Chapter 13

'It's always gonna be Elena.'

The words were playing like a bongo beat inside her head. Her brain was registering the words but her heart was having a hard time of accepting those very words. It was preposterous. She didn't love, Stefan. Stefan wasn't even hers in the first place. So why the hell did she feel like breaking down and crying?

"Wolf caught your tongue, Barbie?" Damon asked from across the room.

Caroline shook herself mentally. Now was not the time to think about matters of the heart – or whatever the hell was going on with her. Damon was like a viper, he'd pick up on anything that she didn't want being caught.

"If I recall the wolf bit you last time. Sadly you're still here but that's only because your brother is a good person." Caroline snarled at Damon as she made her way into the room. She glanced at Stefan and gave him a small smile.

Stefan returned the gesture. She still thought he was good and noble, after everything that had happened. Damon on the other hand caught the fleeting look that passed on the pairs faces. He was now convinced more than ever that something had changed between them. Stefan only reserved those kind of glances towards people he loved and so far that had only been their mother, Katherine and Elena.

"Hitting below the belt are we. May I remind you that if it wasn't for me you would be lying six feet under right now?" Damon turned and poured himself another drink.

Caroline glared daggers at the back of his head.

"Ugg don't remind me. The fact that there is something of you inside me, it revolts the hell out of me." She huffed.

Damon laughed.

"Oh I've been inside you another way as well." He provoked.

Stefan's jaw clenched so hard that his teeth began to grind together. Caroline was not, Damon's property. He was about to say so himself, but Caroline beat him.

"That was compulsion roofeing as far as I'm concerned. You can be glad I haven't told my mom what you did or Tyler for that matter, he would be keen to bite you again and this time there is no Klaus around." Caroline said angrily.

Technically Damon hadn't exactly compelled her to sleep with him that first night. She'd been miserable about the whole Stefan and Elena debacle, so she had gone and thrown herself to the next best thing. However after that first night he compelled her on many occasions.

"Tsk Tsk, Stefan would save me. Wouldn't you brother?" Damon stirred.

Luckily Stefan knew his brother's games well enough to know that Damon interest had been piqued by him and Caroline. Although Stefan could not think of a reason why. He would have to ask Caroline if she knew anything as to why Damon was toying them.

"I would save you." Stefan answered mechanically.

Damon's face fell. He hadn't been expecting that answer.

"Caroline and I have to talk about my problem. I would prefer if you could make yourself scarce." Stefan continued.

Damon grinned evilly and tossed his drink back.

"No problem. I'll go tell, Elena that you said Hi." Damon moved past them and exited the room.

Stefan waited till he heard the front door closing, before he turned to Caroline:

"I'm sorry about that. Damon fuse has been sparked. Does he know something?" Stefan asked.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders.

"When we um you know ... he saw me the following morning. I didn't say anything but he must have his suspicions. I didn't exactly come up with an award winning lie."

Stefan nodded.

The silence returned again. Neither knew what to say. It was as if they were strangers, locked in a room together. It was unnerving and unbearable. All he wanted to do was correct what he had done wrong but how could he make amends when he was feeling the way he was. Even now he could feel the way her lips had caressed his, when her nails had dug into his shoulders and the small sultry moans that had filled his ears like a video tape recorder playing over and over in his head.

"Do you think that you're maybe a sex addict?" Caroline blurted out.

The minute the words left her mouth – had she only realized what she had said and the way she had said it. She had to blame it on the charged silence that was around them.

Stefan clearly was taken back.

"What?" He choked out. If he could blush, he was sure that he would look like a school boy flushing pink.

"I mean that your addiction to blood just changed over to you know sex. It's happened before addicts are usually known for changing it up. Drugs, necrophilia, alcohol, narcissism …." Caroline babbled away uneasily.

Stefan couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

Caroline glared at him. What could he possibly be laughing at?

"Why are you laughing?" She said sternly as she crossed her arms like a scolding mother.

This caused Stefan to laugh even more. He couldn't help it. She was just too adorable when she got angry.

"This isn't funny." She said again, this time a hint of a laugh broke through her stern tone.

"I'm sorry it's just I don't think it's that." He coughed trying to get rid of the laughter from his voice.

Stefan moved forward and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. But the minute their bodies touched, everything came rushing back in like a tidal wave. The lighthearted moment they had shared had disappeared from the room and instead they were left with the unforbidden longing and desire that was pulsing erratically between them. They both wanted to cave into the desire again. It was as if they couldn't escape it. They were trapped by it and it was turning into scorching agony.

Caroline sighed.

"What is this?" She said serious all of a sudden.

"I don't know."