Happy New Year! Enjoy :)


New Orleans

The afternoon sunlight guided their steps as they trekked through the Bayou. After talking to the Crescents, Klaus, Ishmael, and Cary made their way towards Kilian's camp. The three of them walked in silence each lost in their own thoughts.

Klaus didn't like the different emotions assaulting him through the bond as he walked. Bonnie's emotions were all over the place, he felt a hint of nervousness, confusion, surprise, anger, and fear. The emotions were so strong, he closed his eyes for a brief second as he tried to comprehend what was going on from her side. What had happened?

And then there was nothing.

Bonnie's side of the bond closed unexpectedly. The bond was still there. Unlike the time, she had been taken to the other side and the bond was suddenly ripped from him, this time, he could still feel it. Klaus knew she was alive and well and still at the safe house as he used their unique connection to pin point her exact location. But for some reason Bonnie had shut her side of the bond. Why?

"We're here," Ishmael said.

Klaus immediately spotted the three werewolves waiting for them at the edge of the camp. He looked at the older man first. He looked to be in his fifties, he had silver hair, wrinkles around his brown eyes and mouth, and a small scar on his chin. He seemed rather serious and tired. Hardworking, honest, and respectful, the wolf inside him immediately assessed the man. Insignificant, his vampire side dismissed the man with ease.

The teenage boy next to him was rather short and scrawny, he had spiky brown hair, a rather big nose, and dull blue eyes. A green boy, eager to prove himself, the wolf decided in a heartbeat. Weak, useless, the vampire dismissed him as well.

Neither man was a threat to him.

The last man on the other hand gave a completely different vibe. He stood tall and proud, black hair pulled back in a short ponytail and arrogant honey colored eyes that stared right at Klaus. Strong, arrogant, and smart, the wolf noted right away. Look at this one, the vampire chuckled. He thinks he's your equal, what a fool.

What a strange and yet wonderful thing it was to have his vampire and wolf side in harmony. To finally be complete at last. Rather than waging war inside his head, each trying to be the dominant part, both sides of him were now one. The vampire and the wolf now worked together and had combined their individual strengths to make him stronger, to make his senses sharper, and to enhance his abilities to new lengths. It was exhilarating. Klaus was finally at peace with his nature.

While Kilian and Klaus stared at each other, carefully assessing one another, introductions were made.

Once again, Klaus let Ishmael do the greetings and begin the conversation. He was far better at such things than Klaus was, he definitely had more patience. Ishmael had been a wolf his entire life, he knew what the best approach for this sort of thing was. He would never openly admit it, that was not Klaus's way but he appreciated Ishmael's council and had also come to rely on the old wolf's experience to guide him when dealing with the wolves.

The older man accompanying Kilian was named Gregory, he was the Alpha of a Russian wolf pack while the teenage boy was named Andrew, he was one of the few werewolves left of the Paxton bloodline apparently.

"I didn't think there were any Paxton's left," Cary commented as he studied the scrawny teenager with interest.

"Only a handful," Andrew replied with a shrug. He barely glanced at Cary as he spoke, his eyes were drawn to the hybrid. He was staring at Klaus with wonder and awe, he could hardly believe his eyes. He was dying to ask so many things but he tried his best to contain himself. He needed to act mature in order to be taken seriously. He was barely eighteen and had just recently become the Alpha of his small pack after his father's premature death. He had a lot to prove.

"I didn't know you came with friends," Ishmael said to Kilian. The younger wolf had made no mention of Gregory or Andrew when he came to their camp a few days before.

Kilian's lips twitched into a grin but he didn't say anything. His eyes were solely focused on Klaus. The two were having some type of staring contest.

Gregory was also staring at Klaus. He looked curious but not as awe struck as Andrew. There was a wary look in his eyes. The older man was definitely far more cautious than the teenager. But also, far more respectful than Kilian in the way he stared at the hybrid.

The hybrid's face was impassive, his posture relaxed and calm as he stared back at Kilian. The wolves were clearly waiting for him to say something, to acknowledge them in some way, Klaus didn't. He continued to hold Kilian's gaze. What are you hiding? The hybrid wondered.

Kilian stood proud, his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, his head in an arrogant tilt and his eyes defiant. On the surface, he was an Alpha male ready to prove his prowess. But beneath the mask Klaus could smell the curiosity, the envy, and the hint of fear. It was subtle, none of the other wolves could have sensed it. But he did. His senses were unrivaled after all.

The hybrid's lips curled into a pleased smirk.

Gregory cleared his throat after a long moment of silence. "We have heard many things about you," he began as he looked at Klaus. He was nervous but he tried not to show it. His face gave nothing away but the scent of his fear reached Klaus's nose all the same. "News have spread about the miracle child." His English was very good but he did have a slight accent as he spoke.

"Is that so?" Klaus spoke for the first time, moving his eyes from Kilian to Gregory. "I'm rather curious as to how this news reached Europe."

"All the wolves are talking about it," Andrew chimed in with excitement. "It's a huge deal! I mean you're supposed to be dead. A vampire, or well half vampire I guess." His face scrunched up in confusion. He wasn't entirely sure how the whole hybrid thing worked. "Nobody expected you to get a girl knocked up and she's a freaking witch to boot. How the hell did you do that? I mean I know how. I know all about sex." He laughed nervously. "But still, this is massive."

Klaus arched an eyebrow. Yes, definitely a green boy who had no idea what he was getting himself into.

Cary tried to mask his laugh with a fake cough while Ishmael gave him a reproachful look.

Kilian rolled his eyes. He clearly didn't think much of Andrew.

Gregory sighed and looked up into the clear sky as if asking some higher being for patience.

"How did you know about my wife's pregnancy?" Klaus demanded to know. It was the thing that interested him the most, how the hell had news spread so fast?

Andrew clamped his mouth shut and looked nervously at Gregory.

Gregory and Kilian exchanged looks.

"News travel fast," Kilian replied as he turned back to face the hybrid. "Werewolves all over the world are finding out about the miracle pregnancy. It's only a matter of time before they make their way here."

"I find it hard to believe that you came all the way from Europe because of a miracle pregnancy," Klaus retorted. They were hiding something. He could feel it. He could smell their treachery a mile away. "Why are you here?"

"The Navarro wolves are planning to take over," Gregory intervened. "The time of the wolves has come, we want to be a part of history. We want to be here when the supernatural world shifts in our favor, we want to help forge this new era for our species."

He sounded sincere and yet, Klaus couldn't shake the feeling that there was more. There was something they were not telling him.

"But we don't want a Navarro as King," Andrew added quickly. "Their line is not as ancient as ours. The leader of our species has to come from one of the Original wolf bloodlines."

"The leader of our species has to be from Fenrir's line," Cary didn't hesitate to point out.

Kilian chuckled. "Times change, we all have different ideas on who the leader of our species should be."

Neither Klaus or Ishmael liked the sound of that. Cary glared at the wolf and bit back a nasty remark.

"The one thing we can all agree on," Gregory added. "It's that the leader of our species can't be a Navarro wolf." The Navarro clan did not have their pedigree, not to mention that their methods did not sit well with many wolves. "Which is why we will like to meet with the Alphas of all the wolf packs in the area."

"A meeting between all the Alphas to decide the future of our species," Kilian told them with a grin.

A meeting that would dictate who the rightful king of the wolves would be.

Klaus didn't know why but he felt like a trap was being set.


The Safe house

The moment Rebekah arrived at the house, she knew something was wrong. Her intuition had never failed her. She tightened her hold on Charlotte's hand as they made their way inside. Rebekah's senses couldn't find any threats around or inside the house. There was no danger, that much she knew but something felt off.

A soon as she opened the door, she noticed the luggage piled up in the foyer.

Lucy hurried to the front door, placing another suitcase. The look on her face told Rebekah things were bad.

"What's going on?" Rebekah asked.

Before Lucy could answer, Charlotte interrupted. "Look, Aunt Lu." she proudly showed Lucy her left arm with the dangling bracelets. "Auntie Bex got them for me."

"They're beautiful sweetie," Lucy said smiling down at her. She knew that's why Charlotte loved going shopping with Rebekah, she always got something new.

"Lucy," Rebekah brought her attention back to her. "Why are you packing?" her first thought was that something bad had happened.

"Because we're leaving," Lucy replied in a serious tone. "Bonnie wants to return to the Quarter today."

"But Bonnie hasn't finished her bed rest," Rebekah protested. Bonnie still had a few days left of bed rest. They weren't supposed to return to the Quarter yet.

"Yeah, well. Bonnie is determined to leave and no amount of convincing has worked. She's in a mood." Lucy said. "Her best friends are missing."

Rebekah's stomach sank. Oh shit! She thought. How the hell had Bonnie found out?

"I'm sure Rebekah knows all about it," Bonnie said coming into the foyer. "Don't you?"

Rebekah looked past Lucy's shoulder and stared at Bonnie. She had been crying, Rebekah noted the red eyes and the tear stained face right away. Bonnie looked sad, worried, and angry. Bonnie looked very angry. "I…" yes, Rebekah had known all about Caroline and Elena being missing, Matt had told her. Her brothers had agreed that it was best to keep the news from Bonnie and Rebekah had gone along with the plan. She didn't give a damn about Caroline and Elena to be honest, but she knew that Bonnie cared for them.

"We're leaving?" Charlotte looked back and forth between the three of them. "Why?" She asked Bonnie. She didn't want to go.

Bonnie's face immediately softened as she looked down at Charlotte. "We have to go back to New Orleans."

Charlotte immediately rushed to her side. Bonnie crouched down so that they could be at an eye level.

"But I like it here," Charlotte whispered as she took Bonnie's hands in hers. The past few days had been the best in Charlotte's opinion. They had so much fun, she never wanted it to end.

"I know," Bonnie said sadly. "But we have to go now." She couldn't stay at the safe house, not after what she had learned. She needed to talk to Klaus.

"Can I take my toys?"

"Of course, you can sweetie," Bonnie replied with a soft smile. "Why don't you go and make sure they are in your toy box. I already packed your things. But we still need to put them in the car."

Charlotte nodded. "Is Davina coming too?"

"Yes," Bonnie replied. "Davina is coming with us."

Charlotte face brightened. She liked Davina. She smiled at Bonnie before rushing towards the family room to get her toys.

"Kol doesn't have his daylight ring yet," Rebekah reminded Bonnie.

"It's not like sunlight can kill him," Bonnie snapped. Kol could easily flash inside the car, or hide in the trunk, or he and Rebekah could just stay and leave at sundown. It was up to them.

"Bonnie-" Rebekah began.

"You knew," Bonnie interrupted a hard look on her face. "Matt knew." Matt had lied to her face. "Elijah, Klaus…" It was the reason the Salvatore's were in New Orleans. Everyone had known that Caroline and Elena were missing, everyone except for her. Klaus had not only compelled her dad, he had also kept Caroline and Elena's disappearance from her. Klaus had been doing a lot of things behind her back it seemed. She felt so angry, hurt, and above all worried.

She shuddered just thinking about what Franco could be doing to her friends. If her dreams were any indication, Franco was one sick and twisted person. Was he torturing them? Were her friends even still alive?

She needed to help them. But she also knew she had to get all the facts first. She needed to know if Klaus had a plan in motion already. Her father had told her everything he knew but Bonnie felt sure Damon and Stefan knew more. And Klaus of course. She felt angry that he had kept something so important from her, angry and hurt that he hadn't trusted her, that once again he had acted without including her.

Her emotions were all over the place which is why she had closed her side of the bond. She needed to get a hold of herself.

Bonnie placed her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. She needed to remain calm. She needed to keep her temper in check or she would be risking losing control over her magic and that wasn't good for her or her children. "Why?" she asked Rebekah, her voice breaking. They had lied her. Her family, the people she had come to care for and trust. "How could you keep something like this from me?"

What else was Klaus doing behind her back? Bonnie wondered sadly. What other things were they hiding from her? Didn't he trust her?

We are supposed to be a team, she thought. Had he forgotten that?

"I'm sorry," Rebekah whispered sadly. They had done it for her own good, because they had believed it was the best giving her condition. "I know you are upset," she said gently. "But I want you to know that everything we did was to protect you." They had kept it from her because they didn't want to upset her, they wanted Bonnie to have a peaceful bed rest. "You almost had a miscarriage, we didn't want to put you at even more risk by telling you…"

Lucy looked nervously between the two of them.

Bonnie didn't say anything.

"Nik and Elijah are doing everything they can to get Caroline back. I promise," Rebekah hurried to say. "And Elena too," she added.

Bonnie just stared at Rebekah. "We have to go." And with those words she turned around and went back towards her room, to finish packing her things. The sooner they could get to the Quarter the better. She and Klaus needed to have a very serious conversation.

Rebekah watched her go with sadness. She hoped that she hadn't ruined their friendship. Deep down she had known that this was going to bite them in the ass. But after Bonnie's ordeal, it had been silently agreed by the Original siblings to keep any negative news from Bonnie.

"Give her time," Lucy whispered upon seeing the sad look on Rebekah's face.

Rebekah nodded absently.

Bonnie needed time to process and deal with what she had just learned.


Davina sneezed and the front door flung open all of a sudden while a small crack formed on one of the windows. She had never had a cold like this. On the few occasions she had been sick, her magic had never been affected until now. It was very strange. She didn't know what was wrong with her.

While Lucy and Rebekah loaded everything up in the SUV (the original girl had rented it a few days prior), Davina waited on the porch, feeling absolutely miserable. For the past two days, she had been dealing with the crazy magic affecting cold. Hopefully, Bonnie's doctor would be able to give her some medicine or something to help with her magic while she was sick.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and a chill went down her spine all of a sudden. Davina turned around just in time to see the tall, brown haired stranger stepping out of the house. He stayed under the protective roof of the porch, making sure to stay away from the sunlight.

Every nerve inside Davina's body alerted her to the powerful aura radiating off him in waves. The same dark and ancient power that surrounded Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus. The young man that had just stepped out of the house was an Original vampire.

Kol Mikaelson, Davina realized immediately. They had done it. They had brought him back from the dead. She knew that Bonnie, Lucy, and Rebekah had been working on restoring Kol's body for the past few days. They had succeeded.

Charlotte who was standing next to Davina, gasped upon seeing him. Her big green eyes went wide and her mouth parted into a perfect O with her gasp. The little witch had not been expecting to see him in the flesh.

Kol's lips curved into a devilish smirk as he stared her down. "You can't pretend I'm not here anymore, little demon."

Charlotte recovered quickly and glared at him.

Kol glared back.

He kept himself to the shadows and placed his hands inside the pockets of the dark blue jeans he was wearing. He was also wearing a tight white t-shirt that showcased his slender but well-toned chest and arms. The clothes Rebekah had gotten for him to wear.

The moment he realized Davina was staring at him, Kol turned his attention towards her. "Hello darling," he greeted the young witch with his trademark smirk in place. "See anything you like?" he winked playfully at her.

Davina's cheeks suddenly turned pink and she looked away embarrassed at having been caught staring at him. Lucy had been right, he was rather handsome.

Kol grinned, clearly pleased with himself. He was a natural born charmer and her reaction stroke his ego.

"Get in the car, we have to go." Bonnie ordered as she came into the porch. She took Charlotte's hand in hers and began walking down the porch steps towards the black SUV. "Kol, you are going to have to go in the trunk."

Kol gave her an incredulous look. "You're joking." In the trunk, as if he were part of the luggage? No, thank-you.

"We won't fit in the car otherwise," Lucy told him. She and Rebekah had finished loading everything. "Besides won't the sunlight burn you?"

Sunlight couldn't kill him, the perks of being an Original was that he was practically immune to anything, save the White Oak stake obviously. But sunlight could burn him and burn marks were a bitch to heal.

"You can wait here until sundown and meet us there," Bonnie suggested. She was in a hurry to get to the Quarter. The sooner they got there, the better.

"The trunk it is," Kol decided with a displeased look on his face. He was not staying on his own until sundown. I'm never going to live this down, he thought bitterly. A giggle had him narrowing his eyes and flashing his vampire face at the little girl clutching Bonnie's hand.

"Kol," Bonnie chided. She was not in the mood to deal with his antics at the moment. She had lost count of how many times she had ordered him to stop antagonizing Charlotte. The Original refused to listen.

Charlotte's response to his scary vampire face was an unimpressed glare and then she stuck her tongue out at him. She was obviously not afraid of him.

Davina couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her lips and even Lucy had to suppress a laugh.

Kol growled, trying to do his best to intimidate her.

"You don't scare me," Charlotte declared proudly and stuck her tongue out at him once more.

Kol opened his mouth with a nasty retort at the tip of his lips.

"Just get in the bloody car Kol," Rebekah ordered opening the trunk of the car and motioning for him to get in. Judging by the look on Bonnie's face she was seconds away from losing her patience and that was not good.

Kol gave one last glare at Charlotte before doing as he was told.

The little demon's giggles followed him as he flashed inside the trunk of the car.


New Orleans

"Sweetheart, please call me as soon as you hear this message. I need to speak with you." Klaus left a message on Bonnie's phone. Her side of the bond was still closed and he didn't like it. If Bonnie didn't return his call he was going to go to the safe house and find out what the hell was going on with her.

"Let me get this straight," Elijah was saying as Klaus made his way back towards their table. After their talk with Kilian they had met with the Original at a local restaurant to discuss the new developments. "There are at least three new packs of wolves in the Bayou and more are possibly on their way, because of Bonnie's pregnancy and to choose a leader of the werewolf species."

"Yeah," Cary muttered as he took a sip of his beer. "An Alpha to lead all of us in the war against the Navarro pack and crown himself as the king of our species." The wolves liked the idea of their species being at the top of the hierarchy of power once more but they didn't want a lowly Navarro wolf as a leader.

"Kilian is planning something," Ishmael knew him well enough to know of his ambition. "Something tells me he already has the favor of many packs and this meeting is just a formality to be recognized as their leader."

"I thought as Fenrir's blood you had that tile," Elijah commented.

"In theory yes," Ishmael responded. "But as Kilian pointed out, things change. Our clan has stayed away from the political maneuvers of our species. We have been hiding from all our enemies. With time, the wolves particularly those of the Original bloodlines have gained more power and made plenty of allies." Something that they hadn't done as much. "When you spent the majority of your life being hunted down it's hard to set roots and make friends."

Klaus and Elijah could sympathize with that.

"While in theory as the descendants of Fenrir we have every right to claim the leadership of our species," Ishmael continued. "It doesn't mean all the wolves will follow us. Many will have no problem siding with us and accepting me or Klaus as the leader of our species but the wolves of the Original bloodlines are another matter."

"They want power for themselves," Elijah deduced.

"Exactly."

"I presume you have a plan?" Elijah looked from Ishmael to Klaus.

"The plan is very simple, we will attend this meeting, listen to what they have to say and ensure I come out as the leader of the werewolf species." Klaus replied with a dimpled grin. He would accept no other outcome.

"And if they don't want to accept you as such?" Elijah questioned his brother.

"I shall slaughter the lot of them and be done with it. I'm done playing games." The meeting with the Crescents and Kilian had put him in an awful mood. He hated keeping his temper in check. He was itching to let the beast inside him loose and feast on the blood of those who opposed him. He could have patience whenever he wanted to but that patience was running very thin.

"Did you find anything about the vampire in Shreveport?" Ishmael asked Elijah. That was a matter that still worried him, one thing that still worked against Klaus's favor in the eyes of the other wolves.

"My informant tells me that there is in fact a large gathering of vampires in Shreveport," Elijah informed them. He had just come from meeting with him. "Unfortunately, no one has seen this Elijah in the flesh. He was a couple of vampires carrying out his orders and gathering his army which seems to be growing every day. There is no word yet on when they plan to attack."

"He's keeping the charade of the secretive and elusive Original," Klaus noted.

"Indeed." It made Elijah wonder if the vampire impersonating him was one from his sireline. A vampire that knew him personally, that knew how he and his siblings operated.

"What are you going to do?" Cary asked curiously. "If they decide to attack the Navarro's using your name I mean."

"As soon as we complete the exchange of hostages I will be going to Shreveport." From what his informant had told him, there were still many vampires making their way to Shreveport, so they weren't planning to attack the Navarro pack just yet. He had time to solve this little problem.

"Luis agreed then?" Klaus asked, his eyes filled with mischief.

"Yes, he did. I have the date and time in which we are going to hand over Isaac for Caroline."

"He agreed, just like that?" there was a thoughtful look on Ishmael's face. Klaus had informed him and Cary of having Isaac Navarro and using him to get Bonnie's friend back, a vampire girl that had been taken by Franco. Elijah had been negotiating for the past few days with Luis but Ishmael found it curious that the wolf had agreed to the exchange with such ease.

Elijah nodded. Luis had refused to admit they had Elena but had agreed to give Caroline back in exchange for Isaac. "He seems to value his family and is determined to get his brother back no matter what." That much Elijah felt certain of. "However," there was a glint in his eyes as he said his next words. "While I gave him my word that he would have Isaac back, I don't believe I specified just in what condition he would be in." He met his brother's eyes and shared a Machiavellian grin. The Navarro brothers had no idea the surprise they had in store for them.

Cary looked back and forth between both brothers. "What are you two planning?"

"Just a little surprise," Klaus replied cryptically. The evil smirk on his lips told Cary that it would be an unpleasant surprise for the Navarro brothers.


"There is no need to stand by the door. Come and sit with me," Josephine ordered as she noticed Vincent standing in the doorway. She was in bed, wearing her favorite navy blue silk embroidery robe.

Vincent stepped inside the room and sat on the chair next to her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like the old woman, I am." was her soft reply. She had been in bed for the past few days, recovering from her illness. "My time is coming." The potions she drank every day could only keep her illness at bay but sooner or later they would stop working all together. She was dying, she could feel it.

"Don't say that."

Josephine regarded him carefully. "You are ready." She had trained him, she had taught him everything she knew and prepared him for his future role as the Regent of the witches. Vincent was ready. It gave her peace to know that she would leave the covens in good hands.

"No." Vincent looked away from her. He didn't think he could ever be ready. Since the moment he had learned he was to be her successor, a burden had been placed on his shoulders. In his many moments of doubts, he wondered why the Ancestors had chosen him to be Josephine's successor. He didn't feel like he deserved such honor.

"I was already an old woman when I was chosen as Regent," Josephine told him softly. It was one of her biggest regrets. She had been old and weak by the time she was chosen, she didn't have the strength to fight back against the vampires. Yes, with the title of Regent came great power but it didn't matter how much power a witch had when her body was frail and decaying. "You on the other hand, are young. You can do all the things I didn't have the strength for. You can fight. You can lead our community into a better world."

"I am not worthy," Vincent murmured.

"You were chosen for a reason."

Silence descended over them after that.

Vincent couldn't help but think back to that fateful day when he was just a teenager. The day Josephine had come into his life and told him of his destiny. From that moment on, she had been his mentor, his friend, and his mother in many ways. He dreaded the thought of being Regent not only because of the responsibility that entailed but because it meant losing her. She was the only family he had left.

"Tell me," Josephine said after a long moment of silence.

"It can wait, you need to rest." Vincent took one of her hands in his. He didn't want to trouble her, whenever her illness struck, it took a while for her to bounce back.

"Tell me," she commanded. Even in bed and with a pale and sickly complexion, Josephine could give orders like a queen.

Vincent sighed. "Two witches have gone missing," he informed her. "One from the Garden District coven and another from the French Quarter Coven." Technically, Katie was no longer a witch as Bonnie Bennett had stripped the Quarter Coven of their magic.

"The kindred?" Josephine asked. Whenever a witch went missing the first suspects were always the vampires or the kindred coven. "A vampire perhaps?"

"Surprisingly enough since Klaus Mikaelson took over the city, no witch has been murdered or gone missing. Unless you count Sabine Laurent." They hadn't seen or heard from Sabine Laurent after the meeting they had with her. It seemed she was dead. "The names of the missing witches are not in the Kindred's list, I don't think they had anything to do with this." Vincent continued.

A thoughtful look crossed Josephine's tired face. "There is more…" She knew him well. There was something more he wasn't telling her.

Vincent nodded. "Bonnie Bennett's name has been given to the Kindred," he informed his mentor. He still couldn't believe it himself. The audacity of those two witches. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

"Why?" Josephine demanded angrily.

"It seems Kara Nguyen and Marguerite Lescheres feel that she's a threat to the witches of the city and want the Kindred to take a closer look at her actions against the Seer and her coven."

Josephine closed her eyes.

"There is more," Vincent added.

Josephine opened her eyes and stared at his face. "Tell me." What else were those two witches plotting behind her back? Did they not realize the precarious situation at hand?

"They are organizing the elders of all nine covens to come together in a witch summit on the next full moon." The two witches had taken all kinds of precautions to keep their little revolution under wraps but Vincent had plenty of spies in the City.

"I see," Josephine murmured. The time had come to put order in the witch community. She needed to take action before another war was started. "You will go to the asylum and you will inform the elder of the Kindred coven that I forbid any action against Bonnie Bennett. She is not to be harmed in any way by them." She met his eyes as she spoke. "The Kindred's authority extends only to the witches of the nine covens, Ms. Bennett is not one of them. Therefore, she is to be left alone."

Vincent nodded.

"I will be the one dealing with Ms. Bennett, no one else." Josephine continued. "Have you found her yet?"

"I tracked her down to a small town a couple of hours away but my magic can't reach her." There was a displeased look on his face. He hated failure. Wherever Bonnie Bennett was, she was protected by ancient and powerful magic. Vincent had not been able to reach her at all.

"We will have to wait for her return to speak with her, then." Hopefully by then she would feel better. She was going to need all the strength she could muster in the upcoming days.

"And the witch summit?"

"If the elders want a talk about the future of our community then by all means we will all talk," Josephine informed him. She had made up her mind. She knew what she had to do. "I will attend this summit."

"But you need to rest-"

"For better or for worse," Josephine interrupted him. "I am still the Regent of the nine covens. I am the voice of the spirits and the highest witch authority in this city. The time has come to make my presence known." She needed to act before the witches decided to take matters into their own hands.

She needed to keep the peace among the witches at all cost, it was the only way they were going to survive the darkness coming their way.


That night

Damon scowled as he saw the two Originals stepping inside the living room. "About fucking time," he muttered angrily. He and Stefan had been waiting for what seemed like forever for Elijah and Klaus to make their presence known.

Damon was losing his patience. Every day that passed Elena was at the mercy of that evil wolf pack. He was desperate to get her back. He was tempted to just head straight to Baton Rouge and rescue her himself, but Stefan had convinced him that it was best to play nice with the Originals. Since his plan to get Bonnie to help them had failed, Damon had no choice but to agree.

Another reason Damon didn't want to leave was Bonnie. He needed to see her and talk to her. Elijah had put them up to date on things. Damon knew Bonnie was at a safe house, far away from the city because she needed to rest. Apparently, Bonnie almost had a miscarriage after being kidnapped by the spirits. Elijah had said that she was fine now, but Damon wouldn't truly believe it until he actually saw her with his own eyes. He knew better than to trust Elijah's word, the bastard had betrayed them before and he could easily do it again. Damon was also sure that Klaus was keeping Bonnie away from the city on purpose. The bastard didn't want them near Bonnie. There was a part of Damon that still believed that Klaus was brainwashing her somehow.

Stefan and Tyler who had been sitting on the couch looked up immediately. Matt who was sitting across from them also turned his head to stare at the two brothers, waiting expectantly to hear some good news.

"Damon," Elijah greeted with a mocking smile. "Always so charming and eloquent." He had been the one to order all of them here, so that they could discuss the next part of the plan. But Damon Salvatore had a way of irritating him with his mere presence alone.

Klaus smirked as he made his way to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and took a seat on a leather chair. He wanted this day to be over.

"You asked us to come, here we are." Stefan said standing up. After their talk with Elijah who had informed them of what was going in regards to the upcoming war, they had stayed in the city, waiting and much to Damon's anger trusting that the Originals' plan to get Caroline and Elena back would work. The truth was that they didn't have much of a choice; the two of them did not stand a chance against the power of the Navarro clan. Not alone at least. And with Bonnie away from the city, they didn't even have a witch backing them.

"As you know," Elijah began as he walked to stand by the chair Klaus's was sitting on. "I've been communicating with Luis Navarro." He placed one hand inside the pocket of his pants while his eyes surveyed the men gathered in his living room. The conversations over the phone with Luis had been tense, short, and straight to the point. Neither he nor Luis wasted time with threats or insults. They both wanted to get things done as quickly as possible.

"And?" Tyler probed. His stomach coiled with nerves. All he wanted in the world was to get Caroline back. He hated that he basically had to trust Klaus and Elijah to handle the negotiations with the Navarro brothers.

Since Klaus had set him free from the basement he had been hanging with Matt and doing his best to find his friend Sean who was with the last group of wolves that had been sent to get Bonnie. Matt was the only friend and ally Tyler had in New Orleans. The only reason the hybrids hadn't tried to kill him was because Klaus had given the order to leave him alone. For Caroline, in order to get her back, Tyler was willing to put his hatred of Klaus aside and work with him. He couldn't wait to get his girlfriend back and get the hell away from this mess.

So far, things had been tense. This reluctant alliance between the Originals, the Salvatore brothers, and Tyler was hanging by a thread. With all their past history, the distrust, and the animosity between them it was a miracle it hadn't exploded yet.

"He tried to deny they had Caroline at first," Elijah said glancing in Tyler's direction. He didn't trust the hybrid but Klaus had made a deal with him and Elijah respected his brother's plans. "Naturally, when I presented proof that we in fact have his brother and he was to meet an untimely death if Luis did not cooperate, he was more talkative." Proof that involved a set of picture Jesse had taken of Isaac; half of the wolf's face had been covered in blue and green bruises that had yet to heal properly. "He's willing to trade Isaac for Caroline."

The wave of relief Tyler felt in that moment was overwhelming. He felt like he had been drowning and had finally come up for air. They were going to rescue Caroline, finally. He couldn't keep the smile from his face.

Matt smiled in his direction. "When?" he asked turning to Elijah with an eager look. "When can we have Caroline back?" His heart exploded with happiness. It seemed like a lifetime ago since he learned of Caroline's disappearance and finally they were close to getting her back.

Before Elijah could respond, Damon intervened. "What about Elena?" he asked taking a menacing step closer. "Or are you forgetting she was also taken."

Elijah and Klaus shared a look. They both knew this was where the problems were set to begin.

The hybrid took a sip of his drink and let Elijah continue to handle to conversation. He was not in the mood to deal with the stupid vampire.

"What's going on?" Stefan looked between both Originals. Elijah had not mention Elena at all and that made him nervous.

"Luis fervently denied having Elena in his possession," Elijah responded at last. He had sounded very convincing and no matter how hard Elijah had tried to get him to admit they had Elena, Luis had not caved, much to Elijah's chagrin. And since they didn't have any proof that the Navarro's had Elena, he couldn't force Luis's hand.

"Bullshit," Damon growled. "They took her." According to what Elijah himself had said to them, the Navarro pack was working with a group of witches known as the Travelers, a group that by all descriptions fitted with the group that took Elena both times. "We all know they took her."

"Unfortunately, they are not willing to give her up," Klaus said dismissively. He didn't give a damn about the stupid doppelganger and that was very obvious. Maybe the Navarro's would do him the favor of eliminating her for good. Klaus still hadn't forgotten that the bitch had murdered Kol.

"We need to get her back!" Damon yelled angrily.

Klaus arched an eyebrow and gave Damon an annoyed look. "What do you think we are trying to do mate?" Not because of Damon or because he cared about Elena but because of Bonnie. Everything Klaus and his siblings were doing was to keep Bonnie and the twins safe.

"You're not doing enough," Damon hissed. "You don't even care about Elena. All you care about is getting Barbie back. That's why you are doing all of this isn't it? For Caroline, you want her."

"Damon," Stefan tried to warn his brother. This was not the way they were going to make things work. Why couldn't Damon ever learn? You would think that after Klaus nearly ripped his heart out his brother would take a hint.

Tyler growled at what Damon was insinuating and stood up angrily.

Matt stood up as well, nervously looking at the group and trying to determine how much time he had to calm the waters before all hell broke loose.

"Watch your tongue Damon," Klaus did not move from his seat but he stared at Damon with murderous rage.

"Everyone knows you're obsessed with her," Damon continued. His lips curled into his trademark smirk as he stared at Klaus. "Is Bonnie not enough that you need Caroline to warm your bed too?"

Tyler would've launched himself at Damon had it not been for Matt who got in the way and prevented him from attacking the vampire.

"He's only doing it to provoke a reaction," Matt whispered, holding Tyler back. The hybrid could have easily pushed him out of the way and go after Damon but thankfully he didn't.

The glass Klaus held in his hand shattered, a few tiny pieces dug deep into his flesh, a few drops of blood surfacing from the wounds, in the next second the pieces were pushed out and the small cuts healed instantly.

Elijah placed his hand on Klaus's shoulder, preventing him from standing up. The last thing they needed was for his brother to lose his temper and murder the youngest Salvatore. No matter how tempted Elijah felt in that moment to let him.

"If you are not happy with what we are doing," Elijah's eyes darkened as he stared at Damon. "Then my all means go to Baton Rouge and rescue Elena on your own. See how you fare."

Damon glared at him. "I want to see Bonnie!" He knew that with Bonnie he could get things done. Bonnie was all he needed to get Elena back. He didn't need the Originals and their stupid plans.

"You're out of your mind if you think I am going to let you near Bonnie." This time Klaus stood up. Damon was getting on his nerves and he was seconds away from breaking his neck. It had been a long day, everyone had been testing his patience and he was more than ready to let out all his pent-up anger on the younger vampire.

"I don't need your permission!" Damon barked. "You think you can keep hiding her forever? You think you can keep lying to her. You don't deserve her."

Klaus growled and took a menacing step forward. Elijah got in his way and stopped him. "Calm yourself," he whispered. They were not going to get anywhere if they went straight for the blows.

"So, this is how you plan to get Caroline and Elena back?" a new voice asked.

Everyone's head snapped in the direction of the doorway. They had all been so caught up with their arguing they didn't sense the new arrivals.

"Bonnie," Damon couldn't keep the smile of his face as he spotted the witch. A smile which dropped in the next second when he noticed the entourage accompanying Bonnie. He recognized Rebekah immediately. The other woman he was pretty sure was Lucy Bennett, Bonnie's cousin. The witch Katherine had brought to the masquerade. But he had no idea who the dark haired teenage girl standing next to Bonnie was and he definitely had no clue who the little girl clutching her hand was. What the fuck was this?

Klaus had been so irritated and angry at the younger vampire, he had not paid any attention to the bond. He hadn't felt Bonnie coming at all, his senses had not alerted him to her presence. But one look was all it took for him to know that Bonnie was not in a good mood.

"Bonnie-" Damon began moving closer towards her.

Klaus growled in warning.

Bonnie ignored Damon as she stepped further into the room. She also ignored Matt who had a guilty look on his face as he stared at her.

Stefan and Tyler were watching her too. The hybrid couldn't stop staring at her small pregnant belly.

Bonnie ignored all of them. All of her attention was on Klaus.

Green eyes met blue as the hybrid and the witch stared at one another.

"I need to talk to Klaus," Bonnie's tone left no room for argument.

Klaus visibly gulped. Bonnie knew and she looked pissed.

If Bonnie's arrival shocked all of them, the next person that happily strolled into the living room of the compound as if he owned the place had their jaws dropping and rendering everyone mute.

"Well, this is quite the welcoming party," Kol said with a devil-may-care grin. He looked absolutely pleased with himself at the reaction his arrival caused. The mischievous Original loved being the center of attention after all. "Did you miss me?"

Absolute silence.

If a pin would have been dropped on the floor, they all would have heard it from the silence that ensued.