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Katherine, Bonnie, and Rebekah waited outside in the hall, each one hoping for an answer. It had been only two days since the defeat of Mikael and Caroline had yet to leave the bedroom. Worry lined each of their faces, as they continued to glance towards the door and hope some good news would emerge.

The bedroom door opened and they held their breaths. Bonnie clasped her hands in front of her, stepped forward. "Klaus?"

Klaus' eyes raised and sadness dwelt in the depths. His head moved side to side.

"May we?"

He sighed moving to the side. "I was hoping you could reach her," he began, solemnly. "She hasn't moved since I brought her in here."

Bonnie moaned, touching his arm in a comforting gesture. "We'll try," she whispered, smiling tenderly.

The other women moved towards the door. Rebekah paused and gazed at her brother. "Are you alright, Nik?"

He shook his head, leaning against the wall. His entire expression spelled out sorrow and weakness. He hated feeling useless. "I've tried."

She opened her arms and held him, taking in his sorrow. "I know, but we'll reach her, Nik. I promise."

"I hate seeing her like this," he choked, burrowing his face in his sister's neck, trying to stifle the sobs in his throat.

She rocked him a few moments, before pulling back and smiled, faintly. "We'll help her. When we breakthrough," she trailed off, allowing him to fill in the blanks.

He nodded. "Thank you, Rebekah," he responded, sorrowfully.

Nodding, she entered the room, hoping she was right that they could reach her brother's love.

~XXX~

The remaining witches gathered around the pyre and bowed their heads in a solemn prayer.

Resting on the pyre was the body of the one who gave her life to protect Nature's daughter and the King: Mari.

Cleo stepped forward, holding a torch in her hand, tears streaming down her face. The young witch had been special.

She had a special talent and promise. Now, it was gone. Forever.

"I'm sorry I didn't protect you, Mari. I'm sorry we trusted the wrong person and you were dragged into this."

"She understood the risks, Cleo," Riana replied, carefully. "She wanted to die for what she believed in, and she wanted us to carry on in her place. You know this."

Cleo sighed, closing her eyes. "Yes, I know, but it does not make this any easier."

"Death never does," Riana returned, touching her friend on the back. "All we can do is hope she is at peace and watches over us."

"She does," Grace injected, stepping forward, along with the others, some of whom had fought against them, but repented of their decision. Thanks to Mari's death.

Cleo nodded, touching the torch to the pyre and stepped back, as the flames took hold and blazed brightly on the wood.

"Safe journey into the realm of Nature, our darling sister. May Mother Nature and the Sister of the Moon guide you to peace," Cleo wished.

The witches joined their hands and began a chant of old. One that lifted the life of one lost and praised Mother Nature and her sisters. A simple song of peace and contentment.

They sang as the fire raged on and their sister's body was raised to ash and drifted up into the sky.

Finally, they were at peace.

~XXX~

The women approached with caution. Glancing towards each other, uncertainty covered their expressions with each step. They didn't know what to say or what to do. This was not what they were expecting.

The woman sitting on the floor was a skeleton. A shell of her former self. Her hair was matted and uncombed. Her skin was pale and drawn. Her eyes held no light as they remained cast down on the floor. She was not Caroline.

Bonnie knelt in front of her with Katherine and Rebekah kneeling on each side of the Queen. "Caroline," she whispered, touching her friend's hand. "Caroline," she called, stronger than before.

Caroline refused to move, but her eyes blinked and her chest heaved with a breath.

Bonnie glanced at Katherine; whose eyes held sadness but some form of determination. "Caroline, you need to speak. Let it out," she continued, watching with soft eyes.

"Caroline, please, Nik is worried about you. We all are," Rebekah stated, wrapping her arm around Caroline's shoulder.

"Cleo told us what happened," Katherine began, gently. "Your mother was very brave to do what she did."

Bonnie nodded, leaning forward. "Yes, she was. You should be proud."

"That's right, Caroline. Besides, she's not really gone. You know this," Rebekah remarked, steadily.

Caroline's eyes flickered up to the ceiling before dropping once more. Her head moved a fraction up before it dropped forward. She was shutting down.

"Don't do this, Caroline," Bonnie pleaded, shaking her head. "Don't shut down. We need you. You are the Queen. The Lily. You are Klaus' true mate. You are also the daughter of Nature," Bonnie ranted, her eyes trying to convey the message as they strained to catch Caroline's.

"Bonnie is right, Caroline, you are not allowed to shut down. Not now," Rebekah joined in.

"You are killing Klaus with this, Caroline. Think of him," Katherine injected, catching Rebekah's eyes.

Caroline closed her eyes; her head fell forward. In the silence of the room, the air chilled like ice as tears emerged from behind her closed lids.

The three women glanced at each other and nodded. Leaning forward, they surrounded their friend, their Queen, and held her as she finally broke from the spell, she was in.

Caroline's heart pained as if a dagger jerked inside and in the comfort of her friends' arms, she wept.

~XXX~

Grace waved her hand over the flower in the garden, perking it up and begun its bloom. She sighed as the colors reminded her of joyous times before this dreadful war.

The reverberations from the King and Queen's pain shook the ground and despair filled her heart for them. They had lost so much in this fight. A senseless fight born of revenge and hate.

She knew it was nothing that could have been stopped once hate was born, but still, it could have been avoided long ago if Esther had done her duty.

Esther had been dealt with after her husband ripped her heart out. Grace recalled the story and understood the reasons. Esther would forever be bound to her children. In times of crisis, she would appear to them. Protecting them. It was a punishment she welcomed and through time, she never saw it as punishment, but a mother's duty. Her love for her children had protected them.

But still Mikael's hatred had grown. His teachings and false information given to the witches had won them over, and for that Grace would never forgive.

She had known the hatred for the Mikaelson clan had run deep in the Five. She saw it when she met Damon Salvatore. Despite the teachings of her sisters, she had fallen for the dark-haired vampire. It was wrong, or at least, to the others, it was wrong, but for Grace, it was right.

She rested on the stone bench, inhaling the sweet scent of the English roses. She closed her eyes, drinking in the scent and the atmosphere. Her red hair pulled back and held with a barrette with a strange knotted design. A gift.

She bowed her head, her hands resting on the stone.

"You kept it."

Her body tensed for a second before her head rose and she caught his steel-blue eyes. "Of course, I did," she stated, obviously.

He smiled, gently. "I thought, after everything, you would have thrown it away or burned it."

She shook her head. "I could never throw away anything you gave me, Damon."

He sighed, entering the garden further. "You still hung on, even after I…"

She stood, approaching him with tears filling her green eyes. "I never stopped loving you, Damon. Despite everything, you are the only one who broke down my defenses and saw the woman I yearned to be. You treated me like an equal, never using me just because of my gifts."

He began towards her. "My best friend is a witch. I know the toll power takes. I would never inflict that much or even use a witch for her talents, especially when I care for her."

"Do you still?" she asked, choking on the last words, as she met him halfway.

"Never stopped," he whispered, bending his head to catch her eyes. "I wanted to shut off my emotions, but I held on for my brother and some part of me wanted you to return to me."

She smiled through her tears. "I always would and will. Even with the battle, I never wanted to fight you."

"Would you have?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "I could not. If not for Nature being here, I would have turned anyway because I could not fight the man, I love nor watch him die."

In a split second, he reached for her and enveloped her in his arms. Holding her tightly, he groaned her name before nuzzling her face until his lips found hers for a searing, passionate, loving kiss.

Their mouths mated in a dance as old as time, and her hands threaded through his dark tresses as their tongues danced over the other. Their bodies molded together until they appeared to be one.

His hands caressed her sides, fingers pressing into her flesh through the fabric of her pale green dress. She moaned along with him and the sound reverberated through their bodies, shaking them.

The wind surrounded them, binding them for all eternity.

As they separated, their eyes flashed the same ice blue and they smiled.

True love had won out.

~XXX~

Kol groaned as he glanced down into the garden and quickly turned. "Well, it seems Damon has finally found his true love," he stated with a shiver.

Stefan smiled and bowed his head. "Grace?"

Kol nodded. "I thought he knew her when they entered the castle. I recognized the expression on his face."

"Oh, yes, they met close to a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, Grace chose her sisters even after they had fallen in love," he explained, lowering his eyes. "Damon and Grace were quite a force to be reckoned with. They were two halves of a whole. I do not think they realized it at the time, but they were…are true mates. Grace was the only one to handle Damon's temper. Well, with the exception of Bonnie."

Kol chuckled, shaking his head. "A prize indeed if she can handle him."

"Definitely."

Kol glanced over his shoulder. "They never completed the mating, did they?"

Stefan shook his head, solemnly. "Damon was planning on asking her when Grace announced she was returning to her coven," he answered, sadly. "It tore him apart." Stefan glanced away. "Grace can see into the future. She saw her sisters in danger, and she returned to save them. Unfortunately, it meant giving up Damon for a time."

"How long were they together?"

"Twenty-five years."

"They were together for twenty-five years, and they never mated?" Kol could not believe it. It was insane. He sagged in the chair beside the window.

Stefan laughed. "I said the same thing, but Damon valued Grace's virtue and treated her like a lady. He did not want to rush her."

"Yeah, but twenty-five years…"

"Grace had been in a convent when Damon met her," Stefan remarked, clearing the air. "She left to explore the world with Damon. She saved him."

"How could she be in a convent and be a witch?"

Stefan smiled with a soft expression. "Grace is an Avalon witch."

Kol's eyes widened and nearly fell out of his chair. He heard of the Avalon witches. They were descendants of the Lady of the Lake. Powerful and full of virtue. They practiced the celibate life like their sister nuns, but they were not without temptations.

"Damon became injured by hunters off the coast of England and Grace witnessed it," Stefan explained. "She had foreseen him in her visions and rescued him from the ocean's depths. She and her sisters nursed him back to the health, and during the healing, Damon and Grace fell in love."

Kol nodded. "An interesting tale."

Stefan chuckled. "They are an interesting couple. I could never imagine Damon being celibate for twenty-five years until I met Grace and understood."

Kol chuckled and wondered if Bonnie knew.

~XXX~

"How is she?"

Klaus lowered the glass and shook his head. "She wouldn't move or speak."

Cleo nodded, clasping her hands in front of her body. "I am sorry for the pain you are going through, Your Majesty."

Klaus frowned, glancing towards the witch with pain reflecting in his eyes. "I would gladly endure the pain if it eased hers," he muttered, finishing off the liquid in the glass.

Cleo smiled, sadly. "Being her true mate, you feel it anyway."

He hummed, turning from the fire. "Bonnie, Katherine, and Rebekah are with her. Perhaps, they can reach her when I couldn't."

"Sometimes what is needed is the comfort of friends. She will need you when the time comes."

"I know."

"It doesn't make it easier," she responded, stepping closer. "Will it help to know what happened?"

Klaus faced her, his eyes wary and cold, but they faded as they met Cleo's gentle eyes. "If it will help her," he uttered, settling in the large velvet chair in front of the fireplace.

Cleo signaled to another chair and sat in front of the King with a flourish, he had to smirk. "Mother Nature, or Elizabeth, knew that her daughter and her daughter's true mate needed assistance to defeat Mikael. Even though you and Caroline are powerful," she explained with a wave of her hand. "You could not do this completely alone."

"The eclipse during our fight," he murmured, lowering his eyes.

Cleo nodded. "Elizabeth made the decision to leave this plane and rejoin her sister above in order to ensure her daughter's safety."

"She is not dead?"

Cleo shook her head. "No, she is in the sun for the moment. She may return someday, but for now, she is with her sister, the moon."

"Then why does Caroline feel this much pain if her mother is not dead?"

Cleo's face melted into despair. "Because she lost more than that yesterday."

Klaus' confusion reflected in his eyes and lines appeared on his face. What could his love possibly have lost yesterday? His mind threaded through every possibility and none could explain what happened to her. Cleo's eyes kept him focused on the problem. A problem he wanted to rectify in order to secure his love's sanity and restore her to the loving woman he knew.

Cleo bowed her head, understanding that more needed to be said. "When the dagger embedded inside her chest, it created a flame in her veins. You felt it."

Klaus nodded, lowering his eyes. The pain he endured with her was still fresh in his mind. "I made it in time for her to draw on our love and melt the dagger."

"Yes, but still, the flames did more damage than you could know and only you can heal."

"What did they do?" Klaus growled, hating what his stepfather had done to his Queen.

Cleo's face transformed with sadness and her eyes conveyed sympathy. "They stopped the conception of your child."

~XXX~

"A child? Are you sure?" Bonnie asked, shock registering not just on her face but the other two women.

Caroline nodded. "Yes, I felt it," she whispered, stiffly. "Mikael killed Klaus' child."

"Oh, Caroline," Rebekah reacted, reaching for her friend. "Surely, there must be something to be done."

Bonnie glanced at Katherine and their expressions were not encouraging. "I have never heard of such a thing between two supernatural beings, except werewolves."

"Klaus is part wolf. Would that affect it?"

Bonnie shrugged at Katherine's question. "I do not know."

Caroline sniffed. The light, which once surrounded her, was dim. Almost non-existent to those with her. "Mother explained it to me before the battle," she began, her voice stronger than before but still dull. "Because I am the daughter of nature, I have the ability to carry a supernatural child. Particularly Klaus'," she paused, a wan smile appearing on her face. "Especially his."

"Because you are his true mate," Bonnie concluded, understanding.

Caroline nodded. "And now, I have failed."

"No, you didn't," Katherine remarked, turning Caroline towards her. "You did not fail. It was Mikael's doing, not yours. You did what you could. You protected yourself and your love."

Tears flowed down Caroline's cheeks and the pain ricocheted through her tenfold. She felt Klaus' pain mixed with hers and it hurt worse than ever. "He knows," she cried.

The others glanced at each other and nodded. "He had to know, Caroline. He had to," Rebekah revealed.

"Oh, his pain, how could this happen?" Caroline wailed, leaning forward as her friends surrounded her and encased her in their arms.

Outside, the rain began to fall from a sun-filled sky. Elizabeth was crying with her daughter.

Please be kind!

Tragedy is always felt hard. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm sorry for taking so long to get it up, but the good news is that the next chapter is done and ready to upload. I'll upload it tomorrow night. YAY!

This weekend or by Monday, this story will be complete but don't fret, there will be others.

Here is a sneak peek for the next chapter:

She closed her eyes at the pain radiated through her from him. After the calming talk, the venting, and reassurances from her friends, she knew she had to talk to him. She had to face him. Now, the determination was fading as she walked closer and closer towards him.

The closer she stepped the light from the flames illuminated his face and tear streaks were visible in the light. She covered her mouth and increased her speed until she was standing before him. "Klaus," she whispered, barely a sound in the air.

His right hand was curved under his chin, but his eyes were focused on the flames.

"Klaus," she urged, kneeling at his feet. "I am sorry."

Three words broke through his composure and his eyes flicked to hers. The pain and tender love shining in her blue-green eyes broke the barrier of his emotions. With a drop of his hand, he slid to the floor, until they were kneeling in front of each other. Wrapping her in his arms, he held her and whispered the words she longed to hear.

"It is not your fault."

Also, I'm considering doing a two-shot or a little more of the story of Damon and Grace. If you guys want to read it, let me know in the review!

Until Next Time...