A/N: Hey guys! This is the first fan fic of hopefully more to come. It's written collaboratively between myself and my BFF.
All chapters are written from Caroline's POV, unless stated otherwise.
The story is mainly Tyler/Caroline-centric but there are some Matt elements. Forwood fans, we will deliver ;)
Although this chapter is pretty clean, future ones will contain profanity and sexual content intended for mature readers only.
Disclaimer: We don't own anything TVD. Character names, situations, etc. are the property of its respective owners.
Chapter 1 ~ Better Days
I lay in bed replaying over and over again in my head the events that had occurred the night before. A glimpse of the no-longer full moon seeped through my window. I couldn't help thinking of Tyler and the agonizing pain he was in during his transformation. Come to think of it, I'd never really cared much for him before. He'd always been a douchebag jock, concerned only about which girl he'd take to bed next. But last night, he was someone else. I saw him at his most vulnerable; it was impossible not to feel sorry for the guy. The reflection of fear and pain in his eyes was hard to get out of my head. I would even go as far as saying that he might have made my heart ache.
Just a little.
Then I recalled the image of him rabid with the urge to kill and it sent a shudder down my spine. He was unrecognizable; his eyes were filled with rage, he would've most certainly torn me to pieces if I hadn't run away. I had put myself in more danger than I'd anticipated. Perhaps, being so close with him wasn't the best of ideas. Either way, I had been there with him for almost the whole night and I'm sure he appreciated it, but I had to be more careful from now on. I had to avoid getting too involved with someone that could kill me with a single bite. Besides, when he wasn't wolf-boy, he was still Tyler Lockwood, the arrogant and self-entitled A-class jerk.
His good looks couldn't help him there.
He had already tried to get a hold of me today; my phone had been blowing up practically the whole day. There were more than 50 missed calls on my cell phone. From what I could remember, no other guy had ever been so eager to reach me. After his attempts failed, he came to my house hoping to find me here. My mother lied about me not being home, but knowing Tyler and his now magnified sense of smell, I wouldn't doubt he picked up my scent. Part of me wondered why he had bothered to come speak with me, when a simple text would've sufficed. The other part of me didn't want to know.
I eventually dozed off, trying to put all those thoughts behind me. I wasn't going to let Tyler Lockwood haunt my dreams as well.
I woke up to the sound of the doorbell. I turned to my clock, 9:30 a.m.
I almost hope it's Tyler, so I can kill him for waking me up so damn early on a Sunday.
I lay there hoping whoever was at the door would just give up and leave, but the ringing continued. I eventually dragged myself out of bed and slowly made my way down the stairs to the front door. My hair was a mess and I hadn't even bothered to put on some slippers. I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat, at the sight of the dirty blonde hair visible through the glass on the door.
"Matt," confusion and happiness spread across my face. I wondered what urgent matter had brought him to my doorstep this early on a weekend. I tried my best to fix my hair.
"I know it's early," he said embarrassed and apologetic. "Caroline, it's been days since we spoke a single word. I've been worried about you." His brow furrowed. All I could do was smile and shake my head in disbelief.
"It's 9:30 in the morning, my hair looks like shit and I'm wearing pink and purple striped pajamas." I looked around to see if anybody else was with him. "Do you want to come in?" I signaled to the living room with my hand.
He seemed hesitant at first, but then complied with my invitation. I could tell he wasn't planning on staying long, since he didn't even take a seat on the couch.
"You know I was actually hoping you wanted to come with me." I looked at him, not understanding what he meant. He quickly realized my bewilderment. "I'm going out to the lake, do some fishing, and was hoping... Maybe you wanted to come along?"
I had sworn I'd stay away from him, for his own sake. I didn't want him getting hurt, but how could I say no when he looked at me that way? His blue eyes were almost pleading.
"Ok, I'll come with!" I blurted out the words, without even thinking.
I told him to take a seat and quickly ran upstairs. I started looking for an outfit, but couldn't decide what to wear. I'd never been fishing before and didn't want to overdress. Thirty minutes later, after a few changes of clothes and a quick but meticulous application of makeup, we headed out to the lake. The whole ride there, my mind had been drifting back to Tyler and I wondered how he was doing. I was about to text him when Matt brought the car to a halt.
"We're here!" He announced, with an excited look on his face.
"Where's the lake?" I looked puzzled by the beautiful sight of a green meadow and the obvious lack of water in the area.
"The lake is not too far from here. I figured you hadn't eaten, so I made some lunch. I planned to bring you here so we could eat before we went fishing." He said with a smile as he unpacked a picnic basket and a blanket from his truck.
I couldn't remember the last time I had a picnic. I don't even think I'd had one when my parents were still together. The fact that Matt had planned this made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He was a nice guy; I just wished I didn't have to hide my true self from him.
"I don't think I've ever been here before." I paced around, as I glanced at my surroundings. The trees and flowers looked amazingly beautiful. Everything was green and the smell of grass and lilacs blended together perfectly with the freshness of the cool breeze.
"Really? This place is awesome! I come here when I need to clear my head from time to time." It had been a while since I'd seen Matt this happy; it made me feel a bit guilty.
We set the blanket down underneath a Silverbell Tree that was just blossoming. The little white bell-shaped flowers gave off a sweet and pleasant smell. I was surprised when Matt pulled out a container of freshly made Chicken Alfredo pasta from the basket. He looked like a magician pulling things out of a hat. There was Caesar salad, breadsticks and a small container filled with Parmesan cheese. Finally, he placed two slices of red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting. I just sat there with my mouth open.
"Matt, I am so impressed right now! I didn't know you could cook. I thought single men living alone in a bachelor pad survived solely on reheated Hot Pockets and take out." He laughed.
"Cooking is one of my secret talents. You just didn't stick around long enough to find out." There was an awkward pause before he continued. "Maybe I can cook dinner for you some time." He smiled and I reciprocated the action.
After eating all that delicious food, we headed out to the lake. As we hopped in the truck, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. It read five missed calls from Tyler; I was glad I had left it on silent.
Should I text him? I wonder if he's ok? Why can't he just leave me a damn message?
I could've called him back but there was no way I was going to have a conversation with him while Matt was in hearing range. On the other hand, it would've been extremely rude of me to walk away and talk on the phone, even though Matt and I weren't on a date. When we arrived at the lake, the first thing I noticed was an old fishing boat rocking back and forth in the water.
I really hope it doesn't have any leaks. The last thing I want is for my new shoes to get ruined.
"Come on, boat is right over here" Matt said, as he grabbed my hand and guided me to the old red boat. "We're going to have fun today, just wait and see."
"It looks… great, Matt. Whose boat is it?" I asked.
"It belonged to my grandfather. We used to fish out here all the time until he got sick. I spent the best days of my life right here with him." I noticed his eyes started to get watery. He quickly snapped out of it and handed me a fishing pole.
"Let's do this!" I exclaimed, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
We caught about four fish the whole evening. It was definitely not the most exciting activity I had ever partaken in but I had to admit it was quite relaxing. Watching Matt fish had been entertaining, the expression on his face, every time he pulled up seaweed instead of a fish, was priceless. We watched the sun go down from the middle of the lake. I instinctively rested my head on his shoulder and I had to admit it had been one of my favorite things so far. I ended up having one of the best days, just like the ones he had enjoyed with his grandfather. I felt lucky to have someone like Matt in my life.
When I thought the evening couldn't possibly get any better, we parked by the meadow again and he did the unexpected; he laid the blanket on the grass and motioned me to sit down.
"When's the last time you stared at the night sky and just admired the stars?" He was serious; I couldn't believe it. Apparently my thoughts about romance being dead were wrong.
The sky was clear and the stars were shining brightly, we lay there pointing out the constellations. I felt his hand brush against mine a few times and he eventually placed it on top and tried to lock his fingers around mine. I moved it away when I realized his intentions.
"It's getting late," I interrupted the silence.
"Yeah, I should probably get you home before the sheriff sends out a search group." I nodded and smiled.
He walked me to my door and I ended up inviting him in. For the first time since I had become a vampire, I felt human again and I had no one else to thank for that but Matt. Besides, nothing would happen between us, my mother was most likely home and even if she wasn't I didn't want Matt to get the wrong idea. I noticed a note stuck to the telephone as soon as I turned on the lights. 'Dinner is in the fridge; I'll be working late –Mom.'
Great. My mom isn't home; maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.
"You want to watch a movie?" I asked; it seemed like a safe enough choice.
"Sure, as long as I don't get in trouble with your mom."
"What is she going to do? Arrest you for watching a movie with her daughter?" I chuckled.
As he picked a movie, I went to the bathroom and tried my best to get rid of the fish stench. By the time I got out, he had already fallen asleep on my bed. I thought about waking him up, but we had already done the sleeping together thing before and I honestly didn't see any harm in it. As I slipped underneath the covers, I felt his body drift closer to mine and I tensed up.
"I've missed you" He whispered in my ear.
I swiftly turned around to face him. Our eyes met and in a split second, his soft, gentle lips collided with mine. I initially pulled away but he was persistent and dove in a second time. He climbed on top of me; his lips slowly made their way down to my neck. I still felt something for him and maybe that's what kept me from putting an end to his advances. I got so wrapped up on what was happening that I let the urge to taste his blood overcome me. I snapped my eyes open, as soon as I felt the veins forming underneath my eyes, and pushed him off of me. I asked him to stop as I turned away trying to conceal my face.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. If you want me to go, I'll understand." He apologized.
"It's not your fault, I shouldn't have let it get this far. I don't want us to make precipitated decisions. I think it'd be better if you left." I didn't want him to see me like this. I closed my eyes. The sound of his footsteps faded behind me as he made his way downstairs.
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