Disclaimer: I do not own TVD/TO/KC/anything otherwise the originals would NOT have ended like that.
Hope you enjoy - please review - and be thankful this chapter isn't as f*cking awkward as the last one...
"Hey guys, she's waking up." Called a familiar voice, her vision was still blurry but Caroline could make out that she was a brunette, Caroline slowly lifted herself up and propped herself against a table behind her, "Hey, easy there." The voice said again, and now Caroline could make out the figure. Elena Gilbert.
"Elena?" She asked hazily, "Where, where am I?"
"Right where you belong, Care, I'm so sorry, I tried a spell I shouldn't have, and I messed up, I messed up real bad," Bonnie paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself, "But I got you back, your safe now."
"Yeah barbie, you're alright."
"Damon?"
"You got it." Damon replied with a snarky smile,
"Damon, shut up." Elena replied, gently shoving him with a bit more affection that she would have the last time Caroline had seen her. Maybe Damon had grown on her? "I was so worried, we, we were so worried." Elena grasped Caroline's hand, "You, you are shaking." She commented, "Are you cold?" She asked with a concerned look, "Damon get her a blanket."
"No, no," Caroline waved Damon up, a tear slipping down her face, "I'm not cold, I'm fine."
"Care," Elena said, with another concerned look, "What's wrong?" Elena was sat by her side, mirrored by Bonnie on her other side, holding her hand in comfort.
"I, I-" Caroline stammered, trying to control herself,
"Hey, hey," Elena brought Caroline into a hug, "What happened, while you were, you know gone?" She asked after Caroline had calmed down a bit.
"You sent me a thousand years back in the past, and," She paused but squeezed Bonnie's hand to let her know she didn't blame her. "I want to go back." Caroline admitted, "I loved it there, I-" Another tear slipped down her face, and the entire ensemble of people that Caroline recognised all gathered around her looked confused. Matt, Tyler, Stefan, Bonnie and Jeremy, Ric was standing to the side next to a woman she didn't recognise.
Tyler slowly walked forwards, and after Bonnie made room, crouched besides her, "It's okay, you're safe."
"I was safe there," She murmered, and Tyler grabbed her hand.
"I know, I know, but you're back now, and we're all here for you, I'm here for you." He assured her, before going to kiss her on the cheek, Caroline shied away from him,
"Ty, I'm sorry I don't, I'm not single." She confessed, Tyler took a few steps backwards,
"What?" He asked, a slight sliver of irritation in his tone, "You are dating some guy who, who is what a viking or something, you know this was, - if this wasn't a hallucination, a dream, - a thousand years ago. That means he's dead, long dead."
"Tyler!" Elena reprimanded immediately, as Caroline noticeably moved further away from him and closer to Elena,
"I'm sorry, Ty I don't love you. I, I don't think I ever really did, love, you. I didn't even properly understood what love felt like until, until Nik." Tyler shook his head in disbelief, before angrily making an exit, slamming the door behind him,
"He'll be fine," Elena immediately reassured her,
"I won't be." Caroline responded, before looking at Bonnie imploringly, "I want to go back. I can't live an immortal life, knowing he is dead, and Beks, I need to go back. They can't, they can't be dead, because if they're dead, then I might as well be." She stated, "I don't want to live without him. I can't." She said weakly, looking Elena in the eye. Elena audibly swallowed,
"You know, maybe we don't care, I never cared about you, Bonnie, Ty, Matt we never cared." She retorted angrily, now looming over Caroline, "This Nik, probably hated you, probably just used you like some slut, and would've thrown you away again, if you were still there. We did him a favour. And, you are right, you are better of dead. Nobody. Nobody in this entire world wants you here Caroline. You are just some barbie whore who no one, no one cares about."
"Caroline, Caroline?" Came a voice from the distance, a familiar voice, a kind voice. Nik.
"Hey, love, it's alright, you're alright, I've got you, I'm here, you're alright." Nik calmed her down, his arms around her, holding her, comforting her,
"Nik, oh thank god." Caroline cried, "You're here, I'm here,"
"You're safe," He said, "It was just a dream." Caroline nodded.
"How, - How long was I, you know?" She asked, leaning her head into his chest,
"Not long, I woke you quickly, you were muttering about how 'no one cares' and 'I'm better of dead,'" He paused slightly, "I care. And if you died, I don't know what I'd do. I'd probably go crazy without you." A tear slipped down Caroline's face as she sat up a bit more and hugged him,
"I'm sorry." She said softly,
"You didn't do anything wrong," Nik replied immediately, slightly confused at why she was apologising.
"I-" She took a breath, "Nik, I don't ever want to be anywhere but here. If one day I-" She paused, shivering at the thought of her going back to present day Mystic Falls, "If one day, something happens to me. Just know, I, I love you, and I would never leave you on purpose. I love you." She repeated,
Nik looked down at her with a sad smile, "I love you too. We should probably go soon, get back before it gets dark." He said, looking at the sun as it neared the top of the trees. They had taken a picnic out to the falls and sat by the water, Caroline had fallen asleep at some stage and had another nightmare. These kind of nightmares were becoming more frequent, but that was the biggest one yet, she'd never sleep talked like that before.
Nik got up, and helped Caroline to her feet, before going over to the horses and leading her horse out. After helping her get on it he got on his and they rode towards the village.
"You know," He started, "It's been exactly a year since I met you here." He stopped for a second, trying to find a way to breach the subject, "Do you think these nightmares you've been having, are a result of it being the one year anniversary of," He looked at her knowingly.
"I'm not sure." She admitted honestly, trying her hardest to lie to Nik as little as possible. "I mean, probably." Nik nodded in understanding, - Caroline didn't really wish to speak about the topic, she never did, and whilst he wished he could be of more use, there was no point in bringing it up all the time and hurting her with it.
He snorted slightly, "What?" She asked amused.
"Well, I mean it's not really funny, it's just," He looked at Caroline, a small blush on his face and his face lost his smile, he was nervous. "Father wishes me to ask you to," He looked down for a second, before returning the gaze, "To marry me." He said, causing Caroline's eyes to widen. "I think he wants me out of the house and, I mean it is no secret he doesn't like me, so, I don't know." He rambled anxiously,
"Nik." Caroline trailed off ominously, and Nik looked down,
"Yeah, yes, it's, never mind, it's stupid." He said sounding dejected.
"No. No it's not, it's just." It's just what Caroline? She thought to her self, it's just hard to explain that you are from the future and that you don't know when or if you will randomly get zapped back, and that you don't want to leave him and it'll be so much worse if you are married, and that if you're married you are supposed to have kids, and then is where you have to explain to him that you're not 'an innocent virgin' and that is very frowned upon here, and then you can say that all those nightmares about your 'murdered parents' are actually about leaving you.
"It's fine."
"No it's not. Nik I would love to marry you. I'm just not ready." That was the best answer she could give for now. She decided that she would wait, two more months, maybe three and then, if by then she was still here, then she would marry him. "I need a little more time. I'm sorry, and I don't expect you to just wait for me." By this point they had both gotten down from their horses and Nik was tying them in the stables.
"Caroline." He stopped her, "I love you. And I would wait for you for years if I had to, because I don't want to be with anyone but you." As he was talking he was slowly making his way to Caroline. "Love." He added with a smile before kissing her.