"so... the Bennett witch handled all the werewolves?" Elijah asked the Martins witches, who simply nodded.
"She was supposed to be just a novice witch," Luka Martin replied, confused, "but the way she dealt with the werewolves… she looked like a war witch."
Even Elijah gasped slightly at the name. War witches were witches who grew up on battlefields.
They fought like soldiers and used magic as weapons, not as something sacred.
Elijah had the displeasure of dealing with some of them… and he had truly struggled to eliminate them.
"She managed to throw me across the room," Elijah said as if it were nothing.
But the Martins widened their eyes. To throw a vampire like Elijah required an immense amount of magic.
A magical atomic bomb.
"Damn..." Jonas muttered, irritated. "I don't think we could nullify her."
"I'm sure you couldn't," Elijah replied honestly. "Even if you manage to nullify her, she has a vampire at least 900 years old loyal to her… and others around 500 years old. All of them with magic."
"Vampires with magic?" Jonas looked shocked. "That's a legend."
"No..." Elijah said. "I saw it with my own eyes."
Jonas and Luka's eyes widened even more.
"What the hell did we get ourselves into?" they both thought.
--++--
Things kept moving forward. Elijah continued with his plans and tried not to involve Caroline and Bonnie.
That's when Damon, along with John—who had just gotten out of jail—planned to stab Elijah.
But as expected, when they tried, Elijah had already disappeared and reappeared behind them… and beat them both down.
--++--
Isobel showed up, played her games with Elena, and then tried to free Katherine. But unlike the original story, Elijah wasn't daggered… so she couldn't free herself from compulsion.
And soon, Klaus arrived in town.
He used Alaric's body to cause chaos and confusion.
Katherine was trapped in her imaginary cell when Klaus appeared.
"Hello, love," Klaus teased, leaning against the wall.
"Klaus..." Katherine whimpered, curling into herself. "Please kill me… just kill me, please."
She begged not to be tortured, and Klaus only smiled.
"Come now, love. I spent 600 years looking for you. You don't want this to end so quickly, do you?" Klaus smiled, still leaning against the wall. "Come on… come out."
Katherine just shook her head.
"I can't. I'm trapped," she said, fear in her voice.
"Damn it... Elijah," Klaus growled. "He's going to try to ruin everything."
+++
The new battle began.
"I won't let anyone sacrifice themselves for me," Elena snapped like a spoiled child.
"Oh my God, Elena..." Caroline sighed, exhausted. "No one is sacrificing themselves for you. We're just helping you survive."
"The oldest vampire in the world wants to use me in a ritual to break a curse, and he'll kill anything in his way to do it," Elena insisted.
"Didn't you hear Nik? Every creature in the world wants to use your blood to create and break curses," Bonnie said, clearly annoyed.
"Where is Nik?" Elena demanded. "He should be here—and he disappeared with my brother!"
"Yeah, where is he when we need him?" Damon added, frustrated. He knew they had no chance against Elijah and Klaus without Nik. "Her brother and her Pokémon would be useful right now too."
"Well, Nik is on a mission given by his mother… and Jeremy is necessary," Bonnie said, not revealing much.
"His mother… your boss?" Damon asked, fishing for information.
"Something like that," Bonnie replied casually.
"I knew that bastard worked for someone," Damon said with a grin.
"But changing the subject," Caroline cut in, "what's your deal with Elijah?"
Everyone looked at Elena.
"He has a potion that supposedly will bring me back," Elena said.
"Vampire blood is better," Damon cut in.
"No, I don't want to be a vampire," Elena replied quickly.
"I have an idea," Bonnie said suddenly. "What about a linking spell? Nik did that with your brother and his vampires."
"Good idea," Caroline nodded. "All the damage Elena takes gets transferred to someone else… but who?"
--++---
In the middle of the night, Caroline kidnapped John and compelled him to willingly sacrifice himself for Elena, and Bonnie used the linking spell between John and Elena.
--++--
"Hello," Bonnie said as she approached a bar table where Alaric was sitting. "Don't pretend. I know you're Klaus."
"Oh? And what do you want with me… and what a beautiful blonde you brought," Klaus said, looking at Caroline.
"Too bad this blonde is taken," Caroline replied with an eye roll. "Let's get to the point. You do your ritual, we don't interfere, and in return, you don't use any vampire or werewolf from this town."
"And what do I gain from that?" Klaus asked mockingly.
"We don't kill this body of yours… and we don't trap your soul in a pig's butt," Bonnie said with a wicked smile.
"I don't know if you're aware, but this body is protected by magic—"
Klaus didn't have time to finish when Caroline grabbed a knife from the table and stabbed his hand.
He groaned in pain.
"As for your magic, I nullified it the moment I walked into the bar," Bonnie said confidently. "Don't worry, it'll come back once I leave."
Klaus looked at his hand pierced by the knife… and then started laughing.
It wasn't nervous.
It was… genuinely impressed.
"I'm starting to understand," he said, pulling the knife out slowly, ignoring the pain, "why my brother is being so… cautious."
He looked up at Bonnie.
"Bennett witch… you're not just powerful."
A small smile appeared.
"You're dangerous."
Bonnie crossed her arms, unfazed.
"Was that a compliment?"
"It was a warning," Klaus replied.
Caroline leaned slightly over the table, staring him down.
"Then accept the deal."
Silence.
Klaus spun the knife between his fingers, thinking.
"So… you want me to perform the ritual without touching anyone in this town."
He looked between Bonnie and Caroline.
"And in return… you don't interfere."
"Exactly," Bonnie confirmed.
Another silence.
But this time… heavy.
Because something had changed.
Klaus wasn't playing anymore.
He was calculating.
"There's a problem," he said finally.
Bonnie raised an eyebrow.
"There always is."
Klaus smirked.
"I don't need your permission."
And then—
He moved.
Fast.
Very fast.
But Bonnie was ready.
She raised her hand the exact moment Klaus tried to advance.
And this time…
It wasn't a push.
It was like the world itself decided to stop.
Klaus froze in place.
Not completely still…
But slow.
Heavy.
As if every movement was being crushed by invisible tons.
Caroline blinked, surprised.
"Okay… that's new."
Bonnie stepped forward.
Her eyes completely black with magic.
"I'm not asking."
Another step.
"I'm giving you a choice."
Klaus tried to smile…
But even that seemed difficult.
"You think…" he forced the words, "you can stop me?"
Bonnie tilted her head slightly.
"No." She knew she only managed this because he was in a human body.
Then she smiled.
"But I can delay you."
Caroline understood instantly.
"Long enough for the ritual not to go your way."
Klaus's eyes flashed with something new.
Anger.
Real anger.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with…"
"We do," Bonnie cut in. "That's why you're still alive."
Silence.
The pressure increased a little more.
The glass on the table nearby… shattered.
Klaus closed his eyes for a second.
Breathed.
And when he opened them again…
He was smiling again.
But colder.
"Very well."
The pressure around him… broke.
Not because Bonnie let go.
But because he forced it.
One step forward.
Free.
Caroline tensed immediately.
"I accept the deal."
Both of them froze.
Bonnie narrowed her eyes.
"You're lying."
Klaus shrugged.
"Probably."
Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Wow, so trustworthy."
But Klaus continued:
"However… I am also a man of my word."
He looked directly at Bonnie.
"I won't touch any vampire or werewolf in this town."
Bonnie studied every detail of his expression.
"And the humans?"
A slow smile.
"I never said anything about them."
Caroline let out an annoyed sigh.
"Psychopath."
Bonnie stayed silent for a few seconds.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Then she nodded.
"Deal."
Caroline turned quickly.
"Bonnie—"
"It's under control," Bonnie said without taking her eyes off Klaus.
Klaus watched them for a moment…
Then stood up.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you."
He took a few steps… then stopped.
Without turning back, he said:
"Oh… and Bennett witch?"
Bonnie didn't respond.
"When all of this is over…"
"I'll want you on my side."
Caroline let out a short laugh.
"Good luck with that."
Klaus smiled faintly.
And then left.
The bar fell silent.
For a few seconds.
Until Caroline turned to Bonnie.
"You don't trust him."
"Not even a little."
"Then why did you agree?"
Bonnie looked at the door Klaus had just walked through.
Her eyes still heavy with magic.
"Because now… he doesn't trust us either."
Caroline frowned.
"And how does that help?"
Bonnie gave a small smile.
"Because it means he'll play safe."
A pause.
"And that's exactly what we need."
Bonnie sighed and then glanced toward where Klaus had been.
"The way he talks… doesn't it remind you of someone? Even though he's in Alaric's body?"
"Yeah, it reminds me of Nik," Caroline sighed. "I miss my hot boyfriend."
"Yeah… what are the chances that the Original who is Nik's father… is Klaus?" Bonnie asked, a bit tired.
"All of them."
Both of them said at the same time.