Note: chapter title from "belong" by cary brothers.

8. dream of our fortunes

… … …

Caroline shows up to school Monday morning with her hair freshly cut and blown out, her nails freshly painted, and her head held high. She knows she looks damn good, and it feels even better to do it just for herself. She doesn't need to impress anyone. She's Caroline Forbes, for crying out loud. Her impeccable resume and immense popularity speaks for itself.

She shouldn't be surprised, though, that her newly single glow attracts the last person she wants to see.

"Klaus," she sighs when she sees him approach from the corner of her eye. "I'm really not in the mood today."

"I just came to express my condolences," he explains, taking her hand in his. She wants to pull it away, but something won't let her. He brings it to his lips, kisses her knuckles. "Such a shame that you and Matt couldn't work things out."

"Yes, I'm sure you're distraught," Caroline says, rolls her eyes, but she continues to let him hold her hand. "Go on, then. Make your big move."

"What kind of man do you take me for?" Klaus feigns indignation, but it dissolves quickly into a smirk. "Don't worry, love. I know you need some time to grieve, but when you're ready, I'll be waiting in the wings."

"Don't you mean when you're ready?" Caroline smirks back at him.

"Isn't that what I said?" Klaus backs away, and Caroline rolls her eyes, turns back to her locker to gather her things for the day. If she's honest with herself, she doesn't mind Klaus' advances. At least he's honest about what he's looking for, instead of trying to sugarcoat it. He wants to sleep with her. End of story. She can appreciate his honesty. That doesn't mean that's what she's looking for right now.

Besides, she thinks with a slight grin as she watches Stefan and Elena walk down the hallway together. She knows what (who) she really wants. If she's gonna move on, she's gonna do it right.

… … …

She doesn't know what the hell she was thinking, inviting Damon over to her house for a tutoring session. Honestly. What the hell was she thinking?

She's not worried about Stefan. He's got a big creative writing project he's working on, and he'll be otherwise occupied for the night. (She made sure of it.) And she's really not worried about Alaric and Jenna; she's already told them what's going on, and she knows they won't betray her trust.

No. She's worried because Damon Salvatore is coming to her house for the first time in five years, and she wants to make a good impression.

It's stupid. She knows it's stupid. But it's like she's eleven again, stealing a little bit of Jenna's mascara and dressing up a little more than usual for a movie night with her two best friends. She went to such lengths back then to try to impress him, and she doesn't know if he even noticed, so why is she doing the same thing now? She thought her crush on Damon had gone away, disappeared into thin air. (She should know better than that.)

"I'll get it!" she yells when the doorbell rings, takes an extra moment in the foyer to comb her fingers through her hair and smooth her clothes down. She pulls open the door with a smile. "Hey."

"Hey back," Damon smirks. He steps inside without an invitation, but she doesn't mind. "Your house hasn't changed at all."

"I keep telling Jenna she needs to redecorate," Elena agrees.

"Ah, yes, where is Hot Aunt Jenna?" Damon teases, making his way into the kitchen. She likes that he seems so at ease here, like five years away haven't changed anything at all. She should be annoyed by that, she supposes, but she finds that it makes her smile instead.

"You never would have had the guts to call me Hot Aunt Jenna when you were twelve," Jenna laughs as he gives her a hug.

"Well, now that I know you're off the market, the pressure's off," he smirks. "Congratulations, by the way. That's quite a ring."

"Cost a pretty penny, too," Alaric teases as he comes in from the back deck. "Damon. Good to see you."

"Mr. Saltzman," Damon shakes his hand. "Is it ever weird running into your students outside of class all the time?"

"Nah," Alaric laughs. "It's just part of my reality. And call me Ric, really." He nods at Elena. "You really let her teach you things when she's barely passing history?"

Elena rolls her eyes. "He doesn't need help with history, Mr. Saltzman. We're working on calculus tonight."

"Ah, calculus," Alaric sighs wistfully. "The only subject in school that proves of no use in the real world."

"I've been trying to tell her that for the last three weeks," Damon smirks as he and Elena set up shop on the barstools in the kitchen.

Elena huffs in exasperation. "Just because it's pointless doesn't mean you don't still need to pass it to stay on the football team."

"Touché," Damon concedes. "But it's still fucking pointless."

"Damon!"

"What?" he smirks. "He told me to call him Ric. I can curse in front of Ric."

"You're damn right you can."

They somehow manage to make it through their tutoring session with Alaric interjecting random thoughts from his perch on the kitchen counter. He teams up with Damon to tease her, and she tries (and fails) to keep herself from blushing - she doesn't need Alaric asking questions about what's going on between them. (Which is nothing. So.) She wants to be annoyed that he's hanging around, but he seemed concerned when she asked him to keep this a secret from Stefan, so he's probably just looking out for her. It's sweet, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't appreciate it.

When they finally finish up and Damon lets himself out the front door, she looks up to find Alaric watching her carefully. "What?"

"Don't act all innocent," Alaric smirks. "You have no idea what you're doing there, do you?"

Busted. Elena sighs, drops herself back onto her stool. "Is it that obvious?"

He chuckles. "Just be careful, 'Lena," he warns. "If things keep moving in the direction it looks like they're headed, you're gonna have a lot more to explain to Stefan than a few tutoring sessions."

"Yeah, right." She gathers up her books and stacks them on top of each other. "Like he would ever feel the same way."

Alaric hums thoughtfully. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

He says goodnight and heads up the stairs, but Elena sits there for a while. She wants to know what Ric saw tonight that made him think Damon might feel the same way she does. The problem is that she's not even sure she knows how she feels. There's so much history, so much baggage still left to sort through between them that she doesn't know if she can let herself go there, not really. And then there's Stefan. How can she even let herself think about Damon that way when she's keeping so many secrets from her best friend?

She groans, puts her head down on the counter, lets the cool surface calm her racing thoughts. The longer this goes on, the closer she gets to Damon, the deeper she digs that hole. She wonders, when it's all said and done, if she'll be able to pull herself out before the walls cave in around her.

… … …

Damon Salvatore is not used to feeling this way. He likes to be in control of every situation at all times; he likes knowing exactly where he stands, exactly what his role is. He likes having the upper hand. He's finding that the longer things go on with Elena, the less control he has. Over himself, over his feelings, over everything.

He feels like things between them are getting close to a tipping point. If Stefan finds out about them, Damon knows Elena would turn her back on him in a heartbeat. He hasn't done enough to prove himself to her, to show her that he's worth the risk she's taking. But if Stefan stays in the dark, and things continue to progress the way they are… well. Damon knows where he wants things to go. He has absolutely no fucking clue what Elena wants.

Shit. That's where things start to get a little messy for him. He's getting some serious mixed signals from this girl. She invited him over to her house tonight, let him tease her and flirt with her, and if he's not mistaken, she might have even done a little flirting of her own. But then, she still wants to keep their relationship - whatever it is now - a secret from Stefan; she went to great lengths to ensure that he wouldn't be a threat to their evening. It's not that simple; he knows it's not. It's not that simple for him, either. But he can't read her, can't figure out if she really likes him or not. Maybe she just feels sorry for him, after he opened up to her about his dad. Maybe she's just milking him for information to report back to Stefan. (That's not fair, and he knows it's not true, but he's feeling a little vindictive tonight, so he lets the thought in.)

Things are different between them; they've shifted, changed, and even she wouldn't be able to deny that. He's starting to wonder if it will ever be enough for her. How many times can he say he's sorry before the word loses all meaning completely?

… … …

After cheerleading practice on Tuesday afternoon, Bonnie corners Elena and insists that they plan a sneak attack to get Caroline to talk. She's been surprisingly quiet since her breakup with Matt last week - quiet enough that Bonnie believes there's something Caroline's not telling them. Elena has a sinking feeling it has to do with Stefan, and she doesn't really want to hear about it, but Bonnie insists that as her friends, they are required to force her to talk, and since Elena has never really had girlfriends before, she's in no position to argue.

That's how she finds herself at the Grill that evening, sipping a chocolate milkshake as Bonnie unsuccessfully begs Caroline to talk.

"You must have something to say about it," Bonnie insists.

"What do you want me to say, Bon?" Caroline laughs, picking a french fry from the plate in the middle of the table. "It's been coming for a while. I let myself be sad for a few days, and now I'm moving on."

Bonnie must notice the same glint in Caroline's eyes that Elena sees, because she narrows her eyes. "I knew it. I knew there's something you're not telling us."

"What?" Caroline hedges coyly, a smirk on her lips. "Now that I'm single, I have prospects coming out of my ears."

"There's only one you want, though," Elena finishes for her.

Caroline frowns. "If you're referring to Stefan, you should know that I have other options, too. Like Klaus."

"The new kid?" Bonnie raises her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you couldn't stand him."

Caroline shrugs, picks at another french fry. "Stefan doesn't seem like he's all that interested, so it's good to have a back-up plan."

Elena groans. "Please stop talking about my best friend like he's a pair of shoes you can't decide whether or not to buy."

Caroline widens her eyes in contemplation. "You know, that's a great analogy. Should I go with the shoes that are cute, but sensible, and will last me for a long time? Or should I go with the gorgeous pair that might only last me a little while but will make my legs look amazing?"

"You are unbelievable," Elena sputters with a laugh.

Caroline smirks. "Boys. Shoes. What's the difference, really?" She sips her glass of water. "Enough about me. I wanna hear about Elena's secret rendezvous with Damon."

Elena turns a deep shade of pink. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Bonnie widens her eyes. "You've been holding out on us!"

"You owe us some explanations, missy," Caroline insists. "I saw you leaving the school with him last week, and I saw his car in your driveway on Monday. Spill."

Elena sighs, but she can't help the smile that creeps onto her face. "Things are… changing," she hedges. "I don't really know what's happening or what it means or what I'm supposed to do about it, but something's changed between us."

"You totally like him," Caroline grins. "I called it from the start. Stefan still doesn't know?"

"No," she concedes. "I've been thinking that maybe now is a good time to tell him. I mean, they're on better terms these days, right? Maybe he won't be so angry about it now that things between them are improving."

Even as she says the words, she knows it's a long shot, and Bonnie only confirms her worries. "Yeah, but now it's a double betrayal," she reasons. "Not only have you been hanging out with Damon, but you've been lying to him about it."

Elena groans, leans her head back against the booth. "He's going to be so mad. So hurt. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now."

Caroline shrugs. "You've dug yourself a pretty deep hole," she reasons. "If you don't tell him soon, it'll only get deeper, because I can promise you that what you're feeling for Damon is not one-sided."

Elena blinks at her, knows her face must be red as a tomato. "What do you mean?"

"Please," Bonnie laughs. "You can't tell me you didn't see him staring at you at practice last week. Enzo nailed him in the face with a ball because he wasn't paying attention."

"You would know." Elena smirks, uses the opportunity to get the attention off her. "I bet you were staring right back at Enzo and watched the whole thing happen."

Bonnie blushes, rolls her eyes. "Yes, I know, my crush on Enzo is old news. I'm going to the bathroom."

She squeezes out of the booth, and Elena laughs after her, taking a french fry from the plate. Caroline leans in conspiratorially. "We have to set them up."

Elena scoffs. "And how exactly are we gonna do that?"

"Come on," Caroline groans. "Work with me here. You've got the in with Damon, and Damon is Enzo's best friend. You just have to use your charm to get him to talk to Enzo for us. Piece of cake."

Elena widens her eyes. "You really think Damon would do that if I asked?"

"Please." Caroline smirks. "Damon would fall at your feet if you bat your eyelashes at him. Just make it worth his while."

"Ugh." Elena scrunches her nose in disgust. "You have such a one-track mind."

Caroline rolls her eyes. "You get Damon to convince Enzo, and I'll handle Bonnie. Deal?"

Elena sighs. "Deal." Though she's really not sure she should be using her newfound… friendship with Damon to her advantage this way. But she has to admit, she is curious as to why Enzo is so determined to leave Bonnie hanging, and Damon is the perfect person to give her the insight she needs. She grins to herself, taking another bite of her fry. She wouldn't mind the opportunity to test the influence she has on him. The more she thinks about it, the more she thinks this conversation with Damon could be very informative. She just has to play it the right way.

… … …

It's been a long time since a practice has knocked Damon on his ass the way Wednesday's practice does. But they've got a big rivalry game coming up this week, against a team that is also a contender for the playoffs. It won't be easy, and he needs to be in the best shape of the season if they're gonna pull off a win. That means putting in extra reps, taking extra hits, giving every minute of every practice a hundred and ten percent of his attention and effort. He loves it, but it's exhausting.

He's the last one out of the locker room after practice and he's thinking about calling Stefan to come back and run some extra drills with him when he sees Elena leaning against the chain link fence that surrounds the field. He wonders if she has any clue how hot she looks, her long hair blowing out behind her in the breeze and her cheerleading practice outfit hugging every curve of her body. Fuck. He shouldn't think of her that way, really, but sometimes he can't help it. With no one else around, he decides there's nothing to stop him from talking to her out in the open like this. (Jesus, that's how he knows this thing has gotten out of hand.)

"You waiting on me?" he calls out teasingly, making his way over to her.

She stands up a bit straighter, smirks back at him. "Actually, yes," she confirms. He raises one eyebrow and smirks to hide his surprise. "I've been commissioned by one Caroline Forbes to obtain top secret information from you."

"Oh yeah?" He laughs. "And what kind of top secret information might I have that Caroline Forbes would need? Isn't she supposed to be the gossip queen?"

"Not about this." Elena tucks her hair behind her ear. "Has Enzo ever said anything to you about Bonnie?"

This time he can't hide the way his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Bonnie?"

"Don't act so shocked," Elena scoffs.

"I'm not…" he tries, then decides it's better to just leave that one alone. "Enzo's my best friend, but there's a lot that he doesn't share with me. Is there something he should have told me?"

Elena shrugs. "I don't know of anything in particular. They've apparently had this flirtation going for weeks - months, even - and Bonnie's waiting for Enzo to make a move, but he hasn't yet. She said he's sending her signals that he likes her, but nothing's happening."

Ah. It all makes sense now. "You want me to convince Enzo to ask Bonnie out."

Elena smiles coyly at him, and he wants to groan out loud. "I don't think you really need to convince him of anything. Just plant the seed that Bonnie likes him and that there's potential there, if he wants to pursue it."

Damon feels the unease pool in his stomach. There are things about Enzo's current… situation that might hinder him from contemplating any sort of relationship with anyone. He would never tell Elena that; he would never betray his best friend's trust that way. But he feels like he needs to manage her expectations a little bit, because in his opinion, the odds of this working out are slim to none on a good day.

"I don't know if Enzo's the best choice for Bonnie right now," Damon says carefully.

Elena furrows her brow. "What? Why not? If they like each other, then what's the problem?"

Damon groans internally. He tries to come up with a way to explain it without giving too much away. "Enzo's life is complicated right now, Elena. It's not really the best time for him to be hooking up with someone, in any form."

Elena scowls a little bit. "Is this your way of trying to say that Bonnie's not good enough for him?"

"No," Damon laughs. "Jesus, Elena, I'm trying to be honest, but…" he sighs. "Look. I'll talk to him, okay? I'll plant the seed, but like I said, things are complicated. I'm not making any promises."

The corner of her mouth quirks up in a half grin. "That's all I ask."

As he's driving home, he thinks about how he's going to broach the subject with his friend. Things at home for Enzo have been tense lately, to say the least, and Damon wonders if maybe he'll be looking for an excuse to leave it behind for a few hours. He can frame it that way, convince Enzo to give Bonnie a chance. He's not banking on anything really coming of it, but his best friend could use a little breather, a break from reality every so often. Not to mention the brownie points it will win him with Elena. He smirks. Yes, he thinks he could make this work for all of them.

(It has nothing to do with the sexy way she smiled at him. Nothing at all.)

… … …

He hasn't told anyone, not even Elena (to be fair, she hasn't asked), but Stefan's been worried about Caroline. They haven't spoken since their blow up in the hallway, and he's hardly even seen her since she and Matt broke up. He knows that had to have been hard on her, and that despite the front she puts up at school, it probably still is. He just wants to make sure she's okay. That's all it is. (Really.)

So when he spots her walking in front of him through the parking lot as he makes his way to the fieldhouse for practice Thursday afternoon, he picks up the pace a little to catch up with her. "Caroline!"

She turns and he watches in fascination as her lips part in surprise before she quickly puts up the mask of a scowl. He wants to laugh, but he doesn't want to piss her off, so. "Can I help you?" she spits out as he falls into step next to her.

She won't look at him, so he's not worried about her seeing his smirk. "Obviously you're still pissed off at me, but I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you're okay, after… everything."

She stops walking, turns to face him, and he does the same. He studies her face, notices how determined she is to be angry with him, but also how the hurt rises to the surface without her consent. "Why do you even care?" she wonders, her lips set in a frown. "You didn't seem to care about my feelings before. Why now?"

Stefan rolls his eyes. "You know that's not true. I was trying to help, Caroline."

"Yeah, well, you did," she reveals. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "But I'm not gonna thank you for it."

He can't help the laugh that bubbles up his throat. "I guess I wouldn't expect you to."

She just stares at him carefully for a moment, searching his eyes, before she lets the mask fall away, ever so slightly. She sighs, looks away from him. "I've been better," she admits. "It hasn't been as easy as I wanted it to be."

He lets the side of his mouth quirk up in a little grin. "You loved him," he reminds her. "No one said it would be easy, but you did the right thing."

"Oh yeah?" The mask is back, but this time it's her signature sexy smirk. "Why, Stefan Salvatore, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're happy I'm single."

He smirks. "I'm happy that you're happy," he concedes, "because I can tell that a weight's been lifted off your shoulders. But I'm not looking to be your rebound, Caroline."

"No?" she murmurs, moving in a little closer so her lips are just a breath away from his. "What are you looking to be, Stefan?"

His heart is pounding in his chest, but he won't give her the satisfaction of seeing how she's affecting him. He just smirks, leans in a fraction of an inch, enjoys the way her breath catches in her throat. It would be so damn easy to just give in, but she's not ready. She might not know that, but he does. When her eyes flutter closed, he moves his mouth to her ear instead. "You'll just have to wait and see."

He moves away from her, turns and heads for the fieldhouse without a backward glance. He can feel her eyes boring into his back, and he smirks. He kind of loves the feeling he gets at leaving her flustered. She's always so in control, so calculating, that he thinks his new favorite past time is throwing her for a loop. He wonders if she knows that she has the same effect on him, every single time.

… … …

Damon's had almost a full twenty-four hours to figure out how to broach the topic of Bonnie with Enzo, and he still doesn't know what the hell he's gonna say. He hasn't brought up anything of this nature since before everything went down six months ago. He's never had a reason to, but now, he has multiple reasons. (Jesus, if he can't say no to Elena now…) The bottom line is that Enzo needs a break. He's been running himself ragged, trying to help support his family on top of his school work and football, and he could use at least one night of fun.

He knows where the conversation needs to go, he just doesn't know where to start. He figures the best place is probably at the beginning.

"What's going on with you and Bonnie?"

He can tell he's caught his friend by surprise, because Enzo's eyes widen and he fumbles to catch the ball Damon's just thrown at him. He clears his throat, plasters a smirk on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't be a dick," Damon laughs. "A little birdie told me you two have a little thing going on."

Enzo rolls his eyes, throws the ball back to his friend. "I didn't know a few conversations equated to a 'thing.'"

"I'm just saying, man," Damon begins. "If she likes you, and you like her, you should ask her out."

"I can't just ask her out," Enzo scoffs. "You of all people should understand, considering your situation with Elena."

"Touché," Damon smirks. He throws a perfect spiral back to Enzo. "What's stopping you, though, really?"

"There's other… complications," Enzo says carefully, aware of the many ears around who might overhear their conversation. "You know that."

"Yes," Damon says, exasperated. "But really, Enzo, you're only young once. Complications can be set aside for one night. They don't have to stop you from living."

"There's no point," Enzo says, resigned. He shrugs. "Someone would end up getting hurt, and I won't knowingly drag someone into that situation. Especially Bonnie. She doesn't deserve that."

"So you do like her," Damon pries.

"Yes, okay?" Enzo snaps, throwing the ball back as hard as he can while Damon laughs. "I like her. She's smart and funny and fucking hot. And you know what happened the last time I got involved with a girl like that?"

Damon sobers, looks at his friend carefully. "Bro. Just because it happened once doesn't mean it'll happen again."

"Yeah, well," Enzo mutters, catching the ball when Damon tosses it his way. "It's just not worth the risk."

"I'm not asking you to fall in love with her or some shit," Damon reminds him. "Just ask her out. One date. It doesn't even have to be a date; just a night out with a friend that you want to get to know better. Jesus, Enzo, you can take one night off, right? Surely your family could pick up the slack. You do more than enough for them as it is."

Enzo bristles. "My complications are not my family's issue," he says stoically. "I can't just dump on them whenever I don't feel like taking responsibility."

"That's not what this is about and you know it," Damon argues, catching the ball and holding it as he approaches his friend. "Hell, I'll help your family if that's what it takes for you to take a night off. One night, man. You're seventeen. Just because your life is a little more complicated than the rest of us doesn't mean you can't have fun."

Enzo mulls it over, falls into step beside Damon as they head for the practice huddle. Finally, he sighs. "Fine, I'll think about it. If I can work out the details then we'll see. Will you shut the fuck up now?"

Damon smirks, zips his lips with his fingers and leaves his friend to take his place near the middle of the huddle. That was actually easier than he thought, if he's being honest. He thought it would take days, maybe even weeks of prying to get Enzo to even consider the idea. He's surprised at his own powers of persuasion.

(If only he could figure out a way to make them work that way on Elena…)

… … …