Dreams and Signs:

I woke up this morning and had this weird feeling as though something was off. I couldn't put my finger on it but something was wrong. Then, I found out that Tyler, Matt and Caroline got into an accident. They say she'll be okay. Caroline actually called me today and told me she was all right and told me Tyler's father had died too and he would be at the wake today. I wish there was something I could do but it would be awkward for me to go to the wake of someone I've never met. I hope he's okay though.

Getting all this news this morning almost made me forget my dream. It was completely bizarre. I was in a house. It was huge. I've never been in it before but I think it was here, in Mystic Falls. I was with this guy. He had a dark black hair, light sky blue eyes; he seemed to be in his 20's. If you can believe it, I think I was wearing a corset! We seemed to be in the past and we were talking, I'm not sure what about, but I was laughing. We seemed to be friends, good friends. It was strange. I wish I knew what it meant. Well, I'll figure it out later, I'm going to go visit Caroline, hope she's okay.

Beth

"Ric!" Beth yelled out his name as she left her room with Day trotting behind her. It was almost 11 in the morning and she had already showered and dressed. She heard him groan in his sleep as he turned over in his bed. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed some orange juice from the fridge. She fed Day and gave her some water and walked over to Alaric. "Get up!" She said sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Why are you up? Aren't you supposed to sleep in? You're a teenager." He groaned out from under the covers. She could tell from his voice, he was sick. She rolled her eyes at him.

"It's 11 o'clock. I'm going to go visit Caroline. I just need to borrow your house keys and I'll leave you alone." She smiled hopefully. She knew he wanted to sleep so it was a pretty much half and half chance. A hand popped out and moved onto the dresser. He grabbed his keys and held them up. She grinned as she grabbed them. "Thank you! Rest, you sound horrible and I'll be back tonight and I'll make you some soup."

He coughed. He was too sick to argue. "Okay, thanks." She got off the bed and grabbed her bag from the table. "Call me later." He said his voice muffled from underneath the covers. She agreed and left the apartment.

"Hey, Caroline." Beth smiled as she walked into the hospital room with yellow daises in her hand. Caroline was flipping through TV channels as she walked in, stopping at Jersey Shore.

"Beth!" She smiled, cheerfully. She was glad. Beth moved into the room more and bent down to hug her. "I didn't know you were coming. "

"Yeah, I wanted to see you. How are you feeling?" She asked concerned as she sat down on a chair by her bed. She put her bag on the floor near her feet.

"A whole lot better. Matt and my friend Bonnie visited but they had to leave to go to the wake." Caroline said sadly but then brightened. "But at least you're here!"

"Yes. I am here to keep you company. Trust me, I know what it's like to be stuck in a hospital all day alone." Beth told her before Caroline could ask what she meant she interrupted and handed her the flowers. "Thought this would brighten this depressing room."

Caroline took them. "Aww thanks. Flowers are so boring since everyone brings them but it's sweet." She truthfully told her as she put the vase on the side table. Beth laughed at her honesty.

"Duly noted." Beth agreed. Caroline just seemed happier now that she wasn't alone. "So have you talked to Tyler?"

"No. I haven't had a chance. I'll see him once I get out though. I thought you would have seeing as how you two were getting chummy yesterday." Caroline winked and Beth just shook her head and smiled. "Seriously, what's going on between you two?" She asked interested.

"Nothing is going on. He was just being friendly to the new girl." Beth told her. Caroline wouldn't let it go though, she liked Beth and Tyler seemed to like her too.

"I don't know. You two would be so cute together and he liked you too." Caroline said. Beth just shrugged. "Besides you're way cuter than his old girlfriend, Vicki."

"Vicki? What happened? Did they break up or something?" Beth asked her. Caroline was just all too eager to talk about it to her.

"Well, yeah. They broke up and she ran away. I was going to visit my father one afternoon and I found her and she was buried. It seemed like she OD'd." She leaned in whispering the last part.

"Wow. Tyler must have taken that pretty hard." Beth said sympathetically but Caroline seemed indifferent to it.

"Well, they did break up by then and she's been with practically every guy in Mystic Falls. " Caroline told her, not leaving anything out. It was obvious she didn't really like her. "Besides you're nothing like her. You seem to be going somewhere unlike her, since she was a major small town druggie."

Beth had a feeling Caroline wasn't one to hold back her opinions. At least she was truthful. "Thanks, I don't know though. I think Tyler will just need someone to talk to, mostly. Just to take his mind off of everything."

"I'm sure you could find someway to do that." Caroline winked, suggestively. Beth laughed, surprised at her just coming out with that. Caroline playfully hit her with a pillow and Beth threw it back at her. Beth was just glad to find a friend.

She met Caroline's mom too, who seemed to be thankful that Caroline wasn't here alone. All day they talked about random things. About Beth's life back home about Caroline and her friends. Caroline liked talking to her because she actually listened to her and didn't blow her off. "Yeah, my grandmother has taken care of me since I was like 12. I miss her but I knew it was best for me to come stay with Ric." She said from the edge of Caroline's hospital bed.

"I think it was a good decision." Caroline said sincerely and Beth smiled at her. "Now! What about boyfriends? Give me details!"

Beth chuckled. "Well, my last boyfriend was a few months ago. But of course he had to be a cheating asshole so I think we know how that ended up." She said giving her a knowing look and Caroline nodded in agreement. "So, what about you and Matt?"

Caroline suddenly got this huge smile on her face. "Matt is…. amazing!" She finally said with a giggle. "He's so sweet and kind. He plays on the football team too and he's just wonderful. I think I love him, I just don't know if he feels the same way."

"Why not?" Beth asked her.

"Well, he used to date Elena. I think he might still be hung up on her but I'm not sure." Caroline sighed sadly.

Beth smiled. "I saw the way he was looking at you at the Grill. He so feels the same way. He just got so much happier when he saw you. His face lit up." Caroline smiled. "He's probably just scared to admit it."

"Yeah, you're right. You know how guys are." She joked and Beth laughed too.

"Are you two bashing guys now?"

They both looked up at that familiar voice. It was Matt. Caroline smiled as he bent down and kissed her. "Hey, Beth." He smiled at her and Beth smiled back and she realized it was almost 6. "How are you? In any pain?" He asked Caroline concerned.

"Nope. I'm totally okay. Doc said I could be released soon. I would have been bored out of my mind if Beth here didn't stay with me all day." Caroline said in a gracious tone. "Thanks for that by the way."

"No problem but I have to get going cause Alaric will want me home for the dreaded first day at school." Beth said with fake enthusiasm as she got up from the chair. She also wanted to see Tyler before it was too late.

"Don't worry about it. You'll do great." Caroline encouraged her as she hugged her. "I'll see you later and don't forget that you said you'd help with the carnival stuff tomorrow."

Beth nodded. "I won't. I'll call Elena like you said. See you later, Care." Beth said with a wave.

"I'll walk you out." Matt offered. Matt and her walked out of the hospital room and to the elevator. They got in and it was silent until Matt finally spoke up.

"Thanks for staying with her. I would have stayed but I needed to go to the wake and everything." Matt said and Beth nodded understanding. He would want to be there for his friend. She liked Matt; he seemed to be a loyal friend.

"It's no problem. Caroline is…fun." Beth told him choosing her words carefully and Matt laughed as he agreed.

"Yeah, she's definitely something else but you gotta love her." He said as they stepped off the elevator. They walked out of it but Matt stopped when he saw a girl walking towards them. "Bonnie. I didn't know you were coming." She was a short, dark skinned girl. She had long dark hair. She smiled at Beth. "Beth this is Bonnie, Bonnie, Beth."

"Nice to meet you." She said as she shook her hand. Both girls' felt something when they touched but neither let go. Bonnie's reaction was obvious but Beth pretended she didn't feel anything. It was like a surge of power. They both knew something was different about the other. Bonnie finally snapped out of it. "Sorry, I zone out sometimes."

"It's fine. I do the same thing." Beth assured her with a smile. Bonnie seemed to buy that she didn't feel anything either. "But I have to go before Alaric freaks. It was nice meeting you though." She smiled as she waved good-bye to both of them.

Beth walked out of the hospital and down the street. She knew Alaric would probably want her home now and she didn't want him to worry too much. She was passing the town square when she bumped into someone. She looked up as a hand grabbed her waist to keep her from falling over. "Seems we keep bumping into each other." Tyler chuckled as he let go of her waist.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I really need to pay more attention." She apologized. She could see that Tyler looked tired, probably from everyone coming to talk about his dad and him giving the same answers that he was fine. "How are you?"

"Fine. Better than I thought. Just glad everything is over." He said truthfully. They walked over to sit on a bench.

"I'm sorry I didn't come. I just didn't want to feel out of place there since I didn't know him and I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable." She rambled on, apologetically.

"It- it's okay. Really. It was just a bunch of people coming over to say how great my dick of a dad was." Tyler sighed frustrated putting his head in his hands. "You have no idea how annoying that is."

"No, I don't but I do know what it's like to continuously hear 'I'm sorry' and 'I know what you're going through' when they have no idea what you're going through." She said sympathetically. He looked up surprised she got exactly what he was feeling. "When my mom died it was exactly like that. It sucks even more when you're parent that died was a asshole and you don't know how you should feel about it."

"Exactly! You're the first person to actually understand." He exclaimed. She gave him a sad smile.

"It sucks but the only thing that they say that is true, is that it will get better." She said truthfully. He smiled at her. She actually got what he was feeling, which was rare. No one usually understood it but she did.

"Thanks, Beth."

"You're welcome and I'm here if you ever want to talk about that or anything else. I know how it is." She told him, placing a hand on his. Tyler looked up at her, he actually felt something he hadn't in a while, as though someone actually cared about him and not who his parents were. Beth wasn't like that.

"Thanks." He said sincerely. They both realized it was getting dark and she got up to leave. "Hey, you need a ride? It's getting late. I could drop you off." Beth smiled and accepted the offer. When they got settled in his car and she gave him her address, Tyler let curiosity get the best of him. Beth was looking out the window. "So, what happened to your parents?" He asked.

Beth hesitated, looking down. She didn't really like to talk about her parents but she just knew she could talk to Tyler. "My dad left when I was 8, I barely remember him. My mom got really sick a few years back. There…there was nothing the doctors could do. She-she died." Beth said softly.

Tyler immediately regretted bringing it up. He gave her a quick glance and saw that she was looking straight ahead. "I'm sorry, Beth."

"It's okay. I just think of it as her not being in so much pain anymore." She smiled at him. "Now, off of that sad subject. Tell me you're going to this carnival thing tomorrow. Caroline asked me to help set up."

He laughed. "Caroline actually in trusted you with setting up things for the carnival? That's a first. She's usually very bent on doing it all herself."

"Yeah well I guess she needed more help." Beth shrugged and then laughed. "I think she was just glad to have some company. She was so funny. She said she thought that you and I would be cute together." She said.

Tyler let out a small chuckle but thought about it. Beth was hot and he liked her, she wasn't like the other girls around here. Beth could sense the awkward air pass between them. "Caroline is always trying to play matchmaker." He said with a laugh and Beth could feel that moment of apprehension pass, which she was thankful for. She agreed with him and they left it at that.

"Hey, do you need a ride to school tomorrow?" He asked leaning out of the window as Beth got out of the car. She realized she didn't know how she was getting to school since Alaric was sick and would probably sick tomorrow. "I could give you one, if you want."

"That would be awesome. Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow." She waved as he started driving away. She walked up to the apartment. She walked into see Alaric in the same position he was as she left except he was sitting up and grading papers. "You don't look so good."

"I'm still a bit sick." He said before he developed a fit of coughs. Beth sighed and took his papers from him and put them on the table.

"A bit? You sound horrible." She told him. She checked the fridge and saw he had nothing to eat. "Do you ever go shopping?" She didn't wait for his answer as she checked his drawers for take out menus. An hour later she got soup for him and pizza for her.

"Thanks." He said as she handed him a bowl of soup. "Sorry I got sick right before your first day. I don't think I'll be able to go in but you can take the car."

She sat down cross-legged on the edge of his bed as she ate her pizza. "It's fine. I have a ride tomorrow anyways so the car will be here if you need it." She told him taking a bit out of her slice. He sipped his soup.

"A ride? From who?"

"Tyler Lockwood. He offered since I told Caroline I would get there early to help with Carnival set up. What?" She asked seeing the look on his face. He just shrugged and smirked. "Don't start. He's just a friend."

"Right. All guys are just friends until the teenage hormones kick in." He informed her and she rolled her eyes at him as she got up to get his tea. "So is he going to be your date?" He joked.

"This is why I wasn't going to say anything." She grumbled as she fixed up his tea. He tried to say something else but she cut him off. "No! No more talk about Tyler or dates or boyfriends or hormones! You're sick so eat!" She said giving him his tea. He took the tea still looking amused. She rolled her eyes.

After an hour of talking and eating, Alaric finally managed to doze back off to sleep. She decided to clean up a bit, since he was sick. She decided when it was as clean as it was going to get she would get some sleep herself. Beth picked up Day who had taken a place next to a sleeping Alaric and brought him to her room. She didn't want him to frighten Ric when he got up.

She took a shower and changed into some pajamas. She got in her bed, feeling tired but she wanted to write the day down.

So I kind of like this town. It's nice and quiet. I visited Caroline and she's doing much better now. But of course I offered to help her set up for a carnival since she might not be out by tomorrow. At least I won't be alone Elena and Bonnie will be there. I had this weird feeling when I touched Bonnie. I know she felt it too cause I saw her reaction. I don't know what to make of it yet but hopefully I'll find out more tomorrow.

Tyler was sweet too. He took me home since it was getting dark. Caroline made it seem like we should get together. And Alaric kept teasing me about him. I don't know. I like Tyler and he's cute, no doubt about that. I guess… I'll just to see where that goes. I hope the first day at school is just as good as the first day in Mystic Falls, plus the carnival tomorrow night. Good luck to me, I guess.

Beth.