Arriving outside some abandoned farm looking area off the back roads of Louisiana, I frown. This is where Klaus's text said to meet him. With a bad feeling swirling around in my gut, I'm hesitant as I near the buildings on the property, cautious of my surroundings as Mikael could be anywhere.
When I near the largest building on the property, the sounds of a struggle meet my ears, followed by a guttural scream of pain, one that's too familiar. I vamp inside the building, finding a sight that makes my heart stop. "Nik," I breathe out, running to his side. I fall to my knees and grasp onto his chest. "Nik!" The white oak stake pierces his chest as gray veins cover his entire body. If he was truly staked, he should be burning by now. Something's wrong...or right, so I don't waste time. I grip onto the stake and pull it out of his chest.
Screaming from somewhere outside echoes throughout the building...Davina's scream. I stare down at the white oak stake in my hands. She must have deactivated it somehow, at least temporary. Footsteps echo behind me. I turn around, finding Mikael glaring at me with dried blood on his face. I tighten my grip on the stake.
"What do you think you're doing?" He glowers at me.
I hold up the stake between us as I stand, guarding Klaus's body. "What someone should have done a long time ago." I rush at him with the stake in hand. I know it's stupid, he's way more powerful than me, but I have to try. He got to Klaus. He hurt the man I love. He's hurt me. This needs to end.
Mikael deflects my first attack, shoving me to the side, but I don't give up. I lunge out at him again, throwing a punch with my left fist while swiping out with the stake with my right. I manage to draw blood at the stake cuts through his left arm, but unfortunately that's all the damage I manage before he grabs onto me and sends me flying across the room. The stake slips out of my hand as I crash into the wall. My back takes the brunt of the damage. "You have a fierce heart," Mikael remarks, stepping towards me, "but an unworthy cause," he sneers. "Perhaps I'll keep your heart as a souvenir."
As Mikael nears me, I push away the pain and try to stand. I will not surrender to this pathetic excuse of a man. Mikael laughs as I stand. "Oh, girl. How pitiful your determination is. You will die today, though I must admit I can appreciate your willingness to die in battle like a true warrior."
I scowl at him. "Bring it."
Mikael smiles before rushing at me. However, before I can prepare to defend myself, Marcel vamps into the room and uses the element of surprise to attack Mikael, making Mikael retreat in his steps. But Mikael does not allow Marcel to get in more than a few punches before he knocks Marcel to the ground, grabbing what appears to be a broken handle of a broom or something and holding it above Marcel's heart as a makeshift stake. "Now, enough! This night has been a long parade of fools. I'll enjoy killing every last one of you."
A gasp echoes across the room, my eyes follow the sound to see Klaus waking up. The relief I feel is imminent, but I don't focus on it long as Hayley appearing distracts me. With an industrial chain in hand, Hayley swings it around Mikael's neck, making him turn to face her. "Yeah, I wouldn't bet on it," She says before swinging the chain and knocking Mikael to the ground. Klaus and Marcel stand, and I step near the boys as Hayley drops back to our side too. Davina steps into the building from outside.
Mikael stumbles up to his feet, makeshift stake still in hand. He glares at the five of us.
"It's over, Mikael. You're outnumbered," Klaus says, stepping forward. "Are you going to beg for your miserable life?"
He laughs. "You think having people makes you strong? It proves how weak you are. Come find me when you don't have fools, women and children fighting your battles." He throws his makeshift stake to the ground before vamping off.
We all stare after him for a moment before breaking apart. I'm quick to run to Klaus's side. "Nik!" My hands grasp either side of his face as he leans his head down so our foreheads touch. "Nik, you scared me," I whisper to him. Our eyes meet and I watch as the tension from the standoff with Mikael dissipates a bit from his shoulders. His arms wrap around my body, and pull me close into a hug. I press my head against his chest as he rests his chin on top of my head, squeezing me tightly. No words are exchanged between us because words are meaningless in this moment. Through our touch, we say more than we ever could through speech.
Everyone clears out of the building, leaving Klaus and I alone. When we finally break our embrace, we meet in a different one, as our mouths collide together. His hands run over the curves of my body as mine cling to the back of his jacket, the panic and fear we both felt moments across disappearing as we channel it into frantic kissing. "I missed you," Klaus says between kisses.
"I missed you too," I mumble back before his tongue tangles with mine again and his lips crash into mine. "There's," I add, breaking away for a second, "so much," Klaus draws me back in as our lips come back together. After a moment, I manage to break away again, "I need to tell you." My words seem to bring reality crashing down on both of us as we finally part for real this time. Klaus stares down at me, concern etching his gaze. My head shakes. "But not right here, at this time." I catch his gaze with my own, "But soon. Once we're alone."
"When has not being alone ever stopped you two before," Marcel remarks as he re-enters the building. "I'm just glad I managed to miss the make-out fest." My fingers reach to my lips to run over the edge of them and swipe away any lipstick smudges. When my fingers come away clean, I look over at Klaus to see his face evidence-free as well. Marcel smiles at me, rolling his eyes playfully as he steps up to us. "I don't need any evidence to know it happened. Less you forget, I've known both of you for decades now, and near death experiences with sociopathic killers typically equates to a frenzied make-out session between the two of you."
Crossing my arms, I raise a brow at Marcel. "I didn't know you were so interested in our kissing habits."
"Kind of hard not to notice when you two never stop," Hayley adds, stepping inside and striding toward us. "Seriously, living with you two at the Compound means avoiding all dark hallways and corners and giving your room a very wide berth." Marcel chuckles at this, a knowing gleam in his eye.
I shrug at their teasing, not offended by it in the least. Looking at Hayley, I smirk at her. "Well, if you ever get sick of avoiding and want to join, let us know." I wink, jokingly. Hayley's eyes widen and I laugh, knowing I finally got her. Normally, she's too quick for me to pull one over her. However as Hayley seems to realize what I just did, she rolls her eyes.
"I'd rather tear my own eyes out," she replies.
Klaus just shakes his head beside me, having grown all too used to mine and Hayley's banter. "Hmm, well on a different subject that does not involve our personal affairs," Klaus slides his arm around my waist, "I must thank you both for your assistance. I think it's the first time I've seen him run in a thousand years."
"He knew he was outnumbered," I respond.
"Yeah," Marcel nods. "We checked the perimeter, and he's definitely gone. Besides, no thanks needed. You die, I die. Just call me selfish."
"Yeah, you die, a lot of people die," Hayley adds before her eyes shift between Klaus and I. "But we have another problem..." she trails off.
"Elijah," I mumble, and she nods. "My guess," I look at Klaus, "your mother has him."
Klaus meets my eyes, recognizing the words I am not saying, the secret I promised him for later. He nods. "Well, then it's going to be a tough battle into her fortress of a cemetery." His gaze shifts between Marcel, Hayley, and I. "We should get back to the city and start planning. My mother is calculating. She will have safety measures in place and have planned for our arrival. We need to make sure we are prepared for anything she throws at us before we make our rescue." The three of us nod, agreeing with him.
Marcel and Hayley leave for the city first, preparing to gather intel about Esther's set up and Elijah's capture from their respective vampire and werewolf sources. Klaus begrudgingly went with them after I urged him to start planning without me, not wanting to waste any time. He didn't want to part after just being reunited, but I assured him I would follow him soon. There's just something I got to do first.
Stepping outside, I find Davina and a young, pale boy leaning against a car. The boy's face is scratched up and Davina hovers over him with concern in her eyes. She likes him, I realize. Biting back the smirk at the idea of young love, I approach the witch and boy slowly. Davina notices me first. She straightens, putting on the look she wears when bracing to face an adversary. It hurts to know she thinks of me as one.
"I just wanted to see that you were okay," I tell her. She doesn't respond. Pushing my shoulders back, I sigh. "Look, Davina, I-"
"If you're here to apologize for Klaus, then stop. I don't want it, nor do I need it. I still plan to kill him. This was just an obstacle, but I will find another way."
The brutal determination in her voice has me closing my eyes. There's no use wasting my breath to try to change her mind, she's set in her belief that Klaus's death is the only way to make things right. I can't save her from this path. She won't let me. No, instead, I only note to myself that I have no intention to be there when she reaches the end of this road. For, I do not wish to see her in pain.
Opening my eyes, I take in the sight of this bright, brave girl in front of me. She who is the true warrior, she who will go after my family. She who is setting herself up to become my real enemy. "I understand," I whisper. My gaze breaks away from her cold one to settle onto the boy beside her. Taking him in, I realize I've seen him before, at Rousseau's when the wolves attacked Davina and Mikael attacked Elijah. "You," I say to him. "I know you."
The boy sends me a cocky smile. "Pleasure to see you again, darling. Our last meeting was full of chaos as well, seems to me we are setting ourselves a pattern." His accent is British.
I frown at the boy's words, something about him seems familiar...and that's when I remember our dinner with Finn and his revelation...
"Kol."
The boy--Kol in the boy's body--smirks. "I guess the gig is up. Hello Lil-Lil." He moves toward me, but I take a step back. His smiles drops at my action.
Shaking my head, I let my hurt show as I stare at my friend. "I thought you were gone. I searched for you. For hours, I looked and called your name. And when I couldn't find you, I thought...I thought I lost you."
"Lily-"
"No, Kol. How could you do this?" Kol's body--the boy's body--tightens at my words. "How could you return from the dead and not tell me? Worst of all, how could you side with Esther? You know how terrible your mother is!"
Kol's face darkens at my words as his defenses kick in. "Maybe so, but at least she treats me like family, unlike your precious Nik. And she's given me power, Lily!" He throws his hand out, making a pile of bricks in the corner explode into dust. "Power I have craved since it's been ripped away from me," he yells. I think of Kol's fascination with dark objects, the closest thing he's had to magic since his mother turned them all into vampires.
"By her, Kol!" I yell back. "Esther was the one who took it away from you! And now, you're working for her. Why?"
"What does it matter, Lily? You've chosen your side, and I've chosen mine," he growls.
"Kol!" I exclaim, confused and stricken by his anger.
"As if you didn't know that this was coming one day, Lil-Lil. You know how I feel about my siblings, you know how they've alienated me, yet you've always chosen him. You always do and you always will! It doesn't matter how much I love you as a friend, you will always chose Klaus over me, even as he continues to destroy everyone." His hands form into fists at his side as I watch strong emotions--anger, desperation, sorrow--rush through him. I can tell that these are feelings he's held in for a while, feelings he's always been too kind to share with me, not wanting to ruin our friendship. "You always clean up his messes and make his apologies. Look at what you were about to say to Davina," he gestures to her where she stands behind him with a straight face and her arms crossed. "You always defend him when he doesn't deserve it!"
Gritting my teeth, I run my hands through my hair. "What do you want me to say to that, Kol?" I drop my hands from my hair and throw them up at my side. "That I'm sorry?" I shake my head, too many emotions roaring up in my chest as I know I'm about to destroy our friendship, as I'm about to confirm to Kol his fears. "Because I'm not," I confess, losing some of my fight, "you're right. I will always choose Nik. I love him."
"Even though he's a psychotic murder!"
"And what are you?" I throw back at him. "Can you honestly look at me and tell me that you're any better? That you don't also throw tantrums and let your impulses get the better of you? You forget Kol, that when we met, you weren't exactly a saint. It's hard to forget the sight of that many bodies." Dead, all of them. Viciously slaughtered.
Kol gapes at me, as he feels the truth of my words. Same as him, there are some feelings I've kept to myself in order to protect our friendship. "You know if you didn't waste so much time hating him and pinning all your problems onto him, you might see how you and Klaus are so alike. Both lost souls who never believed that they fit in anywhere. You might see that-"
"No!" Kol says with a bitter anger. "Don't try to compare me to that bastard. We are nothing alike!" He spits onto the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Obviously, this conversation is going nowhere. I think it is time we say our goodbyes, Liliana. As I said, you've clearly chosen your side. Why share any more hateful words when it is apparent that we are to be on opposing sides in this fight."
Kol stomps toward the car and gets in, starting it. I'm sure he's craving to dash out of there, but he waits, looking to Davina through the windshield. Davina meets his gaze before looking back at me. I keep my face neutral. It's evident to me that Davina has also chosen her side, so there's no use convincing her not to leave with Kol. Straightening her stance, Davina gives me one last look before she opens the car door and slips into the passenger seat. As soon as she puts on her seatbelt, Kol tears off, leaving me behind.
A moment passes before my anger dissipates and the hurt from knowing that I lost a friend today settles in.
...
I find Klaus pacing in the living room. His eyes widen when he sees me. He's quick to stride to my side, and I'm quick to fall into him. I hide my face in his chest as his arms surround me. The tension between us from days ago is gone, it was so meaningless and pointless. Klaus holds me against him tightly until we eventually break. I have so much to tell him.
"I'm sorry," I say, looking up into his eyes. "I'm sorry for just leaving like that and not communicating, and I'm sorry for my silence the past few days. We promised we would be honest with each other, and we would allow the other to support us, and I haven't done a good job at either of those things." With a sigh, my gaze drops from his as the vulnerability I hate feeling crawls into my throat. "The other day, your mother..." I shake my head to myself, "she brought up my mother and reopened old wounds. She..." my lips press together for a moment as I try to find the words, "I think she tried to use my apparent mommy issues as a way to break me down. At first, I thought it was to throw me off guard and cause tension between us," I look up and catch Klaus's concerned gaze. His hands reach out to press against my arms in comfort. "But now, I know she did it to distract me from the spell she casted."
Klaus's brows raise as an unease sets into his stance. "Spell?"
I nod, and I explain my missing two days. I tell him about the dreams, and I tell him about my conversation with Liv. "She..she's fucking with my head, Nik!" My anger at the invasiveness of Esther's actions sets in as my hands curl into fists at my side. "She's putting ideas into my head and manipulating me. She's-" my anger dies out as I freeze. Something shifts within me.
"Lily?" Klaus asks concerned, tilting his head toward me.
"She's.." I start, my voice quiet as a new realization sets in. "She's making me see things I want," I whisper. My eyes flash to Klaus. "I want a baby, Nik. I want to be human. I don't want to be a monster anymore." My hands clasp onto his jacket as my eyes plead with him. "Please, Nik. I want us to have a family, a real family. Like my dreams."
Klaus's hands cover mine as he starts to shake his head. "No, no, you don't."
"But I do!" My hands drop his jacket to reach for his face as I cup it between my palms. "I do, Nik."
"Lily." Klaus says as his hands follow mine to slide around my wrists. "You-" but he stops, holding my left wrist in front of his face. "What is this?" I follow his sight line to find his fingers circling the bracelet on my wrist. In marker underneath it, something is written. I pull my wrist away from him. 'Spell'. In my handwriting, the word 'spell' is written on my wrist. And with that, everything clicks back into place...
"Fuck!" I exclaim, clasping my wrist as I look back up at Klaus. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" On impulse, my right hand shoots out to grab an object closest to me, which happens to be a vase, and I throw it. It shatters against the wall as I scream. "Fuck!"
"Lily. Lily!" Klaus steps toward me, covering my fists with his own. I grit my teeth, my whole body electrified with rage.
"Look at what she's doing to me, Nik!" I try to break out of his grip, but he's stronger than me. "She's fucking with my mind! I'm going to kill her. I'm going to fucking kill her!" When Klaus still won't let me go, I scream again. "Aagh!"
"Lily," Klaus says. "Lily, look at me." I ignore him, still trying to pull myself free. "Lily!" My eyes find his as I scowl.
"I swear, Nik. Let me go now, so I can find her and kill her!"
"Lily," Klaus repeats, his voice calm and reassuring. "As much as I would love to let you do that, she'll only find another body to jump into. We need a plan," he says, the reasonable one between the two of us right now.
"I have a plan," I tell him, still allowing my impulsive, irrational thoughts control me. "I find your mother, and I rip out her heart."
"Lily," Klaus warns.
"Ugh," I groan. "Fine. What's your plan?"
"Before I can give you that, I need to know if you know how to break the spell. You started saying something about the body, mind, and soul?"
Taking in the rationality and earnest in Klaus's gaze, I sigh. My eyes close as I take a deep breath before meeting his gaze again, attempting to calm the burning fire in my veins. "Yes, I know how to break the spell." I repeat what Liv told me to him, explaining how I have to break the link between the elements Esther used to represent the different aspects of my beings. "And Liv gave me this," I flex the wrist with the bracelet on it, Klaus having let me go moments ago once I finally gave into his reason. "It's supposed to help ward off the effects of the spell, but Liv warned me once I got back here and close to Esther's spell that it's protection wouldn't last long." I frown at the bracelet. "I was hoping she was underestimating her magical abilities."
Klaus ponders my words, staring at the bracelet intently. "Well, my mother's spell hasn't consumed you yet. You were still able to reign yourself back, so maybe this witch is stronger than we think. However, I rather not put it to chance too long. We need to break this spell quickly."
I nod. "And find Elijah as soon as possible." Klaus echoes my nod as our minds start turning. "I'm absolutely positive that the spell and Elijah are in the same place: the cemetery. Your mother has been held up there for a while, believing she's protected by the wolves she's turned to her side. She would be cocky enough to hold your brother there, in plain sight."
"Hmm, I believe you are right, Love. So, what is our next step?"
"Simple," I say. "You distract your mother, let her believe that we are searching for Elijah, and while she's occupied, I'll slip in and break the spell and rescue Elijah." Klaus doesn't look assured at my plan as he frowns. "C'mon, it's perfect. She doesn't know I'm back in town. It'll be easy to slip in under her radar if she thinks that she has a chance of turning you to her side."
Klaus still isn't convinced as his face turns grave and serious. "I don't like the idea of you being closer to that spell. What if it affects you again?"
Although, my first instinct is to protest, I know Klaus's concerns comes from a place of love. "Nik," I reach out for his hand, intertwining our fingers together. "I get that, I do. But I can do this. And you have to be the one to distract her, you know that. For her, you're the goal."
Klaus sighs, dragging his fingers through his hair. "I know."
"Besides, if you leave me to distract Esther, I'll just end up killing her." Klaus chuckles at my words, a small smile on his lips. "I'm serious, Nik!"
"Oh, I know you are, Love, and you would do it so marvelously. Unfortunately though, we must keep her alive until we've rescued my brother to assure his safety. So yes, although I may not enjoy the idea of you getting closer to a spell which draws on your nearness, for my mother's safety," he teases, "I will have to be her opponent today."
I echo Klaus's smile. "Hmm, look at how the tables have turned. I'm plotting a murder, and you're my calm voice of reason." I use my other hand to pat Klaus's cheek jokingly.
He laughs, raising our joined hands and pressing a kiss to the back of mine. "To my beautiful murderess, and to a surefire rescue."
I grin at him, pulling him in for a deep kiss.
...
As we walk into the courtyard of the compound, Klaus and I run into Hayley. She walks toward us eagerly, clapping her hands together. "Great, now that the two of you are done making up and making out, let's go find Elijah."
Klaus tsks, shaking his head. "Not so fast, Little Wolf. You're not coming along."
Hayley gapes at Klaus, looking between him and me before her gaze settles back onto Klaus's. "What? No, I'm coming!"
"No, you aren't," I tell her. Her eyes flash to mine, shock and a hint of betrayal in them. "Nik and I have a plan, and you are not apart of it."
Before Hayley can undoubtedly protest, Klaus adds in, "Esther is wretched. She will manipulate you to get to us. It is best we leave her with as few pawns to play with as possible."
Hayley crosses her arms, a glower in her face as she realizes the reason in Klaus's words, but it doesn't mean she's happy about it. Sending us both one more scowl, she drops her arms and walks off into the city. Klaus and I share a look before we both shrug and head off to enact our plan.
As I make my way to Lafayette cemetery, I pick up information about the wolf, Oliver, being executed tonight by Finn. Good, I think to myself. This means that Finn will also be distracted. Plus, I have no doubts that Hayley won't try to rescue Oliver as a way to find Elijah now that Klaus and I won't let her in on our plan. Therefore, this event is killing two birds with one stone: Finn stays distracted by whoever Hayley enlists to help her and another poor soul is rescued. Now, to find Elijah and break the spell.
It takes me a while to search all the crypts for signs of Esther's tamperings. Eventually, I stumble into one filled with candles, books, and a table. It's the table that draws my eyes. As I near, I find the symbol Liv drew for me on the bar napkin. An intersection of rings made by some sort of power form a triangle sort of shape in front of me, candles burning around it in a circle. A picture of me, clearly stolen from the compound and its place in my library, rests in the middle of the triangle surrounded by some sort of powder. The sight of it pisses me off as it was a picture Jess and I, which has been torn into two to only show my face. The other half of the picture with Jess is gone. To the left of the picture, at the corner of the triangle, rests my hairbrush. Also, clearly stolen. The hairbrush must be Esther's symbolic representation of my body, as in the right corner of the triangle rests the book I was reading before leaving New Orleans. Mind. However, it is what Esther chose to represent my soul, at the top of the triangle, that stops me.
A hair ribbon--my silk hair ribbon that I've kept hidden in a small, locked chest of my things--gleams under the candle lights. The hair ribbon I was wearing when I ran away from Mystic Falls at the age of 17, and the ribbon I was wearing when Henry forced me to drink his blood and snapped my neck. The hair ribbon I was wearing when I lost my humanity.
The irony of Esther's choice to use this hair ribbon as a symbol of the destruction of my soul is not lost on me, for this ribbon was with me when I lost everything I had: my family, my choice, my life, and my baby. All the things that humanity is represented by. How she knew I had it, however, is a question for another time. For now, all I can assume is that the night of the dinner party, after Finn took Klaus, Elijah, and I out, he stole these items to set up Esther's plan.
Pushing my shock regarding the ribbon away, and letting my anger back in to replace it, I reach out for the hairbrush first. Though as I near it, my fingers collide with some invisible force, and the world shifts around me.
"Mommy?" At the sound of the little boy's voice from my dreams, I turn around to find him standing with the little girl too. She smiles when she sees me.
"Mommy!" The little girl runs to me, wrapping her arms around me. "I can't wait to see our new sibling." At her words, I look down to find myself pregnant. When I look back up, I'm no longer in the crypt, but rather back in the house I share with Klaus outside New York City.
The little boy follows in the girl's footsteps, running to my side. Throwing his arms around my leg, I find myself smiling, reaching out for my son and daughter and holding them close. "We love you, Mommy," they say.
"I love you too," I reply, running my hands through their hair.
"When's Daddy coming home, Mommy?" My son asks.
"Yeah, we aren't a real family until Daddy joins us." My daughter echoes. "And don't you want us to be a real family?" Tears start to pool in her eyes, causing me to drop to my knees in the foyer of the house and hug her.
"Of course I do baby. You and your brother," I pull my son in closer, "are all I want. I want our family." I meet their matching blue eyes, a mix of Klaus's and mine. "I want our family," I repeat. Those words echo through my mind.
I want our family. I want our family. I want this family. I want this family.
Over and over again.
I want this family. I want this family. I want a family. I want a family.
The thought, the desire I feel, starts to overwhelm me until all I can imagine is how happy Klaus and I would be as humans and with kids. We would no longer be monsters, creatures to fear. We would be normal and happy and full of life. It would be...perfect.
And like that, it all falls apart. Perfect. There is no such thing. Perfect doesn't exist, at least not for me. No, my life is messy and gritty, raw and real. I don't want perfect. I never did. Just as I never wanted this, children. As I slowly start to come back to myself, fighting my way out of the cloudiness of Esther's spell, the great house dissipates until I'm left with the children in the crypt. Then gradually, they start to fade away too, screaming and crying for me...
"Mommy!"
"Mommy! Help me! Help us!"
"Please Mommy, don't let us go."
"You're supposed to love us, Mommy."
"Please Mommy!"
"Mommy!"
...until they're gone.
I blink, feeling as I'm waking up from a dream. It takes me a moment to readjust to my settings and the situation. Looking at Esther's spell again, I realize Liv was right. Esther must have the spell protected, which is why I was unable to touch the hairbrush. Stepping away from the table, I survey my surroundings. The circle of candles around the spell could be some sort of protection circle, but that seems too easy. Searching the walls of the crypt, I can't find anything that stands out. Then, I look up. A burlap doll hanging by a rope swings in the air and my gut swirls at the sight of it. Yes, this is it. Reaching for the doll, I tear it down and throw it to the ground. Next, my fingers reach for the brush again. When my fingers touch the handle, I grin to myself.
I grab onto the brush and move it from the triangle. Definitely gonna buy a new one now that it's been tainted by Esther's woo-woo magic. Next, I reach for the book and move it from its spot. What a true shame, it started good. Then, I reach for the hair ribbon. As my fingers glide against its silky fabric, I pause. The ribbon...I don't even know why I kept it, and I know I shouldn't want it with all the horrid memories attached to it, but I can't help but dread the idea of destroying it. For destroying it feels like destroying the memory of the girl I used to be. The naive, trusting, sweet little girl that the world ruined.
Knowing the clock is ticking on saving Elijah, my mind races with what to do. Maybe it's time that I give that girl up after all, time to ease the grief and shame I've carried with me. Maybe it's time to stop reminding myself of my suffering and focus on the future instead.
With the right answer in my heart, I decide to listen to it for once. Picking up a candle, I hover the ribbon over its flame until it catches on fire. Then, I do the same with the book and the brush, dropping the three burning items back onto the table and watching the whole thing light up in flames. My gaze falls to my picture in the middle, the one missing my best friend, and I watch as the flames slowly consume it.
Once all evidence of Esther's spell is gone, I feel a burden rise from my shoulders and Liv's bracelet falls off my wrist on its own accord. It's done. I did it. Now, to find Elijah.
I dash out of the crypt and head for the heart of the cemetery. Night is starting to fall behind me. I quicken my step. Although I move fast and quiet, I know running into enemies is inevitable, especially as I near what I suspect to be Esther's main lair. So, when the wolves come, I am ready to meet them.
"Stop!" One of the them yells, running toward me. I roll my eyes. Talk about stealth.
As the wolf lashes out for me, I grab his wrist and spin it around his back, making him double over before connecting my knee with his head and knocking him out. When he drops, I look at the other three wolves in front of me. "I hope you know it's only because of your werewolf queen that I won't kill you," I tell them. "So either you run or you end up like this guy," I point to the unconscious wolf next to my feet. "Your choice."
The three wolves growl before launching for me. I sigh, how predictable. I grab the first wolf by her neck and toss her aside. She slams into a nearby grave and collapses to the ground. The next wolf, another female, lands a couple of punches before I am able to disband her with a solid hit to her head. The last one takes his time to circle me and growl before initiating his attack. I knock him out in seconds with a nice body slam into the ground. "Too easy," I mumble to myself before heading for the crypt in front of me, alight from inside now that the dark of night has settled.
Inside, it is eerily empty except for some old books and a few candles, but I know better. Looking up, I find another burlap doll hanging from the ceiling. I tear it down, and Elijah appears, chained to the wall, bloody but asleep. Ripping the chains down, I catch Elijah's body as it falls, holding him. "C'mon, Elijah. Wake up." I pat his cheek, but he remains out cold. I groan. Guess we're doing this the hard way then.
Standing up, I hook one of Elijah's arms around my neck and wrap my arm around his waist. I would pick him up, I'm strong enough too, but his frame is too broad and it would be too awkward to carry, so dragging him out is my only option. Stumbling into the cemetery, I start to navigate myself back toward the entrance.
As I near it, the grunts of men draw my attention. Rounding the corner, I find wolf bodies strewn across the ground and a man in the center of them, sword in hand, locked in an intense stare with Klaus. "For all I care, you can crawl back to hell," I hear Klaus say to the man. I frown.
"Nik," I call. Klaus spins on his heels at the sound of my voice, vamping to my side. He takes Elijah from my arms as I stare past him and toward the man with the sword. The man watches us with hurt in his eyes. "Nik, who is he?"
Klaus shakes his head. "No one worth our time. Let's go." Picking up Elijah, Klaus vamps away. After another shared glance at the man, I follow him. When we return to the compound, Klaus lays Elijah down on his bed. Moments later, Hayley finds us. We all share glances, desperate hope in all our eyes that Elijah will wake up soon.