Intertwining Destinies

5

It had been months since Caroline was excited to throw open her closet and choose something to wear. Over the years, she had become accustomed to wearing black leggings and blouses paired with a jacket. So typical for a vampire, she thought amusedly. She felt like she was back in high school, gearing up to impress Stefan. It always saddened her to think he had never really noticed her because he was so consumed with curiosity over Elena. Not this time.

Both Elena and Alaric seemed to think it was a bad idea to get close to Adrian before they could get more information about him. Experience had taught them not to trust strangers in Mystic Falls. Caroline understood why they were worried. If Adrian's friend turned out to be an exact lookalike of Elena, then they would be facing another doppelganger situation.

Caroline didn't believe Adrian to be a doppelganger. His personality was too close to Stefan's. He even preferred to eat eggs and sausages for breakfast which had been Stefan's favorite since he was a boy.

Doppelgangers were only supposed to look similar to their predecessors. Their characters and traits solely depended on their personal upbringings. Katherine and Elena were worlds apart from each other even when they appeared to be mirror images of each other. Besides, the original doppelgangers no longer existed. It made no sense at all that Adrian was one.

Elena wanted to wait for Bonnie to come back from her trip to Japan. Damon's birthday was coming up that week and she had promised to be there. Until then, Caroline decided to take matters into her own hands. She would use the time to get to know Adrian better and see if he felt anything for her at all. He already seemed so comfortable in the Salvatore House.

Caroline found an old green dress in the back of the closet. It had been a present from her mother. Picking it up, she smelled the fabric deeply. Immediately, she began coughing. Her lungs burned like she had inhaled thick smoke. With streaming eyes, she unfolded it. Dried sprigs of vervain fell out from the folds and dropped to the floor.

A smile lit up her face as she gingerly picked up the vervain with a handkerchief. Her mother must have put it there to keep her safe. Throwing the dried twig away in the bin, she went to wash the dress. If any trace of the herb remained, they would burn her skin.

On her way back from the laundry room, Caroline found herself gravitating back to the library. Her footsteps were muffled against the thick carpet. A faint smell of lemon deodorant floated towards her. She allowed her senses to find the location of the person in the room. Staying quiet, she moved towards one of the shelves and found Adrian reading a book on poetry. It was an expensive first edition from the early nineteenth century. Caroline's skipped a heartbeat as she realized it was one of Stefan's favorites.

For Caroline, it was as good as having Stefan back. Adrian looked and behaved exactly like Stefan. It felt like he was back but with a memory loss. She just had to show him who she was and perhaps, Adrian would fall in love with her. Maybe the gaping hole in her heart would finally be filled. Without making a noise, Caroline tiptoed out of the library.

***

Next morning, Caroline found Adrian in the kitchen. It was close to ten A.M. The children had already been fed and sent to their lessons for the day.

"I was waiting for you," said Adrian with a smile. "Can you make me some breakfast?"

"You need help to fry eggs and sausages?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

Adrian shrugged. "I sort of thought it would give us some extra time to hang out. By the way, you look even prettier today."

Caroline fought the girlish giggle that threatened to burst out of her. She was wearing the green dress. Her emerald eyes were sparkling. A patch of sunshine illuminated her golden blond tresses falling past her shoulders. To ordinary eyes, she looked nothing less than an angel.