The Bayou
The full moon illuminates the darkness of the bayou casting eerie shadows of the trees onto the ground. Katelyn Adair sits on the floor of her swamp side cabin surrounded by candles and facing the window that lets the moonlight seep into the house. Her eyes are closed tightly, the pupils moving rapidly behind closed lids. The spirits are speaking loudly trying to connect, trying to communicate. Sweat starts beading on her brow as she tries to concentrate and listen. The voices are mumbling, meshing together. She can't hear what their trying to tell her.
"Please...help me understand...I want to know…" she begs as the voices continue their celestial messaging. Her body tenses as the voices start to become clearer. Yes, she can almost hear them. Just a little more. More. More. She opens her eyes and gasps for air. The candles around her blowout in an invisible gust of wind. Raven Gareau, a young witch under the guidance of Katelyn's coven, rushes to her leader placing a hand on her back trying to figure out if there was something wrong. She had been sitting there waiting as Katelyn contacted the spirits.
"Katie! Katie, are you alright?" She asks frantically checking for any external injuries.
Katelyn catches her breath running a hand through her hair. She regains her composure nodding towards Raven. "I'm fine. I heard what the spirits were trying to tell me."
Raven was surprised. She had expected the spirits to not want to help them. The coven practiced expression magic, a magic that was not linked to the ancestors or to nature but linked to one's own self power. It was a type of magic the spirits of the land frowned upon. "W-What did they say?"
Katelyn smiles in pure satisfaction. "We came to New Orleans to put an end to Klaus Mikaelson and everything he holds dear. We have waited patiently for our moment to strike. It is time to move forward with our plans."
"The spirits told you how to kill Klaus?"
"They told me that soon Klaus Mikaelson will be vulnerable. This vulnerability will make it easier to corner him and kill him."
"What is it?"
Katelyn looks outside her window and up at the full moon. "It is a person. A girl...named Bonnie Bennet."
New Orleans
Klaus stands on the balcony of his room looking out over the streets of New Orleans. The people, the sights, the sounds, the smells. It's a picture he would love to paint over and over especially with the full moon in the background. Even though he isn't forced to shift during the full moon, he can feel the primal, animalistic need deep inside him. He welcomes it, he enjoys it. At the moment, it's helping him forget the party in full swing downstairs on the patio, the party Marcel is throwing that he didn't want to have in the first place. But Klaus needed to stay on Marcel's good side, at least for now. Marcel was useful, he knew every inch of the quarter and the supernaturals that hid in plain sight and as long as he trusted Klaus and his family, he would help them and keep what they held dear safe. And now more than ever, Klaus had a lot he held dear to keep safe.
As if on cue, Marcel walks into the room going to join Klaus on the balcony. "Not enjoying the party? It's not much fun if the host is having a bad time."
Klaus looks at Marcel, a condescending smile on his face. "You're the host, I simply applied the venue for your festivities. You're lucky Hayley has Hope with her this weekend."
"Don't sound so doom and gloom. Come on. I really threw this party for you." Marcel claps Klaus on the back. "Look, you've been through a lot in the past few years. We all have. But it's been quiet for the last few months. The witches aren't coming for us, we have an understanding with the werewolves and your family, especially your daughter, is safe. But you're still running around like the world is out to get you. You need to loosen up, find someone nice to drink and maybe have a little fun with, huh?"
On the inside, Klaus would like nothing more than be carefree and drink and sex to his heart's content. But there was this foreboding that wouldn't leave him alone, that never left him alone. This foreboding that this was just a calm before another storm. Something was out there just waiting to strike and snatch away everything from him. "As good as your offer sounds, I would rather stay up here continuing to sound 'doom and gloom'." He looked back up at the moon. "Go back to your guests. I'm sure my sister is wondering where her favorite hook up as run off to."
Marcel let out a chuckle. "That woman is a handful. But seriously Klaus, I remember when you used to have no care in the world. This is New Orleans. This city is built for not caring. At least find something to eat." Marcel leans over the railing looking down at the people walking the streets. His eyes settle on a young woman making her way down the sidewalk with brown skin and dark brown hair. "How about that one?"
Klaus followed Marcel's gaze until eyes found what the other vampire was staring at. He stood up straighter as he recognized her. It was unmistakable. He would never forget that face, especially since it almost killed him once or twice. What the hell was Bonnie Bennett doing in New Orleans? A smile formed on Klaus's face. "Perhaps you're right, Marcellus. It might be time to stop sulking and take in all New Orleans has to offer."
"That's what I'm talking about." Marcel pats Klaus on the shoulder before going back into the house to rejoin the party. Klaus keeps his eyes on Bonnie. She was a beautiful sight, he had to admit. The way the moonlight bounced off her skin was exquisite. But he had other interests in mind as he looked at her. For instance, what was she doing so far away from Mystic Falls and the friends she always seemed to fight so hard to protect?
At vampire speed, he jumps from the balcony landing quietly on his feet on the sidewalk. He starts to follow her on the opposite side of the street making sure she doesn't notice him until he wants to be noticed. As they walk away from Bourbon street, there are less people for him to blend in with though she's not paying much attention to anything but her destination. They head down a residential street until she stops in front of an apartment complex. Klaus knew the building well. It had been a brothel at some point in the past. Before Bonnie could open the door and walk inside, her phone rang. She fished in her purse until she found it and answered the call. Klaus stayed in the shadows listening.
"Hey, Dad," she says into the phone.
"Hey, Bonnie, honey. How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine. Just got off work and about to take a long shower and have a good sleep."
Bonnie's dad lets out a deep sigh through the phone. "I still wish you hadn't moved to New Orleans."
Bonnie chuckles lightly. "Dad, I told you I'm fine. I just...needed to get away, I needed something different."
"You didn't tell your friends anything. They're still begging for me to tell them where you are. That sounds more like you ran away than you just moved."
Bonnie rolls her eyes. "Well, I told you, didn't I? I'm not running away from anything. I just didn't want to be a small town lifer forever. As for my friends, I'll tell them eventually...I just need some time." There was silence on the other end, but Bonnie knew her dad was still there. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later, okay? Love you."
"I love you too."
Bonnie hated the sadness and skepticism in his voice, but she hung up anyway. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath to calm herself. She had made the right decision by leaving Mystic Falls. Her friends were fine. They didn't need her anymore and she was growing tired of almost dying to save the day every time. Plus, her Grams, her mother...Elena. Mystic Falls was full of too many painful memories. She opens her eyes ready to pull her keys out of her bag when she sees the person now leaned against her front door blocking her way in. This was impossible. Out of all the places in the world, he had to be here...and she had to have moved here. How did he even know she was here?
"Klaus." The name came out like venom from her mouth. Everything he had ever done to her, to her friends all came rushing back filling her with anger. The expression magic bubbled underneath her skin ready to lash out with every emotion she had.
"Hello, Bonnie. How nice to see you again." He raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise or do you always inexplicably leave your friends without a word?"
Bonnie eyes him coolly. "You were listening to my conversation."
"Kind of hard not to when my interest is so peaked." He pushes himself off the door walking closer to her. She feels like backing away, but doesn't. She was more powerful now than she was when she had encountered him before. Klaus smiles. "I wanted to know why such a loyal witch such as yourself would be miles away from her dear friends in Virginia."
"That's none of your business."
"I run this town, little witch." He puts his mouth right next to her ear enunciating every word. "So, it is my business."
Bonnie flinches as he heavily punctuates the ending of his statement. But she wasn't going to let herself be intimidated. Without moving an inch, she lets her magic lash out hitting Klaus head on to send him flying backwards into the locked front door. He hits it with a resounding thud and falls face first onto the top step. Bonnie smirks to herself as she watches him get up.
Klaus laughs wiping blood from his lip as the cut there instantly heals. "I see someone has found her power."
"I'm not the little witch you threatened back in Mystic Falls. Stay out of my way. And I'll stay out of yours." She moved to unlock the front door when he grabbed her wrist. It wasn't tight enough to cause an real damage, but it hurt.
"You don't command me," he hissed, "Believe me. This isn't the last time we will see each other, Bonnie. Far from it." He let her go looking into her eyes. Bonnie returned his intense gaze. Klaus could practically feel the power radiating from her. She was more regeal, more confident than when he last saw her years ago. It drew him in and also put him on edge. "Welcome to New Orleans." And with that, he vanished.
Bonnie finally took in a breath realizing she hadn't really been breathing through that whole encounter. Her mind was telling her to run, run for the hills and don't look back. If Klaus was here, so were his siblings and nothing good came from the Mikaelsons. But no. She was not that girl anymore. Vampires didn't intimidate her anymore, she wasn't scared of them. She put the key in the door and let herself inside the apartment complex trying not to think about her shaking hands.
