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Restart

Chapter 29


On the Monday morning before school, Stefan and Elena went up to Caroline in the hall looking confused.

"Where were you all weekend?" Stefan queried and Caroline looked surprised.

"Damon didn't tell you?" She asked muddled and they shook their heads just as she closed her locker. "He broke up with me." She stated then turned on her heel and walked away from them down the hall and their jaws fell open in shock and disbelief


Present


"You dumped Caroline?" Elena gasped at Damon in incredulity and he looked highly confused.

"No." Damon denied.

"She seems to think so." Stefan countered and Damon frowned.


Past


Caroline was walking up to her door that afternoon when Damon appeared in front of her and she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What do you want?" She asked calmly and he blinked in surprise.

"I didn't break up with you." Damon answered like she was nuts and she shrugged then walked around him to the door.

"Seemed like it." Caroline quipped and he frowned.

"I'm just a little hurt that you lied. I was just… sulking." Damon muttered.

"No, it gave me a reality check." Caroline stated as she unlocked the door. "I'm here for the mission and that's what I need to focus on since I'll be going back to the future in a few weeks." She added flatly – giving him no emotion at all.

"What?" Damon asked in disbelief that she wouldn't even consider staying as she opened the door then turned to face him.

"You know, Katherine fucks your brother in between fucking you and everyone else in the town and you wait 145 years for her. I tell one lie to protect myself and you've lost complete trust in me?" She asked like it was insane. "Go fuck yourself Damon because I'm done with you." She declared then walked into the house and slammed then locked the door and Damon gaped at the door in shock that she said that.


He knocked and called for her to open the door but she ignored him so he eventually left to go try to convince Bonnie to talk her into talking to him. Caroline just went into her room and started on her homework for the day. She'd been sitting there for a couple of minutes when her phone rang. She saw that it was Damon but she had a feeling that it wasn't that time's Damon, so she answered.

"You deaf or something?" Caroline muttered.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told my past-self that." Future Damon apologised and she shrugged even though he didn't see.

"I don't understand you. Why bother telling me to play along and telling me you love me if you just wanted to fuck it up?" Caroline asked.

"That wasn't my intention." Damon interjected. "I just… want you to stay in the past and I thought that if my past-self knew that you could, he'd convince you." He admitted.

"What? Why?" Caroline questioned confused.

"You know I love you, Caroline. If you stay in the past then I will get to be with you, not just my past-self." Damon answered and she considered that.

"You weren't trying to break us up?" She queried confused as she'd been sure that was why future Damon told his past-self that.

"No, of course not." Damon replied like she was ridiculous.

"I'm not getting back together with your past-self." She stated.

"What? Just over this?" He asked shocked.

"No, not just over this. You are well aware that things will be different between you and me and your past-self and me. I'm not staying in the past, I was never going to. I've lived this time already and I only optioned the idea to your past-self because you told me to. When I get back, you and I can discuss this and see what we're going to do but I have to focus on what I'm here to do. Katherine, Isobel and John still need to be taken care of." Caroline pointed out and he sighed.

"How would it be different?" Damon asked quietly.

"Because you will still remember both time-lines. Getting together with your past-self was a stupid idea. I don't regret it because I love you, but if this thing between us is going to be something then it has to be with you not past-you." Caroline answered and he saw her point. "Besides, I don't want your past-self being around the stupid girly version of me when I inevitably freak the hell out about being a vampire." She muttered and he chuckled.

"My past-self will still love you regardless, as will I." Damon pointed out and she smiled.

"Don't you think it would be a little beneficial for your past-self to just have some time to deal with the Katherine ordeal before things escalate too much between us? Have a little time to bond with Ric and get over Katherine? I didn't really think about it before, then things got serious fast." Caroline answered.

"He doesn't think that he needs that but I think he does. I see your point. He freaked out about the lie because of the instant worry as a result of Katherine's betrayal." Damon conceded and she nodded as she'd gathered that.

"I'm not a liar, Damon. You've known the truth the whole time." Caroline replied.

"I know." He agreed. "So… you do want to try with me when you get back?" He tested.

"Yeah, but things need to slow down a little bit. Your past-self said something about being together forever the other day." She reminded him and he chuckled.

"What? I'm the forever type. Not the dating for a couple of months type. Maybe it's you who's freaking out." He teased and she giggled.

"Maybe a little. I really love you and that hasn't happened before." She admitted and his stomach fluttered.

"I really love you too." He replied and she smiled.

"By the way, don't get mad about the soon-to-be better friendship with Tyler I'm going to develop." She instructed.

"He's dangerous, Caroline." Damon pointed out.

"So are you." She teased and he snickered – she could just imagine him rolling his eyes.

"Not to you, I'm not." Damon countered.

"I know." She agreed smiling.


Tyler and Caroline were sitting talking in the Grill on the next night. She'd been talking to him a lot every day and they were getting along so well. Vicki was working that night, however, and she went over to their table.

"Ty, there's a party in the cemetery tonight." Vicki said in flirty way and Caroline was surprised that he seemed annoyed at her for interrupting them.

"Busy." Tyler retorted and Vicki frowned.

"Doing what?" Vicki asked confused.

"Caroline and I are going to the movies." Tyler answered and Vicki scowled at Caroline.

"Didn't peg you as a boyfriend stealer." Vicki fumed.

"We're just friends, Vicki. Relax." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have tables to wait?" Tyler asked the brunette dryly and Vicki's jaw fell open.

"I just thought that you'd want to come. Max has some good stuff to take." Vicki stated.

"Yeah, I think I'm over my druggie phase." Tyler retorted and Vicki blinked rapidly while Caroline smiled a little. She realised then that Tyler had clearly just needed a real friend.

"I don't need this shit." Vicki snapped.

"Then why don't you buzz off and go hang out with your junkie friends. We're busy." Tyler motioned between him and Caroline.

"We're done." Vicki warned.

"Good." Tyler agreed and she looked shocked then stormed off. "Sorry about that." Tyler muttered and Caroline shrugged. Caroline thought that Tyler had been kind of a jerk to Vicki, but she didn't want Vicki's bullshit to screw him up any further, so she couldn't help that she was happy about them breaking up.

"She shouldn't be pushing drugs on you." Caroline replied and he nodded.

"I know." Tyler sighed.


Caroline thought about it all evening and she was seriously terrified that Tyler would turn into a werewolf as there was no coming back from that. And now, there was no way for him to be a hybrid. So she felt like she had to warn him.

"It's not really safe to go through the woods at night." Tyler commented as they walked.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry." Caroline assured and he glanced at her sceptically but continued to walk with her to wherever the hell they were going.

"What's this?" Tyler queried. "Isn't this the Lockwood cellar?" He asked confused and she nodded.

"Yeah. There's something I want to show you." She agreed and he looked confused again then they walked down the steps into the darkness. Tyler couldn't understand how she was walking so fine when it was only weeks ago that she was shot.

"What are you looking for?" Tyler queried as she was looking at a wall then she pulled out a little packet – the one that Mason had left there.

"I need you to see something." She replied then took a seat on the floor and he sat next to her as she pulled her laptop out. She opened the packet then put the DVD in her computer and pressed play.

"Is that my uncle Mason?" Tyler asked confused and she nodded.

"Just watch." She instructed and he did. He was still confused as to why Mason was tied with chains.

"What's happening to him?" He asked wide-eyed when Mason started to scream. Caroline fast-forwarded the video a little and Tyler was shocked when he saw Mason's bones breaking and reshaping. "Oh my God!" Tyler gasped.

"Gets worse." She mumbled then fast forwarded again and he was bug-eyed as he watched hair sprouting and fangs appearing and was just stunned beyond belief when a wolf was left standing.

"What the hell is he?" Tyler asked in disbelief.

"A werewolf." Caroline replied sadly.

"How do you know about this?" Tyler asked in disbelief and she sighed.

"Do you trust me?" She asked and he nodded. "I'm from the future." She replied…


She told him all about coming back from the future, she told him about him being a werewolf and how he'd considered committing suicide to get away from being a werewolf because it hurt so much and he listened with true fear.

"I don't want to be that." He gasped and she nodded.

"I know." She replied caringly as her hand stroked down his cheek affectionately. "I have another solution." She stated.

"What?" He asked with worried eyes – he so did not want to become a werewolf!

"You haven't triggered the curse yet. Have you noticed that around the full moon, you get kind of… pissed for no reason?" She asked and he nodded with surprise. "That's because your body is itching for you to make that kill to release the beast, as they say." She stated. "But while you're still human, you could become something else." She advised.

"What do you mean?" He tested.

"You could become a vampire. Then you'll never trigger the curse." She replied and he just kind of stared at her.

"Are you a vampire?" He asked and she nodded then pulled up her top a little and his jaw dropped at the unmarked skin where her gunshot wound was supposed to be.

"A vampire healed me." She said seeing his confused expression. "Then I turned again almost two weeks ago." She advised.

"Can I see your fangs?" Tyler asked and she nodded then changed her face and flashed her fangs. "Do you kill people?" He tested.

"No." She shook her head. "There are vampires who kill people, but I'm not one of them. There were a few in town hence the 'animal attacks' but I've gotten rid of those ones." She commented surprising him.

"And if you turned me into a vampire, would you stop me from killing people?" Tyler asked softly and she nodded.

"Of course. I'll teach you and show you how to control your urges." She promised. "But I want you to think about it because once it's done, it can't be undone. You can't have kids, you live forever, you don't age, you have to move every five years or so because people will notice that you aren't aging – but, on the upside, you're fast and strong, you have access to compulsion… and to be honest, it's a blast being a vampire." She replied and he smiled a little.

"I wouldn't want to have kids and pass on the werewolf curse." Tyler admitted.

"Still. Think about it." She pushed. "You were my best friend in the future, so I would turn you with no hesitation. That's why I really need you to think about it." She explained.

"I will." He assured and she smiled.


The next day was Wednesday the 21st of October and Tyler was picking her up from her house as in public she still had to pretend that she was healing. She walked out of her front door then locked it.

"Have you calmed down yet?" She heard and rolled her eyes then turned around only to be faced with Damon.

"We're not getting back together." Caroline declared and he frowned.

"Because of one tiny thing?" He asked highly confused.

"Damon, you need time." Caroline replied gently. "Even your future-self thinks so. You need time to get over Katherine otherwise I'm just going to be a rebound to you. But I actually love you, so if I'm just a rebound, I'll end up getting hurt and I'm not up for that." She added bluntly and he rolled his eyes.

"You're not a rebound. I love you. Genuinely." Damon countered and she put her palm on his cheek.

"I know." She replied softly. "I know you do. But you also spent a century and a half waiting for one woman." She pointed out. "We have all the time in the world to be together. So… go heal and party and erase Katherine from your mind and heart. Then once you have, come find me." She said and he just stared at her.

"I don't want her at all." Damon promised and she nodded.

"I know. But you still need some time." She replied. "And I'm going back to the future in exactly one month." She added and he frowned.

"Why won't you stay?" He asked confused and she sighed.

"Because I've already lived in this time." She replied. "I'm supposed to be in my own time."

"And what happens if when you go, your version who isn't from the future falls in love with someone else?" Damon asked and she shook her head.

"I won't." She replied.

"Oh really? And how do you know?" Damon questioned annoyed.

"Because I'll write a note and explain that she'll be with the love of her life on the 6th of January, 2011." Caroline replied tenderly and his stomach fluttered. "My past-self is a romantic and will wait for that. I guarantee you." She added and he sighed.

"But then it'll be the future version of me. The one who remembers both timelines." Damon pointed out and she nodded.

"I know." She agreed. "But that's something that we need to work out together. You just concentrate on dealing with the Katherine stuff, because you haven't dealt with it. You've just buried it, choosing not to think about it instead of feeling the hurt and getting over it." She replied and he rolled his eyes.

"I have been getting over it because of you." Damon replied and she nodded.

"But I'm not supposed to be the girl that gets you over someone else." Caroline replied and he winced with guilt.

"I didn't mean it like that." Damon countered.

"I know." She replied. "I'm not going anywhere but for the time being, be single, get over all of it then when I go back to the future we'll have a real go of it." She replied. "It'll always be you for me, so you don't have to worry about other guys." She promised and his insides melted a little – then a car pulled up. "That's my ride. See you later." She said then kissed his cheek and walked down towards the car and he scowled at nothing in particular at the sight of Tyler Lockwood driving. Caroline jumped into the passenger seat then Tyler drove away.

"That's your boyfriend, right?" Tyler queried.

"Not at the moment." Caroline denied. "We're on a break. We'll get back together once I go back to the future." She answered and he nodded as he considered that.

"I thought about it." Tyler replied and she giggled.

"Okay, and?" She asked amused.

"Hell yeah, I'm in." Tyler grinned at her and she laughed.

"Are you sure, Tyler?" Caroline asked and he nodded.

"So sure. I had nightmares all night about that werewolf thing. I really don't want to become that." Tyler replied.

"Okay." She accepted. "I'll turn you on Friday after school then we have the weekend to get you in control before school on Monday." She answered.

"Perfect." He grinned and she giggled at his expression.


Damon went back to the boarding house to sulk. He did kind of see her point but at the same time, he seriously missed her like crazy. He hadn't kissed her since the Friday and it was driving him kind of nuts. He took a seat on the couch with a drink and a book and tried not to think about it – but wasn't that the problem? He buried everything and didn't think about it? He was trying to read but he was too deep into his thoughts to take in the words then the boarding house door opened. Damon looked over his shoulder and saw Elena walking into the room with a smirk on her face.

"What's up, Elena?" Damon queried as he looked back at his book.

"Who the hell is Elena?" Damon was sure that his heart stopped beating for a moment but he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of showing any emotion regarding her sudden appearance – though, it only proved further that Caroline was the one for him as the bitch was not in the tomb. Damon looked back over his shoulder with curiosity.

"Katherine." He greeted…