Hello readers!

I am so glad that I found the time to work on this little number here. Exams are coming up soon, and there are always Performance Tasks that need to be done, so I thought I wouldn't get to write at all.

If the title sounds familiar to any of you, this is my own version of the scene from the 2x12 promo that they didn't include in the episode, where Tyler tells Caroline "Whatever you need, I'm right here".

Hope you guys like it!

Whatever You Need

He caught sight of her speeding through the school parking lot. He'd been watching her all day, from a distance, as she took charge of almost every task she could get her hands on. The decorations, the music, the food; it amused and astounded him how she was able to race around and organize everything all by herself. Then again, this shouldn't surprise him at all. After all, he'd had a first-hand experience of her talent in successful planning just last night.

Someone should stop her, he thought to himself. It wasn't obvious to others, but he could see the frenzy she was in, as she ordered two janitors to clean up the burgers that had fallen on the floor in the gym. The whole situation seemed so simple and trivial in grand scheme of things, considering what they were both going through, but he knew that was why she still kept herself busy with these things. Events like Boosters' Barbecues or Prom kept her mind off things like cellars and blood bags.

Once the ordeal with the cleaning was over, he watched as she sped toward the decorations in front of the gym, completely clueless as to how she managed to notice that the banner above the entrance was tilted. Even with his own heightened senses, a little detail such as that would have easily escaped him. But she was a perfectionist, that trait very obviously heightened even more by her immortal state. He began to get anxious though, because he was beginning to notice that she was lifting heavy items without making a face and running at a suspicious speed without breaking a sweat. If she were conscious of her actions, he knew she herself would be alarmed at the display of abilities she was exhibiting in public.

She had noticed yet another little mistake that the events committee had made all the way across the lot, and was just about to run to fix it when she collided straight into his chest.

"Woah, slow down," he smiled, placing his hands on her arms as she tried to regain her footing. She was getting clumsy, which was not supposed to be normal for her anymore. When was the last time she'd had blood?

"I can't talk right now Tyler," she said looking up at him, her icy blue eyes shifting from his face to two blue coolers resting by one of the school buses. "Alice forgot to bring in the other sodas. They might be running out of drinks inside."

"Caroline, I'm pretty sure running out of drinks won't concern them half as much as if they realize that you're moving at the speed of lightning and lifting things like the Hulk." Tyler grinned in amusement as he watched her eyes nearly bulge out.

"Oh my god," her mouth began to gape. "Do you think anyone noticed?"

"I don't think so, but I did see a few people doing a double take when you almost carried in a ladder with just one arm."

Caroline began to feel panic rise in her. If anyone from the Council was here and had seen her, Damon would kill her before they'd have a chance to.

"Thanks for warning me."

Tyler smiled at her softly. "No problem. Now what can I do to help?"

Caroline smiled back and shook her head. "It's okay, I've got it. You should go enjoy yourself. Why aren't you inside anyway?"

Tyler shrugged off her question once he noticed the fake gleam in her smile. This was nowhere similar to the beams she had given him this morning. Something was up. "Is there something wrong?"

He swears that he sees her smile falter for just a split second. Her eyebrows begin to furrow. "I'm fine," she says. But he knows her better now than to believe that.

"You're upset," he states bluntly.

She sighs. "I'm fine Tyler, really. It's probably just the stress of events coordinating. And I haven't really gotten much you-know-what today."

It's his turn to furrow his brows. She didn't have to censor it for him. Blood isn't such a hard word to say. After all they'd been through and after all he'd shown her last night (not including his nakedness), he would've thought they'd be more comfortable talking about these kinds of things by now.

She's looking at her feet now, so he takes a gentle hold on her waist and tilts his head a little lower, urging her eyes to meet his. She looks up and takes a hold of his arms unconsciously.

"You don't have to hide from me Caroline," he says, holding her gaze as he does. "God knows I haven't hidden anything from you."

He's not trying to guilt her into telling him her problem, but he finds what looks like guilt in her eyes anyway. What he doesn't know is that she feels guilty for a different reason.

Caroline gives him her best smile and her eyes soften, but they glow just a little bit brighter now. "I'm not hiding, Tyler. There's nothing wrong. Really."

He knows she's lying, but decides to let it go. Maybe he really is just being over-concerned. "Fine. But if there is something wrong, you can tell me. Whatever you need, I'm right here."

Her smile is much more genuine this time, and he's happy to see that. "Thanks, Tyler."

He smiles almost abashedly and nods before they part ways. It isn't until he gets to his car that he remembers why he'd been following her in the first place. He had wanted to ask her something.

Tyler sighs as he turns the ignition and drives off in the direction of Caroline's street.

I get excited everytime I read a review, good or bad.

So go and click that review button! :D

─xo, Viola