Hey you guys! I really hope you enjoy this chapter! It's super long - about 8k words, and has lots of intense moments! Enjoy! xx
I'm going to be at camp all next week, so I won't be able to work on an update, so I hope this makes up for it!
Previously on Everything Changes...
"UGH. I do not want a history lesson when I can relive that in my mind. I'm leaving." Damon went over to the doorway when he stopped to look towards his friend. "You coming, Klaus?"
Klaus glanced over to Damon, and I felt a strange weight leave my shoulders.
Had he been looking at me or was I just being overly paranoid as usual?
Klaus shrugged a moment later, getting up and heading over to his friend.
Elena's head popped in. "Hey Caroline?"
I looked behind Klaus and Damon to see her more clearly. "Yeah?"
"Someone's here for you." she said, glancing at Stefan.
They met eyes and I hesitantly got up, pushing by the boys and Elena. I headed towards the foyer, when I saw Uncle Zach.
Uncle Zach? My inner voice questioned, and I realized I had taken up to calling him that within the past month or two. Must have gotten it from Stefan.
My face lit up with a wide grin. "Hey!" I ran and gave him a hug, seeing Damon look emotionlessly at him and I embracing in the mirror.
I shot Damon a pointed look before pulling away. "I'm so glad to see you! Are you back for good?"
He glanced warily over my shoulder, at Damon and Klaus, I presume, before nodding. "Yep. I talked to Stefan and he thought it would be good for me to come back." he took my hand and touched my bracelet, still continuing. "How has school and everything been?" I glanced down at our hands, and saw that he had a vervain bracelet around his wrist. It looked familiar, and knew that Stefan must have gotten it to him.
What a smart way of showing me that. I thought with a little grin.
"It's been pretty good! We have a dance in a few days." I smiled half-heartedly. It was then I noticed his suitcase settled next to him.
"Oh!" I chuckled. "I'm sorry, I'll go and let you get resettled into your room!"
He picked it up, and nodded. "Yep, I better go do that." He nodded awkwardly at Damon and Klaus, before promptly retreating up the stairs.
"C'ya Caroline, enjoy the history lesson!" Elena said, laughing quietly. "I told Matt I'd help him with the banner painting." she explained, and I nodded.
"Have fun."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, fun, with my ex-boyfriend. Ugh." pushing her hair over her shoulder and waving at Stefan, she exited the building.
I turned to head back into the living-room and noticed that Damon and Klaus were already gone.
"So why did my however many great grandfathers have this compass?" I asked when I had settled back into my seat on the couch.
Stefan smiled. "The Forbes were one of the founding families and back in 1864, they and the others sought to eradicate vampires. This compass was used to find us." he explained, his smile slowly disappearing.
I tried to picture Mystic Falls almost 200 years ago. I had seen drawings, but I bet they didn't do justice to the real thing.
"You knew them, huh?" I asked.
Stefan nodded once. "Yes. I want you to keep this. That way, you'll know if you're ever in danger – or if one of us is near by."
I pulled the compass out of my pocket and nodded slowly.
~0~
The next afternoon, I sat on my bed, trying to concentrate on my homework, while simultaneously planning out what I was going to wear to the dance.
A knock on my door caused me to jump. Elena's head popped in.
"Hey hey hey!" she greeted, a big bag in tow. "I figured I'd come and surprise you since the dance is tonight!" her bottom lip jutted out. "Bonnie was busy with her dad, and Stefan's no where to be found." she pouted for a beat before looking at my unhappy expression.
"What?"
Bonnie's head popped up from around the door frame before coming in as well. "Did you really think I'd be at my dad's when I could be over here with my best friends?"
"No." I chewed on my lip before grinning wide. "You guys are the best." I shut my English book and tossed it onto the floor by my backpack.
We spent the next few hours just talking and digging through my closet to see if I could make a 50's outfit for the dance.
"So, y'know Mr. Ric?" Elena asked, tossing a slightly wrinkled baby blue button up collared shirt onto my bed.
"Yeah, why?" I dug through my winter box absent mindlessly.
"Him and Jenna are like talking!" she gushed. "It's actually like really bizarre. She's going to be chaperoning tonight too."
"Really?" Bonnie's brown eyes widened, and she shot me a glance.
Elena nodded eagerly. "And, I saw some girl flirting with Jeremy at the Grill, and he actually seemed interested." she rolled her eyes. "I don't know why he'd waste his time on her, she isn't that pretty, but..." she shrugged.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes or make some snide comment. Sure, Elena was my friend, but she could be really shallow at times.
"At least he's happy." Bonnie pointed out, and Elena shrugged.
"Mmm yeah, I suppose."
~0~
Dear Diary,
When Bonnie was in the bathroom, Elena told me about how she confronted Jenna about being adopted.
The way it sounded, Jenna was kind of nervous about the whole thing. Miranda, Elena's mom, couldn't have kids, and since Elena's real mom, someone named Isobel disappeared, they kept her as their own. Isobel was only 16, and a runaway when she had Elena, and Elena's day Grayson was the one who helped her and made the documentation saying it was Miranda's.
Bonnie stepped out of the bathroom when Elena was done talking, a hand clamped over her mouth in shock.
"You didn't tell me...?" her brown eyes were wide, and she scowled. "Seriously, Elena? I'm your best friend too, you know."
Elena ended up apologizing after a bit of persuading by me. I don't know what's been up with her lately.
Sorry I haven't been talking to you as much, diary. I've been...busy. I'll have to go back and fill you in on what's been going on sometime. Though sometime I wish I could just forget the whole thing...
I need to finish getting ready for the dance.
Love, Caroline
~0~
I ended up pinning my hair back into a curly updo, pairing it with a pair of large brooch-like earrings. I paired my hairstyle with a baby-blue collared shirt and a pink ascot tied around my neck and finally a pink belt around my middle. I just wore simple deep purple capris and my mom's old white 'nurse' shoes.
"We'll meet you there?" Elena and Bonnie asked from the doorway of my bedroom. I nodded, still working on my makeup.
I had helped the girls' with their makeup and hair, so I was running a bit behind, as usual.
As soon as they left, I pulled the compass out from the drawer of my dresser and laid it on my bed, making sure it was open.
Third Person POV
On the far side of the Salvatore Boarding House, in the older library to be exact, Damon sat at a desk. He jotted down the names of all the Founders of Mystic Falls, deep in thought.
Without a glance up, Damon said. "You got the hair right."
Stefan dropped a journal down onto the desk in front of Damon. It was their father's journal.
"Why are you bringing me Dad's journal?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Cause you were looking for it." Stefan replied dryly, looking down at the names scribbled onto the notepad.
Thomas & Honoria Fell, William Forbes, Jonathan Gilbert, Benjamin Lockwood, & Giuseppe Salvatore*.
"And why would I want it?"
Stefan sighed. "Gee, I don't know, Damon. Maybe you wanna do a little bit of posthumous bonding. Go ahead. Enjoy it. Read it. I have. Nowhere in it does it say anything about Chandra, Katherine, the tomb, or how to open it." he pushed the journal towards his brother.
After a moments hesitation, Damon picked up the journal and flipped through the pages. A look of disgust on his face, he said, "I'm not surprised. Man could barely spell out his own name."
Stefan hid a smile. "I'm really sorry that it won't be of any help with your diabolical plan, the sequel." His brother smirked and Stefan continued. "You know...I could help you."
Surprised blue eyes met green ones. "You? Help me?" Damon asked in shock. "Aw, I don't know. Seems a little..." he waved his hand around, searching for a word. "Unnatural."
His brother shrugged, leaning against the tall mahogany bookshelf. "I'll do anything to get you out of this town, even release Katherine and Chandra."
"Really, Stef?" Damon asked, a devious look on his face. "You'd let Katherine meet Elena, just so I could be out of your hair?"
He shrugged in response.
He'd make sure that Katherine didn't get out. Sure, he missed her, but she compelled him and used his brother against him. She didn't deserve to be free.
"What about the other 26 vampires?" Damon asked.
His brother's response was immediate and forceful. "No, no, no. They can't come. They have to stay put, but Chandra, I would consider that...for you."
"You wouldn't let Katherine out, would you?"
"She plotted us against each other Damon, compelled us." he considered his words carefully. "As did Chandra."
Damon scoffed, pushing the book away and standing up. "What are you doin'? What's your angle?"
Stefan help up his hands in innocence. "Think about it."
"Why would I trust you?" he continued, cocking his head to the side.
Stefan glanced down at their father's journal. "See, that's your problem, Damon. You apply all of your shortcomings to everybody else. If history's any indication, there's only one liar among us." grimacing, he patted the book and left the room.
The burning in Stefan's throat for the fourth time that day made him finally realize he needed to hunt before he went to the dance later that night. With Caroline being targeted, and all the humans that he would be near, they couldn't afford for him to be weak. At this thought, he disappeared out into the forest.
Caroline's POV
I stood in my bathroom, adding the finishing touches to my makeup and outfit. I had the radio playing faintly in the background, and when my favorite song came on, I grinned and turned it up.
Little did I know, at almost this exact moment, my compass, which was laying open on my bed, was whirling around, detecting a vampiric presence.
I finished my makeup with one last pat of translucent powder, and added a simple bracelet to my wrist.
The artist sang the last line of the chorus, and I headed over to my closet to get a pair of socks.
Once I slipped them and my shoes on, I popped my head out into the seemingly quiet house. "Damon? Stefan? Zach? Any of you still here?"
There was no response, and I figured that Stefan must be out somewhere – hadn't Zach mentioned them going to the Grill? And Damon was probably out terrorizing some random girl, or with Klaus.
I sighed, and the last line of the song drifted off, and I went to shut off the music, finally ready to go. When it was again silent, I heard the clicking sound of the compass. My heart freezing, I ran over to my bed and quickly picked it up, looking at the needle. I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, and left the room.
On my way downstairs, I dialed Stefan's number.
It rang once, twice, and three times, before I gave up.
Should I call Damon?
After another moments hesitation I called him.
"Damon's phone." Klaus answered, and I rolled my eyes, not in the mood.
"The compass." I said, and suddenly I heard Damon as well.
"What? Is it spinning?"
"Yeah. Are either of you here? I couldn't get a hold of Stefan." I walked down the stairs, carefully keeping an eye on the compass.
"No, we're at my house, Caroline." Klaus said. "Damon's trying to get a hold of Stefan now. We're on our way."
I nodded shakily, going to the side table in the foyer, and pulling the stake out from underneath.
Clutching it in my hand, I slowly looked down at the compass. It was still spinning.
Click click click click...click click click...
"I heard a car, someone's here. It must be Stefan." I set the stake down. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, love." Klaus replied, and I hung up.
Not even a moment later, I felt a body collide with mine, coming from above.
The ceiling? was the only thought I got in before I stumbled forward, whirling around at the same time.
I gasped in shock.
"Hello, Caroline." he purred and my eyes widening. "My name is Noah."
It was him! The pizza guy! He was the stalker?
He smirked, cocking his head to the side. I saw the dark veins snake out from under his eyes, and heard the hiss of his fangs extending. I swallowed nervously, making a dive for the stake, which was just to my right.
He seemed to anticipate this, in front of me in the blink of an eye. His strong arms pulled me into his chest, locking me in an iron grasp. I shrieked, and suddenly Damon and Klaus were barging through the front door.
My wide green eyes locked with Damon's.
"Caroline!" he shouted.
I could feel the white-hot pressure of fangs against my neck, and I winced, expecting more. A breeze of air rushed by me, and I was abruptly careening towards the hardwood floor, my balance lost.
I heard a crack as a hard object hit a wall...or a couch perhaps... and caught myself as the floor was suddenly a foot away. Breathing hard, I moved my gaze to see the man – Noah – slumped over the back of the couch, Klaus right above him.
Damon was at my side next, carefully helping me up. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, his blue eyes wide. Klaus glanced over at us, and Noah used this instant to flee the house.
"Are you ok? Are you ok?" Damon asked, making me look at him.
My eyes darted to the open front door. Swallowing my fast beating heart, I nodded. "I'm okay. He didn't get me."
Klaus picked up the stake off the ground when Stefan walked in. "I got your call... what happened?"
Damon's arm disappeared from around my shoulders and he leaned against the entry to the parlor.
"The vampire – Noah – was here. I didn't hear the compass right away, because I had music on." I explained.
"You tried to attack him, love?" Klaus waved the stake in the air.
I nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't gonna let the bastard attack me without putting up a fight."
The guys smirked. We moved into the parlor.
"So, how did he get in?" Damon demanded, looking a bit confused.
I stared at my shoes. "He was invited in."
"You invited him in?" Damon asked incredulously.
"She wouldn't invite him in if she knew who he was, Damon." Stefan murmured, and I smiled thankfully at him.
"He posed as a pizza guy not too long ago."
Klaus chuckled.
"He gets points for that." Damon said.
"Did he say what he wanted, love?" Klaus asked, and Stefan was staring into the distance, in thought. I noticed a bit of blood on the collar of his shirt.
Must have been hunting. No wonder I couldn't get a hold of him.
"No, too busy smirking at me and then just trying to kill me in general." I snapped, getting tired of being on my guard.
"And you don't have any idea who this is?"
I shook my head.
"I don't either." Damon put in.
Stefan raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"Don't look at me like that, I told you we had company."
"So, there's more than one?" I asked, studying their expressions.
"We don't know." Damon said, and he sat on the arm of the couch next to his brother.
Damon and Klaus looked at each other, then back to me.
"Damon, he was invited in." Stefan said, as if he hadn't already realized this.
His blue eyes drifted back to me.
"Then we go get him tonight." Damon said, smirking. "You up for it?"
I stood up, brushing off my capris. "Definitely. What do I have to do?"
"Go to the dance and have fun." Klaus said. "We'll see who shows up, and then we'll be able to take them out."
"That's a bad idea." Stefan interjected.
"Till we get him, this house isn't safe for Caroline." Klaus murmured, gesturing to me. "Or any other human that lives here."
Zach.
Stefan was still scowling, not convinced.
"Stefan." I said, my voice firm. "I'm going to the dance, and we're going to capture – or kill – this guy. Whether you like it or not."
Klaus chuckled. "That's the spirit!"
Stefan still didn't look convinced, and I sighed. "Stefan, I'll be will the three of you, and the rest of the student body. I'll be safe."
Stefan nodded after a moment, looking up at his brother and then to Klaus, who both shrugged.
~0~
Third Person POV
The students of Mystic Falls High were all decked out in their best 50's attire and dancing to "This Magic Moment" by The Drifters.
The whole gang were scattered across the dance floor. Caroline and Bonnie were dancing in one area, whilst Elena and Stefan were talking by the punch bowl. Elena didn't understand why he had to keep such a close eye on Caroline and the rest of the dance. Sure, she had been attacked, but c'mon, it was her dance too! Damon was leaning against the wall with Klaus, scanning the dance floor and talking quietly.
Alaric Saltzman, the history teacher, was standing on the other side of the room. As a chaperone, he was supposed to be keeping an eye on everyone. The grin slipped off his face when he realized who Damon was. A red head appeared into his vision, and his name was called.
Shaking his head, and smiling, he looked down to see Jenna.
"Hey, look at you." he grinned, and Jenna blushed slightly, pushing hair behind her ear. "I figured I'd stand out less if I dressed up."
Alaric laughed. "Liar."
Jenna smiled, and they continued talking.
Caroline's POV
I walked over to Elena, who was standing alone.
Hm, where was Stefan?
"Having fun?" I asked, smiling.
She scoffed, "Not really, but this all took about two hours, so I'm at least staying half of that."
Elena laughed, and I chuckled awkwardly.
Bonnie suddenly grabbed my arm. "Care, what's Damon and Klaus doing here?"
I gnawed on my lip. "They wanted to come, they'll behave, promise."
"So, what is this, Caroline, you got some kind of threesome going on with the two of them?" Elena giggled, nudging me. "They've been eyeballing you all night." she wiggled her eyebrows at me and I grinned, hiding my disgust.
"No, but if I'm going to live with Stefan and Zach, I have to learn to tolerate Damon and his best friend." I shrugged. "It's not like I can kill either of em."
Bonnie chewed on her lips. "There's a thought."
"I'll help." Elena put in, giggling again.
I pressed my lips together, trying to enjoy myself. Bonnie handed me a glass, and we clinked out glasses together.
Elena went off to find Stefan, and Bonnie was invited to dance by a senior, to which she eagerly agreed.
"Hello, love, wanna dance?" Klaus said, and I jumped, slightly on edge.
I looked at him sideways. "Not really."
His blue-green eyes studied me before scanning the crowd again. I saw his eyes narrow and he walked off, mumbling something.
What was that all about?
I glanced over my shoulder, trying to see what he had saw.
"What did you say to him that made him storm off like that, Blondie?" Damon was there next, and he was smirking at me...as usual.
"Nothing, just that I didn't really want to dance."
Damon took my hand before I could protest. "Well... this is a dance, and you're supposed to be having fun." he swayed us to the music. "and not plotting to kill a vampire." he breathed into my ear, causing goose bumps to trickle down my back.
When he pulled away, I looked up at him curiously. "He dances." I forced a smile and he laughed lowly.
"I got moves you can't even dream of, Blondie." he smirked again and we continued to sway.
Third Person POV
Across the dimly lit room, Noah, still in his hoodie, stared at the pair. A swell of emotion swayed over his person, and he swallowed bile.
Noah noticed the older vampire's head swivel towards him, and he immediately moved.
There had to be an easier and fun way to do this...
Caroline's POV
"See him anywhere?" Damon breathed into my ear, and I looked around, being the eyes in the back of his head.
"Nope."
Damon sighed. "Time to switch, Blondie." he said, spinning me, and when I was pulled back in, I was against a much taller figure.
My breath caught in my throat in unveiled surprise.
"Only me, Caroline." Klaus' deep voice whispered, and we moved back to the regular slow dance position.
I looked up at him, smiling nervously. A wolfish grin appeared on his face.
"She does dance." he mused, and I felt a blush creep into my pale skin.
"Maybe he won't show." I said, changing the subject.
Klaus didn't comment, we simply scanned the dance floor as we slow danced.
I saw Jeremy and a dark haired girl talking to Jeremy, who was manning the punch bowl.
I smiled and continued to look around.
My sight caught onto Elena and Stefan, who didn't look too happy.
Were they arguing?
I saw Elena go over to Bonnie and ask her something, before they both left. I sighed.
"Well, there go my two friends."
"And there goes the hooded man." Klaus replied, his arms tightening just slightly.
Third Person POV
Elena and Bonnie finally made it to the Grill, still in the 50s clothes.
"Are you going to tell me why we aren't dancing?" Bonnie asked, for practically the seventh time.
Elena turned on her heel, just outside the entrance. "Stefan is on guard poor Caroline duty for the rest of the night, so he's not paying attention to me." she scowled. "Just because someone is bothering Caroline, doesn't mean the whole vampire world has to jump six feet to save her."
"Wait." Bonnie said, her eyes getting wide. "There's a vampire stalking Caroline? Why wasn't I told?"
Elena shrugged, and they went inside. "Beats me."
The witch sighed, and looked around the bar. She glanced at the bar, grinning to herself when she saw Ben.
"Lets sit up there."
Elena crossed her arms, stopping. "Be a little more obvious Bonnie!" She said teasingly.
"Don't rain on my hot guy parade." she retorted, and Matt quietly walked up behind them, carrying dirty dishes in a bin.
"What? It's only a drizzle." Elena said, and Ben stepped out from the back. "Ben McKittrick? Really?"
"He's hot." Bonnie hissed, and Elena snorted.
"Yeah." she said sarcastically. "A washed up jock who pours drinks for a living. So hot."
Matt, who had paused to hear the conversation, furrowed his brows.
Elena finally noticed him.
"Hey." she smiled at her ex, who didn't even look at her.
"What's up?" he asked tonelessly.
Elena scoffed, and dragged Bonnie over to an empty table.
Caroline's POV
I eventually met back up with Damon, and we were greeted by Mr. S – Alaric.
"Caroline! Nice to see you!" He smiled and I returned it. "Who's this?"
"Damon. Salvatore." Damon said, shaking his hand.
"Salvatore...as in, uh, Stefan?" Alaric asked, looking from me to Damon.
Damon chuckled, and it sounded a bit forced. "Yeah, he's my little brother. I'm kind of his guardian, hence the chaperoning."
"I hear he's very bright, not that I've had a chance to see for myself." Alaric shrugged. "So, Caroline, how did you and Damon meet? Through Stefan?"
My eyes widened, and I looked incredulously at Damon and then to Alaric. "Oh, no, I'm not dating him – I just live at the same place. Their Uncle Zach – is my godfather."
"So, why isn't Zach Stefan's guardian?" Alaric asked, and I saw Damon working his jaw out of the corner of my eye.
"He isn't around much, out of town for work a lot." Damon said tightly. "Which is why attendance record's a little spotty."
"Uh, family drama." I put in.
"No parents?"
"Nope – and hers are dead or gone." Damon said carelessly.
Alaric's eyes widened in shock from the bluntness of the statement. "You – uh – you live here your whole life?"
"On and off, travel a bit." Damon said vaguely.
Damon, who had gradually been getting colder to my history teacher during the conversation, was getting antsy, and I could tell.
"Really? Where? Around the states?"
The Salvatore raised his eyebrows and Alaric chuckled nervously.
"I'm sorry... I'm nosy. I don't mean to pry." he turned to me. "It was nice seeing you Caroline. See you in class Monday." he smiled a thin smile. "Nice meeting you."
"You too." Damon murmured, and Alaric patted Damon awkwardly on the arm before walking away.
"Damon." I hissed, as he stared at his retreating figure.
He looked down at me, expressionless. "What?"
Third Person POV
As Bonnie stared at Ben from her seat at the table, Elena was rambling on about how, "Tonight was so much better on paper."
"Ah, you're just feeling upset because Stefan's busy. Go call him tonight or tomorrow. Be bold and fearless!" Bonnie said, smiling and taking her eyes off the bartender.
Elena snorted, swirling her straw around in her water glass. "Yeah, this coming from the girl who's been eye stalking the bartender for the past ten minutes."
Bonnie raised an eyebrow, and stood up. "You're right."
She went over to the bar, and chatted up Ben. Elena watched with interest, a smirk forming on her face.
Matt walked past, and she turned her attention to him. "Seriously?"
He stopped and looked at her in confusion. "That for me?"
Elena made a face. "Do you see anyone else in the vicinity that I know?"
"Do you need something, Elena?" Matt asked.
"Are you mad at me or something? We were fine yesterday when we were painting banners."
"No, 'Lena, I'm not mad, I-" Matt started to say, but she promptly cut him off.
"Oh. my. god." she exhaled. "Then why are you being so weird?"
The blonde's brows furrowed. "I'm not? I'm working."
"You're avoiding." she retorted, looking down to her water glass.
"No, I have a table to clean, y'know, that's the kind of thing that us washed-up jocks do to make a living." he snapped, before leaving.
Elena got up with a huff, before leaving the building.
Caroline's POV
Damon had thought he saw Noah by the exit, so Klaus and he went to check it out.
"Hopefully he won't show." I said to Stefan, who shrugged. "So, uh, why was Elena so mad at you earlier?"
Stefan sighed and looked at me. "She's jealous that you're getting all the attention, basically."
I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, me? You've been spending time with her all night."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know, but I've kept an eye out and she's noticed that."
I exhaled a long breath. "I'm really sorry for all of this."
He shook his head rapidly. "Don't be. Caroline, you're like my little sister. It's my job to protect family."
I smiled up at him.
Third Person POV
Noah saw Anna walk down the corridor of the school, and sped over to her.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded.
"Trying to get the journal from little Gilbert – sticking to the plan...something you aren't doing." Anna sighed, and pulled her hands through her dark hair. "Leave the poor girl alone."
Noah shook his head, smirking. "I like her. She looks like Chandra. Chandra was feisty." his smirk grew, and Anna rolled her eyes.
"She's not Chandra. Okay? Chandra is in the tomb, with Katherine and the others." she insisted.
Her words seemed to fly over his head. "I know. But...until we open that tomb, I got her to play with."
"Don't be stupid!" Anna hissed. "That girl is with the Salvatore brothers and that other vampire."
Noah scoffed lowly, and they both stepped over into the darkness as someone walked by. "They don't scare me – never have."
"You're going to ruin everything." Anna bit out, and she glared at him. "Don't do this."
He grinned and held up his hands. "You got nothin' to worry about. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you or the plan. You'll get what you came for – just let me have my fun." he trailed off, and then repeated what he said earlier. "She looks like Chandra."
Caroline's POV
Stefan and I stood at the punch bowl still, just chatting and observing the crowd.
My eyes landed on Damon, who had found some girl to dance with. A slight ball formed in my throat, and I swallowed it.
I was not jealous. Why would I be jealous? Because it's not me? I don't like Damon like that! Chill out, Caroline!
"You really can't take him anywhere, can you?" I said, nudging Stefan with a laugh.
His eyes landed on his brother, who was currently groping the girl's bottom.
"Uh, no." Stefan said.
I looked across the floor again, and my heart stopped. "Stefan, back corner." I grabbed his wrist and he looked.
"Get Damon." he ordered, and strode towards the hooded figure, pushing past dancing couples. By this time, I saw Noah exit the room, and I made my way towards Damon.
Third Person POV
Meanwhile, Stefan pinned the hooded figure against the locker.
It wasn't him.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
Caroline's POV
I lost Damon in the crowd and I sighed.
Dammit!
Suddenly, my phone rang, causing me to jump as it vibrated in my back pocket.
I saw the unknown number and shakily pressed it to my ear.
"Hello, Caroline." the sickeningly familiar voice said.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart pounding – despite my want to not be scared.
"Here's what you're going to do."
I scoffed, cutting him off. "No. Here's what you're going to do, you sadistic freak! You're going to leave me alone, before I – or one of my friends- rips your head off and shoves it up your -" he cut me off with an, "ah ah ah."
His voice was calm, and it scared me. "Would you like me to kill your best friend instead?"
I blinked in shock, turning around to face the punch bowl. Elena was standing beside him, her eyes wide and tear stained.
"I can snap her neck so fast, I bet there's not even a witness. Now, start walking towards the exit behind you."
"But-"
"Five." was his calm reply.
I turned around, and speed walked to the door.
"Don't you dare touch her." I hissed, getting closer to the door.
"Four." he replied, and I reached the exit. "Keep walking. Through the door." he commanded, and I did, glancing back nervously.
Where was Klaus? Or Damon for that matter!
I stood in the hallway and hung up.
How did he get Elena? She left! Was he stalking her too?
My mind whirled as I turned and ran as fast as I could. I turned down the east corridor, and came across chained doors.
I wanted to scream in frustration. My heart was pounding, a sure beacon to his hearing.
I turned around and ran down the other side, flinging open the doors to the cafeteria. I tried to open the far doors.
But, of course...they were locked.
Oh god no. I fumbled for my phone, typing in a text to Damon, Stefan and Klaus' numbers.
SOS Cafe-
There was a loud thud as the doors on the opposite side of the room were thrown open. I flinched, and was ripped back by my hair. My curls fell out as he pulled me to him, then shoved me across the nearest table.
My body landed hard on the opposite side with a thud, my breath knocked out of me. As I struggled to my feet, I heard the screech of metal as he threw the table aside. I snatched a pencil up off the floor, and moments later he picked me off the floor. Pushing me up against the cold wall, he studied my face.
His fangs extended, and his eyes darkened.
I stabbed him with the pencil, feeling the satisfaction of it sinking into the flesh of his stomach.
I heard him wheeze in surprise, not expecting me to do this, obviously.
I pushed him to the floor and ran as fast and as far away as I could. He walked towards me, smirking.
"Feisty, eh?"
He was in front of me and I prepared to attack him again, but the element of surprise was gone.
He raised his hand, and the pencil went straight through. He glanced down at his hand, and I used my last pencil to stab him in the shoulder, pushing him to the floor again. I walked backwards, keeping a wary eye on him, while headed towards the mop in the bucket I noticed when I came in.
Pulling the mop out of the water, I tried snapping it over my knee to create a stake. I winced as the hard wood didn't budge. I saw him getting to his feet, and I brought it down again, this time being rewarded with a snap.
I heard the pencils clatter to the floor as he ripped them out of him. He advanced towards me, and I thrust the stake at him, only to have him grab my wrist and twist my arm. He pulled me to his chest again, and I screamed.
I heard the far doors slam open, and Damon and Klaus were ripping him away from me, pushing him to the floor.
Noah got up from the floor, eying the two vampires who were standing in front of me, their arms crossed.
"Hey, dickhead." Noah's eyes left my figure, and flicked to Damon, who had my stake in his hand. "Nobody want to kill you, we just wanna talk."
"Yeah, let's take this nice and easy, now." Klaus said warily.
The man smirked and rushed towards me, causing Klaus' hand to dart out and catch him around the throat, eliciting a breathy gasp to come out of his mouth.
Damon stabbed a stake into his stomach, and he fell to his knees.
I slowly sank to the floor during all this, my back against the wall.
"Now you feel like talkin', mate?" Klaus demanded, his voice sounding darker than I had ever heard it.
"Screw you." He said, spitting out blood towards Klaus.
Damon clicked his tongue and dug the stake in deeper.
"Wrong answer." he said in a sing-song voice. "Why are you doing this?"
Stefan jogged into the room, and was at my side a second later.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded weakly, feeling bruises form from being slammed around.
"Because it's fun!" Noah ground out after a moment.
"Yeah, "it's fun", but why are you doing it to Caroline?" Damon demanded again, twisting it.
"She looks like Chandra." He snapped, and Damon's eyes widened. Klaus and Damon met eyes before glancing back to Stefan and I.
"You knew Chandra?" Klaus asked, furrowing his brows.
"Oh." Noah laughed dryly. "You three thought you were the only ones." he laughed, only to gasp out in pain when Damon twisted the stake once more. "You don't even remember me."
Klaus chuckled. "No, it's you who doesn't remember me." he said quietly and I furrowed my brows, looking in confusion to Damon, who seemed to be equally befuddled.
"Where's Elena?" I asked, worried about my friend.
Stefan glanced at me. "She's at the dance. I found her in a classroom on the way here." he whispered, and I nodded.
"Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?" Damon leaned over Noah, who shook his head.
"No."
Damon pulled out the stake, and stabbed it back in, creating a new wound.
"The grimoire." he cried out.
"And where is that?" Damon asked again.
"The journal, check the journal. We don't know whose, but Jonathan's or William's." he moaned.
"Who else is working with you?" Klaus asked, seeming to have questions of his own.
When he didn't answer, Damon repeated Klaus' question.
"No. You're going to have to kill me."
Damon and Klaus met gazes before looking back at us.
Stefan nodded, and Damon rolled his eyes, pulling out the stake. He weighted the stake in his hand for a moment, then viciously stabbed him in the heart. Noah's body fell to the floor with a clunk, and began to desiccate.
"How are you gonna find the others now?" I asked, looking to the others.
"He had to die, love." Klaus said, walking over to me. "He's been invited in." Klaus extended his hand to me.
I nodded slowly, taking his proffered hand and he pulled me to my feet.
I heard a door open, and we looked to see Alaric coming through one of the door's windows.
Stefan and Damon met eyes. "Go, I got this."
"C'mon love." Klaus said, leading me out the other door. "I don't think you want to see this."
Third Person POV
After Stefan cleaned up the mess, and Damon compelled Alaric – or so he thought – they talked about the night's events in the hall.
"There's no way that idiot was workin' alone." Damon said in disbelief.
"You are." Stefan said with a shrug. Damon grimaced at him. "So the grimoire... That was Emily's, right? That's what you need to reverse the spell. When the founding families burned her, they took her things, and you were hoping that dad's journal would tell you where it is." Stefan said, finally putting two and two together.
Damon smirked. "Look at you puttin' the pieces together. Good for you. I was half-right. Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin."
"My offer still stands." Stefan said, not wanting to have to work against his only brother.
"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt." Damon said, rolling his eyes.
"No. Nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open up that tomb, you and Chandra go, and the other 20 something vampires die." Stefan said firmly, telling the truth.
"If I agree?"
"I'll help you." Stefan said, meeting his eyes.
The rest of the conversation went something like this.
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm your brother."
"No, that's not gonna cut it."
"Because I want you gone."
The Salvatore brothers' conversations were often like this, full of unease and tense feelings.
Damon paused for a few moments, considering this deal. Perhaps his brother was actually considering the truth. "Okay." he said, nodding.
Stefan nodded as well, and that was that.
Caroline's POV
I sat on the couch at the Salvatore House, a cup of tea in my hand. Zach was seated across from me. I had just gotten done filling him in on what had happened since he left.
"So this guy, Noah, stalked you and then tried to kill you because you look like some girl?"
I nodded, taking a sip.
"And you're still sane after all of this?"
I smiled, running my hand through my hair. "Yeah." I laughed. "It's crazy talking about all of this like it's no big deal."
"Are you doing okay, though? I mean like really?" Zach asked, and I looked at him for a moment, contemplating my answer.
"Is it crazy weird if I say yes?"
"Is it true?" he retorted, and I gnawed on my lip.
"I know I should probably feel ridiculously upset or scared...or something, but I honestly feel really exhilarated. I mean, I stood up for myself, I put up a fight. It was nice, being in control like that, when normally I wouldn't." I said proudly, glad I was able to do such a thing.
Zach smiled and patted my knee. "I think we all wish we didn't have to fight back at all, but it's good you can. And you'll feel something eventually, it's just the adrenaline."
Stefan walked into the living room, and smiled at us.
"Hey guys." he sat across from me. "You alright?"
I nodded. "I fought back, I'm alive, my friends are alive, I'm alright."
His worried expression faded, and a nervous one replaced it. "I need to tell you something, but I don't know how you're going to feel about it."
I coughed, swallowing my sip of luke-warm tea. "What/"
Stefan took a deep breath. "I told Damon that I'd help him get into that tomb to get Chandra back. But..it was a lie. I let him believe that he could trust me."
"Well, why are you so worried about telling me then?" I furrowed my brows, waiting for an answer.
Stefan weighed his words carefully before saying, "He can be...very persuasive, and you two have bonded lately."
I scoffed, setting down my tea. "Just because he pretty much kidnapped me and we had a little road-trip, doesn't mean were best friends and bonded at the hip, Stef." I nudged him with my foot. "It'll take a lot more than a rescue for me to forget who Damon is, and all the crap he's done."
He nodded in understanding. "I really don't want to be his enemy, Care, but I can't let him do it."
I shrugged. "Then don't." I looked him dead in the eye. "I'll help you, whatever it takes, alright?"
I got up, and so did he. "Okay."
Stefan stepped forward, and embraced me. "I know you didn't ask for all this. Your mom dying, living here and dealing with us."
I smiled faintly into Stefan's shoulder. "I know you know, and thanks."
Third Person POV
Meanwhile, Elena was at the Grill.
"Look Matt, I'm sorry. I said something really stupid, and it wasn't even about you but -"
"Yes, you were, 'Lena. Ben and I are just alike." Matt walked off from Elena, causing her to scoff and follow him.
"That's not true." he continued to wipe down the table.
"Are you seriously mad about this? Matt, you know me. I screw up all the time, say dumb things, and I always have to apologize and take it back. I'm a really shitty person, but I'm working on it." Elena said through clenched teeth, as it obviously pained her ego to admit this, especially to someone she was once so close to.
"Can we just not do this right now? I still need time." he said, not looking at her.
"Ok." she was silent for a moment, glancing at the clock on the wall. "When do you get off?"
He exhaled harshly, turning to look at her. "Look, this thing we got going on, just being friends, and hanging out like we used to – it's nice, and it feels really great, and I know you think I'm over you, but – but I'm not."
"How do you know that? Have you even bothered to ask me?" she demanded, crossing her arms.
"I'm not over you, and I don't want to mess things up again, we might lose this, and this job and you are the only good things I've had going for me in a long time, alright? So if our friendship isn't enough for either of us, we'll just disappoint and hurt people." He took a breath, and allowed that to sink in. "And I really don't want to do that."
Elena growled in annoyance. "Big problem, Matt, you took the next step all by yourself – played the whole damn thing out even, and decided to bail already! Don't even bother fretting about losing this, 'cause it's already gone!"
Elena stormed out of the Grill, slamming the door behind her.
~0~
A bit later, when Elena was walking down the street, as her car was lent to Jeremy for the night, Matt drove up I his truck.
"'Lena!" he called, and she scoffed. "'Lena, get in the truck."
She continued to walk, and Matt stopped his truck, put it in park, and jumped out. Elena tried to walk across the street in front of Matt's truck.
"What?" she unfolded her arms and glared at Matt, who had ran up to her.
Matt's blue eyes stared into her brown eyes for a moment, before he grabbed her face and kissed her.
"This'll never work." She mumbled between kisses, her mind flashing to Stefan. A tinge of guilt rose in her throat, but she pushed it away.
Matt. Her heart whispered.
Stefan. Her mind protested.
~0~
Outside of the Grill, in the back, Anna attacked Ben, her eyes red and her teeth elongated. Ben, flipped them over and attacked her, his own teeth and eyes showing in the dim light.
"Don't sneak up on me like that." he said, letting go the shorter girl.
"You love it." Anna smirked up at him. She playfully pushed him off.
"Where's Noah?" He asked, peering into the distance.
Anna sighed, her features creasing. "His blonde obsession got the best of him, and so did the Salvatore brothers."
"They killed him?" he asked, disbelievingly.
"Tortured and staked." she tersely replied, shrugging.
"You're not very upset." he raised an eyebrow.
"I warned you, Ben, and he was just gonna screw everything up anyway. Let's be honest, he wasn't exactly an asset. How'd you do?" she said, as if it was no big deal. And to her, it wasn't.
"Oh, the witch is totally crushing on me." he smirked. "Did you get the journal?"
Anna shook her head. "No, but I know where the Gilbert's is, and I'll get it."
They beamed at each other before Ben leaned down and kissed Anna before they walked off together.
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