Unbreak the Broken

I'll Be Your Shelter (I'll Be Your Armor)

Chapter title is from Rescue by Lauren Daigle

Caroline woke up feeling more refreshed than she had in a while. She'd gone to sleep after getting off the phone with Zach Salvatore. He'd agreed to her deal. Caroline wasn't surprised, but it definitely made everything much easier.

She had a few days until anything significant happened. Damon was desiccating in the Salvatore basement and nothing supernaturally important would happen for about four more days if she was remembering correctly. She would keep Zach from dying, keep Damon locked up, and prevent everything bad from ever happening. Things were just going a little too well. Caroline didn't plan on waiting around for the other shoe to drop. She was going to take a proactive role in her future and finally make some real changes.

Caroline got ready for the day ahead and drove to her first destination: Sheila Bennett's house. Something had always felt ominous about the witch's house to her when she was younger. Walking up to it now she realized that it was wards. She felt like she was being watched because she was. Caroline recognized the feeling easily. The Bennett matriarch always knew exactly who was on her property. Caroline didn't like it there.

Her footsteps clicked against the stone walkway loudly. All of the trees on the small property were dead or almost dying. The dreary,cloudy weather certainly didn't create a comforting atmosphere either. She heard what sounded like corvids cawing from the trees. Caroline never felt comfortable coming here around Bonnie's Grams.

The door opened just as she knocked. It was almost creepy. Sheila Bennett stood in the doorway impatiently.

"Come in, child," She said. "We don't have all day."

Caroline followed her into the house. Even the inside was a little spooky. Peeling wallpaper. Creaking floorboards. Dim lights. She didn't know how bright, fun-loving Bonnie could have spent so much time in a place like this. The sitting room was the same as the rest of the house - normal, if not slightly creepy.

"You're different than you were when we last spoke."

Caroline stayed quiet, so Sheila continued. "The spirits like to talk, but around you, they only whisper. I believe you have something for me?"

"Oh," Caroline went to dig in her purse. "This belongs to you, I think, Ms. Bennett."

"No, this belongs to Emily, but I'll keep it just the same."

When she took the necklace from Caroline something in the air shifted. Caroline could hear whispers for a moment, and she felt a draft on the back of her neck. With all of the windows closed, Caroline knew that it was magic. She'd fixed something broken, and the spirits would remember that. Caroline wasn't sure that she wanted them to.

The Bennett witch seemed unsettled by the reaction to Caroline handing over the necklace. She likely knew what the spirits were saying, and Sheila Bennett seemed to want to part in it.

"I think it's time for you to go."

No, Caroline was here for a reason. She had questions and needed a witch with answers. "Wait, I still need your help."

"You're involved in vampire business. What ever trouble you're starting, keep me and my family out of it."

Caroline wanted to protest further, but she also wanted to get the fuck out of that house, so she left. She was disappointed but she knew other witches who could help her. It was probably for the best. Caroline got into her car with a sigh, this was the start of a very long day.

Her next stop was the library. She needed access to a computer, and she certainly didn't own one at sixteen. Caroline had people to contact. Katherine spent the last 500 years disappearing, so getting ahold of her wouldn't be easy. Instagram wasn't invented yet, but she bet Mason Lockwood had a Facebook account. She created her own fake account and found his profile. She took a minute to send him a message that would hopefully get her attention.

User88462 - You're Kathy's boyfriend right? Let her know I found the moonstone. She can contact me at 540-555-2428. Maybe we can make a deal

It would take Katherine a while to respond, if she ever did. Which gave Caroline plenty of time to actually hunt down the moonstone.

Caroline spent the next couple hours finding information. She looked for the address of an old building in New York that Kol told her about, contacted a woman she knew to be a witch through a mildly shady website, and then went looking for Elijah.

It was difficult to find supernatural spaces online, especially since she was familiar with ones from the future. She tried to find a few web pages that apparently didn't exist yet. Caroline was almost ready to give up before she came across a forum that was rife with activity. She had to create an account, but she soon found herself in a chatroom with several hundred users. She decided something vague was best and sent a message.

CareBear_555 - Looking to get in contact with Elijah M. Please PM me with information

The chatroom that had been full of incoming messages went quiet. No one was typing anymore. Caroline wondered if she made a mistake. People were always wary of the Mikaelsons. She sighed and switched tabs on the desktop.

Caroline ordered aconite seeds and a better knife for whittling. She double checked Facebook and the chatroom but still found no reply on either. Anxiety began to creep through her spine and up the back of her neck. She could almost feel someone's eyes watching her. She turned to look but found nothing.

Caroline gathered her belongings, logged off the computer, and left. She tried to physically shake off her unease as she walked, but it didn't work. Caroline hurried to her car, but something across the street caught her eye as she climbed in. Standing on the sidewalk was Damon Salvatore, watching her.

She didn't stop to stare. Caroline left as quickly as she could. When she looked back, he was gone.

When Caroline got home, she went straight to her room. She found one of her notebooks and began compiling a list. She needed to create a list of people to save. Part of her wanted to sort it based on priority, but Caroline couldn't bring herself to decide between her loved ones and the people she needed to rescue for the fate of the supernatural world. She decided to sort it based on whoever the fluff came to her mind first.

Mom

The Mikaelsons

Stefan Salvatore

Sheila Bennett

Dad ?

Tyler Lockwood ?

She'd add more to that list later. She flipped a couple pages and started another list.

Swap the MoonstoneKill the Tomb VampiresKill ShaneWake KolDestroy the White OakDon't Let Elena TurnDon't Let Jeremy Get the MarkKill Esther

Once Caroline was satisfied with her plans she decided to relax. Nothing bad was going to happen until Halloween, and she had a plan for that too.

Nothing bad was going to happen.

Nothing at all.

Why did it feel like she was forgetting something?

Caroline went to sleep early. Her phone buzzing didn't wake her. Neither did the footsteps beneath her window. That night, Caroline slept like the dead.