Black Magic ▹ The Vampire Diaries [1]

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE
GOODBYE MYSTIC FALLS

"We were stars once, too, and we will do what stars are born to do. Burn."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     No one answered when Henrik knocked on the Lockwood's front door, but he was far past caring at that point, so he twisted the handle and walked inside. All the lights seemed to be off, so Henrik decided to roam about until he found Ethan. On the way, he caught sight of a table full of family photos. Ethan was alone in a smaller frame, grinning from ear-to-ear and holding up a trophy. Henrik felt a smile tug at his mouth. Without thinking too deeply about it, he picked up the frame and pulled off the back, stealing the small photo away. There were multiple photos of Ethan already. He was sure this one wouldn't be missed. Stashing it away inside a pocket on the inside of his jacket, Henrik continued on his way.

He found Ethan on the back porch, curled up on a porch swing in the dark, silent and staring at his phone. It was off, though, the screen black and lying a few feet away. Henrik studied him for a moment, wondering if he should wait until another time, until Ethan wasn't as upset as he was. Ultimately, he decided against it. Nothing he could say or do would make Ethan's night worse, and if anything, news about Tyler's survival would probably make him feel a little better. A small spot of brightness in the dark. Henrik swallowed the ball forming in his throat and started forward, careful to pick Ethan's phone up off the swing before he sat down. His weight sent it moving, so as they rocked back and forth, Henrik gently placed his phone back into Ethan's hands.

"I tried calling," Ethan said after a few minutes of silence on their part. The swing had stopped moving again by that point, and Ethan's voice sounded hollow. Like he was numb. Henrik idly wondered if hybrids had a humanity switch, then realized this wasn't the same as not having any humanity. If Ethan had turned it off, he wouldn't still be curled up in the dark. He was simply in shock. "I was worried, and then I was angry. Now, I'm just..." Ethan trailed off, blinked, then turned his head to take Henrik in. He opened his mouth, closed it, then simply asked, "Where were you?"

"With my family," Henrik said honestly. "Trying to figure things out." He studied Ethan's face for a moment, took in the pale skin and haunted eyes, and quickly decided that there was no use keeping the truth from him. Bonnie didn't want anyone else to know about Klaus being inside Tyler's body, not yet, not until she had enough power to restore Klaus's original body and make things right. But Ethan was his brother, and Henrik had kept enough things from him. "Tyler is alive. I thought you should know." Ethan blinked slowly again, then his brows furrowed.

"How?" he whispered. He was past being surprised by Henrik's actions and words. Henrik sighed softly and reached into the bag he was still carrying, pulling out Tyler's football jersey. Silently, he passed it to Ethan, watching as Ethan smoothed it out and proceeded to stare blankly at it.

"I used the jersey to create a link," Henrik said slowly, making the explanation as simple as possible. "And then I put Klaus's soul into Tyler's body. Bonnie knows how to reverse it. It's temporary. It was just...a last minute decision before we moved Nik's body. I knew Alaric getting to him was a possibility, so..." Noticing Ethan's frozen state, Henrik stopped and swallowed another ball that was forming. His voice was nothing but a whisper when he continued. "I don't expect you to forgive me for it. I just thought you deserved to know." Ethan looked up from the jersey then, looking both upset and desperate. He didn't know how to feel about the Tyler situation, which was understandable. Henrik had saved Klaus's entire sireline when he had done it—had saved them all—but he had potentially sacrificed Tyler to do it. By the time Ethan would manage to stop being conflicted about it, it would be too late.