A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing everyone. I have a cold so anything witty right now is not happening. The chapter after this one is already written and needs to be tweaked by me and then edited so hopefully it won't be such a big break until the next chapter is released.


"I don't care if I fall in love with a devil, as long as that devil will love me the way he loves hell."-Unknown


This was a high that Kol didn't think he'd ever come down from again. It far surpassed any of his kills, any of his taunting and manipulations. He hadn't felt this connection to everything around him since he'd been human, but it wasn't the oneness with nature that he craved. His mind had always strayed toward the darker parts of magic, something his mother had condoned but tried to stifle in him from a young age. It'd never have worked and most likely if he'd stayed human he would have done more than dabble in those darker ways, getting himself cut off from his family in the process.

Much like his vampire self had through the centuries whenever his behavior was far too erratic for his siblings liking.

"Kol," Rebekah started again, her impatience only seeming to grow, but he continued to ignore her.

He needed to concentrate on accessing spirits on the Other Side at the moment. Not just any spirits, too many of them wouldn't lift a finger to help him after what he'd done, most likely seeing it as a sign of betrayal. Couldn't blame them for that when it was one. But there were a few on the Other Side who he'd known during their lives, who he'd traveled with and spilled secrets into their ears while helping them spill blood to gain more power. Those would be the ones who would help him.

Mostly because he'd orchestrated it so they would have to if he ever was able to gain access to his magic again. A few because they were enamored enough with him to think themselves in love, something he'd happily exploited over the centuries.

"You with magic is a recipe for disaster," his sister muttered and Kol glanced over at Rebekah, shaking his finger at her.

"Now now, sister. Your jealousy is showing." He grinned at her annoyed pout, watching her slump back against the tree that Bonnie was also against, still unconscious. "But do shut up, Bekah. I can't exactly concentrate if you keep on yapping at me." If this had been a cartoon Kol was certain he'd have seen steam start to spray out of Rebekah's ears, but he held up a hand before she could reply. "Remember. I'm trying to see how to unlink Henrik. Save his life."

And just like that the fight seemed to deflate from her, the hope for keeping the younger boy with them far outweighing any perceived slight. Kol turned his attention back to communicating with the Other Side, knowing it was something Bonnie had been able to do back in Mystic Falls. The two of them were linked now because of the spell he'd had her do to gain more power and the one he'd enacted on her a few hours before.

Kol blinked his concentration breaking as he looked over at the unconscious witch. He'd learned that particular spell from a Bennett witch, one that seemed to have been passed down through the ages. No doubt Bonnie would have learned of it if Sheila hadn't died before imparting all of her wisdom to the girl. It might even have originated with Qestiyah. A spell that she would have happily shared with the man she loved.

"Do I even want to know which one you're speaking to if you're looking like that?" Rebekah asked lips twisted in disdain as she looked over at him. "Please tell me it's not that annoying brunette with the large teeth. She was ghastly. Carmen or something like that."

"Carlotta," Kol corrected. He was almost sure that was the one she meant. Exceedingly dull but the girl had known her magic. "I think I know how to break the link between Henrik and Silas."

"Do not joke about such a thing, Kol Mikaelson," Rebekah warned, and he tsked at her doubt in him.

"I'll need to confirm with Henrik what Silas might have said but I'm betting it's the same one I used on her," Kol nodded over at Bonnie who was beginning to stir. "Nice to see you back in the land of the living, darling."

He laughed as she sent out the spell that should have him on his knees and clutching his head in pain. "You'll find that won't quite work against me anymore."

"What the hell did you do to me?" Bonnie demanded, and Kol waggled his eyebrows at her, pleased that she wasn't cowering in fear but instead trying to hold her own. The strong ones were always far more amusing than the meek.

"I helped you out, Bonnie, don't you remember? Made sure you had more than enough power to take on Silas," Kol reminded as he looked over at Rebekah who was rolling her eyes, muttering something about 'Nik and now this'. "And then I decided it was time to take my payment."

"Payment?" Bonnie asked, eyes narrowing further.

"Oh come now. You didn't think I was helping you out of the goodness of my heart. All magic has a price, surely you know that by now," Kol replied, unable to stop grinning. He enjoyed the way it only seemed to anger her more, riling her up.

"I thought you wanted Silas taken down. That's why you helped," she muttered, shaking her head and no doubt mentally berating herself for trusting him for even a second.

"Partly, yes. I do want the bastard gone. Messes up so many of my plans if he lives." Kol clapped his hands together, ready to keep on with their journey, though he knew a few explanations were probably in order. "I've been looking for the opportunity to get someone to take on my lost magic—though stripped away is a more appropriate term—and you were so easily manipulated into doing so."

He caught her hand before she got anywhere close to connecting with his face. "Temper temper."

"Why won't my magic hurt you?" Bonnie demanded, and Kol released his hold on her.

"Because we're linked, darling. You'll always have a piece of my magic in you. Annoying little side effect of it all but I have access to mine now." And that was the part that mattered to him. He didn't doubt for a second that he would be able to keep on manipulating her if he needed to.

"I will find a way to unlink us," Bonnie told him. No doubt it was supposed to be a threat and Kol didn't doubt that she'd be able to do so at some point, especially if she overheard what he'd need to do in order to free Henrik from Silas' link. It mattered little to him though. Unlinking wouldn't strip him of his magic again and he knew far more about dark magic than she ever would. He'd happily use every bit of it against her too if she dared to try and take him down.

There would be consequences, there always were, but Kol was more than happy to pass them off to another unsuspecting witch. There would always be those power hungry enough to stupidly follow him. He looked at Bonnie who was seething with anger. There were even those foolish enough to believe he didn't have another agenda or who were too far up against a wall to be able to turn down his help and none of that was his problem.

"I'm sure you will, darling," Kol replied, smiling brightly. "And maybe then you'll let me show you the benefits of dark magic." Her responding glare and the sudden swirling wind around him only seemed to widen his grin.

"Must we do this dance?" Rebekah demanded as she stood, obviously over the display between the two of them. "We need to check in with Nik and Elijah and preferably get to Amara's tomb before Silas figures out that he requires a Bennett for the destruction of the veil."

"I'm not going anywhere with either of you," Bonnie informed them, and Kol tried not to laugh at that answer. "How do I know that you'll even keep to the plan this time? You already screwed it up once."

"Family above all, little Bennett. Something you'd understand if your mommy had actually stuck around and taught you correctly about magic," Rebekah replied with a shrug before clutching her head in pain. Kol waved his hand; easily disrupting Bonnie's spell and stepped into Rebekah's path before she could retaliate. "It's not my fault she can't deal with the truth. You were all sheltered in Mystic Falls. Welcome to the real world."

"We all want Silas dead, Bonnie. And the Other Side to be disconnected from this world," Kol reminded. "Not interested in our parents coming around again for another round of kill all their children. It got old after the first time."

"I don't trust any of you," Bonnie muttered, but the wind stopped whipping around them.

"Good. Means you're learning," Kol chirped, winking at her, thoroughly amused by her annoyed huff. "Now, let's get ourselves a car and head onto the rendezvous point."

They'd have forced her cooperation if needed, easily knocked her out and headed off but not having to cart around an unconscious girl was easier in the long run. It also meant he might be able to tempt her with some darker magic along the way as well and wouldn't that be fun.


Silas frowned as the next witch expired in front of him. The task he'd set out for her to do had been too much for her body to handle, just as it had been for the countless witches he'd sought out in the last day. Every single one of them had been unable to wield the amount of power that was needed to take down the Other Side for good.

At least he'd been able to feed off their dying energy, to add a little to his own depleting supply, but all of it would prove to be useless if he was unable to finish what he'd started. Qestiyah deserved to have every last remnant of her destroyed, from her bloodline to the annoying pocket universe she'd created for dead supernaturals. He wanted to obliterate any trace of her existence from the world and he wouldn't rest until he'd done so, until Amara was freed from the Other Side and reunited with him.

Perhaps he could find Qestiyah as well and rip her heart out, letting her know that she'd failed and he'd persevered, that he and Amara would live happily forever while she would have nothing.

None of that would be possible though if he couldn't destroy the Other Side and currently none of the witches he'd found were able to create so much as a crack in the veil. Nor could they seem to even extend the already breaking parts of it. They were useless. He'd never handled anyone being useless before he'd been entombed. Two thousand years of waiting and planning had left him even more easily angered at anyone who was unable to complete the tasks he'd doled out. His temper was getting the better of him and perhaps he needed to slow down, to think it all out and figure out what was wrong, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Why is this not working?" Silas demanded of the last witch in the Coven he'd found. The rest of her group lay dead at her feet, the older woman watching him with wide eyes, no doubt trying to come up with a way to stay his hand.

"I do not know," the woman replied, shaking with fear as he gripped her shoulders, sneering at her. He did not like those words and he narrowed his eyes, ready to bleed the magic out of her and into him. "Perhaps it is like nature's balance."

He arched a brow at that, nodding for her to continue. "If Qestiyah created the Other Side then maybe it needs to be one of her own to destroy it," the woman continued and he frowned at that, not liking the implication at all. "Everyone knows the Bennett line is one of the most powerful lines to exist, maybe even the most powerful one. There are very few lines that have been passed on as long as theirs has."

And he'd gotten the lot of them killed in the last few weeks, purposefully destroying Qestiyah's legacy. Thankfully there were at least two left in the world that might be of service. One was the older one linked to him but Silas knew she didn't have the resources to do what he'd need. The younger one though, she'd had a lovely little power boost given to her and he didn't doubt for a moment that she'd be able to get the job done.

He grinned at the still trembling woman, stroking her cheek as she swallowed. "Seems you can still be of service to me."

A little hope seemed to spark in her eyes and he laughed at that, the sound cruel and causing the woman to flinch. "I'll need a location spell completed."

"And after I've done it?" the woman inquired, the hopefulness she'd displayed a moment ago seeming to waver.

"Then your usefulness will have run out and I will kill you," Silas replied, not one to sugar coat it, nails biting into the woman's cheek. He enjoyed the streaks of red and the fear he could sense coming from her. Soon the entire world would tremble at his feet. "And if you do not do as I need I will force every single member of your family that is not here today to kill one another in some gruesome manner." It was always amazing how quickly others could be swayed with threats to their loved ones. "Think of this service as a way to ensure your family's continued survival."

He patted her cheek and stepped back, nodding for her to start working. "I give you an hour before I kill you, carry out my plans for your family, and then head off to find a more competent witch."

Perhaps he'd still carry out his plans for her family if she succeeded but there was no reason to bring that part up now. He'd deal with that outcome in an hour if he truly needed to but at least he felt that he was finally one step closer to revenge on Qestiyah and even closer to being reunited with his beautiful Amara. He couldn't wait to show her the world and all it had to offer them now.


They had gotten back on the road before the sun had started to rise, taking some changes of clothes from the family and a few other necessities for Sheila and Henrik. Caroline made a mental note of the family's address, wanting to be able to pay them back for what they'd driven away with, hopeful that they would still be alive to be repaid when everything was over. The likelihood of that was up in the air. No doubt those who had attacked them back in Athens were on their trail and if they were able to follow then they would find the family. Whether or not they'd bother with a bunch of humans who wouldn't be able to help give up any real information was something she was unsure about. She hoped they wouldn't be harmed for unintentionally harboring them but there wasn't much she could to stop that from happening.

Collateral damage.

Funny how that word seemed to keep cropping up in the past few weeks. She didn't like how she was able to see why it was needed, why some lives were simply not valued as much as the next one. Didn't like how easy it was to walk away from that family knowing that their fate might not be a good one.

What could she possibly do for them though? Compelling them not to let any strangers in the house could cause more harm than good. Compelling them to leave the area for a bit might also cause trouble for them. All she could do was walk away and hope for the best.

She was in the back seat this time with Henrik by her side. Sheila was up front, doling out directions towards where they needed to head, while Klaus drove. Caroline could feel Henrik's gaze on her, that inkling she always seemed to have when someone was watching her spiking, and she looked over at him, reciprocating the smile he was offering. He kept doing that to her, soulful gaze directed at her as he looked her over, almost as if he was trying to figure her out, as if she was a puzzle for him to put together.

It was unnerving and at the same time completely familiar, reminding her of how Klaus looked at her, though without the romantic, lustful undertones. The boy's was pure curiosity and Caroline had a feeling that if they were actually able to hold a conversation together that it wouldn't make her feel so awkward.

"Have you given more thought to how you'll be unlinking you and my brother from Silas?" Klaus asked from the front, redirecting Caroline's attention to him. Henrik's seemed to drift to him as well, lips pursing as he tried to make out what was happening.

At least she understood what Klaus and Sheila were saying. Caroline had a feeling being unable to understand anyone but Klaus speak was a daunting experience. Obviously, Henrik would have seen the changes in the world if he'd watched the world from the Other Side, but seeing the changes and actually experiencing them were very different things.

"There isn't a way," Sheila remarked, not even bothering to look over at Klaus, her eyes remaining on the road.

Caroline sighed at that, knowing the response wasn't going to sit well with Klaus. "There's always a way. Every bit of magic has something to counter it. Isn't that what you told us, witch? Why the cure for Silas won't work on my kind and the white oak stake wouldn't work on him. If he could link you to him then there will be a way to unlink you. Balance of nature," Klaus replied, his gaze hardening as he looked over at Sheila for a moment.

The older woman tapped her fingers along the open window space, still staring out of it. "You're asking me to do dark magic and we both know that every bit of dark magic has consequences none of us could foresee," Sheila pointed out, and Klaus shrugged, clearly not caring about what the consequences could be.

Dark magic had created the predicament with Silas. Caroline was pretty sure dark magic also had a hand in the creating of vampires. It definitely had in the suppression of Klaus' wolf side; otherwise three sacrifices wouldn't have been needed to restore it.

"You're hiding more than you know from us and I do not appreciate being kept in the dark," Klaus told her, gripping the steering wheel tightly before steering the car off the road and parking it. The sea greeted them to the right and might have been something to be appreciated if they were viewing it in better circumstances. "You know it will take dark magic to unlink the lot of you. No doubt you heard the spell he used to do the binding when he brought you to him. In fact…" Klaus turned his attention from Sheila to the back, looking over at his younger brother. "I'd say my brother might have heard it as well but his knowledge of magic nowhere encompasses what you know."

He looked back at Sheila and Caroline didn't like the maliciousness in his gaze. "Nik?" Henrik started, no doubt sensing the unease that had swept through the car. He might not be able to understand their words but he seemed to be apt at reading their body language.

"Ingenting å være bekymret, lillebror," Klaus replied, glancing back with an almost reassuring smile. [1]

Henrik didn't seem to believe him, his frown deepening as he looked over at Caroline. "Caroline?" he asked, seeming to want the same assurance from her.

"Klaus we should just keep driving," Caroline suggested, trying to offer up a smile to the boy again but it wasn't really working. "Badgering isn't going to get what you want done. If there's a spell then we'll get it. But do you really want Henrik to see you threaten her? Because we so both know that's what you're gonna do and he might not be able to understand what you're gonna say but he can so pick up on what's happening here."

She didn't wait for him to reply, her attention turning to Sheila. "And hiding things isn't helping anyone. You want their help to take down Silas and save the world and all they want in return is for their brother to get a second chance. Maybe you don't want that and that's fine. Don't unlink you then. But if you're deliberately not giving an answer on how it can get done then you're putting the whole stop Silas thing in danger of not happening because there's so no way they're going to do anything if they think they'll lose him again. They're kind of seriously possessive and stubborn."

Caroline didn't doubt for a moment that the Mikaelson family would ruin plans to prolong everything in order to save Henrik. Rebekah had already ruined the first set of plans and if she hadn't, Caroline had a feeling that one of the others would have after a few moments. "It is not that simple, child," Sheila replied, and Klaus looked ready to throttle her but his phone rang, diverting his attention for a moment.

"Is it ever that simple? There are witches and vampires and freaking hybrids in this car. The things from stories are freaking real. Nothing in our lives is simple anymore. But I don't see what's wrong with giving a family hope." How could it be wrong to give someone a second chance at life?

Though her thoughts drifted to Elena at that. Didn't her friend deserve that as well though? Except considering what Elena had done, Caroline didn't think her friend would be able to cope with getting another chance.

"I suggest you locate where my brother is, Vincent, and do not call me back until you do," Klaus replied into the phone and before anyone could react to that he had his hand locked around Sheila's throat, shoving her into the seat.

Caroline and Henrik screamed at that, both shouting his name, wondering what the hell was happening. "My brother is dead and I will not play games with you anymore, witch. Either unlink Henrik from Silas now or I will call Kol, who I've no doubt has stuck to your granddaughter like glue, and tell him to break her. Not kill, oh no, it'll be much worse than that and you can travel the world knowing that you could have saved your granddaughter from becoming an empty shell if you'd done as requested."

"Bonnie has to do it," Sheila struggled to get out, her words strained as she glared at him. She didn't even try to struggle. Her hands had grabbed onto his at first out of instinct but she'd quickly dropped them into her lap. "She's only one with the power level to be able to undo what Silas did. So you can't do a thing to her or your brother will perish along with the rest of us."

Klaus picked up his phone again. "Then you'll have no problem relaying the spell to Kol so he can ensure she's able to do it," he told her, already dialing the number. "And remember if you lie and Henrik dies, I will make good on my promise to destroy your granddaughter and nothing will be able to stop that from happening."

"She'll never forgive if you do that," Sheila told him and Caroline swallowed at that, knowing that the woman was referring to her. "You'll lose everything."

"For a while perhaps. But eternity stretches on for a long time, Sheila Bennett, and the memories of those Caroline loved in Mystic Falls will fade with it." He sounded so sure of himself and Caroline glared at him, wanting to deny all of it, wanting to be able to say that she would never forget it or forgive it, but what would time do? Would she still hate him for it after five hundred years? Would she want to hold onto that kind of anger for that long and let it fester and seep into her bones? What would that kind of darkness do to her? "Besides, Caroline knows the importance of family. Is it really my fault if you deliberately mislead us? Then I'm simply doling out the appropriate consequences for doing so."

"It's your fault if you hurt Bonnie," Caroline bit out, continuing to glare at him as Klaus glanced back at her. "It's not Bonnie's fault if her grandmother doesn't help you. Bonnie's been doing everything she can to help with what's happening. Don't you dare touch her. I do know the importance of family but she's my family, Klaus." Not by blood but Bonnie was family to her too. Caroline wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her if she could help it.

His lips twisted at that, obviously not liking her words. "Well, I suppose we should all hope that Sheila here isn't foolish with her choices." He looked away from her then. "Ah, Kol, I take it that you have the younger Bennett with you?" Klaus arched a brow, releasing his hold on Sheila's neck as he leaned back in his seat, listening to what his brother said. "Well then. That certainly changes things. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point."

Klaus hung up and Caroline rubbed her temples, trying to work out what information could have brought about his obvious mood swing. "Looks as though we won't need to be relying on you to do anything," Klaus informed them and maybe before the threats had been doled out that would have been a really good thing. It was still good that there was a way to save Henrik but it didn't make up for his threats against Bonnie.

Henrik was out of the car and heading down to the beach, away from them and Caroline found herself needing to get away from Klaus as well. "Where the bloody hell do you think you're going?" Klaus demanded, and she shook her head at him.

"I'm sure if you replay what just happened like not even thirty seconds ago you can think of why we don't really want to be around you right now," Caroline murmured and headed off after the boy, leaving Sheila and Klaus in the car.

Henrik had stopped near the water, plopping down onto the sand and glaring out at the sea in front of them. Caroline sat down beside him, not really knowing what to say but she had a feeling nothing needed to be said. It must have been a stark contrast from the man he'd known to what Klaus had become, a hard reality to stomach, but one that couldn't simply be wished away.

"Nik," the boy started, nose scrunching in annoyance at the utterance before sighing.

Caroline simply nodded, knowing that feeling of annoyance well. "Yep."

Henrik turned his attention to the sand in front of him, mouth opening for a moment before closing again. She had a feeling he wanted to say something else but knew it wouldn't be understood. Caroline hesitated for a moment, uncertain how he'd react, before gently picking up one of his hands and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back, offering up a small smile before looking back at the sand.

He simply shook his head again, releasing another sigh before resting his elbows on his knees. Maybe she couldn't understand his language but his body language was clear as day, showing just how lost and disappointed he was currently feeling.

Caroline could hear Klaus muttering by the car, no doubt fuming over the two of them walking away, but she ignored him, replaying the events in her mind instead. Everything had been okay, not perfect, but they were in the middle of a war so that was to be expected. The conversation had been heated but it had escalated quickly once he'd received the phone call.

Wait.

My brother is dead.

That's what he'd said when he'd gotten the call. From Vincent, right? She thought that was who he'd mentioned. Elijah had been with Vincent. Everything was falling into place in front of her and Caroline's heart lurched as the reality of the situation set in.

Caroline turned back, looking over at the car and spotting Sheila still inside while Klaus was behind it, the trunk raised and leaning over it. The lid of the trunk hid him from Sheila's view, but Caroline noted the way his shoulders were drooped, the almost defeated like appearance that he was taking. She squeezed Henrik's hand one more time and headed back to the car and to Klaus.

"Elijah?" she asked, watching a variety of emotions pass over Klaus' face as his grip tightened on the car.

It made sense why he had been so steadfast in his threatening. He'd just learned of Elijah's loss and the chance of losing Henrik as well would have been too great to allow. Not that she condoned threatening Bonnie's life, nor would she allow her friend to die, but she understood it better now.

"I'm still not letting you hurt Bonnie," Caroline murmured, placing her hand over one of Klaus'. "I'm sorry about Elijah. Maybe he'll find his way through a crack in the veil. I bet we can help that along somehow. And I'll help you figure out how to save Henrik."

"I will get Elijah back. I will ensure that Henrik stays as well. And I will take down anyone who tries to stop that from happening," Klaus told her, his voice hard and for a moment she wondered if she was included in that group, but his hand was cupping her cheek, fingers gently brushing against her skin. "Including Bonnie if need be, love." Caroline opened her mouth to protest that. "So perhaps, you can work with her to ensure that doesn't need to happen."

She was still ready to fight that, to tell him where he could stick his words when Klaus did something she didn't think she would ever have expected him to do. She'd hugged him a few times but he'd never been the one to initiate it and Caroline had been certain that he probably never would. But there he was, pulling her against him, arms wrapping around her in a need for comfort and she gave into it, unable to deny him this when he'd just learned his brother was dead and there was a chance he'd lose another one. Just because she was able to be sympathetic to him didn't mean she'd forget that she needed to figure out how to ensure Bonnie's survival though. Hopefully there wouldn't be any problems and she was worrying for nothing.

"I need to talk to Henrik," Klaus murmured after a moment, releasing her.

Caroline let him head off down to the beach, knowing the two needed a quiet moment between them. She shut the trunk and headed back into the car, knowing full well that Sheila would no doubt want to speak to her. "I won't let him hurt Bonnie," Caroline told the older woman as she slid into the seat, wanting to head off the inevitable conversation. "But don't think for a minute that I'll let him be hurt either."

As far as Caroline was concerned the only one who needed to be in any kind of pain in the future was Silas. The rest of them needed to work together to ensure that happened and anyone who wasn't on board with that being their goal was an idiot. "So I'm failing to see why saving Henrik is going to be such a horrible thing."

"There are consequences for every action, Caroline. I know you know that. If he lives then who will be taken in his place?" Sheila asked, and Caroline didn't like the shiver that rose up her spine at that. "It already seems that the consequences of not simply ending Silas have come about in the death of the elder Mikaelson as well as Lucy. I wonder who else they're willing to lose for the youngest to live again."

Caroline looked out the window toward the two brothers, watching Klaus try to explain what was happening to the boy. She could listen into the conversation if she wanted but she didn't know the language so it wouldn't have done much good. It was enough to see the boy hug Klaus. Some of the tension left the Hybrid at the contact and she knew that whatever had been said had helped the two of them at least temporarily reconcile what had just occurred.

Now if only she could get the nagging worries out of her head that Sheila's words had put in there. Something told Caroline that wouldn't happen anytime soon but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it would force her to stay on her toes and look at everything that was happening from all angles. The last thing she wanted to do was drift back to seeing the world as black and white when she'd finally allowed color into it.


Seeing Damon leave the tomb had been a huge shock for Stefan Salvatore. In only a few seconds he'd gotten his brother back and realized at the same time that he'd died. They didn't always get along, more often than not they were at odds, but the fact that Damon had died and he hadn't known, that he had been brother-less for a few weeks, had ripped at the very seems of who Stefan was.

It was a defining moment for him and while he tended to agree with Caroline and Bonnie that there were bigger matters to deal with than trying to get Elena back, Stefan had known that he would be following Damon wherever he might go. He wasn't about to lose him again.

Permanent death was very different than their continued estrangement, than the needing to distance themselves from one another for their own sanity. At least then there was the knowledge that they weren't really alone in the world. No matter what he'd always have his brother. Even if Damon hated him at the time.

It probably wasn't his best decision to follow Damon when chaos had broken out. Maybe he should have tried to reason with his older brother but there was no reasoning with Damon Salvatore when it came to Elena Gilbert's life. Damon was going to do whatever it took to get Elena back and Stefan was going to do whatever it took to keep Damon alive.

Not all that different from the Mikaelsons when it came down to it. In a thousand years would their brotherly love become as twisted as what he'd seen between those siblings? Stefan had a feeling it'd be even more so considering the current state of his relationship with Damon.

"I don't care if you'll die in order to make it happen," Damon told the witch who he had in front of him. "But I'm sure you care about your girlfriend dying. So unless you want my brother to eat her and then the rest of your little town, you're going to do what I need."

He patted the man on the head and looked over at Stefan who was holding the sobbing woman in his arms, head tilted so he had easy access to her neck. The thrumming of the woman's heartbeat was calling to him, taunting him and wanting him to sink his teeth into her flesh. Stefan knew that if he did it that there would be no stopping before he drained her and that was the beginning of a slippery slope that he didn't want to head down.

Stefan let his fangs slide out, watching the witch's eyes widen in horror, the woman becoming slack in his arms, her fear overwhelming her. "One last chance," Damon informed the man, slowly counting off on his fingers before the man nodded.

"I'll do it," he assured, and Damon grinned, stepping back so the man could get the materials he needed.

"I'll have Stefan hold onto her for safe keeping. Wouldn't want you to try anything stupid," Damon continued, and Stefan swallowed at that, the heart beat so close to his mouth a constant temptation that he didn't know how long he could ignore.

Thankfully it didn't take the witch long to do what was needed, the man collapsing to the ground once he was done, heart no longer beating. The woman in Stefan's arms screamed at the sight before her, but Damon simply picked up the map the man had been using, holding it up for Stefan to see with a wide grin.

"Looks like we've got a destination for where to find Elena."

How exactly they'd get her back from the Other Side once they reached that part wasn't something either of them had figured out. Hopefully there would be a crack in the veil there and she'd stumble out on her own. Otherwise Stefan knew that more people would end up dying in order to get her back.

Stefan released the woman, letting her fall down beside the dead man, her sobs echoing through the room. "Sure you don't want a bite?" Damon asked, as he grabbed the woman's arm, hauling her to her feet. "Need to keep up your strength and I doubt there have been lots of bunnies for you to feast on recently."

"I'm fine, Damon. Let's just go." There was no point in staying any longer. They had the information that they needed and the woman didn't need to deal with any more traumas.

Stefan knew he should have known better though, especially once Damon offered up one of his usual grins, one that meant Stefan wouldn't like what happened next. His brother was tearing into the woman's throat before he could hope to stop him. His own gums ached, fangs straining to be released as he fought to hold them back. The scent of blood wanted to overwhelm him, to make him push Damon off the woman and have her all to himself. Stefan wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that Damon had her drained in moments.

"She wouldn't have wanted to live anyway,'" Damon commented with a shrug, letting the woman drop to the ground. "Now come on. Let's go save Elena, baby bro."

Stefan looked back at the dead couple as Damon waltzed out of the house, wiping blood from his mouth. Caroline's words from earlier echoed in his mind, sometimes people should stay dead. Maybe his brother was one of those cases but that didn't change the fact that Stefan would keep on trying to make sure Damon stayed in the land of the living for as long as lived.

Whether or not Damon would do the same for him didn't matter, at least not in Stefan's mind. He would deal with whatever consequences would come about because of Damon's solely focused mission and once they got Elena back he'd figure out how to be able to be around the two of them without the constant feeling of betrayal nipping at his heels.

The younger Bennett was being shielded from locater spells, something that had taken four different witches trying to find her before they had been able to figure that out. The older Bennett wouldn't be able to complete the spell to take down the Other Side but he would be able to use her blood to go around the shield that someone had placed around Bonnie. Thankfully, a spell wasn't needed to find Sheila Bennett, the link he currently had with her easily leading Silas to her location.

He knew the younger boy was there as well and wasn't surprised to find the Hybrid and baby vampire with the other two. He'd specifically picked the youngest Mikaelson to stay the Original family's hands, knew that his presence would cause them to stop the others from putting him down. Damon had been his back up, knowing that Stefan might also head off to stop his older brother from dying all over again. Sheila had been taken more for her power than anything else. He hadn't thought her appearance would do much besides distract the two young Bennett witches, but a distraction for even a moment could have given him the chance he'd needed to get away from their group.

"So we're just going to shove the cure down Amara's throat and then what? Drive a stake through her heart?" Caroline asked causing Silas to halt his steps, keeping to the shadows as the group sat the small cafe. "Like, it's not really her fault or anything. Just seems like a really cruel death."

"Stake. Pull it out. Quick enough to ensure that her death is as painless as possible for her if you'd like, love," Klaus replied, pushing the plate of vegetables toward the boy. "Eat. You need your strength too." The language he had been using had changed but it was one Silas knew already, his mind seamlessly translating it as it was spoken.

Amara. They were talking about her as if she was still alive, going on about a cure for her as well. He knew of the existence of his own, had refused to take it and give into Qestiyah's plans, but if there was one for Amara as well that meant she was already immortal. Silas leaned against the wall, wondering how he'd gotten it all so wrong. She was supposed to be dead. He'd been so sure of it, all of the blood and Qestiyah's wrath had pointed to that being what happened. The bloody witch had even taunted him about it, told him his beloved had died screaming for him.

Silas shook his head. Of course the witch had lied. If their positions had been reversed he'd have done the same thing. It would have made the surrender to death that much crueler to learn his love hadn't died and was forever waiting for his return. And these fools were looking to kill her, something he would not allow to happen. They must know where she was and he would not let them keep that knowledge from him.

He tried to read into their minds, but Klaus and Caroline's were guarded from him. The boy had no clue what was going on, most likely he'd been unable to understand what the others had said. Somehow Sheila was guarding her mind from him, not through the same trickery as the vampire and Hybrid but still successfully evading his invasion.

Sheila paused in her drinking, looking around the streets, obviously spooked and no doubt knowing he was nearby. His attempt at reading her mind had probably been the perfect alert system and perhaps he should have been more careful but they knew about Amara and he would do whatever was necessary to learn all that they did.

He was in front of their table before the woman could utter a word of warning, hands clasped on the back of Henrik and Caroline's chairs, and smiled brightly at the group. "I suggest not making a fuss. It would be incredibly easy for me to detach either of their heads before you can make a move," Silas warned, enjoying the anger radiating from Klaus.

This was the position the Hybrid was usually in and the role reversal must have been maddening. "Now then, I hardly find it fair that you all seem to know pieces to this intricate puzzle Qestiyah created that I do not." The Bennett witch would be no help. No doubt she would do anything in her power to ruin any of his plans, too much like Qestiyah to even bother threatening. But the Hybrid, he could be manipulated using his lovely little weakness. "Instead of beating around the bush, throwing out threats, I will make this easy for you. Bring me Amara, alive, and I will give you your love. Fail me, and I will destroy her."

Silas snapped the vampire's neck, easily scooping up Caroline and vanishing from the area before Klaus was able to move a muscle. He could hear the Hybrid's scream; an echo of what his own had been like when he'd thought Amara dead. It was all the confirmation he needed to know that Klaus would do whatever it took to ensure Amara's safety since it was tied to Caroline's.


One moment they had all been happily chatting away, or at least chatting, Klaus doubted the older Bennett witch even knew how to act happy. A second later Caroline had been ripped away right in front of him and he had been unable to lift a finger, to move an inch toward her before she was simply gone. It was too much like that awful night when Henrik had been ripped away from him, nearly torn to pieces by creatures he would eventually learn were his kin.

All he had felt back then was helplessness, unable to know what to do except for run the boy back to the village and watch as the others were unable to do anything. Now though all that filled him was pure, white hot rage, burning through his body and forcing his hybrid features to bloom.

Caroline.

The beast within him wanted out and he wasn't in any mood to try and temper it, allowing it to come out to play, to express the fury he was feeling at having her taken from him. Nothing had ever felt like this before. This ferocity that he likened to a tumultuous storm, this squeezing in his chest as if part of his heart had suddenly disappeared, leaving a hole he wouldn't be able to fill until he had her back.

"Nik?" Henrik tried, and he looked over at the boy, barely noticing the way he flinched at the sight of him.

"It will be alright," Klaus tried reassure, even if it was a lie. Everything was so far from alright. His brother was dead, mother on the loose; no doubt Mikael was as well, and now Caroline…

He couldn't leave Henrik but he couldn't let Silas have Caroline either. Amara had to die in order to destroy the link to the Other Side, something that needed to happen before his mother could carry out her plan to kill the rest of her children. She'd already taken Elijah; he would not allow her to kill another of them. But he wouldn't lose Caroline either, not now, not when she was ready to give him that chance, not when he'd finally found her. A thousand years and he had never met anyone like her and Klaus knew he never would again. Losing her was not an option, no matter the consequences.

"Niklaus! Not in front of Henrik!" Rebekah shouted, and Klaus blinked at that because he shouldn't be hearing his sister's voice.

He looked over toward where it had come from and spotted his siblings and Bonnie making their way to them. Sheila was already explaining everything that happened and he saw the pity in Rebekah's eyes. He hated it, wanted to force it away, but there was no time for snide remarks. Instead he flashed to her, grabbing onto her upper arms, and looking intently at her. He needed her to know the seriousness of the situation.

"Mother is back. She killed Elijah." Klaus started, watching the horror at that information flash over his sister's face, hearing Kol's disbelief. "Silas took Caroline. Do not let them kill that girl until I've returned with her."

Rebekah simply looked at him and Klaus shook her slightly, fingers biting into her skin. "Promise me, Rebekah."

"I promise," she murmured, and Klaus nodded, needing to believe that she would keep that one. She had been his constant for one thousand years and he knew her tells for lying. There were none of them in that moment and he would need to trust her, something he hadn't done in far too long. He also knew that Rebekah would look after Henrik and that meant there was no reason for him to stay any longer.

Klaus ignored the other calls for him, flashing out of the city, and trying to pick up on Caroline's scent. He'd find a witch to locate her if needed, threaten, kill, do whatever he must in order to get her back. The entire world could burn down around him if it meant she was safely beside him again, with his family united and alive. It hardly mattered what happened to the rest of the population. For a brief moment part of him even considered simply handing Amara over to Silas for an exchange but Klaus wasn't foolish. The girl needed to die or the chaos would never end and he would not endure another thousand years running from his past, not when he intended to spend at least the next thousand years learning every curve of Caroline's body.

He would simply retrieve Caroline and then kill Amara with his own hands and present Silas her heart before shoving the cure down the immortal's throat. There wasn't any other option he'd allow to happen. Silas might have been far older than him, maybe even stronger as well, but Klaus had barely tapped into what it meant to be an Original Hybrid, barely seen what he was now able to do with both the wolf and vampire parts of him enabled, what he could do with the two of them combined.

It seemed like now was as good a time as any to truly see what he could do.

He caught wind of Caroline's scent and stripped his clothing as he moved, body seamlessly transforming into his wolf, paws hitting the ground and flashing off in the direction, intent on getting her back, needing to feel whole again.


[1]-Nothing to be concerned about, little brother