AN UNEXPECTED LOVE AFFAIR - PART 2
Fan Fic Season 2 TV-Vampire Diaries
New readers: I am strongly suggesting for you to read "An unexpected love affair – Part 1", before starting to read this sequel story
Writer's note:Hello to all my readers of "An unexpected love affair – Part 1". I'm so happy to start the sequel, and I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it. Take note, I will have three stories running at the same time, and probably a new job in hands. So, please, be patient with my updates! But I can assure you that I will write them…Even if I have to do it in a restroom at work! (LOL)
After several years away from Mystic Fall, Elena came back to see Caroline with a big surprise at hands! Leaving Caroline in charge of her surprise, she leaves the city once again to lure Damon to follow her, in hope to make him regain his memory or get rid of him, any ways she can. The same day, Stefan Salvatore came back to Mystic Falls, after several years of being away from his home town. He left to deal with his anger and urge to let his ripper side come back to life again, to try to make peace with the fact that his brother has disappear from his life, and to understand his mixed up feelings toward Caroline… So, 1, 2, 3…..It's a start….Enjoy!
THE DAY YOU CAME BACK
Preface: Caroline & Elena
(From my cross over DELENA story: Whisper of the past)
Caroline Forbes walked toward the front door of the Salvatore's boarding house, a cup of coffee in her hands, or should she say, her house! Even after so many years, she felt weird about that fact. She was in her PJ pants, with a blue camisole on top, enjoying herself on a Saturday morning. She had decided to take her morning off away from her work; she would open her little bakery store later in the day. She had worked hard the last two years, and she was deserving of a break!
She opened the front door, and bended her upper body to picked up the morning newspaper, before raising herself up, and almost loosing her balance while staring into the eyes of the person who was standing in front of her, with a couple of luggage bags at her feet.
"Oh my God, Elena…" She exclaimed, before dropping her newspaper and coffee cup on the floor, and taking her into her arms.
"Good morning Caroline!" Elena responded to her, while hugging her friend.
"What are you doing here? When did you arrive?" Caroline asked, nervously and almost incoherently, to her friend. "Oh look at me, I am talking none stop…It's been so long without seeing you…" She added to her, continuing. "I was always so happy to receive news from you by e-mails, or text messages…Did you graduate, of course you did? When did you take your plane? And you put some highlights in your hair! It suits you…"
Elena looked at her old friend, while holding her laughter, Caroline was still the same bubbly person that she always been.
"Where are my manners…Come, enter…We'll chat…I have the morning off from work…." Caroline said to her friend.
"I will Caroline, but first I have to tell you…" Elena started before being cut in her sentence by a child voice.
A four year old little girl, with dark hair and dark eyes, appeared in front of Caroline.
"Mummy…" The child asked Elena, while pulling on her jeans jacket, with her small right hand. "Does the pretty lady always talk that much?" She added, leaving a white as a ghost and speechless Caroline in front of them.
"It can't be ….It's impossible!" Caroline mumbled in her teeth, while shaking her head from right to left.
"It is, Caroline!" Elena confirmed to her friend, while tears were filling her eyes, before taking in her hands, her daughter's little hand. "Rose, this is Caroline, my friend that I've told you about…Caroline; this is Rose, my daughter!"
"Hello!" The little girl said to Caroline, smiling at her.
ooOoo
"Why did you keep quiet about her?" Caroline asked Elena.
They were both standing in front of the open French doors that were leading the way to the garden, cups of coffee in their hands, while looking at Rose, who was running and playing around.
"I caused enough pain, turmoil and sadness to all of you…I took the decision of handling my pregnancy by myself…" Elena answered her friend while keeping her sight on Rose.
Caroline took Elena's left hand in hers.
"It must have been so hard for you, Elena?" She whispered to her friend.
Elena nodded her head, before passing the back of her right hand on her face, sweeping away her tears.
"How did you do it?" Caroline asked her.
"I had a lot of help in Boston…I met wonderful people, and I was able to find a little apartment in top of a bakery shop, the landlord, Louise, helped me a lot, she was babysitting Rose when I was at school…." Elena explained to Caroline.
"But how this could have happen? I don't understand?" Caroline asked Elena.
"The night I saw Damon at the convent for the last time…We made love…And it never crossed my mind for a second that I could become pregnant after the curse and the fact that he was back as human…everything was a blur in my mind...Then the curse was reverse…Damon disappear for ever…and I left for Boston…" Elena said to Caroline, continuing. "Couple of weeks after my arrival, I started to feel nauseous, and I could not keep up with my courses and…Louise suggested that I go see a doctor…I went, and he confirmed that I was pregnant."
"You must have been so scared, Elena." Caroline replied to her friend.
Elena nodded her head, adding:
"I had no way of knowing if the child would be normal…or if I would give birth to a monster…" Elena confessed to Caroline, adding. "…And then, at the hospital, when they put in my arms this beautiful baby girl, with all her little fingers and little toes, and her dark hair…She looked so much like Damon, Caroline…You have no way of knowing how much she looked like him…" Elena whispered to Caroline, in tears.
Caroline took her in her arms, Elena's head on her shoulders, while caressing her friend's hair.
"I should have been there with you…" She whispered to Elena.
"I managed…" Elena murmured to her.
"So, she is normal then?" Caroline asked her.
Elena raised her head and look Caroline in the eyes.
"At first sight, she is human…." Elena responded to her, while detaching herself of Caroline, and rubbing her hands together.
"What do you mean at first sight?" Caroline asked her friend, suddenly worried.
"She is like a magnet…She…I saw her move objects…." Elena explained to her friend.
"You saw her doing what?" Caroline repeated to Elena, with her mouth wide open.
Elena nodded her head one more time.
"Oh my God…What is she?" Caroline asked Elena.
"I don't know what she is, Caroline!" Elena screamed at her, adding. "To me she's my daughter…She was conceived in the strangest conditions…I have no way of knowing what she'll be in five or ten years…"
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…You misunderstood me, Elena..." Caroline explained to her, while putting her right hand on Elena's left forearm, continuing. "Of course you love her, she's adorable."
"No…No…It's me who's sorry, Caroline…I'm on edge with my nerves!" Elena replied to her.
"Did you tell Jenna?" Caroline asked her.
"No…I exchanged with her and Jeremy several times by month of the phone, text messages, and e-mails…but I kept quiet about Rose." Elena asked her.
"What about Stefan, it's his niece?" Caroline asked her, while lowering her head. The subject of Stefan was still a sour subject between the two friends, considering the secrets and betrayals the past had left behind them.
"He doesn't know about Rose, and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can…Did…Did you receive news from him after he left you the house…" Elena asked her.
"No, and I don't want any…" Caroline answered her friend, while turning her sight on Rose in the garden. "Why Rose as name choice, to remember her? I never noticed that you were so close?" Caroline asked her, puzzled by that choice of name.
"It had nothing to do with Rose…" Elena explained to Caroline, while blushing and adding. "It's in memory of the flower…"
"Damon, and your last night together…." Caroline guessed.
"Yes…" Elena replied to her, with a smile on her face.
"The important thing is that you're home now…You'll tell the others…and they'll be happy to see you, and meet Rose…" Caroline started explaining to her.
Elena shook her head in negation, while rubbing nervously her hands together.
"What you mean no…." Caroline asked her, worried.
"Three weeks ago, Caroline, I felt like someone was watching me, and was following my every step…" Elena started explaining to her Caroline, adding "…I was doing my groceries shopping…or I was taking a walk on the street, and I would jump out of my body of fear, looking everywhere around me with the certainty that I've been followed…" Elena said to her.
"Maybe you were just nervous about the end of your last semester, and your exams?" Caroline replied to her.
"No…" Elena replied to Caroline, with tears in her eyes.
"Elena, what is it? You are scaring me now!" Caroline said to her friend.
"Last night, a girl was viciously murdered in front of her dorm on the University campus…Animal marks were visible on her neck, and her head was cut from the rest of her body…." Elena explained to Caroline.
"Damon…" Caroline whispered to her in shock, adding. "…You think he is following you, that he's in Boston? But, he lost his memory; he doesn't remember who he is and most of all, and doesn't remember who you are/"
"I'm sure it's him." Elena replied to Caroline.
"Ok, we have to call Stefan…And Alaric and maybe Elijah, if we can get hold of him…" Caroline said to his friend, nervously pacing back and forth in front of her.
"No!" Elena screamed to her friends, while stopping her, and taking her hands in hers.
"Listen to me Caroline; I have to take care of Damon by myself…It seems that I am the only one that Damon, or whoever he is now, as memory of…" Elena replied to her.
"What do you mean you have to take care of it by yourself?" Caroline asked her, before realizing. "No! Elena, No! It's like going on a suicidal mission…He's a monster…He will kill you!"
"It's a chance I have to take for Rose, Caroline! We, me and Damon, have put on this earth this little girl…Damon doesn't exist anymore, he's dead…the curse created a monster in him without a soul…I need to get through to him…I could not forgive myself if something happen to Rose…" Elena said to Caroline.
"But he won't remember, Elena!" Caroline replied to her friend.
"He's remembering something...Or he wouldn't have found me and followed me everywhere in Boston, so many years after…" Elena explained to her.
"What if he's not? What if he was there just as a coincidence? What if he's violent toward you after?" Caroline asked her.
"Then I'll kill him! It's not like I don't know how!" Elena replied to her friend, with no emotion in her eyes. "If it comes to choosing between Rose and him…I'll choose Rose…The Damon that I knew would have wanted that…"
"I don't like this…I don't like this at all, Elena!" Caroline replied to her friend, while turning her body from right to left in nervousness. "You'll think that he could already be in Mystic Falls?"
"My instinct tells me that he will be here very soon…Probably in a couple of hours…I'll take one of Stefan's cars, and I'll show publicly myself in the city, walking around…I want him to see me…then I will lure him far away from the city!" Elena replied to her friend.
"Where will you go?" Caroline asked Elena.
"I can't tell you…" Elena replied to her.
"And what about Rose…You can't bring her with you? It's not safe for her, Elena!" Caroline screamed at her.
"I was not counting on bringing her with me, Caroline…" Elena replied to her friend, while begging her friend with a simple look in Caroline's eyes.
"What…Oh no, no, no…Elena…I can't!" Caroline screamed at her.
"Please, Caroline!" Elena asked of her, adding. "I'm begging you…Take care of her, and if ever something happens to me, if I'm not back after two months…bring her to Jenna and Alaric…But, don't tell a soul about who she is, for the all time that I will be away from her…Please!" Elena begged her, with tears in her eyes.
"Two months! What am I suppose to tell everybody? People will ask questions…" Caroline replied to her friends, shaking like a leaf.
"You'll find something…" Elena replied to her, adding. "Promise me that you won't tell anybody that she is mine and Damon's daughter, promise me, please?"
"Ok, ok…I promise!" Caroline replied to Elena.
"Thank you!" Elena whispered to her, before taking a few steps outside on the patio, and screaming. "Rose, come see me sweetie…I need to talk to you…"
"I'm coming mummy!" Rose screamed to her, before running toward Elena's and Caroline's standing position.
Caroline was already regretting her decision while watching Rose climbing the stairs.
THE DAY YOU CAME BACK
- Chapter 1-
Caroline was keeping her head down, in hope of not seeing anybody that she knew, while walking on the downtown busiest sidewalks of Mystic Falls, holding the little hand of a four years old little girl who was walking at her side, trying to keep the pace with Caroline's rapid steps.
"Good day Miss Caroline!" Anelderly man, who was sitting on a city bench, saluted her, adding. "Lovely day of the end of the summer, would you say…You did not open your little bakery shop this morning?"
Caroline stopped before raising her head to look at the man, who was sitting beside her standing position.
"Mister Goldman! How are you? Yes it is a lovely day...You'll excuse me, I have to go open my bakery shop now… I did not open this morning, because I took the morning off as a deserved: "I sleep late" kind of day, have a good day now!" Caroline replied to the elderly man, while pulling Rose, to try to escape rapidly Mister Goldman, who was known to be the neighbourhood newspaper! Once he had information on you, it would only take him a split of a second for gossiping this information around him!
"Oh…Of course Miss Caroline, you deserve it. You worked hard the last two years…I understand…" He replied, while nodding his head and watching her stepping away from the sidewalk to cross the street in front of him. "But…Miss Caroline?" He called her; just at the moment she thought she was getting away from his curiosity, and would have been crossing the street. She closed her eyes, and turned her sight to him.
"Yes, Mister Goldman?" She asked him, while turning on herself, and putting a fake smile on her face.
"Well…I was wondering who that beautiful little girl is?" He asked her, waving his hand to Rose, while Caroline was desperately trying to push and hide Rose behind her.
Rose was holding Caroline by her skirt, while looking at the man and sliding her face to make a "pic-a-boo" appearance.
"It's ok, sweetie…You can say hello to the nice man…" Caroline said to Rose, while taking the little girl's hand to make her appear from behind her. She knew Mister Goldman, he wouldn't be happy before knowing who that little girl was.
"Hello, I'm Rose…" Rose said politely to the elderly man.
"Well, what a beautiful name you have young lady…" Mister Goldman replied to Rose, adding. "…And where is your mummy?"
"I'm babysitting Rose for the next two months, Mister Goldman, so you'll see her with me from now on…Rose's mother is an old friend of mine from….New York, and she has to take care of her own mother who's very sick now. I wish you a nice day!" Caroline explained to him, cutting the conversation short and turning her back at him before he could ask her another questions, crossing the street, with Rose at her side.
Rose turned to look Mister Goldman one last time, and stared her eyes on his hat, before making it rise and twirl in the air, while putting her little hand on her mouth to hold her laughter.
"My hat…" The man screamed, trying to catch it for a minute, without being able to do so, before picking it up on the ground, and put it back on his head. "That is the strangest think…" He started saying to a lady who was passing by him on the sidewalks. "There is absolutely no wind today!"
"What are you laughing about, young lady?" Caroline asked her, while noticing her giggling.
"Nothing, Aunty Caroline…" Rose answered her.
Caroline looked at her, and smiled; it was so strange for her to hear a four years old kid calling her Aunt Caroline…It made her felt special.
"Mummy told me that it would be ok for me to call you Aunty Caroline…" She continued explaining to Caroline.
"Mummy was right…but could you say Aunt Caroline…because the "Aunty" sounds old to me!" Caroline replied to Rose, while bending her upper body to caress Rose cheeks with her right hand. "Gosh!" Caroline thought, Rose was the double image of Damon! Even the little sarcastic was the same!
"Ok, Aunty Caroline!" Rose replied to her, with a smirk on her face, making Caroline nodding her head in disbelief one more time of how much of Damon she could see in that little girl. "Ohhhhhh….." The little girl exclaimed, before running toward Caroline's small bakery shop, putting her small hands on the window, with wide open eyes, and a smile from her mouth to her ears. "Is it yours?" She asked Caroline.
"Yes, it is Rose!" She responded to the child, with a big smile on her face.
Caroline was very proud of her small, but prosperous accomplishment! She had opened her little bakery shop of cupcakes two years ago. After high school, she had gone to a cooking school, with no specific ideas in her mind, except that she always wanted to learn how to cook. The idea came to her in a middle of a semester, while reading in a magazine that cupcakes shops were the "in" bakery shops these days, especially in Los Angeles. The only problem at the time was, that she did not had sufficient funds to start her own shop! Then, her mother offered her the money of the trust found that had been put away for her future, and could be taken at her twenty one birthdays, even if technically, she would be seventeen for all eternity. Caroline managed to look older with makeup and grown up clothes, and she was looking pretty good for a twenty three years old young woman. One thing leading to another, she had noticed that a small shoes store had closed its door on one of the main downtown street of Mystic Falls…She took a mortgage on the store, and opened her own cupcakes bakery shop. It did not take long for it to be a success…Now, Caroline had loyal customers and she was even able to make a good profit at the end of the year.
Rose was looking at the colourful cupcakes drawing print on the bakery shop window.
"Aunty Caroline, is it really yours?" Rose asked her, adding. "Are you baking cupcakes?"
"I sure do, sweetheart…Now come we have to open the shop…" Caroline said to Rose, while turning the key in the door.
Caroline put a white apron on her, before taking a big tray full of cupcakes from the commercial fridge, located at the back store of the little kitchen of her shop, before sliding the said tray on a wooden table, where rose was sitting in front of her on a wooden stool, and was watching every of Caroline's move, with her elbows place on the table and her head in her little hands.
"Wow…" The little girls exclaimed to Caroline.
"You want one, sweetie?" Caroline asked her.
Rose nodded her head, while taking in her little right hand a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and a cherry on top.
"Sweetie, stay here and eat your cupcake…Aunty…Aunt Caroline, will be back in a short while…" Caroline told her, while caressing the little girl hair.
She took her big leather hobo bag, while opening the security back door of her shop, stepping out in the back alley, before closing the door behind her. Then she lowered her upper body, while putting her hands on her knees and closing her eyes. Her nerves were taking the best part of her. Since this morning, she had met with her best friend after five years of not seeing her, learned that she had a daughter, had to see her leave to lure Damon after her, and was now the foster parent of a four years old little girl! That was a lot for her to handle in a couple of hours, she had experienced everything in a short amount of time, and nothing else could happen to her before the day would be over! She opened he bag before getting out a thermos with blood in it. To top it off! Elena never thought about the fact that Caroline needed to feed herself with blood in the day…How could she, for the next two months, hide that fact to Rose? Now she needed to relax and calm down, put herself together, and open the store. She would think of ideas of handling the next two months, later in the day.
Caroline had put cupcakes to bake in the industrial oven, later in the day; she would put the different frosting on the tops. She turned to take a glimpse at Rose; she was drawing and coloring, on a piece of paper, on the kitchen table.
"Sweetie, I have to go open the store now…You think that you could stay in here for a short while colouring your beautiful pictures?"
Rose nodded her head.
"Good!" Caroline replied, while bending her head and kissing Rose's forehead.
Rose put her little arms around Caroline, while holding her tightly.
"I miss mummy…" She said to Caroline.
Caroline took Rose little head in her hands.
"Rose, mummy explained to you that she would have to be gone for a while to help a friend of hers…You remember?" Caroline explained to the child.
Rose nodded her head.
"Well…When she would be finished with helping her friend…she will rush back here to be with you…" Caroline said to Rose.
"Pinky swear?" Rose asked her, while showing her smaller finger.
"Pinky swear…" Caroline answered her, while interlacing her finger with hers.
Caroline caressed Rose's hair before directing her walk to the front of her bakery store, passing between the little bistro tables and chairs and the refrigerated counters where hundreds of different cupcakes were waiting for customers to buy them. She reached the front door, and put the little wooded sign in reverse to show that the store was now open, before opening her door to Miss Lambert, a wonderful and sweet grandmother, who was always passing on every Saturday morning to pick up cupcakes for her grandchildren that were coming to visit her every week for diner.
"Ah…Caroline, I thought you were not going to open your store today?" She exclaimed to Caroline, before entering the bakery shop.
Caroline smiled before taking her place behind the counter.
"Miss Lambert, I would never do that to you…I just took a couple of extra hours this morning to rest…" Caroline explained to the grandmother.
"Oh…I understand sweetie…You need to take a vacation from time to time…You've been working non stop for the past few years…" Miss Lambert answered her.
"So, what will it be today…" Caroline asked her, with a smile on her face.
"Mm…Give me two chocolate ones with the colourful smarties on top…One with the strawberries on top, and two with the blue frosting." Miss Lambert ordered to Caroline.
Caroline put gloves on, and took all the choices of Miss Lambert, putting them in a pink box, with a white ribbon around it, before reaching the old cash register that she had bought at an antique shop.
"It will be 10.78$, Miss Lambert…" Caroline said to her, while putting the box in a paper bag, that what showing her bakery shop logo on each side.
"Here you go Caroline, keep the change…" Miss Lambert answered her, adding. "Have a nice day!"
"Thank you Miss Lambert, you too…" Caroline said, while smiling at the elderly woman, before seeing her leave the store.
Other customers had entered the store, and were looking at the different flavours offered in front of their eyes.
"Take your time…." Caroline said to them. "..I'll be back in a short while." She added, before pushing the kitchen back door to go check on Rose and her cupcakes in the oven.
"Are you ok sweetie?" Caroline asked her, while noticing that Rose was still colouring
Rose nodded her head. Caroline smiled at her, before opening the oven front door to look at the baking of the cupcakes.
"Rose, it is very busy in front today…When the timer will ring in your little ears…could you come to say it to me?" Caroline asked her.
"Ok, Aunty Caroline!" She replied with a big smile on her face.
The antic door bell was ringing none stop in front, making Caroline realized that the afternoon would be a busy one!
She got back behind her counter before asking a customer what would be its choices.
The man was walking in a steady but rapid pace on the sidewalks. He was wearing dark jeans with couple of holes in them, army boots on top of his ankles, a grey t-shirt, and a cargo green vest, while holding on his shoulders an army style green bag and a backpack. His hair was dark, sunglasses were hiding his eyes, and a beard of several days was covering his face. He stepped away from the sidewalk, before crossing one of the busiest streets of downtown Mystic Falls, stopping his walk in front of a bakery shop, getting rid of his sunglasses, before raising his head and reading: Caroline's cupcakes bakery shop. He lowered his head again, before smiling and laughing, being amused by the name of the establishment. He pushed the front door of the small bakery shop, before looking very surprised around him, while noticing the amount of customers that were both ordering and eating at the bistro tables. He lowered his bags on the floor, before taking a few steps toward the counter.
"What will it be?" A young blond woman was asking a customer that was standing in front of him.
The man could not stop staring at her, the palm of his hands got sweaty, and he had to put his hands on his waist, and lowering his head to get a grip on his nerves.
"That will be all?" She asked the upfront customer, before directing her steps toward the cash register, and asking the customer to pay its due.
She came back in front of the stranger man, before lowering her head, and turning to take a box on the wooden shelves behind her.
"I'm sorry, give me two seconds." She said to the man, adding. "I just need to open this box to pick up some new paper bags to being able to serve you…"
"Take your time…" The man answered her.
"Ok…It's done!" She said more to herself, before putting the paper bags beside her on a silver hock on the wall, before sweeping her hands on her apron, and adding while rising her sight on the man. "Sorry for the wait, what can…." She stopped in the middle of her sentence while loosing all the colors on her cheeks, and jumping out of her body, realizing who the customer standing in front of her was.
"Hi Caroline…" The man addressed himself to her.
She nervously rubbed her hands together, while keeping her eyes locked with his.
"What are you doing here, Stefan?" She asked him.
He put his hands in his jacket's pockets, before shrugging his shoulders, while taking a glimpse at the glass counter and the cupcakes in it.
"I wanted something sweet!" He responded to her, while staring once again into her eyes, in a double meaning of his sentence.
Standing behind the counter, she closed her fists with anger, while holding her calm in front of him.
"There are a lot of customers today; could you make your choice, please?" She asked him to do.
"Sure…What do you suggest?" He asked her while seductively smiling at her.
She turned for a split second, closed her eyes and counted to ten. And yes! Her day just got way more complicated than an hour ago, when she was lamenting on herself!
"Sure…" She answered him, while opening her glass counter, and saying. "I have an exotic one to propose to you, chocolate and pepper…But, maybe you're not a risk taker…Maybe, you would prefer a less risky choice like vanilla?" She suggested to him, while deviously smiling at him. "Take that in the face, you bastard, for abandoning me five years ago!" She though, before waiting for his answers.
Stefan raised one of his eyebrows, before smiling. Ok…That wasn't so bad after all, in all the scenarios he had in his mind before arriving in Mystic Falls, it thought that Caroline would probably act colder toward him, and be mad as hell…And of course, she was all of the above to him right this minute…but, one thing that he never thought, is that she would still care for him…and a woman with such a fire in her eyes, like she was showing right this moment while looking at him, could not completely be indifferent to him!
"Chocolate with pepper will be fine…" He answered her.
"Perfect choice…" Caroline answered him, while taking one of the cupcake in the counter, wrapping it in a glossy paper, and reaching for a small paper bag to put it in it. Sooner she would give him his damn cupcake, sooner he would leave her place!
"Oh…I'm sorry…I forgot to mention…" He said to her, continuing. "I would like to eat it in here...With a cup of tea, please!" He added, with a devious smile on his face, while crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Caroline took back the cupcake from the paper bag, before angrily putting it on a small plate, on a tray, while turning to put a cup of hot water with a tea bag. He was doing this in purpose! To test her …and to just being an asshole after five years away from Mystic Falls!
"Four dollars and twenty two cents…" Caroline told him, with a mad glare in the eyes.
He looked at her with a smile on his face, before sliding his hands in his jeans right front pocket, and throwing her a twenty dollars bill.
"Keep the change…" He said to her, adding. "Nice place you have here, Caroline, you should be proud…" He added to her, nodding his head, before walking toward a bistro table near the counter to keep his sight on her, while sipping his cup of tea.
Caroline kept her calm by continuing to serve the last customers who were standing in front of her in wait to be served, but she could feel his staring at her the all time, he never lost a second of what she was doing…Why did he came back? Maybe he wanted his house for himself again? Was it because he knew that Klaus would be back for Elena in a couple of months? She could not imagine that it was for her…The day he took off from Mystic Falls it was obvious to her, that she was not one of his priorities in life! After thinking all the possibilities in her mind, she finally remembered Rose, and the fact that she completely forgot her cupcakes in the kitchen oven. "Oh my God Rose!" She thought, the young child needed to stay far away from Stefan as possible…She rushed back in her back store kitchen without even giving a look in direction of Stefan's sitting position.
Stefan noticed that she was rushing in the back of her store, probably to pick up more cakes…and he decided that he would not push his welcome in here. He took his bag on the floor, and his backpack, before leaving the store.
"Oh my God, Rose…I'm so sorry, sweetie, I completely forgot about you…See, Aunt Caroline was busy with customers, and I lost touch with time..." Caroline tried to explain to the little girl, without adding: "And then your uncle showed up after five years of absence…And I was all nervous and mixed up!"
"it's ok…" The little girl responded to her. "I opened the door….and I was watching you, Aunty Caroline…" She added to Caroline.
"You were…" Caroline said, while caressing Rose's cheeks. "One sure thing…my cupcakes must be burned in the oven!" She exclaimed herself, while turning to look at the industrial oven, before opening her mouth wide open and seeing the tray full of fresh baked cupcake on the wooded table.
"Sweetie, who put the tray full of cupcakes, that was in the oven on the table?" Caroline asked Rose, while taking a look at the back exit door to see if the door was closed.
"Me…" Rose answered her, while smiling at Caroline.
"It's impossible, sweetie…The tray is very heavy, even for me, and I am a grown up…and you could not have reached the oven button to close the heat, because you are a little girl…" Caroline explained to Rose, asking. "So, who came in here?"
The little girl shrugged her shoulders before repeating:
"Me! The timer made a big: Driiiinnnnnnggggg…And I put the cupcakes on the tables for you…" Rose explained to Caroline, while shrugging her little shoulders another time, before finishing her drawing.
"But it is very dangerous sweetie; you can't go near the oven…That is why I told you to go pick me up in front, for me to take care of it…How did you do it …you are too small in height to touch the oven…" Caroline tried to reason with her.
"I did not move, Aunty Caroline, I stayed on my chair…" She replied to Caroline, while shaking her head, from right to left.
Caroline stood still for a few seconds, remembering what Elena had told her earlier about Rose special power of moving objects…Could she had closed the oven heat and taking off the tray by distance? She put her left hand on her forehead, before stroking her eyes with it…This was too much for her to handle right now…Especially after Stefan's return!
She took a few steps toward the kitchen door, before pushing it a tiny bit; to take a glimpse at front of the bakery shop…Stefan had left. There was only a couple in front of the counter who were looking at the cupcakes selections.
"Sweetie, come here…" Caroline asked Rose to do. "Bring your color crayons and drawing papers, you'll do it in front with me, you'll be able to draw on a bistro table…I will go serve the nice couple, and I will close the shop earlier…then, I will show you how to make colourful frostings and we will put it on the cupcakes, before preparing them for tomorrow…" Caroline added as explanation to Rose.
"Ok…" Rose replied to her, while clapping her hands together.
The little girl rushed up front by pushing the kitchen door. Caroline closed her eyes for two seconds, while putting her hands on each side of her waist. This day was a complete carousel of high emotions. She would think about Stefan's return later…for now…she needed to put herself together for Rose.
Caroline opened the water faucets, before plunging her head under the shower. "Finally" She thought, while enjoying the water cascading on her body! That day seemed to have no end to it… She was exhausted…more by her emotions than anything else. She opened her eyes, while sweeping the water away from her face, she thought she had heard the door bell from downstairs…but she was probably mistaken. She had given Rose her bath a short while before entering the shower herself, and asked the little girl to stay in front of the TV in her room, and watch cartoons while she was showering.
Stefan was standing in front of his previous-house, considering that he had given the property to Caroline, both of his hands in his jeans front pockets. He was not able to put Caroline out of his mind since he had met with her at her bakery shop earlier this afternoon, he needed to clear the air between the two of them, and he needed to explain to her so many things…but more than anything else, he needed to see her again. He rang the door bell a second time, and stood in front of the door, in hope that she would not slap it in his face when she would see that it was him.
The door finally opened to an empty space. Nobody was standing in front of him. He look puzzled for a second or two, before lowering his sight, and seeing a little girl in front of him, in her Cinderella PJ.
"Hello, is Caroline at home, I am one of her friends?" He asked the little girl.
"I took my bath…" She confessed to Stefan, adding. "Aunty Caroline is under…you know…the water that goes on the heads of grownups?"
"The shower…" Stefan responded to the little girl, still in shock by the "Aunty" part of the child sentence.
She nodded her head, before opening the door wider for him to enter, and running in direction of the parlour room. Stefan entered the house, before closing the front door behind him and directing his walk toward the parlour room, noticing that the child was sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The furniture was still the same…except for the walls decorations, the curtains, and the cushions. A feminine touch had been put in place by Caroline.
Stefan took a sitting place beside the little girl, while smiling and rubbing his hands together.
"I'm Rose…" She said to him.
"I'm Stefan…" He told her, while smiling at her.
"Only Stefan or you have something else after…" Rose asked him.
Stefan raised one of his eyebrows.
"Mummy always says that we have two names…but, I'm too young to learn the other names…" Rose explained to him.
"Oh…" Stefan said, before lowering his head in laughter. "…Your mummy is very wise…and yes…I have another family name after Stefan …it is "Salvatore"…"
"Sa…va..or…" Rose repeated after him.
Stefan smiled at Rose, while caressing her hair.
"Yes! Something like that…" Stefan replied to the little girl.
"I like it…" She responded to him, before starting to laugh with him, adding. "Can I call you, Uncle Stefan?"
Stefan looked at Rose with surprise, before nodding his head.
"Sure!" He responded to the little girl.
Caroline got out of the shower, and took a body towel in her hands, before wrapping it around her body. She stepped out of the bathroom, and froze her movements, while hearing Rose talking to a man downstairs.
"Oh my God…" She thought, to whom was she talking to? The only person that had the key of the house was Liz, his mother. Who was the stranger who was talking to the little girl downstairs? Without even thinking about it for two seconds, she started to run downstairs.
Stefan was still sitting beside Rose on the sofa, when Caroline ran into the parlour room with her hair dripping on the floor, while holding her body towel with on hand on her breast. Stefan raised himself in a standing position at the moment she entered the room.
She froze on the spot, while opening her mouth widely, and putting her other arms in front of her breast, in a fictive protection of her virtue. He locked his sight with hers, before lowering it on her almost naked body in a subjective way, with fire and desire in his eyes. This was official, she thought, her day had reached the point of no return from hell!
Rose got up on her feet, before running toward Caroline and pulling on her towel.
"Aunty Caroline…" The young child started, adding. "…Uncle Stefan said that his other name is sa..va..or!"
No, no, no …Not Stefan with Rose, not in the house! Now she thought that she would faint on the spot!
"Uncle Stefan?" She asked Rose, while looking at Stefan.
"Oh …I'm sorry, she asked me if she could call me Uncle Stefan and I said yes…I did not see any bad in it…" Stefan replied to Caroline.
"It's ok!" She replied coldly to him, adding to Rose. "Rose, stop pulling the towel down, please…" She added while trying to keep the fabric on her.
Stefan crossed his arms in front of his chest, before putting his right hand on his mouth to hide his growing amusement. Her towel was dropping of a half of an inch with each pulling of the child.
"Can Uncle Stefan stay for the night, please Aunty Caroline?" Rose asked Caroline, while still pulling on her towel.
Caroline took Rose little hand in hers.
"Sweetie, could you go watch your cartoons in my bedroom, and leave Ste….Uncle Stefan and me to talk for a little while…" Caroline asked Rose.
"But I want to stay here…" Rose mumbled in her teeth, with a mad expression on her face.
"Rose, please…" Caroline repeated to her.
She dropped her head down with the biggest sadness showing on her face, before running a second later with a big smile on her lips towards the stairs.
Stefan smiled at Rose's theatrical departure, before directing his sight on Caroline, taking a few steps to reach her standing position.
"What are you doing here, Stefan? Is it the house…You want it back?" She asked him, with a colder than ice voice.
Ok, this would be more difficult that he primarily thought. He shook his head from right to left.
"No, it's yours…" He responded to her, adding. "I want to talk to you…Whenever it suits you…I…Rose opened the door…and I was surprised to see a little girl here…so I enter…I didn't knew who she was…Still don't?" Stefan tried to explain to her, with an interrogation expression plastered on his face regarding Rose.
Caroline locked his cold glare with his eyes, before answering him:
"Tonight, is not a good time, Stefan! I had a hard day at work….and I have to take care of Rose…" She said to him, adding. "Rose is ….the daughter of….of one of my employee at the bakery shop, her mother is sick and she had to pack her bags and leave…She asked me to take care of Rose while she was gone."
Stefan nodded his head.
"Ok…Well…You seem to do a good job with her…" He replied to her, while taking a few steps toward the front door. Caroline turned and took a few steps toward the door herself, to show him out, but the water that had dropped from her wet body and hair, and had formed a puddle on the floor, her right foot slipped on it, and she would have fell if Stefan hadn't very rapidly encircling her waist and brought her in full contact with his chest.
"Are you ok?" He asked her, lowering his head at a near inch of hers. In a reflex, her hands had grabbed automatically his t-shirt; she raised her head to meet his eyes. They were both lost in the intensity of the moment. She could feel goosebumps all over her body, with an intense fire reaching her cheeks, and the lower part of body. She wanted to push him away from him, but he retained her, while sliding slowly his hand on her naked back.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you?" Stefan said to her, with a mocking tone of voice.
"Let me go, Stefan!" She ordered him to do.
"If I would let you go now…Your towel would be on the floor…" He whispered in her right ear, while placing her towel in her back, and gently pushing her out of his arms, before smiling at her, and nodding his head.
Caroline blushed and raised the towel a little bit higher on her breasts.
"Thank you!" She whispered to him, turning and taking the final steps toward the front door, before opening it and waiting for him to pass the arch.
He stepped out, and turned to look at her.
"Goodnight Caroline, maybe tomorrow we could…" He started to ask her.
"I don't know…" She replied to him, adding in a whisper. "It's late…Good night, Stefan!" Before closing the door on his face, leaning her back on the door a second later, while putting one of her hands on it to hold herself in a standing position, the other on her mouth, while closing her eyes, before feeling tears fell on her cheeks. Stefan looked at the closed door; put his two hands on the wood, feeling her presence behind it.
Yes! It would be harder than what he had thought…
It will be a joy to read your reviews! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this sequel story.