I do not own TVD or TO.
Leaves, drained of their colour by the early hour, swirled in the air momentarily blotting out the setting quarter moon. The small shadows danced over the dark figure on the path.
The wind shifted carrying a flock of birds up into the air and the scent of her pursuer over the length of the path.
She spun on her heel when she heard the snap of a dry twig and lifted her hand.
A steel grip wrapped around her wrist before she could strike and she found herself staring up into familiar brown eyes.
She inhaled sharply, her mouth twisting over the taste of the floral perfume drifting from his clothes.
"Good morning, Hayley," his eyes shifted over her features, "we need to have a little chat."
He traced the ornate crest on his jacket and ignored the sound of chatter around him. Kids and teenagers milled about in every corner of the great room; some were sipping on smoothies, some were eating muffins pilfered from the dining hall, some were working on homework, but all of them had one thing in common; all of them save for him.
"You're supposed to wear that," a soft voice sounded at his elbow.
"I don't think it fits," he looked up at the girl.
"It'll fit perfect. Ca… Miss Forbes is really good at sizes." She took a seat on the couch as he took in her appearance: plaid skirt, dark blue blazer over a white blouse, a matching tie, and the crest over her left breast.
He tilted his head and read the title of her textbooks: Intro to Lycanthropy, Intro to Magical History and Chemistry of Magic; they were contradictory in terms. He nodded to her hands.
"Which are you? Why aren't you sitting with your friends?"
"I'm a few things," she followed his gaze. "The school likes to practice inclusion," she made air quotes with her fingers, "but it's still a school, and every school has cliques."
"Wolves, witches, and vampires," he nodded. Three distinct groups that he had yet to find a place in.
"Mmhmm," she nodded. "They're friendly enough, but I don't really fit in with any of them. They think I'm a…"
"A what?" He prompted when she trailed off.
"A freak," she shrugged as if it didn't bother her, "I'm the tribrid, part witch, and part wolf and part vampire. I don't fit in to a neat little category."
"At least you know what you are," he smiled. "I don't know that I'm anything."
"You must be something," she put her books on the coffee table, "otherwise you wouldn't be here."
"That's what Elena said," he sighed, falling back into his seat.
"I know Elena," she fingered the hem of her skirt, "she's friends with Car… Miss Forbes."
"You know the headmistress too," he tilted his head. "That's the second time you've almost called her by her name."
"She's kind of a friend," she shrugged. "She knows my dad, and she says her friend doesn't lie. If Elena thinks you belong here then you do."
"I'm not anything special though," he shook his head.
"She said you were," her eyes narrowed, "why would she say that if you weren't?"
"She said it because I couldn't be compelled," he turned the jacket over in his hands.
"Then you're something," she nodded. "Only supernatural beings can resist compulsion."
"But what am I?" He blinked. From the corner of his eye he saw his former foster brother with the wolf pack; they shared a room, but the pack had made it clear he wasn't a part of their circle.
"I don't know," she hopped up from the couch and grabbed her books, "but I can help you figure it out if you like."
"Don't you have something better to do than hang out with the new kid?" He picked up his jacket.
"Right now I have to go to class," she nodded to the small pile of textbooks, "and so do you."
He stood up and eyed the pile of books for his morning classes. There were the usual subjects he would have taken at a normal school along with the less common subjects he never considered existed; at least not outside of Hogwarts.
"Are you coming?" She hugged her books to her chest. Her eyes found the jacket still in his hand.
"I still don't think this fits," he lifted the material.
"It's just new," she smiled, "you're not used to it. Put it on and soon it will feel like something you've always worn."
He slipped his arms into the sleeves and settled the material over his shoulders; it felt foreign against his skin, but the way she nodded made him think it at least looked alright.
"See," she smirked, "perfect fit. I'm Hope by the way."
"Landon," he picked up his books.
She nodded and motioned for him to follow her down the hall towards the classrooms.
Elena ran the tip of her finger along the etched runes of the box, mindful of the sharp ridges that acted as canals for the glistening blood. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up a bead of blood that would unlock the box and unleash the evil inside on the world. It might only be a quarter of the original strength, but anything that could make Elijah lose control needed to remain locked away.
She peeked out the window at the rising sun and watched the light dance over her fingers. The ebony box seemed to glow in the morning light.
She sighed and turned her attention to the nightstand where she had placed his note. The heavy paper sat beside the empty vial in front of the alarm clock.
What time had he written it?
When had he left?
A sharp knock drew her out of her mind and towards the door. Sighing she stood up and opened the door.
"Morning," Lexa smiled brightly.
It took Elena a second to figure out how she was so cheerful. The source of her pep appeared to be the half-drunk latte in her hand. She accepted the second cup and hummed when the caffeine hit her system.
"That's just what I needed."
"I figured you'd want some coffee," Lexa grinned. She slipped into the room and looked around. "Where's Elijah?"
"He…" Elena fingered the lid of her cup and glanced at the note. "He had to do something."
"No matter," Lexa waved her hand and reached for the box on the table. "I don't actually need him for this next bit. I don't really need you for that matter."
"Thanks?" Elena tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
"I thought you might like to watch though," Lexa gave a quiet laugh. "What do you say? Do you wanna watch me banish this bitch to the Ancestral plain?"
"Sounds like the best way to start the day," she wrapped her fingers around the takeaway cup.
"I thought that was sex," Lexa tipped up her cup, finishing the last dregs of her latte.
"Oh no," Elena shook her head, smirking. "The best way to start the day is banishing an evil bitch to another plain, followed by sex, and finally coffee."
"Hmm," Lexa nodded thoughtfully, tilting her head. "I agree with your list."
"So you're obviously not a vampire," Hope took a seat in the middle of the room, "that leaves werewolf or witch."
"Wouldn't I know if I was a werewolf?" Landon fiddled with his pencil as the other students filed in.
"Your friend didn't," Hope nodded to where Rafael was entering the room. He walked down the aisle and slid into the desk on the other side of Landon.
"What are we talking about?"
"You," Landon rolled his eyes to the side, "not knowing you were a werewolf. You didn't, right?"
"Not until I got here and Mr. Saltzman explained," Rafael shook his head. "Who's your new friend?"
"Raf this is Hope, Hope," he motioned to the desk, "this is Raf."
"Hope?" Rafael frowned. "Hope? I've heard your name before. You're the…"
"Tribrid," Hope crossed her arms over the desk.
"She's gonna help me figure out what I am," Landon flipped open his book when the teacher walked in.
"And she's thinking wolf?" He glanced around Landon.
"It's a possibility," Hope whispered back, "my mom didn't know she was a wolf either until she triggered it, and neither did my dad. Could be an untapped witch too," she shrugged.
"All kinds of possibilities," Landon grinned.
Caroline shuffled through the pile of papers littering her desk. During her short European excursion the inbox had flooded. She sifted through the bills, student discipline notices, and upcoming events in the town. She organized them into neat piles and subcategories. The discipline slips took the most time.
There had been aggression from the wolves in the days before the full moon. The witches had instigated a magical prank war that had ended with one of the dorms being lit on fire and another covered in a hot pink substance that stuck to everything.
Finally there were the new student notices; two in the last few weeks.
She picked up the phone when it vibrated.
"Salvatore Boarding School."
"Wow, do you answer the phone like that all the time?"
"Only when I don't bother to check the ID," she grinned. "What's up Elena?"
"I just wanted to check in. Jeremy dropped off a new student the other day and I wanted to know how he was settling."
Caroline picked up the student files.
"Would that be Rafael Waithe or Landon Kirby?"
"Landon; I met him a few days ago."
"I've only just gotten back, so I haven't gotten to know him yet, but according to the psych evaluation he's adjusting slowly."
"That's to be expected, I think. He doesn't know what he is."
"Rest assured we'll find out." Caroline wheeled her chair towards the filing cabinet. It didn't seem to matter how old she got; wheeled office chairs were fun at any age.
"Are you wheeling around your office?"
"You know me too well," she snickered.
"I do at that. How was Europe? That's where you were, right?"
"Yeah," she sighed, filing the papers, "it was nice. I hunted down Klaus and gave him an earful, and then I stood there to make sure he went through with calling Hope."
"You know where Klaus is?"
"I know where he was," Caroline frowned. "Are you going to pull a Katherine and spend the next half of the millennium avoiding him?"
"Hahaha."
"You know I'm kidding," she used her foot to sway in a circle. "You are nothing like Katherine Pierce. Katherine wouldn't have sounded so eager when I mentioned Klaus' name."
"I just need to find him, Care. At some point in the near future."
"Got a thing for the Hybrid now?" Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, you sound jealous."
"Am not!" The denial came too quickly eliciting a laugh from her friend.
"I don't have a thing for Klaus. I have something for him, or rather… I want to take something from him."
"You're a thief now?" Caroline tilted her head.
"Believe me; he will willingly part with this."
"I haven't heard from him in a bit, but if I speak with him again I'll be sure to tell him you're looking for him."
"Thanks Care. Now tell me: how are the girls?"
"Blissfully unaware of what's lurking in the future." Her voice turned bitter.
"No luck finding a solution then?"
"Nothing," she shook her head before remembering Elena couldn't see her.
"I'm still looking too, but I haven't found anything yet."
"Thank you for looking," she raked a hand through her hair.
"Of course. What's the point of eternity if I can't use my limitless time to help my friends?"
"You have a tendency to help everybody," Caroline rolled her eyes.
"I like helping people. Speaking of…"
Caroline heard the sound of her hair rustling as she turned her head to look at someone else in the room with her. The other side of the conversation was too indistinct for her to make out telling her the other person was a good distance from the phone.
"I gotta go."
She hung up the phone and lifted her gaze when the door swung open. A broad smile spread over her cheeks when she saw her visitors and the small pile of mail they had used as an excuse to come barging into her office.
Caroline dropped onto her knees and wrapped her arms around the twins as they barreled into her. She pressed several quick kisses to the tops of their heads and pulled back to give them her sternest look, but her eyes were sparkling.
"What do you two think you're doing?"
"We brought you the mail," Josie held out the handful of envelopes.
"Ah yes," Caroline took the thick stack, "and as everyone knows that's a two person job."
"It's a really heavy stack," Lizzie nodded solemnly.
"And now that you've brought me the mail you'll be heading back to class," Caroline cocked an eyebrow.
"Can't we play hooky and hang out with you?" Lizzie pouted.
"Please, mom?" Josie clasped her hands in front of her and mirrored her sister's expression.
It took all of her will-power to shake her head. She stood up and steered them around by their shoulders towards the door.
"Unfortunately no," she smiled when they looked up at her, "you have to go to class, but I'll tell you what…" she bit her lip when they grinned, "… tonight the three of us are going to hang out."
"Movie night?" Josie blinked innocently.
"What movie?" Caroline nodded her assent.
"Willie Wonka?" Lizzie smiled hopefully.
"I know what you're after," she tweaked Lizzie's nose, "junk food."
"You can't watch Willie Wonka without candy, mom," Josie twisted her hips back and forth so her skirt swayed.
"It's just not right," Lizzie agreed.
"Willie Wonka it is," Caroline pretended to hand her head before nodding her assent. She sent the grinning girls on their way and turned back to the new pile of mail. She was going to toss it on the desk when she recognized the handwriting on the first envelope.
She tore into it and perched on the desktop.
Dearest Caroline,
I never thanked you for coming to knock some sense into me, and you are now in a place that will not allow for a face to face conversation.
I've sent you a gift to express my gratitude; the name of a witch who might be able to help you in your current predicament. I know you didn't tell me about it, but I'm no fool; I knew the Gemini several centuries ago.
I do look forward to thanking you in person someday.
However long it takes.
Yours,
Klaus
She reached into the envelope and extracted a folded piece of paper. Her eyes narrowed when she read the block letters spelling out a name and address; hope fluttered in her chest.
She held her breath as the spell started and the room around them faded from view. For a moment the world was white and then the room came back into focus. The only difference was an eerie glow cast by the twilight and the absence of electricity.
"What happened?" Elena's voice echoed in the suite, seeming to bounce off of thin air.
"We're in the ancestral plain," Lexa whispered. Her voice still carried though.
"What now?" Elena lifted the box from the floor between them.
"Now we hide it," she smirked.
"We can't just leave it?" Elena cocked an eyebrow.
"We could," Lexa nodded, "but where's the fun in that? If you had a choice of final resting place where would it be?"
"Bottom of the ocean," she said without missing a beat.
"We're a little short on oceans," Lexa shook her head. They were limited to where they could travel on foot. "How about the Mississippi?"
"Why did you do it?" He released her wrist before he gave in to his urge to squeeze and break the bone.
"Do what?" Hayley lowered her hand.
"You told Vincent to place the Hollow in us."
"I didn't…" her heart jumped.
"Don't lie to me," his expression hardened. "He told us as much last night. He also revealed that he knew there was a better way; one that wouldn't tear this family apart."
"I did what I had to do," she went poker-faced.
"No, you didn't," he shook his head, "that's the whole point. You came to this decision on your own and ripped Niklaus from his child in the process. There was another way and you knew it."
"I had to," her teeth gritted, "he would have ruined her given half a chance."
His eyes widened; he must have been truly blind not to have seen it sooner. How many times had she tried to take Hope away? How many times had he played mediator between the hot headed parents?
"Danger and death follows your family wherever it goes," her mouth twisted. "I did what I needed to in order to create a safe home for her."
"Somehow I doubt Niklaus will see it the same way." He lifted his chin when he saw the fear flash through her eyes. "She's not even here; you have her enrolled at boarding school."
"Are you going to tell him?" She crossed her arms; a muscle in her jaw twitched.
"I should," he took a step back, "but I won't."
"Thank you…" her sigh of relief was cut off.
"Don't thank me," he shook his head and pointed a finger at her. "I have killed people for lesser offences, and Niklaus would kill you in an instant. The only reason you are still drawing breath is Hope."
He turned on his heel and started back down the path.
"Elijah," she called after him, "where are you going?"
He paused and drew in a calming breath before looking back over his shoulder. He didn't dare turn around for fear he would do something he'd regret, like divest Hope of her mother.
"I'm going to clean up the mess you made." He turned back to the path and heard her heart skip a beat. "I'm going to reunite my family."
Her cold voice had him freezing in his tracks.
"You're going to need help for that," her hands found her hips. "The witch and the doppelbitch," her brows rose when he turned back around. "I've had eyes on you since I found out you were in town; it's pretty clear you're at a standstill on your own."
"What have you done?" His muscles locked up with rage. She said nothing and he turned and raced into the morning.
What do you think?