I was still at Elena's, healed, standing in the family room, away from Klaus.

Stefan had called me to tell me that Jeremy, Bonnie and Shane were missing, along with the Silas headstone.

"Tell me you're not serious."

"I wish I weren't. 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?" 

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

"Meaning what?" 

"Meaning somebody probably jumped him and then grabbed him." 

"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." 

"God. I wish I was there to help." 

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

"Anything to get our brother back and kill that psycho. Tell me." 

 "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." 

"Unless you get the Hunter's sword from Klaus."

Klaus smirked. 

"Exactly." 

I heard Rebekah in the backround. "He'll never give up the sword." 

"Yeah, but if anyonne's gonna get him to give it up, it's Kaylin,' Elena told her.

"He will never give up the sword, not even for Kaylin. 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 i up. I mean, Klaus is stuck in my house by Bonnie's spell. He can't go anywhere. There's only so many places you can hide a three-foot piece of metal."

"I'll find it, don't worry. Just e-mail me photos of Jeremy's tattoo. I'll find the sword, and I'll call you back." 

"Thank you, Kaylin," Stefan told me. 

"Bye, brother, keep yourself from being taken too." 

I hung up. 

Klaus was still smirking. "Need my help with anything, love?" 

"Nope," I told him, striding out of the house without looking at him, leaving him looking slightly amused.

****

I called Tyler for help, because who would know Klaus' house better than a formerly sired hybrid who wanted revenge against the man who killed his mother? 

Caroline, Tyler and I walked into the Gilbert house. I had a laptop. Caroline had a bag of things we needed to translate the map. Tyler had the sword wrapped in a blanket. 

Klaus was sitting on the coffee table. "Well, if it isn't little orphan Lockwood. Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?" 

"I'm just trying to help my friends find the Cure," Tyler told him. Caroline sat on the couch. Tyler revealed the sword from the blanket. "Found this in your attic." 

"And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the Cure?" 

"You tell me," Tyler told him. "I was playing around with the handle on the ride over, and I found this." 

Tyler unwrapped the leather on the top of the sword, revealing a turning device with symbols engraved.

Klaus looked amused, walking closer. "And what do you think 'this' is?" 

Caroline stood. "It's called a cryptex." Tyler and I looked at her. "I've seen The da Vinci Code. You turn the different sides to the different symbols to get the translation on the othe side." She turned to the table. "And with the magic of the Internet, Elena set over these." She held up print-outs of Jeremy's tattoo. "So now all we have to do is cryptex away." She sat down. "If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you."

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

Klaus smirked. 

Tyler turned to me. "What's Aramaic?" 

"It's a dead language," I answered. "It hasn't been used since, like, biblical time. Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing. Even if we had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate. Maybe weeks."

Klaus smirked, sitting down. "In bas so-teen-too ara-ma-eet."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

Klaus looked up, grinning. "'If only you spoke Aramaic.'"

I exhaled in realization and annoyance, looking away.

 Damn him.

****

I had the picture of Jeremy's tattoo on my laptop screen. 

Index cars with symbols and translations sat on the table. 

Tyler, Caroline and I were sitting on the couch.

"Okay, this is it," Caroline told us. "We've translated all the symbols on the tattoo." She read the translation. "'Passage inside . . . requires a young senator, and a pretty flower.'" She let the cards fall in irritation. "Okay, none of this makes sense! Kaylin?'

"What do I look like, Caroline, an Aramaic school teacher?" I asked. "I don't know any more than you do." 

****

Klaus spoke Aramaic, translating it to English. "'Requires a powerful witch and a Hunter in full bloom.'"

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked. 

"I don't need to tell you my reasons," Klaus told us. "Kaylin. Bring my sword over here." 

****

I stood in front of Klaus close enough for him to read the cryptex on the sword hilt.

"'Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand,'" Klaus told us. He glanced at the pictures of Jeremy's tattoo on the computer screen. "Turn the cryptex to the right." I turned the cryptex to the right. "Stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map. Turn it to the left." I turned it to the left. "Now turn the other piece." I turned the smaller piece. "There's something else."  

****

Klaus spoke Aramaic, but didn't give any translation. 

 "What does it mean?" I asked. Klaus smiled. "Klaus, what does it mean?" 

****

I called Rebekah, having it on speaker on the table. 

"Hello?" 

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

"Got it. Thanks." 

"Actually, it was me," Klaus told her. 

"Nik, you helped?" 

"You sound so surprised, little sister." 

"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?" 

"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." 

 "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."

"So do I." 

"There is one more thing, Rebekah." Tyler, Caroline and I looked at Klaus. Klaus spoke quickly. "There is only one does of the Cure. You need to find it first and take it. It's the only way you'll--"

Tyler rushed to hang up the phone.

Klaus smirked, taking a step back. 

 I gave him a look, looking away in annoyance and defeat.

If there was only one Cure, and Rebekah knew that, she would do whatever it took to make sure that she would be the only one that would take it. 

****

Tyler walked out onto the front porch, Caroline following him. "Every time I think I have him, that son of a bitch gets the upper hand." 

 "We won't let him hurt you," Caroline told him. "Stefan and Elena will bring back the Cure."

"If they get to it first!" Tyler told him. "And if they don't, Klaus kills me." He started to get hysterical. "I need out of town to figure out how I'm gonna stay alive--"

I walked onto the porch. "Wait, hang on, okay? God! Before you hemorrahage and die, just calm the hell down." 

Caroline looked at me pleadingly. "Can you please try and talk to him? You're the only one he'll listen to, and if somebody doesn't talk to him, then he kills Tyler, and I can't--I can't--" 

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

"I'm not gonna say goodbye to you again, do you understand me?" Caroline asked. 

Tyler and Caroline looked at me. 

I sighed, nodding. "I'll try to fix this." 

"Thank you," Caroline breathed.

I nodded, backing away inside. 

****

Klaus was sitting in an armchair in the living room.

I walked in, staying completely calm, because if I got angry at him, that would have the opposite effect. "You can't kill Tyler." 

"Not only can I, I have to," Klaus told me. "I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to."

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

"Why?" Klaus asked. "Why would you care so much?" 

"Because, believe it or not Klaus, these are my friends," I told him. "Tyler is still my friend. Caroline will be destroyed. I know that you don't care about any of that, but surprisingly, I do." 

"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 us it against me--" Klaus started. 

 "We all want the Cure," I cut him off defensively. 

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

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

"But if you could . . ." Klaus trailed off. "You wouldn't, would you?" I tilted my head slightly, giving my answer by the expression I gave him. No. "You prefer who you are now to the girl you once were. You like being strong, ageless, fearless." He took a step closer to me, standing in front of me. "We're the same, Kaylin. We don't want to change, but we're alone all the same."

"If you and I are so similar, then show me your compassion," I told him. "Show Tyler the mercy that I would show you. Spare Caroline the grief of losing the love of her life. You've lost me once before. You know the pain of losing someone you love. Why would you ever wish that on anyone else?" 

Klaus looked affected by my words, slowly nodded. "Mercy . . .for Tyler. Very well. Tell him to leave town immediately. Tell them to have their last epic goodbye." He started walking away, turning toward me. "And tell him to run and hide in a place I will never find him." 

"Sure," I told him, turning around, starting to walk away, grabbing my leather jacket.

"Tell them that this is the mercy I extend for you sake  . . " Klaus trailed off. "That I will give him a head start before I kill him." 

Oh, shit.

I turned toward him with an emotionless expression. 

Klaus didn't react.

****

Caroline and Tyler had said goodbye. Tyler had left before she had, but now she was gone too. 

I walked onto the porch, sighing, slowly sitting on the porch swing where Caroline had sat. 

The front door opened.

Klaus walked outside.

"How did you get out?" I asked. 

"I fear something awful has befallen your friend Bonnie," Klaus told me, starting to approach me. I tensed reflexively. "Don't worry, love. You know I'd never hurt you."

"That's a joke, right?" I asked. Klaus raised his eyebrows slightly in a slight amusement. "You've done enough." 

"I've done more than enough," Klaus told me. "I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity. Because of you, Kaylin. It was all for you." 

I didn't answer.

We just looked at each other for a moment, neither of us speaking. 

Klaus nodded, turning around, walking away, turning off the porch, down the stairs and leaving me alone.