No Matter Above Or Below-Part Five

[eenaangel]

Banner by miss_pai



It’s nearly three years after Founders’ Day and Caroline Forbes is set upon by an Angel of the Lord.

She’s in the library with her back against one of the bookshelves. She has a clear view of the front hall, but she’s pulled her knees up to her chest and is resting her forehead on them. She’s been taking this defensive position more and more often these past months and though Uncle Bobby hates it, she likes the sense of isolation it gives her. From behind a wall of hair, it’s almost like she’s cut herself off from the outside world. Everything beyond does not exist and she can just sit and pretend that all’s right with the world.

It’s harder to do today. She can hear Dean and Uncle Bobby shouting at each other and Sam faintly. She doesn’t want to think about what’s going on down there in the panic room. She doesn’t want to think of Sam, her Sam, lying trapped while Dean and her uncle looked on. She doesn’t want to think of Sam period, because it brings to mind images of Sam and Ruby doing things that make her want to die. She doesn’t want to be crying over Sam Winchester because she ended it months ago and this shouldn’t hurt as much as it does.

Mostly, she doesn’t want to be so love in Sam that finding out he’s been drinking Ruby’s blood and having sex with the demon for almost a year breaks her heart so completely. She doesn’t want it to hurt worse than seeing Matt kissing someone she thought was Elena, doesn’t want it to hurt more than knowing that Elena made friends with a vampire that bled and abused her. She doesn’t want it to feel like her heart has shattered and that the jagged pieces are now ripping apart her insides.

Caroline should know better than to want things that will never happen.

“Caroline Forbes.”

She starts, surprised by the unfamiliar voice. Reluctantly, she raises her head and pushes back her hair. Standing by the couch is a tall man with dark hair, dressed in a rumpled grey business suit and a trench coat that has seen better days. His face is blank as he stares at her unblinkingly. She knows who he is, has heard about him from Uncle Bobby and the Winchesters, but she hasn’t met him before today. The first time Uncle Bobby met him, when Dean first came back from Hell, he made Caroline stay at home. They hadn’t been sure who or what Castiel was then and after watching Pamela have her eyesight burned away, Uncle Bobby didn’t want her anywhere near the creature.

She remembers the argument they had that day, but Uncle Bobby wouldn’t budge and neither Winchester disagreed with him. She had been left behind, put in charge of taking care of Pamela at the hospital until one of the three contacted her. When they came back with stories of angels and God, she hadn’t believed them. But with the things she’s seen this year alone-Caroline Forbes is now a believer.

She’s just not happy about it.

She wipes back a few tears, but doesn’t bother getting up. “What do you want now, Wings?”

He frowns at the nickname and walks further into the room. He looks at her laptop in idle curiosity, reaching out with a finger to touch the screen. It’s open to a webpage on Lucifer and an analysis of his presence in the Bible. Caroline’s having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of the Devil himself walking the earth again. It’s like something out of a really bad movie.

“You are not downstairs, watching over Sam Winchester,” he says after a while. “I was led to believe you loved him.”

She narrows her eyes at the angel. “You are not here to discuss my boyfriend troubles,” she snarls. “What do you really want? Come for more pledges of fealty and obedience to the one true God? Oh wait, I forgot, you guys only care about Dean.”

“Yes, we do,” Castiel nods, not the slightest bit affected by her accusatory tone. “But I must admit I am curious about you. Dean thinks of you a lot, as much as Sam and Bobby. He says it is worry. I felt I should meet you.”

Caroline shakes her head and laughs in disbelief. “You know, in your own way, you’re as bad as the demons.”

He doesn’t look offended, but his eyes are a bit wide as he looks at her. “Why do you say that?”

“You’re all about possession and subordination.”

Castiel shakes his head. “Dean made the choice.”

“After you blackmailed him,” she says, her face twisted into a dark sneer. “You may not have said ‘do this or else’, but you’ve been studying him this past year. You know his weaknesses. You went for the biggest when you waved Sam’s well-being in front of his face. You played him, as well as a demon would. Congratulations.”

Castiel tilts his head and gazes at her curiously. “Do you believe in God?”

She rolls her eyes at this change in topic. “It’s a little hard not to believe when there’s a freaking angel two feet away.”

“That’s not what I meant,” he continues, coming closer and then taking a seat on the floor right in front of her. She straightens at his proximity and brings her knees even closer to her chest. She stares at him in open distrust and he just gazes back calmly. “I was asking if you have faith in God and His ways.”

“You mean a God that dangles one brother in front of the other to get His way? A God that orders the destruction of an entire town of innocent people to stop one of its citizens?” she shakes her head. “Dean’s good at telling stories. And no, I don’t have faith in His plan if it involves the deaths of so many people. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t like any plan that includes leeway for casualties.”

“You want an unrealistic plan that promises to save everyone?”

“I want a God that doesn’t want us to accept the deaths of thousands as a price to pay for the greater good! If we’re really the good guys, we shouldn’t be okay with that. If we’re human in any way, we shouldn’t just say ‘oh okay’ and then get on with the plan. We should want to save them; we should try and not be punished for it!”

Castiel frowns. “You think Dean is being punished.”

“I think you’re setting two men that I love on a path to ruin,” Caroline sniffs back a few tears. “Why do you need Dean’s oath so bad? Is the future that bleak?”

“The Apocalypse is nigh; it is very bleak.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Caroline glares at the stoic man in front of her. “You would only need Dean’s oath if you knew that whatever’s coming is not something he wants to do. You’ve got an agenda, Oh Blessed Angel of the Lord. And I don’t trust you.”

Castiel blinks. “You are like your ancestors in that fashion. They were the hardest to convince.”

Caroline drops her knees, her legs folding into the Indian-styled position as she leans forward a bit. “What did you say?”

“But for all their scepticism, your ancestors had courage. They believed in sacrifice, in preserving the safety of others before their own,” Castiel pauses and leans forward as well, his face suddenly very close to her own. “I wonder if you could be as noble. Will you, Caroline Forbes, sacrifice for the sake of others?”

Caroline backs away, uncomfortable at his nearness. “I shouldn’t have to,” she responds sullenly. “A loving God wouldn’t make me.”

Castiel sighs and gets to his feet. “You don’t understand the nature of God, do you?”

Caroline shrugs and pulls her knees back up to her chest. “I think I understand enough.”

Three years past Founders’ Day and Caroline Forbes understands that God isn’t dead, He’s just totally indifferent. And that’s the worst thing she could imagine.

~*~

Her reunion with Matt does not go as well as with Jeremy and Tyler. It has something to do with his injuries, because he’s a bit too stiff to do much hugging. But there’s also something guarded in his expression, an accusation that he is struggling not to say.

“You shouldn’t have left,” is what he says instead.

She replies: “I couldn’t stay. You don’t know the whole of it.”

He shrugs: “You should have told me.”

It ends there, because what else can they say? Matt’s happy to see her again, alive and well, and she’s glad to see he’s recovering. But there’s a chasm between them now, born more out of her failure to make contact than anything else. He knows she had problems with Elena, knows that it had something to do with Damon. But she understands the real issue is that she chose to speak with Bonnie while ignoring him.

She isn’t sure if you could call what they had back then love, but if you can, it was most certainly ‘puppy love’. Whatever the case, they had a connection. They shared things. And maybe she should have talked to him (emailed, texted, whatever), but she stayed mum for five years because she was afraid he would try to make her come home. Bonnie, who understood better than anyone, still made various arguments in favour of Caroline returning to Mystic Falls. Caroline doesn’t doubt that Matt would have been the same way, if not more aggressive. He might have even shown up in Sioux Falls, ready to drag her back home if need be. That wasn’t a risk she was willing to take at the time.

It’s worse when Matt meets Dean, because there’s this weird contest that seems to spring up between them. She thinks it’s because they are both men she regards with deep affection and neither approves of the other.

“You look different,” Matt comments off hand.

“She looks fine,” Dean snaps before Caroline can respond.

Matt glares at the older man, clearly offended. “I never said she didn’t.”

Dean snorts and Caroline has to lay a hand on his arm to stop further squabbling. Matt’s face is stony and unhappy as his eyes narrow in on her hand, and she stops it quickly, feeling guilty and awkward. She repeatedly tells Matt that Dean is not her boyfriend and Matt assures her it wouldn’t be a problem if he were. But it’s very obvious that it would be a problem and Caroline isn’t sure what she can do about it.

And Sam isn’t even here yet.

The meeting Tyler previously alluded to is indeed set for six o’clock. Caroline and Dean have a couple of hours to claim rooms and unload their stuff before they have to leave for the Lockwood manor. Dean does nothing to help alleviate the tension in the house when he insists on sharing a room with Caroline. She agrees because she thinks it’s better if she can keep an eye on Dean at all times. Matt fumes as Jeremy leads both Caroline and Dean upstairs. She hears Tyler telling Matt to calm down before they reach the second floor. As soon as Jeremy leaves them in Mr. Bennett’s old room, Caroline turns to Dean and firmly reminds him of Rule Number One: Be nice. Dean nods before jumping on the bed and he actually slams the headboard into the wall a few times before she punches him in the shoulder and orders him to grow up.

She wishes Dean would behave. Her hand is starting to hurt from having to hit him so much.

When she steps into the front foyer of Tyler’s house, she’s taken back to the night of the Founders’ Ball for just one minute. Damon had compelled her to bring him along as her date and her mother had gone on high alert the second they walked into the house. She remembers the brief argument when her mother had yanked her from Damon’s side. Her mother had wanted to know everything about Damon and Caroline told her to back off. It wasn’t any different from the other fights they had had about boys, but looking back, Caroline can’t help but wish it had gone differently. She wonders how her life would have been different if she had just taken the time to listen to her mother that day. Or any other day prior to that. Maybe she never would have ended up in her room with Damon Salvatore that first night. Or maybe she would have, but she wouldn’t have been there willingly. That’s the exact thing that bothers her about her relationship with Damon; she had been willing at first. She thinks that if she had had more self-restraint (or more self-respect) then she wouldn’t hate herself so much at present.

Carol Lockwood is almost exactly the same as Caroline remembers. There are some signs of how much time has passed (Carol’s got a few new wrinkles she hadn’t before and her hair is starting to grey), but the poise and the elegance are the same. Caroline looks wistfully at Carol as she approaches, remembering a time when she wanted to be exactly like the Mayor’s wife because she was just so classy. She looks back and thinks that maybe her mother was right in saying Caroline needed better goals. Being classy and elegant hasn’t done Carol Lockwood any favours. She still lost her husband unnecessarily and the danger her Council is supposed to save the town from is no longer something she can contain. The outside packaging looks good, but there are cracks in the veneer and they’re starting to show.

Carol greets her with a hug that feels pretty sincere. Caroline remembers the way Carol tried to take care of her after she had seen her mother’s body. She feels bad because she isn’t being gracious with her assessment of Carol Lockwood and there’s definitely more to the lady than just style and image. Carol Lockwood was a friend of her mother and she had watched Caroline grow alongside her own son. She cares for Caroline, in some way, and Caroline resolves to be more charitable in her thoughts of Tyler’s mom.

She wonders if this is a Council meeting, because there are a lot of faces she remembers from her youth. Tina Fell is sitting in the armchair of the Lockwood living room with her eyes closed and a hand pressed against one side of her face. Caroline looks at her and barely sees the airheaded girl from high school (and yes she’s aware the same could be said of her). But with Tina the change is starkly obvious. The girl looks like she hasn’t rested in days and she fidgets when anyone gets too close. She’s a bit like a caged animal, opening her eyes only periodically to gaze about the room in horror.

Her one-time date to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Jeffrey Lockwood-Hamilton, is also there. He’s standing in the far corner of the room with his father and another older man she doesn’t recognize. A couple of her mother’s old deputies are there in uniform and the sight of so many police officers makes Dean a bit twitchy. She gives him an amused look whenever he tries to hide behind her. Of course, he’s not necessarily wrong to do so. Dean’s bad luck with the law is sort of epic. He’s wanted on several charges, among them murder (of which he is innocent), credit card fraud (of which he is so guilty), and armed robbery (which is really only half-true). He’s also been declared dead a couple times by the authorities, so he tries to do his best to avoid any law enforcement types lest he be found and undeclared dead (again).

Jenna is there, along with Mr. Saltzman, and she’s so pregnant that Caroline’s jaw drops to the floor. Jenna is happy and excited to see her, eyes misting as she hugs Caroline close. She pulls back and runs a hand down Caroline’s hairline and Caroline can see the memories as they go through Jenna’s mind. The sleepovers, the makeovers, the movie nights-three best friends who used to turn to her for style tips and guy advice. Jenna goes from happy to regretful in under a minute and even Caroline’s shed a few tears by the time Alaric gets his wife under control. Of course, Caroline doesn’t realize that Jenna is his wife until Jeremy whispers it into her ear. She congratulates the couple awkwardly and does her very best not to cry again when Jenna talks of naming the baby after Elena, if it turns out to be a girl.

It’s exhausting being amongst so many people after months of self-exile. Dean’s always close and Caroline keeps grabbing his hand and hugging him for comfort. This doesn’t help the situation with Matt (who’s watching them from across the room), but she needs the support. Tyler made her leave Rumsfeld at the Bennett house, stating it would just be weird if she brought her dog. Unfortunately Dean was on his side about that one, and Caroline quickly found herself being shoved into the front seat of the Impala while Rumsfeld watched from the living room window.

Stefan arrives with Meredith in tow. Caroline immediately goes on alert, searching for Damon in the crowd. She knows Dean is doing the same thing. She wants to ask Stefan where Damon is hiding, but Dean’s shooting Stefan a lot of dirty looks and Caroline figures the best way to avoid another fight would be to keep Dean well away from any Salvatore.

“It’s starting,” Tyler whispers as he joins her and Dean, indicating they should follow him somewhere. Caroline falls into step behind him, Dean right at her back. Tyler leads them to the front of the room, near the fireplace. He waves his hand towards one of the couches and Caroline takes a seat on the end. Dean plants himself on the armrest closest to her and folds his arms over his chest as he surveys the room with a glare. He’s being practical, even now. Sitting directly on the couch makes it harder to reach the gun tucked into the back of his jeans, and Dean’s too wired to relax. She knows it’s because he can’t see Damon and that’s making him antsy. It’s not doing wonders for her either.

“All right everyone, let’s get started.” Carol comes to stand directly in front of the unlit fireplace, a serene smile on her lips that is meant to put everyone at ease. It’s not doing its job, because the tension in the room has gone up at least ten notches since she spoke. Caroline lets her eyes travel the room, taking in the pinched faces and the furrowed brows.

“Firstly, I would like to welcome back Caroline Forbes,” Carol turns in her direction and smiles gently. “It’s good to have all our Founding Families properly represented once again.”

Caroline returns her smile only minimally, because she can feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on her now. Once, she would have been overjoyed with the attention. Now, she’s a shadow of the girl she used to be and she knows over half the room is wondering where the hell she’s been for the past two years. The Founding Families and the town leaders are supposed to come together when Mystic Falls is threatened. Her absence was not only noted, but resented. It takes a lot of willpower not to shrink down and hide behind Dean.

“We are still looking for leads into the disappearance of Bonnie Bennett,” Carol switches topics quickly, waving to indicate a police officer to her left. The officer steps forward and she sees from his badge that there’s a new sheriff in Mystic Falls. And for the first time in a hundred and fifty years, this one isn’t named Forbes.

“We’ve combed the area where Miss Bennett’s car was found, and we’ve got nothing new,” the sheriff pauses and looks directly at Matt. “We’re working from a pretty shaky base as it is. Neighbouring counties have been alerted to her disappearance. We’ve got her picture up in half the police stations in this state. So far, nothing. They’re hiding her pretty good. As well, with Isobel Fleming’s knowledge of the surrounding area, the search is taking a while.”

“Thank you sheriff,” Carol smiles politely as the sheriff nods and walks back into the crowd. “Now, I know most of you are worried about a repeat of last time. But we’re ahead of them this time. We know when and where they have to move-Stefan?”

“They need a full moon,” Stefan affirms from near the entry way. “The ritual is pretty specific. A full moon, a Salem witch, and a bloodletting. We’re still working on the bloodletting part. There’s been no rise in disappearances in the area. We still don’t know who Isobel plans to sacrifice, or how many.”

“But we know the place and the time,” Carol finishes for him. “The safety of this town has always fallen on this Council. I know that many of you are new and are still adjusting to the truth we’ve shared with you. But the strength of the Council has always come from the conviction of its members. This is our town; we know how to protect it. Isobel Fleming is not her ancestor; she is not Katherine Pierce. And if we don’t find her before the next full moon, we’ll take care of her at Willow Creek.”

“Willow Creek?” Caroline repeats softly. Dean turns at the sound of her voice and gives her a curious look. She whispers an explanation to him. “It’s nearby-there was a really bad Civil War battle there. The place always gave me the creeps.”

“We know for a fact that they’re still in the area.” This comes from a new voice, one that makes Caroline stand up straighter. Her entire body is taut with tension as her eyes sweep the room looking for the owner of the voice. Dean’s hand is on her back, but she barely feels it. She’s looking from face to face, searching for the man who’s preoccupied her thoughts almost as much as Damon has since Founders’ Day.

John Gilbert steps forward, emerging from the group of people huddled around the Lockwood-Hamiltons. The past five years have not been kind to John Gilbert. He’s still dressed in his pristine dark blue suit and his voice is still strong and full of authority, but he’s aged a lot. His hair is noticeably greyer and there’s an angry red scar running down the left side of his face. He also limps a bit as he walks and the hand on which he’s wearing that big, ugly family ring of his is missing a finger. He looks like he’s been through a lot.

She should feel sympathy; she has only hate.

“My sources tell me that quite a few blood banks in the surrounding counties have been hit,” John continues to explain, stopping right beside Carol. “The robberies are random, but tend to happen within a three week period of the preceding theft. There are never any witnesses and no workers have gone missing. ‘Animal attacks’ are not on the rise, neither are unexplained deaths or disappearances. She’s got her followers on a very tight leash. To force this kind of discipline on a group of vampires takes a lot of skill and power. You shouldn’t underestimate Isobel just because of her age. She’s a very capable woman.”

“You would know.” It takes her a second to realize that she’s spoken out loud. Dean’s looking down at her with a frown on his face and she knows that most of the room is looking at her in the same manner. She stifles the urge to sink back into the couch and lifts her chin just a bit. Her eyes catch John’s and she sees hesitation with a smidge of resignation there.

“I do know,” he says with a slight nod, his voice softer than before. “And I think we’re getting too complacent because Katherine is dead. We lost a lot dealing with Katherine, some more than others. We should take every precaution necessary.”

Caroline’s so preoccupied with glaring at John that she doesn’t register the fact that someone has joined her on the couch until he speaks. “The vervain is ready for cultivation,” is all the warning she gets. Caroline leaps off the couch and into Dean, eyes wide and chest heaving as she looks down at Damon Salvatore. Dean curses and tries to grab for a weapon, but she’s retained enough sense to grab his hands. She has to plant herself firmly on his lap, an uncomfortable position since he’s trying to get a gun free, and she knows that they both look like two lunatics flailing around as they are.

Damon’s enjoying himself immensely. He doesn’t even bother to acknowledge Stefan when his brother walks over to stand beside the couch with a disapproving look on his face. Damon’s only got eyes for Caroline and Dean, though his words are for the entire room. “We’re also going to need to make sure that we have enough weapons for the sheriff’s men. Alaric’s stake-guns are fun, but they take time to reload. And let’s face it; it’s hard to get the money shot on the first try. Vampires need to be slowed down first and then staked. Tranquilizer guns with vervain ammo should do the trick. Of course, failing that, our darling Miss Mystic Falls has something else that works pretty well.”

Stefan shakes his head at his brother’s behaviour, but turns to Caroline with a contemplative look. “You said something about salt and vervain? It was damn effective.”

“Hurts like a bitch,” Damon clarifies. “And incapacitates nicely. Come on Caroline, share the ammo.”

Caroline feels Dean twitching beneath her. Every word out of Damon’s mouth is over-the-top seductive and he keeps giving her these looks that make her very uncomfortable. She knows it’s for show, because he’s still kind of mad that she shot him and Dean very nearly shot him. But it’s working nonetheless; Dean’s more than ready to fight. But she isn’t going to let him.

She turns her eyes to Carol Lockwood, noting the woman is straining to keep a serene expression despite the obvious tension in the air. “I’ll see what I can do about the ammo,” she promises her. “It might take a few days.”

Carol pastes on a smile. “That sounds wonderful,” she gushes. “Every bit helps. Of course, weapons talks are the sheriff’s field, so I’ll let you two figure it out. We are still discussing plans of action and evacuation procedures should they become necessary. The next full moon is only six days away; we have to hurry if we want to catch up. Nothing can be left to chance. This is our home; we can’t be careless.” Carol pauses and gazes about the room. “Are there any questions?”

A throat is cleared from somewhere in the back of the room. A young woman steps forward, her curly red hair in stark contrast to her pale skin. Caroline frowns and tries to place her. “Do we know why Bonnie asked all of us to gather here? I mean, I understand the Founding Families being here, but I’m not sure why she asked for the rest of us in particular.”

“I’m sorry, Mary,” Carol shrugs her shoulders. “Bonnie didn’t make her intentions clear before she disappeared. Hopefully we can find out when she’s back home. Until then, I thank you for your patience and your continued attendance.”

There are some murmurs from various parts of the room, but that appears to be the end of the official meeting. Caroline has more questions than she had this afternoon and she wants Tyler to answer them for her. But her need for answers is nothing compared to her need to be far away from both Damon Salvatore and John Gilbert. She actually hadn’t considered running into John again, forgot all about it in the shock of Bonnie’s disappearance and the news of Elena’s passing. But standing in the same room as him brought it all back. Caroline feels like she’s unravelling from the inside out. Her hands, still holding Dean’s down at his sides, are shaking again. She knows Damon sees this, that he understands he is one of her weaknesses, but she’s determined not fall apart here.

Stefan’s still standing guard over his brother when Caroline gets up off Dean’s lap. She averts her eyes, not wanting to look at either Salvatore at the moment. She drops one of Dean’s hands but tugs him forward by the other. He grunts and he’s probably glaring death at Damon behind her, but he follows quickly at her behest. She nods briefly towards Carol before heading towards the front hall. She’s dodging in and out of the crowd, Dean mimicking her movements, and she’s so focused on getting out that she doesn’t see John making his way towards her until he steps directly in her path.

She halts abruptly, Dean bumping into her from behind. John’s looking directly at her and she feels rage start to creep up her spine and replace the fear Damon had drawn out of her. It’s unbelievable that he’s there, standing in front of her, wearing that look on his face. It’s a look of carefully constructed sympathy and right then, she wants nothing more than to give him a matching scar on the right side of his face.

“Caroline,” he stops and gives her a small smile. She grits her teeth and squeezes her hands into fists. John doesn’t notice, or he doesn’t care. He opens his mouth again; she wants to hit him. “It’s good to see you back. I know it must be difficult being here, with everything that happened to your mo-“

She claims temporary insanity. She claims too much stress in too short a time period. The Devil made her do it, or he would if he wasn’t stuck Below for all eternity (she’s hoping it’s actually an eternity this time around). All she knows is that John Gilbert is in her way, talking to her like he wasn’t responsible for her mother dying in a horrifying manner, and she just can’t hear it.

Her right hand lets go of Dean’s and slides up underneath her shirt. Before even Dean can guess what she’s doing, Caroline’s snapped off the buckle to one of her knives and pulled the blade out from its sheath. She moves the second the buckle snaps open, her left hand going out and grabbing a surprised John by the throat. She pushes him right back into the wall, the back of his head colliding against the wood with a satisfying thud. The knife’s out and at his throat before Tina Fell can even finish her first scream. The rest of the room erupts into noise and she hears Dean telling someone to back off as she presses the knife tight against John’s throat. The man swallows nervously, wincing when she presses too hard and there are a few drops of blood sliding down his neck and onto his dress shirt. Caroline sneers at his expression, leaning in close and making him see the deadly intent in her eyes.

“Don’t fucking talk to me,” she warns him, saying each word slowly so he catches every one. “Don’t ever talk to me.”

John nods feebly and she presses the knife harder still, causing more blood to leak out. Finally, she pulls back, releasing her hold on his throat and shoving the knife back into its sheath. She takes a step back from him, watching the fearful look on his face fade away into incredulity. She spares him one last glare before turning around.

She sees Dean standing with a restraining hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. Jeremy looks a bit pale in the face as he looks between Caroline and his uncle, his jaw rigid and his cheeks twitching just a bit. Jenna’s not far behind, pressing her hand against her mouth as her eyes are filling with tears. Alaric’s right behind her, patting her shoulders and whispering something into her ears. Carol is pushing her way through the crowd, a stunned Tyler right on her heels. Stefan’s standing next to Matt, who’s looking at her like he’s never seen anything more disgusting in his life. The look on his face makes Caroline want to cry, but she’s still got some of that old-Caroline dignity left and she refuses to let her shame show.

The only person in the room who’s not looking at her like she’s some freak is Damon. He’s not smiling or anything either, but the contemplative look on his face is disheartening in its own way.

Caroline turns away from the crowd and looks directly at Dean. “Let’s go.”

No one gets in her way this time.

~*~

“Being so angry all the time is going to eat you alive someday, Caroline.”

Caroline evaluates her image reflected in her vanity mirror, her right hand hovering just above her neck. Her foundation conceals most of the marks; it just needs a bit of powder to hold it in place. The one on her back is always the hardest to do. It’s also the most stubborn in healing. The ones on her neck never lasted this long, and they certainly didn’t leave behind any scar tissue like the one on her back.

“I can’t help the anger,” she finally says in reply, eyes flickering over to the top right hand corner of her mirror where she can see Elena pouting at her. “It’s been with me all this time. And it’s better than the fear.”

“But you’re not dealing with any of it,” Elena argues. “The fear you keep squashed down inside, but the anger? You feed it; add onto it every time something goes wrong. How long before it’s out of control?”

“If you’re going to be preachy, we’re going to have another fight.” Caroline puts down her makeup and turns around to look directly at her friend. She notices for the first time that Elena is wearing the dress she wore to the Founders’ Day Parade. Caroline squints and thinks of that day. It started out so well.

“Stefan didn’t like this,” Elena reveals, waving a hand to indicate her outfit. “He didn’t say it out loud, but I knew. She looked like this when he first met her. It brought up some bad memories.”

Caroline nods sympathetically. “And it totally gave Damon a boner, right?”

Elena laughs and then throws a pillow from the bed at Caroline’s head. “God, Caroline!”

She giggles and picks up the pillow from the ground. It didn’t even come close to hitting her. Elena’s spectacular aim comes into play again. “So, what’s the lesson today?”

Elena frowns and then giggles. “Wrong dream, Caroline. That was weeks ago.”

“I mean, what are you going to tell me now?” Caroline clarifies with a roll of her eyes. “Your visits aren’t just about two friends reconnecting. You always have something you want me to remember.”

“Yeah, how’s the remembering working out for you?”

Caroline arches an eyebrow at Elena’s sarcastic tone. “Hey, this is your deal. If you wanted me to remember, you should have brought it up with whoever is letting you do this. It’s not my fault all the information erases from my memory the second I wake up.”

“That’s why I had you write down ‘covenant’,” Elena says with a nod. “You’re too lazy to get up now. I tried to get you to write down the blood and the hair, but you were pretty uncooperative. But then again, you had just met up with Damon again. That probably zapped most of your strength. Of course, threatening my father with your blade must have wiped you out tonight.”

“Didn’t I tell you to not get preachy?” Caroline softens her retort with a smile and flops down on her bed. “Let’s avoid the issue of John Gilbert. We both know it’s going to spoil the mood.”

“The mood?” Elena repeats as she circles the bed. “Is this where the lesbian friendship comes into play? You still freaky like that, Caroline?”

“Like I have any control here,” Caroline rolls her eyes at Elena, and then smiles mischievously. “But you have to admit, you and me-so hot!”

Elena laughs and leans against Caroline’s window sill. “I see being back in Mystic Falls is doing you some good.”

“How do you figure?”

Elena shrugs one delicate shoulder, her right hand going behind her head to sweep her curls to one side. “You haven’t been this playful in . . . I can’t even remember. Can you?”

Caroline thinks back to her brief relationship with Sam. She thinks of hugs and kisses, laughing quietly underneath the covers because they didn’t want Uncle Bobby or Dean to hear them. It wasn’t like the other two men weren’t aware of what was happening, but privacy is hard to maintain in a house with such paper thin walls. It wasn’t long before they were sneaking out to the salvage yard and doing things in the cars that would have made Uncle Bobby angry if he knew about them.

But it all went down the toilet. Dean was going to Hell, Ruby had her claws in deep, and Sam left her. Things never returned to what they were. She never trusted him again. This new angel gig of his does nothing to remedy that. She’s done with Sam Winchester.

She’s still madly in love with him, but she’s done.

“I’m going to plead the fifth on that one,” Caroline finally replies. She turns and grabs one of her stuffed bears from her night table and hugs it close to her chest. “And you still haven’t told me what you want me to learn.”

Elena’s facing the window, leaning in to breathe hot air over a good portion of it. The window fogs up and Elena starts tracing letters onto the glass. Caroline gets up and stands behind Elena, watching as she spells Caroline’s name on the window. “You need to learn from Bonnie’s mistakes,” Elena answers when she’s done. The brunette turns slightly and smiles warmly at Caroline. “You two have been horrible at letting people in. But this isn’t something you can do alone. You’ve reached the end of the road with ‘covenant’ and you still don’t understand the importance of blood and hair.”

“You could just tell me,” Caroline says with a roll of her eyes.

“I could, but some things need to be learned,” Elena’s smile fades and she turns to face Caroline fully. “Some things need to be discovered in order for them to have any weight.”

Caroline sighs and nods. “Plus, it’s not like I’ll remember it anyway.”

Elena laughs and pulls her friend in for a hug. “Yeah, that too.”

~*~

She wakes with the feeling that something is off. The sun is hitting her right in the face, but it’s coming from the wrong side. She blinks a few times and moves about in her bed. The sheets are silkier than they should be and the pillow is softer than she is used to.

She’s not at home.

Caroline finally opens her eyes and gazes about the room. She remembers where she is and how she got here. She remembers pulling a knife on John Gilbert in a room full of people. She remembers Matt looking disgusted, Jeremy looking afraid, and Damon looking interested.

Caroline groans and turns onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow. For a brief second she entertains the thought of going back to Sioux Falls and forgetting about this whole mess. But it’s hard to convince herself of that when she’s in Bonnie’s house, knowing that her friend is being held by a group of vampires led by someone who’s probably lost her mind.

Ick. Friendship.

“You awake for real this time?”

She’s startled by the sound of Dean’s voice, twisting herself around in the sheets as she tries to locate him. He’s sitting on a chair, near the other side of the bed. She frowns at him and looks down at the pillow and blankets she had given him last night. They are on the bed and they look like he used them. So why is Dean in a chair and looking like he’s gotten no sleep?

“Huh?” she says in response, her brain still chugging slowly through the data coming into her consciousness.

“Yup, you’re awake,” Dean sighs and gets to his feet. “That kind of high level articulation only comes when you’re awake.”

Caroline rolls her eyes and flops back down on the bed. “What? You spend all night reading the dictionary to learn new words? Finally realized ‘bitch’ is not always the most fitting response to every situation?”

“Can the wiseass remarks,” Dean says in a tired voice. “I want to talk to you. What did you dream about last night?”

She opens her mouth to retort, but thinks of his question and falls silent. She remembers bits and flashes of the dream, remembers seeing Elena. But she can’t remember where they were and what Elena may have said. Caroline sighs and struggles into an upright position. “Sorry Dean,” she shrugs hopelessly. “I can’t remember exactly. Why? Did I cry again?”

“A little,” Dean shrugs. “It was the all the sleep walking that freaked me out.”

Caroline goes completely still. “Sleep walking?”

Dean nods, rubbing the palms of his hands over his eyes. “You got up some time in the middle of the night. I thought you were going to the bathroom or something, but you didn’t come back for a while. So I got up, and you hadn’t even left the room. You were just standing at the window, eyes open and you just weren’t there. I got you back into bed, but you spent the rest of the night talking and crying. You kept saying ‘Elena’ over and over again. Plus ‘blood’, ‘hair’, and ‘freaky’, and ‘so hot’. You have a dirty mind, don’t you girl?”

Caroline gives him a look and stares at the window. She swings her legs out of bed, walking slowly over to the window. Dean’s right behind her. He gives her a confused look when they stop in front of the window and she just stares. Caroline frowns and rubs two fingers against her temple. There’s something about the window that seems like it should be familiar. Her mind flashes back to her dream, the few images of it she could remember. She closes her eyes and sees pieces of Elena’s smile, pink sheets, and pale skin littered with scars. Then, all other images are chased away by the picture of a finger on glass, tracing letters through the fog.

“Caroline?” Dean’s voice is worried and when she opens her eyes, she sees apprehension on his face. She shakes her head but doesn’t answer, instead turning back to the window. She leans forward hesitantly, pauses for one second, and then blows a puff of hot air across the glass. Letters and words materialize out of the fog and Dean lets out a curse from beside her. Caroline pulls back and looks at the message left for her last night:

TALK TO STEFAN.

Caroline snorts and turns to give Dean an aggrieved look. “She is so bossy.”

~*~

It takes a lot of arguing for Dean to agree. He doesn’t like the idea of her being alone with any Salvatore, vampire or otherwise. But as she reminds him, Dean already knows about the dreams and she’s explained ‘covenant’ to him. Between the two of them, they don’t have any definite answers. Stefan may be able to help, and besides, Elena’s message is very clear. She wants Caroline to share with Stefan.

Dean hates that she’s listening to a dead vampire more than he hates her visiting alone with Stefan.

She sends him off with Tyler towards the sheriff’s office. Matt’s absence is pronounced and it stings Caroline more than she cares to admit. Tyler seems to have recovered from the shock of last night and actually has a grin for her when she sees him that morning. He says some things about her being ‘kick-ass’ and has some outfit suggestions that would have her trawling around Mystic Falls dressed up like Halle Berry in that awful Catwoman movie.

Of course, this makes Dean grumpy because he does not like the idea of any male noticing the attractive qualities of his adopted ‘sister’. He drags Tyler out the door with him and she can hear the beginnings of a lecture on how to treat ladies. The irony is so thick that Caroline nearly chokes from all the laughter.

She’s waiting for him on the porch when he arrives. Elena might want her to talk to Stefan, but Caroline respects Bonnie’s boundaries, as Bonnie has always respected Caroline’s. Bonnie doesn’t want any vampire to have entrance into her home, and while Caroline stays there, she’s going to stick with that. It’s probably not what Elena had in mind, but it will have to do.

Stefan appears in Bonnie’s driveway and makes his way over to the porch. She’s occupied the swing and Rumsfeld is keeping guard at her feet. She’s surprised to find Stefan alone and thinks that Damon must have been out of the house when she called. She doubts Damon would miss an opportunity to goad her or Dean. Especially Dean.

She watches with a hint of amusement as he takes his time approaching her. He’s deliberately going slow, trying to keep things as human as possible. She wonders if it’s for her benefit or for the neighbours. She brushes away the thought, determined not to start this on a bad foot. She needs to be more civilized in her thoughts towards Stefan; they need to work together.

“Hi,” he begins, standing awkwardly in front of her. Rumsfeld lifts his head at the sound of his voice and gives the vampire a half-hearted growl. Caroline smiles at his laziness. What a guard dog.

“Hi,” she returns as her stomach starts to roll. She’s nervous, he can tell, but she’s got enough nerve for this. Caroline scoots over to one side of the porch and pats the seat next to her. “Sit down.”

He raises one eyebrow, but moves forward to take the seat. He goes even slower than before, like he’s giving her time to change her mind. She appreciates the gesture, but she doesn’t have time for it. She grabs his hands and pulls him into his seat. They both know he could resist her with little effort, but he lets her do it. His surprise is more obvious than before and he turns to her with a questioning look on his face. She looks back at him, his face not that far away, and stops herself from leaning as far back as she can. It’s the closest she’s invited him to be since he came to collect her.

She wants to get right into it, but it’s harder than she imagined with him sitting right there. Elena’s not an easy topic, and Caroline’s still not one hundred percent sure it really is Elena. Sure, it’d be nice to take things on faith. But Caroline’s seen what higher powers do when they meddle in human affairs. She’s not so quick to trust anymore and she doesn’t know how to raise this delicately with Stefan. “So, Matt’s hiding at your place?”

Stefan gives her this quirk of the mouth that may have been a smile. There’s something in his eyes that says he knows she’s just stalling, but he plays along. “He’s not hiding.”

Caroline gives him a look of disbelief. “He’s avoiding me. I disgust him that much?”

Stefan shakes his head. “It’s not disgust,” he denies. “It’s something else. I don’t even know if I can say it right, or say it in a way that wouldn’t make you angry.”

“Try me.”

Stefan sighs and turns to face the driveway. “You’re not Caroline anymore, at least not the Caroline that was. I guess a large part of Matt hoped you would come back just like you were before, and maybe things could start over again. The time when you left, that’s when things got rough around here. Matt looked for you for a long time. He thought if we could all just get back together, we would get through the darkness. You became this symbol for him, of the time before things went so horribly wrong. And with Bonnie missing and Elena dead, seeing you so different-he’s just disappointed.”

“I didn’t become like this on purpose,” she argues. “I had to in order to survive. You have no idea of the things that I’ve seen.”

“I’m not blaming you, Caroline,” Stefan glances at her and gives a small smile. “And Matt’s not really blaming you either. It’s just that things were better before you left. And now that you’re back, and so different, it’s thrown away all hopes of going back to that. That’s what he’s angry about.”

Stefan was right; there isn’t a way of explaining that without making her angry. She supposes it’s her fault for chickening out and bringing up Matt in the first place. She’s known since last night that whatever Matt thought about her, it wouldn’t be nice. Caroline fumes for a second, unable to stomach the idea that Matt hung a bunch of unrealistic hopes on her head. She doesn’t want that kind of responsibility; she knows what it leads to.

“I didn’t call you to talk about Matt,” she finally admits uncomfortably.

“I know,” Stefan says neutrally, leaning against the back of the swing and kicking off gently with his feet. They sway back and forth for a bit, Stefan giving her enough time to gather the courage to do this.

She can think of no better way than her usual way-bluntly. “I’ve been dreaming of Elena.”

He pauses, holds inhumanly still for a few seconds, and then nods. “It’s not unusual after hearing about what happened.”

Caroline takes a deep breath and dives in headfirst. “I’ve been dreaming about Elena for months before you showed up on my doorstep. With what you told me, I think I’ve been dreaming about her since she died.”

He stills again, but doesn’t shake out of it this time. He’s looking at her with unseeing eyes, a face that looks like it’s been carved out of stone. Caroline licks her lips nervously and shuts her eyes, not brave enough to look him in the face while she confesses. “I ignored them at first. I could never remember much about what happened in the dreams, only that Elena was there every time. She kept begging me for something, to help her somehow. I ignored her and the dreams because I was still mad at her for . . . a lot of things, really. And I kept ignoring her until one night, I got up out of my bed and wrote ‘covenant’ across my bathroom mirror in blood red lipstick-and then couldn’t remember doing it.”

She stops there and gives him a minute to catch up. His face is still expressionless but there’s a light back in his eyes. She presses on, holding his gaze with her own. “Stefan, do you know what she means by it?”

Stefan blinks and very slowly begins to move again. The muscle in his jaw is twitching and he leans forward with his elbows on his knees, chin in hand. “Covenant? No, I’m afraid it doesn’t ring any bells. She never talked to me about it.”

Caroline nods and they fall silent again. Rumsfeld sneezes once at their feet and Caroline looks to him in order to avoid looking at Stefan again. “I think it has something to do with the Founders,” she says after a lengthy pause. “It’s all jumbled up with them anyhow. Why Katherine came here, how the Founders knew the vampires were here, and how they’ve managed to keep the town safe with such a large mystical hotspot within its borders. Stefan, ley lines aren’t little things. Sure there are literally thousands of them crisscrossing the globe, but they hardly ever touch. Only occasionally have two ley lines crossed, and as a result, supernatural creatures are drawn there like teenage girls to a Justin Bieber concert. Mystic Falls doesn’t have two crossing lines; it has three.”

“Three?” Stefan repeats, giving Caroline a hard look. “Are you sure? Bonnie never said-“

“I think there’s a lot Bonnie never said,” Caroline interrupts. “And yeah, I’m sure. Before I left South Dakota, I went over the information Uncle Bobby gathered for Bonnie last year. Three ley lines are practically unheard of, but Mystic Falls has three. I don’t know how this was kept a secret or why we don’t have every type of demon, witch, and otherwise terrorizing the town. We should have them here. I think the covenant has something to do with it. Do you know what it means?”

Stefan shrugs. “It’s an agreement, between two parties.”

“Yeah, but it also means ‘contract with God’,” Caroline bites her lip and looks back down at Rumsfeld. “And considering everything that’s happened in the last two years, I think we need to take that literally.”

Stefan shifts in his seat, turning so he’s sitting on the swing sideways and looking directly at her profile. “You think the Founders made a contract with God to keep the town safe?”

“I think something’s not right here and divine meddling is not looking like a bad explanation,” Caroline turns so she’s facing him. “I know it sounds crazy, but you’ve met angels, Stefan. You know He’s out there. Maybe He likes making deals as much as His Fallen Son.”

She never thought it possible, but Stefan’s pale skin goes even paler. She watches quietly as he nervously fiddles with the ring on his left hand, one with a large blue stone that looks a lot like Damon’s ring. She wonders if it’s a family crest, and then dismisses the idea as unimportant. Katherine probably didn’t care much about family crests and whatnot when she had those rings made for the brothers.

“I’ve read my father’s journals obsessively for years,” Stefan starts off saying. “And I’ve never come across a reference to a ‘covenant’ with anyone. But he always knew that we would be back. I wouldn’t think it impossible for him to leave any information regarding that out deliberately.”

“But what about the other Founders?” Caroline asks, brushing off the awkward feeling she has at discussing Stefan’s father. It just serves to remind her how old Stefan and Damon really are, and that’s an unsettling thought. “Maybe one of them mentioned it in their journals? They all kept written records. Maybe it’s in someone else’s.”

Stefan shakes his head. “Jonathan Gilbert’s journal is gone. We never recovered it from Anna. There’s still Honoria Fell and George Lockwood. And of course . . .”

Caroline holds up a set of keys that Carol Lockwood dropped off that morning at her request. “Sheriff William Forbes,” she continues for him. “I know where my mom kept his diaries. I’ll need your help getting them. I’ll lock up the house and grab Rumsfeld’s leash. It’s time for his walk anyway.”

Stefan nods and laughs. “Well, you’re still a take-charge kind of girl.”

Caroline rolls her eyes and gets up off the swing. “Yeah, at least I’m not bossing you around from the great beyond.”

Part Six

~*~