Stand By Me
When we arrived in Mystic Falls the first (second ) person I called was Caroline. Bonnie still didn't have any service and I needed to recharge a bit more before I attempted to astral project to her again.
She'd let me know nobody had returned yet but she'd done her best to clean up the carpet at Elena's. I really didn't want to go back there but she really wanted to speak with us in person and everybody should be back soon.
Tiana and I climbed out the car and up the steps. Tiana noticed my reluctance to knock on the door so she did it for me. Caroline opened the door with a somber look on her face wordlessly she stepped to the side. I raise an eyebrow as I walked inside. My jaw dropped when Tiana followed me inside.
"Oh no." Caroline gasped covering her mouth. If Tiana was able to enter without an invite it meant there was no living owner of the house; meaning Jeremy died at some point.
"What? Was I not supposed to be able to come in?" Tiana asked looking around completely clueless."You need to fill us in."
"I need to call Stefan." Caroline quickly turned on her heel and walked away from us. I threw my hands up in annoyance.
"I feel like I did not need to come straight here, Caroline." I called after the blonde. I turned to Tiana who shrugged at me. My eyes drifted down to the last place I'd seen Kol. Despite how hard Caroline tried I could see the scorch mark clear as day.
"One good birthday was all I wanted." I muttered, wiping the tears that threatened to make themselves known. It was always something, last year I'd run away to New Orleans grieving my Gramm's this year… I could add Carol & Kol to the list. Hell even Jeremy & Elena. I know my hand in her death but once the dust settled I knew my running off again was my way of dealing with both what she'd done and what I did.
"Hey, we can head out if you want? Check in with Klaus?" Tiana suggested. I took one more glance at Caroline's back she was still busy on the phone whether she was able to get through to anybody or not I didn't know. I nodded weakly and the two of us left. When I pulled away from the house, Tiana was tapping her nails against the door aggressively.
"What is it?"
"Stefan didn't answer but Damon did." She replied, I glanced over at her curious about what she managed to overhear."They have no idea where your sister is."
"What do you mean? She's missing? I'd know if she were dead." I replied panicked. If something happened to Bonnie they were all dead. And I wouldn't feel any guilt about it.
"That's all I got, they have no idea what happened in that cave. They came in and found professor Shane with a jacked up leg and Jeremy cold and dead on the floor. The cure & Silas were nowhere in sight."
"I'm gonna need to do some magic when we get to Klaus' if I can channel him. That should be enough to not burn myself out again."
Tiana nodded, we spent the rest of the car drive in silence. My brain was fixated on Bonnie. I needed to find her and then I needed to have words with this Silas face to face.
I was completely on autopilot I barely registered talking to Klaus let alone setting my room up with candles.
I found myself back on the island, Bonnie was laying on the ground in the woods. I rushed over to her and tried to touch her completely forgetting I couldn't feel her. I let out a sigh of relief when I noticed her chest slowly rising and falling.
"Bonnie!" I called out but she didn't even stir. I sat down beside her frustrated I couldn't touch her, so shaking her was impossible. I can't necessarily do magic in astral form so healing her wasn't gonna happen. I let out a yell of frustration.
"Easy there, you're gonna wake the whole island." Shane's voice came from behind us. I shot to my feet and turned to face him. Tiana said the man had a broken leg so color me surprised that he was here right now walking as if everything was fine.
"Shouldn't you be less mobile?"
"Oh this?" He showed me his leg with a small smile."Silas healed me."
"You wouldn't happen to know where I can find the first immortal would you?" I asked uninterested in talking to the man. I was even more confused why Silas would heal this nothing ass man but Bonnie was passed out on the ground? Who holds more value here?
"I do not, he didn't really tell me where he was going. You're sister is fine. I used some herbs from the Island to heal her wound."
"Wound?" I asked checking over the parts of Bonnie I could see.
"She was stabbed in the back."
"By who?" I snarled, taking a step closer to the Professor. He looked unfazed by me.
"I have no idea. I do not want to meet the person who could take down a witch as strong as she is."
"Have her call me when she wakes up." I mumbled with one more glance toward Bonnie. I was back in my room at Klaus'. Klaus was standing beside me with his hand on my shoulder while Tiana watched with crossed arms from the other side of the room.
"Did you find her?" Klaus asked expectantly, Tiana crossed the room in one big step and was on my other side."Or maybe the cure?"
"She's still on the island, she's with Shane." I used my magic to put out the candles."No idea on the cure, I can get started looking for it but I need more info."
"I'll leave you to it then, Love." He replied turning to leave the room. Tiana cleared her throat."No need to hold your tongue princess."
"What do you know about the cure? She needs more info and you're 1,000 years old. You know something."
"Ah, she's developed a bit of a backbone in her absence." Klaus looked at me with a catlike grin."There's only one dose is all I know, no one has ever seen it. However if it was last seen on the Island somebody who was there might have more to say than little ol me."
"Rebekah." I muttered palming my forehead why I didn't think to call her was beyond me. I just had to hope and pray she had service or was on her way back already.
"I take it Tiana here wants the cure? With Elena dead that lot has no real reason to want it. Caroline doesn't want it, Damon certainly doesn't. Stefan might he's always been a bit more human than the others. You only really have to get through Rebekah."
"Thank you Klaus." I said, he flashed Tiana a dimpled smile and backed out the room.
"That man has the face of an angel but is the devil." She shook her head "You call Rebekah, Im gonna check in back home."
"Home as in Philly or New Orleans?
"Figure it out." The hybrid turned on her heel and headed out of my room. I playfully rolled my eyes and stared down at my phone. Still nothing from Bonnie. I glanced at my bed it still wasn't made from the last time Kol & I slept in here. I realized I need to focus more on chasing Silas than chasing a cure that would obviously go to Bekah.
Quetsiyah was a Bennett Witch, which means we are connected. The same way I reach out to Emily should work for her right? A light bulb went off above my head. While I handed off the headstone to Bonnie, I never gave her the talisman.
I yanked the door to my nightstand open and yanked out the "copy of twilight." I put up my silencing spell and sealed my bedroom door making sure to cut the chances of us being interrupted down to next to nothing.
I clutched that Talisman for what felt like forever trying to get that lady to show up and it didn't work. Perhaps with her being as old and as dead as she was I'd need an actual spell?
With a dejected sigh I re-glamored the talisman and went to find Klaus, he was off standing in front of the fireplace to my surprise painting. I knew he was a skilled artist but I didn't expect for that to be what he was doing right at this moment. The cure is missing, his last remaining hybrid is literally under his roof right now. And the man is painting.
"Nik?" I called out, I'm sure he already knew I was there but it was just to pull him away from his painting so I could see it. The colors he had laid out looked vaguely familiar and as of right now he'd only had a very rough draft on the canvas.
"Have you spoken to my dear sister? I noticed I suddenly couldn't hear you in your room anymore." He commented inspecting his paint brushes carefully."You wouldn't happen to have been using a silencing spell to plot against me now would you?"
"I rather not be brutally murdered by you so no." I replied coming to a stop beside him. I crossed my arms and motioned to the canvas."What's the plan for this?"
"Kol commissioned a painting before his death." He replied I raised an eyebrow curious what exactly Kol wanted him to paint."It was meant to be a birthday gift for you. I gave him my word I'd do it so here I am painting my dead brother and his girlfriend."
"That's sweet, do you have a reference photo or something?"
"My memory is the reference photo, you'll just have to wait til it's finished." He smirked. I snorted and took another look at the paints hoping for a hint. There were the obvious colors like black,blue, brown, white but what really stuck out to me was the silver glitter. It almost reminded me of my ball gown.
"I was trying to reach out to Quetsiyah." I finally answered, Klaus turned back to his painting and went back to work."I figured if anybody could help with Silas it's her."
"And were you unsuccessful?"
"Very much." I replied slightly annoyed. I opened my mouth to say something else but my phone rang. I pulled it out my pocket and slightly rolled my eyes Caroline must have just realized I was gone."It's Care, give me a sec."
It wasn't any real point to leave the room since Klaus could hear everything no matter what. It pretty much was Caroline explaining to me what Tiana already did. The interesting detail however was that Damon told them to torch the house with Jeremy's body in it as the cover story.
I didn't think it was really necessary, if they wanted Silas to bring back Elena he could just bring back Jeremy too. The length of the siblings forced vacation really should determine whether or not we tell people.
"It's almost a shame what happened to that family." Klaus commented mixing some paint together. I slipped my phone into my pocket and shook my head. Leave it to Klaus to gloat the dead.
"This life will do that. I'm sure it won't be the last whole lineage wiped out. Pretty sure Bennett's are close to extinction too."
"More the reason for you to stick by my side. I can guarantee you and your future offspring life long protection." He replied, I narrowed my eyes this sounded strangely close to his sales pitch to Elena."And all I ask is your unwaveringly loyalty."
"What's the loophole here Klaus?" I crossed my arms he never did things out of the goodness of his heart.
"Just loyalty which you've shown to those you care about isn't hard for you." He pointed out, there was something else here he wasn't telling me. I gave him a look and he let out a deep sigh."As the only one of my siblings suitors I didn't find insufferable, I want to preserve your life as long as possible for Kol."
I sucked in a breath it was random yes, but sweet in away. But it also made me wonder what was it out of everybody else who'd come and gone from their lives that made Klaus care about me.
"You know I'm still headed to New Orleans right?"
"And Kol was meant to accompany you?"
"Yes." I replied, he didn't say anything else he just turned back to his painting. Tiana finally rejoined us she had a tense look on her face. One that honestly unnerved me.
"I need you to stay here, I just heard from a little birdie there's several witches in town looking for you."
"I'm not af-" One look from the hybrid killed the rest of my sentence.
"My job is to handle it, hang out with Klaus and wait for Bonnie to call you." Tiana ordered when I didn't say anything else she flashed out the room.
"Why exactly are witches after you, love?"
By the time I finished filling Klaus in on my time in New Orleans Tiana had returned in a fresh set of Klaus and looked exhausted. Honestly fighting off only god knows how many witches and winning? Has to be tough. I narrowed my eyes curious about exactly how much training she'd gotten the girl went from a startled baby to a hardened killing machine in months.
For some reason unknown to me Klaus had me do a locator spell on Hayley before Tiana and I left. The plan was to meet up with Rebekah once she returned and immediately go after the cure and or Silas. If it was only one dose I'm not too sure how the two of them would work that one out. But it wasn't my problem as long as neither of them hurt the other.
I nearly weaped tears of joy when Bonnie's name finally flashed across my phone without wasting even a second.
"You're okay! Thank god where are you?" I said before Bonnie could even say a thing.
"I'm on my way to Elena's now. I know how to fix this meet me there." Bonnie replied before I could question her further she hung up.
"Licia." Tiana said sternly from the passenger seat, I glanced over at her. Her eyes didn't hold the same look of Hope mine did."You know whatever she needs to do is going to be pretty fucking dark right?"
"If Bonnie's in then I'm in."
Tiana nodded and we drove the rest of the ride in peaceful silence. I parked behind Caroline and sighed it felt even sadder coming back here knowing everybody who once lived in it is dead. Caroline, Stefan & Matt sat at the dining room table all eyes cut to us when we walked in.
"They're almost here." Stefan said. I nodded stiffly and took a seat beside Caroline. Tiana chose to lean against the wall closest to me but still gave her a view of the front door. The more attention I paid to her the more I'm starting to notice she's almost always in bodyguard mode. The girl might be a bit too grateful I inadvertently saved her from being slaughtered.
The front door opened up and in walked Bonnie & Damon. Bonnie immediately sat down at the table. Something about her wasn't right.
"Thank god I was so worried." Caroline cried.
"I'm okay." Bonnie answered, I noticed Damon & Stefan quietly slip out of the room nobody else noticed it but me. I caught Tiana's eye and motioned toward them with my head. She simply turned her head in there direction. Goddamn hybrid hearing.
"So what do you have to do Bonnie?" I asked, getting straight to the point. She said she was fine and the sooner I could get out of here the better.
"It's called an expression triangle. I need to complete it for Silas." She replied, I raised an eyebrow expression was dark magic meaning whatever she needed to do to complete this triangle was going to be fucked up just like Tiana said.
"What?" Matt asked.
Then it clicked to me Klaus' 12 hybrids & the 12 people at the Pastors house. Bonnie needed to kill 12 more people. The only other group who was left was Witches.
Yes this is super fucked. I wanted Kol back but I wasn't sure if I could get that dark to do it.
"I just need to complete one more sacrifice then we can bring everyone back." Bonnie said full of hope, her eyes met mine and I couldn't crush her.
"You know what that means Bonnie? That's 12 people."
"Silas will bring them back it's okay!" She replied, Caroline & Matt exchanged looks before staring at me. I was torn because I wanted to stand by my sister (and also bring Kol back) but I knew what she was saying was risky and definitely not guaranteed.
"Listen it's been a long day maybe what you need is some rest and we'll figure something out tomorrow." Caroline said softly, I sighed Bonnie had to be losing it. She was clinging to this promise Silas would fix everything instead of dealing with the actual grief of losing two people she loved so close together.
"I think Care's right. Are you heading home or do you want me to drop Bon off?" Matt said looking at me, I wanted to call it a dumb question but he was giving me an out. He recognized that I too was grieving.
"No, I got it. You ready T?" I called out, it's almost like everybody forgot she was there with how quiet and still she was. Tiana nodded and Bonnie & I stood up from the table. We passed Damon & Stefan who stared at me a bit too hard in passing. They couldn't know? Could they? I forced myself to shrug it off as the three of us climbed inside my car.
"Do you need guys need anything? Im gonna meet up with Klaus after if not." Tiana said after a long stretch of silence, Bonnie didn't say anything she just simply stared out the window.
"No I don't think so."
I pulled into our driveway and frowned as we climbed out the car, Bonnie headed up to the porch first she pulled out her keys to unlock the door while I turned my attention to Tiana the two of us hadn't moved from the car just yet.
"I have an idea." The hybrid said, she cut her eyes back to the porch for a second. I followed her line of sight and gaped at Shane standing with Bonnie.
"When did he get back and how did he get here without us noticing?" I commented. Tiana stared at him as if she was studying him.
"I don't know but she's safe, I'm too close for something to go bad." She said."But back to my idea, you need to speak to Jeremy."
"He's dead." I deadpanned.
"Bitch." Tiana replied I rolled my eyes."Witches can talk to the dead stop playing. Whoever killed him has the cure so ask him."
"I'm not sure if it'll work, I tried summoning Quetsiyah and got absolutely nothing." I explained, she scrunched her face up in thought."
"She has been dead 2,000 years? Give or take I can understand that not working but Jeremy is fresh and I swiped this when nobody was looking." Tiana opened up her hand to reveal one of the rings Emily made. I was confused myself cause as far as I knew Jeremy's body was upstairs and she never left the living room.
"Once she goes to bed, I'll try it." I said, there was no reason to give the girl false hope if it did or didn't work. Tiana gave me a small smile and climbed out the car.
"Call me after."
I nodded and the girl wooshed away. I climbed up the steps to the front porch Bonnie & Shane were still talking and weren't really paying me any mind.
"We'll do this together, you & I. We are the beginning." Shane said. I cleared my throat and the duo finally turned to face me.
"No she won't. Bonnie go inside." I ordered, Bonnie opened her mouth to respond but surprisingly didn't. She actually went inside the house, I heard the sound of Rudy's pitter patter fade as the two went deeper into the house.
"Nice to see you in physical form." Shane commented."You know Silas can bring Kol back, we just need you on board."
"Kol was terrified of Silas, I think he'd rather remain dead than be resurrected by him." I replied and it was tough for me to admit out loud but it was the truth. He'd tried so hard to keep the man asleep and yet they'd reversed rolls." You said Silas healed you on the island?"
"He did."
"What does he look like? I need to have a chat with the man and if what Bonnie was saying is true he's here."
"What makes you jump to that conclusion?" Shane asked staring at me inquisitively.
"Unless he intends to start fresh when we're two thirds of the way with a finished expression Triangle here. He's here, now tell me."
"Perhaps I should've saddled onto the smarter twin." He replied, my jaw dropped at the sheer disrespect." I didn't see him, nobody knows what he looks like but be on the look out for a fresh face in town."
Without another word Shane walked off leaving me fuming on the porch. Bonnie IS the smart twin, I'm just more educated on the Supernatural world. Something about Shane wasn't right, the guy knew I didn't like him and avoided me at all costs, I think that was why he clung to Bonnie.
She was the one in a bad place magically and he'd preyed upon that. He was nothing but red flags from day one and now, that red flag is bellowing in the wind right now.
When he disappeared from my sight, I went inside the house making sure the put up a protection spell on the house before joining Bonnie in her room. She was taking a shower while Rudy laid on her bed, he licked my hand and wagged his tail at me as I flopped down beside him.
I realized I never got the chance to call Rebekah like Klaus suggested. Now probably wasn't the best time since Bonnie could be coming out the shower at any given moment. I slipped my phone from my pocket and shot a quick text.
A: Now why are you the last to come back?
R: I was attempting to track down the cure.
A: So nothing then?
R: Cure is long gone. A little hunter told me Katherine was here.
A: No wayyyyy! So she killed Jeremy?
R: Most likely
A: Are you on your way back?
R:Yup, I should be back by morning, meet me at my house.
I heard Bonnie turn the water off so I put my phone down. I silently prayed she had brought a towel to the bathroom with her the only brown titties I was interested in seeing were my own.
When Bonnie came back into the room she still looked off, something other than Jeremy dying happened on that island.
"Bonnie?" I asked after what felt like forever, the elder sister laid down and drew the covers up close to her chin. She didn't reply but I knew she was listening."How much do you remember from before Damon found you?"
"I know I was hurt and Shane helped me."
When she didn't continue, I laid down beside her. That's a huge gap of time left unaccounted for it took Damon a couple hours to find her after that.
Bonnie Bennett what the hell happened on that island?