She was not fighting Marcel; she was playing with him. Bonnie allowed flames and fire to surround him and she had him pinned. But the thing was she was growing bored and she wanted nothing more than to be done with this. She smiled as she came up with an idea.

Bonnie encircled Marcel in fire, trapping him, Marcel was getting ready to use his immense strength to jump over the high flames but then Bonnie smiled. She started low, in his arms and legs. She slowly worked her magic upwards.

Marcel gasped as he felt his body slowly turning into stone, slowly working against him. Marcel cried out and fell forwards as his body no longer supported him. His body was nothing more than stone by the time he had finished screaming. Bonnie smiled as she watched the statue in front of her. His arms were stretched out and his face was frozen in a silent scream. Bonnie laughed and clapped her hands, giddy with the power of her magic. She sighed and cupped her cheek.

It would be sad to see this power go but it had too.

Bonnie turned and marched herself into the caves, taking one last look at the battles taking place. Katherine and Caroline were struggling on the ground with one another and Klaus and Elijah seemed to be dueling, their hands slapping out at one another. Bonnie smiled.

Every was busy which meant that she could work her magic.

The cave was damp and the air, heavy with must. As Bonnie descended deeper and deeper into the cave she could hear the voice of men and women alike calling out to her.

"Help me, Bonnie!" a woman's voice cried out. Bonnie turned her head to be met with the face of her Grams. Grams smiled at her. Her beautiful wisened face glowing with approval. Grams stepped closer and reached a hand out to Bonnie. "Bonnie, soon we will be together."

Bonnie frowned. "You know why I am here Silas. There is no need to resort to such low down tricks."

Grams face was shocked and Bonnie turned around. She marched deeper and deeper into the caves. The farther down she went the less light that penetrated and so Bonnie brought out the flashlight that she brought with her. She shuffled forward and looked at the walls.

There were painting and carvings etched into the wall. It was a mosaic of life and other things that Bonnie wanted to see prosper in this world. It was everything that she wanted for herself and others. Taking a moment to look at one of the paintings she felt the ache in her bones. She had been fighting and planning for so long and now she was finally going to be able to rest.

"And what do we have here? A little lost witch?"

Bonnie jerked up and turned to look into the face of Kol. Bonnie's face turned bitter. How had he revered so fast when she had put the dagger in his chest? How had he known to come here? She frowned at him.

"Bonnie, darling now don't make that face," Kol said reaching out a hand to cup her cheek. Bonnie dodged the touch like it was poison.

"You don't get to call me that," Bonnie hissed.

"Bonnie, I don't know why you are doing this, but remember our time together. Remember everything we did all the magic we learned together," Kol said.

Bonnie shook her head. "Magic is nothing but a scourge on this planet. On people. I am going to get rid of it. All of it."

Kol tilted his head and leaned back on the heels of his feet. Bonnie debated for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. What did it matter if he knew her plans now. He would be human soon enough.

"Magic has done nothing but ruin the Bennett family. We have been enslaved and butchered since we could wield magic. And the same goes for vampires. Since the time vampire and werewolves or anything remotely magical has wandered the Earth all it caused was pain and suffering. All magic results in is death. So I intend to get rid of it all. I linked every, vampire, witch, and werewolves in this world. I will spread the cure using the last vestiges of my magic and make us all human. No more magic, no more pain." Bonnie said with a grim smile.

Kol looked as though someone had slapped him, but Bonnie smiled wider. This was going to be the end of magic. This was going to be the end of pain and suffering. If they were all human then all they had to worry about was human problems. They would only have to worry about human things and living their short lives to the fullest.

"Magic has brought nothing but trouble to the world and I intend to get rid of it. I will make the world pure again," she said. She knew that Kol would reject the thought. He loved magic. Vaguely she had the impression that she had spent time with him and did… something. But it was hard to remember and all she got when she tried was vague impressions. But it mattered not the history that the both of them shared. All that mattered was now.

"Magic is a part of this world. It is a natural extension of nature. You would never be able to get rid of it," Kol said with a hard set to his mouth. Bonnie shook her head. She had the feeling that his face was one that was not used to anything but a smile. Shaking her head of the notion, Bonnie turned back to the cave drawings and smiled.

"Magic is nothing more than a scourge on this earth. I intend to fix that."

"No. There is no way that you can withhold magic from this world. The Spirits will not stand for it."

"The Spirits will no longer exist. I will make sure to destroy the Other Side and everyone on it. Think about it instead of being trapped in a perpetual purgatory inside you get to move on like humans do into the next life."

Kol shook his head and Bonnie sighed. "I never expected you to understand. No one else will. But I have to do this. I have to do this in order to save the world and myself."

Kol stepped up, blocking her path forward. "I guess then that you will be very disappointed when you find that there is no longer a cure to use."

Bonnie paused. No. All her careful planning, everything that she had done. No. There was no way that they had gotten the drop on her. She would purge the world of magic and pain. She would set them all free whether they wanted it or not. Bonnie strode forwards and gripped Kol's shirt.

"What did you do?" Bonnie hissed.

"He didn't do anything but stall you."

Bonnie looked over Kol's shoulder, in the inky darkness where Silas and the cure lay ahead and then from the shadows Rebekah walked forwards. Her hands were bloodied as if she had plunged them into buckets of blood. Bonnie's eyes widened.

"I used the cure on Silas," Rebekah said, licking the blood from her fingers. Rebekah closed her eyes as if she was savoring the flavor and Bonnie felt her stomach turn. "And then I killed him. Both Silas and the Cure gone. Two birds, one stone."

No, her plans. Bonnie let go of Silas and then screamed out. The scream was effused with her power so it made the cave rattle. This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening. Not when she was so close.

Bonnie felt to her knees, and Kol bent down with her, patting her head.

"Shhh… Bonnie. Shhh…"

"I planned everything and you all ruined it!" Bonnie cried out. Kol sighed and brought her into his arms. Bonnie wanted nothing more than to push him away but Bonnie had not the strength to do so. "I just wanted to make the world a better place. I just wanted to make the world nonmagical."

"There is magic in everything we do. Even when we pass on."

Pass on. The words stuck with Bonnie. They were all still linked. She could feel the tether of the spell linking them together. Maybe she could make this work still. She could end them all. Bonnie rose and pushed Kol again. With tears still wet on her cheeks, she rose from the ground. She still had one more move to pull.

She turned and ran back the way she came. Bonnie could hear Kol calling out to her. She searched with her power. The magic that everyone carried pressed into her senses, but then she felt it. The ancient and old magic that she had become familiar with in the time that she spoke with her on the Other Side; Esther.

She still had one more trick to pull.

There was nothing more to be said between the two brothers. Elijah lunged forward, their hands out stretched and then Klaus would parry. It went on and on like this. In this moment they were nothing more than blurs. They attacked and defended with the life of their enemy being the only things that could stop the feud, stop the deadly dance they were engaged in.

Elijah knew that in his heart of hearts that someday it would have come to this. He knew that one day he was going to have to fight his brother. When he was human he had thought that it would come at the hands of his father. Mikael was a cruel man and knew how to weird relationships like a whip. He knew that one day Mikael would see the relationship between Klaus and Elijah and use that to somehow punish the both of them. Elijah would be punished for being close to Klaus and Klaus would be punished for being close to anyone.

Then as time wore on, the thought of fighting his brother faded away. It did not entirely disappear, no thought could truly be gone, but the impression, the stamp it left in the bedrock of his mind, could still be felt. When Mikael was killed he thought that fighting his brother would no longer be an option, that they would be able to live in peace without a axe hanging over their heads.

But then the noose that was Klaus's control strengthened. Mikael's death seemed to have made him more paranoid, more wary of attack. Elijah could understand his worry to an extent. There was a power vacuum, a void, left behind with the death of Mikael. Who would hunt them next? What new predator awaited them? Nothing came up in the five hundred years since Mikael's death, but there was still the ever present fear in Klaus's mind.

It was as Elijah said, no thought could truly be gone. The paranoia made the noose around Elijah's neck tighten and Elijah could no longer breathe under the constricting pressure.

There was a lot to be said about Elijah. He was prim and proper. He was loyal and a gentleman. Elijah was someone that did not believe in the end of the chivalry. He was a brother and the love of the notorious Katherine Pierce. But there was one thing that always went unsaid, something that weighed heavy on him.

Father.

He had fathered his family since time immemorial. He played father to Kol and Rebekah and he carried the weight of being the father like figure to Klaus. He played both father and brother to Klaus, attempting to curb his temper and appease him like a brother. He juggled the two roles in his hands all while frustration mounted in his heart and mind.

It was not until now, until he was awoken by Katherine, that he saw how unfair it all was to him. Elijah had to shoulder the weight of being the calm headed one since they were young, since they were humans. He had to support every single one of his siblings and work with them through all their indiscretions.

With the unofficial title of father came the standard that he could never make a mistake and could never take a break. If he was not comforting Rebekah after a bad breakup, he was trying to master Klaus's temper, or if that was too tall of a task he was trying to steer Kol away from murder and to more productive activities. Never once was there a moment for himself. Everything was dedicated to his siblings and their wants and desires.

Only Finn gave him a moment of relief and he had been daggered since their first century as vampires.

When he had made his plans with Katherine, plans for the both of them to be together, it was one of the first things that he had done for himself in a long time. Being with Katherine was the one thing that he wanted and surely after everything that he had done, everything that he had sacrificed (himself, his happiness, his time, his patience, his morals, his values, himself, himself, himself), everything that he had given to Klaus, surely in this moment he could put aside his anger. Klaus would do that for him, Elijah had thought as they laid the foundations of his plans. Klaus would do this for him, his brother and pseudo-father because he loved him and wanted to see him happy.

Klaus did not.

Klaus was so selfish, so unwilling, so ruled by his emotions, that he had daggered Elijah and chased Katherine off. He had vowed to kill Katherine and despite everything that they did, everything that they had done for Klaus to ascended to the pinnacle of being the apex predator of the world, he still could not see past himself and give even a moment to Elijah. Elijah was nothing more than a tool. A crutch when hurt and a tissue to be discarded after use. Tools did not get feelings or consideration.

Tools were used. And Elijah had stopped being useful. And when something stops being useful, Klaus gets rid of it. Seeing the value in Elijah, he just daggered him and moved on with his life, content to keep Elijah in suspended animation until he was useful again.

Well no more.

Elijah was tired. He wanted to rest. He wanted to relax. For the first time in his life he wanted something for himself. He wanted to be Elijah Mikaelson with no strings attached. There would be no temperamental siblings to listen to. There would be no mother or father hunting him down. There would be no more killing and pain and suffering. It would be Elijah and that would be the end of it.

He just wanted a moment to himself.

And that was why he went with Bonnie's plan. Klaus would be resurrected after being desiccated. How long it would be until Elijah brought him back? Who knew? But as they fought, Elijah fought with a purpose. Just a moment for himself.

Just a moment to be Elijah.

Suspended animation.

That is how Esther thinks what she was going through would be described. She sighed as the magic drained out of her from the cuffs. She was tied to the boat that Klaus and his slaughtering trollop had taken to Silas's island. The fog was heavy and the moisture in the air did nothing but make her hair stick to her face. She sighed and pulled her hand again. The stiff metal chaffed against her skin and she cried out. The skin had been rubbed raw from the shifting and pulling that Esther had done.

Esther wanted nothing more than to get out of this boat. To end the plague that she had inflicted on this world. But she couldn't do that if she did not have her magic. Esther rose from the floor of the boat and shuffled towards the beach. Her hands were cuffed behind her back, making getting out of the boat harder. She fumbled out, landing on her side as she climbed out of the small motorized boat. The rocky beach dug into her side, the jagged teeth biting into her shoulder and side.

Rising from the ground she had a firm set to her lips. And then she walked. She followed the sounds of fighting that originated somewhere from the left side of her. The voices grew louder and louder the farther that she walked. She could hear Niklaus's growls and Katherine's screams. She marched forward but then a long howl rang out into the misty day.

The rocks at her feet trembled and jumped and Esther braced herself as a wave of magic pushed as her. Her knees buckled beneath her but Esther tightened up. No, she would not fall. Not when she had made it so far. The howl stopped and the fighting, which had paused only for a moment, recommenced. Esther kept on.

The mist swirled around her and Esther could see the caves. That was where Bonnie was going before right. That was what Esther remembered from their plans at least. Esther shuffled on, hiding from the sights of Klaus and Caroline. She paused in front of the vision of the caves. The darkness was all consuming, but it was no different from the caves that she ventured into when the wolves were about.

One foot in, Bonnie appeared in front of her like a vision. Tear tracks stained her cheeks, but her breathing came out in pants. Bonnie did not stop running towards her. The two crashed into one another, slamming Esther back into the hard ground of the beach. Esther sputtered.

"There's no time," Bonnie said. With a swipe of her hand, Bonnie erected a barrier that shimmered around them. Bonnie rose off of Esther and Esther could finally breathe without the pressure of a person on her chest. "We must end them. Now."

Esther looked at Bonnie. The witch that she had spoken with through the Other Side was gone. Before she had been cool and collected. Assure completely of her plan and its victory. But now there was no hint of that person there anymore. All Esther could see was the anger and frustration, the desperate plea to fix something that was broken. Esther nodded.

Her children had probably done something to rattle the witch. It was something that she had seen time and time again in the past when she had communed with other witches. Esther held Bonnie hand and nodded. It was time for Esther to redeem herself and end the pain that she had caused with her sinful act.

She grabbed one of Bonnie's hand in her own and ripped the beaded necklace from her neck. The beads clattered against the rocky ground and bounced against the barrier. The beads were wooden and a ashy gray color. Esther smiled as she grabbed a handful in her hands.

"White oak," Esther said. Bonnie nodded her head and then closed her eyes. Esther did the same. They began the chant that they spoke about. Esther could see the bright lights of her children. The threads of magic connected between them all connected and bright. But then it spiraled out. The light of them shivering as more and more lines connected. The stretched out spanning across the world and tangling with one another to create a tight web of knots. Esther gasped as she felt one of the tendrils of the web reach out and press against her, wrapping her along in the spell connecting her to her children, and the rest of the world.

This was wrong. The parameters of the spell were too long. One hit and they would all die, even her. Even Bonnie. Esther's eyes wanted to snap open; she wanted to pull away her hands from the other witch, but Esther could feel some of Bonnie's magic slipping inside of her. Esther had first thought that it was to help her get the cuffs off, Esther had slipped out them when she touched Bonnie, but now she knew it was to do this. It was to make sure that Esther was unable to stop, to force her into continuing this spell and ending the life of every single magical being on the planet.

Esther fought against it. Her magic surged and fought against the power that Ayana's descendant was leaking into her. Bonnie was strong with her magic. The magic weighed in her veins, slowing her blood and making everything in her body move more slowly. Her breath came out in heavy pants.

The beads slipped out of her hands and in her mind's eye she saw the beads coming together. They warped together forming the jagged form of a spear. The beads stretched out, slivering around one another and forcing one another to into the form of the spear and then creeping forwards to make the tip.

With a gasp, the spell was complete and the spear dropped to the ground in front of them. Esther pulled away from the younger witched and crawled away. Bonnie rose from the ground the spear in her hand.

"Why?" Esther asked. Her voice was nothing more than a hiss. Why had she done this? Why had Bonnie tricked her?

"Because I hate magic," Bonnie said.

And then she aimed the spear at her chest.

Author's Note: Almost done with this story after TEN YEARS! The next chapter will be having some drama and coming together and might be the last chapter? I have no idea we'll see what I write over the three day weekend I'm getting, lol. I am probably gonna be writing for hours come Sunday, so y'all are probably gonna get a blitz of chapters like you did last week. I am so excited to get started on the last chapters! Thank you all for enjoying this story! I will see you on Sunday for me and whatever day it is for y'all.