A/n: Edited 2/25/2015.
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.
Chapter 18: Titanium Part II
Outside of New Orleans...
Past - February 24,1910
Maggie rubbed her temples yet again, trying in vain to lessen the aggravating sensation as she stubbornly tried to continue concentrating studying on her magic. The headache that had been pounding behind her skull for a while now had only gotten worse like the other symptoms have. She had always dealt with it on her own, using magic as a temporary fix for years. The witch knew though that it would only last for so long. Each time she tried to make the fix, the potency of it became weaker, pushing her body through harder means to heal.
For years she had played the game against the clock, never knowing when her adversary would catch up to her. Her enemy wasn't someone you could interact with face-to-face, but of a deadlier kind coming from within. There was nothing else she could do, but to try to buy herself some more time while she could. Her face furrowing in agitation as she stood up from her seat at her desk. She made way towards the door of her current bedroom and strolled down the great staircase.
'Maybe some fresh air will do me some good,' the witch thought.
Maggie's footsteps lead her to the back where she got a view of the rear part of the land. Her gray eyes caught the sight of Charlene and Adelaide in the distance, their attention on something else. Curious, the witch sought for answers.
"So, what has gotten you two so busy?" she asked as she came closer.
The elder witch turned around hearing Maggie's voice, surprised that her apprentice would come out to join them, but it wasn't in a bad way. In fact, Adele was glad of this. It's a good change...that's if it was Magdalena's intention. "We were just talking. Nothing really important."
"Hmm," Maggie hummed, skeptical of Adelaide's answer. The young witch was always cynical in a sense so it's not much a shock to the other two witches.
Concerned for her friend, Charlene laid a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "Have you been feeling better?"
Maggie didn't answer right at the second she asked, but her hesitancy was enough. "I've been dealing. Don't worry about it," she replied curtly, but thankful of her blonde friend's concern. She never thanked them enough for being there for her.
Adelaide noticed this over time. It wasn't exactly a secret that Maggie's health was a bit of a precarious one. The gray-eyed witch requested long ago that they not mention her illness. Charlene often implored Maggie to find a way to save herself from this sickness. A very rare and small smile tugged on the corners of the usual cynical witch, remembering the desperate pleading in Char's voice. The blonde was still naive and innocent. Her youth had a reason in that. Charlene only had been a witch for short time compared to the mass experience of Adelaide or some of years Magdalena practiced under Adelaide's tutelage. There were still lessons that the young girl needed to grasp the difficult challenges life would bring not too far ahead.
"Well, isn't this my favorite band of witches?" The owner of the very charming yet equally annoying British accent interjected himself into the conversation held by the witch trio.
"Is it actually pleasant for you to tread into conversations that you're actually not welcome into or are you just stupid?" Maggie didn't have time to put up with the shenanigans from the most annoying Original of all. Why doesn't Adelaide do him a favor and put an end to his existence?
"It's all genetic, darling. There's no point in your effort in speaking because you've dealt with me long enough to understand that." As vocal Kol maybe, he wasn't going to repeat himself of facts that should have been known already.
"It's still a wonder how Adelaide hadn't smite you yet." The witch chose her words right where she wanted them. Magdalena could keep up with this exchange from sunrise to sunset with her hate and distaste for vampires fueling the flames.
A vampire's temper should not be tested unless the instigator had a death wish. If one wanted a death wish, Klaus would gladly do them a favor in his own twisted ways. However, the outcome relied differently with the youngest male Original of them all. The unpredictable aftermath of what could be is what makes Kol such a dangerous entity. Heads or tails, which side were you going to get first? Luckily, Kol was in a good mood today, and he was much too lazy to actually have blood on his hands so he would have to settle this another way.
"Wow," Kol said in astonishment as he circled around the witch, "you truly don't care of what happens to you in the end. Do you?"
The witch's body came to a screeching halt. Reading in between the lines, she knew exactly was he was implying. Her gray eyes widened, but the silver steel in them hardened in anger. Her fists clenched tightly as her power coursed through her veins, ready to annihilate the vampire where he stood.
Adelaide and Charlene saw the warning signs of what he was trying to do. As the wisest witch out of the three, it was Adele's job to make sure everything was in order. And, she didn't need another skirmish between the incensed witch and vampire to referee again. "Both of you, there's no need for this. Walk away." the witch implored.
Both of them ignored her, not heeding her words.
"What do you know, you narcissistic leech?" Maggie spat out.
"Let's not forget the wonders of what my vampire hearing can do. And then there's the fact that secrets don't necessarily remain secret if someone like me was around too." He explained, slightly enjoying the role of playing the devil's advocate. Kol was a troublemaker in every sense of the word. Causing trouble and making chaos was like going to a job he loved every day. It became natural to him.
Silence brewed between the witches, surprised but also dread of what preceded after such an act. Gazing back at Maggie, Charlene's body filled with anxiety as the worst insult flew out of Kol's mouth. Adelaide watched with grave eyes as her apprentice's face contorted more wicked than she had seen in Maggie. Kol pushed the wrong button. 'Don't take the bait,' Adelaide pleaded silently.
It was too late.
Maggie's true hatred for the bloodsuckers, especially at Kol, began to simmer towards the surface. The residual bitterness magnified and shifted to an uglier form, her power oozing, her darker side itching to smite him where he stood. "What secrets?"
Kol's smirk widened, and he was ready to play hard ball. He broke off in laughter, only seeing Maggie as a young petulant child throwing a tantrum. "Are you really that daft? Playing the role of the fool really doesn't suit you. Yet again...I could be wrong."
Now that he thought about it, it wouldn't be so bad to drain the life from the witch. To put her out of her misery. Isn't that what she wanted? For the pain and the suffering to end? But, since when was any Original charitable? Licking his lips, the chestnut-haired vampire heard the raging pulse from the witch, indicating of the rising fire within her. "You really shouldn't tell everyone your deepest thoughts. They tend to have a way of spreading like hellfire, and you never know of what people can do with such knowledge."
"Kol, stop this!" Charlene yelled defending Maggie, her voice hitting an octave higher. "Just leave her alone!"
"I don't need your help, Char! Stay out of it." Maggie snapped harshly, annoyance underlining in the already mixed angry tone.
"You should give her credit, darling." Sarcasm was laced in his tone as he addressed the bitter witch. "Friendship is a rare thing."
"Ha!" Maggie scoffed. "Since when have I ever needed friends?"
Hearing those words, Charlene's heart constricted tightly in her chest, making her almost lurch forward physically from the shock. Maggie's response was like stones shattering a window of glass. How could she say that? After everything all three of them went through, after everything Charlene had done for her...this is what she gets? This was how Maggie truly felt? No, it can't be true. It can't be. Charlene shook her head, trying in vain to hide the pain. Tears glistened in her eyes despite how much she didn't want them to come. She glanced at Maggie's gray orbs, unsure of what to say. Envying the other people here who had the blessing of swift speed, the blonde witch ran away from the group towards the house, not wanting to be further involved. If Maggie didn't her around, then so be it.
"That's enough!" Adelaide's self-control even waned slightly from the uneasy tension. Uneasy wasn't the right term to describe this situation. Not by a long shot.
Maggie's anger rose as she gritted her teeth. She didn't want to hear those words, to be treated like a child. She was a witch, goddamn it! Applying her concentration and mixing in her fury with her powers, the silver-eyed witch recklessly gave in, using Kol as her prime target. "No! He started this!"
Adelaide tried to get to Maggie in time, but Kol had beaten her to it. Despite being in pain, Kol used an ounce of his vampire speed just enough to get within closer range of the emotional pest. "And I'm...going...to...finish it..." Kol struggled to say.
Done playing games with her, he struck her down using the back of his hand, stopping the flow of magic and her concentration.
Magdalena landed a few feet away from the others near the wooden fence of the pastures for the horses. When she came to, the stinging sensation of her injury reined in and bit back with a vengeance. There would be swelling coming in later for sure. Her eyes flared up as she turned to the guilty party of her injury. "You son of a bitch!"
"You're ready for more? It's a wonder you lost all your senses." Kol returned the mock sentiment.
"BOTH OF YOU! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Adelaide yelled above them, her dark eyes glaring at them, finally coming to the end of her rope.
She turned to Kol first. "Kol," her voice set in a deadly tone, "you have thirty seconds to get inside."
"Or what?" The Original vampire asked in an incredulous tone.
Adelaide fearlessly marched up to him, not worried about his height, and grabbed the collar of his shirt to bring him down to her level. Her tolerance had finally broke with these two, and she wasn't going to put up with this any longer. "Or I will personally bring you to your brother and see that maybe you should be put into a box after all once I am through with you. If you keep this up that is..."
Kol's maniacal grin disappeared only slightly once he saw the look in her eyes. This wasn't just the typical motherly witch he had known before who would straighten out a little mishap. There was something...more deadly in those dark brown eyes that sent a message to him. He wrung himself from her harsh grip and hiked back towards the plantation. But not before he got his last word in. "Have you told her, Adele? Or anyone for that matter that apprentice's plight isn't the only secret in this place?"
Adelaide's temper finally snapped. "I said GO!"
Not too long after her words, a stroke of lightning broke from sky and struck down near Kol, only missing him by a margin as a warning. "Rebel me again, and next time I won't be so noble," she warned in deadly tone, her strength as a witch coming into the light a little bit. The eldest witch watched carefully at every step he took to make sure she wouldn't have to give him another taste of what she can do.
Maggie backed up in awe, surprised to capture the moment where her teacher demonstrated such power. There was more to Adelaide than Maggie realized, and maybe she didn't fully comprehend that until now. As she stood up on her own and wanting to speak to her teacher, it shocked her to see Adele going in the opposite direction to the house.
"Where are you going? Adele, please. Don't leave. I need to speak with you." Maggie pleaded, a tone that was spoken genuinely that reached to Adelaide's ears.
But the other witch didn't have time. Now, Maggie picked the worst time to ask for her help when for the most part Maggie either rejected it or begrudgingly accepted it. Why now? Anyway, Maggie would have to be dealt with later. Adelaide wasn't giving up on her apprentice, but now there were more important things she needed to deal with. And to be frank, she was tired of dealing with the girl's stubbornness. Even Adelaide needed a break.
"Maggie, I will deal with you later. I'm sorry, but I...just can't right now." Fatigue catching up to her, Adelaide was left at a point where she didn't know what to do. All Adele knew was that she needed to do the best she could with what she had. She's not one to give up, and she wasn't going to put Maggie aside. Still, there were certain matters the witch had to deal with. Giving one last glance to her apprentice, Adele sauntered over back to the plantation, hurrying to straighten out Kol.
But from Maggie's view, she didn't perceive it like she would have if Adele had explained further. It was just the same thing all over again. They never had the time. It was never enough. All of these issues climbed and mounted on her, piling up to make this big mountain of weight she wanted to be rid of. Tears burned in her eyes as she closed to keep them in. And all of this only brought back the residual bitterness inside that she knew like the back of her hand.
Bitterness is like a disease. It eats away at the soul, but Magdalena never cared nor paid it any mind. It had accompanied her for so long, sometimes it felt like it was her only friend. Though on the contrary, it wasn't her only friend. She hated to admit it, but Charlene and Adelaide were the only people she had accustomed to willingly. Other than that, Maggie never got along accordingly with other people. She wasn't always like this.
Growing up with no parents, she learned early that life wasn't kind nor charitable. You did what you had to do to get by and survive. And with two younger siblings depending on her, Maggie had to provide in some way to have food on the table. And with no money to get an education, she had to resort to...demeaning ways to make sure her family would be provided for: prostitution.
It was always frowned upon for a woman to lower herself to such standards, but she had no choice. It wasn't what she dreamed of doing this with her life, but her family meant the world to her. Maggie wasn't going to let her family starve under no circumstances, especially when she had little ones younger than the age of ten depending on her.
Though they didn't have much, Maggie did the best she could with what they had. She blinded her younger brother and sister from the inner turmoil, the self-loathing, and the struggle that always kept her company in the line work she was only qualified for her due to the poverty factor and her limited education.
People often mistaken Maggie's dislike for vampires and werewolves as just a natural action witches normally took. There's no doubt that witches already have their troubles to deal with when it came to the creatures of the night, always wreaking havoc and such. Witches typically have a natural distaste for vampires, but sometimes that could manifest, and the abhorrence becomes the aftermath of such dark emotions, hence why bitterness is like a disease. That hatred became a personal one for Magdalena. And an ugly one too.
The witch headed towards the back of the property where the stables stood, following the dirt path leading her to the voices of the female werewolf and hybrid nearby. Though she never set foot here, it wasn't hard to figure out which way to lead to where. In her brisk pace, more of Maggie's internal hostility raged and rebelled, demanding to be set free. It's been too long overdue.
Due to her limited hearing, she could only hear snippets of the conversation between the werewolf and hybrid. But she caught a glimpse of the abomination's bright blonde hair soon enough. Maggie ignored the werewolf who had gone out to ride on her horse, and only focused on the girl who was occupied in the closed tack room.
With her hands closed tightly into fists, her anger and frustration poured from her body as she had enough of this. Everything around Maggie had changed once that abomination bitch was brought to their doorstep. Everyone she knew dropped what they were doing to help the "poor soul". What made Caroline so special? God, it made her so angry like a smooth melody of a violin suddenly interrupted and gone rigid. With her senses and reason thrown into the wind, her anger was only feeding the flames on what could be the gravest mistake of her life.
And guess who would be her next target?
Meanwhile...
It was official.
Caroline hated the weather in Louisiana.
It sucked. Big time. Either way, whether it was in the hot humid summer or ice cold winter, both sides of the weather gave a mean bite. And, Caroline didn't want to get a firsthand experience. The damn cold weather was already a pain in the next to deal with. For the past couple of days - No! Weeks! A giant cold front came in and had shown no mercy on its targets. Then adding the pouring rain and icy winds, it's a wonder how people here manage their daily lives. The storm was evidence of Mother Nature definitely was making her presence known, especially playing favorites with the unpredictable weather. Louisiana was a hot spot for the flair of the unknown. God help Caroline if she had to stay in this time period through the summer.
Thankfully, it stopped raining...for now at least. The clouds still piled over another, creating a rather dreary atmosphere. Still, no matter what the weather brewed, Caroline wasn't going to slack off. She put her 110% into it, and she was still going to give it her all.
Beads of sweat dripped down Caroline's face as she breathed heavily, tired and sore from the workout and training that Jean had put her through. To be honest, she hadn't remember feeling this sore since she began cheerleading. Boy, times have changed.
"I'm so going to make a complaint to Adele after this." The blonde hybrid muttered, rising up from the old wooden chair she previously took a breather at. She walked towards where the saddles, bridles, and equipment were hung; a pile of fresh clothes was placed on the top of Caroline's designated saddle. The clothes were courtesy of Charlene Davis, of course.
The winter air invaded her lungs, making it harder to breathe naturally. Caroline thanked her lucky stars that she wasn't human, or otherwise it would be a bigger problem.
Taking away the sweaty clothes that clung to her skin, the winter breeze that blew through one of the open windows. It was still harsh, but she welcomed the chill. It cooled down her sweat-glistened skin, allowing her to relax more. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about the undergarments until she planned to take a bath once she gets to the house. Besides, the perks of her super speed go a long way. Slipping into the light material of the white long-sleeved chemise over her head, the full length of the piece of clothing fell to her ankles. Caroline grabbed the warm robe that matched the chemise as she felt the warmth from the soft wool. She closed her eyes for a moment relishing the heat.
"Warm bath, here I come." The blonde hybrid gathered her soiled clothes in her arms and was ready to get out of here. Multitasking, she was trying to open the door, but the door flew open at lightning speed, revealing a very angry Magdalena on the other side.
Caroline flashed back away from the door, shocked...and worried as she noticed the raw anger that built up in height as it oozed from the witch's pores. "Maggie..."
Maggie didn't hear the blonde saying her name. She was too distracted and too emotional to think straight. The witch's eyes of steel caught the bane of her existence (in these past few months) within her sights. The abomination was frozen.
"Maggie," Caroline tried again, watching the witch with cautious eyes. "Is there something I can do for you?"
"Actually, yes." Maggie said in deadly calm tone. "You can be silent for once."
Caroline didn't have time to discern the meaning of her words. She couldn't see the invisible turbulent wave of magic hurl for her, but she definitely felt it. The result of Maggie's magic already affected Caroline's sore muscles. The hybrid bit back a moan as she tried to regain her momentum as she had fell flat on her back. "What the hell? What did I do to you?!"
"Quiet, you insolent bitch!" Blind in her fury, all her power was focused on Caroline. "Why can't you just stop talking?!"
Caroline struggled to keep herself up, but the relentless and pounding waves of agony pressing on her brain rendered her helpless. With her hair in her face, she could only see a glimpse of Maggie's gritted teeth and the silver fury in her eyes. From the very start, Magdalena always treated her with resentment, even more so since Caroline was the combination of two evils. But, this isn't a usual witch's natural disliking for creatures like her. Caroline could almost feel the emotion, the fuel and driving force of everything the witch pushed through with the power in her blood. It was personal.
But she couldn't think. It was too much.
She was silent with a tight grimace on her face, which tugged upward to something unnatural. Darker. Consumed, Maggie didn't dampen her power as the hybrid's screams increased. Tapping into her darker side, she hadn't expected to feel so...lighter. All of her frustration exited within each passing minute of the torture she executed onto her victim. However, something was rearranging within her. It wasn't anything that she was aware of. As if her humanity was thrown out the window, but how is that possible when she was a witch and not a vampire? Had her bitterness really obscured her from what she saw in front of her? What was happening?
The blonde hybrid didn't know what to do. She didn't want to fight back and cause Maggie any pain yet she wasn't going to sit by and let Maggie bring all hell upon her. Caroline wasn't going to stand idly by on this. Her strength wasn't up to par compared to an Original, but Caroline knew what she had to do. She had her strengths, and she was strong enough. Digging deep from within, she struggled to move as she crawled on her belly, the difficulty growing higher as she put up more of an effort.
"Maggie...stop this..." Caroline struggled to speak.
"NO! Be quiet! Just be quiet!" Maggie didn't realize of her own control waning. As she tried to keep Caroline down for the count, the more of her darker side ravaged her body.
Caroline moaned in pain more as the magic pummeled her. She didn't know how, but she kept going towards the witch with surprising strength. "You need...to...stop...you're hurting..." her voice trailed off.
"Do you really think I care about your pain? Are you that blind? I'm not like the others! I'm not going to take pity for your problems!" She screamed, her insanity and frustration in her voice. Dark spidery veins branched out under her skin as if she was becoming a vampire, but instead of just appearing around her eyes, they grew everywhere underneath her skin.
Caroline could barely see it, but she saw the dark blood dripping from Maggie's nose. It was an ominous warning sign the hybrid had seen before in Bonnie. She couldn't let this consume Maggie. She scrapped and struggled to fight against the tsunami of magic.
Only a few more feet.
"You're hurting...stop..." Like almost in a storm, she was cut off by wave after wave as it muted Caroline's voice and what she was trying to say.
"Why don't you get it?! I DON'T CARE! Why can't you deal with what's thrown at you instead of running away like a little cowardly bitch you are?!"
Something in Caroline's brain snapped. No one called her coward, especially with bitch in the same sentence. Her own temper finally bending, her true nature underneath the surface turned on. With her fangs out and her eyes in their hybrid state, Caroline rebelled against the magic and made her way to the emotionally consumed witch. Gripping Maggie's arms tightly, the female hybrid momentarily stopped the circulation flow, and she shook the witch in trying to make her see reason.
"Listen to me, dammit!" Caroline implored. "I wasn't talking about you hurting me. I was trying to tell you that you're hurting yourself, you crazy girl!"
"Why should I listen to you?" Maggie spat.
"Because you were right! You were right about everything and I'm sorry!" Caroline finally admitted.
She stood in shock...what? Maggie stumbled back, her eyes widening in disbelief. All the previous darker emotions from before evaporated into the air, leaving her lost and in a confused daze. Looking up to Caroline, she was unsure of what she was going to do now. Was there something certain that needed to be done, Maggie didn't know. That was when she felt drips of blood from her nose...her heart hammering inside of her chest...no. It was happening again.
Her eyes rolling back to her head, Maggie lost consciousness, and her body fell to the ground, but not before someone caught her fall. But it wasn't Caroline who caught Magdalena.
It was Klaus.
Caroline's breath was caught in her throat as Klaus had his back to her. There was no telling of what he was going to do. The blood bond between them relayed all the emotions from him like a hot iron branding to her skin. She felt like she was suffocating in the same room with him; the range of his fury and anger radiated like a giant fire with the flames almost licking her skin. With him so close, Caroline knew it was only a matter of time before another person would be on his list of his kills.
She couldn't let that happen. Not to Maggie.
Klaus was attending to a matter about his nuisance of a brother when he had heard and felt Caroline's pain. It had seemed the blood bond had its use after all when her moans of agony spurred from the other side of the property. When he sped over as quickly as he could, the vampire had already come to the epilogue of the fight between his bonded and Adelaide's apprentice. A small rush of pride flowed through him as he had watched her from distance as she conquered and took control, but he was disappointed when the outcome he wanted in the beginning didn't come true. Oh, well. There's other matters to attend to at the moment.
His crimson eyes stared angrily at the young woman who started it all. Klaus wasn't the only one who heard the undertaking the body was putting itself through to keep Magdalena alive. From what he remembered, an excessive overuse of magic could bring death to a witch. She was lucky to be even alive...for now.
Caroline watched with careful eyes as he laid the witch on a bench nailed into the wall. Making up his mind, Klaus angled his hand into the air, and aimed directly for the chest cavity of the unconscious witch.
"Don't you dare!" Caroline yelled as she advanced over to Klaus and formed a defensive stance in front of Maggie, hissing at the stronger vampire despite the differences.
"Move out of the way, Caroline." He ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.
She shook her head furiously. "No! This isn't between you and her. She did nothing to you. I handled it, and I'm fine."
"What makes you think that I'm going to believe that so easily?" Klaus asked skeptically. "Now, get out of the way." He snarled.
"No! I'm not something for you to order around."
"I am not going to repeat myself, love."
"Neither am I. Take it or leave it."
The verbal argument between them only infuriated Klaus, or at least that's what Caroline could gather. The thick musty tension between them was mounting and she needed to do something. Gulping, but not showing a hint of fear, Caroline found the courage to speak.
"If you value this whole bond-thing between us or anything for that matter, you will extend a piece of your mercy. Because you know you will never get a chance given to you like this again from me if you don't do this." Caroline's tone was firm yet cautious, knowing it could be the end of both her and Maggie if not handled delicately. She hated taking advantage, but it was the only leverage she could pull.
Peering into those golden-onyx eyes, Klaus found something blossoming in front of him. He had seen this before, but it was only for a mere moment. In front of him, the very thing that attracted him to her was finally surfacing. The unbound and unafraid determination that shined through her like a beacon of light, vibrant and unchanging and better than ever before. Caroline may not see it, but Klaus definitely could.
Still, he didn't like having a woman to have leverage or power over him. Then again, he always did love a challenge.
Through the blood bond, the anger that had been there from Klaus had vanished in slow measures and was replaced with something else. The air cleared, and Caroline could breathe easier. But knowing Klaus, there's something bound that's bound to be a catch.
"It seems you've captured my attention, sweetheart." Klaus said as he took a step closer to the gorgeous hybrid. His eyes hardened by a fraction though when he gave her a warning. "But know this, it's because of you that I do this. Take that to account and remember well. I am not a charitable man."
He turned around from her and paraded outside of the tack room, but not before giving Caroline one last look, smirking at what is to come between him and her. And he wasn't surprised at the next series of events that probably would come to pass once he left the stable completely.
Meanwhile, Caroline gathered Maggie into her arms as she lifted her up from the bench.
"Maggie! Maggie!" Caroline called her name twice, but nothing could jostle the witch from unconsciousness. Still holding Maggie in her arms, she closed her eyes in concentration to shut out all distractions. It started out small, but the small worry gradually grew in terrifying dread once Caroline heard the overloaded pounding of the witch's heartbeat. More blood dripped down from Maggie's nose, all the more showing Caroline that something was wrong.
I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down, but I won't fall
I am titanium
- "Titanium," Covered by Tyler Ward