Caroline stared at Katherine's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful and so innocent; just curled up in a ball. Her knees were tucked to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, pulling her legs closer. She was quietly, and peacefully, sleeping. A thing in which the blonde was extremely grateful for. Katherine was on human who could talk, or complain, more than she could handle, and that was saying something. She was Caroline Forbes after all, and she couldn't imagine anyone who could out-talk her. She was proved that someone could when Katherine was dumped on her.
How in the world did she get stuck babysitting the newly human Katherine? Caroline wondered about this for a long time. She still finds herself wondering about it. After Elena told her that Katherine tried to kill her so she shoved the cure down her throat in self defense, Silas has been searching for the Katherine. Damon, however, had a plan for Silas. For unknown reasons, he wanted her safe. For now. Unfortunately for the blonde, that meant she couldn't stay with the Salvatore's.
Being that she couldn't stay at the boarding house, Caroline didn't quite understand why it was her that was chosen for babysitting duty. Matt had more patience. Jeremy had more free-time. Yet, here she was sacrificing her time looking after the single most obnoxious person on the planet; Katherine Pierce.
Being the survivalist that she was, the first two weeks were spent with Katherine trying to escape and Caroline dragging her ass back to the dorm room. The human had tried every way to get out of her predicament. She had even went as far as giving up sleeping as long as the blonde was awake. This caused for long nights of moaning on Caroline's side and bitching from Katherine. Once they made a truce so they could sleep at the same time, both sides dealt a little better. That lasted up until the vampire of the group found out about her human companion's sleeping problem. She would thrash and kick and even scream sometimes, causing her to wake up and stay awake for the rest of the day.
This was problematic for Caroline, for Katherine could escape on one of these sleepless nights. Caffeine seemed to be one of the only things the Bulgarian lived off of. It became such a problem that people from the dorms near theirs would drop by to see what all the noise was about. As a last resort, Caroline began drugging Katherine, for sleep. Two sleep-aid pills at night, the blonde had gotten crafty on how they got in the other girl's system. Now neither of them had a problem at night.
xXx
knock knock. There was a banging on the door, signifying that someone was there. The sound rang throughout the quiet dorm room. Cursing the silence, the blonde glanced over at Katherine to make sure she was still asleep. Once she saw the girl hadn't even made a single movement, Caroline then jumped out of bed and sped to the door. She opened it only to come face to face with Silas, whom she thought to be Stefan.
"Stefan!" She squealed in delight, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. He ignored his doppelganger's friend at first. Instead, his gaze fell on the sleeping female doppelganger. A girl that shared the same face as his one true love, Amara. Silas noted when he met this five hundred year old doppelganger she didn't speak, act, or dress similar to his love, unlike Elena who was a creepy carbon copy of the first doppelganger. He pulled back and smiled at Caroline, playing his role as Stefan. However, his only true thought was on Katherine. He needed her blood.
"Where were you? You can't just drop off the face of the Earth!" The baby vampire scowled in a friendly manner and playfully whacked at his arm. She wouldn't ever be to mad at him for leaving, especially since his ex-girlfriend and brother are together now. However, Caroline was slightly pissed at him because he didn't tell her that he was leaving. He didn't even try to contact her over the summer.
"Oh, I was here and there." Silas replied casually as he made his way over to Katherine. With each step he took, he felt more sure that this was his cure. After so long, it would be his and he'd have his peace. Caroline watched his movements carefully, confused on why he had just blown her off like that.
"What are you doing?" She snapped, gaining the 2,000-year old's attention. She noticed his inching towards Katherine rather than him paying attention to her. A moment passed before realization struck her. Stefan wouldn't say that, he would tell her everything and not spare a detail. He would have also called or written at some point during the summer. This wasn't Stefan.
"Silas." She whispered, her gaze growing dark. A smirk grew on his face as he turned to her with a laugh.
"Took you long enough, but, I didn't think you'd get it, honestly. You are a bit dim." Caroline growled at him. How dare he insinuate she was stupid? She may not always get some things straight away, but she wasn't dumb.
"Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking my cure now." He said smugly and turned back around.
"Over my dead body." She growled and vamp-sped over to Silas. While throwing punch after punch, she screamed at her slumbering companion, hoping the sleeping pills would wear off, "Katherine!" He hit her back with the same amount of force while looking alarmed, not wanting his chance at being human to disappear again.
The curly haired girl groggily sat up and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. She saw Caroline fighting Stefan. What'd I miss? Katherine wondered internally, hopelessly tired. The drugs were trying to drag her back into the realm of sleep. Her jaw parted wide as she yawned.
"Caroline, what're you doing?" She sleepily asked, while stretching from the awkward position she feel asleep in. The blonde took a second to catch her breath.
"Katherine. Silas. RUN!" Caroline yelled at her as she hit Silas over the head with the textbook that she had been reading earlier. The latter groaned in pain, grabbing the back of his head. Katherine immediately jumped up from the bed in fear. Adrenaline had replaced the sleepiness that the drugs had caused.
"Oh no you don't" Silas pushed Caroline to the floor and ran over to his cure. Her first instinct was to grab the pepper spray she kept under her pillow since moving in. She took it and sprayed it in his eyes. He yowled in pain and fell over. It would only momentarily stopped him, but the brunette knew that. She grabbed her knee and slammed it in his 'delicate area'. The human then ran as quickly as she could over to her blonde companion.
"Come on Caroline!" Katherine whined nudging her with her foot. There was no way she could leave Caroline there. The real Stefan, plus every other resident of Mystic Falls, would kill her. Plus, the vampire saved her, against every instinct Katherine had, she couldn't let her die. She dragged Caroline to her feet, with much struggle, she wasn't as strong as she used to be. Plus, Caroline was pretty much dead weight. "Oh, seriously. What do you eat?" Katherine groaned as the blonde stood up, releasing the weight off of her. The brunette kept a wary eye on Silas, who was still bent over in pain, his hands covering his crotch.
"We've got to get out of here!" Caroline demanded, regaining her strength. She grabbed Katherine's arm and vamp sped her out quickly of the room. Not long after, Silas straightened up and growled angrily. He stormed out the door after the girls, slamming it behind him. It was a miracle nobody on the dorm floor heard the commotion.
xXx
"I left the keys in the dorm!" Caroline realized as she wailed from the driver's side of her car. She frantically looked around for something to help her, freaking out more and more with every passing second. Katherine, remained somewhat calm, the drugs were slightly numbed from her body but they were coming back, leaving her with a slightly calmed exterior. She leaned over Caroline and grabbed a couple specific wires from the car. She put them together, waiting for the car's ignition.
"What are you doing?" The blonde questioned, calming down for a moment, looking at Katherine's head bending into the space. She heard a few sparks before the engine turned on. The doppelganger sat up with a look on her face that was a mix of smugness and pride. Caroline looked at her with amusement and curiosity.
"What are you waiting for? Drive!" Katherine pushed as she quickly put on her seat belt. Caroline put her foot on the gas and drove out of the school parking lot. She watched the building fade in the rear view mirror as the car took them farther away. She could barely make out Silas form running out of the building.
"If that was Silas, where's Stefan?" Katherine asked almost immediately, breaking the driver's concentration. Caroline slammed on the breaks after hearing the question. Katherine jerked forward then back.
"Oh my god!" She screamed throwing her hands. Katherine stared at her quizzically rubbing her head. "What if Stefan is where Silas should be?"
"Where would that be?" Her co-pilot questioned. She soon regretted her question. No more than a few moments later, Caroline drove faster than she liked, the brunette stood staring at a large lake. Waterfall and all. And, to Katherine's absolute horror, it was filled with water. Lots and lots of water.
"HE'S IN THERE!" She yelled looking over the edge. A couple loose rock came loose and plopped in the water. She jumped back and stared at Caroline. "Of all places, Caroline, why the LAKE?"
Caroline paid no attention to the aqua-phobic girl. She would wonder why Katherine was so afraid of water some other time. At the current moment the curiosity didn't bite at her as much as it would have in any other situation. Instead, she busied herself, taking off her shoes and jewelry. While Katherine glanced between the blonde and the water, wondering if she was going in too. The lake looked gross and polluted and filled with fish. Gross and yucky fish that pooped in the water they ate and lived in. She prayed Stefan wasn't actually down there in the water-filled hole of doom.
"Calm down. You stay here. I'll get him." Caroline said before diving into the water. A giant splash came up from the lake, some water getting on Katherine's feet. She stepped back once more and leaned against the car staring wide-eyed after the vampire.
xXx
Caroline dove deeper and deeper into the cold, murky water. With every passing moment it got harder for her to see. The dark, however, wouldn't stop her quest. If her friend was down there, she would find him. No matter how long it took.
She swam and searched, her entire body aching with determination. She looked frantically around for the safe. Up and down, every which way for it. Swimming to every area she thought it could be. Her eyes were starting to get bloodshot from keeping them open underwater for too long. And, even though she didn't technically need air, her lungs burned for relief.
Finally, after several minutes - but what seemed like forever - she spotted the large black safe Stefan planned on putting Silas in. She accidentally let out a breath of relief and pushed her way over to it. It was even deeper into the lake and the pressure began to make it harder on Caroline.
She kicked her legs harder and moved her arms faster. She had to get to the safe. Whether Stefan was in there or not, she just had to make sure. Though with every fiber of her being she hoped Stefan wasn't in there. Caroline didn't want to believe her friend had been suffering for months without anyone realizing. That would make her the worst person ever.
She tugged on the safe. It didn't budge at all. Oh come on, seriously! She thought impatiently. Caroline pulled at it and pulled harder. The water was pushing on the safe as Caroline pulled. The pressure was definitely making it hard for the vampire. She growled and wrapped her fingers on the lock. She pulled and yanked, fighting with pressure. She grabbed it once more and yanked with all her might for her finale try. Her legs kicking and struggling to find something to do with themselves.
The door came loose after that and the blonde smiled triumphantly. She pulled on the metal door some more. She felt it loosening with each tug. Finally, the door flew off and floated to the ground behind Caroline. She did a little victory swim-like dance for opening the safe. Her eyes ran over the safe to view its contents.
To Caroline's horror, Stefan was in the safe. He was unconscious, probably from fighting to open the metal coffin. She looked at him sadly and stroked the side of his face. She couldn't help but feel horrible that he was down here the entire time and she had no clue whatsoever.
She wrapped her left arm under his armpit, grabbing him, and pushed off the ground. It was harder swimming back up for her. Caroline had to fight the water's pressure with extra weight and only one hand. If her lungs had hurt before, they burned with an intense fury now. She could only imagine what her poor friend had gone through this summer.
xXx
Katherine stood by the edge and looked over. Her thoughts her clouded with every possible thing that could happen. Or in most cases, would never happen. What was taking her so long? She paced back and forth. Part of her was constantly waiting for Silas to pop up. The other part was waiting for Caroline and Stefan. The anticipation was killing her. What happened? Did Caroline drown?
"What's going on?" Katherine questioned herself while she continued pacing. There wasn't anyone around, so she didn't exactly expect a response. "Was there a problem? Is Stefan even down there? Did she get eaten by a lake shark?" She stopped immediately after she said it. A laugh flew from her lips as she shook her head daintily. Her brown curls bounced up and down with the lady-like movement. "Lake sharks don't even exist!"
Her gaze fell onto the lake once more, eye narrowing suspiciously. "Or do they?" Her fingers gently stroked her chin as if there was a beard there. She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. It was such a funny sight on her lovely face.
Suddenly, Caroline jumped up from the water with Stefan, shocking Katherine out of her question. The blonde coughed and spit some water out of her throat. The human rushed over to help her. She grabbed Stefan's shirt, trying to ignore the gross wetness it held from the lake water, and pulled him as Caroline pushed. She settled him on the ground and bent over him. Caroline pushed herself onto the ground and spit up more water.
"Stefan!" Katherine shouted, slamming on his chest hoping for him to wake up. "Are you okay? Is he okay? Please be okay" She asked him then Caroline, then just pleaded. Caroline just panted, inhaling blessed air in her lungs. Stefan began choking up water as he came back into consciousness. Katherine breathed a sigh of relief, seeing he was fine.
Stefan sat up and blinked a couple times, his eyes adjusting to the sun and being above water after all that time spent under. "Elena?" He whispered. His heart soared, hoping it to be her. The Bulgarian beauty just scoffed and rolled her eyes. She leaned back in her kneeling position, butt resting on her ankles.
"Nope. Wrong doppelganger." Katherine answered bitterly, wondering why everyone liked her dull, boring counterpart rather than her. Stefan's hope vanished for a minute then came back. Though she wasn't Elena, she found him. With Caroline, they were the ones who saved him. They weren't the love of his life and his brother, but they were the ones who had come to his rescue. They were the ones who were there, and that meant a lot to him.
"Oh, Sorry, Katherine. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, I'm actually glad to s-" She held up a hand to cut him off. Her mouth curved into a smile and she leaned in to hug him. Neither were the hugging type, but it was all in the moment.
"You have no idea how good it is to you, Stefan." She admitted, burying her face in his neck. Caroline smiled joined in, wrapping her arms around both the doppelgangers.
"Group hug!" She squealed. Stefan froze for a second at the contact, but grinned and hugged them both back.
"I missed you so much Caroline!" He said happily. "Heck, I even missed you Katherine!" he teased. The three sat there in a happy bliss of being together. The moment didn't last long once he heard the blood pumping from Katherine's vein. His face began to change as he smelled the adrenaline from the fear she had earlier. He jumped back and covered his nose, trying to stop the black veins that crawled down his cheeks whenever he was hungry or tempted by blood.
"You're human!" Stefan yelled, the shock evident on his face. He breathed in and out steadily, trying to control himself. Katherine stood up along with Caroline. She brushed the dirt off her jeans and glared at the ground.
"Yeah, your precious Elena gave it to me." She growled angrily as the blonde vampire elbowed her. The human winced. Caroline remembered he was in the safe for months, without blood.
"You must be starving!" She exclaimed out the obvious. She gave Katherine a blue-eyed death stare, telling her to get him blood with her eyes. The brunette got the clue and walked to the trunk of the car. She bent over and popped it open. The smell Caroline's secret stash of blood bags hit her nose first, sending her a wave of nausea. Katherine held her nose with a disgusted look as she grabbed one.
"Here. Take it. This is so gross!" She held it out to Stefan. It felt warm and squishy in her hand. He gladly took it, draining every last drop from it as she watched with a look of disgust and intrigue. Katherine couldn't believe that's what blood was to humans. Gross and smelly, rather than the preferred food choice she had always liked. It was now the single most awful thing she has ever touched, and that was saying something.
"Thanks so much. You guys saved me. Who knows how long I could've been down there." Stefan smiled, wiping the blood of his face. He looked genuinely happy, but his eyes looked sad. Katherine gathered it was because they weren't Damon or Elena and she felt bad for him. His girlfriend, no, love of his life dumped him for his own brother. Plus, they didn't care or worry about his whereabouts for a whole summer. They were too busy getting hot and heavy.
"No problem, Steffy. But we gotta go!" Katherine said, trying to cheer him up with her playful nickname, but casually reminding Caroline about Silas at the same time. Caroline nodded in agreement, remembering what the were doing earlier and got in the car. Stefan followed with a clueless expression and took shotgun with a little assistance from his vampire speed.
"Hey!" The brunette growled, crawling into the back seat. Stefan just shrugged his shoulders and stuck his tongue out at her. He tried to keep a straight face when he saw her childish reaction.
"Thug life" He said leaning back with a funny look on his face and crossing his arms. Caroline and Katherine burst into laughter as Caroline started the car and drove away. The Bulgarian stared out the window and watched her reflection as a smile graced her lips. She wondered where they were headed next.