Red Passion

Chapter 19

"One day. I can't believe we only have one day; how did this happen, why didn't we notice sooner?" Caroline fires a million questions a second as she anxiously paces around the Mikaelsons' living room, very nearly hyperventilating (which—first vampire to ever do so, thank you very much).

Everybody else around her looks way too calm for her liking, which only adds to her stress and makes her even more nervous.

"We have everything under control, Blondie," Damon rolls his eyes from his position against the wall, tumbler full of Bourbon in hand. "No need to get all worked up."

Caroline scoffs, turning towards the raven-haired vampire with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of pure disgust and contempt shadowing over her face.

"No, Damon, we don't have everything under control. Bonnie is still about to die, but of course you wouldn't care about that."

The Salvatore's features harden immediately. He moves to take a step forward towards the baby vampire, but Klaus takes a protective, dangerous stance right in front of her before the other man can even as much as twitch a muscle.

"Come on, let's just calm down," Stefan intervenes, a hopeful look on his face as he manages to draw everybody's attention on him and interrupt the tense bickering.

Caroline takes a long, deep breath, leaning into Klaus' side in search of some comfort, nuzzling against his shoulder with a sigh.

The action seems to make the whole room freeze for a moment, Elena's eyes widening in shock. Katherine and Rebekah smirk widely at the Mystic Falls' gang's reaction, a fond, curious smile curving Elijah's lips at the same time.

But the hybrid and the baby vampire in question don't seem to notice the weird, open glances thrown their way—or, if they do, they pay them no mind—and Klaus reassuringly wraps his arm around Caroline's shoulders, holding her even closer.

Eventually, a few minutes later, it's Stefan who uncomfortably clears his throat. Caroline looks up at the rest of the group, but doesn't make any attempt to leave Klaus' warm and comforting embrace; she has nothing to hide, after all.

"Anyway," Elena averts her gaze, half because of her embarrassment and half because of her uneasiness at the sight. "Your witches have a way to defeat Esther, let's focus on that."

"I agree," Bonnie eagerly jumps in, nodding her head. "And there's no way that they will fail with my help."

But the decisive sentence petrifies the whole room instead of reassuring the people gathered in it, the umpteenth reminder that, just because they are about to win this war, it doesn't mean that they are not losing something as well.

A rigid silence falls upon them, and Bonnie can't help but sigh.

She knows that she would feel the exact same way if the roles were reversed, if it was Caroline or Elena willing to die to protect her or someone else that she cares about, but she has made her decision the same way that her two friends have made many of theirs along the way, and she is not going to change her mind about it.

Klaus and Rebekah share a long look, thinking back to their previous conversation, still somewhat wary.

It was for sure shocking to find out what exactly they had still been missing from the big picture. It wasn't a matter of things not clicking together or not making any sense, because the Bennett witch herself has decided to die for them all. It's a weird thought, an odd sensation, and it causes them a pang of sadness for what Caroline must be going through.

Part of them wishes that there was something they could do, but not even their witches can help this time. Bonnie's life is connected to Esther's spell itself, and, if that doesn't come to fruition in the next twenty-four hours, then she will have to die, ceasing to exist the exact same moment that the opposition surge reaches its climax and inevitably ends.