This is a sequel to Secret of the Petrovas: Elijah and Evangeline. I've written a very brief recap below if you don't want to bother with that story (lol). That one was my very first fanfic, and it's really rusty for the first few chapters, but it's a fun storyline – worth reading if you have the time. :)
I wasn't planning on starting this story for several weeks, but I got an idea and couldn't leave it alone. I'm going to take my time with the chapters, so as not to overload myself at home, but hopefully the end results will always be worth it – to me and to you all. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Secret of the Petrovas II: The Fire Within
Basic Recap of Book I: Evangeline Flemming discovered she was Isobel Flemming's daughter aka Elena's half-sister, and that the power of the Petrova line passed to her when Elena became a vampire. She and Elijah fell in love, and through some freaky Petrova magic, she was able to have his baby (w00t!). A rival family of witches, afraid of Evangeline's potential ability to bear vampire children (an unfounded fear, really) and jealous of the power of Esther's line returning, trapped Evangeline and Elijah in their house and sealed it with magic so no one could get in or out. Evangeline was already in some kind of siren coma (Oh, by the way– the Petrovas descend from sirens) where she's reliving the existence of every siren in her line, caused by a protective magic from her amulet (made by Esther a thousand years ago) reacting with the enchanted stone of Orpheus from her charm bracelet (the music of Orpheus was the only known music able to overpower the siren song). One of the witches from the rival family is good and sacrifices herself to enable the enchantment on Elijah and Evangeline's home to be broken when a witch from Esther's line is able to break the spell. Meanwhile, Kol finds out he loves Evangeline as well, forty years pass, and a Mikaelson witch finally emerges to save the day.
Chapter 1: The First of Many
Forty Years Ago:
A young woman leaned against the pale, shimmery rock, her wavy, deep brown hair blowing gracefully in the breeze. Her gray-blue eyes stared dully at the women frolicking along the flowery shore. A handsome man appeared on the shore, but the woman paid him no heed. No one ever saw her. She was but a figment of their imaginations, destined to see all but never truly live. And the man was sure to die, yet another victim of the siren song. So when the warmth of his hand clasped hers, she couldn't help but leap in shock.
"Evangeline." His deep mahogany eyes pierced through her murky ocean gaze.
"You… you can touch me?" Evangeline's mouth parted slightly. How could this be happening? Perhaps he was some sort of demon sent to torment her.
"I was a fool to leave you." The handsome young man's hand caressed her cheek, and Evangeline couldn't help but lean into its warmth. Perhaps he was an angel instead, sent to rescue her from this abyss of nothingness.
She stared carefully into his fiery gaze. "You look so familiar. Like someone I knew… lifetimes ago." Had it really been lifetimes? Of just sitting? Watching?
The striking man's mouth fell open as he tilted his head seductively. "Just how long do you think you've been here, sweetheart?"
The question brought Evangeline back to all that she had witnessed subconsciously, and she recalled the memories in a vague, dreamy tone. "I've watched the sirens through the ages for a millennia." Then, staring into the surreally attractive man's, she felt a peculiar sense of fellowship toward the seeming stranger. "No one has ever seen me before, but you look so familiar. Like a dream…" As she spoke the words, the young man's face flickered in the recesses of her mind, like a long forgotten reminiscence.
His face contorted with disbelief and anguish. "A dream?" Then his features changed, intensified, into a heated gaze Evangeline had only encountered a few times throughout her subliminal journey. "Then I shall make you remember."
Feeling the force of his hands pushing her into the rock behind her dizzied Evangeline's mind back to reality. This man was real, and the heat between them ignited with electricity.
She found herself envisioning the two of them in a house, against a wall instead of stone as he seductively breathed the on her neck, "How is it that the Petrova line has succeeded in luring so many of us in?"
Evangeline had no conscious recollection of the phrase, but the imagined scene became more clear. The small but quaint cottage house… and this man, smirking mischievously as he leaned in for a kiss.
His lips brushed gently against hers, and Evangeline lost all sense, immediately deepening the kiss and leaning in for more. It was a connection she'd witnessed time and time again from her siren ancestors, but Evangeline had long since forgotten how positively exhilarating the passion of a kiss could be.
The man seemed equally surprised for a moment but quickly recovered, pressing against her more urgently.
Memories flickered into her mind as the mysterious suitor kissed his way down her neck.
You're a human… And I will be free of you.
Tears brimmed around her eyes as their last meeting finally sifted back into her memory.
I've gotten off track, love. And you were never part of the plan… Don't worry, love. It's for the best.
Evangeline gasped, pushing the handsome man away. "You couldn't be…" The shock of his presence overwhelmed her.
"Couldn't be what, darling," he breathed, still caught up in their shameless ardor.
"Kol," A tear trickled down her cheek, "Is that you?"
The sound of his name caused him to shake from their blissful reverie, and he found his mind unable to get a hold on her subconscious.
"No," her scream carried over the ocean waves as Kol's figure faded. "Don't leave me here alone…"
She backed against the rock, inundated with a terrifying sense of isolation. Soon it would all be a distant memory, and she would have no one.
Present Day- Norfolk, VA (2051 AD-ish)
Seventeen-year-old Daphne Mikaelson sat in her dorm, books strewn along the floor. With her second semester at Old Dominion University over and done, she felt more than justified in letting her school belongings fall where gravity allowed. Not that it mattered.
Though Daphne had graduated high school at the tender age of sixteen, her mother Lucy made it clear that she would probably have to abandon her education at a moment's notice. After all, being the granddaughter of a vampire and a siren, daughter of a warlock and a witch, and possessor of the 'Petrova Fire' was no easy task – even for someone as snarky and stubborn (and utterly awesome) as Daphne.
So when the door to her dorm room blew off its hinges that May afternoon Daphne barely blinked.
"Heeeey, yall are witches too!" She may as well have been stoned at how blasé she reacted to the situation as three rather frightening beings entered her living space.
Yawning exaggeratedly, Daphne lifted one hand and the two females dropped to the ground in a dead faint. She stared at the man, eyes narrowed. His chestnut coif and handsome face might have thrown any other girl for a loop, but Daphne recognized his mischievous smirk instantly.
"Well blood and guts, Kol Mikaelson, you could have just knocked. And why bother with the witches? I'm like – the most powerful one on the planet, right?"
Kol's grin widened. "I'm pleased to see you've done your research and know who I am. It will make introductions that much simpler."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Oh for goodness' sake, are you always this smarmy? It's kind of – revolting, no offense."
Kol's face grew taut, but he still managed keep his cool. "I'll forgive your indiscretions, seeing as…"
"Of course you will; you obviously need my help," she laughed lightly as she cut him off.
Kol's smile faded as he stared at the witch. "My brother failed to inform me how very forthright you are."
Daphne laughed even harder. "Oh please, that's Uncle Nik's favorite thing about me."
"Can you kindly be serious for five seconds?" he spat, losing any remaining semblance of patience.
"Wow," Daphne straightened up on her bed. "Nik's right; you are an absolute buzz-kill."
That did it. Kol lost his temper and lunged at the witch, full speed. She would help him, one way or another. Unfortunately, he underestimated her abilities once again, and Kol landed flat on his back, completely immobilized.
No longer smiling, Daphne rose from her bed and crouched beside her ageless uncle. "That's strike two. Now tell me why in the hell you need my help so badly, before I blast your sorry behind to Chesapeake Bay."
Kol's eyes held a loathing stare for several seconds before softening ever so slightly. "You're the only one who can save her," he spat.
"Save who?" Daphne shook her head, somewhat bemused.
He finally exhaled in defeat, surrendering the last of his pride. "Your grandmother."
"My grandmother?" Daphne backed away from her uncle in astonishment. "You want me to save my grandmother – a.k.a. Evangeline Flemming – a.k.a. 'Sleeping Beauty' – a.k.a. your brother Elijah's epic love – a.k.a…"
"I get it!" Kol shouted exasperatedly.
Daphne studied her uncle for several seconds. Then she gasped as the realization struck her. "Oh my heck – you're in love with her."
"Forgive me for not readily admitting it; it's not exactly my most shining moment…" He grimaced as if it pained him. "So how about you be a good girl and keep it to yourself, all right, sweetheart?"
Daphne pressed her lips together, seriously considering Kol's request. As flippant as she was about most things, she at least had the decency to respect love.
Finally she sighed, "What do you need me to do?"
The three-hour drive to Mystic Falls only took two with Kol's erratic driving. It was a wonder they didn't wreck – or at least get pulled over.
"So this is where everything happened…" Daphne smirked as they passed through the town without stopping. "Well, butter my bread. Mystic Falls the cutest little town you ever did see."
"Quite," Kol muttered sarcastically. He couldn't focus on the surroundings. He'd waited so long to see her – Evangeline. His mind was all chaos as the enchanted cottage grew closer.
Daphne frowned slightly as they reached the opposite edge of town. "So – Sleeping Beauty chooses Elijah over you, but you still are obsessed and in love with the woman after forty years? I don't know, Uncle Kol, endless pining doesn't seem your style – isn't she kind of a lost cause?"
Kol simply glared at his niece, pressing his foot more firmly on the gas pedal. "Did it ever occur to you, darling, that I'd want to find out why my obsession with her is so enduring? Why – in spite of my better judgment and generally selfish outlook on life – I can't seem to rid her from my thoughts, even after forty years?" His eyes darkened angrily.
"Huh…" Daphne bit her lip. "Well she is a siren. Maybe that's why you can't quit her."
"That's precisely what we're here to find out, love." He grimaced slightly and slowed the car, turning onto a gravelly path that led into the forest.
They pulled up to the fancy little cottage and stepped out of the car guardedly.
"Remember," Kol cautioned in a threatening murmur. "No one knows about my – situation…"
"You mean that you're in love with your brother's girl?"
Kol faked a leering smile. "Yes, that. So kindly bear in mind to keep your pretty little mouth shut after she and my brother wake."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Fine, goodness, you don't have to get all über-paranoid about it."
They stepped up to the house, and Daphne raised her eyebrows and bit her lip.
"Well, this is great fun… What now?"
Kol scoffed, "I haven't the faintest, darling. Do some of that mystic, witchy stuff you're so good at, and see what happens."
"Forty years, and that's the best answer you can come up with?" Daphne was half tempted to give Kol an aneurism, just to teach him a lesson.
She stepped closer and could feel the magic around the house. It prickled beneath her fingers, calling to her, waiting to be touched.
Daphne lifted her hands slowly, finally pressing them to the door, and a shimmery golden glow escaped from her fingers.
Almost as if it were a sheet of paper being burned away at the corners, Daphne could see the golden shimmer spread across each inch of the exterior of the cottage. A smile stretched across her lips as she rested her hand on the door handle and pressed down.
The soft click of the door handle jolted Kol to his senses, and he gazed anxiously in Daphne's direction.
"Wait here." Daphne could hardly contain the smile on her face as she stepped inside the house. Everything was in pristine condition. Ageless from its forty-year sleep. And in the center of the room, resting on cots, lay the grandparents Daphne had never met but had heard so much about.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne pulled the dagger from Elijah's heart and retreated hastily to a corner of the room, unsure of how long she'd have to wait for his revival.
Several minutes later, Elijah's deep intake of breath startled her into utter silence. Daphne clutched a blood bag Kol had supplied her with and threw it hastily into her grandfather's lap.
"My uncle said you would need that." She called out awkwardly across the room as Elijah took in the scene and drank from the blood bag.
"Forgive me," Elijah stared toward the darkened corner of the room curiously, "but to whom do I owe my gratitude?"
Stepping into the light she shrugged, "Daphne. Daphne Mikaelson…"
Evangeline sat along the golden seashore when it happened. A shimmer of light beamed across the horizon, slowly melting the scene before her into darkness.
She suddenly felt a familiar presence beside her, one she'd spent ages longing for…
Evangeline's eyes fluttered open as she gasped for air. She turned slowly, and her eyes fell on the handsomest creature she'd ever laid eyes on.
"Elijah?"
Daphne's eyes widened in surprise as Evangeline kissed the crap out of her resurrected lover. Then, when 'Sleeping Beauty' realized there was someone else in the room, the three of them stumbled through inelegant introductions, and Daphne proceeded to tell them about her uncle, waiting patiently outside the front door.
Evangeline pushed her way to the entrance, curious as to the identity of this mystery uncle, but when her eyes fell on Kol, her breath stole.
"Welcome back, darling." Kol's eyes pierced through her insides, and sudden flickers and flashes from her subconscious inundated the siren's mind.
Evangeline touched her lips with her fingers as the memory of Kol's mouth on hers flooded her senses. For the briefest moment she remembered exactly how his body felt pressed against her – how his hands felt wrapped tightly around her waist – how his tongue moved in sync with her own, setting the recesses of her mind ablaze…
"Oh. My. Gosh…" Evangeline's voice trembled in a whisper. She was in deep trouble.
I'm really excited about this story. It's going to delve a lot into mythology, and explore Daphne's life as well as Evangeline's. Hope you liked! REVIEW!