A/n: Hello everyone. I want to thank you personally for all the support that I've been given for this story. I'm sorry for my absence. Because of the fact with school, and I got majorly sick. I have a life outside of this since it's a hobby. School comes first before anything. Studying up for finals took up a majority of my time. And I've been dreading to write this chapter because it's been a bitch. Right now, I've come to the point where I just decided to split this huge chapter into two parts. That way, you can get a chapter sooner. This is a beast of a story. I love writing it, but if you please send out more reviews, it would help my inspiration a lot more. I appreciate it.
Thanks a lot. On with the show.
Please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD.
Chapter 32: Light 'Em Up Part I
Mystic Falls
Present – March 19, 2011
This was bad. It was really getting bad.
He told her to stay back; he told her that this was something he wanted to handle. And by all means, she let him see to it. For once, she didn't want to be the one with blood on her hands. (Or paws at the moment.) This was personal for Klaus.
She felt the apprehension filling her gut more every time the sound of screaming filled the mansion. As she tried in vain to sleep, she tried to drown out the sounds with other things, but they only did so much. Her sharp hearing still penetrated through everything, even when things were muffled since she found her way into the basement, missing the witch all the while. Besides, this shouldn't be anything new for her. This isn't the first time she had gotten blood on her hands. On her darker days, the animalistic monster part of her loved the feeling of blood in between her fingers. It felt primal.
She wasn't afraid of killing. It was something she learned to deal with. She did was she was told, but only because she was supposed to. Any other day, Klaus would have to get someone else to do his dirty work.
But she did it. Without little thought, she bathed in blood like the other nights of a full moon from long ago.
He watched her that night she killed April Young. She showed no mercy. The she-wolf couldn't afford it.
However, Klaus killing other people wasn't what made her fears threaten to bubble up to the surface. It was that lack of humanity in those eyes of his. That little humanity she briefly saw at one point was replaced with a lack of humanity, and an unstable gleam of insanity. That insanity clouded his eyes as he kept torturing his victims made her hesitate in her actions for the first time in a long time.
And there were times when she would see him talk to thin air as if someone was actually there in the room with him. He would look in a certain direction, sure of someone's presence there. She saw nothing. Just only him apart from his siblings or his other victims. It had been like this for a while. The she-wolf didn't know if Klaus knew that she'd seen him in these circumstances, but he never acknowledged it with her. The wolf kept her silence knowing she was treading uneasy ground. Let the man have his fantasies and delusions. She wanted no part of it.
Only rare times have happened to make her look down at what could be below the cliff. Usually, the she-wolf didn't care. She took the leap.
But now, she was looking down, worry coursing through her veins.
She missed the witch so much right now. Ever since her absence, things were darker over here. Not that she couldn't handle it. The wolf was more than capable of dealing with the Original. She's handled enough crap to keep an eye on Klaus.
But she was worried for Charlene. And she wondered too. Was Charlene's decision to leave a good one or would it just make things work?
There was only one way to find out. The she-wolf would have to wait it out and see.
{Louder Than Thunder}
"Klaus, stop ignoring me."
He could hear her with perfect clarity. Even amongst the fading screams of his guests, he could still hear her. Her voice was just right to be exactly like her.
"How many times do I have to call your name before you'll finally turn around?"
For him, as long as it takes.
"You know what, fine. Ignore me. See if I care. It's not like you ca-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence." It came out faster than he could blink, the words sharp like knives in his throat.
"Then actually look at me."
Turning his head towards her voice, Klaus stopped from his handiwork he was applying to Matt. It took time to actually get what he wanted right. Sometimes, he was such a perfectionist. He placed down the blade down on the table, his eyes shifting to the far window on the other side of the room.
There Caroline stood there in front one of the tall and open windows, the storm brewing outside behind her.
"That's better."
"You were always determined to get what you wanted." He stated for no particular reason. Why should he? She was just a figment of his imagination. She was just in his head…or so his logical reasoning told him.
The Caroline doppelganger slowly stepped towards him, her blue-green eyes fixed on him, not leaving for one second. She wore the same clothes he'd seen her last before she died in his arms. The heels of her leather winter boots squeaked against the floor, making Klaus' undead heart race faster as she came closer.
"What are you doing, Klaus?"
"Taking a break from my work as you demanded," Klaus answered.
"No, I mean what are you doing? What's the point in doing all of this?"
Klaus fell silent, his face unreadable and blank, which brought the blonde to frustration.
"Don't give me the silent treatment, Klaus. That's not your style, and you know it!"
Klaus shot her an incredulous look. "What answer do you expect me to give you, love? You've known me long enough to see how I act."
The blonde doppelganger's face contorted in aggravation, border-lining to almost anger. From what Klaus' observed, every time she appeared, his silence and evasion from her questions pushed her a little bit closer to the edge. A small curious part of him wondered how far she was from snapping, maybe just disappearing altogether. That would be a favor for him with the damned memory of her gone.
But then again, Klaus' twisted sense of humor had a very bad sense of timing. He always had a bit of fun pushing people's buttons.
However, the small truth still stood true. He didn't want her to go either. It was a twisted addiction he had. He hated the pain of everything she was in front of him yet he needed it.
"So bringing more misery is your magic solution? You want more blood? Killing my friends is going to help you sleep better at night?!"
Caroline's raised voice made his blood boil underneath his skin. She didn't understand. She never would. Even after the fact, the loyalty she held for her friends would always be her curse. It would be her undoing. Those chains will always keep her in place, unable to move, unable to be free. He sought to free those chains, but it was too late with her dead in the ground. However, Klaus will find another way to free her. He will free her from that burden. A part of him was somewhat relieved that she was free from this Earth.
The Original tightened his hold of the knife in his fist; the knuckles of both his hands turned white. Feeling spiteful, he walked closer to the blonde, bringing an extra slice to the victims that hung from their chains in his nightmarish hell.
One by one. Cut. Cut. Cut.
Their screams and moans of pain didn't faze him.
Caroline stood fearlessly in front of him, those green stormy hazel eyes piercing with the storm of his own eyes. Sometimes, he wished for her to cower in fear. It would make things easier to finish her.
Without warning, he threw his knife in Caroline's direction, the baby vampire hardly missing the knife by a few inches.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"
"It was to prove a point." Klaus answered, flashing over to pin Caroline with his arms as a cage. His hands fell to the wall, one of them gripping the knife, which was still dripping with fresh blood staining the blade. "Nothing is going to change around here unless someone decides to step up. I have the means and power to make that change a reality."
"What change is that, Klaus? Nothing's changed besides the fact that I don't even recognize you anymore. I know you're messed up, but you seriously can't be this bad. Causing more blood to spill isn't going to make things change. It's only going to make things worse."
A dark chuckle escaped his throat. "Sweetheart, blood is all I know. Spilling blood is an art that no one has perfected better than me. And just to refresh your memory, blood is what we're known for as vampires. We crave it, feed from it, and we practically bath in it. All of it comes down to this basic fact, we are monsters, no matter how much we hide it beneath our glamour."
Caroline's eyes narrowed at him, probably scrutinizing him with disappointment of how "far he had fallen" from who he could be. The better man they knew that was in there inside. That's rich. Ha, here's a newsflash. Klaus' true colors were finally reaching the surface. He just didn't need feel the need who he was anymore. The monster was out to play.
She flickered away from Klaus' cage into another part of the room, still looking at him with disappointment, the disappointed frown still on her face. But her eyes spoken differently. There was a sadness in them that ached.
"I know you're a monster inside. I would be an idiot to deny that…but there's more to you than that. I've seen it."
She sounded almost hopeful. It would only devastate her.
"That part which you speak of doesn't exist anymore, Caroline."
He watched as she tried to hide the blow of his words affecting her. Caroline was strong as he always knew, but she wasn't invincible. She still had cracks in her shields, always a weakness in the armor. But just like him, Caroline hated to show weakness. She sharpened up and her mask of anger replaced the hidden pain.
"Then at least give me the courtesy to tell me why you're bringing all of this devastation?"
Klaus had his own reasons. Even if he told her, she wouldn't understand.
"There's more to this than your absence, Caroline," Klaus began. "This is about putting an end to a war that should have been won long ago. This is about a retribution that has been long overdue. I am doing this for everyone. My family has been playing this game with your friends for too long, and it's high time that I finish it. Finn, Kol…" Caroline… "No matter who dies first, my endgame will be the same. I will be bathing in blood, and I will relish in it. Whether it's with the blood of your friends or of your cowardly murderer who claims to have love you so much."
It was then the blonde doppelganger before didn't say anything to him. She turned her back to him, blocking her face from him. But he caught the sight of her shoulders shaking. He could hear the hitch in her breathing and the drops of her tears hitting the floor. Not bothering him anymore, she vanished from his sight.
'Good riddance,' Klaus thought, but he ignored the part of him that thought otherwise.
He strode over towards his favorite test subject at the moment. The Original dipped a rag in the bowl of water resided on one side of the table, using it to wipe away the dried blood from the blade, needing it to become clean for the next session. He smirked at the reflection of his face in the clean blade. Much better.
"Now, Matt, where were we?" Klaus crooned happily with a wicked grin.
Matt just endured more of the swipes and cuts across his body, silently and not letting Klaus hear his pain. Little did Klaus know that it wasn't just the probably close to dead from his torture that were hearing his one-sided conversation.
He also had heard as well. His plans to murder Elena, Jeremy, and now Tyler as well.
{Louder Than Thunder}
Charlene wasn't surprised. She was the only one who remained still once the bombshell was dropped.
"You've got to be kidding me." Damon reacted first, breaking the pregnant silence that had come after Stefan's answer.
Elena was second.
"We've gotta save him. There has to be something we could do, right?" She pleaded with tears rolling down her face for what seemed to be the millionth time these past few months. No matter how hard she tried to stop it, more people were dying because of her. She was so tired of it all.
Jeremy comforted his sister as best he could without betraying his emotions. He didn't want them to see his internal turmoil. One of his best friends being at the hands of Klaus…it scared him deeper than he could imagine.
"Is there anything we can do?" he asked while looking to the others for answers, lastly at Charlene.
She released a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid not. By the time we need to get the full moon, I'm afraid your friend's life could be forfeit. I can't bring back the dead."
"Wait." Damon couldn't have heard this right. "Are you seriously telling us that you have to use the damn moon for this spell?"
Charlene didn't appreciate the tone in his voice; it only made her angry. "Did you honestly think it was going to be that easy? With the complicated spell I'm about to do, I have to gather power from somewhere. Have you forgotten so quickly?"
"You didn't give us a damn hint!" The elder vampire snapped in her face.
Watching his brother lash out with complaint, Stefan brought his hand up to cover his eyes and exhaled heavily. He hated when Damon did that, especially how easily he reacted after the demonstration from Charlene of what she could do. He didn't want to have the bad end of that stick.
"Maybe so, Damon," Charlene said more calmly than anticipated. "But either way, I am not going to let anyone jeopardize these plans. I know how all of you feel in regards in to wanting to save a friend, but unfortunately, you've come too far to let it fall apart." Charlene knew Damon was only acting out of instinct. He only reacted because of Elena's distress. However, there was only so much they could do.
"There is still a small chance to at least find him if we play our cards right." Bonnie stated, trying to get themselves some hope. But even at heart, she still had doubts.
"We also more of a chance to rescue Rebekah. Klaus wouldn't kill her. He still cares for her. The most he could have done was dagger her. We could get her out with us." Stefan explained. "Having an Original with us would at least balance the scales a little bit when Klaus decides to go crazy."
"Rebekah's still a part of this?" Elena asked flabbergasted, unable to hold back the natural dislike that came whenever Rebekah was mentioned.
"She wants in on the cure. She's willing to leave her brother to do it, even if she still cares for him."
Elena just shook her head, still trying to wrap her brain around all of this. It was a lot to take in. "Well, I'm still shocked."
The elder Salvatore tried to hide the aggravated words he mumbled under his breath. Damon wouldn't speak a word of this to Elena, but he honestly didn't give a damn about the quarterback. He still blamed him for letting Elena die and become a vampire, even when it was her choice to let him be saved. He would have saved her a million times over. No hesitation, no holding back. It was through her that he was doing all of this. And he knew that he was using Charlene for his own means. He also wasn't a fool to believe that the witch wasn't using them for her own ends either. As giving as she was, even she had a price. They were lucky it wasn't too steep.
"Either way, I'm not against having some Original artillery. Any advantage against that damn maniac is good in my book." Damon clarified, taking out a blood bag from the fridge to quench a bit of his thirst. He was still slightly angry with Charlene at the omission of information, but he didn't want to be subject to her magic again. It left him with a pretty nasty migraine.
The blonde witch knew that she was probably going to get some ugly looks, but she didn't care. She didn't have time to care if she wanted to get this done. "I appreciate the fact of how much you want to save your friend, but I'm afraid it's forfeit. By the time we actually begin this, your friend is as good as dead."
She ignored the ugly look of outrage and pain Elena sent to her behind her back. (Charlene has had worse glares thrown at her.) She also knew Bonnie would probably throw the same look, but with a lesser measure. Both of them knew, but wouldn't admit it in the open that Bonnie was willing to do anything to get her magic back. Even if it meant people dying for it. That's how far the situation has gotten.
Besides, Charlene had other things to do; making that brew for the spell for example wasn't going to be easy. It was meticulous, and had to be exactly right.
"Come on, Bonnie. You and I need to talk about a few things before this continues."
{Louder Than Thunder}
Matt was surprised when he could still feel it. He could still feel the pain of every slice that Klaus brought down on him with that knife. It didn't feel as bad earlier. It was becoming easier to bear, which may have been a relief, but he wasn't stupid. He knew his life was slipping if he didn't get any help soon. Would it even be worth it now?
He wondered if April felt the same way too. Helpless and trapped knowing what doom would come for her. 'At least it was quick for her,' he had often thought. She wasn't hanging on for life literally like he was right now.
Everything was beginning to get quieter now. The screaming was beginning to die down.
He honestly felt like a zombie.
Among the effort in trying to stay awake, Klaus was beginning to grow bored with him. Whether that was a relief or a death sentence was up to the hybrid himself. Matt learned a long time ago that he held the cards.
"Oh, Matthew." Klaus' took on a fake sad tone. "It's such a shame about humans and their mortality. There's only so much you can do with them before they just…break."
Klaus looked at him as Matt was the old withered toy that he didn't want to play with anymore. Matt was going to break at some point, and it would only be a matter of time. He was numb more now than he was earlier to the slicing. He had bled so much already.
"I'm still hanging in there." It hurt for Matt to speak. "You can't get bored with me just yet."
"We shall see."
Before Klaus could continue any further, another interruption meddled with his "fun-time" with the human. The quarterback watched with hazy eyes as Klaus reached into back pocket for his ringing cellphone with an annoyed frown upon his face that was less than pleased.
"Well, isn't this a pleasure. Surely, you must be busy having to put out the hell of a surprise I left at the grill."
Matt still remembered the explosion with it still seared into his brain. He had some burns (but only of the first degree) in some places, but Klaus knocked him out before he could feel any more pain. Then he woke up later to a worse nightmare being sliced up by Klaus as if he was cooking for Hell's Kitchen.
He couldn't hear the other end of the phone, but he heard Klaus clear enough.
"Now, now. You don't have to fret. Soon enough, I will get those brats out of your beloved little town…as long as you don't get in my way."
Now, Matt's interest was piqued. As silent as he could without further pushing himself through pain, he strained to lean in and hear more of the conversation.
"You should be thanking me since I am doing the dirty work you don't want to get your hands on. I mean, I'd like to think I am proficient at what I do, but for that request to come from you and your associate as well? Certainly, that was an unexpected move."
The quarterback wasn't surprised when it came to Klaus and deals he'd conjured and twisted with everyone to suit his own selfish ends. He knew that he should've have properly ignored the situation, but his curiosity was already in too deep. Might as well hear the rest of it.
"You know this fact just as well as I do. Freedom isn't free without the price of blood paying for it. The key to setting your town free from the doom I could bring to you is the two children who have been nothing but danger magnets for you and everyone else. After all, it's them who have gotten your child killed and my brothers as well."
The realization of who Klaus meant washed over Matt like a cold bucket of dread. What was this thing about a deal with Klaus and getting rid of Elena and Jeremy? No one in this town would do that kind of crap. They were too good. Everyone loved Elena.
But Matt remembered two words. "Your child…"
Oh god.
No.
"Sheriff, a deal is still a deal. A few lost lives don't outweigh the population of a small town. Take what relief that will help you wherever you can. If I eradicate Elena and her brother on your doorstep, great. If they leave Mystic Falls, all the more fun for me in doing the chasing. Either way, you get me and those two out of your hair for good. It's a win-win scenario. Now, you know me. Busy at the moment with terrorizing people and pulling out their innards. Cheerio."
Klaus finished and conversation and put the phone back into his pocket. Matt tried with all his might to keep his still somehow alive heart from pounding so hard; Klaus probably would have heard it, anyway. However, Klaus could be furthering his plans in torturing the life out of him until he was dead.
But Klaus' face remained strangely blank.
Whether Klaus had sensed Matt intruding on the conversation or not, he made no outward indication. He just went back to what he did best, and the slicing with the knife resumed.
{Louder Than Thunder}
Throughout the lakehouse, it was strangely and comfortably quiet for the most part. Charlene was still a little unnerved by it, but it was the first time in a while that she was actually relieved for some clear silence besides the weather coming from outside. The rain against the rooftop was almost soothing as she had begun cutting into the herbs needed to be brewed for the spell.
She was always used to more activity. It brought her back to those days growing up in New Orleans with her grandparents. With her parents succumbing to yellow fever when she was an infant, the only family she had left was her brother who was older by six years. Ben and she were all they had left of each other. Their mother's parents took them in and raised them in that huge house they had in the Garden District of New Orleans. To her, it felt more like a white castle from a fairy tale.
She missed them a lot.
"Charlene," Bonnie called out. "You've been cutting lemon balm for a while now. They're grounded up enough."
Breaking from her thoughts, the blonde with looked down with surprise. "Oh! Right, I already did enough."
Bonnie chuckled at her quietly as she stood over the stove, watching the pot over the blue flames bubble with the gas. The liquid was almost chunky in appearance with a questionable color of dark green that reminded her of…weirdly…guacamole. She watched as the other witch tossed the grounded up herbs into a small bowl, which held the other herbs to be grind into a powder. "I've never thought of using a gas stove and a pot as my own personal cauldron if you know what I mean."
"Pardon me, I didn't mean to space out like that." Charlene apologized. It wasn't often that she just let her mind wander.
"It's no trouble. What's occupying your mind?" Bonnie asked curiously.
Charlene shrugged her shoulders, trying to brush the nostalgia from the memories away as if they didn't mean anything. "Just remembering my family…" she answered with a wistful tone.
"Were you close to them?"
"As any person could be." The blonde witch said. "I actually grew up in New Orleans."
"No way!"
"What? You didn't think I could grow up down there?"
"I just never thought you grew up down there of all places. Doesn't sound like you."
Charlene laughed lightly, lighter than she had in a while. "Well, my grandparents cured the accent out of me. They didn't want me to sound too much like a Southern Belle as much as my grandmother loved to see me as a debutante at those parties she hosted."
Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise, a nostalgic happiness from old memories of her own grandmother lighting her eyes. "You lived with your grandmother too?"
"Yes, and I lived with both grandparents actually. They took me and my brother in when our parents died. They were the best parents any person could ask for. My brother and I were blessed."
Well, that was a surprising fact. "Who was your brother?"
"His name was Ben Davis. Six years older than me, and never forgot to tell me that every day." Charlene began with a mixed smile. "He was always the troublemaker. Too smart for his own good. He had this charm that almost made me wonder why I got the witchy powers instead of him. He almost seemed like a wizard sometimes around the girls."
"He sounds like he gave your family a run for their money."
"Yeah, he almost did, but he turned out to be a brilliant man in the end. Lived a good long life in New Orleans with a wife and family. He lived a long life, longer than I ever thought he could."
"Answer this for me. Were your grandparents maternal or paternal?" Bonnie asked curiously as she watched Charlene put the last grounded herbs into the pot.
"Maternal." Charlene answered before she fell silent once more, concentrating on stirring the pot with a slow motion. The other witch stood next to her, feeling awkward in the silence. Charlene could feel it, and it didn't take her long to figure things out with the female Bennett. "Bonnie, why don't you finish what you were talking about earlier? It's why I brought you over here in private."
Her face blushed slightly and gave away almost a rueful look. "Are you sure you that I'm not invading your privacy with the information I have?"
Charlene shook her head, flashing her a reassuring smile. "No, sweetie. If anything, I appreciate you doing this for me. I've been in the dark about this information for too long, and it would be nice for someone to shed some light."
Hearing Charlene's answer, Bonnie waited for Charlene to finish stirring the pot before grasping her hands gently. "You and I have more in common than you think, Char."
"Besides the fact we use magic?"
"Yes," Bonnie answered. "We are able to use magic because of the same reason. We've both inherited the ability through family genes."
Charlene arched an eyebrow. "Bonnie, there's no way you and I could be related. I mean…no offense, but we look nothing alike."
"That's the thing, Charlene. We are related. We both are genetically related to the same descendant who is responsible for our ability for magic except it is more close to home with you. You're more closely related to her than I am. The reason your magic is so familiar to me is because it bears almost the same imprint as my own, but it's unique to you. You have Bennett magic in your veins. Your grandmother is Emily Bennett."
The blonde witch stepped back letting Bonnie's grasp slip away. Her mind went blank. She didn't know what to think. It was impossible for her mother's side to have it. Charlene knew her family. Everything about her mother's side, she knew every detail. However…her father was a different case.
"How did you come by with information like that? Where's your source?" Charlene's voice was still surprisingly steady.
"I talked to her myself. It sounds pretty unorthodox, but she came to me in my dreams. She actually explained from her view of what happened." Bonnie explained to her. "She retold me about what happened in those journals I showed you, but she filled the blanks that I couldn't tie together. Back in 1864, she faked her death and was able to escape Virginia. Emily traveled up North to live in hiding, but she didn't expect to meet a man. A man who eventually became your grandfather. His name was Joseph Mathews."
Putting the pieces together, Charlene finally uttered the answer that was clear. "…and my father would be his son."
"Correct."
Breathing heavily, the blonde witch let out a curse. "Merde."
This revelation was beyond what Charlene could ever predict. She never comprehended that any of her abilities could come from her father's family. Growing up, there was little about his past that her mother's family knew. Even Ben told her that their father never mentioned anything towards them. The only one who knew was their mother probably. "What did Emily tell you?"
"She told me that she met Joseph while heading towards Pennsylvania, and he was trying to move on with his life after he fought for the North during the Civil War. It wasn't long until they grew close, and she told him her secret. They moved out to the countryside since his family wouldn't allow the marriage or otherwise he'd be disowned. They eventually had a son who would be your father, Levi Mathews."
"Did he ever become a witch?" Charlene asked the question before it slipped from her mind.
"No. He had the potential for it, but he completely ignored it due to the fact he didn't want to be around magic. Emily said there was this fear he had of the supernatural that even she couldn't shake off from him. As soon as he was old enough, he left without a trace to go out on his own. And eventually…"
"…he made it to New Orleans where he met my mother. Norah Davis." Charlene finished for her, finally connecting the dots to the missing parts of her life.
Both witches were silent, one waiting for the other to absorb all of the information in. The blonde remained steady, better than what she hoped when it came to reacting to what she had been told. She was surprised to learn how Bonnie had come through with their deal. It was a strange relief.
The timer from Charlene's cellphone finally dinged, letting her know that the pot had boiled enough on the stove. Turning off the gas, the bubbling finally simmered, and the green liquid remained still. Charlene nodded towards Bonnie knowingly.
"It won't be long now."
{Louder Than Thunder}
Lupe: When are you going to answer your damn text messages? Um…now would be a GOOD time!
Magic Woman: I'm sorry. I got busy with them. What's wrong?
Lupe: Oh, that's a nice question to ask when you're not the one in the same house living with a crazy psychopath!
Magic Woman: Tell me what's going on before you start shedding your fur.
Lupe: I'm already shedding faster thanks to the stress! Did you really think it would smart to actually leave?! To leave me alone with HIM?!
Magic Woman: Weren't you the one who said you can handle everything on your own?
Lupe: I'm fine, Char! But I'm the one who's worried sick about you! I'm not there to protect you, and that freaks me the hell out.
Magic Woman: I'm not going to let him have control over my life again. I'll be damned before I'm turned into a vampire.
Lupe: Look, as much as I would love to argue about that, we've got other shit to think about. That bastard is getting worse, Char, and there's no way I'll be able to stop it. He's got me running ragged.
Magic Woman: How long have you been turned?
Lupe: This is the first in a few days I've been back to normal. Only to text you.
Magic Woman: WHAT?! You can't just do that for days at a time?! You've already been doing that these past few months, but now?! This has got to stop!
Lupe: Well, at least I'm not the only one on the ship called S.S. Stressed and Worried Sick.
Magic Woman: Can you just tell me what is he doing now?
Lupe: Besides using his place as a butcher shop? Nothing much. Klaus stored his brother somewhere I don't know, and he's still has his sister daggered where he can see her. He told me just to stay out of it or else.
Magic Woman: Just be careful about what happens. You don't need me to tell you that there's a storm coming. Make sure you feed too.
Lupe: Hon, we've been in the middle of a shit-storm for a while. I'll do the best I can before Klaus uses everyone in town. Be careful.
Magic Woman: Same thing here.
{Louder Than Thunder}
Hours passed into the evening, and the storm finally moved on passed Mystic Falls. The clouds overhead in the sky finally parted, revealing the white full moon, and Charlene knew it was time. She nodded to the group. "All of you ready?"
Damon was more than eager to get the ball rolling. "Ready as ever. Let's light this candle."
Everyone rolled their eyes at Damon's mocking enthusiasm. He was always ready to cause trouble, especially if he had full permission to wreak havoc wherever he wanted. However, he would only be needed as protection in case Klaus had sent an army of makeshift vampires towards the lakehouse. It was more reassuring that at least he had his brother to back him up.
Charlene's eyes drifted over to the others, checking every one of them off at their right places. Damon was closest to the entrance of the lakehouse, his eyes always glancing back towards the group to keep an eye out. Stefan backed his brother up standing close to the backdoor therefore the brothers covering the entrances to get inside the house (at least on the first floor.) Charlene provided a quick boundary spell for the second floor. Jeremy was the only male closest to the female trio that gathered at the wooden dining table. Holding the crossbow steady, he would still be able to defend himself with all of the hunter perks that came along. Elena sat by the table with her hands enclosed into one of Bonnie's, who was laying on the table, ready to go through with the process.
She waited for this moment for months.
Lastly, the blonde witch stood at the end of the table where Bonnie's head rested. Charlene would need all of her strength for what she was about to do.
"Bonnie," she said handing her the large glass of what she brewed earlier. "You need to drink this so it will slow your heart-rate down. It will help to get you faster to the other side."
"To slow my heart down to the point where it will stop." Bonnie jumped to the point, knowing the spell Charlene was going to perform all too well. She maintained a brave face despite the hidden terror threatening inside.
Charlene nodded, but smiled reassuringly. "This transition will be as subtle as going into sleep. I will be in control of holding the door for your return." Knowing she couldn't delay any longer, she guided her hands to hold Bonnie's head gently. "Ready to begin?"
Everyone nodded, quietly waiting on Bonnie's mark.
Bonnie didn't hesitate in bringing the cup to her lips and letting the bitter green liquid fall into her mouth. She forced herself to drink it down, and she slowly could feel the effects of it. Her hand fell to her side with also cup falling out it too. Her eyes fell back to the back of her head.
Everything became black at that moment.
But then a white light appeared in front of her. Bonnie stepped through the light.
After the white light faded, everything in Bonnie's vision became clear. Shaking her head, she tried to regain her footing and keep herself grounded. She felt awfully lighter, but then reality back to her in time. She was on the Other Side.
Looking around her, she found herself standing a few feet away from her friends. Elena was still hold Bonnie's hand as her body laid on the kitchen. Stefan stood away them in the distance, keeping an eye on Charlene's health in case something happened (also the backup guard in case Klaus decided to show up again.) Damon was close to the group as well, territorial over Elena and the other girls. Jeremy kept his crossbow ready just in case too, but he also watched Charlene finishing the spell.
"Is she okay?" Elena asked with concern.
The blonde witch's hands cradled the sides of Bonnie's head gently, keeping her body still. "She's on the Other Side. She's safe. She should find what she's looking for with not much trouble."
"That sounds like a catch." Stefan commented warily, crossing his arms over his chest.
Charlene cracked one eye at him. "I hope you didn't expect everything to be so cut and dry. You'd be in denial if you thought that this was going to be anything, but easy."
"What's the objective for our witch currently in mission?" Damon inserted the question while they were on topic.
Instead of answering him, Bonnie watched as the blonde began speaking to her empty body as if she were there. "Bonnie, now that you're on the Other Side, you have the means to search for your magic. With my powers combined with expression, I will be able to channel enough magic to hold the gate between our world and where you are now. But I only have a limited amount of time before I need to bring you back. I've extended your time to fifteen minutes. Make use of your time wisely. And, be careful. I can't tell you how long before someone detects your presence."
Her eyes widened just as the others did. Bonnie watched as the others reacted for a moment before she turned her back away from them, eagerly in a hurry to find what would replace the hollow part of her soul before time ran out.
Meanwhile on the Other Side…
The Other Side. They were pretty vague when it came to naming this place in his opinion. However, he knew his opinion meant little to the Gate Keepers. But either way, he had a better name for this damned place.
Purgatory.
It was neither the place above nor the down below where the humans created to be destinations after death in their minds. However, Kol hadn't forgotten where he had begun before he became a vampire. Believe it or not, he was concerned for his existence, especially now.
Leaving the fate of the world to his family or that band of the doppelganger's worshipers was the worst idea he could fathom. A ticking time bomb.
He hated his prison. Loathed it. It was an aimless and lonely cage.
But when he had enough of wandering through the wilderness of the other side, he became very lucky due to his certain…attitude towards witches. His rare respect for them had paid off, and despite his other questionable actions in the past, the Gate Keepers saw his value through persuasive vouching for him.
It was only because of that they saw his worth; he would be useful to them.
And thus began his period of being on their leash, being their little errand boy for them. He fought hard to bite back his tongue. He couldn't say a damn word or else everything would fall apart. They would make him rue the day if it was his fault.
Speaking of which, he wondered who the blasted spirits were going to blame now that someone was opening a gate into their territory.
And yes, he sensed the rise of power coming from the area. He sensed the pressure rising in the air just a little while ago. Despite being a vampire, his senses were heightened enough to tell if something was off, even if not feeling magic directly.
"Well, well. It's been a while since I've had a chat with her." Kol mused, the corners of his mouth turning up to a sinfully gleeful smirk for the first time in ages. "This is going to be interesting."
It's about time he had some fun in this dull place.
To be continued…