Chapter 5
After satiating his thirst as much as possible given his diet and disposition, Stefan releases the deer and watches it scamper away into the dark woods. Wiping his mouth, he shuffles through quiet night toward the boarding house. He enjoys this time alone and surrounded by nature. It always amazes him how much life can be heard if you're quiet enough to listen. Half-way home, he hears Caroline stalking through the woods and mumbling to herself. Curious, he sneaks after her.
"Come on, Caroline," she says to herself. "Get a backbone. You can't let her push you around like this. You are Caroline Forbes, and she's just a…a five-hundred-year-old vampire that killed you."
The blonde stops mid-step and huffs. "I'm going to hell. I'm the worst friend in the world."
Stefan frowns at Caroline's obvious struggles as he watches her from behind a nearby tree. He's been angry that Caroline would betray him and Elena by spying on them for Katherine, especially after he'd helped her cope with becoming a vampire. He'd found her self-awareness regarding her personality flaws charming. And she'd shown remarkable control over her hunger despite her slip up with Matt. He'd had high hopes for her until they'd realized she had thrown in with Katherine.
"No, stay focused, Caroline," she says with a renewed sense of determination. "You're doing this for Matt. Now shut up, track down a couple of bunnies, and get to bed. Tomorrow, uh, scratch that. In a few hours, you'll go to school and pretend to be human like everything is normal. Like you're not betraying your best friend since practically birth."
Matt? Didn't they break up? What's he got to do with anything? And why is she hunting for bunnies? Stefan remembers her announcement regarding the blood bags at the boarding house just a couple of hours ago.
"God! Where are all the rabbits in this forest? I'm practically desiccating over here." Caroline stumbles through the brush. "Killing innocent little bunnies. Yep, I'm definitely going to hell."
"I thought I explained the art of silence when stalking prey?" Stefan says. He steps from around the tree to get some answers, and Caroline spins around to meet him with a horrified expression.
"Stefan! What are you doing here?"
His brows knit together in confusion. "I'm hunting. What are you doing?"
"Oh, of course you are." She shakes of her head with a frustrated sigh. "It's been a long night."
"I can see that. Are you okay?" He steps closer, more curious than concerned, and slips a reassuring hand over her shoulder.
"I'm just hungry. I should've already fed and been in bed by now, but Damon's escapade in the park earlier screwed up my whole night. My mom's in extra-protective mode now. I had to wait until she fell asleep before I could sneak out of the house."
"What are talking about?" He'd just spoken to her at the boarding house a couple of hours ago. She'd been there long enough to drink a blood bag. Why is she lying? Has she forgotten that they'd already spoken tonight?
"Your brother decided to drain two of my classmates in the middle of the park, tonight. I had to lie to my mom for damage control. She's convinced there's another dangerous vampire roaming around who's targeting high school girls. And she's not wrong. I swear, Damon has lost his mind. It's like he wants to get caught!"
"Is that what you guys were talking about his evening?"
"Well, no. My mom doesn't ever say vampire or anything because she still thinks I'm an innocent human with no idea that this town is overridden with vampires. She just lectured me about the dangers of staying out late and speaking to people I've never met. I swear she treats me like a four year-"
"I meant you and Damon."
"What about me and Damon?"
"Were you talking about the attack in the park?"
"With Damon? No, he took off without really saying anything."
"At the boarding house. Is that what you guys were talking about earlier?"
Caroline frowns at Stefan and shakes her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stefan. I haven't been to the boarding house today, and I've barely spoken two words to Damon. You know I don't spend any more time with him than I have to."
"Caroline, I saw you. We spoke. If it wasn't you, then who ever she is does a great impersonation of you."
"Eww! Damon's got a new skank that looks like me. That's not creepy at all." She twists her lips and crinkles her nose in disgust, and Stefan can't help but chuckle. He sobers up when he considers the implications of the fake Caroline managing to fool him. He should have known something was amiss when she was hanging out with Damon of all people, not to mention the blood bag.
But why would anyone impersonate Caroline? And how did they do it so well? Magic maybe? Did Damon know he was speaking with a fake? Katherine managed to fool him when she first arrived, why not this new Caroline?
A ping from his phone interrupts Stefan's thoughts, and he quickly tugs it from his pocket. It's a message from Elena. 'Can you come over? Bonnie is here. Something's up.'
He taps out a quick reply, assuring her that he'd be right over, and bids farewell to the real Caroline. As he vamp speeds to Elena's house, he wonders about the fake Caroline. He'd only spoken to her for a moment, but he truly thought she was Caroline. She'd certainly looked like her, even spoken like her. It's possible that the fake Caroline is a doppelgänger of the real one, or maybe it's vice versa. Elena is a doppelgänger of Katherine, right? Which is weird all in itself, but it's obvious to anyone paying attention that they have absolutely nothing in common except their looks. He wonders if it's the same with Caroline's doppelgänger? And how is it possible that another doppelgänger is in Mystic Falls when he and Damon have never heard of them before now. Of course, they'd never met a werewolf until yesterday either. How did Mystic Falls become the center of everything weird?
When Stefan finally reaches Elena's porch, he pushes aside all the questions bouncing around his brain and makes a mental note to catch up with Damon at his first chance. Stefan has a feeling that his big brother knows something. He always does.
Opting to sneak in through Elena's window rather than risk waking Jenna and Jeremy, Stefan leaps onto the ledge to find the open window waiting for him. Stepping inside, he finds an anxious Bonnie sitting on Elena's bed next to her.
"What's going on?" He asks.
Elena smiles upon seeing him and bites back the urge to go to him with a welcoming kiss. For their ruse to work, they have to pretend to be broken up in front of everyone, even Bonnie.
"We don't know," Elena says. She rubs Bonnie's arms as the witch leans against her for support. "Bonnie came over after you left earlier. She thinks something is going on, but doesn't know what it is."
Stefan shakes his head. "I don't understand."
"Neither do I, really," Bonnie says. "I just feel like something in the air is off, or maybe it's something up in the atmosphere. Or the ground. Everything just feels wrong, and I've got this overwhelming urge to fix it."
"But, you don't know what it is you're supposed to fix?" Stefan asks, stepping closer.
"Not a clue."
"When did it start?"
"Several hours ago. It was like a sledge hammer slammed knocked the wind out of me."
"And she has no idea what caused it," Elena says.
"I don't know what to do about this. I don't even know what it means," Stefan says. "Have you noticed anything else weird?"
Bonnie considers the question and shakes her head. As she opens her mouth to say 'no', she remembers her drive to Elena's house. "Actually, yeah. I almost forgot about it because it was so random. On my way over here, I saw two people on the side walk heading toward the outskirts of town. I figured they were heading over to Mrs. Flowers' place, since I'd never seen them before."
"Mrs. Flowers?" Stefan asked.
"She has a bed and breakfast on the edge of town. The few tourists this town gets usually stay there," Elena says with a small smile.
"Okay, so what was weird about them?"
"Nothing really," Bonnie says. "They looked like normal women in their twenties. They were twins with dark hair but looked normal."
"So what made you think of them?" Elena asks.
"It's a feeling I got when I saw them. I mean, it was only a second because I was driving, but just for a moment, the weird feeling worsened. And then it eased as soon as I looked away. I didn't even realize the correlation until I glanced at my rear view mirror and saw them again. Immediately, the feeling worsened again. So much so, I almost wrecked my car."
"That sounds awful, Bonnie. I'm so sorry this is happening to you." Elena hugs her friend.
"I guess we need to find those girls," Stefan says. "Maybe they know what's happening."
Bonnie shrugs at him. "Well, I guess Mrs. Flowers' is the best place to start."
"Yeah, we can go together after school tomorrow." Elena nods at her friend, but Stefan motions toward the sunrise outside her window.
"You mean today."
"Wow," she says. "This has been a busy night. Okay, so we get some sleep, maybe skip school, and then go check out the B & B."
"We have a test in geometry tomorrow. We can't skip school," Bonnie says with a frown.
"Fine, we'll go to school. But right after we head to Mrs. Flower's place. And you'll stay with me tonight. I don't think you should be alone," Elena says, and Bonnie nods as her eyes glisten with tears.
"Thanks, Elena. You're the best."
"We'll figure this out, Bonnie," Stefan says.
She offers him a tight-lipped smile as she glances at him. She doesn't bother to hide the fact that she doesn't like nor trust him. He's a vampire, and she's a witch. True friendship between them is impossible, but they will play nice for Elena.
Stefan leaves to let the girls sleep. He opts for a slow walk to the boarding house, enjoying the night sounds of his hometown, and ponders all the excitement as of late. Katherine, Caroline's doppelgänger, Mason the werewolf, and now Bonnie's odd feelings toward the mystery twins. When did his life get this complicated? He remembers when not ripping someone's head off was his only goal for each day. Hell, even the days that he did rip someone's head off were much simpler than today. But he didn't have Elena. She makes everything worth it. She makes him better like she makes everyone around her better. Even Damon. Stefan can't imagine his life without her, although he suspects one day he'll find out. They haven't talked about it, but he doubts she'll ever turn.
He wouldn't wish this existence onto anyone, even if he could be with Elena forever. No, he'd made that mistake once with Damon. A hundred and fifty years of vampirism had changed his brother for the worse, and Stefan can't imagine Elena enduring their curse for that long. If she did, how would it change her? Would she be like Katherine? Stefan loves Elena how she is now, and he knows that he will love her forever, but he doesn't want her to be a vampire. He doesn't want her to be like Katherine.
A couple of hours later, Stefan enters the boarding house and realizes he isn't alone. Whoever is in his room isn't being subtle about their presence.
Caroline rifles through Stefan's drawers with her eyebrows twisted in disbelief. She forgot how disorganized the man could be without her guidance. She shakes her head in amusement at all the dust covered nick knacks cluttering Stefan's room. He's always been a packrat and always will be. His memories of the past are important, but he never forgets to cherish the present. It's one of the reasons she loves him. Of course, she'd love him more if he could arrange his room in some semblance of organized thought.
Seriously? Who puts their underwear in the same drawer as their shirts?
Caroline scoffs when she finds several valuable items hidden within the folded pants in his dresser. She tosses them aside, since neither is the item for which she is looking. Huffing, she turns from the dresser and scans the room. At home, she'd worked out a system to keep Stefan's ever growing collection of memorabilia cataloged and displayed throughout the house instead of stuffed into their bedroom. Of course, the items regarding their memories together were displayed more prominently than most. Hey, Caroline likes walking down memory lane sometimes too.
Today, Stefan's cluttered room reminds her of the beginning of their relationship when Elena was still a deep-seated insecurity for Caroline. Elena's smell is everywhere, along with a few personal items like a toothbrush, some articles of clothing, and a bag. Caroline isn't sure how to feel about this Stefan and Elena's relationship. He doesn't belong to her. Her Stefan is at home probably working with Bobby to find that damn portal. She hopes he's having better luck than she is in her search for a burner phone.
I know he has a box of them hidden somewhere.
She opens his closet and pulls out a couple of boxes. After placing them on his bed, she searches through them until she finds the motherload of burner phones.
Snatching one, she turns it on to ensure it has a charge and grins. "Ha, finally."
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
Caroline jumps and whirls around to find Stefan leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.
"Stefan," she says. "How did you…You surprised me."
He watches her with a guarded expression and tilts his head in assessment before speaking. "I guess you weren't listening for my return. Which makes you a terrible snooper."
"I'm not snooping." Her cheeks flame, and she drops her gaze to the boxes on his bed. "I was looking for a phone to borrow. Damon said you might have some burners."
"Hmm." Stefan nods, and Caroline's warning bells sound. She knows that expression. The 'I know you're lying' look was a common occurrence when the girls were teenagers, but rarely has she instigated it. She needs to tread carefully to keep him off her trail. If he finds out, everything in this timeline will change, and it'll be that much harder to track down her kids.
"Why do you need a burner phone, Caroline?" He emphasizes her name, and she plasters on a fake smile and channels her high school persona.
"I lost my phone, and I can't stand the idea of telling my mom. She already thinks I'm the most irresponsible teen in Mystic Falls. Never mind that I'm a straight 'A' student and lead organizer of every student event scheduled this year. But, whatever. She's already on my case about acting so weird since I turned, so I figured you guys might have some extra phones I can borrow until I can figure out how to get a replacement without alerting my mom."
Stefan listens to her explain away her need for the phone as he strolls over to his balcony. The blinds are pulled shut and block out most of the sunlight. When Caroline finishes, she watches him nod from across the room. He's up to something, but she can't figure out what.
"So Caroline, quick question. Where's your daylight ring?"
Caroline follows his gaze to her naked hand and grimaces. How could she play this one off? In all the decades, hell centuries now, she'd never lost her daylight ring before stepping through a time portal. At least, not without someone stealing it or something.
"Damon stole it," Caroline says. "He's mad at me for…something."
"Really? That's what you're going with?"
"Mm, hm." Caroline nods, tight-lipped, as she avoids eye contact.
Stefan stifles a chuckle at the horrible lie. Whoever this girl is, she plays Caroline to-a-tee. The real Caroline is a horrible liar. That's how Elena picked up on her obvious attempts to keep her away from the boarding house yesterday when Katherine was here. But why would she lie in-character like this? Does she want him to know she's lying? Whatever this is, Stefan is done playing games.
Caroline grimaces at her terrible attempt to lie. She wonders if this Stefan knows her well enough to pick up on this trait. She's so focused on avoiding eye contact, Caroline almost misses Stefan's quick tug on the balcony drape. The blonde vampire isn't fast enough to avoid the beam of light that splits Stefan's room in half, but she wastes no time in retreating against the far wall. Unfortunately, her knee-jerk reaction lands her on the opposite side of the door to her freedom.
"What are you doing, Stefan?" She groans as her charred flesh heals.
"I'm just looking for some answers, Caroline," he says.
She growls and launches toward him, but he steps across the beam of light and drags open his side of the drape. Now his half of the room is bathed in the morning sunlight while Caroline's half is still shadowed. She can't reach him without burning.
"Who are you?" Stefan demands an answer, and she complies with an aggravated growl.
"I'm Caroline."
Stefan tugs on the drape shielding Caroline from the sunlight. It slips open a bit farther reducing her shadowed protection. She steps back in alarm and flattens against the bookcase.
"What are you doing?"
"Every time you lie, I'm going to pull this back a little more. Eventually, your lies are going to burn you. Literally."
"I'm not lying. I really am Caroline," she says. Stefan pulls on the drape again, and she gasps. "Stefan, stop. Please."
"I recently spoke with the real Caroline. I know you're not her. You're some kind of doppelgänger like Katherine."
She rolls her eyes. "Oh my God, I am not a doppelgänger."
"Then who are you, and why do you look like Caroline Forbes?"
"Because I am Caroline Forbes." She sighs in resignation. "At least, I used to be. I'm from the future, Stefan."
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