Chapter 5: Joint-Checking
Caroline sat in her childhood bedroom, literally her mother had not changed a single item in the entire house over the past seven years. Her cheerleading uniform still hung on the door, like she was going to wear it tomorrow, the smell of her teenage rebellion of empty alcohol bottles laid under her bed and pictures of her and Stefan covered the room. She stood up and walked over to the pictures, she was so happy then, she tried to remember exactly what had gone wrong with her and Stefan. As she remembered she began to rip the phones off her wall and throw the old photographs into the waste paper basket. Tears ran down her face and she clutched her stomach, she had been pregnant just over seven years ago and had lost the baby only two months before she had moved to New York.
It was a heart breaking moment for her, and Stefan at the time hadn't been a strong support system for her, so that's why she left. She wasn't happy, he had thrown himself into work and she had been expected to act like nothing had happen because Stefan didn't want to talk about it. It still caused her so much anger, so getting the divorce and moving past this horrible event was all she had wanted for a long time. But of course Stefan's stubborn nature hadn't allowed her to.
"Honey are you okay?" Liz knocked on the door and saw Caroline crying with the wall almost bare.
"No, I just want this divorce. I just want to be happy. Niklaus makes me happy" Caroline muttered.
"Ah, there's another guy?" Liz asked.
"Yes, he is perfect. His proposal, his everything is just so perfect. And me I'm married to another man" Caroline flopped down on her bed.
"I can see the dilemma" Liz replied.
"If Stefan won't sign these papers, I'm just going to make him realize that his single bachelor lifestyle is about to change." Caroline muttered, as she wiped her tears with an evil grin.
"How are you going to do that?"
"I'm going to be the wife he never wished he had" Caroline spoke as an evilish grin came across her face.
The next day, Caroline needed to get some much needed cash out of the bank to make Stefan a meal he would never forget. She was walking down the street when she heard someone calling her out from their car.
"Hey pretty lady, want to take a ride with me?" The voice called out, it seemed fimilar to her but still it was a strange thing, so being the Caroline that she is she began to speak before turning and witnessing who was cat calling her.
"Listen here-"she spoke as she laid her eyes on Tyler Lockwood. They had been good childhood friends, and she smiled as he got out of his truck and hugged her.
"Now they said New York can change a girl, but you look incredible as always" he smiled.
"Tyler, it's been years!"
"What is your meaning of a visit, to mystic falls of all places?"
"Well, Stefan is being his stubborn self."
"You two still have that knot tied" Tyler laughed.
"Unfortunately, yes" Caroline responded.
"Well, if your free this evening the whole gang will be at the grill!" Tyler smiled.
"Maybe" Caroline laughed before walking away towards the bank, she tried to enter her banking information into the ATM and she was unsuccessful, which meant she had to go talk to the teller. As she walked up to the teller, she noticed it was Bonnie Bennett.
"Caroline Forbes?" Bonnie asked.
"Yes, how are you Bonnie?" Caroline smiled.
"I'm good, got married to Matt a few years back" Bonnie smiled.
"That's so great!" Caroline responded.
"How can I help you today?" Bonnie asked.
"Well, I wasn't able to take money out from my account in New York?"Caroline explained.
"That would be because the big boss man here at the Bank, Damon made the bank 'independent'" Bonnie answered.
"This is crazy, of course only in mystic falls" Caroline laughed.
"But you could make a withdrawal from your joint-checking with Stefan, Matt told me about the looming marriage"
"Alright, I'd like to make a withdrawal" Caroline smiled as she realized this maybe her one chance to get Stefan to sign the papers. She ran a few errands before heading back over to Stefan's house and making herself at home.
Stefan pulled into his driveway after another long day, as he walked up the steps to his house he heard the soft hum of music and the smell of a burning roast. He confusedly walked into his home, to see everything had changed. New furniture with Ruffles and a girly feel.
"Caroline, what did you do?" Stefan yelled
"Our home needed some much needed redecorating" Caroline appeared from the kitchen smiling. Stefan headed straight for the fridge.
"What is this?" Stefan asked
"Light beer, you've got a figure to watch, there honey" Caroline smiled as she looked down at his waist. He looked down and shook his head.
"You can spent all you money, I don't care" Stefan said as he opened the beer.
"But honey, you said to think of it as our money" Caroline smiled. Stefan looked at her aimlessly. "The words, joint checking flashing into your mind right about now"
"You spent my money!" Stefan yelled.
"Yes, and I'll pay you back every penny when you sign these papers" Caroline smiled grabbing the papers.
"You can't spend my money!"
"What were you doing with fifteen grand anyways" Caroline muttered.
"That's none of your business, now if you'll excuse me I have a date this evening" Stefan said before storming out of the house. Caroline stood in the empty house and smiled she had gotten under his skin, only a few more things to do before he would crack and she would be done with this marriage. Since she really hadn't been married to him in over seven years.
A/N: let me know what you think!