Chapter 14
"You and me it's not going to happen. I'm sorry" Stefan walked past her towards Elena.
They embraced and kissed passionately in front of her. They showed no remorse for her feelings or her presence. Once they pulled away their lips separating with an audible pop, did they look at her. Deep belly rumbles of laughter escaped them. Caroline couldn't move her feet were cemented to the ground as they came closer towards her, hand in hand they walked as she tried in vain to move, to escape from them.
"I'll always win Care. He'll always be mine." Elena said in a tone of menace as Damon appeared by her side.
"Little Barbie Caroline all alone. I told you she wouldn't make it as one of us. Do us a favor Stefan and stake her." Damon tossed a wooden stake towards Stefan.
"No Stefan. Please don't do this!" Caroline shrieked as he moved closer towards her.
Stefan's face morphed and suddenly it was not Stefan standing in front of her but, the ripper and he was eyeing her with ferocious hunger in his eye. His aim was clear, he was going to kill her and there was nothing that she could do.
"It will always be her." Stefan growled out, fangs protruding as he lunged and pierced the stake in her heart.
Caroline sprang out of bed immediately and took on a defensive position as she scanned the darkened room. Adrenalin was coursing through her veins, her breathing was rapid as she waited for an attack to ensue. She waited and waited until reality sunk in. It was only a dream.
Just like that her body sank into a heap on the floor. Her body was crashing down from the shock and the intense reaction that she had to the dream. It had felt so real. Caroline shivered as she tucked herself into a ball on the ground. A cold sweat had broken out over her skin as if she had contracted a bad cold.
Why the hell would her subconscious play tricks on her like that? Was it trying to send her a warning that anything with Stefan would all end down to his feelings for Elena? How was she to compete with that? She could never compare when it came to Elena. Caroline knew that in the end she would lose him to Elena; he would always love Elena and she would just be second best.
It could have been minutes or even hours that she lay like a statue on the floor until she decided that enough was enough. She couldn't lie on the floor and think of something that didn't even exist something that was never going to happen in the future. Caroline pulled herself off the floor and made her way back into her bed. The sooner she got a grip on herself the better. Perhaps it was just old lust and emotions running through her – she had always been the romantic one. Falling in love with the idea of love, thinking that all men were princes and she was princess waiting for him to carry her off into the sunset. Yeah right, life was so not like that and it was time that she caught a wakeup call.
Elena had decided that perhaps she should attend school. After all she had missed a few days as of lately and she had come to terms that she had missed her old school environment. After all she wasn't likely going to repeat high school ever again – she couldn't do the whole thing all over again. She wasn't a masochistic and besides Damon had been extremely abrupt with her the last time she had seen him and he hadn't returned any of her calls.
Elena was walking through the hall way of the school, it was desolate seeing that class had started fifteen minutes ago, except there was a lone figure kneeling in the hallway picking up scattered pieces of paper that had obviously escaped her file.
"Here let me help." Elena moved forward and came to a stop beside the girl.
"Oh thank you. I'm so clumsy and on my first day no less." Elena noted that girl had short blonde hair and that she was rather pretty up close. She helped pick up the last few scattered things.
"Where you from?" Elena asked once they had finished collecting everything. The girl neatly tucked her things in her file before turning and facing Elena.
"New York." The girl answered as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"You're from the big city? Wow! Mystic Falls must seem minute compared to New York." Elena conversationally said.
"Huge adjustment." The girl agreed as she smiled. "Do you happen to know where Mr. David's English Class is?"
"Third class room down the left hand side. I'll walk you there." Elena offered as they walked in silence towards the classroom.
They came to a stop outside the class. Elena smiled and gestured towards the door.
"Here we go. I'm Elena by the way."
The girl smiled.
"Thank you Elena. I really appreciate it and my name's Peyton." Peyton tried not to smile like the cat that caught the canary.
Elena nodded.
"Peyton. Cool name. If you need any help or you want to talk I'm always around." Elena offered
"Sure. That will be great. At least I'll know one person then."
Elena smiled and proceeded to move off towards her class. Unaware that the new acquaintance she had just made had not entered her English class and instead had vanished into thin air.
Stefan awoke to an unusual feeling. To be exact it wasn't a feeling but more of a state of mind. He felt composed and free. His spirit was whole and intact and for the first time in a long time he could say that he awoke happy and almost life like again. As if he was human again.
Stefan was no fool. This new bound happiness had something to do with Caroline. He had told her that she was like a light – it only hit him now that what he had said had more than truth behind it, it was a fact. Caroline Forbes had a gift, a very strange and sometimes questionable gift. It was a gift none the less, she could bring reason back into play, make everything seem brand new again. Stefan reached for his phone and turned the hand held device on. Instantly the screen filled up with message pop ups. All from Elena, except one. Damon had been looking for him. Stefan felt his heart sink, had something happened? He knew that Damon would not call for no reason; certainly not to check up on him. Damon understood the agreement they had. No phone calls unless it's urgent.
Stefan dialed his brother and waited.
"Finally. I phoned you like ten hours ago." Damon's snarly voice answered.
"I see that. What's going on?" Stefan asked as he lifted himself off the bed.
"Are you alone? Have you stepped out of the room yet?" Damon asked.
Stefan raised his eyebrows.
"Of course I'm alone. Why would I need to step out the room?"
"Oh I figured you and Forbes were rolling in the hay, boinking, bumping and grinding," Damon chuckled as Stefan interrupted him.
"Damon." He said annoyed.
"Doing some Bed – pressing, having a quick poke here and there …" Damon continued amused.
Stefan however was not amused.
"Damon I'm going to hang up now." Stefan growled out annoyed.
"Hmmm so I'm guessing you didn't have yourself a slice of Forbes's pie?"
"No Damon. I'm not as lecherous as you."
"Yes I know. I just thought you would be getting your hanky panky on. But I guess not. "
"Seriously why did you phone?" Stefan ignored his brother's bait.
"Well speaking of hanky panky, uh one of my former play mates has made contact with me. Let's just say she's really pissed with me." Damon grumbled.
"Really? Why would she be mad with you?" Stefan spat out sarcastically.
"Save the sarcasm for the professionals. It's not amateur night." Damon replied.
"What must I do about your ex fling?" Stefan fell back into bed, he feared that he was going to get a serious headache once this conversation was over.
"Technically not a fling. More of a ten year thing." Damon casually replied.
Stefan burst out laughing.
"Peyton." He sufficed
"Yes. I'm glad you find this amusing."
"I knew there was a reason I liked her." Stefan continued laughing as he recalled the feisty blonde his brother had gotten involved with.
"Yes well she wants to go after Elena. To prove some pathetic point." Damon growled out.
"And what point would that be brother?" Stefan asked.
"That Elena is like Katherine." Damon mumbled faintly, but Stefan grasped his words.
"Hmm." Stefan replied nonchalantly.
"Ridiculous right?" Damon argued.
"She's not exactly wrong is she? You're scared Peyton's right?" Stefan turned the tables on Damon.
"No. She's wrong." Damon bit out.
"I'm not interested Damon. Whatever is going on between you two again; I really don't want to know." Stefan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"There is nothing going on with me and Peyton!" Damon answered flummoxed before he continued, "I'm telling you this because she might go after Elena and she isn't responding to my phone calls so I have no idea where she is."
Damon sounded frantic. Stefan knew that when it came to denial, Damon was in the deep end. He knew that Damon could never really truly admit to his feelings about Peyton. Funnily enough when Stefan met her, he was convinced that Damon had met his match. Peyton was charming, fun and she had a knack for getting into trouble. Harmless trouble which is why he wasn't convinced that she would go out of her way and potentially injure Elena. It seemed like she just wanted to make a point.
Stefan should have felt inclined to worry about Elena's safety, but truthfully he couldn't find in him to really care. Peyton was right. Elena is Katherine and Katherine is Elena. No science in the world could prove this but when has science ever really been right?
"It's not my problem Damon." Stefan answered.
"What?" Damon almost shrieked out aloud.
"Elena is your problem now. I'm moving on." Stefan replied effortlessly.
"Stefan don't play games with me now."
"I'm not. I'm being a hundred percent truthful right now."
"Have you lost your mind? A potentially dangerous vampire is out for Elena and you don't care?" Damon growled out.
"You can solve the problem. Just do the Lexi move. Kill her. Then she's out of your life for good." Stefan answered coldly.
"I can't do that Stefan." Damon replied after a moment of complete silence.
"I know." Stefan knew Damon could never kill Peyton.
"I'm sorry you know." Damon sighed.
"What for?"
"I took Lexi away from you and Elena. I'm not a very good big brother am I?"
Stefan swallowed the hurt down before he replied: "We make mistakes Damon. I can't hate you for the rest of my life."
"Such a Gandhi thing to say." Damon said as he tried to lighten up the mood.
"Perhaps but he was right you know?"
"I guess I better sort this mess out myself right?" Damon asked.
"Yeah."
"Oh well um enjoy your trip with Barbie and if she gets too much just snap her neck." Damon snorted.
Stefan couldn't help the small smile that came over him.
"Caroline is perfect the way she is." Stefan answered.
Damon remained silent before Stefan spoke again:
"Say Hi to Peyton for me. Tell her she still owes me."
"What does she owe you?" Damon asked puzzled.
"Don't worry, she'll know." Stefan hung up.
Stefan breathed in deeply. Siblings – can't live with them, can't live without them he thought.
An: Wow! Thank you guys for such an awesome response to the last chapter. I am so grateful for my amazing readers – you all keep me going!