"Hurry, Lewis! We're going to be late for our flight!" Cleo shouted from the doorway, tapping her foot. She watched her husband pass in and out of their living room. He was muttering to himself, grabbing random papers here and there. At her words, Lewis turned to see her staring at him expectantly with an eyebrow raised.
He glanced at his watch. His eyes went round and he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Arh.. Sorry, Cleo. I just have to grab a few things and then we can leave."
. . .
"Boarding Flight 62442 to New Orleans, Louisiana," called a cool female voice from the intercoms in the airport. Cleo and Lewis quickly grabbed their belongings from the end of the security section and took off into a run. Their gate was relatively close but if they dawdled any longer, they would miss it.
. . .
Husband and wife collapsed into their plane seats. Cleo leaned her head back and pushed her hair out of her face. She looked down and smiled softly when Lewis took her hand in his, caressing her skin with his palm.
Cleo's heart was close to bursting with the love she felt for him. And from the love she felt from Lewis. It surrounded her like the soft, undulating ocean water that felt so much like home. Her best friend and her husband. Her closest confidante. And the person who's been a constant in her life ever since they were both five years old and running along the sandy dunes of the Gold Coast.
She rested her free hand on top of the one he used to hold her other. Squeezing softly, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Lewis looked at her with softness in his eyes, before bringing her left hand up and kissing her knuckles just above her wedding band. She smiled.
. . .
Stepping out into the muggy air of New Orleans, Cleo and Lewis spotted an unoccupied taxi idling by the curb. They lugged their luggage over and the cabbie stepped out to help them load everything into the boot.
"Jesus Christ, what d'you have in here, rocks?!" the cabbie asked, grunting from the weight of their biggest suitcase.
"Sorry, mate," Lewis said, not sorry at all. Cleo giggled softly behind her hand. The suitcase was full of all the scientific equipment they could manage to travel with.
The cabbie settled into the driving seat of the taxi and buckled up. "So where to?" he asked.
Cleo shuffled around in her purse. "Can you take us to…," she squinted at the paper in her hand, "The French Quarter Suites Hotel, please?"
. . .
"I am so tired," Cleo sighed. She bundled under the covers of their hotel bed. Clean and comfortable, she began to doze slightly while Lewis got dressed for bed.
Lewis pulled the covers back and flopped himself next to her. She turned to lay her head on his shoulder.
"Me too," he agreed, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We'll start our search tomorrow."
"I can't wait," Cleo was too tired to say much more, but they both felt the same bubbling excitement to discover what other magical creatures exist in the world.
With their plans in mind and the warmth of one another's arms, they drifted off peacefully.
. . .
Ever since they graduated with their doctorate degrees and got married, Cleo and Lewis have dreamed of travelling the world in a search for what other magic exists in the world. They figured, if mermaids existed, why couldn't creatures of other myths and legends? Mermaids, fairies, werewolves, gnomes, witches, vampires. Stories and poems since the beginning of time tell tales of such beings. And as it turned out, the ones about mermaids were based in truth.
They haven't found anything yet, though. It's a tricky business, inquiring about mythological beings. Cleo and Lewis have had to be careful, less they destroy their reputations as scientists. Usually, they approached researchers who were considered quacks by scientific journals. But sometimes, the couple have had to reach out to more respected members of the community in hope for some clue, any clue about what they're looking for. Cleo and Lewis have gotten in the habit of using false names when approaching these people.
These respected scientists either always thought they were mad or didn't know anything of value to them. Usually, they were very rude. There was one memorable visit with a scientist in Japan that would only speak with Lewis, despite her biology degree that put her on equal footing with Lewis' physics one. The thought still enraged her.
They decided to try the States next.
New Orleans, specifically. A city with an impressive and suspicious reputation of witches and wolves and the undead. They thought it would be a good start. But the problem was, they didn't know exactly what they were looking for.
. . .
"I could just scream! Nobody knows anything here either," Cleo exclaimed through her mobile.
"Relax, Cleo," Rikki said, her voice calm, "I know this is important to both of you, but have you considered that you're just chasing a dead end?"
Cleo rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand, "Every single day. But I refuse to believe mermaids are alone in the world, it just doesn't make sense." Cleo swished the same hand through the water of the hotel bath. She gazed at her long golden tail that fell over the edge of the tub.
"I'm just tired, Rikki. I thought we would've accomplished something by now. This trip wasn't supposed to take so long and we're running out of funds," Cleo continued.
"Well, if anyone's gonna find anything it'll be you and Nerd," Rikki said in a teasing voice, "Who knows? Maybe tomorrow will be your lucky day."
"Don't call him that!" Cleo laughed, "And probably not. Lewis is taking me on a sort of fun day tomorrow. I'm kind of excited actually, we haven't had a proper date in a long time."
They chatted for a while about this and that.
"So, how is everyone?" Cleo asked after a while. Rikki gave her a quick reply about everyone important and she smiled, happy to hear about her friends and family that she hasn't seen in a while.
"Have you met anyone special since I've been gone?" Cleo asked her friend.
"Not really, I went out on a blind date the other night, thanks to Bella may I add, and he was a total prat." Rikki replied with a scathing tone.
"Oh, too bad," sighed Cleo.
"Hey, Cleo, I've got to run, it's the mid-day rush!"
Cleo said bye and ended the call before finishing up in the bath.
. . .
"Mmmmmm, these waffles are amazing," exclaimed Lewis the next morning, while shoving the waffles into his mouth. Cleo laughed at her husband and pulled a mock disgusted expression on her face.
"Are you ready for our day of fun?" Lewis asked her when they were done with their breakfast.
Cleo nodded an affirmative and stood up, pulling Lewis along with her. She smiled radiantly when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
. . .
The couple attended a matinee and shared a large popcorn and soda. Once the comedy picture ended, they planned to go out for lunch. Cleo used her phone to find a good place to eat, her cheeks flushed from laughter.
"Ooh, Lewis, there's this local pub called Rousseau's. It's famous for their gumbo. We should go, and get the whole New Orleans experience, yeah?"
"Sounds good, merlady.." Lewis laughed at his joke and Cleo shook her head in amusement.
. . .
Once the taxi dropped them off at the pub, they paid their fare and hooked arms before entering the pub.
The hostess led the two of them over to two seats at the bar. Cleo noticed she was receiving a few odd looks here and there. She scooted a little closer to Lewis as one lady in the corner stared at her for a few moments too long. Cleo chalked it up to her bright sundress. It didn't seem like many locals wore colorful clothes. Mostly dark and muted tones despite the heat of the summer.
When their food arrived, Cleo and Lewis spoke softly about their quest. "I know you're disappointed, love, but we just have to stay optimistic," Lewis consoled.
"I love you, Lewis. I'm very lucky to have you, I don't say it enough," Cleo brought up a hand and traced his cheekbone with her fingers. He smiled at her and they both turned back to their food.
Cleo saw it happen as if it were in slow motion.
The person seated next to them accidentally nudged their cup of water the wrong way and she reacted instinctively. Her eyes widened and she jumped out of her seat, where she stumbled back from her stool and into the hard body behind her. She just missed it; the offending water was all down Lewis'. Time seemed to speed back up as Lewis stood from his chair, his eyes cast on something just behind her head.
She felt hands on her shoulders, and she was spun around swiftly. A man with light hair and eyes faced her head on. He wore a leather jacket and a wicked smirk. Once he saw her face, however, a brief flash of shock overtook his eyes.
"Hayley, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the compound taking care of Hope?" He asked, outwardly amused but Cleo noticed the slightest hint of a threatening tone in his voice. His accent was different from most of the New Orleans locals. More British rather than the expected Southern or Cajun twangs.
"I see you've had a wardrobe change," he said, eyeing her up and down. She felt uncomfortable and cringed away slightly. This man made her nervous with his piercing eyes and cocky smirk. His hands were still clasped on her shoulders.
Lewis appeared beside her, his forehead creased in worry. "Get your hands off her, mate," he said, not kindly or unkindly.
"And what are you going to do about it?" the strange man asked, smirk still intact. Her husband was about the same height as this man, but Cleo knew that he didn't look nearly as intimidating with his khaki shorts and polo shirt in comparison to the frightening and dark looking man with the grip on her shoulders.
Lewis stepped closer, a hard look in his eyes.
Cleo interrupted anxiously before things escalated further, "I'm sorry, I don't think I am who you think I am." If that didn't get his attention, then her Australian accent must have. She would have bet that whoever this Hayley was either had an American accent or one similar to the man searching for her.
At her words, he released his grip on her quickly. She stumbled back into Lewis and gripped his hand. The man followed the movement with his eyes and saw the wedding bands on her ring finger.
His eyebrows raised.
"My apologies. It's just that... you look so much like my dear friend, Hayley. Almost identical, in fact." He smiled but it was without warmth. "What's your name?" he questioned intently.
"Cleo," she replied succinctly.
The man cocked an eyebrow, "Cleo..?"
Lewis rested a hand on her shoulder when she didn't say anything for a few moments. He answered for her, "McCartney."
"Well, Cleo McCartney, I know a few people who will want to meet you. Would you step outside to speak with me?"
"About what?" She regained her voice and asked. Cleo shared a look with Lewis. He shrugged. Why not, he seemed to say.
"This and that," the man evaded. He held out his hand, gesturing to the door. She glanced back at Lewis before pulling out some American dollars and setting them at the bar. The strange man started toward the door with her and her husband following behind, hands clasped.
Once outside, the man quickly grabbed hold of both of them around their middles. Before either of them could raise objections, the world became a blur.
Cleo could tell they were speeding through the streets, faster than she could swim. The man holding them both was abnormally fast and strong. And even though Cleo was apprehensive about where this man was taking them, she felt that tell-tale excitement bubbling up once again.
Before they knew it, they came to a quick halt in a large foyer of what looked to be a mansion.
Cleo stumbled once they came to a halt. So did Lewis. Their stomachs turned slightly.
"What the hell -" started Lewis, surprised. They were each pushed into a pair of chairs. The same man stood before them. He looked contemplative and he made a noise. A decisive noise.
"Elijah!" the man shouted. Nobody appeared but the man didn't say anything more.
"How did we get here?" Lewis asked. Her husband looked excited as well as afraid.
Cleo was full of nervous energy, but her mind raced. How is moving that fast on land possible?
The foyer was large and spacious, without clutter. It had a few staircases that led up to an interior balcony that encircled the entire room. It had a very old-fashioned design. Just then, a gentleman (or what appeared to be a gentleman) in a suit came walking down one of the staircases.
"Must you be so loud, Niklaus? Hope just went down for a nap." The new man - Elijah - asked. His accent sounded more American than the first man's, yet like the foyer, it seemed old-fashioned. Elijah was wiping something from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and tucked it away in a suit pocket with a flourish of his hand.
Elijah looked at the frightened newcomers. "Hayley," he said, startled.
"What is going on, Niklaus?" He narrowed his eyes, "I just saw Hayley only moments ago, but adorned in a completely different outfit."
Lewis interjected rather impulsively - he never was one for tact, Cleo reflected - "I don't know who Hayley is, but my wife-" he jerks his head toward Cleo, "-isn't her."
Both of the two men, Niklaus and Elijah, stared at Lewis for a few seconds, almost as if chastising him. Lewis shrunk back. His eyes widened and he didn't dare blink. Elijah and Niklaus return back to their conversation.
"More magic! Just what I need," Niklaus said, exasperatedly. He rolled his eyes.
"Wait, magic?" Cleo interrupted. The prospect that they might've found more magical beings was too tempting. She and Lewis looked at one another excitedly.
The men didn't acknowledge her - they conversed quietly out of the earshot of Cleo and Lewis. The married couple holds hands.
A loud cry of a baby rang out sharply and suddenly. Niklaus' eyes flashed slightly with worry. The sound of an American woman's voice floated down from behind Cleo and Lewis and everyone turned to see her walking down one of the staircases. The baby's crying grew louder and louder as she approached.
"Klaus, I can't do this anymore -" she said with a choked sob, "- Hope won't stop crying, no matter what I do. The only time she stops is when she's sleeping, But your yelling woke her up!" She finished aggressively as she appeared in front of them, baby in her arms. She stared fixedly down at her daughter, fussing with her onesie.
"And who are our guests?" she asked without looking up from her baby.
She looked up.
The moment was pregnant with tension. Everyone became silent, except for the crying baby.
Cleo's eyes widened even more, if that was even possible. "Ummmm," Lewis said, ever so eloquently.
Hayley's eyes widened, also, identically to Cleo's. They stared at each other.
Cleo broke the silence, "Is this even possible? I've never encountered anything like it in my studies. Have you heard anything about this, Lewis?"
Lewis shook his head. After all, Cleo was the one who focused her studies on biology. This jolted Klaus into motion. He grabbed the baby from Hayley's arms. He held her gently and rocked her back and forth with adoration in his eyes. His behavior was almost sweet, in sharp contrast to the intimidating demeanor from before.
"What the hell is happening?!" Hayley said loudly, over the sound of her daughter's crying.
Klaus crossed his arms, "It looks like you have a doppelganger, Hayley."
"What, like Elena and Katherine?" Hayley asked.
"And Tatia when we knew her a thousand years ago," Elijah added with a shrug. He hummed and exchanged a glance with Klaus.
Cleo continued to stare at Hayley. It was unnerving, to say the least, to stare into the eyes of someone absolutely identical to you. But even more than that, was seeing her own face reflected back at her with a manner so different from her own, dressed and adorned in clothes she would never wear.
Hayley wore dark clothes like many of the locals Cleo and Lewis had seen since they arrived in New Orleans. Her makeup was dark and her hair nicely curled. And the most shocking difference was the way she held herself - rigid, as if always prepared for a fight - and the way she scowled.
Cleo, on the other hand, wore bright and colorful clothes that reminded her of her home in sunny Australia. She only wore a little lip gloss and her hair was usually messy and wavy from sleep. Unlike Hayley, Cleo's posture was open and relaxed. She bounced with energy and wore a radiant smile that drew people in like a warm, inviting hug.
"But, there is zero scientific evidence to prove doppelgangers exist - sure, there are people with very similar genetic makeup, but they aren't absolutely identical unless they're twins. Even then, twins still have slight differences," Lewis jumped into the conversation, "You guys said you were around a thousand years ago, how is that possible?"
"We're vampires," Klaus said in a monotone sort of voice. Cleo wiggled excitedly in her chair.
"Really? Can you prove it? How accurate are the myths? Is that why we were moving so fast earlier? Do you really drink blood to survive? How old are you? How can you go into the sunlight -" Lewis rapidly fired off question after question.
Cleo practically vibrated in her seat, "Lewis, this is it! We've finally found something." She turned her attention to the strangers and asked, "Could we do some tests on you three?"
Elijah, Klaus, and Hayley exchange bemused looks. In Klaus' arms, the baby calmed down and began to doze off.
Hayley crossed her arms and stared down at the married couple from her standing position. Her posture mimicked Klaus'. "You two accepted the supernatural awfully fast for humans."
"Hayley makes a good point. You both seem very scientific and from my experience, scientists don't normally believe in the impossible." Klaus' eyes crinkled suspiciously.
Cleo and Lewis looked at each other, not knowing whether to divulge her secret. They hardly knew anything about these people. They could be having them on. It would be better to wait and see if these people were trustworthy before telling them such important information about her.
"Ah, that is where you are wrong, my friend. Science is all about trying to understand the impossible, it's just that most scientists are only willing to look so far past the already established rules" Lewis replied.
"Hmm," Klaus responded, eyes flashing. Lewis shrunk back slightly and Cleo squeezed his hand.
"Normally, doppelgangers aren't the same age, and since Hayley was turned only recently and Cleo, here,appears to be about the same age, we can only assume that they are. It's strange, is all," Elijah said with a noncommittal hum.
"Oh, and to prove that we are what we say we are," Klaus began, his smirk returned.
He bared his fangs and growled, his eyes glowing a golden color. Cleo and Lewis jumped back into their seats. Cleo's heart rate rocketed.
"Would the two of you return for dinner? We have much to discuss," Elijah cut in diplomatically.
Cleo looked over to Lewis and he nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'd love to," she answered for the both of them.
. . .
A few hours later, many excited conversations in their hotel room, a taxi back to the mansion, the baby put away in her room to sleep, and a spread of food and drinks placed on a large dining room table. Everyone took a seat. Opposite from where Cleo and Lewis sat was Hayley, Klaus and Elijah on either side of her. Klaus leaned back in his seat, his arm casually stretched around the back of Hayley's chair. Cleo felt his gaze intent on her even as she pushed the food around on her plate in between glances at the identical girl across from her. Elijah, too, watched the newcomers. Although his stare was polite and curious rather than Klaus' unreadable one. Cleo noticed Lewis flicking his gaze between her and Hayley, a bewildered look in his eyes.
The three vampires across from them had food on their plate, same as Cleo and Lewis did. But they each sipped from glasses of - at first Cleo figured it was a red wine, but no, that's not it at all, the liquid is much too viscous to be wine - of, blood. Alternating bites of food and drinks of blood.
Cleo's stomach turned at the thought.
Elijah cleared his throat, "Well, I do believe we have failed to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Elijah Mikaelson."
"Ah, yes, brother - an oversight on my part," Klaus said, taking a long pull from his glass, "My name is Klaus Mikaelson - " Klaus turned to look at the girl next to him, still addressing the married couple, "- and this little wolf is Hayley Mikaelson."
Hayley scoffed heatedly, "I can introduce myself, Klaus. And my last name's Marshall, not Mikaelson."
"It might as well be at this point, luv," Klaus responded, moving to spoon some food onto her plate. She rolled her eyes but muttered a thanks to him, regardless.
"So, who are you?" Hayley asked the couple curiously.
"I'm Cleo McCartney and this is my husband, Lewis," she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Pleased to meet you, Cleo and Lewis. Though, I'm curious- what's your maiden name?" Elijah wondered aloud.
"Sertori."
Klaus sat up straight, "What does that matter, Elijah? If Hayley and Cleo were related, then surely Cleo would be a werewolf as well."
He sniffed, "... And unless my sense of smell has been destroyed, she's not. Are you?" he asked Cleo off-handedly as if he already knew the answer. Which, Cleo admitted to herself, he did.
"Werewolves? And vampires?" Lewis said, her own thoughts verbalized.
Klaus cocked an eyebrow and raised a hand as if to say, See?
Elijah nodded to acknowledge his brother and ignored Lewis' question. "What brings the two of you to New Orleans?"
Cleo shifted in her seat, "We're visiting from Australia - we've been travelling around the world, trying to find mythical creatures, but this is the first time we've ever found anything."
"And what prompted this- this search for the supernatural?" Hayley asked.
Cleo and Lewis remained silent for a few telling moments. Klaus leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. He stared intently at the couple. "Now, why should we tell you anything about ourselves if you refuse to do the same?"
Lewis chose his words carefully, "We've.. had experience with certain supernatural - as you say - elements before. And we wanted to see if other myths were true."
Cleo nodded and quickly added, "Yes, and I know that you all are probably suspicious of scientists, but we would never publish anything, it's more a matter of personal curiosity -" she twisted her fingers together, "- we know the threat scientists can be to, uh, abnormalities."
Klaus leaned back into his chair and smiled a toothy smile. His arm returned to its place around Hayley's chair while she ate and listened intently to the conversation.
"Well, I'll bite. But only in a quid pro quo arrangement," he said.
"Niklaus is right. Your shock at the mention of vampires and werewolves suggests the two of you experienced some abnormalities that even we have never seen," Elijah shrugged casually, "if you share information with us, we will share information with you."
Cleo tapped her fingers on the table nervously, "How can we be sure you'll keep what we say a secret?"
"Consider it mutually assured destruction," Klaus said, a dangerous note to his voice, "In the past, I would solve situations like this much more… murderously," Cleo and Lewis shivered, "But, alas, the birth of my daughter has made me a changed man."
Hayley elbowed him in the ribs which prompted Klaus to add reluctantly, "-and your similarities to Hayley here - and any consequences that might arise from them - mean I have a vested interest in keeping you safe."
Everyone was silent for a few moments, thinking over all that's been said.
Breaking the silence, Hayley set her fork down and addressed them all, "That's settled, then. Where do we begin?"
. . .
When dinner was finished, Cleo, Lewis, and Elijah migrated over to a sitting room while Klaus and Hayley took a moment upstairs to check on the baby. The seats of the room were all arranged in a circle for better communication, Cleo presumed. Elijah ordered some lackey that appeared to bring five coffees as he took a seat in one of the single armchairs. Lewis arranged himself onto one of the loveseats, pulling Cleo along beside him.
The lackey returned with the coffees just as Klaus and Hayley were descending the stairs. She sat cross-legged on the loveseat across from Cleo and Lewis and Klaus lounged himself next to her.
They all sipped their coffee in silence. Cleo and Lewis jittered with nervous energy while the other three seemed to be calm and content.
"Well, we've already told you what we are," Klaus said, "why don't you tell us what experiences you two have had with the supernatural."
Cleo nodded and Lewis rests a hand on her knee. "It's not so much an experience with the supernatural- rather what I am."
"I'm a-" she took a deep breath, "- a mermaid."
A beat of shocked silence.
"A mermaid?" Elijah asked, eyebrows raised.
She nodded again, "Yes, I grow a tail whenever I touch water and can remain underwater for a very long time. Also-"
Cleo looked around the room for a moment, spotting a vase of flowers across the room. She held her hand out toward the flowers and channeled her power. The water from the vase responded to her touch and rose in an endless column before she let it all fall back down neatly.
Hayley crossed her arms, eyes wide. She turned to both Klaus and Elijah. They both looked surprised.
"Over a thousand years of life and I've never come across such a thing," Klaus said, "How is that?"
Cleo pressed her hand into the back of her head and thought for a moment, "Based on our experiences and our research into mermaids, it's not something that can be passed on from person to person, genetically or otherwise. You can only become a mermaid if you're in the right place at the right time."
Hayley leaned forward, intrigued. "Are there others like you?" she asked.
"Yes, but not many. There's no centralized community of mermaids so everything I've learned about being one has been through trial and error."
Hayley nodded and pushed her hair out of her face. Klaus picked up the line of questioning, "And… what is the right place at the right time?"
"There are only two places in the world that we know of that hold the power to transform someone into a mermaid - two dormant volcanoes connected to the ocean. Every month, when the full moon passes over, the water in the caves will turn any person passing through into a mermaid," Cleo answered in a rush.
"Wow," Hayley said.
"Indeed, Hayley," Elijah said, "I suppose there are similarities between that of being a mermaid and a werewolf."
"It's all somehow connected to the full moon, right?" Lewis asked. Hayley nodded.
Cleo remembered something, "You're a werewolf, then?" she asked Hayley.
Hayley leaned back into the loveseat and threw her legs over Klaus' lap and he rested one hand over her ankles and the other over the back of the chair.
"Well, I was," Hayley started, "I was born a werewolf, but when I gave birth to our daughter and some psycho witches slit my throat and kidnapped her, Klaus turned me into a hybrid and saved my life," she clenched her fists, obviously upset. Klaus rubbed her ankle to comfort her, a hard look in his eyes.
Cleo was horrified and from the looks of it, Lewis was too. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like.
"I'm sorry, that must have been terrible," Cleo said hesitantly, Lewis mirroring an agreement.
Hayley shook her head, dismissing it. "Don't worry about it."
A thought must have occurred to him because Lewis spoke next, "So vampire men can have children? How is that possible?"
Klaus chuckled and shook his head, "It's not." He waited a dramatic moment before continuing, "I'm a hybrid, too, the original hybrid. Born a werewolf and turned into a vampire by my witch mother. Our daughter was a miracle, to be sure, but certainly possible."
"Wow," Lewis said, for a lack of anything better to say, bewildered by all the new information.
Cleo turned to Elijah, "Are you a hybrid also?"
Klaus scoffed. She had obviously touched upon a sensitive subject.
Elijah responded, "No, I am only a vampire. Klaus and I share a mother, but he had a werewolf father and I did not."
Klaus spoke up then with another scoff, "Only a vampire, Elijah, honestly! You're an original - have some pride."
Elijah ignored Klaus' outburst. He seemed used to his brother's dramatics. But Cleo had another question.
"An original? What does that mean?" She asked Klaus. He had mentioned it twice. It must be important.
Klaus smirked and Hayley rolled her eyes. "It means, dear Cleo, that my siblings and I were the first ever vampires to exist. Our mother turned us all into them over a thousand years to protect us from the werewolf threat to our village-"
He paused before continuing, his voice tight, "-not knowing that her own son was that very threat."
Cleo looked awkwardly down at her lap before Elijah broke the tension with some more information, "We have a sister, Rebekah, who should be home any time now. She's like me."
"Wow," Lewis repeated, "Witches, vampires, and werewolves - this is more than we ever imagined, Cleo!"
She clasped his hand and smiled wildly, satisfied to finally discover something significant in their search.
Hayley finished off her cup of coffee and set it down on the coffee table between all of them with a clank. "I will say, I'm not over this whole doppelganger business. You look exactly like me - how's that possible?"
Nobody answered for a moment. Cleo scratched her head, "I have no clue, but I plan to do some research into it. The biology behind doppelgangers is confusing and not much research has been done in the field," she shrugged, "and it could be a magic thing, I suppose. What do you think, Lewis?"
He nodded in agreement and began to speak before Klaus cut in, "Enough with the science mumbo jumbo for now, I'd like to see this mermaid tail in action if you wouldn't mind, Cleo?"
Hayley and Elijah mirrored Klaus' eager looks.
Cleo sat up straight, "Oh, of course! Do you have a private pool here?"
. . .
Elijah led the way to the anterior of the mansion. A large pool shimmered in the moonlight in the center of the courtyard, water rippling softly in the wind.
Cleo assessed the pool in front of her. It was deep and wide. Lewis, Hayley, Klaus, and Elijah all stood behind her, watching, as she walked to the edge of the pool. Before anything could be said, she dived into the pool, still in her dinner clothes and shoes.
She resurfaced just as the tingling of the transformation abated and her legs were replaced by a long golden tail. Swimming to the edge of the pool where she had jumped off, Cleo looked up at her audience. Lewis wore a soft smile while the others looked on, eyes wide and brows raised.
"Are you a mermaid - or merman, rather - too?" Elijah inquired suddenly. Lewis laughed and Cleo giggled. He shook his head and knelt down to his knees and ran a hand through the water. Ten seconds passed and nothing happened.
Just as Lewis reached toward Cleo to help pull her out of the water, they heard a woman shouting from the inside of the house.
"Elijah? Nik?"
"Ah that's our sister, Rebekah," Klaus said, smirking.
"Where are you two, Marcel-" the woman was saying as she walked through the archway that led to the courtyard. She stopped suddenly, obviously shocked by the sight before her. Seeing a mermaid who looked just like her sister-in-law (or whoever Hayley is to her) must be shocking, Cleo imagined.
But Cleo hardly thought on that, because-
"Emma?!" She and Lewis exclaimed at the same time, exchanging a surprised look.
Emma - or Rebekah - narrowed her eyes at the strangers, "Who the bloody hell is Emma? My name is Rebekah Mikaelson. Why are there two Hayley's in front of me, Elijah?"
Hayley blinked and Klaus grinned that toothy grin. Elijah sighed and Rebekah furrowed her brow. Lewis - wide-eyed - pulled a confused Cleo out of the water and passed her a few towels.
"We really need to get to the bottom of this doppelganger business," Cleo said definitively, towelling off.