If you recognize it, I don't own it! I own the OCs and a large collection of fluffy blankets.
Changing the POV here. Not gonna happen frequently, but I thought it'd be an interesting change.
TW: Brief description of violence in Kol's section.
FINN
Being daggered for 900 years was a lonely existence. He was granted short reprieves when his other siblings were daggered. During those times, he could sift through their minds. He learned new languages, saw empires rise and fall, witnessed fashion changing, and learned about new creatures that walked the earth. They could do the same to him, but they were tired of looking. He had nothing new to share with them.
He could not talk to his siblings directly. They communicated telepathically. Kol was the best at it, with his background in the mystical arts. Rebekah had no patience for it, though during her longer punishments she would reach out to Finn. She too was a lonely soul who craved companionship.
The passage of time was smooth, like water. He never noticed the years passing. His siblings were like boulders that disrupted rivers. They made him aware of everything he was missing: friends, family, living. While he looked forward to learning more about the world outside of his coffin, he also resented having his peace disrupted. He knew it would take a miracle for his siblings to release him, and he did not appreciate watching the world turn on without being a part of it.
A bright light appeared out of the blackness, putting an end to his monotonous life. He reached out, desperate for the warmth it provided. He touched another being. It felt different from his siblings, brighter. This creature was a bright flame, while he and his siblings were embers. They were hotter, and might last longer, but the new life was as bright as the sun to Finn.
He was able to touch the creature's mind. She- the creature was undoubtedly a female- was an adult. This surprised him. He wondered why she was just now catching his attention. Surely when she was born she would have registered?
Kol could feel the woman's mind, but Rebekah could not sense the new woman. She could tell that there was something affecting Finn and Kol, and she was curious. Finn and Kol were curious, too, and very grateful. The new creature was so interesting. Her memories were hazy to Finn, but what he could see was strange. She knew his face. She knew the faces of his siblings. She knew their story. It was curious.
Finn enjoyed the warmth she radiated. As the days went on, he developed the ability to walk in her dreams. The settings of these dreams were ever-changing. Sometimes he was walking with her in a park. He was pushing a baby pram with one hand and holding her hand with the other. Other times he was in a bedroom with her; she slept peacefully and he watched over her.
The passing of days was more stark now. Every day was a day without her. Every day was a day that he could be with her, touching her, loving her, protecting her. The days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months. He worried for her, especially on days her light flickered. Those days made him ache to be free of his wooden prison, because she needed help and he was unable to do anything but lay in his coffin.
ELIJAH
Elijah was aware of the creature residing in the back of his head, next to his red door. He gave this creature her own door to keep her contained. Her door was a cheerful yellow with glass panels. Elijah chained in shut, using more effort to keep the yellow door shut than his red door.
The yellow door was an unwanted distraction. He had to get his revenge on his brother Niklaus for killing their siblings. He had to avenge lonely Rebekah, savage Kol, and even tragic Finn. He could afford no distractions.
However. . . in the dead of night, when he was sleeping and his barriers were lowered, the chains fell off the yellow door and it sprang open.
She was bright and warm, and like no other woman he had met before. She thought herself human and weak, but he could tell she had a core of strength in her. He watched as she schemed and planned, not to hurt others, but to save them. She loved a select few, but those that she did call family she loved with her entire heart.
Elijah couldn't help but admire her. She who could take her knowledge of the future to her own gain lived in near squalor. She could live wherever she wanted, but chose a sleepy little town somewhere on the East coast of the United States. He was not aware of the extent of her plans, but any person who gave up comfort and security to save lives was a noble person indeed.
Sometimes when he dreamed she was there. His favorite dream so far had been when he had been reading poems to her in front of the fire. She enjoyed the sound of his voice. She never complained or rolled her eyes when he bundled her up in homemade blankets. She indulged him but was never long-suffering in her indulgence. Though he could never focus on her facial features he did know that she had extremely curly hair. One night he dreamt that he spent hours brushing it out. He woke up with the memory of dark brown curls slipping through his fingers.
Elijah couldn't help but notice the parallels between him and the mystery woman. He plotted and schemed to kill his brother. He did not care who got caught in the crossfire. His witches, Jonas and Luka Martin, believed that Niklaus was holding Greta, Jonas's daughter and Luka's sister, hostage. Elijah knew the truth: Greta was not a captive but a willing participant. However, he was not going to disclose this truth to the two male witches. He needed their talents. On the other hand, the mystery woman was trying her best to limit the collateral damage around her. He could not see exactly what she was planning, but he had watched her talk to her brother about "saving as many people as possible". He wondered if she would approve of his choices… probably not. He was not one who needed constant validation, but he found himself desiring her acceptance. As cold as he could be, he knew intrinsically that if she smiled at him he would lay the world at her feet. For her, he would open the red door.
KLAUS
Injustice and rage burned within Klaus. His chained werewolf side was completely feral, like a starved dog. He knew the moment he released it, it would run and run and run, and a trail of destruction would be left in its wake. He didn't particularly care. He just wanted to be free. Once he was free, he would make an army of hybrids like him. Then, if his siblings still hated him, his hybrids could be his family.
Even cursed to be vampires like his siblings, he would always be apart from them. The same blood did not run through their veins. His blood made him different, made him alone. Even loyal Elijah had abandoned 'always and forever'. His brother believed their siblings to be dead. He believed that Klaus was capable of that! Was their brotherly love so weak?
Early in 2008 Klaus started to have odd dreams. The same woman dominated the dreams, though he couldn't describe her features once he woke up. But he had a hunch that she was real, and that he was going to meet her soon.
He wasn't sure he wanted to meet her. In his dreams they were very close: she called him her husband once. The thought terrified him. A wife was a source of weakness for him. She could be used against him, and she could move against him. His siblings had proven that they could not be trusted, so why should this mystery woman be any different?
Still, he found himself looking forward to his dreams…
"I sometimes am envious of your family life," he said as he stroked her curly hair. They were laying in bed as a storm raged outside. The room was warm from the fire and the army of blankets that surrounded them. He was dreaming, a small part of him knew this, but he didn't care. "Yours seems so completely normal compared to mine."
"Normal is relative, but I do agree that my family is a little less murder-y than yours," she teased.
"If you haven't stabbed your brother, are you even family?" he joked back.
She laughed. After a few quiet moments, she added, "They weren't perfect, you know. My uncle, my dad's younger brother Carlos, started dating this Jewish woman, Abigail, several years before I was born. This was bad because my grandparents were firmly Catholic, and had raised their sons to be Catholic. My dad had always been the perfect child. He followed all the rules, married a Catholic woman, got a good job, and had me. Uncle Carlos, though… he was a black sheep. He didn't like to play by the rules. He questioned things that my grandparents believed shouldn't be questioned. So when he started dating Abigail, they barely spoke to him. When he married her and converted to Judaism, they stopped talking to him altogether."
She played with his hands as she collected thoughts.
"They didn't talk to him for over a decade. He had three children, and my grandparents never really made an effort to know those kids, which is just so wrong. They robbed themselves of the opportunity to get to know their grandchildren, and they robbed their grandchildren of the opportunity to get to know their grandparents. I know that after my grandmother got diagnosed with cancer she reached out to Uncle Carlos and Aunt Abigail. I think my grandfather even visited them once or twice after Abuela died. But they both let chances for reconciliation pass by. As much as I love them, I can admit that they made very big mistakes."
"Every family has skeletons in their closets," he said, though he privately believed her family was better than his.
"That phrase is more literal in your family's sense," she joked.
He chuckled. "Yes, I do believe you are right."
She turned to look up at him. "I don't want tonight to end."
"Neither do I," Klaus was surprised to find that he meant it.
Maybe this mystery woman would be an adversary. Maybe she would be his greatest ally. Either way, he needed to meet her outside of his dreams. He was still apprehensive, but he knew she was human. If push came to shove, he would just kill her and be done with it.
KOL
He hated being daggered. The instant he was released he was going to dagger Niklaus. If it was the last thing Kol did it would be sticking a dagger into his brother's heart and tossing him into the sea! Nik deserved it. He had acted like a tyrant, like their murderous father, instead of a supportive brother.
Kol's rage at his brother only amplified once he started sharing dreams and memories with Miriam. He knew that Finn could also share dreams with the girl, but Kol had always been stronger, so his visions were clearer. He could sometimes watch over her during the day, when she was awake. He knew her name, and could even break the flow of the dream to talk to her. If only he wasn't daggered he could actually meet her. He needed to shake some sense into her. She wanted to save his family members, and that was all well and noble, but she was slowly fading. She was working herself to the bone to survive, and dealing with horrible human males.
Over the last two years of their connection, there had been many times that Kol had wished he was out in the real world helping Miriam. If he was free he would have killed the vampire that had attacked her in the ally. He would have given her enough money to keep her from repeatedly going back to feed the baby vamp or living in a decrepit building owned by an odious, covetous man. He would have helped her achieve her goals of saving his family, but not at the expense of her own well-being.
Kol had never wished to be un-daggered more than the day Miriam was attacked. She had been cleaning the house of a Mr. Schmitt. Kol had seen the way that the man and his ridiculous, perverted son had stared at Miriam as she worked. He had seen the lustful glint in the eyes of both the father and the son. The situation came to a head one day in late January of the new year, 2010. Miriam had been distracted with thoughts of the future, when Mr. Schmitt touched her backside. When she rebuffed him, he became violent.
He slapped her, before grabbing her harshly by the shoulders and shaking her. He called her racial slurs as he beat her savagely. Miriam had been unable to fight back. How could she? She was small, and weak from her inefficient diet. Mr. Schmitt had then paused in his assault to reach for his belt. Kol didn't know if the evil man had meant to continue beating Miriam with his belt, or if he had intended to harm her in a different, more violating way.
Kol and Miriam would never find out, because Mrs. Schmitt had walked in. A stronger woman might have called the police on her husband, but Mrs. Schmitt was not a strong woman. She coldly demanded that Miriam leave her house and never return, as if Miriam had been the issue.
Miriam had limped out of the house, but hadn't cried until she reached the relative safety of her apartment. She cleaned herself up as best as she could, then fell asleep.
That night, Kol made sure that he was extra sweet to her in their shared dream. He knew he wasn't the Casanova that Niklaus was, or the suave lover that Elijah was, but he could be charming.
He conjured up a dream scenario where they were in a city. They were at a restaurant, seated outdoors under lights that had been strung overhead. The night was pleasantly warm. He had his sleeves rolled up and she wore a dress without sleeves. They talked and laughed the entire night away while eating good food and drinking good wine.
After their dinner they went walking.
"I found a book of baby names at the library the other day," Miriam said as they walked towards a bridge that stretched from one end of the river to the next. She stopped for a moment to scoop up some rocks and pebbles before they continued.
"Oh?"
"I found your name in the book. It means 'dark'," she grinned at him as they walked to the middle of the bridge. She went to the side and started to lazily through the pebbles into the river.
Kol laughed. "That's appropriate. My soul is very dark, Miri."
"Maybe it is, but you would never turn that darkness on me," she said confidently. Kol knew this was dream-Miriam talking, and that the real Miriam might be hesitant to trust him. He was fine with that. He would build her trust until she realized that dream-Kol and real-Kol were the same person.
"No, I would never turn on you," he said with complete sincerity. He meant to harm his brother Niklaus, and maybe even Elijah if Elijah protected Nik as always. But he would never hurt Miriam. "So, what does your name mean?"
She tossed other rock into the river. "It's an old name that has been used by several different cultures that speak several different languages, so it has a lot of different meanings. There is one, though, that resonated with me."
"What was it?"
She held out her hand over the water, and a haunted look crossed over her face. "Miriam means 'sea of sorrow'".
She turned her hand over and let the rest of the rocks sink into the murky waters below.
AN: I'm not going to do many chapters with alternate POVs, but I thought we needed to check in with the Mikaelsons, and get an outside perspective to Miriam.
Let me know how I did with their respective personalities! Elijah was the most difficult, TBH. This was fun to write, because I got to feel out the Original Brothers' respective personalities.
ALSO, it rained where I live (it doesn't usually do that, FWY) so I wrote most of this with my window open, listening to the rain. It was a novel experience.
Thanks to everyone who is reading this story! It means a lot! - Whitney
