People seem to like my previous romance, Daisy Chain, so I thought I would write another romance but this time featuring Caroline and Tyler, who I think are two of the more complex and interesting characters on Vampire Diaries.

If you want more Caroline stuff, please check out my story Grill. Reviews are genuinely welcomed, so please do let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this first Chapter – its pretty long! Sorry about that…

Dog Day Afternoon

If Caroline was angry, she wasn't showing it. She was sat in his bedroom window, legs crossed away from him, gazing silently into the middle distance.

Tyler watched her from the corner of his eye. He was on his bed, kneeling on all fours panting; exhausted. Keeping his eyes open was just about all he could manage. He couldn't focus on anything; his brain was just a swirling mess of confusion. He tried to slow down his breathing, but it came out all-raggedy, reminding him of the once asthmatic childhood he thought he had put behind him.

Caroline seemed to come-to. She smiled at him sadly, but remained quiet. She was giving him time and space to recover and he appreciated it.

He tore his eyes away, and concentrated instead on the space between his hands where the bed sheet was stretched taut. He realized he was too hot and his brow was sticky with sweat. He worked the sheet into knots as he tried to speak. He couldn't remember how he got home.

"H-how… how… how did I…?"

"I brought you here," she interrupted, "don't you remember?" Caroline's eyebrows furrowed, spoiling the pretty symmetry of her face.

Her concern for him was palatable, but right now he didn't know how to put her mind at rest. Maybe she should be worried; he realized he was in a pretty bad shape.

"D-don't…. re… re-member." He stuttered through awkward breaths.

He began to feel a rising sense of panic. His breathing was getting shallower and he began to hyperventilate. She rushed over to him from her window seat and stroked his back with delicate fingers.

"Don't speak, just breathe. Do it with me now. Come on; breathe in…. and out…. in… and out. That's it, keep it up."

Her soothing tones and the comforting stroking motions began to have an effect. Finally the sense that the bed was moving beneath him began to fade.

He flopped onto his side and pulled his legs up towards his chest, wrapping his arms around them. Caroline continued to breathe with him, and remained stroking his back. She leaned in towards him and whispered sweet epithets, some of which he heard, some of which he merely felt as light breath against his cheek. Two, maybe three minutes passed like this before he felt stable enough to try and speak again. He looked up at her, and she smiled.

"Caroline…" he began, but the emotion he had been suppressing all day suddenly overcame him and hot fierce tears sprang into his eyes. Their urgency overwhelmed him, and then the only further sound he could emit was a deep and guttural sob mixed with her name.

He just knew he had to hold her, and he pulled her roughly onto the bed beside him, crushing her body into his with a neediness that neither of them expected. Instinctively she seemed to know how to respond. She lay there quietly, arm draped over him, and let him cry violently; his body wracked with a different type of pain to the kind it had been subjected to before.

She didn't speak, not even when his tears made her hair stick to her face, or when her left arm was crushed awkwardly beneath her and starting to deaden. She lay there still and patient and waited for the sobbing to subside. And by the time that had happened, she realized that she too had tears rolling down her face, so tired and upset had she become by the day's events.

He was quieter now and no sooner as the emotion had drained from him, he fell into a deep and restful sleep. She didn't want to disturb him, but realized that she too was weak with tiredness. She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

She hadn't meant to fall asleep so heavily, but she did, and she awoke with a start to find herself alone in Tyler's bed, a patchwork quilt pulled over her and shoes removed.

She was dehydrated and more than a little disorientated. She threw back the quilt and removed her cardigan that had gotten twisted around her body uncomfortably. She pulled the quilt back over her whilst she decided what to do next. She had a horrid feeling in the pit of her stomach, and the sense that she wanted to cry welled up inside her.

She tried to assess the time of day: the room was dark, but moonlight was streaming through open blinds. There were no clocks on the walls or by the bed, but she guessed it was around midnight. She yawned involuntarily and found that even though she must have slept for hours, she still felt tired.

She faced facts; Tyler was gone.

She suddenly realized that that simple fact was responsible for the terrible feelings she had now. She had woken up to find him not there beside her. She couldn't believe how sad that made her feel.

"You're awake."

Tyler leant forward into the moonlight. She realized he had been there all along, but was sat on the floor in the corner of the room, concealed by shadows. A feeling of relief washed over her. She wanted to run to him and hold him, but she merely relaxed her grip on the quilt.

"I thought you were gone." She said.

He got up and walked over to the bed.

"I was watching you sleep. You looked so peaceful." He crouched down by her side.

"What time is it?"

"Near dawn, I think," he leant over her and brushed a stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She raised her hand to his, and held his wrist.

"Are you okay?" she looked deep into his eyes as she said it, searching for so many answers. Her question, they both realized, could relate to a million and one different parts of their day. He shook his head in the negative, stood up quickly and turned away from her.

"I'll get you some water." He said, and left the room.

She lay back on the bed and sighed. He couldn't seem to face what had happened today. It was all too much for him. She didn't know how to help him and she didn't like that. He returned with a glass of water and she finished it in one.

"Another?" he asked, and she shook her head. He took the empty glass from her and wandered over to the window and looked out at the huge fall moon and bright star-laden sky. She knew the Native Americans called this the Moon of the Falling Leaves, and were generous with legends about its portents.

"I think my mom must be out. The house is even quieter than normal."

He dropped his fist to the window seat and it resonated with a slightly hollow sound. She realized it was probably one of those ones that contained space for storage. Tyler could feel Caroline's eyes on him. He put down the glass and lifted open the window seat. He rummaged inside for a moment and then pulled out a stuffed toy. It was a little spotted hyena. He knocked the dust off of it, and held it up in the moonlight so she could see it. He pressed its tummy, and it let out that wild familiar cackle that gave them the handle, 'laughing'.

"I always loved this. I suppose I should have given it to thrift long ago, but I just couldn't bring myself to. Why is that?" his gaze lingered on the dog as if it held all the answers, then he threw it back with force into the seat and slammed the lid shut.

"Fuck!"

He dumped himself down on the seat and buried his head in his hands, his body once again taut with tension. A cloud passed in front of the moon and the room became dark.

Caroline, who had been still throughout his whole one-sided conversation, swung her legs over the side of the bed. She massaged some feeling back into her thighs and stood as if testing her weight. She walked towards him, and paused for a moment in front of him. She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

In a second his anger flashed; he knocked her hand away and was immediately on his feet.

"Why are you here?" he screamed, his uncontrollable rage directed at her. He spat out words with a power that would have had most girls running from the room.

"What do you want from me? I don't want this! I don't want you here!" he screamed, his face red with the force of his anger.

She did not move a muscle, but stayed standing exactly where she was. She made it clear that she wasn't scared; that she knew that he wasn't in control of himself, his emotions or his body, (to her bitter chagrin, this was something she had experience of). Caroline knew he was lost and alone, and was testing her loyalty, even if he didn't understand this. She was strong enough, and she kept her ground.

As suddenly as the temper had flared up, it left him completely. He reached out for her and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know why I said those things. I don't know why I say anything any more. What is happening to me?" he looked as though he was about to tip into tears again, and she felt it was her responsibility to stop this self-destructive cycle.

She reached up and held his shoulders firmly.

"Now you listen to me Tyler Lockwood and you listen good. You will get through this. You will. Because the Tyler I know is not this person. I've known you my whole life. I saw how the other kids treated you, as someone different. They were jealous because you had privilege and status and wealth. You never let that get to you. You made yourself the most popular guy; the captain of the football team, the guy that everyone wanted to hang with, the guy every girl wanted to be with. You had to find ways to do that every day. People think that stuff comes easy, but it doesn't. It takes it out of you. I've seen you struggle and become stronger. Nothing comes easy; it's all at a price. Tyler, don't be scared of what you are – because what you are, is wonderful."

The moon peeped out from behind its cloud, the shaft of silvery light illuminating her golden hair and giving her eyes extra sparkle. There was so much he didn't understand, he thought; like why she would put up with everything that had happened between them today. He was this beast, this mess of aggression and rage. He could have killed her many times over, so why was she still here? She seemed to read his thoughts.

"I'm here, because I want to be. I want to be, with you."

He put his hand out and touched her face, brushed her flawless downy cheek. He needed to look her in the eyes to know, was she saying what he thought she was? He was so bad with women's signals. He needed to know for sure. Her gaze met his and examined all the emotions playing out across his face – Tyler never had been able to hide what he felt, he was a pretty straightforward guy like that. She had always liked that about him. His cheek twitched with the tension he was feeling. She glanced behind him to the star-filled sky and that seemed to help her to make up her mind. He was frozen with indecision, so she took control.

Caroline stepped in towards him and pressed her body against his, pulling him into a long and sensual kiss. His body, stiff at first, quickly responded as his tension found a willing and pleasurable outlet, somewhere for him to direct his myriad of confused feelings. This was something he knew, something tangible he could feel and understand. His hands slipped from being entwined in her hair, down her back to her buttocks, and she allowed him to lift her up and carry her to his bed.

He took off his shirt and threw it to one side. She pulled off her vest top, and did the same. At the sight of her creamy skin and the curves of her body, he inhaled sharply. He kissed her passionately, his hands immediately kneading at her breasts, pulling them free from her bra and suckling each proud nipple with delightful greed. His hands worked to pull her out of her jeans and she wriggled to help him. He tore off her panties, and she was shocked at how excited the sound of the ripping fabric made her.

He kissed down her body and between her legs, and she flung her head back. His tongue found her sweet spot almost immediately and she sighed with a profound pleasure.

His beautiful body was not lost on her either; he was tanned and fit, and would have had a naturally toned body even without the many hours he put into sport to keep it that way. His broad back rippled in the moonlight, and she allowed her hands to travel over it as he busied himself kissing her thighs. He grasped her ass, raising her up so he could pleasure her more deeply. She gasped and came suddenly and unexpectedly. He knew ways to make her pleasure last, and did not stop until her body fully subsided from all the little after-shocks of her release.

It was only at this point that he decided to slide out of his black 501s. She couldn't help but notice that he was even more impressive fully naked. He was near perfection, and she had to confess that she was hungry for him. He lowered his body over hers and slid between her legs, entering her and using his rhythm to continue to give her little jolts of pleasure. She looked down at his taut buttocks as his body moved inside her, she slid her hands over him, fingers lingering on every plane, enjoying every inch of him. He seemed lost in the moment, a bit outside of himself, as if he was abandoning himself to the feeling but also intent on controlling it. It was confusing, but hot as hell. He was definitely testing her stamina, and she was finding it hard to keep up.

Not content with being on top, he used his considerable strength to pull her up onto his lap. She loved this, not just because he was deeper inside of her, but they got to be at eye level, whilst his powerful hands supported her and traced a line down her back. She arched her back, and enjoyed the ride, pushing her breasts up towards his face where he nuzzled them. His hands dropped to feel the curve of her behind, and increased his speed as his excitement began to peak. She felt it too, and she stopped curving herself away from him, instead slipping her hand to the back of his neck and curling her fingers into his soft hair. When they met each other's gaze at last, he came immediately and she had to grip to stay on him, as he jolted and bucked his way to his moment - his "little death".

They remained like that, locked together with his head resting on her shoulder, his arms around her, hands resting lightly on her behind. She kissed the top of his head, and he responded by pulling her closer to him, a real warmth to his embrace. After some moments had passed, they untangled themselves, and he lay down on the bed, arms behind his head. She lay next to him, a hand on his chest. He dropped an arm over her, pulled her into him and kissed the crown of her head whilst inhaling her scent. She gazed at the glittering dew of perspiration on his chest.

"I'm starving! I want something to eat. Don't you?" she stifled a laugh. Where had that come from? He shifted and sat upright.

"I guess," she agreed tentatively, "I suppose it has been a while since we ate anything." He crawled across her and jumped out of the bed.

He jogged out of the room. She took to opportunity to collapse back on the mattress, wondering if he was always this manic after sex, or whether this was part of the weirdness going on with him. He burst back into the room, carrying a cream-colored satin robe.

"I found this," he said, "come on, let's go get something to eat."

She reached out for the robe and slipped it on. It was probably his mother's (she tried not to think about that), but it was pretty nonetheless. Definitely high quality. She doubted Carol Lockwood would appreciate her wearing it after sharing a coital moment with her son, but what the heck.

He had slipped on his 501s, and took her by the hand leading her from the room. They walked down the stairs, and into the depths of the house to the big and empty kitchen. The tiles were freezing cold on her bare feet, but she didn't complain.

Rather than turn on an overhead light, he switched on the cooker-hood light, and the soft glow emphasized his handsome naked chest. She pulled the robe closer around her as the heat from their encounter wore off, leaving her shivering. He didn't seem to notice the cooler air as he bounced between the fridge and the larder, pulling out ingredients to make, well - goodness knows what. When she looked again, he was cracking eggs into a bowl and beginning to beat them with a whisk.

"I didn't know you could cook." She said.

"Actually, I like to cook," he smiled, "I'm not good or anything – but I can make an omelet."

"Do you like bacon?" he asked, and she nodded. He fired up the big gas stove in the centre of the kitchen, and put an omelet pan on it to heat.

He quickly made her an omelet with bacon lardons, herbs and shavings of Swiss cheese, and turned it deftly out onto a plate. He popped a fork on the side, and after having some trouble locating a napkin, handed it all to her. She thanked him.

He went about repeating the process until he was ready to join her. Whereas she took her time to eat, he gulped down his omelet in four bites. It was good. They tidied up after themselves and put their plates into the industrial-sized dishwasher. No boy had ever cooked for her before and she could only burn water, so she felt suddenly overcome with inadequacy and shyness.

"Thank you." Was all she could bring herself to say. She was quite confused by this Tyler, the confident and relaxed man who was a world apart from the lost and lonely boy she had been with this afternoon. He changed so fast.

He dropped an arm lazily across her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You're welcome," he said, "I'm not sleepy, let's do something."

"Like what?" she asked.

"I wanna, I dunno…. I think I wanna run. Yeah, let's go for a run!" his eyes lit up.

She couldn't believe it. It was definitely dawn now, the sun was rising and she was properly exhausted. She was stressed by his bouncy enthusiasm – there was something 'off' about it. She once had dated a guy who she discovered was on steroids and something about Tyler's demeanor reminded her of that. Up one minute, down the next. She couldn't keep up.

"I don't know Tyler, I'm pretty tired. It's been a long couple of days. I kinda just wanted to shower and chill out. You know?"

He didn't seem bothered by this.

"Oh sure. Of course – I wasn't thinking. That's ok. Look why don't you go shower, get back to bed and catch some zees. But I think I need to go run. I don't know, I'm kinda antsy." He was already stretching and limbering up.

She felt a growing sense of unease. Something was wrong with this picture.

"Tyler, are you ok?" she asked for the second time that evening.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm cool." He leant in to give her a quick kiss. "You're beautiful babe, but I gotta go do my thing." He gave her a big grin. "I'll be back before you wake up."

"OK. You take care now." She said, trying to hide the worry in her voice. "I'll be here when you get back."

"See you later." He said, running back into the house to get changed, taking the stairs three at a time.

She realized that the chill running through her was more than just the morning air. She had to do something, but she was at a loss to know what. Perhaps it was time to call in the help of some friends.