AN- Okay everyone, I haven't finished season 2 of the show, but just an FYI- i love it. LOVE IT. In case you haven't read anything else I've written, I usually write in canon, but with OC characters-so that my story takes place within what the storywriters have done with the show/movie and then divulges. So, that's what's happening here! I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading, please review! xoxo
Rain pounded down on the stained glass windows, a steady comforting sound that faded into the background as Alexandrine studied the brass etching before her. It was almost three hundred years old and depicted a man transforming into a wolf under the visage of the full moon.
It was from the University library in Prague, her current stopping place in her travels for her pursuit of her PhD, and it was incredibly detailed. She ran her fingers over the brass, feeling the lines of the man as he transformed into a wolf; she could almost feel his agony from the transformation.
Turning her attention away from the etching, she began to type on her laptop, taking detailed notes on the etchings, its origins and the impacts of the mythology of werewolves on the local culture.
Hours passed, and she flipped through numerous books, consulting experts and myths, until she had nearly 100 pages of notes. Sighing, she scrubbed at her forehead, trying to will away her headache.
Saving her work, she shut her laptop and shoved it into her leather bag, slinging it onto her shoulder before gently stowing the brass etching into its pouch and gathering the many books the library had allowed her access to and carrying them back to the Archivists' desk.
Looking at her phone, she groaned, she only had three hours until her flight. Taking off at a brisk jog, she brushed past students and burst out into the storm, bowing her head to the rain. Flipping her hood up, she strode down the street and made her way to the small hostel she had been staying at while pursuing information.
The cobblestone streets were slick beneath her feet and the rain kept most people from hurrying, annoying Alexandrine. She shoved past them, earning her frustrated glares and shouts in languages she didn't speak.
As she burst into the hostel she threw her hood back and ran up the stairs to her room, grateful that she had paid extra for a room by herself. With her late and odd hours up studying and writing, she wouldn't have wanted to be with anyone else, causing drama.
She quickly set about shoving her clothes into her small carryon and gathering up her papers and books until she had stowed everything and was stumbling down the stairs to the front desk to pay up. After receiving her receipt and thanking the proprietor, she headed outside to where her taxi was waiting.
The man quickly took off to the airport, leaving her to look out the window in silence at the city as it passed by. As they pulled up he smiled as she paid and asked, "You are going home?" he asked.
She nodded and smiled, "To America."
The man's smile widened, "I have never been. Where are you from?" he asked genially.
Alexandrine smiled softly, "New Orleans."
The man smiled, "Hopefully much nicer weather than this, yes?" he joked.
Alexandrine laughed, "Mmm, depends this time of year. Thank you!" she called, ducking out of the taxi. She hoisted her bags and walked into the airport, thinking longingly of home…where everything was different but so familiar.
When she had boarded the plane a few hours later she pulled the envelope out of her bag and turned toward the window, putting her headphones in while she re-read the letter she had already read at least 20 times.
It was from her grandmother's lawyer, informing her that the estate had been passed to her, and that everything that had been her grandmothers, her parents, was now hers. The amount of money was staggering to her debt laden mind.
But the loss of her entire family…it was a raw wound that left her feeling like throwing up. Her grandmother's lawyer told her that they still hadn't found the people who had broken into her family's house and apparently tortured, ritually sacrificed and murdered her parents and grandmother.
It had been nearly a year, and still no one knew anything.
She fought the urge to crumple up the letter and throw it across the plane.
Folding it up and tucking it back into the envelope, she instead waved to a flight attendant and smiled politely, "Excuse me, I know I missed you when you were going by, but could I get a vodka tonic please?" she asked.
The man nodded and came back a few minutes later with the drink, informing her it would be ten dollars. She sighed and handed over her cash, sipping gratefully on the drink. She peered out the window at the grey clouds below them, watching the occasional flash of lighting light up the evening sky.
By the time she reached New Orleans it would be the day before…time change was so fucking weird…and she would be able to continue her pursuit of her PhD, the only thing she really had left of her family.
Closing her eyes, she rested her head back and let the gentle motion of the plane lull her to sleep. She would be home soon enough.
Alexandrine blinked blearily into the hazy sunshine of the New Orleans airport terminal as she looked for a taxi. When she spotted one she lurched forwards and eased inside, her body and head aching. She gave the man her address and closed her eyes against the sun, trying to adjust to the sound of American music and voices coming from the radio.
It had been five years that she had been travelling abroad gathering information for her PhD, in various countries that were either non-english speaking, or limited English speaking. To be back home was a shock, and a welcome feeling.
The taxi came to halt and Alexandrine knew she was home. Her stomach flipped and she fought the urge to throw up. Opening her eyes she smiled weakly at the taxi driver and pulled out her credit card, quickly swiping it before lurching out.
As the taxi drove away, she stood rooted to the spot, staring up at her home. The house had been built when New Orleans had first been settled, and had changed little over time. It had looked its worst when it had been draped in police tape and splashed of her family's blood.
Swallowing hard, she hitched her bags higher on her shoulder and walked up the brick walkway before unlocking the front door and taking a deep breath. Stepping inside, she dropped her bags in the entryway and walked around, distantly amazed that all the bloodstains had been scrubbed away.
The house somehow still smelled like her grandmother's cooking and her mother's perfume. The scent of her father's cigars was there too….She walked softly up the stairs and pushed her parent's bedroom door open, standing in the doorway, staring.
The soft scent of them hit her in the gut and she crumpled to her knees, a sob wrenching from her, tears blurring her vision. She grasped for the door handle and wrenched the door shut, leaning back against it as she sobbed, her fingers wound through her long, spiraling black hair.
When she had finally cried everything out, she stood unsteadily and walked back down to her bags, gathering them up and taking them to her room. She didn't look around her room but went down to the kitchen and rooted around the cupboards, sighing when she found that there wasn't any food.
Turning on the faucet, she sighed deeply when nothing happened. "Shit" she whispered. She stood staring out the window of the kitchen.
Why? Why did someone have to take you all from me? Why wasn't I here to stop them? What do I do now? What do I do?
Alexandrine realized there were tears rolling down her cheeks again and sniffed, wiping them off and shook her head. Fuck this. Taking her phone out, she called her grandmother's lawyer and had a brief conversation, asking if he could help her get the power and water turned on.
He assured her he would get it on by that evening, and offered her his condolences once again. Alexandrine nodded and hung up, gathering her wallet and keys. If she was going to survive she was going to need food.
Halfway down the walkway she realized she had no power in the house, which meant she couldn't get groceries yet. Her shoulders slumped for a moment and then straightened. Fine. I'll go to the Quarter and go out.
She walked down the street and tucked her jacket closer around her, ignoring the slight chill in the air. It wasn't that far of a walk from her parent's house to the Quarter. She had snuck out enough in her teenage years to know the quickest route.
Alexandrine looked up at the sign for Rousseau's and smiled softly, "Things never really change" she muttered. Pushing the door open she walked over to the bar and sat down, hanging her jacket on the back of the stool.
The blonde behind the bar smiled at her and held up a finger in a "be there in a minute" gesture. Alexandrine nodded and looked over the menu until she spotted what she wanted. When the woman finally made her way over Alexandrine smiled ruefully, "Busy night huh?" she laughed.
The other woman, Cami, she noted from the name tag, laughed, "Friday nights are killer around here."
Alexandrine sighed and smiled, "I just got back in from Europe, I lost track of my days. I guess it is Friday."
Cami smiled and winced slightly, "Ugh jet lag sucks! I'm guessing you need a beer?"
"Cami, you are a genius. I would also love a burger with cheese, tomato, onion, medium rare. Seasoned fries please."
Cami grinned, "You are a girl after my own heart. What kind of beer?"
"The local wheat please."
Cami nodded and wrote down the order, "I'll be back with the beer in a minute. What's your name for your order?"
"Alex" she offered with a smile.
Cami smiled back, "Nice to meet you Alex."
Alex smiled, "You too."
Alex looked around the bar as Cami went to serve other patrons. It had changed little since her days in high school and her visits back in college and grad school. That was the way of New Orleans though, no matter how much happened in the world, it never really changed.
Even with Katrina, it hadn't really changed.
Even with her parent and grandmother's murders, it hadn't really changed.
Alex was startled out of her reverie when Cami set her beer down a moment later, giving her a smile. "You alright? You had an odd look."
Alex sighed and nodded, attempting to give the other woman a reassuring smile. "Fine, just tired."
Cami looked around the bar and then leaned in, "That wasn't the face of someone who is tired. That was the face of someone who has something heavy weighing on their mind." She raised a brow and looked expectantly at Alex.
Alex stared at Cami and bit back a sarcastic remark. "Maybe" she muttered, lifting her beer to sip on it.
Cami sighed and nodded, "Bartender pursuing masters in Psychology. Trust me; I know haunted when I see it."
Alex smiled wryly, "Looking to hire a PhD in History and Mythological creatures of NOLA?" she quipped. What she wasn't expecting was the drastic change in Cami's face. She looked like someone had slapped her.
Cami quickly recovered and laughed, "I'm not sure the owners would like two bartenders studying all the time, but since I make all the hiring decisions…you know how to bartend?" she asked.
Alex shrugged, "My dad taught me."
Cami snorted, "You aren't serious."
"Before I left for college. He said I had to put money away for books and anything else I wanted to buy. My parents would pay for everything else, but I had to have a skill. I worked retail before that, but yea, he taught me. I picked the rest up on the job."
Cami's brows were raised and she looked skeptical, but she just smiled. "Okay, well, leaving that alone from a psych standpoint, when could you start?" she asked.
Alex smiled, "After I eat?" she offered.
Cami laughed, "I love you. My other bartender called out sick tonight." She turned and looked down the bar to where three new people were waiting and turned back, making a face, "Hold that thought."
Alex smiled and drank her beer, contemplating her decision. She supposed she didn't really need the job, if she was very careful with the money she had been left. But she liked bartending for the most part, and having extra money was better, especially for hiring a private detective to find out what had happened to her family.
Cami arrived back a moment later with her food and then disappeared to refill drinks and deliver food. Alex ate quickly, realizing as she wolfed down the burger and fries just how hungry she was.
Well it has been a day since you ate silly
When she finished with her food she stood and took her plate to the kitchen, ignoring the looks and waved to the kitchen crew, "Hey, I'm Alex. Cami just hired me. New bartender, waitress, whatever you need. Anyone have food ready to go out?" she asked.
One of the cooks thrust three plates at her which she quickly adjusted and went out with, nodding to Cami who gave her a relieved look and continued pouring drinks.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur of alcohol and hot plates until it was 3am and Cami was locking the doors. Alex went behind the bar and poured two tall glasses of beer, handing one to Cami and sat, drinking nearly half of hers in two large gulps.
Cami ran a hand through her hair and shook her head, "Man it is only going to get crazier as we get closer to Halloween. Thanks for your help tonight."
Alex nodded, "You have an employment form for me?"
Cami gave her a hesitant look, "You know, you don't have to work here."
Alex smiled, "Eh, free therapy sessions, and beer at the end of the night, what could be better?"
Cami laughed, "Alright, let me get one." She stood and walked to the back, coming back a few moments later with the form. As Alex filled it out she regarded the other woman and then asked, "Do you want to talk about whatever was upsetting you earlier?"
Alex looked up the form and smiled sadly. Pushing the form across the bar she sighed and sipped her beer before rolling her shoulders and nodding once. "Okay. Did you hear about a family that was murdered about a year ago, in their home? It was ritualistic, they were tortured, and the police suspected someone was trying to make it look like voodoo or dark magic."
Cami leaned forward, her brows furrowed, "Yea…I remember. It was three adults…" her face registered shock and then understanding as she saw the grief on Alex's face. Reaching out she touched Alex's arm softly, "You….it was your family?"
Alex nodded, "I was abroad, visiting Universities to gather information for my PhD application and paper. I flew home, and I saw the house with police tape all across it. They were laid out…"
She trailed off and her fingers clenched the beer glass so hard her knuckles were white. When her eyes met Cami's they blazed with anger and grief, "The police have never found out who did it. They stopped looking. But I'm not going to. I'm going to talk to every person who calls themselves a witch in the Quarter and find out why this happened to my family."
Cami's eyes widened and she nodded, her grip on Alex's arm tightening. "Just…just be careful" she whispered.
Alex smiled at her new friend, "Of course." She mouthed the reassuring words but in her heart, anger and revenge brewed. The two women sat in silence for a few minutes until they finished their drinks and moved to clean up the bar before leaving.
As they walked out into the dark of the night, illuminated by the street lights of the Quarter, Cami turned to Alex, "Can I give you a lift home?" she offered.
Alex smiled, "I'm good, it's not a far walk. Thanks though."
Cami looked around worriedly, "Are you sure? It's not the safest at night."
Alex waved a hand, "I'll be fine. Promise. I'll text you once I get home."
Cami sighed and nodded, watching as Alex turned and walked away.
By the time Alex got home she was wishing she had taken Cami's offer of a ride. Her skin was crawling; feeling like someone was watching her, following her. When she ran inside, she locked the door and peered through the glass, not seeing anything, but still, the feeling persisted.
Trying the lights, she sighed in relief as they flickered on. Pulling her phone out, she quickly texted Cami to let her know she had made it home and smiled when the other woman texted back to thank her for a fun evening and to let her know that she would need her to come in again that night.
Walking upstairs, she tried the bathroom sink and smiled in victory as water flowed out. She would have to send a thank you card to her grandmother's lawyer.
After brushing her teeth she pulled her clothes off and a tshirt on and crawled into her bed and pulled her notes out, highlighting and annotating until she fell asleep with the lights on as dawn arrived, painting the room in pinks and oranges.
The morning light fell on the title of the book in Alex's grip; Magic, Myths, and New Orleans; A History-By Juliette Lafitte
The book had been a Graduate school present from Alex's grandmother; a professor at Tulane, a published author, and most notably, a witch.
Alex smiled in her sleep and held the book closer, the sunlight chasing away the shadows of the night.