The Balance

Chapter 18

Tyler is sleeping in a hospital bed while a police officer stands guard outside in the hall by the door to his room. When the officer hears a noise down the hallway, he walks around the corner to investigate. After looking around a bit, he starts to walk back towards Tyler's room, but he is attacked by Connor. Tyler hears the commotion and wakes up. In the hall, Connor uses a sleeper hold on the officer until he passes out and slowly lays him on the ground. Tyler listens for any more noise. Suddenly, Connor enters his hospital room. He looks over at the bed, but Tyler has disappeared. Connor walks into the room and turns around to find Tyler hiding in the corner. He goes in to attack Connor, but Connor grabs him and stabs him in the neck with a syringe before injecting him with something, temporarily paralyzing Tyler. He lays Tyler down on the hospital bed.

"Don't bother. It's a paralytic."Connor lifts up Tyler's lips and sticks another syringe slowly into his gums to withdraw several milliliters of his werewolf venom. Tyler groans in pain until Connor takes the needle out of his mouth and pats Tyler on the face. He then exits the room. Tyler grunts and growls, attempting to fight against the paralytic. After a long moment, he finally manages to super speed to the door to chase after him, but when he gets to the hallway, Connor has already gone.

***
The garden at the old Salvatore house needs a lot of maintenance. I lay the paper lantern down on the ground. Stefan called me to the school tonight to have a "funeral" for all that we have lost.

I stood there watching Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Jeremy, Elena and Stefan mourn people. I slowly realized that I couldn't mourn the person I wanted to, the person I needed to mourn.

Niklaus.

Which led me to the garden where I first met him. I look down at the dead willows and sage, sighing at how this beautiful garden has faded into a dead bed of lost memories and bitterness.

"Niklaus," I whisper, "gosh, I miss you." Sitting on the soil I grab a dead sage and pick at the leaves. "I went to this funeral tonight, or whatever you wanna call it." I am talking to no one as I stare into the darkness. "I couldn't even mourn the one person I wanted to, because that one person is the reason most of my friends are mourning. You killed Jenna, you're the reason Caroline's dad died, why Alaric died..." A tear rolls down, "and I feel so guilty because I miss you so much Niklaus. I shouldn't grieve you because you've caused so much pain to my friends and to my family but I miss you so much and I didn't even say goodbye..." a sob rips through my throat and I feel my heart breaking again.

The same way it broke when I heard Niklaus was dead, the same way when I thought Tyler was dead. The pain won't stop aching inside me, even on my good days it is there just hiding and waiting to remind me that the man I loved is dead and my whole world will never be the same.

I sigh and finally stand up, wiping the soil and dirt off my pants. I reach into my bag and pull out a photo of Niklaus and I back in the 50's it was one of my favorites. He had his arms wrapped around my waist as we leaned against a black 1955 Ford Thunderbird. I bring my lips to the photo and touch the glass before laying it down into the garden. "I know it's not an extravagant tombstone but this garden is one of the most meaningful places in the world to me. To you." I see a movement behind the trees, it alert me a little bit, "Hello?" I call out and wait for a moment and hear nothing but the crickets chirping. I avert my gaze back to the garden, "I promise I will fix this up and make it as beautiful as it was the day you first met me here."

***

Carol and Tyler walk into the house. Two men are standing in the foyer.

Tyler immediately becomes suspicious. "Who the hell are you two?"

"Tyler, it's okay. They're here for your protection." Carol points out.