"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT , CAROLINE," Stefan's expression was one of clear concern, confusion, and disbelief all together. His head had been tilted to one side; eyes focused on the perambulating Caroline just a few feet ahead of him. "You're telling me, that Aurelia's disappeared again , and this time it's because of some petty fight she had with Elena? " His hands were thrown out, absolutely unable to understand this confession that Caroline had been holding back for the last day of Aurelia's absence. "It's Aurelia , she kills people and moves on in the next minute!"

"No, Stefan, you don't get it!" Caroline exclaimed, exasperated and messy with her pacing around. "It wasn't just about Elena provoking her! When she pinned her down, and like, threatened her..." The woman shuddered slightly. "I just got so worried for Elena! I didn't think and just yelled at Aurelia to stop and then tended to Elena..."

"... oh ." Stefan's mumble made Caroline groan loudly and fall back to the cushioned seat she was closest to in her comfortable living room. "Wait, that still doesn't add up—"

" HI, LOVE ." KOL'S DISTANCE VOICE HAD NOW replaced the ringing tone that was pushed against Aurelia for the last few seconds; seconds that felt like minutes. " It's been a while since I last heard your voice. Those little texts that you send to me here and there aren't a keen enough substitution. " The lump in Aurelia's throat refused to leave—as did the complimentary pit in her stomach that threatened to swallow her emotions whole.

She had thought that listening to Kol's voice would soothe her slightly, would calm her down. She was in a less than ideal place—not Caroline to go for the sake of the younger's sanity, not Rebekah because she hadn't seen her once since she skipped town, and definitely not Klaus, because—well...

" Aurelia? I can't seem to be able to hear you. " Kol's voice once again filled her ear, making Aurelia blink several times. " Are you there? " Shaking her head and the thoughts away as much as she could—which was close to not shaking them away at all—Aurelia took a deep and long breath to answer Kol whilst concealing the crack in her voice.

"Hi, Kol." Was all she could say, before the pit grew in her stomach, pushing down the emotional baggage on her shoulders. "I've missed you."

God , why wasn't she feeling better?! He was supposed to be her escape ! What the hell was going on? Suddenly, she couldn't find comfort in him? And she hadn't seen him for—what—just a few weeks?

" I've missed you more, darling. " She could practically hear the smile in Kol's voice, digging a larger hole in her heart for all that she was unable to feel while talking to him. " You're oddly quiet. On our calls, you're charmingly talkative. Is everything okay ?"

Maybe if she told him what was going on, things would be better—she'd feel that comfort she needed.

" Aurelia? "

"He lied to me." Aurelia muttered; eyes cast downwards to the dry leaves crunching underneath her feet with each step. "Klaus lied to me, Kol. He hid the cure from me for centuries..."

" The cure? What are you talking about? "

"As of recently," Aurelia laughed humorlessly, hand placed on her forehead. "The famed Mystic Falls gang has discovered the cure for vampirism." A pause ensued from the man. "Yeah, uh, that's the one I learned about, way back when—y'know, when I hated being a vampire and stuff, right?"

" I remember that. " His sigh was hard to make anything of. " I thought you simply let go of it. You never told us anything about it. Klaus refrained from the same, as well. "

"Yeah, uh—" Aurelia tilted her head upwards, trying let the soft breeze in the small forest caress her skin, looking for any sort of comfort from her quiet surroundings. "He told me that there was no such thing as a cure for vampirism. That it was just a fable..."

" What? " His voice now held a sliver of disbelief. " That was what he told you? That the cure for vampirism didn't exist? He led you to believe that of all things in the world? " Aurelia's emotions seemed to make the lump in her throat feel bigger. " That bastard. I'm going to come to Mystic Falls as soon as I can, love? Say nothing else—I'll book the quickest flight and— "

"No, Kol, please, don't ." Aurelia pleaded softly, voice cracking. "I just...needed to tell someone. You are one of the few who know of the less than ideal start of my immortality. You were with me all along that, were you not?"

" I was... "

"And I called you because I knew I'd find..." She trailed off briefly, heart heavy with the lie she would tell him. "Comfort in you. And I am—just telling you helps, okay?" And she bit on her lip, eyes squeezed shut with guilt. "And he apologized to me about it, Klaus, I mean."

" When? "

"Two nights ago. He came to Caroline's to talk to me when I came back." She sighed. "He...truly was genuine with his apology. Told me he was afraid of losing me every single time he made a decision to control me—when he turned me, when he took away the hope for the Cure from me..." She sighed softly. "Every word he said, he meant it. All of it..." And her voice cracked yet again. "Kol, he finally said it to me. After almost four centuries, he apologized to me."

" Aurelia... you don't sound well. If he's apologized to you...how does it bother you so? From your words, it sounds like you forgave him once he apologized. " She laughed once again. " What? "

"No, Kol..." She spoke. "I simply yelled at him to leave, and told him I never wanted to see him again." And her hand went to cover her eyes. "I forgave him...but I didn't show that I did for some reason. I just screamed at him, and pushed him away. And then I broke down. And then I just left home—I've been roaming Mystic Falls and avoiding people for the last day."

" You forgave him, though. "

"I did." She acknowledged quietly. "Something irks me about it though—how I lost it with him when he apologized."

" Love, " A small sigh. " This is nearly four centuries of his mistakes that have affected you; could it perhaps have been your emotions unable to take everything at once? As strong as you are, everyone has a limit. "

"That's not all though." She could heard Kol let out a small noise that told her to continue. "I don't know, it's just—why would he do that?"

" What? Lie to you? "

"No, I know why he lied to me, he told me."

" When did he apologize to you last night? "

"He came back again, even after I pushed him away."

" Ah, I think you may have forgotten to mention that little detail. " Aurelia hummed in response, and a sigh followed shortly after.

As she had cried and choked continuously on her tears, Aurelia clutched onto her chest. Her vulnerability had consumed her like waves; as if she were drowning in the vast and endless oceans.

No matter how much she pretended to be nonchalant and hard-headed, there was always a moment like this—be it once in a decade, or even a century—that reminded her that this part of her followed her existence like a leech to drain her of all she wanted to be.

And as she felt another soul-tearing scream rise in her throat, a pair of arms wrapped around her form, tightly to hold her down. It had been then, when she realized she was in the real world, crouching on the carpeted floor of her bedroom. What left her mouth, instead, was a weak sigh, and she let her head lean onto a soft surface, lips parting to allow herself to take deep, long breaths.

"No matter how angry you may be with me, I will not let you suffer in your vulnerability alone." When he spoke, Aurelia felt tears fall from her eyes yet again, burying her head into what she'd assumed was his chest.

Klaus held her closer, squeezing his own eyes shut to synchronize his breathing with hers in order to help her calm down. As he did so, he began to feel guilt open his heart to bitter feelings all over again, and shed his own tears silently. Had he truly realized what he had done? Of course. Could he feel more broken-hearted about it? He could.

And so, he let himself feel it all, choosing to face such consequences for hurting the little one he held so dear to his soul. "I'm... so sorry, Aurelia." He breathed out. "I'm so terribly sorry."

"I realized I needed that." Aurelia concluded. "That I needed to feel all of that emotion, even after I forgave him."

" That's closure, love. All of us need it. " Kol responded. " And perhaps, you're just coming to fully processing and making peace with it all. It isn't an easy situation to be in for anyone, not even the strongest woman I know. "

"I am not the strongest woman you know."

" Think again. "

"Fine—oh my God." Kol furrowed his eyebrows at Aurelia's sudden switch in tone. "Klaus?!"

"Aurelia, what's wrong? "

No response.

" Aurelia! "

"I WAS SO STUPID! SHE'S BEEN A LITTLE..." Pausing to find the right words, Caroline evoked curiosity from the Salvatore seated in front of her. "Emotionally volatile and off as of late... ever since she disappeared that day I called the both of you. And this whole Elena thing just—ugh—I don't even know what to think!" And as she finally took a seat on the comfortable couch, she slipped a hand onto her aching head.

"Emotionally volatile?" Stefan repeated, eyebrows lowering as he tilted his head towards his friend. A small hum from her confirmed his statement, and he looked towards the carpeted floor, mind swirling in thought of what had happened. "When you called... you mentioned the cure—that put her off first, I think. She kept questioning me about it, too."

"What about the cure could make her act this way?" Caroline's shoulders slumped slightly, eyes expecting little breakthrough from the path Stefan's thoughts were taking. "Of course she would've known about the cure."

"There has to be something, right? She's been volatile, she disappeared with Klaus when he confronted us right after your call, and she seemed pissed at him—wouldn't that imply that there's a hint we're both missing?"

"I don't know anymore; I'm just freaked out over her. It could her magic, it could be you and me, or Klaus, or Elena, or Kol ... I don't know anything at this point and it's eating at my head. Why can't I already know what's bothering her? We're sisters, like, this can't be happening, oh my God—"

"Okay, Caroline—just... calm down for now." Stefan breathed out; eyes fixed on the panicking blonde. "I think we both need some rest, and to think this out in the morning. I know she's been missing for 24 hours now, but still . We need to go at this with a clearer mind—and for all you know, we're going to see her in her bed in the morning, and this worrying would've been for nothing."

"I...guess, yeah."

AS HER GLARING EYES SWITCHED FROM HER PHONE TO the trees circling her form, Rebekah Mikaelson felt her patience wearing thin fast—it seemed as if the modern individual had no regard for a sense of time, and had no intention to acquire it. The 21st century truly was a fish market swarming with pricks for human beings.

When her gaze fell upon the digital screen in her hand once again, she clicked her tongue with annoyance, letting her thumb cover over the icon that would call her expected guest. She then proceeded to dial the same number she'd dialed at least four times in the last hour.

" Jesus Christ, Rebekah—I'll admit I missed you," And Rebekah sighed at the familiar voice behind her form. "But you went from missing to clingy way too fast, like a zero to a billion in a second."

"You have no school, no work, nothing to do all day." She snapped back. "Excuse me for making the assumption that you're jobless." Aurelia rolled her eyes at the Original Vampire's words. "...I was worried about you when you went missing, you brat—how could you have not had the sense to inform me about anything ?! I had to hear from that bastard Kol —"

"I needed some space , come on; does no one have any respect for that shit anymore?" Aurelia groaned out, pocketing her phone. She was clearly less than interested in whatever nonsense Rebekah had in store for her. "I don't care for what rant you have prepared—I am not in the mood. I've just had a shit few days and I don't plan on entertaining your emotional speech." Furrowing her eyebrows, Rebekah felt her concern turn up a notch at the unusual snaps in her adoptive sister's tone. After much—well, like, a few seconds—of thought, she decided not to poke a bear with a stick. "What do you want from me?"

"Well, since you're in a bitch mood, I don't know if you'll lend me the ear for the unfortunate mishaps a certain famous gang of Mystic Falls has put me through."

Aurelia's eyebrow cocked up for a moment, making the Original Vampire smile internally. She'd piqued the younger's interest.

"The reason why I haven't called in sometime is because our dearest bastard of a brother put a dagger in me as part of Stefan's and Elena's hunt for the cure to vampirism." And Aurelia had expected for her emotions to feel as if they were pulling her down severely once again—but she felt nothing, no deep pit forming in her stomach, no stinging in her eyes, nothing .

Not after last night. She was fine now. "Wonderful. Of course they're scouting for it to give to Elena of all people."

"And they used me . Then, they had me discarded in a place where April Young of all people found and un-daggered me." Rebekah's voice began to give away clear spite, and Aurelia understood well why. The Original Vampire was trusting, emotional, and sensitive. The cockroaches would've used those qualities against her.

She felt herself grow annoyed at the mess that unraveled during her absence. Stefan and her had made up, and now she found out that he'd been doing this ? What next? That Caroline had aided in this little conspiracy?

She had finally let herself care a little more, and she didn't want to go back on her word all over again. However, Rebekah had a plan in mind for the less immortal folks, and Aurelia didn't know how to feel about it.

"By the way, April's this high school girl. You won't know who she is."

"What are you planning?"

"Mystic Falls news has revealed that Mayor Carol Lockwood died last night. Drunk accident. But we both know what really happened." The younger sighed. She knew. Of course she did.

She saw it happen last night.

"There's a memorial in school today—so everyone's going to be there. I want to gather our little gang and ask them a few questions." Rebekah began to smile the smallest bit as she disclosed—in a concerningly vague manner—her little plan.

"There's going to be torture, isn't there?"

"What?!" Rebekah went wide-eyed. "No, of course not. I just want them to answer some of my questions."

"'Bekah, I can see right through you."

"Bloody hell , fine—if they're stubborn, yes ¸ I may have to resort to harsh methods."

"And you need me... why ?" Folding her arms with a firm look, Aurelia stared right at the older. "Clearly you think I'll joyfully take part in this plan." With a hopeful hum, Rebekah nodded a few times. "Who all are we questioning, then? You know where my limits lie."

"Well, there's Elena, there's Stefan, and—" And the look of hesitance on Aurelia's face at the mention of the last name irked something in Rebekah.

Truly, what the hell happened while she was daggered?

" Aurelia . It's only... them." She assured, smiling in a manner that Aurelia found hard to read. "I'm not going to lay a finger on your sweet Caroline. I know I'd get hell from you and Klaus for it. I'm not stupid." When Aurelia kept silent, she began to question if the younger truly hesitated so much because of Stefan Salvatore, of all people.

"Good. You know what to do then." Aurelia hummed. "Do not hurt Caroline. Do not involve her in any of this. And I want to... avoid bodily harm right now. I don't think it would be wise to do it."

In her mind, Rebekah made a face at the uncharacteristic behavior.

"If that's the case, fine, I'll help." The Heretic finally caved in, shaking her head a few times. "Is that all you need? I want to have some vodka in my system before I go through with this."

"I'll only need you at the school in about an hour. April tells me that's when the memorial's expected to end." And without another word, Aurelia had vanished, taking the instruction as a green light for her to help herself to some vodka.

Rebekah had to huff at the strange behavior, hand reaching for her phone to pull up a specific contact to call.

"Let's see why— " A grin spread across her lips as she scrolled through her saved contacts. "Ah-hah." A few beeps and rings later, Rebekah smiled triumphantly at the irritated voice of Caroline Forbes at the other end of the phone.

" Who the hell woke you up? "

"Tut, Caroline dearest," The Original tilted her head. "I know we've had quite the rocky past, but that doesn't mean we drop the pleasantries. Oh well, guess it's too late for them. Now, since I've been asleep for evidently long enough to miss drama—why don't you entertain me?"

" I have neither the time, nor the crayons to explain this to you. Go find someone else to bother. "

"Let me specify." She drawled, confident that her plan would work. "What's been the matter with Aurelia? She was oddly calm and quiet when I spoke to her. It's concerning, really—"

" Wait, you spoke to her? When? Where? Is she okay? " And Rebekah realized that she was , in fact, missing something. " Rebekah! You can't be playing pranks with me right now! "

"Yes, sweetie, I just spoke to Aurelia. Your incessant questioning makes me believe she's been avoiding contact with you for a while now."

" Where. Is. She? "

"Tell me what's going on with her. She'll be meeting me later on, so why don't we catch up in school? I'm sure you're desperate enough to talk to me for some time if you're so worried about her."

" ...Fine. "

"Oh, and she wants little to no contact with you lot right now." A half-lie slipped past her lips in order to fulfill her ulterior motive. "If Stefan finds out about this, she's not going to want to come. The same follows through for Elena, your little witch, and whomever else you plan to tell about the situation right now."

"... Oh... um—okay, yeah. I can do that. As long as you can promise me I'll see her after putting up with you. "

"Don't worry, Caroline," A smug smirk fell upon her pink lips. "You'll see her."

"I'M GOING TO NEED TO CUT YOU OFF RIGHT NOW—" Stefan Salvatore groaned with irritation at the waiter standing opposite his table. "Sir, it isn't even noon and you've finished a bottle. I have to—" And he tuned out of the incessant speech for a quick moment to let himself realize that humans would never understand how little a bottle of alcohol could move even the newest vampire.

"Listen, I'll be fine, just get me another—"

And his eyes