"I seriously hate you, it's official now." Bonnie hissed.
"I can live with that." Klaus replied easily.
She yanked the book from his hands and opened it on the pages that she knew already by heart, it already showed signs of being as wrecked as she felt, Bonnie closed her eyes and moved her neck to the sides making it snap loudly, she felt as spent as the page under her soft palm.
Slow and steady breaths preceded the mantra that she started mumbling, she could feel the air inside of the room change and a cold sweat covered her, she still felt shaken upon connecting to the dark side of her magic, just a couple of months ago she wouldn't lit a candle with her mind unless she was called in to rescue a friend.
She hated admitting to it and she probably would never tell him that, but Klaus was right, she had it in her, only that there was nothing like channeling power from her dark side.
Everything felt stronger, heavier and very addictive and that was the down side, once she tapped into those ancient forces she found it harder and harder to resist lingering in that side just a little longer and just like all the other times Klaus yelling her name was what pulled her out of her trance.
She sighed and looked at him. "What do you want now? I just started, if we are ever going to do this properly I need you to be quiet."
Klaus shoved his high-tech phone in her face. "You have been under for 15 minutes, I had to pull you back out, if you don't want to become permanent evil witch on us, you need to start controlling it."
Bonnie twisted her lips, she had no notion of time at all when she was like this.
"This is not working." Elijah spoke from the window, he was watching the day outside and seemed pretty much lost in it aside from the fact that he seemed to gaze over to Bonnie frequently, and whenever he did so there was a worried expression briefly appearing on his strong features.
"I know." Klaus was already making a call.
Bonnie closed the book in her hands and recalled Klaus' plan once again in her mind, he made it sound so easy but she wasn't stupid, he was still keeping a lot hidden from her.
She had been at their home every day, dealing with Klaus was beyond annoying but Elijah was always nice and polite to her and she liked that however when the younger brother walked inside of the library she rolled her eyes, now Kol she couldn't stand. She even talked to Rebekah now but not to Kol because she found him beyond obnoxious.
"Did you call Master?" Kol asked with a bow before Klaus.
Klaus turned to Bonnie. "Use him."
"Excuse me?" Bonnie choked on her own saliva flabbergasted.
"I'm sorry Nik but I don't do public shows." Kol seemed confused and surprised as well.
Klaus threw his head back. "By God, I'm surrounded by idiots. You should never work with kids." He groaned.
Bonnie considered pouting but she would be kind of proving his point.
"You need an anchor to bind you to this side. We can't use another witch because she would feed on your energy as well, further draining you and making you weaker. We can't use a human because you would kill him before you even started the spell so you need someone with enough strength to keep you grounded, someone you can borrow energy from without worrying about it." Klaus explained in his usual impatient tone.
Bonnie looked at Kol with a frown. "Can't I use someone else?"
"I'm behind that question completely." Kol promptly said.
Klaus smiled. "Aren't you always complaining how we don't include you in anything? How it's always Elijah, Rebekah and I? Here's your chance to mingle."
Kol smirked at Klaus. "I meant it in conversations or evil plotting, I wasn't aiming at being used as a witchcraft talisman."
Klaus opened his arms. "I really can't understand you. All you have done is complain about how we left you behind and lived our lives without you, now I'm offering you the chance to be the crucial element in my genius plan and still you complain."
Kol smiled tilting his head. "Nice try Nik but I'm not doing this."
Klaus glared at him.
"I can use Caroline, I mean… she's a vampire." Bonnie suggested.
"Absolutely not." Klaus spoke without even glancing over to Bonnie.
"If this is safe then she can use her friend, your pet vampire should be just fine." Kol defied him.
Klaus growled under his breath. "That is out of the question."
"What about Rebekah?" Bonnie tried again.
"No." Klaus simply answered.
Bonnie huffed and looked at Elijah who seemed somewhere else in mind.
"You can't use Elijah either because you two are leading a very conspicuous flirtation." Klaus stated.
Bonnie's head shot back to Elijah who was still staring outside, the only hint that he actually acknowledged what was happening inside of this room was the slight tensing of his jaw.
"I can always use you." Bonnie returned her eyes to Klaus who smiled satisfied with his deductions.
"Oh Bonnie love, I'm already taken." He replied smugly.
Bonnie shook her head frustrated.
"Can't you just leave me out of this one?" Kol suggested. "I'm quite happy going back to not being part of the mighty Musketeers."
Bonnie started protesting as well and Kol joined her, Elijah suddenly left the room and Klaus just really wanted everyone to shut up.
Why did people insist on questioning him? He rested his fingers against his forehead trying to cool down, this was turning out to be a bigger challenge than he expected so when his phone started vibrating inside of his coat he decided that it was a fantastic time to take a break.
A genuine smile finally graced his features when he saw Caroline's name on the screen. "How did you know that I was in desperate need to hear your wonderful voice love?" He heard Caroline laugh and this was enough to sooth him, he rolled his eyes at the two children in front of him now fighting each other and decided to turn his back on them for now, he had enough and needed Caroline more than ever.
He moved to where Elijah had been standing and marveled at the amazing view that his property had, though he rather be staring at Caroline's exquisite features as he spoke to her.
"I was just wondering how Bonnie was doing, I haven't talked to her since yesterday."
"I'm hurt love… you are calling to check on your friend?" Klaus was bothered by it but Caroline laughed louder, did she not realize that he was actually hurt? He felt the urge to pout, of all things, he wanted to pout.
"I might be calling you instead of her because I wanted to listen to your voice instead."
Klaus smiled like an idiotic teenager would and he didn't even give a damn about it. "She's enjoying her stay..." He said looking over his shoulder and frowning at the heated discussion happening between his brother and the witch.
"So it looks like I have a secret admirer and he sent me enough red roses to fill a garden."
Klaus smiled easily. "Did you enjoyed them?"
"I loved them and I can't stop staring at them. And now I'm wondering what's stage two."
"Asking your mother permission to court you." Klaus could feel Caroline flinching from across the line and it made him laugh, an actual happy laughter which she matched when she realized that he was just teasing her.
"Very funny Nik… way to assure me that your insanity has limits."
"Well I am old-fashioned and this is the exact way it was done in the old days."
"Whatever old guy..." Caroline giggled.
Klaus realized that the two teenagers behind him had ceased their argument and turned to them, they now stood there with arms crossed and giving him a look, obviously they were listening to his talk which was adorable of them. "I have to go, Bonnie seems ready to carry on."
"Ok, tell her that I said hi. Will you drop by my house later? I... really want to see you."
She released the softest sigh that was enough to entice him and he wanted nothing but to be alone with her. "I will see you later sweetheart." Nothing would stop him from seeing her today.
For now he ended his call and returned his undivided attention towards Bonnie and Kol. "So now that you have settled down and that I don't feel the urge to slam you both against the wall anymore, shall we get back to work?"
"We've talked and decided that we aren't going to do this, you can't force us." Bonnie smugly informed him.
"Very well." Klaus simply said which took the others by surprise.
"You are not going to bellow your demands and beat me into a pulp until I agree to be the weird sacrifice of your ritual?" Kol asked suspicious.
Klaus shook his head laughing. "You would have to be a virgin for that particular sacrifice and we all know how that promise ring doesn't fit your ring anymore."
Kol made a silly smug smile which made Bonnie pull a disgusted expression.
Klaus had enough of the children's play. "Fun time is over, we have a lot to do and so very little time to do it."
"No, get me some other vampire, any vampire. Damon or Stefan." Bonnie tried again.
"Don't be ludicrous Bonnie, you are going to use Kol because you don't like him and you work better when you are mad. You need an Original because we are the biggest power source you will ever find and I'm not going to force any of you to do this because you are going to do it on your own free will. Or neither of you will ever leave this library again." Klaus finished with his trade mark dimple-showing smile.
Kol and Bonnie grimaced, they knew that they had no choice but to do this, simply because Klaus meant what he said.
Bonnie concentrated and started the mantra in her head, she took deep long breaths and pushed her magic like it was a rubber-band, she focused on that dark spot inside of her mind that she called the door to the other aspect of her craft and by doing that she left the thoughts of everyday behind, she closed herself to all sounds around her while little by little pushing herself further.
A sharp icy breath came out of her mouth, she was cold and it felt like she was covered in ice, she tried to relax her shoulders but they were tense from the cold and that freezing wave was taking over her arms and little by little the rest of her body.
Kol looked at Klaus honestly a little troubled, the girl seemed to be on the verge of having a seizure and the satisfied smile on his brother's lips didn't help one bit to ease his uneasiness, she could simply turn her magic towards him and he wasn't in the mood to have a headache for hours.
Bonnie's breaths became shallow and that ice-cold turned into heat, she was feeling as hot as if the sun was just on top of her head in a desert, she also felt scared suddenly, she wasn't just pushing her magic out of her mind, she felt as if she was pushing out of her own body and for a moment she tried to break away from something that pulled her, that wanted to keep her in a dark misty place.
Shaken Bonnie staggered but someone caught her before she lost complete control over her body and she opened her eyes slowly, she found Kol's hazel eyes looking at her and realized that he was the one holding her, quickly she shrugged him off her and looked at Klaus, his smirk only made her snap. "What the hell just happened?"
"You've made contact." Klaus informed her calmly.
"With whom?" She asked about the presence she couldn't identify.
Klaus lowered his chin and looked at her with those piercing eyes of his. "My mother's biggest threat and the other Original witch, Ayanna."
Bonnie gulped down overtaken by an uncanny shiver.
"If Ayanna possesses Bonnie she's going to kill us all, unless my memory is failing me and she was a friend of ours." Kol looked at Klaus unsure of his plan.
"She hated us all right, but she hates our creator a great deal more." Klaus had a wide smile for Kol.
"You are insane. Completely and utterly out of your mind." Bonnie murmured.
"I've been told but most genius are sweetheart." He lifted his eyebrows amused.
"I can't do this." She fought with a panic attack.
"There is a long line of Bennett witches Bonnie but they all came from one, the Original Bennett which and you are the only one who can naturally channel Ayanna. You just made contact with her without even knowing what you were doing, imagine all that you would achieve if you actually had a clear notion of what you're doing."
"This is too much." Bonnie held her head. "Possession, summoning a dead witch, playing around with the black arts... I'm going to end up dead or crazy... or demon food."
"You need to breathe Bonnie." Klaus said.
"No, don't give me any of that breathing crap. And it's not your body that is going to be ghost rapped, I've been there with Emily and it's horrible not having any control over your body." she snapped.
"That's why you need to practice on getting back effortlessly whenever you wish. If you let me train you without confronting me every two minutes I will teach you how to break the connection once we get what we want." Klaus explained.
"And why am I in the midst of this bizarre entertainment?" Kol asked.
"She needs something that will ground her to her human side and we are that powerful." Klaus said with a sigh, tired of so many questions.
"Wouldn't baby vampire be more appropriate? They are friends and they share all that childhood nonsense."
"We can't be killed Kol." Klaus raised his voice.
Bonnie and Kol looked at each other.
"So basically what you are asking me to do is to hijack a really old ghost witch, to use her power to kill your mother, then use Kol to fuel my power to send her back to hell and get back in time to break a seal." Bonnie desiccated her part in this.
Klaus smiled. "You pretty much covered everything there love."
"No biggy, I can do this." She nodded and realized that she had just lost all of her sanity just now but there was really nothing that she could do about it, besides a huge part of her wanted to know if she could actually do this.
It had been so easy for Emily to take over her body the other time, would it really be that hard reversing the roles? Well, she was about to find out.
She reached out and took Kol's hands into hers, she smiled because they were cold, his usual smug was gone and she could sense the fear in him which was good, they were about to poke a really dark and powerful being so one of them should be afraid.
Klaus nodded silently for he could see it, Bonnie had finally overcome her small insecurities, having that much power was too tempting not to try its full length at least once and he was counting on that, he just hoped that she would be strong enough to walk away from it when the time came but that was something to deal with later.
For now he sat on the edge of the table and watched as Bonnie spread out her energy until it reached the very foundations of the Bennett line, it would be another very long day for them but at least he had Kol's shrieks and flinching every time Bonnie exhaled to entertain him.
Caroline finished the last touches on her wavy golden hair, she tried to get that one last curl into place and when he stubbornly refused to stay where she wanted him to stay she pursed her lips and gave him an evil stare.
He wouldn't win, silly curl defying her, with another twist around the curling iron it finally fell into place and she stepped back to took look at herself, the baby-pink dress looked great on her and the bright pink cardigan perfected the casual yet sexy look that she had envisioned for tonight.
She tilted her head and smiled, she was ready, all she had to do now was wait for Klaus.
A soft knock on her front door made her squeal like a little girl and she hurried towards it feeling light and bright and all the shiny things that young people feel when they are falling in love for the first time, she didn't mind feeling like this, she didn't mind it at all.
"Just in time." She flashed her best smile opening the door but froze instantly when she found Tyler standing there. "Tyler... what are you doing here?"
"Hi Caroline..."
He seemed unwell, conflicted almost and Caroline remembered Klaus on his way to her house. "You have to leave Tyler, now."
Tyler took a deep breath and she noticed the sadness in his eyes, she was going to ask what was wrong when she spotted the knife being taken from behind his back.
"I'm sorry Care, I'm so sorry." He whispered.
She barely had time to dodge his surprising assault, Tyler leaped at her with full force and she felt the windy noise that the knife made when he tried to slice through her right arm, she moved towards the wall but quickly realized that it was a big mistake, she was now trapped between the open door and the wall.
It took a minute for Caroline to react based on the shock of the irrational attack but she shoved Tyler against the opposite wall, he staggered for a second before wrapping his hand harder around the sharp silver blade and flashed over to Caroline, she moved just in time and Tyler hit the wall where she was just a second before.
Caroline was behind him now and slammed his forehead against the wall, Tyler growled and turned so fast that she only saw a blur and was pinned against the wall again, his grip was around her throat, her eyes flickered to the knife he held above her and then to his yellow eyes.
She tried to be strong, she was scared but she wasn't going down without a fight so she wrapped her hands around his and tried to free herself.
"Stop fighting, I don't want to hurt you." Tyler hissed.
"Right, you just came here to catch up on our old times." Caroline hissed back and shoved her knee between his legs making him loosen up the tight hold around her.
She took the moment to push him away hard with all of her strength and he ended on the floor near the kitchen, Caroline broke a leg from one of the chairs there and held it in her hand ready to use it as a weapon of her own.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled at him, she didn't want to do this.
Tyler looked at her and then at the floor, his face muscles were working frantically, he seemed to waver for a second but then his warrior look returned and Caroline braced herself for another round.
He came at her with his wolf and vampire side showing and she realized that she had no idea who he was but he wasn't her Tyler anymore, that's for sure, he hadn't been for a while or maybe she just never really knew him.
She blocked his knife assault and tried to push him against the wall again but he took her with him this time, they tossed around from wall to wall, trying to gain leverage over the other but she was no match to him, he was angry and motivated but not only that, he was stronger.
She slammed her head forward and it landed right on his nose, he screamed and she took the opening to push her improvised stake into his stomach, the act made him yell as she stabbed him exactly where Klaus had the night before, Caroline felt tears in her eyes but she was just defending herself.
Tyler let her go and she walked away with tears starting to fall, he was after all her friend, he had been so much more just a few months ago and now he walked into her home determined to kill her.
She just wanted to leave, Klaus was on his way for sure and she would meet him half-way, when she reached her door everything happened too fast, so fast that it almost felt unreal.
She saw her mother stepping inside of her wrecked home shocked and heard the raging yell as Tyler flashed over to finally end her life, she got ready to take the blow when Liz called out her name.
The split second that it took Caroline to look at her mother was enough for Liz to step in front of her and take the stab instead.
"Mom!" Caroline yelled unable to do anything but catch her as Liz slumped with the knife stuck in her chest. "Oh my God… mom." Caroline cried and cradled her bleeding mother in her lap, when she tried to talk Caroline hushed her. "Don't talk, shh… why did you do that mom? I'm a vampire, I could take it, not you mom..." Caroline said through her terrified tears.
She felt a pinch in her arm but was too numb to realize that Tyler had just cut her with one of her kitchen knives, he wrapped the item with her blood in one of the towels and stumbled outside her house with remorse in his eyes.
Caroline had to think fast, her mother was bleeding fast in her arms so she sank her teeth into her wrist and rested it against her mouth. "You are going to be ok mom, I promise. I'm going to take care of you. It's going to be ok... oh mom why did you do that? Why would you do that for me?" She pulled the knife out of Liz' chest, tossing it across the room furious.
Klaus made sure that the house was secure one more time before he went over to Caroline's room, he stopped before going inside, the image of Caroline lying in her tiny bed curled up into a ball crying was a lot to take in.
Unlike that night on her birthday she had her back on him and faced the wall, he slowly made his way to the bed and rested behind her, instantly he felt her body melt against his, she was searching for his heat and comfort.
Klaus felt helpless, she seemed so fragile and tiny right now, like she almost disappeared against him, he didn't know what to tell her, usually he never did but tonight he felt even more at loss for words.
He moved his arm and snaked it around her waist, she instantly took his hand and their fingers entwined, as they did so she seemed to stop crying as much and Klaus slid his other arm under her pillow, she moved resting the back of her head against his chest instead looking to hide completely against his body.
He hadn't been there for her, he should have been, nothing was ever supposed to happen to her or to someone she cared about. "She's going to be all right and tonight Rebekah will stay in the hospital watching over her." He whispered against her perfect golden locks.
Caroline sniffled nodding and snuggled closer to him which only made him feel even more powerless, she was hurting and there was nothing that he could do about it, he just held her and remained in silence, this seemed to always bring her some sort of peace and he wanted to sooth her this way.
He focused on it, steadying his breath so that she would pick up on it like she always did.
Caroline calmed down, the shock was slowly fading but the image of all that blood gushing out of her mother's chest was still too vivid, the image of Tyler flying to her with a knife in his hand and leaving her to deal with her mother bleeding to death in her arms was something that she would never erase from her mind, no matter how long she lived.
It didn't matter to her now that her mother was going to live, that she had been able to save her, what mattered to her was that Tyler had betrayed her and harmed her mother in the process, she sniffled before clicking her teeth together. "I want him dead." she whispered into the pitch dark of her bedroom knowing that she had just signed Tyler's death sentence.
Soundtrack:
Monster – Skillet