chapter rating: pg-13/teen
word count: 7,145
summary: Caroline Salvatore has spent nearly all of her 145 years of undead life cleaning up her brother Damon's messes. But when a familiar face draws her home to Mystic Falls, nothing could have prepared her for what was to come. [AU – Caroline and Stefan, life switch]
-10-
"Hey, are you okay?"
Bonnie looked up from her lap to find Caroline standing in front of her. "Huh?"
They'd spent much of the morning shopping and, while Caroline was clearly on her second wind, Bonnie's head was elsewhere. Namely, a parking lot, where the body of her history teacher had been found. She just couldn't get the prickly feeling of regret and fear to go away. Some part of her felt like it was her fault. If only she'd known what to look for, how to understand her strange dreams, maybe Tanner wouldn't be dead. But he was, and she was freaking out a little bit.
Caroline, still dressed in the latest new outfit of her choosing, took a seat on the bench next to Bonnie. She reached for her hand and squeezed. "You've been a little spacy all morning. You wanna talk about it?"
Bonnie smiled faintly. "Sorry. I guess I'm still a little shook up about the whole…"
"Murdered teacher thing?" She nodded. "Doesn't happen every day, and especially not to someone you know. That can definitely weigh on a person."
"I just… feel like it could have been avoided. You know?"
Caroline's eyes darted away for a second. "Yeah. I do. It's one of those things. Death has a way of putting things into perspective for you. Life is fleeting. Not just yours, but everybody's. Which is kind of terrifying, actually."
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah."
"And with that uplifting conversation…" She leaned over to bump her shoulder against Bonnie's. "Come on. I can't change what happened, but I can make your closet a little more stylish."
"Oh really?" Bonnie grinned. "Are you suggesting it's not stylish now?"
"I'm saying there's always room for improvement." Standing, she dragged Bonnie up from the bench with her. "Seriously, there's this dress I found that would look amazing on you… Someone smart once said retail therapy will cure just about anything."
"And this smart person is…?"
"Me. Right now." She directed Bonnie to a dressing room and said, "I already grabbed a few things for you to try on. And ooh, there's another top…" She stared at a nearby rack. "How do you feel about purple?"
"I—"
Caroline waved. "Let's just try it on and see, okay?"
Bonnie shook her head, amused. While she was pretty sure retail therapy wasn't going to make her feel any better about Mr. Tanner, avoidance sounded pretty good right now, so it would just have to do.
…
Stefan was standing on the Gilbert porch, hands tucked into his pockets, second-guessing just about everything. He had to do this. He knew that. It wasn't like he and Elena hadn't talked since the break-up. They had. But, emotionally charged talks always left him feeling drained and introspective. Their relationship wasn't all terrible. They had some great moments; times he would always cherish. But, so many of them were overshadowed with jealousy and miscommunication and a lack of trust. More than that, he felt himself drifting, disconnected from who he was and what he wanted. His relationships outside of Elena started to suffer and before he knew it, love had turned to resentment. That wasn't who he was or what he wanted to feel.
The door swung open without him having to knock. The rush of air blew Elena's hair back from her shoulders to hang at her back in a sleek, straight sheet. She was beautiful. There was no denying that. Elena had always been the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. Captivating in a way straight out of the movies or a romance novel. It was why it was so easy for him and Matt to be drawn in. For anyone to be drawn in. She turned heads wherever she went, like a siren with a silent call. But, beauty could wear off. It could dull. And cracks formed in the relationship even as her perfect face remained intact.
"Hey…" Her voice softened, low and throaty, like early morning, when you first open your eyes and take that deep breath, letting sleep fall away. "Didn't think I'd see you around here…" She stepped out from the door and crossed her arms in front of her, like she was hugging herself, prepared for an onslaught of condemnation.
He couldn't say there wasn't some part of him that wanted to let loose an avalanche of hurt, if only to soothe his own healing wounds. But, he wasn't there for that, and that wasn't going to make him feel any better. "Yeah. Wasn't really planning on visiting any time soon…" He half-smiled. "I think I stopped driving down your block at some point. The route I take now is probably three blocks out of my way."
Her brow furrowed. "Really?"
He shrugged. "People do weird things when they get their heart broken."
She sighed and tipped her head, staring up at him meaningfully. "Stefan…"
"I don't want you to think it was easy. To… let you go or to move on or any of that. It wasn't. I spent a lot of time being angry. At you and Matt, but mostly… at me. I wasn't honest with you when all of this started. I convinced myself that I'd be okay with it, with sharing you. But, I wasn't. And neither was Matt. So instead of just enjoying what we had and being happy when I did have you, I started to hate it. I started to hate who I was and the choices I made and… And I started to hate you."
She flinched.
"The thing is, I don't want to hate you, Elena. I don't want to resent you or blame you or any of that. I just… I want to let go of you. And I know that might hurt you, but I can't change that."
"You could, actually. By taking it back." She stared up at him searchingly. "I know that you think this makes sense. I know that I hurt you by being with Matt. And I can't take that back. I'm not even sure I would. I mean…" She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears. "I loved Matt. And as much as I know this whole thing didn't work out for you or him, for me it was… everything I wanted. Because I was loved by two of the most amazing people I know. And I miss that. I miss being loved by you."
He looked down and took a deep, steadying breath. "Look, I didn't come here to talk about our relationship. I meant it when I said that I didn't want to get back together. I don't."
She bit her lip and cast her eyes away, damp with tears. "Right. Because you have Caroline now."
"I made my mind up before I ever met Caroline." He shook his head. "I wasn't happy, Elena. Not with my life or who I was becoming or how I felt. I just wasn't happy anymore. And Eddy, she said something to me the other day, about how we were like my parents. Pretending that we were happy with what we had but relieved when it finally ended. Maybe that's not how you felt, but when I look back on it, that's what it was for me."
"So, all those times you said you loved me… That you wanted to be with me…"
"I did. I meant them when I said them. But, things change."
"No. Love doesn't change." She crossed the space between them and pressed her hands to his chest. "Stefan, we can work this out. Just me and you. No Matt, no Caroline, just us."
His hands carefully wrapped around her wrists, holding them in place as he took a step back. "Caroline told me that the two of you talked, that you… You told her we were temporary and that I'd come back to you."
"Because I believe that. I have to believe that."
"Elena…" He stared at her seriously. "I told you. Even if you picked me over Matt, I don't want to do this anymore. We weren't happy together."
"I was."
"But, I wasn't." He pursed his lips, his brow furrowed. "Look, I'll always care about you. You're still my friend. But… I think we need space and… I'm asking you, please, leave Caroline out of this. What we have is new and we're still figuring it out, but I think it could be something special."
She swallowed, her throat bobbing, and gave a jerky nod. "Fine," she said, her voice a choked rasp. "Fine, if that's really what you want."
He released her wrists and let his arms fall to his sides. "It is."
She stared at him, and reached up to dash a tear from her cheek. "Okay."
He nodded, and then turned to walk down the porch stairs. He reached the lawn before she called his name and he looked back at her.
"I meant what I said to Caroline… about us being soul mates. Maybe that doesn't mean now, but… someday."
Stefan stared at her a long moment, and then turned on his heel. He crossed to his car without another word and climbed inside.
Elena stayed on the porch, watching him go, and Stefan couldn't help but wonder if he'd done the right thing. Not by leaving. He knew that he and Elena, they just weren't meant to be. But, her certainty in the end, that somehow they would find each other again, letting her believe it, not denying it… Was that a mistake? Or was letting her hold onto that hope until it eventually dimmed on its own a kinder way to end it?
…
"Part of me wants to say that I'm all shopped-out…" Sarah slumped into a seat and let out a long sigh. "Another part of me is wondering if maybe I'm just hungry and after dinner, I'll be all for the next sale."
Lexi grinned. "We won't know until we try. I'm thinking milkshakes. The bigger, the better."
"Ooh, yes." Sarah pointed at her and then grabbed up a menu. "And a cheeseburger, with mushrooms and bacon, so big I'll need a second mouth."
"Okay, we did feed you just a few hours ago. Lunch was a thing, right?" Caroline took a seat across from her and hooked her purse over the back of her chair. "Or brunch, I guess."
"Brunch is not lunch." Sarah's brows hiked. "I'm starving."
"Yeah, I'm with you. I seriously need to eat. I feel like I just ran a marathon. Not that I'm complaining, because I think we've actually replaced my entire wardrobe today, but… Still, I need food." Bonnie squinted at the board set up near the front, boasting a variety of specials. "I've never eaten here. Does anyone recommend anything?"
"We had steak the last time we were here," Sarah said. "Caroline likes hers extra rare, just an FYI if you feel like stealing a bite."
Bonnie's nose wrinkled. "Okay, never stealing any meat off your plate. Um… What about the beef dip?"
"It's great." Lexi nodded. "So are the pastas. I'm a hundred percent here for the lasagna."
Caroline frowned. "On a personal level, I'm offended. The lasagna here is subpar."
"Okay, you say that about every lasagna, because you're biased."
"I do not."
Sarah grinned. "You do. But if it makes you feel better, nobody cooks a pasta like you do."
Caroline perked up. "It does, thank you."
"You know, I keep hearing you're a good cook, but nobody is sharing anything with me." Bonnie's brows hiked.
"You'll have to come over then. Or we could come to you. Ooh, we should have a girl's night." Lexi nodded. "Yes, mani's, pedi's, cheesy movies, junk food, the works."
"That sounds great. I definitely think I'm due for a girl's night in."
"Awesome." Caroline turned her attention to the waitress that stopped by the table for their drink orders. When she was gone, Caroline sat forward, resting her arms atop the table. "So? Are we thinking of hitting that last sale or going home?"
"As it is, I'm going to have to empty out my closet to fit everything I got today," Bonnie said. "But I'm not opposed to watching you guys strike your best cat walk pose."
"I think I'm shopped out," Lexi said. "I need a nap."
Sarah moped a little. "Much as I want to keep going, I think I'm done, too. I have a long night of trying to find somewhere to put all this stuff as it is."
"Okay, dinner, then home." Caroline nodded. "As for the girl's night, we should do it soon. What are you doing next weekend?"
Bonnie shrugged. "I think I'm free. As long as cheerleading doesn't interrupt, but, considering Elena basically quit, I'm not sure I'll stay on the team much longer…"
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mostly did it because she wanted to. I don't know…"
"Well, if you quit cheerleading you can go back to dancing," Caroline reminded. "You said you were missing it."
"True." She smiled. "That'd be nice."
As the waitress returned with their drinks, they fell into an easy conversation about what they'd do on their girls' night.
…
"Hey," a voice called from the doorway.
Stefan turned in his desk chair to see Eddy standing in his doorway. "Hey… What're you doing up so late?"
She shrugged and walked into his room. "I made you something."
"You did?"
She nodded and shoved a hand forward with a wrinkled piece of paper held aloft. "It's not much. It's just a bunch of songs. But, I listened to them a lot after the divorce and they made me feel better. I know it's not the same, but, after dad left, it kind of felt like he died. Or our family did, or something. I don't know. Anyway, I thought if they made me feel better about that, they might make you feel better about Coach Tanner. He was kind of a jerk. I know you're not supposed to say anything bad about the dead, but, whatever. It's true." She rocked back on her heels. "Just listen to them, okay?"
Stefan stared down at the ragged piece of paper she'd torn out of a notebook, her slanted chicken scratch penning out songs and bands. She'd even added stars to her favorites. His mouth inched up at the corner. "You listened to these because of dad?"
She shrugged. "I'm not like you. I can't write in my journal to make it better."
"I don't know if my journal makes it better, exactly." His brows flashed up. "Mostly it just helps me think."
"Yeah, that's what music does for me. The lyrics don't always fit, but the music does. When I'm angry it gets loud, and when I'm sad it gets quiet…"
He nodded, and looked up at her. "Thank you for this."
"It's no big deal." She flushed and ducked her head awkwardly.
"It is to me."
Rolling her eyes, she huffed at him. "You're such a sap."
He laughed. "I can be, yeah." He wheeled his chair closer to her. "C'mere. I want a hug."
"No!" she cried, but laughed as he reached for her, dragging her closer. Ringing her arms around his neck, she let out a little sigh, and dropped her chin to his shoulder. "I'm sorry your coach got savagely murdered by a so-called wild animal."
Amused, he turned his eyes upward. She was baiting him, and he probably shouldn't ask, but… "So-called?"
Leaning back, she looked at him seriously. "You wanna hear my theory?"
"I have a feeling I can guess…" He searched her face. "Please tell me you weren't on the Wikipedia page for serial killers again. You made me check every window and door in the house three times after your last spiral."
"Home safety is no joke, Stefan!" She sighed, loud and loud. "Anyway, that's not the point! We totally have a serial killer, right here in Mystic Falls! Do you know how cool that is?"
"Cool or terrifying? 'Cause if it was true, I'd definitely be leaning closer to one and not the other."
She rolled her eyes. "Our sleepy town is about to get crazy interesting. We might even get reporters from out of town! Or the FBI!"
"Right, that's just the kind of attention we want around here… Not to mention the part where it means people will die."
"Well, we could always try and track him down ahead of time..." she said, thoughtfully. "I took some notes on what the most common characteristics of a serial killer is, like age, ethnicity, gender, that kind of thing."
"We really need to sign you up for some extra-curriculars or something. Get you back on the soccer team or debate or something."
She frowned. "I have a plastic badge in my room from my fourth birthday that says Junior Detective on it. Does that count?"
He blinked at her. "No."
"Lame."
"Look, it's not a serial killer."
"How do you know?"
He shrugged. "Because. Don't you think mom would say something? You think she'd let us walk around here if there was some killer on the loose?"
Eddy pursed her lips. "Maybe she hasn't figured it out yet. Or maybe they're covering their tracks really well."
"Or it's not a serial killer and it's just a wild animal."
"What kind of wild animal attacks someone in a crowded place? It would have to come all the way into town and attack Coach Tanner right around the corner from the football field. Do you know how loud it was out there? Animals stalk easy prey. The noise would've scared it off."
"Now you're a serial killer and an animal expert?"
"Never put all your eggs in one basket, Stefan. You've got to know a little about a lot."
"Right." He smothered a smile and leaned back in his chair. "Look, I'm not saying you're wrong. Something weird definitely happened. But, I'm not sure we should jump on the serial killer bandwagon just yet."
Her eyes narrowed and her chin set stubbornly. "You watch…" She turned on her heel and fled for the door. "And listen to the playlist!"
Stefan watched her go and then turned his gaze down to the list in his hand. Turning his seat around, he reached for his laptop and opened it. It couldn't hurt to give it a listen.
…
"Still not talking to me?"
Caroline rolled her eyes as she walked through the kitchen, intent on the freezer, where a few blood bags were waiting, only to find Damon leisurely seated atop the island counter.
"You used to do this when we were kids, too. The silent treatment was your favorite. I never told you, but it was mine, too. You were always talking, talking, talking…" He mocked speaking with his hand. "It was nice to take a break."
Digging out a mug, Caroline emptied her blood bag into it and placed it inside the microwave to warm up. She hugged her cardigan around her a little snugger and rested her back against the counter as she waited for the timer to tick down.
"Come on… It's been a few days already." Actually, a day and a half, barely. "You've had your little sulk and gone on your shopping spree with the girls." He smirked at her. "It was one tiny slip. And besides, I heard the guy was a serious asshole. Maybe I did you a favor…"
She glared witheringly in his direction.
Damon shrugged. "Just a thought." Hopping down off the counter, he tipped his head and extended his hearing. "Sounds like our nephew's waking up for the day. I should go before he makes anymore empty threats." Rolling his eyes, he grabbed up his leather jacket from the back of a chair and pulled it on, patting the pockets in search of his car keys. "Same time tomorrow?"
Caroline sighed, but refused to rise to the bait and instead focused on the nice warm mug of blood she pulled from the beeping microwave. When she turned back around, he was gone, and a yawning Zach walked into the kitchen, running a hand through his curly hair. "Mornin'," he mumbled.
"Morning," she replied quietly, distantly, as she stared at the island counter.
Maybe tomorrow she would talk to her brother, and remind him it was time he left.
…
"Hey…" Liz stood at the kitchen island, dressed in her Sheriff's uniform, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. "We haven't had a chance to talk much lately."
Stefan glanced at her from his seat at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal growing soggy in front of him. "Things've just been busy. It's fine."
"Your Coach died…" She stared at him worriedly. "I know you weren't super close, but he's still been a pretty big part of your life for a while."
"He didn't deserve to die like that." Stefan dropped his gaze to his bowl, his brow furrowed. "You know, Eddy thinks it was a serial killer."
There was a pause before Liz gave a huff of a laugh. "What?"
"Yeah. She thinks it's strange, an animal getting that close to town… Attacking so close to a crowd of people…"
"There's been discussion about how the local wildlife might be too used to us. That they're not afraid of people like they used to be." She shrugged. "Stefan, you can't really believe there's a serial killer walking around… I mean, it's Mystic Falls."
"Yeah." He half-smiled. "It sounds crazy."
"Yes, it does." She stared at him. "It's an animal. I know your sister thinks small town life is a little boring so she comes up with ways to make it more interesting, but… Don't spread the theory around, okay? I'm getting enough calls about the animal attack. If people start thinking the next Charles Manson is living here, I won't get any peace."
"Yeah, no, of course."
"Thank you." She sipped at her coffee before her phone started beeping demandingly.
"Duty calls," he said.
She sighed. "I really do want to talk. About Coach Tanner and you and… How things are going with Caroline."
He ducked his face as he felt his cheeks warm. "It's new and we're still figuring it out."
"She seems nice. And Eddy really likes her."
"Yeah, well, Eddy also likes zombies, so…" He smiled and stood from the table, taking his cereal bowl to the sink. "But, we'll talk. Soon. I promise." He dropped a kiss on her cheek before he left the kitchen. Worry settled low in his stomach. He wanted to believe his mother that all they had to worry about was a wild animal, but something wasn't sitting right.
…
"You think it'll be weird?" Sarah wondered, sitting on the edge of her bed as she laced up her boots. "I mean, going back to school knowing that Damon killed Coach Tanner."
Lexi shrugged, leaning in the doorway. "Do you feel weird?"
"Kind of. I mean, the football team is basically stuck. I don't know if they're going to sub someone else in or end the season early. A man is dead. And I know who did it…"
"I feel like that might be the part you're tripping up on. The whole 'my uncle's a killer' bit."
"I mean, I knew that he'd killed people. My dad's mentioned it a few thousand times and you're not exactly his biggest fan. But… I don't know. It's weird. I've known about vampires my whole life, but I kind of feel like I had a glamorized view of it, you know? Not like Twilight levels of 'vampires are just sparkly mosquitoes.' But, I know how controlled you and Caroline are. It's weird to think some vampires aren't. That they just kill indiscriminately."
"If you ask me, it wasn't so indiscriminate… Damon likes to make a point and that's what this was. He was telling Caroline he wouldn't be controlled. Proving he had the upper hand."
"And someone had to die for him to do that?" Her brow furrowed. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that."
"Loyalty to family is hard. You want to believe the best in them, even when the evidence tells you different." Sighing, Lexi pushed off the doorjamb. "I can't tell you how to feel. You'll figure it out on your own. It might take a little time, but you'll get there."
"Yeah." She blew out a breath and stood. Throwing her arms out, she did a little twirl. "Well? How do we like my new outfit?"
Lexi whistled, long and loud. "Very nice."
Sarah grinned and took a little bow. "Thank you."
"Come on. We should get going. I think Caroline's eager to get to school." She wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully.
"Ooh…" She laughed. "I wonder why."
…
"Stefan!"
He turned, a smile breaking out across his face as he saw her.
Caroline weaved throughout the crowded school hallway to reach him. "Hey…" she said, a little breathless.
"Hey." He reached for her, their hands meeting in the middle. "It's weird. It's been maybe a day but I feel like it's been a week."
"Yeah." Her shoulders slumped. "Me, too." She stepped closer, squeezing his hands. "How are you? I know you're probably sick of that question by now, but…"
"I'm good, really." He nodded. "Probably won't be playing football anytime soon, but, I'll survive."
Reaching up, she laid a hand on his shoulder and dragged it down his arm soothingly. "If you wanna talk…"
"Actually, I was hoping I could cash in that raincheck?"
"Yeah?" She perked up. "Of course. When?"
"I was hoping tonight, actually. I know it's kind of short notice, so if you can't make it."
"I'm free."
"Yeah? Great! Then, I thought maybe we could just go to Mystic Grill? Have a burger, play pool, do something normal…"
She smiled. "I'd like that."
He grinned. "Okay."
The bell rang then, shrill and demanding.
"You want an escort to class?"
Hooking her arm through his, she nodded. "Since you're going to the same place, yeah."
…
Lexi had skipped class and found herself in Mystic Grill, texting Lee while she picked at a basket of fries. The whole high school shtick wasn't really her bag, but she was happy Caroline was enjoying herself. It was a small upside, considering the chaos that had quickly followed and would, no doubt, overstay it's welcome.
"That throbbing vein in your forehead might be scaring the locals, Lex." Damon took a seat across from her, smirking widely. "Hey, sis."
Lexi's eyes narrowed. "Damon."
"Been a while."
"Not long enough." Putting her phone aside, she leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. "Any particular reason you're here, bothering me?"
"Well, my actual sister is playing normal at school. A little sad, super pathetic, and something of a barrier. Hanging out in high school parking lots looks skeevy. So, I thought I'd come see how my adopted sister's doing."
"Well, I was enjoying my lunch before an unexpected guest showed up. But, that's kind of your thing these days, huh?"
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not allowed to visit? You know, for all your complaining, I'm keeping the casualty count low. We both know I could be doing a lot worse."
She gritted her teeth, but forced herself to look unaffected and casual. "Is that a threat?"
"Just a fact." He smirked. "So, what brought you back here? I know Carebear came back because that second-rate Katherine-double caught her eye. But, what dragged you out of the shadows? I thought you and what's-his-face were on your vampire honeymoon. You did turn him, didn't you?"
"I don't get you…" She shook her head. "Every once in a while, you get back on the wagon, flip the switch on, and play by the rules. It can't all be Katherine. I never met her, but I've heard enough stories to know she wasn't that special. Just your average, two-timing skank, too greedy for her own good."
"Are you fishing for a reaction, Lex?" He stared at her searchingly. "You and I both know that Katherine was a hurdle I hopped over a long time."
"But, not one you've stopped dangling in front of Caroline." She cocked her head to the side. "Why is that?"
"She's easy to rile up when you press the right buttons." He shrugged. "I get bored."
"That's not it." She lifted an eyebrow. "She was your best friend once. Your hunting partner and the only person you could turn to when shit hit the fan."
"She was supposed to be. But, when I needed her there, she didn't show."
"So, all of this is just leftover PTSD from that Augustine experiment?" She snorted. "You know, you'd think after all this time, you might stop by a therapist's office."
"I did." His eyes flashed wide. "She said I had Daddy issues, so I ate her."
Lexi sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. "For someone who hates his sister, you sure go out of your way to find her a lot. You wanna know what I think?"
"Not particularly." He sighed.
"You miss her. More, you miss you. The you that you used to be. That she reminds you of. The you that Sarah still hopes you are. The one you bury in blood and bourbon and bitter snark. You can pretend all you want that this is just your vengeance streak showing itself, but I've seen you at your best, Damon. There's a good guy under all your angsty drama. You've gotten good at hiding him, but he's still there. And eventually, you'll let him out again. Because that's what you do. You hide who you are behind this poor-man's imitation of a bad guy."
"The dead guy I left in a parking lot a couple nights ago would say different."
"Humans come and go, live and die. They always will. I don't approve of your methods. Most of the time, I don't even like you. But, Caroline still thinks there's something redeemable in there. And as much as you pretend there isn't, I think you hope she's right." Pushing out of the booth, she stood, hooking her bag over her shoulder. "It was nice catching up, Big Brother. We should do this more. I feel good." With a grin, she turned on her heel and strolled away, leaving Damon to brood in her wake.
…
"So, what's your pool game like? I know Lexi's a shark, but what about you?" Stefan wondered, leaning back against the lockers. It was lunch time and they were hanging in the hallway while the majority of the school had gone outside to soak up the sun.
"I'm not terrible, but I'm not sure that's much to boast about. Lexi's tried to teach me a few times, but I never really got the hang of it."
He hummed. "Okay, well, we can go somewhere else if you want."
She smiled. "Yeah? And what else does the illustrious Mystic Falls have to offer?"
"Not much," he admitted. "We could… go to the movies."
Her nose scrunched. "Then we can't talk. Well, I'll still talk, but we'll get booed at."
He grinned. "We could rent a movie then. You can talk through the whole thing, I'll keep the booing to a minimum."
"At your place?"
"Sure. We can get take-out from Mystic Falls. Order something off OnDemand."
She nodded. "Yeah, okay, I'd like that."
"Great." Tiny bursts of excitement spread across his chest. Every time she said she wanted to hang out with him, he felt a little floaty. It wasn't a completely new sensation. He'd felt something like it before. But, with Caroline, it was a little different. The anticipation was stronger and deeper and it hit him a little harder. He wasn't sure what that meant. A cynical part of him couldn't help but think that the harder he fell, the harder the landing was going to be. But, that implied there was no one to catch him, and he wondered if that wasn't necessarily true.
She reached for him, hooking her fingers in the pocket of his zip-up hoodie and pulling him forward. He stood upright, chest to chest with her, one hand settling on her hip, the other burying in her hair. He could feel his heart beating a little too fast and let out a quiet sigh, staring down at her. "It's weird… I feel like I should be more upset about what's been going on lately. And I am. I feel bad about Coach Tanner, but…" He stared at her searchingly. "This… Being with you… I can't help being happy."
"Good… Maybe that's exactly what you need." She tipped her chin up, letting the tip of her nose nuzzle against his. "And for the record… You make me happy, too."
He smiled before he kissed her, his fingers folding around the nape of her neck, thumb stroking behind her ear. They stumbled, his back bumping the lockers, and he laughed a little. His eyes had fallen closed and he opened them, staring down at her, bright blue eyes gazing back. "Have I mentioned I'm really glad you moved here?"
Her nose scrunched up. "It was implied."
He huffed a laugh and kissed her again. He kept kissing her, right up until the bell rang, and even then, he lingered at her mouth for a little while.
"After school," she said, leaning back, a little out of breath, her lips flushed red and puffy. "I, uh… I have to drop Sarah off and stop by my place. But after, I'll meet you at Mystic Grill?"
"Mm-hmm." He nodded, his gaze moving across her face, memorizing this look on her.
Caroline dragged a hand down his chest and settled it over his heart. "We'll pick this up later."
"Promise?"
She bit her lip and walked backwards. "I do."
…
After school, Bonnie found herself standing in front of the dance studio, chewing on her lip with indecision.
"There' my favorite little witch."
Startled, Bonnie looked up, right into a pair of piercing blue eyes. "Damon…" Her heart jumped. "Uh, hey. What're you doing here?"
"Not much. This town's not exactly hopping with interesting things to do." He nodded toward the studio. "You going in?"
She shrugged. "I don't know… I quit the cheerleading squad today."
"Really? Did you return the outfit?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "No."
"Smart thinking. You never know when you'll need that." He tucked his arms behind his back. "So? Is Bonnie about to get her groove back?"
She rocked back on her heels. "It's been a while. I'm not sure I have what it takes."
"Can't know unless you try." He shrugged. "So, these dance classes you wanna take, do they involve leg warmers at all? Asking for a friend, obviously."
She snorted. "Leg warmers? Seriously?"
"I've got a visual in my head of you going full Flash Dance. Not the water bucket scene, although I wouldn't complain, but I was thinking more of the really sweaty dance workouts. She wore a lot of leg warmers for those."
"I'm sure her fashion choices were why you watched," she muttered dryly.
"You're avoiding the question, Bon-Bon…"
Rolling her eyes, she said, "I own a pair, yes. I don't plan on wearing them anytime soon."
"Pity." He sighed.
She glanced at him. "What're you really doing here?"
"A guy can't go for a walk?"
"There's nothing around here for you to be walking to? Are you checking up on me since I…"
"Since you… what?" His eyebrows hiked. "Revealed you might be a witch?"
"Don't say that word." She looked around nervously. "Someone could hear you."
"So? What're they gonna do?" His complete lack of worry only seemed to make hers worse. It was easy for him to be unconcerned when it wasn't his life that could be screwed up.
"I don't want people to think I'm crazy." She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Besides, whatever happened on Saturday, it was just a fluke. Coach Tanner is dead, but I didn't have anything to do with it. "
"No, but you were pretty upset." He tipped his head, staring at her curiously. "Whatever happened, it convinced you that you might be a witch, so…"
Bonnie chewed on her lip in indecision. Thinking of the numbers that had been stuck in her head—8, 14, 22— like a sign or a warning. "I think I knew. Some part of me that I don't understand… I think it knew that something was going to happen." She fidgeted, shifting her feet from side to side. "And I can't help thinking that if I'd done something—" Tears bit at her eyes. "What if I missed the message? Like some cosmic force was telling me that I had a chance to change things and I wasn't listening."
"Hey!" He reached for her, his hands falling to her shoulders. "It doesn't matter what kind of witchy lines of communication got tangled. You couldn't stop what happened."
She stared up at him, her brow knotted. "How do you know?"
He pursed his lips. "Look, if you are a witch, you're new at it. You can't get down on yourself for not knowing exactly what to do or what's going on. There's a learning curve to this kind of stuff. You've got some catching up to do."
She frowned. "You sound like you know a lot about witches."
"Or I'm just spectacular at pep-talks." He half-grinned. "So? You feel better?"
"Strangely, yes." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I also feel like I should probably talk to my Grams. Whatever's going on, I think she knows more about it than I do. And maybe it's time to stop assuming she's making all of this witch junk up and actually hear her out."
"Can't hurt." He turned and nodded his chin toward the studio. "So, no leg warmers then?"
She turned to face the building a long moment. "Maybe I can just sign up, you know? And if I get a chance, I can stop in, see how it goes."
"Is there a place for observers to sit? I can make a 'Go Bonnie' t-shirt if you really impress me."
Rolling her eyes, she shoved at his arm. "You're not allowed to come." She walked ahead, climbing the stairs to the door.
"What if I'm on my best behavior?" he called after her.
She looked back at him, grinning up at her. "What qualifies as 'best behavior' in your books?"
His grin widened into a smirk.
"Yeah, that's what I thought…" She shook her head. "Call me when you grow up."
"You might be waiting a while."
"I'm a patient person."
He chuckled to himself.
Bonnie reached for the door handle, but paused, swamped with a sudden burst of uncertainty.
Suddenly, Damon was right next to her again. She had no idea how he got up the stairs that quickly or quietly. "Stop second guessing yourself." He pulled the door open for her and waved her inside. "I might not be there to cheer you on in person, but I can be there in spirit."
She stared up at him, her brow furrowed. "I don't know if you're being sincere or not, but… That might be one of the nicest things someone's ever said to me."
He hummed. "You need to get out more. Meet new people. Make better friends."
She snorted. "Thanks."
"Just saying." He tipped his head, urging her on.
"Okay." Taking a deep breath, she nodded, and walked through the door. Looking back at him, she said, sincerely, "Really. Thank you."
He winked at her.
Bonnie walked ahead to the front desk and when the receptionist turned to see her, she didn't chicken out. "Yeah, I was wondering about any Hip-Hop classes…?"
…
Caroline had changed her outfit twice before finally deciding to stop worrying about it. It was just dinner and a movie, no big deal. But, a part of her felt like it was a very big deal. As much as she kept trying to convince herself and everybody else that her and Stefan were just some casual thing, whenever she was around him, she felt something inside her light up. Like a part of her was stuck on dim this whole time and now it was realizing its full capacity. It was a little scary, actually. For so long, she'd told herself she was happy with what she had. She didn't want more than casual and easy. But, there was something about Stefan that made her feel like maybe she was wrong. Maybe she could want more and have more and it could be amazing.
It was the worst timing. Her brother was out trying to prove his full sociopathic range and an exact double of her ex-whatever was her new… Was it too early to call him her boyfriend? Kind of, right? Ugh, dating was so awkward. In any case, her new love interest's ex-girlfriend looked exactly like her ex-girlfriend. The same ex that had turned her life on its head. That was weird, right? Her and Stefan were just starting and already she could feel the baggage they were carrying.
And yet, that didn't stop her from touching up her make-up and driving out to Mystic Grill to meet him for their date. It didn't stop that giddy feeling from swimming around in her stomach. And it definitely didn't stop that little light inside of her from hitting an all new high as she stepped into The Grill and saw him waiting for her at the bar. If her heart could beat, it would be jumping out of her chest. Because when he looked at her, she thought she saw that same light in him, and she knew it was impossible that she fell in love with him in less than a week, but damn if it didn't feel like she was already on a precipice and leaning over.
"Hey." He reached for her as she came to a stop just short of him, his hand settling on her side.
"Hi." She felt breathless and a little dizzy, but it was good. The kind of feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time, and so much better than it'd ever been.
He smiled down at her. "You know what you want?"
He meant the menu, she was sure. What she wanted to order for dinner. But, in that moment, it meant something entirely different. And for the first time, since all of this started, despite all the reasons she shouldn't, she said—
"Yeah… I do."
She wanted him.
Damn the consequences.
tbc
note: i don't have words for how completely unhappy i am with the series finale. steroline has been my otp for this show from the very beginning. from the moment she saw him in the hallway. i fell in love with caroline's character and i was so happy to see their friendship grow and grow into something beautiful. i wasn't always happy with the direction the show went with these two, but in the end, we know they loved each other. enough to have a beautiful wedding and to want a real and long future together. i think, with better writers, they would've made it long past this terrible finale, which i just outright reject, frankly. i still love these two and i still plan to write for them.
i'm sorry for how late this chapter is. i'm juggling a lot of stories and school and work and regular life. but i have a lot still to come for them in this fic, so i hope you'll keep reading it.
next chapter will pick up around the founder's ball!
thanks so much for reading; please, try to leave a review!
- Lee | Fina