Caroline had tried to turn it off. She had planned it perfectly. All she needed to do was get through her mother's funeral and then the pain would stop, but the thought of not caring scared her. She didn't flip the switch, but she needed an escape, something she could control.
She put all of her time and focus into studying. On the outside she was the same peppy Caroline Forbes, but on the inside she growing more depressed. She fed less and less until one day she stopped altogether. The blonde was growing weaker, but she refused to realize it.
Tonight was worse than ever. She had spent the entire day locked up in her dorm room with a bottle of whiskey. When night fell and she was too drunk to care anymore, she went out to hunt in a town a few miles off campus.
The vampire stumbled down the sidewalk in search of a tasty snack. Her eyes landed on a shadow lurking in a back alley. She tried to sneak up on the guy, but the lack of blood was clouding her head. Caroline went for his neck, but she was too weak and the man easily overpowered her.
They struggled in the dark, and she was shoved to the ground. The man was drunk himself and full of rage. He towered over her and balled his hand into a fist. Caroline didn't even try to block the punches. Now she understood why Stefan got into bar fights when Damon died. The physical pain numbed the mental hurt.
She was losing consciousness. She was giving up, but then she heard it. Her name on his lips, his voice calling to her. She thought she was imagining it, but then the guy overtop of her was thrown against the wall. She heard the sound of a fist hitting flesh, and this time it wasn't hers.
"Go home. Sleep it off. In the morning you'll remember you're a dick, but you won't remember why." Stefan said to the man before rushing to her.
He knelt beside her, holding her head in his lap. "Caroline, wake up."
She could hear him, but she couldn't move. Everything was foggy.
"Caroline." he said again, fear of losing her taking over. "You're going to be alright." he bit into his own wrist and offered it to her. "Drink." she heard him whisper as he brought his lips to the top of her head. He cradled her as she drank from him.
Slowly she opened her eyes. The fog surrounding her disappeared to reveal his concerned face.
"What were you thinking?" he asked, more scared than mad.
"I'm sorry." she struggled to get the words out of her mouth.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." he kissed her forehead. "Please, don't keep shutting me out."
She sobbed into his chest. "Can we go home?"
He nodded and gently lifted her into his arms. Using his vamp speed they were at the boarding house in minutes. He took her into the bathroom and used a wet cloth to clean the blood from her face.
"I want to sleep." she whispered, eyes half closed. She was exhausted.
"Soon." he promised.
"Will you stay with me?" ask asked, letting the warmth of the washcloth sooth her skin.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
When she was clean, he placed her on his bed. He removed her shoes and pulled the covers over her small frame. He got in next to her and carefully wrapped her in his arms.
"I'm right here if you need anything." he whispered, placing another kiss on her head.
Having his arms around her, she could finally breath. Maybe this was all she needed, but she wouldn't let herself admit it until now. He was her rock and his arms were her safe place.
