A/N: *Don't* abandon all hope, ye who enter here…

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tyler sat hunched over a table in the middle of The Grill. When he got home after leaving Alaric's apartment, he lasted thirteen minutes. He told himself he wasn't going to drink. They were wrong. He would convince them of that somehow. But the look on Jeremy's face and his conviction when he said he couldn't be with him until he 'got sober'…it was haunting. Tyler lasted thirteen minutes alone in his bedroom before he found himself in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of bourbon from the liquor cabinet and driving to The Grill. He sat in the parking lot drinking as night set in around him. At the time he rationalized it. He was out. Everyone hated him. His college football experience would be strained and probably short-lived. He did it all for his boyfriend and now he broke up with him. Why shouldn't he drink then? What was the point?

He stared into his empty glass afterward and felt sick. Jeremy was the point. He didn't know what was the matter with himself. He closed the bottle and forced himself to go inside The Grill. At least in there he couldn't drink. He didn't have his flask with him, and they wouldn't let him just walk around chugging a bottle. Not that it mattered. He stumbled on his way in and barely made it to a table before the spinning room knocked him on his ass. He was already drunk.

He owed Matt an apology. No matter how right he was about Vicki and her shady extracurricular activities, Matt was his best friend. He was always good to him no matter how big of a dick he was in return, and he didn't deserve what Tyler snapped at him. He knew Matt tried repeatedly to get Vicki clean and straighten up her life. Tyler always thought she was a slacker loser for not accepting help from her brother who was twenty times the person she would ever be. Yet here he was now. Doing the same thing.

He ducked his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he ran and reran his conversation with Jeremy through his head. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to accept it, but Jeremy was right. Last night he was furious. About Vicki. About being thrown into lockers all day and shoved down stairs. He hated his life and when he threw liquor on top of it he became someone else. Last night he lost control, and he would have hit Jeremy.

Tyler closed his eyes and clenched his fist. That would be something he could never take back. Things had already gotten out of control as it was the past few weeks. He thought about the night of the pep rally. He got drunk and angry and picked a fight with Jeremy then too. He was buzzed and drinking when he yelled at Jeremy in the woods to get lost. It wasn't a remote control that could dictate his actions or emotions, but alcohol was definitely a factor in his recent pattern of behavior. For a long moment, Tyler stayed hunched over the table and tried to gather himself.

He didn't want to be this person. Like his father. Angry and violent. His father blamed the wolf. Men were naturally inclined toward violence, he would say, and when testosterone met with the curse it created impulses that were out of his control. If he hit Tyler then it was Tyler's fault. He should know better than to set him off.

Tyler intertwined his fingers, setting his elbows on the table and covering his mouth with his hands. That was wrong, ignorant and cruel. And it was exactly what he was starting to do with Jeremy. His eyes opened and he stood, pushing past the waiter who just came up to his table to take his order. He thought he was going to be sick, and he was. He made it to the restroom and came out of the stall after puking most of the alcohol up. He went to the sinks weakly and washed his mouth out, splashing water on his face and looking up at himself in the mirror.

He was Tyler Lockwood. Not his father. He blamed himself for what his dad did to him growing up. The emotional and physical abuse was his to bear because he brought it on himself for defying him or not being the way he wanted him to be. Now he knew better. His father was a screwed up man who took his frustration out on him because he was too mean and stupid to place the blame where it truly belonged. Tyler braced his hands against the cool porcelain and looked down at the sink, breathing deeply. History didn't have to repeat itself. He could be better, and he could be better with people who loved him.

Reaching into his pocket as he left the restroom, he pulled out his cell phone to call Jeremy. He was right. They all were, and unlike his father Tyler would accept that fact and he would try to change. He grabbed his jacket from the table and glanced up toward the front of the building fleetingly. His eyes were back on the phone's screen when his mind registered what he just saw.

Jerking his head back up, he looked at the front where he saw someone exiting the restaurant. Someone he knew.

Exiting out of his contacts, he pulled his jacket on and walked a little more steadily out than he did coming in. He wasn't seeing double, but his senses were still hindered with a mildly drunken stupor. Out in the parking lot, he looked around and as his eyes swept the area they fell on the individual he saw leaving as he ducked into his car on the far side.

The large man was careful to duck his head as he folded his tall body into the driver's seat. Fat hands gripped the steering wheel and the engine came to life as adrenaline pumped its way through Tyler. Joel Brennan began pulling out of the lot, and Tyler ran to his truck. He dropped his keys and bent to pick them up hurriedly as he clicked through his contacts list again. This time he went down to Stefan Salvatore and pressed call quickly.

Stefan answered on the second ring as Tyler was letting himself into his truck and stepping up into the driver's seat.

"Tyler, everything okay?" Stefan asked by way of saying 'hello'. Caroline most likely told him about the intervention, and since Tyler never called Stefan for anything ever, the timing sent the vampire on instant alert.

"Stefan," Tyler shoved his key at the ignition but realized he was poking his house key at it and dropped the whole ring. He bent down to snatch them off the floor. "The vampire that attacked Elena-he's here. I just saw him at The Grill."

"I can be there in fifteen minutes." Stefan answered immediately. "Don't lose him."

He hung up and Tyler did the same, dropping the phone onto the passenger seat and finally shoving the right key into the ignition. Moving into reverse, he screeched backward and straightened the truck, slamming on the gas and jolting forward. He was on the road and speeding through the darkness trying to catch up to the silver car when he noticed something missing off his center console. His GPS was gone. Brennan must have noticed Tyler too and stole it before getting in his own car.

Tyler thought of where he just was. The dot was labeled home. Brennan would know not to go there. The only other place he went that day was Alaric's apartment. Brennan knew where the Gilberts were now, and he was driving straight for them. Straight for Jeremy.

Tyler stepped down on the gas until his truck was pushed to its limit. The silver car came into view ahead, going slightly above the speed limit itself. With the car in his sights, Tyler jerked his steering wheel to the side and rounded past the purple VW ahead of him, slamming on the gas and jerking ahead of it. He jerked the steering wheel to the right and veered out of the way of an oncoming truck. It honked after him furiously as he slid back onto his side of the road and sped ahead. There was no one in between him and Brennan now, and he set his eyes on the car with fierce determination.

He trailed after him for ten minutes. Brennan definitely noticed the truck on his tail and sped up accordingly. He wasn't threatened though. He didn't so much as take a side street or make any unnecessary turns in order to shake him off. He stayed on the direct route on the GPS and made a straight line for his target. Tyler posed nothing but an annoyance to the vampire.

They were two minutes from the apartment-even less at the speed they were going-and Tyler knew he had to do something. Not even Caroline would be there anymore. Damon was in Meadows. Even moving the way he did, Stefan wouldn't be able to run back in time. Brennan might not be able to get inside Alaric's home without an invitation but if he was desperate enough he could smoke them out and kill them when they were forced outside. The vampires in Meadows were clearly unhappy being stalked by the Salvatores, and it looked like they sent Brennan back to make their point for them.

Tyler couldn't let that happen. Forcing the truck forward he managed to close the remaining distance between them on the road and rammed into the back of the vampire's car. It jerked at the impact but pulled away and kept going. If Tyler could get him off the road he might be able to stall him long enough for Stefan to get there. Brennan was a new vampire. Tyler was confident he would be able to hold his own against him if he got him out of the car. Then Stefan could take care of him. If he could just-

Without warning, the car ahead twisted and went horizontal on the road purposely. Tyler was going too fast to stop. His reaction time was hampered, and the moment of hesitation cost him. He slammed on the breaks too late and the truck blasted into the side of the car, shoving the two ton weight down the street with such force it reeled back and rolled over itself. An earsplitting explosion of sound shattered the peaceful darkness. Metal grinded against itself and two sets of tires screeched sharply along the pavement.

The breaks fought against the spinning tires and when the truck slammed back into the car mid-roll it flipped, truck bed flying over itself. The headlight beams cut over small areas, moving too quickly to make sense of anything. With no seatbelt to hold him back, Tyler's body went up and his head popped the interior roof. Pain exploded inside his skull and hot white light blotted out his vision.

Jeremy! He panicked in his blindness.

The truck rolled down and went up, disorienting him with its quick flips. The truck crushed back down over the gravel and the ceiling blew in on itself. Metal tore and spiked up as it bent out of shape by the force of the impact. Tyler went down hard against the pounded ceiling, landing on his neck with a deafening snap.

His body slumped limply against the broken upside down truck, and a heavy quiet spread slowly through the night.


Jeremy stared down at his phone. He wanted to call Tyler more than anything. No, more than anything he wanted to be with Tyler, but he knew he had to restrain himself. Tyler had to make the choice to change. They wouldn't work otherwise. Anna sat on Alaric's bed beside him. She was going to spend the night on Jeremy watch. He had a feeling Jenna put her up to it, but he didn't tell her to get lost. He didn't want to be alone anyway.

He set his phone down and leaned his head back against the headboard as Anna sat up slowly. She turned her head to the side and tilted it up slightly as though she were listening to something in the distance. Jeremy eyed her sideways.

"What is it?"

Abruptly, her head swiveled and she stared toward the living room, distracted by a strange scent on the air. She stood up and her muscles tensed. "Vampire."

Jeremy's eyes went wide and he got to his feet too. "In the apartment?"

She shook her head and headed out. Jeremy was right behind her. Elena was curled up on the couch reading and looked up as they came in. She took in Anna's alert face and pushed the blanket she had wrapped around her legs aside. Jeremy signaled for her to be quiet and she got to her feet silently. Anna went to the door and peered out the peep hole. There was nothing there. She held her hand up to tell them to wait and she ducked out of the apartment disappearing.

Outside he could hear police sirens rushing by nearby. He figured that was what Anna was hearing before she got distracted by the vampire smell. Jeremy exchanged a look with his sister but before he could build up any real worry for his friend, Anna returned. She looked more relaxed but her face was dark. It meant there was no imminent threat at least.

"He's gone." She announced. "But there is a lot of blood outside by the back entrance. He must be hurt. Get Jenna and Alaric. We need to move. He could come back anytime."

Elena turned immediately to get her aunt and honorary uncle from the spare bedroom. Within minutes they were walking down in a group with Anna in the lead. She had her arms out on either sides in front of the foursome in a protective stance. Her eyes swept all around them as they hurried to Alaric's car in the lot.

"Go on." She ordered as Jeremy and Elena climbed into the backseat. She closed the door behind them without getting in. "I'm going to sweep the area. See if I can find him. If he's around here I'll kill him and catch up."

Jeremy didn't like that idea at all no matter how much older she was than Brennan. Accidents happened. If she was caught by surprise anything could go down, but he didn't have so much as a measly second to protest because she disappeared in a blur of speed down the road. Alaric didn't waste any time, pulling out and onto the street.

From the trees along the sidewalk a few blocks up, Jeremy saw Anna standing and looking across the street where the sirens had been headed. The closer they got the more rigid she seemed. Jeremy turned back to the scene where a bad accident had clearly occurred. A silver car was completely crushed on one side as though a giant wrecking ball had slammed into it. The driver's side door looked like it was ripped off, scattered several feet away from the totaled car.

Police already had the area quarantined with road blocks and yellow tape. An ambulance was pulled up several dozen feet away where another vehicle was flipped onto its back upside down. As Alaric drove closer, Jeremy pointed Anna out and told him to stop when they got to her. Jeremy squinted in the dark. As they got closer to the accident, he made out two EMTs squatted over something near the flipped vehicle.

"Anna." Jeremy rolled down his window and called to her on the sidewalk. She turned to him mechanically. Her dark eyes were wide and her face was etched with blank shock. The severity of her expression birthed an ominous fear in Jeremy.

Her mouth seemed dry as she struggled to swallow. "Jeremy, stay in the car." She whispered.

He stared back at her nonplussed. "What?"

Her eyes trailed back to the scene of the accident subconsciously. Jeremy's head turned back in that direction on instinct and he leaned over Elena as he stared harder through the flashing blue and red lights on the patrol cars blocking the scene. He looked beyond them, and his lungs collapsed.

His voice carried lightly like a weak breeze on the air. "That looks like Tyler's truck…"

Elena turned toward him instantly, but he was turning, fumbling for the door handle.

"Anna," his voice broke over a thin exhale and he pushed the door open.

"I can get past them." She assured and disappeared in a blur of movement again.

Jeremy was out of the car and on the sidewalk. Elena called after him and the other doors were opening behind him as he took off around the car and ran across the street without checking either direction. A crowd was forming from the nearby residents, out to see what was going on. Jeremy slowed as he approached, maneuvering around them and going to a clear patch where he could see ahead.

The back of the ambulance was open and a stretcher was pulled out but they weren't lifting anyone onto it. A policeman was approaching the cluster of people to ensure they keep back but Jeremy was far along the barricades on his own. He walked along a van parked at the edge of the scene, dragging his hand behind him and leaning into it for support as he looked around. His knees were weak and it took more effort to push shakily away from the van and stand on his own than anything else he had ever done in his life.

His hands were trembling at his sides as he pushed forward toward the blockades. The paramedics blocked his view of the still person laying on the cold ground. Suddenly Stefan was standing next to him and Elena ran up on his other side panting. Jenna and Alaric held back, looking from the van.

"Stefan!" Elena exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Stefan's brow was furrowed deeply as he looked darkly between the scene and Elena. "Tyler called me. He saw Brennan. I traced his scent from The Grill."

Anna was standing over the trio of people beside the ambulance. Her eyes trailed up slowly and she stepped away, making her way to the barricades with stiff, hollow movements. One of the paramedics shifted and bent over the body, flipping a medical penlight on and lowering it over the face, lifting a limp eyelid. Jeremy lost all sense as the features lit up in a glow of revealing light. Tyler lay unmoving and unresponsive to the paramedic's touch.

Jeremy lurched forward desperately and Anna pointed a frantic shake of her head at the other vampire. Stefan caught Jeremy immediately and held him back. "Ty!" He screamed over Stefan's shoulder. He clutched the back of Stefan's jacket and pushed forward manically, but the vampire held him back. Darkness closed in around him, blocking out everything but the sight of Tyler laying still and heavy, fingers resting limp across the pavement. "TYLER!"

The raw fear in the yell shook Elena. Shivers ran through her, and she brought a hand to her mouth. Jeremy was breathing erratically but he wasn't struggling against Stefan anymore. His eyes were glued to Tyler and hard sobs were shaking his entire body. He called for him again and again through uncontrollable tears. He bent at the waist still gripping Stefan but growing weaker as his horror expanded.

Elena crossed to him quickly and pushed at Stefan until he moved away. She wrapped her arms around Jeremy and hugged him to herself so tightly she could hardly breathe. He clung to her and gasped between tears. Elena couldn't carry his weight as his legs gave out underneath him. They sunk to the ground together, holding each other harder than they ever held anyone. Elena grabbed his head and rubbed his back trying desperately to think of what to do, how to save him from the hurricane of misery ravaging him from the inside.

But all she could do was hold onto him and tether him to someone who loved him. Numbness froze the tears in her eyes and drew on all her strength to keep from falling apart with him. Jeremy knew more about pain than someone his age had the right to, and her hands moved over him as they would a fragile ornament that fell one too many times and would start to crack if she let it go. She whispered in his ear without pausing to decide what to say, saying anything that sounded warm and might cut through the cold around him. Elena tried to keep him together, but with every shudder inside of her arms she feared it was too late.

Jeremy fell too many times, and with every heart wrenching second filled with the sound of his deep, ragged cries, she knew she couldn't save him from this. He was already breaking.


A/N 2: Sorry I couldn't warn you to brace for impact better without spoiling it! You're going to have to trust me, though!