Peyton walked from the Mississippi River towards the heart of the French Quarter breathing in the fresh air. She already liked this city. The historic buildings around her almost screamed that New Orleans had a long and rich history. Peyton had a degree in linguistics, so she definitely wanted to know more about the people of New Orleans. The city used to be the meeting point of two cultures – Francophone Creole and Anglophone American. The people who lived here must speak very differently from what she was used to. Peyton had a meeting at the Department of Linguistics of Tulane University. She enrolled in the university as a special student for the Sociolinguistics classes for the time she and her sisters would be in New Orleans. As Peyton loved the city from the first sight, she thought she could stay there and do her Master's there, but she also knew that her sisters must always be by her side. They had to fight demons together, and for that they have to be able to come to help each other any minute.

The sisters didn't know much about their powers yet. Piper could never have her premonitions when she wanted to have them. It seemed as if her power decided whether she needed it or not. For Prue and Peyton it was a little bit easier: they could use their powers any time, in theory, but in fact it was Prue who could use telekinesis whenever she needed to protect herself and her sisters. Peyton still felt awkward and unsure when she used her freezing power. It usually worked when she was scared, but she couldn't use it when she tried to freeze a fly or anything else what was not a demon. That made Peyton upset, but Prue always told her that it takes time to learn how to use her powers. Prue was the quickest learner probably due to her age and the fact that she should be the strongest of all three, as the oldest sister, and she possessed the strongest power. They all had their strengths: Piper could make potions, something that both Prue and Peyton hated to do, and Peyton was good at writing spells. The sisters did not have many opportunities to cast them, as they only encountered several demons as for now, but each time they used a potion or a spell, it worked. Piper thought it was pure luck, but Prue and Peyton knew that, as the Charmed Ones, they had to succeed. They were the strongest witches alive, something that made them laugh occasionally, but they felt that they possessed great powers. The powers that any supernatural creature would want to have.

The streets became narrower as Peyton got closer to the center of the French Quarter. Crowds of tourists filled the city in the evening. It seemed as if the whole city celebrated something, although it was an ordinary Friday night in New Orleans. Peyton had a notebook in her hands. She never kept a diary, but she always had a notebook with her to write down things she wanted to remember. She never wrote in full sentences, only short phrases or just words, but now she didn't feel like writing. She wanted to be in the crowd, she wanted to enjoy her first night in New Orleans. She put the notebook in her leather black backpack and smiled to herself. She knew she would love it here. Peyton took her phone out to text her sisters that she was fine. They would be worried, as usual, but they also thought that Peyton was smart and careful. She was, indeed, but you never know how careful you should be in New Orleans.


"What have I missed, dear brother? Nick?" Rebekah was still angry at Klaus for stabbing her once again, but when Elijah called her and asked to come in New Orleans, she gladly agreed. Rebekah loved the city just as much as her brothers did. That was a special place for the Mikaelson family.

"Not much. Marcel has taken over the city and controls witches so they can't do witchcraft anymore," Klaus sounded casual but he knew what effect his words must have on Rebekah.

"Marcel?" The youngest Original looked at the other brother with her eyes wide open.

"Yes, Rebekah, he is alive. He managed to trick us all. Now he has the city and he wants to have a vampire army to control it. He is building an empire," Elijah said and gave his sister a glass of bourbon she clearly needed at the moment.

"What do you want to do?"

"Take our city back, of course. Marcel has no right to claim it for himself. This is something we built, and it must be ours," Klaus said in a low, but threatening voice.

"How are you going to do that? There are only three of us."

"There's also Kol."

"Oh, I'm surprised you haven't daggered him yet."

"He may be very useful at the time of war," Elijah took another sip of bourbon.

"Is it a war already?"

"For witches and vampires in town it is definitely a war. They cannot stand each other. Marcel should have never made witches his enemies."

"Why? You said he manages to control them."

"For now. They asked the Charmed Ones to come to assist them."

"The Charmed Ones?" Rebekah's mouth dropped and her eyes softened. "Melinda's descendants?"

"Yes, dear sister, the strongest witches of all times came to New Orleans," Klaus's eyes were definitely not as soft as his sister's, but he had the same admiration in them.

"Melinda said they would eliminate all the evil in the world…" Rebekah's voice was distant when she tried to remember the witch's words.

"Shouldn't that include us as well?" Elijah nervously walked across the room towards the balcony.

"They should not know about us. Even if they do, we are almost immortal. And they are human. One neck snap – and they are gone," Klaus had his ways of dealing with things.

"Do not touch them. It will cause the Hell on Earth," Rebekah had a threatening vibe in her voice.

"Don't be so naïve, little sister. They will be of great assistance to us and our little witchy friends in there, and then they will go back home to fight whatever demons walk the earth. There are no demons in New Orleans, they will not be interested in staying or messing with us, if we do not show them our true faces," Klaus didn't want his sister to know about his real plans for witches. Not yet.

"Something that is very difficult to do if you have Kol as a relative," Rebekah added with concern.

"I can handle him. He will behave for the time that they spend here," Elijah took his sister's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I hope so."


Peyton bought a guide to the city of New Orleans and looked for a place that she could be interested in. More than anything, Peyton loved music and books. All the bookstores would be closed at this time, so she decided to go with music. The best choice seemed to be Bullet's Bar where Kermit Ruffins – a famous jazzman from New Orleans – would play with his band from time to time. Peyton was not a fan of jazz, but this was definitely a must-see in New Orleans. She quickly called Piper to inform her that she would go to see a band playing and asked them to come, but both her sisters were too concerned with what they had to do and decided to stay and look for something useful in the Book of Shadows. Peyton knew the book from cover to cover, so she just shrugged and put the phone back in her pocket briefly saying "Good night".

Peyton wished she knew someone in the city to show her around. She hated to be on her own. At the same time, she did not like being in a loud company of people. She preferred being in the crowd, but with just a couple of close friends. Peyton spent most of her time in San Francisco with either books, or her best friend, Brooke. Brooke helped Peyton when she broke up with her boyfriend Jake after a demon tried to attack him. Having a relationship was too dangerous in her position. Somehow demons thought that boyfriends were more important than friends, so they never tried to touch Brooke, but Peyton had been permanently worried about her. It was just a matter of time while the supernatural world knew how close she was to her friend. After Peyton broke up with Jake, she knew she should keep her distance from Brooke as well, but she couldn't. That is why now she was calling her best friend. She just wanted to hear her voice.

"Hi, Halliwell! How is New Orleans?"

"You would love it, Brooke. Although people here are not as fashionable as you would like them to be."

"Then you must look as a rock star there. I hope you are not wearing your ripped jeans right now, are you?"

"Turn off the fashion police mode and tell me how things are going," Peyton looked at her skinny black jeans ripped at knees and awkwardly laughed. While Brooke loved to look as a celebrity at the red carpet, Peyton preferred grunge and vintage. Everyone agreed that it suited her. Brooke just had a habit of teasing her friend.

"You left today in the morning, darling, nothing has really changed. I've got a date in an hour. He is incredibly hot! Where are you heading now, by the way? I hear lots of voices. Are your sisters with you?"

"I am going to listen to a band at one of the local famous jazz bars. Prue and Piper have decided to stay and unpack, and I wanted to see the city," Peyton felt a little bad for not telling her friend what was the real reason why her sister had not joined her, but she knew it was for the best.

"Peyton, not everything is about music. You don't even like jazz! Try to find a hot guy and have a good night there. You should have a holiday fling!"

"Not everything is about guys, Brooke," Peyton mimicked her friend, "And I am not on holiday, by the way. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye-bye! Remember to find yourself a hottie!"

Sometimes Peyton could not understand why she was a friend with Brooke. They were clearly the opposites. Brooke was easy-going and always ready to have fun, while Peyton was much more reserved and kept everything inside. She liked to laugh and she liked attention from time to time, but most of the time she just wanted to read books on linguistics and listen to her favorite bands, which Brooke hated, by the way. But it was Brooke who made Peyton cross her boundaries, and Peyton liked it. When Peyton broke up with Jake, she couldn't stop crying, and even her sisters could not help. After three weeks of unstoppable depression, Brooke came to her house and took Peyton out of her bed. She had tickets to a White Lies show – she knew Peyton loved that kind of music. Something Brooke would never listen on her own will, but he could make a sacrifice for one evening when her friend needed help. At the show Brooke somehow managed to introduce Peyton to a nice guy who was clearly into the same music as Peyton. This night Peyton spent a night with a stranger for the first time in her life, but that is what exactly she needed at the moment, and Brooke was the one to arrange that. She knew that in order to forget your first love (even if it wasn't the biggest love of your life) you had to distract yourself with someone else. Piper and Prue would kill her for that, but Peyton was already a big girl. She had really changed since she was 19 when she started her relationship with Jake. Now she was 22 and she knew she could do anything she wanted.

That is why at the middle of the night she was not at the house, but in the Bullet's Bar. It was overcrowded, as she had expected, so she managed to find a seat only at the bar. She ordered a glass of Frangelico – the only alcohol she could drink – and shifted in her chair. She noticed a mirror behind the bartender and looked at herself: long brown hair, big brown eyes and fair skin – some of the Halliwells' typical traits. Her shoulders and chest were too skinny for her liking, but her hips were fine. She wore a David Bowie t-shirt and a black cardigan. Not the best look for trying to talk to a random guy. She would probably stick with listening to music. She can talk to people some other time. Or she should ask Brooke to come here. Brooke would not like the city, probably, but she was always willing to help. Especially when it came to Peyton's inability to get in contact with people on her own.

Peyton looked at the stage trying to decide whether she like the music or not – her relationship with jazz were clearly complicated – when her attention was attracted by a handsome stranger who took a seat beside her at the bar. He ordered a glass of bourbon and listened to the music for a couple of minutes before he turned his head towards her and gave her a charming smile.

"Have you heard them playing before? It's one of the best bands I've heard in my lifetime," he said and made Peyton blush.

It was going to be an interesting evening.


So, I've not yet decided who this stranger could be. It is either Kol or one of Marcel's vampires. What do you think? ;)