A/N: Guys, you don't understand how sorry I am for the late update. I feel awful for leaving it this long I just, have like a ton of stuff to do now-a-days especially with school ending for summer in 2 weeks. Anyways I'm sorry it's kinda short but I promise the next chapter will be longer. I know exactly what I want to happen so next chapter should be up pretty soon but sorry if it isn't. Love you guys!
Stefan's POV.
I paced up and down the hall of my home, rubbing my hands over my face pondering on what the best thing is to do. In the end I decided to call Bonnie, she would know. I calmly pressed the numbers, growing impatient as the annoying ring of the phone continued to vibrate through my ears. Just as I was about to hang up, Bonnie answered. "Hello?"
"Bonnie! I need your help, Caroline was here before" I started, Bonnie was silent. Come to think of it everything went silent, still for a moment, as if the plan she, I and Tyler had come up with was starting to slowly shatter before our eyes. "We have to go and look for her" I whispered. I felt Bonnie nodding on the other end of the line.
I heard the heavy breathe of oxygen she inhaled before she replied. "I know"
Tyler's POV.
Caroline's eyes were burning into mine as her nostrils flickered. Her features continued to grow wild with fury.
"Whoa, you're seriously mad at me?" She asked as if I were stupid, as if I didn't know she was the one who had a right to be mad at me. However I was. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Caroline wasn't supposed to come. I was supposed to die, go along with the plan. That's how the story would end. Well, that's how I thought the story would end. My visit to Stefan's house wasn't more of a cry for help. I didn't believe in witches. Hell I didn't even know they existed. But apparently Bonnie Bennet was one and…well, it's all too complicated but the facts stayed the same in my head. I was going to die and I was okay with that. Caroline coming here will only make things ten times harder on both behalf's.
"Yes I'm mad at you" I replied harshly. Caroline's mouth hung open in shock. I knew was she was feeling just by looking at her. She was distraught. She was distraught and that's what hurt the most. The fact that she's giving me a look not too far from hatred at this very moment. And the next words that were spoken only made the humiliation and stupidity of my actions even more so magnified.
"You left me with nothing but a note" Caroline began through gritted teeth. An ache grew in my lungs, in my heart. Like both organs were about to explode with helplessness. He knew what I meant by note. She was clearly pissed off that I even considered doing this but most of all, that I didn't say goodbye properly. I mean we had sex but that's different. In her eyes, I only left her a piece of paper with three words scribbled on them. I understood. Of course I did. I would feel exactly the same in her position.
"Put yourself in my shoes Caroline? If you had the chance to save me I bet you would do it, even if it meant going behind my back" I fired back. Caroline face fell slightly at my comment. In a way, it was a test. A test to see if she actually cared about me as much as she showed she did. I fought a smile when Caroline laughed nervously, directing her gaze down to the floor.
"This isn't about me or what I'd do" Silence lingered in the air for a blissful moment. It wasn't until then I realised Adrian and the blonde had disappeared. Not fair though I imagine. They had a sacrifice that would still definitely proceed. I sat up straight finally and huffed out a sigh. I didn't like the tension between Caroline and I. Not one bit. So I broke silence. "You have to let me do this Care. It's right" I simply said. Caroline's expression turned from disgust to pure horrify within a second. More tears fell from her beautiful eyes a she inhaled deeply before speaking.
"No Tyler. What's right is for you, a living person to carry on living! I'm already dead. I don't have a life anymore." She paused clearly taking in my face. She had no life? What was I to her then? She seemed to be giving off all different kind of feelings and I wasn't sure if I liked it. Maybe it was just a heat of the moment thing. "Not without you anyway…" She whispered softly, tenderly. As if she had forgiven me. But I knew it would take more than that for her to forgive me. I smiled at her, and even though she did not return the smile fully I still saw the flash of hope fly across her eyes. Perhaps it was stupid to have come here? Perhaps I should've gone to Caroline. Perhaps I should regret this drastic decision to end my life for the woman I love. But I didn't. I did what I thought was right at the time. Don't get me wrong I'm still very much adamant about standing my ground and letting the crazy son-of-a-bitch vampire kill me…but It had taken me up until now to realise…I was being weak. Me. Tyler Lockwood. I was being weak. I was giving up without a fight. I had always been a fighter. Why not now? The answer was simple. I'd do anything for Caroline. But more importantly I'd do anything to be with Caroline. This wasn't the way to do that. It was selfless putting her safety before mine, but it was extremely selfish to take myself away from her. I could see it now. For weeks I had been debating with myself whether Caroline did love me, and if she did care about as much as I cared about her. That was obvious now. She loved me. She loved me and that's why she was here, fighting with me. It almost brought me to tears. We shared something that most people spend a life time searching for. It was passionate, it was…just so, utterly beautiful. To realise that, now, at this particular moment was heartbreaking to me. I didn't care what Bonnie or Stefan said. Adrian and I had made a deal, the deal being me dying instead of both me and Caroline. It didn't slip my mind that Adrian probably would've used a different vampire to Caroline anyway, but I couldn't take that chance. The silence was too much for me to handle. I needed to hear her sweet voice. Only when I slowly lifted my gaze from the prickly grass she was no longer slammed against the tree.
I quickly flinched, hysterically looking around in order for some clue as to where she had gone. "Caroline" I whispered, only to find myself looking at her sobbing. She had fallen to her knees and was now leaning at the other side of the tree looking straight into my eyes. "Caroline" I repeated before scurrying over to her. Within a quick second I was directly in front of her. I lifted my hand in order to wipe her cheek of the liquid seeping out. But my hand bounced off thin air. I looked at the tips of my fingers horrified. "What the…" I tried again. The same thing happened. I bit hard against the inside of my cheek, trying tremendously hard to touch her just once. In the end I was fighting with nothing but air. Grunts escaped my mouth as I fought, in the end I too fell to my knees. I was utterly breathless as I gripped a clump of grass. I was surprised when I felt a tear trickled down my cheek out of pure frustration. I should've known something like this would happen. I shouldn't have been so irresponsible. I shouldn't have done this to Caroline.
I just…shouldn't have done this.
When I looked back up at Caroline her face was broken. It's like I felt her heart shatter at exactly that moment. I shook my head as the self pity grew stronger. "I'm so sorry" I whispered. Caroline sniffled. I let my head fall into my hands.
"It's time" The taunting voice whispered from behind. I inhaled. The bitch puts up some sort of wall to stop me from touching Caroline, and expects me to just be okay with that. To hell I wasn't! I bounced up from the ground impulsively letting my wolf instincts be my guide. I turned around, feeling the amber burn in my eyes as I went for Adrian only to be stopped by an unbearable pain. I was frozen. My balled fists squeezed against my head. Then everything went black.
Caroline's POV.
"Tyler!" I screamed when he fell unconscious to the floor, jumping at the invisible wall between us.
"Don't worry sweetheart. He'll be conscious soon enough. Can't have my werewolf killing me before I get the chance to sacrifice him now can I?" Adrian said before clicked his fingers, in which ordered the blonde witch to step forward not once taking his eyes off the tanned boy lying in the centre of the piece of land. My breathing was unsteady, even as I inhaled deeply.
"You're really going to force me to watch the man I love die?" I spat the words through gritted teeth which forced Adrian's head to instantly snap in my direction.
"I'm not forcing you to do anything my lovely. The spell is to prevent you from entering. As far as I'm concerned you are free. You don't have to sit and watch. It's a choice. Your choice" I shook my head the whole time he was saying it. Secretly I was shocked by the consideration that he beheld but I was waaayyy past thinking about Adrian's redeeming qualities because as far as I'm concerned he has none!
"You know I'm not just going to leave him! You know I'm going to stay! So don't think you can mess me around Adrian. I understand exactly what you're doing" I said realising that I was now on my feet. I felt the anger burn in every vessel that my body possessed. Adrian sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. He then whispered something to Heather and strutted over towards me. His eyes looked me up and down and when he put his hand against cheek I shrugged it away in disbelief. Of course. Of course he can get through the damn wall thing. I had stopped crying now but felt my eyes inflate, whilst burning from my recent state. Adrian looked hurt but covered it quickly with arrogance as usual. He rolled his eyes and snatched both of my hands.
"Please. Don't make me compel you" He whispered, his lip remaining as a straight line. His piercing green eyes starring deeply into mine. "Just…go. I don't want you to witness this. I know what it is like to see a loved one die before your eyes" My eyebrows narrowed inwards at his comment.
"Then why kill the someone that I love in the first place?" I cried. Adrian sighed for about the third time. He laughed once before leaning his forehead against mine.
"Because I want you all to myself"
He touched my chin once then balanced his nose on mine before slowly going in for a kiss. I slapped his face hard pushing him away. The disbelief mixed with fury was obvious; therefore I feared what was to come next. The silence that stood in the air between us was deadly. And I knew, when the evil smile eloped on his face he was going to do something. I was correct. He slapped me back only his palm connected forcefully and hard against my cheek. I fell to the floor due to the force in the hit. It took me a while to realise that he had just hit me. When I looked up at him, his nostrils were flared his jaw hardly set. I had never seen so much…confusion and anger in one persons face as now. I delicately placed my own palm against where his skin made contact with mine.
"Fine. Do as you please. Watch him die, which I promise you he will, but don't think for one minute that you can disrespect me. I can very easily add the vampire back into the sacrifice. Understood?" The question was, I'm assuming, a rhetorical one but I answered anyway, the same venom in my voice as Adrian's.
"I don't give a damn. I'll do whatever it takes to be with him whether that means killing me alongside him!" My speech started out quiet but ended up a scream. Adrian just shook his head and spun around returning to a now restless, shaking Tyler. The last thing I heard from Adrian before he looked back was, "Sit tight honey. Its gonna be a bumpy ride".