features (fierce heart) , Rembrandt, and Earth Angel. Mentions: Hierophant.

Let it go Tyler! Love me more than you hate him! Tyler! If you walk out that door we are through! Do you hear me? He remembered the tears racing down the velvet cheeks of Caroline Forbes on that day so long ago.  Tyler Lockwood hated Klaus Mikaelson with the burning passion of ten thousand suns.   His life had been destroyed by Klaus by being turned into a Hybrid and made to be his personal lackey.   The blood of the Twelve Hybrids was on his hands.  Oh Hayley had some guilt in that too, but in the end Klaus was standing there with blood all over him.   There was also the fact that Klaus had killed his mother.   Klaus was also carrying a torch for his girlfriend.  He was supposed to just let this go? That was impossible.   Klaus had to pay.

I’m sorry Care.  I can’t. Tyler turned from the only girl who really ever mattered to him and walked out of her life for good.   He was so overwhelmed by his bitter anger, he could not let it go. Instead it was heavy around his heart like an anchor.   That weight ended up leading to one place.  Tyler had his a|ss handed to him by Klaus and he’d lost Caroline forever.

Caroline will hate you forever if you hurt me! You can’t touch me, Klaus!   The look in Klaus’ eyes told Tyler what he needed to know.  Caroline was his weak spot.  He stopped when Caroline was concerned.  It was something he could use for his advantage.  The depth of his hatred still stung him over twenty years later as it all came rushing back in the flood of memories that haunted Tyler Lockwood.   The steps of the man were more powerful than that of the boy desperate to destroy the monster that had brought such desolation to his life.  He still remembered that look on Klaus’ face when he’d bested Tyler and let him live.  Tyler shivered for a moment.  It was like Klaus pitied him.

The years had passed and the world changed.   After being given a second chance with a beautiful blonde witch named Olivia Parker, Tyler had managed to wind up dead himself.   His hatred and his inability to let anything go had cost him the ultimate price. 

Liv had seen something in him.  Tyler was grateful for the chance to be loved again when he’d hopelessly driven Caroline away from him.   Olivia was his second chance. He squandered that second chance when he found himself the victim of a Siren’s spell on someone he’d thought was a friend.  Death claimed the angry werewolf pulling him into what was supposed to be blissful eternal slumber.

His strides from the gym in the Salvatore Boarding School took him through the halls of what had once been a second home to him. His werewolf kids all fist bumped him or called out greetings to Coach Lockwood as they passed him in the hall.   Rebirth after death had given him something he’d never imagined.  It gave him her.

Up ahead was the door to the Mythology classroom of Laurel Collins.  The daughter of Aphrodite had been one of the many lives touched by Alaric Saltzman.  She was actively employed at the Salvatore School because of Alaric and because of Caroline.  That very same Caroline he’d left crying to hunt after Klaus had married him despite everything.  And yet the newly minted Mrs. Mikaelson had no ill will toward him, even though no one could fault her if she did.  Caroline Mikaelson was always going to be his first real love even if she was magically carrying the child of Klaus Mikaelson.  Tyler’s inability to let it go had cost him Caroline.  For that he’d always wonder what could have been.   He’d even entertained the notion of marrying her and having their own set of twins.   That was not where any of this had ended on the journey of this werewolf turned Hellhound.

He stood outside Laurel’s classroom and knocked on the door frame.  When she looked up at him, he felt his heart leap with intense emotion.  This time, if anything came up between his Demigoddess and him, he was going to remember what Caroline had told him and let it go. Tyler moved up to close the gap between them looping his arms around her waist.  “Good afternoon Ms. Collins.  Care to join me for a rousing night of football and a terrible drunk hellhound who thinks he’s the next Eminem?”

He loved it when she scrunched her face up like that and laughed at his silliness.  “Oh I don’t know Coach Lockwood.  Maybe if he’ll go BYE BYE BYE later?” She laughed at him making his heart radiate with joy. Despite the choice of music that made him cringe, he knew that this was truly it.  It had been two strikes so far in losing Care and Liv.   If he lost Laurel, then what else was there? Tyler pressed his lips to hers as if she’d vanish at any given minute.  Laurel Collins was his everything.   There was no way he was going to let anything get between them.  He truly had let it go. 

He looked into her eyes deeply after the kiss broke for that one brief moment.  He rose his right hand to gently caress that perfect cheek.  He moved in closer again to kiss those perfect petals softly.   Despite all he’d been through it had brought him to this point.   Nothing was worth losing her over. He’d learned his lesson about letting go.


 

Tyler Lockwood/Cerberus