"I want a breath of our passion to stir their dust into consciousness, to wake their ashes into pain."

— Oscar Wilde

The humans scurried to and fro like ants, their petty tasks all-consuming as they flailed from one chore to the next. Impotent, insignificant creatures. Klaus scoffed, carelessly tossing loose pebbles into the thundering falls far below. He was attempting patience — an irritating concept that made his skin chafe. Caroline was waiting for him. He wanted to seek out the witch and force her to reveal what she'd learned from the failed séance, but Elijah's patronizing speech about respecting boundaries still rang in his ears.

"Christ, you reek of disdain. You can't even be bothered to give your future meals the tiny bit of respect I'd give a ribeye, can you?" Bonnie flopped down next to him, gesturing at the workers Elijah had compelled off in the distance. "I peeked at the plans the Nature Conservancy made — despite your offensive disregard for human life, the wildlife in this area will get one hell of a home."

Amused, he glanced away from the flailing humans to tell the witch, "That almost sounded like a compliment."

She dryly replied, "You and Kol have eerily similar conversational skills. I'd keep an eye on him when we bring back Caroline — she fell for your bullshit; odds are she'd fall for his too."

Kol seducing Caroline. A great belly laugh escaped him as he recalled some of the reasons why Bonnie's idle warning was toothless.

It was the Midsummer celebration, and the village turned out to frolic among the bonfires. Kol was filled with boundless energy because he'd finally tasted battle and was marked as a conquering warrior. He'd taken to drinking mead until he wobbled to and fro, a foolish grin on his face as he attempted to pay court to a maiden he fancied.

The well-intentioned advice Caroline had given Kol had flown out of his head the moment the mead touched his lips, and they all looked on with amusement and mild trepidation as he stumbled into the poor girl's path. To onlookers' horror, Kol gave a great belch before heaving and spewing his sick across her embroidered dress and freshly turned shoes.

Caroline elbowed Klaus, blue eyes twinkling with mirth as she said, "I only can hope your courting style is as rigorous as your brother's."

"I'll chance it," Klaus told Bonnie with an enigmatic smile, not bothering to hide the flash of pain that crossed his face at the mention of his love. Where was she in this moment? Was she hurting? What if resurrecting Caroline only caused her more pain? A wounded growl escaped his lips as he recalled Mikael's mocking words.

As though sensing his dark thoughts, Bonnie firmly told him, "It's not like you think; Mikael lied to us." She added with a scowl, "He may have hijacked our séance and tried to connect with my power, but that meant I got a peek into his mind — and Caroline's soul is far away from his."

The relief at the witch's words was instantaneous. It was a curious thing to feel the crushing grip on his heart loosen — for centuries, he'd sworn it was gone...and then Caroline cursed him with his heart again. This was how they loved — terrifying and consuming — hollowing them out until there was nothing left. And it was everything he wanted. Needed.

"Wherever Caroline is, there's no pain. She's just...moved on." For once, the confidence was gone from her voice, and Bonnie lowered her gaze to the ground as she quietly observed, "It's selfish to bring her back. It violates nature and goes against everything I believe in."

Klaus bluntly replied, "I'm too selfish to care."

"Good. So am I."

The loyalty the witch clearly felt for Caroline brought an indulgent smile to his face. Only his Caroline could command such fierce loyalty, even after her death. "While I don't deny that Caroline is a radiant force who draws people to her, it's quite unusual for a vampire to command such devotion from a coven. How did this come about?"

"When the trials started in Salem, this bossy, know-it-all vampire smuggled my coven to safety and arranged for safe passage here."

Klaus raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That would've been the late 1600s. Are you..."

Chuckling, she replied, "No, I'm only in my 90s."

Potent herbs allowed witches to prolong their lives, but as the years marched on, youth and vitality would require a more unsavory price. Those deeds would slowly strip away the humanity witches profess to cling to. He suspected if Kol's infatuation lingered for a few more decades, he would undertake those wicked tasks regardless of her opinions. That unspoken knowledge settled between them, an unsettling darkness that would do no good to dwell on.

"I met Caroline in a blood dungeon," Bonnie unexpectedly revealed, an embarrassed smile on her face. "I'd just graduated high school and got a little juice, so I thought I ruled the world. My idiot cousin Lucy couldn't handle her drugs and fell in with a rough crowd, so I decided I'd go rescue her myself. When I saw this blonde vampire leaning over Lucy, I yanked out a handful of hair and punched the shit out of her."

Klaus let out a bark of laughter, picturing the scene and how enraged Caroline must've been that a young witch got the best of her. It's a wonder she hadn't ripped out her throat — quite the temper his Caroline had.

As though reading his thoughts, Bonnie snorted, telling him, "Of course, it turned out she let me attack her just to see what I'd do. She ended up tossing Lucy over one shoulder, while pushing me up the back stairs and doing this crazy kickboxing move against several beefy vampires."

An indulgent smile touched his Caroline, defender of the helpless.

The village market square bustled with activity. After his near-disastrous encounter in the woods where his arrow went astray and Caroline harangued him until he was a tongue-tied mess, he wanted to surprise her with a small token of affection. It was foolish; the woman had thrown a knife at his head — and yet, his thoughts were consumed by that fierce blue gaze.

He paused at the stall displaying carved antler handles. He was musing whether a well-made knife handle would capture that intriguing (and admittedly a bit frightening) creature's attention, when he heard her shout, "That's shameful robbery!" Pointing at the poor maid attempting to sell her wares, she continued to yell at the notorious skinflint trying to take advantage. "Nora makes the finest coiled reed baskets in the land!"

Grumbling, the man opened his mouth to argue, only to have Caroline fiercely argue, "How dare you insult her with offers of a paltry goat!"

Klaus' lips twitched as he saw many heads turn, all seeking out the fiery blonde who would raise her voice to Valhalla if it meant defending another. He noted with a frown that several men studied Caroline with covetous eyes — perhaps he should purchase two knife handles?

His musings were cut short at the murmurs and ill-whispers of the other villagers. The red-faced man had stepped forward, towering over Caroline as he scowled menacingly. She protectively stood at Nora's side, and while the maid appeared grateful, Klaus had grown concerned. He quickly crossed the market, intent on delivering a sound thrashing, but he was reminded that Caroline was far from helpless.

She straightened her spine, craning her neck to glare at the man as she swore, "Lowly gløggvingr! Best not darken this stall with your grasping schemes again." It wasn't clear whether it was the warrior's heart that clearly beat in her breast or the wild stomping of her feet, but the angry villager reconsidered his rude ways and hastily moved on.

One of the first things Caroline told him was "I am far from prey."

Klaus was enraptured.

"And that's why the Bennett line owes everything to Caroline. Why I owe Caroline," Bonnie vehemently said, interrupting his thoughts. "My coven's been researching every folklore story related to resurrection." Brow creased as she explained, "Those stories have to come from somewhere and I intended to tear apart this planet to find the answer." She smugly added, "But it looks like I won't have to."

He froze, realizing the witch finally was ready to reveal what she'd learned from the séance. "You have a plan."

"And a location — we're going to Ireland."