———
While Nik and I remained in the Gilbert family living room, everyone in the mystic falls gang, save for Tyler and Caroline, we're on a remote island trying to find Silas, and with him, the cure.
Caroline was at the house, fully healed from her werewolf bite and was currently speaking frustratedly into the phone about something to do with Jeremy's tattoo.
As she ends the call, Nik smirks and makes a teasing comment. "Need my help with anything, love?"
"Nope." Caroline replies plainly before striding out of the house to go find whatever they needed to translate Jeremy's hunter's mark.
———
A few hours later, Caroline returned to the house, with Tyler in tow.
I watched curiously as he gripped onto something that was wrapped in a tarp like cover
"Well, if it isn't little orphan Lockwood. Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?" Nik taunts.
"I'm just trying to help my friends find the cure." Tyler sighs.
Caroline sits next to me on the couch as Tyler unwraps the hunter's sword from the tarp.
"Oh my god! It's my beautiful sword!" I squeal excitedly.
I immediately jump from my seat and grab the sword, lightly swinging it around, pretending to fight off imaginary enemies just like the first time I held it.
"Angel, what did I say about playing with the sharp weaponry?" Nik asks, gently pulling the sword out of my hand and resting it on the coffee table.
"Not to." I sulk.
"So let's just admire from a distance alright?" He responds.
I frown but nod.
"Found this in your attic." Tyler says.
I look at him to see he's holding the sword now.
"So he can hold it but not me?" I grumble.
"And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the cure?" Nik asks Tyler, ignoring my comment.
"You tell me. I was playing around with the handle on the ride over, and I found this." Tyler unwraps the leather on the top of the sword, revealing some sort of turning device.
"Nik. Come on! It's so cool. Pleaseeeeee can I have it?" I beg.
Nik chuckles but once again answers Tyler instead. "And what do you think 'this' is?"
"It's called a cryptex. You turn the different sides to the different symbols to get the translation on the other side." I answer excitedly.
"How do you know that? Has Klaus been giving you like secret villain classes or something?" Tyler chuckles at his own joke.
"No. I've just seen the da Vinci code." I respond.
Asshole.
"Well, with the magic of the internet, Elena sent over these." Caroline says as she holds up print-outs of Jeremy's tattoo. "So now all we have to do is cryptex away."
"If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you." Caroline looks at Nik.
"Right. Well, might I suggest using the magic of the internet to purchase an Aramaic-to-English dictionary from your nearest retailer." Nik smirks.
"What's Aramaic?" Tyler asks.
"It's a dead language. It hasn't been used since, like, biblical times." Caroline answers.
"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing. You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate. Perhaps weeks." Nik shrugs.
He then says something in a different language that I can't understand.
"What does that mean?" Caroline asks.
"If only you spoke Aramaic." Nik grins
I am very attracted to him right now.
———
I watch as Caroline looks through the pictures of Jeremy's tattoo and index cards of the Aramaic symbols lying on the table.
"Okay, this is it. We've translated all the symbols on the tattoo." She announces then attempts to read her translation "Passage inside...requires a young senator, and a pretty flower." Okay, none of this makes sense!" She cuts herself off in frustration.
"Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom." Nik translates correctly.
I smile at him.
"What are you doing?" Tyler questions his helpfulness.
"I don't need to tell you my reasons. Caroline, Bring my sword over here." Nik instructs.
Caroline complies and Nik looks at the sword before translating some more
"Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand." He pauses, glancing at the photos of Jeremy's tattoo "Turn the cryptex to the right." He orders. "Stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map. Turn it to the left. Now turn the other piece. There's something else."
Nik says something in Aramaic but won't translate it.
"What does it mean?" Caroline questions, only earning a smirk in response. "Klaus, what does it mean?"
———
Caroline was now calling Rebekah to relay the information Nik had provided them with.
"Hello?" Rebekah answers through the speaker as she picks up the phone.
"Hey, it's Caroline. We have the translation of the tattoo. We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now." Caroline replies.
"Got it. Thanks." Rebekah says after a moment.
"Actually, it was me." Nik takes credit.
"Nik, you helped?" Rebekah asks skeptically.
"You sound so surprised, little sister." Nik smirks at her disbelieving voice.
"Shouldn't I be? I mean, 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 questions.
"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." Nik answers.
I smile at his words, leaning into his side more.
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me a hundred times--"
"No more fooling. No more games. I hope you get to live, and die, as you wish." Nik cuts her off.
"So do I." Rebekah sighs.
"There is one more thing, Rebekah. There is only one dose of the cure. You need to find it first and take it. It's the only way you'll-" Nik spits out as fast as he can before Tyler abruptly ends the call.
———
I sat with Nik in the living room as Caroline and Tyler talked on the porch.
After the phone call, Tyler started freaking out because he couldn't use the cure on Nik, which meant Nik would kill him for the threats he'd been spewing.
Caroline then walked back into the living room. "You can't kill Tyler." She says softly.
"Not only can I, I have to. I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to." Nik answers.
"I'm not asking you to forgive him. All I'm asking is that you let him live, somewhere far from here." Caroline says.
"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 cuts him off defensively.
"Do we? Do you?" Nik questions.
I look between the two, remaining quiet as they argue back and forth.
"It doesn't matter. There's only one, so it's not like I'm gonna get it anyway."
"But if you could...you wouldn't, would you? You prefer who you are now to the girl you once were. You like being strong, ageless, fearless. We're more alike than you wish to admit, Caroline."
"Then show me. You know how much I love Tyler. 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." Caroline begs.
"Mercy? 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." Nik says.
I was a little shocked to be honest. I usually have to ask him to pardon people.
"Of course." Caroline nods, grabbing her jacket and getting ready to leave.
"Tell him that this is the mercy I extend for your sake as Ivy's friend...that I will give him a head start before I kill him." Nik says.
Ah. There it is.
Caroline's face falls as she turns back to Nik. She quickly leaves for the porch again.
I sigh and turn to Nik.
"Is there any way you could possibly just let him leave?" I ask hesitantly.
"Ivy, he has been utterly disrespectful towards you and he has crossed me one too many times. I must do what is necessary." Nik replies.
"I know you have to punish him. But please, I'm begging you. Just make him leave town. He won't be in any of our business and he doesn't get to be around Caroline anymore, I say that's good enough. There's no need to take his life." I say.
Nik looks down in thought for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "Very well. But if I see him step one toe back in this town, he's done."
"Thank you!" I smile, kissing him quickly before rushing to tell Caroline.
———
It had been about an hour or so after that when we discovered Nik could leave the living room.
We finally began to leave the house, stepping out onto the porch.
I frown as I see Caroline sulking on the porch swing.
I guess the sadness about Tyler leaving had settled in.
"Are you okay, Care?" I ask gently.
"I don't want to talk about it." She snaps angrily.
Nik sends her a pointed look.
"How did you get out?" She asks Nik
"I fear something awful has befallen your friend Bonnie." Nik answers.
"Don't talk about Bonnie. You've done enough." Caroline glares.
"I've done more than enough. I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity...because of you are Ivy's friend. That is the only reason, so I'd watch your tone when speaking with her next time." Nik warns.
Caroline doesn't answer, so Nik led me down the front steps, finally being able to return to our house.
"So, about that sword..." I start.
"No."
———
I went to a soccer game and the players were literally about to start beating each other up. I LOVE drama!