Disclaimer: Not mine as much as I wish it. A/N: For my Steroline family in celebration of getting into the top two TV couples in the E!Online poll. Inspired by the captcha prompt. This is for you. Originally posted to Tumblr, thought I'd add it to FF with all my other stories x
Steroline goat drabble
Stefan leaned on the wooden fence biting his tongue while Caroline climbed into the next door neighbour's goat pen. Despite protests from Stefan over breakfast, she would not be dissuaded. The cold night air was a discomfort, and his toes were covered in snow. "You do realize they have a thick coat?" Stefan grumbled, shivering despite his jacket. A pink woollen beanie sprung from behind a huddle of goats, stretching out a tape measure. "Everyone should be prepared for a blizzard, Stefan..." He shifted from one foot to the other, hoping he didn't have frostbite.
"This isn't exactly how I thought we'd be spending our date..." Caroline pursed her lips, clearly picking up his disinterest. He sighed. "What do you want me to do?" She perked up. "We're going to learn how to crochet." Stefan raised his eyebrows. "Tonight?" Her cocked right brow and folded arms told him he had little say in the matter.
Stefan imagined Damon's reaction to his current predicament, and took the tape measure from his girlfriend's gloved hands. "How hard can it be, you just follow the pattern right?" Again Stefan hesitated, but he knew when Caroline set her mind to something, it got done. However he was more concerned over the farmer's reaction when he found his goat's missing and discovered them in their cabin on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. "Just relax, Stefan. It's going to be fine." She passed the freezing goats to an anxious Stefan over the fence.
When they had liberated the five goats, all 'babies' - they all sat by the fire and listened to the wind rattling against the window panes. Stefan watched Caroline dig through her handbag pulling out two crochet tools and different coloured balls of wool. His plan to cook her dinner and cuddle by the fire had been hijacked by a bunch of goats. A black and white one she'd nicknamed 'Damon' chewed on the cushion he leant against, while she searched for patterns on her phone. Stefan ripped the cushion from its teeth sending feathers into the air. "Not hard at all. Here-" she dropped a blue ball of wool in his lap, squeezing between 'Elena' and 'Bonnie' who explored the contents of her suitcase.
"You do realize how weird this is, right?" Stefan fumbled with his crochet needle.
"What's weird?" Caroline looked up, having read the 'how to steps' and crocheted two rows already.
"Your names for the goats? Why don't you just call them Billy? Or Bill - like your father?"
"Why would I call them all Bill? Now that'd be weird, and unoriginal." Stefan caught 'Damon's' glare and hid what was left of the cushion behind his back.
"Let me guess, those two are 'Matt' and 'Tyler'?" Caroline looked over her extended rows. Stefan blinked, having not gotten the hang of one yet. She gave him a 'weird' look. "No, they're Liza and Tom." Stefan made a face. "How'd you come up with those?" He asked, as Caroline showed him how to do some rows. "They're our kids' names. You know, if we ever decided to adopt?" He nodded. "Liza - I was playing around with variations of Elizabeth and well, Tom Avery." She patted 'Elena's' head absently, as the goat nibbled the end of his wool. He struggled with making his rows as neat as Caroline's and then remembered he had just given in to making jumpers and booties for their adopted 'kids'. "You're doing awesome!" Caroline encouraged, giving him a kiss as she put one bootie aside, and started on the next.
Hours later, Stefan finished his fourth row and Caroline pulled her clothes onto the goats. 'Damon' she left for Stefan, because she was sick of his bullshit. Stefan sighed, staring up at the defiant goat who pinged off the walls with an elongated 'baa' and mocked him from the rafters. Elena and Bonnie admired their new outfits in the corner of Stefan's eye, while he put the thought out of his head that 'Damon' was just an oversized bunny. Stefan lunged for the rebellious goat, while Tom, his doppelganger goat, head-butted the inside of his knee. "A little help!" Caroline raised her chin, having almost as much difficulty with Liza, who preferred to hide under the lounge rather than let her brown coat be subjugated by a pink sweater. "Stefan, watch out!" Stefan felt a whoosh of air and then hard hooves pressed into the nape of his neck. Before Caroline could catch him, 'Damon' sprung again, propelling himself from the television set dated 1975 and into -"DAMON, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THOSE SHOES! OR SO HELP ME!"
Stefan grabbed him round the middle. He and was thrown aside by an annoyed 'Bonnie'. Stefan used what was left of the cushion as a shield, swatting the bucking goat and climbing backwards onto the lounge. "Still think this was a good idea?" Stefan yelled as Caroline played tug-a-war with her favourite pair of stilettos. "Just think of all the things we could be doing right now?" Caroline watched as the other 'kids' darted around them, creating a chorus of 'baas' which seemed to only encourage and excite Damon. "GIVE. ME. MY. SHOES!" Caroline yelled, sliding across the timber floors on her stomach. Liza, Elena and Tom took turns riding on Caroline's back and thought it was a joyous adventure but Stefan knew it was only a matter of time before she snapped.
"Glad to see you've sorted out your priorities," Stefan murmured to 'Bonnie', her red bootie-covered hooves sticking out from beneath her coat, head raised, like a Queen. Stefan cornered Damon, sending him back in the other direction with one of Caroline's favourite shoes. "Ah-ha!" She snatched it from him, holding it high in the air. "Teamwork!" Stefan smiled, proud of them both. Caroline looked down at her shoe and groaned. "Seriously? The heel is bent!" Stefan pulled it from her grasp. "Easily fixed." He held out his hand, and Caroline sighed. "Time for this lot to go home."
"They are sweet, though?" Caroline murmured from the other side of the fence beneath Stefan's arm as they watched their little family of goats snuggled up beside each other with their rainbow coloured sweaters. "When they're not driving us crazy with their exuberant energy and disobedience, sure." Stefan smirked. "Now, let's go home." Caroline sighed, reluctant to leave her babies but at least they wouldn't be too cold, and thankfully the blizzard had passed over.
They trudged back into the cabin where they collapsed on the sofa, listening to the last embers of the fire burn away, and the birds singing in the trees outside. "Thank you," she whispered, hugging him close. "You're welcome." Stefan kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and hearing the occasional "baas" on the wind.
A/N: Reviews welcome! Also my mind works in mysterious ways...lmao.