I Do Not Own Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies

Kol's hangover had devolved into a minor headache; but that could be because the twins were horrid at Egyptian pronunciation and had him wanting to hit himself over the head with a frying pan to make them stop. The evening was rolling around and he surrendered.

"Alright, enough," he waved them off as they attempted again.

"We…" Liv started.

"I'll do the spell, you two can channel me while I do the spell to pull on the Travelers, we'll put them in this bottle," he decided as he grabbed his empty bourbon bottle.

"We can do it," Luke said.

"Not in the amount of time we have. Travelers can't stay anywhere together for long without inciting ruination and disaster, even with Passengers, we need to collect them tonight," he sighed.

"We can do it," Liv insisted.

"I don't doubt that, but I do doubt you can do it on the time crunch, so here, take the bottle, I'll link us and do the spell, you two will harness the spell to pull the Traveler's into the bottle," he said as he tossed the glass bottle to Luke. The blond fumbled a moment before recovering the catch. Getting up Kol grabbed a knife and supplies as he looked at his phone for a message. Unknown number flashed with a text:

-I'm Vincent Griffith, I got your number off of Bonnie Bennett. I'm texting to tell you Davina is passed out, but we have located Eva Sinclair's victims and are at the plantation.

Kol reread it and then tapped out a response before shoving the phone in his pocket and grabbing up a portion of a spell he would need. He would have to save Vincent's contact information later.

"What was that about?"

"Different project," he answered as he grabbed a rope and some wax, as well as his personal seal to finish the job.

"What's that for?"

"Well after they're caught, we're going to have to seal them in there, best way I know how to do that, familial magic. We'll put your blood in the wax, and use my old seal to do it," he said as he tossed it at the twins.

"It's a wolf," Liv observed.

"Fox," he corrected. "It's my… talisman, in lame man terms, it'll be enough to keep them sealed in there when I'm done."

"Talisman?" Luke asked.

"Of sorts… Finn was a boar, Elijah an stag, Klaus a wolf, I a fox, Bex was a bear, and Henrik an eagle. That fox will be just powerful enough to make that bottle unbreakable and contain as many souls as we pull from the Passengers," he explained.

"Huh," Luke muttered. Kol grabbed it back as he finished filling his pockets with needed supplies. Once they were packed, he walked to the door to see Elijah on the phone.

Elijah waved them off, and Kol waved back as they got in the car. It was a short drive, Kol pulled over to the shoulder and got out, he saw the trucker barreling by and waited a moment until he was sure they were alone on the road before walking out to the center lines. It didn't take him long to set up the spell, though he had to carefully write out the hieroglyphics, so he didn't mess up any of them. Fucking Egyptians and complicated hieroglyphs, if he ever met the ancient witches, he was having words of their language system! Once he had the spell in place, he motioned for the twins to come over, Liv handed him the bottle. Kol pulled out his sigil before he worked the spell around the bottle and utilized the wax to bleed the fox into the glass with his blood.

"Alright," he said as he stood and set the bottle in the center of the spell before stepping out. "Take hands," he ordered. "Now, channel my spell, don't channel anything else, open to the air and feel for the Travelers to come to us."

He started focusing on the chant as the Egyptian rolled over his tongue and felt like a burr in the back of his throat, still he could feel the ancient spell stirring before the hieroglyphs started glowing. Kol felt the dying sun's power pull and then the fire erupted as a massive shadow came flying at them with the dark as the sun set. He watched as the twins pulled all the souls he had summoned into the bottle, it full when he released the twins, and held his hand out as he switched to Old Norse for sealing the souls within. The wax moved on it's own as the fire fox wrapped around the bottle and sealed off the top.

"Whoa," Luke whispered.

"Are they really?"

"Hold still you two," he grabbed their hands and slit their fingers before dropping the blood on his seal and finishing the spell as electricity traveled over the bottle like lightning. Once it was over, he grabbed the bottle.

"There, take that to your father, the spell to unlock it is Latin, all it takes is a familial relation to one of you two, souls can't get out." He grabbed up the supplies.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"What?"

"Pull souls from bodies?"

"Ancient Egyptians had an affinity for the soul, most of their magic is centered around it, they perfected travelling to the astral plane and other planes, it's why their lore around the afterlife is so complex. Their Pharaohs were usually powerful witches, hence the belief they were related to the gods."

"How do you know that!?" Liv gaped at him.

"Live as long as I do, and you'll pick up a thing or two, darling," he quipped. "Come on, we need to go get Elijah."

"Seriously though?" Luke persisted.

"I learned that particular trick back in the twelfth century, I had been travelling the Middle East, a lot of the area, did a lot of digs with the crusaders," he answered. "Egyptians had such an affinity for soul magic and utilizing it to commune with the dead I learned it for about fifty years, that particular spell though is one your great-grandmother came to help me decipher. I was going to help with the Merge, but other events arose that required my attention."

"What do you know about the Merge?" Liv asked eagerly.

"How old are you two?"

"Twenty, we were late bloomers because of… reasons," Luke said tersely. "Our father doesn't like us being on our own. But as the Merge draws near, they let us out to experience the world," he explained.

"The Merge is a few thousand years old," Kol pointed out.

"We know."

"Well, what you don't know is that it can be undone, I've dabbled in my search of information about it off and on for centuries," he shrugged. "I might know how to undo it, but as you two have time, it'll have to wait just a little bit."

"Why!?" Liv pressed.

"Because I have a few more important things to take care of than a ritual that only happens when you're twenty-two," he answered. "It's not forgotten, it's just on the backburner as they say."

"You think you can break the curse of the Merge?" Luke asked cautiously.

"I don't see why not, it was done by magic, it can be undone. It'll just take patience," he yawned as he pulled into the motel. It was pitch black when he got there. Getting out of the car he walked into the room, leaving the Travelers with the twins. He found Elijah sitting in the chair glaring at the wall.

"Whatever it is, I did not do it," Kol warned as he walked in. Elijah finally looked at him, his eyes hard and his jaw clenching; both tells that one of them had gotten into some sort of trouble.

"What is it?"

"Niklaus has received a summons to New Orleans."

"Fuck," he muttered.

That was ahead of schedule for him and Davina. They were both hoping to stall him until the end of May, then Hayley's pregnancy would be more stable, and secure, and Nik wouldn't harm her. Despite all the evils that he and his family would do, they would never harm a pregnant woman or harm a child intentionally. Granted their definition of a child hadn't exactly altered with times, but anything under about ten was a child to them. Granted, Kol accepted in this era children were thought eighteen and younger, but it was a strange concept given that in his time, he was an adult at the age of twelve.

"Why?"

"He did not say, but he was… displeased greatly."

"We should warn Marcel."

"Why?"

"Marcel is the King, and Nik's going to want to take it when he finally sees what Marcel's done," Kol pointed out.

"I had not thought about that," Elijah grumbled.

"I had hoped he'd stay away longer," Kol confessed.

"Why?"

"It's easier to work when he's not around. And I'm on a time crunch, Davina and I are finally getting around our brick wall of a problem and making headway."

"All of your schemes," Elijah started.

"Not schemes, brother, I'm trying to stop everything from destroying our family," he sighed.

"If you should require assistance," Elijah offered sagely.

"I do, I need you to keep Hayley Marshall safe."

"Why?"

"You'll know soon enough," Kol answered as he walked to the minifridge and pulled a beer that he had bought earlier out. "I need someone I can trust to keep her safe."

"Well, I should inform you that Miss Bennett's friends, Miss Forbes and Mister Donovan are coming with Sheriff Forbes to stay at the Plantation, in one of the guests houses," Elijah said. "They'll be here after Miss Forbes, and Mister Donovan's graduation."

"Great," Kol groused as he dragged a hand over his face.

More people, more complications, and worse, his brother's sunshine, blonde obsession was coming along. Kol didn't know Caroline and didn't judge her, but the vampire was perky and invasive. And she was attracted to Nik who had knocked up Hayley, this was going to be an undesired complication.

"You do not seem thrilled," Elijah chuckled.

"I'm not. But… hell, improvise, adapt, overcome."

"Wherever did you hear that, brother?"

"Marcel," Kol answered. "Fitting though, I like it, I might make it my motto," he smirked.

"I do believe you've already coined a phrase."

"Ah, yes, there's always time for games," he chuckled as he sipped his beer.

They both remained in silence as Kol sipped his beer.

"How do you feel about having a wife?" Elijah asked him suddenly.

Which had him raising his brows as he looked at his brother.

Kol thought about it for a long moment as he leaned back on the headboard of the bed. "I don't know… I didn't think about it when we were human because it wasn't… I didn't want that," he acknowledged. "I wasn't like you guys, I wasn't going to stay there for forever, I was going to go out to the Old World and seek adventure and learn more about magic. A wife, in general with what I wanted to do, not practical back then. Wives usually equal children at some point and realistically never wanted that back then, I didn't want to chance it."

"Chance what?"

"Birth is dangerous, for mother and child," he asserted. "That might not be in this era, but then it was, and I took it in consideration on if I were to marry."

"Ah yes, you did help Ayana with all those babes," Elijah chuckled.

"I lost enough mothers Elijah, I saw the devastation of children and husbands, I didn't want that in my life… I also wasn't you or Bex or Henrik and hopeless romantic," he grimaced at the memories.

Henrik had always been pestering Kol for romantic advice on how to woo his girl, and Bex was always sobbing into his tunic about her latest heart break, which would be enough to have him trying not to get into a fight with his mother to let Rebekah marry. He remembered how much Elijah had loved Tatia and her son, finding a small family after Tatia had lost her husband, Ivor. Ivor had been a dear friend of Elijah's, and the relationship between Tatia and Elijah was a strong one. Granted Nik had also been infatuated with Tatia, but Kol didn't want to think about that because frankly, it was weird.

"I wasn't so impractical to think it wouldn't happen, but I also wasn't going to marry a lass for the hell of it," he conceded. "If I did marry, I at least wanted us to be friends, or with an understanding of some sort. Back then that was likely, but I wasn't going to worry about it until I was old, like thirty, if I made it that far. I didn't want to end up like mother and father, bitter and cruel, I didn't want to do that if I were to marry, so I was avoiding it."

"And your thoughts on it now?"

"I don't know," he answered. "Hence the complication."

"Your thoughts on Davina?"

"Davina's Davina… And it's complicated," he muttered as he sipped his beer. "I haven't thought about it too much, but when it does come to mind…" he drawled.

"Could you see it?"

He shrugged haplessly. "Dunno… But I can't see someone else being her blasted husband either. And at times like this I wish clairvoyance was one of my natural gifts so I could solve the complication without too much worry."

"If you should, accept a wife, Davina will be a delightful addition to the family."

"Wow, an actual approval from Elijah Mikaelson," Kol snorted with a smile.

"It's been known to happen," Elijah chuckled reassuringly.

"No, no it doesn't. Only one of us who 'settled' down after turning into vampires is Finn, and we all hated Sage."

"She was atrocious," Elijah stated.

"Yeah," he chuckled.

It would've been one thing if Finn had fallen for a servant or 'peasant' as Bekah called the common people; they were Vikings, common people were respectable in their eyes and mind, but no, Finn had to go and fall for a con artist, madame who was stealing from them and plotting their deaths. Sage had been a lively creature, and she sure did keep things interesting, but they all hated her for her attempted murders of them, and worse, her theft. Finn had loved her though, of course he did, any mortal with spunk to stab Finn in the heart with a wooden stake had his attentions and affections, at the same time though, Sage led their brother around by his cock. It was maddening!

"Whatever it is you decide, we will support you."

"Well, I'm going to ask you to remember that one after I have recovered Freya."

"Freya?"

"Yeah, that one I'll explain after I have her. Davina and I have to first go steal her from wherever she's stashed herself," he groaned. "When did my life get so complicated?"

"The moment you chased Davina Claire."

He moved around in the forests as he silently trailed after his eldest brother. Finn was seeking Sage; he knew that, and he knew Sage was seeking Finn out. But the problem was they weren't near each other and wouldn't find each other without help. He also knew that between his brother's new Coven members they could bring Sage to Finn.

He wasn't paying attention when he stepped on a twig and a vice like hand grabbed his throat pinning him to a tree.

"Why the bloody hell are you following me?" a voice snarled, and he peered at his brother.

"Been a while Finn," he choked out.

"Henrik!?" Finn dropped him and he landed with a thud. One good thing about being on the Other Side already was that nothing that should hurt, could hurt. Minus the being dead part, or having a soul shredded; that was supposedly unpleasant. "How? How is this…?"

"Long story, brother," he admitted as he slowly got up. "I need your help, and if you help me, we'll get Sage back for you."

"We?"

"Kol's wife," Henrik stated.

"Our brother would never marry," Finn sneered.

"You'd be surprised, and he had to pick a stubborn vixen," Henrik chuckled. He remembered being surprised the one time he'd been haunting Kol at the end and there stood that little brunette witch watching over him while Kol talked to a head stone. It'd been at least five hundred years since the passing of Davina Claire, and that's when Henrik decided peace was overrated; after being on the Other Side for over a millennium he had sort of tapped into his weak witch abilities, and connected well with time, and since the Other Side wasn't bound to time, he could jump around to when he wanted to see his family.

But the destruction of the Other Side, the obliviating of Hell, the ruination of his mother's broken legacy upon them had left his brother alone and haunted and his niece with an impossible task to undo when they were painted as the villains.

Henrik had never approached Davina Claire, though he grew used to seeing her around Kol whenever he visited his brother, the love between them was powerful, Davina was defying peace and hell to be with his brother, and he admired the vixen for that. He had admired her so much he had figured she could do what needed to be done. When he had selected her, he had exhausted working to break the peace with his siblings to find a way back, to find a way to salvation. The only four Harvest girls had served a purpose, and willingness to aid him. Kol's many witches, the ones he had taught and connected with over the millennium were more than happy to help Henrik. Nature had been shattered by the cause of Elena Gilbert and his mother, and it needed to be restored. The how of that though had somehow centered around his family.

Thus, the selection of Davina Claire to save them.

"What vixen?" Finn demanded.

"Davina Claire," he answered. "Whatever you're doing for mother, it won't bring Sage to you, mother plans to ruin us all," he said.

"How?"

"The destruction of the Other Side, it'll cast us to hell or peace, and I spent too much time here and in peace watching Nature and our family be villainized and ruined to desire to return to either of them. Brother, whatever mother's claims, and schemes, it won't restore any of the balance of Nature. It will be the ruination of Nature's balance."

"And why should I help you?" Finn asked.

"Cause I'm your baby brother," he answered. "And Freya's alive and will want to see you again," he answered.

"Freya's dead."

"No, she's not, I'll take you to see her," Henrik promised.

"Mother said."

"Mother always lies," Henrik said softly. "Always. Help me, and you'll have Sage and Freya back."

"Why?"

"Because you're my big brother, and I need your help," Henrik answered. "If we do this right then we'll be a real family again, and you can punch Nik, and maybe Elijah," he promised.

Now Finn smirked and Henrik smiled.

"You haven't changed a bit," Finn said humorlessly.

"I think I changed a lot in my endless time here," Henrik retorted.

"You're still short."

"I'm growing!" he protested.