IT WAS DARK WHEN I woke with a start from another nightmare. I hadn't had a full night's sleep since I invaded that bastard's head. Normally, this would be when I sought out one of the brothers. But Klaus called me a whore. My breath caught with the memory and I found myself fighting tears again. And Elijah had used me to get a rise out of his brother. I didn't understand any of it, but I didn't need to.
A glass of bourbon and a blanket on the couch sounded like a great alternative. I changed into pajamas and slid slippers onto my feet. Cracking open the door, I listened carefully for movement. Silence. I stepped into the hall, making as little noise as possible. Relief flooded me when I saw both men had their doors shut. I headed downstairs to the bar, leaving my door open behind me. There was no sign of their earlier argument.
I poured a glass of bourbon and walked over to the doors that led out to the roof. I eased the door open and slipped outside. The crisp night air ran over my skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake while my breath left my lips in a fog. Though the sky was clear, there were few stars to be seen.
A glance over my shoulder told me I was still alone. Tears came to my eyes again, unbidden. Over the last several weeks, I'd grown used to not being alone. I had friends and family but none of them understood my life. Not sense the accident. It had been freeing living with people I didn't have to pretend with. But Klaus was right. I let myself forget why I was here. No, that wasn't fair. My focus was still breaking the curse, but along the way I grew attached to the brothers. I allowed myself to imagine I was more important than I was. I was a means to an end—nothing more. I wasn't their friend. I wasn't their family. I was just a witch that didn't belong here.
I needed to find the moonstone and free Klaus from his curse. I needed to find a new purpose, and I needed to do it now. The sooner I moved on, the better. I was already too attached to them as it was. After downing my drink, I placed the glass on the table and headed to the greenhouse. There was one more thing I could do, one more thing to try, but I'd been avoiding it. There was a spell that allowed me to travel to the Other Side where I could talk to long dead witches and learn their spells. Lately, it had become more difficult for me to return every time I went. I hadn't attempted this in weeks, but desperate times, desperate measures and all that.
Stepping inside, I securely shut the door and kicked off my slippers. I stood on the patch of grass enjoying the feel of the tiny blades against the soles of my feet before I lowered myself to the ground. Closing my eyes, I rested my hands on my knees. After several deep breaths my body started to relax. I had cast this spell often enough my body would now do what it needed with no prompting from me. I slid into the Other Side.
It was odd and hard to navigate, but I'd learned most of its tricks the five weeks I spent there after the accident. I stood in the middle of the greenhouse but my surroundings had taken on a bluish tinge. My body still sat in the middle of the floor. I touched the ground and pictured the moonstone in my mind. "I need to find this object or a spell to help me locate it." The message rippled through the Other Side and I waited for someone to answer my call.
Tatia appeared in front of me, making me take a step back. "Why are you here, Cassidy?" She glanced furtively around, jumping at every little sound.
"What am I ever doing here? I need help."
"You must leave. Now. She knows what you're trying to do. She's furious." Tatia wrung her trembling hands together.
I frowned. I'd never seen my ancestor like this before. "Who are you talking about, Tatia? Calm down."
"The Original witch knows you are trying to help Niklaus. She's won't tolerate you being here. She'll do anything to stop you." She grasped my arm in her hands. The Original witch wasn't someone I cared to mess with if I could help it. Somehow it didn't surprise me that she was still trying to screw with Klaus from beyond the grave.
The chill that went through me had nothing to do with what Tatia had just revealed. Part of being on the Other Side was not feeling pain, temperature or anything of the kind. This was no natural cold. Frost framed the windows of the greenhouse. My body trembled and there was a blue tint to my skin. It was difficult to tell if it was the normal vision distortion from being on the Other Side or if my circulation had been impacted by the old.
Panic flared through me. "How long have I been here?" Time never passed the way it should on the Other Side and it followed no rules I could figure out. Sometimes hours seemed like days and other times what seemed like minutes was actually hours.
She shook her head. "I don't know. This is her doing. You must get back before you are trapped here."
I placed a hand on my head but nothing happened. Usually when I made contact with my body, I was pulled from the Other Side. Damn it. My body wasn't aware enough to pull me back. At least the vapor clouds coming through my shaking lips meant I was still breathing. I needed help and I needed it now. I walked through the side of the greenhouse and headed into the apartment.
I went to Elijah's room first and found him sitting in a chair with his feet propped on his bed. He wore a only pair of pajama pants. I stood beside him and screamed his name to no avail. I concentrated on my magic and tried to call up a breeze or something. Anything to get his attention. Nothing worked.
Maybe Klaus would be more sensitive to the Other Side. He wore much the same attire only he sat on top of his covers with his back against his headboard and a drink in his hand. Judging from the bottle on the table beside him he was drinking for more than to just take the edge off.
I screamed his name with no response and raked my hands through my hair before growling in frustration. "Damn it, Nik! Help me!" I only dared to use the nickname now that I knew he couldn't hear me. I waved my hands through the air in front of his face. He lifted his glass to take another drink, moving through my hand in the process. He froze and moved the glass away from him, squinting at the surface.
My eyes widened and my heart raced. Or at least the shade of it I currently possessed did. Had something happened to the liquid in the glass? I closed my eyes, concentrated and drew as much magic as I could to myself before swiping at the glass again. It flew from his hand and onto the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief. Klaus swung his legs off the bed and sat up, looking first at the glass then around the room.
"Elijah?"
Elijah was in the room in moments. "What is it, Niklaus?"
"My glass was just knocked from my hand. Rather forcefully. Any ideas?"
My eyes darted between the two. They were smart, they'd figure this out. Elijah walked out the door. "Cassie was not in her room when I passed by and there are no lights on downstairs."
Klaus followed his brother. With a thought, I was back with my body, trying again to get in. The temperature had dropped further in my absence. Frost coated everything in spite of the much warmer temperature outside the greenhouse. There was even frost on my skin and hair.
The greenhouse door flew open and I jumped. Klaus knelt in front of my body, grabbed the shoulders and shook me while calling my name. When I failed to come to, he slapped me across the face. With a gasp, I was back in my own body, never happier to be hit. My teeth chattered as my lips trembled. My frozen skin hurt to be touched.
Klaus's jaw was tight as he stood, lifting me gently in his arms. I grunted in discomfort.
"I'll start the shower," Elijah said and zoomed away.
Shivers wracked my body and my teeth continued to chatter. Klaus gripped me more tightly against his chest and I reveled in the warmth coming from him. He sped to his room. True to his word, Elijah had turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. Klaus didn't skip a beat and stepped into the shower with me in his arms.
Heat flared through me and I sucked in a breath. "It's hot. It burns."
"It's barely lukewarm, sweetheart."
He sat on the bench in the shower and kept me positioned sideways across his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled myself more tightly against him. As I grew used to the temperature, he leaned forward and adjusted the faucet, making the water warmer. Eventually, I stopped shivering, stopped feeling so frigid and relaxed against him. "I'm better now."
He hummed in acknowledgement but didn't release me. He bit into his wrist and lifted it to my mouth. "Drink, love."
I tilted my head back to look at him. "I'm fine."
He frowned and sighed before biting into his wrist again as the wound had closed. "Drink."
I did as ordered, not wanting him to bite himself again. His blood tasted far better than it should and I licked my lips as I pulled away. Warmth flowed through me.
He stood me on my feet, keeping a hand on my arm until he was certain I wouldn't fall. After he turned off the water, he stepped out and handed me a towel. "Dry off, sweetheart. I'll get you something to wear."
I left my wet clothes in a pile on the floor of the shower. I dried quickly and wrapped the towel around myself before opening the door. Klaus stood there, smirking. "Here you are, love."
I took the clothes with one hand and a nod of thanks. Closing the door, I dressed quickly in the underwear and pajamas he'd retrieved from my room. I padded into his room and sat on the edge of his bed, one leg tucked underneath me. He handed me a brush and I got to work on my hair.
"Start talking, before I start yelling."
A/N: As usual, thank you for all the love. And for the person that asked (pleaded really) no love triangles I promise.
