•|•
Cami hurried into the Compound, panting from exhaustion and clutching her arm. "Isabel?!" She called in a panic.
Isabel comes from the kitchen in a hurry hearing the humans scream. "Cami? What is it?"
"Something happened and you're going to be angry, but Lucien wants you guys to be angry. He wants to set traps."
"What did he do?"
"You have to keep calm." The new vampire told her before showing her arm where a prominent bite lay. "Please listen to me and don't go after him and don't let anybody else either. I don't want you guys getting yourselves killed."
"Cami please-" before Isabel could say anything more Cami faints to which Isabel quickly caught her. She carried her into the compound and yelled for help. "Klaus! Freya! Kol! Help please!" She looked down at the girl in distress. "You're not dying today."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Camille sat on the sofa, looking around wearily, looking considerably paler than before, and seemingly cannot hear much as Hayley stood beside her calling her name while Isabel watched her anxiously.
"Cami, Cami? Cami, hey. Are you alright?" Hayley walked toward her and sat on the sofa opposite of her.
"Yeah," she said drowsily. "Considering."
Kol turned around from the doorway and carried a cloth and an open jar, Freya and Klaus following behind him.
"Hold still. This is going to burn." Kol sat on the sofa next to her and took her arm, pressing the cloth to her bite. Cami gasped in pain immediately as the substance on the cloth irritated the bite.
"Ow, ow, what is that?"
"It's a healing salve," Frey informed her. "Motherwort, white willow bark, the recipe's over a thousand years old."
"So the good stuff, huh?" Cami joked.
"It will ease the pain, and dull the symptoms, but unfortunately Camille it won't stop the infection," Kol told her sadly.
"So I'm screwed?"
"We're gonna do everything that we can, Cami," Isabel promised. "We will not let you go that easily."
Elijah walked into the room followed by Vincent. "To that end, a little assistance."
"Cami, I'm so sorry." The witch apologized.
"You should be, this is your fault," Klaus said angrily. "It was you who turned Lucien into a beast."
"It's not his fault." Cami protested.
"Cami's right," Hayley said. "We all need to work together to fix this. And w scant be angry at each other."
"Yeah, yeah I think I know how to fix it. Lucien has always been obsessed with me, he made himself like me, my bite is cured by my blood."
"Do you think his blood can save her?" Isabel asked hopefully.
"It makes sense," Elijah said. "Lucien would want that power."
"Allowing him to Lord himself over his victims," Klaus added angrily.
"Sounds about right. And familiar." Kol noted, taking a shot at Klaus.
"Okay, so we got a working theory, now we gotta test it," Vincent said.
"Lucien's blood is all over my apartment, I sliced him all to hell before I ran."
"Okay, I got this one, Lucien's got no reason to be on the lookout for me." The male witch stated before leaving quickly in hopes of saving the vampire.
"Maybe we hedge our bets. Hope is a Mikaelson witch who carries the wolf gene, we already know that she's got healing powers." Isabel suggested.
"It's worth a try," Freya said with a nod.
"I'll tell Mary that I'm coming." She looked at Kol. "Would you like to come with?"
"Of course." He was up and ready and she quickly followed him.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Klaus and Camille are seated on the couch, with Camille dictating her will to Klaus, who had a pad in his hand, writing the information given to him.
"To Davina and Hayley, I leave everything in my closet.. just nothing too revealing to Davina. To Josh, my records. To Andrew, my typewriter. He liked it a lot. To Vincent, my books, and all of Kieran's files. To Elijah, I have an old game of Trivial Pursuit under my bed." Camille began to tear up while reading off her wishes, "To Isabel, my journals and the ones not written in as well as the dark objects. Will you make sure she gives them to Hope when she's old enough? Hope's a New Orleans witch, she should have them. And to you-"
"Oh, enough!" Klaus exclaimed as a tear falls down Cami's cheek. The hybrid Klaus throws the pad aside angrily and stood up as he walked behind his chair, looking somewhat calmer. "This is-is pointless! We're going to find a way to fix it."
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Isabel and Kol stop their car close to Mary's Cabin and they come to a stop at the front of the car, Isabel stopped in front of him as she swung her bag over her shoulder.
"Mary doesn't want vampires near her Cabin, it's probably better that you stay here."
"She is aware that you and the children are in no danger from me?"
"Yeah, but after Jackson, she just isn't thrilled with vampires."
The hybrid turned and began to walk toward Mary's cabin although Kol sped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.
"There was nothing anyone could have done that day. You know that right?"
"Yes, I do. But look at where we are at again. Someone elses' life is on the line. And now I'm taking my two-year-old daughter into a warzone on the off-chance it might save my friend from dying. Do you see how bad our lives continue to get?"
"I know Bella. I know but there's nothing we can do but fight against it."
"I know but I just can't keep losing people like this. First Jack, now we might lose Cami, who's next? Klaus? Me? You?"
"I'm not afraid to die." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear in a loving gesture. "I've stared death in the face twice now. And I know you aren't either. We fight for those we love."
"I just want it to end." She told him, her voice filled with emotion at the thought of her life and her family's life, as she turned away from him.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
Vincent stood with his arms outstretched in a questioning manner as Freya walked towards them.
"She's getting worse," Freya said fretfully.
"Okay, then we, uh, we gotta try something else. Marcel? The Strix. You mean to tell me they can't help with this?"
"The Strix doesn't have a solution for something that's never existed before." Marcel informed the witch.
"Lucien engineered a pure strain of wolf venom, designed to kill even an Original... It may be that there is no cure." Freya stated the obvious that no one wanted to say.
"Well, I'm not giving up," Vincent said defensively.
"Neither am I, but.." she trailed off not knowing what to say.
"Okay, um, blood magic's not working. So what else is there?"
Isabel and Kol approach behind them, with Isabel carrying Hope on her hip and Rose by her side.
"How about a magical, miracle baby?" Isabel asked.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
After nothing seemed to help Cami requested to say goodbye to Rose and Isabel came to her side with the little girl.
"Say goodbye to aunt Cami sweetheart," Isabel told her quietly as she was on the verge of tears.
Kol and Klaus stood nearby, heartbreak clear in their expressions.
"Whewe she going?" Rose asked.
"She's going to find someplace safer from here where her family is. And she's going to be staying with them for a long time."
Rose turned towards Cami and smiled. "Bye aunt Cami. Haf fun with your famiwy."
"I will kiddo." She pulled the little girl in for a hug as she held in her sobs though a few tears escaped.
"What's wong?" Rose asked worriedly as she looked up at a crying Cami.
"I'm just so excited to see them again is all." The vampire smiled.
"When you coming back?"
"I don't know yet. So don't go forgetting me."
"Nevew," Rose promised.
Cami smiled slightly before looking at Isabel and Isabel knew that meant she was ready. "Now you should go so I can get ready to leave. I love you, Rosie."
"Wuv you too." She gave her one last hug before being picked up by her mom.
Isabel held Rose close to her as she looked down at Cami. "I will make sure they hear all the stories I have about you. Goodbye, my friend." She gave Cami and pat on the hand before turning away and to Klaus. "Take care of Cami. Make sure she goes peacefully."
He nodded tearfully and before she could pass Kol, he took her hand and walked away with her.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
After about half an hour in Klaus' illusion, Camille's body was overcome with grey veins which creep up her chest and over her head, signaling her death. Klaus kneeled by the bed and rested his head in his hands.
Downstairs in the darkened Courtyard, Davina hurried through the gate and witnessed the solemn atmosphere with Freya and Hayley, seated around a candle-lit table, Isabel in Kol's arms as he held her tightly and let her calm down from her earlier crying after she put the kids to bed, Vincent standing behind pacing and Marcel seated around a separate table with his hands pressed to his face. Davina, with tears in her eyes, turned to Marcel.
"Marcel?"
Marcel turned around and stared for a moment before standing and hugging her tightly as he began to cry over Camille's death.
In the bedroom Cami had been laying in, Vincent was seated by her bedside, weeping softly as he spoke to her body.
"You got me at a loss... See, all I can think about is how much the Quarter still needs you. How much I still need you, truth be told... But I won't forget what we set out to do... And I won't ever shy away from doing what needs to be done." Vincent then walked to stand beside the top of the bed. "If I stand against all that darkness, even if I do get chopped down, I know you're right there ahead of me. Keeping the fire warm and the beers cold." He smiled softly and kissed his finger, pressing them softly against Cami's forehead. "Until then, sweet lady... Until then." He then left the bedroom to let Isabel by.
She sat beside Cami's body, her face a little red from tears but otherwise seemed better now.
"You know, I've been thinking how neither Hope nor Jacob are going to know you. It's not fair... considering everything you did for this family. For me. This family owes you, you deserved better." She sniffled quietly and wiped away her tears as she stood, lifting the bed sheets and covering Cami's head.
Isabel walked to the balcony overlooking the main street where Klaus stood in silence. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he turned to her, the sad look on his face causing her to tear up again. She pulled him into a hug. "She's somewhere better now, Nik. I just know it." She pulled away and smiled at him and he gave her one back. "She's okay."
She went to walk away when all of the sudden the compound started to shake as if an earthquake was hitting.
≪≫•≪≫•≪≫
After the earthquake-like jolt stopped Davina went back to where Andrew's body was only for shock to etch on her face as she realized he was no longer there.
"Drew?"
Davina inched closer and gasped softly, turning her head to look for Andrew. Andrew vamp-sped behind her and as she jumped around to look at Andrew she saw his fangs bared at her. He growled before attacking her, forcing her against the bar and viciously feeding from her. The ancestors finally getting him to do what he'd been trying to prevent since he woke.
Davina screamed and weakly attempted to push him away, although quickly lost strength and died as Andrew continued his feeding.
Andrew pulled back after several long moments, looking down at Davina's dead body in devastation as he realized his actions.
"Davina? No, no, no." Andrew held her face in his hands before biting into his wrist and desperately trying to feed her his blood. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up... no. No no no." Andrew pulled her body towards his and hugged her tightly as he cried against her, begging her to wake up.