Here is drabbles originally posted on tumblr.
whatever makes you blind
must make you strong
The werewolf had bitten Caroline. He tried to get to it in time, and he was too late. Now he was standing outside her house making as many calls as humanly possible to Klaus.
He swallowed and looked out on the yard. He closed his eyes. He couldn't do this without her. He couldn't be him, without her.
He walked into the house and cleared his throat. He grabbed a bag of blood out of the fridge and poured some tea in a mug. He didn't know what she would be feeling like.
Caroline made a face as he walked in. Stefan could almost feel her pain by the face she made. She opened her eyes and saw him. He set the drinks on her nightstand and gave her a light smile. "Hey there," he murmured.
"Get out of here," she said. "Leave me alone."
Stefan frowned and walked forward slowly. "Caroline," he whispered. "It's me."
"You bit me!" she yelled. "Stay away from me. Stefan will kill you if he sees you."
Stefan got on his knees next to her. "Caroline, baby, it's me. It's Stefan."
Stefan could see the tear tracks on her face. He reached up to wipe her cheek and she bent back his arm. "Stay away from me, Tyler. Don't touch me." It came out as a choke.
Tyler had not bitten Caroline. The venom was getting to her head. Confusing her. Leaving her in a state that was so unwell it actually pained Stefan to see it.
"It's me, Caroline." It's all he could say. "It's Stefan."
Her eyes seemed to glaze over, then clear again. "Stefan," she whispered. "It was horrible… Tyler… he was here… Did you get a hold of Klaus?" She was frantic.
"You know what?" Stefan stood. "I'll go to him."
Caroline's white lips pursed. "Don't leave me, Stef." Her voice was weak and faded. "I can't live without you."
The irony was, of course, the person she couldn't live without was Klaus. Stefan kissed the top of her head and nodded. "I'll stay with you," he murmured. "I promise."
Caroline pushed herself up and over. She motioned for him to join her in the bed and he did. She lay on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.
"I'm hungry," she whispered.
"I brought a blood bag," he told her as he ran his hand idly through her hair.
"No," she pouted. "I want something warm."
He looked to the sky and closed his eyes. He pulled up the sleeve of his sweater and bit into his wrist. "Here," he told her softly. She grabbed his hand and pulled it to her lips. He heard a soft 'thank you' before she put her mouth on his skin.
She sucked his blood until he began to get lightheaded. When he asked her to stop, she did, and closed her eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Stefan felt the tears well up in his eye as he looked down at Caroline. His Caroline. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't. He got up slowly, walked to the kitchen and called Klaus one more time.
"I swear to God, if you do not show up in time to cure Caroline, I will hunt down everyone you love and be sure you live the rest of your life miserable and alone."
He swallowed his anger down and walked back into Caroline's bedroom to see Klaus letting Caroline drink from his wrist.
"It's really too bad I'm not going to be able to see you carry out that threat, Stefan," he said with a evil smirk. "Your precious Caroline will be just fine. Thanks to me."
Stefan nodded. "Thank you, Klaus."
"Don't thank me just yet," he said, the corner of his mouth turned up. "She's coming to New Orleans with me. You clearly can't take care of the girl we both love. So, I'll have to do it myself."
The phone rang, Stefan's eyes shot open. He knew it was Caroline before he even looked at the phone. He answered it without looking at the caller id.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," she partially whines.
"But?" he asks, moving to lay on his side. His eyes still half closed. He can hear Elena and Damon bickering in Damon's bedroom. He can hear Jeremy pacing in his room.
"But…" she sighed. "Am I crazy? Am I a crazy person? Every time I see him…"
"Tyler?" Stefan asked, knowing the answer.
"Yes. Every time I see him, I'm just so flustered. Like, we're over. And I don't want to get back together with him."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes!" she said, insistently. "I'm ready to move on, you know? Tyler was the love of my life… and then he wasn't."
"I know how that is," Stefan said, his eyes opening more and more. "Probably more than anybody."
"I know you do," Caroline said, a slight smile in her voice. "But, if I'm over him, than why does he still have this effect on me. I'm… crazy. Right?"
Stefan sat up. He heard Jeremy walking down the stairs to the kitchen. Damon's voice muffled, but still scwabbling with Elena.
"Remember when we went on that date?"
Damon and Elena's movement stopped. He knew they could hear him.
"What date?"
"You know, at the grille," Stefan said, trying to prompt her to remember the double date they had gone on.
"With Matt?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, I remember it."
"Remember how Elena and Matt were reminiscing and it made you feel insecure, but Matt was really into you… he just didn't know what to talk to Elena about."
"Except for the past…" Caroline completed his thought. "That's right."
Stefan smiled. "You're not crazy, Caroline. You're just… remembering."
"So, these butterflies…"
"They are just reminiscent of a time that he made you feel that way," Stefan said it like a promise. "He still can make you feel flustered. But, it's going to pass."
"Have yours?" Caroline asked. "For Elena? Have they gone away?"
Stefan nodded as he spoke. "Absolutely. Before, it hurt to see her. You know. Knowing I couldn't touch her. It was weird for a while. That warm, fluttering feeling was attached to her. Now, I see the girl I care about, my friend. I don't see the girl who gave me butterflies anymore."
"But, you remember? You remember being in love with her?" Caroline prompted and Stefan's gut sank. He knew Elena could hear their conversation, Damon too.
"I remember," he said and tilted his head. "Those feelings, though, they aren't there."
"How do I get to that? Separating the old feelings from the new ones?"
Stefan smiled widely. "A brilliant friend of mine said that one day, you'll fall madly in love with someone new… without even realizing it."
Caroline laughed. A quick 'ha!' noise. "She sounds like she doesn't know what she's talking about."
"She's the smartest girl I know," Stefan murmured. "You should listen to her."
There was a comfortable silence. Elena and Damon went back to softly talking. Stefan heard his name, but chose to not eavesdrop.
"Want to get a drink with me?" Caroline asked. "I can come pick you up, we'll make it in time for last call."
"Nah," Stefan remarked, his voice heavy with sleep. "Come get a drink over here. We can drink Damon's good stuff."
Damon's voice echoed through the house "DON'T MAKE ANY PROMISES YOU CAN'T KEEP, BROTHER!"
"Okay. I'll see you soon," she agreed.
He stood up, a smile plastered on his face while he waited for his best friend to arrive.
in the moment we're lost and found
i just want to be by your side
Lexi had a foot hold again, even after finding peace, she was ripped back to earth. It was a accident. They weren't trying to bring her back. They were trying for Stefan and Bonnie, knowing that Bonnie's grandma had put something in place for Bonnie.
Damon and Lexi had crossed paths, spent some time in the after life together. Lexi was collateral damage. Lifted from her afterlife, from the peace she had found. Knowing she had saved her best friends life and hopefully led him in the right direction. (Right toward Caroline)
But, she was back on earth, a year had passed, and Caroline and Stefan were no closer than when she had last seen them. Other than the occasional kiss on the head.
That wasn't enough for Lexi. It shouldn't be enough for Stefan either.
They were playing pool at the Grille when Caroline walked in, big grin on her face. She was beaming, she was always beaming. The light hearted laughter to even out Stefan's brood. The sweet spirit to Stefan's tortured one.
Lexi waved at her, and Caroline walked toward them. She grabbed a couple beers from the from the counter and handed one to Lexi, sipped out of the second one before handing it to Stefan. He raised his eyebrows at her, took a gulp, and poked her stomach softly.
"Want to play?" Lexi asked, as she observed the body language of the two, smiling to herself.
Caroline nodded. "I'll play the loser."
Stefan laughed. "No, you're supposed to play the winner," he offered.
She scrunched up her nose. "Nah, I'm not good enough. I'll play loser."
Stefan grinned at his friend and wiped her cheek with his thumb.
"Do I have chalk on my face?" she asked, wiping over the area he had just lovingly touched.
"Nope," he said, winked and went back to playing.
Stefan, of course, won. He was all smiles while he kicked Lexi's ass. He was, after all, very happy. He had his old best friend back, his new best friend was still by his side. And his brother was where he belonged.
"I'll get you girls another round," he said and walked to the bar.
Lexi walked to Caroline and motioned to the door. Caroline furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
Lexi put down her cue stick and motioned for Caroline to follow her lead. Caroline did so and looked back at Stefan, who was laughing at something Matt had just said. Lexi waved her hand for Caroline to follow her outside.
When they got to the outside, Lexi quickly compelled two smokers to 'beat it' and turned to Caroline.
"What's up?" Caroline asked, concern scribbled all over her face. "Are you okay? Is there some weird zombie vampire thing happening to you? Like, do you need to die again to feel like yourself?"
"What?" Lexi asked, flabbergasted. "No. Nothing like that. Holy shit, this town has done a number on you." Lexi inspected Caroline. "And you're still so… bubbly."
Caroline shrugged, a simple smile on her face. "You're pretty upbeat yourself," she offered. "Is this a 'keep your hands off my best friend' thing?" Caroline began to ramble again. "Because if it is, I totally get it. He was your friend first. And, you guys have a connection. I get that."
Lexi laughed openly. "You're a firecracker," she said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's not that, really."
Caroline's eyes went wide. "Then what?"
"It is about Stefan," she admits. "But, it's not some weird 'he was my friend first' speech. It's actually quite the opposite." Caroline's eyes squinted, trying to focus and not talk over her. "You and Stefan, you have something."
"What do you mean?"
"You belong together," she said simply. "You told him, at prom, that he would move on without even realizing it."
"Super creepy that you know that," Caroline mumbled.
"Well, I think he has. With you."
Caroline swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, the look of realization mixed with searching for the answer all over her face. "What are you saying?"
"He's an idiot," Lexi said. "He's my best friend, but he's never going to make the moves he needs to, to be happy with you."
Caroline rubbed her lips together, suddenly at a loss for words. "Wh-what exactly are you asking me to do?"
"Do you have feelings for him?" Lexi said more than asked.
"For Stefan?" Caroline said, her voice cavalier, but her mind reeling at the prospect. The person who knew Stefan most in the world, was saying he should be with Caroline. She partially scoffed.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Pretend," Lexi said simply. "Don't pretend you don't care. Don't pretend you don't feel these things for him. I saw you after he died. You were a wreck."
"He's my friend," she countered.
"You didn't cry for 12 hours straight after Bonnie died," Lexi said. It was a guess, of course. She wasn't there to see Caroline's reaction. But, Caroline noticably deflated at the mention. "You feel something more than friendship for him. Don't you?"
Caroline tilted her head, she felt the tears well up and looked to the side. The tears glistened in her eyes. "I do," she said. It was simple, the whisper came out like a prayer.
Lexi clapped her hands together. "I'm telling you, Caroline. You belongtogether."
Caroline cracked a smile, a tear fell down her cheek and she rubbed it away.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm scared…" Caroline admitted with a sad frown. "I'm scared my feelings will ruin everything."
"I'm scared too."
The voice startled them both. Caroline and Lexi both turned comically slow toward him. "Oh!" Lexi said.
"Did you know he was standing right there?" Caroline blamed and Stefan looked down and laughed.
"Of course not," Lexi barked back.
Stefan moved toward Caroline, his eyes watching her eyes. "I'm scared too," he repeated. "I'm scared of these feelings. I'm scared of how much I feel for you."
Caroline felt like she could start crying at any moment.
"The reason I shrugged off what you said before, Lexi," he turned to his other blonde friend, "was because I felt it. Of course I had felt it. I felt it when we fell asleep together after I had been tortured by the travelers. I felt it when I had no memory of who I was. I felt it when I saved you from Julian. I felt it when I saw you cry over my body. I feel it still. But, I didn't want to lose what we had."
"I don't mean to interject," Lexi noted and leaned against the wall like she was watching a movie. "But, it's worth the risk. What you guys have… it doesn't happen that often."
Caroline looked down, her cheeks turned red. The moonlight hit her golden hair and made Stefan grin. He hooked his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. "I hate to admit it," he whispered. "But, Lexi has a point."
"You think it's worth the risk?" Caroline asked in a breathy whisper.
"I don't want to lose you, Caroline," Stefan admitted. "But, being just friends… after knowing you feel the same way… that seems…"
"Impossible," Caroline finished his sentence.
Lexi's smile widened and she turned around to give them their privacy. "My work here is done," she said as she walked away.
Stefan's smiling lips bumped into Caroline's softly, then more forcefully and Lexi smiled the whole way home.
heaven shakes with anger
and the clouds curse the ground
She wakes up shaking. She curses herself for still having these dreams. He can't hurt her, she knows this. She hears footsteps outside her room and Stefan peaks his head in.
"You okay?"
She had forgotten he was sleeping over. They had quite a bit to drink the night before. "I'm fine," she says as convincingly as she can.
Stefan tilts his head and walks in the room. Caroline chastises herself for admiring the way he looks in sweatpants and a almost see-through undershirt.
"What's wrong?" his eyes were scribbled with concern.
"It was just a bad dream," she explains and crosses her arms to keep herself from shaking.
Stefan lets out a small smile and walks toward her slowly, sitting on the side of her bed, looking down at her. "You know you're a vampire," he said with a smirk. "Not much can hurt you."
Caroline feigned a grin. "It's an old nightmare," she explained vaugely. "From my human days."
He lay back and put his arms behind his head, he crossed his ankles. "Well tell me about it."
"You don't want to hear that."
"I'm already awake," he said and nudged her. "Go on."
"It's silly," she digresses and Stefan gives her a look. She licks her lips and rolls her eyes. "Fine, but it's dumb. I know he can't hurt me anymore."
"Who?"
She rubs her lips together. "I don't want to be insensitive…" she trails off.
"You're killing me here, Caroline."
"Damon…" the name plays on her lips like a bad word. Stefan's eyes fall to hers and he looks at her, waiting for an explanation. "Ever since my memories came back, of what he did to me," Stefan's eyes looked away, guilt and shame all over his face. "I have these dreams, that I'm human and it's happening and I can't stop it. I can't tell anyone. I can't… I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" he asked, putting his hand on her face. "You have nothing to apologize for. It's horrible, what he put you through…"
"It's just, I know you miss him, and you love him, and…"
Stefan shook his head. "I have no delusions of the type of guy he was. And what he did to you was unforgivable. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you sooner."
A soft smile crossed her lips. "Sometimes, when the nightmares get really back, they tell you that you're supposed to dream them out. Keep going until the dream finds a close." Stefan nods, he's heard the logic before. "So, I've done that. Every time, you're the one who saves me." A light smile plays on his lips. "You always save me."
His hand caressed her soft skin. "I hope I can prove that right in real life."
"You already have."
Caroline burst through the door of the Salvatore house with a gleam in her eye and wide bright smile on her face. A smile Stefan had gotten very accustomed to. Especially over the summer. Summer was winding down, and Caroline would go back to school soon. He had to decide if he wanted to go back to school as well. It would be his… tenth stint at college. But, it might be fun with Caroline at his side.
"What's got you all smiley?" he asked and tilted his head. He met her in the foyer. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him into a hug. He hummed softly into the hug and she giggled. "What's that for?"
"It's a pre-thank you."
"Pre-thank you?"
"Yes!" Caroline said. "Thank you for going to the pool party with me!" she beamed.
"When did I promise to do such a thing?" Stefan said and lifted his eyebrow at her.
"You were just about to," Caroline said with a smirk. She pulled a pair of swim trunks out of her bag and tossed them on his face. "Look, I got you something."
Stefan shook his head. "Is this some ploy to get me shirtless?"
Caroline rolled her eyes. "Your forgetting something," she said, her voice teasing. "If you're shirtless, I'll be in a bikini."
Stefan's skeptical face adjusted into a soft, albeit shocked, smile. Their flirtation wasn't new, but it had gotten more and more intense over the summer. And with three drunken kisses under their belt and one confession of attraction (from him to her) the flirtation was hitting an all time high.
Caroline hadn't ran scared yet, so Stefan was doing his best to stay around her. Hoping that it would lead to more.
"I'll get changed," Stefan said with a slight smirk. He heard Caroline squeal as he made his way to the bedroom. As he passed Damon's room, a light giggle caught his attention. He turned around to peak in the door.
He saw Elena and Damon laughing. Damon was sitting on his desk chair, and Elena was drinking whiskey while sitting on his bed.
"What are you laughing at?" Stefan asked, squinting his eyes at the two of them.
"Oh, nothing, brother."
"Nothing… except…" Elena giggled again. "Except that you are so obviously whipped."
"I've never seen you like this," Damon added. "It might be cute if it wasn't so disturbing."
"I think it's cute," Elena said. "Ignore him."
"You always did have a soft spot for the tragic blondes, didn't you?"
Stefan rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. "You know, brother," Damon said after him, "We could do a double vampire wedding if you wanted." Elena giggled again, and he heard Caroline scoff at Damon. She didn't much care for him. Still.
Not that he blamed him. He did treat her like shit when she was a human. Stefan was so grateful he was able to save her from his torture by slipping vervain in her drink.
It had paid off in spades. She had saved him so many times after that, and was saving him daily. From himself, from the travelers, from his brother.
She was always saving him.
He quickly changed and met Caroline downstairs. He grabbed her by the arm, spinning her into him. She laughed, a full and hearty laugh. They put their foreheads together and his eyes watched her lips. She kept the smile plastered across her face for a minute. Then her face became more serious, more thoughtful.
"I'm excited," Stefan murmured. "But, you can't let me get too drunk. You know what happens when I'm drunk."
"Yes," she whispered. "You give me sloppy kisses."
"You say as if you mind it horribly," he said. He rubbed her back and she put her head on his shoulder. They swayed for a moment, until the eruption of Elena's laughter knocked them out of their stupor.
"We should go, yeah?" Caroline said and reluctantly separated herself from him.
Stefan nodded and looked up the stairs. He saw Damon and Elena peaking out of their bedroom. Stefan shook his head at them both. Elena shrugged and Damon lifted his glass as if he was cheering them.
When they got to the watering hole, it was late. It was almost sundown and the air smelled of summer nights and alcohol soaked blood. Caroline and Stefan had gone hunting. Though Caroline rarely drank the animal blood, she liked to take Stefan hunting. She knew that he put it off, and she wanted him to be strong.
It was selfish of her, really. She liked him picking her up, tossing her around, giving her a run for her money when they wrestled.
Caroline slipped out of her dress to reveal her white string bikini. Stefan tried not to keep his eyes glued to her body for too long. He took quick snapshots. Posting them to the wall in his memory for safe keeping, and lonely nights.
She walked towards the water and he pulled off his shirt grabbed a couple of red cups full of warm beer.
He met her in the water, she stood in the center of a group. The water up to her navel. Stefan noticed the way guys looked at her, the way men always seemed to turn when she walked by. He put his arm around her, delivering the beer to her hand. He kept the arm around her when she retrieved the beer.
His arm sent a signal to the guys in the circle that she was spoken for. A slight smirk crossed her face. The memory of her jealous behavior last time she was here. Stefan talking her down from acting that was towards Matt. Now, he was doing the same thing.
She turned toward him, tapped her red cup to his. His hand fell to her waist and they took a swallow of beer together. She made a face. "Gross. Warm beer."
"You are in college, Caroline," Stefan said with a smirk. "Just because you have access to my amazing liquor stash…"
Caroline whined. "Why couldn't you have gotten some whiskey."
"I thought you didn't want my sloppy kisses."
Caroline giggled and put her arms around his neck. "Maybe I don't mind so much." Stefan's lip twitched upward. "Though I wouldn't mind a sober kiss," she murmured.
With that, he leaned toward her, leaving his lips an inch away from hers. He waited for her to complete the motion. She smiled up at him, seeing if he would move the rest of the way, when he didn't, she dove in. Their lips crashed together. Even though it wasn't the first time, it felt like it. She pulled him in and he wrapped his arms around her waist. The setting sun left a red glow on them and the rest of the lake, making it the perfect moment.
They heard cat calls and whistling from the group of college and high school students that surrounded them. It just made Stefan want her all the more. Wanted to prove to them that she was his.
He opened his mouth, signalling for her to do the same. Once she did, he allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. She tasted of warm beer and honey that she drank in her tea. She moaned softly and they pulled apart.
"I've been waiting to do that," Stefan muttered.
"I hope you don't wait so long for our second real sober kiss," Caroline said. "Because it's torture."
Stefan smiled, shook his head. "No more waiting," he mumbled, his eyes on her lips, as he went in for another blissful summer kiss.
the morning after the cuddle (5x17):
Caroline walked into her dorm room. As she walked in, Elena walked out. Caroline noticed she looked agitated.
"Is she okay?" Caroline asked Bonnie.
"Damon issues," Bonnie said from bed. She stretched. "So are we done with the travelers for a while? A ton of them died last night."
Caroline nodded. "I know, Stefan and I were there."
"Is Stefan okay?" Bonnie asked, getting up on her elbows.
Caroline nodded and chewed on her lip. "Yeah, he's okay. Mostly. He went through a lot."
"Why do you have that tortured look on your face, then?" Bonnie asked skeptically.
Caroline walked towards Bonnie's bed and laid down next to her. She held her hand and cuddled her. "Is this weird?"
Bonnie laughed. "Yeah, kinda." Caroline stood back up and sat on her own bed. "Why?" Bonnie sat up as well.
"Because, Stefan kind of cuddled me last night. Like that." Caroline stood up and began to pace. "Well, I cuddled him first."
"Why were you cuddling?"
"It was cold, and we were sleeping at the traveler camp."
"Why were you sleeping at the traveler camp?"
"Because they were keeping him captive," Caroline explained quickly. She began rambling. "He had said all of these nice things, Bon. And he's always there for me. So I just, I don't know, moved close to him and we fell asleep. But then, we woke up to all the travelers drinking Stefans blood. Not from his body, but from the buckets that they had collected. Anyway, and when we woke up he was spooning me and holding my hand."
Bonnie paused to take it all in. Finally landing on something to say. "Was it awkward?"
"No. And that's the worst part. It was like the most natural thing in the world."
"Then what's the problem?" Bonnie asked hesitantly.
"What if I have feelings for him, Bonnie?"
"What would be wrong with that?" Bonnie offered. "Elena and Stefan have been broken up for almost a year. She's been dating his brother. If she's the reason you're worried…" Bonnie trailed off.
"She's one of them," Caroline admitted.
"Haven't you been into him since Junior year?" Bonnie asked with raised eyebrows.
"Things are different now, we're friends. Best friends."
"Thanks for that," Bonnie teased.
"You know what I mean," Caroline said and fell on her bed. She looked over at Bonnie. "What do I do?"
"First of all, Stop overthinking it."
"Oh yes," Caroline spit. "That will be easy to stop doing. You know I overthink everything."
"Maybe that's how you and Stefan got to this place. You guys stopped thinking. You guys were just… together. Being friends and it grew without either of you even realizing it."
Caroline let those words wash over her as she stare at the ceiling. "Without even realizing it," Caroline repeated and bit her lip. "Yeah."
"I'm exhausted," Elena said from the doorway. She fell on her bed and turned toward Caroline. "How was your intelligence gathering mission."
Caroline laughed. "We gathered little to know intel," she admitted. "But, at least Stefan's out of the travelers camp."
Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" she shook her head. "I don't understand."
"They were holding Stefan captive," Bonnie said. "You really didn't know this?"
"No…" Elena fell back in her bed and the three girls stared at the ceiling. "How is this our lives. We've had so many abductions and rescue missions that one slips by me and I don't even realize it."
There those words were again. Without realizing it.
—-
Days past without hearing anything from the travelers. Caroline and Stefan assumed something would be coming soon, they just didn't know what to except. They spent most nights in library reading up on doppleganger and traveler history/theory.
Damon and Bonnie would join them sometimes. Elena tried to come when Damon wasn't there, but on this night it was just the two of them.
"Where's Damon?" Caroline asked as she set her bag down.
"He's at the bar."
"Still saving a seat for Alaric?"
Stefan nodded. "Some nights, yeah. I think it's the only thing that keeps him from losing it."
"Him and Elena?"
"Still broken up, I guess."
Stefan followed what he was reading with his finger. "You know, I can't remember some things."
"Like what?"
"Things I know happened but it's like the memory is on the tip of my tongue," Stefan said. "I think the travelers took more out of me than I thought."
"What are you missing? I can fill in the gaps," Caroline offered with a smile. She put her hand on his wrist and squeezed it softly.
Stefan licked his lips quickly, thinking. "Lexi died. I know that. But I can't remember how."
Caroline looked down hesitantly. "I don't know the details of it, but when you and Damon were at your worst… he killed her."
"Out of spite?"
"I think it was out of self-preservation. He was pinning all his murders on her."
Stefan nodded. "Okay, well how'd we meet?"
"You and Lexi?"
"No," Stefan laughed a little. "You and me."
"I can't remember meeting you."
"Do you remember meeting Elena?"
"No, but I remember her recreating it for me the last time I forgot. So, I think I understand."
"Well you met me that same day. At the grill," she smiled. "There wasn't anything really special about it. But I invited you to the bonfire the next night. You couldn't keep your eyes off Elena."
Stefan shook his head. "The curse of being a doppelganger, I guess."
Caroline tilted her head, "You really believe that?"
"What? That our entire attraction was a side effect of being a doppelganger?" Stefan asked and Caroline nodded. Her nod was slow, nervous, her breathing caught. "Of course, I do."
"Why?"
"Elena is good person, but I didn't even know her and I was immediately into her. Same vice versa. We didn't grow in friendship first like her and Damon. We didn't grow up together like her and Matt. I believe in attraction, love at first sight and all of that, but it was more with her. It was something else. Something that pulled us together." Stefan swallowed. "That's something I do remember."
"You don't still feel that pull?"
"Sometimes," Stefan nodded. "I'm afraid it's ingrained into me. Which I hate. It makes me feel like I don't have free will." His breathing came out in a quiver and he met Caroline's eye line. "You know how I feel about compulsion. I very rarely do it, and I only do it if I have to."
"Yeah?"
"Well, this is the same thing. Taking away someones free will isn't really a forgivable thing. And that's what the travelers have done to me," Stefan shrugged and broke the contact. "That's why you and me are going to figure out what they're up to. So we can stop them."
Caroline smiled lightly. "You'll fall in love again," she said. "If Elena can move on… so can you."
Stefan smiled at the book, he didn't look up. Just kept grinning, like he knew something she didn't. "What?" Caroline asked. "What's that look about?" she found herself grinning as well. She couldn't help it, that devilish look in his eye was contagious.
"It's just…" he trailed off. "Never mind."
"What aren't you telling me?" she asked in an accusing tone. "Stefan Salvatore, tell me what you're grinning about right this very minute."
He laughed and looked up, making eye contact once again. "It's just… I think I already have."
"Moved on?" Caroline asked, taken aback by his honesty.
"She doesn't know it yet, or anything. But, yeah. There's someone I have my eye on."
Caroline's face straightened out. She swallowed nervously. "Who? Do I know her?"
"Yeah," Stefan grinned mischievously. "You know her. Probably better than anyone. I met her a few years ago. The same night I met Elena. Ironically, I had known that I had met my soul mate that night… but I was just wrong on the which one."
"Bonnie?" Caroline asked dumbly.
Stefan shook his head and walked closer to Caroline. "No, not Bonnie. You know, I think I have a thing for blondes. Despite my dating history."
"Well, you did date Rebekah…"
"Caroline," Stefan said, his smile from ear to ear. "You know it's you."
Her breathing caught, her face reddened. "I was going to wait until all of this traveler stuff was behind us, but…"
"But you couldn't wait anymore."
"I've been waiting for so long already," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He continued moving closer to her, slowly, until he reached her. He put his hands on her hips and looked into her eyes.
"We can't. It would never work."
Stefan's smile grew and he laughed. "Just let me kiss. Let me prove to you how well we fit together. How comfortable we are together now we'll just continue. Caroline, I want to do everything in the world with you. And we can."
"Even if you have to face originals, and hybrids, and doppelgangers to do it?"
"Especially then," Stefan smiled. He leaned in and touched his lips softly to hers. As he'd expected, the kiss was perfect. She seemed to fit in his arms naturally. She brought her hand up to his face to caress it as they kissed softly. When they broke, he put his forehead on hers and they both smiled widely.
"Stefan…" she breathed out contently. "I thought you and me… I thought we'd never happen."
Stefan grit his teeth at the memory. "Now that is something I do remember." He ran his hand through her hair. "I guess you proved me wrong."
She giggled. "You proved yourself wrong."
Caroline, still half asleep, rolled over. The morning light streamed in from the curtains and her head lightly hit Stefan's cheekbone.
"Ouch," he said, sleep in his voice. She opened her tired eyes to see him rubbing his cheek. He looked over with a light smile. "Watch where you're rolling, Caroline," he teased.
"Sorry," she mumbled and scooted up on her pillows so they were facing each other. She put her arms around him, running her hands through the back of his hair. "How'd you sleep?"
"Good," he smiled and kissed her cheek. "Better than I have in a while."
"No nightmares? No weird doppelganger dreams? Nothing?"
Stefan shook his head. "Just a blissful dreamless sleep." He kissed her nose. "Probably because I knew I'd be waking up to a dream. You. In my bed. That's the best."
Caroline couldn't wipe the smile off her face and it got wider. She nuzzled herself into his chest. "Thanks for letting me stay over."
"Anytime," he said as he traced lines, circles, and hearts onto her arm. "Now, the problem is I'm not going to want to let you go."
Caroline smiled into his skin. "We have all summer," she whispered, her breath tickling his chest. They broke apart and put their foreheads together. "So this isn't weird?" Stefan asked nervously. "You and me."
Caroline bit her lip and looked down for a moment before meeting his eyeline. "I think it's perfect," she kissed him softly, as they broke apart she rubbed her nose against his and kissed his cheek.
"I'll take you home today and we can grab some more of your stuff?" Stefan offered, lying back on his arms as Caroline got up and tossed on Stefan's button up shirt. She buttoned a few buttons and looked behind her.
"Okay," she grinned. "As long as you let me drive."
"You want to drive my car?" he asked skeptically.
"Not really," she said and ran her hand down his side. "Just wanted to see if you'd let me."
"I'd let you do anything."
"Is that a promise?" she asked biting her lip hesitantly.
"It absolutely is," he said without hesitation and grinned.
Thanks for reading. I'll try to keep my drabbles updated on here.
Kisses.