Sighing, Caroline walked out of her office as she heard the bell above her shop door chime. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Elena standing there.
"Elena, hi," Caroline said hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"
"That's a nice greeting for your very best friend," Elena said with a laugh. Caroline smiled.
"Anyways, I'm here to start planning for the Miss Mystic Falls dresses. I heard you finished your sketches."
"Did Mother tell you?" Caroline asked.
"I called her because I hadn't heard from you in four days. I even tried calling you, but it seems as if you've turned off your phone." Caroline looked away, guiltily, so Elena said, "I'll take that as a yes. Been tied up with Damon, huh?" Elena grinned ear to ear and it made Caroline laugh nervously.
"How do you know Damon is staying with me?" Caroline asked.
Elena laughed, "You just told me."
Caroline looked embarrassed, but Elena said, "No, really, I haven't seen him around the boarding house lately, and Stefan hasn't heard from him lately. I was just taking a guess. But, speaking of Damon, you look good, Care. I mean, really good. How are things between the two of you?"
Caroline blushed. She felt the color start to come over her face, but couldn't really do anything to stop it. Elena saw it, too, and she grinned again, "Did you guys finally? How was it? I need details, Caroline."
Caroline looked at her friend, "Seriously, Elena? He's practically your brother. You grew up with Stefan."
"Yeah, and Damon's my friend. Come on, you know as well as I do that every girl from Mystic Falls I've ever known has had a crush on Damon Salvatore at one point or another. Me growing up with Stefan has nothing to do with it. I bet he's fucking amazing in the sack." Elena saw the look on Caroline's face, so she thought she should clarify, "It's not that I still want him, Caroline. It was just a stupid little schoolgirl crush. I love Stefan, and he keeps me more than satisfied." Elena saw the look on Caroline's face again, so she stopped talking for a moment. Then she said, "So, what's the problem? I'm assuming there is one."
Caroline filled Elena in on everything. She left out details of their lovemaking, just because she felt too weird to talk about it, but let Elena know that Damon was "very good, and definitely knew what he was doing."
"So, you slept together last night, and you're here now? You snuck out."
"I didn't exactly sneak out," Caroline defended. "It was more like, I left."
"You don't sleep with someone and then leave without saying goodbye," Elena said, sighing. "It may have been that way with Tyler and Mike, but that's because they were douchebags. Damon is different. He's a different kind of guy than those two idiots are. When Damon dates someone, he goes all in. It's either all or nothing with him. He loves with his whole heart, and he gives it his all, no matter what."
Caroline froze, "You said love."
Elena sighed, "Caroline, don't do that. Don't fixate on one little word. Now, tell me the truth. What do you feel about Damon?"
"I have very strong feelings for him," Caroline said honestly. She could do this; she could tell Elena what exactly was going on in her head, in her heart, because Elena had never given her a reason to doubt her. Caroline trusted Elena with everything she had.
"Caroline, I know you were hurt. I know what those douchebags did to you, and I get why you're so closed off. But you need to put a little trust in Damon."
"I've only known him for a little over a month, Elena."
"Has he done anything to make you distrust him?" Elena asked, and Caroline sighed, shaking her head.
"So I don't get the problem. Why not trust him?"
"Because, Elena, when you start to trust someone, you're putting your life in their hands. You're giving them ammunition to hurt you with. They can take everything you say, everything you tell them, and use it to their advantage. I can't let him know how much he means to me. He could use it to his advantage, you know, and then I would be thoroughly fucked."
"You're basing everything on your past relationships, Caroline. Just because Mike and Tyler hurt you, is that why you think Damon will?"
"I can't take the chance."
"Caroline, I know how much you hate it when people stereotype you and when they judge you. You've been around nothing but judgmental people since you were put into foster care, but do you know what? You're stereotyping Damon. Did you ever think of that?"
Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Elena had a point, and Caroline knew it. She had done nothing but stereotype guys since she left Tyler. She had been around scummy guys so she figured they were all the same. Caroline opened her mouth again to speak, but then closed it. She wasn't sure how to phrase the words to make them sound okay.
"He hasn't given you any reason to distrust him, Caroline. You know, put a little faith in the fact that he hasn't hurt you, and I honestly don't think that he wants to. Give him that much. I trust Damon. Can't you trust me to trust him?"
Caroline sighed; she was beat, and she knew it. She nodded, "Okay, fine."
"Anyway, close up shop early. You need the break. We can talk business later – you need to go home and be with your man right now," Elena said with a great big grin on her face.
Caroline laughed, "You sound ridiculous."
Elena just grinned.
-x-
Damon woke up alone. He sat up, realizing that he was naked under the big blanket on Caroline's bed, and just sat there for a moment. The irony hit him like a rock. So this is what waking up alone feels like, he thought to himself. It felt a little disappointing. In fact, he was surprised. No, scratch that, he was extremely surprised. It was surprising how disappointed he felt. Damon didn't expect to feel anything because he had never felt this way before, not about anyone. He grabbed his boxers off the floor and put them on, venturing downstairs to see if he could find Caroline. He looked around the house, but Caroline wasn't here. His heart practically sank. He wanted her to be here. He wanted to know that she enjoyed last night as much as he did.
God, he was turning into a sap, and the irony of that didn't escape him either. He didn't used to care, and he wondered what she was doing to him. Why did she have to make him feel this way? What was it about her that made her so extraordinary? There was something about Caroline that Damon just couldn't put his finger on, but there were little things about her that he loved. He loved how stubborn she was, how she worried about spending all of his money, and how loyal she was to the Mikaelsons. Sure, she worried about them changing their minds and not wanting her anymore, but he could understand why. Her life had been nothing but abuse in it, so it seemed only natural that she'd fear that.
He rubbed a hand over his face. Why did he even care? She was the first girl he'd actually wanted a relationship with since Katherine left. He thought he had loved Katherine back then, but part of him wondered if it was, indeed, love. She had played him for a fool and everybody knew it. He had been so lovesick when it came to her that he couldn't see her for who she was. But Caroline was so different; she was everything that Katherine wasn't.
His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the sound of the opening door. He saw Caroline come in, and then she turned and looked at him.
"Hi," she said. "Did you just get up? It's after one."
"I'm on bartender's hours," Damon answered. "Tending bar at The Grill has made me more of a night person." He paused, then asked, "Where were you?"
"I went to work. I also got bitched out by Elena for doing so." Caroline knew that Elena had told her to give Damon just a little trust, but it was going to be very difficult. Caroline turned and walked into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. She hopped up onto the kitchen island counter, sipping her juice.
"I thought that last night was bad for you or something," Damon said quietly, and Caroline looked surprised.
"Last night was unbelievable, Damon. It really was. With the flowers, and the food, and the mind-blowing sex, I couldn't ask for a better night. But I'm in this mindset that it's just that; just sex. Sex always was just sex to me, and there's nothing more to it. That's the way it was with the other…guys," Caroline couldn't bring herself to say boyfriends, since she really didn't see them as boyfriends. They never treated her like that. Damon treated her so differently from them, it was almost amazing. "They didn't care about the cuddling after, about the morning after, even. It was get in, get the job done, and get out. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I really do mean that."
Damon didn't speak; he just settled himself in-between her legs. He cupped her face and met her lips with his. He wanted to let her know that he was always going to be there for her, that he wasn't going anywhere, and he wished that he could put all his feelings and emotions into words. Instead, he just put everything he had into the kiss, and Caroline angled her head to the side, sliding her tongue across his bottom lip, almost a silent request for him to open his mouth. He was surprised that she was initiating this, but he obliged, opening his mouth and she thrust her tongue inside his mouth. He moaned on contact; she just felt so damn good. He put one of his hands in her hair and the other one of his hands went to her back, and he massaged her tongue with his. Caroline slid her hands down his chest; God, she just loved the feel of his skin. Damon broke the kiss, needing to breathe, and then started to kiss his way down her neck. He kissed her collarbone back up to her mouth.
When Damon had his mouth on hers, Caroline couldn't comprehend anything. She couldn't even think a whole thought. Nothing was making any sense inside her head. She broke the kiss this time, sliding off the counter and kneeling in front of him. She snaked her hand into his boxers and pulled out his cock. She wasn't sure why she even thought about it; with the other guys she had been with, sex was never initiated by her. But with Damon, it was different. She wanted him. He had created a need that throbbed between her legs. She took him in her mouth, taking him as far as she could go. She flattened her tongue so she could fit more of him in her mouth, and hummed around him. Damon gathered her hair and gently held it. It surprised Caroline how gentle he was being. It was just something that she wasn't accustomed to. Most – okay, all – the guys she'd been with were rough, forcing her to take them further in her mouth, but Damon was different. He was just holding her hair. It seemed like everything was different with Damon. She released him from her mouth with a pop and looked up at him. She was met by his crystal blue eyes, watching her. She smiled mischievously and went back down, taking him in her mouth once again. A moan escaped Damon's lips, and Caroline smirked against him. She took him deeper in her mouth, feeling him hitting the back of her throat, and she hummed around him. Damon moaned loudly; she was just so warm and wet, and he felt like he was going to explode at any moment.
"Shit, Caroline, stop," Damon said, trying to pull her up. "I'm close and I don't want to cum just yet."
Caroline nodded, getting off her knees and kissing his lips. She sighed as their tongues tangled with each other. She was giving heavy thought to taking him up to her bedroom when she heard the front door open and close, and Klaus' voice yelled, "Hey Care?"
Caroline went over to the island counter, jumping onto it, and took a drink of her juice as Klaus entered. He looked from Damon, back to Caroline, back to Damon again. He shook his head, although the fact that Damon was here in his boxers did not escape him. Klaus clenched his fists; he didn't want to say anything in front of Caroline, but he really hated this man. Part of him wondered why the hell Caroline would choose a guy like him, and Damon noticed Klaus' frustration. Damon said, "I, uh…I better go shower," and he left the room, and Klaus watched him walk away with a dirty look on his face.
"How are things?" Klaus asked. He wanted to say more, but he really did not want to know what he just interrupted.
Caroline smiled, "Things are fine, Nik. They're going really good."
Klaus looked at her and sighed. He better tell her what he came to tell her, "Hey, Care, Mother just dropped me off. She said that she wants to invite you guys to dinner tonight."
Caroline sighed, "Really? How did she find out that Damon's here?"
"Same way she knows everything else. Mother just always knows."
Caroline rolled her eyes, "Who else is going to be there?"
"The family. Elijah and Rose, Sage and Finn, me and," Klaus coughed, "Rebekah."
"Rebekah? She's in Europe with her rich boyfriend," Caroline said, but Klaus shook his head.
"She got back this morning, and Mother wants a nice family dinner, Care," Klaus said, and Caroline just watched him. "She wants to get all of her children together and they can be civil. Please, Caroline. You'll have Damon there, and you know how to handle Rebekah if she starts to be too much of a bitch."
Caroline sighed. She didn't want to get into a fight right now about it, so she nodded, signaling defeat, "Tell Mother we'll be there. Give me a time and we'll be there."
"Good. Be there around seven. And now, I'm leaving. So you guys can do…whatever you want. I don't even want to think about it," Klaus muttered, and then he was gone.
-x-
Caroline and Damon sat in her car in front of the Mikaelson house. Caroline didn't want to go in, and was wasting as much time as possible before going in to face Rebekah. She sat in the driver's seat of her car, holding onto Damon's hand with a vice grip. After a few moments of silence, Damon looked at her, "Can I ask why you're dreading this so much?"
"Rebekah hates me, and believe me, the feeling is very mutual," Caroline said to him. "She thinks she's perfect, and she hates the fact that her family loves someone as broken as me. I mean, look at me. These stupid scars," Caroline said, taking her hand from his and looking at the underside of her wrists, "they prove that I'm not a strong woman. I am very broken."
"What does this have to do with Rebekah?" Damon asked. Caroline sighed.
"She likes to point certain things out to me. You know, how I was never adopted, or how I never had a high school boyfriend, or how my last name isn't the same as theirs, or even the fact that I was fuck buddies with a man five years older than me. How I couldn't be a good person because he wouldn't want to just fuck me, he'd want to be with me. She points these things out, pushing me closer to the inevitable."
"And what is that, exactly?" Damon asked, almost afraid of what her answer might be.
"The day I actually succeed in killing myself," Caroline answered quietly. Damon hoped to God he had been hallucinating it, but from the look on Caroline's face, he knew he hadn't.
"Look, Damon, I'm not saying that I want to kill myself this time," Caroline answered, seeing the horrific expression on Damon's face. "It's just that, life is so damn hard sometimes, and it seems like that would be the easier way to go. It would rid me of all the pain I feel."
"I'm not going to say that pain isn't going to be there, but I want to be there for you, Caroline. When the going gets tough, come to me. I can't promise that I'll be the best man all the time, but I can promise that I'll try. I will fucking try, Caroline. Please believe that."
"I do," she answered quietly, and it surprised her, because she was telling the truth. She somehow just knew he meant it, and she believed him.
"Things are going to be fine. I'll be there with you, and I'm not going anywhere, Caroline."
Caroline nodded again and got out of her car. She and Damon walked up the front walk, hand in hand, and Caroline opened the front door. Rebekah was standing in the hallway when Caroline and Damon came inside, and she looked at them.
Caroline was thanking God that Esther was standing behind Rebekah. If she wasn't, Caroline knew, Rebekah would be downright rude. Caroline forced a smile, "Hi, Rebekah. This is my boyfriend, Damon Salvatore."
"Hello, Damon" Rebekah said cheerfully, shaking Damon's hand. Caroline rolled her eyes. Rebekah turned to Caroline, "Hello, Forbes," she said snidely. Caroline's eyes narrowed. She knew Rebekah was pointing out her last name, because she wasn't one of them. But Caroline had promised to be civil, and she was going to try.
"Hello, Rebekah," Caroline said through gritted teeth.
"Hey Care, Damon," Esther said from behind Rebekah. Rebekah rolled her eyes, turning and walking away. Caroline looked at Esther, "Mother, I'm trying. Honestly, I really am. She just makes it so freaking hard."
"I know, Sweetheart. But I'm really happy that you are, indeed, trying."
Dinner went as smoothly as it could. During dinner, Caroline found out that Rebekah had broken up with her rich boyfriend over the weekend, and she rolled her eyes. She knew that Rebekah was going to play the victim for this, which was pretty obvious. She said he had cheated on her, but part of Caroline didn't want to believe that. Rebekah would make up any excuse to play the victim. After that, Rebekah kept bragging about how wonderful Europe was, and ,"I won't say any names, but it's so much better than certain people deserve," Rebekah said with a rude tone in her voice. Caroline knew that was directed at her, but so did everyone else at the table. Esther looked at Rebekah sternly, "Rebekah, that's enough," she said. "I wanted my children here, and all civil to each other." You can at least be civil to Caroline, whether you like her or not."
Caroline excused herself to go up and use the bathroom, and after about ten minutes, Damon got worried about her. Dinner was over at that point, and they were all gathered in the parlor, so he snuck up to see her.
He opened the door where Caroline was sitting on the bathroom counter, wiping her eyes with a piece of toilet paper. He looked at her sympathetically, "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She just nodded.
"Look, Caroline, Rebekah's a bitch," Damon stated, coming closer to Caroline. "I know that last thing she said was directed at you, and I wanted to bitch slap her."
Caroline smiled weakly, "But you won't, and that's what makes you a good man, Damon."
He was almost taken aback by her statement, "You think I'm a good man?" he asked her.
She shrugged, "I didn't mean to say it, but yes, I do. There are things about you, Damon, that show that you are."
"She does stuff like that all the time," Caroline said, feeling like she was going to cry again. "She hates me. I hate her. She's angry because her mother pays attention to me, and because her brothers love me. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't just leave."
"C'mon, it's not that bad," Damon said, trying to cheer Caroline up. It wasn't working, though, so he did the next best thing. He came over to her and wrapped his strong arms around her. She melted into the embrace, and the tears started to flow once more. She was sobbing uncontrollably, but Damon didn't seem to mind.
"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away from him. "I got your shirt all wet."
Damon smiled, "Really, it's not that bad."
Caroline sighed, wiping her eyes, "I've gotta get back down there. If Rebekah finds out that I was up here, crying over her comments, she'd gloat."
"Caroline," Damon said, as Caroline slid off the counter, "you're better than her, do you know that? You're worth about a thousand Rebekahs."
Caroline nodded and went back down the stairs, where she saw Finn at the grand piano in the sitting room. He was a pianist in a symphony, and was very skilled at playing. He was playing something, probably Bach or Beethoven. He loved playing classic pieces. Caroline saw Elijah over in the corner, talking with Rose and Klaus. Part of Caroline wondered if she'd ever be able to tell Klaus that Rose and Damon were an item once upon a time. She knew, at this moment at least, that that would lead to more distrust of Damon. That was the last thing that Caroline wanted. She didn't expect Klaus to trust Damon, because she didn't even, but she did want peace between the two men.
"Where were you?" Esther said, coming up to Caroline.
"I, uh…" she stopped for a moment. "To tell you the truth, Mother, Rebekah's comment really hurt me, and I was composing myself in the bathroom. Damon came up to see if I was okay."
"Rebekah left," Esther said to her after a moment. "She wasn't too happy when I had some words with her after you went upstairs." Esther paused for a moment, and then said, "I know you have a hard time trusting men, Care, but Damon is definitely a keeper."
Caroline nodded, "I know."
"He's a very nice young man, and I want only the best for you, you know," Esther continued. "I think he could make you very happy."
Esther left to get dessert out of the oven, and Caroline thought about what she said. Caroline thought about, in the last few days, how satisfied Damon had made her. He had made her feel loved, cared for, and she was starting to think that she could give him some trust. Just a pinch, as Elena had told her earlier that day. Yes, just a pinch would do.