A/N: Hiii everyone! Please don't hate me for taking forever in updating, it's been a really long past few months. I'm not as excited about this chapter and there isn't any Klaroline but it's incredibly important build up so please enjoy!

The sun was shining bright on the trio as they sat around a metal garden table outside a French bistro in the Garden District. The streets were crowded and the service was slow, but no one minded. They weren't really there to eat anyway, they were quietly searching and waiting. While the waiter came to take their orders, Marcel noted how Tyler sat closer to Hayley and wondered briefly if the boy was foolish or stubborn. In the end, he settled on both as stubborn is rather foolish.

Upon hearing Caroline's name, Tyler demanded to see her face, to identify her, before divulging any information that could bring Klaus down or put Caroline at risk. Their meeting was impromptu, scheduled because one of Marcel's day walkers had spotted Caroline with Rebekah shopping in the Garden District all morning.

"I don't see her," Tyler murmured before taking a long sip of his coffee. He wished it burnt his throat like it used to, even when he was a werewolf, but now he hardly felt anything. All that consumed him was an undying rage and an unrelenting desire for revenge. He needed to know first. He needed to know if Caroline was here, if she was safe. If she was, he'd have to fight the urge to do something, to get her away and keep her safe because she would undoubtedly be here for Klaus. He'd be lying if he didn't admit that finding out Caroline slept with Klaus hurt, because it did. In Mystic Falls he'd chosen to leave her but he had no intention on turning his back on them forever. He needed to extract his revenge, to quell the thirst for it burning within him before he could love Caroline again. But it seems she moved on.

Marcel's eyes danced over Tyler's schooled expression of boredom before glancing casually across the sunny street. It was busy but still quiet, a quietness that came with the sun having not quite reached the highest point in the sky yet. "She'll be here."

Hayley, however, said nothing. The only thing she could think to say was that she believed if Caroline was in New Orleans, it had to be for Klaus. No matter what Tyler thinks, Hayley saw the way the two interacted without rose colored glasses. The big bad hybrid had a soft spot for the blonde and anyone with eyes knew it. For now, she'd abide by Tyler's request of remaining mum until he decided when to share his secrets because she needed him. She needed all the help she could get to bring down Klaus because bringing down Klaus meant freeing her family and her pack from their confines in the Bayou.

"So, Tyler," Marcel drawled as if testing his name out for size. "You never did mention how you escaped the clutches of Klaus. Or even what you did." The smile on his face read his statement as a challenge. Before him sat a boy of 18 whose shoulders look broadened by luck and arrogance, not a man who could face an Original and live.

Sitting back in his seat, Tyler ran his hand down his jeans slowly while thinking about what Marcel was playing at. He ran from Klaus. In all honestly, Klaus' favor for Caroline saved him. That bit of information would stay with him forever if it meant Caroline was safe another day and so was his pride. "I out ran him," Tyler stated vaguely.

"So you were his new Katarina?" Marcel chuckled.

Face hardening, Tyler scowled. "I wasn't his little bitch if that's what you're getting at."

Leaning forward, Macel's cheshire grin grew slowly as he spoke. "But you were once his hybrid, sired to him. So weren't you? His little bitch then?"

Before Tyler could respond with violence, Hayley interrupted the two. "They're here. My one o'clock."

And yes they were. "Dammit," Tyler cursed. He'd recognize her blonde curls anywhere. While she looked at ease to the unassuming eye, Tyler knew Caroline was more aware than she usually is while shopping. No doubt it was because she was shopping with a volatile Original, Tyler thought to himself. So Caroline was in New Orleans, most likely for Klaus, and was suddenly best friends with Rebekah Mikaelson. "That's her," Tyler conceded to Marcel, shoulders deflating. Her being here complicated things. While yes, he is angry at her for sleeping with Klaus, he still cares about her, and this mess is not something he wants her caught in.

"Well then, please tell me everything you know about this Caroline," Marcel mused, pleased to have his instinct validated.

Squaring his shoulders and breathing out heavily, Tyler readied himself for negotiations. "I have conditions."

"Conditions, really?"

"Just tell him Ty so we can move on," Hayley rolled her eyes.

"You keep Caroline out of this and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"And if I don't? If she proves valuable to my triumph?"

"Well you won't know if she is valuable unless I get a promise from you that she stays out of it. If you don't, you don't get my help or my knowledge about hybrids."

"And what is so important about your expertise?"

Tyler paused for a moment, smirking slightly. It was his chance to be smug, to force Marcel to realize he was a key player that couldn't be trivialized. "I was Klaus' first hybrid, but I was also the first to break the sire bond and broke the bonds of 12 other hybrids. Two years later and I live to tell the tale."

Marcel looked mildly impressed. Conceding, he said, "If she's Klaus' flavor of the week, she'll be dead before I could get my hands on her anyway. If she proves invaluable and my best shot at getting to Klaus, I will take the chance."

Shaking his head in frustration, Tyler continued. "You don't get it. She is your best shot and she stays out of it or no deal. I'll walk up to Klaus and tell him what you're up to right now." Tyler really had no intention of going anywhere near the hybrid but a bluff never hurt anyone while negotiating.

"What is she to you Lockwood?"

"Right now? A friend who I will keep alive."

"And what makes you think I can't do this without you?"

"Because Hayley and the wolves will never trust you; the hybrids will never trust you. But if you promise me she stays out of this, you will have my full loyalty in taking down Klaus."

"Full loyalty, is that right?" Marcel chuckled. "I wasn't going to kill her or anything but the way you're talking she sounds more valuable dead than alive."

Tyler frowned at that. If Caroline died because of Klaus, he knew Klaus would go insane and that unsettled him. "Trust me, killing her is the biggest mistake you'll ever make."

"You're not telling me a lot Lockwood and I don't like it. But fine, I'll bite. Fully loyal to me in taking down Klaus in exchange for that girl being kept out of it. Now tell me what I need to know about her."

Pausing for a moment, Tyler considered Marcel and his countenance. He was not a trustworthy person and Tyler fully expected him to break his end of the deal but at least Marcel would think Tyler an inexperienced kid who would keep his. "Fine," he huffed, silently wondering if he was making a mistake. "Klaus is in love with her and I'm sure she has some feelings for him too."

Marcel, who was once reclining, leaned forward. "I'm done playing around Lockwood. Who is she?"

Confused, Tyler met Hayley's equally confused gaze. "That's who she is," Hayley piped up. "Miss Caroline Forbes, the woman Klaus cares too much about in his weird, psychotic way."

"Klaus doesn't believe in love, he never has," Marcel stated, recalling a time when Klaus forced him to choose between eternity and love. As a human, he was inclined to choose love but Klaus had convinced him otherwise, that love was weakness and eternity was power.

"Maybe he doesn't love her, but he's shown her care that no one else has seen," Tyler grumbled, not wanting to remember how the hybrid had eyes on his girlfriend.

"Wow," Marcel exclaimed before bursting into laughter. "Just wow. The vampire who claimed love is a vamp's greatest weakness is in love? How poetic. You have to be joking. Wait a minute," he paused in thought, a small smile on his face as realization dawned on him. "Is she the girl from Mystic Falls who-"

"Who Klaus slept with recently? Yeah, that's her," Tyler finished in disdain, a grimace on his face.

"Okay," Marcel smiled, sitting back in his seat light hearted. "So she's here for Klaus, is that it?"

"There's nothing else here for her," Tyler shrugged. "I can't imagine why else she'd be here."

Marcel pondered this while recalling his first meeting with her. "Now Lockwood," Marcel spoke quietly, the smile on his face slowly fading. "I think you should really tell me the truth now if you like your heart beating inside your chest."

Caught off guard, Hayley jumped in quickly to validate Tyler. "That's who she is Marcel and that has to be why she's here."

"Really?" he asked incredulously. "Then why is it when she first rolled into town, she told me her and her friend were just passing through?"

"Her friend?" Tyler asked suddenly. "Who was she with?" He waited eagerly for an answer, wondering who from Mystic Falls had accompanied her.

Curiously, Marcel read Tyler's face before answering his question. The hybrid seemed completely unaware that his blonde friend wasn't here alone. "A guy named Enzo."

"Enzo?" Tyler asked, his voice louder than he intended. "Why would she be here with Enzo?"

"I don't know Lockwood, she's your friend, remember? You tell me."

"Caroline and Enzo don't even get along," Tyler pondered. He'd have to call Matt or Jeremy back home to see if everything's okay. Caroline would never willingly go anywhere with Enzo, at least Tyler didn't think she would. "Look," Tyler began to speak again with more resolve. "Believe me or not, I'm not lying. That's who Caroline is. A friend of mine who Klaus happens to care too much about and she stays out of this. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

Marcel paused, taking in Tyler for a moment longer before smiling his frighteningly charming grin and stretching out his hand. "Fully loyal to me Lockwood and we have a deal."

She refused to cry. Too many of her tears had been spilt over stupid boys who just couldn't get the picture. She was Caroline Forbes and she did not cry. No matter how many times she told herself that she still couldn't help the few stray tears that spilled down her cheeks. Trying to distract herself, she willed herself to think about anything. Since becoming a vampire her short term memory had been extended and had become more vivid. Wracking her brain for any loose train of thought, Caroline paced the bedroom she was staying in.

She hadn't intended on saying anything to him. Hadn't wanted to have that conversation now or in her near future. Their feelings were a subject they both never discussed and she didn't know what had gotten into her. It was so damned frustrating how easy it was to talk to him sometimes. Some days he was the only meaningful conversation Caroline had that didn't involve doppelgangers and cures and cheer practice. They didn't need to have that conversation yet, the one she'd very nearly started. And that's the thing that unsettled her the most. Caroline had no idea what she needed for herself right now. All she knew was what needed to be done to save her friend's lives.

Not wanting to think about Klaus anymore, she paced the room of his house and groaned loudly at the fact that he was just everywhere without even trying. Focusing, Caroline reminded herself that she's here to save Stefan's life. In order to do that she needed some smoke and mirrors to save Tom's life because saving the doppelganger wasn't a choice to Caroline. For far too many years she'd seen vampires use humans as expendable things and she wouldn't do it. Saving Tom was important. She wasn't Klaus or Damon, she was Caroline and humans and wolves and witches meant something to her.

Witches. Caroline had heard more than once from the Originals of witches in New Orleans. Witches are bound to keep the balance. Not knowing that Stefan is a doppelganger also, they'll keep Tom alive at all costs. Yes, she'd have to fib and cover some blemishes but it could work. The witches wouldn't want Klaus making hybrids as much as Caroline didn't want Klaus making hybrids. They would help her save Tom. They had to. All she had to do now was figure out where to find a witch.

The Grill was quiet. It wasn't unusual for a week night. Matt knew the Grill was the weekend spot for Mystic Falls High School students and took comfort in quiet week nights where lone strangers chased their worries away with a bottle of gin. It was the quiet that gave Matt no qualms in answering a call from Tyler. He hadn't heard from his friend in days as if he'd just up and left town-which in all honesty wasn't all that strange to Matt anymore.

"Hey, where you been Ty?" Matt greeted, tossing his bar rag on the counter and heading towards the back room.

"It's a long story Matt," Tyler breathed out from the other end of the phone. "I need to ask you something."

"Yeah, shoot."

"Is Caroline okay?" The hesitation in Tyler's voice put Matt on guard, stopping him just short of crossing the threshold into the back room.

"Um, yeah man, she's fine," Matt answered slowly, his brow crinkled in confusion. "That last I heard of her she was headed to Atlanta with Damon's friend to track down Stefan's doppelganger." He was met with silence on the other end. "Hey, man, is everything all right? Are you all right?"

"Yeah man, I'm fine," Tyler answered far too quickly for Matt's liking. "Listen, if anything seems weird or something, let me know, okay?"

"Yeah, sure Ty, but are you gonna tell me where you are?" Matt asked, suddenly pacing behind the bar and ignoring the strange looks his patrons were giving him. "You've been AWOL and you're worrying me."

"Come on Matt," Tyler chuckled half heartedly. "I'm fine, I promise. Don't worry about me, just, be my eyes and ears for a bit, will you?"

"Yeah, of course I will. But man, if you're in trouble or anything, tell me, okay?"

"Right," Tyler answered as if he'd left the conversation before it even began. "I'll talk to you soon Matt, I've got to go."

"Yeah, whatever man," Matt replied before slipping his phone into his back pocket while shaking his head. His supernatural friends never made sense to him. Glancing up, Matt spotted the short stature of Bonnie Bennett stroll up to the bar with a determined look on her face.

"Hey Matt," she greeted, hopping up on a bar stool.

Sensing her mood, he grabbed a tumbler and put it down in front of her. "The hard stuff?" he asked in greeting.

"Yes, please," she sighed.

"Everything all right?" he asked while pouring her some bourbon.

"It could be better, but I'm alive. Well, sorta anyways."

"Yeah, that's a good way to look at it," Matt chuckled. While Bonnie did chuckle in response, Matt noticed it was a bit more forced than usual. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Bonnie replied flippantly. "I just, I have to ask you something and I really need you to not ask questions."

Shooting her a strange look, Matt relented, nodding at her to go right ahead. "I need the Traveler knife."

Matt stood before an expectant Bonnie dumbstruck. Of all the situations he'd never excepted this. "Bonnie, I can't just-"

"Please Matt," Bonnie pleaded, cutting him off. "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think it was completely necessary."

"Then I need to ask questions," Matt countered. "Why is it completely necessary?"

"Its long and complicated," Bonnie sighed. Matt simply stared at her as if saying he had all the time in the world. "I'm going to New Orleans tomorrow. Caroline is there and she needs my help against the Travelers."

Taking a moment to let that sink in, Matt paused before stating the most obvious flaw in Bonnie's admission. "But the Travelers are here."

"Not for long," Bonnie replied. "The doppelganger they want is in New Orleans and you get one guess as to who's not giving him up."

Matt didn't even think before cursing under his breath, "Klaus."

"I told you it's complicated Matt. Please just give me the knife and when it's all over and we're safe, I'll bring it back and explain everything."

"When do we leave?" Matt asked instead.

"Wait," Bonnie paused, not sure she heard right. "What? You're not going anywhere."

"Bonnie, Stefan, his doppelganger, and Caroline are in trouble. And I just got a strange call from Tyler five minutes ago. I'm not standing on the sidelines when my friends need me. So when do we leave?"

"Tyler called?"

"I'll explain on the road if you do."

Hesitating only a moment, Bonnie conceded, deciding maybe another driver wouldn't hurt. "We leave first thing tomorrow."

End note: How was it? Horrible? Lengthy? Unnecessary? Leave me a review and let me know what you think! P.S, when you review it encourages me to write faster :)

Oh, and btw, idk if Bonnie knew about the traveler knife at this point but for the sake of the story, yes, yes she does