Two figures stand above her with a misty gray haze covering their faces. Edie squints to get a better view only her vision never focusses. She reaches a hand out to touch them, but to no avail. She soon realizes she is in a vivid dream and tries to manipulate the haze to reveal the two shadowy figures, but to no avail.
Then, just as she thinks the haze is clearing. The two mutter some sort of chant and Edie wakes with a jump.
Kol rolls over and wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into him. She feels so surreal. Like she woke up from one dream and into another. She runs her hand lightly over his forearm and bumps slowly rise after her touch. He groans with a mischeivous grin before pulling her waist to lay her directly on top of him.
"Five more minutes. I need to ready my mind that this is reality, Edith Anne," he smirks.
She blushes at his words and their position. She hesitates before quickly placing a peck on his lips.
His smile widens and he slowly opens his eyes.
"You feisty little thing," he quips before sitting up so they sit face to face.
Edie is so unsure of herself now. Before was different because she knew she was going to die and now, she knew she wanted to stay alive which made everything seem so complicated.
"I know that face. Tell me, is my handsome face really the cause of such deep thought? I can assure you, it is still as handsome if not more so since the last time you saw me," he beams and Edie pushes his shoulder with a scoff.
"Well then if it is not about my handsome face then it must be something important, so tell me," he challenges while bringing her body closer to his.
"Something in my dream... I can remember everything else in my dream vividly, except for one thing," Edie responds while playing with the hem of his shirt.
Kol doesn't know what he can do to help her. They had promised the leaders they would solve the mystery of their missing ancestors in exchange for her life. She had shown so much confidence then, he didn't want to dissuade but the vulnerability she showed him now made him all the more anxious.
"Well no use trying to remember on an empty stomach," he breaks while pulling them both up to their feet.
They make their way towards the kitchen where it seems the whole family had gathered.
"Now, if it isn't our savior, back from the dead," Klaus smirks while raising a glass of red towards the ceiling.
Edie looks around the room to see the entire family lest Hope gathered about the dining table.
Hayley and Elijah sat beside each other looking regal as ever. Rebekah sat beside Elijah with Marcel protectively resting his hands on the back of her chair. Then Klaus stood at the head of the table next to Freya.
"We are glad we didn't have to wait an eternity for the ancestors to rule your atonement paid in full," Rebekah smiled widely while quickly phasing to Edie's side and hugging her tightly.
Rebekah must not have had much contact with fragile beings recently because her grip was incredibly strong. Kol quickly caught Edie before she fell. Rebekah smirks at Kol's tuts for almost knocking his treasure to the ground.
"I guess I don't know my own strength," she teased while lightly squeezing Edie's arms before returning to her chair.
As Edie approached the set of chairs opposite Elijah and Hayley, Kol pulled out her seat and as she sat she caught all their eyes.
She felt an overwhelming feeling of belonging. They seemed to have been feeling it too. She looked to Kol and could never imagine the hurt he had felt all during this time. She squeezed his hand as he took his place next to her. Once Freya sat next to Edie and Marcel took the opposite end seat. The whole family had assembled.
Freya recounts what the nine factions had informed them of the prior night. Elijah questioned how they knew Edie had come back at the expense of the ancestors. It would be very idiotic for the ancestors to risk going agains the Mikaelsons unless they knew for certain Edie reappearance was at their expense.
When questioned about her time with the almighty New Orleans witches from the other side, Edie replied regrettably that time is still blank. She remembers her arrival and their hatred. But she remembers something odd. Two witches stood out amongst them, but she can't place them.
"I don't know how to explain it. But whenever I try to remember that time when I think they were there, I can't see their faces. I can remember everyone. Every eye color, every smirk... But them..."
"Maybe instead of trying to get your memory back, we trade information for access with the ancestors," Elijah suggested.
"What do you mean, brother?" Kol piped in.
"We inform them of Edie's recent revelation and in exchange they allow us to cross over to the other side and investigate," Elijah explains.
Then Elijah looks to Edie and he silently asks her for a favor. She nods quickly and Hayley squeezes Elijah's hand in protest.
"No. Hell no. You absolute monster. She has been back all of a day and you already want to throw to the hounds, you vile-"
Edie grabbed both his raised hands and brought them to the table.
"Kol, I will be right back."
"How can you know that? How can you know that you coming back was not a fluke and the minute you return to that god-awful place they won't lock you away and keep you there!"
Edie could see now more than ever how long her absence had effected him. She glanced around the room and she realized that his family was just now learning the same things she was about Kol's mental state.
"I will not let you go again. Not now, not ever, Edie darling, please," Kol begged her.
Her heart nearly snapped in two to see her once mischievous, happy-go-lucky man look so broken.
Elijah put a firm hand on his younger brother's shoulder and tried to reassure him of his plan.
Klaus broke the silence with his usual charming quips, "well you shouldn't have bet our lives on finding a bunch of missing hags on the other side if you weren't willing to go search for them."
Kol looks up to his insensitive git of an elder brother and just smirks.
"Well then, I guess we better go convince those witches to let s go search then."
Edie smiled at him brightly and the family began preparing for their journey into town. They would need to be extra careful. Marcel shared that Vincent knows he has been letting the Mikaelsons roam freely through town so, getting into the square will be a bit trickier than anticipated.
Just as Elijah is about to depart from the dining room, Hayley quickly pulls him to the backyard.
"What is wrong with you?"
Elijah is taken aback by her anger.
"What is it, Halyley? We are off to go defeat yet another evil, I am not sure I know exactly what I have done to deserve your ire."
"Insensitivity. You knew he was hurting. I could never imagine how much, but you should have at least known that suggesting we send her back to the very prison she locked in would not sit well with him."
"This is the only way to find out what happened to the ancestors, Hayley."
"You know damn well this is not the only way," Hayley seethed. She took a deep breath as they both held long, deep glares.
"He just got her back from death. Remember when we thought she was dead! The only sliver of hope that she was still alive came when Vincent accidentally let it slip in conversation once to Kol after Kol almost ripped through the entire city."
Elijah tried to reason with her that she was being blind-sided with emotions, but Hayley was hearing none of it.
"Glad to know if I had just been reincarnated you would happily send me back to my own personal hell," Hayley remarked before storming back into the manor.
Elijah wanted to follow her, but he felt it best to wait until she had made it all the way to their room.
"Trouble in paradise, Elijah?"
"Silence, Rebekah."
Freya met with Keelin in the south side of the city, where Keelin explained there was a witch who specialized in sending objects to and from the other side. She is sort of a ancestor fanatic. She went a bit off the deep end when she was not chosen for the Harvest and from then on has been trying to prove herself worthy.
"So I'm guessing she isn't a going to be too keen on helping the current number one enemy to the ancestors," Klaus interjects.
"That's the thing, you don't need her since you already have to strong witches. All you need is the wicca candle and the spell book," Keelin explains.
While they clamored how to get in without the witch noticing, Rebekah got bored of all their failed plans. She decided being a bit more forward was more convenient.
Rebekah simply knocked on the door and before the witch could chant her curse, Rebekah punched her out cold.
"Like I said. I don't know my own strength," Rebekah spat towards the witch.
"Well done, dear sister. I have to say, brute force is becoming you," Klaus remarked. Freya and Keelin quickly found the candle and the book. They all began making their way back towards the city when the Mikaelsons all fell to their knees in agony.
Edie searched the ground for anything that could look like a trap and just as she looked up she saw the witch stomping towards them through the sheet grass.
The witch quickly thrusts Keelin and Freya into a nearby tree, leaving them unconscious and finally stands before Edie with a menacing smile.
"You may have escaped the ancestors, but you're not going to escape me."
• • •
Edie seems to be remembering more and more! So excited to get to the next part~!
Please, vote, comment and add to your library because I love getting feedback and knowing what you think!
It bring me such sadness to write this update, but due to personal circumstances I am putting this story on hiatus. Chapters 13 through 15 will be uploaded between now and May 25th with the weekly Chapter updates recommencing on May 26th.
Again, I am so sorry to do this but I want to bring you all something that gives justice to the world Julie Plec created as well as the characters we love.
My sincerest apologies,
Lizzie