AN: So, these are the drabbles I have posted on my lynyrdwrites tumblr at one point or another, and now they'll be posted here as well. No regular updates, just stories posted when I'm hit by fancy. Some may be connected, most aren't. I will always let you know in the author's note.

A Thousand Years

She had been his sunshine girl when they were humans. The beauty who had befriended his sister, and stood loyally by his side, even when he had taken her for granted and pined for Tatia like a foolish child.

When they became vampires, she had been the only one able to tame the monster within him, to keep him from slaughtering everyone with a pulse.

Thinking to keep his sunshine girl with him for eternity, he had turned her, and she had turned away from him in fear and disgust upon awakening, refusing to drink and finish the transition.

He had forced the blood down her throat.

She had claimed she would hate him for all eternity.

That night, he went on a murderous rampage. The next day, he killed his mother for binding away his werewolf gene.

By the time this had all occurred, she was already gone, determined to find a way to live with being a monster as far away from him as she could possibly get.

Creating the legend of the moon stone had been done for two reasons. One was the most obvious; Niklaus wanted to be a hybrid again, a state he had only enjoyed for a few short hours before it was taken from him. The second was a reason he told no one, not even his brother Elijah. He hoped, that if Caroline heard that Niklaus was seeking the moon stone, it might draw her out of wherever she had spent the last five centuries hiding, if for no other reason than to stop him out of spite.

Klaus was sure she would never succeed, of course, but he missed his sunshine girl, and he wanted her back.

But Caroline either never heard of the moon stone, or she didn't care enough to come out of hiding. And in the end, Katerina escaped Klaus' reach, though he took his revenge by slaughtering her family. Once finished, he was left to lick his wounded pride in private and regret that neither of his goals had been met.

With the doppleganger now a vampire and useless to Klaus, he turned his attention instead to the pursuit of his sunshine girl. Caroline hid well, but Niklaus almost caught her once, in the late 1800s. She had been spotted in London, and to London Klaus had went, intent on once again having Caroline at his side, only to discover upon his arrival that she had fled the city the previous night.

Klaus' brother, Kol, had forewarned her of his approach. For the betrayal, Kol received a dagger to the heart, putting him into stasis until Klaus decided he had suffered long enough.

And so it was that for a thousand years, Niklaus searched for Caroline, his beloved sunshine girl, never finding her until lucky chance brought them together once more in Mystic Falls.

And chance also brought him a new doppleganger.

DRABBLE

It had been surprisingly easy for Caroline to insinuate herself into the everyday life of Mystic Falls. With her youthful appearance and bubbly personality, she had easily taken to the role of high school cheerleader and all around over achiever.

Caroline had always felt that if you were going to do something, you had best do it right.

There had been a brief moment of turbulence when the Salvatore brothers had made their appearance, but Caroline had managed to sell herself as a newly turned vampire, the reason for her move to Mystic Falls. Stefan and Damon had only seen the mask she wore for everyone else, not the truth, and had easily bought her story. She wondered how they would have reacted if they had known that only the original vampires themselves were older than she was.

It would have been amusing, but far too dangerous. Caroline had never been into self-endangerment. If she had, she would have come out of hiding five centuries ago to put an end to Niklaus' hybrid dreams. Luckily for her, Katerina Petrova and proved to be self-sufficient and had saved her own skin. It had shown Caroline that while Katerina might share Tatia's love of playing brothers against one another, she was certainly smarter than the original doppleganger had ever hoped to be.

It had turned out to be an irritant to Caroline, in fact. Elijah had been surprisingly chatty with the pretty doppleganger, and Katerina knew of Caroline. Or, she at least knew that there was a female vampire that Klaus had been chasing after almost as desperately as he had the Petrova doppleganger and the moonstone. There had been moments when Caroline had thought Katerina might almost suspect something. A look in her eyes, that seemed suspicious, but the brunette had been too busy playing with the Salvatore brothers and Elena Gilbert, the latest living doppleganger, to actively investigate any flaws she might see in Caroline's cover.

So, Caroline had continued on with life. She had played the part of baby vampire, helped Tyler Lockwood survive his first transition to werewolf, and been loyal friend to Elena in the crusade against Katerina. Then, the undead doppleganger had dropped her bomb.

Elijah knew Elena existed. That meant that Niklaus did as well.

And so, Caroline's carefully crafted illusion of safety in Mystic Falls came crashing down around her.

DRABBLE

Surprised was a mild word for what Elijah felt when he saw Caroline again for the first time in a thousand years. He had believed he was meeting the latest doppleganger and Damon Salvatore in order to make a deal that would be beneficial to both parties, but the addition of the blonde his brother had loved and chased for so long left Elijah nothing short of gobsmacked.

"Hello, Elijah," Caroline said, as if mere days and not centuries separated this meeting and their last. "It's been a while."

Elijah regained his senses enough to notice that Damon was shooting Caroline irritated, suspicious looks, and it caused him to raise his brows.

"I'm surprised, Caroline. I never took you as one to keep company with those who find you untrustworthy. It was one of the things that drew my brother to you. Your dislike of untruths."

"It's been a thousand years, Elijah, and I've spent it running. People change," Caroline replied bluntly. "And Damon has reason to be distrustful. He's only recently discovered that I'm… a little older than I first said I was."

Damon snorted and muttered something about understatements, but Elijah ignored him in favour of carefully inspecting Caroline. People changed, but Elijah didn't even have to speak with Caroline to know that she hadn't changed as much as she would have him believe. She was still Caroline, Niklaus' sunshine girl.

"If you hadn't run, perhaps we wouldn't be standing here right now. You were always the only one to control him, Caroline."

Caroline turned her gaze from Elijah, and Damon and Elena both looked at her, Damon angry, Elena confused.

"What does he mean, Caroline?" Elena asked, and Elijah was reminded so very strongly of the Katerina he had known and fallen in the love with, the one who had been so very innocent before Niklaus had caused her such pain.

"They don't know of your history with Niklaus?" Elijah asked surprised. "That he's loved and searched for you for a thousand years."

"He didn't love me," Caroline snarled. "If he had, he would never have forced that blood down my throat. Besides… we never even kissed."

At those words, a longing distance entered Caroline's eyes, and it was as if Elijah had been transported back a thousand years, watching Caroline watch Niklaus as he broke her heart by pursuing Tatia. It had been a foolish infatuation for Niklaus. In the end, it had always been Caroline. Would always be Caroline.

"Besides," Caroline continued, snapping Elijah back to the present. "It wasn't my role to forever be Nik's keeper. It was my role to live my life and die a human. He stole that from me."

"A millennium, and you still hold a grudge for that?" Elijah asked.

"It's not just for that, Elijah. It's for Kol, too. He was just being a friend, and Nik daggered him for it." Caroline looked down at her hands. "I heard that he daggered Rebecca, too, about ninety years ago. What did she do to deserve that?"

"She fell in love and was going to leave," Elijah replied, carefully avoiding looking at Damon, whose brother, Stefan, was the one Rebekah had fallen for. "Niklaus dislikes anything he views as betrayal. It became even worse when you fled."

"I'll not feel guilty for that, Elijah. I did what I felt I had to. That's the end of it. Besides, this talk of the past is useless. If your plan succeeds, then what I felt for Nik and what he felt for me will no longer matter. He'll be dead."

"Are you okay with that?" Elijah asked, eyeing Caroline carefully. She above all others was most dangerous to this plan. Should she choose to betray them, to return to Niklaus, she would ruin everything, and she was just as old as Elijah. She would not be easily killed, even if he could bring himself to kill her.

Elijah felt almost ill to his stomach when Caroline's response was to look out the window and mutter a weak "yes."

DRABBLE

Elijah had known that Caroline wouldn't be able to let him kill Niklaus. He had known but hoped otherwise. Niklaus had daggered everyone Elijah loved, and Elijah could muster enough hate to kill him, but killing Caroline was going to break his heart. Once, a hundred lifetimes ago when they were all human, Elijah had felt Caroline was his sister, had hoped Niklaus would someday make the title official. Now he held a stake above her heart, ready to kill her as she glared back at him defiantly.

"They're not dead," Niklaus croaked out from where he was in werewolf transition several feet away. That caused Elijah to freeze, the stake in mid-air, and Caroline to turn her head to stare at Klaus in surprise.

"What?" Caroline was the first to recover her voice, and it was incredulous. "Who?"

"Kol, Finn, Rebekah. They're not dead. Don't kill her. Let me finish this, let her live, and I'll take you to them."

Elijah stared at his brother, who stared back at him. Niklaus' eyes were pleading him, begging him not to kill the girl he had loved for so very long. Elijah, who had barely had the heart to harm Caroline even before being offered such a tempting reason to let her be, released her.

"Elijah, no!" Stefan roared.

"You traitorous bitch!" was Damon's shout at Caroline. Caroline looked at the Salvatore brothers, her expression full of regret. She regretted that Jenna had to die, but she couldn't allow Niklaus to die as well. Caroline had tried to hold onto her hatred for a thousand years, but the fact was that when she transitioned, her love for him had strengthened. She could pretend to hate him while he existed, but to exist in a world where he wasn't?

It was beyond Caroline's scope.

She gave one last look at Elena's corpse, taking comfort from the fact that at least her friend would come out of this alive, so long as John Gilbert's plan worked, then she took off after Elijah, who was carrying the transitioning Klaus to safety.

The next three days were spent following after Niklaus and cleaning up his mess.

"Do you really expect him to forgive you your betrayal?" Caroline asked Elijah on the third night. "To forgive both of us?"

"He begged with me to spare you, so I imagine you are safe. As for me…" Elijah shrugged. "I suppose I'll have to hope for the best."

"The best" turned out to be a dagger to the heart, and Caroline was distraught.

"How could you?" she shrieked at him angrily, not even caring that Stefan and Katerina were present.

"He betrayed me, love. I had no choice," Klaus replied blithely, dusting his hands off.

"You daggered everyone that matters to him. What did you expect, Nik? Everyone has their breaking point."

"They do indeed," Klaus agreed, and suddenly he was in front of Caroline, his hand around her throat. "So very lovely. So very traitorous. I should kill you, Caroline. I should kill you for the thousand years you spent running from me. For planning to kill me. Give me a reason not to?"

"If you kill me, then that's it. I'm no longer in this world." Caroline's gaze was defiant. "That's the reason I couldn't kill you. Because hating you while you exist is possible, but living when you don't? I couldn't stand it. So here it is, Nik. The moment of truth. Elijah thinks you love me. I doubt it. Which is it?"

Nik released her throat and paced away from her.

"What is that you want?" he snapped at Stefan, trying to ignore Caroline.

"Damon's been bit. I hear you have the cure."

Klaus scoffed.

"I do. You can't have it. Go away."

"Wait, Niklaus," Caroline's grip was soft on his arm. "Damon was my friend. I know that may not matter to you, but please, for me, give him the cure."

"And what do I get in return, love?" Niklaus asked, turning to Caroline. His gaze was still angry, but it was also hungry, and Caroline knew exactly what she had to bargain with.

"Me. No more running, no more hiding, no more tricks. I'll stay with you until you don't want me anymore. Just give Stefan the cure. Whatever it is."

Klaus glared at Caroline, then snapped at Katerina.

"Katerina, come here."

Katerina did as she was told, and Klaus bit into her wrist. Stefan and Caroline both began to protest, but Klaus wasn't finished. He then bit into his own wrist, pressing it to Katerina's lips. Within moments, the bite was gone, as if it had never existed.

"My blood is the cure. Now I have to decide if you're worth it."

"Up to you. But if you don't take this deal, then first chance I get, I'm gone again. A thousand years since you last saw me, Niklaus. Shall we make it a thousand more?"

Klaus slashed his wrist and poured his blood into a vial, tossing it at Stefan.

"Take it, but after this I never see either of you again. Your brother, as well. If I do, I kill you."

Stefan opened his mouth, looking at Caroline and she could tell he was about to argue.

"Go, Stefan. Take the deal. You won't get a better one."

Stefan continued to stare at her, but Katerina dragged him away, and Niklaus and Caroline were left alone.

"Never," Klaus whispered. "Never threaten me like that again, love. You won't like the consequences."

Klaus' hand had wrapped around her throat again has he began to speak, but by the time he had finished it was wrapped in her hair and he was holding her in a desperate embrace.

"I loved you a thousand years ago," he whispered, his voice raw. "Though I was a fool and ignored it. That love never went away, it only got stronger. I will never let you go now, Caroline."

Caroline's arms slowly came up to wrap around Niklaus as well. She was hesitant. This Niklaus was different than the one she had known all those centuries ago, but his scent was the same, and as she breathed him in, she tightened her grip. Nik's lips came down and slanted over hers, and for the first time, ever, the two of them were kissing.

It was like fire. It was like magic. It was as if Caroline had been holding her breath for the best millennium and was only now able to breathe again. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, and Klaus pushed her back, until her back hit the wall. Her hands moved up to entangle themselves in his hair, and for the first time, Caroline could truly see the appeal of being undead. After all, never breathing meant never having to stop kissing Niklaus.

Sadly, all good things must end, and so did that wonderful, earth-shattering kiss. They broke apart, each staring at the other with something approaching wonder.

Then her gaze landed on Elijah.

She slowly, almost regretfully, pulled away.

"Undagger him, Niklaus. Undagger all of them. They are your siblings, and they deserve better."

"Caroline-" Niklaus began, his voice heavy with warning, but Caroline cut him off recklessly.

"Kol has paid for what he did, and I'm back now. As for Finn… it's been nine hundred years. Surely Sage has forgotten him by now. And if I'm going to be travelling with you, I want Rebekah. A girl needs girl talk every now and then. And as for Elijah…" Caroline looked at him. "All he wants is to be re-united with your family. Can't you let that happen?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Caroline," Klaus growled. "There are reasons I keep them daggered beyond what I view as their infractions. They aren't safe."

"You're the original family. Nothing but a white oak stake can actually kill you, and you burned the white oak tree."

"There is one thing left for us to worry about. Once I've taken care of that, then I'll undagger them. But not a moment before. Buck up, love, you and I are going on a trip to find some werewolves."

"You're not changing the subject, Klaus… although we will be talking about that werewolf thing. What else is there you could possibly have to worry about?"

Klaus's answer sent a chill through Caroline and brought back thousand year old memories, none of them good.

"Mikael."

AN: I had a phase where I was obsessed with the Caroline-as-an-original storyline. This was the brain child that resulted.

Most of these drabbles will be Karoline, but there will be other characters as well (I am rather fond of Katherine and Bonnie can be fun as well). If you have a prompt, you can send it to me at .com or leave it for me here in a review. I can't guarantee it will get done, but I will try.