Chapter 14

None of it made sense. The feelings that had surfaced all of sudden – there was no denying – at least from Caroline's part that she had feelings for Stefan. However it had never been like this before. Even right now, an invisible string was pulling them closer towards one another; it resonated from her very soul. A blinding light that refused to die out. It was primal and instinctive; it felt like old magic, working its weave to pull them until they became one.

Stefan was so close to her, even in the mist of confusion and fear, he wanted to be with her. Touch her. Kiss her. He moved forward again – but Caroline prevented him from doing so, even though her body told her yes.

"Stefan, what are you doing?" She distanced herself from.

It was clear that this was becoming a dangerous scenario for the both of them.

"I uh. I don't know. What the hell is this?" He snapped out of the foggy state his mind was in.

It felt like I had drunk blood from a drugged up person, taking absinthe and had shot towards the skies and back again. It left him feeling hung over and confused.

"This can't keep happening. It's wrong and twisted on so many levels." Caroline breathed out deeply.

"I know. It's just strange. Before I came to you, or the ripper did, I lost control. I almost killed someone." He replied.

Caroline eyes trickled downwards towards his shirt covered in blood.

"That explains the blood on your shirt. You Fed." Caroline didn't want to think about it. Yes he hadn't killed someone but still it meant he wasn't necessarily in control, that another person may have not walked away.

"Not exactly." Stefan answered.

He looked down at the shirt that he was wearing. He'd forgotten about it entirely. It didn't do anyone good to see him wearing a blood sodden shirt. He reached at the bottom of his shirt to pull it off; he'd gotten halfway until, Caroline had halted him.

"Can you not do that?" She swallowed eyes wide as she looked at the rippling steel of muscle on his abdomen.

"Huh?" Stefan replied, confused.

"The shirt. Drop the shirt." Caroline closed her eyes.

If she didn't see it, it didn't affect her. Yeah right – she'd been picturing it from day one.

"Oh. Sorry. I didn't mean to, you know…" Stefan allowed the shirt to fall back into place.

Caroline opened her eyes. Relieved to see that he was no longer half naked.

"It's fine. You were saying something about the blood?" Caroline breathed out the word hurriedly, wanting to move the conversation on.

"I nearly killed the guy. Elena and I were at odds again and I was feeling on edge. Like I was slowly losing myself. The guy was just standing outside the school, minding his own business. But I couldn't do it." Stefan sighed.

He didn't do it because he thought of her and how he couldn't disappoint her like that. But he didn't dare mention it. It would only cause more unnecessarily uneasiness between them.

"So I took off towards the hospital. Found the blood bank. It started with one blood bag then I couldn't control it and then it took over me again. I slipped away and then it was like, my entire sole purpose was to find you." Stefan glanced towards her. He was curious to see what her reaction would be to that.

Caroline swallowed again. How do you respond to that?

"Well you did, fine me. Then it happened again, and then you were you again." Caroline cleared her throat.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that … I'm just as guilty as Damon. Using you against your will." It was true, he was acting like a monster without humanity – how Damon acted when his switch was malfunctioning as usual.

Caroline gasped out in horror.

"No! It wasn't like that, Stefan. I didn't say no. Don't ever think like that. Please." She said firmly.

It was nothing like how he was suggesting, it wasn't rape. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted her and she didn't protest, not once.

"Why didn't you say no?" Stefan couldn't help but ask.

Caroline blenched. How was she to know? It was like something else was inside her, governing her to make the choices that she was making.

"I don't know."

Stefan nodded. He understood that something was wrong between them, that rationality had jumped out the window a long time ago.

"What should we do? Do you think we should tell Elena and the rest of them?" Stefan asked. They had to do something, or at least figure out what this all was.

"No. I think we should focus on how things were before. Maybe we need a distraction from each other, a detox from us." Caroline replied.

The others couldn't know, especially Elena. She didn't want to cause any more turbulence in the world that was, Elena Gilberts.

She continued;

"Damon's right. Elena should always be the person that you choose. Maybe you actually need her; maybe this is what it's all about. You haven't been able to reconnect with her and this happening. Maybe Elena is the key to helping you."

"What about you?" Stefan asked, he didn't want to think about Elena right now. Not in front of Caroline.

"I should focus on Tyler." Caroline answered firmly.

Stefan couldn't keep the look of horror off his face.

"Tyler? I thought you weren't together anymore?"

Caroline shrugged her shoulders.

"He came and saw me before the gym hall thing. We figured we should work things out, get back to what we were."

"But he cheated on you." Stefan said incredulously.

"Yes he did. But what I did was unforgivable. I slept with you. My best friends, true love." Caroline said silently.

Stefan looked down to the floor with guilt. They both had done something unforgivable.

"I owe it to him, Stefan and you owe it to Elena to try."

Stefan didn't want to admit it, but he had to listen to her reasoning.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe we just need to let this thing run its course." He answered.

Caroline smiled sadly.

"Elena, can help you and you can always phone me, whenever you're having a problem. But this thing that's going on with us is changing things and too many people are going to get hurt."

"Spoken like a true sponsor." Stefan couldn't help bit out sarcastically.

"You're my friend, Stefan. I don't want this to mess things up between us, you and Elena have this epic love and I never wanted to do anything to jeopardize it." Caroline answered.

"She kissed, Damon. It that what epic love is? Kissing somebody else who you're not supposed to be with? Then expecting it to go back to normal?" He asked bitterly.

How could he ever forget that? That his once love kissed his brother and might very well have feelings for him? Feelings that could possibly be stronger than the one's she has for Stefan.

"Tyler cheated on me. Yes, I'm angry and mad as hell but it doesn't change things, not really. Well it does but I guess my feelings haven't changed towards him." The minute the words left Caroline mouth, she knew they were lies. Her feelings for, Tyler had diminished greatly.

"You deserve better." Stefan moved forward.

Caroline moved backwards. She had to stand her ground. Maybe the words coming out his mouth weren't his.

"I'm sorry that we have to do this. Us being apart. But you understand right?" She knew she had to go, to cement this.

Stefan nodded his head.

"I guess I'll see you around sometime. Give Elena a call. She misses you." Caroline said firmly before leaving on shaky legs.

Her heart told her not to go but her mind reasoned that this thing between them was nothing but irrational and a one-time fluke.

Stefan watched Caroline's figure disappear.

Why did it just feel like his heart had walked out the door?

An: Hmm do you think they will be able to keep apart? What will happen when Stefan and Elena try and reconcile? Will there still be something between them? You'll just have to find out on Thursday, when the next chapter is posted. Thank you again to all my amazing readers and reviewers. You guys Rock!