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Days prior, the witch Marika had successfully found the location of the Doppelganger. And had explained to Elijah there was a struggle due to someone blocking the location but nonetheless she was able to get through to see snippets.

The Noble Original requested a potion from her as his last request to further interfere with his brother's plans. Elijah Mikaelson was aware the payment would increase from what he already owed it but he knew it was crucial to have it before he makes his journey to Mystic Falls, his plan would fall apart if he didn't have it.

"What are your plans when you arrive there?" Marika inquired, her hands hovering above the sacred water in the porcelain white bowl. Her calloused palms glowed a dark purple color that did not go unnoticed by Elijah as it fascinated him to see her magic in action. "As far as you know, your brother hasn't made an appearance yet in the little town so why go when he's not there?" Marika further questioned, curiosity peeking through her tone. She did bring up a good point that it was odd and he did acknowledge the witch gained truly nothing from his answers if he really desired for her to know.

"All I want is to make an impression on her and her group before my brother's presence disturbs the peace." Elijah stated vaguely as he carefully observed the witch creating the potion. "More so than it already has I suppose." He added bluntly.

Marika hummed before snorting in amusement, her eyes gazing up at the man who always wore a facade of elegance and patience. She did wonder how long it would last and he showed his true colors. "If I didn't know you were serious I would have thought that was a joke. You have an interesting way of phasing things, Elijah Mikaelson." She tore some herbal leaves into the water as she spoke. Fortunately, the witch had all the needed ingredients for the potion and all that was required to do after mixing it together was let it sit and set into place.

"I do aim to please, dear." Elijah gave a small smile. With too many things on his mind, he did enjoy making a joke at times. It never ceased to remind him of Kol and his persistence to add humor however he wanted even when it irritated others around him. There was a present guilt in his heart when remembering his younger brother. All Elijah desired was to free his family from the confinements Klaus has forced them into but of course his brother and his irrational fears of abandonment have made everything significantly more difficult.

"I look forward to seeing my family," Elijah spoke up. No context needed as any reasonable person would assume it was normal circumstances.

"You haven't seen them in quite some time I assume." Marika raised a brow at his words. Her right hand reached over the table to gather some dark Yellow powder in the tips of her fingers and sprinkled it into the water. The powder turned the water a dark Green color and only a moment later it began to twirl into itself like a tidal wave. There was no need to even cast a spell, it obeyed her will without question. "You must miss them a lot. It's hard to be away from those you care for." Marika sympathized with a small smile. The witch understood the difficulty of not seeing family for such a long time, regardless of the situation of why. Marika took a guess Elijah wasn't able to see his siblings because of Klaus Mikaelson hence why Elijah is undermining his brother's plans. It seemed like the most logical explanation concerning the dysfunction family.

"My siblings are infuriating to put it to better terms." Elijah resisted the urge to smile fondly at the memories that surfaced. They weren't all great moments. After they were turned into immortals against their will and cursed to become vile abominations of nature, their entire lives were upside down. They learned all they had was each other to lean on after the death of their mother and their father who turned to hunt them down to the end of time.

It was clear they could no longer rely on what was before and they did it together until it all fell apart. Elijah often wondered when exactly it started to fall apart and if it could have been prevented but it was too late. "But they are all I have left and I can't afford to fail anyone else." There was no one else he could fail that mattered more than his family.

"It sounds like you are fighting for your siblings. That is an admirable thing to fight for." The witch remarked. She found herself moved by his determination ti bring his family back. Marika poured the potion in a small tinted glass bottle. "I have finished the potion, make sure whoever drinks it is careful to drink all of it or it won't be effective. It's not a big amount to swallow down." She instructed, handing the bottle to the Elijah who listened carefully.

"Thank you, Marika. And I will be sure to pass along the instructions." He expressed, taking the vial and putting it inside pocket of his suit. "I will find a few days to get your first payment. If I may ask, what will be the second one?" When they first made their deal, Elijah was aware that she wanted specific glistening waters from a dimension within their universe. In spite of being alive for a thousand years, this would be his first instance of journeying to a dimension. But Elijah  was confident he would be able to do it.

"Of course, it will take you time to travel to the Glass dimension. I am more than happy to wait as long as you get it but I have a feeling you will do it in a hurry." She smiled, appearing friendly but her words sounded sharp. A near threat glistening in her eyes. "You will know what the second payment is after you get the first. Better to know when you're already halfway there."

The gleam in her honey brown eyes told him pushing her to answer would be a mistake so he decided not to. "Alright, I look forward to knowing later on then." he gave a tight lipped smile. Elijah turned around, intending to make his leave when her voice stopped him.

"Before you go, can I get a better look at that necklace around your neck?" Her question had caught him off guard. Elijah did not consider the possibility she had seen it as he purposefully always kept it hidden out of sight. Let alone would ask about it. "It is an eye-catching jewel that I couldn't help but notice. If you don't mind."

Elijah paused in his steps, thinking over before grabbing a hold of the pendant around his neck and lifted it over his under dress shift to now be in sight. "This necklace seems to interest you," He pointed out. Elijah watched as the witch leaned forward to better examine it.

"You may not be aware but that necklace is a rare jewel among the gods. The only one of its kind. It is one that symbolizes protection from all that can taint your soul and those that seek you harm." Marika elaborated, gazing at the necklace in awe and wonder but it felt like there was more she left unsaid. "I'm sure the one who gave it to you must hold all the love for your, Elijah."

Elijah clenched his jaw, shutting his eyes for a moment. The terrible ache in his undead heart returns with a burning. "I think she did too." His voice strained and cold to his ears, refusing to show the deep sorrow in his soul to a stranger. "I will see you soon, Marika. Keep well." Elijah turned and directed himself to the front door, leaving the apartment without a second glance.

"Oh sweet Elijah." Marika muttered watching him leave. She felt the sorrow he must have felt. "You truly don't want to know what will happen." Marika sighed. There was no telling if the original would survive but she hopped he would.

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Elena let out a soft breath of exhaustion, adjusting and shifting her body as she sat in the driver's seat. She rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand as a yawn escaped her. There was something odd about feeling half awake when she had been sleeping almost the entire time of Caroline driving. But at least she wouldn't be falling asleep while driving.

They had switched once more at the stop a couple miles back and it was her turn to drive before Bonnie took the rest of the way. Caroline took her previous seat with Stefan next to her, continuing with day dreaming.

The barely lit dark Gray sky had faded into blackness and bright pretty stars were scattered all throughout the sky. If someone looked close enough, the constellations could pointed out.

The doppelgänger made a left turn, her eyes shifting to the sleeping form Bonnie. Her head was leaned against the cool window as soft snores left. Elena had insisted Bonnie sit in the back seat to have more space to sleep but her friend being as stubborn as she was, disagreed and wanted to be up front just in case anything were to happen.

"The things in the dark are more present at night. There is no telling of what will pop up." Elena recalled the young witch's words of warning as Bonnie was beginning to doze off once more. It made her wonder what things in the dark was her friend talking about as it didn't seem she was talking about anything of normal circumstances. It must have something to do with celestials she assumes but at the same time she was not sure.

The brunette's thoughts wandered to her Aunt Jenna and Jeremy. Elena hoped they were alright and no surprised 'gifts' had shown up. The last one was more than enough to see. It would make things harder to hide from her aunt. Elena knew she would have to eventually come clean to her about what was happening but she didn't want to risk putting Jenna in more danger than she already was if she knew they were involved with gods. Things were just more complex. It was a bit funny to think that she once thought her life couldn't get any weirder after learning the existence of the supernatural beings and yet here she was.

Elena wondered if Caroline had woken up since the blonde had decided to take advantage of the time to get some needed sleep. She briefly glanced at the rear view mirror to get a quick glance and saw that her friend was still asleep. But for a split second Elena noticed her reflection had shifted on its own.

Elena was curious if it was just in her mind or perhaps she was seeing something. When she glanced back at the mirror once more it was grinning at her menacingly wearing her face like a mask. Elena was baffled when the twisted reflection had spoken in a demonic dark tone, "It is coming for you. Run. There are no saviors for the godless."

The words nearly caused her to swerve off the road as she jerked the steering wheel to the right before she had taken control of the wheel and made a sharp turn back on the road straight ahead, waking everyone in the car. Elena exhaled sharply and trying to shake off the feeling of disturbance and anxiety she felt creeping through her mind.

"What the fuck was that? Damn." Caroline grumbled, annoyed that her sleep was disturbed when they weren't even there yet.

"Elena, are you okay? What happened?" Stefan questioned, looking at her in concern and worry along with Bonnie.

"I am fine, just spooked." Elena assured her, shaking her head at the words echoing in her mind. "I should have listened to the warning that things are different at night. You were right as always, Bon." Elena tried to joke but she felt too unsettled to smile and it came out more faint.

Bonnie remained watching her friend's expression with a pointed focus. "We can talk about this later." Bonnie remarked with a firm look. Something happened to shake up her friend the way it did and there was no way the young witch would sleep now. Bonnie reached to grip Elena's forearm and squeezed as a gesture of comfort. No more things in the dark will scare for now.

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"The ingredient must be a type of sage." Jeremy stated in more confidence after looking through numerous pages of spells for the last couple hours. He didn't even notice it was beginning to get dark as Jeremy was hyper focused on finding more patterns that could give them a clue. "In a lot of these spells, a type of sage, is used rather directly as the spell or as a cleansing method to ward off the dark spirits." The Gilbert Teen further explained before taking a bite out of his turkey sandwich. He didn't even realize how hungry he was and accepted the food when Typer brought up food.

"You think so?" Tyler remarked in question. "I noticed the pattern when I looked through the spells but I wasn't completely sure." Right now being smart and careful was needed more than anything else. The wolf didn't want to make a mistake.

Jeremy shoved a couple of fries in his mind, nodding along with Tyler's words. "I know what you mean. We are all just trying to do what we can and you aren't that much of an idiot so you can say something if you see it." He joked a bit but his words were sincere. "We can check this by Calaeno since I am sure she would know." They both knew Bonnie's older sister was knowledgeable in witchcraft more than Bonnie herself was so surely she would know what this sage would be.

While the two teens were conserving among themselves, the Raven haired vampire arrived at the doorstep. After Damon had killed and burned the body of the vampire sent by Klaus, he made his way to the Gilbert Residence. The day has slowly faded to evening for them and it was dark by the time Damon was walking up the steps.

The vampire knocked his fist against the door and spoke in a loud voice. "Open the door, I know you two are here!" He exclaimed.

Jeremy and Tyler's attention was drawn toward the familiar voice that made them roll their eyes and scoff. "What the fuck. What was the point of him knocking if he's just gonna yell?" Tyler said, getting up from where he sat to exit the room, heading down stairs. Jeremy merely shook at the entire thing. Leave it to Damon to make an appearance when they already figure what the ingredient may be.

"I heard that Lockwood!" Damon once more yelled, this time just to irritate them. A few minutes later the door was opened and the annoyed expression of the wolf came to you. "Oh there he is, my favorite wolf. I still need to be invited in by little Gilbert so..." He trailed off, leaning his door against the doorway. Tyler merely gave him an unimpressed look and rolled his eyes.

"You can come in, you annoying asshole!" Jeremy yelled while he remained still in his room. As a resident of the house, he did have the ability to invite and Jeremy knew it wasn't a permanent invitation either become of the protection spell Bonnie had casted before the group left.

Tyler steps aside as Damon walks in. A small laugh escapes the teenager. "You know you were supposed to help us figure out this ingredient." Tyler pointed out, walking back to Jeremy's room with Damon following behind him.

"I know that. You don't need to remind me, Lockwood." Damon countered, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I got held by." He let on vaguely as they entered Jeremy room.

"What do you mean you got held up? By what?" Tyler questioned. Jeremy raised a brow toward the older vampire, wondering the same thing.

Damon glanced around the moderately sized room Jeremy slept in. "This room is definitely a spitting image of those mess rooms you see on TV." He commented with a small smirk. "To answer your Question, Klaus sent a vampire to get Elena and he tried to force me to tell him where she was. And clearly he was out of his league." He shrugged his shoulders, seemingly to look nonchalant.

"My room isn't that messy." Jeremy scowled before immediately feeling concerned at what the older vampire informed them of. "Well fuck then. Good thing she isn't here but what if there are others already in Mystic Falls? There's no telling what Klaus is willing to do." The timing of this vampire appearing seemed a bit too close to be a mere coincidence Jeremy thought.

"For a vampire as old as Klaus, if there are more he must be planting them to be his eyes and ears before he arrives himself so it could probably be anyone and we just haven't noticed." The Lockwood male added, growing worried that things may turn for the worst.

"Yes yes, good points all around. Nothing either of you are saying is wrong." Damon said, attempting to calm the increasing panic in the air. "We all knew we had to be cautious and this makes no difference. For now, we can assume that he doesn't know where Elena is until she comes back so we can use that as a trap to lure whatever spies there may be." Damon promulgated with the plan he had been thinking over as he drove to Jeremy's place. They were at a disadvantage that these spies may well know what they look like but they could use that against them as well. "Our best bet is to keep a level head and not lose our shit. So can we do that or die trying?"

"I guess you're right. All of this is so fucked up." Tyler interjected. He was over all of it and it didn't even technically start yet but he didn't want to have to watch his friends end up dying just for some insane vampire with issues.

Jeremy agreed with both of them. The time to panic was not now and what they should be doing is focusing on the next steps. "We figured out that the ingredient may be a type of sage used in necromancy but we don't know what type it could be." Jeremy's tone faltered with uncertainty. "It would be better to check with Calaeno just in case."

The dark haired Salvatore made a noise of acknowledgment, recalling what he knew of witchcraft from his years of dealing with all sorts of witches and warlocks. "The only type of Sage that would be used in this type of black magic would be Revenant Sage. It grows within the darkness of night and the shine of the moon. It's rare but a powerful herb that is mainly meant to be used in healing and protection spells but is very useful in this magic." Damon affirmed like he was an expert when he only knew the surface of the endless pool that was witchcraft.

"How do you know that?" Tyler blurted out.

"Why would you know that?" Jeremy Interrogated in suspicion. The two blinking at him in confusion present in their faces to their eyes. They were very easy to read. The two seemed to forget there was still much they didn't know about the vampire or his past.

"I met my fair share of witches and I am a quick study. We'll leave it at that." Damon brushed off, his blue eyes gazing at them sharply that he wouldn't explain more. "But lucky for us I know where to get Revenant Sage. You guys can figure out the last ingredient needed and it should be set for Bonnie."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes on the vampire. "Where would you be getting it from?" He didn't mind working with Tyler to figure out the last thing needed but he couldn't help but wonder about Damon's part in all of this.

"Let's just say an old friend of mine has what we need."

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"Finally I never thought we would get here." Caroline voiced in relief, stepping out of the car and stretched her arms. Bonnie had driven the rest of the way and parked the car in the parking lot beside the large house Stefan told them where the seller has the ingredient. "God, I hate long car rides. Whoever said they were fun was a fucking liar." She complained, rubbing her sore neck. It was a mistake to sleep with her head against the window but at least she wasn't sleepy and wouldn't be for a while.

"We know, Care. You've been saying that for the last couple miles." Elena remarked teasingly, stepping out of the opposite side of the car. She couldn't help but share her friend's dislike of being cramped in a car for more than half the day. "Saying it more isn't going to change anything."

The Blonde gave a sarcastic smile. "Hearing it makes me feel better." Caroline pouted mockingly, making the brunette snort in amusement.

"Okay, let's get moving before the next day comes." Bonnie announced, zipping up her sweater as she breathed out lowly. It was cold and she wanted to get this over with.

"Better to get this over with." Stefan spoke up in agreement. He began to walk to the large house. The witch, younger vampire and Elena followed behind. Once they had reached the dark brown painted doors, Stefan knocked his fist against the door three times.

The door was opened by a woman dressed in faded blue jeans and a Pink colored button up shirt. She has long curly Light Green and Black half tied back into a ponytail. "We are here for the item." Stefan spoke bluntly, disregarding futile greetings. This was business after all.

The woman glanced at each of them with a careful gaze. There was a compelling glint in her Crystal Blue eyes like there was secrets of the universe she knew well but would not utter.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes on the woman. Something wasn't right but she couldn't explain what it was about this woman that made her stomach tighten up.

"I will need to see your receipt, Stefan Salvatore." The woman uttered calmly, tilting her head to the head as she spoke in a firm voice.

Stefan scowled and pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. "You know well it's me, Olwyn." The vampire confirmed, handing over the receipt.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Olwyn remarked idly. Her slim fingers held the receipt as she glanced over it. "Alright you can come on. Make sure to take off your shoes before entering." Olwyn instructed, stepping aside for them to enter.

Once the four were inside, the seller closed the door behind them before she stood in front of them. "You made it in the nick of time. I was just about to leave." Olwyn commented, walking straight ahead and turned right into a what looked like a dark living room. The curtains were a dark blue matching the carpets while the two arm chairs and couch was an dark Orangish Red color. It was a fitting and well matching theme.

What stood out was not the black wood coffee table in front of the couch but the White painted box placed on it that drew Bonnie's attention. There was an aura emitting from the box that made it feel like the room had gotten darker.

Olwyn glanced expectantly at the young witch. "Go ahead, do the authenticity spell, Bennett. And see for yourself." She vocalized in a low tone with a watchful gaze.

The young witch walked over to the coffee table and hovered over the box. "You know who I am?" Bonnie raised a brow, turning her head to gaze at the woman.

Olwyn smiled a bit too sharply to be friendly. The sight of her sharp canines made Bonnie's stomach jump."You are the Bennett witch who made a deal with the entity of Death, Thanatos." Olwyn voiced factually without a stutter present. Like she knew Bonnie was going to question her. "Every witch in tuned with the divine knows who you are."

"Are you a witch?" Elena spoke up in a curious tone. "You seem to know a lot of what witches talk about if you aren't one."

"No, dear. I am not a harbinger of Nature." She began, her words cutting through Elena question like a skilled butcher. "I was created by the means of magic and it gives me a unique connection to it but I do not associate myself with witchcraft." She expanded in vague terms. It was apparent Olwyn would not reveal what she was to complete strangers.

Bonnie pursed her lips. She felt curious about the woman and her species but now was not the time to question. The Bennett Witch reached her hands forward and grasped the box from its sides and began to chant the spell quietly. Her mind racing to when her sister and grams had taught her the spell.

There would be cases when she needed to make sure things were as they were meant to be and this spell analyzes every degree if it is the real or not. Bonnie felt her magic hum in approval and she removed her hands. If it had been fake, the spell would have caused the object to burn. "It's not a fake." Bonnie confirmed, picking up the box to hold in her hands. They had what they needed now.

"Good. Everything is in order now." Olwyn clapped her hands together once and light illuminated the room. "Stefan, you know what the payment is. You and your friends are more than welcome to crash here if you'd like." Olwyn directed to Stefan at first before announcing to the rest of the group as an offer.

"I know. The payment is being sent." Stefan said stiffly. "And no, thank you. We should really get moving but we appreciate the offer." He gave a faint smile that did not reach his eyes. "Let's go guys." Stefan said, going to leave the room. Caroline followed and Elena glance before trailing behind.

Bonnie picked up the box and followed her friends and halted when she heard the woman speak once more.

"See you later, Bonnie. And good fortune to you." Olwyn grinned ominously, watching as the young witch gazed at her warily and made her exit. This was only the beginning.

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