Hello guys! I know it's been ages but a new chapter has finally arrived and I promise I will try to finish that story!
I haven't really watched TVD ever since season 5 and I don't watch The Originals (although I must admit that Kol and Davina were kinda cute from what I saw) so, again, it will follow neither storylines.
I hope you'll like this chapter!
XXVIII.
She looked through the glass of the door. The waiting line wasn't so terrible. She pushed it open and took her place behind a sophisticated lady who kept checking her watch every two seconds. Six persons later, it was her turn to order.
"A vegan Chai, please."
"A name?"
"Helen."
She waited for about fifteen minutes for her beverage to be ready. A table nearby was free. She took her seat and put the cup on the corner of the table. She opened her bag to retrieve her laptop, turned it on and began to lazily search the Internet for nothing in particular, frequently sipping on her far too hot and far too sweet tea that tasted like everything but tea.
She finally got lost on Facebook, checking absurd memes and laughing to herself.
She opened a video of a cute baby rabbit and began to swoon. The door of the coffee shop opened and closed to the rhythm of the customers and the bell rang so many times she stopped hearing it after a while. A tall and ominous figure loomed suddenly over her and a voice spoke, low and accented:
"Good morning Miss Helen."
Her heart froze. She looked up. He was wearing his usual suits, his polite smile plastered on his marble-like face.
"Elijah!" she breathed. Kol's bondage psycho brother! What was he doing here? On her screen, the bunny fell asleep in a hand. She didn't swoon. She didn't even notice.
Elijah' smile widened. He pulled the chair before him and sat in front of her, "My apologies for intruding."
"What do you want?" she winced as the words flowed out her mouth. They had come out a little harsher than expected.
The vampire did not seem troubled, "Surely you must know!" His face hardened, the light mood had gone, "Is it done? Do you have it?"
She swallowed, "Yes, I worked on it..." he made a move towards her, "but I'm not sure it's correct yet," she hastened to reply, "I need to check again."
He shook his head, "We're running out of time. I need the translation now," the tone of his voice left no room for discussion.
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She didn't like this man. There was something deceitful in his false smiles and cold eyes. She didn't trust him one bit.
"I don't have it on me."
"Then I suggest you take me where you do!" his brow was raised and his mouth graced with the smallest of smiles. She could recognize a threat when she heard one.
She sighed but knew better than to argue with a dangerous vampire. She hurried to close her laptop and shoved it into her bag. Gone were the bunnies and gone was her procrastinating time! She took her tea and followed him in haste to the exit.
They walked in tensed silence to her apartment. Her heart was beating like the hands of a prisoner against the walls of their cell and she knew he could hear it. Yet, if he did, he made no show of it for his face was absolutely blank and deprived of any emotion. She shivered. What a creep!
They arrived at the building and took the elevator. She was almost trembling, gripping at the cup of tea she was sipping to give herself a false sense of countenance. The idea of being stuck in such a tiny place with him didn't appeal to her in the least. She could feel his eyes on her, boring into her as if to read her very soul. Or suck it out of her body. She still didn't know.
She fumbled with her keys to open the door of her apartment.
"Stay here," she said in a low voice, her hand on the knob of the now opened door. It was probably rude but she didn't want this man inside her personal space.
If Elijah didn't enjoy being told what to do, he didn't show it, keeping a polite expression on his face. Only the subtle raise of his eyebrows could indicate that he was actually amused by her wit.
She was back five minutes later, a document in hand. She handed it to him, her eyes locked on her shoes, her breath short and ragged. He opened it and scanned it quickly.
"I'm still not sure for the translation of the symbols but it looks coherent enough. I'm even less sure for the rest of the inscription though. All I managed to decipher was that the Hunter is some sort of a link to some sort of big entity. But I couldn't go further than that… Aramaic isn't exactly trendy nowadays…"
He chuckled, "This will do." He closed the document and looked up at her, "I believe our business is done here."
She swallowed. She just wanted him to disappear. He went to retrieve an envelop in the pocket of his jacket which he handed to her. She took it with trembling hands.
The envelope hid a generous amount of money. She looked at him with wide eyes.
He smiled appraisingly, "This should cover for all the trouble my family has caused you."
She swallowed again, "Thank you," she still wouldn't look at him.
"You are afraid of me," he finally stated in a smooth voice.
She looked up, "Shouldn't I?"
"Did I give you any reason to be afraid?"
No, he hadn't. Not really. And he wasn't as crazy as Kol. Not in appearance anyway... But at least Kol was constant in his lunacy which made him easier to handle. This one though could snap and turn his elegant jeweled fingers into reaping machines. She could feel it. Something was off with this man. Not that she could tell him any of that… She merely shrugged and avoided his gaze.
He didn't press the matter any further and bowed his head to bid her farewell.
"Thank you again Miss Helen. Have a nice day."
She remained there, stunned, with more banknotes she had ever held in her hands and a feeling of dread crushing her heart. It seemed hours had passed. They were only seconds.
"How did you find me?" Had he stalked her? The question made her shiver.
He turned mid-way towards her with an enigmatic smile, "You're not difficult to find."
She watched him leave without another word. When he was out of sight, she hurried to barricade herself inside her apartment. She locked the door and leaned against it, releasing the breath she had kept within all this time. She looked at the content of the envelope again and shivered. She never wanted to see this man again.
Before she could even gather her thoughts her phone buzzed. She frowned. The number wasn't registered.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I wish we had met in lighter circumstances.
E"
Her heart missed a beat. Sweat covered her brow. How did he get her number? And was he flirting with her? Why? Had she misled him? She shivered again. That man was the perfect predator and she, apparently, made a very appealing prey. The thought made her gag. She had to talk to Kol.
Kol paced and bit his lip nervously. Elijah should have been back already. Where was he? Had he found his pet? Had he talked to her? Had he played his Elijah tricks on her? He frowned and shook his head. No, he was being ridiculous. Helen would never fall for his charms. She wasn't like that.
He was about to lose himself in yet another rant of thoughts when his phone rang in his pocket. He frowned again and took it out.
"Your brother creeps the Hell out of me. Please, keep him away."
Kol smiled to himself and chuckled. He couldn't wait to tell Elijah that a human could see through his Charming façade. This was a first!
He turned his head toward the rest of the little gang reunited in the Mikealson's living room: Stefan was on the sofa next to Rebekah who was glaring at Elena currently fumbling nervously with her hands. Damon had a glass of Bourbon against his lips, mastering his Damon scowl as best as he could to make it clear at anyone who was looking how he wished he were anywhere but here. At the other side of the room, Aaron was studying the sword and Jeremy's tattoos, probably trying to find some sense into it. The shirtless boy gulped nervously. He wanted to put on the brave face but Kol knew that inside he was terrified. He knew his boy.
"I've just had Elijah on the phone," Niklaus said, barging in the room with his usual arrogance, "He's on his way. We have the translation." He turned to Aaron, "Are we ready?" Aaron noded. "Perfect. Begin."
Elena suddenly spoke up, "Is Jeremy going to be alright?"
Although he would never admit that he shared worries with the Doppelganger, he was glad she asked the question before he had to. Saved him the trouble...
"The spell will sting a bit, I won't lie," Aaron replied softly, "I have to decipher hundreds of symbols in a very short time after all."
Jeremy's jaw tensed, so did Kol's. Elena sighed dramatically and would have fainted if Stupid Salvatore had not intervened to crush her in his manly embrace. Kol rolled his eyes. How more pathetic could these two be, really?
"We don't have time to spare!" Rebekah interrupted with annoyance, "On with it!"
One could always count on Rebekah (or Niklaus, the two being interchangeable really when it came to behaving like petulant children) to spoil the mood with their complete absence of tact. Not that he had any, but his sibling's apparent selfishness had always humored him.
Aaron bowed his head. He closed his eyes and put his hands on Jeremy's broad shoulders. The boy's breath became suddenly erratic. He was scared. Kol had to repress an instinct to go and comfort him. It would have been uncalled for. He was in front of his family after all… He nodded silently at the boy to encourage him. Jeremy swallowed, eyes locked with him. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mary-Sue having another panic attack. That girl had to disappear, if only for the best of mankind.
Aaron commenced to chant. After a few seconds, the tattoos already visible began to glow, as if being infused with Aaron's strange words. Kol couldn't recognize the language but he knew it to be ancient.
The chant became more intense and Kol had a sudden impression of déjà-vu. The warlock had the same powerful aura about him that he had had back in the cave. His voice had invaded every part of the room, eerie and oppressive. The very air seemed to be thick with invisible words dancing all around them, weaving webs of magic that soon encircled them into a crushing machine. Kol almost had trouble breathing. The light of the room had dimmed and the chandelier above his head was trembling. A quick glance at the others showed that they fared no better. Stefan had his hand on his forehead as if to shield himself from an invisible enemy. Damon was gripping at his glass for Mercy, his mouth puckered in silent discomfort. Rebekah's breath was ragged and she was trying to ease her pain by massaging her temples. Elena's eyes were veiled and glued on her brother. Only Niklaus looked rather unimpressed, but the subtle contortion in his jaw proved to Kol that it was all a sham.
He turned his head to check on Jeremy. The boy's body was trembling as if prone to increasing agony. His mouth was open and his eyes shut tight.
Aaron's voice rose more ominous and suddenly Jeremy began to scream.
His voice filled the room, fighting with Aaron's for dominance.
The invisible tattoos started to appear, carving redish symbols into his skin all over. If not for the fact that Jeremy was being literally marked with red iron, the show in itself was rather fascinating.
Aaron kept on chanting, either unaware or uncaring of Jeremy's suffering. The human's screams intensified. He was yelling at the top of his lungs and Kol's heart sunk. He could only watch, unable to move or intervene. The chandelier was violently swinging on the ceiling, casting rays of dust upon them. The entire room seemed to be roaring with life, thumping and thundering menacingly. Kol looked around him, short of breath. The scene before him was utter chaos as he had never seen. Niklaus had dropped his mask, casting panicked glances at the shaking ground beneath their feet. Damon looked on the verge of being physically ill.
For a moment, Kol even wondered if Aaron wasn't actually invoking some sort of demon, even Silas himself. The ground was going to open and swallow them all, of this he was being more and more certain. He spared a hazy look at Aaron. The warlock was staring in the distance, eyes black as ink and veins protruding on his face. He almost looked like a vampire and Kol knew with exact certitude that he was using the same magic his mother had eons ago when she turned her children into creatures of the night.
He also realized something he had always known: Aaron was far more powerful than he could even imagine and this was never a good thing.
When he thought that Hell would finally break loose, chaos exploded around him and his ears began to buzz as if filled with water. He could only hear the labor of his breath inside his head, the world spinning before him in myriads of dull colors and shapes.
Silence.
Complete silence.
All around him seemed to have awoken from a nightmare that had left them nauseous and feverish. Jeremy was on his knees, blinking and suffocating, his skin red with hundreds of fresh tattoos.
Aaron chuckled, his face a human face again, "If you have trouble handling such a simple magic trick, I suggest you remain behind when I open the tomb!" he was smiling, finding the whole situation highly amusing.
Kol glared at him. What an arrogant bastard!
"What the hell was that?" Rebekah spat, still trying to find her breath.
"That, my dear, was expression," he retorted, letting the word roll on his tongue.
Just then, the door opened on a blinking Elijah, "Is everything alright?"
Kol waited for the Doppelganger to have left her brother's side to slowly approach. He had stopped caring about what was happening in the other parts of the mansion, only knowing that Elijah, Niklaus, Aaron and all the cure fanatics had gathered in the study to discuss Helen's translation and the ongoing plan to find Silas.
Jeremy was in a chair, next to the fireplace. He looked tired and sore. Kol bit his lip. The boy looked up to him. He realized that he had already walked the distance that separated them, standing merely a few inches from him.
His social awkwardness kicked in: he had absolutely no idea of how to start the conversation and felt like an utter fool.
Jeremy was staring at him, silent, probably waiting for him to talk which he found himself unable to. He forced his mouth open and closed it before opening it again, standing with his mouth open like a fish out of water.
Jeremy was still waiting patiently that Kol stopped opening and closing his mouth and after what seemed like an hour of bobbing, Kol's voice finally left the confinement of his vocal cords: "Are you alright?"
Jeremy blinked for a split second, a bit surprised that the Original had managed to form a normal sentence of introduction and not yet another obscure expression heard by Helen. He was almost disappointed.
"Yeah…" he wasn't alright.
Kol nodded and remained rooted on his spot, silent anew.
Jeremy licked his upper lip nervously. This wasn't going to do. Kol's hand reached his shoulder and he put a tentative finger on one of the tattoos, "Does it hurt?"
The boy shrugged, "Not really… Not anymore anyway…"
Kol nodded again with a grimace, but didn't say anything for a while. The silence around them was as chaotic as the magic Aaron had used before. They were looking at everything but each other, Jeremy on his chair, Kol glued on the rug.
Eventually, Kol spoke again, "So, you really are coming then?"
"I'm the Hunter… The key to Silas…"
"Your tattoos were key… are key… Not you."
"Aaron says otherwise… He says that the symbols make it clear that the Hunter must be present so that he can use my… link with Silas to open the tomb and retrieve the cure."
Kol looked at Jeremy, a frown on his brow, "I don't like that… I don't want you anywhere near Silas' tomb!"
Jeremy left his chair with a sigh, "Look Kol, we already talked about that…"
"Your job as a Hunter was to kill vampires to grow the markings!" Kol cut him off vehemently, "It's done! I don't understand why he needs you! It makes no bloody sense!"
Jeremy tried to walk past him but Kol grabbed his forearm, "Something is amiss here. I can feel it!"
The boy locked eyes with him, annoyed, "You were against this whole Silas thing from the beginning!"
"With reason!"
"You are shit-scared of Silas and anything related to him! Everybody knows it," Jeremy accused, his voice rising with sudden anger.
"I wasn't scared of you… Only deeply disgusted!" Kol replied with a scowl upon remembering the day Rebekah had told him about Jeremy's transformation.
When seeing the look of hurt and rejection on Jeremy's face though, he immediately realized his mistake. Open mouth, insert foot. The boy snatched his arm away from Kol's hand with a grimace and turned to leave.
"No, Darling, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that…" he began, equally exasperated.
Jeremy looked at him again, furious, "Yeah? And what was it exactly?"
"I didn't like the fact that you had turned into my enemy, that's all!"
"I was already your enemy by then!"
"Yes, yes but we were on a truce!"
"Because you had kidnapped me and I was your prisoner you idiot!"
"No, you were not!" Jeremy's eyes raised up in silent disagreement. Kol tried again, "Not in the end anyway."
"I was just your personal source of food!" the boy reproached heartily.
"Hey! You asked for it remember!" the vampire reminded him with emotion.
"To stop you from killing innocent people!"
"Like Hell!" Kol spat, "You asked for it because you like a little biting! To the point of whoring yourself up to the first vampire you find!"
The boy's cheeks flushed and he flared his nostrils. Oops. Jeremy looked hurt and furious and Kol knew he had stepped over his boundaries again. That kid was so emotional!
"Darling, wait…"
But Jeremy didn't wait. The offense had been made. He turned and left the room without a second glance, leaving Kol alone next to the fireplace. The vampire let his arms fall to his sides, defeated.
"So," said the cheerful voice of Rebekah by the door, "That's what you two do when you're not fucking! Fascinating!"
He glared at her, "Oh shut up Bekah!"
He ignored her amused chuckle and hurried after Jeremy to try and atone for his mistake. He found the boy in one of the rooms upstairs, looking at the window.
"Darling, I'm sorry… It came out wrong…"
"Wouldn't be a first…"
Kol's jaw tensed in annoyance. He was tired of being blamed for anything and everything all the fucking time!
Jeremy sighed, "Must we always do this whenever we see each other?" He turned to Kol with a tired look, "Fight?"
Kol sighed aswell. Jeremy made way to the bed, Kol followed him. They sat next to each other in silence again.
"Why can't we never talk?" Jeremy finally asked softly.
"Do we have anything to talk about?"
"We did back in my place…"
Kol chuckled, "So I give you pieces of my childhood and you give me pieces of yours and we try to build a healthy relationship based on all that?" he asked amused.
Jeremy returned his amusement, "Why not?"
They laughed softly, a bit awkwardly. Kol turned to look at Jeremy. He lost his smile and frowned. The boy's brow was covered in a of cold sweat and the veins in his temples were pulsing more than usual.
"Are you okay my Darling?"
The boy had trouble breathing, "I feel hot and cold at the same time," he tried to articulate.
The spell. It must have been a counter effect of the spell Aaron had used on him. He had already seen that kind of post reaction in the past. It was never pretty.
He rushed to the bathroom to get a wet towel and was back in less than few seconds on the bed, the towel pressed against the human's burning forehead.
"It's gonna be alright. Stay with me Darling."
What had Aaron done to him?
"As you said, it's just a post reaction to the spell I used," Kol turned to see Aaron on the threshold, leaning against the door, his arms crossed on his chest, "It should be gone in a few moments. Do not fear."
Kol glared at him, "You damaged my Darling!"
Aaron shook his head apologetically, "I didn't make the rules. I needed the Hunter's marks to find the cave. Not my fault the Hunter I needed happened to be your Darling!"
Kol's glare deepened, "And have you found it? Your precious cave?"
"Actually we have. We are ready to go when you are."
"He's not exactly in a traveling stage now, is he?" Kol accused, holding a feverish Jeremy.
"It's only temporary. In an hour or so, he shall be well again. I promise."
Kol glared at him again. Aaron blinked, unaffected. In his arms, Jeremy moaned.
"So," the vampire asked to change the subject, "Helen did make a good translation after all!" he was rather impressed.
"Mostly. It was all a bit rudimentary still but I managed to gather a semblance of understanding from it," he paused a bit before speaking again, Kol still massaging Jemery's scalp with the towel, "She even translated the small inscription that was beneath the symbols on the sword!"
"Yes I sent her a picture of the sword. I figured she might need it."
Aaron's unreadable face broke into a small smile, "Well thought, brother! Well thought indeed!"
Kol dismissed it with a grimace, "So where is that cave?"
"Not far from here actually."
"How surprising... It's never far from here…" He looked up at Aaron again, "When are we leaving again?"
"Whenever you're ready."
Kol glanced at Jeremy still pale and shivering, "We may need a moment."
"As I said, whenever you're ready," Aaron repeated, "We'll be waiting downstairs," before leaving them alone again.
The vampire reported his full attention on the boy, helping him lay on the bed, "It's gonna be okay, Darling. The effects will wear off, I promise," Jeremy was suffocating again, his brow hot and sweaty.
"Everything's spinning," he whispered, eyes locked on the ceiling, not really seeing anything.
"Yeah, I know... Stupid magic..." he muttered, "The magic Aaron used was very powerful and extremely dark. This kind of magic never leaves the target unaffected. I'm sorry you have to go through this... If only I could give you my blood but apparently I'm poison to you..."
Jeremy chuckled through the pain, his grin turning into a grimace, "I knew that already!" he coughed.
Kol laid beside him, a hand on his face, "Hey, it's alright."
Jeremy swallowed, locking his eyes with him. His breathing was getting calmer, the sweat dried off gradually.
"Yeah... The pain is almost gone. I feel better now."
Kol smiled and kissed his brow. He ran a gentle hand on the tattooed skin, "Do you feel them?"
"Yeah, it tingles."
"At least, you look hot my Hunter Darling!" he tried to joke.
"Yeah, I feel hot!"
Kol chuckled awkwardly and kissed his shoulder. The skin tasted bitter.
"Sing me a song," Jeremy whispered after a while, a finger pointing to the ceiling above them.
Kol raised on his elbow to look at him.
Jeremy turned his head to the side, "What? Don't tell me you don't know any song!"
"Depends on the repertoire you wish to hear me sing from!"
"A song from your past, when you were still human," he specified, "Do you remember one?"
Kol frowned and forced his memory to run, "There might be one that my mother used to sing to us at the campfires."
"Sing it."
The vampire kept a surprised face for a few more moments before laying back on his back, hand touching Jeremy's. He broke into a soft tune in his ancient language. Jeremy's breathing slowed. He closed his eyes and listened, trying to ignore the pull of his tattoos that put his skin on fire.
I hope you liked it! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think :)
