3rd Person POV
Mystic Falls' Pipeline Dungeons
"Hello, brother," they all hear from behind them.
And there he stood, in all his glory...Mister Hero Hair.
"St-Stefan?" Damon stammers as the others just stare in shock.
"The one and the only," Stefan replies with a smile as they both walk towards each other and wrap themselves into the tightest hug ever.
"How're you here?" Damon whispers to him while still not letting go.
"Lyn," is all Stefan needed to say for them to understand.
"Y-You knew? And you didn't tell us?" Caroline mutters to Kaitlyn while still staring blankly, not being able to comprehend if this was real or not.
"I knew there was a possibility but I wasn't sure if it would work so I decided it was better to not get anyone's hopes up for no reason," Kaitlyn explains guiltily.
"Caroline," Stefan cuts off Kaitlyn as he hears his wife's voice and lets go of the hug.
"A-are you really here?" Caroline asks with a quivering voice and Stefan nods as tears well up in his own eyes. Caroline stares at him for a few more seconds before rushing into his arms and wrapping him into a hug, as if she never planned on letting go.
Kaitlyn smiled at them, knowing she probably wouldn't have to anyways.
"We'll give you two some time," Kaitlyn says as she holds onto Kol and then Damon's hands and drags them outside.
As soon as the three are outside, Damon pulls Kaitlyn into a tight hug, almost shocking her for a second before she too hugs him back.
"Thank you so much for this. I...I can't even put it to words how much even this little time with him is going to mean to me and Caroline. Oh, and Elena. Stefanie can finally meet her Uncle Stef that she hears so much about. All because of you," Damon mumbles into the hug.
"You don't have to thank me, Damon. He was my best friend too and all these years, you've all done so much for me. Care raised the kids when I couldn't and you...you've been amazing, it's the least I could do, selfishly enough. And as for 'little time', it might be longer than that," she tells him and he breaks off the hug, staring at her with wide eyes. Kaitlyn chuckles lightly and begins to explain the entire situation to them.
Inside, Caroline and Stefan just sit in each other's embrace, trying to convince themselves this was real.
"I can't believe you're here," Caroline whispers as Stefan wipes away some of her stray tears.
"I'm here and...I'm here to stay. I promise, I won't ever leave you again," he reassures her as her eyes widen.
"What do you mean 'here to stay'?"
He too then chuckles and goes on to explain the situation to Caroline.
"I...I know it's too much to ask of Kaitlyn and her mom but I...if I can stay, then I don't want to let you go again, Caroline," he whispers as he hangs his head low and Caroline wraps her arms around him, resting her head of his shoulder.
"I don't think she would've even told you about it if she wasn't willing to go through with it. You know Lyn, always putting others first," Caroline mumbles and Stefan nods.
"Wh-what? Sunshine, you can't be serious. I know he's your best friend but," Kol goes to protest but Kaitlyn cuts him off.
"We're doing it, Kol. Don't even try to convince me otherwise, it's not going to work," she says.
Just then, Stefan and Caroline walk out of the cave and greet them with a smile.
"Hey Stef," Kaitlyn finally greets him and he looks at her with a wide smile.
"You're a stupid girl, you know," he jokes as he walks over and hugs her. She laughs before hugging back, "I know, I know."
"We should head back to the kids," Damon speaks next while looking at Stefan, "you have two new nieces to meet."
"Can't wait," Stefan smiles back as Caroline walks over and intertwines their hands. She turns to Kaitlyn and whispers, "thank you so much."
Kaitlyn nods in acknowledgement as they walk out of the pipelines and head towards the Lockwood mansion.
༆☼︎☾︎ꨄ︎☽︎☼︎༆
Lockwood Mansion, Mystic Falls
Enzo and Marcel were currently seated in the house's half-burnt living room while Alaric had taken Jo upstairs to his room and Bonnie went to get Jo new clothes from Kaitlyn's closet. The front door opens and Kaitlyn, Kol and Damon walk in first, followed by Caroline and...Stefan. Enzo and Marcel immediately get up on their feet to greet them.
"Stefan?" Enzo asks, "how is he- how are you?"
"Long story, I'll explain later," Damon tells him while patting his shoulder and he nods.
"Hey man," Stefan greets Marcel just as Bonnie joins them downstairs. She stops dead in her tracks when her eyes land on Stefan.
"St-Stefan?" she whispers, more to herself than others.
"Okay, just hold your questions, Bonnie. Sunshine will answer them all altogether later," Kol says as Caroline and Stefan laugh.
"Hey Bonnie," Stefan then greets her.
"Where's Ric and Jo?" Kaitlyn then questions her back.
"They're upstairs. She was pretty shaken up so we thought it would be better if we let her calm down a bit," Bonnie answers.
Just then, the front door opens and Elena walks in, with a coffee crate in her hand and the other hand linked with Stefanie's. Stefanie too had two coffee cups in her little hands.
"Hey Damon asked me to get you all coffee and to bring Stef-" Elena halts when her eyes land on Stefan and she gasps.
"Hi," Stefan smiles sheepishly at her while she just stares at him as if she had seen a ghost.
"Mommy?" Stefanie mumbles when she sees her scared her mom looked. Damon walks over and picks her up in his arms and then approaches Stefan.
"Stefanie baby, meet your Uncle Stefan," he introduces as Caroline walks over to Elena and wraps an arm around her shoulder.
"Hi sweetheart," Stefan greets as his eyes well up with tears.
"Hi," Stefanie mumbles in a shy manner, burying her face in her dad's shoulder. She had heard a lot about her Uncle Stefan and had seen pictures but this was the first time she was meeting him, so needless to say, it felt like meeting a stranger. She was only 7 so instead of getting into the gory details, Damon and Elena had told her that her Uncle Stefan lived very far away from them and so didn't visit often.
"What's going on here?" Alaric's voice echoes through the living room as everyone turns to see him standing on one of the stairs that led to the rooms upstairs.
"How about we all sit down and I tell you all everything at once?" Kaitlyn suggests.
"Kol and I will take Stefanie for a walk while you talk," Damon suggests as they walk out of the house and the others settle down around the couches or the floor, waiting for Kaitlyn to speak.
"So now what is the plan for the twins then?" Alaric asks when Kaitlyn finishes explaining Stefan's return to them.
"Catherine said the plan was to retrieve Kai's soul so Jo could merge with him, with the extra magic backing her up. And then the ancient witches will nullify the coven's merge system so the twins can be safe as well as the future generations," Stefan answers.
"And what happens to Jo then?" Bonnie speaks next.
"I can't stay, you know witch breaking witchy laws is unacceptable and has terrible consequences," Jo replies from behind them all as all the attention turns to her.
"Hi Jo," Kaitlyn greets as Alaric makes space for Jo to sit on.
"Hey Lyn, I think we need to talk later," she suggests and Kaitlyn nods.
"So what's the plan of action?" Kol inquires.
"We need to take a little detour. I heard about the dark magic consuming Josie. I think I should take it back with me. Kaitlyn, you need to ask Lizzie to siphon the magic into me," Jo answers.
"I'm sorry but no. Liz is too weak right now and I don't think she can consume that much magic without getting weaker," Kaitlyn denies.
"We can ask Freya to find another solution," Marcel suggests and the others nod.
"Well then, maybe we should head back to the Mikaelson mansion now," Alaric speaks, getting up to his feet and holding his hand out for Jo to take. Kol wraps his arms around Kaitlyn and stops her from leaving while the others walk off.
"What?" she quizzes with a confused look.
"It's going to be okay," Kol reassures her and a smile breaks out of her face.
"I know, Koala Bear. Jo is here and so is Stef, we'll all be fine."
"No, you know I don't mean this. I know you well enough to know everytime you're looking at all these friends of yours, all these couples, your thoughts are trailing off to Nik. And I know you're scared shitless but I promise you, everything will be fine. I'll make sure of it and if he messes up again, I'll kick his ass this time. Even before any of your friends can," he says sternly and Kaitlyn chuckles.
"I'm sure you will," she says as she drags him out of the house as well. It was true, though. She couldn't help it. She was trying to not think about him but she was failing miserably. All she could think of was why he wasn't here, why'd he left, was it permanent? Did he not love her anymore? Was he scared? Did something happen to him? What could it possibly have been?
༆☼︎☾︎ꨄ︎☽︎☼︎༆
Mikaelson Mansion, Mystic Falls
The group walks into the mansion to be greeted by Freya, Ryan, Hope and Davina sitting on the dinner table, chatting and sipping on warm soup.
"Hey you guys are back," Ryan welcomes them.
"Hey, you guys good?" Kaitlyn asks as she approaches them and the kids nod.
"Lizzie is asleep upstairs in my room and we put Josie in the guest room, spelled it too" Hope answers when she notices Kaitlyn's vision wandering to the living room couches that was now empty.
"Actually, I need to talk to you two about something," Kaitlyn says as she looks back at Ryan and Hope.
"Is everything okay?" Freya asks curiously as Marcel and Rebekah come strolling through the front door just then.
Kaitlyn nods before looking back at her kids, "I need you two to do me a favor," she tells them and they immediately nod, willing to help their mother in any way they could.
"You two are taking a trip with Rebekah and Marcel," Kaitlyn mumbles, knowing the kids had heard her.
"Wh-what?" Hope asks at the same time as Ryan asks, "you're sending us away?"
"I'm not sending you away. I just need to know you two are safe while we deal with everything that's bound to happen here soon. And the only way to do so is to ensure you're not here in Mystic Falls while we deal with the threats," Kaitlyn clarifies to them. But her kids were just as stubborn as her.
"Mom, you can't be serious right now. What if you need us?" Ryan points out.
"We have more than enough people here, ready for any possibility so all I need you to do is stay away for a while."
"No offence to anyone, but mom, I'm a tribrid. I don't think you have that kind of power here and you might need me when you go against ancient powers and all that," Hope tries to reason with her mother, giving her a charming smile, thinking she might be making a valid point.
"Showoff," Ryan grumbles under his breath, rolling his eyes and Hope playfully nudges him when she hears his words, causing him to roll his eyes and Kaitlyn to chuckle at their actions.
"We have a lot of pretty powerful people here, all of whom have experience going against ancient villains so I think you'll be find. And you're teenage kids who should not be getting dragged into this mess but it's too late for that. So I'm removing you from the situation instead, while I still can," Kaitlyn sternly tells them.
"Weren't you 17 like me when you went up against Katherine Pierce, the Queen of Hell?" Hope complains.
"I was. But I didn't have a choice, no one to help me. You have that, people who are willing to do the dirty work if it means protecting your lives and offering you a somewhat normal teenage. Plus, she wasn't the Queen of Hell back then. Still a legend, though. Anyways, no more arguments, you're both going with Rebekah and Marcel."
"But where?" Ryan inquires with a sigh, realizing his mom wasn't going to change her mind on this.
"Glad you asked because we can go anywhere you want to, just compel a flight and you're off," Marcel grins at them and Rebekah nods.
"How about New Orleans?" Hope suggests, secretly wanting to visit Hayley's grave anyways.
Rebekah and Marcel look slightly shocked at her suggestion but nod nevertheless.
By now, the rest of the group had scattered across the room. Alaric had led Jo upstairs to see the girls while the rest of the Scooby Gang settled into the living room floor as they caught up on what the last decade or so had been like for them all. Kol and Davina were bringing out food for everyone gradually while Elijah sat in a corner, his nose buried in a book.
"Uncle 'Lijah, you coming with us to New Orleans?" Hope questions him and he slowly looks up to them.
"I...um no, I have somewhere else to be, that is if Rose doesn't need me here," he answers, looking at Kaitlyn for a reply.
"I uh, I don't know about that, Eli. Where do you need to be, though? Something important?" she counters and he nods slightly.
"I have word from Germany so," he trails off as Kaitlyn catches on to what he meant. He was looking for Klaus.
"Oh well then we'll manage without you," she reassures and he nods as Rebekah asks for Ryan and Hope to go and pack while Marcel got them a car to take to New Orleans. Rebekah then picks up Oreo and places him in his little basket, wrapping him with a blanket and holding him up for Kaitlyn to take one last time before she took him with her as well.
Soon enough, Hope and Ryan were all packed and ready to go.
"You sure you don't want us here, mom?" Ryan asks one last time, hoping she had changed her mind.
"Only thing I'm a 100% sure about right now. I promise we'll be fine, kiddo. I just need to make sure you two are fine too," she replies with a smile as she holds onto both their hands.
"What if Lizzie and Josie need us?" Hope then quizzes with a sad tone.
"Then we'll bring you back here," Rebekah cuts in, ushering them out of the door and into the car where Marcel was already waiting for them.
Kaitlyn walks out with them, bidding them farewell as some tears well up in her eyes. Never in her life had she thought she'd have to send her own kids away from her as she always felt they'd be safer with her around. But times were different now.
Suddenly, she feels a presence behind her and turns to see Elijah. He doesn't say anything as he just walks up to her and brings her in for a tight hug, trying to comfort her. He had been in this position before back when Hayley and Klaus had sent Hope away with Rebekah after she was born. And now, Hayley wasn't there with them anymore and in a sense, neither was Klaus.
"You know, all these years that the kids were growing up, I kept thinking to myself how I'd give anything for them to have a better life than I did. I tried so hard to keep them away from these threats, bloodshed and all these horrors of our world, I forgot how big a part we still played in all of this. That we could try to leave this drama behind but it'd never let us fully leave. This is a part of our lives and we can't leave it behind, no matter how bad we want to. I kept lying to myself, saying that maybe things were finally calm afterall after all these years. That all would be well and I wouldn't have to wake up everyday and have the same fear of not being able to keep my kids safe and sound. But it doesn't get any better, Eli. It just keeps getting worse and worse and I can't help but be scared that one day, I won't have you all to back me up anymore. That one day, I won't be able to keep being a protective barrier between the bad and my kids anymore. And this right here, it's my worst dream come true. Nik isn't here and my twins are in danger and I just sent two of my kids away from me," Kaitlyn sniffles into the hug and Elijah gently shushes her.
Needless to say, Kaitlyn was like a little sister to him and he cared deeply for her. She just had the kind of aura and personality that he couldn't help but admire, just like everyone else. As she hugged him back tighter, it was as though he could feel her pain through the hug. Her mentioning Klaus was even more reason for him to find him and drag him back to her, if he had to. He wouldn't let him mess this up for himself again. Not this time. He wouldn't let him break her heart again.
"I will always b here by your side, protecting you and your kids, Rose. I give you my word. We all will, always and forever. As for Niklaus, I think you already figured out why I'm leaving for Germany all of a sudden. I will bring him back to you, okay? Everything's going to be fine," Elijah breaks away from the hug and looks her in the eye, ensuring she knew he meant every word of it.
"I...I don't know, Elijah. This is so like and unlike him, all at the same time. You know him better than anyone, he gets paranoid and he pushes people away. That's what he's being doing for centuries now so this shouldn't be so surprising, right? But at the same time, he...he was so sincere about his promises this time and when he left, everything was fine. I don't know what went wrong all of a sudden for him to have to snap your neck, lie to me on a call and just disappear like that," she mumbles, "but I also know you and I know you won't give up on him so, go find your brother. We'll be fine here."
"You need anything and you'll immediately call me without any hesitation, alright?" Elijah ensures as she nods before hugging him and walking back inside the mansion.
Kaitlyn walks into the house to see everyone sitting around the living room, waiting for her to get back so they could get back to work on their plan.
"Buttercup, you guys ready for this?" Damon asks with a sad smile as she walks over to them.
"I am. But are you all? Look, I know how high the stakes are and a lot of you are...well not the same anymore. You have families of your own, kids and I completely understand if you're not up for this," she informs them. She was scared of the prices they might have to pay for this. Caroline and Stefan had just got each other back, not to mention, Stefan was human now. Damon and Elena had a kid of their own and she knew Kol was planning on asking Davina on her opinions on one too. She didn't want to rip anyone away from their happiness for her own reasons.
"Oh please, like we'd let you go through this alone," Kol scoffs at her comment as the others nod along.
"Plus, you need us," Bonnie jokes with a smirk and Kaitlyn chuckles.
"I sure do."
"And wasn't it you who once said that no matter what happened, we'd never leave each other's sides?" Caroline questions rhetorically as Damon walks over to Kaitlyn.
He places his hand on her shoulder and looks her in the eye, "we're sticking together till the end of the line, Buttercup. You and Ric need us, we're here no matter what goes down."
Kaitlyn sighs loudly and looks at Alaric, "you ready for this?"
He nods, "ready when you are."
"Then let's do this!" Kol cheers as they begin to lay out their plan.
Author's Note
Act II is going to be comparatively shorter to Act I and is nearly coming to an end!
I'm so excited to get this over with and start the final act- ACT III!!
Also, how're talk liking the growing bond between Ryan and Hope? Plus, I love imagining Kol and Damon as good friends, thus some scenes with them both there!
Anyways, Opinions on the story so far?