Astrid and Klaus were still in the cellar of the Salvatore mansion. Astrid sat on the ground, leaning against a wall while Klaus was standing up, facing Damon's bed. They were now inside the cell with Damon.

"You know, none of this would be an issue if you'd have just done your job properly." Klaus told Damon. "I was perfectly willing to let you train Jeremy."

"No you weren't. Are you kidding?" Damon asked, laying on a bed. "You got there on day two. Do you know how hard it is to get these X-Box brains to focus?"

"And then when I turned a room full of barflies into vampires for him to slaughter, you let Kol kill them."

"Your brother problem, not mine, buddy."

"And whose bright idea was it to saddle Jeremy with a conscience, hmm?"

"Well, we couldn't have him trying to stake Elena in her sleep, Now, could we?"

"I certainly wouldn't mind" Astrid muttered. "At least then none of you would be fighting over that stupid cure."

"Well, sister, I certainly need Elena alive.... so how is it that she manages to overlook every horrific thing you've ever done? Is it wilful ignorance or perhaps something more pathological?"

"Some people are just more capable of forgiveness than others." Damon replied. "Bet you score negative 500 in that realm."

"Come one. There must be a secret." Klaus continued. "It can't just be the sire bond. What is it? Compulsion? Manipulation? What is it you say to her?"

Damon sat up on the bed and looked at Klaus with a smirk. "I think this has something to do with a certain blonde vampire. I think you murdered Carol Lockwood, and I think you're worried that Caroline's never going to forgive you."

Astrid stood up and walked towards Klaus. "That's not true." Astrid stated. Damon looked at her confused. "I killed her." She continued. Klaus looked at her surprised. "Tyler needed a punishment for trying to get rid of my brother. He knows that family is everything for a Mikaelson... especially me." Klaus gave her a small smile.

"Right..." Damon said, lying down. Clearly not believing a word Astrid was saying. "If you're gonna be bad, be bad with purpose" Damon sighed. "Otherwise you're just not worth forgiving."

--------

Elena and Kol were in the Gilbert's house. "No one else seems to think Silas exists" Elena said, walking towards Kol. "So why do you?"

"I used to run with some witches... in Africa in the 14th century, Haiti in the 17th century, New Orleans in the 1900s. They all knew about Silas and that he needed to stay buried. I actually hold witches in high esteem. My sister is lucky to still be a witch."

"Yeah, but why Silas? Why are you so afraid of him?"

"They said if Silas rises, he'll unleash he on earth. I happen to like earth just the way it is."

"That's pretty biblical."

"Well, that's the other problem with people today. They've lost faith, and in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear."

----------

"Your brother's lack of communication is infuriating" Klaus said as he looked at his phone.

"It's one of his trademarks," Damon replied, sitting on his bed. "Like his brooding and his hair."

"I really don't understand what's taking so long." Astrid said, sitting next to Damon and leaning her head on his shoulder. Klaus' jaw clenched when he saw the two vampires. "I mean, how hard can it be to steal one damn dagger."

"From a vampire who's been stabbed by it as many times as your sister, I'd say difficult" Damon replied.

Klaus sighed and took out a a little tube with blood inside, throwing it to Damon.

"Sweet." Damon said as he looked at the blood.

"You disappoint me, Damon" Klaus said. "You're not trying very hard to get out of here. I expected more the daring escape artist, less the cell potato." Klaus told Damon and Astrid snorted. She walked towards her brother and stood next to him, bored.

"Well, I'm compelled to kill Jeremy, so I figured it's probably smarter to sit in here and chitchat with you than try to bust out of here like the Hulk."

"How do you think Elena felt about that, by the way, your inability to overcome kol's compulsion for a single moment, even if it meant killing the person she loves the most in the world?" Klaus asked.

"She's met me. She knows impulse control is not my strong suit."

"Still, must be hard trying to live up to Stefan." Klaus said, walking towards Damon. "I remember when I compelled him to feed on Elena, he fought so hard, he actually managed to resist. Now, that's love."

"What do you know about love?"

"I know that you're in love with Elena, but I think you're afraid of what might happen when we find the cure at the end of the rainbow. Personally, I don't see a fairy-tale ending for you. All i see is Stefan and Elena. I think you see the same thing." Klaus told Damon.

Klaus' phone rang so he picked it up. "Well, if it isn't the happy homicidal maniac."

"Do you know that your darling former blood bag and her brother are trying to kill me?" Kol asked over the phone.

"What?"

"Don't pretend like you're not on it. Your obsession to find the cure clearly trumps any sibling loyalty you once felt."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm going to rip off Jeremy's arm and kill Elena just for sport. Then I'm coming for you." Kol ended the call.

Klaus walked towards Damon, grabbing him by the neck and shoving him against a brick cell wall.

"Uh!" Damon groaned.

"What the hell is going on?" Klaus asked, furious.

"I don't know." Damon replied.

"What are Stefan and Elena planning?"

"Nik..." Astrid said calmly, grabbing her brothers shoulder.

"What?" Klaus snapped.

"How could he know? He's been locked up in here since yesterday and I'm sure Stefan wouldn't tell him." She told Nik. "Elena wouldn't come see him either."

"You stay here till I return" Klaus told Damon as he stormed out, Astrid following him. She closed the cell door and ran after Nik.

-------

Astrid and Klaus stood in front of the Gilbert's house. Astrid's eyes wide and tears streaming down her face as Kol laid on the floor, burning, the white oak stake in his chest. Tears also threatening to fall from Klaus' eyes.

"You bitch!" Astrid screamed, falling to her knees as she sobbed loudly.

"What did you do?" Klaus asked, anger in his voice.

"We didn't have a choice." Elena explained.

"You always have a bloody choice!" Astrid shouted.

"He was trying to cut off Jeremy's arm"

"Too bad he didn't cut off his head!"

"Lies" Klaus said through gritted teeth. "He never would've gotten inside if you hadn't have set a trap for him."

"You said you were gonna put him down, too" Elena added.

"Dagger him, Elena! Not kill him!" Astrid shouted as she stood up. She walked closer to the door but the invisible barrier stopped her from walking inside.

"You're not invited" Jeremy said calmly.

"I won't need an invitation if I burn this house down!" Astrid screamed. "And when you will try fleeing for your pathetic little lives, I will kill you both!"

"You kill us, you'll never find the cure." Jeremy protested.

"I don't give a damn about this fucking cure!"

"He will never be able to make any more hybrids" Jeremy pointed at Klaus.

"You really think I care for an instant about my bloody hybrids?" Klaus asked, tears still in his eyes. "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!" Klaus said but fell to the ground. Astrid grabbed her brother's head and decreased the pain caused by a witch.

Bonnie then walked towards the house. "Invite him in" she told Jeremy as she entered the property. "Do it!"

"Come in" Jeremy told Klaus and he fell inside.

"Living room. Go!" Bonnie shouted as she and the Gilberts ran to the living room. Klaus ran after them as Astrid still stood outside, looking at her brother's body, unable to go inside.

Klaus was stuck in the living room as the Gilberts were about to leave the house.

"Witch, you can't do this to me." Klaus told Bonnie.

"You have no idea what I can do now" she answered.

"I will hunt all of you to your end! Do you hear me? Do you?"

They were about to leave the house but Astrid was still standing outside in the doorway.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." She laughed maniacally. "I will kill you."

Bonnie looked at her angered. "Why aren't you screaming from pain?" She asked confused.

"That's what you were trying to do? Bonnie... you may be powerful but not as powerful as me!" She shouted and Bonnie fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

"Let them go." She heard Klaus say.

"What?"

"Let's see what they planned on doing all along. Let them go."

Bonnie stood up, no longer feeling the pain as the three teenagers ran away from the two originals.

"You're an imbecile, Nik." She told her brother, still crying. "You knew that she was planning something and you ran right into her trap like a bloody mouse." She sighed loudly. "You're lucky, you know. You will be able to leave in 3 or 4 days... and just so you know... when you finally leave, I'll be gone. I'm sick of this town. Goodbye brother. Call me when you're done with the cure. I want nothing to do with it. I love you." She finished and walked away from the house, leaving her brother alone.

---------

Astrid sat in her room, sobbing while drinking whiskey.

"Astrid..." Rebekah said, entering her sister's room, tears also in her eyes.

"Hey.. umm." Astrid's voice cracked as she stood up and wiped tears off her cheeks.

Rebekah walked towards her and gave her a hug while they both cried. "Bekah..." Astrid said quietly.

"Yeah?" Rebekah answered and sniffed, still hugging her older sister.

"I... have to leave. I can't stay here" Astrid said as she broke down again, sobbing.

"Okay... umm.. do you want me to help you pack?" Rebekah asked.

Astrid nodded, not wanting to be alone. They began packing Astrid's stuff into her suitcases.

--------

Rebekah put Astrid's suitcases into the trunk of her silver Mercedes.

"I'll miss you, Bekah" Astrid said as she hugged her little sister.

"I'll miss you too" she answered and left the Mikaelson property. Astrid turned around to look at the house one last time. She was about to get in the car but she sped back inside the mansion.

She stopped in front of the white door and entered. She walked inside the room full of paintings and picked up of The white oak painting which was made by her.She put it in the back seat of her car. She sped back into the room and picked up the painting of Stella, smiling slightly as she left the room. She closed the door and also put the painting in the back seat of her car.

She sat in the driver's seat and started the car. She took out her phone and messaged Scott.

I'm coming back. I'll be there in a few days.

Astrid drove off the Mikaelson property, happy that she's finally leaving the town she hated. Even though this is her hometown, she never liked it. Too many bad things happened here. She hoped that she'll never have to come back here ever again.

-----------

The ride took her almost two days. She arrived in front of her mansion and took her large suitcases our of the trunk of her car. She unpacked in her room using her vampire speed.

She took the paintings and hung them on the wall in her living room. She stared at them, smiling sadly.

She sighed and went upstairs, taking out her canvas and paints. She sat in her living room and began painting on the large, white canvas.

She painted the white oak but this time, the tree was covered in splatters of blood. There was also a burning body underneath it. It was Kol. She sobbed while she painted.

She took a deep breath and picked up her phone, checking the time. She realised that it was almost lunch time at beacon hills high school so she decided to go back to school, say hi to her mortal friends and try to forget about everything that happened recently.

--------

She saw her friends sitting on a bench outside. She walked towards them smiling.

"Hey guys" she faked a smile.

"Astrid!" Lydia smiled and hugged the girl. "How are you?" She smiled.

"I'm alright. How are you guys?"

"We're fine." Scott answered. Astrid sat next to him and he put his arm around her shoulder. "I told Astrid about the hallucinations." Scott told the pack and they all nodded.

"So... how did your vampire problem go?" Scott asked.

"Umm..." She said, her voice trembling a little.

"Astrid?" Stiles asked, concern on his face.

"It went just fine" she smiled widely at the teenagers. "So.. tell me more about your problem." Asteid demanded, changing the subject.

--------

"Okay, so what happens to a person who has a near-death experience and comes out of it seeing things?" Scott asked.

"And is unable to tell what's real or not?" Stiles added.

"And is being haunted by demonic visions of dead relatives?" Allison said.

"They're all locked up because they're insane." Isaac said.

"Ha. Can you at least try to be helpful, please?" Stiles asked Isaac.

"For half my childhood, I was locked in a freezer." Isaac told Stiles. "So, being helpful is kind of a new thing for me."

"Okay, dude, are you still milking that?"

"Yeah, maybe I am still milking that."

"Hi." And Asian girl walked towards the bench. Scott's hand was now on Astrid's waist.

"Hi?" Astrid answered.

"Hi, sorry. I couldn't help overhearing what you guys were talking about. And I think I actually might know what you're talking about." She paused "there's a Tibetan word for it. It's called 'Bardo'. It literally means 'in-between state'. The state between life and death."

"And who are you, may I ask?" Astrid asked the girl.

"Kira" Scott answered and kira smiled at him. "She's in our history class."

"So are you talking Bardo in Tibetan Buddhism or Indian?" Astrid asked Kira.

"Either, I guess. But all the stuff you guys were just saying? All that happens in Bardo. There are different progressive states where you can have hallucinations. Some you see, some you just hear. And you can be visited by peaceful and wrathful deities."

"Wrathful deities?" Isaac asked. "And what are those?"

"Demons" Astrid told Isaac.

"Demons" Stiles sighed. "Why not."

"Hold on," Allison said. "If there are different progressive states, then what's the last one?"

"Death. You die" kira answered.

"Great." Astrid muttered. She heard her phone buzz but she ignored it.

"Aren't you going to check that?" Kira asked.

"Nope. It's probably one of my siblings." She told the girl.

Lydia picked up her phone and read the message. "It says 'meet me in the woods.' From someone called Enzo"

"Enzo?" Astrid sighed. "God. I'm not in the mood to be dealing with that self-centered prick." She took her phone from Lydia and stood up. "I'll see you guys later." She said as she walked away.

"We should follow her" Lydia whispered. "She was acting weird ever since she came back. I feel like she's going to hurt that poor guy."

"Yup!" Stiles said. "Thanks kira."

They all got up and headed to the forest.