Chapter 40

Caroline hadn't been one to wake up in awkward situations , well unless she counted Damon which probably was the biggest mistake of her lifetime , she didn't do the morning awkwardness but waking bound and tied with Elena was as bout as the most awkward it could ever get. What did she have to say to Elena? I'm sorry that your boyfriend is my soul mate and you're just in the way?

Caroline tried to ignore both Elena and the sting that was radiating around her bare arms. Mikael had snapped her neck the night and when she had awoken next to Elena she had first been shocked to see her passed out on Caroline's shoulder but then Caroline noted that they were bound together and that the ropes were drenched in vervain making it almost impossible for Caroline to move. Then a few hours had passed and the door to the basement where they were locked in, opened and Mikael had tossed Katherine into the room onto the floor. Before Caroline could ask where they were he had snapped the door shut. Katherine had also seemed to have endured the neck snap.

"This is your entire fault." Elena suddenly said breaking the awkward silence that had been between the pair since Elena had snorted herself awake.

Caroline rolled her eyes and shifted slightly, wincing as the vervain seeped in deeper to her skin.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I don't know how many times I will have to tell you. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Caroline answered.

"You were supposed to be my friend."

Caroline winced at that. Yes, she was Elena's friend. Had been since they were in kindergarten. They shared sleepovers, clothes, gossip and even their families. Elena had been there when her father took off with another man, Caroline had been there when Elena and Matt went through hardships in their relationships. But they had battled to find a balance. Common ground, there had always been a competition an edge between them. Caroline had always believed it to be one sided, that it was she who was insecure and competitive with her friend but Caroline became aware of Elena always having an edge. It had been evident when Stefan arrived the first day of school. Elena had been more than happy to toy with the idea that Stefan chose her and not Caroline. It was a big joke. But now that things had played out the way they did and things had been said. Caroline couldn't help but wonder if she and Elena were ever truly friends and whatever they had, had before if it could get salvaged.

"I don't think we were." Caroline replied.

Elena didn't say anything she just breathed in deeply and looked the other way. Perhaps she thought the same as Caroline. In the end they weren't anything to each other really. Caroline's heart ached at the thought of Stefan. She didn't know how much time Stefan had before Damon would be forced to kill him. And sitting here in a darkened room waiting for something to happen didn't make it easier either.

Katherine suddenly groaned on the floor near them. Caroline watched as the other woman half pulled herself before slumping awkwardly again the wall.

"You're up." Caroline pointed out.

"Yeah. I see where Klaus get's his temper from." Katherine groaned as she rubbed her neck.

Caroline nodded. She didn't know what to say to the other woman. A part of her was so angry at Katherine for everything. She should have died all those years ago. Then none of them would have been in this predicament. She wouldn't be a vampire, there would be so much less heartbreak, Stefan would be... dead. A sharp pain pierced her heart. She would have never met him; Stefan would have died a hundred years before her. He would have married a sweet simple girl, had a few kids, grandchildren and he would have died an old man. Happy and content with life. Caroline choked back tears , Stefan would have been a great father , the kind who would dote on them , listen to Bon Jovi as he took them to school and given them loads of advice because he was just so patient as a teacher and friend.

Caroline suddenly sniffed her tears away. It wouldn't do her well to cry about that now. Katherine noticed that the blonde was upset but she didn't say anything. What was there to say?

"Why did you make that wish?" Caroline suddenly asked out of the blue.

Katherine looked down at the floor. She had wondered when the other woman in the room was going to ask her this question... She had been anticipating it for a while now. But when Katherine had told Caroline what she had done the blonde's main concern was helping Stefan. She didn't want to know the details but now as they sat trapped in a room with nowhere to go and with a maniac on the other side of the door there was no escaping the situation anymore.

"I loved Stefan. Still do." Katherine answered simply.

Elena gave a grunt of disapproval but Caroline ignored her.

"You loved him so much that you placed a wish on a stone for him to find someone to love. For me to be the one? Call me crazy but that sounds absurd." Caroline answered.

Katherine groaned as tried to lift herself off the floor, it was pointless she was too weak and she was sure that Mikael had injected her with vervain before snapping her neck.

"It's not absurd if you think about it." Katherine grunted.

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to die soon, Stefan will be alive and the anguish will drive him crazy to the point where he will not want to live anymore. Don't you wish that you could spare him that pain? Make him never remember you and for him to carrying on living a long and happy life?" Katherine asked.

Caroline didn't answer. Katherine was right. If she could do it now she would want Stefan to be happy even if he wasn't with her. He deserved to be happy.

"So you see that's why I did it. His love for me wasn't real but what I compelled from him made me realize than man was destined to have a great love. An epic love. If I had known the consequences of that wish, maybe I wouldn't have made it because either way now he will never be happy again because you're going to die and he's going to be alone. And all he wants is to perish into that cave of his and never come out again." Katherine answered before closing her eyes and proceeded to lie down on the floor.

Caroline knew that she wasn't going to get anything out of her no more. But her words had made sense. Was all of what they had worth it? Was it worth weeks of devotion turning into anguish and despair? Was her love for him greater than her life?

Yes it was. All of this was worth it. The fraction of time she had with Stefan been beyond the best moments of her life. She had felt something with him and it was just right. Content. He had been her answer to the question she had been thinking about her whole life. Now that she was here she knew she was prepared to die and for her that was enough. Perhaps Stefan would be upset and he would mourn her but if he loved her the way he did, he would understand why she did this. Why she sacrificed her life for his.

"You're wrong, you know." Caroline spoke aloud suddenly after a few minutes of silence.

"He'll live because he knows he would have done the same for me." Caroline answered.

"What are you guys talking about...?" Elena asked puzzled by the two other occupants in the room.

Before Caroline could answer the door swung open and Mikael stepped into the room. In his hand he held Elena's mobile.

"What are you doing with that?" Elena asked panicked.

Mikael stepped further into the room and turned his menacing eyes on to Elena's.

"Just letting your friends know that you're back home and in Mystic Fall's." Mikael answered before throwing her mobile against the wall, shattering it into tiny pieces.

"Were in Mystic Falls?" Katherine coughed out.

Mikael nodded his head and proceeded to leave the room.

"Wait! What is the plan? How are you going to stop Klaus and save Stefan?" Caroline asked.

Mikael pivoted and looked at the blonde his eyes cold as death.

"You know the plan already. I've compelled the plan to you and I've injected you with vervain so that plan can't be revoked. All it takes is a few simple words and you and Katherine will know what you have to do." He answered before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.

"That doesn't sound good does it?" Caroline spoke aloud to no one in particular.

"No it doesn't. We just have to wait." Katherine whispered.