A/N: Hello, sorry for such a long wait for the next chapter, but I hope you still like it. I had a little writers block with this story, I seem to get ideas but don't know how to write it out. I think there will only a a few chapters left for this story.

Thank you for reviewing, following and favoring. It has been a pleasure to write this story and have readers enjoy it.

This story has not been beta'd, so I apologize in advance if you find spelling and grammar mistakes.

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they all belong to the writers and creators of The Vampire Diaries.

The Auction

Chapter 10 - Visionary Wonderland

They had been wandering the land that seemed never-ending. Elena had followed Elijah's instincts, which led them down a boring path that looked the same as all the miles beforehand. This world was different, the grass was actually greener, birds were singing and a slight breeze was blowing. For a brief moment Elena felt human. No constant fight against bloodlust, she felt alive and thought that Elijah did too.

They had a light conversation on their walk, Elijah was following a small path and somewhere along the way he grabbed Elena's hand in his and they hadn't separated since. Even though they didn't need to sleep or eat, Elena still wanted to find a place to rest. The never-ending walking was frustrating her, she just wanted some hint of life in this world.

She didn't feel the curse of being a vampire at this very moment. The dusty path was just straight and narrow, never veering off to the side, passing the same trees or that's what she was beginning to think. Elena grew tired of it after a while and wanted to rest, nothing was making sense and now all she wanted to do was find a place that wasn't green and full of leaves. She had started to become sick at the sight of it all.

It wasn't much longer after Elena thought this that a wooden hut appeared in the forest. Straying from the pathway stood a small hut that looked old and worn. Without hesitation Elena tugged on Elijah's hand, urging him to check out this abandoned house.

They were quiet and being vampires that was done without difficulty. While treading lightly and looking around the empty building, they came to the conclusion that they could enter. At least hope they could, the invitation of vampires was a bit fuzzy in this strange world. Using little force the door swung open, releasing a creak as it widened further.

Even though the place looked unused, the inside told a different story. It looked as though the residents had left in a hurry, leaving half eaten food on the small table. Elena couldn't complain because all she just wanted to do was sit down for five minutes and this was the first and only place they had seen in miles.

Elijah was busy looking around the house and Elena was just delighted with resting that they didn't hear the snapping of twigs from a distance. Someone was coming and they weren't aware, in fact several footsteps were walking towards their resting place. When Elijah did finally take notice, he openly cursed himself for being such a fool. A vampire as old as himself wouldn't have made such a colossal mistake. But by then it was too late and their was no escape. The door to the house opened without hesitation and in came some people that didn't seem surprised by their presence.

"Princess..." One of the men whispered and others gasped.

"I can't believe you were right..." Elena whispered so quietly that no one but Elijah could hear her and with his ancient vampire abilities he heard loud and clear, smirking in response.

"Yes...it seems I was correct, if I may say there are seven dwarves." Elijah whispered back while he possessed a huge smile on his face. Seeing these dwarves made his theory completely true and he knew Elena couldn't dispute it.

Their secret conversation was soon interrupted when one of the men asked a question. "Snow White how did you escape the spell placed by the wicked witch?"

"I...I met my Prince. Everyone meet Elijah, my Prince Charming." Elena looked at her seven companions and then at Elijah. She gave him a subtle wink and tried to suppress the laugh wanting to erupt.

"Your Highness" All but one spoke, the seventh had slipped into a light sleep leaning against the door frame, a small snore left his mouth. But he was woken by an elbow jabbing his ribs.

"Ah..uh..oh, Princess?...my apologies your highness" the dwarf known as sleepy bowed his head. He had quickly figured out who this man was to be if Snow White stood inside their residence. He was the prince, her one true love.

"Princess...you mustn't be here. The witch...she is searching for you, and she wants blood...your blood!" Grumpy quickly said.

"She has sent many men across the forest looking for you. Wondering how you escaped the curse of your slumber." Doc interrupted with his input.

"Where is the witch now?" Elena looked at the dwarves hoping that this could be the final task.

"In her castle...but princess...it's too dangerous" A small voice came from the side.

"She needs to be defeated, everyone is in danger if we don't do something. Where is this castle?" Elena asked with a little more urgency.

"Follow the path, when it splits head left. That will lead straight to her castle. Be careful Princess." The dwarves bid Elena and Elijah farewell, packing some food for their travels. Elena may not remember them, but she was grateful for their help.

After what seemed to be an hour they approached a break in the path and following the instructions of the dwarves they headed left. Everything had been so strange and they didn't know when this maze of events would end. Was this their final task? Would they be granted freedom if the killed the witch? Or was this just a cruel game that changed like the wind changes direction.

Elena enjoyed being with Elijah, especially now when everything was such a mess. She did wonder how long it would be before they saw her friends or Elijah's crazy siblings. They worked on a plan to kill the witch, hoping that she was the culprit for their current predicament. They would have to work together to beat whatever magic was doing this, and right now they had no idea what they were dealing with.

Caroline ran toward the screams, something about it drew her in. It was like a calling. Each pained cry she heard called for a piece of her heart. Aching, yearning, anything to search for a way out of the black hole you would call loneliness. Taking no notice of her surroundings Caroline used vampire speed to pass trees and rocks at an accelerated rate. The pull was only getting stronger and more prominent. A sign that she was getting close to her desired destination. This was what she endured before standing in front of this marvelous castle.

She wasn't tired or breathless and knowing that she still maintained her vampire abilities, she wasn't scared. Caroline approached the main gate with caution, the little girls words ringing in her ear. A monster awaits. Though she had met some monsters in her lifetime, Mikael being one of them and Klaus being another, although the hybrid was slowly redeeming himself.

Trying to be as quiet as possible and being unsuccessful seemed like a typical thing, but Caroline wasn't made that way. She would rather go for bluntness and honesty than hide. As she glanced around the inside lobby she was mesmerized. The beauty of this place was unspeakable. So much care and passion for art made this building shine. In some ways it reminded her of the old Mikaelson Mansion.

As she ventured in further she heard voices, Caroline wanted to gasp but re-framed from doing so. She heard two voices, both British although one was much younger. Almost like a child was speaking and the other she knew, it was Klaus.

"Niklaus" The young voice spoke gently

"HHH..Henrik?..." Klaus's voice wasn't firm and humorous like it usually was. It almost sounded vulnerable and fragile, Caroline was inclined to believe that this boy was a great weakness for Klaus.

Caroline continued to listen, hiding behind a wall but peeking out just enough to see the two faces. She was shocked that the young voice did actually belong to a boy. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Elena once mentioning the originals having a younger brother who died.

"Yes brother" Henrik nodded at his older brother, giving him a warming smile. There was no anger or malice in his response.

"How are you here? Why are you here?" Klaus wanted to ask more questions, but only those two came out. He wanted answers, there had to be an explanation for all of this, he was being punished. Plain and simple.

"I'm here to tell you I forgive you Nik. You shouldn't blame yourself for my death. I wanted to see the men turn into beasts. I gave you no choice. I would have gone whether you were there or not." Henrik kept eye contact with the hybrid, the simple gesture portraying his honesty.

Klaus couldn't stop the shocked look appearing on his face. In over a thousand years he had blamed himself, and for most of those years Mikael and Esther had done the very same.

"I couldn't save you, I tried to reach you as you fell, but I wasn't fast enough. I should have died along with you, at least then I would have been trying to save you." Klaus couldn't stop the single tear that trickled down his cheek. He looked at Henrik with so much love. Caroline was surprised to see so much emotion.

"I don't blame you Nik. I never did. I'm also here to guide you, if you wish to leave this place you find the light and embrace it, only then will the beast disappear" Henrik didn't wait around and soon vanished in front of Klaus's eyes.

"Henrik! Henrik!" Klaus looked around frantically for his little brother. Now he was left alone with a cryptic message.

Klaus in a moment of madness gave a bellowed roar. This action made Caroline gasp in surprise although she did try to hide it by covering her mouth with her hand.

Caroline was trying to calm herself down, but never noticed that Klaus had moved from the room and was now standing behind her. It wasn't until a hand was wrapped around her throat and she was lifted off the ground.

Klaus had heard a small noise from a distant wall, if he wasn't an original vampire he would never of heard it. Using his supernatural abilities he silently crept towards the wall and without taking notice of the face he'd pinned the spy against the wall.

It all happened so quickly, Klaus never thought he would lay a hand on his precious Caroline. As quickly as he'd pinned her, Klaus released his hold on Caroline. "Caroline...love, I'm sorry" Klaus was almost pleading for forgiveness and to his surprise it was granted. The beauty in front of him grabbed his hand and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"It's okay, who was that? And what's going on?" Caroline slowly pulled away from Klaus, their hands were still linked together as they talked.

"That was my youngest brother, Henrik. He died, he asked me to take him to watch the wolves and the branch he was sitting on broke. By the time I reached him the wolves had already attacked him." Klaus couldn't hold back the tears as he replayed the story in his head.

"He's the reason Esther turned you all into vampires" the story clicked in Caroline's mind, remembering something Elena once told her years ago.

"As for where love...I don't know." Klaus suddenly taking notice of his furry appearance turned away from Caroline. She watched as he glared at his hairy hands and frustration that it wouldn't come off.

"Klaus stop!" He was repeated clawing at the hair on his arms, it bled and the hair would disappear for a few seconds but instantly grow back after the scratches healed. Either he couldn't hear her or Klaus was ignoring her but her next words snapped him out of it.

"Nik! Stop it!" Klaus's hands halted at the change in name. All he ever had was his looks and his strength. Being a hybrid to fight against his father, many feared him but right now they would only mock him. He wasn't the mighty hybrid, right now he was a beast, literally. He had claws, fur, fangs and a small tail.

If his father saw him now it would earn him another beating and jokes. He was never good enough and right now he didn't feel good enough for this beautiful princess in front of him. She wouldn't want to be seen with a hideous monster like him.

"I'm a monster Caroline and this just proves it! You are the same love, beautiful and full of light. I'm not, I am exactly what you feared when you first saw me, a monster. A cruel trick to make the heartless hybrid suffer." Klaus held back nothing from Caroline, he always enjoyed her honesty and he would grant her the same honesty.

"When I was child do you know what my favourite book was...it was 'Beauty and the Beast'. You are not a monster, just like the beast in the story. He had a heart and no matter what he looked like the princess fell in love with him regardless of his appearance and aggression. She saw the goodness that was hidden in him, just like I do now." Caroline's voice was clear and steady as she looked in his blue eyes.

"What are you saying love?..." Klaus didn't want to believe his wish would come true but he had to hear it.

"I'm saying...I'm saying I love you! I love you Klaus" Caroline blurted it out in frustration, she stood and waited for his reaction only he didn't move. Caroline watched as his eyes went wide. She had made the Original hybrid speechless, if only this world had a camera. She enjoyed the look on his face, she didn't care about anything else because she loved him.

"And I love you Caroline" Klaus closed the distance and joined their lips expressing everything that he had tried to keep buried, his humanity. She represented everything that was good and he needed her. When they parted from the kiss they were no longer standing in the castle but in the forest. They had no idea how they got their but Klaus remembered Henrik's words. He was human again, the fur had disappeared and he was himself again, which only led him to believe that they were close to leaving this nightmare of a place.

Bonnie's cell was left behind long ago as she escaped through the bars with her minuscule size. Turning into a frog wasn't her choice of precious animals but what could she do. If the fairy-tales were true then only a being that was her true love could turn her back. Bonnie was afraid that she would be waiting an eternity.

She had slowly made her way towards a pond, it had taken several hours and many breaks to get this far. At first she refused to eat flies, but the urge was a constant battle. Bonnie started to understand what Elena and Caroline go through daily. It wasn't the same but having that constant voice telling you to eat something you didn't want was difficult to ignore.

As Bonnie settled in the shade perched on a rock, she began to wonder what her friends were doing. She even thought about Kol. He had changed from the malicious original she first met. Breaking Matt's hand at the ball and beating Damon with a baseball bat, although the latter she didn't oppose so much.

In all honesty she started to miss the original. He had showed a different side to him and she couldn't fault him for his charm. It seemed the charm ran in the family. She only hoped that she would be found soon, hopefully with less slime and more human.

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Kol had run through the forest, he swore that he'd just run in circles several times but he kept going. He wanted to get out of this dreamland and into the real world. His family were the most dangerous people in the world and they were treated like royalty when anyone caught wind of their last name.

He wanted to wreak havoc on someone's life, Kol may have cleaned up his act in New Orleans but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with his food.

Kol didn't know where he was, waking up in a strange place with different clothing and the worst part was placing his lips on a slimy frog. Fairy-tales never mentioned the cold slime that covered his lips after sealing the deal with a potential true love. He never believed in love before, not until he met Miss Bennett. Something about her caught his attention. Maybe it was her strength and fire that made him want to know her. Either way it was a big deal.

He was an Original, known for chaos and mischief and yet here he stands a thousand years later exactly the same, except now he had light in his heart. Light that shines for one woman, Bonnie Bennett. He only hoped that this little adventure would lead to her. Kol ached for his little witch, but to find one woman in a mysterious land would be beyond difficult. All he could do was try.

Following a hillside and looking past a tree line, Kol spotted a small pond. He had traveled so far and even vampires got tired, with no blood around he would have to settle for water. Kol approached the pond cautiously, taking a quick look around he found nothing. It wasn't until he reached down to pool some water in his hands that he noticed movement in the corner of his eye.

Using vampire speed he was behind the cause of disruption. A frog, but not just any...it looked beautiful. It seemed to have a glow about it and when looking into its eyes it felt like he could see their soul. It tried to jump away, not because of being frightened but embarrassment.

"Do not be shy, you are beautiful" Kol couldn't stop the words leaving his mouth. He was unable to control anything while looking at this frog.

Without further thought Kol placed his lips on the frog. The kiss was different to the others. It wasn't cold but warm and they didn't have the moist feeling it usually did. He was so wrapped up in the moment that he hadn't noticed the glowing lights surround him.

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Bonnie had been sitting in the shade for some time. She was a little lost and didn't really want to think about the time she would have to spend here until she found her prince. It was a curse of time.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the splashing of water. When she looked up Bonnie was surprised to see the young Mikaelson standing there. He was dressed out of sorts and Bonnie wanted to laugh, but it suddenly dawned on her what she looked like. She couldn't let him see her like this, she was ugly and she turned around on the rock and jumped away.

Her landing didn't feel right, she leaps forward expecting to hit some grass but what she felt was different. It was soft and padded and when she gazed down Bonnie saw four long rolls with creases, she concluded that it was a hand.

Kol turned the frog around to face him and she saw him gaze at her with interest. She didn't speak, not wanting him to know her identity for she was embarrassed that he would leave her like this. But his words surprised her, she was beautiful. She wanted to scream in joy at him but was halted when his lips were on hers.

Bonnie felt it. She felt everything, a swirling amount of love started to flow through her. She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed this moment not paying attention to anything else but Kol's lips.

If either of them had opened their eyes, they would have seen bright lights circling them. It looked as though two souls were linking, only moments later Bonnie's form started to change. She stood in human form again and her lips were still placed on Kol's. The hand that held the small frog had moved with the transformation and he was now tentatively caressing her cheek.

She was the one. His true love and he had found her.

"It's you...my beautiful witch" was all the words that came out of his mouth once they parted lips.

"And it's you, original frog kisser" Bonnie chuckled at his fake hurt expression.

"I give you a compliment and you wound me with your harsh words." Kol gently kissed Bonnie's forehead and slipped his hand into hers.

"Sorry...so what now?" Bonnie asked Kol as if he knew the answer

"We find out who sent us here" Kol wanted answers and he would get them, even if it took centuries.

"Someone sent us here, it's a vision quest. We have to find the others. We can't be alone, they are stuck in this dream world too."

Kol nodded his head and followed his instincts, after all it had led him to Bonnie. His gut was telling him to head East and so they would. In hopes that they would find his siblings and her friends.