AN: Sorry for the sort of cliff hanger last chapter, I just couldn't find a better way to end it, and start the next one. R+R, and please, Enjoy! (PS-What did ya'll think of the last episode?)

OK, I'm sorry this update is a little late, but my computer crashed, and I was fixing it for almost two days. Sorry for the wait.

Then (Ten minutes ago)

"Hello, Mason." Katherine said, hands folded neatly in her lap. "Fancy seeing you in Mystic Falls."

Then (Ten minutes later, Lockwood Mansion, Upstairs-Tyler and Caroline)

"Tyler, stop it." Caroline giggled, trying to get away from Tyler's tickling. They were lying on his bed, talking and laughing and kissing.

"No." He laughed into her neck. We've only been together two weeks, she thought. Two weeks, and I never want to leave his side. I've known him my entire life, but it's different now. He's…mine.

It had begun that night, after Mason, in wolf form, had attacked Caroline on accident. Tyler and Caroline had talked for hours after that, confessing things that neither of them was comfortable with telling anyone else. And there they were.

"How good is your hearing?" Tyler asked, smiling.

"Really good." Caroline said, kissing him quickly.

"C'mon, show me." He pretended to pout, unconvincingly, but she rolled her eyes and nodded anyway.

"Okay. Um, your uncle just got home…he's in the living room. But…" her brow furrowed in confusion. "Elena's with him? It sounds like her but…" Suddenly, she jumped off the bed and down the hall, all at vampire speed.

"Hey! Caroline?" Tyler hopped up and followed her. "What are you doing?" he asked when he came up beside her. From behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I'm eavesdropping, what does it look like?" she said quietly. "That's no Elena, it's Katherine, the evil bitch who is going to ruin all our lives!" She said dramatically. Tyler raised an eyebrow, but stayed quiet.

Downstairs (Katherine and Mason)

"Did you tell her?" Katherine asked.

"Tell her what?" Mason asked, pretending not to know what she was talking about.

"Don't play coy with me, Mason. Jenna will only be safe for so long. I need that moonstone, dog. Now."

"Well, bitch, I don't have it. You're just going to have to be patient." Suddenly, he was being held against the wall by his throat.

"You listen to me, dog. You have two days to get me that moonstone, or I will start cutting of Little Jenna's limbs one by one. Am I understood?" Katherine snarled. Mason nodded, anger burning in his eyes. Then she was gone.

The wolf was growling in denial. No, no. Protect Jenna. Our Jenna. Don't let her hurt Jenna. Mason clasped his hands over his ears, trying to block out his wolf's emotions. Snarling to himself, he stormed up to his room and slammed the door.

Back Upstairs (Tyler and Caroline)

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked. They were back in Tyler's bedroom, sitting on his bed.

"Nothing. We're going to let him give her the moonstone and keep our mouths shut." Tyler said tiredly, closing his eyes.

"But Tyler, shouldn't we tell Jenna? She deserves to know!"

"No, she doesn't. He's trying to keep her safe, and I get that." The look he leveled at Caroline made her shiver, causing her to remember the fear in Tyler's eyes during the car crash, and in the hospital after. "He's doing the best he can."

"But if he loves her-"

"He's never said that he loves her." Tyler said. "He's never told anyone, not even her. He won't even say it to me."

"Tyler-"

"Drop it, babe. Let them deal with it themselves." He kissed her forehead.

"Okay. But I don't have to like it." Tyler smiled, and didn't tell her about his plan to confront Mason. It was the only way to protect her.

Now

"Mason." Mason woke up, startled, to see Tyler in his room.

"Jeez, Ty. What?" He said, yawning.

"Why was that bitch here last night?" Mason froze.

"How much did you here?"

"Me and Caroline heard everything. So that's what you came back for. Huh. I thought you told Jenna you came back for her. You told mom you came back for me. But now I guess we know you're priorities, huh?" Tyler said, angrily.

"Tyler, I would have come back eventually. You're like my own kid. I wouldn't just forget about you." Mason said, reaching out to place his hand on Tyler's shoulder, but he jerked away.

"That's what you said last time. And the last time, and the last time. You're always saying things you don't mean. I can always count on that from you. Plus, you always leave."

Then (Tyler, age 5. Mason, age 18)

Mason came back from Jenna's, feeling like the scum of the earth who just ripped out his own heart. He'd already told everyone that he was leaving. Everyone who was important, anyway…except Tyler. That was going to be awful, and he was sure the kid was going to cry. Shit.

Groaning, he opened the front door to find Carol, who seemed glad to see him.

"Mason, I'm so glad you're home. There's…well, there's been an incident." Carol said, looking exhausted.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"It's Tyler. He heard Richard and I talking about you leaving, and he threw a fit. He's locked himself in your closet and refuses to come out. He's been crying for an hour." Carol said sadly. "Poor thing. He really loves you."

"Yeah, well. I guess I'm just hurting everybody who loves me today." Mason shook his head, before walking up the stairs.

"Didn't you go to Jenna's today?" Carol called. He didn't answer, just kept going. Mason finally reached his room at sat on the bed. He heard sniffling coming from closet.

"Tyler. C'mon out buddy. Talk to me."

"No." Stubborn kid. Wonder who he gets it from?

"Alright, I'll talk, and you just listen, okay?" He took the silence as a yes. "Sometimes when we grow up, we have to leave home for a while. Not forever, but for a while, just so we can learn to be by ourselves."

"I don't wanna be by myself." Tyler said stubbornly.

"Sometimes you're going to have to. Would you want your friend Jeremy around all the time?"

"No. He's a baby."

"Exactly. Sometimes you have to spend some time away from people, and that's what's happening to me. I'm grown up, so I've got to go other places, instead of staying in Mystic Falls." The closet door cracked open.

"You're gonna come back?" He asked softly.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" Mason asked, genuinely curious about what Tyler thought.

"You're grown up now, so you won't be coming back. You won't wanna be my uncle anymore." Tyler said a little tearfully. Mason sighed.

"That's not true. Tyler, you know I love you kid. You're my best friend, and I mean that. And I'm never going to leave you behind." The closet door opened even further.

"Really?" Tyler's small voice asked.

"Really. C'mere." Mason held his hand out and Tyler crawled out of the closet and grabbed it. Mason swung him up on his lap and hugged him. Tyler hugged him back, little arms wrapping around Mason's neck. He ignored the voice in his head that was saying No, I'm not leaving. Not you or Jenna, or your parents. I won't go. But he had to leave. He just had to.

Then (Tyler, age 9, Mason, age 22)

"Hey man, great to see you. Missed seeing your ugly mug around here." Grayson Gilbert said, hugging Mason.

"Whatever, dude. You know you missed me." Mason grinned. Grayson rolled his eyes, and clapped him on the shoulder before going back to his wife.

"Hey, Richard!" Mason called to his brother.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Tyler?"

"He's up in his room with his friends. Go on up, I know he'll be glad to see you." Mason nodded, and headed up the stairs.

"Hey." He said, knocking on the door. "Kid, you in here?"

"What?" Tyler snapped. He was laying on his bed along with three girls and two boys, playing some game.

"Jeez, you're not going to give your uncle a hug?" Mason asked, grinning.

"No. I'm not." Tyler snapped again, before turning back to the game. The smallest boy poked Tyler, and whispered loudly in his ear.

"We have to hug our uncle, even though we don't like him." Tyler, instead of snapping back, ruffled the kid's hair and nodded. "Okay Jeremy."

Tyler got up and walked over to Mason, giving him a stiff hug, and moving away quickly. "Guys, could you give us a minute?" Mason asked. All the kids rolled off the bed and raced down the hall, except for one blonde haired little girl. She was small and cute, with big blue eyes that seemed to take up half her face. She touched Tyler's arm, and looked at him questioningly.

"It's okay Caroline. I'll be down in a minute." The girl nodded, visibly brightening, and practically skipped out.

"Okay, Ty." She called over her shoulder.

"Girlfriend?" Mason asked.

"What's it to you?" Tyler shot back. "It's not like you care anyway."

"Tyler-"

"No. Don't even bother with your excuses. You promised you'd come back, and you never did. You didn't even write." Tyler wasn't yelling anymore, and he didn't look angry. He looked disappointed, and it tore at Mason's heart. And then he just walked away.

Now

"Tyler-"

"Just don't. I don't even care anymore. I should be used to people not pulling through, especially you."

And just like he had five years ago, Tyler walked away.