Confessions and Compulsion

Heya guys :)

Sorry it took so long to update, with the royal wedding and all, (no, I joke, ;) Nah, me and my lovely friend laced-scrawl have just been busy xxx laced-scrawl doing something productive, (studying) me, in a different country doing absolutely f*** all :)

Sorry again guys :'D

Hope you enjoy the chapter, tell us what you think in your reviews and we'll take it on board :P

WARNING: Swearing and (sort of) violence (not very graphic though, i don't even know why I wrote that now...) :L xx

As a vampire, Caroline had always had trouble sleeping, whether it was because she was now an undead creature of the night, or that the nightmares kept her up, she didn't know.

That morning however, seemed friendly to her, the morning sun was just peeping through her blinds and casting stripy shadows on her cream coloured quilt. The blonde curled up tightly, hugging her knees to her chest, she had a shield all round her, she decided, nothing could touch her and nothing would ever hurt her.

Fat chance.

Vampire hearing alert, she heard her front door creak shut behind her mother, her hurried footsteps, the slight scrape of her bedroom door against her floorboards, followed by her mattress sinking slightly with her weight.

"Caroline? Honey?" A hand burst through Caroline's protective layer to touch her duvet; as it burst, she let out a sigh.

A vampire could never have some peace and quiet could they?

Caroline rolled unto her back and poked her head from underneath her duvet, blue eyes staring reproachfully at Liz, who looked solemnly back. "Honey, look, I don't quite know how to say this…"

The slight hooded look of Liz Forbes' eyes, and her short laboured breathing tipped Caroline off that something wasn't quite right. "Mom. What is it?"

"Its Matt." She sat up quickly as a feeling of cold dread shot through her body; somehow, she knew what was about to be said.

Her hand reached out to grip Liz' forearm. "Mom, just say it."

"My team found him dead this morning."

Caroline stopped breathing. ""What? How? The body- Matt." Her voice broke as she threw of her covers to rush out of bed, but found her mother's hands restraining her.

"Caroline- You don't want to go there- the body, it wasn't- we could barely tell it was him." Liz stretched forward to embrace her daughter but Caroline threw herself of her bed backwards, rolling of and getting steadily to her feet.

Caroline saw red.

Just breath Caroline, breathe. After everything, she couldn't blow her cover now.

"Caroline-"

"Just don't mom! Leave me alone!"

x – x – x

"Breaking News; this morning, the body of local Matt Donovan was found mutilated in the outskirts of town, severe damage has been applied to his chest, and vital organs seem to have been ripped out during the mutilation. Police are under the impression that some deranged serial killer is roaming the streets and advises us all to stay inside after dark…"

Damon's mouth fell open as he stared at Matt Donovan's smiling picture on the screen in front of him.

He was dead.

Really dead- and it sure as hell wasn't the work of a serial killer. How the hell was he going to keep this one from Elena?

"This murder seems to be similar to the one of his sister, Vicki Donovan, several months ago…" A flash of guilt when through Damon just as he tried to squelch it. He hadn't permanently killed her, but he'd set things in motion…

He heard Elena's gasp of pain before he span around and saw her thunderous expression, with a whirl, she was gone, clambering at breakneck speed up the many flights of stairs- towards where Katherine was, as he was quite sure, pretending to be asleep. "Elena!" He yelled up the stairs, he took a step towards running after her, but all of a sudden the front door burst open behind him.

Caroline was standing there, eyes blazing with fury and grief, and Damon could have sworn he saw a flash of red as she made a move towards him.

"Where is she!" She screeched. "Where is that bitch?" Caroline's eyes were wet, contrasting sharply with the telltale signs of her vampire nature flickering black underneath her eyes. She flashed to the bottom of the stairs, fully prepared to climb them, but found Damon in her way. "Get out of my way Damon."

He shook his head, a regretful grimace on his lips. "Caroline, you need to calm down."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down Damon Salvatore! Let me go and kill the bitch who killed my boyfriend!" She trued to barge past him again, but Damon, exerting his brute strength, pushed her backwards until he had her slammed up against the walls behind them.

"Caroline! Listen to me! Katherine didn't kill him!"

x – x - x

Elena burst into Katherine's room, and stopped stock still in front of the empty bed. Where was she? She thought. "Katherine?" Her anger pausing.

She heard the familiar pace of Katherine's black stilettos walk coolly out of the en-suite behind her. "Elena darling? Can I help you?"

The anger was back. Elena's face changed, her eyes becoming black. She flew at Katherine, pushing her back into the wall behind them both, holding her by the neck. "You bitch! Why would you kill him huh? What did Matt ever do to you? You wanted to get to me? Guess what, you bitch, your mere presence in this fucking house already annoys the fuck out of me! You didn't need to go and kill Matt!" Tears were trickling down Elena's face, mingling with the black veins in her cheeks.

With a sigh of disgust, Katherine shoved Elena away from her, with such force she sent her twin sprawling across the floor. Elena lay there, crying into the floorboards. "Before you come and accuse me Elena, think about it, why would I kill your dear friend Matt? What use would that be to me?" She stepped forward, and knelt down until she was level with Elena, "Go on Elena, answer the question. Why would I kill Matt?- especially when I owed you for getting me out of that godforsaken tomb?" She slid her fingers underneath Elena's chin to lift her tear stained face up so her eyes could meet the older vampires'. "Why? Your problem is Elena, you're a newborn- too volatile, too impulsive. You don't think. Think Elena. Why would I do that?"

In a flash, Elena was up, facing Katherine and staring her down. "I'll tell you why-"

Both vampires had been so engrossed in their arguing that neither one had noticed Stefan leaning against the doorframe to Katherine's room. "Elena, you can't tell her why she killed Matt, because she didn't." He said softly. Both women turned round to face him, one triumphant, one slightly put out.

"Why not?" Elena snapped at him.

"Because Katherine was with me Elena."

Elena stood up from her place on the floorboards quickly, staring at both of them, shocked, in turn. "If it wasn't Katherine," Katherine scowled at the assumption, "then who was it?" Elena continued to stare at Stefan in confusion, her emotions running through her faster and faster, different colours flashing across her eyes.

"I think I can help with that one." Katherine piped up through the silence. Stefan and Elena swivelled round to face the smirking brunette. "Since Stefan here, still hasn't lived up to his full vampire nature yet, not like little old me over here-" Elena didn't miss the way her doppelgangers eyes flicked swiftly over her and back again. "I may have heard what happened to your hot, blue-eyes last night."

Elena vamped out again, and sped towards Katherine, reaching for her neck again. She didn't manage to get far until Stefan had pushed her sideways mid-path towards Katherine, and taking on a slightly aggressive stance towards his ex-girlfriend. "Stefan!" Elena growled, her fangs still low over her lower lip. Stefan shook his head at her mutely, trying to caution her with his eyes. He could see Katherine was gearing up for battle; he and Elena would be no match for her if she decided to fight back. He hoped that Elena could see that he was protecting her from Katherine, not the other way round.

Elena seemed to understand what he was saying and closed her eyes, breathing deeply; her face became herself again. She opened her eyes, resigned, and asked what she'd been intending to in the first place. "So Katherine, if you didn't kill Matt, then who did?"

"I'd like to hear what dear Katherine has to say about that as well." Came Damon's voice from the doorway. His left arm was extended to restrain Caroline, who didn't really look like she needed to be anymore. Her face looked human again, and instead of looking angry, she looked tired and submissive. "Go on Kat, tell us your theory then." His voice was mocking.

"It was your werewolf friend," She said, talking towards Caroline, "Tyler Lockwood."

x – x – x

Blood.

Elena wanted blood.

The life lasting liquid that could fuel her anger, her pain, her everything. She wanted to forget every moment she'd spent with her childhood friend. She wanted to forget her first kiss. Moments spent playing in tree houses as children, moments spent in times of friendship, and moments spent in times of hardship.

She didn't want to feel.

She knew how Stefan felt. When he'd hurt Amber, he'd wanted to stop feeling. With Damon, every single awful thing that he'd done, he just wanted to not feel. The guilt was all-consuming. It was al she felt, and it was something she'd feel for the rest of her eternity.

She'd live with Matt's death on her conscience, by herself, stuck in her hellhole of eternity. Alone. Without Damon. Without Stefan. She'd have to live with the memories of her childhood friend, and the knowledge that she could have prevented his death.

She felt nothing when she ripped open the fox' neck to drain it dry. No little pang of guilt, knowing that that fox mother would never reach her cubs.

She didn't want to feel.

And when Damon caught up with her, spun her round to face him, she felt nothing for the vampire, the man, who had been so kind to her, who'd looked after her, because he loved her.

Because he couldn't be selfish with her. But she could be selfish, and she would, she'd be selfish forever if she had to.

She didn't want to feel.

This is what it felt like to truly be a vampire.

Without emotions. No love. No anger. Just an empty instinct for self-preservation. To survive.

"Elena!" Damon shook her slightly. His eyes were wide, taking in her appearance.

Damon could have sworn he felt his undead heart break at the sight. Elena. The beautiful girl whom he loved… at that moment had truly learnt what it meant to be a vampire, and she was embracing it. "Elena, listen to me. Its okay; we'll find Tyler, it'll all be fine-"

"I don't care." She said flatly.

"What?"

"I don't care." She repeated. "I don't care about anyone. I'm a vampire, I thrive in the death of others."

She'd flipped the switch. Damon realised. Elena's normally lively eyes were dull and lifeless, devoid of emotion. She'd become something worse than death itself- she'd become living death. "Elena, listen to me, this isn't you! It can't be you! You cared about Matt! I get it, but don't stop your feelings! Our emotions, our reactions, they define who we are, once we stop feeling we lose ourselves." He finished quietly. "This isn't you Elena. This isn't the girl I've grown to-" He stopped; it wasn't the time for that. "-Care about. Don't lose yourself Elena; you care; don't stop."

Elena's eyes were still flat, she hadn't taken anything in. "Who are you to tell me what to do?" She pushed against his chest firmly, breaching the contact between them. "I can prove to you that I don't care." And she was gone.

Damon stood there, stock still, until a scream from about a mile in front of him shook him into action. He found Elena leaning over the body of a man.

He smelt death; she'd killed him.

x – x – x

"You killed him! You killed Matt!"

Tyler just sat there, in the woods' clearing. He didn't respond to Caroline's accusation, he just sat there, staring at the various scratches on the grass beneath him.

"You said you had it under control! That you didn't need me! You're scum Tyler, you killed your best friend; my boyfriend!"

At that, Tyler looked up at her. "Wasn't your boyfriend Care."

He didn't see the slap coming till it hit him full force on his cheek, he head cracked backwards. "But I loved him, didn't I Tyler? Unlike you!" She yelled at him, her later words taking on a mocking edge.

Tyler reared upwards to face her, shocking Caroline; she didn't think he'd react to her baiting him. "I cared about you! I would have done anything to help you, because you'd helped me!" Something was niggling at the back of Caroline's mind- how she'd promised to help him through his transition. No, he'd forced her into it; she'd never wanted to help in the first place…. "I waited for you Caroline! Do you know what I was thinking of when I went through that pain? Do you know how it felt?"

"Tell me." She found herself whispering.

"I felt like I was dying Care, lie someone was ripping my soul out through my spine. But the worst part was, I felt my heart break. You said you'd be there for me, and you weren't as a result, I escaped, I killed my best friend, and at that moment I knew I'd lost you; my human part knew that, even when all I was feeling was my monster."

"I didn't say I'd help you."

All the colour drained from Tyler's face. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Caroline… you promised me you'd help me and keep everyone away from me when I transitioned!"

"You forced me into it!"

"Caroline, you offered."

They stood stock still for a moment, staring each other down. Suddenly, Caroline rushed towards him, slamming into his shoulders with her hands against the stone wall barrier between themselves and Wickery Lake. "What kind of game are you playing?"

"I don't understand." She pushed him harder. "Ow- Caroline, let go-"

"Why are you lying to me Tyler?"

"I'm not!"

"You forced me into helping you, I just decided not to!" She let go of him disgustedly, deluded into thinking he was lying to her.

"I don't get it Care. Do you not remember what happened that night?" She didn't reply, still staring at him in disgust and hurt. "I-"

"Forget it Tyler. I don't want to talk to you anymore. From now on, I don't ever want to see your face again; because if I do, I can promise you, Matt's death will get the revenge it deserves." Then she wasn't there anymore, and Tyler was alone.

He knew she wasn't lying- she genuinely believed what she was saying to him was true, even though he knew it wasn't.

That wasn't the Caroline he knew, that was a Caroline who'd been seriously messed with, and he was going to find out who'd done it.

x – x – x

Stefan had always known that Katherine was direct; she always got to the point. So he knew he shouldn't have been surprised when she asked him directly what he knew had been niggling at her since her argument with Elena that morning.

"Go on. Out with it."

Play dumb, or get straight to the point?

Definitely play dumb. "What?"

"Don't play dumb Stefan." She knew him way too well. "Why did you defend me earlier?"

"I was just-"

"No Stefan. No more bullshit." He gave her an exaggerated stunned look. Him? Talking bullshit? Katherine was the queen of bullshit. "You know what I mean. I've always been honest about my feelings Stefan." He opened his out to protest, what about his brother? She'd driven him insane with her bullshit and her lies. "Honest about my feelings for you Stefan. I never loved Damon, you always knew that." His mouth closed, in a way, she was right. "Go on Stef, I want an explanation."

"It was the truth."

"No it wasn't, you had no idea where I was yesterday."

"Not killing Matt, one of my ex-girlfriends' best friends, I know that much." They stared each other down, green eyes knowing and brown eyes defiant.

"It could have been me."

"But it wasn't."

"But it could have been!" Katherine snapped, louder this time.

"But it wasn't."

"Why defend me then?" She changed her direction of attack.

"Because I knew you didn't kill him! Why not defend you Katherine?"

"You hate me." She said quietly. Sometime during their banter, he hadn't realised they'd closed the full distance of the room between them so that they were now only a few metres apart.

Stefan sighed. "No, I don't."

"But-"

"I don't hate you Katherine, I never have." His acute eyesight picked up the subtle change in her stance when she said that, her humble posture becoming more feline, taking on a sultrier, more seductive aura.

This was the Katherine he knew well.

"Why don't you show me how much you don't hate me?" She moved forwards, trying to close the already shrunk distance between them. Stefan took several steps backwards as she tried to approach him. Stefan saw hurt flash briefly across her face before she resumed her pout.

"Katherine…" He trailed off, staring at her uncertainly.

She raised her eyebrows, trying to hide the sudden rejection she'd just felt. "Yes Stefan?"

"I know you're convinced that I'm not, but I am; still in love with Elena, I mean. In a way, I'll always love Elena. Consequently, you know I have, feelings for you too, I think our time in the tomb proved that."

"You're really messing me about here Stefan."

"Think about it this way, according to you, we've waited 145 years to find each other." She nodded. He walked forward so that he could reach out his hands to cradle her face. Her gaze was caught in his, unable to look away. "Us, can wait a little longer don't you think?"

x – x – x

Bonnie stood there in the shadow of the alleyway, waiting. She had no clue what she was doing here, yet, she knew exactly why. The part of her that wasn't being controlled was screaming at her to run, whereas she knew she had to stay.

Compulsion was a bitch, she decided.

She felt the wind change around her suddenly, and saw her master standing there. "Miss Bennett." He inclined his head.

"Elijah." She watched him as he watched her, master and servant, taking each other in. "You have a request?"

He made no move to show that he'd heard her, but answered her question with another. "You did what I asked? The Matt boy is dead?"

"I did, Matt is dead, and Elena killed earlier today out of anger."

"Perfect." He paused, scrutinising her. "Can you intensify her the darkest part of her nature?"

"I can do that. It will drive her... to, acting on her impulses though Elijah. She'll leave a trail, she's a newborn, she's too volatile and inexperienced. She only has one of those Salvatore's looking after her-"

Elijah cut her off. "Do it Bonnie. A trail is exactly what we want." He smiled, slowly and cruelly, it's time for our lovely Elena to finally live up to what she was born to create."

"What's that?"

"Chaos."

Sorry again that it took so long to update guys, we've been busy xx

Hoped you liked the chapter though, took me long enought to write it! :'D Tell us what you think! 3 :D

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