Moving Forward

It was early in the afternoon when Tyler decided to check his messages. The house was as quiet as it had ever been, with no sounds from the attic or anywhere else. Duke and Ronan had come and gone to drag Tyler through more combat exercises. Today he'd managed to throw Ronan a couple of times, and he's almost looked proud as he'd dragged himself to his feet. Now they were gone and the air conditioner hummed persistently, but Tyler barely heard it. He rolled to the side of the bed to reach beneath, fingers gliding against the floor to brush against his bag. He yanked it out and did a quick search for his phone. When he found it, he dialed his voicemail and fell back onto the pillows, exhaling up at the ceiling.

One unheard message sent Tuesday, August 20 at 6:12 PM.

"Hi," Caroline said. "It's me."

"Yeah, I know," Tyler said. It wasn't like he was getting loads of calls from other people.

"So..." Her voice trailed off. There was something wrong, something heavy in her voice. "So," she repeated, "something happened. I'm okay," she added quickly, "I'm fine. It's nothing like that. I just..." She took in a long breath. "Someone asked me out," she said, even faster. "On a date. I've thought about it a lot, and I've decided to go."

Caroline was quiet for a moment, like she was leaving him some time to process this information.

Finally she said, "It's not like I don't miss you," she said. "I do. It's just...I haven't heard from you since prom, and we don't know if you'll ever be able to come back here and be safe. And I don't want to wait around forever. I can't do that. I know you'd be here if you could, but you can't right now, and until you can there's no point in..." She sighed heavily. "I'm just trying to be...normal. Everything's going so well, and I'm finally feeling more like my old self after Bonnie, and...I just want to try to be...I don't know. I'm sorry."

End of message.

Tyler replayed the message one last time. When it was done, he pressed two. Caroline's name flashed across the screen with a highlighted call button beneath it. If he pressed it, he could leave her a message of his own, even talk to her directly. He could tell her not to go, and when she asked why she shouldn't try to do something else with her life with him gone he could tell her it was because he was in New Orleans being mentored by the city's king.

But not really.

He could tell her he'd be back soon. Or someday. It wasn't permanent no matter how permanent it felt. He listened to all her messages, wanted to call her and have a real conversation every time he heard another one. They weren't broken up. They were still Tyler and Caroline, Caroline and Tyler, even if they weren't. When he went back, they still would be. But not if she was with someone else.

Tyler listened to the message again.

He wanted to know everything about this guy. Who he was, what he looked like, how they'd met, where he was taking her, when it was happening. Maybe it had already happened. Maybe she'd had a good time, a really great time even. Maybe they were planning to go on a second date. Maybe this guy had kissed her goodnight, and maybe Caroline had kissed him back.

Maybe she really liked him.

Tyler turned off his phone and stuffed it into his bag and returned it to its spot underneath the bed.

When Marcel found him, it was dark out and Tyler was in the living room with a bottle of vodka in his lap, staring at the floor and hearing Caroline's words again. It was a strange feeling that had settled in his gut, a cross between disappointment and disbelief. He was so wrapped up in it, he didn't even realize Marcel was there until he spoke.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, dropping down into the chair across from Tyler.

"Caroline's going on a date," Tyler said, raising the bottle to his mouth again. Marcel watched him take a swig, nose scrunched up.

Tyler didn't know what he'd expected. He wasn't there with her so of course she'd want to move on. She was going to Whitmore now, where there was a new pool of people. Sure lots of them were in-state, and more than a few people from their class had probably ended up there, too, but there were lots of new faces. New guys. Of course Caroline had been asked out, and of course she was going.

It wasn't like Tyler was giving her a reason not to.

"I can see that's upset you," Marcel said. "So what do you want to do?"

"I want to drink," Tyler said.

"Well, you're doing that already. I mean what do you want to do? Do you want to go home? Make sure she knows you're not over?"

Tyler imagined it. Him turning up at Whitmore, heading to Caroline's dorm and knocking on her door, there in the flesh to tell her not to go out with this mystery guy. Then what? He'd turn around and head back to New Orleans? She'd want him to stay, but he wouldn't be able to.

With a sigh he leaned down to set the bottle on the floor. "Yes and no," he answered."If I go back then I'll just end up running again. I'll always be looking over my shoulder to see if Klaus is there, ready to take my head off."

"Probably," Marcel agreed.

"Would you even let me go?" Tyler asked.

Marcel leaned back and inhaled. "Yeah."

"You won't kill me?"

Marcel grinned. "I think we're past that, aren't we? I'd let you go," he said, "if you really wanted to go. But I don't think you want to."

"I miss her," Tyler said.

"But do you want to go back?"

"I can't," Tyler said. "There's Klaus. And I won't get to see you beat him." He wanted to be there when this all ended, when Marcel got to look at his city and know it was going to be his forever, when Klaus was out of the picture, however that would happen. Even if he got back to Mystic Falls and Klaus didn't find out and come after him, Marcel would still be here, bringing him down, and Tyler wouldn't get to see it. After everything, he deserved to see it.

"You won't," Marcel said.

But Marcel could lose this whole thing, like Bonnie said. Tyler had a chance to leave if Marcel would let him. He and Caroline could work something out, figure out a way to hide him. Klaus would probably be too wrapped up in stealing New Orleans from Marcel to be overly concerned with what was going in Mystic Falls, especially if Rebekah wasn't there anymore to attract his attention. If Tyler he stayed here, he may only watch Marcel lose everything - including his life. What was the point in that?

There was a chance Tyler could go home.

"I knew exactly what I wanted to do yesterday," he said, running his fingers through his hair. Stay here, learn from Marcel, beat Klaus. Now everything had changed. "If I don't go back me and Caroline may be done. For good."

"It's one date," Marcel said. "She's not getting married."

"But what if it's a good date? And then there's another one? And another one? Then what?"

The only thing he had left in Mystic Falls was Caroline, and if he didn't have her anymore, then he'd never have any reason to go back. He'd be separate from it forever, and it would be a relatively small chapter in the book of his eternal life. Tyler didn't think he was ready for Mystic Falls to mean nothing just yet. And he wasn't ready to mean nothing to Caroline.

Marcel shrugged. "It's your decision," he said. "If you want to go home, I'll get you home. You'll be on your own once you're there, but I can get you there."

Tyler imagined it. Home would be transitioning into autumn soon. It had been his favorite season once, when he was younger. If he went back he could catch it right as it was nearing that time. He could watch the leaves change color, watch as they floated from branches onto the ground to be knocked around by a brisk, autumn wind.

He could do it. Marcel would let him.

But...

"I want to be here," Tyler said, "and I want to be part of it. I want you to teach me like you said, and I want you to beat him."

Marcel shrugged. "So stay," he said simply. "You'll be okay. You've survived this long without her. You can go longer. If it's meant to be she'll still be there when you get back." He patted Tyler's should awkwardly. "It's not forever, alright? Look, it's up to you. Think on it. Let me know."

The doorbell rang.

Marcel arched an eyebrow. Tyler opened his mouth to ask who that could be, but Marcel held up a hand. Slowly he put a finger to his lips then pointed to the stairs. "Stay quiet," he mouthed.

Confused, Tyler nodded and raced up the stairs where he lingered at the landing to listen.

The doorbell rang again, and Marcel opened the door. "Klaus," he said stiffly, his tone lacking his usual charm. "What a surprise."

Two Months Ago

Tyler stood alongside the looping line. The people lined up stood in pairs, in threes, in fours. None of them stood alone like he did. He probably looked ridiculous, standing here and waiting for someone. Anyone looking at him probably suspected that he'd been stood up.

Lydia was taking so long to get there that Tyler was beginning to think it, too.

Meet me there at nine, she'd said. She'd definitely said nine, named a newish club called Turbulence where she'd promised they'd have a great time and they'd catch up after all the time they'd missed. After being AWOL for this long, Lydia had sworn to make it up to him, but the club scene was Lydia's thing, not Tyler's so he didn't know if this was a good way for her to put in her penance or not. Either way, he'd take it. It wasn't like his social calendar was overflowing at the moment. If Lydia wanted to hang out in a club tonight, he'd do it, even if it wasn't his idea of a great time.

Tyler couldn't really figure out what his idea of a good time was anymore. he tried to figure it out while he waited, watching the line progress in front of him. By nine-thirty he hadn't come up with an answer, and Lydia wasn't there. The thought of hanging out on the sidewalk outside the club was worse than the thought of actually being it so he was prepared to go. His place wasn't too far from here so it would be an okay walk, and it was nice out, too. The next time he saw Lydia, when she inevitably turned up to offer her sincerest apologies for standing him up, he'd tell her all about it.

"Tyler!"

He heard her coming up from behind him dressed in a short black dress and tall heels, her hair pulled up into a swinging ponytail. "I'm sorry," she said as she soon as she reached him. "Takes time to look this good, you know." She flashed a smile and took his hand to drag him to the back of the line. "I'll pay your cover charge."

Tyler hadn't been planning on paying at all. In fact he'd been planning on sneaking in through a door off to the side and compelling anyone who saw him. Apparently Lydia wanted to play Normal Person for the night.

"Thanks," Tyler said, letting Lydia keep hold of his arm. "So, how are things?" She hadn't been in the mood to explain her absence before, but since they were stuck in this line, now was the perfect time.

"Fine," she answered. "I'm just...dealing with stuff."

"Can I help?"

"No," she said. "It's nothing big. Just family stuff."

"I didn't know you had any family here."

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "Just drama. It'll pass soon. Enough about me, what about you? Do anything interesting while I was on hiatus?"

"No," Tyler said.

Lydia clucked her tongue. "Further proof that your life revolves around me."

He laughed. "Yeah, looks like it."

Once Lydia paid for both of them, she pulled him into the humid darkness of the club where they both moved in and out of neon flashes of light. "I'll get us drinks," Lydia said before breaking away. When she found him again, she passed him a bottle of beer.

"It's a nice place, huh?" she said as he twisted off the cap.

"Sure," Tyler agreed.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Come on. Try to have a good time. I know your life sucks, but try to pretend it doesn't."

"Easier said than done."

Lydia gulped down her drink within seconds and left it on a table. She waited politely for him to finish his beer.

"Go dance," Tyler sighed. "I'll wait."

"You sure?"

Tyler nodded and Lydia floated away without another word. Tyler found an empty table where he sat to nurse his beer. He picked Lydia out from the crowd easily, dancing with a tall, dark-skinned girl. She was already having a good time. That was Lydia, slipping in and out of contentment with ease.

Tyler finished off his beer but didn't join her on the floor. Eventually she realized it was taking him too long to finish that one bottle and came back over, pursing her lips at him in annoyance. "So you're just going to sit here all night?" she said, a hand on her hip.

"This is fun to me," he said. "I like sitting down and drinking."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Do you want to go somewhere else? We can. There are bars around here. We can sit and drink with other people who are sitting and drinking. Or do you want to go feed? We can do that, too. Whatever you want really."

Tyler shook his head, but he smiled. "It's fine. Really. Go back out there, I'm okay."

Lydia didn't look convinced, but Tyler wasn't going to budge. In forty-five minutes he'd dance a little bit. But only in forty-five minutes. By then he'd have ingested another couple of beers, and he wouldn't care. "I'll get us another round," she said finally, turning around to push through the crowd toward the glowing bar.

She came back a few seconds later without a drink for either of them. Tyler looked down at her empty hands and raised his eyebrows. "So what's the deal?" he asked.

Lydia made an apologetic face. "I've gotta go."

"What?"

"I'm really sorry. Something's come up, and I've gotta leave. Like right now. Are you gonna stay?"

Tyler glanced around the room, at the gyrating bodies tinted bright blue on the dance floor. His answer was obvious, and they both knew it. "No," he sighed. "I'll walk home."

"Let me get you a cab," Lydia said quickly. "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said letting Lydia lead him out of the club. Out on the street the line was gone and there were a couple of cabs parked alongside, waiting for too-intoxicated patrons to come looking for a ride.

"Here," Lydia said, pressing cash into palm. "I'll see you around, okay?"

Tyler nodded and let Lydia hug him goodbye. She waited until he got into the cab, waving at him through the window before he gave the driver his address. The cab pulled away from the curb. It was turning the corner when Tyler looked back and saw Lydia going back into the club.

Present Day

"I thought I'd find you here. You weren't at your place in the Quarter. We need to talk," Klaus said, with an equally dry tone. He stepped into the house, and Tyler heard his feet on the floor, steps heavy. He was frozen at the top of the stairs, too afraid to move in case he made any noise. It would be like a foghorn to Klaus' ears. Part of him wanted to disappear into his bedroom and close the door, put a solid something in between him and Klaus' voice. The other part wanted to go downstairs and take Klaus apart. He was the reason he was here in the first place, the reason why Caroline was back home and going on a date with some guy.

"Are we alone?" Klaus questioned after Marcel closed the door.

"We are."

"Our discussion the other night-" Klaus began.

"Not much of a discussion," Marcel interrupted. "Just you demanding that I hand my city over to you with no argument and no hesitation. You've got some real nerve. Balls of steel. Did you think it'd go over better, be more receptive, if you threatened me in person?"

Klaus laughed quietly. "You and I both know how this is going to end. You've been a lot of things over the years, Marcel, but stupid has never been one of them. If you value your life-"

"If you value yours," Marcel countered, "you'll get out of my house right now."

"I could rip you to pieces right here," Klaus reminded him.

"You could try," Marcel said. How Marcel thought that would work was a mystery. Klaus could rip him limb from limb if he wanted. It would barely amount to a workout. If Marcel out of the way was what Klaus wanted, he had an easy way to make it happen. "Go on," he said. "Try. I want you to." Tyler could almost hear Marcel smiling. "I'm not that guy you freed," he said. "I'm a king, and you just said that I'm not stupid. So tell me, Klaus. Do you think I'd really be fighting this fight if I didn't think I could win? So try. Do your worst. I'll still be here when you're through."

Tyler inclined his head toward the stairs, listening. Klaus was quiet, probably weighing the situation. Marcel was cocky, but if he thought he could take Klaus, there had to be a better reason than pride. One bite would damn Marcel, and Klaus probably wouldn't even get his hands dirty in the process. If Marcel thought he could work around that, there had to be a reason.

Or maybe it was just a bluff. It had slowed Klaus down some, maybe out of curiosity. If Marcel was lying, it was a good lie.

Tyler made a mental note to ask Marcel about that later, assuming Klaus didn't kill him and then discover Tyler there and kill him, too.

More footsteps. Then liquid being poured into a glass. Klaus spoke. "Look at you now," he said. He was further away, at the bar. "A king. Superb in your arrogance."

"That's...interesting coming from you," Marcel said, still near the door.

"We were friends once," Klaus said.

"We still would be, if you weren't who you are."

Klaus didn't say anything. "I've made you a generous offer," he said finally, after long minutes had passed. "It's one I wouldn't extend to anyone else."

"I'm honored," Marcel said sarcastically. "So honored that I'm going to have to refuse your offer. Again. Now either come at me or get out. Either way, this conversation's over."

"It is far from over!"

Glass shattered, and Tyler lurched for the stairs but couldn't get past the first one. Something trapped him there at the top of the stairs, pushing against it in vain. All was silent downstairs like Marcel and Klaus were simply thinking things over as he pressed his hand against the barrier, feeling it decompress under the pressure of his fingers. He'd felt that before.

When he spun around, Bonnie was standing in the doorway to his room, hair hanging loose around her face and mouth set into an annoyed line. "And what exactly are you about to do?" she asked, not bothering to lower her voice in case Marcel or Klaus heard. "It's sound proof, remember?" Bonnie said, stepping forward to press her hand to the barrier which rippled beneath her fingers. "They can't hear us."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tyler demanded. "How'd you get in?"

"I'm a witch, Tyler," she reminded him. "Come on," she said, nodding back to his room, "we're leaving."

"I can't," he said. "Marcel-"

"Will be fine," Bonnie finished. He could practically hear her mental addition of, You wouldn't be of much use anyway. "You need to get out. It's not safe with Klaus here. Believe me, Marcel wants that, too." She reached for Tyler's hand and pulled him toward his bedroom. "Out the window," she said, with a nod of her head. "I'll meet you down there."

It was a steep drop down to the courtyard below, but Tyler made it with ease. He hit the ground smoothly, and when he straightened up Bonnie was standing in front of him, startling him.

"Sorry," she said, when he jumped. "Let's go." She led him out of the courtyard and down the street. "You can't go back for awhile, not while Klaus is there."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Tyler asked, trailing behind her.

"Stick with me," Bonnie said, glancing at him over her shoulder. She smiled. "We'll hang out."

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