Author's note: Hi everyone! It's been a minute – I know. I'm still determined to finish this story by the end of the summer, so here we are. :D
So flattered and honored by the love shown this strange little story. :)
Kol cheerfully wandered through the streets of Mystic Falls, delighting in the chaos that the Twin Flame spell had wrought. The medical center was overfilled with patients complaining of minor ailments. The local jail was just overstuffed with one-time hooligans. Impromptu block parties lined the streets; the few bars were overflowing with libations and merriment; and the various inhabitants of the small town seemed to find any reason at all to be out in the still of the night.
And this was a town where everything promptly closed long before midnight – and yet, on this night-after-Midsummer, it seems that all the place had come alive.
Everywhere Kol looked, people were making some kind of love connection.
It was utter chaos, and he couldn't be more thrilled. Freya wanted his help? Fine! She got it. More than she could ever hope for. He just hoped his annoyingly bossy sister was taken in by the spell, as well.
That's what she gets for being such a royal – quite literally, if he were to take Klaus' boasting about the self-established nobility of the Mikaelsons seriously, which he didn't – pain in his arse.
Kol took a few minutes to add the proverbial cherry on top of his magical dessert by casting a spell to pull the fire alarm at the local high school, sending the on-duty firefighters to the empty scene, thus igniting potentially even more shenanigan-inspired connections – and with those, more confusion and chaos for Freya.
He was so absorbed in his mischief-making, that he didn't hear his most beloved voice in the whole of the cosmos carry to his scheming form.
"Over hill, over dale, through bush, through brier," sang the lovely form of Davina Claire, approaching the street corner on which Kol oversaw his mayhem with glee. "Over park, over pale, through flood, through fire," she cajoled, with a touch of mischief in her own eye, both menacing and utterly delightful to her new husband, who seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye from their long-awaited honeymoon. "I do wander from across the sea, seized to follow my errant husband's flee; O why hath my Kol disappeared, I ask; when all his efforts spent were to around me bask; and then to find him in Mystic Falls, beyond the sacred gales and hallowed halls; what sense makes this? Are you not he?" Davina inquired, growing increasingly confused by her own words as they persisted to tumble out of her mouth.
Kol only laughed in ludicrous joy and picked her up to spin her about. "I can't believe you're here!"
"What was all that about?" Davina queried with a touch of worry.
"I have a feeling I know," he told her with an air of smugness, but pulled her in for a searing kiss before she could ask him to elaborate. When Davina pulled back, annoyed with the situation, he finally complied. "My darling sister, Freya," he explained in a tone that suggested that he found her quite the opposite, "decided that the best use of my newly-returned witch powers would be to whisk me away and have me act as her little minion, to spy on the Bennett witch."
"So, of course, you had to make some mischief," Davina smiled knowingly, then frowned in discontent. "You could have found a way to tell me!" she growled, then softened. "I was so worried about you. The first few location spells failed, and then, all of a sudden, just a few hours ago – poof! Everything worked again. Why?"
"Freya probably disrupted the communication channels," he explained. "I'm sorry I couldn't get in touch. I could hardly get a signal, which I suspect she rigged because she's so paranoid about what Bonnie Bennett may be planning. My sister expects betrayal at every turn – every turn," he emphasized dramatically, then smirked impishly. "So, I knew I had to turn on the big guns, to take matters into my own hands."
Davina only laughed, knowing Kol well enough that she could anticipate some wild fun to follow. "What did you do?"
Kol then grinned, wrapping an arm around his new bride. "Tell me, darling. Have you ever heard of the Twin Flame spell?"
Bonnie Bennett was delighted to finally get some time alone, without wandering eyes and prying ears. She sat in the ceremonial chamber of the Mikaelson family home, which had been repurposed as the Headquarters of the Witches Council as soon as she and Freya had joined forces. Although she feared at first that the magic within would favor the Mikaelsons just because of their connection to this house – to this very land – since it was in Mystic Falls that they were first created over a millennium prior, she was relieved to find that the magic proved impartial.
Or perhaps it had a softer spot for Bennett witches than even she previously realized.
Now that her candles were lit, and Freya was out, and Rebekah was busy entertaining Marcel in ways best left to the imagination, Bonnie could finally focus on her project. She lit the flames, saving that of the cauldron for last, and began to chant.
Having spent time with Freya, a New Orleans witch, she had the benefit of learning ancestral magic, and thus yearned to take advantage to re-create a most wondrous boon – one which would fill more than just the happy bride-to-be with utter bliss.
With the scrying fires lit, Bonnie allowed her eyes to become unfocused, and instead sought to capture the images presented to her through the world of imagination.
"I seek an audience with Qetsiyah," she chanted to the flames. As the fires began to rise, she was suddenly interrupted by an urgent knock, causing her to lose her concentration almost entirely. With a huff, she got up, and impatiently stalked to the door.
"What?" she rudely asked before even grabbing the door handle, and certainly before she could stop herself. Shouldn't leaving a witch with some peace and quiet when she's in a ceremonial chamber be some kind of unwritten rule? She knew Freya was out for sure, so it had to be either Rebekah or Marcel. Did they run out of – she shuddered. Her mind was not going there.
As she opened the door, however, it wasn't the engaged couple that she saw. Instead, she found the visage before her quite intriguing – perhaps even more so than the first time she managed to catch a glimpse, when she and Freya were busy planning the wedding.
"Sorry to bother you –" Enzo awkwardly began, evidently not expecting the witch to be quite so irate.
"Oh, it's no bother," Bonnie lied, though it was quickly becoming the truth. "You're that troupe-leader, aren't you? Of that group of actors we hired to write and perform an original play about the Mikaelson family?"
The grin that coated Enzo's face could kindly be compared to that of a Cheshire cat, and Bonnie immediately sensed some hidden mischief within it, though she'd be lying if she didn't find it alluring. Freya could use a bout of mischief and play – she was wound entirely too tight.
"That's right, gorgeous," he replied.
"What can I do for you?" Bonnie asked, intrigued.
"Just here to finalize a few matters," he replied genially.
"What matters are those?" Bonnie asked, genuinely curious.
"Before we get into that, we should probably find somewhere more comfortable to talk," he emphasized with a slight lilt to his voice that Bonnie found unbearably sexy. What was going on? This was so unlike her.
Oh, right. The Twin Flame spell that Elena cast and then Kol spread, just as she clandestinely planned. She would internally cackle that her plan worked so well, if she wasn't falling prey to the spell, herself.
But wasn't that part of her plan, regardless?
Shaking off her reverie, Bonnie smiled brilliantly, and elected to try to contact Qetsiyah to make her secret concoction another day. If the spell sent Enzo to her doorstep today, then there must have been a reason for it, chaotic as it may be.
"The parlor's right this way, Mr. St. John," Bonnie graciously led.
The vampiric quartet finally made their way out of the woods, the majority of which were quite happy with the turn of the events – especially Damon, who now felt like he had every reason in all the cosmos to keep his humanity off. If Elena turned hers off, too, they were bound to have sinful fun of epic proportions.
Caroline curious about this development, as well, and wondered if it would put a crinkle in her plans to use Damon to make Stefan jealous, and therefore, finally make a move. Finally.
Obviously, Damon would be a lot more interested in chasing Elena now – now that she was here, sans her humanity. Or maybe not. His empathy switch threatened to come undone when she was in danger, and it certainly didn't look like Stefan was interested in antagonizing her anymore, now that he got what he wanted. She had to find a way to use Elena's new humanity-free status to her advantage – and, dammit, she would – because she's Caroline Forbes, the Fabulous!
Stefan was the most suspicious of the four, watching everyone carefully. Elena agreed a little too easily, and the rest of the group was just too happy with the turn of the events to question it properly. No, something felt off. Elena lived and breathed empathy to a nearly disgusting degree – and she wouldn't give up something like that without a fight. The only other time she'd turned her humanity off was when she was ordered to through the sire bond.
He knew exactly what he'd do. He'd smoke her out. A test.
One she'd fail with flying colors.
He watched with even greater suspicion as she surreptitiously slid her hand into Damon's, giving it a squeeze. Holding hands? Please. If she really had her humanity turned off, she'd suggest an orgy over a pile of bleeding near-corpses, high off the blood and the rush of a good hunt.
What a lousy liar. He just needed to set the right trap. But what?
Suddenly, Damon's phone rang. "Oh, hey Liz!" Damon answered, taking on a mock-serious tone, earning a snicker from Caroline. "Of course! Anything for the good citizens of Mystic Falls. Our top priority is to keep them safe. We'll be right there."
"What did my mom want?" Caroline laughed, already eagerly anticipating a fun adventure.
"Looks like there's no need for a hunt, after all," Damon grinned, returning her enthusiasm. "She asked for some help at the jail, to make sure no one gets hurt. They're booked past capacity, with more incoming every few minutes. Oh, how ever shall we control them?" Damon asked, widening his eyes in a faux show of innocence.
Caroline grinned wickedly in return, completely oblivious to Elena's growing anxiety, which Stefan immediately noticed, earning a smile of his own.
"Perfect!" Stefan announced cheerfully. "Isn't that right, Elena?"
"Aa—absolutely," Elena stuttered, swallowing thickly, trying desperately to think a way out of this situation. "Human buffet. Can't wait!"
More on Bonnie's secret plans in the next chapter, and whether or not Elena will "pass the test." :D
I'd gone entirely too many chapters (one) without having Kol – the Puck of the story – play a central role, so this had to be fixed immediately.
I hope you like this update, everyone! I honestly aim to finish this story as soon as possible. It's time it gets the love it deserves! :D
Hugs and love to all, especially dear friends.
Please make sure to leave a review, because I'm delighted to learn your thoughts, and opinions, and feelings! :D