"They're back here," Kol said as he led Caroline through the underbrush on the outskirts of the wooded area behind the Salvatore Mansion.
"Oh, my God…" Caroline said, suddenly cutting ahead of Kol when she saw Jeremy Gilbert lying on top of one of the two wooden coffins on the ground before them, "It seems your brothers aren't the only bodies back here!"
She shoved the cookie jar hard into Kol's hands and he grimace with a huff as he watched Caroline rush to Jeremy's side.
"Well, I'm full of surprises…" Kol smirked
"Jeremy?" she whispered, frantically running her hand over his forehead then put her hand on his neck to check for a pulse.
"Oh, come off it. He's fine. Just knocked out is all." Kol said, rolling his eyes as he stepped forward, setting down the cookie jar on Henrik's coffin.
Suddenly, Jeremy Gilbert coughed and his eyes fluttered.
"Jeremy, it's Caroline." Caroline said in a soothing voice, trying to meet his gaze, "Are you okay?"
Jeremy grimaced as he tried to sit up, "I'm fine. What happened? Where's Esther?"
"Esther?" Caroline asked, then looked over her shoulder back at Kol
"Mother took him hostage about the same time she vervained you," Kol said, filling in the blanks
"You…" Jeremy suddenly said, focusing his eyes on the younger original as he rubbed the back of his head, "I remember you. You dragged me out of there during the fight…you saved me."
Caroline's mouth fell open as she looked from Jeremy to Kol.
"Told you I was full of surprises," Kol smirked again, then he stepped forward, motioning to the box underneath Jeremy and Caroline, "Now if you don't mind, you're sitting on my big brother."
# # # # # # #
Elena's entire body trembled, though she wasn't quite sure how it was possible—vampires don't exactly suffer from shock…do they?
She stumbled her way to her own bed and fell into it, already staining the purple cotton sheets with tears again when Damon arrived moments later with a thermal blanket.
"Come here," he whispered as he sat down on the side of the bed and watched as she forced herself to sit up again and fell into his arms as he opened the blanket and wrapped it around her like a burrito.
"It's okay…" he said softly as she started crying into his shoulder, his good arm grasping her tight to his chest, "It's okay…"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as the blanket warmed her and she let herself sink deeper into his arms, feeling his lips on her hair as he kissed her forehead.
Damon…
When she was human, her heart always beat a little faster in his presence and her blood boiled when he cast his gaze upon her. He was the only one who could anger her and still give her goose bumps at the same time.
But, now, in his grasp as a vampire, Elena found herself feeling safe, secure, loved and wanted by him.
Did she feel the same?
She searched her mind, but wasn't sure.
Damon had always been her friend, but she had been certain the last month or so, that something more was developing between them.
Was it the grief? Perhaps that is why she wasn't feeling the burning for him that she had felt when she was human.
Perhaps, being a vampire, she was only allowed one overwhelming emotion at a time.
Or perhaps it was that before she turned, in her heart, she had chosen Stefan and not him?
Did she love Stefan?
And why was she suddenly thinking about this now?
Elena squeezed her eyes tight and decided to think about this all later.
She just curled in closer to Damon and let herself cry.
# # # # # # #
Everyone in the parlor turned their gaze when the heard the front door to the Salvatore Mansion open and watched Kol walk into the room with both of his brothers coffins balanced on his shoulder.
Caroline soon followed, holding the teddy bear cookie jar in her hands, she and Jeremy having parted ways with them on the front porch to make sure Elena was alright at home.
"Caroline," Tyler/Klaus said softly as he walked away from where he had been standing with Ioan and made his way toward her.
"Oh, my God…" Caroline smiled in disbelief as they came face to face, "You're alright?"
Tyler/Klaus immediately pulled her into his grasp and embraced her, "I'm so glad to see you, Love."
Without a last word, only a smile, Liliya disappeared and Rebekah helped Elijah to his feet from where he sat on the couch and he crossed the room toward Kol, watching his brother and Misha lay the coffins down gently near the fireplace.
"Whoa, hold on…" Tyler/Klaus groaned slightly as he pulled away and looked down between himself and Caroline to the object still in her hand, "What is this?"
Caroline held up the cookie jar proudly with a sarcastic smile, "Cute right?"
"Um…No." Tyler/Klaus said bluntly with a chuckle.
"Alright, I think we're ready," Misha said, capturing everyone's attention before casting his eyes toward Kaspar and watched as his younger brother took one last deep breath before walking out of the corners of the room where he had been mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.
Kaspar nodded to Misha and Misha slid open Henrik's coffin.
Rebekah, Kol and Elijah watched as Henrik's spirit stepped forward cautiously toward his coffin and when he came to the edge, finally, with a deep breath, looked down at his still and lifeless body.
"Elijah, Henrik's talisman," Kaspar spoke, breaking the silence of the moment
Elijah nodded and looked down to his neck, gently removing Henrik's moon talisman from where it lay among the others and bringing it over his head.
The others watched solemnly as Kol now stepped forward, removing a pocket knife from the back pocket of his jeans and held it out to Elijah.
"Elijah, Henrik needs your blood to be freed from Esther's spell." Kaspar decreed
"But I thought Esther wanted to kill him—" Rebekah started, but Misha interjected
"The Dark Soul was the one who needed Elijah's life, Henrik just needed his blood."
Elijah blinked for a moment, staring at the pocket knife before taking it into his grasp.
Then, after taking a deep breath, his eyes now meeting Henrik's, Elijah placed the talisman in the palm of his hand and cut a deep line into his palm, grimacing slightly as the blood began to show.
Somehow-he was quite sure how- he knew exactly what he had to do in that moment—what was needed.
He let the blood smear on the talisman before the cut healed, then handed the knife back to Kol.
Still locking eyes with Henrik, he now walked forward toward his brother's open coffin, stopping at the edge on the opposite side.
"I suppose this is farewell," Henrik smiled weakly, trying not to let his emotions show
"I suppose it is." Elijah replied
There was a moment of silence as Henrik looked past Elijah back toward Rebekah, Kol, Ioan and Tyler/Klaus, smiling as he took in all of their faces before looking back down at himself lying in the coffin, again.
"I'm sorry," Elijah suddenly said, his voice trembling slightly
Henrik immediately looked up, "No. Don't ever be sorry, Ejah. You gave me a gift. You took away my misery."
"I was selfish." Elijah replied
"You were being my big brother," Henrik stated finally
Elijah's face fell, but he willed the tears from coming.
"I still wish I could hug you," Henrik whispered then looked back over to his other siblings, his eyes falling on Rebekah, who had always been his favorite, last, "All of you."
Elijah smiled at this, then looked down to the talisman in his hand, unsure.
"Do it," Henrik said, his eyes falling on Elijah once more, "I'm not afraid. I will see you again."
"I hope so." Elijah said as he knelt down beside the coffin, now staring at the mortal face of his youngest brother.
Suddenly, he saw Kaspar at his side, placing a hand on the boy's tunic covered chest.
"Place the talisman around his neck," Kaspar instructed and Elijah closed his eyes, then with one last look up at the spirit of Henrik, gently placed the carved necklace carefully around his head brother's neck.
"Blod tatt nå tilbakebetalt…" Kaspar whispered
And with one last smile and a look of peace, the spirit of Henrik closed his eyes and disappeared.
Elijah gasped, the tears finally coming to his eyes as he looked down to the face of his brother, lying in his coffin.
And as Kaspar removed his hand and leaned back, bringing himself to his feet, Elijah leaned forward, brushing his brother's dark hair aside as he kissed the side of his head.
"Jeg elsker deg, lillebror," he said softly against his brother's cold skin
And as he pulled back again, felt a hand on his shoulder—it Tyler/Klaus.
Then he felt one on his other shoulder—It was Kol
Then as he collapsed completely, he felt an arm snake lovingly around his neck from behind and pull his head into an embrace—It was Rebekah.
And there the siblings stood, comforting each other as Misha quietly slid the coffin lid back over Henrik's body.
# # # # # #
A few moments later, Misha slid open the second coffin to reveal the body of Ioan Mikaelson.
"Oh…Wow…" Caroline whispered as she took in the resemblance.
Seeing the spirit was one thing, but actually seeing Klaus' physical twin was something quite different.
"May we have the vessel, please?" Kaspar asked, beckoning Caroline forward and out of her trance as she stared at the body in the coffin
"Oh, yeah…sure," Caroline said, shaking her head and handing the teddy bear cookie jar over the coffin to where Kaspar stood on the other side.
"Can we smash that when it's all over?" Kol asked hopefully from nearby as he eyed the jar in Kaspar's hands with disdain, "I never want to see the blasted thing again."
He then looked over to Ioan's spirit.
"No offense," he added with a smirk
"Ingen tatt…" Ioan replied a smile of his own
"We'll actually smash it now," Kaspar replied, "I just need both Niklaus and Ioan's talismans."
Kaspar looked over to Elijah and the eldest original stepped forward, still wiping under his eyes and pulling himself together from the ceremony that had just released Henrik.
He sniffed as he pulled the talismans one by one from his neck, then handed them to Misha, who wrapped them around the lid of the jar.
Then, as he held the jar balanced in one hand, Kaspar knelt down next to Ioan's coffin and placed his free hand inside, slowing moving the hand a circular motion over the body's chest.
The spirit of Ioan took a deep breath and gasped slightly
"Ioan?" Tyler/Klaus stepped forward protectively, but Misha held him back.
"He's alright… just watch," Misha whispered
"Hører min røst, soul komme frem…" Kaspar chanted, his eyes closing then opening to reveal themselves to be completely black, "Spells binde lenger du, dødelige kjød ikke lenger holder deg…"
Ioan gasped again, bringing his hand to his chest, not sure whether to wince or to smile.
"Være nå gratis ..." Kaspar said finally, then closed his eyes as he threw the jar hard onto the marble floor, the talismans sliding across the floor as it smashed to pieces, releasing the gas that was trapped inside.
It was then that Ioan removed his hand from his chest and looked at his four remaining siblings.
"Goodbye," he whispered, his eyes falling lastly on Niklaus
Then he disappeared.
And suddenly, Kaspar's eyes flew open again and he quickly swung his head around to cast his gaze on Tyler/Klaus.
Everyone watched as Tyler/Klaus immediately froze under Kaspar's intense stare, his eyes widening, then rolling into the back of his head as his body seized and he fell unconscious into Misha's arms.
"Nik!" Rebekah cried, but Kol held her back, his eyes moving to Caroline who looked just as worried as Elijah came to her side.
"We need him unconscious," Misha said reassuringly as he pulled the body over and laid it on the floor parallel next to Ioan's coffin with Kaspar sitting in between, now placing his hands onto the chest of both bodies.
"Ofre gitt, sjel i eteren…" Kaspar chanted, his eyes now turning from dark black, to a glowing amber, "Blood villig gitt ..Kjøtt villig tatt …" he then looked from Ioan's body in the coffin to Tyler/Klaus', "…Live nå!"
The entire room now watched in awe as Tyler/Klaus eyes and mouth automatically opened and a golden aura now snaked its way from Tyler/Klaus' open mouth over Kaspar's head and down into the coffin, filling Ioan's nostrils.
Then, Tyler/Klaus' eyes and mouth closed and his body went completely still as Kaspar quickly pulled his hand away from both men's bodies.
"It is done," he said, as he looked around the room with a smile, his eyes turning back to their normal color.
Suddenly, there was a gasp of air and a cough from inside the coffin.
"Nik…" Rebekah whispered joyfully and watched with Caroline, Misha, Kol and Elijah as Klaus Mikaelson opened his new eyes and raised himself from his brother's coffin.