At home, in the library, I saw Stefan sitting on a couch, reading through some old papers.

I walked up to him. "What are you doing?"

"Going through some old stuff," Stefan answered.

"Any reason why?" I asked.

"No," Stefan told me. His phone rang. He answered. "Hey, sorry, I know I'm late." 

 Caroline was on the other end. "If I'm gonna be a friend in your time of need, then you need to work on your punctuality. I'm in a crisis. Where are you?" 

 "I'm at my house. Why? What's wrong?" 

"My boyfriend is a dumbass martyr. Wait, and why are you at your house? Aren't you trying to keep your distance from Elena?"

"Well, she's not here anymore. Damon took Jeremy to the Gilbert lake house with Bonnie so I guess her house is safe for her again. Hey, listen, I got Klaus to tell me a little bit more about this Hunter's sword. You know that map in Jeremy's tattoo? The sword decodes it. It's literally the key to finding the Cure."

 "Klaus told you this?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"And did he happen to hand you over the sword for safekeeping?" 

"Uh, what do you think?" Caroline sighed. "What's wrong?" 

"We need to get our hands on that sword. Like today. Tyler and his hybrids are taking out Klaus tonight. Where's Kaylin?" 

"Right here." Stefan looked at me. I gave him a look, opening my mouth to speak my complaint about Klaus bait. He cut me off. "She's in." 

****

In the Town Square, children were running around in the fake snow and starting snowball fights for the Winter Wonderland Charity Event.

I was in the Grill, admiring the postmodern snowflake Klaus painted. I knew I was being watched, turning to see Klaus looking at me.

Klaus smiled.

I turned to face him. "Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?" 

"Dickens was a dark man," Klaus told me. "You would have like him." 

Klaus walked around the table toward me.

I made my way to the other side of the table. "Nice snowflake, by the way." 

"Is my work really that literal?" Klaus asked. 

"I'm serious," I told him. "There's something . . . .lonely about it." 

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment," Klaus told me "Can I offer you some champagne?" I turned around, starting to walk away. "Kaylin . . ." 

I turned around to see Klaus standing in front of me. "If we're going to be nice to each other, then I will need that glass of champagne." 

Klaus smiled, walking closer. "Is that our thing now?" 

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "We don't have a 'thing'. We never had." 

"Oh, I'd beg to differ," Klaus told me.

"What?" I asked. "Blood and torture and torment?" I backed away from him only a little, bringing my hands clasped together in front of me. "Oh, the romance! Cue the violins." I looked at him like I had gotten a great idea and pointed at him. "Maybe you could serenade me." Klaus smiled at the sarcasm and exaggeration in my voice. "That's a little too dark for my taste these days." 

"I'd be happy to settle for something a little less dark, as well," Klaus told me. "Allow me." 

Klaus smiled, walking away to get some champagne.

I watched him walk away, taking out my phone and texting Stefan. He's here. Go. 

Stefan was breaking into his house to get the sword. 

****

Behind the Grill in the alleyway, I saw Stefan talking to Caroline next to the stairs, leaning against the wall.

I walked toward them.

Caroline stood. Stefan pushed away from the wall, turning toward me. 

"Hey," Caroline told me. 

"Hey," Stefan said.

"Did you find the sword?" I asked. 

"Nope," Stefan answered. "Just a bunch of letters that weren't addressed to him." 

"He takes them from his victims," I explained.

"How do you know that?" Caroline asked.

I shook my head. "Doesn't matter. What are we gonna do now?"

 "Klaus is the only shot we have at finding the Cure," Stefan told us. "We need him. Tyler has to call it off."

"Well, that's not gonna happen," Tyler's voice told us. Stefan turned around to see Tyler who had appeared on the stairway. Tyler looked at Caroline. "You told them?" Tyler walked down the remaining steps. "I've had twelve hybrids sworn to secrecy for a month. I have Hayley and a witch risking their lives and you're blabbing my plan to them?" 

 Stefan stood in front of him. "Look, all I'm asking you for is a little bit of time, okay?" 

 "How long?" Tyler asked. "An hour? A day? Because every minute that goes by that we don't do this, they're at risk. You and Klaus already served one of them up for Jeremy to kill." Tyler looked over Stefan's shoulder at Caroline. Caroline looked down, ashamed. Tyler looked back at Stefan. "I don't owe you anything." He turned around, starting to walk away. "I'm taking him out." 

Stefan rushed in front of him to stop him. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that." 

 "Stefan . . ." Caroline trailed off in warning.

Stefan looked at her. "I'm sorry, but I can't." 

I looked behind him. "Stefan." 

Stefan turned around to follow my gaze to the half a dozen of hybrids standing on the stairs behind him.

I turned around to see the remaining six hybrid in the alleyway, blocking any means of escape.

"Sorry, man, but you don't have a choice," Tyler told him.

I looked at Stefan, knowing we could take them.

Stefan shook his head. 

 ****

 They took us to the Lockwood Cellar.

Tyler took a chain from on top of a box.

"Tyler!" Caroline told him. 

"Keep them down here until we're ready bring Klaus in," Tyler told them, dropping the chains in front of Kim. "Use these if you have to." 

 Stefan walked closer to Tyler. "Come on, Tyler, this is bigger than you. It's about more than revenge for us." 

Tyler walked closer to Stefan. "I know what it's about for you, Stefan. It's about the Cure. You know what happens to a hybrid when he's cured of being a vampire? We go back to being werewolves; turning on every full moon. We could give a rat's ass about the Cure."

 Tyler walked past us. 

Caroline stepped forward. "Tyler, come on."

"I needed you on my side, Care," Tyler told her. "That's all I wanted." 

 ****

"Ugh, this is ridiculous," I told them. "We're not hostages." 

"Sure you are, sweetie," Kim told me.

I rushed in front of her, staring each other down. "I will rip your heart out of your chest without another warning." 

"I would be able to bite you before you could," Kim replied.

"Oh, so you're the kinky kind of bitch," I told her. 

"Kaylin," Stefan told me in warning. His phone started to ring. The other hybrids started to advance on him. "Relax." They stopped. "It's my brother." He answered the phone. "What's up?" 

 "Don't ask how or why or who, but I just found the answer to your Tyler problem." 

 We listened to the rest of what Damon had to say.

"You're kidding," Stefan said, hanging up, looking at Caroline and me. "We don't need the sword." 

I smirked. 

Caroline subtly raised her eyebrows.

The smirk slowly faded, looking down, knowing that we had to let the hybrids at least try to take Klaus down.

 They let us go.

****

After dark, in Town Square, I saw Tyler's werewolf friend named Hayley talking to Hayley, walking off, leaving him alone.

I walked toward Klaus. 

"She doesn't like me much," Klaus told me. "Where have you been?" 

"I've been around," I told him.

"I'm not interested in vagary, Kaylin," Klaus told me. "Your brother's been dodgey and you've been lovely, which I've come to recognize as a tool of distraction. Now, do you have something to share with me or should I compel it out of you?"

 I gave him a subtle look, standing in front of him. "I distracted you as Stefan broke into your safe to look for the sword."

"Why?" Klaus asked. 

"Because he asked me to because he doesn't trust you," I told him.

"I showed him the sword, I told you what we were up to," Klaus told me. "I've been on your side the entire time. What do you want from me? A secret handshake?"

"Didn't know that you still stole your victims' letters," I told him. "Stefan found them and asked me about them thinking I would have known about it."

"And did you tell him the truth about it?" Klaus asked.

"No," I answered. "It's . . .morbid."

Klaus smiled smugly. "Well, is keeping my victim's letters really so different from writing their names on a wall? Like you did. Queen."

"Also, morbid," I told him. 

Klaus smiled a small smile, looking behind me, his face falling, walking past me. 

I turned to watch him walk toward Adrian. 

Klaus slowed to a stop, turning to me. "Loneliness, Kaylin. That's why you and I memorialize our dead. There's the briefest of moments before we kill where we literally hold their life in our hands and then we rip it away. And we're left with nothing. So, gathering other peoples' letters or writing their names on a wall is a reminder that in the end, we're left infinitely and utterly alone." 

I didn't respond.

Klaus turned, walking away with Adrian.

I walked them go.

And to stop myself from feeling guilty, I had to remind myself of all of the horrible things he had done to not only me but to everyone. Constantly. 

 Easier said than done. 

****

At home, I sat in the library on the couch, looking into the fire. 

Caroline walked into the room. "Matt can't find April. I can't reach Tyler. This is a disaster." She sat down on the chair next to me. I remained silent, looking into the flames. Caroline looked at me. "Is this you is crisis mode? 'Cause it's a lot more subtle than mine." 

"What would you say if I told you that Klaus actually got under my skin?" I asked. Caroline looked at me in a little shock. "What? You're shocked that he managed to do it?" 

"No, I'm surprised that you admitted it," Caroline answered. "And my reaction is this: You used to be in love with him way back when. He's using the same techiniques that he did to make you fall him in love with him then to make you fall in love with him now. It's bound to mess with you're head. You might be a vampire, Kaylin, but . . . you're not invincible, as much as you try to pretend that you are." 

I laughed barely, looking down. "Well, I have to admit this. Watching Klaus get led away to his slaughter, I couldn't help but feel kind of guilty. All day, I've been trying to remind myself of all the horrible things he's done. And that's the thing. We've all done horrible things. And I'm sitting here, trying to figure out what makes us any better than him. And I think it's just that, we have family we can trust." 

"Yeah, you're right, Kaylin," Caroline told me. "Trust is everything." 

Stefan walked into the room slowly.

I looked at him weirdly. "Have you been here the entire time?" 

"No," Stefan answered. "Just got home."

I nodded, not believing him.

Caroline looked at him hesitantly. "Have you heard from Damon?" 

"Yeah, he's still with Jeremy at the lake house," Stefan told us. 

"Did he happen to mention where Elena was?" Caroline asked, avoiding his gaze until the end of the question, glancing up.

Stefan looked at her questioningly, walking closer. "Wait, why are you--why are you asking me this?" Caroline looked up at him with a very meaningful look. Stefan could guess as much from the look she was giving, sitting down. "They're together, aren't they?" He looked incredibly upset. Caroline looked guilty and sad. I looked at him sympathetically. "How together are they?" Caroline looked away. "Caroline, tell me. How together are they?" 

Caroline looked down, licking her lips nervously, still not answering.

Stefan finally realized just how together Damon and Elena were.

****

Caroline and I were still sitting down, watching Stefan.

 Stefan was standing next to an end table, flicking over one of the chess pieces on the chess board gently. With vampire speed and strength, he pushed the board off the table with such force that it flied halfway across the room. He proceeds to knocking the end table across the room.

Caroline flinched, closing her eyes, starting to cry.

I looked down, into the flames, not giving a reaction.

Stefan breathed heavily as he stared blankly at nothing.