Tonia: Caroline is finally getting the break she deserves, but it includes Stefan :)
Everyone has been waiting to see Tom again, so here he is.
Ever since 5x17 I knew that the best kind of Steroline is the Steroline without the Mystic Falls gang around them.
Those hardest to love need it most
I watched our bodies turn to ghosts
Such good friends, it has to end it always does
That's the way life is
Do we take that risk?
Lauren Aquilina, "Fools"
22. A SECRET CALLED UNREQUITED LOVE
Stefan asks and she tells him the whole story about her last summer trip on the way to the airport.
And while he's out to get them some coffee, Bonnie, no, Jeremy texts her with an address and the name of a witch in Atlanta who might be willing to make a daylight ring for Stefan if they approach her nicely.
"Here you have"
"Thank you"
It tastes just the way she likes it, and that's rare, but it's just one of the things she likes about Stefan, that he pays attention to these details. He learned how to get her coffee right in only two days while he was staying at her house, and he remembers up until now.
"Silas wants the cure, and you said that Elena fed the cure to Katherine" He brings up his evil doppelgänger when they are about to board their plane. "Does anyone have an idea of where she is?"
She shakes her head. "But it's not our problem if he's looking for Katherine. She can fend for herself."
"The thing is, Silas wants the cure to be mortal, and his next step is to destroy the Other Side. If that happens…
"Bonnie."
He nods.
"And Alaric, and Lexi…"
"What do we do?"
"For now, we board that plane and keep up with your plans" He smiles "SIlas could be anywhere, but we'll figure out a way to let Damon know without alerting the enemy."
Caroline sighs and checks her phone once more. Tom is on duty tonight, but they should be able to make it to his place long before dawn.
If she dreaded telling Stefan, then that feeling was nothing compared to her apprehension about presenting Tom to his supernatural origins and his look-alike ancestor.
Will he think she was not sincere about their friendship all this time?
Will she fear her?
Now, there's only one way to find out.
They are waiting on the stairs of his floor, but when Tom walks out of the elevator, it's only Caroline who goes to meet him. She glances at Stefan, who is left behind, still looking a bit surprised even though he knew he would be seeing his doppelgänger.
"Caroline!" Tom smiles when he sees her, and walks half the distance towards her to wrap her in his arms. "I thought you'd be downstairs, when I didn't see you I thought you left."
"I still think it would be better to visit you after you had some rest, but here we are." She looks at him from head to toe, he looks tired, but healthy and happy, and there's nothing else she could ask for.
"Oh, yeah, You came with your friend, Stefan?"
"Yes" She breathes in deeply "Tom, remember when we met? I said you reminded me of a friend. And that you kind of resembled him? Well, I kind of forgot to mention how much you resemble each other."
He frowns. "I don't get it."
"If you are trying to break it to him nicely, it's going to take forever" She hears Stefan's steps behind her. He has a hand on his jeans pocket and is stretching the other to Tom, who is speechless.
"Hi. I'm Stefan Salvatore. And you and I are doppelgängers."
"And what the hell does that mean?"
He does not try to kill them or kick them out. No, he still invites them to his house. Caroline is worried he might be too nice for his own good.
"So… Vampires. Witches. Werewolves. Magical doubles. Ok." Tom closes his eyes and sighs. She thinks he's taking this much better than expected and is worried that he might lose it at any moment. "Is this a dream? Because sometimes I pass out after a long day of work, but I definitely don't have crazy dreams like this."
"I did not want to involve you in any of this." She says, looking at him, then at Stefan, "But now, I know for sure that you are a doppelgänger, so I thought both of you should know about each other."
"Of course, the best thing you can do is to keep living your life as you've done until now." Stefan points out "Maybe you are lucky and don't encounter any more vampires or anything else in the future."
Tom doesn't really answer this suggestion, his eyes still fixed on Caroline.
"And you were already a vampire when we met? You're not really eighteen, are you?"
"I've been stuck at seventeen since last year."
"You never bit me without me knowing?"
"No! I'm a good vampire!"
"She's the best I know" Stefan confirms.
He nods, pacing around the living room.
"Okay. You still have a lot of explaining to do, Caroline. But you did save my life, and we're friends, so... " He turns to Stefan "You can stay here if you don't have a hotel reservation yet. You, my guest room isn't really spacious, but it's been waiting for you for a while."
She smiles, relief spreading through her whole body as she stands up and picks her luggage.
"Really?"
He smiles back.
"Remember you told me how you were going to organize the housewarming party when I bought this apartment?"
"Do you still want me to do it? Because I've got tons of ideas!"
Around nine in the morning, Tom is back to work and she is thinking about the best way to contact the witch that can make the daylight ring for Stefan. She could go alone now, but that's not of much use, he needs to be present.
Maybe it's better if they look for her together in the evening. Being limited by the sunlight is really annoying.
That's why she does the next best thing and starts to plan Tom's housewarming party. It's a huge thing that he's been able to get his own place, and she knows he's put a lot of effort to get where he is today, so it's unacceptable not to celebrate it.
"Caroline"
"Uhm?"
"You know that the best thing you can do for him is to let him live his life away from our problems." She does not like that look of pity in his eyes, as if there is no other way. She knows he's right.
"I know"
"If we stay for too long, it might be difficult for you."
Stefan doesn't need to say it, because she knows what he is thinking. It's all in his eyes. He thinks she's the same as him, who could not stay away from Elena and brought her into the supernatural world. The thing is, most of those problems would have still found Elena. The doppelgänger thing was not his fault.
"It's not like that."
He raises an eyebrow.
But what is she supposed to say?
She cares about Tom, but not in a romantic way, never in a romantic way, because that would be twisted, not fair to him at all.
The question, "did you love Elena because she looks like Katherine?" is on the tip of her tongue. She doesn't ask because it would give her away.
"I'm going to get some more blood, I don't want you to be hungry when we go to find our witch tonight. Tom's hospital is not far from here."
He catches her sneaking out of the hospital with blood bags hidden inside her jacket.
"So this is the way you live?" The corners of his mouth twist as he looks at her guilty face "Stealing resources that may save someone else's life?"
"This is saving someone else's lives. I could manage drinking from people without hurting them, but a) I don't think you would approve that either, and b) Stefan can't risk going down that path. He can't control his… urges the way others do."
If Tom still judges her actions, he doesn't say it. Instead, he turns on his feet and invites her to the cafeteria in front of the hospital. They have the best donuts over there, or so he says.
"Why aren't you mad at me?"
"Would you believe me if I say it's because I know you? I mean, you did hide a lot of important stuff about yourself, but..." He stops and looks at her "I know what kind of person you are, and I trust you."
"I always thought you were too good to be true."
"And you gave me that bracelet to protect me, points in your favor."
She frowns. "How did you know?"
"I thought it was just a friendship token" He shows his wrist, and she's actually a bit surprised he's been wearing it all this time. "But yesterday night, I think your friend Stefan tried to hypnotize me to forget you two visited. It didn't work. That's why I think you gave me this to protect myself from vampires."
"He what?!"
"Can you be honest with me? I promise I won't get mad or anything." He smiles at her "You have been so good to me from the very beginning because of Stefan. I figure all your praise for my looks comes from the same place. He is not just a friend to you, is he?"
Caroline Forbes loves Stefan Salvatore, and nobody knows.
That's a lie.
Everyone knows. Everyone but Stefan.