A Portrait for Caroline

Chapter 8

Caroline paced around the bar bored as hell. Geez Elena and Stefan took forever to get anywhere. Caroline exhaled and looked around for Margarita mix and ice so she could make frozen margarita's. She pulled out three glasses because she knew that wherever Stefan went Elena was bound to follow. She was just glad that Damon wasn't involved with this. He was the only one with the present mind to leave her the fuck alone, but if he decided he did care she knew he could probably take her down.

She sighed and poured the contents into the blender making the Margaritas before she heard the door open and Stefan and Elena walked through the doors. She didn't know how this would turn out, but she was desperate at this point for people to just leave her alone, so she had to be relentless.

"Hey. Making margaritas do you want one?"

"Where's Sarah?" Elena asked.

God she was so annoying. She at least wanted to be courteous before she revealed her evil plan.

"I see Stefan filled you in on his big secret." she said grabbing one of the glasses.

"Where is she Caroline?"

"Well not here that would be stupid. She's with Liam. Say hi." she said talking into the phone where Liam was on the other line awaiting her instructions.

"Hello. "

"Sarah is helping Liam with his surgical skills."

"Please! Please! Don't hurt me!" Sarah said.

"I don't wanna do this!" Liam yelled.

"Duh. You're probably going to get expelled and found guilty of murder. That's why I compelled you to do what I wanted."

No! Please!"

"Caroline, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Obviously. I was pretty clear about that."

"Look I know you can't feel it right now Care, but if you kill Sarah. It's going to haunt you forever. "

God. She wished Elena would just shut the fuck up. She poured the mix into a cup.

"Trust me I did it. It sucks."

Of course Elena would find a way to make this about her. Just like she always did.

"I compelled a student to perform surgery on Stefan's niece and you found a way to make this about you. Gah. You truly have a gift Elena."

"Caroline. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to leave town? I'll leave town. I'll stay as far away from you as possible. Just please let her go."

Caroline finished filling up the last of the glasses.

"That's the problem Stefan. Doesn't really matter how far away you are. You're still you. Kind. Loyal. With one look can convince me that i'm not crazy. That's the Stefan that I fell for and that's the Stefan who can bring me back."

"Killing Sarah isn't going to change that."

"I know That's why i'd rather change you. Let go of that part of you Stefan."

Caroline what are you talking about?" Elena asked.

Well at least she finally asked an appropriate question.

"If Stefan wants to save Sarah's life all he has to do is shut his humanity off." she said holding up the glasses.

Elena and Stefan looked at her with looks of disbelief as if they didn't know that she had shut her humanity off and became a heartless bitch.

"Why are you both looking at me like that? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"He's not turning his humanity off!"

"Elena, Stefan unleashed himself from you months ago. He can think for himself now."

"It's not going to happen Caroline." Stefan said.

She guessed she would just do it the hard way then. She picked up the phone ready to tell Liam his next course of action.

"Hey Liam. Cut out her spleen."

"Caroline!' Elena shouted.

God she was getting so annoying. Caroline liked emotionless Elena better.

"Relax. She can live without a spleen. You know it's really the infection you should be worried about."

Caroline could hear Sarah's screams and pleads through the line.

"Hey Liam, you remember that conversation we had earlier about being honest? Where are you?"

"Don't answer him Liam."

"Whitmore Medical." Liam said defying her.

"Hey!"

"Go get Sarah out of there" He shouted to Elena.

Elena raced off as fast as she could.

"Good luck getting there in time"

"Please! Liam!"

"How's it going Liam?"

"I think i'm going to go into pediatrics."

"You know what I changed my mind. Leave the spleen. Let's be a little more symbolic. Take out her heart."

Apparently that was enough to unnerve Stefan, because before she knew it she was thrown into the table. How dare he? Did he have any clue how much this outfit had cost her?

Stefan raced toward the phone, but before he could grab it, Caroline took one of the chair legs to trip him and strikes him through the back with it with a sickening smile. That should teach him a lesson or two about interfering. She grabbed the phone and made sure Liam was still there.

"Liam. Are you still with me? "

"Yeah."

"Good. Go ahead and do what you have to do."

Caroline heard Sarah's piercing screams as she watched Stefan wither in pain. He was a fool to think he could defeat her.

"You don't realize it, but this really does hurt me to watch. Pathetic. Liam she stopped screaming. Is she-"

"I think she passed out."

"Kill her. Call me when it's done." she said hanging up.

She heard Stefan's cellphone ring. No doubt it was Elena and she answered it pulling the stake out of Stefan's back.

"Stefan's phone."

"Caroline, where are they?"

"Hey, you're going to be a doctor right? How long can one live without their heart? Maybe like three seconds tops."

"She's going to let her die Elena." Stefan said behind her.

"I can't find them anywhere. We're running out of time." Elena said.

Caroline turned to Stefan to see what he would do.

"Bring me back."

"Stefan, What-What do you mean? Bring you back from where?"

"Just remember to bring me back."

"No. no. no. no. Stefan. No." Elena said as soon as Stefan closed his eyes.

He was finally doing it. He was finally turning it off. Caroline smiled in satisfaction. She finally won.

Caroline stepped closer to Stefan. He looked at her with eyes so cold that she swore winter was coming.

"So would you like that drink now?" she said trying to lighten up the mood a little.

"Sure. Why not?"

Caroline and Stefan went to the bar as she laid down on it and he poured himself a martini. Then his cellphone rang. No doubt it was Elena, but she was already too late. She was glad that she had super vampire hearing and could hear everything that was being said.

"Hello."

"Stefan. Hey. Thank God I found her. She's going to be okay."

"Oh really?" he said without the slightest bit of interest.

"Stefan. Are you okay?"

"Well I will be in one second." he said taking a sip of his drink. "Hmm. I really needed that."

"Please don't tell me that you shut it off. Stefan. Don't you dare tell me that you shut it off!"

"Okay. I won't." Stefan said handing the phone to Caroline.

She happily took it.

"He shut it off." she said hanging up the phone on Elena.

She looked around. GOD this bar was a mess and there was no way she wanted to be around Stefan unless she absolutely had to be. Spring break was in a week anyway. She would probably just compel her teachers to let her go early for a mini vacation before she could audition for the head role in the schools play. She wanted her life as normal as possible, but first there was something she had to take care of.

"Do you mind leaving? This bar is a mess and I really just want to clean it up."

Stefan shrugged as if he couldn't care less and left the bar. Caroline surveyed the damage and sighed she had a lot of work to do. She grabbed the mop and started to clean up when Enzo came in. God. She just moped there. Some people have no respect.

"A hard knock life is it?"

"Don't walk there. Gah. I just washed that." she said grabbing the mop and heading towards where Enzo just walked all over.

"My apologies Cinderella. What are you doing?"

"Stefan and I had a moment. Things were broken in the process and now i'm returning the skull bar to the way we found it." she said moping.

"The whole part about flipping your humanity switch is that you don't care how you leave things."

"I go to school here Enzo. I want to keep going to school here. And the second they draw any suspicions about breakins, Property, dead bodies. People will try to ruin my routine and I will end up rotting in a cell somewhere. Instead of doing what I should be doing and that is preparing for my flight tomorrow and my audition next week."

"You, Caroline Forbes, Vampire without humanity. You're auditioning for the school play?"

At least he didn't ask here where she was flying to.

"Musical. And obviously. Duh. I'm a drama major. And what are you doing here?"

"Find my phone led me here. Didn't explain why you're sticky fingers needed it last night." he said grabbing it off the table.

"Cause you're phone had Sarah Salvatore's number."

"Why would you need Sarah's number?"

"To use her life as leverage to convince Stefan to shut his humanity switch off too."

"That's both clever and deeply unsettling. Tell me she's still alive."

"She's alive. Assuming she survived any infection from Liam's amateur surgery."

"Which means Stefan's humanity is a thing of the past."

"Like I said I will stop at nothing to maintain my routine, so I suggest you stay away. Now if you don't mind I have a flight to catch." she said handing him the mop.

"Where are you going?"

"Let's just say i'm going to visit an old friend." she said smiling and walking out.