Chapter One

In the place she waits
But she moonlights rock and roll

"Caroline," Katherine said exasperatedly as I walked out of the back room of the psychic's office. Her dark, cleanly waxed eyebrow was cocked at me in frustration. Her brown eyes seemed to have darkened to black. Her long brown hair that was down when I went into the room was now up on the top of her head in a tight bun and she seemed to be sweating kind of profusely from the lack of air conditioning. I was sweating too, though. She had been the one that suggested the stupid psychic and now she was angry that the meeting went to long.

"I hope she didn't take all your money," Katherine barked. She was hungry. Katherine was always a bitch when she was hungry. She was a bitch a lot of the time, but it got a lot worse when she was hungry.

The psychic followed me out and passed me to get to her. She handed Katherine a 20 dollar bill. "I'm sorry we took so long, Kat. I'm offering your money back as a peace offering." Then she pointed to me. "This one is special."

Katherine's hard-as-stone exterior began to melt and she took the money and smiled at the psychic. "It's cool, Giselle." That could not be that woman's real name. "I'm not going to stop my weekly sessions because Caroline is special," Katherine said the last word like it was poison and looked me up down. "Ready?"

"Yes," I cleared my throat. "Can we go eat?"

"Please dear lord, yes." Katherine agreed, "See you next week, G." She waved to the psychic (who definitely wasn't named Giselle) and we were on our way to the streets of San Diego.

There was a mexican restaurant a block closer to the beach so we strolled toward it. We walked in silence, all I could hear were the flip of our sandals on the pavement and the sea of people that seemed to be crowded on each corner.

Finally she turned to me and hit my arm a little harder than she had to. "You gonna tell me? Or what?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's crazy!" I blurted. "She just made up some bullshit story because she got it wrong the first time."

"Got what wrong?"

"My palm reading," I explained.

Katherine opened the door to the restaurant and let me in first and followed me shortly after. I kept my eyes trained on the menu. I stared as if I didn't know what I was going to get. She pulled at my arm.

"What?" I said without looking at her.

"Come on, just tell me." She almost begged.

The thing about Katherine is that she doesn't really let up. She's determined. She's strong willed. And she gets what she wants. Which is why I'm even in San Diego in the first place. But, that's a whole different story.

It was our turn to order. "One beef burrito, black beans and hot sauce." I ordered Katherine's usual, "and one veggie with no cheese or sour cream."

"We call that the vegan steven," The lady behind the counter said dryly.

"One vegan steven," I said with a laugh and Katherine bumped her side into mine. She pulled out her wallet and paid with the $20 she'd just gotten from Giselle. (I just know that's not her name.)

We found an empty booth by the window and I got in and moved to the far side so Katherine could get in next to me and put her hand on my bare thigh.

So now is the part where I tell you the most cliche thing ever.

Katherine is my girlfriend and yes, I am also a vegan. A vegan hippy lesbian. Or a vegan, non-hippy, bi-curious receptionist from Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Her hand grazed back and forth on my bare skin, from my knee to the edge of my jean short-shorts. My "daisy dukes" that she loved so much. I leaned into her and grabbed her hand to stop her from touching me. I loved the touch, I just felt sticky and she was beginning to give me the chills.

I blew my bangs out of my eyes and rested my head on her shoulder as we waited for food. "Are you going to tell me?" She said again and I lifted my head up and turned toward her and kissed her lips softly. Hoping that was answer enough.

My way of saying I still love you. But I don't want to talk about it.

She kissed me back and then backed away. "Just tell me. It can't be that bad," she said and lifted her eyebrow at me. she wasn't going to let up. I knew this.

I took a breath. "She said that my palms read two different stories. Two different destinies. That my right hand had the life I was living now and my left had the life that could have been mine. But, I made a choice pretty recently that altered my destiny."

Katherine's jaw dropped, anger and frustration clouded her eyes. "Did she do a tarot reading?"

"Yes."

"And?"

Our order came and I grabbed the tabasco on the table and began to drench my burrito. "The decision happened within the last 18 months," I said then I took a large bite. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I could see Katherine's wheels turning as I handed her the tabasco. She gave me a look, telling me to keep talking. I sighed. "Apparently in my other reality I would have been married to a man I already know. I knew him before the decision was made." Her eyes snapped back onto me and I suddenly felt like I should have lied. I definitely should have lied. Stefan popped into my mind immediately when I heard that. And, I know that it popped into hers too.

"Did she say anything about the move?"

"No." I lied. I was lying too late. I had already revealed too much.

She lifted her eyebrow. "Really?"

"All she said was that I had recently moved," I lied again.

"What else did she say?"

"She said my timeline is the same either way. I will live the same amount of years. A long healthy life."

"No cancer?"

I laughed and nudged her. "Not that she foresaw." Katherine is constantly worried I'm going to acquire skin cancer due to my pale skin being in the sun so much. "She said the sunscreen is working," I teased.

"What did she say about this timeline?"

"She said that she thinks I'll have children in five years and she sees two boys and no girls. She said she could see an important day in August." Katherine smiled at this very brightly, "Of next year." Katherine's smile faltered.

"Anything else?"

"She believes that-" I chuckled a little, "That if I concentrate hard enough I will be able to dream about my other timeline."

Katherine looked away from me and took a bite of her burrito, I did the same. That set something in her off. We ate in silence for longer than I really liked. I was almost halfway through with my burrito when she finally said what she was thinking.

"Are you going to?"

I shook my head and laughed, trying to brush it off like it was nothing. "Of course not," I comforted her and put my arm around her. "I'm exactly where I am supposed to be."

She smiled and kissed me again. I hate when we kiss after she's eaten meat. But, I decided it was something she needed, so I kissed her.

"I'm going to get a to-go box." She motioned to the massive burrito in front of her.

"Get one for me too," I told her and she grinned. As she walked away, I bit my lip and looked down at the table in front of me. Stefan's face flashed through my mind. The way he'd bite his lip when he'd lean into me. The way he'd grab my hair when he kissed me. The way he'd focus as he read. He clouded my vision and all I could see was him.

I care about Katherine, I do. But, Stefan. He was the love of my life. And thinking about the possibility of a life with him had my wheels spinning. I shook my head and tried to get him out of my mind. Katherine came back to the table and handed me a box.

"Let's get out of the heat," she said, wiping a touch of sweat from her forehead. I stood and put my hands on her hips, something I could do openingly in California. It wasn't so accepted in the south.

"Let's get out of the heat and get back to bed," I said and put my lips on her, tasting her, trying to get him out of my mind. Trying to envelop myself in her to chase him away.

a/n: the next chapter takes a whole different turn. So, be ready for that. Hope you're liking it so far.