Fic: Maybe We're Both Doomed (But That's Okay)
Title: Maybe We're Both Doomed (But That's Okay)
Author: Christie aka ficbitch82
Pairings: Caroline/Tyler (friendship...ish)
Summary:
Spoilers: All the way up to the end of S2 of Vampire Diaries
Disclaimer: The characters here belong to the CW, Kevin Williamson, etc...
Author’s Notes: Written for softly_me's Comment Ficathon.
After everything, her Mom kicks her out.
Stupid, maybe, but Caroline honestly believed that after that moment in The Grill, well--She thought they were okay.
It took a week after everything - Stefan leaving, Damon okay from the werewolf bite and Jeremy absolutely, positively not dead for her mother to realise that she didn't trust Caroline after all.
She didn't trust Caroline at all, in fact, because although she's not coming after the vamped-out-version-of-her-daughter all stakes a-blazing just yet? She hasn't promised that she won't ever and that? Almost makes Caroline cry.
This time last year her biggest worry was whether she was gonna be Miss Mystic Falls. Now? She just wants to make it through the week without her mother trying to put a stake through her back, which is really just testimony to how weird her life is these days.
She packs a bag and finds herself at Tyler's. She didn't mean to. There are other places she could go - Elena, Bonnie, hell, she even thinks Damon would take her in if she explained but they've all got other, bigger things going on and Caroline doesn't want to intrude on that.
Mrs. Lockwood is her busy self, despite the fall, and is perfectly okay with her being there (she thinks). Tyler doesn't exactly ask permission and Caroline wonders if maybe Mrs. Lockwood is just putting up with her in case Tyler ups and leaves again.
He doesn't ask questions when she says she needs a place to stay for a bit. He takes her bag even though she's totally stronger and not such a girl these days and carries it up to one of the many, many guest rooms in the Lockwood mansion.
The rooms are cold. She finds that pretty ironic since hello, dead and all but--They are. She wraps herself in the big-ass quilt the first night she stays there and settles down to sleep.
There's too much to think about. Her Mom, Stefan, Elena...
All the lights are out in Tyler's when she pads barefoot towards his room. There's a blue-ish glow coming from beneath his door and Caroline lifts a hand to knock gently when it opens.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
She smiles tiredly as he waves her inside thinking that three months ago? This might have felt awkward. He sits on his bed, pillows propped against the headboard and waits for her to join him.
His arm fits snugly around her shoulders and she settles against him, thinking about what she said to Jeremy the day of the Gone With The Wind ‘fest.
She knows he’s waiting for her to say something - anything - because Caroline’s good at this. Filling silences with inane chatter is totally her thing, except… It’s not. Not any more. And she’s not sure if that’s a vampire thing or a Caroline-is-totally-growing-up thing but it freaks her out, all the same.
“We made it through the war,” she says after a moment, her voice quiet. She really is tired. It’s the first time in a long time that she’s thought about the fact that her old life was easier. Much, much easier.
He moves slightly to catch her eye. “Caroline?”
“I said that… To Jeremy. The day my Mom…” Her voice trails off. The day my Mom killed him. “It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it?”
Tyler honestly looks puzzled. He never was the quickest to catch on, though she always got the feeling he knew more than he was meant to, even if he was a dick. “Like what?”
“This. Fighting,” she says quietly, “Surviving. Living with what comes after.”
Tyler sighs and she feels it right through her bones. He’s as weary as she is, she thinks, and then he asks her a question that pretty much makes her want to stop thinking. “What happened with your Mom?”
Her eyes darken a little. “She kicked me out. Decided living with a vampire wasn’t a healthy lifestyle choice after all. At least she didn’t stake me though, right?”
She meant that to come out all high and hopeful and kind of witty. Not, sharp and cutting and-Well, ouch. It’s the kind of joke that cuts to the bone and Caroline laughs - even finds it a little funny until the laughter sticks in her throat and she starts to cry.
“Hey, hey…” His arm tightens around her and he pulls her close.
Caroline lets him, relishing the warmth.
“You can stay here as long as you want,” he murmurs against her hair. “I mean… As long as you need to.”
Caroline’s not stupid. She used to be about a whole lot of things that don’t matter any more but this? She knows Tyler loves her-Well, she knows he has feelings. Fuzzy type feelings and there’s part of her that wants to return those, part of her that thinks they could be great together.
There’s too much going on though. There’s Matt, of course - they’ve only just broken up, after all - and then there’s the whole werewolf-slash-vampire thing and--God.
Caroline almost laughs. Who is she if not the girl to totally break the stereotype? “What a match,” she sniffs, “I’m half-doomed and you're..."
Caroline sighs. Because honestly? She thinks that maybe he's doomed too, it's just too painful to say it.
They sit there in silence for a moment, Caroline thinking about nothing but the fact that they’re friends - really, really great friends - and that she doesn’t want to lose that with him, not ever.
“You’re not alone, y’know.” He tells her, taking his turn to fill the silence for a change even though it’s totally comfortable. He waits for her to look at him before he continues. “I’m half-doomed too.”
Caroline smiles at him, maybe a little sadly. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“You really have to ask?”
FIN
Author: Christie aka ficbitch82
Pairings: Caroline/Tyler (friendship...ish)
Summary:
Spoilers: All the way up to the end of S2 of Vampire Diaries
Disclaimer: The characters here belong to the CW, Kevin Williamson, etc...
Author’s Notes: Written for softly_me's Comment Ficathon.
After everything, her Mom kicks her out.
Stupid, maybe, but Caroline honestly believed that after that moment in The Grill, well--She thought they were okay.
It took a week after everything - Stefan leaving, Damon okay from the werewolf bite and Jeremy absolutely, positively not dead for her mother to realise that she didn't trust Caroline after all.
She didn't trust Caroline at all, in fact, because although she's not coming after the vamped-out-version-of-her-daughter all stakes a-blazing just yet? She hasn't promised that she won't ever and that? Almost makes Caroline cry.
This time last year her biggest worry was whether she was gonna be Miss Mystic Falls. Now? She just wants to make it through the week without her mother trying to put a stake through her back, which is really just testimony to how weird her life is these days.
She packs a bag and finds herself at Tyler's. She didn't mean to. There are other places she could go - Elena, Bonnie, hell, she even thinks Damon would take her in if she explained but they've all got other, bigger things going on and Caroline doesn't want to intrude on that.
Mrs. Lockwood is her busy self, despite the fall, and is perfectly okay with her being there (she thinks). Tyler doesn't exactly ask permission and Caroline wonders if maybe Mrs. Lockwood is just putting up with her in case Tyler ups and leaves again.
He doesn't ask questions when she says she needs a place to stay for a bit. He takes her bag even though she's totally stronger and not such a girl these days and carries it up to one of the many, many guest rooms in the Lockwood mansion.
The rooms are cold. She finds that pretty ironic since hello, dead and all but--They are. She wraps herself in the big-ass quilt the first night she stays there and settles down to sleep.
There's too much to think about. Her Mom, Stefan, Elena...
All the lights are out in Tyler's when she pads barefoot towards his room. There's a blue-ish glow coming from beneath his door and Caroline lifts a hand to knock gently when it opens.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
She smiles tiredly as he waves her inside thinking that three months ago? This might have felt awkward. He sits on his bed, pillows propped against the headboard and waits for her to join him.
His arm fits snugly around her shoulders and she settles against him, thinking about what she said to Jeremy the day of the Gone With The Wind ‘fest.
She knows he’s waiting for her to say something - anything - because Caroline’s good at this. Filling silences with inane chatter is totally her thing, except… It’s not. Not any more. And she’s not sure if that’s a vampire thing or a Caroline-is-totally-growing-up thing but it freaks her out, all the same.
“We made it through the war,” she says after a moment, her voice quiet. She really is tired. It’s the first time in a long time that she’s thought about the fact that her old life was easier. Much, much easier.
He moves slightly to catch her eye. “Caroline?”
“I said that… To Jeremy. The day my Mom…” Her voice trails off. The day my Mom killed him. “It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it?”
Tyler honestly looks puzzled. He never was the quickest to catch on, though she always got the feeling he knew more than he was meant to, even if he was a dick. “Like what?”
“This. Fighting,” she says quietly, “Surviving. Living with what comes after.”
Tyler sighs and she feels it right through her bones. He’s as weary as she is, she thinks, and then he asks her a question that pretty much makes her want to stop thinking. “What happened with your Mom?”
Her eyes darken a little. “She kicked me out. Decided living with a vampire wasn’t a healthy lifestyle choice after all. At least she didn’t stake me though, right?”
She meant that to come out all high and hopeful and kind of witty. Not, sharp and cutting and-Well, ouch. It’s the kind of joke that cuts to the bone and Caroline laughs - even finds it a little funny until the laughter sticks in her throat and she starts to cry.
“Hey, hey…” His arm tightens around her and he pulls her close.
Caroline lets him, relishing the warmth.
“You can stay here as long as you want,” he murmurs against her hair. “I mean… As long as you need to.”
Caroline’s not stupid. She used to be about a whole lot of things that don’t matter any more but this? She knows Tyler loves her-Well, she knows he has feelings. Fuzzy type feelings and there’s part of her that wants to return those, part of her that thinks they could be great together.
There’s too much going on though. There’s Matt, of course - they’ve only just broken up, after all - and then there’s the whole werewolf-slash-vampire thing and--God.
Caroline almost laughs. Who is she if not the girl to totally break the stereotype? “What a match,” she sniffs, “I’m half-doomed and you're..."
Caroline sighs. Because honestly? She thinks that maybe he's doomed too, it's just too painful to say it.
They sit there in silence for a moment, Caroline thinking about nothing but the fact that they’re friends - really, really great friends - and that she doesn’t want to lose that with him, not ever.
“You’re not alone, y’know.” He tells her, taking his turn to fill the silence for a change even though it’s totally comfortable. He waits for her to look at him before he continues. “I’m half-doomed too.”
Caroline smiles at him, maybe a little sadly. “Can I stay here tonight?”
“You really have to ask?”
FIN