The response I got on the first chapter was overwhelming, you guys! Thank you so much! I hope you'll continue to like the story. We're now skipping a thousand years ahead to the timeline of season three. Hope everything makes sense and if it doesn't, it will later.
To the guest who decided to make an elaborate review of my grammar flaws: Was it really that bad? Did it completely ruin your understanding of the story? English is not my first language, but if I should say so myself I'm quite good at it. If you have something to say then at least comment on the story. Or create an user so I know who is being a dick to me. I have nothing against critism, but that review just annoyed the hell out of me.
Rant over! Toodles!
Malina's P.O.V.
Somewhere in Illinois, 2010
When the pendant hit the map with a thud; a satisfied grin spread on my face and I quickly put my necklace back on, already feeling slightly weaker without it. I quickly packed my few belongings in a bag and ran out of my motel room, barely shutting the door behind me.
I paid for my room at the reception and asked the man behind the desk to call a taxi for me. My fingers drummed on the wooden desk impatiently as I waited and I earned an irritated glare from the receptionist. When my ride arrived outside, I bolted out the door with a quick 'thank you' and seconds later I was on my way to a place called 'Chicago'.
I loved to drive, even though I couldn't do it myself, but I found it exhilarating to just sit and watch the world fly by; faster than I would have ever imagined possible. At the moment, though, I had a hard time concentrating on the wonders of the new world as my thoughts revolved around something else entirely. Or rather someone else.
It had been a little more than two months since I had woken up in my casket and slowly crawled out, only to be almost shocked to death when a person had stepped out of a dark corner in the mausoleum to help me. I was embarrassed to admit that I had fainted, when I had been informed that a millennium had passed since I last saw daylight and my pulse had been elevated for days after as I took in this new world.
The woman who had been waiting for me, Emma, was a descendant from my bloodline and when I finally had managed to stop hyperventilating; she had explained how my story and body had been passed on through generations, while they all waited for Niklaus to break his curse.
When Emma had been told by her informants that the curse possibly would be lifted that full moon; she had waited for my awakening in the mausoleum, ready to explain everything to me so that I actually wouldn't die of shock when I saw how everything had changed.
It had taken me a month to fully adjust, even though there still was a lot to learn and understand. Emma had then insisted that I used another month to fully learn the extent of my powers before I went out and found the most powerful creature in the world. She had tried to tell me the horror stories of Klaus (as he supposedly was called these days), but I had barely listened.
I knew that I was being biased, but he was still my friend and in my perspective it had only been two months since I last had seen him, so the picture I had of him was still unstained. After the two months had passed, Emma had finally agreed to let me loose and my search for Niklaus had begun.
I had stayed in multiple motel rooms and driven kilometer after kilometer in taxis, but I wasn't giving up any time soon. Money was no problem as someone down the road had decided to create a so-called trust fund for me that every generation had given money to.
It had taken me almost a week to understand the concept of money and when I finally did, I didn't want them as there was more than I could ever spent. But apparently you couldn't do anything without those pieces of paper and in the end I had reluctantly agreed to take some of the money.
I absentmindedly played with the red pendant on my chest as I looked out the car window, watching all the cars go by at incredible speed. When we finally drove into Chicago and the high buildings began towering over us, my pulse quickened and a wide smile spread on my lips.
As my nervousness overwhelmed me, I began wondering if I was wearing the right clothes and whether Niklaus would even recognize me. The jeans on my legs felt tight as always and I still hadn't gotten used to the idea of wearing them. I was wearing a plain black top and a burgundy-colored cotton cardigan over it.
One of the things Emma had taught me about being a twenty-first century woman was walking in heels and she had managed to find a pair of so-called wedge-heeled sandals that I could easily walk in. But now I feared it was too much. I wasn't trying to impress Niklaus in any way, but would he offended by me when I as a woman walked around in trousers as a man?
Emma had assured me multiple times that it was in fact women's clothing that I was wearing and I had seen many others my age wear the same thing, but that didn't stop me from still feeling uncomfortable.
"Miss?" the taxi driver called impatiently and I snapped out of my thoughts to see that we had arrived at a dark parking lot outside the building I had asked to be taken to. My heart started beating even more rapidly as I paid the driver and stepped out of the car.
I quickly walked towards the building that my locator spell had told me Niklaus was in and barely noticed the young man and woman, who was standing among the cars and talking. Hesitantly I opened the entrance door, even though the sign said 'closed' and walked in. I placed my bag at a table and walked further into the bar that was empty except for two persons.
A man with short dark blonde curls where holding a black haired man by the throat and I heard a sickening crack as something inside his neck broke. The man who was strangling him was holding something in his other hand and the black-haired man grunted in pain as he was stabbed with the small object.
"No, that's not it…" the torturer said with feigned frustration and I moved a little closer, when I heard the familiar accent. Neither of them had noticed me and I froze completely when the blonde man spoke again. I knew that voice.
"Almost…" Niklaus sneered as he stabbed the other man once more and my head was spinning out of control as I watched my old friend torture another person.
"You want a partner in crime? Forget Stefan, I'm so much more fun." the other man told Niklaus as he was still being choked and my eyes widened in shock over the man's cockiness. That was another thing about this time period that had me baffled; everyone were always so sarcastic.
A scream almost left me as Niklaus suddenly threw the other man across some tables, turning them into a pile of wood beneath him and I watched as Niklaus broke of a leg from one of the chairs and walked over to the man on the floor.
"You won't be any fun after you're dead." Niklaus told him casually and raised the wooden stake to impale the other man.
Not willing to let Niklaus kill anyone, I snapped my fingers and the wooden stake in his hand caught on fire, making him throw it to the floor.
"Really?" Niklaus asked annoyingly and looked up in frustration as he turned his head towards the barmaid, who had just entered the room.
"Take it outside, Klaus." the dark-skinned woman told him and then looked at me with both confusion and admiration in her eyes.
The man on the floor, who had just avoided his death by a few centimeters, lifted his head from the floor, but was pushed back down by Niklaus, who apparently thought the barmaid had cast the spell. Great, another witch.
"You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom, when I'm done with him he don't wanna go back." Niklaus then told the man; his voice almost too low for me to hear. Slowly, Niklaus stood up from the floor and I was surprised he didn't feel my eyes burn into his back.
"So, a witch walks into a bar and says to the bartender-" I started, when my patience ran out but I was immediately cut off by the barmaid's laughing.
"Those jokes are never funny, sweetheart." she told me pointedly, but I was glad she had stopped me as I didn't remember the punch line. It was a joke that Emma had once taught me, but I never actually found it funny.
"Mal?" a deep voice suddenly asked and I turned my attention back to Niklaus, who was staring at me with wide eyes. I smiled at him as I tilted my head slightly to the right and let my eyes glide over him; taking in everything that was different from the last time I had seen him.
Except for another haircut, the stubbles around his mouth and a change of clothes; he looked the same. But there was still something fundamentally different. Even though his eyes were wide with shock; they still seemed cold and the usually teasing tone in his voice was gone and had become more sinister.
"Hello Niklaus." I spoke tenderly and widened my smile to a cheerful one, even though it felt forced. Niklaus looked at me for a long moment without saying a word and when he suddenly stood right in front of me, I took a step back in surprise.
Behind Niklaus was the other man pulling himself of the floor and I met his curious gaze for a second before he was almost pushed out of the bar by the witch. When the dark-skinned woman returned, Niklaus still hadn't said a thing as he just kept staring at me; studying every inch of me and the witch gave me a quick nod before she left the room as well.
"Nik, please say something. You know I don't do silence very well." I told him; my impatience getting the better of me. When he still didn't speak, I slowly lifted my hand to touch his cheek, but he grabbed my wrist before I could get too close.
"How?" Niklaus finally asked hoarsely and I noticed the tears that rimmed his blue eyes. Carefully, I pulled my wrist out of his grip and then reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him towards me. His body was stiff and unresponsive, but after a moment I felt his arms around my waist and my feet lifted from the floor, when he stood up straight; his grip of me tightening further.
"My mother." I mumbled into the air, not sure if Niklaus was even aware that I had spoken. Slowly, he put me down and removed his arms from around me. A grief-stricken look was on his face as he looked down on me and I reached up, wiping away the single tear that had found its way down his cheek.
This was the Niklaus I knew. The man who had been my friend and always would be.
"I thought you were dead." he then told me as I pulled him towards the bar and made him sit on a stool, while I walked over behind the bar to find something to drink. I had only tasted alcohol a few times and so far it hadn't been to my liking, which meant that I had no idea what I was doing when I picked a bottle from the shelf and poured it into a small glass.
"I was only sleeping." I told him with a small smile on my face and pushed the liquor towards him, urging him to drink it. He looked at the clear content for a moment before he downed it and I watched how the corners of his mouth turned down in disgust.
"Could you possibly give me something that isn't cheap vodka, love?" Niklaus asked as he let the shot glass slide back over the bar towards me.
"Since when did you begin to call people for 'love'?" I asked, surprised by his use of the endearment; something I had never heard him use when he was human.
"I don't know. I think it was around the seventeen hundreds." he shrugged and downed the next shot I gave him, which seemed to be more to his liking. "What exactly do you mean by 'sleep', Malina?"
"The night when… you know, everything went wrong; my mother and I did a spell that connected me to you and the hybrid curse. My mother put me in a slumber that I would wake from the day you broke the curse. Unless you died, then I would die as well. I still will actually." I explained and took a shot myself, earning an amused grin from Niklaus, when I began coughing.
"And why would you and your mother do such a thing?" Niklaus asked suspiciously and once again I felt like it was a stranger sitting in front of me. His eyes had narrowed slightly and the smile left his lips as he stared at me.
"Because of that." I answered pointedly and gestured towards his face, confusing him for a moment before his eyes grew cold. "I awoke the day you became the most powerful creature in the world, because from that day you would need me. You have lost your humanity, have you not?"
I was suddenly angry at the man sitting in front of me and I didn't care about the rage that overtook his features before he suddenly stood beside me by the bar; staring down at me.
"Careful, sweetheart. I am not the man I used to be; a millennium has passed and I've become stronger. People are afraid of me now and not the other way around. You can go back to sleep because I don't want you here. And I most certainly don't need you." Niklaus sneered and I felt my resolution crumble.
"You are wrong, Niklaus. As long as you use fear to control others you will always be weak. And if you want rid of me, you will have to kill me." I replied coldly and returned his icy glare with a lifted chin.
"Perhaps I should." he threatened and stared at me angrily before his eyes dropped to the floor for a second. I held back the sigh of relief as I called his bluff inside my head and I softened the expression on my face as my dark eyes met his light ones.
"You are my friend, Nik, and I know you. You can never make me give up on you, just as you cannot kill me." I told him quietly and hoped that he would finally listen to me. Talking to Niklaus had always been easy, but now it seemed like he weighed every word I said as if to decide whether or not I was being sincere. His paranoia hurt me more than I cared to admit but my expression remained stoic as I awaited his answer.
"Since when did you become so stubborn?" Niklaus then asked and a smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. I felt my body relax once more and jumped to the bar, where I leaned backwards on my hands as I crossed my legs. I noticed how his eyes quickly glided down my body, making me blush and look away from him.
"I have always been this stubborn. You were just better at listening. Well, most of the time." I replied with a half-smile on my lips and sadness overwhelmed me shortly as I thought about the last time Niklaus hadn't listened to my warnings.
Both our heads snapped to the side, when a door opened and a man stepped into the bar and walked towards us. He stopped as soon as he saw me and the seemingly worried expression on his face was overtaken by confusion. He was handsome with his green eyes, strong jaw and light brown hair that was arranged in a way I never would have found possible until Emma taught me about hair products.
"Welcome back, mate." Niklaus greeted and gestured for the man to sit on one of the barstools as he found three glasses – larger than the shot glasses I had found – and poured a golden liquid into it. He made a point of showing the bottle to me and I rolled my eyes at his attempt to be funny. Niklaus slit one glass to the man with the funny hair and gave the other one to me, making me frown at the content.
"We had a visit from your brother while you were out." Niklaus told the man casually and I noticed him watch the other man's reaction intently.
"Damon was here?" the man asked disbelievingly and his eyebrows furrowed in the middle, creating a frown on his forehead that almost made me laugh.
"He is lucky to be alive. If it hadn't been for this little witch, I would have killed him." Niklaus replied with a shrug and gestured towards me. I glared at him to show my disapproval of his nonchalant tone of voice and then turned my attention to Damon's brother, who was yet to touch his drink.
"Thank you." the brother told me silently and I gave him a small nod.
I looked back at Niklaus, who had a thoughtful expression on his face and I absentmindedly took a large sip of my drink. The taste of it was horrendous and I quickly spit it back into the glass with a horrified look on my face. When I heard Niklaus chuckle, I glared at him vengefully, which only made him laugh more.
"What is this?!" I exclaimed indignantly and sniffed the golden liquid; bringing a disgusted look to my face.
"It's scotch. You just have to learn to drink it." Niklaus told me with an amused smile on his lips and drank from his own glass.
"I don't want to learn. You drink it." I told him and held out the glass towards him.
"You spit into that!"
"So? Are you afraid of the cooties?" I teased and heard Damon's brother laugh silently beside me, making Niklaus glare at him.
"If you don't want it, then pour into the sink." Niklaus told me and nodded towards a sink that could be seen from behind the bar.
"I cannot just waste this! This is very expensive, is it not?"
"Then drink it, Mal! I'm not doing it for you."
"But the taste of it is atrocious."
Suddenly the glass was taken out of my hand and its content poured into the sink by a very annoyed hybrid.
"There, love. That wasn't hard, was it now?" Niklaus asked mockingly and a scowl set on my face.
"Call me 'love' one more time and I will make you regret it." I warned him with narrow eyes and I was surprised to see the wicked grin that spread on his lips.
"That's right. I don't remember you having the power to set things on fire or do much else than create a small wind." Niklaus said with an interested look in his eyes and I could almost see the wheels spinning inside his head as he went through all the new opportunities my powers could give him.
"Am I missing something here?" the brother suddenly said from his stool and noticed the slightly frustrated look in his eyes as he tried to piece together the puzzle.
"I am so sorry for my impoliteness." I quickly apologized and reached out my hand for him to take. "I am Malina Ayanason."
"Stefan Salvatore. And how do you two know each other?" Stefan asked curiously and I glanced back at Niklaus, not sure what he wanted Stefan to know. He did just try to kill his brother, after all.
"We go way back." Niklaus answered with a sly smile on his face and I returned my attention towards Stefan, whose eyes were shifting between us.
"So you two were together or something?" Stefan asked confusedly and pointed between the two of us, bringing horrified expressions to our faces.
"No!" we both answered at the same time and Stefan looked taken aback by our apparent unwillingness to be connected in such a way.
"Nik is like a brother to me. I would never think of him in such a way." I explained the surprised Salvatore vampire. It wasn't hard for me to feel the changed aura around him that told me he was one of undead.
"And you're a witch? So you've just kept yourself alive like Gloria has done?" Stefan questioned and watched how his eyes studied my face until they dropped to the pendant on my chest.
"Gloria?" I asked confusingly and looked at Niklaus for an answer. I had an idea of what Stefan was asking about, but decided to keep my 'tricks' to myself. How was I going to explain that I had slept for a thousand years without him thinking I was half crazy?
"The witch who owns this bar. She wasn't too fond of your attempted humour." Niklaus explained and then emptied the rest of his glass and put it on the counter. "I think it's time go see if Bekah is awake."
"Rebekah is here?" I asked, feeling slightly torn between being happy and nervous of seeing her again. I had been friends with Rebekah back when she was human, but I had always only been able to take her in small doses as she otherwise would annoy me to death.
"You know Rebekah as well?" Stefan then asked as we got up from our places and followed Niklaus out of the bar. I looked at him for a long moment before I nodded and then walked quickly ahead of him before he could ask any more questions.
I grabbed my bag from the table I had placed it on and threw into the back of Niklaus' car before I jumped in after it. A few minutes later we were in front of a big warehouse and Niklaus told us to stay back as we went inside. Stefan and I stepped into the warehouse after him, but stayed at the door and I heard Niklaus call out for his sister.
"Rebekah? It's your big brother… Come out, come out, wherever you are." Niklaus sang and the next thing I heard was Rebekah sneering at him.
"Go to hell, Nik."
I felt my pendant warm up against my skin and I began walking further inside as I had learned what that meant; Niklaus was hurt. A hand on my shoulder stopped me and I looked back to see Stefan shaking his head at me. I sighed dejectedly and then took a small step back; relieved when I heard Niklaus' voice echo through the warehouse again.
"Don't pout; you knew it wouldn't kill me." Niklaus told his sister calmly.
"No, but I was hoping it would hurt more." Rebekah retorted and I heard their steps move closer to where we were standing.
"I understand that you are upset with me, Rebekah. So I'm gonna let that go, just this once. I brought you a little peace offering." Niklaus told her as the sounds of their steps died down and he called out. "You can come in."
At first I thought Niklaus was talking to me, but when Stefan moved past me and walked towards the sound of Niklaus' voice slowly; I realized that Stefan was the supposed peace offering. I followed silently and stood by one of the tall shelves nearby from where I could see the others without being seen. Niklaus' eyes met mine for a short moment as if to let me know that he knew I was there.
Rebekah was dressed in a white dress with a glittering skirt, but a dark red stain by her heart made me frown. What exactly had Niklaus meant by Rebekah 'waking up'?
As Stefan stepped into sight, a happy and surprised expression appeared on Rebekah's face and his name escaped her lips. Before anyone could say more Niklaus walked to Stefan in long strides, placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him directly in the eyes as he spoke.
"Now, you remember."
I watched how Stefan's eyes widened for a moment before he closed them and Niklaus moved to stand behind him, shooting me a quick glance. I was more than confused by what was happening, but I figured that Niklaus had once made him forget something and when Stefan reopened his eyes; a look of recognition was in his eyes.
"Rebekah." Stefan spoke softly and he began slowly moving towards Niklaus' sister, who looked to be on the verge of crying.
"Stefan." Niklaus then called silently, making Stefan spin around to look at him. I almost wanted to smack Niklaus for ruining their moment, but I remained in the shadows. I would face Rebekah after this whole 'Stefan'-thing was over.
"I remember you. We were friends." Stefan almost whispered and a shocked expression was on his face.
"We are friends." Niklaus told him with a smile as he moved forward and placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder.
"And now to the reason that you are here." Niklaus continued as he looked at Rebekah and moved past Stefan towards his sister. "Gloria tells me you know how to contact the Original witch."
"The Original witch?" Rebekah asked incredulously and I slowly moved from the shadows to better hear what they were saying. I had never heard of an Original witch and neither did it look like Stefan had as he stood by and watched the siblings in confusion.
"Do you have what Gloria needs?" Niklaus asked impatiently; his tone annoyed and I watched Rebekah's hand move to where a necklace should have supposedly been. Her eyes grew wide, when she found it missing and she looked down in shock.
"Where is my necklace? What did you do with it? I never take it off!" she asked with a distressed voice.
"I don't know. I didn't touch it." Niklaus replied dully, not caring about the loss of his sister's necklace.
"We need to find it, Nik." Rebekah said with a raised voice and I watched Niklaus' body tense when he understood the implications.
"Tell me that is not what she needs." Niklaus almost yelled, but Rebekah just talked over him.
"I want it back!"
"Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!" Niklaus yelled and grabbed Rebekah's shoulder, making me step into the light and stand next to Stefan, who for some reason looked slightly distressed. The siblings stared at each other for a short moment before Rebekah pushed Niklaus' hands off her and turned around to an open coffin, which she started searching frantically.
When she found nothing, she let out a frustrated scream and using her vampire strength she threw the coffin to the ground; breaking it in the process.
"What is going on?" I asked; surprising both Stefan and Rebekah, who hadn't noticed I was there. It was quite an accomplishment for Stefan as I stood almost right beside him and I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious of his lacking awareness.
"Malina." Rebekah breathed as she spun around at the sound of my voice and the next moment she stood right in front of me. "We thought you were dead."
"Just sleeping." Niklaus answered for me with irritation in his voice. I couldn't tell if he was irritated with me or by the lacking necklace. "She woke up, when I broke the curse."
"You broke it?" Rebekah asked with astonishment and looked back at her brother, who smiled victoriously. Instead of answering, his eyes slowly turned amber and veins appeared under his eyes.
"But I've run into some trouble with creating more hybrids, which is why I need to contact the Original witch." Niklaus explained and his smile disappeared again. My impatience was getting the better of me as I was given no answers and I almost yelled, when I repeated my question.
"Can someone please tell me what on earth is going on?"
A/N: And that was chapter two! I'd love to hear what you think! Especially about Klaus and Malina's relationship. Hopefully Klaus wasn't too OOC, but he does have a very soft spot for Malina.
