The following two weeks after Stefan's death were miserable. Caroline always sat with Elena in the coffee shop, wondering when Stefan would walk through the door and tell them this had all been one cruel joke. Caroline would have been so relieved, she'd forgive him on the spot. Then, they'd go and get something to eat, and talk about their latest dilemmas.

Everyday though, they were disappointed to find no Stefan. No ray of light in this dark time. Making plans hadn't been much easier. Caroline, Elena, Tyler, and Damon and made sure to be a part of that. Stefan's father had stopped talking to Damon as soon as he got the news, and only said he would be there for the funeral. Caroline thought maybe she had considered the wrong Salvatore an asshole. Stefan's dad made Damon look like a saint. And poor Stefan had been the favorite!

The funeral was scheduled for today, and Caroline was currently dressed in all black, wearing a simple black dress and black heels. The four of them were at the graveyard, ready to lower Stefan into the ground. They had decided against cremation, picking out an all white casket for him instead. The only people attending were the four of them and Stefan's father. Stefan hadn't made many friends outside of their circle.

The field they stood in was covered with tombstones. Yet, it didn't feel creepy or unsettling being there. It felt…peaceful. Despite the cold air, the sun was shining and the clouds were out, slowly flying through the sky. Stefan's grave was right next to a massive willow tree, one that would provide shade from the sun when the hot summer days arrived. It was amazing that such a place even existed in New York, but Damon had taken them out of the city, and shown the three of them a part of the state they had never seen before. He said him and Stefan used to go there as a kid and visit their mother. Her grave was, in fact, right next to Stefan's.

They had all managed to read Stefan's letter to them, each writing their own response to bury with him. It had been hard for Caroline to concentrate on a response when she was thinking of what his letter had said. Writing a letter to him had ended up being therapeutic, and thanks to Klaus, she had gotten through it, ending up with a heartfelt confession on paper. It would have made Stefan proud to see the reply. He had always tried getting her to write with him, just for the fun of it. She wished she had agreed to now.

Once the service was over, the four of them left. Stefan's dad delayed his departure, staying with his wife and youngest child. Caroline wrapped her coat tighter around her body, trying to keep more tears from falling. Tyler wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her in close. She rested her head against his shoulder as the four of them walked to Damon's car. It had been a long couple of weeks, and she was ready to get home and change. Caroline hopped in the back with Tyler, while Damon and Elena sat in the front. Through the whole car ride home, all Caroline could see in her head was the image of his headstone. For some reason, it was etched in her brain.

Stefan Salvatore

November 5, 1987

January 30, 2013

Beloved Friend. Brother. Son.

You will be missed.

It took about half an hour to get back to the coffee shop, making it around six o'clock when she told the rest of them to wait downstairs while she went to change. Caroline knew they would have probably gone up there with her. Well…most likely just Tyler, but she wanted to go up alone.

Caroline hadn't told anyone about how close she was getting to Klaus, even Elena. With Stefan's death and funeral preparations, it just hadn't been important. If the group, or even just Tyler had gone up, she would have had to explain why he was most likely up there.

They had gotten a little routine down. Normally, they would meet each other out on the fire escape before going to either his or her place. The shouting was nonexistent on nights they slept over at each others apartment. They had both come to the conclusion that he just wasn't focusing on it when he was with her, because they kept busy by either talking, watching movies, or doing yoga. Yes, she had actually talked him into it. He promised to try it with her as long as he didn't have to go to a class. Surprisingly, for a man as fit as he was, he was also flexible. Caroline had gotten rather hot and bothered by the display. It wasn't fair.

She reached the top of the stairs and almost jumped when she finally saw him. Klaus was leaning against her door, his arms crossed, and glaring at the floor, clearly in concentration.

"Was the floor mean to you?" she joked. He looked up, his brows still furrowed until he saw her. He expression softened, and he moved to get out of the way.

"Sorry. Got lost in thought there for a minute."

"How long have you been here?" she asked, going to unlock her door.

"About ten minutes. You said the funeral would be over around this time."

"Aww, you waited for me," she sang. His eyes narrowed.

"I thought you might need some company today. Don't read too much into it."

"Whatever you say," she said cheerfully. Caroline knew he was talking about their conversation of him fancying her. The truth was she was glad he was there. Thoughts of Stefan kept resurfacing, and she needed a good distraction to keep him off of her mind. Caroline's eyes never seemed to completely dry out, and she always had tears ready to burst.

"How was it?" he asked gently, sitting on the arm of her sofa as he watched her walk to the little bedroom area to change.

"It was nice. Only me, my friends, and Stefan's dad…but it was something I think he would have liked. Small and intimate. He's right next to his mother. You should go visit with me sometime. I can introduce you to him," she said, changing out of her dress and into a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Caroline hadn't even bothered going into her bathroom to do so. This was something else that had just developed.

In her quest to get some kind of emotion from him, she had just started changing by her dresser, whether he was nearby or not. She never got completely naked, but she had become accustomed to being in her bra and underwear when he was around. It was always her nicest stuff too, when she thought he would be over. Today, she was just in all black, something to match her dress. He never once looked her way, now or any other time, and she couldn't tell if that meant she was succeeding or failing. Damn.

"I'd like that. From the way you talk about him, he sounds like an upstanding citizen."

"He was. Stefan was amazing," she said as she played with the little compass around her neck. Caroline walked back over to the couch, unsure of what to do. She wanted to go back downstairs, but then it would be more smiling and saying that Stefan was in a better place, and blah blah blah. It's true; he had to be doing better than he had been while living. That's what she liked to think at least. She was selfish though, and wanted him there with them. She wanted him there with her.

"What's on your mind," she heard Klaus ask from beside her. Oh yea. He was there too. How was she supposed to just leave him when he had been thoughtful enough to wait for her?

"Everything. I don't want Stefan to be dead."

"We've talked about that, sweetheart. You have to move on and live your life."

"Says the guys who keeps repeating his past over and over again," she muttered. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she made a face at him. It was the truth!

"If you haven't noticed, I've been doing better. Even Rebekah says I look more rested than usual."

"That's because you snore so loud, no one would dare come near you."

"Is that really the best insult you got?" he asked.

"I…you…you're mean," she said, crossing her arms and nodding once to him.

"Ouch," he said sarcastically, "that hurt."

"Shut up," she mumbled. He shook his head before standing back up and pacing around her apartment.

"You know…for all the times I've been here…I've never really looked around your place."

"No one was ever stopping you."

"I never said you prevented me from it. I just never thought to be as pushy as some blondes I know," he teased. She smiled, even though she didn't want to.

"I'm upset with you. Don't make me laugh."

"Only trying to help," he shrugged, resuming his walk around her place.

"If you ask nicely, I could help you find whatever you're looking for," she sighed. He was making her nervous just walking around.

"Relax, I'm only raiding your fridge," he said as he walked to the kitchen, "You don't exactly have a lot of pictures out anyway."

"Most of them have Stefan in them. Elena and Tyler aren't ones for taking pictures. I can get Elena to pose sometimes, but Tyler just refuses."

"Sounds like a cheery bloke."

"Why do you talk like that?"

"Like what?"

"With a British accent and with British lingo."

"I lived in London with my family until I was twelve. Never lost the accent or the vocabulary."

"Why did you move here? To America?"

"They got bored. Their attention span is rather short."

"Oh," she answered lamely. Klaus refused to talk about his parents. The most she got from his stories is that he obviously disliked them. Hate was probably a better word, but she would go with dislike until she knew more.

"So are we not talking about Stefan anymore?" he asked, grabbing a soda from the fridge. He threw her a can from where he stood, and she caught it, almost opening it as well. Caroline stopped midway through opening the drink, looking at him through narrowed eyes. He was watching her expectantly. What a sly dog. The last thing she needed was soda all over her clothes because Klaus had decided it'd be funny to watch her drink explode on her after being shaken up.

"Almost got me," she said, setting the can down on the table. He shrugged, walking back over to where she sat.

"Worth a try."

"To answer your question, not quite. I'm supposed to be meeting my friends downstairs actually. They're waiting for me to be done changing."

"Why aren't you going back then?"

"Well, you were nice enough to wait and-"

"Bullshit."

"What-"

"Bullshit," he sang a little.

She huffed before putting her chin in both her hands and scrunching her brows together in frustration.

"I don't want to cry anymore."

"Then don't."

"Well…thank you…for solving all my problems," she said sarcastically. He glared at her.

"I'm just being honest," he said seriously. Caroline enjoyed the fact that he was loosening up around her, and that things weren't so awkward anymore, but he was apparently a real smartass when people got to know him.

"How am I not supposed to cry when I think of my deceased best friend?"

"Are you thinking of him now?"

"Yes."

"Are you crying?"

"No."

"That's my girl," he said smugly. She grunted and rolled her eyes at him.

"If you don't have anything helpful to say, I'm going downstairs."

"I…I could go with you…if you wanted…"

Caroline stopped as she reached the door. Had he really just offered to go down with her? Where all of her friends were waiting? He had never met a single one of them. What was he thinking?

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

"I can sit and observe. We both no I'm not one for talking," he said timidly as he took another sip of his soda.

"Why do you want to go?" She eyed him carefully, unsure of what to think.

"Your friends are obviously important to you. You've had a rough couple of weeks, and don't seem excited about going down to be with them right now. I thought…you know…I'd go down for moral support."

A smile graced her features as she looked at him in awe. How could she say no to that face? That uncertainty that was thick in his voice, like he was afraid of messing something up. She nodded slowly, motioning toward the hallway.

"Let's go. I'm sure your brooding will mix in with the mourning atmosphere," she joked. He shook his head before walking out closely behind her. Caroline walked down the stairs with him, her heart racing. What were her friends going to say? Would they be upset someone else was joining them? It's not like Klaus would be annoying. Hell, the only one who knew about the screaming was Elena. Without Stefan, she might be the only one who knew about her crush on him as well. Tyler was as in the dark as he had been before, and she didn't really bond with Damon like Elena did. After Stefan's death, Elena was kind of the only one able to comfort Damon. No one else was there for him. Caroline and Tyler were there for him if he wanted it obviously, but he seemed just fine with Elena.

When the two of them reached the bottom step, she found Damon and Elena sitting on one of the couches. She tilted her head in confusion.

"Where's Tyler?" she asked both of them.

"Bathroom," they said in unison. She nodded in understanding. Caroline waved toward Klaus.

"Guys, this is Klaus. Klaus, this is Damon, and that's Elena," she introduced. Damon just gave some sort of chicken nod, while Elena gave a tiny wave. Her face showed just a hint of shock at the sight of him.

"Hey Klaus," she greeted sweetly. Klaus waved, and then stuck his hands in his pockets. Yea. As if he'd actually be a problem among them. Caroline turned to Elena.

"So what are the plans?"

"Nothing right now. I just figured it was best if all of us were together tonight. It doesn't matter to me what we do," Elena said.

"I don't care. You guys could come and stay at the penthouse if you wanted. I haven't bothered cleaning out his room…and, well…"

"We could help you. It's not a problem," Elena offered, placing her hand on his leg. He cleared his throat and nodded.

"That'd be cool," he said, trying to sound nonchalant about it. He turned to Klaus, "You're welcome to come too. I've got the room."

Klaus turned to Caroline with wide eyes and she quickly shook her head at Damon. "Thanks Damon, but Klaus has plans with his sister later."

"Offer still stands if she ends up being a bore," Damon shrugged.

"Damon!" Caroline and Elena exclaimed at the same time.

"What? I'm trying to keep the mood light! I don't like this depressive shit! I want to laugh dammit," he snapped. Caroline and Elena both looked embarrassed at having said anything in the first place. Damon wasn't a sensitive man. The only time she had seen him cry was the night at the hospital when Stefan had passed. Otherwise, he was rather stoic.

"Sorry, Damon. We'll put in a comedy or something at your place," Caroline suggested. He took a deep breath before nodding.

"Sounds fine," he mumbled.

"I'll be back, I need to make sure the sign on the door is on the 'closed' part. Don't want someone to walk in unannounced."

"Does anybody else work here? Were you and Stefan the only ones or something?" Damon asked. Elena chuckled.

"The staff is small. We were the ones who worked the most, and we took charge of the place most times when the owner wasn't around. So…yes. It was basically us."

"Did ya think of putting up a 'for hire' sign?" Damon asked, as if it was the most obvious choice of action in the world.

"The place is close to being done for. No one wants to work at a cafe that won't last long," Elena reasoned. Damon just sighed and waved his hand at her as she turned the sign on the door.

"There. Now we're officially closed. When do you want to leave?"

"When Tyler gets done ruining the bathroom," Caroline sighed. She turned to Klaus, who had a disgusted look on his face.

"It's what he does!" she giggled. He held his hands up in a surrender motion, causing her to laugh more.

"Hey, I'm a big man with needs," Tyler said as he emerged from the bathroom.

Caroline would have laughed, except Tyler's face contorted to one of pure horror when he looked at Caroline. It was as if he had seen a ghost. Was there something wrong with the way she looked? Wait. His eyes weren't completely looking at her. He was looking to something beside her. Or rather…

She looked behind her, following Tyler's gaze. Caroline had spent enough time around Klaus to know what his facial expressions meant. This was one of those times that she knew he was livid. It was the kind of expression she had seen on him when he was having an episode. One she had seen him wear when she had peaked in through the window that one night. Caroline could see Klaus visibly shaking with anger.

The shop was deathly silent for ages. No one said a word as Klaus and Tyler stared at each other. Unfortunately…the peace didn't last long.

"You…" Klaus growled, his voice low and threatening.

Caroline turned back to Tyler, who looked as if he was about to pee himself. He was beginning to back away from the group very slowly. What was going on?

She didn't have to wonder long, as Klaus began stalking forward at the same pace as Tyler. Klaus's eyes were glued to the other man, a dazed look in them. His hands began clenching and unclenching as he moved forward, wiping a hand over his mouth. Caroline didn't like where this was going. She quickly shuffled around the tables to stand in front of him. Klaus glared at her, and she was right. She didn't like being on the receiving end of that stare.

"What's wrong, Klaus?" she asked softly. He shook his head back and forth, the anger seeping out of him now.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly. His tone was intimidating, and Caroline wanted to move, but she wasn't going to back down. Klaus was her friend, but so was Tyler. She didn't want either of them getting hurt.

"Yes," she said with certainty, her voice still gentle, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is that he is the cause of all my problems!" Klaus said, trying to move toward Tyler again, but Caroline was still blocking his way. He scowled at her, his movements indicating that he was using a lot of restraint. Klaus ran his fingers through his hair, pacing a little before facing her again, his eyes enraged.

"I see his face almost every night!" he yelled, his voice mixed with pain and hatred, "HE KILLED MY BROTHER!"

A/N: What's that sound? I believe that's the sound of a cliffhanger. Dun dun duuuuuuuuuun.

Although, judging by some of your guys' reviews, I know some of you guessed this was probably coming. Congrats =P

Will try and get the next chapter out very soon. Until next time!