Author's note: Hey guys! This is the sequel to my story Broken Down. It is probably best to read that first but you don't have to (though it would make things a little easier!). I really hope you enjoy this as much as the first one and feel free to review til your heart is content. I love getting feedback! This chapter is dedicated to Forwood13. (I finally got around to finishing the jumble of thoughts I had. Hope it lives up to the hype!) Thanks again for reading!

The silence almost concentrated their emotions. Apprehension seemed to overflow from one while determination was the watchword of the other.

"Do you think this will work?" the girl asked again as she watched her mother pace.

"It has to. It's the only way. If it doesn't we will die…just like the others and our birthright would be lost. There are no more tales being told, no one left to tell them – if we do not make this happen then it would have all been for naught. They would have won."

The girl dipped her head, "I just…He is mated."

"To an abomination descended from those who would kill us! No! Whatever union that is, it is not binding – not by our standards and not by theirs."

"But he loves her. He bears her mark," she countered unable to let it go despite her mother's ire.

"He won't when she is gone. You are meant to be with him. You are his destiny and I shall see it fulfilled."

Any reservations the girl had were buried under her mother's conviction. The thought barely registering that they spoke of murder, of a mate no less. But like her mother had said, it was ordained from time immemorial.

A supreme should mate with a supreme.

As soon as Caroline turned the corner she hissed. She couldn't help it. The influx of werewolves into Mystic Falls was making her crazy. And for good reason. Cue montage of torture scenes! No matter what the sickening unease in her stomach never faltered despite Tyler's assurances and Stefan's promises, hell even Damon was backing off from the 'Kill all werewolves!' mantra he had going.

The way Tyler explained it a power shift had occurred and the unclaimed wolves that is wolves without a pack felt it more acutely making them come to Mystic Falls - to him. And she didn't like it! She least of all liked the bitch - pun intended - who was smiling at her mate. Eira. That particular werewolf rubbed her the wrong way. Add to that the girl always seemed to be flirting with her mate, well it set Caroline's teeth on edge. And by teeth she meant fangs plus or minus claws. She was about ready to charge and tear into her with precision. It would be satisfying to see the intricate details of the werewolf's entrails.

Caroline might have survived the day even with those thoughts in her head but Eira reached out touching Tyler's face under the guise of brushing something away and she was gone. Snarling she charged ready to rip her to pieces when she felt a strong arm pull her back. Before she knew it she was dragged into the bathroom.

"Stefan, let me go!" She bared her teeth at her best friend, "I'm going rip out her throat then I think I'm going to take a shot at my mate."

The younger Salvatore dipped his head to hide the smile that came easily to his lips before answering, "I can't let you do that!"

"Don't laugh at me!" She pouted still angry, before a thought occurred to her, "I'll stay at your house tonight and I'll get Damon to do it."

"He won't," Stefan replied this time unable to hold in his chuckle.

"Probably not," she conceded, "Why does he have to be a good boy now of all times? Hey - he's been almost treating Tyler like a human!"

Stefan paused, his eyes looking away from her before saying, "They came to an understanding."

Caroline narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Clearly she had missed something, "When? I don't remember…"

"Nothing you need to worry about Care. Now about in the hall…"

"Look, we're mated and she can't just muzzle in. I won't allow it."

Stefan took a deep breath and spoke slowly as if she were a child, "Caroline, that's not what she is…"

"Yes it is and I can't believe I'm the only one who sees it," She replied the rage filling her again, she felt her fangs descending as her anger mounted.

"Care, you need to calm down before the villagers with the pitch-forks appear..."

Taking a deep breath she pushed away the rage which was so intertwined with the blood lust it was uncanny before she quipped, "Experience?"

"Best to keep the masses ignorant," the elder vampire answered with a smirk, "Secondly, Damon's been reading…"

"Again?! Seriously he is starting to freak me out with that."

"Me too. Trust me. He and Bonnie are doing some research on other mythical creatures – I've already quipped every Giles comparison possible – " he said with a smile as he stopped her interruption with a raised hand, "And they found that after mating in werewolves there is a month of the 'heated' moon. I guess you can think of it like becoming a vampire again. Emotions are heightened, personality is amplified. Jealousy abounds…"

"Oh God! NO. Again?"

The amusement clear on his face Stefan continued, "Look this is why you need to calm down and think before you go all Femme Fatale on the werewolf. Tyler has recently accepted his heritage. This is going to be overwhelming for you both without you threatening to kill every werewolf that is drawn to his leadership."

"Leadership isn't what she is drawn to," she mumbled before taking a deep breath , "Alright. I get it. Stay calm."

"Good. Now do you think we can go to class? I think I've used up all the grace period I'm allowed and someone is bound to come in and think it's weird to see me in the girls' bathroom."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Yes, Stefan. Let's go."

"And what are we not going to do?"

"We are not going to rip anyone's throat out today!" she said with fake sunshine.

"Good girl."

"Screw you." And she could hear his laugh all the way to history class.

The day remained uneventful, as uneventful as could be as she boiled about Eira. She had no right to touch her mate. The snap of her pencil brought Caroline back to the present. Maybe there was something to what Stefan had said. Month of heated moon. An entire month of heightened emotions and rationally irrational decisions. God when did life get like this! She thought. It was barely coming up on a year since she had turned, not even six months for Tyler yet and they had both been through far too much. A part of her sometimes thought about what life would be like if she had never been turned. Would she still be in on all the supernatural like how Jeremy was or would she be on the outskirts while her friends were caught up in a world of crazy?

The ringing of the bell shook her out of her musings. As she got up she realized that she had a committee meeting planned for the decade dance. She was thinking the seventies this time, disco ball and all. It would be amazing. The committee usually had no objections to her suggestions, not that they were very forth coming themselves. So walking to the school library she took out the cliff notes version of the event. The 70s rocked! Bell-bottom pants, mini-skirts and three-pieced suits with platform shoes. Caroline could barely contain her excitement as the others turned up. She laid out her plans as usual getting only token objections. They spent two hours hashing out decorations, food, music and clean up. By the time they finished everything had been assigned and should go off without a hitch.

Caroline was the last to leave. Gathering the rest of her things she made her way to the parking lot wondering if the redwood garden furniture she had ordered for the house had been delivered. The house being the abandoned cottage Tyler and the wolves had purchased. It was more of a mansion than a cottage but it offered the seclusion of the forest at its back and wide open space. It had enough rooms and more to house the four members of the wolf pack who had decided to join the supreme. Still a fixer-upper it appealed to Caroline as she liked a project. Besides it helped when they had a multitude of supernaturals on their side.

Jamie, the oldest member to come to Mystic Falls was a contractor and could do most of the work. She left the heavy lifting to him. Grout could really get under a girl's nails! But color scheme, furniture and linens were definitely her thing so she helped with those. What would have taken months of work had actually only taken a few weeks because even the Salvatores pitched in. Bonnie had started a garden and was teaching Accalia the finer arts of gardening. It was a community effort which had taken a lot of work because that community consisted of mortal enemies and a witch committed to the balance. But the community also had friends and loved ones and even though it had been rough in the beginning, things were finally starting to get better.

Walking out to her car she heard a voice calling her name. To say Caroline was shocked that Accalia had sought her out was an understatement. She got the impression that the she-wolf barely tolerated her presence because she was mated to Tyler and after she heard the werewolf's history she understood why. Watching as your brother was tortured and killed would do that to anyone.

"Can I have a word?" Accalia spoke in that heavily accented speech of hers.

"Sure."

The flash of her yellow eyes immediately put Caroline on edge and she had to fight the answering snarl that rose easily to her throat. The werewolf merely watched her though before beginning her spiel, "We both know you are far from my favourite person but if there was such a thing as a compassionate vampire you – and your friends- are the quintessence."

Caroline's mouth dropped open but Accalia continued, "I have come to accept you as the chosen mate of my Alpha and that is why I must speak to you on a matter of urgency. I wanted to warn you to watch Eira as one watches an enemy. As much as I am sure it irritates you, her desire for your mate is not my primary concern, there is however some discrepancy Aidan and I have noticed. She claims to be two years into transformations but she is able to shield her mind like one much older. She is as good as Aidan and I at keeping our thoughts to ourselves despite the fact we have years on her and a previous Alpha who trained us. Either she is older than we suspect or has far more power than she admits to."

"I knew that…" Caroline started but Accalia just raised her hand to stop the rant as she continued.

"Neither bodes well. I do not trust her. And neither should you. I haven't yet been able to ascertain her purpose besides the bedding of your mate. And that in itself tells me she is either stupid or is calculating. Werewolves mate for life. Nothing short of killing you will ever break Tyler's bond with you. So either she really is young and ignorant..."

"Or she plans to kill me? Shit!"

"I have not shared this with our alpha and neither should you. I have no proof and from you it would seem like petty jealousies. But beware vampire."

"Thank you Accalia," Caroline said sincerely offering a small smile to the wolf.

"I didn't do it for you. I saw one Alpha lose his mate already and I don't intend to see another suffer the same fate."

And with those parting words she walked away. Caroline 's eyes swept the parking lot as if Eira lay waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike and in truth she might be. It was like she had a target on her back, its glaring neon calling to every werewolf. But this time she knew who was out to get her and the torture she endured would never happen again.

No one but Stefan knew how much her time with Ledell had broken her. How she had cried for weeks after. She had hid the flashbacks and the tears from Tyler not wanting to worry him and if she went hunting bunnies with Stefan more frequently well, no one was the wiser.

She didn't want to spend her time remembering the smell of her own blood or of burning flesh. Not when she had her mate waiting for her at home. And he was, for home meant wherever Tyler was. Smiling she remembered the sight of him as he woke in her bed, growling while stretching the kinks form his body. He had been adorable, smile full of love as he opened his eyes to meet hers before pulling her in for a heart-stopping kiss and a whispered 'I love you'. The warmth of that memory helped banish the darkness and Caroline got into the car making her to the Lockwood mansion. She had to see him.

Her heart quickened as she entered the living area, her entire body filled with warmth. The heat blazing like a forest fire consuming everything thought save one - the love she had for this man. He looked delectable his white shirt contrasting with his tanned skin. She loved to see him all dressed up. He had accompanied his mother to a function in town that led to you attire and Caroline knew she could get used to this. His sleeves were rolled up; phone in hand as he spoke to whoever was on the line. She smiled as she envisioned a future that looked a lot like this. He was so engrossed in his conversation he never heard her enter and she was able to watch him for a few seconds before the need to touch him became too great.

Walking up to him she slipped her hands around his waist. He let out a soft groan as she nipped his ear before whispering, "Hey."

His hands squeezed hers as he turned pulling her into his arms, placing a small kiss on her lips. She snuggled into him as he wrapped up his phone call, reveling in his scent. He always smelled like earth and spring's full bloom as though he saturated himself in everything pure. Inhaling deeply she knew that there was nowhere she would rather be and she'd be damned if she let anyone take that from her. Hearing the call end she looked up seeing his smiling face and couldn't help the smile that came to her own lips.

"I missed you today," he whispered seemingly caught in the same quiet contentment she was.

"How was it?" She asked as she pulled him to the couch to sit. But Tyler had other ideas lying down he pulled her body on top of his. And she lay feeling his hard body cradling hers.

"Boring as usual. Playing the picture perfect family was never my idea of a good time," he said as he looked into her eyes. It was a lot easier now she knew for him to go to his mother's political soirees than it had ever been to go as Richard Lockwood's son. There would probably always be a tension there but she was glad the mother-son relationship had improved.

"And how was your day?" he asked and it was all so domestic. In a flash though she remembered Accalia's warning but pushing it from her head she answered in a teasing lilt, "You have to wear bell-bottoms mister!"

The horrified look on his face made her giggle.

"What are you talking about?"

"The decade dance. We are doing the seventies!"

"Not the seventies. I draw the line at platforms."

"But your butt will look so good in high-heels."

"Caroline…" he said her name his scowl warning.

Giggling she continued, "Just as long as you find something appropriate to be my date I don't care what you wear."

"Really?" he raised his brow skeptically.

"Well no," she conceded but, "I'll make sure you don't glitter…much."

"You little…" he playfully growled at her as he used his speed to flip her on the couch, his fingers moving to tickle her.

"Ty…" she gasped out his name as he continued his torture. Laughing she pushed his hands away but he gripped her wrists in his hands. She looked up at him still giggling, his smile so full she could see it in the depths of his eyes. They stayed there breathing in each other and just like that their playful game had turned into something more.

In a move so smooth if she didn't know better she would have sworn he had practiced it, Tyler placed both wrists in one hand and slipped down her body, pulling her leg over his back. She groaned as he situated her legs around him, moving in between to create friction with the movement of his body.

"Ty…" she moaned out as she raised her head, molding her lips automatically to his.

When Caroline would have deepened the kiss seeking the warmth of his mouth, he pulled back watching her face absorbing every look, every whimper. When her breath stuttered out as he ground his hips just so, it was as if that was the signal. And he devoured her. His lips crashed into hers, his tongue automatically seeking entrance. His hand let go of his wrists as he found something better to do with them. Shedding clothes in a flurry of want they came together.

When it was over, the heat abating as they tried to catch their breaths, clothes strewn all over the living room in their haste, she looked deep into his eyes and said, "I love you."

And it was both the statement and the promise he answered in kind, "I love you too."