𝟏• 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 | 𝐓𝐕𝐃 ✓

SEVENTEEN [UNEDITED]

Aurelia opened her eyes and stared up at the white ceiling above her for minutes after she woke up, the sun rays hitting her blue eyes. With the lack of emotion on her face that moment, and how still she was, anyone would have presumed her dead.

At least Caroline did when she walked into the room.

Aurelia was still comforting her after 10 minutes.

"Don't do that ever again!" She exclaimed furiously. Aurelia sheepishly smiled and nodded once, lightly patting Caroline's back.

"I only zoned out." She said. "Besides, I would have been gray-" Caroline shot her a deadly look, resulting in her stopping mid-sentence.

"Well at least you had your ring on when Kol killed you." Caroline stated, as Aurelia looked down. "You're still mad at him, aren't you?"

Aurelia heaved a sigh, pulling her hair behind her ears. "On the contrary, I'm not really mad at him." She started. "There's no point wasting anger on a guy, of all the things in the world. Yes, I'm upset that he did whatever he did, but as I thought about it, I realized that he didn't actually love me."

"What?"

"Those declarations of love weren't as genuine as he thought." She explained. "If he loved me, then he wouldn't have killed me. He was probably just obsessed. Like Damon was with Katherine." Caroline nodded with understanding.

"So that means you've patched things up with Stefan?" She asked. Aurelia didn't answer. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't pry." She said, getting up. "Now, come on. There are pancakes for breakfast. Plus, mom's here for a while!"

!

Liz Forbes grinned as she talked with her niece and daughter in a way that she couldn't for a very long time- or in Aurelia's case, never. Caroline had excused herself to go shower, while Aurelia had just finished up her food.

"Let me take those." Aurelia offered, taking the plates to the sink.

"Aurelia, you don't have to." Liz protested. Aurelia shook her head.

"It's not a problem. Besides, you have a long day of work." She said, before turning the faucet on. As the clear water ran onto and off the plates, filling them up, she took one and placed her hand under the running water, only to scream.

"It's vervain!" She exclaimed, looking at her aunt.

Liz immediately stood up and walked to her, observing the burn mark on her skin as it healed itself. The two shared a worried look before muttering, "Caroline."

As if on cue, an ear-piercing shriek ran through the house, and the two made a dash to the bathroom, knocking rapidly on the door. It soon opened, revealing Caroline.

A very burnt Caroline at that.

!

Aurelia knocked on the door of the Salvatore Boarding House again impatiently, waiting for someone to open the door.

When someone did, Aurelia raised an eyebrow. "Klaus, what on Earth are you doing here?"

Klaus only gave her a smile. "Good Morning, Aurelia. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to be taking care of Damon." He answered; his British accent thick.

"Why?"

"He's still under Kol's compulsion to kill Jeremy." He answered, letting her inside.

"Oh. He didn't remove the compulsion?"

"Actually, I was going to call you and ask you to convince him to do exactly that."

"We fought and he killed me." She summarized. "I don't think he'll listen to me." She dropped her bag of essentials on the ground and placed a hand on her head. "Besides, it's about Silas and the cure. He wouldn't listen to me, mad or not mad." She finished, spinning around and looking at Klaus, who walked past her into the living room. "Do I come with you?" She asked, unable to understand what she supposed to do.