I do not own TVD or TO.
Would y'all believe I haven't even introduced the main villain yet? I hinted at it but the villain has yet to make an appearance. At least in Ellie's life.
LunaAndAsh - I actually have been considering that possibility since the start.
Caroline leaned against the wall of the hotel suite and regarded the duo with incredulity. Her eyes were wide as she tilted her head and looked from Alenka to Kol and back again while processing the information. She opened her mouth once and closed it so she could formulate the right words; it was a rare occasion when she was at a loss for words.
"So you're…" she pointed to Kol, "… you were…" she pressed her tongue to the back of her teeth and looked towards Alenka, "… her husband in your first life?"
Kol nodded once and traced Alenka's profile from the corner of his eye.
"Ellie's spell brought you back as a human?" Caroline moved to sit on the edge of the green armchair when she nodded. "And that unlocked the memories?"
"I'm not sure if it was that," Kol squeezed Alenka's hand, "or something else in the spell, but I do remember. I remember everything up until the point…" he trailed off as the last image flashed through his mind. He could remember everything from the last thousand years in vivid detail but it was his wife's murder that made his heart pound wildly in his chest; he'd never relished killing while his humanity was on, but he would have gladly torn Qetsiyah apart in that moment if she had not already been dead.
Alenka shifted so her fingers slotted between his and ran her thumb over his knuckles. She knew full well what that last memory was; she'd had nightmares of it from her perspective for months. Only the interference of his brothers had banished them from her mind.
"Okay," Caroline drew in a deep breath and nodded. She could accept that he was her soulmate and that he had been her husband; it made a lot of sense given recent events, but one thing was still plaguing her mind. "What about Elijah?"
Caroline frowned when Kol's lips formed a tight line; his expression twisted as he narrowed his eyes.
Alenka dipped her head and pressed her free hand over her mouth.
"Have I touched a nerve?" The blonde looked between the couple on the sofa. "I only meant why he looks like… well…" she gestured to Kol, "… you, or at least what you did look like."
"I don't know," Kol shook his head. "Just like I don't know why Ellie looks like herself."
"Technically I look like Amara," she glanced at her silent sister who was sipping a bag of blood. The more she drank the healthier her skin looked. "She used the potion for immortality; since she can't die nature needs a version of her that can. I happened to be reborn in that version. I look like her not like me."
Kol shook his head and met her eyes.
"You look like you," he smiled and squeezed her hand, "it's all in the eyes, darling."
"Aw," Caroline tilted her head, "that's so sweet, and incredibly cheesy. It doesn't answer my question though. I know why Ellie looks like Ellie, and that Stefan looks like Silas for the same reason, but what about…"
"It's the same reason," Amara's soft voice cut in. She flinched every few seconds when she addressed them.
"What do you mean?" Alenka leaned forwards to face her sister. She should have wanted to hate her, but she knew she had suffered endlessly over the centuries for what she had done.
"I was in a lot of pain at first," she ventured slowly, "but I remember seeing Qetsiyah. There was still some of the spell left; she forced you to drink it before you died." She lifted her eyes to Kol. "Until you were brought back in that field I thought you were still alive somewhere in the world."
"And now?" Kol prompted. He didn't remember taking the potion; he didn't remember anything after Alenka had been killed besides the burning pain.
"I'm assuming you either took the cure she had left somewhere in the house, or," Amara gritted her teeth against the pain, "you found her notes and had a witch make it for you. Your 'doppelganger', is that the right word," her eyes cut to her sister who nodded. "Your doppelganger line endured but your soul was reincarnated."
Kol pushed his damp hair out of his eyes when it fell forward and adjusted his shirt. He should have let things run their natural course. He shouldn't have pushed her towards his brother even though it made perfect sense considering the information he'd had at the time; he hadn't been wrong about coincidences because there had been a good reason. He should have told her when he was hexed.
"Okay then," Caroline slid from the arm into the chair and crossed her legs. "That answers my question."
Kol lifted the blankets up over her shoulder and brushed her soft hair back from her forehead. She had expended a lot of energy bringing him back; truthfully he was surprised she had made it until the mid-afternoon.
He would have loved to lie down beside her but he knew if he did he was likely to drift off as well and returning to a routine would be extremely difficult if he did that; besides he had enough energy to remain awake so he was going to.
His knuckle grazed her cheek and lingered on her smooth skin. He could feel the magic twisting within her body, rushing through her veins.
He had felt the connection to nature and magic in Kaleb's body, but it paled in comparison to his own.
Bending he pressed a light kiss to her cheek before standing and slipping from the room. Closing the door behind him he checked the clock and moved to sit on the sofa across from Amara.
Caroline had left to pick up some things and in the brief period she was gone Amara had lifted her feet into the armchair and drawn her knees to her chest.
Every few seconds he would hear her mutter something under her breath before flinching and turning in another direction to repeat the action. He could see her eyes focused on the air around her body as she talked to herself.
"She must have really hated you."
Amara jumped and twisted in the chair. She hadn't seen him enter the room again; she couldn't remember how long he had been gone or if everything that had happened had really happened. Was her sister really alive? Had she retreated into her mind? Was she hallucinating from the pain that had never stopped?
"I spent some time on the Other Side," his fingers tapped the arm of the sofa. "I know it didn't exist before Ellie's spell for immortality. Qetsiyah made it and turned you into the door."
"She…" Amara grunted softly as pain stabbed through her abdomen, "… she called me the anchor. The gypsies called me the anchor." She bit her lip and focused on him. "I think they were moving me."
"Someone must have been," Kol nodded slowly. "There's no way you journeyed from Greece to the States without help; not in your previous state." Alenka had told him how she'd found her sister calcified.
Amara hugged her legs tighter and watched him through wide eyes. The soul was all in the eyes, and she saw her brother-in-law staring out at her in the unfamiliar face; it was going to take a little time to get used to his new features, but she could tell it was him when she saw his eyes. It was the same way he knew she was Amara and Alenka was Alenka; it was the same way her mother had told the sisters apart.
She cast a longing look towards the door.
"You can go and talk to her, you know?" Kol followed her gaze. He frowned when she shook her head.
"She hates me," Amara murmured so quietly that he had to strain his ears to pick up the sound. "I killed you both… Kol," she glanced at him. "She doesn't want to talk to me."
"Funny," Kol hummed, "I don't recall you wielding the knife."
"I might as well have," Amara trembled and swiped away a tear. "It was my fault."
"We're going to have to agree to disagree on that fact," Kol braced his elbows on his knees. "Talk to your sister Amara. You can't avoid her forever."
"You underestimate my dedication," she managed a weak smile when he chuckled softly.
Kol slipped back into the suite's bedroom and opened the blinds. He smiled when her nose scrunched up adorably and she turned away from the bright sunlight of the late-afternoon.
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the blankets down from her face.
"No," she groaned into the pillow. Her hands reached blindly for the blankets.
"I'm sorry, darling," he held the edge of the blanket out of her reach, "but if you don't get up now you'll completely ruin your night's sleep."
She glared through the corner of her eye and lifted the other pillow over her face.
"Ellie," his fingers trailed up her sides and splayed over her ribs, "if you don't get up I'll be forced to take drastic measures." He bent so his lips brushed the exposed skin of her neck.
She shivered and lifted the edge of the pillow so he could hear her. Her voice was groggy and muffled.
"Do your worst."
"Very well," he kissed her shoulder, "but don't say I didn't warn you."
She tensed and quivered beneath his fingers that stole under her shirt and wandered up her sides. Her body warmed under his touch and hummed with anticipation.
He grinned wickedly before viciously tickling her sides.
"Kol," she squirmed in an attempt to get away and bit her lip. She twisted and giggled breathlessly before rolling onto her back and mock glaring at him.
"Will you be getting up now?" He stilled his movements and splayed his fingers over her ribs.
"What if I say no?" Her stomach trembled with her rapid breaths. She bit down her smile and blinked drowsily.
"Like I said, love," Kol's hands wandered over her exposed midsection and felt her abdomen quiver, "drastic measures." He moved as if to tickle her again.
Alenka's eyes widened. She moved as quickly as she could and grasped his wrists. Her fingers wrapped securely around him, but she knew even as a human she had no hope of actually overpowering him.
"I'm awake," she moved his hands to either side of her and pushed herself up to sit in front of him. "Don't tickle me again."
"Oh," he pouted, "but it's so much fun," he brought one hand up to cup her cheek and stroked the red lines that had been left behind by the pillow. "It makes you laugh, and when you laugh you smile. That's become such a rare sight for me."
"If I promise to smile more will you promise not to tickle me?" She smiled and tilted her head into his hand.
"I don't think I can promise that, darling," he smirked, "I do enjoy the way it makes you squirm and brings a flush to your cheeks."
She heaved an exasperated sigh and fell back against the headboard.
"I bring you back from the Other Side, and you thank me by tickling me and taking my breath away." Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"I could take your breath away by other means as well," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"Maybe later," she closed her eyes and exhaled, "when I'm not so tired."
He chuckled and shifted on the bed to sit beside her. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he ran his fingers through her hair. He was reluctant to break the peaceful silence that surrounded them, but he had one question he needed answered.
"I'm not very familiar with the spell you used," he murmured into the still room, "but I do know you made a deliberate choice to bring me back human."
Alenka's breath caught in her throat. She lifted her head from his shoulder and nodded before meeting his eyes.
"I could have brought you back any time," she whispered, "but under that particular alignment of planets I had the opportunity to bring you back human."
Kol searched her gaze for a moment before asking. "Why did you do it that way?"
"Because," she bit her lip and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "it's a lot easier to replicate the spell that made you a vampire than to undo it. You know I haven't seen the plant I would need to recreate the cure since waking up. I think it only grows in Greece."
"Some things only grow in certain places of the world," he nodded. His head cocked to the side. "Were you planning on replicating my mother's spell, darling?"
"No," she shook her head, "I can if that's what you want but I hadn't planned on it." Anxiety swirled in her stomach. "Do you want me to?"
"Are you kidding me?" He leaned forward and tipped her chin up with his knuckle. "I never thought I'd have the choice; it was stolen from me last time." He stared down into her eyes. "I would sooner live one lifetime as a witch than countless ones as a vampire. When you live forever eventually you cease to live."
"I think I said something like that once," she smiled. Her eyes lit up with her grin.
"I believe you did," he smirked. "A thousand years of living has proved you right, darling."
"Was there ever any doubt?" She brought her hand up to cup his cheek. Her lips lifted in a teasing smile. "When are you going to realize that I'm always right?"
"I'll work on that," he laughed and closed the distance to kiss her lips lightly.
"You do that," she smiled against his mouth.
Kol gave her one last kiss before pulling back and meeting her eyes.
"As much as I would love to continue this," his thumb brushed over her lower lip, "there is someone you should talk to."
Her eyes darted to the door where she could sense Amara in the sitting room. She knew it was a conversation she was going to have to have sooner rather than later, but now that her adrenaline had passed she wasn't sure what to say; all she knew was that her sister needed her help.
"I don't know where to begin," she confessed in a whisper.
Kol stood and offered her a hand. "Why don't you start by letting her know you don't hate her?" He opened the door and frowned when he found Amara had retreated into herself again. "I'll give you two a little time." Kissing her cheek he picked up the key card from the table and slid from the room into the lobby.
She approached slowly and sat on the edge of the coffee table. Hesitantly she placed her hand on Amara's arm.
"Ellie?" She lowered her legs and met her sister's eyes.
"Who else?" Alenka tilted her head and squeezed her sister's arm.
"I'm so…" she inhaled sharply and winced, "… I'm sorry Ellie. I'm so sorry. You must hate me."
"Why?" Alenka tilted her head. "Why the hell would I hate you? You're my sister," a line appeared between her brows, "I was angry when I first woke up, but you are my sister. I don't hate you Amara. It's hardly your fault that Qetsiyah was crazy; you couldn't have known she would come after me."
"You died," Amara shook her head. "If I had never told them about the spell you and your husband wouldn't have died. You would have lived a long life and maybe even had children."
Alenka paled at the mention of children. She hadn't planned on telling Amara about the child she had carried, but she knew her twin saw it in her eyes; she had never been able to lie to Amara.
"You were pregnant," Amara felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over her. "Did he know?"
"I'd just told him," Alenka sat back on the table, "moments before she came to our villa." She cleared her throat and blinked back a couple of tears. She had mourned for what was lost and moved past it but once in a while it would hit her again. "I'd rather not talk about that. I don't want to open old wounds; I'd prefer to heal a few of yours."
"You don't hate me?"
"I don't hate you," Alenka shook her head. She rocked forward on the table and hooked her feet around the legs.
Amara shivered as ice ran down her back. That happened a lot with drowned spirits.
Alenka leaned forward and held her sister's knees. Peering into her eyes she searched through the pain. "Does it only hurt when they touch you, or is it constant?"
"When they touch me," Amara whimpered and exhaled shakily, "but they're always touching me."
"Okay," Alenka tilted her head and pressed her lips together in thought. "I have an idea."
"I'd prefer if you had the cure," she crossed her arms. "I don't want to live like this anymore. I can't."
"The cure would require a trip to Greece, and I've got a feeling Kol's brother will come looking for me before I can leave the country," Alenka offered a half smile. "I might be able to stop the pain… temporarily anyway… until I can find something more permanent."
She stood from the table and searched for her bag so she could send a text to Caroline.
"Hey," Caroline came to a stop by the lobby sitting area. "What are you doing down here?" She lowered her bags to the floor.
"Giving the long lost sisters some time together," Kol closed the newspaper he'd been reading and put it on the table. "They haven't seen each other in two thousand years."
Caroline straightened one of the bags before it could flip over and twisted her legs under her in the chair.
"I never thought I'd see the day where she got along with one of her doppelgangers," she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I suppose they're not doppelgangers though."
"They are and they are not," Kol tapped the arms of the chair.
"You want to know what's strange to me?" She blinked down at the throw pillow she pulled into her lap. She saw through her lashes when he nodded. "I never realized she was someone else until she told me. I really did think it was amnesia. She hasn't changed at all."
"I know," he sighed, "I was watching from the Other Side when I could. She's still the same; she just doesn't remember it."
"You're not going to hold it against her are you?" She lifted her chin to meet his eyes and dropped her voice to a whisper. "Killing you in the first place, I mean."
His mouth opened slightly as his eyes narrowed and he shook his head.
"It wasn't her idea," Caroline continued. "I really believe that. We, and by 'we' I mean the majority of us including Elena, found out the next day that she was under a sire bond. I never heard Damon give her any kind of directions, but I know she wouldn't have hurt you on her own. I asked Jeremy to explain what had happened and he said she came up with the idea after she'd spent time at the boarding house."
Kol gripped the arms of the chair and watched Caroline who didn't seem capable of stopping.
"Damon made her complete the transition," she ran her finger over the edge of the pillow, "kill the hunter, and even take the cure. She was handing it to Rebekah when he ordered her to drink it herself."
"Why are you telling me this?" He breathed.
"Because," Caroline straightened and tucked her hair behind her ear, "she's my friend; even if she doesn't remember being my friend, and I'm not going to let you hurt her for something she didn't want to do. You should have seen her after you died; she was distraught and only calmed down when Damon insisted she stop crying and focus on anything else. She got really cold and distant after that."
"I'm not going to hurt her Caroline," Kol leaned forward and met her eyes. "I had more than enough opportunities when I was possessing Kaleb; if I'd wanted to hurt her I would have." He inhaled slowly and released a steady stream of air. "She is my soulmate Caroline, and I love her."
"Good," Caroline nodded, "because it's pretty clear she loves you too. She did break, like, every law of nature to bring you back."
"At least she didn't rip a hole through the veil," he chuckled darkly, "that would have been bad."
"She said that was what would happen if Davina and Rebekah were successful with their version of the spell. It seems a lot has been lost in the last two thousand years."
"That tends to happen with oral histories," he nodded, "especially when the coven to which the spells belonged was cursed. Also," he held up a finger, "she never did write them down."
"Everything is in her head," Caroline smoothed a wrinkle from her top, "that's pretty amazing. So what's the plan now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what are you two planning on doing?" Caroline leaned toward him. "Klaus will start looking for her eventually, and something tells me he'll be pretty mad when he finds out she ran off."
"I think bringing me back might soften the blow a bit," he cocked an eyebrow.
"Maybe," she nodded. "And then you're in the thick of everything again, and you're human now."
"I'll need to be careful," he mirrored her nod. "I wouldn't worry about us Caroline. She is a powerful witch in her own right, and I can hold my own."
"You don't need to tell me about her power," Caroline smirked. She reached beneath her collar and lifted the amulet Alenka had spelled. "She made this to let me get over thresholds without an invitation. Don't go blabbing that around though."
"I wouldn't dare," he ran his thumb over the stone. "She'd be swarmed by vampires." He handed the necklace back. "Keep that hidden and on you at all times."
"I will," she tucked the stone beneath her shirt. "You haven't answered my question yet."
"Because I don't know," he leaned back and shrugged one shoulder. "I'd like to avoid the drama of New Orleans for a bit longer, but I know eventually…"
"You'll have to face the music."
She toyed with the aquamarine pendent around her neck and stared at the passing foliage while running her fingers through her hair.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Caroline glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "This is the last chance to change your mind."
She blinked at the large green sign that denoted the approaching city and nodded.
"It seems this is the least I can do," she bit her lip.
"You think you can pull it off?" Caroline took the exit into the city. She started reading street signs as she passed. Something seemed different in the paved streets but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Please," she chuckled; the longer she wore the spelled necklace the more she felt like her old self. "We used to switch places all the time as children."
"And you got away with it?" Caroline cocked an eyebrow.
"Only mother and Elias… Kol," she corrected herself, "could tell the difference."
"As long as you think you can handle it," Caroline nodded and turned onto Bourbon Street. "Tell me the story one more time."
"I was feeling homesick and missed my family," she swallowed and dropped her necklace under her shirt, "I spent a day with them before returning to the city."
"Good," Caroline smiled when her heart remained steady. There could be no hint of a lie. "Don't let any of them see you drinking blood either; that would be a dead giveaway. Remember that the necklace only hides you so if a spirit does find you do not let them see the pain when it passes through."
"Don't worry, Caroline. I'm quite adept at hiding my pain," she breathed. "They won't know anything is amiss."
Can you guess where Ellie and Kol went?
What will Amara find when she returns?
What was Hayley's plan for bringing Hope home?
How's Amara going to handle Hayley?
When will the Traveler's notice that the anchor has disappeared?
So much has changed in New Orleans in the span of four days.
Some people had theories were you right?