Caroline, safe and warm under her white winter coat, breath hitting against her scarf, tried to warm her hands by rubbing them vigorously together. She was walked, purposefully, down the streets, eyes looking everywhere at once, but her hear was set on her destination.

This was it. This was her new beginning. This was her happy ever after, coming after all the crap she'd been through and all the horrible things that happened to her. She shook her head, unwilling to remember. She wouldn't break down, not any more. She needed to be strong, now.

People were rushing past her, and Caroline wondered how many had, like her, left their home town for the Big Apple, in search of that little thing that was more than life, chasing dreams and goals and hopes. She listened to their heartbeats as they passed her, and she enjoyed how they echoed the sound of her heels on the pavement.

And the, suddenly, there it was. She had only had to turn the right corner, take the right street, and she was there. Time Square. Maybe not the heart of New-York – it had too many of them for that – but certainly a thing of beauty. She grinned, her eyes wide open despite the lights and the colors and the flashes, trying to take it all in before they watered. She chased the ads, the billboards and the posters, felt the New-Yorkers – always trying to get somewhere, never once stopping to think about where they were – passing her without a glance, and she laughed merrily. She made it. It took her all these years and all of her savings, but she made it. She was there.

She had left Mystic Falls only yesterday, broken-hearted and miserable, but she refused to look back. She couldn't look back. She'd found herself feeling the horror of it all over again, and she was sure she couldn't handle the second time. She was there now. None of what mattered before mattered now. The Miss Mystic Falls pageant. The Student Council. Prom. None of it was her problem any more. All that was important now was who she could be. What she wanted out of life.

It's true, she had nowhere to live. No job. No previous experience. But she would make it. She would live, finally, and stop worrying about wars and vampires and witches and the dead back to life. She repeated it to herself : none of this is your problem any more. You have done your time, you have lost more than your fair share, it's your turn now to be selfish. She closed her eyes, taking in all the things happening around her. The tourists, the smell, the noise. The never-ending noise of the City that Never Sleeps. It was a good thing that it never slept, too, for Caroline had too many things to discover, to try out, to enjoy. So many possibilities and opportunities were opening up for her. She wanted to grab them all, starting with the one opportunity that smiled up at her.

"Hello, gorgeous."

Her eyes flew open in response, and there he was. The reason why she had had the guts to leave everything behind was looking at her with a lopsided grin that she loved and hated at the same time. He had pushed her to come, but she had been dumb enough to believe that he wouldn't follow her. That he would stay with his best friend and torture the good brother. She had counted on the torture, but apparently, he had not. She crossed her arms and observed him silently.

Unlike the man she was running away from, Enzo had actually been there for her these past months. When Bonnie didn't come back. When Stefan was nowhere to be found. When all hope crumbled around her like dust. When she had had to consider killing someone and losing that part of herself, he had taking the choice away from her and did it himself. Sure, he had motives, too. But he did it. Enzo had been there through all of it and more, holding her hand and taking care of her. Weirdly, she had found herself enjoying his company. She had never thought in a million years she would : he was loud, he had a murderous side, he was rash. But he also was funny, he was witty, he was brave, he was dangerous. They would argue for hours, but in the end, they always found common ground. She noticed the bag at his feet, and understood that he was there to stay.

"No hellos for me, then ? Fine, be this way. But I'm not leaving your side either way, Blondie."

He took both their bags in one hand and hauled them over his shoulder, offered her his arm.

"Ready to live it up, then ? I found us a great place. You're going to love it."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but a smile found its way to her lips anyway. She was grateful for Enzo, for their friendship, for the future she hadn't believed she wanted. As he walked her – she had taken his arm, something she had never believed she could do – through a maze of streets and corners and buildings, Caroline took in all that she could : sights, smells, atmosphere. The City was filling her up with warmth, even though it was freezing out, and the guy at her side helped a great deal.

But it wasn't until Enzo stopped in front of a huge brownstone that Caroline knew she would be more than all right. He turned to her, said "Welcome home, gorgeous." - she had hated that nickname at first, but now owned it one hundred percent – and smiled. And when she smiled back, nudged him with her shoulder and rushed past him to open the door, Enzo understood that he, too, would be more than all right.