Because you're you-And I'm me

A/N: I'm back. *Wheeee*. And slightly disappointed. I'm not getting as many reviews as I used to. Do you not like parts of the story? If so, tell me. Anyyywhooo.

Disclaimer: I don't own the vampire diaries. Le duh.

~VD~

"You…you love me?" Caroline asked in skepticism. Damon bit his lip. He had not meant for it to come out like this. He had meant for it to be romantic, to say it at the right time, not mid-argument. Oh god, what was happening to him? He'd never be able to face anyone again if they knew. He listened for Tyler and Jeremy in the hall. They had left. He exhaled relieved.

"Yeah, I do." He admitted. Caroline swallowed.

"You…you don't even know me." Her voice broke.

"But I want to know you." He said, quietly. He was trying to be as unattached as possible, or he'd forever be deemed a lovesick sap.

"Really?" She asked. "Are you sure you're not just after the amazing sex?" He chuckled.

"Yes. I'm sure." He nodded.

"But you don't even…"

"Know you? At least that's a step up from the last time a asked you something. Back then you said we don't know each other. Do you think you know me?" He asked.

"Sometimes I think so. Then you say or do the stupidest things ever." She smiled lovingly. He cocked his head at her.

"And other times?" He encouraged her to go on.

"Other times you are completely foreign to me." She said, absent-mindedly.

"What? You mean when I'm vampyric and bite you, yes?" He questioned. She shook her head.

"No. When you're being loving…and affectionate." She stuttered, her voice cracked.

"So you believe I love you then?" He asked, sitting on the hospital bed, putting his hand on her cheek. She turned her head away.

"I want to. It's just…"

"What is it?" He pressed.

"All my life, I've been pushed…to believe that all vampires are…bad." She sad, sputtering.

"I am bad." He replied smugly. Caroline looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. Damon realized she wasn't in the mood for his jokes fairly quickly.

"You…you don't understand." She said, starting to choke. Damon didn't notice.

"Then tell me!" He asked, desperately. She looked at him with sad eyes.

"You k..killed people. Bunches of them. Don't try to deny it. I know…about Tanner, and Brooke, and Darren…and…" She faded away.

"What? What is it? Dammit, Caroline. Tell me what I can change!" He asked frustrated, running his hand through his hair.

"It's nothing you did…Damon." She smiled warily. "It's…it's…you know I was tortured for months…by…a vampire. And now…I…can't accept the fact, that a vampire…is…in love with me." A tear rolled down her cheek. Damon looked at her, sadly.

"So you don't love me back then?" He asked, biting his lip.

"I…don't believe you actually love me." She croaked, reluctantly.

"Why? Because I'm a vampire, Caroline? I turned my emotions back on for you! You know that! How could you possibly doubt what I feel?" He asked, getting angry. She shook her head.

"You've known me less than a month! How could you possibly be there already?" She asked, her voice slurry. Damon cocked his head.

"Have you ever been in love?" Damon asked her. She looked up at him. She shook her head slowly.

"No." She said, quietly. Damon stared at her. He swallowed hard. He went in to kiss her. She lingered on his lips a little.

"Then maybe I'll be the first, someday." He smiled. She blinked a couple of times, trying to hold back the tears. She put a hand on his heart.

"Yeah. Maybe." She smiled. Damon let out a relieved sigh. Maybe things would turn out right eventually. And if she grew to love him, maybe one day she'd turn. All he knew, was he couldn't risk losing her.

"So…you want to talk about it?" He asked suggestively. She snapped her head to look at him.

"About what?"

"Oh stop the deflecting. The vampire…who tortured you, he's the one you're after, yes?" He pressed. He needed some answers. Maybe he could get Stefan to take him out. He knew a couple of good, strong vampires. He could raise an army, couldn't he? He'd do anything.

"Yes." She nodded, carefully.

"And the reason you ended up in this hospital. Did he hurt you? Does he know you're here? Does he think you're dead?" He continued asking. She shook her head.

"That wasn't him. That was someone who works for him. No, they do not think I'm dead. But they aren't going to try to come to Mystic Falls again, because they think I'll relocate." She murmured.

"And how do you know? How do you know they won't come back."

"They won't. I know them." She said, quietly.

"But you're still in danger. What if they come back, and this time, it's not just one? You almost died, going up against one. How do you think you'll do against more? Huh?" He yelled. She cocked her head.

"I'll live."

"But it's not living, if you're constantly hiding." He acknowledged.

"No. It's not. But it'll pass. I think I'll be fine."

"You know what I think? I think you have PTSD. A shitload of it. You need to go to a shrink."

"Oh please. What do I do there? 'Oh hey! Yeah, I've been tortured for months by all things that go bump-Ohh…" She ranted, before starting to cough hardly. She put her hand to her mouth, and Damon smelled blood. He wanted to page a nurse, but she stopped him.

"Don't. It's not my blood." She reassured. He made a disgusted face.

"Why would you have someone else's blood in your mouth?" He asked, confused. She looked just as confused.

"I don't know." She shrugged. She dipped a finger in the blood, and put it in her mouth. She closed her eyes for a second. Then her eyes snapped open, and she looked furious.

"That son of a bitch." She said, cursing. Damon looked at her curiously, but figured he had pressed enough information out of her for today.

"Are you 100% certain it's not your blood?" He asked, trying to get reassurance.

"Of course I'm sure. I know the taste. I can differentiate. Yours, for example, tastes like sex." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"I know you're just saying that to get me horny." He shook his head, amused.

"I'm not."

"Alrighty, let's get you discharged then, yes?" Damon asked, rubbing his hands together.

~VD~

Jeremy was sitting by the falls, thinking. He was utterly confused. Tyler had left to hook up with a random chick, because he was feeling horny. Jeremy looked at the moon. That was Tyler's undiscovered werewolf gene acting up, he knew it. He wondered what was going on with Caroline now. He didn't know if he could trust Damon.

He knew Caroline made Damon go all soft, but he also knew of Caroline's psychological problems. He knew she had problems being emotionally attached. He knew she was afraid of caring for people, out of fear she would lose them. He also knew Damon was very passionate about what he felt. This was not going to end well.

"You come out here to think too?" Bonnie asked, sitting beside him. He looked at her, irritated.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"To talk, maybe?" She suggested. He just looked even more pissed.

"Talk about what?"

"Caroline. I heard she woke up. That's good, right?" She tried.

"You know what? Don't talk to me." Jeremy said, standing up.

"Why not?" She asked, biting her lip.

"Uh, because you kissed me like the world was ending, and now aren't even bothering to bring it up?" Jeremy asked.

"Jeremy, I didn't mean to…" She started.

"Hey, I get it. I'm the stoner kid with no feelings. It's okay to toy with me. You're just like Vicky." He said, voice full of disdain. Bonnie looked at him, softly.

"Do you want me to be different than she is?" Bonnie asked quietly.

"I don't want you to be anything. I want you to leave me alone if you're not serious about something." He yelled.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not some emotionless stoner kid. I want you. And it fucking hurts that the first kiss from you was something you so deeply regret. So until you figure your shit out, leave me the hell alone." He said, before turning to walk away. Bonnie stood still, not knowing what to do.

~VD~

"I'm fine, Damon, really." Caroline said reassuringly, as she entered the house. Damon was on the other end of the call.

"Are you 100% sure?" He pressed.

"You know, this overprotective thing used to be cute. Now it's getting annoying. I'm tired. I wanna go to bed." She whined.

"You mean to tell me you've slept for three days, and you're still tired?" He asked, amused.

"Oh shut up. A coma is nothing like sleep."

"Sure it isn't." Damon said.

"Hey, unless you've been in a coma, you do not get an input into my sleep hours."

"I do if you're horny. I can tell you are. I can feel the wetness of your panties." He joked. But his voice was full of lust.

"Okay, where are you?" She asked, sensing him.

"Right behind you." He said as he snapped her phone shut. She turned around.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Good Evening, Miss Forbes." He said as he kissed her on the lips. "You ready to go to bed?" He asked, offering her his arm, chivalrously. She smiled.

"Yes. But not in a way you might think. I'm seriously tired. And there's the carwash tomorrow, etcetera, etcetera."

"A Carwash, huh?" He asked, amused.

"A sexy suds Carwash. You're welcome to help raise money." She suggested.

"You mean, other guys will get to see you wear a sexy outfit?"

"Aren't all my outfits sexy?" She asked, playing with his T-shirt.

"Well, yes. That's bad enough. But I can't make you dress like a nun, and I have to try really hard not to get a boner when we're in public, but they suit you. I meant, other guys are going to see you in a bikini? Really, Caroline?" He deadpanned. He was clearly pissed. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, really." She said as she took off her pants.

"I don't like it."

"I can't change it. Bonnie's forcing me." She shrugged.

"So? You were just in a coma for 3 days, you deserve to take a day off." He said, slipping into the covers next to her. She looked at him, skeptically.

"I already took off three days. People don't know I was in a coma." She said, turning off the light, and snuggling into Damon. Damon stroked her hair gently.

"Why don't you tell anyone?" He asked.

"It would seem like I was desperate for attention. Nobody goes to school after they've been in a coma for three days." She said, yawning a little.

"You do." He said.

"Because I have supernatural healing qualities." She murmured.

"Why?" He asked.

"They transferred it to me." She mumbled. Damon thought about that for a second.

"Who did?" He questioned, wrinkling his forehead. But he got no response. She was already asleep. He closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

~VD~

"Tiki! This one's yours." Caroline shouted as she filled Elena in, who had just arrived at the carwash. Stefan was walking behind her.

"No freebies, no friend passes, no 'pay-you-later's. We are not running a charity here." She reprimanded.

"No we are not." Elena nodded. Stefan smirked at Elena's determined expression. She turned to face him, chuckling.

"Um. Excuse me, guys. It's called 'Sexy Suds'. You're going to have to take some things off." She smiled sweetly. As Stefan and Elena launched into a flirt escapade, she turned away with a disgusted face. Two people in love. She and Damon weren't like that. But she didn't love him. Yet. She sighed. She didn't want to fall in love. Love made you weak. Suddenly, someone put their hands over her eyes.

"Guess who?" Tyler whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, she knows your voice, moron." Jeremy smirked. Caroline hugged Tyler, and then Jeremy. Lukas was standing there with them. Lukas had been sweet. It killed her to admit that she had no interest in him now. Lukas would've been perfect for her. For her normal plans. But apparently, she wasn't cut out for normal. She had to have the risks, and the danger, and the extraordinary.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked, happily.

"We're here to check on you." Jeremy smiled. "And To confirm our Sabaton concert." Lukas added wistfully. "Ugh…When was that again?" Caroline asked, having completely forgotten about it.

"We were going to leave tomorrow." Lukas shrugged.

"You guys…are going to a concert, and you didn't ask me?"

"You were being a dick." Jeremy shrugged. Tyler looked at him, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, I was being a dick? How about you? You weren't being a dick?" He retorted.

"Really? You want to have this conversation in front of them?" Jeremy asked, amused.

"Who's talking about conversation? I'd go full-out and brawl." Tyler responded. They fell into laughter. Caroline rolled her eyes, amused. Lucas looked skeptical.

"I can't go." Caroline said. This weekend was perfect.

"Why not?" Jeremy said, stopping his bitch fight with Tyler. All of them looked at her.

"I have something I have to really get done this weekend. Tyler can go. But if anyone asks, I went there with you, capisce?" She said, looking the three of them into the eye. They all nodded.

"Well, well, well. Where are we going, Caroline?" Lukas asked amused.

"Somewhere. Top secret mission and all." She winked at him.

"And you can't tell us?"

"Well, I could. But then I'd have to kill you." She smirked. He smiled.

"Very well, Ms. Bond. Have it your way."

"Certainly. Now, while you strip, and make yourselves busy washing cars, I'm going to make a phone call." She smiled. Then she walked away.

~VD~

Damon didn't like a lot of things. In fact, there was very little he did like. But he knew one thing. With Caroline Forbes, he'd stand through everything. Countless hours of shopping, movie marathons, etc. Hell, he held her in his arms for the entire night, and didn't once think about sex. All he had wanted, was for the night to never be over. He didn't know what to think about this side of him. He suppressed it.

She wasn't an ordinary girl, nor was she his usual type. He preferred stupid and vulnerable. But she was smart. She had a very strategic mind. She was vulnerable, but he'd never want to hurt her. He already hated her for wanting to kill her once. But where other girls willingly opened their heart to him, he had to pull every single thing out of her nose. It frustrated him beyond compare. She didn't love him. Not like he loved her. Because she was afraid he'd hurt her. When had he done anything, after they started dating of course, to make her think he would hurt her? He'd kill for her. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. And that bothered him.

The fact that he gave everything he had to her, so willingly. It was as if she didn't care about him, at all. She did though, he held on to that. But she never asked him questions about his past, or likings. He sighed. And now she was probably at some carwash, being ogled by handsome men her own age with whom she could grow old and have pretty, pretty babies. Why was he thinking about babies? That was very un-Damon Salvatore like. But he had changed completely, in the course of three weeks. Three weeks, three goddamn weeks, was all it took to reel in Damon Fuckin' Salvatore. He shouldn't be so easy. God, what was she doing to him?

He lay on his bed, naked. He wished she was here with him, not washing cars in her bikini. He couldn't stand not knowing what exactly she was doing. He hated being so whipped.

He got up to get dressed, and then headed out.

~VD~

Caroline entered the chamber where she had kept Damon for the first time. His blood still covered the floor. Bonnie hadn't come to clean then. Well, how could she? They hadn't been here since Damon was set free. She took out her phone, and started dialing a number she knew by heart.

"Lovely to hear you're back in the land of the living." Klaus mused from the other end.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ready. We can leave today evening." She said, cutting him off.

"Really? When did you have time to expand?" He asked.

"I killed Lucifer."

"He's a Demon, you can't kill him." Klaus said, irritated.

"Well, I didn't Kill him, kill him. But I beat the crap out of him and then ripped a dagger through his intestines." She replied dryly.

"Did you now? I suppose it didn't help much, seeing as how you collapsed and fell into a coma." He replied.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." She countered, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Well, how could you? You were asleep." He chuckled.

"Funny. I'll see you today evening." Caroline promised, looking around skeptically. He sighed.

"Where?"

"Richmond. You'll find me." She said as she ended the call. Then she turned off her phone, and stored it in the wall, behind bricks. This was going to be dangerous, and there was a huge chance she'd die. But she hoped that she wouldn't. She wanted to spend some more time with Damon. She had to say goodbye for now though. She really didn't feel up to it.

~VD~

"Lexie?" Stefan said in amazement as he beheld the vampire on top of him. Her face changed back to human, showing off her dimples in a cute smile.

"Hi." She said, pulling him up. He engulfed her in a hug instantly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked , delighted. She looked at him as if he was an idiot.

"Happy Birthday." She smiled widely.

~VD~

Caroline knocked on the door of the Salvatore Mansion. Normally, she wouldn't knock. But she did, feeling something important was going to happen. A blonde woman opened the door, and eyed her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Caroline Forbes. What are you doing here at this hour?" She asked, amused.

"I missed you too Lexie. How have you been?" She deflected. Lexie laughed. Then she pulled her in for a bear hug.

"My, my, you've grown. I can't believe you'll be eighteen next year." She said. "You're stronger too." She added, in thought.

"It's been too long, and I'd love to catch up, but I 'm here to speak to my boyfriend." Caroline said, stepping inside the house.

"You're Stefan's new girlfriend?" Lexie asked, completely shocked.

"No. Ew. I'm dating the other one." Caroline laughed. Lexie's eyes widened even more.

"Damon? You got Damon Salvatore to agree to a relationship? How the hell did you do that?"

"Actually, I…" Caroline started.

"I was the one that suggested one." Damon said, appearing next to Caroline. Lexie looked as though she was about to keel over.

"Liar." Lexie snorted.

"Nope. Now I believe my girlfriend came here to talk to me. So go meet Stefan in the woods and keep him from making bunnies extinct." Damon suggested, waving his hand around. Lexie left, with a smile on her face. Damon kissed Caroline. She smiled as she kissed him back.

"So…you wanted to talk?" He asked, releasing her mouth for a small fraction of time, before taking her lips again.

"Mhmm…" She said against his lips. "I'm leaving tomorrow." She exhaled after saying that. Damon stopped kissing her neck instantly.

"You're what?" He asked.

"The concert? Sabaton? The one Lukas and Jeremy invited me to?" She tested, trying to refresh Damon's memory.

"No. No, no, no." Damon said, pissed off.

"Excuse me?" Caroline said, slightly annoyed.

"You're not going." He said, seriously.

"What the hell? I don't remember asking for your permission to do something." Caroline yelled. He rolled his eyes.

"You're not going on a trip with them. You're not." He said, seeming like he was talking to himself more than he was to her.

"Uh…yes I am? They're my favorite band."

"So go with me." Damon shrugged.

"You don't have tickets?"

"I can compel myself in."

"You are not going to do that. Compulsion is…" Caroline started.

"Not Moral, unethical, blah blah blah. Last I checked, I'm a vampire. I don't care about that shit." He yelled.

"Well I do." She yelled back.

"Why? Because you were tortured? What? Did they compel you too? Next you'll tell me they took away your nightlight and blankie!" Damon screamed. The second those words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. Caroline swallowed hard. She pressed her lips together so she wouldn't cry. He could see it clearly. She moved around uncomfortably.

"I told you, you wouldn't understand it." She said, quietly. Her voice was barely a whisper. She couldn't afford to speak any louder. Her voice would crack, and then she'd have to admit that she cared.

"Because you never fuckin' tell me anything. Then you leave me, telling me it's my fault we can't be together because I'm a freakin' vampire. Something I didn't even chose. Then we do end up together, but still you won't tell me anything. I'm sick, and tired, of you being like this. And then you'll go ahead and leave me anyway, and it sucks." Damon yelled, almost breaking her eardrums.

"You said before you wouldn't care if it was just a few years, even that much would be a praise." She yelled back.

"That was before I fell in love with you."

"I never asked for you to love me." She said, frustrated.

"Why? Because you're so emotionally damaged you can't stay with someone? You can't love anyone? You can't trust anyone? Tell me if I'm getting close." Damon was beginning to become angrier than he should. All his built up frustration and sadness from being kept out of Caroline's world finally exploded.

"Well what do you want me to do?" She asked, her voice cracking more than once. Damon sighed. He took a few steps towards her, having distanced himself before so he wouldn't lash out on her.

"Don't leave me. Don't let me go. Be with me, stay with me…" He said, biting into his wrist, and holding it out towards her, and looking into her eyes. "…Forever. Be my forever, Caroline." He looked at her expectantly. "The choice is yours."

~VD~

What will Caroline do? Take your guesses. If I have made any mistakes in continuity of the story, please do alert me. I want to learn. Expand my powers of writing, so to speak. :D