A/N: As promised, here's another chapter! :) Enjoy!


Chapter 9 ~ Confrontation

*Tyler's POV*

I closed my eyes and all I could see was her face. There was a battle inside me, part of me wanted to run to her and forgive her and the other part of me wanted to forget all about her. She had lied to me. She knew how worried I was about Mason and she even went so far as to suggest that perhaps he had stopped somewhere to surf on his way to Florida. One minute everything was perfect between us, the next everything was shot to hell. I felt angry, disappointed, and betrayed. And yet, I still had the urge to see her. I missed her smile and the smell of her hair, the sound of her laugh and the soft delicate feel of her skin. I had let my rage overcome me and ended up physically hurting her in the process. It took everything in me to stop myself from going over to her and offering comfort. The terrified expression on her beautiful face and the tears inundating her eyes were becoming a weakness. I had to make her leave.

Like a coward, I had run away, seeking refuge in one of our private properties outside of Mystic Falls. I knew no one would find me here. I called my mom and told her I needed time alone and asked her not to tell anyone of my whereabouts. A week had passed and it still felt as if it had just happened. I had to go back to our old property on the night of the full moon. I didn't know of any other place where I could keep myself restrained. Being there only made me feel more alone. I didn't know what was worse, the pain being caused by the transformation or the one I was feeling, knowing Caroline wasn't there with me this time. Either way, I made it through the night without getting out or hurting anyone. I thought of not chaining myself up and going in search of Damon that way, but my plan for him was different. Besides, I couldn't risk accidentally hurting Caroline. I couldn't live with myself if something terrible happened to her because of me.

The sun was now setting and I knew I had to return to Mystic Falls to start school again on Monday, graduation was getting closer and I couldn't afford to miss any more classes. I didn't want to disappoint my mom by not being able to graduate, but there was something I had to do first. I couldn't let Mason's death go unpunished. Damon deserved to have a stake driven through his heart for what he had done. I gathered all my belongings and made my way back to that hellhole of a town.

~%~%~%~%~

As I planned the best approach on the drive home, my thoughts kept slipping back to her. I wished I could just erase her from my memory and pretend nothing ever happened between us. I wondered how long it would take for the hole I felt in my chest to disappear. As I approached the intersection that led to my house, I decided to take a detour. It was almost as if I was in autopilot. I drove until I reached the Forbes residence. There was light coming from the second floor. I knew it was Caroline's room. I parked a few feet away from the house and turned off the car, sitting there in the darkness, like a stalker. My eyes were fixed on the window; with any luck I'd get a glimpse of her. After 30 minutes of waiting, I was about ready to give up, when I saw a silhouette walk from one side of the window to the other. It had to be her.

Come on Caroline. Open the curtains.

It was almost as if she had heard my thoughts. The curtains swung open as she opened the window. She leaned on the windowsill looking up at the sky, holding a book in her hand. The breeze blew her golden locks into her face, and she had to keep tucking it in behind her ear. She looked as stunning as always, but her expression was glum. I just sat there, contemplating her, watching her every move. She could've been there all night and I wouldn't have left. After several minutes, she closed the book, looked up at the sky again and exhaled. She closed the window, retreated back to her room, and turned off the lights. I turned my car back on and instead of driving home, made my way to the Salvatore's home.

~%~%~%~%~

I drove my car into the woods and made my way to their house on foot, armed only with shots of vervain and a few stakes, tucked inside my jacket. There were a few lights on; I figured they had to be home.

Here goes.

I cracked open one of the back windows and slipped in quietly, making sure I didn't knock down anything in my path. I could hear faint music playing somewhere in the house, but couldn't quite make out where it was coming from. As I got closer to the living room, I noticed it was coming from upstairs. I walked up, my back against the wall, checking back and forth, making sure I hadn't been spotted. When I reached the top of the stairs I slowly followed the sound of music until it got louder.

"I smelled you as soon as you stepped foot in this house." Damon was standing right behind me, his arm around my neck in a chokehold.

I tried to break free from his grasp but he was a lot stronger than me. It was rapidly becoming difficult to breathe.

"I gotta hand it to you. Walking right into the lion's mouth requires balls." He whispered into my ears.

I searched the inside pockets of my jacket for whatever I could find first. I felt the cold metallic feel of a syringe and quickly took it out of my pocket.

"I would've actually let you live, but since you came here looking for me, the least I can do is defend myself." He warned.

I stabbed his arm with the syringe and he instantly loosened his hold. I could see that only a small amount of liquid had actually made it into his body. He reached with his other arm and pulled it out, throwing it out of reach. He looked a bit weak and disoriented but his expression was menacing. I thought he would come right towards me and instead he made his way downstairs at lightning speed. I followed as fast I could.

"Running away like a little girl, I would've never expected it from you." I said, approaching him. He smirked as he launched himself at me with full force.

I didn't even have time to react and arm myself with what I had brought along. I punched him wherever I could but it didn't seem to be doing much damage. He hit me a couple times; his fists were as hard as stone. I grabbed a hold of a stake but no matter how hard I tried, I ended up stabbing him in the leg. He easily pulled it out and shook his head.

"Just give up already, there's not way you're leaving here tonight."

He grabbed a hold of my shirt and threw me across the room. I landed against a bookshelf, knocking it over with the impact. When I looked up he was gone again, I searched the room but he was nowhere in sight. I pulled another vervain syringe out of my pocket.

"Boo!" He said, standing behind me again.

He grabbed me once again and threw me across the room, I felt like a rag doll. He made his way towards me and this time I reacted quickly, stabbing him with the vervain shot near the neck, his eyes widened and then quickly closed. He collapsed on the floor, unconscious. This was it, I had to do it now, or not do it at all. I reached into my jacket and pulled out the last stake I had. I positioned myself over him and held it up with both hands. I closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. I was about to bring the stake down into his chest when I felt a sharp pain in my back. My vision became blurry and my body felt heavy. I was burning up on the inside; it was like fire was running through my veins. I fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. I looked up and saw Stefan standing right beside me.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let you kill my brother." His voice was muffled, there was ringing in my ears and then everything went black.

~%~%~%~%~

I regained consciousness. I was strapped down to a chair in what appeared to be an underground room of some sort. I jerked around trying to free myself but it was useless. The door creaked open and Stefan walked in, Damon by his side. He still looked weak but if looks could kill, I'd be dead on the spot.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asked.

"Why does it matter? You're going to kill me anyway." I looked away.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Tyler." He paused. I looked up at him and squinted. "Vampires and werewolves don't have to be enemies. There are exceptions to the rule." He said.

"Apparently Mason wasn't one of the exceptions." I replied, trying to set myself free once again.

"Your uncle was a threat to many people. If he had kept going down that path he was on, a lot of the people you know would probably be dead." He was calm. Damon remained silent, standing behind him.

"He didn't deserve to die." I argued.

"Mason was involved with Katherine. She had him convinced that what he was doing was the right thing. They were willing to sacrifice Elena's life in order to get what they wanted." He explained.

"What did they want?" I asked.

"To break the curse." Damon finally spoke.

"The werewolf and vampire curse." Stefan jumped in. "If the curse is broken, vampires can roam free in the sunlight and…" he paused. "Werewolves don't have to change every full moon." He looked at me. "But it only works in favor of one of the two, whoever breaks it first."

I was surprised by this revelation. The fact that I didn't have to go through that transformation every full moon gave me hope, but to do it at the expense of possibly affecting Caroline was another story.

"But in order to break the curse, Elena has to be sacrificed. We couldn't let that happen, Tyler. There was no way to reason with Mason. Elena's life and the lives of her family and friends were a risk. Damon had no other choice."

"So you're telling me saving the lives of others justifies Damon's actions." I said quietly.

"Yes, I know it's hard to understand but those others are innocent people who know nothing of our existence. People that you see every day. They shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes of others. Your uncle was lured into the dark side and there was no way to talk him out of it." He leaned against the wall. Damon looked at me once again and left the room.

I sat there in silence, not knowing what to think. I understood that saving the lives of others was important but I still believed that killing Mason wasn't the right thing to do. I looked at Stefan; I knew how much he loved Elena. If I had been in his place and I had to protect Caroline, what would I have done? There were so many thoughts running through my head.

"Caroline was afraid." He said. "She didn't want you to get hurt, so she kept things from you. She put herself at risk trying to help you." He looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"She also kept very important things from me." I replied.

"She was between a rock and a hard place, what else did you expect her to do? I'm not proud of what I've done. I've lied to Elena to keep her safe, many times. And I would do it all over again, if that meant saving her life. She was doing the same thing with you." He walked behind me and began untying my hands.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now it's up to you to decide. You know the truth. Do whatever you think is best for you." He walked towards the door and left.

I looked around the room and thought about everything he had said. I still didn't know what to do, but I was glad I hadn't driven that stake through Damon's heart. It would have done more harm than good.

~%~%~%~%~

I lay in bed, my mind cluttered with millions of thoughts. I closed my eyes and pictured her standing there, wearing that red dress. Her beauty was overwhelming and her eyes mesmerizing. The image was so vivid I could almost smell her perfume. I opened my eyes again and tossed and turned in my bed. I quickly slipped away from reality.

I was alone in the woods, the sky was cloudy and the roar of thunder was getting closer and louder. I heard a giggle and then my name being called.

"Tyler, where are you?" Her voice was sweet and tender.

"Caroline?" I called out.

"Where are you?" She asked.

I searched everywhere, I could smell her scent in the air but I couldn't seem to track her down. I felt a drop of water hit the tip of my nose. I looked up at the sky and rain began pouring down on me. I ran, still searching for her. My shoes were getting muddy and my clothes were soaked. I came to a halt when I saw her standing in a clearing between large Redwood trees. Her back was turned and water was dripping off of her.

"Caroline…" I said.

She turned around and smiled. She was drenched; the water had made her white dress almost see-through. It was stuck to her body, accentuating her figure.

"Tyler!" She ran towards me, jumping on me, wrapping her legs around my waist.

"I was looking for you." I whispered.

"You came back for me. I've missed you so much." She replied, rubbing her nose against mine.

I stabilized myself against a tree and didn't waste any time; I wanted to taste her. I held her face firmly and gently sucked on her lower lip before moving on to the top one. She smiled against my mouth. Then gently bit my lower lip before slipping her tongue inside. She tasted better than I remembered. I brushed her wet hair with my fingers and tilted her head to have full access to her neck. Her dress strap slipped off one of her shoulders and I pressed my lips against it. Her skin was soft and gave off a sweet smell.

"Don't leave me, Tyler." She pleaded.

I looked at her. Her eyes were full of sadness.

"I'm not leaving you."

"No. You are…" She looked up at the sky.

The clouds began to part, letting rays of sun escape from behind them. The brightness increased, until I couldn't see anything around me.

"Caroline?"

"Caroline?" I said out loud, as I opened my eyes to the brightness of my room.

I'd left the window open and the sun was shining right in my face. I exhaled in disappointment, knowing I had been dreaming all along. I wondered if it had been a product of her subconscious or mine. Either way, it was the closest I had been to her since the last time I saw her. I closed my eyes and replayed it all over again in my head.


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