A/N: Over 700 reviews with the last chapter! You reviewers keep surprising me. I appreciate you all and every wonderful comment you have to contribute. You have no idea how motivated you keep me (well this quick update might be an indication).
Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing, and everyone who has just recently decided to give this fic a chance.
This chapter turned out way longer than I planned for, but I don't think I will hear any complaints. Please let me know your thoughts when you're done reading.
Enjoy.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he mused, stepping aside to allow the younger vampire admittance to his home.
Stefan scoffed under his breath and stepped inside cautiously.
"I'm actually here to see...Caroline," Stefan replied, obviously having noticed her standing off the foyer.
He smirked as Stefan connected the dots between his missing shirt and what little Caroline was presently wearing.
"Hey," Caroline said.
Stefan nodded awkwardly in her direction.
"We weren't expecting guests. If we were, we would have dressed for the occasion," he joked, enjoying how uncomfortable this was for the younger Salvatore.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Stefan stammered. "I can come back," he offered, looking to Caroline for her reaction.
He laughed and put his arm around Stefan's shoulders.
"Not to worry, mate," he assured his one-time friend with a pat on the back. "We were just...finishing. Weren't we?" he smirked at an obviously embarrassed Caroline.
"Its fine," she nodded meekly.
"Come Stefan," he urged, guiding Stefan in Caroline's direction for the parlour. "Go get dressed, sweetheart. I'll keep Stefan entertained," he assured her mischievously as they passed her.
He eyed Stefan curiously as they entered the parlour.
His first thoughts were less the less than honourable, jealous kind. What could Stefan Salvatore, his former best mate, want from his girl on a Friday evening?
He quelled those thoughts as he reminded himself of Stefan's infatuation with the Petrova doppelganger, and the platonic way in which Caroline had described her friendship with Stefan in a previous conversation they had; a friendship that was seemingly repairing itself in lieu of Caroline's so-called 'grand betrayal' of sleeping with the enemy.
As he tried to conjure up reasons for Stefan's visit in his mind, he couldn't help but notice how rough the poor boy was looking. Elena had looked surprisingly similar, he recalled.
"Drink?" he asked, as Stefan helped himself to a seat. "Perhaps one friendlier to the vampire variety?" he suggested.
"Liquor is fine," Stefan replied.
He went to the cabinet, finding only a bottle of brandy.
"I missed you in class today," he pointed out jovially as he handed Stefan a glass.
Stefan shrugged before sipping his drink.
"I was dealing with some things," Stefan replied cryptically.
He arched his eyebrows.
"Oh really? You don't say?" he asked with sarcastic interest. "Things that you're here to discuss with Caroline?" he inquired.
Stefan nodded.
He grinned.
"Judging by Elena's sourer than usual expression around Caroline and me today, and your opposite appearances in class, I can only assume this has something to do with her," he concluded.
"It's really none of your business," Stefan replied, shrugging once more.
"On the contrary, Stefan, I'd say it's entirely my business seeing as how you're in my home. Forgive me for wanting to know your intent. The last time you were here you tried to desiccate me," he reminded him, growing angrier with the thought.
"We saw you as a threat to Elena," Stefan defended. "Maybe you understand where we were coming from now," he said, looking towards the entranceway where Caroline now stood.
Now dressed in a red plaid shirt and grey tank top, she looked on worriedly at the both of them, obviously having listened to some of their exchange.
She stepped in the room and handed him his shirt she had borrowed.
"You would protect Caroline," Stefan stated, almost as a question.
Caroline sat down, still eyeing both of them with apprehension.
"From real threats; I was never a threat to Elena. You admitted as much when you agreed to go with me when I left town with her," he remind him as he buttoned up his shirt.
- "To protect her," Stefan interjected.
He rolled his eyes.
"So tell me, Stefan. How do you see me now?" he asked curiously as he sat down on the sofa beside Caroline. "Or Caroline for that matter...Do see us as the abominations your lovely Elena sees us as?"
Caroline looked uncomfortable while Stefan looked pensive.
"Well you're no longer a threat since you're helping us with the hunter," Stefan started. "But you're not doing it for us; you're doing it for Caroline. You care about her, it's obvious."
He shuffled a little in his seat.
"She cares about you. You can't help how you feel. Despite what you've done to us, who am I to hold that against either you?" Stefan admitted.
He felt vindicated.
"So if I can put the bad you've done behind me, for the sake of my friendship with Caroline, perhaps you can put my role in your desiccation behind you," Stefan proposed with a smirk, knowing he now had the upper hand.
"Perhaps you'd like to share that little piece of insight with your girlfriend" he suggested bitterly. "Speaking of her...I believe you were just about to share the purpose of your visit before we went off on such a tangent," he reminded Stefan.
Caroline looked between the two of them hesitantly.
"We can talk somewhere privately if you want," Caroline offered Stefan, defying him entirely.
He grovelled inwardly.
It was Stefan's turn to look reluctantly between him and Caroline.
He shrugged and threw up his hands.
"By all means..." he said through gritted teeth.
An amused expression crossed Stefan's face at his submission to Caroline.
"It's okay, Caroline," Stefan relented, "I guess Klaus will find out eventually anyways."
"What's going on, Stefan?" Caroline asked. "Elena seemed really off today and Bonnie said that their trip to Whitmore College didn't go very well."
Stefan sat back and took a sip of his drink with a lowly expression, as if to say that Caroline's inferences were an understatement.
"Whitmore College?" he questioned, this having been the first he was hearing of Elena's excursion.
"Bonnie went to Whitmore yesterday to meet with a professor who took over her Grams's classes when she passed away. Elena and Damon went. Damon thought it would be a good trip to teach Elena how to feed on humans, since she's not having much luck with animal blood or blood bags," Stefan explained.
He raised his eyebrows and tried to hide his entertained expression.
"I'm sure that went over well," he remarked.
Caroline scoffed and nudged him discreetly in the side.
"They went to some frat party. She let the bloodlust take over. Damon encouraged her," Stefan revealed.
"So is that why you weren't at school today and why Elena left your name off the second prom ticket she bought?" Caroline asked, clearly believing there to be more to Stefan's story.
She had a point. Stefan loved Elena. If she was having problems adjusting he wouldn't abandon her. He recalled how hard it had been to force Stefan to forget Elena on their trip to Chicago.
Stefan shook his head, confirming both their suspicions.
"Late last night when they got back, she told me everything that happened. She also acknowledged her feelings for Damon in the process. We broke up," Stefan informed them.
He noticed Caroline's jaw was agape, and while he was not one to indulge in personal gossip, admittedly, he was just as surprised and intrigued.
"Oh my god. I can't believe this," Caroline gasped. "So what, is she with Damon now?"
Stefan shrugged.
"She says she needs time to sort through her feelings," Stefan muttered.
"Right. We all know what that means. I bet Damon is helping Elena 'sort through' her 'feelings,'" he snorted with an eye roll, garnering himself another jab in the ribs from Caroline.
"He's right, Caroline," Stefan admitted. "Klaus is probably right," he sighed.
Caroline frowned and moved to sit down beside Stefan.
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "Elena's just going through a rough time right now. She's confused. Damon's letting his feelings for her take advantage of the circumstances."
"Taking advantage seems to be Damon's thing," he snarled, thinking about Caroline's past with the elder Salvatore.
Stefan seemed to acknowledge his observation with a small smirk.
"What are you going to do?" Caroline asked. "You can't just let Damon swoop in," she pressed. "You and Elena are meant to be together," she added for encouragement.
Her comments intrigued him. How did you know when two people were destined to be together? How did she know?
"Maybe we're not," Stefan replied cynically. "Maybe I should just leave her be," he thought.
He wanted to offer words as encouraging as Caroline's, but he hadn't drank near enough alcohol to try and bond with his former friend. Besides, he wasn't too keen on Elena anyways. Deep down he thought Stefan deserved better.
Caroline shook her head; vehemently opposed to Stefan's pessimism.
"You need to talk to her," Caroline persisted. "Regardless of her feelings, she's on a dangerous road with her bloodlust. Isolating herself with Damon isn't going to help. She needs you, Stefan," she continued.
Stefan hesitated.
He hid his distaste for how generous Caroline was being with Elena. After how hypocritical and unreasonable Elena had been with her, she didn't deserve Caroline's concern.
"Perhaps you should just let it be, love," he said, glancing at her. "Don't stress yourself over someone who cares so little for you," he added.
Caroline sighed, clearly frustrated with both Stefan and his sour attitudes.
"After how Elena has been with you recently, most people in your shoes would have given up on her by now," Stefan said.
She smiled sweetly, clearly appreciatively of Stefan's words.
"Elena and I have been practically joined at the hip since we were young. I'm not going to stop looking out or her just because she happens to disapprove of my romantic life," she reasoned.
Stefan nodded.
Her readily forgiving nature was nearly unimaginable to him. Elena had been so cruel to her. He couldn't understand her persistence.
"I know I should feel the same way. I know that I should continue to look out for her even though I disapprove of her relationships," Stefan started, "but this is really close to home for me. It's still a fresh wound," he responded.
"You're hurting, those feelings are understandable; but you only feel this way because you care deeply for her. Elena needs you to balance out Damon's influence," she maintained.
Stefan finished his drink and he followed the Salvatore's lead. He no longer cared to engage in such a personal conversation and he had a feeling Stefan felt the same. Commiseration was only effective to an extent. Stefan needed a distraction.
"I know she does," Stefan agreed. "But it can't be me right now. I just can't do it," he lamented. "That's part of the reason why I came to talk to you. I was hoping you would go and try to talk to her," he told Caroline.
Now it was Caroline's turn for reluctance.
He scoffed aloud at Stefan's suggestion.
"Because last time went over so well," he groaned. "Are you serious, mate?" he asked Stefan rhetorically.
"Elena doesn't want anything to do with me Stefan. She's made that clear," Caroline hesitated.
Stefan shrugged his hands in defeat.
"The last time you tried to talk to her she had almost just killed someone. It was the wrong time. Maybe she'll be more receptive now," Stefan proposed.
"Your girlfr...er ex-girlfriend wasn't very receptive this afternoon when I put her in a group with Caroline. I doubt her reaction will be much different now," he said dismissively.
Caroline was obviously conflicted.
"I'm in no position to judge her relationship with Damon, Stefan," Caroline conceded.
Stefan shook his head.
"I know. I'm not asking you to talk to her about Damon. I'm just asking you to check in on her...help her with the vampire stuff," Stefan clarified. "Right now she's hanging off of Damon's every word. She needs someone. You're the only person I know that could have the slightest chance of getting through to her," Stefan said.
"What about Bonnie?" Caroline suggested.
"Bonnie is a good friend to Elena, but she doesn't understand being a vampire," Stefan retorted.
Caroline bit her lip pensively.
"I really don't think Elena is going to want to talk to me," Caroline maintained. "I don't have a good feeling about this."
He didn't have a good feeling about it either. In his mind he already foresaw another verbal fighting match between Caroline and the doppelganger, which would inevitably lead to hurt feelings and him having to deal with the aftermath. Caroline would be heartbroken and discouraged once more as opposed to calmly indifferent.
"Please Caroline. It would mean a lot to me if you would try," Stefan pleaded, pulling out the puppy dog eyes he had been so familiar with in the twenties when Stefan would urge him to accompany him on another kill.
Caroline looked in his direction as if to seek his advice or approval.
"I think it's a bad idea," he said flatly.
She turned back to Stefan.
"I'll do it," she acquiesced.
Stefan smiled appreciatively.
"Is it opposite day? Perhaps I should have said it was a great idea?" he complained.
He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her. It's not like going to talk to Elena was a life or death situation. However, he still felt inclined to voice his disdain for the idea.
"Elena needs someone besides Damon. I at least have to try and talk to her," Caroline said to him, defending her decision. "I'll go now," she decided. "Rebekah asked me to drop her off at the Grill when I was upstairs changing, anyways," she added.
He rolled his eyes with a sharp exhale. So much for a repeat of their tryst in his study, he thought to himself.
After Stefan and Caroline went over how she should approach Elena and he was finished half of another drink, she went to retrieve her purse and keys.
He followed her out to the foyer just as she hollered upstairs for Rebekah.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, love?" he asked as he took her jacket from her and helped her put it on.
"No," she admitted.
He looked at her quizzically.
"Then why are you going?" he wondered.
She shrugged.
"It's not like I have Elena's friendship to lose," she said.
"Maybe not," he conceded. "But you certainly have hope of regaining it to lose," he countered. "I just don't want you to come back disappointed."
She smiled sweetly at him and gave him a quick kiss before Stefan or Rebekah's prying eyes could see.
"I'm not going to get my hopes up," she assured him. "Besides, if I come back disappointed I know for a fact you can take my mind off it," she teased.
He smirked, cursing himself for falling victim to her playful side.
"Can I take your mind off of it even if you don't come back disappointed?" he asked.
She nodded with a laugh and rosy cheeks.
"Maybe you could take Stefan's mind off things while I'm gone?" she suggested.
He gave her a horrified look.
"I don't swing that way, sweetheart," he protested.
She smirked.
"I don't mean that. I just mean maybe you could take him down to the Grill later for a drink? You guys were friends once. He shouldn't be alone right now," she explained.
"What kind of drink?" he asked.
Caroline glowered at him.
"What kind do you think?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.
"I'll consider it," he chuckled, as Rebekah came running down the stairs, overly-dressed for a "reassessment" with Matt, as Caroline referred to it as.
A night out with his old pal Stefan could be interesting. Caroline was right about Stefan not being alone. Perhaps he would kill two birds with one stone and cross paths with the hunter again?
"Behave," Caroline warned, as Rebekah, for fear of being late, was practically dragging her out the doorway.
"Come on, mate," he said to Stefan as he re-entered the parlour. "Let's go."
Stefan looked up at him confused.
"We're going out for a drink...down to the pub...er the Grill," he said.
An amused expression emerged on Stefan's face.
"Caroline put you up to this, didn't she? Two seconds ago you were still grovelling over my part in your desiccation," Stefan chuckled.
He glowered at Stefan.
"Caroline may have suggested it. Really, though, what are you going to do otherwise, brood all night? Aside from Caroline, I'm the best friend you've got," he mused. "Besides, you technically...what's the word? Cock-block? Yes, you cock-blocked me for the remainder of the evening, so it's safe to say you owe me," he added.
Stefan grimaced.
"So is this like a date then?" Stefan laughed, "Because I don't put out on the first date."
"Well, if you count the twenties, I'd say we're past the first date," he countered.
Stefan considered his point and conceded to it with a shrug.
"Another drink sounds good," Stefan admitted.
They arrived at the Grill just as the dinner crowd was leaving and the drinking crowd were taking their places. While this wasn't his first choice for an evening out – the food was mediocre, the music was noise, and the patrons were questionable – it was the only passable place in Mystic Falls.
He noticed Rebekah sitting with Matt at a booth in the corner on their way to the bar. Spying on his sister hadn't crossed his mind at first when Caroline suggested he bring Stefan here, but it could prove to be mildly entertaining.
"Your sister is here," Stefan pointed out.
He nodded.
"Yes, apparently Matt Donovan, the bus boy, has granted her an audience after she ran him off Wickery bridge," he stated.
As the bartender passed, he promptly ordered himself a barely vintage bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon while Stefan opted for something a little stiffer; he supposed the circumstances warranted it.
"You know, I stand by what I said before," he started as he filled his wine glass, "Elena is making a mistake with Damon."
Stefan laughed as he sipped his bourbon.
"I'm glad you of all people think so," he replied. "Do you think Caroline will get through to Elena at all?" he asked anxiously.
He shook his head.
"It's doubtful. Elena seems deadest on Damon and deadest against speaking to Caroline," he sighed.
Stefan hung his head as he turned his glass in his hand.
"She's like this entirely different person," Stefan went on.
"Who? Caroline?" he asked.
Stefan smirked.
"Elena. Since she turned, she's not who she was. I thought becoming a vampire enhanced who you were...not completely changed you," Stefan said. "She's not as considerate; she hangs off every word Damon says..."
"Peculiar," he noted before taking a sip of his glass.
Picking up on the mischievous tone in his voice, Stefan glared up at him.
"What?" Stefan demanded.
He shrugged.
"I can't take credit for creating the sire bond," he hinted.
Stefan's eyes widened.
"You think Elena is sired to Damon?" Stefan asked.
"Well it's not outside the realm of possibility," he supposed.
For a second Stefan looked hopeful and he debated about divulging the details of the cure to his former friend.
"That has to be it," Stefan concluded, almost ready to stand up.
He pushed Stefan's shoulder.
"Sit down, enjoy your drink. Caroline should be with Elena now. Let's not jump the gun. The sire bond is only a hypothesis to be tested," he reminded Stefan.
Stefan relaxed and indulged in his drink once more.
"How do you break a vampire sire bond?" Stefan wondered.
"You don't," he answered simply. "The sire has to relinquish all ties."
Stefan downed the rest of his drink at his discouraging words.
"Damon will never do that," Stefan concluded.
The possibility of a cure crossed his mind again, but he hesitated. He didn't want Stefan to get his hopes up, nor did he want his once enemies getting any ideas about using the cure against him. He needed to remain in control of this.
With the bartender occupied at the other end, he took it upon himself to reach over the bar for another bottle. Touching a familiar bottle, he pulled it up and set it in front of Stefan; a green bottle of Jägermeister.
"Drink up, mate. It's not like the sire bond is going anywhere," he said.
Thoroughly dejected at this point, Stefan twisted off the cap with an indifferent shrug.
This moment of commiseration reminded him of their drunken therapy sessions in the twenties.
"Let's just stop talking about Elena and Damon," Stefan grumbled.
He raised his glass to that before taking a generous sip of wine.
"Fine by me," he stated, uninterested in hearing anymore about the doppelganger that had caused him so much trouble and the brother of Stefan who had been such a thorn in his side.
"So you and Caroline..." Stefan started.
He groaned into his glass.
"I don't believe this is what I had in mind for a change of topic," he said.
"Well it's a pretty significant topic to not mention," Stefan pointed out.
He shrugged.
"I'm just a little dumbfounded," Stefan admitted, taking a swig of the liqueur. "She doesn't seem like your type."
He cocked his eyebrows.
"I wasn't aware I had a type. As I recall, in the twenties you were too busy screwing anything that moved – not excluding my sister – to even notice the women I indulged in," he reminded Stefan. "And when you weren't seducing and shagging, you were mutilating and killing," he smirked.
There was a hint of guilt in Stefan's eyes, but he could also see a flicker of light; as though there was a part of Stefan who thought fondly of their days in the twenties.
"I just pictured you with someone more diabolical?" Stefan explained with a chuckle. "Or no one at all. As I recall, in the twenties you scorned my relationship with your sister under the pretense that love was a myth and always doomed to fail," Stefan retorted.
"And didn't it?" he remarked with a smirk.
Stefan glimpsed over at Rebekah and Matt.
"Thanks to your compulsion," Stefan mused, turning back for his bottle.
He shrugged innocently before pouring some more wine into his glass.
"Don't ask me to rationally explain something so obviously irrational, Stefan," he said.
"Well you obviously see something in her?" Stefan wondered. "You wouldn't still be in Mystic Falls if you didn't," he pried.
It amused him how well Stefan knew him still after decades of estrangement. His doppelganger reason for remaining in Mystic Falls had ceased to be relevant – well until the appearance of the hunter – he should have been long gone by now.
"Unless you're..."
"She's unbelievably vibrant Stefan; full of life...beauty...a charming innocence. She intrigues me," he interjected, offering Stefan a haphazard explanation before Stefan could suggest that he had ulterior motives with Caroline.
"Intrigues you?" Stefan clarified. "Do you love her?" Stefan asked.
He felt his chest grow heavy with Stefan's inquisition.
"Call it whatever you want, mate," he conceded before helping himself to another drink.
Stefan arched a disbelieving eyebrow and a semi-inebriated smirk in his direction.
"I'm just looking out for Caroline, she..."
- "I care for her, alright?" he said to Stefan with a defensive glare. "There, I said it. Are you satisfied?" he grovelled.
Stefan chuckled at his apparent embarrassment with a nod.
"And I'm waiting for the judgement," he mused sarcastically as he lifted his glass.
Stefan shook his head and lifted his hands.
"No judgement. I'm certainly not perfect, so I'm not going to hold your past actions against you when it comes to Caroline. I think Elena is being unreasonable with her," Stefan said.
"Well considering Elena's 'whatever it is' with Damon, I'd say so," he acknowledged.
Damon seemed to be something that he and Stefan, on the surface of things, could agree upon.
Stefan's expression darkened.
"Right, we weren't going to mention them," he apologized.
They drank in silence beside each other for a few moments. He checked his phone briefly for any word from Caroline, and stole a few glances over in Rebekah's direction. Matt wasn't lying dead on the floor yet and Rebekah wasn't in tears, so he supposed their conversation was going well. The more devious part of him had an urge to sabotage the entire thing.
"So what happens once the hunter has been dealt with?" Stefan asked curiously.
"Caroline has agreed to leave Mystic Falls with me," he replied simply. "Regardless if she's made amends with all of her friends," he explained.
"Wow," Stefan breathed, pausing to process the information. "That's big. Where will you go?" he asked.
There were endless options for their first destination, but he wasn't decided.
He shrugged.
"Caroline wants to be surprised and I suppose I don't want to culture shock her, yet, so perhaps somewhere stateside. Maybe I'll take her to our old stomping grounds? I'm sure she'd love to hear tales of our adventures in the twenties as we walked the streets of the windy city," he laughed.
Stefan laughed alongside him, knowing that if Caroline was aware of half of the shenanigans they got up to in the twenties she'd probably want nothing to do with either of them – Stefan probably more so than him.
"You know," he started as he scanned over the wine bottle label, "if things don't end up going your way with Elena you could always tag along," he proposed.
Stefan eyed him incredulously and waved a hand in refusal.
"I'd rather not be the third wheel," Stefan commented humorously.
"I'm sure you could keep yourself occupied from time to time. I had to put up with you and my sister," he reminded him.
"True enough," Stefan considered amusedly as he took another swig from his bottle.
He poured himself more wine and drank with a little more ease.
When he turned back to Stefan, he noticed his attention was on the Grill's entrance.
Damon was with Elena.
"She doesn't look too happy," he muttered, checking his phone once more for any news from Caroline.
There was nothing.
"Maybe I'll be taking you up on your offer after all," Stefan scowled.
He finished the rest of his wine with one final swig.
"Come on, mate. Let's go find ourselves something else to drink," he said to Stefan, standing up from his seat.
Stefan seemed to know what he was implying, but followed him anyways, however reluctant, out the side entrance before Damon and Elena could spot them.
"I'm not under your compulsion anymore, Klaus. I don't drink from humans," Stefan said hesitantly as he followed him out into the parking lot. "I might be pissed off right now, but I'm not going there."
He laughed as he looked up towards the sky.
"It's a full moon," he observed, "and while as a hybrid, I'm not forced to turn, I still have this unremitting urge to do just that; to hunt; to kill. So what do you say? Whoever takes the biggest game wins?" he assured his wary comrade with a smirk.
"How do I know that you won't just attack me and label yourself the winner?" Stefan mused.
He gazed over at Stefan with amusement.
"Really, Stefan? Unlike wolves, hybrids have a bit more self-control than that. Besides, vampires aren't our prey of choice, and in the event that I do attack you, I possess the antidote," he stated.
Stefan rolled his eyes.
"Just something else for you to hold over my head," Stefan groaned excitedly before knocking him to the ground unexpectedly and rushing off into the night, clearly taking on his challenge.
He recovered from the blow quickly and darted after him under the dark shadows of the streets.
Once on the edge of town he indulged in the still painful but exhilarating process of becoming a wolf.
It was quick, and in no time he was on all fours racing through a field towards the tree line in pursuit of Stefan's scent.
As a wolf, scents were even easier to track, and he caught up to Stefan in no time, leaping against his back and pinning him down, before carrying on in search of the game that would make him the winner.
He cursed Stefan for not giving him the time to incorporate some stakes into their impromptu challenge.
When he was far enough away, he slowed his pace, concentrating on the aromas of the air.
He could smell a recently injured buck, but there was something stronger impeding his senses. He stopped completely and focused.
That's when he smelled her. He could smell everything about her; her sweat, her raspberry perfume, her fear, and most prominently, her blood. Caroline was here in the woods.
He tore off in the direction of her consuming scent, stopping when he found her on the ground shaking like a leaf with blood drenched jeans and a gaping wound on her left thigh.
She dropped an eager Rebekah off at the Grill and drove to Elena's house only to be told by Jeremy that Elena wasn't home.
A text to Bonnie revealed that Elena wasn't there either, so she went to the place where she knew deep down Elena would be; the Salvatore boarding house.
Sure enough, as she pulled into the driveway, she spotted Elena's car parked out front.
Sighing, she parked behind Elena's car and headed for the house.
Her nerves were out of control at the prospect of confronting Elena once more.
What if Klaus was right and things didn't go as planned?
It could end up being a repeat of the other night; it could be her last chance to get through to Elena and make amends.
She was petrified that she would sabotage this opportunity.
If she was being honest, she was doing this for herself as much as she was Stefan. Stefan's request was simply the incentive she needed to go talk to Elena.
When she reached the front door, she debated about turning back for her car but she forced herself to knock.
She needed to talk to Elena; Elena needed to talk to her, even if she didn't realize it. No, she wasn't here to criticize Elena for her feelings for Damon; it wasn't her place. She was simply here to try and help Elena. To offer her a counterbalance to Damon in her efforts to navigate her way through her transition into a vampire. Mostly though, she was here to lend Elena her ear as she would have if they were human best friends and she had just broken up with her boyfriend; like she had been when Elena broke up with Matt.
She listened carefully as heavy footsteps barrelled down the staircase for the door.
Hopefully she wasn't interrupting anything too personal, she cringed.
A surprised look crossed Damon's face as he opened the door to find her there on the other side; a look similar to how Klaus responded to Stefan's appearance earlier.
"Vampire Barbie, you're the last person I was expecting to be at the door," Damon stated.
She gave him a faint smile.
"Let me guess, you're not here to see me?" he said as he leaned into the door.
Before she could answer, she heard Elena approaching them.
"Who is it, Damon?" she asked.
Damon raised his eyebrows innocently as he pulled the door open and stepped out of the way.
Elena seemed just as surprised to see her.
"What are you doing here?" Elena asked anxiously.
"I just wanted to talk," she said.
Elena crossed her arms.
"Let me guess, Stefan sent you," Elena said disapprovingly.
She sighed.
"He asked me to come, but I want to be here, not just for him," she defended.
Elena scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I don't feel like listening to a lecture from you," Elena berated.
She fought hard to keep her cool. If she got too defensive Elena would shut down and refuse to speak with her entirely.
"I'm not here to lecture you, Elena. I just want to talk things out. I want to give you someone to talk to. I want to try and resolve our differences. I miss my best friend, and I'm going to assume you need a friend to talk to," she said hopefully.
Elena shrugged.
"I'm fine," Elena started, "I don't need..."
Damon cleared his throat and glared back at Elena.
Elena glowered back at him, clearly confused by Damon's intent.
"Maybe you should hear her out, Elena," Damon suggested, turning back to give her a sympathetic look.
Damon's conciliatory gesture startled her.
Why was he suddenly being so nice to her now? Was he feeling guilty? Maybe; but what did he feel guilty for? Hurting his brother or hurting her? Both?
"Fine," Elena relented, dropping her arms against her sides in defeat.
Elena's reaction to Damon's efforts stunned her even more.
Two seconds ago Elena had been dead set against talking to her, and now with a few urging words from Damon, she was agreeing to speak with her.
Something wasn't right, she thought.
Damon opened the door further to encourage her to come inside.
"Are you gonna come in so we can talk, or what?" Elena asked annoyed.
She nodded as she snapped herself out of her reluctance and stepped inside.
"I'll leave you two girls alone," Damon mused, as he headed for the stairs.
She followed Elena into the Salvatore living room.
Elena dropped down onto one sofa with a loud huff.
She approached the sofa across from Elena cautiously and sat down slowly.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Elena asked with fake enthusiasm.
She shrugged apprehensively.
"I wanted to see how you were adjusting to being a vampire. The last time we crossed paths, things weren't going so well," she started. "Bonnie told me about Whitmore..."
Elena scoffed.
"What? That I successfully fed off humans and had a great time?" Elena retorted.
"A little too much of a good time," she added.
Elena shook her head.
"Caroline, I can't drink from animals or from blood bags. Last night I fed from humans without killing them. A little support would be nice," Elena frowned.
"That's really good news," she said, trying to be enthusiastic. "But Bonnie said you were revelling in it, that things went a little overboard," she said.
Elena crossed her arms and flashed an indifferent expression.
"Maybe they did a little," Elena admitted. "But it was my first time. Besides, Damon was there, he wouldn't have let anything bad happen," she added.
She arched her eyebrow in disbelief.
"Are you sure?" she asked Elena.
Elena hesitated.
"So this is really about Damon?" Elena countered.
"No, Elena. It's about me wanting to help you; to be there for you alongside Damon; I know what Damon's opinions are on drinking from humans, and I know you see things differently. I just want to support you," she tried.
Elena shook her head.
"I'm fine," Elena said shakily.
"Are you? Because you just broke up with your boyfriend..." she wondered, deciding to discuss her break-up with Stefan.
"Obviously it's not something I ever thought would happen, but last night brought me closer to Damon...made me realize how strong my feelings are for him. I can't be with Stefan when I have these unresolved emotions for his brother. I can't be with Stefan with my feeding habits. He can't be with me. It would be like an alcoholic in a relationship with a binge drinker," Elena confessed. "Stefan doesn't love me as I am now," she added solemnly.
She frowned disappointedly with Elena's admissions.
"He does," she protested.
"No, he doesn't," Elena retorted. "I know what I'm doing, Caroline. I don't need your help. I know how I feel."
She gritted her teeth, trying to hold back her frustration and annoyance with her friend. Why couldn't Elena just be open with her like she used to be? Why was she so against another helping hand?
"And I know how you feel about Damon, but I can't just ignore my feelings to appease Stefan...or you," Elena continued.
Her eyes widened at Elena's bold and hypocritical comment.
"Seriously? Did you actually just say that to me?" she demanded. "I would never ask you to ignore your feelings, Elena. Although I do recall you asking me to ignore mine," she countered. "No, Damon isn't my favourite person in the world, but I'm not here to challenge your feelings for him. I'm here to offer you support; to help you through this and your transition, because that's what best friends do."
"Klaus is di..."
- "Don't tell me that Klaus is different," she interrupted Elena mid-sentence.
She could tell Elena was becoming more hostile.
"Klaus killed Jenna; he killed me," Elena protested. "I can't forget that."
"And I'm not asking you to!" she lamented. "But you forgave Damon..."
"What Damon has done doesn't compare to Klaus," Elena argue.
She shook her head furiously as she stood up from the sofa.
"How dare you presume to tell me that the pain I felt when Damon took advantage of me was any less than the pain you felt when Klaus killed your aunt. And let's not whitewash Damon's track record, he's hurt a lot of other people too; he killed Lexi, he killed Jeremy, he killed Matt's sister," she listed bitterly. "And yet no one is ostracizing you for your feelings for Damon. I'm not ostracizing you, because I can separate Damon's past and how he is with you. I can respect your feelings and not hold them against you," she ranted. "So please stop holding my feelings for Klaus against me."
Elena seemed considerate, but still mostly indifferent.
Her eyes were blurry with tears. She was so frustrated by how stubborn Elena was being.
"I know you hate Klaus...but I love him, Elena. I love him. Don't ask me to ignore how I feel, when you can't even fathom doing the same," she cried. "Why can't you just respect how I feel so we can move past this? So we can be friends again?" she questioned.
Elena looked away cowardly, but she couldn't miss the hint of water in her eyes.
When Elena said nothing, she scoffed with a long frown.
"I can't do this anymore. I'm tired of you constantly shutting me down. It hurts too much. It hurts to have your once best friend reject you for who you are. I had this idea in my head that I would come here tonight and we'd talk and make amends, but I guess that was foolish," she confessed. "I've tried everything. I've tried talking to you, helping you, going after the council and the hunter for the cure. I'm done," she lamented.
"The cure?" Elena asked confused.
She hadn't even realized she had let that piece of information slip. It wasn't intentional; she was just letting her thoughts flow freely. She wasn't even sure Klaus wanted anyone else to know.
"Klaus says the hunter is part of a supernatural group of hunters; the Five. He says the hunter can lead to a cure for vampirism," she said vaguely, protecting some of the details. "A cure Klaus could get for you if you wanted it," she said.
Elena's eyes widened as she sat forward and tried to process what she had told her.
"So he could use my blood to create hybrids," Elena said dismissively.
She scoffed.
"By the sounds of it, obtaining the cure sounds like a lot of trouble just to create a few hybrids. After you died, Klaus resigned himself to the fact he wouldn't have more hybrids. He doesn't need the cure like he once did. He's doing this for me...for you, as much as he is for hybrids. And anyways wouldn't a blood donation be worthwhile in exchange for a cure?" she told Elena.
"Yes, because it would be as simple as a donation. Klaus was going to hold me against my will before we desiccated him," Elena interjected.
"He wouldn't now, Elena. He knows that it would upset me. I wouldn't let him do that to you," she reasoned.
Elena didn't look convinced.
She shrugged and threw her arms up in defeat.
"But why would I encourage Klaus to potentially put our lives and our relationship at risk for this cure...for you when you don't want anything to do with me? When you refuse to try and understand where I'm coming from?" she wondered.
"You can't blackmail my friendship," Elena scowled.
"That was never my intention. I was going to give you this cure if you wanted it, no questions asked. My only hope was that you would see it as a sign of my good faith; a sign of how much our friendship means to me. I was hoping that realization would resolve things between us. But I mean, after everything I've done...and Klaus has done so far with no acknowledgement from you, is going after the cure really wise?" she answered. "I don't know anymore."
Elena winced and caught a few tears that escaped her eyes.
"I do know that I'm done pushing you. I shouldn't have to fight this hard for our friendship over something that should have only been a misunderstanding. I'm tired of the stress and the pain. I need to move on," she said decidedly. "Good-bye, Elena," she stammered, fighting hard to hold back some more tears as she turned to leave.
On her way out she practically ran into Damon in the hall.
He frowned when he noticed that her cheeks were wet.
"I tried," he offered.
She nodded before pushing past him for the door.
Once in her car, she brushed her remaining tears away and backed out of the Salvatore driveway a little too eagerly.
She stepped on the gas hoping the speed would help flush out her anger, but it wasn't working. She had to get the hurt and the disappointment out before she returned to Klaus's. She didn't want to run into Elijah or Kol like this, and she certainly didn't want Klaus to come home to her like this. He had been right. She shouldn't have gone to see Elena. She should have let things be.
With a drawn out, but decisive sigh, she made a sharp turn and pulled her car off to the side of the road.
She let out a painful cry before taking slow breaths to calm herself.
It didn't help.
Gazing out to the forest line along the road, illuminated only by the light of the moon, she found herself with the urge to hunt.
No, she wasn't going to hunt people. She could control herself enough to stick to wild game, but she needed to get her aggressive energy out. Her desire to hunt and feed hadn't been this strong in a long time.
It would calm her down. It would tire her out, she reasoned.
She climbed out of her car and walked to the edge of the wooded area.
The cool spring air was ripe with life; with blood. She inhaled deeply in an effort to pick up the scent of an unsuspecting target.
She could smell a lone buck not far off. It was probably hunting just as she was.
Speeding into the forest, she stopped a few feet away from the still ignorant prey.
Her chest was rising and falling rapidly from the running and anticipation.
Stifling her sound so as not to alert the deer, she waited a few moments and then lunged out towards the animal, pinning it to the ground and sinking her teeth into the side of its neck effortlessly.
Surely its blood was not as satisfying as the pre-packaged human blood she had become accustomed to, but what it lacked in human DNA it more than made up for in the raw feeling that could only come from the thrill of the hunt.
She was so lost in the feed that she failed notice the presence of another animal until the close crunch of old fall leaves alerted her.
Gazing up from the deer, she saw a pair of amber eyes staring her down, as though she was its prey; a wolf.
Her entire body felt numb as she cursed herself for not putting two and two together with the full moon she took note of minutes ago.
At first she suspected Tyler, but Tyler had a black coat when he turned; this wolf was grey.
As the wolf bared its salivating mouth and fangs, she made an attempt to take off, but it pounced on her, nipping her on her thigh before she could escape.
She shrieked in agony at the bite as the wolf peered down at her with a predatory stare.
Fighting the shock, she threw the wolf off of her and attempted to run back for the clearing.
She didn't make it very far before vertigo caused her to trip across a thick tree root and fall to her knees.
Anticipating the grey wolf to be seconds behind her, her head jerked up from the ground when she heard movement in front of her.
Another wolf was perched atop a fallen tree. This wolf was tan with a bit of black and brown strewn about its coat. It had to be with the grey wolf, she concluded. She started to panic, but for some reason she felt less threatened by this wolf than she had by the other.
Branches snapped behind her and she was met with the snarl of the grey wolf she encountered earlier. Great, now there were not one, but two wolves and she was in the middle.
She tried to stand up but her leg was in excruciating pain and she felt too dizzy to move further.
The tan wolf was growling viciously with its ears pointed forward and tail straight, and at first she thought the gesture was for her, until she realized intense eye contact being exchanged between the two wolves.
She pushed herself back in the brush when the tan wolf leaped from its perch on the log towards the grey wolf.
Even better, they were fighting over who would claim her for dinner.
She could already feel her body growing hot with fever as the venom started to spread.
The wolves continued to fight and it wasn't long before the tan wolf gained the upper hand. Acting fast, the tan wolf sunk its teeth deep into the grey wolf's side eliciting a sharp cry from it. The tan wolf tore violently at the grey wolf's chest until it was obvious that it was dead.
With their dispute settled, the tan wolf turned back for her, causing her to freeze instantly.
Now it was her turn, she thought.
Barely able to crawl away, she was ready to give up until an out of breath Stefan appeared.
"Caroline!" Stefan gasped.
"Stefan!" she panicked, as the wolf approached her.
"It's Klaus," Stefan said.
She looked quizzically between Stefan and the wolf that was approaching her open wound cautiously with ears back and tail down.
"Klaus?" she asked as she wiped the frightened tears from her cheeks.
The wolf's face rose promptly and she was met with familiar amber eyes.
Her tense body began to relax a little and she finally regained control of her breathing.
"Why are you out here? Are you okay?" Stefan asked as he approached.
"Why is he like this?" she asked ignoring Stefan's questions as she extended the back of her hand slowly towards the wolf's – er Klaus's snout.
Klaus startled her by sinking his teeth into the cuff of her jacket and pulling her forwards.
She didn't know what he was trying to do.
"I think he's trying to get you to stand up," Stefan suggested as he took her other hand and helped her from the ground.
Dizziness from the venom caused her to fall into Stefan.
"Things didn't go well with Elena. I came out here to hunt it off. I got a buck. This grey wolf came out of nowhere and attacked me. I fought it off and ended up here," she retold with a sorrowful laugh. "I wasn't even thinking about the full moon."
Stefan sighed, obviously equally dismayed about her predicament and the negative outcome with Elena.
"Klaus and I were doing the same," Stefan said as he propped her up against him.
Their heads jerked with the sound of a yipping bark.
Klaus was sitting a few feet in front of them, seemingly urging them to follow him.
"We need to get you back to Klaus's so he can heal you," Stefan said.
"Klaus is always barking orders," she laughed slowly as Stefan picked her up and her vision went fuzzy.
She directed Stefan towards the road where her car was. He laid her in the backseat and Klaus hopped in at her feet.
The venom was making her head spin so much she was starting to question whether Klaus as a wolf was just a hallucination.
"You're gonna get my backseat all hairy," she groaned in between coughs. "Why don't you just run home?" she proposed to wolf-Klaus as Stefan got in the driver's seat and sped off for Klaus's.
The wolf in front of her whined with anxiety before lowering his head to her wound. She flinched when his tongue slid against the torn flesh. It stung at first, but dulled the pain to the point it began to tickle.
"This is too weird," she protested, pushing her hand against his furry face as she forced herself to sit up.
He licked her hand and then the sweat that had begun pooling on her face.
"Gross," she complained with a croaky voice. "Stop," she chided as she turned her head to the side.
Relenting with a groan, he laid down beside her; taking up most of the backseat. He rested his head over her uninjured leg with a deep exhale.
She draped her arm over his neck, petting the soft and heavy fur.
This was so surreal. It was hard to imagine this wolf as Klaus. This couldn't actually be him, she thought as she closed her stinging eyes.
Klaus had been so against her seeing him as a wolf. He said it was dangerous and that he didn't trust it. If it was so dangerous then why didn't he have her and Stefan torn apart right now? Why was he against her lap like a domesticated dog?
Sure he had looked intimidating and threatening at first, especially when he was tearing the life out of that other wolf, but how could she see him as anything but cute and fluffy when he was like this? He kind of reminded her of the husky-shepherd, Zeus, her grandma once owned.
A silence filled the car as they got closer to Klaus's. She knew Stefan was curious about what happened with Elena in addition to being disappointed, but he held off asking her given the more pressing situation they were currently in.
When they pulled up to Klaus's, Stefan helped her out of the car and picked her up once more. She probably could have walked with his help, but this was easier.
Klaus leaped to the front door ahead of them and waited.
Luckily the doors were unlocked.
Once inside they were met with a startled and confused Elijah as wolf-Klaus dashed up the stairs.
"What happened?" he asked worriedly as he eyed her in Stefan's arms. "Was that Niklaus?" he asked looking up at the second floor landing.
"She was bit," Stefan informed Elijah.
"By Niklaus?" Elijah panicked.
She shook her head.
"There was another wolf," she clarified. "Take me upstairs," she instructed Stefan.
Directing Stefan to Klaus's room, he let them in and let her down on Klaus's bed.
Elijah was in the doorway.
"I was out hunting by myself after seeing Elena. I wasn't paying attention to the full moon. A wolf attacked me," she explained to Elijah as she pulled off her jacket and Stefan helped remove her boots.
Her entire body was trembling.
"Luckily Klaus and I had the same idea. Klaus found her and fought off the other wolf," Stefan finished for her, as he grabbed for some pillows to prop her up with. "Do you think it was Tyler?" he asked her.
She shook her head.
"Tyler doesn't look like that. It wasn't him," she confirmed, wincing as she moved her leg.
"Where is Niklaus?" Elijah asked.
"I'm right here," Klaus stated simply from the corridor that lead to his closets and bathroom.
He was dressed only in a pair of black sweats, more than likely having torn through the clothes he was wearing prior to his wolf transition.
She looked at Klaus anxiously as she wiped some sweat off her forehead.
"Thank you, Stefan, for your assistance tonight," Klaus gestured.
Stefan nodded.
"I'll see myself out," he said simply.
"Stefan?" she called as he turned for the doorway.
He looked back.
"Thanks. We can talk tomorrow about Elena?" she suggested.
"Sure," he agreed. "Good-night," he spoke, nodding to Elijah as he left the room.
Klaus glanced from her to Elijah.
She began to grow wary. Was this about to turn into another fight? Would he tell her how stupid she was? By the worry on Elijah's face, she could tell he was thinking the same as her.
"Leave us, Elijah," Klaus instructed his elder brother.
Elijah looked to her and she nodded, signalling that it was okay for him to go.
"If you need anything, I'll be in my room," Elijah informed both of them, shutting the door behind him as he left.
Klaus approached her and she waited for his scathing criticisms to unleash themselves.
She closed her eyes.
"I know, I know, what was I thinking, full moon n all?" she asked sarcastically for him. "I was only thinking about how best I could take my anger for Elena and displace the rest of it somewhere else," she said before breaking out into a coughing spell.
Sitting up she hunched over and coughed harder.
Klaus sat down on the bed beside her.
He placed a hand on her back.
Brushing her hair to one side, he extended his wrist in front of her.
"You need to drink, sweetheart," he told her, "before it gets worse."
She nodded readily as a tickle in her thought provoked another dry cough.
Cradling his forearm in her hands, she brought his wrist up to her lips.
As she sunk her fangs into his flesh, he wrapped his free arm around her and scooted her closer to him. She rested her head against his chest as she took in the delicious blood remedy. She could feel it begin instantly as the first drops of his blood hit her tongue. Warmth spread through her body and the pain of her wound soon subsided.
Not wanting to be greedy, she retracted her fangs and licked the fading puncture wounds clean.
She wiped her lips off on the inside of her shirt, knowing it was already too littered with her own blood and dirt to be salvageable.
He continued to hold her against him and she made no attempt to break the embrace.
"So...did I look cute and fluffy?" he asked casually.
She laughed at his humour with a nod, but her laughter soon turned into tears as she thought back to her conversation with Elena and the close call in the woods.
"Hey...that wasn't supposed to make you cry, love," he said anxiously, thumbing a few of her tears away.
"Elena was terrible tonight," she sobbed against his skin.
She heard a long sigh rise up in his chest.
"What did she say?" he asked.
She shrugged as she sniffled.
"She basically reiterated that she doesn't need my help and wants nothing to do with me, all based on the bullshit double standard she has for you and Damon," she complained.
"Of course," Klaus groaned.
"It just hurts," she swallowed. "Elena didn't even seem interested when I mentioned the cure," she blurted.
Klaus tensed and lifted her up by the chin to look at him.
"You told her about the cure?" he asked sternly.
She nodded meekly.
"I didn't mean to. It just came out. I didn't give her any of the details, except that the hunter has something to do with it," she explained.
By the contorted expression on his face, she could tell that Klaus was trying to quell his annoyance.
"You shouldn't have said anything to her," he chastised.
"I know, but shouldn't they at least know about the hunter anyways? If Damon crosses paths with the hunter before we do, he'd kill him and then the path to the cure would be ruined," she pointed out.
Klaus seemed receptive to her argument.
He relaxed and she rested against him once more.
"I'm almost inclined to think that Damon killing the hunter would be preferable to the cure," he conceded.
She laughed lightly.
"I stood up for myself tonight, though," she declared with a bittersweet tone. "I'm done with Elena," she breathed, shutting her eyes as a few more tears fell.
An audible sigh of surprise escaped Klaus.
"I'm just done with everything," she lamented. "I'm done with worrying about Elena, about the hunter, the cure, werewolves..." she listed solemnly.
She looked up at him.
"I don't want to be here anymore. I want to leave," she said disappointedly. "I just want us. I love you," she whispered.
He kissed her.
A/N: So this chapter was kind of a mixed bag of fun and depressing. Sorry to toy with your emotions.
Expect the next chapter to be more light-hearted as we move into Klaus's birthday...if you have any birthday requests, speak now or forever hold your peace.
Review now maybe? Thanks :D