It was eerily dark by the time they made it to the house.

Beatrix and Kai were no longer limping, but they kept their hands clasped tightly together. Kai's face was emotionless, his anger having overcome him. Perhaps, there might have been a chance for him to truly be good, but now, that was seemingly long gone. Beatrix herself looked rather angry, but she was mostly feeling frustrated.

They'd picked up the broken Ascendant from the floor, and had pocketed the pieces, but there would be no Bennett blood this time. There was nothing more than snow and cold and no modern technology whatsoever. It was a pity that they were used to all the comforts of the twenty-first century by now.

There was no telling how long they would be trapped in here for.

The house was unfamiliar, but it stood right where the Salvatore Boarding House should have been. Beatrix assumed this must have been the original Salvatore home, adorned in proper 1900s fashion.

Beatrix lit a small flame in her hands as they began to explore. As they passed through each room, looking over the paintings and the small trinkets that served as decorations, Beatrix made sure to turn on every lantern they found. In the drawing room, she knelt before the fireplace and set the charred logs ablaze, which warmed them up quite a bit.

It didn't look like anyone really lived here. Either the Heretics were clean freaks who always tidied up after every day as if they were going to show off the house in a contest, or no more than one person had been living here in awhile.

"This is cozy," mused Kai, coming to lean onto her as they made their way up the stairs. "Where are your Heretic friends? Are they still playing house here or are they desiccated somewhere?"

Their questions were answered when they went into the basement. "Is this where they keep their fucking food?" said Kai, looking around. He bumped into something, and Beatrix brought her hand down to shine a light on it. Immediately, the two jumped back. "Oh crap!"

She made the flame grow brighter, and it became clear that the Heretics were indeed desiccated. Six of them, propped up in chairs in their 1903 attire, all greyish and with eyes wide open. "Do we wake them up?" asked Kai. "Wait— can they even hear us?"

The male nearest them blinked, and Beatrix nodded. "They can..." She gulped.

Should they wake them? Should they leave them? They could pose a problem if they chose to devour Kai. It was possible that Beatrix and Kai could actually die this time.

"Too risky to wake them," she said, pulling Kai further away as six pairs of eyes followed them. "We can't do it yet." Of course, since she knew they could hear her, she wasn't about to just leave them hanging. "Um... well, hello... everyone. My name is Beatrix La Salle. I'm not sure if you'd ever heard of me. I'm a heretic too— the first of our kind, sired in 1705. It's difficult to explain so suddenly, but we're here now, and we're going to find a way to get us all out. I promise that we will feed you when it is time. There is no sense in waking you when we haven't got a solution. But I swear, we will come and wake you the instant we figure out how to get out."

When she finished speaking, she took Kai's hand and pulled him out of the room. As much as she'd like to get to know her fellow Heretics, she and Kai could easily be overpowered by them if they chose to gang up and get rid of them.

Kai noticed the concerned look on her face. "How about we go to our usual room, hmm? See what it looks like."

"That's a good idea," she said with a tight-lipped smile, leading him to the staircase. They climbed quickly, hands still linked. Both afraid of letting go. Not wanting to be left behind or lose any sort of connection.

Once upstairs, they went all the way down the hallway, to the last room. The door did not slide open easily, but Kai aimed a solid kick at the lower corner to unlodge it, and from there, it creaked open. Beatrix turned lit one of the lanterns that she found, and Kai scrunched his nose up when he saw how dusty the room was. "Well, this place hadn't been used in quite awhile— even before 1903."

He wove his hands, murmuring lowly and turning in a circle, causing the dust to vanish, and leaving the room at least looking much cleaner than it initially was. He moved forward to the bed, and sat down, making a face when the mattress sunk in, and a loud cracking noise was heard. "Jeez, which freaks had this mattress before us?"

"Probably some long dead freaks," said Beatrix, observing the closet. "This is completely empty— looks almost brand new. Whoever stayed here didn't stay very long."

"I read up on Mystic Falls history— this place was torn down not long after 1903. Must be why they didn't bother to fix these things. I prefer the boarding house, to be honest. I read that that one was built in 1914. Much more modern. This place is at least as old as Damon, and I think he was born in 1839."

Kai then ducked under the bed. "Ah, this is an easy fix. Thank fuck for magic, because I wouldn't want to do this by hand." He murmured another spell, and remained with half his body under the base for about a minute before popping out, and coming back up to sit on the mattress. He smiled when it didn't make noise, and patted the bed. "This is going to be comfy."

Beatrix nodded slowly. The more she looked around the room, the more homesick and out of place she felt. It was really starting to hit that they were stuck here. She had not yet cried, and the need to was creeping up on her. She must have had a forlorn look on her face, because out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kai cast her a frown.

"Hey," he said quietly, coming closer and wrapping his arms around her from behind. Against her will, her lip quivered and she started to tear up. "Damn it," she said shakily. "D-Damn it..."

She'd turned around and he'd pulled her into a proper hug. Rubbing her back, he let her cry, saying nothing. He'd already done his piece in the woods, and any such sentiment was replaced with anger. Squeezing her into him, he did his best to comfort her. She buried her face in his shirt, arms tight around his shoulders, and holding him in place.

"We're going to get out," he promised, his voice gentle, as it could be when he was around her. "Don't worry."

"B-But how long after n-now?" she said, pulling away. "A-A year? Two? W-Will it be too late for Hope to remember me? By then— who knows what could happen! D-Davina is relying on me to help her bring K-Kol back..."

"Shh, don't worry about anyone else right now," he said, cupping her face and tilting it up for her to look at him. He let his thumbs slide over her cheeks. "This was out of our control. We had no idea Bonnie was going to do that. Our main focus is getting out. Which we will do whenever we can. I swear, I will figure something out. The Mikaelsons may not be on my good side but they're your family, and I promise I will get you back to them. Whatever I have to do."

She had looked up at him with such admiration in that moment. Tiptoeing, she'd kissed him, with fire and desperation, needing a way to forget the agony that she was feeling.

He needed the same thing. They'd kissed and made love that night until they were so exhausted, neither could feel any sort of emotion anymore. They'd used it all up, channeling their fear, frustration, anger, and anxiety into unsullied passion that left them feeling at least slightly better. All the hormones now coursing through their bloodstreams had to yield some sort of benefit in terms of functioning as a coping mechanism for their unfortunate predicament.

He held her in his arms as he tried to breathe, her body laying on top of his, one hand under her head, and the other caressing his shoulder.

"I care a lot about you," he murmured quietly. "You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that," she said, closing her eyes. "I care a lot about you too."

"I should've been nicer to you," he continued. "I was so rude to you half the time. You were always looking out for me in the prison world. If we'd have done things your way, we could have gotten out the day Bonnie and Damon first came in. There would have been no reason for Bonnie to abandon us if I'd have just been cooperative."

Beatrix wasn't sure what to say. Yes, it likely would have been so much better if they'd just been nice instead of following elaborate plans that could have failed at any moment. And yet, she wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way. Would she and Kai be laying like this right now if it had been done differently? They would have killed the Gemini Coven already and parted ways, perhaps.

In the months since she'd gotten out, Beatrix's feelings for Kai had become apparent. It was really only now that she was thinking about it. She had arrived to New Orleans bent on getting Elijah back, not thinking in any way that Kai, the man she was with for eighteen years, had any sort of connection to her outside of sex. When she and Kai had begun speaking again, she hadn't thought anything would come of it, and yet, he became the person she most yearned to speak to every day. The sound of his voice brought her comfort.

She wouldn't have admitted it otherwise, but she fancied him. Quite a bit.

It would be difficult not to fancy him. After all, considering how she had lived for the past three hundred years, she could easily overlook his crude nature and snide remarks. She could ignore how morbid he was and bypass his sadistic tendencies with ease. She saw the real him, with all his flaws, and took out of it the fact that he was loyal. Driven. Funny. Intelligent. And aside from all that, he was handsome, even more so now that he was letting his beard and mustache grow as wildly as his hair. She liked that look on him.

"What are you thinking?" he said softly when she didn't respond to his statement right away.

"Just... everything. You shouldn't blame yourself for all of it. That kind of guilt will eat you alive. We can't change any aspect of the past, Kai. What happened has happened and that's that. No reason to dwell on it. At least, now, we have to remember that cooperation is key. The Heretics must be around here somewhere. When we find them, we have to put our heads together and find a solution. No holding back knowledge."

He nodded and brought a hand up to stroke her hair, sighing. "I guess so. I've been so wrapped up in planning how I want everything to go down. I didn't stop to think too deeply about anything else. I should have noticed Bonnie was up to something. I was so worried about apologizing and shit... I shouldn't have let that matter so much. I don't even need her forgiveness. I don't want it anymore— I want her to suffer."

"I thought I was over my desire to hurt her after she let me out," said Beatrix. "But now, it really pissed me off."

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "We'll make her suffer. I guarantee it."

She had rolled off of him after that, and laid on her side cupping his face gently, letting her fingers trace over his jawline. He'd looked down at her and half-smiled, feeling calmed in her presence. "How about," he murmured, "we go travel? You can show me how the world looked in 1903. Maybe... somewhere along the way, we'll find some kind of solution."

This was an idea she could definitely get behind. She smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. "Yes," she breathed. "I'd like that quite a bit."

_

And so they had traveled.

In every which way they could think, they'd gone around the entirety of the prison world. They didn't stay in one place for too long, as they had before. They spent as little time as they could making lists of where to go next, and instead let their instincts and desires guide them. They moved through every town they found, exploring and collecting the smallest things, gathering only clothes and food as needed.

They'd made a point to pass through every state in the country, focusing on the capitals, but allowing some deviation. Down into the Carolinas, through the Southern states and returning around the midwest, before passing back over to the West Coast and coming back around toward Rhode Island.

It didn't matter that they were zigzagging everywhere, traveling in shitty cars, and constantly feeling tired of all the moving around. They were feeling better than they had in awhile.

Before, they had entered the prison world as strangers. Not understanding where they were, or who they were meant to be trapped with. They'd taken time learning about each other and feeling furious at their predicament, not having known if there was a real chance that they'd ever get out. Their companionship was only for the benefit of not being alone, and not being left dissatisfied.

This was much different. They already knew each other very well, and they knew how prison worlds worked. They had the Ascendant and other companions who they could wake at any moment. They knew what to say whenever the other felt helpless. They knew how to comfort and be comforted, and they were fulfilled just by feeling the other sitting beside them, without even a need for touch.

The feelings crept up on them. Beatrix wasn't sure when it was that she internalized the fact she really was starting to grow very fond of him, but there was about a week after that in which she felt very awkward even looking at him. She suddenly would grow paranoid thinking he could read her mind. It was ridiculous for her to be so concerned with what he might think, since they were far too mature to worry about such things. After all, with how often they made love, there was no way it was a secret that they both cared for each other more deeply than just friends anymore.

They'd been in Alaska, at the edge of a cliff, seated in the snow, Beatrix leaning back into Kai, whose arms were around her, draped delicately over her abdomen, when they'd decided to be honest with each other. It had been at least three months into their stay— they hadn't really been keeping count this time. Beatrix knew it had been quite awhile, considering they had already managed to travel through all fifty states (except for Hawaii, since they needed a boat to get there), managing to stay a few nights in each state and spending other days just driving.

It had been awkward, at first. They'd been speaking about random thoughts they had for the future, once they got out. Then, the confessions had come spilling out of the both of them, and neither had known what to say. What did people typically do after such a revelation? Normally, they got into bed with each other, but Kai and Beatrix had already done that. What came next?

They'd returned to their cabin not sure how to go about it. It wasn't until they were getting ready to go to bed that Kai had stopped her.

"I'm sorry," he said, and he looked like he genuinely meant it. "This is really weird for me. I've never had feelings like this for anyone. I wasn't even used to being nice until the Merge. But I meant what I said, Trixter. I like you. I care about you. And I want... I want to be with you, when we get out of here. I don't just want you so you can teach me to be a Heretic. I feel... like I can be myself, even with the bad parts, when I'm with you. I want to do cheesy stuff and go on stupid dates and I don't know— do the whole relationship thing. I never had thought about it before. But I've been feeling something stirring ever since you told me about your past with Elijah, all those years ago."

He'd paused and taken her hands in his, bringing her to sit on his lap when he had fallen back onto the bed. "I thought I could brush these feelings away when we parted ways. I thought you'd go back to Elijah and I wouldn't see you again until we got rid of the Gemini Coven. But he doesn't appreciate you, Beatrix. He doesn't dedicate himself to you or even make you laugh nowadays. You don't deserve that. And... and I know that even though I am trying to be better, I'm not a perfect person. But you've treated me with respect even though I'm like that, and honestly, it drives me crazy how someone as good as you could be so good to me."

She'd brought her hands up to hold his face, feeling like everything made sense now. Last time, all her focus had been on what was outside of the prison world, what would await her, and it had gone terribly. This time, she would not make that mistake. Perhaps it was a sick and twisted game of fate that had landed them in here once again, but she was not about to take it for granted.

"I didn't want to notice it at first," she murmured, bringing her fingers up to run through his hair. "I was certain you would never feel the same way. You don't give yourself enough credit. You've grown so much since I first met you. Maybe you don't see it, but it's been brought out so much since you merged with Luke. You're a good person, deep down, Kai. You just had a really terrible childhood and were mistreated in a way no one should be. I see that good in you. And... it made me fall for you. I don't want anyone else. I want you." She bit her lip, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "And... you can call me Itza, if you'd like."

That sealed the deal. Kai knew how important it was for her to give someone permission to use her real name. The one thing that tied her to who she truly was— the her that many people didn't get to know. Up to date, only Elijah and Kai had ever come to know her that deeply. Only they had cared to really, truly understand her.

When Kai had kissed her the instant she finished speaking, it felt even better than any of the past kisses they had shared. They'd been pressed so close together it was like they were unified. Vulnerability and understanding became one, and the next morning, they'd both been giddy and feeling more elated than they had in awhile.

That was when it had clicked.

"Holy shit," Kai had said, sitting up in the bed and holding his temples. "Oh— oh my God— it just came flooding back!"

"What are you talking about?" she'd said, holding the bed sheet to cover herself.

"Bennett blood!" he said, yanking the other blanket up to cover himself as he ran to where their clothes were. "Holy fuck— we have to go to Canada!"

She'd perked up at this, and had gotten dressed quickly. "What's in Canada?"

"Silas's tombstone! Bonnie mentioned something before— she told me about the memory she showed you and told me about Silas— holy crap! The tombstone has Qetsiyah's blood in it— and Bonnie is descended from her! That thing is full of magic, and we can use it to get out!"

That same day, they'd packed everything and gone straight to Nova Scotia. It was a thrill unlike any they had ever experienced. This was their chance— they were going to be able to get out, soon.

From there, it had been a wild thrill. Perhaps, it was because of their previous time in the prison world that time had flown by so quickly. Perhaps it was the fact that they had actually tried to enjoy themselves, and just bathe in the pleasure of being together. But regardless, it had brought them joy like nothing else.

In Nova Scotia, they had found the tombstone. They had remained there for a few days, casting and planning spells to drain the rock of every last ounce of calcified blood and magic. They had been in the cave with maps and lanterns spread out, doing locator spells and pinpointing where the perfect place to catch the aurora borealis would be. It turned out to be in Mystic Falls once more, deeper into the woods not far from where they had initially arrived, but in a clearing where the trees parted much more than before, creating a perfect circle in the sky for the colorful lights to wash over them.

They had nitpicked and criticized and triple checked everything that they could. The Ascendant was completely fixed by then, and the blood was ready in a small vial. This was it. They made their way back to Mystic Falls, with Kai driving and Beatrix trying to estimate what day it must be in the outside world. She pinpointed it to be around June 20th, 2013, which meant they were still on track for Alaric and Jo's wedding, where the Gemini Coven would be gathered, and their task could finally be done with.

When they'd burst back into the Salvatore house, they'd run straight to the basement. It was still day, and there was enough light for them to see the six desiccated Heretics clearly.

"Quick, we need some of your blood, Kai," said Beatrix, reaching for one of the nearby jars, which was dusty and caked in grime. The siphon beckoned his wrist toward her, and she leaned down, biting into it, and taking a small sip for herself before holding his wrist over the jar and letting a nice stream flow in. Once she felt there was enough, she clasped onto him to stop the blood flow, and when he was no longer bleeding, she waved her hand over the jar. "Sanguis effingo, sanguinem duplici."

The level of blood in the jar rose, and Kai handed her a pipette. "Here, use this turkey baster thing."

She took it carefully in her hand and dipped it into the jar. "We're not here to harm any of you," she said aloud as the desiccated Heretics glanced up at her, now alerted of their presence. "We want to revive you, alright? We finally figured out how to escape, and all of you are coming with us."

One by one, she went around and pumped blood into each of their mouths. Kai remained behind her and watched, transfixed, as the greyish bulged veins began to dissipate from their faces. Beatrix moved to stand in front of Kai when all six of them had gained their bearings.

"I expect everyone heard what I said?" Beatrix murmured as the Heretics stood up.

"This was not how I imagined meeting you," said one of the females. She was the tallest of the girls, with a thin face and long, dirty blonde hair. Her blue eyes were alert, and she looked to be unamused with the situation, yet excited. "I always thought you were a myth."

"I had to hide, to not end up here," said Beatrix gently. "Instead, I ended up in another prison world."

"Shall we do the introductions after we've had a bath?" said the girl with dark hair, looking down at her clothes with distaste. "We smell terrible."

"Of course," said Beatrix. "Kai and I will wait for you in the drawing room."

One of the males stepped forward, with a hungry look in his eyes. "We should feed first."

Beatrix glared at him. "No, none of you will feed until I say so. Kai isn't a blood bag. I won't tolerate any of you trying to hurt him. Be mindful that I've got one hundred years over all of you. Don't test me. We're all going to function as a unit. Otherwise, I have no problem leaving people behind."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said one of the men with a smile. He, at least, looked rather lively. "I'm going to get cleaned up."

They filed out after him. Beatrix suspected that he was not the leader, but clearly, one that they all seemed to like, for the most part.

When they were gone, Beatrix took Kai's arm. "Come on. Watch your back."

"This is exciting," he said, his characteristically sadistic grin coming back onto his face, as it had long ago when they'd first met. "We're really going to get out and get those bitches back."

They'd gone to the drawing room and sat down comfortably on the couches. Beatrix couldn't imagine how bizarre her and Kai's clothes must look to the other Heretics. She could remember back when she'd worn similar dresses as the three women.

It was around an hour later when they all came in together. Beatrix was sure they must have discussed amongst themselves already whether to hear them out or not. She hoped, at least, it wouldn't have to turn into a conflict.

The Heretics sat down in sequence, with the hungry looking one nearest Beatrix, followed by the tallest male who had not yet spoken, and finally the lively looking man who seemed overjoyed to be awake. On the other couch, the tallest girl sat furthest from Kai, and beside her sat the other two, their hands joined on their laps.

"Well, don't let us stop you," said Kai when none of the Heretics spoke first. "We already introduced ourselves."

The girl who'd spoken first cleared her throat. "I suppose I will go first. My name is Valerie Tulle. I er— thought I was the first Heretic for quite awhile."

"I'm Mary Louise," said the girl who'd not yet spoken. She had a naturally pale complexion, blonde hair, and green eyes, meshing together in an uptight and almost bitchy expression, like she was daring someone to challenge her.

"I'm Nora," said the dark haired girl with a round face and hazel eyes. She seemed to be the most approachable of the three women, but she had a certain look about her that suggested she could be temperamental.

"Oscar," said the lively man. He certainly seemed kind. He had a comical expression and dark hair and eyes. "This is Beau." He gestured toward the tallest male, who was slender and muscular, with dark skin and eyes. He put a hand on his throat as if implying that he could not speak.

Finally, the man closest to Beatrix looked over with wild, blue eyes, and smirked arrogantly toward her. "Malcolm," he said, stretching his hand out toward her.

Beatrix shook it quickly. "Well, that was a nice series of introductions. Who wants to be the first to get into depth?"