A/N: I was going to update tomorrow but I feel like some people could use an update today, so here you go! I hope it helps some with all the crazy of today.
Big thanks to my lovely beta Miranda for looking this over and helping it along. I hope you all enjoy. Thanks so much for reading.
"you're like death, you take everything."-Milan Kundera
Under different circumstances maybe Caroline would have allowed herself to enjoy being on an airplane. Something she had wanted to do since she had heard about Elena's adventure on one to visit some distant cousin back when they were five and hanging upside down on the playground. It hadn't been jealousy back then, just an easygoing amazement at everything her friend had been telling her about the experience. Even if Elena had gotten sick with the motion of the plane and complained that the lines were long and the ride was boring. Aside from the new pack of crayons and pin of the jet that she wore proudly for an entire week after Christmas break.
Okay maybe there had been a little jealousy but it was natural to feel that way when Caroline's own break had consisted of going to her grandmother's house again and trying to pretend she didn't hear all of the nasty things said by her grandparents about her parents. Did they really think she hadn't heard their harsh words or seen their disapproving looks, even if they did smile brightly when they saw tiny her, giving her extra helpings of sweets and ignoring her mother's complaints about that.
Maybe if her father's promise of taking her with him on one of his travels had ever come true she would have already been on a plane once. Nothing compared to the private jet they were currently crossing the Atlantic Ocean in, but it would have been a step in the right direction. She wouldn't feel the need to slide her hand across every inch of the interior now, want to inspect everything, or look around with wide eyes as she took everything in.
She was Caroline Forbes though, and control was practically her middle name, so she didn't do any of those things. Instead she sat down on the first chair available as the group piled into the expansive plane, and buckled herself in. She put the headphones she found on the arm rest over her ears and fiddled with the dials until music she enjoyed started playing, steadfastly ignoring everyone else on the plane.
Especially Klaus.
It didn't matter that he had sat down across from her. Nor was she curious at all about what he was drawing in that new sketchpad of his. She was still highly annoyed with him and what he had seen to be the best course of action with Steven. She wasn't going to look at him, much less talk to him.
Caroline knew that Stefan was trying to get her attention, had wanted her to sit further back on one of the couches with her so that they could talk, but she didn't feel like it. Didn't want to have a whispered conversation that they both knew the others could hear, didn't want the false promises that they'd get out of whatever the hell they were even really involved in. Which, really, Caroline knew they couldn't, that she wasn't about to just walk away from all that was happening.
She didn't want Silas to rise either. The idea of what the world would be like if that happened wasn't at all appealing to her, especially because her mother's life would be even more in danger than it usually was and that was something she really couldn't tolerate. She'd do what she needed to keep her mother safe, to try and protect her friends. She just wished she didn't have to be on Klaus' team for that to happen.
More than anything she wished he'd get over his little obsession with her, that he'd stop this pretense of trying to protect her, of wanting her safe and killing people to do that. Or threatening them with circumstances worse than death. It made her feel vulnerable, out of control, and she didn't like it one bit. Unfortunately she was currently at a loss on how to snap him out of it.
Plus…there was that niggling part in the back of her head, that one that tried to constantly remind her that she did like the attention. That it was nice to be put first for what seemed like the first time in so long. But this wasn't supposed to be how that went. Being put first wasn't supposed to equal people she loved dying for her or even people she didn't know dying for her. It was just supposed to be…she wasn't even sure anymore. Picking spending time with her over hanging out with the guys just seemed far too simple and so far from what her life had become anyway. All she knew was the killing others options was not one she liked. At all.
"You actually enjoy that rubbish?" Kol dropped down onto the empty seat beside her, tugging on one side of her headphones. She glared at him, trying to shift away and even swatted at his hand. He grinned but didn't release his hold, snapping the headphones and making them useless. "I prefer the new music that's nothing but a constant strumming of beats. Really gets the blood pumping in the clubs. Makes feeding infinitely easier."
"I'd have thought you'd want the challenge," Caroline replied, dropping the broken headphones into her lap.
"No no. I like driving them mad, making them think they've lost their minds before I kill them. Nik is the one who's all about challenges," Kol informed her, glancing over at his brother.
Caroline rolled her eyes, but could see Klaus' reflection in the window and noted that he didn't even bother to look up from the pad. "Who was that last one?" Kol continued, tapping his fingers against the armrest. "She was a pretty little thing, not as gorgeous as you of course." He cocked his head toward Caroline, flashing his teeth at her.
"Of course," she drawled, trying to show precisely how bored she was by the topic of conversation.
"Red head if I recall correctly." Kol shrugged. "It was a hundred plus years ago. I may be a little fuzzy on that part. Mayor's daughter and engaged to be married. Klaus wooed her, killed the beau—which honestly better off for all, he was a dullard—and then when he was tired of her…what did you end up doing to that one?"
"Rebekah ripped her heart out," Klaus replied, still not looking up from the pad.
"Well, she was annoying and kept trying to come around the house after Nik had his fill," Rebekah piped up from behind them. "To be fair, I think she'd lost her mind by then, but it was still rather dull having to chase her home every night so I disposed of the problem. At least it was a quick death instead of being locked up in the sanitarium like her father was considering. Still better than what you did to that servant of hers."
"Which one?" Kol asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Caroline looked down at her nails, noticing one of them had chipped.
"The one you convinced that her family was out to kill her so you got her to murder them all and then screwed her when she was done," Rebekah murmured before turning her attention back to the movie. "I believe she drowned herself in the bayou."
"Oh right. She was quite a bit of fun for a few months." Kol looked over at Caroline, still smiling, though she noted he did keep glancing over at Klaus. No doubt wanting to get a rise out of his brother. That seemed to be his favorite pastime.
"You're looking a little pale, Caroline," Kol commented and Caroline rolled her eyes at him.
"Vampire. I'm always pale." She rose from the seat. "Were you expecting to scare me? To freak me out. Like I don't already have a clue what any of you are capable of doing?" She doubted that she even knew the surface of what they might have done in their thousand years, but she wasn't naive. She knew killing was an amusement to them. "I'm going to bed." She walked past them to the back area. While there was no door at least the double bed was situated so she wouldn't be able to see them as she laid down on it, intent on sleeping.
She had barely laid her head down when Rebekah let out a loud screech, followed by Kol, "Bloody hell, Nik! I was only having a little fun."
"Next time I won't miss," she could hear Klaus threaten, even though his voice was surprisingly soft. That only seemed to spark a more heated debate between the siblings and Caroline sighed, knowing there wouldn't be any way to drown them out.
The bed shifted under her and Caroline twisted, ready to shout at whomever it was to get the hell out when she saw Stefan. He looked about as exhausted as she felt and she scooted over some so he could lie down as well. Caroline turned back toward the window, staring out at the clouds, knowing that sleep wouldn't be coming to her, and thankful that Stefan didn't try to ask any questions or offer reassurances. Just rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as the siblings no doubt threw things while yelling at one another in the background.
The moment of respite was broken not long after it had begun. Caroline didn't even have to turn to know who'd entered the area, sensing Klaus' presence before he even spoke. She wondered if it was a blood thing, ever since she'd drank from him that one time a few months back she always seemed to be able to sense when he was near.
"Run along, Stefan," Klaus bit out, and she could hear the hardness in his voice, the annoyance that the other vampire was with her. "Caroline and I need to have a little chat."
"I'll be able to hear your chat even if I leave the room so I think I'll stay," Stefan replied, giving her another reassuring squeeze even as he shifted on the bed. Caroline turned, noting the narrowing of the Hybrid's eyes, the room seeming to chill around her at the look he was directing at her friend.
"It wasn't a request," Klaus continued, clearly ready to move him.
"Its fine, Stefan," she murmured, nudging at him to leave. She didn't really think Klaus would kill Stefan but she doubted her friend wanted to deal with a snapped neck, plus she wasn't one hundred percent certain that he wouldn't.
Stefan hesitated for a moment before heading out of the room and leaving the two of them alone. She didn't really want to be alone with Klaus, especially not while she was laying down in a bed so she sat up, rolling her eyes as she heard Rebekah's snappy comment to Stefan about white knights or whatever she was going on about. That girl really needed new material.
"So chat," Caroline told Klaus, pushing hair out of her face. "Cause that's why you're here, disturbing my rest, right?"
"What do you know of your father's travels? Did he ever mention places he might have gone? Or monuments that he might have seen?" Klaus asked as he sat down on the bed. She shifted away from him, bringing the blanket up around her as an extra barrier.
"Not too much. I got postcards sometimes from him or little trinkets." That she'd put away in a memory box. One that she would take out some nights and look through, thinking of him and all of the places she wanted to visit. "I know Cairo was on one. Somewhere in Italy. Not a big name place though. Some place in the Netherlands. Not Amsterdam."
She didn't need to inquire as to why he wanted to know. No doubt the places her father had been might have information as to what he'd been doing, maybe even links to the coven they were looking for in case Steven's information was a little too outdated. Though ten year old information might not reveal much either but it'd be something to try if needed.
"Write it all down. Every place you can think of," Klaus told her, placing a journal beside her.
"It'd be easier if I could call my mom when we land. She can look through all of the things I saved and we'll have actual names." Caroline looked at the journal, noting the blue leather-bound cover with the silk thread that wrapped around it to keep it closed.
"You're free to talk to your mother whenever you'd like, Caroline." Klaus tilted his head. "Not at the moment because of aviation regulations but once we land feel free to do so. We'll get you a new phone."
She didn't like the fact that he was saying he'd do that. Where was the keeping her from speaking to the others? What was with this acquiescing to her needs? It threw her for a loop this constant back and forth they seemed to have, never quite certain what his response would be to any given situation. Though, she was noticing that more often than not things did seem to go her way.
"Our new passports will be ready when we land and after making sure the house is suitable we can tour the city and get whatever else you might need while we're in Amsterdam," Klaus told her, and Caroline frowned, not liking that it was all sounding more like a vacation than a mission to find witches. "Kol will be out doing his witch hunt. Its best we let him speak to them first. My reputation with witches will do us more harm than good." And considering they needed the witches alive, his usual tactics might not work. Nor did he plan on seducing any of them.
"Anything else?" Caroline asked, placing the journal back down. She really wanted the conversation to be over.
Klaus dropped a blood bag on her lap. "Eat. You didn't before we left Arlington and it may be a few days before we acquire more once we land. Wouldn't want to have any slip ups, would we?"
From the way he said it, she wasn't sure if he wouldn't like her having a slip up or not but she wasn't about to let that happen. She tore into the bag, quickly sucking it down before shoving it back at him. "Happy?"
He reached out, nearly touching her face, but she shifted out of his reach, wiping the blood from her mouth. He was not allowed to touch her, not like that, not in such an intimate gesture. Not with that slightly feral look to his eyes at the sight of blood on her skin. Caroline ran her tongue along her teeth, her fangs yearning for release and she took a breath to help stave of the urge.
"What do you think of the plane?" Klaus asked, and she didn't like the way he watched her, how his attention was fully on her, not once deviating. Even as they heard another spat beginning between his siblings. He was always doing that. Ever since he'd come to her bedroom on her birthday. Once she had his attention it was as if he couldn't look away from her, wouldn't do so unless she slipped away, and even then he still seemed to creep back up, finding her again.
It unnerved her. And maybe, just maybe, some small part of her was captivated by that ability and how he seemed to use it solely on her. But Caroline wasn't stupid. She'd been burned before and she wasn't about to let some thousand year old Hybrid who had probably played the game for far too long do it to her again.
She shrugged, picking at her nail polish. "It's nice I guess." It was amazing but she wasn't going to tell him that.
"It's your first time on a plane, is it not?" She only shrugged in response again, forcing herself not to look around or touch the blanket that was nicer than what she had in her own room back home. "First time out of the country. Quite a bit of firsts for you right now and all you can say is 'It's nice', Caroline?" She didn't respond to him, unwilling to give him any satisfaction by answering his question. "You are the only one you punish by not allowing yourself to enjoy any of it."
"Why so concerned if it's only punishing me?" Caroline replied, still not looking at him, finding her nails to be very fascinating.
"Kol! You cannot eat the flight attendant!" Rebekah shouted, and Caroline glanced toward the doorway to the other area, not at all surprised when Klaus rose. No doubt ready to deal with Kol.
"There's nothing wrong with enjoying some of the finer things in life," Klaus told her, dropping another bag into her lap. "Even if they do come from monsters."
She glared at his retreating back. Yes, there is. Because enjoying it was a betrayal to her friends, to her mom, to Tyler and she wasn't about to let some nice blankets or an amazing jet skew her mindset on right and wrong. She wasn't that easily swayed. No matter how nice everything was or how it similar it all was to some of her biggest fantasies.
Valerie watched the girl work through the spell, calling on the elements around her as she tried to tap into them to boost her power. Of course, dear little Bonnie Bennett didn't realize what she was truly tapping into just yet, didn't quite understand all that was needed of her to harness expression to its fullest. It was magic based on one's own will, drawing from the inner magic that any witch had and eventually it could burn out a witch if they didn't use it correctly, if there wasn't someone to help cultivate it along correctly as Shane had been doing. Or if they weren't given energy to tap into as Valerie had been doing with the others in the area, easily sacrificing the lives of some in order to harvest that power.
Of course, Bonnie had unknowingly done it herself a few times. The expression reaching out and taking what it needed from those around, allowing her to utilize that power. However, Valerie had a feeling the girl wasn't quite ready yet to knowingly do that again. From what she had gathered, the men at the construction site had been an accident and only because she was trying to bring back Shane. Killing for an amplification of power to complete other spells was an entirely different matter and one Valerie didn't quite want to push for just yet. Not with the chance of Bonnie trying to run.
"A simple location spell, Bonnie. I wouldn't think it should take you this long to do," Valerie commented, gently pushing her to hurry up, to concentrate harder. She looked over at the members inside, nodding once and felt the spike of energy in the air as no doubt at least one of those inside was killed.
The witches in her coven knew what they had signed up for, that they were likely to die if needed. They also knew they would come back, as would that person who's loss had torn such a hole in their heart that they were willing to be sacrificed. Those in it purely for power such as she had been brought in to help with the actual killing. They had nothing against taking the life when in the end it would only gain them more power.
Bonnie's eyes opened the color in them gone and replaced by a striking white, her entire body going rigid for a moment and Valerie smiled. She remembered when expression had done the same to her, but back then she had only had one complete sacrifice completed for her. The expanse of power she'd received had been nearly overwhelming and addicting, losing its edge far sooner than she had hoped and she'd learned quickly that killing on her own didn't give quite the boost she had gotten used to.
"Draw on what I told you, seek out the signature," Valerie continued, circling the girl as she looked down at the blank paper, waiting for the map to appear. "You've felt it before with that former hunter that you knew. Find it again."
Bonnie's body twitched, arm rising above the paper and Valerie grinned as ink appeared on it, drawing out a map of where they needed to be. She already knew the state and the town from her other sources, but she needed a better location than that in order to find the potential.
Bonnie collapsed forward as the map finished, gasping for air and when she looked back up again, Valerie noted that her eyes were their normal shade. "What happened?" she asked, pushing back and looking down at the paper with wide eyes. "I did that?"
Valerie sat down beside her in the grass, internally reminding herself to be gentle, that the girl seemed to respond to praise. "You did excellent, tapping into your own abilities to locate the new potential," she assured Bonnie, remembering using this kind of coaxing tone on her own daughter before their fallout.
Bonnie frowned, glancing down at the paper that indeed had a college map on it. "He's already activated," she told her, unsure exactly how she knew that. It felt like Jeremy's presence did to her after he had become a Hunter. That slight difference to him than what he had been before he had ever seen that mark on his arm. She couldn't really explain it; just that there was a pull there for her, one that she didn't understand but was unique. Something she had only gotten from him and from the other Hunter before he'd died.
"That certainly makes our job infinitely easier," Valerie commented, rising up and collecting the paper. She offered Bonnie a hand. "You should eat. We have a bit of a drive ahead of us and you'll need your strength."
Sacrifing a member or two wouldn't be as easy on the road. It would be easier for Bonnie to notice if the group suddenly went from five to three whether by their actions or her own accidental ones. With how big the Coven was and the comings and goings of members, it was easier to get away with it. And Valerie couldn't chance losing the girl, not when the Bennett witch was needed in order to free Silas and drop the Veil. Not when she was the key to everlasting power.
"Your grandmother would be very proud of you," Valerie continued, smiling gently as Bonnie looked at her.
"You knew my Grams?" There was a tightening in Bonnie's chest at the mere thought of the woman. She missed her more than anything, especially because she couldn't feel her any longer. Not since the spirits had punished her.
"You didn't think Shane was the only one who did, did you?" Valerie asked, motioning toward the house. "She was quite well known among the witches of the east coast of the US." And they had never been friends, nor had Sheila ever liked her or trusted her, but that wasn't something she feared Bonnie ever knowing. The woman was dead and dead men told no tales. Especially banished spirits. "I'll tell you about our first meeting while you eat." Or at least the watered down version.
"I'd like that," Bonnie smiled, heading on in and Valerie followed, pleased.
A little bonding would be good for them. She did need Bonnie to trust her and preferably only her.
If anyone might have an idea on how to locate Caroline who was currently with the Originals, Liz figured it was Bill's former boyfriend. Steven and she had never been on the best terms, often finding his methods to be a little extreme—not to mention the fact that the man she had loved with all of her heart had chosen him in the end—but he was good at what he did. And tracking down vampires was something that he had always been pretty darn good at.
Funny how he hadn't tracked any of them to Mystic Falls, though the vampire population had only really spiked again in the last two years. Before that, no member of the current Council had seen one. Though apparently that wasn't entirely true considering at least Damon had been around town over the last decade or two. It seemed all of the families had their own share of secrets. From the Lockwoods with their werewolf gene to Meredith Fell experimenting with vampire blood. Who knew how many more there were considering everything she had grown up learning wasn't exactly true.
But she figured Steven could at least set her on the right path. Tracking mobile devices wouldn't work because Caroline and Stefan's phones were both broken and while she had traced where Caroline made the call from in New Orleans and had her daughter confirm that herself that had been days ago and Liz knew in her heart that her daughter wasn't there any longer. Tracking spikes in deaths similar to vampire victims only opened too many possibilities and she couldn't help but wonder exactly how many vampires were out in the world.
Facial recognition software to footage in every airport in the states was far out of her league and she considering the Originals could always compel someone to erase it wasn't exactly reliable. Waiting around for Caroline to call again wasn't an option either, though Liz kept her cell charged in hope that her daughter would contact her.
She pulled up in front of the townhome, taking a deep breath before getting out of the car. There was no love lost between her and Steven but she'd put aside whatever discord she had with him if it meant finding Caroline. For once she was making her daughter her priority, not Mystic Falls. She'd already lost her once and not even known it for months afterward that her daughter had died and returned as a vampire. She wasn't about to lose her again.
Liz knocked on the door, surprised when it opened and she was immediately splashed with water. "Is there a reason for the unneeded shower?" she asked, glaring at Steven who put down the empty cup.
"Vervain. So you're not a vampire," he replied, turning and walking away, though he did leave the door open.
Liz followed after him and closed the door behind her. She wasn't surprised by the paranoia, though once she spotted the excess amount of weapons to use on a vampire littered on nearly every surface as she entered, she had a feeling Steven had gone a bit overboard. "I have to say I'm not a big fan of your new redecorating scheme."
"I'm not a fan of being threatened by an Original toting around someone I used to care about," Steven muttered, setting down the cup as he sat down on one of the chairs.
"Caroline was here?" Had she just missed her? Had he…no, if Caroline was dead…she would know. Wouldn't she? Even if she hadn't the last time?
"You should have put her out of her misery once you knew, Liz," Steven sighed, leaning forward and motioning for her to sit down. "She's not your little girl any longer."
"Yes, she is." She hadn't thought so at first either. But Caroline was still her little girl. Stronger than before, more confident, but still had that need for control even if she did drink blood. "She's the same girl you've known for the last ten years."
Steven shook his head as he leaned back. "I'm not here to debate that," Liz continued. There was little point in trying and she didn't want to waste the time she could be using to locate her daughter. "I want to find her. She didn't go willingly with them, the Original you talked about. Help me find her."
Steven shook his head again and crossed his arms. "If that one thinks I'm doing anything to hurt her he'll get Krissy killed. Can't risk it."
"Helping me locate Caroline isn't hurting her," Liz protested and rose from the chair.
"You sure he won't think that? Because I'm not taking that kind of risk." Not when his daughter was involved. "Besides, there's a far bigger problem than trying to find Caroline."
Liz spotted the photograph on the mantel, one of Steven, Bill and the girls from about two years ago. Big smiles on all of their faces. At one point she might have been fooled by it, seeing the large grin should have equaled happiness from Caroline. But she saw the loneliness captured in her daughter's eyes and knew it had all been a facade. Caroline might have loved her father, Steven and Krissy, but she hadn't been happy with how things had turned out for her family.
"All I care about is finding my daughter, Steven," she turned to look back at him. "I'm sure you can understand that."
"Even with the potential end of the world?" he asked, not moving from his spot but watching her carefully.
"Yes." Too often she had put something else in front of Caroline and if the end of the world was coming, Liz would be damned if she wasn't with her daughter when it happened.
"Amsterdam. They were heading that way," Steven told her as he picked up a long piece of wood and started sharpening the end of it.
Liz nodded and started for the door, stopping when he spoke again. "If she really is still in there, get her the hell away from them. I've seen vampires before, Liz, and nothing is as evil as the two she was with. And they're going to get put in their place. So if you want her to live make sure she is far away from them as possible when everything eventually happens."
She almost turned back, almost inquired as to what all was going to happen, but Liz knew if she did that she might not leave. That her focus might shift from her daughter to the bigger picture and for once she was going selfish. She was going to be a mom and not a Sheriff, not a member of the Council. Today she was just a mom, and she was going to find her little girl and protect like she hadn't been able to for the last year.
Katherine turned over in the bed, unsurprised to find the space next to her empty. She'd heard Elijah leave earlier, the car driving off into the distance, no doubt dealing with whatever business he had in town. There were sure to be murmurs in the small Italian town with the house suddenly being in use again after nearly one hundred years of silence in its walls. This accounted for the dust that had accumulated on anything that hadn't been covered with fabric the last time there had been anyone inside. People liked to gossip and over the years Katherine had found that small towns had more people prone to chit chat per capita than larger cities.
Maybe it was the lack of anything out of the routine, allowing for something new and exciting to talk about for a while. Speculation would run rampant and depending on superstitions in the area that could either be good or bad for them. Unlike some of the larger, more populated towns, the smaller ones—especially in Europe—tended to take their town's superstitions very seriously. She was sure Elijah could handle it all though, he had been doing it far longer than she had.
Katherine stretched out under the sheets, letting them twist around her body as she listened to the world around her. Or at least as far as the gates in the distance. It was an old habit; one she didn't think would ever go away after five hundred years of running. She always needed to be alert, to have an exit strategy in the back of her mind, even if Klaus was an entire ocean away from her.
Pity the Mystic Falls' gang's idea hadn't gone through. It had been a decent one and having Klaus desiccated and in some ocean would have been a wonderful outcome. Unfortunately not many witches would do that spell because of the requirements and those powerful enough to do it rarely wanted much to do with her or the Originals. Not that she'd stop looking into it, but there were more pressing matters to concern herself with, such as did she get out of bed or wait for Elijah to return for another round?
The ringing of her cell broke her train of thought and she rolled over, reaching for it and wondering who would be calling. Not many had the number, especially when she changed it as often as she did, only doling it out to those she wanted to be able to contact her and that list was rather short. She arched a brow at the number on the screen and hit answer, pressing the phone to her ear.
"I take it that you have something of interest for me this time." Katherine stood up, not bothering with the sheet as she moved to stand in front of the window, gazing out at the expanse of land.
"They all left," April Young answered on the other end of the line. "They're all just gone."
"What do you mean they all left?" Katherine couldn't see anyone in that annoying little gang up and leaving Mystic Falls unless something was happening. And whatever it was would have to be fairly big for the Salvatore brothers to get Elena out of town.
"Like I said they're not here. Damon, Elena, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie. Even the Originals. The ones who were here. All of them are gone," April told her. "The Sheriff too. She left this morning. I saw her drive out of town and she hasn't come back."
"And where did all of them go, April? And what about the other two?" Not that she considered Matt or Jeremy to be all that important but it was interesting that they weren't being mentioned. Katherine wanted to know why Elena would leave her brother behind.
"I don't know where Matt or Jeremy are. I didn't see any of them leave like I did with the others or heard about the others. They won't answer their phones." The girl sounded worried about that and Katherine rolled her eyes, waiting for her to get to the important question and answer it. "Rebekah told me she was going to New Orleans to see her brothers because of a cure. Caroline is with them and so is Stefan. I don't know about any of the others. Elena just peeled out of town the other day. Bonnie has been missing from school and Damon left too."
"Cure?" It couldn't be what Katherine was thinking of, that was just a myth. One that never had anything substantial backing it up like other myths did. All the talk of the cure did was give false hope to those who couldn't handle what they had become and didn't want a stake through the heart.
"For vampirism," April told her, and Katherine whirled around, taking that in, trying to comprehend what she had been told. Interesting that Rebekah believed it. Perhaps there was more to the story than she thought.
"Tell me everything that Rebekah told you. Do not leave out a single detail," Katherine instructed, pleased she'd compelled the girl before she had returned to Mystic Falls. It had been chance running across her, amused when the girl called her Elena and had thought she might be semi-useful for gathering information, but this was going much better than she had foreseen.
Thirty minutes later and Katherine had heard every single thing Rebekah had ever said to April, and while parts of it had been difficult to sit through as she waited for something meaningful, the details at the end had been enough to spike her interest. A cure for vampirism. Wouldn't that be a handy little weapon or a bargaining chip?
She heard the car pulling back into the drive and knew that Elijah had returned. Katherine placed her phone back on the nightstand and lay back down, haphazardly situating the sheet over her body. "Are you planning on wasting your day away in bed?" Elijah asked as he entered the room, and she grinned as his gaze raked appreciatively over her body.
"Not much of a waste if you're joining me," she pointed out, sitting up and reaching over to touch his tie. She pulled him down by it as he kissed her, letting herself fall back onto the bed as she tried to focus on the man in front of her instead of her plans on the cure and how to successfully secure her freedom.
And it would ensure Elijah's as well. They would no longer need to hide, to fear his brother catching the two of them or ruining what they had together. So really, she was doing it for him. She just needed to figure out a way to get Elijah on board with whatever plan she did come up with. Though considering how eagerly he was removing his suit maybe it wouldn't be too hard. If she could get him past that blasted loyalty that family all seemed to have for one another.
She at least had to try.
There were times when Klaus could be a very patient man. When he was painting and lost in the canvas, or when seeing the roots of a plan digging into place as he waited for the seedling to grow. But there were also times when his patience ran out, when he was impulsive and this was quickly becoming one of those moments. He had tried to get her to leave the canal house after Kol had gone to find the witches. Talked up the different parts of Amsterdam, promised some shopping and that phone so she could call her mother, and each idea was rebuked. Her stony expression as she politely declined his offers before retreating to the room she had chosen was seared into his head and wouldn't go away.
He needed it to go away, needed to rip it out of his mind and tear it to shreds.
How was it possible that she could look at him so simply and strike him down faster than his parents had done? How could she bring out insecurities he had long since buried deep in the wasteland of his mind, not giving credence to them in nearly a thousand years, with her sharp tongue or that damn disappointed look?
Klaus hated it and he left the canal house in a fury, ignoring Rebekah's calls. He'd nearly stopped to take Stefan with him, wondering if his one-time friend was still on vervain. It'd be so simple to get his companion back and tear up the town, but he heard Caroline up above, moving about the room and he could almost see her eyes watching him, portraying her disappointment in his actions.
He left, heading through the snow covered streets. He wanted to leave a swash of red over them, drenching the beauty that was before him as the moon shone brightly overhead. There were not many out because of the drop in temperature and those who were tended to stick in groups, heading out for entertainment or home after work. Klaus walked, waiting for an easy prey to show itself, knowing that all he needed to do was keep moving until he found one.
He could always head to the Red Light District if his current method took too long to satisfy his blood lust. There were always easy pickings there but he didn't want something that easy just yet.
Klaus stopped, spotting a woman heading down the steps of one of the canal houses, tugging her hood over her blonde locks as she moved. No one else followed her out and she met no one when she reached the sidewalk, quickly heading off to walk on her own. He grinned, heading off toward her, wondering how precisely he wanted to do this, what method would end in the most gratification for him.
She steered down a small side street and Klaus' grin deepened as he realized there was no one else in the near distance. He didn't hesitate, stepping around the corner and then flashing right at the girl, slamming her against the wall. Green eyes met his, widening in horror as he pressed his hand against her mouth. "You're going to be quiet, love, and only answer when I ask you a question. Don't speak otherwise and do whatever I say," Klaus compelled in perfect Dutch, patting her cheek as she repeated the words. "Where are you off to?"
"A friend's dinner party," she replied, tears already welling up in her eyes.
There would be none of that. "Don't cry," he commanded, stepping back from her. "And don't run. How many at this party?"
"Five, including me," she told him, body still trembling as she looked around. Her body couldn't move though, couldn't run from the monster she sensed him to be.
"Looks like it'll be six," Klaus told her, linking his arm with hers. "Show me where we're off to and once we arrive I'll need you to get me an invitation to come inside. And stop trembling. You're perfectly happy, content even to be with me."
The transformation was almost immediate, the woman's demeanor quickly shifting and becoming everything that he wanted. Of course he desired it from another blonde and without the use of compulsion, but this would do for now. Ten minutes later he was inside the house, smiling as he was greeted by the girl's friends. It was almost lovely except for the fact it was all a terrible ruse. Maybe another night he'd have played the charade for a while longer, but there was nothing to keep him from getting what he wanted from these humans.
Klaus didn't hesitate as the doors closed and the last guest arrived, quickly blocking the only means of escape and incapacitating those who tried to bolt from the dining room. He fed on all of them, draining four of them dry and leaving the pretty little blonde for last. She kept on smiling through it all, even as her friends were slaughtered around her. Red was splattered in her hair, on her cheek and he wiped it off, licking his fingers as he looked down at her. He missed the defiance he wanted to see, the harsh words that he wanted to hear spill out of her mouth. But this was only a meager substitute for what he truly desired.
He had thought of fucking her before he fed from her, against the table with all of her friends dead around them. The smell of blood and her arousal mingling together would be a lovely high, but that idea was quickly pushed aside because of her too happy demeanor. Biting into her wasn't as satisfying as he hoped, her life draining far more quickly than he wanted and he released her once he was done, letting her body fall to the ground beside the others. The dinner set out to be eaten had grown cold and Klaus looked down at the ham, poking it with a fork. Much too dry for his taste.
Perhaps he should have cared about clean up but walking out of the house with his coat buttoned up to hide any traces of blood, it was the furthest thing from his mind. Law enforcement would do the usual, deeming it a savage attack by some depraved human or if they were desperate perhaps an animal attack. Their minds would never go the vampire route and if they did it was never for long. After all, vampires weren't real to most of the world.
It was over an hour before Klaus returned to the house, hearing only Caroline upstairs. He discarded his jacket, wondering where Stefan and Rebekah had gone to and what Rebekah must have done to get the Salvatore to go with her when most likely he would have wanted to stay with Caroline. Klaus saw red at the thought, picturing the two of them on the plane, Stefan's hand on her shoulder as they lay in the bed, picture perfect couple.
He was in her room before he knew what he was doing, that defiant gaze as she looked at him having him on her in a second. Klaus had Caroline pressed to the wall, hand on her throat, not crushing but the threat that he could in seconds hanging there between them. She looked him over, no doubt seeing the spattering of blood on his shirt after his couple of feedings.
"You killed, didn't you?" Caroline asked, and he smiled at the judgment in her tone, not at all surprised by it.
"I could kill you in a heartbeat as well," Klaus murmured, fingers tightening just a little, not enough to hurt, but she would feel the difference in pressure.
She didn't tremble, didn't waver from her gaze locked with his. "If you wanted me dead you would done it by now."
That was the catch wasn't it? Because he could have killed her so many times by then. Had so many opportunities and reasons to over the last few months. He had killed for far less than what she had done to him, in the parts she had played in her friends' plans, in the way she spoke to him without regard to who he was. No one spoke to him the way she did and lived.
"You could have done a lot of things to me by now but you haven't," Caroline continued and he heard the confusion in her voice, the uncertainty as to why he hadn't done any of the various scenes that were no doubt playing out in her head.
Klaus didn't know himself why he hadn't. Oh he liked the challenge of not using compulsion to get what he wanted at times, but this little dance had gone on far longer than he liked and in other situations he would have used it, had her in his bed already, fucked her and disposed of her like so many others. But he couldn't, the thought of compelling her twisted him in ways he did not like, brought out emotions he didn't want to give name to and had long thought snuffed out inside of him. He wanted her willing, he wanted what she felt to be true, not fabricated because of his ability to shape her mind.
"Don't take the fact that I haven't done whatever scenario is running through your head at the moment to mean that I'm being inactive, sweetheart. I just deem that you're worth more than a little round of compulsion to enjoy what I have in store for you," Klaus told her, and his grip softened considerably, fingers stroking her neck instead.
Caroline hissed at him, and he'd noted that her eyes had narrowed when he spoke of her worth. Her insecurities were worn on her sleeve for anyone to see, reminding him for a moment of the boy he had been so long ago. But he'd been worth far more than his parents had ever deemed him to be and Klaus believed he could see the greatness that little Caroline Forbes had inside of her, that she deserved if only she would allow it. But god, she was stubborn, that fire in her eyes as she glared at him.
Klaus stepped back, dropping his hands as he looked her over. "We'll be going out tomorrow morning and no amount of your stubbornness will keep you inside this time, Caroline." He would drag her out and force her to endure the wonders of the city.
"I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work," she murmured as he turned to leave and he stopped at the doorway.
"And what nefarious deed do you think I'm up to this time?" Klaus asked, not bothering to look back at her.
"You think by showing me the world, by seeing it with you, that I'll choose you," she continued and Klaus smirked, looking back at her then.
"I didn't know I was an option," he informed her, enjoying the way her eyes widened at that and he headed out of the room. "I'll see you in the morning." He closed the door before she could answer, listening to her exhale and drop down onto her bed.
Klaus headed to his own room, still smiling as he listened to her mutter to herself, and moved to the en suite bathroom. Nice little revelation for the evening. He only hoped that his siblings didn't manage to create more trouble before they headed home. It wouldn't surprise him at all if they did.
Over a hundred years in a coffin and Kol wasn't as in touch with the new workings of covens as he used to be. Finding Zelda in New Orleans had been easy enough because she'd been an old friend and hadn't moved from her spot. Nandi had been child's play because of her connection to Zelda. Roaming about the United States for the last month or so had led him to some new witch communities, but all of those had happened by chance and not all of them had been exactly welcoming.
Biases against vampires was always going to run rampant. He blamed his siblings. They never did really seem to appreciate what the witches could do for them. Not like he did. But then none of them had shown quite the same aptitude to magic back in their human days as he had done as a child. Rebekah came close, but she preferred wielding a sword in secret and following on their target practice hunts in the woods than sitting around with their mother and learning her craft.
It had hurt to be cut off from nature so suddenly even if he had never practiced. It had always been a constant in his life and to have it severed so quickly had been unsettling. Maybe that was why he held witches in a higher regard or maybe it was the simple fact that he knew how valuable they could be, when not screwed with over the centuries. A coven could be a powerful advantage if it was truly loyal. But none of the others ever saw it that way, preferring to use this witch or that one until they bled them dry of their magic.
Whatever the case he coveted what they had and he meant to find someone who could lead him to Sanai and her Coven. Hopefully they were still in the area, but if not, he was certain he'd find someone who could direct him where to go next.
Most of the occult shops, offering up palm readings or healing crystals, were run by fakes or at least ones who didn't have an inch of any real magic at their disposal. Sometimes they could point out where to find someone with actual power but he had learned to check out the shops that sold different types of herbs. It was like a needle in a haystack in Amsterdam considering the drug laws, but eventually he found one with a pretty little owner who wore a necklace made of vervain. He'd know that particular plant anywhere.
From the way she looked at him as he entered, eyes narrowed as she looked back at her current customer, he knew she had an idea of what he was. Doubtful that she knew who he was or just how powerful he could be. It seemed like news of the Original family being awake hadn't traveled quite as far as he had thought it would. Better for him really.
As soon as the other customer left the shop, Kol felt pain erupt in his head and he turned toward the brunette, fangs flashing as he looked at her. She was powerful; energy that he hadn't experienced in centuries, and he knew at once that she must have come from a powerful line.
"Your kind is not welcome in my shop," the woman bit out, bending her hand and making him fall to the ground. "You haven't done anything yet, but I don't think the world would really mourn the death of one more vampire."
Kol saw the stake in her hand then and grinned. Feisty. He appreciated that. "Won't do you much good. I'm an Original, darling. Only one thing can put me down for good." And she certainly didn't have access to it.
A flicker of recognition flashed in her eyes and that was interesting. Someone had been told their tales. The Original Family wasn't always talked about in some witch circles, thought to be a myth considering they had apparently been out of the limelight for so many decades. "Who are you and what do you want?" she demanded, not releasing her hold on his body and even twisted it again when he didn't respond right away.
"Kol Mikaelson. I'm looking for a witch named Sanai," he replied, watching the woman's features darken at that admission. The pain in his body increased dramatically. Seemed someone was a little protective of the other witch. "Silas is rising. I'm told she can help make sure he doesn't do that." There was hesitancy in the woman now. "So be a dear and stop with the power play."
"How do I know you won't kill me as soon as I let you go?" she asked, keeping her magical grip on him.
"You don't but the longer you do this the more likely I am to pay it back to you tenfold," Kol replied, watching as the woman stepped back. She began chanting a spell he didn't know and Kol watched, trying to fight against the hold she had but he couldn't break it.
Eventually she did release him and he stepped forward, bumping into an invisible wall. "It'll keep you in here for five hours. Enough time for me to get out of town and away from you."
Clever girl.
"If you really want to find Sanai for help I'll leave the address on the desk," the woman continued, scribbling away on a piece of paper before collecting her things. "She won't be there long. The Coven was due to move in a few days. Up to you if you want access to her or to kill me. I doubt you could do both at the same time."
Kol grinned, enjoying the shiver that ran down the woman's' spine. Seventy-thirty chance that he could do both. He'd had worse odds. Seemed he would have a few hours to decide what exactly to do. Pity he'd forgotten his cell at the house. Nik was going to have his head when he learned they could have known the location five hours earlier.
Ah well. What his brother didn't know wouldn't hurt him.