Disclaimer: I'm only gonna say this once, I don't own The Originals or its characters. I only own the plot of this story and my OCs! Thank you. Enjoy :)
Song: The 1975 - The City
Bright lights loomed overhead as a young woman walked down the lively streets of the city she had called home many years before, New Orleans.
Her name was Belinda Campbell, though she definitely preferred Belle to Belinda. Her ebony hair blew gently to the side as a cool breeze swept through the streets. She reached up and quickly brushed it out of her face. The sound of her boots clicking against the pavement was all but drowned out by the noise of the people and cars that bustled around her.
She stopped and let her eyes scan her surroundings. This city had changed so much in her absence, but she recognized some familiar buildings. They were old, but she was older. She had been alive for nine hundred years, one of the perks of being a vampire. In all her years, there had never been a city she loved more than this one.
She smiled as she reminisced for a moment, before shaking her head and continuing on. Now was not the time for being nostalgic. Thanks to a tip from a friendly young vampire, she had figured out where to find her oldest and best friend.
Seconds later, she found the bar where she was told he would be, his favorite bar in the entire French Quarter, a little restaurant called Rousseau' opened the door and stepped through the threshold, putting her hands on her hips as her eyes briefly scanned the room. She smirked when she finally spotted him sitting on a stool by the bar. As quietly as she could manage, she headed over to the bar. He must have heard or smelled her because he whipped his head around to face her, a small smirk played at his lips. "I should have known you'd show up here sooner or later." Klaus announced, his stormy blue eyes lit up with amusement.
"I was trying to surprise you," she pouted, taking a seat next to him.
He chuckled. "You should know better than to try to sneak up on a hybrid. I could smell you from the doorway." He took a sip of his drink, bourbon from what she could tell.
"Damn." Dramatically, she hit her fist on the bar, gently of course. If she really hit it hard it would've broken in two more than likely. She noticed the empty seat on his other side. "Drinking alone, are we?" She raised an eyebrow at him and smirked.
He scoffed, picking up his glass and downing its contents. "I was about to leave, actually." He stood up, taking out his wallet. He slapped a hundred-dollar bill down before turning to her. "Come on." He motioned for her to follow him.
"Aye, aye captain," she chuckled, sarcastically saluting him before hopping off the bar stool and following him out the door.
They started down the sidewalk before Klaus spoke. "So, what brings you back to New Orleans?"
Belle turned to look up at him for a second, he stood at nearly six feet tall, while she was a mere five feet at best, before scoffing. "What? I can't come back to see my favorite city and my best friend without a reason?" Her voice was laced with exaggerated skepticism.
"I'm your only friend, actually."
She punched him in the arm. "Jackass!" she snapped, earning a laugh from him.
"It's true." He raised his hands innocently.
She rolled her eyes. "Don't act like I'm not your only friend too."
His mouth quirked into something that resembled a smirk, but lacked the mirth. "Well, I do have Marcel, but we haven't been on the best terms lately." Klaus and Marcel had their differences in the past. Apparently that hadn't changed.
Though she wouldn't dare say it out loud, Belle had always gotten a little jealous when Klaus would choose to spend time with Marcel rather than her. She knew it was childish, but she couldn't help it.
She let out a long sigh. "I just felt like coming back here, it's been ages." She looked around at the lights as they walked.
"Are you going to stay for a while?" he asked, trying to not sound as curious as he really was. It was just like him to act like he didn't care about anything.
She nodded, pushing her petite hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Yeah, I already got an apartment and everything." A small smile stretched across her lips.
He nodded. "Well, you're always welcome to stay, Belle." She smiled wider, not bothering to respond.
They strolled along in silence. She was perfectly at peace, the silence between them was comfortable and familiar. It was strange that they hadn't seen each other in years, but it felt like nothing had changed. That's the thing about old friends.
"So," she started, breaking the silence. "A little birdy told me that you knocked up some werewolf." She tried and failed not to smirk and she watched his reaction eagerly.
He was clearly taken by surprise by the sudden change of conversation. His steady stride slowed, for only a moment, before picking back up. "You heard about that?" He let out a sigh.
She giggled. "Yup. And I don't need or want a little sex-ed lesson," she quickly added. "It's pretty self-explanatory."
He chuckled. "You wouldn't be the first to be surprised." They paused at the end of the sidewalk, waiting for a car to pass before walking across, taking their time. It's not like getting hit by would kill either of them, it just wouldn't exactly be pleasant.
She scoffed. "Man, I wish I could have seen the look on your face when you found out. I bet it was priceless!"
Klaus rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything else about the subject.
They walked a little while longer, until they were in front of Belle's new apartment building. "This is me," she said, slowing her pace to a stop. She looked up to the fourth floor where her room was. "Are you still at the compound?" She turned back to face him.
He nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow Belle. Feel free to stop by." Without another word, they each went their separate ways for the night.
Belle jogged up the stairs until she reached the fourth floor. Instead of getting out her key, she knocked, hoping her younger brother Maxwell, Max, was there. A few seconds after knocking the door squeaked open.
He poked his head through the door. "You're home early. I thought you'd stumble home around three a.m." A chuckle escaped his lips.
She grinned and cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, I thought the same thing about you."
Max wasn't as impulsive as she, but he did like to have fun. For the past few years his hobby had been going to clubs. He had boys over nearly every night; Belle never cared to learn their names since they would come and go so quickly.
She pushed the door open and shoved past her brother. Her eyes scanned the room, checking to see if he was alone. To her surprise, he was.
She turned to Max with raised eyebrows. "You don't have anyone over? I thought you went out."
He scoffed. "I did. I just didn't meet anyone I was interested in." He shrugged his shoulders, closing the door.
Belle kicked off her boots and plopped down on the couch that was still covered with plastic from the move. "I know that voice. You did meet someone, didn't you?" She tauntingly grinned at him. "Come on Max, spill. Who is he?"
He sighed, navigating his way past a few unopened boxes. He leant against the wall and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "I didn't meet anyone. I just...saw someone."
She moved to sit on her knees, eagerly waiting for him to continue. "Go on. What'd he look like? Was he a human or a vampire?" When it came to her brother's business, Belle was always fairly nosey. Then again, she was nosey about pretty much everything.
He rolled his eyes. "A vampire. A young, hot vampire with dark hair and deep brown eyes." His tone was light and whimsical. His lips curved up into a smile. Even his eyes smiled.
Belle grinned wider. It wasn't very often she found her brother to be so infatuated with someone. He wasn't exactly the romantic type. "Why didn't you talk to him?" She shifted her position to crossing her legs.
He shrugged roughly, his demeanor quickly changing. "I don't know. Can we just drop it? I'm going to bed." He turned and stomped off to his room.
Belle huffed. "Well, someone's in a mood."
Instead of going to sleep, she poured herself a glass of scotch and stepped out onto the balcony. It was now just past midnight. She took a long sip from the glass before resting her elbows on the railing and watched as the cars and people passed her by, busy with their own lives.
Sometimes she just enjoyed watching people from afar, wondering about what was going on in their lives. Who had had their heart broken recently? Who had lost a loved one? Who was perfectly happy with their life? Who was living in their personal hell? These were some of the many questions that passed through her mind as she looked out over the city.
New Orleans had in fact changed over the years. She had seen Klaus help to build it from the ground up centuries ago. She had seen generations of people live and die in this city. No matter what, things will always change. Sometimes it's gradual, sometimes it's sudden.
Yes, things were different now. She sighed and took another drink.
A.N- Just so everyone knows, this story will not be following the plotline of season 1. To give you guys a rundown, Hayley is still pregnant, Klaus is in charge of New Orleans, but Marcel is still around and helping Klaus with everything. Everyone but Josh is living at the compound (Davina, Marcel, Hayley, and the Originals). I'm not sure if I'll include Cami in this story; if I can find a place for her then I will include her. Basically, everything is pretty normal right now, no crazy witches or anything like that. Pairings will include Hayley/Elijah and possibly Marcel/Rebekah. And of course my OCs will have their pairings. ;)
Please let me know what you guys think so far! Leave a review and PM me with any ideas or suggestions. I really enjoy getting feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome. Sorry for the long author's note, I have a habit of making long ones so I'll try to keep them short! Also, I'm going back to school very soon, but I'll still try to update every week.