The door to the Bennett's house seemed like one of the most daunting things I had faced. Of course, I don't really need her and would walk away now, but I know that my chances of success are greatly improved with her help.
I reach out and knock on the door with a trembling hand. Rebekah already gave me her blood as a precaution, and the thought of vampire blood in my veins makes me all the more anxious. My heart thumps against my ribcage as footsteps approach the door.
It opens to reveal a smiling Mr. Bennett, who greets me with no idea of who I am or what I'm capable of. It makes a bit of me ache for the days when I didn't expect danger at the sight of every stranger. "Can I help you?" He questions with a cheerful grin.
"I hope so. I was wondering if Bonnie was here?" I question as I twist my fingers together. She's home, that much I'm sure of. Rebekah and I sat in the SUV for nearly two hours trying to build up my nerve and courage, which unravelled when we saw her arrive home. It's a terrifying task to as someone who sees you as an enemy for help.
"She is. Why don't you come in while I go get her?" He motions for me to enter, but I shake my head and decline as politely as possible. I'm sure my mom would scold me if she were here. It's rude to turn down such an invitation, but I don't want to scare Bonnie or let her think I'm here to cause trouble." Okay. Just give me a minute then." Mr. Bennett gently shuts the door, yet I can still hear his retreating footsteps and voice calling his daughter.
It feels like an eternity before the door opens back up. Bonnie's eyes widen in shock when she sees me, and I place my hand to keep the door from slamming. "Please, I'm not here to hurt you or cause trouble. Just hear me out."
The racing of my heartbeat is a startling contrast to the slow, evenness of my breaths. I have to focus on them as I release my hand and await Bonnie's decision. "If you want me to go, I will, but I had to at least try."
Her voice comes back softer than I expected, which makes me nearly jump in surprise. "Try what?"
"Ask for you help. I want to—need to— contact Kol. If nothing else than at least to say goodbye."
The door creaks on its hinges. Bonnie stands against it with an arm extended in invitation. "Come on in. We can talk about it." I make a quick glance over my shoulder to find the SUV and Bex out of sight, then without hesitation, I follow Bonnie inside. "Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?"
I shake my head; I don't want to inconvenience her any further than I am by simply being here. "No thank you. I'd rather just get down to it if that's okay."
"Of course, but I really should tell you, I don't know how much help I can be."
"Is it because you don't know how? Or are you scared of what your friends will think?" Her eyes snap to mine at the comment, which tells me I struck a nerve. "Don't worry, I won't force you to help me. I'm going to do this no matter what, but it would be nice to have some backup."
We stare at each other for a few minutes. I can see her trying to pick away at my story, looking for a trace of a lie. When she can't find any, her eyes seem to soften. It seems as though she start to take notice of my appearance for the first time.
I know what she's seeing. Because I spent a half hour staring in the mirror, looking for a trace of familiarity–of myself. Of course, it was the same face I've always known, but there's a subtle differences.
The bags under my eyes have become darker than makeup can cover. Tear tracks seem to forever mar my skin. Worst of all, are my eyes. No smile seems to reach them, and they're too red and puffy to hold any emotion for long before they become vacant. It's almost as if the hollowness in my chest is reflected in them.
"You want to bring him back." She doesn't phrase it as a question, but as a declaration of the missing piece in my story. "That's why you want to talk to him. You want to see if he knows a way back."
I can only stare at my twisting fingers as I reply. "Partially, but if he didn't know, I would gladly settle for a chance at a goodbye." My jaw shifts for a moment as I try to fight back my emotions. "It wasn't supposed to go like this, you know. We were supposed to take care of the cure business and leave–travel the world together. It was supposed to be us seeing the world by each other's side–happy and free. So yes, I want to bring him back, and if I do, I highly doubt we'd stay here for long."
I'm met with only silence as I wipe my eyes. "I'm sorry. This was stupid; I shouldn't have bothered you with this." I stand up and make my way to the door.
Three words stop me in my tracks. "I'll help you." I turn back expecting Bonnie to be on the couch, silently waiting for me to leave. Instead, she's on her feet watching me. "It's not stupid. I'm pretty sure I'd be the same way if I lost Jeremy." It's hard to hide my shock, no one ever told me they were together, and Jeremy's crush made me assume he was single. Bonnie doesn't notice as she continues. "So I'll help you contact him on one condition–if you bring him back, you have to make sure he doesn't hurt Jeremy or come back to Mystic Falls."
As if I can control another person's actions. Still, knowing Kol, he would likely be more than happy to escape Mystic Falls and the Mikaelson drama, but the hard part would be keeping him from revenge. I'm sure it wouldn't be an entirely impossible task though. "Okay. Let's get started."
It took us two hours to make all the necessary preparations. Most of it consisted of Bonnie and Rebekah arguing on where to do it, while I flipped through Sheila and Esther's grimoires to create a patchwork spell. Eventually, they agreed to do it at the Salvatore mansion with Jeremy and Rebekah watching.
Bonnie lights the wick of the last candle as I lay on the floor of the living room. "So, I'll use this spell to stop Lee's heart–"
Rebekah cuts off her explanation prematurely. "–only for five minutes. A second more and–well, even your little hunter won't be able to stop me." I glare at Bex before reassuring Bonnie to continue.
"Exactly. That means you have five minutes to find and talk to Kol. After that, I'll restart your heart, which as long as you remained tethered to this side, will pull you back to your body."
"Sounds like a plan to me." I adjust my shoulders to get comfortable and give everyone a reassuring smile. My hand reaches out for Rebekah, who I asked to be my tether to this world. It seemed only fitting that the sister of my best friend and boyfriend, who has become like a sister to me too, should be my link. "Let's do this."
Rebekah kneels down beside me and takes my now un-casted hand in hers. She dragged me to the doctor after giving me her blood, and once they confirmed the bones had indeed miraculously healed, she demanded they take the casts off. Her smile is warm despite the tears starting to build in her eyes. "Tell my brother he better be saving his mischief for when he gets back, and–tell him how much we all miss him, even Nik."
"I will. Just make sure to keep a hold of me." I promise her and gently squeeze her hand in reassurance. She keeps a hold of my hand as Bonnie begins the spell, and I soon find myself grateful to know she's there as my heart stutters in my chest before coming to a screeching halt.
The first thing I notice when I come to my senses it the change in my surroundings. The living room of the Salvatore's home is replaced by what looks like the inside of a wooden crate. Stuffing and straw pass through my legs as if I don't exist, which I suppose I don't.
Next, I notice the girl sobbing and cowering in the corner. She whispers to no one and occasionally cries out in pain. She looks up as if to see another ghost in front of her, and a tremble passes through me at her appearance. I understand now why everyone can mistake Katherine for Elena. There's virtually no difference between the girl in front of me and Elena, except for her curly hair and ancient greek style dress.
"You have to touch her to pass through." Another ghost says from beside me. Something about her seems vaguely familiar, but unfortunately, I have no time to waste or ask questions.
It seems strange to me. In all the research I've done, I never came across any mention of this doppleganger—or any person—being access to the other side. It causes curiosity to get a better hold on me, and I turn back to the other ghost to ask questions, only to find her gone.
I guess that decides for me. The doppleganger trembles more and more the closer I get. "I'm sorry about this." I whisper as I place a hand on her shoulder, and I am once again in the Salvatore's living room.
Well, a darker, colder version of it.
I can see hazy images of Rebekah, Bonnie, and Jeremy all staring at my lifeless form. I have to turn my back to keep the image from implanting itself in my head and focus on what I came here for.
Now, it's time for the dangerous part of my plan to start. I didn't tell anyone the truth about this part. No one would have let me go through with this if I had, but I did my research. The other side, along with the brotherhood of five, was created by Qetsiah as a punishment for Silas's betrayal. It was specifically designed to keep people from finding one another after death.
Still, I highly doubt she prepared for someone like me.
My biggest fear stares me in the face as I plant my feet and extend my hands with fingers splayed. I have no way of knowing if I can even siphon magic from this side, or if it would somehow siphon magic through my real body, which puts me at risk of being untethered and trapped. There's a charge in the air that wraps and coils around my fingers as I pull bits of it into myself. It sends rushes of pain up my arms and through my heart, but I have to smile at the small success.
The feeling makes me lightheaded, but I keep myself steady as I continue my work.
There's massive amounts of magic that piece together this mirror world, but I don't need to take it all away for my plan to work. All I should have to do would be take the edges off the area around me. It should suffice for me to be able to see Kol if he's close, which knowing him he would. That's part of the reason I agreed to let Jeremy be Bonnie's backup, despite the sight of him making the onslaught of memories and images infinitely worse, I know Kol would be here if his killer and girlfriend were in the same room.
"Are you real?" A timid, unfamiliar voice questions from behind me.
I barely turn my head to catch a glimpse of him as I try to maintain my focus. "I think so. Are you?"
"Probably." He tells me as he circles me and stops a few feet away. "What are you doing?"
The continued conversation chips another chunk of my focus away. "Trying to take enough magic away to find someone." I tell him as I drop my hands to allow myself a split second break. "You haven't by any chance seen anyone else around here?"
The boy shakes his head, and something about the way he carries himself sends off a bell in my head. It's like I've met him before but can't place where. "Not really. You're the first real person I've seen in a long time."
I nod, half-way disappointed, but too wrapped up in trying to figure out why he looks familiar to be too heartbroken. So many of his features remind of someone else. From the shape of his nose, to the curve of his mouth, but I catch the telltale glint in his eyes, which gives him away. "You're a Mikaelson, aren't you? You're Henrik." I tell him with a grin as I he nods.
"So my brother did tell you about me."
"Kol told me everything about you. He misses you very much; all your siblings do. To be honest, I think Nik still blames himself for what happened." I tell him, and he nods somberly as if I confirmed his worst theory.
"My question is, how are you here?" Then it dawns on me. "You're a warlock by birth, but does that mean you tapped into your abilities?"
Henrik doesn't meet my eye as he meekly nods. I can barely imagine what he must have gone through all these years. Helpless to do anything but watch as your family grieved, transformed, and rampaged across all time. Worst of all, to see them think you were lost eternally. His resolve and curiosity seem to slowly return. "So what are you doing here? Clearly, you're up to something."
"I'm trying to find Kol." I pause, unsure if he would have heard. "I wanted to see if he had ever heard of a way back. If there was ever a spell that could bring someone back from the dead."
I know Henrik was young when he died, but I can see the millennia he's half-lived reflected in his eyes as he asks, "What can I do to help?" We both smile at each other, united by the mutual bond with Kol and the others making us feel like family ourselves.
"Keep an eye out for him. It's gonna take a lot of focus for me to siphon a lot more magic, so I'll need your help to call for him and tell me what you're seeing happen." I sit down and place my hands on the cold hardwood floor. It provides me with easier access to the magic while still helping me remain upright.
"Kol? Kol?" Henrik calls as he runs around the living room, shouting out of windows to increase the distance he can be heard. I nearly give up hope when my heart feels about to explode, but a hand clamps on my shoulder and he cheers from beside me. "Keep going! I think I see him."
The words spur me on with renewed strength. I can do this. I'll do it and see Kol again. I remind myself until I hear a faint whisper from the voice that brought me endless comfort. "Lee?"
I look up with tear filled eyes, and I can barely make out the hazy form of him that slowly appears. My throat closes up from the emotions that bubble in my chest. He's there. Really and truly there. I could reach out and touch him if it didn't mean losing the chance of actually seeing him. So I pull with everything in me until I feel the warmth I've craved every moment and day.
One word tumbles from my lips. His name. The same name that has haunted my nightmares but can also chase them away in an instant. "Kol."
"There's no time." Henrik interrupts, and I look over my shoulder in panic to find Bonnie chanting over my lifeless form.
"No. No. No." I cry as I try to reach Kol. "I can't leave you here. Not like this." I feel myself start to slip away. His fingers passing through mine like mist, but we manage to meet eyes for a split second and share an unspoken promise. We will see each other again. No matter what it will take.
Henrik's voice calls out to me just before I fade away completely. "Tell Nik it wasn't his fault. I forgive him, and he shouldn't blame himself. Make sure he knows that, Lee."
I wake up with a gasp on the floor of the Salvatore's house to Bonnie, Rebekah, and Jeremy leaning over me. My eyes instantly tear up when I look over to where I was a split second ago to find it empty. No sign of Kol or Henrik. There's just empty space.
"Did it work?" Rebekah asks me, which pulls me back to my senses.
I ignore her questions as I turn to Bonnie. "Do it again. I need to go back." I shout in her face. "I was so close. He was right there, and you pulled me away. You have to let me go back."
"Lee, I can't. That spell was already too dangerous to do once, much less multiple times." Bonnie tells me, and Rebekah has the sense to grab me before I do anything stupid.
"Calm down." She tells me. I struggle to move my arms, but she keeps them pinned at my sides. "I'm not letting you go until you calm down. Start by taking deep breaths and explaining what happened."
I force the air in and out of my lungs. The anger floods out of me, leaving me once again empty and deflated. My voice comes out in a whisper. "I need to talk to Klaus."