14. Down The Rabbit Hole

Caroline and Brayden stood in the Gilbert's living room, they were still here to keep an eye on Klaus, when they got a call from Kaitlynn who was currently with Rebekah, Stefan and Fae.

"Tell me you're not serious" Caroline said, putting her phone on speaker, after Kaitlynn told her that Shane and Damon both had gone missing.

"Trust me, I wish I wasn't" Kaitlynn said from the other side, "Damon had gone to check out our surroundings but then he never came back, we went looking for him but when we got back Shane was gone as well, we think Shane might be working with the others, I mean he doesn't want the cure he only wants Silas and he can't do that without Bonnie and Jeremy".

"Okay so Shane ran away to Bonnie and Jeremy, where the hell did Damon go?" a confused Brayden asked.

"We don't know, we went to the beach to check for him where we saw signs of a struggle" Kaitlynn informed.

"Meaning what?" Caroline asked.

"Meaning someone probably jumped Damon" a worried Kaitlynn replied.

"Do you think Shane took him?" Caroline asked.

"No" Brayden said, feeling extremely worried for his brother, "Shane isn't strong enough to take Damon on, even with the element of surprise Damon would easily kill Shane".

"Exactly" Kaitlynn agreed, "We think Shane might have had help from someone else".

"God, I'm so sorry, I wish we were there to help" Caroline said.

"Actually, you two can help" Kaitlynn said.

"Anything, tell me" a eager Caroline said.

"Shane, Bonnie, Elena and Jeremy are looking for the cure" Kaitlynn reminded, "Shane left behind pictures of the hunters mark, only problem is that we can't translate the map".

"To translate the map, you need the hunter's sword, which is currently with Klaus" Brayden finished, glancing at the smug hybrid.

"Yeap" Kaitlynn whispered.

"He'll never give up the sword" Rebekah told Stefan and Fae.

"Yeah but if anyone can get him to give it up, it's Caroline and Brayden" Stefan said.

"Caroline will try her good way, if that doesn't work then Brayden's bad way will definitely work" Fae added.

"He'll never give up the sword, not even for Caroline" Rebekah stated, "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 moments worth of happiness from being human".

"Well, maybe he doesn't have to give it up" Stefan suggested, "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".

Brayden let out a frustrated sigh, having heard his brother, "We'll get the sword, one way or another".

"Just e-mail us the photos of the hunter's mark" Caroline said, "We'll find the sword and call you back".

"Thanks, guys" Kaitlynn said.

"Bye" Caroline said, hanging up on the Pierce vampire.

"Need my help with anything, love?" Klaus taunted.

"No" Brayden said, grabbing Caroline's hand and both of them walking out of the Gilbert house to go look for the hunter's sword at Klaus's mansion.

***

After very easily finding the hunter's sword, Caroline and Brayden once again entered the Gilbert's house, Tyler right behind them.

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

"I'm just trying to help my friends find the cure" Tyler retorted, he pointed towards the sword in Brayden's hand, "Found that in your attic".

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

"You tell me, see Brayden over there was playing around with the handle of the ride, and he found something" Tyler informed.

Klaus looked over at Brayden, who removed the brown cloth on the handle of the sword, revealing the cryptex he discovered.

"And what do you think that is?" Klaus asked Brayden.

Brayden looked towards Caroline and with his head gestured for her to explain.

"It's called a cryptex" Caroline informed, making Tyler look at her, wondering how she knew that, "I've seen The Da Vinci Code, you turn the different sides to different symbols to get the translation on the other side, and with the magic of the internet, Kaitlynn sent over these", Caroline showed Klaus the photos of the hunters mark Kaitlynn had found in Shane's abandoned tent, "So now all we have to do is cryptex away" Caroline sat back next to Brayden, she then looked at Klaus, "If you happened to want to help, 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 newest retailer" Klaus said.

"What's Aramaic?" a confused Tyler asked.

"Nothing now" Brayden informed, "It's a dead language, no one has used Aramaic since the biblical times".

"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing" Klaus added, "You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world it could take days to translate", Klaus sat down on the coffee table, "Perhaps weeks", suddenly Klaus started speaking in a different language.

"What does that mean?" a confused Caroline asked, while Brayden let out an annoyed groan, figuring out what language Klaus was speaking in.

"If only you spoke Aramaic" Klaus revealed.

"You know Aramaic" Brayden realised.

"I know Aramaic" Klaus confirmed, his signature smirk on his face.

"God dammit!" a frustrated Brayden yelled.

***

"Okay, this is it" Caroline informed, "We've translated all the symbols on the mark, passage inside requires a young senator and a pretty flower", Caroline let out a frustrated sigh, "None of this makes sense!".

Klaus suddenly started reading the Aramaic text, "Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom" he finally translated.

"What are you doing?" a confused Tyler asked.

"I don't need to tell you my reasons" Klaus simply said, "Brayden, bring my sword over here".

Brayden rolled his eyes, instead of getting up himself he gave the sword over to Tyler, "Go on" he said, gesturing towards Klaus.

Tyler shook his head but nonetheless stood up and walked over to Klaus, he then started turning the cryptex to allow Klaus to translate.

"Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand" Klaus read, he then looked at hunters mark displayed on the laptop screen, "Turn the cryptex to the right" he instructed Tyler, who did as he was told, "Stop, the top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map, turn it to the left", Tyler turned top piece of the sword to the left, "Now turn the other piece", Tyler did so, "There's something else", but instead of reading it in english, Klaus read whatever was written in Aramaic.

"What does it mean?"  a curious Caroline asked, but Klaus stayed quiet, but a smug look did form on his face, "Klaus, what does it mean?!".

***

"Hello?" Rebekah answered her phone.

"Hey, it's Caroline" Caroline greeted, after realising Klaus wasn't going to spill anything about what he read, the trio decided to just send what Klaus did translate, hoping whatever he was hiding wasn't anything important, "We have the translation of the tattoo, we're e-mailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now".

Just as Brayden pressed sent on his laptop, Rebekah's phone beeped, "Got it, thanks" she informed.

"Actually, it was me" Klaus informed his sister, pacing back and forth.

"Nik, you helped? a surprised Rebekah asked.

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

"Shouldn't I be? You don't want me to be human" Rebekah reminded, "You don't want any of us to be human, why would you help us to find the cure?".

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

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me a hundred times--".

"No more fooling" Klaus assured, "No more games, I hope you get to live and die as you wish".

"So do I" Rebekah whispered.

"There is one more thing, Rebekah" Klaus said, "There is only one dose of the cure, you need to find it first and take it, it's the only way you'll--".

Brayden quickly grabbed Caroline's phone that was placed on the table and hanged up on Rebekah before Klaus could finish his sentence, but they all knew the damage was already done.

Caroline and Brayden looked at each other, realising Rebekah wasn't going to let anyone but her have the cure and turn human, shattering the dreams of Stefan, Fae and Kaitlynn.

***

A frustrated Tyler stepped out to the Gilbert's porch, Caroline and Brayden followed behind him.

"Every time I think I have him, that son of a bitch gets the upper hand" Tyler snapped, as Brayden sat on the swing, he put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes and relaxed.

"We won't let him hurt you" Caroline assured, "Stefan, Fae and Kaitlynn will bring back the cure".

"If they get to it first" Tyler retorted, "And if they don't, Klaus kills me, I need to get out of town and figure out how I'm going to stay alive--".

"Wait, hang on, okay?" Caroline interrupted a panicking Tyler, "Before you get all doomsday, just, at least, let me try and talk to him".

"He's got nothing to lose, Care" Tyler reminded, "His brother's dead, his hybrids are gone, all he wants right now is blood, starting with mine".

Brayden sighed, he stood up and looked at Tyler, "As much as I hate saying this, if Klaus is going to listen to anyone then it is Caroline, let her try to save your life, at least get you a deal, at this point you should take anything Klaus gives you, because you're right, the moment that spell is gone, you're dead".

Tyler looked at Brayden, then at Caroline, and after a moment of thinking, nodded his head, "Fine" he said.

***

Caroline reentered the Gilbert's house and walked over to Klaus who was sitting on the armchair.

"You can't kill Tyler" Caroline told Klaus.

"Not only can I, I have to" Klaus said, "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".

Klaus stood up and started walking towards Caroline, "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".

"We all want the cure" Caroline snapped.

"Do we?" Klaus asked, "Do you?".

"It doesn't matter, there's only one so it's not like I'm gonna get it anywhere" Caroline replied, not wanting to tell Klaus that she didn't want the cure.

"But if you could?" Klaus asked, "You wouldn't, would you? You prefer who you are now to the girl you once were, you like being strong, ageless, fearless", Klaus took another step towards Caroline, "We're the same, Caroline".

"Then show me" Caroline said, "Tyler is my friend, I've known him since I was a child, I don't want 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 said, "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".

"Of course" a happy Caroline said, grabbing her jacket from the couch and turning her back to Klaus.

"Tell him that this is the mercy I extend for your sake" Klaus said, as Caroline wore her jacket, "That I will give him a head start before I kill him".

Caroline turned and looked at Klaus in both shock and disbelief.

***

After Tyler leaving, Caroline and Brayden sat on the swing, with Caroline's head on Brayden's shoulder, they were talking about the different stars up in the night sky, when the Gilbert's front door opened and Klaus stepped out, confusing and shocking both Caroline and Brayden.

"How did you get out?" Caroline asked, as Brayden stood up.

"I fear something awful has befallen Bonnie" Klaus informed.

"She deserves whatever is happening to her on that island" Brayden stated, anger evident in his voice.

Klaus ignored Brayden and took a step towards Caroline, causing her to immediately stand up, and Brayden to step between them two.

Brayden shoved Klaus away from Caroline, "Keep your distance from her" he warned.

"Relax Brayden, you know I'd never hurt her" Klaus reminded.

"That's a lie" Brayden snapped, "You've hurt her too many times to count now".

"I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity" Klaus said, "Because of her, Brayden, it was all for her".

"Because you love her" Brayden whispered, looking at Klaus then at Caroline, "You know the difference between my love and your love Klaus? Your love is selfish Klaus, you want Caroline for yourself even if it means separating her from the person she really loves, but my love is selfless, if Caroline loved you, I would have let go of her straight away, because for me nothing is above her happiness, but you can't say that can you? Maybe that's why she won't love you like she loves me".

Brayden held his out hand and Caroline gladly placed her hand in his and both of them walked away from Klaus while he watched on.

***

Presenting 4x14 of They Don't Know About Us!

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Brayden and Caroline needing Klaus to translate the hunter's mark?

Thoughts on Klaus revealing to Rebekah that there is only one dose of the cure?

Thoughts on Caroline pleading to Klaus for Tyler's life?

Thoughts on Brayden telling Klaus why Caroline won't love him like she loves Brayden?