**I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters within it.**

Stefan popped open the trunk of the car behind the hotel and hauled Caroline's unconscious body through the back door of the building. He'd already compelled two gas station attendants to forget seeing them, then drove to the hotel down the road, promptly compelling a key from the manager and erasing his memory as well. He didn't need anyone seeing him dragging a lifeless girl into a hotel. Considering it was 5 AM and still dark, he was assuming no one would be around.

He slid the key card down the lock of the room and tossed open the door, careful not to bump Caroline against the wall. He lay her down on the bed then dropped to a chair beside her.

Snapping her neck wasn't the most brilliant plan he'd ever had but what choice did he have? This beautiful girl just told him how much she enjoyed kissing him. He heard the disappointment in her tone when she said they should move on. He knew she wanted more. He was on the very edge of tossing her over his shoulder, caring her to the first hotel he saw, throwing her into bed and making her say his name over and over.

Well, you did half of those things now didn't you? Minus the neck-snapping part.

But she couldn't know how he felt. Not yet. She would never let him do this on his own if she knew.

He fully realized she was a vampire and could absolutely take care of herself, but he wasn't willing to risk it. Not when he was so close to everything he wanted. He couldn't take her with him. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on the mission at hand while he was constantly watching for her and making sure she was okay. And lord knows she wouldn't listen to reason.

So he'd kept his mouth shut, waited for her to finish her rant, sped up behind her, knocked her out, and threw her into his car.

Not the best plan you've ever had.

He stared down at her lying on the bed. He knew she'd wake up eventually and make her way to him, but if he could get a good head start then maybe he could get it done before she got there.

He leaned over and ran his hand down her cheek. He felt a small urge to stay with her. He may have been the one that did this to her but he didn't like her in this state. And he really didn't like the thought of her waking up alone. He thought about what it'd be like if she woke up and he was still here. He wouldn't be able to stop himself then. All alone in a hotel room? His imagination was getting the best of him.

"I gotta do this alone, Care," he whispered. He kissed her forehead and left, hurrying out to his car and starting the engine. He threw the car into gear and sped off in the darkness, trying to stifle the guilt he felt. She didn't deserve what he'd just done, but he prayed she would understand.

Stefan road along silently, allowing his mind to wander. He needed to focus on his task but couldn't seem to let himself forget Caroline's words. She liked kissing him. She'd wanted to do it for a long time. He almost felt giddy at the possibilities ahead for them and let himself smile for the first time that day.

I'm going to bring them home, Caroline. And then you and I are going to talk.

He jumped at the sound of his phone ringing. He glanced at the clock that glared 6 AM back at him.

"Right on time, Alaric," Stefan said into the phone.

"What the fuck, man? You just bailed on me like that? Not cool, Stefan." Alaric's angry voice rang in Stefan's ears.

"I'm sorry, Alaric, I really am. But I need to do this on my own."

"Oh right, because going with Caroline is the same as going alone."

Stefan tried not to laugh. "Yeah, that wasn't exactly my choice. She hid in the back of the car. I didn't know she was there until two hours into the trip."

"Whatever," Alaric grumbled.

"Don't worry, I took care of it. Caroline isn't with me anymore."

"That is the creepiest thing I've ever heard. What the hell does that mean?"

"Creepy? I didn't kill her, Alaric." Stefan thought about that for a moment. "Well, okay, I did kill her but not permanently."

Alaric scoffed. "You snapped her neck?"

"Yup."

"You're a real dick."

Stefan did laugh this time. "Goodbye, Alaric."

"Be safe, Stefan."

He clicked his phone off and sat back in his seat again, waiting patiently. His phone vibrated again and he clicked Answer without even looking down.

"Hi, Elena."

As he predicted, Elena went off about how this wasn't only about him, it was about everyone and he shouldn't have done what he did. He could hear Jeremy flipping out in the background about getting on the road. He rolled his eyes and let Elena finish.

"We're on our way, jackass. Don't go in without us."

Stefan sighed. "I'll see you when I get back," he said, and clicked his phone off, hearing Elena still yelling as the line went dead. He turned his cell on silent and pressed the gas pedal a little harder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nine hours later, Stefan pulled in to a quiet neighborhood a few miles off the highway. He glanced at his GPS, then down to the piece of paper Alaric had given him to be sure he typed in the correct address and confirmed he had.

A coven of powerful witches lives in the suburbs. Who knew?

He drove down roads lined with blue and yellow houses, white picket fences and SUVs parked out front. He drove past small groups of kids riding bikes and playing games. A perfectly normal afternoon for everyone else in the world. He felt a pang of jealousy. How he longed to live a nice normal life like this. A life he could picture quite perfectly with Caroline.

He turned in to a cul-de-sac and slowly crept his car down the road as he watched the numbers change on each house. He stopped in front of the center house at the end. Another blue, white-fenced home. He couldn't believe how normal this all was. Usually on missions like these they would end up in the middle of nowhere at an abandoned house that was falling apart at the seams.

With no one around to hear you scream. The thought made Stefan shiver.

He parked his car on the street, unsure of how to proceed. He sat and watched for a few moments, seeing if he could pick up on any patterns. The house sat silent. He saw no movement in or around the house and he began to wonder if anyone was home.

He got out of his car and strolled as casually as he could up to the front door. The curtains were drawn and he listened intently with his vampire hearing for any sounds coming from within. He was met with silence.

This is getting weirder and weirder.

He hesitantly knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, glancing around to the houses next door and behind him. It was eerily quiet for a sunny afternoon on this one street. He felt the hair stand up on his neck as he thought about the situation he was in. He could very well be surrounded by a dozen very powerful witches and not even know it.

The lock clicked and the door creaked open slowly. Stefan spun back around and watched as a tiny elderly woman peered out through the crack.

"May I help you young man?" she asked in a more pleasant voice then he'd anticipated.

"Uh yeah, hi, I was looking for… someone," he said slowly. How was he supposed to ask if a group of witches lived here?

"And who might that someone be?" the tiny woman asked kindly.

"Um. Honestly, I'm not sure," he thought for a moment and then said, "their last name is Bennett?"

The woman stared back at him without a single emotion then smiled at him. "Well, I don't know any Bennett's off the top of my head but if they live around here, I bet I can help you. Why don't you come on in and we can take a look at the phone book I'm sure I have around here somewhere."

Stefan hesitated. Red flags were being thrown up all over his thoughts but he couldn't quite figure out why. She seemed like an unknowing woman, and she'd invited him in so she must not know about vampires. But why would she invite a stranger into her home? He knew better then to believe someone was doing something out of the kindness of their heart. She hadn't seemed concerned or even curious when he'd said a name she'd supposedly never heard. She barely batted an eye.

"Thank you but I think I'll just keep knocking on doors and see if I can track them down," Stefan said with a smile and turned back toward his car.

"I said come in," a voice came from behind him that no longer sounded like the kind, older woman.

He tried to turn back but his body was immobilized. He was frozen in place as he felt himself being dragged back toward the open door. Darkness engulfed him as he was yanked into the hallway. He watched as the door slam in front of him. He body grew cold and he tried to fight free as fear overtook him. He tried to look around but saw no one in his limited vision.

He abruptly fell to his knees and tried to suck in a deep sigh of relief but the release was short lived. He saw red and his insides burned as he gasped for breath. He fell onto his hands in agony and looked down to find a wooden spear sticking out from his stomach. He'd gained control of his movements again but his body was now paralyzed in pain.

"Vervain steak, in case that wasn't obvious," he heard a voice from beside him. He tried to look but his vision blurred and his body begged him to go under, to make the suffering stop. His eyelids grew heavy and he heard a loud thump, not realizing it was his head hitting the floor.

**I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters within it. Sorry for another cliff hanger ;)**