Happy holidays everyone!

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings
Uh huh, that's right
Darling, you're the one I want, and
I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this
Uh huh, that's right
Darling, you're the one I want
In paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams
You're the one I want

Taylor Swift, "Paper Rings"

63. 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT

The day after the arrival of the Heretics, Caroline paid a visit to Silas and asked him the reasoning behind his decision to help Damon this time.

"I erased Kai from the picture for you. Even so, you don't consider me a friend, so why should you reap the benefits?"

In his twisted mind, whatever he gave as a favor could also be easily taken away. Silas is still the same selfish person. In some way, it's a relief to know this, because she doesn't have to care about him anymore. Like he said, she won't consider him a friend.

Ever since, he is nowhere to be seen (as it's often the case with him), but more pressing matters occupy her mind.

Lily refuses to leave with her adopted children, which is by far the better thing for everyone. She has this crazy idea that they all could live peacefully together, and Damon sees it as her attempt to be the mother that she failed to be for him two centuries ago. So for two weeks the Heretics are stationed at the Boarding House, and no one says a thing about the missing 'patriarch' of their little family.

There are angry and overpowered witch-vampires invading their house and occasionally trying to kill someone in town (at the point that the whole gang has to be constantly watching over them to keep Mystic Falls safe), but hey, here she is getting ready to start another semester at college.

More than once Caroline has fantasized about running for the hill, away from her past-life enemies, but her mom dedicated her whole life, up to the very final moments, to protect this town.

So here she is. What could go wrong?

It's true that days ago Valerie put that vervain-skin spell on her, but Nora (who's kind of Lily's nicest daughter) absorbed it and mom Salvatore explicitly prohibited the bitter, jealous ex to pull another stunt like that again. Besides that part, the landmine hasn't exploded yet.

"I'll see you tonight?" Stefan asks, still lying on bed and watching her as she gets ready to run back to Whitmore.

"Pick me up at seven." She kisses him goodbye. "Until then, please don't let anyone get killed by your new siblings."

He winces. "Please don't call them that."

"Caroline, are you coming or not?" Elena calls out from downstairs, and she makes an attempt to leave, but gets pulled back to bed by Stefan for one more kiss.

"Everyday I'm more convinced that we should just stay in McKinley and let Damon and my mother fight for this house."

Of course, neither of them are actually going to go through it and abandon this boat.

"Maybe. But right now, I have to go."

The rest of the day goes very smoothly, and during lunch time she goes off the way to visit Jo, who's going through the weird pregnancy cravings now.

"Thanks," the woman says, sighing as she puts her hands on the french fries bathed in a strawberry milkshake. "For not looking at me as if I'm a freak."

"Well, you are a witch, your husband is a vampire hunter, and we are his bunch of vampire students, so I think we're way past the freaks state"

"You know what I mean. Elena came to have lunch with me yesterday, and I think I made her sick."

It's because she remembers going through the same, only it made her murderous.

"Maybe it's not the weird food combinations. Elena wants that too. Being a mom. It's not something that can happen to us."

"And yet you are bringing matching presents for the twins."

Caroline smiles brightly.

"I'm planning for the 'favorite aunt' title."

At this moment Alaric comes to their table, occupying the empty chair by Jo's side, and god, it's so weird that it's like they never lived under the same roof and practically raised a bunch of kids together, and those things only exist in her memory. Even if the current version of events is by far better…

"Birthing classes at six p.m, I'm not missing it this time, I swear."

"You better keep your word." Jo raises an eyebrow, then looks back at Caroline to explain how her husband messed it up. "He took a detour with Damon in New York and did not come back in time."

"I'm sorry. Finding the Phoenix Stone before Damon's mother decides she still wants to free more vampires is important, but not as important as this."

"Leave it to Damon and Stefan next time, they can handle themselves." Caroline says, picking her bag and books and getting ready to go to her next class. "Taking care of your girls comes first to being a vampire hunter, you know."

Alaric smiles and nods, but she knows all too well that they have lived far too much into the dangers of the world to just stop seeing enemies and potential threats now. Elena (and everyone else) believes Jeremy is studying Art and leaving behind the Mystic Falls chaos, but Caroline knows that he's somewhere hunting vampires with Tyler as his partner-in-crime. And Alaric knows it too, because he's the one who helped Jeremy fool his sister.

As she walks under the sun, meeting with some of her classmates on their way to the west wind and trying her best not to think about the inevitably worries of a vampire, Caroline wonders if she, too, is just trying to find danger when she could actually live just fine without engaging in unnecessary problems.

Just like humans do, or like their classmates and acquaintances on campus imagine her life is going to be, because she's the perfect student who has this handsome, perfectly romantic boyfriend who shows up with flowers and picks her up for dates at the end of the evening. People who just know them on the surface have no doubt Caroline is the type who would marry after graduation, get a nice house in the suburbs, and send perfect family pictures for Christmas each year. And they are not wrong.

She used to want all those things. And maybe it's childish that she still does, after all this time, when she knows life is much messier and dark and just not perfect.

But even so, she could still have so much more, if she were human.

Stefan and Damon do find the stone, but destroying it would mean having all those vampires (Julian included) free and usurping other people's identities. That's why having Bonnie hide it permanently with a spell seems like the best thing to do. Away from the sword, and away from Rayna Cruz if the huntress someday decides to make an appearance.

And Lily finally decides that she cannot be the mother Stefan and Damon needed back when they were human, but she can still save her current one, even if it means leaving town. It's for the best, really.

Caroline learns it first from Valerie's bitter remark.

"We're leaving. I suppose you should be happy with these news."

As a matter of fact, she is. It's taken a lot of patience (and God knows Caroline runs short of that quality) to endure living with someone who doesn't even try to hide her jealousy.

Bonnie and Elena also share the feeling. Enzo has been torn between siding with the woman who saved his life once and offers him a family, or the place he's worked to make for himself in their group. And Damon who has been regressing to his worst days ever since he realized his mother will always put everyone else before him.

The only way to live peacefully, like Lily wants, is to live apart.

"Thank god this is over." Caroline sighs, flopping into the bed and closing her eyes. "Now I can plan friendsgiving without worries."

She hears Stefan's laugh as he lies by her side, shoulders brushing against each other.

"Isn't it a bit early for that?"

"It's never too early."

In the past, they didn't have enough time to prepare for celebrations and happier moments. It's good to start getting used to planning for the good moments and expect to go through those days without major trouble.

Right now, having avoided the drama that could have come their way with Julian, and consequently, the vampire huntress who was born because of him, Caroline is sure planning for the good is a more than deserved break.

"You know, just because they will be gone in a few hours, and this house will have more space, it doesn't mean we have to throw away the McKinley option." Stefan suggests, and she turns her head to look him in the eye.

They used to have a home there, but it was temporary (and her mom was there, the reminder is still too strong, just like it would be going back to her own house). She knows what he means, though, because honestly, getting along with Damon and Elena and being kind of a family now is one thing, but living together for eternity isn't something she looks forward to.

She sighs and admits, "I'd like that."

"No, this isn't it either."

House-hunting is more difficult now.

"Walls are too thin anyway." He smirks.

"Shut up." She sits on the counter on the balcony of the master bedroom, which offers a great view to a park and the sunset starts coloring the sky with beautiful pinks and oranges, this is a view she could get used to seeing on a regular basis. But she's going to graduate in a year or so, and after that? Does she really want to stay here? "It feels like a waste, if we have to move away soon anyway."

She likes planning for the future, but go figure, it's harder to plan for the future when you are going to be eternally young. Certain attachments you have to let go.

Stefan grabs her hand, the soft look on his face he always directs at her helps to quell these worries, just a little bit. His other hand cups her cheek.

"There's a few years before that happens. And we can always come back after a few decades."

She stares at him, biting her lower lip, her heart beating fast as the words come out of her mouth in a whisper.

"What if we could settle down in one place? It would be nice. You, and me, and…" She stops herself before she says too much.

For a moment his green eyes stay on her, as if looking for something, then he takes a step back and the warmth of his hands abandons her.

"Wait…"

She frowns. "Stefan, what's-

He's on his knees and she's at a loss of words.

"I just need you to know, that it doesn't matter if we're staying in our hometown, or traveling the world, if you want to stay a vampire or take the cure, I am ready to spend the rest of my life by your side."

Her vision turns blurry and she feels a lump in her throat as she sees the little black box, and wonders just for how long has he been carrying that around?

"I want you to marry me."