Chapter Nineteen
On the Knife-Edge
Des Cendres
Southern Tibet
September 2010
Magic merged with fresh mountain air and sunlight in the spacious classroom. Bonnie observed Riko teach a group of five year old girls how to light candles with their minds and couldn't help imagining herself doing the same. 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.
Bonnie's private apartment featured a modern master bathroom, walk-in closet, towering windows, a king-sized platform bed, and velvet-upholstered chaise lounge. 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 reaching for the sunlight on the nightstand. Bonnie's favorite part of the room was the reading nook. Beside the hanging papasan chair was an enormous bookcase filled with grimoires and classic literature. It was making her want to read – and she was, more than she had in her entire life.
She would meet up with a group of older students and a few of the teachers on a terrace to take a two-hour hike into the mountains. At the halfway point, everyone meditated. When they got back, breakfast was waiting in the dining hall. Bonnie sat with the girls and learned all about their lives before and after Des Cendres. While not many were native English-speakers, everyone was required to learn it at the school. 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.
After breakfast, Bonnie would shower and get ready. She spent a lot less time fussing with make-up and hair in the absence of cute boys. 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 the main study hall 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 and talked.
Caroline had yet to wake up. Though this worried Bonnie, she couldn't help feeling slightly relieved. The more time it took for Caroline to wake up, the more time she had at the school.
She 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 hair 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 took her hand.
"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 watched with a satisfied smile.
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.
Gita was brushing her sire's hair when the blond shot up in distress, knocking the hairbrush across the room.
When she opened her eyes, Caroline knew herself. She peered around her bedchamber carefully and with a sickening lurch was reminded of her mother's deathbed. She blinked at Gita.
"Oh, gods. What happened to me, Gita? Where's Nik?"
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Damon shifted the Mustang into park outside the Mikaelson Mansion so he and Pacari could sit back to observe the frantic activity around them. All the reinforcements had arrived; witches and hybrids were patrolling the sprawling grounds. The front doors and windows were wide open, allowing the men front row seats to the pandemonium.
They could hear Rebekah snapping orders at hybrids in a room upstairs. Elijah was flashing between the kitchen and the cellar packing blood bags for the journey while placing threatening, bribing, and cajoling phone calls to insure a seamless and rapid journey to southern France. 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. They were targeting an apartment complex Rebekah had concluded was their parent's headquarters. Stefan was sitting in the back of the room with his feet carelessly slung on a table, wearing a bored expression. Tyler Lockwood was at the front of the room like a teacher's pet.
Klaus was arguing with a teenager a few paces from the Mustang. Pacari assumed this was Verenice d'Ebanne, the witch the Morganne coven had sent to summon Rebekah and Elijah.
"And why didn't your mother tell Caroline when she found the Anchor 11 bloody years ago?" Klaus grumbled.
"Maman did not want anyone outside the coven to know about it. The less who knew, the better."
"Caroline is part of your coven!"
"Only in name. I've never even met her. Besides, it's a good thing Maman withheld the information - Caroline's mind was compromised this summer."
"Watch your tongue, d'Ebanne. I've had bigger and badder witches than you for breakfast."
"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots."
"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. With a phone shoved between her ear and shoulder, she was managing to carry on her conversation and order the hybrids around. Pacari leaned against the doorway and watched.
"Yes, well, Gita, things have been a bit busy here. To make a short story shorter, Elijah and I must finally repay the favor we owe Auxor. NOT THAT BAG, THE BLUE ONE."
Pacari frowned. He had not been happy when he'd heard Rebekah and Elijah were going to France, but they were bound by a blood oath. He heard Gita say: "Beks, focus. Auxor."
"What? Oh, right. A witch from the Morganne coven arrived on our doorstep to inform us they are the keepers of the Anchor..."
"Are you bloody joking?"
"I wish. Bloody witches and their bloody secrets. Anyway, we have been summoned to protect the Anchor because someone - we're guessing Esther - used a locator spell on it-"
"That makes no sense. You can't use a locator spell on-"
"We are fully aware you can't use a locator spell on an inanimate object, would you let me bloody finish? They're saying the Anchor is not a statue at all but a living person."
"What! WHO?"
"Amara."
"...Silas' lover? I thought Qetsiyah killed her."
"Apparently not. I suppose she thought it was the ultimate finger to Silas to turn her into the Anchor."
"That's cold. I have to tell Riko and Caroline - right. That's why I called, but you distracted me. Caroline finally woke."
"WHAT?! What do you mean, Caroline is awake?! Why did you let me prattle on about the Anchor!" Rebekah froze in the middle of slipping a dress off a hanger. The dress pooled at the bottom of the closet as Rebekah turned to look at Pacari. The hybrid felt Klaus zoom up behind him.
"She woke up a few hours ago."
"Are her memories fully restored?" Rebekah breathed, glancing at her brother.
"Yes. She remembers everything about Nik."
"Thank god. Put her on; we want to speak to her."
"Er - she's not here. She retreated into the Sunyata Sanctuary almost as soon as she woke. Mariko wants to give her a moment."
"Tell Mariko we don't have a bloody moment! We have a giant fucking shitstorm brewing on the Western Hemisphere; there's no time for wallowing. Caroline and Riko have either got to meet us at Auxor or come back to Virginia. Don't listen to Riko, she's too soft when it comes to Caroline. If only Abambe were still here - she always saw right through Caroline's bullshit. It's up to you and Emmeline to smack some sense into her. I'm hanging up now." Rebekah ended the call and threw her phone on the bed.
"Do - do you think I should I call her?" Klaus asked, unsure.
"No, Nik. 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 returns. I would prefer-"
She cut him off. "Enough, Nik! It's your fault we owe the coven a favor, anyway. Shut up and go help Kol plan tonight. I'm busy."
Klaus ground his teeth together as he glared at his sister. Pacari glanced back at him and shook his head infinitesimally. The Original turned on his heel to flash downstairs. Rebekah cast a dark look at Pacari, sitting on the bed.
"You should all go to the meeting now," Pacari ordered quietly and the hybrids vanished. He walked over to the blond.
"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.
He kneeled in front of her. "What can I do to help?"
She was lost in his eyes, lost in time and memory. "Do you remember our house?" she asked wistfully, surprising herself.
He felt a terrible hope rise within, but he quashed it. "How could I ever forget? We built it with our own hands."
She traced his cheek lightly with the pads of her fingertips. "Ari..."
Pacari froze. She had not called him that since they were living in said house during the 16th century. No one else had ever called him that. It was only for her.
"Bekah?"
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 was afraid we had both changed so much, that the memory of our time together was better than trying again and failing. I felt so much guilt I was afraid to face you. I hated myself for leaving Peru without scouring the earth for you. Caroline would have told me she suspected you turned the moment it happened if I had been in a more stable mental state. When I found out the truth, I should have rejoiced that Caroline turned you, not resented you both for so long."
"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 the urge 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 both near and far was to send you to Des Cendres. 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."
She closed her eyes and breathed in his intoxicating scent for a moment before turning to grab something from her nightstand. When she faced him again, he saw the gold bangle in her hand.
"My mother's bracelet... You still have it," he breathed.
"Of course I do," she murmured. "I could never part with it."
The hungry look he was giving her sent a wave of pleasure through her body, settling in her lower stomach. It intensified when he entered her personal space. He took the bangle out of her grasp.
"I gave you this in thanks for saving my life," he whispered. With aching slowness, he slid the bangle back on her wrist before bending down to kiss it. His warm breath grazed over her skin, lighting her on fire from within. "Consider this my thanks for once loving me."
Rebekah's heart pounded against her chest. She knew what she wanted. Could she finally have it again? She, Rebekah Mikaelson, the forgotten daughter and overlooked sister? She took his hands in hers and swallowed.
"I never stopped loving you, Ari."
His eyes widened in wonder at her declaration. An exuberant smile began to brighten his features as she held his palm to her cheek and nuzzled it.
"Marry me?" she asked.
"Caroline needs to get out of the temple," Gita announced as soon as she entered the armory.
Emmeline had been teaching Bonnie how to sword fight while Mariko sat in a corner observing and commenting on how Bonnie could use her magic to aid her. Mariko looked up at the vampire with a calm expression.
"Give her some time."
"It's been three hours, Gi. Relax," Emmeline soothed.
"The witches of d'Ebanne have summoned Rebekah and Elijah to Auxor," Gita responded flatly, looking at Mariko.
Mariko stood up. "Why?"
"They have the Anchor," Gita said.
Mariko's eyes widened. Bonnie looked at Emmeline for answers, but the hybrid was staring at Gita in shock.
"A d'Ebanne witch appeared in Mystic Falls yesterday. Apparently, the coven has had the Anchor for years. The other day someone used a locator spell on her."
"Her?" Emmeline repeated.
Gita winced. "Yes. Amara is the Anchor."
Mariko swore loudly.
"Wait, I don't get it," said Bonnie. "Are you talking about the Anchor to the Other Side? And where are Rebekah and Elijah going?"
The three immortal women ignored her. "We need Caroline. Bekah said she should join them at Auxor or return to Virginia."
"What is Auxor?" Bonnie insisted.
"It's the family seat of Caroline's duchy," Emmeline told her. When Bonnie's bewildered expression deepened, she added: "It's the medieval castle in southern France where Caroline was born. It is the home of the the coven she was born into - the Morganne line."
"Are you saying Rebekah and Elijah are leaving the protection of Mystic Falls in the hands of Klaus and Kol and an army of newborn hybrids?" Bonnie huffed.
Emmeline and Gita locked eyes for a brief moment.
"I'm going to get her," Gita said.
"No," Emmeline said, sheathing her sword. "Let me go."
Bonnie watched as the lovers exchanged a meaningful look. Finally, Gita gave a stiff nod and Emmeline swept out of the room.
Mariko pulled out her phone. "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. "Who is Amara?" 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?"
"My centuries-long feud with Kol was ruinous. I did terrible things because of it, hurt a lot of people. Manipulated them. Including you," she added, glancing up at her friend.
Emmeline studied the temple walls. "I was so full of hatred in the years after my transition. I directed my anger 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 hybrid 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. You continue to watch over your descendants from afar. 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. Pacari is a guilt-ridden ball of nerves. Elijah turned his back on his family. Mariko can be ruthless and power-hungry. Gita even scares me sometimes. Kol is the biggest mess of us all - and that's only partly your fault. We're all terrible and we'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 against my will but you also reunited me with my family. Without turning, I never would have discovered my magic. Or Gita. Or Des Cendres, a second family, vampire sex...the list goes on."
Caroline cracked a smile. "You drew the short straw to get me out of here, didn't you?"
"Nah, I volunteered. The other two are not nearly as good as I am at giving it to you straight."
"Some of Mikael's vampires have been with him for centuries. Hybrids or not, you pose no threat to them. We need to work on your stealth, chaps, because frankly, you are all about as subtle as Bloody Mary in a room of Protestants," 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..."
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.
"Caroline is awake and remembers me," 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, another breeze blew over Stefan. Damon was flanking his other side, casually watching Kol.
"I hadn't realized you'd been invited over, Damon," Klaus muttered.
Damon glanced over at the Original Hybrid in mock surprise, as if just noticing him. "Musta lost my invitation. I wanted to check out your shiny new toys, Klaus. I'm impressed: half-werewolf, half-vampire, basically indestructible. You're gonna slaughter your parents and their army easily. So easily, I'm wondering if you still have need for my darling baby brother. I love him to death (pun intended), but I'll be the first to admit: I'm the pretty one. And the fun one. Hasn't his doom and gloom act gotten old?"
"Not a chance," Klaus responded pleasantly.
"Ah, but you haven't heard my offer," Damon shot back.
Klaus rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Let's hear it, then. What can Damon Salvatore offer me that exceeds the value of my Ripper?"
"What about a deal from Elena that she'll give you blood bags for the rest of her life?" Damon said tightly. His fists clenched at his sides as he said it.
Klaus turned toward him in 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 from my service. Turn it on, put away the Ripper," he compelled.
Stefan blinked once, then twice.
Klaus dropped the compulsion with a look that was a mixture of resentment and derision. "Go back to drinking bunny blood, repressing your true instincts, and being boring."
Damon grabbed his brother's arm and hauled him to his feet. "Yeah, we don't need anymore advice from you, buddy."
"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 passcode and opened the text. A message ripe with meaning shone up at him.
"I intend to be your last."
In the upstairs hallway, Elijah was wrapping up his call with Mariko. "We're leaving soon; I've got to find Rebekah. 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 bedroom," Rebekah drawled from underneath her lover, her bare leg wrapped around his waist and her shirt rumpled.
Elijah crossed his arms and gave the two a very older-brotherly, stern expression. "Rebekah, 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.
"I have just agreed to remarry Rebekah," Pacari announced proudly.
"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 two bet on us?"
Elijah shrugged without a hint of shame as Klaus' smirk deepened.
"Are we flying on your private jet?" she demanded.
Elijah scoffed. "What do you take me for? Of course. A helicopter is bringing us to the airport in an hour."
"Pacari is coming with us," she stated as her lover threw his shirt back on.
"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're the one who keeps saying Silas is the bigger threat," Rebekah turned on him with flashing eyes.
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, 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. "Got your priorities together, did you? I wonder why?"
"The iPhone is a wonderful thing, Bekah," Klaus drawled.
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.
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 behind them. Caroline and Bonnie took up the rear.
As soon as they'd emerged from the sanctuary, the two hybrids had joined the rest in the armory, where Caroline had been filled in on recent events. Her quick mind was working out all the pieces of the puzzle.
"Iki, what do we actually know about the Other Side?" she'd asked. "How old is it?"
"Older than us. Why?"
"Qetsiyah wanted Silas to join her in the Other Side so he would be permanently separated from Amara, who was human. Silas wants nothing but to destroy the Anchor so he can unite with Amara in the afterlife, avoiding the Other Side."
"That's the gist," said Mariko.
Caroline pursed her lips as she thought. "I think we need to visit our friend in the dungeons. I have a feeling he'll have some answers for us."
They immediately headed underground to interrogate Silas. The spiraling tunnels under the school were dizzying and eerie yet as equally fascinating as the rest of the school. Bonnie wondered if she'd ever stop marveling at Des Cendres.
"How are you liking my school?" Caroline inquired.
Bonnie flushed. "Is it bad that I don't really miss Virginia?"
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 immature. And your friends are quite needy. Especially me," she teased with a wink.
Bonnie smiled sadly. "I'm confused. I love Des Cendres - it feels like home. Here, I am free to be my truest self. But Mystic Falls is where all my friends are, where I grew up and discovered I was a witch."
"Staying here doesn't mean Mystic Falls 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?"
Caroline was not offended; instead, she grinned. "Because I love him. He excites me and challenges me and enhances life for me. He's unbelievably beautiful and the most creative sexual partner I've ever had. Together we have watched the world burn and learn and heal and burn again. We have destroyed each other and healed each other. I understand your reasons for hating 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. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to be best friends with Klaus or snuggle up to Kol."
"Kol?" Caroline repeated 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 history, right? I've gotten bits and pieces of information."
"It's a long story."
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 wearing Kol's face.
"Did Qetsiyah create the Other Side?" Caroline demanded.
Silas slowly raised himself up and observed the five powerful women. He seemed to be weighing his options.
"She wanted to punish me. She had already killed Amara, who as a human would have crossed over to the real afterlife. Qetsiyah created it with the intent that I would be stuck with her in her manmade purgatory," he said hollowly.
"But that means Qetsiyah created a purgatory for herself," Gita pointed out.
"Crazy bitch is intense."
"Then she also created the Anchor?" Mariko demanded.
Silas chuckled darkly. "Bingo."
"And the Anchor is...?" Mariko asked sharply.
Silas shrugged and laid back down. "Could be an old shoe for all I know."
"Nice try, Silas," cooed Mariko. "But I think the jig is up. You know Amara is the Anchor, don't you? You probably even know where she is right now. We knew there had to be a reason you never tried to break out. You figured we'd lead you to her."
He said nothing.
Staring at each other, Caroline and Mariko communicated in silence before Mariko inclined her head imperceptibly, prompting Caroline to approach the cot and stand over Silas. The witch avoided the hybrid's piercing gaze, looking at the dungeon wall with an impassive expression.
Caroline's eyes narrowed as she studied the Immortal Witch. She focused all her senses on him to make a startling discovery: his heartbeat was accelerating as if he was nervous. A very human reaction.
She made a snap decision. He was too powerful and she needed to know what they were up against. With more than a little unease, she unearthed a part of her magic she had not touched since she was a human herself. The women around her watched in awe as her skin began glowing with an ethereal light and her features became too perfect, inhuman almost. She felt herself rise from the floor. Telepathically, she reached into the abyss and pulled out the future.
The short scene played out in both her mind and Silas'. It lasted less than thirty seconds, but that was all it took for the blood to drain out of Silas' face. When it was done, Caroline's feet met the floor and her appearance returned to normal.
"No," he denied hoarsely.
"It is written."
"It is NOT WRITTEN! I WRITE MY OWN FUTURE!" he screamed, apoplectic with rage. "And where was Amara?!"
"I don't know."
"Oh, how convenient."
"What is going on?" Bonnie interrupted in bewilderment.
"I have a special power that I have not used since I was a young mortal witch," Caroline explained as Silas thrashed around his cell.
"She can show people their death," Mariko finished for her friend.
"And if he can die..." Caroline murmured, conjuring a green flame and throwing it at Silas. Acting on instinct, Silas caught the fire. He extinguished it with a glare. As an immortal, he should not have been able to perform such magic and they all knew it.
"He's mortal."
Silas let out a deep shuddering breath and calmed down. There was no way he'd let Caroline's prediction come true. "Yeah, you caught me."
"It's truly masterful witchcraft, Silas," Caroline complimented in awe. "Hiding your mortality for... How long ago did you take the Cure?"
"Stole it off Esther when she came to visit...oh, when was that? Sometime in August."
"Esther didn't see you," Mariko interjected sharply. "I caught her before she found you."
He smirked at her. "I compelled her to forget the whole thing. Ask your boy-toy Kol to confirm - he's the one who let her pass."
Kol 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 signaled 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 to attack. Kol slipped out of his seat, flashed past the fight, and up into the complex. The glorious sound of hearts being ripped out filled 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 at 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. 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.
"We never left, Hybrid," the leader sneered.
Klaus chuckled. "I beg to differ."
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 hunter was dead.
"Fuck!"
The other hunter flung a grenade out of his belt before bolting 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 hunter 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. "Mikael and Esther wanted us to come here. We need to get back."
No longer having to worry about Silas, Pacari's responsibility had fallen to guarding the house while the boys were on their mission. He didn't mind; his appetite for violence had faded centuries ago. The Inca hybrid was looking forward to a night alone with O-Neg-infused Syrah and his guitar. He wanted to write a song for Rebekah to celebrate their reunion.
He had just finished tuning and had strummed a single chord when the front door of the mansion blasted open. He stared at the trio silhouetted in the threshold. He only recognized the man, though he could draw conclusions about the fair-skinned woman on his left. His fangs dropped down as he rushed to his feet, the guitar dropping to the floor with a clang.
"Mikael and Esther," he snarled. "Your children are not here."
Esther glanced over the man who had once been married to her only daughter. "Rebekah did do well for herself."
Mikael advanced towards the hybrid. "This has been a long time coming, son."
"Yes," Pacari murmured. "It has."
"Come, they probably have him in the basement," Esther said to the other woman, a witch with dark hair and coffee-colored skin. She led the way down the hall. The other witch and three vampires followed.
The hybrid threw the first punch at the Original Vampire Hunter. Mikael's jaw cracked, but he barely blinked before returning the hit. They parried across the living room, all fists and forearms and elbows as if emulating an old-fashioned boxing match. When the vampire walked over the fallen guitar, Pacari's vision grew red.
"I loved that guitar."
"You're too old to get attached to material things, Pacari," scolded Mikael.
Pacari responded with a roundhouse kick to his chest that sent him reeling. Mikael used the momentum to jump up and latch onto the chandelier.
"What is Esther doing?" Pacari questioned.
Mikael sneered down at him. "Upping the ante."
The hybrid raised his hands to magic the vampire from the chandelier, slamming him into the wall. Mikael rolled to his feet and grabbed a bronze candelabra off the mantelpiece as Pacari rushed him.
The metal instrument went straight through his chest. Pacari stumbled to his knees in pain; Mikael lifted his former son-in-law with the candelabra and tossed him onto the dining room table.
"We have him, Mikael," Esther said from across the room. "Let's go."
"Yes, you need to fulfill your end of the bargain," the dark-haired witch drawled. "Though my warriors are probably fine on their own."
Pacari squinted at her as the trio crossed the room. The vampires were carrying a heavy wooden casket behind them.
"You've waited two thousand years, witch. I think you can afford another two hours," Mikael snapped.
"Qetsiyah?" Pacari questioned in disbelief.
The witch twisted around to wink at him before turning back towards the door.
"Tell me, did you curse every incarnation of their doppelgängers to fall in love?" Pacari heard Esther asking as they entered the front hall.
"I had no part in it. That's just the cruel twist of fate, Esther," Qetsiyah responded.
Then they were gone.
It took Klaus, Kol, and the hybrids nearly an hour to clean up, 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 the protective spells?" Klaus said between clenched teeth.
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. Qetsiyah is back from the dead!"
The brothers exchanged a concerned look.
"What did they want in the cellar?" Kol asked, "All we had down there was-"
"Finn," Pacari coughed out. "They took him."
Kol froze mid-sentence, his mouth still ajar. All the color drained from Klaus' face. He flashed to the cellar door 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.
But Klaus had strode right past the empty platform where the outline of a coffin was etched in dust. Instead, he was holding open the lid of an industrial freezer. The dim light cast a sinister glow across his stricken features.
"Elena's blood - all of it -" he said hollowly as Kol approached. "Destroyed."
Elena Gilbert sat on the porch swing 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.
She curled up in the seat and stared at the ground.
"He didn't come to see me," she murmured.
"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. 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 face us both now," she said angrily.
Stefan's mouth tightened. "Damon and I already spoke."
She did not move her hand from Damon's thigh. Her glared deepened.
He gave in. "You made another deal with Klaus?"
"It's fine. Caroline should be back soon. But even if she isn'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 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?"
"We are talking," she shot back.
"Alone," he said through gritted teeth.
"Lena, I'm just going to wait by his car," Damon murmured. Stefan watched as his brother 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 demanded.
Elena rose. "Damon and I have been trying to find you all summer. I know this may be hard to grasp, but we both love you. I've missed you so much, Stefan. I want to work through this, together," she pled.
Stefan glowered at the ground. "It's not that simple, Elena. I did terrible things these past weeks."
She laid her hands on his tense forearms, trying to make eye contact. "You were under compulsion; there was nothing you could've done."
Stefan shook his head miserably. "Klaus was not so specific about his orders. All he did was make me serve him and turn it off. The rest was me."
"So, where do we go from here?" she whispered, pressing her forehead against his. "How can we fix us?"
Stefan pulled away from her. "We'll figure that out later. My first priority is destroying Klaus."
"What?"
"I need to ask if you'll help me. If we put vervain in the blood bags you give him-"
Affronted, Elena stepped away from him. "I'm sorry, I guess I misunderstand something – did you come here to discuss 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 knew she'd be of no assistance. She paced the front hall and waited. Suddenly, she heard a muffled groan followed by a thump 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?"
"I heard a noise like someone falling, and now he's gone," she told him. "I have to call Jenna and Alaric!"
"Yeah," Damon said. "I gotta talk to Klaus."
"Klaus? Why?" she demanded.
"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, too?" 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.
"He's psychotic. Hey, it's going to be okay. We'll get him back. We'll get them both back," he assured her as she helped him inside. "We always find a way."
A/N: Yeah, this one is a beast. Pretty much every character is present and has some sort of arc; 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. 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. :)