"So… there's a new witch," Elena deduced as she stared between Stefan and Damon, trying to understand what they were saying. It wasn't that she was stupid or anything, but honestly, grasping the idea of a witch working against the Originals was difficult to grasp. Especially after everything the Originals had done to get rid of their mother. "And she's here to kill an Original?"
"That's what she said," Stefan stated as he rubbed his brow.
"But that'll… kill us," she muttered uncertainly.
"I don't know, this girl, she had enough power; she could possibly break the sire lines," Stefan said. "She didn't even use verbal magic to bring me to my knees!"
"Well, I don't remember anything besides waking up in a dumpster," Damon muttered sourly.
"You should be used to that," Elena pointed out crisply.
Damon made a mocking face as he glared at her in fury.
"You actually think she could!?" Caroline piped up then, looking curious.
"I don't know," Stefan admitted. "We should send Bonnie to meet with her, though."
"And what if she hurts Bonnie like she did you two?" Elena demanded. She didn't like this witch, the witch who attacked for no reason.
"Bonnie's a witch!" Damon pointed out.
"And she brought Stefan to his knees and admitted to removing herself from your memory!" Elena snapped.
"And I'm not defenseless if I meet her," Bonnie piped up. "You think she'll help us?"
"If she's here to kill an Original, I don't see why she wouldn't," Stefan admitted.
"But what if she won't?" Caroline asked.
"Then we make her," Damon decided.
"And how do you propose we make her? We don't know anything about her, we don't have leverage on her, and she could be a ploy from the Originals to get us to lower our guard!" Elena snapped furiously. Davina might be a child, but she wasn't to be underestimated in Elena's mind, especially if she was all oh-so-powerful. Elena didn't like Davina.
-------------------------------------------
Davina had ditched her husband after giving her promise to him and returned to her motel room. The hot shower had soothed her nerves and aching body. The effects of the Harvest were making themselves known; it was swirling violently within her, and she could feel it trying to take over. There was also the trembling through her limbs and muscles, the exhaustion that seeped into her bones, and the emotions that were all over the place. Closing her eyes, she focused on soothing herself and her magic. She'd meditate later if she couldn't get this under control.
Meeting Kol had been the usual jolt of excitement for her; he always sent a thrill racing down her spine. He was so wild and dangerous, though. His unpredictability was predictable to her, though; she had been married to the man, and his habits and tells hadn't altered at all, so she had an edge of knowing how to read him. Something she hadn't had as a girl the first time she had met him.
Finally, everything within her felt at peace, and she stepped out of her shower. Wrapped up in towels, she walked to the main room, shivering at the temperature change before sitting on the bed. Casting a silencing spell with ease, she picked up the phone and dialed Marcel's number. She had long since known the number by heart; he had gotten it back in the 90s and never bothered to change it, merely upgrading his phone as needed.
"Hello," he answered.
"Marcel," she whispered.
"D!" he exclaimed, and she could hear him hurrying through wherever he was to someplace quiet, or as quiet as he could find in New Orleans.
"Hey," she smiled weakly as she curled up on her bed now, cradling the phone to her ear as she closed her eyes.
"Davina, where are you!?" he demanded. "And how did you get this number!? Never mind, tell me where you are, sweetie, and I'll come get you," he promised. There were tears in her eyes as she bit her lip.
"I can't…" she murmured.
"Davina, if it's the witches…" he started.
"It's not," she promised. "I'm safe," she assured him. "I'm safe."
"Davina…" he started again.
"I just—you did so much for me, and I wanted you to know… I'll be back; I just can't come back yet. There are things I need to do. But I'm safe," she promised.
"Where are you?" he pleaded.
"I'm not where the witches will come for me," she whispered. "I'll be back; I have to fix this though," she explained softly.
"Tell me where you are, Davina; I'll come help you," he stated.
"You can't," she replied. "I just… I wanted to hear your voice," she sniffled as she felt the tears gathering in her eyes. "Thank you, Marcel," she said and hung up then as she felt the first tears coming.
The sob that tore through her was so unexpected; as she curled up, she didn't even notice she dropped the phone on the floor in an attempt to hang it up. For the first time since Kol had chosen her as his partner, she cried alone and hugged herself desperately, wishing she wasn't alone right now. She wanted her Kol back; she wanted her family, her life; she wanted it all back, and it was gone.
This was worse than being a ghost!
At least as a ghost, Kol knew her; he didn't look at her like she was a stranger or like she was nothing. Her Kol had never looked at her how Kol had today. She gasped for air as she cried, remembering the Harvest, her friends, her life, and the betrayal. Sobbing uncontrollably for the first time since waking up in the attic, she cursed her death and the Harvest. It hurt; it hurt worse than death or losing Kol the first time! It hurt so badly; she wanted the pain gone, she wanted it gone, she wanted…
There was a knock on the door, which had her gasping for breath as she struggled to contain herself again.
"Housekeeping," a woman's voice called on the other side of the door.
"One second," she called back, hating how watery and weak her voice sounded, as she rolled out of the towel as she grabbed a shirt and a pair of panties. The shorts were next before she walked to the door. Opening it a little, she sighed as she saw him there with the motel maid.
"Thank you, but I don't need your services," Davina said to the maid, who nodded before walking off. Opening the door fully, she looked at Kol, who was leaning on the wall.
"Hello, love," he smiled his troublemaker smirk.
"Kol," she greeted with a weak, watery smile of her own, as she folded her arms and leaned on her door frame, assessing him. Davina wiped her eyes vainly, because the tears weren't stopping right now, but Kol was here, and even if he wasn't hers, he was here, and that was enough to have her wanting to throw herself at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to figure you out," he admitted. "May I?" he asked as he came to cage her in by leaning on the doorframe. Kol had always known his size was a good intimidation tactic; he had even admitted that he enjoyed making people uneasy by using his size. He probably would've been taller than Finn if he hadn't been turned.
"No," she answered reflexively. As much as she loved Kol, she didn't trust this version of him just yet, and she wouldn't give him free rein to run in and out of her room whenever he felt like it. When they had been dating, Davina had learned Kol was like an impulsive child who chased every new idea and desired to tell her all about it; this meant he popped in and woke her up whenever they weren't on the same sleep cycle.
"You don't have a lot," he observed, looking around her room.
"Not really, given the situation," she agreed. "What are you doing here, Kol?" she repeated the question with a watery sigh. The tears weren't stopping.
"Well, if I can't come in, how about we go for a walk?" He offered flirtatiously, his gaze was intent, and she saw his fingers twitching.
Another deep sigh escaped her as she finally wiped her cheeks again and shook her head. "I've had a long day, so I'm going to bed, not midnight strolls. Why are you here, Kol?"
"Just wanted you to know I know where you are," he purred seductively but with a dangerous edge in his voice.
"So noted," she nodded. "Have a good night, Kol."
"You as well, love," he smiled.
She shut the door on him and shook her head at his antics. He had slowed her tears, though, even if he didn't know it, as she leaned on the door and released a shuddering breath. Davina had never 'tamed' Kol; he said she ran wild with him, which was always fun. And even if he weren't hers, he was ever wily, persuasive, persistent, and charming; it was a comfort to know he was near, even if he was not a friend to her yet. Shoving his antics from her mind, Davina went about shutting up the room, closing the heavy curtains, locking the door, putting up the chain, and clambering into the bed. Wrapping herself up in the quilt she had stolen and the pillow, she sighed tiredly as she flicked her fingers to extinguish the lights before exhaustion dragged her off to oblivion.
-------------------------------------------
Kol watched the witch's room from across the street; he had thought about getting the room next to hers, just to annoy her, because she clearly knew him and wasn't intimidated. If anything, she seemed amused with him, which was unsettling and baffling. More baffling though, he didn't like her tears; he had never liked women crying in general, the scent of tears repulsed him, but he did not like seeing the witch in tears, and he had not caused those tears. And yet, despite her tearful state, she had not shown him a bit of fear. Everyone was scared of him, even witches, despite his connection with the witches.
When he had been a witch, he had been happiest with his craft, feeling the earth and the life around him, but he had made his magic a dangerous weapon. He had been feared for that by his village's enemies. He had relished in being that powerful, that sort of powerful that he could be relied on and needed by his people. After his parents had done what they had done…
Kol was feared for being wily and unpredictable; he was both. He was renowned as a fate worse than Niklaus, and he hated it, but he relished in it. He relished in the fear he ignited in people. He wasn't like Nik; he wasn't like Elijah or Rebekah; he wasn't always in control, and he was more than happy to tear everything apart. He didn't hide it; there wasn't any point in hiding it.
Of course, there had been a time when he had vainly tried to get control, if only to evade his family better. If there weren't mass murders, then they wouldn't be able to track him. Obviously, the attempt had been vain. His bloodlust and rage weren't controllable; unlike the magic, this wasn't controllable. Kol was the Original Ripper.
He watched the witch's room for a while, listening within the room to her steady breathing and slow heartbeat. Kol just didn't know what to make of her and her claims for time magic; still, she knew him or was familiar with him despite him not knowing her. "Unusual" didn't cover his curiosities regarding this witch. Baffling and confounding were two others; she was unpredictable and unique, and he wanted to know more.
The ringing of his phone annoyed him.
"Bekah," he greeted as he answered.
"Where are you?" she asked absently.
"What's it to you?" he asked as he leapt down to the street and started strolling through the night, no particular direction in mind.
"Klaus and Elijah are calling a family meeting," she said. "It's about the cure," she informed him.
"What about it?" he asked with a shrug.
"Nik has information about it," Rebekah said.
He hung up then and shoved the headphones in his ears as he walked for Nik's ostentatious home. The best part of this era, portable music—he was in heaven with that! Also, all the different kinds of music! He was honestly in love with it, the best part of this era, or any era for that matter.
Still, he wanted to try records and rebuild his music collection. He had at one point had some of the finest compositions known to man stashed away for his personal enjoyment. Keeping those from Elijah and Klaus was just as important as keeping all magic away from those two. And Rebekah, the one time he had lent her some of his compositions, she had spilled wine all over them and some blood; he hadn't forgotten or forgiven that offense.
-------------------------------------------
Davina had woken up again and gone to the same café as she had the other day. Getting in touch with Kol meant things would start moving on her end; she would figure out what had happened to Esther and then go about sealing her spirit and finding Mikael's spirit too and his ashes. Just all of them would be needed. Once she had those secure, she'd work on the Dahlia problem.
Once she had that all sorted out so Hope would come into the world with a fighting chance, she'd write up a fight against the Hollow to leave clear instructions so not all the Mikaelsons died; she wasn't letting her family die.
The girls from her first night at the grill sat across from her, which had her sighing.
"If this is going to become a regular thing, you guys should buy my coffee," she sighed as she sipped her coffee. The green-eyed girl looked startled and confused by her statement.
"Um…"
"I'm teasing," she chuckled humorlessly. "You're with Stefan, I take it?" she guessed.
"Yes, and you're here to kill an Original," the green-eyed girl declared.
"Mmm," she nodded tiredly as she sipped her coffee. "So, what brings you here?"
"I was thinking we could work together," the green-eyed girl offered.
"Work together?" Davina asked blandly. All her experiences working with other witches, except for Kol and Vincent, never seemed to end well for her. Between the Harvest, Freya, the Sisters, and covens in general… it just never ended well. "I'm sorry, but I… I don't want to join your coven?"
"What? "Oh, no!" the girl sputtered. "Coven? Those are a thing? Never mind, no, no coven work, I just… I'm a witch."
"So, I sense," Davina yawned as she warmed her fingers on the coffee.
"And you are too," the girl said.
"I am," Davina nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry," the girl sighed. "I'm really not good at this. I haven't met too many other witches," the girl admitted.
"What kind of magic do you practice?" Davina asked.
"Traditional and Spirit," she offered. Davina didn't press because that sounded like a half-truth.
"Mmm," Davina hummed.
"You?"
"Ancestral Magic, along with several other kinds," she admitted. "I'm Davina," she offered.
"Bonnie, Bonnie Bennett," she smiled.
"You're a Bennett witch," she stated in awe. She had never met a Bennett; they were legendary though in power and renowned as some of the finest witches to ever exist. Even in New Orleans she had heard of Bennett witches. "Your family's very powerful."
"Yeah," she agreed uncertainly.
"I'm Davina Claire," she clarified.
"Cool," Bonnie nodded. Clearly Bonnie didn't know much about the magical world from her reaction to Davina's family name; it was a bit amusing to figure out the renowned Bonnie Bennett was nothing but a novice right now.
"How much about magic do you know?"
"A lot; I'm self-taught for the most part. There's a new professor in town, and he's been helping me a little," Bonnie admitted proudly.
"I see," Davina nodded. Bonnie was a legend in Davina's time, but to hear that this prodigal witch was self-taught was more saddening than encouraging to Davina, because it left Bonnie exposed to being used.
"You?"
"I was born practicing," Davina replied.
"Whoa, really?" Bonnie sputtered.
"Yes," Davina chuckled. "That's my coven's tradition," she explained.
"So… your family could do magic?"
"Yes," she admitted.
"That's cool," Bonnie smiled.
"It could be," Davina agreed. "Now, why would a Bennett witch want my help?"
"I'm trying to unlink the original sire lines," Bonnie informed her. "I could really use your help."
"Sure, why not?" she shrugged.
"You…?"
"I'm not part of whatever little party you and Stefan and your friends have going on, but I'm here for a purpose; for a moment our interests will work well together," Davina decided. "It'll save me time."
"Really? Just like that?" Bonnie asked in disbelief.
"I like helping people," Davina chuckled. "No catches or favors. I just want it clear, though I'm not on your little… Whatever it is, I'm just helping you with this unlinking spell for the sire lines."
"Just like that?" Bonnie asked her.
"Sure," Davina shrugged.
"I have school," Bonnie started.
"We can start after school; I have other things to attend to," Davina said.
"We can meet at the Grill; my friends will want to meet you," Bonnie said.
"Let me guess, it will be the vampires from the other night?" She sighed.
"And Matt, and possibly Jeremy."
"And Matt," Davina nodded. "With a possible Jeremy."
"Thank you for this," Bonnie smiled as she grabbed her things and jogged off.
Davina groaned as she rubbed her brow; she was going to need more coffee. Kol reappeared in the seat Bonnie had just vacated.
"You're here to kill an Original?" He snarled lowly.
"Esther," Davina cut him off. "I'm here to kill Esther."
"You're a little late to that," he snorted.
"No, I'm not, and I want her dead."
"Why?"
"Because she attacked my family," she answered. "I want to stop her before she gets started."
"She's dead," he repeated.
"No, she's not, and look at it this way: I can find out whatever that group's up to that you probably want to know and give you information," she offered.
"Why would you do that?" He lifted a brow.
"I like helping people," she repeated her earlier explanation. "And I like you more than the other two vampires I've met."
"Is this because of the future, love?" he asked her warily.
"Partially," she admitted. "I also know you are a man of your word; I don't know the two vampires I've met so far, but they've so far proven untrustworthy to me. Also, Stefan tried to tell me what to do," she grimaced.
"He did?" Kol looked bemused then.
"He did; he told me I couldn't go charging after you," she informed her husband.
"You shouldn't," he agreed.
"Again, I don't like being told what to do," she warned him. "Besides, you obviously need me," she chuckled as she threw that back at him. Kol looked confounded as she grabbed her coffee and started for the library.
"Are you flirting with me, love?" he asked as he caught up with her.
"Depends," she mused.
"On?"
"You'll figure it out," she giggled. "Have a nice day, Kol," she cheered him with her coffee before walking into the library without him.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily, darling."
"I'm not?" She feigned a pout.
"No," he stated firmly.
"Well then, make yourself useful," she decided.
"Useful?" he sputtered.
"Yes, you're going to reach the top shelves and hold the books I need," she decided.
"Bossy little thing, aren't you?" He chuckled.
"I'm not little," she warned.
"Tiny," he insisted.
Davina rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee as she stared at the nonfiction and records part of the library. Kol paused when his phone rang and looked between her and it.
"You might as well go answer it; I'm not leaving town, and you know where I'm staying," she pointed out as she started looking through titles. "I'm not leaving Kol," she said.
"You leave and I'll track you down," he warned, the threat lingering in the air before he disappeared to answer his phone.
Davina shook her head as she found a book called The Founders and pulled it down before taking a seat to read it over. The magic here was strange; she wanted to understand the town she was in to understand the magic. It would also be useful to know where the oldest spots were so she could find where Klaus would stash his parents' remains.