Because you're you-and I'm me
A/N: Me is amazed by all the feedback you guys give me! Who knew you'd all love this story so much. Tihi. ^.^
Disclaimer: I don't own TVD.
~VD~
Caroline's hospital room was small, and far away from the rest. It was nice and secluded. Caroline herself looked surprisingly peaceful, but the atmosphere around her was anything but peaceful. It was heavy, and filled with self-loathing.
Jeremy sat next to Caroline for three days. He only left to go to the toilet. He called Lucas, and he came over and discussed the project. He looked horrified about what happened to Caroline. The scratches she had had, were almost invisible now, but Jeremy still wanted to cut the bastard who did this to her. He cocked his head, looking at Caroline. She had done nothing to deserve all this.
He remembered how they first met. Well, the first time he remembered meeting her. He was about two years old, and Caroline was 4. Their parents had arranged a play-date between Elena and Caroline, and he, being the friendless 2 year old, tagged along. Caroline wasn't interested in talking to Elena though, instead she played with Jeremy all day. That had been a fun day.
And now, life took its toll. He didn't know whether she was going to survive or not. He was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. He knew Caroline was strong, there was no doubt about that, but was she strong enough to handle Demon infections? The fact that the scratches were almost completely healed was definitely a good sign, but he didn't know if she had any internal injuries. That worried him. The doctors weren't giving him any information either, because he wasn't family. He wanted to yell at them. He was her brother! Maybe not by blood, but that wasn't really a requirement, was it? He sighed.
"Come on, Caroline. Wake up." Jeremy tried, nudging her slightly. Caroline didn't show any reaction. He got up, going to the bathroom. He washed his face. He really needed to go home and take a shower. But he didn't want to leave Caroline's side. What if she woke up, and he wasn't there? What if she woke up alone, with no memory at all? What if she never woke up? Frustrated, he punched the wall. Then he heard someone.
"Where is she? Where? Bonnie let me go!" Damon yelled. He entered the room and immediately rushed to Caroline. Jeremy came out of the bathroom. He couldn't believe how innocent and fragile Caroline looked at that moment. The moment he entered her room, he saw her attached to all these wires, with a mask over her face. He wanted to tell them she didn't need it. He wanted her to not need it. She looked very pale, with red streaks all over her. It looked terrifying. But with satisfaction, he noted that he could not see her scars. That meant her guard was still up. He let out a relieved sigh. Damon inspected her bite-marks. They didn't look like vampyric marks. But then what was it?
He turned towards Bonnie.
"What are these streaks, and the bitemarks?" He asked, his lip a single line. Bonnie looked uncomfortable.
"Damon, I think she needs to tell you…" She started. Damon acknowledged that for a second, then he got a better idea.
"No. No. You know what? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being weaker than my human girlfriend. I'm sick of all the fucking secrets she can't share with me. I look at her skin, and I see scars everywhere. So…" Damon darted over to Jeremy, and grabbed his neck. "…You tell me right now, everything you know about what happened to her, or I snap his neck." Damon pressed out, livid.
"I could just give you another aneurysm." Bonnie snarled.
"You could. But his neck snaps faster." Damon threatened. Almost as a confirmation, Jeremy choked, and struggled against his hold. Damon rolled his eyes. "So I suggest you start talking."
"Dude…what the hell...is your problem?" Jeremy choked.
"My problem is, the woman I love keeps on almost dying, and I have no idea who or what is after her, and it's frustrating." He pressed out. Then he let Jeremy go. He stumbled to the ground.
"Dick." Jeremy said, rubbing his throat. He was going to be hoarse for a few days. Bonnie took a deep breath.
"I swear, I'm going to tell Caroline I only told you this because you threatened Jeremy's life. She doesn't like people knowing."
"Just get on with it." Damon rolled his eyes.
"When Caroline was 13, we were all out for dinner with our families. The food made her sick, so she went to the bathroom." Bonnie started.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Damon asked, irritated.
"Just shut up and listen, Damon. You should be lucky I'm telling you this. We heard three gunshots. Then some kind of bomb went off, and we all woke up injured. But we couldn't find Caroline. We thought she was dead, but she wasn't under the victims. We didn't hear from her for three months." Bonnie said.
"Someone…kidnapped her?" Damon asked. Bonnie nodded. Jeremy had left the room. Probably gone home to shower, he stank. Damon noted.
"We were called three months later, that someone had found a disfigured blonde girl, beaten, battered and near-death. We raced to the hospital in Phoenix, and we hardly even recognized her. It was a disturbing sight. Now I'm pretty sure you've seen some of your brother's victims, right?" She asked expectantly. He nodded.
"She looked about 5 times worse." Bonnie said, trying to hold back the tears. Damon couldn't close his mouth. He stared at Caroline. Why had she never told him this? Granted, they didn't know each other more than two weeks, but he already felt a connection between them. Didn't she? He turned back to look at Bonnie.
"Who did this to her?" Damon asked, seething. Bonnie shrugged.
"She never said. She only regained her ability to speak about 3 years ago. She said it was some sadistic guy who enjoyed tormenting people, and his minions. I always figured there was more to it, but she won't tell me. And I don't like bringing up the subject; she looks so scared whenever I do." She said absently, stroking Caroline's hair. Damon looked at her in disbelief.
"So…basically, you have no idea." Damon said.
"Yeah. We have no idea." Bonnie admitted. Damon ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. Then he disappeared out of the room, leaving Bonnie to sit at Caroline's bedside.
~VD~
Damon stood in his room, a glass of bourbon in hand. He felt his eyes soak up. He didn't like going through these types of human situations. He never had to worry about stuff like this before, and it nearly killed him inside. He never was so afraid of losing someone, before now. He smashed his glass against the wall. His hair would probably start falling out soon if he didn't stop running his hand through it, but he couldn't help being so frustrated. It was eating him alive. Why hadn't he stayed with her? Why had he listened to her? The body of the girl was buried in the woods, and he really didn't feel like making another grave, for Caroline. She would not die. But he couldn't do anything. This time around, the vampire blood hadn't worked. For the first time since he was human, Damon felt completely powerless.
He heard a knock on the door. Stefan entered. He had lost his cocky attitude from before, and now looked remorseful. Damon looked at him, a vacant expression in his eyes.
"Um…Damon?" Stefan asked carefully.
"What?" He snapped, getting another glass, and filling it up again. Stefan started to look worried.
"I'm sorry." Stefan muttered. Damon turned around. He cocked his head.
"What are you sorry for, Stefan?"
"For…locking you in the cellar." He admitted reluctantly, biting his lip. The gesture reminded him of Caroline. He didn't want to think about Caroline. He'd just start crying again.
"All is forgotten. I hope you learned your lesson though." Damon dismissed, wanting to be alone.
"You really do love her, don't you?" Stefan asked, amazed.
"Who?"
"Caroline."
"What makes you think so?" Damon asked.
"When I…when you were in the cellar, you didn't threaten me even once. You just kept pointing out how much you needed to get to Caroline." Stefan said. "I was just too blinded by jealousy to notice."
"Yeah, Elena she's…not for me." Damon said, sliding his finger across his throat.
"I'm glad. I can imagine myself with her for quite a while."
"What if she doesn't turn?" Damon asked, amused.
"She will, eventually. If she grows to love me. I hope Caroline will do the same for you. You deserve someone like her." Stefan said wholeheartedly.
"Where did all of this come from? Don't tell me all I had to do was snap your neck to get you to listen to reason?" Damon asked, confused. Stefan chuckled.
"Bonnie…she…she was so convinced you were a good person, despite knowing what you had done, and she was a witch. If she could see it, I wondered why I couldn't. So now…" Stefan started to explain, gesturing wildly with his hands. Damon scoffed.
"You've finally seen the light of good Damon." He said bitterly.
"She brings out your humanity. You should've told me earlier. How is she, anyway?" Stefan inquired.
"In a coma." Damon said, frustrated, knocking back his drink. Stefan's eyes popped.
"Didn't you give her vampire blood?" Stefan asked confused.
"I did. It didn't work. She didn't heal."
"What?"
"Stefan, get out please?" Damon asked, irritated. Stefan raised his hands in defeat, and left. Damon exhaled, and knocked back another glass of bourbon.
~VD~
Jeremy came back into the hospital, to find Bonnie sitting on the chair next to Caroline's bed, crying. Jeremy walked up to her.
"Hey, hey. Don't cry. She'll be ok. She always is." He soothed, sitting down next to her, hugging her. She didn't stop crying. He caressed her cheek. Bonnie kept her eyes locked on Caroline. Caroline was breathing evenly. She looked like she was just asleep. The thought of her never waking up made Jeremy and Bonnie shudder.
"How do you know?" She asked, looking up at him through teary eyes. He smiled genuinely.
"Because, if her inner 'healer' magic doesn't kick in, in a few days, the vampire blood she has on reserve will kick in. You know how that works inside her, you did her anatomy." He encouraged. Bonnie laughed out loud.
"I don't know why Elena thinks you need help." Bonnie looked at Jeremy. Jeremy grinned devilishly.
"Because, Bonnie. I'm a drug addict." He sighed with fake dramatically. Bonnie eyed him curiously.
"Do you actually do drugs?" She wondered. He chuckled.
"No. Not anymore. I had a brief stint, and now Elena thinks she needs to get on my case about it whenever she sees me. It's pretty sad actually, that she has nothing better to do." He sighed. Bonnie cocked her head. Jeremy smiled. Their faces were only a hairbreadth apart. Bonnie bit her lip, as she moved in closer. Jeremy felt his skin electrify as she put her lips on his. He kissed her back softly, before putting his hand on her neck, and heating the kiss. Bonnie gasped. Why had she never done this before? This was fantastic. Because this was her best friends best friend. She remembered. She pushed Jeremy away frantically.
"Uh…I got to go." She said confused, running out of the room. Jeremy exhaled dramatically and turned towards Caroline.
"I am so glad, that you were not conscious to have to witness that." Jeremy said, looking at Caroline. He almost face palmed himself for talking to someone in a coma, as he wasn't going to get a response anyway. But he did. He heard Caroline's ringtone. He thought about answering it, for a second, and then he picked it up.
"Caroline, love. How are we feeling?" A smooth British voice came out from the other end.
"I'm sorry to inform you, this isn't Caroline." Jeremy said, confused. Who the hell was this guy?
"Then who am I speaking with?" The guy's voice came out, slightly annoyed.
"This is Caroline's best friend." He said, trying to get the guy to hang up. But he was persistent.
"May I speak to Caroline then?"
"I'm afraid that's impossible for now." Jeremy said, looking at Caroline in her comatose state.
"And why is that?"
"She's in a coma, sir."
"And how did this happen?" The British guy asked again.
"The fact that you ask, makes me think you know exactly how. I trust you know about the supernatural, sir?" Jeremy explained.
"That bastard. Has anyone tried to get her vampire blood? Surely there must be some vampires in mystic Falls?" He asked, now sounding vengeful. Jeremy was taken aback.
"Her body has stored it away. She's trying to wake up on her own and save the blood for another time. It's not working." He explained. Klaus was on the other line, and he was getting impatient. He hadn't expected Casper to send someone so soon.
"Did you see her attacker?" He asked.
"No. I wasn't with her at the time of the attack."
"Then who was with her?"
"Her boyfriend."
"Who is her boyfriend?"
"The vampire who gave her blood." Jeremy said, trying to be as evasive as possible.
"Is he with you now?"
"No sir. I'm alone with Caroline and her IV's."
"And you're in the Mystic Falls hospital?"
"Yes?"
"Do you wear vervain?"
"Now I'm a wee bit suspicious." Jeremy said sarcastically.
"I can help your bestie, Jeremy. But you can't know who I am." Klaus explained, sighing in annoyance.
"So, you're a vampire." Jeremy asked expectantly.
"Why yes, I am."
"And you're nearby." He deadpanned.
"I was going to pay Caroline a visit."
"If you were planning to hurt her, I'm afraid someone beat you to it." Jeremy said. Klaus laughed.
"I'm a friend. At least of Caroline's. I can see you, Jeremy. You're the kid who smells like weed, am I correct?" He asked. Jeremy immediately turned to smell his armpits. Klaus laughed.
"I take that as a yes. Leave the room for a second, would you? I'll call you again when I'm done."
Jeremy reluctantly looked around. "How do you know my name?"
"Caroline talks a lot about you."
"I swear, if you hurt her…"
"Promise I won't." He chuckled. Jeremy left the room, hesitantly, kissing Caroline on the forehead before leaving. Klaus smiled at the gesture. Jeremy was so protective of Caroline, it was cute. He entered the room, and looked at Caroline. He ran his finger along her arm. She gasped, her eyes flying open, she instinctively grabbed his arm, squishing her nails in. Now he could compel her. He took a scalpel, and cut the tattoo off. She didn't feel any pain, she was still comatose. But at least he could compel her.
"Your self-healing isn't working. You will use the vampire blood you have stored." He said, looking into her eyes. He saw her fall back into her bed, her eyes closed again. He bit into his wrist for extra measure, and 'taped' her tattoo skin area back on. It healed perfectly. He sighed relieved.
"I should be a surgeon." He said to himself. He then left the room and proceeded to call Jeremy.
"You can enter the room now. She should wake up by the end of today."
"How did you..?"
"Magic, Jeremy." He chuckled. Jeremy hung up reluctantly, walking up to Caroline, checking her for any injuries. He sighed relieved when he found none. He collapsed against the wall. Maybe everything was going to turn out alright.
~VD~
"Caroline? Why the fuck does nobody ever tell me these things?" Tyler said, storming into the room. Jeremy looked up, tired. It was several hours later, and Jeremy must've dozed off.
"Hey, what are you doing here, dick?" He asked, irritated.
"I was giving blood. Why didn't anybody call me? She's my friend too!"
"You were giving blood." Jeremy deadpanned. Tyler rolled his eyes.
"My mom made me."
"That's pretty pathetic." Jeremy snickered.
"Oh shut up. What's wrong with her?" Tyler asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't know anything about the supernatural.
"Uh..animal attack. She's in a coma." Jeremy covered up. Tyler's eyes bulged.
"When did this happen?" He yelled.
"Founder's party. You were there. How did you not notice?" Jeremy asked confused. "There must've been a huge commotion." Tyler turned bright red.
"I might've been…busy?" He asked, biting his lip.
"Finding a replacement for Vicki already?" Jeremy asked.
"How do you know it wasn't with Vicki?" He challenged.
"Because I was with her that night." He shrugged. Tyler acknowledged that.
"I think I'm over her." He sighed. Jeremy nodded in agreement.
"I might be too." He groaned, thinking of the kiss he shared with Bonnie earlier. Tyler stepped closer to Caroline, but Jeremy stood in his way, raising his eyebrows.
"No touching, dick." He warned. Tyler raised his hands in defeat.
"Why so protective? Is she helping you get over Vicki?" He asked mockingly. Jeremy stared at him, anger in his eyes.
"No. She's damn injured. I'm not letting anybody touch her. Especially no one with grubby hands like yours." He spat out. Tyler puffed his chest in front of him.
"Grubby hands? I don't think so. You know, maybe Vicki left you, because your hands are grubby. I bet Caroline doesn't think they're satisfying either." Tyler smirked, being a first-rate jacket. Jeremy launched at him.
"You take that back, right now." He snarled. Tyler shrugged, still smirking. Jeremy punched him in the face. Tyler took a few seconds to recover, and then they were beating each other silly. Damon entered the room, and tried to pull them apart.
"What is going on here?" He asked annoyed. "Normally I'd kill you, but today, because I'm feeling depressed, I'm giving you a chance to explain first."
"Stay out of this, dude." Tyler said, irritated. He didn't know Damon.
"Dude? Really? Dude?" He asked, annoyed. Then he started choking Tyler. Tyler's feet were probably dangling higher than half a meter in the air now.
"Damon, don't hurt him." A weak voice said from behind them. They all turned around in shock.
~VD~
Badum. Klaus is Caroline's savior for the second time. :P Even though it's pretty sick that he cut off her tattoo, yes? But he had to compel her somehow. Anywho, let me know whatchu think, and feel free to point out anything you don't like.