After Stefan leaves, Caroline goes upstairs and starts taking out the wooden darts in her skin. When she gets them all out and throws them in the trash, she grabs a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants and makes her way to the bathroom.
She turns the water on, setting it to hot, and sheds the bloodstained clothes before stepping in the shower.
She watches the little rivulets of blood flow from her body, down the tub, and into the drain. She washes her hair and scrubs her body until her skin hurts. The need to feel clean, pure, and untouched by all that happened tonight takes over and she can't stop scrubbing until the soap runs out in the bathroom. She then takes a deep breath, turns her head up toward the water and stands still, letting the hot water fall on her face.
When Caroline gets out of the bathroom, she walks into her room and jumps. "I told you I was fine, Stefan," she says softly, but she's looking at the floor, not his face, and he knows what that means.
"No," he says, "you're not."
Something in the way he says those three words breaks through the façade she's been holding to, and the emotional flashbacks she's been holding back finally happen. Her lower lip starts to tremble and she suddenly doesn't think she can hold herself up any longer. "No," she whimpers, "I'm not."
Suddenly, Stefan's right there, and she throws her arms around him and holds tightly as she starts to sob. "I was alone and scared, and he kept hurting me—I was locked in a cage—could barely move and couldn't fight back—he wouldn't stop—it hurt so bad." She rambles for a while, not even noticing when Stefan moves the both of them to sit on her bed.
Stefan holds her tightly and whispers that it'll be alright, that it'll never happen again, and that they'll stop the werewolves from hurting anyone ever again. He tells her what she needs to hear, even if she can't really hear it through her sobbing.
Eventually, she calms down and her grasp on him lightens. He helps her to lie down and covers her with her blankets. He kneels on the floor beside her. "Just get some sleep, Caroline," he whispers, "I think that'll help."
"I'm scared," she admits carefully, "scared of what I'll dream when I close my eyes."
Stefan moves the blonde hair from her face and pushes it behind her ear. "It's okay; I'll be here until you wake up."
Caroline smiles slightly. "Mom won't like that," she tells him. "I'm not supposed to have boys in my room."
Stefan smiles back. "I'll make sure she doesn't even know I'm here."
"Okay," Caroline yawns, "but remember, Mom has a gun."
