Magical Steroline
Chapter 3 - Jealousy and a Request
Caroline plopped down next to Stefan on the couch, releasing a sigh of boredom, "We are going out."
"Are we?" Stefan's voice was amused, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to be interested in the documentary on TV.
"Yes!" Caroline declared loudly, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned narrowed eyes on his profile, "We have been stuck in this house for two weeks." She leaned over so that she could catch his eyes, a full on pout on her lips, "I need out, Stefan."
Stefan's lips twitched, trying desperately to hold in his laughter. Those big blue eyes of hers were pleading with him, those pink lips jutting out in the most adorable pout he'd ever seen. It was no surprise that she usually got her way with a face like that.
Caroline knelt on the couch, taking his hands in hers and bringing them to her chest. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, "Please, Stefan. I need you to save me from my boredom."
Stefan couldn't hold it in anymore, laughter spilling from his mouth. He moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her into his lap, muffling his chuckles in her hair as he curled his arms around her, "You need me to save you, huh?"
Caroline nodded as she giggled, tilting her head to look into his, her hands against his shoulders, her fingertips absentmindedly stroking the skin of his neck, "You are my best friend, Stefan. It's your job to keep me happy." She shrugged her shoulders, wrinkling her nose cutely, "Plus, you live in my house rent free and sleep in my bed. Time to earn your keep."
Stefan grinned up at her, his whole face lit up with his amusement. He raised his hand to tap her on the nose, the way it scrunched up in return made his heart throb at how utterly cute it was, "I suppose I would be a bad friend to refuse."
"Such a bad friend." Caroline gave him the sad puppy eyes, "So, so bad." She chewed her lip, not even noticing the way his eyes were drawn to it, "Like, the worst friend ever."
"We couldn't have that now, can we?" Stefan pulled her close in a hug for a moment, dropping a kiss on her forehead, smiling against her as he agreed, "Where do you want to go?"
"Just the grill tonight." Caroline lifted her head up to smile at him, "You can take me somewhere fancy another time."
"Oh, can I?" Stefan tickled her sides, grinning at the high pitched squeal she let out before vamping out of his arms.
"Yes, you can." Caroline stuck her tongue out at Stefan. Both of them sharing a giggle at their silliness. She hooked her thumb behind her as she told him, "I'll just get changed, then we can go."
"Okay." Stefan replied, watching Caroline bound up the stairs.
He was looking forward to spending time with her outside of their home. He started at the thought.
When had he started to think of Caroline's house as home?
Caroline and Stefan walked into the grill together their fingers interlaced as was their way recently, becoming second nature to them that they didn't even think about doing it they just did. Caroline was excitingly chattering away, Stefan staring at her with an adoring smile on his face. He loved the sound of her voice, and he could listen to her talk for hours without feeling bored in the slightest.
Caroline led him over to the bar, "I expect drinks, dancing, and darts." She signaled for the bartender telling him their drink orders before grinning wide at Stefan, "That okay with you?"
"Do I have a choice?" Stefan grinned at her as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Nope." Caroline giggled, leaning her head on his shoulder.
Stefan's beaming smile told her that he really didn't mind in the slightest.
Unknown to the two of them there were two pairs of eyes watching them. One curious, one burning with jealousy. Damon and Elena were watching them from their position on the other side of the grill.
An hour later found them playing darts. Caroline losing to Stefan but not caring at all as she was having so much fun with him and was just happy to be out of her house for the night.
Stefan had not stopped smiling once, even though he could feel the stares from Damon and Elena he resolutely ignored them and just focused on Caroline. It wasn't as hard to do as he thought, she had a way of making him concentrate on her only, so that the outside world never even invaded their little best friends bubble.
"How are you?" Caroline whispered out of the side of her mouth, so low that Stefan was hopefully the only one to hear it. She could also feel the stares from Damon and Elena, and while it didn't bother her she wanted to make sure that Stefan was okay. He was her priority.
"I'm okay." Stefan answered, lining up his shot and throwing the dart.
Caroline raised her eyebrows in surprise, "You sure about that?" She moved until she was in front of him, locking their eyes together to make sure he couldn't hide from her. She ran her hand down his arm to slip her fingers through his, her face the picture of concern as she repeated his own words from long ago back to him, "You don't have to pretend with me."
Stefan released a breath and shook his head in amazement. How far they had come since he'd spoken those same words to her, it felt almost a lifetime ago, and he knew what that felt like having already lived a few himself. She was the most amazing and wonderful friend he'd ever had, and he was so lucky to have her.
He closed the small distance between them and encased her in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, resting his head against hers as he smiled at her, "I know I don't. And what I said was the truth, I am surprisingly okay." And he was. That pull Elena had on him was slowly but surely fading until he was certain it would become nonexistent soon. It only hurt to see her with Damon because they weren't even trying to be subtle around him, they weren't even thinking about his feelings, and that was what hurt the most.
Caroline searched his face for any sign that he didn't mean what he said but she found none, he was being completely honest. She smiled wide, "I'm happy to hear that."
"Me too." Stefan sighed in relief. It seemed he was ready to get off the heartbreaking train that was Petrova doppelgangers and their inability to just have one brother. He wanted a life for himself and it seemed that he now might be able to have that.
Caroline released him after one last squeeze. She nodded her head to the side, "I am going to visit the ladies and then I am going to get us some more drinks."
"Are you trying to get me drunk, Miss Caroline?" Stefan easily fell into his old human way of speaking, delighting in the way Caroline's eyes lit up at his playfulness.
Caroline smirked devilishly at him, tapping her fingers against his chest as she lowered her voice to a seductive hum, "Absolutely, Mr Salvatore." She winked at him before spinning around.
Stefan felt his heart still racing as he heard her giggles follow her. He didn't know what was happening between them, but he was pretty sure that there was something, as they had been acting more and more like a couple.
"Stefan?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice he really didn't have the energy to deal with tonight. Or any night to be honest. He released an annoyed breath before reluctantly turning around and facing Elena. She had her arms wrapped around her middle in a defensive posture, and she was staring up at him with hurt swimming in her eyes. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and only said with irritation in his voice, "What is it, Elena?"
"Are you doing it to hurt me?" Elena's voice was tinged with anger and hope, hope for what he had no idea, and the anger she had absolutely no right to feel.
"Doing what?" Stefan crossed his arms over his chest in an angry fashion, his good mood that Caroline had put him in was fading fast now that Elena was stood in front of him, staring at him with her tearful doe eyes. Once upon a time he would have done literally anything to make that look disappear from her face, but now, now he really didn't want to be dragged down by her self-centered and often times selfish behavior.
"Touching Caroline and hanging all over her." Elena's mouth twisted in distaste, clenching her hands into the material of her shirt, "Because I don't think it's fair for you to use my best friend like that just to get to me. You know how she wanted you when you first moved here, and I know that she would just love to have you." She snorted, not even noticing the way that Stefan grew stiff and his expression grew colder at every word that left her mouth that snidely insulted Caroline, "The ultimate conquest. The one that got away."
"Shut. The. Hell. Up." Stefan hissed through clenched teeth. He felt his blood boiling as Elena insulted Caroline. It had always bothered him the way that she would subtly put down Caroline, and he had always dismissed it seeing that Elena had known her longer, but now that he truly knew Caroline, he knew that she was nothing like her so called friends portrayed her. She was caring, kind, warm, and had been through so much and yet stayed so beautifully happy and positive.
Elena blanched at Stefan's tone, the harshness in his stare making her heart clench. She could read no love in his eyes whatsoever, just a dark simmering anger. It killed her that he was angry in defense of Caroline, "Stefan-"
"No, Elena." Stefan interrupted her, glaring down at her harshly, needing to get this off his chest, not backing down for once, and telling her exactly what he thought, "You have insulted my best friend for the last time."
It was the first time that she'd ever heard Stefan refer to Caroline as his best friend, and it hurt. Since when had they become such close friends? Close enough for him to be staying with her in her house.
"She is kind and caring, she drops everything to help any one of you if you ever need anything, and what does she get in return?" Stefan scoffed as Elena just stared at him blankly, as if she would ever notice anyone but herself, "You calling her selfish. You wanting to keep her out of things because you think she's caught up in school so she wouldn't want to help. You treating her less than she deserves. I am sick of it." He shook his head, and finally revealed what he'd thought for a long time, "The only selfish one here is you."
Elena's posture stiffened, and she glared right back at Stefan, not recognizing the person she saw before her. Where was the man that would defend her to the edges of the earth? The one that would do anything to make sure she wasn't hurt? Where was her Stefan? Tears filled her eyes as she choked out, "You don't know her as well as you think, Stefan. You didn't grow up with her. You didn't have to put up with her selfishness, her control freak ways, her jealousy, and her competition with me."
"You are right, I didn't. I didn't know her when she was young and let her insecurities control her. I didn't know her when she was just another young girl trying to find herself. But guess what?" Stefan let a small smile curve his lips as he thought of his best friend, "I watched her become the wonderful girl she is today. I saw her struggle every single day to remain as human as possible after she became a vampire. I saw how strong she became, how she grew into herself."
"Perfect Caroline." Elena scoffed, letting a few tears fall down her face, "Never knowing the struggle it is to be a vampire."
"We've all faced that struggle, Elena, not just you." Stefan couldn't believe that Elena could even think becoming a monster was ever easy, for anyone it happened to, "I forced my brother to turn because I couldn't imagine eternity without him. Damon then hated me and spend the better part of a century and a half alternating between humanity on and off. I became a ripper!" He raised his eyebrow as he said meaningfully, "Do you truly believe you are the only one that has struggled with being a vampire?"
Elena struggled with a reply, not wanting to admit that she had been thinking of only herself ever since she had woken up in that morgue and was faced with the hardest decision of her life. Finally, she tried to excuse her behavior, "It's harder for me because I'm the doppelganger."
Stefan rolled his eyes, "No it isn't. Katherine never had one single problem with being a vampire, in fact she relished in it."
"Yeah, well, I'm not Katherine." Elena gritted her teeth, hating to be compared with that she-devil in any shape or form.
"You are a lot more like her than you think." Stefan admitted, finally knowing the truth in that statement. Elena may not have started with the intent of messing with his and Damon's feelings, but she had definitely strung them both along at times. She had no problem using Damon's feelings when she had wanted something from him. Very Katherine like.
Elena stared up at Stefan with tears filling her eyes, her heart feeling more broken than she'd ever felt before. She really had lost him. She let out a sob before almost running out of there in her haste to get away from the pain that Stefan had caused her.
Stefan watched her run off with only the smallest twinge in his heart. He didn't regret what he'd said, no matter how much it had hurt her to hear. He was finally allowing his heart to be free of her, some part of him would always love her for being his first proper relationship, but he needed to let her go.
He deserved to be with someone that loved only him, and not both him and his brother.
He felt two familiar arms slide around his waist from behind him, the familiar warmth making him release a sigh, and raise his own hands to cover hers. He hoped that she had not heard the whole conversation, as he did not want what Elena said to hurt her.
Caroline tightened her arms around Stefan, burying her face in his back, giving him all the comfort that she could. She had heard most of their conversation, but it didn't surprise her anymore the way Elena saw her. She was happy to hear Stefan defend her.
Stefan hated that Elena had dragged their evening down, wiping out the fun and carefree atmosphere of before. He wouldn't let her anymore. He turned around, still encased in Caroline's embrace, smiling at her as he faced her, "Didn't you say something about dancing?"
Caroline tilted her head to the side, "I thought you hated dancing?"
"Not with you." Stefan admitted, before suddenly taking Caroline's waist and spinning her around. The joyful giggles she let out made him grin.
Caroline wrapped her arms around Stefan's neck, clinging on as he twirled her around. She couldn't stop the laughter from spilling from her, especially paired with the look in Stefan's eyes. Light and happy, like he had not just had an argument with the love of his life.
Stefan let all of the anger go as he stared into those bright blue eyes of his best friend. She was so full of laughter that she almost glowed with it, holding on to him tight as he continued to twirl her around mindlessly. As long as she was smiling and giggling he would dance with her for as long as she let him.
Caroline's heart was racing wildly, both from dancing and from being all wrapped up in Stefan. He had been so heartbroken when he first showed up at her door, but now he was smiling wide and dancing with her of his own free choice and not because she had dragged him onto the dance floor.
It made her so happy to see him smiling. Without much thought, she placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth, whispering breathlessly against him, "I love seeing you happy, Stefan."
Stefan swallowed the lump in his throat, the blindingly tender emotion he felt for her in this moment almost brought him to tears. He stopped their mad spinning, just holding her tight as they swayed together, oblivious to everyone but each other. He confessed, "You are one of the few things that make me happy, Caroline."
Caroline's smile could rival the sun for its brightness, her eyes glowing prettily under the low lights of the bar. She laid her head against his, wrapping her arms tight around him, moving with him to the music. The emotion swimming in her soul made it impossible for her to speak.
Stefan closed his eyes and leaned into her. He swayed with her, holding her close as he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms, and tried to ignore how much tonight had seemed like a date.
Caroline walked into the Lockwood's home, following behind Carol as she led her through the familiar path to the study where the other members of the committee sat. It was strange still coming here after she and Tyler broke up for good.
She was still Miss Mystic Falls so she had to suck it up, and put on her show face while hoping that she wouldn't run into Tyler while she was here. That was a confrontation she could live without.
Carol clapped her hands to indicate that the meeting was now starting, "It's time to start thinking about choosing the bachelors for the fundraiser."
Caroline chewed on her lip before deciding to speak her mind, "Uh, Mrs Lockwood?"
Carol sighed, before addressing Caroline with polite interest, "Yes, Caroline?"
"We've done the bachelor raffle quite a few times before." Caroline hesitated before taking a breath and stating, "Don't you think that it's time we tried something different? Something I think would raise loads of money, and could include both men and women."
Carol narrowed her eyes as she studied her for a moment before gesturing her hand at her, "I-we would love to hear your suggestion, Caroline."
Caroline's eyes brightened and she grinned widely as she told them her suggestion. It took some convincing but they finally went for her idea.
She was so happy.
She couldn't wait to go home and tell Stefan.
Stefan was in the kitchen, moving effortlessly between two pans, when Caroline came home. She walked up behind him and gave him a quick hug, looking over his shoulder at the lovely smelling food, she asked, "What are you cooking?"
Stefan smiled as he stirred the sauce in the pan, "Just some homemade pasta."
"Smells delicious." Caroline enthused, taking an exaggerated breath before releasing him. She walked over to the counter for a better view of Stefan as he cooked. He was such in his element in the kitchen that she could have imagined him as a chef if he was still human.
"Thank you." Stefan gave the pasta another stir, before turning to Caroline smiling, "How was your Mystic Falls meeting?"
Caroline's entire face brightened up, "It was amazing. They went with my suggestion for the charity fundraiser."
"I'm pleased for you." Stefan retrieved the plates and set the table, asking her curiously, "What was your suggestion?"
"I-I'll tell you after we eat." Caroline wasn't sure what Stefan's reaction would be so she thought it best to wait after dinner. She frowned as she noticed that Stefan was only setting the table for two, "Is my mom not having dinner with us?"
Stefan nodded, "She called earlier to say that she was working late."
Caroline knew that it wasn't an irregular occurrence, her mom often worked late and had something to eat at the station. She was used to it by now, and plus she now had Stefan to keep her company.
Stefan dished up their food, leaving another plate for Liz just in case she was still hungry when she came home. He poured them both a glass of wine, before they both sat down at the table. He smiled over at her and raised his glass, "Saluti!"
Caroline giggled as she raised her own glass, "Saluti!"
They both enjoyed their meal, talking about their day and any plans that they had coming up.
Later on, Caroline was snuggled against Stefan's chest, her arm thrown casually over his waist, the throw covering them as they watched mindless TV together.
Stefan had his chin resting on Caroline's head, his hand stroking absentmindedly through her hair, soaking in the comfortable air between them. He recalled that she was going to tell him what they had decided at the meeting after dinner, so he broke the silence by asking, "What happened in the meeting? You haven't told me yet."
Caroline chewed on her lip, debating how best to tell Stefan.
Stefan nudged her playfully, a teasing lilt to his voice, "Come on, it can't be that bad."
Caroline left the comfort of his embrace so that she could sit up. She looked into Stefan's curious green eyes, and told him, "We were gonna have another bachelor auction, but I suggested we try something different."
"Okay." Stefan nodded his head, his full attention on Caroline.
"I brought up the idea that we could do something that would include both men and women." Caroline chewed on her lip as she thought about the right way to tell Stefan, finally deciding to just get it over with in one, "We're are gonna have the boys do a strip and the girls do lap dances, and I want you to be one of the guys."
Stefan stared at her with a wide eyed look, his mouth open in complete and utter shock.
Caroline frowned as he just continued to stare at her frozen. She said his name to try and rouse him from his shocked state, "Stefan?"
"You want me to what?!" Stefan burst out, his shock finally giving way to disbelief.
"I want you to be one of the guys for the strip." Caroline looked down at her hands, before giving him a pathetically hopeful expression, "It's for charity."
Stefan stared at his best friend like she'd grown another head.
"Is that a... tentative yes?" Caroline hesitatingly asked.
"That is a resolute..." Stefan crossed his arms over his chest and said very firmly, "No!"
Caroline slumped her shoulders at his answer before perking up. She could change his mind, she was sure of it, and she had just under two weeks to do it. She was up to the challenge.
She was Caroline Forbes.
Stefan couldn't say no to her forever.
TBC
AN – I hope you all liked it! Stefan finally had a go at Elena. Plus Caroline finally asked him her request. The title will now make a little more sense, as the idea for this was about Magic Mike. Haha.
