A/N: here's part two. It is set around when they were nineteen.

Characters: Dean/Cassie Caroline/Matt, Elena and Bonnie with mentions of Dean/Caroline

Summary: You took me by surprise, with just one look

Category: Romance/angst and broken heart with a dash of humor.

Suggested Listening: 'The Crow & The Butterfly' by Shinedown

/Just the Way the Cookie Crumbles/

At nineteen Caroline Forbes had everything she could ever want. She had her own place -it was small but it was hers and she loved it- a boyfriend who was as sweet as the day was long and he loved her. What more could a girl ask for? Her life went on its natural course of things so if life was so great why did it feel so wrong why did she feel like she was missing something. Every now and then, her mind wondered to those fun fill days and nights when she hung out with a boy whose eyes shone like stars in the night.

Sighing she sat down on her couch and pulled out the only picture she had of him. It was a good picture he wasn't looking at the camera but at something only he could see his profile strong and so handsome. Her fingers danced across the glossy wallet size picture. She still talked to him every once and a while but since she started up with Tyler the conversations slowed. She was glad he met someone to it made her feel less guilty less as if she was betraying him somehow. The guilt however was still there still eating away at her gut and bits of her heart. When she was just seventeen, she fancied herself in love with that boy but she couldn't have been right, he was something just out of her reach someone she could not have so should not want.

There had been a string of girls after her, he just wanted to forget her and maybe for a time he did. There was Lisa the bendy yoga instructor and now there was Cassie. Cassie was different she was smart funny and wanted to be a reporter. She smiled at him and touched a place in his heart that he had locked away. Life was good with her and he thinks there is a chance that he might actually love her. Weird yes it was very weird. But if his life was so great then why did he feel so wrong why did it feel like he was missing something.

He sat down on the musty old couch that was showing it age in the wear and tear, ignoring whatever it was that Sammy was saying he pulled out a picture of her. It was the only one he had of her, she had her chin in her hand her green eyes sparkled like the sun and her smile was just as dazzling. She was so different from any girl he had ever met before or since. When he was seventeen just a boy no more than a child he fancied himself in love with her. But he couldn't have been right she was something just out of reach someone he could not have so should not want. Dad had been right pretty blonde haired women had a tendency to die around the Winchester men.

Life is funny, well not so much as funny ha ha but as in just plain weird. It twists and turns takes you down roads you never would have chosen but somehow did anyhow. It had been weeks since she talked to Dean and the worry was beginning to show. However, no one knew why she stared off into nothing why she frowned at her phone or jumped every time it rang. Bonnie scolded her told her that she was ignoring Matt and for what. It would be so easy to tell her of those few short days when she had been blissfully happy when he heart had thudded in her chest every morning just at the thought of spending time with him. "You used to dance Care, what happened to that?" Elena asks one day her brown eyes so full of concern that she almost cracked and told her everything. She of course didn't just smiled like she used to or tried at least… and said, "I'm fine Elena really. I'm just a bit tired is all."

To keep herself busy she started singing at the Grill, Matt was ecstatic about it, so was Elena and Bonnie. Singing turned out to be a good outlet she sang sad songs that tore at the heart and made you want to cry, happy songs that made you want to get up and dance. And songs that made you remember times long ago past. After a set, she climbed off the stage she didn't know she had been crying until Elena wrapped her arms around her neck and Bonnie asked. "Who makes you cry like that Care?"

He is sitting in a bar Cassie at his side a haunting song played from the radio. "Just like a crow chasing the butterfly, dandelions lost in the summer sky," it been weeks since he last talked to her. He was keeping her distance he wanted her to be happy didn't want her to keep thinking of him. She said she had been and he had heard the sadness in her tone. So what was he to do? Keep torturing them with this when he didn't even know what they were to each other? She was with Matt and probably loved him, he was with Cassie, and he was well on his way. Maybe he wasn't quite sure yet.

Cassie looked over at him and her hand squeezed his knee her smile wavered when he looked at her, "Who are you remembering right now Dean?" she asks her voice whisper soft. "No one." it was a lie and they both knew it. Later after Cassie whispered she loved him, he told her all about his family and what they did. He told her the big family secret, want to know what she did. She called him crazy said, "You've lost your effing mind! You didn't have to lie to me if you didn't feel the same way! I say I love you and tell me this crap!" she pointed her finger imperiously towards her door and told him to get out. Circle of life and all that crap. Maybe his dad was right maybe he couldn't have a normal relationship with a girl not with this job. And he would always have the job it was his life.

She lay in her bed her eyes glued to the ceiling, her mind to busy to even attempt sleep, where was her life going these days. She and Matt went the way of the wind and she couldn't bring herself to be sorry about that. She didn't get him one minute he wanted her and then the next he accused her of thinking of someone else. It wasn't entirely untrue she did think about someone, thought about nights spent by the river of him smiling at her calling her princess.

To this day only he can call her that it seemed wrong to hear it from someone else's lips. Her phone vibrating on the nightstand dragged her away from her thoughts. Biting her lip, she looked at the caller I.D. Angus Young. A smile broke out she knew only one person that would use that alias. "Hello." there was a long pause before he said anything she could hear muffled voices and a beeping sound that she couldn't place. "Hey there princess." she almost sighed at the sound of his deep gravely voice. "Hey Dean, where have you been?" she heard him sigh, long and shuddering. She knew then was wrong and couldn't push that bubble of worry down far enough. "Oh…y'know around." she made a little mmhmm sound she didn't believe him not one bit but if he wanted to lie she couldn't stop him.

"Sammy got hurt today." he was in the hospital…well that explained the background noise. "Is…is he okay?" Sammy his baby brother the boy he wouldn't shut up about the boy that made Dean so proud that the smile he wore when he talked about him could rival any proud parent. She had never meet him because they had kept their time together secret but she felt like she knew him. Since Dean sounded scared out of his wits, she was a little afraid to. "Yeah…no he's fine…it's just…" He didn't say what it was, but she knew enough to know that it was a close call and that he felt guilty about it. "Dean, whatever happened it wasn't your fault." she whispered, sitting up in bed, she draped her arm over her knee. He was always blaming himself for things that were not his fault and had no control over.

"It is my fault Caroline I…I should have…he could have…I didn't…" sighing she ran her fingers through her hair. How was she going to get it through his thick skull that no matter haw many times he dives in front of danger that people are always going to get hurt and that he cant blame himself. It was a futile conversation she knows that doesn't mean she didn't want to shake him until his teeth rattled. She had a very good feeling Sam probably felt the same way. "Dean…" she started but he cut her off, "Look I got to go I just wanted to call you for a minute." with that he hung up leaving her hanging. She ended her side of the call and dropped the phone onto the bed. Well there goes any sleep she could have had, "Thank you so much Dean Winchester." she grumbled as she walked over to her fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Dean…who was that?" Sammy asked groggily his hazel eyes unfocused thanks to the morphine. "No one Sammy, just go back to sleep dude." his brother smiled the happy goofy smile of someone that was drugged to their gills and nodded back off. Things went back to normal after that he still didn't call her as much as she wanted he had his reasons. He hunted with Dad and Sam kept the arguments from going to far and called her when he had no chance to stop them. That was the cycle the never ending of no promises made so none were broken. He thought his life would never change, never go a different route, would always be the same never ending shit. That was until he found the little piece of paper that would change everything.

"Sam…Sammy what is this?" He asked holding up the crumpled piece of paper that held his little brothers entire future, he ignoring the way his hand shook a little. "Dean…I meant to tell you…I didn't want you." Dean cut him off with a vicious swipe of his hand. He didn't want to hear it the letter had been post marked almost three weeks ago. He had know even before the accident that put him in that hospital, he had known this whole time and he had never said a word. "You would have taken dad's side." the soft spoken accusation hit him where it would hurt the most. Sam always did know where to hit a person the hardest always knew how to get under a persons skin so he could hurt them. The kid is a freaking pro at this.

Dad hose that moment to come back, he saw the letter in Dean's hands even though he did try and hide it. "What's that?" the old man asks. Dean looks to his little brother his eyes saying, 'tell him this is your news tell him.' But Sammy cant or wont talk he forces Dean to do it. "Sammy got a full ride to Stanford." Dad nods and for a moment he sees pride flash through his fathers dark eyes. "Well good, your not going but still good." Dean hears the pride in their fathers voice and he should be proud Sammy got a full ride but all Sam heard was the not going part. "Dad I have to go this is my chance my only chance at a normal life!" He shouts and dad shouts back and for a moment Dean just stays clear from the nasty words. Until mom gets thrown into it.

"I don't know but I don't think she would want this for us! I don't know her but I'm forced to hunt down her killer! This is ruining my life!" Dean cant take it anymore he stands up and puts himself in the middle like he always does. Its his role he's the good son, the good little soldier that does everything dad tells him to do. He should know Sam is always telling him so. "Stop!," he shouts putting himself between father and son, "please." he add softly. "Stay out of it Dean! You always take dad side even when he made you leave that girl in Virginia!" he flinched like he had been slapped. "Low blow Sam." Dad growls.

"I'm going!" Sam huffs just as dad says, "You walk out that door don't think about coming back!" but its dad who leaves first leaving a angry huffing eighteen year old and a quiet twenty-two year old who had to clean up the aftermath. Dean silently packs all the things Sammy's gonna need slips some money into his bag and hand it to him, "Here everything you need is in there. I even put some money into the bag." Sam nods his eyes wide. "Do you…do you want me to take you to the bus station?"

"No…no I need to do this alone." Dean nods because what else could he do he was going to have to get used to this, to Sam taking care of himself it went against the grain but Sam wasn't giving him much of a choice was he. "Be safe Sammy." He says pulling his baby brother into a hug the last one he'll probably be giving him. This may very well be the last time he sees his baby brother. "You to Dean." Sam walks out the door walking out on this life on the job and on him. It hurts he wont deny it and he really just wants to go to the one place he can forget but now its just him and dad…and dad needs him. Who was going to take care of the old man?