AVY laid back on the sandy beach as Caroline's voice came through Elena's phone.
"Tell me you're not serious" Caroline said.
"I wish I weren't" Elena sighed "When we got back from looking for Jeremy, Shane and Bonnie were 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"
"Well, where's Damon in all this?" Caroline asked.
"We had an argument" Elena answered "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 questioned.
"Meaning somebody probably jumped him and then grabbed him!" Elena sighed.
"Do you think Shane took him?" Caroline wondered.
"No, I mean, he's not strong enough to take Damon on, even with the element of surprise" Avy answered "He must have someone, or at least a few someones helping him"
"I'm so sorry, I wish I was there to help" Caroline said.
"Well, maybe there's something you can do from home" Elena said.
"Anything" Caroline agreed "Tell me"
"So Shane's looking for the cure, we think we can find him" Elena said "We have pictures of Jeremy's tattoo, but we just can't translate the map"
"Unless you get the Hunter's Sword from Klaus" Caroline finished.
"Exactly" Elena agreed.
"He'll never give up the sword" Rebekah said.
"Yeah, but if anyone's gonna get him to give it up, it's Caroline" Stefan reasoned.
"He will never give up the sword, not even for Caroline" Rebekah argued "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"
"Well, maybe he doesn't have to give it up, I mean, Klaus is stuck in Elena's house by Bonnie's spell, he can't go anywhere" Avy suggested "There's only so many places you can hide a three-foot piece of metal"
"I'll find it, don't worry" Caroline said "Just e-mail me photos of Jeremy's tattoo, I'll find the sword, and I'll call you back"
"Thank you, Caroline" Elena thanked.
-
Rebekah raised her cell into the air, receiving no signal as Avy sunbathed on the sand.
"And once again, everyone's life is in danger looking for this cure because poor Elena can't deal with being a vampire" Elena sighed.
"What did we say about the victim complex, Elena?" Avy said.
"No, everyone's here because they want to be" Stefan said "Not just for you, but for themselves too"
"Stefan, why didn't you tell me that you wanted the cure for yourself?" Elena asked.
"I mean, why wouldn't I want to take it? I've seen every side of vampirism there is" Stefan said "The power...the misery, the guilt, in the long run, even the good parts kind of suck, too"
"Yeah, I mean, I know why you would want to take it, but what I'm saying is...why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked.
"Because it had nothing to do with you" Stefan said "I mean, you know how much I wanted a human life with you, but being human myself, being normal -- that's something I've wanted since long before I met you"
"Well, I'm glad you told me now" Elena smiled.
"Yeah, what's a deeply buried personal secret between friends, right?" Stefan grinned.
"Between friends? I like that" Elena agreed.
-
Avy moved to stand with Rebekah, the pair entertaining each other as they waited boredly on the beach.
"Hello?" Rebekah answered as her phone began to ring.
"Hey, it's Caroline, we have the translation of the tattoo" Caroline said "We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now"
"Got it" Rebekah thanked "Thanks"
"Actually, it was me" Klaus spoke.
"Nik, you helped?" Rebekah asked.
"You sound so surprised, little sister" Klaus smirked.
"Shouldn't I be? I mean, you don't want me to be human" Rebekah stated "You don't want any of us to be human, why would you help us 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, perhaps I want my sister to finally know happiness" Klaus suggested.
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me a hundred times--" Rebekah said.
"No more fooling, no more games, I hope you get to live, and die, as you wish" Klaus said.
"So do I" Rebekah nodded.
"There is one more thing, Rebekah" Klaus began "There is only one dose of the cure, you need to find it first and take it, it's the only way you'll-"
The call was cut off.
"Nik!" Rebekah called.
"There's only one?" Avy scoffed with a laugh.
"Come on" Rebekah said.
-
They trekked across the island, making their way towards a cliff edge.
"What did Caroline say?" Elena wondered.
"I don't know, we lost the signal" Rebekah lied, Avy smirking "Come on, this way"
"We need to get down and across" Stefan stated "Advantage, vampires: all we have to do is jump"
"Wait, wait, maybe you should leave the map behind" Elena suggested "In case you fall, you don't want anything to happen to the phone"
"Are we doing this again? I thought we were a team?" Rebekah hissed.
"Guys, we don't have time for this, Elena, you go first, we'll be right behind you" Stefan suggested.
Elena sighed, hesitating before jumping from the cliff.
"Stefan, there's something you should know" Rebekah said.
"There's only one dose of the cure" Avy informed "Klaus translated the sword and told Rebekah.
"So you're sure that Klaus is telling the truth? That there's only one dose of the cure?" Stefan asked "Well, I guess that's what happens when you're dumb enough to hold out hope.
"There's still hope for one of us" Rebekah said "But even if I felt pity for you, if I wanted to ease your pain so I gave you the cure to take for yourself, you'd give it to Elena, wouldn't you?"
Stefan stayed silent.
"That's what I thought" Rebekah sighed "Well, I'm sorry that it couldn't work out the way that we all wanted it to"
Avy snapped Stefan's neck, watching as his body fell from the cliff.
"Bye bye, Stefan" Avy grinned.
"I thought you were on Stefan's side" Rebekah looked up at him.
"I'm on the side of fun, Beks" Avy wrapped his arm around her "And wherever you go, fun seems to follow"
"Well, then let's go" Rebekah said.
They moved towards the cave systems, seeing Damon facing off with a hunter.
"Now this is fun" Avy grinned.
-
Avy stood beside Damon and Rebekah, the hunter on the other side of the cage training his gun on them.
"Are we gonna dance or are we gonna play?" Damon asked.
"You know he can't hurt us, Damon, unless he's got the white oak stake" Rebekah said.
"Oh, he doesn't, but he's got other toys" Damon said.
The hunter shot Avy three times, Rebekah speeding towards him, grabbing him by the throat. The hunter stabbed a grenade into her chest, wooden stakes protruding from it, the hunter pulling the pin sending the stakes flying through Rebekah's body, the girl being neutralised.
Damon sped towards the hunter, the hunter throwing a vervain grenade at Avy as he stood, tying a vervain soaked lasso around Damon's neck, securing him to a pole. Avy growled as the hunter disappeared into the large shaft before them, Stefan and Elena running into sight.
Avy pulled the bullets from his body as Stefan moved to help Damon.
"You're wasting time" Damon said "Just get the cure, go"
"We're not gonna leave you" Elena argued.
"No, we aren't" Stefan said "You need to go ahead, we'll be right behind you, go!"
Elena grabbed Avy's hand, the pair jumping down into the shaft.
-
Elena and Avy moved through the passage, finding no sign of their friend or god-brother, glancing around warily as they heard rocks falling.
"Stefan? Hello?" Elena called, her voice echoing.
"Elena" A voice called "Avy"
Avy turned, glaring as he saw a familiar face, turning as Elena's neck was snapped, his snapped a moment after.
-
Avy began to wake slowly, groaning as he rubbed his head.
"Elena, Avy!" Stefan worried "What happened?"
"She's here" Elena managed.
Avy's eyes shot open, the boy speeding through the passages. He froze as he sped into the main room of the cave, seeing Silas' hand gripping Jeremy's throat, a loud crack falling through the room as Jeremy fell to the floor dead.
Avy felt a wave of pain and grief wash over him, every emotions he had pushed away for the last however long rushing back into him, filling him with agony.
"Jeremy!"