A/N: I felt like exploring TVD. I decided to challenge myself and go all human, play around with the facts we already know. I just put everyone in college, really. Fell in love with the idea of Kat and Care being besties, but you can't really make that happen without messing a few things up, so ... here ya go.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own TVD and it's characters. The rest of the things I unfortunately don't own I usually put in italic.


Title: One.
Pairings + characters: Kat and Care, Hayley visits. They mention team Stelena, and the other brother. Oh, and Davina's brought up too.
Genre: Friendship
Summary: College has always been part of their "double wedding and best friend babies"-plan. / set the first week


The door slams shut dramatically, and Caroline can't help but roll her eyes because of course even the door knows Katherine Pierce needs dramatic arrivals. She looks up from the ELLE she snatched out of her roommate's bag pre-party the night before (even after eighteen years she still can't wait for Kat to finish her famous smoky eyes without a little distraction) and smiles at the usual heels, jeans and too-tight top.

The brunette herself barely flinches, tossing her dark curls over her shoulder as she eyes her bed with a look of slight disgust; she kicks her heels in the general direction of last night's dresses and cocks her head innocently as her eyes find her best friend's. Caroline sighs at the pout her red – is that her lipstick? – lips make and forces her own to send her friend a reassuring smile.

"So, with all of your newly required legal knowledge, I was hoping you could answer a question I've been pondering for a while," the brunette winks at her blonde companion in a way that says you fucking go, legally blonde.

Tucking a strand behind her ear is her own way of distracting herself from another eye-roll, "It's literally the first day, Kat."

College has always been part of their "double wedding and best friend babies"-plan, but it's their first time in forever without the exact same schedule. Figures that their differences would catch up to them eventually. Caroline is the naturally blonde but surprisingly smart cheerleader captain with a talent for organizing and making people feel special; she's a good person with a serious need for control, a constant smile with surprisingly witty comebacks. Katherine's nothing short of the other side of the coin, a dark haired beauty with unwavering confidence and a scheming, calculating mind that keeps things interesting. She's known for loving fiercely and hating just as passionately, her honesty brutal and her well-travelled adventurous side always welcomed.

No one was shocked when Caroline Forbes shared her dreams of being a big shot lawyer, both a perfect fit and a step up from her mom the sheriff. Katherine did the opposite, as per usual, and surprised everyone by following in the footsteps of the parents whose last names she didn't want by committing to becoming a nurse. Even though it was a step towards the family she'd alienated herself from, it too was the right fit. The two of them quickly learned that the only thing lawyers and nurses had in common was a dorm in building C along with never-ending whispers on the back row in economics.

"C'mon Care, play with me," the more impulsive of the two whines, her perfect eyebrows knitted together.

"Fine," Caroline gives in, raising a trimmed eyebrow of her own. "I'll answer as well as my lack of legal knowledge lets me."

Caroline's well aware she'll be spending her days in courtrooms while Katherine wanders around the nearest hospital; which they both know is a serious downgrade from passing notes in the back of classrooms or showing off at the front of any and all cheerleading formations. The fact that Caroline was a party-planner in her past life along with Katherine's beloved bartender job at the Grill helped prepare them for the sudden lack of meet-ups by their lockers – next to each other's because that's how their friendship had always worked – and lunch tables with their names on them. They've traded walks to school and lunch-dates with poking each other awake and talking the other to sleep.

They can't gossip about the girls they hate and the guys they don't (which there were a lot of seeing as Mystic Falls hit the jackpot in the hot guy draft) but Katherine stole her favorite red lipstick and that makes Caroline feel less guilty about borrowing her heeled boots. College was always part of the plan, and they're certainly not going to back out now – or, well, ever, because they're too fierce and strong and independent for that.

Katherine claps her hands together, her fake sadness instantly replaced by a brilliant smile, "Perfect. I'm weighing my options here, so, let's say I kill team Stelena. The punishment; worth it, or no?"

"Definitely no," Caroline supplies just as their door's thrown open without a knock being heard – Hayley will later claim their ears aren't working because, duh, of course she knocked. "If you get some help however, I'd say it would be totally worth every single day behind bars."

The newest addition to their morbid discussion leans against their door, her hand resting on the handle and a playful smirk appearing on her face, "Think they'll let us share a cell?"

Hayley without any last name was like a car crash when her heels hit the floors of their high school at the start of their junior year; horribly alone and scarily straight-forward, yet completely mesmerizing and ridiculously mysterious. The already existing duo had appreciated her ability to look out for herself, and easily gave up the empty seat between them in history. Hayley was a people's person, constantly treating the world like she wanted to be treated.

Years of being tossed around foster families that didn't really care had provided her with iron fists to defend the walls around her heart, and words as sharp as bullets for when the world was being unnecessary unfair. She was a psychology major because she wanted to understand the world and the people in it, and it was a perfect fit because the world would eventually learn to love her just as much as her two best friends did.

Katherine laughs, seductive and husky without even trying, and plops down on the blonde's bed, "Welcome to the party, Hales. How was your first day?"

"Eh, okay I guess, the guy I'm sitting with is kind of a chatter-box," Hayley wrinkles her nose in disgust, and then shrugs. "Roommate's a cutie though, this tiny politician-to-be. Don't know if her real name's actually Davina or if she just changed it from something boring like Susie, but she's dating this senior and totally scored us invites to their party next Friday."

"Cool, I could use a little alcohol," Katherine bobs her head excitedly, the gears in her twisted head already working on outfits for them all.

"What else is new?" Caroline's being serious, but laughs anyway. "Now explain to me why we're shooting team Stelena."

"Actually, my professional opinion is a good, old-fashioned stabbing," Hayley adds, cocking an eyebrow. "But yeah, didn't you choose the other brother?"

"How about just smashing their heads together and pushing them down the stairs?" Katherine suggests, causing both of her murder-buddies to hum their agreement. "And I'm sorry; I didn't think we were still pretending like I made the right choice."