Caroline blinked several times, trying to see through the darkness of her room. She rubbed her forehead, yawning, and then she heard it again. She thought that she had dreamed it, but she did not. Someone was ringing the doorbell.

It had to be a joke, or some kind of misunderstanding or mistake, because it was 3 in the morning. Caroline tried to find her slippers with her feet, but she was so sleepy that she could not.

She took the thin robe and put it on before she went downstairs. The doorbell rang again and Caroline sighed. Finally, she was able to see him. It was Stefan, who had his forehead pressed against the glass of the door.

She opened it and looked at him with a questioning look.

"Stefan?"
"Hey" his eyelids looked tired and he smiled with a grin.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Stefan chuckled and stepped forward, staggering. He leaned his forehead against her shoulder, laughing.

"I was with Damon and Alaric at the Grill" he mumbled.

Caroline tried to make him stand straight, grabbing his head with her hands. Stefan leaned his face against one of them and touched her palm with his lips.

"You're drunk" she said.
"Um, yes, I think so. We started to drink, and drink, and drink…" Stefan stumbled and crashed into the frame of the door. "I am not like that, I don't do those things, I don't get drunk like they do."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"It's your fault" he said.

Caroline stared at him silently, a little surprised. Drunk-Stefan did not mince words.

"Because I want to be with you, but you…" Stefan pointed at her shoulder with his finger. "You don't want to."

Caroline rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and dragged him into the house. She closed the door and led him to the couch while was colliding with everything that was in his path.

"Damon laughs at me because he says I'm like a 12-year-old kid with a crush" he mumbled with a frown.

Caroline forced him to sit down on the couch, pushing him by the shoulders.

"For the first time, he may be right" she said.
"And… Oh, wait, are you wearing shorts? You used to put these on when I stayed here" Stefan said, stroking her thighs and looking at his shorts.
"What?" Caroline looked at him in shock. "What did you say?" she took his head in her hands again to make him look at her and he grinned.
"I used to check you out" he shrugged. "But you were my best friend, I couldn't tell you that you were hot."
"Mm, okay" Caroline pursed her lips to suppress a smile. "I'm going to give you a blanket and a pillow, okay?"

Caroline stepped away but Stefan took her hand and pulled her to him.

"We aren't going to sleep together? I wanted to cuddle you" he said, pouting like a child.
"No, not today" Caroline said, shaking her head and laughing.

Stefan wrapped her waist with his arms and sat her on his lap.

"Stefan, please…"
"I like your hair" he said. "It's blond and… soft" Stefan took a lock of her hair and examined it. Caroline looked at him with a frown.
"And you're very perceptive" she said.
"I need to tell you something" Stefan said, releasing her hair and putting a serious face.

He placed a hand on her knee and started to make circles in her skin with his thumb.

"What?"
"It's… important" Stefan said.
"And what are you waiting for to tell me?" Caroline asked, giving him a nudge on the shoulder.
"I'm pregnant."

Caroline stood still, looking at him. Stefan looked straight, blankly, still caressing her knee.

"Stefan?"
"And that's not all" he said. "I'm pregnant with kittens."

Caroline looked at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to say that it was a joke. But he did not. Definitely, Stefan had drunk a lot of alcohol.

She covered her mouth with her hand started to laugh, helplessly, unable to believe what he had just said.

"So, you're pregnant" Caroline said with watery eyes because of the laughs. "With kittens."
"It's not funny, Caroline. We'll have to learn to be parents…" Stefan rubbed his forehead, as if he was really worried.

Caroline patted his shoulder and stood up.

"Okay, time to sleep" she said. Stefan lay on the couch and Caroline covered him with the blanket.

Stefan took her hand before she could walk away.

"Good night, future girlfriend" he said, closing his eyes and smiling.

Caroline smiled softly and leaned toward him. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, future mom."