In light of all the Steroline madness and general fuckery going on with both shows, I figured we could use some cheering up, so instead of making this chapter longer and posting it sometime next week, I decided to make it shorter so I could upload it tonight! Also, I keep forgetting so say that no, I do not have a beta, so if there are any mistakes I heartily apologize. Happy reading!

Special thanks to maevelin for her absolutely amazing new cover! I bow down in awe to her superior manip skills.

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or TO, sadly. (And if I did, I certainly wouldn't be asking my fans who writes the best fanfiction. Nice try, JP and co.)

Chapter Seventeen

Katherine nearly bowled several bodies over in her haste to locate Elijah, a nigh impossible feat due to the sheer number of people crowding the ballroom. She shoved her way past sparkling skirts and impeccably starched waistcoats, cursing internally. Time was of the essence and if she didn't locate Elijah soon, heaven knew what would happen to Stefan and Rebekah.

Thinking quickly, she stopped short, closing her eyes and focusing her sharp hearing, searching for Elijah's cool baritone voice. A minute later she succeeded, her feet carrying her over to where he was standing with Bonnie, along the outer rim of the hall, looking especially well-dressed, not one dark hair on his head out of its place. His dark eyes stoically observing the revelry before him, an amused expression on his features as he listened to the witch.

"Bonnie, you know Kol never listens to any of us, least of all me, so why don't you try and restrain him—"

"Elijah!"

Katherine skidded to a halt in front of him, accidentally stumbling into his side. He caught her in his arms, looking shocked by her erratic clumsiness. His eyebrows rose when he saw her distress. "Miss Gilbert, what on earth is the matter? You're not hurt, are you?"

Ignoring the warmth that she felt at hearing his concern, Katherine shook her head, leaning forward conspiratorially and lowering her voice. "Remember what I told you last night? There's not time to explain, but we have to hurry, it's Stefan and Rebekah, something's happened, and Caroline is—"

"Rebekah and who?"

"Stefan," she insisted, rolling her eyes at his confusion. "He's—oh, never you mind, but the point is, they're both in danger and if we don't find them soon—"

"Katherine!" Bonnie firmly interrupted her convoluted explanation. "Which way did they go?"

"I'm not sure, but Caroline's on the terrace…"

"You two go get reinforcements," Bonnie cut her off, her face set with grim determination. "I'll find Caroline."

"Understood," Elijah said, his calm demeanor transforming into a mask of gravity and urgency.

Bonnie took off, leaving no room for argument. Before she could say another word, Elijah was already steering her through the mass of people towards the throne where Klaus was now sitting.

"Stay calm," he breathed into her ear as they made their way forward. "It would not bode well to frighten the guests unnecessarily."

"Right," Katherine nodded in agreement, carefully matching Elijah's measured but purposeful gait.

Despite her panic, she couldn't help but notice the warmth he brought with his closeness.

She shivered, pushing that thought away. Certainly not the time for that!

They were halfway to the dais when Katherine heard her name being called.

"Katherine! Where on earth have you been?"

She turned to her left, Elena's familiar face twinkling up at her.

"Isn't the ball wonderful?" Lexi sighed contentedly, her cheeks flushed a bright pink from too much champagne. "You must come and dance with us Katherine, there are plenty of willing partners to go around—"

"Excuse us, ladies, but Miss Gilbert and I are needed elsewhere," Elijah interrupted politely, but a slight squeeze of his hand on her own betrayed his impatience.

"Actually, we need both of you, too," Katherine declared on impulse.

"For what?" Elena asked, puzzled.

"No time to explain, come on," Katherine was already tugging them along.

"Kat, what—"

"I'll explain in a moment, but we need to tell the king first," Katherine replied sternly. Elena exchanged a confused glance with Lexi, and opened her mouth to reply, but thought better of it.

Winding their way through the crowd, Katherine was so focused on reaching the king, her heart sick with worry for Stefan and wondering how her sister would react when she explained he was in trouble, that she startled violently at the unexpected feeling of Elijah's breath tickling her ear.

"Are you certain including them in this mission is a wise decision, my lady?"

"Of course it is. We have no idea what to expect, and having reinforcements is never a bad idea. I thought you were supposed to be a brilliant military strategist?" Katherine fired back at him under her breath, rather miffed that he was clearly questioning her choices.

"Indeed," Elijah stated rather proudly, the ghost of a smirk flitting across his face. "You honor me with your compliments, Miss Gilbert."

She scoffed. "Don't thank me just yet. I fully expect you to earn that compliment tonight, or you'll find yourself experiencing the fullest extent of my wrath."

She glanced sideways at him, and to her surprise found him smiling widely.

"I eagerly look forward to either outcome…Katerina."

She swallowed hard, the heat she felt in his presence rising.

If she survived whatever evil was in store this night, she was certain that Elijah would be the death of her.

After whiling away the time drinking with Marcel and Damon until he deemed it safe to approach Caroline again, Klaus was feeling pleasantly relaxed, the alcohol having the desired soothing effect on his mind. He supposed it helped that Damon had offered him a bite of one of his human playthings. He had obliged, carefully ensuring that he was out of sight. Despite his progress with Caroline, he knew well enough that she would likely fly into a rage if she caught him indulging his bloodlust tonight of all nights. There was a time when he would be infuriated for any who judged his feeding habits, but that was before he met Caroline. It was maddening, but he found that he wanted to respect her opinion. And so, he had made a quick clean business of it, even bothering to wipe the girl's memory of the incident.

As he made his way back to the dais, he cursed himself and his weakness. What did it matter what she wanted? Hadn't he explained to her that blood was a vampire's life source? Did she expect him to starve? No, not that. She only expected him to treat humans with some semblance of dignity.

Ah well. He could not begrudge her that. At least not on their wedding day.

He smirked to himself. If all went according to plan, Caroline would understand the plight of a vampire perfectly.

Someday…

Rousing himself from his musings, he reached the dais, ordering one of the pages to fetch him more wine, his eyes searching the great hall for the telltale white flash of his bride's gown, his ears yearning for the tinkling laughter of her voice.

He had just drained his first glass and was about to call for another when a polite cough sounded beside him.

"Elijah," he acknowledged in a bored tone, not even deigning to glance up at his brother.

"Niklaus."

The edge in Elijah's voice made his head snap up, lifting his brow in surprise at seeing his brother and a few of Caroline's friends—he knew for certain that the curly-haired twin was the maid who'd caught Elijah's fancy, with her more demure twin and that blonde he'd first interviewed—standing next to him, worry etching the lines of their faces.

One glance at Elijah thrust his jovial mood away in an instant, cold wariness taking its place.

"Tell me," Klaus demanded, his eyes flickering with gold.

Elijah's dark eyes roved over the hall. "We may have a problem."

Fire and darkness.

That was all Rebekah could discern as she groggily came to herself, the acrid smell of woodsmoke mixing with the pungent fumes of vervain that still stung her face. She was at once aware of her prone position lying on the leaf-strewn ground, her hands tied behind her back with a strong cord. An instant of struggle made her hiss in pain, the ropes having been soaked in vervain as well. Her stomach ached where her assailant had staked her, although fortunately it seemed he had pulled it out while she was unconscious, leaving behind a gaping hole that was healing at an extremely low rate due to the copious amounts of vervain weakening her body.

Her ears pricked up at the low murmur of voices around her.

"Is everything ready?"

"All but her blood to seal the spell."

"Excellent. The master will be pleased."

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Rebekah cried, mustering as much bravado into her tone as she could under the circumstances. There was no way on earth she'd show these scoundrels an ounce of fear.

"No one of consequence," a voice crooned. She felt the ground beneath her shake with footsteps coming closer to her.

"Whoever you are, release me immediately. I command you!" She ordered.

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I do. I know all there is to know about you. The beautiful princess Rebekah, the youngest Original, always hiding in the shadows of her older and more important brothers, giving her heart away to any man who shows the slightest interest." He was behind her now, leaning over her, the darkness concealing his face. "Is there anything else I missed?"

"Yes," she snarled, his cruel words stinging. "I get my temper from my father."

"Much good that'll do you—he's dead," the man laughed. "And if all goes well, you'll be joining him."

He leaned closer to her, grabbing her arm with an iron fist. She had just enough time to see the silver flash of a dagger before she felt it slice deeply into her shoulder. Biting back a cry of pain, she swore under her breath. "What do you want with me?"

The man ignored her for a moment, inspecting the blood-stained blade, his lip curling in triumph. "The blood of an Original." He whispered, almost reverently. "At last."

"I said, what do you want with me? The king will have your head for this!" Rebekah screamed, trying in vain to pull apart the ropes binding her wrists.

"Oh, I very much doubt that." A smooth voice interjected, stopping her struggles. Rebekah could just make out another figure, smaller than the man, who stood closer to the fire behind some sort of stone altar. "Forgive me, I seem to have forgotten my manners." Her lip curled into a sneer. "Allow me to introduce myself, your highness. My name is Sophie Devereaux."

Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "Devereaux? As in, Jane-Ann Devereaux? My father's favorite witch?"

The brunette witch made a mock curtsey. "My sister, as it happens."

Rebekah felt a sliver of fear coil inside. The Devereaux line was a powerful one—nothing to the Bennett line, of course—and the French coven had been quite easily swayed to Mikael's influence when he was martialing his forces against Niklaus and her other siblings.

She supposed the fact that Niklaus had personally seen to Jane-Ann's execution would not help her in this predicament. A witch on a good day was moody at best, but a witch with a personal vendetta concerning the death of one of their own made the chances of her escaping unscathed near non-existent.

"As I was saying," Sophie continued coolly, "I have everything I need for a little linking spell. Once it's complete, you and your precious family will be linked as one. I wonder how long you would last in that condition? I'm sure you've made many enemies over the centuries."

"That's impossible," Rebekah spat, the first inklings of fear creeping into her heart. "My mother was a powerful witch, and you would need the blood of my brothers as well to cast such a spell—"

"Ah, but there's another, much faster way," the witch answered swiftly. "The blood of your father will do just as well to link together all of his children, as his blood flows through all of your veins. I must say it took a powerful locator spell to find the Destroyer's body, but it seems the king was not so invested in concealing Mikael's final resting place. A shallow grave in a remote section of the forest was easy enough to find. And with the help of a simple dagger—" The witch pulled a glass vial from her pocket, the glass glittering in the firelight. "His blood was ours for the taking."

Rebekah paled, but forced herself to keep her talking, anything to distract her from performing that spell. "Even if you manage to link us together, how exactly do you plan on killing us permanently? There's only one weapon on earth that can kill an Original, and those are all destroyed."

Her confident façade faltered as Sophie merely laughed. "Is that what you think? That nature would allow for such an imbalance? Oh no—you father and mother saw to that long ago."

"What are you talking about? How do I know you aren't lying?"

"You don't. Nevertheless, I am telling the truth. What would I gain by lying to you, after all?"

"What weapon are you talking about?"

"Another white oak stake. But unlike the others, this one is spelled with indestructability. Your mother cast the spell herself, before her death, and gave it to your father in his mission to purge you from the earth."

"And I'm simply supposed to believe your lies? What proof do you have? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Esther kept record of it in her grimoire, which was in Mikael's possession all these years. The witches in his service, particularly my sister, knew of its existence and his plans to kill you with it. Unfortunately, he was also no fool. The whereabouts of the stake are currently unknown, a secret that died along with Mikael." Sophie glowered, clearly displeased. "But our allies are out searching for it as we speak. It won't be long before it is discovered, and then—" Her eyes glittered maliciously. "You and your family will be utterly destroyed."

Rebekah hissed dangerously at her words. "You little bitch—I swear, when I get my hands on you, you'll beg for death—"

The witch ignored her, barking out an order to her accomplice to keep her quiet before she disappeared to the edge of the treeline, muttering an incantation under her breath.

Rebekah seized her chance, struggling against her bonds with renewed vigor. "You won't succeed! My family will find me and you will pay, you bastards!" she shouted after the Devereux witch.

The man, who had remained silent, sprang forward with a vicious kick to her side, knocking the wind out of her. "Shut up, princess," he grunted. "Your days are numbered." He came so uncomfortably close that she could feel his hot breath on her face; she shuddered violently when he traced her cheek. "Such a waste of a pretty face…still—" Her heart stilled as she saw his knife, held inches from her face. "I have all the time to make some improvements to you, and no one around to hear you scream—"

"Think again, you traitorous dog."

Startled, the man leaped to his feet, his knife held aloft. "Who goes there?"

"Someone concerned with the princess's safety. Lower your weapon and release her, if you know what's good for you," the calm voice of her rescuer stated. Twisting around as much as she could, Rebekah could just make out the uniform of one of the palace guards. Relief crashed over her. There might be a chance out of this yet.

"I don't take orders from lowly palace guards," the man sneered, advancing on the guard.

Stefan remained silent, narrowing his eyes. "And here I was hoping we could settle this peacefully." After abandoning his post to search for Rebekah, his instinct had led him to the woods, his senses tingling with awareness of magic with every step deeper into the woods until he found the clearing where Rebekah's captors had taken her. He had remained hidden beneath the cover of the darkened foliage, listening for the opportune moment to intervene.

"There will be no peace until I see the Originals dead and cold in their graves!" the man snarled, as he suddenly sprang forward, brandishing his dagger.

Quick as lightening, he raised his arms, chanting. Her captor dropped to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony.

"A lowly palace guard, did you say? I prefer the term reasonably powerful warlock, if you please," Stefan growled, channeling all his anger into his magic. "I heard every word of you plan, and make no mistake, you will suffer for your treason!"

So concentrated on his victim, however, he didn't see the witch coming until she was upon him.

"Look out!" Rebekah shouted, but it was too late.

Sneaking out from the shadows, Sophie hit him hard with a stout tree limb, an unforgiving blow that knocked him out cold, the wind from his spell instantly ceasing, leaving behind a deadly silence.

Breathing hard, the witch slowly turned to face Rebekah, her smile grim and cold. "Now then—let's not waste any more time, shall we?"

Klaus was the first to reach the terrace.

It was empty. Ominously so.

Fear threatened to rise like smoke in his lungs and choke him.

He sniffed the air, his heart clenching painfully as he inhaled her sweet rosy scent.

Caroline…

"Where is she? Oh my God, if anything happens to her or Stefan—" Elena cried hysterically, burying her head in her hands. Klaus barely refrained from snapping her neck to shut her up.

"She was right here not two minutes ago! I told her to wait for us—she must have run off!"

Katherine's worried cry barely pierced the sound of Klaus's blood pounding furiously through his veins, his thirst for vengeance only exceeded by his crippling fear for Caroline's safety. It was exactly like Caroline to through herself in danger to save others—something he had admired about her, but also exasperated him to no end. If something happened to her….well, at this point he didn't think he could bear it.

"Where could they have gone?" Lexi said fearfully.

Elijah, true to form, immediately took charge.

"Elena, Lexi, listen very carefully. Make a search around the outside perimeter of the castle. Leave no alcove or courtyard untouched. If you find them, do not engage in a fight. One of you come find us and one of you remain to watch their every move."

"And what if we don't find them?" Elena sniffed, but her voice held steady.

"Meet us in the forest behind the castle. Go!"

The two vampires sped away, leaving him with Elijah and Katherine.

Wordlessly, the three of them started towards the woods, making a quick sweep of the gardens before they reached the enormous stretch of grass that faded into the distant line of trees.

Klaus let his anger increase as he moved, feeling that primal need for blood and vengeance take over his sanity. He was already planning a slow, agonizing death for whoever was responsible for hurting Rebekah; if the criminals responsible so much as touched a hair on Caroline's head, however, their pain would last for at least a century.

Elijah must have read the murder in his face, in spite of the darkness. "Niklaus, we must keep calm about this, we can't afford any rash decisions—"

"Damn it all, Elijah, this is no time to talk a carefully planned out military strategy, we have to act, now—"

He stiffened, cutting off his heated response. A slight rustling that creatures of lesser hearing might have mistook for a breeze echoed softly around them.

They were not alone.

He halted, and felt Elijah and Katherine tense beside him as about a score of shapes materialized out of the darkness, each man armed with a long sharped stake. His blood boiled as the light from the moon overhead shone on the intruders, the Mikaelson crest emblazoned on the armor that signified a guard of the Original family.

"Good evening, men," Elijah broke the tense silence with his tranquil lilt, casually maneuvering to stand between the half circle of traitors blocking the path to the woods and Katherine. "What might you be doing out here? Surely not all of you are posted outside the castle?" He inquired evenly, his dark eyes assessing the imminent threat.

One of the guards stepped forward, a grim smile on his face. "We've come to pay you a visit, my lord," he replied harshly, hand resting on the hilt of his sword at his belt.

"Ah, I see." Elijah returned in the same diplomatic manner, but his hands slowly balled into fists at his sides.

"And pray tell, what is the purpose of your visit? I assume you didn't bring a wedding gift?" Klaus asked mockingly, never taking his eyes from the leader's face. A face he faintly recognized…

"On the contrary, my liege. In fact," the man advanced closer, baring his teeth," we've come to offer congratulations." His eyes changed strangely, and it was then that Klaus caught it—that unmistakable scent.

"Werewolves," he heard Elijah hiss beside him. Katherine let out a soft gasp.

Their leader grinned wickedly. "The Crescent clan sends their regards."

The evening breeze brought an unwanted chill to her bones as Caroline threaded her way as quickly as she dared through the woods, the moonlight casting its silver mantle over the dappled-grey foliage. It was eerily silent, no sound of bird nor beast, save for the delicate murmur of the stream. She wished she had been able to change out of her lovely white wedding gown, feeling a slight pang of guilt when she thought of the dirt and grime that must be now soiling the hem.

She paused for a brief moment to catch her breath, concentrating, trying to connect again with Stefan's voice inside her head. Her heart seemed to grow heavier with every step she took into the trees, his plea for help growing stronger as stumbled along.

But now…she felt nothing.

That was most certainly not a good sign.

Deciding there was nothing to be done except press forward and hope she would come across him one way or another, she moved forward when a hand clamped over her mouth from behind. She gave a muffled cry, instinctively jamming her heel down hard onto her captor's foot.

"Ouch! Caroline, stop, it's me!"

"Bonnie?" Caroline said in astonishment. Indeed, there was her fellow witch leaning up against a tree, glaring at her and massaging her toes. "Oh, I am so sorry! I thought you were—"

"An enemy? Hardly," Bonnie said wryly, letting out a pained chuckle. "I'm so glad I found you. Katherine alerted us about Stefan and Rebekah; I sent her and Elijah to warn the others while I looked for you. They should be here any moment now."

Caroline nodded. "Good. I've got a terrible feeling Bonnie—I know they're here in the woods, somewhere, but there's no time to waste. We've got to find them."

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Bonnie bit her lip, torn.

Caroline leveled her with a glare. "Bonnie, Rebekah and Stefan need us. Now."

Without another word, she picked up the muddy skirts of her wedding dress and strode back through the darkness.

Bonnie gave a small smile.

Queen material, indeed.

Klaus had chosen well.

.

The ring of werewolves surrounding them moved in closer, slowly, swords and spears posed for battle.

"Gentlemen, I beg you to be reasonable," Elijah said steadily, sweeping his arms in a grand gesture. "There are three of us."

There was a sudden burst of air, and Elena's voice rang out behind him. "Five of us."

Elijah supposed they had heard the commotion and doubled back to assist them. So much the better.

"Five," he acknowledged gracefully, and cocked a meaningful brow at the werewolves. "You are making a grave mistake if you think you can beat us. You can't."

The leader shrugged his threat off easily. "Beat you? Who said anything about beating you?" He brandished his sword expertly, still with that infernal smile contorting his face. "Oh no, my lords. Consider us merely a distraction." His eyes glittered gold. "The real question is, will you reach your precious Rebekah in time to save her?"

Klaus bristled. "Enough of this," he thundered, and all of a sudden, he sprang into action.

He reached the first guard in seconds, taking a vervain-tipped spear to his shoulder before he reached into the man's chest and tore out his heart, red rivulets of blood trickling all over his hand. The lust of battle was upon him, and he took a fierce joy in every cracked bone, every dismembered limb, the blood of these traitorous dogs flecking his face. He could hear Elijah in the vicinity, dodging every blow with calculated skill and inflicting his own with precision.

Cries of death and muffled moans of the wounded filled the air, along with the feminine yells of Caroline's friends, who had rushed in behind him to help. Finished skewering his current victim with his own splintered spear, he turned to his left, just in time to hear Lexi cry out in pain.

The next moment, he was upon her opponent, wrestling him to the ground before sinking his fangs into his neck, a literal taste of impending victory. He felt the werewolf's heartbeat slow until it ceased into nothingness.

Jumping swiftly to his feet, he turned back to the blonde vampire, but what he saw stopped him short.

Lexi lay in the grass, her gown flowing around her, her face pale and greying.

The butt end of a spear was embedded deep in her chest.

He froze, unable to look up from her body. In the dim light, he could almost mistake that long blonde hair for another woman far more precious to him. The thought infiltrated his head before he could stop it.

Caroline, dead and gone. Caroline, laid to rest in a coffin, dressed in a beautiful gown, her light extinguished.

The inevitability of her mortality.

His worst nightmare, and here was the first glimpse into that reality of her fragile humanity.

He clenched his fists, shaking with fear, but with new determination.

No, she was strong. Caroline was not weak, and she would not die. She never would.

Not if he could help it.

Pulling himself away from the sight of Lexi, he straightened, taking in the grotesque scene of bodies that littered the lawn, blood splattered on the grass, the stench of death fouling the air.

He flashed over to where Elijah had successfully managed to pin their leader to the ground with a sword through his shoulder, the guard howling in pain.

Klaus towered over him, recognition finally dawning on his face.

"Mason Lockwood," Klaus growled in recognition. "I should have known you'd turn out to be a filthy mutinous traitor, with your conniving ambitious ways."

The guard spat in his face. "Kill me, you Original cur!"

Klaus shook his head, letting out a devious chuckle. "Kill you? Oh no—death would be far too great a mercy for you. Besides," Klaus took the sword hilt and thrust it deeper into the werewolf's shoulder, satisfied with the answering scream of pain, "I believe you have a great deal of explaining to do on just how exactly you and your werewolf friends managed to connive your way into the castle guard undetected. A cloaking spell, I imagine?"

When the guard remained silent, glaring malevolently up at him, Klaus sneered, turning to Elijah. "Take him down to the dungeons. We'll deal with him later."

Elijah nodded silently. "And what of the girls?"

Klaus sighed heavily, jerking his chin towards where the twins had gathered around Lexi's cold dead body, Katherine whispering soothing words to her twin through her own silent tears, Elena's sobs carrying over to where they stood.

Elijah's face was grave. "Miss Branson is dead, then?"

Klaus nodded curtly. "See to it that her body is taken care of and treated with honor. I'll go on ahead and find Caroline."

"Not by yourself, I hope?" Elijah asked. Original Hybrid or not, it was not exactly wise to walk blindly into a probable trap without any help.

Klaus scoffed, and opened his mouth to belittle his elder brother's concerns, when his answer was cut off by a mischievous laugh.

"Of course he's not, brother," a cheerful voice sounded nearby. Out of the darkness, Kol emerged slowly, surveying the damage with mild interest. He looked up at Klaus and Elijah, smirking and rubbing his hands together eagerly. "So, what have I missed?"

They had been walking for a good quarter of an hour or so before Bonnie flung out her arm, halting Caroline in her tracks.

"See that light up ahead?" she muttered under her breath, pointing at a distant glow in the trees. "We must be close."

Stealthily, they kept up the pace, pausing every few minutes or so to listen. Caroline's heart pounded in her chest with every step they took.

Finally, they found it. Quickly, Caroline took in the scene, from the slab of rock to the roaring fire to the figure standing over the hard stone, grimoire in hand. There were no signs of any other creature.

"We can take her," Caroline looked at Bonnie, pleadingly. "Together. She's outnumbered two to one as it is."

Bonnie nodded slowly. "Alright." She cocked her head, listening intently to the witch's faint chanting. Their position at the edge of the clearing gave them a clear view to the bonfire, but the rustle of the wind was making it difficult to comprehend what exact spell she was casting.

"Phasmatos, tribuat invocavi ad virtutem. Per sanguinem et semen patris , quod una anima coniungeret."*

Bonnie blanched, suddenly grabbing Caroline's hand tightly. "By the spirits, she's reciting a linking spell."

"A linking spell?" Caroline whispered urgently. "For what?"

"My guess is that she's somehow found a way to link the Original family together. It certainly explains why they took Rebekah," Bonnie whispered back. "This cannot be good."

"Bonnie, we need to stop her! Now, before she completes it!"

She made to run, but Bonnie yanked her backwards. "Caroline, wait! We can't just run in there without a plan!"

"You want a plan? Fine—we sneak up behind her, and we both cast an immobilization spell. That should do the trick," Caroline snapped fiercely, more out of concern than anger, keeping her voice low so as not to alert the witch to her presence.

After a beat of hesitation, Bonnie gave a firm nod of agreement, slowly getting to her feet. Caroline followed suit, and they took off into the trees, treading with extreme caution as they made their way around to the other side of the clearing. Luckily, the moonlight together with the roaring fire was bright enough to cast enough light for them to see without also exposing their cover.

As soon as they were in position behind the witch, Caroline called a halt. "Look, that shape over there..."

She could just make out what looked to be a body bound and splayed on the grass in front of the witch's makeshift altar, a glint of golden hair shining in the firelight.

"Rebekah," Bonnie replied grimly. She glanced at Caroline. "Are you ready?"

The blonde tossed her head in answer, her face hardening, body twitching to attack.

Bonnie inhaled a deep, steadying breath. Caroline tensed in anticipation, wildly wondering where on earth Stefan was at this moment, hoping that he hadn't been captured as well. She tapped her foot impatiently.

"On the count of three," Bonnie whispered. "One—"

"Three!" Caroline scrambled out of the thicket, hands raised, already beginning her immobilization spell.

"Phasmatos, immobiles!"** she cried in a bold voice. The heady rush of power flowing through her fingertips invigorated her, the last vestiges of fear melting away as the familiar sensation consumed her being.

She ran forward, hearing Bonnie race after her, repeating the spell.

Rebekah's captor whirled around to face them, a mask of surprise that quickly melted into sheer anger. A sharp flick of her hand, and Caroline felt a sharp pain in her head. She bit back a cry, but by force of will she kept moving, slowly but steadily, focusing all her power onto the woman. The wind picked up around them, the bonfire suddenly blazing and roaring with the bursts of magic coming from the three witches, leaves from the trees fluttering all around in a veritable maelstrom of nature's power.

"Phasmatos, immobiles!"

"No!" The witch screamed in fury, her last struggles ceasing, her arms clamping to her sides. Bonnie and Caroline's combined power was too strong.

As she advanced on the witch, Caroline felt whole again, all the time spent at the castle in the presence of vampires where she was forced to suppress that most integral part of herself.

A fierce rush of triumph surged through her veins at the sight of the brown-haired witch almost completely over-powered, although she still had enough power to keep up the pain she had inflicted in Caroline's brain.

Willing her mind to ignore the dull throb, she suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She could see Rebekah struggling to get out of the thick ropes tied around her wrists and ankles.

But still there was no sign of Stefan.

"Bonnie, hold the witch! I'll get Rebek—"

A brawny, hulking body collided with her, a sharp pain in her side faintly registering in her mind as she was pinned to the ground, the shock of the blow breaking her concentration and snuffing out her magic. She gasped for air, choking on the rancid smell of ale and sweat and dirt.

"Trying to be brave and stop us, are we, little witch?" a guttural growl rasped in her ear. "You'd best give it up now, my sweet, or I'll forget to be nice."

"Where is Stefan?" Caroline demanded, attempting to wriggle her body loose, but it was no use. She was no match for the enormous muscle of her opponent. "Get off me!" she spat in his face.

He hissed, wringing one large hand around her slender throat and squeezing slightly. Caroline saw black spots swimming before her eyes, her crushed windpipe slowly cutting off her air.

"Looking for your beau, then? Don't worry, we were just putting him to sleep." He crooned tauntingly.

A red rage overtook Caroline then. With one last surge of effort, she twisted under him, positioning her knee just right and then forcing it upwards right into his groin. He cursed vividly, curling inward on his pain, and Caroline seized her chance. Rolling away, she got swiftly to her feet, and raised her hand menacingly.

"Phasmatos, percusserit!"† She cried, but instead of flying backward several feet as she intended, she heard a rush of air and a sickening crack. The man fell forward straight on his face, his neck splayed in an odd angle, blood seeping from his nose and mouth.

He was dead, and Caroline was looking straight into the dark, feral eyes of Klaus.

*Spirits, I call upon thee to grant me power. By the blood of the father and his offspring, unite these souls as one.

**Spirits, immobilize.

†Spirits, strike.

So I really hope that you liked the chapter, I'm pretty nervous about this one because firstly, I tried to go along with Esther's linking spell but I had to fudge it a bit, so obviously it's different. (But to be honest, all of the TVD spells are constantly changed and mixed up so I tried my best and tried to make it as plausible as possible with just saying 'because magic.' Fanfiction at its finest.) Secondly, as I wrote the chaper some of the things that happened were not originally in my outline and sort of just flowed into the story, and I'm pretty sure I'm absolutely terrible at writing action sequences, so please let me know what you thought about it!

Next chapter picks up where this leaves off. And I'm about 97.8% sure that in the next few chapters there will be a rating change ;)

And as always, THANK YOU for all of your support for this fic! Seriously, reading your reviews and seeing people follow and favorite this story makes it all worth it. Y'all make all the idiocy that happens with the shows so much more bearable. *virtually hugs each of you* Until next time then!