Pairing: Stefan and Caroline

Summery: This takes place after 2.03 "Bad Moon Rising". It takes place after Matt breaks up with Caroline but before Katherine visits Caroline in the morning. For the purpose of the story, Caroline didn't go home right after Matt broke up with her, and Stefan did go to see Elena after she returned from the road trip.

More Than Enough

"He tried to kill you."

"I know."

Her eyes were dark now, darker that they ever had been before. At first glance Stefan had mistaken the dimness as a product of lust. But now, looking closer, he saw hate. Caroline's self loathing shone in her eyes, stubbornly dismissing her own self worth. She was giving up, a feeling that Stefan himself could remember all too well.

"Caroline…" His voice was softer now, gentle and understanding. Her eyebrows scrunched slightly at the sound. She couldn't fathom how he could still be understanding when she didn't even understand herself.

"He tried to kill me more than once. And I - I don't care." She replied honestly. She scooted closer to the Salvatore fireplace, not sure if she was begging the flames to liven her cold body or take her life once and for all.

"Don't say that. If you stop caring about things like that then…" He shut his eyes at the impact of the unsaid words. The thought alone made him shudder.

"Then what? Then I'll start living recklessly? I'll stop caring about my life? Too late Stefan." She quietly bit out. Her anger, though palpable, was not directed at him.

"That's not true. I know you Caroline, you might think I don't, but I do. You aren't ready to let go of your humanity." He encouraged.

"Why did you do it? Why did you stop him from killing me Stefan?" She turned to him, finally meeting his eyes. The desperation in her voice was not missed by the older vampire.

"Because you deserve a chance Caroline." He said simply, finally sitting down next to her. His arm was only a breath away from her own, and his larger frame leaned in to the shadows of her smaller one.

"I've had my chance though, haven't I? I was a horrible human being; selfish and jealous. And now, I'm even worst. I killed someone, I fed off of someone I love…" Her voice cracked and her hands were fisted tightly together.

"You've made mistakes, but I still believe in you. That guilt you feel, that self hatred, it tells me that you're still fighting to be good. That's all I'll ever ask of you Caroline, to fight." His hand gently brushed her knee for a comforting moment.

"I know that I shouldn't have had sex with Damon." She finally said after a long pause. Stefan nodded, urging her to continue, though the subject made him more uncomfortable than he'd like. "Turning to him was self destructive and… stupid. But it made sense. In a way, it still makes sense." She admitted.

"How can you say that?" He questioned, just a hint of disappointment lacing his words. The same disappointment that he'd held in his eyes only hours before. She closed her eyes and remembered…

00000 00000 00000

Their bodies glistened with the unmistakable glow of lust and desire as they slid together with passion. His defeat and her sacrifice, still fresh on their minds, fueled their intimate mergence. Ragged grunts and violent thrusts sounded through the boarding house rhythmically.

Stefan walked through the doors, immediately noticing a shift in the atmosphere. The scent of sex was heavy in the air. Walking further into the house, he found an unmistakably smug Damon lounging on the couch, clad only in trousers.

"Damon." He spoke his greeting curtly, the promise of something more tickling at his tongue.

"Hello brother, I hope you don't mind but… I'm entertaining a guest tonight." His smirk only grew as dainty footsteps approached.

"Stefan…" Caroline Forbes stood before the two brothers, looking as beautiful and as uncomfortable as ever. Damon's dark button up shirt hung on her thin frame, squashing any questions Stefan could have had regarding her presence at the boarding house. Her and Damon had done what they did best; drown their sorrows in that of another. The glasses of scotch they each held only reaffirmed the picture before Stefan's eyes.

"Why?" Stefan whispered, his gaze burning her own with intensity. Damon's smirking figure blurred in Stefan's peripheral, leaving only the vision of Caroline; broken and unsure.

"I just - tonight…" She stumbled over her words.

"I don't understand. Caroline?" His genuine confusion only hurt her further.

"I broke up with Matt tonight. Well, technically he broke up with me. Which really didn't seem too hard for him to do actually. Why would it be though, I mean the fact that he was even with me to begin with…" She rambled nervously, vaguely aware of Damon's condescending chuckle.

"Him? Of all people you came to him?" He asked, looking hurt.

"I came to you." She whispered, looking away. "I came to you Stefan, but…" She trailed off, feeling vulnerable and exposed.

"I was with Elena." He finished knowingly. Neither noticed as Damon grimaced and slipped out of the room. The mention of Elena being too much for him to withstand, even in his slightly drunken state.

"I came to you because you're the only one who… you're the only one who understands. But I was wrong, because Damon understands too. Maybe in a way that even you can't." She told him, straightening her back and looking more sure of herself.

"You don't believe that." He snapped.

"I should. And I should stop believing that you're gonna be there every time something goes wrong. It's stupid and unrealistic. You have Elena to worry about and maybe you should just forget about me." She set her glass down hard enough to crack the exterior.

"I'm responsible for you Caroline." He told her, his jaw hardening.

"Then I'll make your job easy. Here. Take it." She held out her ring defiantly. He stared at it but didn't make a move to take it. "If I ever hurt anyone again, I'll walk into the sun myself." She told him, a hard look in her eyes.

"It doesn't have to be like that. I can help you." He told her.

"Maybe I don't want your help." She muttered, tossing the ring at his chest and disappearing from his sight in one quick flash.

00000 00000 00000

"Elena doesn't want him, just like Matt doesn't want me. We both need someone…" She trailed off, unsure of how to explain the situation. Hours later she returned to the boarding house. Stefan found her in front of the fire place and had tentatively opted to continue their conversation. This time with more clarity and understanding.

"You don't need Damon. You don't!" He emphasized his words as she began to protest. "You have me, I'm here and I understand what you're going through."

"There are some things that you just can't do for me Stefan." She whispered, bowing her head.

"Like what?" He challenged. "Sex? That's what this is about?" He asked her incredulously.

"Don't do that, don't act like I'm being ridiculous. Yes, it's about sex. It's about sex and physical contact and just feeling another person. And maybe Damon does hate me, maybe being with him is unhealthy. But he isn't afraid of what I am now, and I'm not scared that I'll hurt him. That's enough for me." She finished, looking away from Stefan's watchful gaze. A moment when by and neither one of them spoke. Finally reached over and took Caroline's hand, with stead fingers her placed her ring back on her finger and gently squeezed her hand. He then stood up and looked down at Caroline.

"You deserve more than just enough Caroline." And with that he walked away. Caroline slowly scooted away from the fire. Stefan's words warming her in places that the flame would never quite reach.