Hello loves!

I own nothing, A/N is at the end of the chapter.

CHAPTER FORTY

Finn Mikaelson would never admit to gaping like a fish at anyone in his life. Granted it was far shorter than many other vampires in the world, but he'd like to think that so far in his limited years, he had done a reasonable job of holding himself to nothing other than his highest expectations. And yet this slip of a girl in front of him – who was now failing miserably to contain her amusement at the situation and had resorted to laughing in a manner he'd compare to a hyena of sorts whilst rolling around on the ground, reminding him yet again just how young she was and how difficult it would be to deal with her in future and maintain any sense at all of professionalism – had him gaping like a damned fool.

Aria's giggles slowly died down and she let out a long sigh, turning to face Finn who was now leaning against one of the pillars separating the bedroom and the other rooms, arms crossed over his chest. He raised an eyebrow at her and unwillingly smiled as she started giggling again; though he would admit it was unlike other irritating laughs he'd heard. Typically, he would have associated giggling with a group of gossiping girls pointing at one person or another but with Aria, she simply seemed to be the way she laughed with nothing other than pure elation. It was refreshing.

"Are you quite done?" He questioned once Aria's laughs had died down again. She slowly nodded, "I just need a second."

Finn gave her the moment or two to gather her thoughts before speaking again, "Miss Gerard, what do you mean you know how to kill Dahlia?"

Aria stared at him strangely, "I'd say it was pretty self-explanatory, Finn."

Finn rolled his eyes, smile dropping and giving way to a more nervous demeanour, "Yes, it's just that saying you know how to kill a thousand-year-old immortal witch will typically bring along a number of questions by the parties you're talking to. And considering you're not trapped with any of my brothers or even Rebekah, I'm willing to bet that you have not yet told them of your plan."

Aria's eyes narrowed and Finn smiled innocently, "You didn't think Elijah was the only one who thought like you, did you? You're a fantastic manipulator – don't let it go to your head." He warned, sparing her a warning glare as she supressed a grin, "But most of all, you're able to think about a situation from multiple points of view. Elijah is rather adept at that, but unfortunately for you, so am I."

"And the rest of them?"

Finn shrugged, "You've met Kol and Rebekah obviously, and the only thing you share with Niklaus is your temper and rather murderous nature."

Aria scowled. He was turning into Freya, "I don't murder people because I'm bored."

Finn handed her that and tipped his head in acknowledgement, "However you two are… vaguely similar." A small crease formed in his eyebrows, "You don't mean to tell me that no one has ever pointed it out before?"

Aria scowled and let out a small huff. Freya liked to mention it all too often, and she was sure that if Davina could stand being in the same room as Klaus, she would feel the same. She had no idea what she'd do if they started teaming up, "Yeah, yeah, I get it." She snapped irritably, "Continue with your point?"

"As I was saying, considering the similarities between your method and Elijah's, it isn't at all hard for me to see through them when Elijah picked many of those traits up from me."

Aria quirked an eyebrow, "I find it very hard but admittedly amusing to think about you and Elijah huddled around a campfire exchanging ghost stories and ways to get into people's heads."

Finn smiled, "We are more similar than people may think, Miss Gerard. But it seems that you may soon join our unusual duo."

The witch rolled her eyes, "If you both keep insisting on calling me 'Miss Gerard' there won't be much of a duo left for me to join." She mumbled. Finn's lip quirked but he said nothing else.

Aria moved to the bed in the back of the room and flopped down onto it, landing in an ungraceful heap before she sighed, patting the spot next to her for Finn to join her. Apart from feeling mildly insulted at the action one would use to summon a dog to sit with them, Finn made no complaint and walked across the large room before taking a seat next to the witch. She had her eyes closed as she began speaking but Finn was focusing on the dark circles beneath her eyes rather than her words, "You haven't been sleeping?" He asked out of nowhere.

Her eyes shot open, scrutinising him curiously before shrugging, "Not been much time, honestly. What with all the witch business and that."

Finn's forehead creased in what he realised was concern but he said nothing and let her continue, "As I was saying, there is one thing that you, I, and the Mikaelsons can agree on. And that is Dahlia's corpse rotting six feet under. So when I say that I have a way to kill her, I did expect more of a reaction – although what I got gave me a bit of fun. But back to my point, I mean exactly what I said. I have a way to kill Dahlia. Or at least… trap her, until we have a full proof plan."

Finn frowned in thought, "Is that why you needed the tethering recipe?"

Aria grinned, "Exactly! And since she loves sleeping so damn much, I don't believe she'll refuse the chance to taking one last little nap before Klaus gets to her, don't you think?" Finn smiled in response before pausing, "You intend to hand Dahlia over to Niklaus once you've completed the spell?"

Aria stared blankly at Finn for a long moment before she scoffed, "I'm not sure if I should be offended or not." She mused, "No. I'm not going to hand her over. I trust Klaus about as much as I'd trust the French Quarter Coven." His eyebrow quirked up, curious for further explanation, "Let's just say my trust in them is entirely non-existent."

The witch covered his laugh with a cough and Aria winced, "If you're gonna be comparing us, we'll have to work on a couple of things." She murmured. He frowned in offense before she continued, "But anyway, if I can trap Dahlia, I'll have plenty of time to work on actually finding a way to kill the witch-bitch without messing up and making a colossal mistake that would result in her gaining more power than she already has."

"So… trapping her is just going to be a-"

"Precaution. Exactly."

Finn nodded along with her, "I admit, it seems like a good idea. But tell me, how do you hope to trap her in the first place? Let alone find a spell powerful enough to trap her. The tethering recipe might be useful but Dahlia is an accomplished witch, there isn't much you can do without her knowing exactly how to counter it."

Aria pursed her lips together and a crease formed between her eyebrows, "I hadn't thought about that."

A moment passed before Finn spoke again, "Isn't New Orleans known for dark magic?"

"I wouldn't say known for dark magic, but-" She made a face, "Yeah, yeah kind of."

"If you found a spell specifically native to New Orleans, Dahlia would have a much more difficult time of undoing it. The magic in New Orleans is mostly a different branch from other places I've been considering many here practice Ancestral Magic, but as it is, the magic here is wild and chaotic. Miss Gerard, your power is wild and unpredictable. If you were to find a spell that is equally as volatile …" He trailed off.

A spark lit in Aria's eyes, "She'd have no idea how to undo it."

"Which would leave plenty of time to find a way to kill her." Finn finished, a small smile on his face, "Exactly."

Aria laughed and stared at Finn in interest, "You're pretty good at this stuff, you know?"

Finn shrugged, "It seems mostly like combining sense and reason. From there, it's relatively quick to pick up on."

"Did you trigger your witch gene when you were human?" Aria asked in interest.

Finn shook his head, "Kol did, however. Though I'm sure you know that. Apart from him, the witches in our family have been few and far between."

A nagging voice in the back of Aria's head told her to tell him that his beloved older sister was still alive, but she pushed it away. Just as she had with Elijah all that time ago, she needed to let Freya make an appearance on her own terms. Maybe once she'd figured out whether Finn was actually going to help her, she'd let him out. Or let Freya in. She hadn't quite decided yet.

"So back to the point, you plan on trapping Dahlia. How do you propose we do so when we don't even know where she is?"

Aria grinned, "How much do you know about a little witch named Emily Bennett?"

Finn frowned in thought and murmured the name quietly to himself before shaking his head, "I don't believe I know-" He paused, "Bennett?"

She nodded.

A dark scowl grew on his face, "I know of her descendant but that's about it."

Other than the small spark of interest in Aria's expression, she left the topic untouched before grinning widely, "Well then, more fun for me! Emily Bennett was a witch in the… eighteen hundreds in Mystic Falls. She's one of the most powerful Bennett witches by a long shot. Now, from what I've been able to find about her, she was the handmaiden to Katherine Pierce and, at the request of some vampire called Damon Salvatore, saved twenty-seven vampires from death and locked them up in a tomb under a Church. Her spell held up for centuries even after she'd been burned at the stake." The awe in her voice was impossible to miss, "Now, along with that, Bennett also cast three specific enchantments. Which is where the key to trapping Dahlia comes in."

Finn frowned, "How exactly can this witch help if she's long dead? The spell on the tomb holding up after her death is extraordinary considering the fact that her power would've most likely flooded to her at her time of death, but how does it link back to Dahlia?"

Aria rolled her eyes, "If we get our hands on her Grimoire-"

"Miss Gerard, that Grimoire will most likely be dust by now. And even if it was somehow still intact, how exactly do you plan on obtaining it?"

Aria's words died on the tip of her tongue and she frowned, eyebrows knitting together before a small smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth, "That is where your brother comes in."

"Which one?" Finn asked dryly, a single eyebrow raised.

Aria grinned, and it was all teeth. "Elijah." The witch suddenly stretched before she sat up and, with as little as a muttered spell, a book suddenly landed in her lap. Her hands caressed the cover almost affectionately before she flicked through the pages, eyes barely scanning each page. She stopped on one in particular and as a grin stretched across her face, she turned the book around to show Finn. In his opinion, she looked entirely too excited for him to be safe.

He glanced to the book and his eyebrows raised, "A locator spell? I'm afraid that if you don't have something belonging to this witch, you won't be able to find her Grimoire."

"Who says I don't?"

Finn eyed her dubiously, "You have something that with absolute certainty belonged to a witch two hundred years ago?"

"I told you, that's where Elijah comes in." After muttering another spell he didn't recognise – the same one she'd used before the book had appeared – a small circular disk found itself placed on her hand, "This little trinket is something called the Gilbert Compass." She tilted it down to show him, "Recognise anything?" She asked innocently.

He scowled at her, "You seem to know everything about the Mikaelsons. Why don't you answer for me?"

Aria turned slightly sympathetic, "I am sorry. Dying… it's never fun, is it?"

In the moment, Finn was once again reminded that this witch had been through death. And Dahlia. In his opinion, that might've been worse torture. He settled for a single nod, but instead of letting a tense silence settle over them – something that would be so easy and so effortless – he spoke again.

"Gilbert Compass?"

Aria nodded, the spark in her eyes returning. "Emily Bennett enchanted three objects that belonged to this Gilbert guy a couple centuries back, but this little thing was what I found most interesting."

"What were the other objects?"

"A device that can incapacitate any vampire of werewolf in the vicinity – it's a little broken though. And a ring that can resurrect anyone from a supernatural death."

Finn stared at her disbelievingly, "And you chose a compass over a ring that could guarantee you life after death?"

"The only catch is that it doesn't work on Supernaturals. Besides, it won't do anything a little protection spell can't."

"So… the Gilbert compass. What can it do?"

Aria grinned widely, "Point to any vampire in its vicinity. 'Course the poor thing will probably be going wild in New Orleans but it certainly creates a… safety blanket of sorts, doesn't it?"

"It's quite clever." Finn conceded, "But how does it contribute to capturing Dahlia other than giving you an object to trace her Grimoire with?"

Aria's grin faltered, "It doesn't particularly do much other than that, if I'm honest." She admitted quietly as Finn's brow furrowed, "But if I modify it a little, it might work on witches." She gestured to her face, "And if that works, these circles might be gone soon enough."

"You haven't had a proper sleep in a long time, have you?"

She smiled sadly and shook her head. After a tense moment, Aria jumped up from the bed, "Well then, I have to go. Mikaelson business is never really over, is it?" She asked playfully, a far cry from the girl she'd been a moment ago.

Plenty of un-saids rested in the air, but Finn let her go. He'd see her again soon enough.

~*•°•*~

Aria watched as Kol lit a Bunsen burner on the table in front of her, the flame leaping up a foot or so before subsiding. She sighed and Kol laughed quietly, before stopping at her withering glare. The look softened and she smirked playfully as he rolled his eyes, "Are you ready?"

"I don't know. Never done this before, remember?" She teased.

Kol rolled his eyes again, "Well Darling, if it makes you feel any better, I've never actually completed the spell itself. But… I've never had an accomplice as powerful as you, either." He grabbed the silver dagger out of his trunk and held it up to the ceiling like it was a sword, waggling his eyebrows as Aria laughed, "So, let's do this, then!"

"Let's do it." She agreed.

They held onto the handle of the dagger together and pushed it toward the flame. Then, they began to chant.

"E loke gae la lidi. E loke gae la lidi.

E loke gae la lidi. E loke gae la lidi.

E loke gae la lidi. E loke gae la lidi."

Suddenly, the temperature of the dagger jumped until it was so hot that both witches dropped it to the floor. They looked down at it in shock before Aria cautiously knelt and picked up the dagger, holding it up to the light, no longer seeing any trace of silver. A slow smile stretched across her face.

"I think it worked." Came Kol's quiet voice from behind her.

Aria couldn't stifle the laugh that bubbled out of her, complete exhilaration running through her body and setting her veins on fire. She looked up and met Kol's stare, watching as a smile broke out on his face before he darted forward and picked her up, spinning her around until she was dizzy.

"It worked!"

Aria had to remind herself that this was a thousand-year-old vampire that had been dreaming of this moment for centuries, purely to stop confusion clouding her senses. Kol set her down on the floor soon enough, her head still spinning, before he leant forward and captured her mouth in a kiss.

A sound of surprise left her as magic swarmed through her body at his touch, jumpstarting the exhilaration once again. Kol pulled away after a second and his eyebrows creased as he looked down at her in confusion, "What was-"

Aria leant back up and kissed him again, "Nothing." She murmured, mentally begging him to leave it alone.

She couldn't explain. There wasn't enough time in the world.

Kol stopped again after another moment, but before she could question it, he went toppling backwards into a table. The sound that left her mouth seemed far too familiar to Klaus for comfort, but she was more concerned about him in the moment. In the blood that was now dripping from his nose.

"Kol?"

The witch didn't speak as he limped over to the chair next to the table and collapsed down into it. Aria grabbed a box of tissues from the opposite side of the tomb and walked back to Kol hurriedly, helping him wipe the blood away.

"What in the hell just happened?"

Kol let his head drop so that hair fell into his face and obscured him from her view, and then swiped it away and turned back to face her, an easy smile resting on his face, "I'm fine! Oh, a spell like that takes his toll, doesn't it?"

Aria frowned briefly and her eyes narrowed before she mirrored his smile and nodded along with the charade. Kol quickly pointed to the dagger that she had rested on the table when she'd been picked up, "And you hide that for now, okay? Because, uh, well, today, we've got a reason to celebrate." He took a quick pause, "Come to the wedding with me."

"That a question, or an order, Mikaelson?"

Kol pursed his lips in thought, a playful glimmer in his eyes, "Order."

"Then no."

"Question?"

"Still no." Aria repeated, "But only because at weddings, there is music and with music comes dancing. And the problem is that I can't dance."

Fleeting surprise showed in Kol's eyes, "Can't dance?" He echoed.

Aria shook her head, a smile framing her face as she handed him the dagger, "Nope. Not a bit. Dad always tried teaching me, but apparently after one too many tantrums and several broken windows, he stopped."

The amusement in Kol's expression was impossible to miss, but he smartly swerved around the topic, "So no dancing. Got it."

"You don't know when to give up, do you?"

"One of my many talents."

"Or faults."

He frowned, his forehead creasing in the most genuine example of offence she'd ever seen him – seen anyone – show, "I don't have any faults." He said decisively.

Aria rolled her eyes, "That ego needs to be taken down a peg or two."

Kol shrugged, leaning against the table to their right, "I quite like it the way it is, actually."

After a moment of pause, Aria spoke again, "Six sharp. Don't be late."

She turned around and left the tomb, smiling to herself on her way out so Kol wouldn't see. His ego really could afford to be taken down a peg or two, she mused innocently.

Kol watched her go, a smile of his own tugging at his mouth. The minute she left the crypt, it dropped and he reached into his pockets, searching desperately for his phone. When his fingers touched the cool surface, he pulled it out of the pocket and dialled his most recent number, "Bex? Bex, it's your brother. I need a favour."

~*•°•*~

Guests flooded into the Compound and took their seats as they readied for the wedding, werewolves and vampires alike conversing in mostly separate groups in the large room. Aria entered the room nervously, pulling on the hem of her dress as she searched for anyone she knew. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Thierry in one corner, leaning against a wall and almost... sulking. She smiled. She made her way over to him and, at some point, he glanced up and smiled at the sight of her.

"Hey Kiddo." He quickly glanced her over, "You look very nice."

Aria smiled cheekily, "I know."

Thierry raised an eyebrow, smile widening as he pulled her into a hug, reaching to mess up her hair before thinking better of it and settling for pulling her close, familiarity washing over him and calming him instantly. Aria pulled back as he sighed and eyed him with concern, "You okay, T?"

"Uh..." He took his cap off and ran his fingers through his hair nervously, "Good as to be expected. Werewolves, ya know? Strange seeing so many. Here." Aria snatched the cap out of his grasp and smoothed his hair back down before placing the hat back on his head. He gave her a lopsided smile, "Thanks." He murmured.

Aria smiled again, "You'll be fine, T. Promise."

She held her pinkie out and Thierry quickly linked his own pinkie with hers.

"What would you say about getting out of here for a bit?" He said randomly, "Y'know, you, me, Marcel, maybe Evanna. Huh? Like old times."

Aria paused fiddling with her fingers and bit her lip in thought, it was entirely too tempting.

"I think... I will think about it." She settled on, "But I should probably be getting to my seat."

Thierry nodded and watched after her as she walked away and took her seat beside Davina, "Hey." She whispered.

"You good?" Davina whispered back.

Aria nodded and they linked hands as the chatter grew quiet. Aria turned and watched as Hayley and her werewolf fiancé walked down the aisle together before splitting apart at the two staircases so they could meet again at the balcony.

"Please, be seated." There was a brief pause to allow everyone to sit down before the woman marrying the duo continued, "We gather together as a community seeking peace, inspired by this couple standing before you. There was a time when werewolves saw themselves not as cursed, but blessed with connection to our most pure selves. And tonight, we honour that blessing with the long-awaited unification of the two Crescent bloodlines. In doing so, we choose to embrace Hayley's vampire nature. With this union, Hayley will share her unique gifts with her pack. And now, your vows."

Aria only paid half her attention to the vows, whereas her main focus was on the binding rituals the woman had put Hayley and – Jackson, was it? – through. The main parts she recognised were the hand-fastening before the woman had handed them each a long-lit match to light a candle together. The girl hummed in thought. Werewolf rituals. Who would've known they'd be so complex?

She tuned back in when they lit the candle together as the old woman smiled, "You two have endured all the traditional werewolf rituals and trials. There is only one remaining- Jackson, you may kiss your bride."

The werewolf looked next to scared and Aria supressed a small smile of a mix of amusement and pity. Poor guy. He kissed her soon enough, and when they pulled away, Aria's eyes locked onto Hayley's own as they glowed bright. The duo turned to the crowd below them and this time, Aria's eyes locked onto Jackson's. Gold.

Aria's eyes darted around her in wonder, each and every werewolf's reactions permanently engraved into her mind. The gold shine – or was it amber? – that now existed in each and every wolf's eyes in the room was mesmerising. It didn't take long for chatter to start up again as it had before the wedding, but now it was certainly louder.

She felt like she was intruding on a private moment, but she couldn't force herself to leave the room. Her hand found Davina's beside her and she squeezed tightly. Davina squeezed back. The magic in the room was suffocating, and new, and so unlike any other she'd felt before in her life. It wasn't a witches magic, nor was it the power you could draw from a vampire. This was new, and precious, and entirely theirs.

Had she not felt her own magic responding eagerly to the new branch, she would have stayed for hours more to bask in the warmth. But she settled for apologising to Davina and asking her to give her best to Josh and Aiden – and maybe if she had time, Hayley too – and then left.

Instinct guided her through the streets as parades quickly gathered, hoards of werewolves feeling the change in them gathering together to celebrate with the newly married couple. Aria frowned as a chill washed over her but before she could shrug on her coat, her eyes locked onto a figure standing in a nearby alley. Pale, shaggy hair, blue eyes - new blue eyes. Terror spiked. She crossed the street in seconds, narrowly avoiding multiple werewolves that already seemed well on their way to being drunk - a slightly worrying feat considering they'd been celebrating for probably little as forty minutes.

Kol looked up when he heard her approach and when his teary eyes met her own, he let out a bitter laugh.

"Kol? What's wrong?"

Kol laughed again, "Aren't you a sight?" He sighed, "And I had the perfect suit. We could've matched."

Aria grabbed his shaking hands before her eyes shot down to them, eyebrows creasing as her thumbs caressed his palm.

"Kol, you're ice cold."

Kol squeezed her hands, "Now, you listen to me, okay? Dahlia… it seems she got a bit perturbed after Freya and I rescued you. And she… paid me a little visit. I-" He hesitated, screwing his eyes shut almost as if to make the pain go away or simply break the connection the spell had to his aunt, "I thought it was going to be okay, but I'm running out of time."

~*•°•*~

Aria slammed another book closed and pushed it across the table, grabbing another book - this time a Grimoire from the pile, and rifling through it desperately. She paused on a passage and read it out to Rebekah beside her.

"Transubstantiation." Aria said decisively, "We can combine it with a protection spell."

"The curse blocks that. The body calls it, and then he dies. We need to jump him into a new one." Rebekah said instantly.

Aria slammed the book closed with startling strength, "Well what do you want me to do, Rebekah? It's not like we can just pick another body at a farmer's market, is it? Hell, we don't even have a spell for that!"

A weak voice interrupted the argument before it could escalate, "Bex? Can you give me a moment alone with Aria?"

Rebekah glanced to Kol before silently making her way out of the room as Kol struggled to stand to his feet, "I know I promised no dancing, but I believe I might be able to teach you." He held out his hand in offering, "Maybe without breaking any windows this time."

~*•°•*~

Aria rested her head against Kol's shoulder, music from inside the tomb drifting out, and then drifting through one of her ears and out the other. She couldn't see herself, but she was sure she looked a right mess. Eyes rimmed red, tears spilling down her face, nose blotchy. Yes, she probably looked great. A far cry from the girl that had been dressed up for a wedding mere hours before. Though, she didn't care much for what she looked like, she was sure it would only hurt Kol to see the pain he was causing, whether he wanted to hurt her or not.

When she'd wished for his ego to be taken down a peg or two, this was not what she'd meant.

Some small selfish part of her – the part that had wanted to take the White Oak stake from Klaus when he'd presented it to Kol – wanted to be angry with him and yell and scream for not telling her sooner, but the larger part, the part that was just purely her and nothing else, was just worried.

"I know that we're in a cemetery, and I happen to be terminal..." Somehow, Kol managed to laugh through his tears, "But you've got to admit, the stars are lovely."

Aria lifted her head and stared up at him, "How can you joke right now?"

She told herself that she'd imagined the flash of pain in Kol's eyes when he looked down at her stained face, and she'd tell herself that for weeks after, but she knew it was a lie. Kol shook his head, "I'm not, Little witch. We're under the same stars. It's some guy, and he's with his girl, and he thinks he's got all the time in the world, and he's right." He laughed again and leant his forehead against Aria's as his voice lowered to a whisper, "And I hate him."

He doubled over in a coughing fit and Aria dropped to her knees, cupping his face in her hands, "Are you okay?"

Kol smiled, "Yeah."

Aria took his hand in hers and kissed it softly, a single tear sliding down her face. She looked back up when he spoke again, "I think I want to be alone for this bit."

Instantly, Aria's face turned panicked, "Kol-"

"I'm afraid that's not an option." A voice announced from behind them.

"Always and forever is not something that you just weasel out of, brother."

Klaus was smiling. And it was so unlike him, so unlike his usual smirk – without his typical snark, that it almost had Aria herself smiling. It was boyish, and unlike what she'd expect from a thousand-year-old vampire. One of the oldest in the world. If she'd witnessed it under better circumstances, she'd have teased him silly for it, damn the consequences. She was a New Orleans witch, a protection spell wasn't some complicated feat.

~*•°•*~

"All my life, all I ever wanted was for you lot to care about me." Kol's head was cradled in Rebekah's lap and he let out a mirthless laugh as he grabbed onto her hand. The room seemed smaller than it was, and he supposed there was some dark irony in dying in a tomb. Maybe some God had it out for him, after all. Rebekah laced her fingers through his own, and squeezed in what she'd probably intended to be comforting. It only made things worse.

The witch in question was crying, "Kol, listen to me. You don't have long. You're going to die."

At the words, Kol's tears started.

"But you will die a witch, and we will consecrate your body. You will join the ancestors of the French Quarter, and those spirits can be brought back. And, I promise you, brother, I will not leave this body until I find a way to bring you home. I will go wherever I need to go, and do whatever I need to do. I swear."

Kol smiled through the pain before his eyes moved to his other sister.

"Almost fitting the only time we spent together was when we were both at Death's Door. And it's fitting you managed to hold on and I didn't. Got me trapped in this poor body."

Freya gave him a sad smile, "You're my brother, Kol. And I love you. I'm just sorry I couldn't protect you from this."

Aria appeared beside them all in seconds, "I tried a different spell." The witch said desperately. She didn't quite know how she'd done it – she didn't even recognise the spell she'd used – but she'd sent a message to Finn. The response had been next to immediate, and the hastily scrawled spell of his own showed the panic the elder Mikaelson was feeling. She didn't know what she'd do if it didn't work.

Kol took her hand and squeezed it as tight as he could manage, "It's okay, Little witch. I'm not scared. And I have no regrets about what led me here." Aria stared at him through blurry eyes as he laughed mirthlessly, "But I should've kissed you longer."

A tiny smile bloomed on Aria's face and in return, Kol gave her a bloody reflection of one, "There we are. All better now, see?" He raised a shaky hand to run a finger down her cheek, and she screwed her eyes shut.

"I hate you so much, Mikaelson." She whispered, eyes opening again.

Kol nodded along with her, "I'm pretty sure we established that a while ago, Darling."

"You should have left me alone when I told you to, and I should have continued hating the idea of the Mikaelsons in New Orleans. I should have come up with an idea to keep all of you away, and my life should've been normal again." She hiccupped, "Why didn't you listen?"

"Because you were my second chance. And for some reason you kept trying to get yourself killed, so I had to nip that in the bud."

"May God have pity on your soul." The witch murmured, "'Cause I don't."

"And why is that Darling?"

"Because, Mr Mikaelson, you broke the rules. We promised we wouldn't die on each other."

"I don't quite remember making such a promise, Darling."

Aria snorted, "So you expected that you'd be able to tell me you didn't leave my side even when you had the chance to kill the people who killed you and walk away freely? You practically sold your soul right over."

"Sold my soul, did I? Well I'm glad it's in such good h-hands." A bout of coughing stopped him in his tracks and Aria's terror increased yet again.

"Kol? No, no, no, stay with me. Alright? Mikaelson, I swear to God, you can't die on me again!"

"I-I think you got us mixed up. You've died on me plenty while I was never alive to begin with."

"You were alive enough."

Kol managed a small laugh, "Well aren't we a fine pair?"

Aria pursed her lips, "I'm gonna bring you back, Mikaelson. I promise."

"I don't doubt it for a second."

Kol gave her another bloody smile, and had Aria not turned away, she would have noticed him turning to his older sister and sharing a significant look. She would've noticed Kol grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly, pressing something into it before he let go.

Kol reached out for Aria's hand, now looking sheepish, "I, uh, had proposed to say this under different circumstances. Perhaps over a candle-lit dinner, or maybe something you wouldn't hate as much. But I have a feeling it might be a while before I get another chance." He began. Aria's look of confusion slowly turned into one of realisation, but she couldn't force the words out to stop him from talking, "I uh, also hadn't planned having an audience." He muttered darkly. As much as she tried, she couldn't find it in herself to roll her eyes.

Aria vaguely felt Rebekah's eyes darting between them in confusion before the vampire-turned-witch gasped quietly.

"Aria, I-"

"Don't." It came out weak.

Kol gave her the barest hint of a smile and took her hand, his thumb rubbing small circles against her wrist, "Bex?" He asked quietly, eyes remaining fixated on Aria.

Rebekah, with as little as a glare to her brothers and new sister, managed to get them all either covering their ears or immensely interested in the way their shoes created a small dust cloud when they stepped on a certain stone in the floor.

"Whatever you're going to say, it can wait." Aria forced out, "Whatever you want to say, you can say it later."

Kol gave her another bloody smile, "I'm afraid I don't think there's gonna be a later for me, love."

"There has to be!"

Kol's eyes grew sadder, and he continued tracing circles on her wrist, "Little witch, will you let me tell you something?"

Aria shook her head, screwing her eyes shut to stem the flow of tears. A hand resting on her head – an unfamiliar hand – made her open her eyes again. Rebekah looked nothing short of pleading, and darkness welled up inside Aria before it gave way to an achingly familiar feeling she couldn't quite recall. This had happened before. Not with Kol, not with the Mikaelsons, but it had happened before. When?

She couldn't quite remember, but the ache told her that it hadn't ended well the last time. She knew that if she didn't give this to Kol, she'd regret it. The thoughts flew through her mind quicker than she could string them together, but one thought remained. One feeling. Aching darkness.

Aria looked back down to Kol, who was still somehow staring up at her with pleading eyes. He wouldn't speak his mind unless she wanted him to. The witch slowly nodded and Kol's hand made it's way to her face, "Closer." He murmured.

Aria bent until their faces were level, and Kol smiled, "You've saved me, Aria. Thank you." He whispered.

His lips hovered by her ear, "I believe only one response is worth giving now."

For a moment, they were alone. No one else was in the tomb with them, and they were free to say whatever they wanted. But it didn't matter, not particularly. Kol would've said what he wanted anyway.

The words he whispered were exactly the ones she'd expected. The words she had known were coming. They were three simple words. Nothing more. Nothing less, either.

"I love you."

Never the less, Aria's eyes widened like she'd had no warning of what he was going to say. She vaguely registered Rebekah gasping and the hitch in Freya's breath, as well as the slight change in the way Elijah held himself. Klaus barely moved. But his eyes were suddenly fixated on her. She knew exactly why. He didn't understand how she could've pulled those words out of his brother.

Aria blinked and the moment was shattered. The smile was still on Kol's face, his eyes were still open and doing nothing short of sparkling, but there was no colour in his cheeks. No breath in his lungs.

Her eyes widened in absolute panic as she shook his body, "No, no, no. No, Mikaelson, you can't leave me like that! Not after that! Kol, wake up. Kol, please wake up. Open your eyes. Mikaelson! Mikaelson, damnit, wake up! No, no, no. Please wake up. Please. Please don't leave."

Not again.

Arms circled around her, arms she dimly recognised as Freya's, and when tears hit her shoulder, she herself began to cry.

~*•°•*~

It was hours later that New Orleans went to sleep and Aria slipped away from the familiar comfort of her home to visit Finn. She pushed the door open, and somewhere in her mind registered a pacing person in front of the door stopping in their tracks, before she leant back and the door clicked shut.

"Is it done?"

Aria nodded slowly, her face blank, "He's gone. The spell didn't work."

Her throat was raw, and her voice was quiet but he heard her answer none the less.

Finn turned away from her and swore darkly as Aria slowly lowered herself into a chair behind him, shaking slightly.

"Did you really care about him? Really?"

Finn paused for a brief moment, "Regardless of how I despised him from time to time, he was my brother. But prior to you kidnapping me… I don't believe I would have flinched. When we were children together, he had this strange ability to remind me of someone I once cherished. He may have been irritating, and infuriating, and senseless but… he was still my brother."

The witch stood and slowly approached him as he turned around to face her again, "What do you mean before I kidnapped you?"

"Your obvious loyalty to my family has knocked some sense into me. My family who has… quite literally stolen your home from you and probably tried to kill you more than once. I don't have to like any of them to know they are my family, and that bond is unconditional."

Aria wrapped her hands around herself and looked down to the floor guiltily. She was silent for a long moment before she spoke again, sounding so fragile and innocent almost as though she might start crying again mid-sentence, "If-if I let you out of this room, what would you do?"

Finn paused and looked over to her in surprise, "You've kept me in here for days and said you wouldn't release me until I gave you what you needed."

"If I let you go…" Aria repeated in that shaky tone, "What would you do?"

"I…" Finn struggled to find the right words, "I don't know."

"If I took you to someone I trust despite every instinct in my body screaming at me not to, would you try to hurt him? If I took you to Elijah, would you try to hurt him?" Finn opened his mouth to speak before she interrupted him yet again, "Think about what you say before you say it, Finn."

He froze for a brief moment. The air in the room seemed to grow thicker and he reminded himself to be careful. Aria was powerful, that was the first thing he'd been told upon his resurrection, and if she had cared for his brother even the slightest fraction of what he believed, the tiniest thing might just set her off. He wasn't particularly interested in another death – this time a possibly permanent one. Not to mention the witch was dangerous. That was something he hadn't needed Esther to tell him. He could feel it in that moment, her magic swarming around the room as though she was trapped in a box.

It was wild, he realised. Chaotic. Untamed. He had no idea of her parentage and in reality, he wasn't quite sure he wanted to. The only thing he was sure of, was that either her parents belonged to one of the most powerful bloodlines that existed on earth. Or that she was something else entirely. He was willing to bet on the latter. Which meant it would be more than ideal to him if he stayed in her good graces.

"I wouldn't."

Her eyes narrowed, "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. I think I know better than to cross you now, Miss Gerard."

He took the small struggle to keep her expression blank as success. The answer had clearly been the right one. So he took her next reaction as a complete triumph.

"And I will continue to stay with you. On one condition."

Her eyes narrowed again, "Condition?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"You possess enough power to keep me alive. My request is you keep me alive."

Something dark pulled at her expression before it vanished. She smiled. The expression clashing with the tear tracks staining her face. He mentally filed the reaction away for later, there was something strange about her. Small things would pull darkness from her in ways he wasn't entirely sure could have been real. Her magic was pure. Wild, but pure. So the darkness didn't make sense to him. And the fact that he felt concern irritated him greatly. The fact that he wanted to make the darkness that seemed to plague her – burden her – disappear, irritated him.

She glanced him over, assessing him, "What if I could work on getting you back in your body?"

A strange feeling welled up inside Finn. Temptation? Was the girl that good at manipulating people that she had managed to temp him toward her decision?

"I have no wish to become a vampire again."

"And I have no wish to steal a life away from this poor soul!" She scoffed, gesturing to him.

Having his own body back would be nice.

Aria suddenly paused, a thoughtful frown tugging at her mouth as her head dropped, "What if I could get you your body back without the vampirism?" She mumbled.

Finn froze.

His expression twisted and a cruel comment was on the tip of his tongue before he paused and watched Aria lift her head. She wasn't manipulating him, he realised, features softening, not anymore. In fact, she'd started crying again. But this time, she wasn't crying for Kol. She felt guilty. The look on her face was one he'd witnessed far too many times in the mirror. She was in a fragile state, and she was offering him a once in a lifetime chance, not because she wanted to. But because she felt guilty.

He sighed. He couldn't take advantage of the obviously grieving witch, "Miss Gerard, you don't know what you're saying."

"Finn. Please. Answer the damn question."

"If you could get my original body back without being cursed as a vampire, I might just worship the ground you walk upon."

She gave a sniffly laugh before sobering.

"I need to fix something. If I get you back in your own body, and keep you mortal, will you hurt your family?"

"By family you mean my siblings, correct?"

"And your niece."

Finn shook his head.

"Then it seems I have work to do."

Finn could have left it at that, should have left it at that. But he didn't.

"Sleep here tonight, Miss Gerard. I won't be getting rest anytime soon, but you could use some. I'll watch over you, assure that no one including myself harms you."

The witch watched him, searched his face for any trace of deceit. But she would find none.

That night, she slept in the bed she'd given to Finn.

And true to his word, he watched over her as she slept, and kept her safe from the nightmares that plagued her.

It was a strange delight.

~*•°•*~

Hey, hi! Over here! It's me! I'm alive!

Okay, in all seriousness, this update has been due for over a month and I'm not going to start this A/N with a bunch of excuses. Although, should you like one, after thinking I was out of Covid-19 scot-free, I get a brilliant, typical, completely normal cold that has become the bane of my very existence. But anyway! Hopefully y'all liked this chapter.

Did I have fun writing it? Yes. Was dumping a couple more hints about Aria's undoubtedly unstable magic more fun than it should have been? Of course. Did I spend days procrastinating over Kol's final words? Absolutely! But this is a safe space where I can admit these things.

Okay. Fine. I'll be normal. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter more than I had fun writing it. Reading back, I'm pretty happy with it although I'm not quite sure if it was worth the whole month I spent on it.

So, this is probably where I should end this A/N before it gets out of hand, but before I go, I'd quickly like to thank everyone that has been reading, following, favouriting and reviewing. It's still surreal to me that people actually like things that have just been floating around in my head for months at a time before I post. So, thank you all. Again.

As Always, SecretMidnightRose