A/N: I am loving the response I got to the first chapter! I've spent the day thinking (well, working and thinking. And getting hot oil splashed in my face) about what I want this story to be. At least for now there will be less of my standard darkness and a lot more emotional introspection. The separation spell has taken a lot out of Elena so she's probably going to be fairly moody for a bit. Also, I wanted to stress that this is still an Originals fic however we might not actually see them for a little bit. Be patient, they will come.

Final thing before I start. Elena's baby. I have no actually decided who the father is (the obvious choice would be Klaus) but ignoring the logistics, who do you guys WANT as the father. If it could be any of them at all?

The next day I woke up bright and early. Well, woke up was somewhat incorrect. I hadn't been asleep. Instead of sleeping I'd simply laid in the bed in the cabin, staring up at the ceiling and watching the light move across it. I could hear wolves howling somewhere in the trees and the sound seemed to swirl around me, making me feel like I was surrounded by them on all sides.

Eventually the sun rose and I got up. Eve had given me a change of clothes so that I wouldn't have to hang about in the borrowed nightdress. It wasn't like anything I would normally wear and it was a little big for me but it hid my bulge nicely. It probably wasn't a good idea to let Marcel, or any vampire for that matter, know what I was carrying. I wasn't part of that community but I knew that it was going to have big implications for their species.

Standing in the cabin in my borrowed dress, I felt… strange. It was hard to explain. I felt like something was missing, like I was hollow inside.

I let myself out of the cabin. There was no sign of Eve or any of the children she'd mentioned as lurking around the bayou. I set off, wandering without any real idea of how to get back to the city. I didn't mind the walk though, I hoped that it would give me some time to think about what I was going to do. I didn't have much of a plan past trying to locate the siblings. I hadn't even considered the possibility of what I'd do if I didn't manage to find them all or if it turned out that Mikael had been successful in killing them. It felt strange not being able to just close my eyes and reach out for them. Even after the spell was blocked, I'd still felt them. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, with them just… there. Now I didn't feel anything.

That had to be good though right? Surely this meant that Mikael was gone, or I would have felt him. Then again, I'd not felt him straight after the spell had been cast. I'd just felt broken.

I needed to come up with an actual idea of what to do if the worst were to happen. It was odd… I'd had my decisions taken away from me for so long, even though I'd tried to stay in control nothing had really been down to me. Now that I had freedom to do as I pleased I was just… stuck. Alone. Scared.

If they were dead, I couldn't go back to Mystic Falls. I couldn't face everyone there. I'd have to start up somewhere new. Except I had no money and I hadn't even finished high school. And at some point I was going to have a child. I wasn't even sure how far along I was. What had I gotten myself into here?

I stopped and sat on a log, resting my head in my hands. Maybe I should give the baby up? That hadn't really occurred to me before. But surely if it was a Mikaelson, it would be… different. Could I really abandon it to be raised by someone who had no idea what they were getting into? That might turn out being far worse. Surely it should be raised by someone who knew about the supernatural… but no one would know what to do with a child like this… Vampires weren't meant to procreate after all. So I couldn't give it to a stranger… I couldn't think of anyone who knew about this stuff that would be able to handle this. If I kept it, my life wasn't exactly safe. Keeping it might put it in danger.

This was so confusing. All my options seemed equally bad to me. I decided it would be better to put those thoughts out of my head. I had at least some time before I would have to make a proper decision. In the meantime I needed to find out what happened to the others. If I found them, they could help me.

I got up and continued on my way. It took me a few hours but eventually I made it back to the city and then to the French quarter. It was then that I realized I had absolutely no idea where I'd be able to find Marcel. I barely knew the guy.

I decided to try the place we'd stayed when we first arrived. Marcel had been using that as his home when we'd got here. If the siblings had abandoned it, he might have reclaimed it. And if they were still there, that was even better.

I walked down the street and I felt a little stunned by how little had changed. So much had happened to me yet to everybody around me everything was exactly the same. They had no idea about any of this. To them I was just another girl, a single nobody in a sea of nobodies trying to be somebodies, each person thinking their problems were the most important.

I reached the house. The entrance gate that led into the courtyard was closed, a heavy padlock and chain fixed in place. I gave them a light tug, hoping that they would give. Nothing moved. I peered through the gate, trying to see inside. Everything was dark and still. As I looked, I felt a sharp twinge of pain in my belly. It was short, over as quickly as it started. I rubbed my stomach lightly, frowning to myself. My eyes flickered over to the darkened courtyard once more. Another twinge swept through me.

No one was there. I would have to find some other way of locating Marcel.

I sighed softly and headed down the street, trying to work out what I could do now. Eve had said that the witches in the quarter were controlled by him. Would they know where to find him? Probably not… if he was in charge, he'd probably go to them when he wanted them. And if I went near them, would they help me? Witches were meant to be about preserving the balance of nature and I was fairly sure that the child inside me was very much against nature. Even if they didn't realise, I was a little wary about witches all things considered…

My stomach growled. I hadn't anything since the night before. I bit my lip. I didn't even have a wallet anymore. It had all been in my bag at the Mikaelson house. I would just have to wait until I got back to the bayou for food. I gave my stomach a gentle rub, hoping to soothe it with pure willpower.

I decided that I could risk asking one of the witches. I mean, what other choices did I really have? Exactly one choice. Go back to the bayou and wait in the hope that the werewolves would be able to help me on the full moon. And while there was about as much likelihood of them helping me as Marcel, the idea of sitting, waiting and doing nothing was maddening. I needed to be proactive.

I wandered up and down, searching for any shops that looked suitably witchy. I was so focused on my task that I wasn't really paying attention and collided with something solid.

"Oh, god I'm sorry." I looked up and blinked at the familiar face looking down at me. "Toby?"

He frowned, momentarily confused but then his face cleared and recognition replaced the confusion.

"Elena… yeah?"

"Yeah. How are you?"

"Not bad."

"You finally got a daylight ring then?"

"Yes. Marcel promoted me to the inner circle. This is one of the perks."

I bit my lip, the implications of this sinking in. This was far too good an opportunity to waste.

"So… you would know where Marcel is… being in his inner circle?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed in to see Marcel now that I didn't have the siblings with me. I was just a human after all. Did I have enough, I don't know… status?

"I would… why…?"

"I was actually trying to find him. I don't suppose you could take me to him?" He considered and nodded slowly.

"I guess that would be okay. I can't see the harm." He gave me a friendly smile and gestured for me to follow, heading down the street, past Jackson square to the French Market and Café Du Monde. Marcel was sitting at a table outside, looking completely at ease. He lifted his head as we approached and I saw a look of bemusement cross his face. Toby gave him a respectful smile.

"Marcel."

"Toby. And… Elena, wasn't it? Klaus' human?"

"I am Elena. I might… differ with you on the definition."

"Either way, it's been a while since I've seen you in my town."

"I've been… it's complicated. But I need to discuss something with you, if you're free?"

"Of course. Have a seat." I sat opposite him. Toby hovered uncertainly until Marcel waved him off, his eyes never leaving me. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm actually here about Klaus. I was wondering if you'd seen him recently."

"I haven't seen him in months. Not since that party of mine you attended where he decided to blame me for what happened to you." I suppressed a groan. This was what I'd feared.

"Have you seen any of the others?"

"I saw Rebekah. But again that was some months ago. Ironically enough she was looking for you." That must have been after Mikael took me.

"Well… thank you, I guess... sorry to disturb you."

"Do you have somewhere to stay in the meantime?"

"I…" I remembered Eve's warning not to tell Marcel about where I was staying. "I'm staying with some people a little out of town. Just temporarily, until I find the others." His expression became sad, as if he was struggling to find the words to tell me something difficult.

"You know Elena, it might be a good thing that they're gone. I'm not one for advocating giving up, but sometimes it is the best course of action. A nice girl like you, you really shouldn't be involved with people like them."

"I know. But they're… kind of family."

"Klaus has a way of abandoning family when it suits him. If they left you behind, I wouldn't dwell on it." He took a sip of his coffee. "However, if you want to stay in the city, I would be happy to welcome you into my group. You can stay until you find them or even longer if you want. I suppose with our respective relationships to the Mikaelsons, we're almost family as well."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"You don't have to answer now, but if you want to just let me know."

"Is there somewhere I can find you?"

"Well… I'm usually around. But it might be easier to use this?" He held out a phone. I recognized it as mine, the one I'd lost at his party. "I found, it's yours right?"

"It is. Thank you." I took it and slipped it into my pocket. Maybe this trip wasn't quite as useless as I'd thought.

"Here's my number. Call me anytime." I gave him a grateful smile, took the slip of paper with his number and got to my feet.

"I'll leave you to enjoy your coffee." I turned to go but paused and looked back. "I don't suppose… you've seen… Mikael?"

His expression darkened and he visibly tensed.

"I have not. But where Mikael is concerned, that doesn't always indicate that he's not around."

I nodded, turned and left the café. I headed a short distance from Marcel, found a bench and sat down. I fished my phone from my pocket, staring at it for a long time. Hopefully this would give me the answer I needed.

I scrolled through my contacts, came to Elijah's number and dialled. My hands were shaking as I lifted the phone to my ear. It didn't even ring. There was just a click and silence. I tried Finn. Same thing. Klaus. This time the phone rang. I chewed my lip nervously. It just kept ringing. Eventually I was forced to disconnect. I tried Kol and Rebekah. The voice at the other end informed me that the numbers were out of service.

My heart sank. I put the phone away and got up, heading back in the direction of the bayou. I felt heavier somehow, every step was an effort and all the energy had been sapped from my body.

My eyes idly wandered the streets as I walked. They came to rest on a small store, the window bedecked with witch memorabilia. I paused, wishing that I could do magic and just… undo everything that had happened to me. I sighed and went to take a step. Another sharp twinge ripped through my stomach, far worse than any of the ones before. I doubled over, arms wrapping around me.

"Are you alright there?" A young blonde girl had come out of the front, a basket in her arms.

"Oh… yes, I'm fine." I forced myself to straighten up, ignoring the pain. It continued to radiate through me and I gritted my teeth, concentrating on regulating my breathing.

"Are you sure? You look a little out of sorts."

"Just something I ate…"

"Well, I'm sure we have an herbal remedy that would help ease the pain."

"That would imply this stuff is real," I said, giving a small smile. It was better with witches, I felt, to pretend to have no knowledge of the realities about their world.

"Well my aunt and I certainly believe that is. And I'm sure if there something you need we could be of assistance."

"Can you rewrite time?"

The girl opened her mouth but she was interrupted before she could speak.

"Now that kind of magic can lead to all kinds of problems," said a woman who had appeared in the doorway to the store. She was tall, dressed in black, with dark brown hair. "And I believe that you are right where you need to be."

"Well, we'll have to agree to disagree about that."

Her eyes went to my belly and I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. Could she tell? I was sure that my dress hid the

"You should take care of that child. It will be a special one." I managed an uncertain smile.

"Thanks…" I turned and walked away quickly. When I looked back she was still stood there, watching me. I quietly resolved to avoid the quarter for the remainder of my pregnancy. It was just too dangerous to be around the witches right now.

I left the city and let myself get swallowed up by the trees, disappearing into the bayou once more.