Hello, my lovely readers. This is the 4th chapter in the final 5. We have some darkness to travel through before we find the end of the tunnel. On with the show…
Chapter 46: Vivid Imagination
Dirt filled underneath her fingernails as Caroline made her way toward Rebekah…and Hayley. Her stomach twisted. To see Hayley, dead, again. It made her sick. And it made her furious. She would make Silas' death a sight that would warn her enemies off for centuries.
Panting, Caroline pushed herself into Hayley's cell and crawled on her hands and knees over to Rebekah. Hayley's head laid in Rebekah's lap. Rebekah's cheeks were red, tears ran down her cheeks but her teeth were bared. Rebekah's rage was palpable. It encouraged Caroline's own rage. Together they would track down Silas, but he would be Caroline's kill. Screw who was supposed to kill him. He was Caroline's.
"You feed her your blood," Rebekah muttered, hugging Hayley closer.
A sigh came out of Caroline and she fell back on her heels. Closing her eyes, she felt relieved. In all of the chaos, she'd forgotten that tiny fact. Hayley's not dead. Any second now…
Gasping, Hayley sat up with a jerk, pulling away from Rebekah. She stared around the cell like she'd never seen it before and then met Caroline's eyes. "Where is my baby?" She growled out.
"Hayley, calm down," Rebekah cried, reaching out to place a hand on Hayley's shoulder when Hayley stood up, sniffing the air and searching the cell.
"Where is he?" Hayley demanded, her eyes turning darker. "What happened?"
"You died," Caroline stated, pushing herself to her feet. She lifted her wrist and bit into her skin, feeling blood trickle into her mouth and over her skin, she removed her teeth. Holding out her wrist to Hayley, Caroline added, "Drink! Now!"
Without a pause, Hayley strode over to Caroline and took her wrist. Caroline wrapped an arm around her friend and allowed the other girl to latch onto her wrist. The pain did not bother her as she stroked Hayley's back, planning what she would do to Silas. He thought he could hurt them. Take their children. Kill them. Oh, he had no idea what pain was.
"Enough," Caroline whispered, pulling her wrist away.
Hayley out let out a groan of displeasure, licking the remaining traces of Caroline's blood from her lips and standing up straight. Her eyes turned back to their normal shade but Caroline saw the darkness in her friend. The change. Hayley would be fine. There would be a period of adjustment—then she would be fine.
"We need to go," Caroline said, turning back to the hole in the cell.
"No," Rebekah's voice came from behind them.
Turning on her heel, Caroline's brows furrowed. "What do you mean "No?" Caroline could not believe her own ears. Placing her hands on her hips, she strode over to Rebekah, standing an inch from Rebekah's face. She could force Rebekah to submit to her will. However, given everything they were going through right now, Caroline did not think that would be a good idea.
"Someone needs to be here, to slow Silas down. And Hayley needs to get out of here." Rebekah looked at Hayley who was silent. "You two go. I'll keep Silas occupied until you return. Then we will finish this. Once and for all."
"Rebekah." Caroline shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."
"You don't have a choice," Rebekah snapped. "I've made up my mind. If Nik were here, he'd tell you, there's no more to discuss." Folding her arms over her chest, Rebekah gave Caroline a long look.
"She's right." Hayley moved to stand closer to them. "Silas is going to come back. And he's going to figure out that I'm not dead. So, let's go, before he decides to change my undead status to officially dead." Grabbing Caroline by the arm, Hayley began to edge Caroline toward the hole in the ground.
"Wait!" Caroline cried out. She had a tiny flash of a memory. A spell they had done once—back in the eighteenth century. Silas had abducted Hayley and kept her in a cell, on the other side of the world from them. Before that, Caroline had had a premonition of his plan. She'd made a spell to keep them bound together, mentally, so they could communicate their thoughts to one another. That way, Hayley would not be alone.
"I have an idea," Caroline told them.
"Right. Out with it," Rebekah snapped.
Caroline blew out a breath. "Rebekah, you need to drink our blood."
"Oh, splendid. I thought you'd say something like that," Rebekah scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"It's part of a spell I did. That way we'll be connected to you when Silas comes back," Caroline stated, offering Rebekah her wrist.
Rebekah shook her head and took Caroline's wrist and sank her fangs in. After doing the same thing to Hayley, she looked annoyed. "Now what?"
"Now we say this," Caroline held out her hands and Rebekah took her left, Hayley her right and Caroline's friends closed the circle, taking each other's hands. "My blood is yours. Through your eyes I will see. Together, we are one soul, one spirit, one sight."
Chanting, Caroline felt her eyelids flutter shut and her body shake with the force of the magic pouring through them. "It is done," she intoned and then she looked at Rebekah. "We will be back as soon as we can be."
"I'm sure," Rebekah retorted, but a smile lit up her face.
Hayley was the first one to drop through the hole. Caroline followed her. They made their way toward what they hoped to be an exit to their prison. Caroline knew Silas was smart. He planned this for over a thousand years. She just hoped that he left them some form of escape. All she needed was one little hole in the spell and then they could get the hell out of here.
"This way," Caroline whispered, pushing at dirt and feeling what she thought might be air on her fingertips. Hayley moved behind her and Caroline dug quickly. Her hand pushed its way through the clumps of dirt and she let out a laugh when she managed to make a hole wide enough to shove her head through.
"Almost out," Caroline breathed, her hands grasping at the grass above her head and she wriggled to the surface. Reaching down, she lifted Hayley out and onto the grass.
Lying on her back, Caroline took a moment to let out a laugh. She'd never felt so happy to see the moonlight in her entire life.
"I'm not changing," Hayley said.
Sitting up, Caroline grinned at Hayley. "Not anymore. You only have to when you want to." She watched Hayley get to her feet and look up at the moon.
"I will when I see Silas. I'm going to rip his throat out," Hayley said, her words coming out hoarse.
Caroline stood up and took Hayley's hand. "We need to go."
They ran through the night. Having no idea where they were exactly, Caroline searched for anything that looked like a road or a building. They needed to find people. Someone who could tell them where they were.
"We're in Mystic Falls," Hayley exclaimed.
"What?" Caroline turned to look back at Hayley.
"Silas took us back to Mystic Falls. Back in my freshman days, I used to come out here, because it was isolated. I could let my wolf out, and not fear killing people, the occasional deer, but people rarely came to this part of the town." Hayley's eyes were lit up with excitement.
Caroline felt a thrill coarse through her. "How far are we from the Mikaelson's?"
"Twenty miles," Hayley replied.
Nodding, Caroline turned to Hayley. "Ready to put your new powers to the test?"
Hayley smirked. "Try and stop me." Without another word, she took off and Caroline followed her.
Under other circumstances, Caroline might have allowed herself to enjoy running through the area with Hayley. They hadn't done something like this in over a century. Rebekah's life being in danger stopped Caroline from being able to enjoy the moment.
The air blew past them as they arrived on the Mikaelsons' property. Caroline stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Esther on the porch. A flash of magical light swirled near the witch and Caroline felt tears fill her eye. She would have run into the arms of the woman if not for a body crashing into hers.
"Caroline!" Klaus cried and they rolled to a stop on the front lawn. "Darling," he murmured, his lips finding hers and she wrapped her arms and legs around him. "You're safe," Klaus muttered, between frantic kisses.
"Klaus, get off," Caroline grunted, pushing him away.
Klaus looked hurt. "What?"
"It's Rebekah," Hayley broke in and Klaus looked up at her, registering her presence.
Eyes darting back to Caroline, Klaus' gaze darkened. "Where is she?"
"She's hidden away. In a cave system, on the edge of town," Hayley was saying when Elijah came toward them. Hayley's words died on her lips. Her eyes fell to the grass, her hands went up to rub her arms as if she were cold.
"Hayley," Elijah breathed, his eyes wide. He stopped in front of his girlfriend. His hand moved to her cheek. His movements were slow, hesitant, like he was afraid she would break beneath his fingers.
Caroline felt a pang. Klaus' hand went to her knee and they watched his brother and Hayley.
"You're alive," Elijah whispered. "Mother had a vision. She said you were free. You were returning to us. Niklaus and I were going to look for you. But Mother told us to wait. You were coming to us. What happened?" His words stopped as Hayley took a step back. "Hayley?"
"We need your mom's help." Hayley said and she walked around Elijah, moving toward the porch.
"Is she alright?" Elijah asked Caroline. Caroline could see the fear and despair in Elijah's eyes. It made her want to rip Silas' feet off and stuff them down his throat. She'd do a lot worse if she found him.
"She had the baby. He's strong, Elijah," Caroline said, trying to offer him some good news.
"She did?" Elijah's eyes lit up and then he looked horrified. "Where is he?"
Swallowing, Caroline looked at Klaus. Klaus let out a growl. "Silas has him, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Caroline said, moving to join Esther and Hayley.
"He took my child!" Elijah bellowed and Caroline felt her shoulders tense. "And Rebekah is still at his mercy?"
"Elijah, calm yourself," Esther called from the porch.
"No!" Elijah thundered and he took off at a run.
"Elijah!" Esther shouted after her son.
"I'll go after him," Mikael said, coming out onto the porch. "Caroline," he called and Caroline marched over to him. "Where is Silas holding Rebekah?" he demanded.
"I can't tell you that," Caroline told him.
Mikael's lips drew back in a sneer. "If you knew what was best for you, you would tell me what I want to know. I can be a very dangerous man, when provoked."
Sneering back at him, Caroline moved closer. "And I am something you have never had to deal with. So, back the hell off. I will get Rebekah back. And I will kill the man who hurt her. Now, go find your son, before you have another wolf on the loose."
"Mikael, do as she says. We do not have time to argue," Esther called to her husband.
Mikael let out a hiss before he took off.
Caroline sighed and followed Esther into the house. When she arrived in the Great Room; she found more of her friends. Damon. Elena. Bonnie. Kol. Tyler. Liv. They sat on the two couches in the room. Each of her friends looked like they were wary. Of what, she assumed was Silas, but it could be Esther.
"All of you have a part to play in this final act," Esther told them.
"Final act?" Bonnie's eyebrows scrunched up and she looked to Caroline.
Caroline's turned to Esther with a question on her lips.
Esther moved to the middle of the room. "Long ago, the spirits told me that I would give birth to a baby girl. She would be the most powerful witch that would ever be born. I believed that that girl was taken from me. Years later, I found in Rebekah, the child that I thought I had lost. She was the key to ending the being who would seek to destroy all of the supernatural creatures on the earth."
"Is that why he wants the babies?" Klaus demanded.
Damon sat up. "That's his grand plan? To kill all of us?"
Elena looked ill. "How do we stop him?"
"You could stop him by not allowing the babies to be born," Liv said.
Tyler gave his girlfriend a look. "You want to kill kids?"
Liv looked at Caroline. "It's your choice."
Caroline's eyes dropped to her middle. She closed her eyes, listening to the heartbeats inside her. "No. Not this time."
"But you're going to get all of us killed!" Liv shouted, getting to her feet. "How can you be so selfish?"
Caroline's eyes opened and she glared at Liv. "You've seen it, Olivia. Time passes. We're reborn. Silas comes. We become pregnant. And we die. We cannot allow it to happen again."
"You're right. We can't allow it to happen again," Esther said. She held out a hand to Caroline, beckoning her to join Esther. "We must help you survive him.
"How?" Liv snapped, hand on her hip.
"They must draw from the powers of every supernatural creature," Esther intoned. Locking hands with Caroline, Esther knelt down. "That is why you are here." Holding out a hand, Esther waited for Liv to join them.
Liv looked at Tyler. "No. I'm not risking my life for this."
"You're going to die if you don't try!" Damon shouted at Liv.
Groaning, Liv got up and came to join them.
"Bonnie?" Esther waited for Bonnie to come and kneel down. "Vampire." Esther locked eyes with Damon who came to kneel down beside Bonnie. "Werewolf." Tyler walked over, knelt and took Damon's hand and Caroline's. "Hayley." Hayley came over and knelt on Esther's other side. She took Esther's hand and Bonnie's.
"As the spell begins, you will feel your powers being drawn to others," Esther told them. "This will weaken you, temporarily, but it will strengthen those who must be made strong."
Caroline waited for Esther to begin the spell when she saw something that made her blood chill.
Silas walked past her cell.
Eyelids becoming heavy, Caroline dropped to her side.
Opening her eyes, Caroline watched Silas walk right past her. He was whistling a tune from five centuries ago about sailors, drowning and maids. "Oh, Caroline! My love, I've come back. I thought we could have another talk," he called and Caroline thought she could see that smirk on his face that made her want to punch him.
"Dear Caroline," Silas said. And then his footfalls stopped. He let out a hiss. "Where in the hell are you?" he snarled.
Then the sound of his rapid movements toward Hayley's cell. "Not in there, dumbass," Hayley's voice sounded inside…Rebekah's mind.
"Shush," Rebekah hissed.
"What was that, Bex?" Silas called. He came to stand just outside the barrier to her cell, his hands on his hips. He looked amused. Except his eyes were dark and Caroline knew that if she were in her own body; she'd be poised for a fight.
"Nothing," Rebekah's voice sounded light. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah," Silas replied, tapping the side of the entrance to the cell with his fingers. "Seems that your roomies have decided to take a field trip. But don't worry, I'll find them, and I'll bring them back here, kicking and screaming. Once they're back—where they belong—I'm going to fortify this place. They will not be going anywhere, until Rebekah is far enough long that I can slit her open and take my prize."
Rebekah did not reply but Caroline could hear her thoughts. "Just leave, Caroline. Hayley. Leave. Do not return. Take the babes and do not come back. Find Hayley's child. Leave me. I would rather die here, alone, than to allow him to get what he wants."
"Cat got your tongue?" Silas inquired, chuckling.
Stepping inside the cell, Silas moved toward Rebekah. "Maybe I can help you get in touch with your anger. You always did have a problem staying quiet once the rage took hold." Laughing, Silas paused in front of Rebekah. "Now, what would make you the angriest?" Tapping his chin, Silas grinned. "When I tell you where your boyfriend is? Or when I tell you that you can't believe your own memory?"
"Where is Marcel?" Hayley blurted inside Rebekah's head.
"What do you mean?" Rebekah demanded.
Caroline felt so happy she could not have a headache right now. Or if she was experiencing a headache; she couldn't feel it. "Let's talk about this later?"
Grinning, Silas shook his head. "Alright. I'll pick. Let's start with option A?"
Rebekah snorted but said nothing.
"Behind the door, labeled Option A we have… Drumroll, please?" Silas grinned and Rebekah let out a shriek, falling to her knees when Silas grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Rebekah, what are you doing?" George demanded. He was on his knees. His hands were up, palms outward, his eyes pleading as Rebekah stood over him with a lamp base held in her hands. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
"You raped me! You scum!" Rebekah wailed, heaving the lamp base and George's head fell backward, his whole body reeling onto the floor.
Letting out a wail of fury, Rebekah swung downward, hitting him, again and again. When George's head looked like the inside of a watermelon that someone took a sledgehammer to, Rebekah dropped the lamp. Her body shook as she stumbled around the room, frantically looking for her things.
Silas let out a long sigh. "That must have felt good, after what he'd done to you? He attacked you. And you smashed him to bits, just like he smashed your trust."
"I plan much worse for you," Rebekah snapped.
"Ah. Now, there is that anger I was looking for," Silas said. Smiling, he stroked Rebekah's hair. "Let's take another look at that night."
Rebekah let out a giggle as George guided her to the door of his apartment. His lips sought her neck and Rebekah let out a quiet moan of pleasure. "Just one little drink," she said, her eyelids lowering.
"Right," George nodded and he pulled out the key. He slipped it into the lock and pushed the door open.
Rebekah entered the apartment while George closed and locked the door behind him. "It's a nice place you have here," Rebekah said.
"Not as nice as you are," George muttered, his hands moved to Rebekah's hips, pulling her against him and she cried out as his hands slid down her dress, edging the bottom up. "Can I show you the bedroom?"
"We really shouldn't," Rebekah said, turning.
"Please. Just for minute," George murmured, his eyes on Rebekah's lips.
"Alright," Rebekah sighed and George grinned, taking her hand and pulling her back toward the bedroom.
"Um. What a big bed for a single man," Rebekah teased George as he tugged her over to it, pulling her down and on top of him.
"I've been looking for the right woman to share it with me, on a full-time basis," George said, kissing the back of her hand. "You know what would look great on his hand?"
"What?" Rebekah asked, sitting up and smiling.
"A big diamond," George said, rolling Rebekah onto her back and kissing her deeply.
"That does sound nice," Rebekah replied with a giggle. She gasped and moaned as George took his time removing her clothing. They moved together slowly, laughing and smiling at each other.
"What?" Rebekah eyes snapped back open. "That is not what happened! He raped me!" she shouted, glaring at Silas.
"Did he?" Silas replied, a smile on his face. "Or did I make you see what I wanted you to see? You should know by now how vulnerable people are in their sleep. Making you kill a man, that was the easy part. Finding out that he had not done his part and gotten you pregnant, now that risked the whole plan failing. Good thing that your friends are so very smart. Or I might have had to step in and ensured you're pregnancy."
Letting out a shriek, Rebekah shoved Silas away from her. "You're lying! Why would you want me to kill an innocent man?"
"Because you have always been weak, Rebekah." Silas replied with a laugh. "You've always been the one who failed your sisters. You ensure their death. You fall in love with the wrong men. You come up with plans that get your sisters killed. You've never been strong enough to defeat me. You've never been smart enough to defeat me. And let me tell you the future. You will die. Your child will be mine. And you will go hell, to be tormented by the soul of the man you murdered, for all of eternity."
Shaking, Rebekah held up her hands and sent Silas flying across the cell and through the barrier. "Temper. Temper, Rebekah," Silas called, laughing. Pushing himself to his feet, he walked over to the cell and stood just outside it. "You still haven't asked me the question that you want to know the most."
"Where is Marcel?" Rebekah shouted.
"Your lover is planted in a graveyard of my choice. He's going to desiccate. And no one will ever find him." Silas smirked at Rebekah. "I could tell you where he is, you know, if you ever get out of here. If you do one thing for me."
"What's that?" Rebekah demanded.
"Give me your baby," Silas said. "Don't do anything stupid. Make sure you deliver your little bundle of joy. I promise to take what I need from her, and return your daughter to you, unharmed."
"You're a liar," Rebekah shouted back.
"And you'll never see Marcel again," Silas replied. "The choice is yours."
Eyes closing, Caroline found herself back in her own body.
"What the hell just happened?" Damon demanded, Hayley in his arms.
"We need to move faster," Caroline snapped, looking to Esther who nodded. Rebekah might change her mind. And if she did, they were all screwed.
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
J