Caroline spent a disturbed night. Confusion and doubt circled her mind as she suddenly wondered if it was the right thing to move forward with Adrian. He would soon leave Mystic Falls behind. Not only that, he had his whole life before him and had barely made it out of high school. Even if he liked her, she wasn't sure how he would react to the fact that she was a vampire who was twenty years older than him.
The beast within her heart scoffed at the weakness of her will. Compel him to be Stefan Salvatore, it said. Claim him as yours. Make him yours.
Caroline did her best to drown out the voice. There was no way she would give into the greed of using her supernatural abilities to control someone. "That's not how love works," she spoke aloud to the empty room.
The ceiling overhead steadily became lighter as the sun rose outside. Her phone buzzed near the pillow. Grabbing it, she saw Elena was calling her. She had completely forgotten they were supposed to meet up early to set up a small party for Damon at the Salvatore House.
Rubbing her forehead, she picked up the call. "Hey, Elena."
"You were supposed to pick up the cake as soon as Sally's opened this morning," came Elena's voice. "She called to say you didn't show up yet. It's already nine."
"Really?" said Caroline, sitting up.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. I'll go there ASAP!"
"Call me as soon as you get the cake and muffins," said Elena as Caroline hurriedly disconnected the call. The clock on her phone screen showed the time to be ten past nine AM. Muttering under her breath, she went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and got dressed in her usual black clothing. A part of her wanted to go downstairs and make breakfast for Adrian but in the end decided she needed some time apart from him to sort out her feelings. Damon's birthday was a big deal to both Bonnie and Elena and she would have to pull herself together to not mess anything up.
She drove to the bakery to get Damon's cake. On the way, she called Bonnie.
"Hey, Bon. I need help," she said in a low, spiritless voice.
"Why do you sound like that?"
"I'll tell you…rather show you today. Before that, help me with the preps. I'd thought I would be able to handle everything but I just can't…I feel way too distracted. I don't want anything going wrong at the party today, especially with the two extra guests we will have."
"Extra guests? Who are you talking about?"
"Meet me back at the House. I'll be there in an hour."
"Fine," Bonnie relented. "I'll see you soon."
Caroline breathed out. If Bonnie was by her side today, she would be able to make it through. Reaching the bakery, she collected the massive frosted rum cake. Sally Hooper watched in amazement as Caroline easily picked up the thirty-pound cake and carried it without a wobble in her hands to her car.
When Caroline drove back to the Salvatore House, she found Bonnie's car in the driveway. A broad smile came upon her lips. It had been a while since she had seen Bonnie. Happiness swelled in her heart as she climbed out of the car. She carried the box of cake inside the house to keep it chilled in the fridge.
Reaching the kitchen, she stopped short. Adrian was sitting at the table with Bonnie. He looked up as soon she was at the entrance. A smile lit up his face as he laid eyes on her.
Calm yourself, she told herself silently as her heart fluttered feverishly.
"Where did you disappear?" he asked, coming towards her.
She smiled nervously. She had been caught red-handed for avoiding him.
"Let me help you with that," he said, extending his hands towards the cake box.
"It's heavy," she said. "Be careful."
"I got it," he said, placing his hands on the box.
Caroline allowed him to lift it from her hands. "Hold it while I clear out the last two shelves in the fridge. I was supposed to have done this last night but well…"
"Sorry about blacking out on you like that," said Adrian.
"There's a lot going on here that I don't know about," said Bonnie, coming beside her.
"You bet," said Caroline, meeting her friend's curious glance. "I can't wait to hear what you think about it."
"How about we finish up here and you can tell me more."
Adrian's gaze went from Caroline to Bonnie. "I am guessing it is Elena's husband's birthday today?"
Bonnie stared up at him. "Elena's husband?"
"Bonnie." Caroline placed a hand on her arm and shook her head. "He hasn't met Damon yet." Before Bonnie could say something, Caroline continued. "I told Elena to keep it from him until…you know…we were sure."
Bonnie pursed her lips but her chocolate brown eyes were full of curiosity as she helped Caroline take out bags of vegetables to make space for the cake. Once the cake had been safely put inside, she straightened up and said, "Can we talk now?"
Caroline nodded.
"Not my lucky day, I guess," said Adrian. "I will be eating cereal today. Have a good day, ma'am," he said, turning to Bonnie.
"Sorry," said Caroline, wishing she could stay back and make him his favorite breakfast.
He shrugged as he smiled good-naturedly at both Bonnie and Caroline.
Bonnie shook her head and turned towards Caroline. "Did he just call me 'ma'am'?"
"C'mon," said Caroline, grabbing her friend's arm. "I'll fill you in about what's going on." Caroline led Bonnie up to her room.
Once they were inside, Bonnie lost all her calm manner. "What's going on here? What is Stefan doing here?! And why does he insist his name is Adrian Galloway?"
"Because that is who he is," said Caroline. "I had Matt do a background check on him. He checks out."
"But that's impossible!"
"Really? In Mystic Falls anything is possible…from vampires to sirens. Wait till you meet Sophia. She is an exact look-alike of Elena's."
"New generation doppelgangers?" Bonnie wondered out loud. "But they were supposed to have stopped after we finished off Silas."
"That is why I need you so badly, Bonnie. Only you can figure out what's going on with him. He is so much like Stefan. I am falling for him…hard." Caroline's shoulders slumped as she went to sit beside Bonnie on the bed.
Bonnie looked thoughtful as she let Caroline lean her head against her shoulder. "I didn't feel any malicious or evil aura from him. It was different than the first time I met him."
"He is human. Not an artificial mortal like he'd been twenty years ago. I am able to compel him as well as heal him with my blood."
"I may have an idea about what's going on," said Bonnie slowly with furrowed brows.
"Really? What is it?" asked Caroline anxiously.
Bonnie shook her head. "I have to go back to my place and look through some books I brought back from India." She jumped up from the bed. "I will go right now. I'll see you in the evening."
Caroline watched Bonnie rush out of the room. Once again, she had to look over to decorating the library and the garden on her own. Normally, she would have started the preparations a few days earlier but ever since Adrian came into her life, her regular routine had been disrupted. If she was being honest with herself, she liked it. In a long time, she had escaped the monotony of her life at the Boarding House.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up from the bed and went out of the room, deciding to get started with the preparations.
By the time it was five P.M, Caroline had finished decorating the library. The colorful balloons and the glittery 'Happy Birthday' banner looked oddly out of place in the archaic surroundings.
The garden was already set up with a long rectangular table with a chair for each of the guests and the children. Elena had asked for a bonfire there, so she'd cleared a space away from the rose bushes to set one up.
She was exhausted and wondered if she would have time for a little hunt in the woods before everyone came together. Over the past few years, she had gone on an animal-only diet. She had tried several times to stay on it but had mastered her hunger only in the last two years. It was a relief not to depend on stolen blood bags from the hospital.
Adrian had stayed away from her during the whole day. She came across Sophia in the library in the afternoon but the girl was sullenly avoiding her. Caroline didn't have the time or energy to pry into the stranger's mood and continued with her work.
"It looks wonderful," said a voice behind her.
Turning around, she saw Alaric. "Thanks. I did what I could. I hope Elena can make it out early from her shift at the hospital."
"I am sure they would appreciate what you've done. Where is Bonnie? I thought she would be here to help you out already."
"She was here in the morning and met Adrian. She rushed home to look something up. I am hoping she has a solution for it. It is driving me insane to not know what's going on. Can it be a coincidence that two people who look exactly like Elena and Stefan have shown up together in Mystic Falls?"
"No."
"What do you think of Sophia?" asked Caroline cautiously.
"She is clever and knows a lot about vampire lore. I haven't given her any of the artifacts but gave her one of the Gilbert journals to study."
"But that's an important artifact!"
Alaric smiled. "We know everything there is to know from them. It is all right for her to take a look and decipher what it all means."
"Does her interest in vampires strike you as strange?"
Alaric thought before replying. "Thanks to recent movies and books, the young generation is really curious about vampires."
Caroline frowned but didn't say anything. If he thought he could trust Sophia despite Adrian's warnings, then she would stay out of it. She checked her watch again. There would not be enough time for that snack she was craving for. It was time to get ready for the party.
"I'll go and get dressed," she said, giving a little wave and walking out of the library.
Caroline decided to wear bottle-green peplum dress for the party instead of the elegant black bodycon she had previously chosen. Adrian would be there and she wanted him to see her at her best. She took the time to curl her gold tresses into loose waves. Using jeweled-clips at the sides of her head, she pulled back the thick strands away from her face. She went for a smoky-eyed make-up for the evening's celebrations.
A smile lit up her face as she surveyed her reflection in the tall gilded mirror. She was about to look for her purse when the sound of people talking reached her ears. Focusing her sharp senses, she listened. Damon was already in the hall and talking with Alaric.
"Time to go."
She descended the steps and instead of going to the main hall, went to the library. Sure enough, Damon and Alaric were already toasting each other with tumblers of whiskey.
"Hey, Caroline," said Damon loudly when his gaze fell on her.
He was wearing a crisp black tuxedo with a white cotton shirt. Even though gray streaks appeared among his smooth-gelled dark hair, he still looked handsome. The mischievous glint in those pale gray eyes had not dimmed.
His two daughters, Helen and Ann, were staring at her with open-mouthed fascination. Smiling at them, she came forward.
"There are drinks for you guys at the table over there," said Caroline, pointing at a well-laden table of snacks, drinks and a bowl of scarlet punch. "The grown-up stuff is over here." She gestured at the much smaller round table that contained bottles of expensive liquors.
Helen came up to her. "About the other day…"
"I've already forgotten about it," said Caroline with a smile.
"Thanks," said Helen, giving her a weak smile. "Jason is a total jerk."
Within the next half an hour, the six children arrived there with Kiera. Bonnie came soon afterward, looking feverishly excited.
"Looks like you found something," whispered Caroline.
"I can't wait to tell you!" Bonnie's eyes were brimming with tears. "Oh, Caroline!" Bonnie gave her an unexpected bear hug.
Caroline patted her gingerly, not sure what could have made her friend overcome with such deep emotion. She was about to say something when her gaze caught Adrian coming towards them. He was dressed in jeans and a plaid blue shirt, looking casual but very handsome. His eyes met hers and he smiled.
"Adrian is coming this way," whispered Caroline.
Bonnie stepped away, wiping the tears away from her eyes. To Caroline's surprise, she moved towards Adrian and flung her arms around him. His face immediately morphed into an astonished expression. She hurried towards them, wondering if Bonnie was drunk. She rarely behaved that way with strangers.
On the far side of the room, she saw Elena with Damon. He was laughing and talking cheerfully with a glass of whiskey. Smiling at the happy birthday boy, Caroline went to Adrian's aid.
"What has gotten into you, Bonnie?" asked Caroline in an exasperated voice. "You just got here and you're being crazier than Damon."
Bonnie giggled. "I am not drunk. Just really happy for my friends." Bonnie looked expectantly at both Adrian and Caroline.
Before she could explain herself, shouts had broken out in the middle of the room. Damon threw Elena away from him, his eyes burning with rage.
"Elena!" Caroline cried out, ready to rush to her.
"Wait!" Adrian had grasped her upper arm. "That's not Dr. Elena."
"What?" Taking a closer look, she realized the figure wearing a seductive body-hugging black dress was not Elena. This person had jet black hair, not Elena's streaked auburn hair.
"Where the hell did you come from?" Damon shouted. "Where is Elena?"
Caroline immediately dialed Elena's number. She breathed a sigh of relief as the call was picked up after two rings.
"Hey, Car. I just got in through the door. Be there in a minute!" Elena's voice came from the phone. She was panting.
It took seconds for Elena to come to the scene. She watched wide-eyed as Damon hurled insults and threats at the girl on the floor. Rushing forward, she grabbed him and turned him around to face her.
"I am right here, Damon!"
"Elena?" Damon's eyes swam with tears as he held her close. He pulled her into a tight embrace.
Sophia got to her feet and glared at the couple.
Adrian moved towards her. Caroline and Bonnie followed after him.
"Apologize to them both," said Adrian in a low grim voice.
"What the hell," muttered Damon as he took in the Stefan-lookalike and the Elena-lookalike. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" He rubbed his eyes and stared at Stefan. Stumbling forward, he stepped closer to Adrian. "Stefan? You're here?"
Adrian shook his head. "Sorry, Sir. I'm not your guy."
"Did you just call me 'sir'?" Damon glanced at Elena and then towards Caroline and Bonnie. "How long did you know he was here?"
"It has been a few days," said Caroline.
"Did you know?" asked Damon, looking at Elena. She nodded.
Before Damon could throw one of his fits, Alaric came to the rescue. "Calm down, Damon," he said in his strictest voice. "There are children present here. Let's go into the parlor." He placed a hand on his friend's back, steering him away. They had barely gone a few paces when another commotion broke out.
Sophia had thrown herself at Elena. Elena was caught off guard and tumbled towards the table with the liquor bottles. It resulted in a shattering crash as her body fell among the sharp pieces of glass. Sophia had a wicked, triumphant look in her dark eyes as she watched Elena groaning in pain and barely able to move. Damon pushed Alaric away and ran to his wife's side.
Caroline was jolted into action as soon as she saw blood pouring out in thin streams from Elena's body. Some of the glass shards had embedded into her arms and side torso. Rushing forward, she crouched down beside Damon and bit into her wrist to open her vein. While Elena's eyes were screwed shut with pain, Caroline forced her bleeding hand to her lips.
"I still need to take her to the emergency to get her checked," said Damon. "You'll have to drive us, Alaric." His eyes sought someone in the crowd that had gathered around them. "When I get back, it will be time for payback," he ground out, staring at Sophia. "Katherine."
Sophia had the strangest look in her eyes. She had suddenly gone pale and instead of looking at Damon threatening her, her focus was fixed on Caroline.
