A/N: Another one of these crazy concoctions of my brain. Set post-4x18.

My Wasted Heart

He opened his eyes abruptly and stared up at the ceiling. He could feel her next to him on his bed, "You're back."

"Well you had such a tough day, I thought it was due time that I paid you a visit."

"It's been a while," he commented while maintaining his staring contest with a crack in his ceiling.

"Yes, so much has happened since I last saw you: you killed your hybrids, Tyler's mom, tried to kill me."

"Yes yes, I'm well aware of my indiscretions."

"And I seem to be making sure you remember them," she laughed softly to herself.

He turned onto to his side to face her, grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled it around in his hand, mesmerized once again by her beauty.

"Your sheets are so soft!" She patted the fabric around her, "Is this Egyptian cotton?"

He chuckled and looked up at her, "How are you here?"

She turned to look him dead in the eyes, "You do know I'm a dream, don't you?"

He scoffed, "Of course I do, there is no reality where you would willingly be on my bed. And I think we've had enough of these meetings to deduce that."

He turned onto his back again and let his hands meet on his chest. The pain in his heart increased when her soft, small hand met his hard, large ones. It hurt so much to have her with him, but knowing that it isn't truly real.

"You know I'm only here when you have hope," she whispered as she moved closer to him.

"Because like the fool that I have become, I keep pining for you even though I know you love another, and you will never be mine."

"And yet, you are still allowing Tyler to come back. That can't be easy for you, to have your decisions made by a woman that doesn't love you back," she said as she kept on playing with his fingers.

"Maybe I'm just biding my time until the pup royally ruins things himself and you come to me willingly."

"And you are certain that I'll come to you?"

He smirked. "I'm certain of nothing. But that's why you're here, to give me hope."

"I don't give you hope, I am a result of your hope. But I have to admit granting Tyler his freedom is not a gesture that will go unappreciated by me, that's one thing you've done right lately." She smiled as he lifted up one of his arms and placed it around her to cradle her close to him.

"So we're friends now," he said while turning his head to look at her.

"Tentative friends," she corrected him, "You're still on probation, and I wouldn't be so excited to be in the friend zone if I was you."

"I don't care what zone I'm in as long as you don't look at me with disdain anymore. I wish you would always look at me as you are now. I know that it is just my own feelings being echoed in your eyes, but already it feels much more than I ever deserve." He moved his other hand across to cup her cheek. The electricity that was rife between them when he grabbed her arm still fresh in his memory, fueling his desire, his adoration, his love.

As he held her in his arms, this phantom, this figment of his over-active imagination he tried to imagine what it would be like to hold the real Caroline, the one who kept claiming to hate him but kept returning to him. He had seen her emotions turn from distaste to warmth in a matter of seconds and he longed for a time when he would be on the receiving end of her compassion, her love, her loyalty.

"And if I never come around?" She was whispering again.

"Well then love, my wasted heart will continue to pine for you for as long as I walk this earth," he said softly, his lips parallel to hers.

"And then I have a feeling we will be seeing much more of each other, until I am replaced by the real thing," she said simply, as she gave him a chaste kiss on his lips.

His eyes shot opened once again, anMd he turned his head to the side, glancing at the space on his bed that was empty and he felt a pang of disappointment., even though he knew she was simply a dream, he could not prevent himself from wishing that this time it might have been real.

A/N: For love, kindness, requests, first-reads etc, follow me on Tumblr at klaussnowflake. Or review, I would love that more than chocolate :)