Chapter 38

K walked through the streets without a true point or purpose. Marcel had apparently gone missing as well as a decent amount of other vampires. She didn't care too much. Like she'd told Rebekah, she had no interest in whatever the main grouping of vampires were trying to do to or with each other. Their internal conflicts generally ended badly and she wasn't going to be a victim in it. Not again.

Klaus had told her there was someone, a witch, making his way through the Quarter, taking his vampires and desiccating them in some ritual. K was surprised by his willingness to offer the information and off put by it too. Witches frightened her. One might think that her time around them would mean she was more comfortable around that faction of the supernatural, but it was the opposite. K had seen them do amazing and terrifying things. Unlike Klaus, she had a healthy respect and fear of what they could do.

As she sauntered down the increasingly emptying and darkening streets, K decided she could use a drink. There was a bar not too far from where she was, Russeau's, and she decided that why not. When she walked through the door and found the place already occupied, she wondered how good the luck.

"The hell do you want?" Marcel asked with a growl. He drank his shot and slammed it back down. "Klaus send you looking for me?"

"I'm not here for him." She said, rolling her eyes at his judging words. K continued into the bar and took a seat beside Marcel one stool down. "I'm here for whiskey."

The blond behind the counter looked a little concerned while Marcel continued to harbor his annoyance. He turned to face K.

"You seriously expect me to believe he didn't tell you to come find me and you jumped at the chance?"

K cocked a brow. She turned to face Marcel with a cold expression.

"In the short time you've known me Marcel, do I strike you as the kind of person that would jump at the will of anyone? I don't care about the crap you two having going on."

"Well I don't know." He said sarcastically, adjusting himself a bit to show his growing agitation with Kali even being in the same building as him. "From what I've heard about the two of you, it wouldn't surprise me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The air was growing tense and Cami could feel it. There was something between Marcel and K. She couldn't tell if it was animosity, jealousy or what, but there was something uncomfortable brewing and she wasn't sure what to do aside from let it happen.

"I asked Rebekah about you." He said, keeping the edge to his voice. "She had some interesting things to say."

"Oh I bet she did." She said, noticing she finally had a drink. "Thanks."

She smiled to Cami as though the atmosphere didn't make it feel like K and Marcel were about to start throwing punches. K drank the shot and silently asked for another.

"So, what'd she have to say?"

"That you and Klaus have this twisted little love-hate thing going on." He taunted. K gave him her attention and let her face remain blank. "That true?"

"Oh yeah." She chimed in a disarmingly chipper voice. "I love to hate him and hate that I love him."

"You're in love with Klaus?" Cami snapped, unable to hide her disgust when she asked the question. She drew K's gaze. "You're aware he's a psychopath, right?"

"I love how people act like I planned on feeling anything for him." K muttered under her breath as she took another drink and decided to use the bottle Marcel had near him to refill it. "I was a bit young when it happened you know."

Cami couldn't believe her ears. She put her palms on the bar and leaned a little closer. She was just aghast of what she was hearing.

"He's a monster. He's completely incapable of empathy."

"How the hell did this become about me?" K asked, looking from Marcel to Cami. "I came in here for a drink, not a therapy session. And where do you get off judging me?" she snapped at Marcel. "How long have you been in love with Rebekah?"

Marcel grumbled under his breath.

"That's complicated."

"Right. 'Cause out of all of them, she's the only one not messed up in the head." K said sarcastically.

Cami looked from one vampire to the other sitting at her bar drinking. She couldn't believe her ears. They were both in love with an Original? Really?

"How?" Cami found herself asking. Both of them looked at her. "How can you two even be around people like them?"

Marcel and K shrank away from the disgust and judging in Cami's voice. It wasn't like they could help it. Their situations were different, but eerily similar. Each of them were shown kindness and caring by their respective Original from a young age on, so it made it difficult not to have developed feelings.

Neither of them commented on their failings in the love department. People assumed they were ignorant to it. They weren't. Marcel was aware of how cruel, mean spirited and vindictive Rebekah could be, but she rarely acted like that towards him. K knew exactly how Klaus was –which was a few shades worse than his sister- but he never acted like that towards her. They weren't blind, just willfully foolish.

"Poor Marcellus," a voice chimed from behind. Marcel leapt to his feet, recognizing the voice quickly. K and Cami only stared at the man in the white suit. "You always remain beneath the shadow of your father. Climb out from beneath it, will you? So you can die like a man."

"Cami, you need to run. Now." Marcel told her sternly. He glanced over his shoulder to K. "Take her and go."

"I'd prefer they stay." Papa Tunde replied. "I like an audience."

"Marcel, who is this?" K asked, sensing the tension. She stood and moved beside her brother.

"Meet Papa Tunde." He muttered under his breath. "Take Cami, and go."

"Yeah, no." she said simply, squaring herself on the Witch Doctor she'd heard about through the years. His name was infamous among the witches. "How bout you take her and go?"

"Are you seriously arguing with me right now?" he growled.

"I'm older." She shot back.

"Yeah well, this is personal."

"Very." Tunde agreed. "But you can stay too, my dear. I can sense your connection to Niklaus Mikaelson as well. His blood is in both your veins. It appears I will have a soul for both my sons."

Marcel lunged for the witch. He had no intention of dying and reacted. He spun Tunde's head, the sound of bones breaking filled the room. Cami gasped, but when Marcel stepped back it became obvious his action did nothing. Tunde simply adjusted himself, looking forward again as though nothing had happened.

"You cannot defeat me." He growled. "I channel the power of an Original and soon I'll have all three. But until then."

He grabbed Marcel and began to chant. Marcel's eyes rolled into the back of his head, K screamed at Cami to run and raced for the two. Tunde finished only half his spell before K attacked, dislodging the Witch Doctor's grip and sending him temporarily reeling. He glared hatefully at her.

"Come on." She dared.

A wicked smile touched his lips. The pair weren't far from each other which meant K couldn't see what he pulled out of his jacket until it was plunged deeply into her stomach. Tunde had a stake with him -just in case- and didn't hesitate to use it.

"Enough of you." He told her sternly.

With the stake still deeply imbedded in her gut at a horrible angle and dangerously close to her heart, he threw her backward into some tables. K hit hard and the stake jostled. Cami came after him next, valiantly trying to help the vampires in any way. She was shortly tossed into the wall behind the bar.

Marcel shot to his feet and tried to take Tunde down, but he was easily shoved away. Tunde had sucked enough energy from the vampire it was similar to a few decades without blood which made him little stronger than a human. Marcel hit the ground hard and grunted. Cami, finally smart enough to run, disappeared while Tunde was busy. She had to call someone she knew might help.

Tunde knelt down over Marcel and placed his palm to the vampire's head. K saw it and knew she had to help, even if she didn't like Marcel a great deal. K slowly pushed herself up from her spot on the floor, shoving a chair off her and trying to get to her feet.

"That the best you've got?" she dared angrily, drawing the Witch Doctor's attention from Marcel. She stood on shaky legs. "I've had worse."

K grabbed the hilt of the stake, ready to tear it out of her stomach when Tunde flicked his wrist. Her neck snapped and she hit the ground, falling once more into the wreckage she'd created.

Everything happened so quickly after that. Tunde was happily taking whatever life he could from Marcel, chanting all the way and ignorant of his surroundings. Klaus appeared seconds later, grabbing the Witch Doctor and trying his best to end him, but the power Tunde was taking from Rebekah made it nearly impossible.

K shot awake after healing from her broken neck to find Klaus being desiccated by Tunde. Rage and fear shot through her. She pushed herself up and raced for the Witch Doctor, slamming her shoulder into his side and sending him flying into the wall. Tunde hit hard, Klaus crumbled to the ground and K was more than willing to kill the witch.

She ran for him while Klaus struggled to recover and grabbed the man's white suit jacket, lifting him to his feet. She hissed like an animal, her face twisted into its demonic form, but Tunde wasn't impressed. Instead, he planted his palm against her forehead and started chanting again. K felt as though a vacuum was stealing everything from her. Her grip loosened and she nearly fell before Tunde grabbed her by the throat and continued to chant.

Without warning, he felt his connection to Rebekah disappear. He knew he couldn't handle the three vampires without her power and fled, tossing K into another wall just because he felt he should return the courtesy.

Klaus finally gathered himself enough to find Marcel only a foot away. He rushed for his son in fear, but was relieved he only needed blood. He demanded Cami find someone on the streets, but she refused. To Klaus's shock, the bartender bent down and let Marcel feed from her the few minutes needed for him to recover.

Eventually Marcel got to his feet. He healed Cami and helped her stand. They looked around at the destruction, but Marcel quickly noticed something missing.

"Where's K?" he asked, looking to Klaus.

Klaus' face dropped.

"What?" he asked sternly under his breath.

"She was here. Where is she?"

Klaus was in horror of the suggestion K had been involved at all in fighting Papa Tunde. They started looking around, trying to find her, but Cami caught sight of the woman's leg first.

"Oh my god." She muttered, drawing attention.

Klaus charged for the area Cami could see K. Tunde had thrown her to the left of the bar. Her body rested in the random nook no one had noticed. Her back was to them while she rested on her left side, her left arm twisted at an unnatural angle beneath her body, her right above her head. She was eerily still.

Cami and Marcel watched as Klaus stepped towards the body. They'd never seen him move so slowly, like he was dreading what he'd find. Klaus felt his eyes begin to burn with the promise of tears at the gray skin he saw. He held hope she was only drained like Marcel, but then he noticed it. A small pool of blood was growing beneath her body and the edge of something wooden peeked out from beneath her jacket. Klaus's stance shook as he stepped around her before a knee finally gave out and slammed into the ground beside K. He tenderly rolled her into his lap as he knelt beside her.

"Kali," he said in a shaking voice.

She didn't move. Klaus's brows pulled together tightly, his spare hand hovering just above her cheek. He was afraid to touch her for a moment. To those watching, he looked lost, like he wasn't sure how to comprehend what he was seeing. And he wasn't. Too many things suddenly started coursing through him. All air had fled his lungs, his heart dropped and immeasurable ache took its place. He hadn't felt such pain since the first time he thought she'd died, but even then it seemed to pale in comparison. Now he was holding her body. Now he had the visible proof that she was gone and he couldn't fathom the hurt he felt swelling inside him.

"Sydämeni." (my heart) he whispered, blinking a tear free.

Rage began to join the sadness and soon dominated his body. Catching sight of the stake lodged in her body at an odd angle, Klaus gripped it and yanked it out of her with a sickening pop. K groaned at the pain involved. Klaus' attention suddenly sharpened on her. He adjusted the young woman in his lap enough he could cradle her closer.

"Kali," he said again, gently guiding her head up. "Open your eyes. I need you to open your eyes, sweetheart."

K slowly pried her heavy lids open and saw the one holding her. Klaus let out a relieved sigh that she was showing any sign of life. In truth, Tunde hadn't stolen as much of her life force as he did Marcel, but enough she felt like she was moving through slowly drying cement. Klaus couldn't contain his elation at her being alive. He suddenly pressed his forehead to hers; releasing a few more tears that had gathered when he closed his eyes. They remained that way for a passing moment or two before Klaus pulled away from her. He gently cradled her face.

"What is the matter with you, crazy girl?" He teased lightly causing her to roll her eyes. Klaus still held her cheek tenderly before threading his fingers through her hair. Any joking left his features and seriousness took over again. "I thought I told you I cannot lose you again."

Cami and Marcel couldn't hide their shock at Klaus's open admission, but it didn't matter. Both Klaus and K forgot there was anyone else in the room.

"Can we talk about this when I've eaten?" she asked, her voice thick and hoarse.

He smiled weakly and nodded.

"Of course."

Without bothering to ask or Klaus tell her it was alright, K immediately bit into his neck. Marcel's jaw dropped as K drank freely from Klaus and the hybrid wasn't bothered by it in the least. He seemed to welcome it.

Within seconds, K released her hold on him and began to stand. She only needed enough blood she could move. She'd get something more substantial later on.

Her stance wavered for a moment when she stood, but Klaus helped. He touched the side of his throat and noticed the small trail of blood left behind. He chuckled lightly.

"Clearly not as hungry as last time." He joked, reaching for a napkin on the bar and wiping his throat off. He was clearly referencing their time in the men's room at the grill in Mystic Falls.

"You pissed me off last time." She muttered, wiping her lips with her fingers. She looked up at a stunned Marcel and Cami. "What?" she asked, honestly unaware of what they'd been staring at.

Klaus tossed the soiled rag onto the bar and looked to K. He began to examine her, placing his fingers under her chin and tenderly moving her head from side to side to ensure she was healed. She noticed he was treating her like a child and swatted his grip away.

"I'm fine." She snapped halfheartedly. "I'm not going to keel over."

"Hm." He muttered as though he weren't convinced.

"Look," K lifted her shirt to show where the stake had been. The wound was gone. "No hole. I'm fine."

Klaus still didn't look like he thought so, but he pushed passed it.

"Now then," he said to the small congregated group. "Let's have a witch hunt, shall we?"