Chapter Eight
The train where the boys meet Imhotep
"Hey that's the Book of the Dead," said Alex as he struggled in Lock-Nah's grip.
"What a bright little child," said Meela as she walked towards the boys and ruffled Alex's hair. She was a tall slender woman in black with a vicious look in her eyes as she gazed upon the children. "Your mother must be missing you terribly. If you wish to see her again, you'd better behave."
"Lady I don't behave for my parents what makes you think I'm going to do it for you?" snarked Alex as he turned to look at Meela.
"Oh, and what about you?" asked Meela as she looked at Harry.
"I'm good for my Dad. Anyone else well…" said Harry with a smirk. "He thinks it's adorable, so he doesn't care if I mess with other people."
"Well, your parents wouldn't slip poisonous snakes into your bed," said Meela in a sing-song voice as she kissed both boys on their cheeks. "While you were sleeping."
"Lord Imhotep wishes to meet the boys," said Mr Hafez, a short man in robes.
"Now we will see how brave you truly are," said Lock-Nah as he started dragging the boys to the door at the other end of the train car.
"Hey watch the suit," said Alex as he struggled.
"Hands off mate we can walk," said Harry as he tried to get Lock-Nah to release them. Lock-Nah shoved the boys inside Imhotep's train car and kneeled before him as the boys stood in front of the mummy.
"I know you can understand me little ones so you must listen carefully," said Imhotep as he walked towards Alex and Harry completely covered in black and wearing a mask. "Because it is you who are the chosen ones, you who will take me to Ahm Shere."
"Yeah, I'm not big on being chosen," said Harry as he stood in front of Alex, the almost eleven-year-old trying to protect his eight-year-old friend. "It sounds too much like me solving other people's problems, so I think I'm just going to pass."
"What if we don't?" asked Alex as he looked at Imhotep from behind Harry. "What if we get a little lost along the way?"
Imhotep chuckles as he says, "You have strength little ones, you are your fathers' sons. But I know something you do not. The bracelets are a gift and a curse. The sands of time have already begun to pour against you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Alex as he rolled his eyes. "I already heard this part, from the minute I put the bracelet on 7 days do I have before the Scorpion King wakes up."
"Did you also hear that if you do not enter the pyramid before the sun strikes it on that very morning that the bracelets will suck the life out of you?"
"That part I missed," said Alex in shock.
"Wait it's been two days since we put on the bracelets, that means we only have five days left," said Harry as he looked at Alex and Imhotep in shock.
"Then I believe it will be best if we do not get lost, don't you?"
"My Dad is going to make you wish that you stayed in your tomb," said Harry as he glared at the mummy.
"I do not think so," said Imhotep as he removed his mask. Showing the boys his mummified face with scarabs crawling around.
Magic Carpet
"This is your magic carpet," said Evy as the Originals and the O'Connell's got out of the car.
"I'm more shocked that Elijah decided to wear something other than a suit," said Kol as he laughed at his brother in khakis.
"He is right Elijah," said Klaus with a smirk. "I think this is the most relaxed I've seen you dress in centuries."
"We're in the middle of a desert brother. No one wears formal wear to a desert," said Elijah as he helped Finn get the bags out of the trunk. "Besides the dust and sand would ruin any suit within minutes."
Rick ignoring the Originals said to Evy, "He'll be fine he's a professional. Izzy!"
"AHH!" was Izzy's response as the black man with an eyepatch and aviator's hat freaked out, ran back inside, and locked the door.
"Hey!"
"He definitely remembers you," said Evy as she walked up to her husband.
"He's just a little shy. Jonathan get our bags"
"Oh, my hands are full," said Jonathan as he walked up to his brother in law with the scepter of Osiris in his hands.
"Now," said Rick as he grabbed the scepter.
"Right, I'll get the bags."
"I'll deal with flight details," said Rick as he shoots the door.
"Honey you're not a subtle man."
"We don't have time for subtle," said Rick as he kicked down the door and walked towards a whimpering Izzy. "Izzy come here."
"Oh no, no, no," was Izzy's response to seeing his old friend again.
"He really doesn't look happy to see you again mate," said Kol as he watched to show.
"Never turned me down yet," was Rick's only response.
"Whatever it is whatever you need I don't care. Forget it O'Connell. Every time I hook up with you, I get shot! Last time I got shot in the ass! I'm in mourning for my ass! Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?" asked Izzy as he grabbed various maps from the tables and walked back to the cabinets in the back.
"Bank job?" asked Evy, Kol, Angie, and Klaus while Finn and Elijah raised their eyebrows, Sage and Rebekah looked around in confusion at how someone could live and work like this in the modern age. There were no walls, just a bunch of tables and rubble on the ground. They could see chickens moving around and a man in a bathtub ignoring everyone else in the back.
"It's not how it sounds," said Rick as he tried to charm his way out of answering the questions he knows his wife has.
"Uh it's exactly how it sounds," said Izzy as he started to tell the story to everyone else while Rick rolls his eyes. "I'm flying high hiding in the sun. The white boy here flags me down, so I fly in low for the pickup. The next thing you know I get shot! I'm lying in the middle of road with my spleen hanging out and I see him waltzing up with some belly dancer girl."
"Belly dancer girl," said Kol with a laugh. "Now that sounds like a story I'd like to hear."
"Izzy, I think you and I should talk," said Evy as she glanced at her husband smiling awkwardly at her.
"As long as I don't get shot."
"Quit your whining, you're gonna get paid this time," said Rick as he tosses Izzy a bunch of cash.
"O'Connell have look around here any? Huh? What do I need money for? What the hell am I gonna spend it on?"
"That's just disturbing," said Rebekah as she glanced at the man in the bathtub again with a shudder.
"I'm gonna keep this short," said Rick as he went up to Izzy. "My little boy is out there. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him back." Izzy's eye didn't stop following Rick's hand as he moved the scepter in front of him.
"O'Connell you give me that gold stick there you can shave my head, wax my legs and use me for a surfboard."
"Didn't we do that in Tripoli," asked Rick as he tossed Izzy the scepter. "Say by the way, when did you… lose your eye?"
"Oh, I didn't. I just thought it made me look more dashing."
Rick's response was to tear off they eye patch and say, "Come on get to work."
"You're not exactly catching me at my best," said Izzy as he walked next to the ladies.
"Oh, I'm sure we are," said Angie as she walked past him.
"I knew it, I'm gonna get shot," said Izzy as he stopped in the middle of the pathway. At the clearing there were a dozen medjai warriors with Ardeth.
"These are the commanders of the 12 tribes of the medjai," said Ardeth Bey. "Horus."
"A pet bird," said Jonathan.
"My best and most clever friend," said Ardeth as he stroked Horus' feathers. "He will let the commanders know of our progress so that they may follow."
"What about cell phones or magic mirrors," asked Angie. "This isn't 5000 years ago we do have other options."
"Unfortunately," said Atem as he rode up besides the commanders along with his court. "From what we can tell Imhotep's wards are keeping all other magic at bay and when we reach Ahm Shere the magic there will be divine."
"We can't be sure how divine magic will interact with other spells or technology even if it is magi-tech. We'll have no choice but to use the hawks if everything else fails," said Seth next to his cousin. "We'll keep the phones and mirrors close by so that when they do work, you'll be able to reach us."
"Messenger spells like the patronus should still work," commented Mahad from behind the cousins.
"If the Army of Anubis arises, they will do all they can to stop it and buy us enough time to kill the Scorpion King and send the army back to the underworld," said Ardeth as he walked towards the O'Connell's.
"I'm more shocked that Nik is willing to send an undefeatable army back to the underworld instead of taking command himself," said Kol as they started walking to the clearing behind the complex.
"There are some lines even I don't cross brother. Besides the army consists of Anubis' warriors and they'll be loyal to their god. I have no doubt Anubis can revoke command of his army whenever he wants. It wouldn't be reliable," said Klaus with a smirk as Angie and Rebekah rolled their eyes. "Added to that fact I have no intention of serving Anubis for the rest of eternity, so I think it's best that I pass on this opportunity."
"Serving Anubis?" asked Jonathan. "You think that's a requirement?"
"No one gives away an army," Elijah explained. "You always have to read the fine print of deal and I have no doubt that anyone who wants Anubis' army will have to pay a price for it."
"I'm more shocked that this Imhotep didn't realize that," said Finn as he and Sage walked with his family.
"He probably is so excited about having an army that he forgot that the Scorpion King was summoned to the underworld after he used the army to defeat his enemies," said Sage.
"Rick are you sure Izzy's reliable," asked Evy as they walked around the corner.
"Yeah, yeah, he's reliable…ish," said Rick as he stopped in his tracks and stared.
"Isn't she beautiful," said Izzy as he walked up to the group.
"It's a balloon," said Rick.
"It's a Dirigible."
"Where's your airplane?"
"Airplanes are a thing if the past."
"Izzy you were right."
"I was?"
"Yeah, you're gonna get shot," said Rick as he took out his gun.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" shouted Izzy as tried to calm his old friend down. "She's faster than she looks and she's quiet. Real quiet. Perfect for sneaking up on people which is a very good thing. Unless of course we go with your approach – barging in face first, guns blazing and getting your friends shot in the ass."
Kol couldn't help but say with a smirk, "You're never letting that go are you mate."
"Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?" as Ardeth's only response as looked at the eclectic group.
On the Dirigible
"Well Nik I can't deny," said Kol as he leaned back in his seat on the dirigible. "Your friends are certainly more interesting than most mortals."
"They wouldn't be my friends if they weren't" snarked Klaus back at his brother as he sat next to Angie. Angelina was trying to scry for the missing children. "Anything love?"
"No," said Angie. "Imhotep's wards are keeping me from tracking the kids. The only time I can get a reading is when they're moving but that doesn't give me more than a general idea of where they are."
"Harry has his mirror," said Klaus as he wrapped his arm around Angie while his siblings looked on. "Once he's sure there's no one around he'll contact us and we'll get more information then. We just have to be patient. The boys will be fine, I promise."
"I know," said Angie as she leaned her head against Klaus' shoulder. "I just want them to be safe and I feel…"
"What's wrong love?" asked Klaus as he hugged Angie close.
"This would be so much easier if Harry had gotten his wand, but I wanted to wait until he was eleven because of tradition."
"He has other spells he can us. Our boy can handle himself. And there is a reason most children don't get their wands until they're eleven. Their magic isn't stable enough to channel through a wand until they've completed their first growth."
"I know I know," said Angie as she got up to pace. "Just, how is that undead asshole keeping us from finding the kids. I put every single tracking charm I could think of on Harry."
"As did I," said Klaus. "Most likely he's using some ancient spell to keep us at bay, but it won't last forever. There is a reason most ancient spells aren't used anymore. They always have some flaw that we can exploit. We will find the children."
A sudden beeping interrupted the conversation. "What in the world is that Niklaus?" asked Elijah as everyone started looking for the source.
"The mirror," said Klaus and Angie as they lunged for the bag.
"Hello," said Angie after activating the mirror.
"Angie? Dad?" said Harry as he looked through the mirror to see the people he thought of as his second parents.
"Harry oh my god are you alright, are you hurt, where's Alex?" said Angie as she asked question after question.
"We're ok," said Harry as he looked back to check on Alex. "Alex is keeping watch for any of Imhotep's goons. Luckily, they're not paying attention to us right now because we're supposed to be chained to a wall. I got the handcuffs off easily enough but there's too many people to sneak past and I think Imhotep can track the bracelets."
"Where are you?" asked Klaus as the other adults gathered around to look over his and Angie's shoulders.
"At some ruins outside of Luxor," said Harry as he looked back. "Alex what's this place called?"
"We're at Karnak," said Alex in a whisper shout.
"We're at Karnak but we won't be here long. When Alex and I escaped the train, Imhotep stopped the goons shooting at us. They're not going to hurt us as long as we're wearing the bracelets and the only place they can be removed is at the pyramid in Ahm Shere. We already asked what would happen to us if we got lost along the way and apparently the bracelets will suck the life right out of us if we don't get there before the sunrises and strikes the pyramid on the seventh day."
"Don't worry," said Klaus. "Just stay with them and we'll follow along until we're close enough to attack. Contact us when you can with whatever information you get or leave a trail if you can't. Where are you going next?"
"We had a vision," said Harry "The temple in Philae is the next step."
"Alright," said Rick. "Izzy change the course to Philae."
"Harry is Alex alright?" asked Evy.
"He's fine Aunt Evy, just keeping watch for Lock-Nah. I'll grab him so that you can talk."
"Thanks kiddo," said Rick.
"Alex switch with me," said Harry as he gave Alex the mirror and took watch at the entrance.
"Mom Dad," said Alex to his parents.
"Alex thank God you're alright," said Evy as she tried to keep herself from crying.
"We're ok those dummies won't do anything to hurt us. They can't, Imhotep won't let them."
"Who knew Imhotep had some morals," said Jonathan sarcastically over Evy's shoulder as he stood next to Evy and Rick.
"We're still keeping our guard up and Harry's using magic to make sure they stay away. But we can't afford to use too much or Imhotep will come looking or one of his other minions. Apparently, there's some wizards who think serving Imhotep is better than dealing with the ministry."
"Atem will not be pleased about that," said Klaus.
"I'd be more worried about what Seth will do to those idiots not Atem," said Angie. "Seth does not deal well with traitors and anyone stupid enough to help Imhotep take over the world definitely counts as a traitor."
"Alex say your goodbyes someone is coming," said Harry as he ran back to Alex and started putting the chains back on.
"Don't worry we'll be alright, bye Mom, bye Dad," said Alex as he gave the mirror back to Harry.
"Bye Dad, Angie, Aunties and Uncles," said Harry. "We'll contact you as soon as we can."
"Be safe boys," said Angie as she took back the mirror with Klaus at her side.
"At least we know that they're not hurting the boys," said Angie as she put the mirror away.
"And as long as the mirror works will be able to catch up to the children," said Klaus in response as he hugged her close.
"If a man does not embrace his past, he has no future," said Ardeth to Rick as Rick sat and checked his guns.
"Even if I was some sacred medjai what good does that do me now?"
"It is the missing piece of your heart. If you embrace it, if you accept it, you can do anything."
"Sounds great," said Rick as he started packing up. "Listen what can we expect from our old friend Imhotep?"
"His powers are returning quickly. By the time he reaches Amh Shere even the Scorpion King won't be able to stop him."
As Angie was listening to Ardeth and Rick talk she couldn't help but notice that Evy was walking to the front of the dirigible. She called out to her and was ignored. "Evy, Evy honey are you all right?"
"Angie?" asked Rebekah as she came up behind them.
"It's like she's in a trance, she's not responding to me at all," said Angie as she waved her hand in front of Evelyn's face.
"What is she looking at?" asked Sage as she came to help.
"I don't know, it's like her mind is somewhere else," said Angie as she started to get even more worried. "I'm going to cast some diagnostic spells. Maybe I can find out what's going on."
Before Angelina could cast her spells, Evelyn started screaming and fell off the side of the dirigible. Luckily for her there were two vampires standing next to her and they were able to catch and pull her up quickly. The shouts of surprised alerted everyone else that something was wrong, and they all came to help. Evy woke up from her trance and quickly explained her vision to her worried friends and family.
Evelyn was shown a vision of her past life as Princess Nefertiti, the daughter of Pharaoh Seti I who was murdered by Anck-su-namun and Imhotep. She had discovered that the high priest was having an affair with her father's future wife and saw her father discover the betrayal from the balcony of her own room that was opposite Anck-su-namun's. Princess Nefertiti summoned the medjai in an attempt to save her father, but they got there too late.
"Evy I know you haven't exactly been yourself lately with all these dreams and visions," said Rick as he held his wife in his arms.
"No, no they're memories from my previous life," was Evy's only response. "Honestly, I'm not losing my mind it all makes perfect sense now."
"And that's the reason why we found the bracelet?"
"Exactly I was its protector."
"Now do you believe my friend," said Ardeth Bey to the O'Connell's. "Clearly you were destined to protect this woman."
"Right she's a reincarnated princess and I'm a warrior for god," said Rick incredulously. The American gunslinger couldn't believe that they were even having this conversation.
"And your son leads the way to Amh Shere. Three sides of the pyramid. This was all preordained thousands of years ago."
"And how does the story end?" asked Evy.
"Only the journey is written not the destination," said Ardeth with a small smile.
"Convenient," was Rick's only response.
"How else do explain Evy's vision? That it is your son that wears the bracelet? How do explain your mark?"
"Coincidence," said Rick.
"My friend there is fine line between coincidence and fate."
"You guys are old as dirt," said Rick to distract himself and Ardeth from the conversation. "What's your view?"
"Sometimes fate and destiny can't be denied Rick," said Klaus as gazed out into the night. "But things never turn out the way you expect them to."
"That's the whole point mate," said Kol sardonically. "If you knew everything about your future then why would you get up every day and live."
"It's best not to think about it too much," was Elijah's advice. "What's meant to be will be."
"Trying to force your life to fit a prophecy never ends well for anyone involved," said Rebekah. Everyone could hear the age in the Original's tone that she usually hid. "It usually causes mass amounts of destruction and chaos."
"It's best just to take each day as it is," said Finn as he too added to his siblings' words of wisdom. "That's the only way to survive in this world."
Back in Mystic Falls
"OK so we're not going to try and get some info out of those stupid hybrids about Klaus and that kid," said Damon as he and Stefan walked up to Elena's house.
"No Damon," said Stefan exasperatedly to his brother. "Did you forget we signed a magically binding contract? If we break it then we'll face the consequences."
"And what if it's all just smoke and mirrors did you think about that Saint Stefan."
"Damon did you even read the contract?" asked Elena as she let the Salvatore brothers into her house. "Or did you just think that signing the contract meant nothing?"
"Yeah did you forget we signed those contracts in blood?" asked Caroline as she sat next to Bonnie on the living room couch.
"Blood magic makes it binding Damon," said Bonnie. "Not to mention the other spells that Klaus has no doubt had cast on the contract. Anyone stupid enough to break it will pay a high price."
"And how do you know Judgy?" asked Damon. "The magic of that contract is beyond you."
"It doesn't matter what you think Damon," said Rudy with a glare. He did not approve of Damon's treatment of the girls and would rather that the unstable vampire be far away from them. "We all signed those contracts so if you try anything you'll be on your own."
"Let's move on from Damon's stupidity," said Jenna as she walked in with Jeremy and Carol. "Where are we going Rudy?"
"We'll drive to Williamsburg. There's a magical shopping district there and we can pick up some things. Everyone must bring some money to exchange. The magical community has a different currency system. Bonnie, I grabbed your grandmother's key so you can charge things to the family vault."
"Family vault?"
"Every supernatural that knows about the magical community prefers to bank with the goblins," said Stefan as everyone turned to look at him. "Goblins take vault security very seriously and it's easier for immortals to deal with their money since they don't have to pretend that they're inheriting their own accounts."
"Wait how do you know about that Stefan," asked Jeremy.
"I used to run with Klaus remember," responded the younger Salvatore. "He and Rebekah took me to Gringotts to open an account. When Klaus erased my memory, I forgot all about it."
"Wait so you knew about all of this and didn't say a word?" asked Damon as he stared incredulously at his brother.
"Because I know you Damon. If you knew you'd try to find some poor sucker to manipulate into helping you and magicals do not take being used well. I thought preventing you from being cursed would be better."
"It's like you have no faith in my self-control."
"I don't," deadpanned Stefan to his brother.
"Same," whispered Matt to Jeremy as Damon turned around to glare.
"OK moving on," said Carol as she took charge. "Rudy is there anything we need to know before we go?"
"A couple things – first of all be polite to everyone. Magical society is very old fashioned and there's lots of little rules about how to treat each other that aren't spoken to outsiders so everyone will know that no one here was raised in magical society instantly. Most of them will be nice if you explain yourself but some people will look down on you for not knowing much about your heritage Bonnie."
"Great," said Bonnie. "More people trying to make me feel bad about things that aren't my fault."
"Another thing we have to do is stop by a bookstore and getting some intro to the culture books and law books. Just because you don't know the law doesn't mean that you're not bound by it. The most important law is the statue of secrecy."
"You mention that before Mr Hopkins, can you give us some more details?" asked Elena.
"The basic principle is that magic is hidden from the rest of humanity. No one wants to bring back the witch trials and hunts so magical society is fanatic about keeping the secret. Anyone who does something stupid enough to risk revealing magic to the world is automatically executed by MACUSA."
"MACUSA?" was Caroline's question.
"The Magical Congress of the USA, it was created in 1693 after the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy was signed in 1689 and officially enforced in 1692. That was the law laid down by the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) to safeguard the magical community from the non-magical part of humanity. Basically, magicals decided that they would be happier and safer if they went into hiding. Also, if anyone asks everyone human that's going is a squib."
"A what?" asked Elena.
"A squib is someone born to a magical family but has no active magic – they can still do things like potions and runes and see through illusions that keep no-mag away but they can't cast spells."
"What's a no-mag?"
"A no-mag is their term for non-magical Caroline," was Rudy's response to the question. "If you don't have a direct relation to a magical family you're a no-mag and they'll erase your memories of magic if they find out."
"OK that sounds a little racist," was Caroline's response.
"Magicals are actually very prejudice against non-magicals. Most live in magical communities and do their best to have minimal contact with no-mags'."
"That's a little extra," said Bonnie as she stared at her father.
"The witch trials and the magical hunts left a racial scar on the magical community in general. That's why there's a severe punishment for breaking the statue of secrecy – the fear of being hunted like their ancestors were."
"OK so when we go try not to draw attention – you understand Damon?" asked Jenna with a glare.
"Why are you all looking at me?" asked the vampire.
"Because you can't go anywhere without causing trouble," said Matt as he rolled his eyes. He still couldn't believe that Elena was still protecting the vampire that killed his sister.
"You want to start something quarterback?" asked Damon as he started getting up.
"Damon," said Elena as she turned to the older Salvatore while Bonnie and Caroline got ready to stop Damon from attacking Matt.
"All right that's enough, sit down Damon" said Carol as she stood in front of the vampire.
"We still have to decide who's going with Bonnie and her dad. We can't all go that would be way too many people and we'd get noticed," said Jenna as a distraction.
"No way is Bonnie going a magical shopping center without me, said Caroline.
"I'm coming too. Maybe I'll be able to find more information on doppelgangers," said Elena.
"I'll come as well," said Stefan.
"You're not going without me," was Damon's response.
"I have work," said Carol as she shook her head no.
"I'm not going either," said Matt. "You guys can tell me all about it when you get back."
"Count me out too," said Jeremy to his sister's glee. "I've got some things to do. I'll go on the next trip."
"Damon, Stefan it might be best if you two don't go," said Rudy as he looked at the vampires.
"Excuse me?" asked Damon with a glare.
"We're trying to stay incognito and someone might recognize you. Just because you don't know anything about magicals doesn't mean they don't know about you."
"Alright," said Stefan as he nodded his head.
"What are you thinking Stefan," asked Damon as he turned to face his brother. "I am not letting Elena go without me."
"Damon it's not your place to decide what Elena can and can't do. Besides you can't go anywhere without causing a scene and we want to try and make a good impression. Added to that fact we both have reputations that can be used against us if people know who we are and unlike the Originals we don't have a thousand years of history in our favor. We're just two vampires who don't know much of anything to the rest of the magical community."
"Damon maybe they're right and you should stay behind on this trip. Besides, we're going to a shopping district not anywhere crazy," said Elena as she tried to calm Damon down.
"Elena, I don't feel comfortable letting you go somewhere like that without me to protect you."
"I can take care of myself and if I need backup I'll have Caroline and Bonnie with me."
"Oh, right a baby vampire and newbie witch who can barely control her powers."
"I have enough control to put you on the ground whenever I want Damon so if I were you, I would be very careful of what you say next," said Bonnie with a glare.
"Oh, whatever Judgy," said Damon. "Either way it doesn't matter because there's no way I'm letting Elena go without me."
"It's not your choice Damon," said Stefan as he stood next to his brother.
"The hell it isn't," was all Damon managed to say before Stefan broke his neck.
"That should keep him out of the way for I while, but I'd suggest leaving before he starts to wake up," said Stefan as he lowered his brother's body onto the couch. "I'll keep an eye on him until everyone gets back."
"Is it wrong that every time I see someone snap Damon's neck I feel happy?" said Caroline to Bonnie.
"Nope," was the witches only response.
"Ok so that's five to Williamsburg," said Jenna.
"Wait five?" asked Elena.
"You're not going without me."
"Jenna it could be dangerous," said Elena.
"Elena first of all I'm the parent here not you. I protect you not the other way around. Secondly if I thought it was dangerous you wouldn't be going and if it was dangerous, what can you do that I can't? If I recall correctly, you're only technically a magical creature because of your blood but unlike your friends you don't have any powers," said Jenna. She was getting very annoyed with her niece's attitude.
"Damn," said Jeremy to Matt. "Aunt Jenna finally said it." The youngest Gilbert could understand his aunt's annoyance towards his sister because he shared it. Thanks to her friends compliance to her wishes Elena was very used to getting her way all the time, even when she was wrong.
"Now we can either go together or you won't be going at all because unlike how you convince your friends to do whatever you want; I rather doubt that'll work on Rudy and he's our only contact to magical society."
"Yes, Aunt Jenna," said Elena as she backed down. It'd been so long since someone told her no that the doppelganger was a bit flummoxed.
"And afterword you and I are going to have an extended conversation that should have been had long ago about your actions and the consequences of those actions," said Jenna to her niece's shock. Rudy and Carol looked on with approval while Elena's friends were equally shocked that someone was calling Elena out on her behavior.
"Shall we get going?" asked Jenna to the group in conclusion.
"Let's," said Rudy as he got up out of his seat and started to lead everyone outside. "Alright everyone get in your cars and drive to the address I'm texting you. If you get there before us just park and wait until everyone is there. Then I'll show you the entrance to the magical district and we can start looking around."
"Have fun Caroline," said Carol as she hugged her daughter.
"Mom we're going shopping in a magical shopping district," said Caroline as she held her mother in her arms. "How could I not?"
"Bring me back a souvenir," said Jeremy as he hugged his sister.
"I will," said Elena as she closed her eyes in her brother's arms. She couldn't believe that Jeremy had grown up so much.
"Oh my God," said Caroline as she put down her bags next to her chair at the café. "I can't believe this place. I did not bring enough money to buy everything I want."
"Agreed Caroline," said Bonnie with a smile as she sat next to her two best friends. "Everything here is just so …"
"Magical," said Elena with a laugh as she finished Bonnie's sentence.
"Exactly," said Bonnie with a grin. "This is what I imagined magic to be like when Grams told me I was a witch. Not the way it is in Mystic Falls. I mean look around. The fashion is different and they're buying things normal people can only dream of but they're all just people living their lives. Nothing dark or crazy, no one's manipulating them to get what they want, no crazy rituals or sacrifices just people. I just wish Mom or Grams had shown me this instead of the bad side to magic."
"Hey, no sad thoughts Missy," said Caroline as she tried to counteract the depressed look on Bonnie's face. "We are shopping for magical goods. Nothing can bring us down today. Look at this purse. I can actually fit everything I want in it without it breaking. That alone means that today is awesome. Not to mention the other amazing things I've bought."
"Like those clothes enchanted to fit perfectly every time and never get worn out. The makeup that always looks perfect, doesn't smudge and can't be removed without those special makeup wipes. The hairbrushes that will magically change your hairstyle just by brushing a few times," said Elena with a smile. It'd been so long since she'd just had a normal shopping trip with her friends that shopping in Williamsburg's magical district was the closest, she'd gotten in what felt like years.
"Yes, yes I'm shallow," said Caroline as she interrupted Elena. "Like you guys didn't get some as well and some of that gillyweed that lets you breath underwater and other stuff like art supplies for Jeremy and that lockpicking knife."
"What it's practical and useful – how could I not," was Elena's only response.
"Whatever," said Caroline as she rolled her eyes. "Either way we're gonna have to stop going into shops if we want to get some books on the magical culture."
"We are definitely going to have to come back. I can't wait to go through every store," said Bonnie as she looked around. There were rows of stores that looked like something out of a period film but at the same time seemed to be modern yet magical. She couldn't believe all of this was hidden in an indoor mall in Williamsburg.
"I'm just glad your dad helped us set up accounts at Gringotts. It's nice to know I won't have to worry about faking my death every few years and figuring out how to set it up that I inherit my own money," said Caroline with a sad smile. She didn't like thinking about the fact that in a hundred years she would still be around but some of the people she considered family won't be.
"Caroline," said Elena as she held the vampire's hand.
"Moving on let's have lunch and then go to the bookstore and then meet up with Jenna and Rudy. I'm just glad they didn't try to micromanage us while we're here. Shopping would not have been as much fun," said Caroline as she gently squeezed the doppelganger's hand.
"Yeah," said Bonnie as she moved to change the subject. "And I'm sure you're looking forward to that conversation with Jenna you'll be having when you get home right Elena."
"That is the last thing I want to think about now," said Elena as she put her head down on the table.
"Come on girl you had to know this was coming," said Caroline as she shook her head. "Think about your parents do you honestly think you'd have been able to get away with half of what you did if they were still around? Jenna has every right to be angry at you for all the lies."
"I was just trying to protect her."
"From something she already knew about," said Bonnie as she sipped her drink.
"I'm gonna be grounded forever," was Elena's only response as her forehead hit her crossed arms on the table to the sound of her friends' laughter.
"Shh," said Caroline as she turned her head to listen.
"Caroline?" asked Elena as she turned around.
"Do you see those two blondes at the table over there?"
"Yeah," said Bonnie as she looked at where Caroline was pointing.
"They're talking about MACUSA and how the statue of secrecy was almost broken when Esther tried to kill the Originals. They're saying that whichever witch who was stupid enough to listen to Esther and help her should find a hole to hide in because they broke the law and almost broke the statute of secrecy. If MACUSA finds them they'll be put on trial and the punishment for a guilty sentence is execution."
"What!" said Bonnie and Elena in a whisper shout.
"We have to find out more you guys. I don't want to get arrested because we don't know the law," said Caroline.
"How are we going to find out?" asked Elena. "It's not like we can just ask them."
"Why not?" asked Caroline as her friends stared at her. "Sneaking around and being suspicious will draw attention but asking someone just means that we're curious and not up to date with new gossip."
"She might be on to something," said Bonnie as she turned to stare at Elena.
"I'm not so sure," said Elena as she worried.
"Well I'm going to ask you can either come with or sit here and watch."
"Right now?"
"When else are we going to get some answers?" was the blonde's only response to Elena's question as she stood up and started walking to the other table.
"Hi I'm Caroline," she said to the two blondes as they turned around to stare at her. They looked like they could be around her mother's age with short blonde hair. The two looked like women who smiled a lot and had a nice vibe. "I couldn't help but overhear what you said about MACUSA and the Originals and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind passing along the gossip."
"Of course not dear," said one of the blondes. "I'm Zelda Spellman and this is my sister Hilda. You girls are more than welcome to pull up a chair. This really is something everyone should know since it almost broke the statue."
"How in the world don't you girls know what happened, it was in all the papers?" asked Hilda as she watched the three girls more their chairs and bags over to the table.
"It's our first time coming here, and we don't know much about magical society," said Elena.
"I'm a vampire that was turned earlier this year, Elena's a squib and Bonnie's a nature witch," said Caroline.
"You were turned less than a year ago and you already have this much control?" asked Zelda in surprise. "That's phenomenal dear."
"Thanks," said Caroline with a smile. She was very proud of her control and worked hard to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt someone.
"Your sire must be very proud," continued Zelda.
"Not really," said Caroline as she rolled her eyes. "He's an asshole. His brother is the one who helped me."
"Oh, so he's one of the ones that turn people accidentally and leaves everyone else to clean up after him," stated Hilda.
"Yeah," said Caroline.
"Pretty much," added Bonnie.
"He's not that bad," said Elena in a tone that said she knew she was lying but couldn't stop herself.
"Yeah, right Elena," said Caroline. "You know better than I do that Damon does not care about the damage he leaves behind him as he goes after what he wants."
"He's not as bad as he used to be."
"He restrains himself because of his feelings for you," said Bonnie. She really wished that Elena would stop protecting Damon because the sooner that would happen the sooner the witch and vampire would be able to get him out of their lives permanently. "Not because he's changed."
"Sounds like quite the situation," said Zelda as she tried to move the conversation along. "What families are you girls from?"
"Petrova," said Elena even though she didn't know for sure if the Petrova's had anything to do with magic she knew the Gilbert's didn't.
"A Petrova, really?" asked Hilda. "I didn't think any of them knew about the magical community anymore."
"I was adopted at birth and Bonnie's grandmother started explaining some things before she died."
"And you dear?" asked Zelda to Bonnie.
"I'm a Bennett," said Bonnie. She wasn't sure how the other witches would react to her. She could tell that they were witches even though she didn't say anything to her friends yet.
"A Bennett, really?" asked Zelda. "They're usually very insular, don't really have anything to do with the rest of magical society and usually just teach their children nature or spiritual magic which is such a shame since they lose out on so many opportunities."
"Zelda's a teacher," said Hilda as she pointed at her sister. "You would not believe how many times I've heard her rant about some magical families refusing to send their children to schools and how it's such a loss to the community."
"It really is and because they refuse to give their children the same opportunities out of fear of change. Usually, the children end up in situations where they're in over their head just because they don't have the basic knowledge everyone else does and get arrested."
"What do mean Ms Spellman," asked Caroline since Bonnie seemed to be in shock.
"Please call me Zelda," she said to the vampire with a smile. "You're not one of my students."
"And you girls can call me Hilda. We're not the formal type."
"It's always a good thing to know about your heritage and different types of magic but there's a reason why there aren't many natural witches anymore. Most of them have learnt a different type of magic that's much safer to use"
"She's right," said Hilda as she at her slice of chocolate cake. "Most witches wouldn't touch spiritual magic with a 10-foot poll. Opening yourself up to the dead… it sounds creepy just talking about it."
"That's what my Grams was teaching me how to do before she died," said Bonnie to the two other witches. "She said that we had to honor, respect and listen to the spirits."
"There's nothing wrong with respecting and honoring the memory of those who have passed on dear," said Zelda. "But listening and interacting directly with the dead is never a good thing."
"Why?" asked Elena. She had never been comfortable with Bonnie and Jeremy interacting with dead but never wanted to say anything because that was how Bonnie got her power.
"Because the dead are just that dead. They are exactly as they were before they died – they can't change or think about the future consequences of their actions. For example that situation with the Originals that you girls were asking about," said Zelda as the girls started to lean in. "Some foolish witch helped the Original Witch Esther resurrect herself so that she could try to kill her children."
"Most likely it was a witch who was new to her power and easily manipulated," said Hilda in compliment to her sister.
"In doing so she put us all at risk since if the Originals died the statue of secrecy would have been immediately broken."
"How?" asked Elena. Oh, what else don't we know. Why didn't we ask more questions? We knew that Esther wanted to kill her kids and didn't care about who else died in the process. We should have known there was more to her plans.
"The Originals are linked to their sire lines. They're the source of magic that keeps all the vampires in the world alive. If the Originals die every vampire on the planet would die with them," said Zelda to the trio.
"There's no way we could cover that up with cameras on every street corner. Not even if every single person around the world who can cast a spell worked together. We'd be exposed to the world and the witch hunts would start again because who else but a witch could kill an entire race of people," said Hilda.
"No-mag have always been prejudiced against magicals," lectured Zelda as if she was teaching a history class. "Historically they've blamed us for everything that goes wrong, whether it's bad weather or crop failure or the plague. If something's wrong it must be the local witches fault. And they really haven't changed since we went into hiding. Every generation of no-mag end up blaming some minority group for all their problems. And they keep blaming that group until horrible atrocities occur that are so bad that everyone feels guilty and stops."
"It doesn't help that some of the more hoity toity families in the world look down on anyone that isn't a witch or wizard in response. Hatred breeds hatred and they haven't let old wounds heal – they've kept them alive and passed on the hate to their children. To them it doesn't matter if they're a no-mag or some other magical creature. Some witches are so prejudice that they hate everyone who isn't them. So unfortunately, individual witches and wizards have allies and friends with other races but as whole we have allies of circumstance more than anything else and those are weak bonds," finished Hilda.
"I have no doubt Esther was like that when she was alive and she didn't change with death. And since she was dead she couldn't care about what would happen to the rest of us if every vampire died and exposed us because even resurrected she would still think like one of the dead."
"All spirits or ghosts or whatever term you want to call them are like that. If they're still sticking around that means that they have an obsession. A ghost's obsession is what keeps them from moving on and they care about that more than anything else."
"Are there books or classes we can take to learn all of this because I do not want to accidentally end the world just because I have a completely useless sire who won't teach me any of this," said Caroline to draw attention to herself and away from her friends that seemed to be going into shock. I can't believe that I almost died just because we decided to help Esther kill the Originals. None of us would have known what was happening before we dropped dead.
"There's several books I can recommend that you girls read," said Zelda as she started to get up. "And there's some correspondence courses you can do in order to catch up. You are not the first nature which to join magical society and find out that there's a lot to learn."
"Thank you so much," said Bonnie gratefully. "Grams barely started my training before she died and my mom left a long time ago. I've just been learning by reading Grams' grimoires."
"That is not a good thing Bonnie," said Hilda as she helped her sister clean up the table just by pointing her finger at the mess. The girls stared in shock as the dirty plates and cups vanished and the table was cleaned "Grimoires generally only have spells written in them. They don't have basic magical knowledge because the writers assume everyone knows the basics before they start reading family grimoires."
"Have you girls gotten magi-phones yet?"
"What's that?" asked Elena as she stood with the other ladies and grabbed her bags.
"They're cell phones that work in places with a high magical density. No-mag cell phones always end up fried, so we made our own," said Zelda as she led the group to the bookstore. "We'll give you our numbers so that you girls can call us if you need help."
"Thank you so much," said Caroline. The vampire had to stop herself from hugging the sisters.
"It's nothing girls," said Zelda with a smile. "I'm a teacher – it's what we do."
"Besides, we'd rather help you now instead of finding out that you ended the world on accident because you didn't have basic magical knowledge," said Hilda with a laugh. The Spellman sisters didn't notice that the three girls smiles and laughs were strained as they entered the bookstore.
"We're back," shouted Elena as she opened her front door.
"Welcome back," said Jeremy as he looked up from the TV.
"You would not believe all the things we saw and bought," said Caroline as she sat down her bags.
"It looks like you girls brought home an entire store," said Matt. He had been on the couch with his feet on the coffee table resting after his stressful day at work.
"Trust me we did not buy even half of what we wanted to get," said Caroline with a smile.
"We're already planning on going again," said Elena as she sat next to Bonnie and Caroline.
"We also got some correspondence pensieve courses that I really think everyone should take," said Bonnie.
"What?" asked Jeremy.
"Basically, magical society's version of online classes. They place a copy of the memory of the class in a pensieve and you can enter the pensieve so it seems like you're in the class even though you can't interact with anyone or you can project the memory on a wall so multiple people can watch it," said Elena.
"So it's a hologram projector," said Jeremy. "Just using a memory instead of video?"
"Pretty much," said Caroline. "We found out so much on this one trip I'm a little scared to know what we'll find out next time."
"We have to learn as much as possible so that we never make a mistake like that again," said Bonnie seriously. Her mistakes were weighing heavily on the young witch. Intellectually she knew that what happened wasn't her fault, she was manipulated by Esther and the spirits, but it didn't change what had almost happened.
"What mistake are you talking about?" asked Matt. He did not like the look in the girls' eyes.
"We almost ended the world because we listened to Esther," said Elena.
"What!" shouted Matt and Jeremy in shock.
"If the Originals die every vampire dies with them," explained Elena. "Esther wasn't trying to kill her kids she wanted to commit genocide with our help."
"And if she succeeded magic would have been exposed to humanity again leading to an apocalypse since people would have started hunting magical creatures and they'd definitely fight back," said Caroline.
"How in the world did you find out about this?" asked Matt.
"We overheard two witches at the district talking and asked them. They explained everything and suggested some classes we could take to learn at least the basics or even further if I wanted to get a degree like every other witch my age," said Bonnie.
"Elena and I are planning on taking the classes too since this is something we need to know," said Caroline.
"You guys are more than welcome to join in," said Elena.
"Maybe," said Jeremy. "I'm not interested in more schoolwork."
"OK you don't have to take the classes but at least watch the lecture so that you can learn the info – some of it will stick with you," pleaded Elena.
"What about you Matt you interested?" asked Caroline.
"Not really," said Matt. "I don't plan on getting involved with magic more than I have to."
"OK but if you ever want to you can just ask," said Bonnie.
"Thanks."
"So, did anything interesting happen while we were gone," asked Caroline not expecting anything.
The two teens shared a glance before Jeremy turned to look at his sister and friends to explain. "Nothing crazy but we did get some visitors."
"Oh my god what happened?" asked Elena in a panic.
"Nothing happened it was just a couple and their butler here to see the Mikaelsons," said Matt as he tried to calm down his friend.
"A butler?" asked Caroline with an eyebrow raised.
"Either he was a butler or just their driver – big guy in a tuxedo that was driving their hearse," said Jeremy.
"A hearse?" asked Bonnie in confusion. "Don't you mean a limo?"
"No, it was definitely a hearse," said Jeremy as he shook his head no.
"OK wait, stop, pause for a minute go back to the beginning," said Elena as she held up one hand while the other massage her forehead. "Where did you see them."
"They came to The Grill for food while I had a shift and Jeremy was there for lunch," said Matt
Flashback – The Grill a few hours ago
As Jeremy was eating at his table and Matt was filling order they turned around as the door of the Grill suddenly burst open. In walked three people, one was a woman tall and thin wearing a tight black dress. It seemed that no matter where she stood her pale face was always in the shadow except for a spotlight on her eyes. The man next to her holding her hand had a lit cigar in his mouth as he looked around the room with a smile, looking as if there was nowhere else he'd rather be. The third member of the group was a large man in a tuxedo holding open the door. He was so tall that he had to bend to enter the room and crouch a little so that he could move around. He only stayed long enough to make sure that the couple were seated at the table and then left.
"Hi, I'm Matt and I'll be your waiter for today," said Matt as he walked up to the table. "Can I get you anything to start."
"Wonderful to meet you my boy I'm Gomez Addams and this is my lovely wife Morticia," he said as he held out his hand to shake.
"Charmed I'm sure," said Morticia with a smile on her red lips.
"I'd like a glass of whiskey and you cara mia?"
"A glass of red wine would be divine."
"Coming right up," said Matt as he gave them a chance to look through their menus.
"Where are you from?" asked Jeremy. The Addams's table was right next to his.
"New York my good lad," said Gomez with a smile.
"New York is a bit far. What are you doing here?" asked Jeremy as he moved to sit on the other side of their booth.
"Is this an interrogation?" asked Morticia silkily from behind her menu.
"Of course, not my love," said Gomez with a flourish. "If this was an interrogation, I'm sure the boy would do it properly and have us in chains and use red hot pokers."
"Of course, mon amour," said Morticia in response "You're quite right."
"Tish that's French," said Gomez as he started kissing her hand and arm.
"Later my love," she said with a smile.
"It's not an interrogation," said Jeremy as he tried to distract them. "We just don't get many visitors so I'm curious."
"We heard that some friends of ours are in the area and came to see them."
"Who if you don't mind me asking. Maybe I can help you find them."
"The Mikaelsons," was Gomez' response to the question.
"You know the Mikaelsons."
"Oh yes they've known our family for centuries," said Morticia.
"It's been so many years that they're a part of the family now," said Gomez still holding his wife's hand. "We wanted to share some wonderful news."
"I don't know if they'll be there, but I can give you their address," said Jeremy as he started writing down the Mikaelson's address on one of the napkins. "What's the news if you don't mind me asking?"
"Our daughter is getting engaged and we wanted to invite them to the party," said Morticia with a smile.
"Congratulations," was Jeremy's only response. I can't believe someone wants to go see the Mikaelsons for such normal reason.
"Yes, I thought this day would never come. That our daughter Wednesday would find a man that will worship the ground she walks on like I do you cara mia."
"Oh, mon cher," was Morticia's only response as the Addams couple started to lean in for a kiss.
"I'll leave you two alone," said Jeremy as he started to get up. "And I hope you enjoy your time in Mystic Falls."
"Thank you for your help young man," said Gomez as he dragged his adoring gaze away from his beloved wife.
"Not a problem at all sir, mam," said Jeremy as he walked back to his own table as Matt came by to ask if they decided on what to eat.
End flashback
"Wait you're telling me," said Caroline in shock. "That someone came to Mystic Falls to invite the Mikaelsons to an engagement party?"
"Yup they seemed pretty nice actually," said Matt. "They left a great tip when they were finished and actually waltzed their way out the door staring into each other's eyes."
"Seems to be something they do a lot since their butler was there to open the door before they hit it," said Jeremy finishing the story.
"Seems we learn something new about the Mikaelsons every day," was Bonnie's only response to the end of the story.
Notes
Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed & reviewed my story. It really encouraged me to finish this chapter & post by the end of December so that you all could have a little gift from me for the holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all and please stay safe. I'm planning on posting on archive of our own a version of this chapter with images under the same name if anyone wants to see.