Happy Holidays/Merry Late Christmas you guys! Enjoy a really long chapter!
If you want to see Caroline's Miss Mystic Falls dress - which is different than the one in the show, go to my FF profile and click on the link for the outfits! The outfit is titled the name of this chapter!
Previously on Everything Changes...
"Hullo, love," he greeted as he got closer. Klaus shot a glance at Stefan, who was staring at the older vamp with contempt.
I swallowed back a lump and stood up. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. Mrs. Lockwood practically insisted," I explained, leading him over to our place.
"My pleasure, Caroline." My name rolled off his tongue and I lowered my eyes for a moment.
"Honor your partner, everyone!" Carol called from the front, and my eyes darted back to Klaus'.
I stepped forward, curtsying. Klaus' eyes practically undressed me as he bowed.
"Let's focus," Carol said with a smile. "Right hand around..."
I held up my hand in the air and took a measly step forward. Klaus did the same, smirking. When our hands were inches apart, we started walking in a small circle, keeping our hands close.
"Flirt with your eyes," Carol's voice drifted into the background.
Klaus, whom was still smirking at me, quickly tapped my hand. I felt Carol glare at Klaus and I, but she said nothing.
"Left hand around," she commanded, and we switched hands and directions.
Elena and Stefan were giggling like school children.
Oh, yeah, that is some major eye-flirtage going on. I thought with a roll of my eyes.
Stefan seemed to be 'fine' like he'd said earlier in the basement.
But was he really?
"Earth to Caroline," Klaus murmured with a smirk, causing me to pull my gaze from Stefan. "Welcome back to reality, love."
I rolled my eyes as we continued to walk in the circle. "This is so beyond ridiculous."
"Both hands!" Carol chirpedand Klaus' other hand rested inches from mine, and we continued our 'waltz'.
Stefan chuckledand I glanced over at him. "You're only saying that because you don't know how to do it, Care," my friend quipped.
Klaus laughed at this and I glared daggers at him. "Hush both of you, it's not my fault that the both of you were around when the dance was invented."
Elena giggled, dipping her head to hide her face.
I smirked triumphantly, and Klaus jutted out his bottom lip, looking hurt. "You wound me, love."
Suddenly, Klaus' hand was around mine,as he spun me around, before pulling me to his chest. I felt one arm wind around my back and the other clasp to my hand in front of me as he dipped us backwards.
By the time I realized what had happened, we were still.
I gasped in surprise at his sudden closeness. Klaus' blue green eyes were gazing into my own, causing my brain to shut off and my stomach to catapult into the next room.
"No!" Carol's heels clicked furiously over to where we were. The noise of the room came rushing back to me. "No. There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near touch," She held her hands up in the air, inches apart.
When Klaus let me go, I staggered away, heart pounding.
"Very nice, Elena!" the woman praised, and went back to where she was standing before.
"Thanks!" she beamed, still inches away from Stefan.
Klaus and I were dancing again, our hands the appropriate distance from one another. I wouldn't meet his eyes, and he knew it.
"Someone didn't expect that," Klaus murmured, his eyes glued to my red face.
I lifted my shoulders in a shrug. "I should have, though. Expect the unexpected is a quote I probably should live by."
My partner's lips curled up, but he didn't say anything more.
During the break time, I went over to Stefan, who was standing alone.
"You're in a good mood," I commented innocently, though he and I both knew I was alluding to his past actions in the basement.
"Is that a bad thing?" He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, wait, I forget, you're like Damon. You'd rather me be brooding and tortured than actually be able to enjoy my life."A scowl overtook his features and I frowned.
"I-"
Someone laid a hand on my shoulder, lightly pressing down.
"C'mon Caroline, let's leave Stefan be."
I glanced over my shoulder to see Klaus. Looking back at Stefan, I sighedfollowing Klaus back to our place.
"Damon let you know what's been going on ?" I asked in a soft voice, my eyes meeting his.
He inclined his head. "He did." Klaus' lips curled up into a wolfish grin and I narrowed my eyes.
What was he up to?
Third Person POV
Elena and Bonnie stood in the bathroom. The two were talking about Miss Mystic Falls and who they thought would win.
Elena voiced her opinion on practically every girl. She thought that the only non-founding family member was only there to make it seem fair to outside families. Angelica maybe could win, since she was such a community service nerd, but she and her cousin were Fells, and she didn't think their chance was that big. Caroline, well, her mom just died, just like her own, but her mom and dad just died. How could anyone compete with that?
"Very nice, very sensitive," Bonnie remarked, after Elena had finished.
Elena blinked disbelievingly, before realizing something. "Oh, I'm sorry," she chuckled awkwardly. "This probably sounds really unimportant in light of everything."
Bonnie shrugged. "No, I get it, you want to win."
Elena applied a generous amount of lipstick, rubbing her lips together with a smile. "Well, my mom was Miss Mystic back in her day – just like her grandmother. My grandma was the only one who didn't get the good gene. I actually want this."
The girls exit the room, heading back to the cafeteria.
"Hi Stef!" Elena chirped throwing her arms around him.
"Hey?" he grinned uncertainly, then looked to Bonnie. "Hi, Bonnie, how are you?"
She glanced at Stefan's face before looking away.
"Uh, I'm... I'm going to go talk to Caroline."
Caroline, who was standing next to Klaus quietly, had been watching the whole situation.
"Hi Bon," Care greeted, meeting her friend halfway. "What was that all about?" she gestured to Stefan, talking about how she'd ignored him.
"It's not worth talking about."
Caroline raised both her eyebrows and grabbed Bonnie's arm, dragging her into the hall.
"Care, we only have 30 minutes to rehearse," Bonnie protested, but Caroline didn't care.
"You aren't filling in as a dance partner right now, Amber got here. And – Klaus already knows how to do this dance." Care sighed, then changed the topic back to their friendship. "What do you mean it's not worth it? You've barely said ten words to me, but you're talking to Elena almost every day? And – you won't even look at Stefan!" the blonde paused for a beat, studying her friend's face. "Is that what this is all about? Stefan?"
Some sort of emotion flickered across the dark haired girl's face, and she licked her lips, shifting her weight.
"Listen, Care, I can't just pretend that everything's okay. Everything my Grams did was to protect us from those vampires in the tomb. And now they're out which means she died for nothing. And now, you're living with – and hell, flirting with – the vampires that my Grams died saving," The witch's voice was strong and full of rage.
She was really upset. Caroline realized. She really blamed Stefan and Damon...and Klaus too, probably.
Caroline's face creased with guilt. "I am so sorry, Bonnie. What can I do to make it up to you? There's gotta be something I can do to make it better,"
She pressed her lips together, furiously shaking her head. "That's just it, there's nothing you can do. I blame him, Caroline, him and Damon and I'm not gonna put you in a situation where you have to choose sides. I'm just having a hard time with it, okay?"
She scoffed. "You aren't going to put me in a situation where I have to choose sides? That's what you're doing right now! And flirty? With who?!" Care threw up her hands. "Unbelievable," she added, mostly to herself.
Meanwhile, Stefan had his hearing trained on the two girls. With a frown at the realization Bonnie was blaming Care for being friends with him, he went outside and began to walk across campus.
Deep in thought, Stefan was suddenly ripped back to reality when the smell of coppery blood met his nose.
He tensed, staring across the sidewalk to see an injured basketball player on the concrete. A hand suddenly touched the vampire's shoulder, and on instinct, he attacked. His hand wrapped around the human's throat for a brief moment.
Alaric's wide blue eyes met his own, and Stefan let go.
"Stefan!" Alaric exclaimed nervously rubbing his jugular. "Are you okay?"
Stefan looked down, blinking quickly. "Yes, uh – I'm sorry. I was just...feeling a little...sick," he said guiltily. With another shake of his head, he left, Alaric's gaze following his retreating figure.
~0~
A few days later, Elena and Bonnie went over to Caroline's empty room to get ready for the pageant. Although Bonnie wasn't participating, she decided to help the other girls get their things ready to take to Founder's Hall.
"Alright," Caroline murmured, smoothing her hands over her jeans. "We have everything?" she looked around her bare room, going through a mental checklist in her mind. Her friends were shocked to see how bare her room was, but Bonnie seemed secretly pleased that Caroline was moving away from Stefan.
She would never admit that she was, of course.
"Yep, I think so..." Bonnie said.
Both girls, despite their past disagreement, were desperately clinging onto any past friendship activities they could get a hold of. Sleepovers, dances, etc.
When the day of the pageant arrived, Caroline extended an invitation to Elena and Bonnie, not expecting the witch to tag along. But when Bonnie had arrived a few minutes after Elena, Caroline smiled and ushered her inside.
"Dress, makeup, shoes, hair stuff..." Caroline rambled off a few of the items aloud, staring into space. "Yeah, we're good."
The doorbell rang, and Elena glanced out the window.
"Alaric's here!"
Bonnie picked up two bags heavy with makeup and hair tools, and tromped down the stairs. Elena and Caroline lingered behind, slowly picking up their bagged dresses and shoes.
"So...have you seen Stefan?" Elena asked Caroline quietly, glancing at her blonde friend.
Care nibbled on her lip and went into the hallway. Sending a thoughtful glance towards Stefan's door, she shrugged. "Not much. He's been out mostly all day, I'm not even sure if he's been here. And Damon's...off doing whatever Damon does best."
Elena inclined her head solemnly, making a small noise. "Mm."
"Yeah," she replied, descending the staircase.
"Hey!" Care greeted with a grin as her eyes landed on Alaric. "Rumor has it you're driving."
"What about Zach?" Bonnie asked curiously.
"He's working until 3, but he's going to meet us at the pageant," Caroline explained. "But for now, Ric's driving, right?"
"Yeah, I am," Ric bobbed his head, and saw Elena and Caroline carrying their dresses. "Here, let me get these for you two."
He draped the two concealed dresses over his arm and opened the front door. Each girl readjusted their bags on their arms, and left the house.
When they reached Ric's SUV, Alaric opened the back passenger door, hanging the dresses on the small hook that was next to the assist grip.
The three girls put their purses and bags into the open trunk.
"So, how...how is Stefan?" Alaric asked when Caroline climbed into the passenger seat.
"You too, huh?" she replied, smiling sadly.
"Whatdya mean?" Ric cocked his head to the side, looking uncertain.
"Elena asked the same thing. He hasn't really been here, why? Have you noticed something?"
The doors slammed shut as Elena and Bonnie climbed into the back.
Ric lowered his voice. "He seems on edge."
Care frowned, but didn't say anything more.
Alaric started the car and began to back out, when he suddenly stopped.
A sleek Mercedes had pulled into the driveway, stopping beside us.
The window rolled down, and inside sat Ezra and John, peering curiously at our car.
"Your uncle, right?" Ric asked, and Caroline nodded, obviously annoyed.
Her whole demeanor changed when she rolled the window down to talk to Ezra.
"Uncle Ezra, hi!" she chirped. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm the chauffeur?"
When the blonde stared blankly at him, Ezra sighed drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel.
"Guess Zach forgot to tell you," he grumbled.
"There's really no need for a chauffeur," Ric said over Caroline's shoulder, to Ezra. "I have to help set up, so I called Care and told her that I'd come get her and the girls and take them there."
"Oh," Ezra leveled his gaze on Alaric. "How...nice...of you."
The hunter grinned, easing his foot off the brake. The car rolled backwards.
"We don't wanna be late," Caroline waved, quickly rolling up the window.
Caroline and the others arrived at the Founder's Hall right on time. She saw Damon, but her partner was nowhere to be found.
Right before she went over to question Damon on Klaus' whereabouts, Anna went up to him.
Caroline paused, pretending to be doing something very important at the small table she was at.
Pushing her hair behind her ear, she strained to hear some of their conversation.
"Ezra Forbes and John Gilbert think your mom stole some sort of...artifact...from Forbes Sr. back in 1864," Damon said, and Caroline could only hear this because the young girl had stopped walking with the box of clinking wine glasses.
Anna snorted, "What are you, Ezra and John's little errand boy?"
Caroline bent over and pretended to fix her boot, shooting a curious glance at the two.
Damon seemed to ignore her comment. "I don't know what it is but I don't want either of them to have it."
The girl with the clinking glasses picked up the box and walked to the next table.
Caroline sighed as their conversations was drowned out.
Picking up her bags, she went upstairs to get ready with Elena and the others.
When she arrived, Elena and Jenna, along with a few others, were already there. Elena's makeup was almost done, and Jenna was curling her long dark hair into perfect little spirals.
"Care!" Bonnie called with a smile. "You're here!"
Caroline's POV
I had to admit, having Bonnie act even remotely friendly to me was nice. She seemed really upset with me the other day at the rehearsal, and I was upset with her, but it was...nice,having her back as my friend.
"Need help?" Jenna asked me, waving the curling iron in my direction.
"Sure," I smiled, settling down my bags. "I'll do my makeup while you finish up Elena's hair," I decided aloud.
Wandering over to the mirror that hung on the wall, I set my makeup bag on the small table beneath it and got to work.
After fifteen minutes, I was finally done. It was strange for me, wearing this much makeup. Normally, I'd just apply a little eyeliner and mascara, touch up my eyebrows a tad bit, and I'd be done. But this time, I did a subtle brown smoky eye makeup, added winged eyeliner, and applied fake lashes. I'd also concealed the few spots of discoloration I had, and filled in my eyebrows a bit more than usual, making sure they were trimmed and neat.
"Okay, Care, I'm ready if you are!" Jenna announced, and I shut my makeup bag before heading over to the seat.
"Loose waves?" I asked Jenna, who frowned.
"Mm, with a curling iron?"
I nodded, extending my hand. She placed the wand in my hand and I carefully wrapped a thick section of hair around the barrel. After holding it for about six seconds, I let it loose, running my fingers gently through it.
"See?"
A grin broke out on the older woman's face. "Alright, cool!"
She set to work on my hair, and I watched her work in the mirror.
"Thanks for helping me," I murmured, and Jenna smiled slightly.
"Ah, don't thank me until you're positive your hair isn't gonna burn off," She met my eyes in the mirror. "Ouch!" she grumbled a second later, shaking her hand.
"That's hot, huh?" I giggled, and she nodded.
"You can say that again. So are you excited?" Jenna set the iron down and started picking through the curls.
"I was when my mom and I applied...but so much has changed since then. I dunno, I feel like pageant queen isn't me anymore," Shrugging, I studied my nails.
Someone knocked on the door. "It's Zach. Is it safe to come in?"
I cast a glance around the room, and noticed everyone except Bonnie, Elena, Jenna and I had left.
"Yeah," I said loudly, and Zach entered, holding a small box in his hand.
"So, I was in my attic the other day, and I came across one of your mother's boxes. Then, I remembered her telling me about this barrette, right?"
I nodded uncertainly, observing him in the mirror.
"She wanted you to wear it when you were in the pageant. And I figured, you should!" Zach approached me with a small smile, and he placed the box in my hand.
Opening the small velveteen box, I smiled as my eyes met with a pretty diamond and silver rectangle barrette. It was about as long as my finger, and each tiny diamond was arranged in the shape of little flowers.
"It's beautiful," I murmured, getting up to hug Zach. "Thank you for finding this."
Taking the barrette out of its container, I shook out my hair before pinning my bangs back.
"So, how's it look?" I beamed, looking from Jenna to Elena and Bonnie.
Something flashed in Elena's eyes, but she appeared to force it away with a seemingly strained smile.
"It's so pretty!"
"Thank you," I said genuinely, smiling back at her. "Well, I better go get my dress on!"
Elena glanced at the grandfather clock that sat in the corner. "Yeesh. Me too."
I picked up our dresses, and Elena and I walked into the room and down the hall, then into the next dressing room.
"Amber," I greeted, then narrowed my eyes when I noticed her wringing her hands and pacing back and forth. "Hey, are you okay?"
Elena and I shared an uncertain glance.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked gently, though she seemed a little annoyed.
Amber's cheeks were flushed, and she turned around to look at the mirror before back at us. "I hate being the center of attention..." she paused. "I get panic attacks," she added, mostly as an afterthought.
"Well...do you want some privacy so you can change?" I offered, remembering how nervous and shy I had been in middle school.
"Actually, uh, I'm just – I'm gonna go get some air," Amber set down her long dress over the back of the chair in the corner and left.
"Poor thing," Elena commented, taking the bag off her dress.
I started to do the same to mine, when something caught my eye in the mirror.
"Damon, you can't be back here right now," I said to him, turning around.
His gaze was strangely serious, and I looked at him, then to Elena.
"We need to talk, Elena," he said lowly.
"Does it have to be right now? I kind of have a dress to change into, and you cannot be here when I do!"
Damon huffed in annoyance and stared at me.
I grimaced and shrugged my shoulders slightly, not knowing what he wanted me to do.
"Normally, I would have a totally different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll squeal."
He's going to tell her Stefan's drinking blood. I realized, basically at the last second.
"What are you talking about?" Elena shifted her weight to her other leg. "Care, do you have any idea what he's talking about?"
I sighed. "I think...what Damon's trying to say...is that Stefan's still drinking human blood."
Her mouth dropped open. "What?!"
~0~
Downstairs, John and Jeremy were talking, mainly about Johnathan Gilbert and his journal.
"There are more of them?" Jeremy asked incredulously when John told him there were more journals, locked away.
"Jonathan Gilbert and William Forbes journal'd their whole lives. Right down to Jonathan's bitter, insane and drunken end and William's early demise," John chuckled. "Yeah, they had a lot of demons."
"So you've read them then?" Jeremy, surprised to find his uncle had read the journals, wondered what John thought about the vampires and monster myths that Jonathan wrote about. "What did you think about...what he wrote?"
John smiled wryly. Waving his hand as if to dismiss the idea, he said, "Crazy ramblings of a mad man, of course."
Jer nodded slowly, though part of him didn't believe that John actually thought they were just 'crazy ramblings'.
His dark eyes caught sight of Anna, and a small smile played on his lips.
"She's very pretty," John commented, catching his nephew's gaze.
Anna, whom had been listening into the pair's conversation, met Jeremy's eyes. Tearing her gaze away, she left.
"Yeah," Jeremy mumbled, watching her go. "Uh – she's a friend of mine. Excuse me," dipping his head in departure he quickly hurried after her.
~0~
Back in the dressing room, Elena stared at Damon and Caroline with huge eyes.
"You're just now telling me this?" she exclaimed, running a hand through her curls.
Damon made a face and nodded. "Yeah, a month ago I would've rejoiced but with the council back on the alert...it's definitely not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle," His blue eyes met Caroline's. "Blondie wanted to tell you, but I persuaded her to not tell you. Stefan would've been furious with her."
Elena groaned in annoyance.
"He said he was normal, that the edginess I thought I was seeing was just nothing..."
"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the basement – yeah – he's on edge for sure," Damon deadpanned.
Elena grunted in disbelief and sat down on the couch, putting her head in her hands. "Oh my god, and I've been practically forcing him to spend time with me...he could've killed me!"
Leave it to Elena to spin this back onto herself. Caroline thought with a roll of her eyes.
"What's important is that he didn't, Elena," the blonde put in. "He may not have any idea what to do, but at least he's trying...that's a normal thing to do, I would guess...just try,"
Damon scoffed. "Yeah, he's not normal, Care. He has no idea what normal is, his entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning to control it and now it's controlling him instead!"
"I can't believe this – actually, no – I refuse to believe this. This is Stefan we're talking about here!" Elena got up, and picked up her dress. "I can't believe you two!"
Storming over to the door, she threw it open to see Stefan.
"What's going on here?" Stefan asked, his voice strangely even.
Elena glanced over her shoulder, following Stefan's gaze, to see Damon and Caroline, who were both still in the room.
"Nothing," Caroline murmured quickly, while Damon said simultaneously, "I was just filling Elena in on your extra-curricular activities."
Stefan worked his jaw, shooting a glance at Elena, who was studying her boyfriend's reaction. Letting out a chuckle, he said, "What are you talking about?"
Elena took Stefan's arm, and led him into the hallway, away from Damon and Caroline.
"I know about the blood, Stefan. It's okay," she said gently, leading him into a small hallway out of the way.
"I was going to tell you..." Stefan admitted, trailing off.
Back in the dressing room, Caroline and Damon met gazes.
"So, that just happened." She mused, her fingers playing with her barrette settled above her ear.
Damon rocked forward onto his toes and then back to his heels, hands shoved into his front pockets. "Yeah."
"Where's Klaus? He – he's my escort," Caroline suddenly asked.
"Oh, I see how it is!" Damon teased. "You'll let Klaus be your escort, but you won't let me. I see how it is, Blondie."
The door swung open. "It's because I'm a much better dancer than you, mate," Klaus entered the room, smirking.
Damon scoffed in return. "As if. My father practically forced Stefan and I into dance lessons back in 1864. He wanted us to be 'proper gentlemen'," his long fingers formed air quotes in the air and he rolled his eyes.
"Don't forget Damon, I was the one who escorted Chandra when she was in this pageant," Klaus boasted, smirking.
"I need a drink," the dark haired vampire scowled, and left the room.
"And I need to change," Caroline said, picking up her dress.
"Oh, go right ahead," Klaus crossed his arms and smirked, eying Caroline.
"Ew!" she curled her lip. "Not when you're here! Shoo!"
Klaus raised his eyebrow, and was about to reply, when the two of them heard a loud thud, and a shatter.
Rushing into the hall, they turned to see Stefan exit the bathroom, his fist bloody.
Caroline and Klaus peered around the corner, their presence not noticed by Stefan just yet. The vampire in question walked around the corner, a girl thrown over his shoulder. Elena was nowhere to be seen, but it obvious by the girl's blonde hair that it wasn't her."
Caroline opened her mouth to gasp, but Klaus threw a hand over her mouth, shaking his head.
When Stefan climbed out the window with the girl, Caroline shoved Klaus off. "Get back here!" she called after him, going over to the window.
He gripped her arm, jerking her back. "No, stay here. I'll go after him," Klaus commanded, staring down at her.
"But-!" she protested, only to be silenced by a glare.
"You, need to get changed, love, you have a pageant to get to," Caroline blinked, and Klaus was gone.
"But...you're my escort," the words met the empty hallway and hung there. With a heavy sigh, she knew she was right.
"Caroline! Let's go! The line-up starts in just a few minutes!" she looked around the room. "Where's Klaus?"
"Uh-" the blonde started. "I-I don't know."
Carol groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Fine. I'll find a replacement for you then." she waited a beat, appraising Caroline's clothes. "Get dressed."
After Caroline had put on her gown, a long jade green silk piece that was cinched to one side at the waist, and her simple black heels, she was ready.
Exiting the room, she went to the area before the staircase and waited with Elena and the others.
Caroline's POV
"Where's Stefan?" she hissed to me, and I shrugged.
"He was with you last..." I pointed out, and she sighed.
Downstairs, the crowd had gathered to watch the girls descend and then dance.
"Miss Tina Fell, escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore," Carol's shrill voice echoed throughout the large room, and Tina slowly descended the stairs. A few others went down next. "Has anyone seen Amber?"
The crowd whispered back and forth, but it was evident by the lack of response, that no one had.
That's who Stefan took! The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Elena and Stefan must have fought, and Amber, hearing the commotion, went in on them. Stefan probably pushes Elena to the side, grabs Amber – and -
An elbow hit me in my side, coming out of my reverie, I met eyes with a worried Elena. "I still don't see Stefan – or Klaus – down there!"
"He disappeared Stefan, and I think Klaus went after him," I whispered back. "I'm sure Carol will find us someone."
Elena's frown deepened. "I hope he's okay..."
"Okay, that's it!" I peered down the hall. "I need to find the boys. This can wait," I started to walk off, when Elena grabbed my arm and forced me back in front of her.
"No, no no way, no. You had your chance to drop out, Care. And believe me, I was all for it there for a while, because -" Elena scoffed dryly. "There's no way I can beat you. But remember, you wanted to do this for your mom," her face softened as she beamed at me encouragingly.
"Miss Caroline Forbes..." the sound of someone calling my name cut through my brain. "Escorted by..."
Third Person POV
Jeremy found Anna once again, the third time that afternoon. The second time, when he went after her, he'd told her that he knew everything.
"Miss Caroline Forbes..." Met the vampire's trained ears.
Anna raised an eyebrow at Jeremy. "You're going to miss your sister's introduction. She's next."
He shrugged, staring intensely at Anna. "I don't care."
Anna nodded once, mostly to herself. "So, Caroline has no idea you read her journal?"
"If Elena and her keep things from me, I'm gonna keep things from them."Jeremy replied smoothly
"What are you going to do now? Now that you know everything that they've been hiding from you?" Anna asked, taking a sip of her champagne.
Jeremy shrugged. "I honestly don't know...part of me is upset that they kept it from me, but another part is...happy. I don't wanna remember Vicki as a monster who tried to hurt me..."
Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Stefan continued to drag Amber away from the party.
"Where are we going?" she asked, stumbling to keep up with the faster and taller man.
"I don't know," he grouched, looking down at her with a glare.
"I'm in the ceremony," she said, mostly to herself.
Stefan suddenly stopped and shoved her against the car. Her heartbeat spiked and he winced. "Not now you're not."
Her hazel eyes widened and he stared down at her. "You're standing in the parking lot with me."
When she repeated his phrase, he realized he'd compelled her.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" he babbled, raking his fist through his hair. "I'm not very good to be around right now, I'm a little bit on the edge. I've been drinking the human stuff and it's really screwing with my head," he turned away and bend over at the waist, holding his head in his hands. "They know now. God! They weren't supposed to found out, I didn't want her to found out, now everything's ruined," Stefan continued, sounding insane.
Amber blinked, the picture of innocence. "You seem sad."
Stefan laughed, eyes still bloodshot and a bit crazy. "I'm not sad. I'm freaking hungry!"
Caroline's POV
Elena prodded me forward again, and I stepped into view of the people below. Holding my head high, I scanned the crowd.
"Klaus - oh! – Damon Salvatore," Carol finished, sounding a little surprised, and my eyes locked onto his. Damon made his way to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
Damon had somehow managed to get my sights to zero onto him, and for a moment, he was all I could see. The nervous butterflies I'd had anticipating the dance, multiplied tenfold when I saw Damon.
I was a few steps down the stairs now.
He stepped forward, and it was then I really noticed what he was wearing.
Somehow a thick black tie had found itself around his neck, looking strangely natural on his usual tie-less body. His dark hair was pushed back off his forehead, the deep color matching his suit jacket.
Three more steps to go.
We were still locking gazes, and I forced myself to tear my gaze away, eyes scanning the crowd.
I noticed Bonnie, who was beaming at me. I smiled back, graceful for a momentary distraction.
Two more.
Looking back to Damon, I noticed his expression. For a brief moment, I thought he might look just as nervous and awestruck as I felt, but then the look was gone. It was immediately replaced with a more solemn and pleased look.
Suddenly I was off the steps and Damon was taking my hand in his.
"Stefan took off with Amber," I hissed, turning my head towards his ear.
"I know," he whispered quietly in return, and I frowned, curious on how he knew.
We walked outside, hand in hand. His hand was warm, for a vampire, but his touch seemed to calm my nerves.
"What is she doing with Damon?" I heard Zach whisper to Jenna when Damon and I passed by.
I resisted the urge to glance at Damon, keeping my gaze ahead like we were instructed to do.
We were rejoined with the others now, and I stood next to Tina Fell, while Damon stood across from me. His back was rigid and straight, his hands at his sides.
Elena walked outside next, her hand in some other boy in.
Must be her replacement since Stefan isn't here. She wouldn't be too happy with that.
The music started.
Damon bowed and I curtseyed, our heads coming close together.
I took this chance to ask, "What are we gonna do? We can't let Stefan-"
His blue eyes met my own. "Right now, we just have to do this. Klaus is dealing with Stefan."
I nodded slightly, coming up from the curtsy.
I stood up straight, gazing at Damon. All the lessons I'd learned whirled through my brain, calming my frayed nerves.
Damon's brows were narrowed, squinting in the bright sunlight. The lady on the track's smooth voice started to sing, and my hand came up, robotically.
Damon and I walked to our left, hands staying inches apart. I found my eyes drawn to stare into his, and a voice echoed in my mind.
The intimacy of the near touch.
I resisted the urge to chuckle aloud. Yeah, they weren't kidding.
After we had went around two times, we came to rest in our previous spot.
Worry for Amber flickered through my brain, and when we stepped forward to go right, Damon murmured something to me.
"Don't worry, Caroline, Klaus and I have dealt with this before."
I nodded slightly, and focused on the dance.
A few moments passed, and a smile broke out across my our hands went into the air and we walked around each other.
Finally it came the time to actually dance together. His hand clasped mine and I looked down, suddenly a bit shy.
When I looked up into Damon's eyes, the music swelled, and my heartbeat increased. His gaze was intense and full of...longing. I recalled Klaus bragging about how he got to dance with Chandra all those years ago. I imagined he'd cheated Damon from his dance.
My dance partner was still strangely solemn and there wasn't a hint of arrogance in his gaze.
He smiled at me, a little genuine grin, and I returned it. We waltz around the opening, and I felt graceful. The waltz was natural. We ended back in the middle, and we all stepped away from each other.
The music stopped.
Third Person POV
Stefan was leaning against his car, while Amber stood stationary a few paces away.
"I don't hurt people. I don't do that. I'm the good brother," he said, almost to himself.
"Do...you wanna hurt me?" Amber asked worriedly, staring at his back.
Stefan turned around, looking dangerous. "I want to kill you."
The vampire stepped forward, touching Amber's hair.
His eyes looked her up and down, and a smirk came across his face. "I want to rip into your skin and I want to feed on your blood," He brushed away her curls, his cold hands playing with the skin on her neck.
"Under your skin, pulsating, floating..." he stroked her neck gently, and Amber looked down, lips parting slightly.
She took in a shaky breath, and noticed something.
Over Stefan's shoulder, she saw a man leaning against the tree in front of Stefan's car. He was watching them with blatant interest. Part of her wondered why he wasn't doing anything to stop Stefan.
She opened her mouth to call to him, but found she couldn't.
Stefan was murmuring about her artery, though she was still fascinated with the man leaning against the tree.
"What's stopping you?" she said, though she didn't know why.
Shouldn't she be fighting this?
"If I do this, if I give in, there's no going back."
"Then don't," she said quietly, and the man got up off the tree.
"One taste," Amber murmured.
The man was suddenly ripping Stefan away from her with supernatural strength.
~0~
Back inside, the girls had lined up on stage.
"Where's Amber?" Elena asked Caroline again, who pressed her lips together.
"She's with Stefan – but Klaus is dealing with him," she said, hoping Elena wouldn't bolt.
The brunette fidgeted in her place, but the reassuring look from Caroline somehow persuaded her to stay.
Mayor Lockwood finished whatever he had said while the pair was talking, and the crowd applauded. Caroline and Elena instinctively stood straighter at the sound of the crowd.
"So, without further ado, it is my great pleasure and honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Angelica Fell!"
Angelica gasped, hands flying to her face. "Oh my gosh!"
Matt whistled from the crowd and Angelica beamed ear to ear as Mayor Lockwood draped the banner over her head.
"Congratulations!" Caroline said to her, giving her a hug.
"Thank you! You look so pretty!" Angelica said back, still radiantly smiling.
~0~
Ezra and John had noticed the younger Salvatore's disappearance; and when a pageant girl was missing as well, they got suspicious.
Sheriff Bennett, Ezra and John stood in the small bathroom upstairs, looking at the shattered mirror.
"There's blood on the glass," Ezra commented, leaning in to get a closer look.
John and Ezra met gazes, and then the sheriff sighed. "Get me Damon Salvatore."
~0~
"Easy there Stefan," Klaus said, hauling the vampire away from the compelled girl.
Stefan snarled, squirming in Klaus' strong grasp.
"Why isn't she afraid of you?" Klaus asked, narrowing his eyes at Stefan. Looking at the blonde, he demanded, "Did he tell you not to be afraid?"
The girl nodded briskly, peering at Stefan and Klaus.
"What's your name, love?" Klaus queried, and the girl smiled a little.
"Amber!"
Stefan growled, chomping down onto Klaus' arm.
"Run, Amber, run as fast and as far away from him as you can! Find Damon or Caroline!" Klaus cried out, moments before Stefan slipped out of his grasp.
Amber did as she was instructed and ran towards the party, heels clicking incessantly.
Stefan, now free, snapped Klaus' neck in one fell swoop.
The older vampire crumpled to the ground.
~0~
"Any word from Klaus?" Caroline asked as she rejoined Damon.
He shook his head, looking down at his blank cellphone. "No, but there were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom. Is that where you saw Stefan at?"
The blonde nodded in conformation, and Damon huffed.
"And Stefan was carrying a blonde over his shoulder?"
Caroline nodded again. "It's got to be Amber. Damon, we've got to find Stefan before he does something he regrets..."
"I know, Care. I know."
Damon sighed, raking his hand throughout his hair. His little brother had had human blood, and that would make him volatile, irrational, and highly dangerous. And if Klaus hadn't found him yet...or had and Stefan did something to prevent Klaus from contacting him...
"I'm going to go outside and try calling Klaus again," the raven haired man said, fishing his phone out. "Get your coat and meet me outside. They couldn't have gotten far."
"Alright," Caroline wove through the crowd and ran upstairs, going into the room she got ready. Picking up her thick black coat, she shoved her arms through the sleeves and sneaked out a side door.
Little did they know, Bonnie had been watching the pair and followed them outside without a word.
Damon called Klaus' phone, once Caroline had met up with him.
"It's this way," Damon looked a bit panicked as he quickly walked out into the parking lot, near the area where Stefan had parked.
Caroline hurried behind him.
"Found Klaus," he called, and Caroline ran over to his side.
Kneeling on the pavement, she gently shook him.
"Klaus!" three firm shakes. "Klaus, wake up! Stefan and Amber are gone, you've got to tell us where they went!"
Klaus groaned and his head moved. A nasty popping sound was heard as he re-set his once broken neck.
"Told...Amber... to run," Klaus bit out, eyes lidded. "Stefan got the jump on me, and went after her."
Damon touched Caroline's shoulder and she glanced back at him. His blue eyes were wide and he looked upset.
"C'mon, get up," Damon pushed Caroline out of the way and heaved Klaus to his feet. "Which way did she go?"
~0~
Stumbling into a hard object, Amber gasped and looked up.
Stefan.
"He said to run!" she exclaimed worriedly.
"I know," Stefan snarled in response, using his strength to hold her in place as he sunk his teeth into her warm jugular.
Amber screamed at the pain, her world blurring.
"Stefan!" Caroline yelled when she saw her friend with his fangs buried into the other girl's neck. "STOP!"
Stefan hesitantly released Amber, and the girl slumped to the floor. He turned around, and Caroline's mouth dropped open at the sight of him.
His mouth and chin were caked in blood, and his eyes were feral.
The poor thing looks so torn, Care thought.
Caroline ran past Stefan, to Amber's side.
"Hey, it's okay," she said, pressing her hand to the wound.
Amber whimpered, still motionless on the dirty forest floor.
"Caroline, be careful!" another voice – Bonnie – called, noticing Stefan staring at the blonde's back.
"Stefan," Damon said, slowly approaching his brother. "Come on get control. It's okay, come on. Breath through it man." the second Damon's hand touched Stefan, he snapped.
Stefan snarled and threw Damon into the tree. Klaus ran forward and decked Stefan, sending him backwards.
Stefan got to his feet quickly, and advanced on Caroline, still smelling the blood from Amber.
"Caroline?" Elena called, and the girl ran into view of the others. "Oh- oh my god! Stefan!" she came to a stop behind Bonnie, her face white.
"Blondie, look out!" Damon called urgently and Caroline's head snapped around. Stefan was feet away, snarling and staring at Care's bloody hands with huge eyes.
All of a sudden, Stefan cried out in pain, grasping his head in his hands.
Everyone looks around in confusion before noticing Bonnie. The witch had her head tilted downward, and she was murmuring to herself, brows furrowed.
Stefan yelped again, falling to his knees.
"Bonnie, stop, he's down!" Elena shook her friend, who stopped with a shuddering breath.
Stefan stared at everyone with wide eyes. Panting, he looked to his brother, obviously terrified.
"It's okay," Damon soothed, holding up his hands. "Stefan." he inched forward and Stefan ran away.
~0~
"She doesn't remember what happened," Rudy said to Damon, Klaus, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie.
They were all settled on a near by bench. The EMT had given Amber thick gauze to stop the bleeding and painkillers to help with the pain. After that, she'd drifted right to sleep.
"It's a good thing that the girls got here when they did, she lost a lot of blood," Klaus remarked, looking down at the sleeping blonde.
Rudy nodded, then looked to the girls. "So none of you saw anything?"
They all were silent for a moment.
"Would Bonnie rat out Stefan?" was the question on almost everyone's minds.
Everyone except the sheriff's, of course.
"No, we just found her and then called Damon who had Klaus call you," Caroline explained, and Bonnie nodded along with Elena.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Bonnie inquired with a little frown.
"It looks like it, yeah," Rudy looked to the girls solemnly. "Why do the three of you get back to the party? Damon, Klaus and I can take it from here."
Caroline heaved a sigh and looked down. After a moment, the three got up and smiled at the men. Dipping their heads in farewell, they left.
"They didn't see that bite mark?" Rudy questioned in confusion.
"Nope," Damon popped the 'p'. "Blondie – sorry, Caroline – said that when they found Amber, she had her hand to her neck, but there was too much blood to tell what had happened to her."
Rudy nodded, resting his hand on his gun and staring out into the dark woods before leaving.
Back inside at the party, Jeremy and Anna were still talking.
"Jer, you ready?" Jenna called from across the room. She was lingering in the doorway, watching the two with a smile. She'd noticed how happy he was around the girl.
"Just a sec," he called, not taking his eyes off the shorter girl.
Jenna's lips quirked up in a grin and she nodded to herself. Turning around, she went down the hall, only to bump into Ezra.
"Ezra Forbes!" she exclaimed. "I've seen you around, but hadn't got a chance to say hey! How've you been?"
Ezra smirked down at the auburn haired aunt. "Jenna Sommers! Great to see you again! And I'm doing pretty well, yourself?"
She shrugged, smiling. "Raising my niece and nephew but hey, still living, so good!"
"Jeremy's your nephew, right?" Ezra asked.
Jenna bobbed her head. "Yep, that's the one!"
"Who's that girl with him? His girlfriend?" he pressed, obviously curious.
"No-" Jenna laughed, uncertain on their relationship. "I don't think she is, at least. They're friends, why?"
"He really seems to like her, and she looks...familiar." he lied smoothly. "Who's her mom?"
Jenna furrowed her brows. "She and her mom are new to town. I think her mom's name is... Pearl? They're the family trying to buy Grayson Gilbert's building."
"Her mother's name is Pearl?" Ezra asked, flashing back to a previous conversation he'd had with John.
"Yeah...?" Jenna studied Ezra; she sensed that something was off with his supposed curiosity. "Why?"
"Oh..." he murmured, taking a sip of his drink to buy himself time. "I know all about her. Nice to see you," Ezra brushed by Jenna, whom stared after him with a baffled frown.
Caroline's POV
On the walk back towards Founder's Hall, Bonnie had announced she was leaving, and started to walk towards her father's car.
Elena and I exchanged distressed glances, and I sighed. "I'll go talk to her. She's more upset with me than you, anyways."
"Bonnie, can we please talk about this?" I called as I jogged after her.
"There is absolutely nothing to talk about, Caroline," Bonnie declared, opening the passenger door of her father's cruiser. "I told you I wasn't gonna make you choose, but I need to make the choice for myself. Please just leave me alone." She climbed in, saying hello to her father.
I sighed, walking away dejectedly.
Now would be the time that I really wished I brought my car.
When I finally found Alaric's SUV I saw him in the distance, coming towards it.
"Oh, Caroline. Good. Jenna wanted me to get the car," Ric paused for a moment. "What happened, Care? You okay?"
After explaining what had happened and helping to load stuff into the car, Alaric dropped Elena and I off at the Boarding House.
Third Person POV
Damon was wandering to his car to head home – and hopefully deal with his brother – when Pearl stepped in front of him from the right, while Anna appeared to his left.
"All right now, this is getting weird," Damon slowed to a stop and regarded the women with a raised eyebrow.
"We're here to talk," Anna said, having noted Damon's edginess.
"Not in the mood," he said, eyes flickering between the mother and daughter. "Today's been a no good, very bad day."
Pearl got straight to the point. Staring Damon dead in the eye, she said, "Annabelle tells me you're looking for something I took from Jonathan Gilbert."
Damon studied the women and was trying to tell if they were lying, or at least trying to play him in some way. Pearl made him uneasy – she always had.
"I'm listening."
Pearl stepped forward and held out her hand. Pearl pressed a small circular object, the size of a pocket watch into Damon's palm.
"What is it?" he wondered aloud, opening his hand and looking down at it and the pouch it had came in.
"Jonathan and William were passionate about their... inventions. Jonathan confided in me that he had created a detection device meant to track down the town's vampire element."
"Yeah," the younger vampire murmured, remembering. "It was a pocket watch."
"That's what it turned out to be yes. But that's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Jonathan's hand, the night they took us, its' dial pointed at me."
Damon nodded again, recalling how it's dial had also pointed at Chandra and Katherine.
He rolled the object around in his hands, looking at every side. "So...what is this, then?"
Pearl shrugged, looking to the object, then to Damon. "I have no idea but now it's yours."
"What's the catch?" Damon said, jutting up an eyebrow and staring expectantly at the mother.
"There is no catch. My daughter wants to stay here. I want to stay here. You refused to trust us and for good reason. Consider this an apology."
Caroline's POV
Elena and I went up to my room to gather her things and change.
Once we had both gotten our things together and changed into more comfortable clothes, we heard something.
A door slammed down the hall, and I knew it had to be Stefan.
"You gonna go talk to him?" I asked Elena.
She pressed her lips together, frowning. "No...I...I can't right now. It's..." she sighed, and I saw her eyes tear up.
"I know, Elena," stepping forward, I engulfed her in a hug.
"There has to be something we can do for him, Care. There has to be," Elena mumbled into my ear.
After a few moments of just standing there, an idea popped into my head.
"I have an idea..."
We finished straightening things up and we were outside loading things into Elena's car when Damon pulled in the driveway.
"Hey, you made it," he said quietly, coming over to our car. "He home?"
I nodded slowly. "I have an idea. You might not like it though."
~0~
"You shouldn't be here, Caroline," Stefan said, looking at me in the mirror.
My heart hammered was hammering away in my chest, so I took a deep breath.
Don't want to make this any harder for either of us.
"Why? Because you're dangerous? Stefan, that wasn't you," I said honestly, walking into the room.
Stefan let out a snort. "Oh, it was 100% absolutely me." he stalked towards me. "A monster, a predator." a scowl overtook his face. "That's who I am, Caroline."
I shook my head with a little laugh. "That's the darkest part of you. We all have those parts."
"The blood brings out what's inside of me and if you think any differently then you're an idiot!" he spat, glaring at me.
"Yeah, okay, Stefan, let's say you are a monster!" I retorted, throwing my hands up. "You're still my friend, and friendship means that we're here for one another – through thick and thin!"
"I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from that girl's body, Caroline," he growled, trying to scare me. "And you say I'm not a monster? You really must be stupider than I thought."
I had to admit, it was absolutely, utterly, terrifying; watching Stefan act like that. So feral, so vicious, so...animalistic. But I knew that that was a possibility that would happen when Elena gave him her blood.
"You can't scare me off y'know," I shrugged, leaning against his dresser. "Not that easy."
"Oh, you aren't scared off?" Stefan stalked towards me, staring me down. "Please, you're moving out with Zach to an apartment! You're running, Caroline, as much as you don't want to admit it, you're running. And from who? Me."
Part of me knew he was right. I was scared, and not so much of him, as much as it was just of how much he would hate himself if he hurt Zach or I.
"Don't flatter yourself," I said instead of 'you're right,' like I wanted to. "This isn't you."
Stefan screamed in frustration.
"STOP SAYING THAT!"
I walked towards him, fingers twitching by my weapon inside my jacket pocket. "It's not you."
"Don't get any closer to me, Caroline." he warned, head down.
"We all believe in you, Stef. We won't let you go through this alone. Not again. Not since Lexi's gone," I whispered, and he snarled, shoving me back into the wall. My head whipped back and hit with a loud crack.
"STOP!"
I grimaced, feeling tears rush to my eyes.
He punched the wall repeatedly, bloody smears left around the hole he'd left.
Oh god. I thought, my heart pounding. I was terrified of my best friend.
"Stop!" he bit out once more, before looking at me.
"Care," he breathed, and his hand came up to wipe a small tear that somehow had slipped down my face without my knowledge. "I'm so sorry."
I let out a shaky breath. "It's okay, Stefan. It's okay."
Stefan buried his head into my shoulder and let out a sob. I felt warm tears soak my jacket.
"I don't know what's happening to me," he wept, and I brought my arm around his shoulder, weaving my fingers into the hair at the base of his neck. Taking the huge vervain dart out of my pocket, I positioned the dart.
I could feel Damon and Klaus watching me from outside his room.
"You're going to be okay, Stefan. Don't worry," Swallowing back my emotions, I stabbed him in his back. "I promise," I whispered to myself.
Stefan groaned, and I felt his knees give out. I carefully lowered him to the ground.
Footsteps entered, and I saw Damon and Klaus walk inside.
Damon offered me a small smile, "Sure you wanna do this, Care?"
I nodded. "I'm sure. Do you think it'll work?"
"It has to." a female voice said, and Elena appeared.
"Elena!" I gasped. "You came back!"
She smiled tightly, nodding. "I couldn't abandon Stefan. Not after everything we've done for each other."
After the four of us maneuvered Stefan into his cell in the basement, Klaus spoke.
"There's no guarantee it's going to work."
"I know," I murmured, staring in at him laying on the floor.
Klaus and Damon turned to walk up the stairs, when Damon paused to look at Elena and I.
"Coming?"
I glanced at Elena, who shook her head. "I'm gonna stay here until he wakes up."
She slid into a seated position on the wall across from the cell door.
"I'm really tired, Elena. You okay if I head up to my room?" I asked, and Elena nodded.
"I'll probably go home in a little while, if he doesn't wake up."
I followed Damon and Klaus upstairs.
It was good that Stefan was going to get better. I told myself. He needed to get better. Then, Zach and I could move back.
"Thank you both for your help." I said when we got to the main floor. "Really."
They both shrugged, flashing smiles.
"No, I mean it." I went over to Damon and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thank you." I said earnestly.
Damon had froze under my touch, but eventually his arms snaked around my waist.
"You're welcome." he murmured in my hair.
I could feel Klaus watching us, almost jealously, but he didn't say anything.
I pulled away after the appropriate time and went over to Klaus, hugging him next.
I felt him smirk against my hair as he eagerly returned my hug. "My pleasure, love. Anything to help a friend."
After I pulled away I pushed my hair behind my ear. "Alright. I'm going to head to bed...and Zach and I are moving out tomorrow, I think."
Both men nodded and I gave them a little wave before going into my room.
So...what do you think? Reactions? Thoughts? Questions?
QOTC: Do you think Bonnie will eventually forgive Caroline? & What's been your favorite part/chapter/episode of this story so far?
Thanks so much for all your love & support!
xxx