A/N: I don't know what's wrong with me this week, but I am actually updating! Thanks for everyone reading and leaving comments. As always, enjoy! )

… …

He lets himself lay back in his chair, his hands resting on the familiar fabric that he got used to over the years. His eyes fall at the open glass, white light filling the room. Something about this place had always made him relax, and he needs that right now.

He's deep in his thoughts when her moving hands catch his eyes. He looks at her. Three years, and her smile is still the same since their first session. He had always liked her blue eyes, they are beautiful. They are familiar.

"So you walked away, any thoughts about that?" She says with a smile. Her hands moving in the language they have been communicating in for years.

He lets out a breath, his eyes falling on the floor this time as he struggles with his thoughts.

She raises an eyebrow, waiting for him.

His hands go up in the air, getting ready to talk for him. There's a pause before they actually move.

I've been trying to find the reason, but I can't.

"Well, how about you tell me what you felt when you saw her?"

He smiles absently when he thinks of her, sitting at that couch and staring at the snow globe. Something about her was just… inviting. She seemed different from all those strangers in the place. He felt as if he knew her before. In his dreams maybe.

He doesn't tell her that of course. He just tells her that she seemed familiar to him. That not being able to hear her voice when she said that one simple word felt like crashing all the hopes he had in those few seconds.

He felt angry and losing control in some way. He had made peace with his life for ages now. It's been a long time since he actually felt helpless. It's been a long time since he wished he could hear something. And so, he just walked away. Otherwise he would lose control down right there in front of a stranger.

Because she was a stranger after all.

Jo doesn't say anything; she just takes a sip from her tea and tries to hide her smile.

A victorious smile for witnessing this after all this time.

Well, she must be special don't you think?

Her hands move slowly, and her teasing smile completes the mission.

He shakes his head with a smile.

I don't even know her.

I'm sure this won't be difficult since she's Bonnie's best friend.

He shakes his head again.

He doesn't tell her that he's been waiting for any chance to meet her again. Although he doesn't quite know how her reaction will be, or his for the matter. But he's waiting to see her again.

… …

"Caroline?"

She shuts her laptop quickly when she hears Bonnie's voice. "In here." She says.

Bonnie peaks her head from the open door and leaves a kiss on Caroline's cheeks before walking to the bed.

"What's up?" She says as she lays down on the bed.

"Nothing new. You?"

"Nothing new either, except that we're leaving this weekend and heading for the lake house."

"What?" She spins in her chair and looks at her friend with shock.

"It was supposed to be just me and Damon, but then he told Alaric and Jo, so I told Matt who will bring Nadia, and it's not like I'm gonna leave you." She says it in one breath and Caroline is even more confused.

"Nadia?"

That what she catches. Bonnie falls back to bed again and sighs.

"Nadia."

"Who's Nadia?"

"Matt is seeing someone."

"And he didn't tell me?" Now she's confused andangry.

"He didn't tell me either. Until I told him about the lake house and he said he'll bring someone."

"Well that's not weird." She scoffs as she tries to understand.

"And Alaric is…?" She asks after a moment of silence.

"Damon's best friend and Jo is his wife." She fills her in.

"Hmm." She bites her lips, stopping herself from asking that one stupid question. "Anyone else is coming?" She asks casually.

She's looking down at the book in her lap, turning the pages with no care in the world. She can feel Bonnie's eyes on her.

"By anyone you mean…?" She leans on her elbows as she lays on the bed.

"Anyone." She shrugs without looking at her friend.

"Nope." She says as she gets up and walks to the mirror. She watches as Caroline licks her lips with much disappointment on her face and she is trying so hard not to laugh. She tries to look normal as she says, "Wait, I think Stefan is coming."

At that Caroline looks up in instant, her eyes wide and shinning like a kid in at Christmas Eve. But she gulps quickly when Bonnie raises an eyebrow.

"Huh." She says as she bites her lips.

She closes her eyes and takes a breath, shaking her head. "Maybe I should stay."

"What?"

"Look, he literally stormed out, I mean that will be awkward."

"And you can handle awkward." Bonnie puts her hands on her hips as she gives her a look. "Besides, I think it's time to see if you're good at sign language." She wiggles her eyebrows at her. And just when Caroline is shaking her head with eyes blinking several times, she interrupts her before she says a word.

"I know you've been learning for the last week, Caroline. Don't try to hide it." She says as she motions to the lap top on the desk.

"For the record I was just curious to learn it, because it's really important to know how to communicate with people it's actually useful and important and…" She is rambling now, not taking a breath before Bonnie says her name. She looks at her with raised eyebrows and a smirk and Caroline does her best not to laugh too.

"You're coming that's it."

Thanks to her generous heart and her selfless soul, she doesn't refuse. Such a good friend.

… …

She's leaning on the fence of her stairs, one bag on her shoulder and the other next to her on the ground. White top and pink light cardigan with short jeans that reaches her knees and sunglasses on her head , she is ready for this trip.

She stands straighter as the car arrives, She can hear the loud music and the sound of Bonnie singing along before they even reach her.

Bonnie lowers the window and beams at her. "READY?"

"Yeah." She chuckles as she pulls her bag and walk to the car.

"Hello, bondie." Damon peaks his head next to Bonnie and lowers his glass as he looks her up and down.

"Hello, Damon." She smiles before she founds the backseat door opening. A blond girl comes out with a huge smile and hey as she helps her to put the bags in the trunk.

"I'm Lexi." She says as she shakes her hand once they're empty.

"Caroline." She smiles back.

Lexi holds the door for her as she gets in. she was planning to sit next to other door. But she pauses in the middle of her trip in the backseat couch when she sees him sitting there.

First, he's looking ahead with no care in the world, but then he looks at her. It all happens in two seconds, but they feel like ten minutes or so. First, his head turns ever so slowly, his eyes still looking away. Then his eyes are looking down, travelling between his knees, the space between them and her knees. Then up to her face. He stares at her with the same look from that night. But his eyes, god his eyes, they just feel… familiar.

There's a hesitated smile pulling on his lips when she finally sits down. She opens her mouth but closes it in a blink of an eye. She gulps as she looks away, putting that one strand behind her ear. When Lexi gets in, her shoulder pumps Caroline's, by accident of course. However, it causes Caroline to pump into Stefan in return. He doesn't move, only looks down with a hint of smile before she pulls back and sits straight.

"Ready, kids?" Damon says as he looks in the rear mirror.

"Just drive." Comes Lexi's voice.

"So, you're Caroline." Lexi says as she turns around to Caroline. Her hands moving in sign language for Stefan obviously.

At that Caroline doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know if she should talk or nod or show them what she's been learning. Damon talked without his hands, but then again Lexi was careful to use them.

She was confused, so she only nodded with a quiet mhm.

"As the one whom Stefan walked away from?"

Her words are directed to Stefan. She can tell by the look on her face as she looks at him, her hands basically in the middle of the three of them, as if she was shouting at him.

She glances at him and he's still looking down, except that she notices him shaking his head slightly with a shy smile.

"So tell me, what did you do to him? You don't bite, do you?" She says, her hands still moving. "Does she, Stefan?"

He looks at the window then and ignores Lexi. Just then bonnie interrupts them.

"So, Lexi. You're staying for the three days, right?"

"Yeah, well unless they call me at work."

"Great." The car falls in silence for a while, the only sounds coming are the music in the radio and Damon's fingers playing with the music against the steering wheel.

"So, Matt is already heading there with Alaric and Jo." Bonnie says.

"Hmm?" Comes Caroline's voice as she glances at Stefan.

"And Nadia." Bonnie goes on.

"Huh." Is all what Caroline says.

This is gonna be so fun.

… …

After two hours of little chats, loud music, Damon and Bonnie fighting about random things, glances from Lexi and silence from Stefan's side not any less from her silence, they finally arrive.

The others are already there. Everyone shake hands before Matt introduces Nadia. She's quite stunning, she looks nice and she has a lovely accent, one that Stefan can't hear, Caroline thinks.

Matt has a proud smile on his face and it makes Caroline smile too. Bonnie, however, is busy observing Nadia. Before Damon pulls her for a quick kiss and they walk in.

She can't help it but look at him, which is really annoying. Because she doesn't even know him and here she is, trying to find a way to look at him every two seconds. She thought she was past the teenager crush thing.

While she's too busy looking at him pulling his bags from the trunk, an arm is already on her shoulder. She looks up to find Matt smiling at her with Nadia on his side. They walk in but just before that, she steals another glance at him.

And god she can stare all day at that smile on his lips. She can see Lexi nudging him and laughing. But that doesn't matter; nothing matters more than that shy smile on his lips.

She turns around and tries to think about something else because this is just getting ridicules.

… …

"So," Damon says as he rubs his hands together, getting everyone's attention. The view is quite interesting; Bonnie standing next to Damon, Alaric is on the couch with Jo sitting on his lap, even Matt and Nadia are holding hands. And then there's Stefan and Lexi, who are for some reason leaning against the wall with Lexi's head on his shoulder and his arm around her own.

She looks away quickly and turns her attention to Damon.

"We have four rooms, one for me and Bon-Bon, one for the old married couple," He wiggles his eyebrows at Alaric and Jo, his hands moving in sign language to make sure that everyone is listening. "And one for the new couple over there." He smirks at Matt and Nadia, who just look at each other with a shy smile. That smile between new lovers and all. Bonnie can't help it but smile, although she might be little confused.

"Which leaves only one room for the three of you." His fingers go back and forth between them.

She watches as Stefan says something.

"We have another room in the basement." Bonnie says so everyone knows. Which Caroline doesn't need thanks to her internet lessons. But she doesn't comment.

I can take it

He says. And she feels a rush of blood going through her veins as she takes the next big move. With loud voice and moving hands she says "No, you and Lexi take the big room, I'll do just fine in the basement."

At that everyone stares at her, mouth slightly open and eyes not so wide, apparently those lessons were useful. Bonnie on the other hand, is smirking. She is trying to hide it but it's so obvious. She presses her lips into thin line as she waits for someone to talk. But then she sees Stefan, having the same hint of smile on his lips. Does he even know how to smile or this is the further his lips can go?

She raises her eyebrows at everyone after the long pause.

"Why would I and Stefan share the same room?" Lexi asks, confused.

"Aren't you two together?"

After the laughs and chuckles that leave everyone's mouths and Bonnie shaking her head with a loud chuckle, she realizes she shouldn't have said that. At least not in sign language as well because now she has to deal with Stefan who's looking down to hide his big smile. So when he's finally smiling he looks down? Great.

"Ew." Lexi finally answers. "Like… Ew."

For some reason she lets out a breath.

"Don't worry, he's so single." She winks at her and Caroline looks away immediately.

I'll take the basement room and you two take the big one, problem solved.

"If Caroline is okay with it of course." Lexi adds.

"Um, yeah sure." She nods.

"Okay, kids, let's move." Damon says as he carries his bag and Bonnie's and heads for the stairs.

"Someone's been studying hard." Bonnie whispers into her ear before she rushes to reach Damon. All what Caroline does is glare at her before taking her bag and moving.

It seems that everyone got themselves an interesting story for the weekend.