A/N: Hey guys sorry about the wait with this one uh quick run down not long after the last chapter I found out I didn't get onto my honours program, spent the entire summer trying to figure out my options. I am now enrolled at another university on another course so that was a whole very stressful thing that didn't lend to me wanting to write all that much
'I find myself losing sight of who I am, yet there you are with a hand for me to hold and the promise to never go. But baby loneliness is something I do well.'
Kol was done with this whole ridiculous affair. He'd gotten to see Bonnie looking stunning in the dress he'd picked out for her - it had certainly been worth the lecture he'd received from Rebekah about women of today's fashion when he'd gone to her for advice - he'd even gotten his dance with her. But now she was safely tucked away at home where his siblings couldn't get her and now all he wanted to do was unleash the monster just enough that everyone cleared out. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option and he still had enough of his wits about him to know that it was a bad idea as the soul bond hummed pleasantly in the back of his mind.
"Hey Care, have you seen Bonnie?" Kol overheard the busboy say, Matt? Wasn't that his name?
"I took her home," Kol informed them, appearing beside the blondes. "She wasn't feeling well."
Caroline - who had at first startled at his sudden appearance - now turned to him with narrowed eyes in suspicion.
But it seemed that Matt beat her to the punch, "Oh, is she okay?"
"She's fine. Just a little drained from the festivities." He told them pointedly.
He watched the uncomfortable way Caroline shifted at the jab. He knew they both saw the way Elena had torn into their friend yet they'd done nothing. Satisfied with their responses he bid them good night and turned to leave.
He'd not even made it two steps before Rebekah had appeared at his side, matching his stride.
"I must say I'm surprised, Kol. I never thought you'd stoop to associating with mortals." She jabbed. "Not after what happened last time."
Kol rolled his eyes at his sister's attempt to get under his skin, it wasn't going to work. Not tonight. He'd spent nine hundred years fending off his siblings' attempts to weasel information out of him about Renata's incarnations; they often tried to rile it out of him but it hadn't worked thus far. And tonight would be no different.
"I could say much the same about you and the Quarterback, sister. At least my date was supernatural." He shot back before extracting himself from her company before she could go for a second attempt.
He headed towards the back corridors that he'd led Bonnie down earlier. Hoping for some peace and quiet at last. He could feel how drained Bonnie was and it was making his gums pulse with hunger. It was for the best that he got away from the all-you-could-eat buffet currently occupying their foyer.
But alas it would seem peace was not in the cards for Kol tonight.
"What game are you playing with the Bennett witch, Kol?" Klaus demanded, ignorant of his brother's attempts to flee.
Kol resisted the urge to lash out at his brother, simply because it would do no good except perhaps end with a dagger in his heart. He couldn't have that. He needed to be there for Bonnie while the spell progressed. That didn't mean he was going to let this slide.
"Wasn't it you who pointed me in her direction?" Kol accused spinning around to face his brother with a sinister smile. "Wasn't it you who used her mere existence to force my hand into staying? If you hadn't wanted this, perhaps you shouldn't have all but thrown her at me." Kol snarled. "After all, you know how reckless I can be, brother."
It's not that Kol wasn't grateful to have found Bonnie but he refused to be grateful to Nik for that. His brother would never have told him if it hadn't been convenient for him. It was very likely that there had been at least one more reincarnation - if not more - since his century of sleep. His brother had left him daggered for those simply because it hadn't benefitted him and for that, they had paid the price. Kol wasn't about to let Bonnie suffer because of his brother and what he deemed traitorous actions from Kol.
Of course, as was to be expected with Nik, he quickly found himself pinned to the opposite wall by the hand at his throat. His brother was, at least, predictable. Kol quickly brought his own hands up, one at Klaus' throat and the other attached to the forearm holding him in place by his throat trying to dislodge Klaus' grip.
"You are putting our family's lives in danger. She has tried to kill me!"
"And it's nothing you don't deserve, brother." He spat with malice. "But it would seem I'm quite safe from her ire. Perhaps it has something to do with you being a tyrant." With the leverage of his own hands, he threw his brother off of him into the opposite wall creating a crack in the fresh plaster.
Just as they were stepping forward to continue their little dispute, Elijah appeared. Now standing in between them, hands pressing against both of their chests to keep them apart.
"Children, this is quite unacceptable. We have guests, can't you restrain yourselves for once? But Niklaus is quite right," Elijah gave them a forceful shove back before his hands fell away to straighten his cuffs. "Miss Bennett is a threat."
Kol scoffed, "And I'm quite sure neither of you has done anything to warrant that."
The issue with feeding into the idea that you are reckless, volatile, and prone to random flights of fancy with disastrous consequences over a thousand years, is that it is then impossible to be seen as anything other than the role you have donned. His siblings would never believe his intentions, particularly with regard to Bonnie. It was here that they always chose to believe what they wanted. It didn't matter what he said about each reincarnation; his siblings were always deaf to it.
"You cannot be trusted where she is concerned," Elijah told him straightening to level him with his patented disappointed patriarch look.
Kol laughed bitterly, "This coming from the man that falls for every iteration of Petrova doppelganger? Tell me, how is Elena? I saw you two had a lovely little private chat this evening."
Both his brothers stiffened at that. Apparently, Klaus hadn't been paying close enough attention to his favorite brother just as Elijah had clearly been hoping.
Whereas Kol had been keeping an eye on Elena ever since he'd left Bonnie with Finn. He didn't trust the doppelganger. More like her predecessors than she seemed willing to admit. The girl had noted the way she was being watched if her clutching at alternating Salvatores and the glares she shot at him were anything to go by.
"You're both hypocrites. Perhaps you should spend more time concerned about Finn with his grudge against vampires and the hunger he can't control given his nine centuries in a box, than on me. I'd advise you both to leave myself and Bonnie well alone if you don't want me destroying any of your carefully laid plans." Kol threatened venomously before disappearing to his room.
~x~
Solavita hadn't been holding out much hope for a miracle cure despite what Kol had said about witches looking into her predicament. She was a seasoned witch despite her current lack of control and if Kol was - like he said - a former witch, then he'd know as well as she did that hope was futile. It was an impossible situation she'd found herself in with little chance of hail marys. The countless number of loopholes woven into the original spell ensured for one path and one path only, and the Brotherhood had ensured that that had been taken from her.
So Solavita resigned herself to withering away without her family in a castle full of vampires where she'd once been tortured. Her only silver lining in all of this was the errant wish that her wayward magic might bring the castle down around them when it killed her. That was how she saw all this going down now that she knew more about what was happening to her.
But as it was she didn't see any hope in her near future, with the way the spell was progressing she'd be dead long before her twenty-fourth birthday at this rate. She was starting to make her peace with that.
Or she had been.
"The witches have found something, I doubt it will be able to reverse anything but it should slow the spell's progression." Kol came to tell her one day, or perhaps night, she had no way of telling without her sight anymore and her magic was so out of sync with the Earth's natural energies now, "At the very least it will decrease the potency of your outbursts and make for a more peaceful passing."
She was unsure as to whether she liked the sound of that or not. She'd almost come to hope for a dramatic ending in a particularly violent magical outburst that would at the very least cause some minor discomfort for the Original vampires present. But here was Kol with an alternative.
"What exactly is this solution they've devised?" She asked tentatively, voice weak and raspy from the screaming that came with her magic constantly tearing itself free of its vessel.
"It's a talisman that is keyed into the originator of the original spell that will allow you to siphon off some of your magic that will limit the well from which the outbursts have to draw from." He explained pressing something cold and circular into her palm, she immediately recognized the sensation of magic humming between the molecules of metal.
"Was I right to assume your involvement in the original spell then?"
Even without her magic, Solavita would have been able to sense the way Kol tensed at her question.
"It's complicated."
"Yes I suppose complicated is right. Your brother thought I was your deceased wife of over a century ago."
Kol did not respond to that, not that she had thought he would, even with her perhaps only days away from death, he could not be truthful with her.
She curled her hands around the presented talisman still wary of this new possibility that she had not allowed herself to consider, she had not deigned to hope that she might be permitted a less painful death, and yet here was a monster that was giving her one anyway. There was the sound of a chain jangling as she brought the new talisman towards herself that had her brows furrowing. What shape exactly did her talisman take? She couldn't tell much aside from the fact it was circular in shape and covered half of her palm with a raised dome in the middle with a glassy texture, surrounded by engraved designs.
"And what talisman did they decide on for this task?"
"A pocket watch. I'm not sure I appreciate the irony in such a suggestion but something more complex than a locket was required for the magic to be stored in."
"Hmm, an interesting choice nonetheless. If only I could see to know how little time I had left."
She wasn't sure why she was so determined to hurt Kol when he was the only one who seemed to care enough about her predicament to do anything - while his siblings much preferred the alternative of just killing her to end the trouble - but it was almost a compulsion. A foolhardy belief that maybe if she pushed and taunted him enough she might finally get the answers she sought. It never did any good though. And as time went on she drew less and less satisfaction from the unease she could sense radiating from him.
Oh well, it wasn't as if she had long left to live to waste on regrets anyway.
~x~
Bonnie woke the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. She found herself stumbling bleary-eyed down the stairs in a panic, not thinking to check her wards before she emerged in her kitchen with sleep-mussed hair and well-worn pajamas to investigate.
Kol was in her kitchen. That fact took a while for her sleep-slogged brain to process.
"Kol? Why are you in my house making breakfast?"
Kol turned from her stove to regard her with a raised eyebrow.
"Good morning, little witch. I'd apologize about the home invasion but I wanted to see how you were feeling and breakfast felt like the best way to do that."
Bonnie rubbed tiredly at her eyes, hoping that the action would wake her up enough for things to start making sense.
"You know you can just text?"
Kol hummed, "Perhaps but I also have something for you so this seemed most logical. Go get dressed, food will be ready shortly."
Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Uh huh, I'm still giving the dress back, mind," but went to do as instructed.
It was a flimsy excuse and they both knew it. Kol was hovering and he wasn't being subtle about it. Bonnie couldn't find it in herself to be angry though. She hadn't had someone cook her breakfast since her Grams was alive.
But equally Bonnie had come to realize that Kol didn't just insert himself into her day-to-day only when he was concerned for her but also when he was avoiding his family for one reason or another. Bonnie wasn't sure which had brought him to her door today - or rather kitchen - after last night it could be either.
Bonnie went through the usual morning motions as if there wasn't currently a vampire in her kitchen. Hair brushed, she changed quickly into a floral peasant top, crochet cardigan, and jeans before heading back downstairs. She hopped up onto one of the kitchen stools as she watched Kol plate up panettone french toast dusted with icing sugar and served with fresh berries, yogurt, and a berry compote. It was the most extravagant breakfast she'd had in a while as she lived alone and often forgot to eat breakfast in the first place.
"You didn't have a lot in, darling. You're sorely in need of groceries." Kol told her flippantly as he pushed the plate towards her with a mug of tea.
She knew full well that none of these ingredients had come from her own kitchen. It left Bonnie feeling half touched and half guilty that he had gone to so much effort. Something must have happened to prompt such behavior.
Bonnie shrugged, accepting the plate. "Hasn't seemed important."
It was true, there was always some crisis or another, an assignment that needed doing or drama that needed dealing with, that getting groceries hadn't been at the forefront of her mind. And perhaps she'd put it off because it was a little depressing. She'd had to become more self-reliant than her friends because there was no one left to look after her. Even just getting groceries was another reminder that she had no one and was utterly alone.
She ate her breakfast in silence, aside from a quick thank you of gratitude, but Kol didn't seem to mind as he worked on the washing up in silence. Still half asleep, Bonnie didn't think to comment on the absurdity of an Original washing her dishes, she did however make a different snarkier comment once she was more awake.
"I didn't think you'd be able to cook. You know with the big fancy mansion, I assumed you had private chefs."
Kol let out a tired sigh as he placed another spoon in the drying rack. "I'm a thousand years old, is it so hard to believe that I might have picked it up at some point." He turned towards her to grab her finished plate. "Besides, Bekah would have killed us if we had suggested that she do all the cooking simply because she was a woman, while we were on the run from our father when we first turned. We needed to appear as normal as possible to avoid suspicion and that included eating human meals." He shrugged.
Bonnie smiled lightly, she could almost imagine the fit Rebekah would have thrown. She'd heard about how unfair the Mikaelson girl had found it that she was forbidden from using a sword like her brothers as humans. But the image was quickly replaced by the flash of another, Kol cooking for Renata long before he turned. The image faded quickly and Bonnie was left frowning trying to decipher whether or not it had even happened. Humming in response to Kol she attempted to distract herself from what she may or may not have seen by fishing for more details about the reasoning behind the home invasion.
"Are we having magic lessons today?" She asked head propped up by her elbow on the counter as she regarded Kol's relative ease in her space.
"No, not today, sorry. I have something to deal with so I'll be out of town for a while so I wanted you to have this before I left."
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask what he was dealing with as he rummaged in his coat pocket for something but her prying into his affairs hadn't gone so well last time. He withdrew his hand with two things in his grasp: a slip of paper held between two fingers while his fist was closed around something else. He dropped the paper onto the kitchen island to reveal three diamond cut pieces of wood each about half an inch thick with something carved into the surface. Kol plucked one of the amulets from his palm to hand to her.
Upon closer inspection, she could see the familiar symbol of the tree of life etched into its surface. There was a border of runes surrounding the tree. The edges of the amulet have been rounded, sanded, and polished to be free of splinters, she also noted.
"I know you're worried about your friends' safety, even the uncooperative ones," He added alluding to Elena's behavior the night of the ball. "So I thought these might help to put your mind at ease. They're protection amulets, carved from rowan wood and inscribed with runes and symbols to amplify the wood's natural protective properties. And," He added, sliding the piece of paper toward her now, "This spell will combine and boost their innate properties. People used to wear them around their necks on a cord so they'd never be without them."
Bonnie stared at Kol for a moment before her gaze returned to the amulet in her hand and the other two on the counter before her. The amulet was just about over an inch in size and was beautifully made leaving Bonnie at a loss for words. It was not a gesture she would have expected from anyone. It was so expected that she would just do anything to save her friends' lives regardless of the personal cost that it wasn't something anyone would consider, the option to lessen her burden. And she could feel a weight lifting at the gesture. She had been worried about what might happen to her friends now that they were going up against Klaus without magical help, at least this way she could still keep them safe even when she wasn't there. There was an emotion bubbling in her chest that she didn't want to put a name to so she switched tacts.
"So you can widdle too?"
Kol shot her a deadpan look that she was all too familiar with at this point. It was the 'I'm a thousand years old, what do you think I've been doing for centuries' look. It wasn't that Bonnie didn't believe that these weren't skills that were taught then, but rather that they were skills that Kol wasn't taught or rather, chose to forget as a vampire with compulsion at his fingertips. It was difficult to correlate the two images in her mind. One the ancient, arrogant vampire who lived in luxury with minions to do his bidding, and the second the Viking boy who grew up on a farm and slept on the floor of a hut. Even when she'd been privy to memories of both.
And perhaps sometimes she forgot that these things were once so normal.
Kol rolled his eyes, "I was a blacksmith of course I can scratch up a bit of wood."
Bonnie resisted the urge to roll her own eyes at the pompous tone but the gratitude that was still bubbling away inside of her had her halting before the action could take root.
"Well thank you. Can I ask to what extent it'll protect them?"
"It'll protect them from actions that intend to do harm, such as any magic or physical attacks, those will simply rebound. But doesn't work in the case when someone isn't intending to cause harm but does so anyway."
Bonnie's brow furrowed at Kol's words, "How can you unintentionally cause harm?"
Kol looked like he was holding back a wince as he shrugged, "A car accident for example. Compulsion. Ripper attacks maybe. An abusive figure that believes they have good intentions, that they're helping you. Magic is fickle like that, if someone can genuinely convince themselves they're not intending to hurt someone then the pendant can't protect them."
Bonnie considered his words for a moment, dropping her gaze to the amulet in her hands.
"It's better than what I've got at the moment." She said lightly, trying to cover the slight bitterness she felt at the thought.
She'd put wards up around her friends' houses but hadn't found anything to protect the individuals like Jeremy's ring did. It wouldn't protect Elena and Matt from ripper vampires by the likes of Stefan and Finn or hit-and-run accidents, but it was still better than nothing. Better than what she was currently doing, hoping they didn't need a magical miracle. And better than she had been doing, running around trying to solve every little problem with limited knowledge.
She supposed she should feel ashamed that she hadn't looked harder for the possibility that such a solution existed, especially when it was a vampire providing the solution, but she didn't. She'd done all that she could despite picking it up as she went along. She'd done better than most may have done in her position.
"Individual protection spells are difficult to find and even harder to perform as they've historically been viewed as a frivolous waste of magic," Kol told her as though he was aware that she was considering self-recrimination.
Bonnie flashed him a weak crooked smile in return.
"Don't you have things to deal with?" She teased, cocking her head to the side, trying to distract from their current topic.
Kol sighed deeply as though there was nothing he wanted to do less than his secret dealings.
"Yes, I suppose I should, though I don't like what you're implying." Kol shot her a chiding look before he left.
~x~
Renata gazed around their special clearing curiously as she passed through the spells that kept their sanctuary hidden. There was something different about it that she couldn't put her finger on. And then - as though the answer had been obvious all along - it clicked.
"When did you add the rowan trees?"
Sure enough, the perimeter of their grove was spotted with rowan trees that were far taller than they should have been granted that they'd only appeared a week or so ago.
"They're to reinforce the protection spells." Her husband answered languidly from where he was resting on one such tree.
Renata's gaze narrowed questioningly on Kol, she was well aware of the purpose of such trees she was just lost on the why. While he was the picture of relaxed she could feel his nerves bubbling away across the bond. What wasn't he saying?
"Are you worried about the safety of our little bubble?"
Kol shot her a winning smile, "Of course not. Our magic is absolute, we have accounted for every loophole and weakness ten times over. This is just one more precaution."
"That's all?" She clarified.
"Absolutely, better safe than sorry."
"Okay." She murmured, taking his words at face value as she crossed the clearing to join her husband. There was no need to doubt Kol, regardless of his bubbling nerves that could be felt, he would tell her if there was something to be concerned about. He was more than aware that she was capable of taking care of herself and trying to shelter her from whatever he thought was coming would only seek to infuriate her.
~x~
Bonnie spent her Sunday pouring over the protection spell Kol had left her; she wanted to get it just right, particularly if she wasn't going to be able to be there to keep them safe, keeping her distance as she currently was. It wasn't a particularly difficult spell, she'd performed much more precocious magic in far more dire circumstances but usually, in those cases, she was waiting on the sidelines to see it through. She wouldn't have the luxury this time. Seeing as Elena wanted nothing to do with her. So she had to get it perfect the first time if she wanted the enchantment to hold, much as she had with Caroline's daylight ring, there was no space for errors.
They were ready come Monday just in time for school. She'd drilled a small hole into the top of each charm ready to be attached to a chain, thread, or keychain as the wearer should so choose. They weren't the most inconspicuous of tokens, she could already imagine Caroline's comments about how it wouldn't match any of her outfits so she hadn't wanted to make the decision for them. As long as they kept them on their person it didn't matter how.
She couldn't get them to Caroline during the day, Elena was too quick to tug her away with a suspicious scowl thrown Bonnie's way before they disappeared. She pretended it didn't hurt but she didn't really have it in her to lie to herself anymore. She'd done everything and more for Elena and it hadn't apparently been enough to even earn her trust. Though it shouldn't be a surprise. She'd heard from Caroline how Elena had blown up at Damon for sleeping with Rebekah when said Original wanted her dead. It seemed the world really did revolve around her but Damon at least wasn't being completely iced out like she was.
Not that there was any universe in which she'd wish to be Damon, though it did make her mildly resentful at the double standard but whatever. As long as Elena was safe then she could hope that one day they'd be able to work things out.
Getting Matt his charm was easy enough. He was so often so far removed from the supernatural drama that it sometimes left him on the outside of their little group. Or at least that had been true before Bonnie's exile. The two of them spent a lot more time together now than they did before and it almost made her miss when she was on the cheer squad and they'd hang around before games and after practices. She'd quit cheer when she'd first become overwhelmed by her new witch duties; unable to balance school, extracurriculars, and getting a handle on her powers. And though she missed it, that hadn't changed, she really didn't have the time for it anymore but it didn't stop her from feeling nostalgic for easier times in moments like this.
She managed to catch Caroline at the end of the school day. Matt had passed on a message for her to Caroline who made her excuses about forgetting something, sending Elena on her way before heading to meet Bonnie at the picnic tables out of sight from where Elena was only just pulling away.
"Hey, Bon what super secret business brings us here today?" Caroline bounced over to her so exaggeratedly that Bonnie knew she was trying to lighten the cloud that had settled over them recently.
Despite the obvious ploy it still managed to pull a slight chuckle from her. She'd missed Caroline. Texting and sneaking around behind Elena was all well and good but it wasn't quite the same as having her best friend there.
"I've got something for you." She started.
"Ya know the last time someone said that to me at one of these benches, I was being given a vervain charm." Caroline mused.
Bonnie shot her a sheepish look, "It's something similar. But before you say anything, I know it doesn't really go with your wardrobe, but! It will keep you safe from intended harm which I think is more than worth the fashion crime."
Caroline hummed, narrowing her eyes in mock consideration.
"I'll be the judge of that."
Bonnie let out another chuckle, weaker this time as she took a steadying breath, pulling out the amulets. She dropped one into Caroline's awaiting palm for inspection, which the girl predictably immediately did.
"They're protection amulets. As long as they're on your person they'll keep you safe from magical and physical attacks. The wards around your houses are still holding but it's just something a little extra for when you're out and about." She shrugged dismissively.
"That's kind of impressive," Caroline murmured slightly awestruck. "Wouldn't have expected that from such a small chunk of wood."
"Yeah, apparently the wood has innate protective properties that can be amplified by certain spells."
"Certain spells acquired from certain Originals by any chance." Caroline teased, wiggling her eyebrows at her.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, looking away from her friend.
"It was his idea actually. I wouldn't have known where to even start looking for something like this, probably wouldn't have considered how a physical token provides a stronger foothold for such a spell."
"Huh, so he's like a witchy encyclopedia." The question was laden with curiosity and Bonnie couldn't spot any suspicion in it so wasn't worried about Caroline assuming ill intent on Kol's part.
"Something like that. He is like a billion years old."
This caused a laugh to burst free from Caroline. The blonde seemed lost in thought as she spun the token between her fingers as she got herself back under control. The action allowed Bonnie's gaze to drift as she spot movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned slowly towards the source to spot Elijah Mikaelson of all people watching them. Bonnie froze at the sight before wrenching her gaze away back towards Caroline and their current conversation, she couldn't know how much Elijah had heard but she needed to wrap up in any case.
"God they are so old." Caroline agreed quietly, almost absently.
Bonnie hummed in agreement, "Anyway, I didn't know whether you'd want to put them on a chain or keychain or something, but that's the best way to keep them with you so I have some of those. And if you could get the other one to Elena that'd be great. Maybe tell her you found them in some of your dad's vampire stuff I don't know, just make sure she wears it for me. I've gotta get going but I'll see you soon yeah?" She rushed out as she placed the charm and accessories on the bench in front of Caroline, already tugging her bag into place as she stood.
"Yeah, yeah of course I can do that. I'll text you okay? And we'll meet at the Grille sometime?" Caroline was looking up at her with wide nervous eyes now and for a moment Bonnie was taken back to junior year just before all this had started when Caroline was still worried about being second to Elena and whether she and Bonnie were actually friends.
Bonnie spared her a gentle smile at the thought. She truly did appreciate Caroline and they'd all come such a long way since then. They weren't those same kids anymore, for better or for worse.
"Yeah, I'd like that." And with one last smile, she was making her way to her car, trying not to noticeably hurry but still all too aware of Elijah's presence.
She let out a deep sigh when she was finally sat behind the wheel. God, what had her life come to, she thought to herself before starting the car.
~x~
It didn't escape Bonnie's notice that Elijah's car followed her off of school grounds, it seemed pretty obvious to her that he wanted something from her but she wasn't entirely too much of a martyr to think it was a good idea to find out exactly what. But if a Mikaelson wanted something from her then they weren't going to allow themselves to be ignored for long, if at all, and with Kol out of town, she's not got a whole lot of options. With a sigh, she pulled over and resigned herself to hearing Elijah out with the forethought to keep her magic close at hand just in case.
Elijah led her to the woods, some unfamiliar clearing that seems not all that far from the tunnels in which the tomb vampires were kept in. There was an itch at the back of her skull that insisted there was something familiar about the location that she couldn't put her finger on, a magical humming beneath her skin that demanded attention that she paid no mind lest she be distracted.
"What do you want Elijah?" She asked once she came to a stop before him leaving several feet of distance between them. Just to be safe her mind whispered, the memory of a newly turned Elijah lunging towards Renata lingering with the thought. There were new levels of apprehension there now when she looked at the Original.
"I'm curious as to what my brother wants with you if I'm being honest." The words are spoken with disinterest as always but there's a calculative gleam in his eyes that screams predator that puts her further on edge.
"Which brother? Because quite frankly I can't stand Klaus."
A smile stretched across Elijah's face, it was mocking and cold, and she almost regretted her comment. Almost.
"Don't play games with me, Miss Bennett. What are you and Kol up to?"
She knew she was standing on shaky ground here. Knew that Elijah could kill her in the blink of an eye if he was so inclined. He'd made it more than clear that she was expendable in the past, a sentiment which has likely only become more true. But it was evident that Kol hadn't told Elijah anything about any of her selves and she was not about to undo all that work to get in the middle of a Mikaelson family tiff.
"Kol and I aren't up to anything. He's acting as my mentor as I don't have one." Comes the familiar excuse, it's not a lie but it's not entirely true either as all great excuses are. "I think I'm merely a source of entertainment to him though."
Elijah's expression tightened minutely, irritated by her unenlightening response, likely he thought she'd divulge everything to him but there really was nothing to give and she really despised Elijah.
"And where exactly is my brother right now?"
She laughed, "I have no idea. I don't exactly have time to be worrying about the whereabouts of every vampire in town. Shouldn't that be your problem?"
"I do not appreciate being taken for a fool Miss Bennett, remember your place."
"Because you'll kill me?" She was quick to retort. "Yeah I know I'm expendable, I got that already. You've made that more than clear. But if Kol is as volatile as Rebekah and everyone else suggests, I get the impression that taking away his new toy will cause you more problems than me. Seeing as I'll already be dead."
The cruel aristocratic smile was back, "Don't presume to understand my brother's motivations. He's just as likely to kill you as I, you're not any safer there."
She shrugged, "Maybe not. But I am a Bennett witch and that means that there are particular spells that only my lineage is capable of. A fact your brother Finn seems to be banking on."
She tilted her head to the side in feigned curiosity, waiting to see how he'd react to this information. She didn't believe for a second that Finn would be any saving grace. He'd likely kill her as soon as she'd accomplished whatever half scheme he wanted from her, not that he seemed to know what it was that he wanted. And she knew she was undermining Kol here but it seemed the safer route than showing Elijah just how far she trusted Kol to keep her safe, at the very least from his family if no one else.
There were the beginnings of a snarl forming on Elijah's face before it was quickly smothered. The neutral mask of disinterest was back in place once more.
"I don't know what you're planning with either of my brothers, but I will not allow you to bring my family to any harm." Elijah stepped closer to her with the sole purpose of looming over her.
Bonnie snorted lightly, "Funny. Because it seems it's usually your family roping us into your schemes to harm each other. First you, then Rebekah, and now Finn seems eager to know more about ancestor Ayana. Wonder what that's about?"
"If you think-"
"I couldn't care less about your family, Elijah." Bonnie cut him off. "I want nothing to do with your family's continuing drama or Finn's bids." She took a step or two back then. "If you're wondering about your mother's coffin though, you'll have better luck getting that from Elena than from me because it's out of my hands." She wasn't foolish enough to turn her back on Elijah as she walked backward. "Good day Elijah."
~x~
"Kol!" Elijah bellowed upon returning home from his infuriatingly uninformative meeting with the Bennett witch. It had been a wholly unhelpful waste of time, he was no closer to figuring out what his younger brother was up to nor was he closer to deducing what his older brother was up to as Kol had alluded to at the ball.
"He's still not back, honestly there's no need to shout like that Elijah. We all have sensitive hearing." Rebekah snapped as she appeared before him.
"Where's Finn?" He asked straightening up as he tried to shake the tension coiling through his muscles, the predatory urge to lunge making itself known that still hadn't abated from Miss Bennett's disrespect.
"He's not here either," Rebekah informed him, hand coming to rest on her hip as she scrutinized him. "Why are you asking about Finn? Do you have reason to believe that all of our brothers are up to no good?" Elijah frowned at her use of 'all' to which Rebekah tossed her hair over her shoulder with an eye roll. "Nik's always got some dastardly plan or other, that's not anything surprising anymore, so out with it."
"Finn met with Miss Bennett and Elena during our family ball the other night and Kol alluded to his…" He hesitated over the appropriate phrasing. "Distaste for what we are."
"You mean the fact our moral, stick-in-the-mud brother is a horrific ripper whose self-loathing and capricious hunger has led to him remaining daggered for nine centuries? There's no need to mince words, Elijah. We all know why Finn hasn't been allowed out of his box. He was only tolerable for brief bouts of time when he was a human, let alone afterward. He's always been obsessive whether it was following mother around blindly or trying to find some loophole that would end his vampirism."
That was the unfortunate truth of their older brother. It was almost more disorientating to see Finn out of his box than anything else they'd experienced in a millennium of living. Finn couldn't stand what they were and certainly couldn't stand himself nor could he control himself. It had been for the best that he remained locked away but if Kol was right then it was likely that that hatred wasn't solely concentrated on himself anymore.
"I fear this is something different." He sighed.
It was at that very moment that Niklaus decided to join them, a gust of wind announcing his arrival.
"You can't honestly believe that Kol was telling anything close to the truth Elijah? Or perhaps you're just trying to distract from your own actions with Elena at the ball."
Rebekah let out a mock scandalized gasp at the words, she was far too amused to see him on the receiving end of Niklaus' ire when it was such a common occurrence.
"Don't think I've forgotten about your plotting with Mikael either sister." Niklaus was as always quick to turn on anyone he believed had wronged him and presently there wasn't a single Mikaelson that didn't fit that criterion.
Elijah rolled his eyes at his younger brother's incessant paranoia.
"Do be quiet, Niklaus. My talk with Elena only sought to confirm that Finn is in fact up to something as she was unable to be honest about his intentions."
"And heaven forbid sweet Elena ever lie to you." Rebekah rolled her eyes before turning her back on him, evidently still feeling petty about whatever imagined slight had occurred between the two.
"Come now Bekah, we know how Elijah feels about doppelgangers." Niklaus taunted, coming to stand at Rebekah's side as he smirked over her shoulder at him.
Rebekah hummed, "Speaking of doppelgangers, what on earth did Finn want with Bonnie?" She cast a speculative look over her shoulder at Elijah.
"That's what I'd like to know but she wasn't particularly forthcoming."
"No," Rebekah drew out the word in consideration, "She wasn't when I spoke to her either."
"Yes, she mentioned the two of you had spoken." He mentioned absently lost in thought as he considered their conversation more carefully now. "She seems to be under the impression that Kol is keeping her around for entertainment."
Both of his siblings scoffed at that which only mirrored Elijah's own feelings on the matter.
"If it were only that simple," Niklaus muttered, shaking his head.
"As if. Kol has been evasive at best about these…" She scrambled for a phrase to best describe the women they referred to whom Kol had only ever suggested were doppelgangers. "Renata lookalikes! But he's always had an affinity for witches that goes beyond entertainment. He's never been honest about either interest."
"Well, it seems that he's not being honest with her either." Niklaus mused.
"Or that she's not telling us." Elijah proposed.
"Which is just as likely given Kol's nature."
"Well, fat lot of good this is. Two of our brothers are missing, who knows where plotting who knows what, and all we have are some speculations about a teen witch that's leading us nowhere."
"She does have a point brother."
Elijah sighed exasperatedly at his younger siblings, they were being wholly unhelpful. He was well aware of the situation and their cynical recounting wasn't doing anything to help.
"Then I suggest you use your considerable resources to find Finn at the very least brother, who knows how many he's killed since awakening from his slumber," Elijah suggested as he made his way upstairs as a clear indication that he was done discussing it with them.
"Need I remind you whose fault that is!"
Elijah resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the quip. He didn't often waste time with regrets but there were times at which he regretted his decision to let Niklaus live that day, if only because his brother seemed to make it his mission to be a perpetual thorn in his side. Perhaps Miss Bennett was right about Finn's intentions. Harm to his family often came from within and he'd be remiss to ignore the possibility. He would just have to rely on Niklaus to find Finn quickly so they could put this whole thing behind them.
A/N: So! We are nearing the end of the first section of this story and getting towards the section where the main bulk of the plot is going to come in which I'm excited about. I also got a comment that guessed a future plot point so completely that I wanted to scream, hopefully I do it justice when it comes around. I'm aware that pocket watches hadn't been invented by Solavita's time but I'd already decided on it for plot related reasons that I decided that if the show can rewrite history so that Vikings settled in America then so can I.
Before that! I need a little help. There's a reincarnation that's going to be introduced in 2 chapters time that I need a name for. Born in the 1960s in Asia (haven't settled on where yet just not China) I try to have the names have some relevance in regards to meaning as well as time appropriate but I kept getting contradictory response on meanings so I'm a lil stuck
So any name suggestions?
Anyway, leave your thoughts and name suggestions in the comments, I'd love to know what you think :)
Comments:
cassiejones07: I'm glad your explanation of why Finn was locked and kept in the box was priceless. I love how you point out the hypocrisy of all the rippers and their jekyll-hyde natures roots. please let Elena die and stay dead. I also hope that they are able to modify the spell to let Kol have his magic back and to help them have kids! it would be awesome and a lead into the Orginal's only without that Hailey and hope nonsense.
OP: I'm glad you liked my ripper explanation! Honestly I spend way too much time thinking about the whys of certain things that its just unnecessary but I wanted to explore this sort of before and after effect more. We see how becoming a vampire changes things for Caroline, Stefan and even Elena and wanted to play on the morality there with Finn in particular. I have plans for Elena don't worry she won't be a problem for the majority of the plot just a lil while longer to go. That's an interesting idea thank you for that. Don't worry I think the Haley/Hope plot was ridiculous we won't be doing whatever that was. Thank you for commenting sweetie!
timijaf: Great chapter
Thank you sweetie!
A Summer's Melody: I'm so glad you have no intention of giving up this story. This chapter was sooo juicy. I'm ready for Bonnie to jump his bones but I also know it's a little too soon with all that's going on. I love Kohl's protectiveness and respect for Bonnie and it's a little sad that she's never received this kind of attention, especially since she totally deserves it.
OP: I swear that no matter how long I take with updates I won't just leave you guys hanging. Ah I'm glad you enjoyed it honestly its one of the ones I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately we've still got a ways to go before that, curse my inability to get to the point. I'm really kind of playing on the fact that Kol feels isolated by his family in canon here and how that might translate if he was in this sort of situation. But I agree Bonnie definitely deserved better