I do not own vampire diaries. Reviews are loved and appreciated. 3
Caroline was putting the last of the groceries in their place when Stefan came into the kitchen "Guess who I ran into at the store?" Caroline asked. Stefan's only response was to raise an eyebrow. "I'll give you a hint; this certain person is older than you." "Care… just tell me." Stefan wasn't in the mood for games. "Fine, Stefan, take out all the fun. I ran into Rebekah." Stefan straightened, waiting for Caroline to continue. "Nothing really happened, we just said hi and it was kind of awkward but that was it. Anyways, I'm going upstairs to finish up some school work and get ready, I'll see you at 7:00 pm Mr. Salvatore." Then Caroline headed to her room.
"But brother, I don't want to go alone. I'm not even sure if Stefan wants me there, please accompany me." Rebekah pleaded with Klaus. She had been asking Klaus to go with her to Camber, from the moment her petite feet crossed the foyer. "Bekah, you know I do not care for such things. Where is the motivation for me?" Klaus asked. "Well, Caroline will be there." "Bekah, I've told you. I'm done with Caroline; I do not care where she may or may not be." "Nik, it's the least you could do, considering you daggered me, AGAIN." Rebekah was practically groveling now. "I'll be ready at 10:00 pm, don't make me wait." Klaus caved. He knew Rebekah had a hard time being alone, she craved companionship and apparently Stefan was who she wanted now.
Dinner was turning out to be one of the most enjoyable evenings Caroline had had in the past year. Stefan was sweet, easy to talk to, and he laughed at everything Caroline said. When she was with Stefan she didn't feel like she was being judged; he accepted the good and the bad. Stefan was happy to have a friend who was willing to help him through this difficult time without Elena. He wasn't really sure where he was headed in life without her by his side, but he wanted to find out. The truth was, now that Elena had chosen Damon even after the whole sire bond fiasco, he didn't want Elena back. He still cared for Elena but now it was strictly in a plutonic way.
Dinner was delicious, Caroline and Stefan fought over who got to pay the bill but in the end Stefan was victorious. He was stronger and quicker than Caroline, plus Caroline had the sneaky suspicion it made him feel in control, so she let him win. As they walked through downtown, Caroline and Stefan made small talk about school, their friends, and what their plans after graduating were. They were surprised to discover neither of them knew what they were going to do after graduation. "I just don't know. Before the whole vampire ordeal, I thought I would get married, have kids, and raise them in Mystic Falls. Then after the change and up until Tyler cheated on me, I thought we'd run away together and escape all the drama." Stefan picked up on how disappointed and bitter Caroline sounded but he didn't comment on it. "Yeah, all my plans centered around Elena's life but now, I'm not sure. I've already done the college route; maybe I'll just tour the world." Stefan said off handedly. "You went to college? I didn't know that." Caroline had immediately given up the idea of college once she became a vampire. "Well, yeah. Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you can't go to college." Stefan pointed out. Caroline thought about applying to college and what she might major in. Maybe if they were both still single, she and Stefan could tour the world together.
After a few blocks, Caroline and Stefan arrived at Camber. It looked like your typical night club from the outside; it was a brick building, probably a factory or warehouse at some point, and there was a line extending around the corner. Camber was written in harsh script, slanting slightly, the bright orange hue drawing your attention upwards to the large pane windows with dancing lights behind them. Caroline sighed and began to head towards the back of the line. It was true, she could use compulsion to skip the line but she only took advantage of her abilities in emergencies. Stefan grabbed Caroline's wrist and began to pull her towards the front of the line. Caroline followed willingly, waiting to see what Stefan had up his sleeve. She had expected Stefan to use compulsion. The security guard at the door was tall, easily over 6'2, broad shoulders, muscular, with a shaved head and a brilliant smile. Caroline was taken back whenever Stefan raised his hand in the air towards the man, who she later learned was named Tyrine. Tyrine's face broke out in a smile as he made his way over to Stefan. He lifted the rope separating him from Stefan before hugging Stefan. "I can see life's been good to you Stefan." Tyrine said as he eyes scanned Caroline appreciatively. "Thanks, Tyrine. This is Caroline." Caroline thought her face would split in two from her smile. "Hi." She said as she held out her hand for Tyrine to take. "Just so we're clear, I'm not Stefan's date or anything. He's like a brother to me." Just when Caroline thought she couldn't get any more flustered, Tyrine dropped his head and kissed her hand. "In that case, I'll catch up with you guys later."
The club was hot and Caroline needed a drink. Stefan and Caroline had been at the club for almost an hour. When they first arrived, Stefan had downed a bottle of bourbon while Caroline took care of a bottle of Jose. They had danced and danced, Caroline kept being swept up by a new dance partner every song. She had also discovered Stefan was quite the ladies' man. When a song came on Caroline didn't recognize she seized Stefan by the hand and pulled him towards the bar. Caroline slid between two guys at the crowded bar and waited for the bartender to take her order.
Rebekah sat on the stool, twirling the bottle cap between her fingers. She was caught off guard when she couldn't find Stefan or Caroline. She couldn't believe that Caroline had set her up! It wasn't helping that she had dragged Klaus along for nothing and now he was mumbling about the repulsive music and harlot's strolling about. Rebekah sensed a motion out of the corner of her eye, when she looked up, she seen Caroline waving frantically trying to get her attention. Relief flooded Rebekah; she was sure she had been set up as a practical joke.
Caroline gave up on getting their drinks; she left the bar and headed towards Rebekah with Stefan in tow. Caroline slowed as she reached Rebekah and Klaus. For some reason, Caroline had not expected Klaus to be with Rebekah. Duh, of course Rebekah wouldn't want to go to a club alone; Caroline scolded herself for not thinking ahead of time. "Hey guys. Imagine running into you here." Caroline smiled. Stefan seemed apprehensive, what were Rebekah and Klaus doing here? It was pretty odd that Rebekah and Klaus were here on the same night as he and Caroline. Then Stefan remembered Caroline mentioning running into Rebekah at the store. He would get payback for Caroline trying to set him up. "Let's take some shots!" Caroline said a little too enthusiastically as she tried to break the ice. Rebekah and Caroline flagged the bartender down, ordering 16 shots of their best cognac. Caroline raised her shot glass for a toast, "To coincidences!" she said proudly, as she threw the velveteen liquid down her throat. She caught the look on Stefan's face before downing his own shot; she knew he'd get her back but right now, she didn't care.
They hung around the bar finishing off their shots, before making their way down to the dance floor. As soon as Caroline's stiletto's touched the dance floor, a guy with blonde hair and brown eyes pulled her to him. He wrapped his body around Caroline's every curve, following the sway of her hips to the music in perfect synch. Stefan, Rebekah, and Klaus stood off to the side; Rebekah and Stefan were avoiding each other's gaze. Caroline decided that if Stefan wanted to be stubborn, he could be. Caroline went and pulled Rebekah further towards the center of the dance floor. They were having fun, moving to the beat, surrounded by the pulsating lights, and slick bodies. Two guys came up behind Caroline and Rebekah; at first it was fun, they were dancing freely. Then the two guys started sliding their hands up Rebekah and Caroline's shirts. Panic crossed Caroline's face and anger engulfed Rebekah.
Before Rebekah or Caroline could react, Stefan was pulling Rebekah away from guy number 1. Caroline felt guy number 2 back away slowly before looking up to see Tyrine there, holding his hand out to pull her away from the scumbag. Caroline gladly accepted. Instead of pulling Caroline against him, he led her out to the back deck. "I figured you could use a breather. You need to be more careful, there are creeps everywhere." Caroline could only focus on the deep and silky sound of Tyrine's voice; she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or how toned his body was but Caroline could see the vein in his neck with each pump of blood it made towards his heart. "No need to worry, I can handle myself." She said with a sly smile. "I'm sure you can, but nonetheless, take it easy. I don't want Stefan to get into trouble over a pretty girl, especially if he's not even dating her. I know Stefan seems calm but it's the calm one's you have to worry about." Caroline chuckled at Tyrine's accusation. If he only knew Stefan was a ripper. Tyrine smiled in response and pulled Caroline closer. Tyrine bent over towards Caroline; Caroline went up on her toes and wrapped her hands around Tyrine's neck as he clasped his hands on her lower back. He leaned in further and Caroline rose to meet his lips. His mouth was cool like spearmint and winter; it felt clean and inviting. Their tongues danced together as Tyrine deepened the kiss, pulling Caroline closer to his body.
Caroline broke the kiss as they were joined on the deck by Klaus. Before Klaus could speak a word, Tyrine excused himself; he could tell this conversation would be a little too deep for a first name basis. When Tyrine was out of earshot, Caroline lit into Klaus… "You have got to be freaking kidding me! Can you not just leave me alone? I was in the middle of something. Just back off Klaus." "Believe it or not Caroline, not everything in my life revolves around you. I was simply coming to tell you that I am leaving and wanted to ask if Bekah could ride with you guys. I would talk to Bekah about it but Stefan and her are snogging too much to be interrupted." Klaus replied coolly. Caroline blushed, damn it, she made an ass of herself in front of Klaus again. "I'll make sure Rebekah gets home safely. Why are you leaving?" Caroline inquired. "The club scene hasn't been the same since the 20's, love."
And with that, Klaus was gone. Caroline's face was still burning when she entered the club. She would not let her conversation with Klaus ruin her night. She was single, she was having fun, and she did not care about the original hybrid; no matter how delectable his accent sounded when she was hammered.