Everybody is Someone Else's Secret

"We're what?" Stefan and Caroline nearly screamed in unison, as Damon stared at the two smugly as panic marred both of their already shocked faces.

It had only been seconds since Damon informed the two lust birds that their indiscretion in the bedroom wasn't the only plunge they took last night. Apparently, they were married and neither Stefan nor Caroline remembered that happening; much less even walking down the aisle, at all.

This had to just be another one of Damon's pranks, Stefan tried to convince himself, as he watched the blue-eyed devil sipping his coffee and smiling while both continued to stare his way.

But the more the seconds passed, the longer they dragged and the longer Damon went without even offering a laugh or a punch line. There was no way in hell this was actually true, though, was it?

"I'm glad you seem to be in a playful mood but cut the shit, Damon," Stefan said hotly as his brother's eyebrow rose. "What really happened last night?"

Damon stared blankly before finally snapping his fingers, as if he's discovered some sudden revelation and Stefan stepped in closer while Caroline glanced between them anxiously- desperate for Damon to just admit he had been joking all along and the ring belonged to him or something.

There had to be an explanation for this; one that didn't require her to be Mrs. Stefan Salvatore.

"You remember something?" Caroline asked hopefully and Damon nodded his head-allowing his shaggy black hair to flop over his brow just before meeting their eyes.

"I do," he said as Stefan folded his arms to hear this. "I think... The correct term for what you two boneheads did is actually called an elopement. So much for getting any gifts when you two didn't even make a registry, am I right?"

Stefan nearly plunged at Damon with that-his body only being held back by Caroline as she swiftly grabbed his arm to yank him away when it became apparent that the younger Salvatore was going to swing.

Well, that escalated quickly.

"Fuck you, Damon," Stefan said angrily as he stared into his brother's blue eyes while his own were stead-fast filling with rage. "I only came here because of your stupid birthday in the first place and all you've done is get us into trouble at every turn we made. And now, you think it's hilarious that I went off and got married? What kind of a brother are you?"

"The smart one," Damon snapped as Stefan ticked his jaw and shook his head in disbelief. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the least bit ironic, I mean—I'm supposed to be the screw up when it comes to us, remember? But this? This is very interesting… Especially for a saint like you."

"You know what, Damon—"Stefan started again, only to be interrupted by Caroline as she stood between them with her head in her hands.

Were they really having this pissing war? Right now? When there were more important things to discuss?

"Okay, seriously?" she nearly shouted as they both shut up immediately and her eyes widened to saucers while the think blonde finally rose her voice and stood her ground. "I'm sorry that you two seem to be fighting or feuding or whatever, but I don't have any time for this. Got it? Stefan," she said as she turned to the man and let out a sigh. "This is my fault just as much as it is yours, okay? And because we are adults, we will fix this. Pronto… Damon," she said with a bit more bite to her voice as he stared at her curiously and she swallowed hard before looking into his eyes. "Since you've declared yourself the genius here and you've also got a law degree, help us," Caroline pleaded as Damon let out a sigh. "What do we have to do to fix this? And please—try to be less of an asshole about it, why don't you?"

Damon licked his teeth at that as Caroline's blue eyes continued to drive into his own. This girl clearly wasn't playing any games—especially not his.

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to give her hell anyway.

"I'm an Entertainment lawyer, Blondie; and while this is entertaining, for sure, there isn't a damn thing I can do when it comes to divorcing you morons."

Stefan sighed at that and Caroline inhaled angrily while he kept his stare on hers and she folded her arms over her chest.

The lord was testing her.

"However," Damon lifted a finger as he walked back over to the couch and the two watched him take a seat while kicking his feet up and swiping a newspaper off the table that he opened within his hands. "Nevada law states that two parties who do not believe that their marriage stands on any equal, respectable, or consenting ground can file for an annulment, whether they be residents or not, no matter how long they've been confirmed, and it shall be dissolved "ab initio;" which means that the marriage is annulled from the very day on which the marriage took place."

Caroline and Stefan turned to each other for second before he shrugged his shoulders and she pursed her lips slowly—pulling them away with a 'popping' sound. With that, Damon let out a sigh.

"Do you speak in layman's terms, or—"

"For a Harvard valedictorian and a blogger you two really are dimwits," Damon rolled his eyes but they remained attentive. "To put it quite simply—get your asses down to an attorney—there's probably a cheap one hanging around the stupid chapel you got married in, wink wink—tell them you were drunk, unable to consent, and bam; you can get rid of this entire thing… it'll be like it never even happened."

Stefan's brows furrowed at that as he crossed his arms suspiciously and Caroline cleared her throat as they met each other's eyes again and Damon watched them both.

Could it really be that easy to wipe away their mistake?

"How do you know all of this?" Caroline asked as she folded her arms now as well. "I thought you didn't do marriages."

"Let's just say I decided to be prepared just in case I was the one stupid enough to marry someone I barely even knew, after fucking them shamelessly—and quite loudly, might I add—for the entire night before deciding I needed to make them my wife… I was being precautionary. You can both thank me later."

Stefan rolled his eyes at that though he was sure he was blushing a bit, as was Caroline. Were they really even that loud? Damon had a habit of over-exaggerating, to be honest. But even so, they were dumb enough to do this in the first place, so maybe he was right after all.

Stefan didn't say anything more to his brother before turning to Caroline and pulling in a deep but nervous breath as he searched her eyes.

The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was running away from this but wasn't she kind of sprinting, too? They just couldn't be married. It would never work—they would never work.

"So, what do you think? You think we should take care of this right now?"

"I don't see why not," Caroline said optimistically before she looked down at her watch and let out a short groan. "But let's just hope they can make this as fast as the ceremony. I have that flight-"

"Don't worry about that," Stefan said, as he whipped out his iPhone, pressed a few digits and held up the screen to show her a flight. "I can get you on the next one headed towards Mystic Falls as soon as this is all done. My treat."

Caroline nodded thankfully at that and Damon let out a short scoff as he folded his arms over his chest while dropping his paper and looked the blonde in the eyes. She stood at attention.

"Mystic Falls? Really? You live there?"

"That I do," Caroline sighed as she met his curious eyes. "I'm surprised you've heard of it."

"Barely," Damon corrected her as he searched her face and Caroline nodded her head in expectation. "I just know that it's redneck central and has only one bar," he quipped and Caroline scoffed.

Leave it to Damon to directly insult her hometown without even flinching.

"Trust me—if I could afford a Bentley, a house maid, and I had mommy and daddy to take care of me, I still wouldn't want to leave. Mystic Falls is home. Who cares if I'm—"

"Poor?" Damon filled in and Stefan finally made a move towards his brother as Caroline snapped her lips shut. "It's humbling—I guess."

"You really need to stop talking," Stefan said to his brother sternly, before he turned to Caroline and shook his head apologetically. "Care, I'm sorry—"

"It's fine, Stefan. Really," she said flatly before backing away and pointing behind her. "I'm gonna go get my stuff, head to my hotel and change. And while we're on the topic about my upbringing—"she started as she slipped off the wedding ring and offered a bitter smile. "Take this; do what you want with it. I wouldn't want your brother to think I was a gold digger," Caroline said as she slapped the ring into his hand and turned around to walk away while he swallowed hard. "I'll see you in about an hour?"

"Yeah," Stefan answered as Caroline grabbed her things—including her Christian Louboutin heels that he vaguely remembered her keeping on last night; the ones she confessed to spending way more than she should have on—and she high-tailed it out of the room faster than he could even say see you soon.

When the door slammed, Stefan immediately turned to face his brother; fire in his eyes as Damon smirked smugly and he shook his head angrily all the while. What the hell was his fucking problem?

"Did you really have to say that, Damon? About Caroline being poor? You know, she has her own apartment and everything—"

"And what does she pay for rent? Ten dollars and a stack of potatoes?" Damon replied as Stefan felt himself seething. "Get real, baby bro; I was just calling it like I see it. She's just a small-town girl who knows nothing and has nothing—nothing like what you and I have, anyway."

Stefan rolled his eyes at that as he began to make his way to his bedroom to grab his things and get ready for a shower. Just because they grew up with a privileged lifestyle didn't mean that they had to be assholes about it. Especially not to someone as sweet as Caroline.

"I'm not having this conversation, Damon. I refuse. Thanks for helping us come with a solution, but you can also fuck off for the way you spoke to her—"

"Why? It was for your benefit."

"How? How could you possibly insulting my friend be for me?"

"Because I don't think you and Caroline should just be 'friends;' I think you stay married."

There was a dead silence at that as Stefan spun around to meet Damon's face and is brother rose to his feet quietly while he peered into his eyes.

Did he really just hear that, or…

"You're kidding," Stefan stated as Damon moved in towards him—never dropping his expression that told Stefan he was dead serious.

He was not joking at all.

"I'm not, on the contrary. I… think you should reconsider getting an annulment hen it's obvious that this marriage might work for you—"

"You're on drugs! Or something, I just—what the hell are you talking about—"

"I'm talking about the fact that you, Stefan, are a unemployed post-graduate, living in New York City on the Lower East Side, about to be cut-off from mommy and daddy's financial umbilical cord unless you catch a grip and start growing up," Damon said firmly as Stefan narrowed his eyes. "You think you're all good and noble, doing all that charity work, and volunteering, and interning to become a journalist of all things? Where does that leave you financially once they cut you off? Living off of me?" his brother asked and Stefan shook his head.

He'd had this conversation one too many times with his parents—about his supposed "lack of ambition," and it irked him to no end that they all thought he wanted to do nothing with his life. He wanted to do everything; he wanted to save children, help the less fortunate, adopt animals—the whole nine.

He just didn't want to do what they wanted him to; because he didn't want to be a lawyer like Damon, the CEO of some business like his dad, a corporate shark like his mom—he wanted to be him. And because of that, his relationship—and finances—with his family were dwindling.

His parents were no longer going to fund his hippie/philanthropist mentality and they were revoking his trust fund until he got "serious" about life and started planning for the future.

They wanted him to have a career—they also wanted him to find a wife.

Damon—the lucky bastard—had escaped the pressure by having a "real job" and even the marriage cliché by simply being a playboy and promising that he was on the hunt for one, with each girl he took out on the town. He told his parents every girl was "the one" to get them to leave him alone, and luckily for him, it'd been working—for five fucking years.

Stefan, on the other hand, wasn't a good liar. He didn't date around or often and even with girls that he hooked up with and hung out with afterwards, they never developed into anything more than his friends.

He just hadn't found the one yet, and he wasn't willing to settle so early or so soon just to keep getting a paycheck from Giuseppe Salvatore's bank account.

So they were cutting him off—soon. His days were quite literally numbered and he knew for sure that if they caught wind of this Vegas thing that they'd not only be disappointed in him for being so careless, but they'd also never let him hear the end of it; because he was "Stefan Salvatore:" their youngest—their valedictorian—their golden child.

Their perfectly capable, intelligent, and well-bodied child who "lacked real ambition" and was wasting his potential by making such frivolous mistakes.

He may have been the "good one" in their eyes but his parents still looked down on him. His entire family did for not being like them.

"I'm not going to live off of you, Damon—I can get a job. I can also move out, if that's what you want—"

"I want you to be smart and do what you have to do to stay in mom and dad's good graces—and pockets," Damon said as his younger brother squinted his eyes. "Pretend that… this thing with Caroline is real, okay? For at least a few months. Play the charade—get what you want from them and then get the hell out. It really isn't that hard."

Stefan scoffed at that as he tilted his head and stared into Damon's eyes. He really was crazy, wasn't he?

"This isn't about money, Damon—"

"Well, it should be. You will not survive in the real world—with a suit and a tie and a schedule that you have to follow… You wouldn't last five minutes. Which is why you need to play your cards right and play them; pretend that you and Caroline ran off like a bunch of yuppies, tied the knot because you were so in love, and bam—your cash flow will be secure, you can still be happy, and you can continue to do what you want, when you want, and how you want. It's a win-win situation, Steffy."

"It is psychotic," Stefan replied through his teeth as Damon rolled his eyes. "And what makes you think Caroline would go for this? She isn't an idiot, you know."

"She might not be dumb but she isn't rich," Damon replied as Stefan ticked his jaw. "You really don't think a girl like that would die to have the kind of things she could have if you two go along with this for a little while—pretend like it's all fine and dandy? Why wouldn't she want to live like a queen? Cut her a deal, Stefan—you know it's the smart thing to do—"

"I think I'm done here," Stefan replied as he finally turned around and walked away while shaking his head. "I need to wash the stench of your desperation off of my skin."

Damon snorted at that as he heard Stefan slam his bathroom door shut and start the shower no more than thirty seconds later, as he sat down to enjoy another cup of coffee—black of course—with his feet kicked up on the table and his newspaper in hand again.

"It's not desperation, it's genius," he said to no one as his eyes scanned the page and he listened to the humming of the water across the suite as Stefan scrubbed himself clean of last night's sin. "You'll understand it soon, baby bro… You definitely will."

XXXXX

"So, are you ever going to tell us what happened last night?" Bonnie asked as Caroline combed through her locks before pulling out her makeup case and setting it on the sink. "You and Stefan seemed pretty… comfortable on the dance floor… And you didn't come back after you left with him… Is it safe to assume that this was a mission accomplished?"

Caroline snorted at that though her heart was pounding at the fact that she'd been back in this room for nearly 45 min and no one had discovered her secret yet; that she actually was a married woman, on her way to the annulment with said guy that she banged last night, and she was really ashamed about it.

It wasn't that she was embarrassed about hooking up with Stefan in general—it was just the circumstances, she realized. Back in their interning days, she'd thought of kissing him nearly every day she was there but she didn't because she ultimately chickened out when he looked her way and smiled in her direction.

But last night? She threw him up against a wall and laid one on him, as if she'd planned to do it all night. And she hadn't really—she didn't plan this at all.

Caroline cleared her throat normally as she applied her foundation and Bonnie watched on lazily with arms over her chest but a smirk that let her know she was awaiting the scoop. Bonnie was usually the rational one between the four, but she was also stubborn—and when she had her mind set on something, that was the end of it.

She was like a pit bull; and there was no releasing her jaw.

"Stefan and I had fun," Caroline said lightly—because it wasn't a lie—before her eyes averted to the different shades of lipstick that she had the option to choose from. "He's a good guy and I definitely wouldn't mind hanging out with him again, sometime," she said diplomatically and Bonnie smirked.

"So, what are you waiting for, Care? I mean—I know he lives in New York and we live in Virginia, but it's not like Skype and cell phones don't exist. You can keep in touch. Maybe see each other again, sometime—"

"We are… going to see each other, again," she said carefully as Bonnie's brow lifted with surprise and Caroline put on her best smile as she turned towards her face. "In fifteen minutes… for lunch. He… actually asked me to go to lunch," she lied.

"Lunch? I—you know our flight leaves soon, right—"

"He booked me a new one," Caroline said as Bonnie's eyes widened. "He wanted to spend just a few more hours together and I couldn't say no…"

"Oh my god, Caroline!" Bonnie smiled brightly at that as she hit her arm and the blonde howled loudly before she narrowed her gaze. "I am so sorry, but this is exciting! You're going on a date! You haven't since—"Bonnie stopped and pursed her lips as Caroline instantly remembered Klaus and ticked her jaw. "You know what? I am just happy for you, okay? No matter what happens, this is good. Getting back on the market is good—"

"Who's back on the market?" they heard as both girls turned around to see Rebekah waltz into the bathroom; her hair tied into a ponytail as she headed for her toothbrush.

She was always the last one to be ready for anything.

"Nothing," Caroline said quickly as she eyed Bonnie who pursed her lips shut. "I am just… existing. Exploring my options… Living—"

"You fucked Stefan last night, didn't you?" Rebekah asked bluntly and Caroline's face turned to cherry red as she stared in the mirror at her own reflection and Bonnie let out a gentle cough. "We're all big girls here—we can say the words."

"Say what words?" Elena asked as she walked in too and Caroline slammed her eyeliner onto the porcelain countertop as she gazed at them all furiously—meeting each of their eyes as she looked past herself in the mirror.

Did everyone need to be in the bathroom right now? Seriously?

"There are no words, Elena—"Bonnie started and Rebekah cut her off as her tooth brush hung against her lips.

"Caroline fucked Stefan and she thinks we're gonna judge or something," she sighed and Caroline scoffed as she shut her eyes and Elena's mouth widened.

"Way to go, Care! Was he any good?" she wondered and Caroline spun around with he hands in the air as she looked to them all with fiery eyes. "He looks like he'd be good."

They. Were. So. Embarrassing. She. Was. Not. Doing. This. Now. Or. Ever.

"I have to go," Caroline announced as the girls pouted and she swiped her makeup bag. "I have to meet up with a friend—"

"Stefan," Rebekah chimed in and Caroline licked her teeth. "Don't miss the flight!"

"About that," Caroline said as she raised an index. "He got me a new one. So…. See you guys later in Mystic Falls. Bye now."

Before Elena or Rebekah could say a word she blew them all a quick kiss, ran into the room where she grabbed her luggage and ran the hell out of there before much more could be said.

The longer she stuck around, the longer they would know she was hiding something else and she just couldn't afford to let them in on that now—or ever.

Bonnie would definitely be disappointed in her. Elena would be shocked. Rebekah would never let her live it down. She wanted no one to know and fortunately enough for she and Stefan, only his brother who hated her had been clued in. So it didn't seem like he'd much of a problem any time soon.

Caroline pulled out her cell once she got to the lobby of the Hard Rock to call Stefan; placing her cell to her ear and listening as it rung and she gripped her luggage tightly in the other hand.

He said via text that he'd meet her here once she was ready, and that she was.

She was ready to get the hell out of here and she was ready to get this over with.

But before Caroline could leave a voicemail, she was interrupted by a soft tap on her shoulder that nearly made her jump out of her skin and into a nearby fountain.

She's never be used to busy places like this—places where there were crowds and people touched you.

But when she spun around, her annoyance quickly dwindled as she met Stefan's very olive green eyes, that were brought out exceptionally well by his matching shirt and she smiled nervously as he stared at her for a moment; taking in the lack of space between them as they stood in the middle of the crowd before he cleared his throat and took hold of her suitcase.

He smiled gently as she let him have it before she let out a gentle sigh.

"You know, it's not nice to sneak up on a woman like that. I—may have freaked out a bit."

"I know," he said as he realized there were goose bumps all over her arms in her sleeveless sundress and he offered a nod. "I'm sorry."

Caroline bit her lip at that as Stefan continued to study her face—as if he was committing it to memory—and she nodded as well.

"Apology accepted… this time."

Stefan grinned.

"Do you wanna find a bench? I can call a car to take us to the place so we don't have to walk with this," he said, referring to her bags. "I'm sure it'll only take five minutes."

"You're the expert—I've never had a servant," she replied hastily and Stefan sighed at that as they walked silently besides each other, out the hotel and onto the boardwalk.

It was a bright and beautiful day, she thought, as the Vegas air—filled with heat but no humidity—warmed her bones as it wafted through the air. The strip was already lively with bars that were open, music, people selling things, fliers making their way into her and Stefan's hands with each step they took.

She was going to be sad about leaving this place but at the same time, she missed her home; she missed her small town, with the one bar that had karaoke on Thursdays and 25 cent wings on Fridays. She missed her one bedroom apartment that was entirely too small to ever be comfortable in. She missed her cat—Lily. She missed it all.

And as nice and as fun as this place had been, it'd definitely been a learning experience as well; a lesson in not getting so blackout drunk that you married some guy you used to—and probably were still—crushing on, whilst expecting positive results.

Also—lock the bathroom door. Because apparently it became a party when you didn't.

"I don't have servants," Stefan said the second they sat down; as if he'd been waiting to prove her wrong and Caroline only replied with a short "Hm," at that. "Listen—I'm really sorry about what Damon said to you—"

"It's fine," she lied as her blue eyes looked into his. "I mean—whatever, right? Your brother is snob and it's obvious that he's had a very easy life compared to most people, thanks to where you come from—"

"But we're not all like that, Caroline," Stefan said as he let out a sigh. "I'm not, at least… I don't want to be… Not ever, you know?"

Caroline bit her lip at that as she looked to the ground and let his words sink in just a bit more before she looked to his eyes.

He was being sincere; he really was sorry about what a jackass his brother was and even if she wanted to hold it against him, she couldn't. You weren't always to blame for how poorly your family behaved.

After all, she would know—there was her dad and resident drunk—Bill Forbes.

Caroline's stomach tightened at that as she shook away the thoughts about her father and feigned a smile.

Faking smiles was her thing; pretending to always be happy and optimistic and forgiving was her M.O.

Only this time, she really was being sincere, too. She was happy that despite what happened between them, Stefan wasn't treating her like some sort of leper or as if she was beneath him. He was treating her the way he always had; as a friend.

"I know," she said lightly as he looked out onto the strip and Caroline let out a sigh. "I…interned with you, Stefan… It's not like you're a stranger to me. We… kind of know each other a little better than that."

Stefan nodded as he remembered the feisty, fierce, and outgoing Caroline Forbes who dragged him out their first night in town and got him to dance at the very place they went to, even though he was the furthest thing from that sort of guy.

He remembered just how kind she had been to him, since day one, despite where he was from, and he never told her but he appreciated that. He appreciated her for that.

"You're right-we are actual friends," Stefan said as Caroline smiled and he reached into his pocket for the familiar ring and her eyes widened again. "Which is why I want you to have this."

"Stefan—"

"Relax, not like that," he reassured as she met his eyes. "I just… I don't know what the hell to do with it… And it's nice and I figure if you don't keep it you can pawn it—"

"Stefan, I am not that broke, okay? I'm not gonna pawn that wedding ring. You should keep it—to give it to the girl you actually plan on marrying, you know? That'd make more sense—"

"Not to me," he said as he took her hand into his and placed it in there softly as she met his honest eyes. "Keep it, Caroline—as a token of…our revived friendship and—"

"Soon to be annulled marriage," she smirked as he did as well. "This is really romantic, I must say," she added sarcastically before she held it up again and look at the stone. "And the diamonds are real. That's important."

"Super important," he winked as she rolled her eyes. "Why don't you wear it for good luck? Hopefully it'll make this annulment fast and painless and speedy."

"Hopefully," Caroline said as she slipped back onto her finger slowly and fashioned it for him jokingly as he smiled. "You haven't even called the car yet, though, so that's kind of strike one."

"I'm on it," he promised as he whipped out his iPhone and Caroline smirked as she watched Stefan dialing an operator for the quickest car service that could get them from here to the place they got the marriage certificate from, that he found in his room on the dresser.

Damon had been right—the place had an attorney who handled these cases on stand-by and he couldn't help but laugh when he thought about just how cliché it really was that they did this; they'd gotten married in Vegas and less than twenty-four hours later, they were parting ways.

Caroline laughed at it too as she thought about it and smiled to herself when she realized the only silver-lining in the situation—she'd beat the small town odds and actually had gotten married before getting knocked up with any kids.

If that wasn't reason for celebration she didn't know what was.

Before she could suggest post-annulment shots, though, they were interrupted by a voice she knew way too well that chilled her all the way down to her core the very second his voice like velvet passed throughout her small and gentle ears.

"Caroline," he said and her heart skipped a beat and the smile on her lips immediately disappeared as she looked up and saw him.

What the hell were the chances that she'd see him?

"Klaus?" Caroline asked as she looked into his demi-god-blue eyes and he sent her that familiar smirk that made her stomach knot and heart race as he charmingly lifted her by the hand and pulled her into a silent hug while Stefan watched wordlessly, all the while.

Who was this guy and why was Caroline so clearly flustered by him?

"I—what are you—wow," Caroline muttered as he finally released her from the hug and Klaus smiled tentatively as he glanced between her and the mysterious brunette beside her who finally rose to his feet to introduce himself by extending a hand.

Klaus politely complied.

"Stefan; Stefan Salvatore," he said. "Nice to meet you Klaus—"

"Mikaelson. Niklaus, actually—but I'm not as formal as my parents named me to be."

Stefan nodded at that as he cleared his throat and Caroline pursed her lips as she looked at him and spun towards Klaus, who was dressed in a nice designer suit, briefcase in hand, and his Ray Bans now on the hook of his shirt.

She hadn't seen him in months, since he'd move out of Virginia and to California for a new job with some top marketing agency, and she almost regretted just how good he'd looked.

It was always a blow to ego when you saw an ex and instead of falling apart, they just seemed so well and put together.

That was her crisis right now; that every one of her fears had come true. Klaus never needed her then and by the looks of it, he wouldn't, ever again.

He done damn well for himself and by the curious look on his face, she knew he was wondering just the same—if Caroline Forbes had been anything without him.

Spoiler alert—she didn't feel like it.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked almost immediately as he looked into Caroline's eyes and shamelessly over her frame. "You look well."

"Thank you," she said almost breathlessly before clearing her throat. "And I'm just—you know. On vacation. Hanging with Stefan, here… the girls…your sister—"

"Ah, sweet Rebekah," he said with a smile as Stefan mentally recalled the girl from last night. "We haven't talked in about two weeks but she did tell me she was coming here… She just didn't tell me about you."

"I mean, why would she, Klaus? It's not like we left everything on good terms," she snapped a little too fiercely; instantly cursing her tongue as she looked down to the ground and then back up again.

There it was; that thinly veiled rage and hate and anger that she still harbored towards him—that she'd convinced herself she'd let go, even though she knew she hadn't been even close.

She wasn't over him and he knew it—just by the slight twinkle in her eyes at her abrupt outburst—and he almost smiled at that when she shook her head and took a healthy step back to create some distance.

She needed distance; and it was as if Stefan knew her better than she knew herself.

"Care, let's go," he suggested almost immediately as he looked into Klaus' eyes and watched he blonde –haired man staring back at him just as strongly. "You said you wanted to eat lunch and there's this really good place right up the strip—"

"Lunch, you say? Well, perhaps I'll join you. I'm due for a break. It'll give us all the time in the world to catch up—fill me in on what you've been up to," Klaus winked as he looked at his Movado and Caroline felt her cheeks warm.

He was antagonizing her; he was doing this on purpose. And just the fact that he could still make her feel like she was nothing more than a stop along the way for him pissed her off. What was it going to take to make him feel as bad as she did right now?

As irrelevant?

"I was… thinking it could be more private," Stefan attempted to say politely before Caroline interrupted him, with a flash of her left hand as Klaus' smirk disappeared when he saw the giant rock on her finger and she smiled haughtily the second she caught the panic in his eyes.

Was she doing this? She was really doing this.

"Rebekah didn't tell you I was here because I didn't come with her… Stefan and I are on our honeymoon. I'm married, Klaus."

His eyes almost shot out of his head as he glanced to Stefan—who was just as speechless—for confirmation before the brunette felt Caroline squeeze his hand pleadingly and he cleared his throat.

She wanted him to go along with this. She actually wanted him to do this right now.

"Married? Wow, Caroline. I didn't have the slightest idea—"

"We kept it small—just us," she said as she glanced to Stefan who still hadn't said a word though he was staring at her hotly. "We're planning the big ceremony not too far from now. If you wanna hear all about it you can come with us for lunch. Or drinks. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?"

Klaus stood absolutely speechless and Caroline felt a slight bit of elation mixed with a daze as her heart nearly hopped out of her chest—her fingers still interlocked with Stefan's as he hadn't said a word; not to expose her, yell at her, or even discourage her.

He said nothing. Nothing at all.

And she didn't know whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing.

But right now it was good—very good, for her.

A/N; HEY EVERYONE! So I would like to thank you all who reviewed on the first chapter of this story and inspired me to keep going because the motivation definitely had a hand in deciding whether or not I would continue this one! There really aren't many Steroline stories—especially AU—so I would deff like to do my share by adding to the fanfic community, just as long as you all are with it! So what did you think about this chapter? I tried to give a little bit more insight as to who Stefan and Caroline are, as well as interactions with Damon, and friends. What do you think about Damon's plan for Stefan? Or Klaus popping up? And Caroline's lie? Will they be able to fake it for now and most importantly are they going to go through with the annulment? You'll have to wait and see. ;) Thank you all so much for the alerts on this story and please—continue to review, as I see it as motivation to start the next one. As always take care, and until next time! xoxo