I need to see you

I need you, too

But Stefan just got back from New Orleans

Seriously, Caroline?

You almost died and now I'm Alpha

I'm kind of freaking out here

I know, but there's this sired thing with Elena

Meet you in an hour at our place?

Fine

I love you

I love you too

They didn't bother getting all their clothes off the first time, or even horizontal- she was alive, and that was all that mattered. All he wanted was to feel her body shudder in his arms and the desperate hunger in her kisses; hear her breath catch and her heart race beneath that fragile veneer of skin and flesh as they urged each other mercilessly toward that first brutal climax.

It had been too close, way too close and each time he remembered the helpless panic, he drove into her harder, fighting the urge to sink his teeth in her neck and taste just how alive she was. She was vamping out too, her self-control shredding as she met each powerful thrust.

"Tyler- stop- I'm losing it."

"Just bite me."

"But-"

"Just bite me."

"Sorry," she gasped, and gratefully sank her teeth into his neck.

His breath hissed out and his whole body went rigid at the unexpected sensation, pinning her to the wall.

"Oh god, Care."

She moaned and kept feeding as he scrambled. It was like drowning in a landslide of her emotions, like her soul was totally exposed and draped over him, incandescent and glorious.

They'd always avoided blood sharing- she'd argued that it was too weird and vampire kinky, not to mention unfair- she couldn't reciprocate. So he'd had no idea it would feel this intense, this intimate, especially coupled with being buried inside her.

And for the second time that night he felt like he was balanced on a knife edge- she wasn't the only one who was losing it.

Shaking, he swore and shifted her weight, pinning her more solidly against the wall so he could free his other arm.

Her eyes flew open the instant his teeth sank in.

"Tyler!"

He barely registered her pulling back, lost in a red haze.

"Oh my god Tyler, stop," she gasped, framing his face with her hands, tears filling her eyes.

It took a few breaths for the hammering bloodlust to recede, and he relaxed slowly, his eyes changing back to brown and the veins fading before he relaxed his jaw.

"It's nothing, Care. Calm down."

She shook her head, too horrified to speak as she inspected his arm for herself.

"Hey- hey. This was a way better option than biting you."

She bit her lip bitterly, tears still running down her cheeks, and wiped away the blood on his arm and neck. "This would be so much easier if I wasn't a vampire."

He tilted his head, smiling teasingly. "Well… no relationship is perfect…"

She gave him an outraged look, but she couldn't stop the burble of laughter. "Tyler..."

"What? It was pretty amazing, actually. I had no idea…"

She looked away, gulping and stroking his arm, watching as the holes knit shut.

"See? No harm done. And next time I'll know what to expect."

She shook her head. "I hate that you have to hurt yourself to protect me."

He met her eyes. "I'm a hybrid. I can take it, Care. Although…"

He flexed and grinned when she moaned. "…you can, you know, make it up to me…"

She laughed again, swiping at her cheeks before wrapping her arms around his neck and meeting his eyes.

"…I love you."

"I love you, too. Now how about we finish this the usual way?"

"Mmm… Yes, please."

A few hours later they were both feeling better- there was nothing quite like a string of orgasms to relieve pent up feelings, and it had been far too long since the last time.

"We need to get a bed down here."

"Whatever. We can rough it until we get rid of Klaus. And then just try and stop me from sleeping over."

He pulled her closer. "Overnight?"

She smiled, flushing. "As long as your mom is cool with it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine- she likes you and she has no problems with Hayley crashing."

And right away he knew he'd said the wrong thing- she stiffened and pulled away.

"Well, it's a good thing Hayley's been sleeping over at your place."

"Care. Come on. It's not-"

"Did you have to hold her hand?"

"What?"

"At the pageant. As if it wasn't bad enough that I was stuck with Klaus, listening to his stupid hummingbird stories and going all creepy stalker. Did you know he dug up my Miss Mystic application? Who does that? And then he points out that my boyfriend is holding hands with some werewolf wearing a slutty, skintight dress."

"Because we were in front of Klaus, Caroline. You know it was just an act."

"Right. So she's never seen you naked."

He looked at her, exasperated. "OK, that is not fair. If we could change and still keep our clothes on, we would. Hell, you saw me naked when we were just friends."

She rolled her eyes. "Exactly."

That made him pause. "Wait. Are you saying you were checking me out?"

"I wasn't blind," she huffed, and he had to laugh, yanking her close when her lips twitched into a sheepish smile. She smacked him on the shoulder. "You know I like your body," she murmured against his chest, and he chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry about the hand holding, OK? Won't happen again. After Adrian, we're done." He sighed. "You want to know what's crazy? It was Kim we unsired that day."

"Bitch."

"That was fucked up. I don't know what else I could have done, but still. I don't want to be that guy."

"Hey." She touched the side of his face, stroking her hand through his hair. "You're not. Just the fact that you're worrying about it means you're not, OK?"

He shook his head. "I was holding her heart. I could have ripped her life out, and I was ready to. I just… I know I need to do this. But I want it over with, you know?"

"I know. I'm proud of you." She kissed him gently, taking heart when he relaxed and kissed her back.

Soon. He'd promised this would all be over soon.

Thinking of something else, she pulled back and met his eyes. "Thank you for rescuing me."

He smiled. "Come here."

It was good to be alive.

Well, -ish.

A.N.:

I have no idea if a scene like this is going to appear in this week's episode, but I think a Forwood scene is long overdue. They have really needed to touch base and ground each other and the only thing we've seen them exchange is TEXTS in the last few episodes. Gah.

On the bloodsharing: based on what Julie Plec has stated about it ("like naked cuddling for vampires") and Damon's turned on response and his cryptic description in 4x02, this is my take on why Klaus knows that Caroline is "full of light" and is so fascinated by her after the events of 3x11. I think it's gross that he forced her (and Elena and Katherine) to drink from him directly, when he is so careful to deliver his blood via bottle to vampire men (Damon and Stefan). I also think it is IC for Caroline not to reveal that he violated her this way to Tyler, the same way the writers have her refusing to openly admit how Damon violated her in season 1. Yes, she is a victim acting like a victim but would it really kill them to have her confront and heal from it instead of projecting by saying judgey things and then apologizing? WTF writers?