As she drove through town, Emma couldn't help but notice some things. Most notably the literal army amassing in its streets. At first it was an odd sight to see, but the more she paid attention to them, the more Emma started to understand what was happening.

They weren't armed like any other human military with guns and stuff. No, they carried crossbows, loaded with wooden stakes, vervain hanging off some of their utility belts. It turned out that the town wasn't as blind to their vampire problem as she believed. Yes, Emma knew there was a founders council who were aware. But considering it was lead by the mother of a hybrid and the mother of a vampire, she didn't think these kinds of measures would ever be imposed to deal with the problem.

It only made her step on the gas once she dropped Matt off at his house, making sure he was definitely alright before she left him alone again. This time, however, she was making sure to stay within the speed limit. She didn't want to risk one of the wooden stake armed deputies to pull her over for breaking the law.

However, by the time Emma finally reached the Mikaelson home, deeming it the best place to start her search for her blonde friend, she was surprised to find a multitude of black vans and cars in the area. Slowly, she stepped out of her car, looking around, half expecting someone to run up to her and stop her or restrain her.

But the area and the cars/vans seemed to be entirely empty. Emma wondered what it meant. Maybe, while the council was taking actions, none were brave enough to confront the oldest family of vampires, nearly unkillable ones at that. That still didn't explain the presence of the vehicles around the house, Emma reminded herself as she walked up to the door. What, were they using the Mikaelson driveway as a parking lot?

Finding the door slightly ajar, Emma hesitantly walked in, unsure of what she'd find inside. She half expected it to be a whole lot of quasi vampire hunter bodies. But the foyer seemed entirely empty, no sign that anyone had even passed through it.

"Rebekah! Where the hell are you? And what the hell is going on?" Emma called out into the empty space, hoping to receive a response from someone. Even if it was the council's army, she was human... Well, to the knowledge of everyone in town, she was human. They weren't after her.

But nothing happened. At least as much as Emma could hear. She was still too far away to be able to hear Damon having a small monologue moment, promising Rebekah he'd kill her and then handle the 'pesky problem' that was Emma.

"Rebekah, I swear to-" Emma started calling out again, deciding to try one last time before she'd decide Rebekah wasn't here and continue her search elsewhere. However, her words were cut off with her own scream of shock as the windows around her began to shatter, wooden bullets embedding themselves in the wall and making Emma duck down to the ground.

"I am so done with this house and being attacked in it." Emma grumbled to herself, crawling on the floor carefully in search of some cover, ignoring the sting of pain as she cut her hand on some of the glass. At least she could use it as proof of mortality.

Before she had a chance to get too far or a chance to hide somewhere, the door sprung open behind her. Men were rushing through it, weapons and stakes drawn. Some disregarded her completely, making their way further into the house with determined steps. It wasn't hard for Emma to gather that someone must've been here. Those shots weren't aimless.

She had no time to think of a plan to stop them, however. Instead, she found herself kneeling on the floor as two of the deputies turned on her, one raising his crossbow into the air without a thought. She could see the fear in his eyes making him act impulsively, and by the time his partner had a chance to protest the action it was too late. Emma watched, as if it were happening in slow motion, as the wooden bolt flew from the crossbow, headed right for her.

And then there was suddenly a barrier between them, Kol standing in front of her and the bolt striking his knee instead of her heart. The impact made his knees buckle, bringing him down to the floor while the other hunter now rose his weapon as well. But it gave Emma time, enough time for her instincts to kick in.

Ignoring the broken glass around them, she pushed forward, closer to Kol and grabbed his hand. It wasn't for some kind of support or tender act, no. Instead, she closed her eyes, letting herself feel the magic of a supernatural creature before pulling on it. She ignored the soft hiss Kol gave out, attributing it to the pain of the stake in his knee.

She simply focused on the word leaving her lips, speaking the incantation she'd been practising just that morning. "Invisique." she muttered, focusing her mind and begging for it to work. She wasn't sure if it had, until she opened her eyes and glanced at the deputies, unable to hold back a smile as she took in the shocked looks on their faces. They couldn't see them.

But she wasn't sure how long she could hold it. And so quickly, Emma turned back to look at Kol, only to find his eyes glued to their intertwined hands, his mind still stuck on the orange glow that had been emitting from them seconds ago. Waving her hand in front of his face, Emma forced him to look back up at her as she motioned for him to stay quiet, unsure of if they spoke whether they could be heard.

'Can you run?' She mouthed the question. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold the spell much longer, and they were running out of time if they wanted to get away from the hunters. The surprise soon disappeared from Kol's face, a determined look soon replacing it as he nodded his head. With his free hand he started to reach for the stake to dig it out and let himself heal.

"There!" The exclamation of one of the deputies let them know the spell had lifted, forcing Kol to speed through his actions. Emma quickly closed her eyes as she felt his arms wrap around her waist once he threw the stake to the floor. Just as she heard the sound of a gun firing off, she also felt the rush of wind against her skin.

She only opened them once she felt the sensation stop, realizing they were standing still again. Looking around, Emma realized they were standing in front of her house as Kol lowered her back to the ground. He didn't say a word as she made quick work of unlocking the door and ushering them both inside.

"We won't be as safe here as we were the last time." Emma spoke, her mind already working in overtime. "They're human, they can come in and they know I'm with you. It'll be one of the first places they look." She explained further, closing the door and turning towards him, only to find him staring at her with a mix of emotions painted across his face.

"How did you... What did you..." Kol wasn't sure which question to ask first. He glanced down at the hand she used to siphon magic in surprise, trying to figure out what exactly happened. However, once he saw the blood on it, he sobered up. Instead of continuing to form his questions, he reached for her, bringing her hand up to examine the cuts caused by broken glass.

"They're not that deep, they'll heal." Emma reassured him, turning her hand over so she could hold his in a reassuring grip. It caused some discomfort, but Emma had been through worse. A simple cut wasn't going to stop her.

"I can help speed that up." Kol suggested, about to bring his wrist to his mouth as he guided her towards the kitchen, but Emma pulled it down in a determined manner.

"Not now. Not while they're hunting vampires and I can use it as proof that I'm not one." She said, knowing it was one of the few ways in which she could keep herself safe as the whole town went to shit. "I just need to clean it up and put a bandage on." She said, rummaging through the cupboards and drawers as she pulled out the things she'd need.

For a moment, Kol watched her move around, and stepped towards her only once she had everything. "Let me." He offered, not really giving Emma much room to argue as he gently retook her hand.

He got to work cleaning the blood, ignoring the feeling stirring within him, tightening his throat as the scent of it invaded the room. Instead, he looked for something to distract himself from it. "Want to tell me what you did back there? Or should I not push my luck?" He asked, unable to ignore the notebooks which Emma had left spread around the table when she went to meet Matt.

"You said you know magic when you see it." Emma raised a challenging eyebrow at him, doing her best not to wince at the sting of alcohol as Kol continued to work. He wasn't looking at her face while he focused on her hand, but from the smile on his face it was clear he'd noticed the look. "It's a long story, and one I will explain. Just..."

"When we have more time." Kol spoke in an understanding tone, his hands gently working on the bandages as he wrapped the cut.

"Yes."

"Because right now, we need a plan to rescue my sister." He added on. Knowing Emma, it was the one thing her mind could focus on right now.

"Good to know we agree on that." She confirmed his suspicions, giving out a small laugh.

"So... Any grand ideas in that beautiful mind of yours, darling?" He asked with a smirk on his face. Kol knew, that even though they didn't have much to go on, the two of them together could easily come up with a plan.

And if the confident smirk on Emma's face was anything to go by, he was right. "Maybe some."

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Had to finish the chapter on my phone, so if there are any mistakes I apologise and will fix them tomorrow but I was very eager to post this chapter. The last chapter of 2021 (for me at least). I hope you all enjoyed it and I wish you all a happy new year!