Note: I do not own TWD or TVD… just having fun.
Chapter Song:
Plumb - Cut
Scene: Carol's cottage
Christina Aguilera – Bound to You
Scene: Kol and Maggie talking
Maroon 5 ft. Rozzi Crane – Come Away to the Water
Scene: The Grill to the end
Chapter Fifty-three
"If what you say is true," Kol muttered, having not actually seen the incident with Damon himself, "Then I suppose it would take a vampire with a borderline death wish… can't say that I know of any," He added on a half-hearted smirk.
Maggie looked away from Kol, blinking in disbelief while trying to wrap her mind around what he could be suggesting. Well, it wasn't could be, Kol wasn't one to take things lightly. If he didn't know one now, knowing him he would probably go out and find one.
But as she thought that, she realized he may not have to do that and maybe she would be damning herself for what she said next.
"I think I know one."
Daryl paced back and forth in the living room of Carol's cottage in agitation. Without thinking about it, his body fidgeted between biting his thumb and ruffling up his hair in aggravation. He hadn't thought much of inviting the Original inside the house. That was a contrast to the last time he answered the door for a male vampire, who he put an arrow in instead. But now, he was starting to think that maybe he should have put an arrow into this one too.
The vampire in question stood by the window of the living room with his hands in his pockets. At least he had the decency not to look bored by the situation, Daryl thought bitterly. It was hard to be bored by what the two women in the room with them were discussing though. There was nothing humorous or lighthearted about it.
The more Daryl listened to it, the more he scoffed that Carol was even entertaining the idea.
"This is bullshit!" Daryl exclaimed, "You can't seriously be thinking about doing this?"
Maggie and Carol looked up at the outburst. Carol was sitting on the couch with her arms leaning against her knees. Maggie stood next to her with her arms wrapped around her body. The two women shared equally somber expressions.
Maggie bit her lip and bowed her head slightly. She knew if anyone would have a strong opinion objective to this, it would be Daryl.
"There's a chance it could work, Daryl," Carol murmured quietly, having been convinced by Maggie's rationale.
"A chance. Yeah, there's also a chance it could kill you," Daryl shot back hotly.
Kol remained by the window, trying to stay out of the conversation as best he could. He was there for Maggie, but he also recognized this conversation wasn't meant for him. It was amongst the three people that had been through a lot together in the last year.
"After everything we've done to survive, you're just… just giving up!" He huffed out exasperatedly while throwing a hand in the air.
Carol winced and Maggie frowned. While Maggie had heard about it and was aware of the bond between Carol and Daryl, she didn't witness what happened at the prison. She didn't see the way Daryl had went searching for her in the tombs and managed to find her alive, holed up from the walkers and severely dehydrated.
"Hey mate, we don't know that it'll kill her," Kol decided to speak up, actually being frank and not cheeky. "It could possibly just desiccate her for a bit." He resisted the urge to point out that she was technically already dead.
Daryl shot him a scathing look. Right, as if drained dry was so much better than permanent death. "Oh, fucking fantastic," Daryl snarled out, shrugging the crossbow on his shoulder stiffly. "I'm not standing for this," He declared and marched off towards the front door.
Neither Maggie nor Carol moved to stop him, knowing he needed to blow off steam. It wasn't his decision to make at the end of the day, no matter how much he didn't like it. Maggie doubted that he would actually go far.
An awkward silence fell upon the room with the slamming of the screen door behind him. Maggie didn't even get much of a chance to contemplate the fact Kol was actually trying to reassure Daryl in some way.
"You don't have to do this," Maggie reminded Carol in a quiet tone. She had her doubts herself, but she tried not to let it show. It seemed so much simpler when just her and Kol had been talking about it in theory. If there was anyone that wasn't cut out to be a vampire, she figured it was Carol.
"I know, but I don't want to go on forever just wondering about the possibility," Carol nodded, wringing her fingers in front of her.
Maggie opened her mouth to protest that logic, but Carol didn't give her the chance.
"Look at me, Maggie," Carol stated in her characteristic blunt tone. "Look at what I've become. I can't be around people." Maggie knew how much Carol struggled with the bloodlust, it was different for every person. For her, she had yet to really spend much time away from the cottage and Maggie couldn't imagine living off the animal blood and the occasional blood bag was all that pleasant. "I'll never be able to go out in the sun or feel human again."
Maggie wished she could say those things would get better in time, but she knew that was a lie. She wasn't going to preach to anyone about bloodlust, especially when she only just recently begun to get hers under control. She couldn't promise Carol that she would get out in the sun again. And she certainly couldn't promise she would retain her humanity.
Maggie knew that she was losing hers already. She's killed almost a half a dozen people already and she hardly even thinks about it. She's already lost some of her human urges and mannerisms. She can't tell the difference between her nature and the nature of the night creature sometimes. Only a few people she would admit to that she liked the new strength and power she was gaining from Kol's blood. Honestly, it was hard to picture going back to something less now that she's had a taste of it.
"I don't know what to say," Maggie admitted softly, letting her shoulders sag with misgivings. Yes, she had come to Carol with the idea, but now it felt like she was dying all over again. She saw it in the vampire's eyes sparingly. She tried to hide it most of the time. Carol had never really adjusted to being a vampire and being this creature wasn't in her nature.
"I know," Carol murmured, appreciating that Maggie had never been the best with words. The older vampire rose to her feet and reached forward to grasp at Maggie's hand, plucking them away from her body.
"When I made my choice to transition, I gave up my chance of seeing my baby girl again," Carol's eyes glistened at the memory of Sophia playing in her mind. Her freckled copper-haired ray of joy in her old life. "And I did that to stay with my new family," Carol smiled sadly at her adoptive daughter in front of her and thinking of the rest of the Atlanta survivors.
Maggie's hands gave Carol a squeeze while she bit her tongue, trying to be strong and not tear up as well.
"But I can't even do that. I can't stay in this in between," Carol reaffirmed her decision. She couldn't do an eternity of living holed up in this cottage, unable to see the Atlanta group or Sophia on the other side. "It's not fair to me or to Daryl. He won't say it, but he's already sacrificed enough by staying here with me."
The others didn't see how much she kept him away from the other survivors or how hard the first few days had been. The vampire blood healed up the bruises and the bite marks. Daryl even got rid of the bodies not just for Carol, but Maggie as well. Seeing the difference in Daryl when he came back from the family picnic reinforced her opinion too. It was a subtle one, but Carol could tell being able to see everyone and particularly baby Judith had much needed for him.
"I need to do something and if this is it… it's worth the risk," Carol declared, looking Maggie directly in the eyes. Neither vampire paid Kol much attention, who remained at a distance, watching in somber silence.
Maggie inhaled deeply, which came out more like a stifled sniffle. "I understand," She didn't truly, but it was all she could think of to say. She was struck by the determination and sadness in Carol's eyes. She wasn't going to change her mind in the slightest.
Maggie looked over at Kol, feeling her gut twist and only Carol's hands were keeping hers from starting to shake. The Original's expression would seem largely impassive to most people. But the slight nod from him and Maggie knew that he was sticking around for every moment, for her.
"Okay," Maggie sighed, steeling her shoulders and looking back to Carol. She gave Carol a tight lipped forced grin that came out more like a grimace. Her eyes flickered down to the woman's neck. She could feel the appeal of the blood, just from thinking about it. But she couldn't look Carol in the eye and do this.
Maggie slipped her hands from Carol's and instead moved around to stand behind her. At least from this angle she couldn't see her face, she would feel less like she was sentencing someone who had been a mother figure to her to death.
"I trust you," Carol whispered quietly and tilted her head to the side, anxiously balling her hands into fists in front of her. She knew Maggie couldn't come to her with this if she only had a slight hunch.
Maggie nodded numbly. She started to raise her hands to Carol's shoulders to hold her still and brace her. But she stopped at the last moment, remembering the vice grip that could become and dropped them quickly. Her eyes studied the curve of her neck, the angle created by the stretched muscles, seeing the veins beneath the thin layer of flesh.
Carol squeezed her eyes shut when she felt Maggie's hot breath on her skin. Kol pulled his hands out of his pockets, posed to step in if needed but he kept his distance. The fangs slipped out from Maggie's gums before she descended.
She hoped this would be her chance to redeem herself for the mistake she made with Klaus and being the reason why Carol was a vampire in the first place.
Kol let out a shaky exhale. For once, he didn't bother trying to hide his expression behind a confident smirk or cold stare. There wasn't any part of him that felt confident. He felt shattered and tossed around in confusion. He walked a few feet away from the porch of Carol's cottage. Daryl was already back inside. After it was over, he went outside to find the hunter. He was taking his frustrations out on a pile of firewood, splitting the wood with massive swings.
Kol told him briefly what happened and the redneck slipped into the house right away. Kol didn't bother following after him. Maggie was okay, but at this point he didn't feel as if he belonged. This was their family to deal with. Maggie remained inside with Carol for a long time.
He stood, staring out into the woods surrounding the property trying to wrap his mind around what he just witnessed. He ran his fingers over his face, trying to rub out the invisible tension there. It wouldn't go away though, this wasn't some bizarre nightmare that he would wake up from.
The screen door screeched with someone emerging. He didn't really know how long he had been out there, just that the sun was setting in the horizon now.
Maggie stepped down the porch steps and approached Kol slowly. He turned around immediately and his lips moved, but he didn't form any words. His gaze was imploring enough as it was.
"I think I'm going to stay here with them tonight," Maggie stated, folding her arms carefully across her chest. It was still too earlier to say either or way.
"Sure," Kol nodded absently, not entirely surprised to hear that. While he had an invite into the house now, he knew it didn't include staying. His mind was hardly on sleeping arrangements though.
He shook his head, his eyes darting between Maggie and away towards invisible ghosts of thought haunting him. "I just… don't understand how this is possible," He muttered. "It shouldn't be…"
Maggie's brows furrowed while she tried to put her thoughts together logically. She was still trying to get over the feeling of how much blood she ingested. She thought she would feel disgusting for gorging on that much. It had been so long since she drained someone completely dry. But she felt invigorated… with a full stomach at the same time. It was a confusingly disorienting feeling.
"You said that the ritual… with the vampire blood, some of its qualities were extended," Maggie stated, recalling their conversation in front of the burning White Oak tree. Kol nodded in confirmation, letting her continue. "The Bennett witch said the hybrid died because he forcibly took my blood… It was supposed to be a cure, but if only given voluntarily."
"And that died with your transition," Kol narrowed his eyes while he tried to follow along with her thinking. "Werewolves are living creatures, accepting blood from an undead creature cannot sustain or eradicate the werewolf gene I would imagine. But even if extended to vampires…" His voice trailed, still struggling that he was even voicing and entertaining the idea.
"I know," Maggie said. She didn't see how a vampire could help a werewolf now. And in theory, it shouldn't work on vampires either. She took a deep breath, "But that morning when I spoke to Elijah, he told me more about the ritual…"
Kol quirked an eyebrow, clearly alarmed he had been right in his suspicions but he held his tongue.
"I think it did get extended… beyond just my blood, but to me," She gestured toward her chest as she spoke. It was her as a person, it wasn't just coursing through her veins. It embodied everything that she was an entity.
Kol grimaced. That was exactly what he didn't want to hear. He didn't want the idea and the person mixing into one. It was part of the whole reason why he turned her in the first place, to separate them. "But how?" He had to question. She wasn't supposed to be the doppelganger anymore. She was supposed to be his Margaret.
"Elijah told me that the witch came to him… She tried to manipulate him for his blood. The blood of an Original to undo the spell casted by the Original witch, but he didn't give it to her," Maggie explained carefully. A few months ago, when Damon said Elijah would probably blab the secrets to her, she thought she would be reiterating it to Damon, not carefully balancing secrets between the siblings.
"And when she didn't get it, she came to me instead…" Kol almost growled out lowly once he caught on. Oh the mother's plight of her daughter, it had been a clever ruse after all. Kol had thought he was being the clever one by using the plight as an excuse to get back at his brother, but really it was the witch that had the third level of manipulation.
He shook his head slightly in memory of those events. Maggie bit her lip while she watched him, knowing he wasn't entirely there in the moment, but she had to keep going.
"And I'm not a witch, I don't understand how half of this works or know why I can still do it… but think about it, Kol," She said his name, partly to get his eyes drawn back to her. She stepped up to him and placed her hands on his upper arms.
"Your blood turned Rose. You turned me and I'm drinking your blood," Maggie said meaningfully. At this point she knew better than to overlook so many coincidences, especially if Original blood really was as powerful as Elijah claimed it to be.
Kol's face fell at her point. At this point, he was hardly aware of his body, of the simple fact he was standing there and Maggie was looking for some sort of reassurance. She was holding onto him not just because she was bound to him by blood, but she needed him. Things were changing greatly now and she needed to be able to look to him to get her through it. He had been the guiding lighthouse in her darkness before and she would definitely need that for what would come of this.
But what he said next didn't do that. He stepped back from her hands and his face contorted with turmoil. It was his doing that started all of this and no one to blame but himself for perpetuating it. And if it was true, then she represented the idea that went against everything he believed.
"Then it seems I've created my own demon," Kol snapped out harshly and Maggie flinched. He liked being a vampire. A cure or poison, either one was a threat to that very existence.
He was gone before Maggie recovered from the initial sting of his words.
Maggie tugged Kol's jacket around her as she walked up to the front door, trying to get a sense of stability from the material. It had been two days since things felt even remotely stable. It was two days since Kol took off, leaving her at the cottage and she hadn't seen him since. Maggie spent most of her time at the cottage, seeking a different sense of stability there.
The only sign that Kol was around was the occasional shifting of belongings in her apartment. She could tell that he was coming and going, but just during times she wasn't there. She always noticed the refrigerator remained stocked with a day supply of his blood, even when she took a bottle from it. At least he wasn't cutting her off, but at the same time he was leaving her alone to deal with it.
She only had one shift at the Grill during that time and she was grateful for it. Things were still tense with Jeremy's discovering of her recent roommate. Plus there was the obvious fallout with Damon, which she wasn't surprised to not see him there. She worked with Matt, who eluded to other tensions in the Gilbert house so he was more preoccupied with that and didn't ask Maggie much about why she seemed off.
"Hello?" Maggie called out into the foyer of the Mikaelson mansion as she stepped inside. At this point, she was past knocking on the front door with how often she showed up there. Her eyes glanced up the staircase towards the upper level of the home.
She was deciding between going upstairs and searching the rest of the first floor to see who was home when her senses tingled, drawing her towards one of the hallways.
"Hello Ms. Greene," Elijah greeted her politely, stepping out from one of the front studies. He was dressed in one of his usual suits, but at least the undershirt was a brighter color than normal.
"Elijah," Maggie turned to see him with a book in hand, calmly marking the page and closing it without taking his eyes off of her. She asked right away nervously, "Is Kol here?"
"I haven't seen him around today or yesterday," Elijah frowned slightly when he noticed the immediate disappointment in Maggie's eyes, but there was a lack of surprise. She swallowed thickly and nodded, keeping her hands stuff into the pockets of the jacket. Elijah cocked his head slightly, "You seem agitated. Has my brother done something to cause this?"
Maggie had to stifle the immediate yes that came to mind, but she knew that wouldn't be fair. Besides confiding their dispute to his brother didn't seem like a good idea. She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know," She answered lamely, not knowing exactly where things stood between them because of it. "He just… took off, literally."
Elijah nodded thoughtfully, sensing right away she wasn't entirely open to discussion about it. "Yes, he tends to be rather impulsive like that," He remarked, knowing his brother's ability to take off at a moment's notice. He wasn't as familiar with Maggie's similar habit of running away from her problems.
Feeling how quiet the house was and the reason for her being there lacking, Maggie toyed with the idea of simply thanking him and leaving. Before she could formulate it, Elijah stepped aside in the entryway to the study. "May I show you something, Ms. Greene?" He offered one hand out into the room.
"Maggie, please," She corrected him, finally having the mind to.
Elijah's lip quirked up while he watched Maggie walk into the room. It was more of a library than anything else. It was large enough to line the walls with bookcases. In the center of the room was formal seating set. It was one of those ornate sets with a smooth silky intricate fabric, but not a lot of cushion to the seats. In the center of them was a low coffee table.
Instead of moving to one of the seats, Maggie saw Elijah go to the bookcase. His eyes perused over what appeared to be many ancient texts before finally pulling one from the shelf. The markings on the spine were in a language she didn't even have the slightest guess to its origin.
The dark material was obviously some sort of old animal hide and Maggie approached him curiously while he discarded his original book and opened the pages of the new one. "Over the centuries it was rather difficult to remain in contact with my siblings. Especially Kol, which I'm sure you're beginning to see why," He smirked slightly when Maggie didn't object. She knew how he tended to disappear when he didn't like the way a conversation was going.
"Kol - 1302 to 1369," Elijah translated the title of the text for her politely. He showed her some of the pages and that's when Maggie noticed the two styles of handwriting in them. The ink was old, but rich from the careful preservation. The more she studied the pages, it appeared to be a log or correspondence of sort.
"What is this?" Maggie's eagerness got the best of her while she noticed Elijah's darting over the pages. He lightly ran a finger down the pages as he scanned the information.
"It's the original way of 'texting'," Elijah's tone was so dry she almost missed the sarcasm. "This book was spelled with a sister text, essentially a linking spell for inanimate objects. What is written in one text, will appear in the other. It was a popular way for witches and other creatures to communicate over long distances… at least until certain technological developments and it fell out of favor."
Maggie's eyebrows rose at that. Huh, so cell phones weren't exactly an original idea. Apparently, there was Witchy Wireless around much longer than that. "I bet those could make a comeback now," Maggie murmured, thinking how much technology has failed in this world. "Why don't witches still use them?"
Elijah inclined his head in his form of a shrug. "It has its flaws. If one book is to be damaged, the other would bear the same fate. You also have no idea who may be writing in them, so they can be precarious," He explained, not expecting to get her to understand how it was better than no communication at all during those time periods.
Elijah looked up from the book and pointed out each shelf as he referenced them. "These are my texts from Kol, Rebekah, and Klaus," His hand rose to each of the three shelves before dropping back to the book in hand.
Maggie nodded absently, her eyes passing over the spines of the books. She noticed the initial set of symbols on the books were similar. She gathered it must have been his siblings' names. She didn't realize it was the same markings from the caves below Mystic Falls. But seeing the books did give her an idea and the gears began to turn in her mind.
"This particular text… I received the messages from Kol while I was traveling in Europe," Elijah continued on, noting where one brother began writing and left off for the next one to pick up. Maggie was still processing the fact he was holding a book from the 14th century in his hand. "He was traveling in Africa at the time, following some witches I believe," Elijah murmured, seeming to voice his thoughts aloud.
At that point, Maggie was only barely listening to him. She briefly wondered if this was how the witch contacted Kol about the ritual for Rosemarie. She glanced up to the books, thinking it was time to take control of her life again and this could be the starting point.
Elijah sighed next to her, the memories coming back to him as he recollected. "Witches he massacred, of course," He frowned, with Kol always came death.
Maggie delayed by wiping down the bar counter of the Grill for the third time. She impatiently waited for Jeremy to grab the last of his things while she casted a glance towards the first door. "I got it from here, Jer," Maggie called out to him, wanting the teen to get out the door already. The darkness was creeping through the front windows. He really should go, last thing she wanted was paranoid Elena to show up looking for him.
"Alright, alright, I hear you!" Jeremy joked around, throwing his hands up in surrender as he emerged from the store room. He threw Maggie a smile and a brief goodbye before slipping out the side service door.
She grinned at him as he went. At least being around him wasn't so bad. She got a sense something else was going on at home and he didn't ask any questions about Kol. There was an unspoken agreement between them not to push whatever was bothering the other person. As soon as she heard the door close behind him, the grin fell off her face and she grew serious.
Reaching under the counter, she pulled out the texts she stashed before he showed up earlier. For the moment, she only had three of them. The one was remarkably older than the other two. It was heavy and musty, but she handled it with care. Maggie deposited them carefully one of the tables. The only table that didn't have the chairs turned up for the evening.
While she had time to kill, she disappeared into the back to rummage up a whiskey bottle. The thirst wasn't so bad since she stopped by the apartment for a drink before work. At this point, this was to calm her nerves and collect her poker face. With or without Kol, she was setting her plan into motion already.
Maggie was situated into one of the three chairs when the front door opened. She had a glass and bottle of whiskey on her right. On her left was the three books piled up neatly at the corner of the table. She looked up from the amber liquid and smirked at the two new arrivals. The women approached the table. The one was rigid and stiff in her movements, radiating apprehension. The other had a sway to her hips and sass spoken by her cool demeanor.
The younger one slipped into the first seat, her shoulders were hunched with tension that Maggie usually attributed to Elena Gilbert. The second female slid into the seat with ease, leaning back against the support with one arm draped casually behind her.
"Bonnie and Lucy Bennett," Maggie greeted calmly, raising her glass in their direction before taking a smug sip of her drink. "It's a pleasure," Maybe she was feeling a little more confident with Kol's blood in her system. She certainly wouldn't be brought down as easily this time if it came to that.
"We got your message. What do you want?" Bonnie asked sharply, skipping the pleasantry. She didn't like being called into town, especially by a vampire who's caused so much trouble already. Lucy opted to lay back and let Bonnie do most of the talking, quietly assessing the situation behind her sly look.
"I was hoping we could negotiate a deal," Maggie placed the glass down on the table carefully before looking back up at Bonnie seriously.
Bonnie scoffed immediately, "We don't work with vampires." Lucy nodded her head in agreement, though it was a little begrudging and not as hostile.
"Oh yes, that's right. I've heard about you, Bonnie," Maggie smirked, making a point of leaning back in her seat and leaving her hands on the table. It showed she didn't feel threatened by the witch. Maggie continued on, ignoring the sharpness in the witch's eyes. "You tried to prevent Elena from transitioning into a vampire when the outbreak hit Mystic Falls. The spirits weren't impressed and cut you off from your magic in retaliation."
Maggie paused in her words, tilting her head as she continued confidently, "But then all those people were dying around you. They could stand idly by while watching all the suffering and tragedy. So the spirits only restored your powers with two specific conditions. Protect Mystic Falls… and severe your ties to vampires, specifically Elena Gilbert and her sympathizers." Maggie reached forward for another sip, adding on tauntingly at the end, "Tell me, did I miss anything?"
Lucy's eyebrows rose at Maggie's attitude. It was unclear whether she was impressed or surprised at the callousness. Her eyes darted quickly between the doppelganger and her cousin.
Bonnie's knuckles were white from her clenched fists and Maggie briefly wondered how close to an aneurysm she was at the moment. "How do you know that?" Bonnie asked lowly, not quite giving her the gratification of a direct answer.
Oh, still a sore spot, Maggie thought. She simply shrugged her shoulders confidently. "It's a small town, people talk," She smirked. The truth was with all her hours at the Grill, it was easy to ask casual and seemingly light questions of Matt and Jeremy. With enough even careful leading questions, she's painted a very interesting perspective of the town.
Bonnie forced her chin up, determination strong in her eyes. She didn't like the tension in the room, but she wanted to keep the upper hand. "So then you realize just speaking to us like this, the spirits could cut off my magic and put everyone in Mystic Falls at risk," Bonnie clarified frankly, she couldn't imagine how someone could be that selfish.
"Oh, I'm aware," Maggie retorted quickly, keeping her expression calm with a challenging glint in her eyes. "But I think you and the spirits would be very interested in hearing what I have to offer first."
"What could you –" Bonnie began to protest immediately in a condescending manner.
"Ease up, Bon. You can't tell me you're not a little curious to hear her out," Lucy took the opportunity to cut her off and join in the conversation. Unlike her cousin, she didn't get worked up by the obvious instigating from the vampire. Her eyes flickered to Maggie and the books on the table, adding on, "I know I am. What do you have?"
Maggie shifted her attention to Lucy quickly. Briefly, she wondered if this was their Bennett version of good cop, bad cop. "Before we get to business," Maggie dropped the attitude and picked up the first book, which was a grimoire. "I need you to look at this, tell me if there's a spell for linking objects and if you can do it." She slid the tomb across the table, opting towards Lucy since she was being more receptive.
The elder Bennett leaned forward immediately in her seat. Despite herself, Bonnie leaned closer to her to get a peek at the cover. She frowned at the name, as did Lucy. "This is comes from a very old line of witches…" Lucky voiced aloud while she translated the name in her mind.
"Where did you get this?" Bonnie immediately questioned, the hostility disappearing instantly from her expression to wonder.
"It doesn't matter," Maggie denied any room for discussion on it. She didn't need to tell them she snitched it from Elijah's study. There was a fourth shelf of books he failed to mention. It had a rather small section from Finn, small because he was daggered most of the time, and then there was this grimoire.
She kept her eyes on Lucy as the witch held her hand over the tomb. Without actually touching it, the book fluttered open and flicked through many of the pages in a blur. It settled down on a specific one that a quiet minute was spent with Lucy reading and translating under her breath quietly.
"It's here," She declared calmly once she was certain, still baffled to have such an old text in her hand. "And the spell is reasonable."
"Good," Maggie was glad they were competent enough for that. It wasn't like she had any idea just how strong these witches were. "I'll need this set of books spelled," She patted the top of the other two books on the table as she spoke. They were blank inside.
"Seriously?" Bonnie huffed out, leaning back in her seat insulted. "You called us out here to spell a couple of library books?" She was beginning to contemplate leaving. She didn't like that Lucy was humoring the vampire at all.
"No," Maggie retorted sharply, starting to get tired of Bonnie's judgmental tone. "That is only the first step, but I would like to be able to count on the two of you when the time comes," Maggie forced her tone to remain calm while she looked between the two witches.
Lucy cocked her head, remaining pensive in this. She didn't have her magic shut off like Bonnie did and she had more years of dealing with vampires, so she remained more calculating in the moment.
"We don't have a debt to fill to you," Lucy reminded her in a gentle tone. While they had tried to prevent Maggie from dying, it was for their own reasons and that was the extent of their involvement.
"And even if we did, the spirits would never allow it," Bonnie chimed in, folding her arms over her chest.
"No, usually I doubt they would," Maggie agreed with her, partly feeling on edge from Bonnie's tension. She could feel the way the static in the air picked up. It was like the humidity in the room dropped and she could spark from brushing the wrong surface. "But I think the spirits would make an exception in this case."
"What sort of exception?" Lucy was the one to nod suspiciously, sensing the confidence of the vampire. It was bold for her to call out two witches as a newborn vampire, especially her cousin that was not being discreet in how she felt.
Maggie took the time to knock back the rest of her drink before answering the witch, "How does restoring the severed Bennett line sound to you?"
It was the next morning before Maggie made her next stop. The meeting at the Grill went on for quite a while. Needless to say, her proposition definitely caught the interest of the witches, but it then posed another dilemma. It was the next day when she had an evening to think on it that she came up with a clear solution. Maggie was disappointed to not see Kol at the apartment either. His half of the bed remained untouched all through the night.
But there was still the renewed supply of sport bottles when she came back from the Grill. It still gave her hope to sort things out.
At the moment, she had to stay focused. She glanced to the passenger seat of her SUV as she drove. One of the spelled books was sitting on it. The book was rather simple, it had a blank navy bound cover. It wasn't quite pocket size, but at a glance anyone would probably assume it was just a Bible. Glancing back to the road, Maggie pulled up the driveway, finally getting to her destination. She was impressed with herself for being able to find it. She had only been here once before.
Cutting the engine, she grabbed the book and wandered up to the double front doors. She glanced around briefly at the white columns and the brick exterior of the home. It was late in the morning, she doubted the Mayor would still be here. She usually saw her downtown near the police stations and the other city offices.
Maggie leaned against the frame and knocked on the door. She bowed her head slightly as she listened, trying to pick up anything coming from within the house. It was mostly quiet, but she did sense one person moving around.
A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a young man with bronzed skin from the sun and short cropped black hair. His eyes narrowed on her immediately and he squared his shoulders. "What do you want?"
Despite the hostility, Maggie gave a taunting smile. "Tyler, is it? I don't think we've formally met," Maggie retorted, expecting him to move out the way to invite her in, but he didn't.
"Yeah, I know who you are," Tyler replied shortly, he had heard plenty about this doppelganger. He moved to shut the door, not wanting any trouble that came with her. But the door was stopped by Maggie's hand, she continued to smile forcefully at him, ignoring the rude the gesture.
"Oh, good. We can get straight to business then," Maggie announced in an almost cheery tone while she pushed the door back open. She felt a little resistance from him at first, but he gave up when she stepped across the threshold and by him to enter the house. She didn't need to remind him that his mother had invited her in during the party.
"I don't see what business I could have with you," Tyler challenged after closing the door behind her. He folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head a bit as he stared her down. The vampire didn't care much for it, instead her eyes were wandering around the house, taking in the small details she missed last time.
She stopped by the floral arrangement on the small table in the center of the foyer. "Oh, you're still mad I broke Barbie's hand. Protective boyfriend, I get it," Maggie smirked at him, taking her eyes off some of the colorful petals.
At the mention of Caroline, or rather the insulting nickname, Tyler stepped up to the vampire pointedly. He wasn't going to take getting talked down like that. She added on sarcastically, "If it's any consolation, she deserved it."
She saw it coming and reacted before she really thought about it. The angle was lower than what she was used to and the motion was much slower, so Maggie easily caught the wrist of the fist being raised towards her face. He wasn't as tall as Kol and he certainly wasn't as fast. The surprise was evident in the hybrid's eyes when she blocked him and kept her hand wrapped around his wrist, tightening threateningly.
The humor dropped from her expression and she glared at him. "Don't make an enemy out of me," She warned him darkly, "When you and I already have one in common."
"Klaus?" Tyler slipped the word out uncertainly. He was positive how he felt about the Original hybrid, but he wasn't convinced with Maggie. The vampire shrugged his fist away from her and took a step back, pacing in the foyer once more. She gave a simple nod of affirmation.
His eyes passed over her incredulously. He wasn't quite sure what to make of Maggie. Compared to the formal dress she saw her in before, she looked lethal now. She wore black combat boots that laced up over her jeans up to her knees. She had a plain black v-neck shirt, but he could make out the impression of a gun tucked into her jean waist. The gun wasn't even what made her lethal, he knew. His eyes paused briefly on the book in hand.
"I find it hard to believe you're enemies with Klaus," Tyler didn't buy it. "I've heard how cozy you are with the Originals," There was a mocking touch to the way he said cozy.
Maggie quirked an eyebrow and turned to face him fully again. Even after that display, he was still arrogant. Maybe it was a testosterone induced hybrid thing, she figured. He was dressed as if he had been out for a work out, or whatever it was that hybrids did in their spare time. "Technically, Klaus is only their half-brother," Maggie replied cheekily, but could see that didn't sway Tyler all that much.
Maggie let out a soft sigh before admitting seriously, "Yes, I am particularly close to Kol and Rebekah. Elijah and I… have a mutual respect for each other," She wasn't daring enough to call it a friendship. He offered guidance and advice, but that was the extent of it, in her eyes. Maggie cleared her throat before addressing Klaus, "But Klaus has tried to kill me twice already, and I'd rather not give him a third chance."
The way Tyler held his tongue and narrowed his eyes on Maggie told her he didn't know the finer details of that. It didn't surprise her that much, the hybrid wasn't in the tighter social cult of Elena Gilbert's life and Caroline had been on the outside of it lately by extension.
"The first time he chased me off a waterfall and the second he had one of his hybrids bite me," Maggie clarified bluntly.
Some of the tension in Tyler's shoulders eased up at that. Whether it was from interest or convincing, Maggie couldn't be sure. She wasn't aware just how much a hybrid being compelled to bite someone hit home.
"So what do you plan on doing?" Tyler shifted the subject slightly, interested to see what she had to say at this point.
"Well, my natural instinct would be to kill Klaus," Maggie drawled out, but there was a distinct lack of white oak, no thanks to herself. She also knew that even though Kol resented Klaus today and maybe tomorrow, some day he might come to resent her if she killed his brother. "But any attack upon him will result in a war, which I'm hesitant of starting a war with an immortal. I'm sure you can do the math how long that would last."
Tyler nodded that he was following along with her. He didn't react to her knowing smirk at the last comment. He just let her continue on while watching her fingers brush against the marble surface of the decorative table in the center of the room. She kept the book tucked under her other arm.
"The first attempt will be diplomacy. Klaus is a man of his word," Maggie was banking in that, "But if that should fail, then I would like to have a contingency plan and that's where you come in." Her eyes looked back up at Tyler pointedly.
"And why would I work with you?" The challenging was back in Tyler's tone. In truth, Maggie only told her intentions without giving much of what she was actually going to do. It made him suspicious. He wasn't that he was afraid of sticking his neck out there, he just rather do it on his terms.
Maggie clenched her jaw, starting to get impatient and bit back her initial reaction. She easily could tell him that he didn't have a choice in cooperating or not, because she could resort to more persuasive methods. She had all day to bleed him out if she had to.
"Because I came here to offer a way to keep Klaus off your back," Maggie declared, pulling the book out from under her arm at this point, holding it between both hands. "I'm aware of his crusade against your life."
The sternness dropped from Tyler's expression, he blinked rapidly, clearly not expecting to be offered help in any form from Maggie. "How?" He asked reflexively.
"You're right in that I am cozy with the Original family. I can keep tabs on Klaus' whereabouts and relay it to you through this book," Maggie stated frankly and held the book out to Tyler. The hybrid stared down at it for a long moment before taking it in his hand. She watched him flip through the pages, frowning at the way they were all blank.
"I have the sister copy, it's spelled. We can communicate this way," Maggie explained while he stopped on the first page. There wasn't anything written there yet, but there would be after whoever picked up a pen first.
Tyler nodded and taking a deep breath at realizing what she was offering him. Most of the time he was running blindly from Klaus. Some places he stayed longer than others, but he was mostly looking his shoulders. He knew what it felt like to be jumpy at noises in the dark, wondering if it was walkers or Klaus.
"What's the catch?" He asked after running his fingers over the first page and looking up at Maggie. Something like this didn't come without a price.
Maggie smirked, at least his paranoia wasn't misplaced. Not too many people that came to Mystic Falls claiming to help actually ended up doing only that. "I need you to find me a witch and retrieve her," Maggie stated, placing her hands lightly on her hips, "And I think for the obvious reasons this should remain between you and me."
Tyler shifted on his feet uncomfortably, not sure how he liked the sound of retrieving a witch. But at least it sounded like there was no killing and maiming involved. "The obvious reasons?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yes, if you go telling Caroline… She'll go to Elena, who will tell the Salvatore's," Maggie waved a hand as she rattled off the names. "And let's not underestimate their ability to screw things up."
Tyler didn't have a comeback for that. He wasn't particularly thrilled with either of the brothers. Looking down at the book, he thought of mostly Caroline. She wouldn't be happy if he kept this from her, but it wasn't the first time he had to do something behind her back for their sake. It was an opportunity he had to take and later he could explain it to her. Hopefully she'll be okay with then.
"So where's this witch?" He asked when he finally made up his mind. At the end of the day, finding one person and bringing them here was a small price to pay to have another person keeping an eye on Klaus for him.
Maggie's grin grew sly. "Chicago. From what I understand, she's holed up in the subway system with another coven. It's someone you may be familiar with," Maggie paused before adding on, "But I would be careful with this witch… from what I hear, she has fangs."
Maggie ended back up at the Mikaelson mansion that night. Working out the arrangements with Tyler took some time and then Maggie spent a good deal of the day trying to find Kol. Which she had no luck in doing so. Maggie checked all the places she could think of. The waterfall, the Grill, and even the abandoned house they had trashed together. Of course, all the driving around and going to different places might have made it more likely she just missed him.
It had been four days since she last saw him, not that she was counting or anything. But she couldn't let this continue on now that things were set in motion. Maggie didn't like going to sleep those nights, staring up at the ceiling and feeling the chill of the empty apartment. It was too quiet, she could hear the groan of the old apartment building from the other inhabitants moving about and the water running through the pipes.
She decided if she couldn't catch him, she would leave a message for him. Before she left the apartment, she pulled out a note and left it on the counter. It was the note he had given her at the abandoned house.
When you need to find me. – Kol
Just leaving out in plain sight, she knew that he would see it. She needed to find him now and he was nowhere to be found.
At the end of the day, she decided to hang around the mansion in hopes of catching him there. Since Rebekah was there, the blonde immediately latched her claws onto Maggie. She sensed how much the Original really just needed a few close friends, which she usually didn't have because of her status and her family.
So that was how Maggie found herself being roped into helping Rebekah curl her hair. The blonde sat in the chair in front of her mirror while Maggie carefully made her she didn't burn her fingers. Every now and then Rebekah snipped out a correction to how she was doing it, but mostly Maggie listened to her prattle on about other things going on in Mystic Falls. Apparently the phone lines would be working soon, Maggie picked up.
"What do you think about throwing a party?" Maggie suddenly piped up, breaking from her concentration to see Rebekah's reaction in the mirror. The Original perked up immediately and Maggie had to dodge her knuckles from the hot appliance.
"A party?" She tried not to let her voice rise too much with interest. She kept her eyes narrowed, "You mean like one of those trashy keggers that Elena threw at the boardinghouse?"
Maggie snorted slightly at Rebekah's contemptuous attitude. Only she could sound eager and condescending in the same sentence. "No," Maggie smirked, picking up a new lock of hair. "I was thinking something a little more memorable."
"Well, I could pull together a ball…" Rebekah began to muse aloud, thinking it would be lovely to outdo the Mayor's recent party and certainly Damon's birthday party. She tried not to dwell too much on the fact the last time there was ball at the mansion, her mother tried to murder all of her children.
Maggie's eyebrows rose at that, knowing it would be over the top if Rebekah arranged it. "Do you think you could do that in a week?" Maggie asked, dubious that it would be possible under normal circumstances, never mind a post-apocalyptic world.
"Please, I'm an Original," Rebekah chided and waved a hand dismissively, "Not some two-bit high school dance planner… A week is plenty of time."
Maggie snickered that Rebekah couldn't resist insulting Caroline in the process. "Then let's do it," Maggie agreed, not that because she actually cared one moment for throwing a party.
Rebekah grinned, never being one to pass up on an opportunity to flaunt her superiority and competiveness. She didn't need to even bothering asking what the occasion would be, she didn't care. "Who are you thinking of inviting?" Rebekah asked, her mind immediately starting to formulate ideas and arrangements, but she needed to know the size of this party.
Maggie paused in her work to look up at Rebekah through the mirror. "I was thinking," She paused and shrugged her shoulders casually with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "well, everyone."
Maggie caught up with Elijah in the study that he showed her earlier. It took quite a bit to get Rebekah out of planning mode, as she was going to call it. The blonde immediately started throwing around theme ideas and arrangements, going on lists of things she would need to do. Maggie wasn't entirely convinced she was looking for any actual input because she was pose one question and answer it herself almost in the same breath.
Eventually, she dislodged herself from Rebekah's attention and made her way downstairs to find Elijah. She didn't encourage the idea of throwing a party just for the sake of it. No, she had her plan and she was going to execute it in true Mystic Falls' fashion.
Maggie wandered into the study and found Elijah reclined on one of the chairs, as if it was more comfortable than it actually was. He had a few books opened on the coffee table before him and one in his hand. She didn't even bother trying to peer at what he was studying so intently.
"Elijah," Maggie called out his name, having entered the room quieter than she realized.
The Original looked up from his page curiously. "Hello Maggie," He greeted her politely and Maggie grinned that he remembered to call her Maggie and not Ms. Greene this time.
"What can I do for you?" He asked, having figured she would remain mostly upstairs with Rebekah when he noticed the doppelganger's presence this evening.
"I was wondering if you could send a message to Klaus," Maggie stepped forward, leaning her hands against the back of the sofa as she gazed at Elijah.
"I could," Elijah said carefully, he didn't bother masking his surprise at hearing the hybrid's name coming from Maggie. "But for what purpose?"
"To have him come back to Mystic Falls," Maggie announced, taking a deep breath before she did. Even she had to admit she felt nervous about voicing the thought aloud.
Elijah closed his book slowly, turning his body to grant her his full attention. "Are you sure that is wise?" He questioned. He wasn't concerned for his safety and he held his reservations about Maggie's, but he wondered if she really knew what she was asking.
Maggie nodded firmly and threw on a fake smirk, "It is… You can even tell him we're throwing a welcome home party."
She could only hope it was wise, but truthfully she wished and needed Kol with her on this. Elijah didn't know that when Maggie glanced towards the windows, it was longing for one Original and not fear of another.
A knock came at the front door. Elena rose from her seat at the dining table with Matt and Jeremy. The boys were downing some eggs and bread for breakfast before they had to go off to work. She kept her appetite with just a simple cup of tea. Hearing the knocks, Elena walked down the main hallway, frowning at who was coming by so earlier.
She didn't get to the door before it opened anyway and she sighed at the intruder. Damon sauntered into the house, like he owned the place of wherever he went. "Okay!" He announced, not bothering to say hello to anyone while the door shut behind him and putting his hands in the air. "I'm going on record here, if anyone snaps my neck this time around it will not be pleasant."
His eyes lingered meaningfully on Elena at that. No plotting with baby Salvatore behind his back this time. Elena frowned in confusion, letting Damon step past her and wander into the kitchen with the rest of the boys. Jeremy and Matt exchanged a look, causing Jeremy to shrug noncommittal.
"What are you talking about, Damon?" Elena was to the first to pipe up, choosing to ignore the jab from Damon because she honestly wasn't sure what spurred that on.
Damon quirked an eyebrow at her reaction. He pulled a piece of folded paper out of his pocket. "You didn't get one of these?" He waved in the air slightly, the paper was rich and thicker than the average print sheet.
Elena's eyes zeroed in on it, but she shook her head.
Damon opened it up and made a point of clearing his throat before reading aloud in a mocking tone, "Please join the Mikaelson family and their hostess, Ms. Margaret Greene, for an evening of drinks, dance and celebration one week from this evening."
"Another one of those?" Matt exclaimed, subconsciously rubbing at his hand after dropping his fork. He could safely count himself out of that one after the last one.
"Yeah, Esther is still dead dead, right?" Jeremy turned in his seat, looking mostly to Damon for confirmation of that.
"Very dead," Damon agreed with a flicker of his eyes in annoyance.
Before anyone could say anything further, the front doorbell rang. The four heads turned to it before three pairs of eyes went to Elena.
Elena anxiously went to the door, hesitating at first to see if it would burst open again. But, she didn't sense anyone outside, so she opened it. Looking around, there was no one there and then her gaze dropped to the ground. There were three envelopes on the welcome mat, each had a respective name for the teenagers living in the house. Elena picked up hers on top and began to open while she moved back down the hallway.
Her eyes were scanning over the page while she felt the others watching her. "Let me guess," Damon smirked at Elena's slightly befuddled expression, "You got a personalized message too?"
Elena actually got two messages, but the second one from Elijah she wasn't going to read aloud to the others. Instead she focused on the swooping cursive of the invitation. It was obvious their hostess wasn't the one that wrote it, but it was definitely intriguing.
Elena cleared her throat and read aloud what her message said:
Ms. Elena Gilbert,
A meeting of Mystics Falls' supernatural creatures will occur after the first dance, I hope you will attend.
Your hostess, Ms. Margaret Greene
Author's Note: Who's ready for a party?
And what do you think of the character appearances this chapter?
I know you're all probably wondering, "What happened to Carol?!" I'm a little evil like that…. And with Kol's reaction too!
Anyway, let me know what you think! Or just share your excitement to see what happens at the party. I can't believe this story has almost 200 reviews, please keep them coming! You guys are amazing.
Review responses –
M: Yep, I've made up my mind. There will be a sequel that I will post a preview after the epilogue for this story. I've dropped hints for it, particularly in this chapter and other chapters. It'll be a shorter story. The only difficulty will be timing with my course work and job. I hope this chapter had some lovely twists and turns! Especially with the mention of Abby Bennett, I bet most people weren't expecting that. (Plus the long awaited explanation for Bonnie and Elena's estrangement)
IrishBeauty: Haha I think Raryl is going to be the official ship name for that one! There'll still be more Raryl in this story and definitely in the sequel. The Kolie ship is a little shaky this chapter, but next chapter we'll see how that gets resolved.
Guest: Nice guess on the experiment, but not quite! And yeah, I agree I wish the brothers would wise up on the show. It seemed like Stefan had a moment with pointing out how they just keep repeating history over and over, never changing. Thank you so much!
Kellie: I wouldn't count on Kol feeling guilty about taking life and we'll see an explanation of that in a couple of chapters.
Sky410: I think Daryl would be a badass vampire, but I don't think I could see him being happy with it. Maybe that's just me. I think Rebekah and Daryl would have an interesting dynamic because of the age difference physically, the fact I don't think Daryl would be happy as a vampire but Rebekah is one. There would be a lot of challenges to overcome there.
Eby Mikaelson: Thank you. I'm sorry about the PMs, I didn't mean any offence by them and I hope I didn't cause any.
