This story follows the story line of season 4, with some modifications to allow for the OC. The majority of the story will be in Klaus' POV and I'm not a boy so I did my best. There may be some deviation from character to allow for my plot.

Thanks and enjoy.

"Tell me again why we're going all the way on the other side of the river to meet a witch when we have a city full of them," I snapped to Vincent as I pulled the car over three houses down from our destination. We stepped out into the blistering heat of the sunny fall day. New Orleans, being in the south, was unseasonably warm for the fall. It made me miss the cool breezes in Mystic Falls at this time of year. The leaves in Mystic Falls were vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. Here, leaves changed from green to brown seemingly overnight.

The trees on this street were just beginning to release brown leaves. As we strolled down the road, I noticed that trees near the center of the street were still a vibrant green. To most people, that would just be an abnormality, or a barely noticed error in nature. To the trained eye, it meant a witch lived near.

"Considering we are running out of options..." Vincent trailed off. "And besides, she was a baby the last time the Hollow was around. Eva went after her, and she survived. Which is not an easy feat."

I rolled my eyes and followed him up the street to a small cottage with a white picket fence and blooming garden. A figure was hunched over, tending to some plants. A wide hat popped up when we neared.

She was beautiful. Her body was short, soft, curvy. She wore pale yellow overalls, with a white tank top beneath. Her wide brimmed hat shaded a pale face, flushed with the heat of the sun. When her eyes landed on Vincent, her pink lips curved into a delighted smile.

"Hello, Eloise," Vincent said in greeting. She did not answer, instead she opened the picket fence and gestured for him - and me - to enter. She gestured to the cottage, and we followed her inside. I tensed as I walked through the doorway, still unsure of entering the homes of witches, even after 1000 years, and wondering if her gesture was invitation enough to enter. When I passed through without issue, I shook the tension off and pretended that I hadn't been affected in any way.

The cottage was smaller on the inside than it looked on the outside. The living room was smaller than my bedroom at the compound, with two worn sofas, a small brick fireplace, and a rug and coffee table that had seen better days. Though everything looked old and wasn't in great shape, it was obvious the home was clean and well-loved. A tall, skinny bookcase wedged in the nearest corner held several shelves of grimoires, the only sign this was a witch's house.

The girl was silent as she pulled her hat off, letting down her long, dark brown hair. Her frizzy curls covered her back. She tossed her hat to the sofa and shook out her hair. When she turned and smiled again, it was welcoming.

"Eloise, this is Klaus Mikaelson. I know you're very busy, but we came seeking your help."

Eloise made a few motions with her hands in answer and it struck me that she couldn't speak. The silence suddenly made sense. I looked at Vincent expectantly. Eloise turned and walked into a different room, and Vincent sat down on the shabby sofa.

"She's making tea, she'll be back," he explained as his eyes motioned for me to sit. I ignored him and stood, turning to look out the window over the front garden. It continued to elude me how this girl - witch or not - was going to help us protect Hope and defeat the Hollow. I pondered while Eloise puttered in her kitchen, retrieving tea.

I heard her steps, though she didn't breathe a word. She placed a tray of iced tea and glasses on the coffee table and made more motions to Vincent. He made a few back, one that I expressly recognized as "thank you". I walked over to the table and smiled as I mimicked the gesture. Maybe showing that would ease me into her good graces. I took a glass and sipped, so as not to be rude and offend the witch that could possibly be the one to protect my child.

"Eloise, we came for your help. It seems as though the magic that I awakened all those years ago has somehow returned to New Orleans. It's gone after four kids, and a fifth as well. I'm sure you've heard that Klaus has a daughter," Vincent began explaining. Eloise's bright hazel eyes shot to me and back to him and she nodded. "The Hollow has taken the children and we know that she's up to no good. We freed the kids and brought them back to their families, but Hope says that the spirit isn't gone yet." Eloise began motioning back to Vincent in quick, short spurts of sign language. I couldn't decipher most of it, as I had never taken the time to learn the language, but I figured she must have been upset by what he said. Vincent looked resigned, and turned to me. I braced myself for the denial and prepared myself to torture the girl. "She wants to help."

It took me by complete surprise. My body sagged forward and I gazed at the girl before me, unused to such a quick and ready reply. Vincent had been right; all we had to do was ask.

Eloise stepped towards me and extended her hand slowly. Her eyes locked on mine, and I saw a peace there that I had only ever dreamed about before. She was calm, and she was unhaunted. Her eyes reminded me immediately of my daughter's. They were full of love, peace, and innocence.

Her hand reached out for me and touched my chest. I breathed deeply, inhaling by mistake her strong, warm smell. The outermost smell was the sweat on her skin. Between being outside in the mid-day heat and the lack of air conditioning in her home, even I was close to sweating through my shirt. But underneath that was the smell of the sun itself, of warmth and sweet flowers. The purity in her eyes reflected the purity of her scent. I looked at her and just knew she hadn't killed a person in her life. She hadn't so much as cursed anyone, either.

It occurred to me that if I was feeling her purity, she must be feeling my darkness. But the look in her eyes remained unchanged, and so I wondered if she was picking up on anything from me. Surely if she was, the horror would be reflected in her gaze. Her eyes remained calm, steady, and unchanged by surprise, unmarred by horror.

Eloise's warm hand on my chest pressed harder, until it felt as though she were one with my skin.

Her hand pulled away as quickly as it had extended. Vincent watched the two of us, deciphering the magic that she had done.

Eloise broke her eye contact with me to turn and sign to Vincent. He nodded and stood.

"She'll get to work and let us know when she has something," he explained. He gestured to her again, and I recognized "thank you" many times.

I followed Vincent back outside and down the street, all the while thinking of the girl who had so quickly agreed to help me - a monster. I had killed her people, murdered innocents, and had done other heinous things. She had seen all of these things, yet she remained willing to help.

"What's wrong with her?" I demanded of Vincent when we had gotten back into the car.

"After Eva came for her, her parents sacrificed themselves to protect her. That love, the love of a parent for their child, has protected her since. Eva couldn't touch her, but the Hollow left its mark on her by cursing her. She can't speak, she hasn't ever been able to speak. No one has heard a peep from her since before her parents died."

"Although that's good to know, it's not what I was asking," I retorted. "I meant, what is wrong with her that she just agrees to help the strangers on her doorstep without even an entire conversation?"

"Well, Klaus, she isn't you," Vincent began. I interrupted him immediately.

"She had no reservations about helping. She knows who I am, she knows what I've done, and still she agrees to help."

"Not everyone is like you - not everyone has ulterior motives," Vincent said simply. He sighed, then continued."Listen, that girl has had a lot of hardship in her life. She lost both her parents. She can't talk. Slowly but surely, the rest of her family died. She's been on her own, pushing through, since she was a teenager. The community keeps an eye on her but she likes to do things herself. Now, most people would have these terrible things happen and would resort to anger and destruction. They would turn into someone like you. But Eloise has never been like that. Hardship didn't ruin her, it made her kind."

I thought on Vincent's words for a while as I drove back to the quarter. Eloise hadn't let misfortune make her bitter. It made her strong, it made her kind.