Hi guys! OMG! Thank you so much for all the support on the last chapter, really made my day :)

I'm so sorry for the long time it took me to update, but I've been really busy and I know you guys will understand :))I hope you like that one, some really important pieces of the puzzle here. And to prevent any confusion, this chapter is from Rebekah and Caroline's POV. I really wanted you guys to take a look into Rebekah's head since she'll be a big part of the story and I thought it would be nice to see into her head. We will probably have another look into her head sometime in later chapters. Remember, horizontal line means I'm switching POVs.

And, guys, it's rated M for a reason.

Off with my rambles, Enjoy :D

Chapter three: Old Friends

'Caroline' I breathe, unable to mouth any other syllable. Her voice is so broken and shaky that I do not know what to make of it. I almost don't believe that it is her except that I recognize the tone. She always sounded like that while crying and always drove me crazy before telling me what could possibly have happened to break her heart so much.

'Yes, Bex, it's me' she says again. I hear crackles from the other end followed by hysterical sobs.

'Caroline what's wrong?' I inquire, anxious at once at the unlikable first encounter.

'He did this to me, Bekah' she says through violent sobs, clearly having a frenzied state.

Who's he? He did what?

Whatever it is, it does not sound the least bit delightful.

'Who did what, Caroline?' I ask urgently. Unable to stay seated, I shoot up to my feet, doing my best to unclench my jaw as I talk.

'He hurt me' is all I can comprehend from her broken sentences.

My mind starts to run wild as I start to put pieces together. I can almost guarantee that what I'm thinking is right. But gosh how much I hope I'm wrong; more than anything I want to be wrong.

'Care, please calm down and tell me what's happening' I muster my best calm voice that I am certain does not contribute the least bit in hiding my apprehension.

'I have to go' she says, her tone slightly fearful 'He'll hurt me more. I have to go' I hear the pain in her words and start pacing the length of my living room rapidly, trying hard to hold onto a state of composure that I lacked nothing more in normal situation, let alone when the fright of my friend haunts me as an obnoxious picture starts to paint itself before me.

'Caroline,' I almost huff through gritted teeth 'give me your address, I'm coming right now'

'No!' she shrieks, her voice dribbling with dread.

Gosh! Caroline is supposed to be so fearless. I envied her courage more often than I would have liked.

'He doesn't allow me to let anyone in' she hysterically objects.

'He doesn't need to know that I was there, Caroline' I reason with her, my voice far more enraged than I intended.

'But..' she starts to say

'Goddammit, Caroline, just give me the fucking address!' I exclaim, cutting her off.

. . .

'She doesn't have the right to be jealous! She was the one who left him!' I object fiercely, defending him as though what I thought truly matters.

'Of course she has the right to be jealous!' Caroline argues, standing to her feet as well and dumping the calm discussion that took place a second ago to turn into this argument 'He went off sleeping with the nurse as soon as he had the chance! They are soul-mates! How could he do this to her?!'

I laugh sarcastically 'Yes! They are soul-mates so how could she do this to him? huh? She was the one who left him last season with her mommy-was –a-bitch-and-daddy-left-me-issues!' as I throw my last argument, Nik and his friend, Stefan, walk through the door with worried expressions plastered across their faces. We both ignore them 'He had this look of heartbreak on his face! And he did not go and sleep with Rose immediately! He only did it when he knew that Meredith was hopeless' I shake my head frantically, appalled by the acts of the fictional character.

'Umm' Stefan begins uncertainly 'Is everything OK?' he asks.

'He knew she had issues all along!' Caroline starts again, completely ignoring Stefan as I give him a side glare. Nik makes a face and stays silent as they stand by the door completely dumbfound 'He should have been there for her, not go all "I can't do this" and this bullshit, practically telling her to break-up with him!' Caroline scowls furiously.

I huff exasperatedly.

'Seriously, what's going on?' Stefan tries again. This time it's Caroline who shoots him with an angry glare. He sighs in harmony with my brother.

'You are just biased to women' I tell her frankly 'You are so biased to them that you can't even see matters except from their point-of-views!'

'Oh yeah?' Caroline scoffs 'Let's see about that'

She turns to Nik who is leaning against the door frame. He raises an eyebrow at her as Stefan furrows his brows sarcastically, waiting to see where this argument is going.

'Hey, Nik' she starts quickly 'Say you and I started dating a few weeks after you broke-up with Tatia, who happens to be your soul-mate, and she finds out about us, does she or doesn't she have the right to be jealous'

'Err' he squints 'Is that a trick question?' he slowly asks, his eyes darting towards me hurriedly, as though begging for help.

'It's not' I roll my eyes 'Just answer'

'Well?' she urges him as a thoughtful frown caresses his features.

'Really, Nik, it doesn't take much brain!' I impatiently say, throwing my arms in the air.

'I guess she doesn't.' he answers slowly 'Unless I was the one who broke-up with her and she did not get over me' he adds certainly.

'No!' I tell him 'She was the one to break-up with you!' I urge him to confirm my theory, a smile starting to form on my face already.

'If that's the case, she definitely doesn't have the right to be jealous' Nik nods firmly.

'Aha!' I clap my hands, doing a little victory dance.

'What's with this whole thing?' Stefan asks, leaning against the door frame 'Is Caroline checking if this douche is available indirectly?' he mocks, pointing to Nik, who shoots him a dreadful glance, and raising his eyebrows amusedly.

'Yeah' Caroline snorts 'I'm checking to see if he's available by throwing a hypothetical theory that include Slutty Tatia as his soul-mate'

Nik chuckles 'In any case, love, I am available'

'Dear God!' I exclaim 'How many times do I have to tell you: STOP FLIRTING WITH CAROLINE' my brother is too high maintenance for Caroline; something I have been trying to tell them both indirectly. Not that Caroline is any less guilty with the flirting game they have been playing.

I add a mental note to talk to Caroline about it.

Caroline giggles 'Just leave him be, Bex. It's very flattering' she winks at him.

Stefan gawks as we share a look, wrinkling our noses in disgust at the two of them. They seem too busy to notice anything but each other's eyes. Both pairs are twinkling with mischief.

'Gosh!' Stefan throws his hands in the air dramatically 'Would you sleep with her already!'

'Stefan!' I scold him while Nik and Caroline burst into laughter.

'Just saying' Stefan shrugs indifferently 'His eyes are all over her whenever he sees her, might as well have his hands all over her' he winks. And although the subject is quite irrelevant to me, he looks me over and I feel myself blushing despite myself.

This time, it's Nik who elbows him in the stomach, shooting him a warning glare that indicates how inappropriate that was.

'Wow!' Stefan pushes it 'Looks like he's defending your honor already' he turns to Caroline to give her a smirk and a suggestive tilt of his head, pretending like he doesn't know the actual reason behind Nik's silent scolding!

'Your friend is an ass' Caroline says to Nik, completely ignoring Stefan 'But what else did I expect, I mean he's your friend' she breaks her lips into a catlike smile. I inwardly laugh. Caroline was tough, no one can ever beat her in words.

'Ouch' Nik mouths, pressing a hand to his chest.

'I'm just honest' she shrugs, then turns to me 'And by the way, I still think she has the right to be jealous' she stubbornly nods.

'Give up already!' I insist 'You've heard Nik, that's my proof!'

'As if I'm gonna let your brother's opinion decide what I think' she dramatically says 'He doesn't even believe in soul-mates' she adds quickly

'Hey, I believe in soul-mates' Nik objects and we both give him a look, quirking an eyebrow at him 'OK, I don't' he sighs.

'Gee' Stefan chimes in 'Those girls are too tough' he steps inside and runs to the kitchen, throwing his jacket on the table 'You got any pizza?' he asks, rummaging through the fridge. I can't help but let my eyes wander all over him.

'We don't. But we can order if you want' I immediately volunteer enthusiastically.

'Yeah, Bex' he says, lifting his eyes to meet mine with an adorable smile 'I'd like that'

Oh, how much I hate it when he does that and make me blush!

'Then go order' Caroline snaps and I nudge her in the elbow. I hear Stefan chuckling.

'What?' I ask her as we turn our backs on the two men.

'Seriously, Bex, the guy is a dick. Stop being so soft with him, toughen up and he'll fall on his head' she advises whisperingly.

'Is that what you're doing with Nik?' I ask, tilting my head to the side.

'Maybe' she smirks. I roll my eyes.

I should have never introduced those two!

The problem is that they are playing the cat and mouse game. And Nik always wins in this game… always.

. . .

I do not know how I manage to change into some random outfit, brush my hair, hop into my car and drive through the traffic all in less than forty-five minutes. My attention hardly shifts to the road as I avoid crowded streets and speed through highways recklessly. I feel cold sweat building up on my forehead in fear of what would come and my heart races faster than my reckless driving. I've only suffered that kind of anxiety once before, when Nik was 20 and drove off the road deliberately.

I shake my head lightly as I turn into a residential street. The area is rather beautiful, quiet and extremely cozy-looking. It looks like one of those places where parents decide to have permanent residence in and make friends with the neighbors. I quickly scan the numbers of the houses until I reach the supposed right address.

The house is small and elegant, painted white with a wooden door. The garden in the front yard is carefully tended and there are flowerbeds everywhere. I hardly stop to contemplate its beauty though, jogging to the front door as soon as I recklessly park the car. My hands tremble as I ring the bell. There's no movement for a good minute that feel like an eternity as I uncomfortably shift my weight from one foot another. I ring the bell again more urgently this time, and start tapping my foot on the wooden porch.

Lastly, I hear footsteps faintly from the other side. The door slowly opens, and the further it swings opened the faster my heart beats. A ghostly version of my blonde friend cocks its head from the small crack of the door. Tears form in my eyes immediately; I try to blink them away, not wanting my vision to get blurred. I can clearly see her tears, though. Her eyes are puffed and red from all the crying and other parts of her face seem to be suffering tremendously.

'Caroline' I breathe out, half-shocked, half-terrified.

She swallows loudly and motions for me to enter. I do not need to be told twice, quickly striding into the house and ignoring all the tears that want to spring from my eyes. I can feel them heavily forming, as though they have been building-up for ten years, threatening to overwhelm me now. It's so hard to swallow the lump in my throat at the sight of her bloated cheek and lips, at the sight of her frightened eyes.

I think I'm right. I hope I'm wrong.

I clear my throat, avoiding her eyes as though I am guilty with a crime.

'You came' Caroline breathes, a tear trickling down her face

'Of course I did, Care' my voice comes shaky, despite my attempts to keep it light.

'I've missed you' she confesses hoarsely.

'I've missed you, too' I no longer hold back the tears. I let them flow freely down my face as I hug her.

I've missed my friend so much. Where is my friend? What happened to her?

She whimpers, flinching and pulling away quickly. I give her a quizzical glance as she clutches her side and looks everywhere except at me.

'What's going on, Caroline?' I inquire anxiously, attempting to keep my face in-check while she bites down on her lower lip.

'Nothing' she shakes her head lightly.

'There's obviously something' I snap, narrowing my eyes and wiping my tears away.

'I've been in an accident' she mutters, dropping her gaze to the ground.

'Caroline' I warn her.

Gosh, I hope I'm wrong.

'Nothing is wrong' she breaks a weak smile that comes out rather awkward with her swelled cheek 'I'm just really glad to see you'

I lick my upper lip, looking down for a second 'What were you talking about over the phone?' I ask her lastly, crossing my arms on my chest.

She looks up at me with terrified eyes as her lips start to quiver.

'Nothing' she feebly replies, tears reemerging in her no-longer-lively blue eyes.

I shake my head frantically 'It did not sound like nothing' I slowly say.

'Please, Rebekah' she starts desperately 'Don't make me say anything. Can't we just catch up?'

I frown thoughtfully for several minutes before nodding slowly.

She smiles at me that distorted shaky smile and guides me to the living room where we drop to her couch. She squirms uncomfortably, flinching with pain at whatever seating position she tries to take.

'Are you sure you're alright?' I ask, knowing the answer perfectly.

Can't I just be wrong?

She nods with a weak smile and settles reluctantly, quite clearly still uncomfortable.

'How's everything?' she starts after a prolonged moment of awkward silence in which I intently observed her movements.

I do not reply for a good ten seconds and she swallows down, changing her position again so that her knees are brought up to her chest. She recoils with a low ouch and plants her feet on the floor again.

'I'm not going to make you say anything, Care' I suddenly start, adding carefully and emphasizing every word 'But you can tell me whatever you think you can't say. Nobody will know that you said it. Nobody'

She looks down at her hands thoughtfully. I hold my breath, waiting and dreading the upcoming confession.

I just hope I'm wrong; the idea keeps nagging at me.

'My husband beats me' she whispers

WHY DID I HAVE TO BE RIGHT THIS TIME? My brain furiously protests but I calm down the storm in my head, focusing back on keeping a straight face which I am positive does not work the slightest bit.

'He beats me every time he has the chance to' she continues in a very low tone that I have to lean in to fully understand what she is saying 'Whenever I do something he does not like. Whenever I talk about something he does not want to hear. Whenever I dare to skip making dinner because I am too sick, whenever I dare to disagree with him, whenever I talk to someone who is not him, he beats me, Rebekah' her voice shakes as tears roll down her face.

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. All I know is that I am shaking from head to toe and having the extreme urge to vomit.

'And I wish he just beats me' she adds. And I am suddenly thankful that my stomach is too empty for any contents to be forced out.

Finally she looks up at me and I see the look of pure terror in her eyes. Whatever my face tells her, unnerves her even more 'Stop trying to keep a straight face, Bex, I know you are out of your mind disgusted'

I gulp down, taking interest in my hands where they are tightly clasped on my lap.

'I've never told anyone that' she continues with waves and waves of pain and sadness invading her face and tone. I can't help but recoil at the sight of her anguish.

'And if he knows that I have told anyone….' She trails off; flinching at the mere thought 'I think he might kill me, Bekah'

'He won't find out' is all I can say and I curse myself. I seem to be completely and absolutely frozen, unable to either do or say anything that could remotely make her feel better. Simply flabbergasted and utterly useless I find myself while raking my brain for anything that could be of any use. I consider putting an arm around her shoulders to comfort her, but decide against it for I do not know where else that bastard have hit her, and I am sure that I do not want to know, either.

'Gosh, Bex, I've been so alone for so long that I don't even know how to talk to anyone anymore' she says through a stream of tears as my own threaten to reemerge. She leans forward, resting her elbows on her thighs and burying her face in her hands 'My worst nightmare happened, Rebekah' her muffled voice tells me. I put a hand on her back comfortingly but very carefully.

'I've fallen for the worst person in the world. I was a fool enough to believe him. I let him turn me into someone I'm not. I let myself go through hell and I don't even know how to get out. I was so stupid. I was so stupid' she says between hysterical sobs.

'Don't say that' my voice shakily whispers 'It was not your fault. You know how they can be manipulative'

'I keep thinking that there must've been signs that I missed or something' she says, looking back at me 'but I can't think of one thing that could have made me change my mind about him. And I don't know if the signs were truly there or I was just too stupid to see them'

'You couldn't have known, Caroline' I quietly tell her. My head is boiling with rage, I want to go to that asshole and kick his ass all the way back to his mother's womb. I want to tear out his heart and eat his liver, anything that would make him suffer until he wishes he was never born. I clench my jaw containing my anger, being there for Caroline is a priority now, and my anger she doesn't need.

'When did you meet him?' I ask her calmly, trying to comprehend the full story.

'Two years and a half ago' she answers 'I was at a friend's birthday party. It was such a boring one and I had just broke-up with Matt' she continues 'With you gone and …. Nik gone, and everything seeming to crumble down, I found him there, giving me a cheeky grin and asking me why I looked so freakishly annoyed. He was funny, charming, and a good guy, or at least that's what I thought. Things happened too fast after that. Nine months after we met he proposed and I jumped on the offer. I was too madly in love with him to even consider what I was doing. I was too afraid to stop and think about it that I might back-down. I thought that that would make me lose him, and I couldn't afford losing anyone else' she whispers her last sentence, causing me to drop my gaze 'so I just went along with it without stopping. And before I knew it I was married to him, Tyler Lockwood' she pauses, looking down on the ground for a second 'Of course he didn't beat me until we got married.'

'How long did he wait before doing it for the first time?' I ask, swallowing the rising lump in my throat.

'Five days' she whispers 'We were spending our honeymoon in his beach-house when he first did it'

I walk back into the house happily, doing a little dance for having met an old friend who reminded me of people I once loved dearly. I was casually strolling on the beach when I saw him flashing me a grin that was his trademark.

'Where have you been, tough girl?' He asked looking me over in my bathing suit 'You look astounding!' he said and I twirled around for him, unable to stop my giggles.

'Around' I answered him 'I was just too busy finding my soul mate' I romantically told him

'Oh yeah?' he rose an eyebrow at me 'Is he anything like Nik?'

I shook my head, rolling my eyes 'No, Stefan, he's not'

'That's my girl' he applauded and I giggled before hugging him quickly and catching up with my husband.

I see Tyler standing on the back porch that looks over the sea as I walk into the living-room. He seems deep in thoughts and I smile to myself, deciding to surprise him with my comeback.

Quietly, I tip-toe to where he stands leaning on the fence. I wrap my arms around his waist from behind, and feel him go stiff in my arms.

'Relax' I whisper in his ear seductively 'It's just me'

He grabs my arms and forces me to break the embrace, turning around for me to see the angry expression on his face. I frown, thoroughly confused at his expression. It was only an hour ago since we were laughing and teasing each other.

'What's wrong?' I ask him as he walks back into the living-room.

He paces the room rapidly causing me to plant myself in the ground near the balcony, waiting for him to explain himself and trying hard to contain my confusion.

'Who was that guy?' he asks a bit too loudly for my taste and far too rudely but I let it slide.

'Stefan' I say quietly 'He's an old friend'

'An old friend or an ex-boyfriend' he scoffs 'Maybe even a current lover' he adds under her breath.

'An old friend' I answer impatiently, crossing my arms on my chest 'What's wrong with you?'

'Wrong with me?' he stops dead in his tracks and glares at me 'You are the one who is lying to me!' he thunders.

'What?' I shake my head frowning 'I'm not lying to you. Stefan is an old friend. Period. Quit asking me about it.'

I don't see it coming, but he strides towards me and grabs my arm roughly, twisting it 'His eyes were all over you, he was one step away from fucking you right then, right there and you were happy about it' he spits, bringing his face closer to mine.

'What are you talking about?' I try to pull my arm free from his grasp, but he wouldn't budge, instead drags me further into the room 'Stop it! You're hurting me' I whimper as he twists it even more with his nails digging deep into my skin.

'You are a liar, Caroline! Tell me what the hell is going on between you and him?' he roars 'How long have you been sleeping with him? huh? Was it during our engagement? Or since before, tell me now, you bitch'

'What the hell is wrong with you, Tyler?' I snap at him 'I've done nothing, let go of my arm' I try to struggle against him, but my shock and confusion make it impossible for me to win a fight against his angry and extremely strong hold over me. I do not know what to think of our fight, Tyler never acted like that any time before. And the direction of our conversation is turning to a dreadful route.

He does as I request, just so he can slap me across the face. I taste blood in my mouth and feel it flowing from my nose, and I stumble backwards and fall to the ground, a mixture of fury and shock taking over my mind.

'How dare you?' I shout at him 'You fucking bastard! I'll report you! I'll send you to jail and let you rot in prison'

He kneels down beside me and grabs my shoulders, his fingers digging deep into my skin.

'Yeah you do that' he says through gritted teeth 'And I'll kill you. You can't do anything to me and you know it, Caroline, so might as well keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut and let it do the only thing that it's meant to do' with that said, he crushes his lips to mine, but I refuse to surrender, fighting against him. For the first time during the whole year we have been together, I am disgusted by his touch.

'Get away from me you sick freak' I say when I manage to pull my face away from his for the tiniest bit. I am shocked beyond words when he roughly pins me down on the ground to start kissing me again. When I fight him again, his knee roughly kicks me in the stomach. I gasp at the jolting pain.

'Tyler, stop!' I desperately say as he works to get me out of my clothes. Despite myself tears start streaming down my face, I am not sure if they are caused by the physical pain or the shock or the gradual realization of what I had gotten myself into. He practically rips my bathing suit off of me, roughly kissing, squeezing, and occasionally slapping whatever part he wants of me just to pleasure himself.

'You are just mine' he hisses in my ear, smashing himself into me. I jolt with pain and a low yelp leave my mouth.

The Tyler I know is nothing but a fragment of my imagination. Tyler Lockwood is a sick, psychotic bastard.

. . .

'I tried to run away that night' I continue after a pause, still dodging Rebekah's eyes and stunned expression 'But I did not make it too far away. He had me back at the house two hours later and …' I flinch at the memory 'You can imagine what happened' is what I settle for, sparing her any further details as well as sparing myself from vividly reliving them 'I tried to run away a couple of months after that incident but he caught me again and I realized there was no use. All my bank accounts were closed, not that I had anything of worth in them to begin with and I had no way to get my hands on any money and nowhere to go where he wouldn't find me. So I gave up' I finally meet her eyes.

After a long moment of silence she shoots up to her feet, striding the length of the room back and forth with her arms crossed tightly on her chest and her head down, staring intently at the floor as though coming up with some sort of a solution.

'Why didn't you report him?' she asks suddenly without stopping for a second.

'He is a cop, Bex' I quietly tell her 'a detective actually, who has big connections because his dad is a big shot, too. No one was going to believe me, and he would find out as soon as I report him. Reporting him was never an option'

'Why did it take you so long to decide to run away?' she almost snaps. I know she is not mad at me; she is simply upset with the whole situation so I answer her calmly. Her fit of rage is inevitable.

'Because I was afraid' I almost say shyly 'I was afraid to look outside the house let alone think of leaving him' I feel my tears pooling in my eyes, threatening to overwhelm me, again 'Until one night, I almost killed myself'

Rebekah stops dead in her tracks. She stands as still as a marble statue for several seconds trying to process my words. Alas, she turns to me, wide-eyed with a mixture of horror and shock.

'You what?' she asks robotically.

I look down at my hand 'There was this day' I start shakily hardly suppressing my tears 'when I couldn't take it anymore. So I filled the tub with warm water and was about to slit my wrist and get over with it' a tear trickles down my cheek 'It was just too much and I couldn't take it, and I just wanted it to be over. I did not know what else to do. Then I saw blood starting to flow from my wrist and I couldn't get on with it. I remembered all those days when I had dreams, when I wanted to live to the fullest, when my life was beautiful and happy, when I believed in soul mates and friendship. So I stopped. And it was that day when I decided I owed it to myself to try my best to run away and resume living my life. It was that day when I decided to set a plan to leave him. The first two times I have done it on impulse, that's why he always found out, but this time, I'm planning on it. And all I can do is hope that I have the chance to actually escape him' the words flow from my mouth effortlessly. Even though Rebekah and I have not talked in a million years, talking to her is still so easy, so comforting, so natural that it feels like nothing ever happened, like no time or troubles separated us.

She stays silent for an eternity, gluing her eyes to the ground as I look expectantly at her.

'You are not staying one second longer in here' she says firmly, her sharp gaze meeting mine.

'What?' I blink, taken aback by the sternness of her voice.

'You are coming with me right now and let that bastard rot in hell' She spits 'I'll send Nik to kick his ass tonight'

'What? NO!' I immediately blurt out 'Please, Bex, you can't tell Nik anything, you can't tell anyone anything. I won't let you drag anyone into this situation. I swear Tyler would hurt whoever dares to come as close as an inch to helping me' I say quickly, hysterically. My sharp breaths make the pain in my lower ribs reach new stinging levels, but I bite my lip harshly, suppressing a groan that would not make such a good argument.

'We are very capable of taking care of ourselves, Caroline' she almost yells 'It is you who we have to protect from that sick bastard' she argues

'No, Rebekah, please' I desperately say 'You have to promise me you won't tell anyone; not even Nik. Especially Nik. I didn't tell you so you would do anything for me; I just wanted to talk to someone. Please, please, Bex, you have to understand, I can't drag anyone into this with me. He'll use you against me. You have no idea what he would do just to keep me tied to him'

'Then what, you prefer to stay here?' She snaps, tears in her own eyes as she clenches her jaw 'until when, Caroline, until he sucks the life out of you? Until you fill the bath tub with warm water again, but without changing your mind? Until he destroys you in every way possible? Hell, he's already turned you into a ghost of yourself, Caroline, what are you waiting for? Just come with me! He'll never know' her voice breaks and her tears start streaming down her face.

'I can't!' I say, my voice a pitch higher than intended 'I can't just leave like that, Bex; I need to plan it out. I have to do this on my own and I will leave him without putting you in harm's way, not even remotely. You have to trust me. It's only a matter of time before I leave him'

Rebekah huffs in frustration, pressing a hand to her forehead 'I can't just leave you here, either, Caroline. It's ridiculous and the most impossible thing anyone could ever ask me' she sadly says

'Please, Bex' I stand, coming closer to her 'You have to trust me on this one'

Her eyes narrow, studying me closely.

'I can't just leave you in this, Caroline. I have to help you' she says calmly, although her eyes reflect all colors of anger and frustration.

'This is my fight, Bekah' I say looking straight into her narrowed eyes 'I just want you to be there for me and not spill a single word to anyone'

'OK' she nods reluctantly 'But..' the ringing of her phone interrupts her sentence.

I smile widely, ignoring the fierce protests of my injured cheek, at the sound of a familiar theme song.

'You still watch that?' I ask her, a quick flashback of us fighting over fictional characters rushing through my mind.

'Yeah' she gives me a slight smile, hanging up on the caller 'I wait for every single episode' she confesses.

'Me too!' I exclaim enthusiastically. Watching Grey's Anatomy is probably the only thing that Tyler had not taken away from me.

'You do?' she almost squeals. It suddenly feels like we are five years ago, back in our small apartment discussing and analyzing the characters 'I hardly find anyone to talk to about it!' She grins.

'Me too!' I say and all laughter fades suddenly as her eyes water and I drop my gaze. I have no one to talk to about anything.

'Remember when we fought about whether Meredith had the right to be jealous of Rose or not?' I say, trying to lighten the mood.

'Yes' she says, more than willing to close the subjects of disturbance 'I remember it very clearly, and I still think she had no right to be jealous' she crosses her arms on her chest firmly.

'I think you're right' I confess quietly

'What?' her jaw practically drops

'Come on, Bex, my theory was based on soul mates crap. I was that naïve' I say between chuckles.

Soul mates, the mere thought makes me scoff. There's no such a thing as soul mates. The fantasy of soul mates is what led me here all along. All the ridiculous things that my foolish heart did were driven by that pathetic fairytale-ish idea.

Rebekah licks her upper lip 'I'm kinda sorry that you think that, Care'

'You can't stay forever a naïve, romantic girl, Bex. Life slaps you across the face so you would wake-up and open your eyes whether you wanted to or not'

I don't know for how long I sit in my car crying, and uncontrollably so. I drive through the city streets without any particular target in my head, just the thought of having fresh air sweeping through the window on my mind. I drive until the school buses drive kids back home, and until the sun starts setting. I do not want to think of anything, but my thoughts rush repeatedly through my head and I cannot stop them, imagining all the things that Caroline had to go through and all the times I should have been there for her. I miss Caroline more than any other time now. Seeing a ghost of her only reminded me of how much she meant to me and how great of friends we were. I have always comforted myself with the thought of her probably being safe and healthy and living her life, now that I have seen her, nothing could ever comfort my troubled mind. How did things get so out of control? How did so much happen to her in so little time?

I shake my head as though that would somehow wipe away my thoughts. Before I know it I'm pulling up at the entrance of Nik's work location. Even after everything that's happened between us, he remained the one person I go to whenever I need company. He's still my best friend.

Seeing him right now may not be the best choice, but I cannot help myself. For some reason I feel the excessive urge of talking to him, other than the fact that I'm in desperate need for his help.

'Hello, sister' he says as I enter his office with a smile that soon disappears 'You look terrible' he frowns

'Thank you very much, Nik, you truly know how to make a lady feel special' I snap at him, trying to hide my distress by joking.

'Come now, Bekah' he says, coming round his desk 'what's happened? I called you around twenty times and you didn't answer'

'Just busy' I shrug.

He raises an eyebrow at me.

I lick my lip, looking down.

'Nik, I need your help' I blurt out, looking back at his surprised face.

'With what?' he frowns at me.

'I nee…' I start but a childish squeal and the sound of small feet tapping against the ground come from behind me.

'Auntie Rebekah!' I turn around to see Little Johnny beaming at me.

'Hey, Johnny!' I exclaim cheerily, kneeling so I was in level with his adorable, chubby face 'You've gotten so big since I've seen you last time!' I pull him in a hug and he wraps his tiny arms around my neck.

'You always say that when you see me, auntie' Johnny says seriously when he pulls away.

'Do I? You are too smart for such a young boy' I fake a playfully shocked expression and he giggles, showing those dimples that match his father's

He leaves my side to run towards his backpack where it lay in the corner.

'Johnny' Nik says firmly 'What did I say about running in the office?'

Johnny turns around to face his father with puppy apologetic eyes 'Sorry, daddy. I won't do it again'

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