Disclaimer: I know nothing
Trying a bit of a less angsty fic for some reason. No doubt I'll be back to my cynical, angsty self tomorrow.
Caroline's feet dangle over the edge of the couch as she lies across it reading a Vogue magazine. She's trying to ignore the sounds coming from upstairs but is struggling to overlook the moans and sighs in Stefan's room. She turns up her Ipod but still manages to hear the pair through the music.
It seems to be a daily occurrence.
Stefan and Elena's on-off relationship meant that they are constantly filling the boarding house with noise, whether it is loud arguments or the current noises of pleasure. Although, these seemed to fall in the wrong times of their break up and make up periods.
Caroline flicks to the next page, eyes skimming over the fall collection in envy. She gazes at a light blue dress longingly, wishing that she had the money to buy it. Maybe she could steal some from one of the brothers, they had far more than they would ever need.
She jumps when a hand gently brushes the bottom of her bare feet and she curses herself for not hearing the intruder sooner over her music and she sounds from upstairs.
"Damon!" He grins in amusement as she pulls out her earphones and glares at him. "What do you want?" she questions. He gestures to upstairs,
"Wanna drown them out?" She would slap him if she wasn't slightly tempted by the offer of the ability to ignore the pair. He laughs at her look of revulsion,
"Come on. Let's get out of here." She frowns,
"And go where?" He shrugs and she doesn't miss the shadow that flickers of his face as Elena moans loudly,
"Anywhere but here." She accepts the offer and he pulls her off the couch swiftly. Pocketing the magazine, she follows him outside and takes the passenger seat of his Camaro.
"So where to, cowboy?" she questions as she stretches her legs out on the dashboard. He looks at her in disgust and she laughs, not knowing whether it was her actions or words that had caused such a reaction.
"Dunno," he shrugs. "How about we go in that direction," he points a finger randomly, "and just keep on driving?" She raises a brow in surprise,
"Are you asking me to run away with you? Master Salvatore, I am shocked." He laughs,
"I am sure that I have done far less that has shocked you much more." She shrugs and begins to hum softly as he starts the car. He doesn't end up driving in the direction he had pointed to and instead took her to the Grille. She doesn't even bother compelling the barkeeper, instead stealing the glass of bourbon away from him. He orders another without a second glance at his stolen glass and the pair sit in silence.
Later, when they return to the boarding house where Caroline has taken up temporary residence she asks him softly,
"Did you mean it?" He pauses before the door and turns to watch the nervous girl before him.
"Mean what?"
"That we could run away." He shakes his head in disbelief,
"Caroline, believe it or not, but I am probably not the best person to have a road trip adventure with and nor are you. We wouldn't have gone 10 miles before one of us had staked the other. Why the sudden interest in running away with me?"
"Not you, necessarily," she corrects him, "just… away. I need to leave this god forsaken tiny town with its one bar and stupid couples who can't make up their minds." He glances to an upstairs window which is now, thankfully, quiet.
"Think this means that they're on again?" She purses her lips,
"Probably. Do you care?" He thinks for a moment and watches her seriously,
"Maybe. Probably not." He glances upstairs again, "I don't think that my ideas of a happily ever after with her were ever going to be a reality." She snorts,
"Obviously. Happily ever afters aren't real." He raises an eyebrow,
"Well, aren't we the cynic?" She shakes her head,
"I've tried happily ever after. Either it doesn't exist or it actually sucks." Neither says anything for a moment until she stomps her foot in frustration,
"Fuck this stupid town." He nods,
"You should leave. You're young, you may as well get a head start on an eternity away from here. You'll need to go anyway eventually."
"What about you?" she asks curiously. He hesitates,
"I can't leave. Not yet." He casts another wistful glance upstairs and she smiles sadly. Whether he believed in it or not, he still wanted it.
"Where will you go?" he asks suddenly.
"I don't know," she whispers, a smile growing. "I guess that that's the best part." He smirks,
"One piece of advice?" She looks at him curiously before he continues, "Get off the bunny blood. You won't survive a year on it out there. You don't need to kill, but you can't live in Stefan's lifestyle forever."
"I know," she whispers. They walk inside and pause before the door to Damon's room. He grabs her arm to stop her walking away. As he looks at her, he realises that she won't be here in the morning. So he says it now.
"Don't get yourself killed, okay?" She looks surprised,
"I didn't know you cared." He makes an effort to look around suspiciously and whispers loudly,
"Just don't let it get around." He straightens up and adds seriously, "But really, don't." She laughs,
"I'll try Damon." As she walks away from his room he calls out,
"And Barbie?" She pauses and looks at him expectantly. "I'll see you in Paris." She turned away without responding.
It wasn't a question.
And they both knew her answer anyway.