When Caroline pulled up to the boarding house, she was relieved to see that Stefan's car was in the driveway. She had promised Elena she would stop by after school to check on Stefan. After what Elena had told her Damon discovered, Caroline was worried about him as well. He'd been absent from school since his split with Elena. It wasn't as if he needed to attend school. He'd gone to high school over the last century and a half more times than he could count. Their concern stemmed from his reaction to the breakup. Stefan was very diligent in his strict diet of animal blood. He couldn't afford not to be, none of them could. It was obvious from the level of rage and the recent slip in his drinking habits that he hadn't taken the split well. She turned her car off and sat there a moment, thinking the situation over. She had no idea what she could possibly say to help Stefan. Caroline could only imagine the hurt he must be going through. Not only had he been dumped by his one true love, but she had dumped him for his brother. She couldn't fathom the level of betrayal he must have felt when Elena told him the news. She would never understand or accept that Elena had chosen Damon over Stefan. Her skin crawled at the thought. She tried to shake off the icky feeling. No matter how many times Damon had saved her life, she would never forgive him for taking advantage of her when he first arrived in town. Although it was actually her own sexual promiscuity that made her fall for his innate sexual charm, she blamed it all on his compulsion. In her mind, she held no responsibility for her own actions. All that mattered was the humiliation she suffered in being used as his minion. Recalling how emotionally weak she was back then was something she avoided as much as possible. And unlike Elena, she stubbornly refused to belief that he had changed. She took a deep breath. "Ok, here we go. Positive attitude."
Caroline could hear music blaring from the house the second she exited her car. The door to the boarding house was rarely locked. The house was isolated and surrounded by a line of thick trees for privacy. The long driveway that led up to the estate made it impossible for a quick exit. Besides no human in their right mind would rob a house owned and occupied by two vampires. Of course not everyone in town knew that juicy bit of information. Before Elena's untimely death, the house had been deeded to her, preventing any unwanted vampires from entering. Even if Caroline hadn't been invited in by Elena, it no longer matter because the barrier was gone.
She walked in and cringed at the piercing pain the loud music caused in her sensitive vampire ears. How Stefan could tolerate it with his enhanced hearing was beyond her. She followed the screeching sound of a heavy metal guitar to the cellar. The music became intolerable as she descended the stairs. Next to the freezer, where Damon's supply of blood bags were stored, sat an old boom box with huge speakers reminiscent of the1980's. As she approached, she saw it wasn't just reminiscent of that era, but actually from the 1980's. Caroline quickly went to it, wincing as she searched for the volume button. The pain in her ears lessened once she found it and turned the volume down to a reasonable level. She placed her finger in her ear and rubbed to shake away the ringing. When she turned around, she jumped at the sight of Stefan standing right behind her. Her ears had been ringing so much that she hadn't heard him sneak up on her. Her hand flew up to hold against her chest. "Oh my God Stefan, you startled me."
Stefan's expression remained emotionless, despite the rage that simmered just beneath the surface. "What are you doing here Caroline?"
Her eyes were still wide with surprise. "I…um," she stammered, slightly thrown off by the power he emanated. Caroline already knew Stefan hadn't been doing well since the split. This was the reason she was there in the first place. It's just the last time she saw him like this, he was under Klaus' compulsion and the Ripper was free. She blinked away her surprise, clearing her head. "You haven't been in school all week. I was worried about you," she said gently.
Stefan pushed past her, flinging open the lid to the freezer. His hand rested against it as his eyes scanned for a bag to choose. It was then that Caroline noticed the dried blood. His hands were taped like a boxer's and the white strips were stained red. There were noticeable back splashes of blood on his tank top as well. He'd obviously been punching so hard that his hands kept bleeding, healing, bleeding, healing. As he reached in for a bag, he said, "I'm 164 years old." After he made his selection, he turned his full attention back to her. "I don't need to go to high school for the 100th time," he said with disdain in his voice. He removed the cap from the bag and tossed it aside. He sucked the bag dry in less than a minute. Immediately grabbing another, he quickly emptied that one as well.
When he reached for a third, Caroline said, "Maybe you should slow down." She laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood. "Human blood isn't exactly your thing." Her eyes searched his face trying to gauge his reaction.
Stefan released his grip on the freezer, forcing the lid to slam shut. Whether he meant it aggressively or not, the sound of it slamming against the other half of the freezer made an angry thud. He stepped closer in her personal space as if to challenge. Staring down at her, he said, "Well maybe it is now. It seems to work for everyone else." Stefan defiantly opened the next blood bag and slurped it down. When he was finished, he squeezed the empty bag in his hand, giving her a menacing smile.
This definitely wasn't the Stefan Caroline was used to seeing, but she didn't let his attempt to intimidate deter her from her mission. She said hesitantly, "Yes, but you tend to rip people apart when you do it."
His fiery eyes stared into hers. "Don't worry about it. I've got it under control." He spouted, complaining, "Damon is always preaching to me how I should try moderation. Then when I do, everyone gets on me about it." He tossed the empty bag on the floor, beside the others, and then turned to leave. However, the next sentence out of Caroline's mouth stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Elena told me what happened." Stefan stood stock still with his back turned to her. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine how hurt you must be."
Stefan turned around to face her with a deadpan stare. Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spoke. He asked snidely, "About which part, my brother stealing my girlfriend or my girlfriend cheating on me with my brother?" Before she could answer, he turned and walked away from her, back to the cell where he had been boxing.
"Both," she said to the empty room. Caroline followed after him. More empty blood bags littered the floor of the room, so much so, they immediately caught her attention. She took a few cautious steps closer, fiddling nervously with her hands in front of her. She could see how fragile Stefan's emotional state was. Soothingly, as if she were talking to an upset child, she said, "I want you to know I care about you. And whatever you need, I'm here for you to help you get through this."
Stefan laughed manically at her. "Yeah, that's exactly what Elena said after Klaus freed me. We see how much she meant that."
"Stefan, I know you don't think Elena cares, but she does. She's worried about you. We're all worried about you." She conceded, "Even Damon."
He tossed his head back and laughed wickedly. "Ha! Yeah, they're real concerned. Maybe they should have thought of that before they screwed around behind my back."
"What they did was beyond wrong. And it's ok to be hurt and angry at them Stefan. Hell, I'm angry at them for you. Just not like this."
A full length punching bag hung on a chain from the rafters. The canvas was saturated with blotches of blood. It was obvious Stefan had been pounding on it repeatedly with brute force. He bounced around on his toes dancing like a boxer. He threw a few shadow punches before he began pounding the bag. "Oh, I'm not angry. I'm over it." His punches were rapid and fierce. It didn't take long before his knuckles split and fresh bright red blood smeared the canvas.
Caroline crossed her arms over her chest challenging him. She didn't have to date him to know when he was lying. He was very transparent when his feelings were hurt. "Funny, you don't look over it. In fact, you look like you're about to rip someone to shreds."
He slammed his fist into the bag. "Fine, I'm angry. Now can we drop it Caroline?" The words of reassurance belied the angry tone in his voice. "Look, she did me a favor. If she wants to be one of my brother's whores then I don't want her anyway."
"Ouch." Caroline's eyes opened wide at his derogatory comment. She had never heard him say anything so cruel about Elena. "I know you're hurt but that's a little harsh, isn't it? This transition has her all confused. She doesn't know what she's doing."
He cocked his head to the side in a one shoulder shrug. "Truth hurts." He fired another rapid succession of punches. The bag swung wildly at the force. He paused again, huffing from the excursion. "I spent months trying to pull myself together for her. Instead, she wants my brother. Well, they can have each other. Now I'm free to do whatever I want." His arms splayed out at his sides in a gesture indicating all options were open. He resumed wailing again on the bag.
She waved her hands around desperately, her voice pleaded in her usual whiny way. "Come on Stefan. You two can get past this. I know you can." Her exasperation was starting to show. "The kiss would never have happened if Damon hadn't taken advantage of her vulnerability."
"It's not just about the kiss Caroline. It's about her lying to me. She's in love with him. She has been for a while. Who knows how long they've been sneaking around behind my back?" He squatted down, giving the bag another solid punch.
"Stefan you know this isn't the real Elena. There's no way she could choose Damon over you. You're her epic love. You belong together. She just doesn't yet know how to handle all these heightened emotions." This time he didn't bother responding. It was worse than she thought. He'd completely given up hope. In a desperate attempt to reach him, she implored once more. She took a few careful steps towards him with her hands held in front of her chest in a prayer. "Please talk to me. Let me help you before you do something that you'll regret. You were there for me. Let me be there for you. Don't let this destroy all the progress you've made."
A guttural growl escaped his lips. "Garh!" He threw another series of angry punches. His last punch busted the bag from the chain, sending it flying across the room. Caroline jumped out of the way as the bag unexpectedly whizzed past her. She looked over at Stefan, shocked. He was panting heavily from the exertion. His mouth was hung agape, his fangs protruded, and the veins under his eyes pulsated. He looked like a wild animal about to rip apart his prey. His rage was so strong that he actually shook. The change was like watching him transition from Jekyl to Hyde. Had Caroline not been a vampire herself, she would have feared for her life. However, that didn't mean she wasn't taken aback by what she saw. Stefan was far more aggressive than she was used to. She'd expect something like this from Damon but not Stefan. The look on her face must have registered in the rational part of Stefan's mind. It was enough for him to reign in his anger. He closed his eyes momentarily and exhaled a long breath to calm himself. In a newly controlled tone, he said, "I said, I have it under control." He walked past her to pick up the bag. He flung it over his shoulder and carried it to the chain where he made quick work of reattaching it to the rafters. Ignoring the incident completely, he returned to his focus to boxing.
Clearly he didn't want to talk about it. Normally that wouldn't stop Caroline from forcing the issue, but his outburst made her back off at least for now. The plan was to support him and help him through this difficult time, not agitate him more. It was a difficult thing for her to do, being a control freak and all, but she gave up on pushing the issue any further. "Well, I just wanted you to know that you're not alone. I'm here for you." When he didn't respond, she nodded taking the hint that it was time to leave. She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb towards the door. "All right then. I'll just see myself out." Meekly, she turned to walk away.
Stefan's punches ceased. He bowed his head to look down at the floor, feeling guilty for his outburst. He called back to her. "Caroline." She turned around. It had taken everything out of him to pull himself together. The weariness could be heard in his voice. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I know you're only trying to help. You're a good friend."
She tilted her head slightly to the side, conveying her understanding with a bat of her eyelashes. Her warm smile reassured him that all was forgiven. "Promise you'll call me before you do anything rash."
He nodded his acceptance. "I'll call. I promise."
Without saying another word, she simply smiled and waved goodbye.
Damon's Camero pulled up in the parking lot of the Grille next to Elena's SUV. The parking brake made a cranking noise when he engaged it. There was an awkward silence that lingered in the air. Their solemn expressions spoke volumes. Although the rain had stopped more than an hour ago, Damon and Elena had been in no hurry to go home. Neither had wanted to leave the comfort of each others' arms. Eventually they'd agreed they could no longer avoid the inevitable. It was time to get back to reality before anyone noticed they were both missing. Although they were legitimately free to be together now, they would be treated like they were committing adultery. Everything around them was a mess. It was hardly an ideal situation for a new relationship. Be that as it may, here they were in secret, willing to weather the chaos just to be together.
Before either could speak, Elena's phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw on the caller ID that it was Caroline. Maybe she had some good news for her about Stefan. Unlike her and Damon at the moment, he trusted Caroline. She hoped Care could assuage his pain before he lost all sense of control. This was one of those instances where Caroline's unyielding optimism and pushiness were welcome traits. "Caroline. Did you talk to him?"
Caroline's eyes opened wide, expressing the concern Elena was unable to see over the phone. She dragged out her response for effect. "Oh yeah."
Hesitantly, Elena asked, "So how's he doing?"
Caroline huffed out a pouty response made to make Elena feel guilty. "How do you think he's doing? He's heartbroken." She plopped herself on her bed in her usual dramatic way.
As always, the guilt trip worked. Like Stefan, Caroline had a way of making Elena feel an inch tall for not seeing Damon the way she does. Elena closed her eyes, scrunching her face at the sting of her words. Hurting Stefan was not what she had intended to do. It's just the heart wants what the heart wants. And her heart couldn't let Damon go. She'd been lost without him. She would always care about Stefan. Nevertheless, her love wasn't deep enough to share an eternity with him. Logically she knew she did the right thing in setting him free. Something she should have done before she acted on her feelings for Damon. That guilt she would always carry with her. "What was I supposed to do Caroline, live a lie for all eternity?" She looked over at Damon to find him staring at her. She gave him a tentative smile, knowing he could hear every word.
"No, but you weren't supposed to let Damon trap you in his web of deceit. You weren't supposed to cave to his seduction."
Elena shot another look at Damon, who just rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd heard her talk badly about him, but Elena didn't want to argue about it with her. Instead, she tried to focus on what Stefan said to Caroline when she saw him. Her voice was laced with irritation. "You don't have to remind me of what I've done. Can you just tell me what happened?"
"He. Is. Not. Good. He was in the basement when I stopped by, beating the crap out of a punching bag." She mumbled to herself, "Now that I think about it that was probably a good thing." She shook the thought away and shifted her attention back to Elena. "Anyway, there were empty blood bags littered all over the place. He downed like 3 just while I was there."
Damon moaned. Both he and Elena had witnessed Stefan's insatiable need for blood before. They knew his pattern. That's why they feared what would come next. "He's sublimating his anger so he doesn't rip someone apart."
"Exactly. He kept trying to tell me he was fine, but he's barely holding it together," she said with sympathy. "You're betrayal really cut him deep Elena."
Next to her, Elena heard Damon let out a huge sigh. Ashamed, she softly said, "I know. That's why we have to help him."
As disappointed as she was with Elena, Caroline knew she needed to support both her of friends if she was going to fix this mess and reunite them. "I told Stefan how much you still care about him. And I let him know I would be there for him to help him through it."
"Do you think it helped?"
"I don't know, but he seemed calmer before I left. I made him promise that he would call me if he felt he was losing control. He said he would, and I believe him."
"Thank you Caroline. He won't admit it, but he really needs someone right now. And I know he trusts you. Damon and I really appreciate you looking out for him."
When it came to Damon, snippiness rolled off of Caroline's tongue without a second thought. She could care less if Elena was offended by it. "I'm not doing it for Damon. I'm doing it for Stefan. He doesn't deserve this." She exhaled deeply, letting go of the anger she instantly felt every time anyone mentioned Damon Salvatore. "And I'm doing it for you because you're my best friend." Elena smiled. Her friend was highly judgmental, controlling, and stubborn, but she meant well. However, Elena's smile faded quickly when Caroline said, "I'm not giving up on either of you. You belong together."
Suddenly feeling uncomfortable again, she needed to end this conversation before Caroline pushed her point of view any further. Elena was not doing this in front of Damon. The last thing she needed right now was to put the thought in his head of her getting back with Stefan. "Uh, well I've got to go. Thanks again. Please keep me posted." Elena hung up the phone and looked over at Damon, who looked lost in thought. He was staring straight ahead out of the front windshield. His distant look concerned her. "So you heard what Caroline said. Do you think she got through to him?"
"I think Barbie is an idiot. Stefan was pacifying her. Plain and simple." His eyes remained fixed staring straight ahead.
Elena thought maybe he was having second thoughts after hearing what Caroline said. "Damon, I'm sorry. Caroline was out of line. She's obsessed with the idea that I belong with Stefan like I'm his property or something." She tilted her head to get a better look at his face, trying to gauge his mood.
Damon finally looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, mouth down turned in a look of annoyance. "I don't care what Barbie thinks. She's an idiot." He let out a deep breath, always apprehensive to bare his soul, to leave himself vulnerable. "I only care what you think." Queasiness churned in his gut as he waited for her response.
Her response was immediate and unwavering. "I want this," she said, "more than anything. I love you, Damon. I'm not changing my mind because someone disapproves. I won't give up on us."
He nodded subtly, letting her know he was putting his trust in her. "Neither will I."
Relief washed over her. She so desperately needed him to believe this was real, that she would never waiver again. Her eyes welled with tears of joy. He was with her. They just had to get through this rough start. They would do whatever was necessary to make sure Stefan was ok, and then they could live out their eternity together in bliss. Something outside behind Damon caught Elena's attention. She saw a man leading a lady out the grille. His arm was around her neck and she was pulled in tight against him. He had a wicked smile on his face as his nose sniffed along her neck. "Is that, Stefan?"