AN: Apologies for the extordinarily long wait. I suffered major writer's block with this. I hope you all (whoever is still reading this!) can forgive me. As always, please please leave feedback. I love knowing what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. It helps me no end!

Chapter 5

She struggles against him, almost as though she is running from something; the something that haunts her dreams. She told him it was getting better, that she didn't let them affect her anymore. And while that may be true during waking hours, under the cover of darkness when they are alone, he knows differently. He holds her at night as she squirms. Occasionally she is known to shout. Only odd words and phrases. Please. Dreams. This isn't real. Nothing that means anything to him. Sometimes it's name. Bonnie. Elena. Klaus. Sometimes she just cries.

He had thought it would pass. That it was just a passing phase with the stress of the job interview looming. That was two weeks behind them and nothing has changed. Only her denial of how badly the dreams affected her.

She throws herself straight into wedding planning mode. He half expects a giant, almost bursting open ring binder to appear; a long treasured item of teenage dreams. But no such item appears. Instead, one is made from scratch. Every day a new magazine comes home with her. She has very exact ideas about what she wants. He is sure that one day, hopefully before the wedding, he gets a say. For now he is happy to let her plan. He hasn't seen her look this happy in a very long time. That's enough, for now.

The very first thing she plans is an engagement party. It wasn't big or spectacular. They held a small gathering at their home with as many friends and family who can possibly make it. She of course plans every last detail, what drinks are being served, whether everyone's dietary requirements are met and creates an extensive playlist created on iTunes.

He watches her as she mingles with everyone at their party, attentively making sure everyone has a drink and glowing with pride when someone asks to see the ring. Thankfully, they have so far avoided the question of "so how did he propose?" Nothing screams romance like "oh we had an argument so I threw the ring at her and walked out."

He leans against the doorframe of their kitchen, watching as she animatedly talks to one of her coworkers. He can honestly say that he cannot remember a time when he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with her. Mid conversation she catches him staring and smiles brightly at him before continuing talking.

"You look like you need one." a voice spoke behind him and an elbow jabbed the side of his arm. Beside him stood Marcel, a drink in each hand, one extended out to him.

"Cheers, mate." he accepted the drink barely looking at his friend. As if afraid of dropping his gaze from her, he took a sip.

"What's the matter, man? This is meant to be on the happiest days of your life and you're standing here sulking by yourself."

He shook his head, "Not sulking. Just in thought. No, make that just concerned."

Marcel followed his eye line; Caroline looking as radiant as ever as she flashed her engagement ring to another guest. "Doesn't appear to be any cause for concern there. Looks to me as though you have it all."

"It's just..."

Marcel cut him off, "Whatever you're going to say, don't. Save it for her. Whatever issues you two have now, you need to tell her. I'm here for you after but you need to speak to her."

His friend was right. Hiding things from her before, even if they were with good intentions, led to that argument. That night he had never been more scared of losing her. He was a proud man, and she would be the first to say that he keeps his fear well hidden but he has no shame in admitting that fight scared him. After walking out, he had been terrified wondering at the consequences. Losing her would be the worst thing he could imagine.

The party begins to wind down a little after midnight and by 1AM they were alone once more. As she cleared some of the glasses away, he could see her change. Like she had spent the evening putting on a show and now the audience had left she was tired.

"Leave it all tomorrow. It can wait." He took the glass from her hand. "Are you ok?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm just tired.

He knew it was more than just organizing and hosting the party. She was holding back. It was late, so he bit his tongue, resolving to discuss it in the morning.

It was another night of tossing and turning for her, he nearly slept himself as he watched her, listening to her occasional sobs.

"Klaus. I can't do this anymore." It was a simple, whispered sentence but it chilled him. He hadn't heard the name Klaus in so long. And she had most certainly never called him by it. It had only ever been his father.

She stirred, slowly stretching and yawning before finally opening her eyes. She smiles brightly as soon as she sees him watching her. "Morning." she says groggily.

He returns the smile as best he can but the worry can't remain hidden.

"What's wrong?" the sadness in his face wakes her fully, prompting her to pull herself into a sitting position.

He sighed, taking her hand and absentmindedly stroking her arm, "I'm worried about you. These dreams... They appear to be taking their toll on you."

"I'm fine." she tried to lie; she knew. He knew.

"Caroline, Love, you're not sleeping properly, you cry in your sleep. I can see the hurt these dreams are causing you. And it's hurting me. I want to be able to take them away. But I can't. I know you've spoken to Bonnie but she's not trained…"

"You want me to see a shrink?" She said incredulously.

"Don't say it like that. I just think talking to a professional might help you work out whatever is causing them."

The concern was evident in his face. He was right. They had gone on too long. Bonnie's one semester worth of psychology and extensive personal reading on dreams wad not enough to help her. Maybe a doctor was the right option. Even if it was just to talk.

She nodded, "Okay."

Two days later she found herself in a modest sized doctor's office. It wasn't exactly what she expected. There was no brown leather chaise lounge. It wasn't darkly decorated. In fact, it was the opposite. The walls were a neutral magnolia and the two sofas were a sand color with colorful cushions brightening the place. The only stereotypical feature was the wall of bookcases opposite where she sat.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." A voice interrupted her thoughts, "I'm Meredith Fell, and you must be Caroline."

Caroline politely stood as the doctor spoke. She was young. Younger than she had expected, maybe just a little older than herself. She had expected someone older, a little more experienced maybe.

"Oh please, sit. I hate things being so formal. I find people don't relax. Have you been offered a drink? Tea, coffee?" She spoke quickly as she placed a pile of papers on her desk and grabbed a file, notepad and pen.

Caroline sat back on the sofa she had been on, "I'm fine, thank you."

Meredith smiled and sat opposite, "So, Caroline, talk. How can I help you?" She said it so brightly that Caroline couldn't help but warm to her."

She wasn't sure where to begin without sounding crazy, "I've been having these dreams, these really vivid dreams. Like I could swear they were real."

The doctor nodded and down jotted some notes, "We all have those from time to time."

"I know, I expected them to pass but it's been months now. And I'm still having them. It's not like it's the same dream either. It's a continuation, bits are missing but it's like I'm living each day of this other life in my sleep. Crazy, right?"

Meredith shook her head, "Not all. It's more common than you may think." She made a quick note then lay the notebook down on her lap, "Dreams can be a coping mechanism. Allowing us to deal with our day to day problems, helping us interpret and try out different solutions."

Although that made perfect sense, it still confused Caroline. Her dreams hadn't been about anything in waking life. She didn't dream about job interviews and marriage or engagements.

"I can see you're having trouble with that." the doctor laughed slightly, "Give me an example of what you've been dreaming about."

Her first instinct was to say 'vampire' but she decided to reign in the crazy for the moment, "I dreamt my best friend died. That's bad, right? I mean, who dreams of their friend dying?"

"It's actually pretty common and it doesn't mean it's a bad thing." Meredith scribbled a couple more notes. "Tell me when the dreams started and together we'll work it out."

Slowly Caroline started to open up. She explained about the job interview and with it the possible promotion that the dreams started around then as far as she could remember. She thought they would pass after the interview but Nik's working late also had her on edge and they continued. She described the night they argued and the following morning's engagement and how she still continued to dream. At no point did the dreams get any easier to deal with.

"It's not just my best friend dying that I dreamed of. I dream of..." she took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she considered to be the crazy part, "of vampires and werewolves. That we're all supernatural beings. We murder people too. Each other at times." she bit her lip, fully expecting the doctor to start scrambling to write notes and have her sectioned.

Meredith smiled, "Still not a bad thing, Caroline. You have to remember these things represent something else. Werewolves reflect darker aspects of ourselves while vampires can represent something or someone draining us, emotionally or physically."

Glanced nervously at her watch, she hadn't meant to talk for so long but she couldn't help it. Almost an hour had passed by. She'd noticed the young doctor taking notes throughout and nodding occasionally with a sympathetic look on her face. She struggled to tell if it was genuine, psychiatrists were after all paid.

"Sadly, Caroline, that is our hour. Honestly, you have nothing to worry about. Everything you just told me, they're normal every day worries. We all have them. But I would like to see you. Just to talk a little more about the dreams themselves so we can help you work out what aspects are presenting which issues exactly." Meredith smiled at her.

Relief washed over her, she was normal. She shook the doctor's hand and left, making another appointment with her secretary on the way out for a week later.

x-x-x

He watched her from a distance for a few days. Every action appeared normal but there was a spark missing. She was lacking that certain something that had first caught his attention. Her light. Even at her darkest moments, he hadn't seen her like this. Before everything was done with passion, a pure belief in what she was doing was right. She burned so bright. Now everything was dulled. There was no spark. The energy seemed forced, like she was going through the motions. The smiles faked. In short, she was not his Caroline anymore. And what frustrated him most was that no one but her mother could see it. Her frustration had led her to call him.

Jeremy found himself pinned hard against the wall by the fireplace of the Salvatore mansion. Struggling was futile; he could never overpower an Original. Klaus watched him squirm for a moment with mild amusement.

"I need you to be a good little boy and call upon your witchy friend." the teenager opened his mouth to respond but he was cut off, "I am not asking. There is no room for argument here. You bring forth the Bennett witch or we see how a werewolf bite looks on your sister."

He let the younger Gilbert drop to the floor as he awaited his response. Jeremy was very still, his head dropped to the side as though he was listening to someone talking over his right shoulder.

"She wants to know what you want her for."

Klaus rolled his eyes, "Are you all blind? Can't you see what's happening with Caroline? She is not dealing with the witch's demise."

"She seems perfectly fine."

"Believe me, she is not. She doesn't believe that this is reality. As far as she is concerned, this is just a dream. I need Bonnie is drop the veil and talk to her.

Jeremy was very still and very quiet for the longest of moments. Watching this three way conversation frustrated Klaus. It reminded him of being a child and conversations him and his siblings would have if they weren't all speaking. He smiled sadly to himself, some things never changed.

"She says to be at Caroline's house in two hours. She cannot guarantee that it will work or of the repercussions it may have."

He nodded in reply. Nothing could be as worse as it was now so he didn't dwell on any possible consequences it may have.

Within the hour he was back at Caroline's. Part of him had just wanted to surprise her with the impending ghostly visit but decided against it given her fragile grasp on reality. He would not do her more harm than necessary. He had quietly explained to Liz the intended plan and although dubious about whether it would do any good, Liz could see his intentions and agreed to it. Anything to bring back her daughter.

She lay on her bed, eyes closed as if trying to sleep. Most likely trying to get to her reality he thought to himself.

"Caroline. I need to talk to you."

She turned her head to look at him, trying to gage the topic by how serious his expression before sitting up to let him speak.

"We need to discuss this reality issue. These dreams, they're not real and I intend to prove this too you."

She sighed, bored by this repeated conversation.

"How can this be our reality when I know that we exist?" We do. Us. Me and you. I want that back. I want you. How can you not want that? I need to get back to our perfect world."

"You have no idea how I've longed to hear you say that. And I want "Us" more than anything, Love. But you have to trust me, this is real. We exist. We don't live in some perfect world without problems. Would I like to spend my days living happily with you? Of course. But would I trade what we have now for that? No. I want the drama. I want our problems. I want every day until I am with you to be a fight. Because we will happen. And if I have to go through all this anger and bitterness to get there, I will. Because I know whatever we will have, will be worth it. I want you to get back to our reality."

She shook get head, "No, we have it already. And get back to that. And when I do, you will laugh and mock me like you always do when I tell you one of my crazy dreams."

"Love, if you want me mock you, I shall. But humor me please. Do what I ask. We are expecting company and I want you just to talk to them. If after that you still believe this to be a dream, then so be it. I will live that dream with you."

There was something about the way he looked at her. All the honesty she was accustomed to was present but an overwhelming amount of concern shone through. She had never doubted he cared but to show this degree of worry for her well-being was something else. And although she knew this was just a dream, she nodded, "What would you like me to do?"

He didn't have time to explain, the lights flicked and the atmosphere in the room changed. Coldness fell over them both.

"Care..."

At the foot of her bed stood her best friend.

The Original simply nodded to the witch in acknowledgement before leaving the two girls to talk, retreating back into the hallway. With his back pressed against the wall by the door and his hands pressed together as though in prayer against his lips, he stared at the floor. The desire to listen in overwhelming but a familiar voice brought this focus to what was in front of him.

"Long time, Brother."

"Kol."