Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

48. Ric and Mortality

"You're skipping the decade dance?!" Caroline asked Riley, a hurt expression on her face. She was at the closet, picking something to wear, while Riley was still half-asleep in bed.

"No," Riley promised her. "I'm skipping the decoration preparation thing."

"So you're leaving me alone to talk to Elena about Damon?"

Riley sat up in bed, a sleepy frown evident on her face. "Why does anyone need to talk to her?"

Damon and Elena had gone on a road trip to try and find out who sired the Mystic Falls line of vampires, and to bring Jeremy back to town. When they got back, Elena mentioned to her friends that she had made out with the oldest Salvatore again. Although, she insisted that it didn't mean anything – something that none of them believed.

"Come on!" Caroline groaned. "You know as well as I do that Damon is bad for her. He's bad for everyone."

Riley choose to stay silent – the only possible response when one of your best friends was trashing your other best friend. She knew how Caroline felt about Damon.

Caroline sighed, turning towards Riley and sitting on the end of the bed, looking as if she were about to broach an uncomfortable topic.

"What?" Riley asked warily.

"Why didn't you do it?" she asked. When Riley gave her a look of befuddlement, she continued. "When you had the chance to stake Elijah, why didn't you?"

Riley rolled her eyes. "You know why I didn't do it."

"Actually, I don't," Caroline said. "You said that you didn't want anything to do with him. But what, you were secretly dating or something?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Care," Riley dismissed, lying back down in bed so she wouldn't have to face Caroline's prying eyes.

Caroline shook her head. "That's not an option. Because if we don't talk about it then I just have to guess whose side you're on."

Riley frowned and sat up in the bed once again. "Are you seriously questioning my loyalty? You? The only vampire that I trusted enough to invite into my home?"

"No," Caroline immediately insisted. "I just don't understand... how you can trust him?"

Riley shrugged. "Stefan's done some insane stuff lately, but we still trust him. Damon came to town willing to crush everyone and everything to find Katherine, but we still trust him. You danced with Klaus at the Mikaelson ball, Tyler freaking bit you, but I'm the one who's doing something wrong?"

"It's different," Caroline asserted. "You had the chance to end this thing, and you didn't. I just want to understand why."

Riley sighed, not knowing how to answer her friend's query. She knew that if she were watching her life through someone else's eyes, she would want the girl to stay as far away from Elijah as possible. But there was something about him that she couldn't shake.

"I'm on your side," Riley insisted. "Your side is my side. You know that, right?"

"And what about if something happens and we have to kill one of the Originals? How are you gonna explain that?"

Riley looked into Caroline's eyes. "I'm on your side," she said again slowly. "Whatever me and Elijah are, whatever we become, it doesn't change anything. I promise."

Caroline nodded. "I just... don't want you to get hurt. If I knew that you were gonna fall into major like with him, I never would have told Elijah where to find you that day."

They both casted their minds back to the night of the ball, when Elijah had successfully managed to win Riley over.

"If I knew that I was gonna fall into major like with a deadly Original vampire I probably would have never moved to this town," Riley countered with a small smile. "But I'm glad I did... because I got to meet you."