Hello! I'm new in the network and this is my first attemp at FanFiction (at least first time I ever completed a chapter of anything and posted it anywhere). So, I'd appreciate your comments and if it gets a good response then I'll post a CHAPTER II soon. Well, I hope you enjoy it!

Mark My Words

CHAPTER I. Perception of Time

Graduation was over, the pictures were taken, and the caps had long ago fallen to the ground. Caroline's decision was made. All that was left, really, was saying goodbye. As she sat in the living room couch at the boarding house with both Stefan and Damon, Caroline explained to them her reasons for leaving, the same reasons she had already repeated to herself every time she started having second thoughts, which happened to be every two minutes.

"Listen," –Caroline was getting tired of explaining herself – "Elena is not gonna change her mind any time soon. The cure is out of the question now and we've already proven no good can come out of trying to 'convince' her to turn her emotions back on."

Convincing Elena to feel again had resulted in a trail of dead bodies that Caroline had to help bury. Pushing her any further would only raise the body count. Thanks, but no thanks, Caroline said to herself.

"We can't give up on her now, Caroline," Stefan said, pleading with his intense puppy eyes. He was sitting in the arm chair across from Caroline in his persuasive pose, the one he always took when he was trying to make her see his point. Oh, come on! Don't look at me like that, Stefan!

"My little brother here is right for a change," Damon added after taking a zip from his scotch. He strolled from the mini bar to stand next to where Stefan was sitting, drink in hand. "It'll take all of us if we want to get Elena back. And that includes you, Vampire Barbie." He smirked at the blonde in his self-sufficient way.

Caroline threw her hands up.

"Ugh, there's no point!" She leaned back on the couch pondering how to0 make them see where she was coming from. She didn't want them to think she didn't love Elena any more. Well, Damon could think whatever he wanted for all she cared, but not Stefan. She very much cared what Stefan thought of her.

"Am I saying we should give up on her? No. All I'm saying is…" Caroline searched for the right way to put it into words. She suddenly remembered something he had once told her. "All I'm saying is you have to adjust your perception of time when you're a vampire."

Agreeing with Klaus out of all people, how low she had sank to.

"Well, look at our baby vampire, dealer of ancient wisdom," Damon sassed her. "We're older, therefore smarter. Don't talk to us about time perception."

Stefan remained silent, like he was pondering over what Caroline had just said, so she decided to ignore Damon and talk directly to him instead. She leaned forward and looked him in the eye, trying to get to his soul, his heart.

"She will come back to us one day, Stefan. I know she will, I trust her, but it's not going to be today or tomorrow, and you know it. I just can't see her destroy herself like that anymore. And I can't risk her hurting my mom out of spite, or me for that matter. I have to get away, Stefan. And I think you do, too." I probably shouldn't have said that, she thought. Caroline cut Stefan before he could protest her last sentence. "That's not for me to decide," she said, getting up. "I can only control whatI do, and I'm leaving."

Stefan got up as well but he still didn't seem convinced leaving Elena to run wild without her emotions was the right thing to do.

"We can keep tabs on her if you want," Caroline said, "but this, what we're doing, is not working, Stefan. She'll start feeling again when she's ready." She looked her friend in the eye. Someone had to say it. Even Damon needed to hear it. "I think we should all be ready to face the fact that even when her emotions come back, she won't be the same person she was. You're not the same you were before you turned, are you? Neither am I. Why should she be any different? You need to grieve the Elena you loved because she's gone. The Elena you both loved."

Damon had an uncharacteristic expression on his face. He looked sad; sad and vulnerable. Caroline thought maybe this was the side of him he only showed to Elena, the reason she could love him. When Damon realized Caroline was looking at him, he quickly composed himself clearing his throat a bit before plastering his nonchalant mask back on his face.

"This is ridiculous," Damon protested, going across the living room to sit on the other arm chair, away from Caroline. "Go, don't go, Barbie. I don't care. Do whatever you want, Elena will be fine."

"Look, Damon," she said putting a little too much force into his name. "You didn't know Elena before her parents died. She could be a stubborn little bitch sometimes, all right? I loved her then and I do now but facts are facts. And the fact is that she needs to deal with this on her own if she's ever going to be a normal vampire, whatever that is. She can't keep counting on the two of you coming to save her all the time, or fixing her. Isn't that how this whole mess started? You sire-bonded her into turning her humanity off instead of letting her make her own decisions!"

Things were escalating quickly and Stefan thought it best to intervene before his brother had a chance to retaliate.

"Caroline, I can't tell you to stay," Stefan said. The blonde vampire let out a strong breath and closed her eyes for a moment trying to calm herself. When Stefan got her attention, he continued, "I understand what you're saying, and all I can do is say that I'll miss you and that please take care."

Caroline could see his smile was a strain but she knew it was sincere.

"I'll miss you too, Stefan. I owe you more than you know," she said, reaching over to hug her friend tightly.

Caroline heard Damon protest with disdain, right before he left the living room at vampire speed. She pulled away from Stefan's embrace to wipe a tear half way down her cheek.

"So…" Stefan said with a deep voice. He cleared his throat before continuing in a somewhat cheerful tone. "When are you leaving?" he asked.

"Tomorrow"

The next morning Caroline opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling above her bed. She wasn't exactly waking up since she hadn't slept much. It was more like checking to see if it was finally a decent hour to get out of bed. She glanced over to the blinking red neon numbers on her nightstand and read 5:36 A.M. She let out a whiny squeal and punched the soft covers of her bed in frustration.

"Forget it, I'm going out," she said to the room, and lifted the covers to jump out of bed.

Caroline was emotionally exhausted from yesterday. After talking to Stefan and Damon she'd met with Matt, and then with Bonnie. That last one didn't go too well. Bonnie was almost as unrecognizable as Elena, there was something dark about her now. It was even worse because Bonnie's darkness seemed to be lurking behind her poker face, which to Caroline felt far more dangerous than Elena's outspoken war against feelings and all things human. Every time she looked at Bonnie now, she couldn't help but picture her with those white vacant eyes surrounded by twelve dead witches in a dark forest.

The witches I killed, Caroline reminded herself.

She felt the guilt build up inside her again and fought to keep it down. Maybe it was a little unfair to be judging Bonnie, or Elena, or him, for doing some things that were less than good. Terrible things, her memory corrected.

After a good half hour, Caroline was ready to go. She wore a navy blue running outfit that wrapped around her like a glove, and her messy I-just-woke-up hair now rested neatly in a thick blonde braid over her right shoulder. She clasped a small white fanny pack around her waist and started packing her essentials. She'd decided to go for an early run around town… at human speed. Not that she needed the exercise now that she was a vampire, it was just one those things that still felt good, like eating or sleeping. Besides, she just wanted to get out of the house.

The cold morning breeze hit Caroline's face when she stepped on the front porch. As she ran, she started thinking about the bus she'd be taking later that day. Everything was already set for the trip. Caroline had been accepted at a college in California, and quite frankly she was looking forward to the change of weather. What was the point of a daylight ring if she couldn't hit the beach every once in a while, right?

Caroline came out of her thoughts to realize that she was already reaching the town square. All right, maybe she wasn't going at a very human speed after all. She sat down on one of the benches in the square, pulled her legs up and folded them like a lotus flower. She was sitting right in front of The Grill, and it occurred to her that this was the same bench where he had asked her about her hopes and dreams. Ugh! Pry much? What did he care about her hopes and dreams? Sure, he was the first person to ever ask her about them, but still...

She tried to shake him from her mind. She didn't like thinking about Klaus, because when she did, he would always grow a little bit more on her and that wasn't right. That wasn't right at all. Klaus was still the reason why Tyler had to leave her. Maybe she could go find Tyler now. Then again, he hadn't asked her to join him or to go looking for him one day. That still bothered Caroline even if she wouldn't admit it to anyone, including herself.

Caroline looked at her watch, it was almost 8 a.m. She didn't want to run anymore, but it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go either. There was nothing left for her to do in this town. That's why she was leaving in the first place. No more dance committees, no more cheerleading competitions, not even Tyler anymore. Nothing but her friends, and she'd already dealt with all of them yesterday. All except Elena.

Caroline wondered if she should talk to Elena. I mean what for? She's only going to push my buttons until I throw her through a wall. Caroline was trying to get away from all the drama, not looking for more. No, she didn't need to say anything to Elena. Caroline felt a pang of anguish in her chest. She took out her phone and hit the speed dial. After a few minutes she heard the sleepy answer on the other side of the line.

"What?"

"Elena? Hi. Listen, we need to talk."

"Isn't it a little early for an intervention Caroline? I'm sure whatever I did you can rant about it later."

"It's not about that, okay? I just need to tell you something."

Caroline made a conscious effort to keep her words neutral. Talking to Elena these days was like dealing with a wild animal. You made the wrong move and she would either run for the hills or kill you.

"It's something you need to know, Elena. Your choice," Caroline prompted. Maybe if Elena thought there was something in it for her then she'd agree to meet Caroline.

The line was silent for 3 seconds before Elena spoke again.

"Fine," she said. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Where are you right now?"

"The Mikaelson's."

"What?!" Caroline was shocked. Apparently Elena has turned off her common sense along with her humanity. "What are you thinking, Elena?!"

"I like it here," Elena said dismissively.

Caroline could just picture her raising her shoulders with indifference. God! She's annoying like this! It was like talking to a wall, an obnoxious, emotionless, reckless wall.

"Besides," Elena continued, "being surrounded by Originals seems to keep Damon and Stefan off my back."

Caroline wanted to yell at her, remind her how dangerous it was to get involved with Klaus and Rebekah, even with Elijah now that he and Katherine were… Ugh! Did Elena forget that she and Jeremy had recently killed their brother Kol? More importantly, had they forgotten?!

Caroline took a deep breath and tried to remember why she'd called Elena. She decided against pointing out her friend's stupidity, which – she thought – might be pointless anyway.

"All right, I'll meet you there." She suddenly remembered Klaus would probably be there. It was his house. For some reason she didn't want to face Klaus. "Wait for me outside, okay?"

Caroline hung up and put the phone back with a sigh. She missed her old Elena so much but she'd get her back someday –she had to.

The town was pretty much deserted except for the occasional runner and some cars, so the blonde got up and walked casually across the square to a narrow alley. When she felt safely out of everyone's sight, Caroline set off towards the Mikaelson Mansion at the most of her speed.

The morning was clearing outside the window of his study. He'd been in there all night unwilling to rest, pacing the floor, smashing the occasional glass in a moment's rage. Now he sat in that leather chair, his back to the desk, just staring out the window and holding an empty glass of whisky against his forehead. He head was swirling with flawed plots and unconvincing threats. He had to come up with something to protect his family, he always did. It was just too much at once this time. Just when he was up to his nose with Silas and that bloody cure, then Elijah had come with word of an uproar in New Orleans.New Orleans of all places! His lips puckered even tighter. The last thing he needed was to go back to that town now.

Klaus was about to smash the glass in his hand when he heard noise coming from the stairs. He turned his chair around slightly towards the door. Someone was up, probably Elijah. Good, he thought, getting up and placing the glass gently on the desk, I need to talk to him about this. Klaus opened the door of his study just as he heard the front door opening… and closing again. Klaus frowned.

"Where is Elijah going so early?"

This was not the time to be betrayed by his older brother. He was about to open the front door to go after Elijah and demand an explanation when he heard someone talking right outside. It wasn't Elijah. He let go of the handle and instead moved to the big paneled window next to the door. He pulled the light curtain aside a bit and peered out. It was Elena on the front porch with her back to the house looking over at something on the other side of the lawn. Klaus couldn't see what or who it was, but it didn't take long before she came running into view and stopped abruptly but graciously in front of Elena, a few loose strands of her blonde hair still fluttering in the air before laying back down to frame her face. It was Caroline.

He gazed at her serious face from the window, and his brow relaxed as the corner of his mouth pulled up in a mischievous half-smile. She looked lovely when she tried to frown like that. He dropped the curtain back down to hide himself but decided to stay and listen. He needed to know what brought Caroline to his house. A man could hope.

"Hey," he heard Caroline say softly. It was not a cheerful greeting, more like nostalgic and mournful. Had something happened to her?

"What do you want?" Elena replied coldly.

That's right, Klaus thought while remembering the scene at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, these two are not exactly friends anymore.

"I came to say goodbye, Elena. I'm leaving town tonight."

"What do you mean you're leaving town?" Elena spoke Klaus' mental question. "Is this about the cure again? Because –"

"It's not about the cure, Elena. God! Would you just listen?"

Klaus took a peek outside and saw Caroline had her fists clenched and her head towards the sky. She was clearly losing her temper.

"I just came because I know that one day you're going to snap out of it and I don't want you to think then that I just gave up on you and left, okay?"

"You're wasting your time, Caroline. I don't care if you go. I don't care about anything, remember?"

"Yes, I know that. But I also know you, the real you. Not the idealistic Elena that Stefan wants or the unbearable Elena that you're trying to be now. The real Elena, my friend. Human or vampire, I know who you are, Elena, and I also know you'll be that again someday. I'm just not waiting around for you to do it; I'm letting you get to it on your own. And when you do, remember this and give me a call."

Klaus listened silently, marveled by this rare opportunity to listen to Caroline pour her heart out. He smirked pitifully. If only she would do that for him, if only he deserved that kind of concern from her, that kind of love. Elena's voice interrupted Klaus' pity party.

"Look, Caroline, I don't know what you expect to get from me but it's not gonna work. I have nothing for you."

Elena said this with no trace of sarcasm in her voice, just plain old indifference. She was a breathing robot.

"Yes, well, I said it and… that is all I came here to do." Caroline's voice was strong now, determined.

"Then if you're finished, I'm going to find myself some breakfast. Maybe there's still a newspaper boy biking around somewhere." And with that Elena was gone.

Caroline was standing straight as an arrow and Klaus watched her chest go up and down slowly as she took strong breaths in and out. Then her breathing became faster, desperate, and Klaus raised his sight from Caroline's chest to her face. She was trying to hold back tears, her mouth slightly open as it usually was when she was distressed about something. Suddenly, her legs gave in and Klaus thought she would fall to the ground, but instead she took some wobbly steps backwards and reached behind her for one of the big white pillars that held the porch roof. She rested her back against it, her palms soaking the cold of its surface, and she let herself drop slowly to the base of the pillar, eyes closed.

Klaus was still next to the window watching her. Lovely Caroline. He remembered the way she smiled last time she'd been there in his house after the white oak stake debacle, courtesy of one mind-controlling Silas.

"Friends then?" he had asked her. She hadn't exactly said yes, but that smile… Hmm. That smile was all he needed for now. Klaus' lips puckered again as he pondered what to do next. He didn't want to intrude in what was clearly a private moment, but then again she said she was leaving today, which meant he wouldn't see her again for a while. He couldn't pass on an opportunity to talk to Caroline now that those were to become non-existent.

Klaus opened the door quietly and stepped out on the porch. As he did, Caroline jumped to her feet, ready to defend herself. Her eyes darkened and her fangs came out.

"It's you," she said, relaxing. The veins around her eyes receded and she pulled back her fangs.

"Well, this is my house, Caroline," said Klaus.

She was getting flustered. He liked that.

"Right, I forgot about that for a second."

"So, I hear you're leaving town soon."

"You heard that?" Caroline glared at him.

"If you don't want me to hear your conversations, love, then may I suggest you have them elsewhere?" Klaus swayed towards her holding his hands behind his back and for almost every step he took, Caroline would take a step backwards.

Klaus knew he made her nervous. What he didn't know was whether it was due only to his tendency of doing atrocious things, or if it was something else making Caroline uneasy when he got too close. Again, a man could hope.

"I didn't mean to come here, but since you're hosting Elena… Which by the way, Klaus," Caroline's gaze turned menacing and she walked towards him pointing a finger at his chest, "if you hurt her, I swear I will –"

"Easy there, love. I have more important things to deal with now than the doppelganger. As long as she stays out of my way, I'll stay out of hers."

As he spoke he moved closer to her narrowing the gap between them. They held each other's gaze for a couple seconds before Caroline shied away.

"Good," she said, taking a step back. Caroline looked up at him and decided to be slightly less abrasive this time. "If you must know," she added, "then yes, I am leaving Mystic Falls tonight."

"Looking for young Tyler, I presume," Klaus said sarcastically.

"No," she denied quickly. Klaus could have sworn she looked offended. "Thanks to you I don't know how to reach him. I'm just… getting away."

Klaus smiled a little. He had told her once that the small town life wouldn't be enough for her. I guess I was right then. He figured it was best not to tell her that at the moment.

"What are you smiling about?" Caroline asked, suspicious.

"Oh, nothing, love" he said but that just made his smile wider until it reached his dimples. Klaus gave up and left out a chuckle.

"Hey!" she protested. Caroline shoved him playfully on the chest. "Stop that!"

"I´m sorry!" Klaus let out the words half laughing. He tried to put on a serious face but failed miserably.

"Are you serious?" Caroline seemed to be getting annoyed now, so he decided it was best to end it before she got mad. He managed to pull himself together.

"All right. There," he said. "No more laughter."

"Well, I should go."

Caroline started to turn but Klaus got in front of her blocking her way. He reached for Caroline's braid which had fallen behind her back and placed it gently over her shoulder. He was careful not to touch anything but her hair since he could feel Caroline stiffening at his proximity.

There was a strawberry scent coming off from her braid and Klaus let his fingers slip down beyond the thin blue elastic band that held her braid together. He stopped for a moment at the blonde curl where it ended holding it between his fingers before lowering his hand all together and pulling it behind his back. Caroline's eyes followed his every move without a word.

"Take care of yourself, Caroline," he said. "I would hate for you to die before I had a chance to make good on my promises to you."

Caroline met his eyes. She was surprisingly calmed as she spoke, her voice also soft but sweeter.

"Yes, well, don't die either. I'm your blood line, remember?"

Klaus smirked at her.

"Right, of course," he said.

It was nice talking to her like this. She was the kind of person he needed: bright, playful, trustworthy… Of course it didn't hurt that she was absolutely stunning. Klaus knew he couldn't keep her in his porch forever but he also knew his history with Caroline Forbes was far from over.

"When you're ready to see the world with me, remember the offer still stands. Time does not run the same for us, love."

"Good bye, Klaus," she said and she turned to walk down the front steps.

"Good bye, Caroline."

Caroline took one last look at him when she reached the lawn. She wasn't smiling at him but she wasn't angry or sad either. She looked peaceful. Then she turned away and raced until she disappeared from Klaus' sight.

"Mark my words, love. One day, you and I..."

She wasn't there to hear it but he didn't need her to. And with that Klaus turned back inside the house.