two; WELCOME TO THE 21ST CENTURY

"These feel very odd." Kara stretched her leg out, eyes widening when she didn't feel the all too familiar swish of her dress against her ankles as she had before she died, only a stiff feeling created by the jeans clinging to her legs, "It's as if I have another skin over my skin, how strange."

Caroline's lip twitched at the remark, "Are they uncomfortable?"

"No." Kara shook her head, continuing to move her leg back and forth, "Just odd, but I will grow accustomed to them."

"Good." Caroline beamed.

She leapt to her feet and gestured to the empty bag on the bed, "Take anything you find comfy or just love, and toss it into this bag for you to take with you."

Kara stared at Caroline, feeling her cheeks growing warm due to the bubbly blonde's generosity, "I, uh, thank you, Caroline, you are very kind. But I cannot take your possessions."

"Don't even worry about it." She waved the woman off, "I haven't worn even half of this stuff in so long. I tend to shop when I'm upset, so this is the consequence of that habit."

Kara played with the frayed edge of the borrowed cardigan as she glanced out the window at the night sky. It had barely been two hours since Kol had pushed her into Bonnie Bennett's arms.

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely." Caroline exclaimed, "Besides, this will get you by for a few months until you start to show and need maternity clothing."

"Maternity clothing?" Her eyebrows furrowed, an indication of her confusion about the unfamiliar word.

"Oh, there is a clothing line designed specifically for pregnant people that allows their clothing to adapt to their changing bodies." Caroline answered as she dropped a few articles of clothing into the bag whenever she got a nod of approval, "You'll need to find a store once you get to New Orleans."

Kara smiled at that, reaching for her abdomen. Her grin widened at the feeling of the small bump beneath the tank top the young vampire had given her.

"Thank you, Caroline." She whispered, blinking away the stinging tears.

"Of course." Caroline responded, and she hesitated for a moment, allowing time to fold a pair of jeans which she tucked neatly into the bag, "I don't mean to overstep, but you've been dead for a thousand years, and the Mikaelson's aren't the same people you knew before you died."

Kara wanted to be angry at the judgement, but she knew the place where Caroline came from. She knew only of her family as the monsters who terrorised her chosen family. She had only ever seen one side of them, not a very positive one. But Kara had seen all sides, every side of her family, for centuries.

"I know they have committed heinous acts, some justified and others less so." Kara told Caroline softly, "I've watched them on and off for centuries, but I've known them since I was young. They are my family, my baby's family. Very deep down, they haven't changed much."

Caroline appeared thoughtful, nodded after a moment, "Alright."

"Alright?"

"Alright." She smiled, "I'll trust your judgement."

Light knocking grabbed their attention, and they turned to face Caroline's bedroom door, where Caroline's mother stood, a kind smile on her face identical to her daughter's own, but Kara caught the caution laced into it, understood it even.

"You left your cell downstairs, sweetheart." She informed, placing the device onto the desk by the door, "Stefan called to see how far away you were."

"Thanks, we're almost ready." Caroline answered, "Be safe tonight."

"Always." The Sheriff glanced at Kara, "Safe travels, Kara."

"Thank you, Sheriff Forbes, and thank you for supper. It was lovely." Kara smiled, "You and your daughter are incredibly kind."

"It was nothing, and call me Liz." She smiled, "Good luck."

Liz was gone before Kara could answer, and she looked back at Caroline, who was closing the bag and securing the strap on her shoulder.

"Your mother is lovely." She told her.

"She is." Caroline smiled, "Come on, you have a beautiful reunion ahead of you."

✦❀✦

Caroline explained the little details of a motor vehicle while Kara listened intently. Being on the Other Side, she'd seen them in action. However, it was nothing compared to sitting in the passenger seat with the windows rolled down, feeling every bump of the road beneath them and the wind against her skin as Caroline discussed popular music and the pros and cons of motor transport.

She was met with disappointment when the car finally stopped in front of the boarding house, cutting their conversation short. She quite liked Caroline and enjoyed her company.

She stepped out of the car, and before she could go and grab her bag, Caroline used her supernatural speed to get there first. She made her way to the bright red vehicle, the trunk on the back already open. Once Caroline had placed Kara's new bag into it, she closed it and spun back to face the older woman.

The door to the large house opened, and Stefan stepped out with a bag of his own. Kara's jaw ticked in anger when a tearful Elena Gilbert followed behind him with her equally solemn younger brother. She clenched her jaw, breathed in and out through her nostrils until her shoulders relaxed, and she could almost see Elijah standing before her, holding her wrists in his large hands, rubbing gentle circles into the skin as he whispered comforting words.

"Ready to go?" Stefan questioned.

"I would like to talk to the Gilbert siblings before we begin our journey," Kara answered once Stefan stopped beside her.

He tilted his head in question but nodded. The woman turned her attention to the siblings, who had stopped a few paces from her.

Elena frowned while Jeremy spoke, "What do you need to talk to us about?"

"While I understand perfectly that you are mourning, there is something I must address." Kara spoke stiffly, dark eyes narrowed in anger, "All Kol wished to do was stop Silas and not only did you murder him to complete a stupid tattoo, but you also murdered every vampire within his sire line."

"I—"

"Not only that." Kara interrupted Elena, denying her the opportunity to defend herself, "But I truly do not think you have considered all you have lost because Silas rose, especially tonight."

Elena glared at the woman, "We got our friends back."

"Not all of them." Kara spoke, an unamused smile twisting the delicate features of her face, "Hmm?"

"You returned." Elena exclaimed, "You're living on stolen time right now. Because of Silas."

"As are you, Elena Gilbert." Kara spat, "As is everyone on this driveway."

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Jeremy asked tiredly.

Kara closed her eyes and allowed herself to take a deep breath, "Not only were you responsible for Kol's death, and while neither of you staked him yourself, you were complicit in Finn's murder when all he wanted was to live a peaceful life with his one true love." Kara spoke, "My point is that should you attempt anything like that ever again, I will make what Freida did to you look like child's play."

She didn't wait for a response from either of the shocked siblings. Satisfied that she'd made her point, a point she definitely couldn't live up to, considering her husband's sister's feral rage that Freida unleashed upon her twin's murderers, Kara turned on her heel so she wouldn't have to look at the two. Upon seeing Caroline, eyes wide in astonishment, Kara beamed once more.

"Thank you for your generosity." She expressed, blinking away the burning feeling behind her eyes, "I cannot form words for just how much it means to me."

"Don't worry about it, seriously," Caroline exclaimed. She surprised both herself and Kara by stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the woman, who hesitantly returned the embrace, "Make sure to come and visit with baby Mikaelson when you can, and keep me updated on everything! I don't care how small you think it is, and my number is on a piece of paper in your bag, so get Elijah or Rebekah or anyone to help you get a cell and show you how to use it."

"I will be sure to do that," Kara promised once they let go of each other, "Thank you, Caroline."

She got into the passenger side and waved to the blonde vampire with a smile. Once Stefan had taken his seat on the driver's side, placed the key in the ignition, and the car roared to life, she turned to him with a curiosity burning in her dark brown eyes.

"What does 'keep me updated' mean?" She asked just as the vehicle began to pick up speed at the end of the driveway.

Stefan's attention flickered to her for a moment before. He turned his gaze back to the road before laughing, "Welcome to the twenty-first century, Kara Mikaelson. You have a ton to learn."

Kara blinked at the surname he had used for her, "Mikaelson?"

"Yeah." Stefan frowned, "Is that not your last name?"

"Um, no." Kara shook her head, "I'm sure you know, but in my time, our surnames were to honour our fathers, and women did not take their husband's surnames upon marriage. We retained our own."

"That's an oddly twenty-first-century thing for your time." Stefan remarked with a smile, "What is your surname?"

"I suppose it is a bit." Kara laughed, her mind wandering to the fond memories of the village she grew up in, "My name is Kara Magnisdottir."

"Magnisdottir." Stefan repeated, "Well, Kara Magnisdottir, welcome to the twenty-first century."

Kara smiled but chose not to say much else, and Stefan changed the subject. He put aside an hour of their long journey to tell her all about modern-day phrasings before moving on to technology, keeping her informed on everything from the last hundred years that she didn't already know, so she could better blend in.

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here's a new update because i have covid and cannot leave my house and finally have time to write!

i kinda switched kara's faceclaim from ella balinska to ciara renée because i felt as though ciara really felt more like kara but she's on her way to new orleans finally and will soon be reunited with elijah and the rest of the mikaelson's which is amazing! also i did not plan for her to strike a friendship with caroline but it sort of happened and i'm very happy about it.

leave a comment on your thoughts so far and any theories you have if you've made it this far into the author's note

thanks for reading!

~r