As Elena and I make our way back toward the front of the house we hear Caroline growl in frustration. 'God why are you so irritating?'
'What can I say? You bring out the best in me.'
Damon's teasing tone only infuriates her more and she lets out a screech. 'Stefan it's time to go!'
'Stefan it's time to go!' He mimics her.
She lets out a screech. 'Now please! Before I lose my last bit of restraint and drive the coffee table through your brother's chest!' Laughing Elena and I walk into the room.
'And we wouldn't want that. I really like that coffee table.' Elena says teasingly.
Damon makes a face at her then looks to me. 'Did you find what you were looking for?'
'Yeah.' I pat my jacket pocket, Damon lifts an eyebrow and I turn to Caroline. 'Are you ready?' She nods quickly and steps around me, disappearing into the entry way.
'Awe but I thought we were bonding.' Damon quips.
I listen as she growls, opens the front door and a second later opens and closes the car door. When she starts the car I laugh lightly, shake my head and take a few steps backward. 'I feel so much better knowing that you two are looking out for one another.' His eyes flash in surprise and he doesn't respond when I give them a nod. 'I'll see you guy's later.' I slide into the passenger seat and just barely shut my door before she's speeding out of the driveway without a word. We're at the end of the street at a stop sign when she turns to me.
'Everything go OK?'
I shrug as she starts to drive and I turn on the radio. 'Yeah. She didn't seem too upset.'
'Good. Oh hey put it back I love that song.' I go back and she starts to hum along to a song I can only describe as depressing. 'So what is it?' She seems nervous.
Confused I turn in my seat. 'What's what?'
'Whatever you got out of the vault.'
'Oh uh. Nothing.' I'm surprised when she doesn't call me out on my lack of an answer. 'Hey can we stop by the B&B before we go to dinner? I need to change.'
'Yeah sure.' She turns at the next stop sign and is silent for the rest of the ride. When she pulls up outside the B&B she doesn't move to get out.
I stop on the side walk and lift an eyebrow. 'You coming in?'
'Yeah.' She gets out without another word and follows me up the walk and up the stairs to my room. She walks ahead of me and sits on the bed. Her silence worries me to the point where I have to stop myself from shouting at her to tell me what is wrong. 'I'll be right out.'
'Kay.' She nods without looking up at me as I disappear into the bathroom.
When I emerge ten minutes later shes still sitting on the bed, now though there's a glass of scotch in her hand and shes staring blankly at the wall. I sit beside her on the bed and take the glass. I take a large drink before handing it back to her. She swallows the rest in one swallow and stands up, setting the glass on the table.
'Ready?' I stare up at her for a few seconds trying to decide on whether it would be futile to try and force her to talk to me. I realize quickly that she isn't going to tell me what's wrong so I stand as well. She looks relieved for a moment before smiling brightly. 'Look at you.' She reaches forward and straightens my tie and her head tilts to the side. 'I've always loved the way you look in a suit.' I cock an eyebrow at her teasingly and she rolls her eyes. 'Doesn't matter if you're Werewolf, Human or Vampire. Boy's are boy's. One nice word and your ego's inflate to the size of Texas' Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes as she tugs lightly on my lapels.
'Care?'
Shaking her head she smooths her hands over my shoulders to rid me of any last wrinkles. 'I'm fine Stefan.' She drops her hands to her sides and tilts her head to toward the door with an attempt at a reassuring smile. 'Come on, we're going to be late.' She starts to walk away and in the second it takes for me to decide if I should stop her, she's nearly to the door.
'Wait.' I know the look on her face. It's the look she get's when she is at war with herself. I grab her wrist and pull her back over to me.
'Stefan we're going to miss our reservation.' She sighs.
'It'll be fine. I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be.' The corner of her mouth twitches up and I feel my own do the same. A strand of hair falls forward, covering her face and I tuck it back behind her ear. 'Tell me what's going on. Was it Damon? Did he say something?'
She snorts in mild amusement. 'I don't listen to half of the crap he says.'
A knot forms in my throat instantly and I am unable to talk. I know what this is about and it takes everything in me to keep my anger from earlier to come bubbling back up to the surface. She sits down at the small table and refills her glass. As she sets the bottle back down it clinks against the bracelet around her wrist. I watch the clearly new piece of jewelery closely as it moves with the glass up to her lips then back down to the table. Her other hand appears over it and her fingers brush lightly over the glittering diamonds. 'It' Her voice is shaky and she clears her throat. 'It was on my seat when I came out of the house.' She shakes her head and lifts her hand up to show me. 'I tried it on and now I can't the clasp undone.' Her hand falls back to the table with a loud clink. She lets out a dark laugh. 'Which makes sense. He probably had some spell put on it or something so that I would have a constant reminder of him.' Breathing deeply I walk over and sit across from her. Reaching out I pull her wrist over and easily unhook the clasp. She lets out a little sob and I turn the piece of jewelery over in my hand. We both stay quiet for a long time and I know it's because she doesn't know what to say either.
'It intrigued you.'
'What?' Her voice is scratchy.
'The bracelet.' Giving her an understanding smile I drop the now clasped bracelet over the neck of the scotch and we watch as both gleam against the overhead light.
'Oh. Yeah. I guess. For a second.' She shook her head and tucked a phantom strand of hair behind her ear.
'Sometimes a second is long enough.'
She looks up at me with narrowed eyes, seeming to catch on to what I'm saying. 'Stefan.' It's her, don't go there, tone.
'Care, I get it.' I try to reason and her head jerks back.
'You get what?'
'You're curious. You're wondering what it would be like, being with someone like him.'
She shakes her head furiously. 'No, I'm not.' She seems so adamant about it that I feel some of my anger from earlier dissipate and sympathy take its place.
'It's OK Caroline.' I try to make my tone softer this time. 'You've only been a vampire for a short time. It's completely natural to want to let go. See the world from the other side.'
'Stop it! I'm not now or have I ever been interested in going dark side.' She looks furious with me.
'Of course not. I know that. But wanting to see the world from his point of view, I understand that. Better then most.' She seems to waver in her resolve as her eyes cut guiltily away from mine. 'It's nothing to be ashamed of. You deserve to see the world in every way possible and you will multiple times over. I promise you.' I tug on her hand to make her look at me. 'It will be constantly changing and every day you'll find something new.' She's crying now and I wipe her cheek with my thumb. 'But Care, there's the right way to do it and the wrong way.'
She let's out a choked sob. 'He just- he get's in my head.' Abruptly she pulls her hand away and yanks the bracelet from the bottle. She flips it to show me the clasp where something is written on the inside. Your last I take the bracelet from her and look at it again.
'What does it mean?' My stomach turns at the possibilities and she fills her glass again.
The scotch sloshes onto the table as she continues to swipe tears from her eyes. 'It's what he said to me, after graduation. He had just told me that Tyler was free to come back' She laughs darkly again while slamming the bottle down, her glass filled to the rim. 'Then he told me that, while Tyler was my first love, he intends to be my last.' She lifts her glass and takes a drink. My stomach drops at her words and slowly I put it back on the table. I grab the bottle and swallow two large gulps. She's staring at me, I can feel it. 'Stefan?' Her voice is worried.
'Is that what you want?'
'Of course not.'
I can't help it, I laugh. 'Right.'
'It's not.' When my only reply is a nod of my head she moves her head to look at me. Her tears are gone and in their place is irritation. 'It's not.'
I shrug and give her the most sincere smile I can. 'OK.' I take another drink from the bottle and set it on the table before standing up. 'We should get going though.' I'm straightening out my jacket when she get's up and walks over to the table beside my bed and picks something up.
She turns back to me with a small smile. 'What's this?'
Her teasing voice has the tension easing inside of me for the moment. I let out a dramatic sigh while stuffing my hands deep into my pockets. 'That was your graduation present.'
She lifts an eyebrow. 'Was?' When she makes to open it I move over to her side and take it from her. 'Hey!'
'Yes. Was.' I toss it into the drawer and close it.
'Why was?' She's pouting and I sigh. 'Stefan!'
'No.'
'How come?' When I unintentionally glance at the table where her bracelet is still sitting her face softens and she moves past me to open the drawer.
'Caroline.' Resigned, I sit on the bed, and em to embarrassed to watch as she undoes the ribbon. When she hands the piece of fabric to me I take it with a sigh. 'It's not nearly as nice as that one or anywhere near as expensive.' She hands me the lid and the now empty, tiffany's box. Unable to stand the silence I look up at her. She's staring at the simple two strand chain bracelet, her thumb moving over the silver infinity charm in the middle. Again her silence is unnerving. 'I got you something else so I mean if you don't like it, it's OK. I just, I wanted you to have something to remind you that,' She's yet to look at me, probably thinking how incredibly cheap it looks compared to Klaus's and I feel foolish. 'you can do anything you want. Your future is limitless.' Clearing her throat she holds it out to me. My stomach falls again. She thinks it's stupid. Idiot
'Will you put it on for me?' She's crying and tentatively I take it from her. After I click the clasp in place I look up at her. 'Stand up.' Still uncertain I rise to my feet. I stumble back as she throws herself into my arms.
'So then, you like it?'
With a laugh she pulls away. 'I love it.' She runs her fingers delicately over the charm. 'It's … it's perfect Stefan. Thank you.' She beams at me and I can't help but smile right back in relief. After a second I look away and clear my throat.
'So uh – I guess you don't want the other gift then?' She gives me a curious look as I reach into my jacket pocket and slowly pull out two photos. Quickly I flip them over and back again.
Her eyes widen bigger then I've ever seen them and she lets out a giddy squeal while reaching for them. 'OH MY GOD GIVE THEM TO ME!' I pull them out of reach and she attacks, knocking us both back onto the bed. I laugh as she fights for them, kicking her heels off in the process. When she get's them out of my hand she sits up on her knees, bouncing as she continuously switches from one photo to the other. 'OH MY GOD!'
