Title: TLC

Category: Vampire Diaries

Characters: Caroline and Tyler with small scene of Matt

Summary: Caroline gets the bullet out of Tyler after Matt shot him. She takes care of him once again and Tyler decides he is going to do the same for her. Takes place in the episode before season two finale.

Status: Complete

AN: I do not own anything; if I did Tyler wouldn't have left her to start with. It owns to the creators of the show and books. Please review it feeds my muse.

B TC TC TC TC TC TC TC TC/B

Caroline helped Tyler onto the couch in the study. She wished that he didn't have to go through the hell of changing every full moon. However, he was going to have to do this and it broke her heart. He'd left with Jules two months back, but he was here now. She was going to take care of him again. Jules couldn't do what she could do because she was a wolf too. She would also never understand their friendship.

She looked at his side, "The bullet is going to have to come out," she said looking at the gunshot wound. Matt had shot him twice, but thankfully he was a bad aim. There was only one bullet hole in his side. "I'll get the stuff to clean it up," she took off to where she knew the first aid kit was at.

Tyler was trying to recover from yet another shift. His body ached, his bones and muscles felt like he had ripped them apart. Of course, he had done exactly that. The worst of all was the gunshot wound. His side was on fire and it was a little tricky to take a breath. He didn't really care about the bullet, but she did. She wanted to take care of him once again and he'd missed that.

He knew that Matt hadn't meant to hurt him, but he had been trying to protect Caroline. When he had left two months ago he had told Matt to protect her and he had he thought. He just didn't know that his best friend really hadn't done what he asked. He was hoping he left the girl he loved in good hands.

Caroline might have held back the truth, but it had been to protect him. He got that before he had even left. He'd gotten the kick he needed when Stefan told him what had to happen to stop the shifting. He would never watch one of his friends die just to stop this. He would live with it till he died if it meant Elena lived.

BTC TC TC TC TC TC/B

Caroline came back into the room with the first aid kit. "Okay, I'll just get the bullet out then you can rest," she said as she looked through the kit. She took out the rubbing alcohol using it on the tweezers before dabbing at the wound. She bit down on her lip apologizing when he jerked in pain. "I'm sorry,"

"I've had worse," He said not adding that it was nothing compared to turning into a wolf every month. He watched her as she gently cleaned away the blood. He didn't know how she could do it without wanting to drink. However, she had never even showed him her vamp face, but that one time.

Caroline took the tweezers into her hand putting them against the wound. She kept biting her inner cheek because she hated hurting him. She hated causing him pain, or any pain he had to go through. It only took one try to get the bullet out and she thanked god for that. When he had to turn it was bad enough, but this had to hurt too.

"There its out," she would have to get rid of it later, no need for his mom to find a bullet. There would be too many questions to answer.

BTC TC TC TC TC TC/B

Tyler gave her a smile looking down at the wound, "I'll be healed by morning," a werewolf healed faster than a human, but not as fast as a vampire.

"I can give you my blood," Caroline said, she didn't want him in any more pain than he already was.

"I'm okay Care," he used the nickname he had given her before he left. He didn't want to risk hurting her by biting her. He hadn't meant to hurt her before. However, he'd seen it in her eyes earlier that night when she had asked 'Why did you leave me,' It was like a truck load of bricks had hit him. There was something going on he had missed, "What happened?"

"My life went to hell when you left me," she said in her head, but she only said she was fine. They could talk later she thought not wanting to bring it up now. She wouldn't let herself start crying now because she wouldn't stop. She had to deal with Matt who was just outside the door.

"I missed you every day, Care," it was the truth; she was all he thought about. It had driven Jules crazy to the point she'd threatened him if he brought Caroline up again. He hadn't given a damn though. He let Jules know she was doing something wrong if he thought Caroline would do it differently. He chained his self up for Caroline, even if she wasn't there. He didn't want to run free, he didn't deserve that. "I thought you deserved better than I could be for you,"

BTC TC TC TC TC TC/B

Caroline sat down on the couch beside him. "You're wrong," she said doing her best not to cry, "There is nobody out there that gets me," she had ruined things with Matt. The day she found out that Tyler had left she had broken up with him. She couldn't live a lie anymore and she didn't want to live without Tyler, "Better than you," she finished daring a tear to fall, but she was losing that battle.

Tyler pulled her closer avoiding his would. He was going to spend the summer making it up to her. He had made the worst mistake by leaving her. He could tell that now as she told him what happened while he was gone. "I'm not leaving you again," it was obvious she needed some TLC too. He would deal with his best friend later on the fact he hadn't taken care of his girl. Caroline was his girl too, even if they weren't dating. He had defended her to Jules and made sure the other wolf never said anything bad about her.

"Please don't," Caroline said not caring anymore that she was crying now. She'd wanted this for so long. Now Tyler was back and he wasn't leaving again. She just hoped that the summer was better than the spring had been.

She couldn't help that she had fallen in love with him. She knew when it had happened too, his first full moon. It might have been the day they watched the video of Mason, though. She had wanted to stop him from turning, to take it away from him, and go through it herself. She would have done anything to spare him from the pain of that.

Tyler ran his hand over her side kissing the top of her head, "I'll protect you," he vowed before looking up seeing Matt standing at the door. "Like he was supposed to," he added. Matt could get mad at him all he wanted. They'd eventually work it out, they were closer than brothers. Caroline was Caroline, she wasn't no monster and he told Caroline that.

BTC TC TC TC TC TC/B

Caroline held onto the blanket that was over them resting her head on his bare chest as she cried. She knew Matt had been at the door, but she heard the front door shutting now. She had tried to make it work, but it just hadn't. She had loved Matt, but she didn't now, she loved Tyler. He understood her and he didn't go postal on her like Matt had. He didn't fake being compelled to spy on her.

"Thank you Caroline, for taking care of me again, Tyler said when he knew they were alone. "I'm sorry that I tried to kill you again too," He cared about her so much and he'd tried so many times to write her. It just had never come out right in a letter. He had tried to tell her that he loved her. He had even drawn a picture for her even though he had never mailed it.

"You're welcome," Caroline said in a soft voice after the tears stopped falling. She'd take care of him always and he was going to do the same for her.

She had written him a letter every single day he was gone. Sixty-five letters in envelopes with his name on them, but she never mailed them. She didn't know where he had been so she couldn't send them to him. She'd make sure he was never alone again and she wasn't going to be either. He had come home and if he tried to leave she'd just have to use the chains to make him stay.

THE END