AN: Sorry its been a while college has been CrAZzYY and this was hard to write as I wanted it to be perfect. Anyways I hope y'all enjoy the chapter please review!

The trio sat at their original table this time with Klaus and Antonia on the same side of the booth. The Hybrids had whiskey while Antonia stuck with another long island tea.

"So, what now?" Tony asked after a few minutes of simply hanging out in silence as everyone sipped their drinks.

"Not sure but what went just as good as I expected" Antonia commented as she chased as ice cube around in her glass with her straw. Klaus' arm was dropped over the back of their seat who was acting like he was listening to their conversation when he was really listening in to the conversation Damon and Elena were having.

"I must agree, with each passing the Scooby-Doo gang does seem to become stupider though" Tony observed.

"The what?" She asked puzzled for a moment.

"That's just what I've named that entire group, Damon and Elena and all of them" he shrugged as he downed the last of his whiskey.

"Oh" She nodded.

"Yeah. So, Klaus, what do you want me to do, keep following Elena?" Tony asked eager to please his sire.

Both Antonia and Tony waited for Klaus and after a few moments of him not responding Antonia said his name a few times. Klaus who had been lost in his eves dropping finally snapped back, "Sorry love what?"

"Tony was asking if you want him to keep following Elena" she scanned his face as she spoke.

"Yes, yes but keep your distance" Klaus ordered Tony who nodded downed his whiskey and left after the retreating figures of Damon and Elena who were just leaving.

Klaus sighed as he watched them leave, when he looked back to his mate she was staring up at him with a concerned look, "What is it?"

"I'm just not sure what to do until there's more information or something to go off of" Antonia confessed pursing her lips she looked up at him.

"I know, we're better off now than we were this morning since we've lit a fire under the other Salvatore's ass" Klaus chuckled somberly letting his arm fall from the back of the bench to hold Antonia. The couple finished their drinks, paid their tab and eventually made their way out to sit in Klaus' car outside in the parking lot. The keys sat in the ignition, neither of them knew where to go.

"Where to?"

"I have an idea" Klaus stated putting the car into drive pulling out of the parking lot.

"Care to share?" She perked up as she clicked her seatbelt into place.

"I know a former witch who may be able to help us work on understanding where our mate bond stands" he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was fidgeting with the hem of her dress, examining the lace with anxious energy.

They drove for a few minutes heading out of town a little way.

"Talk to me, love"

"Who's the witch?"

"The woman's name is Abby. Abby is the estranged mother of someone close to Elena and should be easily persuaded to helping if I promise to keep her daughter out of harm's way"

At the stop light Klaus slid his hand into Antonia's stopping her from fidgeting, she was trying to not freak out but her physical tells gave her away. If one knew what to look for she was an open book. She looked at him, "If they're estranged why would she help? And why did you say former?"

"It's a complicated situation" Klaus vaguely answered his mouth tensing up. Antonia gave him a look of impatience at his vagueness. "It's not really important, nothing that concerns us"

"So, we're going to threaten the person we want to help us? Someone who could easily lie to us?"

"I don't see how my plan is any different than yours for dealing with Damon and Elena" he pointed out.

The air conditioning was on full blast and hit Antonia like a cold front making her shiver. "I' just saying maybe we don't resort to threats until we have to?"

"Tell me what you found in those books while I was out, love" Klaus prompted and for the rest of the ride Antonia filled him in on what she found out about mates. She covered everything from how they were supposed to keep the werewolf packs strong, which Klaus knew some about already, to the more important stuff as how distance and circumstances can change mate bonds and result in broken bonds and essentially the nitty gritty technicalities.

Just as they were pulling down a residential street Antonia had finished up explaining everything to him she asked Klaus again to maybe just not start off with his intimidation and threats.

"We'll see" Klaus said firmly as he pulled the car to the side of the road putting it into park. They were parked outside a cute little red house with cream trim but that didn't stop Antonia from glaring at it.

Before she could even register that Klaus had gotten out of the car he was on her side opening the door. They made their way to the stoop where Klaus knocked on the door frame of a screen door which allowed sweet jazz music to pour out. A few seconds passed before a woman stepped up standing on the other side of the screen.

Abby was a beautiful African American woman with dark curly locks tied up into a loose bun. Her smile faded as she looked from Antonia to Klaus as she wiped her floury hands off on her jeans.

Antonia eyed the woman's simple purple button up covered in even more flour, she smelled the wafting of a baking apple pie. She immediately made the connection that the daughter, the investment, Abby had in Elena's friend group was Bonnie.

"Klaus and…" Abby tensely greeted, her eyes shifted to Antonia, "friend"

"All we've come here to do is talk" Klaus chuckled as he leaned against the door frame.

"Mik-"

"He's dead" Klaus cut in shocking Abby whose mouth fell open but she quickly recovered, "Come in" Abby said pushing the screen door open gesturing them to come in. Klaus held it open allowing Antonia to walk in first.

They all sat around a circular wooden kitchen table. It felt like sauna, the heat from the oven where Abby was baking in made the walls sweat.

Antonia sat back in her chair hands crossed in her lap eyeing the interactions between Abby and her mate.

"What do you two want?" She didn't sound angry but didn't seem like she had too much patience.

"I need you to tell us all you know about mate bonds" That sparked her interest.

"Are you searching for your mate now that you're free of him?"

"I have found my mate, rather my mate found me" Klaus said winking at Antonia his hand coming to rest on hers holding it. "but my knowledge on the matter unfortunately is lacking"

"You know I have no magic, that Abby Bennett is long gone" Abby told Klaus trying to but failing at giving Antonia side eye.

"Of that I am aware although I am also aware that you have more knowledge and connections that you let on"

"You are being rather presumptuous Klaus" She sat back in her chair as if playing a game with chicken with him.

"I know you Abby, will you help us or not?" His tone was the same jokingly serious he had the entire time but there was an underlying of true seriousness held in his eyes.

Thankfully the witch picked up on it as she replied, "Let's see what we can do"

Abby stood turning to stoop to a low shelf taking out a box which was labeled "cook books" setting it down on the table with a thud. This entire time Antonia had just sat there not saying a word eyeing the woman and now the box with uncertainty.

"Don't worry child they won't bite" The witch said to Antonia as she took an old leather-bound book out.

Klaus put his hand on top of the book that Abby had just put down, "Before we go into this can you do I don't know a spell or some voodoo to first tell if we are in fact mates?"

"Why do you even think that you two are mates to begin with?"

Klaus looked at Antonia who in return looked back at him, her brows furred together in question.

"I- I uh I was told by Ansel" Abby threw her a funny look as if not following who Ansel was. "The Alpha of my pack" Antonia clarified shifting her gaze around the room.

"Haha well alright, I can tell you right now that some random Alpha from a pack that heard about Klaus being mate-less is just trying to whore you out for power honey. You-" The witch laughed out but Antonia held her gaze her face giving nothing away. Klaus on the other hand he stood to his feet his chair being pushed back as he did. There was a small sharp scraping noise from its movement before the room fell silent as Abby was cut off by the glare Klaus was sending her way.

"No one will ever call my mate a whore"

"Sit" Antonia told Klaus softly not even bothering to give him a sideward glance.

"No! Listen here you witch, I don't care what you've done you do not call my mate a whore, the next time I hear that word come out of your mouth I will tear you limb from limb!" Klaus shouted his hands planting firmly on the table with a smack. Abby reeled back, backing up a few steps from Klaus but Antonia leaned towards him.

As he was shouting Antonia placed a hand on his splayed hand on the table closest to her,

"Sit" She said calmly and Klaus' eyes snapped to her. In frustration Klaus let out a low growl as he exhaled but physically his shoulders stopped tensing and his immediately flipped to hold hers in the palm of his.

"It's fine Klaus, please just let's continue Abby I appreciate the intentions of your words" Antonia spoke. Klaus could feel her pulse as the blood ran through her veins, her heart was beating at lighting speed, almost too fast for a human. He knew she was internally freaking out, her instinct was to run or and trying not to flip out as he had just done. And Klaus had to admit she did a good job hiding it on the outside but he could see her jugular and feel her pulse, he wasn't fooled anymore.

Mentally Klaus kicked himself for making the situation only worse for her, allowing himself to full process what Abby was saying although she was implying that Antonia was being used, whored out, she was almost in a weird way looking out for her to by telling Antonia what she thought would be helpful. Taking a deep breath Klaus tried to calm himself if not for the witch's sake but for his mate's.

An hour and three slices of apple pie later Antonia and Klaus were still sitting at the table with Abby. The witch was channeling Klaus by holding his hand in hers mumbling some Latin and she tried to feel a connection, anything that would indicate that his mate was still alive.

"I don't' understand" Abby mumbled slowly shaking her head as reread a section of the spell.

"What don't you understand?" Klaus bit out, looking at Abby with great worry.

"I don't understand the signal of your mate keeps going in and out" Her worry lines creased as she looked up briefly to Antonia as she spoke.

Antonia shifted in her seat as her fork scraped against the plate scooping up the last of the apple pie crust, "Oh?"

Klaus and Antonia exchanged glances and Abby knew something was up.

"Don't 'oh' me, tell me what you know or I'm done this is already pushing my limits, I'll waste away if I keep trying spells that won't work" The pair did have to admit she looked drained even from just doing this little spell.

"The only way I know how to describe it is that I'm a thousand years old, some witch did something to me and now I'm sort of immortal but I function as a human" Antonia shivered out.

"Woah, that's um that's good to know" Abby stuttered out as her eyebrows shot up to her hair line. A minute passed before anyone said or did anything.

The air was thick as Abby extended her hand to Antonia to place hers. Now with both Klaus and Antonia's hand in hers Abby started to chant in Latin again. Suddenly Abby's grip tightened as she squeezed their hands, Klaus and Antonia could feel a little tingle shooting both up and down their arms straight to their hearts.

Antonia looked to Klaus who was staring a hole into Abby's forehead. Feeling her eyes on him Klaus turned to give Antonia a tight smile but his free hand crept to rest on her thigh just below the lace of her dress teasingly so. It was abruptly cold to Antonia who shivered.

Then Abby's grip tightened even more painfully so that Antonia grimaced in pain slightly. Trying to take her mind of the tight grip Klaus rubbed his thumb back and forth on her thigh. The chanting got a little louder till Abby went completely silent causing the pair's eyes to shoot to her as she let ago of their hands. It was a heavy moment before Abby looked up at them, "You're mates no question about that…"

Klaus let out a pleased sigh as he leaned over to press a kiss to Antonia's head. Antonia's hand nearly flew to Klaus' which was still resting on her thigh.

"Why do I feel that there's a but coming?" Klaus asked.

"Being mates is complicated as is but even more due to Antonia's condition"