Sunlight

Chapter 1: Something Isn't Right

Caroline fled the Lockwood cellar, not wanting to see Tyler die. So many friends had died, and she couldn't afford to lose more. She couldn't lose the boy who had helped her as she had helped him. Her eyes full of tears, her senses overloaded, she fell to the ground of the forest floor, too overcome to carry on.

She had lost them. Try as she might, she couldn't prevent the tears that came at the idea of Klaus's soft words and electric touch no longer being there, just as much as Tyler's solid presence not being there in Mystic Falls. All of Klaus' gestures, gone. All of Tyler's assurances, gone. Klaus' heated blue gaze, gone. The compliments of how she was full of light and beautiful and...strong...

Caroline stilled in her curled position, her forehead creasing.

'You're beautiful, you're strong, you're full of light.'

'You are strong, and you have a beautiful future ahead of you.'

The eloquent words had seemed unusual from Tyler, but she hadn't paid much attention at the time. She had just wanted to say goodbye in her way. And he had kissed her differently, adoringly, but she had merely assumed it was because it was their last kiss...or their first...

Caroline shot up. Screw it. She had to go back and see Tyler. She couldn't shake the idea forming in her head, and even if it wasn't true, she couldn't let him die alone in the dark.

Caroline sped back to the damp cellar, fear spreading in her belly at the pure silence surrounding the area. She stepped slowly down the stairs, hearing nothing.

Nothing but breathing, and a steady beating heart.

She rounded the corner to see Tyler standing with his back to the stairs, clearly not in pain, clearly not a wolf, not anything but Tyler. But there was just something distinctly not Tyler about him.

Caroline's imagination jumped to insane conclusions, and she recalled everything. Elijah's comment on Klaus' favourite 'trick', the sire bond, the bloodline, hybrids, witches, Alaric with another person in his body...

Caroline took the risk.

"Klaus?"

Tyler spun around with a look of recognition and surprise.

"Caroline," He breathed in such a familiar but unfamiliar manner. If his accent had been British, it would have made it completely identical.

Caroline was filled with joy for both Tyler being alive and also Klaus still existing in some form, then anger that he was inhabiting Tyler's body, then rage that he hadn't told her and had taken advantage of her lack of knowledge.

"Tell me what's going on, right now." She hissed, unbelievably conflicted.

"Why did you call me Klaus?" Not-Tyler asked, all too wide eyed and innocently confused.

"Don't try that with me. Just tell me what's going on."

He frowned slightly, before a smirk appeared on his face that gave the whole façade away. Caroline shuddered: it was just unnatural to see that on someone she thought she had known so well.

"What gave me away?"

"Everything." She snapped.

"You'll have to be more specific, love."

"Stop it. Just don't talk for a bit. Its...so unsettling."

He understood her predicament slightly, and he was quiet for a moment, giving her time to think.

"Whats happening? Is it just your spirit that's still here? Does that mean your body completely burned? What's going – "

Klaus-Tyler clamped his hand over her mouth, looking towards the entrance. Someone was walking to the steps. He sped them both to a dark alcove of the room, and kept one finger on Caroline's lips. She looked at him questioningly.