I wrote this quite a while ago. Originally in german. I finally got around to translating it. Hope you like.

Until we find a way

9 hours and 24 minutes. Exactly 9 hours and 24 minutes had gone by, since she watched Tyler leave. Maybe never to return. Caroline didn`t know what had made her look at her watch, after the man she loved more than antything had dissappeared into the darkness. She also didn`t know how long she had been just sitting on the Gilbert`s porch afterwards, staring off into space, without really seeing anything.

Klaus, leaving the Gilbert-home had finally roused her from her brooding. His words had scared her. More than she liked to admit. The spell, holding him captive, had lost its power and Caroline couldn`t help but wonder why. Had something happened to Bonnie? The fear for her friend had finally spurred her. With trembling fingers she had dialed Bonnie`s number. No answer. Close to panicing she had tried calling the others - Elena, Stefan, even Damon. But she couldn`t reach anyone, which caused her to think about all the horrible things, that could have happened. All the things that could have gone wrong.

Maybe Shane had betrayed the others. She had warned Bonnie from the start not to trust that professor! Or maybe Rebekka had gone mad and killed everyone. Or maybe they had awoken Silas and he had massacred them.

It had taken a lot of willpower for Caroline to shake off these dark thoughts and calm down. "Don`t be stupid!" she had finally chided herself. Shane may be clever and cunning, but he was still only human. Even if he had some dark evil plan, he wouldn`t stand a chance against three vampires, an original, a witch and a hunter. Just like Rebekka wouldn`t stand a chance against her friends. And as far as Silas was concerned... well, maybe he wasn`t really as bad, as the legends said. After all, Klaus wasn`t really the monster she had expected him to be either, even if Caroline had a hard time admitting that just now.

Okay, so she couldn`t reach her friends. But there was a plausible and completely harmless reason for that. Caroline was almost sure of it. Maybe they just didn`t have a signal. The connection was really bad from the start. It had probably just gotten worse. Maybe there was even a special kind of magic on that isle, or at least in parts of that isle, which blocked Bonnie`s power and therefore caused her spell to break.

Caroline decided she liked that explanation. She liked it better than any alternative she could come up with, so she decided to believe it. She had to think positive. And she had to do something to distract herself. To get her mind off the fact, that she didn`t know how the others were doing. So she had started cleaning the house. And it had worked. At least for a little while.

But now, kneeling in the Gilbert-kitchen, scrubbing the floor, where Kol`s burned corpse had left a scorched mark, she found her eyes wandering to the clock and she thought of Tyler. She wondered where he might be right now. Was Klaus already after him? Would she ever see him again, or would he really forget her, like he promised? Sniffing she tried to think about something else, scrubbing at the scorch mark vigorously. When she heard a car come to a stop outside, she ignored it at first. Only when the door opened, did she stand up.

"Hey, you're home. I was trying to clean the burn mark where Kol..." she tried to explain her dishelved appearance. But the words died on her tongue as she saw Stefan carrying a lifeless Jeremy into the house. Elena`s little brother looked peaceful, like he was only sleeping. But Caroline knew that he wasn`t asleep. She couldn`t hear his heartbeat. Her own heart broke, while she watched Elena, who ordered for Jeremy to be brought to his room, firmly believing that her brother would wake up soon.

The next few minutes were a living nightmare. Stefan left Elena upstairs, where she kept vigil over her dead brother, to fill Caroline in on what had happened on the island. Completely shocked she heard of Katherine`s surprising appearance, Bonnie`s disappearance and Jeremy`s death. Stefan wasn`t even sure who had killed Jeremy. Maybe it was Katherine. Maybe it was Silas. All he knew was that they had come too late.

Caroline wanted nothing more, than to hide in a corner and cry until the pain subsided. Or at least until she had no more tears left. For she knew that all the tears in the world couldn`t take away her pain. Just like she knew, that she wouldn`t hide. She had to be strong. For her friends. For Elena, who needed her more than ever.

The brunet still clung to the desperate hope, that the ring would revive Jeremy. Even though she knew, deep down, that it wouldn`t work. Caroline fled onto the porch. Without really thinking about it her trembling fingers dialed Tyler`s number. It switched to voicemail almost immediately and Caroline was disappointed, although she hadn`t expected him to actually answer the phone. "Hey. I know that I'm not supposed to be calling, but something happened, and I need to talk to you, Tyler." She could barely hold back a sob. "So please call me." She hung up and fought back tears.

When Stefan stepped out onto the porch she appeared at least somewhat calm. They talked a little and Caroline started planning. "We need to make plans, lists. We need a funeral or a cover story, or a funeral and a cover story. I should go tell my mom. I guess she'll know what to do." she murmured more confident than she felt. Stefan just nodded and reminded her that they had to tell Matt as well.

„You're right. I will do that. I will call Matt, and then I will go tell my mom, and then I will make a list or a casserole or- I don't know- whatever people are supposed to do or make in these situations."

She was babbling and she knew it. But she just couldn`t help it. She felt close to a nervous breakdown. Jeremy was dead, Bonnie was missing, Tyler was on the run. And she was left to take care of things. Who else would if she didn`t? Stefan had his hands full trying to be there for Elena and Damon was still on that damn island, searching for Bonnie.

Caroline ignored her own pain, sadness and fear for the moment and concentrated on doing what had to be done. She called Matt, trying to tell him the shocking news of Jeremy`s death as gently as she could. After she was sure that Matt would be okay for the moment she called her mother. Each time it got harder to say the words, but she managed to appear strong. The sheriff promised to call Dr. Fell, so Caroline allowed herself a short moment of weekness and tried again to call Tyler. Again she only reached the voicemail. Disappointed she returned inside, hiding her own pain and sadness to be there for Elena.

Finally Damon called and at least a little of the weight seemed to be lifted off Caroline`s shoulders when she heard that Bonnie was alive and on her way home. The witch also believed she could still save Jeremy and Caroline started to hope that maybe everything would be okay again. A hope that quickly died, when Bonnie finally arrived and told them that she was going to bring back every dead supernatural being. Not only Caroline knew that they couldn`t let that happen. The others thought so as well. Even Elena, who finally realised that her brother was really dead.

Caroline had never felt as helpless as she did when she had to watch Elena fall apart. It pained to see her friend that way and the blonde was glad, when Damon finally intervened, telling the brunet to switch off her emotions. Although this cold, rational Elena scared her even more than the broken, devastated Elena.

In the end Caroline had to accept that there was nothing she could do for her friend at the moment. That there was really nothing she could do at all. And once again she found herself dialing that one number.

„Hey, it's me. Look, I hate to leave this on your voicemail, but I think that you need to know. .. Jeremy's dead, Tyler. I'm so sorry. I thought that you would call and I could tell you, but then you didn't, so- Just call me when you get this, okay? I need you, and there's no way that yesterday was the last time that I'm ever going to see you or talk to you. It can't be. So just... call me, Tyler. Please.

She hung up before the first sob slipped past her lips. The phone fell from her hand, as she sunk down onto the bed and finally allowed herself to cry. All the pain, the fear and sadness she had held back came crushing down on her and she cried until she had no tears left. Completely worn out she finally fell into a fitful sleep.