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I'm really glad you guys like the story. :) Sorry this one took longer to update.

When I came around, it was dark and cold. And I hadn't been out for more than five minutes.

I shivered as the wind blew again, and slowly sat up, the sweater I had managed to yank on before I passed out clinging to my sweat drenched body. I felt bad, wearing the sweater while I was sweating, but I was cold, too. It was like a fever.

Tyler? I called, crawling over to the wall, leaning on it, exhausted, my body aching.

I felt it when he heard me, and I also felt him getting up, his footsteps pounding on the ground.

I'll be there soon, Caroline, just hold on for a while.

I groaned as tendrils of pain crept up my back, the change back into my human form even more painful than changing into a werewolf.

Because having changed back into a human meant stretching my ligaments and bones, making them sore and painful.

I tried to not focus on the pain, reeling in the fact that I hadn't bitten myself, for if I had… well, I wasn't really sure what would've happened, but it probably wouldn't have been good either.

Searching for some distraction, I searched blindly for Tyler, falling into his mind as easily as if it were an instant attraction.

He laughed faintly, making me smile, providing the perfect distraction.

Of course, it's an instant attraction, he said, taking this mating thing better than I was.

I was still cautious with it, not wanting to seem stupid completely jumping at him because we were mates, but then again, I couldn't wait for him to get here, to be able to bury myself in him, to have him hold me until the pain went away.

Which is why I'm taking this mating thing better than you are, he added. Whenever you think unconscious thoughts like that it's because it's you thinking them and not just because you know I'm listening. You almost never remember I'm listening.

It's not that I forget… I replied, leaning helplessly on the wall. I could never actually forget that you have complete access to my thoughts, but they just seem to happen… I get carried away sometimes.

I felt him smile, and then I heard his footsteps, running down the stairs, taking the bolts off the door, opening it, and I felt him, fiddling with the lock on the second door, the one I distinctly remember wanting to tear down, but running away from it, knowing that if I got past it, it would be bad.

"Caroline?"

He knelt beside me, his hands grabbing for my face.

"What is it, Caroline? What hurts?"

I tried my best to sit up, hearing the tear-y edge to his voice, and opened my eyes, looking to see him there, as if he were close to tears.

"Hey," I said, reaching for him as well. There's no need to cry. I'm fine.

"Caroline, I feel it," he grasped my shoulder, making me cry out in pain. "And you're going to tell me you're fine?"

I nodded and leaned forward, my torso giving up in trying to support me.

He hugged me tightly, taking away some of the pain.

I told you you should've never have done this, he said softly, burying his head on top of mine.

"It's over now," I mumbled, completely glad it was over. "But if it makes any difference," I said, looking up at him. "I would go through it a million more times. Just for you."

"Shut up, Caroline," he said, smiling. "But why don't I get you home?"

"I'd rather not get into details as to where I live."

"No, no," he said, softly brushing my damp hair away from my face. "I'm sure my mom won't mind if I bring in a stray puppy."

I was going to snap at him, but then I smiled, laughing. He laughed with me, and it was almost hard to believe that he was real.

"It's almost hard to believe you're real," he retorted, grabbing my face tightly, holding it close to his. "I keep thinking you'll get up and leave any moment now."

I shook my head, touching my nose to his.

"I thought of doing that, before we got into our whole life stories, but you won't have to worry about any of that happening." If there is anyone that will ever want to break it off, it's going to have to be you.

It'll be you, he said, smiling. Because to think that you'll stay with me…

Is completely reasonable, because I would never think of leaving.

He shook his head and hugged me again, making me feel more at peace than I ever have.

After having fought with Tyler that I could walk to his car, he had decided I was weak enough to not put up a fight and carried me there, and the same when we got to his house.

His mom had been asleep, so I avoided a confrontation with her, and after having soaked in warm water for what seemed like hours, I was in a pair of clean clothes Tyler had let me borrowed, patiently waiting on his bed as he finished cleaning up.

When he did come out of the bathroom in his room, he was shirtless, rubbing his hair with a towel.

"Gosh, Tyler," I scoffed, pulling the covers up to shield my face. "Go change why don't you!"

"Well, I thought about that, but then I figured, what the hell?" The bed shifted with his weight and then I felt his warmth beside me. "I mean, we'll be doing this more often, won't we? Sleeping in the same bed?" He pulled the sheet away from my face, winking. "You don't think I plan on letting you go back to living alone, right?"

"I don't think you're mom would be completely ready to welcome me with open arms either."

And if she doesn't she'll have to deal with me.

"I'd rather not be the possible reason you and your mom get into a fight," I said, leaning on him.

"But you're not going back to living in that hotel," he persisted, his hand unconsciously rubbing my cheek. "You've done so much for me, just let me do this for you."

"All I did was go through one night-not even, a couple of hours-"

"And I am still feeling everything you're feeling right now. I felt it when you were being torn in half, I heard your screams, Caroline. You can't just go through something like that and be okay!"

"Alright, alright!" I said, moving to cover his mouth with my hand. If you're going to yell, do it mentally.

Okay, fine, if you say so. He took my hand away from his mouth and grabbed my face like he had done earlier, bringing me close to him. This sounds completely insane, but it's everything I was feeling when I was waiting for you to change back.

Caroline, I hated myself for what I was, for having gotten you into that mess. I'm sorry I was so stupid and careless, I mean, I could read your mind, and I should have been able to detect it, I guess. But, yea, while I was sitting miles away from you, I was thinking of ways I could open up to you, the way you always do unconsciously about me. You know how you always think things like, "I would only do this for him," or "it seems weird to think, but I can't wait for him to come back-"

"You heard all of that?" I asked, blushing slightly.

Of course, I did, Care. And I loved hearing it, because it made me feel like I was someone inside, as if I was actually worth something, and I know, you're going to say I am worth something, but before you, before we started actually talking, I didn't feel like anyone. I was, I guess you can say, dead inside. I was desperate and I was alone, drinking the wolfs bane to try and keep myself under control. I was all alone before you, Caroline. If it wouldn't have been for you, I'd probably be curled on the ground crying my eyes out because of the pain I would be in. It would've sunk in just how alone I was at that moment. But being here with you, holding you right now…

I smiled, already hearing his words.

I think I love you, Caroline. And it isn't that, you're-my-girlfriend-so-I'm-going-to-say-I-love-you I love you, it's a I-want-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-with-you I love you. He sighed, exhaustion radiating out of him. I was going insane, waiting for you to call me, to be able to hold you for real, and not hold you because you were in pain and I was trying to keep you from falling hard to the ground.

I smiled wider, looking away from him, but he was being completely serious right now, and his hands were slightly forcing me to look back at him, his eyes searching for mine.

"What is it?" He asked, insecurity coloring his tone. "I went to far, didn't I?"

I felt him shrink back, but I reached for him, keeping him close.

"Not at all, Tyler," I said, holding tightly to his forearms. "If anything, you didn't go far enough."

He snickered and turned his head away from me.

"You forgot the part where you promised to never leave me, the way I'll always be there for you." His snicker faltered, and his pressed his lips together. "How, no matter how big the risk of me being with you is, I'll deal with it to not have to go back to the way I used to be.

"Which reminds me…" I said, turning to look at his clock. There was still a couple of hours left till sun rose. "I need to feed tomorrow…"

I looked back at him, smiling.

"See? This is what you'll have to deal with. An overemotional vampire who has to constantly feed."

He smiled slightly, his hand taking up the place next to my cheek.

That's nothing compared to me. You're actually worth it-

"And so are you, Tyler!"

He closed his eyes, shaking his head and looking away, letting go of my face.

"Look," I said, trying to explain it to him. "I'm not minding whatever you did before I happened to stumble across you. Forget everything else you ever did. If one day we have to deal with it, we'll deal with it, okay? But just let it go!"

"It's going to catch up to me," he said, still not meeting my eyes. It'll all come back one day.

I held in my groan and went in a different direction.

"I killed my family," I blurted, still not getting a response from him. "It was my friends I stumbled across first, the ones that completed the change into a vampire. But then I went home, for some stupid reason, and my family… they were humans, Tyler. I killed every single one of them. My mom and my dad."

He glanced up at me, looking torn between believing me or not.

"You can answer that yourself, Tyler." I said. Read every single one of my thoughts. Everything. You'll sense if I'm trying to hide something from you, and, honestly, Tyler, I'm not. I'm here until the end.

He sighed and reached out to me, hugging me to him.

There you go again, saying those things.

"Is it a bad thing?"

No, not even. But it's just so hard to think that you won't get up and leave like so many others.

"Anyone we were to tell this to would probably think we were just kidding, that we couldn't possibly feel this way in such a short amount of time, but we aren't just anybody else."

He laughed, holding on tighter.

The second I felt he was soundly asleep, I got up and went out to the window, knowing I could probably go and feed before he woke up.

Then again, I was still extremely sore and simply lifting the covers off me took an immense amount of control as I tried not to scream out in pain.

I looked back once more and smiled painfully, watching as he breathed slowly through his mouth, that mouth I still had to kiss…

Shaking myself mentally, I opened the window slowly, and stepped out into the brisk night, shutting the window behind me. I jumped down, landing on the ground and listened carefully, pinpointing my prey.

Being a vampire was difficult.

As if I enjoyed ripping an animal apart, being torn in half by my bloodlust.

Caroline?

My focus broke and I looked up, expecting to see Tyler hanging out the window.

I'll be right back, I said, feeling a bit dissatisfied that I hadn't been able to get out without him noticing.

You were a little too focus, he explained. It woke me up.

Sorry, I said, still looking up at the window, expecting him to look out.

But alright, just hurry up.

Try going back to sleep, I said, pushing myself off the side of the house, listening to the soft heart beat of an elder deer. I don't want you to be awake when I actually do feed.

I can't go to sleep in a minute either, Care. I rolled my eyes, already having expected a counter argument from his part.

You had me at 'I'm not really sure we can just hang up…'

I heard his laugh, easy, effortless.

When I felt you, on the bus, I was feeling really sorry I would possibly have to kill someone as good looking as you.

I stopped, reaching out, strongly grabbing on to the deer.

Tyler? I asked, struggling with the panicking deer in my hands. Give me a couple of minutes. Please.

I'm not really sure we can just hang up, but I'll try my best.

Thank you, I thought, flinching as I killed the deer, the sound of breaking bones not my favorite.

It was all part of being a damn vampire though.

I couldn't really complain anymore, and I kind of, sorta felt grateful toward Damon. If he had never changed me into a vampire, if he had never decided to kill me for whatever reasons, I probably wouldn't have someone like Tyler waiting for me while I contradicted myself.

Ever since Damon had killed me, broken every bone in my body, I hated killing people, watching people get killed, and anything to do with killing.

Yet I still went out to kill every other day.

I threw the deer away, obscuring the two pinholes I had made on its neck.

By the time and park rangers found him, some other animal would have gotten to it. Then, it would just seem like the natural circle of life.

Where vampires just happened to be at the top of the food chain.

Hurry back?

I smiled, wiping my mouth with my hand, wiping away the extra traces of blood on the grass.

Let me just make one more quick stop?

Not Damon, right?

I hadn't even thought of that, but no, I have to go get my clothes and stuff, if I'm going to be staying with you.

But you're still sore.

I glared at him, not really glaring at him since he was so far away.

Being busy takes my mind off it.

And I would rather have you here, until you felt better.

Ten minutes, Tyler, yea? I started running toward the hotel, the blood circulating throughout me making me feel better. I'm almost already there. Then I just have to stuff my things into the suitcases, and I'll come running back.

Home, he added, not arguing, but also not happy.

Here already, I said, stopping short in front of the building, letting myself in, running up the stairs. I reached for the spare key on top of the door and opened in, bolting inside going frantic.

It makes me feel better that you're that much in a rush to come back.

Haha, I retorted, turning my drawers inside out, moving throughout my room, throwing every single one of my things inside the bags.

How many things does a girl have? He asked absentmindedly, his thoughts running freely.

It's now a lifetime of clothing, I explained, surprised at how fast I was actually stuffing my bags, zipping one closed, moving to the next. Since I'm stuck like this forever, these'll be the only clothes I ever get.

Remind me to tell my mom sometime to take you shopping. I'll tell her it's so you guys can get closer, because you mean so much to me.

Uh, no thanks, I don't really want you to start wasting your money on me.

He laughed and I dumped the last of my stuff in, zipping the bag closed as well, looking around to see if I could find anything else I had forgotten.

You're fine, Tyler said. If you're missing anything, I'll get it for you.

I shook my head and started to move out of the house, but then the floor creaked.

And not that random creak floors sometimes made at night, a creak as in someone was inside.

Tyler, I said, running out of the house, not bother to stop to open the doors, running right through them. Open the door to your house, I said. If it was someone like me, they would have trouble getting in his house since he would have to invite them in. If it was someone human, well, I would out run them easily. I tuned into Tyler and saw that he was already downstairs, fiddling with the doors locks.

I was about to slow down, but then I felt someone behind me, still following me.

So they weren't human.

I went into full panic mode, the only thing running through my mind being, "What if I don't make it back to Tyler?"

The blood helped me run faster, and I was streaming through the air, landing inside of Tyler's house, landing on my face as I stopped quickly.

"Who was it?" He asked, moving to help me up.

I rubbed my jaw, just adding to the list of things that would later end up bothering me.

"Vampire," I said, turning over, sitting on my behind. "They were-"

"Inside you're apartment, yea, I was with you every step of the way."

"Why?" I asked, almost sounding like I was whining. "It's like you turn into a vampire and suddenly, everything happens to you."

Tyler smiled a bit, and I just started to feel how panicked he actually was.

"I hate to say this," he said, getting up, offering me his hands to get up as well. "But we're going to have to go see Stefan and Damon tomorrow."

"What for?" I asked, moving to get my bags as I steadied myself on my feet.

"If there's anyone who's going to know about any other vampires," he said, taking on of the bags out of my hands, using the other to interlace his fingers with mine. "It'll be them."

"Great." I said, walking up the stairs with him. "Knowing that I'll come face to face with him isn't as thrilling as I thought it would be."

"I doubt he'll try to hurt you," he reassured, looking around. And it surprises me that my mom didn't wake up…

We both tuned into the sounds inside of the house, and I heard the soft snores indicating his mom was asleep.

He shook his head, dropping my bag by the door once we were inside of his room.

"She fell asleep to her nature sounds again."

I focused in once more and realized I did hear what sounded like a cascading waterfall.

"Sounds soothing," I said, placing the bag I had next to the other.

"Why don't we now try to get some actual sleep?" He looked behind me, examining the clock, at the same time letting his arms come around me. "Even though it will only be three hours of sleep. Five if we decided to sleep until nine."

"Nine, ten, as long as I finally get to lay down and just relax."

He looked back to me, reaching up to pull something out of my hair, the simple motion wiping away the last trace of panic I had.

"No one's getting to you as long as you're with me," he said, motioning toward the bed.

I blinked slowly, fatigue wearing me down.

And whether my mind was unconscious or not, I had to admit that Tyler Lockwood was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

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