"It was worthy of me you know. Threatening her like that though she'd done nothing. Maybe big brother's been taking lessons what do you think?" he tried to remain casual as he spoke of it but that fear had been nothing he ever wanted to repeat. He'd saved Caroline from Elijah's wrath by freeing the bitch that had evaded him and no one would ever know it. He didn't want them to, not even Caroline. In fact especially not Caroline. "Funny though, I should have expected it, they'd been using Caroline against me for a while you know, she was the distraction so many times and every time I let it work, every time, knowing on some level what they were doing I let her in."
It actually physically painted him to discuss any of this. Any little bit of it. Because it was showing weakness. Yes to Rebekah, she might be the only one to whom he'd tell any of this but it was still more than he could deal with without heady amounts of alcohol. "There's not a thing I wouldn't give her, I wanted to give her the world you know, show her everything she has yet to see, make the eternity she was given matter. And she wants it too, she wants to live, to see the world outside that drab little town and I'm going to be the one to show it to her, no matter how long it takes her to realise."
There was a hint of a smile on his face as he discussed her, "She smiles, and nothing matters, not the Hybrids, not even revenge on her bloody boyfriend, just her."
He downed the bourbon in one and beckoned for the bottle again. There clearly wasn't enough alcohol in the world.
"Problem is its not just Tyler I have to contend with. She pretty much informed me I'm a terrible person and she can never forgive all the awful things I've done. And the one here doesn't even know about poor dead Carol." he added with a shrug. Tyler took everything from him it had seemed only fair. "If that makes me as much of a mess as you then I suppose I am a fool."
He grabbed for the bottle impatiently as he continued. "But see, here's what I don't get. I've given up the Hybrids to keep you happy, left Katherine alone to keep Elijah happy. I'd probably leave the little traitor alone if it would make Caroline smile so...who the hell am I supposed to be here. No ones going to be scared of me, they'll just send her and her smile and her conversation at me and I'll hand over the keys to the bloody kingdom. I'm not just some lovesick idiot and I'm not nice. I should drain Elena. Or I don't know. Can I kill Jeremy? ...Wait no, nah, just in case lets not. Damon? Would anyone really mind?"