The human players in our little game all arrive and quickly realize that none of this is possible. Not that any of them are prepared to try to figure this out, just yet.

As always, thank you for the kudos/likes/favorites, and comments/reviews. They mean a lot to me. Now on with the show.

~Godly Hijinks~

Louisiana

Hayley was starting to freak out about how quickly the storm had started. "I don't like this, Jackson. I really think we should find a place to pull over and wait this out. I don't like how it just came out of nowhere."

"Relax, Hales. Thing about storms that start real quick like this is that they also end real quick. It'll be over in a few minutes."

"Which means that we won't have lost any real time if you pull over to wait it out. The other thing about storms starting this fast is that it's more likely to cause a flood. And can you even see where you're going?"

"Of course I can see. Now hush. I need to be able to concentrate."

Hush. Right. Let him concentrate. Letting him concentrate made a kind of sense, or at least it would if he was concentrating on the right things. She twisted her ring around on her finger. It still felt strange, there, and surprisingly heavy for its size. And then her ears popped. "What the hell?"

"Yours, too? Change in barometric pressure. I'm guessing from the storm."

Hayley just nodded. But then she saw something that made her blood run cold. The clouds above them had seemed to be swirling for a while, now. But, she had thought that was just her imagination, or an optical illusion. This was no illusion. Part of the cloud was starting to form a funnel, stretching down, towards the ground. Holy fuck, she was sitting here watching a tornado form. "Okay, skip pulling over. We need to find shelter. Now."

Jackson looked over at her, and then past her. And then he swore. "Okay, start looking for something, anything."

Keeping one eye on the forming tornado, Hayley watched the road with the other, looking for exit signs, or a handy barn to take shelter in. And then she saw the sign for someplace called Chateau d'Eros. It was either some kind of hotel, or a sex club. But with a tornado on the ground and headed right for them, she didn't really care. "Get off on the next exit. There's a hotel. With a little luck, they'll have a basement."

Jackson nodded and veered onto the exit lane. Less than a minute later, they were parked in front of the place and running to get inside.

Hayley looked around the reception area. It definitely looked like a hotel. A pretty high-class one, at that. But, there was nobody at the reception desk. She rang the old-fashioned bell on the desk. "Hello! Anybody here?!" Then again, with a tornado in the area, maybe everyone was already holed up, somewhere. Well, at least the room had no windows. They could crouch behind the desk and pray. She was just about to suggest exactly that, when the outside door opened and a man she hadn't seen in six years walked in. What the hell was Klaus Mikaelson of all people doing here?

~Godly Hijinks~

New Mexico

"What the Hell?" Klaus had never seen a storm start up that quickly. From blue skies to… what the Hell was up with the clouds, anyway? They were… swirling? Shit! Tornadoes weren't exactly common in New Mexico, but they also weren't completely unheard of. And it made a kind of sense that anything that sprang up this quickly could certainly be volatile enough to spawn a twister.

And then the hail started. And the sky turned a truly ugly color. He didn't bother to look in his rearview mirror at where the clouds had been swirling. He had friends that were storm chasers. He knew what this all meant. And then his ears started popping, as if he needed more confirmation.

He started looking for somewhere to turn off the road. If need be, he'd huddle in a ditch, but he'd feel much better with walls around him. And underground would be better. He glanced in his mirror, and saw that the clouds were definitely doing more than just swirling, now.

Yeah, getting underground would be good. But, where? He hadn't seen so much as a barn since he had turned off the freeway. Wait! There was something. A hotel. Chateau d'Eros? He had never heard of it, which seemed strange to him. He thought he'd been up and down every street in the county in the past few years.

Then again, beggars could hardly be choosers. Not when there was a tornado forming right behind them. He pulled into the parking lot, stopped in front of the door, and ran inside.

Only to be faced with two people he hadn't seen in almost six years. "Well, well, well. Hayley Marshall and Jackson Kenner. Or are you Hayley Kenner, now? Not that it matters at this moment. Where is everyone?"

"We've already tried ringing the bell, and got nowhere. I'm guessing that the receptionist is in whatever kind of storm shelter they have, hiding from the tornado. I was just about to suggest hiding behind the desk, since we have no way of knowing where that storm shelter is."

"Not the best protection in the world, but certainly better than nothing."

And then the door opened, and an impossibility walked in. Not only was Elijah in Colorado the last time Klaus had talked to him, but there was snow on his coat and in his hair. What the actual Hell?

~Godly Hijinks~

Colorado

Living in the mountains tended to give people a healthy respect for snow. And thunder during a snowstorm was really never a good thing. At best, visibility was about to be lowered to close to zero. At worst, the thunder - or the accompanying lightning - could spark an avalanche. And having the whole mess come out of nowhere was also never a good sign.

Elijah was already looking for a place to stop and wait out the snowstorm when the first rumble of thunder echoed through the mountains. Seeing a sign for someplace called Chateau d'Eros, he didn't hesitate to turn off the highway.

Upon entering the hotel, he got a shock, though. Two of them, actually. Hayley Marshall, of all people was there. When was the last time he had seen, her, anyway? Right. A few weeks after the party they were supposed to go to, together, that she had stood him up. Or got tired of waiting for him, since he was late. And it didn't exactly surprise him that she was there with Jackson Kenner, the man she had flaunted in his face at every opportunity during those few weeks.

But, before he had time to process that, the bigger shock was talking to him. "I thought that you were in Colorado."

Okay, that was a weird thing to say. "I am, Niklaus. How lost are you that you don't even know what state you're in?"

"All right. Can the brotherly banter wait a bit? Like I was just telling Klaus, I've tried ringing the bell, but nobody came. We were all about to huddle behind the desk and pray, since there's no way of knowing where the storm shelter is. I think that as long as this place doesn't get a direct hit, we should be okay, since there's no windows, or anything."

Elijah frowned at that. "A direct hit from what, exactly?"

"The tornado? You know, the major storm that we all seem to be hiding from?" She was looking at him like he was stupid.

"Tornado?"

And then Hayley froze. "Wait! What the fuck do you mean, you're in Colorado?"

Before Elijah could answer, the door opened again.

"Caroline Forbes. What a pleasure."

"Klaus Mikaelson. Perfect." The blonde didn't sound like seeing Niklaus was a pleasure, in the slightest.

Nobody had time to do or say much more than that, though. The front door opened again. The couple that walked in were both blonde, though obviously not related. And, unlike any of the others, they were dressed properly for winter in Colorado, and had snow in their hair.

But, the arrivals were getting closer together, now. No longer any time to react at all before the door was opening, again.

By the time it was all said and done, there were fourteen people standing in the hotel lobby. And Elijah knew for a fact that some of them should not have been anywhere near there. Marcel and Kol were in Chicago last time he checked. And Freya, Rebekah, and Davina were spending this weekend moving Freya into her new apartment in New Orleans. And had started in New York.

And then there was that comment from Hayley about him being in Colorado, like that made no sense to her. What the Hell was going on, here?

~Godly Hijinks~

Klaus was getting a migraine. None of this was possible. Elijah was in Colorado, he was in New Mexico, Kol and Marcel were in Chicago. From the way Hayley had been questioning Elijah on him being in Colorado, she had noticed how impossible this was, too. And the look on Elijah's face at that, and when the rest of their siblings showed up, meant he had caught that, too.

"Has it occurred to anyone else that everything about this place is impossible?" Leave it to Elijah to take over the situation.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Miss Forbes, was it?" At Caroline's nod, he continued. "What I mean is that I was in Colorado. Niklaus should have been in New Mexico. I know for a fact that Kol and Marcel were in Chicago. And my sisters and their friend should be somewhere between New York and New Orleans. Miss Marshall also mentioned a tornado, while it was a snowstorm that drove me here."

"Great. Perfect. So, we've wandered into a horror movie. A group of strangers all get trapped in a secluded hotel with impossible geography. Are we going to start disappearing one by one, now?"

"Except we aren't really strangers, are we, Caroline? Show of hands. Who here knows somebody other than the people they were traveling with?" Klaus smirked when every single person raised their hand. "So, there. Not strangers."

"Which doesn't exactly negate the horror movie idea."

But, Elijah wasn't done taking charge of the situation. "All right. There has to be some kind of explanation."

"I don't know. I'm starting to agree with Caroline about the horror movie."

"I mean a logical explanation."

Kol rolled his eyes. "Are you really going to try to find a logical explanation for how we're all here, Elijah? We started out scattered all over the country. We found this place while hiding from tornadoes and snowstorms. And, while we're on the subject of tornadoes, I have never even heard of a tornado in Chicago in December. Until today. So, impossible geography and impossible weather. And, has anyone tried opening that door from the inside?"

Caroline's eyes widened, and she went to the door and yanked on it. "Well, this just keeps getting better and better. So, we're at a hotel with impossible geography, driven here by impossible weather, and we're trapped. And alone." She raised an eyebrow at Elijah. "Still going to try to say that we haven't wandered into a horror movie?"

It was kind of amusing watching Elijah trying to fit what was happening here into his logical, analytical brain. "Okay, so everything about this place and how we all got here is impossible. And yet, here we are. But, we aren't going to figure out what is going on by panicking. We need to be calm about this. So, first things first. We all seem to think that we're in different places. And we're all connected. I suggest that we start by going around the room, giving our names, who we're traveling with, where we were the last time we checked, and who else here we know."

"Fine. I'll start." The speed with which Hayley cut Elijah off was dizzying. Though, perhaps not surprising. She would want to be the first to admit to knowing him and Elijah. Take the lead on just how much of their history she wanted to become public knowledge.

Klaus glanced over at his older brother. Actually, that was fine with him. He didn't exactly want certain things to be announced to the group, either. Not that he really blamed her for not exactly trusting him with that.

"I'm Hayley Marshall. Last time I checked, Jackson and I were in Louisiana, headed to New Orleans. I also went to college with Elijah and Klaus."

"Jackson Kenner. And same. Hayley and I were in Louisiana. I went to college with her, Elijah, and Klaus."

"Elijah Mikaelson. I was in Colorado. I arrived by myself. Freya, Niklaus, Kol, and Rebekah are my siblings. I remember Hayley and Jackson from college. I also know Marcel and Davina."

"Klaus Mikaelson. New Mexico. I was alone. Elijah already gave a rundown of my siblings. I also knew Hayley and Jackson in college. Marcel is one of my best friends. I also know Caroline."

"Marcel Gerard. Kol and I were in Chicago. I know all of the Mikaelsons, either from college, or through Klaus. I believe I met Hayley at a party once. And apparently I went to college with Jackson. Though, I don't remember him. I guess we didn't run in the same circles. And I know Davina from Rebekah."

Klaus wondered if Jackson or Elijah had caught the way Hayley tensed when Marcel mentioned meeting her at a party. And it occurred to him that perhaps she did remember Marcel, and left him out on purpose. After all, that party, and what happened at it, was the thing that she didn't want getting out.

"Stefan Salvatore. Lexi and I were in Vermont. Damon is my brother, Elena is my ex-girlfriend, and Caroline is Elena's best friend."

"Lexi Branson. Stefan and I were in Vermont. I obviously know Damon. I also know Elena and Caroline."

"Damon Salvatore. California. I was alone. And, as I'm sure you can guess, I know Stefan, Elena, Lexi, and Caroline."

"Elena Gilbert. Caroline and I were in Virginia. I know Stefan, Damon, and Lexi."

"Caroline Forbes. Virginia with Elena. I know Stefan, Damon, Lexi, and Klaus."

"Freya Mikaelson. Rebekah, Davina, and I had just crossed into West Virginia. I obviously know the rest of my siblings, and Marcel."

"Rebekah Mikaelson. Freya was driving, so I'll take her word for it where we were. I also know my siblings and Marcel."

"Davina Claire. I was in Pennsylvania or West Virginia with Rebekah and Freya. Wasn't paying that much attention. I also know Elijah and Marcel."

"Kol Mikaelson. Marcel and I were in Chicago. I obviously know my siblings. And now I find myself wondering why I've never met Davina."

"Because I wanted to keep you and Klaus far away from her. Elijah could be trusted. You lot are a pair of leches."

"You wound me, sister."

"Enough. Can we please get back to the matter at hand? Namely the fact that until a couple hours ago, we were all in different states."

"And we're now living in a horror movie. So, before we start trying to figure this little mystery out, may I suggest that we start by making a rule that nobody is ever alone? Buddy system, guys."

"Well, that could make sleeping arrangements quite interesting. After all, we have a bit of an odd number, here."

"Learn how to count, Klaus. There are fourteen of us. Last time I checked, fourteen got divided by two just fine." Had Jackson always been such an insufferable ass, or was he picking up on, and reacting to, the tension between Hayley and the older two Mikaelson men?

"I was referring to the fact that we have seven men and seven women. Seven is not divisible by two."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Well, Jackson and I would have been sharing a bed even without this buddy system of Caroline's. Which leaves six men and six women. I'm sure the rest of you can figure something out."

Klaus barely hid a smirk. Had anyone else noticed that while she was talking to him, it was Elijah she had been looking at? And had it really been necessary for her to specify that she and Jackson would be sharing a bed, not just a room? "Well then, as for the men, most logical thing would be for the Salvatores to share a room. Marcel and I were roommates in college. Which leaves Elijah and Kol."

The last thing Klaus wanted was to ever be alone with Elijah. Because if it ever came out just how well he knew Hayley in college, they wouldn't need any outside force. His brother would probably kill him, himself.

"The women get a bit more complicated. Unless we do three and three. Because no matter how we divide this up, to go in pairs, we're going to have two women who have never met sharing a room."

It was Davina that spoke up. "I don't mind sharing with one of the others. Let Freya and Rebekah share a room. So, since the other three of you all know each other, decide among yourselves who wants to share with me."

"I will. Caroline and Elena are best friends. I know them, but… I don't know Caroline particularly well, and Elena and I weren't exactly getting along very well the last time we saw each other."

Elena laughed. "Don't trust yourself not to murder me in my sleep, Lex?"

Lexi just shrugged. "I just don't care to start that argument back up, right now. Not when we have much more pressing issues to deal with."

Well, that was certainly interesting. Then again, Stefan mentioned Elena being his ex-girlfriend. And he was traveling with Lexi. If the break-up had not exactly been amicable, then that would explain the bad blood between the two women.

Klaus clapped his hands together. "Well then! Now that we have that settled, perhaps the next thing we should do would be to actually choose bedrooms. And figure out how to get into them."

Hayley was staring at the reception desk. "Well… that shouldn't be too hard. Though, does anyone else find it… interesting that there are exactly seven sets of room keys on that board?" She walked behind the reception desk and grabbed the keys. "Seven sets, each with two keys. So, I guess it's just a matter of which pair is staying in which room."

"I say we just each grab a set of keys and see where we end up." Marcel reached for the keys in Hayley's hand, but she pulled away for a minute.

And then she looked at the wall next to the board she had pulled the keys off of, looked at the keys in her hand, and pulled one set out, before handing the rest to Marcel, who handed them out to the others. "Here. I'm guessing these are meant for me and Jackson, since according to this floor plan, it's the only one with just one bed."

"Which honestly just makes this even creepier. We've been herded here by freaky storms. That's storms, plural, because we all started out in different states. There is no rational explanation for how we all got here. Because, again, there should be no way for all of us to have ended up in one place. There is nobody else to be found. There were exactly enough keys for all of us. And only one of the rooms that someone or something has picked out for us is meant for a couple who would be sharing a bed. Which… oh look! We have exactly one couple among us!"

She didn't get to finish her rant, before Elijah interrupted her. "Yes, we all know your opinion on this. We have wandered into a horror movie. Well, if we are all going to die horribly in the next few hours or so, I prefer to see about having some alcohol in my system before that happens. Might make my death a little less painful." He turned and walked out of the room.

"Honestly, where does he think he's going? By himself? I swear, it's like he's never seen a horror movie in his life."

Marcel snickered. "To be fair, if we're in a horror movie, I'm probably going to be the first to die."

Caroline threw her hands up in obvious disgust, muttered what sounded like "men!" under her breath, and took off after Elijah yelling about the buddy system.

"Anybody else not really seeing the point of this whole buddy system?" When nobody answered Hayley, she nodded. "Yeah, screw this. I'm going to go see about finding my bedroom." And then she was gone.

Klaus fully expected Jackson to follow her. After all, he was her boyfriend, if not more than that. She kept making it very clear that they were sleeping together. And yet, he didn't. Klaus barely held in a snort. Okay, the Hayley Marshall he once knew could be more than a little headstrong, but still. You would think that somebody who cared about her would be concerned about her wandering around this place by herself.

Well, if Jackson wasn't going to follow Hayley to make sure she was okay, then Klaus would. "So, should we agree to meet back here in the morning? Start trying to figure this out when we've all had time to rest and think?" Not that he waited for a response before walking out of the lobby in the direction Hayley had gone.

~Godly Hijinks~

"So, the gang is all here."

"They are, indeed. And already starting to figure out that something is very strange, here. I'd say that things are going well."

Loki shrugged. "They don't seem too concerned, at the moment."

"They're all in shock. Trust me. This is going beautifully." Eros grinned. "And, it's about to get even better. The group is already starting to break apart. And Klaus is going after Hayley. That conversation could end up being very interesting."

Loki sighed. "Yeah, speaking of Klaus going after Hayley, I'm not sure I like that Jackson didn't go after her. Are you sure about setting him up with Freya? I think he may need to do a whole lot more maturing before he's ready for a real adult relationship. Which, is kind of ironic, considering he's currently engaged. Though, I am definitely seeing what you mean about him and Hayley not belonging together. I'll take your word for it that she should be with Elijah, but I already don't like her with Jackson."

"This is going to work, Loki. If anything can make Hayley realize that Jackson is not the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, it's going to be seeing the man she started dating him to get back at. And once the truth comes out about what really happened at that party… That's when things are going to get really good. You'll see."

Loki could only nod. And then he turned his attention to Klaus, who had caught up with Hayley.