Hello, my fellow people of ! First off, can I just give a MASSIVE thank you to all of those who reviewed, subscribed and/or favorited this story? Seriously, people, I didn't expect this story to get anywhere near the response it did for a prologue. So thank you, thank you, thank you for that :)

That said, here is the official first chapter! :) I'm just gonna put a disclaimer here and it goes for this story from here on out, if that's alright - I don't own The Vampire Diaries, or any of the songs I reference in this story.

Enjoy!


Chapter One: Chasing the Sun

"I'm better, so much better now

I see the light, touch the light, we're together now

I'm better, so much better now

Look to the skies, give me life, we're together now."

-The Wanted


Caroline knew something was wrong before she even opened her eyes the next morning.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Muffled, like having the TV set at a low volume. Normally she could hear all sorts of things – birds chirping, neighbors going through their morning rituals, the splash of droplets from the sprinkler hitting individual blades of grass. Most noticeably, the sound of her mother's contented sigh as she sipped her morning coffee was silent as well. The soundtrack to her morning had gone mute, and it was disconcerting to say the least.

Her eyes popped open in alarm, and her sight wasn't much better. It was like slipping on a pair of sunglasses, she could still see everything but the color scheme had shifted. It was duller, dimmer, less defined; vibrant colors had been diluted to a faded sheen, covered in murky shades of grey.

Caroline forced herself up into a sitting position while aggressively rubbing her eyes, wailing a frustrated "Oh my God, I'm blind!" She tentatively removed her hand, hoping for the best and expecting the worst.

She got the worst.

A tidal wave of panic washed over her, but she surprised herself by not drowning in it. Brow furrowing, Caroline connected the dots in her head and gasped at the clear picture it painted – she would no longer wake up with a burning hunger in her throat, she would no longer hear the pulsing of her mother's heartbeat from downstairs, and her senses would continue to suck.

Caroline raced out of her bed and over to her window, throwing open the blinds to let in the already risen sun. She moved into a shaded area, and pulled off her daylight ring. Breathing deeply, she slowly reached her hand into the path of daylight. Caroline bit her lip, prepared for the moment when her skin would inevitably begin to burn.

She watched in anticipation. Her hand remained the same. No burning, no bubbling, no intense pain. Laughing out her relief, Caroline extended her hand farther into the shining sunlight, and felt nothing but warmth. Not a single sizzle of pain.

Caroline practically jumped into the light streaming in, immersing herself in sunshine. She soaked it in, breathing a sigh of contentment. Even with her daylight ring, contact with the sun didn't feel . . . natural. It was like wearing wet clothes or an itch she couldn't scratch – she could tolerate it, but it wasn't one hundred percent comfortable. This was the first time in a long time that she could bask in the sun and didn't feel the slightest bit irritated.

"Caroline – Hon, what are you doing?"

Caroline stood frozen in the sun's warmth at the sound of the voice. She whipped around, not believing her ears. She certainly couldn't believe her eyes.

But she did anyway.

"Dad?" she breathed in disbelief.

Bill Forbes cocked his head to the side, furrowing his eyes. "Yeah, Care. Is everything okay in–" Caroline sprinted across her room and threw her arms around her father. Slowly and tentatively, with a hint of awkwardness, he eased into the gesture; patting her back a few times, Bill glanced down at his quirky, unpredictable daughter. "Holding on a little tight there, are we?"

Caroline closed her eyes, her head resting in the familiar territory of his chest. She hadn't hugged her dad in years, hadn't really hugged him. After everything that had down in the last few months, she never thought she'd get this opportunity again. There were so many words on her tongue, words in her heart. She wasn't sure she could express them all. God knows she could try.

Choking back happy tears, Caroline murmured against his chest. "I love you, Daddy."

Bill endearingly kissed the crown of her head, and squeezed. "I love you, too, Care Bear." She chuckled at his old nickname for her. He gave her one last pat on the back and then pulled away, one hand resting on her shoulder. "Your mom and I were about to make some blueberry waffles. Want to join us?"

Caroline couldn't help the ecstatic grin that spread across her face at his use of "your mom and I." Blinking away stubborn tears, Caroline smiled warmly. "I'd love to." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'll be down soon, okay?"

Bill returned her smile, an exact replica of her own. "Take your time, pumpkin." After ruffling her hair affectionately, Bill exited out of the room.

Caroline belly-flopped onto her bed and reached under her pillow, where Matilda the Wand still resided. She eyed the wand curiously, with a dash of suspicion. This was surely a dream, and she was bound to wake up for real any second now.

But that didn't mean she couldn't take advantage of it while it lasted.

Sucking in her cheeks and furrowing her brows, Caroline tried to recall each and every wish she made the previous night.

Due to the fact that she's obviously no longer a vampire and her dad was not only alive and kicking, but happily downstairs making blueberry waffles with her mom, it was safe for her to assume that those particular wishes came true. But the others . . .

Tyler. She had wished Tyler wasn't dead.

Before she even realized she'd done it, Caroline reached for her phone on her bedside table and dialed Tyler's number. She anxiously tapped her finger against Matilda's glittery star as she desperately waited for him to pick up. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Hope or don't hope, that's the question. Her life, her heart, and her sanity pretty much depended on whether or not Tyler had enough sense to answer his damn phone.

Of course, that's only possible if he was-

Nope. Don't even go there.

-alive.

Caroline squeezed her eyes shut tighter, her heart sinking lower in her chest with every passing second.

"C'mon, Tyler. Please, please, please, please, please answer your phone," she prayed.

The ring cut off suddenly and the voice of her love took over.

"Hey, it's Tyler. I'm obviously not here, so you know what to do after the beep."

Heaving a sigh of relief – that really came out almost like a laugh – Caroline waited for said beep. Was this exactly what she wanted? No. But it's better than what she got three days ago when she called Tyler's phone just to hear the number had been disconnected.

Caroline ran a hand over her face, so excited and happy and in love that she didn't know what to do with herself. She smiled like the lovestruck fool she was as she left a message on his voicemail.

"Hey, Tyler. It's me, Caroline. Y'know, in case the caller ID didn't . . . tell you," she briefly cringed in embarrassment. "Anyway, I guess I'm just calling to say hi. And I love you. And just call me when you get this, okay?" She couldn't help it; she had to say it one more time. "Love you, babe!"

Caroline hung up, soaring up and up towards cloud nine. She hadn't been up there in quite a while; and she was glad to say it felt more than amazing to be back.

She fell backwards onto her pillows, running her hands through her tangled hair. Nothing could dampen her complete joy.

Not even the fact that she could desperately use a comb. And a shower.


Driving down the quiet streets of Mystic Falls, she sped past another green light with one goal in mind – to see Tyler as soon as possible. She still hadn't heard from him, Normally she tried to tone down her obsessive clingy girlfriend behaviors, but she figured in this particular case an exception was necessary.

She did watch Tyler die after all.

She cringed at the thought, and physically shook her head to clear it out.

Pulling into the Lockwoods' expansive driveway, which honestly looked more like a hotel entrance. She always expected some cute bellboys in those spiffy little suits to just strut right out of the front door as she pulled up – she would hand her keys to one while the other grasped her hand as she gracefully got out of the vehicle, as if she were fresh off a photo shoot for Vogue or something. Once she was safely making her way up the stairs they would speed off towards the valet parking lot that the Lockwood undoubtedly kept hidden away somewhere. Because they were seriously that loaded.

Caroline's imagination took off of as to what she would do with Tyler once she was actually inside the mansion – and it definitely wasn't as G-rated as her bellboy fantasy. She hopped out of the car and began to make her way up the front steps.

Reaching the door, she took a slow, calming breath. With sudden vigor, she pushed the doorbell with enthusiasm. The melodic chiming that echoed inside spiked up her nerves again. Keeping an outward appearance of complete calm, Caroline searched her brain for a reason why she'd be anxious about seeing Tyler again and came up blank. Shifting her weight back and forth between her feet, she focused on transforming her unexplained set of nerves into complete excitement to keep mind her occupied while she waited.

A few seconds later, Caroline was once again caught off guard when one side of the double doors opened and she found herself face-to-face with none other than Tyler Lockwood. She inhaled sharply, sizing him up. She hadn't seen him in almost a week and words couldn't describe the euphoria that poured into her.

She didn't think she needed words when her face-covering grin and tear-brimmed eyes said it all.

"Forbes!" Tyler bellowed, eyebrows raised in a mischievous manner.

Apparently, Tyler wasn't fluent in body language.

He leaned casually against the doorframe, appraising her fondly with a slice of suspicion. "Either you've come to apologize, or to stick the other foot in your mouth."

It was safe to say this was not quite the reunion she was expecting. His words sunk in at the same rate as her stomach. This could not be good. Not good at all.

Catching the confused expression on her face, Tyler's dark eyebrows furrowed. "The voicemail you left," he stated slowly, wondering if his words would ring a bell. Deciding they didn't, he tried a different tactic. "Don't you think you should have maybe – I don't know – filled Matt in on whatever the hell is going on with you before you go hitting on me?"

"Fill Matt in? Why would I have to fill Matt in?"

Tyler cocked his head to the side; his body language voiced what he was really thinking – Are you seriously asking me this? Realizing that yes, she was, he answered her plainly and pointedly.

"Because Matt's your boyfriend, Caroline."