Chapter Twenty: La Nouvelle-Orleans
After his awakening and subsequent transition into a witch-vampire hybrid, Pacari had spent the next several decades killing as many Spaniards as possible. He did all he could to defend his homeland and people, but in the end, Pizarro's army was too great in number, and there was nothing Pacari could do about the worst the Europeans had brought them with them: smallpox. When the last Incan stronghold fell in 1572, the vampire decided it was finally time to leave. His people would have to figure out their new reality without him; he was broken and just wanted to find his wife.
When he arrived in Spain, he quickly realized that his skin was too dark for him to assimilate easily into the Old World. He needed to constantly compel people to avoid attention. After only a couple decades in various locations – Denmark, the Holy Roman Empire, deep in the Alps – he headed further east, where he could more easily blend in with the crowd. He kept his eyes and ears open, but the Original family was too good at hiding. He knew Rebekah's father Mikael was always searching for his children, so he had little hope he'd be more successful than him. Nevertheless, he persisted. He found refuge with witches. They were intrigued by him, since he was still part witch. He had not realized how special he and his sire were until meeting these covens. Although he did not regret choosing to take her blood that fateful day in Peru, he felt forgotten by Caroline. He often wondered what had happened after the volcano erupted. Had Caroline figured he died without having drunk her blood? Had she thought he had taken it, and been destroyed by the molten lava anyway? Or did she know he existed, but simply did not care? And if she did know he had transitioned, had she told Rebekah? Was Rebekah upset with him for taking Caroline's blood? Did she not want him to find her? These thoughts were all discouraging, so he tried not to ruminate in them and focused on the most important task: finding Rebekah, no matter what.
Bay of Cadiz, Spain
1702
"I'm so tired of running, Nik."
Niklaus turned to his sister. They had just boarded the ship that would take them away from Spain and Mikael. He had found them once again.
"Do you think I am not, Bekah?"
She leaned against a mast and crossed her arms. She was still wearing a silver ballgown; they had left in such a rush, no one had time to change. Thankfully, they had learned long ago to keep their most prized possessions at either Auxor or Des Cendres, so nothing too important had been left behind.
"Is it too much to ask for a home of our own? Auxor and the school are Caroline's. What about the rest of us?" she asked as if reading his mind.
He frowned. "What are you suggesting?"
"I'm saying that as soon as we land, we start looking for a discreet spot to call our own. We've been running for as long as we've been immortal. We should have a place to be proud of."
"I agree, sister," Elijah said, walking up to them from the bow. "It is time to stop living in fear."
"But if he finds us again and destroys it…" Niklaus started.
"Then it is a risk we should be daring enough to take," Elijah said.
"Let's be brave, Nik. Let's do something only for our own happiness," Rebekah added with determination.
A slow smile spread over the middle brother's face. "Always and forever?"
"Always and forever," his siblings said as one.
Below deck, Caroline listened with a smile. She was happy they were going to stop running. She glanced at the gold bracelet Rebekah had left on her nightstand; she was taking it off often these days – whenever she did not want to be reminded of her late husband. Caroline's insides twisted with guilt. She needed to either confess to Rebekah or find Pacari herself. She had delayed this too long and let it fester, giving herself excuses. The siblings were going to be focused on building a new home for themselves, so perhaps she could finally search for him. She had tried tracking him with the bracelet on the nightstand, as it had once belonged to his mother, but it had been Rebekah's for so long that it only ever traced Rebekah. She knew there was no way any of his possessions survived Pizarro's conquest. She would have to search for him without the aid of magic – not an easy task, as Mikael would probably attest.
Versailles, France
1709
It was a little-known secret in the vampire world that underneath the vast palace of the Sun King was the equally elegant and dangerous court of the Shadow King. Any rogue vampires found wandering the countryside were brought before him and questioned. One of the Shadow King's spies was standing before him as he sat in his throne. The Lady in Black was standing just behind him with her customary veil covering her face.
"I have the highest confidence they are headed for the New World, my liege," the vampire informed them. "My informants are very trustworthy."
"Trustworthy informants?" the Shadow King said mockingly, grinning at the Lady in Black. "That's a laugh."
The meeting was interrupted when the front doors banged open and two of the King's soldiers dragged a man into the court.
"What's this?" the King called out in a delighted tone.
"We found him just two miles away feeding on a carriage of three."
The King clapped his hands together gleefully. "My kind of man! But it is forbidden to feed in these parts without properly introducing yourself and getting a permit, I'm afraid."
The brown-skinned man faced the King without fear in his eyes. "My name is Pacari."
"Whereabouts are you from, Pacari?"
"Peru," Pacari stated.
"That's a long way from here. And what brings you to these parts?"
"I heard there was a vampire coven at Versailles led by one calling himself the Shadow King. I was hoping perhaps you could help me find my wife."
"Lost your wife, have you? Did you ever think maybe she didn't want to be found?" the King tutted laconically.
"I had a run in with a volcano a couple centuries back. We were separated, suffice it to say."
The King paused and peered at the vampire curiously.
"Why do you think I'd be interested in helping you?"
"There is a rumor you are an Original. If it's true, then we are kin. I figure you have some sort of idea of where your sister Rebekah is?" Pacari elaborated, his voice leaden with meaning.
The King rose to his feet suddenly. "Leave us. Everyone. Except you," he said to the Lady in Black quietly. She sat down in a chair to his right.
He stepped towards Pacari in his heeled shoes, his flamboyant robe trailing behind him.
"What did you just say?"
"My wife is an Original Vampire."
"And please, just one more time for these old ears: who is your wife?" the King asked in astonishment.
"Rebekah Mikaelson."
"When and where was she born?"
"The end of the 10th century, in a small settlement in what is now the Colony of Virginia. She is the only daughter of Esther and Mikael and the youngest child, save for Henrik, who died young. Her surviving brothers are Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, and Kol. Shall I continue?"
The King's eyes widened, and he laughed loudly. "What a first meeting! Welcome to my home, Pacari! I am Kol Mikaelson, your brother-in-law!"
"You're Kol?" Pacari asked, slightly shocked.
"Yes; why? Has Bekah told you all sorts of sordid tales about me? They're all true."
"She told me some; I thought you were daggered," Pacari said bluntly.
"All in the past, thanks to my friend here," he gestured lazily at the Lady in Black. "When did she turn you? When did you marry?"
"She didn't turn me," Pacari said. "Her progeny did. Your sister-in-law, Caroline, is my sire."
Kol froze. When he turned back to face Pacari, his fangs were dropped.
"So, they sent you here, to what? Kill me? I'd like to see you try."
"They don't know I'm here. I haven't seen them since I was human nearly two hundred years ago. I don't know if they even know I am a vampire."
"The only reason Caroline d'Ebanne has not found a White Oak Stake and put an end to our games is because of my siblings. She has had to settle for making my life as miserable as possible. Do you expect me to believe she didn't send you as a spy?"
"To be quite honest with you, I don't really care about Caroline. I only met her once. All I want is to find my wife."
"Lies!" Kol screamed and made to bite into Pacari's neck. A second later, he hollered in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his head.
The Lady in Black rose to her feet. "What did you do to him?"
Pacari grimaced. "I'm shocking his brain; it's not pretty, but it does the trick. Now, will you listen to reason, Kol?"
From the floor, Kol stared up at him in wonder. "How were you able to do that? You're a vampire! Only a witch can do that!"
Pacari shrugged carelessly. "I'm a hybrid, like my sire. Only vampires of the Carolinian strain are able to keep the powers they had before they turned."
Kol frowned at him, trying to discern if he was telling the truth. "Is that how she was able to do it?" he murmured. "She was a hybrid? But who could have…?"
"I truly do not know the details of Caroline's second transition; I only know a powerful witch did it," Pacari said impatiently.
After a long beat, Kol let his fangs rescind. He jumped to his feet and put his arm around Pacari.
"I can see you have a story to tell, brother. Come, let us have a drink. I can't believe my baby sister finally tied the knot!"
"Does she have any other hybrids?" the Lady asked, walking towards them.
"Ah, Katerina, let's just sit down, have some wine, and figure everything out. There's no reason to jump down his throat."
Katerina Petrova rolled her eyes and followed the two men out of the hall.
New Orleans, New France
1741
Niklaus growled as he ripped his wife's corset open, sending buttons flying through the garden. They hadn't even made it out of the carriage before he had swept her up and flashed to the lawn behind the mansion.
"When you threatened that pack of werewolves, I wanted to throw you on the table and have my way with you right there, in front them all. They should all know this glorious creature is mine alone!" he hissed into her ear.
"Only ever yours, Niklaus," she murmured.
He bent down and sucked and bit her perfect nipples, hardened in the cool fall night. She arched against his knee as he held her up with one arm, utterly wanton in the moonlight, her chest completely exposed.
"Nik," she moaned as her body writhed in ecstasy.
He picked her up again and flashed to the fountain, laying her across the wide ledge. She sprang up and tore his shirt off. He smirked at her before ripping her skirt in two and throwing it over his shoulder. She was totally bare before him. He placed left hand on her flat stomach and dropped his right into the cold water and letting droplets fall onto her pale skin. She trembled from the sensation, but then he lowered his hand and ran his thumb over her nub.
"Nik!"
He pushed further, rubbing in circles and lowering his mouth to the nub. He blew onto it as he stroked. Her eyes watered from the sensations.
"God! Fucking! Damn! It!" she writhed on the ledge as her orgasm shattered her.
Without taking his thumb off of her, he tore off his pants, but before he could thrust into her, she lifted her legs, wrapped them around his hips, and heaved forcefully. They splashed into the water. Caroline grinned up at him as he shook his head like a dog.
"Oops," she demurred.
"Caroline, you – Caroline!" he groaned out. She had gone underwater and wrapped her silky lips around him. He grabbed onto the statue in the middle of the fountain with one hand and the ledge with his other and gasped.
She moved faster, never coming up for air. He was so close; the statue was starting to crumble. She knew, of course. She slid her head out of the water and flung her wet mane over her shoulders.
He growled and flung her over the ledge with her back to him. He ran a hand over her pert bottom and smacked it, hard.
"Wench," he whispered in her ear before smacking it again. "Do you want more?"
She nodded feverishly.
"Too bad," he taunted her before placing his pulsating member and thrusting into her.
He started slowly and deliberately, but she kept thrusting back into him and trying to control it. After a few minutes, she turned, or he turned her, and they were pounding against each other in the water.
"Niklaus!" she screamed as another orgasm rent through her, forcing her inner muscles to clench down on him.
"Caroline!" he grunted out as he spilled into her.
In the morning, Rebekah drily asked if they had any common decency, while Elijah asked for immediate reparations to his favorite fountain.
Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
1777
Caroline hoisted up another barrel of gunpowder to the sailor waiting with open arms above deck. Sweat was pouring down her face in rivulets, a mark of how hard she was truly working; she couldn't even remember the last time she perspired.
"Ma'am? How many more down there?" the sailor inquired with a look of worry on his face.
Caroline glanced around her. There were over twenty left, and they had already been working since sundown. A quick look at the sky explained the sailor's worrisome look – the sun was beginning to rise once more. She cursed under her breath. Nik was waiting for her cue to come to the port with the wagons. She couldn't give the cue without first ensuring all the barrels were above deck, and she couldn't keep moving barrels in the fierce light of day without the British spotting them.
Ever since the breakout of war, the family had taken a temporary leave of New Orleans and spread throughout the colonies to aid the rebelling colonists in their fight for liberty. As a native Frenchwoman who had once been a friend of Joan of Arc, Caroline had always hated the English. As for the rest of the siblings, they were delighted by any war; it made hunting so much easier. And it was pure, good old-fashioned fun. Caroline and Niklaus were currently assisting the Maryland patriots smuggle goods up the coast.
"Jack, I estimate we have about 45 minutes of work left to do in a twenty- minute time slot. Take one of the guards off duty and get him to help us. We have to move."
The sailor quickly got the man, and they moved as fast as possible under the purple sky. A rooster could be heard in the far distance, though Caroline was sure only her ears were astute enough to have heard it, to her relief. Just as the sun was beginning to glint off the waves, the last barrel was being hoisted up and Caroline let out a low, clear whistle she knew her husband would hear.
Sure enough, as Jack pulled her out from below deck, she could see the wagons making their way down the road, Niklaus astride a black mare in front of the caravan, looking very anxious. She grimaced at him and joined the rest of the men in rolling the barrels off the ship. The first wagon shuddered to a stop and the men began loading it under Niklaus' supervision. Caroline walked over to his side.
"You nearly didn't make it. I almost rode down to check out what was holding you up," he murmured, keeping his eyes on the crew.
"There were more than expected. Which is magnificent in the long run, but made for a very stressful night," she explained lowly, twisting her wedding band on her finger nervously as she glanced around for any sign of trouble.
He looked at her then and smiled softly, running two fingers over her cheek affectionately.
"It'll be fine."
She smiled back at him before returning her gaze to the bay.
"I'm going to return to the ship and prepare it with the captain. Let me know when they are all loaded up."
He nodded before dismounting and turning to the crew. "I need to get all these barrels in these wagons before the first fisherman arrives! What's the problem over here? Why have you stopped? Do you want the British to find us? Do you want to be hanged around the neck?"
Caroline grinned at her husband's antics as she made her way back onto the ship. The captain was probably planning the way back south in the map room with his best navigator. She paused briefly on her way over to splash some water in her face, and as she leaned over the barrel, she could feel a presence – a vampiric one – coming up behind her. She reached behind and slammed the unwelcome newcomer headfirst into the barrel. He was dark-haired and wearing civilian clothes.
"You have two seconds to explain yourself before I stake you with this barrel," she hissed in his ear, keeping his head down.
With a swift movement, he thrust his head out of the water, turned around, and grabbed her wrists. Her eyes widened and he watched as her face contorted with bewildered fury. They were so close that water dripped down his face and fell onto hers; both of them with protruded veins and fangs.
"Kol," she hissed. "How did you get that dagger out?"
He smirked at her. "It turns out enemies of my family are friends of mine."
"Whom does that mean? We have a lot of enemies."
"For good reason," he taunted.
"What do you want, to kill me? Good luck trying," she said with a sneer.
"Ah, yes. Before you daggered me, you told me you were a so-called 'Carolinian vampire.' I didn't really know what to think that meant besides the fact that you were about to stab me with one of Nik's daggers, but I never dreamed it meant you were a hybrid! You! A witch, and a vampire! You knew how much I wanted to be a witch again, Caroline! Was this your ultimate betrayal?" his eyes were apoplectic with rage.
"You think I risked my immortal life and nearly lost everything I'd built in the centuries since turning into a vampire to get back at you? You're pathetic. I did it for love. I knew Niklaus would never be able to rest knowing I was not as indestructible as him. Our marriage would have continued to be increasingly strained with us so unequal. Being able to dagger you was an added bonus; an afterthought," she snarled.
He let go of her and took a step back. "I told you before you stabbed me that I was sorry."
"Are you?" she challenged.
"I meant it. But then you stabbed me and left me to rot for one hundred and sixteen years. I slept through the Tudors, Cromwell and the Restoration, Copernicus, Martin Luther, the conquistadors! I woke up the year Shakespeare died, Caroline."
"That was the point, Kol."
"And you're still not satisfied? You still don't feel as if justice has been served?"
She pulled the sleeve of her dress up and thrust her forearm at him. In black script lay an inscription, with many tiny birds flying out of the words and up her arm. He presumed there were 39 of them altogether.
Des Cendres
"I'm not done with you, brother," she promised him with a steely glare.
He bowed. "Then we'll consider the game back on. But I'll warn you, I'm stealing a page out of your husband's book; I'm going to wait. I want you to live in fear, knowing I'm out there, ready to destroy you."
"And how would you do that? With a stake? With vervain? Those things don't work on me," she taunted.
"Come now, Caroline! You know better than I that death is only one way to destroy someone," he finished quietly.
They both snapped their heads to attention; someone was approaching.
"Perhaps Niklaus is coming; do you want to stay and catch up?" she asked.
Kol jumped up on the ledge. "I only ever wanted to see you, my darling. Until next time!" He sent her a mocking salute before dropping into the water.
The captain rounded the corner. "Everything alright, Mrs. Mikaelson?"
"Everything is fine, Captain," she said coolly.
He nodded hesitantly and continued down the deck.
Kol thinks he can one-up me? She still had the ultimate weapon at her disposal; the proverbial nail in his coffin. She couldn't wait to show him.
New Orleans, Spanish Louisiana
1791
Kol stood outside the mansion for hours, waiting and watching. He knew they were home and he wanted to scope out the place before making his presence known. One by one, they left for the evening. Caroline, his great enemy, was first, on the arm of his brother Nik. They were quickly whisked away in a carriage, probably off to the theatre. Elijah was next, strolling into the sunset with a cane twirling in his hand; he could be such a dandy. When Rebekah exited with a young man at her side, it was quite hard for Kol to remain hidden. He badly wanted to talk to her, but he had to be patient. He had been patient for over a hundred and fifty years; what was one more night? The house was quiet then. A few heartbeats murmured: servants, of course. He could avoid them easily enough as he poked around. Breathing in deeply, he approached the mansion. There was a little alleyway along the side that he quickly strode down. He shimmied a side door lightly before using a bit of force to open it. His eyes swept around as he stepped inside easily; no one was around. He could hear footsteps in the cellar and up a few flights, but none on this floor. He smiled widely and began inspecting. He was currently in a conservatory that had Bekah's touch all over it. There were even herbs their mother had grown on their property up in what was now the Colony of Virginia, of the United States of America. How ridiculous. He inhaled deeply before moving into the next room, a simple, but elegant morning room. In what Kol could only imagine was an ironic move, someone (few guesses as to whom) had hung up a portrait of Katerina Petrova. She stared down at the table haughtily. Kol chuckled lowly; he wondered what she would say when he told her about it. He moved into the music room next. He could smell Caroline in here. There was a pianoforte, a Stradivarius violin was tucked neatly to the side, a Stradivarius cello was displayed proudly in a corner, and a very curious pair of drums sat near the window. He realized with a pang Caroline had taken them with her when they fled the Congo all those years ago. He turned from the room then, making quick work of the dining room, study, and parlor before making his way upstairs, where he knew he would find more telling objects.
The first room was a grand library, probably filled some very impressive first editions and ancient tomes filled with spells. Luckily, he still had most of Esther's writings. He opened a door opposite the library tentatively. The light and airy room was clearly a woman's room, but it lacked Bekah's pretensions and he assumed Caroline shared a chamber with her husband. It didn't smell strongly of either of them. A small painting near a window caught his eye and he was across the room in a second. It was a beautiful Japanese ink wash painting featuring the limb of a tree, a cherry blossom, and, inspecting closely, a beetle. It looked old. He gazed around the room with fresh eyes and realized the entire room belonged in Japan…and it felt like he should be remembering something. There was even a celadon vase on the nightstand that looked vaguely familiar. Kol suddenly felt like he was intruding – which he was, but it seemed like he had seen something he should not have. Artemis was away, thank the gods, for he was Actaeon and needed to watch his steps and his eyes.
He backed out of the room and snapped the door shut firmly. Maybe it would be for the best if he just knocked on the door tomorrow morning to deliver the blow. What did you think you'd find, anyway?
"Kol, can you stop fucking around? I'm done waiting, I want to see my wife."
Kol turned to face a scowling Pacari.
"I told you to wait at the inn. Where is Katerina? Don't tell me she's come with you here," Kol scolded.
Pacari took a step forward. "She's not stupid. I know you're not telling me everything. Why are you being so secretive?"
"Pacari, my old friend, these things take time. We don't want to take Rebekah off-guard."
"You're mad at your sister, Kol; don't pretend you care about her feelings. We're only here to help each other achieve our goals, but our goals are not the same."
Kol opened his mouth to respond, but just then, the front door slammed open downstairs and two vampires whooshed into the mansion.
"Whoever you are, know we're faster and stronger than you!" his brother Niklaus bellowed. "And when I catch you, you'll regret the day you were born."
Kol and Pacari listened as a third vampire flashed in.
"Riko told me her wards were set off; she's on the way to get Bekah now."
This was certainly not in the plans, but Kol never minded a little chaos. He had his key player with him.
"Hello, brothers!" he yelled into the hallway. "Hello, Caroline!"
Pacari glared at him.
A second later, Niklaus, Elijah, and Caroline were surrounding them.
"Kol," Niklaus snarled.
"What are you doing, brother?" Elijah said warily.
Caroline, however, was more distracted by the man next to her foe.
"Oh my god… Pacari," she whispered with tears in her eyes.
She started to approach him, but Nik caught her arm, stopping her. He dropped his fangs and growled at the strange vampire.
"Stop, Nik. This is Pacari," Caroline said in a strangled voice.
Elijah frowned. "Pacari? As in, Rebekah's husband?"
"Hello, Caroline," Pacari said grimly.
She looked devastated. "I am so sorry, Pacari."
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Niklaus asked.
Caroline grimaced, but took a step towards her progeny. "I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I went looking for you when the volcano erupted, but I was buried in lava. I barely survived, so I figured there was no way you would, even if you had taken my blood."
"Your blood?" her husband echoed.
"Shush, Nik. Caroline is meeting her original progeny for the very first time. It's touching; don't ruin the moment," Kol said with a smirk.
"Caroline?" Elijah questioned.
Caroline braced herself. "He's right; I changed Pacari in Peru over two hundred years ago."
Niklaus dropped his wife's arm and took a step back. Elijah held a hand to his forehead and groaned.
"What have you done, Caroline?" he muttered reproachfully.
She ignored him. "When you woke up a year later and transitioned, I was on the other side of the world and Rebekah wouldn't let me even say your name, she was so heartbroken. I wanted to let her heal. And then… I have no excuse. I should have put more effort into finding you, but I was scared and ashamed and selfish."
Kol clapped his hands loudly. "What a pretty apology, Caroline!"
Niklaus was looking at his wife like she was a stranger. Elijah was clearly horrified. Pacari stepped towards his sire.
"Thank you for that, Caroline. It explains a lot. I'm sure we have a lot to catch up on, but right now, I would like to see my wife," he said with fire in his dark eyes.
"I'm right here," a choked voice said from behind him.
She was standing on the top step of the grand staircase and wearing a dramatic green velvet evening gown. The train of it billowed halfway down the staircase. If Niklaus looked like he was facing a stranger, Rebekah looked like she was staring at a ghost.
"Pacari?" she whispered.
"Rebekah," the Incan hybrid said, his voice caressing her name.
The Original Vampire's eyes flashed from her former husband to Kol and finally settled on Caroline. Her face hardened into a wrathful mask.
"How could you, Caroline?" she spit at her best friend before flashing down the staircase and out of the mansion.
"She won't get far in that," Kol said wisely.
Pacari gave him a disgusted look before chasing after his ex-wife.
This left Elijah, Niklaus, Caroline, and Kol in the hallway.
"I told you there is a better way than death to destroy someone," Kol said smugly.
Caroline slapped him across the face. "This is Rebekah, Kol! Your sister! How could you do such a thing to her?"
"I do? How could you not tell her her husband was alive for two hundred years?" he hissed back.
Caroline cheeks colored with shame as she twisted her hands into the skirt of her dress anxiously, her eyes frozen on the spot where Rebekah had disappeared.
"All I've done here is reunite the two lovers and right your wrong," Kol taunted her.
"That's enough, Kol," Elijah snapped. "We should all go into the drawing room, set aside our differences, and talk this through."
"Ah, brother, always the moderator," said Kol. "Caroline, do you want to stroke your pretty tattoo? Will that make you feel better?"
Caroline's silvery-black veins twisted her face and she lunged at him. Elijah tried to hold her back, but she was too strong. The enemies rolled onto the floor, kicking, biting, and scratching each other.
Niklaus did not move. He was reeling from the rapid turn of events.
"How does he know about your tattoo?" he yelled at his wife as she gained the upper hand on his brother and drove her bare hand into his chest, squeezing his heart. Kol roared in pain.
"I told you he turned up in the Chesapeake during the war! He saw it then; I'm not keeping that many secrets!" she yelled back. Kol sliced his fingernails into her forearm; she shrieked but held her grasp on his heart.
"Well, forgive me for doubting you! I'm still in a bit of shock here!" he shouted.
Elijah bent down and tried to rip the two apart, but Caroline shoved him away.
"Enough!" a new voice declared from a few paces away. An invisible force tore the vampire and hybrid apart, slamming them into either side of the hallway.
Caroline watched with grim satisfaction as Kol turned his head to see the newcomer and all the blood drained from his face.
"No. no, no, no. You're not real. There's no possible, possible way – you're a ghost, no an apparition, a spell! What are you doing to me, Caroline?" he screamed, closing his eyes and shaking uncontrollably.
Caroline smirked victoriously; even though she could not move, she had never felt more powerful.
"Did you think I didn't know there are better ways to destroy someone? This is my final revenge, Kol."
The former Mariko Kurosawa slowly walked down the hallway until she was nearly nose-to-nose with her old lover.
"Hello, Kol," she whispered.
Kol shook his head desperately in disbelief but could not help himself from opening his eyes. Telltale amethyst eyes were staring at him with pity.
"Mariko," the broken man said.
Kol was wrong; Rebekah had been able to move fast in her cumbersome dress. However, she had left strips of torn fabric in her wake, so Pacari was able to find her anyway. She had climbed into a small fishing boat on the bayou, staring at the lapping waves with her arms wrapped around her knees. He paused for a moment, watching her. The moon was a silvery crescent that night, reflected perfectly in the black water.
"May I join you?" he asked.
She shrugged. He slid into the boat and sat down opposite her, breathing in her scent.
"I've been looking for you for a long time," he started. She gave no response.
He tried again. "An earthquake cracked the hardened lava open and I dug myself out, ravenous for blood. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a group of Spaniards immediately and thus I was a vampire. Well, hybrid" he corrected himself.
At this, she bristled. "A hybrid," she hissed out. "Was it you or her who went behind my back and decided her blood would be better? Actually, you know what: it doesn't matter. Here you are, my grandsire."
He leaned forward. "Caroline is not technically still your progeny, so that's not really true."
"She will always be my progeny! No matter what some witch did to her, we shall always be connected! I cannot believe she did this to me; has our bond of sisterhood and friendship meant nothing to her?" she snarled furiously, her hands shaking.
He placed his brown hands on her white ones gently. They both jumped at having touched for the first time in centuries. Rebekah stared at their connected hands.
"I had to shut out my memories of you," she said dully. "I couldn't bear being in so much pain. And now you're here and," she cut off with a sob.
He placed a hand on her cheek. "And?" he asked hopefully.
"All I feel is betrayal. You betrayed me, Pacari. I cannot do this; you need to leave New Orleans."
He snapped his hand back as if she had slapped it. "You cannot mean that, Rebekah."
She glared at him with darkened veins. "Do not presume to know me. Not anymore. Our vows were broken with your death. Until death do us part, remember? You have no obligation to me."
Tears slid down his face. "I love you, my one. I will always be your husband."
She closed her eyes and dropped her head into her knees.
"Please, Pacari. Just leave."
"You look just the same, my old friend," the witch teased as she smoothed her skirt down.
He said nothing.
She sighed and turned her gaze towards the window. They were in the library; Mariko had insisted she be left alone with him. "I suppose that's not an interesting or clever observation. I'm not as pretty with my words as Nik or as blunt as Gita. I know you're wondering many things right now, but let's start with the easiest: in 1465 I adapted the ancient spell your mother herself adapted to make you and your siblings vampires. I used it made myself immortal. I am not a vampire; I am not dead. I won't go into particulars, but I am quite hard to kill. Some have called me The Undying Witch, but I prefer the epithet I created: Riko d'Ebanne."
Kol frowned. "That's Caroline's surname."
"Yes, of course. No one has been more instrumental in my life than Caroline. I honored her by taking her name when I rose anew."
Kol rose to his feet slowly. "Caroline d'Ebanne murdered you in 1457 and then gloated about it to my face when she caught up with me forty-three years later. And then she stuck a dagger in my heart so I could miss some of the best years of Western civilization. Mariko, I loved you! Did that not mean anything to you?"
"Who did wake you, by the way?" the witch asked, but he had reached his limit for careful conversation.
"A more loyal friend than you, I dare say. Were you really dead when I came back in 1457?" he demanded, knowing her answer would change everything.
There was a pregnant pause before Mariko bowed her head. She had the grace to look a little ashamed. "No; I was faking it. I had created a special potion."
"Were you listening to me talk to you at your deathbed?" he prodded angrily.
She shook her head in distress. "I was asleep until Caroline returned with Gita and gave me the antidote."
"Gita has reason to hate me as much as Caroline does. But… Why did you agree to such deceit? How could you hurt me after all we shared, Iki?"
Mariko pressed her lips together and he was seconds away from shaking her when she spoke again.
"I know you are angry Kol, and you have a right to be, but after you left, Caroline came and opened a whole new chapter in my life. With you, I was a timid girl still coming into my own, only just beginning to rebel against my oppressive parents and realize my full potential. But a lot of my motivation was from my infatuation with you. Caroline helped me grow into the woman I am today. I made my own decisions and asserted my powers. I started doings things to make myself proud and content."
"But was it your idea to fake your death?" A terrible thought occurred to him then. "Oh, god. Mikael was never in Japan, was he?"
The witch shook her head and waited for him to explode.
"She did that to get me away from you so she could climb her way into your heart. She knew she could only come between us if I was gone so she could start telling stories."
"Telling stories? You mean the story about Des Cendres?" Mariko threw at him.
A dark shadow passed over his face. "Don't talk to me about Des Cendres; you were not there. That is not your business."
"Not my business? My life was changed irreversibly because of Des Cendres! You came to Japan to avoid your siblings and Caroline! Caroline befriended me to take revenge on you! Gita showed me her memory of that night, and I knew right there and then that you were not the man I thought you were. I idolized you, Kol."
"I regret that night, but it is not you I owe my apology to for my actions in Paris. You admit Caroline used you! How can you still be friends with her, how – Oh, god. You were the one who gave her her own line."
"Of course, it was me; who else could have killed a vampire only to bring them back as their own progenitor? No witch I've ever met. It's called the Carolinian Strain, but it is my strain."
"She's a hybrid because of me? I was the one guiding you towards immortality!"
"Because you were using me. You wanted me to reawaken your witch powers. I can tell you now, there's nothing anyone can do to undo Esther's spell on you. It only worked on Caroline because she was not an Original," Mariko said firmly.
Kol decided not to think about her latter words yet. "I may have used you, but I loved you, Iki! I was in love with you!"
"You were in love with the idea of me. We had a sweet romance, but I realized quickly after it was never meant to be anything more," she said dispassionately.
"Caroline was manipulating you. What we had was special. Don't you remember it?" he tried.
The witch looked at him like he was a pitiful creature. Maybe he was. She sat back in his chair and stared back at her.
"This was her final revenge, always. She did this so you would choose her over me. But she wanted me to think you dead, first. First dead Mariko, and now unloving Mariko. She knew I wouldn't find out until centuries later. And I thought I was in it for the long con," he shook his head in dismay.
"Caroline is no stranger to suffering," Mariko said quietly.
"Which makes her the perfect candidate for making others suffer. My god, this pain is glorious," he sighed, bending over his knees to face the floor.
She rose to her feet. "I do not celebrate your suffering, but I am not sorry. I do not carry regrets."
"I can see that. Tell me, was it hearing the horrible things I did in Paris that made you fake your death? Or was there another reason?" he asked without looking up.
"Did you decide to court me in Akita because you thought my powers could unlock your inner witch?" she shot back.
He scowled and turned away.
Mariko walked towards the door. She paused before opening it. "No. It wasn't only because of Gita's memories. I was in love with Caroline. In a way, I probably always will be. It seems we have that in common, Kol," she finished softly.
His insides twisted in agony as she left the room.
After sending Mariko and Kol into the library to talk, Elijah had insisted Caroline and Niklaus join him downstairs to allow them some privacy. But their vampire ears heard all the twisted words the former lovers snarled at each other. Caroline sat at the kitchen table, gazing blankly at the brick wall, while Niklaus and Elijah tried to get her talk.
"I'm only asking you try to explain your reasoning for not telling her you had given him your blood," Elijah was saying. "She'll forgive you eventually, but you must be honest and open about everything that happened in Peru, every detail."
Nik sat across from his wife and held her cold hand in his. "Caroline," he started in a pained voice. "Why would you keep this from me all these years?"
She shook her head. "I felt so guilty," she finally said in a deadened tone.
At that moment, Rebekah flashed into the house, slamming every door she went past. Caroline rose to her feet.
"Rebekah!" she cried, flashing upstairs.
Elijah and Niklaus exchanged a glance while the two women screamed at each other.
"I would have understood if she had come to me with this, Elijah," Niklaus admitted to his older brother. "But how do I even defend her at this point?"
Elijah poured his brother a drink and sighed. "Perhaps that's not the point."
"What is?"
"Forgiveness, brother."
A few minutes passed. They heard Rebekah storm out of the house again. Caroline followed, but she went in a different direction. Eventually, Mariko's quiet footsteps entered the kitchen.
"How is he?" Elijah asked.
She shook her head. "He's going to need some time."
Elijah sighed. "I'm going to try to find Bekah."
He flashed out of the house. Mariko sat down beside Niklaus.
"Why do I feel so empty?" she asked him after a pause.
He smiled without humor. "Welcome to the art of revenge, Mariko."
An hour later, Niklaus was in his study, drinking a goblet of wine, and staring into the fire with the evening's events on continuous replay in his mind when Kol disturbed him.
He watched as Kol walked across the room, pulled a blade out of his belt, unsheathed it, and placed one of the Five daggers on the table. He stared at Niklaus defiantly.
"Did you know Katerina pulled it out?" he asked.
Niklaus rolled his eyes upward. "Are you trying to remind me of my own sins, Kol?"
"Nah, I just thought it was a fun fact. It hasn't left my side in over a hundred and fifty years, and neither has she."
"Loyalty, or co-dependence?" Niklaus joked weakly. "I'm guessing you're not here to tell me where she is?"
"I want you to stab me with this dagger, brother," Kol said steadily.
Niklaus placed his goblet of wine down very slowly and clasped his hands together as he regarded his younger brother. "Wasn't your biggest complaint to Caroline in Maryland how many years you missed?"
"Sure; when I thought there was something to miss. Today has proven to me the sometimes, the world can be too cruel even for the likes of me – and I know a thing or two about cruelty," said Kol, sliding the dagger towards his brother.
"My terms are easy," he continued, but Niklaus cut him off.
"Why don't you take the night, romp around our magnificent city, hunt, fuck, let loose. I guarantee you'll have forgotten all about Riko d'Ebanne by dawn."
"See, there's the difference between you and your wife; Caroline never underestimated my love for Mariko. She manipulated Mariko into believing I never truly loved her and was only using her for her powers, but she always knew I loved her."
"Caroline did what she had to for vengeance. I won't do it, Kol. We have a chance to be a whole family again; it can be like it was at Castell de la Vida."
"Nik, do you hear yourself? We can never go back to the way things were before. There's been too much damage," Kol shook his head in disbelief. "And I can promise you, it will be a long time before Rebekah forgives Caroline."
"But now that you've both played your part in this game, we can move past all that," Niklaus said, knowing how delusional he sounded.
"It's not a game anymore! This is my life, Nik!" Kol roared.
Niklaus said nothing. Kol paced in front of the fireplace, running his hands through his fingers. After a few moments, a thought came to him and he stopped dead.
"She knew my love for Mariko was true because she knows what it's like to be loved by me. As much as I hate your wife, I can't help loving her. I'm probably still in love with her; isn't that fucked up, Niklaus? I knew she would always pick you, though. The two of you are…. what's the word? Ah, yes. Epic."
Niklaus dug his fingernails into the arms of his chair.
"Kol," he warned.
Kol turned to face his brother, a manic gleam in his eyes, only intensified by the crackling flames behind him.
"For twenty-one years I had Caroline all to myself. She and I all alone deep in the jungle; I know you never truly believed we were only friends, and never intimate lovers. You've always been smarter than everyone else."
Niklaus dropped his fangs, rose from his seat, grabbed the goblet of wine, and threw it into the fire; the flames erupted furiously.
"That's a foul lie, Kol! She was still in love with Saladin!" he screamed into Kol's face.
"And you think I didn't warm her bed as comfort?" Kol asked calmly.
"Lies! Caroline would not keep that from me! Stop trying to rile me up!" Niklaus slammed his fist into the wall; all the paintings in the study crashed to the floor.
"Is it working?" Kol taunted. "Do you think I'd go to England for nine years and kill a bunch of old priests because my best friend asked me to?"
"Kol, get out of here!"
"No, no, I promise I'm just teasing. We were never in love; we never even made love. Fucking though? That's a different story. I'm sure it meant nothing to her, Nik."
Niklaus flashed to the table where the dagger was and picked it up.
"Oh, no, I'm kidding! Friends, only ever friends," Kol winked.
Niklaus was gripping the dagger so tightly, he thought he might snap it in half. His brother continued.
"She showed me how I will die. Did you know that?"
Nik froze. "What?"
"Her special power is showing people how they will die. The one and only time I know of that she's used it was at the Battle of Auxor. I was on the battlefield when she showed us all our deaths. Do you want to know what mine is? I've been troubled by it for nearly my entire life, and that's saying something."
"Stop lying to me, Kol," Niklaus bit out.
"I've told a couple lies tonight, but this is one of my deepest truths; up until now, only she and I knew this. Caroline d'Ebanne showed me my death in 1143 and I've never been the same since," Kol confessed, his eyes remembering.
Niklaus stumbled over to the fireplace and leaned his forearm against the mantle. "Why are you telling me this?" he whispered into the flames.
"Because I'm positive it won't occur until a long time from now, based on my surroundings. I want you to put that dagger into my heart, lay me in a box, and let me rest. I'm tired of fighting her, Nik. She's proven she'll always beat me," Kol said tiredly.
"Are you really in love with her?"
"Ah, Nik. Does it matter? She's only ever chosen you," Kol shrugged.
The older brother turned away from the fire. "That's not true; I told her I wanted her to be my last love, and she left Spain, traveled the world, fell in love with Saladin, and spent nearly seventy years mourning him. And running around with you."
Kol waved his hand dismissively. "Saladin was her first real love affair; she was young. You can't be angry if you tell a girl you'll wait for her, and then she goes off and lives her life. It doesn't work like that."
"You haven't answered my question, Kol."
"Sometimes you don't focus on the important things. My relationship with Caroline is complicated, to put it mildly. I was, for a time, infatuated with her. Perhaps in love, yes. But things changed after you and she officially became a couple. I realized how beautiful and special a pure, platonic friendship could be."
"Until you ruined it," Niklaus remarked, feeling slightly relieved.
"What can I say; I had an appetite," Kol smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "If I told you every dirty secret Caroline and I have, I'd ruin my final revenge: letting the unknown fester between you two like a sick disease. Don't forget you were the one who gave your dagger to her."
"So, whom do you feel more betrayed by: Mariko or Caroline? Or me?" hissed Niklaus.
Kol shook his head in defeat. "None of you, all of you, doesn't matter. I've given up on the world, Nik. Perhaps when I wake up, I'll have forgotten both Mariko and Caroline, the two witches of my heart."
Niklaus sighed tiredly and glared at the ceiling. His siblings would not be pleased with him.
"I've left notes for Rebekah and Elijah. They're on their beds," Kol said, as if reading his mind.
Niklaus tapped the dagger against his thigh.
"What are your terms?" he asked curtly.
"Ooh, you'll do it?"
"What are your terms," he repeated stonily.
"Fine. I want to sleep for three hundred years exactly. The only circumstances in which it will be acceptable to wake me before then are as follows: the entire family is in the gravest of danger - not our average, day-in-the-life Mikael chasing us crap, but like, end-of-life-as-we-know-it type of danger; which leads me to the second and last exception: the apocalypse. I can't sleep through that."
Niklaus walked towards his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You've really thought this through?" he asked quietly.
Kol laid his hand on Niklaus' opposite shoulder. "Just do it, brother."
His face was calm; he kept his dark eyes open as the familiar blade cut into him.
"Pacari!"
He halted but did not turn.
"What, Katerina? Make it quick; I'm leaving New Orleans," he said curtly.
She frowned at him. The stables of the inn they were staying at were not where she thought she'd see him next.
"What's going on? Kol's plan," she started.
"Kol's plan failed. It was never meant to work, anyway. He was playing me so he could get into that house. I'm leaving the city; I suggest you go back on the run now you do not have your protector."
"Was Rebekah not there?"
"Oh, she was there," he bit out bitterly. "She only wants nothing to do with me. My entire life has been a waste."
"And your sire? Klaus's wife?"
Pacari lifted himself onto the first well-fed horse he spotted.
"She's in for a rough couple of decades, I'd wager. Fare thee well, Katerina."
When Caroline finally returned, it was nearly dawn already. He had already boxed Kol up and stored him in the cellar. Rebekah and Elijah had found their letters hours beforehand. Elijah had demanded to see the body before flashing out of the house, probably to drink himself stupid. Rebekah had locked herself in her room.
His wife stepped into the study cautiously; he could smell she had been hunting. Her eyes roved over the mess he had made. "What happened? Why is Mariko feverishly working on a protection spell? Where's Kol?"
"A question coming too little, too late, I'm afraid. He handed me your dagger and asked me to re-dagger him. I had a bit of a temper tantrum when he revealed some past liaisons. Mariko is working on the protection spell I asked her to cast on Kol's coffin. Feverishly, you say? That's probably due to guilt."
Caroline's blue eyes were wide with shock. "He asked you – what? Why?"
"Why, Caroline? Really?" his voice rose in anger.
She ran her fingers through her hair, which had unraveled from its fashionable updo she had worn hours ago, when life was different, and his wife was someone he could trust. It was now an unfurled blond tangle of Medusa-esque locks. "I never meant for this feud to involve so many people around us."
He nodded at her, unable to say anything. She was impossibly beautiful in the early morning light, the flames of the fire casting shadow across her pale face. And never before had she seemed so removed and distant. Untouchable. Unknowable.
"What past liaisons?" she questioned suspiciously.
He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll figure it out."
She frowned at that but could see he was holding on by a thread. "I think it will be best if I leave New Orleans for a time. Rebekah won't even look at me. My vendetta with Kol is finished. And my country is in civil war; I should go home, make sure none of my subjects are harmed," she said calmly.
Again, he nodded, his teeth clenched together so hard it was a wonder they didn't crack. The unspoken words between them was building a tension so high, neither of them could see the other clearly.
"Will you join me? I'd understand if you wanted to stay behind," she said sadly.
He remained silent. She waited a moment and started to leave.
"Caroline?" he asked with a tremor in his voice.
She turned around and looked at him searchingly. It cut through him. He swallowed and broke eye contact.
"I'll go with you to France," he said hollowly, staring into the flames.
She nodded, hesitated for another moment, and then left the room.
A/N: Another monster of a chapter. As per usual with my flashback chapters, tons of character development (as opposed to the present-day chapters, which are plot-focused). I thought I'd post this sooner, but I got distracted with edits. I've done a pretty massive rewrite of the entire story. So much of it was written three years ago, and there were a lot of errors, inconsistencies, and plot-holes I wanted to fix. If you've been reading this for a while, the major changes I made were to the first few chapters, especially the ones in the present (1,3,5,7). I streamlined the Silas stuff, added a scene of Bekah and Klaus in Africa, gave Elijah a better storyline than "research in New Orleans," and got rid of way too much foreshadowing. I still need to make a few more tweaks to later chapters, but they are all nit-picky. Thanks for reading.
