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She went to Canada. Why Canada? Well it didn't exactly scream supernatural hub and she'd heard things about poutine. Montreal had been alright, but she had moved on after a few months. Playing tourist in Toronto was fun. She adored the view from the top of CN Tower and cooed over the snow leopards at the zoo. Her plans for finding the best poutine in the city, possibly the province, went ass over tea kettle when she stumbled into a bar to get out of the rain.
Caroline grimaced as she shook out her hair, grumbling about incorrect weather forecasts. A quick scan revealed she was the only vampire she could detect. Unsurprising but checking was second nature. She had run into more then one territorial vampire in her travels. She made her way to the bar, wrinkling her nose. One of the patrons must work on a farm or something. Taking a seat, she smiled at the barkeeper when he came over.
“Well you’re new. Welcome to the Dal Riata. Fitzpatrick McCorrigan of Clan Fin Arvin and keeper of this way station. But please call me Trick.”
Caroline smile, hiding her sudden wariness and confusion behind a sugar coated smile. “Caroline Forbes. Of the Mystic Falls Virginia Forbeses.”
His face fell. “You’re human. How did you get into The Dal?”
“I walked?” She purposefully ignored the first part of the statement, and silently kicked herself for ignoring her instincts.
“Who claimed you then?”
She was on her feet in an instant. “Claimed? No one owns me.”
“Everything alright Trick?”
Caroline turned to find a tall man looking down at her. Handsome enough, but entirely too much facial hair, though he could give Klaus a run for his money with that jawline. He took a breath and then froze, before taking another. “She’s human. How did she get in here?” He reached out and clamped his hand over her upper arm.
“Let go of me!” She refused to admit she panicked when she tore her arm out his grasp. He looked surprised that she had managed even that much. Deciding she had nothing to lose, Caroline let her monster out, fangs ripping her gums and black veins crawling under her skin. She had just a moment to watch the look of shock cross her attacker’s face before she sensed movement behind her. She whirled around and ducked back hissing at the one who called himself Trick. He stopped short, confusion evident on his face.
Caroline backed towards the door, taking in another deep breath. Then it hit her. "Wolf. You’re a werewolf? Seriously? I do not want to get bit again."
Dyson frowned. "Shifter. Not werewolf. How the hell do you know that? And you’re not human.”
“Neither are you!”
His eyes flickered up to the door behind her, just before she backed into something or well someone. If she hadn’t been a vampire, she probably would have ended up on the floor. A slim hand landed on her arm, helping to steady her.
“Wow you okay?”
A flash and her monster was tucked back against her bones and under her skin. She turned and looked up into deep brown eyes. “Sorry! I’m fine I’m just...” A touch on her skin and something hot and sweet was flooding through her. Lust overwhelmed her, more then even her monster was used to. It wasn’t the same creeping, sickly, helpless feeling of compulsion, but it was close, close enough to scare her. Caroline ripped her arm out from under the other woman’s hold, grabbed the brunette’s chin and used her own compulsion. “Don’t ever try to do that to me again.”
The eyes flashed blue, but it was a battle of wills and for a moment Caroline wasn’t sure the compulsion would take. And then she felt two arms wrap around her from behind as the man grabbed her and lifted her from behind, lifting her from her feet. “What did you do to her?”
“Get off of me!”
Caroline kicked back and the man grunted as he dropped her, but he was grabbing at her before she hit the ground or found her feet. Off balance she fell back into the bar. There was a burst of pain, then nothing.
She revived on an exam table. The first thing she became aware of was an argument audible even to human ears. Caroline lay still even as the thirst crawled through her veins as it always did after breaking her neck.
“I don’t know what to tell you Dyson. Every test seems to indicate she was human. Other then the fact that she had multiple blood types in her system. I would have said vampire, but there’s absolutely no trace of fae DNA. There’s also no trace of the fangs or the black veins you saw.”
“Alright. Get back to me with the autopsy results.”
“Of course.”
Autopsy? Wait they were talking about her? That was just a hard no. She cracked an eye before rolling off the table as silently as possible. The instant her feet hit the floor, the werewolf, sorry shifter, from the bar locked his eyes on her.
“You’re dead.”
“Didn’t stick. Never does.”
A blond woman, with a white lab coat looked half confused and half intrigued. “What are you? Some new kind of fae?”
“What the hell is a fae?”
The man made as if to move forward, but the blond lay a hand on his arm. “I’m Dr. Laura Lewis.”
She went to step forward, but this time the man stopped her. “Laura what are you doing?”
“Being polite. She’s obviously scared and from the sound of it everything she’s done has been defensive.” If Caroline had been human she would have missed the answer. Laura stepped forward and extended her hand.
“I’m sorry. We all seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
“Duh. They started this by grabbing me.” Caroline just looked suspiciously down at the extended appendage. “What are you?”
“Human. I’m just human.”
“What is a fae?”
“An earlier branch of evolution that predates humans.”
“I’m Caroline.” Gingerly she reached out and clasped the other woman’s hands. The pulse of blood beneath her fingertips had her dropping it nearly as quickly and backing away.
“Is everything okay?”
Well they already knew she wasn’t normal, but she knew they weren’t either. “Blood. I need to feed.”
“Blood? What are you? You’re not fae, but you’re not human either.”
Caroline closed her eyes for a microsecond. “I’m a vampire.”
“Vampires are fae, but you’re not fae.”
“Huh? No. Vampires were created by the Original Witch a thousand years ago. The spell didn’t quite do what she wanted it to do. I drink blood to survive after dying with vampire blood in my system.”
“Original witch?” The doctor stepped over to a fridge and pulled out a blood packet. She held it out to the blond, who looked down at it with a touch of concern. “It’s human. We keep it on hand for comparison in lab work and for any of our fae vampire patients. Better then them trying to feed on me.”
Hesitating for only a moment, Caroline reached out and snagged the bag. Like every time she fed, her monster crept across her skin.
“That’s fascinating. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Movement out of the corner of her eye, had Caroline dropping the blood bag on the exam table, all her attention focused on the other occupant of the room.
“Caroline this is Dyson. He’s a fae. A shifter. He didn’t mean to scare you earlier. It’s his job to protect the fae from human exposure.”
His gaze was inscrutable, but he held out his hand as he moved forward. “Humans aren’t supposed to be able to get into the Dal unless they’re associated with the fae in some way.”
The handshake was perfunctory and then Caroline grabbed the blood bag to finish the remaining third. “Well in my experience there is always a loophole.”
He rubbed his forehead. “One hell of a loophole. The rest of the fae are not going to like this. And what did you do to Bo?”
“Bo?”
“The woman from the bar.”
Caroline nearly threw down her empty blood bag. “Oh the one who tried to compel me? Just gave her a taste of her own medicine.”
“Compel? Bo’s a succubus. Her touch allows her to increase blood flow and release hormones to enthrall others.” Lauren looked concerned. “You managed to beat her touch?”
“When you become a vampire everything is heightened, especially your emotions. I’m a like a neurotic control freak on crack and what ever she did felt like compulsion’s sightly less creepy cousin.”
“Compulsion?”
Caroline licked her lips, her gaze flicking between the human and the fae. While it wasn’t wise to reveal all her secrets, compulsion was really a skill she avoided. “Vampires can compel humans to do just about anything, even manipulate their mind and memories. It’s not something I generally do, but she tried to whammy me first. Wait did you say she’s a succubus? As in...”
“Yes she feeds off of pleasure and sex. Chi.”
“Interesting. Now thanks for the meal, but if this little thing is done, I’d like to get going.”
“I’m afraid we can’t allow you to leave right now. I would like to give you a full check up. You were dead.”
“I’m a vampire. I died when I was seventeen. Now I’m eternally stuck in a gap year. Fast healing and not staying dead are part of the package.”
“Are you saying you’re immortal?”
“More or less.”
“Fascinating. I’d love to study the differences between you and vampires.” She caught the look Caroline leveled at her. “Sorry fae vampires.”
“I’m not a lab rat,” Caroline snapped, edging away.
A look of panicked embarrassment crossed Lauren’s face. “Oh no! I mean of course not. It was more of a hypothetical thought. Sorry.” She grimaced.
A few beats of silence followed. It is thankfully broken by Caroline's phone going off. She plunged her hand into the pocket of her skirts, looking more frantically when she couldn't find it.
“Looking for this?” Dyson's expression was neutral as he held out the evidence bag containing the ringing phone.
“Give me that!” She grabbed the bag, digging out her phone. She mumbled under her breath, “jerk." Ignoring the amused looks on his and the doctor's face, she answered the phone. “Hey Bonnie.”
“Care. You okay? You missed our time and then didn't answer my texts.”
“Yeah. I'm fine Bon. Just left my phone at a pub I ducked into to get out of the rain and just got it back. Actually I am kind of in the middle of something. Can I give you a call back tonight?”
“Sure. Normal evening time?”
Caroline glared at the shifter watching her. “Yes. I promise I won't miss this one. Or you can pull out the big guns if I do.”
“Alright Caroline. I trust you. Talk to you tonight.”
Relieved Caroline hung up. Bonnie might not have liked Klaus, but if she missed tonight’s call nothing would stop the witch from making that call. She thanked her lucky stars that they had had the foresight to set up code words before traveling. Her witchy best friend was alerted without tipping off her captors. She'd put good money on her working on a locator spell as they spoke.
“Big guns?”
Okay maybe the code words weren't as subtle as they could have been.
“My mother is a sheriff. Now I really must be going.”
“The Ash is going to want to speak to you.”
“The Ash?”
“Leader of the light fae. By this time word of another human at the Dal -one unclaimed- will have reached him.”
“Seriously? Not my problem. And as we've already proven. Not. Human. Vampire.”
“We can't have word of our existence getting out into the human world.”
“Oh please if that was really the concern you wouldn't have given me my phone back.” Tucking the hand holding her phone under the opposite arm, she held it out for her purse, which she now realize was sitting next to his feet. She knew he was watching her, even as she cataloged his movements, looking for an opportunity. Half smile on his face, the shifter handed it to her.
“Thanks.” Her voice was saccharine enough to rot teeth and dripping with disdain. She flounced by him, and didn't flinch when he tried to grab her. Deftly she side stepped it. “Are we really going to do this again?”
“All I ask is that you wait to speak to the Ash.”
“Look. It's not like you don't have just as much dirt on me as I have on you. It's not like most people know vampire and werewolves are actually running around. I have just as much to lose as any of you.”
"She has a point Dyson."
A silent conversation occurred between the doctor and the enforcer. He let out a heavy sigh. "The Ash is still going to want to speak to her."
Anything that might be said is cut off by a slight, short woman barging into the lab, followed closely by the woman from the bar. "Yo Doc. BoBo wants to know if you got anything on the dead girl? Given that..."
Her last sentence talked off as she started at Caroline, who glared back defiantly. "Anyone want to explain how the dead girl is standing here and you know NOT DEAD?!"
Caroline debated glaring but then plastered her Miss Mystic FallsTM smile on. “I’m sure these two can explain it to you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have places to be. Mainly not being here.”
Taking advantage of the rampant confusion, Caroline wooshed away. Time to get her stuff from her hotel and get out of the city or possibly even the country. Perhaps she’d even risk a call to Klaus for answers. But seriously this was Canada. This was not how things were meant to go. Too bad about the poutine thought.