Disclaimer. Characters not mine.
Caroline fell onto the Salvatore couch in total exhaustion,, not having got any actual rest the night before from that disturbing all too realistic dream. She had been previously sitting cross legged staring into the raging fire in the fireplace, with her body slumped over the arm sleepily.
She fell back landing against Bonnie in the process.
"Sorry" She yawned weakly to Bonnie. Bonnie smiled and placed a pillow over her lap, indicating for Caroline to lay down. Caroline happily obliged, dangling her feet over the arm of the sofa her head rested comfy in Bonnie's pillow covered lap, closing her eyes with the intent of dosing off for a little while.
"Tired?" Stefan asked, a smile in his voice and Caroline was sure written over his face, although She was too tired to open her eyes and see.
"Exhausted" She answered, yawning hugely, barely keeping herself awake.
"Not enough sleep?" He questioned further in open concern, she nodded, eyes still closed too tired to form proper speech.
"Why?" he questioned, bugging her slightly, not cause he was keeping her awake…But cause he didn't want the reminders of the dreams in her head again.
"Nightmares" She yawned again, making Bonnie glare at Stefan, clearly giving her a she's-exhausted-let-her-sleep- look…Too bad the look didn't quite stop him.
"Bout what?" He asked bluntly, standing and walking over to a side table for a glass of bourbon.
"If were gonna talk bout it, I want alcohol" She responded grimacing in irritation as he continued to probe the damn topic. He handed her a glass of bourbon, then mixed some blood into it, watching her as he worried about her level of tiredness and deciding she needed the buzz.
"Okay, the past week I've been having crazy dreams" She explained sitting up, downing the blood laced alcohol in one gulp, sitting up straighter when the blood hit her system like a jolt of lightning.
"About what?" He faced her in the opposite armchair, concern and suspicion written over his handsome face.
"Doesn't matter what, but I wake up just before they finish and they stop me from sleeping for the rest of the night, its been like a week, I've barely slept a wink and I'm running on overdrive…What the hell is wrong with me?" The baby vamp moaned desperately, unable to stop the torrent of crazy neurotics that flowed from her.
"…Its like their not even my dreams, cause I would never ever dream things like that. So what the hell is wrong with me?" She collapsed into a pile of tears, the combination of not sleeping and vampire hypersensitivity getting to her and making her break. Surprising herself that she had lasted so long. Stefan and Bonnie moved to comfort her, wrapping arms round her and physically trying to hold the emotional wreck of Caroline Forbes together with soothing words and physical comfort.
"Maybe there not" Bonnie murmured quietly to her best friend, causing both Stefan and Caroline to look up at her, Caroline's tear stained face was pink and lost, Stefan's on the other hand was dubious and doubtful, clearly not thinking Bonnie's answer was the tiniest bit credible. But he didn't voice his doubts, unable to when he saw the hope filled glowing face of his blonde baby vamp best friend, he looked at Bonnie, hiding his annoyance at her ludicrous suggestion and went with it, figuring giving her a bit of hope wouldn't do any harm and that she needed some serious answers…What did it matter if they were the wrong answers?.
"Maybe" Stefan agreed, not totally committing but not arguing, deciding Caroline wasn't able to cope with it in her current state.
"how do we find out?" Caroline looked between him and Bonnie, her face glowing with much needed hope and rays of desperation. Bonnie smiled, pleased to be able to step up and use her powers for more personal benefits to her friends other than just mindless brain haemorrhaging and doomsday apocalypses.
"I have a spell, it wont take long, I'll need to go home and get some stuff though" She smiled at Caroline's happy face, smiling radiantly up at Bonnie, nodding enthusiastically agreeing to whatever plan Bonnie was cooking up, not needing to know what it was, just trusting Bonnie to help her.
Bonnie rushed off, hugging Caroline and whispering for Stefan to look after her while she was gone, not wanting Caroline to get over emotional and do something stupid.
Stefan grabbed a pack of cards from a drawer, enjoying the look of competitiveness on Caroline's face when he began sharing some out, and began promptly teaching her how to plan go fish. Enjoying an hour of ringing laughter, curses and several rather violent death threats. Nither really noticing when a familiar person entered the room, sitting in a chair away from them, enjoying their childish antics and venomous laughing curses. The distraction stopping him from momentarily noticing the dried tear tracks on the angels face, her puffy red ayes and cheeks and the smell of salt that emanated faintly from her…the knowledge that Caroline was upset to the point making him angry enough that he almost missed the dark bruised circles under her eyes, circles which he was sure had before been covered by make up. Make up washed away by tears, and the slightly dulled pallor of her normally rosy skin. He watched her laugh as she took several of Stefan's cards of him, her face shining with innocent joy at the small success, making him smile.
And as furious he was that someone had made her cry he was more intent to never make her feel hurt or upset again, and he knew bringing it up again would only bring back those feelings which had caused her tears…but he would find out why his angel had been crying, and the person who caused it would pay dearly for each and every tear they had cost her. He sat back, resolving to ambush Stefan when Caroline was no longer in hearing or sight distance for her to argue that it was nothing, an argument he knew she would claim in an attempt to not relive it…she would soldier on and forget the pain, but he wouldn't. Forcing himself to display an extraordinary level of self control and patient whilst he mentally planned the tortures he would inflict upon the cause of Caroline's previous misery.
Authors note-Review please, so I know what I need to work on, what to improve or to just scrap the story altogether.
