Chapter Text
It was the night she completed the expression triangle that the woman came to her. Kind eyes but with a power behind them that spoke of centuries of knowledge. Standing in what she thought should have been the old cemetery, Bonnie stared at the older witch- she could feel that this woman was a witch, and a powerful one. “Who are you?” she asked, risking taking her eyes off the other woman to look around in confusion. “And where are we?”
“I am Ayana, and we are standing just outside my village, dear child,” the witch explained.
“Ayana..as in my ancestor who lived with the Originals?” Bonnie frowned in confusion. The other witch nodded.
“Yes, child,” Ayana confirmed simply. The way the witch’s gaze travelled over her made Bonnie wary, but her voice was still kind. “You’re wondering why we are conversing?” Bonnie gave the older witch a shocked look at the correct assumption, but nodded slowly. “You see, my child, Expression is a dangerous magic. Such darkness brings many dangerous things with it.”
“I had to! You don’t understand, Elena needs that cure. Silas can bring back the people we’ve lost!” Bonnie tried to explain, but Ayana simply shook her head and stepped closer. When the witch cupped her face with one hand as a mother or grandmother might, Bonnie stared at her with wide eyes.
“That is why I am here, sweet child. Silas must not rise to his full power. With his revival comes a dark and dangerous path for you, and for your friends. But do not fret, for I can help you. There is a spell I will give you. When you wake, it will be here,” Ayana tapped Bonnie’s temple gently. “Gather your friends, sweet girl, perform the spell, and I will see you soon,” the older witch pressed a motherly kiss to Bonnie’s forehead and then turned to walk away.
“Wait! What do you mean you’ll see me soon? Will you come back to my dreams again?” Bonnie called after her. Ayana paused and looked over her shoulder with a smile.
“Something like that,” she murmured before she disappeared.
When Bonnie woke up, she was surprised to find that she knew exactly what she needed and how to perform the spell Ayana had gifted her. She called Elena and Caroline, and told Elena to bring Jeremy with her when they met at the cemetery. Bonnie had just finished setting up her circle when her friends arrived, and she looked up at them with a hesitant smile.
“What are we doing here, Bonnie? You were seriously really vague on the phone,” Caroline told her friend with a frown.
“Ayana came to me in a dream last night. She gave me a spell that can fix things without waking Silas. She just told me I’d need my friends, and when I woke up, I just knew it was you three that I needed for it to work. I don’t really know how, but I know that I can trust her,” Bonnie explained slowly.
“If you trust her Bon, then so do we. We trust you,” Elena smiled at her best friend. “What do we need to do?”
“The three of you need to be inside the circle, for starters,” Bonnie motioned to the large salt circle she’d created and lined with candles. “I think you’ll probably want to sit down,” she told them before handing Elena a knife.
“Of course you need my blood,” the brunette sighed, and Bonnie gave her an apologetic look.
“Sorry, Lena. But I actually need all three of you. After you cut your hand, pass it to Jeremy, and Jer, pass it to Caroline so she can do the same.”
“I’m still dead, Bonnie, how am I gonna bleed?” Jer asked slowly, but Bonnie just shook her head.
“It’ll work, I can feel it,” the witch replied with a sureness in her voice. She couldn’t explain it, but Ayana had been telling the truth; the spell was just there in her head, and she knew everything would go exactly how it was supposed to.
“What do we do after we use the knife?” Caroline asked skeptically.
“Put the hand you cut flat against the dirt and don’t move it,” she told her friends. Part of her was just waiting for some ghost to appear and disrupt them, but so far nothing had happened, and Bonnie trusted the process, as Ayana had said.
Once each of her friends had pressed their bleeding hands into the earth, Bonnie started to chant. Her eyes closed and chanting grew stronger as the wind picked up, swirling around them violently, though her candles barely flickered. She felt the magic swell around her, and then things quieted, but for some reason she knew it wasn’t over yet, and kept chanting.
––
When the wind died down, Elena opened her eyes and found herself still in the salt circle with Jeremy and Caroline, but their surroundings were vastly different. Looking around, she frowned in confusion when she didn’t see Bonnie anywhere. But then as she turned, she found an older woman in a very old style dress standing near them with a warm smile. She blinked slowly, but the scene before her didn’t go away. Then she felt Caroline and Jeremy both stiffen beside her and turned to see them both staring at the strange woman as well.
“Hello, children. I am Ayana, an ancestor of your friend, Bonnie,” the woman’s voice was warm with a strange lilt to it, and Elena’s eyes widened at her introduction.
“Wait. You’re Bonnie’s ancestor? How is that possible?” Caroline asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“Come with me, children. I’ll explain everything as soon as we get inside my home where it is safe. There are a few things I must do still, before we can begin,” she motioned for them to follow her, and the three of them stood up, sharing a look of caution. Ayana waited a few steps away. “Hurry now, my dears. We must get you out of such strange clothes before someone sees you,” the witch added with a look at their attire. The three of them looked down at their clothes and then back at Ayana.
“Are we…are we in the past?” Elena asked softly. The witch smiled and nodded.
“There you go, child. Now please, come along,” Ayana motioned once more and this time the three of them followed.
They reached what was apparently Ayana’s home in a little under a half hour, and she ushered them inside, much to their confusion. “How come we didn’t need to be invited in?” Caroline asked with a confused expression. Elena nodded, wondering the same thing, and they looked at the witch.
“Children, your species has not yet been born. You are in a time where ah, what is your word for them? Yes, vampires. You are in a time where vampires have not yet been created, therefore they can not exist in this time,” she explained with a warm expression. Elena and Caroline shared a look.
“You mean…we’re both human?” the emotion in Caroline’s voice was thick. She’d never thought she would be human again.
“Yes. And the young man is perfectly alive and well. All is the way of time travel, dears,” Ayana confirmed. “Now, while we wait for my young charge, I have prepared clothing for you all,” she disappeared for a moment before returning and holding out clothing for each to take. “Girls, your room is just down this hall, the last one on the north side, young man, yours is just across from them,” she pointed down the hall to the rooms and then left them to change.
Elena and Caroline slipped into the room and changed into the simple dresses Ayana had given them. “Do you think Bonnie realized she was sending us back in time? I mean, how does this even work? We’re human again and Jeremy is alive?” Caroline asked incredulously as they changed.
“I don’t know Care. Why would we need to be here? Will things in our time change because we’re here?” Elena added her own questions to the mix, and then they were walking back down the hall to join Ayana at the table. Jeremy joined them a few minutes later, and both girls raised their eyebrows in surprise at what he was wearing.
“I know you have questions, children, but first, let me ask your names. I did not get such information from my descendant,” Ayana greeted them with a smile.
“Elena, Caroline and Jeremy,” Elena answered the witch, pointing to herself, her friend and her brother as she spoke.
“I can tell that you two are siblings,” the witch motioned between Elena and Jeremy before continuing. “But to everyone in the village, you will all three be siblings, as well as my young charge. You may know of her, Elena, as the two of you share the same appearance,” Ayana explained to them and Elena’s eyes widened.
“Tatia?” she asked softly and the witch nodded.
“Yes. She is well aware of the situation, though it would be best that you do not share much of the future with her. There will come a time when you will tell her, but for now it would be best if you did not speak of the future. As for the villagers, they are only aware that I am to become responsible for Tatia’s twin sister and two other siblings. We have told them of how Tatia and her sister were forced apart when sickness tore through their home in the old world, but now, many years later, you are to be reunited due to your father’s passing. As Tatia has been my charge for several years now, I agreed to take the three of you in so Tatia could be with her family again,” as Ayana told them what their story would be, they listened closely.
Just as soon as Ayana was done speaking, a young woman stepped into the house and they all stared at her for a moment. She smiled warmly at the group. “You’ve arrived! How wonderful,” Elena stared at her curiously, and Tatia stared back at her for a moment. “Ayana warned me, but it is still quite strange to see you with my own eyes,” she murmured to Elena. Elena nodded.
“Yeah, it doesn’t ever get easier to process,” she told her older doppelganger.
“Can I ask how we’re all speaking the same language? I mean, I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t be able to communicate,” Caroline commented.
“I can only imagine it is similar to the reason you are perfectly human once more, child,” Ayana answered with a small shrug. “You are all needed here for a reason yet unknown to me, besides that you will change the course of history, and my descendant’s fate,” the witch continued. “Now, there are a few hours before our evening meal, but for now, you are welcome to visit the village. According to them, you all arrived late last night and have spent the day settling in and resting,” Ayana smiled as Tatia grabbed both Elena and Caroline’s hands and pulled them from the home, Jeremy following after them.
––
“Before we go back into the village, what are your names?” Tatia asked curiously. Once they each introduced themselves, the woman smiled and led them along a small path. “Ayana’s home rests on the edge of the village because she is a powerful witch and needs plenty of privacy. Though Rebekah and Kol visit occasionally to learn. They are close to our age, and can be good company. You’ll meet them soon enough,” Tatia smiled as she motioned ahead of them when they got closer to the village. Elena looked up to find the faces of Rebekah and Kol Mikaelson staring curiously at them, as well as a younger boy that she realized must be Henrik.
“Hello Rebekah, Kol, Henrik,” Tatia greeted them warmly.
“Hello Tatia. Are these your siblings, finally arrived from the old world?” Rebekah asked curiously.
“Yes, this is Elena, Caroline and Jeremy,” Tatia introduced them and they each said hello. Elena had to subtly nudge her brother so he wasn’t staring at Kol long enough to be noticed.
“We were just going to meet our brothers at the falls, would you all like to join us?” Rebekah asked with a smile and Tatia glanced at her ‘siblings’ in question.
“That sounds nice,” Elena replied slowly. “Ayana will be alright with it?” she asked her doppelganger, who nodded. Rebekah led the way with Tatia and the rest fell into step behind them. Caroline was looking around at the area curiously, taking in how different everything looked. Her and Elena both found Rebekah’s sweet friendliness to be a bit strange, but it was nice. The girl asked them all sorts of questions about their journey, and they answered her questions as best they could, sometimes with Tatia’s help.
It didn’t take long for them to hear the crashing of the falls, and moments later they could see it. The view was beautiful, and both Elena and Caroline voiced such things. Tatia and Rebekah both agreed with smiles. Then their attention was pulled away as two voices drifted towards them. Elena, Caroline and Jeremy exchanged a look when the others weren’t looking before they turned to face the newcomers.
Caroline watched him next to Elijah, laughing happily. It was such a strange image, to see the pure innocence on the face that had caused them so much trouble over the last several years. Seeing him like that certainly did not help her horrible little crush either. She watched him and Elijah approach, and when the men finally noticed them, her lips turned up in a small smile almost unconsciously. “Tatia, love, are these your beloved siblings you’ve spoken of?” his voice was sweet and pleasant and Caroline cursed herself silently.
“Hello, Nik. Yes, this is Elena, Caroline and Jeremy,” Tatia smiled as she introduced them. It turned out Elijah and Klaus were on their way back from setting traps in the forest, so they joined the group and everyone walked back towards the village together. Elena could easily see how Elijah and Tatia drew closer together as they walked. Jeremy and Caroline stayed close to Elena, though she caught her friend watching Klaus curiously. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who noticed Caroline’s gaze, because she was pretty sure she witnessed Klaus catch Caroline watching him, sending her friend a smile.
When they found their way back to the village, the Mikaelson siblings all said goodbye and Tatia, Elena and her friends all returned to Ayana’s home. “How long will we be here?” Caroline asked as they ate the stew Ayana’s had prepared for supper.
“I’m not sure, child, but do not fret. Time will pass a bit differently here than it does where you’re from. You could be here for several days or several years, and yet not much time would pass for my young descendant either way,” they all balked at such a realization- none of them had considered that they could be there for so long.
A week passed and the three of them adjusted to life in the past. Elena and Caroline hauled water with Tatia and helped Ayana collect plants and herbs for her craft. Jeremy learned how to set traps for game and chopped wood for the fire. Elena had stressed over Jeremy learning to hunt from Klaus and Elijah, but she had to remind herself that they were different in this time, and that they weren’t a danger to Jeremy. Rebekah and Tatia spent time teaching Elena and Caroline to braid, the latter making up a story about why they did not know any of the fancier braids so Elena and Caroline didn’t have to stumble through an excuse. They found that Tatia covered for them easily, spinning tales of a childhood that had never been, and both of them as well as Jeremy simply followed her lead.
Elena was just returning from fetching water when she came face to face with Esther for the first time. Caroline was with Tatia somewhere, and she was pretty sure Jeremy was off with Klaus and Elijah for the day. She looked up from her task to find Esther walking towards her with Finn and Kol at her sides. Kol smirked playfully at her and she smiled in response. “Good afternoon. It is Elena, correct?” Esther greeted her with a warm smile and Elena nodded.
“Yes ma’am,” she replied, ignoring the look Kol shot her. She wasn’t really sure how she should address the witch.
“I only wished to finally meet the rest of Tatia’s family now that you’ve arrived. My sons have lessons with Ayana today, so I thought I might accompany them,” Esther explained and Elena glanced at Finn and Kol curiously. “You do not shy away from magic, child?” Elena turned her gaze back on Esther, slowly shaking her head.
“There was a witch in my village back home, we were friends,” she explained quietly, eyes flicking towards Kol to see the younger Mikaelson brother still giving her a curious expression. Finn was also giving her a similarly curious expression, but much more reserved.
“Ah yes, Ayana told me of her niece, was it?” Esther asked and Elena nodded again. “Where are your sisters and your brother, Elena?”
“Tatia and Caroline should be returning from gathering berries soon, and Jeremy is hunting with Niklaus and Elijah I think,” she told the witch.
“Perhaps your siblings and Ayana would like to join us for a meal this evening?” Elena tried not to let her fear show as she smiled.
“That sounds lovely, thank you. Ayana is waiting inside, please come in,” the brunette nodded and turned towards the witch’s home with her buckets.
“Allow me, darling,” suddenly Kol was beside her, taking the buckets from her hands and carrying them towards the house.
“Oh, thank you Kol,” she said softly in her surprise. When she moved to follow him, she caught Finn and Esther watching her with matching expressions that she didn’t know how to read.
They stepped into the home and Ayana smiled at them from the hearth. “Good afternoon, Kol. I see you ran into Elena,” the witch took in the scene with a warm expression and Elena watched Kol set the buckets down and turn to greet the older witch happily. Then Esther and Finn stepped into the home as well and Ayana smiled at them too. “Hello, Esther, will you be here for the boys’ lesson today?” Ayana asked the other witch.
“I won’t stay, no, dear friend. I only came to invite you and your charges to share a meal with us this evening,” Esther replied.
“That would be lovely,” Ayana nodded. Moments later Esther was leaving Ayana’s home and the witch was ushering Kol and Finn towards her spellroom, as she called it.
“Care to join us, Elena?” Kol called brightly and Elena looked up in surprise, gaze flicking from Kol to Ayana. Ayana was looking at the younger Mikaelson with a curious glint in her eye, but when she turned her gaze on Elena, her expression was warm.
“I don’t want to get in the middle of your lessons,” she started slowly.
“Nonsense darling, you’ll give us someone to show off for,” Kol winked at her and she was pretty sure she caught Finn rolling his eyes at his little brother. Looking back at Ayana for confirmation, the witch just smiled and motioned her closer.
“Come along then, dears,” Ayana ushered them all into the large spellchamber. “Elena, you can sit there just outside of the circle,” she directed and Elena moved to the small pile of pelts and sat down, tucking her feet beneath her and resting her back against the wall.
––
Caroline and Tatia were just finishing up their task of collecting berries when two familiar voices touched her ears. The blonde looked at Tatia to see if the other girl had heard them too, finding her smiling at her. “Shall we go and greet Elijah and Niklaus?” Tatia asked and Caroline nodded. Together the two young women carried their baskets in the direction of the voices, finding Elijah and Niklaus sparring with their swords in a small clearing. Klaus noticed them first, a grin splitting his face as he took in their new audience. Caroline watched as his efforts against Elijah doubled, though when Elijah noticed them, he too stepped up his game.
Their duel finally came to an end when Klaus’ sword cut Elijah’s belt from his waist. The brothers laughed, and Tatia was smiling while Caroline took the moment to admire how young and free Klaus appeared in this time. It was almost difficult for her to reconcile this fun loving young man with the monster she’d begun to fall for in her own time. Though with the way his eyes twinkled happily, she was well aware that she was doomed to fall for this version of him too.
“Hello Tatia, Caroline,” Klaus lifted the brunette’s hand to his lips in greeting and then did the same to Caroline, and the blonde knew her cheeks flushed slightly at the action. “You just missed your brother, I believe he was headed back to the village with a few rabbits he managed to snare,” Klaus continued. Caroline watched him glance at Tatia as the brunette moved closer to Elijah and recalled that both brothers had been in love with the woman. But then his gaze was on her again and she couldn’t help but return the smile he gave her.
“We were just finishing up our chores for the day when we overheard you and wanted to say hello before we started back towards the village,” Tatia explained with a smile.
“Well, lovely Tatia, let us accompany you back to your home. Two lovely ladies shouldn’t be wandering the forest on their own so close to dark,” Elijah told them kindly and Caroline watched as Tatia giggled lightly.
“You know we are perfectly capable, Elijah,” the brunette chided playfully and Elijah smiled at her and offered her his arm. Caroline thought she would find jealousy in Klaus’ eyes when she turned to look at the other man, but instead he was looking at her with a sweet smile.
“Would you allow me to see you home, Caroline?” he asked politely, offering her his arm. Nodding, she stepped toward him and slipped her hand onto his arm. “See Elijah, that is how you properly offer to escort a beautiful woman home,” Caroline couldn’t stop the light laugh that escaped her lips at Klaus’ teasing his older brother. The grin Klaus gave her was bright and amused, and she smiled back at him as the four of them made their way back towards the village.
––
Walking through the forest with three rabbits tied to his waist a thousand years in the past was not something Jeremy ever imagined doing, but he also wasn’t really surprised. Ever since the Salvatores had shown back up in Mystic Falls, he and his sister’s lives had been turned upside down. Then his sister had turned into a vampire and they’d gone to search for a cure, which got him killed, thanks to Katherine. Now, he was living with his sister, his sister’s doppelganger, and Caroline under the guardianship of a witch who was apparently Bonnie’s ancestor. To top it all off, the very vampires that had made their lives a living hell for the past two years were also living in the village, and they were human, which was a concept he was having trouble wrapping his head around. Every time they ran into Kol, he kept expecting the guy to try to get revenge for Jeremy killing him, but of course that hadn’t happened here. It was the same with Klaus, every time Jeremy saw him he expected some sort of threat to him or his family, but instead the man treated him like a younger brother.
Having Klaus and Elijah teaching him to set traps and hunt with a bow had to have been some of the absolute weirdest things Jeremy could come up with, and he’d died and come back to life several times. He was automatically on edge every time any of the Mikaelsons were around, but they were nothing but kind to him. After a week of living in the past, Jeremy couldn’t help but admit that he might actually like their life in the village more than the life they had had before. Things seemed so much simpler, and the people that were the biggest threat at home were just normal people.
Jeremy was just walking past the creek on his way back to Ayana’s home with the rabbits he’d caught, when he heard laughter coming from the bank. Glancing down, he spotted Rebekah and Henrik. Rebekah seemed to be trying to fill several buckets with water while her little brother played in the water. “Henrik you’re going to freeze if you get your clothes all wet! Mother will skin you alive!” Rebekah scolded as she carried one bucket up the steep bank before returning for the second.
“Come on Bekah! Just a quick game?” the young boy pleaded with his sister and Jeremy couldn’t help but think of when he and Elena were younger and he would try to drag her outside away from her diary.
“We have to get the water back to Mother so she can start on supper, Henrik,” the blonde told her brother with a sigh, carrying the second bucket up the bank. But then she must have stepped on a loose rock, because the girl stumbled and the bucket went rolling back down the bank. Rebekah tumbled a short way and Jeremy was already moving towards them, maneuvering down the bank easily.
“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked as he snagged the bucket before it could float down the creek. He watched as the girl nodded and tried to stand up, only to whimper in pain. “Here, let me help you,” bending down, he set the bucket down and glanced at Henrik. “Henrik, can you fill that bucket while I get Rebekah up the bank?” the young boy nodded and moved back towards the water. Jeremy turned back to the blonde and looped her arm over his shoulders, lifting her gently to stand.
“Thank you,” Rebekah murmured quietly, leaning on him just a bit.
“Are you gonna be able to get up the bank?” he asked her curiously. She nodded and took a step only for Jeremy to catch her as she stumbled again. He couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “You know, it's alright to need help. Here, I can carry you up the bank, and then I’ll get the other bucket from Henrik,” the young man gently scooped Rebekah into his arms and carried her up the steep part of the bank. Elena had fallen asleep on the couch and he’d carried her to bed before, so it wasn’t that difficult. Rebekah barely weighed anything. Gently, he set her down on flat ground and told Henrik to take his place at his sister’s side while Jeremy went back down for the bucket of water.
When he got back up to them, he glanced between Rebekah and the two buckets full of water. “Can you carry one of those, Henrik?” he asked the young boy. Henrik nodded.
“Of course I can!” the boy grinned. Jeremy glanced at Rebekah curiously to double check. The girl nodded in confirmation and Jeremy nodded back.
“Okay. Rebekah, I can carry you and come back for the other bucket, or if you think you can make it, Henrik can help you walk and I can carry both buckets,” he already knew what he would probably end up doing, but he decided to give her a choice anyways.
“I can walk with Henrik,” she told him firmly. He knew that was going to last about three seconds, but he just nodded and picked up both buckets. Henrik wrapped his arm around his sister and she leaned on him as she tried to take a step. She managed about two half steps before it was obvious she was going to collapse if she kept trying to walk.
“Come on Bekah. Let Jeremy carry you. You know you’ll only make your ankle worse,” the young boy told his sister and Jeremy smiled at the scolding tone in his voice. The kid was at least five years younger than them, but Jeremy could almost hear Elijah in his voice. Rebekah scowled at her little brother for a moment but ultimately sighed and nodded with an embarrassed look at Jeremy. He scooped her up easily, Henrik grabbed one of the buckets, and off they went. As they stepped into the village, Jeremy felt Rebekah tense in his arms and followed her gaze to find Mikael heading their direction.
He hadn’t ever had to interact with the man in his time, but he knew that Mikael was feared by pretty much everyone, his children included. Jeremy wasn’t sure how much of that was valid in this time, but he decided to tread carefully. “What is this?” Mikael demanded as he neared them.
“I fell climbing the creek bank while fetching water,” Rebekah told her father softly. Mikael’s gaze shifted to Jeremy and the young man nodded.
“I was just returning from collecting the game from my snares when I came upon them, sir. She couldn’t walk. I was planning on returning to fetch the second bucket of water as soon as I got her back to the village,” Jeremy explained slowly, resisting the urge to fidget under Mikael’s gaze. But the man surprised him by simply nodding.
“Thank you for your help, son. I’ll take my daughter to my wife. Henrik can go and fetch the second bucket of water,” the man said as he gently cradled his daughter against his chest.
“It’s no problem, really. I can go and get it,” he offered once more.
“Nonsense, boy. You’ve done plenty. Besides, you have game to get home,” Mikael nodded at the rabbits tied to Jeremy’s waist. He’d completely forgotten about the rabbits he’d caught. Simply nodding respectfully, Jeremy turned towards Ayana’s home and left the siblings with their father.
When he reached Ayana’s home and was told of how they would be joining the Mikaelsons for supper, he pulled the rabbits from his belt. “Should I clean these first or should I just take them to give to Esther?” he asked the witch. She regarded him curiously for a moment, making him shift from one foot to the other. “We’re eating their food, shouldn’t we contribute to the meal too?” he asked.
“Oh. Yes child, I suppose Esther might appreciate such a gesture. Go ahead and take them to her,” Ayana smiled as she sent him back out of the house. Jeremy followed the path into the village and made his way over to the house that the Original family lived in. He was a bit surprised when Esther herself opened the door, and he had to force himself not to flinch as she stepped toward him.
“Hello, Jeremy. I must thank you for helping dear Rebekah. What brings you over?” she asked with a smile and he held out the three rabbits.
“Ayana informed me we would be joining your family for supper, and I wanted to contribute what I could, so that we aren’t taking as much food away from your family,” he explained politely. It still felt weird, how everyone spoke here, but he’d mostly gotten used to it. The warm expression on Esther’s face made him hope he hadn’t offended them.
“That is kind of you, child. I will add them to the stew, thank you,” she took the rabbits from him with a nod. “Would you like to come in? I’m sure Rebekah would enjoy the company while she tends the fire. My husband went with Henrik to fetch the last water pail and to collect Elijah and Niklaus,” the witch motioned him into the house, much to his surprise. He followed her through the door and found Rebekah seated on a chair near the fire, her ankle wrapped in cloth.
“Jeremy! What are you doing here?” Rebekah looked up with a curious smile.
“Rebekah, don’t be rude,” Esther scolded her daughter and Jeremy hesitantly took a seat on the floor.
“It’s okay, really. I know she wasn’t trying to be rude,” Jeremy told Esther with a small smile before turning to Rebekah. “I wanted to bring your mother my rabbits to add to tonight’s supper, since my family is joining yours,” he explained to the girl.
––
Caroline was listening to Klaus as they walked, Elijah and Tatia just ahead of them. He was telling her about the carving he’d been working on for his youngest brother, when his voice dropped and she could feel him tense. “What is it?” she asked as she looked around. It was then that she noticed Mikael making his way towards them with Henrik at his side. She suddenly had the urge to step between Klaus and his father, but knew better than to do such a thing.
“Father, we were just on our way back when we discovered Tatia and Caroline and decided to escort them back to the village,” Elijah explained to the man as he approached. Caroline tried to read the man’s face, but it was practically impossible.
“Just as well, boy. They’ll be joining us this evening for supper,” Mikael told his children, glancing at the girls for a long moment. “Where is your sister?” he asked them.
“Elena was home with Ayana when we set out this afternoon, sir,” Caroline told him quietly. Mikael nodded and motioned for them all to follow him.
“Very well. You’ll have plenty of time to take your baskets home before supper is ready,” the blonde watched Mikael take the lead in their group, and Klaus remained stiff beside her, no longer talking at all. Elijah and Tatia still spoke softly to one another, but Klaus was silent beside Caroline. She glanced up at him with a curious frown, and could easily make out the uneasiness in his eyes. Mikael had barely looked at him, but she imagined it didn’t take much after everything she knew of what the man had done to Klaus.
They walked in quiet until they reached the village. There, Mikael was stopped by a few of the other men, but motioned for his children to keep going. The small group made their way towards Ayana’s home so Caroline and Tatia could take their baskets of berries and herbs home. “Rebekah almost fell into the creek today!” Henrik announced. The four of them looked curiously at the younger boy.
“Is our sister alright, Henrik?” Klaus asked worriedly.
“Oh she’s fine. Jeremy carried her all the way back to the village,” he told them. Caroline gave him a surprised look and glanced at Tatia and the men.
“I’m sure Father would be interested to hear such a thing,” Elijah said slowly and Caroline thought she caught a note of caution in his voice.
“He already knows! He saw us come back into the village and carried her back to the house,” by the way the two older brothers were reacting, Caroline was confused.
“Is it not customary here to help those who are injured,” she asked Klaus with a small frown, glancing at Tatia as well, since they were supposed to be sisters.
“The men in the village are just afraid of her,” Henrik supplied once more and Caroline was even more confused. “They’re afraid of Mother too,” the blonde wondered why that was, but didn’t have the chance to voice her question.
“That’s enough, Henrik,” Elijah scolded his little brother and Caroline glanced at Tatia with a curious expression that Klaus must have caught.
“They believe our sister to be a powerful witch, like Mother,” he told her softly.
“I don’t understand. That’s a bad thing?” she asked with a tilt of her head. She had trouble seeing being a witch as a bad thing, but then again, her best friend was a witch, and she’d had more than her share of supernatural things that were much scarier -the man beside her being one of them.
“Many men are intimidated by the thought of their wife holding more power than them. Our family is..unique,” Elijah explained. Then they were stepping up to the house. Tatia opened the door and stepped in and Caroline followed, telling the boys they would see them in a short while.
––
Elena had spent the day watching Kol and Finn practice magic. Finn was rather practical in his lessons but Kol enjoyed a challenge, and he enjoyed showing off. Ayana scolded him several times for showing off for Elena, but Elena could see the amusement in the older witch’s eyes even as she reprimanded him. She enjoyed watching them practice, and she found herself enjoying Kol’s antics as well. He was so much different than he had been as a vampire, and her heart ached at the thought of what she and Jeremy had done to him.
It was difficult to sit and spend time with him when she knew what happened to him in the future, but she also knew that they were there in the past for a reason. Maybe she could find a way to change what had happened, or at least fix it. Kol was sweet, playful and charming, she admitted to herself, and his flirtations made her smile and laugh. As the day went on, Elena wondered what Caroline and Jeremy were up to. She knew Care had gone off with Tatia and Jer had been hunting with Klaus and Elijah, at least as far as she knew, though it was possible Jer was off by himself doing who knows what.
She had gone out into the forest with Finn and Kol at Kol’s insistence, after she’d gotten permission from Ayana. They were sitting near the falls and Finn was practicing drawing water from the earth while Kol did his best to cause trouble. “Kol!” Elena laughed with a shake of her head as he made wind whip Finn’s hair around. “Let your brother practice for a bit, why don’t you!” she told him through her laughter. “Come over here and show me a few things while Finn finishes his spell,” Elena practically dragged him away from Finn and sat back down on a large rock with him beside her.
“You’re so cruel to me darling,” he teased lightly and she laughed with a roll of her eyes.
“Come on. Show me something you think I haven’t seen before,” she challenged him with a grin. He smirked back at her and she was well aware Finn was probably frowning at them from inside his circle. Elena watched in amusement as Kol made various things levitate around her. “I’m starting to wonder if you even can show me something I haven’t seen,” she smirked at him and he jumped up from the rock and stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the falls.
“How about this?” he asked and with a few quiet words, he held out a henbane flower coated in a perfect layer of ice to the point that it appeared as if it were made from glass. Her eyes widened at the sight as she gently took the flower from him. “Complete with a preservation spell so it won’t ever wilt and the ice won’t melt. You could put it in the fire and it would remain the same,” he told her proudly, and she grinned as she looked up at him.
“This is amazing, Kol,” she murmured as she turned the flower over in her hands.
“Can I assume I’ve completed your request for something you haven’t seen before?” he asked her brightly and she nodded, still enthralled by the flower.
When they finally returned to the village, Elena said a temporary goodbye as she slipped into Ayana’s home while Kol and Finn made their way towards their own home. She found Caroline and Tatia waiting for her with Ayana, but no Jeremy. “Where’s Jer?” she asked as she looked around.
“I imagine he’s already there. He went over with a few rabbits for Esther and hasn’t returned. We’ll most likely find him there,” Ayana smiled as she tucked a loaf of bread into a basket to take with them. Then the girls followed the witch into the village. When they arrived, sure enough Jeremy was inside. What surprised Elena most of all was that Mikael was speaking to him in a friendly manner while the two of them sat near the fire. The men looked up when they all entered, and Jeremy sent a hesitant smile their way but didn’t interrupt whatever Mikael was telling him.
“Excuse my husband, he is unaccustomed to company,” Esther’s voice was a bit sharp, and Elena watched the man in question frown at his wife. He reached a hand out and squeezed Jeremy’s shoulder as he stood and turned towards the group.
“Welcome Ayana, girls,” he nodded to them and they each greeted him softly.
Supper was relatively friendly, though Esther scolded her husband several times for asking too many questions of Ayana’s young charges. By the time they all headed back to Ayana’s home, Elena found herself enjoying the company of most of the Mikaelsons. Even Mikael was relatively warm towards them, which was something she had trouble comprehending. When she and Caroline stepped into their room to dress down to sleep, Elena pulled out the flower Kol had given her to show Caroline. “You really spent the day flirting with Kol?” the blonde asked, though Elena could only hear amusement in her voice.
“Like you spent the day with Klaus?” she replied with a look.
“Okay but you know that’s different! You didn’t like Kol at home…did you?” her friend gave her an intense look and Elena shook her head.
“I mean, no, but did we ever really give him a chance? His brothers kept him in a box for centuries, and all we really did was try to kill him,” Elena murmured softly. “He’s sweet. And fun,” she shrugged.
“Oh my god you were flirting with him all day!” Caroline exclaimed and Elena rolled her eyes.
“So what? We don’t know how long we’ll be here, and we’re here for a reason, right? Maybe it has to do with their human lives. Why else would the magic take us back to being human too?” she asked slowly, thinking about the reasons they could be there. It still didn’t make sense in her mind, but after a week with the human Mikaelsons, she couldn’t help but think about what their lives could be like in the village.