It's a short chapter, but I had it in my head for too long and needed to get it out (and this much is what my time allows me to give to you now)

I hope you enjoy it, and I'll be waiting for your comments. Thanks!


But I'm a fire, and I'll keep your brittle heart warm

If your cascade ocean wave blues come

All these people think love's for show

But I would die for you in secret

The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?

Taylor Swift, "Peace"


12. TURNING PAGE.

He leaves Caroline home with the promise of seeing her in the morning and helps Damon clean up the mess with Mason's death, telling his brother he should stay with Elena for now.

On a night like this, Rose and Trevor came to look for Elijah, so meeting them is a chance to find one of the Mikaelsons and start by solving the issue with Klaus' curse before everything goes to hell.

Things are different this time as Trevor is already dead by the time he arrives at their old hiding place. There was no chance for them to succeed, and apparently Elijah wouldn't forgive his life no matter what. Rose is just reaching the door, probably thinking about saving her life while she still can.

"You. You are the one who killed Katerina."

Stefan sighs.

"Give me your phone. I'll deal with Elijah for you."

"Are you out of your mind?" Rose laughs. "He's an original. He could come back at any minute, you should run while you still can."

He ignores her and grabs her phone, hoping that the last number they were using to make their deals is still working. It is.

"Don't tell me you are willing to waste the pardon you just got from me, Rose."

"We could save each other from all this trouble. What if there's a way for you to get your siblings back?"

There's silence on the other side of the line. This is something Stefan shouldn't know (something he didn't know back then, and it cost them all so much).

"Who are you?"

No one could completely trust him when he has information that he shouldn't have at all, but the possibility is enough for the vampire who holds family above anything else.

It is a matter of minutes, but Rose is gone and Elijah appears in front of him.

"Stefan Salvatore, I've heard about you and your brother. So tell me, what do you know about my family?"


He trusts Elijah can find his brother faster than anyone else, but even if that fails, then Stefan just has to wait until Klaus comes to town.

There are so many werewolves out there, and so many vampires that have nothing to do with his family and friends, Stefan can't help but feel relieved that none of this has to touch Caroline now. She can stay human, and happy.

Maybe one day, when they are safe again, he can allow himself to be human too (the vial he got from Silas' tomb still hidden somewhere only he knows).

That's when his phone rings.

"Stefan, where are you?"

It's Bonnie.

But it is too early at this time in the morning, enough reason for the alarm on his head to go off.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Caroline." She lowers her voice, "this is bad. What the hell did you and Damon do?"


Bonnie tells him they broke into Caroline's house the very same night, before her mother came back from work. Since Mason did not go back to them, they left this as a warning.

Caroline woke up hours later in her bedroom, lying in a pool of her own blood. Of course her first reaction was to call Bonnie, not him. Even then she must have known what was happening to her.

He should have never left her alone. This is all his fault. Caroline always had a habit of telling him that not everything bad that happened around them was his fault, but this definitely is.

Damon warned him several times, but he was the one to ignore the threat that Mason and the wolves represented. He let the guy leave, giving him the chance to reunite with his pack. He's the one who gave Caroline his blood instead of taking her to the hospital (although, considering they would have gone to her house and attacked her anyway this was a blessing in disguise for him, will she think the same?).

This is all his fault. But he can fix it, once the Mikaelsons are out of their lives, he can fix this.

Stefan wants to drive right into the werewolf camp and kill every single one of Jule's men.

It's his fault. He used to despise Tyler for putting her in danger with the wolves, but how is he any better?

He can see it all in his head, how he's going to kill Jules, too (Klaus' sacrifice be damned). But his rage has to wait, because right now Caroline comes first.

His hand is already on the knob door when he stops to listen to the conversation upstairs.

"My mom doesn't like me now, but if I… she's going to hate me even more."

"This is not what I wanted for you, Caroline. But I don't want you to die either. I think you have to do this."

"Can't you see it or what? I already died, Bonnie."