Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of the show characters.

A/N: So there's a few things you should keep in mind going into this. I've only seen the first couple of episodes of TO, so consider anything from TO to be erased in this story because I don't know the details. Hope/Hayley SL doesn't exist and Freya/Marcel will likely be OOC because I haven't really experienced their characters more than snippets here and there on Twitter/Tumblr. There are tons of stories that focus on the build up of KC, but I'd rather explore them as a couple including their ups and downs and Caroline's integration into the Mikaelson mob. :)

Warnings:

1) If you love the Salvatores, my stories won't be for you because I usually kill them or get rid of them somehow in anything I write because they're completely pointless to me.

2) If you object to changes in canon to suit my purposes, probably not for you either.

3) I have the first 10 or so chapters written already, they just need to be edited, so I likely won't take any requests or changes into account until after that point.

Otherwise if it's not for you, there are plenty of other stories out there to try.

I haven't posted any multi-chapter stories for years so please be kind :)

THIS PHOTOGRAPH

Chapter 1

Set five years after season 6 and nothing else from canon happened except no sleeping beauty SL for Elena…

Caroline couldn't believe she was doing this. She didn't even really like Rebekah - she rolled her eyes at her own inability to stop caring about people, even the ones who didn't really deserve it. She snuck through the compound then finally picked up Rebekah's scent. She followed it into the most fabulous closet that Caroline had ever seen then spotted the original girl mulling over shoes.

"Hey." Caroline greeted and Rebekah whirled where she stood and arched a brow at her.

"Well, well." Rebekah said intrigued. "What brings you here?" She asked and Caroline sighed.

"I have no idea." Caroline muttered.

"Does Niklaus know you're here?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"No, I snuck in." Caroline replied amusing Rebekah.

"Well, the defences on this place are clearly rubbish." Rebekah quipped.

"Yeah, nobody who saw me even stopped me." Caroline agreed.

"I'll sort that." Rebekah remarked, stepping up to her. "So?" She asked expectantly and Caroline sighed.

"I was in a vampire bar in LA and I overheard this group of vampires plotting." Caroline began surprising Rebekah. "They were talking about you." She advised and Rebekah stared at her, a bit shocked that Caroline had come to tell her that.

"What was the plot?" Rebekah asked.

"Wouldn't you rather just read it so you don't have any doubts that I'm trying to distract you?" Caroline held out her hand and Rebekah smirked.

"I'm not Nik. Distracting me wouldn't work and I can tell when someone's lying. You're not." Rebekah observed surprising Caroline.

"Alright, this woman called Estelle Lamont was rallying this group spouting a bunch of lies about you." Caroline explained surprising Rebekah.

"Estelle, eh? I poached her husband a century ago. She's never gotten over it." Rebekah smirked and Caroline snickered at Rebekah's antics. "How do you know they're lies?" She queried.

"You might be a total bitch but even you are not capable of torturing and murdering a child." Caroline pointed out and Rebekah looked taken aback.

"That's what she's saying about me?" Rebekah asked appalled.

"Yeah, she was saying that you killed her child and she's finally found a way to kill you." Caroline repeated.

"Bitch." Rebekah retorted annoyed.

"Hell hath no fury and whatever." Caroline quipped and Rebekah chuckled.

"True." Rebekah agreed amused. "What's the way to kill me?" She queried and Caroline opened her bag then pulled out a stake and Rebekah stiffened seeing the pale white oak wood as she watched Caroline like a hawk.

"Let's just say, I've gotten pretty good at being stealthy." Caroline said, holding out the stake to her and Rebekah took it, still watching her.

"Do you know if this was the only one?" Rebekah asked with furrowed brows.

"Yeah, she was telling the group that she had to do a witch like fifty favours to get that from her because it was the last one or something." Caroline agreed.

"Why did you do this?" Rebekah asked, still with furrowed brows.

"Figured you'd want a head's up that someone's plotting." She shrugged.

"No, I mean why do you care if I'm dead?" Rebekah asked bluntly and Caroline sighed with an eye roll.

"Because maybe if things had been different, we could have been friends." Caroline said and Rebekah stared at her. "We're not that different after all." She admitted and Rebekah considered that, knowing that the young vampire had a point. "Anyway." Caroline gave her a nod and turned to leave.

"Wait." Rebekah bid and Caroline turned back to look at her in surprise. "Where are your friends?"

"I don't have any." Caroline refuted surprising Rebekah then Caroline turned and walked out of the room while Rebekah stared at the stake knowing that Caroline could have given it to anyone, could have kept it for herself, could have let Estelle kill her… but she didn't.

XXXXX

Caroline was almost out of the side door where she'd snuck in when Rebekah appeared in front of her and Caroline looked at her curiously.

"Let's go for a drink." Rebekah suggested and Caroline considered that then gave her a nod.

"I could drink." Caroline smirked and Rebekah flashed her a wicked smile.

"Maybe many drinks." Rebekah accepted amused.

XXXXX

Klaus was wandering down Bourbon Street when he happened to glance into a bar and saw Rebekah there. He stopped a bit surprised to see her in a bar with a cocktail then he saw a blonde head sitting next to her and he froze - he would recognise every inch of her anywhere.

He was walking into the bar without a second thought then paused to take a deep breath when he finally saw her face before walking forward to the booth and they both looked up. Rebekah rolled her eyes while Caroline's expression remained neutral.

"What are you doing here?" Klaus asked intensely with furrowed brows looking a bit constipated amusing Rebekah as it was visibly difficult for him to be in Caroline's presence.

"Just catching up with Rebekah." Caroline replied and Klaus arched a brow at her.

"And since when do you do that?" Klaus queried.

"Since now apparently." Caroline answered amusing Rebekah.

"What's going on?" Klaus asked confused.

"Estelle had a white oak stake." Rebekah informed him and Klaus looked stunned.

"What do you mean 'had'?" Klaus asked seriously.

"Caroline stole it from her." Rebekah smirked and Klaus looked at Caroline surprised.

"She was planning to kill Rebekah?" Klaus tested.

"Mmhmm." Caroline nodded then sipped her cocktail.

"And?" Klaus pushed impatiently.

"And Caroline gave it to me." Rebekah said deviously and Klaus deadpanned at Caroline.

"What? She's not likely to lose her wolfie temper and kill you unlike some people. Don't be a worry wart." Caroline quipped and Rebekah chuckled while Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Where is it? It will have to be destroyed." Klaus said to Rebekah pointedly.

"Don't worry about it, I'll destroy it later." Rebekah waved her hand unconcerned.

"Don't worry about it?" Klaus asked incredulously.

"You should be more worried about the security in your compound. I walked in, walked past people and nobody stopped me to ask what I was doing there. I got into Rebekah's closet room without any issue." Caroline commented and Klaus looked displeased to hear that.

"While you are always welcome any time, love, that's rather disconcerting." Klaus said dissatisfied as he took a seat across from Caroline.

"I'm going to LA to kill Estelle and her lot, by the way." Rebekah remarked and Klaus arched a brow at Caroline.

"What were you doing in LA?" Klaus asked nosily.

"I was taking care of some business." Caroline replied vaguely.

"What business?" Rebekah asked nosily as well and Caroline shot her an amused look.

"I met with a witch in Vegas and she needed something in LA, so we had a deal." Caroline shrugged and they stared at her.

"When did you leave Mystic Falls?" Klaus asked confused.

"Three years ago." Caroline answered surprising them both.

"Why?" Klaus asked, super nosy about her vagueness.

"Felt like it." Caroline shrugged and he deadpanned at her.

"Since when are you so obtuse?" Rebekah asked confused and Caroline chuckled.

"Since I'm not a stupid teenager anymore and I understand keeping my mouth shut." Caroline replied and they both shot her amused looks for that.

"What did the witch want in LA?" Klaus pushed, wanting more information.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Caroline smirked and he deadpanned again amusing her.

"What did you want from the witch?" Klaus pushed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Caroline repeated amused making Rebekah chuckle while Klaus crossed his arms over his chest.

"I thought honesty was our thing?" Klaus arched a brow at her.

"And I haven't lied, have I?" Caroline countered and he looked unimpressed.

"Did Estelle see you?" Klaus asked pointedly.

"No, Klaus, I'm not stupid. I didn't talk to her or any of her buddies. I just stole the stake when they weren't looking because they were too cocky for their own good and thought they were too big a group to be robbed." Caroline replied bluntly making him smirk with a little bit of pride.

"How many vampires were with her?" Rebekah queried.

"I saw her talking to seven of them. I don't know if there were more." Caroline replied.

"When was this?" Klaus tested.

"Six days ago." Caroline responded.

"Then how do you know that Estelle's still in LA?" Klaus arched a brow at her.

"I don't." Caroline shrugged. "But I did also take this." Caroline advised then pulled out a necklace from her bag. "It's Estelle's so you can track her if you want." She stated then put the necklace on the table and they both stared at her.

"Estelle is older than Katerina was." Klaus said with furrowed brows. "How did you manage to rob her?"

"Because a) she and her group were wasted and b) doesn't matter how old someone is, their neck will still snap." Caroline smirked and he shot her an amused look for that as did Rebekah.

"Where are your friends?" Klaus queried.

"Don't have any." Caroline shrugged one shoulder with a neutral expression that gave nothing away and he stared at her.

"Do you have it off?" Klaus tested and she chuckled.

"Been there, done that, didn't agree with me." Caroline denied and he cocked his head to the side and was watching her confused while Rebekah was kind of entertained by how confused he looked by Caroline's nonchalance.

"When did you turn it off?" Klaus asked confused.

"After my mom died." Caroline answered and he was stunned while Rebekah just looked surprised.

"I'm sorry to hear of her passing." Klaus said sincerely and she gave him a nod.

"How long did you have it off?" Rebekah asked nosily.

"A few weeks." Caroline replied, visibly kind of amused by their grilling.

"How did you turn it back on?" Rebekah queried.

"My mom left me a letter to read after she was dead and Stefan burned it to invoke an emotional response." Caroline answered and they were shocked that Stefan would do something so utterly wretched to her. "Then he mind-manipulated me to experience a memory of my mom and that's when it came back." She remarked.

"Did he make a photocopy of the letter?" Klaus asked confused.

"No." Caroline denied. "I'll never know what it said." Caroline said a little bitterly and they were a bit wide-eyed.

"Is that why you left?" Rebekah checked.

"No. It wasn't until almost a year later that I realised just how shitty that was. As soon as I turned it back on I was too heartbroken about my mom being dead and wallowing over all the people I killed with it off to really focus on what a douchebag Stefan is. I was lost for a year but I snapped out of it then ditched them." Caroline detailed.

"Well, if that wasn't the catalyst, what was?" Klaus tested and Caroline stared at him.

"I was pregnant." Caroline confessed stunning them both.

"You have a child?" Rebekah gasped.

"No. It wasn't my pregnancy." Caroline denied confusing them.

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked with furrowed brows.

"A couple of weeks after I turned it back on was Alaric's wedding. He was marrying a witch who was pregnant with his twins. At their wedding her brother showed up and murdered her, so at the last second, her powerful father moved her twins into me since I was the only one that survived given that I'm a vampire." Caroline began, shocking them. "I was full of hormones that made me… different." She frowned as she looked into her glass. "So anyway, after I was done being an incubator and I came to terms with my mom's death, I realised just how fucked up that all was, so I told Alaric to go fuck himself, found a good home for the twins then compelled him to forget the supernatural world and disappear so that Damon couldn't find him to remove the compulsion." She detailed surprising them. "Damon was mad but whatever. Nobody's going to find him where I dumped him." She quipped and they smirked at that.

"You dumped Damon somewhere?" Klaus asked smirking.

"I'll never know what my mother's letter said and Stefan will never know what happened to Damon. Seems even to me." Caroline shrugged.

"I didn't take you for a vengeful type." Rebekah smirked.

"Everyone has their line, Rebekah." Caroline replied darkly and they both kind of stared at her - this was not the perky baby vamp they were used to dealing with in Mystic Falls. She'd clearly grown up a hell of a lot in just a couple of years.

"Won't Bonnie be able to do a locator spell on him?" Klaus tested.

"Damon turned her into a vampire. So no." Caroline denied, surprising them both.

"Then why isn't Bonnie with you?" Rebekah tested.

"Because there was another cure. Elena drank it and Bonnie drank it out of Elena, so they're both human, but because her magic was stripped after being a vampire, the cure didn't bring it back. She's just human now." Caroline answered surprising them both.

"I'm surprised you would tell Nik that Elena's human." Rebekah commented.

"Did you miss the part where I don't give a crap about them?" Caroline asked dryly and Rebekah smirked while Klaus felt quite worried about her because Caroline didn't just not care anymore.

"But why? You would have died for Elena. I saw you kill to save Bonnie." Klaus reminded her and Caroline shrugged.

"I was young and my loyalty was misplaced. It happens. I'm sure at some point as a human you loved your father until you learned to know better." Caroline countered and Rebekah stiffened expecting Klaus to explode at the extremely personal thing she said to him - and was shocked when he just nodded because it was true.

"So you know better than to trust them now?" Klaus queried.

"Yup." Caroline confirmed then took a drink.

"Are you staying?" Klaus asked hesitantly and Caroline looked at him confused.

"Why would I stay in New Orleans? It's supernatural central which I'm sure makes it supernatural drama central. I'd be content to disappear and never speak to another vampire again." Caroline muttered and they both stared at her for that.

"Something is wrong with you." Rebekah observed.

"No, Rebekah, there isn't. I'm just done with all the bullshit. I'm done being taken for granted, used, tortured and unappreciated. There are only so many brushes with death the universe will allow and I'm probably out of chances. I'm not risking my life for anyone ever again." Caroline declared bluntly and they glanced at each other because it was disconcerting seeing Caroline so cold.

"Then why did you steal the stake from Estelle?" Rebekah asked just as bluntly.

"That was hardly risking my life. She's an idiot." Caroline said dryly and they both chuckled at that.

"But there's no supernatural drama here now. We've sorted it out and have it under control. You'd be safe here now." Klaus guaranteed.

"You can't even protect your compound from being invaded by a baby vamp, how are you going to secure it against an attack if one happened?" Caroline countered and they stared at her.

"There's normally a guard detail. We've just had no problems for over two years that I think they relax a little." Rebekah interjected. "But that'll be fixed by tomorrow." She declared.

"What did you want from the witch in Vegas?" Klaus asked intently and Caroline took a sip of her drink.

"She cut all blood ties to my sire." Caroline revealed stunning them…

Let me know what you think if you have a minute :-)

Chapter 2 should be up soon.