prologue; OF DEATH AND LIFE

"NO!"

It was with horrified eyes that Kara stared mournfully at the charred corpse that lay spread eagle on the kitchen floor. She blinked furiously as her vision blurred.

There lay the burnt remains of a man that Kara had thought to be utterly invincible, even before he'd become immortal. He'd had that effect on her when she was alive, from the very moment she'd met him and been stunned by his larger than life personality and after her untimely death, when she watched from beyond the veil.

"Kara!?"

Quickly, the woman tore her gaze from the burnt body to find the very person to which the corpse belonged, staring at her with shocked eyes, face crumpled into a look of childlike wonder.

She couldn't see the vampire she had spent the better part of a millennium watching grieve the loss of his magic by slaughtering masses. She, however, could see the human boy who showed her magic by making the wind rush through her hair and the wilted flowers bloom, the one who ran wild with her youngest brother throughout the village and was so besotted by her older sister.

"Kol!" She breathed out tearfully. Unable to keep her emotions at bay any longer, she ran forward, throwing her arms around the boy who slowly returned the embrace, still shocked that Kara was with him. When they broke apart, his grey eyes searched her brown.

"How are you here?" He asked softly.

She smiled bitterly. Kol found it to be incredibly odd on her face, "It seems peace is hard to reach. Extraordinarily so."

Kol wanted to laugh because this was Kara, kind, innocent, magnificent Kara who deserved to find peace more than anyone he'd met in his long life.

"If you cannot find peace after death, what hope in the world do I have?" He commented with a humourless chuckle as he gazed down at his body with scared, furious eyes. He turned his attention to the Gilbert siblings as his hands curled into fists.

"I'm sorry, Kol," Kara whispered, her own narrowed gaze falling on the siblings, that familiar feeling of rage coursing through her, her wrath longing to unleash onto the pair that had sent her brother-in-law into a trap to murder him.

Kol didn't respond to her. Instead, his sad eyes followed Jeremy Gilbert's now scared gaze to find his sister standing on the threshold of the home, his brother not too far behind her.

"Ida. Nik."

Kara spun on her heel to see Niklaus with a look on his face that she'd only ever seen on him twice. The first was when she had seen him carrying Henrik's corpse home. The second time, she had watched from the veil as he stared down at her unmoving body before rushing forth to calm his screaming brother.

The look Freida bore wrenched Kara's heart open. Her face was slack, and tears streamed down it, whether she knew it or not, as she held her hands on her head, fingers twisted into the curls. She hadn't even looked at the Gilbert siblings. Her eyes hadn't even left the charred remains of her twin brother's corpse.

"What did you do?" Klaus stammered angrily. His words were rushed and hurt when he turned his gaze onto the Gilberts and attempted to keep his eyes from drifting.

"W-We didn't have a choice!" Elena Gilbert spoke hysterically, "He was trying to cut off Jeremy's arm."

Kara wanted to cut off Elena's arm. It appeared that Freida had snapped herself from her daze. She turned to face the doppelgänger, and a crazed look entered her eye.

"Lies." Niklaus seethed, "He never would have gotten inside if you hadn't have set a trap for him."

"You said you were going to put him down too," Elena exclaimed, somehow looking surprised by Niklaus' anger in a way that made Kara scoff, her gaze narrowing on the brunette.

"Yeah, and with a bloody dagger no doubt." Kol spoke bitterly, rolling his eyes, "So original."

Kara laughed softly at the cynical joke.

"He was never going to kill him, you horrid wench." The hollowness of Freida's voice made even Klaus flinch. The Gilbert siblings shiftED back slightly when they noticed the look, "You know by now how much of a dagger happy moron Niklaus is."

Kol snorted at the bitter words.

"I was going to make him suffer on MY TERMS!" Niklaus bellowed. Elena flinched back as the hybrid looked around the doorframe, "I'm going to burn this house to the ground. And then, when you try to flee for your lives, I'll kill you both without blinking."

"You kill us. You'll never get the cure." Jeremy spat, "You'll never be able to make any more hybrids."

Kara's heart ached. Her eyes burned with tears as Freida began to laugh. It was a broken sound, hysterical even as she slammed her fist against the homes barrier, the only thing stopping her from tearing the siblings apart with her bare hands.

Kol's eyes were watery as he stepped toward his twin. He reached out to touch her shoulder, only to have his hand go through her. He turned back to face Kara, who smiled sadly.

"Believe me, I know." She whispered.

"You really think I care for an instant about my bloody hybrids?" Klaus roared before Kol could respond to Kara, "I want the cure so I can destroy it. I would've killed you all the second we dug it up, but now I'm just gonna watch you burn instead."

✦❀✦

It was rare that Kol left Kara's side after his death, though she didn't mind his clingy nature. She loved it even as it was almost like they were still alive, and he was shadowing her to show off a new trick that he and Freida had learned from Esther or Finn.

If Kol wasn't with her, he was following his twin. Freida had left Mystic Falls quickly after his death, but not before she had her revenge against her brother's murderers.

Kara had to admit that she enjoyed watching that happen.

When they parted, Kara made the journey to watch Elijah. It wasn't something she often did anymore. In the first few centuries after her demise, Kara spent her time on The Other Side just watching her husband with a longing in her heart that still had yet to ebb. But now, she only checked in on him when she felt as though she needed to. Her gut was always correct because finding him in the embrace of Katerina Petrova was something she had never enjoyed.

Kara knew it was wrong to be jealous that her very much earthside husband had attempted to move on from his very dead wife. She could admit that some people were good for her husband, whom she truly loved for him, and others who were terrible.

Kara was grudgingly grateful to Elena Gilbert for nipping that one in the bud once and for all.

Still, she was an hour out from Mystic Falls when she heard the whispers of the dead discussing the drop of the veil and curious, she returned.

Kol was already there because Freida had returned for reasons she didn't know about, but both were eager to discover whether or not it was something that could bring him back. Kara was unsurprised to find him taunting his younger sister when she arrived. While Freida watched, not coming to Rebekah's defence.

"Kol, I believe you've had your final word." She laughed. She could see the pout before he'd even turned.

Rebekah looked over her brother's shoulder, and Freida turned around. Shock overcame them as Kol shoved past Matt Donovan and out the door.

"Kara." Rebekah gasped out in awe before a smile overtook her features when she pushed past her sister. She stopped mere inches from Kara and reached out hesitantly, almost afraid. She flinched when her fingers made contact with the dead woman's wrist.

"Hello, Rebekah." Kara beamed at her before she gathered the young blonde in her arms. She teared up as she burrowed her face in the crook of the taller woman's neck.

"How the bloody hell...?"

"Something with the veil, darling. Like Kol." Kara murmured, glancing over the blonde's shoulder at Freida and Matt, "Is your boyfriend alright there?"

When Rebekah broke their embrace, Freida took her place just as quickly. Kara held the brunette tightly in the embrace, "I am looking after him, Ida. Do not worry."

"Thank you." Freida breathed, her voice thick with emotion.

"Listen, I need you to do something for me."

"Of course, anything."

✦❀✦

When Kara parted with Freida, she wandered for a short while before she'd found herself in New Orleans. She hadn't known why she wanted to go there until she found Hayley Marshall. Kara became determined to watch over the pregnant werewolf.

She'd almost avoided Mikael entirely during his time on The Other Side, only until he'd used the stopping of Hayley's heart as an attempt to take her child's life. The mother-to-be handled herself splendidly, but Kara intervened when she finally arrived at the compound and found her father-in-law hell-bent on murdering Hayley. The two women each used a piece of wood to pierce his stomach from both sides when he dropped from the second floor.

"Impossible." He glared at Kara with hatred in his eye as she kicked his knee out.

"Goodbye, Mikael." She smiled down at him sweetly.

"My daughter has an advantage Klaus never had." Hayley hissed in his ear, "She will never, ever know you."

Hayley didn't waste another second, quickly driving the stake through his back and into his heart. When she shoved his body to the ground, she backed away from Kara with cautious eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked warily, cradling her bump protectively. Of course, this woman had just saved her. But, she had placed her trust in the wrong people many times before.

"I'm Kara." She spoke kindly, smiling softly when Hayley's eyes lit up in recognition, a shocked breath leaving her. She took a step forward and caught Hayley's hand in her own, "I don't believe the threat is over, and Mikael isn't permanently gone yet, so you'll have to wake up quickly. There are whispers from the witches who reside here. They fear your child."

"Why?" Hayley demanded, desperate for answers, "She's just a baby."

"I'm not sure yet." Kara admitted softly, "They know who I am, who my family is. Therefore I can only learn so much. So you protect your baby by any means and be careful, darling."

Determination sparked in Hayley's eye, one that made Kara's heart yearn, "I will."

"Good."

"Kara!"

"I must leave now. The whispers have started." Kara said quietly as the wind picked up around the pair, "You must have heard that the veil is falling. I'll surely disappear soon."

"You'll find peace, won't you?" The werewolf questioned worriedly.

Kara's eyes were sad, "One would only wish, but I haven't yet reached it in the thousand years since my passing." She admitted, "If you inform our family of my involvement today, please don't tell them of my pessimistic attitude. Tell them that I've found my peace with my little ones."

"I will," Hayley promised, her eyes welling with tears. She didn't stop herself from launching forward and wrapping her arms around Kara.

"Kara."

The untriggered werewolf stroked the pregnant woman's hair and closed her eyes as she hummed softly, "Take care, Hayley Marshall."

When her eyes opened, it was nightfall. She found herself standing in the Mystic Falls cemetery. When she felt something touch her hand, she glanced to her left and smiled gently up at Kol.

"This is it, isn't it?" Her voice was gentle.

Kol didn't answer her question as he gazed around at the leaves moving harshly against the howling wind, "Do you think it will hurt?"

Kara's smile became strained when she saw the terrified look in his eye, "You didn't find a way out of here, did you?"

Kol didn't answer, only repeated his question.

She didn't have a chance to shake her head because he turned his back to her and gazed off into the distance. Her brows furrowed when Kol began to walk and followed him. When she broke through the trees and found herself beside a crypt, she watched as Kol stormed toward a group gathered. She quickly followed.

"Kol!" She called after him.

The group huddled together turned at the sound of her voice. Each of them tensed when they caught sight of the Original.

No one said anything or even had the chance to when another boy caught Kara's attention as he rushed from the crypt, "Bonnie, hey!" He shouted, "Look, it's too much for her. We need to start now."

"No." Kara recognised Stefan Salvatore, who shook his head, "We go together. Damon isn't here yet."

"I don't care." The boy shook his head and grabbed onto Bonnie Bennett's arms. Both Kara and Kol's eyes widened when he momentarily disappeared and when he appeared again, looking like the people Kara had spent a millennium watching over.

Somehow he was alive again, but he didn't stick around as he turned and returned to the crypt.

"You need to come through."

"Kara!"

Rooted in place, Kara glanced around her, shivering when the wind picked up further, "The Darkness is coming."

Kol grabbed her hand and pulled her to the group as a raven-haired man grabbed onto the Bennett witch. Emotions passed on his face, too quick to determine as she stumbled to keep up.

Tyler Lockwood grasped the witches shoulder, and when he reappeared, a blonde woman rushed to his side to embrace him.

Somehow, these people were leaving the veil.

When they were a few feet from the witch, the Salvatore brother and a blonde woman who had were locked in a deep conversation, the Doppelgänger caught Kara's attention as she ran toward the trio. Kara's eye twitched as she curled her fist to control her rage as Elena Gilbert yelled words Kara couldn't make out, but the Bennett witch grabbed onto her. Only moments later, when she stumbled, Stefan grabbed her to catch her and disappeared.

"Bonnie, this is killing you, isn't it?" The blonde woman exclaimed with wide eyes as Kara and Kol stopped mere feet from the witch as she struggled to keep herself upright.

"I can hold on." She responded in determination.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes narrowed when she caught the expectant look on Kol's face.

"I am not letting you pass, Kol," Bonnie shouted at him.

"For once, I don't care about myself, Bonnie Bennett." Kol laughed, his grip on Kara tightening when he felt it slip, "I want you to let Kara here pass."

Kara glanced up at the boy in surprise, and her heart warmed at the futile attempt.

"I'm not letting one of your flings through either."

Both Kara and Kol's faces scrunched up at her assumption, "Gross." They exclaimed in unison. They shared a grin before Kol had turned and wrapped his arms tightly around Kara. She returned the embrace just as fiercely when the whispers grew stronger.

"I have to hold on." She faintly heard Bonnie tell the woman, "Just come through."

"Nice try, Kol. But to answer your question." She laughed into his chest. When they broke apart, he stared down at her when a grin, "I don't think it will hurt."

"Not just yet!" A man's voice shouted, and from the corner of her eye, Kara could see the blonde woman smash her elbow into his face.

"Go." He whispered, his hand dropping to her abdomen, a softness entering his eye. One she had not seen in so long, "Live the life you deserved to have, sister."

"Wha–"

Kara lost her footing when Kol shoved her right into Bonnie, who had been watching the blonde woman and the dark-haired man fight. Taken by surprise and forgetting what her touch did, she grabbed onto Kara's elbow to steady her.

The harsh wind stopped immediately.

For the first time in a millennium, the blue tint of the Other Side disappeared from her vision, and Kara found herself staring into the shocked face of Bonnie Bennett.

When she looked over her shoulder, Kol was gone.

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i think this is the longest prologue i've written in such a long time but i love it so much and it was very necessary.

also, i absolutely adore kara and the love she has for kol.

thanks for reading!

~r