A/N: The weather is depressing! No wonder my mood is all the way down and this piece turned out to be quite angsty. Man, I NEVER write angsty, I didn't even know I was capable of writing it. ... Hmm, it seems there's really a first for everything at some point. Also: First fic for TVD ever! It's kinda scary.

What else, let's see ... I needed to write this after I saw Season 3's episode "The Reckoning". Although Tylers turning was kinda scary it also made me jump out of joy, because his turning meant one thing: Immortality. And immortality means: Staying with Caroline forever! I like them as a couple so I started to write this. It got abandoned somewhen half through, but today I was in the mood for some Forewood. And let's face it: There's not enough of Caroline and Tyler out there and they are waaaaaaaay to hot and awesome to not write about them. Seriously, there's not enough Forwood for my shipper heart.

Everything up to "The Reckoning" took place, the rest is my humble imagination. ;)

Enough said, I don't want to bore you to death. Please keep in mind that I'm not native englisch. Also, the story is not beta'd this time, because I wanted to show you right away. But after posting, I'll send it to wonderful Kassandra to read over it. Hope there are not too many mistakes. ;)

As usual: Reviews would be lovely, much appreciated and will totaly increase my mood. So it's all in a good cause. ;)

Hope you like! Enjoy! *waves and jumps out*

UPDATE: This now is the beta'd version from Kassandra. Hugs & kisses, Kass! You're the best! Thank you so much! And now really enjoy! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to The Vampire Diaries.

This Running Business

Weeks ago everything seemed fine. Not perfect, but fine. She could live with fine, for the last couple of months 'fine' was the thing which kept her standing.

How's your mother? She's going to be fine. After she forgot what happened to her, what happened to this town, what happened to her daughter. After that, she will be fine.

How's school? Fine.

How's it being a vampire? Fine.

How are you? Perfectly fine.

Everything's fine. Simply fine.

Now, nothing's fine anymore. They are on the run and the time where she was at least halfway able to say that her life was doing ok, is over. Klaus showed up in Mystic Falls, once again, and this time was even scarier than the last.

For he created his first Hybrid. And now that he knew the key for the transformation he would try everything to finally get his army of Hybrids. He waited so long, he could smell the victory.

But again, he underestimated the weak humans and their supernatural friends. Damon showed up and threatened Klaus that Michael was on his way. For someone seemingly immortal the shocked expression on his face told something completely different. The blink of an eye later Damon stood alone in the parking lot.

The older Salvatore knew he had to hurry. The nurses were quickly compelled, Elena was swiftly in his arms and out of the hospital. But he didn't head for the Boarding House, the words spoken between the oldest Original and his sister still present in his ear, "What I want is to take my girl, take my hybrid, the hell out of this one pony town."

It was this moment Damon knew that Mystic Falls was no longer an option, the time to pretend that they could keep everybody safe, gone. Elena was in the passenger seat, a blanket over her shoulders, Damon's foot on the gas pedal, heading for the place he knew he would find them.

Minutes later they were gathered in Alaric's classroom and Damon explained what happened. He didn't need to say the words out loud, for they all knew that nothing would ever be the same again. They decided that Bonnie was to do a spell, to keep those safe, which could protect: Jeremy, Matt, Alaric. The rest of the town. Bonnie herself, for she was the witch casting the spell.

No such luck for Damon. Or Caroline. Or Tyler. Not even Elena, with the curse of the Doppelganger on her. The spell didn't work on the supernatural. Which gave them only one way out: Run.

Soon the four of them were gathered in Damon's car, the clothes they wore were the only thing left they owned. They had to leave their phones behind, their things, their friends and families. Their life.

And now here they are, in the middle of the night, driving again, on a dark, deserted highway somewhere in the middle of nowhere, with no goal in sight. With no turning back.

He sits to her right, the side of his body pressed into hers, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, whispering stupid things in her ear to try and make her smile (she hadn't smiled in weeks), while the radio plays Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. They don't care. Nobody listened to what was played on the radio.

He tells her in a hushed voice, that he sometimes thinks Elena must be blind to not see how Damon is looking at her all. The freakin'. Time. That he thinks that the older Vampire should let one of them drive, at least sometimes, because he gets sick of the backseat. That he still smells the Honey-shampoo on her, although she hadn't used it in weeks (more like couldn't use it, for it is only available in Agnes Hunter's Cosmetic Shoppe back in Mystic Falls).

Caroline wants to tell him that Elena isn't blind at all, that her friend totally sees the looks she gets, that she returns them from time to time, when nobody except for Caroline can see it, but that she's scared and feels like she betrays Stefan, which still doesn't make her stop in the end. She wants to tell him, that Damon wants to drive because it gives him the feeling of being more of use, of being at least a little bit more in control of the situation, of being able to protect them, but especially Elena. It's always Elena he looks out for first. She wants to tell him, that she only ever used the Honey-shampoo when she knew that he would be around.

But she doesn't. At the moment it seems meaningless.

oOo

Soon they stopped at a motel and Damon organizes (he compels the owner) two rooms for them. They never said it out loud, but right from the beginning all four of them knew, that two rooms were necessary. And that the girls would not share one of them.

Tyler and Caroline bid the others goodnight and enter their room, they put down the few things they were able to buy in the last couple of weeks (mainly a few pair of jeans and some shirts. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive.). The young woman feels sweaty, for they are in the south of the country, the humidity is nearly unbearable with the temperature high in the 100's, and no air conditioning. She grabs the hem of her shirt and pulls it over her head, leaving her in jean-shorts and a blue-ish gray cotton-bra, which are soon to be gone too. There's no need for modesty when Tyler's already seen her in every possible form of nakedness. She doesn't turn around once (and therefore can't see the looks he gives her) and eventually walks through the door to the bathroom.

It takes him three minutes to join her in the shower. She doesn't say a word, doesn't comment on his actions. Her back is pressed against his chest, and when his arms sneak around her, her head drops back on his shoulder. One of his hands comes to rest on one of her breasts, while the other one slips down between her legs, all the while the water lashes down on their bare bodies. A moan escapes her and he thinks it might drive him crazy.

Soon he presses her body against the wet shower wall, her legs wrapped around him, and he fucks her hard, nearly animalistic. She screams his name, her nails digging into his shoulders, while her vampire instincts kick in from time to time and make her eyes flash burgundy.

They come fast, the orgasm making her nearly faint, while he himself needs all his strength to hold them up, his face pressed into the soft skin of her neck.

Afterwards he helps her out of the shower, wraps her into a towel and takes her into his arms. His hands caress her hair and although he starts to slightly shiver for he's standing there naked and the temperature had dropped in the last couple of minutes, he enjoys every single second.

"I know this isn't the life you imagined for yourself," he whispers and feels her body pressing firmer into his, "but right now it's all we've got left. And I promise to be there for you. Every step of it. When it comes to me, I will never leave you again, Caroline. I promise." He feels the drop of a tear on his shoulder and his heart nearly breaks.

"Don't cry, Baby," his voice caresses her pained soul, "It hurts so much to see you cry. You're my sunshine, remember?" She looks up from his shoulder, directly in his eyes. Sees all the pain and hurt and sadness and worry. Sees the deep feelings, the connection between them. She sees the half smile on his lips which he puts there only for her, and she knows it takes nearly all of his strength to put it there, but he's willing to do anything to cheer her up. He's willing to do anything for her period.

Caroline can't help it and a small smile tucks at the corner of her mouth, only for a second, but Tyler can make it out. It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off of him.

It was small, but it was a start.

oOo

Later, when they lay in bed, she starts to talk on her own. She tells him how she feels about this whole running business, about leaving everything behind. He just lays there, rubs her back and lets her talk.

At some point her talking slows down and soon there are only whispers between them left. 'Caroline' and 'Tyler' and 'never leave me', 'you are perfect', 'make me yours'.

Mine.

And it's true, truer than most would imagine. Weeks ago – soon after they left – they were once again tangled up in each other, one of those nights, in one of these motel rooms, and while he plunged into her – his name on her lips – his instincts overwhelmed him and he bit down, at the same time feeling her teeth sinking down in his flesh as well.

He knew at that very instant that this wasn't the same as before. They bit each other already in the heat of the moment, drinking blood from each other. She was a vampire after all. He was a Hybrid. Their lives depended on blood.

But this wasn't the same and he knew it. He didn't tell her right away, but she figured it out soon enough. First she started to panic after the wound wouldn't heal, but when she realized that there was no pain but instead this overwhelming feeling of belonging, she knew what they'd done: They mated.

When a werewolf mates, he mates for life. And Tyler was a Hybrid now, he was immortal. Therefore he mated not only for life, he mated for forever. Caroline could live with that.

When Damon saw the wound on her neck he cursed, and hissed, and threw a tantrum. He only stopped after Elena stepped up to Caroline, embraced her and said, "This is right. This is how it should be." The older Salvatore never said anything bad about the bond again.

oOo

After a while they fell asleep, tangled up in each other's arms, his warm breath on her cool skin. And just like every other night at some point they wake up and find each other. And it's a different kind of love making then the one in the shower. This is slow and careful and he takes his time with her. Teases and enjoys and kisses her deeply, her hands in his hair, her skin pressed on his. She's wet and waiting and he effortlessly slips into her, thrusts down in slow movements and drives her crazy. She begs for 'more' and 'deeper' and 'faster', and at some point he obeys, but it's still different.

If somebody told her before how much she would crave for one single man, and Tyler Lockwood of all of them, she would have laughed in their faces. And still, she's head over heels for him, can't breathe when he's not around.

The craving for him is even stronger than her craving for blood.

When both their heartbeats calm down he rolls off of her and they just lay there and stare at the ceiling, their hands brushing in the middle.

Just like every other night they listen in on the occupants of the other room, hear the moans of the woman and the caressing words of the man, hear the tears and the shame and them coming.

Caroline would cry a little and Tyler would comfort her.

In the morning nobody talks about it.

oOo

Weeks pass and they keep going. Driving during the day, staying at some Motel during the night. Drive and stay, drive and stay. All the time. Never the same place twice.

Caroline wonders if at some point they'll simply run out of places to stay. She never wonders about money, Damon seems to have enough of that, but the places make her head ache. They have been travelling for months now, at some point they simply have to return to a place they were already at. There's no other possible way.

But then something shifts. Maybe it's in the air, or the water, or it just is. Maybe Bonnie sent them a message, maybe someone else did. Maybe it's simply some voodoo-shit, but all of them can feel it.

They are driving on a country road, the sun already dipping over and turning everything around them into something orange. The four of them search for a place to stay, already accepting the fact that they maybe need to camp outside, which isn't the worst they've gone through. Not after they bought some sleeping bags and tents, and especially because making love under the stars is very romantic.

So they drive and all of them feel this kinda magic in the air, when suddenly Caroline gasps and nearly screams at Damon to stop the car this instant. He jumps on the breaks and the blonde woman hurries out of the car before it even comes to a total stop. Tyler, Elena and Damon look confused at each other, before all three of them dash out of the car and follow Caroline. They turn a corner and see her crouched down on the ground, her face soft and staring at something a few feet away, for the others still hidden by some bushes and tree-trunks.

"Baby?" Tyler sounds worried, but doesn't want to show it too openly. He doesn't mind to be soft around Caroline, but he really doesn't need Damon revering to him as 'whipped'. Of course he's whipped, just like Damon's whipped with Elena, but this is a thing between him and Caroline. Him and Caroline alone.

The blonde woman turns to him after hearing his voice, the soft expression still on her face, when they finally see what she's looking at.

It is done!

Three simple words carved into a fallen tree in front of them. The letters are neat and all of them know that this is no coincidence; this has nothing to do with stumbling upon it by chance. This is for them. Somebody knew they would see it. Somebody knew they would be here. Now, at this very moment.

Elena whispers the name of her and Caroline's best friend, but Tyler shakes his head and explains that this has nothing to do with Bonnie. That it would be great if it was from her, but it would feel different. It's not Bonnie, it's Klaus' doing.

"What makes you think that?" Damon wants to know, arms crossed in front of him, eyebrows knitted.

"I just know." Tyler shrugs and turns to the vampire a few feet away, "You also know what this means, don't you?"

"What are the two of you talking about?" Caroline interrupts and uses her 'Don't shit me' voice. But none of them answer her. Nobody has to answer, because all of them already know what this means. But nobody wants to say it out loud.

After a couple of moments the four look again at the carved words, before Damon takes a step back and starts to turn, "Let's get back to the car. We still need to find a place."

The others nod, all of them silently agreeing to get away from here and to not think about it for a while. They arrive at the car and take their seats. Damon starts the machine and they silently continue their journey.

It doesn't take long before they can not only see, but literally sense Elena's tears. Damon's right hand comes to rest on her knee and she doesn't object. His eyes are wet as well, but the tears don't fall. Caroline snuggles into Tyler, her face pressed into the space between his ear and shoulder, while his lips rest on her temple and his arms hold her tight.

They don't utter a word, but they all know that Stefan is no longer with them. Klaus had his fun, his little puppet to order around. Now he's done with him. At the same time it's a message. And they know how to interpret it.

One down, a few more to go.

Soon they find a place for the night. Damon compels, they get their rooms, they lie down to rest (not sleep! Sleep is impossible.).

The next morning they meet for breakfast, like every day. They pack their few things, like every day. They get in the car, like every day.

But today – without even talking once – all of them know where they are heading. They're on their way back to Mystic Falls.

Running is over.

FIN