Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

104. Far From Home

It had been a few weeks since Elena was taken from them. And as much as they wanted things to get back to normal as quickly as possible, the lack of Elena's presence was definitely felt. Plus, the fact that Lily's Heretic friends had been brought back from the 1903 prison world with Kai meant that there was imminent danger waiting for them – they just didn't know when to expect it.

Having only been back in town for a few days, Riley was daunted by the ever-changing presence of Mystic Falls. But the one constant presence was Caroline, who could be found writing in a diary in the town square, on the bench that Liz had been given by the town council.

"Hey," Riley greeted her sister, taking a seat next to her on the bench.

"Hey," Caroline smiled. "How was the move?"

Riley shrugged. "Fine, I think. Dad loves Colorado, he loves the small town that he lives in, he loves the house with the two guest bedrooms – the only thing he doesn't love is that we're not going with him."

Caroline nodded guiltily, tapping her pen against her diary. She'd wanted to help Chris move, but she felt like she was the only thing holding the group together – the last thing she wanted was for them to fall apart because Elena was gone. Speaking of which... "Have you written to Elena yet?"

Riley raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right," she said sarcastically. "What am I gonna say? 'Dear Elena, my boyfriend, your ex-boyfriend, couldn't take the cure because a group of Heretics led by his mother moved into our town. Plus he's having such a hard time getting over your... absence, that he's taken his two best friends, Ric and Bonnie, to Europe'." She rolled her eyes. "Bonnie makes him call me every day and I've never once spoken to him sober."

Caroline giggled; what else would you expect from Damon? "Well, you could tell her about Whitmore House?"

Riley smiled. The one good thing to happen since Elena's absence was that Riley had inherited Whitmore House. After Aaron's, then Dr. Bio's deaths, the house had remained unoccupied while the college looked for a suitable next of kin. When they found out that Ciara Fletcher, the last remaining member of Augustine, was also dead, the house had been given to Riley.

"You're right. I have a gorgeous, big-ass house, complete with bills that I can't afford and a permanent tie to my dead boyfriend."

"I've got the bills," Caroline said determinedly. "You know, with the help of compulsion and all..."

"That's not even the point, as grateful as I am," Riley sighed. "It just seems insane that I've inherited a house with a vampire hunting lair and underground cells in the basement."

Caroline frowned. "Um, you know about the Heretics that now live in our town, right? Trust me, we're gonna need all the help we can get!"

After a second of hesitation, Riley nodded in agreement. She'd taken to carrying around a large amount of weapons in the trunk of her car, just in case.

"I have to go," she said. "I'm supposed to meet Stefan. He's worried because we haven't heard from his mom yet."

Caroline nodded, trying to appear completely uninterested. "How is he?"

Riley smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Let's see, he declared his love for you after that disaster of a wedding and you rejected him. If you really want to know how he's doing, just... ask. He misses you."

"I miss him," Caroline responded. "I just don't want things to be awkward between us anymore."

"Then talk to him," Riley demanded, waving as she left and started walking back towards her car. She had already opened the drivers' side the door when she heard the unmistakable sound of dripping. "Please just ignore it," she said quietly to herself. But of course, being Riley Fletcher, she couldn't let anything go.