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Caroline lowered herself into her sofa, pressing her lips together nervously. If she had it her way, she would be standing for optimal getaway opportunities, but Elena insisted that she sit down. Caroline looked around her living room, her eyebrows rising slightly. Bonnie was sitting beside her on the sofa, looking sheepishly apologetic. Elena was sitting in the armchair beside Caroline, and Matt was sitting on the arm, looking confused. Stefan and Damon were standing on either side of the coffee table, their arms crossed and their expressions stony. But worst of all was Tyler, who was standing against the wall looking absolutely furious.
To Caroline's surprise, it was Tyler who spoke first. "What the hell are you doing, Care?"
"W-what do you mean?" asked Caroline, wincing as her voice cracked slightly. "It's not my fault!"
"You have a choice, Caroline," replied Stefan, uncrossing his arms. His expression softened slightly as she looked up at him; after all, he was the one who comforted her after she was changed. "Just because your past lives chose to be with him, it doesn't mean that you have to go down the same path."
"The same destructive, morbid path, may I add," said Damon, his eyes widening slightly.
"I'm not messing around with him," snapped Caroline, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that was calling her out on her lie. The kiss didn't really count… did it? She shook her head. "He has answers that I need."
"He's dangerous, Caroline," said Elena, reaching out to place a hand over Caroline's. She shot the brunette a glare; was she really going to lecture her about hanging around dangerous guys? Elena cowered slightly under her heated gaze and she pulled her hand away to place it in her lap again.
We can find other ways to get whatever Klaus knows," said Bonnie timidly, trying to make eye contact with Caroline. Caroline looked away, resisting the urge to cross her arms and raise her nose in the air.
"And what if we can't?" Caroline snapped, still looking at the ground. Suddenly, she looked up to meet Bonnie's gaze with a frown. "Hell, where's the 'we' in this? I don't see any of you having to endure this crazy stuff."
"That doesn't mean we aren't going to be here for you," said Matt, his eyebrows creasing with disbelief. "We care about you, Caroline."
She let out a derisive snort. "You really expect me to believe that he – " Caroline jabbed a finger in Damon's direction "Cares about me? He's only here because El… Stefan's here."
Caroline didn't stop the word soon enough, and she could feel the sudden tension in the room. Calling Elena's relationship with Damon 'complicated' would be the understatement of the century. Rolling her eyes, Caroline continued with a nasty tone to her voice. "So. What does the Scooby Gang propose I do?"
"Stay away from him," growled Tyler, stepping away from the wall. "Whatever information he has, it's not worth it."
Caroline turned her full glare on him. "And who's going to help me get rid of these damn dreams? You?"
Tyler's frown deepened. "You know I would if I could."
"Right," Caroline scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Which explains why you've been MIA for the past… how long?"
"I was away for you!"
Caroline's gaze hardened, and the room almost seemed to chill for a moment. "Then why did Callie Kendricks see you at the Grill two weeks ago?"
Tyler's face went blank. "W-what? No… Callie? Why did she tell you that?"
"Forget it, Tyler," Caroline snapped, trying not to break down in front of everyone. Tyler's betrayal hurt her a lot more than she had let on, but it wasn't the time for a complete emotional confession.
"Caroline," Bonnie started, pausing for a moment when Caroline turned her glare on the witch. Seeing the pleading expression on her best friend's face softened her, and she sighed, gesturing for her to continue. Bonnie pressed her lips together. "We may be able to find answers in Isobel's office."
Caroline's eyebrows shot up again. "Uh-uh. There's no way I'm going all the way to Duke."
Everyone in the room turned to look at her in disbelief. She glowered back at them, folding her arms across her chest. "What? I've missed three cheer practices already, and it's almost the end of the year. I have to be here for student council elections."
Damon opened his mouth to argue, but the glare Bonnie shot him silenced him within seconds. Elena looked around the room before turning back to Caroline with an innocent expression. "I'll go."
"I'll go too," Damon shrugged, trying to pass it off as though he was going to volunteer in the first place. Caroline rolled her eyes and leaned back in the sofa.
"So will I," said Stefan, shooting Damon a sideways glance. Caroline shot him a grin in spite of herself; Stefan was finally starting to take action instead of brooding in corners. What a relief.
"I kind of have to go, seeing as I'm the witch here," Bonnie sighed, shooting Damon and Stefan a dirty look. Caroline got up off the sofa, brushing past Damon on her way out.
"Well, you kids have fun," called Caroline, fully aware that Tyler was following her out of the living room. "Meanwhile, I'm going to try not to fall asleep."
Before she could run up the stairs, Tyler reached out and grabbed her hand from behind. She turned around and snatched it away, aware that everyone could still hear their conversation. She peered around Tyler and watched Elena, Stefan, Damon and Matt leave. Bonnie looked back apologetically and waved before disappearing behind the door.
"What do you want?" Caroline snapped as soon as the door swung shut. Tyler sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I want you to listen to me."
She felt her eyebrows crease together. "Well, the time for listening is up, Tyler. I know that you were in Mystic Falls long before today."
Tyler looked down, trying to find his words. "I… I just needed some space."
"Space?" Caroline repeated incredulously, her eyebrows rising. "Space. That's freaking fantastic."
"Caroline, wait – "
"No!" She could hear her voice cracking, but she didn't care. "No. We're over, Tyler. For good."
"Is this because of Klaus?" asked Tyler, looking into her eyes desperately. "Because – "
"When are you going to get it into your thick head – " Caroline whirled around to face Tyler. " – that Klaus isn't the problem? You are!"
She could feel herself getting riled up, but she knew she needed to say everything she was bottling up. "You come back, not because you miss me, but because you think Klaus might move in on your girl? Pathetic, Tyler."
Caroline swore under her breath as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. She waited for him. Tyler opened his mouth to say something, but Caroline cut him off, pointing towards the door. "Go. And don't come back."
When he didn't budge, she reached out and shoved him. Hard. He swayed slightly from the impact, but he didn't move until Caroline turned her back on him. She squeezed her eyes shut as the door swung closed behind him, and she exhaled with relief. Free at last.
A few hours later, Caroline was driving home after a necessary Starbucks run. Elena, Bonnie, Damon and Stefan left for Isobel's office, and she was steering clear of the Mystic Grill because she knew that Tyler would be there with Matt. She was still infuriated by Tyler's words. Space? Was she that suffocating?
Caroline shook her head as she pulled up into her driveway; Tyler was old news. She was done with him. Lifting her head into the air, she got out of her car and walked up to her door, balancing her caffe mocha and her purse. After letting herself in, she raced up the stairs and settled down in the bay window at the top of the stairs, leaning her head against the glass as she sipped from her drink.
She didn't intend to fall asleep, but once she felt herself getting sleepy, she didn't resist. Within minutes, she was nestled on her side and fast asleep.
Charlotte ran her fingers through her hair as she stood by the fire pit in the middle of the village, admiring the decorations put up for the yearly festival. She was standing with two of her friends, taking in the warm summer air with a gleeful grin. She loved festivals. The lights, food and pure happiness seemed to awaken the child in her.
She let out a gasp as a hand brushed at her hip, and she whirled around to find that no one was there. Pressing her lips together nervously, she turned back around, waving off her friends' questions with a smile. Moments later, she felt someone reach out and grab her hand for a few seconds. She turned around again to find Niklaus a few feet away, deep in conversation. He looked away long enough to throw a wink in Charlotte's direction, and she felt herself blush beet-red. She turned back to her friends to make sure that they didn't see before throwing him a chastising look.
Just as Nik started to make his way over to her, someone stepped in her way. She jumped slightly, startled by the sudden appearance. "Joshua!"
"Charlotte," Joshua, who lived next door to her, bowed courteously. "May I have a dance?"
Charlotte's striking blue eyes widened at the suggestion, but she nodded nonetheless, trying to avoid Nik's gaze. She knew how jealous he could get… and who was she kidding, it was hilarious. She glanced up to meet Nik's eyes as one of Joshua's hands slipped around her waist, and she resisted the urge to grin when she caught the anger in his expression. She found his jealousy endearing rather than frightening.
Charlotte's expression hardened when she looked back at Nik. Henrietta, the pretty brunette a few houses down from her, was standing shyly in front of Nik. Charlotte's eyes widened as Nik held out his hand and her mouth dropped open as the two walked over to the dance floor. His eyes flickered up to meet hers and he raised his eyebrows innocently as his hand snaked around Henrietta's waist. Charlotte's cheeks flushed red, not from embarrassment but from anger. She stepped closer to Joshua, grinning back at Nik as his eyes narrowed.
It was a miracle that their partners didn't notice their coy glances at each other throughout the dance, but they managed to get through the song without being figured out. As soon as the dance ended, Charlotte curtsied to Joshua and exited the dance floor, knowing that Nik would follow. She headed for the barn, listening for his footsteps.
She let out a squeal as someone lifted her from behind, carrying her for the rest of the way to the barn. Nik pushed the barn doors open and tossed her down on the haystack before bolting the barn door behind himself. When he turned back around, Charlotte was standing up, her arms folded across her chest. "Henrietta?"
"Joshua?" asked Nik, shooting her a teasing grin. She rolled her eyes, falling back onto the haystack. He was on top of her within seconds, kissing her jaw line and making his way up to her lips.
"You know I only have eyes for you," Charlotte breathed, reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. He pulled away for long enough to gaze lovingly into her eyes before taking her lips between his again.
"No, by all means, continue."
Caroline jolted awake, gripping onto the side of the bay window to stay upright. She looked up to find Klaus standing on the top stair, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. She felt herself flush red as she sat upright; there was something in his expression that told her he heard what he wasn't supposed to hear.
"I have to say, I like hearing you call me 'Nik' more than 'Klaus'," said Klaus conversationally, his smirk stretching into a grin. Caroline's eyes widened as she realized that she must have been repeating his name in her sleep.
"I… you…," Caroline stuttered, looking around for an excuse. Klaus raised his eyebrows, as though he was dying to know what her excuse was. She frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "Shut up."
Klaus laughed, the sound sending shivers of delight down Caroline's spine. She shook her head; her mind was still in dream mode. She didn't like Klaus like that. She just… enjoyed his company. Right.
"Did you eat yet, love?"
Caroline looked up, surprised by the normality of his statement. His expression was sufficiently innocent, but she knew better than to trust him. "Yeah."
He walked over to the bay window and sat beside her, only inches away from her face. He leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he gazed into hers. "Liar."
Caroline sighed, leaning back against the wall. "Okay. So I didn't eat. Big deal."
Klaus watched her for a few moments before standing up and holding out a hand. She looked at it questioningly, and he rolled his eyes in response. "We're going out for dinner."
"W-what?" Caroline's eyes widened, and she shrunk away from his outstretched hand. "Watch it end up being like that party you took me to."
Klaus's mouth curved into a smirk. "Just the two of us in a simple diner, I swear."
Caroline frowned; that sounded pretty romantic to her. She tried to ignore the rumbling of her stomach, but by the look on Klaus's face he heard it too.
"Take a chance, Caroline," Klaus said, the hint of a dare in his words. He lowered his voice, his smirk widening. "I promise to be decent."
She sighed, rolling her eyes. She was hungry, after all, and she definitely needed something to take her mind off Tyler. Rolling her eyes, she reached out and took his hand. "Fine."
Klaroline in a cozy diner… lots of room for fluff ;) And to those of you who were afraid of a Caroline/Klaus/Tyler triangle, no worries! I hate triangles, and Klaroline is too adorable to ruin.
Huge huge huge thanks to my amazing reviewers! I don't think you guys realize how much you mean to me :')
MysteryDream3, KoffeeKath, Damonsexybeast, jennyjtd, SueMikaelson, klauslove, Sunshine and Chocolate, CeceVolume, Polia, Dianne, Anna, betseyjill, EmilyRose09, bluestrdrmr, jennat8 and babyvfan you guys are awesome :)
Till next time!