Title: A Girl Named Caroline
Author: Fansparadise
Rating: M
Warnings: Language, Violence, and sexual situations
Pairings: S/C/D; S/E/K
Category: Alternate History
Summary: Stefan and Damon return to Mystic falls for Caroline, who was attacked by an unknown, leaving her with a scar and returning memories.
Disclaimer: I do not own...sadly.

All changes,
even the most longed for,
have their melancholy;
for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;
we must die to one life before we can enter another.

"Run, Caroline!"

"What's happening?"

A hand came from the darkness and painfully gripped her wrist. Whipping her around and pressing her front against a tree.

"Caroline...such a sweet and innocent girl," the shadow's breath was hot against her ear.

He laughed as she struggled against him. Skimming a hand down her side roughly.

"Let me go." she whispered. Breath hitching as his slid his tongue down the length of her neck.

"Caroline!"

Snap.

Caroline woke up in her bed, abruptly. Her heart was hammering and sweat poured from her as she gasped for air. Again, her skin prickled at the memories that continuously plagued her dream space as nightmares.

That night-that single night was one that she wished to forget.

And one she did not completely remember. Just bits and pieces.

But she did remember one thing. Her mother disappeared-and the search party never found her body.

She ran a shaky hand through her bed head. Eyes flickering to the only certainty she had-other than the dreams-of that night actually happening. The cresant scar on her wrist. There had been so much...

There was blood running up her arm as she laid broken on the forest floor. She was going to die...her heart was beating wildly and she was gasping. She couldn't get enough air in one breath.

The shadow of the man that attacked loomed over her menacingly...she closed her eyes, awaiting her fate.

Caroline pulled her hand away. Taking in a deep breath as she sat up. She rested her back against the headboard, trying to slow down her heart rate.

The doctors said my survival was quite a miracle.

"Breathe Care," she muttered to herself, looking down at the Hello Kitty alarm clock that rested on her beside table. *5:47 AM.*

I can't keep doing this to myself...

She swallowed hard, eyes closing as she took another breath.

"Caroline."

"Caroline." Stefan called after her playfully as he chased her through a maze of blooming roses.

She turned cheekily to peer over her shoulder at him. Smile brimming on her lips. Golden locks blowing breezily behind her as she ran.

"Come on," her sweet voice rang softly through the wind, "If you want me, come and claim me..."

His movements slowed as he watched the distance between them grow larger. It was suddenly as if he no longer had control over his movements. And no matter how hard he tried to gain speed she was too far out of reach.

"Miss Caroline, I will have you!"

Damon's voice suddenly sounded somewhere off behind him.

One moment he was running beside him, giving him a side-ways smirk, the next he was within arms reach of the girl.

Stefan watched in horror as his brother's hand shot out, getting hold of Caroline's bare arm. He spinned her around, pulling her to him in a few swift movements.

"I knew you'd come for me," she sighed as the older Salvatore pulled her into an embrace.

She wrapped her delicate arms around his neck, pressing her nose into his neck.

Her blue eyes stared over his shoulder at Stefan, glossing over in confusion. Her face suddenly contorted into one of pain as Damon's fangs sank into her neck.

Her mouth opened in a silent scream, as the blood slid gracelessly down her neck. Plopping to the ground with echoing splats.

"Caroline!"

Stefan's eyes flew open; he lay upon his bed, trying to ignore what had just transpired in his mind.

"Morning sunshine," Damon said, his voice holding too much cheeriness for any normal Salvatore.

"Damon." Stefan sighed as he sat up. Eyes narrowing at his brother, who was sitting at his desk flipping through his journal. "Stay out of my head."

Damon offered a tight-lipped smile that was all too familiar. Eyebrows raising an inch in excitement.

"But it's so easy."

Stefan ran a cold hand down his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Climbing out of bed, he crossed the room into the bathroom.

"What do you want Damon?" He asked from inside.

A wicked smile formed on the older Salvatore's lips.

"I want you-little brother, to do what you promised me."

Stefan crossed back into the room wearing a prominent scowl.

"What?" he asked incredulously. Crossing his arms over his chest. Refusing to look away from his brother's menacing stare. "That's not going to happen."

Damon stood up sharply, journal falling to the floor carelessly.

"Are you forgetting our little arrangement already?" The older Salvatore's jaw hardened at the mere thought of it.

Stefan blinked, "That was over 100 years ago, Damon."

His brother stood before him a moment later.

"She's mine, Stefan." he said pinching the bridge of his nose. Trying his best to remain composed.

Stefan frowned. "Damon-If you really...care about Caroline, the way that I think you do...you'll let her decide..."

Damon closed his eyes for a moment in thought, before thrusting his arm forward. Impaling his brother with a thin stake. Stefan crumbled to his knees, pulling the imposing weapon from his stomach as his brother crouched down before him.

Sadly, he was right. She really wouldn't be his if he played puppeteer the entire way. Free will and all that.

"Fine" Damon spoke up, a plan already taking shape in his mind.

"We'll see who Caroline truly wants to be with."

Caroline stared across the cafeteria as Meredith and Elena piled their trays with food. They were giggling and flirting with some of the seniors in the lunch line. The Gilbert actually looked...happy. Happier than she had been the first few weeks after her parents' funeral. She wondered if she'd every be that happy again. After her mom went missing, everything just went downhill. Bonnie and Meredith did their best to provide support but she hadn't genuinely felt...like her normal self until she'd met Stefan.

"Did something happen between you and Stefan?" Bonnie asked out of the blue, popping a chip into her mouth. "I swear he was staring at you all through lab and you didn't look once."

That was in fact very true. Not that it had been on purpose-or anything but she'd been too distracted with her ever wandering mind to relax in the normalcy that was Stefan Salvatore. But she hadn't missed the feeling of his intense green eyes watching her, almost poetically.

"It's nothing." She said in a rush. Taking a sip of her diet coke as she scanned the cafeteria of familiar faces. Tyler was by a set of vending machines, talking up a cute blond-who looked extremely enthusiastic about having his attention, while Matt stood beside him, face wearing silent annoyance.

"Caroline," Bonnie mused, sounding unconvinced.

"Really, it's nothing." The blond said, looking away from the boys.

"Fine." Bonnie said. Though it was obvious she didn't believe it one bit.

Truth be told her dreams were starting to become more vivid-merging with painful memories in a way that had her waking up in the middle of the night severely out of breath.

"Hey!" Meredith greeted cheerfully, claiming the empty seat beside the blond. Elena slid into the one beside Bonnie.

"Hey." Caroline said, plastering a wide grin on her face as she stole a grape from the brunette's tray.

"So, where's Stefan?" Elena asked, and twisted the cap off of her water bottle. "I thought you would have invited him to eat with us. Are you two going to the bonfire together?"

"Um-" Caroline began. Pausing when she noticed said boy approaching their table with a hesitant smile on his face.

He looked cautiously between the girls before turning his attention to her.

"Hi." Stefan said steadily.

"Hi." She smiled, suddenly wondering why she hadn't spared the boy a look once during class.

"Um...can we talk?" He asked, motioning towards a quieter corner in the cafeteria.

Caroline looked between her friends before nodding.

She stood up slowly and followed him.

"So..." Caroline smiled, glancing around before turning her full attention to the Salvatore.

"Are you okay?" He asked, recalling his failed attempts during lab at gaining her attention. He was beginning to wonder if Damon had vetoed his no compulsion policy and erased her memories of their *connection*.

"Yeah," The girl smiled, running a hand through her hair nervously. Stefan looked a little unconvinced, which made her want to tell him the truth all the more. But she didn't. She didn't want to scare him off with her-dreams. "Stefan-"

"Yes?" He said.

"Have you heard about the bonfire?" She asked, the old 'Boy Snatching' Caroline coming out to play. This was the first time she'd ever asked a guy out, since her mom.

His smile grew as he nodded.

"Yeah..." Stefan murmured.

"Are yo-" They began in unison before dwindling into silence. Stefan's lips quirked slightly. He could hear the blood circulating around her face as she blushed.

"Then...I'll see you there."

The boy nodded, watching as her face lit up at that bit of information.

"Good." She beamed, lips twitching into a wide smile. "Um, so what did you-"

"Care!" Matt exclaimed from out of nowhere, popping into sight from behind Stefan's standing frame. "Can I borrow your history notes from yesterday?"

The blond shifted her gaze to the boy, who she'd known since preschool. At one point in time she imagined marrying him and living out her white picket fence fantasies. Then, he began going out with Elena which meant he was off limits.

Even though the two hadn't been going out since her parents deaths she still had that mentality.

"Urgh...sure Matt," Caroline nodded, sending Stefan an apologetic expression, "I'll see you tonight?"

She wanted to make sure she dressed accordingly.

His eyes shone as he nodded his confirmation.

"Great," Caroline got out before being dragged away by Matt, who obviously needed her notes. Stat.

A/N: sorry it took so very long to finally begin the sequel. I've been getting a lot of work thrown my way, which leaves me with little time to write.

But I will be trying harder then ever to get this sequel posted. Also, to note the shortness of this chapter, I will be splitting up chapters so that I have a longer frame for updates.

Next: The Mystic Falls Bonfire, Caroline is excited about getting some alone time with Stefan, but there's someone in the woods watching her...something attacks the town druggie and Caroline meets a new face.