Chapter 5

Caroline was seated, cross legged on her bed as she toyed idly with her phone. She wanted to hear Tyler's voice – just to be assured that he was okay, that he was still alive and unharmed. He wanted to be free from Klaus, he wanted his revenge and his revenge was becoming her burden. Their relationship had suffered in the process and as a consequence she had been dragged into situations that she rather would have avoided.

She had a lot of doubt about their relationship. Real love is supposed to conquer anything that comes along. So was it even really love that she felt for him? They had become friends because she thought he needed someone to help him come to terms with his supernatural side, she wanted to be his Stefan. His guide and counselor and somehow that all got messed up and other emotions came into play. Not gradually over time but almost violent and aggressive. Now that she thought about it; that was what their relationship is about or it was when they were still pretending to make it work. Caroline loved him just like she loved Matt but she longed for a simple love. A love that was worth fighting for and not running away because it gets a bit tough.

Yes Klaus had been an inconvenience but trouble was already their between them before he even came along. Heck Klaus hadn't even be the catalyst that had started their problems. So why was she sitting and pondering over Tyler? He wasn't going to come back and she was pretty sure that he didn't want to come back. Maybe it was just easier for them to pretend that they were fighting for each other – fighting on different sides of the earth literally.

"Get a grip." She whispered to herself as she fell back against her pillows.

This trip was exactly what she needed. It was a chance to start a clean slate – be Caroline Forbes, single and adventurous and running wild. Not that there would be lots of wild escapades with Stefan, after all she had to come up with activities that didn't involve drinking or Stefan drinking a sorority girl. But she was determined that they were going to enjoy this this time and damn the problems that was around them. They both needed to stand up and say we want things for ourselves now.

"Caroline, Elena is on the line for you." Liz shouted from downstairs.

Caroline puzzled checked the cell in her hand, and sure enough there had been three missed calls from Elena's cell. Had she honestly spaced out that badly?

"Coming mom." She shouted back.

Using her vamp speed she was downstairs and beside her mother in a flash. Liz startled almost dropped the phone in her hand. She still had to get used to the fact that her daughter wasn't of the human world. Liz smiled and handed Caroline the phone as she made her way towards the kitchen to give her daughter some privacy.

"Hey Elena." Caroline said.

"Hey Care, I phoned you a few times on your cell. Is there something wrong with it?" Elena asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. Jeez, why did people always jump to that conclusion when their calls aren't answered?

"No I was uh," She stopped and decided to opt for a white lie instead. She didn't want Elena to know that she was doing a meditation of clarity. She and Elena hadn't been the best of friends since she had told Elena's little sordid dark secret to Stefan. But she owed the truth to him – he needed to know so that she couldn't drag him along and give him false hope. Caroline knew that Elena and Damon would have preferred Stefan not knowing and that was just too cruel. Stefan needed to have the cord cut between himself and Elena. It was the only way that he could move on with his life.

"I was in the shower." She lied.

"Oh okay, I thought you would have heard your phone."

"It was on silent." Caroline answered annoyed.

"I wanted to phone you, I'm worried about Stefan." Elena sighed out.

"Well you don't have to worry about him. He's not your Salvatore to worry about now." Caroline answered out harshly.

"Wow thanks for that Care. Go right for the jugular why you don't." Elena breathed out harshly.

Caroline scoffed, "It's the truth isn't it? Why are you so worried about him anyway?"

"He kind of walked in on me and Damon this morning and he was angry"

Caroline laughed.

"What? Why are you laughing?" Elena asked.

"Did you expect him to be all embracive and over joyed? You're sleeping with his brother!"

"It's not like that. I know that how I went about this was all wrong, "Elena whined but Caroline interrupted her before she had a chance to continue.

"You're damn right. You broke up with him and in less than twenty four hours you climbed into bed with Damon, you're supposed Dark Knight and might I just add your freaky sire father." She ranted.

"Sire father?" Elena asked puzzled.

Caroline shivered, "I don't know it sounds incestuous okay?"

"It's not like that. I know you don't approve of Damon and you would rather I be with Stefan but I love Damon now." Elena answered.

"Actually I don't want Stefan to go back to you. Not anymore, he's too good for you."

"I know that and I'll always love him and that's why I'm worried about him. Please can you just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't do anything that he'll regret later." Elena asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. Could she get any more dramatic right now? And people thought she was bad?

"He's my friend. My best friend actually and I'll do whatever I can to help him." She answered truthfully.

"Thank you Caroline."

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for him." Caroline bit out.

"I know." Elena said softly.

"Well I better go. I've got things to do."

"Okay … sure um thanks and bye I guess?" Elena said stiffly and unsure.

"Bye." Caroline hung up and shook her head.

"Is something wrong Caroline?" Liz asked as she came back into the hallway and saw her daughter's aggravated face.

"Nothing mom. Just the usual teen drama." Caroline weakly smiled.

Liz nodded her head and returned back to the kitchen. She found it best to avoid having to listen to the teen gossip – it gave her a headache but at least her vampire daughter was still expecting the ups and downs that was adolescence.

An: Thank you so much for the reviews and feedback on the last chapter! I would like to thank my bestie for her fantastic input on the sire bond sounding incestuous lol was something I just thought that Caroline would say. So thanks my other Salvatore sister.