Stefan was feeling uneasy, to say the least.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was shining bright, right through the closed curtains on his bedroom window. His bedside clock marked 7:32am exactly, and he had both his hands under his head, while he stared insistently at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep.

Being a vampire had its perks, of course, but it also had its downfalls, and not being able to sleep anytime he wanted to was one of them. Humans sleep because they're tired. They get tired because they're weak. Vampires aren't weak.

Sometimes, when he tried really hard, he could do something he called "disconnecting himself from the outside world". It was almost like sleeping, really. Except he didn't dream. He rests his mind and his spirit, but his body needs no rest. It makes everything harder.

He remembered that back when he was still a human, sleeping had always been something Stefan loved to do. Not because he was lazy, not at all. He had always been far away from being lazy. He loved sleeping because it was just darkness and once in a while his dreams. Being a Salvatore was hard, and sometimes it took its toll and the only thing Stefan could do to escape was sleep.

He couldn't sleep at that very moment, though. He wanted to. He would give anything to slip into unconsciousness as fast as he could, because Stefan thought too much and thinking too much made him feel uneasy and he hated feeling like that. Powerless, like the world was crumbling around him and the only thing he could do was watch.

His mind felt weary. All the tension from the events of the last week still pricked at his whole being. Everyone had seemed to forget about it, but not Stefan. Never Stefan. He worried too much, people would say. He knew they were right. But if he didn't worry, who would? Certainly not Elena, nor Caroline, much less Damon.

Stefan often thought about what would happen when Klaus finally found them and decided to make a visit in person. He did his best to hide his worries, though. He thought of Caroline and how hard it must be for her to be going through all of that. One day, she's a normal young adult, going through a break-up and trying to work things out in the big city. The next day, she's hiding from a vampire in a house full of other vampires who sometimes call in a friendly witch to help. She didn't need the constant reminder of how dangerous everything really was.

Footsteps on the hall got Stefan's attention. They were heading for his bedroom, and he contemplated pretending he was asleep, but he didn't have enough time to do so before the door got opened.

"Stefan?" It was a girl's voice. Elena.

He looked up from his bed, giving her a small smile. "Hi."

"Damon's asleep." She said, closing the door as quietly as she could. She made her way to his bed and sat on the edge, while Stefan himself switched to a comfortable sitting position. Stefan wished he could sleep as easily as his brother. "Where were you two last night? Damon and I barely talked when he came home." She smiled playfully.

"I don't need to know that." He said, but he smiled back, not wanting to sound rude. "We were at Bonnie's, checking on her, seeing if she needed anything. And then we stopped at the Grill to get some quality brotherly time."

"Really?" Elena's voice was surprised but joyful.

Stefan scrunched his nose. "Not really. We just had a few drinks while I listened to him talk about how I need to get laid."

"Oh," Elena exclaimed. "Now that makes sense."

Stefan nodded. "What about you and Caroline?" He questioned. He hadn't talked to Caroline since before he left for Bonnie's.

"We talked." Elena spoke mysteriously.

"About what?" He couldn't help but ask.

"I can't tell you, can I? That would be breaking the girl's code." She teased.

Stefan shrugged. "Whatever, I don't really want to know."

"Yeah, alright." Elena giggled.

Stefan suddenly looked at Elena seriously. "Is she okay?"

Elena seemed to ponder on that for a second. "She is. I mean, in this situation, she's as okay as she can be. But she's strong. If she's afraid or worried, she's not showing it. Are you okay?"

Stefan paused for a moment. Was he okay? "I guess so." He answered truthfully. He thought he was okay, considering.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"I'm worried." He confessed, a sad smile appearing on his lips.

"You always are." She said.

"I know."

"Then stop."

Stefan took a deep breath. "I wish it were that easy."

Elena gave him an understanding look. "Things happen. People change. I changed, Damon changed. You can change too."

"I know I can. I don't know if I want to, though." He admitted. "It's like no one cares. You and Caroline keep going out, by yourselves, no one to protect you if anything happens. Damon makes jokes and drinks himself into close stupors and walks around on his underwear like everything's alright. I have to worry about Klaus, about the possibility that we may all get killed because if I don't, no one else will."

"Of course we are worried, Stefan. I'm worried for you, for Damon, for Caroline, for Jer, for everyone. Even for me. But I'm not going to let fear and worry and doubt consume me. You do that. You think you're hiding it from everyone, but you're not. It's written all over your face. We all worry, too, but we know how to control it. You need to learn how to control that too, because all it ever does is destroy you." She said, a serious look on her face.

Stefan sighed. "Why are you always so right about everything?" Elena giggled. "It's annoying." He said, smiling.

"I'm just really, really smart!" She exclaimed. "And I know you. More than you think I do."

"Despite the circumstances, I'm glad I'm here. I'm glad we're friends." Stefan said, somewhat shyly.

"Me too." Elena smiled.

"I don't think you should have a say on what we're having for lunch. You don't even need real food." Caroline said, her eyebrows raised.

Damon's eyes widened. "You are getting way to smart for my taste. I do enjoy real food too, you know? And I say we should have burgers."

"I say pizza." Caroline insisted.

"Pizza for lunch? That's weird." Damon said. "You are weird, though, so I guess it's a good fit."

"Oh, yeah, you're one to tell. You drink blood, for God's sake." She teased him.

"Hey, so do I!" Elena exclaimed.

"Me too, Caroline." Stefan said.

"Well, you are all weird, then. And since I'm the only human being in this residence, I'm saying we're going to order pizza.

"Fine!" Damon gave up. "Order your damn pizza, woman."

Elena started giggling and Caroline got up from the couch, a proud smile on her face. "Told you I would convince him." She said to Stefan excitedly, and he swore his heart swelled.

Thirty minutes later, Elena, Damon, Stefan and Caroline sat the their couch, slices of pizza on their hands, while they talked and laughed and ate. Those were the moments Stefan treasured the most. Even though all those worries never left his mind, he managed to push at least a half of them aside, and enjoy the moment. Caroline's laugh was his favorite thing out of everything.

Seeing her laugh almost made up for all the times he saw her cry or feel scared and helpless.

Almost.

Stefan had forgotten how insolent Kol could be.

He hadn't spared a single thought for the younger original brother in years. Klaus never mentioned him, not even once. He mentioned Elijah now and then, he talked about how sometimes he missed his older brother, who was somewhere out there in the world with Katherine, but he never spoke about Kol. He didn't mention Rebekah either, except for the one time Stefan let himself ask out loud if he had talked to her recently, and all he said was "No. And I probably never will again."

That's why it took him by surprise when Kol was standing on his doorstep, his trademark smirk splattered on his face. "Hello, Stefan." He said, his thick accent even thicker now, Stefan had no idea how.

His first instinct was to attack the vampire. They didn't exactly part in good terms, and he feared he was there at Klaus' commands. As if Kol could read his thoughts, he smiled. "I'm not here because of Klaus."

Stefan didn't dare move an inch. Kol's head tilted to the left and his eyebrows knitted together. "Well, I am here because of Klaus, but not for him." Kol shrugged. "Whatever. You're smart enough, you know what I mean."

He did. Kind of. He wouldn't risk it, though. "I think you should leave. There's nothing here for you." Stefan said bitterly.

Kol brought his hand to his heart. "Ouch. You're hurting my feelings. Of course there's something in here that peaks at my interest. If there weren't, I sure as hell wouldn't be here."

"Then what is it that interests you?" Stefan asked, dreading the answer.

"Caroline."

Stefan fists clenched. "She's not here."

Kol scoffed. "I can smell her from down here, Stefan. I'm not stupid."

"That's debatable." Stefan spat out.

Kol smiled sarcastically. He rolled his eyes and tried walking through the door, but he found himself unable to enter the house. "Seriously?" Kol asked, almost amused. "You really think this is going to keep Klaus out?"

"It's keeping you out."

"Not for long." Kol winked.

"Why would you think that? We're not letting you in."

Kol took a deep breath in annoyance. "There are more important questions to be answered, Stefan. Like, how do I know about Caroline? I'll tell you why. Everyone does. Every vampire who knows Klaus knows Caroline now. He's making it his life mission to find this girl and whoever knows him is going to help. Some of them are going to help Klaus, whether it's because they fear him or genuinely want to help, which I doubt ever happens, or because they have nothing better to do."

"Some of them?" Stefan asked, curious as to why anyone, apart from his insane self, would want to help Caroline.

"Yes, Stefan. Some of them. There are still some decent vampires out there who own absolutely nothing to Klaus. Vampires that do in fact care for human life, vampires that know you're involved with her and would rather stay by your side than help Klaus kill an innocent girl and the Salvatore clan."

"Whose side are you on?"

Kol smiled. "Me? Oh, that's debatable."

Stefan rolled his eyes. Kol had an habit of pissing the hell out of him. "Can you just answer the question already?"

"I don't like you, Stefan, but I hate my brother. I'd take someone I dislike over someone I hate any day."

Stefan knew Kol too well to actually believe he was a hundred percent on his side, but he was in no position to deny extra help.

He did the only thing he could think of to fix his dilemma. "Meet us at the Grill in thirty minutes.", he told Kol, and even though he tried protesting and laughing at Stefan's insecurity, he ended up agreeing and leaving the Salvatore's house doorstep at last.

Stefan closed the door, somewhat relieved, and made for Caroline's room. He found her on her bed with a laptop on her lap, reading something with so much focus she didn't even realize the faces she was making.

He knocked lightly on her door and she jumped. "Stefan, hi. You scared me."

Stefan smiled. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. What are you reading?"

Caroline closed the laptop and put it aside. "A Sherlock Holmes story."

Stefan couldn't help the surprised look that crept up his face. "Sherlock Holmes? I never took you for that kind of girl."

"There's a lot you still don't know about me." She said. "It's good, though, I really enjoyed seeing your surprised face. I gotta do this more often."

Stefan laughed. "Yeah, okay." He sat on her bed and she adjusted herself so she was sitting right next to him, their shoulders nearly touching. "I have to talk to you about something."

Caroline's smile faded. "What is it?" Stefan could hear her heartbeat racing.

"It's nothing to worry about, relax." He touched her arm and she nodded, taking a deep breath. "It's just... Kol's in town. He's Klaus' younger brother."

"Another original?" She asked.

"Yes. He's not very fond of Klaus. I think their relationship is actually even worse than Klaus and Rebekah's relationship. Klaus was all Rebekah had for a long while. Kol spent more than enough time lying half-dead in a coffin to have any love for Klaus. He says he wants to help."

"Well, did you know him? Before today?"

"I did, yeah. Kol was very selfish. He never cared about anyone else as long as he had what he wanted."

"And now?"

"Now he says every vampire who knows Klaus is after you. Some want to help you, some want to help Klaus. He wants to help you because he hates Klaus. In a way, this is typical Kol. He just wants to get back at his brother, and helping you is the way to do it."

"Helping us." Caroline corrected him.

"Yeah, us."

"So what are we going to do?"

Stefan shrugged and sighed deeply. "Honestly? I have no idea."

"Well," Caroline started. "It's been a while. Maybe he's really changed. Plus, we're in no position to turn down help. I think we should trust him. Not completely though. Let's watch him, let's see if he's really changed. And if he's not... Well, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

Stefan was too reluctant to bring Caroline along with him to the Grill. He tried protesting, but it didn't get him anywhere. He should have known that; Caroline had become an expert in manipulating him into letting her do whatever she wanted to. For better or for worse.

He wasn't stupid, though. He made sure to bring Damon and Elena with him, while Jeremy and Bonnie were aware of their whereabouts all the time. He wanted to tell Rebekah too, but he figured it'd be best to let Kol deal with her afterwards.

"I see you brought the whole pack." Kol teased. He was standing in the door, with a smirk on his face and his hands on his pocket. Stefan rolled his eyes. "Just get in." He said, his patience barely present.

Kol walked in first, but not before staring at Caroline for what felt like an eternity. It made him uncomfortable. He thought it would do the same to her, but his thoughts were shattered away when the words "He's cute" came out from her mouth, directed to a giggling Elena.

Great, he thought. Now there's no getting worse.

They all sat at a center table, Stefan putting as much distance between Kol and Caroline as he could. Damon eyed his brother suspiciously. Stefan ignored him; that was no time for brotherly teasing. That was not jealousy. That was a precaution. Stefan didn't know how much he could really trust Kol.

"I don't think we've met. My name is Kol." Kol said to Caroline, showing out his hand, asking for hers. "You must be Caroline." She gave him her hand and he kissed it lightly. "It's a pleasure."

Caroline smiled. "The pleasure is all mine." Her smile didn't disappear until she was sitting safely in her chair, facing Damon, who was sitting to Kol's right.

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Ew. Okay."

Kol rolled his eyes. "I still have my manners, Damon, which is more than I can say for you."

"Oh, really? I don't think being a crazy blood-sucking psychopath classifies as mannerism." He said, his tone as sarcastic as ever.

"I am indeed crazy and I do suck blood, just as you do. The psychopath part though, I beg to differ. You're confusing me with the other Original, you know, the one who wants to kill you all."

"Oh, come on, now. You got the psycho gene too, and we all know it."

Elena cleared her throat. "Are the kids done with their bantering? The adults wish to speak now."

Kol raised his eyebrows at Elena. "I see you've been getting a few lessons from this one." He pointed at Damon.

"Whatever," Damon said. "You said you wanted to help us, so help us."

"Ah!" Kol's trademark smirk was once again back on his lips. "I said I intended to help Miss Caroline, not you lot."

"That's funny, since you said you were on my side." Stefan spoke up, recalling their conversation at his doorstep.

"If I want to help Caroline, then I'm obviously on your side. It doesn't mean I'm going to care about your life and help you directly." Kol said, somewhat bored.

"You see, here's the thing," Caroline crossed her arms on the table. "You help me, you help them. That's the deal."

"I'm getting a deal now? That's exciting."

Caroline smiled. "Exciting indeed."

Damon eyed the pair curiously. "I'm gonna vomit." Stefan was close to that, too.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Fine. What do you think you can help us with, Kol?"

Kol smiled widely. "With just about everything."

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