The Archivists

"Wait, wait…slow down a bit."

Bruce was typing away on his laptop as fast as he could while Elena recounted the recent history of the Travelers invading Mystic Falls.

"Markos led the Travelers….Mystic Falls….the Grill, is it?...okay…the Grill. There! Now, to save, and I'll be posting this to the website this evening."

"You guys have a website?" Caroline asked while reaching for the last piece of Vivien's delectable chocolate pound cake.

"You took the last piece!" Elena chided.

"Well—*munch-munch-munch*—iphs really gud!" mumbled Caroline with the last piece wholly stuffed in her mouth.

"Don't worry, dear. I have another one in the kitchen. I'm always amazed at how heightened your vampires' senses are, especially with taste! You all tend to appreciate my cooking a bit more. I'll be right back."

As Vivien went back into the house, Caroline took a sip of her tea while Elena continued to ask Bruce about the Archivists.

"So, why haven't we heard of the Archivists before?"

"You probably have. The term 'Archivists' is not an official designation. We've gone through a variety of names throughout history. The Watchers. The Observers. The Record Keepers. The Librarians. Stuff like that. Most in the witching community know of us, but because we're meant to only record supernatural history and not become a part of it, referrals to us tend to be few and far between."

"But you guys are, like, an organization, right? You have a website and everything," Caroline assumed.

"I wouldn't say it's an official organization. We don't have a headquarters or memberships or secret handshakes or stuff like that. Basically, it's sort of like being a professor. You happen to specialize in a specific field of study and know other professors of the same field and you get together every now and then to compare notes. That's what we do."

"How did you get involved? I mean, I can't imagine you fill out a job application or apply online," asked Elena.

"Some just fall into it. Some are born into it. And some of us—," Bruce smiled as his wife returned to the porch with another chocolate pound cake, "—we marry into it!"

Elena and Caroline both looked at each other and smiled. Vivien placed the cake on the table and sat down again, wondering why everyone was smiling at her. "What are we talking about?"

"The girls were just asking about the Archivist lifestyle. They want to know what we're all about."

"Oh, there's not much to tell really. It can get really stuffy sometimes. All this information and history. It can be a rather boring life, really."

"Well, you obviously have been in involved in your fair share of adventures," Elena commented, giving a nod towards the trigger that Bruce had left on the table, "what with your vervain sprinkler system!"

Bruce grabbed the trigger. "That…was actually a bit of a lie."

"You mean, it doesn't work?" asked Caroline.

"Oh, it works. I tell vampires that vervain story to see what kind of people I'm dealing with. Some vampires try and go for the trigger or for us, thinking they're fast and sturdy enough to endure a vervain shower."

Elena's eyes sheepishly lowered and her face blushed. She quickly took a sip of her tea to hide her signs of guilt.

"But our lawn's sprinkler system doesn't shoot vervain. This is a trigger for a sonic disruptor, specifically geared to affect vampire hearing frequencies. That's the disadvantage to your enhanced hearing. You can receive frequencies that humans cannot. A vampire hunter friend of ours designed this one. Got him out of many a sticky situation. As a 'thank you' for helping him with some info that he needed, he gave this one to us. It too has gotten us out of some sticky situations of our own!" Bruce stroked the trigger. "I set this off and you two would be on the floor within seconds, unconscious with your ear drums burst into a million pieces. Only problem is, it doesn't do a lot of good for other creatures who have exceptional hearing, like werewolves….or dogs!" Bruce petted Cong on the head.

Caroline and Elena glanced at each other, both remembering a similar device that Elena's biological father, John, had used to subdue the vampires in Mystic Falls a few years ago.

"That's weird. We came across a weapon just like that some years ago too. I thought it was a one-of-a-kind kind of do-hickey," Caroline said.

"You'll find that some things aren't as unique as you might think. Whether it's weapons or spells or ancient relics...when one thing is known to work, and works really well, it's not uncommon for such things to be duplicated," replied Vivien. "Heaven knows we've helped spread the word on what works and what doesn't work."

Caroline reached for another piece of cake, only to have Elena slap her hand.

"Hey! At least let me grab a slice this time before you devour the whole thing," Elena teased as she reached for her own piece.

"—*sigh*—Fine!" Caroline said, feigning frustration. As she let her hand rest at her side, she felt a strange sensation along her fingertips that tickled her. She looked down to see Old Cong licking away at the chocolate still left on her fingers.

"CONG!" bellowed Vivien.

Cong looked over at her and lowered his head. He laid down beside Caroline and rested his head on the floor, his eyes looking up at Caroline, seemingly with confusion and guilt.

"Sorry about that. He's quite the fan of my cooking too, even though it may not always be good for him," Vivien said.

"Oh, it's okay. I thought he didn't like vampires though."

"He's grown accustomed to the supernatural," Bruce responded. "Werewolves and vampires and ghosts get his attention but they don't spook him. Just like with people, with time he can tell who to trust and who not to trust."

Caroline bent down and began scratching Cong behind his ears. He became responsive, with his tail wagging excitedly. He eventually rolled over onto his back to let Caroline rub his belly.

"Awwww…who likes his belly rubbed? Huh? Who likes his belly rubbed?" Caroline murmured as she vigorously rubbed Cong's stomach.

"You always did have a way with the canine species," Elena said wryly.

Caroline looked up at her with flattened lips and an incredulous stare.

"Oh, are you a big dog lover, Caroline?" Vivienne asked.

"Dog lover? Uh…sure…I guess—"

"She's attempted to tame a couple of wild dogs in her time!" Elena mused.

With Caroline's eyes burning a hole right through her, Elena reached over and grabbed another piece of pound cake and offered it to her.

"Cake?"

Caroline graciously took the piece and gave Elena a sardonic smile. Elena smiled back and wiped her hands on a napkin.

"Well, it's nice to know that you two have a tough dog to protect you," she said as she reached down to pet Cong.

Cong suddenly turned his attention to Elena and began growling and baring his teeth. Elena instinctively pulled her hand away and sat frozen for a moment.

"CONG! HERE!" commanded Bruce.

Cong stopped growling and went around the table and stood beside Bruce. He motioned him to lay down and Cong obeyed immediately.

"Aaaand...I guess I don't have a way with canines!" Elena bemoaned, smiling nervously while slumping in her chair.

"I'm so sorry," Bruce said. "He must sense something different about you. When did you say you became a vampire?"
"Uhhh, a couple of years ago, I think. With everything that's gone on, it's sometimes difficult to keep track of time. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, you're a unique creation—a doppelganger who is a vampire. Two supernatural manifestations in one being. Quite the rarity," Bruce said.

Elena laughed inside. She thought of Katherine, Stefan, even Klaus—all of them a combination of two different supernatural entities like herself. And none of them had a sterling reputation to speak of.

"Well, I guess like your vampire sonic disruptor, it's not as rare as one might think," Caroline said, shooting a sarcastic look towards Elena.

"—*ahem*—speaking of rarities," piped Elena, attempting to change the subject, "I'm hoping the Traveler's spell around Mystic Falls isn't so rare that it hasn't been done before either. Is there a way to bring that spell down?"

"For as old as they are, there is very little known about Travelers or their magic. Their history gets muddled with other gypsy groups so it's difficult to separate fact from fiction. Certainly there's never been a spell like that in any recorded history that we know of. So we'll have to get back to you on that," Bruce replied.

"Thanks. We just need to know about what happened to all those people on the Other Side, if they're in any danger," Elena said.

"I'm curious to know myself. The Other Side has been there for so long that it's tough to say what would happen to all those people who were there, or what happens to supernatural beings that die now," Vivien said, sipping her tea. "We had some good friends on the Other Side too."

"Speaking of that, you mentioned that you knew Bonnie and someone else who was interested in her and who also vouched for us. Who was that? We don't know anyone around here who would know us," asked Elena.

Vivien was about to answer when they all noticed someone standing at the porch stairs. A slender woman that looked to be in her late 30's or early 40's began ascending up onto the porch. She had long, brown hair done up in a ponytail, nutmeg skin that reminded both Elena and Caroline of Bonnie's skin. Cong raced over to her, his tail wagging profusely as he went to greet the familiar visitor. Elena and Caroline didn't share Cong's enthusiasm, with both of them awkwardly adjusting themselves in their chairs as the woman approached the table. She didn't seem happy to see the two of them either.

"What's happened to my daughter?" Abby Bennett sternly asked the two girls.

Istas

The tranquil, cloudless, sunny afternoon silence was broken by the sound of a liquid cool, 100 hp V-twin engine of an Indian Scout Thunder Black Smoke bike that announced her arrival at the border of Mystic Falls. Istas dismounted off the bike and took off her helmet. She always felt weird wearing a helmet, considering that she didn't really need it. But Nancy would always chastise her for not keeping up appearances.

"You have to blend in with the human populace," Nancy once told her. "And that means pretending that safety matters to an immortal vampire."

Nancy would insist on the full gear of a leather jacket and pants, but Istas would have none of that. On most days, she was comfortable in her black combat boots, black or dark blue cargo pants and a comfortable shirt, with the only leather being her short, brown leather jacket that once belonged to her sister, Angeni. She needed to be combat ready, and that meant putting comfort over 'blending in.' But Nancy was nothing if not persistent, so Istas compromised on wearing the helmet.

As she walked to the border of Mystic Falls, her cellphone went off. Istas looked down at the display screen and gave a wry smile.

"Checking up on me already, Nance?"

"Well, by other's calculations, you should have been in the Mystic Falls area for the past few days. I just want to make sure you're sticking to the plan. How is Mystic Falls? Can you get in?"

Istas approached the border. As she passed her arm across the boundary, her hand immediately began to sizzle in the sunlight despite her daylight jewellery's protection. She kept her hand within the town border for a few seconds longer, allowing it to become engulfed in flames. Istas grimaced yet didn't squeal or make any sound, enduring the pain until she could endure no longer. She swiftly withdrew her hand back from inside of Mystic Falls. The flames on her hands began to die down and she instantly began to heal.

"Looks like the spirits were right. There is a spell over Mystic Falls that doesn't allow conventional magic to work. I can't cross right now in the daytime unless I want to burst into flames. And according you, I can't go at nighttime either. Good thing I didn't try the other night."

"Why the other night? Did you spot one of the doppelgangers?"

"No, but I did get a positive ID on the Gilbert brother. Would've gotten him if he hadn't ventured into Mystic Falls."

"IZZY!" squawked Nancy over the phone.

"What?"

"You are not there for revenge! We've been over this. You're there to find the doppelgangers and get their cooperation."

"Look, you said that the spirits don't know which of them we need. So that means—"

"So that means that you keep the both of them alive. And it certainly means that you DO NOT kill the Petrova doppelganger's little brother. This isn't about your revenge."

Istas rolled her eyes as she switched her phone from one ear to the other.

"And don't roll your eyes at me," commanded Nancy.

"I didn't."

"Yes, you did. I can tell."

"Cannot!"

"Can too!"

"Aren't you a little old to be playing that game with me? You're supposed to be the tribe's 'wise, old medicine woman,'" Istas replied sarcastically.

"I am wise."

"Old age doesn't make you wise."

"As proven by you!"

Istas stifled a chuckle. As old as she was, Nancy still had a sharp wit about her. Istas was about to respond when she heard a car coming in the distance. With the car windows rolled down, Istas could clearly hear the occupants talking. Judging by the tone of voices, it was three guys, sounding straight out of high school or college. And they were talking about her.

"Hey! Hold up! Check out that babe near the bike!"

"Oooooo…ya think she needs a ride somewhere?"

"Damn! Check out that body! She kind of looks like Lara Croft, right?"

"A little…but her legs are a bit thick and her rack is too small."

"Who cares about her rack? Check out that ass!"

"Yeah…the rest of her is certainly bang-able. If she needs a ride somewhere, I'll give her a ride for sure! HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Hey, let me do the talking. You guys will just mess things up!"

Istas took a deep sigh and looked skyward. Angeni always used to tease Istas about her natural sex appeal.

"You don't get it, do you, Izzy?" Angeni once asked her. "It's not just your looks. It's your attitude as well. Some guys like a strong woman. Doesn't hurt that you inherited í-hla's looks too!"

Istas did indeed inherit their mother's looks—the long, dark auburn hair, the smooth and olive complexion, almond shaped eyes that housed soft, yet striking brownish-green irises.

Despite Istas' best efforts to draw attention away from her looks, keeping her hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing no makeup which helped to highlight the vertical scar that ran over her left eye, she found herself the object of admiration of many a male suitor. But none interested her. Not since….

Her mind was forcefully returned to the present by the honking the boys in the car made as they slowly sidled up alongside her.

"Nance, I'm going to let you go. A bunch of suyápu just arrived in a car. I'll call you later when I have something to report."

"Remember what I told you. Leave the doppelgangers and the Gilbert kid alive. You hear me?"

"Of course I hear you."

"You promise not to kill them?"

"Bye Nance."

"IZZY!"

Istas hung up and turned around to face the oncoming car. A red-headed guy sat in the passenger side, who leaned his head out of the window to talk to her. But before he could say anything, the driver leaned over and spoke to her first.

"Hey, are you okay? Are you stranded? Do you need help?"

"Do I look like I need help?" Istas coolly answered.

Ginger-boy in the passenger seat started chuckling, while the driver smiled, seemingly impressed by Istas' sassy attitude.

"Hey, we're just trying to be gentlemanly here. Seeing a gorgeous, young lady standing alone by the side of the road. Just wanted to make sure your—," the driver leaned his head to the side as he attempted to read the brand name of Istas' bike, "—Indian Scout?—didn't break down on you."

"Thanks for your concern," Istas responded, crossing her arms. "But I'm fine."

"I'll say," the guy in the backseat whispered under his breath.

"What was that, junior?" Istas asked.

Backseat-boy shot a look of surprise that his comment was heard, while the driver again grinned at the feistiness that Istas was displaying.

"Hey, don't mind him," the driver continued. "Listen, you seem to be new around here. Is this your first time in Mystic Falls? Maybe we can show you around…help you find your way?"

The driver's deep, blue eyes and his boyish grin was very disarming. The other two looked like the average party frat-boy. But the driver seemed to have magnetism to him. He reminded Istas of a very young Frank Sinatra—a guy who had a gentleman's charm with a bad-boy persona lying just beneath the surface. It was a dangerous combination that Istas was all too familiar with and had even fallen prey to in the past. She had no intention of being prey again.

"Look boys. I know what you want, and I'm not interested. So why don't you just keep on driving before I do something to this pretty little car of yours, if not to you!"

The three guys started laughing.

"Damn! Maybe she is Lara Croft!" said Backseat-boy. "She's going to whip us!"

"Oh, sweetheart. You can hurt me anytime you want! Just as long as I—get to hurt you back," Ginger-boy said, scrutinizing Istas' body up and down with his eyes.

"Okay, look sugar," scoffed Sinatra-boy. "We were just offering you help. That's all. You wanna be all 'femi-nazi' about it, that's your problem. Enjoy your ride on your Indian bike. Just remember to go 'WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH' as you're riding down the road," he ridiculed, repeatedly slapping his open hand over his mouth, mocking the traditional Native American war cry. His mockery drew irreverent glee from his buddies.

Before they could drive away, Istas leaned over and placed her hand on the passenger side-door. She looked to her left and to her right. She detected no sights or sounds of any human activity. They were all alone.

Her blood was boiling, from anger but also from hunger. It had been a while since she last fed, and it certainly was a long while since she had fed on a warm body. She realized that she could feed on, and perhaps even kill, these three young males and nobody would be the wiser for it. Her head was lowered towards the ground and her hands braced the door panel. Her eyes became dark and blood-shot as black veins appeared around them. She could feel her fangs protruding out as she prepared to rip the door off its hinges and rip the three boys apart.

But she didn't. Istas was never a careless killer. She was a planner and a strategist at heart. Beautiful yet cold like snow, she was calculating in her reasoning. She and Nancy had discussed the town of Mystic Falls and how it had its fair share of vampire activity dating back decades. No doubt the authorities were well aware of what a vampire attack looked like, being able to separate victims of a vampire attack from the colloquial 'animal attack.' Since it wasn't a big town, Istas knew that everyone probably knew everyone, and that even these three losers would no doubt be missed by somebody in town. She needed to find Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, and she didn't want to raise any alarm bells or bring any unwanted attention to herself by putting the locals on high alert.

Istas gazed up at the boys. Her eyes had softened and returned to normal as she gave a warm smile. She slowly ran her finger across Ginger-boy's forearm that was resting on the door frame.

"Look, guys. I'm sorry. It's been a really long trip and I guess I'm just a bit exhausted from it. I didn't mean to snap at you. I really could use some help in finding someplace to stay in and take a long, hot shower—maybe get a nice massage too. Do you boys think you could help?"

Sinatra-boy's face also softened as he smiled and motioned with his head for Istas to come over to his side of the car. Istas complied, slowly and seductively sauntering around the front of the vehicle. She looked at the trio through the windshield and could see that it was working. Backseat-boy and Ginger-boy were mesmerized, while Sinatra-boy was smiling approvingly. Inside, she was smiling too, though it was at the idea of how weak the male species was. She finally arrived to the driver's side and leaned over to talk with him.

"Hey, look," he said. "I'm sorry for snapping at you too. Listen, my dad owns a bed and breakfast in town. I can get you a room and food for free, if you'd like."

Istas gave an appreciative smile. "Oh, that'd be wonderful. And—," she sheepishly looked down and started caressing Sinatra-boy's chest with her finger, "—what would you like in return?"

"Oh, nothing. Just to have a drink with us and—"

Before he could finish, Istas cupped his chin with her hand and stared deeply into his eyes.

"What do you want in return?" Istas asked the driver.

"I want you to have sex with me and my friends," he plainly stated, compelled to answer under Istas' vampire influence.

"And what if I didn't want that?"

"I would have gotten you to do it."

"How?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Ginger-boy unbuckled his seatbelt and was about to reach over to force Istas to let go of his buddy. Istas immediately looked into his eyes and commanded him re-apply his seatbelt, look forward and remain silent. She did the same with Backseat-boy, and both immediately complied.

Istas looked to her left and saw how the road into Mystic Falls curved at a patch of trees.

"How old is this car?" she asked Sinatra-boy.

"My dad bought it for me last year."

"Air-bags work?"

"As far as I know."

Istas nodded. She would let Fate decide whether they lived or died. At the very least, it would look like an accident and not a preternatural occurrence if the head-on collision happened to kill any of them.

"I want you to drive straight ahead as fast as you can until you hit one of those trees in the distance. Understand?"

"Yes."

Istas stood back and watched as the driver proceeded to follow her instructions. She didn't bother to wait to see the end result, instead walking over to her motorcycle to prepare to leave and track down the doppelgangers. But before she got to her bike, the screeching sound of the car in the distance grabbed her attention. She picked up the voices in the car as they came out of their compulsion state.

"What am I doing?"

"Dude…what's going on?"

"I don't know. That crazy chick told me to drive towards those trees and I was going to do it."

"The hell? Did she drug us or something?"

"Where is she?"

Istas could see all three of them look out the rear window. The revelation suddenly fell upon her as she realized the no-magic barrier of Mystic Falls prevented her compulsion from remaining with the boys the minute they crossed the border. She cursed under her breath now that there were three loose ends that she might not be able to tie up. To make matters worse, all three stepped out of the car and began approaching her.

"HEY! COME HERE, YA PSYCHO BITCH! WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" yelled Sinatra-boy.

Istas had had enough headaches for one day. She reached into her side pocket and drew out two wooden kunai of her own design. Roughly the size of steak knives, she placed the two blades in between the fingers of her right hand. She took two steps forward, faced her right side towards the trio, pulled her right hand back from her left shoulder and let the blades fly. It was with such power and speed that the boys, who were still a good 30 yards away, didn`t even notice the blades pass in between their legs. The sudden explosion of the car's front and rear right-side tires is what stopped their approach to Istas. Bewilderment and a tinge of fear masked their faces at the sight of two wooden blades sticking out of the tires of the car, realizing that it was Istas who put them there.

They finally looked back at Istas, who had already mounted her bike. Before she put her helmet on, she mimed a Native war cry, morphing that into a middle-fingered salute to the boys, revved her bike and drove off, annoyed that they would never know how thankful they should be to have survived their encounter with her.

Fallen From Grace

Tyler stayed poised.

His knees were bent, with one hand on the ground, the other at his side.

He looked forward.

Waiting.

Waiting for the call to move.

To bolt.

To show everyone that he still had it.

The quarterback finally made the call.

They snapped the ball.

As the guards and tackle players all collided with the defensive players, Tyler started his run.

He was immediately shadowed by his assigned cornerback. As hard as Tyler tried, he couldn`t outrun him. Tyler would dodge left, then right, but his cornerback stayed with him.

Finally Tyler managed lose him briefly enough to gain some space. He looked back towards the quarterback, who was still looking for someone to pass to. The quarterback finally saw Tyler, but also saw the cornerback catching up as well. He threw the ball a few yards down. Tyler would have to race down the field in order to catch it.

As he was running, Tyler felt the football equipment on him as being so cumbersome, limiting his range of motion. The helmet was limiting his vision. The wind was pushing against him. He was swinging his arms and pushing his legs into the ground, trying his best to run on the balls of his feet to give his steps more of a spring. But the cleats were tight around his feet, and they began to feel sore. Tyler's thighs felt heavy and dead.

He looked up to see where the ball was in the air and realized that he wasn't going to be fast enough to catch it. He began to tell himself that it wasn't his fault, that the quarterback threw the ball too far for anyone to catch. But just as that thought entered his head, out of the corner of his eye he saw the cornerback who was shadowing him suddenly race past him.

The cornerback caught the ball and immediately put on the brakes. Tyler ran headlong towards him, intent on taking him down. He was pissed. This guy just showed him up and he wasn't going to get away with it.

The cornerback ran towards Tyler. As they got closer, Tyler lowered his upper body, hoping to spear-tackle the cornerback. Instead, with some deft footwork, the cornerback brushed Tyler to the side with incredible ease. Tyler stumbled to the ground. He looked up to see his teammates try and stop the cornerback from scoring a touchdown. He stopped watching and got up. He took his helmet off and threw it to the ground. He shook his head as he placed his hands to his hips. He looked up towards the afternoon sun. His breathing became hefty and rapid, but not from the exhaustion. His throat was getting choked up as he felt heaviness in his heart. His dark, brown eyes began to well up as a sense of hopelessness clouded his consciousness.

The whistle from the coach interrupted Tyler's moroseness. The practice was over. Tyler's dream of joining the Whitmore College football team seemed to die a death with his performance. Expectations were high for him. Even though he hadn't played much with the Mystic Falls Timberwolves, his teammates there remembered his speed and agility as a wide receiver. It was on their recommendation that he try his luck with the Whitmore College team. But with everything that had happened, with Klaus and then Silas and then Markos and the Travelers, Tyler was woefully out of practice. But more so than that, Tyler was no longer a hybrid. He was simply human again.

Tyler ran his hands through his short, jet black, sweaty hair before picking up his helmet and walking over to the team bench. Even though he no longer had his vampire-hearing abilities, he could still hear his teammates mumbling about his performance. At least he thought he could. He wanted to confront them, and dare them to say whatever they were thinking straight to his face. He wanted to fling all of them across the field in a show of preternatural force. He wanted to compel them all to strip naked and streak across the campus, humiliating the lot of them.

But he couldn't do any of that anymore. He was just plain, ol' Tyler Lockwood, whose werewolf gene had yet to even be activated. He was back to square one again, but things were different now.

Tyler turned to his teammates, only to see them rush off to hit the showers. Were they even talking about him? Tyler decided he didn't want to know. He left his helmet and shoulder pads on the bench, packed up his sports bag and flung it over his shoulder, opting not to take his shower with the others and instead headed off towards his dorm room to shower and sleep.

"TYLER!"

As he was walked along the secluded path that headed towards the student's residence building, he turned around to see a slender woman with long, curly blonde hair approaching him. On any other day, Tyler would've welcomed the attention of the 'creepy hot' Parker twin, Liv. But today was not one of those days. Tyler continued walking, paying no attention to Liv's continued hollering.

Liv finally caught up to him and blocked his path.

"What…did you lose your sense of hearing when you came back from the Other Side?" Liv breathlessly asked.

Tyler glared at her, looking her dead in her big blue eyes before his attention was drawn lower down. Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but take a quick glance as her ample chest heaved mercilessly. She wore a V-neck, black and white horizontal striped shirt that made her breasts appear all the more larger than they already were. It was an attribute that he never realized he appreciated since Caroline didn't exhibit the same physical characteristics. Tyler's glance was quick before he closed his eyes, willing himself to focus on his anger rather than on his lust. He opened his eyes again and looked at Liv before continuing to walk by her.

"Whoa! Awww, dude!" Liv exclaimed as she unwittingly inhaled Tyler's body odour. "You sure as hell lost your sense of smell! Isn't it a law for football players to take a shower after practice?!"

Tyler realized that she wasn't going to give up. He stopped walking and turned back to face her.

"Is there something you want, Liv? Or are you just here to critique my hygiene?"

"Listen, I know you and your friends are depending on me and Luke to bring that Traveler spell down. But could you please tell your friends to quit pestering me about it? I've received multiple text messages from Stefan, Caroline AND Elena. Getting on my back about it isn't going to get us to bring that spell down any quicker! And it's not like I don't have other things to worry about too—like school or work. I was nice enough to create a daylight ring for your teacher friend, especially after what they did to my brother, so I think they should cut me some slack here!"

Tyler gave a soft laugh at Liv's perception of him and his so-called 'friends.' He pondered the thought for a moment. After he returned from the Other Side as a complete human, no one reached out to him to see how he was doing—to see how he was coping with his new reality, which in effect was an old reality. It seemed like no one cared. Not that they really cared before anyways. For a long time, Tyler questioned just how strong his ties to Elena and her friends really were. Of course, he cared about Caroline. He had become closer to Matt and Jeremy. But as for the Salvatore brothers, Elena and Bonnie—he really wasn't sure how he felt about them.

"I'm not their liaison, okay?" Tyler finally snapped to Liv. "If you've got a problem with them, then deal with it yourself. Quit pestering me about it and go and do something useful for a change and bring that spell down like they keep asking you to!"

Tyler scowled at Liv before turning his back on her and continuing on his way.

"Dick!" Liv chided.

Tyler stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't been called that in a long time. Not since before his werewolf gene was activated a few years ago. He was a different person then. Indeed, he was a dick—selfish, arrogant, pretentious and quick to anger. When he became a werewolf, it was Caroline who helped him to become a better person and helped him manage that new reality. Nobody else dared to step up. She was his inspiration—his motivation. She was his motivation to break Klaus' sire bond. That's how much she meant to him.

To all of a sudden have his biggest inspiration become his biggest betrayer nearly destroyed him. For all of what Klaus had done to him, nothing he did compared to the revelation of Caroline willingly, perhaps even joyfully, having had sex with the man who had caused so much torment in Tyler's life. The thought of it still brought anguish to his heart.

Tyler's breathing became shallow and his vision became blurry as tears started welling up in his eyes. He tried desperately to hold it in—to stay strong and angry, especially in the presence of Liv. But he couldn't do it anymore. The anger wasn't enough to carry him anymore.

"Do you…know…what it's like…to have nothing…and then to have everything…and then have less than nothing? Do you? DO YOU?!"

Tyler slammed down his sports bag and turned to face Liv. Tears were cascading down his face as he was heavily exhaling his words, letting his pain and anguish flow out of him.

"I…was…a…GOD! I really was! I…I was immortal. I was powerful! SOOOO POWERFUL! I had the powers of both a werewolf AND a vampire. And yet—and yet I wasn't at the mercy of the sun or the moon! A wooden stake in the heart or silver couldn't kill me. I could walk in the sun without a daylight ring and I didn't have to endure breaking every bone in my body once a month at the sight of the full moon. I had a hot girlfriend who loved me and who I loved. I had it all!"

Tyler looked off into the distance, the tears still streaming down his face, his signature vein protruding heavily on his forehead.

"And now what do I have? My parents are dead. My uncle Mason is dead. My pack is dead. My girlfriend banged the psycho who killed my mom and my friends. And for getting mad at her I get punched in the face and am told to just 'get over it!' I lose all my powers and now—"

Tyler looked at himself and raised and dropped his arms in exasperation.

"—here I am…human again. And I don't know how to be that anymore."

He paused for a moment and looked towards the football field.

"Ya know, only a few short years ago, I was a pretty good football player. I could outrun anybody in high school and blast by any defense. I was fast and aggressive—probably the only place in the world where my aggression was an asset rather than a liability. The coach used to say that I had real potential…maybe even going pro one day! When I got my hybrid powers, I was even better. I was stronger—faster—and I didn't get tired. I was even accused of shooting steroids, but of course I wasn't. And now? I get winded so fast. The equipment feels so heavy. My legs feel like such dead weight that I feel like I'm running in slow motion. I've lost my ability to do the one thing I was always good at since I was a kid—playing football."

Tyler closed his eyes and lowered his head. He breathed in slowly—steadily—attempting to bring his sorrow under control.

"Look…I'm sorry, Liv. I-I didn't mean to lose it like that," Tyler finally said while looking up, his eyes bloodshot and his face still wet from his tears. He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and lifted it up to dry his eyes and face. In doing so, he inadvertently gave Liv a glimpse of his chiseled mid-section. Even though he was no longer a hybrid, he didn't lose his athletic physique, which was something Liv very much appreciated seeing manifest before her.

Tyler finished drying his tears and reached down to pick up his bag.

"I…uh…I'll see about talking to my 'friends' about leaving you alone. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll see what I can do, okay?" Tyler snivelled. He turned around and started walking away.

"Hey, Tyler!" Liv finally piped up. "If you ever…ya know…need to unwind or anything, drop by the campus bar and I can fix you up a drink. I make a killer G & T!" Liv turned sideways and was about to walk away before she turned her attention back to Tyler. "Oh, but just make sure you—ya know—take a shower and put some cologne on before you stop by, okay?"

With that, she smiled, turned around again and went on her way.

As Tyler watched her, his sorrow subsided and he began to feel slightly giddy. For the first time since returning from the Other Side, and certainly for the first time since Caroline, he began to feel good about himself and to feel a little excited for what the future might hold.

Tyler continued his walk to his dorm room when he was stopped again by someone hollering his name. He turned around to see his teammate, Malcolm, the cornerback who intercepted the ball from him during practice.

"Hey, Lockwood. Glad I found ya!"

"S'up Malcolm? Nice play out there today. You completely burned me on that interception!"

"I was surprised by that too. I remember you at MF High always being soooo fast! I didn't think I'd get by you this time around."

"Yeah…well…I guess I've lost a step since high school," Tyler nodded, the good feeling that Liv left him with rapidly fading as he was reminded of his physical regression. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was hoping to talk to you in the locker room, but you weren't there. I figured something was up with you when I beat you for that interception. Figured maybe you hadn't kept up with your 'performance enhancement' training regimen? Hmmm? Look, man, I never forgot how you helped me out during your senior year, showing me ways to improve my game. It's what helped me to get on the team here at Whitmore. And now I want to help you."

Malcolm reached into his pocket and brought out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is that—is that what I think it is?!" Tyler asked incredulously.

"Oh, c'mon Lockwood! Don't pretend like you're a stranger to this stuff. I still remember your last year at MF and all the rumours about you and drugs. No one had seen such an improvement in speed and strength like you showed without some kind of help."
"I wasn't on steroids, Malcolm! I even passed all the tests to prove it. It was…a different training routine that I was doing back then."

"Look, whatever man. Obviously you're not doing that 'training routine' anymore. Hey, you know as well as I do how competitive college football is. This isn't high school! It's the real deal. A shot at the big leagues, know what I'm sayin'? So you need to do whatever it takes to keep up with everybody else."

Malcolm grabbed Tyler's hand and placed the bottle within it and then closed Tyler's hand up.

"Trust me, you wouldn't be the only one trying to keep that competitive edge. Listen, I gotta get to class. If you need more of this stuff, just let me know. Buuut…you didn't get this stuff from me!" Malcolm winked and then was off.

Tyler stood scrutinizing the bottle in his hands. He momentarily thought of emptying the bottle onto the grass or just throwing it out in the nearest trash can. But only for a moment. Instead, Tyler looked around to make sure no one saw the exchange between him and Malcolm, crammed the bottle into his sports bag, and continued on his way to his dorm room.

Altered State

The two strolled casually to the edge of Mystic Falls, dressed as they were when they were last on the Other Side. Travelling during the night allowed them to remain undetected from the town's citizens. It was not time to reveal themselves just yet. Besides, Damon's vampire body was susceptible to the sunlight since his daylight ring was rendered ineffective thanks to the Traveler no-magic spell.

They approached the border, with Bonnie seemingly examining the architecture of the Traveler spell over the town.

"Impressive!" she said.

Damon attempted to cross the town's border, but was immediately repelled back.

"Hmmm! Just as we suspected," he said, looking up, over and around as though he could actually see the wall that kept himself and Bonnie inside Mystic Falls.

"Mystical residue left from previous spells has affected the Traveler spell," Bonnie said, touching the invisible wall, unable to put even her hand outside of the border. "Only those of 'pure' magic can exist here. So we're safe. But it means that we can't get out."

"We will break it."

"In time," Bonnie replied. "It will require that which was used to create the spell—the blood of the doppelgangers. But for now, we're stuck."

"For now. And perhaps for the best, since it also means that certain nuisances cannot get in. Besides," Damon said, turning around and facing Mystic Falls, "we have work to do here."

"For thou dost know, O Damon dear, this realm dismantled was of Jove himself— and now reigns here a very, very…pajock," Bonnie quoted, grinning at Damon as she turned around to face the town as well.

Damon chuckled.

"Indeed! Tis now the witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world—now could I drink hot blood, and do such bitter business—" Damon quoted as he and Bonnie smiled at each other and began sauntering back towards Mystic Falls, their demon eyes glowing luminously in the dark.

"—as the day would quake to look on!"