Chapter 20
Just a moment
Just a second, just a minute, just give me another hour or perhaps even a day. Just give me time to think things over. It isn't much. It isn't hard. It's all I've ever asked for. It's all I'll ever ask for. Just that one simple request.
But those moments, seconds, hours, days ticked by and became one huge mistake. Just one extraordinary opportunity that slipped through my fingertips because I couldn't decide, couldn't understand, couldn't see. I needed more time and I didn't know what to do.
I don't even know what I've done.
I have no idea how we got here when all I ever really wanted was to wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night and maybe go shopping with my friends and that one decision, that one choice, that one accidental opportunity unravelled everything I had ever known and ever believed in and led me to this. And now what do I do?
What do we do from here?
No one had slept that night and they all stayed awake until light seeped in through the large windows of the mansion, bouncing off of the distorted furniture and gleaming as it hit glass. They all listened to the sound of a helicopter passing by outside and the faintest pitter patter of rain as it hit the ground. The birds begun to sing their tune, loud and clear as they did each morning upon sunrise, oblivious to the human world around them. They all sat silently, just listening. No one said a word. No one had enough courage to.
Jeremy and Elena were sat on the couch, holding on to one another, in the fear that they would be separated again. Stefan and Damon were by the windows, quietly observing by each other's side as Silas sat near them, frowning as he observed the two brothers. Matt and Caroline sat on the ground, both wide-eyed and tired but still hanging on to each other's hands. Klaus, Rebekah and Kol sat on the staircase (although the other two Mikaelsons were completely unaware that their little brother was present beside them). The Mikaelsons weren't one to deal with family-bonding time, even in these circumstances, but there was certainly a sense of family between them. And then there was Bonnie. As much as she wanted to go hold her friends for perhaps the last time, she knew that she needed this time by herself to keep from falling apart. Breaking down now wouldn't help anything and she certainly didn't want the others to see her cry. Not now.
Kol looked away from his elder siblings and towards Bonnie, before getting up and making his way towards her. She noticed him approaching and offered a short nod of salutation. He came to stand by her and without a word; slipped his firm hand into her slightly trembling one and she mindlessly clasped back. Although they couldn't feel one another, it still gave them a quiet sort of comfort. They didn't have to say anything. They just needed to know that there was somebody there.
"Okay so Silas, let me get this clear," Bonnie instructed, pacing the room. "At some point you'll materialise and be able to take on a human form okay? And then you need to distract Markos long enough for us to get him with the traveller's knife and finish him off."
"Yes I know," he drawled, looking bored. "You've gone over this plenty of times. I dare say it's engraved on my brain by now."
"Good. It should be."
"Are we all set then," Elena said, fully alert now.
"Yeah," Bonnie nodded, looking at the clock on the wall. 12 o'clock. "Just about. From here onwards, it's all just a waiting game."
"Yeah well don't worry; when he comes we'll be ready. We can do this."
"Yeah…look guys," Bonnie hesitated slightly. "If anything goes…if anything goes wrong then I don't care what happens but you all have to put yourself first okay? Get out of this town and take as many people with you as you can."
"Nothing is going to go wrong Bon," Matt said, clasping her shoulder firmly. "We'll make it through. Just like we always have."
"Just like we always have," she repeated quietly, before smiling weakly at him.
"What are we going to do about the people?" Stefan asked. "It hardly seems necessary for them to stay amongst all this."
"They'll be evacuated I presume," Klaus said.
"I don't see how we'll be able to evacuate a whole town."
"Well assuming that Markos chooses to come to us as opposed to lead us to him, then that really gives an advantage over which location to go with. So we will only need to focus on getting rid of the people in that particular area."
"And how exactly will we do that?"
"An explosion tends to work," Damon interrupted. "Just blow something up, they'll freak out and before you know it we have the whole place to ourselves."
"Oh yeah how simple," Caroline glowered at him. "When in doubt just blow something up!"
"Good you've grabbed the concept of it."
"Oh shut up."
"Guys focus," Bonnie said stiffly. "Okay so we need an explosion. Damon I think we can leave that for you to cover."
"I'm on it,"
"Caroline, call your mom and let her know to not get anyone there. The last thing we need is for the area to be closed off by police."
"Now or?"
"Now's good. Jeremy and Matt. You need to make sure that no one who could be in potential danger enters the area and make sure everyone gets out safely. Elena, Stefan and Damon will make sure that the travellers don't interfere with anything and that they keep as far away from Markos as possible. I'll be marking Liv and Silas will take care of Markos."
"And what about us," Rebekah said, stepping forward. "What will we do?"
"I wasn't aware that you wanted to be a part of it."
"We're already a part of it are we not," Rebekah scoffed. "We can also help with the travellers. From the looks of it they seem to be scurrying all over the place like pests."
"Perhaps Elijah would like to pay a visit as well." Klaus said, retrieving his phone.
"Well okay, you'll be covering the travellers alongside the others then. Now the only thing we have left is the location."
"What about the forest," Jeremy suggested. "There aren't many people there." Bonnie shook her head.
"I'm afraid that can't be an option. Although there aren't many people, there's too much cover. We wouldn't be able to see him coming or any of them in fact, especially at night."
"What about the area round the Grill?" Matt said. "I mean obviously not in the Grill but the area in front of it is pretty open and not hugely crowded."
"And getting the people out of there should be simple enough." Stefan said.
"There aren't really any other shops or restaurants nearby either so the Grill would be the main attraction."
"Right," Damon said, lounging on the chair. "The Grill it is."
"Any idea of when it…happens?" Stefan asked.
"Night," Jeremy said. "It looked like it had just turned dark so around 7 to about 8."
"That gives us about 7 hours," Bonnie said, pursing her lips. "So we still have time to perfect everything. At about 6 we'll start heading off to the Grill and getting everyone out. Now it's important for us to stay as a group up until we have to. We can't afford to lose anyone."
"Yeah, we'll all be together," Caroline nodded.
The broken clock that stood stationary to the side of the living room was almost a comfort. It almost made it seem like time wasn't running out and that the moment was frozen where it needed to be. But of course the World was never that kind. The hours ticked by far too quickly, leaving all of their hearts racing and their palms sweating.
"It's almost 6," Elena said, looking at her phone, "we should get going about now, especially seeing as we don't know how long it will take to get everyone out."
"Okay," Bonnie said, exhaling and clasping her hands. "Okay yeah, let's get going."
"Bonnie," Caroline said, frowning. "I…" she tried to speak but faltered, as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Hey Care," Bonnie said, hugging her best friend. "It's okay. We'll be okay. Be strong okay."
"I cannot believe that you're trying to comfort me when it really should be the other way around," Caroline sniffled, burying her face into Bonnie's neck. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry," Bonnie laughed half-heartedly. Elena came to quietly stand beside them and grab both of their hands. "We'll all be fine."
They all gathered everything they needed and headed towards their cars to meet their fates, heads up but spirits at rock bottom. They didn't exchange many words. It was funny how that worked out. In the moment that they needed to say the most things, words failed them.
Screams filled the air, as the first explosion was let off in the area. The explosion wasn't huge but it was enough to get them to flee. People swarmed out from the Grill, and the group did their best to get them to evacuate the area. Some hesitated but Stefan and Damon took care of that. They all checked high and low for anyone who may have been left behind and found nothing. It seemed that everyone who needed to have left the area had left.
"Everyone out?" Damon asked, appearing from behind the Grill.
"I think so, I found no one around anywhere and they shouldn't be entering either." Jeremy said.
"Well that's part two complete," Stefan said. "And that was the easy bit. From here on out, it only gets harder."
"Ever the optimist aren't you brother," Damon smirked.
"You would know," Stefan said a hint of a smirk on his lips.
"I heard you were in need of some assistance," a heavily accented voice came through as a man in a clean-cut suit stepped forward.
Elijah Mikaelson had appeared.
"Ah brother," Klaus said, upon noticing him. "Glad you could make it. Well it appears I have a lot to fill you in on. Come." He motioned with his head to the side as an indication to talk a short walk and the two set off, but remained within the area.
Then a loud gasp cut through the moment. They all hurried to look towards the source of the sound to find Caroline with her eyes wide and staring at a spot in front of her. Bonnie looked around but only saw a rather confused looking Kol.
Hold on.
If there was only Kol there then…
"Well, now we have not three but four Originals with us." Damon said, glaring at Kol. "Isn't this our lucky day."
"Well hello all," Kol smirked widely. "Fancy seeing you all again. Although admittedly I have been seeing you all the time but I'm sure you have half of a brain to understand what I mean."
"Kol," Rebekah said softly, smiling slightly at her younger brother.
"Hello Bekah," he nodded towards her and then looked at Klaus. "Klaus."
"Kol," Klaus whispered, as he halted in his spot. He then gave a brief nod of acknowledgement before setting his sights elsewhere; although there was no doubt that his expression has warmed.
"Ah Elijah, what a pleasure to see you too. The Old family back together again, well apart from Finn of course."
"It's god to see you again Kol."
"Oh yippee, the Original family back together again," Damon snared, "what a joy."
"Does it ever get tiring being so wholly unbearable? You have as much appeal as the rotting innards of unidentified road kill. So for once in your life; shut up." Kol glared at him as Damon glared straight back.
"Well he isn't the only one who's here you know," Silas drawled, looking at them all. "I would like a welcome too."
"Silas," Elijah looked at him wide eyed.
"Yes. Yes I'm Silas the immortal, the oh-so-powerful one, who ironically is not so immortal anymore. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but I'd be lying and I'm not a huge fan of lying."
"That's highly debatable," Damon glared at him.
"Okay well everyone who needs to be here is here," Bonnie said. "Apart from…"
"Apart from Markos," Elena finished. "But I guess that means…"
"It means it's time," Bonnie said gravely.
*Authors note- Thank you all so much for following and (these are kind of spoilers but not really) I now some of you are concerned about the Kol and Bonnie relationship and how that will happen before the end of the fic and I just want to say don't worry. I will certainly never end the story without something between those two. Thank you all for reading3*