Chapter 3
Monday morning found Caroline humming slightly while she applied her make up in her vanity mirror. There was a pouting Original behind her sitting on her bed.
"You are awfully chipper about going to school this morning." He complained. She smiled at him in the mirror.
"No, I'm awfully chipper because I just had a wonderful weekend and I'm not going to let Mystic Falls get me down first thing this morning."
She turned and walked over to him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "And you can keep yourself occupied and out of trouble until I get out of school, can't you?" She teased.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her chest, looking up at her with an evil glint. "Or you could skip school and we could go back to my place."
She sighed and pushed him away. "I'm going to school. It's only a few weeks more until graduation and I'm going to graduate."
"You are so stubborn."
"Pot, Kettle." She answered, picking up her bag and her keys.
"I'll drive you." He offered.
She turned and arched an eyebrow at him. "I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Where are you planning on driving me to?"
He glared at her a moment. "Why to the place of higher learning, where else?" He said sarcastically.
"Well, all right then." She turned to walk out of the room. "Hurry up; I'm going to be late."
The truth was Klaus was very uncomfortable about letting her out of his sight. He was concerned about what her friends would say about what happened this weekend and he really didn't think Caroline would be too pleased if he killed them for trying to drive a wedge between them.
He sighed and followed her out to his car. When they got in the car she was looking at her cell phone ominously.
"Guess it's time to turn it back on." She said with a weak smile.
No sooner than she did, it lit up with message and text indications. This went on for several moments while they stared at it.
Klaus started the car. "Well, at least you know they missed you." He said sourly.
She pushed some buttons and started listening to the voice mails first. Stefan wondering where she was. Matt, wondering where she was. Damon, demanding she get her butt to the boarding house. Stefan, making sure she was ok. Matt, worried about her. Damon telling her she was being selfish. She began deleting them as soon as she heard who each message was from. They were on the road heading to school by now and she wanted to get through the messages before she got there.
The next message made her scoff. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."
Klaus looked at her.
"Tyler came back to town." She saw Klaus grip the steering wheel tightly as she continued to listen to the message; she felt a pounding begin in her temples. She put the phone down after deleting it and explained. "He came back wanting to dance with me on prom night." She rubbed her head. Then glanced at Klaus realizing he probably didn't want to hear about her ex. She probably needed to reassure him.
"He's gone now. I can't believe he would do something like that." She said angrily, the pressure in her head getting worse. "I mean he chose to leave town after his mother died. And yes, I feel bad that she's gone, but still, she got drunk, fell and hit her head in a fountain. I mean c'mon." This headache was starting to make her feel nauseous. She was relieved when she felt Klaus pull the car over quickly.
"What did you just say?" He demanded.
She kept rubbing at her head distracted. "Don't worry; I'm over Tyler anymore, especially after…"
"NO, what did you say about Tyler's mother?" He snapped.
She looked at him alarmed, but her vision was starting to blue. "She…" There was another sharp pain. "She died, you know that."
"HOW did she die, Caroline?"
Her breathing picked up and she almost started crying from the pain. "She got drunk at the Christmas party, fell, and hit her head in the fountain and died."
Klaus grabbed her arm and her chin. "Caroline, look at me."
"It hurts." She cried, looking at him.
"Ok" He said taking a deep breath. Anyone else would think he was furious, but she could see that was worried and possibly even scared. "School has to wait, sweetheart. We have to get to the bottom of this."
"Bottom of what?" She asked weakly.
He started the car and quickly turned around and pealed out in the middle of the street.
"Klaus?" She asked. "What's wrong? Why do I keep having these headaches?"
He didn't look at her. "I'm not sure, but I have an idea. We're going to talk to you friends the Salvatores." He practically spit the word friends out.
Caroline took a few deep breaths. She was confused, but the pain in her head finally started dissipating for which she was grateful. She had to admit that seeing Klaus this concerned made her very concerned about what was going on. She could see how tense he was; she reached out her hand and touched his arm.
He glanced over at her and could see the worry in her eyes. He took one hand from the steering wheel and grasped hers. He pulled it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.
"It's going to be all right." He assured her. "I promise you will be all right." She nodded at him, feeling better. Whatever was wrong with her, he would fix it; there wasn't much you couldn't do when you got to be a thousand years old.
Klaus drove as fast as the car would allow heading to the Salvatore's. Worry, fear and rage threatened to overwhelm him. She didn't remember that he killed Carol. She didn't remember that he made Tyler leave town. Who did this? AND WHY?
It was obvious the memories were still in there and this wasn't a simple case of compulsion, this reeked of magic.
He screeched to a halt in front of the boarding house and was at the front door before Caroline even got out of the car. He pounded on the door loudly before going inside. Damon was in the living room.
"Oh goody, a drop in vis…." Was all Damon got out before he was slammed against a wall with Klaus' hand on his throat.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Klaus bellowed at him.
Damon's eyes widened in fear. They had pushed him many times since he came to Mystic Falls, but he'd never seen the hybrid this out of control before.
"I don't know what you're talking…" Damon tried to wheeze out, and then gasped in pain.
Klaus' other hand was suddenly inside his chest. "I will rip your heart out right now if you don't tell me what you did to her." Klaus growled at him.
Just then Caroline ran into the room. "KLAUS!? What are you doing? Stop."
"Caroline?" Stefan came running at the commotion, and immediately saw Klaus and Damon. "Klaus, what's going on?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Caroline ran over to him. "Please don't do this." She begged.
"Caroline, luv, why don't you tell Stefan what happened to Carol Lockwood?" She looked at him confused, and felt the pounding in her temples start again.
"I don't understand." She said rubbing at her head.
"Tell Stefan, how Carol died."
"I know how Carol died, Klaus. What does that have to do with you trying to kill my brother?"
"Tell him." Klaus growled.
Caroline stepped back feeling dizzy from the headache. "Carol got drunk at the Christmas Party and fell in the fountain, hitting her head and then she drowned." Caroline shook her head trying to clear it.
"What happened then?" Klaus insisted.
"Tyler couldn't deal with being alone…ugh… so he left town." She groaned.
"Caroline?" Stefan looked at her with concern. The fact that his brother was in danger of being torn in two, but he was looking at her like that made Caroline's fears come back.
"What?" She cried out through the pain. "What is wrong?"
"Yes, Stefan, what is wrong?" Klaus' grip on Damon's heart tightened. "Some new plan of yours? Wipe her memories and send her in to find my weaknesses?"
"Klaus, we didn't do this." Stefan said earnestly. He walked over to Caroline and led her to sit down on the couch.
"Wish…we…had." Damon grunted out through the pain, then yelled as Klaus tightened his fist even more.
"Klaus, stop!" Stefan said. "This isn't us. We've been too worried about Silas and Elena to come after you."
Klaus considered his words for a moment. "Where is the Bennett witch?" He asked.
"Probably on her way to school." Stefan said. Klaus let go of Damon who slid down to the floor.
"Find her, get her here now. This has her magic written all over it."
Stefan immediately opened his cell phone and started making calls.
"Well, I'm glad that's settled." Damon muttered from the floor.
Caroline sat on the couch, Klaus turned to her, she looked angry and frightened.
"What is going on?" She demanded. "You almost killed Damon."
Klaus knelt down in front of her. "If he had been behind this, I would have."
Caroline reached out and stroked his hair lightly. "Behind what?"
"Someone has changed your memories, luv."
"My memories? What memories?"
Klaus sighed. "Your memories of me."
"Who would do that? Why would they do that?"
He shook his head and didn't answer.
"Bonnie isn't answering her phone." Stefan spoke up. "I left a message on her phone and on Matt's." He walked back over to the sofa. "Caroline, are you all right?"
She nodded, looking up at him with a sad smile, but never stopped stroking Klaus' hair Stefan noticed. "I'm ok, the headaches don't last too long."
"I'm fine too." Damon said from the floor. "In case you were wondering."
They all ignored him.
"When do you think this happened?" Stefan asked.
Klaus' jaw tensed. "If I had to wager, I'd say prom night."
"So before the two of you disappeared for two days." Damon said from behind them.
"Stefan, if you want your brother to keep living, I suggest you shut him up." Klaus growled.
"What aren't I remembering?" Caroline asked. "I don't understand this."
Stefan sat on the sofa next to her. "Caroline, what do you remember about when Elena's aunt died?" Stefan asked cautiously.
Immediately the headache started back. She sat back and felt Klaus grab her hands while she remembered. "She died in the woods. I think it was an accident." Her face was tightening from the pain. She didn't notice Klaus and Stefan exchange a look.
"What about your wolf bites, sweetheart?" Klaus asked.
She was breathing heavily now. "Tyler. Tyler bit me."
"The second time?" Klaus prompted.
"He bit me!" She yelled. "You were there, Kol had died and…." She struggled.
"That would actually be your new boyfriend, Barbie." Damon had stood up and was standing behind Klaus. "He killed Jenna, he killed Carol…."
Caroline could hear what Damon was saying, but it sounded so muffled, her ears were ringing with the pain and it felt like there was a fire behind her eyes.
"He had Tyler bite you the first time AFTER he sired him to become a hybrid."
Caroline let out a scream of pain. Blood started pouring out of her ears and nose and she started convulsing.
"Caroline!" Stefan shouted. She collapsed against the couch.
Damon jumped back in shock.
Stefan and Klaus laid her down on the sofa.
Klaus spun to glare at Damon. "FIND THE BENNETT WITCH NOW!" He screamed.
"Go Damon!" Stefan urged. Damon flashed out of the house.
"Caroline, luv, listen to me," Klaus urged. "Think of something else. Remember the lake, with the animals." He said quietly. Her convulsions settled and she lay there whimpering.
"We should take her upstairs to lie down." Stefan said quietly.
He watched Klaus gently pick her up and noticed the way he hugged her to him.
They took her to a bedroom upstairs, where Klaus laid her on the bed. Stefan flashed off to get her a cool cloth to wipe her face. He handed it to Klaus when the older vampire shot him a glare when he went to do it. He watched him gently wipe away the blood.
"I knew there was something that wasn't right on prom night." Stefan said quietly, but I was too caught up with Elena."
"A common occurrence, I believe." Klaus said coldly.
Stefan watched him for a moment. "You really care about her." He stated.
Klaus didn't answer him.
"What happened this weekend?" Stefan asked almost accusing.
Klaus again didn't answer.
"I mean you were with her for two days, you didn't notice anything was wrong?" Stefan's tone got sharper.
"The whole point of this weekend was to get her away from all this, so no, we didn't sit around discussing you and the wonderful Elena." Klaus growled.
"And you didn't even wonder or ask what brought about her change in attitude towards you?" Stefan almost yelled. "You took advantage of her."
Klaus was away from Caroline and standing before Stefan in a heartbeat. "I did no such thing." He growled. "SHE wanted to go away, I didn't force her. I didn't cast this spell that she's under."
Stefan had spent the most time with him, back in the 20's and just recently. It was only because of that, he could see the worry in his eyes, and he knew that Klaus had already had the same thought. He really did care about her. It was the same as Damon not wanting to realize Elena was sired to him. The look of understanding that crossed Stefan's face made Klaus feel even worse. He turned away and tried to defend his actions.
"We were working on being friends." He said quietly. "She helped me when Silas…." He didn't finish that thought, no wanting Stefan to know how weak he had been if Caroline hadn't told him. "She came over the night of prom, full of fire, looking for a dress. She didn't mention Tyler or any of the other things we usually fight about, and then she called me and asked me to be her escort. I thought…." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I should have known." He finished quietly.
"Sometimes, we see what we want to see." Stefan said quietly.
On the bed Caroline began to stir and moaned. "Klaus." She whispered. He was by her side instantly.
"Easy, luv." He cautioned her, when she tried to sit up.
"What happened?" She asked.
"It's ok, just relax." She looked around and saw Stefan and suddenly remembered. She thought about all the things they asked her about and her head immediately started to pound.
"Caroline, don't think about it." Klaus urged her.
"I have to. I have to remember so you aren't worried and Stefan won't be so mad." She whimpered.
"No." He insisted. "You are only hurting yourself. We'll set this right as soon as your friend, Bonnie, gets here."
Klaus stroked her hair lightly, while Caroline stared up at him with absolute trust in her eyes.
"Think about graduation. What are you going to do afterwards?" Klaus asked.
Stefan watched them for a moment then left the room feeling as though he was intruding on their closeness. He needed to check on Elena anyway.
Back in the room, Klaus continued to stroke Caroline's hair.
"I guess you were right." She said quietly.
"About what?"
"That we shouldn't have come back."
"Sweetheart, I'm sure as soon as they find Bonnie, you will be fine. There is nothing to worry about. You just have not think about it."
Caroline looked at him with that piercing gaze only she seemed to possess. "Will we be all right?" She questioned him.
He stared at the beautiful woman before him, the woman who managed to slip past his defenses and walls so easily. He felt his assurances catch in his throat.
"That will be up to you, sweetheart." He finally answered.
Tears gathered in her eyes. "It can't be that bad, can it?" She whispered.
He didn't answer her. Her mind raced trying to remember, she sat up when the pain returned, sharp as a knife.
"STOP!" He yelled. He sat behind her on the bed and pulled her back against him. "Caroline you have to stop, we don't know what it's doing to you to cause this type of reaction."
"Have you met me?" She said with gritted teeth. "I can't just lay here like some Scarlett O'Hara waiting to be saved and have our relationship ripped apart."
He closed his eyes, savoring her closeness. "Patience. It's all going to be ok; you just have to be patient."
He felt her tense and knew she wasn't listening to him.
"If you don't stop, I will find another way to distract you." He threatened.
She scoffed. "Distract me from someone messing with my mind? I don't think so."
She felt him pull her hair to the side and then felt soft lips along her neck.
"That is not going to work." His hands slipped under her shirt and started sliding across her stomach, noticing the way she leaned back against him and her breathing got heavier.
He found the spot on her neck that he discovered was most sensitive and ran his tongue along it. He felt and heard her breath hitch. She spun around so she was straddling his lap while he leaned against the head board.
"I'm sorry, was I distracting you?" He said with a smirk.
"Shut up." She said with a smile. "You are just evil."
Then she kissed him deep. He fisted one hand in her hair and the other held her tight across her back making sure she was as tight against him as he could get her. His tongue tangled with hers and he kissed her desperately trying to imprint himself on her before she got her memories back.
She pulled back, breathless; her eyes were glazed over from desire. "We can't have sex in Stefan's room."
"I think it's a spare room." He muttered. He placed sucking kisses up her throat.
"Well, we can't have sex here either." She persisted, all the while her hands moved to the hem of his shirt, desperately trying to feel the smooth skin underneath.
"Oh, I'm quite certain we can." He whispered. He bit down on her throat with blunt teeth and enjoyed the way she bucked against him, a small whimper escaped her. For a second his fangs threatened to drop at the sound. He had fed off victims numerous times, but never engaged in biting during sex with another vampire. It was a level of intimacy he wasn't comfortable sharing with anyone, but with Caroline, it seemed his nature had other ideas since every time they had sex he had to fight not to mark her.
She leaned back and pulled his shirt up over his head, he did the same to her. His eyes lit up at the bright yellow bra she wore and he ran kisses right along the top where it met her skin. He hands tangled in his hair holding him there, wanting him to move lower.
"Damon found Bonnie. They are on their…OH" Stefan's voice interrupted them.
Klaus growled as Caroline flashed behind him, hiding her partial nudity. Stefan glared at Klaus accusingly, unafraid.
"They are on their way." Stefan finished, the anger in his voice was unmistakable.
"Thanks Stefan." Caroline's voice was embarrassed.
"I was distracting her." Klaus said with an evil grin, challenging the judgment he saw in Stefan's eyes.
"I'll let you put yourselves together. They'll be here in a minute." Stefan turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door.
"That was so embarrassing." Caroline muttered. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her hands around his waist in a hug before moving to put her shirt back on.
She stood up and saw Klaus staring at her as if he would never see her again.
"You said it was going to be ok." She said, smiling at him.
He pulled her close and hugged her to him. "Promise me this one thing."
"No, this isn't goodbye." She insisted.
"Just this one thing." He said again.
"What?" She couldn't deny him.
"Whatever happens, when you think back on this weekend, think of it fondly, please?" He whispered.
She put a finger under his chin and raised it so he was looking at her. "This was the best weekend of my life." She said earnestly and leaned down to kiss him lightly. "And after this is all over we are going to plan on going back there soon."
He nodded, but she noticed he didn't seem convinced.
He pulled his shirt on and she took his hand as they went downstairs.
The tension and silence was thick as they waited for Damon and Bonnie to arrive. Stefan kept shooting glares at Klaus, who seemed to retreat into himself. He sat at the end of the couch, with a glass of scotch in his hand; his face seemed to be set in a mask.
Caroline was nervous and it was all she could do not to poke at the memories in her head and try to understand all the currents running through the room.
Just then the door opened. Damon, a very angry looking Bonnie and Matt filed in.
"Boy Wonder here had to follow behind." Damon said derisively, pointing at Matt.
"You said something was wrong with Caroline." Matt said defensively.
Klaus glared at the boy's obvious concern for her, but turned his anger to Bonnie.
"If it isn't the Good Witch. Care to share with the class exactly what you've been up to?"
"This isn't my fault Klaus. Caroline did this on her own."
"Really? She chose to alter her own memories? This isn't your Expression Magic?"
"It's my magic, but it was her choice." Bonnie said with acid.
"What was my choice?" Caroline demanded.
Bonnie shook her head at her in disgust.
"Can you remove the spell, Bonnie?" Stefan asked before things could escalate.
"Yes, easily. It wasn't a complex spell." She looked at Klaus. "You may want to move." She snapped.
He stood up and fought with himself against looking at Caroline one more time. He crossed the room and looked out the windows.
He heard Bonnie beginning to mutter and a wind blew through the room. The lights brightened and a few bulbs shattered. He heard Caroline cry out and against his will, he looked at her. She crumpled to the ground crying out in pain.
He heard Bonnie chuckle sounding very dark. "She's fighting me; part of her doesn't want to remember." He wanted to break the witch's neck, his hand tightened on the glass. On the ground, blood started pouring out of Caroline's nose and she almost howled in pain.
"Bonnie, you're killing her."
"No, I'm not." The witch said through gritted teeth. "I'm breaking down the walls she put up." There was an increased energy in the room, the rest of the bulbs blew and then it all faded away.
Caroline lay on the floor whimpering and crying. Stefan and Matt raced to her side. Klaus looked back out the window, unable to watch what would come next and yet unable to leave.
For several minutes, the only sounds were Caroline's harsh breathing and Matt and Stefan asking if she was ok.
Then everything got quiet. Klaus looked over and saw Caroline glaring up at Bonnie hatefully.
"You did this to me." She said, her voice was thick.
"You did this to yourself." Bonnie snapped.
In a flash Caroline was up and across the room, there was a solid crack as she slapped Bonnie across the face. "You messed with my mind, my memories! You are no better than Damon, when he compelled me to sleep with him."
"Hey." Damon protested. "Bygones!"
Klaus felt something inside him break. She would think as low of him that he used her the same way Damon did. That was how she would remember their time together.
Bonnie used her power and threw Caroline back.
"You did this to yourself!" She yelled at her.
Caroline lay on the floor breathing heavily. Klaus still wouldn't look away from the window.
"Everybody just calm down." Stefan yelled.
"Caroline, are you ok?" Matt asked for the twentieth time. Klaus felt the urge to rip out his vocal chords.
Caroline looked around the room. He could feel it physically when her eyes landed on him. She didn't speak for several moments.
Stefan was the closest to her and he could see all the emotions on her face and his heart broke for her. She cared for Klaus, he could see it. Probably as much as Klaus cared for her, but now that she remembered he could see the fear, guilt and regret there too.
"I need some time." She said and it was obvious to everyone who she was talking to. "I need…." She didn't know what she needed. "I need some time." She said again.
Finally Klaus turned to face her. There was a cold, mocking grin on his face. Stefan braced himself for what would happen next. A vulnerable and hurt Klaus was the most dangerous.
"I hope you aren't worried about me, luv." He said. "I already got what I wanted." His grin widened. "Several times over, if you remember."
Caroline swallowed and her breath hitched. Klaus turned to walk out of the room, but stopped by Bonnie.
"Remind me to send you a fruit basket as a thank you, witch." And with that he left, they heard the front door open and close.
Stefan could feel Caroline begin to shake.
"I want to go home." She whispered.
"Do you want to talk?" He asked her.
She just shook her head. "No, I want to go home."
"I'll take her." Matt offered and helped her get up off the floor. Caroline moved slowly with him. She didn't say goodbye or look up at anyone as the left.
After they were gone, Stefan looked at Bonnie. "What were you thinking?" He demanded.
"For the last time, I didn't do this!" Bonnie snapped.
"Hear her out brother." Damon said pouring himself a drink.
Stefan looked at Bonnie for an explanation.
"Prom night we wanted a drama free night, just one. I cast a simple spell for Caroline to get her heart's wish, thinking the only thing on her mind would be a perfect prom. Instead, it appears she wished to forget all the bad stuff Klaus has done." She finished bitterly.
Stefan sighed. "So she wanted to forget."
"Yeah." Bonnie agreed. "And she's the one who built the walls in her own mind. Part of her didn't want to remember, that's why it was so hard for me to reverse the spell and break down the walls."
"She really cares about him and this was the only way she could let herself care."
"Barbie really does know how to choose 'em." Damon said taking a drink.
"Yeah, but now we have to worry about a hurt Klaus on the loose. We have no idea what he'll do next. You could be in danger Bonnie." He held a hand up when she went to protest again. "I understand that Caroline was the one who made the wish, but you were the one who cast a spell on your friend without her knowing."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about Klaus if I were you." A voice called out into the room. Katherine stepped into the room.
"Oh goody, more company." Damon snapped. "We really need to see about getting better locks."
~.~
Caroline was silent the entire way home. Matt respected her wished and didn't say anything. He brought the truck to a halt in front of her house. She moved like a robot to get out of the vehicle.
"Care." She stopped at the sound of his voice and Matt found he didn't know what to say. "Can I do anything?"
"No." She said her voice very monotone. "I'll be fine, Matt. I'm always fine." She got out of the car and he watched her make her way into the house. For several long moments he sat there, wishing he could do something to take her pain away.
Caroline walked into her house and straight to her bedroom. She knew her mom would be sleeping after working all night.
She lay down on her bed and grabbed one of the pillows hugging it to her tightly. The bed smelled of sex and of him. She lay there breathing in his scent, a reminder of the night they had just had, six hours ago. Her body began to shake violently and suddenly she was crying, sobbing. It wasn't quiet tears of loss; it was full body sobs that had her bawling into her pillow. There she lay for hours as the pain, guilt and hurt washed over her.
After an hour, Caroline's sobs finally began to taper off and she fell into a fitful sleep. It was filled with dreams of passion and love and a fiery red lake.
~.~
Klaus drove back to his house, plotting the entire way. He was going to kill that witch. He was going to rip her apart, but first he was going to find another witch to strip her of her powers. Then the Salvatores would be next. He would kill their precious Elena while they watched, then he would tear their limbs off and make them suffer for decades. The human boy would be next, he wouldn't draw that out, it would be too easy. Then Caroline, he would remove her from his head and his heart by removing her head and heart.
Over and over his rage built and he planned their destruction. He made it to the house, hoping his sibling weren't there or he would dagger both of them, just to keep from hearing their voices. He walked in the house and took a deep breath. Then he set about destroying everything inside. Furniture flew and shattered against the walls, paintings were ripped to shreds. Everything disintegrated under his hands, a true metaphor for his existence.
He stopped suddenly near the drink service. A piece of paper addressed to him, caught his eye.
He picked it up and read it.
He stood amidst the destruction for a moment and then walked quickly from the room. Maybe it was time to follow his own advice. It was time for him to leave Mystic Falls and all of this behind him.
It was time to go home, to New Orleans.
~.~
"How long have you been here, Katherine?" Stefan asked.
"Long enough to watch the show." She said with a snide smile. "Looks like Klaus is capable of feelings after all. He was so distracted with my baby vamp that he never even sensed me under the same roof." She gloated. She walked over and poured herself a drink.
"Wow, look who went and got bold." Damon said. "Last I checked Klaus was still plotting your eternal demise."
"Well, it won't matter for very long." She said, "Because soon Klaus will be gone."
"What do you mean he'll be gone?" Stefan asked.
"Let's just say that werewolf girl Hayley was just the thing we needed to get Klaus out of our lives…for good."
She smiled.
~.~
Klaus drove quickly out of Mystic Falls; he ignored the pain in his chest when he left the town. Soon this would be nothing more than a faint memory. He would leave it all behind. He pressed down on the gas, trying to outrun his feelings and the memories of Mystic Falls and a certain blonde vampire. He vowed he would never allow himself this weakness again.
