Reviews! Reviews! Reviews!

What if we ruin it all, and we love like fools?

And all we have we lose?

And I don't want you to go but I want you so

So tell me what we choose

Lauren Aquilina, "Fools"

33. FRIENDS COULD BE LOVERS...?

The gypsies say Tom is dead, that it wasn't even that difficult. It's what Enzo says too.

Caroline's first reaction is to call him, but of course, there's no answer. He's not dead, but he's not exactly alive either, and he won't be until the travelers are gone. Klaus says he's got Tom's life linked to someone else, but he's sleeping, for now, dead for all witchy purposes the travelers might have wanted him for.

Her knowledge about the whole ordeal is very limited, mostly because she spent too much time crying when Stefan was trying to explain it to her, and now she does not have the emotional strength to ask. She should be happy that eventually, they will be okay, right?

He was tortured because of this and now that he and Elena are, for traveler's purposes, the only two doppelgängers left, it means they will try to use them again. It's true that she would do the same for him, but it's because she loves him beyond words, after years of pining for him.

Sometimes Stefan looks at her and she wonders if he's gone to these lengths guided not just by their bonds of friendship, but something more. Then she reminds herself that he was willing to fight a pack of werewolves to rescue her from her kidnappers when she was only his girlfriend's friend.

Back then he took her home, stayed with her talking until she stopped thinking about what happened, and tucked her in bed after she fell asleep.

Now he snuggles next to her and falls asleep first, but his presence is just as comforting.

How can she not be jealous? It's been building up since Katherine got into Elena's body and tried to seduce Stefan, but that was something she could deal with.

This? It's a completely different story.

He's all she ever dreams about, and that's because she loves him.

Stefan, on the other hand… he dreams with Elena, some idyllic life they could have had if they were both human, or maybe if they were to go back together.

She never thought the day would come, but for the first time in her life, she sympathizes with Damon.

"You know how we all laughed off the notion that the universe is drawing Stefan and Elena together? Well, now they are suddenly having vision-type situations with each other.

"Wait. What kind of visions?"

Enzo cannot let go of this chance to make fun of them. "You know what she's not telling you. Somebody's having sex dreams."

Still, instead of butting into the couple's problems or thinking about her own feelings, Caroline leaves with Enzo to drink somewhere else. The fact that she prefers the company of the man who would have killed Tom without remorse says a lot about how bad she's taking this.

"Can't we just be friends and do friendly things?" They hear Elena say.

"Ouch! She used the f-word." Enzo gulps down his drink "Poor bastard."

"But I thought that's what this was."

"Oh, it is, but it was never explicitly stated until now."

"And that matters because?"

"Well, because until it's officially out there, there's still hope, and hope… Hope can trick you into all sorts of hilariously unrealistic scenarios."

In her experience, it doesn't make a difference though. She is used to the word "friend", and yet she has continuously fed on her dreams to entertain hopes that she knows are not very likely to become true.

Ok, she needs to stop thinking about this. So she asks about Maggie, the woman who was Enzo's hope during his years of captivity.

It's not a happier subject, but it helps (for a little while).

When she talks to Stefan on the phone, it's to the point of finding the travelers and Marcos. What he's feeling about these dreams, she doesn't want to know.

She doesn't have time for it either after Tyler calls to tell her that her mom has spent the day being possessed by one of the gypsies.

"If anything happens-"

"I'll call you. Caroline, I'm your mom, not the other way around. And I've been dealing with the supernatural for far too long. Whatever this new problem is, I can deal with it."

She sighs. That's what her mom always says, but just the night before she went home to find her bleeding and pretty much hurt. It's at times like this that she's glad to be a vampire and that her blood can help others to heal.

"Okay. And if anyone asks…"

"I don't know where you are going," her mom knows.

A couple of days at her dad's cabin is just what she needs. Away from drama, away from Stefan. He calls her a couple of times, then even Damon calls to check on her (she does not take the calls).

What she needs to learn is the difference between fantasy and reality.

What she needs is to picture what her life will be without things always revolving around Stefan or Elena.

What she needs is something she doesn't get, because they need to hide from Marcos and his sect, and she ends up offering her cabin the next day.

However, the four of them being confined in the same place turns out to be just the eye-opener she needed. For a while, she and Stefan have been growing closer, but just a couple of days is all he needs to make Elena his confidant instead of her.

He always tells her things. Even the deal with Tom and Klaus, she's quite sure he hasn't even told his brother about it or else she would never hear the end of it from Damon.

Caroline is not stupid, and she knows what's going on. Connecting the dots is not that hard when she goes back on her word and mixes dreams and the present. He's killed Enzo. Something that is not the most ideal outcome, but then again she already knows Stefan would do anything for Damon's sake. Most of the terrible deeds are rooted in this, and hasn't she remained her friend even knowing about his past? Don't they trust each other?

Stefan and Elena pretend Enzo is alive, and Caroline pretends she has no idea about this, and Damon is of course all suspicious about the matter. The result? The witch that is supposed to protect them is missing because the Other Side is cracking, which also means that Bonnie is dying, and ah... ghosts can hurt them now.

Thankfully there are no deaths tonight. The only loss, for now, is the cabin's shed slowly being consumed by fire.

When he comes looking for her, she remembers they've been here before, in her sleep, in the fantasy where he says things that she's heard before too.

"I didn't want you to think any less of me."

Mixing dreams and reality once more.

"Why?"

He's standing next to her, but he keeps his head down.

She has already gone through this with Bonnie and Elena, being left behind, out of the important conversations. She promised to herself once that she would not be that person anymore.

"If we trust each other, why do you not tell me these things?"

"I… I don't know." He sighs "Maybe I didn't want you to know I killed Enzo."

"Why?"

"Because I know you, and I know you guys had that weird little chemistry going on."

Caroline frowns. He's deviating to avoid giving a real answer. Again.

"Pick another excuse. For all purposes, he's also the reason one of my friends is temporarily dead, sleeping, whatever you and Klaus want to call the thing you did with Tom."

He opens his mouth like he wants to say something, then stays silent again.

"I can't do this anymore. Not with you. It's tiring."

Stefan turns to her, coming half a step closer. "What do you mean?"

She doesn't know. She loves everything about their friendship, but she hates all this second-guessing when it comes to their interactions lately.

"Caroline"

When she looks up, he's standing so close that all she can think of is how easily it'd be to close that remaining distance and just… just let him know what he really means to her.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm afraid there's going to be this day when you don't let things slide anymore. You'll see I'm not the person you make me out to be."

"I know who you are, Stefan."

They look into each other's eyes, almost as if daring the other to walk away, but neither of them does.

Then her eyes fall to his lips.

"Stef! Blondie! Time to pack your stuff and leave!"

She flinches and steps back. If not for Damon's impeccable timing, Caroline isn't sure what she would have done.