Title: Secrets
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Caroline Forbes, Elena Gilbert
Pairing: Bonnie/Elena
Rating: General
Word Count: 430 words
Summary: Caroline is suspicious.
Notes: Written for femslash100100 (zeroes table, prompt 004 "secrets"). See the full table here. Takes place roughly a month after Caroline becomes a vampire at the start of season two. Also available on AO3.

The first time it happened, Caroline chose to ignore it. She chalked it up to her newly heightened vampire senses combined with her emotions being more intense.

But then it happened again. And again.

Finally, when Elena came over one afternoon so that she could study for the history exam with Caroline, the blonde got up the nerve to say something.

“Don’t take this the wrong way” Caroline began, glancing up from her book to give Elena a hard look. “But you smell.”

Elena wrinkled her nose at her friend’s words. “Gee, thanks Caroline” she said.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Caroline said with annoyance. “What I mean is: you smell like Bonnie.” While originally Caroline had attributed that to their friendship, she had been a vampire long enough now to know most people did not smell like their friends.

A blush creeped into Elena’s cheeks, which Caroline took as her cue to continue. “Are you two, like, together?” she asked Elena bluntly.

The blush in Elena’s cheeks increased and she quickly said “Caroline, you can’t tell anybody!”

Her suspicions confirmed, Caroline said “I knew it. I totally knew it.” There was excitement in her voice. She was happy for her friends.

“I’m serious Caroline. Nobody can know.”

The blonde nodded her head. “I hear you. I won’t tell anybody.” She frowned. “But I’m kind of annoyed you guys didn’t tell me.” As their best friend, she should have been the first to know.

“It's not that we didn’t want to tell you” Elena admitted. “But we were worried it would change our friendship.”

Caroline’s frown softened. Then she said “Nothing can change how I feel about the two of you. Whether you’re together or not.”

Elena sighed with relief. “I’m glad to hear it.” Then she smiled. “You have no idea how much I wanted to tell you.”

Caroline chuckled. “I’m happy you were honest with me. But Elena, if I could smell her on you, then you know all the other vampires in town can too.” Even with the tomb vampires dead, there was still no shortage of vampires in Mystic Falls.

Elena nodded in understanding. “I know we can’t keep it a secret for much longer,” she said. “Bonnie is just trying to figure out how to tell her dad.”

“Your secret is safe with me” Caroline said. Then she glanced back down at her history book. “What do you say we get back to studying? I don’t want to be the first vampire in the history of the world to have to repeat my junior year.”