I had no way of telling the Salvatores we were leaving. I had no way of saying goodbye to Bonnie. And I had no way of knowing if I would ever make it home. The house was packed and we were ready to leave, but I wasn't. I didn't know if I would ever be. Standing in the threshold to my indoor garden, my thumb swiped over the vervain bracelet on my wrist and I frowned. He hadn't compelled me to leave, Niklaus assumed I would follow by sheer fear alone. What if he tried to compel me and I blew my cover? He would surely know something was up, but I couldn't leave. Not yet. I had to stay. And I needed to know that Maoilios was alive. Walking among my plants helped me focus, calm, and plan. They called out to me, soothing words of comfort and hope, whispers that everything would be okay and I would be home soon. They could sense my fear and discomfort. I needed to stay.

Kneeling by a potted plant of amaryllis, I rested my hands in the soil and closed by amber eyes. This one was sick and was doing so well, perhaps it was the lack of fresh air or sunlight, perhaps it was feeding too strongly of my negativity, or perhaps it just wasn't meant for this place. Like me. A warmth spread through me as I focused, pushing as much energy as I could into restoring the wilting red flower. My final goodbye.

"You're getting stronger," came a voice from the doorway. Klaus.

"It would be easier if I were allowed into the forest," I replied through gritted teeth, not giving him anymore attention than a response.

"So you can run? Do you take me for a fool?" his voice was closer now, hovering over me as he watched the flower begin to grow, more vibrant and lively than before.

I looked up at him then and frowned, keeping my hands in the dirt. "Do you take me for a fool? You will hunt me down and drag me right back here if it meant keeping your precious weapon," I spat, my stomach rumbling with nervousness. He heard it and smirked. Gods, I hated him. Asshole. My gaze went back to the flower and I finally removed my hands, clapping them together quietly to get the remnants off. "I'm not leaving. I have to stay here. They need me."

He growled and my head snapped up to him, fear evident across my face. His eyes had changed to a golden colour I'd never seen before, and rage twisted his features. "You are leaving now," he snarled, grabbing me by the arm and hoisting me up.

Despite his strength, I slipped from his grasp and took a step back towards my plants. "No," I said firmly, fists clenched at my side. He wouldn't take this away from me, I'd already lost too much.

He whirled and stepped forward, eyes boring into mine. I could see the irises change back to their original colour as he regained control, but the dilation is what stopped me. Compulsion. Shit. "You will come with us and you will not fight me," he said slowly, hand reaching for mine.

No! I couldn't leave yet! My plants! Wrenching my arm away, I shoved him hard and stepped further back. "You will not take me!" I shouted, vines shot out from my plants to wrap around him, snaring him in place. But the look on his face scared me. It wasn't concern that he would be trapped, or anger at my outburst, it was shock and betrayal as his eyes coasted down to the bracelet on my wrist.

In a burst of strength I didn't know was possible, he burst from the vine cocoon and grabbed my wrist, pulling the bracelet off and flinging it across the room. Hands encasing my face, the dilation returned and his voice dripped with unbridled rage. "You will stand there in silence and watch me destroy your garden," he yelled in my face. I was rooted to the spot, shaking from the urge to attack him and save my beloved flowers. Spinning on his heel, he grabbed the nearest pot and flung it against the wall, the ceramic shattering and the contents falling to the flower. I couldn't scream, I couldn't cry, I could only watch in horrified silence as he destroyed everything I'd come to love about this place. My sacred space. Another pot, a trough of newly planted seeds, everything he could reach was thrown and shattered on the floor, dirt littered every space. He was breathing heavily, shoulders moving with every hard breath. Tears welled in my eyes as I heard their screams, but I was unable to help. My darlings. He turned back to me and shook with his anger, pupils dilating again. "Come now. We're leaving."

As the compulsion set in and overrode the other one, I collapsed to the floor and sobbed heavily; trying my hardest to resist the urge to follow. But there was no escaping a vampire's compulsion. Don't leave us! Help! They called out to me, small tendrils of leaves reaching for me. But I moved away, feeling my heart break with every step I took away from them. I'm so sorry, mo ghaol.

"What's going on?" Kol asked as he strode into the kitchen eating an apple. His eyes darted from a seething brother to a crying woman, peering over my shoulder to see the destroyed room. His face dropped and I could see the sympathy, but he said nothing and sidestepped for his brother to pass. "That's what happens when you piss off Nik. That, or you end up in a coffin."

I resisted the urge to smash him, to grab the apple and shove it so far down his throat he died from suffocation. But he wouldn't be dead for long. Not like my plants that would surely die now. A part of me would die with them. There was no redeeming Klaus, he was a monster, and he embraced it like a villain. Everything was falling apart, the bracelet was supposed to protect me, I was supposed to protect my plants.

Elijah came around the corner with Rebekah, suitcases in hand as they set them down by the open door. Klaus strode out without a word, the rage radiating around him but subsiding. That was when my favourite of the family looked at me, worry in his hazel eyes as he took in the tears on my cheeks, the dirt on my hands, and the shaking of my body. There was no hesitation as he crossed over to me and held me by the shoulders, eyes searching mine. His jaw set and I could see the frustration cross his face, the temptation to grab his brother and attack him. But he wouldn't. Not for just me. "What did he do?" his voice was quiet like a whisper, even though the knowledge that everyone could hear was prominent.

"He killed them. All of them," I whispered, choking back my tears as I clenched my hands together. They still called to me but their voices were dim, distant, dying. Barely able to see through my blurred vision, I almost missed the furrowing of his brow and the sneer that tugged at his lip, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"I'm sorry Evelyn," he whispered, his hand leaving my shoulder to wipe away the tears with his thumb, cupping my cheek for a moment. There was that small spark again, but it was numbed by my grief.

My eyes closed of their own accord as I leaned into his touch, tilting my head as calm washed over me. What was happening? How could he do this to me? Without thinking, my dirty hands reached up to touch him, but stopped just before they could and my eyes snapped open. There was a presence in the doorway, full of anger and hatred. Klaus. I jerked away from Elijah and bowed my head, pulling myself away from the comfort and security that was the man I was slowly coming to trust. Stepped around him I made my way to the hybrid and kept my gaze averted, stepping through the threshold to the sunny day outside. How ironic that the second worst day of my life would be on such a beautiful one. My life was officially over.