abbyli

artimis

(a/n: So sorry for the horribly long wait! Just a nasty case of writer's block that didn't get cured until now. Enjoy the new update, our trio is back to their old tricks.)

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'chances are when said and done
who will be the lucky ones who make it all the way?
though you say i could be your answer
nothing lasts forever no matter how it feels today
chances are we'll find a new equation
chances roll away from me
chances are all they hope to be'
-'chances are', five for fighting

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After nearly an hour of walking in one direction, Damon froze. Kol fell back beside him, his hand snapping out and latching around Bonnie's wrist.

Letting out a huff of annoyance, Bonnie glanced back at the two of them. "What is it?"

Kol holds up a hand to silence her, bringing a long pale finger to his lips.

"People," he whispers softly, low enough for her to hear. "There are people nearby."

"People?" Bonnie piped, her green eyes wide. "What kind? Can you tell?"

"Bonnie, I can't see through trees," Kol snaps back.

"They're coming this way!" Damon suddenly yelps and then disappears from beside them.

"Damon!" Kol growls before his arms wrap around Bonnie's waist and he pulls her back behind a wide tree where Damon was currently sitting.

Bonnie slaps Kol's hands away, ignoring just how strong they really were before she chances a peek around the base of the oak.

And sees...

Them.

"What the hell?"

"You said it," Damon whispers, seeing the 'people' as they march by.

These 'people' were actually about three feet tall with dark brown skin and pointy ears on top of their heads. About six of them are grouped, carrying spears and knives, dressed in fur skin clothing.

"Those are either demented pigs or-"

"Goblins."

"Oh, great," Damon groans. "We've landed in The Hobbit."

Kol quirks an eyebrow, confusion in his eyes.

"They were elves, not goblins, moron," Bonnie whispers across Kol. "Spiderwick Chronicles was goblins."

Damon shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."

"I have no idea what either of you are talking about," Kol murmurs. "And it's starting to piss me off."

"It's not our fault that your idiotic brother kept you in a box during some of the best decades ever," Damon says.

"Salvatore..."

"Zsa Zsa? Ava? Will you two shut up before they hear us!"

Bonnie takes another peek around the tree to find the clearing...empty.

"They're gone."

"Uh, actually, they're not."

That's when she feels the sharp prod of a spear right in the center of her back.

"Turn around."

The voice is gruffer than Bonnie expects, causing her to flinch ever so slightly. She feels the spear prod into her back once again and then she turns around, one foot stepping lightly over the other. She feels Kol's jacket sleeve brush against her arm as he moves too, his hands raising slightly in surrender.

Bonnie's eyes widen when she looks down, the goblin peering up at her underneath a very bushy brow. His snout like nostrils flare as he takes in her scent.

"What is your name?" he says.

"You speak English?" Damon blurts out. Kol turns a snort into a cough.

"I speak 449 languages, boy," the goblin replies. "Mind your tongue."

"You will have to excuse the both of them," Bonnie says carefully. "We have been through a lot in the last two days and well, they are a little confused."

Oh my god, I am talking to a goblin.

What is happening to my life?

The goblin looks her up and down, his eyes large and peering. She is suddenly reminded of a golden retriever getting ready to sniff her feet.

And then he does.

Okay, he doesn't sniff her feet but he does take in her scent once again. She wonders how bad she must really smell, having not bathed in the last three days. She's never gone a day without a shower and it's almost agonizing to her.

"You're not human," the goblin says. He turns on his heel and sniffs Kol. Kol jumps a bit, nearly toppling over against her. "And neither are you."

"Not that hard to notice," Damon says, ignoring Bonnie's glare of warning.

Bonnie just shakes her head. "Excuse me, sir? I was wondering-"

"-Vampire," the goblin interrupts, having been joined by another. They both stand next to Damon, the new friend sticking out a stubby index finger and poking at Damon's arm.

"Watch the hands, buddy," Damon snaps.

"Damon, shut up," Kol warns.

"He is a vampire," says the other goblin. "But he isn't." He points to Kol.

"What are you talking about?" Kol asks. "Of course I am."

"Really?" the first goblin says, raising a very thick blond brow. "Have you noticed anything different about yourself recently?"

"Besides the fact that I am in some strange forest surrounded by goblins?"

"Have you lost any of your powers?"

"Actually, he did," Damon says. "He can't run fast anymore."

"You were not an ordinary human before," says the second goblin. "None of you are ordinary."

That's when Bonnie tries to interrupt again. "Sir? Could you tell me where we are?"

"Only if you tell me who the three of you are."

Bonnie cannot help but be annoyed. "Fine," she says. "My name is Bonnie Bennett. This is Kol Mikaelson," she adds, pointing to the copper haired boy beside her. "And this is Damon Salvatore," she finishes, gesturing to the raven haired vampire.

"Where are you from?"

"Wait a minute," Damon steps in, his eyes flashing black. "It's your turn. Tell us where we are."

The second goblin moves so quickly that Bonnie's eyes can't even follow it. He whips out his spear once again, slicing a long line right up Damon's arm. A clean rip appears on his jacket sleeve, pale skin and crimson blood seeping through after a split second of time.

"Boy, I suggest you hold your tongue if you would like to keep it," the goblin snarls, his own eyes just as hard. "Is that clear?"

Damon's reply is a moan, having collapsed into a heap on the dirty ground.

Bonnie can't help but allow that to continue on for a few seconds longer than usual before she steps in.

"Please, sir, we're not here to cause trouble," she says, causing the older goblin's attention to be drawn to her once again. The other goblin releases Damon from his own brand of torture as the elder raises his hand.

"What is it, milady?" the goblin asks.

Bonnie sighs in relief. "We were pulled out of our world about two days ago and dropped here. I am a witch. Or at least, I used to be. My magic has been taken because of a curse and we're trying to find it. We've been wandering around this forest for a while and -"

The goblin holds up his pig like hand, silencing her babbling.

"You are in the Garden."

"The Garden?" Kol asks.

"It is just, 'The Garden'," the goblin explains. "I do believe that this is your first step to finding your magic."

"Do you know what we have to do?" Bonnie asks.

"First, find some shelter. We can offer you and your companions shelter for the night but tomorrow morning you must move on," the goblin says.

Bonnie sighs in relief. One night out of the freezing cold was good enough for her.

"Thank you so much, sir," she says, nearly stumbling back against Kol as exhaustion finally sets in. Kol's hands are surprisingly gentle as they steady her for just a split moment before retreating away. "Um - can I ask you your name?"

The goblin that had been doing all the talking looks up at her in alarm. Almost like he had never even been asked that question before in all of his life.

"My name is Artimis," he replies, his voice husky. He turns to his own companions and names them. "You will be coming to our own shelter. There is food and some warm clothing there that might keep you sated for the night."

That's when Kol speaks. "What about -?" His voice dies in his throat.

"Blood?" Artimis says, finishing the thought. He raises a bushy yellow brow. "Yes, young man. I can see a lot. We understand a lot."

With that, Artimis begins to continue on down the long pathway that he and his followers had been taking before.

The sanctuary was nearly another mile away. Bonnie was exhausted by the time they reached it and found herself being propped up by Kol's arm. She pretends she doesn't see Damon's look of annoyance as he trails after them.

Bonnie's eyes nearly fall out of her head as she takes in the breathtaking view. The 'shelter' is actually a bunch of tents, majestic colors ranging from ruby red to a brilliant gold, an emblem of some sort on each. Bonnie peers at one, trying to figure out where she had seen that before. She is interrupted by Kol's hand pulling her alongside him as they continued down the hill towards the center of all of the tents.

"How are you not noticed by others?" Damon asks. "All these bright colors scream 'Attack me!'"

"A protection spell," Bonnie answers as Artimis opens his mouth. She looks back at the goblin. "Right?"

"Absolutely," Artimis says. "You are a bright young witch, Miss Bonnie."

Over the next two hours, Bonnie found herself being cared for like a small child. Of course, this is probably the most bizarre scene she has ever witnessed.

She's pulled into a tent that is just too small for a grown adult. But once she is inside, she sees the way the goblin magic works. And it's magnificent.

Colorful tapestries hang in all corners, bearing the goblin army crest. In one far corner, she sees a small kitchenette. A large four poster bed that is only about eight inches off of the ground with the same colorful blankets and piles of pillows.

"To be back in running water," Bonnie whispers as her hand is taken by another, much smaller and rougher one. She looks down to see a goblin standing beside her, dressed in what looks like a plain tunic. But the features of this goblin tell her that this is a female creature.

Bonnie allows the goblin to guide her to the back of the tent. She can hear that amazing sound of a tap running and she emit's a small sigh when the screens are drawn back to reveal a king sized tub.

"Oh my god..."

The female goblin smiles, seeing the obvious pleasure in Bonnie's face. With a short stubby arm, she gestures towards the tub and steps back, pulling the screens back around to give Bonnie a little bit of privacy.

Bonnie walks over to the tub and turns on the one tap. To her great surprise, golden water began streaming out, immediately filling up the tub with heavy pearl like bubbles that smelled suspiciously like lilac and jasmine. Her favorite scent.

"Hmmm," she mumbles as she glances around her for a second. She looks back at the tub before she quickly strips off her now rag like clothes and slides under the bubbles with a sigh of contentment. She takes notice on how she didn't have to add any kind of cold water to the bath. "I wonder if Kol and Damon are being treated like this."

She stays in the tub for as long as she can, soaking and scrubbing away the dirt and dried blood from her skin. When her skin shines a rosy pink and her hair is gloss between her fingers, she finally climbs out of the tub.

The goblin is waiting for her with a big fluffy towel.

"Thank you," she says.

The goblin nods, looking up at her with two enormous eyes.

"Can you speak?" Bonnie can't help but ask.

The female goblin gives her a smile and nods once again.

"Yes, I do speak, dear one. My name is Emelise."

Bonnie laughs nervously. "I'm sorry. I just -"

"It is understandable. And this is a strange world for you."

Emelise leads her over to the bed where clothes that look just Bonnie's size lay waiting for her.

"Now, put these on and get warm. There is a gathering outside where your gentlemen friends are waiting for you. You shall learn more about the days that are too come."

"Kol and Damon - are they all right?"

Emelise bows her head. "Yes, they are well as to be expected," she says.

"That's good," Bonnie says. She watches with a slightly confused expression as Emelise turns away from her and disappears through the flap in the tent. She quickly dresses in the clothing that has been left, a pair of thick tan trousers, a white shirt and a blue jacket. Heavy black boots, obviously goblin made, sit by the bed and she pulls them on, noticing how they are a perfect fit.

"Too bad," she murmurs. "I could get used to this."

Without another word, she heads for the entrance to the tent and into the cool night air.

"Ah, there's the princess," says Damon when he sees Bonnie.

Bonnie rolls her eyes, approaching him where he stands, a safe distance away from the roaring bonfire that is right in the center of the camp. Many goblins surround it, feeding it with wood and sticks.

"Careful Damon. One small slip and poof," comes another voice from the other side of her.

Bonnie glances to her left and can't help the small strange feeling that goes through her at the sight of Kol. His hair is still wet from his bath and plastered to his forehead. He wears clothes similar to hers, and a thick brown coat adorns his broad shoulders.

"You look better," Bonnie says, observing the way Kol is standing. There's something different about him. Something has changed in the last hours.

"I don't feel it," he grumbles. "For some reason, I am freezing."

"Uh-oh."

Damon's voice is far from joking. Bonnie gazes at him and sees that he is also cleaned up and wearing new clothes as well. His beloved leather jacket is gone though. She wonders if Artimis' knife damaged it beyond repair.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asks.

"If you lost your speed and now you're cold, that means -"

"Don't say it, Salvatore," Kol cuts across. "Don't even think it."

"What?!" Bonnie demands. "What are you two not telling me?"

"He thinks I'm turning human again," Kol growls. "Like that's possible."

"Oh, but it is possible."

Artimis' voice rings out above their own. The three turn and he's nearest to the fire, flanked by the rest of his troupe. Closest to him sits Emelise, the goblin that had been so kind to her. After a beat, Bonnie realizes that Emelise must be Artimis' wife.

"What?"

Artimis waves his hands impatiently, gesturing for them to come closer. Kol and Bonnie do but Damon stays back. Once they settle into the grass, Artimis continues.

"Allow me to ask - Kol, correct?" Artimis says. When Kol nods, he continues on. "You were turned into a vampire over a thousand years ago, at the age of nineteen."

"How the hell-er, in the world did you know that?" Kol asks.

"Like I have said many times before, young man, I know a great deal. And I may know the reason why you are losing your powers."

"Oh, what's that?"

"Were you a warlock before your mother and father turned you?"

All eyes on Kol.

Bonnie stares at the forever nineteen year old, her eyebrows raised so high that they threaten to disappear into her hairline. She can Damon's groan from a few feet behind her and chances a glance to see his own expression of annoyance.

"Kol?" Bonnie asks softly.

Kol looks straight ahead for several moments before nodding stiffly.

"Yes."

Before Bonnie is really aware of what she is doing, she reaches out and grabs his hand. Kol stares at her fingers before looking into her eyes.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? Tell us?" she asks.

"It was never really a topic to come up in conversation," he remarks before delicately pulling his hand away from hers.

"That makes sense though," Damon echoes from behind her. "This is a forest that reveals who people really are."

"That is correct, young man," says Artimis.

"Will Damon lose powers too?" Bonnie asks. She scooches a few inches away from Kol, not really realizing what she is doing.

"That is something I do not know."

"Oooh, big surprise."

"Damon!"

"Sorry."

Artimis does not appear angry, only a bit amused. The goblins that are gathered around him do look affronted and one even gets to his feet. Artimis holds up a hand.

"Peace, Clyven," he says, his voice calm and smooth.

"That boy should learn how to respect his elders," Clyven growls before sinking back down.

"I'm sorry," Bonnie says.

"Child, it is not your fault. Actually, none of this is your fault."

"So is that what The Garden does?" Kol asks. "It reveals who you were once before?"

"That is correct."

"Then will something happen to me?" Damon asks, a little more subdued.

Artimis eyes Damon thoughtfully, and for quite some time that Damon begins to squirm.

"Mr. Salvatore, you have finally gotten me," Artimis says, a hint of humor in his heavy voice.

"Go on, sir," Bonnie says.

Artimis gazes at Bonnie for a brief moment, almost like he had never seen anything quite like her before. He then continues on.

The Garden was home to any kind of creature imagined. There were other vampires and witches that lived there so that was why the goblins were familiar with the likes of the three of them.

"That explains the kappa," Bonnie murmurs.

The goblins, especially Artimis' army, had had a run in with Silas many moons ago. Even though he had been entombed, Silas' spirit still roamed free. He could still capture the minds of others who had gotten too close and because of who they were, the goblins had had to battle against his power more than once.

This curse that Silas had enacted, sending Bonnie, Damon, and Kol into the dimension of many worlds, had been done before. Another witch had been sent into the Garden and he made it through the loops of the virtual obstacle course.

"That witch, was Silas," Artimis says.

Bonnie wonders for a brief moment if her jaw is on the ground.

"How is that possible?" Kol asks.

"Silas was a very young man at the time, no older than you," Artimis says, pointing a stubby finger in Bonnie's direction. "He had just lost his great love at the hands of another witch and due to his anger, he went into Dark magic."

"Expression," Bonnie murmurs, her eyes downcast.

"Exactly."

"So what is that you are trying to tell us?" Damon cuts in. Bonnie suddenly notices that he has been inching closer and closer to her in the last several minutes. "That we are screwed?"

"I didn't say that, young man."

"Can we get through this? Can we fight?" Bonnie asks.

"If you depend on one another, then maybe."

"Well, that's informative," Damon grumbles.

"Damon -" Bonnie begins, turning towards his form. But Damon's on his feet and stalking away into the far end of the woods at top speed.

Kol begins to get up but Bonnie stops him with a hand on his arm.

"Let me," she says. "No offense but you might piss him off even more."

Kol nods his consent, remaining seated as Bonnie rises to her feet and follows Damon's trail.

She finds him stalking the length of the woods, his hunched form lit up by the dozens of torches from the camp.

"I'm glad you didn't go too far," she says when she approaches.

"I was tempted," Damon scowls. "But what kind of power does one little vampire have against the great unknown that is the Garden?"

"Damon, you need to cut it out."

"Cut what out?" Damon snarls. "Being afraid?" The words escape his mouth quicker than he can control them. But it's too late.

Bonnie can't help the pity that pools in her stomach. She sighs slightly, reaching out a tentative hand to him. He eyes that hand for a moment before allowing it take his.

"It's okay to be afraid," she whispers.

"Is it?" Damon asks. "Because I am. I keep thinking about what we all saw back there. Qetsiyah's 'what could be'. And I can't help but wonder why?"

"Why what?"

"Why this is happening? And why now of all times?"

Bonnie lets out a sigh that is mixed with exhaustion and just a bit of irritation. She doesn't want to fight anymore, especially amongst the three of them. Now was the time that they needed to get together and work all of this out. They got lucky, ending up here. Since the Garden was the first step of their strange journey, it was pretty obvious that it was only going to get more and more difficult.

Who the hell knows where they will end up next?

"Who knows, Damon?" Bonnie says. "And honestly, who the hell cares?"

Damon stares at her like she has suddenly sprouted antlers.

"This is it, Damon," Bonnie plows on. "Welcome to adulthood. You have to be the grown up. You have to look out for others beside yourself. Because if you don't, the whole world could come to a grisly end."

And he's gazing at her with those grey eyes that hold so many different emotions. She doesn't bother to try to read him because she already knows.

The man that stands before her is nothing but a little boy that never got to grow up. Turned into a vampire at the mere age of twenty-four and still so young in the mind at that time, he has been stuck for the last 150 years. Never understanding how to move on, how to grow up.

How to actually be a man.

Bonnie hopes he can. Because she needs him now. She's counting on him.

She holds out her hand, letting it hover in midair. Damon eyes that hand like he's afraid it might bite.

And then he takes it.

The handshake is brief and almost chilly but it's there. When she finds those grey eyes she can see the resignation in them. He's given in.

"All right," Damon whispers. "But I am only doing this for you," he adds. He casts an irritated look over the top of her head to where she is sure Kol is sitting, watching, and listening.

"I'll take that," Bonnie replies. "Just -"

"Just what?"

"Please try to get along with Kol," she says.

"That I cannot promise," Damon says before gently pushing past her to return to the gathering.

"Bonnie?"

Hours have passed and Bonnie still can't sleep. Honestly, she is the most comfortable she has been in days. The goblin created bed is made out of feathers and silk and she wonders if this is what sleeping on a cloud is like.

But she can't sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Kol asks.

Bonnie sits up on her elbows, her green eyes peering his way. Kol lays in a self made sleeping bag an arm's length away on the carpeted floor. (They even have carpets inside the tents!) He has the blankets pulled up to his chin but she can still see the slight shivers that run through his lean body.

"I don't know," she murmurs, curling over onto her side. She breathes in the fresh scent of the clean sheets, mixed with the cool night air. This should be putting her right out.

Sadly, no.

"You know that we'll make it through this, right?" Kol says softly. "You're going to be just fine."

"It's not that," Bonnie mutters. "I mean, I am a little afraid but -"

"But you have no idea what to do next," Kol finishes.

Bonnie gazes into those brown eyes and finds herself nodding in agreement.

"All Artimis and the others were able to tell us was what was to come next," she whispers. "He wasn't able to tell us how to get through."

"Maybe he doesn't even know."

"Maybe."

The two fall into silence for several moments.

"How do you feel?" Bonnie asks.

"You mean, do I feel human?" Kol replies.

Bonnie rolls her eyes but ends up nodding. "Yeah. Something like that."

"I can't tell if anything else has changed," Kol says. "Just slow moving and half frozen."

"How does that feel?" Bonnie asks. "I mean, after all these years -"

Kol shifts slightly in his sleeping bag, propping himself up on his arm. "It's strange," he replies thoughtfully. "I'm not really sure what to think."

As they continue to talk, something begins to stir inside of Bonnie. Something she can't really put her finger on. Not two days ago, she was giving him the aneurism of his life and now they were in a goblins' den, chatting away like they were the best of friends.

Maybe that was the only choice that they had.

After what seems like only a few minutes but she quickly deems to be nearly an hour of talking, Bonnie finally feels sleep weighing on her eyelids. She yawns loudly and looks down to see Kol already dropping off, having turned over onto his stomach.

She watches him sleep for a few moments, not being able to fight the smile that crosses her lips. Sleeping, Kol is not the murderous psychopathic vampire but a mere boy. A boy who had had his whole world ripped away from him at the age of nineteen and had to live the last thousand years as a creature of the night.

That's what they all are.

Just kids.

Damon returns to the tent about an hour later.

Despite being surrounded by goblins that were supposedly 'protecting' the three of them, he still didn't have too much trust for these creatures. He strolled the campgrounds for nearly two hours, the effect of not being able to sleep helping him along.

When he arrives at the tent, he shifts the flaps as quietly as he can and steps through.

He sees Kol, covered by blankets and fast asleep. His left arm is stretched to the side, his fingers lengthened.

Bonnie is in the bed, asleep as well, her right arm hanging off the side and touching the floor. Her hand is a mere inch away from Kol's.

He wonders if they fell asleep holding hands.

Damon pushes away that thought as well as the burning feeling in the pit of his stomach.

That is one thing he cannot think about right now.

He spots the other self made bed that the goblin Emelise had made for him and walks over to it. Without shedding an article of clothing, he flops his long body down upon it, adjusting the pillow underneath his head.

For some reason, all he can see is Kol and Bonnie and their hands.

Stop it, Damon.

You love Elena.

But why does he have to remind himself of that?

I pass it back to you, MidnightRain6593.

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