Another month passed. It was the beginning of October and Caroline was setting out pumpkins for everyone to carve. They were all gathered in her apartment watching television at the moment. Halloween was coming up soon, as well as the talent show for the coffee shop. For those certain occasions, decorations were needed.
In the past month, nothing had really advanced with Nik. She had tried going on a few more runs with him, and while he would go slow for her at first, he eventually went all roadrunner and left her in his dust. Not once during any of that time had he spoken to her either. Not once! Every time it was this one sided conversation that she had to keep going. It got tiring after a while, so like any person with a brain, she gave up.
Elena walked over from the living room and helped Caroline set up the pumpkins on the table and get the carving tools out.
"Have you heard anything from him?" Elena asked. Caroline knew she was talking about the shouting and not the socializing. Of course she had told Elena everything. In fact, she was pretty sure Stefan knew everything about her crush except for the screaming at night. Only Elena knew that part still.
"Every. Single. Night. It's like clockwork," she sighed. Thank god for iPods.
"Will you tell the landlord yet?"
"You know the answer to that," Caroline replied as she set the knives and spoons on the table.
"Have you at least told Tyler yet? Or even Stefan?"
"Stefan just knows that I have a twisted crush on him. I can't tell Tyler anything though. He'll put on the protective big brother suit and start asking all these questions. I'm not telling him anything yet."
"He'll find out when you start seeing Nik more," she reminded Caroline.
"If I see Nik more. He's not exactly talking to me. I can't get a word out of him."
"He still hasn't talked to you?"
"Nope. Not at all."
"Is he mute?"
"It's a possibility. He probably tires himself out from all the shouting he does," she scoffed, "He can be such an ass."
"Why do you like him then?"
"Beats the hell out of me. I guess something about him screams 'look at me, I'm so sexy when I brood,'" she said, giving her best impersonation in a deep voice. Elena giggled as she got out a marker from the drawer.
"Is he still going on his runs?"
"Already tried talking to him then. Still won't speak. Then he runs at this ungodly speed and I'm left wondering how in the world he got to be so fast."
"What about talking to Rebekah? Get to know the girlfriend, get to know him."
"Yea, because I wanna become buddy-buddy with his girlfriend. She seems okay, but I want to know him, not her."
"Worth a shot," she shrugged. The two stopped talking when Tyler and Stefan came walking into the kitchen, going on about whatever they had been watching. Elena gave her a knowing look, indicating that they would be talking about this later. Caroline was glad she had told Elena. She would have combusted by now if she hadn't.
"Are the pumpkins ready for their death sentence?" Tyler asked, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Pretty much. Just take your pick. However, I call this one," Caroline said, grabbing one of the big pumpkins from the table. Tyler grabbed the second biggest one.
"Fine, I call this one."
"I'll just take this one before world war three breaks out," Stefan said, sliding a pumpkin over to where he planned on sitting.
"This shall be mine then," Elena said as she grabbed the smallest one there.
"That just leaves about three extra. We can find a place to put them downstairs. They don't have to be carved to be used," Caroline said as she began to transfer the pumpkins from the table to the floor. Stefan took one of the three and put it aside. Caroline gave him a funny look.
"Does someone need a second one?" she asked playfully.
"Never know," he said mysteriously. Something was up.
"Okay…what are you hiding? What do you have planned for that pumpkin?" she asked, sticking a hand to her hip.
"Nothing…" he trailed off, picking up a marker and inspecting the pumpkin in front of him. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Stefan…"
"So, what should I put on my pumpkin?"
Caroline was still suspicious, but she picked up a marker and sat down in front of her pumpkin. Elena and Tyler followed. What did she want to draw? She wasn't exactly an artist, so maybe she should stick with the simple triangle eyes and jagged mouth.
"I think I'm going to make a Grim Reaper," Tyler said. Caroline raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
"You forget that I'm actually good at drawing. Unlike someone we know…" he said, giving her a pointed look. She stuck her tongue out.
"Just draw your reaper," she said, being the first triangle on her own pumpkin.
"I was looking at designs online, and I saw one where the pumpkin was spitting up its insides. It looked pretty cool," Elena said, nodding her head at the idea. Caroline giggled at the image of sweet Elena creating such a pumpkin.
"I saw one somewhere that was a burger. It was genius," Stefan said, putting his pumpkin on its side. Caroline would like to see that one. Not a very scary idea, but she liked the idea.
"It might scare the vegetarians," Elena shrugged. That elicited a laugh from everyone.
"Guys, I'll be back. The oval office calls me," Tyler said, hurriedly waddling to the bathroom. Caroline went into a fit at the sight before continuing her work. Stefan and Elena watched him go to the bathroom in silence, and as soon as the door was shut, they both turned to face her.
"When are you telling him?" Stefan asked.
"About?" she asked curiously, even though she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"When are you going to tell Tyler about your little crush on the weirdo upstairs," Elena elaborated. Stefan furrowed his brows at her.
"We don't know that he's a weirdo. He's just quiet." Elena seemed to remember that Stefan didn't know about the screams and nodded slowly.
"Right…you're right. We don't know," she said quietly, giving Caroline a knowing look.
"You just gotta keep trying to get him out of his shell. I don't like keeping it from Tyler. He should know."
"Why? I've told you guys a million times that there isn't anything romantic going on between us," she tried defending herself.
"It's not that even. It's just that the four of us tell each other everything. We may not have known him as long as you have, but in the years that we have, he's become family. It feels wrong keeping anything from him." Stefan reasoned. He was right, of course. Caroline just wasn't ready for Tyler to start judging her, or questioning every little thing she thought about the guy upstairs.
"I agree. Trust me though…I just don't want him knowing right now. I don't even know if anything is going to happen with this guy." If Nik continued with his vow of silence, Caroline doubted anything would ever come from her attraction to him.
Stefan was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Caroline's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Is that him?" she asked frantically. Stefan just shook his head.
"I think I know who it is," he said as he walked to the door. Caroline and Elena shared a look before turning to face the door. Stefan opened it to reveal a very surprising guest.
"Damon?" Her and Elena said at the same time.
"No need to sound so excited," Damon said sarcastically as he walked through the door, ruffling his brother's hair as he did.
"What are you-"
"Are you all not carving pumpkins?" he asked, gesturing toward the table. Caroline looked to Stefan. He bowed his head sheepishly, and she only rolled her eyes at him. So that's why he had wanted the extra pumpkin.
"Yes…we are," she said slowly. Tyler came out of the bathroom slowly then, rubbing his chest and looking between Damon and the rest of the group.
"I missed something again," he said. It was definitely a statement, not a question.
"I thought I'd invite Damon. He hasn't gotten to enjoy the experience of carving a pumpkin in a long time."
"There was nothing better to do," Damon said carelessly, tossing his jacket on the couch.
"Stefan, could I talk to you?"
"Don't say too many mean things about me, Barbie," Damon winked before unknowingly going for the pumpkin Stefan had saved for him. She huffed and pulled Stefan aside so it would just be the two of them talking. Elena and Tyler went to the table with Damon.
"What is he doing here?" she asked, hitting Stefan on the arm. He grabbed the spot she hit with his hand.
"Geez that hurt. I invited him because I didn't want him to be alone again."
"Lies. He's alone all the time and it never bothered you."
"How do you know that? Maybe I just never showed it," he retorted. She still didn't buy it, and her expression showed that. He sighed.
"Alright…I'm not sure you'll believe me if I tell you though."
"Try me."
He nodded his head toward the table, and she turned to look. The three of them were just drawing on their pumpkins. She shrugged.
"What?"
"Do you see the way he's looking at Elena?"
Caroline took another peek at the group, this time watching Damon's gaze. Strangely, he was stealing glances at Elena while she was drawing. Caroline's mouth dropped open at the sight.
"He likes her?" she whispered, astonished at the discovery.
"You find it hard to believe?"
"I don't find it hard to believe that anyone would want Elena. What I find hard to believe is that your brother has enough of a heart to actually be interested in someone for more than sex."
"Well…I don't. Elena is the first girl in a long time he seems to want to actually know. I think he likes the fact that she hates his guts."
"That's not a hard quality to find in a girl," she quipped.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. I mean Damon wants a girl with a little fight in her. Be it for the challenge or because he wants someone with a little spirit, I don't know."
"So you're just sending Elena off for the picking?"
"I think she would like him, dare I say love him, if she got the chance to know him. He isn't a bad guy. He's just been hardened by his past."
"So that gives him the right to be an ass to everyone, including you?"
"No, but it should earn him a little compassion from those around him. There isn't anyone I know who is more compassionate than Elena. She could be the saving grace his life has needed."
"What hardships has that dick gone through to deserve so much from you Stefan? Why does he deserve a girl like Elena?"
"Because the two most important women in his life died in a hospital bed curled up to him!" Stefan confided in a hushed tone. His eyes were dead serious, and he had a bit of a bite to his tone. Caroline could tell he didn't like her being so negative about Damon.
She was speechless at the revelation. Caroline looked to Damon again, but this time, it was like seeing a whole different person. She turned back to Stefan.
"I'm so sorry, she whispered. Stefan took a deep breath before continuing. He couldn't look her in the eyes as he spoke.
"Our mother died a long time ago, but I know Damon was the last one to see her. When my father and I walked into the room, he was crying as he cradled her to his chest. She wasn't breathing," he said sadly. Caroline rubbed her eyes, trying to keep from crying.
"Who was the other woman? You said there were two." Stefan nodded.
"The other was his last long-term relationship. Her name was Rose, and god was she beautiful, and kind. They dated for two years, and Damon was ready to pop the question. Right when he decided he was going to ask her, she got back from a doctor's appointment, and announced to him that she had just been diagnosed with cancer," he said quietly. Caroline didn't like where this story was going.
"It was another three months before she was hospitalized. He stayed with her the entire week she was in there. I walked in one day to bring them food. They were both asleep, and her head was resting on his chest. He wasn't aware of what had happened until I woke him up. Ever since, he's never been serious about a girl. I love Damon, Caroline, and I'll do whatever I can to make him happy. I wouldn't try playing matchmaker to those two if I thought they would ultimately be bad for each other."
All Caroline could do was nod. She turned to Stefan, an unasked question in her eyes. He seemed to know what she was thinking before she even had the chance to voice it.
"Yes…that's why I think you shouldn't give up on, Nik. That's why I keep encouraging you. It's not fair to judge a man on how he behaves until you know his past. If he's a jackass just to be one, forget about him and find someone better. If…for some reason he's anything like Damon…he might be worth getting to know."
Caroline thought about what he was saying for a moment. He had a point. He always had a point. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a firm hug. Leave it to him to always be the logical one.
"Okay. I promise to try harder with Damon, too." He hugged her back and rubbed soothing circles with his hand.
"Are you two having a moment or something? I realize this place doesn't have many rooms, but it has hallways…outside," Damon suggested from the table. Caroline chuckled.
"Why does he have to make it so easy to like him?" she whispered sarcastically in Stefan's ear. He laughed and together, they went back over to where the group was already beginning to carve their pumpkins.
"What? No witty comeback?" Damon persisted.
"Oh, it'll come to me. Don't you worry," she said, giving him a fake grin. Yet, her words didn't seem to hold as much resentment as they usually did toward him. Caroline didn't have the fight in her like usual, and she was thinking about other things that needed tending to. Mostly, a certain man upstairs.
It was midnight. Caroline wasn't the least bit tired. In fact, her heart was doing that thing it does where it beats out of her chest like a cartoon character. She was extremely nervous about what she had planned for the night.
Everyone had gone home hours ago after carving pumpkins. All five decorated pumpkins sat by her door, ready to be taken down tomorrow. Right now, she was pacing. Nik hadn't let her down. Who knew how long he had already been shouting. It hadn't happened until after her friends had left, like it did every night.
Caroline inhaled deeply before sitting down on her bed. Was she having a panic attack or something? Is this what one felt like? She shouldn't be so nervous, but she was. Being anywhere near the yelling made her uncomfortable. That wasn't surprising though.
All she wanted to do was go out on the fire escape, and take a little peek into his apartment. If his curtains were closed, she would just walk back down the ladder and go back in her apartment. No big deal.
What she was nervous about was that his curtains would be open.
Then she would have to watch. After two months of letting things slide, Caroline had to know what he was doing up there. She gathered up what courage she had left after listening to him for so long, then got up and went to the window. After she unlocked it, she carefully stepped out onto the fire escape. It was cold out, and she was glad she had on long pajama bottoms. Her hair was tied back and she had on a long sleeved shirt. She thanked herself for wearing warmer clothes when the cool breeze hit her face.
The platform and ladder were rusty and old, but it was still solid. It was capable of holding her weight and more. She climbed the ladder just a bit, looking to see if the curtains were open. They were. Her heart raced as she took another deep breath. This was it. Hopefully he wouldn't see. Her plan was to be as low key as possible. Obviously, she didn't want him seeing her while he was in such a mood.
She reached a step near the top, stopping there so as not to be seen. Caroline was almost holding her breath as she looked inside. The spectacle before her was something she wouldn't soon forget. Nik was throwing what appeared to be liquor and beer bottles, watching them as they shattered against the wall. His chest heaved up and down as stared at the wall with this dazed look in his eyes. It's like he wasn't all there.
Now that she was outside and closer to his place, she could hear some of the things he was shouting, even though his window wasn't open.
"You think you're so smart? You think this is going to affect me? Ha! Nothing affects me! Oh no. No, I'll hunt you down, you fucking piece of scum! I will never forget your face!" His eyes were wide with unadulterated rage, and he was pointing to the wall. When Caroline managed to draw her attention from him for a second, she realized his girlfriend wasn't there. That wasn't a big shock. She didn't completely blame Rebekah for getting out of there before he went all crazy. However, it didn't make sense that she wasn't there supporting him, even if she didn't blame the girl. Did she just not live there? Did she know? She had to. Why wouldn't she? Nik ran his fingers through his dirty blonde hair, shaking his head like a truly crazed man.
"I dare you to come after me," he said vehemently, "My survival will haunt you for the rest of your pathetic life!" He turned back to the wall he was facing earlier. Caroline could see the side of his face, and boy was she glad she wasn't on the receiving end of that.
"YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY ME!" He shouted so loudly, that Caroline actually jumped on the ladder. Her heart was beating so fast she thought she was going to have an attack right then and there. His voice shook her to the core, his words rumbling through her own chest. From where she sat, she could see veins popping out on his reddened face. He was legitimately angry at something…or someone.
Very suddenly, he was on his knees, grabbing his head and covering his ears. A tear fell down Caroline's cheek as she could see the lost expression on his face when he looked up to the ceiling, tears in his own eyes. Nik looked like he was searching for something, but he couldn't seem to find it. His gaze fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," he yelled in agonizing pain. Caroline didn't realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled slowly. The man had to be having hallucinations. There was no other explanation that seemed to fit. What was he hallucinating though? What tragic event had occurred to cause this?
Caroline had seen enough for one night. She quietly climbed back down the stairs and went through her window before closing it. Stefan had been right. She had been wrongly judging him. The man had a past…a painful one at that. He wasn't throwing a tantrum or getting into fights with his girlfriend. Nik was literally going through some sort of torturous hell. Caroline was glad she hadn't said anything now. How long had he been having such problems? Was it hard for him to live anywhere because of it? What was his story?
Now, more than ever, she knew someone had to get to him. More specifically, she had to get him to talk to her. Caroline couldn't rat him out to anyone, because then he could possibly be put through intense therapy, or be committed. However, the screaming couldn't continue either. A thought came to her as she got into bed. There might just be a way to reach him, to let him know that she cares. That she notices him. Caroline began planning as sleep overtook her. It would take some time to execute, and then give it time to really sink in, but she had faith it would work if she could be patient. It had to.
A/N: Poor Klaus. What could he be yelling about? Or who is he yelling at? Questions, questions.
Congrats to anyone who guessed Caroline would be looking to see what he was doing up there out of curiosity. I love seeing what some of you guys guess, and just how close you can be to the truth =P
Next chapter will hopefully be a cute moment for everyone to read! I enjoyed writing it ^-^ Before you ask, no. It's not one where he talks to her. But that is coming soon my fantastic readers. Very soon ;)
Until next time!
