Hey, guys! Thanks for checking this out! :) There are other stories I should be working on, but this idea kind of popped into my head and I just had to write it. Which isn't good, because I have other stories I should be updating :P

Anyway, I don't own The Vampire Diaries, "Hook Me Up" by the Veronicas, or the Happy Days theme song :)

Enjoy!

Prologue: Hook Me Up

"I'm tired of my life, I feel so in-between

I'm sick of all my friends, girls can be so mean

I feel like throwing out everything I wear

Starting over new, 'cause I'm not even there

Sometimes, I wanna get away some place

But I don't wanna stay too long

Sometimes, I want a brand new day . . . "

-Hook Me Up by the Veronicas

"Sunday, Monday, Happy Days!

Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days!

Thursday, Friday, Happy Days!

The weekend comes, my 'cycle hums, ready to race to you!"

Caroline rolled her eyes in disgust. "Happy Days, my ass. More like Crappy Days," she muttered bitterly, the flashing images on the TV illuminating her face in the darkness of her living room. She turned on TV Land in an attempt to get her mind off things, maybe even bring a brief smile to her face. Yeah, right. Instead of wholesome programming from a much simpler time, she was slapped in the face with undying optimism. How unrealistic.

She felt around the couch a bit without tearing her eyes away from the screen, too lazy and uncaring to physically look for the remote with her eyes. She began to channel surf, not really wanting to watch anything in particular.

Caroline didn't care much about anything anymore. She was just apathetic, empty. Which made sense – the love of her life died less than a week ago. As melodramatic and full of cliché teen angst as it was, she truly didn't want to go on living without him. She would, of course, but it didn't make her life any easier.

And it wasn't like her so-called friends were any help in this grieving process. Nope. Not a single person had stopped by, made a phone call, or done something as simple as sending a text, just to say hi. Nope, they were all too busy helping Elena cope with her recent change in mortality status. Because, y'know, the whole freaking universe revolves around her. Elena says "Jump," and the world enthusiastically responds "How high?" As usual, Elena was everyone's first choice, and Caroline was once again second best. That was just the way it was, the way it is, and the way it always would be.

The ringing of the doorbell brought her train of thought to a standstill. She furrowed her brows, glancing at the clock. It was well past midnight. Who the hell could that be? Sure, she had just been wishing for someone to check up on her, but this was a little extreme. In fact, she almost wanted to retract her wish and use it on something else. She didn't have enough fingers to count all the things she'd rather have.

Moaning and groaning, Caroline forced herself off the couch and made her way to the front door. Needless to say, she was shocked to find herself face to face with none other than Stefan Salvatore. Elena's boyfriend.

Well, this is weird. Like American Horror Story weird.

She opened the door tentatively, curious as to why he was here. If he hunted her down in person it probably wasn't good news he was bearing.

Even though there was a friendly smile spread across his face.

"Stefan?" she asked, brows furrowed. "You do know what time it is, right?"

"Um, yeah," he said apologetically. "Now's not an inconvenience or anything?"

She glanced down at her Hello Kitty pajamas and wondered if he really thought she was up to something. In these clothes? Please.

"No. I guess not," Caroline shrugged, then motioned towards the dim living room. "Just having a quiet night in. Come in?"

Stefan nodded, and followed her into the dark house. She went through the usual hostess spiel, he asked her how she was doing – she wasn't even one-hundred percent sure what she said, her heart really wasn't in it and her mind wasn't on it. As much as she liked Stefan, she wanted him to go away more than anything. She just wanted to just curl up on the couch and continue to sulk. If she was lucky, she might even work up the tears to cry again.

Stefan politely sat himself down on the couch next to her. Without a word, Caroline grabbed the remote and set the television on mute. After setting the glass coffee table, she pulled her knees under her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her eyes were still on the now soundless figures on the television. There was a moment of silence between the two – Caroline waiting on Stefan's words, and Stefan waiting on her attention.

A switch from the way things usually were.

"Caroline," Stefan said her name softly, his tone conveying a request for eye contact. Reluctantly, she turned her head to face him.

He sighed deeply, collecting his words. "Caroline," he stated her name again, starting what she imagined was going to be a long-winded lecture about how much Elena needed her; that she needed to get her act together and help her friend transition. That was typically his angle.

"I know losing Tyler wasn't easy. Trust me, I've been there. I'm still there."

Blah, blah, blah. I know where this is going, Caroline began to prepare herself to reject his plea before he even asked.

"It's a wound that doesn't feel like it will ever heal, and no amount of band-aids will ever make it better . . . Well, I . . ."

For the first time that Caroline could remember, Stefan Salvatore was at a loss for words.

"I brought you something." He said finally.

Caroline tried to hide her shock. "You did?"

Stefan nodded, and preceded to reach into the inside pockets of his coat. Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Only Stefan would wear a coat with pockets on the inside. It was 2012, not 1900.

"Wait, it's not band-aids, is it?"

"No," Stefan chuckled. "I sincerely hope you don't think I'm that tacky."
"Never," Caroline emitted her first genuine laugh since . . .

Her mood fell somber again as Stefan pulled the mysterious object from his coat.

Caroline wasn't sure what to expect. "Stefan" and "surprises" weren't two words often associated with each other.

"Surprise" ended up being the word most fitting when he pulled out a sparkly, purple magic wand. It was only about a foot in total length, obviously meant for a young girl. Caroline was at a loss for words.

"Oh my – wow," she sputtered, graciously taking the lavender stick with a giant star on the end. "Um, thank you." Another amused laugh escaped her lips.

Stefan grinned in return. "Mrs. McGrady was giving them away."

That was all the explanation Caroline needed. Mrs. McGrady was Mystic Falls' resident cat lady. She dressed like one of those so-called psychics you see at the circus; she was always had a table set up in her front yard, for selling the oddest toys and trinkets, claiming they had "magic powers." Kids often took joy in mocking her, behind her back and sometimes to her face. Those of a more mature disposition would either make polite, forced conversation or just stay away from her neck of the woods altogether.

"I was passing by earlier, and she told me to take it. Free of charge."

Caroline curiously looked from the lavender wand, to Stefan, and back again.

"I don't know why she'd thought I'd want it either," Stefan agreed, catching and immediately interpreting the look on her face.

"According to Mrs. McGrady, it's good for five wishes," he stated, obviously not believing it. "And I figured if anyone I knew needed it, it'd be you."

Caroline froze for a split second, then looked back up at Stefan. She shook her head disbelievingly. Don't get your panties in a twist, she chided herself, it's just a coincidence.

"You're right," she smiled at him warmly. "Thank you, Stefan." She suddenly leaned over and engulfed her fellow vampire friend in an unexpected bear hug. After the shock wore off, Stefan returned the gesture.

After pulling away, Stefan motioned at the wand. "Apparently, before you go to bed, you wave it in a counterclockwise circle three times and make the first wish, like so," he gently grabbed onto Caroline's wrist and demonstrated. "Then you do it three times the other way for the second, and back to counterclockwise from the third, and so on. Then, you stick the wand under your pillow and when you wake up tomorrow, you're wishes should come true." Stefan made a sarcastic jazz-hand gesture during the end part of that sentence.

Caroline crinkled her nose, grinning. "That's . . . weird."

"That's Mrs. McGrady."

Stefan's cell phone went off, and – big shocker – he pulled it out of his inside coat pocket. Reading the text message, Stefan's grin fell off of his face. Seeing the look on his face, Caroline felt a pang of . . . of what? She wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"Everything okay?"

Stefan simultaneously sent a response and answered her question. "Yeah. Elena's just going through a lot of blood, a lot more than she should be. Damon needs me to bring home more blood, refill the blood bank."

Caroline nodded. She could slowly feel her chatty self bubbling back, but the feeling was ruined when she was dropped back into the real world.

Putting his phone away, Stefan looked at Caroline apologetically. "I should probably go, I'm sorry."

Caroline waved her hand dismissively. "You gotta do what you need to do."

She led him back to the door, and after another goodbye hug, Stefan took off into the night.

An hour later, Caroline was sitting cross-legged on her bed, staring at the wand – which she named Matilda.

"What the hell," she muttered. Picking it up, she waved it counterclockwise, just like Stefan showed her.

"I wish Tyler wasn't dead."

She waved it the clockwise.

"I wish all this vampire crap didn't exist."

She waved it counterclockwise.

"I wish . . . I wish I could get a second chance at my senior year, do it the right way."

Clockwise.

"I wish my parents were back together."

Counterclockwise.

"I wish . . . I wish . . ." she squeezed her eyes shut, and shot out the first thing that came to mind. "I wish I could have the perfect kiss in the rain with the perfect guy and everything is just . . . perfect."

She opened her eyes, staring at the wand with skepticism written all over her face. Sighing, she tucked the wand under her pillow. She patted it a few times for extra measure.

Caroline leaned over to her bedside table and turned off her lamp, then settled in under her covers.

Resting her head on her pillow, she almost fell asleep immediately. Eyes drifting closed, she murmured to herself before going under completely.

"Okay, Matilda. Do your stuff."

This is by no means my best work. Caroline was kinda OOC and the whole thing was pretty much all over the place :P Then again, she's grieving so it makes sense that she's not her usual chipper self . . .right? Right.

I don't have a lot of this story mapped out yet, but if you want me to keep going let me know! (In other words, I'd really appreciate reviews. I don't get better without criticism :D)