I do not own TVD or TO
I fully intended to update everything last week, but then I didn't do anything. I don't know what it is about the March Break but I never want to do anything productive. I don't know what it is because I have no problem working in the summer or over long weekends when I have the time.
Oh well...
Here's the latest chapter. This story is getting close to done.
She tucked in the bottom of the flat sheet and smoothed out the wrinkles on top of the bed. The soft blue comforter had been folded hurriedly and tossed over the back of her desk chair; she reached for it without looking and shook it out while staring through the window at the clouds tiptoeing across the sky.
Her mind was still in the sitting room.
Amara had insisted that she had seen the witch Qetsiyah in the middle of the French Quarter while out with Caroline and that knowledge had set her sister off.
Elena knew the name. Qetsiyah was the witch that had created the immortality spell two thousand years ago. According to the history books Qetsiyah had killed Amara, but it was clear she was missing some vital information.
Amara was alive.
Elijah had asked if Qetsiyah was the name of the witch that had killed them, and his eyes had been focused on his brother and her.
Amara was alive and she had died.
The history books had gotten it wrong, but then again records seldom reflected the truth. The Battle of Willow Creek was only one of many examples that came to mind. The Originals themselves could have probably told her stories of history that made more sense than her textbooks ever could.
She was still shaking out the blue material when a gentle knock sounded on the door. Glancing at the wood absentmindedly she called just loud enough to be heard in a distracted voice.
"It's open."
Her eyes had returned to the comforter before the door swung open.
"You don't have to do that, love."
Elena's eyes narrowed as she glanced up at him. For a moment she wasn't sure what he was talking about, but then she saw the way he nodded to the heavy material in her hands, the awkward material that was starting to create a knot in her lower back.
"I know," her teeth sank into her bottom lip. "I just… I needed to do something, and there's something comforting in housework."
Klaus had a few housekeepers in his employ, but until she had returned to her room she hadn't seen anyone. It had always seemed that she would think of a task to do – washing the windows, doing the laundry, or changing the sheets – and she would go to do the job only to find it complete. When she found the tall woman in her room she had waved her off and taken over the job.
"And now?" He tilted his head.
"Now…" Elena hummed, "… now I'm wondering how anyone lifts this thing." She had never realized how heavy the blanket was.
"Ruby's a vampire, darling," Kol smirked. He held out his hand for one end of the comforter and helped her spread it over the bed.
She nodded when the bedding was in place and turned in a slow circle until she spotted the stack of pillows and pile of cases. Dropping them on the bed she began slipping the first pillow into a case and glanced up when Kol joined her in the task.
"Who is she?"
"Ruby?" Kol tossed the pillow on the bed and reached for another.
"Qetsiyah," Elena shook her head. She propped two standard pillows against the headboard and reached for the Euro pillows; it was an absurd amount, but she had to admit that the end result always looked nice. "I'm assuming my newfound house arrest has something to do with what Elijah said."
A line appeared between her brows when she glanced up and caught the slight tick in his jaw.
"What is it?" She paused with a standard pillow in her hand. "He said she killed us. Is that it?"
He finished arranging the last of the pillows on the right side of the bed and took a deep breath before looking up at her. He couldn't seem to banish the memory of her bound to a stone table in her garden near the place they had first come together as husband and wife; her favorite place in the world relegated to a spot of death.
How much dark energy still swirled in that place?
"She killed you."
"So," Elena perched on the left side of the bed and looked across to him, "she made the immortality spell and then killed me?"
"Qetsiyah didn't make that spell darling." She tilted her head when he came around to her side and sat in front of her. "You did. She wanted Amara to suffer for what she did."
"And Amara thinks she'll try to kill me again?" Elena pulled a throw pillow into her lap and fingered the raised edge. "How exactly can she do that? She's supposed to be dead."
"So am I, darling," he reminded her gently. He placed his hand on the bend in her knee and rubbed small circles with his thumb. "So is Finn, but you brought me back and Davina Claire, saint that she is," his lips twisted, "brought back Finn. She created a tear in the veil to pull him through."
"Is that how Qetsiyah could have come back?" Elena met his eyes.
"I don't…" he paused. He hadn't wanted to believe Amara when she'd brought up the subject, but Elena's question made sense.
"Like a tear in a tent canvas, or a hole broken through a wall?" Elena bit her cheek.
"It's possible," he murmured.
Elena blinked down at his hand still on her leg. What were the odds that someone else could slip through as well?
"And now I'm on house arrest to keep her from doing it again," she sighed, leaning back against the mountain of pillows. "Shouldn't I be capable of protecting myself from one witch? I had enough power to make the immortality spell. How did she manage to kill me the first time?"
"She took you by surprise," he closed his eyes in an attempt to shake off the memory, but all he succeeded in doing was clearing the picture.
His eyes snapped open when something soft slammed into his shoulder. Suppressed amusement flickered in his wife's gaze. He cocked an eyebrow and gave the pillow in her hand a pointed look.
"You were somewhere else," she shrugged. "I thought I'd pull you back into the twenty first century."
"Pull me or beat me?" He bit down his smirk.
"It was just a pillow," she teased. The spark in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.
"I assure you, darling, that my mind is entirely in the present," he smiled slowly and slid his fingers along her thigh. He could feel the shiver as it raced along her skin. With a devilish smirk he pulled the throw pillow from her hand and tossed it into a far corner.
Elena gasped when he took her hips and pressed her back into the mountain of pillows that scattered around them; they moved even more when his fingers began their assault on her sides.
Her shrieks traveled through the open window and down to the ground floor. She squirmed and wriggled beneath him. Hooking her leg over his hip took all of her concentration.
She flipped them over and straddled his waist. Taking his hands from her sides she pinned them over his head and struggled to catch her breath; she was still gasping when the door burst open.
Elena turned her head quickly and caught the fading frenzy in Amara's eyes as it was replaced with pure embarrassment. She knew the look well; she had seen it in her own face many times, but it took her a moment to understand why her sister was turning red.
She shifted backwards and sat up; when she did she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. With the rumpled sheets, misplaced pillows, mussed hair and their current position it looked like they had been at the beginning of something.
"I… uh… I…" Amara floundered for something to say. It wasn't like she hadn't caught the two of them in compromising positions before in another lifetime, but those times had been accidental; she had never barged in on them before. "I…"
"Overreacted?" Elijah leaned in the door frame. He took Amara's arm and pulled her gently into the hall in time to avoid the door as it swung shut with a wave of Kol's hand.
"I was under the impression that your hearing was far more attuned then mine," he steered her from the room and the laughing duo.
"She was screaming." Amara spun on her heel and pointed to her sister's room.
"She was laughing," he sidestepped to block her path. His hands found her shoulders before she could push around him.
"I can't hear anything." Amara's eyes grew round. The sound of laughter had been cut off and nothing but silence came from the room.
"They shut the window," he soothed, "and activated the privacy spell she's had in place since before she left to find you."
He listened to her heart pound in her chest and scrutinized the light in her eyes; it was almost feral, the look of prey moments before certain death.
"You're really shaken up about this."
"She was killed in her own home by a woman who she had considered a friend," she gritted her teeth.
"I highly doubt she'll make that mistake again, and this time she's been forewarned."
Amara shook her head slowly and turned away to pace towards the stairs. Raking her fingers through her hair she stared down into the courtyard. She couldn't shake the feeling that history was repeating itself. A witch was gunning for revenge and her sister was happily married and newly pregnant.
"Don't you dare!" She giggled when he flipped her over and reached for her side again.
He flattened his palm to her hip and waved with his free hand.
"What are you doing?" Elena cocked an eyebrow when the window slammed shut. Amusement flashed in her eyes.
"Keeping your dear sister from breaking down the door," he smirked.
"Why would she do that?" Elena tilted her head and blinked slowly, innocently.
"Because she's afraid for you and will come running when she thinks you're in trouble."
"I'm not in trouble," she slipped her hand around his neck to toy with the hair at the back of his head.
"No," he agreed with a small smile, "but I have every intention of making you scream."
"Oh really?" She tilted her head.
"Really," he smirked. His palm pressed into her hip as he dipped down to brush his lips across her jaw. He felt her melt into the mattress.
"Ouch," she winced.
He pushed back instantly and hovered over her.
"Did I hurt you?" Concern flooded his eyes.
"No," she shook her head. Shifting on the bed she twisted her arm under her back. "This…" she grunted and pulled, "… stupid pillow is digging…" she tugged again and sighed when he pulled it free, "… into my spine."
"There are far too many pillows on this bed." He eyed the hard ridge of the throw pillow before meeting her eyes and tossing it aside.
"Definitely," she snickered when he knocked all of the pillows from the bed until only the one under her head remained. She hooked her arms around his neck. "I believe you said something about making me scream."
"Consider it a promise," he winked.
Her breath caught in her throat. In the back of her mind she thought it might not have been the right time for this but the idea flew from her head when his thumbs hooked into the band of her pants and pulled.
Caroline twisted the plastic in her hands and pulled the ball apart so the small shapes rained down onto the carpet. She smiled when Hope caught a falling star and hit it against the floor.
"Why don't you try this instead, sweetie?" Caroline reattached the ball and set it in front of the baby. She guided Hope's hand until the star was over the right slot and smiled at the look of wonder on her face when the object disappeared.
Klaus chuckled and watched his daughter play. An adorable frown appeared on her lips when she couldn't push the shape into the openings.
"You want the square, sweetheart," he smiled, tapping the right hole.
"S'air?" Hope twisted the shape in her hands until it slipped through the opening he pointed to.
Caroline covered her mouth to hide her giggle when Hope tried to fit the next shape in the same slot. They showed her the right spots until all of the shapes were gone.
Hope shook the ball and passed it to Caroline.
She opened it again and let the shapes fall out before putting the ball back in front of Hope.
"So," Klaus watched her try the shapes alone, "did you happen to see the witch?"
"No," Caroline shook her head. "The only witch I saw was the one in the stroller."
"I could have sworn you saw Kol and Elena today," he smirked. Straightening Hope's t-shirt he frowned. "Who would have thought Elena Gilbert would have an enemy?"
"I'm pretty sure most people who know her would lump you in that category," Caroline rolled her eyes, "and then there's Katherine."
"Katerina despises her because she's a doppelganger, and as for me I have no ill will towards her. In fact I wouldn't have gone after her at all had Katerina not run during the fifteenth century." He cocked an eyebrow and met her eyes.
She shook her head once and glanced up through her lashes from the bubbling concoction in front of her.
"I can't ask," she reached for the mortar and pestle. The rhythmic grinding broke the crimson leaves down into a fine powder. "If I come out and ask they'll know I'm here, and when they know I'm here I'll lose the element of surprise."
She glanced over at the brewing tea. She didn't necessarily need the information before moving forward, but it wouldn't hurt to have ahead of time. She extracted the leaves as the water turned purple.
"You know Datura is poison?"
Her eyes fell to the cup in front of her. She tipped the lip and nodded to the liquid.
"Only when brewed incorrectly," she smirked.
"Where did you learn all of this, anyway?"
"How do you think?" She set her tea aside and checked her brewing potion; it would have to simmer for six hours before it was ready and she could complete the spell.
"I thought she never wrote anything down."
"Not her spells," she smirked, "but she kept a compendium of herbs and their uses. The rest I had to work out for myself."
She picked up her tea and moved to the sofa while sipping the liquid. She glanced up when she moved to lay down.
"What's to keep me from going out alone while you're on your little vision quest?"
"Go ahead and try," she smirked.
"You've sealed me in?"
She snickered when the door remained shut.
"Practice some patience," she closed her eyes. "You'll get what you want soon enough."
Davina paused outside the gate and stared up at the gates. She hadn't set foot inside since storming the building to scream at Klaus a month before.
She tested the weight of the bag in her hands and fingered the drawstrings.
"Are you sure this will work?"
"Positive," she nodded. "Spread that in a line around the building and whoever is inside will be trapped inside a magic free zone." She fingered the stone around her throat that would allow her to retain her magic inside.
Davina started at one corner of the house and made her way around the building quickly and quietly. A murmured incantation made sure she wasn't seen by anyone. It took her ten minutes to circle the compound and come face to face with her co-conspirator again.
She waited until she was done with the Boundary spell to ask how long until those inside could leave.
"Just until the next moonrise," she glanced up at the think sliver in the sky. "More than enough time to kill a couple of powerless witches," she muttered under her breath.
Amara's head popped up when she heard a distinct moan coming from upstairs.
"Please tell me you're not about to run up there again," Elijah paused in the process of turning a page. "She sounds perfectly fine…" his eyes flickered towards the ceiling, "… more than fine."
"That's the point," Amara chewed her bottom lip. "They sound rather occupied in a sound-proofed room," she gave him a pointed look. "Call me crazy but I don't think either one of them paused to open a window."
He stood slowly and tilted his head. The last thing he wanted to listen to was the sound coming from Elena's bedroom and it was only partially because the sound she was making was giving him a complex he never thought he'd have.
"We shouldn't be able to hear them," he frowned.
"I thought she soundproofed that bedroom," Klaus stepped into the study with Caroline and Hope.
"She did," Caroline rubbed soothing circles on Hope's back; she made a sleepy sigh.
"Could they not try to keep it down?" Klaus reached for Hope and resisted the urge he felt to cover the child's ears. They were being loud certainly, but not loud enough for Hope to hear.
"They're under the impression that nobody can hear them," Caroline pointed out. "Who wants to tell them the spell's not working?"
"I've already barged in on them once today," Amara shook her head; "I don't want to do that again. In fact," she moved to the door, "I think I'll go and get some air."
Caroline looked between the brothers before sighing.
"Me then?" She rolled her eyes before leaving the study and going upstairs.
Elijah reached into his pocket for his vibrating cell phone.
"Rebekah?"
"Tell Kol to undo whatever he did to the house."
"Kol hasn't done anything to the house," Elijah frowned.
"Then why can't I get in?"
Rebekah's question came at the same time as Amara's startled scream.
Elijah and Klaus stepped out of the way when she flew into the room and collided with the shelves. Books rained down on Amara's head as she got to her feet and ran to the door.
She beat on the wood when it swung closed and pulled with all of her supernatural strength.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Klaus shifted in an attempt to soothe Hope back to sleep.
Amara kicked the door with enough forced that it should have splintered beneath her foot.
"She's here."
Her eyes fluttered open slowly and came into focus. She sighed when she heard the drawling voice.
"Did you enjoy your little vision quest?"
"I found what I need," she stood up and moved to check her potion. Finding it done she poured it into a pair of slim phials. She added a fine powder to one of the phials and shook it while tossing the other through the air.
"Good because you severely underestimated everything. It's already started."
"I underestimated nothing," she glared. "You know what to do with that?"
"Satisfy your vindictive streak?"
"I'm not vindictive," she moved to the door, "I just happen to think the punishment should fit the crime."
Drop off a review and let me know what you think? Are they friend or foe? I left tiny hints during the earlier chapters of the story so I'm curious if anyone has figured out what's going on in the background.