"Care!" the sound of her best friend's voice after so long felt like heaven for Caroline and she could barely notice the tears that started gathering in her eyes. She didn't care about anything else anymore, not while Bonnie was here and alive and awake. She is still for few seconds, Bonnie's arms around her tightly and the small sobs in her ear distracting, but then she is hugging back just as hard, with just as much joy and relief. She ignores the knot forming in her throat, the guilt gnawing at her insides for those few, precious moments. She lets the past and heartache behind, and just stays there, embracing her best friend. It is wondrous and unreal almost, but knowing it was true feels better than she ever thought possible.
"Darling, I do believe you should let her breathe, she just escaped a near-death experience, no need for another." She heard Klaus quip, but resolutely ignored that as well, despite the loosening of her arms and the hesitant, reluctant separation from the caramel skinned witch. She only turned and mock glared at her... boyfriend? Not quite right... lover maybe...Before she turned back to face Bonnie.
"Sorry." She whispered, voice light and watery, and the two laughed. It tended to happen a lot, this situation. Bonnie retook her seat on the couch, motioning for the blonde to join the reunion, but the good mood was slightly disturbed as the front door slammed shut suddenly. Damon just left. Liz couldn't stop the little sliver of worry that murmurs that she should check on him. She should know why he is like this and help, after all, were they not friends? She isn't sure if she ought to heed it or not so she opts instead to spend some time with her daughter, the feeling diminishing soon enough as the girls converse animatedly, but not disappearing completely. He was acting weird; it wasn't like him to just run off, not really.
Her attention is caught by a sudden movement though, before she can truly finish the thought, before reaching a conclusion. Klaus had gotten up, sped across the room and in five seconds flat he had his arms around her daughter's waist, her hands were in his hair and they were kissing as if the world had ended and they were the only survivors left to repopulate the planet – a truly horrible mental picture that one was. Liz wasn't sure how that had happened, she hadn't noticed them eyeing one another, and she hadn't picked up on any desperation to get together nor any silent conversation between the two since Caroline and Damon had gotten back. Maybe she had been too distracted by things, she wasn't sure, but she knew as a fact that she could do very well without seeing this make out session.
Liz spared a glance Bonnie's way and saw that she too was uncomfortable with the current state of things and so she cleared her throat, once, twice, trice and nothing happened. She got up unexpectedly and still, no notice, she started to call their names, but they were lost to their own little world that when she glimpsed his hand slide underneath her daughter's shirt and when she heard the decisive whine from Care, she had had enough. It was getting ridiculous! She turned to Bonnie again, and was surprise to see that, despite the awkwardness, there was no hate toward Klaus, no resentment for Caroline. But that could be brought up later, much like she could catch up with Damon later –which she most definitely will – because right now she needed the witch's help.
Please, separate them! Her eyes pleaded with the hazel-green orbs the Bennett had. She had gotten the message, for not long after Caroline was standing with her lips puckered alone, Klaus having been flung across the room and onto the armchair. The sight was hilarious enough so the witch burst out laughing. Liz shook her head fondly at the scene and left for the kitchen. It was getting crazy in there. Too many teenagers around her were bad for her mental health, she decided. That was the reason she hung out with Damon, because despite his youthful appearance, he was old, ancient even... maybe not quite like Klaus, but old enough to be considered wise – something he did not show, despite it existing.
When she finally gets back inside, a plate of various appetizers in her hands, mostly for Bonnie, she is pleased to see that Klaus and the girl are conversing amicably while Caroline's gone off to change most likely. She sets the food onto the table, reaching out for a pastry to bite into as she listens patiently, contently. She is glad the witch isn't judging nor does she seem to hold any grudges against Klaus. Liz isn't sure what Care would have done were she made to choose.
Bonnie watched her best friend and her former enemy cuddle on the couch with a sort of morbid fascination, unable to tear her eyes off of the couple. She was also aware that Ms. Forbes was right there, also gazing at the blunt show of affection and how odd and awkward it must be for her since she herself was so out of her depth as the memory of waking up flashed in front of her.
The hospital was quiet, the silence stretching on for miles it seemed and for once, Niklaus Mikaelson was longing for the loud, boisterous noise that went with hospitals during the daytime. This unnatural stillness was deafening and disconcerting in a way that chilled his heart and froze the blood in his veins. Something was about to occur and he wasn't sure if it was a good or a very, very bad thing.
The only sound came from the continuously beeping machines in charge of keeping the Bennett witch alive, her heart beating and her chest rising and falling in sync. She was pale now, paler than he has ever seen her, even worse than that night when he had to rush her to the hospital after Caroline slammed her against the wall and cracked her skull open. And she had looked white as a sheet. He didn't understand what could have caused this sudden and horrifying change in the little witch. She had appeared to be improving, from her gasping out Caroline's name a day prior to the almost spastic clenching and unclenching of her muscles. Consciousness was supposed to be slowly returning to her, and then she had gotten exponentially worse as if she was being drained of power... Drained... Drained ... could that be the answer? Could the witch be channelled in such a way that would render her useless?
"Bekah" he said in way of greeting as the dialling tone ended. He heard her sigh and almost smiled at the exasperated tone of her voice, it was nearly like how she had been before becoming a vampire, the same annoyance when she knew he wanted something from her. But he stopped himself, now was not the time. "I am in need of a witch." He continued, his tone serious, leaving no room for argument.
"Nik, maybe it has escaped your notice or perhaps you are becoming senile in your old age, but neither me nor Finn have our powers anymore, and we have not had them for quite a while now." He was so close to yelling at her to cease the idiocy and just do as he said when he realized something was wrong there as well.
"What is it, sister? And do not try to lie to me. I know you better than to fall for that."
"One of mother's grimoires burst into flames just now and Kol, who was holding it, saw a vision of Caroline stepping into a hexagram. Nik, hexagrams are dangerous! You know this as well as I do, where is your girl? Tell me that hasn't happened. I am not sure what the spell is, but I am - that is Elijah actually doing the work while I talk to you - researching it now, but it doesn't look good at all. Mother was performing some extremely dark magic. I don't like this, Nik." She realized her voice must be shaking, but right now she could care less about that, she had been a witch, maybe not for long and maybe a long time ago, but she remembered well enough what this spoke of and it was nothing good. This spoke of blood Magicks and human transfiguration. This was a side of magic her mother had warned them against and now she was delving into it herself, why? What did she hope to achieve? But Rebekah knew the answer to that question, a way to be rid of them. Her heart clenched hard at the thought, but she pushed the ache back down. Nik needed help.
"What do you need from the witch?"
"A way to stop someone from channelling another witch." She frowned at the words. He hadn't said a witch channelling another witch, but someone. That was easy enough without the help of a full blown magic wielder.
"Okay, you don't need one. I'll walk you through this. Why do you need it?"
"Bonnie Bennett." And with a nod they lurched into awakening the young woman. Two hours later and after a few frustrating arguments between the siblings, Bonnie was awoken. Her green eyes were blown wide and they seemed so much larger than normal, her mouth was opened into a mute scream and she was gasping for breath in a way that made her look like a fish out of water. Klaus could see the dryness of her lips and he could hear the shallow breaths she drew from how dehydrated she was. He gave her a glass of water.
Slowly, cautiously she drank a mouthful, then another. She took the glass from her mouth next and took another deep breath. She was shaking now, her body trembling so badly that the hospital bed was squeaking under the strain so Klaus did the one thing he could have done. He climbed in and drew her to his chest, holding on tightly and steadfastly. He felt her wet, cold tears sweep into his t-shirt and he heard the small whines that soon turned to sobs. He stroked her back, muttering reassuring words into her black, greasy hair and before long she was gently pushing his chest away so she could look up at him. The warm gaze filled with concern caught her off guard, but she found that now she understood why Caroline had sent that letter. Why Care-
"Caroline" her voice was made of broken syllables and a raspy tone, but he had no problem comprehending her.
"She is fine. She's back now." He whispered and a syncopated laugh escaped her mouth. She was deliriously happy now, the chuckling quickly becoming maniacal and with a stroke of desperation and hysteria. Caroline was fine, all was right in the world again. At last.
It was slowly darkening when she and Care finished talking and she needed to head home. She had to sleep and then research the hexagram her friend spoke of. Speaking of, the actual thought of it made a certain ritual stand out in her mind; she had to get home now. Home... could she really still call the house she used to share with her dad home? Klaus had told her that her dad had left Mystic Falls once it became clear to him that she wasn't coming back, and she couldn't blame him actually, but it hurt. Going to a house she had considered home only to find it empty, cold and suffocating, hurt. But she had to do it. She had to.
