Hopefully, I'm reaching chapter 35 before my free-time it's over this week :)

I'd never ask you cause deep down

I'm certain I know what you'd say

You'd say I'm sorry believe me

I love you but not in that way

Sam Smith, "Not in that way"

29. DOPPELGÄNGER PARTY

6643 Peachtree Drive.

"I just want to say this once more," Katherine says as they stand in front of the address. "Here we are, trusting a clue that comes only from a psychic dream you had once?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Caroline asks, and turns to Stefan "Why is she here again?"

"Stefan doesn't want me to kill myself. So, basically, he's babysitting."

They open the door and see the witch in trance, but they cannot walk in.

"She must own the house."

"That's fixable," Katherine says, breaking the door handle and throwing it directly to the witch's head.

Caroline looks at Stefan, who doesn't look bothered and just steps into the house. "Yeah, it's clear now."

She doesn't like the person he becomes when he's friends with Katherine.

"You're all the same as Enzo." She whispers, not really happy with this situation.

"Who's Enzo?"

Caroline frowns, trying to understand where the name came from.

"I… I'm not sure."

Enzo. The other man who was with her in that dream?

The sound of faint heartbeats leads them upstairs, and it breaks her heart to see him unconscious and connected to tubes. But he's alive.

She touches his cheek, feeling his warmth, and then he gasps and opens his eyes.

"What's happening?" He asks, his eyes wandering all around the room, and then staying on her. "Caroline?"

"It's okay. It'll be okay now, we've got you." She says, pulling him into an embrace.

That nightmare, she won't let it come true.

"We should move," Stefan reminds her. "I doubt this person was working alone."

"She isn't a Traveler, though." Katherine says "There are more people involved in this."

"And who are you?" Tom asks, eyes furrowing when he looks at her.

"Your destined love, maybe. Now, let's stop losing time and get the hell out of here."

She blames it on the dreams. The house where they are spending the night is not that spacious, so she has to see Stefan and Katherin exchanging glances. So she knows. If they have not slept together, then they are thinking about it.

He does not belong to her, so it should not bother her like it does, right? But her dreams keep telling her the opposite, giving her hope that someday, perhaps, he will love her, all of that has been slowly getting under her skin. Caroline is feeling the effects of that now.

Since she cannot stand to witness their interactions anymore, the best thing she can do is to stay by Tom's side, making sure he's alright. And right now, he's still having his much-needed human dinner in the kitchen.

"Then… that's the famous Elena?"

"No. That's girlfriend number one, Katherine."

"The one who killed you?" He asks, surprised. "Why would you bring her with you?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. Don't ask too much. There are vampiric ears around."

Tom frowns and leaves his task of preparing sandwiches to focus on her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that."

"There's not much of a cure for being the target of witches that may or may not want to kill me."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He grabs her hand that's on the table.

"I'm okay now. I woke up and there was a beautiful woman coming to my rescue. What else can a guy ask for?"

"Oh, stop it! You just want to make me feel better."

"And is it not working?" He smiles with his eyes. "I can see what is going through your mind right now, and I don't want to see you down."

"You seriously did not feel the whole 'fated to be' string with her? Maybe it's Elena then, you are the same generation after all."

Tom sighs loudly.

"What happened to your confidence? You're Caroline Forbes! If you need my most sincere, objective opinion, from a doppelgänger point of view," He lowers his voice, until it's barely a whisper, "you're much hotter than her."

It works wonders to make her feel better, and it's a bit childish, she knows, but she always feels small when she starts comparing herself to Elena Gilbert (and, apparently, people who look like Elena). With the years, she's overcome most of that insecurity, but Stefan… there's no way to remember how things have been all her life.

"You and me, it's never going to happen"

"I hate to interrupt you, but I think it's time to discuss where are you going from here" Stefan says, leaning on the doorframe.

"Share one of those with me, will you?" Katherine asks, trailing behind him and looking at Tom's half-done sandwiches. "Because we're the only two here that need actual food, no one is thinking about me."

"The travelers want the two human doppelgängers. We cannot take them back to Mystic Falls, that's obvious, and it's only a matter of time before someone uses a tracking spell. So, to protect you" he points at Tom, "we need allies."

"You know someone who can help?" Caroline asks.

"I know someone who may have the power and the interest to keep a human doppelgänger alive and safe."

No, she's not liking this.

"Oh no. Forget about it."

"It's our best chance."

"Klaus wants a walking blood bag." He shouldn't even be mentioning this as an option.

"I don't like how that sounds" Tom intervenes.

"Are you crazy?" Katherine echoes the sentiment. "Klaus wants me dead."

"Do you remember what we all went through when he wanted to use Elena last time?"

"Alright," Tom's eyes wander from her to Stefan "someone needs to fill me in."

"Can we talk outside for a moment?" Stefan asks.

She follows him without saying another word, but she hears Katherine speaking to Tom.

"I hope they really deal with that tension going on. You did not have to endure a flight sitting between the two of them."

The night is especially dark and it's drizzling outside.

"Are you seriously considering this? The moment Klaus knows about Tom, he's as good as dead. Even if Klaus tries to keep him alive, doesn't he have a lot of enemies? And now he's having a kid, I cannot see a scenario where someone doesn't try to stop him from making hybrids."

Stefan tilts his head. "How do you know he's having a kid?"

"Dreams" She clenches her fists "and he told me once."

"So, you are friends that talk regularly, and you still don't think he can do this for you now?"

"I kind of like Klaus. I think there's good in him. But I would not trust him with the life of anyone important to me, and I'm not wrong in thinking like that. He doesn't trust his own shadow, so why would anyone trust him?"

"It's the best we can do for Tom. Do you think he'll survive being a human in Mystic Falls? And we know that the travelers are already around, Katherine's daughter was with one of them."

"Katherine has a daughter?"

"From back when she was human. Long story and not mine to tell." He runs his tongue over his lips. "Apparently Nadia wants to reconnect with her mother and keep her alive, but his companions have other plans. One of them was possessing Matt's body…"

"What?! Why haven't I heard about any of this before?"

"Well, you were busy with your college boyfriend turning into a vampire who wanted to kill you."

"That's not what happened. You clearly didn't check all my voicemails when you were busy keeping secrets with Katherine."

"Ok then. What do you suggest we do? We can't stick around and act like bodyguards forever. I'm sure me being here will just make it worse."

It's true. Nothing good has ever come from Elena and Katherine being in the same town, problems always find them. But it's so frustrating. Tom has been living a perfectly normal life, why does he have to lose that now?

"Then maybe I can stay," it doesn't sound convincing at all.

Stefan frowns.

"Caroline, there's no version of this where I'm going to let that happen. Believe me, if I'm bringing up Klaus it's only because I really think it's Tom's best chance."

"If I was the one who needed protection, would you put me in his hands, too?"

He doesn't answer, but his eyes stay on her for the longest time. And she doesn't question his good intentions, she knows who Stefan is, and if he could, he'd do it so he could save everyone. It's just that when he has to choose, he chooses his people first. She understands this. It's something she likes about him.

Right now, in his eyes, she can see it. Tom isn't really one of his people.

It's not a fair question, and there is no right answer either.

And yet… and yet, he's doing this for her. It's just like when they were barely becoming friends, and he kept her friendship with Tyler a secret from Damon, even talking to him to clear things out when he'd already told her it was a bad idea. He still did it to help her.

God, she loves him.

"Okay. We'll explain the whole thing, and let him decide. It's his life after all." She places her hand on his arm. "Thank you, for not letting me do this alone."

He gives her the softest smile.

"Caroline."

"Uhm?"

"Do you feel responsible? Because things do not work out well in your dreams?"

It's her turn to stay silent.

"No matter what Silas, or Bonnie, or what anyone said… those are still dreams. And this, this is your life."

There's a lump in her throat.

"Okay. I know."