Thanks everyone reading this! Disclaimer-I do not own any rights to The Originals or The Vampire Diaries. Hope everyone enjoys will be updating next week

As the sky darkened, the music and crowds grew louder. The closer I moved to the center of the quarter the larger that crowd grew.

"Some celebration?" A velvet voice barely whispered behind. Vampire no doubt.

"Yeah." I smiled, 'It's pretty incredible." The man standing behind me smiled like he had known me forever, but his face was that of a stranger.

"First time to Mardi Gras, I'm guessing." He questioned. I nodded, taking a quick look around. "Well, you arrived on a great night. Tonight the King of New Orleans is throwing a huge party right here in the quarter." He spread his muscular arms out and did a full circle, signaling the kingdom around him.

"So am I standing in the presence of royalty?" I asked not taking my eyes off his face. He smiled and put his hand to his heart in adoration.

"No, no. But I happen to be pretty close to him. I'm Marcel. "

OK. "Caroline."

"Well Ms. Caroline would you like to check it out?" He reached out his hand for mine. To take his hand would give him no doubt to me being a vampire, but it might lead me where I needed to go.

"Ok." I said as carefree as possible. As cool touch hit cool touch we just looked up and smiled.

"So" He started as we walked, arms intertwined. "What is a young vampire as yourself doing down here all alone?" I took a deep breath trying to shake all the nerves I could feel in my belly.

"I, um, I'm here to see an old friend."

"I'm sure this old friend will be very happy to see a beauty such as yourself." He replied charming of course.

"I hope. It's been a while." I looked down at the ground, my fears reaching their peak. What if six months was too long? What if Klaus found someone better, someone who had more?

"Time is nothing to vampires, with eternity comes plenty of time." Marcel sad tightening his grip on my arm. "Where are you from?" He stopped, pulling me from my insecurities.

"What?" "You said you're here to visit an old friend you haven't seen in a while. I have an old friend who was out of town a while ago. I know where he was, so where are you from?"

"It's a small town in West Virginia, most people haven't ever heard of it." I felt my voice crack at the memories of my past. "Hmm, Mystic Falls." Marcel clapped his hands together and laughed so loud some of the drunks darted away from him. I stood back, my arms wrapped around my body.

"Am I missing something?" I questioned from a distance.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated putting his hands out to me. "It's just. You must be the reason he comes back from Mystic Falls in such a good mood."

"Excuse me?" I took a step forward craving whatever information he had.

"You're here to see Klaus! The kind!" The king? What was I getting myself into?

"Um, yes I'm here to see Klaus."

"Well, were here." Marcel grinned down at me as we stood outside the biggest house on the street. Alive with music, people, and definitely vampires. "Come on in, I'm Klaus's, well.. I'm an old friend of his." Steps, Klaus was steps away. All I had to do was move. "Aww, don't be shy now, you've come all this way." Marcel wrapped his arm back through mine and we walked through the gates of Klaus's castle.

Horns and drums filled my ears. Dancing bodies filled the room. An open floor, surrounded by an upper deck wrapping around the entire room. The room flowed together as smoothly as the parade earlier.

"Wait here." Marcel whispered as he made his way through the flock and up to the balconies above.

As the bodies rushed to the music around me, my world became silent. Motionless, as I watched Marcel walk across the balcony, every step putting me closer and closer to what I had been yearning for. He walked up to a man dressed in all black with his back turned to the crowd. Deep breaths, deep breaths. Quiet yourself and listen, I shouted in my head.

"Man do I have a surprise for you." Marcel laughed putting his hand on the man's shoulder.

"Is that so?" the man questioned with a smile. His beautiful accent rolling off his tongue with such ease.

"A friend from Mystic Falls seeks your company." Marcel smiled turning the man's attention in my direction. The minute he turned around our eyes met. Lost in a moment of fear, passion, and pain. We lingered, neither moving an inch, neither uttering a word, just gazing. For six months I had wandered what this moment would be like and it was more than I could handle. A cool breeze shook me out of his trance and I ran.