A/N: Happy weekend guys! Here's the next chapter and from here on, the story is going to be pretty wide open. But we'll make sure to get some really good Klaroline moments in there too! Special thanks to MsCindz, ilyreid, lateVMlover, PerfectlyGoodHeart, SarahCullen4, An Amber Pen, jessnicole, Jewelz1642, Tiana-P, lizzybennettdarcy, Ellavm18, spongee09, EyesLikeLiquidFire, SweetBlackAngel16, Ariel C. Rilmonn, geralblink, MJTE, and all my guest for the amazing reviews! Thank you for the follows and favorites. They mean a lot! Okay, are you ready?

The next morning I startled awake. I shot up in bed, alarmed to realize that the bed was shaking. There was just enough light from the rising sun for me to see Klaus' eyes slit open. He lay sprawled on his stomach next to me.

"Is everything all right, love?" his voice was scratchy from sleep, he didn't move.

"I'm not sure," I whispered, my heart still racing in my chest.

When the shaking started again, it was worse and enough to send one of his framed paintings crashing to the floor on the other side of the room.

Klaus rolled to his side, his gaze moving wildly around the room. I grabbed my robe from the end of the bed and scrambled to put it on. Klaus was climbing out of bed as I vamp sped out of the bedroom, the shaking halting again. Elijah was in the hallway, belting his black robe about himself, his feet bare. His gaze locked with mine and we both stood wondering what was happening.

I felt Klaus step out of the room behind me and a second later, I heard a scream. It was one of the kids and it was coming from downstairs.

Using vamp speed, I reached the living room where we'd left the video gamers as we found them when we got home earlier. Three young witches and an ancient vampire been asleep among a clutter of blankets, soda cans, pizza boxes. They'd all been fast asleep, even Kol. It had been so cute.

Now I found Kol and both kids in a panic, as they surrounded Davina. The young witch was on her hands and knees on the floor and she appeared to be throwing up. My own eyes were still fogged from sleep but I stared at her as she heaved and couldn't believe what I was seeing coming up from her body.

"Is that… dirt?" I asked, as Elijah walked around me to kneel at Kol's side.

"Mom!" Christine shouted with a high pitch that blistered our ears.

"What on earth is happening?" Elijah asked, raking a hand through his normally perfect hair.

"She woke me," Kol said breathlessly. "What do we do?"

I stared in horror as I realized it really was dirt, dark rich soil, that the girl was vomiting. It looked like she'd eaten a potted plant and it made her sick. Her small body wracked violently. I noticed that Anya, Clarice's older daughter, was gently holding her new friend's hand. Her younger sister, Christine, was brushing Davina's hair back from her face. The child looked so scared.

I heard the quick soft footfalls approaching and I felt Klaus' hands on my shoulders, pulling me back against his warmth to make room for Clarice to enter into our gathering with Stefan and Rebekah on her heels. The witch wore a pair of red pajamas and didn't even bother with a robe as she took in the scene before her.

Dropping to her knees, she placed her palm flat on Davina's forehead, chanting words I didn't understand as the rest of us held our breath with no clue what was going on or what to do.

After a few seconds, Davina stopped heaving, just lingering there with her arms shaking a fine sheen of sweat on her face. Then her tears started. Clarice nudged forward through the dirt, gathering the girl in her arms while her own daughters started to cry.

"Mom?" Christine whispered.

Clarice held a crying Davina but threw a concerned look over her shoulder at her kids.

"It's okay," she whispered to them. "It's going to be okay. But I think you guys should go back to your rooms now. Okay? Can you do that for me? Just try to go back to bed?"

I knew they weren't going to go on their own. I'd just pulled free from Klaus when Rebekah surprised me by stepping up to the kids and reaching out for their hands. Christine nodded and went with Rebekah easily, they'd bonded the day before over dresses. Anya wanted to stay, I could tell, but Clarice nodded to her and Anya gently got up and went with the blonde vampire. Stefan left the room with them as the rest of watched Clarice.

I could hear Davina's sobs even though we couldn't see her face. "What's happening to me?"

"I'll find out," Clarice told her in as steady a voice as she could manage.

"Will I have to die?" Davina asked. "Because of the harvest."

"Not, not an option." Clarice gently eased back from the girl. "Let's start by getting you cleaned up, into bed, so you can rest. Okay?"

Elijah, always strong, took Davina from Clarice's arms and lifted her in his own as he stood.

Clarice looked around the room to each of us. "I'll take care of her first, then we'll see what we can figure out."

"Bonnie," I said in an instant. "I'll call Bonnie and get her on the case. Maybe there is something she knows or can find out for us."

"Was she the witch I met in Mystic Falls?" Clarice asked me. When I nodded, she said, "Good. Please contact her."

"We also have our mother's grimoires," Elijah offered.

"Help me get her upstairs and then I'll leave you guys to go through those too." Her expression darkened as her gaze shifted to Davina. "We need to move fast. Really fast."

I watched Elijah carry Davina out of the room with Clarice right behind him.

"I don't like the way she said that," I told Klaus and Kol who were still with me.

"I've seen something like this before," Kol said with a worried look on his face. "Whatever magic she was given by that ceremony, it could tear her apart. It's too much. That's what Clarice meant. Let's get moving."

Kol vamp sped from the room. I turned to Klaus and I could tell the wheels in his head were turning, wondering how this turn events would impact the big picture. After a moment, he was out of his head, his gaze on me. Gently he pulled me to him.

"Remember your promise to me, Caroline," he whispered into my hair.

"Davina's in danger," I told him. "Not me."

Pulling back, he kissed my lips then stared into my eyes meaningfully. "Magic is always dangerous, love. Remember that. I know you want to save the girl but…"

I shook my head, glad he didn't finish that sentence.

"Go call your witch then," he bid me.

"Bonnie," I said distinctly. "Her name is Bonnie. You have to know my friends' names, Klaus."

With a deep sigh, he shook his head. "As you're so fond of saying… whatever."

"Don't be an ass," I told him. "Bonnie might be able to help us."

After a moment, he nodded. "Go call Bonnie."

Bonnie wasn't a happy camper when I called her at five in the morning.

"Caroline? What's wrong?" Bonnie's voice was rough. "Wow, it's five in the morning."

"I know. I'm so sorry. But I really, really need your help."

I heard a male voice whispering on the other end. Was that…?

"Is that Jeremy?" I asked in disbelief. Bonnie was sleeping with Jeremy? How had I missed that?

"Care?" Bonnie was sleepy, grumpy, impatient. "What do you need?"

"I need your help to save someone," I explained.

"Your originals are in trouble?"

Oh, there was no missing the sarcasm there. And I understood as well as anyone why she felt that way. But we didn't have time for that now. I cut to the chase.

"No, there's a witch here. She's just a girl, younger than us. I'm wondering if you know anything about her situation or have any information…"

There was a pause and then empowered Bonnie was on the other end of the phone.

"Tell me everything," she said.

At six o'clock, I dashed into Davina's room. Davina looked so small and pale in the bed, but she was asleep and that was probably a good thing. Clarice, Kol and Elijah were talking quietly, all of them digging through big witchy books. They all looked up when I entered the room.

"Bonnie found something," I told them. "She had a very old book from Dr. Martin that explained the harvest."

Elijah's eyes lit with interest as that.

"Jonas," he said.

I nodded. Jonas Martin had been a powerful warlock who'd helped Elijah when we'd first met him. Stefan had killed him to save Elena.

"I'll let her explain," I told Clarice, holding out my phone to her but knowing the rest of us would be able to hear the conversation with our supernatural senses.

We listened as Bonnie explained that the magic would indeed kill Davina unless action was taken. The four elements. Earth, air, water and fire. Each would unleash as a plague until the fire would finally consume her - unless Davina was sacrificed as the ritual dictated.

"There has to be something we can do," Clarice was in full mother mode. "There will be no sacrifice and I'm not about to watch this child die. Is there anything else?"

"I've been thinking about that," Bonnie said. "My Grams used to talk about our power, how we drew it from nature. We're not supposed to abuse that power. Don't you think something is off with this group of witches, garnering such power in four young witches that they sacrifice?"

"I've thought so since I heard about it," Clarice told her. "We have the power we're given. We're not meant to have more than that."

The look on Clarice's face was pure epiphany. "I know what to do," she told Bonnie. "I need to release the power that's not hers back to nature."

"Yes," Bonnie whispered. "Do you know how to do that?"

"I can figure it out since I have an approach." Clarice's gaze met Elijah's. "I've got the original witch's grimoires here. I'll find a way to make it work."

"I'll look through the books I have here too and I'll call if I find something, just in case."

"Bonnie, thank you," Clarice told her, ending the call and handing the phone to me.

"Clarice?"

Davina's weak voice drew everyone's attention to her. "My friends. If you release the power… if there was a chance they could come back…"

Kneeling by the bed, Clarice smoothed a hand over the girl's forehead. "I'm sorry about your friends. But they are gone. And the only way I can find out if all of this hype about the harvest is true is to sacrifice you. I'm not willing to do that. You're my priority. I'm going to take care of you."

Davina looked sad but comforted. She trusted Clarice. I trusted her too.

Looking to us, she said, "We need to find something, a way to release the power that's killing her back to nature."

"The grimoires are in the library," Elijah told her, rising from the chair and looking ready with Kol by his side.

"I don't want to leave her," Clarice said.

"We'll stay with her, Mom," Anya whispered from the doorway. She walked into the room in her Metallica t-shirt and shorts, Christine in pink pajamas right behind her. "We can do this."

I could tell they hadn't slept a wink. Clarice looked so proud of them, nodding. The climbed gently onto the bed with Davina who looked happy to see them.

To the rest of us, she said, "Let's go."

I followed them downstairs. They headed for the library. I headed for the kitchen to make coffee for us. We'd need it.

I didn't know where Klaus was, couldn't hear him in the house. I couldn't hear Stefan or Rebekah either.

I'd just finished putting on the coffee when I heard a light knock at the door. I had no idea what time the help started so I went to the door and answered myself. I fought to keep my jaw from dropping as I saw it was Marcel standing there.

"Hey there," he said, putting up his hands as if surrendering now. "Is Klaus here?"

I thought about Klaus, thinking of what he'd said to me about his very handsome protégé who stood looking at me as if he doubted I'd be willing to help him. I found, oddly, for Klaus' sake, I'd see what he was up to.

"No, he's not here," I said politely.

"How is Davina?" he asked, worry evident on his face and in his voice.

He'd rescued her from the harvest, yes. But he'd also kept her in an attic and used her to control the other witches in the Quarter.

Klaus wasn't here for me to ask so I had to wing it.

"At the moment, not good," I told him, then something occurred to me. "We think we've figured out what's going on but we're trying to find a way to help her."

Marcel nodded. "There's a couple of witches here, one is the aunt of one of the girls already sacrificed, who say that the only way is to sacrifice her or all of that magic will kill her."

"Yeah? Well, we've got a witch here who doesn't like either of those options and thinks we can save her," I told him.

The relief, hope, on his face was unmistakable. "Your witched kicked our asses the other day. I'm willing to take a chance on her," he offered.

I couldn't help smile at that. But I wasn't sure what to do.

"I know I'm not Mr. Popularity right now," he said slowly. "I just want to help Davina. And talk to Klaus about his offer."

Ah. So Klaus had made him an offer. Well, I needed to talk to Klaus. Holding up a finger, I pulled my phone from my robe, trying to get him on the phone. Marcel watched, knowing exactly what I was doing.

"Hello, sweetheart," Klaus answered after the first ring. "How are things coming along?"

"Where are you?" I asked, trying to listen for anything on his end for clues. Sounds of traffic, city streets.

"I'm searching for something that might be of use," he told me, "unless I'm immediately needed elsewhere?"

"Marcel is here," I told him.

"Has anyone spoken with him?"

"I have," I answered. "He's here to help Davina and to talk to you about your offer."

"Ah." I could almost hear him smiling. "Good. Keep him there, love. I'm anxious to talk with him. If anyone has a problem with his presence, inform them that he's there at my invitation."

"What about Rebekah?" I had to ask, knowing she might have a problem with being here considering their recent relationship and his alleged alliance with Tyler. She had saved him in the showdown against Clarice. But then Stefan was here even though nothing romantic was going on there. Yet. I knew they hadn't shared a room last night. Rebekah's situation was getting more complicated by the second.

"My little sister and Stefan are running an errand for me," Klaus explained. "Elijah will support you. Keep Marcel safe from Kol and Clarice, will you love?"

"Yeah, no problem," I said, thinking that was easier said than done.

"That's my girl," he whispered. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Okay, is wrong that I liked the way that sounded?" I teased him, not caring that Marcel was listening.

"On the contrary, I'm glad you like it."

Klaus ended the call and I motioned Marcel in. He closed the door behind him, sizing me up.

"Caroline?"

I nodded, accepting the hand he offered me. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for helping me."

"Yeah," I told him, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"So you're with Klaus?"

Lifting my chin, I met his gaze. "Don't see how that's your business."

A smiled spread across his handsome face. "I've known Klaus for a long time. He's never really done relationships… But you're special, aren't you?"

I didn't answer, didn't know how to answer that. I tried to fight off the old insecurities under the gaze of those dark eyes.

"I'm not judging at all," Marcel said. "I'm just fascinated. And happy for him."

He meant it so I nodded, hoping he couldn't tell how pleased I was by his opinion. I was about to bring him up to speed when I felt someone watching us.

"Is everything all right, Caroline?" Elijah asked quietly as he joined us by the door.

Marcel instinctively took a step back and there it was. Marcel might be someone to Klaus but he was obviously a little afraid of Elijah.

"Yes," I told him. "Marcel wants to help. He's here at Klaus' invitation."

Elijah assessed the younger vampire for a long moment before he nodded, his gaze searching mine. Finally motioning to the hallway, he said, "Shall we?"

We followed Elijah to the library. I hoped with everything I had that we'd be able to save the girl upstairs. At first her situation felt like an additional problem. But I had a terrible feeling that somehow her peril was only the start of a war. And I hoped we'd be able to win.