19

Soon after, the trio made it to Rousseau's, which shocked Ophelia when she saw that it was set up exactly how it was when she was there earlier on that day. The group of three walked toward the bar, where Davina looked at him with concern and confusion, "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

Kol sighed, turning to Davina, "Bottom line: You don't belong here. Luckily, the Ancestors aren't big pub-goers. More of the graveyard and goat sacrifices types. We should be all right here 'til we can figure out how to get you back."

Kol looked at Davina longingly before lunging toward her and kissing her passionately, cupping her face in his hands while he did so.

Ophelia rolled her eyes, quickly turning away from the couple, "Umm, did you forget that I'm here or...?" She asked, only to be ignored.

Just then, Davina, who was still overwhelmed by everything, pulled away, which seemed to hurt Kol's feelings, "I see. You preferred the other look more."

"She better not," Ophelia commented quietly, "This one," She paused, gesturing to him, "Is much better looking, trust me."

Kol smirked at Ophelia before turning to Davina, who continued to look at him guiltily, "No, I'm..." She trailed off, letting out a sigh, "I'm sorry. It's not that. I know it's you. It's just...you're so different. I'm still adjusting. Not to mention, we're in a freaky ghost-land, so..."

Kol, who looked to be somewhat relieved by her response, smiled at her as he cupped her face with his hands again, "I have an idea. Close your eyes."

Davina closed her eyes and Kol turned to Ophelia, giving her a knowing look.

Ophelia smiled, almost reading his mind. She nodded her head before snapping her finger, which caused Billie Holiday's "More Than You Know" to play around them, the same song Ophelia remembered played when Davina and Kol danced just before he died.

Kol gently placed his arms around Davina and leaned in so her forehead was resting against his cheek as the two began to slowly sway back and forth, "Think back to the last night we were together. Our last dance."

As the duo began to dance with such love, Ophelia rolled her eyes and walked over to the bar. She leaned over the bar counter, grabbing a bottle of scotch. She uncapped it before placing the bottle to her lips, only to find nothing in it.

Ophelia frowned moving the bottle away from her lips. She could see liquid in it, but as she turned it upside down, which would usually cause it to spill all over the floor, nothing came out.

"Of course," Ophelia muttered under her breath in annoyance, "I'm stuck a third wheel and I can't even get drunk."

Suddenly, Davina noticed what looked like a light bruise on the side of Kol's face and became concerned, "Kol, what's happening to you here?" She asked him, quietly gasping, which caused Ophelia to turn to them.

"It's nothing. Really," He assured her but Ophelia couldn't help but feel as though he was lying.

Kols smiled slightly, brushing a lock of hair off of Davina's face before he sighed, "You shouldn't have come here, Davina. There's a darkness to this place."

Davina frowned in confusion, "Kol, I had to find you. I think I found a way to bring you back!"

Kol seemed stunned by the revelation, though he seemed concerned that it was too good to be true. Davina handed him the scroll she was given by Aya, and he unrolled it and began to read.

Kol turned to Ophelia after reading it, looking upset that Ophelia would allow Davina to get involved in such a mess.

Moments later, Kol was still examining the copy of the resurrection spell Davina had shown him. It was clear that he was not thrilled about what he was seeing, which relieved Ophelia, hoping he would lie and tell her it was a fake.

"Hate to break it to you, love... It's a fake," Kol lied, walking toward Ophelia.

He sat the spell on the bar next to Ophelia before walking past her to pour himself a drink. Ophelia frowned, wondering how he would be able to do it while she couldn't, "Looks like someone's trying to put one over on you."

Davina, who was shocked by his response, narrowed her eyes at him, "You're lying." She replied in disbelief.

Kol looked up at her, a bottle of bourbon still in his hand, but remained silent, confirming Davina's suspicion, "Why? Don't you get it?" Davina asked Kol in annoyance, "You can live again. Isn't that what you want?"

Kol couldn't bear to look Davina in the eye, and he drank his entire glass of bourbon in one gulp. Ophelia stared at him disbelief since she wasn't able to pour herself one, but he did it at ease. What made them different?

Kol paused for a moment before he finally turned to face her, "More than anything, Davina Claire," He admitted, "But do you have any idea how dangerous that spell is? I haven't seen anything even remotely like it since..." He trailed off for a moment before he came to a realization of how Davina got the spell and looked at her in horror, "...The Strix Coven."

Davina looked down at the floor and shifted uncomfortably, which answered Kol's question, though he asked it anyway, "This is their work, isn't it?"

When Davina gave Kol a pleading look, Kol walked toward Davina and gently touched her arms with his hands, "Please tell me you haven't done something foolish," He paused, turning to Ophelia with an angry look, "You seriously let her get involved with these people?"

"Um, don't blame me!" Ophelia complained, walking toward Kol, "Those psychos killed my husband and helped kidnap me twice. Do you really think I would allow her to just join their coven? Davina's thick-headed and stubborn, there's no point in trying to tell her no, she'll do it anyway."

Kol sighed in defeat, knowing she was right, which caused him to turn to Ophelia, "They can give me power, Kol. Real power! I can bring you back!" Davina explained to Kol with determination.

Kol sighed and shook his head in disagreement, "Find another way, love. Not with them. Nothing is worth what they'll make you do."

Just then, the air around them became so cold that Ophelia's breath turned into fog in the air, just before a severe wind started to blow, and the electricity started to buzz and flicker around them.

Ophelia, Kol, and Davina became panicked when they realized they could be discovered at any moment, "The Ancestors..." Kol trailed off in concern, "They're close."

The electricity continued to flicker, and the jukebox magically turned itself on and started to play an old-fashioned jazz song that Ophelia happen to recognize.

Suddenly, the lights all went out at once, and when the group of three turned toward the door, they noticed the shadowy figures of many of the Ancestors prowling around outside.

When they saw them head for the front door and whisper among themselves, Kol started to back away from it, "Go! Go! Come behind the bar!" Kol whispered to them in a hushed tone.

Kol, Ophelia, and Davina ducked down behind the bar and pressed their backs against it, doing their best to remain as still and silent as they could as the Ancestors, dressed in clothes from a variety of eras, telekinetically opened the doors and filed into the restaurant.

The trio continued to hide and watch the shadows of the Ancestors as they looked around for them, holding their breath as they got dangerously close to the bar, "Find Ophelia Rose. She is our top priority," Ophelia heard a familiar voice tell the rest of the Ancestors.

Her eyes widened and she turned to Kol, who looked just as shocked and worried as she was. Ophelia's eyes filled with tears and to stop her from freaking out, Kol quickly placed his hand over her mouth.

Kol placed his index finger over his lips, to tell her to be quiet. Davina gave the duo a concerned look, wondering why the duo was so freaked out.

Ophelia was so used to being chased after by the witches, why did the person who gave the order make Ophelia look so scared?

Luckily for the three of them, the Ancestors left before they were able to find them. Once they heard them walk out the door and close it behind them, Kol removed his hand from Ophelia's mouth, the two of them sighing.

As the lights turned back on, Davina turned to the duo in concern, "Who was that?" She asked worriedly.

"That was my father," Ophelia informed Davina in a calm tone, "Also known as the first Claire witch in New Orleans."

"And the first Regent of all nine covens," Kol added in, tensing up a bit.

______


   Meanwhile, Ophelia, Kol, and Davina anxiously walked through the Jackson Square Market as fast as they could.

After a moment, Kol turned to Davina with a panicked expression, "Now, where did the two of you cross over?" He asked the two girls concerned.

"The church. St. Anne's." Davina informed Kol quickly.

Kol placed his hand on Davina's back and urgently pushed her in front of him, doing the same to Ophelia soon after, "All right. You keep going, no matter what happens. If I fall behind, don't look back."

Before Kol could say anything more, he, Ophelia, and Davina stopped dead in their tracks when they find two witches blocking their path several yards ahead of them.

One was Kara Nguyen, the woman Davina had Ophelia and Hayley kill in exchange for reversing the Crescent Curse. The second was Ophelia's father, who wore clothes from the eighteenth century, the same outfit he died in.

Davina looked terrified when she saw Kara while Ophelia didn't seem bothered by her. She was more worried about her father, whose smile indicated he was enjoying his opportunity for payback, just as Kara seemed to be.

"Hello, Davina." Kara greeted Davina with a smile before turning to Ophelia, "And of course, the lovely Ophelia."

"Hello, my daughter," Sebastian Claire, Ophelia's father, smiled at his eldest daughter.

Ophelia, Davina, and Kol all gulped nervously at the sight of the two witches, especially Sebastian.

Several moments later, the trio was still standing in front of Kara and Sebastian in the market. Kara was sneering at the three and looked ready to get revenge on the woman who ordered her death and the woman who did, in fact, kill her.

Kara turned to Sebastian, who gave her a stern look. With that, she let out a sigh and took a step back to allow her elder to take charge, "No one can help you now. Either of you," Sebastian growled at both women, even Davina.

He paused, turning to Ophelia, "Especially not the spirit of the dead vampire whose brother happens to be the one you've been whoring around with for three centuries." He snapped at Ophelia in a threatening tone.

Noticing the way that Ophelia looked terrified of her father at the moment, the protective instincts he had for his friend kicked in and he protectively stood in front of both Ophelia and Davina, glaring at Sebastian, "Alright, that's about enough out of you--" He began to snap at him, before he could finish speaking, Sebastian stepped forward and thrust out his hand, throwing Kol backward with such a powerful telekinetic blast that he was thrown backward into a stall, which collapsed under his weight.

"Kol!" Davina shrieked in fear, worried for her boyfriend.

Davina was about to rush over and help him when Kara flicked her wrist and squeezed her hand into a fist, casting a pain infliction spell on Davina that brought her to her knees as she clutched her head in her hands and cried in pain.

"Leave her alone!" Ophelia screamed at Kara, about to attack her with her own magic.

Before she could, Sebastian flicked his own wrist and squeezed his hand into a tight fist.

Ophelia screamed out in agony as she dropped to her knees, clutching her head as she felt the pain infliction spell casted on her that was far worse than the one placed on Davina, "You dare try to stand up against us in our place of power?" Sebastian asked Ophelia, letting out a loud sadistic laugh, "You really have gone mad. You may be powerful, my child, but you have no chance against us in this realm. We make the rules here."

"And for what you've done, we're going make you and your precious ward suffer the way you made us suffer," Kara spoke up in a threatening tone.

Just then, Ariane, a member of the Strix coven, appeared out of nowhere and stood between Davina and Kara, and Sebastian and Ophelia, holding her hand up in front of Kara and Sebastian's face, "Leave!" She shouted and both witches were thrown backward by the force of Ariane's magic, "Now."

Kara and Sebastian were pulled back into an alley and mysteriously vanished, allowing Davina, Ophelia, and Kol to recover from their injuries. Davina whimpered in pain as Ariane rushed over to her.

"I can help you and Ophelia cross back, but we have to go now," Ariane told Davina urgently and Ophelia frowned, confused as to how she knew who she was.

Soon after, Ophelia, Kol, Davina, and Ariane arrived at the Ancestral Limbo version of St. Anne's Church, where they were walking through Marcel's fight gym to get to the attic.

A crackling noise was heard as the stained glass windows magically frosted over. Kol found a large plank of wood to use to reinforce the locked front doors, but it was obvious that it wouldn't hold long against the Ancestors.

When the lights started to flicker, Kol rushed over to Davina and Ophelia, "Go!" He demanded, "I'll handle them. At least buy you a minute or two."

The Ancestors started to use their power to pound against the door, and Davina became frantic at the idea of leaving Kol behind, "No!" She exclaimed loudly as she looked over at Ophelia and then Ariane, who looked grim, "We're not leaving without him!"

"He can't come where we're going. Not yet. If we leave now, we can come back." Ariane told her in an apologetic tone.

Davina shook her head hysterically and looked over at Kol, who squeezed her hands, "No. No."

"If you don't go now, we're all lost. Besides, this way, you owe me one, and don't think for a second I won't aim to collect," Kol smiled, leaning forward and kissing Davina on the forehead before gently pushing her toward Ariane, who was heading for the staircase to the attic, "Go. Go!"

Before leaving, Ophelia turned to Kol, whose eyes were locked on her. She quickly dug her hand into her pocket, taking out the protection charm she brought with her, "Take this," She insisted, handing it to Kol, "Wear it. With it on, the Ancestors won't be able to harm you with magic."

Kol nodded his head, giving her a thankful look, "Take care of her, alright?" he reminded her and Ophelia simply before turning away, knowing that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye. Not again.

Quickly, Ophelia caught up to Ariane and Davina, who had just made it to the attic when Davina found that Josh had bled out on the floor had let go of both hers and Ophelia's hand.

Horrified, Davina turned to Ariane, "It's too late. My link to Josh is broken!"

"I know you're scared, but the two of you have to concentrate," Ariane told the duo soothingly, "Focus on what you love most. Recall the thing that makes you want to live. Fight with that in mind."

Davina looked terrified and turned to Ophelia for assurance. The woman smiled at her slightly and nodded her head in encouragement. The two women closed their eyes and as Davina thought of Kol, Ophelia thought of Klaus.

"Kol, I swear I'll come back for you." She heard Davina whisper softly as the locked door to the attic continued to rattle, indicating that the Ancestors had already overpowered Kol, just not with their magic since Ophelia had gifted him with the charm.

Ophelia and Davina awoke with a gasp on the chaise lounges in the attic of the church and immediately jerked upright to find Ariane sitting casually in the chair next to her. Josh was still passed out on the floor with his hand clutching his bleeding neck, and Davina looked concerned as she knelt down to check on him, "Josh...?"

Ariane turned to glance at Ophelia, who simply sat there while Davina worried about Josh. The female witch stood to her feet and walked toward the door, "He will wake. It's both the blessing and the curse of his kind."

Davina looked slightly relieved by this news, but she was still confused about Ariane's presence, "Why did you help us?"

Ariane turned to Davina with an unreadable expression on her face, "Because Aya wanted you saved," She paused, gesturing her hand to Ophelia, "She wanted Ophelia to be saved as well. She has plans for her."

Ariane was about to leave when Davina stopped her and stood to her feet as well, "Wait..." She trailed off and Ariane turned to her, "Aya said that the witches of your coven were granted the power to have your greatest heart's desire. Did you make that deal?"

"Yes. And, I will answer your real question as well," She paused, a small smile on her face, 'It was worth it."

Ariane gave Ophelia and Davina one last look before she left, leaving Davina conflicted.

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