January 12, 2012
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Poppy stormed into the courtyard, tears blurring her vision. "I'm not talking to her!" She exclaimed, heading towards the staircase.
"Poppy, wait!" Klaus called after her, carrying a suitcase. He set it down next to a plant. "Give her a chance!"
"No!" Poppy began walking up the stairs.
"Poppy Mikenna-" Klaus started, causing her to stop and turn around. "Abigail is your aunt, whether you like it or not. You are going to treat her as such."
"She has to earn it, she can't just show up and expect me to play happy-family with her." Poppy said.
"She's already earned it!"
"Says who?" Poppy asked, stepping down a few steps.
"Says me. I know her." Klaus said.
"Well I'm not finding that very credible." Poppy said, resting her hand on the railing. "I mean, do you actually know her or do you know little girl her?" When she didn't get an answer, she nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
Klaus narrowed his eyes a bit. "Drop the attitude."
"Drop the attitude? Have you stopped to think why I have an attitude?" Poppy asked.
"Grab your bag and go to your room. We'll talk when you've calmed down." Klaus said, backing away from the staircase and gesturing to her bag, which was next to a plant.
Poppy clenched her jaw, her grip on the railing getting tighter.
"Now."
With a huff she ripped her hand away from the railing and stomped down the steps and to her bag, picking it up. She turned and looked into her dad's eyes before taking a breath and throwing the bag up onto an upper level, almost hitting Josh, who had been walking out of a room. Klaus brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
"I won't do what you say until you make her leave," Poppy told him.
Klaus lowered his hand, raising an eyebrow. "Remember your place, Poppy."
"My place?" She asked, stepping forward. "Like you should talk, you were so consumed in your obsession with breaking the hybrid curse that you forgot about me. Even after that, you made hybrids so that you wouldn't be alone."
"Where is this coming from?" Klaus asked in confusion. "You haven't seriously been listening to Rebekah and Elijah's foolishness, have you?"
"No," Poppy shook her head. "No. I'm just so angry!" She clenched her hands into fists and groaned in frustration. "Ever since Mr. I'm-Going-To-Torture-My-Best-Friend-And-Then-Try-To-Kill-A-Baby showed up, I've been really really angry."
Klaus's gaze softened in understanding. He nodded. "I have an idea." He walked towards the center of the courtyard. "Sparring. Rules: you can only use magic twice and no actual harming on my end. Not on purpose."
Poppy sighed and nodded. "Fine." She walked towards the center and narrowed her eyes.
Josh raised an eyebrow and left the room, not wanting to interfere with father-daughter business as the two began to spar, their grunts sounding out in the courtyard.
Poppy swung her fist at Klaus, but he caught it and swung her to the side. It took a few moments to readjust before she lunged at him, knocking him over aggressively. She sped to him and pinned him down with her knees on his ribs and her hands on wrists, her face transforming as she bared her fangs and hissed.
Klaus's face transformed and he snarled, pushing her to the side.
"Hey!" Hayley shouted, rushing in, followed by Abigail. "What the hell is going on here?"
Poppy grabbed his leg, ignoring her, and threw him into the wall before standing to her feet. Klaus grunted and stood up, taking deep breaths.
Poppy swung her arm, creating a barrier between the where the werewolf and witch stood, and where Klaus and Poppy stood.
"There's one." Klaus noted.
Poppy sped forward, but he sped away and tripped her, making her fall flat to the floor with a huff.
"Dammit.." She muttered.
"Klaus!" Hayley exclaimed, surprised.
"She's fine, Hayley. Relax." Klaus said as he watched his daughter stand up.
Poppy bared her fangs, her eyes glowing now. She grabbed a fire poker from against the wall and threw it at him when he was looking at Hayley, stabbing his leg. He clenched his jaw and pulled it out, turning to face her. She had sped to stand in front of him, grabbing onto the poker, which he held in front of him to push her away.
Poppy smirked wickedly, the metal rod turning red with heat, and the pair dropped it. The two stared at each other, both of their faces transformed.
"I think now would be a good time to calm down." Abigail stated, taking down the barrier with her magic. "Look, if this is about me, I can find somewhere else to stay."
The pair ignored her, their adrenaline rush coming to a stop as they stared at each other. Klaus suddenly smiled, and he hugged his daughter close to him. Poppy smiled a bit, closing her eyes, her hands and cheek against his chest.
"We were only sparring, Hayley.." Poppy spoke quietly. "I'd never actually fight my dad."
Suddenly, everything became dark and cold. Poppy no longer felt the warmth of her father's chest as she stood, her breaths visible in the air.
"Hello?" She called out, rubbing her arms.
She turned her head to the sound of footsteps, heels to be exact.
"You're here with my brother." Her aunt Rebekah sounded, appearing out of thin air. "A word of advice? A witch as lovely as you has no business dating Kol." She walked to a woman, who wore a 1910s party dress and held a glass in her hand. She was pretty, yet she looked lonely.
The witch, whose voice was vaguely familiar, let out a small nervous laugh. "Oh, it's not really a date."
Rebekah placed her hand on the witch's arm. "You can do better." She lowered her hand and walked to a staircase which had appeared.
Standing on the staircase was Elijah, Kol, Marcel, Delevingne, and Klaus, who held a young Poppy in his arms, who was dressed nicely yet comfortably. Klaus looked at his daughter and smiled, kissing her cheek before a photo of them was taken with the flash of a light. Rebekah took Poppy from her brother gently and walked down the stairs.
"Could you take her to a different room? Just for a minute?" Rebekah asked the witch.
The witch nodded as Rebekah passed the little girl into her arms. "Of course."
Quickly, Rebekah's face transformed then returned to normal. "I'm trusting you." She returned to the stairs, Delevingne's eyes trained on the witch as she carried young Poppy out of the room and into a quiet one.
The witch set her down and gave her a smile. "What's your name?"
"Poppy." She replied quietly.
The witch knelt down. "It's nice to meet you, Poppy." She smiled, her eyes glistening. "My name is Freya."
Older Poppy frowned, looking at Freya and her younger self. "1914, Christmas...why am I remembering this? Why now?"
Freya quickly composed herself and took the necklace off of her neck and held it out in front of the little girl. "Well, Miss Poppy. Christmas is a holiday of giving. This necklace comes with very special instructions..are you ready?"
Young Poppy nodded, looking at the necklace.
"This necklace is only to be worn when the power inside of you is too...overwhelming. It'll help settle things down. I want you to keep this somewhere very safe. Do you know a place like that?" Poppy nodded and Freya stood up. "Come on, then."
Poppy began walking down the hall and to a different room, her bedroom. She walked to her jewelry box.
"Miss Freya?" Poppy fidgeted with her coat as the woman placed the necklace inside of the jewelry box.
Freya looked down at her. "What's wrong, lovie?"
"I'm scared."
"Of what?"
Poppy watched as the woman frowned and knelt in front of her younger self. Their voices were silenced, and the pair disappeared, leaving her alone in the darkness. She shivered a bit and turned around, face to face with an older woman, who was dressed in all black. Poppy gasped, startled, and stepped back.
The woman stepped forward, seeming almost satisfied with Poppy's reaction. "Do you remember?"
Poppy stepped back once more, shaking her head. "Remember what?"
"Who I am." The woman replied.
Poppy narrowed her eyes, backing up. "What is this?" She watched as her surroundings changed. She stood in the courtyard of the Mikaelson Compound, but she recognized the difference. She was in the Other Side. She widened, seeing her limp form in her dad's arms, blood under her nose and on her lips. He had brought her to the couch.
"Poppy." A voice spoke from behind her.
She spun around, seeing Stefan. Wait-not Stefan? He watched her confused expressions change on her face.
"I can see the wheels turning." He said. "Want me to give you a minute?"
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head a bit. "Silas?" She then frowned. "Oh my god-" she looked back at her body. "Am I-?"
Silas walked to her and took her hand. "No." He told her. "Hey. Look at me."
Poppy looked at him. "Why am I here? If I'm not dead?"
"I was going to ask you that." Silas frowned.
"Ah, you two know each other. Perfect." A woman spoke, entering the courtyard. "This will make this more interesting." She smiled, clasping her hands together.
Poppy turned to the woman, and Silas pulled her closer to him.
"She's one of The Ancestors." Silas told her. "You should've taken the cure, Poppy."
"Yeah, Poppy." The woman sneered. "You should've taken the cure. Instead, another punishment is in order. A game designed to get to know your mind, and to play you using your deepest fears. You have 4 hours until it's over. I wish you the worst of luck."
Poppy frowned as the woman walked away. Silas turned to her and brought his free hand to her upper arm.
"Listen to me." He said. "Just ignore everything that happens. Just focus on me. 4 hours. That's it. How hard can it be?"
"Right," Poppy nodded.
Silas pulled away and walked to the record player, which sat on the table. He placed the needle on and smiled as a soft violin song began to play. He returned to the Mikaelson and held her hand, and placed his other hand on her back. The pair swayed to the song, and Poppy moved to rest her cheek against his shoulder.
"Amara didn't love me." Silas said.
"I'm sorry." Poppy replied softly.
"It's all right. Turns out she was also alive for two thousand years as the anchor to here. She drank my blood then killed herself." Silas rested his chin on the top of Poppy's head.
"So after you died you came here to watch me?" Poppy inquired.
"Yeah," Silas said. "I was hoping you'd take the cure and die somehow. I didn't want to be alone."
Poppy bit her lip, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry..I just-what's the point in taking the cure if I was a tribrid even before I died? It'd just be an endless cycle of dying and coming back to life." She let out a sigh.
Silas frowned. "Oh."
The two swayed quietly, listening to the song as it played throughout the courtyard. Poppy suddenly pulled away, hearing a familiar haunting four notes play from the record player. She walked to the record player and aggressively moved the needle, closing her eyes. She pushed aside the images of the dead children, the tune echoing in her mind.
"Poppy?" Silas walked to her.
"I'm fine." Poppy assured him, opening her eyes.
Silas frowned. "Let me take your mind off of this."
"How? The game is designed to mess with my head."
Klaus stood up and draped a blanket over his daughter's figure. "Why isn't she waking up?" He asked, clenching his jaw.
"I don't know, Niklaus. Do her visions usually last this long?" Abigail asked, holding a mug of hot tea in her hands.
"No. It's been three hours, Abigail."
"And you've been holding her for three hours. You've done your part. Let her do hers."
Poppy sat on street, hugging her knees close to her body to keep herself away from the surrounding smoke and distant flames, which engulfed the nearby buildings. She brought her hands to her hair, her curls a mess from running and from rubbing against walls. She moved her fingers down her cheeks, which were wet from her tears.
She took a shaky breath between her sobs. "Mommy.." She cried quietly. "Daddy..." The young Mikaelson sobbed, placing her hands behind her on the ground, her nails rubbing against the rocky surface. "Kol...Finn...Someone please help me..." She began coughing from the smoke.
"Poppy!" She heard a faint voice call. "Fight it!" She recognized the voice. It was Kol.
Poppy leaned forward onto her hands and knees, water coming from her lungs as she coughed. She squeezed her eyes shut, her body burning from the lack of oxygen. She coughed a few more times, then slowly stood up, her legs trembling. She coughed a couple of times after that, then began to breathe regularly.
She began to walk, holding her shirt over her nose and face.
"Look at you," a voice spoke from behind her, causing her to freeze in place. "Calling out to your mommy and daddy like a baby."
Poppy lowered her shirt from her face and turned around, facing her grandfather, Mikael. She narrowed her eyes, choosing to play it tough. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing if you had a mom and dad."
Mikael walked forward, clenching his jaw. "Now is not the time for stupid remarks, girl." He grabbed her wrist, but Poppy pulled it away and shoved him. "You know why your mother can't come to your aid."
"No!" She exclaimed. "You don't get to do this to me. Not anymore. I'm done playing these stupid games." She clenched her hand into a fist and swung, slamming into Mikael's jaw, causing him to stumble back.
Mikael looked at her in surprise, rubbing his chin. "Well, well. At least you threw a good first punch. It will be your last." He walked to her and threw a punch, which she dodged, but he quickly got her with another one in her abdomen.
Poppy let out a gasp of pain, stepping back. She grabbed his wrist as he reached for her hair and she twisted it, causing him to grunt in pain and to grab onto her throat with his free hand.
She coughed, wheezing for air. Roughly, he threw her to the ground and kicked her. Again, and again, and again.
"Without your powers, you are nothing." Mikael spat, scrunching his nose.
Poppy stood up slowly, her lip trembling from the pain. Brushing aside her curls, she looked at her grandfather, letting her mouth gape the slightest bit.
"I told you I will no longer play these games." She looked around, no longer seeing smoke and fire. "My four hours are up, just leave me alone." She closed her eyes as Mikael walked away, her body aching with pain.
Klaus stood in the courtyard, his eyes red from rubbing them.
"Klaus?" Hayley called quietly, walking over to him and handing him a mug. "I brought you some tea."
The pair glanced over at the couch at Poppy, who laid unconscious next to fireplace, a blanket draped loosely over her figure. She turned onto her side, facing the flame, furrowing her eyebrows.
"It's hot.." Klaus heard his daughter mutter out, though she had not fully woken up yet. He and Hayley exchanged glances before he placed the mug on the table and walked to Poppy, kneeling between her and the fireplace. He brushed aside her straightened hair and cupped her cheek.
"Do you want me to take off the blanket? You're by the fireplace, love." Klaus spoke softly.
Poppy took a small breath. "No..fire..?"
"Yes, but only a small one." Her dad picked off a flake of dried blood from her face. "I need you to wake up, okay, princess?"
"New Orleans was on fire..."
"Well, I can assure you that New Orleans is doing just fine." Klaus said, looking up at Hayley, who had walked over. He lowered his voice a bit. "She's not fully awake. Only enough to make conversation."
Hayley frowned and nodded. "I'll find Abigail."
Klaus shook his head. "I want you to stay here..I'll send one of the vampires out." He let out a sigh. "You need rest. Go."
Hayley nodded and left the courtyard, leaving Klaus to speak with his daughter.
"Was it a vision?" Klaus asked.
"No..no." Poppy frowned, moving her hand to the hand that rested on her cheek.
"What was it?" He frowned, worried.
"The Ancestors.." She told him quietly, and he clenched his jaw. "They brought me to the Other Side to punish me..."
"How did they punish you?"
"My deepest fears.." She grabbed onto his wrist weakly. "I can still feel it.."
Klaus held her hand and lowered it to the couch. "Feel it?"
"Mikael.."
"Mikael.." Klaus whispered in shock. "What did he do to you?"
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows once more, taking a deep breath as she turned onto her back. "It's hot.."
Klaus let out a sigh and stood up, slipping his hand away from hers as he did. Grabbing the bucket of water next to the fire place, he looked at the flames, then poured the water on it to extinguish them. He turned back to Poppy, who was now sitting up with her eyes open, her expression only slightly confused, but the rest hurt and scared.
She brought a hand to her nose, as if to block a smell from getting in. "The smoke-I can't-"
"Hey," Klaus walked to her. "You'll breathe easier outside."
Poppy looked up at him and placed her hand into his, standing up with the blanket still around her body. He helped her to her feet and the pair left the courtyard together, stepping into the cold winter night. They walked together to a bench.
"All right," Klaus spoke as Poppy began to snuggle into his side, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. "I've got you, princess."
"Please don't leave me, Dad." She whispered, closing her blue eyes.
"I will never leave you."
January 13, 2012
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
"I think it was far more gracious than they deserved." Klaus spoke, sitting in the bar of the Mikaelson Compound, the afternoon light shining through the dark colored glass.
Marcellus shot him a glare and began to pour them drinks.
"You're disappointed by my lack of diplomacy." The Original noted. "You out of all people should need no reminder of the human capacity for cruelty." He turned his head, a soft smile forming on his face as his daughter approached the pair. He extended his arm toward her. "Hey, my love. How are you feeling? Did you just wake up?" He asked, his smile replaced by a look of worry.
Poppy hugged her father, then pulled away. "Yeah, I was tired." She told him, fidgeting with the skirt of her night gown, which fell to her ankles.
"I would assume so." He said.
"Do you want a drink, little M?" Marcel asked, placing Klaus's drink in front of him.
"No thank you." She shook her head, looking over at him.
Klaus stood up and raised his buzzing phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Mikaelson. I just wanted to let you know that the faction's considered your terms. We've reached a decision."
Klaus smirked. "Have you?"
After his response, an explosion sounded from outside, followed by a hailstorm of bullets from automatic guns, which flew through the walls and the windows. Glass shattered onto the ground, and the sunlight poured into the room full force.
Poppy frowned, her eyes wide, as the vampires around her panicked and screamed in pain, the night walkers burning and the day walkers getting shot. She quickly hid behind a wall, squeezing her eyes shut.
When the gunshots came to a stop she opened her eyes and turned around, seeing her dad digging a bullet out of her brother. She glanced around the room at the dead bodies and placed a hand over her abdomen, feeling sick. It was a group of humans that had done this.
Klaus stood up and walked to her as the few vampires that remained cleared out of the room. With concern, he grabbed her hand and moved it from her abdomen, looking at it for traces of blood.
"I'm fine." She told him.
Klaus let out a sigh and kissed her forehead.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Marcel yelled, enraged. He flipped over a table and raised a finger at Klaus, who turned to look at him. "This is on you! Now that you're in charge, these are your guys laying dead. Your guys. You're gonna run this city, that better mean something to you, otherwise no one worth a damn is gonna follow you. No one!"
Klaus only smiled. "I was beginning to worry about you. I don't think I could've taken any more of this differential nonsense. I mean, clearly I underestimated the faction. That won't happen again. But, tell me, now that we've arrived to this point, now that they have come into our home, visited this upon our people... How would you counsel me to respond?"
"Let's go kill them all." Marcel replied, his voice low and threatening.
Poppy gave the pair an awkward smile. "Okay, then! While you two go out for a nice buddy lunch, I am going to go out and I am going to enjoy the very cold and very bitter winter."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Streets
Poppy stood on the sidewalk, holding a warm medium hot chocolate in hand, her brown hair (which had been straightened) topped with a soft red hat for warmth. She smiled, content despite the circumstances of the week. She watched a painter in the street, who was in the process of painting a child and a dog.
"We all have our battles." A voice spoke from beside her, an older woman, close to 70. "Luckily, we don't have to fight them alone. We can find the good moments and cling to them. It's also good to have someone you love by your side." Poppy looked over at the woman, furrowing her eyebrows. The woman smiled a bit. "A companion, a best friend. A husband. Someone you love."
"You know what?" Poppy smiled. "You're totally right." She pulled out her phone from her coat pocket.
Heading to Mystic Falls -Poppy xoxo
Mystic Falls, Virginia
The Salvatore Boarding Home
"Rule number one: Name the worst thing Katherine Pierce has ever done." Damon said, pouring shots. "Rule number two: Toast to the glory of her impending death. Rule number three: If you come across something that's worse, which you will, repeat rules one and two. She pretended to be buried in a tomb for 145 years, while I waited for her lying ass." He lifted up a glass and drank it before furrowing his eyebrows. "Wait...Does that beat pretending to be Elena and kissing me on the front porch of your old house?"
Jeremy shrugged from the couch. "I don't think so."
"I don't think so either. Damn." He took another shot. "Quarterback, go."
Matt gaped his mouth open. "Uh..."
Damon nodded. "Think on that." He passed a shot over to Jeremy. "Little Gilbert."
"She fed me to Silas and I died."
"Doozy."
Jeremy dumped the shot down his throat. "Then, she made me crash my car into a pole and left me for dead...again."
"Double doozy. Drink."
Jeremy took another shot.
"My sister's dead because of her." Matt said.
"Yes she is...Because I wouldn't have even been in town to turn Vicki into a murderous vampire if I wasn't trying to get Katherine out of a tomb she wasn't in." Damon handed shots to Jeremy and Matt. "Group shot!"
"Seriously?" Elena asked, walking into the foyer with Caroline and Bonnie.
Matt cleared his throat a bit. "Elena...We're were just...uh..."
"I know what you're doing." She stated before turning to her brother. "You're cut off." In the silence of the room, she picked up the liquor bottle. "If anyone is drinking to Katherine's last days, it's going to be me." She took a shot. "She impersonated me...repeatedly. Made Aunt Jenna stab herself in the stomach and she cut off Uncle John's fingers."
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "He might have deserved that."
"My Grams died trying to close a tomb she wasn't in." Bonnie added.
"Tyler's werewolf curse got triggered because of her." Caroline reminded them.
"Klaus followed her to Mystic Falls and because of that, we lost Jenna."
"And Alaric."
"And Poppy."
"We're going to need more booze."
"She tried to kill me at least twice."
Caroline frowned. "She did kill me...Although I'm weirdly better off."
"Rumor has it, she burnt down the entire city of Atlanta once."
"That might win."
"All right." Stefan spoke, walking down the stairs and over to the lot. "Knock it off or take it somewhere else. You guys are being insensitive."
Damon frowned. "Come on, Stefan. Don't let the sight of a frail, human Elena-look-alike cloud your memories of the manipulative psycho that she is." He held out a shot glass to his brother, who hesitantly took it.
"In 1864, Katherine moved into my home, she compelled me to love her, seduced my brother, fed us full of vampire blood and then started a war with the town that got us killed."
"Exactly. Bottoms up." Damon drank his shot.
"However, centuries before that, Katerina Petrova was an innocent 17 year old girl who was shunned by her family, who she found slaughtered." A new voice rang out in the home, light pouring in from the front door. The girl walked to the shocked crowd and grabbed a shot glass. "As a result, she spent the next 500 years lying and manipulating to survive." She took the shot.
"She's a survivor, right? That's the girl we will drink to today. Cheers." Stefan took a shot, finishing the girl's sentence.
"Please. One night of hot sex with her and you're brainwashed?" Damon rolled his eyes.
"What?!"
"Oh my...I forgot to tell you." Caroline frowned at Elena and Bonnie. "You were kidnapped and hostaged and..."
"Bottle's empty...I should–" Stefan stammered.
"That's why you never send a busboy to do a man's job." Damon stood up and turned around, face to face with a woman. "Nadia...the devil's spawn. Caroline, did you remember to tell Elena that?"
Caroline smacked her forehead.
"Wait, what?" The girl asked, confused.
"Nadia is Katherine's daughter." Damon told the girl before Elena began speaking.
"I think my mind just exploded." Elena admitted. "Okay. Katherine's upstairs."
"Actually, I'm here to see all of you." Nadia said. "I found a way to save my mother and I need some help."
Damon shook his head. "Uh-uh. No way. Even my biased brother and sister know I will kick their asses from here to Kentucky if they help Katherine Pierce live one more day on this Earth. No volunteers."
Nadia frowned. "I figured as much, which is why I found that old safe your brother spent the summer drowning in and buried it on this property with your friend Matt inside of it. Oh – without this." She placed his protection ring on the table.
The girl closed her eyes, wondering why she had traveled back to Mystic Falls.
Outside, the girl walked with Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy on the Salvatore grounds, looking around for freshly dug ground...for any signs of Matt. She let out a sigh, frustrated.
"I don't see any freshly dug ground." She stated.
Bonnie looked at her. "This property is massive."
Caroline looked at the three of them like they were crazy. "Hello? Is no one going to comment on the fact that Stefan slept with Katherine? I mean, that's kind of a big deal."
"It doesn't matter. We've all slept with our fair share of bad choices." Jeremy shrugged.
"Agreed!" The girl nodded, walking.
"No offense taken." Bonnie told Jeremy with a sarcastic tone.
Jeremy looked at her. "No. Obviously not you."
The blonde vampire stopped in her tracks. "Bonnie Bennett! Wait, did you two..."
Bonnie shrugged the slightest bit, but the two remained silent.
"And you didn't tell me?!"
Bonnie shrugged fully. "I didn't think I was obligated."
"Of course you were obligated!" Caroline exclaimed. "You're my best friend! Oh my god. Does Elena know that her little brother..."
"No."
Caroline smiled. "Oh, scandalous sex! Even better! God, am I the only person on this planet that isn't having scandalous sex? Poppy? What about you?"
"Ummm..." She chewed on her lip as the three of them looked at her expectantly. "I may have had a fling with Silas.." She shrunk back into her coat.
"Wow! I am the only one who hasn't had scandalous sex! How?"
"Why don't we split up and think about that?" Jeremy asked bitterly.
"Good idea. We'll cover more ground that way." Poppy replied quickly, beginning to walk in the opposite direction that Bonnie and Jeremy began walking in, shoving her hands into her coat pockets.
"Poppy, wait!" Caroline jogged after her and brushing her fingers against her arms. She frowned, seeing a tear on Poppy's cheek. "What's wrong?"
Poppy quickly wiped her tear. "Nothing's wrong." She rubbed her eyes, walking through the woods. "It's just that I know Silas better than any of you guys do, and we understand each other. Even when he's dead, I still manage to spend time with him." She stopped and looked at Caroline, who was confused. "I like him, Caroline. A lot, okay? A-and he's been alone for 2000 years, and he's going to be alone on the Other Side. If we both have feelings for each other, then why shouldn't I bring him back to life? So he doesn't have to be alone anymore?" She laughed a bit, wiping her tears. "This is ridiculous. Everyone would hate me. I mean, did you see how Jeremy reacted?"
"No, Poppy." Caroline frowned. "Screw Jeremy, I think you should do it. Like now. He's buried 5 miles from here."
"What about Matt?"
"It's fine." Caroline took her hand gently. "I've got it."
Poppy smiled. "Thank you, Caroline."
Poppy dropped the shovel on the ground next to the mound of dirt, looking down at Silas's body. She took a deep breath, knowing she'd die when she performed the spell.
"All right, Silas. Let's do this." She held her hands out, remembering the incantation from her studies. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe...Phasmatos exaud mi, spiritis et corpe...Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe..." She continued to chant, blood dripping from her nose and onto her lips. She furrowed her eyebrows in pain, but continued. "Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe...! Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe...!" Blood poured from her nose, dripping onto the ground. "Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe! Phasmatos exaud mi, conjug spiritis et corpe!" Her hands began to tremble in front of her as she chanted, tears streaming from her eyes. She cried out before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.
The woods around her body were quiet. The trees swayed with the wind and the birds chirped. The weather was warm, unlike in Louisiana. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, the sky a pink hue.
A gasp for air interrupted the peaceful sounds of nature. Silas opened his eyes and sat up, looking around before getting out of the hole he was in. He quickly rushed to Poppy's side, turning her onto her back.
"No, come on..." He frowned, brushing her hair from her face. He pressed his palm against her chest and close his eyes, muttering a spell. "Wake up, come on. Poppy, wake up. Please."
"Silas.." A voice breathed out, standing near a tree. "What did you do to my sister?"
Silas looked up at his doppelgänger. "Stefan, this wasn't me, I wouldn't hurt her."
Stefan walked forward, frowning. "She brought you back to life, didn't she? I knew you two had a thing but.."
Silas nodded. "She'll come back to life, but it'll take a while. After what happened the last time she was on the Other Side..I want to speed up the process--she doesn't deserve to go through that again."
"Go through what?"
"It's not my place to say. Umm..." He looked around, then pointed at a plant. "Bring that to me."
Stefan nodded and walked to the plant, picking it and bringing it to Silas. He then knelt down as Silas began to crumble it up.
"I thought killing you would make things easier." Stefan admitted.
"How'd that go for you?" Silas asked, dipping his fingers into Poppy's blood.
"It didn't work."
"Why are you telling me this, Stefan?" He asked, mixing the blood into the crumbled plant in his palm.
"Because if Poppy loves you enough to die for you, then we might as well make amends." Stefan let out a sigh. "She deserves to be happy, I don't want to take that away from her."
Silas looked at him. "I didn't want to come off as a big bad, but two thousand years calcified does something to you. I wanted to die, but then I realized that I didn't want to be alone." He pressed the mixture of blood and plant on Poppy's upper and center chest, beginning to chant under his breath.
Poppy took a breath of air, quickly turning onto her side as she threw up.
Later that night, Stefan sat on the steps to the Salvatore Boarding Home with Damon, a drink in his hand.
"You know, whatever's going on with you and Elena...you need to fix it. She's the best thing that ever happened to you." Stefan told him.
Damon looked at him. "You think I don't know that? I can't live without her, but when you think about it, I'm no better than Katherine. Elena will be happier without me."
Stefan shot him a look saying 'are you serious?'.
"What? I'm being selfless. Don't give me that look." Damon scrunched his nose.
"I'm not giving you a look."
"Katherine-fricking-Pierce has a selfless moment, I'm not allowed to? Fine...fine...When I get Elena back, and the whole universe freaks out because the fated doppelgängers are torn apart, just remember you...you're the one who pep-talked me out of doing the right thing for the universe and all mankind."
"I will keep that in mind." Stefan said. "By the way, Poppy brought Silas back to life. She loves him so don't ruin it."
Damon took a swig of his drink. "I'm not surprised. She's spoken to me before about her feelings for him."
"Speak of the devil and the devil will come." Poppy spoke with a smirk, approaching the steps.
Damon smiled. "You most certainly are the opposite of the devil." He stood up and held his arms open. "Come on, give me hug."
Poppy smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother in a hug, squeaking when he picked her up a bit. He chuckled and put her down.
"Careful, Damon." Stefan smiled from the steps. "If she squeaks too loud the dogs will come after her."
Poppy laughed and turned, watching as a disjointed Caroline walked to the steps.
"Hey, guys.." She greeted shyly.
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows, smelling her dad's scent on Caroline. "Did you-?"
"Yes." Caroline walked to the door.
Poppy smirked, not angry or disgusted, which a normal person would be. Klaus loved Caroline, and it was clear that there was something going on between them. She shipped it.
"Congrats! But please--spare me the details." Poppy followed her friend inside, looking at Matt, Bonnie, and Jeremy.
"Hey." Caroline squeaked out.
Matt looked up. "Hey. Where have you been?"
Caroline zipped up her jacket and pulled a leaf from her hair. "In the woods...I got lost."
Poppy rolled her eyes and laughed, walking into the foyer.
"So, what are we doing?" The blonde asked.
"We are waiting for Katherine to bite the bullet." Jeremy told her.
Matt looked at Bonnie. "So...this anchor thing...Does that mean you'll be able to, like...feel Katherine's death...or whatever?"
Poppy looked at Bonnie, knowing she was the anchor already via Damon.
"I think so...I mean, she's human, but she's also a doppelgänger...and a traveler, apparently."
"So, who else do you see over there? Anybody I know?"
"I see lots of people: my grams, the other witches, Vicki...I just don't talk about it you know...because it's just..." She trailed off.
Not easy. Poppy thought, taking Bonnie's hand comfortingly. Bonnie smiled at her.
"Because it's depressing as hell. Tell Matty I love him."
Matt furrowed his eyebrows, seeing Bonnie smile to an empty part of the room. "What's happening?"
"She's here. She said she loves you."
"Tell him that I watch over him...and no more knocking around with that blonde Original chick who almost got him killed."
Bonnie looked at Matt, confused, then at Poppy awkwardly, who frowned in confusion.
"Wait...What's happening? What am I missing?" Matt asked.
"Me." A new voice announced. Tyler stood at the entrance of the foyer. "Rebekah says to tell you that I'm her parting gift." He told the lot. "Hey, Care."
"Hi..." She replied quietly.
"Have we really gone through four bottles of bourbon today?" Stefan asked, walking inside with Damon.
Bonnie looked down at Poppy's hand, which was still holding onto hers in an angrily manner. She frowned, confused.
"Poppy?"
Poppy looked at Bonnie. "I'm fine." She quickly pulled her hand away.
"Will somebody tell all of these idiots to lay off the booze?"
"Alaric!" Jeremy suddenly smiled.
"Ric's here?" Damon asked, looking around.
"Where the hell have you been?" Jeremy asked. "I thought you bailed on us to go find peace, or something."
"Did you honestly think I'd leave Damon in charge and never look back?"
"He's talking about me, isn't he?" Damon raised an eyebrow.
"He says you're a dick."
"Cheers, buddy."
"Cheers."
"How long is Poppy staying for? It's good to see her again."
Jeremy looked over at the young Mikaelson. "He wants to know how long you'll be here for. He missed seeing you around...we all did honestly."
Poppy looked at him, then at the expectant lot. She bit her lip when she made eye contact with Tyler. "Not long...I left something in the car..." She replied before walking to leave the foyer.
Tyler grabbed her arm. "Poppy, I'm sorry."
Poppy glared at him, her face transforming. "You're only sorry because you paid for what you did."
"Whoa, wait. What happened?" Caroline asked. "Tyler, you said you were getting revenge on Klaus. What did you do?"
"We definitely need more alcohol." Stefan said, walking to the pair. He pulled his sister away from Tyler. "That's enough, you three can talk later." He looked at Poppy. "Go get him from the car and bring him in."
"But-" she glanced at the group nervously.
"They're going to find out at some point. Might as well make it now." Stefan kissed the top of her head and watched as she walked outside.
"What're you guys talking about?" Bonnie asked, confused.
"I already know!" Caroline blurted, then smacked her hand over her mouth.
"So do I." Damon said. "Can we all agree that Poppy deserves to be happy?"
"Of course." Matt said.
"Good." Stefan said as the rest nodded. "It's settled then."
Poppy walked to her car, where Silas stood, his arms folded over his chest. She frowned, feeling guilty for leaving him out there. She rubbed her arm.
"Sorry.."
Silas moved his arms to his sides and moved away from the car (he was leaning on it). "No worries." He then frowned. "You're nervous, what's wrong?"
"Stefan wants me to bring you inside." She said. "Caroline and Damon already know but...I'm worried about Tyler and Jeremy..and Bonnie's one of my good friends..I just-" She let out a sigh. "Well, if you're ready, then let's get this over with."
Silas nodded and placed his hand on the small of her back as they began walking. Poppy stopped at the door and took a breath.
"I don't know why I'm nervous." She looked at him.
"Who cares what they think?" Silas asked, opening the door for her and letting her walk in. "Hello, friends." He greeted.
Tyler's eyes widened a bit. "Please tell me you're not with Silas.." He said as the pair walked to the foyer.
Poppy stood beside Silas, whose hand found hers, and their fingers interlocked. "I am." She replied.
"Are you insane?" Tyler asked.
"Tyler!" Caroline exclaimed.
"He tortured her, Caroline! He's the bad guy. He hurt all of us. He killed Jeremy!" Tyler looked at Caroline, holding his arm out.
"You tortured her too, Tyler." Stefan stated. "Worse than Silas did."
"Only to get back at Klaus, who by the way is also a bad guy. It wasn't anything personal." Tyler shot back.
"Klaus is her dad." Caroline reminded him.
"Yeah, I know." He turned to Poppy. "You can't just stay away from them, can you? Your dad, your aunt and uncle. Now Silas? Are you off of your dose or are you just delusional?"
"Tyler-" Damon warned.
"Her dose?" Matt furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah, Poppy's very existence breaks a few witch laws so the Ancestors down in New Orleans have been punishing her. Because of it she can't handle her emotions so she takes some witchy herbal water thing. Though the other day, she forgot and almost killed me, then found out she's a ripper."
Poppy pulled her hand away from Silas's, swallowing the lump in her throat. "At least I didn't hurt a pregnant woman or try to kill a baby, Tyler. Which is why I almost killed you." She blurted out, then paled, her eyes widening. She didn't want anyone else knowing about Hayley or the baby, besides those who already knew. "Look, I found a way to be happy, and if any of you can't handle that, then you can leave because you're in my house, throwing a fit about my life."
The room went silent, besides the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. Poppy clenched her jaw and fire went out, leaving behind burnt logs. Now the room was dead silent.
"You know what? If you don't live here, then leave. Come back tomorrow." Poppy told them, walking to table and pouring herself a drink.
With a huff, Tyler left, followed by Matt and Caroline. Bonnie frowned at her as the door was closed. She watched as the tribrid drank and set down the glass.
"Was he telling the truth? About you being a ripper?" Stefan asked, walking to her.
"I'm tired. I've died twice this week." Poppy replied with a monotonous voice. "I'm going to bed."
Poppy sat on the window cill in her bedroom late that night, looking up at the stars. She wore a nightgown,the skirt flowing down to her knees, which were being held against her chest. Her eyes were tired and dull, and her eyelids were heavy, threatening to never open if they were closed.
She listened as the door opened and closed. She could sense him, Silas, and she was calmed. He walked to the dresser with a bundle of sage in his hand. He lit a match and began to burn the sage. She turned her head to look at him.
"You should be sleeping." Silas told her, walking to the bed and pulling back the covers.
"I don't want to. I don't want today to end and tomorrow to start." Poppy sighed, standing up.
The witch walked to her, and butterflies rose in her, a faint rose color coming to her cheeks. "Tomorrow will be ten times better than today." He told her.
"I suppose so.." She said quietly, looking into his eyes.