We've had a time jump.
She couldn't remember the last time she had been truly frustrated, but attempting to locate an Original vampire in a sea of thousands was proving frustrating to say the least.
"You'd think a thousand year old vampire would be easier to find," Lexa flopped down on the couch.
"Kol has a tendency to disappear when he wants to," Elijah glanced at the map. She had been trying different locator spells of increasing strength over the last few days when it became clear their calls and emails were not going through.
"Why would he?" Elena sipped a mug of hot blood. "It's not like he's got anyone to hide from… does he?"
"Maybe he got a witch to shield him," Lexa hummed. She tilted her head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Still begs the question of why?" Elena frowned.
"He has no reason to hide, and he lacks Niklaus' paranoia," he sighed. His finger circled around the burnt out area of the map that was the city.
Lexa rubbed her temples and closed her eyes to concentrate. They snapped open a few minutes later.
"You said the Hollow reacted to its other parts?"
"Killed some plants," Elena nodded, "but that was when you," her eyes turned to Elijah, "and Rebekah were close to each other."
"What if it can sense what happens from a distance too?" Lexa cocked an eyebrow. "What if it knows we wiped out a quarter of its being?"
She saw the moment they caught on.
"Davina isn't hiding him," Elijah looked at the map.
"The hollow is," Lexa nodded.
"So what do we do?" Elena tucked her hair behind her ears. "The full moon rises in fourteen hours."
"We look for him," Elijah reached for a new map, "the old fashioned way."
They had spent nearly an hour examining the different maps before narrowing the search down to three districts of San Francisco where Kol might have taken up residence. Part of Elena hoped she wasn't the one to locate him simply because he was the kill first ask questions later type, and since they had never gotten through to him he wouldn't see her as someone there to help him; he'd see her as the woman responsible for his first death.
She made a mental note to apologize for that when she did cross his path. She owed him that and more.
She tipped her head back and counted the strings of lanterns that hung between buildings. They would be lit soon and illuminate the streets.
She recognized a few of the characters printed on the awnings and signs but most of it was complete gibberish to her. She added Mandarin to the list of languages she wanted to learn; it wasn't like she didn't have the time.
Her heels clicked out an even rhythm over the pavement as she moved from the street full of tourists towards the heart of Chinatown. According to the internet research she had done during the commute it was the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the most historic neighborhoods in the city. Both facts made the area ideal for someone like Kol.
What the internet hadn't mentioned was the magical presence in the area. Elijah had been the one to bring that to her attention. He told her his brother had a habit of running with witches and that made Chinatown a likely spot for him to settle.
He had known of a bar that catered to the supernatural, having visited the city nearly thirty years prior. That was where she was headed. It took a little searching and the help of an older Chinese woman who spoke in broken English but eventually she located the hole in the wall.
Thankfully the bartender spoke English. When she got closer she caught the unmistakable scent of werewolf.
"Hi," she hopped on a stool, flashing a bright smile.
"Sure you wanna go there," his eyes darted to her daylight ring, "that could be dangerous for you."
Elena flushed and cleared her throat, dampening her smile to something less likely to be misinterpreted.
"Only on a full moon," she leaned back, "and I'm actually involved. I just thought you might be able to help me."
"Oh," he went back to wiping down the counter.
"I'm looking for somebody," she reached for her cell phone, "and in your position you seem like the most likely person to help."
He glanced at the screen. She knew what he saw: a picture of Kol. It was actually a photo of the entire family taken several months ago but she had zoomed in until only he was in the picture.
"He the boyfriend?" He looked up to her eyes.
"Boyfriend's brother," Elena tilted the phone closer. "Have you seen him anywhere?"
"Sorry," he shook his head, "I can't help you."
Her shoulders sagged and she sighed.
"Don't suppose there's another spot around here that caters to the supernatural?"
"Nope."
"Hello?" He took the bag of herbs from the clerk, balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder.
"Someone's looking for you?"
"Who?" He stepped out into the light and turned down the street with a sense of urgency lingering at the back of his neck. It had been there for a few weeks, urging him to hide. He had never felt the need to conceal himself from anyone. He had never been paranoid of anything but his brother and a wooden box, so he didn't quite understand where his emotions were coming from, but he did know what they were telling him.
"Some chick… didn't get her name: average height, curly hair."
"I'll be on the lookout."
Nob Hill had proven to be a bust. He thought that was the word Elena or Lexa might have used, but he wasn't sure since he was a little behind on slang.
It didn't matter though because there was no sign of Kol anywhere in the district.
Lexa adjusted her sunglasses and slipped between two large groups that blocked the sidewalk, pausing to take in a mural on the city wall.
If she had the time she would have gladly spent hours combing through the district that was San Francisco's oldest neighborhood. It was the perfect mix of old and new.
That was the thing that had made it a contender for Kol. Elijah had said his brother preferred older areas, but his girlfriend had slightly different tastes. He told her Davina was roughly her age and that she loved art and music.
Mission District just happened to be teeming with galleries and the largest concentration of murals in San Francisco. There was also an amazing music scene.
Lexa thought it paled in comparison to the culture of New Orleans, but it was close; like a home away from home. It definitely wasn't home though, and she thought Davina must be much weaker here than she was in Louisiana without the flow of ancestral magic that had fueled her for so long. Perhaps she was learning how to draw on nature instead, but that would still take her years to master.
That was the reason she figured Davina wasn't the one hiding Kol from them; because she didn't have the power anymore.
She spotted what she was looking for a few seconds later and smiled. The symbol hung over a small herb shop; it was the same one on her necklace. It was the one that connected all witch covens and known only to those who were members. Tiny shops like the herbalist across the street existed all over the world and she had been watching for one since entering the city. If she was lucky someone inside would know of Kol or Davina.
She must have been really lucky though because before she could cross the street a man stepped out with a phone to his ear; a man who bore a striking resemblance to Elijah.
Somebody was following him. He could feel the eyes on the back of his neck causing a bead of sweat to roll down his spine in what he labeled irrational fear. There were only two things in the world that could kill him, so his fear was irrational because he could handle whoever was tailing him through the streets.
The wind shifted and he ducked into a narrow side street with every intention of dispatching the woman that followed him. He assumed it was a woman because very few men bathed in lavender.
She paused at the entrance where he had disappeared and looked around, confusion written in the tension of her shoulders. The wind blew her blond curls and sent a fresh wave of lavender to his nose.
There was a sharp sting as his canines descended and the hunger set in. A small voice whispered in the back of his head.
She gasped when he grabbed her arm and spun her into the cool brick wall behind a downed awning. Her eyes traced his face and her heart skipped a beat. She swallowed around the hand holding her throat.
He frowned when she showed no other signs of fear and closed his eyes for a second, attempting to drown out his instinct. He was trying to be better, and though she would never know if he killed this woman he would. His fingers tightened as he fought a losing battle but the second he shifted from a light hold to one that would potentially bruise pain bloomed behind his eyes.
He dropped to his knees, clutching his head. It stopped as soon as it started and he looked up to see her watching him with a quirked eyebrow. Instinct was telling him to slaughter her before she opened her mouth but he couldn't move.
"Tell me if I'm right, okay?" She bent her knees until she was on the ground in front of him.
"You've been following me for three blocks," his eyes narrowed, "and you've paralyzed me, so why would I tell you anything?"
"I didn't want to cause a scene in the streets, and I only paralyzed you because you were starting to hurt me." She ran a fingertip over her throat as evidence. There was a misshapen red line and darker spots where his fingers had left bruises.
Kill her.
"You're gonna listen, and tell me how much I get right," she crossed her arms. She leaned a little closer.
Tear out her throat.
He nodded, not quite sure which voice he was listening to.
"You don't trust me." She tilted her head. "That is really stupid because you don't even know me. Am I right? Why would you distrust someone you just met?"
He gave a pointed look to his immobile arms.
"Something is telling you not to trust me," she went on, "maybe even to kill me. Am I right?"
A line appeared between his brows. The voice in his head was practically shrieking now.
"I have a strong urge to rip out your throat," he admitted with narrow eyes.
"That is the reason you shouldn't," she smirked.
Her eyes twinkled with amusement and his heart skipped a beat.
"And why is that?" He looked her over. There was something about the shape of her mouth that he found enticing.
"You hesitated." She leaned closer; close enough that he could have moved his head to sink his teeth into her carotid artery, killing her in seconds.
He didn't move.
"That itty bitty little voice," she backed up with a small grin, "is not yours. I saw that struggle, you might think I didn't because it happened so fast but I did. You were not the one pinning me to the wall, and you were not the one that wanted to kill me."
Kill her!
"Then who was?" He smirked. Over the centuries he had perfected the look of mania and it reflected in the look he gave her: the grin of a mad man.
"The Hollow," she cocked an eyebrow when he clenched his jaw, "yes I know about that. There is a quarter of the Hollow inside of you and it's screaming at you telling you to tear me apart. Are you curious why?"
"How do you know about that?" He leaned back, noticing for the first time that he had been released from her spell. He didn't take advantage of it to act on the shrieks in his head.
"I've met some of your family."
"You're hoping to save your neck by bringing up my family?" He scoffed. "I couldn't care less about my family, darling."
"You're lying," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're lying because it's easier to tell yourself that than to accept the truth."
"What is the truth?" He ignored the cell phone in his pocket when it began to vibrate.
"You love your family, you would do anything for your family, and you miss your family." She knew she had hit a nerve when his jaw ticked. "It's easier for you to say you don't care when you know you can't be near any of them again. Wouldn't you rather have a choice? Wouldn't you prefer to avoid your family because you want to, and not because you have to?"
"You've got a sharp tongue," he looked her up and down. Her words had cut through him. "Who the bloody hell are you?"
She smirked, something akin to triumph flashed in her green eyes as she got to her feet. She bent slightly and tipped up his chin with the tip of her finger; a jolt raced up her arm at the contact.
Electricity traveled from her finger straight to his heart.
"I'm the witch that excised the Hollow from your brother," her breath caught in her throat when he met her eyes. "And I'm the witch that's going to do it again."
He didn't realize he was going to do it until his fingers were around her wrist. His hold was delicate despite the voice screamed in his ear and the instinct to rip her to shreds.
"I was hoping more for your name."
"I'll make you a deal," she tipped her head up when he stood, "you can have my name later tonight. All you have to do is meet me at the Japanese Tea Garden ten minutes before the full moon reaches its apex this evening."
"Why should I meet you?" His thumb ran over the delicate veins in her wrist.
"For your exorcism silly," she smiled. "It's gotta be done under the full moon because when the Hollow was put in you it was sealed by the full moon. I'm going to take it out, lock it up and banish it to another realm. Easy peasy, and if you want you can start planning the family reunion."
"If it's so easy then why didn't the witches in New Orleans do it?"
"It was the obvious choice," she took a small step closer, her chest brushed his when she took a deep breath, "and they did think of it, but someone decided to take advantage of your misfortune and force Klaus away from his child."
"Who would do that?" He frowned at the look she gave him and knew. "Hayley?" He shook his head and met her eyes. "How did you find out about all of this?"
"If you want to know meet me tonight?" She slipped from his grasp and felt his eyes tracking her progress through the alley. "Japanese Tea Garden… moonrise."
Okay... so the plan is this: one part for each Mikaelson. We've read part one already: the Elijah chapters. Now we're in part 2: Kol. I'm thinking it'll be 1-2 chapters for the Originals from now on plus any extra chapters that I put in. Maybe one in between each section. So between Kol and Elijah was the Elejah smut chapter.
All in all this story should have anywhere from 7-8 chapters longer.
There is a month between each exorcism because the Originals can't be near each other while the hollow is in them. That means the story itself takes place over a period of five months. It took two months from meeting Elena for them to get the hollow out and a month between each Original.
I'm debating what to do with Hayley. Eventually Klaus is going to find out the truth, but I'm torn. He'd kill someone for messing with his family, but she's his daughter's mother, so I think he'd be torn about it. Everything is going to tell him to kill Hayley for what she did. I don't know if I want Hope to find out yet or not.
Kol: 1
Extra chapter: maybe at the boarding school between Hope and Landon. I'm thinking there's gonna be some complications with Social Services and Landon that Elena goes to sort out on the way to Rebekah. This will also be where the fallout from Hayley's actions start to come into play.
Rebekah: 1-2
Extra: Not sure what this one will be yet, maybe a review will inspire me as I get closer.
Klaus: 1-2
At the boarding school: This chapter will be the epilogue of sorts and takes place after the Hollow has been dealt with.