The story continues... xx.
Chapter 32: It. Was. All. For. You.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
How was she doing it?
The question kept running in Kol's head as he watched Caroline from across the room, studying her as she attempted to reach his brother's consciousness once more. Her face furrowed in concentration and her hands on Klaus' arm as she focused silently. She had told them about the latest dream she'd witnessed, where the hybrid had somehow broken through the veil of magic keeping him shielded from the world. She had talked to him, the real him. And Kol couldn't figure out how on earth she had managed to do so… since neither he nor Elijah could.
Was it not typical though? he thought to himself in a soft tsk. Nik had spent centuries with his family, fought with them and for them over and over. But the vampire he'd known for a mere decade was somehow more meaningful to the Original hybrid. The man who claimed love was a weakness, the brother who'd never had any lasting relationships outside of his family… He could only be brought back through the immense and ancient dark powers of the Candle by the young Caroline Forbes.
The ringing began again, interrupting his train of thought as he rubbed his temples and pinched the bridge of his nose in pain. It had occurred on and off ever since Davina brought him back, and as he had come to learn; the relief of modern medicine only lasted so long before the aspirin wore off and the pain returned.
Humanity… Why had he wanted it again?
"Hey…" the sweet voice called on him as if having been conjured by his own mind as Davina popped her head into the bedroom with a sheepish smile on her face. A smile spread on his features as she walked over to his chair and took his hand in hers. "Any progress?" she asked as he left a soft peck across her knuckles.
"I wouldn't know either way." he sighed as they turned to the blonde vampire on the opposite bedside. "Freya's spells aren't working, none of my attempts are bearing any fruit and Caroline is so deeply within Nik's mind that I fear she will wake up with an accent and overblown sense of self-admiration."
He received a small chuckle as she shook her head at him and flashed a brilliant grin on her lips. Pulling at her hand, he brought her to sit in his lap as she nestled into his neck. A long sigh escaped him as he held her closer in his arms, welcoming the serenity as he buried his face in her hair and breathed her in.
Right, that was why… he thought as a reply to his earlier question when the closeness didn't make his throat scratch or bring his face to tense up. Had he been brought back a vampire; it would have taken a while before his former self-control was reinstated within him. Instead, he could simply enjoy the proximity with some fluttering in his chest.
"Is there a reason why you have invested yourself in helping my brother, darling?" he asked with a pout. "I reckon we could leave him in the rather capable hands of my family and travel someplace far away from here instead…"
She leaned back and met his eyes with an incredulous smirk. "Well, I'm pretty sure that when your boyfriend's family of Original vampires is being threatened by evil enemies; you're supposed to stay by said boyfriend's side."
"My side is not bound to New Orleans, Davina." he chimed. "And as far as the villainous threats go – I am not a vampire anymore, meaning I may actually be in more danger here than if I were to fly off to South America or Monte Carlo... Pretty much anywhere that is not riddled with such malevolent enemies."
Her smile faltered as she glanced back over at Caroline shortly before turning to him again. "If Klaus dies – so do Marcel and Josh." she interjected grimly. "And I refuse to be the kind of girl who gives up her entire life for the sake of some guy. Even if he happens to be her long-lost and recently brought back eternal love."
He chuckled at that and nodded in reply, accepting her motives as valid enough for him to humor. Even if he wished his eternal love would stop trying to save everyone at the cost of her own happiness. But he knew that was a discussion for another time, and for now; his head was aching and his heart soaring. Prompting him to wonder if perhaps the whole point of mortality was to find a way to enjoy life despite the inevitable pain it included.
"Kol." Davina gasped out sharply as she cupped his cheek with frightened eyes. "You're bleeding." she said, surprising him as he recognized the blood hitting his upper-lip.
Covering his nose with his hand, he directed her off his lap and left the chair as he walked towards the mirror above the armoire. Surprising him as he noted that his nose was not the only thing bleeding, so were his eyes and ears.
"What's happening?" the female witch asked in horror as she joined him and studied his reflection closely.
The answer was stuck somewhere in his throat as he grabbed some tissues and cleaned himself off with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it is only a side-effect." he lied and disposed of the evidence in a bin quickly. "Do I need to remind you that up until about forty hours ago, I was dead to the world?" he quipped light-heartedly and framed her worried face with his hands.
"It doesn't look like just a side-effect." she insisted firmly, the gears turning behind her eyes as she worked to solve the puzzle before her. The thought warming his chest as he leaned in and kissed her softly, unsure of how else to show his appreciation for her compassion.
"Don't fret, love." he murmured as he rested his forehead against hers with a smile. "This body has not been human for over a thousand years; it is bound to cause some friction at first. However, it will settle and I will be fine. I promise."
She eyed him skeptically before nodding in response. "Okay." she breathed out as the furrowed creases on her face refused to go away. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?" she pressed, bringing him to mimic her nod.
"Of course, darling." he said and kissed the top of her head tenderly. "Now, why don't you bring some of my grimoires and we will find the answer to waking my brother up?" he asked, receiving another nod. "I will wait here in case Caroline needs my assistance."
"I'll be right back." she told him firmly as she moved away from him, walking backwards as their hands remained connected until the distance caused them to break apart. She continued to the hall, throwing him one last concerned glance by the door before she turned away and left.
His smile dropped as soon as she was out of sight, turning to the blonde vampire next to Klaus with a gulp. Looking over at the dagger inside the hybrid's chest as it called out to him then. He blinked in silence while the recognition washed over him, it seemed so obvious to him then as he realized why Caroline was the only one who could break through its dark magic and contact Klaus within his comatose state.
It's her... he thought with an incredulous scoff, wondering if perhaps his brother had known all along that the young woman was far more than some regular vampire.
There is much more to Caroline Forbes than what meets the eye.
Trees again.
The process must have resumed, he thought. Gritting his teeth in irritation as he walked through the forest. Having grown accustomed to it by now; the cold as he woke up in the middle of the woods, the hallow and ghostly feeling of his surroundings... And then the pain as his body would start to desiccate again until he was fully paralyzed and consumed by darkness.
Only to wake up once more and repeat the same process… over and over.
This was hell. It had to be.
Sometimes he would see others passing by, but he never recognized them and couldn't seem to catch their attention. Other times he'd hear a voice in the wind. Every now and then it was the one of his brother's, Elijah. Or his sister's, Freya. But what stood out the most was the sad voice of Caroline Forbes'. He was able to recognize the sound anywhere. What he didn't understand, however, was why he was hearing her. Why she was pleading with him, calling on him…
"Here I thought nothing could disable the Big Bad hybrid for long."
There it was again, he thought. Her voice; so distant and fleeting, running through the treetops like the air around him. And just as quickly and mysteriously as it had appeared, it was gone. Replaced by silence. Emptiness.
He trudged on forward, walking and speeding for what felt like miles before the trees began to recede. The woods turning into a long street ahead, abandoned and worn-down buildings on each side of it. Stretching out as far as his eyes could see.
With nothing else to do, he ran into each and every one of the houses. Searching every floor and passing empty room after another. The emptiness strengthened by the results as he found himself to be all alone.
"If I knew it was this easy to shut you up, we would've figured out how to do this years ago."
Again, he thought. Where was it coming from?
"Where are you!?" he growled into the sky, the frustration growing when several long seconds passed without any response.
That was when he started to feel dizzy again, his body shaking and graying as he began to desiccate. Bringing him to fall to the cold ground. His head spinning, a daze spreading through his mind and covering his sight…
It stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes and grinded his teeth hard as he was met with the sight of treetops once again.
This is hell, he concluded firmly as he got up off the grass and stared at his surroundings. Possibly purgatory. Likely his punishment. His prison.
"Stop pouting already and look at me."
He turned around and stared in chock as Caroline Forbes appeared before him then. Her hands on her hips and an eyebrow incredulously raised. For one short moment, he thought she was real. The ridiculous thought made him sigh, disappointed in himself for falling for such old tricks and illusions…
"You can see me? Y-you recognize me?" she breathed, making him squint his eyes at her in suspicion as her cocky posture completely shifted. Baffled by the expression on her face, as she seemed surprised to see him.
"What are you?" he asked bitterly, unsure of who had materialized her this way. She blinked and stepped towards him, causing him to wince back as he kept her from closing the distance between them.
"Klaus?" she drawled slowly with skeptical eyes before a frown appeared on her beautiful face. "Ah, I get it, you don't recognize me... Great, still not working..." she said, raising her hands in a ceding gesture and shaking her head as she spoke again.
"Ok, so this is a new one." she mused and turned away from him as she examined their environments with pursed lips. "Well, I guess a forest isn't all that far-fetched with the whole werewolf-thing…"
He managed to shake off the sudden paralytic state which had kept him mute since she began talking. "Hybrid, love." he corrected, finding his words then and making her tilt her head to the side as she studied him again.
Her eyes narrowed as she scanned him closely. "Wait… You're a hybrid now? Then why do you look so damn miserable to see me?" she pressed, the strange question aggravating him as he scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"I don't have time for this." he muttered. Pressing his lips together and gritting his teeth as he repeated to himself that she wasn't real. He turned away and made it out of the woods before she caught up with him. Blocking his path with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Where are you going?" she asked in disbelief.
"Away from you." he bit back venomously, circling her and continuing forward again. Only to freeze up as she stood in front of him once more.
"Klaus…" she said through clenched teeth as his frustration started to mirror on her face. "Do you know me? Do you remember who I am?"
"Let's say that I do." he mocked, shaking his head bitterly. "Now what? Are you going to taunt me some more? Bring about further torture? In what way do you intend to use this against me?"
She moved closer with apprehension covering her features. "Okay…" she drawled. "Seems like you've been keeping your paranoia in as prime a shape as ever in here."
He raised a challenging brow at that, wondering why she was still insisting on carrying the form of the blonde. A phantom in her shell as she stared back at him with as much confusion in her eyes as he felt inside.
It bothered him how accurate it was, how alike her she was. A soft wind brought her scent to hit him and he gulped hard as he determined it the same as well. "Leave me alone." he said firmly before speeding away from the ghost again. Hurrying back to the empty road, hoping to restart the process as he wished to return to the emptiness once more. Finding it suddenly far more appealing than being haunted by the imposter.
"Klaus!" she called out before catching up with him. "Would you stop walking away from me!?" she scoffed, making him stop and turn a dark glare towards her. She flinched back slightly at that, her face slowly forming a frown as her eyebrows furrowed. Something had caught her attention.
"I… I think..." she stuttered as her eyes scanned the buildings by them. "This is the town, isn't it?" she stammered and turned back to him again.
He studied her in silence as she walked closer, an expression of recognition on her face. "This is where I had my dream!" she proclaimed, glancing over at the empty street before her. "Don't you remember?"
"What dream?" he asked exasperatedly, cursing himself for falling for the ghost's tricks despite his best efforts. The disheartened look on her face tugging at his heart and working to fill him with naïve hope.
She held out her hand with a daring smile which filled her eyes with glitter. "Come on." she chimed. "I'll show you."
He stared at her hand without moving, wondering why his mind had decided to play this kind of game with him… Her voice brought his focus back as she spoke again.
"I promise I won't bite." she giggled, bringing a snicker to escape him in response.
She surprised him by reaching forward and taking his hand. The touch causing him to freeze up immediately as she pulled him along further down the street. Her skin soft against his, warm and familiar. And threatening to break his determination entirely.
"I don't really know how long I can keep the connection this time. So, if you could please get over the whole chock over my presence and just trust me; it would be highly appreciated." she spoke on before stopping the both of them by an alley-way. "Here!" she exclaimed proudly and looked back at him then, as if the answer had displayed itself before them. "This is where I saw you, remember?"
He forced himself to look away from their interlocked hands, dumbfounded of how real it felt. Turning to the space she was talking about as he fought to understand what it was that made it so pertinent. "I've been here before?" he asked cautiously as he analyzed the alley. "When?"
"Okay, hold on." she murmured and closed her eyes for a moment, squeezing his hand firmly as she seemed to concentrate. Just as he was about to comment the precious look on her face, two shapes appeared in the middle of the open area.
His mind stopped at the sight, taking only a second for him to realize that he was seeing them.
He and Caroline.
They were standing there, right before his eyes. Bringing some odd sense of déjà vu to turn his stomach. "What is this?" he asked under his breath.
"I'm showing you the memory, I think... Still kind of learning as I go over here." she stammered nervously. "Do you remember this?"
"I..." he breathed, analyzing the two shapes in front of him carefully. He felt a vague familiarity, like a warm glow within his cold chest as it seemed determined to be felt. Unrelenting, it made him indulge further. To question how a memory he seemed to have forgotten could appear in such a way. How a ghost in his head could create it if it didn't belong to his mind.
Which brought about a sudden thought that gripped his heart tightly; if the illusion wasn't coming from him, if it wasn't his subconscious nor his mind doing this as yet another try at driving him mad… Could she… be real?
He looked her over again, scanning her from head to toe as he searched for anything looking out of place. Flaws to the perfect manifestation as he intended to prove to himself that she was nothing more than an echo of her.
She was not real.
Was she?
"Caroline?" he drawled silently, fearing for his sanity as he shook his head in disbelief. She beamed over at him with such a gorgeous pair of eyes that he couldn't bring himself to interrogate her further. "If this is real…" he began cautiously. "Prove it to me."
She let out a scoff as she replied. "I just mastered the whole 'warping-realities-in-someone-else's-mind' trick, and you want more proof!?" she chuckled incredulously, the nature of it so alike her that he found himself believing it.
"What is this? What happened to me?" he breathed out. "Where are we?"
Her face softened as she moved closer with a sigh. "Aya happened." she replied. "Davina managed to merge the Candle with the dagger and Aya used that on you."
He swallowed the bitter feeling of her words and nodded in understanding. "How long have I been like this?" he asked seriously as he attempted to estimate the time he must've spent in this state of mind.
She didn't answer right away, making him look at her in expectation as he awaited an answer. "Klaus..." she murmured with a pained grimace. "Klaus, it's... It's been two days."
"Days?" he repeated, an incredulous chuckle escaping him as he shook his head in response. "Days…" he whispered in echo, watching the buildings along the street with wide eyes. Days.
"Look, we've tried everything." the blonde began, reaching for his cheek and stroking it gently as she brought him to focus on her again. "Me, Freya, Elijah… we're all trying to find something – anything – that can counteract the magic... But nothing is working."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been trying to talk to you in all these dreams… but this is clearly the first time I broke through to the real you and not just some memory where you don't recognize me." she rambled nervously. "And also, the like hundred different 'yous' I've met by now have all been very… informative."
He cocked a brow at that, watching her curiously as he wondered just how much of his mind she had poked around in. "What does that mean?" he snickered.
"You're a flirt, that's the cliff notes." she scoffed in entertainment before going on again. "Anyway, since I'm finally talking to you-you, the real you that is in the present and everything, we're gonna need to focus up here. And you need to wake up, Klaus. Like... Right now, and if you don't then I swear I'm– why are you looking at me like that?"
He drew her firmly into his arms with a wide grin and amazed eyes. "You're real." he concluded as he stroked her hair gently. Tracing her features with his fingertips, taking in her soft skin in delight. Deciding on it being true. "You're here."
"Well, duh!" she huffed and rolled her eyes. "Took me long enough to get a hang on this dream thing too… And I really don't appreciate your memories being filled with all these bloody and/or drained women, by the way."
Snickering lightly, he licked his lips and shook his head. "I hadn't prepared for you to enter my head, Caroline." he teased, making her scoff in response. "But this rather proves you being a fast-learner."
She circled her arms around his neck in a leisure move, the motion so natural and sweet that all other doubts of her being real escaped him. "What else did you expect?" she quipped.
"Oh, nothing short of excellence, my love." he countered, tilting her chin as he studied her face closer. "I am dying to hear more about your findings while violating my privacy and all…"
"Privacy?" she scoffed. "You don't get any privacy, Klaus. Not when your life is literally on the line here!"
"Now, now." he chuckled, wrapping an arm tighter around her waist as she glared at him. Teasing on as she hit at his chest in an attempt to push him away. "We'll discuss your transgressions at some other time."
"Transgressions!?" she gasped, a jubilant smile forming his face in result. "You're the one trying to seduce me every which way from Sunday in pretty much all of the centuries."
"Well, I reckon every past version of me is simply finding it impossible to deny your charms." he chimed cheekily, her face flushing as she fought back a grin. "Or it is possible that I have always known you'd come to be mine."
"Yeah? How do you explain all your other indulgences, then?" she pushed, turning his face to burn instead as he looked away in a mix of guilt and shame. She framed his cheeks with her slender hands and pressed her forehead to his in a sigh.
"I missed you." she whispered, the sound nearly breaking his heart as he closed his eyes in a frown.
"I'm sorry, Caroline." he murmured, her eyes meeting his as she leaned back and studied him. "If this somehow affects the bloodline and you – I won't ever be able to forgive myself."
"What?" she breathed out, gaping shortly before something sparked in her eyes. "Okay, first of all…" she began firmly. "If this was affecting the bloodline then we would have seen it by now. So, considering that Lucien hasn't shown up dead anywhere and since I'm still standing – the only person being harmed here… is you."
He studied her face and saw that she seemed to be putting up a facade, the thought tightening his chest. "Hey." he said, cupping her cheek as he stroked her face gently. She met his eyes with a sad expression that he found he hated even more than that falsely brave one. "You needn't worry about me, sweetheart." he assured her with a soft smile.
"Yeah, right... That would be a hell of a lot easier if you weren't technically dead, or if we had any way of waking you up or if we knew where Aya or Lucien or even Bonnie was or-"
Before she could finish her anxious rant, he crashed his lips onto hers. Holding her face as if he was holding onto a life-raft. He remembered the 'dream' she had mentioned, bits and pieces of it echoed in the back of his head. He remembered her worrying about him then too and telling him she'd be angry if she found out that something had happened to him... And now here they were. Something had happened. And she was here. Fighting to save him.
She returned the kiss but soon stopped and pulled away. Leaving him confused and mute as she took a deep breath. "Nope, we'll have lots and lots of time for that later. First you need to fight this, Klaus."
"And how do you suppose I do that?" he chuckled in amusement.
"I don't know!" she said and threw her hands in the air. "Think really hard? Say some magical words? Find an imaginary door out of here? Use your thousand years of knowledge and do some–"
This time she was cut off all on her own, as the wind passed them by and took her with it. Just like that, she was gone.
Klaus stared into the place she had just vacated with his heart freezing into rigid ice. "Caroline?" he stammered, turning and scanning the street intently. "Caroline!?" he called out, hearing it echo around him in result.
There were no traces of her anywhere. No sound of her voice, no scent lingering in the air… It was as if she had never been there in the first place. The crushing thought began to take root, the question of if she hadn't been real after all. If she had been a hallucination all along. A ghost in his thoughts…
Whatever she had been, she was now gone.
"Crap!" Caroline hissed as she fell face-first into the hard pavement. "Not again…" she muttered and got up on her feet swiftly… Trying to figure out where in Klaus' mind she had been located now.
She scanned her surroundings with a frown as the empty ghost town had turned into a dark one filled with people standing in the street. Completely still, frozen, as they didn't seem to notice her being there.
"Klaus?" she called out, looking around the group for his silhouette.
A sound caught her attention as it came from behind her. She turned around to look for the source of it but couldn't make anything out.
"Who's there?" she pressed with a slightly panicked tone. She walked towards the voice's direction. Grabbing a shoulder to turn the closest person around so they would face her, but her hand stung as soon as she touched them.
"Vervain?" she asked herself.
"Not exactly." someone familiar replied, making her turn around in lightning speed to face the man before her.
"Kol?" she drawled slowly. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"
He wore a serious expression as he studied her. "I'm sorry to be crowding your subconscious, darling… But I thought it'd be the best way to see for myself."
"See what?" she scoffed out, unsure what could be important enough to break her fragile connection to Klaus' mind.
Kol surprised her with his reply as he stepped closer and spoke with a slow nod. "You."
"What does that mean?" she stuttered.
"Did you reach him?" the former Original pressed. "Did you speak with him?"
"Yes, so why exactly are you compromising that by entering his mind?"
"Not his, Caroline…" he countered with a shrug. "Not for lack of trying… No, I happen to be in yours."
"Wait…" she stammered anxiously. "I thought you checked on him yourself, you said that you looked into his mind."
He let out a sigh, a hand running over his face as he looked thoughtful then. "Yes, but not like you have. I couldn't make him hear me, and none of us have gotten even close to reaching his consciousness. It seems something makes you the exception." he mused, offering his hand and nodding to her with a pointed look. "Come on, we should get started."
"Started? With what?" she asked slowly.
"Finding an explanation." he replied, a kind smile on his face as he urged her on. Making her nod before accepting his offered hand. He tugged at her and turned to one of the buildings with a determined face before the scene morphed and changed before them.
"Let us begin by going over the basics first." he suggested as the strange world opening for the two caused her to falter. "Have you experienced surprising surges of power or strength on more than a few occasions?"
"I-I guess." she stammered before he continued on.
"Have you found yourself in situations where your abilities have been far from the ordinary?"
"I... Maybe... What does that have to do with anything?" she stuttered out as the witch nodded to himself in thought.
"Let's find out." he told her determinedly, taking a few steps forward and suddenly entering a rustic barn.
She recognized the building immediately, noting the familiar details around them as blurry shapes started to take on the forms of her friends. Bonnie and Alaric appearing before them as they watched the memory's Caroline standing with Valerie.
"It's not too late to back out." Bonnie told the pregnant vampire in the circle of candles. The words hit Caroline hard as she dreaded having to replay the nightmare which had haunted her for the past five years.
"I don't want to watch this, Kol." she whispered to him pleadingly.
"This particular memory appeared for a reason." he explained to her with a gentle voice. "I asked a question and your mind responded by bringing us here."
Hesitating still, she nodded in a frown as they turned to the vision again. The candles lighting around the circle as the spell began. The chanting echoed in a warped and muffled sound, seeming unnatural and strange as Valerie continued. Soon, Caroline felt a pain that reminded her of a punch in the stomach just as the pregnant version of her started to desiccate before them.
She wanted to close her eyes or look away, but it was as if her mind forced her to watch. "God, I can't go through this again…" she whispered, the pain spreading in her chest. Frightening her as she couldn't understand how she was experiencing it all over again.
Kol's hand squeezed hers reassuringly, urging her to hold on as the memory continued playing. Valerie fed on blood in order to keep the connection, the spell started to go wrong and panic spread through the room in result…
"Who is she?" Kol asked, making Caroline look at the witch as her dark eyes refocused now that her hunger had been sated.
"Valerie Tulle." she replied. "She's a siphoning witch. Used to be part of the Heretic's Coven."
The words made him snap back at her with something urgent in his features. "They are still alive?" he pressed, earning a nod from her as she gulped down the pain in her body.
"Yeah." she breathed out, turning away from him and feeling a shiver run down her spine as she noted that he was still watching her.
"Not yet." the Original mumbled suddenly, bringing the blonde to glance back at him in question.
"What?" she said, her voice raised as a storm circled them. Violent winds and loud ringing filling the space and breaking down the scene before them.
"Don't, I need a moment longer." he continued, barely audible to the vampire over the deafening chaos around the two.
"Who are you talking to, Kol?" she called out, noticing him tense up as he clenched his jaw and shook his head. "Kol!?"
"No, wai-"
Without another word, he evaporated into the open air. His hand having let go of hers as she stood with wide eyes and panic in her throat. The walls of the barn were being torn apart and the image in front of her was melting away. The last thing Caroline saw was the panic on her friends' faces as she had suddenly fallen onto the floor and lost her consciousness.
And then she was instead looking up into the dark eyes of Kol's physical form. "I'm sorry, love." he said with an anxious furrow covering his face. "I believe we are starting to run out of time."
"What do you mean?" she asked before Davina entered her view, standing next to the Original with a heavy book in her hands.
"Ready?" she directed the question to Kol who nodded in response.
"Ready for what?" Caroline pushed. "What happened in there?"
"Davina brought us out." he explained, turning to his girlfriend then with a grim frown. "She found something."
"What kind of something?" the blonde pressed in panic. Watching the couple exchange pointed looks before Davina turned to her then. A grim expression in her eyes as she spoke up.
"I think I know what's happening to Klaus."
Present day
Somewhere outside of New Orleans
Aya let out a grunt as the loud popping of bones indicated that her body had finally begun healing. After having been unconscious for long and dragged out of the Mikaelson compound by Lucien, she had fought to recover from the entire ordeal of other night.
She glanced over at the young witch sewing up her arm, attaching it to her with a grimace on her face. "You look to be in more pain than I, child." she quipped, prompting the girl to straighten up and immediately carry an apathetic expression.
"Chiedo scusa." she murmured silently in apology before resuming her stiches. The both of them turning to meet Aurora as she stormed through the room then with flaming eyes.
"Well!?" she pressed, her hands on her hips as she nodded pointedly at the injured vampire. "How are you not healed yet?" she scoffed in annoyance. "Every day we spend pulling you back from the brinks of death is another vital day lost which we could have spent on the crucial preparations for the ritual."
"Apologies, Lady De Martel." Aya snickered in response. "I did not realize that my life was such a nuisance to you."
"Easy." a third voice murmured in a mix of warning and amusement from across the room where Lucien sat nursing a drink in his hands.
"You should be directing your impatience at him." Aya chimed then, causing Aurora's face to slacken as she glanced back at him shortly. "He is the one who has been keeping important information from the rest of us."
"What did you learn?" the older vampire pressed while crossing her arms over her chest.
Shrugging, and immediately regretting it as she let out a groan from the searing pain in her dislocated arm. She gritted her teeth and breathed deeply before she replied. "I noticed something when encountering Niklaus' most recent object of affection." she said, prompting the red-head to turn her intense eyes at Lucien instead. "Something that could be the key to our entire plan. Something that would no longer require us to channel Kol for the spell."
"Meaning it will no longer matter which shape the ancestors bring him back in." Aurora summed up with a slow nod while directing pointed eyes at the male vampire. "Anything you wish to share with the rest of the class, love?"
Lucien sighed as he dropped his feet from the coffee table before him, leaving his drink on it before walking over to the women with a leisure shrug. "I hadn't enough time to fully test my theory on her." he explained with a curious smirk.
"Which is?" Aurora pressed curtly.
"Caroline Forbes is no ordinary vampire." he replied, studying the witch's work on the desiccated arm as he spoke. "You felt it, didn't you?" he asked knowingly as his smug face turner to meet her eyes. "While fighting her?"
"Yes." she said, glancing back at the third vampire and shaking her head as she looked at Lucien again. "You could have warned me before sending me into the lion's den, you know."
"What would be the fun in that?" he snickered, grinning at Aurora but quickly straightening up when met by her searing glare. "Dear Alice is… special. There is a strength within her which I have yet to see in any other vampire of her age."
"How is that possible?" Aurora scoffed in distaste rather than concern.
"Whatever the reason – it gives us an unexpected advantage." Aya interjected, hissing as the witch tied up the last few threads and finished her surgical work.
"Grazie, Louisa." she smiled, earning a nod from the young girl as she quickly gathered her sewing supplies and the rags of blood off the floor. Bringing Aya to tilt her head in a crack as her fingers started to move at her command. "I don't believe the others know of it yet." she explained.
Aurora's face lit up as she noted the implications of her words. "You wish to use her for the ritual." she correctly guessed. "How?"
Aya got up to put on a clean shirt, gently moving her healing arm into the sleeve as she met their expecting glances with a grin. "We go back for the Candle." she concluded. "If I am right; it will handle the rest for us."
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
"When Alzbeta used the weapon, she gained magic from the witches she killed. However, the Candle didn't just… absorb it, it worked as a guide to her powers."
Davina had immediately begun explaining her theory of Klaus' state as soon as everyone gathered in the larger sitting room. The somber looks on their faces matching how Caroline was feeling as she stood leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.
"In this case, the weapon is trying to absorb Klaus' magic, but it doesn't have anywhere to direct it." the young witch continued. "Here's where things get complicated... Since Alzbeta was the one to curse the Candle, she is the only one who can change or even break it. So, when Palmira took Alzbeta down, she had to work around this… Which I think she did by tying her soul to the curse, that way whatever Palmira did to the Candle was done to Alzbeta too."
Freya was the first to speak from the others as she squinted at Davina in disbelief. "You mean to say that Alzbeta's soul has remained in the Candle all these years?" she pressed, earning a nod in response as Kol squeezed her hand reassuringly. Urging her to continue.
"When someone uses the weapon, they absorb the powers, right? So, since she is linked to the Candle's magic, whomever the host may be to absorb it; well, I think… she can possess them." she relayed, the words bringing Caroline to wince as an image appeared in her head.
The shadow standing above Klaus' body.
"What would it look like?" she asked, bringing the room to turn all of their attention to her. "Alzbeta's spirit or whatever… How would we know it was her?"
Kol's eyes flashed with something as he scanned her up and down. "Why do you ask, darling?" he drawled, the suspicion clear in his tone of voice. Prompting her to share what she knew, especially if it could help Klaus.
"I saw her." she proclaimed. "That time when I managed to reach his consciousness, when Freya and Elijah came in to check on me. I saw a shadow in the room. It wouldn't talk but… I remember its eyes; they were glowing with this bright white color like… like headlights."
Kol and Freya shared a not-so-subtle glance, causing the others to raise their brows pointedly. "We have a… hypothesis on Caroline's role in all of this." the female witch explained as her brother picked up from there.
"If you would allow me access to your mind again, I believe we may be able to find those answers we've been looking for." he told the vampire in question.
"Wait, what about what Davina just said?" she stuttered in response. "Am I going to become some host for Alzbeta's avenging ghost or something?"
"No, you haven't used the weapon yourself." Davina replied quickly, hurrying to explain. "If anyone should be possessed or in any other way influenced by Alzbeta or the Candle - it would be Klaus."
Caroline swallowed hard as she looked back over her shoulder, down the hall in the direction of the hybrid's bedroom. A worried frown on her face and turmoil in her stomach. "Is the spirit trying to take him over? Is that why we haven't been able to get through to him all the way?"
"No, I believe there is a different reason why he hasn't responded to our attempts at awakening him." Kol interjected. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Caroline? Anything you have found in his mind?"
"Not really." she sighed out in defeat. "Except for the town."
"The town?" Davina pressed.
"Yeah, just now I finally managed to get through to Klaus' present thoughts again and he was in this town. It was cold and empty and… haunting." the blonde explained. "I've been there before. Years ago. When the -" she stopped as she looked over at Alaric's face, seeing it form a pained expression of recognition as she cleared her throat. "When I was being drained of magic once before… I nearly died and before I was brought back, I was in that same town."
"Which is similar to what is happening to Klaus right now." Kol concluded. "It's possible you entered some astral dimension. A plane that exists outside of time and place."
"Like… Limbo?" Caroline guessed, making the male witch nod in agreement.
Damon interjected then as he raised a hand in alarm. "Wait, limbo as in ghosts-on-their-way-while-passing-over-to-the-Other-Side- limbo? Wouldn't that mean that Klaus is dead?" he pressed, earning grim looks from half the room. "What? I'm not the only one whose life is on the line here."
"Don't worry, I don't think Klaus' coma is contagious." Caroline spat out with a venomous voice, hoping to discourage him from speaking again but failing as he continued.
"Is it just me or does it seem like the best solution would be to just keep the dagger in? You know, instead of gambling with an entire vampire line and all?" he quipped.
"We are not leaving him like this." she gritted out as she cast him a stone-cold glare.
Elijah spoke then, interrupting the angry glances she, Hayley and Freya were all directing at the Salvatore. "My suggestion is to let Caroline and Kol access my brother's mind together. Perhaps you will be able to motivate him into un-daggering himself. He has managed to do so before with Papa Tunde's blade."
"That's true." Freya agreed with a nod. "We need more information, we shouldn't make any other decision regarding the Candle before we have something concrete to go on."
"I don't understand why the rest of you can't access Klaus' mind." Enzo commented, earning a slight frown from Kol in response.
"Perhaps Caroline has a connection to the state in which Klaus is imprisoned. It's possible since she has been in there before." he suggested with a shrug.
"The bigger question here is, assuming that Aya knew the weapon wouldn't be able to kill Klaus; why did she use it on him? What's their endgame here?" Hayley said, turning to Freya who shrugged in response.
"And what the hell is their next step?" Caroline filled in grimly as the room glanced around with somber faces, no one having any ideas on the answer to that.
"What happens after we're done?" she asked gently, rolling over on her stomach and propping herself up by her elbows as she continued. "When we save the world and kill the villains and so on… Then what?"
He turned to his side and traced her skin with his fingertips, drawing patterns over her spine as he took her in contentedly. "We can go anywhere you want, do whatever you want." he replied tenderly. "We'll have eternity, Caroline. Simply ask and I shall give you the world."
"Not the galaxy then? That's pretty cheap of you." she teased, causing him to grin in reply.
"If I promise the galaxy, will you stop worrying about the future and instead enjoy the moment?" he countered, brushing a strand of hair back from her cheek as she bit her lip timidly.
"Fine." she sighed, moving to face him fully and stroking his cheek, jaw, neck. The touch soft and alluring as he relaxed in response. His fingers in return traveling across her ribs and curves. "But I do need to get my laptop." she said, earning a raised brow from him.
"Whatever for?" he asked, making circles against her hip before tracing upwards her body again. Wondering what reason she could have to leave their precious moment of peace.
"To send in my two weeks' notice." she explained, causing him to still his movements as he took in the words. A bright grin spreading over his face as he understood the implications.
"Really?" he chimed, sighing dramatically as he pouted in feigned disappointment. "I suppose I could spare you for a minute or two…" he drawled on.
She giggled at that, leaning in and pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "When I get back, we can toast to our future." she suggested. "Or present, whatever."
He hummed in agreement, meeting her eyes in a shared smile. "I'll fetch the champagne." he decided, cupping her cheek as he studied her one last time. "I expect you to run right back the moment you have the computer in your hands." he requested.
Kissing him gently once more, he watched her as she pulled away with a happy sigh and sat up straight. "Get dressed, Mikaelson. I'm not toasting to anything in the nude." she demanded, drawing out a deep smirk from him as he followed her orders and got up to find some clothes.
Finding only his jeans for now, he finished zipping them when he looked back to see her wearing his lost shirt, the sight warming something inside of him. His heart soaring as he watched the incredible creature before him. Still not understanding how he had been so fortunate as to have her in his life.
Walking up to her, he framed her face and angled her head to meet his gaze. "Remember, come right back." he crooned. "I don't want to wait another second for our life to begin."
A face-splitting grin spread over her features as she nodded in response, leaving a kiss to his cheek before turning away. His hand connected with her ass quickly, making her squeak in surprise before squinting at him in a half-hearted glare.
He winked at her in response, enjoying the delightful blush on her cheeks as she turned away and left then. His hands ached to run after and grab her tightly, not ever letting her go again, but he centered himself with a long breath. Reminding himself that, soon, she'd be in his arms again.
Until then, he would find the finest bottle of champagne in the entirety of the Mikaelson collection.
With a new wave of determination fueling him, he fought back a snickering on his way down the stairs as he left for the cellars. Certain she had filled him with some addictive solution, the way he was feeling… Like he was floating in light.
Suddenly, he heard a long shriek and jumped up in response. "Klaus!" the familiar voice called out. Making him stop in his tracks and flash back to look for whatever threat had brought on such as a reaction.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he didn't see anyone, experiencing an awfully strong sense of something being misplaced just then. "This isn't how it happened…" he whispered to himself as he waited for Aya to appear from the shadows and attack him.
Instead, there was a blinding light which began to surround the courtyard. He stood prepared to attack whoever was responsible for it, forcing himself to look in every direction as the light made him squint his eyes.
Eventually it became too powerful, his hands flying up to cover his face as a strong force pushed him back. He fell and landed on grass, his head spinning from the strong memory having appeared so abruptly.
Quickly getting up, he saw that he had returned to the same forest which he had grown accustomed to by now. A whisper passing him in the wind and reminding him of a dream he'd had once years ago. Following the voice out of the woods, he soon ended up in the alley that Caroline had pointed out to him.
He sensed a presence behind him and turned around in a flash. "Why do you keep appearing like this?" he asked the blonde as he gripped her arms with a firm scowl and glaring eyes. "Why are you hounding me!?"
"I'm trying to help you." the ghost replied with a genuine expression that made him press his lips together in frustration.
"This is a cruel game you're playing." he muttered and let go of her, turning away to collect himself.
"This isn't a game." she protested before appearing in front of him. "You need to listen to me, Klaus. If you don't fight this, you could be stuck in here for who knows how long!."
"Then stop wasting my time and I just might be able to find a way out." he scoffed.
"You don't understand… I am your way out."
He quickly turned and flashed down the street in an attempt to outrun her. But she somehow managed to show up before him once more, making him push her against the wall and show off his amber eyes.
"Enough." he growled. "I am done giving into these illusions. Either you stop badgering me or I will rip out your heart."
"You wouldn't." she breathed, blinking at him in such pure hurt that it stung him deeply.
"Why? Would it not work, what considering you not being real and all?" he retorted coldly, making her shake her head.
"No… because you love me."
His heart stopped at her words, forcing him to let go of her immediately. Backing away and staring at the being before him as he tried to read her face.
She's not real, he thought, repeating it to himself like a mantra in his head.
"Yes, I am." she said, surprising him for a moment before he sealed up his heart again.
"No." he gritted out firmly. "You are not."
She closed the distance between them and held up her hands to his face, making him flinch away from her touch. "Don't." he hissed but she didn't stop, instead she stroked his cheekbones and looked up at him with a warmth that made his chest ache. The pain gripping his throat as he shook his head in desperation.
"Don't you think I want it to be true?" he bit out, the agony audible in his voice as he grabbed her wrists and pushed her hands away from him. "I would wish for nothing more… But I have been here before, I remember now. These illusions are merely tricks to disable my defenses and I cannot afford to waste any more time playing into some kind of fantasy where –"
"Enough with the suspicions already!" she cut him off in demand as she grabbed his shoulders. "I'm not an illusion now and I wasn't one before either. I was pulled out of your head, but I was there." she insisted. "Stop being so paranoid and work with me here. Don't you get it, Klaus? We don't have time for any of this!"
"Why the rush?" said a voice that made them both freeze up. Klaus stared back at the shape and growled at the form, unconsciously taking a step forward and blocking their path to Caroline as he recognized their company.
Aya.
"I have been waiting for you to show up." he quipped with a pointed nod and cheeky smirk. "I see your arm grew back."
"Klaus." Caroline murmured to him with a hushed voice. "She isn't supposed to be here."
"Listen to the girl, Niklaus. She is far wiser than one might think." Aya chimed and nodded to the blonde. "I am here to speak with you."
"Why the hell would I listen to you? You're the reason he's like this." Caroline protested and scoffed. "I'd get out of his head before the others figure out you're here."
"Oh, I'm not worried about anyone noticing my presence, dear." she chuckled with a dark grin, causing the young vampire to scowl as she tensed up. "Ah ah ah!" she sing-songed, surprising the hybrid as he studied Caroline's hard expression. "I wouldn't try that if I were you."
"Try what?" he asked, the question directed at the blonde as he felt like he was missing something.
"To push me out." Aya replied before Caroline could. "You see, I happen to have reconnected with a few lost friends inside the Strix Coven… And they have ensured me that we will both remain here until I am satisfied with our conversation."
Klaus suddenly felt both enraged and relieved, because if this wasn't enough proof that Caroline was real, then nothing would be. However, that also meant that she was in danger. With that thought he rushed forward in attack, only to fall straight through Aya's body and onto the pavement.
She let out a wicked laugh in response. "Don't strain yourself, Klaus. You can't touch me; I'm not really here after all." she chimed and held up a palm towards him. "Now, why don't you let us girls have a chat, hm?"
At the words, he felt his face turn to the side and fought against the magic that was trying to break his neck. Grunting, he managed to hold back long enough to see the somber look in Caroline's eyes right before his vision darkened to the sound of a loud snap.
"What did you do!?" Caroline cried sharply as she glared up at the vampire. Her hands framing Klaus' head as she pulled him to her lap and examined his injuries. Determining that he was out like a light, she looked up again with clenched teeth.
"I'm getting really sick of this move, Aya." she bit out, feeling a dark anger turn inside of her. Their surroundings seemed to respond to the blonde's emotions, dark clouds covering the skies above them as a thunderstorm riled up slowly.
Hard winds passing down the empty street as Caroline let go of Klaus and stood up, her hands rolled into tight fists and her jaw clenched as she directed her rage to the woman before her. "Get out of his head. Right now." she threatened firmly, lightning shooting from the sky and hitting the ground by their feet as if mimicking her anger.
"I am not in Klaus' head, dear." Aya snickered, shaking her head as her eyes scanned the changed environment. "It appears I was right about you, Ms. Forbes."
She realized the implications of the older vampire's words and gritted her teeth, understanding then that they had somehow flowed into her own mind instead of the hybrid's.
Which meant she could force her out.
"I don't think you realize how much I look forward to killing you." she countered with narrowed eyes and a tilted head. "Except this time, I'll make sure you won't come back again."
"Go on." Aya grinned wickedly, her amazed gaze taking in the destruction the blonde created as roofs began to fly off buildings and trees fell to the ground aflame. "Feed into that fury of yours, child. Show me what you can do."
"Shut up!" Caroline roared as the blood in her veins boiled, fire suddenly spreading across the asphalt. Framing them in a circle of heat as the older vampire let out an excited squeal.
"Oh, it is even better than I thought." she sighed out joyously, playing on her nerves as Caroline was sure she would explode with the intense rage flowing through her body then. Bringing a hand up as she directed a broken tree branch to fly towards the laughing woman. Aya was swung back into one of the ruined buildings, blood dripping from her mouth but her face maniacally jubilant despite the wood impaling her chest.
"I told you to get out." Caroline growled as she neared the wounded vampire, gripping the branch and twisting in closer to Aya's heart. "Leave my head or I will replay all the different ways I plan to rip you into pieces."
"As you wish." the vampire snickered before the grounds shook. Causing Caroline to lose her balance and fall, a crack opening up in the road then and creating a large hole that seemed to want to swallow her whole.
She looked back at Aya with a strained breath, her head pounding as she felt like her entire body was rejecting the infiltration of her mind. "How are you doing this?" she called out in panic as the woman stood up and brushed off the branch formerly lodged in her chest. Dropping it like a toothpick as she strode over to Caroline with wild eyes.
"I'm not." she replied ominously before kicking at the blonde, pushing her to the edge of the sinkhole.
Pitch black darkness covered her sight as Caroline fought to move away from the threatening hole. "No." she panted out as she tried to grab onto something, anything to pull her back. The darkness widening suddenly and bringing her to dive into it with a shrill scream.
With a strangled breath, Caroline was brought out of the vision and stared at the dark-skinned vampire in front of her. "You." she gritted venomously, flashing over to tear her heart out. Only to be held back by a firm pair of hands.
"There there…" a voice said behind her. "We wouldn't want to strain your pretty little head now, would we?"
The female wasn't familiar to her, instead Caroline glanced around to see Freya and Kol both unconscious on the floor. "What did you do to them?"
"Nothing yet." Aya smirked in reply. "But you will."
"Right." she scoffed and fought against the strong hold on her arms. "Let go of me and we'll see about that."
"Now, why would we do that, sweet Caroline?" the female behind her purred, her lips grazing her ear as she whispered on. Making the hair on the back of the blonde's neck to rise in threat. "Especially when we know that you will gladly do everything we ask of you."
With that, Caroline was turned around to meet a fair face, framed by long red hair as piercing green eyes drew her in. "You will not resist me." the woman said, the words stirring in Caroline's head and confusing her as she realized that she was being compelled.
"No…" she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. "How are you doing this?" she pressed, receiving a wide and pearly grin from the red-head as she cupped Caroline's chin forcibly and leaned in until her lips ghosted over hers.
"Oh, darling. You have no idea what I can do." was the female's response, making her realize just whom she was dealing with…
Aurora.
"Now, Caroline." she began with another wicked look in her eyes. "You are going to be a dear and pull the dagger out of Nik."
"I can't." she whispered honestly.
"What kind of attitude is that?" Aurora chuckled. "Here I was under the impression that you two were intimately involved."
A sneer formed the blonde's mouth as she responded darkly. "We are." the words caused something to flicker over the other vampire's face as she faltered shortly.
"I am sure you believe that to be true." Aurora countered venomously. "However, you shall inevitably learn what numerous others have before you; Niklaus Mikaelson is not capable of love. Never has been, never will."
"That's not true." she bit back before the red-head suddenly silenced Caroline by crashing her lips on hers.
The young vampire's eyes widening in shock as she couldn't bring her body to push her away. The kiss didn't last long but it was deep and bruising, as if she was trying to prove a point. Aurora leaned back and scanned her face shortly, letting out a scoff in an offending sense.
"Poor little girl." she snickered ceremoniously. "Did you really expect to have a future with him? Did you honestly think that he would care for you for centuries to come?"
"Wow… You're bitter." Caroline scoffed back, something fiery filling the dark eyes before her. "It's one thing to not be over an ex and all… but aren't you supposed to be moving on by now? I mean, it has literally been a million years!"
"Not nearly." she chuckled. "I was once his grand love, Caroline. I have first-hand experience in how he treats the women which he claims to adore."
"If you believe that, then just leave us alone. If it's so inevitable for us to be unhappy forever – let us."
"Oh, no no, that would be far too easy!" Aurora chimed, her eyes drilling into hers as she spoke again. "Take out the dagger." The red-head's hands let go of her then and pushed her towards the hybrid. "Go on, darling. Save your paramour."
Caroline gritted her teeth as she nodded involuntarily. Moving forward slowly, her hands wrapped around the dagger and made her skin sting and sizzle. "What are you going to do with it?" she grunted in question as she struggled to resist the command in her mind. Her eyes alternating between Aurora and Aya as they watched both her closely. "Why do you want it? What are you planning?"
"Has anyone ever told you, dear, that you talk too much?" Aurora pressed with a chilling smirk. "Faster."
"I'll die." Caroline grunted as she battled with her own body.
"Do it!" she growled back, making the blonde wince as another force of compulsion washed over her.
"They-they'll come for you." she stuttered, sweat forming on her forehead as she tried to stop. Her hands starting to turn grey and desiccate slowly. "I'm dying… Stop, please."
"Oh, enough already!" Aurora scoffed. "Take it out or Klaus dies. It is that simple."
Her eyes darted to Aya as the dark hue spread over her arms from the dagger's force. "You said you have witches on your side, who are they?"
"Why would you ask, little girl? You will not matter for much longer." Aya chuckled then as the dagger slowly moved out of Klaus' chest.
"He'll kill you." Caroline stated, trying to buy herself some time as she screamed for her hands to stop.
"No, he won't." Aurora said. "He didn't when I took his last love from him. What makes you special enough to prompt a different outcome, hm?"
"Aah..." Caroline groaned as the dark veins spread over her chest and up her neck. Her skin burning and her muscles screaming in pain.
No, stop... she told herself.
"You're right, he won't kill you. I will." the blonde corrected herself, her voice breathy as she panted in fatigue. Determined to fight into the very last second. "I'm going to kill you. I will plunge this dagger into your heart and watch as your body disintegrates and turns to dust."
"I must say I am beginning to see the appeal now." the ancient vampire snickered as she glanced at Aya with an amused smirk. "Same violent tendencies and empty threats..."
Caroline's mind screamed at her, the sound bringing her body to shake as she gritted her teeth forcibly.
Don't do this!
Stop now!
St-
She felt it in her bones when the dagger lifted into the air and out of Klaus' chest. An ache filling her as she couldn't believe what she had done, couldn't understand what she was seeing.
The dagger was out, but she was still standing. She was still alive.
"You were right." Aurora sighed out in awe.
"I told you." Aya chimed in response, her eyes wide as she looked at the blonde.
The young vampire gaped as she saw the marks on her skin begin to fade, her body healing as she started to feel stronger… Much stronger.
"What's happening?" she gasped out as her hands shook. "What did you do to me?"
"Again, love. Nothing. You did it all yourself. You were simply in need of a little push." Aurora's words barely registered as Caroline felt her body burn. Every muscle seemed to be aflame, the veins in her body surged with something else... Power. She hadn't felt anything like it since she was pregnant with the twins. The thought making her realize what it meant.
She was siphoning off the Candle. The weapon. The magic.
"H-how?" she breathed to herself, still frozen in place as Aurora walked towards her. Causing the blonde to stare at her just as Aya exclaimed and stopped them both.
"Don't!" she called out, before the red-head could reach for the weapon. "It is connected to her now."
What the hell does that mean!? Caroline screamed inside, not at all enjoying the feeling in her gut that told her she was playing right into whatever plans they'd had all along.
Aurora tugged at her shoulder and forced her to face her then. "You will gather your things and come with us." she commanded. "Make sure you take everything. Every last object that can be used to trace you. Leave nothing behind."
Caroline nodded then, staring at her as horror filled her chest. "Y-yes." she stuttered.
"One more thing." she chimed with a dark grin as she added to the compulsion. "You will leave a note. You will tell Nik not to look for you. Place it somewhere for him to find. Be convincing enough for him to truly give up on whatever future he had hoped to have with you."
"No, you can't…. Please, don't make me do this." the blonde whispered, her voice cracking as tears burned her eyelids, threatening to roll down her cheeks.
"Break his heart, Caroline." Aurora demanded in response, the firm tone hitting her hard as it made her look back at the unconscious hybrid again.
She reached for his face and gulped as she studied his still features. His skin cold against her fingers as she wanted to will him into waking up right there and then. "Please." she breathed out, unsure of whom she was directing the plead to...
Her hand moved to his chest and ran down the rosary around his neck. The gold ring glimmering against the dark beads and stealing her focus. The sight tugging at something in her soul as she couldn't help but find it poetic. Of how the sole piece of light stood out among the darker ones.
She noted her trembling hands, the shaking growing in force within her in result of her efforts to fight off the vampire's command. Her unsteady fingers gripped the necklace tightly and her eyes closed as she couldn't hold back from the heavy compulsion any longer. With a swift move, she had ripped the rosary from his body and brought beads to fall and spread all over the floor.
Her hand closed around the ring in her palm as her body forced her to move away. Taking slow steps, she walked from the bed and tied the loose string of the torn necklace around her wrist. Her feet moving faster as she flashed through the halls and collected her things.
The earrings she had left on the nightstand, the hairbrush by the tub in the bathroom, the clothes hanging in the guestroom closet, the shoes and bags and all electronics… All of it.
It didn't take long until a couple of seemingly compelled vampires showed up and followed in tow. Gathering her things and carrying them for her as they rushed back and forth from whatever vehicle was awaiting them outside. Aurora and Aya stood in the courtyard with bags of their own, and she dreaded thinking of what objects they contained. Of what they had taken from the house filled with ancient fossils and expensive things.
Glancing around the hybrid's bedroom slowly, she made sure everything looked untouched and in place. The compulsion forcing her to move to the nightstand where she knew he kept his drawing pad. Digging it out and beginning to write the letter.
She scribbled down the most horrible lies she could think of. Telling him that she had reached the end of her patience and decided that she couldn't survive losing another person she cared about. Relaying how she had been in pain every day as she'd waited for him to wake up. Finishing the awful goodbye with short and hurtful words.
So, if you still care about me…
Let me go.
Ripping the paper out, she folded it and tucked it under his pillow. Her eyes avoiding his face as she felt like it would break her heart. She straightened up and turned to put the pad away, but stopping short when she saw something on the page under the one she'd used.
It was the drawing he had begun just a few short days ago. Likely the last one he had made before being daggered. Half her face was peering up at her in soft strokes, her eyes looking like they were glittering and her mouth forming a sweet smile. Something about it brought her mind to an entirely different place. Remembering when he had put the very same drawing on pause as he wrestled her back into the mattress.
The blissful giggles and squeals filling her head as she swore she could hear it jump off the walls of the room in cold echoes.
"I forgot what it's like." she remembered saying as she watched his beaming face with an aching heart. "To be really happy."
"Then stay."
His reply prompted another memory to flash before her then.
"Did I tell you that I love you?"
"Still? The last few hours didn't change your mind?"
"More like, enforced them."
The scene played on as he watched her with a playful smile. "I prepared something for you." he told her.
"Like a present?"
"No… A room."
Vibrant colors popped up from under her eyelids as she was suddenly standing on the yacht. His arms around her as they watched the sun rise from the waters.
"I wish we could stay like this." she said as she turned to face him, meeting a gorgeous smile lit up by warm and bright hues.
"What's stopping you?" he asked.
"Reality."
"Then, my love, let's make sure to enjoy it for as long as we can."
The memories rushed through her in flickers and flashes. She was lying in bed as he studied her with such love in his gaze that she thought it might just tear her apart. "I don't think anyone's ever looked at me the way you are right now."
"What way is that?"
"Like… Magic."
Another scene exchanging the former as they stood holding each other in a tight embrace.
"I think the world of you, Klaus Mikaelson. How can you not know that?"
"Careful, Caroline. It is dangerous to say such things to an immortal being like myself. I may just come to think of you as mine forever."
Something broke in her chest as she remembered what he had told her next. "It would annihilate me to be forced to let you go after that. Whatever suffering the dagger could possibly bring is far more preferable to such cruel a fate."
His voice rang through her as they were standing in the kitchen then. "It just so happens that I rather enjoy your defiance, actually. It is one of the many aspects that drew me to you when we first met."
"What, because I threw a bracelet in your face and accused you of being unable to connect with people?"
"No." he chuckled. "Because even as you were lying on your deathbed, awaiting the last few moments of your existence; you refused to show any weakness. You were brave and stubborn, and somewhat rude too."
"That is your most bewitching attribute, my love. Even in the face of the impossible; you do not give up and you never accept defeat. Because, yet again, you have a remarkable strength unlike any other."
Her eyes flew open as his words echoed again and again in the air. "You are the strongest of us all, Caroline Forbes."
A pulse of determination rushed through her bones, prompting her to put the pen to the paper again. Hurrying to write down her thought before she lost concentration and the compulsion regained its hold on her once more.
Klaus, don't believe a single word of that. Find m–
A sound startled her, making her quickly stop writing and hurry to store away the supplies in the nightstand. Aya stepped into the room as she straightened up, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the blonde slowly. "Are you done?" she asked, making Caroline gulp as she forced herself to give the reply she wanted.
"Yes." she said, walking towards the vampire with unwavering steps.
They left the room together and headed down the stairs, giving Caroline the first real view of the chaos in the courtyard as bodies lay scattered all over the floor.
Elijah, Davina, Enzo, Marcel... Everyone lied unconscious and dead to the world.
"Is it done?" Aurora asked as she met up with them, urging Caroline to meet her eyes deeply. "Did you take everything?"
"Yes." she repeated firmly.
"Are you certain there is nothing left for them to find?" the red-head pushed on, picking at the fragile wall of her willpower then as she forced herself to speak.
"Nothing." Caroline assured her.
The dark eyes drilled into her for another moment before she nodded then. "Good. Let's go." she told her, making her follow them then. Leaving the mansion behind as the compelled vampires finished packing all of her belongings away in the trunk of a car. The women led her to enter it and directed her between them both.
"Ready?" Aya asked the driver, causing Caroline to drag her eyes away from the large building with a frown just as the car surged forward and drove off.
Find me, Klaus... she thought to herself as the manor faded away behind them.
Find me.
Three days ago
or One day before the Strix ball
New Orleans, Louisiana
One more day, Marcel thought and let out a deep sigh. He felt like his head was splitting in two as the double-life began to take its toll on him. His eyes scanned over the floorplans and lists spewed on the table before him, chewing on his lip as he folded his arms and drummed his fingers against his elbows.
One more day.
He gathered the papers and began to store them away, worried about leaving them out in the open in case Caroline chose to visit him before their scheduled meeting. They were going to finish the last few details of the plans for the ball as nearly everything was ready for tomorrow.
The only thought that bothered him was how he would be able to lure Klaus and Caroline away from the Candle in the last minute. At least for long enough to get the weapon before they could.
His phone buzzed with yet another message from Davina, checking in on him as she worked to prepare the coven for tomorrow's ritual. He wished he could give her some further reassurance beyond simply telling her that nothing had gone wrong yet.
He ran a hand over his head and across his face, scratching at the beginning of a stubble against his jaw. Realizing that he needed a contingency plan of sorts, but still unsure of the answer. As he stowed the files away in his safe by the bookshelves, he glanced over at the framed photographs in the corner of his eye and stopped in his steps. It was one of the earlier pictures he'd gotten of Rebekah, a portrait recreated after he had been turned and she was still dead to the world.
She had been gone from him several times in the past, in various lengths and for different reasons. But during those occurrences, he could always be sure of her safety. She would be daggered or running or hiding away - but he always knew that she was out there. Alive.
This was far different. He had no idea where she was, if she was hurt nor if he would be too late by the time he found her. The realization was tearing him apart. It was one thing for them to live separate lives or even having their own relationships. But in the back of Marcel's mind, he always knew that he couldn't let her go. Not fully.
Growing up in the Mikaelson family had been complicated in itself and for the obvious reasons. The siblings were all unique characters with their own skewed morals and visions of the world. Elijah, the noble one, always acted as if he held everyone's problems on his shoulders. He had honor and structure in everything he did. It didn't take long for him to become like an older brother to Marcel, just as he was to the others. A teacher, a guiding hand, the mature adult in the family.
Kol had been wicked and rogue with a constant lack of impulse control. Acting as the younger brother he never expected to have. At times, he didn't particularly want him either. He remembered that the youngest of the Mikaelson's frightened him as a child. It was clear to Marcel, very early on, that Kol did as he wanted and when he wanted. He answered to no one and resented any restrictions the others may try to place on him. In many ways, Kol was everything Marcel never wanted to be.
Klaus was the opposite. Marcel had wanted to make him proud, to do everything that he had done and be everything that he was. It would have brought him to follow the hybrid to the ends of the world if asked. He was his savior, his friend and the closest thing he had to a father.
And then there was Rebekah… Ever since he first saw her, he had loved her. She was the most incredible woman he had ever met. Fearless, strong… The epitome of light. He remembered the first time he suspected she might just reciprocate his feelings. Having barely turned the age of seventeen, he had grown used to the verbal abuse and physical violence which filled the family.
It had been one of those days once more… Klaus resumed his usual berating, a method of releasing his own inner pain which Marcel was certain the man had learned from his father. However, this time he had chosen to intervene.
He still recalled the tight grip with which Klaus had held his arm as he pushed him aside. Having tried to stand between them as Rebekah dried the tears off her cheeks. The hybrid went on to tell him that he was too young to understand. That he could never grasp the severity of the way that they lived their lives.
Which was the first time he had truly meant it when he yet again asked Klaus to turn him into a vampire.
The refusals had become customary, the repeated arguments and the strong rationalizations… Marcel would never become one of them until he proved himself. However, the tests were numerous and complex and as the years passed, he understood that Klaus had no intention of ever turning him.
It didn't matter what he did, what he said… He could never live up to the Mikaelson standard and the realization broke Marcel's heart. But as he looked over at Rebekah, handing her a tissue and bowing his head in respect - he saw something. Something in her eyes as she took his hand and squeezed it in hers.
He'd had no family. His parents had died long ago. His siblings had all either gotten sick or worked themselves to death. He had no friends, no home, no name. Until Klaus reached out to him and changed everything. Ever since that day he had wanted nothing more than to truly feel like a part of their family - and for long, he thought becoming a vampire was the only way.
But when Rebekah's smile held a spark which he hadn't seen before, when her eyes lit up and her cheeks turned rouge… He realized he didn't need to be a Mikaelson. He just needed to be hers. Forever.
Soon after that they entered their affair, sneaking around in secret as they fought to hold onto the sole source of happiness they both had in this world. The one person which made them feel whole. Like they belonged. It suddenly didn't matter that Klaus could find out or that he would force them to break up. Because Marcel knew they would end up together, and he didn't care what he had to do for it to become true.
Then Klaus daggered her, stored her away and forced Marcel to make a different choice. Even though he wished to be a vampire, a Mikaelson, it did not compare to his love for Rebekah. And so he agreed to let her go. To let her be hidden away. To let time pass and turn into decades. To be one of them, so that one day he could be with her again.
It hadn't been the only reason for his decision, because he was certain that he wanted to live an eternal life despite all of the dark and hurtful aspects it included. But he also knew Klaus, and he knew that he wouldn't accept another answer than the one he gave him. The promise to move on and forget about Rebekah for good.
But the gift of a first love was the same as its curse - the depth of those feelings ran deep. And as it turns out, a century or two was still not long enough for them to fully disappear.
His hand brushed over the small square box in the back of the vault, taking it out and opening it with a hard gulp as he studied the contents inside. He had gotten the ring when they rekindled things between them a few years ago, when she returned to New Orleans and helped him take Klaus down.
So much had changed since then… and yet everything seemed to remain the same. He was still conspiring behind Klaus' back, he was still fighting to keep the people he loved safe… and he was still waiting for Rebekah to come back.
A thought crossed his mind then as he gazed down at the diamond. Realizing he had incidentally found the solution to at least one of their problems; he now knew how to get Caroline and Klaus distracted for long enough to lose sight of the Candle of Hades.
"I'm sorry, Rebekah." he murmured to himself as he looked over at the picture again with slight guilt in his chest. Hoping she would understand what he planned to do as it was in the name of saving her. In the end, everything had always been for her.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
Klaus woke up to the smell of blood accompanied by a low voice that called on him. His eyes flew open, but his body was still too weak to move. He saw the origin of the smell as a wrist hovered over his mouth, blood dripping from it and hitting his lips.
Quickly, his urges snapped him out of the cloud of paralysis, and he gripped the arm tightly as he fed from it. The voice was still roaming around in the back of his head, but he couldn't place it to a face just yet. His mind was still fighting the hazy state he'd been in when he pushed the arm away from him and sat up.
"Caroline?" he croaked, his voice raspy and strained as he stared at the people around him - whom all suddenly averted their eyes. "Where is she?" he demanded, bringing Elijah to take a step forward with a hard face.
"Brother, take a moment to recuperate. You've been through quite an ordeal and the effects of it are still to be determined."
Klaus stared at the unfamiliar brunette that had offered her wrist to him and growled. "Get her away from me before I rip her head off." he demanded. Elijah seemed ready to argue with him but caught a look in the hybrid's eyes that made him nod and quickly drag the woman out of the room.
His eyes scanned the people around him then, noticing that Damon Salvatore was there, along with Alaric Saltzman and Enzo... Which made Caroline's absence even more confusing.
"Aya was here." he told them as he struggled to stand up, having to take a moment before straightening his back. Hayley was quick to his side, her hands ready to steady him if necessary. He gave her an assuring nod before turning to the rest of the room. It wasn't until then that he noticed the glances being cast between Freya and Elijah.
"What!?" he groaned, realizing he was missing something.
"Aya has not been here, Niklaus." Freya drawled slowly, making him scoff in frustration.
"I know what I saw."
"Maybe you should rest and-" Hayley began as she nudged him to sit again, he pulled away with seething anger.
"Stop coddling me!" he gritted out. "Tell me what it is that you are all so desperately trying - and failing - to keep from me. Now!"
At that, a pair of footsteps neared the room as Klaus suddenly came eye to eye with his younger brother. "Hello, Nik." he said, a smirk on his face as the hybrid stared on.
He watched the others, determining that they were seeing the same thing he did - concluding then that the man was indeed standing before him. "Kol." he breathed out in shock. "You're alive."
His brother's smile spread as he stepped closer to him. "Very much so." he quipped.
Klaus closed his eyes a moment as the room seemed to spin around him, his stomach coiling as he stumbled forward and threw up the blood he had just ingested.
"Klaus?" his siblings all called as he coughed, kneeling on the floor as it felt like his insides were twisting into knots. The room warped before his eyes as he blinked to try and focus on the outreached hands in front of him.
Pushing them away, he grunted and went to stand on his own. "I'm fine." he muttered. But as he stood on his feet again, it took only a moment before his body fell to the floor and everything turned dark.
Five years ago
Somewhere outside of New Orleans
Flashes of their faces filled his mind as he ran. The feeling of betrayal stinging him sharply as they did. The images insisting on appearing despite his efforts. Images of them. His family. The ones he had considered his own children… killing him.
"Go! Get out of here!" Norah's words to the Salvatore's as she kept him back repeated. It made his blood boil as it replayed again and again…
The looks on their faces as they attacked him. The memory of his neck snapping just as he caught a glimpse of Mary-Louise arriving at the scene… Were it not for the weapons he had acquired, he would have been down for much longer. Instead, he woke up and gripped both their necks at once. Breaking them and running off.
Having been running ever since, he started noticing the sky slowly lighting up by the early morning sun and realized he needed to rethink his escape. When the day comes, he would be an easy target; all alone in an unfamiliar place, filled with beings and people he knew nothing of.
Leaving the deep woods, he stepped out onto a wide road. Putting his duffle bag down quickly as he began searching for the white seashell inside. Gripping it tightly in his hand, he walked over to hide behind some large rocks and shrubbery, kneeling on the ground as he listened. Waited.
It took a rather long while before he heard the sound of an engine moving towards him.
Finally, he thought as he held the seashell and baited his time. Waiting until the car was close enough before throwing the weapon at the road. Causing an explosion to hit right in front of the passing car, surprising the driver as they swerved off the road and into the bushes near him.
He picked his bag up and walked to the vehicle, seeing the unconscious driver as their face was buried in the deployed airbag. Quickly opening the door, he pulled at the driver's arm and threw him back onto the road. However, just as he was about to enter the vehicle and drive off, he saw a woman in the passenger seat.
She seemed unharmed, but it was her eyes that surprised him. "Julian?" she said, causing him to freeze up in shock.
Studying the unfamiliar dark face with no single smidge of recognition, he furrowed his eyebrows and gripped her throat. Prepared to kill her right away, but she surprised him by speaking up again.
"I thought you were still in the Phoenix Stone." she croaked against his hand, no fear on her features despite the threat he posed to her.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" he pressed firmly.
She blinked a few times before grabbing his hand and forcing it off her with such ease, informing him that she was not only a vampire – but an old one as well. "There is no need for that, Julian." she chimed, bringing him to stare at her with wide eyes. "Do you not recognize your own mother?"
Mother? he echoed in his mind, shaking his head incredulously. "What are you talking about?" he spat out, receiving only a smile from the woman in response.
She ignored his glares and opened the passenger door, stepping out and leaning down to nod at him pointedly. "Well, child?" she smirked, baffling him further. "Are you going to help me get his car back on the road or not?"
.
.
.
We are all caught up in the timeline, so it is time to learn more about Julian's history and how it connects to some of the oldest vampires in the world... as well as the Candle of Hades. Hope you'll like it, see you all soon. xx.
