Author's Note: Look at that! Another chapter! Longer than the last one too! Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Characters from The Originals are going to start seeping onto the canvas. If you do not watch the show, I have set up a cast page on The Bennett Diaries on Tumblr that will at least give you a face to attach to the name. Thanks again to everyone who leaves me a little feedback. You truly are the biggest part of why I keep going.

A Thousand Souls Crossed Over

Part Four

She doesn't say anything at first - because she would rather not say anything at all.

It takes seeing Elijah Mikaelson in person to truly realize he is one of the last people on earth she wants to cross paths with. The anger comes quick, starting in her stomach and rushing throughout her body until she shakes from it. Her eyes narrow and she presses her lips together so tightly it hurts.

How she wishes she could do damage to him.

For his part, he stands quiet with his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. His eyes travel from her to wall behind her. Then back to her. "Miss Bennett -"

"Don't."

She doesn't have time to consider how unlike herself she sounds at the moment. There is something hateful in her voice, something she hasn't heard in a long time. Her feet are firmly planted to the ground and she keeps her eyes on him as he takes a step closer. Surely he gets it. Surely he understands why she is reacting the way she is.

If he does, he will not acknowledge it. "One has to wonder what is you are doing here. Right here in this particular part of New Orleans."

Yes, one does. Because the reason she is there has currently blinked his way out sight. Bonnie wonders for just a moment if the symbol burning itself into the side of the building behind her has anything to do with it. A silly thought - she knows exactly what is and what is used for. It has no effect on someone already dead. She snaps out of her thoughts - she can't concentrate on Kol right now. Not when she has his very much alive brother standing in front of her.

No doubt putting the pieces together and coming up with just the wrong conclusion.

Wonderful.

She feels like she has wandered into the beginnings of more trouble than she wants. Leaving evidence of that kind of magic out in the open for anyone to see (for beings like Elijah to see) means one of two things: someone is carelessly stupid or they want others to know. The latter scares her. "If you think that I had anything to do with this, then you are wrong." She hates that she has to defend herself to him. So much so that she can't keep herself quiet. "Then again, that is your style isn't it - forming opinions based on little evidence and going overboard to act on them?"

He shifts his weight, eyes narrowing. She considers that for all the dirty work he coerces others to do that he is still a dangerous man. She should step lightly - she just can't convince herself wholly of that fact. "In instances where those I love are in danger, I will use any measure necessary."

It hurts to hear it (not it - what happened to her mother), discussed in such a casual manner. There is a bitter taste in her mouth and she takes a deep breath.

"Clearly."

Hatred and fury are replaced by a cold flat tone. She is at an impasse as to what else to say. So many things dance around her head but none quite make it to her tongue just yet. What is the point? He seems unshakeable in his opinion on the matter. Nothing good will come of her railing against him if he is just going to stand there. She wants a reaction out of him - no, she needs a reaction, whether it be an apology or more likely a defense of his actions.

In the end, she says nothing. Not because she is a coward but because someone else wanders into the fray.

Well - more aptly: is drug into it.

Bonnie's attention is pulled to the sight of a woman being escorted by her arm. She is older in appearance than Bonnie. There is dark hair contained by a colorful scarf and she is a bit wide eyed at the moment. Bonnie can see the beginnings of a tattoo peeking out from underneath the sleeve of her shirt. The man she is with (not voluntarily of course) has a cap pulled down so she can't see his eyes. But she knows the score - it doesn't take much to figure out.

Witch.

Vampire.

Some things never change.

Elijah turns to regard the new arrivals as they come to a stop. The vampire speaks. "Marcel told me you wanted to see her."

"I asked for her assistance, Thierry, not that she be dragged her against her will," Elijah corrects.

Bonnie rolls her eyes at his show of manners (because it is just that - a show). Still, the vampire, Thierry, lets go of his grip on the woman's arm. She wastes no time in stepping away from the pair of them, bringing her closer to Bonnie. For a moment she regards Bonnie with suspicious eyes, no doubt wary of anyone that would be in the presence of Elijah Mikaelson willingly. Bonnie wants to assure her that she is no friend of his. In fact she has more in common with the stranger than the vampire.

"You may go, Thierry." Elijah punctuates the statement with a wave of his hand. The younger vampire bristles but as expected leaves Elijah with the pair of them. Both are watching him now - Bonnie with a look of disdain, the other with a look of confusion. "In truth, Miss Deveraux, had I known who I would find here I would not have asked you to come." The witch turns to look at Bonnie once again. There is no more suspicion. Instead there is frank curiosity. "Sophie Deveraux, this is Bonnie Bennett."

Sophie's lips part and her eyebrows move toward the top of her head. "Bennett."

Apparently Sophie has heard of her.

It is such a strange situation really - one minute she is mentally ripping him limb from limb the next she is standing in front of an interloper who has nothing to do with it (therefore is undeserving of Bonnie's anger). When she speaks, her confusion at the sudden shifts of events comes out as reserved greeting. "Hello…" Deveraux. Bonnie wishes she had the same luxury of knowing that Sophie appears to possess. But then again, she had pretty much felt her own way around in the world of witchcraft; she can be forgiven if she had been too busy finding solutions to the ever growing list of problems to glance at the registry (for a split second she finds herself wondering if there truly is one).

Sophie's eyes travel past Bonnie and for the first time she sees it. "Oh hell…" She is swift in her movements coming to press her hand to the brick much the same way Bonnie had. She turns to Elijah. "You don't think I did this do you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes," he retorts and there is another step closer. It is almost instinctual for Bonnie to step between him and Sophie. Elijah notices the subtle movement and the current position of her chin (up of course, with eyes never leaving him). "Your actions the past few weeks have been rather suspect."

"But this?" Sophie states. She comes to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bonnie. A quick glance tells in her direction tells Bonnie that Sophie's mind is going a thousand miles per second. "Do you even know what this is?"

He pauses (and perhaps Bonnie a bit smug to see him speechless).

"Sacrificial magic." It is Bonnie who answers. "The symbol is used to draw power from another being to be channeled by the witch who created it." It doesn't surprise her that he looks to Sophie for confirmation. She just bobs her head in agreement.

"And you both know this how?"

There is still enough fight in her to have her catching her bottom lip between her teeth to keep from laughing. Was this an interrogation? Line up the usual suspects. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Sophie giving her a look. Since Bonnie is preoccupied, Sophie speaks first. "I may not be in favor with the rest of the witches, but I know my stuff." There is bite in the Sophie's tone, however slight, and Bonnie feels strangely proud (apparently she is not the only one Elijah has that effect on).

Speaking of - he is looking expectantly to her now.

She toys with how to answer. Then her tongue darts out to wet her lips. "I used it to stop Klaus' heart. You remember right? I stopped his heart and then we packed him up in a storage locker." She is well aware that she is dancing all around the line between too far and just enough but she can't help herself. Sophie is looking at Bonnie again but this time there is a slight curve at the corner of her mouth - clearly she amused by the thought (seems the Mikaelson's as a whole know how to make 'friends' with the local witch). "But if you think that I did this - you're wrong."

"Perhaps," he says and his tone is very noncommittal. He turns his body toward Sophie. "You may go - but I will need your assistance in this matter down the road."

"Fine," Sophie says with a bob of her head. She is clearly relieved to be set loose. "I got a pot of gumbo in the works at Rousseau's -" She is already walking away but she gives Bonnie a pointed look before her eyes shift back to Elijah. " - if it's ruined, I'll send you the bill."

And then Sophie's gone, leaving the pair of them to face off again.

Both have gone quiet however.

Then he speaks. "It would be for the best if you come with me."

Because she can't put up a fight, she does.

X

They don't talk.

Elijah's gaze is directed forward while hers is everywhere but - she is looking for a familiar brown jacket, a stupidly cocky smile, anything that proves Kol has not hung her out to dry. She considers the possibility for a moment - that he has brought her here to deliver her into the hands of his family.

"Who else from Mystic Falls has come here?" Elijah asks as they turn the corner. Despite the late hour, the streets are still filled with tourists and he places a hand at the small of her back to politely escort her through.

She sidesteps his touch immediately. "No one."

He finally glances in her direction. "Then who are you looking for?"

Your brother.

The words almost spill from her mouth but at the last moment she stops herself. Without Kol practically sitting on her shoulder as proof, she would rather not speak of his dead brother as they wander through half drunken crowds.

"No one in particular," she lies and senses he knows that. He doesn't call her on it so she doesn't care.

They wind up standing in front of a rather expansive building. She can tell by the facade that it has been there for centuries but it has been well looked after. Near the entrance she spots a stylized M.

Mikaelson.

"Welcome to the Abattoir."

Bonnie's eyes narrow on reflex. "French for slaughterhouse - how cozy."

"Indeed. My family has owned this building quite some time now. In the beginning it was exactly as you say, with animals being kept in the courtyard before they were slaughtered for food. We transformed it into something more...liveable," he explains. His hand is on the small of her back again, fingers pressed against the fabric of her shirt in such a way she can feel the chill of them. "There are no traces of what this place used to be."

Only because the blood is no doubt cleaned away on a daily basis, she reflects as they walk through the archway and into the courtyard. She has to admit (though not aloud) that it paints a pretty picture. Stone, worn smooth over time, makes up the floor and there are tables here and there. The rich smell of heliotrope comes from the baskets that hang from the balcony. The entire courtyard is enclosed by the remainder of their home and she can see a light burning in a few of the windows.

The others.

She tenses. A reflex the does not go unnoticed. "I only wish to speak of what has gone on," he reassures her. As if she believes him - and in truth, he is not her biggest concern at the moment.

Bonnie turns so that she is facing him. "I may know of sacrificial magic. I may have dabbled in it but that wasn't me. I just got here…"

"Why are you here?" He repeats and this time there is no accusatory tone in his voice. Just frank curiosity.

She thinks it best to come clean. Though she can offer nothing more than the story at the moment. "It's...complicated. But, all true -"

"What is she doing here?" The voice is loud growl that fills the courtyard. Both Bonnie and Elijah jerk their head upward to see Klaus standing at the balcony, his hands twisted around the railing as he looms over. The look on his face is nothing short of murderous.

Before she can even react, he is on her. She feels his fingers curls around her throat and her back meets the stone wall. The sudden contact rattles her entire body and knocks the air out of her lungs. She can't take any in given the tight grip Klaus currently has on her throat. Her hands come up automatically to claw at his arm. Behind him she can see Elijah's dismayed reaction to the sudden outburst of violence.

"Have you come to try and ruin me, witch?" Klaus seethes, his face close enough that it is all she sees. "Do you truly think you can?"

"Niklaus!" Elijah's voice commands authority but she thinks that Klaus is too far gone to hear it as she does. She wonders if he is thinking of the last time they had come face to face. He had been shaking with fury then and she sees the same now. Her movements are more desperate now. She needs to breathe. Kol's words are loud in her ears.

You are the anchor. Immortal. He can't kill you.

No, but he can hurt me.

She tries to choke his name out. It comes out garbled and indiscernible. She wonders if she is calling for Kol in hopes that Klaus will snap out of his current rage filled state or if it is because she wants him there to help her.

Elijah's hands are on Klaus now, attempting to pull him off of Bonnie. "This is not the way, brother," he states. "She was going to explain -"

"She will explain!"

"How can she when you are choking the life from her?" Elijah counters. Klaus' body goes rigid and he finally tears his eyes from her to glance toward his brother.

Suddenly, she can breathe again.

Bonnie slumps against the wall, blinking away the dark spots that have started to crowd her vision. Elijah reaches out to tip her chin up with a finger (checking for damage?) but she smacks his hand away. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as if making up for lost time. She and Klaus eye one another. There is no doubt that it is a good thing Elijah is between them.

"Go on - explain," he spits. He is pacing a tight circle as Bonnie brings a hand to soothe tender skin. He stops and points his index finger straight at her. "Do not think of attempting some spell or -"

"I am not a witch," she says and her voice sounds scratchy. Klaus stops and both brothers give her a quizzical look. "Not anymore. I am not a witch anymore."

"How?" Elijah of course. No doubt Klaus could care less the mechanics behind it.

"I died," she begins and realizes that this is the first time she will have to go through all the details of her death and how she has come to straddle the line between the living and the not so living. "In fact I stayed that way all summer -" She does not get much further than that before there is a new commotion that draws all their attention to the door. A small group, obviously lead by the man in the front (the look of determination gives him away), move swiftly into the courtyard. His eyes are on Klaus.

"You need to see this," he states with no preamble.

"I am a bit busy, Marcel," Klaus retorts immediately and now Bonnie pays extra attention. Marcel -wasn't that the name thrown out when Sophie had wandered into the fray? She eyes him. Another vampire of course. His eyes are currently on Klaus but then slip over to her. She meets his gaze and notes the flash of curiosity before he is focused back to where he started.

"Five of my nightwalkers, Klaus. Laid out." He emphasizes each word with a poke to Klaus' chest, something the volatile hybrid does not seem to mind (or if he does he does not act on it). "Right in the heart of the Quarter like they don't even care who sees it. This isn't right."

"Staked?" Klaus questions.

"No. Heart intact. But they are as good as dead," Marcel answers.

Klaus turns his head back, his eyes meeting Bonnie's. Her protest of innocence is on the tip of her tongue, ready to fling out the moment he dare accuse her. His mouth sets in a thin line. "Let us look then, shall we?" he says and claps a hand on Elijah's shoulder. With his free hand he reaches forward and grabs the collar of one of Marcel's followers. He drags the man (young, with hair that springs wildly every which way) forward. "You see her?" He asks and a finger is jerked in Bonnie's direction. "Take her to the study. She does not leave. Understood?" There is something about the man's passive nod that tells Bonnie he is only agreeing to guard duty because he is afraid of the consequences if he does not. With that settled, Klaus' attention is back on Bonnie. "I am afraid our reunion will have to be delayed, love. We will pick up exactly where we left off when I return."

The group (and all their testosterone) waste no time in moving toward the exit with Klaus at the head of the pack and Elijah deep in conversation with Marcel. She is left standing opposite the vampire. He has his hands stuck in his pockets and he looks sullen. "You could go - I'll be just fine," she tells him. There is a heavy amount of sarcasm in her voice because she knows she is wasting her breath.

There is a pause.

"Study's this way."

X

Bonnie doesn't sit.

Instead, she stands in the middle of the room (dark wood, musty books, furniture that is centuries older than her no doubt) and tries to muddle her way through her current situation. Her companion at the moment proves to be the strong silent type - or rather the type to grunt a response to any questions asked. He has taken to standing just outside the door and from time to time he sticks his head in (almost as if on a schedule, a fact she proves when she lifts her hand and wiggles her finger in a wave on cue; he is not amused). She huffs and wraps her arms around herself.

What the hell is going on?

"Kol, I swear…" she whispers and then cranes her neck to see if she'll be left to mutter on her own. When it becomes apparent that she will be, she sighs. "...if you don't show your face soon I am going back on our deal. I don't care if you spend eternity singing horribly in the corner as punishment."

(only she does - she is just what? trying to provoke air?)

Bonnie finally shuffles away from the center of the room, moving until she is at the window. She has a view of the street from where she stands and she presses a hand to the glass. Then her head dips forward and her eyes close. It has to be well after midnight now. She is not tired, but she is weary.

"You're not thinking about to going out that window are you?"

Bonnie freezes before turning to face the source. A stranger. He is standing at the opposite end of the room. She hadn't even heard him come in. Then it hits her - because he didn't. What was it that Marcel said? Five nightwalkers. The rest will come soon, flocking to her like the northern star (or however Kol had put it).

She braces herself.

He moves wordlessly through the room and does not hesitate to reach out. His fingers brush her shoulder so innocently but the result is devastating. A piercing pain starts in her midsection and blooms out until it consumes her. She stumbles a little, her hand coming out to brace herself as her mouth opens. No sound comes out; instead she draws in a shaky breath. It feels as if a piece of her has been ripped open so he can slip through. She breathes deeply and tips her head up.

The next is already there.

"Wait -" she pleads, needing one more moment to contain herself before it starts again.

It is almost as if he can't. His hand lands on her arm and she can't stop from crying out. It echoes through the room as her fingers tighten their grip on the back of the chair. Her watchman rushes into the room. "What are you doing?"

She can't even answer. The pain has robbed her of coherent thought. She squeezes her eyes shut, knowing instinctively that there is another waiting to pass through. She screams this time, her knees buckling until she slips to the floor. Before she can even move, the next comes, fast and furious. She hasn't stopped screaming.

A new voice, female and familiar somehow, seeps through the agony. "What did you do to her?" Bonnie is vaguely aware of her guard's protests that he has found her this way. She opens her eyes to find her vision blurry but she can make out a brunette. Bonnie lifts her head as the other woman comes closer and kneels next to her. She blinks and realizes that she knows that face. Hayley - the werewolf who had left nothing but burned bridges in Mystic Falls. Confused (and still feeling the remnants of pain) she tries to ask why Hayley of all people is looming over her.

She screams instead.

(there were five dead vampires after all)

As the last one passes, she hears Hayley tell Marcel's vampire to help her get Bonnie to the sofa. She tries to push against them but her head spins and it is nothing more than a futile swipe at air. His arms come around her and she is hoisted limp off the floor.

She just might pass out.

Maybe that would be for the best.

As her eyes flutter shut, she hears her name being spoken low and near her ear.

Kol.

X

Her mouth is dry.

Bonnie blinks awake and is greeted by the sight of a rather ornate ceiling. She shifts a little. Then her eyes go wide. He had been there - just before she slipped under. She sits up too quickly and winces as a result.

"You bounce back rather quickly." And there he is, Kol, perched on the edge of the coffee table. Has he been like that the whole time she has been out?

It is strange to think she is relieved to see him. The feeling lasts all of a fraction of a second before her features tighten. "You left."

"Is that your way of telling me that you missed me, little witch?" He asks and smiles (though it does not quite reach his eyes).

"You left me and then your brother nearly choked me out," Bonnie says through clenched teeth.

Kol clicks his tongue. "No manners, that one."

Bonnie gives him a pointed look to remind him that Klaus is not the only Mikaelson that has wrapped his hands around her neck. At least Kol has the sense to look a tad bit sheepish. "Where the hell did you go?"

He leans forward, his hands clasped between his knees. "I had to see someone."

"You had to pay a house call on the Other Side?" Bonnie asks. Now that the pain is a memory (soon to be distant hopefully) she feels anger brewing. "Right at that moment? With Elijah lurking right around the corner?"

"You are still alive."

She snaps. It has been building for the longest time and this night (her first in New Orleans; nearly her last) has proven too much. "Enough with avoidance, Kol. Enough with the smart ass remarks. Enough! You start talking. Now. Tell me why I am here. Tell me where you went. Or I walk. You can chase me to the ends of the earth. I don't care."

"You do," he corrects. "You can't stand the thought of me looking over your shoulder until this world implodes. But - I will tell you, Bonnie. I suspect you are beginning to realize that this goes beyond speaking with my siblings."

She resists the urge to be smart and spout off the obvious: You think.

"Though I am sure you will question the validity of this, I do not know all the details yet. It's muddled over here, you get bits and pieces, whispers, but I know one thing is for certain, my family…" His mouth becomes a thin line. "...they are in danger."

That particular admission is not what she is expecting (in truth, she does not know what she had expected). She tries to wrap her mind around the idea that the mighty family Mikaelson is in enough trouble that Kol would want to reach out from the Other Side. In the end, she laughs. It is probably a result of her overworked mind but the sound spills out. Kol's eyes narrow. "You - you want me to help them?!"

Kol does not answer. Instead he falls silent and she hears it. Footsteps - more than one set, accompanied by loud conversation.

"She was screaming, Klaus. Like someone jammed a hot poker into her side." Female. Hayley.

"She is none of your concern." Klaus.

Apparently Hayley will not be deterred. "Why is she even here?"

They both appear in the doorway to the study, Elijah only a second behind them. Bonnie turns her body so that her feet are on the floor and glances at Kol. He hasn't turned to look at them yet.

"Leave us," Klaus says and it is obvious he is speaking to Hayley. There is a roll of her eyes but Hayley listens. Now Bonnie is surrounded by Mikaelsons. Elijah enters the room first while, his eyes roaming over the space before landing on her. Klaus stands back, leaning in the door frame. "They tell me you experienced a bit of difficulty while we were out." It is said with such flourish that Bonnie now wants to roll her eyes.

Kol glances up, his eyes falling on his brother for the first time.

Bonnie swears he shakes just a little.

"Bonnie…" When Elijah speaks he does not sound as controlled as he usually does. It is barely a whisper. He waits until she gives him her full attention. "Why did you say his name? I heard you as we came up the stairs. Why did you say Kol's name?"

Klaus' face loses all hint of amusement. He pushes himself off the door frame and moves into the room to stand next to Elijah. Bonnie's eyes shift to Kol. He dips his head a little and she takes a deep breath.

Here we go.

"Because he's here. Kol's right here."