Hey guys! I hope you are all having a good start to your week, and that you're staying safe! Here is that update I promised you! So, just quick note: I skipped some episodes again, and I will be doing that at times. I try to avoid it, but there are some episodes where I find it kind of hard for Val to be involved and not have it get in the way of her siblings safety. So, since I skipped a couple of episodes in between the two parts of this chapter, I'm currently writing up a bunch of one shots about the little Garcia's and how they interact with Mystic Falls. I'm not done yet, though, and I didn't want to deprive you guys of an update, so enjoy!
"Alright, you have your choice." Val looked up from where she was wiping down the bar, rolling her eyes as Damon drunkenly pointed to the multiple bottles in front of him. "Blood Mary, Screwdriver, or brunch in a bottle." Knocking back another shot, he then tipped the bottle of mimosa up to his mouth, downing at least half of it. He stumbled slightly and turned to Rick, who was grading papers next to him. "Hey, come on, I can't drink all of this by myself!" He stopped, smirking, "I mean, I can, but that means someone's getting naked."
"Shhh!" Val shushed him violently, whipping her rag at his arm. But the two little ones seated by Rick at the bar weren't deaf, and they both looked up, one from his homework, the other from her drawing.
"Why, are you taking a bath?" Hector asked, and Val fixed Damon with a glare before turning back to her brother.
"Yeah, buddy, he is."
"Yeah, I love taking baths. Especially with other people, like your sister." Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she snorted.
"Not even in your dreams, cupcake." She shot down, then looked over at her siblings. "What are we drawing today, Ally?"
The toddler turned the picture around, proudly showing her older sister a messy blob of yellow, orange, pink, and red. Val smiled, nodding. "Well, that's awesome, baby. Is that going on the board?"
"Of course, Tina!" The little girl exclaimed in a duh voice, and the three adults smiled at her tone. The huntress had to set up a cork board in her kitchen after the fridge ran out of room for Ally's drawings, and she didn't want the little one to think her drawings weren't good enough to be displayed.
"Ugh, I can't believe you're making me drink alone!" Damon whined, and Rick scowled at him, gesturing to his paperwork.
"I'm working!"
"It's the eve of Klausegedon, and you're doing homework?"
"You know, this may come as a shock, but I'm not here to hang out with you. I'm here to help Val, and to speak to Jeremy, who is an hour late for his shift." He turned to Val. "You haven't seen him around?"
"Don't look at me," she deflected, holding up her hands, "I haven't been here in almost a week."
"Kids today," Damon slurred, "where are their values?" He looked over at Hector and Ally. "Except you two, munchkins, you guys are the rock stars."
Both of her baby siblings looked delighted at the compliment as Rick showed the other two adults the cover page of an essay, stamped with a big red F.
"That's his midterm paper," he explained, "copied it right off the internet, and didn't try to hide it."
Val looked over to see Jessie, one of the waitresses, grabbing some bears and turned to her. "Hey, Jessie, have you seen Jeremy lately?"
"Oh, he was fired last week." The blonde responded, "Did no one tell you?"
Val looked back over at Rick, eyes wide, as Hector and Ally giggled.
"Jemmy's in twouble." Ally sang, and Val turned her stern glare to the two little ones, who's giggling died at the look on her face.
"You, do your homework, and you, draw me more pictures." She told them firmly, pointing to each with her instructions before moving to grab some more bottles.
Rick was halfway through telling the two kids a lame joke, sending them into another round of hysterical giggles, when Val saw him.
Klaus.
Her blood ran like ice, and she turned to her friend. "Rick."
At her tone, Rick looked up, and noticed the hybrid. He turned back to the children, grabbing their backpacks. "Hey, we should get over to the house so you guys can help me with dinner, yeah?" He told them as he and Val loaded their papers and books into the bags, her fingers trembling slightly as she saw the hybrid approaching.
"I'll see you at home, ok? Give me kisses." She told the, forcing her tone to a light, cheerful one and smiling slightly as she leaned over the counter, puckering her lips. The two kids took turns kissing their sister goodbye, and then Rick took their hands, leading them outside.
"You're a little young to have children, aren't you love?" Klaus's voice made her heart race, but not out of fear. She turned to glower at him as he and his friend sat at the bar.
"I don't think that's any of your business, is it?" She snarled quietly. The Original pulled his head back, putting up his hands.
"Well now, I'm just making conversation." He defended innocently, and Val rolled her eyes, bracing her hands on the bar.
"What can I get you?"
"Scotch, neat." He responded, and she turned to grab it, cursing herself for wearing such tight jeans as she bent over to retrieve it from underneath the bar. "Tony, would you take a walk for me?" He suddenly asked his minion, and the man nodded, walking off without so much as a second glance. Once he was gone, Klaus turned back to her. "So, I'm curious, love," he started as she retrieved a glass, "what's your master plan now that you're down a white oak stake, hm?"
"Well," she tilted her head as if she was concentrating extremely hard, "I'll admit, the thought of strapping you down, chopping your dick off, and forcing it down your throat definitely makes me excited."
"So, the thought of strapping me down excites you, does it?" He asked, and she looked back up at him in shock and disgust to see him smirking at her. Her face grew stormy, and she finished pouring his drink, slamming it in front of him.
"Scotch, neat. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other customers to attend to." She growled lowly, and he watched her, still smirking as he raised the glass to his lips. But as soon as the liquid entered his mouth, he choked, spitting it out and coughing violently. Several patrons looked over in surprise, but Val merely picked up the glass and swirled it in her hand as he regained his breath.
"Oh yeah, that's right, I tend to spike the drinks with vervain and wolfsbane occasionally." She told him, watching as he raised his head to glare at her. "Sorry, did I forget to mention that?" Her tone was innocent, but her face dropped into a smirk as she started wiping off the bar with a cloth.
Luckily, the hybrid didn't stay long, and her shift only lasted another hour after that. As she was cleaning up, she sent a text to Elena, checking in on the kids. But as she was pulling up to the house, the lack of response from the girl and the blood on the road told her everything she needed to know.
Heat pounding, she jumped from the car and bolted into the house, the worst possible scenario's flashing through her mind and making her feel sick. Practically body slamming the door open, she ran into the living room to see Rick, bloodied and battered, lying still on the couch, with Elena, Damon, and Jeremy around him.
"What the hell happened?" She demanded, rounding the couch to kneel by Rick's face.
"It was Klaus, he compelled Jeremy to stand in front of car, but Rick pushed him out of the way." Elena began explaining, and Val felt relief flood her system upon grabbing his hand and seeing his ring. Turning back to the teen and Damon, they both nodded. "A hybrid was driving, so he'll come back."
"Hector and Ally-"
"They're ok," Elena reassured, "they're up in my room, watching a movie on my laptop."
Val pressed her lips together, running a hand through her hair. "Dios mio." She muttered quietly, then turned to see the teen sitting on the ground, leaned up against the doorway of the living room. But her eyes flew immediately to his wrist, noting how bare it was.
"Jeremy, where's your bracelet?"
The teen reached for his wrist, running his fingers over it in confusion. "I don't know…"
"It was Tyler." Elena spoke up, "It had to have been. That's why he's been hanging out with you, to get you off the vervain."
"Klaus is trying to send us a message." Damon stated grimly. "He wants us to find Stefan, who stole coffins full of his dead family members."
Val stared at the vampire, eyebrows nearly at her hairline. "I'm sorry, what?"
Damon grimaced and nodded, and the huntress rubbed her temples. This shit just never stopped, did it?
"So, we just find four coffins, and voila, no one else on your families Christmas list needs to die." Damon continued, and Jeremy scoffed in disbelief, jumping to his feet.
"Wait, so that's your big plan? Get these coffins so Klaus doesn't kill me and everyone we know?"
"Look, Jer, I don't think anyone's trying to rain on your parade here, but if you've got a better plan, we're all ears." Val cut the teen off, and he nodded furiously.
"Yeah, I do, let's just pack our bags and get the hell out of here!"
"Jeremy, calm down-"
"No, I'm not going to calm down, Elena! This happens every time, ok? You get on my case about school and work, who cares?! None of us are going to make it out of this town alive." Grabbing his jacket, the boy stormed upstairs.
"He said he wants his family back." Elena broke through the heavy silence, her tone thoughtful, and both adults turned back to her with wide eyes.
"No. I know what you're thinking, and no." Damon shot down, and Elena shook her head.
"Look, if we give him Rebekah-"
"Then he undaggers her and the first thing she does is kill you! Frying pan, fire. Not an option."
"I agree, we need a better plan, Lena." Val told the girl, crossing her arms. "We've got to be careful, we have to outsmart him."
"Wait," Elena interrupted, eyes going wide, "four coffins…Bonnie's dream!"
Damon and Elena both left to go to the abandoned mansion, and Val stayed behind with Rick, Jeremy, and the kids. Knowing the teen would need a few more minutes to cool down, she knocked softly on the door to Elena's room and pushed it open.
Hector was laying on the bed, curled up next to Ally. Both were covered in a thin, purple blanket, and snoring softly. She could hear the sound of the ending credits for Mulan, and she softly closed the laptop, tucking the blanket back over them and gently kissing both their heads before slipping out of the room.
Jeremy's door was shut, and it was completely silent on the other side, meaning he was probably listening to music. Downstairs, she grabbed some hydrogen peroxide and some cotton pads and sat down on the coffee table in front of Rick's unconscious form.
"Alright, Rick," she muttered, "let's get you cleaned up."
She carefully cleaned all of the cuts and scrapes, realizing the ring probably didn't protect from infections. She started on his legs and slowly worked her way up, barely finishing the last laceration on his chest when he suddenly gasped, shooting up on the couch.
"Woah, Rick, it's ok!" Val grabbed his shoulders as gently as she could, keeping him from accidentally rolling off the couch. "It's ok, you're ok, man."
"How long have I been out?" He groaned, looking around. She glanced over her shoulder, checking the clock on the wall.
"About two hours, give or take. How do you feel?"
Rick chuckled dryly, slowly pulling himself to his feet. "Like I got hit by a truck."
The front door swung open, and Elena walked in, eyes lighting up in relief at the sight of Rick's standing form.
"Rick, hey, when did you return to the land of the living?" She asked as the man rounded the couch slowly, Val following him with narrowed eyes. Why was he still acting injured?
"Just now, how's Jeremy?"
"Hating me, hating life, hating the fact we can't have a family dinner without somebody dying before desert- are you ok?" Both women stepped towards Rick, who seemed to only groan louder in pain, clutching his stomach.
"Rick, hey, tell me what's wrong." Val tried, but before she even finished her sentence, he coughed violently, and she watched in shock as blood splattered from his mouth. "Shit!" She grabbed onto him as he collapsed onto the ground, his body going slack. "Call 911!"
The paramedics arrived not too long after that, and Val looked up from where she was sitting next to Rick, trying to wake him up as Elena answered the door.
"He got hit by a car and he's coughing up blood." The teen stumbled out, voice shaking. Val moved to the side as they knelt beside him.
"I think it may be internal bleeding." She explained, watching as the paramedics started to take vitals.
"You're right, looks like an internal hemorrhage. Let's get him to the hospital." Both paramedics started to prepare him for transport, but a male voice interrupted them.
"Let's not and say we did."
Both girls looked over to see a man, brown hair, standing in the doorway. He gestured with his head and spoke in casual tone, "Why don't you just meet us at the hospital?"
To Val's horror, both paramedics stood up and walked out, not even looking back. "Wait, wait!" Elena cried desperately, "You have to help him, please!" But neither of them looked at her, simply walking out the door and back over to the ambulance.
"Who the hell are you?" Val snarled, and the man smirked.
"You can still save his life." He told them, then wigged his hand, his sleeve dropping to expose his wrist, and showed it to them. "Take my blood. But, oh, that's right." He tutted. "I can't come into your house."
"What do you want?"
"Klaus wanted his family; and you didn't deliver." The hybrid shot back. A loud, violent coughing caught their attention, and they all turned to see Rick, hacking up more blood. Elena ran back to his side as Val stood just inside the doorway, blocking the hybrid's view and entrance.
"He's gonna die." The hybrid stated matter-of-factly, as the ambulance drove off. "Unless, of course, you invite me in."
Val opened her mouth to challenge him, provoke him, maybe goad him into a fight to get his blood, but before any sound could come out, a loud thwack! sounded, and the hybrid shouted in pain, face screwing up in agony, before he dropped, an arrow sticking out of his back.
"What- Jeremy?"
The teen started jogging up the steps, and the huntress realized that the hybrid wasn't actually dead. Turning on her heel, she darted into the kitchen, shuffling through drawers until she found what she was looking for.
Butchers knife.
Running back, she kneeled over the body. "Look away." She instructed the teens, raising the knife up high and bringing it down as hard as she could.
The head thumped loudly down the steps, leaving a long trail of blood. Val stood, still holding the knife, and turned to the teens. They were both watching with wide eyes, and she nodded at the body.
"You two, get Rick to the hospital. I'll get rid of the body; Elena, go make sure that the kids are still asleep."
Trembling, the brunette nodded, but ran up the stairs. Jeremy was still watching the body, his expression…blank. No, not blank. Just not readable.
"Jeremy." She grabbed his shoulder, and he looked up at her, meeting her eyes with a startled gaze. "Look, I had to do it, ok? I couldn't let you do that." She took a deep breath, then shook her head. "I couldn't let you do that."
"Tina, what are we doing?"
Val looked down at Hector, who was holding onto her hand and rubbing his sleepy eyes. They had just walked through the front door of the boarding house; she was meeting Rick and Damon here to talk about what had happened that day, including compelling Jeremy to leave town. She was holding a snoozing Ally on her hip, and pulling Hector along with her. While it probably would have been smarter to leave them with Elena and Jeremy, she couldn't. Elena had told her about Klaus's threat, and thought the Original hadn't directly named her siblings, she was terrified to let them out of her sight.
"I just have to talk to Rick and Damon, ok, mijo? Here," she lead them over to the couch, laying Ally down softly. "Can you sit here and be good for me? I'll be quick, ok, I promise."
Hector nodded, pulling his picture book out of his bag. She gave him a firm, loving kiss on the head and walked into the library, taking comfort in the fact that Stefan was occupied with Bonnie and wouldn't be coming by.
She greeted the other two men softly, coming to stand by them. They were both drinking glasses of whiskey, and she wrinkled her nose. Maybe it was the stress, but the smell was so potent right then, and gave her a headache. "So, Jeremy's leaving?"
Rick nodded solemnly, not tearing his eyes away from the fireplace. "He's going to Denver. He'll have friends, school. Party, get drunk off two beers, live a normal life."
Val nodded, not saying anything. Damon turned to look at her, eyes watching her carefully.
"You know, we won't compel Hector and Ally, but we could help you get them back to Liza and Gil, if that's what you want."
She shook her head, feeling her throat start to close up. "No." She said softly, "No, I can't."
"Val," Rick started, but she shook her head again.
"No, Rick. I- I can't send them away. I can protect them, I will protect them."
"Ok," he told her softly, setting his whiskey glass down and moving to stand next to her, Damon also watching her with a regretful gaze. "Hey, it's ok, Val, we'll protect them, too."
She nodded, still watching the fire, her chin beginning to tremble. His hand came on her shoulder, and she sniffled, blinking her tears away. After several seconds, she turned to her friends, eyes brimming with regret.
"You told me the other day that I'm a lot of things, but I'm not selfish." She shook her head, biting her lip, feeling a fat tear roll down her face. "But I am. You were wrong, I am."
"No, Val, you're not-"
"Yes, yes I am." She denied, her voice cracking, the tears growing stronger and forcing their way out of her eyes. "I am so fucking selfish. Because," she looked down, taking a shaky breath before looking back up at them. "Because I know that they're not safe here, that this won't be a good life for them, and I still can't do it." She sniffled, shaking her head. "I can't send them away, you guys, they're all I have, I can't do it…"
Her best friend grabbed her around the shoulders, pulling her into a hug as she cried softly, Damon watching with a defeated gaze.
"Why you cwying, Tina?"
All three adults looked over in surprise to see Hector and Ally standing in the doorway, watching their sister, looking confused and a little scared. Ally stepped forward, her own large, brown eyes starting to grow shiny. "Are you hurt?"
Val shook her head, dropping into a crouch and beckoning them forward. Both children ran forward, wrapping their arms around her as she fought to gain control of her emotions. "No, baby, I'm ok." She reassured them softly, "I'm just really tired, ok? I'm alright."
Hector watched his big sister, biting his lip. He hated watching her cry, it made him sad. She hardly ever cried. Looking around, he suddenly remembered his drawing, the one he made in Elena's room, earlier. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to his sister. She took it, still sniffling, and thanked him softly.
"What's this?" Val asked him, unfolding it.
"I drew it for you; it's our family." He answered proudly.
As she flattened it out on her knee, she saw that it was. She was in the middle, with two little figures on either side of her, big smiles on all of them. There was a red building behind them, which she recognized as their apartment building. But there was something she didn't recognize; a big red square behind her.
"I love it, baby." She reassured him, and pointed to the square. "What's this?"
"A cape." He answered simply. "Since you always protect us."
A fresh new wave of tears nearly caught her off guard, but she forced them down, and pulled them both into a tighter hug. Taking a shaky breath, she buried her face into his hair.
"I love it, mijo. I love it."
BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
"So, remind me why we're going to see Elijah, of all people?"
The sun warmed the shoulders of her leather jacket as she and Damon trapezed through the wilderness, the dried brush and leaves crunching under their feet. Upon waking up and dropping the kids off at school and daycare, she'd responded to an urgent text from Damon asking her to meet him by the old dirt road. It was her day off, and as much as she would rather spend it grocery shopping and taking a nap, she knew that an evil hybrid out to kill you was not exactly something you could just ignore and pray it blew over.
"Because Klaus betrayed him, he's got to want some type of revenge."
"Yeah, and he betrayed us, in case you've forgotten." She reminded him, "I trust him about as far as I can throw him."
"You trust everyone about as far as you can throw them." Damon corrected with a role of his eyes, and Val shrugged.
"Hey, it's called being smart." She argued back, but Damon's ringing phone cut her off.
"Hello?"
Val couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but when she saw Damon's face go from casual, to shocked, to his famous smirk, she knew she was in for a treat.
"Elena's fingerprints are at the scene of a murder." He explained casually, and Val's eyes went so wide, it was almost comical.
"What?!"
"Relax, they're not arresting her. But we think it might be Rick's sexy new doctor friend." He turned back to his phone and put it on speaker. "Alright, Val's here. So, you're the prime suspect, huh?"
"The sheriff doesn't think I did it, she's just trying to figure out why a murderer would use one of my family weapons to kill a council member."
"Well, why don't you just ask Rick if his dirty little doctor had access to the weapons?" Damon asked sarcastically, and Val punched him harshly in the arm, giving him a glare as Alaric's voice came on.
"You're on speaker phone, dick!"
"Sorry, Rick; Hector and Alex are easier to control than him." Val snorted, brushing off Damon's mock-offensive expression. He waved her off, then turned back to his phone.
"I'm just saying, first suspect is usually the right one, don't get so defensive."
"Brian Walters was killed days ago, I didn't show Meredith this stuff until last night."
"It wasn't Meredith." Val heard Elena chime in, and Damon shook his head.
"But Brian Walters is her ex-boyfriend, and Rick saw them fighting."
"It's not Meredith!" Elena stressed again, then paused before she muttered, "I refuse to believe your luck with women is that tragic."
Val snorted, muttering, "Amen to that, sis." Before Damon spoke up again.
"Who else knows about your secret little slayer stash?"
"Well, there's Val."
Damon raised his eyebrows at her, and she gaped at the phone. "Wow!"
"No, I didn't mean it like that, Val! I just mean; who doesn't? Both of us have weapons everywhere. School, the loft, my car, her car, your car…"
"It's Klaus. It has to be, he's screwing with us." Damon told them firmly, but Val shook her head.
"I don't know about that, Damon. I mean, this isn't exactly his style. All of the Originals prefer flare, attention, an audience, especially Klaus."
"What if it was Stefan?" Elena's suggestion nearly stopped the pair in their tracks, but she continued. "He was crazy that night, you know? He was trying to get under Klaus's skin, he was capable of pretty much anything."
"Ah, it makes me nostalgic for the time that Stefan was a bunny snacking pacifist." Val didn't respond to Damon's sarcasm, as her eyes were now trained on the figure standing about ten feet away. Elijah stood tall, watching them approach with cautious eyes, and as usual, clad in a suit. Well, watching her, mostly. And as usual, his stare was creepy, and unnerving. "Look, we've got to go, talk to you later."
"Where are you guys?"
"Having tea with an old friend." Was all he told them before ending the call. The crucifix gleamed in the sunlight, and Val resisted the urge to reach up and hold it; it was reflex whenever she felt unsafe.
"Elijah." Damon greeted casually, "My favorite Original. You clean up nice."
"You left me something." Elijah halted the other vampire's half-assed compliments, reaching into his suit jacket and pulling out a piece of paper.
"Oh, yeah. 'Dear Elijah, let's get together, plot the destruction of your brother. XOXO…'"
"…Damon." Elijah finished, slipping the note back into his suit.
"Was I right to undagger you, or are we going to have a problem?" Damon asked bluntly. Elijah's eyes flickered to Val, who was watching the exchange with her arms folded, hip cocked, and all the attitude in the world. Looking away from her, he smiled politely at Damon.
"I'm here. Let's talk."
"Let's start with an easy question. Do you have any idea what kind of Klaus-killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"
"I honestly don't know." The Original told them, shaking his head. "But my younger brother never leaves anything to chance, so whoever it is, they must be powerful." He paused, looking like he was thinking it over. "However, I think I have a plan."
"Like, an actual plan, or one that you'll follow up until the hard part and jump ship, leaving us to clean up the mess?" Val's voice was downright venomous, and even though it was an incredibly stupid thing to say, she couldn't stop it. All she could think about was that first time, when they had been so close to killing Klaus, after Jenna had been brutally murdered, and because of his betrayal, it had all been for nothing.
Elijah turned to her, looking shocked and a little…impressed? No, that wasn't it. But before he could speak, Damon cut them both off.
"Woah, gremlin, take it easy." He told her, "He's on our side, don't worry."
It took everything in her not to role her eyes, but she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. Maybe she was petulant, but she didn't particularly care. She didn't trust him, and that wouldn't be changing anytime soon.
"My idea," Elijah continued, his eyes lingering on her for a second before going back to Damon, "involves you and your brother coming to dinner tonight with myself and Niklaus. I have a chance to free my family members from their confines, and I will not pass up the opportunity."
"And why do you need us?"
"Niklaus is paranoid, it's what's kept him ahead all these years. But there is no more forgiveness. He killed our mother."
The mood dampened visibly, and there was a beat of silence before he continued. "This is a family matter, but we'll need to keep him distracted. If I just walk right back in, he'll do whatever he can to keep me away from the coffins. Tonight, seven sharp, I'll need you to arrive under the guise of wanting a truce. Then, you," he turned to Val, "and you will help me wake my family."
"Woah, what? Why me?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Elijah shrugged.
"Call it tradition. Whenever things start to go south for my family, a Rodriguez is always there."
There was more to it than that, and it was painfully obvious. But Val wasn't stupid, and neither was Damon; if Elijah didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to.
"Fine. We'll be there." Damon answered for the both of them, and Elijah nodded.
"Wonderful." His eyes trained on her. "Wear something nice."
And then he was gone.
The pair sat in silence for a beat, and then Val turned to Damon.
"I don't like him."
"Ok, guys," Val called from her room, "the babysitter's going to be here any second, are you ready? Teeth brushed? Hair combed?"
"Tina, I need help!" Ally's little voice called from down the hall, followed by loud, toddler footsteps, rushing towards her door. She saw her little sisters face come into view in the mirror of her vanity, and she gasped.
"Tina! You look so pretty!"
The eldest Garcia child turned around to smile at her youngest sibling. She'd gone simple that night; a little black dress with a teasing neckline that showed just the tops of her breasts, her crucifix dangling between them. Her favorite heels; strappy peep-toes with a thin enough heel it made her calves look nice but still thick enough she wasn't terrified of falling and breaking her neck, were sitting a few feet away. She'd put in two set of simple gold studs for the two sets of piercings on her earlobes and a thin gold ring for the cartilage of her right ear. Her eye makeup was smokey, with her regular nude lipstick.
Overall, she looked pretty decent.
"Are you going on a date?" Hector asked, and she snapped out of her critique of herself to realize he'd joined his sister. She shook her head.
"Nope, just a meet up with some…friends." She told them cryptically. Standing, she grabbed her heels off the floor, and nodded to Ally's messy hair. "Now, I know for a fact that is not brushed hair, sweetness. Come on."
Leading the kids into their bathroom, she grabbed the comb and started getting it wet as Hector hopped up onto the counter, watching his sisters.
"Tina, how come you never go on dates?"
His question made her pause, and she turned to him as she started running the comb through the ratted strands on Ally's head. "Well, I don't really want to, bud. Why?"
He shrugged, swinging his little feet. "I dunno. You're just so pretty, I feel like lots of guys should be asking you on dates."
She couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head. "Oh, mijo, it's not that simple. Besides, I don't need a boyfriend, I've got you guys."
Both children were silent, and in her concentration of untangling a particularly harsh knot, she didn't see the doubtful looks they shot one another through the mirror.
Val tried her best to slow her pounding heart as she and the Salvatore's approached the mansion's entrance. Klaus had, of course, spared no expense on his home, and even she had to admit it was glorious. But it was almost too big, she couldn't imagine cleaning the damn thing.
"Alright, so we're clear on the plan?" Damon whispered, and neither she nor Stefan said anything, simply nodding. They didn't want to talk too much, seeing as Klaus and Elijah could probably hear them. The eldest brother looked over to Val, who was fiddling with her necklace. "Val? You good?"
"Let's just get this over with."
They'd only waited three seconds after knocking before it swung open, revealing Elijah. He looked like he always did, dressed in a suit.
"Niklaus, our guests have arrived!" He called over his shoulder, then stepped aside. They filed in, herself bringing up the rear and avoiding Elijah's gaze as she walked inside, eyes sweeping over the architecture and seeing a large, circular table, surrounded by five chairs and set with some seriously expensive-looking plates, cutlery, and goblets. Standing in the background by a crackling fireplace stood three young women, not much older than her, dressed in identical gold and black dresses. An ornate chandelier hung above the table, and Klaus stood off to the side, smiling wickedly.
"Damon, Stefan," his eyes fell on hers, "Valentina. Elijah tells me you seek an audience; how bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men and women, shall we?"
"It's better to indulge him," Elijah muttered, and Val nearly flinched at how close his mouth was to her ear, but she held back.
"Is it?" She couldn't stop herself from muttering under her breath, but she knew they had all heard her.
"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus," Stefan started, walking down the steps, "in fact, I didn't come here at all. But I was told I had to, cause you would hear us out."
Klaus hmm'd, smiling, then spoke, face tight. "Well, we can sit and eat," one of the women stepped forward, pulling out a chair and allowing the hybrid to sit, "or I can reach down your throats and tear out your insides. The choice is yours."
The trio all exchanged glances, and Val's jaw tensed.
This is going to be a very long night.
Once a pair of servants had appeared and taken their coats, they were all seated at the table, steaming hot dishes placed in front of them with some insanely fancy plates and glasses. The huntress sipped her water and ate slowly, her stomach turning too much to stomach any of the food, (which was a shame, because it looked delicious). As she ate, one of the servants walked around, filling the other's goblets with either wine or blood, she wasn't really sure. Her question was answered when he approached her and tilted the bottle towards her goblet, but she held up a hand, stopping him.
"I'm fine with water, thank you." She told him softly and smiled politely as he nodded and walked away.
"Not much of a wine drinker, are you, love?" Klaus asked, and she shook her head, civil expression dropping.
"Not much of a drinker, period." She told him, taking a small bite of salad, and he and his brother raised their eyebrows in surprise.
"Well now, look at you. Doesn't drink, can't be compelled…" he trailed off, smirking, "It would be very hard to get you to divulge your secrets, wouldn't it?"
"Well, I have no troubles telling them to someone I'm killing," she told him matter-of-factly, smiling innocently at the two. "So, we could try that route."
This only seemed to amuse Klaus further, and Elijah was watching her with a small smile on his face, which she did her best to ignore.
"Have you lost your appetite?" The hybrid's attention turned to Stefan, who hadn't even touched his plate, a stormy look on his face.
"Eat." Damon instructed his younger brother, an underlying tone of don't-fucking-do-this-right-now in his voice. "I thought we agreed to leave the grumpy Stefan at home."
His younger brother glared at him, but then smiled tightly, grabbing the fork and knife and beginning to take some forced bites.
"That's the spirit." Klaus encouraged, "Isn't this nice? The five of us dining together?" He turned to Damon. "Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger out of my brother?"
"Well, I know what he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon responded with a sarcastic smile, shooting a wink to Elijah.
"Oh, Elijah and I have had our fair share of quarrels over the years, but we always make it through."
"Kinda like you and Rebekah, right?" Stefan asked obnoxiously, and Val's foot shot out, slamming into his shin. He glared at her, but she only narrowed her eyes back over her glass as she sipped some more water. "Where is she, by the way? Last I checked she was still daggered cause you were too afraid to face her."
"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother," Klaus answered, not even looking the least bit put out, "I've already come clean to Elijah."
"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad?" Damon jumped in, "Might want to dial down the judgement till dessert."
"What, you want me to kiss his ass for seven courses?"
"I'm saying we've got a long evening ahead of us, so pace yourself." His older brother answered, taking a large swig of brandy, and Val suppressed a groan. Why the hell had she agreed to this again?
They all ate in silence for the remainder of the meal, and she sent several prayers of gratitude up above that neither of the Originals attempted to start a conversation again, especially with her. Though, she could tell by their occasional glances her way that they were thinking about it.
Finally, as they were finishing the main course, Elijah spoke up. "So, Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"
"Oh, boy…" she muttered under her breath, and the youngest Salvatore shrugged.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Damon?"
Klaus burst into laughter, and the huntress actually found herself clutching the table so she wouldn't fly across the table and stab him with the shiny silver knife right in front of her left hand. His older brother looked around, clearly confused at everyone's reactions.
"Oh, I'm sorry, you missed so much." Klaus gestured to the brothers, "Trouble in paradise."
"One more word about Elena, and this dinner is over." Stefan told them with a note of finality in his voice, and it was clearly a warning.
"You know what, let's leave Elena in the 'do not discuss' pile." Damon suggested, and Val nodded. Last thing she needed was to try to break up the brothers again, it always ended bloody.
"It's just that, the allure of the Petrova doppelganger," Klaus continued, and this time, she couldn't keep her eyeroll down. "It's still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?" Elijah chuckled, but he almost sounded nervous as he set his napkin down on the table. Val leaned forward, actually wanting to hear the story. She definitely wasn't getting out of this dinner anytime soon, not until Bonnie and her mother had unlocked the coffin. Might as well do some recon in the meantime.
"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I'd think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line." Klaus defended, tone sleek, then turned to Val. "I'm afraid your ancestors aren't in this part of the story, love, but don't worry. I'm sure Mikael told you everything you needed to know."
"Just about." She agreed, raising her water glass to the Original brothers with a small smile as she brought it to her lips.
"Well, we're not going anywhere, Elijah," Damon spoke up, clearly trying to help his friend get out from the spotlight, "please, do tell."
The older brother paused, leaning back in his seat thoughtfully, before he began. "When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty; every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd already had a child by another man, and none loved her more than Niklaus."
Klaus tilted his head back, sighing in mock thought. "Oh, I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much."
The three friends all stared at the two in shock, and Val spoke first. "Wait, you're kidding. You were fighting over her?"
"Our mother was a very powerful witch," Elijah explained, expression thoughtful, "she sought to end the feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed that night when our mother turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two us, so for a time, Niklaus and I…" he paused, either searching for the right words or trying to figure out if it was a good thing to talk about with their enemies, "…grew estranged. Harsh words were exchanged, we even came to blows. Didn't we, brother?"
Klaus was sitting back in his chair, almost completely done with another glass of wine, face dark as his brother told the story. When Elijah turned to him, he looked up, smirking.
"But in the end," he continued for his brother, "we realized the sacred bond of family."
"Family above all." Elijah agreed, and the two clinked their glasses together. But Val didn't need to be a vampire to read the tension in the room. Resolved, my ass.
The women had stepped forward, beginning to clear their plates, when Damon's phone chimed. He pulled it out, looking up to Val from the screen, and nodded subtly. She gave no acknowledgement, but looked over to the Originals.
"Excuse me, I need to use your restroom." She told them with forced politeness, and Klaus nodded, gesturing with his hand.
"Down the hall, third door on your right, lovely."
Standing, she walked calmly towards the turning point to the hallway, the silence in the room nearly deafening. She didn't need to look back to know they were all staring at her, watching her leave and waiting for her to be out of earshot. She walked down to the bathroom, realizing in gratitude that it was far enough away that she would mostly out of earshot. Still, she opened the door, ensuring it was as loud as possible, and slipped her heels off before shutting the door again.
She tapped into herself, into the hunting blood in her veins, as she slipped gracefully down the halls, movements all but silent.
Down the hall, two right turns, up the small staircase, one left turn, down the other small staircase…
When she got about halfway there, the instructions didn't mean anything anymore. Something pulled at her; it wasn't the compass in her head, and her crucifix wasn't burning her. It was like she just knew where the coffins were, like she was hardwired to find them. Was it Mikael's blood in her system?
Finally, she came upon them. In a large room, three coffins sat. They were nice, sure, but who the hell cared about having a nice coffin? Setting her heels down quietly in the corner, she slipped over to the first one and popped it open as stealthily as she could.
Inside was a man; she'd never seen him before, but he looked like Klaus and Rebekah, with shoulder length hair and older, more medieval clothing. She reached for the dagger in his chest, and wrapped her hand around it. Taking a deep breath, she pulled, yanking it from his heart.
Her crucifix burned, and her eyes watered, but she ignored it. She had a mission to complete, and she wasn't willing to risk taking it off. The burning started to die down, and she grabbed a blood bag from the stack in the corner, placing it on his chest.
Next was Rebekah; she hurried with that one. Elijah had told her it would take a moment for them all to come to, but she wasn't going to risk it. She pulled out another knife, biting her lip to keep from groaning at the burning in her family heirloom as yet another Original was resurrected.
Lastly was a boy that looked an awful lot like Elijah and Mikael. Even in 'death', he looked like he was smirking, and was dressed in period clothes from somewhere around the early 1900's, maybe? Shaking her head, she yanked the dagger out, biting her lip as the burning started for the last time. She was lucky it didn't burn through her dress, now that would have been hard to explain to Klaus.
She had just deposited the blood bag on his chest when Elijah and Damon entered, eyes serious.
"You got them all?" Damon asked her, and she held up the daggers.
"Elijah, you got yourself a family reunion."
"Alright," the Original nodded, looking around at his siblings with an eagerness that was well-masked. "Let's get back to my brother, then, before he gets-"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence; a hand circled around Val's arm and tried to yank her into the casket she was standing next to. She gasped, barely able to keep from crying out in surprise, and struggled to pull herself away. Damon and Elijah were there in an instant, wrestling her from the hold, and once she was free she turned around to see it was the last Original she'd undaggered. His skin was still gray, but his hand was slowly coming back to life.
"They smell you." Elijah warned, "You and Damon start back, I'll join you shortly once I've explained everything to them."
She snatched up her shoes, following her friend out of the room. Before leaving, though, she looked back, watching as the last of the veins faded from the Originals faces, and their eyes opened.
Halfway back, she put her heels on, allowing the loud clacking to signify their arrival. Just as they were entering, Elijah was at their side almost instantaneously, giving the illusion he'd been with them the entire time. They walked in to see one of the girls on the floor, either dead or unconscious. Val raised her glare towards Klaus, who was wiping blood off his mouth.
"Alright, Klaus." Damon said firmly, stopping in front of the hybrid. "It's time for you to put something on the table. We've made our offer, now you counter."
Klaus smirked at the brothers, eyes flickering towards Val, who was standing on Damon's other side with her arms crossed. Nodding, he walked towards his chair, where Elijah stood behind it, and sat down.
"Ok…I offer Elena's future happiness. You see, what she needs right now is to be rid of you two." He motioned between the brothers. "She needs to settle down, marry a human; maybe that nice football player, you know, the blond one."
"Matt Donovan? Really?"
"Yeah, why not? They'll marry, live a long and fruitful life, and pop out a perfect family."
"And continue the Petrova bloodline, right?" Val interrupted, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, every few hundred years, you'll have a new doppelganger to drain and never run out of hybrids, right Klaus?"
"Consider it a small return on my investment in her eternal well-being." Klaus countered, still looking confident. "See, after you hand me back the coffin, I'll ensure her safety for the rest of her natural life. You know it's what's best for her." Standing, he stepped around the table, stopping in front of the fireplace. "So, Stefan," he stuck his hand out, "do we have a deal?"
To Val's shock, the youngest Salvatore actually stepped towards Klaus, hand outstretched. She and Damon looked at each other, as if to see if the other knew what was going on, but they were both equally horrified. Stepping in front of the hybrid, he took his hand, looked him in the eye, and spoke in a low, confident tone.
"Nice try, Klaus. But no deal."
It only took one second for Klaus's smirk to drop into an expression of fury, and he grabbed Stefan's arm with his other hand, twisting the appendage violently. A loud snap emitted from his arm, and Klaus dragged him to his knees, promptly shoving his hand into the flames.
Both she and Damon rushed forward, but then the air was whipping around her and her back met a solid chest, with an arm clad in a suit jacket around her neck. Elijah had her back pressed against him with little access to her jacket, which held all her weapons, and she could tell by the shifting and Damon's grunts he probably also had him trapped against the wall.
"Now, go get my coffin, or I'll burn him alive." Klaus threatened darkly. There was a shuffling, and her body jostled as Elijah let Damon go, and loosened his grip on her just enough for her to wrench herself out of his hold. Damon reached his hand out, beckoning her towards him, and she obliged, feeling his hand come between her shoulder blades as he led her down the hall.
She heard Klaus say something about Elijah following them and being reunited with their family, and then the Original was in front of them, stopping them from moving.
"What the hell?" She whisper-yelled, but he pressed a finger to his lips, pointing behind him and gesturing with his head for them to follow him. She turned to Damon to try and ask him, but he shrugged, following the Original and holding up a hand, indicating she stay there.
It took only minutes until they returned, Elijah looking darkly excited, and Damon looking just plain nervous, which was rare for him. Taking her arm gently, her friend led her into the room, nodding at her questioning glance.
It was happening.
"Elijah," Klaus looked over to his brother in confusion, "why haven't you left?"
"Well, where are your manners, brother? You forgot dessert." The elder Original reached over and whipped a clean rag off a glistening silver serving tray, revealing two ancient daggers.
Klaus's face dropped, and it looked like all blood had physically drained from it and his neck as he took several steps back, almost trembling. "What have you done?"
"No," Elijah denied with a dark smile, "what have you done? See, I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. We're doing this on my terms, now."
As if waiting for his que, the same Original that had grabbed her arm stepped forward, and Klaus stepped back, eyes widening in terror and immediately putting up his hands.
"Kol…"
"Long time, brother."
The hybrid looked around him, then took off for an opening next to Damon, but it was far from over. Another Original, the one with the long hair, was in front of him in an instant, blocking his exit.
"Finn-!"
But Finn wasn't listening; he grabbed his own dagger off the tray behind him and stabbed it straight through Klaus's hand. The hybrid shouted in pain, and wrenched himself away, taking off for the other exit. But Rebekah was already standing there, still in her homecoming dress, and looking just as royally pissed as they had all expected.
"Rebekah, please!" Klaus begged, but his sister wasn't listening. Drawing her arm back, she slammed the dagger into his chest, just below his heart.
"That was for our mother." She snarled, and Kol stepped forward, grabbing his brothers' arms and holding them behind him.
"You may leave now." Elijah told her and the Salvatore brothers, eyes trained on the scene in front of him. "This is family business."
Damon reached behind Val, grabbing her jacket and handing it to her before gesturing for his younger brother. Stefan looked around at the Original family before following his brother out, putting a hand on Val's shoulder to have her follow them.
As she left, she looked back over her shoulder, crucifix swinging.
Only to find the Original siblings watching her leave, gazes hard, startled, and paranoid.
She had pulled off her heels once she got into her hallway; they cleaned it pretty regularly, and her feet were killing her. A nice, hot bath didn't sound too bad at the moment, contingent upon Hector and Alex being asleep, of course.
She opened the door as quietly as she could, entering to find Amanda, the thirteen-year-old a few floors up, sitting on the couch and reading a book.
"Hey," Val greeted, smiling at the young girl, "I'm so sorry, dinner went so much longer than expected." The teen brushed it off, smiling, and Val pulled out her wallet. "Ok, fifteen an hour, and since I was late, here's an extra ten." She counted, handing the younger girl the cash. "How long have they been asleep?"
"Alex went down almost immediately, but Hector insisted on staying up and waiting for you. But, he'd only been watching TV with me for ten minutes before he was out, so I carried him off to bed."
Chuckling, Val thanked the girl again, opening the door and ensuring she got on the elevator before locking the apartment door. Then, as quietly as she was able to, she slipped into the kids room to see their snoozing forms curled up in bed. Freddie was curled up in the little doggie bed she'd gotten him, and bounded over to lick her hand and greet her. Scratching his ears, she bent over Ally's form and pulled the blankets around her waist up and over her shoulder, kissing her hair softly, and doing the same with Hector before closing the door behind her.
Later, as she laid down in her bed, she was so exhausted she didn't notice how her crucifix suddenly felt much warmer than usual.
So, I hope you liked it! Was it good, bad, in the middle, better than you thought, worse? Let me know in the comments!
Also, I wanted to ask you guys something, and make sure I'm not crazy. So, Klaus is obviously a potential love interest, but his interest in Caroline plays a pretty big part in the plot in later episodes, so it would be hard for me to write Val in. Also, I hate when Klaus has a different love interest, and they just write the OC into Caroline's spot, it drives me nuts. So, I was thinking about having him flirt shamelessly with her since he knows it pisses her off and then really get things rolling between the two at the start of the The Originals. Sound good? If you have any suggestions or ways you think it should go, let me know! Bye guys!