Lost In You
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or its characters. I just borrow them for some fun .
Summary: Caroline drops by to see Tyler after the events of the finale.
Spoilers: All of Season 1
To say that Tyler was surprised to see Caroline when he opened the door is an understatement. When he had last seen her, she was curled up in a hospital bed, face drawn and pale with pain. It was difficult for Tyler to equate that image with the girl in front of him now. The Caroline who stood in front of him did not appear weak or injured, but rather fierce as she thrust a pan of food towards Tyler with a determined expression on her face. He must have looked confused because Caroline skipped the customary greeting and explained.
"It's lasagna," her voice raising up, as if he was challenging her on the contents of the pan.
"I see that. But what are you doing on my doorstep giving it to me?" Tyler shot back, absently taking the heavy pan from her hands.
Caroline looked relieved to have the weight taken from her, and for a moment Tyler could see the fatigue she was fighting to hide. Her mouth opened as if to answer, then snapped closed as she looked away. Caroline was obviously uncertain how to answer, which amused Tyler. He had rarely ever seen her put this much forethought into what she was going to say.
"Bonnie told me about what happened to your dad. I'm so sorry Tyler."
Tyler was caught off guard when, after biting her lip in uncertainty for a moment, Caroline threw her arms around his neck. He was stunned. Tyler and Caroline didn't do the hugging thing. They bantered, bickered, even played drinking games together, but never really hugged. Tyler absently noticed that her hair smelled like a combination of vanilla, peaches, and lavender. Tyler could distinguish the scents due to his mother's insistence in having lavender bushes in the garden. She loved to take the opportunity to point them out to people, bragging that the family enjoyed the constant assault to their senses from the fragrance.
Even though he was distracted by the scent of Caroline's hair, Tyler was putting his guard up as well. He was not ready to talk about his father's death. People he had never even met kept calling his home to offer their condolences. His mother handled it the way she always did, with effortless grace and charm, handling her grief with composure. There hadn't been a funeral yet because his distant relatives needed more time to make arrangements to travel to Mystic Falls, as if his father had been impolite by dying suddenly.
It had been ten days since his father died, and the most Tyler had been able to mentally process was the fact that his father, the man who he loved but didn't like, was dead. Tyler didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to receive sympathy or condolences, but that didn't stop him from throwing one arm around Caroline's slim waist, the other one still holding the lasagna.
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Caroline cringed in slight pain when Tyler wrapped his arm around her waist, but she just held on tighter. Her injuries weren't healed yet, but Caroline wouldn't back down from comforting Tyler, not when she knew how much he had been there for her while she was in the hospital.
According to the nurses, Tyler had been a constant presence by her side while she was unconscious, only to disappear as soon as she was awake. The nurses knew him well, since various injuries from football or fights had made him a frequent visitor of the hospital. Furthermore, he was a Lockwood. Everyone in Mystic Falls knew who the members of the Founding Families were.
Caroline had been surprised that Tyler had been there. Granted they had talked more in the past few weeks, with Tyler making attempts to get back on Matt's good side, but they couldn't even be described as friends usually. Maybe the shared experience of the car accident had forged some sort of friendship. Or maybe Tyler just felt guilty about crashing the car they were in.
Either way, he had spent the most time with her in the hospital out of any visitors, even if she couldn't remember it. Tyler had been the last person she expected to have patiently waited by her bedside, but the fact that he had, helped make the pangs of unbearable loneliness of her life subside. It seemed odd that he disappeared when she awoke, but Caroline knew she would never get a straight answer from him, even if she asked.
Caroline noticed that Tyler had started to look uncomfortable, so she stepped back from the hug. The embrace had caused a few wrinkles in the new green short-sleeved blouse she was wearing, giving Caroline the opportunity to escape an awkward pause by devoting a moment to smooth out the wrinkles. She felt strands of hair stick to her forehead, and cursed the humidity that Mystic Falls had suddenly been plagued with. The dampness was making her normally smooth tresses frizzy. Without waiting for an invitation, Caroline escaped from the heat by pushing past Tyler and entering the foyer.
"Why don't you come in" Tyler said sarcastically.
"Don't mind if I do. If you were a gentleman you would have asked" Caroline retorted, moving her way further into the living area of the mansion. Tyler followed, setting the lasagna down on large dining room table, all the while rolling his eyes. This did not escape Caroline's careful attention.
"Don't be a jerk, I brought you food. You could at least be grateful."
"Maybe I'll be more grateful when you explain why you brought me it" Tyler returned.
"You love lasagna" Caroline said, unwilling to let Tyler make her regret bringing it, even though she had let Matt do so. She knew her attempt at cooking for Matt and his mother after Vicki's death was largely unappreciated. They appeared annoyed with her every time she brought something over.
"How would you know what I like to eat Forbes?"
"Remember when we were eight, and our third grade class had a potluck lunch? Elena's mom baked lasagna for her to bring in, and you ate like half of it. It's a miracle you weren't fat when we were kids." Caroline stated this all matter-of-factly, eyes quickly skimming over Tyler's well toned body.
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Tyler was both insulted and impressed. Caroline was simultaneously the most oblivious and the most astute person he had ever met. People did not give her enough credit for her ability to notice small details about those she cared about and remember them. He used to be one of the worst offenders, thinking that Caroline was shallow and self-absorbed.
Most of their friends credited her relationship with Matt for making her deeper, but Tyler had noticed Caroline's potential for depth long before they started dating. Since both Tyler and Caroline were members of the founding families, they had spent their whole lives forced to interact. They were in the same play groups as children, at the same parties, the same events.
Over time, Tyler had started noticing more things about Caroline than he used to. It's not like he would look for the details, but he had somehow developed a radar that let him know when she was in the room. It was like the whole room got brighter when she was in it.
He would see the expression on her face when people hurt her and the concerned looks Caroline threw Elena's way when no one was looking. Everyone knew that Caroline saw Elena as competition, but that didn't stop her from worrying about Elena after her parents died. No one saw it, Tyler doubted Caroline even knew she did it, but he noticed.
Even though he was giving her grief about the lasagna, Tyler knew why Caroline gave it to him. She had never been good at showing that she cared, and people took her inability to demonstrate her feelings as a sign of self-involvement. Tyler had never been great at showing feelings himself so he understood Caroline in that aspect. Baking something that he liked was her way of showing her support. He would never admit to anyone, but he thought the gesture was sweet. Letting the subject of the lasagna drop, Tyler directed their banter elsewhere.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Tyler asked, without the double innuendo he knew she would have expected from him. In response, Caroline stood up straighter, doing her best to project an image of the picture of health.
"I'm fine. Spending my time lying around and sleeping is just a recipe for weight gain anyway."
Tyler had always admired Caroline's trim figure and the way she flaunted it in her cheering uniform. He didn't think a couple weeks of rest would change her body much. He also wasn't buying the "I'm healthy" charade Caroline was trying to pull off.
She was dressed normally, but her choice of clothing didn't make her look any healthier. Tyler liked green on Caroline and it made him think of how hot she looked at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. She had danced with his cousin, but had come across as far more graceful than her partner. Now though, the green just seemed to make her skin look paler. It was hot and humid outside and she still resembled Snow White. Caroline also looked incredibly tired, as if the spirit that she had come through the door with had drained from her.
Not giving her a chance to protest, Tyler took Caroline's arm and directed her through the rooms to one of the couches in his elaborate living room. He looked back and grinned at the expression of annoyance on Caroline's face. She was obviously not happy at being dragged around and the fact that Tyler didn't believe her.
He was used to her annoyance though, so it didn't bother him. In fact, he liked their bantering. Very few girls could rise to the occasion like Caroline. There was nothing more comforting in his time of grief, than being able to behave normally with her.
"You know, I would have expected you to take full advantage of your condition. Make everyone wait on you, tending to your every need." It was the truth. It wasn't like Caroline to give up attention by not broadcasting that she wasn't feeling well. Caroline grimaced in response.
"Well it's not much fun being pampered, when there isn't really anyone around to pamper you" she returned, eyes casting briefly away.
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Caroline had been disappointed, but not surprised, at the lack of attention her hospital stay had prompted. The accident had occurred the same night that Elena's Uncle John had been brutally stabbed, Jeremy had overdosed on Elena's medication, and Tyler's father had suffered a heart attack and died. It was one unlucky night in Mystic Falls.
Sheriff Forbes had been there when she regained consciousness, a day and a half after the accident. Caroline and her mother had never been close, but there wasn't anyone Caroline wanted to see more at that moment. Just Caroline's luck someone called the sheriff to some other emergency and her mother had to apologize quickly and head out to investigate. She hadn't seen her mother much since then.
Elena had understandably not been by to see Caroline, since two of her relatives were also in the hospital. The doctors hadn't let Caroline go to the floor that the Gilbert's were on, but luckily she was allowed her cell phone to send Elena a few texts to show her support. She and Elena hadn't begun as the best of friends, but after the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, they had been getting closer.
Bonnie had been by to see her at the hospital, and she was the one who told Caroline about the events on Founder's Day. Bonnie seemed distracted though, and Caroline didn't have enough energy to keep the conversation going herself. She was almost relieved when Bonnie had left. At least her friend had called her a few times to check in, and had offered to come by and help Caroline if she needed it. Caroline had been tempted, but knew that Bonnie was still dealing with her grandmother's loss and that Elena may need her too.
Matt had been there while she was in surgery, but Caroline hadn't seen much of him since the car accident. Matt had told her he wished he could have stopped by more, but he was working. He also was trying hard to be there for Tyler and Elena in their time of need. Caroline had to bite her tongue to not point out that she was in the hospital, and could have used her boyfriend by her side more. He looked so sincere though, and it made it difficult for her to stay angry at him.
"No one to pamper you? Where's Matt been?" Tyler asked curious.
"He's been busy," Caroline defended her boyfriend. "He has to work a lot since times are tough for him right now. Of course you know all this."
Tyler looked liked like he wanted to say something, but when no words came from him she shifted her glance away and sought a subject to break the awkward silence that had settled.
"So have you eaten?" Caroline asked.
"No, why?" Tyler asked confused.
"I brought lasagna remember? It should still be warm."
She was sure that other people had probably brought food over, but she wasn't sure if Tyler had been eating any of it though. That is why she had cooked lasagna, knowing Tyler may be more likely to eat it, than any of the gourmet stuff other people might bring.
"I guess I could have some." Tyler said reluctantly. Despite his loving lasagna, he didn't look enthusiastic about eating any.
"Good. Would you get me some too while you are up?" Caroline asked.
Tyler looked like he was about to make a remark about her getting some herself, but he stopped after he looked her over once. Caroline wished he would stop doing that. While she enjoyed not having to get up and go get some food, and honestly didn't feel like she had enough energy to do so anyways, she wished he would stop looking at her like he was waiting for her to collapse. Though, she couldn't help but be touched by his concern.
Caroline watched Tyler as he dragged his feet to the dining room, where he had placed the pan of lasagna. She could hear him walk to the kitchen and heard the sound of him getting plates from one of the overhead cabinets. While he was doing that, Caroline took a moment to glance around the room.
As a child, Caroline had been impressed by the ornate furnishings of the Lockwood mansion. Now what she saw gave her a new understanding of how lonely it must be to live there. The mansion was filled with history, artifacts from both her and Tyler's ancestors. There was little evidence in the living room that a family currently lived there now. The only exception being a large family photo of Tyler and his parents poised for the camera dressed in their Sunday best. There were no pictures of Tyler as a child, no unflattering photos of a pregnant Mrs. Lockwood, no family mementos displayed anywhere. Nothing in the large room gave off any feeling of warmth.
She didn't think there was any more warmth in Tyler's family than the impersonal impression of his family home. Caroline knew that Tyler had had a rough relationship with his father and suddenly felt more appreciative of her mother. Caroline had never liked Mayor Lockwood much, since it always seemed like he was waiting for the girls to get older so he could hit on them. She also didn't appreciate the way he treated Tyler.
Her dislike of Mayor Lockwood didn't stop her from feeling sorry for Tyler though. No matter how poor the relationship between father and son, she was sure Tyler was hurting over the loss of his father. Her own father may have practically abandoned her, but he was still alive.
Tyler came back in with the plates of food, disturbing Caroline from her thoughts. They ate in relative silence, neither knowing exactly what to say to the other. Caroline was amused when a piece of cheese got stuck to Tyler's chin and Tyler kept on chewing unaware of it.
"You have something on your chin." Caroline said with a smirk.
Tyler looked a little embarrassed and moved his hand to wipe it off. She didn't know how he kept missing the cheese; one swipe with his hand should have taken care of it.
"Here" She said with frustration. Caroline took one of the napkins Tyler had brought with him from the kitchen, and leaned over to wipe the cheese off from Tyler's face. Tyler seemed disconcerted by her invading his personal space. She wasn't sure what the big deal was, he obviously needed the help.
"Thanks" Tyler mumbled looking away with a blush forming on his cheeks. Caroline had never seen him blush, or be embarrassed for that matter, so it just added to her amusement.
Caroline was pleased that after that the conversation started flowing better. He talked about wanting to still attend football camp in the summer and asked if she was going to the cheering one. She was, which lead to Caroline telling Tyler a story where Beth from her cheering squad got so worked up from watching him at practice one day that she toppled the pyramid over. She was sure that Beth would scream if she found out that Caroline had told Tyler what happened, but Caroline thought it was worth it to hear his laugh and see that arrogant smirk come back. She thought Tyler had a great laugh.
When they were done eating, Tyler took the plates back out to the kitchen, only to return with some movies in hand.
"My dad had a flat screen installed in the family room, want to watch a movie?" Tyler asked, seeming to notice her confused expression.
"Sure. What do you have?" Caroline didn't have any other plans for the evening, and was having a good enough time that she didn't mind prolonging leaving further.
Tyler held up Terminator and Fight Club which Caroline quickly objected to.
"I'm not watching a chick flick, so don't even try to convince me to watch the Notebook or anything like that. " Tyler said adamantly.
Caroline rolled her eyes, since she had never thought she could convince Tyler to watch the Notebook in the first place. But she refused to be subjected to a night of machine gun firing and men beating each other up. Tyler and Caroline continued to argue over which movie to see before they compromised and settled on The Departed. She was pleased, since the guys in the movie were gorgeous and the romance was great. It didn't stop her from elbowing him hypocritically when he mentioned that there was a hot blonde in it. He just smirked at her and pointed out that the action was good as well.
They moved to the family room where the television was, and fortunately the more comfortable couches. A companionable silence fell over them as they watched the movie, only broken when she would yell out or close her eyes at the violence and he would laugh at her. Caroline was tired though and she didn't make it past the middle of the movie before she fell asleep.
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It took a minute or two for him to notice that she fell asleep. Tyler looked at the sleeping Caroline, no longer interested in what was playing on screen. The light coming from the television only softened her features, making her appear angelic somehow. Embarrassed at how lame his thoughts sounded, Tyler looked away from her face.
Her blouse had started to ride up and Tyler was tempted to pull it up further to see the damage he had caused when he crashed the car. She had put on a good act tonight, but he was upset that she risked her health by coming over here when she should be resting. Mystic Falls was dangerous enough these days without making poor personal choices.
He hoped she never found out he had been with her at the hospital. Tyler still wasn't sure why he had sat with her so long. He had felt guilty, intensely so, but it was more than that. After his father died everything was in chaos. Tyler had escaped to the hospital with the excuse of needing to check up on Caroline and found the silence in her hospital room had been exactly what he needed. Tyler had expected for the silence to be interrupted by visitors for Caroline, but besides a few drop bys, they were relatively alone.
Almost none of her so-called friends had been there, not even her boyfriend. He let Caroline believe that Matt had been coming to see him, but Tyler had barely heard from his best friend. He received one brief visit and one phone call. All these strangers kept coming by, but his best friend couldn't bother. It was obvious that Matt had been spending his time with Elena, still not having gotten the message that she had moved on. Tyler wouldn't sell out Matt to Caroline though. Matt was his boy, which meant that Tyler would always have his back, even if he thought Caroline deserved better.
More than the peace that the hospital room offered, Tyler just needed to be there. He needed to check to see that she was still breathing. She was Caroline Forbes, the girl that used to smack him for pulling her pig tails, the girl who distracted the waiter while he stole them glasses of wine at one of his parents' parties, the girl who he couldn't picture Mystic Falls without. The idea of not seeing her around everywhere was enough to keep him in that uncomfortable chair in her hospital room. He didn't leave until he knew she was okay.
Once she had woken up, Tyler had initially left out of embarrassment for having sat by her side while she was still sleeping. He hadn't even done that for Vicki. He stayed away for different reasons though. While Tyler enjoyed Caroline's company, she shouldn't be around him right now. It wasn't safe. Tyler wasn't stupid, he knew about his father's secret meetings with members of the founding families. He knew that something was going on in Mystic Falls. Tyler had just never cared before, since it didn't interfere with anything he did. But now his father was dead and Tyler wanted answers. How anyone could expect him to believe that his father died of a heart attack was beyond him.
Witnesses said that several people had collapsed at the same time his father did, never to be seen of again. This happened around the same time that he had heard the horrendous noise that caused him to grip his ears in pain, ultimately crashing the car in the process. Tyler didn't know why people were covering up his father's death, but they were.
Tyler did know that a lot of people had died recently. Animal attacks, drug overdoses, heart attacks, Mystic Falls must have one of the highest death rates in North Carolina, but it was just a small town. Science and math weren't Tyler's strongest subjects, but he was willing to bet that the town's rate of deaths by animal attacks blew the national statistics out of the water.
He was also willing to bet the Salvatore brothers knew what was going on, since all the deaths occurred not long after they moved to town. If the Salvatore brothers were up to something, he was pretty sure Elena knew, and which meant Bonnie knew as well. Elena and Bonnie had been tight for a long time, and there was no way Elena would keep this kind of secret from her.
It was obvious that Caroline was not in the loop though. He would have known, something about the way she moved or spoke would have betrayed it. At the beginning of the school year she had looked like she had known something, but that look went away too quickly for him to be sure. Whether the Salvatore brothers were involved or not, Tyler would find out what Mystic Falls' big secret was.
He knew there was something. Ever since his hearing that screeching noise, Tyler's body had been humming, hyper alert. The outside now felt like it was calling him, the woods eager to whisper their dark secrets. He would listen, because it may be the only way to protect those he cared about.
He was going to keep Caroline in the dark until he knew what the secrets were. If it would endanger her to know, he would make sure she never found out. Tyler had already risked her life once, he wouldn't do it again. But he wouldn't keep her out of the loop if he could help it. He wouldn't let her own ignorance get her killed.
With that pact made with himself, Tyler covered Caroline up with a blanket he went and got from his room, and settled in on the couch opposite from her. He snorted when he heard Caroline mumble something about the color of her nail polish clashing with her clothes. He never knew Caroline was a sleep talker, but Tyler figured it made sense. With as much as she talked when she was awake, it wasn't surprising that even her sleep wouldn't be silent. With that amusing thought, Tyler pulled up his blanket, shifted to his side and fell asleep. Sleep was easy to come by for him, the first time in days. Both of them slept well that night, comforted by the presence of the other.
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"Love is friendship set on fire"-Jeremy Taylor
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