A/N:

So, first I'd planned for this to be a one shot, but I'm really not good at making such short stories, so this becomes a multi chapter short story, with 3-4 chapters ;)

This story takes place in and from 3x18, with the first scene from the end of 3x17.

Disclaimer: The title is inspired by Stieg Larsson's "The girl with the dragon tattoo". I haven't read the book or watched the movie, so what happens in this story and that has nothing to do with each other, just thought the title matched :)

TO/TVD characters and setting belongs to Julie Plec and writers.

Iris and Anna are mine :)

Now, here's 'The Vampire with the Dragon tattoo' - Enjoy! :)

Chapter One

"You know I used to respect them. The ancestors. But the more and more I watched them, the more and more I saw them just using people for their own needs and when they're done, they just toss them aside like they're trash and if you dare to disobey them... If we disobey them, they're gonna shun us. If we disobey them, they're gonna crible is, they're gonna kill us. They gonna be stopped Davina. They got to be stopped! And it looks like it's just gonna be us to do it."

Vincent gave Davina a serious and determined look. The witch gave him a small nod, letting him know she understood what he was saying.

Suddenly there was a loud clapping behind Vincent.

"Well, isn't this just perfect?"

Davina looked up just as Vincent turned back to get a look at their intruder. They were two. A man and a woman, both looking to be in their early twenties, but as this was New Orleans, that never revealed much. The woman had long, straight brown hair and chocolate brown eyes shadowed with dark makeup. The man had short brown hair and dark eyes. They were both pale and had a mystical air about them. It had been the woman who had spoken.

"Who're you and what are you doing here?" Vincent asked and turned towards them completely.

Slim fingers with long black polished nails ran along the counter as the woman slowly walked closer. The man followed her, not saying a word but keeping his eyes on Vincent and Davina with a crooked smirk. A bottle of bourbon flew from its place behind the counter along with two shot glasses, landing in the brunette's hands. Vincent's eyes widened in surprise.

"Vincent Griffith and Davina Claire. Pretty bold of you to going against the ancestors, aren't you?" The woman asked and drowned a shot of bourbon.

"I'm asking you again;" Vincent said impatiently and took a step closer to the two strangers, making sure Davina stayed behind him, "Who are you and what do you want?"

A smile crept on blood red lips.

"It's very simple really. We want you two." The female answered with a crooked smile and pointed a long finger on the two witches.

"What do you want with us?" Vincent wanted to know.

"We want you two to join us. We could use someone with your will and power." The man said downing the other shot glass.

"And who exactly are we?"

The woman and man exchanged looks and the woman nodded before turning her attention to Vincent. She pulled up in her top, revealing a black panther, with shining yellow eyes, decending on her left waist. Vincent blinked in surprise and took a step back.

"The Black Panther." He gasped.

"Ah, you've heard of us?" The woman grinned, "Of cause you have. You've been a slave to your ancestors all your life."

"Who's the Black Panther?" Davina asked, giving Vincent a confused look.

"They're the worst kind of scum to walk this earth." Vincent answered with gritted teeth, not taking his eyes of the two strangers.

"Come now, that's not very nice, is it?" The woman asked and exchanged a look with the man, "You just said that you wanted to go against your ancestors and frankly, if that is the case, we're your best shot."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Davina asked curiously and walked past Vincent, closer to the strangers.

"Well, let's just say-"

"-the ancestors aren't too fond of us." The man finished the others sentence.

"Fond of? That's putting it lightly." The woman grinned, "More like, they despises us because well, we're not under them and we're stronger because we use old magic."

"Old magic?"

"Teachings from the old times. A magic bound in the elements and not ghosts." She explained and held out her hand. In the next moment, without a word having been spoken, flames erupted from her hand, surprising both Davina and Vincent.

"How did you? This isn't..." Vincent mumbled as he looked at the flame with a guarded look.

"Oh I know that this is a magic free bar, but magic still surrounds it and thus..." The woman said as the flame grew bigger in her hand.

"We're pretty good at finding loopholes in the Black Panther. Guess that's one of the reasons why the ancestors despises us. That and the fact that we work along side vampires and werewolves, we're more powerful, drawing power from each other and well, the ancestors never were too thrilled about us heretics..."

"Heretics..." Vincent repeated, taking another step back, pulling Davina with him. The young witch gave him a confused look.

"Both vampire and witch." He explained, never taking his eyes from the two, "They're like parasites. Witches born without magic, only able to steal magic from other witches."

"Or magical objects and since vampires are created from magic, we have a constant source of magic when we're vampires ourselves." The stranger smirked, "Like I said - loopholes."

"Anyhow, we heard you talking about what the ancestors did to Kol and we want to help out. We're here to help out the Mikaelsons anyway."

"You know Kol?" Davina asked curiously. The brunette gave her a crooked smirk.

"Of cause I know Kol." She said, "The Mikaelsons and the Black Panther go way back and our leader go even further back with them. 900 years in fact. The three Mikaelson brothers are some of my favourite people - at least they used to be."

"If that's the case, how come we've never heard about you?" Davina wanted to know, "Kol has never mentioned you."

"Well, that's a rather complicated story sweetie, and it's not for me to tell. Just know that we're here to help Kol and the rest of the Mikaelsons. Whatever the ancestors did to Kol, we can undo it. Oh, I'm Anna by the way and this is my coven brother Malakai," The woman introduced, "it's nice to make your acquaintance Vincent Griffith and Davina Claire."

(…)

Klaus glared up at Aurora hatefully, as she was about to stake herself, when they heard the sound of the elevator from the hallway. Aurora crooked a smirk.

"Well, it appears we have company." She said cheerful and went to open the door. Klaus tensed, expecting the worst of the new arrival; however, he was surprised when the unannounced visitor was someone he'd never seen before. The hybrid's heart jumped, as he saw red hair, close fitted pants and lose black top on a female figure, leaning against the doorframe. He spotted a full and detailed Black Panther tattooed descending from her left upper arm. It had a fierce look in red eyes, giving you a feeling that it was able to see right through you, even at a distance. Klaus didn't recognize the new arrival and yet, there was something in him that reacted to the mere sight of her.

"Iris?" Aurora asked perplexed, clearly expecting someone else, behind the door, "What are you doing here, in New Orleans of all places?"

"What?" The stranger, referred to as Iris, huffed and crossed her bare arms, "A woman can't visit her old friends?" She asked defiantly, "Since both you and Lucien, is in this godforsaken city for some reason, and it's rare for the two of you to be at the same place and time, I thought I'd graph the opportunity to pay two of my oldest friends a surprise visit." She explained with a shrug, "But seriously Aurora, New Orleans? What's so bloody special about this place?" The stranger asked sounding unimpressed. Aurora took a step back.

"Come on in and I'll show you." She said and walked back towards the chained hybrid. As Aurora turned her back to the stranger, Klaus noticed a small smirk creeping across the stranger's lips. She glanced around at the doorframe, before taking a careful step into the penthouse. Turquoise eyes scanned the place, as she stopped in her tracks, only for a moment. Her eyes landed on Klaus and for the few seconds their eyes locked, the hybrid saw something change in hers. For a moment, something changed in the turquoise, however, before Klaus could identify the change, it was gone and the stranger followed Aurora further into the house. This was the first thing that made Klaus suspicious of the stranger.

"Oh you were in the middle of something with another guest?" Iris asked and stopped up as she faked surprise, seeing Klaus there, "I knew you had a kinky side, but damn girl... Is this, by any chance a bad time? Am I interrupting something?" She hinted and crooked an eyebrow at Aurora, taking a step back towards the door.

Aurora let out a laugh and shook her head.

"No, it's not like that. Not anymore." She answered and pulled out the stake she had found earlier, "Iris, may I present to you - Niklaus Mikaelson."

Iris' eyes widened in surprise, as she looked between Klaus and Aurora.

"No way!" She shrieked suddenly, causing Klaus stir a little in his chains, " The Niklaus Mikaelson?!"

Aurora gave her a short nod and a proud smirk, as she played with the stake in her hands.

"Oh yes. All the Mikaelsons reside in New Orleans these days, that's what's special about this city." Aurora elaborated. The stranger took another look between the two.

"All of them?" She asked amazed as if she had a hard time believing what she was hearing. Aurora nodded again and walked closer to Klaus.

"Well, almost all of them." The vampire corrected herself with a half smirk, "I'm afraid that Finn has recently kicked the bucket for good and our dear Rebekah is MIA, but the remaining four, including a long lost witch sister, is here and ready to be ended in a glorious way. Isn't that right, my love?" Aurora finished and sent Klaus a gleeful grin. The hybrid returned the grin with a hateful glare. Iris crooked a smirk and moved towards the chained original. She kneeled down in front of him and gave him a curious look. Their eyes met again and Klaus found himself speechless. Something about the turquoise eyes drew him in. Something he couldn't explain or even begin to understand.

"I can't believe it." Iris said in a whisper, "After everything I've heard about the infamous and feared Klaus Mikaelson, I finally get to see him for real and this is it?" She sounded somewhat disappointed.

The stranger reached out and touched his face lightly, turquoise eyes wide in wonder. The touch was cold, sending electric shivers all through Klaus' body and he fought, for it not to affect him visibly. He wanted to pull away, to thwart the hand away like an unwanted annoyance, but found himself unable to do so and not because of his restrained state.

"Yeah, I'm afraid he isn't that impressive." Aurora admitted, faking a pout, as she gave Klaus a look. The hands moved, one holding on to the stick, between the hybrids head and chained hand, the other moved from Klaus' face, down his throat, neck and stopped on his chest. The lingering touch turned warm and the woman's lips grew into a gentle smile as Klaus' felt his heart quicken involuntary by her touch. Turquoise eyes looked up from the pale hand on his chest.

"Ah, but it's such a shame though." Iris said with a long sigh, "Killing him is such a waste, when he's so handsome, isn't it?"

"Don't be fooled by his charms, Iris." Aurora said and sent Klaus a glare. "He will whisper you sweet nothings one moment and then put you behind bricks for eternity the next. You can't trust him." Iris gave Klaus a secretive grin, before she looked away and glanced back at the stake in Aurora's hand.

"What's the stake about?" She asked curiously nodding toward the stake in the other redhead's hand, "I thought you couldn't kill an original with a normal stake."

"You can't." Aurora said with a shrug and flipped the stake once in her hand, "But you can still make it hurt and the stake isn't for Nik, but for me."

"You?" Iris asked and rose to her feet, facing the other vampire.

"Lucien created a serum that will make one stronger, with a bite that can kill an original, but for the serum to take effect, one has to die and be reborn." Aurora explained eyes fixed on the stake before her.

Iris rose a doubtful brow and frowned.

"So you're planning to kill yourself?" She concluded, not hiding her scepticism of the idea.

"And be reborn to something stronger." Aurora said her eyes wide and voice slightly manic, "I'll finally be able to have my revenge for what Nik and his siblings did to me and my brother."

Klaus and Iris exchanged a look, before turning, their full attention to Aurora, watching her closely as the redheaded vampire, slowly guided the stake in front of her.

"You're crazy." Iris mumbled and shook her head, but kept her eyes on Aurora. The redhead merely gave her friend a crooked grin.

"See you on the other side." She said cheerfully before plunging the stake into her heart. The vampire let out a small groan and gave Klaus a little smile as the stake pierced her heart.

The hybrid watched, somewhat horrified, as Aurora dropped to the floor lifeless - for now. He knew what was coming when she woke up. He knew what she would be capable of. The other woman sighed, seemingly unaffected by what had just happened and walked up to the fallen vampire. She gave Aurora a few small kicks, making sure she was out before turning back towards Klaus.

"She'll be out for a while." Iris informed him nonchalantly and walked past the chained hybrid to the drawer and mirror near the front door. Klaus' eyes widened, as he saw the woman's back.

Her black top seemed to be in leather, covering her front, however the back was naked with nothing but cords of leather going from one side to the other, exposing the tattoo covering her back.

A black western dragon dug its claws into her shoulder blades, drawing blood. It's long and spiked tail twisted around her lower waist. Wings were unfolded, ready for flight and the dragon's head was turned, revealing two intense, almost glaring red eyes, as grey smoke came from it's nostrils. Klaus couldn't remember ever having seen anything like it, in his long life. Beside his own and Hayley's, that kind of body decorations weren't something he'd seen much of. However, he had a feeling that both the panther and dragon had a significant meaning. A meaning he somehow should know. The woman, called Iris, pulled something out, from behind the mirror.

"You knew about the camera?" Klaus asked and raised a brow, wondering what she was doing with it. He spotted a crooked smirk, through her reflexion in the mirror.

"Of cause I knew about the camera." She answered as if it should have been obvious.

"Just like I know about the witch dagger, stakes and countless other weapons in this room. You noticed me scanning the room when I entered, did you not?" She asked and looked into the mirror back at Klaus. The hybrid gave her a small nod in response.

"You're quite observant." He complimented her, trying not to sound too impressed. Iris shrugged and put a last hand on the camera, before putting it back behind the mirror.

"What can I say? I had a good teacher or rather teachers, in plural." She told him and turned around, leaning against the drawer, "Besides, I've been friends with Lucien for a long time. I know how he thinks."

They both fell quiet for a while, as they watched each other. Klaus couldn't seem to figure her out. She said one thing but the things she did contradicted those words. Klaus didn't like not being able to see through someone.

"What do you want?" He asked bluntly, tired of beating around the bush and just wanting some answers.

"What makes you think I want something?" Iris asked him in return, acting ignorant and giving him a perfect poker look. Klaus huffed.

"I'm a thousand year old hybrid. I may be subdued for now, but I'm not stupid." He grunted, glancing up at the stranger. The redhead nodded thoughtful, then crooked a small smirk.

"That may be so, but your memory certainly isn't what it has been. Is it, old man?" She asked and pushed herself from the drawer, walking back to the chained hybrid. Klaus had a feeling that there was something of deeper meaning behind stranger's words, but had no idea what. The hybrid groaned annoyed, getting tired of playing games.

"What's that's supposed to mean? Who are you?" Klaus wanted to know, losing his patience with the stranger and wanting to get out of the chains before Aurora woke. Bright turquoise eyes caught his and he froze. Something in those deep green and blue orbs awoke a new sensation inside him, making his heart speed up in excited anticipation. There was something familiar about it all, but Klaus could point it out.

"The name's Iris Mikaelson." She told him with a resigned sigh and sat down in front of him. Klaus blinked confused, not understanding what she saying.

"Do I know you?" He blurted out before he realized what he was asking. Something about the stranger tugged at him and he felt like he was missing out on something important.

He didn't like it.

Klaus spotted a quick sad smile on the stranger.

"16th of November 1116, Germany." She began and pulled her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, "You saved me from an angry servant and heavy armoured soldiers. You brought me with you to your siblings. I was 16 and had no one. Belonged with no one. For four years, I lived with you, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah, where you all taught me everything you knew. Good observation skills for one." She said and blinked, referring to her earlier comment, "In 1120, something happened and you guys adopted me into your family giving me the Mikaelson name. During the same time we realized our feelings for each other - you and me." Iris let out a small laugh, "Kol used to tease us, calling us husband and wife, but never the less, we did make a promise to each other that year. Forever and beyond." She stopped for a moment and took in a shaky breath before she continued, "We were happy for a while. All five of us, as we lived together like a real family. However, in 1126, Mikael found us and killed me. By chance, I got some of your blood into my system and woke up later in a shallow grave, as a newborn vampire and alone. I didn't see any of you again, until I finally found you in Bulgaria in 1493." She finished and looked up at him expectant. The hybrid stared at her blankly.

"Why?" He asked, his throat painfully dry, "If what you're telling me is true, then how come I don't remember any of it?"

Iris crooked her head and gave him a gentle smile.

"You guys wanted to keep me safe." She told him as if it explained everything.

Klaus groaned.

It didn't.

He was about to demand some elaboration, when Aurora stirred awake in her position on the floor behind Iris.

"Well, well look who's finally waking up." Iris said and rose from her sitting position. She walked to a disgruntled Aurora and gave her small slaps on the cheek, to wake her up more quickly.

The redhead was on her feet in the next second, wide-awake and aware, causing Iris to take a step back in surprise.

"Wow, this feeling of power is truly amazing!" She exclaimed excitedly and looked down at her hands as she opened and closed them.

Klaus knew, he should be keeping a close eye on Aurora and come up with a plan, considering she now had the ability to actually end him. However, he couldn't help thinking about what the woman, Iris, had told him.

She was a vampire. Klaus had figured that much from the beginning, but as it turned out, she was rather old and held a certain power as well.

900 years, which meant she was around that same age as Aya had been. They were from the same time.

Thinking back on the years she had mentioned, the early 12th century, there was an awful lot of holes in his memory. After having killed the five and being cursed from it, followed 50 years of torment. However, for some reason he didn't remember the first ten years or so, to be as bad as the rest. Klaus remembered Mikael finding them in 1120. He remembered being faced with his stepfather and being on the verge of dying, but didn't remember how he had survived.

The early 12th century weren't the only holes in his memory. Klaus felt slight panic, as he realized there were several periods in his long life, which had major black holes in his memory. Some of these periods spanned over several decades.

There was a large part of his long life he didn't remember.

How come he had never noticed that?

In his talks with Cami, he had told her about his life from A to Z, but never realized something was missing?

Why now?

Klaus cried out, as a sudden pain cut through his head, like a thousand needles.

He had gotten countless aneurysm from angry witches over time. They had made his blood boil and caused him all sorts of psychical pain, but this wasn't like anything he'd experienced before. The pain filling his head was excruciating, as if his brain was on fire, while stabbed all at the same time. There was no doubt in his tortured mind, that this as well, was magic inflicted and was only confirmed, when Klaus heard a whisper through the chaos of the pain.

You will never remember. It is all lost. Lost forever and beyond...

A/N: So... how did you like it? Was it believable? Good? Bad?