Hey! I had a little time to spare and decided to surprise you with a new chapter early than you might have expected! :)
This chapter might be a bit confusing. Some things about this will be explained during the next chapter. Until then, enjoy!
The Mikaelson mansion was packed with vampires, making Bonnie uncomfortable to say the least. When Stefan entered, she released a sigh and went over to greet him.
"Hey."
"Bonnie, what's going on? I got this very charming text from Klaus." Stefan said, remembering the unkind word the hybrid had sent him.
"Caroline's been kidnapped." Bonnie answered.
"What? How did this happen? I thought Klaus was with her at all times?" Stefan asked angrily.
"Long story short: Tyler works for Esther and snapped Caroline's neck before taking her god-knows-where."
Stefan looked at Bonnie, speechless.
"Have you located her?" He finally asked.
Bonnie shook her head, about to explain their plan when a familiar brunette entered the mansion as if she owned the place.
"Elena?" Bonnie asked confused.
"No, but nice try." Katherine answered smirking.
Klaus was in front of her in the blink of an eye. Not even the vampires in the room had seen the hybrid enter, let alone Bonnie.
"You sure have a death wish, Katerina." Klaus snarled, ready to tear her head from her shoulders.
"I don't. And that's exactly why I'm here." Katherine told him confidently, not even the slightest trace of fear in her eyes.
"Katerina, do elaborate." Elijah's voice came from behind Klaus.
Elijah had arrived shortly before Stefan, brining Marcel and some of his most trusted vampires with him.
"While you all wasted your time being a few steps behind your mother's plans, I busied myself with observing her." Katherine explained.
Both Klaus and Elijah observed her sceptically.
"I know where she is right now." Katherine said casually.
"And why should I believe you, hm? After all, you were behind Mikael's visit, weren't you?" Klaus growled.
"Well, I do hate you. I would have been happy to see you dying at last."
"And now you don't?" Elijah asked.
"Don't get me wrong. The sight of you lying dead on the ground is still one of the things I would absolutely ravel in." Klaus rolled his eyes. Why was he wasting his time with the useless doppelganger again? "Only after observing Esther I had to put these fantasies on hold."
"If you have a point, do get to it. If not, I'll gladly ravel in one of my fantasies now." Klaus replied, baring his fangs.
"Unfortunately, if an original dies, so does every other vampire from their bloodline. Killing you is no longer an option, but helping you kill the bitch that wants to kill every single vampire on earth is rather tempting." Katherine revealed.
Klaus laughed, amused by this little piece of information.
"You can't kill me, so you decided to work for me?"
"No. I want to propose a deal. You give me my freedom and I give you Caroline's whereabout and spare you the exhausting search throughout the country." Katherine told him.
"I have a better idea. You tell me what I want to know and I'll grant you a head start before I kill you." Klaus smiled cockily.
"Well, I'd refuse. Which means you'd try to compel me. Unfortunately I'm on vervain, which would cost you a lot of time if you wanted to bleed it out of me. By then, you, Caroline and every vampire you ever created would probably be dead already anyway." Katherine told Klaus, knowing she had the upper hand.
"My brother accepts the conditions." Elijah said hastily.
Katherine grinned at the handsome Mikaelson. "I'd rather hear him agree himself."
Klaus exhaled sharply, his eyes boring into hers. "Fine. If your information is right, you will be free. I won't kill you unless provoked."
"Brilliant!" Katherine grinned.
Caroline groaned as Tyler injected her with vervain yet again. It was the third time since she had awoken in the smelly dungeon, and she was sick of it, honestly. Her body was aching, her gums hurting, indicating her hunger.
In her mind, she had considered every way she could possibly escape only to come to the conclusion that it was no use. Without help Caroline was stuck with pain and the torment of her own thoughts. Pathetic, shallow, useless. These were the word that were repeating themselves, and she couldn't help to admit that Damon had been right. She wasn't able to protect herself. Neither was she able to free herself from situations like this.
Accepting her fate, Caroline closed her eyes. The fighting in her had long died down, so why not go sleeping rather than trying to fight the unavoidable? The only thing she regretted was not spending more time with her mother the last few weeks. Liz wasn't someone openly emotional, but she will suffer once she'll find out that her only child has died, for real this time.
"It's time." Esther's voice announced suddenly.
Caroline didn't bother opening her eyes. Frankly, she's had more than enough of that bitch for eternity. Or the rest of her relatively short life.
What she didn't expected was Esther plunging a syringe into her arm roughly. Caroline winced at the pain but was surprised when the burning sensation of vervain didn't take over her body. Instead, she felt her body heating up. Then, it felt like her insides were torn apart, and she let out a yelp.
Esther moved away and started chanting. Caroline realized that she was probably breaking the bond. She wondered if Klaus could feel it too. And if he did, would he even bother trying to get her back or simply run off? He had run from his father for a thousand years, after all.
The chanting stopped and Caroline opened her eyes slowly. Esther looked happy which kind of freaked Caroline out.
Klaus inhaled sharply, surprised by the sudden pain in his chest. What was Esther doing?
He looked up and saw a house between the trees.
"That's it. Caroline's inside this house." Katerina explained.
"Elijah, keep the doppelganger under surveillance. Everyone else, remember the plan." He ordered and was pleased to see everyone nod at him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm out." Katherine declared trying to flash off.
Elijah grabbed her and pulled her close to his body.
"I believe you heard my brother? If your information was accurate, you don't have to worry about anything. I give you my word." Elijah said.
"Fine." Katherine agreed, knowing that escaping would be impossible with Elijah watching her.
"Klaus." Bonnie took a step in his direction.
"Whatever you have to say, it has to wait. As I'm sure you understand, time is of the essence." Klaus replied shortly.
"I could feel the magic. Esther has broken the bond, hasn't she?"
Klaus nodded.
"Look, I know you always look out for yourself first. And I'm worried -" Klaus interrupted her. "Bond or not, I will get Caroline out of there. I promise."
Bonnie was surprised at the honesty in his voice and nodded her thanks.
Without wasting another second, Klaus flashed to the house's front door and kicked the door open. It was what Esther would expect. Him acting on his temper and trying to take her down on his own. That would give Bonnie enough time to do her witch thing and kill Esther while hopefully resurrecting his little brother.
"Esther!" Klaus roared, letting his anger overtake his voice.
Klaus listened to the building, and he could make out four hearts. One was beating normally, his mother. The other indicated a vampire, a weakened vampire. Caroline. Trying not to let his anger overtake his actions, Klaus made out the location of all of them. Finn and the hybrid seemed to be in a room upstairs, probably on his mother's orders.
Klaus inhaled sharply before marching towards the stairs that descended into the dungeon, where Esther and Caroline where.
"Niklaus, we have been waiting for you." Esther greeted him.
"Esther. Let her go. This is between you and me." Klaus ordered, his eyes never leaving his mother's.
"Klaus, you hav-" Caroline tried to tell him. "Shut up, insolent child!" Esther roared.
Caroline flinched. She was starting to think rationally again. Klaus was here. But why was he alone? He surely didn't think he could take an original witch, an original vampire and a hybrid down at the same time?
Klaus' eyes found hers for the friction of a second before focusing on Esther again. Caroline wondered if he was trying to tell her something.
"This is how this will go: I will kill you. But since you're my mother I will give you a choice. Surrender and die a quick death, or fight and die begging for mercy." Klaus explained and Esther started laughing.
Caroline saw Finn and Tyler emerge behind Klaus ans gasped. Finn was holding a stake in his hands and Caroline had a feeling that it wasn't regular wood.
"Klaus! Behind you!" She warned him.
Just then, Finn and Tyler's necks snapped simultaneously. When they fell to the ground, Stefan and Marcel were revealed.
Caroline realized that Klaus had not come alone. He just wanted Esther to believe he did, so she thought she had the upper hand.
"Now, that was pathetic. Did you really think taking me down would be so easy?" Klaus laughed.
Stefan flashed to Caroline's side, holding a blood bag to her mouth. Caroline started drinking eagerly, desperate to regain her strength. This situation had turned in a way Caroline didn't think it would and hope overcame her once again. She could make it out her alive.
"You didn't come alone. I have to admit, that surprises me. But you are still far from having the upper hand." Esther declared before throwing Stefan across the room and giving all immortals a serve headache.
They groaned while Esther walked over to Caroline and held a stake she had conjured seemingly out of nowhere to her heart.
She broke the spell and the vampires caught their breath'.
"What will it be, Niklaus? You or her?" Esther asked.
Klaus clenched his fists. He needed to think of something fast. He had revealed his intention to save her only moments before. Acting like her death wouldn't matter was pointless. Esther would see right through him.
"It's okay. Just take care of my mom, will you?" Caroline asked him. Their eyes met, and he could see that Caroline was up to something. There was no trace of fear in the blonde's eyes.
"You heard her." Klaus stated calmly.
"Bonnie! You need to hurry!" Kol complained.
Bonnie ignored him and kept chanting desperately.
"Katerina and I will go after them. I'm having a bad feeling about leaving Niklaus alone." Elijah stated and dragged Katherine with him.
"He isn't alone! Stefan and this Marcel guy are with them!" Katherine tried to convince Elijah.
Elijah ignored her and together they sneaked into the building, mindful not to alert anyone of their presence.
They stayed in the shadows and saw the scene unfolding in front of them. Finn and the hybrid were lying on the floor, Stefan and Marcel close to them in case they woke up.
Klaus stood in front of them, his eyes fixed on Esther who was currently threatening Caroline with a wooden stake.
"You heard her." Elijah's eyes widened at his brothers words.
Just when he realized that Katherine wasn't next him any more, Esther was thrown across the room like a rag doll.
Katherine grinned before turning around and trying to free Caroline from her restraints.
"Thank you." Caroline said. Katherine nodded.
While everyone else in the room was focused on the exchange between Klaus and Esther, Caroline had spotted Elijah and Katherine, communicating silently with the doppelganger.
"Let me." Klaus said, pushing Katherine away slightly before ripping apart the restraints holding Caroline back.
He helped Caroline to her feet and was happy to see that she looked relatively unharmed on the outside. Klaus could only hope that his mother hadn't affected the blonde mentally.
"I'm fine. Thanks." Caroline offered with a slight smile.
Klaus nodded and turned around to see Elijah standing next to Esther, white oak in hand.
"Now, mother. I believe you chose no. two: slow and painful death." Klaus said smiling at the woman.
Esther tried to respond but instead dropped to her knees with an ear-piercing scream.
"Well, that's quite the timing your witch friend has, love." Klaus told Caroline.
"Bonnie?" Caroline asked perplexed.
Esther's body caught fire while her agonising screams filled the dungeon.
Caroline noticed that the tension didn't leave Klaus' body. He was upset and Caroline wondered whether his mother's death affected him more than he wanted all of them to believe.
While everyone stared at the woman's body that was currently turning to ashes, Finn and Tyler sneaked out of the dungeon, accepting that their battle was lost. They had completely failed. But Finn promised his mother's burning form one thing. He would seek revenge and do what she couldn't. He would find a way to kill his siblings.
A few minutes had passed, all of them staring at the flames. Until the fire suddenly died and was replaced by a cloud of thick smoke and the soft noise of someone coughing.
Caroline's eyes widened in panic. How did Esther survive the flames? Next to her, Klaus' body got impossibly more tense.