Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries

Title courtesy of Mumford & Sons' 'Broken Crown'


9

brought to the edge by the demands of living on their nerves, wringing out memories and their nightmares to extract meaning, truth, beauty

In the few nights since Prom, the dreams…the nightmares weren't unusual. They were but she'd gotten used to them. They were vivid, colors sharp, sounds harsh, and emotion crippling. They were violent, a gooey red often marred the brush were she woke up in a pool of sticky read the clung to her hands and dress. Klaus would kneel in front of her with a sickly innocent smirk, flecks of blood littering the skin of his angelic face and neck like the first few leaves to fall when the seasons began to changed. But in these dreams, Caroline knew better. She knew it was really the face of the devil, evil-incarnate.

She knew the moment of revelation by heart. The smell of the substance would flood her senses and she'd look to the hybrid with such horror, her eyes burning with pent-up tears at the smell of Tyler's blood and his smirk would only evolve into a dangerous and hungry wolfish grin before she'd wake, flying through the heavy layers of her unconscious and into a sitting position in her bed, gasping for breath.

But not this time.

It was dark, a hazy midnight bluish hue serving as the backdrop. If Caroline concentrated hard enough, she could make out the summer crickets, the rustling of nocturnal wildlife, the slight breeze rustling the branches above her head. She smiled to herself and began walking through the obscured atmosphere.

It was an odd sensation, Caroline thought. There was something so familiar about it but yet it felt so far away. These woods provided a comfort that could only be equated with home, with Mystic Falls.

"Where are you taking me?"

Caroline's brow creased. That was her voice, she knew that much. Her head snapped in the direction it came from and she saw two figures. She could make out herself from her Prom gown and the hallow of light adorning her head as a result of the moonlight "'Cause walking through the woods in this dress and heels is not easy, vampire or not."

"It was your decision to follow me, love," The figure leading her said. Klaus.

At once, the picture became cleared and she could make out more minor details. She watched as herself and Klaus walked past, oblivious to the interloper, continuing on their way. Caroline felt compelled to follow them

"Well, you looked so freaking excited I thought I'd humor you for once," she heard herself snap.

"You know, I thought the sexual tension and animosity between two people was supposed to lessen after they've slept together."

"Welcome to high school where it's all sexual tension all the time no matter who's slept with who. And we are not talking about that."

"As you wish," Klaus chuckled and Caroline felt the way her lips desired to quirk upwards at the warm sound.

"Speaking of high school, I'm pretty sure million year old Original hybrids aren't supposed to chaperone Prom," she was saying as they continued on their path, Caroline trailing cautiously behind herself and Klaus, just incase.

"You expected me to sit idly at home when the Prom Queen didn't have a date?"

"Since when do you care?" dream-Caroline scoffed, stepping over a particularly large branch and running straight into Klaus.

"I'll have you know I can be quite the gentleman, sweet Caroline," he said, stepping away and gesturing towards the small clearing.

A new figure emerged from the shadows and Caroline's brows furrowed, trying to make out who the newcomer was.

"What are you doing here?!" her dream counterpart shrieked.

"It's alright, Care," Tyler said, coming into focus. "He's actually the one who invited me back."

"Yeah, so he could kill you! Tyler, run!"

"He's not going to kill me," Tyler took another step our from the shadows, "Are you, Klaus?"

"No," Klaus said and dream-Caroline turned to give the hybrid a wary look. "I won't harm him, sweetheart. You have my word," he reassured, looking between the two with such earnest filling his blue-green eyes.

And Caroline watched as dream-Caroline crossed over to Tyler with slow, measured steps and threw herself into his arms and held him in a tight hug. She watched dream-Tyler hesitantly return dream-Caroline's hug, his eyes flashing up to Klaus before allowing himself to relax in Caroline's embrace.

"We need to talk," he said after a moment. "Dance with me?"

Caroline watched herself nod up at her boyfriend with an impending sense of dread. This was cruel, beyond cruel and she would do anything to wake up from this nightmare. She wanted to scream, to run, to claw her eyes out but she found herself glued, as if she were stuck in a glass case, forced to watch the scene unfold.

"I was going to come back anyways, whether Klaus let me or not," dream-Tyler said after a few moments of silence and swaying.

"I've always admired how brave you are," dream-Caroline replied with a small smile, stroking the short hairs at the nape of his neck in a way that made Caroline's heart because she would never, not in a million years have the opportunity to do that again. She felt her stomach clench at the thought, remembering all the times the had fallen asleep in each other's embrace, Tyler lulled by her soft humming, her fingers running through his hair and massaging his scalp.

"Please, you've always been braver than me. Always have and always will."

"Maybe. But, maybe we're just brave in different ways."

Dream-Tyler laughed, full and clear and for a moment Caroline could pretend they were still in their glory days when nothing mattered but them and their growing relationship; a time before alpha males dueling for supremacy, before sire bonds and fighting to live another day. But the time for that was over. Too much had changed and the thought of all the lost innocence made Caroline choke on a sob.

"I know what you're going to do. And it's okay," dream-Caroline whispered, leaning into his chest and letting him support her, and Caroline could feel it, as if Tyler was there, sharing space with her where she was rooted on the sidelines.

"I care about you too much to lead you on and let you believe there's a way," dream-Tyler was saying.

Caroline's jaw dropped and her breathing quickened as she realized what was happening. The words still hurt but deep down, part of her knew the day Jeremy had died that Tyler had moved on, that he was living his life the way he finally wanted even if he was on the run while she sat at home, all alone, stuck waiting on something that would never happen.

Unable to watch for a moment, Caroline removed her eyes from herself and Tyler to find Klaus. Like her, he was standing off on the opposite side of the clearing. His hands clasped behind his back, his eyes on the ground to give dream-Caroline and Tyler as much privacy as possible and it struck a chord in Caroline's heart. The sight of him completely silent and acquiescent but yet so resilient was completely different from the nightmares that had plagued her closed eyelids in the three days since her disastrous, murder mayhem of a Prom. Caroline cocked her head as she peered curiously at him, raking in everything about his posture before her ears registered her own, meek sounding voice.

"So this is it?"

"Yeah," Tyler said with a nod, loosening his grip on dream-Caroline's waist. "I guess this is goodbye."

Caroline shook her head, her gut clenching.

"I'll never forget you…you know that, right? Not ever."

A tear escaped down her cheek.

But Tyler was smiling, knowing what was to come, it sickened Caroline to the core and her narrowed eyes snapped to Klaus, still standing silently away from the action.

"I know. You'll always have a place in my heart, Care. But, it's better this way. You know that, right? We want different things. I found a pack, they needed an alpha and as much as I love you, that's who I am. I'm a wolf through and through."

Dream-Caroline nodded against him, "I want you to live and not have to constantly look over your shoulder. I want you to be happy and I hope you get everything you want."

"Me, too. And I want the same for you. You deserve that and so much more," Tyler said quietly and wrapping dream-Caroline into a tight hug one last time, Caroline feeling phantom arms wrapping around her own figure. "Goodbye, Care." Tyler let go of her gently (the barely-there brushing of material against her bare arms gone) and turned around to face the hybrid standing a short ways away. Caroline shook her head and tried to scream, to jump up and down, to do anything to get Tyler's attention, or her dream counterpart's. He couldn't do this, he wouldn't. But he strode up to Klaus, his head held high and a determined look in his eyes and a small sob broke from Caroline's throat, small 'no's running out of her lips.

She realized the only thing she could do was brace herself.

"You take care of her, Klaus. Whether she ever loves you or not. You got it?" Tyler said, not once slacking his upright posture.

To Caroline's surprise, Klaus nodded, his understanding eyes shifting between the forest floor and Tyler's face. And, suddenly, Tyler was gone in a gust of wind, leaving dream-Caroline and Klaus standing in the clearing behind the school.

A loud gasp of shock escaped Caroline and she covered her mouth quickly, stilling her movements so she wouldn't suddenly be discovered. But neither dream-Caroline or Klaus seemed to hear her. She watched, with a queasy filling working it's way up her stomach and into her throat as the Original nervously lifted his gaze to look at dream-Caroline. The moonlight illuminated her reddened cheeks, tears glistening in the familiar and bright cornflower blue eyes. Caroline felt the unshed tears and held-in sobs constrict her throat as she watched dream-Caroline close the distance between her and Klaus.

Dream-Caroline let herself fall into Klaus' chest. "Thank you," she whispered, the noise muffled by the fabric of Klaus' dark Henley.

A new feeling burst through Caroline's chest as a new phantom touch slithered across her body and she could feel the imprint of a hand press firmly into the small of her back. Caroline recognized the feeling as she watched herself hug the hybrid, clutching him for a moment.

She felt free and a smile grew over her lips.

It was then she caught sight of a figure standing on the edge of the clearing and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

The next thing she knew, Silas had her dream self pinned tightly to his chest, ancient arms locking her in place. She watched herself watch helplessly as Klaus attempted to get to her, failing each time against Silas' invisible barrier.

"Let her go."

"Not until you give me what I want, hybrid."

"Let. Her. Go."

"You have what I don't. You sit on a throne that rightfully belongs to me. I need you to do a favor for me."

"I thought I made myself clear. I do favors for no one."

"Not even this beautiful vampire who has you captivated- body, mind, and soul? Not even when," Silas paused as his hand plunged into dream-Caroline's chest and she screamed out in pain as his murderous fingers settled around her heart, squeezing the pounding organ as if it were Play-Doh. Even though she was watching the events unfold, Caroline looked between Klaus and Silas, panicking when she couldn't make out what they were saying as dream-Caroline hung in Silas' grip.

She registered a scream ripping from her own throat, echoing the one of dream-Caroline as the phantom pressure in her chest began to slowly remove itself.

She watched herself exchange a pained but determined look with the seething hybrid across the clearing from where she was hanging in Silas' grasp, waiting for him to end it. Caroline could see Klaus thinking, his brain working a million miles a minute, searching for someway to get her out of this.

After what felt like an eternity, Caroline saw Klaus lift his burning gaze from dream-Caroline's to Silas.

"What is it you want?"

Those were the only words she could make out with stark clarity and Caroline felt a sob rise from her chest- whether from the decreasing pressure there or because of Klaus' determined yet defeated words she didn't know.

Silas laughed as he let go of her heart and pulled his hand from her chest, the pressure completely vanishing and Caroline felt the ghost of a hand smooth hair back from her face at the same time Silas stroked memory-Caroline disheveled locks away. And then she was falling into blackness. Another disorienting experience that had her throat constricting in fear as she could only hear Klaus and Silas mumbling back and forth, bargaining. There was something about a witch, he needed a temporary replacement to Bonnie and somewhere in the back of Caroline's mind she pictured the youthful face and frightened, wide eyes framed by dark and lengthy brunette locks from earlier today. Davina.

Their words still weren't registering clearly and she could only make out bits and pieces until Silas chuckled and then her vision was restored, her eyes flying open, riveted to the scene in front of her now that she could both see and hear clearly.

"What did you do?" Dream-Caroline demanded, looking around and up at Klaus with an accusatory glare.

"Easy, love. He's gone." The hybrid held up both hands, palms out as he knelt slowly down beside her.

"Gone? Where is he?"

"I…I don't know," Klaus was saying, holding out a hand to help her. "It's alright, sweetheart. You're okay. You're safe."

"Don't lie to me, Klaus. What'd you do to him?"

Caroline watched as Klaus' brow furrowed in confusion, dream-Caroline scooting backwards over the brush-covered ground.

"You killed him, didn't you? After you told me you were setting him free. After you promised me you wouldn't touch him. How could you?!" she demanded, jumping up from the ground and backing away from the hybrid even further.

"Caroline, lov-"

"No! You don't get to say anything! You lied to me! You killed Tyler!"

Caroline shot straight up in her bed, the quilt pooling around her hips as she looked around her room with wide, frightened eyes. The late spring breeze rustled the drapes, fluttering through her open window to freeze the sheen of cold sweat glistening on her skin in the moonlight. It took a moment for her to regain her bearings as she took deep, shaky breaths that lodged in her constricting throat to fill her lungs. After a moment, she was able to fall back into her pillows and close her eyes.

The images kept coming back, playing across the theater of her mind, reminding her eerily of the exact moment she regained her memories from Damon's compulsion. It was the oddest sensation, an out of body experience to watching events that had transpired without her recollection even though she remembered Prom night. At least she thought she remembered but there was Tyler, his arms holding her close as Klaus kept a watchful eye in the background and the phantom of Tyler's touch on her bare arms, his hand pressed over the small of her back made her skin shudder, as if the limb had fallen asleep. The banter she and the Original hybrid had exchanged upon their venture to the small clearing drifted through her ears like a chorus.

A small sob escaped the baby vampire as she felt her heart plunge into her stomach. She pressed the back of her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound as she surrendered to the memory and let it consume her, somehow knowing that it wasn't a memory at all, somehow knowing that it had actually happened.

Somehow she knew Tyler was alive. He was safe, not that she had any inkling of where he was but he was alive. Happiness bloomed in her chest at the newfound realization

But everything screeched to a halt and her thoughts drifted to another hybrid, a guilty feeling she couldn't quite prevent ate away at her relief.

A/N: welp, there it is! I hope the dream/memory wasn't too terrible. I originally wrote it as a scene and went back through and edited to give it a more dream-like feel so I apologize if I missed anything. I hope it wasn't too confusing!

definitely one and maybe, maybe, and epilogue left. I haven't decided about the epilogue... it depends on how mean I feel like being once I get the next chapter done ;) (don't freak. yet. there will be a happy...ish ending.)

thanks for reading! please review if you have a second- I really appreciate it:)

until next time, friends!

(ps: is anyone as excited for The Originals as me? cause I'm pretty darn stoked. TWO DAYSSSSSS)