Bonnie was still unhappy that Damon had sent Russell into such a precarious situation. She was genuinely fond of the crow and would have been heartbroken if Klaus had killed him. However, it turned out to be a wise decision because the bird returned with a wealth of information. Klaus had not made the trip to Mystic Falls alone. Rebekah, Elijah, and Hayley were also staying at the Mikaelson mansion with him. Moreover, there were several people present that Damon could not readily identify. They all feared Klaus had begun making new hybrids using Hayley's altered blood. Since she was pregnant with a tribrid her blood was a substitute for doppelganger blood. Tyler had proven as much during his failed trip to New Orleans.

As if they did not have enough problems on their plate, Gabe called Tyler in the middle of the night. The tracker was able to locate Enzo. The Director of Medicine was holding him hostage in Whitmore Hospital's basement. It seemed that Enzo had not been as thorough as he initially believed when he tried to end the Augustine Group at the school. For the first time in Katherine's wretched life, she had actually been telling them the truth. Members of the Augustine Group were on Whitmore's campus investigating the unexplained disappearances of their cohorts. Bonnie and Tyler hardly had the time to confront the threat the group presented. Unfortunately, Enzo being under their control made the situation more dangerous. He might be inclined to point his captors in their direction for some sort of leniency or out of pure revenge.

Damon and Stefan arrived at Bonnie's house before the sun even rose to discuss their latest problem. After some light debating, they decided to address the Augustine problem first. While the humans presented the smallest threat, they were also the most unpredictable. After all, there was a reason why guerilla warfare was successful. One of their own being kidnapped and experimented on by those deviants while fighting the travelers would be an almost insurmountable distraction. Nadia had explained that Markos had amassed a substantial following. The travelers deserved their undivided attention. However, the ward they placed on Mystic Falls was an effective stopgap while they took care of the Augustine Group.

Fortunately, they had a more experienced witch on their team. Lucy was more than capable of leading the charge. She had crossed paths with the group in the past and found their methods barbaric and distasteful. Bonnie was taken aback by Lucy's simple but brutal solution for eliminating the threat they presented. Lucy planned to use dark magic to kill the Augustine Group in one fell swoop. The younger Bennett witch had dabbled in dark magic in the past. She wasn't interested in crossing that line again. Bonnie had enjoyed it too much in the past and the spirits had punished her and Sheila for it. However, Lucy assured the girl that her assistance wasn't necessary. She was used to pissing off the spirits and no longer feared their wrath. In order to work her magic, she would need a personal item from each of the Augustine members that had once again infested Whitmore. Tyler promised Lucy that he would get her everything she needed by tomorrow afternoon.

Bonnie and Tyler sat in his car at the edge of Klaus' property. Neither teen was eager to meet with the original hybrid. They were hopeful that he would help them defeat the travelers. However, they knew from experience that Klaus wasn't to be trusted even when they were working towards the same goals. He was mercurial and his pride easily wounded. Furthermore, there was always the very real threat of Klaus double-crossing them at the last moment. Elijah was no better in that regard. The Mikaelsons would always do what was in the best interest of their family—supposed allies be damned. Bonnie could see a scenario where Klaus bargained with the travelers to trap his parents on the Other Side with the rest of the witches.

Tyler reached over and took Bonnie's hand. "Are you ready?"

She blinked in surprise when Tyler touched her. She realized belatedly that he had been trying to get her attention. She forced a nervous smile and nodded. "Yes."

"I am sorry that you have to be involved in this at all. I wish that I understood magic more. I could have explained the plan to him without your help," he bemoaned.

Bonnie quickly shook her head and said, "It is better this way. I wouldn't want you in the lion's den alone, Ty. It was hard enough leaving you last night to face him alone."

Tyler sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "My instincts as an alpha make me want my mate as far away from this threat as possible. I am supposed to be protecting you not leading you into danger."

"I thought we were supposed to be partners?" she asked.

"We are partners, but…"

Bonnie cut in, "What sort of partner would I be if I left you alone for a second time?"

"A breathing one depending on how this meeting goes."

She cupped his cheek and kissed away the crestfallen expression on his handsome face. Her fingers stroked at the fine layer of hair growing on his jaw. There was a glint in Bonnie's eyes when she pulled back. She said, "I have a trump card that just might save our lives if it comes to it."

Tyler arched an eyebrow at his mate and asked, "What is it?"

She bit her lip and said, "I can't give you any details right now. I promised this person that I would only use it if our lives depended on it. I can't break that promise."

He was intrigued by this secret but he would not push Bonnie for the truth. He trusted her to make the right decision. Tyler pecked her lips and said, "Well, I hope that it doesn't come to that."

"Me, too," she breathed.

Tyler looked towards the house and saw Elijah standing outside. He squeezed Bonnie's hand again. "I don't think that we can put this off any longer."

Bonnie was surprised that someone hadn't come outside sooner. They had been parked on the street for close to ten minutes. She chuckled softly, "I guess not."

He took the car out of park and turned into the long circular driveway. Tyler drove up to the house and parked behind a cherry red Ferrari. He turned off the engine and glanced at Bonnie. "Are you ready?"

She forced out a nervous breath and nodded. "Yeah."

Tyler got out of the car and walked around to open Bonnie's door.

She took his hand and stood up. "Thanks, Ty."

He kissed her cheek and closed the door. Then Tyler squeezed her hand and walked up to the arched entrance.

Elijah was sharply dressed as usual in a navy blue suit. He smiled. "Good morning, Miss Bennett."

Bonnie resisted the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes. His charm and refinement no longer had an effect on her. She had seen his true face and he was just as monstrous as his illegitimate little brother was. In truth, she preferred the honesty in Klaus' personality. He never once gave you the impression that he was not an unmitigated son of a bitch with a penchant for murder and mayhem.

"Good morning," she replied with a forced kindness.

Elijah inclined his head toward the younger man. "Tyler."

Tyler's face remained neutral but he was surprised by the bitterness he felt through his bond with Bonnie. He nodded in greeting. "Is Klaus ready to see us?"

"Yes, he is waiting for you in his study. Please, follow me."

Tyler and Bonnie walked into the massive two-story entry. Someone had put tremendous effort in decorating the house for Christmas. A jaunty Christmas song played over the surround sound system. Both teens wondered just how long the Mikaelsons had been in town.

The hybrid cursed himself for not keeping an eye on the mansion. He did not like that Klaus and his siblings had been able to sneak up on him. If they lived through this situation, he would not make that mistake again. However, his attention was quickly drawn to the scent of multiple wolves. It had taken a few moments to detect their presence because of the myriad of scents bombarding his senses. Christmas was a particularly fragrant time of year for a werewolf. One thing became abundantly clear, the people that Russell had spotted with Klaus were not hybrids. A hybrid's senses were sharp enough to distinguish between another hybrid and a werewolf. While he was glad to learn that Klaus had not created a hybrid army, he had even more questions now. Generally, Klaus held werewolves in utter contempt. Why had he chosen to surround himself with them now? Perhaps more intriguing was the reason that werewolves would willingly serve him.

Elijah led them to the second floor where the study was located. He opened the double doors that led into the room. Once all three stepped into the room, he closed the doors behind them to ensure that no one would disturb their conversation. There were six other people sharing the Mikaelson mansion with Elijah and his siblings. He walked around the room to stand behind his younger brother.

The original hybrid was seated behind a large antique desk with a snifter of blood in his hand. He motioned to two chairs in front of his desk. He grinned at the couple and said, "Sit…please."

Tyler muttered, "Thanks."

Klaus frowned when he felt a potent energy prickling his skin. He realized immediately that it was radiating from Bonnie. His eyes widened inconspicuously because after last night he had assumed she no longer had magic. Klaus remained quiet and just studied the girl. He had scented the newly mated werewolf pair as soon as he located them in the forest last night. It had been a surprising turn of events considering he had never met a Bennett werewolf in his very long life. Klaus had been tracking their bloodline for centuries. He was curious about how this came to be but now he more fully understood Tyler's interest in the Lescheres family. Klaus' wife, Vivianne Lescheres, was the first and last witch-werewolf hybrid that he had ever encountered.

Meanwhile, Rebekah looked festive in a red asymmetrical dress as she sat on the edge of the desk. Her blue eyes studied Bonnie and Tyler with an almost clinical precision.

Bonnie's eyes flicked to a beating heart off to the side. She saw an unfamiliar man sitting near the roaring fireplace. It took a moment but Bonnie identified the man as a werewolf. Her eyes flicked to Tyler.

He squeezed her hand in acknowledgement. Tyler led Bonnie over to the smoke colored wingback chairs and sat down.

Bonnie reluctantly pulled her hand from Tyler's grasp. She folded her hands on her lap. "Tyler said that you wanted to know what the witches on the Other Side have planned for the travelers. I have to warn you that the witches on the Other Side still want you dead."

Klaus laughed smoothly. "They have wanted me dead since I was birthed into this world. I am not now nor have I ever been concerned about a gaggle of dead spiteful witches."

"Perhaps you should be since they are eager to correct their mistakes." Bonnie smiled innocently and amended, "Or at least what they perceive to be mistakes. They are quite unhappy that the travelers were able to find a way to practice magic even with the curse. I am sure you can guess what they think of you breaking the hybrid curse."

Elijah tensed when he heard that the spirits were targeting Niklaus. He immediately wondered if they had played into the witches' hands by rushing to Mystic Falls. This little town was ground zero because of the centuries of magic that had seeped into the very soil.

The humor slowly drained from the original hybrid's face. He had not considered that the witches would use the travelers' machinations to take a big swing at him. "And what of you, little witch? What do you think of your long dead kin's plan?"

"I think that they are short-sighted and overly punitive. I think that their actions too often have unintended consequences. Perhaps you would not have spent so many centuries slaughtering innocent people if the Original Witch had not cursed you. While they were not directly responsible for that decision the spirits certainly approved it and actively worked to prevent you from breaking the curse," she replied.

Klaus chuckled in amusement and swirled the blood around in his glass. "That is debatable. I do so love the taste of blood. What plans do they have for me?"

She said, "They plan to send you and your siblings to the same place as the travelers…the void."

Rebekah frowned. "What is the void?"

"It is nothing…it is death without dying. It is a place of decay and suffering. It is endless," Bonnie warned.

Klaus had gone stock still because he had heard stories of the void from witches. However, he thought it was merely an old wives' tale. "How do they plan to access the void?"

She said, "The travelers, in their monumental arrogance, will be the architects of their own demise. They plan to bring down the veil to the other side by overwhelming the anchor. This will cause tears to form in the fabric of the magic Qetsiyah used when she created the Other Side. Those tears open directly into the void. The travelers plan to save their ancestors and other supernatural creatures while binding the witches to the Other Side. When it collapses, the witches would be drawn into the void for the rest of time. However, the witches have located the first traveler…the progenitor of their kind. They have her under lock and key. Several covens on this side will link Markos and his followers together. The witches on the Other Side will do the same to the travelers that are over there already. When Markos and his followers cross the veil to overwhelm the anchor, they will become stuck on the Other Side with their ancestors. However, the breaches into the void will have already opened. The witches on the Other Side and here will cast a spell that forces the travelers trapped on the Other Side through the breach and into the void."

Elijah asked, "What about the breaches? Will they remain open once the travelers have been banished to the void?"

Bonnie nodded solemnly. "We do not have a solution for that problem yet. However, you all know the sacrifices the spirits are willing to make to protect the balance. If they must lose in the process of stopping the travelers then that is what they will do. Some supernatural creatures that have found peace will move on as was the way before Qetsiyah created The Other Side. The rest will be sucked into the void with the travelers."

Klaus asked, "How are they proposing to get me onto the Other Side? Only the dead can pass the veil and I cannot die."

Tyler tensed at his sire's tone. He knew that they were taking a risk being honest with Klaus. He only hoped that the desire for survival would convince Klaus to cooperate. They would all have to make some uncomfortable sacrifices in this fight against the travelers. Tyler's sacrifice would be involving his pack in the dangerous mission. His desire to protect them from the supernatural chaos of Mystic Falls had gone by the wayside the moment Bonnie was in danger. In reality, he should have known that he wouldn't be able to keep his two worlds separate permanently. As Ruby sagely told him, werewolves were a warrior species.

She smiled. "Everything is capable of being killed if the killer is motivated and smart enough. The witches on the Other Side are very motivated. They want to link you and your siblings together again. However, this time you won't be able to stop the ritual by killing my mother. I'm not exactly inclined to help them since so many vampires I love are part of your bloodline."

Elijah possessed enough self-awareness to look contrite for his past misdeeds. "I mean no disrespect of your estimable skills. However, they could find another witch to complete the linking spell."

While Elijah was merely flattering Bonnie, Klaus was quite interested in the girl's skills. He had been in Bonnie's presence many times in the past. He had not sensed her magic this strongly. It seemed as if she had gotten stronger and that was curious indeed because she had already been one of the more powerful witches he had ever encountered. She had simply been untrained. Klaus had thought she would have done well under his tutelage.

Bonnie nodded. "You are right about that. However, there is a way to prevent you and your siblings from being linked ever again."

"How?" Klaus asked breaking his contemplative silence.

Tyler was proud of how well Bonnie was handling the situation. He had wisely chosen to keep quiet. Not only did he not really understand magic but also his relationship with Klaus was antagonistic at best. However, he was surprised that Klaus hadn't become enraged yet. Tyler realized that his sire was truly concerned about Esther and Mikael crossing over and wreaking havoc. Frankly, Tyler was concerned about them as well. He only hoped that Klaus would agree to the plan that they had painstakingly arranged last night with Lucy's help. Tyler had picked up on a curious undertone in last night's discussion. Lucy seemed to have a wealth of insight on Klaus. She had explained it away by saying it was information she learned from Katherine. Tyler didn't believe her but he didn't feel it was his place to call out her lies.

She said, "It is a bastardization of the unlinking spell. It prevents any of you from ever being linked again. However, I want to offer a full disclosure…my spell will also unlink you from your sire lines."

Klaus scoffed. "That is convenient! Then your boyfriend and friends are safe if the witches continue with their plan to kill me."

Bonnie said, "But as you said, you cannot be killed. If the witches are unable to tether you to your siblings, then you are truly invulnerable."

Rebekah asked, "And you are capable of completing this spell?"

She nodded. "I just need a few more days to finish it."

Klaus regarded her for a moment. "We are to believe that you are capable of creating a spell of this magnitude, witchling?"

Bonnie said, "I would have assistance with the spell. My ancestors on the Other Side have sounded the alarm for all the witches in my bloodline. I will enlist their help by explaining that it is for our benefit. We do not know the travelers' plans for us. We cannot allow the travelers to link us as we will do to them."

Rebekah was taken aback by Bonnie's duplicity. She tsked, "Betraying your own kind?"

She retorted, "My own kind killed me for disobeying their archaic rules. I owe them nothing."

Klaus inclined his head and reiterated his earlier opinion, "Spiteful witches…"

Bonnie said, "However, I will not perform this spell for free."

The original hybrid laughed heartily. "You wish to be paid? Shall I write a check for you?"

"I don't want money," Bonnie replied. "I will only do this if I have your assurance that you will leave me and mine alone in perpetuity."

Klaus waved his hand dismissively. "I already allowed the ungrateful pup to live even after he tried to kill my unborn child. You have my word that I will not harm the two of you or your wretched friends. Are you satisfied?"

Bonnie's eyes flicked to Elijah before moving back to Klaus. She said, "I am sure you will understand if I cannot merely take the word of a Mikaelson on blind faith. Your allegiances will always lie with your family—as it should. However, I will not be burned again by trusting your word."

Klaus didn't appreciate the girl's tone. However, he couldn't blame Bonnie for her trepidation. He asked, "Well, what do you propose?"

"A magical contract sealed with blood from the five of us," she replied.

The original hybrid was incredibly suspicious of Bonnie's request. Witches used magical contracts several hundred years ago. However, the practice had fallen out of common use some time in the 1600's. Now they were almost unheard of within their community. Furthermore, he did not imagine that someone of Bonnie's relatively young age would even know of its existence. He decided it was time to find out what the little witch had been doing while he was in New Orleans. Klaus also wondered if he could convince her to work for him but that was for another time.

He said, "The contract would have to be worded carefully but I have no objections."

Bonnie smiled. "Then I would be happy to perform the spell. I will take some time to finish the spell and prepare the contract. We can talk terms whenever you would like. In the meantime, there are wards in place to prevent the travelers from crossing the town line. Now there is just the matter of your end of the bargain you made with Tyler last night."

Klaus eyed her for a moment. "Yes, he mentioned an interest in some relatives of his that I might have known once upon a time."

Bonnie opened her purse and pulled out the weathered journal. "This belonged to Marc-Rene Lescheres."

Tyler asked, "Did you know him?"

Klaus remembered the man well. Marc had been Vivianne's paternal uncle. The man had immediately distrusted Klaus. However, Vivianne had fallen in love with Klaus from the first moment she laid eyes on him. Her uncle's objections had fallen onto deaf ears. Unfortunately, the story of his love was a tragic one that he had tried to forget over the years. When he met Vivianne, it was a tumultuous time in New Orleans between werewolves and witches. They were once as fierce enemies as vampires and werewolves were now.

He said, "There is no need to play coy. You could not care less about Marc-Rene. You are interested in his niece and nephew, Vivianne and Remon. They were born from the union of a Dalliencourt witch and a Navarro werewolf."

Tyler nodded. "Yes. I am sure you have noticed that Bonnie is different."

Klaus sat forward in his chair. He audibly inhaled and then smiled. "Yes, as I said last night…she smells delectable."

Elijah did not find his brother's antics to be amusing. Klaus had no interest in the young woman aside from her magic. He was only trying to get underneath Tyler's skin because he was a perpetual child. However, he wasn't lying about Bonnie's scent. The girl smelled quite alluring even to Elijah.

Tyler tried to suppress his anger. He knew that Klaus was trying to goad him into reacting. He also knew that pheromones still clung to Bonnie like a second skin because her heat had ended just a day ago.

Bonnie decided to intervene while Tyler was still relatively calm. She cheerfully declared, "Hopefully, I smell like family."

The girl's strange comment caught him off guard. Klaus exclaimed, "Excuse me?"

"Tyler isn't the only one that has been scaling the branches of his family tree looking for answers about my unique situation. You're like my half-uncle or something," she replied while feigning wide-eyed curiosity.

Rebekah outright gaped at Bonnie and then shot a look at her brother. She was pleased to see that Niklaus was equally dismayed.

Elijah cleared his throat since Klaus seemed stunned into silence. He asked, "Would you mind elaborating, Miss Bennett? I am afraid you have us at a disadvantage."

"When you all were human, you knew a girl named Drue, right?" she asked.

Elijah's eyes narrowed but he said, "Yes, her mother was a dear friend to our family."

"I recently learned that my bloodline descended from Drue. She is the reason that I am a werewolf. Her mother was involved with the alpha of the local pack. I believe that his name was Ansel. Together they had three children. However, as you know Ayana was a faithful servant of nature and a witch. She cursed her children to ensure none of her descendants would ever trigger the werewolf curse."

The wheels turning in the three siblings' heads were practically visible. They had grown up knowing Ayana's children. Rebekah in particular had been close to Drue as they were the same age.

Klaus had always suspected that Ayana had been involved with a werewolf. Humans were scarce in the area they had once called home. The humans were terrified of the men that transformed into beasts during the full moon. It had never occurred to him that Ayana and Ansel might have been involved.

Cary breathed, "The medicine woman…"

Every set of eyes in the room shifted to the once silent spectator.

His mouth immediately snapped shut. He hadn't meant to blurt out anything. Klaus had been kind to Cary's pack but his reputation as a werewolf slayer was legendary. He had no interest in getting on the hybrid's bad side by poking his nose where it didn't belong. In fact, Klaus had only allowed him in the room because he wanted a second opinion on Tyler and Bonnie's scents. Klaus' senses were unrivaled but he did not know how to interpret the data as a werewolf. He was slowly learning with Cary's assistance.

Klaus arched an eyebrow at the anxious man. "Is there something you would like to add to the conversation?"

Cary swallowed thickly and said, "There is a story that has been passed down through our family. Once upon a time, a deadly fever struck our pack's children. Our alpha appealed to a brown-skinned medicine woman for help. She cured every child inside of a week. The story goes that our alpha was so grateful to the medicine woman that he fell in love with her."

Rebekah huffed out a laugh. "Well, your father certainly got around, Nik."

Elijah added, "And he seemingly had a penchant for witches."

"Like father, like son," Rebekah quipped.

Klaus wasn't nearly as amused as his siblings were.

Bonnie and Tyler's phones started vibrating nearly at the same time. They both checked their phones. Everyone important knew that they were meeting with Klaus. They wouldn't call unless it was an emergency.

Tyler shot out of his seat and said, "We've gotta go."

Elijah straightened up because the teens seemed almost panicked. They had been practically serene while talking to Klaus despite their troubled history. He asked, "Travelers?"

Bonnie grabbed the journal they had brought as she got to her feet. She shook her head. "No. Lucky for us we have no shortage of enemies. We have caught the attention of a group of humans that like experimenting on vampires and werewolves."

Cary growled deeply. He said, "Augustine…"