A/N: Apologizing once more for what is to come. If you choose to review, please don't forget both chapters! Means a lot to me!


A month passed after Caroline's conversation with Klaus in the café. She had thought giving him time would be what was right, and that he would eventually come around. It had never happened, however, and they still hadn't talked. The shouting had resumed, and Caroline was at a loss. How was she supposed to talk to him if he wasn't having it?

She sat down on her bed with Elena, ready to give up on the idea of ever speaking to him. It was the end of January, and quite frankly, Caroline was tired. A part of her was surprised she had let so much time pass. Why had she let this attraction go on for so long? She was beginning to forget why she had liked him in the first place.

Then she would remember her talk with him Christmas night. She would remember the morning after, when he came up and talked to her first. After so long a time of not talking to her, he had finally opened up. He had trusted her.

Now…now she didn't know what to think.

"Have you heard anything from Stefan?" Elena asked, curling up under Caroline's sheets. The blonde only shook her head.

"No. I figured you would have heard something before me."

"Damon hasn't told me much. I haven't talked to Stefan in over a week. Damon just says that he's trying to sleep it off, but he keeps getting chills. The doctors have given him medication, but none of it's working. Stefan doesn't have what's needed to fight off this flu apparently."

"I feel like Damon isn't telling us everything," Caroline mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think we're getting the whole story."

"What more is there to tell? Stefan is really sick, he's working on recovering, and all we can do is hope for the best."

"Yea…sure," Caroline flopped down from where she sat.

"I miss him as much as you do, but he'll get better soon. Once he recovers, we'll go out and do something fun."

"Amusement park?" Caroline asked hopefully.

"Amusement park." Elena smiled.

The sun shone through the window, the snow outside making it seem all the more brighter. It wasn't even three o'clock yet, but Caroline and Elena felt like they needed a day to themselves. With Stefan being sick, Klaus not speaking to Caroline, and the shop's funds diminishing by the hour, the stress was beginning to pile up. Not to mention Tyler hadn't shown his face in the last two weeks. He would call, but he just said he was out and about. Apparently he wasn't trying to avoid the three of them, it was just sort of happening. How convenient.

"God…I love him, but Tyler can be such an ass."

Elena chuckled. "What brought that up?"

"It's just…I miss him. We haven't seen him in who knows how long, and I could really benefit from talking to him, even if he doesn't know about my Klaus dilemma. I need my friend."

"Tyler will come around again. We hang out practically everyday. He probably just needed some space."

"I guess you're right. I just don't ever remember it being like that. It never mattered if we spent weeks or months together. Now I feel like he gets tired of us too easily."

"People change, Care. Sad, but true."

"It doesn't have to be sad. Change can be for the good."

"Did we just switch subjects?" Elena asked knowingly. Caroline smiled.

"I can't help that I miss him, too," Caroline admitted.

"Then why are you bellyaching over it? Go talk to him."

"Elena, he just opened up to me big time about a month ago. He wanted me to know that stuff. Whether to really prove he wasn't worth my time or not, I don't know. But, I can't just go up there after he told me he didn't want to see me."

"Wouldn't opening up to you be the exact reason you should go talk to him?"

"I…well…don't confuse me with the facts!" Caroline pouted.

"I don't think I've ever seen you this flustered over one guy."

"Shut up," she mumbled. It was a few minutes before Elena spoke up again.

"We need to talk about the next talent show. Are you going to sing again?"

"Yes. I don't know what though."

"More Sinatra?"

"Does it matter?" Caroline was beginning to sound bitter, even to her.

"Cheer up! I don't like seeing you so…down. I never knew it was even possible, actually."

"I'm not always a bright ball of sunshine."

"Hey…we've gotten some bad luck lately, but we'll pull through. We always do," Elena smiled. Caroline couldn't help returning the expression.

"You're right. Okay, so about this talent show."

"It'll probably be just like it was last time. You singing, Stefan reading poetry, me running the place, and Tyler not doing a single thing."

"Sounds perfect," Caroline teased. Both girls laughed.

At that moment, Elena's cell phone began to ring. Elena held her finger up before excusing herself from the room. Caroline found herself looking at the ceiling in Elena's absence. Her mind wondered to what Klaus might be doing at that exact moment. Was he upstairs? Was he at the gym? What had he been up to the past month? She caught herself smiling at the thought of seeing his uncomfortable fidgeting. Either due to his hand problem, or because he felt awkward in her presence, she found it endearing. Except, then she thought about why he didn't like touching people, and suddenly the endearing quality disappeared, and was replaced by sympathy for him.

Seriously, the guy just needed a hug. Of course, Caroline found it ironic that the big bad killer just needed someone's embrace. Therapy obviously hadn't worked; why not give human contact a try?

Elena came back around the corner then, a terrified look on her face. Caroline sat up straight, her eyes narrowing at the brunette.

"Elena? Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"That was Damon…"

"Okay…what did he have to say?"

"He said the ambulance just came for Stefan. Caroline…it's more serious than we thought."


Caroline and Elena ran into the hospital, practically slamming into the front desk.

"Stefan Salvatore? Room number?" Elena barely managed to get out.

"He's upstairs on the third floor, girls. Room 319."

"How's he doing?" Caroline asked quietly. The receptionist was silent for what seemed like ages before answering.

"He looked very pale," the lady informed them sadly.

Elena and Caroline shared a look before running to the stairs. They didn't have time for something as slow as an elevator. Caroline had called Tyler on her way there. Luckily, he had answered, and said he would get there as soon as he could.

Damon was sitting in one of the empty chairs when they reached the right hallway on the third floor. He was twirling the lapis lazuli ring on his finger, staring intently at it as if it held all the answers. The girls rushed over to the man clad in all black, for once not wearing a suit.

"Have you seen him?" Elena asked, taking the seat next to Damon as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"No. Damn doctors won't let me near him yet," he muttered.

"What happened exactly?" Caroline asked, still standing.

"Stefan passed out and wasn't waking up. I had to call an ambulance."

"What else?" Caroline prodded. There was something he wasn't saying.

"He hasn't had the flu since about a week ago," Damon confessed suddenly. Well, that had been easier than expected.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when we went to the doctor's, the man said it had gone from the flu to pneumonia."

"Damon! Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want to worry you two. I kept thinking he'd get better, but…Stefan doesn't have the immune system for it. He was always sick as a kid."

"What exactly are you trying to say? Are you giving up already?" Elena reprimanded him.

"No, I'm being realistic!" Damon snapped back at her. The two glared at each other for a while before finally coming back to reality. Those two acted like a married couple more and more as the weeks went by.

Caroline was close to tears, however, unlike the two bickering in front of her.

"Does it matter?" Caroline croaked, the tears falling freely now, "Poor Stefan is in there without anyone supporting him! We can't be fighting."

"She's right," Elena agreed quietly.

The three were silent then. This couldn't be happening. Stefan couldn't be sick. Caroline still needed him in her life. Elena and Tyler and Damon needed him in their life. How was this even reality? Stefan never did anything to deserve this.

A nurse came out of Stefan's room then, causing the three to look up in anticipation of news. She didn't look too happy though.

"He's hanging in there. Unfortunately…Mr. Salvatore is just too ill for us to do much else. His body can't fight the illness like it should be able to. We'll keeping checking in on him periodically, but in the meantime, he can have one visitor at a time." The nurse gave them an apologetic look before walking off.

"Damon, you should go," Elena offered. Caroline nodded in agreement.

"No…it's fine. You guys can go see him. I'll stay out here," he said forlornly, taking a seat in the chair he had been in when they got there. Elena nodded for Caroline to go on. The brunette went to sit by Damon, placing an arm around his shoulders as he put his face in both his hands.

Caroline took a deep breath before opening the door. She never thought she would see Stefan so frail looking, so white and sickly, but there he was. The hospital reeked of death, and it felt like a prison sentence walking into his room. She didn't like it one bit.

"Stefan?" she called softly to him, pulling a chair to his bedside. He slowly turned his head so that his eyes could meet hers. His gaze looked defeated…like he had given up already.

"Hey, Care," he rasped, coughing a little after.

"You don't have to strain yourself so-"

"No, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I feel fine." Caroline raised an eyebrow. He looked away sheepishly.

"You can't fool me, Stefan," she said.

"Who said I was trying to fool anyone?" he smiled. She just shook her head.

"So what have you been doing to keep yourself busy?" Caroline said, trying to keep the mood light.

"Sleeping. Watching television. I've caught up on a lot of movies," he said proudly. She chuckled.

"Bout time you did," she joked, tears threatening to fall again. This didn't go unnoticed by Stefan.

"Care…please don't cry," he said quietly, reaching his hand out to her. She grabbed it and held on for dear life.

"I can't help it…I'm scared," she whispered.

"Don't be. It's all going to be okay," he said calmly. How could he keep his cool at a time like this? Why did he have to be the strong one? She should have been doing that for him.

"Why does it feel like it won't be then?"

"See that necklace you're wearing there?" he said, pointing to the gift he had given to her for Christmas. She nodded, and he continued.

"That there will guide you through all the tough times. If you feel lost, or like things won't be okay, remember there are people out there who don't have a compass to help them."

"When did you become a fortune cookie?" Caroline asked, climbing into the bed beside Stefan. She curled up close to him, resting her head on his chest. God she didn't want to let go.

"I've always been wise for my age."

"Yea, that's why you're laying in the hospital right now."

"What can I say? People make mistakes," he chuckled, gently brushing Caroline's hair with his fingers.

"Well, this was a really big one," she said, her voice cracking a little.

"I know," he said quietly. "Is everyone here?"

"Damon and Elena are outside. Tyler is on his way. No one could get a hold of your father."

"Not very surprised there, but it's alright. I'm just happy you guys are here. You're boyfriend not coming?" Stefan asked jokingly.

"You know he's not my boyfriend," Caroline replied, not needing to ask whom he was talking about.

"You two are the most stubborn people on this entire planet…and I've never even met him."

"That's probably a good thing," she said, trying to smile. He chuckled.

"I don't know. If he got your attention, he must be something special."

She was silent then, because Caroline really wanted to agree with that. Klaus was special. She looked up at Stefan.

"You're something special."

"Well, I don't know about-"

"No…you are. Damn your father for not seeing that either."

"Oh, he thinks I'm special. Remember, I'm the favorite. I just don't do what he wants. Which reminds me…I have something for you," he said, holding up a finger before reaching behind him and into his pillowcase. Stefan pulled out the very journal she had given him for Christmas. He handed it to her.

"I want you to have this."

"Stefan, don't. It's yours. No need to give it to me," she said, trying to reassure her heart that he should keep it. He would need it for later, right?

"Caroline…" he said, trailing off at what he was implying. She shook her head quickly as she grabbed the book. This wasn't right.

"Why do you want me to have it?"

"I haven't just been watching movies. Being bedridden allows a person time to write. Don't read it until later though."

"Why? What have you been writing about that's so secretive?"

"Not secretive, just better read alone."

"Is this some kinky letter?" Caroline joked, trying to lighten the mood for her sanity. He laughed, but then went into a coughing fit. This just wasn't going well.

"No, I promise it's nothing like that. There are letters in there for everyone. Kind of like what Tyler suggested, when he said I should write a story involving our adventures. I sort of did that, just tailored them specifically into a letter for everyone. Nothing in there is publishable."

"Darn, I was so hoping to go on a book tour for you."

"You would have made it quite the popular piece of work," he teased.

The two laid there in silence for a while, Caroline clutching the journal close to her. It was eerie, just laying there, knowing what was to come eventually. She didn't like it, but then again, who would? Stefan's breathing came softly, and very slowly. She could hear his heartbeat, and it wasn't beating as rapidly as she would have thought it'd be. Either he was staying really calm, or he was already submitting himself to his condition. Caroline wanted to fix it, to make all of his problems go away, but only the doctors could do that…and their skeptical looks didn't comfort her.

She began to cry, more so than she had thus far. Caroline couldn't keep this charade going on anymore. How could she stop the tears when life just kept throwing shit her way? First Klaus, and now Stefan? This wasn't fair!

Stefan hugged her tighter as she began to shake from the sobs. She didn't want him to leave her.

"Keep fighting…please," she begged.

"You know I'll never stop, but you have to promise me you'll never stop fighting either, okay? Ever. No matter what," he whispered.

"You can't ask me to-"

"Yes, I can actually. Promise me."

"Fine…I promise," she said reluctantly.

"That a girl," he said, giving her a small smile.

It was quiet again before they both heard a small knock on the door. It couldn't be time already! This hadn't been long enough. She needed more time with him! Caroline clung to him like a child about to be separated from her parent.

"I love you, Stefan," she cried. He tried calming her down.

"Shh. I love you too, Care. It's going to be okay. You're going to be fine," he reassured her. She didn't like that he was talking like that, but she nodded her head anyway, getting up slowly. Caroline held the journal to her chest, giving one last, tear filled look at Stefan. And then, she walked out without another glance. If she stayed in there any longer, she would never leave.


It was now nine o'clock at night. Caroline, Elena, Tyler, and Damon had spent all day waiting outside his room. They had all taken turns seeing him that day. Damon was currently with him right now, while Caroline sat curled up to Tyler, and Elena sat in deep thought across from them. The nurses had gone in and out of his room all day, scribbling on clipboards and pretending to look busy, but Caroline wasn't so sure they were really trying anymore. It was pissing her off.

Stefan had promised to keep fighting though, and from the sound of things, he was keeping that promise. They were in a delicate period, but at the same time, all four of them knew what was to come. It was just a matter of when it would happen.

Caroline wanted out of that awful building. It didn't feel right being there. It was too quiet, too…white. Everything was bland and lifeless. She wanted to take Stefan and get out of there. For the five of them to go get a late dinner somewhere, and to give Stefan a hard time about the scare he had given them all. She hadn't bothered looking at his journal letters yet, because he had said to wait until she was alone. Caroline had informed everyone else of what he had told her, since he had written them letters as well. She knew it wouldn't be easy reading it. Her hopes of the five of them leaving were demolished as soon as she saw Damon walk out of Stefan's room, swaying quite a bit.

His eyes were distant as he looked around at everybody, his gaze landing on Elena's last. He fell to his knees in one quick motion, burying his face in her knees. Damon didn't bother hiding his despair as he convulsed in pain. Elena's face contorted as she put her cheek on top of his head, rubbing his back soothingly as she too cried.

Caroline looked at the door, watching as nurses flew into the room. She turned to Tyler, whose eyes were beginning to water as well. Her face was suddenly buried in the crook of his neck, the sobbing uncontrollable as she shook her head in denial. This wasn't happening…this wasn't happening! As the door swung open to let in a frantic nurse, Caroline could hear the steady sound of a high-pitched buzzing. It was the sound of someone flat-lining…but it wasn't just someone. It would never be just someone.

It was their Stefan.

And he wasn't fighting anymore.


A/N: This is why I had to double update. *runs and hides while you guys read chapter 13*