And it's hard, the days just seem so dark
The moon, the stars are nothing without you
Caroline, blinking her eyes as she came to, looked at her hand first. The ring shone in the moonlight and she tilted her head. She reached to take it off.
"What are you doing?"
Her confusion seemed to grow as she looked up at her husband. "Caroline?" Stefan asked. "What are you doing? Are you okay? You just... fell."
"I'm sorry," she said, standing up. "I have no idea who you are." She looked around her. They were in a dark park. A couple people around them, all staring at her.
"What?" Stefan asked.
Bonnie shushed him. "Caroline," she started.
"Who are you?" Caroline asked. "Are you that black girls mom?"
"Black girl?"
"The one in my psych class," Caroline said. "Bonnie something. Oh. Or her sister."
"No, Caroline, I'm Bonnie."
"Very funny," Caroline said to Bonnie. Bonnie had aged, she was in her late thirties. She would not stay 17 like her friends.
"Psych?" Stefan asked.
"Freshman year," Bonnie said, her voice stale.
"Holy shit!" Damon barked. "We need Elena. Elena looks... sort of like Caroline would remember her."
"She has bigger boobs now," Tyler said with a sigh.
"Oh my god, Tyler Lockwood? You got hot. Did you work out like all summer?" Caroline said, smiling and walking toward him.
"Caroline!" Stefan barked and brought her attention to him.
"Who are you?" Caroline asked, then looked at Tyler. "Who is that?"
"That would be your husband," Tyler said. Caroline laughed. Tyler remained straight faced and kept his eyes on Caroline. "I'm not joking."
"Vampiric Amnesia?" Stefan asked. "How does this keep happening?"
"At least she remembers some of us," Elena said.
"Yeah," Stefan shot back. "Just not her husband."
Elena rushed to him and put her hands on his shoulders. "Chill. We're going to figure this out."
"How?" Stefan said. "She's like... a completely different person? Memories make us who we are, Elena. How do you not get that?"
"Bonnie is working on it, in the mean time... you just have to... work with her. Remind her who you are."
"Make her fall in love with me again?"
Elena shrugged. "Something like that."
Caroline sat by the fire looking at pictures. Pictures from her wedding, pictures from Elena's. She watched her life play out in pictures and none of it seemed real. Stefan entered the room.
"I can hear you," Caroline said, she turned. "And smell you. You have a really specific scent."
"What does it smell like?"
"Pine," Caroline said. "Like you were carrying in a Christmas tree."
"I go hunting a lot," Stefan said, walking to her. "You come with me about half the time. Just walk with me, keep me company, talk my ear off."
Caroline smirked. "Now that last part, that sounds like me." She looked up at him. He sat down next to her on the floor. "You dated Elena? Kind of a bitchy move of me to swoop in."
"You didn't swoop," Stefan said. "You were there for me, always. And I was there for you and one day... almost on the same day... we kind of woke up to what it was really about."
"And what was it really about?" she asked with a smile.
"Chemistry. And love. And an undeniable connection." Stefan touched her hair. She froze, the closeness of him intoxicating. "And really good sex," he teased.
"Careful," Caroline said. "I'm a minor."
"You're 39, Caroline."
She scrunched up her nose. "Gross." She looked through another stack of photos. "I won't get used to this. All of this."
Stefan grabbed her hand, she dropped the photos she held. "I know this is weird for you, and I know you don't get any of it... but I love you, Caroline. And I don't know what happened to you. But, even if you never remember our wedding, or the time we traipsed around Venice wearing nothing but swimsuits, I'm still going to love you. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make you fall back in love with me."
Caroline bit her lip and studied him. She smiled. "You're doing a pretty good job so far," she whispered. He moved to her, his lips touched her and she stilled, just as she had done on their first kiss. He smiled into the kiss and put his hand on her cheek. She leaned into him.
When they parted, their foreheads touched and a tear fell down his cheek.
"You're crying," she said it like a statement, a bit of disgust in her voice.
"I never thought I'd lose you, and it kind of feels like I did," he admits. "But, I'm going get you back."
Caroline nodded, not fully understanding... but wanting to. "I'm right here."
He parted from her and nodded. "You sure are."
I know you're tired
so lay with me
and rest a while
It's how she survives, plausible deniability. Her feelings for Stefan were there. They were strong. But, if no one knew about them but her, were they really that bad?
Okay, they were kind of bad. Not bad, just intense.
As long as no one else knew, she was safe.
There were times she thought about telling him, when they were drinking. When he was pouring his fourth and her third scotch. When he leaned in and whispered something in her ear, his hot breath making her tingle in all the right... no... wrong places. Or when Bonnie talked about her feelings for Jeremy, or Elena went on about Damon. She would almost mention Stefan.
But, she kept quite. Which was pretty hard for her.
It had been different with Klaus, she lusted after him, yeah. But she didn't respect him, she sure as hell didn't love him. The idea of losing him wasn't horrifying.
The idea of losing Stefan was too much to bare.
Caroline sat at the bar, sipping on a iced tea, trying to beat the heat when Stefan walked in. He sat next to her, touched her thigh and ordered a burger.
"Hi," he said softly. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting out of the sun."
"Well, it's a good surprise... seeing you."
Caroline smiled widely, opened her mouth to speak, and was silenced by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up.
"Enzo?" she asked. "I thought you were in Tennessee?"
"I was, now I'm not." Enzo's eyes flicked between the two. "Looks like you love birds finally found love in a hopeless place."
Stefan squinted his eyes, glaring at Enzo. "What are you talking about?"
"You haven't told him, love?" Enzo asked. "You know, that you're bonkers for him? Head over heels?"
Caroline, red faced and jittery, smacked his arm. "Get off me," she barked. She looked at Stefan, his head tilted, his face contorted. "And you don't know what you're talking about. Stefan and I are-"
"Just friends?" Enzo asked, a smirk on his face. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Enzo walked to the pool table, saying hi to someone and ordering a drink from the waitress.
"He gives me more reason to hate him every time I see him," Stefan said, then pulling his attention to Caroline. "What was he talking about?"
Caroline scoffed. Deny. Deny. Deny. "How should I know?" she said and grabbed the menu from bar and scanned it, hoping her cheeks didn't portray her feelings. "I'll share root beer float with you," she teased.
"Yeah, then I'll ask you to go steady," Stefan laughed.
"My hero!"
Denial, diversion, and dishonesty were the pillars Caroline lived her life by. And she hated it.
he is the days I can't get over
She is the nights that
I call home endlessly
For you I'll always wait
Caroline sat, her eyes closing every time something crashed loudly. She opened them up to watch him with a pained expression.
She let him go, ruining the library they sit in. When his body seemed to unhindge, to relax, she got up and walked to him.
"Stay away," he said, his jaw tight. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You're not going to hurt me," she said, knowingly. "Hey!" she said this with a little more force and put her hands on either side of his face. "We're going to get through this. I'm going to be here for you. No matter what."
His eyes met hers, a tear fell down his cheek and his collapsed into her. Hugging her so tight it hurt. She squeezed him back, wanting him to know she was there. Wanting him to know she would always be there.
After a few minutes, he loosened his grip and pulled away.
"How could he do this to me?"
Caroline shrugged. She hated Damon for being such a shitty brother, for hurting Stefan repeatedly. "I don't know."
"I don't know why I expected anything different," Stefan said finally, falling into the couch. Caroline sat next to him, grabbed his hand and pulled it in her lap. He traced her knuckles with his thumb. "You're the only one who's there for me. Well, you and Lexi."
Caroline leaned her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. "And I always will be," she whispered. And it was true.
I've been lovin' you for quite some time
You think that it's funny when I'm mad
But I think that it's best if we both stay
Caroline had a temper, and Stefan brought it out in her. Especially with his empathy toward parties, and his flippant way he watched her when she tried on clothes for him.
She just wanted him to care about the little things, so she threw her phone at him. He caught it and tossed it back.
Instead of leaving, he walked to her bedroom and fell into her bed. She walked in and cuddled up next to him.
The next morning, she smelled bacon. She followed the scent and sat on the counter and watched him cook.
"Should we talk?" she asked.
He turned to her, a smirk on his face. "Only if you promised not to throw things. Or should I put on a helmet and just let you at me?"
She giggled and hopped off the counter and moved to him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back. He put his free hand on her arm and rubbed her softly.
"Stay."
"I'm not going anywhere," he promised. He lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed her softly.
"Now, make yourself useful," he teased.
"Coffee?" she said, beaming.
"Always."
in the morning I'll be with you
nut it will be a different kind
Caroline adjusted her summer dress, sweat dripped down the back of her neck. She pulled her hair up and fanned it. The door opened, a perfect, tall blonde opened the door with a knowing smile.
"The newbie's here," she sang. A man swooshed to her side and sniffed the air.
"Hello," the man said, his albanian accent thick. "You decide to finally stop by and see the competition."
Caroline, nervous and sweating, gulped. "Competition? Absolutely not."
"It's a small town," the man said. He held out his hand shaking Caroline's. The motion seemed out of place. "Not enough blood bags to go around. It's nice to meet you but... you must go."
Caroline squinted her eyes, thinking, "What's your name?" she asked the couple.
"I am Antonio, this is my beautiful bride, Malia."
"I'm Caroline. Please. May I come in for just a moment? I'd love to talk to you both. I know you guys aren't the only vampires in town."
"We're very exclusive," Antonio said.
"Couples only," Malia said. "We split the surrounding towns on a map and share blood bags. But we don't want newbies, and we don't want single people in our town."
"So much more likely to flip switch and go on rampage," Antonio said. "You understand."
"I'm not single!" Caroline almost shouted. The thought came to her like a hurricane. "Or a newbie."
This peaked their interest. "You have husband?" Antonio asked.
Caroline shook her head in acceptance of his statement. "Yes, Stefan. He's a 180 years old," Caroline informed them. "I'm 40, been a vampire for twenty years."
She was lying through her teeth, adding the 20 years had been an afterthought.
"And how long have you two been together?" Antonio asked.
"Since I turned."
"He turned you?"
"My turn was an accident," Caroline explained. "I had blood in my system, I was healing from a really intense car accident and I was murdered by a serial killer," she said. "Totally random."
Antonio and Malia gave each other a look. Antonia whispered in her ear and walked away. Malia gave a tight smile.
"We might have room for you. One couple is moving to Rome in a month, and you might be able to fill their spot."
Caroline smiled widely and went to hug the woman.
"But," she continued. "We'd like to... vet you."
Caroline's stomach sank.
"Can you and Stefan come over for dinner and drinks? Say, nine o'clock?"
Caroline looked at her phone, trying to remember what Stefan's schedule was. She looked at her calendar. "That should work, he'll be all done with work around 8."
"Oh, we know dear," she said. "We keep our eyes on you."
Caroline's smile faded and she nodded. "I understand. See you at nine."
Caroline tied Stefan's tie and he scoffed. "Is the tie necessary?"
"We need to look mature. Adult."
"I am both," Stefan almost barked.
"And remember," Caroline said. "We're a couple."
"Should we come up with a story? Like, how did I propose?" Stefan asked, anxious.
"Well," Caroline said, stepping back. She looked down, remembering she was still in her robe. She walked to the bedroom and Stefan followed. "How would you propose?"
"I'd probably take you to the place we first met."
"The Grille?" Caroline asked.
"No, the Falls. Where I said we'd never be a couple."
"Oh yeah," Caroline scoffed as she looked through her closet, trying to find an acceptable cocktail dress. "You're kind of a dick."
"Well, look at us now," Stefan laughed. "Married and shit."
Caroline laughed and pulled out a short, tight white dress. She held it to her. "Too much?"
Stefan tilted his head, inspected her. "Try it on."
She groaned, but walked behind the changed partition and began to change. The back lighting of the room allowed Stefan to see the outline of her naked body as she took of the robe. He became hard almost instantly. She cleared his throat.
"Keep going. How'd you ask?"
"Oh yeah," he said, adjusting his pants, putting his dick between the strap of his boxers to try to hide it. He turned. "So, we're at the falls, we've been dating for... three years."
"Damn, that's a long time. You make a girl wait."
"We do have an eternity together," Stefan snapped. "Remember?"
"Oh yes," Caroline giggled. Stefan looked back and saw her naked figure slipping into the dress. She was going commando? He grew harder in his pants.
"Uhhh," she stuttered a bit, trying to remember his place. "I tell you how I can't imagine my life without you, how you are my best friend, and I probably slip a line in about how sexy you are," he said. She laughed. "And I get down on one knee, and say... Caroline Forbes," he turned to her, she walked out in the white dress. He got down on one knee. "Will you make me the happiest man alive and-"
"YES!" she said, loudly, jumping. He stands, she throws her hands around him and he feels the smooth skin of her back.
She giggled and pulled away. "I figured I would be the type to not let a guy finish a proposal."
Stefan chuckled, kissed her cheek and pulled a ring out of his pocket. "This was my moms," he said. "I dug it out of storage when you were in the shower?"
She smiled, slipped on the tarnished back and moved toward him. Her lips touched his. When they parted, he looked confused.
"We need to practice," she said with a chuckle. She pointed down at the dress. "So?"
Stefan inspected it, looking her up and down. Seeing the seemless lines of her body. "Too much?" Caroline asked.
"I think that's more of a sexy night out with the husband dress," Stefan said. "Though, I do like it."
"Well, if we stage a fake date night, I'll wear it," she said and dived back into her closet.
Three dresses later, and Stefan having to excuse himself twice to take care of a problem the privacy partition created for him, she landed on a strapless yellow dress that Stefan had to zip up for her. It flowed past her knees and had pink flowers dancing up the front of it.
She spun, the dress danced in the wind and she pulled his tie. "Ready Mr. Salvatore?" she asked, her face next to his. This time, he kissed her.
"Yes," he said. Their lips still brushing. Her eyes closed and her look dreamy. "I just need one thing," he pointed to his ring finger, pouting.
Caroline laughed. "I can probably help you."
She walked to her jewelry box and pulled out a necklace that held three rings. Her mothers, her fathers, and the ring Tyler bought her last year. A I'll be back ring. But... he hadn't come back. His time was spent with wolves, doing wolf things.
She pulled off her fathers ring and slipped it on Stefan's finger. "A little loose," he said, pushing the metal inward to make it stay. "But it will work."
He turned, held his hand out. "Come on, Mrs. Salvatore, let's make our debut."
There were a lot more of them than Caroline thought. Six couples to be exact.
There was the two Asian vampires (Mei and Jung), the only non-couple group. They were brother and sister. Almost 300 years old.
There was Malia and Antonio, who Caroline had already met. They were clearly the leaders. They had the whole we were here first attitude.
There was Emery and Scott, the hybrids from Louisiana. This scared Stefan and Caroline, but they kept composure. They spoke with a southern drawl and were all over each other.
There was Tasha I prefer Tash and Andrew I prefer drew. A feisty black couple, who were into blood sharing. They drank each others blood in cups like wine. And apparently blood sharing swingers. When we get to know you better, maybe it'll be your blood in this cup.
Meredith, the beautiful tan skinned Russian, and Ali, the short Persian man with very expensive shoes, were the nicest couple. They asked Caroline and Stefan to sit next to them, and only asked questions about polite topics.
Then there was Jonathan and Derek, they looked like they were the front runners for their swim team, like they had ran triathlons for their entire life and then turned. They asked inappropriate questions about how many times their had broken bed frames and if Caroline prefered hot tub sex or shower sex.
Stefan took it all in stride, while Caroline turned beat red and buried her face in Stefan's chest.
"You're doing fine," Stefan murmured and Caroline backed up and they shared a brief kiss.
During desert (which consisted off a small slice of cheese cake and several more rounds of brandy), Malia asked the questions Caroline and Stefan knew were coming.
"How'd you meet?" she asked polietly.
"High school," Stefan said with a shrug, and laughed. "I went back to high school at 160 years old," he chuckled. "And there she was."
"Needy and desperate," Caroline interjected.
"Stop," Stefan said, and touched her knee. "You weren't that bad." He looked at the table, and began the story. "I was super into Caroline's friend, I could not focus on anything else. It wasn't love at first sight for me. And I know she hates that... but my god, getting to know her was incredible." Caroline watched him, in awe of him, almost... almost believing him.
"After I turned, he was my coach," Caroline explained. "He taught me how to not give in to the want and blood lust and desire. He kind of turned into my best friend. Anything that went wrong, I turned to him."
This wasn't a story, this wasn't false. This was all true.
"She snuck up on me, the way that best friends do," Stefan said. "The turning point for me was seeing Lexi," he said. Caroline tilted her head.
"You've never told me this," Caroline said. "I knew you saw her on..." she trailed, not wanting to get into all the he was dead details.
"Yeah," Stefan said. "I never told you this," he laughed. "Spoiler alert, it's good."
Caroline laughed, as did everyone at the table.
"Go on," Derek urged.
"I'm going to watch Care's face," Jonathon told Derek. "You watch Stefan, we'll compare notes."
"We love love stories," Derek told Stefan, translating for Jonathon.
Stefan and Caroline laughed. Stefan laced his fingers through hers. "The year before, when I saw her for graduation, my girlfriend and I had just broke up. She urged me to go for Caroline. I kind of shrugged her off, so then she told me I should leave town. Leave Mystic Falls. So we talked about Portland. When I saw her again, a year later, she told me something else. She told me that the reason I stayed in Mystic Falls. Stayed there where I had nothing but the pain of my break up... was because of Caroline."
Caroline's eyes began to water. He turned to her. "It took me a while to realize how accurate and true it was." Caroline grinned. He wiped away her happy tears. "Then, once I figured it out, I asked Caroline to move with me. We went to a small town and we fell in love."
"I was already in love," Caroline whispered.
Stefan's lips met hers again, and this time it was not quick. It was not chaste. It was incredible. The room oooh'ed and aww'ed and Stefan was in heaven inside her mouth. When they parted, Mei stood. "I vote these two take our spot when we move," she said. "All in favor?"
Everyone agreed. Stefan and Caroline were in a flurry of hugs, then they were in each others arms. Stefan was kissing her neck and her face, and everywhere.
As they left the dinner party, hand in hand, Stefan nudged her. "Wanna sleep in my room tonight?"
"So we can fall in love?" Caroline said with a wink.
"I'm already in love," Stefan said softly.
The next morning, the drove to the courthouse, made their marriage official.
The honeymoon period was long and fun and they got to stay in a town with a group of vampires for support. They were happy.
And the privacy partition became a part of their daily routine.
Something about you
It's just the way you move
The way you move me
Caroline, full of vervain and desperately needing blood had her back against the cell next to Stefan's. He was in and out of sleep, he needed blood even worse than her. He'd been on an animal diet for a week to detox his system.
Caroline twisted in the cell, her head against a bar, looking directly at the back of his neck. She tapped him.
He turned, groggy and with droopy eyes. They leaned their forehead against the same bar.
"I'm sorry I got you into this," Stefan said.
"It wasn't you," she murmured. She looked through the bars and looked back at Stefan. "What are they going to do to you? To us?"
Stefan shook his head. "I have no idea, but they obviously don't want us dead."
"We'd be dead already," Caroline said. He reached his hand through the bar, a couple fingers grazed her hand and she gripped onto him.
"I'm going to get you out," he promised. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Moments later, a young girl came, she delivered to small cups of blood and walked away. Stefan sneaked his through the glass.
"No," she said. "I can't take yours."
"You have to," Stefan said. "Come on, I'm sure they'll bring more tomorrow. You need your strength if you're going to get out."
A tear ran down Caroline's cheek. "You care that much about me?"
Stefan gave a light smile. "Caroline, you're everything to me. I need you to be safe. More than I need it for myself, I need it for you."
I feel her breath as it brushes my cheek
And her voice is the only sound I hear
"Dance with me," Caroline said, her hand on his back, her chin on his shoulder.
He turned, surprised at her presence. He was standing by the fire, thinking about life, and then, she was there.
He smiled, set his glass down and walked to the record player, and set the pin on the John Legend record that stay in the player at all times. He held out his hand, she accepted it graciously and he pulled her into his arms.
He could feel her breath on his neck. He could smell her scent, that mixture of vanilla and nail polish with a hint of strawberry hairspray. Or maybe the chapstick was strawberry and the scent just combined with the hairspray.
Either way, it was her, and he loved having her close.
His head fell down, his lips rested on his bare shoulder. He kissed her warm skin and her heart raced, his cheeks flushed.
Everything about her was perfect and warm and bright and her. And he loved her.
They danced through the tracks, sometimes slow, sometimes silly, and sometimes exotic. They were together, it was all that mattered.
As the last song played, and they slow danced through the living room, Stefan tilted his head back to look at her. "You've got a way of getting under my skin."
Her face contorted, offended.
"It's not bad," he explained. "I couldn't imagine it any other way."
A confused smile played on her lips and he chuckled at her, kissed the top of her head, and pulled her back into him. "You're under my skin, Caroline, and I have no plans to remove you."
Her fingers dug into his shirt, as if holding on for her life. Her breath became shallow and she placed a soft kiss on his neck. "Good," she murmured.
And they danced.
This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you
Her dress was tight and the room was stuffy. She nodded at all the right times and smiled at all the correct people. Being the Sheriff's daughter made me completely capable of doing such things.
But, she wasn't a fan of it. She hated the big dresses and fake smiles. Sure, it was fun getting ready, but once she was there, all she wanted to do was leave.
The music hit a crescendo and her eyes drifted across the room as the man in front of her droned on about public safety.
And their eyes met, and he squinted a little, his head tilted. His expression whispering have we met?
Caroline waited for the dapper young man to walk to her. Once he was there, he introduced himself.
"Stefan," he said, and tilted his head to the terrace. "Walk with me?"
Caroline nodded. "Yes."
As they walked, they exchanged plesantries. He knew her name was Caroline because they had introduced her earlier to the crowd. They found themselves under sparkling twinkle lights.
They danced, and laughed, and she snuggled her face to his chest as they danced.
Please don't be in love with someone else, she thought. Please don't have somebody waiting on you.
When they parted ways, he said what she had been thinking all night. "It was enchanting to meet you, Caroline," he said, kissed her hand. And he was gone.
She smiled the whole way home, giddy and giggling. Her hand over her mouth and she bounced up and down in her seat. She chewed on her lip, but nothing could drown the smile on her face.
It was enchanting to meet him.
He gripped her hands tight, she tried to pull away. He didn't budge. He didn't need to remind her he was older and stronger than her. Much on both counts.
"Stefan," her voice was barely above a whisper, her blonde hair caught the light from the moon. "You should-"
"Please don't ask me to leave. I want you so much it hurts. I never thought I could feel like this."
The words pierced her, made her bleed out into her own chest. Words she couldn't ever imagine him saying. Words she would have ached for in high school. But now? Now so much has changed.
"We slept together, Stefan, and it was a mistake. You're with-" Caroline trailed off, not wanting to say her name. "And I'm with Tyler. And he's really trying. We're going to Utah. We're going to meet up with a pack. He's going to train them. And I'm-"
"You're what?" Stefan almost scoffed the words.
"Happy. I'm happy."
"Caroline," his voice cracked. "How can you be happy with him after everything he's put you through."
"You weren't there. You don't remember."
"Don't throw that in my face," Stefan barked. "It's not my fault I lost my memories... It's not my fault that this version of me fell in love with you."
A tear formed in her eyes, throwing him off. He reached up to wipe away the tear. Their eyes met. She pulled away and turned around.
"Tyler will be here soon."
"Promise me, promise me you'll give us a chance before you go and get your mark done." He ran his hands through her hair. "Promise me."
She turned around. "What if your remember, what if you remember Elena and everything and you don't want to be with me anymore."
"Even if I remember everything else, I won't forget you. Now."
Caroline fell into him, as if surrendering to gravity. Like she was a magnet and he was the metal, pulling her in. It almost seemed like it'd always end up this way. Her fighting it seemed so silly and stupid and useless and she stood in his arms.
His lips traveled her face and when their lips finally locked. It was magic. Something she'd never felt with Tyler. Something she hope he'd never felt before either.
They smiled into each others mouths and kissed until they couldn't kiss anymore.
Caroline was happy. Now. She was happy.
If you ever need someone to cry to
If you ever need someone to hold you
will be there
Standing by your side
Caroline stared at her phone. The cursor blinking, did she want to send this text or not? She let out a huff and clicked send.
Stefan, she needs you.
Seconds felt like minutes as she chewed her lip. The truth was, Elena needed someone to ground her. And Caroline wasn't doing that by herself... but, secretly, she needed Stefan too. She needed him to keep her grounded.
Care, I'm sorry. I'm not coming back for her. She'll be fine without me.
Seconds passed, another text message came in.
I spoke to her on the phone. That will have to be enough for now.
Caroline's eyes began to water. She looked across the grass and saw Elena in her car. Waiting.
It's not enough, Stefan.
What do you want me to do?
Be here.
Caroline darkened her screen and turned away so Elena couldn't see her face. She muttered to herself about seeming needy, and needing to be stronger.
I can't drop everything for Elena. I can't do that anymore.
Caroline wrote the next words without thinking, and sent them before she thought better of it.
What about me? I need you, Stefan. I can't do this alone.
She began to walk to the car, fully expecting to get rejected, or just not hear from him. She did deserve it. She turned down his offer of going on the road with him. Officially leaving Mystic Falls behind.
Her phone dinged, breaking her thought stream. She looked at her phone and didn't even need to unlock it to read the full message.
I'll be right there.
A smile played on her lips as she quickly texted back.
Always looking out for me.
But the wind, yes, the wind keeps
Pushing you to me
It always came back to her. Her. Caroline.
It started out as wanting to protect his girlfriends friend, then grew to friendship of his own. A friendship unlike anything he'd known since Lexi. But, it was more then that, too. He found himself looking forward to their phone calls, and to their late night talks. Her calling him every hour didn't really bother him.
When his phone would ring, he knew it was her, and Damon would roll his eyes and Stefan would step outside.
She made him laugh. Like, really laugh. Something he was not used to.
Something that was borderline unfamiliar.
From friendship, grew a strong bond. Almost a team. They were a team. They bounced ideas off each other, they did research together. If she needed a study buddy, she called him. They were a team.
So when his brother died and he knew it was time to move on, he thought... no, he knew she would come with him.
His bags were borderline packed, he was ready to go. But he couldn't leave without his best friend. His teammate. His... Caroline.
They met outside her dorms, she had a few things she hadn't grabbed. She had the flimsy box in her hand while she was trying to open her car door. She rushed to her side and grabbed the box from her.
She smiled up at him and unlocked the door.
"So, I was thinking," he said as he loaded the box full of knick knacks in her back seat. "You and I should take a trip."
"I don't think now is the time for a vacation," Caroline said, she lay her hands on his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes puffy from crying. "But thank you for thinking of me."
"Not a vacation," he stated immediately. He eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "We need to go, get out of here. It really is time."
Caroline tilted her head. "Like, all of us?"
"No," he said with a sigh. "You and me. Maybe not forever... but..."
"What about Elena?"
"She has Alaric, and Jeremy."
"What about my mom?"
"We'll come back and visit."
"You just want to leave Mystic Falls. Forever?"
"It's not like we can actually even walk into Mystic Falls."
"We could do a spell, figure it out."
Stefan grabbed her hands. "I can't make you come with me, but I really would like it to be you and me. It's always kind of been Stefan and Caroline against the world."
A brief smile crossed her face. "Not always," she said, her voice tight. "Running away isn't going to bring them back."
"Running away isn't what I'm doing. If I was running, I wouldn't bring you."
"Then what is it?" Caroline asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I should have left a long time ago, Caroline, you know that."
"Because Elena didn't pick you?"
"This isn't about Elena."
"She's going to need you now."
"She doesn't need me, Caroline," he said and put his hand on her cheek. "But, I need you. We need each other. We can get through this loss together."
"And just leave? Tyler, Matt, everyone?"
Stefan's eyes dropped, he bit his lip. "Is this a Tyler thing?"
Caroline's mouth opened in shock. "Stefan. No. I'm just saying we can't up and leave them. They need us."
"You just lost your best friend, I just lost my brother. I don't think we have to stay here and be everyone's rock. It's time for us to go. Let's mourn and move on and just... be together."
A tear fell down her cheek and as soon as it did, Stefan knew what she was going to stay.
"I don't have it in me to leave, Stefan. I'm sorry."
Stefan's eyes watered, he broke contact from Caroline and turned away. She hugged him from behind, and he put his hand down. Letting the tears fall down his cheek.
"I don't want to go without you."
"Then don't go," she murmured. She tugged at him to turn around. When he didn't, she slid between the small space of him and the car. She put her hands on his cheeks. "Don't go."
"You know I can't stay here," he said.
"It's your home."
"It was our home," Stefan reminded her, his voice cracking. She wrapped herself around him, pulling him into a tight hug. She cried into her shoulder until there were no more tears left to cry.
Then, he pulled away. She wiped her tears and he kissed her cheek.
"I'm going to miss you the most," he whispered. She closed her eyes, leaned into his lips, and before she could respond. He was gone. Leaving Caroline to think she just made the biggest mistake of her life.
a/n: I'm not quite caught up with all the drabbles on my tumblr, but here's a few. Most are old. Some are AU.
