Chapter 19: On the Knife-Edge


September 2010


For the countless time in the past couple of weeks, Bonnie Bennett felt like she had entered a dream. As she observed Riko teaching a class of five-year-old girls how to light candles with their minds, she couldn't help but compare the scene to Yoda guiding baby Jedi in the Force. Riko, with her black and purple hair and amethyst eyes, would certainly blend in easily in a Star Wars film. Even the name 'Riko' sounded like a name fit for a galaxy far, far away. As if reading her thoughts, the witch looked up at Bonnie and winked at her over the head of a little girl who looked like she might have wet herself. Bonnie looked out the window to hide her laughter.

Ever since deciding to remain at Des Cendres, Bonnie had been experiencing an inner revolution. Back in Virginia, Mystic Falls High School had only been in session for a week and a half, but from the angry calls and texts from her dad, you would think it had been a month and a half. Bonnie was mostly screening his calls – he was probably only mad because he wouldn't know what to tell a social worker if one appeared on his doorstep. 'My daughter is a fledgling witch, has been aiding her vampire friends for the past year, and recently went to a hidden school filled with supernatural creatures in the Himalayas to compete her training,' Bonnie imagined him saying it and snorted. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't really miss Mystic Falls and was in no hurry to return. Things with Jeremy were rocky at best, Tyler and Stefan were still Klaus' cronies, while Elena was free from him, but now totally confused about her feelings for Damon, and Matt – well, okay, maybe she actually missed Matt. At first, the idea was she would stay until Caroline woke up and they made sure she remembered everything. But the longer she stayed, the more she fell in love with Des Cendres. She was no longer certain what she would do after Caroline woke.

Every day, Bonnie woke up in her beautiful apartment, which featured a modern master bathroom, walk-in closet, tall windows, a giant platform bed, and light wood furniture. Blue and grey rugs covered the flagstone floor and there were plants everywhere: ferns hanging in the corners, large pots of azaleas and roses flanking the balcony, spider plants creeping over the floors, and a delicate yellow orchid primping on her nightstand. Bonnie's favorite part of the room was a little alcove that housed a writing desk, lamp, a hanging chair straight out of a Pier One catalogue, and an enormous bookcase featuring all sorts of books on witchcraft, as well as classic literature. Bonnie was reading more than she had in her entire life.

After waking up and admiring her room, she would meet up with a group of older students and a few of the teachers on a terrace, and they all took an hour-long hike into the mountains. At the halfway point, everyone meditated. When they got back, there was a magnificent breakfast waiting in the dining hall. Bonnie sat with the older girls and learned all about their lives before and after Des Cendres. Not many were native English-speakers, but everyone was required to learn it at the school, as well as Mandarin Chinese, Latin, Ancient Greek, Arabic, and Spanish. Bonnie was in awe of them. Some of them did not discuss their former lives, but most of them were open about where they came from. Many of their stories were horrifying, but she paid attention to every detail.

After breakfast, Bonnie showered and got ready for the day. She was taking a lot less time to get ready in the absence of cute boys, she found. Essentially, the rest of the day was work. Since Bonnie was not an official student, she was on a choose-your-own-adventure path. Sometimes, she followed the schedule of one of the older students. Other days, she shadowed Gita or Emmeline. She had spent one day simply walking around the vast complex, and another reading in the library. Today, she was hopping around – observing one of Mariko's classes, taking one of Gita's history lessons, and then joining a free period with the older girls – this was when they sat around in one of the many studies, swapping ideas, dueling, practicing spells, and brewing potions. She found it much more exciting than Instagram and cheer squad. In the evenings, after dinner, everyone split off - some girls meditated or studied, but most just hung out. Every other night, Mariko, Emmeline, or Gita gave Bonnie a private lesson to help her control her power, understand expression magic, and learn new skills. That night, she would have a more practical lesson – sword fighting.

Bonnie was pulled out of her thoughts by a gentle tugging on her sleeve. She looked down to see a tiny girl with enormous brown eyes and an afro twice the size of her head staring up at her.

"Miss Bonnie, show me?" she asked shyly.

The teenage witch felt her heart swell up from the overwhelming cuteness. She bent down so she was eye-level with the little girl and held her hand out.

"You want to light the candle?" she asked, summoning one from across the room. She held it out to the girl.

"It begins with a feeling deep inside of you," she began.

Mariko grinned from the other side of the room.


The witch named Qetsiyah was annoyed. She had not spent two thousand years waiting in her self-made purgatory for Silas to take the cure, only to walk through the veil to deal with the likes of the Mikaelsons. Esther had always got under her skin in the Other Side, as the superior witch had seen the pale woman as a mere copycat. Her maniac of a husband was boorish and uncreative. It had been two weeks since she had reentered the real world and so far, she had found it lacking. She was just starting to get acquainted with the rhythms and technology, and it was only due to her lack of savviness in these departments that she remained with the pair. She knew the d'Ebanne coven had Amara. She had certainly not disclosed this information to Esther, instead holding it over her head as bait. Esther knew Amara was the anchor, of course, but she did not know her daughter-in-law's coven possessed the body. Qetsiyah sought the ways and means of getting to France. And she wanted the doppelgänger. A bargain had been made.

"Are you quite certain this Undying Witch has left the country?" she asked imperiously. She and Esther were walking through a hideous invention: the shopping mall. Neither were very comfortable, but they needed to go somewhere no one would think to find them. Plus, they needed to shop. Mikael was trailing them from a few paces behind and his vampires and witches were in every corner of the mall.

"Our spies confirmed it yesterday. They overheard a phone conversation between the busboy and the Bennett witch. My plan worked: Caroline, Mariko, and Bonnie Bennett are all in Tibet; I must assume Mariko took Silas with her," Esther smiled triumphantly.

"Don't be so cocky, Esther. And don't assume anything. My warriors will need their own confirmation of this intel. But besides Silas, they are the only witches in the world who are a real threat to me. If they are really out of the picture, our immediate goals are within reach." Qetsiyah observed the people riding up and down the escalators with disdain. "What is the point of such a thing? Look how fat they all are."

"I'm as much at a loss as you. And look at that!" she pointed at a group of teenagers hanging out on a bench. None of them were talking; instead, they all had their heads bent over their smartphones.

"Does it really tell you everything?" the ancient Greek inquired.

Esther shrugged. "That's what Mikael says."

"How do they mate if they can't even look each other in the eye?" Qetsiyah asked with real interest.

"Through the phones, I suppose," Esther answered. "And what of Pacari?"

"He has talent, but not enough. Especially against both of us," Qetsiyah said dismissively.

"Our spies have confirmed their plan."

"I believe my warriors have spooked your children; the board is set."

"Then we strike," Esther murmured.

Her companion nodded, her eyes still on the teenagers.

Esther gestured behind them. "We should go in here; we both need more clothing to assimilate into this world."

Qetsiyah allowed herself to be pulled into the department store, still watching the teenagers with fascination.


As day faded into night at Des Cendres, there was one room in the vast complex that remained unchanged. The windows of Caroline's bedchamber had been covered with heavy blackout curtains to allow the vampire to remain in a restorative state. Every available surface in the room was covered with burning incense. The vampire in question had been laid out on her bed like some sort of bloodsucking Sleeping Beauty, hidden away until the time was right. But it was an inner force that awoke her, not a prince's kiss. When she opened her eyes for the first time in two weeks, Caroline knew herself. She peered around her bedchamber carefully and with a sickening lurch was reminded of her mother's deathbed. She flashed to the windows and tore the curtains open.

"How long?" she muttered as she stared at the night sky. She turned back towards her bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand to check the date, only to open her mouth in horror.

"Iki!"


Chaos reigned at the Mikaelson Mansion the morning after the d'Ebanne witch arrived. Rebekah's idea of packing was laying out three giant suitcases and flitting through the rooms of the mansion, barking orders at hybrids about what to toss in and what the priorities were for the unfinished sections of the building. Elijah was flashing between the kitchen and the cellar, attempting to organize blood bags for the journey while placing threatening, bribing, and cajoling phone calls to insure a seamless and rapid journey to southern France. Verenice, the d'Ebanne witch, was walking the perimeter of the estate surrounded by a posse of hybrid guards and Klaus' witches and casting protection spells over the estate and town. Kol, in a rare display of leadership, was in the library with the hybrids his sister had not hijacked, going over the reconnaissance plans for that night, which involved an apartment complex they had targeted as the headquarters for their parent's entourage. Stefan was sitting in the back of the room with his feet carelessly slung on a table, wearing a bored expression. Tyler Lockwood was sitting in the front of the room, like some kind of teacher's pet. Klaus was supposed to be at the meeting, but instead, he was outside, needling the d'Ebanne witch restlessly about the Five.

Damon and Pacari drove up in the Mustang and observed the organized pandemonium; from the driveway, they could see the d'Ebanne witch giving Klaus an aneurysm. He clutched his head as he walked beside her.

"But has the coven figured out how to get rid of the curse since the 12th century? I don't want my hybrids tainted," he gritted out through the pain.

"You are very annoying, Hybrid," Verenice said cheerfully before muttering out another spell that swept through the estate like a spring breeze. "And no; sorry. They'll just have to not kill them."

"I could watch this all day," Damon said smugly from the driver's seat.

A shrill voice cut through the air from the second story. "Not that dress, you twit!"

"Ah, the dulcet tones of my beloved. That's my cue," Pacari grinned before flashing into the house.

Rebekah was standing in her bedroom surrounded by hybrids, clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, and papers. She was on the phone, but also snapping orders every few sentences. Pacari leaned against the doorway and watched.

"Yes, well, Gita, I had a lot going on last night. I have a lot going on right now, if I'm being honest here. DID I SAY TO PACK THAT BOOK?! DOWNSTAIRS! To make a short story shorter, Elijah and I must finally pay back the favor to Auxor. They have something important to Silas, you have Silas, and we can end this whole thing. COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN WHY YOU THINK I'LL NEED A UNICORN ONESIE AT A MEDIEVAL CASTLE? WHERE DID THIS EVEN COME FROM? NEVERMIND – KOL LIVES HERE. THROW IT AWAY. NO, WAIT - PUT IT IN KOL'S ROOM. YES, NOW. What? Oh, she said they have the anchor, that they've had it for several years, and there was an 'awakening' last week, whatever that means. Apparently, the anchor - Wait, what? You know about the anchor to the Other Side? Does that mean Mariko does? Why – No, it matters! Caroline is what?!" Rebekah froze in the middle of slipping a dress off a hangar. The dress pooled at the bottom of the closet and Rebekah turned to look at Pacari. The vampire felt Klaus zoom up behind him.

"Should I call her? Mariko said what?! We have a giant fucking shitstorm brewing over here on the Eastern Hemisphere; I think she's taken enough of a break this summer. She's either got to meet us in Auxor or come back to Virginia. Or she can stay at Des Cendres and destroy Silas, Mikael, Esther, and Qetsiyah all within the next five minutes! Yes, Verenice says Esther raised Qetsiyah. I'm hanging up now. Get Caroline, Gita!" Rebekah ended the call and threw her phone on the bed.

"She's awake? Does she remember everything?" Klaus demanded from behind Pacari.

Rebekah rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Yes, of course she does. Apparently, the Undying Witch wants her to process. She's been up a couple hours."

"Should I call her?" he pressed.

"No, Nik, I don't think you should. She needs a swift kick up the ass right now, not declarations of eternal love," his sister snapped.

"Rebekah," he started threateningly. "Maybe you and Elijah should wait to leave for France until Caroline is back. I really don't like the two of you leaving right now. My hybrids -"

She cut him off. "Enough, Nik! I've had it with your unmitigated selfishness! We need to go to France; the faster we get rid of Silas, the faster we can focus all our energy on our parents. It's your fault we owe the d'Ebanne coven a favor, anyway. So shut up and go help Kol plan tonight. I'm busy."

Klaus ground his teeth together and glared at his sister. Pacari glanced back at him and shook his head infinitesimally. The Original turned on his heel and flashed downstairs. Rebekah cast a dark look at Pacari and sat on the bed.

"You should all also go to the meeting now," Pacari ordered quietly and the hybrids vanished. He walked over to the blond and stood in front of her.

"This family is bound together by a single thread that is unravelling faster than I can keep up," she said wearily after a few moments, staring at the hardwood floor.

"I disagree. It's been far worse in the past. Remember when you were daggered by Niklaus?" Pacari said softly.

"Which time?" she sighed but rolled her eyes and they made eye contact.

Pacari kneeled in front of her. "What can I do to help?"

Rebekah was lost in his eyes; lost in time and memory. "Do you remember our house?" she asked wistfully, surprising herself.

Pacari felt a terrible hope rise within, but he quashed it. "How could I ever forget? We built it with our own hands."

Rebekah traced his cheek lightly with the pads of her fingertips. "Be with me, Ari."

Pacari froze. She had not called him that since they were living in said house in Peru during the 16th century. No one else had ever called him that. It was only for her.

"You want me?" he whispered.

She blinked and a single tear slid down her pale face. "I've been punishing both of us for far too long. When I found out Caroline had turned you, I was so angry with her, and with you, for going behind my back. I understand the circumstances," she assured him as he opened his mouth to protest. "But I wanted to be the one to turn you. Now I recognize my selfishness. She was right; you would have come to resent me if I had cut you off from your powers. You are much better off as a hybrid. When I finally forgave Caroline, she implored me to reunite with you. But I lied and said I was afraid we had both changed so much, that the memory of our time together was better than trying again and failing. The truth is that I felt so much guilt I was afraid to face you. I hated myself for leaving Peru without scouring the earth for you. I shouldn't have been so fearful of seeing your corpse. I didn't allow Caroline to tell me the truth as soon as she realized you had turned because I was in such an ugly headspace. I should have rejoiced that Caroline turned you, not been mad at both of you for so long. All I've done in the past two hundred years has hurt us."

"We've both made mistakes, Bekah. I should have never joined up with Mikael," he said remorsefully.

"You and Elijah both thought I was daggered for far longer than I was; believe me, I understand wanting to kill Nik," she smiled at that. "But by then, everything felt like it was falling apart. All I could think of to keep you at bay while still keeping tabs on you was to send you to Des Cendres and Caroline. I'm sorry."

He reached up and cupped her face, staring deeply into her eyes. "Don't be sorry, my one. I was happy to accept the arrangement; being near my maker is always comforting and I knew she'd keep me updated on your life. Besides, teaching at the school gave me focus and purpose. I love the girls."

"Regardless, I release you of your vow. You are free to do as you please," Rebekah promised him.

Pacari was breathless as he leaned his forehead into hers. "And what of my other vow, Rebekah?"

She closed her eyes and breathed in his intoxicating scent. "Until death do us part?"

"I wasn't referring to your vow, I was referring to mine," he told her.

Her eyes opened and she pulled back slightly to look at him. The hungry look he was giving her sent a wave of pleasure through her body, settling in her lower stomach.

"I vowed to serve you for the rest of my life. I've done the best I could so far. What else can I do for you, my one? I am at your behest, as always."

Rebekah's heart pounded against her chest. She knew what she wanted. Could she finally have it again? Her, Rebekah Mikaelson, the forgotten daughter? She took his hands in hers and swallowed.

"Marry me?" she asked in a firm voice.

Pacari's eyes widened in wonder.


"Where is she?" Gita demanded as soon as she entered the armory.

Emmeline had been teaching Bonnie the art of sword fighting while Mariko sat in a corner observing and occasionally commenting on how Bonnie could use her magic to aid her. Mariko looked up at the vampire with a calm expression.

"She's meditating in the Sunyata Sanctuary," the witch responded.

"More like, hiding," Gita scoffed. "She's got her memories back – why is she wasting time?"

"It's been two hours, Gi. Relax," Emmeline soothed.

"The witches of d'Ebanne have summoned Rebekah and Elijah to Auxor," Gita responded flatly, looking at Mariko.

Mariko slowly stood up. "Why?"

"They have the anchor," Gita said.

Mariko's eyes widened. Bonnie looked at Emmeline in confusion, but the vampire was staring at Gita in shock.

"When?" asked Mariko quietly.

"When what?"

"When did they get the anchor and when were they summoned?" Mariko elaborated curtly.

"A d'Ebanne witch appeared in Mystic Falls yesterday. Apparently, they've had the anchor for decades, but there has been an awakening of some kind. Also, the d'Ebanne witches think Esther raised Qetsiyah. I just got off the phone with Bekah."

Mariko swore loudly. "Why didn't she call me?"

"I got the feeling Rebekah is not super pleased with you right now," Gita said lightly.

"Does she blame me for Caroline leaving, for Caroline losing her memory, or does she just blame me for everything bad that's ever happened?" Mariko snapped.

"I'm not getting in the middle of that," said Gita.

The witch rolled her eyes. "That brat should get her priorities together. There are certain things I need to know."

"It matters not, Riko. We need to get Caroline out of the temple and discuss what our next step is. Bekah and Elijah are leaving for Auxor soon," Gita impatiently replied.

"What is Auxor?" Bonnie asked, trying to keep up.

"It's the family seat of Caroline's duchy," Gita told her. When Bonnie's bewildered expression deepened, she added, "It's a medieval castle in southern France run by a coven of powerful witches."

"Are you saying Rebekah and Elijah are leaving Mystic Falls in the hands of Klaus and Kol and an army of newborn vampire-werewolf hybrids?" Bonnie asked icily.

"If Qetsiyah and Esther are working together, we have bigger problems than that. Qetsiyah certainly has no love for vampires and she could aid Mikael and Esther in their millennia-long, single-minded quest: murdering their children, which would in turn terminate all vampires who aren't Carolinian," Mariko said grimly.

Emmeline and Gita locked eyes for a brief moment.

"I'm going to talk to Caroline," Gita huffed out, turning on her heel.

"No," Emmeline said, sheathing her sword. "Let me go."

Bonnie watched as Emmeline silently conveyed a message to Gita that she was not privy to. Gita gave a stiff nod and Emmeline swept out of the room.

Mariko pulled her phone out immediately. "Did Miss Mikaelson say anything else of great importance?" she asked drily as she scrolled through her contacts.

Gita sighed.

Bonnie was still trying to wrap her head around everything that had just transpired. "What is the anchor and why is it so important?" she questioned.

"You explain," Riko said to Gita shortly before speaking into her phone. "Elijah? Talk to me."


Instead of meditating as she had planned, Caroline was pacing restlessly in the temple of the void. The vast sanctuary was built to resemble the interior of a Gothic cathedral, except it lacked a key architectural feature: windows. This was an intentional omission, designed with the aim to encourage inward reflection. When one sat alone in the pitch-black silence, they could no longer distract themselves from facing inner demons. Caroline supposed the modern-day equivalent was a sensory-deprivation tank.

A lot had happened while she was incapacitated; things had rapidly spiraled downwards in Mystic Falls. She wasn't sure what exactly she would have been able to do about any of it, but she felt so out of control, especially here. Her husband clearly needed her guidance. Her students needed her protection. Elena needed her assurance. The supernatural world needed her to be strong.

Caroline was pulled out of her thoughts when the great wooden door to the temple creaked open and Emmeline appeared. She waved a lazy hand around the temple and lit the torches, pulling the limestone walls into sharp focus. Niklaus had preserved the history of the Mikaelsons, Caroline, their companions, and Des Cendres in outsize murals when they first built the school. He had added new ones as the centuries went by.

Emmeline leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed and pointedly stared at a mural depicting the night Kol had massacred the school. It featured the silhouettes of Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah facing Caroline, who was kneeling on the ground in the Paris dormitory, clutching the tiny body of Nee-Ming and staring straight ahead with murderous hatred. An angelic Joan of Arc watched from above in anguish. Caroline stopped pacing to view the mural.

"I always thought Nik had painted Jeanne to be agonized over the massacre. Now, I wonder if she is supposed to be agonized over the beginning of a chapter of cruelty in my life," Caroline said softly.

Emmeline let her sire's words linger in the air until they faded into the dark corners of the sanctuary.

"You were right. As you always are," Caroline said after a beat.

"Oh?" Emmeline said lightly. "What about this time?"

"The feud with Kol nearly destroyed my marriage. As did the whole disaster with Bekah and Pacari. I've done a lot of terrible things in my long life; hurt a lot of people. Manipulated them. Including you," she added, glancing up at her friend.

Emmeline looked around the temple contemplatively. "I've had a long time to reflect on my past, Caroline. I was so full of hatred in the years after my transition. At you, at my bloodlust, at the circumstances. My hatred is what kept me alive. As you know, I channeled it into sex. I had so much hate-sex with you and Niklaus. And when the anger faded, all that was left was exhaustion. And do you know what you told me to do?"

"I told you to return to your family," the older vampire replied quietly.

"That's right. We fought. I said they must have forgotten me, since it had been years since my disappearance, and what they did remember, they hated. You told me humans don't quite work like that. So, I went back, and I spied on them. They had created an altar for me. My husband was unmarried. My children, just three and one when I turned, were now seven and five. They were so beautiful. I was careless. Valan saw me. During our painful confrontation, I revealed to him what I was. And what happened, Caroline?"

Caroline stared glumly at the stone floor. "I know what happened, Em."

"Yes, but you are not listening to me. He took me back. He forgave me. He did not care that I was an immoral, immortal, blood-drinking monster who had been gone for over four years. He only saw me."

"And you raised your children together and lived happily ever after. And you were there at his deathbed, and you were at your children's deathbeds, and you only came to Des Cendres to teach once your grandchildren were grown, but you still watched over them. It's beautiful, Em. What am I not listening to? I know your story."

"Stop wallowing in self-pity and hatred. It did not serve me well, and neither will it you. You fucked up, Caroline. And so what? Niklaus has done terrible things – daggering his siblings, destroying Katerina, killing, maiming, compelling. Rebekah has been scared of her own shadow for the past two hundred years. Elijah turned his back on his family. Kol is a maniac. Mariko can be ruthless and power-hungry and even you can't take credit for that. You're all terrible and you've all done terrible things. Don't try to apologize to me; I do not accept. This is the life we have been given. You turned me, yes, but you also reunited me with my family."

"So, they cancel each other out?" Caroline cracked a smile.

"Why not? You can't be more upset about it than I am, and I'm no longer upset about it. Let it go, Caroline. I doubt Gita even bothers to think about Kol. Your marriage survived and is thriving. Well, it was, before you were cursed. Don't carry remorse for past sins. Celebrate the past and let it go."


"Some of Mikael's vampires have been with him for centuries. We need to work on your stealth, chaps, because frankly, you are all about as subtle as Martin Luthor nailing the 99 Theses to a church door," Kol reproached from the front of the library, where he stood next to a blackboard covered with arrows, diagrams, and maps. "I've taken the liberty of setting up an obstacle course outside. You are to go through it as quickly and quietly as possible. Now, the key things to remember about…"

In the back of the room, Stefan Salvatore had his feet propped up on a desk and his arms crossed as he listened with a bored expression. A light breeze wafted across his face and he looked up to see Klaus standing next to him.

"Is Caroline alright?" he asked gruffly.

"Apparently, she's awake and remembers everything," Klaus said with a smirk to hide his deep relief.

"Good," Stefan said curtly, and they were silent as Kol listed the techniques for vampiric stealth. A few minutes later, a second wind blew over Stefan. Damon was flanking his other side, casually watching Kol.

"What can I do for you, Damon?" Klaus asked ominously.

Damon kept his eyes pointedly forward as he responded. "Klaus, my friend, my buddy, my pal, I was just admiring all your shiny new toys. Half-werewolf, half-vampire, basically indestructible. Your wife remembers marrying you; things are really coming together here. I thought it'd be a good time to check in on my darling baby brother. You don't need him around anymore, do you? I love him to death (pun intended), but I'll be the first to admit: I'm the pretty one. And the fun one. I mean, doesn't he tend to get a tiny bit morbid?"

"Not a chance, Damon," Klaus responded pleasantly.

"Ah, but you haven't heard my offer," Damon said just as pleasantly.

Klaus rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Let's hear it, then. What does Damon Salvatore have to offer me that exceeds the value of my best friend and lieutenant?"

"What about a deal from Elena that she'll give you bags of her blood for the rest of her life?" Damon said tightly. His fists clenched at his sides as he said it.

Klaus turned toward him with interest. "How much does it hurt that she'll always pick him?"

Damon refused to respond. He stared at Klaus with narrowed eyes, waiting.

Klaus laughed and waved at the brothers dismissively. "I accept your beloved's deal, only because I know how angry Stefan will be with the pair of you for making a deal with me. Stefan," he said mockingly.

Stefan looked up at Klaus blankly.

"I release you. You are free. And go ahead and stop being a ripper, now," Klaus said, his voice dripping with derision.

Stefan blinked rapidly and Damon grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the room.

"A new bag every week!" Klaus called out after them. As the door snapped behind the two brothers, his phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Caroline. With his heart in his throat, he tapped in his password and opened the text. A beautiful message ripe with meaning shone up at him.

"I intend to be your last."

In the upstairs hallway, Elijah was wrapping up a phone call with Mariko. "We're leaving soon; I've got to hang up now. Tell her about Qetsiyah. And make sure she knows the Five are in Mystic Falls, please. And for the love of all that's holy, get her out of that temple," he ended the call and entered his sister's room. "Bekah, the helicopter is coming in – Good God! Could you kindly remove your tongue from my sister, Pacari!"

Pacari and Rebekah were tangled around each other atop Rebekah's bed in a furious lip lock. They stopped kissing to look at him but held their embrace.

"Do you mind, Elijah? This is my room; a knock would have been nice," Rebekah drawled from underneath her lover, her bare leg wrapped around his waist.

Elijah crossed his arms and gave the two a very older-brotherly, stern expression. "Rebekah Mikaelson, you, Verenice, and I are leaving in exactly one hour. I suggest you disentangle yourself from your ex-husband and finish packing."

Elijah's exclamations had alerted virtually everyone else in the mansion. Klaus and Kol appeared in the doorway wearing matching grins of delight.

"You're back together?" Kol asked excitedly.

"That's a bottle of your oldest vintage for me, brother," Klaus told Elijah with a smirk. "Thanks, sister."

Rebekah pushed Pacari off of her and leaned up on her elbows with her eyes in slits. "You're standing there berating me, and yet you've bet on us?"

Elijah shrugged without a hint of shame. "Well, we are on a time limit here. There are pressing matters to attend to."

"Are we flying on your private jet?" she demanded.

Elijah scoffed. "What do you take me for? Of course. The helicopter is bringing us to the airport in an hour."

"Excellent; so, you don't have to get another ticket. Pacari is coming with us," Rebekah stated.

"Ah, Bekah, we need him here," Kol whined. "We've already lost Caroline and Mariko and even Bonnie; Pacari is the only one left who can face Esther!"

"Kol, you are the one who keeps saying Silas and Qetsiyah are a bigger threat," Rebekah turned on him with flashing eyes. "He needs to help end them."

Kol rolled his eyes. "That's not why you want to bring him to France."

Rebekah sniffed. Pacari rose to his feet and held out his hand to help her up.

"You still have an entire hybrid army," she retorted as she grabbed Pacari's hand and gave him a goofy smile.

"Bekah, as much as it pains me to admit, I think Kol is right," he told her quietly.

"Too right, brother," Klaus said, clapping Pacari on the back. "Welcome back to the family; now, get ready for a fight. Rebekah, Elijah's right: stop making out and get your bags together. Kol, let's see what my hybrids make of your little obstacle course."

"Little? I resent that, Nik. You just wait and see what I've cooked up for them," Kol taunted.

"You seem to be in a much better mood," Rebekah said sourly. "And have got your priorities together. I wonder why?"

"The iPhone is a wonderful thing, Bekah," Klaus winked.

The younger brothers flashed back downstairs while Elijah eyed the two lovers beadily. "I know we have a lot going on – when don't we? – but I cannot state enough how immeasurably pleased I am by this," he told them with a quiver in his voice.

Rebekah flew into her brother's arms.

"I'm so happy for you, sister," he whispered.


Mariko was now completely updated about the goings-on in Mystic Falls. Gita was right – it was time for Caroline to rejoin them. After hearing what Elijah had to say, she was ready to march into the sanctuary and drag Caroline out by her hair if necessary. Just as she turned towards the door to exit; however, Caroline herself burst into the room with Emmeline at her heels.

"Qetsiyah has returned from the Other Side? And there's an anchor to the Other Side?" she demanded with her eyes locked on Mariko's. "Why didn't you ever mention an anchor before?"

Mariko crossed her arms. "I never deemed it relevant. There was never a reason to connect the anchor to the legends of Silas and Qetsiyah before."

"So, what is the anchor exactly?"

"An object that acts as the doorway between the two worlds. I was supposed to visit Auxor in May after I went to Greece, but we all know what happened to me in Greece," Mariko grumbled. "The coven would have told me all about it then."

Caroline frowned, thinking hard. "How old is the Other Side, exactly?" she asked slowly.

The witch shook her head. "What are you implying?"

"Is the Other Side a natural phenomenon, or is it a product of witchcraft?" Caroline clarified.

"I would assume witchcraft," Mariko answered.

"And the connection of the anchor to Silas and Qetsiyah?"

Emmeline stepped closer to the pair. "Qetsiyah wants Silas to pass through the anchor into the Other Side. Are you saying you think Qetsiyah created a purgatory for herself?"

"A waiting room," Mariko said softly, her eyes round with astonishment.

Caroline's mouth was set in a grim line. "I think it's time to question our friend in the basement. We need to figure out what Qetsiyah is planning to do next."

And so, the motley crew of women began their descent. Gita led the way into the dungeons, her beloved talwar strapped to her left side and Emmeline flanking her right with her own sword resting against her thigh. Mariko was lost in thought just behind them. Caroline and Bonnie took up the rear.

"How are you liking my school?" Caroline asked knowingly.

Bonnie flushed. "Is it bad that I don't really miss Virginia at all? Is this just escapism?"

Caroline laughed. "I think you're growing up, Bonnie. Mystic Falls does not possess what you need to reach your full potential. Your parents have been disappointments. Your Grams has passed. Jeremy is a nice boy, but he's so immature. And your friends are quite needy. Especially me," she teased with a wink.

Bonnie smiled sadly. "I feel disjointed. I love it here and I feel at home. I feel free and energetic and passionate here. But Mystic Falls was all I knew for so long."

"It doesn't mean it won't always have a place in your heart. It's not as if you can't visit or keep in touch with your friends. And Elena will always be connected to the supernatural, whether she likes it or not," Caroline added with a frown.

"Can I ask you something, now that you have your memories back?" Bonnie asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Bonnie."

"Why are you with Klaus?" was the blunt question.

Caroline grinned. "Because I love him. He excites me and challenges me. He's unbelievably beautiful and the most creative sexual partner I've ever had. We have watched the world burn and learn and heal and burn again. I understand your reason to hate him, but you've only seen one side of him. As Emmeline so recently reminded me, we have all made gargantuan mistakes – how could we not after living for centuries upon centuries? We are bloodthirsty creatures. The most remarkable part of our lives has been the dynamic struggle between the animal and the human within."

Bonnie fell into silence and the group descended further in the darkness. When she spoke again, her voice was halting.

"I suppose I get what you mean. I've definitely struggled with my dark side. Bu that doesn't mean I'm ready to be best friends with Klaus or snuggle up to Kol."

"Kol?" Caroline said sharply.

Bonnie blushed. "Well, I mean, I can't deny he's kinda cute."

From a few steps ahead, Mariko butt in. "And he's so charming."

Caroline rolled her eyes upward. "Kol has always had soft spot for witches. Clearly, it goes both ways."

Bonnie glanced at the vampire sideways. "The two of you have a long history, right? I've gotten bits and pieces of information."

"It's a long story," Caroline said shortly.

Before Bonnie could ask anything else, Gita paused in front of a heavy wooden door. Though it was probably hundreds of years old, an anachronistic scanner was mounted on the wall beside it. She leaned forward to let her eye be scanned. The deadbolt unlocked and she pulled the heavy door open wide.

"Aren't I the luckiest guy in the world to be visited by such a fine harem of ladies?" a voice cackled from within.

Caroline waved a hand and the fluorescents snapped on. Silas was lying on a cot with his hands clasped under his head. He blinked rapidly in the stark lighting.

"Did Qetsiyah create the Other Side?" Caroline demanded.

Silas slowly raised himself up and observed the five women. He seemed to be weighing his options.

"She wanted to punish me. She had already killed Amara, who was not a witch, so she had gone on to whatever comes next after all this. Qetsiyah created it so I would reunite with herself, a witch like myself, and not Amara," he said hollowly.

"Then she also created the anchor?" Mariko inquired.

Silas chuckled darkly. "Yes; she's nothing if not exactingly thorough. Before I take the cure, I must destroy the anchor to the Other Side. With the anchor destroyed, the Other Side cannot be accessed. Then I can reunite with my true love in the afterlife."

"And the anchor is?" Mariko asked sharply.

Silas shrugged and laid back down. "Could be an old shoe for all I know."

Caroline and Mariko shared a long look. After a few beats, Mariko inclined her head imperceptibly. Caroline walked over to stand before Silas.

"Thank you for your honesty, my friend; I'd love for you to keep it up. Your fiancé has returned from the dead. Do have any thoughts on what her immediate goals may be?"


Kol Mikaelson slouched in the passenger's seat of the black SUV with his keen eyes focused on the apartment complex. He and fifteen of Klaus' hybrids were parked behind the building. Klaus was in the front with twenty more. Another fifteen were on the ground, creating a perimeter. They were taking no chances.

His phone vibrated on his lap and he looked down. It was a text from Klaus.

My soldiers have just apprehended five of Mikael's vampires. The rest should be coming out shortly. Don't move until you see them.

Kol sent back a cheeky thumbs-up emoji, which his brother ignored. Not ten seconds went by before he saw them. Seventeen vampires crept out of a back door. Kol grinned wickedly and gestured to the other cars in the lot. As soon as the vampires were all out of the building, the hybrids leapt of the cars in one uniform movement and attacked. Kol slipped out of his seat and flashed past the fight and up into the complex, the glorious sound of hearts being ripped out filling him with pride. He was on a mission, though. He followed the vampires' scents up to the top floor. He smashed open every door and inspected each apartment, his senses on full alert. Even if his parents were not there, the witches and other vampires should be. He heard a whooshing behind him as he entered the fourth apartment and snapped around with his fangs out. Klaus frowned at him.

"I've just checked the rest of the units. They're empty," he said tersely. "Only ten came out the front."

Kol felt a pit in his stomach. "Just seventeen came out the back."

Klaus narrowed his eyes and looked around the empty apartment. "It's a trap. Get them all back to the mansion," he ordered before flashing out of the room. Kol followed.

But just as the brothers exited the complex, they realized newcomers had entered the fray. Three human males were waiting amid the chaos in front of the building carrying all sorts of vampire-slaying weapons. When Klaus spotted their telltale tattoos, his heart dropped. As much as he had fought against the idea, the Five had indeed returned. Kol caught onto his brother's discomfort and sent him a questioning look.

"Brother?"

"It's the Five, Kol," Klaus explained. "Don't kill any of them. Order the hybrids to incapacitate only."

Klaus dropped his fangs as he approached the men slowly.

"Welcome back," he said in an unctuous tone.

"Where are you keeping the Immortal Witch, Hybrid?" the leader demanded.

Klaus chuckled. "Tut, tut. Where are your manners, boys?"

Kol flashed around the complex to the back parking lot, where his team was in full battle mode. Two more of the Five were sparring with some of the best fighters. Blood, hearts, and torn-off limbs decorated the asphalt. It looked like only one hybrid had been killed, while several of Mikael's vampires had been taken out.

"Don't kill the humans!" Kol yelled.

Unfortunately, as he said it, a vampire came up behind one of the hybrids and pulled his arms behind his back. One of the Five shot a wooden arrow into his chest, barely missing the heart. Roaring in fury, the hybrid ripped out of the other vampire's hold and sank his teeth into the human's neck. As Kol ran over to pull the hybrid off, the vampire punched him in the face.

"Did you really just do that?" Kol asked in shock and amusement.

He circled the vampire slowly.

"Where are my parents?" he questioned.

The vampire smirked at him. With a snarl, Kol leapt up and tore the man's head clean off his neck. He turned back towards the hybrid, but it was too late. The Five warrior was dead.

"Fuck!"

The other Five warrior flung a grenade out of his belt and bolted into a car.

"Grenade!" Kol screamed and the hybrids scattered. The explosion shook the earth and scraps of Mikael's vampires flew about. Well, at least they're taken care of, Kol thought to himself.

The Five warrior tore around the complex in his truck, no doubt to get the rest of his brothers out of there. Kol observed the damage. Most of hybrids were only hurt and not killed, but this was still a blow. Klaus flashed to his side.

"They took off. There were witches hidden nearby aiding them; I kept getting hit with aneurysms," he said curtly. "We need to get them all back to the mansion now."


Elena Gilbert was at her house, sitting on the porch swing, and waiting. Damon had informed her hours before that Klaus had released Stefan from the compulsion and accepted her offer. Although initially thrilled, she was now filled with anxiety. So much had happened in the summer. She wasn't sure what she would even say to Stefan when she saw him again. Part of her knew one of the brothers would come visit her tonight – probably both – and so she sat, and she rocked on the swing, and she waited. Her hand came up and touched the vervain necklace Damon had returned to her only a couple weeks ago. She had been so moved by his thoughtfulness and eager to wear something that reminded her of the good times with Stefan. But now the piece of metal was starting to feel like an albatross around her neck. Without a second thought, she began to unclasp it.

"After I went to all that trouble to return it to you?" a voice called out into the night.

She gasped and looked up. Damon was leaning against the railing with his arms crossed, sending her a curious look.

She lowered her hands and swallowed. "How is he?"

Damon grimaced. "Well, we're not exactly his two favorite people right now."

"Because of the deal?"

"Yeah, Stefan only likes it when he gets to be the martyr."

Elena sighed. "He's too hard on himself."

"That's my baby brother," Damon agreed. He sat down next to her on the swing and rocked them gently.

Elena curled up in the seat and stared at the ground.

"He didn't come to see me," she said quietly.

"Sorry; you only get me," Damon said bitterly.

"No, Damon, that's not what I meant," she protested.

He gave her a sad smile and kept rocking. "You're speaking too soon, anyway. He's on his way."

"I'm soothed by your presence," she admitted, temporarily ignoring the fact that Stefan was about to arrive.

Damon looked at her in surprise and let that settle in. As if on cue, a car door slammed in front of the house and the pair watched as Stefan strode up the pathway.

"Brother," Damon acknowledged with a sarcastic salute.

"Could you give us some privacy, Damon?" Stefan asked in a tight voice.

Damon made to stand up, but Elena put a hand on his thigh to stop him. Both brothers stared at her.

"No, Stefan. Damon and I had to deal with you being gone together. You can deal with facing us both," she said angrily.

Stefan's mouth tightened. "Damon and I already spoke. Really, Elena? You made another deal with Klaus?"

"It's fine. Caroline will be back soon, and she'll call him off. But even if she doesn't, I don't care. I did it for you. Can't you see that?" Elena asked and her hurt feelings were palpable.

Stefan looked away and into the night. When he looked back at her, his eyes were dark. "Elena, I haven't seen you in months. Not really, not as myself. Can we please just talk?"

"Maybe that's how you see it, but I have had to deal with my boyfriend looking at me with disdain for over a month," Elena accused.

"That wasn't me, Elena!" Stefan yelled. He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Lena, I'm just going to wait by his car," Damon murmured. Stefan watched as Damon laid a gentle hand on Elena's shoulder and walked off the porch. Her eyes followed him as he left.

"What's going on between you two? Why was he here, anyway?" he asked heatedly.

Elena stood up and faced her boyfriend. "Damon and I have been trying to find you all summer. I guess you haven't noticed this, but we both love you. I've missed you so much, Stefan. I want to move past this; I want to get back to us," she pled.

Stefan glowered at the ground. "It's not that simple, Elena. I did terrible things these past weeks."

She went up to him and laid her hands on his tense forearms, trying to make eye contact. "You were under compulsion; there's nothing you could have done."

Stefan shook his head miserably. "Klaus was not so specific about his orders. All he did was make me serve him and release the Ripper. The rest was me."

Elena was silent. She leaned her forehead towards him and he did the same until their skin met.

"So, where do we go from here? What do you need?" she whispered.

Stefan pulled away from her. "We can't get into that right now. I need to destroy Klaus."

"What?" Elena questioned with dread.

"I came here to ask if you'll help me. If we poison the blood you give him, we can weaken him and - "

Affronted, Elena stepped away from him. "I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstand something; did you only come here to talk about your revenge plot?"

"Elena, I don't have the mental or emotional capacity to talk about us right now," he said tiredly.

She blinked furiously to keep her tears at bay. "Stefan. Get out."

He frowned at her. "Elena…"

She folded her arms over her chest defensively. "Go away, Stefan."

They shared one long, painful look before he turned away in defeat. As he walked back down the stairs, the pair heard a scuffle in the dark. Damon heard it too, and began to move back towards the house, but he was immediately shot with a vervain dart. He groaned as he fell onto the front lawn.

"Damon!" Elena cried and started to run to him, but Stefan grabbed her and bodily threw her back into the house.

"He's fine; just stay inside!" he hissed before snapping the door shut.

Elena huffed in fury, but she knew she'd be of no assistance if they truly were under attack. She paced the front hall and waited. Suddenly, a muffled groan followed by a thump came from upstairs. She frowned. Jenna was staying with Alaric that night – only Jeremy was in the house with her. She grabbed a poker from the fireplace and started up the steps slowly.

"Jer?" she called as she reached the upstairs hallway.

An eerie silence answered her. She crept to Jeremy's door and held her breath, her heart beating frantically against her ribcage.

Closing her eyes, she gathered her courage and burst into her brother's room with the poker held high as a baseball bat. Inside the room, the curtain fluttered lightly in the open window. The bed was unmade, but empty. Jeremy was nowhere to be seen.

"Jeremy!" she yelled in fright.

"Elena," Damon's weakened voice floated up from outside.

She dropped the poker and scrambled out of the house. Damon was rising from the lawn and ripping darts out of his body.

"Jeremy's gone!" she told him fearfully.

Damon froze in shock. "They took Jeremy, too? Why?"

"He's not home! And he hasn't been sneaking out lately. I heard a noise like someone falling," she told him. "I have to call Jenna and Alaric!"

"Yeah," Damon said absently. "I gotta talk to Klaus."

"Klaus? Why?" Elena asked sharply.

"Because they took Stefan and I want to know if McCrazy has anything to do with it. But why would he want Jeremy?"

"Stefan was taken?" she asked, horrified.

"Yeah," Damon grunted as he pulled out the last dart and heaved a deep sigh of relief. "Let's get inside."

"Why did he have to involve my brother, Damon?" Elena asked angrily.

"Because he's psychotic, Lena. Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll get him back. We'll get them both back," he assured her as they made their way up the path, Elena helping him walk. "We always find a way."


It took Klaus, Kol, and the hybrids over thirty minutes to gather everyone and speed back into town. When they pulled into the long driveway, it became immediately obvious to both brothers that the mansion had been infiltrated. Hybrids with snapped necks littered the grounds. Some had been killed.

"How did they get past all the protective spells?" Klaus said between clenched teeth.

"Qetsiyah," Kol said grimly. Before the cars even reached the house, they both jumped out and flashed into the mansion. Pacari was slumped atop the dining room table with a candelabra sticking out of his chest. Klaus wrenched it out and pulled him up. Pacari's eyes fluttered open.

"Mikael doesn't know how to kill Carolinian vampires, so he got inventive," he joked weakly.

"What did they want, Pacari?" Klaus demanded.

Pacari looked like he was about to pass out again but tried to focus.

"They went – they went into the cellar. They had – Qetsiyah. They wanted the coffin," he coughed out.

"What coffin?" Kol asked, startled.

Klaus, however, had paled. He flashed to the door of the cellar and discovered it had been flung wide open. Cursing, he whipped down the stairs. Kol glanced back at Pacari, who had collapsed back onto the table. He followed his brother cautiously.

Downstairs, Klaus was on his knees in front of a wooden coffin. The lid had been thrown off, presumably by Mikael. It was empty.

"Whose coffin was this, Nik?" Kol asked warily.

Klaus's fists clenched at his sides. He raised his head slightly to peer into the empty tomb once more.

"Finn's."


A/N: Yeah, this one is a beast. Pretty much every character is present; it took a lot of organization. Plus, there's the time difference between Tibet and the East Coast, which I forgot while writing the first draft - kill me. I had to keep referencing season five to keep things as canon as possible, considering. Nearly every chapter in the present from here on out will be action-packed. The next chapter is close to being finished, too. Thanks for your kind and helpful reviews; they keep me on track. :)