Aarolye—thanks for reviewing. I am definitely a huge fan of Elijah and want things to work out for them. I am not sure where things are going in that respect though. It would take a lot for them to get there. I am sure Elijah appreciates the support though!

CalligraphersNib—your reviews are always such a joy to read! Thank you so much for your feedback. I like to keep the story moving and I love to put the twists in to keep everyone on their toes. I feel bad for Damon, too. I feel awful for what I am doing to him!

Here's the next installment. PLEASE REVIEW. It really helps me to know what you guys think about the story and what is going on. Hopefully, if I remain motivated enough, the chapter should still be pretty frequent, but they will be longer.

Lisolotte

P.S. I know that Elijah probably wouldn't say "shenanigans" but it was so funny to think of him saying it. Don't you think?

The first to arrive had been Kol. He stated that he had stayed within "shouting distance" of Charlotte just in case she had needed him. It had only taken him 2 hours after hanging up with Elijah to show up at Charlotte's.

Seeing her seemingly asleep shook the wry smirk off his face for the first time in anyone's memory. Well, not anyone's memory, but definitely since he had been un-daggered.

"Thank God you came to drop in on her," Kol said tucking a strand of hair behind Charlotte's ear. "Who knows what would have happened to Sweets if you hadn't showed up. She looks like she just laid down for a nap. Who knows how long she has been like this.

"She is the best person I have ever met. When she married my brother, I was worried that she was going to be awful. Elijah had been courting another girl before Charlotte and Tatia came to town. The first girl had been a terror. She didn't want anything to do with any of us. Charlotte was the exact opposite of that. Can you imagine that she would play with me and Rebekah like we were her own children? She wasn't that much older than us, but she was years ahead in maturity."

Damon appreciated hearing from Kol about how Charlotte had been when she was young and human, but that didn't mean he knew what to say in response. He hadn't known her back then, but he could certainly imagine the wonderful young woman she had been. Even worse, this had taken quite the macabre turn. It was starting to feel like a funeral instead of a rescue mission.

After Kol arrived, Rebekah showed up. She hadn't been as close as Kol had, but she still arrived as quickly as she could.

"Who did that to her?" Rebekah asked in a small and child-like voice. Gone was the abrasive girl who might be rough around the edges, but just needed some love. Instead, in her place was a little girl who was just so scared at the potential to lose someone so close to her. Considering the strange circumstance of Rebekah's life and after-live, this seemed to be the first real loss of her adult/after life. She had been so young when Henrik died and the loss of each of her parents was fraught with complicating emotions. She loved Charlotte wholly and purely.

She pulled Damon into a hug. He was surprised that she was so gentle with him and he allowed her to continue to hug him while she cried.

Klaus arrived while Rebekah was still crying. He shrugged and sat down on a chair facing Charlotte's bed. He didn't say a word, but just sat there watching her. It almost seemed like he was willing her to wake up.

Rachel showed up a little after 6 pm. She had waited to come until she had gathered as much of her grandmother's ingredients that she could and the grimoires that was most likely to have the information she needed.

Elijah swept in not too long after that and kneeled next to Charlotte on the bed before he even addressed any of the other occupants of the room. He ran his fingers through his hands; effectively undoing the work Kol had done before him to right her hair.

"You're sure that she hasn't changed since you got here?" he asked Damon without looking at him.

"Positive. I haven't tried to go back into her dream since that first time. Tatia told me very clearly that going back in would be risky and to not do it again until I was sure I was ready," he responded promptly.

"Where do we start?" Rebekah asked.

"Linking spell," Rachel responded simply.

"Been there done that, sweetheart. In fact, if my mother is again trying to murder us, wouldn't that be quite the risky move?" Klaus responded.

"She needs your pooled strength. This is different. It is actually combining your energies to make it that you guys are stronger together. It is risky, for sure, but there is no way you will be strong enough," Rachel told him in a matter of fact voice.

"Then let's get started," Rebekah said with a pout.

"Did I say that I am ready to give my life for Sweets?" Kol asked the group. All he received in response was a glare from everyone in the room. "I was joking. We know that I love her dearly. Not quite as dearly as I love myself though." The entire group rolled their eyes at him. That was the beauty of siblings, they understand your jokes. And they won't pretend they are funny if they're not.

"Do it, Rachel. We are all willing to do this for Charlotte," Klaus said gravely.

Rachel started shaking her head. Tears rolled heavily down her face. "I can't," she said brokenly. "I want to guys. I owe it to Charlotte. She helped me reconcile with my grandmother after all this time. She gave me this huge gift. Ever since I decided to come back to Chicago and take over my grandmother's business, Charlotte has been helping me.

"I want with every fiber of my being to help her. She deserves better than this. I can't do it. I am not capable. I have only been practicing so much since I settled things with my grandmother. I am beyond rusty and still a novice."

A heavy silence fell over the group. They really didn't know what to do if Rachel had been unable to perform the spell. No one knew what to do next. They hadn't even known what to do to begin with. It had been Charlotte to show them the way. Well, Charlotte had told them by way of Tatia.

"You're sure she said get Rachel? There wasn't more to the list of things you needed?" Rebekah asked Damon.

"No. That isn't what she said. She said get your witch. I assumed that she meant Rachel. She is the only witch that we have been dealing with. All the same, I told Elijah exactly what she told me."

Everyone looked to Elijah. He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He did tell me that exactly. I expected some sort of shenanigans like this so I prepared for some contingencies. I just hope everything works out."

Damon saw Tatia lurking on the side of Charlotte that Elijah was not kneeling on. She held a finger up her mouth signaling to Damon that he should not say anything. As everyone continued to move around the room and not acknowledge Tatia's presence, Damon realized that he was the only one who could see her. What a gift that had been given to him.

"You told Elijah exactly what I told you that you needed, right?" Tatia asked pointedly. Damon inclined him head slightly to tell her yes. "Good because I didn't mean Rachel when I said that. She is a capable witch, but I am not sure that she is up to this challenge."

Damon had nothing to say to Tatia so instead he asked Elijah, "what kind of contingencies?"

"Any and all, Damon. This is very important to me so I wouldn't leave it to chance that everything would come together."

"Vague much?" Damon asked saucily.

"He's trying to stop you guys from getting prepared for something that might not happen," a voice said from the doorway.

"And what would we be getting prepared for?" Kol asked not looking at who was speaking.

"Me," Bonnie Bennett said from the doorway.