Above All Else

Chapter 9

Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before burned through him at the speed of light. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, and he had no control over himself what so ever. Another sudden burst of pain ripped through him, Dying by White Oak certainly was a picnic compared to this, he thought to himself before heard a terrible scream echo in his ears only to realize that it had come from him. He felt as if he was being ripped apart and sown back together with a dull needle and course twine. It was excruciating. It felt as if his throat was being torn apart by his screams only to suddenly feel nothing at all. He could vaguely hear a disembodied voice calling his name through a fog. Feeling began to return to his body starting at the tips of his toes moving slowly up reaching out to the tips of his fingers, but he almost wish it hadn't. He never felt so heavy, so weak, even when he was human all those centuries ago. Drawing in a ragged breath through his parched and throbbing throat he finally opened his eyes to first see a wooden ceiling then shifted to a man standing over him.

"Kol! Come on you little prick. Can you hear me or not?"

Kol let out a rough cough that caused his head to throb before he hoarsely responded, "Will you quite your shouting." He winced at the pain as he attempted to clear his sore throat, "And I can guarantee you my prick is anything but little you old goat."

The man breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I know you're back, if you're trying to defend your prick size my friend."

Kol slowly began to gain stock over what had occurred, astonishment coloring his ragged voice, "They did it. Those bloody witches actually did it." He made a move to sit up, his goal to get off the hard table that seen to his resurrection, only to have the other man catch him around his waist before he fell.

"Easy there Kol, you are going to be weak as a newborn kitten until your body adjusts to the changes it's undergone." The man said as he helped Kol to slowly walk around the witches still laying on the floor around the trestle table.

Kol gave the man a critical eye as he limped his way to the sofa with assistance, "And just how long is that going to take Watcher? And why did no one explain that part, all I've heard from the witches is that time is of the essence. Well, Magnhilt also seemed pretty gleeful about the suffering I endured."

The Watcher carefully lowered Kol down onto the sofa, "I'm sure Magnhilt was after how you were with her coven all those centuries ago. But don't you dare think you can take that tone with me Kol. No one on this Earth or beyond knew what would happen completely after you came back, which by the way you haven't even said a thank you for yet." The Watcher joked out in the end.

Kol's natural reason was to chuckle but he stopped at the pain in his throat. "Oh yes, how remiss of me to forget my manners while I've been in excruciating pain and only been back from the dead its self for what now?" He turned his head towards the clock on the mantle above the fireplace, "Five minutes?"

Rolling his eyes, The Watcher took a step back from the sofa, "Fine my friend, I'll allow this dire disregard of common courtesy in respect to the fact you've just been through an awful ordeal," He raised his hand to point and wave his finger at Kol, "But don't let it happen again."

Kol laughed hoarsely, wincing through the pain as a genuine smile grew over his face, "Ah. And everyone says I have a flair for dramatics!"

The Watcher replied cockily, "Some call it charm Darling." Both men laughed and smile in comradery before gasps and whimpers were heard from behind them. "I should see how the witches are and get them into bed." Letting out a sigh he looked back at Kol, "Looks like we will be sharing the living room, I'll have to double them up in all the beds."

"Won't be the first time we passed out together on the sofas, here's hoping some good Rum will be involved again as well." Kol replied cheekily.

The Watcher let out a chuckle as he went about checking the witches, helping the ones who had begun to stir into the four bedrooms of the cabin. He was thankful he had set up the air mattresses on the floors of the bedrooms to accommodate everyone, heading over to the remaining four witches he knelt down next to one to pick her up, only to notice she was as cold as ice. Frantically he checked for a pulse but unfortunately he found none. Sitting back on his heels he let out a melancholy sigh before he took his gaze off her to look at the remaining three. He stayed still for a moment gathering his wits before he moved to check on them as well.