Chapter 22:

2 months later

Bonnie was grateful that she no longer felt the cold and her bright orange wool coat with the oversized peplum collar was for show. She had on a pair of skinny jeans and three inch bright orange wool designer boots. She paired it all with a navy silk blouse. Elena and Caroline couldn't believe the transformation in her over the last two months. Now she was sauntering across the square with the girls as they did their Christmas shopping.

Elena had on a pair of dark slacks and a caramel silk blouse with a dark blazer. She looked like a female version of Elijah. She pranced along in her black Leboutains. Caroline was on Bonnie's other side in navy tights with a red, blue, green plaid skirt with a navy sweater vest and sporting the whole school girl sort of persona with a pair of Ugg heeled boots. They were taking the opportunity to shop for the guy's gifts this afternoon as Christmas was about a week away.

The biggest change was Rebekah though who was now twenty weeks along and undeniably pregnant. She had been secluded away at the mansion for much of that time but today she was out shopping and Elijah felt that required a full show of force so she had Stefan plus three original bodyguards with her as she shopped in her stylish white maternity dress and Ugg boots.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stefan worried.

"I promise you I'm fine," Rebekah sighed gently, "women have been doing this for quite some time you know."

"Not women like you," Elijah reminded her.

"I feel fine Elijah, honestly. I promise everything feels normal; here," she grabbed his hand and placed it against her belly for a moment and he felt the baby kick and push against his hand a moment later. "Does that seem like anything other than normal? Now I need to finish this shopping because at some point I am going to want to get off my feet which are undoubtedly swelling as we speak."

"We will return home soon Bekah." Kol told her as he was weighed down by the numerous bags she had him carry for her.

She nodded and as each one met the girls in the store they just walked into, Elijah had his eyes darken and his lips parted with what Elena was wearing.

Klaus saw this and laughed.

"She's the female version of you." Elijah walked over to her and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss, arms going around his neck.

"Didn't expect to see you here," She said to him once they pulled away.

"Christmas shopping for everyone," He told her as he pecked her lips.

She wanted to say something when there was a horrible noise coming from outside the shop. Elijah and Elena were the first ones out there and saw Jeremy bleeding from his nose and Davina looking at the witches who were giving Jeremy the aneurysm.

"Dammit! Bonnie!" Elena called back. Bonnie took one look at Kol knowing his orders were not to leave Rebekah for anything and then ran out to find the witches mid-chant and Jeremy in excruciating pain.

"Elena I'm sorry but I've got to borrow Elijah," Bonnie said a second before she gripped Elijah and began to channel the strength of Kol's blood through Elijah's. Her eyes went white and Elijah was shocked by the energy involved as she began to chant. She threw a protective barrier down around Davina and Jeremy before fighting to cut the other witches off. They were strong, very strong but she was a Bennett witch and a vampire. Suddenly she turned the tides without realizing it and the other witches were flung fifteen feet away into the side of a building. Elena ran to Jeremy and Davina while Bonnie was still clutching Elijah and he could feel her shaking.

"Are you alright Jeremy?" Elena asked him as she grabbed some tissues to wipe the blood off his face.

"Not so much." He groaned.

"You need to leave Jeremy." Davina told him sadly. "I've got days before the Harvest needs to be completed."

"I won't leave you," Jeremy said with determination, "What is The Harvest and what does it have to do with you?"

Meanwhile Rebekah had returned to doing her Christmas shopping for everyone. Caroline, Bonnie and Elena had only gotten about half their shopping done by now. As Rebekah was shopping Caroline tried to pretend that she wasn't watching Klaus being so protective of his sister. It was a side of him that had always drawn her in.

"The Harvest Ritual involves the sacrifice of four girls who are powerful to allow their magic bleed into the earth for the ancestors and we're resurrected." Davina explained to him. "One witch who didn't believe it was Sophie Deveraux and she told Marcel. One of his rules is no hurting children." She gave him a look. "Marcel and his vampires found them while the ritual was taking place and tried saving my friends but I'm the only one who survived."

Jeremy shook his head. "If you think that's going to scare me, you got another thing coming. I'm not leaving you."

Elena thought that they were too cute and didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them.

"You realize you're cutting them off from their ancestral magic," Bonnie said weakly. "They are going to keep coming for you until they run out of time. Elijah, you're probably the only ones strong enough to keep them safe. Every witch in the coven will try coming for them."

"I'm not letting anyone hurt her," Jeremy vowed.

"Elijah I can't - " Elena said. She couldn't even finish the sentence but he knew that she meant she couldn't lose anymore of her family.

Shopping was quickly finished and the whole group retuned to the mansion. Rebekah had gotten her gifts for everyone and had them wrapped. Now they were the first gifts nestled under the large tree. Meanwhile everyone was gathered in the study. Davina was curled against Jeremy who was feeling much better now that Elijah's blood had healed him. Elena was pacing worriedly and the atmosphere of the whole house had become tense.

"I need to get back to Marcel," Caroline said. "He'll be worried about Davina and I."

"I'll go with you Caroline." Klaus offered. "The witches might end up going after you." He added as she gave him a glance.

"Fine." Caroline said without emotions. Klaus stood up and had her walk out to the car.

Once they were gone, Elena and Davina were the only ones in the study.

"I know what you want to do." Elena told her. "You're going to sacrifice yourself for the ones you love." She smiled sadly. "I did the same thing when Klaus first came to Mystic Falls."

"Did anyone stop you?" Elena nodded.

"One went too far and forced his blood down my throat." Her eyes clouded. "Elijah knew what I wanted to do and he found a way for me to live but still be human."

"I don't want Jeremy to get hurt. You need to let me go. You can get one of the vampires to erase me..." Davina worried to Elena.

"He would never forgive any of us and I won't do that to either of you," Elena said, "I've seen the way he looks at you. I've seen my brother have about a dozen stupid crushes in his life but I have never seen him like this before. Davina that makes you family and we're a little crazy about family around here."

On the way back to the compound Caroline frowned as there was a construction worker detouring traffic. She wound up going down a narrow alley and then suddenly the car stalled out. Caroline tried to start it a couple of times to no avail and Klaus became nervous at their surroundings. This was planned. He whisked around the car in a flash and pulled Caroline out of the car before pinning her against it with his body as he again tried to assess the threat.

"Klaus, the engine died. Paranoid much? I just need to call a - " Caroline said but the words died as incredible pain invaded her brain and she cried out in immense pain as two witches appeared. Klaus felt the aneurysms but they weren't strong enough to truly affect an original. Caroline on the other hand was falling apart underneath him.

He looked around for anything that can incapacitate the witches when his eyes spotted fresh gravel. Picking some of it up, he threw it at the witches who ended up dead.

He saw how weak she was and flashed her to the compound where Marcel was waiting for her.

As soon as Marcel caught sight of the blonde in Klaus' arms, he went over to her.

"She'll be fine." Klaus told him as he passed her into the other man's arms. "The witches are demanding Davina to do the ritual."

"Where is Davina?" Marcel growled.

"She's safe at the mansion with the Gilbert boy. Bonnie thwarted the two witches who attacked them this morning but they're coming and they're coming hard. It looks like they're getting desperate," Klaus said.

"Shit." Marcel swore. "This isn't going to be pretty." He sighed and went inside with Klaus following him. "What's your plan of attack?" He asked once they reached inside and he laid Caroline gingerly on the couch.

"Kill the witches." Klaus said simply. "They want to-" he was stopped as Sophie walked in.

"The only way for the ritual to be completed is if Davina is sacrificed otherwise every witch here in New Orleans can't access the magic." She shook her head at him. "We used Ancestral magic." She added.

"I don't care what kind of magic you all use," he said as he looked ready to rip her heart out. "You caused my brother's girlfriend to use magic and my other brother's girlfriend's brother to get numerous aneurysms."

"I wasn't a part of that!" She shouted at him. "I went to tell Marcel what was going to happen!"

Klaus grabbed Sophie by the throat and thrust her against the wall. "You tell those witches that we will not be handing Davina over to them and they will lose if they think they can come at us!" Klaus growled.

"They have ways of forcing your hand," Sophie gasped out. "They could trap your sister for instance...that child she is carrying has to eat I'm sure." Right then Klaus wants to tear her apart. How dare they threaten Rebekah! He tossed her aside before he could seriously injure her.

"You don't touch her!" Klaus raged.

"I came to offer a solution," Sophie said weakly as she inched towards the doorway. "Your brother's solution for his girlfriend...it would preserve Davina's magic even if the ritual does not bring the kind of resurrection that the witches promised for her life. The witches would get their magic and Davina would cease to be useful to them. It's something to think about." She slipped out the door and was gone.

All Klaus could think about at the moment though was they had hurt his beautiful Caroline and they had threatened Rebekah and her unborn child. Klaus' eyes were a vibrant amber. He wanted to massacre them all!

"What is this plan that you are willing to try?" Marcel asked.

VVVVV

The moment that Klaus and Marcel entered the plantation house with Caroline and Sophie in tow, everyone was in the living room where Davina was and about to tell them that she was going to do the sacrifice.

"Sophie here has a plan." Klaus said as he went to sit on Rebekah's right side.

Elijah gave her a look. "What is this plan Miss Deveraux?" He asked as Elena stood in front of Davina protectively, baring her teeth at her.

Bonnie gave Sophie a menacing look that she could have only picked up from Kol. In fact Kol wasn't sure if he should be proud or frightened that his vampire genes were really coming to fruition in his little witch.

"I know it's not ideal," Sophie sighed, "but it's a solution and one that only you Mikaelsons can offer apparently." She looked directly at Bonnie. There was no mistaking it. everything in Sophie told her that Bonnie was a vampire and a powerful one at that but Sophie could also feel her powerful witch heritage very much alive in her. "It seems there is a way to preserve a witch's magic even beyond death. Davina could perform the sacrifice and turn. Her magic would be preserved and she would be resurrected even if the sacrifice does not bring her back as prophesized which I have great personal doubts about. The witches would get their magic and they would leave you all alone."

Davina nodded and Jeremy nodded as well. "I'll turn." Each one said but Jeremy took it a step further. "I want Elijah to be the one who changes me."

Elijah was staring at him with shock. Even after what he had done-to which he apologized to him for everything-he still wanted Elijah himself to change him?

Davina nodded. "I would prefer it if Elena would change me but if only a Mikaelson can do it, then I want it to be Elijah."

"You'll do better to have Mikaelson blood in your system," Kol said. "It's stronger and your magic will be tied to it."

"Jeremy no," Elena worried. "You don't have to do this...you're supposed to live a full life and..."

Jeremy walked over to his sister and took her hands in his with a gentle smile, "you were supposed to live a full, human life Elena. It was what we all fought so hard for but in the end what I finally realized with a lot of help was that your destiny was to live a full life as a vampire. You're really happy like this and you were meant to be with Elijah. I love Davina, Elena and I don't want to leave the two of you to watch me grow old and die. If my family are all vampires now then why not become one myself?"

Elena pulled her hands from him and pressed a hand to her face, "excuse me." She hurried from the room.

"Now you know what it was like to be her up against you," Caroline told Jeremy and Bonnie nodded.

Elijah went to find her. He barely passed the library when he heard her cry and he went inside. Seeing her slumped against the bookshelf holding his own personal books that he had published, broke his heart. Moving over to her, he wrapped his arms around her.

"We are going to make sure that they get to experience this life."

She sniffed. "As much as I wanted them to have a great human life, this is the only way to save them."

Once they returned to the living room, Jeremy hugged her tightly.

"Between you and everyone else, we'll be good." He promised.

Little by little, her switch moved an inch upwards.

Slowly, she was regaining her humanity again.

"Many lifetimes surrounded by family won't be bad Elena. Caroline and Bonnie don't seem to have any regrets. Are you regretting being a vampire?" he asked her gently. It would break his heart if she said yes but he had to put his emotions aside and be there for her.

"No." She whispered to him. "I'm not regretting it-I just didn't want to be sired to Damon."

He placed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I know. I'm regretting that."

It was true-he regretted that she was sired to Damon of all people. He wouldn't have cared if it was Rebekah, Stefan, Caroline, Klaus or even Kol's blood who changed her. Anyone of them would have been better.

Meanwhile Davina was sitting in the kitchen drinking a soft drink and Bonnie joined her.

"What is it like?" Davina asked after they had been sitting silently for a few minutes.

"Actually, to be honest with you it's amazing," Bonnie confessed. "I was really worried going into it but I trusted Kol and he was right. You can't tell anyone else how this happened though. Everyone has to believe it's a fluke or there will be a bunch of power-hungry witches beating down our door."

"Did you lose your connection?" Davina worried.

"Well you see I had already lost my connection through my foolish use of Expression but I have it back now. I didn't have it at first and it was sad and a little scary but I'll be here to help you through it I promise," Bonnie said, "now I'll warn you when it first happens you won't have anything at all and then it won't feel right when you do start getting it back. I had a few mishaps and then things began to fall into place and now I am more powerful than ever."

"How did it happen? You becoming both?" Davina asked.

"A spell." Bonnie whispered to her.

"Do you think the spell would work on me?" Davina asked again.

"I'm pretty sure that it will," Bonnie said. "We're going to try at any rate. You're going to have to go into the ritual pretending that you're really going to die and that you don't have any of these safeguards in place. Would you like some of us to come with you; to be there?"

"I want all of you to be there." Bonnie's heart would have stopped if it was working like a human's.

Two days later was the planned exchange on December 20th. The morning dawned cold and grey which was sort of how Bonnie felt as she watched Davina and Jeremy taking a morning stroll in the backyard. He had her pinned against a tree and was whispering words of comfort in between kisses.

"You're worried," Elijah broke the silence as he joined Bonnie.

"They're so young," Bonnie observed.

"Caroline and Elena aren't any older," Elijah pointed out.

"But you and Klaus are over a thousand years old; wiser and clearer heads prevailed. In my case I was especially counting on Kol's wisdom and advice."

"Well my wisdom and advice is that they're going to be fine. They have all of us to help them and care for them," Elijah replied.

"You know this is going to be hard on Elena."

"Yes, Jeremy and I have already discussed it," Elijah said.

"When are we going?"

"We're going at nine," Elijah said.

"I'd better get to work then," Bonnie said and she left Elijah to watch over Jeremy and Davina. Meanwhile Bonnie found Stefan and Rebekah and reinforced her protection spell on Rebekah's baby.

VVVV