CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Hopscotch down memory lane
WARNINGS: sexual tension, slight bullying, stefan, elena is a bitch idk, explicit language, (maybe) second-hand embarrassment

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TELL ME? DAMON is our friend—your brother," Caroline asked through the phone while Athena was walking down the stairs of her house. "And Stefan—okay, well, he's been a dick actually, but I didn't think you'd go as far as to kick him out of the house." Athena can hear the pout in her girlfriend's voice and she sighs.

"My love, I need you to just trust me, okay? This decision is something that needed to be done. They are over a century and a half old. And they act like children with their damn feud over something that happened when we were younger," Athena says as she steps over a passed out Ace who was lying in front of the TV with a remote controller on his face.

Mateo was asleep on the couch, one arm thrown over the back and the other hanging off the side, his controller still somehow in his hand. Leah was in the weirdest position—upside down in the leather sofa chair, her legs hanging off the back and her head almost touching the floor while her controller hovered dangerously on the edge of the piece of furniture, threatening to hit her in the face.

"Damon and Stefan are not in this house anymore because of some things that I will tell you eventually," Athena promises. Leah's controller tips and Athena catches it with her shoe while reaching for the console button. She breathes out a sigh of relief when Leah merely stirred then slumped into the chair once more. Athena turns off the console and then turns off the TV. She kicks the remote into the air effortlessly and catches it, setting it back onto the charging station. She plucks the other two remotes from the boys and puts them away too.

"Why eventually? Why can't you tell me now? You know I would never judge you, baby. I know who you are—I know you have a history. You're a," she lowers her voice as Athena hears talking in the background and the sound of people eating, "vampire. I'm not afraid of you, okay? I never have been."

Athena sighed, feeling bad about keeping this from the blonde. It wasn't that she didn't trust Caroline, quite the opposite. It was everyone else she couldn't trust. Vampires, witches, werewolves, and a bundle of other supernatural creatures want Athena and her children and anybody close to her dead because of things her family and herself have done. There was no hiding in this crazy world, there was only survival.

If Athena told Caroline about her daughters and Cassidy, and then her girlfriend got captured, it could end badly for all parties involved and lead to a lot of bloodshed that Athena would rather avoid.

"I know. I know. I just—... It's not that I think you're gonna be scared," that is a big part of it though, "It's not safe for you to know right now when I don't have everything figured out. I will tell you, okay? I will. But not right now."

She hears Caroline sigh disappointedly, "okay. I understand, I do. I'll call you later? Maybe we can go out?"

Athena smiled softly, looking out the window and watching Akemi and Violet train with escrima sticks, the two moving flawlessly and eloquently. She had missed both watching and helping them train. She missed training with Rebekah who always complained about getting sweaty but enjoyed trying to beat her sister and even her brothers if they were so inclined to join.

"I'd love that, darling. We'll go anywhere you want, just tell me and I'll be there," Athena said.

"Okay, okay, great! I'll, um, I will, uh, see you later than! Bye, babe!" Athena chuckled at the girls rambling.

"Goodbye, my dear." She ended the call and put her phone back into her pocket. Today she was dressed nicely—a pair of black slacks, a white button-up, a black suit vest, and a black tie. She had things she had to do before the school day was over and she would meet Caroline.

"Goodbye, my dear," a voice mocked from behind her and Athena looked over her shoulder to see a smirking Leah right-side up. "So, who had the big bad Mikaelson Heretic wrapped around their finger, hmm?" The young wolf asked, tilting her head and cocking an eyebrow.

Athena turns around, walking towards the entrance. "That is none of your concern, sweetheart. Now, you best wake up your friends and hop in the shower, your first day of school awaits," the redhead said, opening the front door.

"Wait, my what? Um, no. I don't do school," Leah scoffed, crossing her arms and kicking her legs over the arm of the chair. Athena turns, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, darling, now you do. My roof, my rules. Everyone under the age of 18 and graduated will go to school to keep up appearances. We don't need the police sniffing around our business now that construction is almost finished. Mayor Lockwood doesn't like me and he most likely will do everything in his power to get me out of this town," Athena said with a smile.

Leah notices the look on the older woman's face, "what are you planning?"

Athena smirks this time, "get ready for school. Violet will drop you off after getting some breakfast." She closes the door and heads for her car. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

CAROLINE AND ELENA lean against a row of lockers in the hallway. Stefan is rummaging through his locker, putting stuff in and taking stuff out.

"I'm thinking nothing huge, just dinner at the Grill, maybe a late movie," the blonde said with a small shrug.

"You mean, like, a double date?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"2 pair out on a Friday night, coupled," Caroline replied, scratching the side of her head. She smiles, "yeah, a double date."

Elena furrows her brows, "do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, Athena kicked Damon and Stefan out last night." Caroline sighed. "And Athena has yet to even say anything to me, or Jeremy, or Jenna, or any of us about where she was."

Caroline rubs her nose, "actually, I know where she was. She got kidnapped—" Stefan freezes, clutching the locker tightly.

"Did she say who took her?" He asked.

Caroline shook her head, frowning, "no. She didn't say much about it actually. I just know her and Ace didn't get hurt or anything. She did say something about a story? One where there was an evil woman who was trying to overthrow the Queens kingdom? I'm not entirely sure, she and Avery were acting weird last night."

Stefan furrowed his brows, he remembered that story. Athena would tell it to him and Damon when they were little, using her magic to bring it to life. He just didn't realize it was true until he ran into her years ago in New Jersey.

"Avery? Braxtons aunt?" Elena asked, tilting her head.

Caroline nodded, "yeah, her and Braxton are crashing at my house since some things happened," the blonde shrugged. "But, come on, guys. Please. You guys want to have a 'fun' night and what's more fun than a double date?"

"Literally anything else," they heard someone say. The three turned to face a brunette boy who was tinkering with something in his hands. Something sparked and he scrunched his nose.

"Do you mind?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow. People were so rude sometimes, she thought.

The boy glanced up and he looked between the three, eyeing Stefan with disdain. The vampire cocked an eyebrow. "I'm just saying," the brunette shrugged, looking back down at his object.

A girl walked over to him, "fuck, I hate high school," she said, unlocking her locker and pulling it open. The boy stopped it before it banged against the other lockers. "Remind me to murder Athena when she gets home from her honey moon," the girl said, tossing a book into the locker and slamming it shut.

The boy rolled his eyes, "you're being dramatic. It'll be better once everyone gets here. And, by the way, Hero Hair is right there so mind your throat... and your head." The girl spun around, eyes going straight to Stefan whose brows furrowed and a frown played on his lips.

The girl stared at Stefan, eyed him up and down, "hey, maybe High School is good for one thing. I can actually beat my elders here," she smirked, crossing her arms and cocking her hip out.

"Excuse me?" Elena scoffed, stepping forward, "what the hell is wrong with you? Who even are you?"

"Ooh, look at this. Ripper needs his girlfriend to defend him. Just like I thought. He's nothing but a fucking coward," the girl said with a malicious smirk. Elena went to slap the girl but Caroline intercepted, grabbing her hand and pushing Elena back.

"Really? Calm the fuck down," Caroline snapped, shocked her friend would lay a hand on another person who obviously was trying to get a rise out of them.

Elena gaped at her friend, "Caroline! She's the one that needs to calm down. We were peaceful until these two came over."

"And yet you were gonna hit her," Caroline said with disappointment in her eyes. She shakes her head and turns towards the girl who was staring at her with wide eyes. "I'm Caroline. You two are new here, right?" The blonde asked, glancing between them.

"Leah," the girl mumbled, still staring at her as if she was in shock.

"Mateo," the boy piped up behind his friend with a warm smile before he focused back on his invention.

Leah looks back at Mateo and slaps his shoulder, "dude!"

Mateo snaps his head up, rubbing his shoulder, "dude! Stop hitting me!" Leah gestures to Caroline with both her hands, making an incoherent sound. Mateo raises his brows, "Leah, what?"

Leah groans and buries her face in her hands.

Ace appears, looking over at Elena who was glaring at Leah and Stefan who kept his eyes away from Ace's gaze, refusing to look at him or anyone. Mateo goes back to tinkering with his toy while Leah rubs her eyes and takes another look at Caroline who looks concerned and confused.

Ace sets a hand on Leah's shoulder making her instantly go into defense mode. She swings her arm behind her with enough force to take off someone's head, but Ace's reflexes kick in and he catches it. Leah's eyes find him and he sees something wild and animal-like in her gaze that makes him gasp. The wolves only get like this when they protect their Alpha's or their Alpha's mates.

"Leah, calm down. I'm not going to hurt her," Ace said, "it's just me." Leah blinks a couple of times, dropping her arm. She shakes her head and rubs her eyes.

Caroline looks at Ace, "me?" He nodded. Caroline opens her mouth to ask something, but freezes when Mateo starts sniffing close to her. "Uh, Ace—"

Ace yanked Mateo backward, "alright, you two need to get away from her, now."

Leah slaps his hand away, "hands off. He's the one sniffing her. I merely tried to take your head off," she said boredly. Ace stares at her for a moment before he shakes his head.

"Um, anyway," Caroline clears her throat, "you two know Athena?" She raises an eyebrow.

Mateo lights up, "oh, yeah! She saved us a while ago."

"Saved you?" Elena asked.

Leah rolled her eyes, "that's what he said, Gilbert." Elena glared at her. Leah ignores her and looks towards Stefan, "hey, dick." Stefan looked up, meeting her eyes for the first time. "I won't beat you up... yet. But touch blondy over here, even smell a tiny bit of her blood, and I will become your living nightmare."

He nods and ducks his head again. Ace looks at Stefan, finding his reaction weird. He would've expected Stefan to at least try to defend himself, but he shrinks into himself.

"Hey—"

"Elena, leave it," Stefan mutters, grabbing her arm to hold her back. Elena purses her lips and turns away from them. Leah smirks and walks away, brushing past Stefan. She stands behind him, leaning up to whisper in his ear, her breath fanning across his face.

"Be careful on full moons. Unlike Mateo, I do bite," she nips his earlobe to punctuate what she says then struts away. Stefan ignores the heat in his cheeks as she gawks at the girl. Caroline stares with wide eyes as she glances at Elena who was thankfully turned the opposite way. Mateo had made a face, his mouth an 'o' and his eyes wide with his eyebrows up in his hairline. Ace had rolled his lips into his mouth, blinking slowly.

Ace scratches the back of his head and sets a hand on Stefan's shoulder, "uh... good luck, bro," he pats the spot and then walks after Leah who had disappeared around the corner. Mateo catches up with him and it's suddenly just the three of them again.

"Double date?" Caroline asked.

Elena frowns, "maybe you wanna have a double date with bitchy-sue and mechanic boy," she said, leaning against the lockers.

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Elena, jeezus, shut up. Not everything will be solved with violence and the slap will most likely have made it worse. Just let it go and get over yourself. She didn't say anything to you anyway, it was to Stefan who... well, I'm not sure why he didn't say anything, but he didn't. Neither should you."

Elena scoffed, "no. You should've said something. Stefan's your friend and you let that girl make fun of him."

"Elena, stop," Stefan said with a sigh, "I deserved everything Leah said to me and more, okay? Athena kicked me out of the house for a reason. And I love that you want to protect me, but I don't need it. I'm not going to be killed, Athena made that clear." He ran a hand through his hair and closed his locker, "they'll probably just play with me for a little while."

Caroline made a face, slapping a hand over her mouth and giggling. Stefan blushed when he realized how bad that sounded, especially after what Leah just said and did to him. He rubbed his ear absentmindedly, "shut up, Caroline," he muttered.

Elena rolled her eyes, tired of the secret jokes the two had.

"You know what, I—I think a double date sounds like a great idea," Stefan said, putting his bag on his shoulder. Caroline grinned.

"You do?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Stefan shrugged, "yeah, a nice evening with my friend, my girlfriend, and my sister. It'll give me a chance to talk to Athena at least. God knows I might as well get on my knees and beg for her forgiveness," he muttered.

"Double date it is," Elena said.

Caroline clapped her hands, "great! We will see you tonight. I will text you the details." She gave Elena a side-hug and kissed Stefan's cheek before walking to her next class. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

AFTER CHECKING ON Luna and some of her friends who were working on the construction site, Athena found herself on the porch of the Gilbert house. She knocked on the door and stuffed her hands in her pockets. There were a couple of sounds behind the door before it opened and Jenna appeared.

"Athena," Jenna said, surprised, "I didn't know you were back. What... Why are you here?" The woman looked confused.

Athena smiled, "I was hoping we could have a chat. Maybe catch up? We haven't talked in a while."

Jenna nodded with her own smile, "yeah, I'd love that." She opened the door wider and Athena stepped over the threshold. "Update your wardrobe?" The woman asked as she walked into the living room.

Athena chuckled, "no. I've had these for a while, I just haven't worn them in a while," she said as she sat down across from the woman. "Tell me what's been going on."

And so Jenna did. She talked about how she was in a difficult position since Elena found out she was adopted, about Alaric Saltzman—Jeremy and Elena's history teacher—, and her hatred for work.

"Well, for one and two, I cannot help. But three, now that's a different story and actually part of the reason I came over," Athena said and Jenna tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "There's somethings' you don't know about me."

"Well, I guessed that considering you disappeared off the grid for a couple of days," Jenna said, leaning back into the couch.

Athena hummed and ran a hand through her hair, "what if I told you, I was pretty... wealthy?"

Jenna scoffed, "you're Athena Salvatore. The Salvatores have always been a wealthy family since the founding families."

"Yes, but, this type of wealth... it's not my family's money. It's mine." Jenna looked confused. "There is a certain amount to the Salvatore name and thens there's the amount that is hooked to my name." She slides her phone out of her pocket and goes to her bank account, putting in her code and handing it to Jenna. "I'm a very wealthy woman, Jenna."

"Holy shit..." Jenna whispers, her eyes wide.

"That's only one of many accounts each holding either less or more than that," Athena explains with a shrug as she leans back, "I own quite a lot of businesses and was thinking about opening one here in Mystic Falls." Again goes unsaid considering her last shop had been around 1938. "And I want you to work for me."

Jenna's head snaps up to look at Athena, "me? What? Why? What do you even do? What even is the business?" She asked, her eyes wide.

"Yes, you. You're a friend and you hate your job. I feel you'd do amazing things for the company. The business would be something I've been working on for a while. We'd be creating Hybrids... creatures that shouldn't exist but will and can be susceptible to orders."

Jenna frowns, "why? What's the goal?"

Athena shrugs and leans back, "the world is evolving. It's getting more dangerous. We could create creatures that would help protect their owners and fend off any threat."

"This is the 21st century, Athena. We're not in the 1800s where our settlers believed there were... monsters in the night. Maybe a few stray mountain lions—"

Athena tilted her head, "do you really believe it's mountain lions?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Jenna looked away, fiddling with her thumbs. "Exactly," Athena said, grasping the woman's hands, "the animals wouldn't be given to the public really. It'd be given to a select group of people who have shown they can handle it and are not going to use them for horrible things. Because these animals will most likely be weapons who, in the wrong hands, will do a lot of damage. But to the right group of people? Safety and endless protection. A loyal companion. I don't know... it sounds pretty good to me."

Jenna laughed softly, "I have always found panthers interesting. Exotic creatures. Mythological creations that were said to be masters of destruction. Of death. Imagine being able to control, like, a basilisk or—or a hellhound, or a dragon. God, that'd be awesome."

Athena chuckled, "it'd be fucking awesome," she agreed. She pulled back and grabbed her laptop bag. Thankfully, she had fixed her laptop with the spell Damon found a while ago. She pulled out a folder with a bunch of papers in it. She opened it up and pulled out a couple with dimensions and drawings on it. She laid them on the table and then set the folder aside. "We were thinking the place would be the old Salvatore mansion ruins. We clean it up, we cut down a couple of trees and replant some new ones around and somewhere else. It's deep enough in the woods that one wouldn't stumble upon it unless they were looking for it, and it's out of earshot if anything becomes too loud. There's miles of woods and grassland that I can get blocked off so the animals have tons of space to roam free. It'd be great," Athena said.

"You have everything planned out..."

"I own a lot of businesses. I know what to do," Athena chuckled, putting her chin in her hand as Jenna looked through the papers, her eyes going over everything.

"What would my job in this business be?" Jenna asked when she was done with looking.

Athena smiled, "you'd obviously get to see the animals. You'd meet with a couple of people, you'd make sure the animals are being treated correctly, you'll get to do anything you want really. You'll help me with whatever I need, you'll make sure everybody is doing their jobs. You'd kinda be the boss... well, other than me of course." Athena smirked and leaned back in her seat.

Jenna smiled and rolled her eyes. She looked back down at the papers. "Who is we?" She asked curiously.

"Some people I've known for a long time. And who I consider family," Athena replied. She felt her phone vibrate and took it out of her pocket, "take your time in answering, darling. I'll give you a number that you can call if you've come to your decision earlier than this time tomorrow." She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down Violet's number, handing it over to the woman.

👸🏼Daddy's Little Princess👑

Double date with Elena and Stefan!
Mystic Grill, 7:00?

Sure. I'll pick you up or see you there?

Pick me up?

Of course.

Athena bit her lip. That was not what she was expecting when Caroline asked her to go out. She thought they'd have a quiet night at the Grill then go back to either of their houses and watch a movie. Or do something else. She didn't want to see Stefan, not this soon, but she'd do anything the blonde asked of her. Or in the words of Leah, she is whipped.

Athena collects the papers and puts them away after shoving her phone back into her pocket. She grabs her bag and stands up, Jenna following her.

The younger woman hugs Athena unexpectedly. The Heretic tenses for a moment before relaxing in her grip, hugging her back. "Thank you," Jenna whispered, her voice filled with emotion, "thank you so much."

Athena swallows down the emotion building in her throat and holds her a bit tighter, hating that she has to let go. "You're welcome, Jenna. You deserve the world. Never doubt that," Athena whispers back. Jenna squeezes her for another minute before letting her go and wiping her eyes. Athena kisses her forehead, "I'll be back tomorrow for your answer. No pressure, alright?"

Jenna nods and wraps her arms around her stomach. Athena opens the door and walks out of the house and Jenna watches. Athena slips on her sunglasses as she gets inside of her car. She waves to the young woman before pulling away from the curb and driving towards her house. 

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

IT WAS AWKWARD. They didn't have much to talk about. Athena hated Stefan and Stefan would rather not anger Athena anymore than he has. Elena was still upset about what happened earlier today at school. And Caroline was frustrated. She just wanted everyone to get along and be friends.

"So, uh, Athena... how did you escape your kidnapper?" Elena asked, breaking the silence. Caroline gave Elena a 'seriously?' look. Athena raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, some old friends helped me out," Athena replied with a small shrug, glancing over at Stefan, "opened my eyes to some things." Stefan looks down at the table, shifting uncomfortably. "Uh, have you two thought about your future careers?"

Caroline beamed, opening her mouth to talk, when Elena beat her to it. "A doctor. I think. I'm not sure, it's been pretty crazy to think about that stuff. But I know I want to save lives," the brunette said.

"I actually have a medical degree from a long time ago. It's very exhilarating, but it's a tough line of work. It's also a very respectable career, definitely something you should be proud of if you succeed. Good for you," Athena said with a small smile before turning to her girlfriend, "what about you, baby?"

Caroline smiled—even though it was fake—and shrugged, "no idea." Athena raised an eyebrow, but left it alone for now. She'd ask her later when they had privacy and couldn't be interrupted.

"How is the empty house?" Elena asked suddenly.

Athena looked over at her, "uh, well, it's not empty. There is a lot of yelling and raging. First-person shooter games get teenagers quite excited," she shakes her head with a smile when she remembers Ace, Leah, and Mateo yelling and eating a bunch of junk food last night in the living room. She seriously had to create a noise-canceling game room. "The other occupants though are very quiet, doing their own things."

"What do you mean?" Elena furrowed her brows.

Athena smiled, "I'm not alone in the house. I have some people living there—family. I haven't seen them in a while."

"No, you kicked your family out," Elena argued.

Athena scoffed, "no. I kicked Stefan and Damon out. I do not consider them family at the moment," she said, looking over at Stefan who swallowed.

"I—I met Leah and Mateo today," Stefan said quietly. Athena narrowed her eyes. He glances at her and he shifts once again, "um, not on purposely. I promise. I didn't, um, seek them out or anything... they were just hanging around near where we were talking about the, uh, double date, and had the pleasure of... meeting Leah..." He scratched the back of his neck.

Athena glances at his ear when he moves his hand to rub it. She grabbed his wrist and moved it. There was a scent wafting off of him. She leaned over the table slightly and sniffed him. She recoiled, grimacing. His scent was mixed with Leah, he was marked.

She scoffed through her nose, rubbing her eyes. "What?" Stefan asked, tilting his head. He knew that Leah and Mateo were wolves, he could smell them from a mile away. They reeked of dog. He knew a little about the culture but Athena was the expert.

"She marked you," Athena replied easily, leaning back in her seat. His eyes bulged from his head, his mouth dropping as he rubbed his ear. "Oh, calm down. Usually, they mark to tell others to back off so they can, well, beat the shit out of you. I'm sure she meant it in that way and not the... other way."

Other way... OH MY GOD! Caroline gaped, "wait—" She shook her head, "God, if you ever do that Stefan, I will personally kill you. With a carved stake and all. You'll be dead," the blonde said.

Athena snapped her head towards Caroline, "did she—you know what, nevermind."

Elena frowned, "I'm sorry, that bitch marked my boyfriend?"

"Yes, that's what I said—"

"Don't call her a bitch. I told you, I deserved it," Stefan added. Elena rolled her eyes.

Athena chose not to comment. "I heard Kelly Donovan is in town, anybody know how that's going? Matt miserable?" Caroline smiles slightly at her girlfriend.

"I've heard she's the same old Kelly," Elena replied, "Matt said she's trying—sort of. Kelly and my mom were best friends growing up. That's how Matt and I first met." The brunette shrugged. She then smiled, "you remember when we first met?" She asked Athena.

"Vividly," the redhead chuckled.

"It was kind of crazy, honestly. It was probably two weeks after you showed up," Athena nodded, "and I was mourning. Liz had asked me to go get food from the Grill because none of us knew how to cook—well, Caroline does, but I don't think Liz wanted to take her chances on that," Elena laughed. Athena scoffed through her nose. "And I was waiting at the bar. I was dressed in a black, a hoodie and some sweats. And I think you called me emo when you asked what I was doing and why I was so mopy. Then you asked me if I was friends with—"

"With mi reina," Athena filled it, the accent rolling off her tongue with practiced ease. She has Cassidy to thank for her perfection of the Spanish language. Or at least somewhat perfect.

"Yeah, and I had no idea who you were talking about, yet you didn't seem very pleased with whoever it was. And then you offered to take me home after seeing I was going to walk back with tons of food. When we got there, I invited you inside and then I realized who you were talking about."

Caroline remembers that night perfectly. It was the second time her and Athena had officially crossed paths.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

MYSTIC FALLS, 06/12/09
CAROLINE SLOWED DOWN when she got to the familiar road that led her to the Salvatore Boarding House and further. It was two in the morning and she had awoken from a nightmare earlier that night and had not been able to go back to sleep which is why she was running now.

She had been doing it since the night after Miranda and Grayson died. Sometimes she'd see Zack during her runs when he couldn't sleep either and he'd sit on the porch and look up at the stars. They'd have some small chats before Caroline was back to running, but now that Athena was here, she'd rarely seen Zack. And if she did, the redhead and her uncle were together, talking in hushed voices or working on their own things in each other's company.

Tonight, though, was different. One of the garages was open and Caroline could hear some muffled noises and the sound of someone moving around. She had slowed down to a stop, wondering if she should check it out to make sure it wasn't some random person stealing from Zack. Or maybe it was Zack and they could have another one of their late night conversations.

As she goes to take a step towards the house, she hears something move behind her. She spins around, eyes searching the forest in front of her. It surrounded her now, the Salvatore Boarding House deep in the woods, secluded from the rest of the town. It was nice for people who wanted to get away—only God knows that Caroline would love to have a house away from the chaos that is Mystic Falls. Not chaos, but her life right now.

Caroline saw something move in the darkness and felt herself freeze. Her heart thundered in her chest as her eyes went side to side, hoping that it was a deer or a rabbit. She's heard mountain lions surrounded the area and did not want to be their dinner. The figure moved again, but this time, Caroline swore she thought it looked human.

"Hey, blondie. Decided to go all lone wolf again?" Caroline let out a small scream, spinning around. Athena was right behind her, in her personal space. She was dressed in overalls which were tied around her waist and a black tank-top covered her upper-body. The redhead was staring at the forest in front of them, where Caroline had seen the figure.

The blonde turned around, a startled gasp leaving her lips when she saw a man emerge from the shadows. The moon shined down on him, illuminating the bow and quiver that he was wearing. He looked displeased with Caroline's presence, giving her a glare. Caroline backed up as he took a step forward, her back bumping into Athena's front. Caroline could feel Athena's breath, hot and slow, hitting her ear. It was comforting.

"You're lucky, Salvatore. You won't be next time," the man said with a sneer. He gave the blonde a once over that made her shiver in disgust before the man slinked back into the darkness and disappeared.

They both were silent for another moment. Athena was listening for the man's footsteps and heartbeat, not that Caroline noticed since she was trying to stop her own heart from jumping out of her chest.

"Um, who—who was that?" Caroline asked, stepping around from Athena and looking at the redhead.

Athena looked at her and stayed silent for another moment. Then she said, "an old friend."

"That guy was your friend?" The blonde asked, shocked.

Athena let out a small laugh and turned away from her slightly, "something like that. What are you doing out here? It's two in the bloody morning." The accent always throws Caroline off. It's nice and sweet and so very much Athena. "You should be asleep at home."

Caroline stuffs her hands in her sweatshirt pockets, shrugging. "That's why I'm out here. I can't sleep. I always come out here to run," the blonde said.

Athena raised an eyebrow, "nightmares?" Caroline nodded, looking down at the ground. Athena nods, "I can relate to that. Actually the reason I'm up right now." The redhead looks toward the forest again, "why don't you come with me. You can do some stuff on my phone or something while I work. Tire yourself out. Just no more running." Caroline looked back at the forest, gulping and inching closer to Athena.

"Uh... yeah, I guess that'd be for the best," she said. Athena nodded and placed a hand on the small of Caroline's back, guiding her towards the garage she was working in.

Caroline looked around, her eyes going over the car Athena was working on and gaped. It was a really nice car that Caroline could only dream of ever being able to drive. It was a 2009 Ferrari F430. It was a beautiful car that she had seen online quite a lot. This one was red with black racing stripes and the rims looked to be gold. It was obviously a very expensive car.

"Holy shit," she whispered in awe, "that's an F430." She kept her voice low, muttering under her breath to make sure Athena couldn't hear her.

"I didn't peg you as the type of girl to know cars," Athena says and Caroline curses herself for not being quieter.

The blonde looks over at her, crossing her arms, offended at the accusation. "What? Because I'm a... girly girl? Or maybe 'cause I'm blonde? Or perhaps it's because I'm the kind of girl who would rather make-out in a car then know what model it is?"

Athena shrugged, walking closer. Caroline backed up, her back hitting the car. Athena hovered above her, leaning close. "You said it, Princess, not me," the redhead smirked.

Caroline swallowed and put a hand on Athena's chest, pushing her back. Athena went along easily, stepping away from the blonde whose cheeks were flushed. "I've seen it on TV. I've wanted one since they came out," Caroline shrugged, pushing off the car and walking further into the garage. She then gave the woman a look, "and sport cars are hard to make-out in."

Athena looks her up and down, her eyes focusing back on hers with zero shame, "then whoever you were doing it with, didn't do it right. Of course, I could show you? As a demonstration obviously," she smirked.

Caroline gawked at her. Usually, Caroline was the one who was straight forward when she was flirting and the other person was speechless and flustered—not the other way around!

"Nice ass, by the way," Athena chuckled, grabbing a wrench and walking back to the hood of the car that was popped and propped open. Caroline looked down at her ass, her eyes widening when she saw the big red paint stains that covered her sweatshirt and her sweats on her lower back and ass.

That bitch, Caroline thought, glaring over in Athena's direction. She decided to take up the bench that was inside the garage and used Athena's jacket as a pillow. She would glance over at the redhead from time-to-time, seeing what she was doing. Athena knew she had eyes on her, but never said anything, just continued to work.

Athena was applying a new coat of paint to the hood of the car after she closed it. It was the last thing she had to do and then she'd take Caroline home.

The blonde watched her. She watched the muscles in Athena's arms flex and part of her thought that the redhead was doing that on purpose. After Athena was finished with the coat, she started putting away the cans and everything else. It took a couple of minutes and Caroline merely watched her.

Once Athena was done, Caroline stood up, walking over to the redhead who was standing in front of the hood, typing something on her phone. She had taken a photo of the car.

"You know what's better than making out in a car?" Caroline asked, the first time either of them have spoken in an hour and half. Athena turned her head slightly, signaling that she was listening to what Caroline—who was right behind her—was saying. "Having sex on the hood," she whispered.

Athena turned around at that, only to be pushed onto the hood. Caroline smirked at the hitch in Athena's breath as she closed in on the redhead, settling in between her legs. Caroline had a hand firmly on Athena's chest, the other planted on Athena's right thigh. They were so close, Athena's hot breath was brushing Caroline's lips. Their noses were brushing. One small movement and they would be kissing.

Athena's hands slid around Caroline's waist, settling on the blonde's hips. The redhead's gaze was focused solely on the blonde's lips. Caroline was staring at Athena's eyes, the blue iris was breath-taking. It looked like a bunch of different blues, mixing and crashing into each other like waves on the beach.

Athena moved her head a smidge with the intent to kiss the blonde, but Caroline pulled back just a bit to keep the same amount of distance between them, before pushing Athena down onto her back. The redhead let out a surprised grunt, staring up at her in slight awe and confusion.

Caroline smiled and pulled back, stepping out of the redhead's grasp.

"Hey—" Athena shot forward, grabbing the blonde's hips again and yanking her close. Caroline swallowed, looking up at the redhead through her lashes.

She smirked, "nice ass, by the way," she whispered. Athena looked down at her clothes, her eyes widening in shock when she saw the red and black paint that was on her overalls and her tank top. Caroline was laughing hysterically a couple of paces in front of her, trying and failing to speak and mock the redhead for falling for the same trick that she had fallen for.

Athena looked over at her, her lips parted and eyes wide. It only made Caroline laugh harder.

┍ ∞ ○ ∘ ɹǝʌǝɹoɟ puɐ sʎɐʍlɐ ∘ ○ ∞ ┙

MYSTIC FALLS, 06/14/09
CAROLINE LOOKS UP when she hears the front door open. Liz was in her office while Jeremy was curled up on the couch, watching whatever was on TV. Caroline was starving and hadn't been able to focus on whatever they were watching. It also didn't help that her mind kept straying to two days ago when she saw Athena working on one of her cars in the garage of the Salvatore Boarding House when she was running past on her run.

She hadn't been able to sleep so she had gone on a run at like two o'clock in the morning. She hadn't really expected the older woman to be awake when she went by the house. She had made it somewhat of a habit to run past the Salvatore residence, it gave her a sense of comfort. She didn't know why.

The morning had been... eventful.

"Finally, I thought I was gonna starve—" The rest of the words died on Caroline's tongue when she saw who had accompanied her friend.

Athena smirked at her, "well, we both know you're thirsty so why not be starving while you're at it." Caroline gasped and chucked a pillow with surprisingly good aim at Athena. The redhead smacked it out of the air, "that... was a good throw actually," she said, impressed.

"Shut the fuck up—"

"Woah, language," Liz said as she entered the room. Her eyes went to Elena, "ah food!" Her eyes then found Athena, "oh, and you brought a guest."

Caroline got up, walked over and grabbed the pillow, "yes, now tell her to leave," the blonde told her mother, glaring at Athena.

"Caroline, be nice," Elena said with a small laugh, "she hasn't done anything wrong."

"Maybe not to you," Caroline said as her glare got more intense, "but because of her, I'm still getting paint out of my clothes!"

Athena rolled her eyes, "oh, be quiet, blondie. I'm going through the same thing considering how you ruined my paint job, not once, but twice. My clothes have been soaking for the last day because of you."

"Oh, boo-hoo, what do you want? Want me to say sorry?" Caroline demanded, stepping closer to her.

"An apology would be nice, yeah. And maybe a thank you considering I let you hang around and then drove you home at 3:45 in the morning," Athena replied.

Caroline laughed mockingly at the redhead, "you want an apology? Fine." She stepped closer so that the two were pretty much touching and poked Athena's chest, "I apologize deeply and whole-heartedly that I ruined your expensive Flash mobile." She stepped forward and Athena stepped back. "I apologize for pushing you onto the car." She took another step forward. "I apologize for shoving you onto your back." Athena's back hit the wall and Caroline came to a stop inches in front of her. Caroline was only a little further apart then they were the other night. "And I apologize for getting paint on your fucking clothes."

Athena's eyes went right back to Caroline's lips. She didn't know what was more attractive; the fire in the woman's eyes, the way the woman's lips curl around her words, or the scene she had just made. Either way, Athena wanted to kiss her.

Caroline's eyes flickered between Athena's lips and her eyes. Her eyes looked the same as they did the other night. Her pupils were just as blown.

"Well, damn."

Caroline took several steps away from Athena, head snapping towards Jeremy who had taken the food from Elena and dug in. He was eating his mashed potatoes while watching the scene play out. Athena blinked rapidly, trying to get out of the daze Caroline had put her in.

Elena was sitting next to Jeremy, also eating her food while watching the scene. Liz was standing in the same position, her eyes narrowed in Athena's direction and hand resting on her gun.

Athena eyed the gun and inched toward the door, "um, well. It was nice meeting you, Elena. Uh, you too Emo boy. Sheriff, you're as... intimidating as ever," her eyes found Caroline's but snapped back toward Liz when she heard the click of the holster unlocking. "Uh, yeah, bye," she quickly walked out of the house.

Caroline watched her walk away before quickly following her. "Caroline—" She ignored her mom and closed the door behind her.

"Athena!" She said and the redhead turned around. Caroline closed the distance between them and kissed her cheek, "thank you. For the other morning," she whispered then quickly went back inside.

What she didn't see was Athena grinning and throwing a couple of air punches. She did a quick 360 and walked to her car.

AN: it's been a while, but i got it out! and guess who is starting finals?? yeah i already wanna jump off a cliff and i haven't even started. happy summer to those who are out of school already and happy almost summer to those who are still in school like me. 

Finished: June 6th, 2022
Word Count: 7396
Edited: