Hi…everybody. I don't know how to include the little A/N's at the top *hides face* so I'm going to do it here. Thank you to all the amazing reviewers, you have no idea how happy they make me!
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I could see Tyler on the far corner of his room, with his knees up, twiddling his thumbs like he was anxious. I kept staring until he spoke so quietly I could barely hear him.
"Is that what really happened…?" he asked his liquid black eyes locking onto mine.
'Yes…Tyler, and I'm so sorry" I stuttered, unable to regain composure. I felt overwhelmed with happiness that he listened. In comparison to his burning anger in the afternoon, he seemed so…serene. I felt like jumping into his arms, and crush hugging him for hearing me out.
Focus Caroline. You're not outta the woods yet, my mind whispered
I slowly stumbled my way to the bedside table and fumbled for the light switch. I clicked it on and walked to where he was standing and knelt on the ground next to him. The orange light cast itself over the room creating a soft glow. His head was in his hands, in deep contemplation. I could see the appealing strong veins running through them.
It's amazing how sidetracked you can get, you know that?
"If…this Katherine got her hands on the moonstone…would everybody be hurt?" he questioned. His hands were still covering his face, and his eyes were closed in silent submission.
"Everybody, me, Elena, Stefan and Damon. Everybody you and I love" I replied as slowly as I could. I didn't want to rock the boat. I was glad to be here in the first place.
"I don't…want anyone to be hurt. Especially you, but there's something else I don't understand. What part did my Uncle Mason have in this?" he asked opening his eyes and letting his hands drop back into his knees again. He didn't look me in the eyes which scared me. His words, despite their intensity felt flat to me. His eyes and emotions didn't match his words.
I guess I couldn't expect anything more, so I tried to let it slide and provide explanations to all of his questions. I wasn't about to regain his trust for a long time, if ever.
"Well, Mason was in the whole thing with Katherine. She brainwashed him to believe they loved each other. It messed his head up, and he became…unpredictable. Damon isn't the most innocent, but he did it to save us"
"That…wouldn't be right. But I trusted you Caroline. You were the only person I believed in. I cried in front of you. It was a rough time, and I just feel like you exploited that. How can I trust you again? "
"I totally understand that, and I honestly don't blame you for hating me right now, but my heart was in the right place, and that's what kept me going" I said moving my hand cautiously toward his. My fingers touched the top of his hand. He didn't move them. That action spurred me on further.
"Tyler, the bigger picture is that now you know everything, and I decided to tell you, because I couldn't stand to see you in the dark. I hope our friendship hasn't completely broken" I continued
"Wow…Stefan and Damon are vampires. Can't say I'm surprised. Stefan did seem to have supernatural abilities when it came to sport" Tyler casually interjected
Suddenly he burst out laughing, like I'd just told the funniest joke in the world.
"You know Caroline, if I didn't like you as much as I do, I'd be even worse than I am now. I appreciate you told me the truth, but its too late for things to go back to normal. I can't act as if nothing happened. Mason is still dead, and you still lied for however long. I was so grateful I had you, and now I feel weird." He said. His expression changed, and I could feel how genuine he was being
"Are we still friends?" I asked, my voice going up ten pitches. I sounded like a chipmunk on helium. My voice was catching in my throat, and I feel tears threatening to spill over the surface.
Too late. A single tear rolled down my face, betraying me. He glanced up at me, and put his other hand on top of mine. Okay now I was the one confused. Didn't he just tell me he didn't like me anymore?
"Caroline don't cry, please I'm just really weirded out right now. We are friends, I'm not gonna go all ape shit on you anymore. All I'm asking for is some time. Even if Mason was evil, he was still my Uncle" he said. His features softened in pity for a moment.
I sniffed before answering
"Kay…do you want me to go now?"
"Don't worry, I still care about you, that's gonna be hard to let go of, even if I tried. That's why I listened to you when you were outside" he replied. I took that as a yes, and moved away from him, before another thought struck me. I wasn't gonna get the courage to ask again, so I took a chance.
"Oh…another thing, I know this isn't exactly important, but the kisses…what do we do? Matt's still kinda involved…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
"I think it's safe to say nothing too…extreme will happen, so you don't have to worry about that" he said looking straight at me.
My reaction must have physically registered itself, as my face turned to one of confusion and disappointment. That comment stung far more than it should have. I was being irrational. Of course nothing would happen now. He needed to digest all this information I'd told him. Despite those thoughts, I felt like a tub of ice water had been dropped onto me.
"Oh…okay" I managed to squeak out quickly. "I'll uh…see you soon" I quickly said and scrambled out of the window before vamp speeding my way into my car, and back home.
I spent all night thinking about our conversation. He had listened to me which was unexpected after my earlier confession, but on the other hand he seemed…colder and calmer. At this moment, I realised I liked him a lot more than I should have. Matt and I didn't have this emotional and intimate bond; he was naive to everything around him, but Tyler and me shared something different. I'd always care about Matt, but I felt like he was slipping from my grasp. Instead, I'd fully embraced a new part of my life. A werewolf in the form of one Tyler Lockwood.
The next morning, I awoke feeling much better. As I got dressed, my mobile rang. It was Elena. I answered it.
"Hey Elena, what's up?" I said
"Hey Caroline, you wanted to come round to speak to Stefan yesterday at dinnertime, and you never turned up. Is everything okay?" she asked
Shoot, I'd been so wrapped up in everything I'd totally forgotten. "Oh it slipped my mind, is it okay if I come round today? I'll explain when I come over. Oh is Damon there too?" I tentatively asked. I didn't need Damon's smartass commentary in the background.
"Sure, come over now, Stefan's here. Rose died last night, and Damon's at home not talking to anybody, so Stefan said we should leave him alone for a bit" she replied.
"Oh no that's awful I hope he gets better. I'll see you guys soon then" I said before hanging up. I needed to tell Stefan about this before Tyler had the chance to speak to any vampires. I didn't think Tyler was up to threatening Damon right now, so I had to act quickly and make sure this didn't cause any more unnecessary friction between us. The death of Rose must have affected Damon more than we all thought. She was a welcome relief to the tension and now her absence had probably worsened Damon's mood. This needed to be dealt with very soon.
Half an hour later, I made my way up to Elena's front porch, and knocked on the door. Jenna opened the door.
"Hi Caroline"
"Hey Jenna" I replied as I walked into the hallway.
"Elena's in her room with Stefan. Knock before you open the door, they seem to be having a lot of fun in there" she chuckled
Gross. I laughed it off. "Okay thanks Jenna" I said before going up the stairs and knocking on the door as instructed.
"Come in" I heard a muffled voice reply from inside.
The sight was not what I expected. Stefan and Elena were sitting on the edge of the bed talking in hushed whispers. If they needed to tell me, I'm sure they would have already, so I brushed it off.
"Hey Caroline, what's going on? Is it the werewolves?" said Stefan. His face looked concerned.
I took a deep breath before I spoke. "I…told Tyler about Mason. He knows Damon killed his Uncle. I wanted you to speak to him, in case he tries to kill Damon"
"You told him? Caroline, why? He's just found out about his werewolf curse" Stefan said in a heated tone.
"Look, Stefan, its difficult to explain. It wasn't fair to keep in the dark. He deserved to know what happened to his Uncle"
"Okay" he replied calmly. "When do you want me to talk to him?"
"As soon as possible. He's slept on it, and should be calmer. I spoke to him earlier"
"Hold on guys" Elena interjected "What if Jules has gotten into his head, and turned him against vampires?"
"Hmm- that's true, but I've gotta try to get through to him. Werewolves and Vampires should be coexisting in peace, and that's what I have to keep telling him. If he's as calm as you say Caroline, hopefully we might be able to make this work." I'll go over as soon as I can" Stefan mused.
"Oh Caroline, can you do me a favour and drop in on Damon?" I want to make sure he hasn't killed anybody in his brooding phase. Do it quietly, and make sure he doesn't know you're there" Stefan added.
"Sure" I replied. "Thank you for being understanding Stefan, I knew you would help"
"No problem" he said smiling. "Now we just have to hope Tyler has a wise head on those shoulders unlike his Uncle"
