At first, all she'd done was stare.

She'd watched the body fall, and she'd been in far too much shock to say anything. On its own, her body had sank down to its knees, her thighs shaking. Damon had ran past her to Bonnie, and within seconds, they were gone, likely to get Bonnie's injuries treated.

That's when she'd let out a scream.

It was loud, blood-curdling, and so anguished that the entire building had shook, and the rooftop split open. Beatrix wasn't paying attention to how much she was damaging the place. The ground was shaking furiously, and rubble was falling all around her, onto the dead bodies strewn all over the place. The wall in front of her had been the first to burst to flames as she kept screaming, her chest having been holding in so much emotion already that she was letting it all out without much conscious thought.

When she finally stopped screaming, she started to cry.

Sobs wracked through her body, and her vision blurred. Shaky hands reached toward the body, and she grazed her fingertips over his chest, swallowing hard as she looked at where the head had been cleanly sliced off. Clumsily, she placed her palm over his chest.

Why was she shocked that there was no heartbeat?

She whimpered and dropped down, another flood of tears streaming out as she lay her head onto his chest, clawing at any part of him that she could, as if he weren't there, as if his body was merely an illusion. The real Kai had to be somewhere else, maybe having been pulling a prank on her.

And then she'd looked at the head.

Her face had turned and she caught sight of it, severed and staring right at her, the eyes still open, and blood leaking steadily out of where the neck had been cut.

"K-Kai," she whimpered, struggling to draw breath. "K-Kai— oh— o-oh God—"

She crawled over to him. Her legs didn't seem to be working properly. Everything was blurry and she could hear her own heartbeat resonating in her ears to a painful extent. She reached for his cheek but withdrew her hand, looking down to see her fingers were somehow drenched in blood now.

Another scream.

"NO!" She'd cried out, scrambling back in disbelief. "NO! No— no— fuck— oh God— this isn't happening— NO! NOO!"

"Hello?"

She'd whirled around, her face stained with tears as she beheld the police officer that'd apparently arrived at the scene. All around her the building was still burning and yet she hadn't taken notice of it. Blue, red, and white lights were flashing outside, and it was only making her vision more hazy.

"Are you alright?" said the officer, coming forward. "Oh— oh—" he had seen all the bodies at long last. He raised his radio, ready to call it in. "I-I'm gonna need—"

He hadn't been able to finish. Beatrix was too angry, too confused, too distraught. She'd hissed and tackled him to the ground, wanting to feel some sort of control, wanting to find a reality that wasn't this. She'd sunk her fangs into his neck and ripped out his throat within seconds, leaving the body limp, and joining the pile.

She'd stood, eyes wild, blood dripping down onto her dress. She wasn't even sure when she'd lost her shoes. She started to breathe heavily, looking all around, still crying and still unable to breathe properly, but somehow, she hadn't yet fainted.

"I'm gonna kill them," she whispered to herself, her hands shaking as she looked down at them. "I'm gonna kill them.... I'm gonna kill Bonnie... kill Elena... kill Stefan.... then Damon...."

More police officers were arriving at the scene. The fire and the smoke must have been visible from the station, even in the dead of night. Or perhaps someone living nearby had called it in. She stumbled out, looking crazed and confused, meeting the gaze of the two officers that had just hopped out of their cars. One male and one female.

Both dead before they could get many words out.

She stood over their bodies, glaring down at their eyes wide open, and the gigantic bloody hole in their necks. She didn't care anymore. How could she?

"You've never been bitten by a werewolf, baby," he'd told her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. "Have I mentioned that I love you, Itza?"

She hadn't responded. She hadn't said it back.

She collapsed back onto her knees, holding her head in her hands and beginning to sob uncontrollably again. "Kai," she wheezed, moving one hand to clutch her chest. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode. "K-Kai— Kai— I'm— I'm so sorry—"

She wasn't sure how she managed to get away.

Her legs had carried her elsewhere, surely. But she couldn't remember moving. She couldn't remember how she got out of her dress or how she ended up in a bathtub with bubbles floating around her.

"You sure you're alright, dearie?"

She turned an saw an older woman entering the bathroom she was in. There were two puncture wounds on her neck, and she had a wistful expression.

Somehow, Beatrix must have found the old lady, fed on her, and compelled her to let her into her home.

"I'm fine," she said out of habit. She wasn't sure why she said that. She most certainly was not fine. Everything was wrong.

"Do you need me to call anyone for you?" asked the woman. "I have one of those cell phone gadgets you youngsters use. Surely someone will be awake to pick you up?"

She pondered over it for a minute. "I believe I may take you up on that," she said gently. Her own voice sounded weird. Why was it so level? Why wasn't she crying anymore?

The woman left and returned not long after with her phone, handing it to Beatrix. "Now, just please be careful not to drop it into the bathtub, dearie," she said before heading back out of the bathroom.

Beatrix held onto it and stared at the screen. Who could she call? What would even happen if someone picked up?

She dialed the only number she could remember off the top of her head. The line rung twice, and the person picked up.

"Who is this?"

"Marcel," Beatrix breathed in relief. "Marcel.... It's you."

"Beatrix?" he cried. "Beatrix— where the hell are you?! It's— it's been four months!"

"Marcel," she said more slowly. She wasn't sure what to say. How to explain what happened. All the emotion was coming back. She felt herself start to cry again, and she sniffled, swallowing a lump in her throat. "M-Marcel..."

"Beatrix— are you okay? Where are you? I'll come get you right now, just tell me, and stay there, and I'll make it there—"

"Kai's dead," she said shakily.

There was silence on the other line.

"K-Kai's d-dead," she repeated, shutting her eyes tight. "H-He's dead— he's— he's b-been decapitated..."

"Where are you? Please, Beatrix, I'll be there within a few hours, just tell me, please— are you still in Mystic Falls?"

"I-I don't know," she said shakily. "I d-don't know where I am... the v-venue... was a-at the edge of t-town... I-I have no idea..."

"Stay put. I'm going to have Davina do a locator spell. Don't go anywhere. I'm on my way."

She sobbed and nodded her head. "O-Okay... O-Okay... I'll try to s-stay..."

She'd hung up and set the phone on the side, carefully placing it so that it would not fall into the bathtub.

That's when the memories began to flood back.

"Put your hands where I can see them!"

She'd raised her hands and looked over at the officers that had come. Now four of them had arrived, and they could see her clearly standing over the two officers she'd just killed.

She'd lifted her hands, and a sadistic grin had come onto her face as she let out a mirthless laugh. "Your bullets won't do anything to me," she'd said sweetly, challenging him. "But shoot me as many times as you'd like. I want to feel something."

The female had been the first to fire, taking the safe route, considering blood was still dribbling down Beatrix's face as though she'd been shoved headfirst into an open body cavity.

The bullet had pierced her right in the side, and she'd just laughed again. She'd looked down as the bullet popped itself out of her, and her skin began to heal. She raised her hand, curling her fingers toward herself, and the officer flew to her side. The three other officers raised their guns as Beatrix gripped the woman by the throat.

"PUT HER DOWN!" one snarled. "NOW!"

"Put her down?" said Beatrix innocently, turning to look at him. "Okay." She snapped the woman's neck and dropped her to the floor.

Another round of bullets. Another useless attempt. She'd laughed more and more with each wound that she got, and took another step forward each time one of them healed. The panicked officers started to step back, but their fate was sealed. She raised both her hands, and two of them gave a gasp, clutching their chests and failing to catch their hearts as they flew out and into her hands. The last officer staggered back, watching in horror as she took a bite out of one of the hearts.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, strolling toward the terrified man. "Never met a Heretic before?"

"Y-You— Y-You—" he stammered, crawling away. "S-Satan worshippers!"

She rolled her eyes. "No, darling, I don't mean 'heretic' like that. I mean Heretic, like a vampire witch hybrid." She coiled her wrist and pulled his body up into the air, making it glide steadily toward her. She raised a hand to caress his face, smirking when he cringed back in fear. "Aw, you poor thing... I suppose I ought to leave a survivor..."

But her ears perked up at the sound of sirens. More coming this way. Perhaps, it was because the fire was still raging in the background, and because the now six dead officers had not been answering their radios.

"P-Please— P-Please don't k-kill me," the man sobbed. "M-My wife— s-she's— she's p-pregnant—"

She fake pouted. "Wrong line, pal. You see, I helped to kill a pregnant woman just now. So... I don't find myself feeling any sort of pity." She ruffled his hair. "I really wanted to let you live, sweetheart... but there are more on the way. Whoever is the last to arrive is the only one that'll live..."

She'd ripped his heart out before he could scream.

"Dearie? Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine," she said again. Why did she keep saying that? She was most certainly not fine. She'd never been less fine.

"Did you get to call someone?"

"Yes, I did. He's on his way. Thank you."

"Of course. Take all the time that you need."

No one had stood a chance against her.

When the other cop cars had shown up, she'd gone on a binge like never before. She tore through the first line, feeding just enough to kill each, or snapping their necks outright, before moving onto the next person. She left absolutely no one standing, not even the firemen who arrived to put out the fire.

She didn't care about anything anymore. She was crying the entire time as she killed mercilessly, one after the other, not even remembering to leave a survivor in the end.

She'd been completely covered in blood when she sped into the forest. She felt elated and devastated at the same time, and she stumbled through the woods until she reached a small cottage with smoke easing out of the tall chimney. She sped to the door, and knocked.

The old woman opened up. "Oh dear," she said immediately, stepping outside. "Are you alright, dearie?"

"Just need a teeny bit more blood," she had said, leaning down and biting into her neck. The woman had twitched, and therefore, Beatrix had been gentle and only drank a little bit. She'd put her hands on the woman's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You're going to invite me in and forget I fed on you. You'll draw me a bath, and when I get undressed, you'll take my dress and burn it in your fireplace."

She had smiled up at her kindly. "Won't you come in? Please, come inside and let me draw you a bath."

Beatrix leaned into the bubbles, humming to herself. She still felt unnerved, and very anxious. She could still see Kai's eyes wide open, his head resting on its own. She could still remember the coldness of his body when she'd laid her head on it.

It had been hours later when Marcel had arrived.

The woman had let him in, and he'd sped to the bathroom, finding Beatrix already in a bathrobe, sitting next to the window and watching the bubbles still draining.

"Beatrix," he said, rushing toward her. "Hey... are you ready to get out of here?"

"Yes," she said softly. He'd taken her hands in his and pulled her out, thanking the woman and dragging her out to a car he must have borrowed.

"Here, you can change in the backseat," he said, tossing a bag of her clothes at her. "I'm driving us to the airport, I already have a human compelled to prepare a private jet for us to fly back to New Orleans, alright?"

"Sure."

She had gotten dressed, holding her robe up to cover herself properly, and by the time Marcel had hit the freeway, she had crawled into the front seat.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "You went M.I.A. and we couldn't find you. You wouldn't answer your phone and the locator spells weren't working. After a bit, it was Rebekah who realized that you must have gotten stuck in the prison world, but there was nothing we could do— none of us know anything about that. Freya couldn't get it open for us to find you."

"No, she likely couldn't, she would have needed an Ascendant and it was broken," she said simply, leaning into the seat. "We... we went in. And the stupid Bennett witch left Kai and I behind. We... we were traveling for a good three and a half months maybe, trying to make the best of it while we tried to find a solution. We got out yesterday, and we brought with us the six Heretics that were imprisoned there in 1903."

Marcel's eyebrows had shot up. "What? Isn't that— the news that made you and Kol come back all suddenly?"

"Yes. I got to meet them, and find out what really happened that night."

"What happened today?"

She drew a deep breath. "Everything. We... we finally were going to get rid of the Gemini Coven. We did. They're gone. No more. But then..."

She started to cry. "K-Kai... K-Kai got k-killed..."

She hadn't been able to explain any further.

The entire flight to New Orleans, she had been silent.

Marcel had coaxed some proper food into her, but other than that, she wasn't really responsive. She remained buckled up the entire way, just staring into space and nodding only when necessary.

"Hey," said Marcel when they landed. "Come on. Time to get you home."

"What's been happening?" she said at last.

"Um, well, Hayley has been stuck as a wolf these past four months, except on full moons. Elijah is still living in Algiers... he only comes to help Freya care for Hope. Rebekah got put back in her witch body and went traveling for ways to bring Kol back, and of course, to look for you, when we couldn't find you. Klaus is... well, Klaus. He and Elijah are still really divided. Not a lot of conversation happening between them."

"Not surprised," she murmured as he beckoned her into another car that was waiting to drive them back into the French Quarter.

They had arrived at the Mikaelson compound in the early hours of the morning, and found that only Klaus was still awake, holding a bottle of bourbon in his hand, seated in the courtyard and watching the entrance.

"Oh bloody hell, took you long enough!" hissed Klaus, jumping to his feet and speeding toward them.

"I can't compel the pilot to fly any faster, Klaus," said Marcel sharply.

Klaus ignored him and pulled Beatrix into a tight hug before she could say anything. "I am so bloody sick of you being taken away from us," he said quietly, rubbing her back. He pulled away and grasped her face. "Well? Are you alright?"

She promptly burst into tears.

It had taken days for anyone to get anything out of her. Marcel had told them all what she had said to him, because otherwise, no one would have known what had gone on.

She was completely herself. There was no cruel voice in her head. No evil feeling in the pit of her stomach. Unknowingly, she'd unleashed enough of it to save herself another episode in the near future. However, she was just delaying the inevitable.

She didn't know how to feel. She was in pain, and she didn't wish to eat. She was crying constantly, and whenever someone tried to bring her food, they'd end up finding the previous food tray still there, and untouched.

Were it not for the fact she was a vampire, she would have been dead. She had so much blood in her system after the destruction she'd rained that she wasn't anywhere near desiccating. Therefore, it was just keeping her awake enough to succumb to grief.

"Beatrix, you must eat something," coaxed Freya, bouncing Hope on her hip. The little girl reached her arms toward the Heretic, wanting to be held, but Beatrix kept staring at her wall.

"Please?" said Freya. "Hope wants you to eat."

"She's a baby, Freya, she doesn't want me to do anything other than entertain her," she muttered. "If Hope had an opinion, she'd want you all to just let me be. She'd be on my side."

Freya shook her head. "You know that's not true. She'd be just as worried about you as we are."

Of course, Freya's attempts had been unsuccessful.

"Oh, bloody hell, Beatrix, don't make me compel you to eat!" hissed Klaus, aggravated. "Please, for the sake of whatever bloody deity you worship— feed yourself!"

"You really have no idea how grief works, do you?" she muttered. "You've never lost someone that you loved this deeply. All you've had in the past are flings. Most are still alive."

"Do you not think it pains me to see you this way? I may not understand what your pain is for this man who you knew for nineteen years, but I do not wish to see you destroy yourself. You'd turn into me! I do not want that for you!"

"You've never had anything against my more violent side. Right now, it's an inconvenience for you because you condemned your daughter's actual mother to a terrible fate, and you want me to help raise her!"

He hadn't tried again after that, thinking perhaps she might need a good killing spree to heal. He'd organized one, of course, having trapped several tourists in a room and been ready to offer them to her as a gift, but Freya had kept him from doing it, and the tourists had been released.

"Itza."

"Don't you dare call me that, Elijah," she hissed immediately upon hearing his voice. "You don't deserve to."

He came closer to her despite her hostility. "You need to talk. Please, let me help you. I needn't say anything, I swear to just listen—"

She'd leapt out of her bed, glaring at him. "What do you want to hear me say, Elijah? Do you want to hear about how Kai died? Do you want to hear about how I fell in love with him and he was ripped away from me? Will that satisfy you? You couldn't have Hayley, and now I'm available again, which means you're free to have at it? NO! I'm not telling you anything! I don't want you to ever call me that name again! I want you to— to fucking forget I told it to you! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

She beat her fists into his chests weakly. She had no strength, and she wasn't hurting him at all physically. Just with her words. "I WISH YOU DIED INSTEAD OF HIM! I WISH I NEVER MET YOU! I'D DO ANYTHING TO HAVE THE YEARS I HAD WITH YOU AND PUT THEM INTO TIME WITH HIM! I WAS HIS FIRST AND ONLY CHOICE! HE NEVER TOOK ME FOR GRANTED! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!"

She could hear Hope crying in the other room. She was being far too loud. Too hurt to be considerate.

Elijah had given her a pained look. He couldn't hold it against her. "I am so, so sorry, Beatrix," he said quietly. "If I could give my life for his, if it meant your happiness, I would. I have been awful to you. And I deserve your anger."

"You deserve more than my anger," she seethed. "I wish you could feel the fucking pain I'm in! I wish you a thousand times the pain you felt when Klaus made Gia kill herself! You've known her for less than a year and it fucking hurt, didn't it? DIDN'T IT?"

She punched him again, but it barely ruffled his suit. "I loved him," she said, more softly this time as she sank back. "And it hurts so fucking bad... so fucking bad..."

She closed her eyes, swallowing back sobs. She remained like that for only a few seconds, but by then, it was far too late for Elijah to do anything. When she opened her eyes, he saw the change in them immediately. His mouth went dry, as her once shimmering pupils became dull, and almost lifeless.

"What the hell did you do?" he said in a deadly whisper.

Beatrix cast him a wry grin. "I turned it the fuck off."