I don't own anything TVD or TO related.

Thank you to all who read or reviewed (as well as favorite and followed).

I'm such a jerk for keeping you guys hanging like that but I wanted to take some time to make sure I was happy with where this was going. A huge thank you to you all for having patience with me.

Silas is causing a lot of problems, something I wished more of in the show, I really think he could have been a bigger threat. There was a lot that I wanted to put in this chapter, a little action but mainly the emotional impact of what happened in the previous chapter which is something I wanted to work on, soooo...

Happy Reading!

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Chapter 10

It seemed to happen in slow motion, almost as if a movie was slowed down to enhance the severity of the moment. A tomb of silence followed the thud of Liz's body as she fell to the floor. Caroline flinched as if she felt the impact herself right before she flashed to Liz's side. It hadn't happened, this wasn't happening. This wasn't real, it was just one of Silas' mind games or just a nightmare that she desperately wanted to wake up from.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Silas standing over them, looking down at mother and daughter with a smile of satisfaction. But it was Tyler's face, the boy she had witnessed grow into a man, a copy of someone she loved had just snapped the neck of the only family she had left. Klaus growled in rage before he leaped over Liz and Caroline to attack Silas. That smile of satisfaction disappeared as Silas tried to flash away from Klaus, who was blind in his rage. He didn't get far as the hybrid threw a punch which connected but didn't do much damage before Silas retaliated, connecting with his own fists. Silas tried to use the distraction to get away but Klaus flashed in front of him, cutting off his exit. Silas attacked again only to find a wooden stick thrust in his chest that Klaus had broken from a chair in the hallway, ready to use anything he could to slow him down. Silas smirked as he tore the wood out of his chest and threw it at Klaus like a dagger, which dogged it like he would a fly. The two stood facing off before rushing at each other as if they were two bulls ready to do ultimate damage.

"No, no, no." Caroline whispered to herself in horror, breathing out the words. She cradled her mother's head and laid it on her lap, her entire body shaking in disbelief and despair. Liz's eyes were closed but her body was limp and still, but that didn't matter to Caroline, she knew she could fix it, she had to fix it. She bite her wrist quickly and pressed it to her mother's mouth while looking widely around for another way to get vampire blood in her system. She was wrapped in her own hell and nothing else mattered, not the fight between Klaus and Silas, not the real Tyler who was now on his hands and knees, shaking as he tried to gain control over his body.

Sophie moved to stand over Caroline as Jasmine ran to check on Ebony who was now struggling to get to her feet. Ebony had a cut on her forehead that was bleeding. "He's fast, I barely saw him coming." Jasmine wrapped her arm around Ebony's waist to support her, keeping her eyes on Tyler as they edged around him to join Sophie. The rumble down under was destroying the hallway, though they were evenly matched in physical strength, Silas had the advantage in speed. The walls now had holes in the marble, stairs were crushed and a couple of doors that had been used as weapons were lying on the floor.

"Help me, a spell, anything!" Caroline screamed, not caring who she was talking to. Sophie hesitated and then leaned down to look her in the eye with remorse. "There isn't anything we can do, Caroline." As she was about to say more, Sophie noticed what was happening behind them, and then took a look to the hallway. "Um, multiple problems here." Sophie said, gesturing with her head while laying a hand on Caroline's shoulder. Tyler was getting worse, he was lying on his side, curled in a ball. His face was grimaced in pain and concentration, trying to get a handle on Silas' mind control, but he was losing the battle. His transformation was fast approaching and he obviously couldn't stop it. Caroline didn't care, she didn't care about anything but the person in her arms. She kept trying, she wouldn't stop trying to fix it as she forced more vampire blood pass Liz's lips. If Bonnie could have done something, she already would have, Caroline thought as fresh tears fell down her cheeks. Caroline wasn't going to give up, there was a way, there had to be a way to bring her back. She held on to that strain of hope as she touched her mother's hair, fully taking in her scent as if she was afraid she would forget.

As they heard a crash in the hallway, Jasmine ran to the door. Tyler-Silas was trying to get away which seemed to be his method, cause as much trouble as he could but also play this cat and mouse game. Klaus was in the line of fire but she didn't give it a second thought. Jasmine threw up both hands, not waiting for a clear shot and slammed both Klaus and Silas into the nearest wall. They both struggled against her hold but it was working, she was holding them down. It wasn't easy, the strain was all over her face. "I don't know how much longer I can hold them, Bonnie." Before Jasmine could finish her warning, Tyler-Silas' face started to wrinkle and crack. He arched his back but any screams that would have come were silenced by Jasmine's power. His skin was hardening and begin to chip as stone was starting to form. Bonnie's spell was working faster this time as if she had been prepared for this moment.

Just when it looked like this was it, they could finally end this, the sound of breaking bones and cries of pain alerted everyone but Caroline to a situation that was becoming dire by the second. Klaus could feel the hold that Jasmine had over him easing but he couldn't shout out his own warning and that slight distraction of Jasmine's focus was all Silas needed. He pushed back against her spell until he was able to flash out of it, picking up a door and flinging it at Jasmine who fell to the floor to avoid it which also released Klaus. By the time she recovered, Silas was gone.

As he got to his feet, Klaus kicked the debris out of his way in frustration. "Dammit, we had him." He glared in the direction Silas had gone before realizing he had pressing matters to deal with as he entered back into the sheriff's office. Tyler's arm was bent in a way that shouldn't have been possible. Concerned, he looked up to the people in the room with sweat and grimaces of pain. "I don't have any control, it's not stopping." Klaus rushed to Tyler's side and grabbed his face, focusing. "There isn't a full moon, its Silas messing with your head." Tyler's body continued to break down, forming into a wolf. Klaus' attempt at compulsion didn't work, maybe the sire bond would have helped but as Tyler's spine broke, Klaus knew that the change was inevitable. As someone who had never seen such a sight, the witches looked on with horror and sympathy as Tyler's other arm swung back and broke with force. "Holy shit!" Jasmine gasped, grabbing Sophie and Ebony's arms, pulling them away.

Klaus thought quickly on his feet. He reached for Tyler's neck, giving it a twist, breaking it to knock him out.

He wasn't sure how the little puppy would be when he woke up but that would at least buy them some time. Klaus moved his attention to his main concern who was cradling Liz in the middle of the room. Her eyes were tear-stained, her body as still as her mother's in her shock. He crouched down by her side. "We need to go, Caroline." The words from Klaus sounded as if they were in an echo chamber. They weren't registering as Caroline couldn't process anything but the feel of her mother's body in her arms. Liz was a shell of what she had been what she would no longer be. Klaus tried to pry Liz away but Caroline just wrapped her arms tighter around the woman that had given her life.

"Caroline." Klaus tried again. "We have to leave, I'll take her."

Caroline pushed his hands away with a little force, not meeting his eyes. "No." She simply said, wrapping her arms under Liz's knees and back to carry her herself. It was her responsibility and she had failed to protect her mother. She stood up under the weight of everybody's gaze and led the group out of the room.

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Sophie and Jasmine were in the back of the SUV with Ebony, checking to make sure the bruises and cuts was the only damage she had suffered. Ebony looked with concern at Caroline, the young vampire was silent in her devastation. She wanted to offer words of comfort but an exchanged glance with Klaus caused Ebony to bite her tongue as she watched Caroline bury her face in her mother's hair. Klaus didn't know it was going to be this hard, he was thinking as he drove back, he was going to have to change his plans.

When they arrived, Sophie opened the door to the Salvatore mansion leading the way of the crowd. Damon, sitting on the couch scoffed. "Do you not know how to knock?" As he was about to add more, he saw Caroline carrying Liz. He, along with Stefan slowly stood up in disbelief. "Caroline." Elena breathed out as Liz's body was laid on the couch. She edged closer, hesitated before wrapping her arms around Caroline. Stefan grabbed his friend's hand but Caroline didn't respond to either one. Damon tried to keep from looking at Liz's face, someone who had been his friend but he couldn't help himself. Shock and sadness swept through the room of those that had known Liz, knowing this was not only going to impact them but the entire town.

Everybody was in the living room except Tyler who was still passed out in the SUV. Caroline had taken a seat on the floor beside the couch, not wanting to leave Liz's side. There was always someone close to Caroline, no one wanting to leave her alone. Rebekah, showing that their relationship had really changed, held Caroline's hand giving what comfort she could. Minutes passed, which felt like hours when Damon's patience ran out. "Somebody want to tell me how this happened, I thought she was protected." Fixing a drink, he glared at the witches. Stefan shook his head which Damon ignored.

"Silas burst in the room and came straight for me, knocking me out." Ebony said, looking ashamed. Klaus made his own drink as he contributed the rest of the explanation. "Silas had Liz when we got there." He winced, looking at Caroline's devastation. "He used her as a shield while he compelled Tyler to turn and then he killed her. During Tyler's transformation, Silas got away. I knocked him out; we need to lock him up somewhere until it wears off."

"Liz is dead, Silas escaped AGAIN and with the whole wolf bite being fatal to vampires, having one hanging around compelled to turn isn't in our best interests." Damon kicked a chair out of the way in his rage before turning back to Klaus. "Are you going to start actually helping soon or what?" Klaus, not taking his eyes off of Caroline, growled under his breath but didn't take the bait.

"I can fix it, Damon." Caroline yelled out, filling the room with her determination. The looks of compassion were written over everyone's face, knowing that there weren't many options on the table to achieve what Caroline wanted.

Rebekah could see Caroline slipping. "Let me move her, Caroline. I'll take her downstairs and maybe Bonnie can find a way." Caroline felt conflicted, but she eventually nodded and watched as Rebekah carried Liz out of the room. For the first time, Caroline let the hopelessness that she had refused to acknowledge seep through. What if she couldn't find a way to bring her back? What if she was gone for good? She felt the vile rise to her throat and wrapped her arms around herself, wanting to hold the grief in because if she let it out, she didn't think she would be able to handle it. If she broke, would she be able to pull it together? Did she have the strength to get back up after falling so hard? For the first time, Caroline took a glance around the room conscious of everyone. She hated the looks of sympathy, the hesitation in their words and touches. She got to her feet, avoiding Stefan and Elena's move to help as she passed them to leave the room. She could feel Klaus searching stare as she walked up the stairs.

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Caroline staggered into the bedroom, not knowing if she needed to be sick or let the walls of emotion fall away. Neither one would make her feel better, make her forget or let her escape. Every inch of her body felt numb, except for one area. Her chest felt pressure, as if she was being suffocated from the inside. It was physical pain when she took a breath, though she couldn't stop breathing. Her mind was racing with memories and what ifs, tears were running down her cheeks but the only thing she wanted to do was shut her body down so that she couldn't feel or think anything anymore because than she wouldn't have to face it. She wouldn't have to face that her mother was gone and that she truly didn't have any family anymore. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but a sob of pain escaped instead. Caroline covered her face with shaking hands and took deep breaths, absorbing the pain that came with it. Nothing was right with the world, nothing made sense anymore.

Even wrapped in her thoughts, her senses alerted her to a presence. She lowered her hands to see Klaus ease into the room and softly close the door. Caroline averted her eyes, not wanting to look at him. At first, she didn't know if she wanted company, any hold she had was cracking. "I trusted you to keep her safe." Caroline breathed out, ignoring the flinch of pain from Klaus that her words caused. It wasn't rational or realistic to blame him, she knew that Silas was responsible. But she just couldn't bring herself to worry about anyone's feelings right now, she didn't have the strength. It may have been harsh but it was something had been running through the back of her mind since it happened. She couldn't bring herself to say what "it" was, she couldn't get the words to form on her lips. Caroline shivered, the grief was causing chills to run through her body even though the room was warm.

Klaus eased slowly to her side, knowing he couldn't let this continue. It could blow the plan to hell, he thought but yet here he was again putting her well-being first. He looked in the windows to her soul and could see the storm that was waiting to break out. He made up his mind after that. "Look at me." Klaus commanded, his voice tight with concern. She blinked almost in a daze and focused, it was what she saw in his eyes that caused her to pause. The concern was still there but there was also confidence. Caroline straightened in awareness, Klaus had done something. She mentally slapped herself as she remembered who she was dealing with. She felt that strain of hope again but was afraid to ask, thinking it was going to be dashed.

"I knew Silas wouldn't stop coming after your mother so I put in a fail safe." Klaus whispered, his eyes clear conveying the truth. Caroline let out a breath, shaking which led Klaus to grab her as if to keep her anchored. She blinked again and searched for more reassurance as Klaus rubbed her arms. "We shouldn't have to wait much longer to see if it worked. Come with me." He held out his hand, giving her the choice. She swallowed, regretting that she had ever doubted him as she placed her hand in his. They went to the basement, Klaus pulled out his phone and sent out a text. Caroline could sense that he wanted to avoid running into anyone.

Rebekah had handled Liz's body with care, wrapping her in a white sheet and putting her on the bed. Caroline ran to her side, pulling the sheet away from her face. She felt for a pulse but didn't find one. With tears, she looked over her shoulder at Klaus. He laid a hand on her. "Give it more time." The door opened behind him and the witches stepped in. Sophie quickly wrapped her arms around Caroline. "I'm so sorry we didn't tell you. We thought it would be safer for your mom if Silas doesn't know she could be alive." Caroline returned the hug, thanking them for their help.

Sophie stood next to Caroline, rubbing her arm as they waited, anxious to see if it worked. They were silent though Caroline could see that Klaus was thinking. She had always known that he worked two steps ahead of everybody but even this she hadn't seen coming and she had questions.

Caroline moved to his side, curious. "How did you do it?" He examined her closely and then took a quick glance at the ceiling, concerned that the others might hear though he still pulled her closer and quietly explained.

Flashback

Klaus drove into Mystic Falls after hanging up the phone, covering his bases. He was growing impatient to see Caroline but he had one stop to make before he headed to the Salvatore mansion. Nothing much has changed, Klaus thought as he drove through the town square. Still the same sleepy town with their supernatural secrets. He couldn't lie, there was an appeal to this place. Klaus thought it was the people that made it special because Mystic Falls wasn't so different from every other small backwards town.

Klaus strolled into the sheriff's office, causing Liz Forbes to blink in surprise. He nodded in greeting to Ebony as he closed the door for privacy. Liz jumped up with obvious alarm, Klaus couldn't tell if it was because of the Silas problem or if he was the reason. Probably both.

"It's nice to see you again, Sheriff Forbes." Klaus said, making himself comfortable in the chair in front of her desk. She didn't look like she could say the same thing but she was raised with class so she nodded respectfully. Klaus cleared his throat. "Thank you for meeting with me, this won't take long. Caroline said that you refused to leave, do you think that's wise?"

"I'm the sheriff, I can't abandon the town in such a desperate time." Liz looked confused by the topic of conversation.

"You're important to Caroline and you're an easy target, Silas will come after you again. I think it's safer to get you out of town." Klaus argued, seeing she was as stubborn as Caroline. He kept trying before he gave up, moving on to his back-up plan. He asked Ebony to walk him out, waiting until they got some privacy. "I need a favor." Klaus said, turning to face her. "Can you put a protection spell on Caroline's mother?"

Ebony nodded. "I put one on Davina and Justine before we left, I can make a strong enough one that will protect her."

Klaus met her dark eyes, serious. "Just make sure she survives."

Back to Present

Caroline was sitting on the bed, hardly breathing. Please let this work, please be okay, silently praying for a miracle. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen and still no one moved. Caroline leaned closer, wanting her face to be the first thing her mother saw. Another minute passed, then another. Caroline's heart leaped as Liz gasped and her eyes flung open. Klaus put his hand to Liz's lips, not wanting her to make a sound.

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There was no way I could kill Liz, I love her and Caroline way too much. Thanks for reading, I'll update soon!