"I have nowhere to go and no place I'm supposed to be. Am I lost or completely free?"

Doug Cooper


"Kol."

That was the one and only word Klaus Mikaelson managed to utter before silence, like a veil, once again covered the crypt in all its eerie thickness.

Caroline's eyes shined inside the darkness and finally, the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. She could not describe it but bringing an Original back from the dead along with her own resurrection felt like a personal victory.

She had defeated that wretched place with a vengeance and not the other way around.

However, Kol was not the only Original standing near her. Two more were close to her, watching their brother's return to the land of the living with caught breaths and looks that resembled dread.

Klaus as if he was in a trance took a step forward, leaving her behind, while Elijah remained rooted on his spot. Both brothers were looking at the man that stood in the crypt with astonishment.

"Brothers! You are acting as if you've seen a ghost," Kol's accented voice echoed around them and Caroline snickered at that.

Kol stretched his hands and moved his head slowly from the right side to the left trying to exile the numbness from his body.

She recalled the moment she awoke inside her coffin. The prickling sensation of life returning to her body was indescribable and from the looks of it, Kol was experiencing it too.

She saw Kol's eyes changing, his fangs gleaming in the darkness as he smirked pleased and hummed contently.

"All in the right place," he exclaimed with pride as he inspected his body and Caroline rolled her eyes at his everlasting vanity.

"Is this really you brother?" Elijah muttered and Kol's features darkened before his face changed back looking almost angelic.

"You wouldn't even know, would you? Brother," Kol sneered bitterly and slowly approached them.

It was his movements, the way he walked and held himself, that seemed to confirm to Elijah that the man standing in front of him was indeed Kol. Elijah looked at Klaus that seemed as lost as he was but Kol didn't pay any attention to them even though they eyed him carefully and with certain steps he approached Caroline.

He smiled at her, his eyes bright and full of mischief while Klaus and Elijah watched their interaction with great curiosity.

"What took you so long?" he nagged in a childish complaint and she glared at him.

"You are welcome!" she spat at him feeling exhausted.

Moments before she was on the brink of death -or at least desiccation- but once Kol's soul had left her body and returned to his own she felt better. Stronger.

But not that strong.

It was as if her strength was fading away slowly once more. Ever since she had dug herself out of the grave she was buried into she hadn't fed and it was as if even her soul craved blood and not just her body.

A bloodlust she hadn't felt ever since she woke up in the hospital years ago in transition.

Kol raised his eyebrow and looked at her from head to toe. "You look like hell darling," he playfully jested and she grimaced.

"Seriously? A pun? Now?" she grumbled and Kol grinned at her genuinely.

"How is this even possible?" Klaus's low voice sought an end to their eye contest and Kol's smile turned dark.

Caroline bit her lip when Kol turned around to face his brothers.

"Oh, I don't know Nik! Maybe if you had searched for more than half a second for a way to bring your beloved brother back you would have found a way? Alas, it was not Elijah that burned before your eyes!" Kol accused Klaus before he sent the same accusing glare to Elijah also.

"Always and forever!" he laughed and he theatrically opened his arms.

"But since I am not any of you or Bekah I guess always means rotting in purgatory forever," he confronted his brothers that looked at him almost guiltily.

Klaus's eyes watered with regret and Kol earnestly laughed at his reaction and waved dismissively.

"No need to feel bad Nik!" he lamented sweetly, his voice full of irony "it is not as if you didn't mourn me!… oh wait!…that's right, you didn't!" he reminded his brother and took a threatening step towards Klaus before Elijah got in the middle.

"This is not the time for this Kol," Elijah tried to sooth Kol's temper in vain before Kol stood inches away from Elijah ready to attack him.

"That's enough Kol!" Klaus warned his younger brother earning a piece of wood, from the broken coffin, flying towards him. He caught the wood in the air and let it drop on the ground with a thud.

The three Originals were confronting each other but Caroline wasn't looking at them. She felt lost, disoriented.

She took a step back realizing she had reached her limits. Her whole body was aching and was shutting down. Her throat was burning. She was losing ground fast and the voices of the three vampires that kept bickering felt as if they were coming from afar.

Caroline stared down at her hands and she lost her balance. Her hands were graying, veins protruding from her skin that seemed to be turning hard.

She tried to hold on to something but she could not move. She tried to make a sound but nothing came out. Desperation filled her.

Everything around her stopped moving or even existing. She seemed as if she was falling backward in slow motion while the rest of the world remained unmovable. She could not hear any sounds anymore. Everything became a whirlwind as her heart stopped pumping blood inside her veins. She was turning to stone, her body screaming in agony and hunger while consciousness was leaving her.

It was then that a strong body supported her from behind and she groaned when the smell of blood reached her nostrils; her eyes snapped wide open.

Klaus was behind her, his body stopping her fall; he tore his forearm with his fangs and brought it to her mouth immediately.

Her eyes turned black and crimson, veins forming on the thin skin underneath them. She bit down on his hand hard and furiously drank his blood.

Klaus wrapped his other hand around her waist and slowly kneeled on the floor holding her body to his lap while she kept drinking his blood savagely. It was divine. She could not get enough. She could not stop. She hadn't fed for so long. So long! She needed it and yet it wasn't enough. All she could do was moan, drink, gulp, take every drop in. She lost herself in that heavenly feeling and she brought her body closer to the source of life that was connected with her mouth.

She barely noticed how Klaus was tenderly caressing her curls, pushing them away from her sweaty face. She barely noticed anything else except the blood that was rushing into her mouth.

"Brother she is draining you," Elijah warned but Klaus didn't make an effort to stop her.

It wasn't until she heard Kol's voice that the world came back to focus again.

"What a marvelous sight you blood shagging my brother darling, keep going," he mocked and Caroline blinked.

She exhaled hard and retreated her fangs from Klaus's hand horrified. She licked her lips, her cheeks flaming red as she tilted her head up tentatively. Klaus was watching her almost mesmerized while Kol was smiling widely, mocking her as always.

She groaned. She was so hungry and yet right now she wanted to punch something. Preferably Kol!

However what made her feel more alive than ever was Klaus's blood. His blood was rushing in her veins burning through her bloodstream. The first blood she had after her resurrection. Klaus's marvelous blood was the first one she tasted sealing her new leash on her regained vampire life. And it felt good. It felt more than good. It felt ambrosial.

"I need more," she complained but pushed Klaus's hand away.

Elijah raised his eyebrows surprised. She could tell that he couldn't believe she had managed to stop. She exhaled once more trying to regain control just as Klaus nodded and looked at her with concern.

"We have plenty blood bags upstairs sweetheart," Klaus reassured her and tried to pick her up but she pushed him away and forced herself to stand on her own. When she stood up she almost lost her step but before Klaus could reach her Kol was already in front of her holding her from her elbows, helping her maintain her balance.

"Stand," Kol simply commanded in an authoritative tone; she gulped down and pushed her weakness to the side straightening her body. It was reflex.

She raised her eyes and saw Kol smirking at her before he looked at Klaus that was watching the scene unfolding in front of him with bewilderment, confusion, and…anger.

"I've got her…brother," Kol drawled and provocatively wrapped his hand around Caroline's waist, earning a glare from Klaus, before Caroline shoved him away harshly.

"So not here for your games Kol," she muttered annoyed and Kol shrugged as if her temper was not something new to him.

Klaus and Elijah looked at both of them flabbergasted but Elijah was the first one to regain his control.

"We should probably take this upstairs," Elijah suggested and he extended his hand politely towards the exit of the crypt.

It was surreal how everyone now acted civilized; as if this was an ordinary gathering. Nonetheless, Caroline simply followed their example.

All she wanted was blood. And then she would get the hell out of this place and would not look back ever again.


Many empty blood bags were tossed on the table of the kitchen and on the floor.

Caroline was sitting on a bar stool slowly drinking her last blood bag. She had devoured already three and she was at her fourth and the burning sensation in her throat and in the pit of her stomach was finally starting to dissipate somewhat.

Sanity was slowly restored to her mind. She clutched the plastic of the bag between her fingers and raised her eyes to see Kol greedily finishing one more blood bag before going yet again for another.

Klaus had his eyes glued on her and she noticed that Elijah remained silent as he was watching her and Kol too. Behind the tube of the blood bad she was using as a straw she smirked at the notion that the most uptight of the Originals was witnessing two starving vampires making a mess in his kitchen. Civilization was good but not for starving monsters.

She almost wanted to laugh but she simply kept drinking from her blood bag.

Klaus's gaze was burning her. She chose to ignore it. But she could not pretend that he was not there either. She didn't expect this to be this bad but his presence was influencing her in indescribable ways. Most of all he was waking up emotions in her she didn't want. Not now. Not after everything that had happened. She could not deal with that right now. She didn't want to open that can of worms. She didn't want to feel anything right now and she didn't want to turn her emotions off either.

She had persevered. She had survived purgatory and now she had to survive this world once more but she was not the same girl Klaus seemed to still care for. She had changed. And her changed version had to fight through the emotional tornado that was about to sweep her away if she allowed her emotions to prevail. She had to control herself and her emotions and Klaus was testing her control. She had to put some distance between them. And fast.

"Thank you," she mumbled with a low voice, "I really needed this."

Klaus nodded. He was leaning against the refrigerator, his hands crossed over his chest.

"I hope you are feeling better Miss Forbes?" Elijah politely asked and Caroline hummed in agreement.

"How kind to ask about my well being too, brother!" Kol said as he jumped up and sat on the kitchen island bar. He placed his hand over his heart pretending to be sincerely touched by Elijah's concern, "I am fine 'Lijah! I've missed you dearly!" he mocked.

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Death didn't do much for your ego or your manners did it Kol?" he jabbed and Kol laughed.

"You'll have to wait and see Nik," Kol said barely concealing his threat and drank the last contents of his blood bag.

"We are glad to have you back brother," Elijah said to Kol with half a smile.

"How touching!" Kol exclaimed with a fake smile.

"Be nice Kol," Caroline sighed tiredly and Kol looked at her and placed his hand on his chest as if she had wounded him.

Elijah and Klaus looked at Kol and Caroline extremely surprised.

Caroline scoffed and got up.

"As much as I enjoy watching your family reunion I think it is my time to go," she announced.

Klaus immediately came closer, his eyes only at her.

"You are leaving?" he asked her with disbelief.

Caroline raised her eyes and looked at him. She gulped and held her breath for a moment.

"I…I did what I came to do," she said avoiding to give him a straight answer but kept her gaze locked on his.

"That you did!" Kol proudly interrupted their stare and Caroline lowered her gaze.

When she lifted her eyes up again she found that it was Kol that was silently watching her. He looked almost disappointed but he instantly changed his expression and his nonchalant posture was once again on display.

Kol carelessly threw next to her the empty blood bag and Caroline finally noticed all the empty bags they have left on the kitchen bar.

She swirled her tongue inside her mouth and narrowed her eyes as she touched one of the blood bags. Something seemed-

"Caroline?"

Caroline tilted her head up only to see that Hayley had just entered the kitchen. Her body unwillingly tensed as Hayley Marshall stood still staring at her with wonder. It was that dumbstruck expression she had on her face that made Caroline smirk.

Hayley blinked a couple of times before speaking.

"How-"

"Am I here? Well, I've been to hell and back. How have you been Hayley?" Caroline challenged.

Hayley turned to Elijah.

"I don't understand. Elijah? What's going on?" she demanded confused but before Elijah could answer Kol jumped down from the bar and predatorily approached Hayley.

Elijah immediately went close to her, his body language clearly warning Kol to not harm Hayley in any way.

"Really Nik? This is with what you replaced Bekah?" Kol chimed in and Hayley's eyes turned cold.

"Who the hell are you?" Hayley asked looking offended earning Kol's mocking laughter.

Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose while Caroline sat back on the stool; her eyes scanning Klaus's reactions.

"Let me guess darling, you are the new unfortunate addition to our big happy family?" Kol probed ironically. He tried to approach Hayley but Elijah placed a warning hand on his chest. Kol eyed Elijah's hand and then sarcastically raised his hands up in the air faking surrender.

"I am Hayley," Hayley said with uncertainty and Caroline couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes at the way Hayley tried to fake confidence. Something that Klaus seemed to also find extremely amusing.

"You don't say," Kol taunted before Elijah turned his attention to Hayley.

"This is my brother Hayley," Elijah said and Hayley looked confused.

"Kol," Klaus informed her and Hayley inspected Kol with a weird look.

"Wasn't he dead?" she asked.

"Aren't we all?" Kol drawled eyeing her up and down "including you from the looks of it," he noticed with a raised eyebrow and Hayley pressed her lips.

Caroline looked at Hayley carefully and noticed how her skin was paler and how the sound of her heartbeat was different. Kol was right. She was a Hybrid. She didn't know why but that bothered her. Tyler came to mind and she had to control herself from jumping at Hayley. The last time she had seen Hayley she had broken her neck and betrayed Tyler.

Caroline gritted her teeth and turned her head to the side when she felt Klaus's gaze scrutinize her. He was probably wondering what she knew about Hayley's presence here.

"How is death working out for you?" Kol continued cornering the brunette, his eyes glimmering with a maniacal glee that obviously made Hayley feel uncomfortable. Caroline recalled how that same look Kol was using on Hayley now used to scare her when she had first met him in purgatory.

"I will be in my room," Hayley said and left the room.

Elijah sighed tiredly.

"Rude!" Kol commented pretending to be offended.

"Kol," Elijah muttered with annoyance.

"What? I was completely civil, she is family after all," Kol countered and Klaus ignored him and went closer to Caroline. He tried to reach for her hand but Caroline drew it back and abruptly stood up.

Klaus's body was close to her and she had to slightly tilt her head up in order to meet his gaze.

"About Hayley," Klaus started.

"Oh, this is going to be good!" Kol beamed and Caroline sent him a deadly glare.

"This is not the time Kol," she spat at him.

"Don't mind me, darling, continue please, my brother is dying to get back to your good graces and it has been a while since I got to see a good play!" he sneered; Klaus grunted and was about to attack him when Caroline shook her head in defeat.

"This is getting ridiculous," Caroline complained and took a step back. She looked at Klaus with a sad look.

"You don't have to tell me anything about Hayley," she revealed with a cold voice and Klaus sighed.

"Sweetheart-"

"This is your house Klaus, your life. What you do in it is your business. I am not going to stay here any longer anyway," she stated, more aggressively than she intended, while refusing to look at Klaus.

"There are some things you need to know Caroline," Klaus insisted but Caroline threw an angry knowing gaze at him.

"You know," Klaus whispered taking a step back as if she had hit him. She didn't have to admit she did indeed know because it was obvious by the way she was looking at him.

Klaus then looked accusingly at his younger brother. Kol raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"What is the matter, brother?" Kol innocently quipped.

"You saw everything before the veil fell haven't you?" Klaus growled and grabbed the glass from the kitchen counter with such force that it broke into his hand. Kol shrugged indifferently even though his eyes shined with provocation and Elijah had to interfere by placing his hand on Klaus's shoulder in order to restrain him from attacking Kol. It was Caroline in the end who stepped between Klaus and Kol putting a halt to their fight before it even began. She pointed her finger towards Kol with anger.

"If you want to provoke your brother into a fight find another bait!" she hissed at Kol that looked at her seriously this time and pursed his lips annoyed.

Caroline turned around to confront Klaus next.

"And once more! I do not care about your personal life! Whatever you do is your problem, not mine! I am out of here!" she announced and Klaus took a step back once more looking hurt.

Elijah furrowed his brow when he noticed how Caroline had managed to silence both of his brothers without any special effort. Although both Klaus's and Kol's gazes clearly indicated that this was far from over. Still, Caroline's influence on his brothers was remarkable.

"Miss Forbes, if I may," he questioned kindly before she could leave.

"Caroline," the blonde corrected him and Elijah smiled.

"Caroline, I understand your wish to leave us; your life still awaits you far from New Orleans" he started noticing how Klaus turned his back at all of them placing his hands on the bar of the kitchen aggressively, "however," Elijah continued with his most diplomatic tone, "it is already past midnight and you've had quite an ordeal. You've already pushed yourself to your limits. You can always leave in the morning," he proposed and Caroline drew a sharp breath.

She was about to protest once more but Elijah didn't give her any room for that.

"You helped our brother. You have our eternal gratitude for this," Elijah vowed ignoring Kol's snort, "the least we can do is offer you our hospitality. We have plenty of empty rooms and you need to get some rest, clean yourself. Get some sleep," Elijah addressed all the practical matters she was facing, "in the morning you can be on your way," he offered.

Klaus in the meanwhile was looking hopefully at her and cast a glance of gratitude towards Elijah.

"You do look like you need to rest Caroline" Klaus backed up Elijah's proposal and Caroline flinched.

"Geez thanks, Klaus, I get it! I look awful!" she groused and shook her head in annoyance earning an understanding smile from Klaus. One that made her feel like a spoiled child. It was as if Elijah and Klaus were her parents and were scolding her for her behavior.

She looked at Kol that nodded encouragingly and she huffed.

"Fine, it's just for a few hours anyway. But in the morning I'll be on my way," she insisted and Klaus smiled widely at his small victory especially since he knew how stubborn she could be when she wanted.

Elijah nodded at her and Caroline averted her eyes feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She knew they were right. She looked terrible and she was very tired. She was planning on spending her night to a motel anyway. So this would have to do for tonight. All she had to do was keep her distance from Klaus for some hours. And then leave.

Kol came closer to her and took her hand to his. He kissed it and bowed his head theatrically and she rolled her eyes at his childishness.

"Well, sweet Caroline. Since our comradeship found its desired conclusion I will be on my way," he announced and Caroline looked at him frustrated with a pleading gaze. He could not leave her here alone with Klaus and he also had to understand her. She tried to reach for his hand but he pulled it away before she even had the chance to hold him.

"Where are you going?" Klaus questioned with a worried look.

"I need some blood," Kol boringly said.

"You just had 5 blood bags Kol," Elijah noted confused.

Kol smiled devilishly at his brothers.

"I need the real thing brother. Substitutes really pale in comparison wouldn't you say?" he mocked, his words having a double meaning.

"Kol-" Caroline started with a soft voice but she found herself speaking to an empty space when a force of wind blew through her hair.

Kol sped away leaving them all behind.

"Go with him, Elijah!" Klaus ordered.

Everyone realized that Kol was about to cause havoc to New Orleans tonight and obviously Elijah was the one that would have to contain the damage.

Elijah nodded and ran after his brother.

Caroline refused to look at Klaus. An awkward silence filled the room before Caroline broke it.

"He won't return, not while I am here," she breathed out but Klaus didn't comment. His eyes were burning holes through her.

"Let me show you to your room," he proposed cordially.

Caroline' brow furrowed.

"To the guest room you mean," she corrected him but Klaus simply smiled.


The red-headed witch took several deep labored breaths before she sat trembling on the marble bench. She had found refuge in one of the oldest mausoleums of the Lafayette cemetery. The one that a year ago she had clocked with magic.

Exhaustion was rapidly taking over.

Synnove closed her eyes and when she opened them again she watched her reflection in the old mirror that was set over the sacrificial table. Her eyes were bleeding. Instead of tears, rivulets of blood were leaking from the edge of her eyes, staining her pale cheeks.

It was happening again. The body was falling apart. The ashes were not enough to sustain her any longer.

Niklaus and Elijah had forced her hand tonight and she had used more power that her body could handle. Not in this condition anyway.

She could have used magic to run away but she felt the mark and that changed everything. She sighed.

"Caroline," she whispered.

"You shouldn't exist, lovely girl," she said with an eerie tone and forced herself to stand.

Her plans had just changed.


Caroline took a deep breath when she entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Klaus was kind enough to escort her to the room but he didn't enter. He assured her that if she needed anything all she had to do was call him and he would be there and then he slightly bowed his head, in his cheesy -half suave half gentleman- way, and after she thanked him and got in the room he left; but not before casting her a heated gaze full of longing. Obviously, some things never changed.

Caroline slowly took some uncertain steps and then closed her eyes. When she opened them again she took a deep breath realizing that this was true. She was back. This was not a dream or an illusion.

She then took in her surroundings and gasped. The room was so beautiful. The light ivory and yellow walls were painted with beautiful pastel shades which coincidentally happened to be her favorite colors. She admired the old furniture made from dark rosewood and even darker cherry wood. She really admired every detail of the room. The dark wood that covered the floor beneath her feet was beautifully polished. Floor to ceiling Victorian styled French doors led to the stone balcony with the old iron railings. The sheer curtains that were flowing in the draft were very elegant.

The temperature in the bedroom was warm even though crisp breezes of air invaded the room through the half-open balcony doors. That was probably due to the small fire shimmering inside the massive fireplace that was placed on the far end of the room.

Caroline looked at the canopy bed with the deep mattress, the many pillows and cushions, and the beige duvet. Obviously, the Mikaelsons loved the extravagant lifestyle.

It was such a strange feeling to know the covers were a damask decadent luxury set. She knew that because she used to care for such things. Things that didn't exist in Purgatory but their knowledge remained in her mind and it was a relief to know she was back at a world where she could deal again with such frivolousness. She didn't care for it as much as she used to but she would learn how to care again.

Caroline's eyes followed the pattern of the duvet and wondered how it would feel to rest on a soft comfortable bed again after so long. Would she enjoy it? Would she find it comfortable or strange? Would she even be able to sleep?

Despite all the opulence and the comforts of the room however what truly awakened her senses was the jasmine. The room smelled like jasmine. So different from the stench of blood and smoke she had gotten used to in purgatory. She searched with her eyes and noticed that on the old round table in the center of the room there was a vase full of fresh jasmine and amaranth flowers. It seemed weird to her. Elijah had said they had plenty of guest rooms, that obviously no one used, and yet this one was not only functional but every detail seemed to be diligently organized.

She shrugged and took some tentative steps. The wood underneath her feet creaked. She noticed the double doors on the right side of the fireplace. They probably led to the bathroom or to the closet or to a combination of both she imagined.

She looked down at herself. The room was spotless. She was so dirty inside the cleanest and most beautiful room she had seen in her whole life.

She bit her lip feeling uncomfortable. This was just a guest room. Down the hall was Klaus's room. As he said she was free to use this room for as long as she wanted and if she needed anything all she had to do was ask. But she felt quite out of place here.

What she truly wanted, for so long, was to have a long hot bath. And to finally get some uninterrupted sleep without being alert all the time. She sighed. She didn't belong here. This room felt strange and she felt even stranger. For a moment she contemplated jumping off the balcony, into the night, and running away from this place but she knew that it made no sense.

She would stay the night and she would leave in the morning. She had to clean herself and to get some rest. Her body desperately needed it.

She breathed in once more, allowing the scent of the jasmine to envelop her and then she abruptly turned around, her whole body tensing. She sensed someone approaching before she heard the soft knocks on the door.

Light steps. Female. Fruity scent. Tangy blood underneath. Danger.

"Come in," she muttered shaking her head. She had become paranoid.

Caroline said nothing as Hayley got in, gently closed the door behind her and gave her a small smile. One that Caroline did not return.

"I brought you some clothes and clean towels," Hayley said and Caroline nodded, realizing that Klaus must have asked this from her.

"These were Rebekah's. I think you wear similar sizes but if you want I can check and see if anything of mine suits you better?" Hayley kindly offered.

"No, these will be just fine," Caroline rejected her offer and Hayley put the clothes and the fresh towels on the bed.

"If there is anything else you'd like-" she started but Caroline negatively shook her head.

"I'll be fine, thanks," Caroline curtly interrupted her. In all honesty, she was exhausted. Tired and weary and spending time with Hayley felt like having to fight off hordes of demons again. She just didn't have the energy for this right now. Or ever.

Hayley half smiled and then looked at her seriously.

"Look, Caroline, I…you are probably wondering why I am here… and the last time we met I-"

"Not really; I am not interested." Caroline shrugged.

Hayley's eyes narrowed in suspicion and Caroline laughed tiredly.

"You don't need to worry about me, Hayley. I'll be on my merry way tomorrow and we won't have to cross paths ever again. Bygones be bygones and all," Caroline said, her voice dripping irony. She then went to the bed and took the clean towels before casting a mocking gaze at Hayley.

"Besides I don't do drama anymore. Teenage or otherwise," she jeered, turned her back at a speechless Hayley, and went towards the double doors.

"As you wish," Hayley's voice reached her eyes and by the time she opened the doors that led to the bathroom and the closet room Hayley had left closing the main door behind her.

Caroline didn't bother with her anymore and simply went to the bathroom. She looked the room that was made of marble and wood. In comparison with the bedroom, the bathroom was quite modern. She longingly saw the white bathtub with the wooden legs, the gold pedestal shower and faucet, and the gauzy shower curtain that was pushed to the side.

She put the towels on the wooden stool and started peeling her dirty clothes off her body; she immediately went into the bathtub. She turned the shower on turning the faucet vector all the way to the side to get hot water. Soon enough her body was hit with steamy scalding water. She stood there simply enjoying the way the water was hitting her dirty body with force. Soon she took one of the soaps and started rubbing her skin. She breathed the rising steam and felt the water pouring all over her skin.

She wanted to cry. She really did. She just realized she couldn't. She had no tears no matter how hard she tried to bring them to the surface of her eyes.

She threw her head back and the water ran down her face.

Behind closed eyelids psychedelic images starting unraveling. Images that contained the smell of decay and deafening sounds of wailings. Smoke and flame, blood and flesh, ice and carnage. Purgatory still lingered inside her and every splash of water that was falling on her head was evoking memories from that place accompanied by the earsplitting noise the impact of the water drops with her scalp was making.

She ran her hand over her wet hair sliding the drenched tangled mass back to the back of her head letting more water fall all around her; her eyes snapped open and she refused to close them again.

She would not think about purgatory anymore. She would not think about that place or even Kol or her death. She had to compartmentalize. She had to save her mind just like she saved her whole existence from that place. She could and she would do it.

She looked down at the white floor of the tub and noticed how the water had turned into brown muddy ripples around her feet. The soil and the dirt were slowly running down her body and she fiercely scrubbed her skin with her hands and soap. She had to get rid of all that rot. To cleanse away her death. She had been a corpse for so long. She smelled the decay on her skin. The soap barely battled it.

At least the water was hot. Fresh water. Hot fresh water. It was such a comfort. Vampires could not feel the cold however in purgatory everything had turned to ice and now she appreciated anything remotely warm.

She stayed under the water for what it seemed like an infinite amount of time and soon enough the water running down her body was crystal clear again. Her skin was finally clean. She was not in Purgatory anymore. She was not in a coffin. She got out. The water was clean again.

She sat down on the tub and brought her knees under her chin as the scorching water kept falling on her head and body.

She stayed there feeling empty.

She was back. She had made it. So why wasn't she feeling any joy or relief?


From the moment sunlight illuminated the new day Elijah could hear the commotion. When he reached the balcony above the courtyard he noticed that a table was set next to the fountain. Several servants and a chef were placing breakfast food on it while decorating the area accordingly.

Klaus was leaning away against a column supervising everyone and giving directions.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Hayley commented amused behind his back.

He didn't turn around to see her approaching but acknowledged her presence.

"The girl is important to Niklaus," Elijah observed with interest and Hayley hummed in approval.

"You should have seen back him in Mystic Falls. He was begging for Caroline to spare him even a glance," Hayley remembered somewhat begrudgingly and Elijah carefully inspected her gaze. Hayley just shrugged and stretched her hands over the rail. She looked at the way Klaus was orchestrating everything for Caroline and smiled entertained.

"Were they close?" Elijah asked and the air changed around them; Elijah suddenly sensed Niklaus's attention on him and Hayley. He looked down and noticed how his brother had tensed; Obviously, Niklaus has been hearing their conversation with his supernatural hearing all along.

Elijah also noted the fierce warning gaze Klaus sent towards Hayley and the result was for the girl to stand up straight and look back at Elijah.

"I'll be at the bayou," she announced abruptly and Elijah nodded. Before she left she leaned closer and whispered lowly in his ear in a volume only he could hear.

"She is his obsession," she told him and left.

Elijah noticed how Klaus dismissed Hayley's presence once she walked in front of him and paid no more attention to her as he kept inspecting the people that were still walking around with plates of food.

Elijah buttoned his jacket and he stepped down the stairs. Klaus didn't even turn around to face him but he did address him with disdain in his voice.

"So, you lost him," Klaus commented on Kol's absence.

Elijah remained silent. There was no point to answer. They both knew Kol knew New Orleans as well as they did. If not better. He wouldn't be found unless he wanted to be found. Unless they were to use a locator spell to track him. And no witch would do that more so where Kol was concerned.

Besides both of them knew that Kol would not leave New Orleans until he would unleash his anger on them both. Although Elijah suspected that Elena Gilbert and her brother Jeremy were in danger too. They had killed Kol and if he knew his brother he'd expect him to retaliate and seek vengeance soon. Elijah couldn't help but wonder where Caroline Forbes stood when it came to that.

"How many bodies has he left on his trail, Elijah?" Klaus asked irritably.

"Many," Elijah simply said and Klaus clenched his jaw.

It had been a long night for Elijah. Once he would find the carnage Kol was leaving behind it would be all too late. His young versatile brother would be nowhere to be found and he was left with a pile of mangled bodies to deal with.

Klaus rotated his body and stepped forward until he invaded Elijah's personal space.

"I can't have Kol disrupting the peace with the factions we need," he growled with anger.

"I know brother. We will have to talk to him," Elijah proposed diplomatically.

"And since when the wildling we have for a brother was subdued by talking?" Klaus refuted agitated.

Elijah responded with a troubled gaze.

"We don't know where he has been Niklaus. Along with Miss Forbes, they seem to be quite cryptic about their adventure."

Klaus ordered all the humans to leave his presence before he turned around to look at Elijah with a dark gaze.

"Adventure? Yes, we can call it that. Or we can simply state the obvious. They died Elijah. No tricks, no games. They died! And we let them," he cursed.

"Your guilt is blinding you Niklaus," Elijah sighed unemotionally and Klaus burst out into laughter.

"Since your consciousness is as clear and strong as your nobility brother why don't you enlighten me?" Klaus challenged his brother.

Elijah lowered his voice just in case Caroline or Kol were closer than they thought and could overhear them.

"Everything happened really fast Klaus. We still don't have all the answers. Kol's return may have unexplored secrets behind it," he warned and Klaus went and sat to one of the two chairs that were set in front of the chess table.

"Maybe we should investigate further into this," Elijah suggested. Klaus shot a deadly gaze at him and Elijah sighed.

"The girl is influencing your better judgment Niklaus," Elijah noticed as Klaus reached and took in his palm one of the hand-carved chess pieces, slowly rotating it around his fingers with caution.

It was the Ivory Queen.

"Not one more word," Klaus's warning came with such venom in his voice that caused the elder brother to narrow his eyes in suspense of what would come next.

Elijah however approached and reached for the chess table with his index finger demanding attention.

"Brother, you've seen the witch. You've seen her reaction and you've seen our brother's resurrection," Elijah reminded Klaus.

Klaus leaned back in his chair slowly.

"It is Kol. We both know it, we both can feel it. As we both felt that something was fundamentally disturbing with that witch. You felt it too, brother," Klaus cautioned with a calculating voice, the wooden Ivory Queen still in his hands.

"I did," Elijah agreed skeptically, "this is exactly why we will need to tread carefully and put up a common front," he adamantly insisted.

Klaus smiled darkly.

"All in good time," Klaus played with the words causing anger to flare inside Elijah. An impatience that only Klaus knew how to provoke in him.

Elijah sat in the other chair set opposite to the one his brother was sitting.

"It's been a year Klaus. Something is brewing in the shadows. We haven't taken control of our city. We are on the brink of war," he said with a frown settling on his forehead.

"That we are," Klaus acknowledged and let the Ivory Queen back to the chessboard, "this is why we will need Kol on our side and not against us," Klaus strategically rebutted and Elijah nodded.

"Have you considered that maybe Miss Forbes's presence in New Orleans is necessary then? Until we get to the bottom of this?" Elijah asked masking his concern with his most diplomatic voice.

Klaus' gaze turned chilling; fury blazed in his eyes.

"You, yourself, want her here Niklaus, I can see it," Elijah pressed and Klaus's gaze darkened but the oldest Mikaelson continued "aside from your not so subtle personal desire to keep the girl close you should also consider the positive influence she might have on our brother. You've seen it yourself Niklaus. She has gained if not his trust then certainly his respect. A remarkable if not an impossible task when it comes to Kol. He is in her debt. If we-"

The air around them changed and Elijah didn't dare to continue speaking. Klaus' whole posture changed. Malignance and threat danced inside his gaze; a warning for all those who knew him well.

"Mark my words brother," Klaus Mikaelson whispered dangerously, "Caroline is not a pawn nor are you allowed to use her as one," Klaus spoke in a colorless deliberate tone and kept his stern gaze locked with Elijah's.

"Maybe she is more then?" Elijah wondered and touched the wooden piece Klaus was holding on previously trying to force a reaction out of his brother; to have him admit his feelings.

Klaus looked at the piece in Elijah's hands and smirked. A cynical smirk that caused the atmosphere around them to vibrate with electricity. Klaus then reached for the chessboard and took in his hands one more piece. The Black Queen. His opponent's Queen. Elijah paled considerably, his jaw twitching with anger, as Klaus posed his threat without having to speak even a word. Elijah quickly gathered himself. He let down Klaus's Queen and Klaus offered to him the piece he was holding.

Elijah put the black piece back on the board and straightened his shirt cuffs; this time in a more mind mannered tone he tried to make Klaus see reason once more.

"If you recall, once in Caroline's presence, the witch said-"

"I remember but it matters not. Caroline is free to do as she pleases. If you want answers you will have to get them from the witch," Klaus unwaveringly told his brother, "Caroline is free to go, Elijah," Klaus said with a barely audible voice. Inside that voice's color web sadness was trapped. Elijah looked for some moments at his brother and the vulnerable look Klaus tried to hide.

"I see," Elijah simply said and Klaus raised his head but whatever he was about to say was left unsaid.

Caroline was holding the barrister above them and was looking at the surroundings. Klaus' gaze landed on her and he was left speechless. Last night Caroline looked like a mere shadow of her former self and yet this morning she was once again radiant. It was not just the dirt that had left her body. She looked less on edge. Less in pain.

She looked beautiful.

She was wearing a simple white blouse, a black leather jacket and a pair of blue dark jeans and yet she looked magnificent.

She slowly stepped down the stairs coming closer to him.

"You are looking better Miss Forbes," Elijah politely commented once Caroline approached them.

Klaus seemed to be totally mesmerized and absorbed by the sight of her beauty. He hadn't noticed how Elijah had stood up, gently pushing his chair back, and went to Caroline in order to accompany her where they were sitting as any gentleman would.

"I feel better, thank you for letting me stay here for the night," Caroline admitted with a gentle voice.

"It was the least we could do," Elijah responded with a smile.

"You look, beautiful sweetheart," Klaus rasped and Caroline could not believe how her cheeks flamed. Her body tensed. She felt heat gathering inside her veins ready to burst underneath her skin. She had missed this. To feel desired. To feel beautiful and to have a gentle gaze pointed at her. And Klaus was offering this and far more.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast?" Klaus proposed to her with a somewhat shy and yet hopeful voice.

Elijah noticed Klaus' vulnerability and Hayley's words echoed in his mind.

He hadn't seen anything yet indeed.

Caroline looked at the beautiful table set some feet away from them. Full of breakfast delicacies but she shook her head rejecting Klaus' offer.

"No thanks. I have a long journey ahead so I better start early; besides I think I've outstayed my welcome," she tried to joke but Klaus didn't seem to appreciate her effort to lighten the mood. He looked disappointed. Almost hurt.

"Hardly," Klaus said in a low whisper. One that Caroline wouldn't have heard if she was not a vampire.

Elijah noticed how uncomfortable Caroline seemed to grow so he decided to divert her attention from his brother even though he was oddly fascinated by Klaus' interactions with the young vampire.

"So you are leaving us after all?" Elijah asked Caroline and she nodded.

"Yes," she said looking at Klaus.

"You helped Kol. He owes his return to you," Elijah started but Caroline shook her head.

"Kol and I had a deal. He would help me survive and I'd help him escape. Now it's done. He owes me nothing," she assured the Original.

Elijah's eyes lingered on her for a moment and then he nodded.

"In any case Miss Forbes, my family is in your debt. Consider me your friend," he promised her and Caroline couldn't help but smirk at that.

From Elena, she knew that Elijah was the honorable brother but somehow she doubted that she could ever trust an Original. Not entirely. Not ever. And if memory served her right, back when the Originals had invaded Mystic Falls, Elijah Mikaelson was honorable as long as it served the best interest of his family.

"I will consider it," she evaded with a smile that offered a challenge hidden under her ambiguous tone and arched eyebrow.

Elijah smirked and pointed towards the breakfast table.

"Please at least reconsider staying for breakfast. Niklaus's eagerness to care for our morning meal has been surprisingly ardent today," he noted earning a deadly glare from Klaus and a blush from Caroline.

Elijah smiled and approached her. He took her hand in his and kissed it politely. His manners impeccable. Elijah slightly bowed as he let go of her hand and Caroline raised her eyebrows at his politeness. Not even Klaus with all his corny old fashion and cheesy comments and behavior had ever acted that way. Elijah's style was somewhat enticing and funny at the same time.

She almost giggled at the way Klaus mockingly rolled his eyes at his brother'sss manners.

"In any case, I need to be going. Kol is still on the loose after last night, he-"

"He won't come to say goodbye," Caroline interjected, grief lacing her voice.

"I am afraid not. Unless you were to wait for him that is," Elijah offered with a soft voice.

"It is okay, Kol and I have already said all we had to say," Caroline said averting her eyes.

"Have a safe journey home Miss Forbes," Elijah wished her and Caroline nodded.

"Thank you," she said and Elijah shared a gaze with Klaus before he left them alone.


For a little while, they both stood there, unable to speak to each other. The silence grew somewhat uncomfortable until Caroline decided to break it. She pointed towards the direction Elijah had gone and smiled at Klaus.

"He does love the last names doesn't he?" she joked at the way Elijah Mikaelson kept calling her Miss Forbes and Klaus laughed with mirth.

"That's Elijah for you," he admitted with a smile, one that Caroline returned.

"How are you feeling this morning sweetheart?" Klaus asked her, his concern obvious in his voice.

Caroline shrugged.

"Much better," she answered, "thank you for letting me stay here and for the clothes and everything; and for having the room stocked with blood bags too. I hope you don't mind if I take some with me, for the road I mean," she babbled and then awkwardly shoved her hands into her jean's pockets and Klaus smiled at how adorable she looked.

"I don't mind at all," he fondly allowed and she nodded. She shifted on her feet for a while but stopped when Klaus came closer to her.

"So I guess this means you are indeed leaving," he seriously noted and she cast her eyes down.

"Guess so," she mumbled and he hummed cheerlessly.

Caroline peered at him and blinked when she saw that he seemed almost heartbroken.

"Then goodbye is in order," he sighed with a melancholic smile.

"Once again," she replied with a smile recalling every other time they had said their goodbyes.

Klaus' lips curled to a small smile but he seemed pensive.

"If you don't mind me asking, where will you be heading sweetheart?" he questioned and Caroline tensed.

"Uhm…I'll have to return the car I compelled slash stole and to take care some of my bank accounts. You know, see if my name is still legal and all. Cover my tracks, such stuff," she rambled quickly glancing between him and some unspecific spot behind his back. Klaus, on the other hand, kept scrutinizing her.

"You aren't going back to Mystic Falls are you?" he confronted her directly and Caroline tried to avoid his penetrating all-knowing gaze.

"Why do you say that?" she carelessly tried to dodge his question but Klaus was having none of that.

"Where are you going Caroline?" he pressed and she bit her tongue inside her mouth harshly.

"What do you mean?" she asked him this time more aggressively than she would have wanted.

Klaus' eyes examined her as if they could see right through her.

"I have seen looks like yours before, you are not looking like someone that is going back home," he elaborated and Caroline sighed in defeat.

She hated whenever he was doing that. Every time that he could tell what she was planning and what she was feeling. He shouldn't be able to do that with her. She was Caroline Forbes after all. The master of distraction. And yet when it came to her inner conflict Klaus was always the first one to notice the battle that was raging inside her.

"That's because I am not," she came clean.

"Where are you going then?" he tried to get answers and she shrugged.

She put some distance between them and went near the fountain. She watched the rippling water and closed her eyes focusing on the sound.

"I don't know," she admitted her eyelids fluttering for a moment.

Klaus came behind her and gently touched her shoulders prompting her to turn around and face him.

"You don't have to do this Caroline. New Orleans can foster a home for you, you will be free. It is a place meant for creatures like us," he suggested, his need for her to stay clear in his eyes.

"Tormented souls roaming free into the night?" she poetically put it with a tired laugh.

"If you want," he dared with a boyish smile.

Caroline took his hands away from her shoulders and shook her head, her curls bouncing around her face.

"I don't. I've had my fair share of the night and now I want more," she managed to say with a steely voice.

"More than Mystic Falls?"

Her breath hitched but she refused to answer him. This was a waste of time. All she wanted to do was to leave. Why did he have to make this so hard?

Klaus sighed, his hand running through his hair.

"I may have encouraged you to spread your wings in the past Caroline but your family is back there and right now you need them. Your friends, your mother most of all," he tried to persuade her, to make her see reason, but he immediately stopped when Caroline glared at him furiously.

"Don't!" she hissed angrily, her voice a warning.

"Sweetheart," he tried reaching for her but she folded her arms in front of her chest. She seemed as if she was ready to attack him.

"And you know what I need right? You obviously have everything sorted out when it comes to your life so you are ready to pass your endless wisdom to the damsel in distress," she taunted and Klaus looked at her desperately.

"Caroline-"

"Guess what Klaus! Maybe in your ancient vocabulary, I am a damsel but you can bet your ass I am not in distress and even if I was I would manage on my own which by the way I have done so successfully quite recently as you witnessed. And FYI you are literally the last person in this world or any other that can give advice to me or to anyone," she attacked him with a hard voice.

Alas, her words didn't find their target because Klaus seemed unaffected by her anger. He was impressed by her passion but he didn't allow her last words to wound him. He knew what she was doing and he would not fall for it.

"Deflecting won't help you, love," he insisted not giving her the chance to avoid the truth she was trying so hard to evade.

She grimaced in anger and then pointed her finger towards his chest.

"I am not a charity case for you to try to fix!" Caroline shouted.

"I never said you were," he agreed and her eyes started burning. She could still not shed a tear and yet right beneath the surface there was a flood that was about to break the dam.

"Or maybe I am beyond help," she laughed, her pain leaking through her wounds. Wounds that were open and bleeding and could not be seen with the bare eye because they were inflicted way too deep inside her soul.

"No you are not," Klaus said with such certainty that made her blink and tremble.

"How can you be sure?" she whispered; the first signs of emotional vulnerability coming forth.

Klaus' hand reached for her face and he cupped her cheek tenderly.

"You can't see it but the Caroline I-" he stopped abruptly as if he was about to say something he shouldn't. But then he continued with a softer voice "I… knew… is still here. I can see her in your eyes sweetheart," he revealed to her, his piercing gaze creating a new emotional struggle inside her.

It was as if he could understand what she was feeling. As if he had felt it too. The same abyss that was calling her had once swallowed him too.

This was overwhelming and she did not want to deal with it. Maybe she was broken, maybe she was lost, maybe she was beyond hope but Klaus made everything seem too much for her to handle. She didn't want to deal with anything right now and his presence was forcing her to do so and she hated it.

And she hated him for it.

She took a step back as if his touch burned her.

"You should let her go," she advised but Klaus stood in front of her refusing to move or to step back.

"I will never do that," he passionately promised and Caroline looked at him in defeat.

"The Caroline you knew doesn't exist anymore, the Caroline you knew would be willing to let even you in and then she would run back to Mystic Falls ready to die for all those she cared for," she laughed pathetically.

"And you won't?" Klaus inquired and she shook her head negatively.

"I am not going to sacrifice my life for anyone Klaus. And as sure as hell I am not going to waste it. Mystic Falls is a death trap so…" she shrugged pushing all her emotions down.

"So you will run away… alone," he enunciated the last word as if it was a curse.

"I can manage…and the world is a big place after all full of people that want to be left alone," she stated.

"Not as big as you may think sweetheart. Not when you are running away from yourself," Klaus observed while he seemed to be lost in memory.

"Seriously? You are going to get all philosophical with me?" she sassed and Klaus smiled at her. An innocent looking smile that hid knowledge for those who knew how to read it.

"If it helps," he told her but Caroline refused to let him in.

"It doesn't, you can't stop me from doing what I want," she rejected with defiance.

"Don't you want your mother to know you are alive Caroline?" he tried to tempt her empathy but Caroline turned him down with aggression.

"I am not planning on returning to my old life or to pretend to be someone I am not anymore. The Caroline everyone knew died and it will be easier and less painful for everyone to think me dead," she told him coolly, her eyes warning him to not reveal to anyone that she was alive.

"Your mother is not everyone love," Klaus remarked not commenting on how cruel she was being with those she loved but Caroline looked at him ironically.

"Please! Don't act as if you remotely care for my mom Klaus!" she retorted.

"I care for you!" he reasoned, his declaration a pool of emotion, "I am just trying to make you see that running away is not what you need or what you truly want," Klaus tried again, eager to make her open up to him. To somehow make her see there were things she could not outrun. She could not outrun her pain, her fears, her inner demons.

She might have escaped death but she would never be able to escape herself. No one ever could. In the end, she would regret it and then she would hurt more and she would lose things and parts of herself that would forever haunt her. He knew this because he had done the same mistake over and over again in his past. It was a dead end and Caroline would come to regret it even more because in comparison with him she still had her heart intact. Or so he hoped.

"You have no idea what I truly want, even you'd be scared if you knew," she claimed with a dark voice and Klaus tilted his head to the side.

"Somehow I highly doubt that love. I've told you before, we are the same," he reminded her in a tone that provoked her to refuse this.

"Yes we are, now we are, this is why you should know that once I leave I won't look back, not unless I want to," she told him in a low voice.

"And you don't want to," he exhaled painfully.

It was futile. He could not convince her and he would not stop her either. If she was anyone else he would force her one way or another to do what he wanted but he could not force Caroline. Not ever. He had once promised her her freedom and he planned on keeping his promise no matter what it would cost him.

Caroline was not like anyone else. And truth to be told if she was he wouldn't care at all, to begin with.

"I am sorry," she said with regret.

"Don't be love, just be happy," he encouraged her and she gave him a nod.

"Maybe one day," she said.

"Or even in a century?" he jested and Caroline finally smiled at him. It was an easy smile. A beautiful smile that seemed to light his world again.

"There she is, my Caroline," he told her with a bright smile of his own.

"Goodbye Klaus," she whispered but before she could walk past him his hand reached for hers. He interlaced his fingers with hers and brought his face closer to hers. She held her breath and as if her body had a will of its own she leaned closer to him.

He smiled and tenderly kissed her forehead.

"Until we meet again Caroline," he vowed and she closed her eyes enjoying the way his lips lingered on her skin for a while.

He let go of her hand. She turned her back to him and she took a step forward. One step brought another and then another but then she stopped.

Klaus looked at her hopefully and she turned around to face him.

"Your brother….Kol," she started and noticed how Klaus tensed.

"What about him?" he inquired, his tone dark.

Caroline looked at him seriously.

"He helped me, Klaus, more than once. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be here," she said and Klaus looked at her intensely.

"From the looks of it, it was the other way around," he observed.

"Looks can be deceiving. You should know that better than anyone else," she challenged him and before he could say anything more she suddenly blurted out.

"Purgatory."

Klaus narrowed his eyes and she raised her own to his. A shadow of pain passed through the green shade of her eyes.

"The place we were sent is called Purgatory. And it was…hell," she admitted with pain.

"Caroline-"

Caroline shook her head and Klaus stopped talking at once. He could see this was very hard for her.

"What I mean to say is that…Kol is an ass I get it. He is like a psycho on crack most of the time; mental, volatile. He cannot be contained. Trust me I know. Hell! Not even Purgatory could hold him but that place, it is…it was…" she stopped as if she could not say more but then she straightened her body and looked at Klaus with her most austere look "he doesn't deserve to be locked into a coffin after being stranded there for so long," she said in a blaming tone and Klaus narrowed his eyes at her.

Caroline paid no attention to his threatening pose and pointed an accusing finger towards him.

"Don't dagger him!" she ordered him and Klaus's eyes widened as if he now realized something that he didn't like at all.

"You care for him," he muttered and Caroline looked at him unemotionally.

"It's complicated," she said.

"No sweetheart, it really is not," Klaus bitterly said with a flinch.

"I owe him, Klaus, if I am here now is because of him and I won't forget it, I won't forget anything," she promised with a dark voice.

And for the first time, Klaus saw darkness in her. A darkness that not only dimmed her light but was also eating her alive. Slowly spreading like rust inside her, destroying her from the inside out.

"Maybe for your own good you should," he fearfully cautioned.

"Maybe. But I won't," she said with a hard voice and walked away from him.

This time she didn't stop and she didn't even spare him another glance.

She simply walked out of his life leaving him behind.


Amidst the shadows, Synnove was inhaling the scent from the boiling salted water inside the pot. The bluebells petals were fusing the steaming water with their discrete scent.

A globule of blood dropped into the water and caused a ripple effect while staining one of the petals and changing its color from its natural purple to crimson red.

Synnove took a handkerchief in her hand and pressed it against her bleeding nose.

She noticed how the cloth got painted with blood and her face contorted with anger and worry.

It was too soon for that to happen. She needed to hold on more to the Julien power.

She angled her head to the side when she noticed the shadow that was cast near her body from the mausoleum's entrance.

However, she simply breathed in softly and kept stirring the boiling water.

"Have you brought what I asked?" she inquired.

The affirmative nod caused a wicked smile to appear on Synnove's lips and then she held tightly in her hand the golden thread of hair that was given to her.

"The locator spell you performed was successful. I couldn't get close to the compound but I could get to her car."

"Good," she said and went near the cage that held inside captured black doves. She cooed at one of them and opened the cage door to get one out.

"Some creatures are not meant to be caged," she said and went near the pot and soon the blonde hair reflected its light from inside the water's depths.

Synnove broke the dove's neck with a swift move and threw the dead bird into the pot.

"And yet sometimes it is inevitable," she whispered before she started chanting with a low voice over the smoke and the black feathers that were overflowing from the pot.

"Portas clauserunt,captionem animae."


After Caroline's departure, Klaus had locked himself in his room for hours. The Abattoir was drowning in silence.

But when Elijah returned after unsuccessfully locating Kol, Klaus's room was empty and Hayley was nowhere to be found. Yet his brother's scent still lingered. Elijah followed it only to found that it led to Klaus's art studio.

When he entered the room he didn't found Klaus in it. He did find his newest painting. Still wet. It was depicting one of Klaus's most glorious moments, as Niklaus used to call it, painted over the canvas with the darkest of colors. The only brightness coming from the colors recreated the brightest fire that devoured life and death in its womb.

His brother had painted their father's death once more. The portrait of the Hybrid standing victorious over the dead flaming carcass of his everlasting tormentor. The beast defeating the monster that bruised and battered him for a thousand endless years.

And just like that, he knew where to find Niklaus. To the altar of his victory.

He sauntered down to the crypt, stepping further in the darkness and passing the iron gates only to find Klaus standing in front of one of the two remaining coffins.

Kol's coffin was destroyed last night and yet it was only then that he noticed that another coffin seemed to have cracks on its surface. And he noticed it because of Klaus's rigid stance.

How could they have missed this?

Elijah recalled one of Ayanna's old spells. Their mother used it many times. The magic to create a soft illusion but only when you were not focusing on the item in question. Witches used to use that spell to blend in and move around without others paying any attention to them. Hidden in plain sight. Occasionally they extended the magic to animals or objects too.

Elijah went near his brother only to realize that Klaus's hybrid features were on display. The air was vibrating with the rage his brother's body was emanating.

Klaus didn't have to open the coffin. He knew. He roared and threw the coffin on the floor with such force that it broke the wood into thousand pieces.

Elijah's eyes widened. The casket had been empty and no burned remains were released to the floor after Klaus smashed the coffin.

Mikael's coffin.