Authors Note: This chapter is a little short. But I didn't want to write more just to make it longer. I feel like the scenes I chose made sense with the episode and the flow of the story. This takes place during the episode "Katerina". It is my take on Caroline and Stefan making up after their brief disagreement in the episode.

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Chapter 8 : Someone You Choose

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"Hey Stefan, it's me. Caroline. Caroline Forbes, the girl you rudely stormed out on today. I always thought that Damon was the dramatic Salvatore brother. Look, I get that you and Elena have this undying love and she consumes your every thought. But guess what, not everything is about you. Or her. Well, I guess this was about her. But it wasn't about you. You aren't the only person who cares about her, so stop being such an ass hat! I didn't do anything wrong. I'm your friend and I'm a damn good friend. So get over yourself and come find me when you're ready to apologize for leaving me with the lunch bill. Bye," Caroline's voice was cut off as Stefan sighed and shut his phone.

He had listened to the message several times and found himself caught between feeling amused and miserable. Even in the form of a voice message, Caroline still embodied everything that he loved about her. But he hated hearing the lilt missing from her voice. More than that, he hated knowing that his actions had hurt her.

"Stefan?" Elena stirred from her sleep and squinted at Stefan's slumped form. He was sitting up as she lay next to him in her bed. Her eyes were red from sleep, or maybe crying. He'd stayed with her and held her, whispering soft words to lull her into restfulness.

"Hey," he responded quietly. The sky was still dark and the neon clock next to Elena's dresser read 3:57 AM. "Go back to sleep," he told her. Brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, Stefan offered Elena a reassuring smile.

"No. No I'm awake," she said. Clearing her throat she began to sit up.

"Did you have nice dreams?" he asked, maneuvering an arm around her. She shook her head gently and her hair brushed his arm and cheek. It was a familiar feeling, one he savored. Stefan had been alive for a long time, and he'd spent much of that time moving from place to place. In finding Elena, he had also found comfort. Familiarity was a comfort he had long since forgotten before coming back to Mystic Falls.

"No dreams," she voiced after a moment. "I like it better that way though. It's more restful," she shrugged lightly. Her eyes seemed far away, and Stefan knew that guilt was weighing heavily on her. He was almost sure it had been with her, even in her sleep.

"You should try and get some more sleep," he replied. He knew she was upset, and at the moment he was at a loss for what to do. He wanted to comfort her, to say the right things. But the guilt was embedded so deeply, so far into her bones, that Stefan wasn't sure it would ever leave her.

It scared him. No, it terrified him, to think of his life without Elena in it. It wasn't just that he loved her. It was that she had given him a sense of home. That familiarity that he savored so much, it was all connected to her. She had brought him back to Mystic Falls, and in many ways she had pulled him back into the world of the living. He was stronger than he'd ever been. He was self assured and he was happy.

But she wasn't. She was in a constant state of fear and pain. There was an incoming danger that threatened to break her. And as Elena's seams came apart one by one, Stefan knew that their relationship was in jeopardy. He couldn't hold her together, and he wondered if she would even want him to.

"Don't be mad at Caroline," she turned to him suddenly. Her voice was still soft but her words were laced with seriousness.

"You don't need to worry about that," he murmured. She shook her head defiantly, refusing to let her words be dismissed.

"She was just being a good friend to me," Elena continued. Her eyes were shining with a wetness that Stefan didn't quite understand.

"Elena…" he sighed, not wanting to get into a conversation that would upset her.

"I made her promise that she wouldn't tell. She didn't want to lie Stefan, especially to you," she hurried to speak before he could interrupt her. Stefan waited a moment, searching her eyes, before he replied.

"Caroline and I will be fine," he finally said.

"No," she shook her head fiercely. "No, Stefan you need to take this seriously," Elena's breathing was quick with frustration. Stefan squeezed her arm and let his eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Sometimes," she took a deep steadying breath. "Sometimes I worry that you spend so much of your time focused on me, that you shut other people out. You don't let yourself have friends Stefan. And I know that you've spent a lot of time on your own, and it's hard for you to let people in. But I worry," she paused to gauge his reaction. Stefan swallowed and looked away uncomfortably. He had spent the entire day worrying about Elena, and he wasn't quite sure how the tables had turned on him.

"Stefan," she spoke sternly. He took a moment before finally looking at her. Her eyes were hard and serious. "I've watched you keep people at arms length for a long time. But with Caroline, you let her in. And I know that at first, you were just helping her. But she helps you too. She's your friend. I don't want you to think that she chose me over you. Because that isn't how it was. I was the one who asked her to keep the secret, and if it had been you she would have done the same thing," Elena finished.

"I know," he replied.

"Do you? Because I think you're using this as an excuse to push her away. She's good for you Stefan. And you're good for her. You understand her more than Bonnie or I ever did. You should hold on to that. Hold on to her, and maybe you'll have a friend to spend eternity with," she smiled lightly, hoping her words would ease the tension in his arm.

"I was never really angry with Caroline," he finally told her. Moving his arm from around her shoulder, he touched the phone inside his pocket. He could almost hear Caroline's voice, echoing in the back of his mind. "I was angry with you, for keeping something from me."

"But she was there and I wasn't," Elena guessed.

"Yeah. Look, I'm going to talk to her, work things out. Caroline and I will be fine," he said, repeating his earlier sentiment. This time he meant it.

"Good," Elena finally complied. "Now, go home so I can get some sleep," she teased. Stefan rolled his eyes and smiled heartily.

"Such strict rules," he joked. Elena leaned up to kiss him briefly on the lips.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you, and I want you to be happy always, even a hundred years from now," she told him. He knew she was reiterating the importance of his friendship with Caroline. She felt like she needed to show him what it meant, to have a friend for the long road ahead. But he knew.

Stefan didn't need Elena to tell him how important his friendship with Caroline was. Every time her blonde hair lit up his vision, every time her laugh tempted his own, and every time his loneliness was filled with her warmth… he knew.

"I know," he whispered into Elena's hair, hugging her tightly. Something between him and Elena was changing. He loved her, but something was changing. And while the thought of that terrified him, it didn't paralyze him with fear as it once would have. Because Elena wasn't the only person in his life. He had his brother. He had friends. Most importantly, he had Caroline. He had someone he could count on. Elena was right, he couldn't let that go. Caroline was his friend and he would not let her go.

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"It took you long enough,"

"You were waiting?" Stefan sat down next to the blonde beauty and brushed his hands across his legs nervously. He had never had a problem admitting when he was wrong or swallowing his pride to apologize, but this felt different. It felt like more.

"I couldn't sleep," she corrected. She didn't spare him a glance as she gazed in front of her at the brightening sky. Stefan had planned on apologizing to Caroline later that day, at an appropriate hour. But as he had driven past her house he saw her figure perched on the low roof outside her window. Her hands had rested behind her as she looked up serenely. He thought it would have been a crime for him to keep driving. So he'd parked his car down the street and made his way to her.

"I uh," Stefan cleared his throat unsurely. "I think you might be my best friend," the words had left his mouth before he could really think them through. He had been searching for the right thing to say, because 'sorry' didn't really seem like enough. It didn't seem like what he needed to say.

"I- what?" Caroline finally turned to look at him, her eyes wide with surprise. Stefan thought about backtracking or brushing it under the rug. But he knew she needed to hear him say this, he needed to hear himself say it.

"Yeah. You're my best friend," he replied sounding more sure of his words than before. "When I told you that you reminded me of Lexi, it wasn't just you. It was us. It's been… it's been a while since I've trusted someone the way I trust you. And I didn't even realize how much, how close we'd gotten."

"I'm sorry I tried to distract you," she responded. Her words were sincere and her voice was soft. She had been putting on a good show of not caring. But the truth was, she hated the fact that Stefan had been mad at her. It set her world off balance.

"I'm sorry I walked out on you. Friends don't do that," he replied with a gentle smile.

"Friends also don't keep things from each other," she added looking down. Stefan scooted closer to her and bumped his arm with hers.

"You were just being a good friend to Elena. It's good to know that you're loyal to your friends," he assured her.

"To you. I'm loyal to you Stefan. I love Elena, and given the situation I felt like helping her was the right thing to do. But she isn't… how do I say this. Elena, Bonnie and I, we've all been friends for as long as I can remember. We grew up together and not being friends, it just never occurred to us. It's like family. No matter what happens, we'll always be a part of each other," she continued.

"I understand," Stefan nodded. And he did.

"But with you, it's different. It's like, it's a choice. Being friends was something we chose. You helped me when I was at rock bottom. You didn't have to, but you did. For whatever reason, you did," she paused to look at him. Her eyes searched his own, finding the same light and understanding that had always comforted her. "And when I was caught between you and Katherine, I chose you. I- I almost didn't. I was so scared and so confused. I didn't know what to do. So I thought about you and I thought about her. And I chose you," she confessed. The shame she expected to feel at her admission never came. What did come, was the warm touch of Stefan's hand, looping under her arm and sliding their fingers together.

"Thank you," he whispered. He lowered his face, his nose grazing her shoulder as he inhaled her scent.

"I guess," she turned to him slightly, her face close to his own. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… Elena and Bonnie will always be my family. They always have been, so they always will be. But I think, I think a best friend is someone you choose. You're my best friend Stefan," she finally finished. He looked at her seriously, his eyes shining. He gently disentangled his hand from her own, before sliding his arm around her shoulders in one easy swoop. He pulled her closely and she rested her head against his large shoulder.

"That sounds pretty perfect to me," he told her quietly. She snuggled closer and let her eyes fall shut. A wave of contentment washed over his entire being. And as he brought his lips to her head and placed a gentle kiss to her light hair, he knew that he and Caroline were more than just fine.

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