Hello! I'm back with a new chapter. So sorry about the delay, but we'll soon be finally done with this season of TVD. I am thinking about posting the remaining chapters one after another to get to work on the next phase of this story. I really appreciate you all for sticking with me. I have no words to express my gratitude for the support. Thank you all so much!

Now, let me respond to your awesome reviews:

-xenocanaan: Thank you so much for the vibes. They are good changes, just A LOT of changes from work to moving, so it took some time to adjust. Hope you enjoy what remains of this phase of the story!

-Guest: You are so very welcome!

-brigitm28: Yes, Kol is back! I also don't like having him gone for so long. His commentary in the background to taunt Klaus is surprisingly so easy to write for me 'cause I can just see him doing this every single time. They are forever stuck in the ages they were turned, so I have to bring it out now and then. I will be adding some added information (like you mentioned with Esther in Rebekah's body) 'cause the show sometimes explained it but sometimes didn't, and I want to avoid doing things out of plot convenience. We all know Klaus likes taking the long way to understand other's perspectives and feelings, so that won't change any time soon. LOL. You correctly read the Klaus and Caroline scene; I was initially a fan, but then I started to question their connection and how the show went about it. Again, I probably have mentioned this, but it's hard to picture a world where Caroline picks him over her friends and that is what needs to happen for them to actually get together, not the way the show went about it, which was hurried and skipping a lot of things (but that's my take on it).

-shariebery: Hello! I didn't want to stop updating, sorry about that. I just had A LOT of things happening in my personal life that I needed to adjust to and was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Doesn't help that I've had some trips and events that I needed to do, which kept me from being able to dedicate time to the story. I apologize for the delay!

-Guest: Here it is!

-Isobel Bauch: Hmm, very interesting thought! I like you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Vampire Diaries and claim no ownership over anything about it. I only own my characters.

ding, dong, the witch is dead

.

.

.

Somehow, almost every supernatural being currently in town had gathered in a high school's history teacher's classroom. Gwen would have found it funny if it weren't for the situation that they all currently found themselves in. Esther being alive after supposedly dying was quite the problem. The last time she saw her, her corpse was lying at Rebekah's feet. At the thought of her friend, she became worried, wondering if Esther had done anything to her. She was also concerned with whatever plan the Original witch had put together to try her hand at killing her children once more.

Gwen stood between Klaus and Kol as they watched Bonnie chant a spell under her breath with some candles spread out on the teacher's desk. Everyone in the room was quiet, but the halfling could feel the tension in the air, which unnerved her. She felt that any wrong move would cause someone to snap, specifically Klaus. She glanced at him to find that the look on his face was evidence enough that he was barely containing his anger and frustration. He was not someone who could remain still in such a situation.

"She does this all the time, right?" Jamie—Bonnie's date—asked no one specifically as he kept his eyes on Bonnie. He was both amazed and slightly apprehensive, wondering about what the Bennett witch was capable of.

Klaus huffed as he interrupted Bonnie's spell by asking, "What's taking so long?" This earned him a glare from Bonnie as she stopped chanting. "All boundary spells have a loophole."

"You're not wrong, but inexperience and incompetence can only get someone so far. A novice against a master," Kol argued, which earned him a scathing look from Bonnie and a shove to the ribs from Gwen.

"How would you know anything about magic?" Bonnie spat at Kol.

Kol chuckled as he folded his arms over his chest. "Oh, don't mind a former prodigy like myself who has studied every type of magic from around the world and has no business meddling in your spells," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Do continue."

Suddenly, a panting Matt threw open the door to the room. "People are walking right out of the dance, past the barrier."

"Probably because the barrier is made to keep us supernatural inside," Kol surmised.

"That means Matt and I can leave," Jeremy announced. "We can stop Esther ourselves. We just gotta find out where she is."

"I can go with them," Gwen supplied.

"No!" both Klaus and Kol said simultaneously, which had her scoffing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Kol snorted. "My mother would have little problem turning anyone here inside out with the flick of a finger." He narrowed his eyes at the young Gilbert. "I thought you were smarter than that, mate." He then turned to Gwen. "Don't be dumb like him, little lamb."

Gwen huffed and rolled her eyes. "I was just thinking that my magic can be of use."

"It will be," Kol whispered into her ear as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We have to do something!" argued Jeremy.

"It's suicide, Jeremy," said Stefan.

In a blink of an eye, Klaus used his speed to rush over to Jamie, holding him by the neck in a grip that had the young man struggling for breath as his windpipe tightened. No one dared to move, lest Klaus decide to kill Jamie with a flick of his wrist. He then turned to Bonnie, scowling at the witch. He was in no mood for delays, not when his mother was plotting to kill him and what remained of his family. "Suicide would be disappointing me," he said calmly as he turned to Bonnie, ignoring Jamie's grunts and attempts to free himself from the hybrid's grip. "Now, work your magic, witch, or I'll start killing people you fancy."

"Honestly, Nik," Kol sighed, slightly exasperated by his brother's impatience.

"As if you weren't thinking about doing something alike," Klaus countered.

Kol nodded. "That's fair."

"Let him go!" Bonnie pleaded, fear lacing her voice. She couldn't lose someone else. Her mother's death and disappearance weighed heavy on her, and Jamie was a balm that helped soothe her pain.

"Not until you get us out of here," countered Klaus.

Stefan stepped forward, stepping closer to the Original hybrid. "Ah, don't be stupid, Klaus. Bonnie doesn't give a damn about us," he tried to reason in an attempt to calm the hybrid and get him to release Jamie. "The only reason she's helping us right now is to save Caroline and Tyler. You start killing the people she cares about, then she'll tell us all to go to hell."

"Nik, just let him go," Gwen shouted at him. There was no point in threatening Bonnie if she was left with such unreasonable choices. Bonnie would not help them if Klaus threatened Jamie, and Klaus could not kill Jamie if he wanted her help.

Klaus released a heavy sigh as he looked at the gasping Jamie. He was tempted to snap the boy's neck, just like he would a twig, but then he would find himself with a very angry witch. It was times like these that he wished that Juniper had not left town. She would have been able to solve the problem. "Whatever," he muttered before releasing Jamie.

Kol stepped forward and locked eyes with Bonnie. "Would you mind a few pointers?"

.

When she had agreed to come to the school's dance, Elena hoped that it would be different from the ones she previously attended during the school year. Granted, she should have known better, but she thought she would have a good time with her friends on one occasion. Stefan had even taken the initiative to go with her as her partner, which was a pleasant surprise. She felt like she was getting the Stefan she knew and loved back. Everything was fine and she was even laughing, but she found herself in yet another predicament.

After having been informed of Alaric's disappearance, she had been whisked away by the Original witch, but not before getting Jeremy to alert everyone as to what had happened. Still, she berated herself for not having put up more of a fight, having simply followed Esther to the old cemetery, but she was afraid that the witch would harm Alaric and others she held dear. It came as a shock to know that Alaric was there and willing to subject himself to Esther's spell to turn him into a vampire stronger than her children, but Elena knew that a price would have to be paid and she needed to snap some sense into her friend.

"Ric," Elena began as Esther lit candles inside the Salvatore mausoleum, having acquired all the items needed to execute her spell. "This isn't what you want," she tried to reason to her impassive friend who stared at her with nothing but emptiness in his eyes. It unnerved her. "It's not who you are."

"You don't know who I am, Elena," came Alaric's cold reply as he faced Elena with a bowl on top of a table standing between them. "You only know the weakest parts of me, the man who lost his way by befriending vampires instead of killing them."

Elena shook her head in disbelief. "You don't mean that."

"They're all monsters. The blood of their victims is on my hands," he said as he recalled his worst memories of a past not so distant. "Jenna's blood is on my hands."

Esther interrupted them by taking Elena's place, causing the doppelgänger to move to the side. "When you are ready," she said as she lifted her arms, offering her hands for Alaric to grab onto over the bowl she had set up on the table.

"No, Ric, please, don't," Elena cautioned but stood still behind the Original witch. "Don't do this," she begged as she locked eyes with the person who had become like a father to her and Jeremy. She grew fearful when Alaric ignored her and grabbed Esther's hands. "I won't help you," she blurted out as she took a step back, glaring at Esther. "I'm not gonna give you my blood. You're gonna have to kill me!"

Esther released one of Alaric's hands to be able to turn to Elena. "That won't be necessary."

"Don't you need faerie blood?" Elena asked, vying for time.

"It would have made a better binding agent, but the halfling is not the easiest person to acquire and not the ideal one to tie to this spell," Esther explained without giving away the fact that Alaric's immortality would depend on something else. If she turned him by using Gwen's blood, there was a possibility that her blood would clear away the darkness that surrounded Alaric's heart. Not only that, but he would also be a true immortal. "All I need is you," she said as she lifted her left hand toward the Petrova doppelgänger before tightening it into a fist, which caused Elena to wince when she felt her right hand being sliced open by Esther's magic. The witch grabbed the brunette's wrist and held it above the bowl to have the wound bleed into it.

Esther released Elena after acquiring a good amount of blood before grabbing Alaric's hand once more. She closed her eyes and began to chant under her breath. Elena panted as she held her wounded hand close to her chest. The doppelgänger stared at the two before she gasped when the flames of the candles around her grew. She looked around and found nothing she could use to stop the spell. There was no point in fighting, not when she would be easily overpowered. After a few seconds, the candles' flames died down when Esther finished her spell.

"Drink," Esther instructed Alaric after releasing his hands. "And let it be done."

Elena released a heavy breath as she watched Alaric pick up the bowl. "No, Ric, please, don't," she pleaded once more as she tried to approach him, but Esther lifted a hand and kept her frozen in place. "No!" she cried out when he drank from the bowl.

Alaric cleared his throat as he forced himself to swallow the metallic-tasting liquid before dropping the bowl on the table. "Is it finished?" he asked Esther.

"Not just yet," Esther replied before staking Alaric with the indestructible white oak.

"No!" Elena cried.

.

"What are we doing out here?" Gwen asked Kol as they found themselves standing near the salt line, having left everyone behind to help Bonnie locate Esther's whereabouts. "Shouldn't we help them find Esther?"

"If I know my mother, which I do," Kol began as he faced her. "They won't be able to find her with a simple locator spell. Besides, I already know where she is."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Where?"

"If she requires power to be rid of the monsters she created, what better place than the one where the ground was marked by her magic after being killed by one of them," he explained to the young fae. "While the old house where the dead witches were burned would have been good enough, her connection to them was severed." He huffed out a small laugh. "Some of the dark magic she used before must have bled into the soil upon her death."

"We should tell the others," she said as she went to walk past him, but he blocked her path.

"Nik will figure it out, so don't you worry your pretty head over that. We are going to do a little experiment," Kol said and motioned for her to walk past the line with a jerk of his head. "Go on. Jump on over, darling."

Gwen frowned at him but decided not to remark on it. She sighed as she took a step closer to the line, hoping that she wouldn't smack her face into an invisible line. Kol watched her, hoping that his theory would be correct. The young fae smiled when she was able to cross over, but she did find herself frowning when an uncomfortable feeling washed over her when she stepped over the line.

"I feel stupid for not having tried earlier," Gwen mumbled as she turned back to a grinning Kol.

"You're not the only one at fault for that," Kol reassured her. "Now," he began as he clapped his hands before rubbing them together, "we need some of your blood."

Frowning, Gwen asked, "Why?"

"Come now, little lamb," he said with a smirk. "You're smart."

The halfling stared at the Original vampire, thinking about why he would want her blood before her eyes fell on the salt line. She looked back up at him as realization struck her, knowing that what he wanted her to do was something she had already done before. She looked around the ground, trying to find something sharp she could use.

"If it's a nip, I can be of assistance," Kol offered but was met with a scowl, prompting him to raise his hands in surrender.

Gwen exhaled when she saw what appeared to be a broken glass from what she assumed was a beer bottle in the middle of the parking lot. She imagined that some of the teenagers must've brought their own beverages and had a small party of their own outside. She picked up a somewhat small piece of broken glass before returning to Kol. She looked up at him and he nodded at her, urging her to proceed. The halfling looked down at the brownish piece of glass and brought it closer to the palm of her left hand. She took a deep breath as she brought the tip of the glass to her skin. She gulped as she closed her eyes and made a cut without putting too much thought into it, which had her hissing in pain.

Kol sucked in a sharp gulp of air the moment his nose picked up the delightful scent that emitted Gwen's blood. It immediately caused his mouth to water with saliva as an unbelievable thirst swept over him. It felt like he had just been awakened after having been daggered for a century and his body demanded to be satisfied. He could feel the veins under his eyes protrude, so he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing to calm himself.

"Kol," Gwen's voice echoed in his mind.

Kol, a familiar voice whispered in his ear, a memory he kept buried.

"Kol!" Gwen tried once more, finally able to break the Original vampire from his trance.

"It was a good idea to have you stand on that side," Kol exhaled heavily as he lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, applying pressure to keep his focus on something other than the blood pouring out of Gwen's hand. "The scent is overwhelming." He cleared his throat and gestured at the salt line with a wave of his hand.

The fae understood his meaning and lifted her wounded hand to have it hover over the salt line, allowing a few drops of her blood on the salt. She frowned, confused when she heard sizzling before seeing how her blood seemed to burn when it made contact with the salt. The reaction also puzzled Kol as he tried to step over the line, only to be met with the invisible barrier. He then realized what was wrong and why Gwen's blood had no effect on the boundary spell.

"Why isn't it working?" Gwen wondered out loud.

"Iron," Kol said as he looked up at her. "She must've mixed it with the salt to counteract the effects of your blood."

Gwen hummed as she recalled the time when Esther had tried to kill her children the first time. "She probably doesn't want a repeat of last time. I kind of messed with her spell for a bit." She then frowned as another question popped into her mind. "Does me being half human have anything to do with why I can cross the barrier?"

"Probably," Kol said as he untucked his dress shirt and ripped a section. "With the amount of power that she needs to do her spell, I doubt my mother can do more than three spells at a time," he explained. "Right now, while she's doing whatever else, she's using power to maintain this barrier. I doubt she'd be able to maintain another one just to keep a single faerie in place, so the only option was to at least keep you from breaking the boundary spell by sprinkling the iron without applying a spell on it."

"She doesn't see me as a threat," Gwen realized as she saw Jeremy and Matt exit the school with weapons in their hands, followed by Klaus, Damon, and Stefan.

"Her mistake," Kol said as he offered the torn piece of fabric from his shirt. "Use it." At her look of confusion, he added, "You may be inexperienced, but your magic trumps hers." She stared at him like he was crazy, which had him chuckling. "You may not believe me, but I know for a fact that you're strong enough to stop her and whatever plan she's brewing."

"You think so?" she asked.

Kol nodded with a smirk. "I know so, darling."

"What's going on?" Klaus asked once he reached Gwen and his brother. "What happened to your hand?" he asked her, scowling at the scent of her blood.

"I knew I smelled something extra sweet," Damon said as his eyes focused on Gwen's hand. "Good thing you're on that side of the barrier."

Stefan cleared his throat, clenching and unclenching his hands as he fought to remain composed. "Yeah," he choked out.

"I tried to break the barrier with my blood, but nothing happened," said Gwen.

Jeremy and Matt stood next to Gwen outside the barrier, staring at the young hybrid and two Originals. Damon and Stefan were also curious when they sensed the tension in the air surrounding Klaus and Gwen, but they knew better than to stand too close to the Original hybrid when he was upset. Kol merely smirked, eager to witness what was to happen.

"Get back inside the barrier, Lyn," Klaus told Gwen, but she didn't move.

Taking a deep breath as she kept a steady gaze on Klaus, Gwen gestured to Matt and Jeremy. "I'm going with them."

"Out of the question," Klaus said in a low voice, but everyone could identify the warning and danger laced in his words. "You are to remain here. I will not repeat myself."

Gwen steeled herself, refusing to break eye contact. "They might need my help, Nik," she argued. "Besides, there isn't much you can do to stop me." She then turned to Matt and Jeremy as she wrapped the piece of fabric around her wound to stop the bleeding. "Lead the way."

"Gwen," Klaus called out to her as he watched her retreating figure follow behind Matt and Jeremy. "Gwen!" he yelled louder, but he was ignored.

"That happened," Damon mumbled to his brother.

Kol chuckled. "Oh, poor Nik," he taunted as he circled his brother's fuming figure with his hands behind his back. "He's lost his little lamb and to two human wastes, no less." He kept his grin, even when Klaus lunged at him to wrap a hand around his neck, startling the Salvatore brothers.

"You forget yourself, brother," Klaus growled as he tightened his grip on his younger brother's throat, but Kol merely rolled his eyes. "I warned you to stay away from her." He huffed with a malicious smirk. "Maybe a few decades in a box will do you some good."

This threat caused the grin on Kol's mouth to somehow turn menacing as he reached up to remove Klaus' hand from his neck with a bit of struggle. "And you forget, brother," Kol sneered, pushing off Klaus' hands. "I do not fear you as Rebekah does nor will I subject myself to your every whim like Elijah enjoys doing. And you're not that much stronger than the rest of us, so you can very well shove it." He huffed as he turned away from Klaus. "You underestimate her too much. I say she has enough experience after enduring your nonsense her entire life."

An awkward silence enveloped the four vampires, so Damon took the opportunity to extract himself from the tense atmosphere. "I'm gonna go fill in the others about what's going on," he said, quickly disappearing and ignoring his brother's pointed glare for leaving him alone with two very hostile Originals.

Irritated, Klaus began to pace near the salt line, trying and failing to calm his rage. "You know, this is your fault," he began as he turned to Stefan, scowling as he focused on someone to be an outlet for his frustration, considering that Kol wasn't an option. "You set us on this path when you released my mother. I wonder if revenge will prove worth the cost."

"Oh, I'm done with revenge," said Stefan.

Kol huffed. "A horrible excuse to use when your plans backfire so spectacularly on your face."

Stefan ignored the younger Original, staring at Klaus. "As far as Esther; we've stopped her before, we'll stop her again."

Unable to hold it, Kol released a hearty laugh. "You are quite the delusional fellow." He turned to Stefan, smirking. "When exactly did you stop her?" He approached the youngest Salvatore. "Was it on the first attempt? I mean, she escaped and was allowed time to make another scheme. Do you truly believe some baby vamps, a hybrid pup, an inexperienced witch, a few blood bags, and an entitled copy of another entitled copy of a useless human being are enough to kill a witch considered a master of her craft and the creator of many spells?" He chuckled as he stood in front of Stefan. "It's when you think you've won that she pulls the wool from your eyes." He then turned to Klaus. "I thought he was smart."

"Maybe in the twenties, not so sure now," Klaus said as he recalled the time he spent with Stefan after meeting him. "He was almost as crazy as you," he chuckled.

"No happy memories there," Stefan said as he looked away and into the distance.

"Well, there were moments," Klaus hummed as he stood beside Stefan. "Real friendship. Brotherhood." He glanced at Kol. "A bit better than what I got stuck with."

"You're no picnic either," Kol scoffed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Well, he already has a brother. Not to be, you know, territorial or anything," Damon spoke up as he walked up to the three vampires. "You can keep yours."

"Joy," Kol said with sarcasm.

Klaus grinned at a smirking Damon. "Difference between you brothers and mine, we surprisingly learn from some of our mistakes," he began, gaining the attention of those around him. Even Kol was curious as to what his brother was getting at. "We don't fall for the same girl. Well, not after the first time, but you boys keep on at it." This statement wiped the smirk from Damon's face, causing Klaus to chuckle. "I wonder what'll happen when Elena finally makes her choice. Will we see your unshakeable bond shake just a little bit?" he taunted.

.

"So," Gwen mumbled as she followed Matt and Jeremy through the woods, walking toward their destination. "What's the plan?" she asked as she watched them check their weapons, but they never stopped moving.

"Lure her out, maybe ambush her," Jeremy said offhandedly.

"Okay," Gwen sighed, unconvinced by his supposed plan to take down who was probably the most powerful witch alive. "I think we need to take a pause," she said as she stopped walking, which had Matt and Jeremy stopping in their tracks to turn and face her. "We can't just walk in and expect to just magically defeat Esther. This is how you get yourself killed."

"We don't have time for this," Jeremy argued, glaring at the halfling. "Elena and Alaric are in danger. I can't just wait for the best moment. I need to save what little family I have left." He secured his crossbow into a better position in his arms. "I don't have time to waste on someone who quite frankly is in way over her head." With that, the young Gilbert turned to continue his trek toward the Salvatore mausoleum.

Gwen scoffed and glanced at Matt, looking for help, but the blonde quarterback shrugged before following Jeremy. She realized that this small group of friends was just too weak to resist whatever the Gilbert family members decided to do. It unnerved her how everyone was so quick to drop any logic to satisfy whatever Elena and Jeremy wanted to do, especially the former.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen calmed herself before she followed behind the two teenage boys but maintained some distance from them. If she wanted to help them defeat Esther, she needed to be practical. There was no way that she was going to simply rush Esther with a half-baked plan and hope for the best. If she learned anything from Klaus, she couldn't show her cards to the enemy. It pained her to do it, but there was only one thing she thought she could do that might help. In a one-on-one fight against Esther, there was a high chance that she'd lose against the Original witch, so she'd have to be sneaky with her attack. Her eyes then landed on Matt and Jeremy as she slowed down, letting them get further away from her as he followed from a distance and another angle.

Further ahead of the party of three, Elena was dealing with quite the situation. Her hands trembled as she stared down at Alaric's lifeless body, having managed to place his head on her lap to make him as comfortable as possible and get a good angle to take out the stake that Esther had used to stab her history teacher. She sniffled as she grasped the piece of wood, taking a deep breath before heaving the weapon from Alaric's chest.

"He'll wake soon," Esther comforted the Petrova doppelgänger. "When he does, he may, for a time, be his old self. If so, you can say your goodbyes before his transition is complete." She offered a handkerchief to Elena to dry her tears.

Elena gasped as she dropped the indestructible stake and took Esther's offering. "You said you wanted to undo the evil that you created, but this…" she said as she gestured to Alaric, "this is just as evil!"

"Alaric will never be what my children became," Esther explained. "I have granted him enough power to complete his task." Her eyes dropped to stare at the lifeless body of her newest creation. An image of her dead children ran through the forefront of her mind, but she shook her head to rid herself of the agony that came with the memory and to avoid hearing the screams of her pleading children who died at the hands of their father. "Then, when the time is right, he will die."

"How?" Elena asked, confused by Esther's words. If Alaric was to become a vampire strong enough to kill Originals, she imagined that he'd be given the same immortality. "If he's immortal–"

"All you need to know is that when this is over, we will have rid the earth of vampires once and for all," Esther said, cutting off Elena's train of thought. The last thing she needed was for the brunette to figure out why she had used her blood. If her children knew Alaric's weakness, they wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.

Scowling, Elena gingerly placed Alaric's head on the ground before standing up to face Esther. "Yeah, but you'll be killing the good along with the bad," she argued. "You're no better than Klaus!"

"Am I not?" Esther was surprised by Elena's comparison. "I desire a world where you and your loved ones will not suffer at the hands of vampires, like your aunt Jenna did."

"Don't you dare use Jenna as an excuse for what you've done," Elena hissed.

Esther composed herself, refusing to engage in a pointless argument about the morality of her actions. "You may draw comfort knowing that your aunt is not in the place that I was. She doesn't know the torment of the Other Side," she told the doppelgänger, opting to offer comfort. "Though made a vampire, she remained pure. She knows peace. Which is all any of us can hope for."

Before either of them said anything else, a noise outside the mausoleum drew their attention to the entrance of the crypt. Esther frowned, knowing that her barrier hadn't been broken or she would have felt the spell dissolve. The Bennett witch didn't have the power to do anything against her own, which meant that no supernatural being would be able to leave the school. She also knew that Klaus wouldn't allow the faerie to leave his side, not to mention that she could not stand against her. She then thought about the humans, which were no real threat, but she wasn't about to take any chances by allowing them to interfere.

Elena watched as Esther left the mausoleum to investigate the sound that they heard. She stood at the entrance of the crypt as Esther took even more careful steps outside. Suddenly, the sound of cocking a gun had Esther freezing on the spot as she came to stand between Matt and Jeremy.

"Don't move!" Matt ordered as he pointed the rifle at Esther, taking deep and careful breaths to stay calm.

"Where's Elena?" Jeremy demanded as he pointed his crossbow at the witch.

"Jeremy!" Elena gasped, concerned for her brother's safety.

"Let her go," Jeremy told Esther.

"How foolish of you to risk your lives in defense of those who will kill you," Esther said as she looked from Jeremy to Matt before a small grin painted her lips. "But if that is your choice." She lifted one hand toward Matt and the other toward Jeremy, using a telekinetic spell to force them to shift their weapons away from her and toward one another.

"Matt!" Jeremy panicked when he saw Matt pointing the rifle at him, unable to control his movements. "Matt, drop your gun!"

"I can't," Matt grunted as he tried to fight against the invisible force manipulating his body. "I'm not controlling it!"

"Esther, stop it!" Elena cried out.

Suddenly, Esther was hit by a small ball of green light and mist that dissolved the control she had over the young men. The witch gasped and stared at her hands when she felt her magic leave her. It felt like she had run out of magic, but she knew that couldn't be possible, considering that she was channeling the spot marked by her violent death. She looked up to find Gwen standing some feet away from her, her extended hands surrounded by a glowing green mist.

"I'm surprised my son allowed you to leave his side," Esther remarked as she reconnected herself to the power she had been channeling. "You're strong, but you don't really know what to do with your magic." She lifted a hand when she felt her magic return and pointed it at Gwen.

"No, but I got you to focus on me for long enough," Gwen said with a small grin.

Before she could realize what was happening, Esther gasped when pain erupted from her lower back. A familiar feeling began to overtake her body, and she knew she was not long for the living world. She would return to the Other Side, but she wasn't one to leave her work halfway done. She grunted when the object she recognized as the white oak stake was driven further into her body, hitting vital organs. Her eyes closed as she plummeted to the ground.

All eyes turned to the person who managed to kill Esther, finding a panting Alaric holding the bloodied stake in his hand. He glanced at Elena's wounded hand and inspected it for a moment, satisfied that it had been bandaged. "Oh, my god," he gasped as he stared at the bloodied stake before placing a hand over his chest, remembering where Esther had stabbed him. A chill went through him when he noticed his ring was missing from his finger. "Where's my ring?" he asked nobody in particular, he just needed to know that what his mind was trying to push for him to realize wasn't true. "Tell me what happened," he asked this of Elena.

Gwen cleared her throat as she took her phone out, preparing to call Klaus. "You're welcome."

.

The school dances of Mystic Falls High School were known to be cursed to end with unfortunate events unfolding. Something always seemed to happen, and Elena Gilbert tended to be the center of each one, or so Gwen was told by Klaus. Still, while they did have a close call with what Esther planned. Klaus had been furious when he found out that his mother planned to make another Original-type vampire to vanquish her children. If it hadn't been because he had to take care of his mother's body as quickly as possible before something else happened, Klaus would have killed Alaric himself instead of leaving it to the residents of Mystic Falls.

Once they all arrived home, Kol helped Klaus settle Esther in her coffin, whereas Gwen took the chance to retreat to her bedroom to escape the eventual scolding Klaus would deliver and focus on washing the night away. He had been eerily quiet during the ride home, which unnerved her, but Kol was the same as usual and tried to get a rise out of Klaus without much success. The halfling was quite worried about the Original hybrid's silence, considering that it never boded well for anyone. It meant that he was stuck in his mind, which meant that he was plotting something, which meant that others were going to suffer because of his decisions.

Deciding to bite the bullet, Gwen left her room in her pajamas, which consisted of a matching set of a satin shirt that had an allover plaid pattern, basic collar, button-front closures, and dropped short sleeves. She paired the top with satin, mid-rise shorts that featured an allover plaid pattern, and an elasticized waistband. The pajamas' color consisted of pastel shades of green, pink, and white, similar to a lily pad's accent colors. She also wore a pair of knit crew socks that had a cable knit design in oatmeal to protect her feet from the cold floor.

Gwen made her way to Klaus' room but frowned when she saw that he was missing, so she began looking for him. She imagined that he would be tired after the night they had, but she was also aware that his mother's return had shaken him up.

"Your trap failed, Mother," Gwen heard Klaus' voice say from a room he had set aside to store the coffins of his siblings and the daggers. She approached the doorway and remained quiet, opting to listen to what he had to say before interrupting him. "I live, and I will go on living. Let your beloved spirits try to preserve you again. I dare you to come after me," he practically snarled at Esther's body. "I will build an army so big that no one will ever touch me or my family. My survival will haunt you through eternity." He took a deep breath as he gripped the edge of the coffin. "You will never destroy me!" He then slammed the casket shut, sealing away his mother to eternal darkness.

"Nik," Gwen called out behind him, staring at his back as he controlled his breathing. Her eyes strayed over to Rebekah's casket, glad to find that her dagger had been taken out of her chest. "Is Bekah okay?" she asked as she approached the slumbering Original vampire. She smiled when she saw that Rebekah's gray skin was ever so slowly gaining its color back.

"You're to leave for Chicago tomorrow. I'll prepare a house for you away from the city and from prying eyes," Klaus mumbled, but Gwen heard him loud and clear. "I'll get a hybrid to escort you there and station a few of them to keep you protected."

"Don't do this, Nik," she tried pleading once more.

Klaus scoffed, his jaw clenched, refusing to turn to Gwen just yet. "You were reckless tonight."

"Nothing bad happened," she said as she turned back to stare at his back. "I think I helped a bit, even if it was just a bit. I just need to get better with my magic."

"You say that with such pride," Klaus sneered, which caused Gwen's small smile to disappear. "Placing yourself in harm's way proves you lack the capacity to think rationally." He finally managed to muster up the ability to face her without feeling like he wanted to break something. "A child playing the hero."

"I know you're angry with me, but you have no right to talk to me like that. Not after tonight," she argued, her eyes watering in her anger. "For the first time in my life, I did something useful. I wasn't the rare artifact that needs to stand behind a glass cage."

"More like helpless," Klaus countered, slowly losing himself to his rage. "Anything could have happened. You could have died, and it would have been because of your idiocy." He laughed, malice dripping from his tone. "If you thought for one moment that I believed you were capable of anything, you are unfortunately mistaken. The fact that you need me to keep you safe proves you are naïve and immature." He huffed when he saw the first tear trek down her cheek. "Tears will get you nowhere, so save the waterworks."

"You are an ass!" she yelled at him.

"Oh, yes, insulting me helps prove your point," Klaus mocked her.

"If I am such a burden to you, why bother?" she questioned him.

"Because I am stuck with you!" Klaus shrugged. "Might as well protect my investment. I spent years ensuring your safety, let's hope they prove to be beneficial at some point."

Gwen gathered herself and took a deep breath as she met his gaze with steely eyes. "I hate you."

Klaus released a quiet gasp at the words but said nothing as he watched Gwen leave the room. His chest tightened, which had him gasping as a tear fell. He placed a hand over his chest as he took deep breaths. Everything he said was said in anger, but he wasn't about to take any of it back and he believed some of the words he said to be true. It was easier to send her off angry with him. She'd be less inclined to beg.

"Ever the eloquent one, brother," Kol taunted as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded over his chest as he smirked at Klaus.

"There are a few unused daggers in this room, so I suggest you take care not to test me right now," Klaus sighed as he rubbed his temple, trying and failing to alleviate the oncoming headache. He then turned his attention back to his mother's casket. "What do you reckon she was trying to do?" he asked his brother. "Without white oak, her little lab rat would be mere fodder when compared to Mikael."

Kol hummed, pondering what his mother's plan involved. "I am quite honestly confused. No matter how strong, all four of us would have torn him apart." He frowned as he recalled what Elena and her friends told Klaus. "She wouldn't create her perfect warrior without making him a weapon to strike down her enemies."

"You think that things were omitted," Klaus stated, exhaling loudly as he wondered if he should pursue his enemies of Mystic Falls and force them to give him answers. He would find great pleasure in torturing Damon, but he was tired of spending more unnecessary time in town than necessary, especially when he had too much to do.

"Most certainly," said Kol. "I'm curious to know, but I guess I can leave that to you, brother."

Rebekah gasped awake as she sat up on her coffin. She coughed as she inspected the area where the dagger had been before her eyes turned to her brothers. "What the bloody hell happened?"

End of chapter!

Thank you so much for the support and I hope you all enjoyed the reading! I appreciate the reviews and love and hate and anything to make a better experience for you guys!

Also, I appreciate everyone who is sticking to the story so far.

See you in the next chapter!