"Wait, how does this work again?" I asked, pacing around the room beginning to feel a little nervous.
"I'll show you the memories and see if it triggers anything" Kai explained while he kept preparing something in a bowl.
"I meant how are you gonna show me the memories" but he didn't answer this time "Kai?" I called his name and he hummed in response a few minutes later, so I stopped pacing around to stand in front of him "Kai" I called his name again but he seemed way too focused on finishing whatever he was doing to even notice my presence.
"He wants to get it right, this is important for him" Sage piped up from the entrance of the living room as she walked towards us "and what he'll do is show you his memories by doing a spell that will let part of your subconscious inside them"
"Because I value our friendship, Sage keeps getting the wrong idea" Kai blurted out finally looking up at me "Drink up" he added, offering me the small bowl with a strange black liquid in it.
I grabbed the bowl a bit hesitant, "Any side effects warnings before I do?" I asked and he chuckled lightly.
"Don't worry you won't be doing any digging today" he said and I brought the bowl up to my mouth taking a sip, immediately regretting doing it so slow as I tasted the bitter and earthy taste of whatever Kai had added in it, so I drank the rest quickly.
"Disgusting, what was that?" I said placing the bowl on the table again.
"Mostly herbs, some blood and a bit of other things you don't want to know about, just think of it as one of those weird healthy smoothies you millennials seem to be so keen of for some strange reason" Kai answered and I chuckled.
"Okay, so what goes after drinking a kale smoothie?" I asked and he walked towards the middle of the room, dragging a chair and sitting in it afterwards.
"The fun part," he said extending his hand out to me and I walked towards him, standing in front of him "I'll let Sage explain while I get ready" he continued, grabbing both of my hands and placing them over his cheeks.
"You need to open your mind to him, let him guide you and once you're inside the memory you must remember to stay in the light" Sage said walking towards us "the memories will look shimmery, they'll have a certain glow in it but there will be some darker parts or they'll begin to darken so you have to stay in the light"
"Why?" I asked a little confused and Sage was about to answer but Kai interrupted her.
"Basically what I'll do is try to join my memories with your now stored away ones that we don't have access to," he began but I frowned a little confused and he placed his hands on my waist pulling me closer to him "it's like you'll be putting a puzzle together, I'll give you the instructions on how to do it but the only difference is that there's a force in your head giving you the wrong ones, those are the dark spots you'll see, it's the compulsion trying to fill in those gaps for you"
"Right..." I said feeling a little bit more confused than before and Kai chuckled "Will it work? It does sound a bit..."
"Impossible?" he finished, looking a little hurt by my lack of faith.
"Not impossible, complicated, I mean how do you put a puzzle together with half of the pieces missing?" I said and he frowned, tensing up under my grip.
"Well if you don't want to try you should've just said it" he said harshly and he removed my hands from his cheeks.
"No, Kai, that's not what I meant. Look I'm sorry, I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this, okay?" I apologized, bringing my hands up to his cheeks again and I brushed my thumbs over his skin "But I do want to try, I want to put puzzles together, dig under the floor, drink awful mysterious smoothies or do whatever we have to do to get my memories back. You're my friend and I trust you, besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I didn't do this for you? After everything you've done for me, you're literally protecting me from the devil"
"No, don't apologize, I'm the one who's sorry. Is just... this," he began, placing his hand over mine "is very important for me... not to sound like a total lame 47-year-old loner but you're my only friend, Maddie, the only true friend I ever had and probably the only one I ever will. I'm not good at making friends, not that they want to be, some people say it's because I give them the creeps, I beg to differ" he continued and I gave him a warm smile "but you were kind enough to give me a chance, the one chance I've been denied of from the second I was born, so you can see why I'm holding on to this like if my life depended on it. Hell, scratch that, my life depends on it"
"For the record, I don't think you're some lame 47-year-old loner for having just one friend or that you're creepy, though I might've implied that before but I take it all back. We'll get my memories back, okay? I know we will and then we'll be back to being besties and we'll laugh about all of this over burgers and zima" I said and he smiled a little, placing his hand back on my waist.
"Okay. Let's dive in my head, shall we? I'll begin with an easy one, stay close to me" he said and I stared at him a bit confused by his instruction "It'll make more sense once we're in there, now close your eyes" he instructed and I nodded closing my eyes with my hands still over his cheeks "eaque in ostensionem"
Suddenly I felt a strong breeze whirl around us and I was confused when I didn't hear Kai chant whatever he said last again, until the room got very quiet and the breeze was gone, "Did it work?" I asked, tempted to take a peek.
"See for yourself," I heard Kai's voice coming from a different direction and I couldn't feel his skin against my hands anymore, so I opened my eyes quickly, only I didn't meet Sage's witchy decorated living room but a particularly regular one. There was nothing strange about the place, we were in some sort of flat, it was kind of nice actually and very modern. I turned around and I saw Kai, standing a few feet from where I was, looking a lot more nervous than when I last saw him.
"Where are we?" I asked him, looking around and I began to notice the weird lighting in the place, it had a peculiar shine on it and everything was oddly still.
"Not ringing any bells yet, I see" he said a bit disappointed and then he walked towards me "This was my place, sort of, temporarily. I needed somewhere to crash while I dealt with some stuff"
I began to walk around the living room, imagining of what that would've been like. There were some dvd's, a laptop and a few delivery menu's over the coffee table, as well as some manual instructions of some of the appliances in the house "Didn't take you for the reading manuals type" I said picking one of them.
"Yeah, you could say I was a bit outdated at the time and learning how to use a smart tv, an xbox or figuring out why your wifi router stops working when it was just called 'internet' back in your day, well it can be hard" he said and I chuckled a little.
"So I guess you're one of those vampires that only catch up with the world from now and then" I said putting down the manual.
"Not exactly, it's just a bit complicated" he said frowning a little "I don't see any counter reactions, so we'll begin okay" he added and he walked to the corner of the room, so I followed him standing next to him "just observe and I'll explain when we're back"
I glanced back at the room again and things appeared slightly different, like if they were no longer stuck in motion but back to a normal state. I could hear a clock ticking, the coffee machine dripping and some movements coming from down the hall. I was about to ask Kai what was happening when a knock on the door startled me and I looked back at him thinking he would say something but his eyes were glued to the door. His whole expression had changed, he seemed a lot more cheery and his eyes were glooming, almost longing to see whatever or whoever was standing outside that door.
"Weird," Kai said, only it didn't come from him. I turned my face to see where the voice had come from and I was left in complete and utter shock when I saw him emerging from the hallway, only it wasn't him but a younger looking version of him. He had no beard and he seemed a slightly less muscular than now but just as attractive, there was something different about him besides his babyface and innocent look, it was something else. I was about to walk towards him but Kai grabbed my hand, his eyes still locked to the door and I stopped.
The younger version of him headed towards the door after the third knock and his face lit up just like Kai's when he revealed whoever was now standing there. I felt a weird feeling in my stomach, looking at both versions of him, so overly excited about whoever that was and I was about to roll my eyes when I saw her storm into the room, shoving young-Kai over the shoulder. It was me. They were overly excited to see me?
And for the first time in my life I finally understood what my sister probably felt every time one of her doppelgängers popped up, the whole experience was just bizarre. Seeing someone who looks just like you only this was actually me and not my doppelgänger, was definitely weird.
"You sent me an urgent message and take a whole hour to answer the door? What the hell took you so long?" she scoffed at him, clearly annoyed.
"I was changing, next time I'll come out naked, not that it would bother you anyway" he smirked at her, sitting in the couch.
"Hilarious, now what's the emergency?" she said coldly, folding her arms over her chest.
"We need to talk" he said in a more serious tone, sitting up straight.
"We already talked, you made yourself crystal clear last night and so did I, there's nothing left to talk about" she said heading towards the door again but he stopped her, grabbing her hand.
"Maddie, please, just hear me out" he said softly "I know what Damon told you sounds like the truth but it's not, I don't know what happened to Bonnie, okay? I really thought she got out but she was hurt, it must've messed up the spell, you know how messy it all got after that"
"You hurt her Kai and if you really left her there, you know what that means don't you? That everything that happened was a lie, that it was just a ploy for you to get out, that we left–... that I was just–"
"No, no, no. It wasn't just a ploy or a lie, at first it might've been but after that night in the shed, it was all real, I promise you it was all real. I've been literally bending all of my rules and going against everything I stand for since that night, just for you" he said, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek "I know I'm a liar, Maddie, and asking you to believe me after I've let you down so many times it's unfair for me to do but don't give up on me–"
"Yesterday," she begins after cutting him off but he shook his head.
"I know what I said yesterday but I was drunk and didn't mean any of it," he said, wrapping his arm around her waist, bringing her close to his chest "You cut me off and I shouldn't've reacted the way I did, I lost my temper and when you said all of those things... I don't know how to do this or how to express my feelings properly, and I'm a jerk who doesn't even deserve a 'hello' from you but I'm trying, I swear I'm trying but I don't know how–"
"No, I know you're trying and I shouldn't have said what I said, I was just upset about the whole Bonnie and Liv thing" she begins, placing both of her hands over his cheeks, caressing them "but I'm not gonna give up on you, I made you a promise and I intend on keeping in it"
"Does that mean we're back to eclipses?" he asks, a smile lingering on his lips and she giggles.
"Not exactly" she chuckled "I do believe you didn't know about Bonnie, stranger's things happened there that we still can't explain and you're in decent terms with Liv now but I still think we shouldn't push it. Baby steps, okay? I don't want you to feel forced to do this"
"But I want to do this for you now, no baby steps" he said, sliding his hand over her cheek to the back of her neck, pulling her head towards his so their foreheads would touch.
"Kai, we've talked about this. Let's just try to get through all of this first and we'll have that talk when the time comes" she said softly, brushing her nose against his "Just know that it's okay to try and fail, and that I'm really not upset if it happens"
"Even if I fail all the time?" he asked, frowning a little.
"You're putting too much pressure on yourself, Kai, like if I'm gonna walk away if you do one more horrible thing. I know what I got into when I made that promise, okay? I'm not walking away, so you can lash out at me all you want and keep failing but I'll be here and I'm not giving up, take your time, don't rush it"
"You did sound convincing after you found out about Bonnie and last night too" he says, failing to hide the concern in his voice.
"I know, maybe I'll get mad for some of the things you do, I'm still figuring this out too but I'm here, I came. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have showed up but it's you" she reassures him and he smiles at her, his blue eyes glowing at the statement.
"I'm starting to believe Damon's theory, that I might've put a spell on you" he jokes and they both chuckle lightly.
"If only," she teases him and he planted a kiss on her forehead.
"You're too good to me, baby, shouldn't let me off the hook so easily" he muttered against her forehead, humming afterwards.
"Who says I have?" she said pulling her head back, raising an eyebrow at him "If you think I'm forgiving you just because of this talk, you're wrong, you have a lot of make up to do Parker"
And just as he's about to say something else, they vanish, leaving us back in an awfully silent living room. Parker? Why would I call him Parker? I felt a small sting at the back of my head and the lighting began to change drastically, becoming darker by the minute.
"No, no, no. Hey, look at me" Kai said, cupping my head in his hands "What's wrong?"
"Parker... why would she call you Parker? You're Laughlin... Parker... Kai–" I mumbled, feeling a little dizzy and he interrupted me, placing his hand over my mouth.
"Don't say it, just don't, I have no idea if it'll trigger the compulsion but I don't want to find out" he pleads and I removed his hand.
"What? Saying Kai P–" I began to question him but he shut me again, covering my mouth with his hand.
"Don't" he said, frowning at me and I removed his hand again.
"Stop doing that" I said, a little annoyed but for some reason I wanted to chuckle.
"Then don't try to say it" he said in an obvious tone and I rolled my eyes at him.
"What happened after?" I asked him, and he began to walk around the room, snooping around.
"The rest is detail" he answered, picking up a magazine and sitting down on the couch.
"You said you we're going to explain, now explain because I'm confused as hell" I said sitting in front on him on the coffee table but he kept reading the magazine.
"Confused? I thought that was quite simple" he muttered, as he passed the pages uninterested.
"Sure, hearing us fight about a fight we had last night which I don't remember or about what you did to Bonnie and Liv, which I also don't remember. Then talking about promises I made and conversations we had, that I don't remember, did I forget to mention 'that' talk that I also don't remember? Yup, quite simple" I said a little frustrated and he looked up at me.
"You're missing the point" he said putting down the magazine and leaning over to me.
"I'm not missing anything, I know why you picked this memory, I'm glad you showed it to me. I... saw it" I told him and he tilted his head to the side.
"Saw 'it'?" he inquired, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Look for some reason there's this annoying thing that runs in the family that we always choose to see the good in people not matter what but we have our limits and by what you showed me, it seems like you've crossed those limits quite a few times yourself" I began, standing up so I could pace around the room to feel slightly less nervous "But I forgave you, Kai. Not once but multiple times and I'm sure I kept doing it which means you were special to me. I must've really cared about you which is why I have to ask... Klaus, when you compared yourself to him... to what extents does that metaphor goes?"
"I'm not following" he blurted out and I saw him tensing up a little.
"There was something Klaus did I will always held against him, he doesn't know that because I told him I forgave him and I have but" I explained and I stopped pacing "He tried the dating thing with me but I just couldn't look past that one thing and I probably never will"
"Still not following" he said again and I sighed frustrated.
"I wouldn't forgive anyone that much, I just can't, there's limits" I implied, hoping he would figure out what I was trying to say since I couldn't bring myself to actually say it.
"You're friends with the Salvatore's" he interjected and I nodded, letting out a sigh again.
"I know, I love them dearly but I still remember when Damon snapped my baby brother's neck or after he kidnapped him and almost got me killed just because Elena dumped him or what Stefan did when he had his humanity off" I said and he stood up, standing in front of me"But I didn't show up so quickly after they came calling and they were my friends"
"Uh– something happened to us and we got stuck in a place, sort of a prison, just us and no one else, so uh–... we bonded, you'll be surprised what a place like that can do to you but we had each other" he explained, avoiding to look at me "We got out and our bond got stronger afterwards"
"Mmmm, so we were sort of like Enzo and Damon" I mumbled and he frowned confused.
"Was Enzo the british one? I honestly can't remember" he said, slightly unamused.
"Did you meet him?" I asked and I felt a sting at the back of my head, 'Now this is quite the surprise, love. Can't deny I feel a little intrigued by your relationship with crazy-pants over here' it was Enzo's voice, I couldn't exactly remember where it was coming from but I knew he was talking about Kai, I could feel it. I closed my eyes and pictures of a bar and pancakes began flashing in my head which only made the pain a lot worse.
"Maddie, are you okay?!" I heard Kai's voice and I brought my hands up to the sides of my head, trying to hold on to whatever was going inside my head.
"It's a diner... breakfast, Enzo's there" I groaned in pain, keeling down as the buzz came back louder than ever.
"Stop, it's dangerous. We're going back" he said, his voice filled with concerned and I felt his arms around me "ab intus"
I felt the same wind of air whirl around us and I opened my eyes quickly, meeting Kai's blue eyes as my hands rested over his cheeks. I felt a warm liquid coming out of my nose and I immediately brought my hand up, revealing the crimson liquid over my fingers when I tried to wipe it. Kai stood up, placing both of his arms around my waist and I leaned my head on his chest for support, suddenly feeling too weak to keep standing. Kai was about to say something when a buzz came from somewhere in his pockets and he took out a phone, my phone, revealing Bonnie's name on the screen. She was calling me but Kai shut it off quickly, groaning annoyed.
"She felt it this time, we gotta keep moving" he mumbled, placing one arm around my back and the other one under my knees, carrying me somewhere and I hid my face in the crook of his neck. Feeling way too exhausted to make sense of what was happening, so I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open as the tiredness began to overwhelm my body.
"What's happening?" I whispered softly and I felt Kai's lips over my forehead.
"Shhh, it's okay, I'm here" I heard his voice in the distance and I tried to fight the exhaustion to open my eyes but I wasn't strong enough.
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Author's note:
There's a new Kai scene going around and I'M SHOOK. God I wish he was in TO, really miss that punk. Anyway, here's the new chapter ft. babyface kai, I hope you guys like it and don't forget to vote if you feel like it, I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much for reading and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.