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Chapter 15: Coming Home
The meeting had gone about as well as could be expected, considering that they had no idea what the hell they were going to do, but it had turned out to be a disaster as far as forming a battle plan.
The whole thing was more of a debriefing than anything else.
Alaric was immediately caught up to speed on the situation and decided to do what he could to protect Jenna.
Jeremy, though told many times to stay out of it, had insisted on spying on Tyler Lockwood in hopes that he'd slip something about his uncle.
Bonnie was no help, as usual; she spent most of the evening in stony silence, giving clipped replies when anyone addressed her.
Stefan knew that she held him and Caroline partly responsible for Elena skipping town with Damon; and unfortunately she was right.
The only truly good thing to come out of the evening was Liz's offer to keep tabs on Mason, since he wasn't aware of the new alliance yet, she would be the element of surprise, so to speak.
It was pretty much their only hope at figuring out what his next move would be, and in the meantime they only had to make sure that none of them were caught spying or that Katherine wouldn't decide to pay any of them a nighttime visit.
And then there was his other problem; how to keep everyone safe, including Caroline.
"I don't think you should fight," Stefan says as soon as they're alone again. "You're still new to all of this, and if things get bad…"
Caroline narrows her eyes, not liking the fact that they are having this discussion again. She had hoped that he would have given up by now; it wasn't like she was a helpless little human, after all.
"Hey, Mister! Don't forget who keeps saving your butt! I'm perfectly capable of taking down Dog Boy on my own," Caroline says, puffing out her chest in a show of bravado.
"What about Katherine?" Stefan points out, frowning. "She's older and stronger; you could get hurt."
Caroline rolls her eyes.
"Please, she doesn't scare me. If she wants to fight, I say "Bring it, Bitch!"
"This isn't a game, Caroline," Stefan warns. "You could die."
"So could you," Caroline counters. "You think I don't know the risks? I'm just some silly little girl who needs protecting, right?"
"Come on, Caroline, you know that's not it," Stefan sighs.
"Then what is it, Stefan?" she snaps. "Are you afraid I'm going to get in the way? Cramp your style? What?"
Stefan rakes his fingers nervously through his hair and turns his back toward her, facing the fireplace; he can't stand to face her right now.
He's afraid that if he does, she will see just how terrified he is; and he can't show her.
He has to be strong; everyone is counting on him to lead the fight, to protect the town from whatever it is that Katherine is planning.
He can't do that if he has to worry about Caroline getting hurt, and she would. As much as he hates to admit it to himself, he wishes his brother was here.
Damon would have known what to do.
He always knew what to do, and he would have come up with a plan by now.
He would have been strong enough to take on Mason, and to torture information out of him if necessary.
Damon was calm in a crisis, which was why Stefan had always secretly relied on his older brother. It was one of the reasons he'd forced him to turn in the first place.
Stefan hadn't been able to accept a life without Damon, and while his actions had been selfish he didn't regret them.
He knew he was weaker emotionally as well as physically; his diet had pretty much ensured that, and it would be a while before he'd be able to build up a tolerance to human blood.
He couldn't just start draining blood bags again, not when there was a chance of him losing control; to say they were fucked was an understatement.
But of course Stefan can't tell her any of that.
She needs to believe that he can handle this, because if she knew the truth she'd refuse to back down. She would fight Katherine, and she would die.
Caroline's a lot like Elena in that sense; she cares about her friends enough to put her own life at risk.
She'd proven that when she'd rushed in to save him and Damon, exposing her true nature to her mother even though Liz was on the Council. Fortunately for their side, Liz had come around, but the danger had still been there.
Caroline hadn't cared; and now she was going to expose herself to further danger unless he could somehow convince her it wasn't necessary.
"I can't be worrying about you and fighting her at the same time," he snaps, spinning around to face her again and trying to look menacing.
"You saw what happened earlier today! She was able to overpower both of us because we weren't focused on the kill. So do us both a favor and stay out of it."
Caroline's eyes burn into his; stubborn and full of determination.
"No," she says firmly.
In that moment she sounds more like Elena than he'd ever thought possible, but at the same time she's softer, sweeter.
She doesn't challenge him on every turn, and though her fire burns brightly, it doesn't burn him quite as painfully as Elena's often did.
Yes, Caroline is challenging him now, but her eyes reflects nothing but concern; concern for him.
He's beginning to realize just why he'd been drawn to her in the first place. Why he'd kissed her.
"Please," he says, his expression softening. "I don't want you to get hurt."
His heartfelt plea has the desired effect, but it isn't emotional manipulation in his case; he meant every syllable.
He sinks down onto the couch, raking his hands through his hair again to calm his nerves.
Caroline tentatively steps toward him, hugging her arms; her insecurity is as plain as the wary expression on her beautiful, porcelain face.
"Why do you care so much?" she asks him, barely above a whisper.
Stefan looks up at her incredulously. How could she even ask that?
"You know why."
She shakes her head as she sits a few inches away from him on the other side of the couch.
"No, I don't," she says, still hugging her arms close to her body protectively.
"I promised you, remember?" he turns to face her, staring deeply into her eyes. "I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you, and I meant it."
"That's what I don't get though," Caroline sighs. "You didn't even notice me when I was human, so what changed?"
"I always noticed you," Stefan says. "I just didn't know you back then. But...I saw something in you that night," he continues, "When we were in the bathroom and I was cleaning up the blood, you were so upset over what you'd done. I knew exactly how you felt because it's something I've faced myself."
Stefan smiles softly, moving his hand to touch her arm.
"We're the same."
She doesn't know what it is, but something about the way he's looking at her tells her everything she needs to know.
"Stefan," she asks, tentatively moving closer to him and whispering softly, "Why did you kiss me last night?"
"I don't know," he sighs, running his hands through his hair and refusing to meet her gaze.
"I think you do," she insists.
She reaches out to touch the side of his face and turns his head to look at her.
"I think you know exactly why you did it, and you're just afraid to say it."
Their eyes lock on each other, and Caroline can feel the powerful rush of desire course through her as their bodies move closer, as if drawn by a magnetic pull.
Her lashes begin to flutter, eyes half closed as his breath teases over her lips.
She can't explain it, but she's certain she can already feel the heat of his skin against hers, and his scent is overpowering; better than any cologne.
Caroline is hardly innocent, and has definitely had her share of wild and passionate nights, but this is so much more.
Maybe it goes back to that whole heightened senses thing Stefan has told her about, or maybe it's because she has been falling for him from the moment he'd wiped the blood from her face and promised to help her the night she'd taken her first victim; whatever the reason, she only knows that she wants him with every tingling nerve ending in her body.
Stefan hovers over her lips, his breath just as shallow as hers.
"We shouldn't do this," he rasps, though he makes no move to pull away.
"Elena..."
"Elena already made her choice," Caroline says seriously. "Now I'm making mine."
She pushes him back so that he's kneeling on the cushions, and leans over him, brushing the tips of her breasts against his firm, hard chest as her lips softly touch his.
The kiss is tentative at first, and Caroline almost pulls away when Stefan doesn't make any move to deepen it, but as soon as she starts to draw back, strong hands clasps the back of her neck and span her tiny waist, keeping her molded to him.
His tongue flicks out against her lips, tasting the cotton-candy flavored lip gloss she's wearing, along with her own unique flavor, and he moans, hungrily devouring them until she's shivering.
Caroline slides her hands through his hair, gripping it tightly in one of her fists when his mouth opens against hers and his tongue slips inside to tantalize and tease her further.
She can feel the power beneath the surface of his control as he fights to keep things between them slow and sensual, and while she is definitely enjoying this gentle Stefan, she also hasn't had sex since before she became a vampire; and she is aching (literally) to find out just how much her body can handle now.
"You don't have to hold back with me," she says, breathing heavily as she roughly tears her lips away from his. "I'm not as breakable as I used to be."
Her words must have triggered something deeply buried and primal in him, because the second she gives him the green light, Stefan has her flipped onto her back and makes short work of her shirt, tearing it from the neckline all the way down to reveal the hot pink lace barely covering her breasts.
She's about to smirk and comment that it's about time, but suddenly she loses the ability to speak coherently as Stefan takes one aching peak between his lips.
She's already flying, and it's insanely good; better than anything she's ever experienced before in her life...well, except for maybe Damon, but that hardly counts and she was soooo not going to compare the two of them right now.
Besides, it isn't even a contest; Damon had just been fun, but Stefan...Stefan is something else entirely.
She isn't sure how she knows this, but it just feels like he's hers, and while she doesn't understand the whole vampire mate thing, or how it differs from human relationships, she does know that it's considered to be more intense.
Well, this is definitely intense.
She can't remember a time when she's ever felt so connected to another person in her life; not even with Matt, whom she had been so sure was her soul mate-up until a few weeks ago, anyway.
She throws her head back, whimpering as Stefan's teeth find a particularly sensitive spot on her neck and his hips press into the damp denim, causing just enough friction to tease, but not enough for her liking at the moment.
Thankful for her vampire strength and speed, Caroline pushes him back on the couch to straddle his hips, rubbing herself against him; seeking some relief for the maddening ache building at her core.
Stefan's hands slide up her back, fingers fumbling with the clasp of her bra as his teeth torture her tingling peaks through the fabric.
She's about to just reach behind and tear it in two when something begins vibrating against her upper thigh; it takes a few minutes for her to realize it's her phone buzzing in her pocket.
"Just ignore it," she rasps, tilting her head down to capture his lips again.
Stefan seems to agree with her, and with one quick maneuver, he pops open the button fly and pulls the fabric down her hips, gently nipping down her sternum toward her quivering belly.
Unfortunately, just as she's about to feel his lips where she wants him most, her phone starts buzzing incessantly again.
She wants to scream when Stefan reluctantly pulls away from her and reaches into the pocket of her jeans, which are still halfway down her thighs.
"It could be important."
She sighs heavily, but dutifully takes the phone out of her pocket and searches through her missed calls...and the one new text from Damon.
She discreetly tries to slip it back into her pocket and pretend it's a wrong number.
"Who was it?" Stefan asks.
"No one important," Caroline mutters, moving to conceal the screen from Stefan's curious gaze. She isn't fast enough, however, and in an instant he has the phone in his possession.
"Stefan, don't..." she cries, reaching out to grab it back.
He shrugged her off, staring at the screen with a mix of anger and shock, and Caroline bites her lip nervously as he finally turns the phone back around; the message from Damon, with the words, "We're on our way," still flashing on the screen in undeniable evidence of her betrayal.
"Can't this thing go any faster?" Elena asks, running an agitated hand through her still-slightly disheveled hair as they speed along the highway, already going ten kilometers over the speed limit.
"Well, it could," Damon says, turning his head so that Elena can see the teasing glint in his eyes and that devilish smirk that she loves so much. "But then I'd have to compel every cop from here to Mystic Falls to get out of some serious speeding tickets."
"Aren't you even a little anxious to get back home?" she asks, unable to even crack a smile at his obvious attempt to defuse the situation with humor.
She is far too worried about everyone, and even hates herself a little bit for being so selfish as to run off with Damon, knowing full well that she had been leaving her family unprotected.
And she hates herself even more for not caring enough to check her phone earlier, no matter how amazing the sex had been; and it had been amazing. But still, that was no excuse, and she can't help feeling incredibly guilty.
She can't understand how Damon can be so calm.
After they'd listened to the messages, he'd simply packed up their bags, pulled the car around, and started driving the second she was safely buckled into her seatbelt.
He doesn't appear to be freaking out at all and it's a little disconcerting.
"I mean, those messages were from hours ago," she presses. "What if Katherine's already…"
"She hasn't," Damon says firmly, in a tone that warns her not to argue the point, and to just trust that he's right.
"How can you be so sure?" she asks, needing more reassurance than that.
Damon sighs in exasperation.
"Because I know the bitch better than anyone else, and I know what she's capable of; if she'd truly wanted everyone dead, then we would not have so many messages because they'd already be dead. Katherine's up to something else entirely. She's just playing with everyone."
Elena is very quiet, starring out the window at nothing in particular.
Damon glances over at her, his expression softening to one of concern. She can try to hide it all she wants, but he notices the bags under her eyes, and knows that the chances of her getting any rest once they arrive home are slim to none.
They're about to face an inquisition; one he'd prefer to delay just a little bit longer, even if he is capable of getting to Mystic Falls a lot faster.
"You know, you really should try to get some sleep while you still can. We don't know exactly what we're coming home to."
"I'm too worried about Jeremy and Jenna to even try," she sighs.
Damon studies her carefully out of the corner of his eye.
"Are you sure that's all it is?"
"What else would it be?"
Damon rolls his eyes. Does she not realize by now that he can read her better than anyone else? She can paste an innocent look on her face all she wants, but the tone in her voice gives it away.
"Come on, Elena, this is me you're talking to. There's something else bothering you right now, so spill," he says.
Elena presses her lips together in a thin line, and nervously starts playing with the ends of her still-curled hair.
"It's just…" she lets out a long sigh, "what's going to happen when we get there?"
"You mean what's Stefan going to try to do to me?" He shrugs. "Probably the usual little song and dance routine he always does whenever it's sunk into his thick skull that my feelings for you might not be totally unrequited."
At Elena's worried expression, he realizes he needs to explain it a little better.
"He'll yell, scream, throw a tantrum, try to beat the crap out of me…and then cry off in a corner, licking his wounds after I toss him across the room with one hand tied behind my back."
"I never wanted this, you know," she tells him sadly. "I didn't want to be the one to tear you guys apart."
"You didn't," Damon says firmly. "Stefan did this all to himself; every time he lied to you, or kept the truth from you, it just proved how much he really didn't deserve you. It was kind of inevitable that in the end you'd pick the better, smarter, hotter brother."
"Not to mention the one who's full of himself," she teases.
Damon fluttered his eyelashes at her with a flirty smile on his face. "You love me anyway," he says, as if it's a matter of fact.
"I do," she concedes, shaking her head and smiling to herself at the craziness of it all.
She still can't believe how much has changed in twenty four hours.
How she could go from denying that there was anything at all between them, to finally admitting the truth; that she's fallen in love with Damon Salvatore.
"God help me, but I really do."
There's another moment of comfortable silence between them, but it's broken when Elena's eyes grow heavy and she lets out a small yawn.
Damon gazes at her lovingly, and gently puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to snuggle into his side.
"Get some sleep, Elena," he murmurs, kissing the top of her head.
"We'll be home before you know it."