Restart (Caroline/Damon Fanfic) *Discontinued*

Chapter 15: Take Care

Liz woke up not long after, was crying again and Caroline eventually convinced her to go eat something, because she was tired and she couldn't take the emotional drama on top of trying to deal with a gunshot wound. She'd been lucky, Logan had shot her through the edge of her liver and had missed the other major organs, so although she'd lost a lot of blood, she would heal - they obviously didn't know that she'd be becoming a vampire soon but she was glad nonetheless that she didn't have too much internal damage.

Just after lunch time, her mother came into the room with another officer in uniform. Damon hadn't left her side, which surprised Caroline - but also made her happy, which of course annoyed her as she was trying her best not to fall for him.

"Hey, Caroline, how are you doing?" Officer Dave asked concerned.

"I'm okay." Caroline smiled and he was visibly surprised by her response.

"Caroline, sweetheart, I can't do it because I'm your mother, but Dave needs to ask you about last night." Liz explained and Caroline nodded.

"Okay, go ahead." Caroline encouraged. Dave had a small notepad and a pen.

"The Sheriff informed me that you're aware of vampires." Dave began.

"Yes." Caroline confirmed.

"Do you think that Logan Fell suspected you as one?" Dave examined and Caroline sighed.

"He had the tracker compass thing and was headed in my direction. It was an honest mistake. He never meant to hurt me. It was an accident." Caroline replied shocking Liz and Dave that she wasn't furiously angry at Logan.

"But Caroline..."

"I'm not going to press charges against him." Caroline cut her mother off and Liz and Dave's jaws dropped. Even Damon looked surprised.

"He knew that you are not a vampire." Liz pointed out.

"Mom, you weren't there when it happened, okay? It's not like we stood chatting for five minutes then he just shot me. I just appeared in the direction that the tracker was pointing. He fired before he even saw that it was me. It's not his fault. I shouldn't have gone out in the woods alone." Caroline countered.

"Sheriff, there's nothing I can do if Caroline doesn't want to press charges." Dave murmured to Liz.

"Dave, if he'd intentionally shot me or purposely tried to hurt me then, yes, I would. But think about it from his perspective. He was alone in the woods, probably frightened at the prospect of actually finding a real vampire, so his instinct was to protect himself. It's not his fault. He's probably seriously traumatized by the fact he shot a human by accident. Let him go." Caroline said softly.

"Alright." Dave nodded his agreement because she was making sense.

"Are you sure, Caroline?" Liz asked her seriously.

"Yes, Sheriff, I'm sure." Caroline replied just as seriously and Liz sighed.

"Release him then." Liz said to Dave tiredly and Dave nodded then turned back to Caroline.

"I hope you feel better soon." Dave wished with real concern.

"Thank you." Caroline replied genuinely then Dave left.

"Your heart stopped beating, Caroline. You died. Can't you see why I'm taking this stance?" Liz probed sadly.

"No. I can't." Caroline denied surprising Liz.

"Why?" She asked confused.

"The council gave a human man a compass to track down vampires. A man with no experience of hunting anything let alone a supernatural creature. It was ridiculously stupid to send him out alone in the woods in the first place. He's a TV personality, for God's sake. You're taking out the council's stupid decision on Logan. You're taking out my stupid decision to go into the woods alone at night out on Logan. Give the guy a break. It could just have easily happened to anyone else in the same situation." Caroline retorted annoyed and Liz was stunned by her daughter sounding so rational and adult when she was normally such a ditz. "And don't let this be reported on the news either." She added.