Stefan entered his apartment and started removing his jacket, but stopped when he heard a noise from the kitchen. He frowned, and took the baseball bat from the walk-in closet.

He was about to attack when he saw Caroline standing in his kitchen, again. It felt like he has been seeing her a lot in his kitchen lately.

"What are doing here?"

"Oh, hey. You are home." She turned and gave him a bright smile, and then frowned.

"Do you usually walk around in your house with that?" she pointed a finger at his hands, and he put the bat aside.

"How did you came inside my house?" He crossed his arms before asking the question.

"The keys were under the doormat….. What? Everyone keeps them under it, so I just figured that you might too. And look, I was correct." She was beaming at him, and that was making Stefan uncomfortable. He took a step into his kitchen and narrowed his eyes.

"What are doing with my bottles of whiskey?" he pointed in her direction.

"Emptying them in the sink." She said it in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Are you out of your mind?" he said trying to stay calm.

"No, and if you want me to help you, let me do it my way. So, no bottles of alcohol near you anywhere until I say so."

"What?" he thought his shock must be obvious by the amusing look he saw on her.

"Maybe you will understand this, No bottle….. no fights." She was animating her actions with her hands, and that made him chuckle.

"That's not what I meant. They were not some cheap alcohol bottles, you know." He mumbled

"I know, but I figured that since you are so rich, it shouldn't really matter to you."

Stefan sighed and gave up and accepted his defeat.

"This means you are willing to help me?"

"What does it look like to you?" she questioned putting her hands on her hips.

Stefan felt a floating feeling in his chest. Maybe it was something in her words or her mere presence that did this trick today. He didn't saw himself in the mirror at that moment, and so never knew, that, after a long time, he was genuinely smiling.

Stefan was walking towards his class when he accidentally bumped into a girl. The brunette was in her own thoughts, and when she saw him, her eyes went wide.

"I am so sorry." They were amazed at how in sync they were, when they said the same words at the same time, even without knowing each other. They felt as if there was an invisible magnetic field pulling them toward each other.

"I am Elena."

"Stefan."

He had never felt like this before ever. When they shook their hands, her mere touch electrified his body. Her eyes were filled with sadness and mystery, but her smile was shining above everything, and he wanted to know her. He didn't wanted to stay in Mystic Falls, but he thought maybe staying won't be a bad idea after all.

"It was good to go out and enjoy a bit." Elena sighed when they reached on the front porch of her house.

"I am glad, I was able to make that happen." Her smile made him smile more. It was a long time since he broke up with Katherine, and since then he never knew if he will be able to feel again. He was happy to meet her after all. He took a step forward, and leaned towards her. When his lips touched hers, he was sure about her. He was sure, he will do anything for this girl. Maybe she was his true love, and he will always protect it, keep it safe in his arms.

With every breath he took with her, it felt like heaven. Her every touch, her lips, her skin felt so soft and addicted. He never thought that someone can find their epic true love so easily.

"Stop staring. It's creepy." He told her, his eyes were still shut.

"How do you even know that I am looking at you?"

"I don't have to see you to know that."

"It's not staring, it's gazing and it is romantic."

She had the power to make him feel dizzy, and that made him happy. Finally, he was happy.

"What about a romantic kiss then?" he opened his eyes and pulled her towards himself.

"I won't be able to live without you, Elena. Please, never leave me?"

"I promise I will never break your heart like Katherine did. Our love is eternal Stefan." Elena's sincerity was enough to make him forget the rest of the world.

"There is a reason for keeping a cellphone, Stefan Salvatore, and when it rings, it asks you to take the call. Why the hell did it took you so long to respond?" Caroline was getting impatient with Stefan's behavior.

"I was in the gym Caroline. I just saw your call, is everything fine?" Stefan was done with his pushups and was heading towards the restrooms to take a shower.

"How is sublimating going?"

"Oh its going great, just one little thing though. I was about to throw the weights on someone today."

"Stefan, it's been two weeks, the addiction like yours will take some time to go away."

"It's not working Caroline. It feels like I am at my worst without the alcohol in my system now." He almost yelled at her. It was a stupid idea, he shouldn't have asked her for help, and she shouldn't have said yes to that. He was miserable even without alcohol. And if he didn't get a chance to have a sip, he might rip someone's head out.

"Freshen up and meet me in the library."

"I am tired, and I just want to head home." He sighed while taking out a towel from his gym bag.

"Who said I am asking you? I am telling you that I will be waiting here. Don't be late. Ciao."

Stefan just gaped standing there.

He decided to go to the store and buy his favorite bottle of whiskey and then go home after the shower, and will text Caroline and will apologize, but didn't realize where he ended up until he was standing in front of the library.

He sighed and texted her "Where?"

"Come at D section."

Caroline was sitting there with bunch of fat books in front of her, with one of her hand holding her head as if she was trying it not to fall. The view made Stefan chuckle.

"What's with all these books?"

"I have an assignment due tomorrow. And I don't even know what I don't know. Sometimes I just regret my decisions, like taking Mathematics as my elective II, as if I haven't learnt from my past mistakes." When he didn't responded, she looked at him and he was staring at her with a frown look. "I suck at math." She declared.

"What's the topic, let's see where you stuck at." He chuckled and took one of the book while taking a chair across from her.

"You will help me in my assignment?" she questioned him almost shocked.

"Isn't this why you called me here?" he frowned innocently and Caroline just smiled.

"No, silly. I called you because I didn't wanted you to either end up in a bar or nor in the store and buy yourself a gift of your addiction."

"How did you knew I was planning on doing that?"

"I don't know, I just had this feeling. Anyways, are you sure you want to help me in my assignment?"

"It's the least I can do, and plus it might distract me from this urge to beat people." She smile excitedly and Stefan joined her in that smile. Her spunk reminded him of Lexi. She was so similar to her in her charms, and yet so different.

"You must be laughing at me for my stupidity."

"You are fine, Caroline."

"Whatever, I am just relieved that the assignment is finished."

"I am sorry, because of me you couldn't concentrate on your studies in the last two weeks."

"And because of you, I did finished this assignment so easily. Don't beat up yourself. And why are you being so good to me." She asked while eating her salad.

"I can ask the same question. And….. you remind me of someone, uh… my best friend, Lexi."

"You have a friend." Her eyes were staring at him widely.

"Wow, such a tone of discouragement Caroline. Yes, I do have a friend." He laughed.

"Wow, well tell me about her."

"Let's see… we have been friends since we were kids, I have enjoyed a lot when I was in her company. I can easily talk to her, once I even ran out of my house to attend this concert which was happening in Chicago. I was grounded for 1 month because of that."

"Sounds like you guys had fun with each other. She must be close to you?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned

"You seems like a guy who keeps to himself, and doesn't open to others. So, I assumed she must be pretty special friend." She smiled.

"She is my buddy. She has seen me in going through hell and coming back to my own senses. She helped me at the time when I was at my worst. I had this drinking issue when I was in my teens, and she helped me in getting through this. Sometimes I think she is the only person who can drag me back from letting me giving into my inner demons." He looked down at his hands folded on each other on the table. He felt a soft touch, and looked at her, when she held his hands in hers, and squeezed.

"You are lucky, that you have a friendship like hers. Very few people in this world get such kind of pure relation." Their eyes were locked for a moment, but Stefan looked away when he realized that he was gazing at her.

"Why did you started drinking before?" she asked him suddenly

"I don't know. Maybe to suppress my anger and frustration." He stopped and didn't wanted to tell her about his dark past, but when he looked into her expectant eyes he couldn't hold himself.

"I was in love with this girl, Katherine, before moving to Mystic Falls. She was new in town, and I was, I was just naive. I didn't know when I fell for her. Every guy was blinded by her charms, and her beauty. I always felt proud of myself that she chose me out of every other guy. But, I was a fool and didn't know that it was nothing but manipulation. She was older than me, and experienced, and was just toying with my feelings. It hit me hard when I walked onto her, sleeping with my own brother." She almost gasped hearing everything and he realized he gave too much of the information from his personal life. But he couldn't stop himself in letting her know about his past.

"Did Damon knew that you guys were dating?"

"Yes, I guess. I was so devastated by that and couldn't hold myself. I was so drunk that I almost killed my classmate. My father was not so happy with me, and he was beating me to death, when Damon came and saved me. I hated Damon because of everything I saw. Lexi was the only person who brought me back to my own self, and I realized that I was not the only one Katherine was toying with. She played with both the brothers like we were some dolls from her playhouse."

"I am sorry to hear that." The sadness in his voice, was making her hands itch to hold him in her arms, so that he can forget the evil he has seen.

"Don't be, I don't care about it now. She was never in love with me, and I am over her now." he gave her smile which was nothing but an empty assurance. Yes, he might not be thinking about Katherine, and was over her, but he was in pain because of another loss, and yet again it involved his own brother.

"I am sorry, I bored you with my tragic life." He laughed sadly

"You know if you want to talk to someone about this, you can talk to me. Even though I am not Lexi, I am here to listen." He just smiled at her words. He had smiled more in the last two weeks than he did in last few years.

"Can I ask you something?" the question was bugging him since she came to visit him and declared her willingness to help him.

"Sure."

"What changed your mind? I am sure you were not in agreement with me, then why did you decided to help me in the end."

"I don't know. Maybe I just wanted to help you save yourself. I know how it feels to lose a love just like that."

"You talked with Elena." It wasn't hard for him to deduct that. It was all over her face, and both of them couldn't get how they were able to read each other so easily.

"Yeah, I did. But, don't worry I won't change my mind. I don't give up when I take things in my own hands." she tried to lighten him up with her laughs, and it did the trick to some extent, but it was not enough.

"Let's go home." He said while signing the check, and stood up to walk away. It hit Caroline so bad, that she fell again.

After trying so hard, she lost it, again. She was seeing the wall around his heart getting some cracks, but because of her stupid mistake of bringing Elena in the conversation, it was up there again.

When she turned around, he was gone. He was just a stranger whom he came to know like few weeks before. Then, why was it hurting so much, she couldn't analyze that.

He was standing outside, staring on the roads.

"You are still here. I thought you left." She approached him

"And let you walk home all alone, in that deserted street? I said "let's go home" and not "I am going home". There is a difference, Caroline."

He didn't know why he stopped outside, but he did. He convinced himself that he was being selfish to be around her, because somehow she had this power of taking away his anger. And at that moment, because of all those memories flashing in front of him, the chances of his demon taking over on his thoughts were highest.