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Chapter Text

The Boarding House had fallen into a tense silence. Damon poured himself another glass of bourbon, his fifth of the evening, while Elena and Bonnie read through grimoires. Stefan sat by the window, staring out at nothing in particular, his humanity switch precariously balanced after Klaus's compulsion had been broken.

"There has to be something in here about opening that coffin," Elena muttered, frustration evident in her voice as she flipped another page.

Damon downed his drink in one go. "Or we could skip the witchcraft and take an axe to it. Worked wonders for my patience."

Bonnie shot him a glare. "Because that worked so well last time."

Before Damon could retort, The sound of car outside caught their attention. Headlights flashed across the windows as a sleek black Mercedes rolled to a stop outside.

Elena tensed, her gaze darting toward the door. "Expecting someone?"

No one answered.

Then—

The front door burst open.

A blur of blonde and leather shot into the room—straight for Damon.

"Surprise assholes!"

The blonde launched herself at him, arms locking around his neck. Damon—usually so guarded, so Damon—actually laughed, lifting her off her feet in a crushing hug.

"Carebear," he drawled, setting her down but keeping his hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

She grinned, blue eyes alight with mischief—so much like Damon’s it was unsettling. "I was in New York and thought, why not visit my favorite brothers?" A playful shrug. "Besides, it’s been, what? Three decades? Figured it was time for a reunion."

Stefan hadn’t moved from the window. But when she turned toward him, his expression softened in a way Elena had rarely seen these days.

"Hello, Stef."

"Care."

She didn’t wait. In a heartbeat, she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. Stefan on the other hand hesitated only for a second, before pulling her into a tight hug.

“I missed you,” Stefan said quietly.

“Missed you more.”

Elena cleared her throat, feeling decidedly uncomfortable with this display of affection from both Salvatores toward this mystery woman.

Caroline pulled back, finally noticing the others. "Oh! Didn’t realize you have company."

"Brothers?" Elena repeated, her eyes darting between Damon and Stefan.

Damon sighed, moving to stand beside Caroline with a protective stance Elena had only ever seen him use with her. "Elena, Bonnie meet Caroline Salvatore. Our baby sister."

"Hey" she exclaimed, playfully slapping him on the arm for good measure. "One year younger than Stefan does not make me a baby." She extended a hand toward the girls,  "Caroline Salvatore. Seventeen in human years, one hundred sixty-three vampire."

"Your... sister?" Elena asked. "You never mentioned having a sister."

"No, we didn't," Stefan replied simply.

Caroline's eyes narrowed slightly, taking in Elena's appearance. "So you're the human doppelgänger. Hmm." She tilted her head. "Ugh, you look just like Katherine. That's gonna take some getting used to." Her nose wrinkled as she mimed a gag.

"You know Katherine?" Bonnie asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Well, duhh! She’s literally the reason why these two had their little century-long pissing contest."

"Caroline," Damon warned, though there was no real bite to it.

"What? It’s true." She flopped onto the couch, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. "So, what’s the crisis this time? There’s always a crisis when you two stick around somewhere too long."

Elena folded her arms. "We're dealing with Klaus and his family."

At the mention of Klaus, Caroline’s eyebrows shot up. "As in the Klaus Mikaelson? The Original hybrid? He’s here in Mystic Falls?"

"Unfortunately," Damon muttered, pouring another drink and handing one to Caroline. "He broke Stefan's compulsion recently, but we've got one of his family in a coffin that we can't open."

Caroline accepted the drink but her attention had shifted entirely to Stefan. "Compulsion? What compulsion?"

Stefan looked away, a mixture of shame and anger crossing his features. "It's a long story, Care."

"Well lucky for you we got eternity," 

Elena watched their interaction with growing irritation. She'd known the Salvatore brothers for nearly two years now, had been involved with both of them, and yet they'd never once mentioned having a sister. The way they looked at Caroline with genuine affection and protectiveness makes Elena somewhat uncomfortable.

"How come you never told me about her?" Elena asked, unable to keep the accusing tone from her voice.

Damon and Stefan exchanged a look that seemed to be a silent conversation.

"Caroline stays out of our messes," Damon finally answered. "Always has, always will."

"By decree of 1864, it was our agreement after we turned," Stefan added. "We keep her existence quiet, and she stays away from whatever trouble we're dealing."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "My overprotective brothers think I'm made of glass. Even though I'm perfectly capable of handling myself."

"It's not about being capable Care," Stefan said softly. "It's about keeping you safe."

"From what?" Bonnie interjected, her witch instincts clearly sensing there was more to the story.

Caroline smirked, swirling her bourbon"Oh, you know. The usual. Vengeful vampires, psycho witches, and in this case it seems doppelganger drama." She took a sip of her drink, her eyes lingering on Elena. "No offense."

"None taken," Elena said flatly.

Damon moved to stand infront of Caroline, and asked "How long are you staying?" 

"I haven't decided yet," Caroline answered, her attention now on the bookshelves. "Could be a day, could be a month. Depends on how interesting things get around here." She paused, running her finger along a shelf. "So, tell me about this coffin."

Chapter Text

"It's Esther," Bonnie explained the next morning. "Klaus's mother. We think she's in the coffin, but it's sealed with magic we can't break."

Caroline sat cross-legged on the couch, a grimoire open in her lap. After the initial shock of her arrival, Bonnie had cautiously warmed to the youngest Salvatore, especially when Caroline showed genuine interest in Bonnie's magical obstacles.

"Can I see it?" Caroline asked, setting the book aside.

Bonnie hesitated, looking to Elena, who shrugged. They hadn't told Caroline about the witch house or where they were keeping the coffin yet.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Elena started.

Caroline's eyebrows rose slightly. "Because you don't trust me, or because my brothers would throw a fit?"

"Both," Elena admitted.

A smile played at the corners of Caroline's mouth. "Smart girl. But here's the thing – if it's witch magic sealing the coffin, I might be able to help."

"You're a vampire," Elena stated flatly. "How could you help with a magical seal?"

Caroline exchanged a look with Bonnie, who was studying her with renewed interest. "You're not just a vampire, are you?" the witch asked slowly.

"Perceptive," Caroline acknowledged with a nod. "No, I'm not."

"Don't," Damon's voice interrupted, his expression dark. "Caroline, we talked about this."

"No, you talked. I listened. There's a difference," Caroline replied coolly, turning back to Bonnie. "I'm what's known as a heretic – a vampire-witch hybrid. I was a siphoner when I was human – a witch who can't generate their own magic but can absorb it from other sources. When I turned, I retained that ability."

Elena's eyes widened. "That's impossible."

"Says the doppelgänger talking to three vampires and a Bennett witch," Caroline retorted with a smirk reminiscent of Damon's.

"How powerful are you?" Bonnie asked, professional curiosity overriding any lingering caution.

Caroline shrugged modestly. "Powerful enough. Siphoners are rare, heretics even rarer. It's why my brothers have kept me a secret for so long. That, and other... complications."

"What complications?" Elena pressed.

"None of your business," Damon interjected, moving further into the room. "And this little show-and-tell session is over. Caroline isn't getting involved in the Klaus situation."

"Why not?" Elena challenged. "If she can help us open the coffin—"

"Because I said so," Damon snapped. "Caroline stays off Klaus's radar. End of discussion."

Elena stood up, frustration evident in every line of her body. "So you're telling me we have a secret weapon against Klaus that you've been hiding all this time, and you won't let us use it? People have died, Damon!"

"And more people will die if Klaus finds out what Caroline is!" Damon shouted back.

Caroline watched the exchange with a calculating expression. "What exactly did Klaus do to Stefan?" she asked suddenly, cutting through the tension.

Elena deflated slightly. "He compelled him to turn off his humanity. Made him into the Ripper again."

Caroline's face darkened. She stood up, smoothing down her jeans. "I think I'd like to meet this Klaus person."

"Absolutely not," Stefan's voice joined the conversation as he entered from the kitchen. "Caroline, you promised to stay out of our problems."

"That was before I knew this Original hybrid turned my favorite brother into a monster again," Caroline replied, her voice deceptively light.

Damon made an offended noise. "Favorite? I thought I was your favorite."

Caroline patted his cheek as she walked past. "You wish."

"Caroline," Stefan caught her arm, his expression serious. "Klaus is dangerous in ways you can't imagine. He's obsessed with power, with creating hybrids. If he finds out what you are—"

"He'll what? Try to use me? Control me? Kill me?" Caroline challenged. "I've dealt with worse."

"No, you haven't," Damon insisted. "Not like him."

Caroline extracted herself from Stefan's grip with gentle firmness. "I appreciate the concern, really. But I'm a big girl, and I've been taking care of myself for a long time." She turned to Elena and Bonnie. "I want to see this coffin."

Elena looked triumphant. "I'll take you."

"The hell you will," Damon growled.

Caroline sighed dramatically. "Boys, you have two options. Either you take me to see this coffin yourselves, or I'll go with Elena. Your choice."

The brothers exchanged a look of frustration tinged with resignation. They knew their sister well enough to recognize when she wouldn't back down.

"Fine," Stefan conceded. "But we do this together, and you follow our lead. No heroics, no confrontations with Klaus."

Caroline smiled sweetly. "When have I ever been anything but perfectly behaved?"

Damon snorted. "Paris, 1902."

"Rome, 1955," Stefan added.

"Italy, 1987," they said in unison.

Caroline waved a dismissive hand. "Ancient history."

Elena watched this exchange with a growing sense of exclusion. The easy banter between the Salvatores spoke of decades of shared experiences and inside jokes – a history she wasn't part of. It stung more than she wanted to admit, especially seeing Stefan engage so naturally with Caroline when he'd been so distant with everyone else since breaking free of Klaus's compulsion.

"I'll get my grimoire," Bonnie announced, standing up. "If we're going to do this, I want to compare notes with another witch."

"Heretic," Caroline corrected with a wink. "And I'd be delighted to pick your brain, Ms. Bennett. Your family has quite the reputation in witch circles."

As they prepared to leave, Elena pulled Damon aside. "Why didn't you ever tell me about her?" she asked quietly.

Damon's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "Because Caroline is off limits, Elena. She's the one line neither Stefan nor I will ever cross. Not even for you."

The words hung between them, heavy with implication, as they followed the others out the door.

Chapter Text

The Mystic Grill was relatively quiet for a Thursday afternoon. Caroline sat at the bar, nursing a rum and coke while she waited for her brothers to return from their errand. Their attempt to open Esther's coffin had been unsuccessful, even with Caroline's unique abilities, but she'd sensed something about the magic that had left her intrigued.

"Another?" Matt asked, gesturing to her nearly empty glass.

Caroline smiled at the human bartender. "Please."

She came to the Grill alone, despite Damon and Stefan's protests. After spending two days cooped up in the boarding house, being analyzed by Elena and interrogated by Bonnie, she needed space to breathe. Her brothers' protectiveness, while touching, had always been suffocating.

As Matt returned with her drink, the door to the Grill opened, and Caroline felt a shift in the atmosphere. The unmistakable presence of power entering the room. She didn't need to turn around to know it was an Original.

"Hello, love," a British accent sounded at her shoulder moments later. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Klaus."

Caroline took her time turning on her barstool, keeping her expression carefully neutral as she faced the Original hybrid for the first time. He was handsome, she had to admit with dimples, full lips, and eyes that hinted at both cruelty and unexpected depth.

"Caroline," she replied, deliberately omitting her last name. "New in town?"

Klaus's lips quirked into an amused smile. "Not as new as you, I suspect. I make it a point to know all the vampires who pass through Mystic Falls."

He signaled to Matt, who reluctantly approached. "Bourbon, mate. And another of whatever the lady's having."

"I can buy my own drinks," Caroline stated, taking a sip from her glass.

"I'm sure you can," Klaus agreed easily, settling onto the stool beside her. "Consider it a welcome to Mystic Falls."

Caroline studied him over the rim of her glass. This was the man who had forced her brother back into the Ripper lifestyle, who had terrorized Elena and have killed countless others. She should hate him on principle. Yet there was something intriguing about him. A complexity her brothers had failed to mention.

"Thank you, but I won't be staying long," she replied, the lie rolling smoothly off her tongue.

Klaus accepted his bourbon from Matt with a nod. "That would be a shame. We don't get many new faces around here, especially ones as lovely as yours."

Caroline fought back a smile at the obvious flattery. "I'm sure you say that to all the vampire tourists."

"Only the beautiful blonde ones with sharp tongues," he countered.

Caroline allowed herself to really look at him then. This creature of legend who had been the bogeyman in vampire stories for a millennium. He didn't look like a monster at the moment, just a man with an appreciative gaze and dimples that shouldn't be as charming as they were.

"So, Caroline," Klaus continued, "what brings you to our little supernatural hotspot? Business or pleasure?"

"Family," she answered truthfully, watching his reaction carefully.

Something flashed across Klaus's features. Curiosity, perhaps. "Family? Now that is interesting. Most vampires I know have left their human families long behind."

"Who said anything about human family?" Caroline challenged, raising an eyebrow.

Klaus leaned slightly closer, his voice dropping. "Even more interesting. Anyone I might know?"

Before Caroline could respond, the Grill's door opened again, and she sensed her brothers' arrival before she saw them. The obvious displeasure on Damon's face as he spotted her with Klaus would have been comical under different circumstances.

"Caroline," Damon's voice was tightly controlled as he approached, Stefan close behind him. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

Klaus's posture changed subtly, a predatory alertness replacing his relaxed charm. "Salvatore," he greeted, his gaze flicking between the brothers. "I was just getting acquainted with the lovely Caroline here."

The tension in the air was palpable as Stefan moved to stand protectively at Caroline's other side. "Klaus," he acknowledged stiffly.

Caroline sighed, setting down her drink. So much for anonymity. "Well, this is awkward."

Klaus's eyes widened marginally as understanding dawned. He looked between the three of them, noting the similarities he'd somehow missed before – the same confident bearing, the protective stance of the brothers, the familiar way they flanked the blonde.

"Caroline Salvatore," he said slowly, testing the name. "The brothers never mentioned having a sister."

"No, they wouldn't have," Caroline replied, shooting an irritated glance at Damon and Stefan. "My brothers are rather selective about the family history they share."

Klaus's smile grew, genuine interest replacing his earlier casual flirtation. "Now that is truly fascinating. A secret Salvatore sibling, hidden away all this time." He turned to Stefan. "After all our time together this summer, mate, I'm hurt you never mentioned her."

"Stay away from her, Klaus," Stefan warned, his voice low and dangerous.

"Or what?" Klaus challenged, standing now, all pretense of civility evaporating. "You seem to forget your position in the hierarchy, ripper."

Caroline stood as well, placing herself between Klaus and her brothers. "Enough. This is getting tedious." She turned to Klaus, offering him her most disarming smile. "It was nice meeting you, Klaus. Perhaps next time we can chat without the overprotective entourage."

Klaus seemed momentarily taken aback by her boldness, before his expression softened into genuine amusement. "I look forward to it, love." He directed a pointed look at Damon and Stefan. "Your sister has more courage than both of you combined. I like that."

With a final nod to Caroline, Klaus departed, leaving the three Salvatores in tense silence.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Damon exploded the moment Klaus was out of earshot. "Chatting up Klaus like he's some guy at a bar?"

"That's exactly what he is," Caroline retorted. "A guy at a bar. An ancient, homicidal guy, granted, but I've handled worse."

"No, you haven't," Stefan insisted. "Caroline, you have no idea what he's capable of."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I've heard enough stories. Besides, now that he knows who I am, avoiding him would only make him more suspicious. Better to let him think I'm just your normal vampire sister with nothing special about me."

Damon looked unconvinced. "And when he inevitably discovers otherwise? Klaus collects supernatural rarities like trading cards, Care."

"Then we'll deal with it," Caroline replied firmly. "But hiding me away hasn't exactly worked out so far, has it?" She softened her tone, seeing the genuine worry in her brothers' eyes. "I promise to be careful. But I'm not leaving Mystic Falls yet, not when you two are in the middle of this mess."

Stefan's jaw tightened, but he nodded reluctantly. "Just... don't go anywhere alone for a while. Klaus will be watching now."

"Fine," Caroline conceded. "But I'm not staying locked in the boarding house either."

As they left the Grill together, Caroline couldn't help glancing back, half-expecting to see Klaus lingering in the shadows. The Original hybrid was dangerous, yes, but there was something in his eyes when he looked at her – something beyond the predatory interest she was used to seeing in powerful men.

It was curiosity, she realized. And perhaps a hint of loneliness that resonated with her more than she cared to admit.