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The stillness of the car roused Caroline from her nap. She opened her eyes and saw that they were parked outside yet another cheap motel. Yay.

After leaving Mystic Falls, they'd quickly established a routine of driving most of the day and sleeping at night - a routine that Caroline had tired of just as quickly. She didn't understand why they couldn't just fly down to Florida. So what if they didn't allow weapons on airplanes. Hello, vampires! She and Damon could've just performed their jedi mind-tricks on a few airline employees.

But when she'd suggested ditching the car for a jet, Damon had categorically overruled her. In her more uncharitable moments, she wondered if he was really so eager to find his brother. Maybe he thought he finally had a shot with Elena now that Stefan was out of the picture.

Caroline hopped out of the car with the others. The waning moon was high in the sky, reminding her of Tyler and home. Her throat ached as a wave of homesickness washed over her and she made a mental note to call her mom later.

Groaning, Elena stretched her arms above her head. "Oh, my back."

Damon set off towards the office. After a few paces he swung round and, walking backwards, leered at them. "One bed or two?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Still not funny, Damon."

"Two rooms, Damon," Elena called. "I'll share with Caroline."

He pouted, but turned and continued to the motel office.

"You don't have to keep telling him that, you know," Caroline said. "He knows damn well he's not getting any snuggle time with us. He's just trying to push my buttons."

"Then don't let him," Elena said as she pulled open the back of the SUV.

Sure, easy for her to say. Damon wasn't using her as the punchline to all his lame jokes. Speaking of the devil, Damon reappeared with two keys in his hand. He tossed one to Elena, then hauled her bag and Caroline's out of the trunk. Caroline pulled the rear door shut and followed them to a room at the end of the motel block.

As they filed into the room Elena's phone rang. She grabbed it from her pocket, looked at the display, and blanched. "It's Mr Hopkins again," she said, glancing at Caroline.

"Oh, crap."

Damon dropped their bags next to one of the beds. "What's the big deal? Just make something up."

"I can't keep lying to him," Elena said.

"Sure you can."

"But-"

"Elena, we don't need any more complications right now. Take care of it."

Elena looked at Caroline, who nodded. Damon was right, loathe as she was to admit it. It was safer for all of them if they kept Bonnie's dad out of the loop. Pacing to the other side of the room, Elena answered the call.

"Mr Hopkins. Hi!"

With her heightened senses, Caroline easily heard the anxiety in Mr Hopkins's voice as he asked about his daughter. Looking nervous, Elena twirled a finger in her hair.

"Bonnie?" she said. "Yeah, she's fine...as far as I know." She paused to listen. "Oh, well, I think there's a problem with her cellphone. She...she dropped it the other day."

Watching Elena field Mr Hopkins's questions, Caroline sank onto the end of the bed, grateful that it wasn't her. She'd known Bonnie's dad for most of her life and she'd never been able to lie to him. She remembered one particular incident involving Bonnie, indoor tennis, and a smashed vase. All it had taken was one firm, paternal look, and Caroline had crumbled like a stale cookie.

"She's not?" Elena said. "Well, if she's not at home then I'm not sure where she might be. Maybe she's hanging out with Jeremy." Her face fell as she listened to his response. "Oh. Oh, you did? Then I guess she's probably...er...she's probably with Caroline."

Caroline shot to her feet, throwing her arms out in a "what the hell" gesture. Holding up a hand, Elena gave her an apologetic look.

"Yes, next time I see her I'll tell her to call you." She grimaced. "Okay, bye, Mr Hopkins."

With a puff of relief, Elena ended the call.

"Elena!"

"I know. I'm sorry." She looked crestfallen. "I panicked."

"What am I gonna tell him?" Caroline said.

Damon chuckled, earning a glare from both girls. Caroline opened her mouth to tell him where to shove it when her phone began to ring. Reluctantly, she pulled it from her pocket. The caller was unknown, but she knew exactly who it was - they all did. She stared at the screen.

"Caroline?" Elena said.

After a few more rings, Caroline tucked the phone back in her pocket. "I can't." Feeling drained, she flopped onto the nearest bed.

Damon shook his head. "Wimp."

"Asshole," she snapped.

"Okay!" Elena said, hastily moving between them. "We're all tired, so maybe it's time to get some rest." She shooed Damon towards the door. "Goodnight, Damon."

"Goodnight, Elena," he said with a sunny smile. He strolled to the door, but halted just short of the threshold. "Let's go, Caroline."

"Go?" Caught off-guard, she lifted her head to stare at him. "Go where?"

"The hospital. You want to eat, don't you?"

"Oh. Yeah."

Elena's SUV didn't have an icebox, so the blood bags Damon had packed had lasted all of three days. Grudgingly, Caroline swung her legs off the bed. She'd been looking forward to a hot shower and veging out for a few hours.

"Can't you go and get it?" she said.

Damon snorted. "What do I look like, room service? Move it."

With a sympathetic look, Elena threw her the key. "In case I'm asleep when you get back."

Dragging her feet, Caroline followed Damon out to the car and got in. As they pulled out of the parking lot, she stared out the window, thinking of all the people she'd rather be with than Damon - which included just about anyone she'd ever met. She wondered what Matt was doing, whether he was working at the bar or just hanging out. She thought about Tyler and Bonnie and her mom and dad. All the people she might never see again.

"Stop sulking," Damon said. "It's annoying."

"I'm not sulking. I'm thinking."

"Oh? I didn't know there was a difference with you."

"Bite me."

"Been there, done that," he said with a toothy grin.

"You really wanna stop reminding me of that."

"Or what?"

"Damon," she said, scowling.

"Okay, okay, calm down before you crack the windscreen."

"What?"

"You get kinda screechy when you're upset." He glanced at her. "What? You didn't know that?"

Gritting her teeth, Caroline resisted the urge to ram her fist in his face. "I do not get screechy."

Damon smirked. "If you say so."

"God, why do you have to be so...so..."

"Handsome, charming, witty, all of the above."

"You! Why do you have to be so you? Everything that's going on and you're still acting like a dick. I mean, Klaus could be doing who knows what to Stefan right this second. Do you even care about that?"

His face remained impassive, but she heard the steering wheel creak under his grip. In a tight voice, he said, "Just because I don't express every emotion I feel every second of the day, doesn't mean I don't feel anything."

"You could have fooled me."

"That wouldn't be hard," he said, regaining a touch of snarkiness.

"I guess not," she said with a shrug. "Like when you saved me from Tyler in the woods. You had me fooled then." Caroline waited for him to look at her. "For a second there, I thought you actually cared."

Damon's eyes flickered and he turned back to the road. "It was a reflex, Caroline. Nothing more."

"Right." Caroline swivelled her head to stare out into the night. She hadn't really expected anything from him, let alone an admission that he was actually worried or afraid, but she felt disappointed nonetheless.

Ten minutes later they drove past a large sign marked Xavier Hospital.

"Hey, you passed it," she said.

"I know. I'll stop there on the way back."

"The way back? From where?"

"You'll see."

Glancing out the window, Caroline noticed that the area they were driving through was fairly rundown. Many of the buildings were covered in graffiti. Some had boarded up windows and doors. There were few people out on the street and the whole neighbourhood felt darker, more dangerous. She started to get suspicious.

Damon finally pulled over half a block down from a corner bar. Rock music blared out the front door and a bunch of people were clustered together on the sidewalk, puffing on cigarettes. Caroline released her seat belt and prepared for a fight.

"If you think you're offloading me in some skanky part of town, you can think again, mister. Not gonna happen."

Damon switched off the engine. She tensed, but all he did was twist his body to face her. "How much do you want to help Bonnie? I mean, really?"

"I told you, I'm gonna do whatever it takes."

His pale eyes glittered in the dark. "Yeah? Well, here's your chance to prove it."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're a young vampire, which is already a huge disadvantage, so you need to be as strong as possible, and that means feeding on the good stuff." He nodded towards the smokers. "Human blood, fresh off the vine."

A thrill of anticipation thrummed up her spine, but she shook her head. "I can't."

"You just said you'd do whatever it took."

"And I will, but not this."

"Why not?"

She huffed. "Because I'm not gonna hurt anyone, Damon."

He cocked his head. "Sure you will, and what's more, you want to."

"My mom wouldn't want me to. Neither would Bonnie."

"Well, which would you prefer? Dead Bonnie or disapproving Bonnie."

"But-"

"Come on, Caroline, you're a freaking vampire. I shouldn't have to talk you into this."

"Just because I'm a vampire, doesn't mean I'm a killer."

"Oh, yeah? Cause two dead deputies and a carnie say otherwise."

She glared at him. "Seriously? You're gonna throw that in my face? After I saved your worthless ass."

"And I will be forever grateful, believe me, but don't act like you didn't enjoy it. We both know better." Tapping the steering wheel with his fingers, he stared across the street. "Look, you don't actually have to kill anyone. All I'm saying is that if you're going to survive, you need to embrace your vampire side. Don't pretend to be less than you are."

"You do."

"What?"

"When you're with Elena. Being all sweet and lovey-dovey. Pretending that you're not a blood-drinking, homicidal tool."

Damon's eyes widened and he started to grin. In a sing-song voice, he said, "I think somebody's jealous."

"Over what? You don't love Elena. You're obsessed with her."

His face hardened. "My feelings for Elena are real."

"Sure they are. And I'm sure that you deciding you were in 'love' with her two seconds after finding out that Katherine had kicked you to the kerb had nothing to do with it."

Damon was on her so fast she thought the car had tumbled upside down. Squeezing her throat, he snarled in her face. Her fangs came out, an instinctive response to the threat he presented, but though she tried with all her might to buck him off, she found she could barely move.

"I didn't bring you here to dissect my love life," he hissed.

"Then why did you bring me here?" she squeaked.

He blinked several times, as if her question had caught him off-guard. After a few tense moments the blackness faded from his eyes and he pushed himself off her.

"I told you why." Damon laughed and shook his head in disgust. "Screw it. Do whatever you want, Caroline. I don't give a damn." He hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut. Biting her lip, she watched him stalk across the road and disappear into the bar.

His absence was a relief at first, but then she started to think about what he'd said. And she couldn't help but wonder if he was right, especially since he knew, really knew, what she was going through.

It didn't matter how much her friends sympathised, they didn't get what it was like to be a vampire. To crave blood every second that she was awake and sometimes when she wasn't. Stefan had been great in the days just after she was turned, taking care of her and teaching her to how to control her cravings, but after a while everyone just expected her to deal. And so she did.

On the outside she was the same bubbly, confident cheerleader, even if she did think about biting into someone's neck at least fifty times a day. Hell, just the other week Maria Westlake had all but offered herself on a silver platter, what with her hair pulled up and that pretty, heart-shaped neckline. But that wasn't the kind of thing Caroline could talk about with her best gal pals. For one thing, she couldn't bear to see the revulsion on their faces, and for another, there was just no way they could ever understand.

She peered across the street, but Damon was nowhere in sight. There was no telling how long he was going to make her wait, and he'd taken the car keys with him. Restless, she got out of the car and paced back and forth on the sidewalk.

Damon's physical attack had her all riled up. She hated that he was stronger than her; always had been, always would be. And the hollow sensation in her belly was growing stronger. She was getting hungry. She felt as if she was going to explode if she didn't spill some blood soon.

Turning, she eyed the smokers across the road. She didn't much care for the taste of nicotine in the blood, but, hey, beggers couldn't be choosers. It was either that or go into the bar and suffer Damon's smug face.

The door of the bar slammed open and a young man tottered out. He lurched into the smokers and they scrambled to get out of his way, swearing loudly. Mumbling apologies, the young man staggered off down the street. Caroline's fangs itched as she saw a couple of the smokers, two men in denim jackets, break off from the pack and shadow him.

Without really knowing what she was going to do, she followed them, zipping back and forth between doorways to keep out of sight. A few blocks from the bar, the smokers pounced, dragging the drunk man into a side alley.

The smart thing to do would be to wait until they were done with him, then take what she needed from what was left. But his desperate cry for help had her speeding towards the alley before she even realised what she was doing.

As she entered the narrow lane she took in the static scene. The thugs had the young man up against the wall, one of them frozen in mid-punch. Their victim's face was contorted with fear and blood was already dribbling from his mouth. As Caroline came to a stop, their movements skipped back into normal speed. She grabbed the man's fist before he could make contact. His head whipped round.

"Hi!" she said. She gripped him by the scruff of the neck and tossed him out of the alley.

"Hey!" The second thug grabbed her arm. "What do you think you're-"

She easily broke his grip and wrapped her hand around his throat. Bringing his face close to hers, she bared her fangs and snarled, enjoying the look of pure terror in his eyes. All his aggression died away and he whimpered in fear. Grinning, she threw him out the same way as his buddy. She heard them flee, but she let them go. They weren't the ones she was interested in.

Pivoting, she saw that the young man had slumped to the ground, apparently unconscious. She crouched beside him and touched his shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered open. "Course I am," he slurred. Whiskey, the cheap and nasty kind, was heavy on his breath.

"How much did you have to drink?" she said.

He started to topple over and she clutched his arm to keep him upright. He was younger than she'd first thought, barely out of high school by the looks of him. Guess she knew now why he'd trekked down to this sleazy bar to get a drink. She shook him, none too gently.

"Hey, stay with me, okay?"

"I'm awake, I'm awake," he said, opening his eyes wide. His head bobbed to one side. "Hey, you're cute."

"So are you," she said, automatically rewarding him with a flirty smile. "What's your name?"

"Corey. What's yours?"

She hesitated. "Caroline."

Corey touched his bleeding lip and winced. Unable to help herself, she leaned closer, inhaling the intoxicating aroma of his blood. He glanced up and jumped.

"Your eyes!"

"It's okay." Holding him down, she looked him in the eye and reached into his mind, bending his will to her own. "Don't be afraid. I helped you and now you're gonna help me, right?"

His face went slack. "Sure."

"Close your eyes and relax. This won't hurt."

Corey obeyed and she immediately sank her fangs into his neck. His body jerked once, but he didn't struggle as she pulled him close. It had been a while since she'd last drunk from a human and she savoured every mouthful. His blood was warm and sweet, sliding down her throat as easily as fine brandy. He went limp in her arms and she took a few more swallows before withdrawing her fangs. Carefully, she lay him down and stood.

Licking her lips, Caroline studied him a moment and started to walk away. But her conscience didn't let her get past the mouth of the alley. With a rueful shake of her head, she returned to hoist him off the ground. Tugging his arm over her shoulders, she wrapped her arm securely around his waist.

Moving swiftly, Caroline retraced her steps to the bar. She found Damon leaning against the car tapping his foot. His face turned stony when he spotted Corey.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Hey, this was your bright idea."

"It wasn't my idea for you to bring back leftovers. Even baby vamps know better than that." He opened the car door. "Dump him and let's go."

She didn't move. "No. We're dropping him off at the hospital."

Resting a hand on top of the door, Damon stared her down. "Oh no we're not."

"What's the big deal? We're going to the hospital anyway, aren't we? I'll just zip into the ER. No one will even see me."

"Caroline..."

She just stared back.

Damon sighed. "Make sure he doesn't bleed all over the seat," he said as he climbed into the SUV.

Flushed with blood and success, Caroline eased Corey into the back seat, cradling his head on her shoulder. He'd be okay, she told herself as the car pulled away. After all, if she hadn't rescued him, he'd have a lot worse than a bleeding lip and some missing blood. She'd done him a favour, really.

A sudden chill made her shiver. She caught sight of her reflection in the rear-vision mirror and, after a long moment, she looked away.

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