Previously on ATCL: "Sweetheart, let us go make war."
"Bon, why do we need to be here, exactly?" Caroline, Katherine, and the Mikaelsons were standing in front of the gate of an abandoned cemetery in New Orleans. Bonnie was waiting just inside the entrance, Davina, Kol, and that witch chick—Sophie was her name—beside her. "I thought we were planning on going to some of the New Year's Eve celebrations downtown…" Her question, however, went unanswered.
Elijah studied the group in front of them, catching on. "You wish to complete The Harvest… But why? And Davina, I was under the impression you were against this entire process."
"Sophie, I believe there was preparation to do before we go through with this, right?" Bonnie deflected expertly. She handed over a thin folder. "You mentioned you were unaware of the exact spell which needed to be used, so Kol and I did a bit of research and found it." Sophie rolled her eyes, grumbling about not taking orders from a teenaged former-witch, but complied. When she was sufficiently out of earshot, the Anchor continued. "To make a very long story short,"
"Bonnie is going to use The Harvest to bring me back to life." Kol interrupted, receiving a smack on the arm from the lovely lady beside him.
"I wanted to tell them." She huffed. "Ass."
"You seem to have an obsession with my ass, darling. Anything I need to know about?" Kol winked, though all this earned him was a half-snort and an exasperated expression.
"…You're actually serious?" Rebekah asked tentatively, as if she was afraid she was dreaming. "Because frankly, if this is a joke then I swear to you, I will loathe you forever."
"I am one hundred percent serious." Bonnie assured. "I would explain everything, but it's really long and complicated. Basically, I will be utilizing one of the perks of my new supernatural position, and bringing both Kol and all four girls back to life."
Katherine nodded in approval. "I'm impressed, Bon-Bon. Emily couldn't have this off." She bobbed her head in the direction Sophie had disappeared off to. "I assume you've given witchy some carefully edited spells, so that she'll unwittingly bring my…third favorite Original back to life?"
"I'm only the third, Kitty?" Kol pouted. "My tender heart is wounded."
She shot him a sarcastic smile. "You rank slightly below Rebekah. Take that as a compliment."
"I don't know whether to be offended or flattered…" The Original sister grumbled.
"Anyways." Bonnie cut in just as she saw that this conversation was not going to cease itself. She was flattered Katherine seemed to approve of her skills. The woman had been close with the most notorious witch of her family line, and to be compared to Emily—the woman she had always looked up to—was exceedingly good for her ego. "We all should hurry up; magic is strong as one year dies and the next begins. Not to mention the moon is still full in the sky." Davina turned to the vampires still outside of the cemetery and invited them in; though really, it was only Caroline who needed the invitation, as the Mikaelsons were already invited, and Katherine was not a vampire. "You still up for this?" Bonnie asked the young witch as they everyone back to where Sophie had set everything up. She was confident in her ability to get this done—she and Kol had spent a good two days practicing—but it would be foolish not to be a little bit frightened.
Davina looked at the ground, and then back to her mentor. "I'm really scared." She admitted, giving her a half-smile. "But at the same time, I have faith that you will bring me back. I know you can do this, Bonnie."
Bonnie sighed. "Thank you. And I won't fail you."
"I know you won't." Davina laughed. "Otherwise I would have run a long time ago."
They arrived at the site of The Harvest, Sophie waiting for them all. Bonnie and Kol went to stand near the stone altar. Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Katherine, and Caroline all gathered together, bundled up against the cold winter's night. Davina looked around at the rest of them, nodding at Katherine and Elijah, before ascending the steps. She smiled reassuringly at her two mentors, awaiting what was to come.
Katherine could feel the fear rolling off of Davina, and she tapped into that sense, closing her eyes as she felt the girl's emotion tune in with hers. Here she was, about to watch a young girl walk to her death, even if it was only temporarily. It reminded her of what could have been back in 1492, had she not run. And Davina was very afraid, even if she was covering it up. This would not do.
The immortal breathed in deeply, conjuring in her mind, moments of her life where she had felt at peace. Many of these times had been when she was alone with the stillness, hiding from Klaus in remote villages and safehouses around the world. And yet, there were many, many, more times where she had truly felt calm around a certain Original of hers. Gathering the sensation from all of these memories, Katherine projected peace into the mind and heart of the young witch. Visibly, the tension fell off of Davina's shoulders, her entire countenance lightening as her fear was dampened. Katherine simply nodded as the witch turned back and mouthed "Thank you", for she requested none. This was hers to give-payment in return for doing the spell to save her life. If Bonnie was to fail, and these were to be Davina's last moments on earth, it was better to spend them in peace.
Sophie stood at the top of the stone steps, a knife in her right hand, the rest of the ritual materials placed in an orderly manner on the table beside her. The other three girls of the Harvest were lying behind her, preserved by magic as they had been at their deaths. "Do you, Davina Lillian Claire, believe in The Harvest? Do you believe what has been taught you? Are you assured in your imminent resurrection?" Her voice was strong and assured, though Kol could detect a tremor in her hands. Sophie's previous disbelief had not gone unknown to him, and as she was left out of the true plan for the evening, it was natural she would fear what she was actually doing.
"I do." Davina answered all three questions soundly.
"Then let The Harvest be finished, and The Reaping commence." Sophie spoke. Gritting her teeth, she raised the hand holding the ritual knife, and sliced Davina's neck. Wincing as a splatter of blood hit her, Sophie watched as Davina fell to the ground, obviously dead. She quickly moved to the table, beginning the spell she had been given.
Standing at the bottom of the steps, Bonnie held her breath for the next part of the ritual; it was the most crucial, after all. As Sophie chanted, the spell would send Kol back to the land of the living, utilizing some of her family magic; this she had infused into the spell via key phrases and combinations known only to the Bennett bloodline, thus harnessing the power of her family. Altogether, it was bound to work, and after that, it was to be her turn to act. Suddenly, she felt the acute loss of Kol; his was a touch she had become familiar with.
"I believe something is happening." Kol shimmered in and out of her view. "Bonnie, I do hope it will not hurt when I pass through."
"If it does, it doesn't matter." The Anchor shrugged, smiling softly. "You called me by my actual name." She laughed.
"Only on special circumstances." He winked, before looking worriedly up at Sophie. "She is nearly done. Here's where we find out if it works or not." Sophie Deveraux continued chanting, finally hitting the apex of the spell. It felt as if pins were pricking Kol from all sides, the tingling being the first feeling other than Bonnie which he had felt in a very long time. He looked over and saw Bonnie mumbling under her breath, clearly assisting Sophie by channeling some of her own power as a supernatural being-something he had specifically told her not to do. She was a stubborn one. Suddenly he was drawn directly in front of her, and she cut off her assistance in surprise. Looking Bonnie directly in the eye, Kol waited for her to nod before he taking her hands, passing through her metaphorical gateway, and ending up on the side of the living.
The first thing Kol noticed after he had brushed himself off and internally checked to see if he was still a vampire—which he was—was that everything was sharper. It was as if the Other Side had been a fog around his mind, and now the haze had been lifted. The next thing he noticed was Bonnie on her knees, holding her heart.
"Darling, are you alright?" He turned, helping her up, only to be met by a bright smile.
"I'm perfectly fine." She smiled, biting lightly at her lower lip mid-grin. "It was just like the breath was knocked out of me for a minute there. Are you good?" Bonnie was cut off, however, by the flying mass of blonde hair and sister colliding into Kol's chest. "Have fun with her." The anchor said, squeezing his shoulder lightly. "I've got girls to bring back."
Vaguely the sound of Sophie crying could be heard, but Kol was too preoccupied with the sobbing Rebekah in his arms. It was both a nostalgic and strange moment, for he had not seen his sister cry like this since Henrik died, and she had not embraced him in nearly as long. "Bekah, I'm fine." He made to step back, causing his sister to punch him in the arm.
"You bloody died, damn it, and the last thing you thought was that we were going to kill you! Maybe we have been able to converse with you for a few weeks, but it is not the same. Now shut your trap or I will make you do so." The Original place her hands on her hips angrily.
"Yes Mummy." Kol rolled his eyes. "Should I begin to call you Esther now? Sounds kinky."
"Ahhh, our brother, ever the jokester." Klaus and Elijah swaggered over, leaving Caroline and Katherine where they had previously stood. "We shall have no rest in the manor from this moment on, what with these two's bickering." Klaus commented.
"No one likes an arse, Nik. Be nice, for once in your life." Rebekah interjected, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Yes, Nik. No one likes an arse." The youngest brother mocked, laughing.
"I do believe bickering is a family trait we all share." Elijah commented as Klaus went to snap at his younger siblings, smiling slightly. "It is good to have you back on the side of the living and the undead, brother." He nodded at Kol.
"It's good to be back." The aforementioned agreed. "Thanks to Bonnie. It was her idea and abilities which made the whole process possible." Kol looked up at Bonnie, who was standing with Sophie at the altar. Their hands were joined as they chanted, which he understood to be Bonnie's channeling of the Bennett magic through Sophie.
"We owe a great debt, to Miss Bennett." Elijah concurred. "The reuniting of family is one we will never be able to repay."
"I believe there are many more today, who owe her their lives." Kol said wryly, looking past his siblings to where the four sacrificed girls had woken up.
Sometime later, Bonnie and Davina were walking back through the church where she lived. The Reaping had played out perfectly, and all four girls were healthy. Sophie had had a tearful reunion with a dazed Monique, and they had left with the other girls—Sophie agreeing to take them back to their remaining family members—shortly after everyone reoriented themselves.
"I feel…different." Davina looked confused. "Like I'm not whole. There is something missing."
Bonnie looked at her protégé, concerned. "Are you sure? How is your magic working? It might be a normal thing… You are going to be at about one quarter of your previous power, you know."
"I'm sure. Something went wrong." Davina assured. "I…" Her voice broke "I think my magic might be gone. I can't feel it. Not like before." She brushed away the tears which started to fall, causing Bonnie to wrap her into a hug.
"Oh, Davina." She sighed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think anything like this would happen. Maybe we can try to get it back. I've lost my magic before, and it just took a bit of training." Bonnie rubbed the hair of the girl she had come to view as another sister gently while she cried.
"Can I think on it?" Davina asked. "At one time all I wanted was to be normal, and I feel…normal now. I just need to decide."
Her mentor stepped back and nodded. "We can certainly do that. And I will still be stopping by, if you choose to stay here, alright?" Bonnie reassured.
"Alright." The witch smiled.
-0-0-0-0-0-
"Damn it, Elijah, hit me harder!" Katherine grunted. She stepped back from him, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm never going to get back into shape if you don't actually fight me."
"Excuse me, Katerina, for wishing to take this bit by bit." He gave her an unamused look. He was dressed in his ever-present suit, even as they worked out, though she was wearing a pair of skimpy booty shorts and a sports bra, which did make for a very nice visual.
"I'm half your age, and I've probably done more actual fighting during the past five hundred years than you have. I can take it." She rolled her eyes, picking up a four-inch long, needle thin, knife from the crate of weapons he had brought out for them to practice with. "You never went easy on me before." Katherine aimed and threw the tiny weapon. She anticipated Elijah snatching the thing out of the air, and was more than prepared when he threw the thing back, causing her to lazily duck at the last second.
"I do not intend to let you off specifically; this is just to build up your tolerance. There is a difference." Elijah picked up one of the discarded stakes from the grass and hurled it in her direction, grazing her shoulder as Katherine was too slow dodging. "Like I said, you need to approach this gradually. You have spent the last few months in a less than ideal state, therefore you are not in peak physical condition."
She rolled her shoulder, picked up the stake, and rushed Elijah, pinning him to the ground, effectively straddling him. "I don't do things by halves." Katherine smirked, holding the simple wooden stake to his heart. "And I won't be stopped."
Elijah flashed them up, and grabbed her in a headlock. "Still arrogant as ever, I see."
"You enjoy it." She lowered her tone and squirmed in his grasp, wriggling backwards against him.
"Yes, I do quite enjoy you like this." He retorted, the mirth obvious in his voice. Katherine shivered as Elijah's free hand trailed down to her hip at an achingly slow pace, causing her to let out an impatient huff as she was trapped.
"Oh I'm aware." She shot back. "And so is the furniture company."
"Mmm." He hummed in agreement. "Thankfully the new bed will be here within a day or so."
"Good. I do like that bed." The brunette laughed, twisting out of his grip. "We always have such fun on it." She yanked his head down to meet hers, kissing the hell out of Elijah.
"I thought you wanted to train." He raised an eyebrow, smirking at her insatiability.
"Please. I was born fabulous. What I want is for you and I to go christen your office. Again." Katherine bit her lip, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"As we have at least three times this week." Elijah traced patterns on her waist, his eyes dark. "Are you sure there is a surface left to christen?"
"I'll find one." She whispered, a hair's breadth away from kissing him once more.
That afternoon, Katherine ran a hand through her wet curls as she walked downstairs, a flowing robe open over her tiny little slip of a nightgown. It may be the afternoon, but she had just had fabulous sex, so she could wear whatever the hell she wanted to. Elijah had said he would be down momentarily, so she went ahead to get coffee. And maybe some blood…
"You know, I'm getting some seriously bad vibes from this room." Katherine sassed as soon as she saw who was sitting at the bar. "Oh wait, it's just you, Shirley. That explains it."
"The name's Hayley." The wolf grumbled for at least the hundredth time.
The immortal gasped. "I had no idea. I don't bother to learn my minions' names, after all. You're all disposable to me." She flashed her a sickeningly sweet smile before pulling out two mugs and started on the coffee, filling one mug with blood. Katherine could feel the rage and jealously rolling off of the younger girl, giving her an immense amount of satisfaction. "You know, the green-eyed monster clashes with pregnancy. Aren't you supposed to be oozing happy vibes? I know I was during my last month."
"I'm not jealous of you, bitch." Hayley scoffed, taking another bite of her cookie.
"I'm an empath, cupcake. You definitely are. And sadly for you, it's not because of my more-perfect-than-you looks, or my charming personality." Katherine smirked, mixing ridiculous amounts of sugar in her coffee. "You're seething with rage that I have Elijah, and you don't." When she could visibly see the werewolf was affected, she continued on. "But you see, you never had him at all. You seriously underestimate Elijah's intelligence to believe that he would ever go for you; a knocked-up teenager carrying his brother's kid. Besides, we've been in love with each other for over five hundred years. You cannot expect to come between that."
"Now, now, Katerina. Play nice." Elijah stepped into the kitchen, well aware of what they had been discussing, though he made no mention of it. He took the proffered mug of blood from her. "Pity we cannot go hunting under Marcel's rule." He wrinkled his nose at the taste of bagged blood.
"Which, as soon as Marcel's defeated," Katherine smiled, the other person in the kitchen completely gone as they became wrapped up in each other once more. "the first thing we're going to do is hunt together again." A loud cough snapped the couple out of their reverie, causing Katherine to mentally stab Hayley with multiple daggers. "I'm so going to kill her one of these days." She grumbled under her breath.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Caroline leaned back in her chair, scouring one page of the really long list she and Klaus were going through. "Clan Sinclair?"
"Allies." Klaus said as he looked over maps of New Orleans. "They're an old werewolf family, and we have been allied with them for centuries. I believe Elijah and Katherine made contact with them last year. They will surely come to our aid."
"Okay…" Caroline scribbled in another notebook. "Marguerite Langford?"
"Call her, though we have not been in contact for some time."
"Alright. Last on this page is Francisque, Annette, and Blaise Bellerose." The blonde looked over at the concentrating hybrid.
"Triplet vampires. Met them during the reign of Louis XIV. They were trained assassins, and exceedingly deadly. I believe they descend from Bekah." Klaus considered. "I am certain they would come to our aid, but I will need to discuss it with my siblings. The risk of their assistance could outweigh the benefits we reap."
"Perfect!" Caroline clapped her hands, applauding their finishing of the list. "Well, in that case, we've definitely got a list of people prepared to call, and hopefully allies will be racing to the city within days."
"I received a report from Susan this morning, and the hybrids are coming along fantastically in their pre-training." Klaus looked up from his maps.
"Good. How are battle plans coming along?"
"How do you feel about leading a task force?" Klaus shot back, smirking at her shocked expression.
"Me." The lady blinked. "Lead a task force. In battle." She still appeared to be in shock. "You do realize I have little to no real experience in a battle whatsoever, right?"
Klaus crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I personally have been training you," He paused, internally enjoying the memories of their sparring on the back lawn "and you are resourceful, not to mention a natural leader. People look up to you, and you're clever enough to get the job done."
Caroline ran a hand through her hair and pushed back from the table, standing up. "What do you have in mind?" She pointed at him, narrowing her eyes. "And it better be good, because if I'm going to lead a group of soldiers, then it will be one with a purpose, understand? I'm not just going to like stand five hundred yards away with my people and only be called in if we need backup."
"I would not insult you like that." He laughed, gesturing to his plans. "Marcel will have traps positioned all around the city, waiting to take out our forces. I want you to lead a group and take these out in anticipation of the advancing army, of which I will have either Elijah or Kol in charge of." Klaus turned serious for a moment. "And I also want you to take out Marcel's camp."
"Seriously?" Caroline shrieked. "I can't do that. How do you even know where that is anyways?"
"Spies, love, spies." He rolled his eyes. "It is located in one of two locations, and for us to win this battle, the camp needs to be taken out before the rest of the forces descends upon the city."
Caroline began pacing. "Will that camp being up make or break the war?"
"It may."
She sighed. "And you really think I can lead a group of people to do this? Will they even listen to me? I mean, I'm a baby vampire with no experience and here you are putting me in charge of a group of much older and more experienced fighters and honestly it's kind of freaky and like I don't know if I can do this." Caroline stopped to take a breath, letting it out when Klaus walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"I have the greatest of confidences in you, sweetheart. You are more than capable to do the job." His eyes bored into hers, causing Caroline to make her decision.
"Fine. I'll do it."
-0-0-0-0-0-
"Well darling, long time, no see." Kol's voice snapped Bonnie out of her novel. She looked up to see him leaning up against the doorframe. Honestly, it was really weird to see him in different clothes.
"We saw each other at breakfast." She retorted. "And last night at dinner."
"And I've spent the past few months with only you to keep me company, so it is strange, not being in your constant presence." Kol said, metaphorically knocking her off her feet. Again.
Bonnie huffed and looked back at her book, reading the same paragraph over and over again before giving up. She turned to Kol, who was watching her with an expression that made her insides churn. "Don't look at me like that." She snapped.
"Like what, darling?" He was not even teasing her this time, completely curious as to what she would say.
She sighed. "Like… Like you feel something. For me. And you can't, so just stop."
"What would you say if I did?" Kol raised an eyebrow.
"I would say we wouldn't go there." Bonnie retorted harshly, turning away.
"And why not, doll?" When she refused to answer, he continued. "Answer the question, Bonnie. Why couldn't we go there?"
She stood and faced him, fire in her eyes. "Because I won't put myself in an emotionally vulnerable position. Not again."
"Is this because of Jeremy Gilbert and your…connection?" Kol had to ask, causing her to roll her eyes.
"No. It's not about Jeremy. I think he and I were over before we ever really began. This is about me." When Kol motioned for her to continue in that irritating way he shared with his siblings, Bonnie realized she was not getting out of this one. "Fine. You really want to know? Everyone leaves, okay? Everybody." She tightened her fists. "My mom left when I was really little. My Grams and my dad are both dead. One guy I dated was only interested because he wanted to kidnap me. Luca was a warlock, and I really liked him, but he died. Jaime disappeared out of the blue one day, and I haven't heard from him since. And sure, I thought Jeremy and I were in love for a while there, but he cheated on me with his One True Love Anna, and I can't believe I ever thought so low of myself that I was willing to go back to him after that. So that's why I'm not going to put myself in a position like that, okay? Because I can't take it if anyone else leaves me." Bonnie clenched her jaw, her eyes holding contact with Kol's. She could barely breathe as he stalked towards her, the air rife with tension. Her eyes widened as he delicately grasped her face in his hands, completely unsure of what the unpredictable Original was about to do.
"Bonnie Bennett." Kol paused. "You are the only woman in over one thousand years who has caused me to feel anything real whatsoever. I come alive in your presence. Your soul is on fire, and I feel it warm my dead one every time I spend a moment with you. And I positively refuse to let you deny our connection and friendship, because of this, Bonnie: I will never leave, do you understand me?" He stroked her cheek with his thumb delicately; with her, he was gentler than he had ever been. "I am the one person who will not leave you."
"Do you swear it?" She asked firmly, though quietly. To be honest, she very much wanted to go there with him. She liked him. She really, truly, liked Kol, and it was in a way she had never felt about anyone else before. He was different. He understood her, and not just in terms of magic, but he understood her personality. Bonnie had told him things she had never told anyone else before, because she knew he was trustworthy. Kol would not betray her, she was certain of that. And most of all, he had never made her feel unappreciated. He had always supported her in her endeavors, even when she directly went against his warnings. He was… He was marvelous.
"Upon my honor and former magic." Kol swore, causing the last of her defenses to melt, for she was more than aware of what an oath of that caliber meant to him. And so, she took the leap.
"Then I swear to you that I will never leave as well." Bonnie smiled softly. "Upon my honor and former magic."
AN: Have you died? I'm fairly sure that once she reads this chapter I will have killed my best friend, so if the rest of you are dead I won't blame you.
How did you all like it? This chapter had a little bit of everything, including the Karoline everyone was begging for after a bit of an absence for them. I must say, Fluffy!Kalijah is really really hard to write, so I hope I did well. And please excuse any mistakes this chapter had... I finished writing it at 2:30 AM and I barely had any time to edit it because it's finals week, and I'm drowning under a mountain of homework.
Anyways, next chapter is going to be a big one for a certain darling Original Sister we all know and love, and we start to see allies of the Mikaelsons pour into New Orleans.
Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!
-Abi