It wasn't a problem at first. It was shocking. I didn't know what to say. When we finally talked about it, it was one thing after another. When I arrived here, I had vampire blood in my system, which means, if I died within 24 hours, I'd wake up in transition. She had to tell me that, to make sure I knew. But, then she told me what happened to Klaus, that he left our town because he had a child.

[ Which she's still struggling with, an abomination of nature who made her life a living hell being granted a child by the laws of nature. Caroline being granted a child as a vampire. And learning she herself had been turned. And no mention of children from her. Not that she expected them at twenty-five. ]

That's when she told me she was twenty-five. And then, I changed the subject, because I knew she was happy about something, and she showed me her kids. She has two little girls. They're beautiful. She showed me pictures on her phone and I made the mistake of scrolling too far past those. [ Her lip drops again. ] The two vampires I mentioned before, Stefan and Damon, things are complicated with them back home. I was with Stefan. I still love Stefan, and, Caroline's with him now. Then. [ Her nose scrunches unhappy with tenses in that moment. ]