Tuscany, Italy-1509

"Finn," a voice whispered him out of his slumber. Dreams were the most precious thing Finn had in his life. They allowed him to go back to happier times with Freya, to dance once more with an alive and well Sage, to embrace his mother and say he loved her, to see Father as the happy and loving man he once was. But the dreams would always end and he would awaken back to this eternal nightmare of existence. One where he lived as a monster and killed other monsters. It was only in his sleep that he was able to escape the hellish reality.

Finn opened his eyes to see Rodrigo in his room holding a lite candle for light. Finn could tell the old man was concerned about something. The two had met after a vampire tried to kill the man at his farm but Finn managed to track the monster down in time to stop it. Rodrigo had offered to let him sleep the night inside his farm. It was far from the nearest town and Finn preferred to sleep in a bed. Rodrigo was a poor farmer who lost his wife in child-birth to a stillborn and had no other family. He could barely make enough to make ends meet so Finn decided to stay and help. That was weeks ago and yet the Original vampire hadn't left. Planting beans and raising chickens was strangely peaceful. After so much bloodshed, Finn didn't want to leave.

For centuries he had wondered across Europe, scouring every corner for any clue regarding his siblings. All the while Finn hunted and dinned on vampires who seemed to only grow in number over the years. Perhaps Klaus and the others made them to distract Father and their elder brother on their hunt. Mikael continued his pursuit as passionately as ever but Finn had grown weary of the chase. He had spent the past several hundred years looking for them and what did it all mean in the end? Even if they did kill Klaus, it wouldn't bring Sage or Mother back.

Finn and Mikael had stayed in touch via a network of compelled messengers but their contact had decreased over time. Mikael seemed ready to keep hunting forever but Finn had grown tired. He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity obsessing over Klaus. The bastard deserved to die but there hadn't been a sighting of him in years. It was time to move on. Finn had done so much such as fighting the Mongol Horde that invaded Poland, used his blood to cure important artists and philosophers along with hundreds of other people during the Black Plague, and was even personally requested by Pope Celestine V in purging members of the Papacy who were actually vampires.

But Finn was tired of the fighting and death. Just once he would like to settle down and find some measure of peace and happiness in this life. That was why he had remained on Rodrigo's farm for so long. For the first time in centuries, Finn wasn't driven by rage into an endless hunt for revenge. Instead he felt calm and at peace. He knew it couldn't last forever. Eventually his blood thirst would return. The vampire he drank from previously would only hold him over for a little while longer but he wanted to enjoy the peace while he could.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked as he rose from his bed. He glanced out his window to see nothing but darkness with no sign of the sunrise.

"There are two travelers at the door. They pleaded to be let inside," Rodrigo explained.

"Did either of them attempt to force their way in?" asked Finn.

"No," answered Rodrigo. Finn understood what he was implying. Two mysterious travelers wanting to come inside late at night and desperate to get in but didn't attempt to do. Rodrigo feared the two strangers were vampires. While the old man knew of Finn's true nature, Rodrigo had grown to accept him for who he was especially after Finn saved his life from another vampire. However that didn't mean he was willing to trust any one of those other beasts and for good reason.

Finn nodded and lifted up his bed, silently pulling out the broadsword he had hidden underneath it. He'd used this weapon to kill dozens of vampires since it came into his possession and now it was about to claim even more. The two headed to the front door and though closed, Finn could hear the two strangers outside conversing.

"What if they find us?" a man in an English accent spoke nervously.

"We can't worry about that now. Dawn cannot be far off and this is the first place we've seen in hours," a woman in an English accent replied. Sounds like they were worried about the sunrise which told Finn everything he needed to know. They were vampires and he would deal with them accordingly. He wasn't sure who they were so afraid of but once they were subdued, he could make them talk.

Finn gave Rodrigo a nod who then opened the door, holding his candle up to illuminate their guests. Outside a young man with scruffy brown hair, a beard, and blue eyes waited anxiously with a woman. She was quite lovely with her long brown hair and deep green eyes. Still she wouldn't be the first beautiful vampire that Finn had ended.

"Who are you?" demanded Finn. Their eyes immediately froze on the sword he was clenching at his side. The sight of the weapon at least forced them to be cautious. An Original didn't have to fear decapitation but a regular vampire did.

"Please sir. We were traveling the road when we were attacked by brigands. We barely managed to escape but we lost all our valuables and all we have left is our horses. Could we please have shelter for the night?" asked the woman. Finn glanced over her shoulder to see they were at least telling the truth about the horses, having tied them to a nearby tree.

"Why were you traveling this late at night?" asked Rodrigo.

"We were delivering important items to the Countess of Florence and were behind schedule. We rode through the night hoping to make good time," the man answered. Their responses came too quickly as if they were rehearsed.

"That's very tragic but I'm afraid my Father and I don't have any more beds to share," Finn spoke. Rodrigo went along with the act and nodded.

"We don't need a bed. Just shelter for the night," the woman assured him.

"We'll leave once we've rested," the man spoke up.

Finn glanced at Rodrigo and nodded. "Please come in," the human spoke.

The two strangers stepped inside and both breathed a sigh of relief. Finn intentionally kept himself between their guests and Rodrigo. "Please sit," Finn said, pointing to the chairs in the small dining room nearby.

"We don't have much but I can at least get you something to drink," Rodrigo said.

"Thank you," nodded the woman.

The two guests took their seats along with Finn while Rodrigo headed towards the front door. "I'll take your horses into the barn and bring in some fresh water," he said.

Finn was glad the human managed to find some excuse to put himself out of harm's way. Now he could enjoy this moment and let the beast inside of him out to play. He set his broadsword on the table, starling the guests slightly then they started to breathe a sigh of relief. They probably thought they could grab the weapon before Finn could even blink. They were going to be in for a surprise.

"Apologies for the sword but one can't be too careful," Finn explained himself.

"No need to apologize," the woman smiled. Finn found it curious that he found that smile incredibly attractive and then realized why. She reminded him of Sage. Sure the two weren't exactly twins compared to one another but the similarities were there. It was actually the first time Finn could remember in a long time that anyone could remind him of his past love. The memories of centuries of anger and bloodlust had overtaken the small portion of happy memories he had in his mind. Vampires were immortal but Finn worried that his memories may not be. So far his memories were intact but would it stay that way? Will a day come that he wouldn't remember the faces of Sage, Freya, or Mother?

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Finn and my father is Rodrigo," Finn introduced himself.

"Rose-Marie and this is my colleague Trevor," the woman replied.

"Your accents. You are from England yes?" asked Finn.

"Yes. We grew up in St. Austell in Cornwall," Trevor said. Rose threw him a look, letting him know he was giving too much away.

"Nice to meet fellow travelers," smiled Finn. "I tried my hand at gaining fortune and ended up here. Your luck is clearly better than mine."

"Well tonight proves otherwise," uttered Rose.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. The local condottiero had hunted most of those bandits down over the past few months," Finn replied.

"Well that doesn't get our possessions back," remarked Trevor.

Finn glared at him, irritated the other vampire opened his mouth. Rose-Marie was soft-spoken and seemed to have a gentle quality to her. Finn knew it was all a ruse but at least she could put on a better performance than her friend. Trevor came off too nervous, his fingers slightly shaking and it couldn't be from Finn. They had no idea what he was.

"You seem troubled my friend. Relax, the bandits are long gone by now," Finn said.

"Sorry. It just seemed almost like a dream. You hear stories about it but experiencing it is another matter," Trevor tried to laugh it off.

"Well we don't have much to eat but if you're hungry I'm sure we can get you two something," Finn stated.

"Yes please," nodded Rose.

"What do you prefer? Men or women?" Finn asked. The two guests frowned, confused. "Do you prefer them old or young? Do you feel less guilty for taking the lives of the sick and elderly or do you enjoy taking both blood and youth?"

Rose and Trevor instantly realized what he was going on. He was accusing them of being vampires and now Finn was done playing. Like when a cat that catches a mouse and plays with it before the kill. The two vampires stood up, Trevor reaching for the sword but Finn was faster. He placed his hands under the table and lifted it up into the air, flipping over and charging into both of his opponents with it. Rose and Trevor were both forced backwards into a wall with Finn using his heightened strength and the table to pin them against it.

"Stop fighting!" Finn shouted, looking them in the eyes as he forced his will upon them. Instantly the two ceased struggling. They were both bewildered and horrified as their own bodies refused to obey them.

"Now sit back down," Finn ordered, setting the table back down on the floor. The two walked over their knocked over chairs and set them right before sitting down.

"Oh god. You're an Original," gasped a trembling Rose. Trevor shared her terror as his hands shook again, even more so then before. Finn calmly walked over to his sword lying on the ground and picked it up. He then headed back to his chair and set it right before sitting down. Neither of his victims said anything, perhaps knowing that it really didn't matter what they said.

"Someone was chasing you and it wasn't bandits. Tell me the truth. Who was it?" asked Finn.

"Vampires. They're under orders from Klaus to kill us," said Rose.

Finn leaped out of his seat. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the first time he'd heard anything about Klaus in centuries. The trail was warm again and he might finally have a chance to find that bastard. Still he had to be sure this wasn't a false lead. "Niklaus? Do you know him?"

"We've met him about twenty years in Yorkshire," Rose spoke.

Finn's eyes narrowed. "How can you be so certain he was who he claimed to be?"

"Because he was stronger than everyone else and he could compel even other vampires. So could some of his other followers like Elijah and Rebekah," answered Rose. That confirmed it. This wasn't another one of his siblings compelling other vampires to impersonate the Mikaelson family. This had to be them but Finn still had other questions that needed answering.

"I don't understand. You're an Original like Klaus. Aren't you in league with him? Why would you need to know his whereabouts?" asked a confused Rose.

"Klaus and I are nothing alike!" Finn snapped. The sheer idea of being compared to that monster infuriated him. Rose instantly regretted her question and lowered her trembling head.

"Why is he after you?" Finn demanded.

"Trever helped a woman named Katerina Petrova escape from him. I tried to make things right and take her back but she turned herself into a vampire and escaped. The two of us have been on the run ever since," Rose shivered.

"Who is this woman and what is she to Klaus?" Finn pondered.

"She's a doppelganger…or at least she was," Trevor answered.

Now things were starting to make sense. The blood of the doppelganger Tatia was used to create the spell that Mother not only turned her children into beasts but also another spell that suppressed Klaus's werewolf side. He would need the blood of a doppelganger to break it but if this Katherine had become a vampire then she was useless. No wonder Klaus wanted these two fugitives dead.

"One last question. Do you know if Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah are still in Yorkshire?" Finn asked.

"We don't know. Maybe," Rose shrugged. Trevor was about as uncertain as she was.

They didn't know anything else of interest to Finn so now it was time to end this. He stood up and stepped towards them. Finn grabbed Rose's arm and unrolled the sleeve covering her wrist. "What are you doing?" asked Rose.

"I need to feed and the two of you will do nicely," Finn answered. He extended his fangs and bite down on Rose's wrist. She groaned in pain as Finn began sucking blood from her veins.

"Wait! Stop!" pleaded Trevor.

"Shut up," Finn compelled him. Instantly the other vampire closed his mouth. He got back to work on Rose, being both revolted by the taste of blood in his mouth and yet relishing in it.

"What kind of a vampire drinks vampire blood?" whispered Rose.

Finn released her arm, gulping down the blood in his mouth. "A hunter," he answered.

He had his fill but he wouldn't indulge himself like one of his monstrous siblings. Finn would only take what he needed and stop. Now that he had what he needed, it was time to finish this. He lifted up his sword, ready to take off both vampires' heads with a single swipe of his sword.

"Wait you don't have to do this," pleaded Rose.

Finn scoffed, "And why I shouldn't I? Vampires are nothing but bloodthirsty monsters that kill and destroy the lives of everyone around them. Just admit it, you enjoy killing any human you have at your mercy your filthy savage!"

"No I don't!" Rose shouted back. The answer froze Finn in place. How many times had he asked that question? For centuries it was always the same. Vampires reveled in their barbarism, enjoying every sadistic moment they took a life. Yet this was the first time the answer was different. A vampire who hated killing humans? Finn would have thought that she was lying but he had compelled her not to lie to him.

"You're telling me you don't enjoy hurting people. Draining them of blood?" Finn asked skeptically.

"No. I always hated needing to drink blood. It's true I've hurt people in the past but I couldn't control myself. If I could go back and stop myself, I would," admitted Rose.

Finn then shook his head. "I'm sure you hate what you are but the fact is you'd gladly endure all of that to keep your immortality. Even at other people's expense," he scoffed.

"No," whispered Rose. "I don't want to die but I don't want to live like this for the rest of eternity. Especially if it means taking other people's lives to do it."

"Then why go on? Why continue to live?" asked Finn.

"Because maybe one day I can be human again," answered Rose.

Finn stood there dumbfounded. It was like listening to someone else speak your own innermost thoughts as their own. From the first time Finn helped his father hunt down another vampire to even just a few weeks ago, all vampires were the same. Mindless savages who only care about one thing and that was to kill. Not a single one of them wanted to ever go back to being human. Even Mikael never once stated that he wanted to return to what he once was. Finn believed that he was the only one who missed being human until today.

A scream outside broke his thought. Finn could recognize it from the last time he killed a vampire. "Rodrigo!" he shouted as he rushed outside.

A circle of seven strangers was assembled outside the entrance of the barn. Finn didn't know who they were but he knew they weren't friendly. They turned to face him and spread out, allowing Finn to finally see Rodrigo. The old man was lying on the ground with a snapped neck with a large man with vamps standing over top of him. Rose and Trevor's vampire pursuers must have tracked them here. Finn was too late, Rodrigo was already dead. Killed while he wasted his time inside with those other vampires.

"What have we here boys? Another bloodsucker?" the apparent leader said. "There wouldn't happen to have two others with you in there?"

The vampires started to surround him, ready to attack regardless of whether he cooperated or not. But Finn didn't care anymore. All he could see was Rodrigo's dead face joining the list of other dead faces in his life. Sage, Mother, Freya, and now Rodrigo.

Finn's fangs extended as his eyes turned bloodshot, the veins darkening on his face. Finn let loose a roar of pure rage as he rushed headlong into the crowd.


"Can you move?" asked Rose. Trevor shook his head, unable to speak after Finn compelled him to be quiet. She had never felt so helpless in her life. It wasn't bad enough they were being chased by pair of vampire thugs wanting to please Klaus by killing Rose and Trevor. Now they were being held captive by an Original who fed on vampires the same way they fed on humans. As if things weren't bad enough, Rose overhead the screams outside and knew the hunters had found them. They would kill the owner and then move inside to deal with them. Finn rushed outside but it sounded like it was too late. One of the hunters said some words and then the Original screamed with an animal-like fury that Rose had never heard coming from a vampire.

What followed absolutely terrified her as the roar was soon followed by screams of pain and terror. Not a single one of them was coming from Finn. Rose could hear blood splatter and bones breaking. Soon the sounds of the brawl diminished and then silence followed. There was nothing either Trevor or her could do except wait for the victor to enter the house.

They got their answer on who won as Finn stepped inside from the back door carrying Rodrigo, the man he claimed was his father. The vampire was covered in blood and since the old man only had a broken neck, it was obvious it belonged to the hunters. Rose wasn't sure if they were all dead but highly doubted any survivors were sticking around for another fight with anyone. The Original walked into the dining room and set Rodrigo on the table.

"What happened?" asked Rose. He ignored her, his eyes fixated on the Rodrigo's body. Rose could tell he was devastated. The human must have meant something to him for an Original centuries old to suffer from his passing.

"Your pursuers," Finn whispered. Rose could feel a lump growing in throat. Whatever goodwill she thought she managed to build with him in the past few minutes was gone. The Original would blame his two captives for the death of his friend and if Rose didn't say something, he would kill them.

"We thought we lost them. We didn't mean to bring them here," Rose pleaded.

"But you did!" shouted Finn.

"I didn't kill him and I wouldn't have killed him even if the others haven't found us," Rose stated firmly.

"You killed him!" Finn snapped, grabbing Rose by the neck.

"And how many people have you killed?!" she shouted back. The words were more out of desperation then defiance. Judging from the murderous look on his face, Finn probably would have killed Rose had she not said anything.

"Every vampire kills someone. For me it was just after my transition. I didn't understand what was happening to me and I couldn't control myself. I killed my own father," Rose said. This was something she never even told Trevor. Rose had known him since they were children but never once told him that. Trevor always assumed it had been Mary, the vampire who turned Rose and went on a killing spree in their village.

Trevor stared her with bewildered eyes while Finn's face was unreadable. "Ever since then I promised I would never lose control ever again. It hasn't been easy but I've never murdered anyone since. There have been people I couldn't save but I never took the life of an innocent human. Can you say the same?" Rose challenged her captor.

Finn's finger slowly released their grip on her neck. He stood back and contemplated what to do next. "Get up," he ordered.

Unable to resist his orders, Rose slowly got to her feet. She spoke her piece but she was certain that Finn was still going to kill her. At least it was all over. No more worrying about looking over her shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. Rose had spent so many years on the run that she barely had anytime to actually try and make a life for herself.

Rose turned to Trevor and said, "I'm sorry."

She turned her attention back to the Original. "If you're going to kill me fine but let Trevor go," Rose said. She knew it was pointless but she had to ask it. Trevor had been her friend since she was a child. She had to at least try to spare him from her fate.

"From this day forward you will not kill any human other than to protect yourself or another," Finn compelled her. Rose could feel the compulsion taking effect but she didn't understand. Why would he wasting such a thing on someone he's going to kill?

Finn turned to Trevor and said, "And neither will you." Rose couldn't believe it. Was he letting them go?

"Stand up. You may speak again," Finn ordered.

Trevor got to his feet. "Thank you," he whispered. He was just as surprised as Rose was.

Finn turned back to Rodrigo. "It'll be dawn soon. Take shelter in the barn and wait until nightfall. You'll find your horses there," he said.

"Why can't we stay in here?" protested Trevor.

Finn spun around and glared at him, eyes filled with rage. "Because I can't promise you'll survive if you do," he warned.

Rose and Trevor were startled by the Original's anger but Rose supposed it was already inside after his friend's death. Trevor just had the misfortune of saying the wrong words to nearly unleashing it upon himself. "Let's go Trevor," Rose urged.

He nodded nervously and the two headed towards the back door. Rose stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry about your friend," she said.

"I was a fool," Finn said. "I stayed here hoping to I could pretend to be human again. But it was just the dream of a child. I'm just an animal and I always will be,"

"For the real difference between humans and other animals is that humans alone have perception of good and evil, just and unjust," Rose quoted.

Finn turned to her, surprised by her words. "Aristotle?" he asked.

Rose nodded, "Anyone who can show mercy is no monster or animal."

Finn, for the first time since Rose had seen him, had a slight smile on his face. He turned back to Rodrigo's body.

"Rose we should go," Trevor whispered. Rose nodded and followed him out to the barn. She wasn't sure what happened to Finn to make him hate vampires so much which is probably made he hates himself so terribly. But she hoped for his sake that maybe he finds the peace he craves so much because if he could then maybe Rose could as well.