CHAPTER THREE

NATIONAL KLAUS DAY

Caroline woke with a start, looking around her room in momentary disorientation. She'd had a very disturbing nightmare, but she couldn't quite remember what it had actually been about. She knew there had been eyes… cruel, deeply deranged eyes, staring into her very soul, leaving dirty, black stains behind, trying to taint her. Then they had changed places with a pair of sad, lost, agonized eyes. She remembered having felt irresistibly drawn to those tormented eyes. Then they had slowly closed and disappeared. It had left her with a stale taste on the tongue and a haunting, excruciating feeling of loss. It must have been about Tyler, she mused, but she somehow knew that wasn't really it. But then what? It had felt different from her usual dreams… almost narrative. As if someone had been telling her a story. If only she could remember!

Well, whatever. There were enough troubles waiting for her in plain daylight, and she really didn't have the time or the inclination to burden her mind with additional baggage. Pushing the dark thoughts away, she got out of her bed and went into the bathroom. It was not until she had started brushing her teeth that she got a good look at herself in the mirror and flinched at the remainder of pain in her eyes. That nightmare must have really been something. Shouldn't she be preoccupied with her boyfriend and his new little plaything instead of going desperate over the eyes of a stranger in a nightmare? A stranger? You sure, Caroline? Those eyes looked damn familiar, if you ask me.

"Ugh, come on!" she exclaimed, annoyed at herself, spluttering toothpaste all over the mirror. She paused, looked at the mess she had made and couldn't help laughing at her own silliness, spilling more toothpaste in the process. Wasn't she just being so Caroline again? Shaking her head, she glanced at her watch on the vanity and froze. Nine fifteen? Crap, she had overslept! She had been due chez Salvatore fifteen minutes ago! Switching into acute panic mode, she finished brushing her teeth, then trying to get into her clothes and putting on some basic make up at the same time. She had to giggle at herself again, glad that no one was there to witness her hopping around on one leg, struggling to get into her jeans while erratically wiping a powder brush over her face.

Ten minutes later, she darted out of the house and into her car.

When she arrived at the Salvatores', she quickly scanned herself in the rearview mirror. Despite her rather artistic way of getting ready this morning, she didn't look a complete disaster. The pain in her eyes had subsided. Okay then, ready to face the day! She was looking forward to talking to Elena about the whole Tyler thing – she needed someone to listen to her and tell her that everything would be just fine.

She ventured inside, not bothering to knock, and found Elena and Stefan sitting on the couch, faces tense, obviously deep in conversation.

"Hi guys, sorry I'm late! Alarm didn't go off."

Elena jumped up and danced towards her, hugging her and whispering "Thank God you're here!" Caroline looked at her questioningly, but Elena just gestured 'later'. Caroline walked over to hug Stefan as well, noticing the look of distress on his face. She sighed. More drama going on? What was it now?

"Coffee, Care?" Stefan asked, gesturing towards the kitchen. "Yeah, please! I didn't have anything yet today. Can you believe I took me all of fifteen minutes from getting up to leaving the house?" Stefan managed to smile tightly. Uh-oh. This looks serious. "New personal record, I assume?" he said jokingly and left the room.

"Okay, quick summary – what is it, Lena? He looks really upset, and so do you," Caroline whispered as quietly as she could.

"It's just… Damon's not home yet, and I'm so worried. What if anything happened to him? Stefan doesn't really like the way I worry about Damon, and I can totally understand that, but I just can't help it!" Elena sounded somewhat desperate, and Caroline could see the hint of fear in her eyes.

"Calm down, Lena. Damon is a big boy, a big bad boy, who knows how to take care of himself. He'll be back in one piece, I'm absolutely sure. Relax, okay?" she whispered back, squeezing Elena's hand. "Okay," Elena sighed, but the look of apprehension didn't leave her troubled eyes. She sure didn't make it easy on herself.

Caroline sighed as well, remembering.

She had watched the Salvatore brothers in the hospital when Elena had come to, and then something had happened that had made her switch her sides in the complicated love triangle rather drastically. Stefan, whom she had always liked, considered a true friend and whom she had actually wanted to be the one Elena would finally choose for good, had been relieved to see Elena wake up but he was also his usual broody self, and his entire reaction had just been so… sedate. Caroline was aware that he was probably worrying about the fact that Elena hadn't wanted to become a vampire in the first place, and how this was going to affect them all, but still… This was supposed to be the love of his life returning from the dead! Wouldn't one expect a little… something? Yes, she knew that he was exactly what she had always thought to be the right thing for her friend. A good, solid and caring guy. Wasn't that what they all needed? The passionate, crazy, wild monkey sex relationship didn't go together with true love, did it?

Then she had looked at Damon.

He had stared at Elena, a million emotions running across his perfect features (any woman not admitting to his being one of the most beautiful men to walk this Earth would be a delusional fool – no matter how annoying the damn prick was most of the time), and then he had got up and silently left the room. Curious, and wanting to give Elena a moment alone with Stefan, Caroline had quietly followed him as he entered the empty Cafeteria. He had walked to the window, and in the sallow neon light, Caroline could see the tears streaking down his cheeks. Suddenly, he had dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands.

Until that moment, Caroline had never truly gathered the depth of Damon's feelings and the extent of his desperate love for her friend. Jesus. It seemed that at some point in the near future, a good heartfelt talk with Elena was in order. Elena knew that Damon loved her, but Caroline had her doubts that she really understood the intensity of his feelings. Especially with Caroline trying to talk her out of whatever she felt for Damon at every opportunity. She crossed the Cafeteria in a few long strides and knelt down next to Damon. He hadn't even heard her. Caroline simply wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Damon started and opened his eyes, totally taken aback.

"What…?" he started to mumble, but Caroline was quicker. "Just shut up," she said. Damon looked at her for an instant, but he was beyond displaying any sort of mask right now. He sat them down against the wall and let Caroline be there for him while he cried on her shoulder.

After what had seemed an eternity, he had finally calmed down and composed himself. Caroline braced for his usual snide self to lash out at her for having seen him in such a monumental moment of weakness. But she was in for a true surprise when Damon just smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you Caroline." Wow, she thought, not 'Blondie' or 'Barbie'? So this is the guy behind the smartass façade? Nice meeting you, Mr. Salvatore. She smiled back warmly.

"It was one hell of a scare for all of us. I am so totally relieved Elena made it through, I can't even begin to tell you. Damon, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"You really, truly love her, don't you?"

Damon had momentarily considered dismissing her offhand, she could see that, but then he had changed his mind. He had looked at her as if as if taking her seriously, seeing her as an equal for the first time. And maybe that was exactly what had happened at that moment.

"Yes," he had finally replied, "I love her in a way I never thought myself capable of. Not that this is common knowledge, but I'm essentially an asshole," he smirked, "and she makes me want to be less of a jerk. I will never be a saint, and I will never be walking the streets trying to give shelter to the homeless, join the Spotted Owl Society or save the planet from fossil fuel emission. I have killed out of sheer fun. I have stolen, lied, compelled. I have used anyone I felt like using." He had lifted a single brow at her, and she had rolled her eyes. "Elena is giving me hope. She makes me want to at least try to go and find the guy I was back in my human days. For that alone, I will always love her. Not to mention that I am desperate to finally get her laid and spoil her for everybody else."

He had wiggled his eyebrows at her, lightening up the mood, and Caroline had pulled a face. He was back. "Ew. Put a sock on it, Salvatore. You are talking about my best friend here." But she had smiled at him in spite of herself.

Damon had risen to his feet and held out his hand to help her up.

"Thanks again," he had said, looking at her… fondly? Weird.

"No problem," Caroline had replied, walking with him towards the morgue. His hand on the doorknob, Damon had turned around.

"Blondie?"

"Yes?"

"If you tell any living or undead soul about what just happened or what I just said, I will shave your head, rip it off and take it to the bowling alley."

Caroline shook her head at the memory. Damon was truly incorrigible. But in the last few days, she had grown to envy Elena a little bit. Not that she ever wanted Damon back… yikes… but she envied her friend for the deep, unconditional and unwavering love Damon felt for her. And for having someone desiring her so badly it hurt. Yes, you sentimental idiot, she scoffed at herself. Here we go again. Stupid romance novels slash movies slash Elena-Salvatore love triangle.

She ignored the additional little sting she felt thinking of her problems with Tyler. He was most definitely not romance novel material, but she had been sure he had lately become the kind of solid, decent guy who would give her a steady relationship and a relatively normal life. Then again, looking at Elena, she was no longer sure whether she actually really wanted "normal". She had been getting used to the eternal unrest, and though she wasn't keen on fighting for her very life every day, she felt that she was gradually outgrowing her desire for "normal". Ugh.

Stefan returned with the coffee, handing both her and Elena a mug, and settled on an armchair next to the couch. "So," he said with a feeble attempt at cheerfulness, "what are you girls up to today?" "We actually wanted to…" Elena began, only to be interrupted by the gradually increasing noise of a powerful engine. They looked at each other. "Not Damon's car," Elena remarked, and her face fell almost imperceptibly. Stefan looked like he had been slapped, and Caroline couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Elena might have chosen him, but in no way had that choice been final, that much was obvious.

"Maybe not his car, but it's definitely him," Stefan muttered. A second later, the front door crashed open, and they could all hear Damon's more than slurred voice.

"Come on, one for the road. Nobody's gonna eat you of all people, right?" He started to roar with laughter. Whoever he had brought along was apparently not just some random woman. The mystery was not solved when Damon's face peeked around the corner and stopped dead at the congregation staring back at him with different degrees of irritation. He looked over his shoulder and gurgled, "On second thought, maybe we should just head back to the Grill. Am taking back the 'nobody's gonna eat you' statement."

Suddenly, Caroline saw Stefan go rigid. He glared at Damon and hissed, "You are probably right about that, brother. Get him out of here. He's not welcome."

"Now, now, Stefan. What happened to good, old-fashioned Southern hospitality?" a beautiful, dark voice without the slightest hint of a slur to its British accent came from behind Damon. Caroline cringed. She wasn't prepared to see him. She didn't want to see him. Ahm, Caroline… No. Shut UP!

The sight was really something to behold. Damon, hair disheveled, leather jacket dangling from his shoulders, staggered into the room, dragging an obviously drunk but still very composed Klaus with him. Not a hair out of place, looking like he had just stepped out of the latest edition of GQ Modern Denim. He would probably still look like a model when he was covered in blood. Caroline realized that he must have gone straight on to the Grill from her house. Didn't the place close at around midnight, she idly wondered while watching the unlikely pair make its way to the liquor cabinet. And how could they still go on drinking at this time of the day?

Stefan rose and walked over to Damon, grabbing his jacket. "He leaves. Now. This is my house, Damon, and I don't want him in here." Caroline wondered whether it was her imagination, or if she had really just seen a flicker of hurt crossing the Original's face.

"Technically, it's still Elena's house," Damon mumbled almost unintelligibly. "But apart from that, it is my house as much as yours, and I can have a drink with whomever I choose, baby bro." He started pouring drinks into two tumblers, spilling the larger part of the alcohol, but somehow still managing to fill the glasses. He pushed one of them into Klaus' hands, who was bemusedly watching the scene, and clanked his glass to his. "Cheers, Godfather. Was a fun evening, not that I ever thought I would use the word 'fun' in the same sentence with you. Will keep that in mind next time I try to stake you." Klaus grinned, and Caroline thought she saw some genuine amusement in his eyes. "Cheers, mate." He took a sip, and she felt his gaze wander over to her. Unnoticeably, she shook her head, hoping to God he would get the hint and not mention their encounter the previous evening.

"Well, I think I should be going now and leave you to the upcoming spat with your brother and the lovely Elena." He snickered at Damon and Stefan, earning a grimace from one and an icy stare from the other. Elena was looking daggers at Damon. Klaus almost felt a bit sorry for the lad.

Smiling, he walked over to Caroline, took her hand and lifted it to his lips, just like he had last night, again without actually grazing her skin. "Brightening my day, as ever, love," he murmured, sinking into her eyes for an instant, searing her with his intensity like he always did, and Caroline felt everything around them disappear. Then he softly placed her hand back in her lap, looked down at her once more and left. Feeling Elena stare at her, she tried to put on an indifferent face and shrugged. Thankfully, Elena was much too mad at Damon to go into a round of questioning right away.

God, this man is dangerous! Stay on your toes, Caroline!

After a moment of silence, it felt like all hell broke loose. As if on cue, Stefan and Elena started going at Damon in unison. He stared at them for a moment, then simply walked past them and plopped into the armchair, raising his glass to Caroline. "He's really got a thing for you, you know?" he muttered. "You can tell by the way his face relaxes when he looks at you."

Caroline feigned indifference and shrugged again. If the day went on like that, she would have a cramp in her shoulders by noon.

Elena saved her from further embarrassment. She planted herself in front of Damon, poking a finger into his chest, and snarled, "Please tell me you haven't spent all night drinking with Klaus of all people! How could you, Damon? He killed Jenna, he tried to kill Jeremy, he compelled your brother to turn off his humanity, he tried to kill me, his sister actually did kill me, and now you picked him as your new drinking buddy? What's gotten into you, for God's sake?"

"Could you please keep your voice down?" Damon sneered. "You sound like a hysterical shrew." Elena gasped, but she didn't waver. "I know you miss Alaric, and I know things haven't been easy for you lately, but that is absolutely no excuse to start a bromance with one of the seven plagues!"

"Oh, that's a good one, I haven't actually thrown that at him yet. Is it copyrighted, or will you let me use it?" Elena looked like she was about to pounce and Damon lifted a hand. "Calm down, Brunhilda. Whatever I do is none of your damn business. Go bunny-hunting and leave me the fuck alone." He got up shakily and shuffled towards the staircase. "Can you really blame me for wanting a bit of fun, with all the drama going on in here? And even fucking Klaus is a hell of a lot more entertaining than you two! No offense, Blondie." With that, he was gone.

Elena stared after him, wide-eyed and very hurt, and Caroline knew her friend was going to break down in tears any minute now. Damon could really be such a bull in a china shop at times. She got up, putting her arms around Elena's shoulders, and dragged her towards the door. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing Stefan's icy stare follow them. 'Don't worry,' she mouthed at him and saw him nod slightly.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting at the edge of the nearest waterfall. Elena was still crying, and Caroline did her best to soothe her, which was no easy task with Elena's heightened emotions wreaking havoc on her mind. Caroline remembered how it had taken her months to get a grip on the overwhelming feelings, and she still wasn't completely free of them. But they were a part of her life, a part of her now, and she had cautiously started to embrace what she was a while ago. She even remembered the precise moment when she had begun to feel somewhat more at peace with her fate. 'There's a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities and art and music. Genuine beauty. All you have to do is ask.' And she had, in her way. He had unleashed something inside her, a yearning to explore, not only the world but also herself. It had made her grow up a little, for it had uncovered a side to her she hadn't been aware of until then: the adventuress, the reckless discoverer. It had been like a little piece to a puzzle that had fallen into place. It was a part of who she really was, and he had shown it to her. She was hungry for life, for the world, for everything that lay ahead of her, and she reveled in that knowledge.

Elena sniffed beside her. Caroline looked at her and asked, "Better?"

"Not really, but thanks for being here for me. I know I'm being an awful lot of a burden at the moment, Care, so thank you."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're my best friend. If there's one thing you'll never be, it's a burden. Damon is being a moron. You know how he gets when he's really drunk. Try to ignore him, he'll be all crushed and repentant when he sobers up."

"That's my problem. I know he always keeps a part of his personality under wraps when he's with me, and I don't want that. I want him to be Damon. Then again, I can understand him holding back from me when he sees he can hurt me so much just by saying that he has more fun with Klaus than with me. Seriously! How can he buddy up with Klaus?"

"I'm not sure they're really doing that. Maybe it was a one-off. Damon being frustrated with all that's been going on, Klaus being out of Hybrid-making supplies and without his siblings for now… just two lonely souls with a common bad boy streak! A badass one-night stand, so to speak."

Elena giggled through her sniffles. Caroline knew her friend would forgive Damon like she always did. There was such a deep bond between those two that it was scary at times, even though she wondered whether any of them would ever actually admit to it. Damon was almost as much of a baddie as Klaus, at least he had been at some point, but Elena would always keep him in her heart, no matter what happened. No matter how long it took her to forgive him, she always came around in the end. He challenged her every day, albeit not always in a positive way, that much was clear. But Caroline liked the way Damon challenged Elena, good or bad. She wanted something like that, or rather, someone like that. Someone who constantly kept her on her toes, who drove her crazy with rage and made her want to jump him all the same. Someone who made her fly. Caroline looked at the waterfall thoughtfully. Maybe the romance novels slash movies got it right after all, and there was something like actual, eternal undying love no matter what. She thought about Tyler. Was that what she felt for him? Would she always forgive him in the end, whatever he chose to do? Did he challenge her? Could she challenge him? Caroline closed her eyes, letting the answer find its own way into her heart, not forcing or overthinking it.

And there it was. The answer was no. A simple, clear and plain 'no'. Caroline sat up straight, the shock of this new realization flashing through her. And… now what? Can you stay in a relationship like that? Will it be enough for you, knowing it could be so much more? Knowing you want so much more? The answer came faster this time. No.

Oh God, had she just decided to break up with Tyler? In the middle of some major Elena/Salvatore drama? She delved into her feelings. Was this a reaction to the whole Hayley issue? Again, she let her thoughts float. She loved Tyler, she really did, but it was not enough. Not anymore. It had nothing to do with Hayley, although it might have taken her more time to really start thinking about the status of her relationship had it not been for the other girl. What had changed then?

The answer to this was simple. She wanted more. She wanted it all. The drama, the challenge, the peaceful times, the passion, the fighting, the headless desire, the overwhelming love. A love she would gladly die for. A man who would gladly die for her. She wanted everything. And she had just found out that she would never be able to settle for less. Great, Caroline. Just great. The Holy Grail will be easier to find. You can't even hold on to an average relationship, let alone something epic like this!

"Care!" Elena was staring at her.

"Sorry, what?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, it seems I got a bit lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I said do you think Klaus is plotting something and using Damon?"

"No, I don't think that. Maybe they were really just lonely and bored. What would he be plotting anyway? You're a vampire, so no more blood for Hybrids, and there shouldn't be any reason for him to go after Stefan, Damon or Jeremy."

"Does he always need a reason?"

"I haven't seen him going after any of us for sheer fun, have you? He always had an ulterior motive of some sort, however twisted it may have been."

"Are you defending him now? What is it, National Klaus Day?"

"Sorry, you asked me if I thought he was plotting something. I merely answered your question," Caroline replied, a bit miffed. Elena looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry, Care, I seem to be a little over the top right now. I didn't mean to snap at you."

Caroline's eyes softened. "That's okay. Don't worry, I know the heightened emotion thing is giving you a lot of crap, and the boys are not making it any easier."

"You can say that. Okay, shall we go give this bunny hunting thing another try? Maybe I can keep the stuff down this time."

"Lena, I'm sorry, but would you mind terribly going with Stefan today? I just totally forgot I was supposed to meet my mom this morning. Some lecture about not missing any more school this term, I would guess." She rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. She just needed some time alone. She had to think. And after that… she would actually have to speak to Tyler. Oh joy.