MYSTIC FALLS
Stefan who was currently boxing up his things in preparation for the move to Louisiana smiles slightly as he shuts yet another box. It was strange to think that in a few weeks he and Buffy would be moving into their new house, which while exciting, he was dreading the day he knew would happen involving Klaus just strolling in to make his life miserable.
As he begins placing another book in the next box his mind couldn't help but wonder to what happened the other night with Enzo. After Damon had revealed that it was him who killed Maggie, Enzo had turned off his humanity. The new humanity less Enzo then decided to almost blow both him and Stefan up, before forcing the Salvatore to rip his heart out as some sick twisted version of getting back at Damon.
Right now all Stefan could hope for was that Damon wouldn't find out that Enzo was dead, but given the chanting, he could hear going on downstairs it seemed Stefan was running out of luck.
Picking up the box in his arms he heads downstairs and into the parlor room just in time to watch Damon childishly toss an ice cube from the bar right into Luke's face.
As Damon continues to launch ice at the male witch Stefan sighs and dumps the box on the floor before turning to his brother "Damon, I know you're out a friend but, uh, I'm not sure this guy's the best replacement."
"I don't think this guy's the best anything if his locator spell skills are any indication." Damon retorts before groaning, he was desperate to find Enzo he had even called Mary for help with the spell, who had promptly told him 'Bugger Off, I'm busy'.
Tossing a small piece of ice into his mouth he then glares back at the still chanting Luke "Yo. Where's your sister?"
"She's tired of being almost murdered." Luke hisses as he opens his eyes and glares at the smirking vampire "Look, I can find any person anywhere on the planet. Okay? There's just something weird with your friend Enzo. I can't get a read."
At his words, Stefan's eyes widen in panic "Enzo." He breaths as he crosses his arms and turns to his brother hoping to talk him out of this "Didn't he, uh, go to Cape Horn?"
"He flipped his humanity switch. There should have been a body count all the way to the airport."
Stefan winces slightly, that was a fair point but it wasn't like he was going to leave a body count just to cover up what had happened "Why are you looking for him?"
"Gee, I don't know, Stefan. A vampire with no humanity who wants me dead for killing his girl. Hmm."
"He probably hired a witch." A new voice pipes up entering the room causing all three men to turn just to spot a now dressed Alina walking into the room as she puts on her earrings "I've used enough cloaking spells in my life. Fits the bill."
The dark-haired beauty walks over to Damon taking the drink from his hand downing it before grabbing her jacket which was next to him "Damon, I'll see you later. Good luck with finding murder friend." Damon smirks down at the brunette and moves closer to her but she slides past him grabbing a bottle of bourbon off the table "Thanks for this." She says with a chuckle taking the bottle and shoving it into her bag before heading out the front door.
Stefan watches slightly stunned, when he had been informed that Damon had been seeing the same woman for the past few weeks...to be honest, he hadn't believed it, but after meeting Ally...he got it.
Turning to him he nods "Nice."
Damon couldn't help but chuckle as he thinks of Ally before pouring himself a new drink, raising the glass in his brother's direction his smirk only grows "I know right." Pausing as he takes a drink he quickly spots the box his brother had put in the room reminding him that his brother was moving soon "So I was thinking...how would you feel about me putting a sex swing in your room. Ally is very bending."
Stefan groans in slight disgust he had a feeling he would not be visiting this place again if Damon had his way, trying to get the point off Damon's messed up ideas of what to do with his soon to be empty room he smiles "So, you've been sleeping with the same person for three weeks that—"
"Don't make a big deal Stefan." Damon groans in annoyance as he circles around to sit on the chair opposite Luke who was still positioned in front of the many maps on the table "She's hot, I'm hot. It's natural, plus it beats dealing with Klaus for next what 18 years?" He teases making Stefan roll his eyes "Do you think you'll start having brunch with them before or after he rips your head off?"
Stefan couldn't help but sigh because despite his brother's teasing there was always going to be a slight worry that one day Klaus may snap and just rip his head off "You're not funny."
"I'm a little funny." The elder vampire argues before his eyes widen "By the way, I better have a room at this place. And there better be a bar and a pool table."
Stefan stares at his brother in disbelief, this wasn't some bachelor pad he was moving into, it was a home with a child "There's gonna be a 1-year-old there." He points out only to have Damon wave him off as the elder brother leans forward pointing at Stefan pointedly "And she needs to start learning to pay her way. Joey's one right? She can pour my drinks, we can get her a little apron. So back to me turning your room into a sex dungeon yay or nay?"
Stefan sputters slightly at Damon's words, if Damon really thought he could turn Joy into a mini bartender not only would he kill his brother but Buffy would probably beat his ass before Stefan even had a chance. As he opens his mouth to say no to everything Damon had just suggested their conversation was cut short as a panicked-looking Tyler storms into the house
"We have a problem."
NEW ORLEANS
Klaus lets out a loud gasp as his eyes slam open only for him to quickly frown in confusion as he finds himself in unfamiliar territory. That's when the memory hits him, Elijah and the rest of his siblings had drugged Buffy and taken her and Joy away from him...before the ultimate betrayal.
Elijah daggering him.
Anger quickly fills the hybrid's veins only to grow as he spots a certain dark-haired witch watching him with a wide grin on her face "And thus, Niklaus, you find yourself here. With me."
"Dahlia." The hybrid hisses as he shifts only to gasp as pain erupts in his chest, looking down he spots the bloody hole in his Henley right where the dagger had pierced his chest.
"What have you done to me?" He hisses "Where are Buffy and my daughter?" He quickly speeds towards her ready to rip her head from her body only for her to disappear.
Letting out a frustrated growl the hybrid spins around and there she was leaning against the brick wall he had woken up pressed against "Get out of my head."
"I'm not in your head." She explains, "You're in mine. As you lie daggered by your own beloved brother you have no choice but to listen." Dahlia pauses in her words as thunder fills the air making the witch smile "We must move, she'll be here soon enough. While you may be daggered she is not...so I have to wait until they give her more of the poison dear Freya gave them. She must be fighting it, but she'll be along soon enough."
At her words, the hybrid clenches his jaw as he quickly understands just who she was waiting for...Buffy.
Dahlia merely smiles as she begins walking through what looked like an old village "Come along. I have a proposition for you both."
Buffy groans as she feels her body finally returning to the land of the living, but just waking up felt like hell, every move she made it felt like her insides were burning from the inside out. Gasping as she turns onto her side her eyes widen as she spots Joy in the corner of the room asleep in her playpen "Joy." She whispers before she finally takes in the sight around her.
It was the cabin where Jackson had been the night the wolves had sworn themselves to her...that meant she was in the Bayou.
At that realization of where she was the blonde's head quickly flashes of memory of what had happened, she had been gutted and drugged...and Klaus...Elijah had daggered him.
"No." She breathes tears spilling down her face she could feel her body fading in and out, she needed to get out of here, grab Joy and find out where Klaus was.
The blonde tries to stand but she could barely lift her own head up let alone move her legs, every moment was pure agony. So she quickly gave up on standing instead she dug her nails against the floor and tried to drag her body across the floor. She managed to do it but suddenly a barrier blocked her way, the blonde's eyes widen as she spots the circle surrounding her, keeping her from her child.
Anger and rage fuels the blonde and her eyes glaze over darkening in fury, ignoring the burning agony she presses her hand against the barrier and begins forcing herself up not noticing the way her green eyes were slowly filling with flecks of demonic black.
As she stands she leans against the barrier using it to steady herself before she slams her fist against it again and again "Ahh!" She screams in fury as she continues her assault only for her eyes to glaze over as she spots Hayley enter the room.
Before Hayley could even speak the Slayer fills her anger grow and she kicks the barrier, the wolf staring in horror as the boundary around the blonde appeared to be growing weaker.
"Buffy—"
Buffy's eyes turn to the wolf "You apologize to me and I will beat you to death." She hisses before gasping as she feels a dart enter her back, stumbling backward the blonde drops to her knees as more of that horrid serum enters her system.
As she drops to the ground she looks up and Hayley and Jackson who was holding the dart gun, ignoring the guilt in their eyes she glares up at them her eyes flashing those small flecks of black once again "I'm gonna kill you." She whispers before finally all she sees is darkness.
MYSTIC FALLS
"Markos turned Sloan into a vampire, had her drink doppelganger blood and after some chanty ritual thing, she turned human again."
At Tyler's words both Stefan and Damon freeze in shock, this was impossible there was no way to cure vampirism at least not anymore now that Amara had died with the cure in her system.
"He cured her?" Damon asks still in astonishment.
"He cured her to death." The hybrid clarifies "The blood took away her vampirism. Left her in the state she was before she turned."
Stefan groans, again just like the cure it came with a catch "That state being dead. Got it."
Luke looks in-between the three, honestly, questioning why he had stayed for all of this given he would rather be anywhere else "So it kills vampires? What's the spell mean for the witches?"
Damon rolls his eyes, given he himself wasn't a witch he couldn't care less however being a vampire he much preferred being undead to dead "No one cares. Keep going." He says turning back to the hybrid as he begins pouring himself another drink, suddenly wishing he hadn't let Ally leave with his favorite bottle of bourbon.
Tyler sighs thinking back to what he had seen while being trapped with the travelers "The point is, they feel if they get rid of all magic, they'll break some lame-ass witch curse."
"Markos said they can't settle without evoking earthquakes or hellfire." Damon mumbles remembering back to his very sleep-inducing conversation with the leader of the Travelers "They break that curse they move on into Mystic Falls."
Stefan groans this was beyond bad "And come after Elena and me today. As in now...and given she's not a vampire they could bleed her dry trying to get what they want."
NEW ORLEANS
Klaus was going more frustrated with every step he took as he follows after Dahlia who was leading him to God knows where "Spare me the agonizing boredom and explain what it is you want."
Dahlia sighs before gesturing to a figure lair on the ground pressed up against the wall, her long blonde hair tumbling past her shoulders as she laid in a white vest and blue jeans, the same thing she had worn the night he had been daggered. Given how much dried blood was covering her clothing it was pretty clear that she hadn't been given the chance to change during her captivity.
The hybrid steps around Dahlia his eyes widening at the sight of the blonde, speeding to her side he quickly pushes the hair out of her face "Buffy? Come on Luv. Time to wake up."
Buffy groans before her eyes slam open quickly finding his only making her frown in confusion "What, Nik...but...?"
"We're in Dahlia's head." He explains as he wraps an arm around the blonde and carefully lifts her to her feet before she spins around her entire body tensing at the sight of the witch.
Dahlia merely offers the slayer a sympathetic smile "That poison running through your veins keeping you weak...I understand it must be pure agony...it feels like every inch of your body is burning correct?"
As Klaus turns to the blonde staring at her with wide eyes Buffy clenches her jaw as she runs a hand through her blonde locks remembering back to those moments she had been awake and everything had been pure agony "How-"
"It's one of Freya's making. Don't worry it will fade eventually. " Dahlia explains before gesturing for them both to follow her "Now that you have joined us we're ready."
As the witch begins walking Buffy turns to Klaus groaning slightly "We don't have a choice do we?"
"I don't believe so, Luv." He mumbles in annoyance before the pair begrudgingly begin following after Dahlia.
"Can we get with the point here?" Buffy asks Dahlia as she rubs her arms together, clearly, even dream-world weather was not made for tank tops and jeans "Because I'm currently laid on a gross dirty floor Cabin in The Woods style and not a big fan."
"Quiet." Dahlia tells her ignoring the blonde's questions as the three come to a halt just outside of a small village.
Buffy frowns in confusion before stepping forward her eyes scanning over the sight before her, there were children running around happily, while the women chatted and laughed. The men carrying pales of water on their shoulders.
"Very old timing." The blonde whispers before turning to glance at Klaus as he speaks up glaring at Dahlia "I've no use for demented dreamscapes."
Dahlia sighs before turning to the pair of stubborn hybrids "Buffy-Anne, Niklaus...listen."
Buffy arches a curious brow before suddenly her eyes fill with horror as she hears it, women screaming for mercy, men howling in pain, children crying for their parents.
"What is this?" The blonde whispers in confusion turning to Klaus, unlike him she hadn't been around 1000 years ago, she had spent her childhood in Los Angelus, so she was more surfer knowledge than anything.
"The Vikings." He explains before the two spot a blonde and brunette girl run past them holding onto each other in terror as they try and find a place to hide.
"The Vikings came while you were in the garden." Buffy hears the blonde whisper as she turns to the brunette "I'm scared, Dahlia."
"Don't be. I will protect us, Esther. But come what may we must remain together." The younger Dahlia tells her sister "Always and forever. Promise?"
"I promise."
As the two begin humming together the girls quickly found themselves torn apart as the Vikings grabbed them throwing bags over their heads separating them.
"Yep...totally preferring my 21st century upbringing." The blonde breaths before turning to Dahlia, more than a little curious "So what happens next on this home movie of family hell?"
"Let me guess." Klaus pipes up staring off in the distance where the young figures of Dahlia and his mother had been dragged off "The Vikings slaughtered the entire village."
"Esther and I were the only ones who survived. We promised to stay together."
"Yes, Always and Forever." The hybrid snorts while Buffy crosses her arms just hoping for this to be over. She was not in the mood to talk sister drama, she had enough of her own right now, she didn't need Dahlia's too.
"A familiar phrase." The hybrid taunts Dahlia "But then you knew that. Just as you know Buffy would be drawn in by a doomed siblings relationship. I suppose you think that makes us kindreds."
Buffy clenches her jaw slightly as she turns to Dahlia "I don't care about your sister drama, got enough of my own. At least your sister can't make your head explode." She mumbles before pacing back and forth glaring heavily at the witch "Why are we here? The truth."
"I mean to show you that we can be allies." The all-powerful witch explains "All three of us."
FORBES LAKE HOUSE
After deciding that the best way to keep both Elena and Stefan safe from the travelers was to keep them together where Luke could use magic to prevent anyone from locating them, Xander, Caroline, Stefan, Damon, Elena and Luke all found themselves at the Forbes Lake House.
"This is a terrible idea." Elena whispers as she turns to glance at Stefan while the two of them unpack one of the cars together.
Stefan sighs realizing very quickly that confiding in Elena that he had killed Enzo may have been a mistake "Well, what did you want me to say? No, Damon, it will be too awkward the six of us being confined to Caroline's dad's cabin because I killed your best friend and Elena is keeping it a secret for me?"
Elena groans as she grabs a box of food before glancing at the vampire "We should have told him. I would really he not rip my boyfriend's head off if he finds out the wrong way."
"Damon won't hurt Xander." Stefan argues as he shuts the boot of the car "He actually likes him...well at least more than Matt and Tyler. Look..." Taking a deep breath the vampire turns to look at Elena with a worried eye "...with me leaving, Buffy gone...and Ally being...well I don't know what that is...Enzo was his only constant. I don't trust that he's able to hold it together."
While his words made sense to the Banshee the brunette couldn't help but cross her arms at her friend, she felt like there was some underlying worry he wasn't fessing up to "Because Enzo's dead or because you killed him?"
"Either. Both. I don't know." Stefan admits in exhaustion "Either way."
The two's conversation was cut off as Xander runs out of the lake house with a childlike grin on his face "This place is awesome! There is a hot tub! We had a hot tub once in the Harris household...well no one used it cause Uncle Rory passed up in his own puke in there but still so cool!"
Caroline chuckles in amusement as she follows the human out "Xander there's a vending machine too...I think."
"You are officially my favorite vampire." The human tells her making her giggle while he moves to circle his arms around Elena who could only grin at his innocent excitement.
"Speaking of." Caroline pipes up turning to Stefan "We don't have to be invited in...Which is actually super sad if you think about it."
Stefan smiles slightly before he sighs as he glances down at his phone, spotting his face fall slightly Caroline arches a brow "No Buffy?"
"Not yet."
Caroline sighs sympathetically before tapping his shoulder "I'm sure she's fine. Come on doppel-targets, Buffy can keep herself alive. It's my job to keep you both alive."
NEW ORLEANS
In the kitchen of Rousseau's Cami was chopping vegetables angrily as she thought about her argument with Klaus where she had confronted him about killing Aiden. As she continues to take out her frustrations on the cucumber her eyes widen as she spots Elijah now stood in the doorway watching her, at the sight of him she couldn't help but sigh in relief "I left you a dozen messages."
"Family crisis." The original says vaguely.
"Have you spoken to Klaus?"
At her question Elijah momentarily flashes back to the incident the night prior from having Buffy drugged to daggering his own brother "Briefly. Before I put him to sleep with a dagger, words were exchanged."
Cami's eyes widen in panic, this was worse than she could have imagined "No. Elijah, Klaus didn't kill Aiden. He just took the blame because of some dictator edict about making people fear him."
At the young human's words Elijah's eyebrows furrow in confusion before he thinks back to last night when Jackson had confronted Klaus. While he hadn't noticed his brother's shock at the time clearly...someone else had "She knew." He whispers as he quickly realizes why Buffy had left the club to go meet Klaus, she knew he hadn't done it.
"Buffy?" Cami asks in confusion still unsure of exactly how the relationship between the two hybrid's actually worked.
Elijah clenches his jaw as he nods, he should have realized that she knew something wasn't right the second she stopped a fight from breaking out "She ordered the wolves back to the Bayou and snuck back to the Compound to see Niklaus. She knew he didn't do it."
Cami again could only frown, how could Buffy have possibly have known the truth, she herself had to drag it out of the hybrid through a screaming match "How could she know?"
Elijah sighs as he walks further through the room watching the human carefully "She knows my brother better than I, it seems..." He says softly no bitterness in his voice at the realization "...or anyone Cami...even you." At his pointed eyes making it very clear he was aware of her feelings for the hybrid the blonde human looks away with a slight hurt expression.
"One look from her and my brother would admit anything." The original mutters with a slight chuckle.
"Where is she? She wouldn't just let you dagger him."
"She didn't." He tells her guilt filling his wavering voice "Rest assure she is safe...from Dahlia and my brother's influence."
Cami's eyes widen in shock, she liked Buffy and she had enough conversations with Elijah to know that he had sworn to keep Buffy safe pretty much her whole life, she couldn't believe he would actually hurt her "What did you do?"
"Freya offered a solution to keep Buffy weak so we can get both her and Joyce somewhere safe."
At his words Cami couldn't help but sputter in shock, she had a feeling from the stories she had heard about the blonde that once this was over, she was going to go to hell and back to make him suffer for what he had done "You drugged her!" She scoffs in disbelief "So what? You're going to keep Buffy doped up and Klaus daggered for how long? Five years? A lifetime?"
Elijah clenches his jaw tightly as he watches the human who was clearly disgusted by his actions but never the less he was still sure that it had been the right thing to do, even if it meant losing the trust of two people he cared for "Till Buffy-Anne and Joyce are safe. Now, I need your help."
"What good is a jazz club with no bloody jazz?" Rebekah moans as she sits at the bar with Vincent flipping through the club's record selection while he worked on her unlinking spell.
Vincent drops his pen and rubs his forehead in exhaustion, his headache growing with every second he was stuck with this woman "Do you mind? I'm trying to reverse a sacrifice spell and you whining about Jazz is not helping me."
As Rebekah rolls her eyes and turns her head to glare at him she is unable to snap back as Elijah strolls into the club closely followed behind by an annoyed looking Cami "I'm afraid we have more pressing concerns." He tells the pair of witches as he places a box on the table.
"What's all this?" The ex vampire asks curiously as she swivels in her chair to face her elder brother staring at the box in confusion.
"Dark objects." Cami explains "Because, apparently now I'm a dispensary."
Elijah sighs before turning to his sister "It seems that Niklaus and Buffy-Anne's distrust of Freya was not entirely misplaced. Our sister wants to use Buffy and Joyce to lure Dahlia into a trap."
At his reveal Rebekah's eyes widen in shock, if Freya expected this to actually happen she was nuts, they did not risk the wrath of Klaus and losing Buffy's trust in them for nothing "And I assume you told her she's out of her lunatic mind. And unlike our sister I don't fancy Buffy ripping me to shreds when she breaks out of that little bind Freya put her in because we dangled her child in front of Dahlia like a damn biscuit!"
Elijah sighs, he himself was slightly worried about the anger and rage that would definitely come with Buffy when she was finally awoken but alas it was worth the risk to keep her safe "The serum from the Madrake, Moly and Angel dust Freya assured me it would keep her weak. But I do have an idea instead of using Buffy herself and Joyce." He says gesturing to the box of objects to his side.
At his words Vincent drops the book in his hands to the floor staring at the group in horror and slight disgust "You people are insane." He mumbles before grabbing his things glaring at Elijah "You willing let someone inject the mother of that little girl with that mixture of herbs...and here I thought you couldn't get any worse."
At his words and horrified expression Rebekah turns to look at him in confusion "What are you talking about? It's just to keep her weak and asleep mostly."
Vincent let out a harsh laugh at her stupidity, they didn't even think to check up on the ingredients they were allowing to be forced into someone they claimed to care about.
"You'll be lucky if she ever wakes up with that stuff running through her system." At his words and the three's wide eyes, as they stare at him, he sighs "That concoction would kill some of the most powerful beings...if not it desiccates them, puts them to sleep for good. But let's just say it's not a pleasant sleep. If it doesn't kill her then trust me what it's doing to her...the pain...the agony...every second she lays there she will feel like her insides are being carved open like someone's lighting her up with fire from the inside out. She'll be praying for death."
At his words Rebekah's entire body goes stone-cold as mass amounts of guilt quickly fill her, she had thought they were protecting Buffy, but what they were doing to her...it was torturing her. They were torturing her.
With a shaky breath, she turns to her brother who looked just as horrified as she did right now "Elijah, what have we done..."
"I will inform Hayley she is not to be injected anymore. The circle will hold her...but none of that is to touch her again." He hisses his own anger filling his veins, while he wasn't sure if Freya had known but ignored it as it was the best way to keep the Slayer weak right now he was furious.
As he speaks he quickly notices Vincent making his way to the exit "Mr. Griffith, where do you think you're going?"
"I agreed to help Rebekah break her bond." The witch chimes up still disgusted at the reveal of what was being done to someone who a lot of witches he had known over the years had only ever spoken highly about "When you wanna get back to that, text me."