Chapter one.

Tyler was a Lockwood. Lockwood's didn't do nervous. But here he was, in a hospital, with a bunch of pink peonies and his tail between his legs like a fucking dog, standing outside a room. He was trying to work up the nerve to go into the room. Anyone that knew him would be wondering who the hell is in that room that is scaring him shitless. The answer, folks, is Caroline Forbes. He glanced down the hallway. It was late, the sun had went down a couple of hours ago. It was completely empty, and he had snuck in. Knowing that, sooner or later someone would come down the hallway and see him, he stepped into the room. Caroline was sleeping quietly, machines beeping around her. As much as he didn't want to, he felt terrible about what happened. It plagued him every minute, that fact that he was the reason she was in the hospital. He lost control of the car in a freak accident, he crashed it. He the reason she's wired up to all those machines.

It wasn't like he and Caroline were close. Sure, they endured through forced play dates when they were kids, and they had to tolerate each other because of Matt, but they were by no means close. And it wasn't like he didn't have enough things on his plate. With his dad's death, his mom wasn't coping the best. There was a million others things his mind should be on and a million other things he should have said to his mom. The one thing he did ask, though, was what flowers were Caroline Forbes' favourite. His mother looked at him in surprised, but then smiled half heartedly, saying she was glad he was becoming such a gentleman. She then got on the phone with Sheriff Forbes, and returned several minutes and two phone calls later, saying she had ordered a bunch of pink peonies at the florists and that he should go visit her.

So, here he was.

And he hadn't thought of the possibility that she would be sleeping.

Tyler sighed quietly, and went to sit on the chair beside the bed. He looked at the flowers in his hand, and started looking round the room for something to put them in. He'd found a vase, one that his mother definitely wouldn't have approved of, and put some water and the flowers in. He was about to turn around and put the flowers on the table.

"Tyler?"

He froze, sure it was a nurse.

But the voice sounded familiar. Too familiar. It was the voice that told him when he was being an asshole, the voice that reasoned with Matt, even though Matt hated him, to let Tyler take him to the hospital.

"Tyler, what are you doing here?" Caroline asked groggily, haven woken up by the noise of water coming out of the tap in her bathroom. Tyler turned around, and seriously considered walking out the door. Instead, he gritted his teeth and went to sit on the chair beside her. "What, I'm not good enough to be in here?" He asked cockily, trying to hide his embarrassment that she had caught him fussing around a fucking bunch of pink flowers.

"You know that not what I mean," Caroline snapped. She really, really wasn't in the mood to put up with Tyler. Matt still hadn't come to see her, the hospital food was disgusting and was making her fat, her head hurt, her mom still cared more about the town than her, oh yeah, she was a vampire, and on top of that, Tyler was here, and acting like a complete dick!

Breathe, Caroline. Calm down. She told herself. He couldn't help it. It wasn't like he was in a good place either. "I mean, it's late. And with everything else going on-"

"Like my Dad?" He interrupted. She flinched.

"Yes. Like your Dad. I just didn't expect you to be... here." She finished, gesturing around the room.

He laughed bitterly. "What, you thought I didn't feel guilty?"

She blinked at him.

"Oh, come ON, Care!" Tyler exploded. "I was the one who was driving, I was the one that crashed the car, I'm the reason you're here-" his voiced broke on the last word, "and I don't know how to deal with it." He said, defeated. He slumped down on the chair. Caroline looked at him, and bit her lip. Making sure his rant was over, she moved over in the bed, leaving room for him.

"Come here." She said, hoping, oh God, hoping that Matt would never find out about this, because he'd kill her. She wanted to laugh at the irony of that phrase.

"What?" He said, taking his head from his hands and looking at her. She straightened her shoulders, looked him in the eye and repeated "Come here," In a demanding voice. Tyler didn't know was it the fact that he was lonely, or that she would be annoyed if he didn't, but he gingerly took a seat on the edge of the bed. "God, Ty, I don't bite." She said, and laughed half heartedly. He eased back, and put his feet on the bed. "Tyler, you need to know this," She started. She squeezed his hand to get him to look at her. Tyler could feel a blush creep up his neck. Get it together, Lockwood, he told himself. You've done a lot of things, but liking your best friend's girlfriend will not be one of them. He forced himself to look into her wide, blue eyes. "It was a freak accident. Nothing could have stopped it. You lost car of the car. It happens. But I'm okay." She stated. "I'm going to be okay. If I ever get out of this place and stop eating this disgusting hospital food and get out of here." She said with a shrill laugh, and a wobbly smile. She burst into tears. Caroline didn't know if it was the accident, Katherine killing her, becoming a vampire, Matt or all of it. But Caroline just couldn't handle it anymore.

"Hey," Tyler said, alarmed by the blonde's tears. He wasn't used to girls crying around him, and he certainly didn't know what to do when one did. Thinking back to different movies and television shows he'd seen, he tried his best to comfort her. He put an arm around her. She hesitated, but put her head on his chest and cried while he stroked her hair. "Is the food here really that bad?" He teased and she laughed half heartedly. When her sobs reduced to sniffs, she asked "Tyler?" He was drifting off to sleep.

"Uh huh?" He murmured, still stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry about your dad." She said quietly. He didn't say anything for a while, and she worried that she'd said the wrong thing. Typical Caroline, always putting her foot in her mouth, always, always, saying the wrong thing. So being a vampire really wasn't changing her that much, except the fact that everything hurt, and she wanted to chow down on bunnies. She'd been in the hospital a couple of weeks, and she thought she had some control over what was going on. Stefan had been by, brought her bottles of animal blood, and taught her to control it. She was thankful that she didn't have to kill anyone.

Caroline didn't think she could have done it and lived with herself. Bonnie still was wary around her, but she made her a ring, like Stefan and Damon's, she learned, so she could walk around during the day and not be burned by the sun. As much as she hated Damon, she was grateful for him saving her. He didn't know that Katherine would later come in and...Smother her. The thought still sent a chill up her spine.

"Yeah. Me too." He said finally.

"Hey, Tyler?" She said suddenly after a few minutes silence.

"Yeah?"

"How did you know pink peonies were my favourite?"

Tyler could feel his neck heating up. "How do you know they aren't from Matt?" He countered.

She snorted delicately. "Please. He hasn't come to see me. Not once. Busy working, I guess." She said and sighed. She could feel Tyler's gaze boring into her head. "I don't know why I'm still with him," she said softly. "He doesn't love me. It's obvious he's still in love with Elena. I'm always everyone's second choice. And you know what? I deserve it." She said, sighing lightly. Tyler's arms came around her, and she was surprised. "You deserve more, Care. You deserve to be loved." Those were the last words they both heard before they drifted off to sleep.

"Excuse me? What are you doing in here?" Caroline woke, blinking rapidly, and looked groggily around the room. At the foot of her bed, her nurse, Nurse Beth, was standing with her hand on her hip and her eyebrow raised. Caroline looked down, finding her head wasn't lying on her soft pillow, but a hard, warm, muscular body clad in a black t-shirt and jeans. Her eyes widen, and she shot up. Tyler freaking Lockwood was stirring on the bed beside her. The nurse was stilling looking. "Well?" She demanded. Caroline looked up at her guilty. "I'm so sorry." She whispered. She then walked over to the nurse and looked her in the eye. "You let my friend in here. You will let him go when he pleases, and if anyone asks, he has permission to be here." She said, compelling her.

"He has permission to be here," The nurse repeated, dazed.

"Good. Now go."

Nurse Beth left the room, leaving her and Tyler alone once more. She racked her brain, trying to think about what happened last night. She went into her tiny bathroom, and shut the door with a soft click. Caroline looked at her reflection in the mirror, and nearly gasped in shock. Her eyes were red and puffy, her lips were huge, her skin was blotchy and her hair was a mess. Caroline leaned against the wall, remembering what happened last night. Tyler came, they bickered, as usual. She held his hand reassuring him the accident wasn't his fault. Oh God, she had cried like a baby. She'd confessed things to him she didn't even want to tell herself. Suck it up, Caroline! She told herself. You can't stay locked in a bathroom forever. Splashing water on her face, she left the small room. Tyler was easing himself off the bed.

Crap, Lockwood. Crap. Tyler was practically kicking himself. He had slept in the same bed as his best friend's girlfriend. They had cuddled. He had told her she deserved better than his best friend. God, no way in hell was he getting best friend of the year award. Tyler Lockwood, he concluded, was in deep shit. "Hey," Caroline said chirpily. She went over to the bed and started making it.

"Hey." He replied and started helping her. She looked at him strangely.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, confused.

"Same thing you're doing, Forbes," He said, then soften. "You're in hospital, Care. You shouldn't be doing this."

"They never make it right anyway." She said indignantly.

Tyler smiled for the first time in days.

"Look, about what happened last night-" Tyler started.

"Thank you." Caroline interrupted. "I was in a bad place, and you helped me. You cared when no one else did." She said with a sad smile.

"I was in a bad place too." Tyler said, and then moved towards the door. "Look, my mom will be worrying. I better go."

Caroline nodded vigorously. "Oh, yeah, of course!" She lowered her gaze to the floor. "Hey, I get out tomorrow, so maybe if you want to swing by, you're welcome to. If you want to," she added hastily.

Tyler smiled. "I'll think about it." He said and walked out the door.

"Hey, Tyler!" She called. "Thanks for the flowers." She finished softly. As Tyler walked away, there was a smile on his face he couldn't control.

Caroline went to the mini fridge in the room and popped open a bottle of blood. She hopped back on the bed, and smiled to herself.

Unseen by both Tyler and Caroline, around a corner, was Matt, having heard every part of their conversation.

Alrighty guys! Here's chapter uno! I really love to know what you think, criticisms too. And also, do you guys think I should have Damon kill Mason? And Jules torture Caroline? Originally I wanted to finish this before posting any, but I want to know what you guys would like. Should I kept it fitting in with the show, or have it in its own world? Reviews are great, appreciated, and will get you a free virtual cookie!