for the rest of us death will be a relief

[praevaricatio]

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alaric, jo & kai | williamsburg

[daydrinker]

( alaric drives down that morning, there by the afternoon to join his wife in time to - well, nap. she's been up all night and, honestly, he has, too. he handled his daughters and then a curious hope, didn't drink too much (a miracle) and only dozed for an hour before jo's call came through.

he doesn't let the girls know she's good until - well, after this, because she's fine and they're fine and he needs sleep.

he stirs first, the sun having gone down at some point. rubbing at his eyes, jo is turned over, away from him. she slips out of the bed, both having fallen asleep onto of the covers and yawns, trudging over to the bathroom. he flips the light on and relieves himself, stifling another yawn again.

flipping the light back off, he starts to turn and then faces the mirror again - turning. he flips the light on.

frowning, he tilts his head and turns back again. there is, there's someone jo is holding onto in her sleep, in their bed.

moving to the night stand, he clicks the light on and gapes, seeing the familiar, young face of the man jo's curled up against.

back in the bathroom, with the door now closed, he calls the only person he thinks to call, caroline )

[vampireboulevard]

[The phone rings for way too long because Ric, you are on east coast time while the person you're calling is currently on west coast time. Also enjoying boyfriend time. But eventually, on the very last ring, Caroline does answer, confused as to why Ric is calling her out of the blue:]

Ric? Is everything okay?

[Did he forget she was on vacation? She put it on the school calendar!]

[daydrinker]

I'm fairly sure Kai is asleep next to my wife, who is, incidentally also asleep.

( He looks back at the closed door before sitting on the edge of the bathtub. )

She saw him earlier, in that unlocking spell. ( He pauses. ) You don't think he somehow hitched a ride out of Jo's mind, do you?

[vampireboulevard]

[Caroline is so confused, because she is on vacation so she may have not been in the loop with regards to what the witch end of their friend group has been up to.]

Wait, what unlocking spell? What's going on?

[daydrinker]

You're in California. With Ryan.

( He rubs a palm down his face. )

Freya Mikaelson and Bonnie called Jo and her siblings together, and I think, Rowena MacLeod and they went after the final bodies of the Inner Circle members.

[vampireboulevard]

[Actually it was your wife spearheading this adventure, Ric, but whatever, it's fine. Caroline follows that story and catches Bonnie's name in it and decides it's time to play her role as phone tree and get Ric and Jo someone actually helpful.]

Okay. Got it. So I'm going to call Bonnie. Maybe she has Isaac with her and he can growl at Kai while you guys figure out how to get him and Jo all re-merged.

[Because Kai is a problem none of them need for Christmas.

But with that she and Ric will say their goodbyes and she will call Bonnie, hoping that she will answer and isn't busy.]

[moralitypolice]

( Bonnie is in the same hotel, a few rooms down. She's contemplating room service or getting their act together and going back into town, but she does worry they're going to be eating around a lot of kistch.

Her phone rings in her hand and she smiles, bringing it to her ear.

She climbs off the bed and moves over to the small balcony, unlocking it so she can step into the cool evening's breeze. )

Hey, how's California?

[vampireboulevard]

Hey, Bon. California is great but sadly that's not why I'm calling. Are you still with Ric and Jo?

[She knows how weird this sounds, but she wants to make sure she's putting it in the right hands.]

I don't know what's going on, but I just had a weird call from him about waking up and finding Kai in his bed? And thank god I am too far away to deal with it, though I do feel kind of bad about pawning it off on you.

[A beat.]

Jo was also there! That's important information. But it's like they became un-merged somehow?

[moralitypolice]

( She turns back from halfway out onto the balcony, because this feels like a thing. )

Not right with Ric and Jo, but Jo's a few rooms down.

( Apparently, Alaric is here, now. Makes sense.

Her demeanor shifts instantly the minute she hears Kai's name. All friendliness in her voice is sapped as her expression turns stony. A pit drops in her stomach as she listens to Caroline. Pawning it off on her. More like putting her in danger. Not that Caroline's meaning to do that. )

Un-merged? ( Hatred slowly turns to confusion as she thinks back. ) Kai was - there. Making jokes. Helping inside... never mind. ( She doesn't need to hear about her Disney adventure. ) Caroline, if Kai is unmerged...

[vampireboulevard]

I don't know. I also don't know why Ric called me instead of you but you should probably go check on them.

[Isaac lifts up from the bed where he's lounging, brow furrowing as he tries to determine why Bonnie is suddenly very upset. Caroline doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of being her friend on this phone call.]

Keep me posted, okay? But there's ... not really much I can do from here.

[moralitypolice]

Probably because it's Kai, Caroline.

( She can't blame her for this. She can't. But, it feels like Damon all over again. )

Yeah, I know. Okay. Just. Okay. I'll tell you what happens.

( She ends the call.

Tugging at Caroline's dress, little Sandy asks her "What's unmerging?"

Inside the hotel room, Bonnie quickly messages Alaric to meet her in the hallway and then goes to the closet to grab her coat. )

[notwitty]

["Oh, Sandy, that is a very long story," Caroline replies before turning and heading back to dinner.

Isaac, on the other hand, pushes up to his feet and prepares to follow Bonnie out to wherever she's going.]

Who's Kai?

[moralitypolice]

( She takes a big, long breath, turning back from the closet. )

He's the Gemini witch who cursed Elena. He was trapped in the prison world Damon and I ended up in after the Other Side collapsed. He betrayed me, left me for dead and then when he got back, he kidnapped Elena and merged with Jo, Alaric's wife. He's sociopathic. And very dangerous. He massacred his entire family. He took Jo over right around her wedding, but he's been held back ever since.

( She makes a face. ) Until this shared spell. I saw my Grams and Jo had Kai.

[notwitty]

[That explanation is explanation enough. Isaac nods as he moves to the door and prepares to follow her.]

I'll go with you.

[He may get called away at some point, when Erica makes her appearance and he has to deal with some feelings of his own, but for now, he can be in Bonnie's corner and make sure this problem witch does not continue to be a problem.]

[moralitypolice]

( Bonnie, Isaac and Alaric end up in the hallway. Bonnie refuses to go inside. )

So, he's what, just sleeping?

( "Right now, yes. I don't think he's pretending to sleep, he'd have nothing to gain from it." )

Except for killing your wife, taking her power for himself. Draining her completely. ( Fuck, Alaric - has lived with Kai in his wife's head for a long time, he's been told Kai has tempered down, that he's there and has input but that he's not as cruel as he once was. But he's remembered of that time and turns, slipping his key card in the door, quickly.

Bonnie doesn't move, hopefully Isaac catching the door before it closes.

Bonnie's hand reaches back, grasping Isaac's thigh to ground her. She can do this. But, he better hope he doesn't say or do the wrong thing.

Pushing the door open, he lets Isaac follow her into the room where Alaric is now hovering over the bed.

"Still asleep," he says, not whispering. )

[saveslives]

[The voices may not draw Kai's attention yet, but they do draw Jo's. She opens her eyes, feeling heavy and exhausted, and sees her husband, Bonnie and Isaac leaning over her, looking very unhappy.

She blinks at them, confused, before realizing someone warm is resting next to her, and when she looks down to see what it is, she jumps back with a yelp, surprised to see her twin brother lying there.]

What?

[moralitypolice]

( "Yeah," Alaric says, lowering his voice more.

Bonnie doesn't mean to sound accusatory, but, Kai is a very sore subject for her. He was in her past. And he may be the reason, she goes back to Europe sooner rather than later. )

You didn't do this, did you?

[saveslives]

Intentionally? No.

[As much as she's tried to forgive, tried to work better with her brother to avoid any Kai-shaped "breakthroughs," she also knows how terrible her brother was. He did slaughter most of her family in front of her. She helped put him in the prison world.

May not have been her best plan, but she knows how dangerous Kai is. She wouldn't just let him out willy nilly.]

I don't know why he's here.

[Then she looks back at her husband.]

And you just let me sleep there?

[moralitypolice]

Thank you.

( When they've safely extracted Jo from the very tired, recovering siphon witch, everyone reconvenes in the hallway. Again. )

Just so you know, that's the last time Kai and I will ever be in the same room. Again. No matter how long he's here. If this is a Cinderella midnight situation, or he's back, or he's leeching off of you, Jo, because he would.

( She needs to make that painstakingly clear. )

Now. How the hell did this happen?

[saveslives]

Absolutely.

[She will second that assessment, because she doesn't want Bonnie to feel uncomfortable, and she appreciates her coming to deal with this.]

It could be a side effect of breaking the curse? That the people who are merged aren't anymore?

[She doesn't feel that different? In some ways it feels like Kai is still rattling around in the back of her mind, but he's clearly out and in his own space.]

[moralitypolice]

Then they should put that on the fine print.

( She tries to stop thinking about the worst-case scenario, but he always sets off her Kill Bill alarms. )

So. He's... back. Just like that. ( She turns to Alaric. ) What's going to happen when he doesn't have Jo's temperament. When he looks the wrong way at one of this back-from-the-dead siblings.

( "This is why I called Caroline." )

Caroline is on vacation and you were being a coward. She's right. You shouldn't have involved me. Figure out what the fuck is going on. Isaac and I are checking out. Tonight.

( Sorry, Isaac, she's decided. She leaves the marrieds there and stalks back off to her room as we break into two scenes.

Alaric -- has felt this defeated before.

"If I thought you were in danger," he starts. )

[saveslives]

[Jo watches them go, before turning back to her husband.]

It's Kai, Ric.

[There's always a danger, at least until they understand what's happening. And she shouldn't be the last to find out. He should be waking up her and then they're deciding who to call.]

Look, let's just ... figure this out as best we can.

[paraphrasing]

( How did Alaric get the blame for this?

Whatever, she's right. Though, he doesn't want to suggest anything anymore, because everything gets him yelled at.

Inside, Kai follows nature and heads into the bathroom after what feels like a hundred year nap. )

[notwitty]

[Isaac quietly falls in step behind Bonnie as she heads back to the room and starts packing. He knows her well enough at this point to know that she doesn't rile this easily. And while a lot of what she said was personal, there's probably more.

So he sits on the edge of the bed and waits, letting the silence do the work for him.]

[moralitypolice]

( It takes her a few minutes, but she throws one of her camisoles in her suitcase and she braces herself against it, half-wanting to cry, half-wanting to set Kai on fire. )