ACHILLES' HEEL
— 19. The Ties That Bind
In the woods where the old Mystic Falls cemetery resided, Bonnie walked past the tombstones of many of her ancestors. She continued to travel through until she laid eyes on the coffin that rested several feet in front of her.
She cautiously moved toward it, trying to hide her uneasiness. She slowly brushed her hands over it, on the verge of opening it when a familiar figure appeared beside her.
"I figured out how to open it," The woman spoke up, causing Bonnie to whip herself around to see Annikah standing behind her.
The female hybrid stood a few feet away from Bonnie, the smallest of smirks appearing upon her lips. "The question is...can you?" She asked as her eyes glowed a florescent yellow and her werewolf fangs began to grow.
She inhumanly growled and sped at Bonnie, who screamed in terror as she was unable to defend herself against Annikah's sudden attack.
Opening her eyes, Annikah began to smirk as she laid in bed. She sat up, feeling satisfied that even with how powerful Bonnie was said to be as a Bennett witch, she was still no match for Annikah's powers.
_____
Later that day, at the Salvatore Boarding House, Stefan entered his home. He immediately began to frown at the sound of rock music blaring, knowing for a fact Damon wasn't home. He walked further into the parlor, only to frown at the sight of Klaus sitting in a car hear music blaring. He noticed Annikah sitting in one of the chairs with Klaus leaning on the arm of it.
The hybrid duo smirked, the two of them exchanging a satisfied look as they sipped from their glasses of bourbon.
Unamused, Stefan walked over to the table and picked up the remote. He flipped it in his hand before turning the music down.
"What are you two doing here?" Stefan asked them as he glanced between the duo.
"Enjoying our stalemate," Klaus answered and Annikah smiled slightly as she watched Stefan walk to sand in front of them.
"What do you want?" Stefan asked as he stopped in front of them. As he spoke the words, he looked directly down at Annikah, knowing for a fact she was the one behind her and Klaus' sudden appearance.
She was always the ballsy one, even more so than Klaus. She wanted the coffins back even more than Klaus and she'd do anything to get them.
"You are full of questions today, aren't you, love?" Annikah finally spoke up with an evil smirk on her face. She turned to look directly at Stefan, her expression suddenly turning cold, "But you're in no position to be questioning us. Not when the real question we should all be asking is what do you want?"
"She is right," Klaus added in, smiling slightly, "Our hybrids left town as you demanded, so please tell us what we need to do to get our family back. Annikah is growing impatient and for that, we should all be worried. She tends to grow more murderous and unpredictable than usual when she doesn't get what she wants when she wants it."
"Well, ahem, see, Klaus..." Stefan trailed off in a sarcastic tone as he took a seat across from them, "I'm not negotiating and I couldn't care less if Annikah's a spoiled brat who doesn't like being told no."
"And you understand that holding them indefinitely is the same thing as dropping them in the ocean?" Klaus reminded Stefan, smiling slightly.
"No, no, the two of you leave Mystic Falls and then give me a call in a few years, and...we'll talk," Stefan informed them, earning a threatening glare from Annikah.
"Talk?" Annikah asked and let out a low laugh, "Oh, there will be no talking if I don't get those coffins back soon. Because soon you won't have a tongue to speak with. Or a head, for that matter," She explained and stood up before slowly moving toward Stefan, "Listen, Stefan. I'm going to give you one last chance. Before I start delivering the heads of the people you love on platters at your doorstep, starting with your brother."
Annikah stopped when she was standing in front of Stefan. She looked down at Stefan, who frowned at how she could speak so calmly while speaking so sadistically. "You have one last chance, Stefan. Let's make a reasonable deal."
Stefan stood up and looked into Annikah's eyes. "Or what?" He challenged her and Annikah seemed unfazed by the threat.
He took a threatening step toward her and as Klaus went to protectively stand up, Annikah raised her hand as a way to tell him to stand down.
She turned back to Stefan, smirking slightly. "You make one move, and I will--"
Before Stefan could continue, Annikah laughed in amusement. She clearly didn't take him seriously.
"Ah, yes. That's right. Crazy Stefan," She hummed before turning to give him a taunting look, "Tell me, Stefan, how has that been working out for you of late? Any friends left?" She asked and Stefan stepped away from her, causing her to smirk in satisfaction, "Thought so."
____
At Mystic Grill that afternoon, Annikah sat with Klaus at the bar counter. She sat beside him, drinking a glass of scotch as Klaus spoke on the phone with one of his hybrids.
"How's life on the road?" He asked Daniel, who was apart of their plan regarding Bonnie and her mother.
Klaus hadn't known of Bonnie's plan to reunite with her mother to open one of the coffins until Annikah had gone into the Bennet witch's thoughts.
"Scenic," Daniel answered in a sarcastic tone, "How's life in Mystic Falls without any hybrids?"
"Boring. For now," He responded and Annikah playfully rolled her eyes at him.
"If you want any of us back, you just have to say the word," Daniel assured him and Annikah smiled, knowing it was the sire bond making him say such words.
"There's no need. I've been making friends with the town's civil servants," Klaus assured the younger hybrid as he smirked slightly, "There's a deputy who's awfully chatty and a bit too handsy with Annikah, but useful nonetheless."
Klaus turned briefly to exchange a look with Annikah, who was smiling at him. He smiled back at her briefly, just before his face became serious once more. "Are you clear on what you need to do?"
"I've got it covered," Daniel assured him and hung up the phone without another word said.
Placing the phone down on the bar counter, Klaus turned to Annikah. She watched as she slid him over one of the glasses of scotch in front of her.
"You have the location of where the coffins are?" He asked her and Annikah smiled at him mischievously.
"Of course I do," She answered in a confident tone, "It doesn't matter if Bonnie used the power of a hundred dead witches to cloak those coffins. Their power is still no match for mine and a location such as that is like a beacon. Easy for someone like me to feel drawn to and I am. Like a magnet. It's deep in the woods but I've pinpointed exactly where."
"How so?" Klaus questioned as he picked up the glass of scotch Annikah had slid over to them.
"Google maps," She answered and Klaus playfully rolled his eyes at her, "What a marvelous invention technology is. Far better than the maps we used to use to find our way."
"Perhaps that's because you never knew how to properly read them," Klaus reminded her and Annikah smiled at him.
"Why would I need to when I had you to do it for me?" She commented, causing them both to smile, "That's why we are one. Whatever either of us lacks, the other has. It makes us whole."
Klaus stared down at Annikah, his lips parting. He noticed how she smiled up at him, oblivious to how her words affected him. He sighed, gulping down the entire of his cup of scotch before turning away from her completely.
"What?" Annikah asked, frowning as she watched him rush to stand up.
"Let's just go," He rushed her and Annikah obeyed but continued to stare at him in confusion, "Let's just get this over with."
As Klaus walked toward the exit at a quickened pace, Annikah rushed to follow after him, confused for his sudden need to leave. She didn't question it, however. Perhaps she should have.
____
It wasn't long before Klaus and Annikah arrived at the abandoned home where the coffins were being hidden with the help of the deceased witches that had died there several centuries before.
Damon walked down the stairs and into the basement that was lit up by numerous candles. He looked around in concern, clearly feeling a presence that wasn't that of the spirits.
Hearing footsteps, he turned, annoyed by the sight of Annikah and Klaus stepping out of the shadows beside each other.
"What took you so long?" Klaus asked and Annikah began to smirk at the uneasy look on Damon's face.
He wasn't surprised, though. If anyone was going to find the place, it was Annikah. After all, she was a witch herself and a powerful one at that. No one had truly seen even a fraction of what she was capable of and while everyone else refused to feel concerned about it, Damon knew well enough not to be that dumb.
"Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor, no less," Klaus smirked, only to have the flames of the candles around him enlarge.
He immediately screamed in pain, clutching his head as he was forced into a kneel.
Annikah stood in place, unaffected by the witch's magic. She glanced around uneasily, not knowing what to do. She knew better than to try to intervene with what the witches were doing to Klaus. It would make matters worse.
She turned to look at Damon, who was visibly nervous at the fact that she was left unaffected. He knew that was far more of an issue. She was the true problem, she pulled the strings in almost everything Klaus did. And he knew she was up to something by the way she just stood there, doing nothing to help Klaus.
Whatever she was up to, it could mean nothing good for Damon and the others.
"Insulting a bunch of dead witches...Not smart," He commented despite that, wanting to add a bit of humor as he always did, "I made the same exact mistake the first time I came in here."
"Well, you know the funny thing about witches is that living or dead, they care about their own. The funny thing is, though..." Annikah trailed off as she walked around, the flames of each candle she passed blowing out immediately, "A hundred dead witches have a thousand living descendants..."
As she continued with her threat, Klaus' screams becoming louder. The witches were taking out their anger on Klaus even more since Annikah was immune, which was the most frightening part about it all in Damon's eyes.
"And Annikah and I have no problem killing every last one of them if we don't get those coffins back," Klaus managed to get out, growling. He pushed himself off the ground and back on his feet and looked toward Annikah, who had stopped at a random spot in the basement.
She was looking down at something that was invisible to him, which had gained his curiosity most of all. She let out a loud laugh and looked upwards. "Starting with Bonnie Bennett," She announced, causing Damon to frown in concern, "As we speak, our hybrid friend is prepared to end the Bennett line. How does that go for threats?"
Finally, the enlarged flames died out and Klaus grunted, relieved for Annikah's actions. She always could talk her way out of the situation without even using an ounce of any of her powers. He supposed that was what frightened people the most. The powers she bore as an experienced witch and a werewolf who could turn at will wasn't her greatest strength and power, it was her way with words and her cunning and strategic mind.
"Didn't go as planned, did it?" Annikah commented as she smirked at Damon while standing a few feet away from him.
"Now..." She trailed off as she glanced around him, "Please...Show me the coffins. I only ask nicely once. Refuse me and I shall find every descendant of the witches who have died here and kill each of them alphabetically, delivering each of their bodies here one by one."
Within seconds, Klaus and Annikah looked down to see the coffins in front of them. Klaus' eyes widened slightly, noticing how Annikah had been already standing between the two of them. Was that why she was looking downwards? Had she already found them?
As she looked around, Annikah's smile faded when she saw one of the coffins missing. It wasn't long before Klaus did and he turned to exchange a look with Annikah, both of them feeling uneasy.
"Where's the fourth?" Klaus asked as he turned to face Damon.
Damon didn't answer. Instead, he smiled and shrugged, clearly amused by how both Klaus and Annikah had been caught off guard.
"Show me!" Klaus roared and still, nothing appeared.
"Well, eh, here's the thing," Damon spoke up in a sarcastic tone as he moved toward Annikah, "They can't."
"And why is that?" Annikah asked as she took a step toward him.
"It's not here," He informed her, causing Annnikah's face to pale at the revelation.
"What did you do?" Klaus spoke up and moved toward Damon in a threatening manner.
"Well, Bonnie gave me the head's up. I mean, I didn't have enough time to get all four, but I did have time to get one," He explained and turned to Annikah.
For the first time since the first day he met her, Damon could see genuine fear in her eyes. She had been caught off guard and had no idea what to do next. He felt satisfied by the sight of it. He felt victorious.
"I will tear you limb from limb. And only then, when you are a writhing mass of flesh and blood, begging me to end it, will I rip your heart from your chest. Not before killing that doppelganger wench of yours and your darling little brother," Annikah explained and while on any other day, Damon would have felt uneasy, at that moment he knew it was all talk.
She wasn't going to do anything to him. Not when she had no idea how she was going to get that coffin back. She wouldn't harm any of them, knowing if she did, they'd dispose of the coffin that seemed to mean the most to her and Klaus out of any of them.
"Sorry. Same rules apply. You know, leverage and all," He replied, taking a step toward Annikah as he smirked in satisfaction, "I know you want your family back. Especially your precious Kol. But something tells me you and Klaus want what's in that coffin a lot more."
Damon smirked at Annikah, moving even closer to her until their faces were just inches apart. "I could tear you in two right now without moving a muscle. And I should. Perhaps then you and your friends will realize who you're messing with."
"You won't kill me," Damon argued and shook his head, "Out of all of us, I'm the one you have the lowest chance of killing."
"And why's that?" Annikah asked, laughing lowly as their faces inched closer to each other.
Damon continued to move closer to Annikah in a taunting manner, their lips practically brushing against each other until Damon moved away. "Being the villain is a good look on you, Ann," He commented as he began to walk away, "I heard hate sex is great."
"You're mad if you think I'd go anywhere near your bed," She called out after him and Damon turned to glance at her once more.
"Didn't stop you before," Damon retorted and Annikah's smile faded, "Oh, wait. Nevermind. It was everywhere but the bed. You were so eager to rip my clothes off we never made it to the bed."
Damon glanced toward Klaus and sent him a wink, leaving without another word said. He knew what he was doing. Causing even more conflict. But instead of the conflict involving the coffin and the usual matters, he was causing conflict between Klaus and Annikah.
For anyone with eyes could see Klaus was head over heels for Annikah. Far more than Annikah was of him. She was just more capable of hiding her feelings.
Annikah felt an odd sensation in her gut that made her breath hitch. She smiled slightly before turning toward Klaus, who stared at her in silence. "What?" She asked and Klaus didn't respond.
She sighed and walked around, opening each of the coffins. She moved toward the last of the coffins. Klaus approached her, watching the relief that washed over her face at the sight of Kol's daggered corpse.
Her breath hitched once more and he rolled his eyes at the sound of the beating of her heart quickening. She reached forward and wrapped her fingers around the handle of the dagger that was stabbed into his heart.
She began to pull, only to have Klaus' hand appear over hers before he began to push downwards. "What are you doing?" She asked, turning to him in disbelief, "Stop it, Klaus!"
"Not yet," He ordered and Annikah frowned in concern, "Not until we get that coffin back. I promised to reunite our family once we got all the coffins back. But we don't have all of them. We can't bring them back until we get all of our coffins back. You understand that, don't you?"
Annikah remained silent. She sighed deeply and nodded her head obediently, trying to hide that disappointment she felt. She wondered if that was how Rebekah always felt, every time Klaus and Annikah ripped every man she ever fell in love with away from her, denying her the happiness and love she always craved.
_____
At their mansion, Annikah stood beside Klaus in the room where they watched Daniel roll in each of the coffins. "You have your family back. Finally."
"Indeed," Annikah smiled as she turned to face the male hybrid.
"You going to open them?" Daniel suddenly asked as Klaus and Annikah walked across the room.
"Not quite yet," Klaus replied, the smallest of smirks growing on his lips, "I still have some unfinished business to take care of."
"What business?" Daniel questioned, following Klaus and Annikah as they walked into the next room.
As they turned to face the hybrid to answer his question, a hand suddenly plunged into Daniel's chest from the back before ripping his heart.
Annikah's eyes widened in horror when Daniel's body dropped to the ground to see Elijah had been the one to commit the atrocity.
"Elijah!" Annikah exclaimed in disbelief and without a second thought, Klaus protectively shoved Annikah behind him.
For if anyone was to be Elijah's target after their betrayal, it would be Annikah.
After all, he had no problem standing up to neither Klaus nor Annikah, unlike Rebekah. She'd always target Klaus, fearing Annikah more than she ever feared Klaus. They were always butting heads, even when before they turned and their bickering had only gotten worse since then. Many times their arguments leading to Annikah plunging a dagger into the girl's heart with Klaus having no objection to it.
Elijah was different. He knew that Annikah and Klaus were nothing without each other and even better, they were each other's weaknesses. He knew beyond that cold and merciless fronts they always put on, they were the weak, broken outcasts they were when they were still humans. Both of them deep down plagued with the guilt of being the one behind the deaths of the women who gave them life. Which was the root of all they had become.
"What did I miss?" Elijah asked, moving toward them with a cold look on his face.