Chapter forty nine

Stefan

She fell into his arms and in a swift movement he lifted her. Harlow and the tall dark-haired man shoved through the crowd, Ben and Noah following closely behind. "Let her go!" Henry was his name, growled. "You can't take her! Who are you?"

We swerved, squaring up. "We're her brothers" Damon challenged, his face an inch away, glaring down at Henry.

"Henry, it's fine, let her go with them." She shuffled closer, turning her body. "I'm guessing you know everything, which means you also know I'm the one that linked you to her and the one that spelled the Mikaelson mansion.

"Why?" I said through gritted teeth.

"I was hoping and praying that your love for her would be strong enough, if you felt her pain, you would come back for her. I couldn't take any chances. I'll come back with you"

"Okay. I'm trusting you just this once" I stated. She nodded, swallowing down the lump of fear.

"If Harlow goes, I go."

Damon shoved him back. "I don't trust you not one bit." He directed his attention to her. "What happened to our sister earlier? Don't lie to me itty bitty witch, we felt it."

I watched the lump in her throat get swallowed. "She was kidnapped and buried alive-"

He lunged but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Get a grip Damon."

"She was supposed to protect her!" He barked. Anger rolled off him. Fear and pain disguised as anger. Rolling his shoulders, he shrugged my hold off.

"If you're done with meaningless scuffles, I'd like to get my wife home." Kol clipped, beginning to walk off with her unconscious in his arms. Shooting one last scowl at them, Damon followed after him. Having nothing to say I moved along with them a few steps behind. Harlow sped up, falling in line with me as we walked.

"How much of that did you give her?"

"Enough to keep her out for the journey back to London. Why?"

"The last few weeks she's been really unwell and sick, I don't think it's safe to be given such a huge dose or a strong one...I'm just worried that's all."

"Thank you for your concern, I'll handle it." I looked ahead, watching her in Kol's arms. "She'll be fine." I assured.

Boarding the ferry, we settled at the back and lay her down on the cushioned chair, legs stretched out. Ben and Noah couldn't board and promised to return once Dhanika healed and was well again. Kol brushed away the hair from her face and his eyes never left her sleeping body. "Why did she do this?" I questioned, directing the question at Harlow without glancing her way.

"I- I don't know...she said she didn't want you to be in harms way and she wanted to protect you."

Noticing the lump under the roll neck, I pointed. "What's under it?"

Looking from Henry then back to me, she swallowed. "She was attacked by a vampire, and he bit her-"

Kol pulled down the material and I could sense his anger churning. Ripping off the plaster, the dark mark was left behind. "She must have siphoned it off, but it left the ugly mark."

"I remember feeling a sting to my neck but it wasn't-I chalked it up to being something minor." Damon voiced, clasping her hands in his and pressing them to his lips.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't want her doing-want her to erase your memories but she did it anyways. We did our best to keep her safe, but she has enemies hiding in the dark."

"You're a witch, your boyfriend is a vampire, how the heck were you not able to defend yourselves and keep my sister safe!" Damon mocked, vibrating with fury.

"Let's just get her home!" I bleated. "Marcel and Caroline are waiting at the dock with the cars. The rest of the journey back to Liverpool was spent in heavy silence. The bitterness rolled off both Damon and Kol. I did the best I could to remain calm and civil, but my mind and heart were on a rampage.

•

We arrived back in London, with her still unconscious. We assessed her breathing; she was fine and safe. I exhaled out, feeling all the stress and tension release. She was home and all was right in my world. All this time I held my breath, so afraid to breathe. It was as though if I breathed in that moment, on soil that wasn't home, I would lose her. The moment we arrived home, her home, everything was alright. I could breathe. The attitude towards Harlow and Henry didn't diffuse itself, it was still there and apparent, making her slow down her pace and trail after us. Inspecting Henry head to toe, I couldn't determine whether he was to be trusted. What about him that struck as odd, I couldn't put my finger on.

The doors to the Mikaelson home flung open and out emerged the family. The moment his eyes fell on her, Klaus released his pent-up breath. Looking in his eyes I witnessed the love he possessed for her. The pain of realising it was her he missed. His friend. His love. He lifted a foot, wanting to come forward but drew back and vamped away. She was in his brother's arms, and he didn't want to intrude.

Kol took her up to their room and lay her down in bed, loosely tucking her in. Her hair fell to her face. With light movements, he gingerly swept the hair away. It was subtle, but her chest moved up and down as she breathed softly. The injection of the sleeping dose proved safe for her. Turning my head to the movement and shuffling behind me, I watched Damon take a seat in the cushioned accent chair. A light groan and Damon and I dashed closer. She stirred, turning her head to the side with eyes closed. Her eyelids squeezed before she slowly peeled them open. Her heart rate spiked as she shot up, panicking, and grasping for air. Frantic eyes darting around the room, and she felt herself, felt the sheets.

"You're okay!" Kol murmured, holding her close. She seemed to relax before registering where she was and who she was with. Using both hands she shoved him off.

"Who are you?! Where am I?! Take me back. I don't even know who you are!" She stammered.

He scoffed. "Darling, we've got our memories back so drop the act."

She froze and glared at us. The silence continued before Damon interceded. "How could you? Why would you?" He badgered on and on. I stood with my arms crossed, holding a tight-lipped expression. I was more hurt than furious. "Answer me!"

She jolted in place and hugged herself. "I'm s-sorry I had no choice. I had to-"

"No, you didn't have to! There's always a choice and you made the wrong one!"

"Damon....it was for your own safety. Leaving meant keeping you safe-"

"I don't care about my safety! I only care that I have you in my life! You snatched that away from me!" He shot to his feet and stormed out.

"I want to understand what you did but I can't. You left us and you thought we'd be okay?" I spoke up, moving closer to her. She didn't jump this time.

"Stefan, I'm so sorry..." she jumped out of bed and ran to me, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry I didn't think leaving would mean I leave you with a hole...I-I just wanted you all to be safe and not feel pain." I held her tight. A brotherly hug. Protective and warming.

"No one is happy. I think you should go and speak to them...hopefully they'll understand." I advised once pulling away. "I'll go deal with Damon." She nodded and I left them both be, knowing they had their own issues to resolve.

Sophia

Sucking in the air I turned to face him. He averted my gaze, couldn't look at me. His face twisted with anger. Afraid to speak I waited for him. He whipped around, causing me to flinch. Steadying my shaking hand with my other, I stepped closer, finally mustering up the courage to confront him. "Kol, I'm sorry."

He scoffed again. That scoff exhumed all his frustration and deliriousness. "You're sorry? That's all I get?" His tone grew thicker and angrier. Despite his effort not to raise his voice it did rise. "Why!" He grabbed me hard, glaring into my eyes. The jolting, the darkness took me back to the grave, took me back to the night the vampire attacked. The whimper I tried so hard to suppress, slipped out.

"Answer me!" His grip began to hurt and when I squeezed my eyes shut, he released me.

"I'm human and you're not! One day I'm going to die and there's nothing you can do! So, it's better you had no memories of me at all so then you won't feel the pain! I'm sorry that I did it and left a deep hole in your hearts, but I did what I thought was best." I screamed at him.

He grabbed my arms once again and gripped me tight. "How could you be so stupid! You're lying to me darling, spit it out."

"Let go of me!" I failed at shaking him off. "I'm not lying. I did it for you. For all of you and I don't care if you're angry!"

"You should care!" He bellowed. "Even after all the women I flirted with and took? You don't care?!"

I scoffed. "You had no memories so no it doesn't matter! God, stop being so pushy! I did what I needed to so get over it!" The anger bubbled in me, and I was seconds away from exploding.

"I won't get over you taking away my memories! You left and it broke me! I had no idea why I was empty and lost inside! All I could do was drink to fill it in, but nothing worked. No amount of blood, of bodies drove it away!" His confession stunned me. I hadn't given his blood drive a thought. I felt regret. I hated myself.

"What are you going to do when in a few years' time I'm going to die huh? What then?" I spat back viciously.

"We won't let you! We'll find a way and you know we always do! I won't lose you!"

"You're not being realistic Kol! Listen to yourself! You sound delusional! I'm human and you're not! God! I miss it more than anything in the world! I miss being a vampire! But I can't have that, and you can't have me!" I exploded.

"Realistic? You think I'm going to let you die?"

"Stop it!" I cried out! "You're impossible! You can't save me and that's it! That's the whole reason why I erased all your memories, so you won't feel the pain of my loss!" We fired shots back and forth, arguing and screaming at one another. He kept on pushing. Hateful and bitter words were exchanged. "I'm dying!" I blurted. The room dropped silent. He held his breath registering what I just said. Instant regret slashed at me. He was so loud, so thunderous. He became a different person, eyes warping into a miserable black.

"What did you say?"

I shook my head, tears streaming down. "Nothing. I-it just came out the wrong way." I shuffled back.

He yanked me forwards. "You're lying!" A great tremor overtook me, and I crashed into him, sobbing hard.

"I'm dying and you can't save me this time round."

"What?" He pulled away, letting go of me.

"When Damon and Klaus killed that child, it sealed my fate. Killing him meant I would die, and nothing could save me..." I took a deep breath then exhaled. "Qetsiyah tried but all she could do was give a year. I've not got long left Kol!"

His fists balled and his face twisted, darkness taking over. "You've lied to us this whole time! You went on with life knowing you would die? You married me knowing you would have to leave me one day!! WHY?" His hands latched onto my arms again and he shook me violently, demanding his answer. I could hardly breathe. Tears cascaded down. I had no answer for him. No explanation for my selfishness. "You carried on living as if nothing was wrong! Keeping it to yourself! You've outdone yourself Sophia!"

"What do you want me to do! I had no other option!"

"You could have told me the truth!"

"And then what?! WHAT THEN?"

"AT LEAST I WOULD FIND A WAY TO SAVE YOU!" He roared.

"Listen! You can't! No one and nothing can!"

He barged past. Refusing to let him leave I ran before him, blocking his way. Forcing back my tears, I gripped his temples hard. He struggled and growled. The spell was too powerful for him. Focusing on the memory of my death, I took it away. Snatching it all away. Dropping my hands to my sides I staggered back. His eyes shot open, and he glanced around. Remembering moments prior to our argument he pivoted and punched a hole through the wall. Turning back to me he jabbed his finger in the air, pointing to me. His mouth opened but pressed closed a second after. He was raging. I had no more words left and it seemed nor did he. This time I let him barge out.

The moment he left I dropped to my knees, covering my face with my hands and weeping. My right hand shook vigorously. The sobs were uncomfortable, breathing was arduous. Clacking of boots stopped beside me and hands clasped my shoulders. My head snapped up. "Rebekah..." I stared at her. Her eyes welled with tears.

"I heard everything." She whispered, biting back the agony. Climbing to my feet I stood facing her. "You're dying.... how could you not tell us? Damon and Klaus..."

I wrapped my arms around myself, dropping my head. "I can't maim them with guilt. It'll kill them inside to know they're the reason."

"You have to tell them. You can't keep this any longer."

"Rebekah, you can't tell anyone." I held her hands.

"Are you going to wipe my memory too, again?" Though she concealed it well, I could tell it was a snide dig at me.

Rubbing the back of my neck I plopped myself down on the bed. "No, I won't. I have no strength and not to mention I lost my necklace again...think the guy who buried me alive stole it."

"You were what?"

"Buried alive but I'm fine now that I'm home." The shaking of my hand said so otherwise. I knew I could not get over the feeling of the soil in my mouth and the tightness in my chest. The dark. The thought of it made my skin crawl. She read me like a book and placed her hand over my trembling one.

"Sophia, are you okay? You're shivering and your trembling is...bloody hell it's concerning!"

"I'm fine. I'll be okay, it's just...don't tell anyone please. Other than you, Freya knows and I'm pretty sure she's waiting to give me an earful."

"Fine! I won't tell anyone." She hugged me tightly. "This can't be happening...if Freya is looking for a way to save you then I will stop at nothing to help her!" She managed through her sobs. My heart was breaking over and over again. There's only so much pain one can take. She allowed me time to myself, to think before I met the rest of the family.

If I had known erasing their memories would cause this much damage and pain, I would never have chosen to do that. I did it and it was done. Nothing could undo all the damage. I didn't deserve Kol. I didn't deserve any of them. The argument was our first ever official argument and by far the worst one. It all exploded in my face. I sat on the edge of the bed in tears waiting for him to return. I wasn't sure he would after the fight. I was hopeless. Erasing his memories twice. I couldn't live without him but in the end, I would have to. He would have to live without me. Regardless of how we fit, how we mended each other and how we worked. It didn't matter if he was my medicine, my cure, my strength; my everything. It didn't matter if I was his. Death did not value any of this. I was its possession; in debt and it would come to collect.

Since he left, he didn't return. Losing faith, I stood up, breathed in and out; mentally preparing myself to meet the rest of my family. My hand hoovered over the doorknob. It twisted then turned and soundlessly opened. He stepped in, his face softer and features relaxed. Yet there was pain. There was hurt and above all, there was love. Three strides and he had my face in his hands, kissing me until I was breathless. Everything fell back into place, brushing the sides of my face as he stared deeply. "I lost you once and it broke me. Without you I'll just be undead. You are the only person I care for and the only one who didn't set out to change me but loving you made me want to be better. From the day that I met you I knew I would love you. If you didn't come back and if you died your death would leave a heartache no one can heal!"

Tears spilled down my cheeks, watching him express himself. "I'm so sorry, I just didn't want you to feel the pain of my death. I'm human and you're you and I can't be with you when the cure won't let me. I wanted eternity but eternity refuses me."

He gripped me hard. "We'll use magic. I'll do whatever it takes but I will not lose you again! You are the love of my life-my entire existence." His lips connected with mine and the moment we kissed it made me better than I'd ever been. He kissed away the pain.

"I'm so sorry." I gasped through the quivers.

Holding my face and pressing his forehead to mine. he let his own tears roll down. "I'm so sorry I walked away from you. I will never do that to you again." I held onto his arms as he avowed. There was so much guilt in me. Guilt for hiding the truth and twisting it. Guilt for removing his memories twice. Failure and desperation. Holding me to his chest, I let the anguished sobs tear through me. He pulled back ever so gently, raised a hand mid-air before me, mirroring my action. Our fingertips touched ever so lightly. We gazed into one another's eyes declaring our love without an utterance. When everything else was a lie, my love and devotion to him was the truth.

~

"Phasmatos navoro pulsus sanguinox"

Watching them through the milky water, she continued with her chanting. "Phasmatos navoro pulsus sanguinox," glaring intently at her morose physiognomy. Sophia took everything from her. She snatched away her daughter and grandson. She had their undying love, devotion, and allegiance. Like hot pokers, it pierced her. She lost good witches that fought for her cause, but she vowed to resurrect them and cleanse the earth. The words of the old witch echoed around her. "The day will come where you will rue the day you chose to love the heretic, shelter her and make her your friend."

That day came faster than she expected. Gripping the edge of her newly assembled alter, she peered down into the brass bowl, her looking glass and observed Sophia take small, hesitant steps towards her family; desperate to be in their favour again. The poor family, so blinded by their love for her they couldn't truly see her as what she was: A plague. What did Sophia possess that she lacked? The door pulled opened and closed with a thud. It wasn't necessary for her to look to see who it was, she knew it was him. He always announced himself in such a manner, long strides, powerful and purposeful.

"Jameela?" He called out to her softly. She liked the hybrid. She could trust him, and he was the only one who stood by her side for as long as she could remember. He stopped and stood a foot away from her, peering over her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

A malignant grin played full across her face. "Turning her blood acidic-you know I don't like being questioned but I like you, so you may proceed."

Light on his feet, he moved to her side and stole a look. She was prepossessing, Sophia Mikaelson. "What's the point in that? Her death is but round the corner."

Turning her face to him, she burst into a stupor of laughter. "Don't tell me you've taken a fancy towards her. I admit, she surpasses all kinds of beauty we've seen but let's not forget our sole purpose here," she nursed the rim of the bowl. "Besides, we're not done playing games with her. Every pleasure she has and takes part in, I want to strip her of that, i want to make her life so unendurable."

He chuckled. "Nonsense. Captivating as she is, I've not forgotten why I'm standing here with you today."

Her face set back to stone and under the flames of the candle, it cast an eerie spell over her. "I'll take pleasure in squeezing the life out of her...she took everything from me."