Bonnie called as they were eating burgers outside Knoxville, Tennessee. It wasn't like they needed to eat or anything, but Caroline had watched a lot of road trip movies and they always ate junk food on their trips. She wanted a real road trip, an epic movie road trip. And in epic movie road trips, they ate junk food.

"Where are you?" Bonnie asked, her voice sharp as nails.

Caroline sighed. Stefan could probably hear Bonnie's voice out of the phone, even if he pretended that he didn't.

"Knoxville."

"Is Stefan with you?"

"Yes."

"What are you doing, Caroline?"

"I'm going to visit my dad."

"I know, but why did you bring him with you?"

Caroline got up from the sticky table, pointed to the phone to show Stefan why she was leaving and went to the ladies room.

"He couldn't just stay there, Bonnie. He was wasting away."

Bonnie huffed.

"Elena's pissed."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? She's jealous."

Caroline snorted.

"She has to get over herself. She was the one who dumped him."

"Doesn't mean she still loves him."

Caroline snorted again. This conversation was absurd.

"I'll call you in couple of days, Bonnie."

She hung up. Caroline had decided to not pick sides in this fight. She loved Elena, she loved Stefan and she sort ofliked Damon. Bonnie though, Bonnie had chosen a side. And it wasn't Stefan's.

…

"Is everything okay?" Stefan asked.

She sat down and stole one of his fries.

"Yeah" she lied.

"Liar."

She stuck her tongue out.

"Don't listen to private conversation!"

He shrugged, looking amused.

"I wasn't, but you look mad."

"I'm not" she said. "I'm just hungry. How about we get some blood in us before we get to dad's?"

He nodded.

"Sounds like plan."

Stefan left some notes on the table.

"I'll pay next time" she promised.

"Don't worry about it."

As they got up to leave, Caroline realized that people were staring at them. No, correction, at Stefan. The girls were smiling and blinking their eyes. The guys looked stern as if Stefan was stealing the girls' attention on purpose. He, of course, noticed nothing. She couldn't tell if he was oblivious to it all or just used to it. Or maybe both.

…

Caroline didn't usually drink animal blood, despite Stefan's attempts. It wasn't that she didn't like it, it just wasn't enough. It was like drinking decaf coffee when you were tired and cranky. Animal blood wasn't disgusting; it just didn't do anything for her. Therefore, she had packed some blood bags in the trunk of Stefan's car, but if she decided to stay longer than those lasted, she would have to make other arrangements. Robbing a hospital of blood was a job she usually left for Damon. Maybe she would have to get used to rabbits and squirrels.

"Thank God for tinted windows" Caroline giggled as she sucked blood out of the plastic bag.

Stefan sat beside her, one hand on the steering wheel, one hand holding a small, adorable bunny. If anyone would have been able to see them, they would have thought that Caroline and Stefan looked like… Like vampires. She smiled to herself.

"How's that B+ tasting?" he asked.

"Delicious."

Stefan never made a mess while hunting. Caroline could make a mess out of anything. At this moment, she had three blood stains on her white blouse. But Stefan, he was spotless. Maybe it took practice or maybe he was just careful. She watched his strong fingers holding the gray bunny tightly. His fangs dug into the veins of its dead body. The sight should have made her queasy, but it didn't. Everything Stefan did looked graceful.

"How's that cute, little bunny?" she asked.

He smirked at her.

"Fine."

"My dad used to make rabbit pâté on his birthdays. If you're nice, he might make you some."

Stefan smiled, opened the window and threw the drained rabbit out of the window. It looked like it had been hit by a car. Nothing suspicious.

"Did you tell your dad I was coming?" he asked.

"I said that I was bringing a friend."

"And he was okay with that?" Stefan asked.

"Look, he might not be the greatest dad ever, but he's not evil. He said it would be nice to meet one of my friends."

Stefan nodded, his brow furrowed. He looked worried, but then again, when didn't Stefan look worried?

"You shouldn't worry" she told him. "I should, though. The first thing he will ask which college I'm applying to, and I have no idea."

The sky was turning pink. Night was coming. They wouldn't be in Memphis before midnight. Caroline leaned back against the seat and played with the blood bag. She flicked the tip back and forth while singing along the radio.

"Care, for the love of God, please stop that" Stefan groaned. "I have problems with blood, remember? You don't squirt booze at an alcoholic."

"Woops, sorry."

She threw it into the backseat. She heard Stefan moan.

"Leather seats, Care."

"Well, I can't throw it onto the road. It will look weird."

Stefan sighed and pinched her arm, at the exact same place that he had before. It was lucky that she didn't feel that kind of pain.

"Let's hope that no cop stops us" he said. "We'll look like a pair of murderers on the run."

Weren't they, though? He had killed people, a lot of people, Caroline knew that. And she had slipped up too. They were murders. And at least Stefan was on the run. Not from the law, but from hurt.

"Slow down then" she sighed playfully. "We don't want to get pulled over for speeding."

…

Caroline fell asleep somewhere outside the small town Cookeville. She had giggled at the name and mentioned cookies and fallen asleep. Stefan stole a look at her. She looked like kid, sleeping the car, blood stains on her shirt. It was better when she was awake, he thought. She distracted him. Now, he had nothing to do but to think about Elena. And Damon. How much it hurt that both of them had chosen each other – and not Stefan. They had both known that if Elena chose Damon, Stefan wouldn't be able to stay. That things would have to change. But still, they had gone through with it. Not caring about who got hurt in the process.

He wasn't going back. He hadn't told Caroline yet. He would stay with her dad for a few days and then tell her. She would understand, he couldn't go back. She could take the bus home, he knew that she wouldn't hold it against him. Caroline knew heartbreak and hurt too. The plan was to drive to Dallas. Stefan had friends there. Well, actually that wasn't true. Lexie had had friends there. He would stay there until everything would stop hurting so bad.

"Stop worrying" Caroline mumbled sleepily.

She was looking at him, at his brooding forehead and clenched jaw.

"I can't. It's in my DNA" he smiled.

She leaned in and patted his cheek. She smelled like sleep, her eyes were half-closed.

"That's what I love about you" she whispered.

"That I worry too much?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Among other things."

Then she curled up in her seat and went back to sleep. Stefan waited until he was sure she was out before he turned on the GPS. It was just easier that way. One less thing to worry about.

…

"Caroline" he said, shaking her. "We're almost there."

Caroline groaned. She loved sleeping in cars. She always slept best on worn leather with the radio on, while her mother patrolled Mystic Falls in her squad car. She didn't know why.

"For how long did I sleep?" she asked.

Stefan smiled.

"A few hours."

She groaned.

"I'm a bad road trip buddy."

She stretched her limbs and accidentally kicked that map she had dropped when falling asleep. She picked it up and held it between her index finger and thumb.

"How did you find the way?" she asked suspiciously.

Stefan's eyes flickered away from hers, onto the road.

"I read the signs" he lied.

She hit him in the head with the map.

"Liar!" she exclaimed.

He tried to duck from another map attack.

"It's true!"

She punched his arm hard, before realizing that he only drank animal blood and therefore felt pain. But then again, he deserved it.

"I told you" she said. "No GPS on road trips! It ruins it!"

"Well" he retaliated by grabbing the map and smacking her face with it. "You aren't supposed to sleep during the entire ride either."

She scrunched up her nose.

"Sorry" she said.

"Me too."

She laughed and turned up the radio. It was playing some Taylor Swift song and since Stefan didn't complain, she sang along loudly.

"How long before we get there?" she asked.

"If I was using the GPS, it would tell you" Stefan said. "But I turned it off before waking you."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll settle for 'soon'."

…

Lukas "Luke" Forbes greeted them in the door way of his giant house. It was two am in the morning, but he didn't seem sleepy or tired.

"Care-bear" he purred in Caroline's ear until she giggled.

"Hi daddy."

She kissed his cheek. He smelled differently, no more cigarette smoke and sweat. Now it was cologne and something else, maybe happiness.

"Daddy, this is Stefan" she said.

She saw her dad's eyes expand in shock and pleasure. Stefan looked dazzling in the porch light. He wore a pair of black slacks and a white shirt. Not a wrinkle on either. Despite driving for fifteen hours, he didn't look crumpled or sweaty. He just looked perfect.

"Nice to meet you, sir" Stefan said politely. "I'm Stefan Salvatore."

Caroline smiled. She realized that she felt pride. Pride because Stefan was so gorgeous and well-mannered. Pride because she knew he would make a good impression on her dad.

"Salvatore, eh? Italian?" her dad asked, shaking Stefan's hand.

"My family is" Stefan replied.

"Well, then I'll make my famous lasagna for you tomorrow" Luke Forbes said, smiling. "It's legendary."

"Thank you, sir."

"Dad, Stefan isn't Italian. He probably hasn't even been to Italy."

He probably had. Caroline didn't know. She hadn't ever thought to ask him.

"It's in his blood" her father said, still holding Stefan's hand.

Caroline gave up.

"I'm sleepy" she said.

"Oh, right. Let's get to bed" her dad said, finally letting go of Stefan. "I'll show to your rooms."

Somewhere in Caroline's naïve and stupid mind, she had hoped that her dad would have a room for her. A room he had decorated in pink (because pink had been her favorite color the last time they met), with pictures of horses in it (thirteen year old Caroline had loved horses) and a soft rug. A room that Luke had made for her, because he was her father. But no. There was no room like that. She and Stefan were given identical guest rooms. Both white and spotless and looked like something out of an interior design magazine. She tried not to be disappointed.

"Good night" she whispered to Stefan.

"Night" he replied.

She wondered if he had brought a pair of pajamas or if he always slept in his underwear, like he had the other day. She pushed those thoughts away. It didn't matter.

"Sorry about my dad" she whispered.

He shrugged.

"He's fine, Care."

She nodded.

"Have you ever been to Italy?" she asked.

He looked confused for a second and then smiled.

"Yeah, twice."

"Did you like it?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, a lot."

She nodded too.

"Good night."

…

When Caroline woke up, she heard her dad talking downstairs. His voice was loud enough to carry, even if you weren't a vampire with extraordinary hearing. She groaned and got up. She could tell that it was hot outside, she felt sweaty even though vampires didn't sweat. All you had to do was drive 900 miles south and you had a tropical climate.

"Hey" she said, entering the kitchen.

Luke and Stefan sat at the table, eating scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.

"Morning, pumpkin" her dad said.

Stefan just smiled at her. He was eating the eggs with a speed that could be mistaken for hunger. Caroline knew it was hurry to be done with it. Human food was kind of disgusting.

"Stefan and I was just talking about me showing you two the city" her dad said, egg all over his chin.

"Great" Caroline said, feeling cranky.

She sat down next to Stefan and poured herself a cup of coffee. She had to get some blood. Had Stefan already been hunting? She met his eyes and he winked at her.

"How about I go and brush my teeth" her dad said. "Then, we'll be off!"

Caroline didn't remind him that she hadn't eaten breakfast yet. She didn't need to eat, but it would have been nice if her dad had cared about her enough to offer her some.

"Caroline hasn't had time to eat yet" Stefan said, winking again.

She rolled her eyes at him. He was trying to make her eat eggs.

"Oh, I didn't think you ate breakfast, honey" her dad said.

"Why not?"

"You know, girls, when they try to lose weight…"

He tried to catch Stefan's eye to get support, but Stefan looked away. Caroline felt her pulse quicken.

"Lose weight?" she echoed. "You thought I was trying to lose weight?"

Her dad shuffled uncomfortably.

"Take an egg" he said. "They're great!"

Caroline snorted.

"No thanks."

…

The tour of Memphis consisted of Caroline's dad driving them around in his huge car. Caroline had a head ache; she hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon. It was sweltering hot outside and her dad apparently didn't want to waste gas on air conditioning.

"And here is my favorite place" her dad, pointing at a bowling alley.

Caroline tried not to roll her eyes. Some things, apparently, hadn't changed. Even if Luke Forbes was now gay and tried to grow a beard, he still loved bowling.

"You like bowling?" Stefan asked, politely.

"Yes, well, sure. But it's in the bowling allies that you meet the best men" her dad replied, winking.

Caroline exhaled loudly.

"Oh" Stefan said.

"What happened to Stephen?" Caroline asked.

Her dad shrugged.

"Actually, being with him was a lot like being with your mom, Care-bear. A lot of talk and not enough sex."

She shuddered, feeling sorry that she had asked.

"I mean, you're only young once, right, Stefan?"

Stefan nodded uncomfortably.

"Yeah."

"Let's change the subject" Caroline begged.

"Come on, Caroline. We're all grown-ups here" her dad said, thinking he was funny. "Talking about that, how old are you, Stefan?"

Caroline tilted her head, wondering if Stefan would say seventeen. Obviously, he was seventeen, but being younger than Caroline would make their friendship appear a bit weird.

"Twenty-one" he replied.

Luke nodded, accepting it without a second thought. Stefan looked older than he was. Or no, that wasn't true. Stefan didn't look like he was a hundred and fifty-something.

"Then we can go out to bar some time, eh?"

Caroline hid her face in her hands.

"Yeah" Stefan said again, sounding even more uncomfortable.

"How about lunch?" Caroline asked, desperate to end this conversation.

"Actually" he dad said. "I have to get back to the office. How about I drop you off at my favorite place? Lunch on me?"

Caroline nodded.

"Sounds great" she said without any enthusiasm.

…

Without any blood bags (shit, had she left the one she had drunk last on the backseat of Stefan's car?), they had to hunt. Finding a forest in Memphis was as hard as finding a huge shopping mall in Mystic Falls. They asked around for a few minutes before getting directions to huge park. Caroline was so hungry that she didn't care if her rabbit had fumes on it.

The park was big and calm. They set out separately to hunt, hiding from people and seeking shelter behind big trees. Caroline found some sort of rodent in a tree, snatched and dug her fangs into its fur. God, she was hungry. Caroline Forbes didn't do hunger that well. She didn't have the power to act like the good daughter when she was hungry. She emptied the rodent, threw it away and went on to catch another one. She needed at least one more bunny before she was full.

She saw Stefan standing in a clearing, draining a little squirrel of blood. His posture was upright, his head high. His back muscles were bulging under his t-shirt. He was in hunting-mood, focused on that, not on being human or anything else. She loved to watch him while he hunted. It was like watching another Stefan, a happy and wild Stefan. She decided to sneak up on him and carefully, trying not to make a noise, made her way closer. He was spying for something else to eat. She took her chance, leaped from the hedges and attacked him. He was stiff under her grip, scared, ready for attack.

"Got you" she squealed.

His body relaxed for a second before wrestling her to the ground. He was older than her and a guy, which meant, when she had eaten only animal blood in the last 24 hours, they were equal in strength. He locked her hands over her head, placing his body over hers.

"Don't sneak up on me" he growled.

She could see how he could be frightening and maybe she would have been scared too, if it wasn't for his eyes. His eyes were twinkling, smiling. You could always tell how Stefan was feeling from his eyes.

"Pay better attention then" she sneered, pushing him off her and climbing on top of him.

His face was mere inches from hers. His perfect face. That sharp jaw and full lips and those green eyes. Caroline forgot what she was doing, looking at his face, breathing in the air he breathed out. Stefan took advantage of her lack of concentration and got the upper hand again.

"You want to admit defeat?" he asked, smirking.

She stuck her tongue out.

"Never."

They stared into his face, trying to look menacing and strong.

"Oh, I've always loved his place" they heard a voice say.

"Me too" another voice agreed.

Out of the trees came two old ladies, wearing sun hats and large blouses. They both stopped at the sight of Stefan and Caroline.

"Oh dear" one of them said, quietly.

Stefan got off Caroline and pulled her to her feet.

"You don't do that in public" the other lady said.

Caroline couldn't help herself from smiling. This was the south, alright. Please don't look like you're making out in parks.

"I apologize" Stefan said. "My girlfriend just can't keep herself off me."

Caroline stomped hard on his foot. The ladies scurried away, looking appalled.