A/N: Happy Klaroline Wednesday! (Almost its Wednesday in some part of the world shhhh) I figured I'd update today instead of Friday because everyone could use some Klaroline in their life. And Originals. With KOL. Because who doesn't love Kol :(
But anyway, onto the story. Hope you enjoy this twisted chapter.
As I cannot be the hero, let me be the monster, and lesson them in fear in place of love.- George R. R. Martin
In theory a sixteen hour drive didn't seem like it would be that long, but considering who all was inside the SUV and the tension that seemed to be radiating off of most of the passengers, it was a wonder that they had made it to the halfway point. Even more amazing was the fact that everyone still had all of their limbs attached.
Stefan had always thought he had a complicated relationship with his brother, but watching the Mikaelson siblings interact seemed to give new meaning to the word dysfunctional. If they weren't threatening to drive something into one another over the littlest thing they were bickering over it. That usually led to the threats, a few of which had been carried out.
He didn't really care about them though, figuring it all must have been the usual chaos of having the three in such tight quarters. His concern was directed toward the blonde sitting in the back who hadn't uttered a word since they had gotten into the car. She hadn't exited the vehicle after they stopped for gas the first time, ignoring anyone who tried to talk her out of the car. Except for when Klaus did it. He'd gotten a rather venomous glare that Stefan had been particularly proud of seeing her don, even if it did seem to make the Hybrid more volatile than he'd been prior.
There hadn't been an opportunity for him to talk to her, not with the others being around. When she hadn't gotten out of the car, Klaus had shoved him toward the store to go pick up some things. Looked like the Hybrid didn't want them to be alone together. Stefan had a feeling it wasn't because he thought they'd be plotting against him. He'd seen the way Klaus had watched them back in the hotel room when they had hugged, felt Rebekah's anger and jealousy over the embrace as well.
He couldn't help but think of how sad it was that they felt that way about something so innocent. It'd merely been friends comforting one another after everything that had happened, wanting to make sure the other was as okay as they could be considering the circumstances. But friendship seemed to be something none of the Originals quite understood, though some were worse at it than others.
"We need to stop," Rebekah demanded, fiddling with the air conditioning vents for the hundredth time.
"I agree with Rebekah," Kol replied, leaning forward against the armrest between Klaus and their sister. "I've beaten the two games I bought. I need another one."
"And I need new magazines." Rebekah dropped her latest onto the floor beside the others. "The fashion tips in these ones are atrocious."
Stefan leaned back, waiting for Klaus' response. "Or I could snap both of your necks and enjoy the silence our other two companions offer us," Klaus informed them, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.
"Stefan is probably brooding and I think Caroline is giving you the silent treatment," Rebekah pointed out, glancing over her shoulder toward them. "I quite like it. Less chance of her voice becoming so grating."
"I quite like her voice. Much better than your shrieking one. I bet it's quite something when she's moaning out in pleasure. Right, Nik?" Kol started, and Stefan watched the steering wheel bend in Klaus' grip as he tried not to rise to the bait. "Oh wait; you've never experienced that with her."
"Must we talk about that?" Rebekah groaned, flicking the dials again.
"Shall we talk about your lack of one then, dear sister?" Kol commented, picking up one of the magazines and beginning to flip through it. "Humans are unable to do a great number of these sexual positions in this magazine. At least not without a great deal of pain, most likely ending in death. Which tickles my fancy just fine. What else have I missed out on?" He glared at Klaus before looking back at the magazine, flipping to another page. "What rubbish are you reading, Bekah?"
"It's all the rage at school," Rebekah huffed, trying to grab the magazine back from him.
"I think we need to pick up something educational for our sister, Nik. I think I saw a children's book of games and mazes. Perhaps she could learn something useful from that." Kol happily kept the magazine out of her reach which only seemed to infuriate her more, having her lunge for it as best she could while being strapped into the front passenger seat.
"We're not stopping until we need gas again," Klaus informed them, the strain for control in his voice very obvious. "Though I would be happy to drop both of you off right now and you can meet us in Virginia."
"And miss out on all the fun of a family drive? Never," Kol replied, tossing the magazine behind him and giving Rebekah a bright smile. It only widened when she pressed her lips together, letting out a high pitched scream of frustration. He looked over at Stefan who was trying to stare out the window again, working on ignoring the rest of them, focusing on Caroline's reflection. "And to think you once found that attractive."
"Shut it, Kol," Rebekah growled, throwing her empty cup at his head.
"She's such a charmer," Kol continued, easily dodging the cup.
"Enough," Klaus demanded, his voice harsh and demanding obedience.
Rebekah scoffed and crossed her arms, though she didn't make another sound after that. "You're no fun anymore, Nik," Kol muttered, but flicked the television back on above him, turning his attention back to the game as he plugged the headphones back into the outlet. It seemed he didn't feel like pushing any more buttons for a bit.
Stefan wondered what had gotten the Original to cease with his banter, he seemed to enjoy riling the other two up, especially Klaus, but something in the Hybrid's tone had gotten him to halt for at least the time being. Silence fell over the car, Rebekah reading one of the magazines again, Stefan silently watching Caroline's reflection, noting that Klaus was casting looks back in her direction every so often as he drove. And Caroline simply sat with her forehead pressed against the window, still ignoring them.
"I'm hungry," she murmured after some time had passed, the car swerving to the right for a brief second at Klaus startled over the fact that she had spoken.
"Oh look, she speaks," Rebekah muttered, flicking another page. "Should have gotten something when we stopped last instead of sulking in the car."
"What would you like to eat?" Klaus asked, looking back at her in the rearview mirror. "We'll stop at the next place that I see is open."
"You cannot be serious," Rebekah demanded, and Stefan tried to refrain from smiling at her indignation. "What happened to us not stopping until we need gas again?"
Caroline didn't reply at all, back in the position she had been since they got into the car, and Rebekah huffed and hawed as Klaus ignored her mutterings, looking for signs of civilization. Stefan glanced over at Kol who was grinning, clearly amused by the situation. He really didn't want to understand how that Original's mind worked.
Half an hour later, Klaus pulled into a gas station, looking over at Rebekah as he parked the car by one of the pumps. "There, Rebekah, you can make sure we're topped off," he told her before getting out of the car.
Stefan climbed out as well, not wanting to see Rebekah's fit over that, even if there was no way he could avoid hearing it. Kol piled out behind him, heading toward the convenience store. To his surprise, Caroline exited as well.
"Oh my, Sleeping Beauty dares to grace us with her presence," Rebekah stated as she got out, rounding the car to start filling it up.
Stefan stepped toward Caroline, wanting to talk to her, but was unsurprised when Klaus slid up next to her, motioning toward the store. "I'm certain you'll be able to find something to whet your appetite," Klaus told her, offering up a charming smile. "Get whatever you'd like."
Caroline simply glared at him for a moment, before making a noise of disgust as she walked away. Klaus narrowed his eyes as he watched her walk, clearly unamused with the situation, clenching and unclenching his fists as she headed into the store. "What did you expect? For her to be jumping up and down at what you did?" Stefan asked, trying not to take a step back when Klaus looked at him. If looks could kill…
"I was protecting her." Klaus looked back at the building and Stefan shook his head. Of course that was all the Hybrid saw he had done. Really didn't surprise him in the least.
"By killing two of her friend's. And you threatened her mom," Stefan pointed out. "I think the latter actually was more of an offense to her, but the other two definitely didn't win you any bonus points."
"Thank you for your unneeded assessment of the situation, Stefan," Klaus bit out before walking away from him as well, heading into the store.
Stefan nearly followed, wanting to keep an eye on Caroline, worried about what the Original brothers might do, but Rebekah was already in his path, blocking him. "I don't think she needs any other white knights heading after her," Rebekah told him, and Stefan arched a brow at that, stepping around her.
"Jealousy really doesn't look good on you," he murmured and headed toward the store. "Especially the unwarranted kind." He was inside before she could answer; intent on not giving her any more of reaction no matter how she acted in response. There was no muttering of words, nothing at all from the other blond, and he looked back out of the door. Rebekah was staring down at the ground, shoulders slumping in something akin to defeat. He watched a small shudder wrack through her body before she straightened herself up, cold exterior once again snapping in place as she stalked back to finish pumping gas into the car.
Was that guilt that he was feeling?
He didn't have time to assess those feelings though, attention snapping to the front counter where Kol was placing on more snacks and magazines than was needed, chatting up the clerk who seemed to be eating up the attention. Stefan shifted his gaze around the store, searching out Caroline who he found in an aisle, picking out some chips. Klaus was at the end of the aisle, watching her, but not approaching. It was almost comical if not for the fact Stefan worried the Hybrid would eventually snap and pry her heart out of her chest in annoyance one day.
There was a thud and Stefan looked over, seeing Kol on the other side of the counter, wiping blood from his chin as Klaus came rounding up toward him. "I was hungry," Kol grinned, hopping back over the counter and grabbing up his snacks.
"Get in the car," Klaus ordered, looking as though he was ready to throttle his younger brother.
"Like you weren't thinking of doing it." Kol glanced over at Caroline who stood clutching her bag of chips to her chest, though he grinned at her, obviously enjoying what he saw. "That's a very pretty face you have, darling."
Stefan looked over at her as well, watching her try to reel back her vampire features, working on her breathing technique. He had a feeling she was reacting to the blood and wondered when she had last fed. Caroline flashed past all of them, heading into the car and curling back up on the backseat before any of them could say a word to her. "Stefan, deal with the security cameras. We need to destroy that footage," Klaus directed, picking up the bag of chips Caroline had dropped on the ground in her haste. He couldn't hear a heartbeat and that was a good enough assessment that the clerk was dead.
Stefan did as asked, knowing they didn't need their faces plastered on the news for murder. It wouldn't help them keep a low profile. Though it seemed that being with Kol made that a constant challenge anyway. Deleting the last few hours of footage and disabling the security system took almost no time and he headed back out, noting the cash register drawer had been pulled open and that no money remained inside. No doubt to help it look like a robbery.
Rebekah was already in the car flipping through a new magazine though now in the space Stefan had been riding in before, Kol was hooked into his headphones again, and Caroline was still curled up in the back, the bag of chips sitting beside her on the seat. Stefan got into the passenger's side, sitting up front by Klaus who peeled out of the station before he even got his seatbelt on.
Stefan sighed and buckled up, not looking forward to the next few hours in the car. He could only imagine what it would be like once they arrived in Arlington.
It was a simple plan. Gather others who hated Klaus, who'd lost out on family because of the man. Really, he could have gone to a number of places and probably found countless victims of the Hybrid's but Tyler had stuck to the ones who personally meant something to him. He figured it would help sell what he wanted to do, what he was getting them involved in if he could relate personally to each of them.
So he focused on the hybrids. His pack. He knew the last fifteen that had survived better than the others, especially those who had died unsired, but he had felt a kinship to every single one of them. He had a list of every hybrid he knew Klaus had sired, with their last known addresses or at least the state if he couldn't get that detailed. The hybrids hadn't been part of packs a lot of the time but there had always been someone they talked about. That person who they'd left behind when they were turned and the gene ran in families so he figured someone must be missing them. And Tyler felt that those people deserved to know what had happened to their loved ones. He also thought maybe some of those people would want revenge just like he did. Not to mention the chance to get their loved ones back.
Tyler had started in Portland, knowing there had been a pack there, but quickly learned that the one that had been there the year before had already moved on, not wanting to stick around in case Klaus returned looking for more werewolves to sire. His trip there had been cut short by Mikael's arrival and with everything that had happened in Mystic Falls since that time, Tyler knew the Hybrid hadn't ventured toward the West Coast again. He eventually located the pack up in Washington, camping out in Olympic National Park.
They knew he was different the moment he stepped out of the car he'd acquired, every single one of them tensing and warily watching him. Some looked ready to fight. Others looked ready to flee as fast as they could.
"Your kind ain't welcome here." Tyler couldn't be sure who yelled it, but he couldn't hold back his cringe at the words. There was a time when he'd have been welcomed with open arms. Like he had been by Jules' pack, but that seemed like a lifetime ago after everything that had happened. Now he wasn't a werewolf, nor was he a vampire. It was like living and yet not living in two worlds at once.
He hated it.
"Dean was a friend of mine," Tyler started, holding his hands up and not moving toward them. He wanted their trust, didn't want to frighten them. "So was Nate." Two he knew had come from the Portland area and who'd had their lives ended earlier than they should have been. There was a chance that someone knew one of them and if not, they should at least know about Klaus.
"Was?" one called out, another trying to stifle a sob at the news. "That mean what I think it does?"
Tyler nodded, taking one step forward and another when the wolves didn't attack or run. "Yeah, they were slaughtered. By Klaus." He couldn't help the venom in his voice when he said the Hybrid's name.
"Knew that monster wasn't going to be helping them any," one of the men closer to him muttered. "We told them boys."
Tyler knew that some of the hybrids had wanted the change, had willingly walked into it after learning they'd no longer be beholden to the moon. Others had gotten it forced upon them, just like him, never really getting the choice. None of them realized exactly what it all entailed with the sire bond.
"Is he coming here?" someone called out, and Tyler could practically smell the fear radiating off the group at that suggestion.
Just the thought of Klaus could inspire so much fear and it made Tyler sick. How one man could have that much power, could rip apart families with such ease. It was wrong, it was sick. He needed to be stopped. Looking at these terrified faces only reiterated that belief.
"No. He can't make any more hybrids," Tyler assured. Well, not unless Klaus got the cure. But he meant to make certain that never happened. He would destroy it if he had to. The others would understand, and even if they didn't, that wouldn't stop him. Klaus wasn't allowed to rip apart anymore families like he had, to use werewolves as his own personal, expendable army. Not if Tyler had a say and considering what Jules and Mason had told him and showed him, he was going to have one.
Relief swept through the group at that revelation and they started back doing what they had been working on before he had driven up to see them.
"What if I told you that I could get them back? And that we could stop Klaus once and for all?" Tyler asked, watching the faces of the others, trying to gauge their reaction. Most turned away, not wanting any part in what he was selling, but a handful of them stepped forward.
"Nate was my brother," one told him.
"Dean was my best friend," another replied.
"What exactly do we need to do?" one more asked.
Tyler grinned, nodding toward the roaring fire in the middle of the campground. "Why don't we go sit down and I'll fill you in on everything."
Getting out of the car only to head to the hotel was not exactly what Rebekah wanted to do. Their confinement had only increased in size and being saddled with the other four for any more length of time seemed like a rather tortuous punishment. One that she could not think up a reason for her to suffer. Kol's little bards were beyond grating, as was Klaus' constant glances toward the annoying little cheerleader he continued to pick over. Even Stefan's presence was getting on her last nerve.
"I do not care what the rest of you are off to do. I am going to go soak in that lovely marble tub and if any of you disturb me I'll make sure a piece of it ends up in your heart." It wouldn't kill any of them but it would hurt and it'd make her feel infinitely better.
She turned on her heel, already heading in the direction of the master bath and trying to ignore anything Kol would add. She knew he would. He never could hold back with his little comments.
"Rebekah," Klaus started, and she stopped, turning to look at him. He looked as though he was going to chastise her decision and she was not about to allow that. Not this time. Not after the bastard had daggered her again and left her to lie in the tunnels. From what she'd gotten out of Kol, neither he nor Elijah had known what had happened. Typical.
"I have nothing to say to you right now," she replied, turning on her heel again, pushing her way past Stefan who seemed about to say something as well, but didn't. Coward. Not that she probably even wanted to know what might have come out of his mouth.
"While our sister wastes her time playing in the bathtub, I'm going out," Kol remarked, and Rebekah closed the bathroom door, not giving a damn where he was headed in that moment.
Kol would leave and cause chaos somewhere for a few hours while Klaus and Stefan fawned over Caroline. That was just fine by her. She'd sit in the bathtub and mull over her plans for the cure. To stop Silas's rise they would no doubt have to go to wherever he was currently residing and if the rest of the information she had been told was correct then the cure would be there as well. It should be simple enough to abscond with it while the others completed their own tasks.
Maybe it was just a fleeting idea, to end her infinite existence. To actually have a chance to grow old, to marry and have children and finally die. She wasn't so sure about the dying part but she did want the rest of it. Or at least she thought she did, she wanted the chance to be able to have it. One that had been torn from her because of her parents' fear. There were other ways to get the same kind of chance, ones where she wouldn't have to give up her immortality for a more human life, but she was currently fixated on this one. Wanted this one, and why did it have to be denied to her?
If they could stop Silas and keep the Mikaelson parents from ever leaving the Other Side and the cure remained intact then shouldn't she get the chance to take it if she wanted? Not that she was about to tell any of the others that fact. She had an idea of what her brothers' reaction would be and it wasn't anything pretty. But she was over a thousand years old, wasn't it about time she was allowed to make her own decisions without their added quips and jibs?
She picked her cell up from where she had laid it near the bath, listening to see who had stuck around and from the multiple voices she could hear knew that a phone conversation wouldn't be plausible. Not with how easy it was to eavesdrop. A text would have to do.
Rebekah: I need you to do some digging for me.
April: What do you need? Are you alright? :(
Rebekah: I'm perfectly fine.
Rebekah: See if you can locate any of that professor's work. Anything related to the Silas myth.
April: I can do that. :)
Rebekah: Thank you, April. Let me know what you find ASAP.
April: TTYS :)
Rebekah erased the messages and dropped the phone back on top of her clothes. That girl used entirely too many smiley faces, but she was the only one who hadn't stabbed her in the back, who had actually removed the dagger from her, and that had to mean something. Even if she could be fairly irritating.
This friendship thing was a lot harder than it seemed.
It wasn't like servants or compelling people to do her bidding. That she excelled at, having servant girls who followed her every whim, companions who listened intently because she wanted them to was easy enough. But genuine friendship like she had watched the Mystic Falls gang have with one another was like a foreign language she had yet to master, one she didn't quite know the nuances to and continued to mix up something polite with a motion that meant something vulgar instead. It was draining the changes that had occurred while she had been in that coffin. The camaraderie between everyone seemed to have altered, what she had known to be the norm less than a hundred years ago was now a thing of the past and nowhere near in style any longer.
It was maddening and she hated her brother for taking those years from her, even if a small part of her understood why he had done so. His twisted belief that he was keeping them safe by keeping them with him, so easy to cart around out of their father's reach. She had been the one who never left his side and she knew that her saying she wanted to be with Stefan was something Klaus hadn't been able to handle. Not with Mikael right on their table.
He hadn't been the first Rebekah had wanted to run away with, there had been others, but Stefan had been the last straw after everything else that had happened that year. Elijah leaving the group, Kol's daggering, she had been the last sibling at Klaus' side.
Rebekah leaned back in the tub, staring up at the ceiling. But there would be no more thoughts about Klaus or any of it. She wanted to relax and thinking about him would never allow that to happen.
Elena glanced around the college bar, keeping an eye out for the young man that she was supposed to find. She didn't know why she was so adamant about doing so, why she knew she needed to complete this task above anything else. It was all that mattered any more, doing what had been so neatly laid out in her mind. She couldn't seem to deviate from it and unlike with the sire bond her mind never even tried to do so. There were no flashes of remembering something else, only for her brain to work itself out to fit into the boxes it had been told to make work for her now.
This was different.
All she had now were the plans that continuously rolled over in her head. There was no deviating from them, no caring about anything except completing them. She didn't get any satisfaction from doing so, but there was no fear either. No sorrow. No complete and utter devastation that she had lost the last remaining member of her family. Nothing but the need to follow through with her task. It would have been peaceful if she'd been able to feel anything close to that emotion.
It was easy enough to find her target, and she slid over on the bar beside the guy, smiling playfully at him. He arched a brow at his friend before turning all of his attention over to her, his gaze dropping down to her chest and then back up to her eyes. Nothing at all subtle about the motion.
Elena didn't hesitate, scooting in a little so she could lock her gaze with his. "Do exactly what I say. Take me home," she compelled, though from the way he had been looking her over, practically salivating at the idea of what she must look like under her jeans and low-cut top, she had a feeling she might not have needed to resort to that.
Ah well. It made everything easier if he followed her directions.
He slid off the stool and she followed after him, ignoring the few cheers let loose from his friends as they exited the bar together. Once they got to the dorm, she easily played into the part of a random hookup, kissing him hard as she pushed him up against the door.
After some fumbling with the keys, the boy eventually got it open and they stumbled inside. Elena closed the door behind them, letting her fangs drop down as he turned to set the keys down on the table beside it. "Don't scream."
He didn't, compulsion not allowing it, though she could taste his fear, see it in his eyes as he looked back at her. She pounced, tearing into his throat and drinking her fill of him. She didn't kill him though, biting into her wrist once she felt his heartbeat weaken considerably. She pushed it against his mouth, forcing her blood down his throat.
The wounds to his neck were already healing and she pulled back, licking her lips as she watched him stare at her in horror, trying to figure out what was happening. Elena smiled at him, and then reached out, quickly breaking his neck. He fell onto the floor, reminding her of an old rag doll she'd once had as a little girl. It had flopped down onto the floor just like he did.
"Now we'll just wait for your roommate to get here," she murmured, stepping over his body and sitting down on the couch before turning on the television.
Inside somewhere she must have been screaming, hating everything that she was doing, what she was becoming. But she didn't feel any guilt. She didn't feel anything in that moment except a need to continue to carry out the design.
Hours passed and eventually the boy woke up, pushing up off the ground and rubbing his neck, uncertain what had happened. He nearly screamed as he looked at her but she was off the seat in seconds, pressing him to the wall, hand clasped over his mouth, as the key turned in the lock. Looked like the roommate was home.
"Oh, jeeze, John. I didn't know you had…" his roommate stumbled as he walked into the dorm, seeing the two of them pressed against the wall.
John was in transition, not quite a vampire yet, and Elena had months on him in regards to her own strength, holding him easily in place. She let him go as the roommate closed the door and pounced on the new young man even as John shouted, "Get the hell out of here, Eddie."
Elena easily caught Eddie, locking him into place against her as she bit into his wrist. The smell of blood erupted in the air and she could hear John's struggle over it, how tempting it was for him to drink it and complete the transition. She pulled Eddie to him, letting John drink some of the blood as the other boy cursed, wondering what was happening.
It didn't take much to do the trick and Elena pushed John off, letting him fall back to the wall as he fully turned, fangs descending and snapping at his roommate. "What the fuck is going on?" Eddie demanded, trying to get the hell away from him.
Elena slammed her hand into the table that held the keys, easily splintering it, and grabbed a piece of the wood, forcing it into Eddie's hand. She helped him swing it, effectively staking the newly turned John. Eddie screeched, dropping the wood and looking down at his dead friend, at her, and then at his right arm, his horror seeming to grow with each thing.
"What the fuck did you do?" he screamed, pulling at his hair, and she had a feeling he thought he was going mad. He probably was. "Where did this fucking tattoo come from?"
"The others will be here soon to explain everything," Elena told him and stepped back, wiping her hands on her pants. "My deed is done."
She flashed out of the room and away from the campus before he could say anything. It wasn't her task to help him through what he'd just become. She had other things to do to help Silas rise and she meant to see each of them through. Not that she really had a choice in the matter.
Caroline didn't budge from the passenger seat of the SUV, staring over at the townhouse that they were currently parked in front of. She hadn't visited it in over a year, but everything about it looked the same. Even the small sign letting people know the place had a security alarm was still lopsided in the middle of the lawn. Steven's car was in the driveway, but she didn't see any sign of his daughter's bike. That usually meant the girl was either at her mother's or at a friend's house for the night. Caroline hoped that was the case. She really didn't want to get that kid involved. She didn't want Steven involved either but there wasn't any way to talk Klaus or the others out of seeing him.
"We do need to exit the vehicle, love," Klaus started, and she nearly gave herself whiplash with how fast she turned her attention to him.
"I'm not leaving this car until you swear to me that you won't hurt him." She was adamant about that, crossing her arms and fixing her gaze with his own. She could see the internal battle going on inside of his head, no doubt wanting to lash out at her for even suggesting that he cater to her demands mixed with his apparent desire to not upset her.
"Or I can go in there alone and get all that I want out of him by whatever means I deem necessary. All while you sulk in the car." Apparently lashing out was winning this time. "Though, I'm sure you'll exit it eventually. No doubt when his screams become a bit too much for you to handle."
She was fuming, hands now down in her lap, clenching her fists in her lap.
"Don't think that you can force my hand, Caroline," Klaus continued, and she looked away from him and back at the house, wishing Steven's car hadn't been there. That she could warn him to get the hell out and run as fast as possible, for him to hide somewhere that he'd never be found. But she didn't have her phone and she didn't know his phone number by heart. She wasn't even sure he had the same one anymore since her dad and he had apparently broken up before her dad's death.
"However," Klaus started, and she looked back at him, wondering what new blow he was going to unleash on her. She didn't like his smirk, the one that implied he knew he was about to win, that he was already counting his victory before it happened. "The chances of him walking away with his life do increase dramatically if you're in there with me." His hand ghosted up her arm, and she wrenched her body away from his, getting out of the car as fast as she could manage without drawing attention.
She didn't dare look at him when he joined her on the sidewalk, already imagining how amused he was by how masterfully he'd manipulated the situation. Caroline headed toward the front door, her annoyance only growing as Klaus walked in sync with her. "I'm guessing it's too much to hope you'll let me do the talking," Caroline grumbled as she knocked on the door.
"We can start your way," Klaus replied, and she wanted to strangle him for the amusement she heard in his voice as the door opened.
"Hey," Caroline started as she saw Steven. He looked a little older, a little balder, but it was still the guy who had helped her learn how to do basic maintenance on her car when she'd first got it. "Sorry for just dropping—"
Steven's features flicked from surprise to dark determination in a split second. She didn't even see where the stake came from that he lunged forward with, aiming for her heart. It never got anywhere close, Klaus grabbing the man's arm and twisting it. There was a snap as the bone broke, stake falling to the floor as Klaus pushed him up against the front of the house. "Wrong move, mate."
His forearm was pressing against Steven's neck and Caroline could hear him struggle to breath. She knew if Klaus kept it up that he'd snap his windpipe in seconds. "No! Stop!" she grabbed onto Klaus' arm, trying to pull him away. "You can't hurt him. Stop it."
"He nearly killed you." And she knew by Klaus' tone that was all that mattered to him in that moment. Gone was the fact that they were supposed to get answers or the fact that they could be seen by anyone at the moment. Admittedly no one else seemed to be out and about but that could change at any second.
"But he didn't." Caroline kept pulling at his arm. "Steven invite us inside, please. We need to talk to you. Remember?" She pushed at Klaus, trying to get him to release his hold. "He has information for us. We need him alive."
"I'm not inviting you anywhere," Steven told her, his voice hoarse as he attempted to struggle against Klaus. There was none of the warmth she was used to, even how he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. "I'll kill you both as soon as he lets go of me."
"It seems we'll be using my time tested methods of gathering information." Klaus leaned forward until he was a hair's breath away from Steven. "And your little stakes and vervain traps and anything else you're thinking of using won't do a lot against me. I don't believe we've been introduced but considering what Zelda said about your pastime, I'm sure you've heard of me. The name's Klaus."
Steven's eyes widened in horror, his breath hitching, and Caroline could smell the spike in fear, could see the sweat beading on his forehead. "I see you've heard of me."
And there was that damn smugness all over again.
"Now, be a good chap and let us in," Klaus compelled, but Steven continued to grab onto his arm trying to pry him off even though it was useless. "I see you can't be compelled at the moment. Pity."
Klaus moved his hand, drawing Steven toward him for a moment before striking the back of his neck. Caroline gasped as the man collapsed forward. "What did you do?"
Oh god oh god. Was he dead? He couldn't be dead. "He's perfectly fine, Caroline," Klaus told her as he lifted Steven up and turned to head back to the car. "He'll wake again in a bit and we'll be able to get all the information we need from him. Considering he most likely has vervain in his system it may take a tad bit longer than I'd like to get answers."
"What did you do?" she urged, following him toward the SUV. He placed Steven in the back of it and motioned for her to head back to her side of the car. She did as directed, glancing back at Steven as she buckled up.
"There are certain areas on the body that if pressed in a specific way can garner different types of reactions from the body. Such as knocking someone out," Klaus informed her as he started up the car. "He should be fine when he wakes, though I doubt he'll enjoy the circumstances."
"So we'll get our information and then we'll let him go."
Right? That seemed doable. Though she knew Klaus was right and maybe Steven did have vervain in his system. It was that or he had learned to fight off compulsion like her father had. She worried what Klaus would want to do to him if that was the case. If it was vervain then they'd need to bleed it out of him…but if he was able to fight the compulsion. Caroline didn't even want to imagine what would need to happen for Klaus to get his answers then.
"He did just try and stake you." Klaus' hands tightened on the steering wheel and Caroline thought it was a miracle that it was still usable considering the dents he'd put in it. At least he hadn't torn it out like he had the radio and eventually the television as well.
"I don't care. He has his biases right now because all he has probably ever seen is the monster side." Caroline looked over at Klaus. "And there's more to all of us than the fact that we're monsters, that we have to drink blood to survive and can snap him like a twig. Even you are more than just that." She looked away, not wanting to see his reaction to that particular admission of hers.
Caroline didn't want him to know she saw that he wasn't a completely awful person, but how could she deny that when he'd made so many attempts to show her all of the other facets to his personality. From the paintings to the charming gentleman to the offers of worldwide travel to simply being a wonderful conversationalist when they were alone together. She'd seen the glimpses of his humanity, knew it was in there. Klaus just ruined all of those instances by every other action he took, by half the words that came out of his mouth making her want to stab him.
Case in point, Tyler's mom. Matt. Jeremy.
"My mom despised what I was at first, she'd been brought up her whole life to fear and hate vampires, but she's seen that what she had learned wasn't exactly correct. And she loves me," she continued as they drove away from the house. "My father, tortured me to try and get me not to have the basic urges because he loved me and didn't want to kill me, and even he realized that we're not all bad. So I have faith that Steven can see that too. He might not have known me as long as my parents but he loved me like a daughter at one point."
She looked back over at Klaus, thankful that his gaze was fixed on the road. "And even if he doesn't, what does it matter if we let him go. We'll be long gone and I doubt we'll ever even see him again."
Klaus glanced over at her. "Don't be so naive, Caroline. He won't stop until he kills you."
"Not everyone is your father," Caroline snapped, knowing her words would hit a chord. She hoped it hurt.
"No," Klaus replied, his cold tone causing a chill to run up her spine. "This one will be far easier to kill. And you'll never have to experience what it's like to live a life on the run."
Seriously?! "I didn't ask you for your help."
"And I didn't ask for your ungrateful attitude but it seems we're both getting something we both don't want today," Klaus replied, steering the car into the turn lane.
Caroline dug her nails into her palm, trying to force back her biting replies. It wasn't worth it and she needed to save her energy and her thoughts for figuring out how to help Steven, not trading barbs with Klaus. "How exactly are you planning on getting him up to the hotel room? Or covering up his screams with whatever method of torture that I'm sure you're just dying to try out?" She couldn't help but cringe at her own question.
"Who said we're heading back there?" Klaus mused, and Caroline looked out the window, realizing that they were not headed that way at all. In fact they seemed to be going away from the more populated area of the city. "Though thank you for reminding me."
He pulled out his cell, dialing a number and Caroline sighed, trying to determine how she'd be able to free Steven if they ended up somewhere without crowds. The whole releasing him onto the streets so he could at least attempt to disappear into a large group of people was so not going to pan out. "Tell me the place you located is adequate, Kol." There was a pause as they both heard his brother respond, confirming what he wanted to know. "We'll be there soon."
He hung up and Caroline sunk into the seat, knowing she needed to come up with a damn good plan or Steven wouldn't be walking away with his life. And she couldn't stomach someone else she knew dying by Klaus' hand, especially not with his excuse that he was doing it to protect her.
Life went on in Mystic Falls, even with two teenage boys having died, three girls having disappeared, and while Liz at least knew who her daughter was with she didn't have a clue where Bonnie was or what exactly had happened to Elena. Stefan was gone as well and she had doled out the appropriate excuses to the school as to where all of them were, but actually seeing the world continue to spin while her own was once again falling apart was hard to stomach.
Shifts at the station weren't about to end and considering she was Sheriff, she still had quite a bit of tasks to dole out on a daily basis. For as small as Mystic Falls was, it sure did seem to have a lot of trouble every so often. Even with practically every known vampire out of the town, Liz didn't want to let down her guard. Something was going on. There had to be a reason for all of those dead bodies in the forest, for Jeremy and Matt, for the girls to be gone.
And then there was Carol's death. It was no accidental drowning like the rest of the town thought and while she had a feeling that Klaus had committed the murder, she couldn't say anything for certain considering everything that had happened afterward.
An interim mayor needed to be found and she had a number of people she needed to talk to about that, but her focus was drawn to the vampire standing beside her police cruiser as she exited the precinct. "Damon?"
Had he heard anything from the others? She hadn't talked to Caroline since that last call and she couldn't help but worry about her daughter. "I'm leaving town. Thought I'd let you know in case you turn up at the boarding house," he started, squinting in the sunlight.
"You have a lead?" Anything new on any of them? Because she definitely hadn't seen or heard anything.
"Not a thing, but I'm not going to wait around here when its obvious something is wrong with Elena." Damon shrugged, pushing off the car. "I'm going to find Bonnie. She can't have gotten that far and I'll get her to locate Elena."
"What about Caroline?" Who was going to help her?
"Your daughter will be fine, Liz." He nodded, almost like he was trying to force that statement to be true just by saying it. "Stefan's with her and Klaus. Well." He shrugged, and Liz shook her head. "I doubt he'll be disposing of her anytime soon."
"I know all about Klaus' weird fixation on my daughter and I don't think that guarantees her well-being." How could it? Didn't the guy go around daggering his own family? Hadn't he used Caroline as a bargaining chip once already? She didn't trust the Hybrid with Caroline's life.
"Like I said, Stefan is with her so she's already got back up," Damon told her, shrugging again. "My priority is Elena."
Liz watched him turn away, not surprised by his answer. She hoped he did find the girl and was able to help her out, but maybe it was time she made her daughter be her priority. Mystic Falls could cope without her for a little bit.
Klaus tightened the last knot, securing Steven in place. He almost hadn't gone with hanging the man by his arms, knowing that the already annoyed blonde would only be further angered by it, but Klaus wasn't about to hold back. Not after the man had tried to stake her, would have succeeded in doing so if he hadn't gone with her for answers. Caroline's naivety would be the death of her, especially in regards to the people she cared for.
How could she not see that having so many fall under the umbrella of family, of loved ones, was leaving her infinitely more vulnerable than she needed to be? That was why he had spent the last thousand years only allowing his siblings to fall into that category. If his father slaughtered the latest man or woman he was bedding it was nothing but an annoyance, something easily rectified in the next town they decided to run to. He'd allowed himself to feel for his horse once, to develop a strong bond with the creature and that was the only blow that had caused any emotional response.
Klaus hadn't wanted to bond again with another creature since that night, watching his father kill the animal all because it had been his, something he cherished and loved. He had tried once more with Stefan in the twenties, enjoying the other man's company greatly, but even that had been cut short and he'd done what he needed. Taking away the memories and keeping his new friend safe, daggering Rebekah when she couldn't see reason. Another reminder that Mikael would always be there to take from him anything that he cared for.
But Mikael was dead now and while that should have meant he was free to love again, a thousand years made that exceedingly difficult. His responses to people, to common events was far too engrained in his mind and body to be altered. At least not without a significant portion of time or reason to do so. Even now his response when he felt that his siblings would be a liability was to dagger them, to put them away where no harm could come to them, where he could control it so they would live to see another day. Just as he had done with Rebekah.
As he considered doing with Kol if the boy became too much of a risk. There was never any reasoning with him, no certainty to how his younger brother would react to any given situation, and that was something Klaus knew he would not tolerate for too long. That was why when Kol left for decades at a time to live his own life, to cut his own path of destruction, Klaus had rarely cared unless word of their father being near reached his ears. There was no Mikael now to chase them, to hunt them down and threaten death, but Klaus knew that there were other worries. Such as Mikael returning and never being able to die again.
He would not allow Kol's impulsiveness to accidentally set that into motion.
"Are we going to bleed him out?" Kol piped up, sitting down on a pile of lumber that was lying in the house. It was still under construction as were all the other houses within a five mile radius. The area was fenced off to ward off trespassers. That coupled with the lateness of the house, the chances of anyone stumbling across them were very slim. "It'd be the easiest way to get the vervain out of his system."
"If he even has any in him," Caroline muttered, and Klaus turned toward where she was pacing a few feet away.
"Have something to share with the class?" Klaus asked, arching a brow at her. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if she did.
"My dad couldn't be compelled," Caroline replied, trying to remember if she'd told them that before.
"Like our former pal. That professor fellow," Kol butted in, waving at her to continue. Klaus wouldn't put it past Kol to have already forgotten Shane's name.
"He learned how not to be during his travels. Not sure how, but if Steven went with him on those then pretty good chance he doesn't need vervain to fight off your orders," Caroline continued, and Klaus nodded, remembering her saying something about that before.
"Easy enough way to find out," he commented offhandedly, and stepped forward, biting into the man's neck. He pulled back as Caroline shrieked for him to stop, wiping the blood from his lips as he turned around to face her and Kol. "Seems he's not on vervain."
Kol was laughing, obviously enjoying the show, but Caroline glared at him for a long moment before she looked away. Her body was trembling and he could see the barely contained fury as her nails dug into her palms. "Oh don't look so scandalized, darling," Kol commented, striding over to her. "Nik's always been quite good at getting to the heart of the matter. In fact he's often been fond of stealing hearts. Plunging his fist right through the ribcage and pulling it out for all to see." He stopped in front of her. "Maybe he'll even teach you how to do it on your friend here."
"That's enough," Klaus warned, sensing her growing anger at the situation. "Why don't you head back and make sure Rebekah is behaving herself?"
"And let you be swayed into compassion by this one?" Kol cocked his head toward Caroline. "I don't think so."
A groan cut through the air, silencing the three of them and turning their attention to Steven who was slowly regaining consciousness. "Looks like the entertainment is about to begin," Kol grinned, nudging Caroline with his elbow. "Might want to get a little closer. Wouldn't want to miss any of the fun."
For a moment, Klaus was pleased her glare was directed at his brother, but that changed when she looked back at him, her eyes narrowing. She headed straight past him and toward the hanging man. Klaus grabbed her elbow, unwilling to let her near the man. He didn't care how secure he had made his bindings. "I want to talk to him," she groused as she attempted to yank her arm out of his grip.
"I think you'll find that your voice will carry just fine from this distance," he told her, refusing to budge on the issue. There would be no chances taken that night. Not if he could help it. He let go of her and strode forward in the same motion, heading to Steven before she was able to move. Klaus gripped Steven's chin, forcing the man's attention to be squarely on him. "Nice to see you back with us."
It took a moment for Steven to gather his bearings, to remember what had happened back at his house. The uncertainty quickly shifted to hatred mixed with a determination that Klaus could almost respect if he didn't find it so laughable. "What the hell do you want?" Steven demanded, pulling at the ropes that held him aloft.
"I was told you have information that I require," Klaus started, clasping his hands behind his back as he watched the man struggle in the bonds. "We could have done this the easy way. Invited us inside, had a little chat, but you chose to try and thrust a stake into Caroline's heart as soon as that door opened."
"That's what you do to monsters. You kill them so they can't kill anyone else," Steven replied, and Klaus heard the hitch in Caroline's breath, could almost picture the pain in her expression at having this person she had loved think of her in such a way.
He couldn't discount that it was partially true. The girl was a monster now, though not in the way that the man before him seemed to equate her as. Just as there were so many types of humans, all with their own morals, there were also just as many types of vampires. Klaus enjoyed the thrill of the kill, the ending of a life that he chose to take, and while he had an inkling that Caroline had enjoyed any kills she might have done because of her nature, that didn't erase the fact that she didn't purposefully go out to hunt others. Unlike he did. Or his siblings. Or countless others.
"And here I thought you too had been close once upon a time," Klaus commented, circling the man and taking note of where he would strike first.
Steven looked over at Caroline, locking his gaze with hers. "The Caroline I loved died the day she became a vampire," he spat, and Caroline crossed her arms at that.
Klaus wondered how many times she had heard something similar from her loved ones, how many times they had thrown such words at her and yet she still managed to build herself back up again and not fall down to their low expectations. "No, I didn't," she told him, taking a step forward but didn't approach any further at Klaus' look. "But this isn't about me. Or you. Or whatever you think of vampires because I don't care. I just want you to be able to leave here alive—"
"Fat chance of that happening," Kol called out, looking around the floor and randomly picking up various lengths of wood. He swung one, trying it out before dropping it to the ground with a small shrug.
"Shut up, Kol," Klaus and Caroline told him at the same time. Kol simply laughed, while Caroline smoothed her hair down, a reaction that Klaus had come to see was her trying to contain her emotions.
"You let me leave here alive and I won't rest until you're dead," Steven promised, and Caroline sucked in a breath at that. Klaus flexed his hand, wanting nothing more than to rip the man's heart from his chest at confirmation of what he'd do if released but there was information that they needed to get from him still. "Your father was a fool to think he could save you with conditioning. He should have staked you when he had the chance."
"Would you stake Krissy if she became a vampire?" Caroline asked, and Klaus knew she was trying to make him see reason but he also knew that fanatics like this so rarely did.
"Are you threatening my daughter?" Steven yelled, pulling harder at the ropes.
"This is becoming rather boring now, Nik," Kol sighed, giving another piece of timber a whirl. "Just find out what he knows about Silas and let me slaughter him."
"If anyone is going to kill this one it will be me, brother," Klaus told him, picturing a number of ways he would delight in torturing the man. Perhaps he would get Kol to bring Caroline back to the hotel so he could do so in peace.
"No one is slaughtering him!" Caroline yelled, throwing her arms up in exasperation.
"Silas?" Steven breathed out, his face paling considerably. "What do you know about him?"
Kol tapped the board on the ground before tossing it aside. "First immortal. Already waking and going to cause hell on earth unless we stop him." He looked over at Steven, picking up another piece of wood. "I know, can't quite believe we care about the state of the world, but it's rather hard to enjoy living if its chaos all the time. Need breaks every so often. And who would I snack on?"
"We need to find Sanai. Zelda, she said she knew you and that you know where Sanai is," Caroline continued, silence falling for a moment after she spoke.
Klaus stepped forward, watching Steven's facial muscles tense as he considered what to do with that information. From the struggle on the man's face it was obvious that he did know something, that he considered Silas to be something of a threat, but his hatred for what they were was warring with his need to help them.
"Last I heard she was with her coven in Amsterdam. But that was over a year ago," Steven finally admitted, the internal struggle still going on inside of him.
"Any way to contact her?" Kol asked, spinning a slender piece of wood in his hands.
"No." Steven shook his head. "She usually finds you."
"Then it looks like your helpfulness has run its course," Klaus told him, smiling maliciously. They could all smell Steven's fear spike, see the tension in his body as Klaus circled to stand in front of him.
"Klaus," Caroline protested, stepping forward and touching his arm. "Just let him go home. You won't do anything. Right, Steven?" She had to hope he wouldn't, wanted to trust that those days of playing tea party, all of the cheerleading competitions he'd been to, the shopping trips, and ice cream sundaes at two in the morning meant something. That he'd think of his own daughter and how she should have a father in her life. All he had to do was walk away. He could do that, couldn't he?
"I won't let you dishonor the girl that Caroline was," Steven told her, and Caroline stepped back at the hate in the man's eyes. She knew he meant it and she knew there wasn't any way she could save his life, not if Klaus thought he was truly a threat to her own.
"Don't do this," Caroline pleaded as Klaus turned around.
"You heard him, Caroline," he reminded her, reaching out to tuck a curl behind her ear. "He won't stop until he kills you." Which he found rather foolish of the man, but fanatics were never all that levelheaded when faced with something that could destroy their belief system.
"I don't want him to die because of me." That was the last thing she ever wanted. "If you do this I will…I'll..." She couldn't seem to get the words out. Her emotions were too heightened, anger mixed with grief.
"I will do what I must," Klaus told her. To keep you alive. Why was he so adamant about that? How had she wormed herself into his mind, into his heart? It shouldn't have been possible. It wouldn't have been if Mikael had been alive. He'd had killed her long before Mikael would ever have been able to use these growing feelings against him. But Mikael wasn't an issue any longer and Klaus looked at Caroline and saw what his future could be, if only he could convince her to give him a chance.
Admittedly, killing another she was fond of was probably not going to help him in that endeavor. But she really did need to learn not to let so many into her heart.
"Take her back to the hotel, Kol."
"No," she tried to protest again but Kol had already latched onto her arm and sped them out of the building before she could say another word.
Klaus looked back at the hanging man, pondering how best to go about completing this task. Perhaps there was a way to ensure Caroline's survival and have her not hate him for one more thing.
"Tell me about this Krissy," he told the man, watching Steven tense considerably at the girl's name. Steven didn't respond. "I wonder does she have the same ability as you to withstand compulsion?" From the spike in the man's heart rate he took that as a no. "I think I'll go pay some lovely people in this town a visit. You'll never know who. You'll never know how close they'll ever be to that daughter of yours. But if you ever lay a finger on Caroline, if you ever attempt to end her life again, I will make one single call and your daughter will be left on your front porch, hanging from her entrails."
There it was, that release of bodily fluids as the fear became too much. Amazing what the love of a child could do to ensure the compliance of some men. That bond was extraordinary at times. Though he had never experienced it, Klaus was apt at using it against others.
He cut one of the ropes, letting Steven fall a bit and tossed the knife so it would be within the man's reach. At least it would be if he worked for it a bit. "I believe you can see yourself out," Klaus grinned and stepped back. "I'd say I can't wait to see you again but I believe for your daughter's sake, that you don't ever want that to happen."
Klaus left, not bothering to wait for a response and he flashed to the hotel. He hadn't even stepped foot into the suite when he was accosted by Caroline. It was easy enough to grab hold of her wrists and stop her from landing any of her punches. "I hate you," she seethed, the anger radiating off of her, her vampire features showing.
He was quite taken by those, the snarl of her lips as she hissed at him, blood pumping in her face and he felt his own fangs slide down in reaction to her. "That was quick," Kol commented from the couch. "Stefan and Rebekah appear to be out. I was going to go get a bite to eat, but I don't know. Staying in might be entirely more entertaining."
"I let him go," Klaus told her, ignoring Kol who tsked at that. Caroline looked up at him, eyes wide with disbelief and was that relief? He thought it might be.
"Going soft, Nik? How pathetically sad," his brother sighed, pushing up off the couch.
"Also threatened to leave his daughter on his porch if he takes a step toward you, but you can't blame me for a little insurance," Klaus continued, and Caroline wrenched her hands from his grip as Kol laughed.
"That's the spirit!" Kol clapped his shoulder as he walked past. "I will be getting that bite to eat. Want me to bring you back a snack? Or are you going to devour the tasty little blonde?"
"Leave," Klaus growled, glaring at his brother's mischievous smirk as he left the suite. Caroline was still seething, muttering under her breath and Klaus turned his attention back to her. "I let him go."
"And threatened his daughter!" she protested, looking at him as though he'd lost his mind if he thought that was a good option.
"I was not about to let him walk away after his threats," Klaus told her, crossing his arms as he watched her. "Ones that you know full well he could easily make good on. What would you have me do, Caroline? Let him go and wait around for the next stake to come at you from his hand? Surely you must know that now that we've have the information that we need from him that if he does that again I will not hesitate to kill him."
"Stop killing people to protect me," she yelled at him. "No one should die for me. Stop doing it."
"Would you have died for them? For Matt. For Jeremy? For this Steven?" Klaus asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He already knew the answer. Why else would she have constantly stepped into the distraction piece, never sure if she'd be walking away with her life?
"That's not the point!" she countered, crossing her arms as she glared at him.
"Oh, but it is," he replied, stepping toward her, paying little regard to her personal space. His hand moved to her hair, brushing through it, as he watched her swallow. "You would sacrifice yourself for any of them to live but you won't have them do the same for you." Klaus looked down at her, his smile not at all pleasant. "I wonder how little your own self-worth is."
"Go to hell," Caroline muttered, clenching her fists at her sides.
"Seems I've struck a chord," Klaus replied, knowing full well that he had done so. Her father had left, her mother had lost herself in her job, and her friends were always so busy with their own problems that when would they have time to worry about hers? Why hadn't a single one of them realized that repeatedly sending her into the lion's den hadn't been the smartest move? Didn't they realize she could have been swallowed whole?
He trailed his fingers down her throat, watching her breath hitch at the contact. "Don't worry, Caroline. I have every intention of showing you precisely how much you are worth."
"I'd rather be worth nothing than have you think I'm priceless," she bit out as she pulled away from him, and he grinned at her fury, at her words.
"Don't lie to yourself, sweetheart," Klaus told her, and walked past, heading for the fridge and pulling out some of the small bottles of alcohol inside. "Care to join me for a drink? I think we've earned it after that trying day."
H wasn't at all surprised when she turned away and stalked off to one of the rooms. "Would you rather champagne?" he called out, grinning as she slammed the door behind her. He heard the lock click into place and pursed his lips, unable to help his own amusement at the situation.
It hadn't exactly been a waste of a day, even if he would rather it ending in a more pleasant manner. They had gotten the information they needed.
Amsterdam.
Not his favorite city, but Klaus figured it would do quite well as a first stop for showing Caroline the world and all that he truly had to offer her. Not to mention going there would make them one step closer to finding Sanai and her coven and stopping Silas' rise. Something that was just not allowed to happen.