Music
Black Tables - Other Lives (Waking Up)
Your Ghost - Greg Laswell (Hayley)
Draw Your Swords - Angus & Julia Stone (Elijah/Kol)
Avery's shaking awaked Kol. His eyes shot open. The first thing he saw was her face filled with worries and concern. He looked down at himself to see that his entire body was broken into a sweat. For the first time, he felt hot. It was almost as if he were sick. But Kol couldn't even remember the feeling from when he was human. But then again, he couldn't remember hardly anything from then.
"I think you were having a nightmare." Avery stated as soon as she saw that he was fully awake. He could hear her pulse calm down. Nightmare? He questioned. Remembering dreams was a rarity for him. He wasn't even sure if he had them as a vampire anymore. Avery put her palm gently on his forehead. He was warm for a vampire but not for a human. But she remembered him saying that vampires couldn't get sick. Kol grabbed her hand and kissed it as he sat up.
"I'm fine." He assured her. But she wasn't convinced. Kol glanced at the clock to see it was only 3 o'clock in the morning.
"Are you feeling alright?" Avery whispered. The thin sheet from his bed was the only thing covering both their bodies, yet Kol had broke out in a sweat. Avery's gaze suddenly went distant. He could tell she was thinking about something.
Without saying a word, she had jumped out of bed, grabbing and putting on some of Kol's clothes. "Where are you going?" Kol questioned. He wanted to convince her that he was perfectly okay and it was probably just some strange side effects to the fire.
Avery shook her head. "Something isn't right." She was out the door before Kol could figure out where she was going. At vampire speed, he jumped out of bed. He went to the bathroom and splashed freezing cold water on his face. He looked up at the mirror and saw no signs that anything had changed in him. His head shook at the confusion and he quickly put on a pair of sweatpants, leaving his chest uncovered. Kol listened for Avery and heard her walking toward the other wing of the house. The only people that were there was Elijah and Hayley. His room was conveniently on the opposite side of the house.
In a second, Kol was at Avery's side as she continued walking toward Elijah's room. She didn't jump at his presence, fully knowing that he would catch up to her eventually. Kol was about to ask what she was trying to do when he heard something coming from his brother's room. It was coughing, rough breathing, sounds that indicated someone was severely sick inside.
The noises were so loud that even Avery could hear them as she knocked on the door. Elijah was there in an instant. She took in his appearance. His suit jacket was off, his sleeves rolled up, and his tie loosened slightly. Just like earlier in the night, he was unkempt. It still was a strange thing for her to see. But once Avery got past his clothing, she could see the anxiety in Elijah's eyes. It was also a rarity.
"What's happening?" Avery gasped. She stood on her toes to try and see over Elijah's shoulder at Hayley. Kol's eyes narrowed, waiting for his brother to respond.
"She woke up and started coughing blood. Her temperature is unusually high. I…I don't know-." Elijah didn't even how to finish his thoughts. He'd never seen anything like it in a vampire.
Avery gave him a sympathetic look. "Can I come in?" She asked lightly. It took a moment for Elijah to hear her question. He pushed open the door further to let her in. But he stood in place, staring into space. Kol only watched as Avery rushed into the room. Hayley lay on her side, facing the door. Her face was uncommonly pale, even for a vampire. His vision allowed him to see the beads of sweat across her skin. Kol looked away to stare at his brother. Elijah looked completely lost and completely unaware of how to help.
Kol gently placed his hand on his shoulder. It was the most comforting gesture he'd ever exchanged with his brother. But he couldn't even imagine what he was going through. Then, he suddenly thought of something else. "Caroline." He muttered before disappearing to Klaus' bedroom. He opened the door to see Klaus kneeling at his bed, Caroline's hand in his own. The young vampire seemed asleep at first, but Kol could then recognize her abnormal symptoms. Klaus glared up at him. Kol's brow creased at finding Caroline in the same condition as Hayley. It was strange to find Klaus' expression almost exact to Elijah's: worried, powerless, and almost desperate.
Kol tried to put the pieces together and figure out what all of it meant. He left Klaus alone, knowing that his brother didn't want to be seen in such condition. Kol wandered back into Elijah's room. His brother was now sitting upright in the bed with Hayley in his arms. Her eyes were closed as she struggled to breath. There was a red rag in Elijah's hands. It took Kol a moment to realize it was that color because it was covered in blood. Avery's eyes immediately locked with Kol's the moment he slowly walked into the room.
"Caroline is in the same state." Kol muttered quietly.
Avery shook her head as she continued to think. "It had to be the fire."
Elijah looked at Avery, considering what she said. "But my brothers and I remain unharmed by its effects." He pointed out.
"Yes, but you're originals. Almost nothing can kill you. That fire was not normal. It basically made Kol sick because he was encased by it longer than you or Klaus. The idea of it killing normal vampires by just its contact really isn't that bizarre." Avery stopped for a moment, realizing she just said it would kill normal vampires right in front of Hayley. But when she glanced over at the vampire, Hayley was completely unaware of the conversations going on. It seemed she was in too much pain to follow along with anything around her.
"It's the only thing that seems logical." Kol agreed. "I will go get blood." He informed them as he started for the door again.
Avery jumped up from her spot on the bed. "No! They know all of you will need to drink after tonight. They'll probably have countless hunters waiting at the hospital." Elijah glanced at his brother. He knew Avery was right. It was a move the hunters expect. "I have to call Bonnie." She quickly left the room.
Twenty minutes later, Bonnie arrived. For some reason, Stefan and Elena came along too. Kol watched them enter, guessing they had concern for Caroline. Stefan glanced up Kol, who was observing them from the upstairs catwalk. Stefan carefully walked up the stairs. He handed the original the backpack he'd brought. Kol looked at him perplexed. Then he unzipped it to find a dozen blood bags tossed inside. Kol looked back up at Stefan. He couldn't thank him. It would be too unlike himself. But Stefan seemed to know this because he didn't look like he expected any thanks or signs of appreciation. Kol walked away and headed toward Elijah's room. Avery was still downstairs with Elena, about to take her to Klaus' room to see Caroline. The mansion seemed to have turned into a hospital.
Kol found Rebekah sitting on the floor of an empty hallway on the way to Elijah's bedroom. She refused to see either Hayley or Caroline. She didn't understand it. Why everyone had to try and kill them for something they never had control over. Hayley was like a sister to her. She couldn't even think about her dying in such a manner. And Rebekah loved Klaus too much for her own good. She didn't want to think about the person he would become if Caroline died too.
Stefan and Bonnie lingered behind Kol as he handed a blood bag for Elijah to give to Hayley. Bonnie's hand went over her mouth when she saw the condition the young vampire was in. She didn't think anything like it was possible.
"Can you do anything?" Stefan whispered to Bonnie. She looked up at him with fear. She honestly didn't know.
"I don't even know the spell that she used. I can't undo a spell without being familiar with the original one." Bonnie informed them all.
"Well, then, you better start looking for it." A dark voice said behind them. They all looked to see that Klaus was standing behind them. When he heard them arrive, he made sure to give the witch instructions of his own.
"Or what, you'll threaten to kill me or someone I care about?" Bonnie snapped. "I don't have a reason to help any of you. Remember, you're the only reason my mother was turned into a vampire."
"Then why are you here?" Kol shot.
"Because Avery asked me to come. I'm here to help Caroline." Bonnie glanced at Hayley who was shivering against Elijah. "If I help her, it's because she deserves it. Not any of you. I want to make that clear."
"Well, well, well, look at the young witch taking charge. She claims she's done being pushed around by the likes of us." Klaus said darkly.
"Niklaus, stop it." Elijah quickly commanded sternly. He didn't want his brother ruining any chances of Bonnie helping them. They didn't have any time to find another witch that was capable of what they needed. Klaus locked eyes with his older brother. He left the room a second later, not trusting himself to stop saying anything else that would ruin their chances.
Avery leaned against the doorway now. She'd left Elena to take care of Caroline. She locked eyes with Kol. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked him quietly. No one else noticed the seriousness in her voice but him. They went back to Kol's room. His arms were crossed, waiting for her to begin talking. "I have to find the witch." Avery stated.
"What are you talking about?" Kol asked angrily.
"It's too dangerous for anyone else to go. They will kill any vampire on the spot." She ran her fingers through her hair. "We both know Bonnie won't figure out the spell…at least not quickly enough." A sadness suddenly filled Avery's eyes. "There's no point in lying. They're going to die if we don't do something."
Kol roughly grabbed Avery's shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Avery, you can't honestly expect me to let you risk your life for them. It's not your responsibility to save them." He almost growled. It wasn't because he was angry with her, but because a part of him knew she was the only one that could go to the hunters. "You've betrayed their trust forever. I wouldn't put it past them to try and kill you after you ruined their plan to massacre every vampire." He added.
"I think they have a code. They won't kill their own kind." Avery stated.
"You think to highly of them, Avery."
"What other choice do I have?" She whispered. "I know you can't stand the thought of Hayley dying. And I don't even want to think about what will happen to Klaus if Caroline dies."
"You owe my brother nothing. Not after what he did to you." Kol snapped. He pinched the bride of his nose. "Even if I do let you go, Aradia won't undo the spell. She hates vampires more than Bonnie. You have nothing to offer her."
Avery thought about that. Kol was right; she didn't have anything to give the witch that would make her remove the spell. But then her eyes widened. "What about Bonnie? What if she offers herself to them? There's no way they won't deny another witch. The more magic, the more powerful they are!" She started gaining hope that she might have somewhat of a plan.
"They won't fall for that trick again. They'll know she doesn't actually want to join them." Kol argued. Avery sighed, knowing he was right.
"We have to talk to Bonnie." She added quietly. But when she said 'we' she really meant herself. Bonnie didn't like Kol. She didn't like any of the originals. If they were going to make a plan, Avery was the person that needed to talk to her.
A few minutes later, Avery found Bonnie sitting outside of Elijah's bedroom, on the floor and against the wall. Avery could immediately tell that the witch had no idea how to help. This was dark magic that Bonnie still feared. If she became consumed by it, there was a chance she couldn't get back out.
"I don't know what to do." Bonnie put her hands over her face, hiding her hysterics from Avery. This was just another time when everything fell on her shoulders. She was the witch that was forced to help the vampires of Mystic Falls.
Avery slid down and put her arm around Bonnie's shoulders. "We're going to think of something." She whispered to her friend.
"They're going to die because of me." Bonnie sobbed into her shoulder.
"I have an idea. But I don't know if it will work." Avery muttered, trying anything to give her friend some kind of hope. Bonnie finally showed her face, waiting for some sort of explanation. Avery then went into detail about her idea. "But…there's no way they will trust you." She finished, pointing out the biggest flaw in her so-called plan.
Bonnie's eyes were distant, thinking about a solution. She turned to Avery. "We have to give them something." She confirmed.
"Like what?" Avery asked exasperated.
"You're not going to like it. But it will work."
The sun was just rising when Kol left Avery alone in his room. She was asleep on his bed. It was the first time her expression was relaxed that night. But Kol couldn't find rest like she could. He paused for a moment right before he left his bedroom. He took her in, wishing that this were what it could be like all the time. But it was a fool's wish. Kol knew what he was, and he also knew that simplicity was something vampires were never allowed. He gently closed the door behind him, making sure not to wake her up with the noise.
Kol quietly walked to Elijah's room. He knew his brother would be awake and watching over Hayley. He didn't bother knocking on the door. It wasn't exactly something he did ever. Elijah glanced at him, hardly caring about his presence.
"You look awful." Kol pointed out to his older brother. And it was true. Elijah was completely disheveled with his hair messy and clothes disordered. It almost made him look human. But Elijah ignored the comment. He was in no mood for teasing or jokes. Kol's smirk disappeared at his failed attempt to lighten the mood.
Kol glanced at a few empty blood bags on the floor. Elijah caught what he was looking at. "I believed they were working at first. But the blood just ended up making it worse. She coughed it all out before he could do her any good. She couldn't keep it down." Elijah said hopelessly.
Kol looked at his older brother with pure sympathy. "We're going to find a way to save her, Elijah. I promise you." He muttered softly.
Elijah only nodded his head, completely uncomforted by the promise. "We should have never come back here." He stated darkly. There were few times in his immortality when he didn't have a plan or wasn't one step ahead. That's what made it so hard for him to stand by and watch the girl he loved slowly die in his arms. Helplessness was not something Elijah, or the other originals, were familiar with.
Kol only looked at the ground after hearing the remark. He knew it was true. No one would have been able to predict the difference in outcome if him and Hayley had never returned to Mystic Falls. "No one is giving up, Elijah. That means you can't either." He pointed out.
"And what is this brilliant plan of yours?" Elijah asked as he continued to watch over Hayley. He only slightly cared if Kol answered his question.
"The less you know about it, the more of a chance we have of it actually working." Kol informed his brother. All he wanted Elijah to worry about was taking care of Hayley. If he did tell him the plan, there was no way he wouldn't try and stop all of them from going through with it.
SO kind of a different chapter...thoughts?