Circumstances

Pairing: OC/Rebekah

Summary: As much as everyone thought they knew, Jacqueline always managed to prove them wrong. People claim to know who she is, what she's done, what's she's been through - and yet none of them can see all of it. What happens when she meets a certain Original Vampire who sees every little thing about her. From the way she walks to the way she acts... but will Jacqueline allow her supernatural mate to see her past as if they experienced it themselves. Elena bashing.

.

A/N: Rebekah will show up soon. These chapters have been getting to know Jacqueline who is the Main Character. With Tyler now a triggered wolf this would be instead of the TVD version of Tyler leaving with Jules. Jacqueline won't turn up in Mystic Falls until Rebekah is awake. However Jacqueline's time in New Orleans will be important later on...

"You're going to think that the pain will never end, but it will. First you have to let it all in. You can't fight it. It's bigger than you. You have to let yourself drown in it. But then eventually you'll start to swim and every single breath that you fight for will make you stronger. And I promise that you will beat it"

Elena Gilbert, Vampire Diaries

VENTI

Jaqueline = 20
Elena = 18
Jeremy=15

Jacqueline was sitting around the fire with everyone else. Even the wolves of the Pack had made a short appearance for the celebration. Tyler was going to be given his history lessons first and apparently nobody minded hearing it all again.

Especially not the kids.

"Alright. Take a seat, Kid" Mike instructed nodding to the various chunks of wood placed around the fire.

Tyler nodded and took a seat with an eager look on his face.

Jacqueline smiled at the reaction, they had been with the Pack for three days now. The first day had been about Tyler getting used to the way the Pack lives and then the second was about getting to know everyone and the rules. It had gone great so far and Tyler had already made a few friends with the teens his age.

Tyler definitely seemed to be put at ease being surrounded by the Pack.

Thankfully!

"Okay, so... werewolves have been around for thousands of years. Almost just as long as the witches" Mick said throwing a smirk Jacqueline's way before continuing. "It was never meant to be a curse - it was gifts of power, strength, protection"

"But with all gifts comes a price" Rose, one of the older women in the group, cut in with a smile at Tyler. "This is a gift. The price is bearable and less when we embrace what is in our very DNA"

Nola nodded in agreement, "Once you accept that you aren't human - never really were. Once you accept that, accept that the wolf is as much a part of you as the human... life is great. It's amazing and freeing and empowering - you just have to allow it, don't hold back, don't fight who you are"

Tyler nodded as he processed the words of advice.

He was here to learn and seemed committed to doing so. Whether or not this was the path he would have chosen for himself - it's his path nonetheless. Fighting it at every turn could only cause him pain and struggle.

Cause nobody can fight DNA.

Or destiny.

"3 thousand years ago, not long after witches were born, there were two tribes at war. They were not witches... but they had been granted protective abilities from various BloodWitches. One tribe possessed gifts to connect them to the earth, to allow them to be more in tune to nature. The other tribe had protections such as strength or healing" Mike explained as he stood in front of the crackling fire. "After years of war the tribes elders decided to unite as one"

"For they were more powerful and protected together than on their own" Elese said gravely

"The leaders children married. The marriage was a ceremony bound by the very witches who granted the protections to them. That binding of the tribes created werewolves" George said from where he had been sitting and listening

Jacqueline smiled a little at the pride in their voices as they retold their history.

She could relate, she instinctively had a strong sense of pride for her own Covens history. She couldn't explain why exactly... but she didn't need to.

Knowing who you are is always something to be proud of!

"The tribes united as one and remained that way. They bore children and those children had children. They were the first Pack. But when the Nature Bound witches heard of their gifts - well, those witches thought it was against nature. They hunted our ancestors" Mick sighed in disgust

Tyler looked shocked, "But weren't the gifts given to the tribes by nature in the first place?" He asked

"Yup" Mick nodded, "But those nature bound witches had one serious superiority complex"

Jacqueline snorted in amusement as the others chuckled. "They wanted to control nature. To gain power" Jacqueline supplied. "It's the same things they said about BloodWitches - it was never about facts, only control" she told Tyler quietly

Tyler nodded and sighed as he shook his head at that. Clearly the kid was feeling the natural connection to the story of his ancestors.

It was personal for Tyler now.

Jacqueline smiled and then looked over at Mick who seemed to notice the same thing. Mick winked and Jacqueline scoffed under her breath but couldn't help the fond smile regardless.

"Many of our ancestors were killed in the attacks from the Nature Bound witches. Some were separated from the Pack and went into hiding. Some had to deny their nature in order to seem as human as possible... it's why so many of us now don't know their history" George said with a disproving shake of his head.

It was sad.

Jacqueline couldn't imagine not knowing her own history. She likely would have been miserable trying to teach herself to use magic without the Covens help.

She really felt for those who weren't aware of what they were missing out on.

"Our Pack is from the first werewolf bloodline - the daughter and son of the two tribes. Were one of the few left who know our history and who abide by the traditions of our kind" Mick said, "We can teach you a lot, Tyler, but only if you can embrace who you are. This is your birthright Tyler... it was your destiny to trigger the transformation"

"... It's not a curse" Elese implored

"It's a gift, child" Deans gravelly voice added as the old man eased himself onto a small log. "lycanthropy is in your DNA. Nobody can escape DNA"

Tyler was quiet for a second before he gave a firm nod. "I want to learn" Tyler declared earning prideful smiles of approval from everyone in the Pack.

Jacqueline had been staying with the Pack all week and she loved watching the change in Tyler. Mick, Elese and George had really taken Tyler under their wing. They had been teaching Tyler so much lately and Jacqueline had witnessed first hand the complete change in the teen.

Tyler was more confident now.

He walked tall with his head up and not as if he had all these problem weighing him down.

Tyler speaks openly about his questions or thoughts on his abilities instead of being wary of them.

Jacqueline had been a little worried he might shut down when bombarded with the changes. She had never before been so glad to be wrong. In fact, she was excited that she had been wrong because this Pack had given Tyler a drive, a passion that she had never seen him have before.

George had been teaching Tyler his history of werewolves and werewolves Pack mentality.

Elese had been teaching Tyler how to live as comfortably as possible in the bayou.

Mick had been a good friend to Tyler and mostly helped the teen with being more comfortable and confident in who he is now.

Jacqueline had watched from a distance all week. She had wanted to give Tyler space to learn from the people he needed to learn from. He didn't need her to hover but he does need someone to download to at the end of the day. Jacqueline had been that for Tyler so far - she had listened to him retelling everything he learnt and his thoughts about those things.

The best way for her to be there for Tyler was as a listening and supportive ear. The Pack were the ones who Tyler really needed but she served as the safety net he needed to engage with the Pack.

And Jacqueline was okay with that.

Though she figured after his first full moon with the Pack that he likely wouldn't need her there at all. Jacqueline was glad for it too - cause it meant he was all in.

Today the Pack we're participating in one of the more sacred traditions before the full moon tomorrow.

"Are you sure you don't want to join in?" George asked her again.

Jacqueline smiled, "I'm sure. As much as I like and respect you all - this is a Pack moment. I appreciate the invitation, I know not everyone would receive one and it means a lot. But I respect your Pack too much to invade this"

George smiled and nodded in acceptance before giving her a quick hug.

Jacqueline was going into the French Quarter today to spend some time there. She was positive that she could find something to occupy her time. Jacqueline was happy that the Pack considered her a friend enough to allow her to join them but she respected them too much to do so.

It was sacred.

Which was why she didn't mind spending a day out in New Orleans on her own.

Hell, she loved New Orleans... it was one of her favourite places that she'd travelled to as of yet. Jacqueline seriously doubted that she wouldn't enjoy the day even if she was on her own.

With a small wave to the others as she left the main area of the Pack, Jacqueline walked the familiar way out of the bayou towards where she had parked her car. She made a mental note to get some gas for the car before coming back and parking it for an undetermined amount of time again. Jacqueline fished the keys out of her leather jacket pocket and slid into the drivers seat.

The 5 minute drive to the French Quatre was done with the soft sound of the local radio station playing within the vehicle.

Jacqueline tapped her fingers on top of the steering wheel lightly as she searched for a parking spot. After parking she stopped the car and headed towards the market. New Orleans Market place was unlike any Markets she'd seen before. She knew without a doubt that she'd find something she couldn't leave without buying within the first 5 booths.

Maybe she would even run into a few friends?

Jacqueline could only hope.

Moving through the crowds of people, Jacqueline enjoyed the steady tingle at the back of her neck that alerted her to the various supernatural presence surrounding the area. She had learnt easily how to spot others without them spotting her - not that they all could, anyway. Jacqueline had placed a cloak on her magic just in case she needed to use it in the open... it wouldn't do her any good to have someone know she's a BloodWitch.

News like that spreads quickly within the supernatural community!

Instead with the cloaking, her magic would seem to anyone who sensed it as if it were a weak Nature Bound witches spell. Nothing powerful or noteworthy - especially not in a place like New Orleans. The City itself seemed to thrum with power all on it's own.

One tiny little spell from a weak witch wasn't going to the alert anyone to anything odd.

Jacqueline breathed in deeply as she strolled through the market stalls. The various curtains of colourful dividers separated the different stalls from the other. New Orleans was eccentric and bold and powerful... and something about it just made Jacqueline felt at ease.

Like this was right where she belonged.

She didn't understand it, but she didn't really need to understand it. Jacqueline was just glad to be here and while she knew she wouldn't stay - somehow she knew she'd be back to New Orleans. That was enough for Jacqueline though.

"Hi"

Jacqueline looked up from the beaded jewellery she had been looking at and smiled when she recognised a familiar face. "Liana... how are you?" Jacqueline smiled pleasantly at the older woman.

Liana nodded easily, "Good. You? I didn't know you were back in New Orleans - though I remember how fond of this place you were, so I suppose it's not a surprise"

Jacqueline chuckled, "I get the feeling that I'll continue coming back here whenever I can" she said with a shrug which made the older woman smile. Liana was a great witch - a very powerful witch who practises sacrificial magic. Liana was a great ally to BloodWitches and quite likely New Orleans biggest gossiper to date.

"Well, as long as you come around to see me for coffee every now and then, I'll be glad for it" Liana smiled. "Now, listen, darling have you heard about the Harvest?"

Jacqueline rose a brow, "The Harvest?"

It certainly sounded a little foreboding... then again, most things with Witches do!

Liana nodded and ushered Jacqueline further into the little stall she owned. Once they were in the safety of a small area shielded by the curtains, Liana lit the sage and muttered a quick privacy spell before she spoke again. "The Harvest - It's a ritual from ancestral magic. The New Orleans coven had been having some serious issues because of it"

"Really?" Jacqueline asked, indulging the woman who had caught Jacqueline's curiosity flawlessly.

"Indeed, darling. The Harvest consists of the coven selecting 4 of the strongest witches between the ages of 14 and 16. They prepare the girls for weeks on each step of the ritual... it's all about to start in a few days. It takes 4 days for 4 steps - but it's the last step that has been causing the trouble. The Harvest is only done once every 100 years... which means those alive today haven't seen it to be true or not." Liana was eagerly telling Jacqueline. "The 4th step is killing the girls. They're supposed to come back to life with more magic from the ancestors to share with the rest of the coven"

That sounded -

"Yeah... I know" Liana said nodding in agreement. "I figured if anyone was able to determine if The Harvest was real - it's you and your coven"

Jacqueline nodded at that, it was true, the records that they have at the Coven had been preserved and meticulously continued. It was likely the largest collection to ever exist. It was true that if anyone outside of the New Orleans Coven was going to know anything about this Harvest ritual - it would be the BloodWitches.

"I'll make some calls" Jacqueline agreed, "I'll let you know if I find anything"

"Alright" Liana smiled, "If you do though... you might talk to Sophie Deveraux, she's Monique Deveraux's aunt and the one who started all the scepticism about the ritual. Though be sure to keep talk to a minimum - the elders of that coven have been trying to keep everything about the Harvest very quiet and only amongst themselves"

Jacqueline nodded and gave Liana a quick hug before leaving and continuing on with her day.

What Liana had said made her start thinking. If the elders were keeping it close to the chest that couldn't be a good thing. Especially not when they're own members of the coven were doubting them and this ritual. Considering this was ancestral magic - which relies on the power given to them by their members who are already dead - it wasn't a stretch to wonder if the 4 girls would actually be coming back to life.

In fact, even Jacqueline doubted they would and she didn't know much about the ritual at all.

Jacqueline sighed knowing she wouldn't be able to let it go until she found out. So, she pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Giovanni; Hey, Giovanni! Do you know anything about the Ancestral magic in New Orleans? Specifically about a ritual called 'The Harvest' occurring every 100 years or so?

Hopefully Jacqueline would get a response soon and maybe would be able to focus on other things. She wasn't fool enough to think her opinion would matter in the slightest to that coven. Especially not with her true powers cloaked, but Jacqueline would settle for her own peace of mind in knowing the girls knew the facts. Cause tricking 4 barely-teenage girls into letting their coven kill them wasn't something that sat well with Jacqueline. Especially not of it meant the rest of the coven gains more power from the deaths and betrayals.

Continuing on, Jacqueline found herself heading for the local bar for a strong drink of something!

Settling herself on a stool at the bar, Jacqueline smiled when a blonde bartender approached. "I'll take a glass of bourbon for now, thanks" Jacqueline said to the woman.

The glass was placed in front of Jacqueline soon after and Jacqueline sighed a little as she sipped the drink. Swirling it a little in her hands she glanced at her phone when the ping of a message went off. Jacqueline looked at Giovanni's name that appeared on the screen and hesitated before clicking to read the message.

Did she even want to know?

It was completely none of Jacqueline's business what this coven does or doesn't do. She knew that, and she also knew that if what she'd heard was a lie that it wasn't her place to confirm it.

It would be a sure way to make an enemy... One that she didn't need.

Jacqueline groaned in annoyance and mentally cursed Liana for having such a big damn mouth!

"Bad news?" someone asked

Jacqueline blinked in surprise and looked up to find a man watching her in amusement about 2 seats down at the bar. He was attractive, of course. Brown eyes dancing with lightness, a smirk pulled up on his lips, his dark skin toned with muscle. Jacqueline gave a small nod in response to the question before she downed the rest of her drink and went right back to glaring at the phone that sat soundly on the bar top.

The man chuckled, "You must be new around here. I'm Marcel"

"Jacqueline" she answered looking up at him again briefly before she returned her focus to her phone that beeped with a third message from Giovanni.

"Are you gonna answer it?" Marcel asked

"I don't know yet" Jacqueline groaned before she looked back at him. "I'm not sure I want to know the information that will be in those messages. I, of course, asked in the first place - but that was because I was curious!"

"Curiosity killed the cat" Marcel nodded knowingly as he chuckled

Jacqueline nodded, "Yeah... well, this time it won't be the cat who dies regardless of the information. It'll be other people. People I don't know or care about. But If I look and see what I think I'll see then then I have to decide what to do with that information"

Marcel blinked and stared at her for a second in thought, clearly he was trying to figure out who... or rather, what she is.

Jacqueline, however, had known instantly that Marcel was a vampire and she waited as he debated on whether or not to ask.

Grinning she decided to make it a little more fun and nodded her head over to the bottle of bourbon that was floating her way. Jacqueline clasped her hand around the bottle and poured herself a new glass before sliding the bottle down the table towards him. Now he wouldn't have to think too hard on figuring her out.

Marcell smirked, "Nice little trick"

"Yeah" Jacqueline shrugged with a smile

After a minute she picked up her phone and opened the messages, deciding to brace herself for the information to come. Scanning the phone she read Giovanni's messages and wasn't quite sure how she felt about the content.

'It is likely to be real, but won't be used for such an innocent purpose as to restore power amongst the coven' - Giovanni.

'From what I can gather it's an old ritual that is done only in case of emergency or before the coven declares war. Things might be getting tricky between that coven and someone else... word is that's the vampires' - Giovanni

'Be careful out there. That coven is not our friend but don't make them an enemy. How is Tyler doing anyway?' - Giovanni

Huh.

Jacqueline sighed and shut her phone again, thinking over the information. If the ritual was real then that meant those teens wouldn't actually die. Since the girls had all agreed to it, there wasn't really reason for Jacqueline to get involved. Then again, she didn't want to see New Orleans in a war, especially when Tyler and herself would be staying here for a while.

"It was bad wasn't it?" Marcel asked

Jacqueline sighed, "I guess... It looks like I might have some people to track down" she groaned and downed the rest of her drink. "Sometimes I really do just hate witches" she muttered

Marcel chuckled, "Come drink over here with me then. Do all that tomorrow"

Jacqueline looked at him then shrugged and moved down a seat to sit beside him. She pointed a finger at him, "Just for a little while" but Marcel only smirked

That couldn't be good.

Jacqueline had always been a sucker for a confident man and Marcel was nothing less than confident. He sent her a flirty grin and she knew there was no way she was going home alone tonight.

.

.