Disclaimer: Don't own The Vampire Diaries or The Originals. I only own the OCs that are in this story.
A/N: Go Seahawks! I'm on a high, because my team just won the Super Bowl! Here's chapter ten. As always, I hope you enjoy.
Like clockwork, as soon as Jess stepped foot onto the sidewalks of the French Quarter she was bum rushed by Marcel's men asking her where she has been and if she has seen Kol.
Playing coy Jess expressed that she was at home recovering from her "lady time" i.e. time of the month. As expected with men whenever they hear about a woman brining up her monthly flow, they back off.
However, Thierry stuck around to ask Jess a question. It didn't go unnoticed by him how much time Katie was spending with Kol.
"Should I be worried?" he asked Jess.
"I'm surprised at you Thierry. Never pictured you to be the jealous type." Teased Jess as she playfully nudge him in the shoulder and started walking.
Thierry scoffed and lightly laughed.
"I'm not jealous." He said defending himself then added, "I just don't want Katie to get hurt. That's all."
"Katie's a big girl and knows how to take care of herself, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Hey, can you tell Marcel that I talked to the voodoo clan down in Bayou St. John and they aren't willing to share their herbs or remedies to the witches anymore unless they get a pay raise." Shared Jess.
To keep the witches in line Marcel kept a tight hold on their supplies, meaning they could only retrieve what they needed through him at a high cost. Over the years Marcel partnered up with a coven of voodooist that resided in the deep Bayous of Louisiana which supposedly had connections to the renowned voodooist Marie Laveau. Whether if that was true of not Marcel made a deal that if he supplied him with the merchandise he needed in order to control the witches of the French Quarter than the voodoo clan would not be harmed or put in danger.
Now the clan was not willing to cooperate and Jess had a feeling that Kol was behind it since she was the one to tell about Marcel's little deal with them a while back.
'Kol's trying to get as much allies as he can.' Jess thought to herself.
"Damnit. I told Marcel that they would betray him someday, but he wouldn't listen. Do you think Klaus has anything to do with this?" asked Thierry.
Stopping mid step to think it over, Jess nodded her head no. "Nah. They'd never work with Klaus and he'd never go to them. He's not dumb."
"Well, what about Kol? He's a warlock now. They would listen to him. These Originals are planning something, Jess. I can feel it. It's not going to be good for any of us." Thierry said concerned.
"Thierry, Thierry, you need to calm down. Okay. Just relax. You are getting yourself worked up over nothing." Jess consoled the vampire.
"I just have a bad feeling. That's all." Confessed Thierry weakly.
Giving him a small smile Jess told that he should take Katie out on date and offer to do more things for his girlfriend. "Trust me that will make her happy and keep your mind off from worrying about things that aren't happening."
Taking a deep unneeded breath, Thierry nodded his head and bid Jess a goodbye.
"Tell Diego he still owes me money from that poker game two weeks ago!" she yelled to Thierry to which he just laughed and shook his head.
"Yeah, I'm not getting that money am I?" Jess said to herself.
Quickly stepping up her pace, Jess crossed the street and was stopped by one of the elder witches in the community who went by the name of Agnes. The woman was best known for her talent in fortune telling, a gift she received from the many generations of witches in her bloodline.
But to Jess, the woman did nothing but complain or criticize when things did not go her way.
"Hello Ms. Agnes. What seems to be troubling you today?" asked Jess putting on a fake smile.
Of course her complaint was about Kol and not trusting him. It was basically a repeat of what Thierry had expressed to her a mere minute ago.
"This plan of Jane Ann's was not only dangerous, it was careless. The girl was foolish…"
"Stop!" yelled Jess and held her hand up to silence Agnes. "Never speak ill of the dead. It's inconsiderate. You should know that better than anyone. Jane gave up her life to save all of you, so show some respect. She had more brains and guts than all of us put together. I won't stand here and have you beseech her name or character, you got that."
That shut Agnes up fast. Jess took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down as she wanted to rip the old witches head right off.
"You need to make a choice; are you gonna stand with your fellow witches or are you going to go at it alone?" the werewolf questioned and walked away. Jess didn't care what Agnes did. She wasn't worried about her.
The only witch she ever worried about was Jane and now she was gone. I guess that left Kol to worry about.
The relationship between witches and werewolves was steeped in history that went far back to the beginning of time.
Witches were created to serve nature. Werewolves were created to protect witches. Vampires were created to destroy them both.
Upon entering Rousseau's, Jess was hoping to catch a glimpse of Kol or Sophie. However, both could not be seen anywhere.
"Looking for someone, Jess?" asked Camille when seeing the brunette just standing in the middle of the restaurant looking lost.
"Where's Sophie?" Jess asked turning towards blonde bartender and taking a seat at the bar.
"Not here." Replied Camille simply and shrugged her shoulders.
Jess rolled her eyes. "I see that she isn't here, Psych Major. Let me be clearer. Do. You. Know. Where. Sophie. Is. Or. When. She. Will. Be. Back?"
Setting down the glass she was cleaning with a towel, Camille placed both of the hands on the bar and looked Jess right in the eye to say, "No." and turned to leave.
"Bitch." Jess muttered under her breath.
Getting up to leave Jess said one last thing to Camille, "Just tell Sophie that I am looking for her, okay?"
The streets of the French Quarter were starting to feel over crowded to Jess. It didn't help that it was hot and muggy out. Stepping around residents and tourists who were in her way, Jess once again crossed the street. She made sure to look over her shoulder to not see anyone sneak up behind her. The last thing she wanted was yet another person to complain or share their worries with her.
'Camille is the psych major, not me. I don't know why people feel the need to come to me for their problems?' Jess thought to herself.
Knowing that there was one place in the neighborhood that Jess could not be bothered and that was Beckham's Bookshop. In operation since the late 1960s the shop was two stories high. It had to be in order to contain the fifty to sixty thousand second-hand books it carried. The shop had books that covered a wide array of topics such as history, music, law, fiction, philosophy, art, politics, religion/spirituality/occult, and many more. Pretty much any topic a person can imagine, Beckham's Bookshop had it in their collection.
"Hey Juniper." said Jess smiling happily as she saw the owner's cat laying on a table of stacked books. As always, Juniper hissed in reply. Whether it was due to the fact the cat smelled Jess' werewolf scent or if it was an actual greeting, she didn't care. The lovely smell of old books filled the air. Besides home, Beckham's Bookshop was Jess' sanctuary.
Books were her way to escape and it had always been that way since she was a little girl. Going off on adventures with Moby Dick, solving crimes with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, or learning about being an independent young woman from Elizabeth Bennett was more interesting and exciting to the young werewolf. Her mother would always badger her about spending all of her time reading and not enough time recognizing the importance of being a part of a pack.
Jess tried to play the role of pack member multiple times, but it wasn't for her. She even tried being an alpha to a lonely pack of betas and omegas, but didn't like having people be dependent on her for anything.
It was easier being a lone wolf. She only had herself to look out for. But all that changed when Jess arrived in New Orleans. All it was supposed to be was a quick trip to reminisce about the old days when her family used to live in the area. However, the quick trip soon turned into a three year stay.
Memories that had long been repressed started to resurface which caused the werewolf to question everything she knew or had been told in regards to what happened to her father, their home, and the other wolves in their pack.
It was mystery that Jess was still figuring out. She had some of the pieces put together, but still had questions that needed answers. And her new found friend, Hayley, may be the final piece in the puzzle.
Grabbing as many books as Jess could carry, she settled herself in the far back of the store and sat in a corner to start reading.
Absorbing the words that were written on each page to Jess the outside was gone. It wasn't until the sound of someone clearing their throat to get her attention that she looked up. At first Jess thought it was shop's owner checking up on her, but it wasn't.
It was none other than Elijah Mikaelson standing before her and looking right at her. His face stoic as always.
"Elijah." Spoke Jess and quickly got up from the floor. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I believe we are both here for one thing?" he asked. His tone held no emotion.
"Oh yeah, what's that?" Jess asked cautiously. Elijah still intimidated her.
"Books." He said lightly and a small smile appeared on his face.
Jess let out the breath she was holding in and chuckled at her silliness.
"Right. Sorry. I've just been sitting here reading for who knows how long. It takes a while to readjust to the real world."
"No need to apologize. I can relate to what you mean." Elijah reassured Jess.
Then it was back to uncomfortable silence. With his hands in his suite pockets, Elijah was looking at the girl in front of him rather closely. To Elijah, this girl was still a mystery and was apprehensive about what her true intentions were. As much as he was thankful for helping to bring back Kol, he needed to know if Jess was trustworthy.
Plus, Elijah was not naïve. He knew Kol has to be up to something and the girl in front of him may be in on it.
"So, have you found anything that peaked your interest?" asked Jess when she could no longer take the silence between the two.
"Nothing yet, but this place has always been huge. I still have yet to make my rounds to certain sections. What about you? I see you gathered quite a bulk collection." Said Elijah as he pointed to stacks of books that nestled at Jess' feet.
"Oh, these. Yeah, I didn't know what I was in the mood for, so I just grabbed what caught my interest. I was actually thinking of buying something for Kol. Lord knows he has never heard of The Godfather or East of Eden." She replied and started picking up the books to place them on a nearby shelf. Elijah bent down to help her.
"I'm sure he would appreciate that. Both are fantastic books and should hold his interest."
"If not, then more books for me." Retorted Jess and walked over to another section of the bookstore with Elijah following behind her.
"Speaking of Kol. You wouldn't happen to know where he is?" he asked.
"Gah! Good Lord! Everyone keeps asking me where Kol is. Well you know what? I'm not his keeper." She said clearly frustrated.
Elijah looked down briefly then back at Jess who sighed when she realized how she reacted. She felt foolish for taking her anger out on Elijah who has been nothing but kind to her since meeting him.
"I'm sorry. That was rude. I didn't mean to…"
"It's quite alright." He interrupted.
"No it isn't. It's just…I don't know where Kol is either. I haven't talked to him in a while and I came in to the city to find him, but no such luck. I was starting to get worried. You see him more than me, how is he?" Jess asked Elijah.
Strolling over to a shelf of books, Elijah traced his hands along the spine of each book.
"That's just it. I have no idea how he is doing. He won't talk to me or Klaus. I have tried countless of times to talk to him, to really talk to him, but he just shuts me out. I can't say that I fault him for that. What can I do to show to him that I am truly sorry?"
Jess was at a loss for words. Here was this man who was one of the most powerful supernatural beings standing before her asking for advice. It was bizarre.
"Sorry for what? I mean, if you don't mind me asking?"
As Elijah walked around, absorbing the large assortment of literature in front of him then turning to face Jess. He looked hesitant about wanting to reveal anything to her. After all, he did not know her very well.
"Klaus, Rebekah, and I made a promise to one another which was to always be there for one another. Always and forever we said, but we made a mistake to not include Kol or our other brother, Finn. In making that pact, it divided my family even more."
Upon hearing Elijah share how he felt in regards to his family problems, Jess finally understood what Kol had shared with her earlier. Which was Elijah only cared about his family when it was convenient for him. This wasn't about Elijah wanting to apologize to Kol for Kol's sake. No, it was to make the guilt that Elijah felt less of a burden. It was all about how Elijah felt.
Before Elijah could go on, Jess cut in. "Why didn't you go after the people who killed Kol?"
That question caught Elijah off guard.
"It wasn't that simple." He stated.
"Sure it is. Someone murders a member of your family, who you claim to love and value, you punish the son of a bitch. Why didn't you, your sister, or Klaus do any of that? Figure that question out first before you go to Kol begging to accept your apology cause that is the last thing he wants. He wants to know why none of you cared. That's what hurts him. Just put yourself in his shoes for a second. I mean, how would you feel if you were murdered and no one cared?"
Gathering her books, Jess walked away from Elijah who left still feeling the sting of her words. Elijah knew was that she had a good point.
But the truth was, that no matter how many times he'd put himself in Kol's shoes, someone would have avenged his death. Klaus and Rebekah would have turned the whole world upside to punish his killer. People would care if Elijah died.
Taking his cellphone out of his pocket, Elijah called Klaus.
"What is it, Elijah?" greeted Klaus.
"I think we have a problem." Said Elijah.
"And what pray tell is it?"
"Kol."
"Well what sort of trouble has our little brother gotten himself into this time?" Klaus probed.
"I don't know what it is, but I know he is up to something. He is upset with us. That I know for certain." Elijah answered his brother.
"Of course he is. Did you really think he would let any of us off that easy? He has all of the witches on his side. His army is growing."
"What about Marcel? What does he know?"
"Marcel claims to know nothing. None of his men appear to be in on anything."
"You think he's lying?"
"Can't tell. Unfortunately, Marcel takes vervain. He makes him men ingest it also. I could always bleed the stuff out of him, but I wouldn't want to do anything to damage our friendship. But there is one person who I think could be a great asset to us." Said Klaus.
"Who would that be?" questioned Elijah.
"None other than the person who has become Kol's closes comrade and holds great care for. I believe she goes by the name Jess or as Kol affectionately calls her, Jessica."