Bennett Bound: A TVD Fanfic

Chapter 17

Note: I'm reuploading all full chapters of this book! My site is temporarily down, but I don't want you to have to wait to read.

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Omniscient POV - 1 week later (simultaneous with Bonnie's POV from last chapter)

"This book is useless!" Diana shrieked, sending yet another grimoire across the sitting room full of vampires. None of them bothered looking away from their own assigned reading materials. Books had been flying to and fro from Diana's magic all week. They were equally disinterested when another ancient book surged through the air overhead into her vicious clutches.

"We must remain calm, Diana. There is a spell that can bring your sister back, I'm sure, and we will find it. Just be patient," Elijah said, attempting to soothe the adorable little sire-witch. Reluctantly, he found himself growing more and more concerned over her wellbeing. That concern had developed into something else, something stronger. Something he was afraid to name. He watched her through squinted eyes and couldn't fight the smile of amusement that surfaced. Her face was bright with anger, her curls wild and loose around her face and her lips almost permanently puckered in a furious pout.

"I got this, grandpa," Damon muttered, glaring at Elijah as he approached her cautiously. He'd been flung across the room at least eight times for accidentally scaring her when he vamped into her personal space - at least he hoped it was accidental.

"Don't," Diana grumbled under her breath, but they all heard it. They always heard everything, no matter how quiet she tried to remain. She didn't care anymore. Her comforting secrecy could wait until she knew Bonnie was safe and back in the free world.

She felt Damon continuing to approach her and with all her fears about Bonnie and the situation with Marcel roiling into her sensitivity at the all too friendly friendship between Damon and the doppelgänger, she couldn't repress her rage any longer. She couldn't stop herself from lashing out at anyone who happened to be on the receiving end when it got the best of her, but she found it was slightly more enjoyable when it was Damon.

She refused to admit how seeing Elena in Damon's arms really made her feel. Like her heart had snapped in two, like the wind had been knocked from her. When had she become so weak? She was never the pitiful little girl crying over the boy who wasn't interested. No, she was a powerful sire-witch that could bring anyone, supernatural or otherwise, to their knees with nothing more than a whisper. She hated feeling weak and hated herself for allowing such a feeling to overwhelm her.

Damon continued his cautious steps toward her. At the start of the week, he had been worried about Elijah staking his claim on Diana, but after watching her devolve into a ball of vulnerabilities and fears, he just wanted to know she would be okay. He could handle being thrown across the room, down the stairs, into glass cases and china cabinets. As long as she was alright. He could feel the fear and anxiety twisting into a dark fury inside of her. It ebbed from within her like a beacon and he was sure he wasn't the only one who could feel it. Even Rebekah seemed concerned for the sire-witch.

When he reached her, he winced, prepared for the pain that would surely ensue, but instead, she turned around with tears in her eyes. For a moment, he was frozen. His heart dropped in anguish and he wasn't sure what to do or say. Slowly, a smile surface on her face, just as tears rolled down her face. "I found it," she breathed. "I found it! I can bring them back," she said, quickly wiping the wetness from her face. He pulled her into a hug, surprised when she didn't pull away, and brushed his hand through her soft curls and hugged her tighter before letting her go.

She turned to the group, a serious expression removing her smile. "Okay, I need as many candles as you can get your hands on - I'm talking hundreds - maybe a thousand. And I don't have a coven, so I'll need some volunteers to cycle my magic through and say the spell with me."

Everyone's eyes snapped to the short witch at the center of the room. "You can...do that? But how? We lost our magic after we were turned," Rebekah asked, slowly standing to her feet.

"You don't have magic of your own, but I can lend you mine temporarily, and use the magic in your blood to fuel mine," Diana explained. "With enough bodies, we'll be able to break into the prison world and bring them back, but I'll need at least two--"

"I'll do it," Rebekah said, excitedly. "I've always wanted to know what magic feels like."

"Count me in, too, darling," Kol piped up, slamming the grimoire in his lap shut. "I'll start gathering the candles." Without another word, he darted from the room.

Diana nodded with a small smile at Rebekah who returned it.

"What if two aren't enough?" Elijah asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Are you offering?" Diana asked bashfully.

"If you'll have me," he replied, a small grin flashing to his face with the double meaning.

Diana bit her bottom lip and looked away, remembering Damon's eyes were still watching her every move, as they had been for the last seven days. "A third tether could only help," she said simply, turning back to the grimoire to memorize the spell. She gave a few other instructions and sent Klaus off to retrieve the last few herbs and ingredients they would need and instructed everyone to convene in the back yard.

The plan moved along smoothly. Too smoothly for Diana's busy mind. "I'm missing something," she hissed under her breath. The thought through the spell once more, gritting her teeth when she'd remembered it perfectly as she glanced back at the book. She mentally checked off the list of items she required, clenching her fists when she noticed everything she needed laid out perfectly before her in the massive plush expanse of greenery the Mikaelsons kept hidden in their backyard. A strangled groan rushed through her throat when she surveyed the three originals and two immortal warriors awaiting her orders. Everything was perfect, and that meant something was about to go wrong.

"Diana..." Rebekah called her cautiously, "is there something wrong?"

Diana shifted on her feet, looking from the field full of candles and magical devices to the group of acquaintances-turned-comrades and sighed. "No. That's the problem," she grumbled.

A sudden fear rose to her mind. What if Bonnie was already dead? What if the dreaded sociopath the unintentionally locked her away with drove a stake through Stefan's heart and then snapped her neck? What if the only thing waiting for her on the other side of the portal was her sister's corpse and the murderer who was responsible? An ache surged through her heart and tremors broke out just beneath her skin. Her lungs felt compressed and refused the air she tried to fill them with and a flutter of discomfort splintered at her sternum and down the length of her spine.

Sensing her panic, the group traded silent glances. Elijah and Damon moved toward her first, slow and cautious as her eyes darted frantically between them. "Diana, you are safe, we're all here to protect you," Elijah said in a low, comforting voice.

"Just try to calm down, sweetheart," Damon instructed softly.

Diana nodded, willing herself to obey. "S-something's not right, I-I...I can't breathe," she struggled through short half-breaths.

"It's called a panic attack, and it's alright," Rebekah soothed. "You just need to...to..." she looked around at Kol who only shrugged in confusion.

"Hold your breath, love," Klaus finished. "Just hold your breath and give your body time to catch up with your mind."

Diana's eyes darted to Klaus suspiciously, but he nodded at her with a genuine concern in his eyes and she nodded back, sucking in a breath and holding it. Her hammering heartbeat slowly calmed to an only slightly elevated pace and the pressure in her chest gradually faded. Finally, she blew out a breath and inhaled slowly, feeling the air flood into her lungs completely. The groups eyes watch Klaus in disbelief as the sire-witch's breathing went back to normal. "How the hell did you know that?" Diana asked, quickly shaking her head. "It doesn't matter, let's get this over with," she said with a sigh.

Damon and Elijah traded looks again, their gazes landing back on Diana at the same time. She stood, oblivious to their attention, as she studied the spell one more time. When she was done, she floated to the book back inside to the library and turned, lifting an eyebrow as she realized they hadn't moved. "Guys, I'm fine. Really. Now, let's bring my sister and Stefan back." She brushed past them, grabbing a knife and the paste she'd mixed to bind her magic to the originals who volunteered to channeled. She sliced a small cut in her palm, dripping it into the bowl and with one final mix she discarded the knife, stepping up to Rebekah.

"This won't hurt, I just need to tether my magic to channel through you. It'll feel like you're an actual witch once we start the chants," she gave a quick smile before dipping her hand in the paste and placing it against the blond original's chest. "Phasmatos naeniam alligatos, coniunctum potentia," she whispered, repeating the incantation three times before a flash of soft lilac light drifted through Diana's fingers and into Rebekahs chest, flourishing out over her skin until it covered her entirely and then vanished.

Diana stepped back and Rebekah's eyes went wide with wonder. She brought her hands up in front of her face and turned them over, studying them. A smirk crossed her face as she glanced over at Klaus. "Motus," she hissed, sending her older brother flying against a tree. She squealed in delight until Diana's narrowed gaze landed on her. "Sorry, I've just always wanted to do that," she pleaded. Diana chuckled and rolled her eyes before moving to stand in front of her other volunteer.

Taking another dip of the binding paste, she placed her hand against Kol's chest, ignoring his devilish smirk as his eyes drifted down her body. She chanted the invocation thrice more, "Phasmatos naeniam alligatos, coniunctum potentia," until he two was tethered to her magic.His smirk fell into a face of amazement. "Just how powerful are you, little witch?" he asked, incredulous.

"Very," Elijah answered Kol's rhetorical question, taking his place a few feet away at the edge of the circle. Diana smiled at him, stepping forward as she poured the last of the paste over her wounded hand.

Taking a steadying breath, she pressed her palm against his chest, fighting her body's reaction to the electric surge she felt when their skin touched. She swallowed and closed her eyes, focusing on the words of her incantation one last time. "Phasmatos naeniam alligatos, coniuncum potentia," she whispered shakily. She repeated it twice more until it was finished. She glanced up at him shyly, surprised to see that his eyes too held wonder.

She tossed the empty bowl from the circle and took her place at the center of it, nodding at Damon and Klaus to join her.

"There's a stake waiting to be reacquainted with your cold, dead heart upon my return, sister," Klaus grumbled. Rebekah only giggled and closed her eyes, holding her hands out as Diana had instructed earlier. Kol followed suit along with Elijah and soon the three of them could feel Diana's power emanating through them.

"Let's get weird," Damon said, taking Diana's hand and Klaus's in his own.

"Weird, indeed," Klaus sighed, glancing in disgust at Damon's hand touching his.

"Let's hope this works. I've never done a spell like this," she added under her breath.

"So there's a first time for everything, then," Damon said lightly, his eyes assessing her.

"Don't worry, darling," Kol spoke, "everyone here has already vowed to protect you and the other little witch. No harm will befall either of you."

"You have our word, Diana," Elijah added, with a small smile he hoped offered her some comfort.

"You have the most powerful beings in the world at your disposal - aside from your Salvatore beau, of course - and you are clearly one of the most powerful witches in all of existence. Surely, you're not underestimating our alliance," Klaus smirked.

Diana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself and squaring her shoulders. She tried to internalize their words, and the contented feeling she got from their efforts at dispelling her fears. But as much as she wanted to believe in their promises, every oath she'd ever heard had been shattered.

From the promises her mother made to never leave her, to the promise her father gave when he'd left her with a pack of werewolves in New Orleans, claiming her childhood would be one of safety, rather than the nights of starvation, sleeping in trees and being hunted for fun until she turned twelve. Once she accessed her magic and the pack was no longer able to harm her, she was no longer welcome in their bayou.

The leader of said pack had given her up so easily when Marcel's attention fell on her after accidentally siring a vampire that had sexually assaulted and almost murdered her, claiming his oath to her was voided after she endangered their treaty with the vampires by practicing magic on one. Marcel had promised he had people who could teach her the ropes, treat her life family.But then, the witches that unwillingly served under Marcel shunned her once they learned of her half-siren heritage, using her to test out spells once she showed her resilience to things that would usually fatally harm normal witches. Even Marcel, after gaining her trust and swearing to never harm her was so willing to sacrifice her to raise the greatest evil on earth just to best his former family. And then her own oath to her sister, a vow to protect her, to never leave her side was betrayed on impulse. Each broken promise, those spoken and implicitly understood, flashed through her mind.

"No...Diana," Rebekah's voice poured out, thick with tears. Diana's eyes darted to the blond vampire, shocked to find tears falling down the sides of her face with her eyes still closed. Diana turned to Kol who's face had dropped into one of anguish and then to Elijah's darkened countenance wrinkled with pain.

"What is this, little witch?" Klaus demanded, looking to his siblings.

Before she could answer, the three pained originals snapped back to themselves. "You poor dear," Rebekah cried, wiping her face.

"Wh-where those your memories? Was that your life?" Kol begged, his eyes still full of anguish.Elijah stood stoic, his eyes hollowed as unimaginable thoughts silently drifting through his mind.

"You could see that?" Diana asked, her voice full of shock and disbelief. "I-I'm sorry, I must've spelled more than just my magic in with the tether. It's okay, I-I can undo it," she rushed through her words shakily.

"Diana, no," Elijah finally spoke. He went to step forward, but stopped, knowing if he did, he would hinder the spell she still needed to perform to retrieve her sister.

"What did you see?" Damon demanded, his eyes flitting between Diana and Elijah.

"It doesn't matter," Diana spoke before any of the three who had witnessed every hardship of her life could respond. "I have to get them back. We have to go now. Just...try to forget whatever you saw inside my head," she huffed, shaking her hair from her face as she rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. "Patentibus orbis carcerem," she whispered, chanting four times solo before the three tethers joined in. The magic spelled within their blood amplified her magic more than she'd expected and it only took three more chants for a beam of light to erupt from the sky, shining right down on her and the two warriors intertwining their hands with hers. "Whatever you do, don't stop chanting!" she yelled, hoping her tethers could hear her over the the loud wind roaring around them.

The wind stopped abruptly and Diana opened her eyes. She stood in a place almost exactly like the one she stood a mere second ago, but the candles and the other three originals weren't there.

"Well that was kinda...anticlimactic," Damon mumbled, wriggling his eyebrows.

Klaus hissed and yanked his hands from his, giving Diana a gentle squeeze before pulling out of her grip as well. She smiled back at him and turned to take in her full surroundings before walking around aimlessly with Damon still attached to her hand.

Klaus followed her actions, surveying the grounds of the mansion that looked so much like a ghostly wraith of his home.

"Gives you the creeps just looking at it, doesn't it," Damon nodded at Klaus with a smirk, feigning a shiver.

"Clearly the renovations were quite necessary. I'll have to apologize to Rebekah for snapping her neck over that," he smirked back.

Diana rolled her eyes at the vampires playful banter, more concerned with her sister's wellbeing. "Bonnie! Stefan!" she yelled, cupping her hands around her lips to extend her voice.

"Whoa there, missy. Didn't you say there was a sociopathic magic-eater lurking around here?" Damon cautioned. "Maybe ease up on the yelling."

"For once, I agree. It's best your enemies never know of your arrival," Klaus nodded to the sire-witch.

"Oh, I think it's a little too late for that," an unfamiliar male voice, full of amusement, called out behind her with a chuckle. She turned curtly, but found no one.

"Who are you?" Diana demanded, darting her eyes around at the invisible entity in front of her.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" the voice announced, right in front of her.

"What?" she asked, fully confused. She looked back to Damon and Klaus who just shrugged and shook their heads.

"Oh, come on, you guys never heard of Darkwing Duck?" the voice asked, feigning disappointment. "I can't believe I'm going home with a bunch of squares," he scoffed. "Oh well, time to make my entrance," he added, springing into view.

Diana stumbled back as the young man before her scrutinized her inch for inch. "Malachi Parker," she hissed, glancing at Damon before turning her attention back to him. "Where is my sister?"

"And my brother?" Damon added.

"It's Kai," he corrected. "And relax, baby bro is here for the party," the brown-haired guy answered with a grin. He snapped and an unconscious - or temporarily dead - Stefan suddenly appeared beside him face down in the grass.

"What did you do to him?" Damon bit out.

"I snapped his neck, chill," Kai scoffed. "He'll live...well, I mean, he's a vampires so...whatever you call that," he chuckled, shrugging as his eyes snapped back to Diana's. "Now, about your sister...I'm not sure I follow."

"Bonnie, where is Bonnie," Diana hissed.

"Oh," he laughed, "that sneaky little witch! She didn't tell me she had a sister," he beamed a devious grin, "or that she was so hot," he added. Damon snarled, lunging forward before Diana stopped him, placing a hand against his chest. "Hope you don't mind sharing," he whispered to Damon with a wink to Diana.

"Where is my sister?" she bit out again.

"Alright, cutie, no need to get your panties in a bunch," Kai scoffed. "She's right here," he snapped, revealing Bonnie struggling against his arm holding a knife to her neck as his other arm held her tightly against him.

"D-don't hurt her!" Diana begged.

"Don't give me a reason to," Kai said, his voice low and dark.

"Just tell us what you want," Damon grumbled, looking over at Klaus who stood with his arms folded, doing nothing more than watching the scene unfold before him. "Dick!" he tossed back to Klaus who only shrugged.

"Me? Oh, that's simple. I just wanna go home," he said, with a devilish grin as his eyes roamed down Diana's figure once more. "Maybe something else, later," he winked.

Diana shuddered, glaring at him in disgust. "Just let her go. We'll bring you back with us--"

"No, we won't," Damon challenged.

"He has my sister, Damon," Diana hissed, yanking her hand from his. "Got a better idea?"

"Yes, actually. Let's just kill him," Damon responded, like the answer were obvious.

"He could kill her before either of us got to him," Diana narrowed her eyes, incredulous at his nonchalance.

"Can't you do your...you know...your sire thingy?" he asked, widening his eyes.

"You want me to sire a sociopath? Have you lost your mind?" Diana scoffed.

"He's not a complete sociopath if he knows you're hot; that's lust and lust is a feeling. Sociopaths don't have feelings, ergo not a complete sociopath," Damon explained as if she were a ten-year-old.

"I'm almost 100 percent sure that's not how that works," she hissed.

"Whatever, just try it," Damon huffed.

She scoffed, looking at him with her eyebrows knitted in frustration before glancing at the man of the hour with a knife to her sister's neck. "M-Malachi--"

"Kai," he hissed, correcting her.

"Right, sorry, Kai," she gulped, shaking her head in disbelief that she was actually trying something so insane. He nodded for her to go on, amused and curious to see what she was going to try. She took a deep breath and sharply let it out, blinking to the ground and back to his eyes. "Kai," she started again. He felt a rush of warmth bead over his skin as something within her latched onto him. "I need you to let go of my sister. Can you do that for me?" she asked, her voice velvety and soft, sending a grating sensation over his scalp that felt like the tips of her nails scraping lightly through his hair. He had never felt anything like this in his life, but lust - or whatever this new feeling was - did nothing to quell his cunning nature.

"I would love to do nothing more," he said breathlessly, glancing to the knife. His grip loosened on it, but quickly gripped it tighter. "But to my knowledge, she's not your sister. Are you, Bonnie? Do you know this little vixen?" he asked, leaning his lips close to Bonnie's ear.

"No, I don't," Bonnie hissed, struggling to pull herself from his grip to no avail.

Diana rolled her eyes and sighed. "She doesn't have memories of me. I did a spell so she'd forget before I sent her here," she started to explain, almost losing her resolve and her latch on Kai along with it. "It doesn't matter, Kai, I need you to let Bonnie g--" Diana's knees buckled and her voice stopped short. A shriek erupted from her as she fell to the ground, clutching her chest. She screamed again, tucking her knees up to her chest as waves of pain rolled through her.

Damon dropped down beside her in worry, looking up to Klaus who darted toward her as soon as she'd fallen. "Diana? Diana!" Damon called through her screams.

"B-bring him...with us," she grounded out as blood seeped from the corner of her lips. "We don't have time...someone's attacking them," she said, screaming again. "The tether could break at any minute, just bring him!" she yelled as another wave of pain burned through her.

Damon and Klaus traded glances before looking at Kai, who seemed oddly ill at ease as he eyed the girl writhing in pain on the ground. "You heard her, we're out of time," Damon grumbled. Klaus vamped to Stefan, dropping him on Damon's other side as he leaned down and took one of Diana's hand and held his other one out to mystery psychopath.

Kai deliberated, but dropped his knife and pushed Bonnie into the circle beside her temporarily dead boyfriend, still clutching one of her hands in his, and stepped forward, gripping Klaus's hand. "Don't let go or we'll all be stuck here," Damon instructed, nodding to Bonnie.

She nodded back, her eyes drifting to the strange girl in front of her who whispered, "Cincinno orbis carcerem." She repeated the chants three more times before a surge of wind swirled around them at barreling speeds. Her chanting grew louder and louder until she was screaming them, and finally, a bright beam of light shined down on the six of them.

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