forty-eight. my hollow heart will bleed

Klaus was pacing in front of the barrier, but you barely registered it. You were sitting on the floor against the couch, clutching your knees to your chest, your eyes fixed on Kol's corpse. He was dead. Your best friend of a thousand years was dead.  You'd been stuck in this cage Bonnie had created for you for an entire night, but you hadn't even noticed at first when the sun come up. Because your world was a little darker today.

Klaus had been watching you with worry in his eyes, but you didn't even look at him. You couldn't. You couldn't look away from Kol. You'd failed him. Kol had been your partner in crime for a thousand years. And the last memory he had of you was of your cruelty towards him. It was of you using him and his feelings for you to anger Klaus when your emotions were off. You had so desperately wanted to apologize, to make things right between you. And you couldn't. You wouldn't get that chance anymore.

"Y/N," Klaus tried to get your attention. It was only when he crouched in front of you, blocking your view of Kol's corpse that you met his eyes. "I know you're not doing alright, love. But I need to make sure you're not shutting down."

"You mean turning it off again?" you asked quietly. You were numb. Your tears had dried out long ago. "No, I'm not. I can't, not after what I did to him last time I turned it off."

He breathed out, reaching out to cup your cheek. "Talk to me. Please, love. Say something, anything."

"I didn't get to apologize," your tone was low and raspy, heavy with your grief. "I hurt him and he died not knowing how sorry I was."

He pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly against him. You closed your eyes, trying to feel the warmth and comfort he was trying to provide. "I will avenge him for you, love," he swore, breathing heavily into your hair. "I will make them all pay for this."

The front door opened and Klaus immediately pulled away, standing guard in front of you as Tyler and Caroline walked in. Your eyes went back to Kol's corpse.

"Morning, sunshine," Tyler said smugly to Klaus. "You look pathetic."

"Only until Bonnie's spell locking us in here wears off," Klaus said easily. "Then I'll look different. Angrier, perhaps. Or, I won't look like anything because I'll have gouged your eyeballs from their sockets."

You could feel Caroline's gaze on you but you didn't look up. You had nothing to say to them.

"My friends will be back with the cure by then. So, I could shove it down your throat and make you mortal," Tyler said.

"I'm an Original," Klaus said. "What makes you think my entire vampire bloodline won't be cured along with me? I.E. you."

"You know what I think? I think that's impossible. I think the moment you stop being a vampire, our whole blood connection to you is broken, and your sire-line ceases to exist. So, whatever happens to you happens only to you, which means I can kill your ass and no one else has to die. Although I am still debating just how to do it," Tyler said.

"I recommend drowning. There's nothing quite like the feeling of someone fighting for something as basic as human breath. And let me tell you, your mother was a fighter," Klaus smirked.

Tyler glared at him, though he didn't respond. Caroline stepped into your path. "Y/N, hi," she said softly. "Listen, I'm so sorry..."

"Save it," you cut her off, looking up at her finally. "I don't want to hear your false apologies. I don't want to hear your excuses. We are done."

"Y/N, please, I didn't..."

"You didn't what, Caroline? You didn't know? I wish all you infantile vampires would stop forgetting that I have been around for a thousand years and wasn't born yesterday," you said coldly. "But I don't mind reminding you how kind I've been to you all this time. The second this spell wears off, I'm going to rip Elena's heart out and then kill Jeremy. So I hope she enjoys the cure for the 90 seconds she has after she takes it. At least she won't have to live long without her brother, a mercy she didn't grant me."

"And my girl's plans always pan out," Klaus smirked.

Tyler and Caroline exchanged a worried look.

• • •

Apparently, Tyler and Caroline had been sent to watch you both, to make sure you wouldn't cause trouble. You couldn't do anything from your cage, but once the spell wore off, you would make them pay for what they had taken from you. When you lost Klaus, you had turned it off to stop yourself from feeling the pain. You couldn't turn it off again, but you would use the pain they had caused to show them just how lenient you had been with them all this time. They had hurt you for the last time.

Caroline walked back into the room with a sheet, placing it over Kol's corpse, shielding him from your view. Klaus looked at you in concern when he heard your low growl. He sighed and looked over at Caroline. "Tyler's mother is dead, so is my brother. We're even, wouldn't you say?"

You laughed coldly. "Not even close. I don't think even Elena and Jeremy would make us even. Damon and Stefan have been alive for what? 150 years each? That's 300. I think I'll kill you all, just to add up for the thousand years they robbed us of."

"Y/N," Klaus sighed. "I'm trying to get us out of here. They won't call Bonnie to let us out if you keep threatening them."

"The spell will wear off," you said.

"Y/N, please," Caroline pleaded. "I know you cared for him but he was out of control. He was going to cut Jeremy's arm off."

"I'm going to do that anyway," you shrugged.

Caroline looked at you for a long moment. "Did you...have you turned it off again?"

"Because I can only want to make your precious Elena pay for her actions if I don't have my humanity?" You rolled your eyes. "I don't need to turn it off to think justice is an eye for an eye, Caroline. So you know what, just to show you I still have my humanity, I'll be nice. I'll just kill Jeremy. She took my brother, I'll take hers."

She looked at you miserably before looking at Klaus for help. "Don't look at me, she cared for Kol a lot more than I did," Klaus shrugged. "I would have let it go given I did kill Tyler's mum. I would have considered us even."

"How delusional are you?" Caroline walked closer to the barrier, glaring at him. "Let's not forget we're standing in a house where Elena's Aunt Jenna used to live. Or did you think we'd forget how you killed her too? You know what? No. I am not going to engage in this. If Y/N wasn't in there too, I wouldn't even be here. You are not even worth the calories I burn talking to you."

But she had made a mistake. She had gotten too close to the barrier. Klaus broke a lamp stand and staked her, pulling her in close. He bit her before throwing her back out.

"No!" Tyler ran over to her.

"Okay, so I lied," Klaus said. "I wouldn't have considered us even. Now, that was definitely worth the calories."

Tyler carried Caroline to the couch, laying her down. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God," she said in panic.

"Hey, hey. Look at me. Look at me. I can fix this," Tyler said.

"How? The only thing that can heal me is his blood. Oh my god," she cried.

"I know. I'll fix it," Tyler said before looking at Klaus. "She'll die if you don't heal her."

"Okay," Klaus smirked. "Beg me to save her life."

"Is this what you want?" Tyler stepped closer to the barrier. "To remind me that I'm powerless against you? Fine. You win. I'm nothing. Now, save her. Please."

"I'm sorry, mate. I didn't quite catch that," Klaus said.

"Please. Please. Please save her life," Tyler said.

"See, now I think you're just telling me what I want to hear," Klaus said. "I mean, you did call me pathetic earlier. And wouldn't it be more pathetic of me to help now, knowing that hours ago, you announced your plan to kill me in a manner in which you're still debating because you want it to have a certain amount of flair?"

"I'll be your sl*ve again. I'll do whatever you want. Just help her," Tyler begged.

"No," Klaus said firmly.

Tyler looked at you, the desperation evident in his eyes. "Y/N, please," he said. "She's your friend and she will die."

"My friend is lying on the floor with a sheet over him," you said. "Thanks to your friends. Why would I ever be inclined to help any of you ever again?"

"Y/N, please," he said again. "I know you're angry. I know you're hurt, but you will regret it if she dies."

"No."

"Get me out of here," Caroline said. Tyler sighed and walked over to her, picking her up and carrying her out.

Klaus walked back over to you. "Do you really not want me to heal her?" He asked cautiously, as if he were testing you. You knew what he was testing for and sighed.

"My humanity is still on, Niklaus," you said. "I'm just not feeling particularly charitable towards them at this point."

He nodded slowly before pulling you up to the couch and onto his lap as he sat down. He pulled you to straddle him, his eyes boring into yours. "I know you're hurting, love," he said softly. "But I also know Tyler was right, as much as I hate to admit that. You'll regret it later if she dies."

You didn't respond and he sighed. He pulled your hand to his lips, placing a kiss on the back before pulling a ring out of his pocket and putting it on your finger. Your eyes widened slightly. It was the ring, your ring. The ring you had given Gloria. When he had tried to give it back to you when Gloria disappeared, you had told him it didn't belong to you anymore. You didn't know he had kept it.

"Nik...what..."

"It's yours," he said softly. "I've been meaning to give it back to you for days now. But it never seemed like the right time."

"And you think being stuck 6 feet away from Kol's dead corpse is the right time?" You rolled your eyes.

He looked at you intently. "I want to remind you of what you have, what we have. I want you to remember that despite him being gone, you still have me. You will always have me, love."

Your eyes met his. "Nik."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours, briefly but hard enough that you could feel the love he was pouring into you. "I want you to remember why you can't turn it off. No matter how much you may want to in the coming days, no matter how much the pain seems like it will take over. I want you to remember you are holding my heart."

You nodded. He wiped at them gently and you leaned forward, resting your face in the crook of his neck as fresh tears began pouring down your face.

• • •

You had fallen asleep from exhaustion and Klaus had laid you down on the couch, your head in his lap. But you woke up when the front door opened again. Tyler walked in, Caroline looking pale and fragile in his arms.

He walked past the barrier and laid her down on the opposite couch. "You want to be in control, Klaus? Here. Now you get to be in control of her life. Y/N, if you want her to die, fine. But then you can sit here and watch her die yourself."

He walked out and both your and Klaus' gaze fell on Caroline. The venom had already started to take effect. She looked like she didn't have much time left. You felt a tightness in your heart and looked away.

"Nothing personal, love," Klaus said. "If I heal you that means victory for him. Don't worry. It won't be long now."

"If you don't feed me your blood, I'll die," she said.

Klaus looked at you, but you kept your silence. You didn't want to care if she lived or died. They had killed Kol. They should all suffer for it. But Klaus and even Tyler were right. You were angry, and you would never forgive Elena but Caroline hadn't been part of it. And she had been a good friend to you for the most part. You would regret it if she died...eventually.

"Then you'll die," Klaus said finally. "And Tyler will have learned his lesson the hard way."

"How could you do this to him? To his mom?" She looked over at you. "To me?"

You looked away. "I'm a thousand years old," Klaus said. "Call it boredom."

"I don't believe you," Caroline said.

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil, and I can't help myself," Klaus said. You knew he would let her die unless you spoke up, unless you asked him to save her. He had sworn he would avenge Kol for you, and despite Caroline having been your friend, he would let her die if that was what you wanted. But did you? You would regret it but you regretted a lot of things in the past thousand years. What was one more on the list?

"No. It's because you were hurt. Which means that there is a part of you that is human," she said weakly.

"How could you possibly think that?" Klaus chuckled darkly.

"Because I've seen it. Because...I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all the horrible things that you've done for my best friend's sake," she told him. You looked at her sharply. Best friend...? She thought you were her best friend?

"But you can't. Can you?" Klaus looked at you, the question in his eyes. He too knew you didn't make friends easily. You were always running with Niklaus in the past. He had never really allowed any room for anyone else outside of him and his family in your life. You hadn't really began to make friends until he sent you away.

"I know that you're in love with Y/N," Caroline said. "And anybody capable of love is capable of being saved."

"You're hallucinating," Klaus said, though his eyes never left yours.

"I see you with her," she said. "And even though I hate you and everything you've done, I'm glad she forgive you." She looked over at you. "You told me you wanted me to have an epic love. I want that for you too. And I'm glad you found it again...even if it grosses me out."

Her breathing became even weaker and you sighed, walking over to her and pushing her sweat matted hair out of her face. "I'm still mad at you," you said softly.

"I know," she said, coughing. "I'm really sorry for what they did. And I'm really sorry you lost him. I know he was your best friend, and I know how sad I'd be if I lost you."

You closed your eyes. breathing heavily before looking at Klaus. "Save her."

He didn't hesitate, walking towards her and biting his wrist. He pressed it against her mouth, letting her drink his blood. She shuddered as the cure touched her tongue, breathing just a tiny bit lighter already. You were still angry behind belief, but Caroline had become a close friend to you too. She had been there when you felt you had no one. She was loyal to her friends, and she couldn't help that her friends were conniving snakes. You didn't want to live with this regret.

• • •

You were lying on the couch, your head in Klaus' lap as he played with your hair. "Do you think he hated me? At the end, do you think he hated me for what I did to him?"

"Of course not, love," he said. "My brother knew a thing or two about turning it off. He knew it wasn't you."

"I've never fought with him," you said. "In a thousand years, we never fought. Rebekah, you, even Elijah. We've had disagreements. But Kol was always on my side, even if I was wrong."

"I know," he said. "He loved you."

You looked up at him. "I know," you said softly.

His jaw clenched for a second as he looked down at you. "When you went to Colorado, did he...did something happen between you two?"

You didn't get to answer because the front door opened and you looked over to see Caroline, who was much better as expected, walk in. Caroline was on the phone.

"Tell me you're not serious," Caroline was saying.

You heard Elena's voice through the phone and anger shot through your heart at the sound of her voice. "I wish I weren't. When we got back from looking for Jeremy, Shane and Bonnie were both gone, too. Shane needs Bonnie to cast a spell on Jeremy's tattoo in order to find the cure, and he managed to sneak them both out from under our noses," she was saying.

"Well, where's Damon in all this?" Caroline asked as she sat down to the couch.

"We had an argument. I thought he was just taking a walk, but then when we went to the beach, we saw signs of a struggle."

"Meaning what?" Caroline asked

"Meaning somebody probably jumped him and then grabbed him," Elena said.

Caroline: Do you think Shane took him?

"No, I mean, he's not strong enough to take Damon on, even with the element of surprise. He must have someone or at least a few someones helping him," Elena said

"I am so sorry. I wish I was there to help."

"Well, maybe there's something you can do from home," Elena said.

"Anything. Tell me," Caroline said. "The sooner we get this cure, the sooner this whole nightmare is over."

"So Shane's looking for the cure. We think we can find him. We have pictures of Jeremy's tattoo, but we just can't translate the map," Elena told her.

Caroline looked over at you. "Unless you get the hunter's sword from Klaus."

"Exactly."

"He'll never give up the sword," you heard Rebekah say and looked over at Kol's body. She was so ready to play nice with them despite what they had done to her brother.

"Yeah, but if anyone's gonna get him to give it up, it's Y/N, and Caroline can convince Y/N," Stefan said. Yeah, that was never gonna happen.

"You guys killed her best friend," Caroline said. "She's never going to help you."

You raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. You were slightly surprised she said that. There was a tense silence that followed.

"It doesn't matter. He will never give up the sword, not even for Y/N," Rebekah said eventually. "He's terrified we'll use the cure against him to make him mortal, and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't want any of us to derive a moment's worth of happiness from being human."

Klaus smirked slightly at her words. "My ever supportive baby sister," he said softly.

"Well, maybe he doesn't have to give it up. Klaus is stuck in Elena's house by Bonnie's spell. He can't go anywhere. There's only so many places you can hide a 3-foot piece of metal," Stefan said.

"I'll find it. Don't worry. Just email me photos of Jeremy's tattoo. I'll find the sword and I'll call you back," Caroline said and hung up. She looked over at you again.

"Need my help with anything?" Klaus smirked.

"No," she said and shewalked out.

"Will they find it, do you think?" you asked him. Klaus had told you he'd hidden the sword in the attic. Stefan had tried to find it the other day but had been unsuccessful.

"I have no doubt they are motivated enough," he said. "It doesn't matter. They won't be able to use it."

You nodded. You knew the sword's writing was in Aramaic, and you doubted that was an elected language at their high school given it was an ancient and dead language.

"So," he said after a few minutes. "You never answered my question."

"What question?" you tensed, looking at him as you feigned ignorance.

"You know what I mean."

"Klaus," you sighed, sitting up. "Please, just let it go. He's gone. It doesn't matter."

"I can't," he said. He hooked your chin with his finger, forcing you to look at him. "I know your heart always belonged to only me in the past, but the last century...I know it is of my own making. I need to know if your heart allowed room for him."

"I loved him, if that's what you're asking," you said softly. You saw the pain flicker in his eyes. "But I wasn't in love with him. I could have been, I think, if you didn't exist. But you did, you do. You don't leave any room for anyone else in that regard. Kol is...was my best friend. I loved him differently than you. What happened when I went to Colorado doesn't matter. I chose you. I will always choose you."

Because you knew that was what he was really asking. His deep rooted fear that everyone would leave him, that he would be alone. That's what this all came down to. He was afraid you would leave him too. You knew you should be offended he still didn't believe you, that he still didn't believe in you. But you understood. Because you had been with him for a thousand years. You had seen firsthand how deep the scars ran.

He breathed out a shuddering breath, nodding as he closed his eyes. You leaned in and pressed your lips against his briefly, willing him to believe you.

• • •

It took them a while but Caroline and Tyler entered with a laptop and the sword. So they'd found it after all. Wonderful. Honestly, you didn't give a shit about the cure. Klaus had agreed to destroy it once they found it so that it couldn't be used against any of you. You would kill Elena whether she took the cure or not, so it didn't really matter to you. You supposed it would be easier though, to destroy it if they found it. And at least then, Rebekah could get what she wanted. Your family was dwindling more and more by the day. And you wanted her to find her happiness finally. She'd waited a thousand years for it.

"Well, if it isn't little orphan Lockwood? Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?" Klaus smirked at his former hybrid.

"I'm just trying to help my friends find the cure. Found this in your attic," he held up the sword.

"And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the cure?" Klaus asked.

"You tell me. I was playing around with the handle on the ride over... And I found this," he turned the dial.

"And what do you think this is?" Klaus asked.

"It's called a cryptex. I've seen The Da Vinci Code," Caroline said. "You turn the different sides to the different symbols to get the translation on the other side. And, with the magic of the Internet, Elena sent over these." She held up the pictures of Jeremy's tattoo. "So now all we have to do is cryptex away. I wouldn't insult Y/N by asking her to help, but if you happened to, we wouldn't stop you."

"Right. Well, might I suggest using the magic of the Internet to purchase an Aramaic-to-English dictionary from your nearest retailer?" Klaus smirked.

"What's Aramaic?" Tyler asked.

"It's a dead language. It hasn't been used since, like, biblical times," Caroline said after looking it up.

"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I would guess," you said.

"You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate... Perhaps weeks. In bas so-teen-too ara-ma-eet," he said.

"What does that mean?" Tyler asked.

"If only you spoke Aramaic," you translated, crossing your arms. They both looked at you.

• • •

"Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom," Klaus corrected their latest attempt. Klaus had decided to help them then. You didn't care if they found the cure or not, but he did. He still wanted to destroy it. Caroline and Tyler had been trying to decipher the language and failing poorly. Aramaic was a difficult language to translate.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked.

"I don't need to tell you my reasons. Bring my sword over here," he said. Tyler and Caroline exchanged a look before Caroline brought the sword closer to the barrier.

"Silas rests on the east side," Klaus translated the words.

"No he doesn't," you said. You didn't know why you spoke up. You had no desire to help them. You remembered learning Aramaic all those years ago. Elijah had taught you, just like he had taught you to read and write. You had grown up in a different time, when women didn't really need to know such things. You wondered silently what your father would have thought if he knew just how much you'd learned in all these years.

He looked over at you, rolling his eyes. "I know how to read Aramaic, love."

"I know you do but you're wrong," you said, walking over to point at the sword. "That's the word for far. Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand. I know how to read Aramaic too."

"You're helping us?" Caroline asked you, surprise lacing her tone.

"No, I just enjoy proving Klaus wrong with his Aramaic," you lied.

"Don't mind her, she likes to show off that Elijah was a better teacher," Klaus smirked at you before looking back at the sword. "Turn the cryptex to the right." Caroline followed his instructions. "Stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map. Turn it to the left. Now turn the other piece. Wait, there's something else." You looked at it too, tensing when you saw what was written there. Klaus had seen it too, and you exchanged a look.

"What? What is it?" Caroline asked.

"Nothing," you said quickly. "Nothing important."

She didn't look like she believed you, but didn't press. She probably knew you wouldn't answer. Because you couldn't. You couldn't tell her there was only one. One cure. You knew they would want it for Elena. That she would be the only one to benefit. Because poor Elena couldn't be a vampire. But you wanted it for Rebekah. You wanted her to get what she wanted after so long. And they had already proven they had no problem sacrificing everyone else for Elena's benefit. You couldn't let that happen.

• • •

Caroline called them. "Hello?" Rebekah answered. You breathed out, relieved it was her. You could get her the message if you timed it right. She was stronger than the others there. She could win if she was prepared properly.

"Hey, it's Caroline," she said. "We have the translation of the tattoo. We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now."

"Got it. Thanks," Rebekah said after a moment.

"Actually, it was me and Y/N," Klaus said loudly enough for Rebekah to hear.

"Nik, you helped?"

"You sound so surprised, little sister," Klaus said.

"Shouldn't I be? I mean, I understand Y/N wanting to help me but you don't want me to be human. You don't want any of us to be human. Why would you help us find the cure?" Rebekah asked.

"Maybe I finally realized the longer I stand in the way of what you want, the longer you'll continue to hate me. Perhaps I want my sister to finally know happiness," Klaus said.

"Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me a hundred times..." Rebekah trailed off.

"No more fooling," Klaus said. "No more games. I hope you get to live and die as you wish. I hope you get to experience the happiness you feel I denied you, and you get to experience the love you want."

"So do I," she said. "Thank you. It's all I've ever wanted, to feel the love you and Y/N share."

"As do I, little sister," Klaus said.

"There is one more thing, Rebekah," you said, seeing your chance. You needed to do this quickly. Caroline and Tyler both looked at you in confusion. "There is only one dose of the cure. You need to find it fast and take it. It's the only way you'll..."

Caroline hung up quickly before looking at you. "That's what it was. The last part on the sword you didn't want to tell us."

"You would have betrayed her for Elena's sake," you said softly. "I let Klaus save you because you're my friend. I will not help Elena Gilbert again. If she can't cope as a vampire, she doesn't have to worry. She won't be living as one for long. Why waste the cure on her?"

You turned and walked back to the couch, ignoring their shocked looks.

They had walked out, and you could hear them talking on the porch, but you ignored them. You looked at Klaus. "You want her to take it," you said softly.

"What?"

"Rebekah," you said. "You told them your reasons don't matter, and I know it was because you wanted them to find it so you could destroy it. But you knew there was only one, you read it too. You could have told them and they would have made sure to stop Rebekah so they could give it to Elena. But you told Rebekah you hoped she could live and die as she wished."

"Is it so hard to believe that I would want my little sister to find happiness?" he asked.

"Truthfully? Yes," you said. "You have kept her leash tighter than any of the others over the centuries, Nik. I know you fear losing her more than the others, though she has stood by your side more than they have."

"My sister does not have the best judgment," Klaus said. "I was merely trying to protect her from her more illustriously bad decisions."

"And it will solve the problem of having to destroy it," you said.

"There is that," he said. "Though, I do want my little sister to find what she wants."

"And what brought on this change?" you questioned.

"You know why." You raised an eyebrow at him, waiting. He sighed. "I have lost two brothers now. My remaining brother would rather be anywhere but in my company and my sister loathes me. Perhaps I want to remedy that. I know of my sister's desperate longing for love. After a century without you, I can see how dark the world can be without it. Perhaps I do want her to find what we have."

Caroline walked in before you could respond. "You can't kill Tyler," she told Klaus.

"Not only can I, I have to," Klaus said simply. "I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to."

"I'm not asking you to forgive him," Caroline said. "All I'm asking is that you let him live, somewhere far from here."

"So he gets to live a happy life after he turned all my hybrids against me, after he tried to kill me, after he made it his life's mission to find the cure so he could use it against me?" Klaus asked.

"We all want the cure," Caroline said.

"Do we? That's news to me," Klaus smirked. "Do you?"

"It doesn't matter. There's only one, so it's not like I'm gonna get it anyway," Caroline said.

"But if you could, you wouldn't, would you?" Klaus mused. "You prefer who you are now to the girl you once were. You like being strong, ageless, fearless. You say you hate me, but we're the same, Caroline."

"Then show me," Caroline said. "You know how much I love Tyler."

"Is he your epic love?" Klaus smirked, recalling the words she had said before he healed her. "I'm not quite sure I believe that. And my girl wants you to have epic love. Perhaps I'm doing you a favor. Freeing you to find it."

"He is my epic love. I don't have to prove that to you to know," she said. "You can see how scared I am to lose him. If you and I are so similar, then show me your compassion. Show him the mercy that I would show you."

"Mercy," Klaus repeated. "For Tyler? Very well. Tell him to leave town immediately. And tell him to run and hide in a place I will never find him."

You heard the change in his tone. You could see the look in his eyes, so indiscernible, you would have missed it if you didn't know him so well.

"Of course," she said quickly, relief in her eyes.

"Tell him that this is the mercy I extend for your sake," he said. "For helping Y/N when I couldn't, for being her friend, this is what I give to you. That I will give him a head start before I kill him."

• • •

It was hours later when you felt something shift in the air. Klaus felt it too as he looked at you. You'd been stuck in here for days now. Bonnie had spelled it for three days. A three day head start for them, as far as you were concerned. But something had changed. Klaus walked to the barrier and reached out with his hand. Nothing stopped him.

"Come," he said softly, holding his hand out.

"We have to take...his body," you didn't move, your eyes moving to the sheet covering him.

"I know," he said. "I will handle it."

"No," you said. "I will do it."

"Love..."

"I'll do it, Klaus," you said as you stood, and walked over to your best friend's best corpse. You lifted him up easily, keeping the sheet covering him. You didn't want to see his face, you couldn't. Klaus watched you silently, not interfering. He understood. Kol had never been close to his siblings, not like he was to you. Losing his magic, it had caused a rift between them that wasn't easily overcome. They hadn't tried very hard, admittedly. Not when the primary goal was breaking the curse. But you had. You had tried to make him feel loved too. And you had failed.

You followed Klaus out and saw Caroline was standing alone on the porch. She turned at the sound and her eyes widened. "How did you get out?"

"I fear something awful has befallen your friend Bonnie," Klaus told her. You saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't worry, Caroline. I already told you, I will not harm you as repayment for your friendship to Y/N."

"You've done enough," she glared at him.

"I've done more than enough," Klaus said. "I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity...I've even shown mercy. They are lucky Y/N likes you."

Caroline's gaze softened when she looked behind him to where you were standing, Kol's body still in your arms. "Y/N...can we talk?"

"I have things to do," you said, looking down at the sheet.

"Please? Just for a moment," she begged.

Klaus made the decision for you as he stepped to you. "Let me take him."

"Nik," you said softly.

"I will take him home, prepare him...I don't want you to have to see him like this, love," he put his hand on your cheek. "Let me take him."

You sighed, nodding as you let him take his body from your arms. It was probably better this way. You didn't think you could see it. He leaned forward and kissed your forehead. "Talk to your friend. I will see you at home."

You nodded and he left. You looked over at Caroline, waiting for her to talk. "Are you...okay?" she asked finally and you just stared at her. "Okay, dumb question. I just didn't know what to say."

"What do you want, Caroline?" you sighed.

"I just...I know you're hurting and what with you being stuck with Klaus, I didn't want to talk in front of him but I just wanted you to know again. I'm so, so sorry for what happened."

"You said you weren't involved," you crossed your arms. "Which is why you're not dead from the werewolf venom."

She winced at your tone. "I know, thank you for that."

"You said I was your best friend," you said.

"I meant it," she said. "I know we haven't really known each other that long, and I know we're technically on opposite sides, but I love you."

You sighed, your gaze softening a bit. "I wouldn't have let him kill you, not really. I was just angry."

"I know," she said softly. "Okay, I didn't know but I hoped." She chuckled nervously.

"So...Tyler is gone?" you asked.

"Yeah," she said miserably. "I don't know where he's going to go, but at least he's still alive."

"You know I can't stop him with this, right?" you said. "I know you love him. But there's some things that Klaus won't listen to me on."

"Yeah, I know," she said. "God, I wish this could all be easier, you know? Like if we could all just get along and stop killing each other. I mean you and I get along just fine. Why is this so hard?"

You laughed. "You're about to try to barter our friendship for Elena's life, aren't you?"

She gave you a guilty smile. "I love you but I love her too. I know she hurt you..."

"No, Caroline," you cut her off. "I'm not going to be swayed on this so don't waste your time. I know she and the rest of you all are under the impression that everyone else's lives are less important than hers, but she's not the center of my universe. She took something from me, and I intend to pay it back. A life for a life."

"Y/N, please..."

"I have to go," you stepped back. "I have to go bury my best friend."

You walked away before she could respond.

• • •

Thank you for reading! I promised I would get this one out as soon as possible since the last one was so short lol I hope you liked it! Klaus giving her the ring to try to keep her humanity on was like something I planned for agesssss since I had her walk away from the ring back in like chapter 15 or 16 so just 30 chapters later lol