn’t begin to imagine what she must be thinking or going through. Like a protective older brother he was fond of her and wanted to keep her safe. But that wasn’t his choice to make. Caroline had four strangers in front of her all holding their breath to see who gets to shape her memories. “I know it must be hard but go on your instinct.”

[puzzle_piece]

As she entered further into the study she took a look around at the room she had just walked into and all the intricate features that took her breath away. This room was like no other she had seen but for some reason it felt slightly familiar as she had been in this room before. Slowly her eyes moved away from the objects and she came face to face with a man that had many questions written on his features. Her stared at her intently as she found herself messing with the band on her wedding finger. Had it been this man that had given it to her? Why did she feel such warmth and safety when looking at him? Caroline lifted a hand to him in greeting.

The second person able came across was a blonde female who had been the first person to welcome her with a smile, Caroline felt that she was safe with her and that together they shared an unspeakable bond.

The third she looked to had been a gentleman she guessed to be close to her in age had been looking at her as if she was the only person in the room but with a hint of mischievousness in his eyes which made her blush slightly. Pulling the sheets further around her body she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen from out of her ponytail. Before she'd even had time to continue looking around the room and the people in it she felt her body being tucked into the females arms, something Caroline welcomed.

As the third man entered into the equation she removed the bed sheet and instead folded it up and places it besides her. Looking up at him she felt a sisterly bond that she hadn't felt with the other two, this bond felt more familiar the more the man she know knew to be Elijah spoke. Taking a seat as requested she took into consideration what he had just said.

"If I have no memories as you say then how do I know that my name is Caroline, I am a vampire and also married." Lifting her hand for emphasis.

[alpha_hybrid]

“Maybe she hasn’t lost as much as we thought.” Rebekah smirked at her brothers. It was the kind of smirk she gave when she beat them at a game or got her way. It was enough of a gleam to allow Elijah to step in.

“Enough Rebekah.” His attention now back to Caroline. “You know you’re name, you know you’re a vampire and you know you’re married. Is there anything else you remember?” He had several cover stories to explain why that ring could have been on her finger but Elijah wasn’t the type to lie and given that her mind was still in the stages of piecing things together, the last thing he wanted to do it twist her memories. It wouldn’t inspire much trust

Coming out from the background and having enough of these games, Nik pushed to the forefront past Cole until he was close enough to block out everyone else in the room. “Come with me Caroline. There are places I want you to see, things I want to show you…”

At that point the sentence was cut short but a bemused Cole. “Blah blah blah. She’s probably hungry. I say let her come with me, we’ll feed, party and be back before you know it. Right Caroline?” Nik proceeded to bite his tongue but that didn’t mean his anger wasn’t evident in his eyes. He was simply one stage away from shaking Caroline and telling her how much he loved her but what would that prove? You can’t tell someone you love them. You can’t tell someone you’re married. This was everything Caroline had to piece together herself and when she was ready, Nik was prepared to tell her everything and share those memories.

[puzzle_piece]

Moving from out the comfort of Rebekah's arms, Caroline again found herself fiddling with the ring on her finger. She again found herself again wondering who had given it to her and why it seemed to matter then anything else? Did she always do this when she was nervous as she is now? Caroline hoped the more she spoke with the people around her the more aspects about her life would come back to her.

Caroline shook slightly at the tone of authority Elijah's voice now held. Listening intently to his next words she thought carefully at the question. All of a sudden she felt a tightness around her eyes, hiding them as she placed her face in her hands. Once she felt them return to normal Caroline looked up before answering him with a simple no. A part of her wished to cry but as she looked at the siblings that feeling slowly started to disappear.

Before she'd even thought about what to say she watched as Nik barged his way to the front where Cole stood. Worried to a certain degree of what was to come from us sudden movement. However she couldn't have guessed that Cole would do the same, goading Nik which confused her. All this time she had thought Nik could be her husband but could it be that Cole was. Shaking her head in confusion, feeling anger at the things Cole was saying she again felt a tightening around her eyes. As it overcame her senses she super sped to Cole, placing one hand around his throat and pushing him with force against the nearest wall, her grip tightening.

[alpha_hybrid]

There was an audible thud as Kol was pressed against the well. “I guess that’s a no then.” He laughed before the grip around his neck prevented him from talking any further. Nik on the other hand was pleasantly surprised by Caroline’s actions. He wasn’t about to get in the way of her strangling his brother with complete ease. If anything her fire served nothing more than to provoke the lust he held for her. A beautiful quality in the hybrids eyes.

Elijah didn’t notice Niklaus’s reluctance to help simply because he didn’t expect him to. Careful with words as he was proudly renown for, Elijah was clever enough to introduce them all by first names. It was an experiment to see if Caroline could remember or sense the fact they were family and not just friends. An experiment that was made irrelevant by the fact she had pinned Kol to the wall. Within seconds of her grip tightening Elijah got between them and pushed Caroline away. There he stood staring at Caroline was an air of concern while Kol adjusted himself. “Enough Caroline. Hurting Kol will not help anything.”

Rebekah laughed. “Oh I don’t know, seeing Kol have his ass handed to him is entertainment enough for me. Right Nik?”

Nik had no sense of amusement in his voice. If anything he could feel the anger surfacing with all the thoughts of what he’s going to do once he wiped every last Lockwood off the face of the earth, “I’ve had enough of this.” And with those words Nik flitted with all his speed, wrapping an arm around Caroline’s waist as he bolted them out the door.

He must have taken them miles away from the house before stopping in the centre of a forest on the outskirts of Mystic Falls and near a river that held way to a small waterfall. Although completely beautiful under the moonlight the waterfall served its purpose to block anyone from listening. Not completely but enough to throw off anybody who tried to fallow, particularly his siblings. When they stopped there was a brief moment where Nik and Caroline’s eyes met. Unable to look away as their faces were barely inches from one another, her scent, the way she felt in his arms, everything about her enthralled him like a drug he could never resist. “I had to get you out of there.” Nik said softly. For someone known to be nothing but a monster, here he was holding his one weakness he had in his arms.

“I’ve always been selfish and they were trying my patience.”

[puzzle_piece]

Caroline snarled at Kol's words and as her grip tightened she looked around the room at his family, daring one of them to come forward and stop her. There was something about Kol's behaviour that seemed recognisable and not in a good way. Perhaps she means or had meant something to him that made Kol think that he could speak to her the way he had. In his brotherly role stopped her scolding her actions in the process. She stumbled slightly before composing herself adjusting her summer dress.

One minute Caroline had been stood in the Mikaelsons study and the next her body was flushed against Nik's as they together left the mansion the home a blur as she held tightly onto him. Again a familiarity present in her mind. As they came to a stop Caroline took in her surroundings, taking a deep breath at how peaceful this place was and wondering why Nik had chosen this place in particular, she liked to think his choice was for a reaso. At that moment she realised his hand was still on her waist, an action Caroline welcomed just like she had with Rebekah's hug.

"I do not believe you to be selfish. I'd like to think I know a good man when I see one."

[alpha_hybrid]

“Something you’ve always had the rare gift of being able to see.” Nik said, not pulling away. He was confident and for the first time since Caroline had been bitten, relaxed. Without realizing it, his hand slipped around and found its way to the curvature of her waist. A bold move had it been from a stranger but Nik wasn’t just anyone and she belonged to him. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

“There’s so much I want to show you. Memories to rebuild, places to see….” And he meant every word of it. Memories just as strong as the last time and the time before that. Only this time Caroline had to work her feelings out first. It could take minutes, it could take years but Nik was determined to prove no matter what happens, the two of them always find their way back to one another. It seemed almost anger provoking that Rebekah and Elijah wanted to test his wife’s heart without telling her the whole story as soon as she wakes up. In the past had Nik sat down and explained everything to Caroline, showing her their rings and taking her into glimpses of their past through his eyes. Now he had to hold back just to prove what they had was real. Ironic.

Remembering this and the talk him and his siblings had over Caroline’s memories, Nik in true gentleman fashion, took his hand from her waist. It took every part of him not to kiss her, pin her against the nearest tree and show her how much he wanted her. It sheer thought caused that little smile to curl at the corner of his lips. “Now that you’re away from the others, the night is yours.”

Inquisitiveness playing a heavy part on his mind, Nik started to wonder if she would still fall for a monster. Far from being a saint, Caroline had seen him on his darkest and most destructive of days and yet she still worked her way past Nik’s walls. She didn’t give up. Would seeing him at his worst effect how she felt now with no memory of them?

“Of course I can always take you back to pinning Kol up against the wall?” Nik smirked.

[puzzle_piece]

The more time Caroline spent in his presence the more she felt at ease with recent events, waking up with only a small collection of facts. At his words she replied, "It seems then that you are someone I have known for a long time. That you and your siblings are a part of my life in a bigger way then you are all letting on." Caroline reached upwards before stopping herself and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, a bad habit she seemed to keep displaying.

"I would go anywhere with you, with you I know that I am safe, Nik." Caroline let out a gasp at using his name shortened, when they had first been introduced Elijah said that his name was Niklaus. Out lo ud she repeated his name. At that moment his hand slipped from her waist and she suddenly felt herself becoming upset at the loss of contact.

Smirking with him for a second Caroline laughed. "I should not have done that."