Chapter 2

It was nearing sunrise and K still hadn't slept. Instead, she lay on her bed staring at the pendant that was nearly as old as she was. The fittings had changed through the years along with whatever it was strung to. Long ago it was a simple leather chord wrapped around an ugly stone. Eventually it was a leather chord threaded through a pendant made from nothing more than wrapping the stone in thin metal wire. Now –and as it had been for decades- the purple/blue stone rested in a specially formed fitting and hung from a beautiful silver chain made from steel because there was a slimmer chance of it snapping off.

The stone was once nearly two inches in size and a bit ugly in its raw form, but had long since been whittled down into something more manageable and pretty. Evidently the spell remained despite its ever changing size which she was grateful for.

The beautiful stone swung gently from the chain threaded through her fingers. It caught the growing light and glinted with all manner of pretty colors. K didn't know why it held so much of her attention or what had prompted her to stare at it. Somehow, she assumed, it was the perfect representation of her long life.

When she first received it, the stone was raw and new, just like her. Now, it was polished, refined and had come into its own.

Such a silly thing, she thought to herself. That my life can be summed up by a little rock…

The first real rays of sun began to peek through her wide windows. A beam touched her hand and immediately her skin bubbled. K hissed and pulled her hand down onto her chest. She glared lightly at the window. It wasn't the sun's fault it hurt, but it was a hell of an inconvenience.

Kalli slipped her necklace back on before the sun could finish making its way into her home and rose from her bed. A small wooden box –not much bigger than a jewelry box- sat within the top drawer of her dresser. She retrieved it and opened the creaking lid.

Inside were trinkets too cumbersome to place inside her book, things like a doll given to her by Emily when the young witch was only five years old, a funky necklace Sheila had given her from back in the 70s and a small chunk of purple/blue rock that was cut from the one hanging around her neck. K took it and eyed the object no bigger than a dime. She glanced briefly to the window and ducked into a shadow to conduct her experiment.

Removing her necklace, K gripped the random piece of stone firmly in her fist and took a deep breath before shoving it into the light. She waited for the burn, but nothing came. The spell was still intact. After all, Theana had enchanted the rock, not a piece of jewelry like everyone else. It bore to reason pieces of the rock would work just as well, and that's what K was counting on.

Putting the spare piece in her pocket, K placed her necklace back on and readied herself for the day. She was going to do something she'd been thinking about for decades. It was the only way she could ensure that she was as protected from the sun as she ever could be. She knew it was only a matter of time before someone realized it was her necklace and not a ring that protected her and even if they didn't, she had years of close calls to prove a necklace wasn't the wisest idea.

If things in New Orleans were bad enough when she got back –and she did plan to go back soon- she'd need every bit of protection she could muster. Hell, there was more than one time she thought of a way to protect her heart from stakes, but other than ripping open her chest and somehow encasing it in steel, she wasn't sure how it was possible, so any other thing she could do to safeguard herself was top priority.

After all, there always seemed to be a war on the horizon.

~!~

After grabbing a quick breakfast, K made her way into town. In her world, the Underworld or the Supernatural world (whichever people chose to call it) word travels quickly about people, monsters, villains and heroes. All they had were the words of others to go on, reputations and the like. It wasn't as though monsters had social media sights. Well… most didn't.

Because of the rumor mill that was always churning, K knew there was someone in Beacon Hills who might be willing to help her with what she wanted to do. Hospitals and doctors weren't an option for something like her and she knew it, so someone associated with her world was the only real option.

The bell above the door chimed when she entered the small office and alerted those in the back to the newcomer. Dogs barked and birds squawked from wherever they were being held. It was grating to the young woman with sensitive ears.

A moment passed and a young man emerged from the back. He smiled warmly and K found herself returning the sentiment. He was a cute young man or boy rather. She could tell he wasn't much more than eighteen and that was possibly guessing too high.

"Hi." He greeted as he took his place behind the countertop. He glanced around and noticed she didn't have a pet. His smile faltered, but he remained kind. "Can I help you with something?"

There was a distinct shift in his demeanor that didn't go unnoticed. K didn't remark on it however. Even with the overwhelming dog smell coming from the back, werewolves held a different scent all their own. She wondered if she smelled different to him too…

"I'm looking for Doctor Deaton." She told him. "I was told he works here."

A body soon appeared in the doorway. It drew K's gaze. Another man -older than the first, but unlikely older than thirty- loomed in the doorway a few feet from the counter. He didn't bother smiling or putting forth a false sense of politeness which K didn't truly expect.

"You were told correctly." He replied. His dark eyes darted along her and she could tell he was trying to figure out what and who she was. "Scott," his eyes shifted to his employee. "Can you finish feeding the animals, please?"

Scott looked from his boss to K and then back again.

"You sure?"

Deaton smiled as warmly as he could, but it was forced. He nodded and Scott did as he was told, leaving the two of them to talk amongst themselves. Once the young man was gone, however, Deaton's smile faded immediately.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as he stood at the countertop where Scott had once been.

While the statement might have been polite, the tone was everything but. Again, K expected as much.

"I was hoping," she said. K stepped closer until she could comfortably rest her hands on the countertop. "I could borrow your services. I'd pay of course."

"And which services are those, exactly?" He didn't bother hiding his skepticism.

K chewed on the inside of her cheek. Being coy wasn't her strong suit, but she had to be delicate with a stranger. If she was like the Mikaelsons, K would have simply forced Deaton to do what she wanted, but she wasn't…

"I require surgery," she said bluntly. "And hospitals aren't an option for people like me."

Deaton seemed to relax, but only marginally. He was never truly comfortable around the supernatural and those he was had to earn that level of trust.

"What kind of surgery?" he asked. His curiosity was beginning to win out.

K reached into her pocket and retrieved the dime sized stone.

"I need you to implant this." She said.

Deaton's brows came together. He held out his hand and K set the gemstone within his palm without being asked.

Scott had finished feeding the animals like he was told to, but that didn't mean he wasn't spying too. He could tell by the way Deaton reacted that the stranger wasn't the normal kind of customer. He'd never seen her before which wasn't entirely unheard of, but there was something off about her. He couldn't place it and that coupled with the way his boss ushered him off, Scott was sure to keep his ears open.

When he was done with the animals, he crept closer to the doorway to spy. He'd remained behind the doorframe until K said she wanted an implant of some kind. The odd request made Scott peer around the corner and see what she was handing his boss. Scott was as confused as Deaton.

"A gemstone?" he asked. K nodded.

Deaton began to examine the small purple and blue stone. It was beautiful, but not nearly as polished as the one hanging from her neck.

"Tanzanite." He said as he looked over it. His eyes shifted to her. "Hardly valuable enough to be hidden away in someone's body. Where exactly were you planning on putting it?"

He offered her the stone. K took it gingerly once again and said something he never thought he'd hear.

"I want you to put it in my heart."

Both Deaton and Scott's faces fell. K remained calm and composed, as though what she was asking him was completely reasonable.

"I'm sorry, but did you just ask me to put a stone in your heart?"

"Yes, I did."

"You're aware that this is a veterinary office, aren't you?" Deaton seemed to be having more trouble than she thought understanding, but she nodded regardless. "And you're asking me to perform open-heart surgery."

"Obviously you operate on animals, so how it this much different? You have the tools and I'm assuming you don't work on your patients in a hovel."

Deaton bristled a bit at her veiled insult.

"You're a little bigger than a poodle." He quipped. "I don't have the equipment here for something this big and assuming the surgery didn't somehow kill you, you want to put a gemstone in your heart. You wouldn't make it off the table."

"I'll heal." She replied shortly under her breath.

"Who told you I would be willing to do something this extreme?"

"No one." She told him honestly. "I've just heard you're used to dealing with people on the other side of normal."

Deaton took a deep breath and sighed. He found himself wondering if she understood what she was asking him to do. Whatever her reasons, she seemed more than determined to have it done and Deaton began to feel some kind of obligation to talk her out of it. If he let her leave and she went to someone else who hacked her up without regard and she died because of it, Deaton knew he'd feel a level of guilt.

"Look," he sighed. Deaton leaned a bit closer so he could speak to her in hushed tones. Why he felt the need he didn't know, but he did it regardless. "Supernatural or not, a beating heart can't survive with an obstruction rattling around inside it. This will kill you."

K mimicked his position on the countertop and soon the two were little more than a foot apart.

"Who said my heart was beating?" she asked softly.

Before Deaton could ask what she meant, K let her eyes shift and her features darken. Deaton stood straighter as he stared at her.

The moment her bloodshot eyes appeared, they were gone. K regained her previous position and continued to watch the man staring at her, hoping she'd see the agreement she needed.

Deaton eyed her as he wrestled with his own thoughts. Vampires were dangerous and while they weren't worse than anything he'd come up with before, he now had new light to cast on her request. Scott on the other hand hadn't seen the shift and felt himself wondering what had transpired.

"What's the significance of the stone, may I ask?" his voice had turned clinical.

"Protection."

He nodded slowly.

"You're showing an awful lot of trust to a complete stranger. What's to stop me from simply removing your heart while you're unconscious?"

"Nothing." She answered honestly. "You could kill me and I'd never know. But, I'm hoping you won't. I came here hoping you were the man I've heard about, the one that's willing to help humans and monsters without bias."

"As I said, a lot of trust." He repeated. "You have me at a disadvantage. You seem to know a lot about me, and I know nothing about you."

"My name's Kalli." She told him. She shifted a bit in her spot. "And that's all that really matters." Deaton's face went blank, but K didn't remark on it. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"Come back after closing." He said, surprising all those who heard him. "I'll see what I can do."

K nodded and left without another word on the matter. She hoped he'd do it because she needed another line of protection. After she found a way back to New Orleans, K wanted to be sure someone wouldn't simply snatch her necklace away and leave her to burn. Again, it was after multiple close calls that K knew she had no choice but to do something about it now.