A/N: So, this is a rewrite of my story "Cut". It's quite different than its predecessor, so even if you've already read that one, you should read this one. There's some twists and turns which are very different, so you shouldn't get bored ;)
Enjoy and be sure to let me know what you think :D
Chapter One
Pink lips crooked into a smirk, as she felt several vampires gathering around her. She took a few steps back, further into the dark alley and away from the busy street.
A fist reached out of the shadows and within seconds five vampires lay scattered in the alley, grunting in pain or unconscious from a broken neck. Turquoise eyes looked down, as the vampire she had pinned against the cold ground, a self-satisfied smirk on her pale face.
"Young vampires these days..." she mumbled and shook her head, "You really should learn to recognize those older and stronger that you. You're lucky I'm in such a good mood or this scene would have been a lot more tragic, not to mention - bloodier."
The young male vampire, under her made a face and glared up defiantly.
"Who are you?" He asked through gritted teeth, "We don't just let any new vampires into the city and you're not from here."
"Technically, you don't know that." The woman said with a light tone and tapped his nose with her finger, "You're very young, you can't know if I was born here centuries ago or not. This may very well be the place I was born and grew up." She told him and smiled innocently, "However, when I was born, there wasn't a place called New Orleans or even America, for that matter. Though I did visit the city a few times back in the 18th and 19th century... The rich settlers and ambassadors where some of my favorite to rob and plunder. Lots of treasure, very little guarding." She grinned, showing off a pair of perfect white teeth and fangs. The young vampire moved beneath her, trying to wrestle himself free.
"Is that why you are here? To rob and plunder?" He asked, watching the woman closely, "Isn't that a little too old fashioned?"
Her face twisted in thought, as she seemed to think about his question.
"Creating a little mayhem never gets old. I've been doing it for nine centuries," She told him with a wicked grin and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "I've yet to get bored."
(...)
Klaus stopped suddenly in the crowd of people.
The streets were full of people celebrating the yearly Mardi Gras. Loud music, shouts and laughter filled the air along with the smell of alcohol and body odor and yet the hybrid had been able to sense it.
It wasn't the first time however. It seemed to have appeared several times over the last few days, every time he went outside. Klaus let out an annoyed growl and looked around. At first, the hybrid had been as oblivious as the rest of them. Angry at whoever dared to make a mess in his city. However, soon the dreams had appeared. In every dream, every time he closed his eyes, he saw her. Klaus had noticed the crows and the cats, with their deep turquoise eyes following his every move and he knew.
New Orleans had enjoyed a few years of peace with Klaus, Marcel and Vincent working together leading the supernatural community. Hope was thriving at her school in Mystic Falls, where Freya and Keelin had joined her as teachers. Hayley and his siblings were spread out across the world, doing God knows what. Klaus hadn't seen them since then. However, he knew that they all took turns to each visit Hope at her school every now and then and somehow, they were all still alive.
Everything had been peaceful and quiet, before a sudden string of killings of locals and witches had started a week ago. Vincent had insisted it was the cause of a vampire and Klaus couldn't deny it from the evidence, however any regular vampire in the city was accounted for and all of them knew better than to break the rules set up.
A flash of red, confirmed his suspicion and the next second, Klaus was in an abandoned street alley and slammed the person hard against red brick walls.
"I thought I told you 200 years ago, to never show your face in this city again." Klaus hissed angrily, eyes flashing dark yellow, as his grip around the pale throat tightened, "And how you dare cause a ruckus in my city!"
Long fingers closed around his fist and with an intense power, his hand was pried off the throat.
"I remember." The female voice was quiet, with a hint of bitterness. Klaus' hand were pushed away completely and in the next second, he was thrown against the opposite wall, her hand closing around his throat, as turquoise turned a dark red.
"And I wouldn't be in your blasted and boring ass city if it weren't necessary, believe me." She spat, voice full of disdain. Klaus rose a brow looking back at her indifferently.
"Then what are you doing here?" He asked, not hiding his displeasure.
The woman glared at him, then her eyes slowly turned back to turquoise, as a wicked smirk grew on her lips.
"I'm here to let of some, much needed, steam, before I have to ask something nicely." She answered and crooked her head giving him a sweet smile, "And you always have been my favorite punching bag." She answered with a glint in her eyes.
"You've grown weak Nik," She whispered close to his ear as she leaned in, "and just a tad pathetic." Klaus felt her hot breath against his exposed neck, "I should know, I've been watching you for weeks. Collaborating with ancestor witches and those who've wronged you, over and over. It doesn't become you."
Klaus squinted his eyes, glaring at the woman.
"I thought I taught you the importance of family," He sneered back at her, "not to mention the advantage of having your enemies close."
The red head crooked her head and watched him for a quiet moment.
"There's a difference between having your enemies close by to keep an eye on them and to work together with them as allies and friends." She countered, moving back a little. She crooked a small smirk and before Klaus was able to counter her statement, the hybrid was slammed hard on the ground, with the redhead sitting on top of him. Klaus let out a pained groan as her hand pierced his chest, cold fingers closing around his heart.
"Point proven." She smirked wickedly and leaned down, "You really need to up yourself a bit Nik. You're no good to me when you're like this." The redhead pulled back a little, "So quit being such a wimp and pull your ass together. Let me know when you've regained your sanity." With this, the woman tightened her grip around his heart and tore it out.
(…)
Vincent froze, a choking gasp held back in his throat, when he saw the scene appearing in front of him outside the mausoleum. Half a dozen witches lay scattered on the white stones, now painted red from their blood, lifeless with bloody necks and torn off limps. The scene of a minor massacre. How and when had this happened? Vincent could have sworn he'd only heard a few smaller screams, which had drawn his attention to this part of the cemetery. The witch looked up, towards the top of a taller grave, when he heard an uncanning shriek. A pitch-black raven hovered over him, as it sat atop of a grave relic, turquoise eyes watching him closely.
"You." Vincent whispered, taking a cautious step back, "You're no ordinary raven, are you?"
The raven shrieked and flapped its wings before it set off the relic and flew right at him. Vincent reached out his hand, spell at ready, when in a mist of dark smoke, the raven disappeared and in its place, a young, red headed woman appeared.
"You're right, Vincent Griffith, I'm no ordinary raven." She said and offered him a grin, "Although, one could say I'm rather close with the ravens."
Vincent blinked confused at the sudden appearance of the woman and stood, unable to move in wonder.
"You're a witch?" He asked, somewhat dumbfounded. The red head chuckled and walked around the witch, watching him closely.
"Does this look like the work of a witch to you?" She asked, with a whisper in his ear and pointed at the scene before them, "Although, I was a witch. Once, a very long time ago." She added and stopped in front of Vincent, a crooked smirk on pink lips, "However, I was killed and reborn as this magnificent creature." The redhead said and held out her arms, taking a step back.
"You're a vampire?" Vincent asked, feeling the immediate surprise fade and being replaced by anger, "You did this?" The witch wanted to know, pointing at the bodies around them. The woman grinned and gave him a small nod, never taking her eyes from him. Vincent let out an angry growl and threw a spell a her. It hit her, making her bend forward with a small groan. The witch prepared another spell, but froze in the next second, when he heard laughter slowly grow more potent, from the vampire.
"Seriously, you ancestor witches never learn, do you?" The woman asked in between laughter as she stood up straight with no sign of the spell hitting her having had any effect.
"It's been a while since I've faced any of you, but you're as dense as ever." She continued and took a step towards him, "You're powerful, I'll give you that, however it takes a little more of your kind of magic to have any proper effect on me."
"Who are you!?" Vincent questioned and took another step back, not wanting to get too close to the stranger. The red head crooked her head and was suddenly right in front of him. Inches between them.
"Why don't you ask your beloved ancestors?" She sneered tensely, "They should know me all too well."
(…)
Klaus stumbled through the gates of the compound, groaning as he caressed his sore chest. He threw himself in the couch and hissed, as the movement sent painful shots through his body. The hybrid had forgotten the agony and burning pain of his body growing a new heart. It was, by far, one of the single most painful and most tiring experiences of being an immortal original and thus one he'd avoided at any cost. An original was at their most vulnerable during a process like this and only a few had ever managed to and survived, doing something like that to an original. To Klaus, there had only ever been one and having to endure the pain once again, the hybrid bitterly regretted letting her live after last time.
Klaus had almost gone into the blissful relief of sleep, when he was rudely pulled back to reality by Marcel as he walked into the compound.
"You look awful." The vampire commented and made a face, looking at his sire, "What happened?"
Klaus opened his eyes and looked up at the sky distantly before he mumbled a reply.
"Nothing."
Marcel raised a brow, clearly not believing the original and sighed, realizing any attempt to make the hybrid talk would be futile. This was clearly a matter of bruised pride, one way or another.
"There's been another incident." Marcel said and sat down in the armchair next to Klaus, "The police inspector reported a case in a club down town. Both humans and vampires as casualties. Witnesses and survivors say they don't remember anything that happened."
Klaus groaned annoyed and struggled to sit up. Marcel watched the hybrid's face twisted in pain and the tell-tale blood mark on his grey shirt.
"You sure you're alright?" The vampire asked with a doubtful and slightly worried look. Klaus glared at Marcel.
"Yes," He insisted stubbornly, "It's nothing."
Marcel was about to answer back, when he was interrupted by Vincent storming in, looking over his shoulder with an uneasy look.
"This has to stop now." The witch said out of breath as he stopped in front of the two, "Killing locals, vampires and witches without remorse – she has to be stopped."
"She?" Marcel asked and looked from Vincent to Klaus, as if he knew something. The hybrid sighed and stumbled to his feet.
"One doesn't simply 'stop her'." He said and looked at the witch, "She's not like any of the vampires you've encountered before."
"I'd say!" Vincent exclaimed and raised his arms impatiently, "I've never seen a vampire being able to transform from being a bird, even less heard about it being possible."
"Ah yes, she does have an annoying habit of doing that." Klaus pondered and took a few careful steps towards the stairs, "Not just ravens though, but shapeshifting in general, cats, wolves..."
Marcel looked between the two, feeling more confused by the second.
"Wait, you two know who's behind these attacks?"
Vincent and Klaus exchanged a short look before the hybrid turned away and headed up the stairs.
"Don't do anything stupid." He said and made a pained face, as he carefully took one step at the time, "Ancestral magic has little effect on her and she's more powerful than any of you two combined." He told them non-nonchalantly, "She's here for me, so I'll deal with her."
Klaus dropped himself in his bed and let out a sigh of relief, as the softness of the bed soothed some of the pain. How long had it been since they had last seen each other? 30 years? 40 years?
With everything that had happened in the last decade, it felt like a life time ago. She had been part of another time and another reality and having her appearing suddenly, like this, got him all flustered in a way he hadn't experienced in decades - a way that only she could. Klaus sighed and closed his eyes covering them with his arm, as he felt weariness sneak up on him again.
New Orleans, 1753
"There she is!" The small port attendant said and pointed out at the sea, "Straight ahead a mile out."
Klaus squinted his eyes against the early morning sun to get a look at the infamous ship. The vampire had been pulled out from his bed, after a late night with delightful female company and would rather have been lazing in his bed, than being dragged down to the cold and moist port.
"She's just lying there," The attendant continued, not sensing the sour mood of the city commodore, "'ave been since early last night."
Klaus jawed and pulled his coat closer as he gave the man an annoyed look.
"And you haven't thought to take a boat out the look at it?" He asked with a raised brow, thinking that the man should at least have been able to think of this by himself. The port attendant nodded, never taking his eyes off the ship.
"We did sir," He told the commodore, "near five 'ours ago." The small man informed and finally looked up at his master, "The ones sailing out 'aven't come back yet. 'aven't 'eard a squeak from them, sir." He turned his glance back to the ship in the distance, a thoughtful look in his old eyes, "It gives off the same eerie feeling as that ship 40 years ago. It brings an omen of death..."
Klaus glanced at the old man. He knew of which ship he was referring - the ship Klaus and his siblings had arrived with. The vampire looked back at the ship and breathed in. The ship did bring a smell of death; however, it was completely silent. Not even the puzzle of a small ship rat could be heard. Klaus sighed tiredly and drew a hand through his hair.
"Gather a few men, we're taking the boat."
The smell grew stronger as the got closer to the ship. So, strong that even the few humans in the boat noticed and twisted their faces from the foul smell. Blood. Both new and old, along with the smell of rotten flesh. They got on board, the humans somewhat hesitant, as they covered their noses for the smell.
Klaus felt it the moment he sat foot on the ships deck. A presence somewhat familiar to him. He silently signaled the old attendant to stand back, as Klaus led the small group of four young men, stepped over the scattered bodies on the deck, to explore further, torches in hand. The vampire shook his head as fuzzy and muddled images started to invade his mind. When he stood still and let out a painful groan, feeling dizzy and disoriented, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a distant sounding voice asking him if he was okay. Klaus somehow managed to answer he was fine, before his legs gave away under him. The vampire heard the muffled screams, the death rattles and the bodies dropping around him, however he himself was unable to move, unable to see anything else than the sudden waves of lost memories invading him.
He breathed hard, as the pain faded along with the images and the numbness. Klaus opened his eyes slowly, blurry image slowly turning sharper.
"Well, that should just about do it."
The vampire heard a cheerful voice close to him and felt movement as a blurry figure squatted down in front of him. Slowly, he was able focus and make out the person watching him. Turquoise eyes stared at him, with a hint of curiosity and excitement in them. Long red hair was braided and hung over one slender shoulder. Pearls and feathers was braided into the hair and a dirt brown cloth was bound around her forehead. Jewelry hung from earlobes and around the pale neck. White skin was dirty from dust and blood, as were the shirt and pants, the person was wearing.
"Hello Nik." The person said with a crooked grin, "Fancy meeting you here."
"Iris...?" Klaus groaned and moved to get up. The woman was next to him the next second, offering him some support, which he gladly accepted.
"It's getting worse, isn't it?" She asked softly as she gave him a worried look, "Regaining the memories."
Klaus glanced at her and steadied himself.
"Spells that messes with you mind has never been particular pleasant." He added and patted her shoulder affectionately, "What are you doing here?" Klaus asked and looked around, finding the four men he had arrived with, laying lifeless on the deck with two tell-tale puncture wounds on the neck.
"Well, we were half across the Atlantic when I started feeling peckish." Iris told him and shrugged.
"So you drained your crew?" The original asked with a raised brow. Iris blinked and burst out in a laugh.
"What these?!" She asked and pointed around at the bodies, "Come on Nik, I know it's been almost a century, but does this really look like people I'd associate with on purpose? These were from the Royal Navy, so is the ship." She told him and pointed up. Klaus looked up to find navy flags hanging from the top of the mast, waving ever so slightly in the quiet wind. He looked back at the woman confused.
"What were you doing on board a British navy ship?" He asked, feeling a little skeptic at the woman's antics.
"A slight miscommunication?" She answered and gave him a hopeful look. Klaus raised a brow at her, telling her he didn't believe her to be telling the truth. Iris sighed resigned.
"They caught my crew and I off guard after a rather successful party crashing and brought me back towards Britain to be hanged." She mumbled non-chalantly with a shrug and dried bloody hands off in her pants.
"Hanged?!" Klaus exclaimed and gave her an incredulous look, "Don't tell me, you're a pirate?!" The older vampire asked, not believing that he'd ever have to ask her such a thing. Pirates were a well-known nuisance and had been so for a century or so by now. He'd heard about the notorious barbarians of the sea, from sailors arriving at his port, but never imagined knowing one. Iris didn't answer, but merely crooked her head, looking at him straight.
"Really Iris?" Klaus questioned not hiding his disconsent, "The Panthers don't have anything better to do?"
"What?" She asked and gave him a wicked smirk, with a mischievous glint in turquoise eyes, "Other than pillage, plunder, drink blood and generally enjoying immortality?"
Iris stepped up to the older vampire and leaned in close.
"Have you forgotten Nik?" She whispered close to his ear, "All the fun we used to have?" Iris pulled back a little, turquoise locking with blue, "Just because we've been dead for centuries, doesn't mean we should stop living."
A/N: So, I did say it would be a bit different ;) I wanted a certain female vampire's character to shine through a bit more, so I hope I succeeded in that. Ah, but she's not done causing trouble, so be sure to stay tuned.