A/N- So for those of you who are concerned, I never discontinue fics. I don't update regularly because I work and study, but I wouldn't just stop a fic.

The last bell of the day.

Freedom.

Caroline smiled as her classmates all jumped up, grabbing their books and bags and rushing to their lockers. She moved a little slower, struggling with her cast but Matt met her at the door and grabbed her books, piling them on top of his easily.

"You good?" he asks and she giggles, "Yep, Mr Jones totally gave me an extra week on my history project because of my injury."

He snorts, "You're still gonna hand it in early, aren't you?"

She grins with pride, "Yep."

He matches her grin and walks her to her locker, making sure nobody bumped her accidentally.

When he'd heard what had happened, he'd been the first one to call her and make sure she was okay and when she'd got to school that morning, he'd been waiting for her on the sidewalk, pen in hand, ready to sign her cast.

By lunchtime, it had been signed by most of her classmates, and Jeremy Gilbert had drawn a picture of her on it- he'd made her look terrible but it was still sweet.

Her teachers had all asked her if she was okay, how she was getting home, did she want a lift, and told her to come talk to them anytime. She'd loved the attention but told them all that she was fine to walk home.

She was even looking forward to it.

That morning, when Balto and her mom had walked to school with her, he'd stopped a block away and set her bag down on the ground and loped off, leaving her confused until her mom suggested that he had probably gone to the forest- which was a good thing because he might not like being around so many people, and the people might panic at seeing the giant wolf wandering around.

But still, even though she hadn't seen him all day, she'd still felt totally safe because she'd figured that he was near enough so that if the bad man had angry friends he could come make sure she was okay.

When she heads outside, she finds Bonnie and Elena leaning against one of the trees, waiting to walk her home with Matt and they're halfway down the street, complaining about the old Ms. Freemont who was totally bitter because no-one liked her when she heard a familiar bark and her head shoots up.

Balto emerged from the tree line and padded towards her, giving a low whuff when he was a foot from her.

Elena's shriek was so shrill that Caroline's ears rang and she jumped behind Matt who was staring at the wolf with disbelieving eyes and Caroline tries not to show off.

"Hey Balto," she says, reaching over to scratch his ear and he tilts his head, "How was your day?"

"Guys," she turns to face them, "This is Balto- he saved my life and he's a real wolf!"

Matt's eyes are bugging out of his head, "Um…is he trained or…I don't know, vegetarian?"

Caroline shrugs, "I don't think so, but he does like fruit, he eats lots of it but you have to give him a plate because he refuses to eat off the floor and when daddy gave him a dog bowl he chewed it up."

Matt inches forward and sticks his hand out, Balto sniffs in his direction but otherwise doesn't pay him any attention,

"Can I pat him?" he asks and Caroline's about to say yes when he growls and shakes his head in a firm no, making her giggle, "Guess not."

She realizes Bonnie hasn't said anything and looks around, seeing that her friend had taken three large steps back,

"There's something wrong with him," she declares loudly, "Something weird."

Balto's eyes narrow as he looks at her friend and he snarls, and Caroline knows what that means in dogs so she raps him on the nose,

"Balto," she snaps, "Bonnie is my friend, you be nice!"

He huffs and bumps her with his head, making her rock back on her heels before coming around to stand beside her,

"Is he going to walk home with us?" Elena manages to ask from behind Matt's back and she's such a scaredy cat that Caroline wants to roll her eyes,

"He walked me to school this morning, I think he's my guard dog."

Balto whines and rolls his eyes at that title but Caroline notices that he stays right beside her the entire walk home, right up until she walks into her house at which point he leaves her to go sit on the couch and smack his paw against the remote until the television turned on.

"Balto should come too, Daddy!"

Bill sighed and made sure not to look into Caroline's imploring eyes as she stood at the foot of the steps.

He looked into the living room where the damn wolf was sitting on the couch- which was slowly turning white from all the fur he shed- and watching the television- as always.

Bill had wanted to watch the game last night but when he'd sat down on the couch, the wolf had pushed him off with his paw and stretched across the seats so there was no room for him to sit down. He'd taken the armchair and tried to grab the remote but the wolf had growled when he'd come near and when he'd changed the channel on the actual tv, Balto had used his claw to press the remote button to change it back.

He knows that there is something weird with that wolf, but Caroline adored him and thought he was cute and Liz was busy working and the Council had just suggested he put vervein in the water bowl to ensure that the wolf was one hundred percent normal.

He'd tried but Balto had torn up the food and water bowls and left the pieces beside the bed, where Bill had stepped on them with bare feet the next morning.

Richard Lockwood had smugly pointed out that the wolf wasn't supernatural, he just clearly hated Bill.

Bill had been forced to agree with this statement.

The wolf apparently blamed him entirely for trying to send him away and had already torn up three pairs of leather shoes and dragged Bill's favorite briefcase out into the backyard when it had been raining. Also, when Liz worked nights, he liked to sneak into the bedroom and bark right beside Bill's ear, scaring him awake. Bill had locked the bedroom door to keep him out but then he just gave an ear-drum shattering howl that woke up Caroline and had half the street ringing to complain or ask what was wrong.

"Sweetie," Bill tries, "I think he's busy watching his shows."

The damn wolf watched the news cycle, staring at it even though dogs couldn't see the screen and half the time the programmes were in foreign languages, he also liked movies, particularly horror movies and Bill swore that the wolf's eyes shone during the bloody, gruesome scenes.

As if sensing Bill's reluctance, Balto switches the tv off and pads over to Caroline's left side, where she tangles her fingers into his rainbow collar.

Liz had suggested getting him a proper tag with identification but Bill had pointed out that everyone in town now knew about Caroline's wolf and they weren't about to lose the damn thing anytime soon.

Unfortunately, Caroline had written a nice letter to all the local hunting societies with a picture of Balto, letting them know that he was a tame wolf and to please not hunt him.

Worse, they'd all replied and let her know that if they saw him that they wouldn't shoot.

Even if they did kill the only pure white wolf in Virginia, it wasn't like they could take him anywhere to be skinned for his fur without Liz finding out and nobody wanted to piss off the Sheriff by killing the creature that had saved her baby girl.

Besides, that creature was too damn smart for its own good.

But it was not going to intrude on father-daughter bonding time at the Grill.

"See daddy," Caroline pointed out when they arrived at the Grill fifteen minutes later,

"There's lots of outside tables free."

Brill barely responds but Caroline sits at one of the wrought iron tables and Balto pads over next to her, pushing past Bill with enough force that he loses his footing.

The lunch menu had been the same since before Caroline was born but her order has changed, when Bill goes in to the bar, she's roped him into getting a burger for Balto as well. To be delivered on a plate because that damn wolf doesn't eat off the ground or plastic bowls.

He runs into Sheila Bennett as he's making his way back out with as much dignity as possible and takes a moment to speak with her. He likes Sheila and admires her for raising her granddaughter after Abigail and Rudy had both abandoned Bonnie to go live their lives elsewhere.

He can't even remember the last time he saw Rudy Hopkins around town, he or Grayson would probably have to step in and be the ones the boys feared when Bonnie started going on dates.

"What's this I hear about a white wolf?" Sheila demands, pulling him aside and looking out the window to where Caroline was chatting sweetly with one of the old church biddies, her hand resting on Balto's back.

"There he is," Bill jerks his head, "In all his shedding, snapping, barking, garden ruining, polished floorboard scratching glory."

Sheila hums, pursing her lips as she watches him, "There's something weird about that wolf," she murmurs, "Something off."

Bill snorts, "Trust me I know but…"

He's about to add that he'd tried the vervein on the creature before remembering that Sheila isn't part of the Council, even though he's pretty sure that she's aware of vampires, he doesn't want to take that risk. "Caroline adores him," He substitutes, "And he saved her life and clearly adores her."

Sheila is still glaring at the wolf, "I suppose I can't convince you to send him away?"

He shakes his head, "Already tried, which is why the creature is tearing through my wardrobe and ruining my life."

She sighed and shook her head, "Be careful William, very careful."

Two months later.

It was after ten pm on a Thursday night and Caroline had cheer leading practice early the next morning and she'd get in trouble if she made any mistakes or had any bags under her eyes but she couldn't stop crying.

Her daddy had left.

Gone.

Walked out.

He had explained to her that he and mommy couldn't be married anymore, that he didn't like women but men and had been seeing a man named Steven and they were going to live together away from Mystic Falls and her.

Just like that.

He told her that he had planned on leaving tomorrow afternoon, her mommy had planned to take the shift off so they could both sit down and tell her but…he couldn't wait.

He couldn't wait to leave her.

A fresh wave of sobs wracked her body and she buried her face into the pillow, curling up into a ball.

She's sobbing so loud that she doesn't hear the creak of the doggy door her mom had had installed in the kitchen so Balto could come and go without needing someone to let him in and out. She hears his nails clicking on the tile and then the wood, but when he reaches her door he stops and huffs in confusion.

She'd slammed it to get away from her daddy, so he could leave to be with the boy he loved more than her and Balto couldn't get in. She doesn't get up but only chokes on her tears and when she hears him next, he's outside her window, his head tilted as he watches her.

"Go away!" she snaps, "I don't want to talk to you."

Suddenly she hates him, Balto had always been so mean to her daddy and maybe this was why he had left a day early?

Maybe he'd made him feel unhappy in his own house?

She turns her back to the wolf and closes her eyes, ignoring him when he scratches his claws down her window.

But thunder rolls overhead and she tenses, hating storms so she wearily climbs off the bed and moves over to the window, pushing it open as the first few drops begin to fall,

"Come on," she whispers in a raspy voice, "Inside."

He clambers in and lies down on his blanket, putting his paws in front of him and she sits down on the ground, "Daddy's gone," she explains, "He's going to go live with his boyfriend and everyone will know and I'll be so embarrassed and he doesn't love me enough to stay!"

She bursts into fresh tears and Balto whines, pressing his nose to her cheek and licking the tears as they run down her face. She throws her arms around him and buries her face in his fur, sobbing heartbrokenly but not feeling alone anymore.