Thank you so much for your support for this story so far, it makes me smile every time I get a review/comment - for those of you asking why Davina didn't just make two maps - she can't be expected to think of everything and neither can I, so let's just pretend there's a reason, okay?
As you may have noticed, this does not exactly follow canon - while there may be some things I borrow, they will likely appear in different forms. I already dropped one hint a few chapters ago - well done to anyone who spotted it ;)
That said, in this chapter, there is a certain amount of talk about what years things happened in - this may not fit with canon - if it doesn't I don't care. It may not fit with actual historical facts either, but I already have one history book in the works; I don't have the energy to be that invested with this one!
A few days later, as the sun began to set on New Orleans, a light blue Camaro pulled up on the outskirts, hidden within the trees.
Damon leaned against the hood, re-reading the letter from Caroline that had appeared in his pocket two days earlier. The ink was tear-stained in places, both from Caroline writing it and Elena reading it.
Even Katherine had looked suspiciously damp-eyed, before agreeing that they would need to help them.
After what seemed like an age, he felt something brush against him and he heaved a sigh, tucking the letter back in his pocket. Rounding the car to the passenger side, he opened the door and pulled a road map from the glove compartment, waiting a good few minutes before closing the door.
Katherine had never come across a cloaking spell that actually made someone invisible, until Bonnie had overcharged one in the rather frantic weeks between Elena's transition and the truce with the Originals.
It had been very useful getting her out of the compound and out to the car, but it now meant that she had to wait for several hours before Damon could see or hear her.
Thankfully, the child on her lap was fast asleep. She had been quite happy for Katherine to take her out of the house despite being obviously tired, but had drifted off on the way - and she had a feeling that Hope wouldn't be nearly so happy about it when she woke up.
The drive was obviously quiet and Damon did not even bother with the radio, his entire body tense. Every now and then, he switched direction, just in case someone had followed them.
Finally, the spell lifted, and Damon winced as the car was suddenly filled with the sounds of a crying child. "Oh dear."
"It's alright, baby girl," Katherine murmured, stroking her hair. "It's okay."
Hope sniffled. "Mama!"
"I know you want Mama," Katherine said. "You'll see her soon, sweetheart. But we're going on vacation! You and me and Uncle Damon are going to have lots of fun, aren't we?"
"Absolutely," Damon said, when Katherine gave him a sharp look. "You just wait, Hope; we've got so much fun stuff, you wouldn't believe it. On a side note," he added, "you've never looked so good."
Katherine rolled her eyes, rubbing Hope's back. "That's because I've been invisible."
"Yeah, I know and it's really, really weird," Damon said, pulling up outside a foreclosure. "Is this town not too crowded?"
"No," Katherine answered. "You should know by now, Damon, that it's easier to hide when there's more people. The quieter the town, the nosier the neighbours, and we don't need nosy neighbours. You put the compulsion over the town, right?"
"Of course," Damon said. "They all think we've been here the entire time, and the fact that Hope is blonde is not suspicious in the least. Also, they don't talk to us."
"Was that part necessary?" Katherine asked.
"We both know that we'll be suspicious of everyone that talks to us anyway," Damon said. "May as well save it for people that actually are."
"True. Did you get everything?"
Damon got out and sped round to open her door for her. "Naturally. I got everything on your list. Out of interest, you know this is supposed to be temporary, don't you?"
"I do," Katherine said, handing Hope out to him. "But I also know that she is not going to understand any of this, so the more normal we can make this, the better."
According to Caroline, Hope was sleeping through the night now.
It was three in the morning and she was crying, so apparently no one had told Hope that.
Katherine sat up and glanced over at Damon, who hadn't even flinched.
"Like the dead," she muttered, getting out of bed.
She slipped out of the bedroom and across the hall to the room they had claimed as a nursery.
Hope was standing up in the crib, her face red and wet with tears. "Mama?"
"Mama's not here, Hope," Katherine said quietly. "You need to stay with Auntie Kat and Uncle Damon for a bit, okay?"
Hope shook her head. "Want mama."
That was a new word. Katherine made a mental note to write it down so she could tell Caroline once Dahlia was dealt with, and held her arms out. "How about a cuddle instead?"
Thankfully, apparently she was an acceptable substitute because Hope nodded and let Katherine lift her out of the crib. She wrapped her little arms around Katherine's neck and rested her head on her shoulder, still shaking a little bit from her tears.
Katherine pressed a kiss to her hair. "Let's get some warm milk, shall we?"
Hope nodded again and Katherine carried her downstairs to the kitchen, flicking the light.
"Well," she said with a sigh, "this is why I should have chosen the foreclosure."
Part of their preparations (harried though they were) had left Damon to find somewhere for them to live (albeit in the town she had chosen) while she talked to Bonnie about protective talismans.
However, for some reason, the house he had found had no microwave, so she set about warming the milk on the stove top.
Finally she sat down at the table with Hope happily drinking her milk from a bottle.
"Katherine?"
"Down here," Katherine answered, rocking Hope gently.
Damon appeared a second later. "What happened?"
"Seriously?" Katherine asked. "You don't hear her crying, but you notice I'm not in bed?"
"Oh." Damon sat down beside her. "Is she okay?"
"She misses Caroline," Katherine answered with a sigh, "which is understandable."
Damon sighed. "Can we really do this?"
"Of course we can," Katherine said, with more than a little false confidence. "Caroline's given me a schedule. It's colour-coded."
Damon cracked a smile. "Of course it is."
The hardest part was keeping a smile on her face in public, just in case Dahlia was watching. Thankfully, no one was going to expect Caroline to be going out much, since they were 'keeping Hope inside'.
With the blinds drawn in the nursery, Caroline sat in the window seat, one of Hope's stuffed animals held tight against her chest.
The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before, a physical ache in her chest that almost tempted her to reach for the switch, were it not for the fact that she knew her daughter was safe, just not with her.
Soft footfalls brought a tiny smile to her lips and she allowed herself to lean sideways, trusting Klaus to catch her, as always.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Madeleine's here. We're having a meeting."
Caroline sighed. "What's the point, Nik? This will be the fifth meeting in as many days and we still don't have an answer."
"This one's different," Klaus said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "Sophie has an idea."
That was enough to spur Caroline into getting to her feet, placing the teddy bear back in the crib. "Okay then."
Klaus caught her arm. "When was the last time you ate, love?"
"This morning," Caroline answered automatically.
"Are you sure?" Klaus asked, touching her cheek. "You're looking very pale."
Caroline thought back. "No … I had a coffee this morning. I had a blood bag last night … No, I didn't."
"Too long then," Klaus said, drawing her into his arms.
Caroline brushed a kiss to his throat. "I can get a blood bag."
"Won't be enough if you haven't fed in over twenty-four hours," Klaus said. "Just take what you need."
She should have more control really, but she didn't have the energy or the strength to do so. Her fangs slid into his neck before she could really think about it, his blood flooding down her throat.
She felt his teeth scrape against her shoulder and she pulled back, giving him a very bloody smile. "Did you forget again?"
"I don't know why you find it funny," Klaus grumbled, handing her a handkerchief. "My bite could kill you."
"Not with your blood in my veins it can't," Caroline said, wiping her mouth. "I don't mind, you know."
"You once said it was painful," Klaus reminded her.
"Any bite is painful if you're not careful," Caroline said. "Aside from the time you were unconscious and I shoved my arm in your mouth, you've never hurt me. Have I got it all?"
"All clear, love," Klaus said, taking her arm. "Let's see what Sophie has for us."
Everyone else had gathered in the dining room, seated around the large table, with the exception of Sophie who was pacing up and down.
"There you are," she said with great relief when they entered.
"Nik says you have something," Caroline said, taking a seat beside Davina, who squeezed her hand.
"Well, first of all, the protections around the compound are still holding," Sophie said, "so we've still got time. Second of all, I've talked to Freya, and Maddi and I have done some extensive reading, and we've got a weapon that will kill her."
"Why do I feel," Caroline said, grabbing Klaus's arms before he could marshal the troops, "that it's not that simple?"
"Because it's not," Sophie said, pulling a face. "It's a blade forged with the three sources of Dahlia's power - sacred earth from her homeland, the body of her oppressors and the blood of the thing she loves the most."
"What is with ancient magic and riddles?" Matt asked wearily.
"There really wasn't much else to do back then," Kol answered. "So to clarify, Sophie, this weapon will kill Dahlia?"
"It will unravel the spell she's used to keep herself alive," Sophie said. "Unfortunately, the one thing I don't know is if doing that will also destroy Freya as well."
"Does Freya know that?" Rebekah asked quietly.
Thus far, it was only Kol who had met Freya, partly because only Kol could actually enter the cemetery, and partly because his other siblings couldn't shake the thought that they would lose her again.
"She knows," Maddi answered. "She said to tell you all that she'll deal with whatever the fallout is, and if her options are dead and safe from Dahlia, or alive and running from her, that she'd take the first one, because she's just exhausted."
"Poor thing," Caroline murmured.
"Back to the weapon," Sophie said, "we are need to gather the ingredients."
"The blood is easy," Maddi said. "It's Freya. The other two we're stuck on."
"Hang on, so what was it?" Davina asked. "Sacred something …?"
"Sacred earth from her homeland," Sophie repeated, "and the body of her oppressors."
"Okay, so her homeland would be where she was born, presumably," Caroline said. "So where was that?"
"Norway," Elijah answered. "At least that's what it's called now. So earth from Norway?"
"That would work," Sophie agreed. "The body of her oppressors is more difficult though. Who can possibly oppress a witch that powerful?"
"I have a dying memory," Matt said slowly, "of European history … Mr Tanner did like three lessons on it, right, Care?"
"I think most of us zoned out," Caroline said, frowning. "But you're right, he did … And … Hang on, when did you guys die?"
To her amusement, the four siblings looked at each other and all shrugged.
"You don't know what year you died?" Matt asked his wife.
"In my defence," Rebekah said, "we didn't have much need for a calendar in those days. You marked the harvest and the solstices. Is it important?"
"Yes," Caroline said with a sigh. "The Vikings invaded Norway, but the question is whether Dahlia was born before or after. Because if she was born before, then they could be the oppressors. If she was born after, then it's more likely she's one of them and therefore it was someone else."
"Father was a Viking warrior," Elijah said quietly. "But I'm afraid I don't know the answer to your question, Caroline."
Caroline heaved another sigh and pulled out her phone. "Okay, math time."
"Can you really figure it out?" Rebekah asked.
"I think so," Caroline said, "given some information. Elijah, you were twenty-five when you died, correct?"
"That's correct," he confirmed.
"Okay, so we know the doppelgängers are five hundred years apart," Caroline said. "Elena was born 1992, because Katherine died 1492. We know that Katherine was nineteen when she died so she must have been born 1473, which means the hybrid curse was placed in 973. Assuming that you hadn't been a vampire long when you triggered the curse, that was the year you died."
"That sounds about right," Klaus said faintly.
"So take away 25," Caroline said, "and knowing that Esther was pregnant when you came to America, that happened in 948 or thereabouts, which must have also been when Freya 'died' - how old was she?"
"Five," Kol answered promptly. "So she was born in 943. Given time for the pregnancy and for Mother to realise she couldn't conceive, she and Father probably married around … 941?"
"Which was only a few years after the Viking invasion," Matt finished. "So the Vikings would be the oppressors, but where the hell are we going to get the body of a Viking?"
"There's got to be a museum somewhere," Rebekah said. "Probably in Europe. They don't mind whose graves they desecrate."
"I've still got Father's ashes," Klaus said.
"Of course you do," Caroline muttered.
"They're back at the house in Mystic Falls," he continued.
"I can go and get that," Jeanette offered. "I can go on my way to Norway and get some soil or something - does it matter where from?"
"Somewhere near the Swedish border would be best," Elijah said. "That would mean you're definitely in the right place. The borders were all rather different then."
"And you'd best get it from a cemetery or a graveyard," Sophie added. "The spell specifies sacred earth, so it will need to be consecrated."
"Thank you Jeanette," Caroline said.
Jeanette gave her a smile, getting to her feet. "Not at all. I'll leave now." She squeezed Caroline's shoulder as she passed. "Keep smiling. She'll be home in no time."