It was time.

The four witches all sat around the circle joined by hand and they had moved Klaus' body for channeling and the anchor to limbo; Elijah and Kol stood a fair distance behind them and they watched Elena and Davina like hawks.

"Once the spell is complete, you're metaphysical state will be transported to limbo, say the spell to locate her soul and find it as quick as you can, you won't have long to return it to her body, if we lose the spell, you'll be lost to limbo for eternity," Kimberly explained to Elena, her panic levels rising.

"Got it."

"So, how is this supposed to work?" Whispered Kol, his eyes never leaving the circle as he watched each of them slice a wound into the hand and pour blood into a chalice.

"In theory, once Cami's soul was reaped and consumed by the Soul Eaters, it would have passed on to limbo, a plane that co-exists with and is the mirror image of the plane of the living, where we are. Cami is still alive but her soul is unable to return to her body, neither can move on, so it is in a state of perpetual limbo," Elijah explained,

"In theory?" Kol reiterated, his eyes widening slightly at the thought.

"Or we are completely wrong and Elena is risking her life for something that may fail."

"Comforting."

The candles surrounding the circle had lit, the flames burned high and the spell had begun; the chanting started, all four witches channeled the ancestors, Celeste's necklace, Klaus and each other; a pull of energy sucked into the room and the air became thin, the flames grew and remained lit even when the air began to thrash and swirl like the room like a tornado.

The chanting intensified and the power between them started to rock the house but they held it, Elena felt the surge of power course through her and she thought she felt the ancestors of New Orleans behind her, like their spirits had been there with them.

They all tilted their heads back and chanted as loud as they could until Elena fell silent, she remained sat in the circle but her eyes were closed and her body still.

Limbo.

Elena had watched the two planes shift before her eyes and she was now in limbo, it was cold and dark but looked exactly the same as where she came from; she quickly took out a stick of white sage and held it between her palms, she closed her eyes and said the spell that would lead her to Cami's soul; once it was complete, a line of smoke emitted from it and carried on travelling towards Cami.

She exited the plantation and everything seemed strange, it was foggy and dark and nothing seemed still, like it was flickering and shifting before her eyes; the smoke from the white sage had drifted back into the centre of the French Quarter; Elena closed her eyes and focused, seeing only the smoke in her mind and using that as her point of interest.

When she opened her eyes, she appeared on bourbon street and it was desolate, the white sage was leading her down the road until it formed a large ball that hovered in front of Rousseau's.

Elena opened the door and slowly walked in, the smoke had dissipated and the white sage burnt down; she looked around, seeing nothing, especially not Cami's soul; she heard the same crash from the kitchen that she had heard earlier and went running in, she darted behind the ovens and there it was.

Or where she was.

There was a little girl, no older than 7 with bright blonde hair and blue eyes, she was scared but brave.

"Who are you?" The little girl asked, she had the sweetest voice but she was fierce, she put her hand on her hip and glared at Elena.

"Hey, my name is Elena, what's your name?" She asked kindly, kneeling down to be eye level with her.

"I'm Camille, lovely to meet you," she was well spoken and Elena was in awe that she had found her soul, it was just in the form of her when she was a little girl. Raw and untainted innocence.

"It's lovely to meet you too," she extended her hand and she shook it, "hey, so why don't we get out of here, it's pretty scary, huh?"

"But I'm not scared," she tried to be brave but she was still only so small, that it hurt Elena to see her in such a cruel place.

"I know, you're very brave, why don't you help me be brave and go and help my friend? She's in a lot of trouble and I could sure use somebody brave like you to help me," Elena held out her hand towards her and took it.

"Of course, let's save them!"

Elena and Camille left the bar and they ran through Bourbon Street, she could see the little girl was terrified but her courage was resounding.

All of a sudden, Elena felt a blast of dark energy hit her back and she went hurling to the floor, a loud groan escaping her lips when her head made hard contact with the floor; she felt a press on her shoulder and she smoothed her hand over it but she shook it off, she didn't have time to be in pain, she just darted in front of Camille and scanned her surroundings.

The ball of energy came hurling towards her again but this time, she put her barrier up and it deflected it; Cami screamed when she saw a black figure start to appear down the road and Elena knew right away it was a Soul Eater, it just kept hurling the dark energy balls and it was weakening the barrier.

"When I say 'go', sweetie, we have to run faster than we ever have before, can you do that for me?"

"Like a race?" She smiled sweetly, completely unaware of the evil within the world, it brought a smile to Elena's soul.

"Exactly like a race, you're super smart!"

Elena turned to face the Soul Eater and closed her eyes, muttering a chant under her breath that caused the wind to blow towards him; she held out her hand in her lap and slowly started to raise it, she quickly twisted her wrist and closed her fist, he set ablaze and the fire consumed him.

All that could be heard was his screeching but Elena took Camilles hand and yelled, "Go!"

The barrier fell and they ran as fast as they could, hoping they would make it and they wouldn't be lost forever.

The plane of the living.

"The spell seems to be holding," Elijah spoke as the room calmed, the witches continued to chant but it was softer, they where just holding the spell now and not conjuring it, if Cami's soul returns then pulling her back to the land of the living would be challenging.

"So, we just wait now?" Kol asked, taking a seat on the sofa and watching.

"Yes, now we wait," Elijah flicked the back of his blazer and sat down on the arm of the sofa, waiting for her to come back; Elena seemed peaceful to him, she was still and her eyes closed but he could only imagine what hell she was in.

After a short while, she began to flinch, her once still state is now threatened; Elijah sped beside her, pressing onto her shoulder when she groaned out in pain, "what is happening?"

Elena groaned again but a scream followed and she was struggling to hold her position, if her hand was too fall then she would be lost forever; Elijah held onto her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek and stroking her hair.

"It's the Soul Eaters, they're attacking her, we can't hold much longer," Kimberly said with a struggle before she continued to chant with the others; the flames burned even higher and the amount of power they where consuming was weakening them.

A group of warlocks had appeared and crashed in through the front door, Kol instantly appeared behind them and ripped out there hearts, letting them drop to the floor whilst Elijah darted towards the rest, he moved like a blur as he fought through five of them, he hit the head of one of them and it hurled to the floor, he grabbed one of them and snapped his back over his knee and rolled the body to the floor, he removed the hearts of two of them and fed on the last one until his heartbeat ceased.

The appearance of the warlocks confirmed to Elijah that the entire attack on Rousseau's had been a trap, they knew how close Elena was to Cami and they reaped her soul without consuming it to lead her to limbo; they knew she would want to save her friend and if she died in limbo or on the plane of the living then her soul would be trapped forever, waiting for them to claim it and use it for whatever they desired.

"Elijah!" Kol pointed to the window and another group of them were approaching.

"We have to hold them back and protect the spell or we'll lose Elena forever," he said before they both darted out into the front, holding back as many as they could until Elena returned.

Limbo.

Elena screamed out as the Soul Eater came too and hurled the blast of dark energy at her again; she could see the plantation nearing, it was within distance but she was weak, the hold she had from the witches was dwindling and she didn't know if she would make it.

She waved her hand and sent the Soul Eater hurling back, buying them some time to make it to Cami but she knew it wasn't going to be enough, "Do you see that tree over there, sweetheart? Do you think you'd be able to hide behind it for a few minutes? I have an idea to stop this bad guy. I'll come straight back for you, I promise."

She held her hand and put the barrier spell within her, it carried her safely to the tree and Elena turned her attention to him, she began to feel all of her emotions at once, happiness, sadness, love, hate, fear, heartbreak and anger and she projected it onto him, she groaned as a headache began to take over but she kept projecting until he felt it.

And he felt everything, every emotion Elena had ever had and it seared through his entire body; his screech went on for miles until he eventually froze into a statue like state.

She grasped at her head and went to get Camille, taking her by the hand and running them the rest of the distance to the plantation; they where getting closer and she could see the front door, with one last burst of energy, they ran but the magic was weak and she could see the planes flicker, it flashed in technicolour and returned to the grey foggy like state.

She saw Elijah and Kol fighting off the warlocks and she began to panic; they crashed through the front door and ran straight for the living room, seeing the witches and Camille just how she left them.

"There's my friend," Elena said and pointed to the older version of herself, "I think she really needs you."

"Thank you," the little girl said before she climbed up onto Camille's knee and curled up in a ball on her lap; a tear rolled down Elena's cheek when she saw little Cami curl up and snuggle into her, a bright white light radiated from her and they became one again.

Camille shot up and screamed as her soul was returned to her, a wide smile forming on Elena's lips knowing she had saved her friend but she didn't know if the witches would have the power to return her, they were weak and the power was dwindling.

She watched as Elijah struggled, he held onto her and she could feel it on her own body as if he was right in front of her; she knelt down beside him, completely invisible to him and stroked her fingers across his cheek, wiping away the tear that rolled down her face.

Plane of the living.

Elijah and Kol returned to the house covered in blood and weakened, they managed to fend off the warlocks but they fought back and their magic took a toll on them; he was instantly at Elena's side, she was still struggling and groaning out in pain.

Suddenly, Cami screamed out in pain and a bright white light radiated around her until it buried itself within her chest; she was panting loudly, trying to catch her breath and she was frantic.

"Camille?" Elijah exclaimed, his voice loud and firm.

"Yeah, I'm here," she responded breathlessly, the pain and weakness overcame her as her head drooped and she fell unconscious.

"Quick! Bring Elena back," Elijah was practically demanding, his collected self starting to crumble as the panic set in.

They began chanting louder, invoking the power of the ancestors and requesting she be returned to the land of the living; there was still no sign of her waking up and her body was getting weaker as Elijah had to support her.

"We're losing power," Kimberly exasperated, as the wind in the room started to blow heavier, one of the flames on the candle extinguished and that signalled they were losing her, "we need to do something."

"Elijah, I think we're losing her," Kol stressed, putting his hands on his head out of frustration and lack of control as another flame extinguished.

The chanting grew and Anna and Davina were becoming weaker, droplets of blood trickled from their nose and they were struggling with the power they had consumed; Elijah suddenly felt a cold stroke of air on his cheek and he slowly brought his hand up to touch his skin, his eyes closed when he realised it had been Elena.

"No, no, no," He held Elena's face and pressed soft kisses all along her jawline and cheek, before he kissed her lips softly, anything to wake her up, he couldn't lose her; a surge of power awakened in the witches and the flames re-lit.

Elijah's eyes snapped onto the candles and he felt a twinge of hope, the witches fought through their pain and repeated the spell over and over again until the flames all extinguished and the chanting had finished.

Elena's head snapped back and a loud gasp soared through her lips, she felt weak and woozy and she fainted into Elijah's lap behind her; he smiled with relief when he saw her return to him and stroked her hair when she fell into him.

"What just happened?" Kol asked, utterly confused.

"I felt so much power, I thought we lost her," Davina spoke, sharing in the confusion.

"Elena has a very special gift," Kimberly explained as her daughter Anna helped her stand from the floor, "witches who are born from a long line of magic and power sometimes have a particular skill they are gifted with, sometimes it's the ability to see the future, a seer or control the elements-,"

"And Elena has one of these skills?" Elijah asked, his brow furrowed, "she wasn't born a witch and I don't recall her ever mentioning."

"The power in her bloodline is immense, your own mothers magic is in her blood when she used Tatia's a thousand years ago, it all leaves a mark and hers stretches back to as early as 2000 years ago, she may not have been able to access her power when she was born but it was there, lying dormant until the time came for her to awaken it," she explained and Elijah looked down at her, his lips parted and his brow still expressing his confusion.

"So what skill does she possess?" He asked.

"I believe Elena to be an Empath, her love and compassion fuelled our magic and she channelled it through you, when you kissed her, she felt your love and it brought her back," Elijah's face completely softened and he looked at Elena with eyes filled with love.

"She had the ability to channel me from limbo? A whole other plane?"

"Love knows no bounds, Mr. Mikaelson, if it's real, not even death can stop it," she smiled before turning and walking towards the door, Anna by her side as she readied herself to leave, "when Elena wakes, please tell her that we accept her invitation to a unification meeting and we will attend tomorrow, she has shown great power and compassion here today, not just for you but for her friends and family too, the ancestors are willing to forgo our history of war if she can lead us into a new time."

"Thank you," Elijah said swiftly, his gratitude apparent in his facial features, "for everything you have done for my family today."

Kimberly nodded her head once before exiting the plantation with Anna; Kol and Davina sat beside Elena and Elijah and waited for her to wake up.

"So," Kol said with a slight smirk and pointed towards Elena, "when did this happen?"

"Spare me," Elijah sighed at his brother's taunting, he would never be free of it but he would never change him.

"I'm assuming Nik doesn't know?" He continued his torment as a small chuckle escaped his lips, "can I please be there when you tell him? I love a good fight to the death."

"It will not come to that, brother because you will not utter a word about me and Elena to him, do you understand me?" His cold and collected voice returned and he snapped at Kol.

He heard his warning and held his hands up, smirking, "he will not hear it from me, Elijah but that begs the question, who will he hear it from?"

He did not answer, he just remained silent and thought more into his words; he hated to admit it but Klaus would inevitably learn of their relationship and if it came from someone else, he would feel betrayed and hurt, that was often worse than just dealing with his temper when he was told directly but he didn't want to put Elena in harms way.

A few hours later, Elena awoke in her bedroom with a searing headache and her insides felt like they been crushed by a car, everything hurt; she pulled herself up and wrapped her arm around her stomach, there was a dull ache and nausea she assumed came from the mass amounts of power she had funnelled through her.

She felt a gust of wind caress at her arm and she instantly felt him, Elijah appeared beside her and stroked his fingers along her cheek, "Hello there."

"Hi, there," she said with a wide grin, before she grasped a handful of his shirt and pulled him into her, crashing her lips onto his and embracing the love between them, "I told you I'd come back to you."

"You almost didn't, Elena," his voice was low and troubled, even thinking about the spell brought a deep sadness to him that he wouldn't let her see.

"I know," she looked down for a moment, her hands falling into her lap as she realised how reckless she had been, "but you brought me back, your kiss and your love, it saw me home."

"And it always will," he smiled softly before placing a kiss on her cheek, "were you planning on informing me about the Empath gift you possess?"

"I wasn't sure if it was true, Rebekah mentioned it and I was meant to talk to Davina but then we were attacked so I guess I just didn't find the time," she explained with an air of confusion around her, "how did you know?"

"Kimberly confirmed it, you empath gift channelled my love and it gave them more power, enough to bring you back," Elena's lips parted slightly at his words and the memories from limbo started to return to her.

"And I used it when I was in limbo too," she pushed the covers off of her with her feet and stood from the bed, pacing slowly up and down her bedroom floor, "I used it on the Soul Eater and it stopped him."

"Stopped him, how? Disabled him or,-"

"It killed him, Elijah," the realisation dawned on her, they had a way to stop the Soul Eaters for good, not just banish them; he stood from the bed, his eyes fixated on her and his brained fired away from the information

"Wait, so you're telling me, we can end them?"

"I think so," she couldn't stop the smile that crept up on her lips, her excitement was apparent but she didn't want to get her hopes up, it was different killing one in a state of emotional turmoil then ending a whole army of them.

"We must tell our family."