She'd called him and he came, she was waiting in the forest near the Salvatore house when he arrived, his eyes big and worried.
"You have to help me," she pleaded "please!"
He took a step towards her. "Help you with what, Caroline? What's the matter?"
"He's going to hurt Matt!" she stammered. "Damon is going to torture Matt so that Elena gets her humanity back. You have to help me stop him!"
Suddenly, anger appeared in his eyes, deep rooted, harsh anger.
"Now, why would I do that?"
He took a step towards her. "Why would I waste a second of my time doing that? What makes you think I give a damn about the busboy?"
Her eyes widened in shock, then started to burn in anger. "Because you'll help me! Because you always do!"
He took a step forward and placed his hand on her shoulder, swiftly but gently pushing her against the tree behind her, locking her eyes with his. "What am I to you, Caroline? The one you call when nobody else picks up? The one to save the day for you, that you can use however you like and then drop as soon as he's done his job?"
Her eyes widened in shock again. He was really intimidating, a calm fury in his eyes.
But in the end it only fueled hers more.
"Excuse me? You are the one who wanted to be 'friends'! I helped you with Silas!"
He cocked his head to the side, his jaw clenched. "I saved your life twice, I even saved you from Alaric. When you plotted against me there were no consequences. I even let Tyler walk away for you!"
She leaned forward, almost shouting in his face. "You tried to kill me twice! And you didn't let him walk, you sentenced him to an eternity of paranoia! You took him away from me!"
He took a deep breath, obviously trying to compose himself.
He leant in a little closer, menace in his eyes and his tone of voice. "Don't you think for a second I didn't catch him leaving Mystic Falls at prom."
The anger left her eyes, replaced by raw fear.
"I let him walk," he spat, "again. For you."
She sighed in relief, breathing still labored for a moment.
She shook her head, then looked up at him, first shaken, then angry, then shaken again.
"Thank you," she finally said and the look in her eyes made him feel like his heart was being ripped in two.
"Come with me," he said. "To New Orleans, let me take you with me, away from here."
She looked away. "No."
Then her head snapped towards him again, her brows furrowed. "You're leaving again?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded, fixing his burning gaze on hers again.
"Yes."
"You're leaving us alone with Silas," she whispered.
He licked his lips. "Come with me."
"No!" she spat, angrily. "No. These are my friends, I'm gonna stand by their side, even if I have to die in the process."
Now his eyes widened, the shock quickly replaced by fury.
"These people…," he said, his voice hard, "These people don't deserve your affections, much less you sacrificing your life for them."
She pushed his hand away from her shoulder, taking a threatening step forward.
"These are my friends. I won't let you talk about them like that! We've been through so much and even now we will somehow make it through-"
"Are they, though?" he interjected. "Were they there for you when you needed them like you were for them? Were they there for you when you turned?"
Shock returned to her features.
"I talked to Stefan. I know," he went on. "The witch, the doppelganger – they can't even see you for what you are. They treat you like the shallow little cheerleader you never really were."
Now she was screaming. "You have no idea what you're talking about! Get away from me!" she pushed him but he let her, controlling his anger.
"You deserve better," he insisted, taking hold of her upper arms. "Let me show you."
She shook her head, angrily. He saw that he had hit home.
"Why should I trust you of all people," she spat, locking her eyes with his. "You destroy everything you love. Your whole life is nothing but a story of burning bridges and shedding blood." She accentuated each word.
Anger returned to his eyes as he pushed her into the tree again but she could still feel that he was holding back, his movement controlled and almost careful.
"I won't with you," he retorted, piercing her with his gaze. "I want you out of Silas' reach."
"I'm not a fucking commodity! I make my own choices!"
"I know!" he barked, then took a deep breath to compose himself. "I know. And I respect that. You know I do." His eyes bore into hers again. "I just can't let you let yourself get hurt. What else do I have to do?"
She laughed dryly, her voice menacing. "How about you wait your fucking century."
Both of them stilled, and the anger left her face to be replaced by an expression of surprise.
This meant-
His eyes were vibrant with emotion and for a moment she could see herself in them, flustered and helpless. She'd just said that one day, (in a year or in a century) there would be a chance.
I am not ready.
Which really meant – I will be ready one day.
Somewhere in time her perspective had shifted. She'd never wanted to talk to him like this, as if there was something personal between them, a place only the two of them knew. Yet she couldn't help it, every time they met. No matter how hard she tried to fight it, it was there and she couldn't shake it.
And now – she hadn't even known herself she thought that.
This had turned into a very uncomfortable situation.
"Did you just-" he asked then licked his lips.
"No," she whispered, her voice unsure. "No, I just – god, I hate you."
It was lame, really, the words uttered so fleetingly she didn't even believe them herself. She couldn't stop looking in his eyes, these pools of raw emotion. No matter what he said, they would always betray him. She knew him way too well.
Suddenly his lips crushed down on hers and despite herself she responded, instantly burying her hands in his hair, pulling him closer.
It was like a dam was breaking, a wall that should never have been there crumbled into nothingness.
He kissed her fervently, his lips caressing hers until she opened them and their tongues met in a dance that had her week in the knees. Every coherent thought fled her mind.
But she knew, for a moment, that she was letting go, that she was doing what she really wanted. For a moment, only for a short moment.
Then, suddenly, he pulled back, looking at her like he had just realized what he had done.
Her mind cleared immediately – she'd deal with this later, now she had things to do, priorities.
"If you won't help me I will go there and stop him from hurting Matt, even if it is me that gets hurt in return."
Reality hit him and his eyes turned ablaze again. She could vividly see the battle he was fighting. Finally, he growled in annoyance, his lips forming a snarl.
"Fine," he answered.
She sighed in relief and turned to head towards the Salvatores, desperately trying to slow down her heartbeat. Not now.
After a few seconds she heard him follow.
Right, okay, Matt to focus on.