Love With a Motive

"For you, a small, Columbian blend—one milk, two sugars—and for me? Twice that," Caroline said as she handed Stefan his coffee in the waiting room and took a seat beside him when he nodded thankfully. "I would have gotten Damon something but he's been barking at whoever the unlucky soul is on the other end of that phone call for fifteen minutes… I didn't want to risk inciting his rage even more."

Stefan sighed knowingly as he watched his brother pacing the floor—speaking animatedly about work and business before he placed his cup to his lips and took a long and silent sip. There was no changing Damon—even when the situation was life or death.

They'd been here for about 45 minutes in the waiting room—just waiting, while their parents were with the doctors, and it was safe to say this was one of the most nerve-wracking situations in Stefan's entire life.

Not knowing what was going on—no one having the decency to come out and tell them, either—was aggravating, and if it hadn't been for Caroline keeping him company, while he tried his best to keep his eyes on the news on the flat screen, he might have gone crazy.

He still hadn't found the words—or enough of them, anyway—to thank her for all she was doing, and with each passing moment he knew that he didn't have to.

Caroline knew just how appreciative he was of her being here; she knew just by the look in his eyes when she finally came back from the coffee run to take her usual seat beside him, just before offering him a quaint and easy smile.

It was scary—imagining that his grandmother was sick again and this could be the last time he ever saw her—but something about Caroline's smile made him believe things were going to be okay—that all hope wasn't lost and that this wouldn't be the end, though he didn't know a thing right now to prove it otherwise.

Caroline's smile gave him strength.

"Damon doesn't need coffee; at least not right now, anyway," Stefan trailed off slowly as he watched his brother still yelling into the receiver; the medical clerk just short of jumping out of her seat and ripping his iPhone out of his hand. "I wish I could be more like him when these things happen…So focused, so—"

"Loud?" Caroline asked incredulously. "Seriously? You wanna be like that?"

"I wanna not care as much as I do, you know?… Not that Damon doesn't care, but he just… He doesn't let things tear him apart the way I do. Sure, he gets mad and angry and loud, like you said, but in a few minutes? He's over it. He just always finds a way to get over whatever life is throwing his way. Whether it be his job, or his friends, or…women, he just finds a way to block the pain out. It's mind-blowing, actually, that someone that intense—that emotional—can just…turn it off," Stefan said airily as he continued to watch his brother.

Caroline licked her teeth at that before turning to Stefan who was still staring at Damon and she scrunched her brows.

"Just because he's projecting his problems doesn't mean he's ever really getting over them. And neither are you, the longer you just close yourself off … In what's beginning to feel like every aspect of your life—"

"What are you hinting at?"

"I'm... hinting at the fact that I'm kind of pissed you didn't tell me, Stefan… About your family; about your situation," she lowered her voice, as he looked down and ticked his jaw. "Seriously—why didn't you say anything about the outrageous family politics? About your trust fund woes—"

"Because I don't wanna talk about it."

"Why not?" she asked. "Is it because you don't think I can relate? Just because I can't I've been in your shoes doesn't mean I won't understand—"

"I don't want to talk about it because it's all irrelevant, Caroline," he answered as she pursed her lips. "It's all stupid and vapid and shallow, in the grand scheme of things, isn't it? What business do I have complaining about the fact that Mommy and Daddy won't take care of me anymore when you're—"he stopped and Caroline tugged at her lip. "…When you have probably dealt with a lot more? I can't pretend like I have it so much tougher than you when I don't—I don't, at all."

Caroline didn't say anything to that, as she thought about her single mom back home, her alcoholic father, and the fact that she'd never even been anywhere close to a limo or a jet until today, when Stefan's parents chartered both for them, without so much as a second thought.

It was true that Caroline didn't lead a charmed life at all—living paycheck to paycheck, on Ramen noodles some days, while taking the bus the next, while her piece of shit car was broken down or on the outs.

She splurged on shoes, steak, and two-ply tissue when she could afford it—she learned to live without the things she considered luxuries, when she couldn't.

But that didn't mean that she led a bad life; it didn't mean that she wasn't grateful for all she'd had or that she thought her existence had been unfulfilled because she never had more.

She just learned to deal—something she knew Stefan could eventually do, too, if he just opened himself up and dealt with his problems, head on, instead of running away from them. To her, nothing was too small or irrelevant to plague you; especially when a large part of your problem came in the very form of the people who were supposed to be your support system; your parents.

"I have been through a lot but so have you," she said finally, as he met her eyes and she tucked a blonde strand behind her ear. "I mean—why else would your entire family, Damon included, be worried about you, if they thought your biggest issue was forgetting to call the maid to do you dry cleaning?...What happened, Stefan?" she asked gently as he swallowed hard and Caroline lowered her tone just a bit more. "Who was she?"

Stefan didn't say a thing, as his thoughts flashed back to the brunette with the spiraled curls, thick black lashes, and devilish smile, as her chestnut eyes—even within his memory—taunted him; teased him, relentlessly, while he replayed the first time she'd walked towards him, over and over again in his mind.

She was beautiful—probably the most beautiful girl he'd ever known; and brave—as her hands brushed through her long brown locks and she demanded he order her drink if he was just gonna sit there and stare at her from across the bar, all night.

Stefan laughed—nervously, mostly—but he complied, and the grin on her cheeks spread to his when she placed a hand on his broad shoulder and leaned in closer to his ear.

The soft breath, he still felt it even now, chilled down his bone as she spoke in a light whisper for no one but him to hear; and he barely would have heard it if he hadn't listened in so closely.

"Is it gonna be your place or mine?"

And that was all it took. Eight words and he would have been trapped until her spell for almost the next three years of his life.

How pathetic.

"Stefan—"

He felt Caroline's hands press over his just as she set down her coffee but he still refused to look up as her thumbs gently coursed over his skin.

Because if he let Caroline in, she would—again—find some way to make his life her problem and he didn't want that. He didn't want her to have anything to do with this; with his parents, with his brother, and especially not her—

Especially not Katherine.

"Klaus left me," Caroline blurted as he continued to look down and she let out a bitter laugh and a shrug of her shoulder. "He left me after I was willing to do anything for him. He… made I clear that I'd never be good enough for him—for his dreams—and one day, when I thought everything was perfectly fine…he picked up, packed his things, and moved to California—for his new job…and for a new woman," she said as she recollected their breakup in full and vivid color.

There was yelling—screaming, actually—as Caroline called him every name under the sun, and then some, as he walked out the door and officially out of her life. And somehow—even after the last and final time, she'd still believed that every day, he would come back, apologizing for the mistake he made and things would just go back to the way they had been.

The way she believed they should be.

Her relationship with Klaus was never a great one—nor was it "healthy" by textbook standards, as she considered just how many lamps, glasses, and plates she'd gone through as she hurled them his direction in an argument, with his retaliation usually consisting of persistent manipulation and abuse—mentally and physically.

Her fingers trembled as she went back to one of the more ruthless times it happened; when he decided calling her a whore wasn't enough and he subsequently pushed her against the wall by the throat. Her mouth gasped for a breath of air but he didn't stop—it seemed to fuel him that he was hurting her she realized, until finally, he let her fall to the ground on her knees. Where he would be the one to pick her back up again; to wipe her tears, pull her in for a hug, and tell her he was sorry but this was all for her own good.

He said he called her a whore because she earned it. He believed he put his hands on her because she needed it.

And each and every single time, she believed every word that he said.

She didn't tell her friends—especially not Rebekah—because she didn't want them to judge her. She didn't want them to "help her," because in her opinion—she didn't need that. She needed the toxic, consuming, love that he gave her—and if she lost him because any of them suspected their problems went much deeper than the silly things she revealed on the surface, she would ruin everything.

Not just between she and Klaus; but with Bonnie, who would no doubt, find a way to make him pay for the injustices he did to her best friend. With Elena, who would try to make her seek therapy to deal with her addiction to him, though she liked her dependence just fine. And with Rebekah; his sister, who would either take her brother's side no matter what or disown him—causing Caroline to be the one who wrecked their bond and she just couldn't forgive herself if she was the one who came in between that.

She and Klaus were everything a relationship wasn't supposed to be; two people who'd been together for too long to let it go, even though there was nothing left and no happiness to show for all the time they had spent.

So when he finally left, she should have been happy; she should have been thrilled that the man who'd consumed her, since day one of their tumultuous affair, wanted out because finally, she had a reason to leave too.

She finally had a reason to live.

But she wasn't happy, she realized—as she retreated to her couch the night of their breakup. She hadn't even told her friends about it—and apparently, neither had he—as she spent the night alone and drank herself to sleep with a bottle of rum and her cell phone in hand; calling him repeatedly, asking for another chance—just one more shot to prove to him that she could be the woman he wanted her to be, despite all she had done and everything she'd believed she put him through.

She left voicemails, sent text messages—the whole nine—but he'd never responded. She'd never even seen or talked to him until today, and even though she successfully made him feel like shit by making him believe that she'd actually moved on and married Stefan Salvatore, she still felt hollow on the inside.

She still felt like he took everything away from her and no matter how happy she tried to convince herself she could be, he would always have that; he'd always have the bits and pieces of her soul that she would never reclaim and it pained her to know that.

It killed her to admit that even after all this time he could still disrupt everything; just like Stefan's mysterious ex had, though he was the last to want to admit it.

She ruined him, Caroline knew—just like Klaus ruined her. And no matter how good they both were at avoidance, it wouldn't be long before it came to the surface and completely boiled over.

For Stefan, though, it may have been worse. Because Stefan couldn't even admit to having a problem, after all of this time.

Stefan couldn't admit to wanting a solution.

"—I know I sound like a broken record, Stefan, but I want to be here for you," he heard, as he caught the tail-end of Caroline's speech. "You were there for me today—I owe you—"

"You don't owe anyone anything; especially not me," he answered as the girl pursed her lips. "I owe you an apology for getting so angry in the car, truthfully… I'm sorry I snapped when you were just trying to help…"

"But?...What's the 'but?'"

"But you're crazy if you think I'm just gonna let you get even more involved with this when it's obvious you've done enough already, Care…We're not doing Damon's plan and faking our marriage just so I get to keep my trust fund. I know you just want to help but I'm an adult—and I'm going to handle this like one. Okay?"

"But what if I want to?" she asked as Stefan rose a brow. "What if I… think this isn't an all-bad idea and it might actually work if we decided it was what we wanted to do?"

"Then I'd say you're just as crazy as my brother."

"But you wouldn't say no, would you?" she questioned as she watched his eyes. "You wouldn't say no because even though this idea is insane, you know it can work. You know that this is the easiest way to get your parents off of your back—and my ex-boyfriend off of mine—"

"It's wrong, Caroline—everything about it is wrong."

"So was you kissing me in front of Klaus to drive the point home that we were 'together,' but that didn't stop you from doing it, now, did it?" she asked sharply as Stefan sighed. "Why did you kiss me, anyway?"

"I don't know, Caroline—maybe it felt right in the moment? Maybe I felt bad?"

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes and he rubbed his temples.

"That's… maybe not what I meant…Or how I meant to say it, anyway—I…I meant that I did it because besides the fact that I perhaps got a little but caught up in all our pretending, I just…I saw the way he was looking at you—the way he made you feel like you were nothing and I didn't like it; I didn't like that he could still just do that you, even after all this time… Because you deserve better, Caroline… A lot better than him and much better than me, if you really want to be honest about it."

Caroline remained silent as she looked into Stefan's olive eyes and she quietly bit back the tears that threatened to emerge when she noted the calm sincerity in his voice; the fierce defensiveness in his voice, though it was something he never wanted to admit.

Stefan cared about her—seemingly, much more in the past five minutes than Klaud did, their entire relationship—and that meant a lot to her. Especially considering the fact that she didn't have very many men in her life who really did; who actually cared.

Caroline's thoughts were interrupted again, when she felt their hands touching—this time, by his merit, as he wrapped her palms into his own and silently gazed at her; taking in all that there was in her eyes and then some, while the quiet continued to stifle them both.

Until he found the words he wanted to say again, of course.

"Caroline—I want to help you. I really do—"

"So marry me," she said abruptly as his eyes widened and she didn't back down in her words, though he was still staring at her like she was a chicken with her head cut off. "Stay married to me, Stefan—because you need to earn the twisted respect of your parents and I need to figure out a way to show Klaus I can be strong without him… Let's… stay married—"

"Caroline—"

"If you don't want to, it's fine… But just know that it's really the only thing that I want. And there really isn't a thing that can change my mind, at this point."

Before Stefan could respond, a thin woman with dark hair, matching eyes, and a messy ponytail was making her way into their direction—just as Damon was hanging up his phone and they were rising from their seats.

Her name badge read "Dr. Fell" and Caroline wondered if the stoic look on her gentle face meant they were about to hear the best of it or the worst of it.

Caroline figured they were about to find out when she stopped in her tracks with her clipboard; expression intact.

"Damon and Stefan Salvatore?" she asked, and when the brother's nodded, she extended her hand gracefully in both their directions for a quick shake before she spoke again. "I'm Doctor Meredith Fell; you can both follow me, and I will take you to see your grandmother."

"About time," Damon muttered beneath his breath as he began to take off and Stefan stopped when he saw Caroline hang back; her eyes urging him to go as she simply stood there—prepared to wait for the results again, of both his grandmother's condition and her own, when he decided whether or not the two would remain married.

Stefan cleared his throat and Dr. Fell spun around to meet him; his hands pulled slowly out of his Levi pockets.

"Would it too much to ask if Caroline could come to?" he asked softly as the doctor sighed. "I know there are rules—"

"And they extend to family only," Meredith replied firmly as she looked into his eyes. "If Caroline is family—"

"We're… married," Stefan forced out slowly, as he watched the surprise meet the doctor's face, the color drain from Caroline's, and the smirk that appeared across his brother's when he stopped in his tracks, taking in the height of his brother's words. "Caroline is my wife," he said before he turned to face the blonde who didn't have a bout of air in her lungs to release when he extended his hand and waited for her to take it, as well. "And I think it's time that she finally meets my family."

Caroline's mouth dropped a little bit before she cleared her throat; eyeing the still very shocked Dr. Fell before offering a nod—her confirmation—that Stefan was telling the truth. Her eyes danced briefly to Damon, who was grinning like the bastard he was, before he grabbed onto Stefan's hand graciously—the weight of her fingers falling to his as he held her tightly and pulled her in closer; pulled her in beside him.

"We weren't sure this was the right time to announce it—what, with his grandmother being ill—"

"No need to explain; follow me," Meredith said much softer as she eyed Caroline and the blonde cleared her throat when she looked into Stefan's eyes and he nodded before they finally took off.

Damon barely contained his smirk while the two walked quietly—side-by-side and down the corridor to his grandma's room; Caroline's heart racing all the while.

When they walked in, however, Theresa Salvatore was sleeping quietly while his parents—Giuseppe and Mary—were speaking in hushed whispers before finally turning to face the doorway to meet the eyes of both of their sons as well as their untimely guest.

Caroline—for what she wished was the first time today—felt like a deer in headlights as silence washed over the room and everyone, barring Damon and Stefan, were staring at her, as if she'd been indecent enough to show up in just her underwear.

She might as well have, considering the looks his parents were giving her.

"And after all that waiting, she's sleeping," Damon mused to break the ice, as he made his way over to the older woman's bed and gave her a gentle kiss on the head. "Looks like you're gonna miss the show," he whispered before looking up at Meredith and raising a brow. "What's she on, by the way?"

"It's morphine," Dr. Fell said as Damon responded with a more than curious look on his face. "It, uhm—helps with the—"

"We have it from here, thank you," Giuseppe said as the doctor nodded at that as her cue to exit when she realized Giuseppe Salvatore wanted to handle the explanation himself.

And because he was who he was, she had no choice but to let him.

"I'll give you all a few minutes," Meredith said as she left with the nurse behind her and Stefan pulled in a deep sigh as he let go of Caroline's hand the minute Damon freed his grandmother, just so he could reach in and give her an embrace of his own.

Caroline watched on with a soft smile as she observed the genuine joy in both Damon and Stefan's eyes as they showered the unconscious woman with kisses, as if she had been awake and lively, just the same.

"Why is she on morphine?" Damon asked again as his eyes finally peeled away from his grandmother and to his parents. "That's pretty heavy stuff for someone you say 'only had an asthma attack.'"

"Heavy indeed, and we'll get to that, but first," Giuseppe said as Damon ticked his jaw and his father pressed his palms together, "I see we have company and neither your mother or I have been properly introduced. I'm sure your guest takes great offense to your less-than-subpar hosting skills, Stefan."

"What can I say? I learned from the worst," Stefan replied plainly before sighing and moving right next to Caroline. "Mom, Dad—this is Caroline. Caroline Forbes. She's, uh—somebody that I know quite well from that time I interned in Washington, D.C—"

"Ah-you mean the last time you seemed to be on a productive path with your life," his father quipped immediately and Stefan didn't say a word as he watched him charismatically reached a hand out to Caroline's before he shook it and offered her a smile. "Giuseppe. Giuseppe Salvatore. Pleased to meet you, though I'm not sure what it is at all that you're doing with my son."

Caroline feigned a grin as his slick words and bit her tongue as she shook his hand; pulling it back quickly as she felt a chill cast over her when she looked into his pale blue eyes.

It was safe to say Stefan wasn't lying when he told her about his parents; not his dad, at least. This guy was already a certified douchebag.

"And I'm Mary Salvatore," his mother introduced herself too—her dark auburn hair pulled into a tight bun, and her bright green eyes reflecting off of her pale skin as the beautiful woman, no doubt dressed in Christian Dior from top to bottom, gave Caroline the once over. "Are you from New York?"

"I wish—I'm from Virginia," Caroline smiled brightly as she released her hand. "Some small town called Mystic Falls, actually—"

"I see," Mary said dismissively before turning her attention to Stefan as if Caroline wasn't in the room and addressing him directly. "Dear, we have some important things to discuss with you and your brother about this family—and it'd be better if your friend weren't here."

"Caroline isn't a friend, mom—she's actually a little bit more than that," Stefan replied as his mother licked her lips and he folded his arms. "And I know you have a bit of a problem addressing people—ones you think are beneath you but I can assure you that she's not. Caroline is important."

Stefan's parents both looked at each other for a moment before his dad placed a hand on his shoulder with a manufactured smile—the one Stefan had grown to loathe since quite possibly the day he had exited his mother's womb.

Maybe even before.

"If you want your girlfriend to stay, there's no problem with escorting her to the hall—"

"I'm actually his wife," Caroline finally cut in as she watched the looks of shock and surprise surmount on both of his parents faces when the blonde gripped onto his hand even tighter and stood taller; the air in the room thinning quickly as both of their mouths became quite literally agape. "If Stefan wants me here to support him, I don't have any other choice than to stand by my husband. Isn't that what marriage is about, sweetheart?" she asked as she turned his way and he looked into her eyes.

Stefan only nodded in response—this time, his movements cut off, as Caroline drew him in closer by the face with her palm and kissed his lips softly. His eyes shut the minute their mouths meant in the not-so-quick lock that sent his mind into a fog and her lips into a fiery dizzy the moment she pulled away with a smile and looked to his parents—who still just couldn't believe anything that they were seeing.

Stefan wouldn't have believed it either if he hadn't felt it.

And Caroline wouldn't have believed it, either, if she hadn't had done it.

A/N: Hey guys! So this chapter is much shorter than usual but I really wanted to update so I decided to leave it at the cliffhanger that I did, just to get your minds reeling for what exactly is going to happen next time. ;) What do you think Stefan's parents will say or do once they find out he's married? What about Caroline's friends and family? Do you think they'll be able to pull this off? If so, how long before it starts to become more real for one, the other, or both? So many questions! And what did you think about Caroline's past with Klaus and—surprise—most of you being right about Stefan's ex being Katherine? What do you think she did to him and how long until word gets around New York that her ex is engaged and she comes knocking? As always, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews. I really do love and appreciate you guys for giving me feedback and trust me—I read every single thing that you say and take it into consideration. There will be plenty more characters popping up and perhaps some other romances starting soon. ;) Let me know what you liked, didn't like, thought, etc. and I shall see you all next time! xoxo