What do you think about the last few chapters? I'm worried about the pacing, so if you can give some input, I'll appreciate it.

Sweetheart, you look a little tired

When did you last eat?

Come in and make yourself right at home

Stay as long as you need

Tell me, is something wrong?

If something's wrong, you can count on me

You know I'll take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat.

Sleeping at last, "Two"

42. THE WEIGHT ON HER SHOULDERS

When they decide to go back to Mckinley, they're empty-handed. There are no leads to the Gemini Coven or anything that can help them find out how to communicate with Bonnie and Damon.

She learned that Tom has been awake for weeks, but unable to contact her because he's into hiding with Rebekah and the miracle Mikaelson heir. He did write her a letter that Klaus finally hands to her, but there are just empty reassurances that he did not suffer any major effects from being turned into a sleeping beauty death-like situation. Although no one warned him this was what they were planning to do.

Well, they are going back home almost empty-handed. Caroline is sure they have made an enemy or two in New Orleans. By this point maybe every coven in the country knows about their involvement with the destruction of the Other Side and their intentions to bring back their dead friends, so the witches did not suspect them when they approached asking for help.

But it was clear they would not get anything in return, but when Stefan mentioned the human doppelgänger and the Mikaelson who was missing, the temptation to get information about the hybrid baby's whereabouts blinded them. An opportunity for Klaus to find their new location and kill them, too.

At this point, Caroline has been responsible for more witches deaths than she would have liked to. It all piles up in the list of terrible things she's capable of doing for the people she loves.

"I cannot promise to help you in your mission now, but I'll look into it after this city is safe for my daughter to come back," Klaus tells them, but his eyes are on her. "Call it a retribution for your assistance this time."

She only nods and gives him a weak smile before making her way to the car without saying anything else. Stefan is probably going to follow her shortly, and she gets to hear them whispering behind her back.

That they should not have let her get involved.

It's amazing how after everything they've gone through, they still think she's too nice to handle stepping into murky waters.

Sometimes you need to compromise. Caroline knows that she hasn't done this for revenge, or to send a message, or whatever Klaus' other motives were. She helped because it will ensure the same people won't try to kill a little, innocent girl again. And maybe interfering means that this time, Hope gets to grow up with her father by her side.

"I don't know how many times I'm going to need to say this, but I'm fine." She tells Stefan once they're back on the road. "It's all for Hope's sake."

He sighs and looks at her with sympathy.

"I know you don't regret it because of what those witches wanted to do with the baby, but it's normal that you're still upset."

"I know Hope. From my dreams. She went to school with Josie and Lizzie."

There's so much more she could say. That they were with her in her final moments, that the girl grew into a fine lady in front of her eyes, that she was probably the one to do the spell that causes her to have these memories… but Caroline stops herself when she sees the frown in Stefan's face deepen.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I dream more often about these things than I used to. I can't help but think about it."

He grabs her hand and squeezes it gently.

"I never thought I'd say this, but maybe we should find Silas after all."

She's shocked to hear him say this. It's obvious that Stefan thinks these dreams are more of a burden to her than an advantage (and he's right, in more ways than one) but she never imagined he'd be so worried that he would actually suggest trying to contact someone who is at the top of the list of people he hates.

"If he could help you get more of those dreams once, he can also make them stop."

"That's not what I want."

"Caroline…"

"If we manage to get Silas to help us, it's so that we get Bonnie back."

How much can a vampire frown, really? It's worrisome. But then his expression softens, and she takes it as the compromise that they need for the moment when he finally speaks again.

"If we're going to do this, we'll need someone who knows about doppelgänger stuff. Another reason to get the Parker twins help."

He actually starts asking more about her dreams with a joke, but Caroline understands that it's no longer just about her, it's about them. Or maybe it's always been about them.

"Should I be worried that you have children with Alaric Saltzman, of all people, in those dreams?"

"I don't know how that could have happened either. It's gross. But I think magic was involved." She tells him, "at first, when I started seeing the girls, I thought it meant I would be human again so I would have my own kids. Silly, right? Even then I didn't always believe the things I saw were actually going to happen."

"Until Silas and Bonnie confirmed it too?"

She nods. He was the first person she spoke to about these dreams, and now that Bonnie is gone, Stefan is the only one she can actually share most of it without fear of being considered a lunatic. In the intimacy of their bed and surrounded by the silence and darkness of the night, she feels safe.

"I wanted to believe the things I saw were totally impossible. But some things I saw… the travelers wanted me to kill Tom so I could save you, and Elena and Damon happening, me killing those witches who were hurting Bonnie, and you being trapped under the water… in the dream, it was months before you got out. I can't imagine what that would do to a person."

"That week was hell."

"But so many things are different. I mean, I never dated Tyler, but I get this feeling he was important, too. At first I just couldn't imagine that happening either, but I guess it would have been possible… he was a better friend to me after the Jules fiasco." She feels Stefan's grip around her waist tighten just remembering that incident. "And he helped to save me from my dad. I was in a very dark place, and I felt like I had no real friends… I could have gone that road if I hadn't confirmed the existence of one Tom Avery and curiosity got the better of me."

He moves his hand from her waist to her back, drawing circles so softly it tickles.

"I dreamed I turned my humanity off."

"That's… I can't even imagine that happening. Why would you do that?"

"I dreamed that my mom died. I think she's going to get sick or something, that's why I'm always pestering her to go to her checkups, but she's so stubborn…"

"I guess we know where you got that from." He sighs, "We'll trick her into it next time she comes to visit."

She loves him.

"If, let's say, something like that does happen one day, or if I do something terrible… like trying to make you switch it off…"

"That's definitely not going to happen."

"But if it does, you will just stake me and deal with me, okay?"

He doesn't make promises he isn't sure he will keep.

Caroline is humming a song while she puts the potatoes in the oven. She checks the time once more, and it's just enough time before they arrive.

It's Friday and her mom is coming for dinner. Stefan is on his way back, too.

He has been gone for a week now, following the lead in Romania. Enzo is with him, so she was a bit worried because of the homicidal tendencies of this guy (it's never good for Stefan to be with people who kill just for the fun of it), but it seems to have gone smoothly, at least in that aspect. These witches are really hard to track, and they got nothing yet.

The more time it goes without news from the Parker twins, the more she is convinced that they're part of this super secret coven.

Her phone rings when she's in the middle of preparing the salad. It's Matt.

"Hey, everything okay?"

He stopped by her house a couple of days ago, which was a bit surprising and maybe the first time she actually saw him in person since the anti-magic spell started working in Mystic Falls. It spoke tons about how worried Matt was for the new drunk, (and manwhore) Jeremy that we would come to talk to her about it and ask for advice about what to do. They always had a very different approach when it came to helping people.

So her first thought when she sees Matt is calling her is to think it might be related to the Gilbert-problem.

"She did not want me to tell you, but I think you should know… your mom is at the hospital. She stopped to talk to Tripp about some business with the neighborhood watch, and then she fainted…"

"What?! How is she now? What do the doctors say?"

"I'm not sure. She looks fine now and the doctors told her she can go home, but you asked me to keep an eye on her, so I'm just letting you know."

"Thank you, Matt."

"No problem. Maybe it's nothing, don't overreact, okay?"

Easier said than done.

She calls her mom right after ending her exchange with Matt, but that stubborn woman just tells her she had some urgent matter at work and is going to be arriving a bit late.

"I can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Stefan asks.

Caroline turns to look at him, and smiles in spite of her worst humor. She didn't even hear him walk into the house.

"Hi." He meets him in an embrace, breathing in his scent and whispering with her lips pressed to his shoulder, "You're early."

"Now, who managed to make you angry this time?"

"My mom."

Stefan just listens to the story from beginning to end. It's good that he gives her the chance to vent about it, because she'll need to be calm and collected later when her mom comes to the house.

"... and I just don't know how to help a person who doesn't even want to take care of herself. Isn't her work supposed to be easier now that vampires can't get into the town? Speaking of vampires that feed on people, where's Enzo?"

"I was supposed to invite him to come over?" Stefan shrugs off, "I don't even want to know where he is right now."

Caroline suspects he and Enzo just pretend to hate each other, that's just part of their dynamics, for whatever reason.

"Okay. Then, I'll just finish this salad, and I'll set the table, and you can tell me all everything you didn't tell me on the phone these days."

He smiles, pressing his forehead to hers for seconds that last too long before he kisses her.

"It was a long week," he says, echoing her feelings.

"Welcome home."