Chicago, 1922

The aftermath was heartbreaking. After three years of being separated from my family, I'd hoped to finally be reunited with them. Our father had not been easily deterred, but I was almost entirely certain that he'd followed me back to Europe. He'd kept close to my trail- too close. I'd spied him in Paris as he'd watched me from the street, ready to pounce should Niklaus or Rebekah make an appearance. He knew that the three of us would remain together, and so I remained as far from them as possible, allowing myself no contact with them. It was only once I knew he'd given up on finding them through me that I'd returned to the Americas. I was not his prize, after all.

To find nothing more than an abandoned apartment and a destroyed speakeasy was nearly more than I could bear. I knew then the cause for Father's sudden abandonment of me. He'd found them. That the apartment had been stripped told me that they'd at least had time to flee. Only three years of peace... It was all I'd managed to gift them with after Father had destroyed our hopes of making New Orleans our home.

Hope sprang for a mere moment as I heard the approach, but the voice was unfamiliar. I did not turn to see the face. "You Elijah?"

"Yes." I was not inclined to give more than the bare minimum when it came to answering questions from strangers, if I answered them at all. It was not out of fear. Father too direct to send someone else in his stead. Rather, I simply do not concern myself with a person unless I deem him or her to be of some importance.

"I'm supposed to give you this." The letter brushed the material of my jacket and I simply took it, again without bothering to turn. It was only once I recognized the handwriting on the envelope and heard the sickening sound of death from behind me that I gave the gentleman my full attention. He'd driven a stake through his own heart, influenced to do so, no doubt, by the person who had written the letter he delivered- Niklaus.

I opened the letter without hesitation and began to read.

Greetings, Brother.

I trust Edward has done as instructed and eliminated himself upon delivering this to you. You've been missed, though Rebekah and I understood you were doing what you could to distract Father. You were always so good at leading him on exactly the path you wanted him to follow, so imagine my surprise when he showed up here in Chicago.

I have considered a great many possibilities, Elijah, and I can only come to one conclusion. Has Father finally persuaded you to his cause after all these centuries? I know he's done so in the past. It seems the circle of those I can trust grows smaller by the second. Even Rebekah resisted joining me in fleeing this town when Father made his appearance here. I was forced to place a dagger in her heart yet again, and seeing as how I am now officially alone I have decided to remain so.

Do not bother to follow after me in an attempt to be reunited with any of them, Elijah. They are gone, resting at the bottom of the ocean where I can assure you they will not be recovered. You will not find me, either. Consider this our final correspondence. Enjoy an eternity of solitude, brother, as I am fully committed to my own.

Always and Forever,

Niklaus

It was as if the air had been removed from my lungs. Would he have truly left our siblings to such a fate? It was beyond anything I could believe, and yet Niklaus had no real reason to lie about such a thing to me. Finn had been locked away after only a century. Kol had regularly been put down. And now our sweet sister? Were they all truly gone forever?

Despair turned to rage so quickly that it was several minutes before I realized it, and I unleashed all of it on what remained of the apartment. Furniture and walls crumbled far too easily for it to give any satisfaction, and I finally collapsed to the floor amidst a room filled with rubble, my chest heaving as heavy sobs broke free.

If Niklaus had truly left them to this fate, he would pay. I swore it.

Washington, D.C., 2012

The arrogance of humanity is rarely fully on display, except when one regularly is in the presence of the ruling class. While Americans proudly tout their "freedom" from the systems used by other countries, those in Congress are well aware that the lords and their serfs remain within American culture. Lords have throughout history known exactly what it is they are and thrive on the serfs being kept blissfully ignorant of it. It is a system that has worked for many centuries under many names.

The lords also knew which kings to bend their knees to, and they knew that if they didn't those knees were easily broken. They did need their orders given to them, and that required the occasional meeting. It was never something I considered fun, but it was necessary. Wrangling a majority in both houses required time, and making my influence less obvious required talent.

"You're going to miss the vote if you stay here." My assistant, Luthor, had found me on a bench just outside.

"I don't need to watch to know the results. I've been surprised by the outcome only once in over two centuries. Considering my reaction to it, I doubt they'll have the courage to surprise me a second time."

Luthor only chuckled before continuing. "If you're almost done here, I've received a message requesting a meeting with you. They're in Virginia, so it wouldn't be far to travel."

They could wait. "I detest Virginia, Luthor. You know that. Unless it's someone important, I'd much rather make arrangements for something in California. You're aware of my preferences."

"Her name is Rose, sir. She didn't give a last name."

This was a different matter entirely. Rose and I had a certain arrangement, and there was only one reason she'd be contacting me. "Set up the meeting. Wrap things up for me here. I'll be leaving immediately."