-ˏˋ ᴡ ᴇ ʟ ᴄ ᴏ ᴍ ᴇ ˊˎ-

This book is rated mature, further discussion of this is at the end of the Preface. I look forward to hearing all of your feedback. As I've worked tirelessly on this book and the rewritten version of it!


"...We all have a hunger..."


...

Soundtrack

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Helios- ISON

Outside - Ellie Goulding

Caves - Clann

Amateur Blood - Novo Amor Ed Tullet


Part I

...

Dreams


Previously on The Other Half

...

"New Orleans? What the hell is Klaus doing there?" Seethes Rebekah, her manicured toes curling against the cold white patterned linoleum floor in the kitchen.

"Evidently there are witches conspiring against him. So, knowing our brother, this was a mission of silence and slaughter," Elijah replied, and his sister sighed, already tired of this conversation and the turn it had taken.

The Original fixed her capri blue sights on her stainless-steel fridge, brows knitting into a frown. Trying to figure out if she had enough energy to fix herself something to eat.

"I hope he knows or at least remembers that the French Quarter witches are not to be trifled with. He is no longer playing with the minor leagues."

"And where are you going?" Rebekah asked, picking up on the sound of a car door closing with her supernatural hearing.

"To find out who exactly is making a move against our brother. And you should try and tone down your glee. In the name of family-"

"What family? We are 3 distrustful acquaintances who happen to share a bloodline. I for one hope they've found a way to make that traitorous bastard rot."

"You have the gall to call him a traitor-"

"Yes, yes, yes! I brought back our vicious father so I could have a chance at happiness. You don't understand," Rebekah sniffled, unable to hold back her emotions, "He's never deprived you of love."

It was Elijah's turn to sigh.

"And you don't have to reprehend me about what I've done every chance you get!"

"We have each betrayed each other dozens of times in the past, but what you did topped the cake."

Rebekah shakily laughed, she didn't know if she was worse when she was away from her family or worse because despite trying not to care she worried constantly about them. But she didn't want to tell her brother that. For once, she wanted to try staying away rather than running back. "You want to talk about topping the cake? I've got one for you, brother. How about compelling the love of his bloody life?"

Elijah tensed, "Father terrorized him, and as for her? That girl? The love of his life? Oh, please, Rebekah, she was using him. Have you forgotten the fact that she had tried sleeping with not only me but Kol as well while our brother was courting her? Not to mention her nightly disappearances to her brother's room."

"He still loved her."

"A bit of a strong word. Lust is the more appropriate term."

"Then what about the blonde girl here in Mystic Falls? Caroline, I think? Lest I speak of Tatia..."

"He used Caroline to try and get closer to her friends. He cared, but I don't think it was as serious as you and others may think... As for Tatia...he is over her. Has been for centuries. I suspect that he never liked her as much as he let on."

"Are you implying that he was jealous of you?"

"Not jealous of me in the way you think. Father never laid a hand on me and he wasn't interested in my love life."

The ancient vampire checked her complexion in the mirror that lay on the wall where the sink was... Today, she wore no make-up, her blonde hair in a simple braid down her back. With her classic Nordic features she at first felt like she didn't need it. Rebekah wasn't shallow, she knew that she was perfectly beautiful without it. But... she also believed that trying out new things was a reward in itself. And she had found that she rather enjoyed dressing up even if there was no real point to it. Later...much later...she would head down to the Grill to try and get Matt's attention but for now...she was going to take a few personal hours and just chill. She had been the one to call her brother, Rebekah had known exactly what she was getting herself into...

"The wolves were running rampant around our village. He didn't want to take the chance of having one for a grandchild."

"Speaking of love, how is that Donovan boy?"

"Bloody, unresponsive as always, no matter what I do."

Rebekah could practically see the annoyed look on her brother's face even though they were talking on the phone. Like Klaus and even Kol, Elijah had made his opinion of Matt clear. That boy was not good enough for their sister.

"You, dear sister, confuse love with like far too often. It is the very reason why you keep getting hurt."

The blonde opened the nearest cabinet before slamming it closed. Angered by what her brother said. Usually, Elijah sugarcoated everything. Even when they had been human it was a habit of his.

To protect her, she later learned.

An annoyed groan sounded from the spare room. She had disturbed her doppelganger roommate, but she was too heated to care.

"Fine. Go off to bloody New Orleans and help Nik. But don't try and drag me in this Elijah, I deserve-"

"Everything in the world," the original said, cutting her angry rant short. "You are my sister, and you deserve no less," she smiled softly at her brother's words. Unlike most of her brothers, Elijah was a man of words rather than actions in cases like these. He wouldn't physically drag her wherever he went like Nik and Kol. She wasn't sure what Finn would do.

Rebekah thanked him, feeling less heated than before, and not caring that she was no longer alone.

The Petrova doppelganger had waltzed her way through the kitchen, inventorying her surroundings with dark, narrowed eyes. Her chocolate curls, as always, fell perfectly into place over her shoulders and down the middle of her back. The Original hated to admit it but she had always been a little jealous of how much the doppelganger could draw attention without meaning too. It quite frankly irritated her to no end. Rebekah watched the vampire walk over to the coffee machine, her lips setting to a pout when she realized it hadn't been turned on yet. Rebekah smiled, if they were to be rooming together the least she could do was make her a little miserable.

Meanwhile, her brother continued speaking on the phone, unaware of the other presence in the room.

"You deserve to be loved and you deserve happiness. If you need a break then I will give you one. Just promise me that you won't forget why we have lasted as long as we have. Splitting up won't make you happy and it won't make that Donovan boy walk up to your door flowers in hand. You are too impatient, love takes time." Rebekah rolled her eyes, "We have watched entire empires rise and fall faster than the morning light could climb up the great walls and towers we built around ourselves. Our blood ties to each other cannot be severed, no matter how much you sometimes wish that they could be. Sometimes, Rebekah, love can be short and barren, leaving you feeling empty and wanting more."

She frowned, not liking what he said about feeling empty.

"Family is forever, and with our family, there is never a dull moment. Enjoy your time alone, sister, you've earned it."

Elijah disconnected the call and began his way to the airport feeling better after making sure his sister was alright.

"You know what, I think I'm just gonna go have a cup of coffee at that new bakery since someone didn't turn the coffee machine on."

The Original shrugged, trying to cover up the fact that she was secretly enjoying this. "Recently, I haven't been much of a coffee drinker."

"Is it because of Stefan or is it, Matt? It doesn't take much for the Mystic Falls band of boys to ruin your daily routine..."

"Now, Kathrine...I thought you were over Stefan."

Rebekah was partly curious to hear the doppelganger's reply, because, in all honesty, she was.

The brunette sighed, "Does being uninterested and bored count?" The younger vampire wasn't exaggerating things. She was tired...maybe even exhausted...of this tragic little town and all the tragic little people who lived in it.

Rebekah nodded, laughing, "Yes. Mind if I accompany you?"

"Not at all, as long as you promise to tell me what you and your brother were talking about."

Rebekah laughed, grabbing her purse from the glorious white marble countertop, "Well, let me put your mind at ease. We weren't talking about you, darling."

...

The bar today was full of vampires. It usually was during the daytime, including out-of-towners.

The smell of food cooking and fermented alcoholic beverages on ice was enough to bring people together. A diverse music playlist blasting through the speakers on the walls and the casual chatting from the humans made the perfect smokescreen for what was really going on.

"Must be 100 years since that nasty business with your Papa."

"Hey, easy," Marcel's words did nothing to ease his vampire's nerves.

Life for the King of NOLA couldn't have gotten more complicated. Even as a vampire he was bone tired and wanted to do nothing more than curl up on one of the bar seats and sleep. The last few nights he had been kept up by his daughter, because of her visions and nightmares. He swore they got worse with each passing night. The human council wanted more money as always. And as always, they were giving him hell. With the death date of his friends coming up, he would take two weeks just to wind down and reminisce about the good days. But seeing the man who raised him, his father, and his friend shook all of that raggedness off him.

"Has it been that long?" The hybrid asked, not hiding the fact that he was happy to see a familiar face in the sea of strangers.

"Way I recall it, he ran you out of town. Left a trail of dead bodies in his wake."

Klaus smirked, enjoying the uneasiness and fear he felt from the vampires around him. "And yet how fortunate you managed to survive. My father, I'm afraid, I recently incinerated to dust."

There was tension in the room as the two vampires stepped closer to one another. "Well, if I had known you were coming back in town, if I had a heads-up..."

"What, Marcel? What would you have done?"

A silent moment passed and everyone in that part of the bar seemed to be holding their breath.

"I'd have thrown you a damn parade," Marcel broke the silence, grinning widely. He was being honest. He owed a lot to this man. Marcel knew full well that the others wouldn't understand but he wasn't bothered by that at the very moment.

The two embraced.

From a distance, it looked like two old friends were reuniting.

But they considered each other to be family.

Over the years seeing each other had been out of the question due to everything going on but something happened at the right time, and they just happened to be in the same right place.

"Niklaus Mikaelson. My mentor, my savior, my sire. Let's get you a drink, it's good to see you."

Despite what's been going on the past two decades, the vampire had really meant it. Maybe he could help with his problems, Marcel thought as they sat down at the nearest table.

...

A teenage dark-haired witch paced in an attic, in the dead of night. Her room was alight with the old string lights she had found in a box labeled 'X-Mas.' The brightly colored bulbs threatened to burst any moment.

Shaky hands turned over one another, nervously, as she recognized the warning signs of her about to lose control of her magic.

She had typed out her S.O.S with shaky fingers and misspelled words and improper grammar. This had happened enough that she knew that even if her message wasn't as clear as she wanted it to be that it had gotten through to the receiver regardless. But it was bad and all she wanted was her Dad. When her own people turned her back on her, when her so-called family turned her back on her, Marcel was all she had. He protected her while everyone she knew since birth had wanted to hurt her. It's been 3 years since that hellish night and she couldn't be more thankful that he came when he did. She recalled the night clearly...and if she wanted she could still feel the cold rain cutting into her skin. She had been crying and stumbling in the downpour for quite some time, alone. She had just witnessed her friend's neck be slit open in a jagged red smile. She had seen the vampires hopping off of the tombs with great strength and speed. Realization of what was happening made her run. But she didn't feel scared yet. An older witch somehow found her and grabbed her wrist tight enough to cut off her blood flow. And then she was gone, the tight grip on her arm as well. Now she was scared. That's how it was at first. The sporadic blinding flashes of lightning allowed the girl to see the dark bloody man with an obvious murderous glint in his eyes. But he whispered, with his hand held out, "Hey, come here. I promise, I'm not gonna hurt you, it's okay. I promise that I won't let anyone hurt you alright, it's okay." And she believed in the sincerity of his voice, and without hesitation she went to him, taking his hand. Days after the incident she had been placed in the vampire's care and under his watch by order of the regent of the 9 covens of NOLA. She would be okay. The witch still craved his warmth almost as much as she did when she had been out in that storm. She was relieved when he came when she called. She wanted him to worry too much and he did...he always did...

That's how she knew he truly cared and wasn't just playing a game and trying to get something out of her.

"Hey, D, sorry I- Are you..." The vampire struggled with words seeing the girl he saved and who he considered to be his daughter, in such distress.

"It's happening again."

Marcel knew full well what that meant. He knew the look in her hazel eyes, haunted almost. Sometimes even with the potion, it lasted hours, her agony.

"Has something changed?"

For once, Marcel hoped she would feel something else besides pain. He didn't want either of them to suffer.

The witch shook her head, "No. It's just..."

"She's in pain, Dad," the girl lamented, finally breaking down, nearly fainting from the pain in her head. The vampire scooped up the weeping witch and set the girl on her four-poster canopy bed that she had begged for.

It had been a year since she had been calling him, 'Dad.' It never failed to make him feel more whole than before.

He remembered the night it all began.

She had asked him if it had been okay, blushing deeply, afraid of rejection. It was no easy thing to request, and she already knew how the vampire felt about her. The Christmas decorations were still up at the compound for New Year. Despite the dark times that surrounded them, the spirit of the holidays made everything more bearable. The sound of her cheerful voice calling him the very thing he thought he'd never be to anyone was something he never wanted to go away.

Marcel sped to the bookcase in the corner of the room, desperate, "Shit, where did Esmée put the vial," he muttered, mind racing at the possibilities.

The vampire searched for a few more moments before finding the little green thing in a place he never wanted to look again.

Davina had stopped crying but her hands remained in motion, her breaths coming out in short pants.

"Hey, why did you hide this?" The vampire asked, with a tilted head. The witch put her hands over her face, "I don't want to take it anymore, Dad."

"Why? Esmée and Audrey tested it before passing it on to me for me to give to you. It works, right? It hasn't started making you sick, right?" Marcel asked, prepared to make phone calls and rouse the entire city if he had to for Davina.

"It-it cuts me off and I can't feel her. Dad, I can't do it."

Her.

Marcel knew exactly what Davina was talking about. The lost wolf princess, the daughter of his two good friends... His dead friends...the people he had considered family. He had been their daughter's godfather but she had already been snatched up by the witches before he could get there in time. He hadn't had the chance...the vampire didn't think he would ever come to terms with that fact...

"If it helps with the pain-"

"No!" Davina howled, "I can't, I can't, I can't. How cruel am I to be able to have...relief," her voice cracked, "when she never gets any. She's in pain, and it isn't fair..."

...

A moonless and starless sky glared down at them as if disapproving of the opposing group. Nocturnal animals belonging to the land had not haltered their nightly explorations for new homes or hunts for food. But they were wary of the two men with tense postures and expressions.

"If you do not release the girl then I will be forced to act. Don't make me repeat myself."

Elijah took a step forward causing one of the many pinecones that littered the curvy road to be crushed under his feet. The Deveraux sisters glanced at one another before looking back at Hayley.

"Look, we don't want any trouble."

Klaus laughed, savoring the surprised looks from those around him. "This is absolutely bloody comical. Kidnapping the Original Hybrid's one-night stand, who is carrying his child. Why would you witches think there would be any trouble?"

Elijah put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Brother-"

Klaus shook his hand off, "There were rumors of you conspiring against me," Klaus stated, looking at Jane Anne who held her head high rather than the percentage of simpler persons who would have had the sense to look down.

"Yes. It isn't exactly hard to start rumors, especially now a day's. My goal was to get you here...not harm you, Hayley, or your family for that matter. We've been over this, Hybrid."

"Then why-"

"Hayley confided in me about why she came here in the first place. She was told she had family here in the city," Sophie spoke over them. Sensing a dangerous tension between her sister and the particularly cranky Original hybrid.

"Is this true, Hayley?" Elijah asked, earning an eye roll and a sigh from his brother. "I didn't get a chance to tell the both of you because somebody's been bitching 24/7. Not to mention the fact that five days ago I found out I was pregnant with a miracle baby and in 9 months I am going to be a mother. Forgive me, for not telling the both of you every detail of my existence."

Klaus scrunched up his nose, "Isn't it too early for the hormones to kick in, little wolf?"

Sophie cleared her throat, "We had to get your attention somehow. This isn't exactly a conversation to be having on a phone, that's why we're here..."

Jane Anne unshackled Hayley from the tree. The wolf girl muttered angrily while walking to go stand by Elijah, rubbing her sore wrists. Her steps were mostly soundless due to the layer of dry pine needles that covered the faded asphalt.

In a tree not too far away an owl hooted.

"A, thank you, would suffice."

"Shut up, Klaus."

It was Jane Anne who cleared her throat this time, "Before I give this to you, you all should know to keep this between the 3 of you. 2 witches died just getting this. There is a reason why we drove past city limits, and it wasn't just for show. Should this get out you will squash any attempt of regaining what you didn't know you had. More people will die. This isn't a game," the witch said, glaring at Klaus who was now frowning.

Sophie walked over to Hayley only to be obstructed by Elijah. The young witch looked up at the suited Original in annoyance, the wind ruffling her newly cropped hair. Brown eyes lined with kohl narrowed.

"The worst thing she could get from this is a paper cut, which would be pretty hard to do, due to the fact that it is laminated. Why would we hurt her when we are the ones who shielded her from our own coven? We were honest, and you listened. Hayley is now safer and actually has a shot of surviving her pregnancy to full term because of the both of you."

Hayley looked down ashamed, remembering how Sophie had found her (at Katie's shop looking for wolfsbane). It wasn't her proudest moment. And she hadn't told anyone about it and no one knew besides Sophie. She feared what the men she traveled with would think.

"You want insurance," Sophie chuckled, noticing Klaus lift his head in waiting, "Here it is...you aren't the only ones with something to lose should they found out all that has transpired."

The Original finally stepped aside, allowing the witch to hand Hayley the opened manila envelope. Klaus appeared over her shoulder eyes widening as he scanned the page twice before she could even glance down.

"This is a birth certificate."

"What?" Hayley asked, brow furrowed looking at Klaus in annoyance as he plucked the sheet of paper from her hands. "Hey, give it back, it's mine!"

The crickets sang at that moment as if excited by what was currently transpiring.

"Actually, no, little wolf, it's your sister's."

The pregnant werewolf had had one hell of a week. Not only had she been kidnapped twice, but she had been forced to be in a car for hours. Of course, she had the option of staying at the hotel but being around all that expensive stuff made her nervous. She had been having restless nights ever since she found out she was pregnant. Shock was all it took to push her body over the edge, only for her to be caught by Elijah.

ılılıllılııllı

Cue the intro:

How Soon is Now - The Smiths

ılılıllılııllı

I am the son

I am the heir

ılılıllılııllı

I am human and I need to be loved

Just like everybody else does

lılılılılııllı

See I've already waited too long

And all my hope is gone

ılılıllılııllı

...

New Orleans; The French Quarter

...

Sabine Pov

...

"Again."

The force behind the whip made yet another lash across her back.

Ribbons of red streamed down and around her nude, nubile figure, trickling onto the floor... Joining her other bodily fluids, mixing in a puddle beneath her knees...

The sharp sound echoing off the rough uneven stone walls where claw marks could be viewed thanks to the light provided by the candles.

Her body was a canvas in a way, I thought as I watched her glare at Agnes, eyes burning gold and fangs bared as another blow was delivered to her back.

Then another...and another...and another after that...

We were able to do whatever we pleased and then in a couple of days, we could do it over, and over again. Except maybe next time we'd do it less...and then...we'd do more...

...Always more...

For our prisoner, well, it was nothing but an endless cycle... A button pushed consistently labeled repeat...

Her middle name meant mercy, it would seem fit if she got some.

Murmuring could be heard, before shuffling, and then there was screaming.

Wolfsbane.

After all these years of using it, I could detect it in the air as soon as the vial was uncorked and open.

The white smoke curling up off her back confirmed what I already knew. Her back as damaged as it was, offered no protection from the poison, (this time it was in the form of powder).

...And she withered...in pain...the chains clanging together as she howled in pain. Some stepped back, it wouldn't be an odd thing if someone got too close and she lashed out.

The sounds of her agonized screams never failed to make me shudder.

That voice of hers was something else too.

Silvery, sounded like the best description for the...unearthly...sound. I had learned that it was more than possible for something so beautiful to turn around and be so primal and tear-jerking all at once.

Kicking a puppy came to mind. Whether it was an accident or on purpose you immediately felt bad after hearing the hurt yip that came from its maw.

A simple reaction to an equally, simple action.

It was natural to feel bad, I suppose. A part of me knew what we were doing was wrong. Keeping someone here for the specific purpose of taking their power, and spreading it among ourselves. Beating that someone until they struggled to breathe correctly because she wanted to break free of our hold.

But she defied nature being what she was...a hybrid...

Some like Agnes concluded they were making the world a better place by keeping her here because she was nothing more than an abomination.

A mistake.

Few truly knew her parents, but those who did had no problem with our little arrangement. Their hate for them got passed onto her.

This punishment would be longer than usual as it always was when a ritual had to be done outside the cemetery. Agnes wanted her to be reminded of what she would face should she try to escape for the third time.

Her body looked like it wanted to fold in on itself by the time I lost count after 40.

There wasn't as much fresh blood at this point, as her back now closely resembled a slab of raw meat rather than skin. The heavy metal bangles on her wrist connected to the chains, wrapped around hooks, driven into the wall by magic prevented her from moving much. She would be miserable because of the flies if it weren't for the healing spells I would be doing later after this...session...

Agnes and the others didn't know as much as they thought they did, Agnes especially. It wasn't exactly hard to act on lies when you were extremely motivated. The Ancestors had stopped talking to and through me years ago. Around the same time I started interacting with the lost wolf princess, teaching her anything from; letters, words, and even Latin. I had tried to hold her after her time with Agnes but she kicked and screamed. Before she could walk she had been untying the most complex of knots. Things older women such as myself had problems with. She was an undeniably skilled witch and it didn't take much to realize that she hadn't grown into her potential. But before she could walk she would be punished for being hungry and crying too much. Despite not living out in the real world as an orphan, she wasn't stupid. Others would think that she wouldn't even be able to lift up her head after everything that's been thrown her way. But she held her head high, spat in our faces, and yelled in defiance. There were a few times when she didn't fight back in some way shape or form but after I thought we had finally broken her, she fought back harder than before. Knowing her hate for me didn't stop my efforts from trying to get closer to her every chance I got.

Recently, I had come across a spell that would supposedly take care of our vampire problem. Every time one of Marcel's vampires got the chance to kill us they didn't hesitate. This ritual would change things...change everything... To the point where It would be more than a half, a page game-changer like the last few had been. Sophie Deveraux, months ago, had unsuccessfully tried to find some dirt on Marcel. Listen in on his secret meetings and such (the usual spy stuff). But the young party hard go lucky witch's time and mediocre efforts (at best) had been sadly wasted. We had underestimated each other for 2 decades. I know the only reason he hadn't already busted in our homes and ripped our throats out is because of our prisoner. Marcel had known exactly what Sophie had been doing and the whole duration of their little fling had been for his personal enjoyment.

I suppose it was his way of humoring us.

The Regent of the nine covens, Audrey Ellis, was not aware of our prisoner. After the harvest incident, she had banned that ritual and any other ritual that had the same purpose. If anyone was caught, they were to be killed on sight. The Human Council as well as the self-proclaimed King of New Orleans agreed. Ms. Ellis did not take kindly to being unheard and her background made heads turn. She had put the only living harvest witch under Marcel's wings. If I could I would use the Claire witch as a sacrifice. But I didn't have the slightest idea of her whereabouts and I would be killed before I got within 5 feet of her.

Unfortunately, for the spell to take full effect a sacrifice was needed.

I was sadly, watching the only available candidate have her hair pulled back so far that her back was forced to arch, causing a tortured cry to leave her throat.

I was aware that this time Agnes was worried more than usual because we would have to journey through the Bayou or rather the city and church. But Agnes didn't know about that. I, as well as a few others, had plans to make sure that she never found out. It was a risky jump but a jump I was more than willing to take. These past few months the wolf princess had been acting a little different. I didn't find anything suspicious, despite others insisting something bad was about to happen. Sometimes she could predict a beating, a torture session. She would feel it before it ever happened. Maybe she had predicted her death and had started to give up. She slept through the day when we didn't rouse her for a spell, or blood draw, and she had been staying out of trouble for the most part. Part of me wanted to be relieved, but I had to remind myself to always keep my guard up.

Something I should have been thinking from day one.

The girl was considered royalty, yes, but she was still a wolf. An animal waiting to come out...caged until its curved claws were stained with the blood of a human...

There was a big difference between humans and witches.

Some assumed that if an untriggered wolf killed a witch that their curse would come to full pass when the full moon rose above the treeline. However, that was not true as most supernatural assumptions were false to start out with. In order for the curse to fully come to pass the said wolf would have to take part in a human's demise.

But I had been younger then...more careless...

Now, when I looked in the mirror I was reminded of how important it was to be alert of not only what was around you, but also what was in front of you.

I remember the first time she had been flogged like it was yesterday. Her cries nearly broke my heart. She screamed even when the cane was no longer being swung across her ribs and stomach. She had stolen some cuts of raw meat meant to be used for a potion. And by stolen I meant I had sneaked a few steaks to her. She had been looking skinnier than usual and I hated to see her suffer. And she did better when her hunger was fully satiated anyway. She had plenty of dirty water to drink, but it was never enough. Every couple of days she Agnes would fill up a large metal dog bowl full of canned vegetables, cold oatmeal, beans, and pieces of molded bread. Agnes was against giving her any meat because she thought that it would only strengthen her more animalistic side, but I knew for a fact that she needed more protein and meat if she was going to survive the years to come. I hadn't planned for Agnes to walk in so I had no choice but to play the bad guy and say that she stole the red meat. I remember the brief hurt look she gave me as she was drug away by her hair, I remember the weight of guilt on my shoulders. After the beating, I had approached her cell in the dead of night. Hoping to make amends with what I had done. I wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but she clawed at me, screaming. I was permanently partially blinded in my left eye. Healing potions that were in the form of creams and oils, didn't put a dent in the wound or the burning pain. Julie considered me lucky that I had not been fully blinded. For weeks I had a nasty infection, dry cough, and I would throw up every few days. Julie managed to help me keep away my infection by making me take pills every 12 hours. If I was more than 30 minutes late taking my pills, the ragged purple ugly scar would ooze out blood and yellowish-green pus. Even with Julie being a doctor at St. Charles, she couldn't manage to get rid of my cough, or the sickness that plagued me on the days when the moon was at its fullest. I glamoured myself when I went out into the city to avoid any onlookers and questions.

From day one I had concerns for her, even after she gave me a scar that started at my hairline, down my left eye, across the bridge of my nose, past the side of my mouth, down my chin, neck, and collar bone.

I knew Agnes as well as a few others wanted me dead because I quote on quote, 'cared too much about the halfbreed bitch.'

But Agnes couldn't kill me because of my 'direct link' to the ancestors. I was brought back for the sole reason of being their puppet. But I was a useful puppet up and till they had no uses for me anymore. I was the one who cleaned the girl after she was beaten. I cleaned the rooms ridding years of blood stains, it wasn't all hers. Agnes thought she was punishing me but I yearned to care for the girl and thought of myself as her mother. I told the girl this once and she lashed out at me again but I was smart enough to move back.

We had other prisoners but she is the longest we have kept alive and captive.

Our prisoner was both witch and wolf.

Though we had not the slightest hint of the girl's witch lineage, except for the fact that her mother had been one to not mess with unless you had a death wish. But we did know some of her wolf lineages.

Her daddy had been the alpha of the Crescent pack after her uncle, his brother, was kicked out so to speak. In the world of wolves, her pack was one of the original 7 and held a very regal stance compared to the other 5. There was 1 other pack that was considered to be royal, but the name remained unknown.

In other words, the wolf princess was sought after. Not just from the Crescents in the Bayou, or by Marcel. Foreign adversaries had tried to take her from us, unsuccessfully.

Their efforts were only unsuccessful because Marcel asked them to back off. Rescue missions failed and were stopped because we could have a knife at her throat at any time. Marcel knew that and the last thing he wanted was the lost wolf princess dead. The Regent of the 9 covens was a dangerous witch who played no games. If she knew about our prisoner we would all be dead by now. Thankfully, she didn't know anything we didn't tell her.

Us French Quarter witches were skilled in keeping things from the others. The things we hid in the night brought most of us together, while few edged away. Regardless of the secrets we held, we were the root of our community compared to the other covens. Despite our smaller numbers, we still were the most well-known.

Ray yelled out as he struck her again. The whip curled around her legs, revealing the nearly healed lashes from yesterday that had been reopened in an instant.

Her cries were cut off when Julie grabbed her throat.

"You know before I used to feel sorry for you. I mean who wouldn't..."

The girl's gray, moon-like eyes widened and her face began to redden from the lack of air.

"I see girls your age walking down the streets...having a good time...dancing their hearts out to music. Happy. And your here..."

Julie released her throat before pulling back at her hair viciously, "Alone," the wolf princess whimpered and tears trailed down her cheeks.

"Unwanted."

Ray stepped aside as the girl growled lowly, trying to move her head away from Julie. "Unloved."

"You didn't ask to be a half-breed bitch, but it's what you are. And you killed him! You killed my Tommy!"

Her back arched as Julie's foot made contact with her stomach.

Repeatedly.

It wasn't easy to watch even after all these years and even if she deserved it. While keeping her prisoner we had learned to keep her chained and bound in some way at all times.

"Enough," Agnes snapped, looking at Julie with distaste. "If you intervene again Ray will be flogging you next."

As a child, our prisoner had killed not 2 but 5 witches in one day. Julie's husband, Tommy, had been one of them. Underestimation was a powerful thing. Over time the numbers began to pile up. We were careful to ensure that she didn't kill any humans. Both her mother and father had carried the wolf gene. And the pairing of their genes just happened to make a pretty damn extraordinary mix.

Their DNA gave their only child a bark almost as bad as her bite.

Whoever she bit died.

Vampire or witch, it didn't matter.

It took a few minutes for the girl's venom to take a life, sometimes shorter.

Once she even bit herself in hope of ending her own life but her seemingly desperate attempts had been in vain.

Originally we had hoped that we could use her deadly venom against Marcel and his vampire entourage. We had tried to extract the venom first from the girl herself and then one of the vampires she killed. All of our efforts had hopelessly failed. I had a theory that her bite was connected to her magic and for the most part, remained unable to be used by others. No one cared, well, maybe Jane Anne but for a completely different reason. The Deveraux sisters turned softer after Monique's death.

After burying our dead we learned to take extra precautions. When we took her blood to use for our spells we strapped her down. When she was flogged she was chained. Without Luna's blood for our spells, Marcel would have had control over our magic. Thanks to the harvest girl that he kept under lock and key. Fortunately, for us, our prisoner's blood held such occult power that it made even the weakest spells strong.

The newer onlookers winced as she was hit again, twice this time.

Reminding me that we kidnapped her for 2 reasons.

1. To gain more power

2. To have a continuous lead over Marcel

The self-proclaimed vampire king had known the girl's mother and father, in fact, if I remember correctly they had been close considered each other family (despite their obvious differences). Our prisoner was the only thing truly keeping us safe.

In a way, I suppose she was our insurance.

Ray wiped his sweat-covered brow before raising his arm again.

Eventually, this would all come to an end. We would have no choice but to snuff her life out.

The Ancestors had warned us of the princess and what would happen should her power come to full circle. I couldn't help but think back to Selene.

People didn't want to believe that we held the legendary savior of mankind in our grasp and beat her bloody whenever she refused to do a spell, kill a vampire we caught spying, or kill a witch who didn't follow our every order religiously.


As Angels weep over bleeding hearts

They cry, Selene, Selene, their joy is overshadowed by their tears

There is a dire sound in the wind, spreading like a fire

Where silver meets the sea of gold, for it is the oldest of legends told


For hundreds of years or more the name Selene had been considered either a bad omen or a good omen (it depended on who you were and what you believed in). The name made even Agnes uneasy. Dozens of prophecies had been recorded about this Selene from what we could find, maybe more. Once the words; Selene, silver, gold, and moon were together it was a part of this- this person. Like sickness pieces of her untold story spread like wildfire. Some thought she was an immortal witch or being. Perhaps some type of creature. Some scrolls depicted her as a wolf. Quite a frightening one with sliver fur and sharp appendages that could rip anything in its path to pieces. But there was something beautiful about it, something that lured you in. While most thought she was a goddess... I have heard stories and rumors of people worshiping her; building shrines, burning candles, and statues alike...

"Again," Agnes repeated when Ray paused, flexing his arm.

He brought it down again and her mouth opened but no sound came out.

The room was beginning to smell strongly of sweat, urine, and blood. Having smelt this for years it didn't affect me as much before, but others were gagging.

Agnes held up her hand, her eyes closed, looking strangely at peace for a moment.

"...Alright..."

The room began to clear finally and Ray began to undo the metal cuffs on her wrist. "Take her to the washing room. I would like to have a few words with Sabine."

He nodded, wearily watching as the bloody wolf princess slumped to the ground, occasionally twitching, her dark hair spread out around her.

Ray drug her by her ankles (a smart move). Should she get a burst of energy he would have time to run before her fangs sank into his flesh, and her venom entered his bloodstream.

I was aware of Agnes watching me but I couldn't look away.

...

The weather on all accounts was perfect.

For the most part, it seemed to be taking a break from the storms we had recently been having. It was currently 75 degrees and not a cloud could be spotted in the pale sapphire sky. There was a nice breeze that would strike up every now and then. Oddly, enough it made me nervous and feel like I was being watched...

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

I ignored the urge to roll my eyes. I had other things to do but if I denied our usual private talk then she would know something was up. Instead of being rude, I nodded, taking a small bite of scone as an excuse for not replying.

"Amazing how the people remain so blind to what's happening around them."

Yes, kind of like you.

"Sometimes I wish I could be one of them. One of the people who didn't matter. Just fade away, you know."

As always, we had chosen to sit away from everyone else. The blue-tinted glass of the table was surprisingly cool to the touch, despite the sun beating down on its murky surface. It's what Agnes suggested others in our coven do as well. We were witches. The things we talked about shouldn't be overheard by others.

I nodded, looking around before I did.

"You have an entire coven to worry about," I began slowly, getting a chill. "Fading away...is not an option for you anymore..."

The older witch sighed, putting a stray piece of gray hair under her red bandanna. "I know, just wishfully thinking. Nothin' wrong with that. It is good to do...occasionally..."

It was silent for a few moments as I had offered no response, as I clutched the blue floral ceramic mug in my hands. It would be too odd if I didn't at least say something...

"My old life."

Agnes nodded and then began digging into her scone, seemingly satisfied with what I had said. My old life wasn't entirely a lie. What I told her was true, I just didn't mention any names. My friend had no idea about Elijah Mikaelson. Despite his hybrid brother causing my demise I never stopped thinking of him, even in death. Memories of him were treasured and remained fond even after all this time.

"Why haven't you eaten? I thought lemon was your favorite?"

"Oh, it is," I reassured her, picking at the crust of my scone, "I uh... I'm just feeling a little..." I blinked at her, "...off today..."

Agnes hummed lightly, her dark eyes closing, as she sucked on the silver tines of her fork. For a moment I relaxed, and allowed myself to enjoy the gentle breeze and warm rays of sun when-

"Are you aware of what was said at the last meeting about you?"

Picking up on laughter just a few feet away it became apparent that we weren't alone. After all, we were eating at a little outside traveling cafe. Most witches in our coven ate here. Vampires rarely came to this little establishment as their kind tended to move around places packed with warm bodies and the finest booze the big easy could offer.

"That I'm crazy," I replied, picking aimlessly at my scone. I was feeling sick, having already vomited in my kitchen sink twice, and three times in the shower. Today I didn't feel like doing anything or going anywhere but I had no choice. "Nothing new. Besides, I've been meditating more often and I barely have time to myself because of our prisoner. You are the one who wanted me to look after her, remember?"

"...They think the Ancestors have stopped whispering in your ear..."

Shit.

I hid my shock and surprise in my coffee mug. Questions started appearing in my head at a rapid rate; how do they know, how did they find out, did Julie betray me, is this outing a trap?

I exhaled quietly and took a small sip from my black coffee, wincing slightly at the heat.

Remain calm, I thought to myself. The cafe wasn't crowded given the fact that it was a Wednesday and not a Friday. If I had too...I could kill her in the back alley with the faded red-colored bricks and dispose of her body in the garbage...

A last resort.

"They dare question the greater power that has guided us from the very beginning?"

Agnes chuckled, reaching out to lay her hand on top of mine.

Immediately I stiffened, despite the broad smile on her lips.

"Relax... I dismissed their...accusations...as that's all are..."

"The Bayou trip is tomorrow, as requested...Julie...will be joining us again," I say, happy to change the subject.

The older witch sat up straight, alarmed. I fought to keep my relaxed posture and easy smile.

"I don't like her being around the bitch. She gets too violent."

I sighed, moving my fork in the air as I gave her my well-rehearsed explanation. "We need to sedate her for the trip. And the last time I checked, Julie, is the only one of us with a medical license. If one of us did it and nicked a nerve, things could turn bad, and then we would be out of our most reliable...power source."

"Things could turn worse if she decides to kill the filthy half-breed," Agnes insisted, her dark eyes wide. Since I mentioned Julie, she seemed to age 10 more years.

"Why risk it? She already got a hair up her ass because the bitch killed...Tommy..."

Agnes hissed out the name, shuddering, before taking a long drink from her own coffee mug.

"Well, on my half he hasn't been missed. Tommy was..."

I trailed off not sure what to say... The man had lingered in the washing room and sometimes aided me in cleaning and healing the wolf princess. His hands would graze and dip into places they didn't belong. There would be an uncomfortable silence before I told him to go get towels or more herbs. Eventually, he came and got the things I would ask for beforehand hand. It happened every time his wife, (Julie) was working late (which was quite often). I even caught him watching her through the bars of her cells when she got dressed with the new clothes I had gotten her on my monthly shopping trip. Agnes had banned anyone from touching her but Tommy... He had always...found a way...

"Disgusting."

The way Agne's face scrunched up told me that she was thinking back to how we discovered him. Pants down around his ankles, his dead weight upon the squirming, howling hybrid...his blood glistening on her lengthened canines and claws...

"Julie thinks it was Luna's fault even though the both of us know what really happened. But... it's still an awfully big risk to be taking. Letting her have this much trust makes me uncomfortable."

I nodded, doing my best to try and look sincere and worried. In order for my plan to work, I needed Julie. If she didn't come along with the rest of us she would blab away everything and my plan would fall apart.

"I know...Agnes, trust me... I know. But I just can't...see any other way... The Ancestors wanted me to try something different, actually..."

"Something different?"

Agnes had never been one for holding back her words or even hiding her emotions. She was in other words an open book. And I often manipulated its already dense pages.

"Yes, you see they wanted me to try, virtus immutandi," My voice had dropped to a whisper once I saw a small group of tourists heading this way. As usual, their phones were out, snapping at everything still and moving. A little kid with glasses waved at me and I grinned back, while Agnes glowered. She had never been one to take to children. Maybe, that's why her hate for Luna ran so deep.

I frowned at her in response when she just shrugged. Leaning forward when the group had finally left, repeating what I had said.

Her greying eyebrows rose, "The power exchanging spell?"

"They think," I smiled, "that if we could somehow take some of her magic that we would fare...better against our enemies... Much better than we are now. You and I know that the only reason why Audrey Ellis is still Regent is because she has found a way to block out the Ancestors. They would have killed her long ago and put you in charge."

"But we are still doing the usual-"

"Yes. This process should take little more than an hour because it's so new. But other than that we'll be out of the Bayou before the wolves realize we're there like always."

The elder woman shifted in her seat uneasily, "We best be getting back now. Ray cleaned up the mess so all you have to do is heal and bathe her."

I stood offering to pay for everything, my good mood not being ruined by how sick I felt. I had told my biggest lie to Agnes yet and she didn't even know.

Oh, what a beautiful day it was.

All was going well. By Tuesday night, the lost wolf princess would be dead and I will have stolen her magic.

...

Hayley's Pov

...

I gasped and reached for my neck. A sharp pain, fully waking me up.

Then there was the sinking feeling, almost cloud-like. A mattress I realized.

No, a nice as hell mattress, I corrected. I kicked the sage green cotton sheets off my body. It wasn't easy, as they had clung to my body like a second skin.

The equally soft white comforter lay on a chair in the corner of the windowless space. Even back home with Jan and Mitch I hated comforters and was fine with just sheets. Something that no one in my life understood.

The last few nights, trying to get sleep had been hell.

Judging by how my limbs felt numb and my mind felt well-rested I figured I must have slept a day, at the least. After the week I'd had, my body needed a break. And before I could listen, it acted for me.

Recently, I had been spending a lot of time around vampires. So much so that I started thinking that I was nearly invincible too.

Obviously, that wasn't the case.

My memory caught up with me, then.

The events of last night coming to mind...my family... Klaus had said that the birth certificate belonged to my sister...and not me...everything had gone black...

Someone must have carried me to my room. I could care less who did, I just wanted to thank them.

Powering on my phone, I could see that it was 9:30.

I hummed, pleased that I had woken up earlier than usual.

With a sudden enthusiasm to learn about my sister, I jogged over to the fully stocked closet.

The Original Hybrid had been kind enough to buy me new and dispose of my old clothes. I wasn't going to be a bitch just because I could be.

I was carrying his child.

That didn't always mean something. He could have left me alone with Sophie and Jane Anne, but he didn't.

He didn't.

Every time I thought he was nothing more than an ancient ass he proved me wrong by showing me kindness. Of course, he did this without my permission but he had dropped hundreds of dollars on me, possibly even more. I mean he had given me some nice stuff even after I had slapped his face and screamed at him to, "go to hell."

Normally, I didn't like people spending money on me because it made me feel like I owed them. But maybe, this was a little compensation for how poorly he treated me at first. He had gotten me things that I not only needed but also things I didn't know I even wanted.

I not only had new clothes but he had gotten me; shoes (a wide variety of boots, name-brand tennis shoes, and even flip flops), a phone with time on it that actually worked, hair supplies, even makeup, and for some reason notebooks and pencils.

At first, I had been confused, not understanding his reasons. But after those long hours in his jeep, I welcomed the paper and pencils. Since I had never been one for playing games on my phone. He made fun of my meaningless doodles but he had been kind to me. While his older brother used his words, and oh, did they speak of promises. Men and boys had promised me many things before, and they never kept their word. Though something told me Elijah would keep his word, at least I hoped he would, Klaus too. He didn't see this entire situation as a joke anymore. One day, I would tell him just how much I appreciated that.

I grabbed some jean shorts from the hanger. They were thinly insulated with the softest material I had ever felt in my life. I looked at the tags and saw that the name of the company or brand was unreadable. I wasn't good at languages, I had failed hopelessly both French and Spanish back in high school. I took them in hopes of coming off as more sophisticated. I slipped them on, frowning at the fact that they were about a size off. I then became thankful, these shorts would be breathable and if I had to run or sit in a car for hours on end again, I would do so in comfort. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a thin cotton pink, white rose, and black skull graphic tee. Klaus had really thought my wardrobe out. I not only had cardigans but also a few leather jackets, regular jackets, and hoodies that I was sure would swallow me whole. He had gotten me things that I would be not only comfortable in, but would also look good in. I had assumed all the worst things about him, I had been wrong about some...most of them... But he was still an ass but now he was a caring one, I thought as I put on my usual unscented deodorant. I could only pray it would survive the heat and friction. I spritzed my Beyond Scents freesia perfume too, hoping the scent would cling to me as always. Normally, I wasn't self-conscious about the way I looked and smelled but that was before I learned I was pregnant. Apparently, you sweat more. I was sure that was in the later months but I was carrying a miracle baby, I wouldn't be surprised it got weirder from this point on. I put on a pair of socks, enjoying the pillowy material. With care, I put on some sturdy boots that I had to lace up. Hearing voices I rushed through tying my shoes. I walked into the spacious and woodsy bathroom and put my hair up in a ponytail. I threw water on my face before going into my make-up bag grabbing my pink sponge and applying some primer. This was the name-brand stuff and not the drug store brand that clogged my pores, and only lasted a few hours before melting. I did the usual mascara swipes and put a little clear cherry lip balm that was more of a moisturizer than anything.

I opened my room door and closed it quietly. As I began walking down the long hallway, I put in my earrings. I suddenly wished that I didn't have my shoes on so I could feel the expensive plush white carpet through my toes. The walls were lined with paintings of places in New Orleans; gardens, restaurants, and wildlife.

What better way to promote your own state?

I was aware that both Klaus and Elijah's room were on either side of mine but the few days we had been at this hotel they hadn't been in there to sleep from what I had seen and heard. The voices got louder and it sounded like both of the men were talking on the phone.

With care, I opened the glass door that opened to the kitchen.

Instantly, I was hit with the smell of food. My stomach rumbled in appreciation. On instinct, I placed my hands on my middle rubbing.

I was past blaming everyone but myself and hating what was going to happen to my body. Now I have slipped into this new stage where I was scared but also a little excited...

The next thing I knew Elijah was standing in front of me, a friendly smile on his face. He was holding a plate of steaming hot eggs, bacon, and some toast with jelly. And like an idiot I stood there with my mouth gaped open in surprise, "We thought you would be hungry," he quietly, explained.

He was wearing the usual black slacks, but today he wore no black blazer or tie. He wore the white button-up shirt as usual and his hair like dominos fell perfectly into place. But his eyes...were what I was immediately drawn to.

No one ever looked at me the way he did.

...I wasn't entirely sure if that was a good or bad thing just yet...

My throat felt strangely dry as my eyes kept dropping to a part of his chest that was exposed. For a second, I wondered if all the Mikaelson men were hairless. I would assume that they were all attractive. The family clearly had good genes with at least 2 of their members. I could only hope my child inherited some of those good genes. I was more than decent looking but it took me a little while to grow out of the 'ugly duckling stage'. Which resulted in a lot of teasing because of my braces, big nose, and overall skinny appearance.

I smiled, telling myself to get a grip, "You made this?"

"Actually, no little wolf, I did."

I jumped slightly, not aware of the other presence in the room. With the turn of my head, I was able to see him.

He wore a shit-eating grin on his face.

Unlike his brother, Klaus did not dress elegantly. He wore the usual, casual bad boy attire that would make any good girl run and hide or in some cases melt in a puddle on the floor. The black leather jacket, black shirt, the old necklace I had seen it all before. But I felt like Klaus somehow owned the style. I had met the Salvatore brother's briefly and while getting the 'goody-two-shoes' vibe from Stefan I did not get that vibe from Damon. The older brother had bad boy stamped all over him in bright red caps, but it wasn't as striking as Klaus. Of course, Klaus had been around longer and didn't exactly have to try so hard to vie for attention. Both Mikaelson brothers were attractive in their own way. Though I had never seen Klaus in a tux I was sure he looked good enough to hold his own.

My face heats up, partly because of my thoughts of how good-looking the vampires in the room were and because I had been wrong yet again.

"Well..." I cleared my throat and gave him a tight-lipped smile. I hoped that it wasn't too hostile.

"Thank you, Klaus. And I-uh, I'm sorry for the other night, I realize... I know that this isn't exactly easy for you..." I stumbled over my words but stopped talking when he gestured to a seat next to him. But my eyes moved to the laminated piece of paper that sat on top of the manila envelope.

"You fainted, and we thought that you might like to see that first thing," Elijah asserted. I dimly nodded but didn't turn to him as I usually did... My vision tunneled...

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Klaus getting me a cup of coffee. It was black. Usually, I preferred creamer, milk, and sugar but I wasn't about to push my luck. Days ago he didn't want me or our child...and now...he was damn near waiting on me hand and foot...

Talk about the changing of tides...

"There is nothing wrong with starting the day off right... Well, in your case informed..."

Without hesitation I sat down at the table, sitting between the two brothers. I put my steaming plate of food beside me, deciding to let it cool off. Before digging in I had more pressing matters to take care of like read the birth certificate of my...sister...

Even thinking it seemed like some kind of dream...

Did she look like me? Was she bad at karaoke like me? Was she better at relationships than me? Did she know about the supernatural world?

I would learn more today about my family than I had my entire life. I would learn her name, how old she was, possibly even who her parents were. Some of my most asked questions would be answered in the next 5 minutes or less.

I could feel eyes on me but all I could focus on was the paper in front of me. With a shaky exhale of breath, I began reading-


This Certifies that

Luna Rahmah Labonair

Was born to

Madeline Pele Waiola Halliwell-Heights and Jason Matvei Aleksandr Labonair

On this 24 Day of September

In the year 1998

At: Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital

Doctor on duty: Gregory House


I scanned the paper over and over again, even touching the edges to make sure that it would disappear into smoke.

Klaus moved suddenly, pulling out a printed-out photo from a file on the counter.

A beautiful woman with warm brown skin and untamed black curly hair was smiling dazzlingly at the camera with her arm around someone I immediately recognized. I saw that face every time I looked in the mirror. Except this person was much prettier than I could ever try to be. She didn't have to try and be sophisticated because she already was. Her hair was long, fawn brown, and held back by a blue elastic headband. Her hazel eyes were thickly lined with black eyeliner and her skin was clear. The only freckle I could see was beside her nose, where mine was. "This is Laura Hadley, but I'm sure you already know who she is."

I wasn't smiling but I honestly hadn't ever been happier in my entire life. And to think that out of all this Kathrine Pierce was the one to cause this. Despite her trying to kill me I wanted to thank her.

"Who is she?" I asked, gesturing to the other woman.

"That...is Madeline. Your sist-"

"She has a name," I cut Klaus off who sighed, sounding oddly patient, "I'm sorry, Luna. I would have called her that from the start of all this but we didn't know how you would react."

I closed my mouth shut not wanting to reply to that. "Niklaus knew her."

My eyes went straight to Klaus rather than his brother who had voiced it in the first place. "You knew my sister's mother? How?"

"I didn't know her," Klaus stated while pointedly glaring at his brother, before turning to me. "She was the one who told me how to break the curse my horrid mother placed upon me."

My brows went up at his tone of voice. I hadn't known the father of my child that long but he almost sounded...grateful...

"You sound..." I trailed off, not sure how to word it.

"Thankful... I am... Without Madeline, I never would have unlocked my true self."

I sipped the almost too warm coffee before-

"An ass."

"Really?"

I coughed, surprised to hear that from Elijah. "Are you alright?" He asked, kindly. I nodded wordlessly, making sure to hide my face in my coffee cup so he wouldn't see my wide smile. Klaus' nostrils flared but he didn't say anything.

"Anyway, I am extremely grateful of her. You should know I tried to find her dozens of times..."

I didn't want to think about anyone being dead or lost. In my head Madeline and my mother were alive, and I wanted them to stay that way.

"Do you think they were friends?" I wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer but hoping for one.

"They do look happy," Elijah noted and I watched as Klaus slid another photo across the glossy mahogany surface.

"I apologize ahead of time for the poor quality, but it was the only photo of your father I could find. Someone tried to erase all three of them from records and such. The picture of Luna's mother and yours was in a bar that I found last night. They won a shot drinking competition, quite impressive actually. And as for your father, this was in a yearbook I just happened to come across."

The poor quality didn't prohibit me from seeing Madeline in a pretty white dress covered in thousands of little rhinestones touching Jason, my father on the cheek. His hair was shaggy and brown but it was so dark it could have been mistaken for black. I couldn't see his eye color but he had been a handsome man wearing a cream-colored tux. Jason stuck out from the rest like Madeline. Everyone else was wearing bright; pinks, yellows, greens, and blues. Polka dots and stripes included.

I held back the questions I wanted to ask. Both brothers had been on the phone. I hadn't heard either of the conversations but a part of me wondered if they had been doing even more research. I wanted to cry, having no one ever do anything like this for me before in all my 23 years of life.

With a careful hand, I traced my sister's full name with my finger. "She's 20 years old."

My little sister wasn't so little.

It was hard to believe that I was only 3 years older than her.

"About that," Klaus murmured, pulling me from my thoughts, "We searched the local schools and Universities but found nothing. From what I could gather Luna's mother is or was a witch. That, of course, makes sense given the fact that in hundreds of years she had been the only one to successfully help me break my curse. Your father carried the wolf gene, your mother could have as well but I'm betting that your sister and I have more than 1 thing in common."

"What?" I asked, feeling defensive towards my sister, who I had never met or even seen in a photograph. It felt natural. That's how I knew none of this was a prank or some kind of sick joke. Anyone could make up a name, and a fake birth certificate. But the way I felt was a silent confirmation.

"We are both hybrids. That's my theory. Would the both of you like to hear the rest of it?"

I nodded, not hiding the fact that I was glad that I want the only one confused and curious because Elijah's suited muscular figure leaned over the chair across from me. His face was the perfect picture of those 2 things at this very moment in time.

"Madeline, Jason, and Laura are dead."

I flinched, not liking the sound of that one bit.

But this was just a theory, right?

"Luna is being held captive by witches. Most likely by the French Quarter Coven. To them, she is an abomination, as she defies nature. Or at least what they've been taught. They fear her because she is stronger than them, that is a simple fact. People fear what they can't understand. I also think Marcel was involved with you and your sister's parents and is suffering because of her current situation."

"Brother, that's one hell of a theory," Elijah breathed, "The chances of that actually being true are-"

"While you stayed here, I was out there," Klaus extended his arm out as if to emphasize his point.

I was briefly distracted by how nice it looked outside but soon my gaze shifted to Klaus who was looking at Elijah.

"-Searching for their parents. And in case you don't think we've looked hard enough, I called in some favors from one of your vampires who is into the idea of a just world."

"Seeley?" Elijah asked, but Klaus gave no response as he continued speaking, putting the pictures, and my sister's birth certificate in the file, before pushing my plate of now barely warm food in front of me.

"Yes. I'm sorry to say this but the three of them are dead," Elijah stiffened. "I know the both of you may think I'm harsh but there is a bigger picture," Klaus added, cutting off whatever Elijah was about to say.

A part of me wanted him to speak but it wasn't big enough to overshadow the overwhelming disappointment that threatened to smash me into thousands of tiny pieces at any moment.

"Your sister's heart is beating somewhere, and she is breathing too. You haven't lost her," Klaus spoke, placing his hand on my shoulder. "There is still...hope, Hayley..."

I leaned toward him and listened as he apologized, tears pricked in my eyes.

Oh, God.

I hated crying. Especially, around people. Crying alone was bad enough.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," I could feel both of the men's eyes on me. "...And you're right... There is," I swallowed hard, fighting back tears, "a bigger picture..."

I blinked hard and didn't bother to catch what he said to his brother.

...To preoccupied with my own thoughts...

Oh, well, I couldn't have everything I wanted... But I still had my sister... Somewhere though I didn't know where her heart was beating and she was breathing... All was not lost...

"-The Quarter coven in particular because those are the witches the Deveraux sisters strived so hard to hide Hayley from. It makes sense. My child will most likely have extraordinary gifts and if their coven knew they might just try and take another prisoner. And if Luna is indeed a hybrid, then she will be the strongest thing they've ever seen and they will want to keep her from the world. I've lived long enough to sense fear from others. The witches I happened to run into last night were scared of something. They whispered things I won't repeat but it doesn't exactly take rocket science to figure out who they were talking about. And as for Marcel, call it intuition if you'd like. I did raise him after all, I know when he is in pain."

While the Mikaelson brothers talked I made a request in my head. Hoping my body would listen.

I would cry when I was alone, and when I slept again I would dream of a world where I grew up with my sister and our parents... A happier place...a place where nobody died...

...

Marcel Pov

...

"Well, what do you think? Sorry, it took so long. There was traffic and I may have clipped one of your blokes. Again, I'm sorry."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Ellis Island," she calmed down once she heard her old nickname, "I'm sure that they are fine. Don't even worry about it," I reassured my friend, "but as for your hair, it's tight... You just get it done?"

"About a day ago. My son Haun's work," she beamed, touching the ends of her hair fondly before taking her black jacket off and placing it on top of the stool.

Audrey Ellis was a proud member of 3 (2) young men. She was a badass witch, from London (the longest Regent in all history), an ex-CIA agent, and one of my best friends. There were times when I would have drowned without her because of the politics and threats of war.

The Council could be abrasive and the 3 groups of the supernatural community didn't almost always see eye-to-eye.

The humans. Their group consisted of both high and low classes. Citizens who were aware of the supernatural world, usually shop or business owners. They never complained or asked for anything. New Orleans, the French Quarter especially had tourists visiting year-round. Money wasn't a problem. Some of them told me they were there to take a break, or to enjoy the show. Mayor Medina, of course, was always an interesting character. He was happy with his profits one month and wanting 3x as much in the next month. Then there were the generals, who most of them respected my status. They turned a blind eye to most things and would willingly take their cut of the profit to their charities with no questions asked. Father Kieran, ran a church. He did drives for food and clothes and even hosted some of the meetings for the Council. One hot afternoon there had been too many heavy things to lift and carry. He couldn't do it all by himself. So, I, as well as a couple of my vampires helped lighten the load, considerably. We became friends over hot dogs and baked beans. Unlike some thought, I had no pretenses. I saw somebody struggling and I acted...out of kindness...Usually, priests such as himself, or at least those who knew of the secrets of the world would wish us dead. Kieran understood that vampires were people too; they lived, they made messes, they made mistakes, they improved, they laughed, they died, they killed, and sometimes they even have children. But Father Kieran was not a man to be crossed. He had an entire attic full of dark objects. He had no qualms using them whenever he felt that he needed to. He was one of the only humans, scratch that, the only human I solely trusted.

Then there were the wolves. You, of course, had your alpha, Jackson Kenner. Then there was the beta, his younger brother Jake. And Oliver was the delta, (I didn't like the man for personal reasons. He had tried getting involved with Davina and I shut him down. He was known for being an ass and I wasn't about to let him get into my daughters head). The wolves didn't bring up many issues, they mainly wanted to expand their lands (their territory). Despite having the Bayou all to themselves. Money wasn't a problem because as long as none of my vampires got bit then they were not only getting checks every month. Houses were getting built courtesy of an old friend of Maddy's. They basically had it made for them...all they had to do was not bite my vampires and call whenever they decided to pay a trip into town. None of my vampires had been bitten. An incident like that hadn't happened in 7 years. Though, the animosity between us didn't just fade away. But we had come so far. All they asked for was more land but eventually, NOLA would have to be split up evenly into 4 parts to appease everyone who lived within the state's limits. We had plans to make a new treaty sometime this month. The old one was close to expiring, and no one wanted that. Not everyone was going to get along. Even those 2 things together weren't enough to close the divide between the species. All it would take was some of his wolves and a few of my vampires to clash once and it would be a full-blown war. Then the money would stop flowing in and kids would go hungry. It wasn't that the pack couldn't hold a steady job. It was the fact that they were seen as animals and terrorized by the witches and humans. My vampires knew not to act a fool, I taught them better than that. And if I caught them or heard about them opening their mouth then they would be desiccating for the next 50 or 100 years (it depended on how pissed of I was). One of my right-hand men, Diego had bad experiences with the werewolves. They had killed his mother and sister right in front of him when he was just a boy. But even he knew to keep his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself when one of the werewolves, like Oliver, talked shit. After being so close to Jason and Maddy I couldn't bear to hear the sick slang words and the people who were saying them to walk away untouched. Luckily our meeting wasn't that far away.

The Witches. They weren't little angels like everyone thought. They were holding my godchild, Luna, in a cell and doing God knows what to her. The witches dwindled my vampire's numbers and in turn, we dwindled theirs. But I couldn't exactly put my foot down like I wanted to because they had something I wanted, and that something could be used against me. I had stopped the rescue missions as promised but I hadn't stopped planning. Just when I thought I had it figured out things changed... Usually, the witches who attended the meetings frequently were Audrey, Sabine, and Agnes. Recently vandalism had been a problem for them as well as witches going missing and then turning up dead (hmmm I wonder who could do such a thing). At times I had to grip my chair at times to restrain myself. Once I even had to leave the room, sick. Not all witches were evil despite me wanting to think that they were. Davina had almost been murdered by her own people. Madeline killed anyone who rubbed her the wrong way. Esmée was like Madeline except more laid back most nights, unlike her former best friend. And Audrey was kind enough when she wanted to be. The Regent was very involved but she didn't know anything about Luna. I feared if she did she would burn New Orleans to the ground trying to get her. In her younger days, she was reckless, even with Haun and Aaron. I didn't want Luna to be hurt more than she already was, so I kept the secret from her. I enjoyed our relationship but I feared it would be destroyed once she found out or I told her.

And last but not least, the Vampires. I was their leader, their King. I strived to keep the peace. Not just among ourselves but with the other 2 communities of the supernatural species. All I asked for was peace and for everyone to respect each other no matter how much you wanted to rip their throats out. Everyone had the right to have their own opinion but my word was law. Every month I would compel 10-15 humans and we would have a simple conversation. I would tell them everything from what I was to what the world was really about. Those who were interested in the idea of living forever under my rule stayed, and those who weren't were free to leave, and once they thought about leaving they forgot everything I had said and where they were. It was a clean process, a better process than what I had originally had done in the past.

Ellis plopped down on the stool, somehow maintaining her naturally elegant stature. The mask she wore for the outside world when she faced her people came off just as quickly as her jacket that she stole from one of her ex-boyfriends, back in the '70s.

At least I wasn't the only one in the world who was thoroughly exhausted. I was starting to think I was the only one. Thierry helped out throughout the day but at night he seemed to disappear on me. I never looked into where he disappeared, and he never offered any reasons why he had been gone. But I hadn't asked Theirry here. He probably wouldn't have even answered anyway. But I had called both Audrey and Blade.

I knew without a doubt that Blade wouldn't be getting here for a couple of hours. He had been taking care of something, that's what he told me when I called him up. I knew that 'taking care of something,' really meant 'trying not to fall apart.' I knew where he was but didn't bother pushing the old man. Maddy's death had hit him the hardest. I had just been her friend, a considered family member. But Blade raised her, he knew her from the time she was in diapers up until she became a parent of her own.

Even before seeing Ellis, after she replied to her text at 2:00 a.m. in the morning I knew I wasn't alone in being tired. She too had been having problems with her children and the Council.

As always her feet never touched the ground, and instead remained in a constant swinging motion.

I would make fun of how short she was later.

"And how is Haun doing?"

"Just wonderful. He is making plans to go to a university on the west coast in a few months to get a degree in cosmetology. He would like to open up his own shop here and possibly even go global. He said he wants to name it after his mum," Audrey blushed, "Can you believe that?"

I smiled at the thought, "Kid grew up fast..."

"Too fast in my opinion. Anyway, I told him to leg it, you know? It's just... I don't think people today realize...the importance...of dreams. When I say people I mean everybody."

Here came the hand gestures.

"Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, even the humans. They all get sucked into something that they don't want to be doing and then they end up stuck that way. I know what it's like to be in a situation like that but you at least have to put up a good fight. Otherwise, there is no real point to anything at all... The world has forgotten how it is even more important to chase after dreams and silly things like that. Our children grow up much too fast in this era. When Haun was 8 he talked like he was on a naval shipyard."

I could see why. Audrey wasn't exactly known for holding back her curses.

"But he would be going to the university sooner if it's weren't for me. You see, I've asked him to stay home with me until we work out the new treaty with not only the Risque's and Rue's but also with you, and Jackson. And I can't risk one of my boys getting hurt, because of my title, or the people I choose to share a drink with." She explained, twisting the ruby ring her mother had given her. An old family heirloom. It was something she did when she was worried.

"Aaron?"

She let out a brief chuckle, before rolling her eyes, "Like his father. And like his daddy...he is driving me bonkers! Marcel, it's absolutely bloody ridiculous! If he picks up the phone the next time I ring him, he's going to get an earful! I'll tell you that. In the last 3 months, our son. Excuse me, his son has been admitted into the hospital 5 times because he OD. I'll be stunned if he makes it to his 30's. Gobsmacked," she clarified, shaking her head, the expression on her face serious.

"There is nothing I can do but tell him no because he is now an adult, 24 years old, and has no plans to do anything with his life. I've tried to talk him into going to rehab, but he won't even give the idea a chance. I've already tried bribing him with money and Bastianna's great-granddaughter, Avery."

"He's gay?"

Maybe we could have a little Romeo, Romeo going on between one of my vampires Josh and her son. Not only would it most likely bring us together, but it would eliminate an enemy.

"No. At least, I don't think so. At the moment he seems more interested in getting high, and plotting the destruction of the vampire and werewolf race."

I laughed, and Audrey leaned forward slightly cutting her own laugh off, "If it weren't for his hatred of vampires and werewolves he would have rotted in that barrel of alcohol he keeps in that stuffy basement."

I shook my head, drinking down another shot, "Jay?"

My friend visibly perked up at the mention of her youngest, most ambitious son. "I've had to hire a private tutor, an old friend of mine Bastianna because again until that old treaty," she moved her hand to the side. "Other than that he spends most of his time reading. He says he wants to be an agent."

I smiled, surprised, "FBI?"

Ellis' nose crinkled, "Fraid not, he's got CIA blood running through his veins."

"I had to ask," I said, when she began to glare.

I laughed, after she made a joke about her former position in the CIA, compared to an FBI job. After about a half-hour I was feeling the stress begin to leave my body. Audrey Ellis had a way of pulling things out of you. Whether it was your teeth or stress was up to you.

"How's your lovely girl, Davina?"

"Tired."

My friend frowned and I explained how Davina; hasn't been sleeping, hasn't eaten decently in about a week, and is refusing to take the potion.

"The hemlock could be making her feel a bit off."

I whirled on her, choking on the sip of whisky I had taken. "Hemlock? That's poison!"

Ellis remained unaffected by my raised voice, "It's not really there per sae, it's rather like the ghost of it. At least, that's how Esmée explained it. It was Madeline's idea. She found some of her notes and ideas and figured that it wouldn't hurt. And it hasn't because we tested it on 10 people who were perfectly fine."

She placed her hand on my shoulder, leaning close and whispering, "We needed something to kill the bond, or at least block it, temporarily of course. The only reason it would be affecting her is if she took more than what she was supposed to have. Either that or she isn't taking it at all. It's all a very complicated situation, I barely understand it myself, but Madeline's notes were clear. Relax, my friend. Your daughter will be alright...for the most part..."

Ellis pulled back and gave me a reassuring smile before putting her head on top of her folded arms.

"Oh, Circe's tits, I need a good bevvy!"

I slid over a shot glass full of whiskey, inhaling slowly, trying to calm down. The witch scoffed, "You best be getting a bigger glass, Marcel. It's been one hell of a week, thanks to those cunts down at the bloody docs! And bloody Aaron can't be arsed to help tell me what's going on even though he-he was right there in the middle of all of it!"

The vampire snapped his fingers and the worker behind the counter, Tom. The young blonde-haired boy nodded, going to get a bigger glass.

"You need help? I'd be more than happy to help you."

I wasn't afraid to show his love for the Regent of the nine witch covens of NOLA. We had been friends for years.

Most of my vampires were either bowling and placing bets, eating, or watching the football game on the big flat screen.

I smiled, for the moment everything was peaceful. But I wasn't dumb enough to ignore the fragile aura around said peacefulness.

Ellis tapped on the table, sighing in annoyance."The council is at it again...blithering idiots...that is if you ask me and Bastianna. They were sending people to spy on my little witches. For what? I have no idea. Circe only knows. But they're just lucky I was at my nail appointment. If I had been there I would have watched their bloody arses burst into flames."

"Oh," I chuckled as Tom brought out a glass at least four times as big. "I bet you would have enjoyed that."

Tom filled the glass to Ellis' liking, "Thanks, Bev. It's nice to see a fit young man, even with how knackered I am."

The college kid, Aaron blushed and walked back to the double doors into the kitchen after double-taking.

"You need to stop. All of my summer workers are not gonna be able to work here anymore."

"No harm in complimenting someone."

I shook my head, "You really don't know the effect you have on people."

Audrey sighed, "As a matter of fact, I do. Your summer worker is either shitting himself or having a good wank."

Ellis laughed along with me, tipping the glass back.

"Woah, woah, woah... Let's slow it down..."

She glared at me before setting her glass, now with much less in it. "The night has just begun. I have no plans tonight, do you?"

I moved to the side, unsure if I should tell her.

Oh, to hell with it.

"I have lunch plans with Klaus Mikaelson."

Her eyebrows rose, and her childlike blue eyes went wide, "Really?"

I nodded, unsure of what was happening.

"Well, before you ask I think he's a bloody cracking lad! He reminds me of myself, the whole I don't care if you keep on badgering me, I'll make you dig your own grave."

I couldn't express how I was feeling.

I was friends with someone who was a fan of the man who raised me.

Things just got interesting.

...

It was settled. The Regent, my good friend, would be joining Klaus and me for brunch.

I wasn't going to tell him about it, because I didn't think he'd exactly turn down an audience with the leader of 9 witch covens. And he seemed awfully interested in asking about the witches the last time we spoke.

"Oh, Marcel, you need to give up on this place."

Tom had come back to fill Ellis' glass a good 3 times. Now, we were sharing a platter of cheesy, meat-packed nachos.

A tradition between us.

We weren't crazy enough to get totally wasted. We had people to talk to, fires to put out, and places to be in the morning. So a platter of chips, chicken, cheese, and guacamole was going to have to replace the whiskey as our company.

"I will not," I declared, looking around at the spacious room with her.

We were in an abandoned building close to the docs, but not too far away from Davina if she needed me. The building's 12 floors were being renovated, all except for number 10. I had plans to use this entire space as a bowling alley/bar. It's what it was before and it's what it would be after. I told Ellis my plans.

"Wouldn't it make more sense if the bowling alley was downstairs?"

I shrugged, "Probably, but it's already up here, so..."

"You lazy dog..." she chuckled, her shoulders shaking.

"It is said that a lazy dog isn't lazy, he's just slow," a voice said, from the stool next to me. Blade was the type of man that had a legendary voice. He could read off a list of ingredients from a cereal box and you wouldn't be bored. He was the oldest person I knew, the oldest person ever I think. Madeline had said that the technical term for it was Guardian. There were only 2 and they had been around forever and would keep being around.

Tom came out and brought the old man his usual Coors beer.

Blade thanked him and turned to the both of us, expectantly. "I suppose that is one way of looking at it," Ellis offered, with the gentle shrug of her shoulders.

"Of course, in some instances, the dog is just plain lazy."

Despite his overfull seriousness, Blade could be quite entertaining.

"How have you been, Bev?"

I suspected the Regent had taken a liking to the Guardian, and that he had taken a liking to her. Neither of them would act upon it because of everything that's happened. There has been so much loss. And what the hell was the point of starting something when you knew that in a few short months or years it would be burned down to the ground?

"Just fine," he responded, tipping his hat.

A lie.

But it was one none of us were going to acknowledge.

Ellis scoffed, placing a hand over her chest, "Well, aren't you going to ask how I'm faring? It's only the right thing to do. Unless you aren't the perfect gentlemen I thought you were..."

"I heard about what happened down on that docs, and with the Mayor. I apologize for all of your troubles. And I know that neither of you are faring well. If you were, you'd be in bed at the very least counting sheep. But if there's anything I can do..."

The both of us nodded and the air became warmer... and more relaxed. It was obvious that the Guardian was putting on a mask, a damn good one but it was still a mask.

I sure hoped to not see his mask off. I didn't enjoy seeing someone in pain who didn't deserve it. Seeing something like that would remind me of Luna. I closed my eyes and thought of a better world where Jason and Madeline lived, a world where my godchild, Luna, was safe.

Until the early hours of morning, we remained together. We talked, reminisced, laughed, and joked. And then Audrey left, leaving Blade and me alone.

Together we traveled to the church Father Kieran owned. He had been more than happy to let Davina stay in the attic after learning what had transpired. Even though he hadn't asked, I had renovated the church. Sometimes I attended the services, the man could talk. But in the next meeting, Audrey wants to bring up Davina's living status to her people. A suggestion would be said, and votes would be carried. I wanted to move Davina in with me but some weren't exactly too fond of the idea. I was a vampire. How and why should I be trusted? But for 3 years I had fed her, clothed her, and took care of her when her own coven and people had; failed to take care of her, tried killing her in a ritual used to give her power to the Ancestors, or just didn't want her. Even if the vote didn't carry, I was planning to move her in with me anyway. She had asked and I told her to wait. I know that both of us were getting tired of not getting an answer. And I respect Audrey Ellis and her authority but Davina was a whole different story. She deserved the best and she wasn't getting the best being cooped up in that stuffy old attic.

The reason I had come here is because of Davina. I wanted to be there when she woke up and Blade didn't seem to want to be alone. I didn't mind the company.

Looking at my phone I saw I had received a text, it was Theirry. Right on time.

Strawberry and Vanilla?

I smiled, typing up a reply.

Same as always. Matter of fact, go ahead and grab a box of regular and 2 coffees so we can talk

His response came a little late, but I didn't worry or wonder. He was probably already at Illa's. The line there was always long.

I was just about to say the same thing. There are rumors of your old 'friend' lurking around the city late last night, interrogating people.

Thierry wasn't a fan of Klaus, like Diego, and the rest of my vampires. I wasn't dumb enough to believe everything they said. The sooner he got out of town, the better. But I wanted him to stay a little longer if I was being honest, I had missed him.

We'll talk about it later, don't stress.

"I have a meeting with one of the oldest vampires in the world today."

Blade didn't say anything for a moment. He just gently twisted the blood-stained, bronze plumeria flower pendant over his fingers, carefully. The necklace had been Madeline's. A gift from the father she never knew and had no plans to get to know. She wanted nothing to do with the man who had given her up as a baby.

We had never found her body. The same goes for Jason's and Laura's. But we knew they had died. The necklace that she never took off laying in a puddle of blood was all that could be found. It was all that remained of Maddy. No one knew what happened, how she died. At Jason and Laura's cabin, it was the same way; their gold wedding bands lying in puddles of their blood. Their 3-year-old little girl, Andrea, had been squalling in her crib. Originally, I planned to keep her. But after what happened to her sister, Luna, I was afraid that the witches would take her too. I didn't want to fail Andrea as well, so with a heavy heart, I had made Thierry set up meetings with couples looking to adopt. The least I could do was give her a glimpse of a calm life, even if it was just for a little while.

"The Hybrid I would presume," his voice was more gravely than usual. "Maybe, he's the missing piece."

"The missing piece?" I repeated.

"Foreign wolf packs and an attempt at brute force were never the answer. You can't always strong-arm someone, there are other ways to get what you want and for them to get what they want. But that damned coven always has always had us by the balls."

Ain't that the damn truth, I thought as I shook my head and put my phone in my pocket.

Klaus had just texted me and suggested that we meet before brunch. It was an odd request but I thought why not and replied with something along those lines. The address he had given me was vaguely familiar. Claire's Inn. He had probably paid off the whole floor to his room. For whatever reason, he came back to the city, whatever business he was going to be taking care of he was serious about it. The little time we had spent together was enough to tell me that. So, I agreed to meet him at Claire's, promising donuts and coffee. I had been smart enough to text Thierry and tell him that our 'talk' was going to be postponed. I also told him to go ahead and call Josh up so he could deliver his friend's favorite breakfast since I wouldn't be able to.

"It didn't matter if help was from the towering snow-capped mountains, endless evergreen woods, or from right here at home. The numbers were more than enough, together we would be stronger, but we were missing something else. There was always something else that we needed."

My eyes widened as I slowly caught onto his drift.

"Experience. There are ways of sidestepping witches, and even overpowering them. It takes more than what some may think. Sheer force and togetherness aren't enough."

"Knowledge is a powerful thing."

"Finally, someone starts listening to what I have to say," the Guardian's smile was approving.

"I always listen to you."

Blade continued, now looking like he was on earth again, a part of this conversation. "And this man your meeting with is full of it. Whether he realizes it or not."

I frowned, not understanding what he meant. Of course, there were a few things Blade said that went over everyone's head. Not only was he haunted by the past but he was also haunted by the future. His origin story was fuzzy and the pieces didn't exactly add up or fall into place. Before the world, or as he called it the beginning...actually began it was all like a dream... And when he woke up he knew who and what he was but nothing that would happen in the future despite seeing it all before. He said that he couldn't fully remember it until it happened for real. Somewhere deep inside that head of his, he knew all the world's secrets, all the answers. But the most important one to me was if Luna was ever going to see the light of day without being in chains.

If she was ever going to get out and live her life.

"A prophecy is about to come true."

"Do you have any idea which one?"

Blade hummed pulling some obviously old and woven fabric from under his hat.

He laid it out against a table. All the pews had been set aside due to a 'give away' event Kieran would be holding.

On the fabric, an image of an ethereal woman was depicted rather well for being so obviously old. But Blade had clearly respected this work of art because he had taken care of it. I had half the mind to ask if I could show this to Klaus at our brunch, knowing that he would appreciate looking at it.

A crescent moon lit up the black starry night background and shone brightly down on a brown-skinned woman. She sat with her legs crossed over one another, eyes closed. She looked like she was meditating as her long dark curly hair billowed around her. She was wearing a plain white dress and her palms were open and beside each other light coming from them. Her face was contorted in concentration but there was something about her that just seemed so familiar... I just couldn't put my finger on it...

Before I could say something, Blade flipped the fabric over.

And here the woman was yet again, but this time she was in front of a cerulean sky. In this image she looked somewhat older, a few years maybe, not much. Her dress was no longer white but black, and her curls still billowed around her but they were now stunningly silver. Her palms were still facing outward and beside each other but this time no light was emitting from them. It took me a minute to catch but she was smirking...yes, that was why the right side of her mouth was gently, curved upwards.

A sudden breeze rustled not only my jacket but the piece of fabric at the edges.

I looked over my shoulder but no one was there. The windows weren't open and neither were the doors.

"What does that word mean?" I asked, pointing down at the foreign script that was at the top of the page. On the other side, there was a crescent moon.

Σελένη

"...Well, it's Greek..."

I frowned when Blade took away the woven fabric and put it back in its pocket in his hat.

"What does anything Greek have to do with Luna?"

"That word isn't a word...it's a name..."

Another breeze washed over me. Sometimes I wished he would just get to the point. More often than not, the anticipation was worse than what came after.

He was going to make me ask. I shivered.

"What name?"

Blade leaned forward as if to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say. If all of this weren't so serious I would have rolled my eyes.

...

Virginia; Mystic Falls

1 Week Ago

...

Rebekah Pov

...

"So, what did you think?" The Petrova vampire drawled in a lilting tone. A satisfied look on her face as she drank down the remnants of her second lavender latte.

My hazelnut coffee had been a joy. I had to stop myself from ordering another one.

"Oh, it's lovely," I vocalized while making plans in my head to come to this little establishment every once and a while.

I had to admit, this new bakery d.ts allowed you to dine both inside and outside was quite something. On the outside, the bakery looked like a cabin. The false wood was lightly colored, the sign was whimsical, and looked to have been doodled on by a small child. On the inside, everything was just as light and airy. Dark chairs with interesting patterns were set around equally interesting tables, a few benches were present as well. The oak flooring brightened the space to another level. Hung on the painted blue winter lake walls, in frames were children's drawings. The display area was filled with an array of glazed and flavor-packed treats. The environment at d.ts was family-friendly and much to my surprise drama-free!

It was honestly nice to be around another female. I wasn't sure if not glaring daggers at eachother meant that we were friends now. And I also wasn't sure how this thing between us was going to last.

Growing up I had always wanted sisters, or at the very least 1 to share the burden of our brothers. Of course, in my village, there had been plenty of girls. But I cared little for their shallow attitudes and their interest in my brothers. My family had clearly been blessed with good looks, yes. But that didn't make up everything. We were smart (some of us when we wanted to be) and we were strong.

I shut my eyes, clearing my mind.

There was no use in getting angry. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try you can't change the minds of people around you.

The little silver bell above the door cheerfully rang as Caroline confidently strode in, a small smile on her face.

She looked better than the last time I'd seen her.

Ever since her two best friends mother died it was rumored amongst those who were aware of the supernatural world and those who were a part of it that she had been desiccating due to her severe depression. She had lost a lot these past few months. I couldn't imagine losing one of my brothers, (despite how annoying and controlling they could be I still found it in my heart to care about their sorry arses).

But she looked perfectly fine. Not a curl on her head was out of place.

"Why do they always have to be in our business?"

My eyebrows instantly went up when she said, our. Kathrine must have seen my reaction to her words because she quickly amended her statement.

"..I meant...older vampires' business..."

"Because we're more interesting," I replied, watching as the curly-haired blonde ordered some soft and chewy lemon cookies. I didn't miss her put a hundred in the jar for charity.

I understood what Elijah meant. It only took me a couple of hours to realize he had been right.

She seemed nice enough, I thought watching as she talked casually with the cashier, Ally.

Caroline Forbes was pretty. The classic; fair skin, round blue eyes, and small build gave her an advantage most would kill for. Despite all the darkness surrounding this little town, she seemed to maintain her bubbly/positive personality. It was apparent to me that her curly hair was clearly a feature she honored and took good care of. I had spent enough time in and out of stores to recognize products when I smelt them. Being a vampire made her less of a lightweight so to speak. But she still remained weak in my eyes. She was the type of girl to stay at home when her husband went off to war. And should invaders come she ran. Seeing her reminded me of my past. I had trouble making friends with the girls in my village. I had no interest in sitting pretty, sometimes yes, but not always. I wanted to fight, to hunt, to meet dangers head-on. Growing up I had a strong female role model. One of my family's closest friends, Melinda Warren. She wielded her very own sword and told stories better than all the men in our village who had been in wars. And her explicit true tales of slaying demons and monsters in the night weren't for the faint of heart. Oh, the things that would come out of her mouth.

Our brother couldn't have possibly been interested in this girl, Caroline. She wouldn't have lasted a week with the family, (Kol and Finn included). She just wasn't enough. And after everything, my brother's been through... Despite the rough patch, we were going through right now he deserved the best. He could do better... Niklaus would have no use for a flower and would likely end up tearing her apart if our enemies didn't do it first. Our family has lived a long time and because of that, we were constantly trying to be dethroned from our status as the strongest and oldest vampires in the world. Caroline would be crushed in an instant. Nik needed a fighter...someone to push back... even if it was against him...

"Running away is easy. There's really nothing to it. Staying behind is a bigger feat than most realize. You might lose everything but you could survive and come back stronger than before," a quote from Melinda.

"If by interesting you mean, less pathetic."

Caroline's head turned toward us and she smiled brightly at the two of us before turning back to Ally who now held her freshly baked cookies in a pastel flower-decorated paper box.

Kathrine's eyes were cold as she watched Caroline make her way to our table. "Hi. I uh, could I-" She gestured to the open seat next to me on the bench.

"Sure."

I slid over to give her room, she thanked me and sat down the smile still on her face. Except now it seemed forced, it was possible it could have been fake, to begin with.

"The weather is nice, isn't it? If my mom was-" Caroline swallowed hard, "still here she would be out fishing."

I felt bad for the girl. Elena and Bonnie were no longer attached to her hips. The doppelganger had gone mad from the hunter's curse and killed herself in the shower. The last remaining Bennett witch died shortly after that in a fire. No one knew who started it, but as always everyone was quick to blame my family. Even though we had nothing to do with it. The Salvatores, Damon, and Stefan were still alive. Their boarding house was empty from anyone living. From what I understand the two took off the night before Elena died. And Caroline was sitting in a hospital room watching her mother die.

"Melinda, a dear friend of my family, would take us fishing on Sundays."

"Was it an all-day thing or just a few hours?" She asked, I could tell that she was eager for any conversation. I wondered how long it had been since she had last spoken to someone in person.

"Usually, all day," she nodded. "My brother appreciated those times most. In fact, he loved it when Melinda visited. When she was there, our father wasn't as brutal, he was softer somehow."

"Which brother?"

Kathrine's annoyed sigh stopped me from replying.

"What do you want, Blondie? I mean there would be no point in trying to kill us because all your friends are dead. And if it's vengeance you want, let me tell you now I'm not in the mood."

The smile fell, Caroline's face with it. Suddenly her attitude didn't match her sunny attire. The Forbes girl had paired a bubble gum pink cardigan over a white and yellow flowery dress.

She was soft. But I wanted to protect that softness... Not many had the ability to have what she had so easily...

"Kathrine," I hissed. There was no use for being so mean, anyway. But the doppelganger continued without pause. "Your boys are gone... Of course, there's Matt but I think we both know who you were really interested in. Did they ask you to spy on us? Are you trying to impress them? I know you have a bad history with Damon but Stefan seems like the safer option right?"

The girl leaned back, though still tense as she rearranged her thin white purse strap on her shoulder.

"Stefan calls to check up on me every once and a while...and Damon... occasionally texts me...but that's it... I've never been particularly...good at spying anyway... And for your information, Kathrine, I have no desire to harm you or-"

Caroline looked away from Kathrine to look at me, "You. I'm just tired...of sitting in that house...alone and by myself... It's not like I could harm either of you...because you two are wayyy older than me."

I couldn't help but be surprised at Kathrine's reaction. The hostile attitude had suddenly dropped and she looked more relaxed and less on guard.

A genuine laugh tumbled past her lips.

"Woo, that's a relief," Kathrine says.

"I can't tell you how nice that is to hear. Now I don't have to kill you again."

Caroline's smile dropped briefly from her face before it reappeared. "I think I'd like to take a vacation. One where nobody is trying to kill me."

"Isn't nice when you get a little break?" Caroline asked, also less on guard.

"Honestly, there can't be anything better," I agreed. My phone vibrates but I ignore it. Enjoying the turn this day had taken. Maybe I won't go down to the Grill later...

...

Who would have thought the 3 of us would be together? Hanging out. Without trying to kill one another.

But that's exactly what had been going on for the last week. Every morning I kept waking up wondering if everything that had been happening was real and not a part of my imagination. Every day my doubts were erased, as we spent our time together shopping and planning for some sort of girls trip.

I didn't expect to be traveling abroad so soon or even find friendship with Caroline and Kathrine. But Melinda had said that the best things in life often came unexpectedly.

Today we had no plans to go anywhere, given the fact that it was supposed to storm (that's what the weather woman, Lynn had said).

Since Kathrine and I haven't spent enough time watching movies and tv shows to figure out what our preferences were, Caroline happily suggested we spend all day and possibly all night watching movies. Having nothing better to do, the two of us agreed. After breakfast, she was supposed to go to the old movie rental place and see what she could find there. If she didn't find anything worth it there then she had a backup plan called Netflix.

My phone vibrated for what seemed like the thousandth time. It was getting bloody annoying.

"Caroline! How do I shut up my phone again!"

I clicked the gear icon and scrolled down the list of settings furiously. Kathrine came into my room an annoyed look on her face. "Hey...some people are on the phone..."

"Did Stefan call you again?"

She shook her head, a pleased look on her face. "Elijah...actually..."

"I thought you were cooking us breakfast," I say, as I brushed past her to head downstairs. The smell of bacon had once been promising.

"Well, I was..." Kathrine replied, speaking in an off tone. "And then... Your brother called..."

"And you forgot how to function properly, causing all the bacon to burn up."

Now that I was in the kitchen that was obvious. This time I didn't blame Kathrine, I blamed my brother.

With a little excess force, I thew open a window to try and distill the smoke and let in some fresh air.

The rain had started and the opened window allowed its fresh scent to flood the room. I smiled, recalling moments of my past; fishing with Melinda and my brothers, talking about my cherished memories of those times with Caroline.

I began preparing myself a little toast and a bit of butter, despite reminiscing.

Kathrine must have felt bad because she didn't stop talking as she flipped her chocolate curls over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, it's just I've been taking some advice."

"From Caroline."

With a little distaste, I looked down at the orange juice I had just poured in my cup and the plate of toast. This was my breakfast?

Elijah was right about everything... I could not only do much better but I deserved better...

"Yeah..." she tilted her head to the side a genuine smile on her face, "believe it or not, being nice...gives you advantages...apparently you can never go wrong with honesty either because it's the best policy..."

My phone began to vibrate again and I was beginning to think that I should have left the bloody thing upstairs.

I powered the cursed black box on and my mouth popped open in surprise. It wasn't Elijah as I had assumed. The calls were from-

"Klaus?"

"What does he want now?" Her doe brown eyes were were wide and filled with concern. I didn't answer her question, my mind racing.

Something could have been wrong all this time and I had selfishly chosen to ignore him. I walked out of the front door and sat on one of the poofy couches in my grand screened-in porch.

I called him back, chewing on the inside of my cheek. Usually, I got my lectures from Elijah but Klaus didn't shy away from them either.

"Nik, I'm sorry. I don't know if Elijah's told you but I've been on a bit of a break," I spoke before he even got the chance too.

...His tone was snappy but I couldn't have felt more relieved to hear his voice...

...

Palace of the 7; Abend; The Underworld

Present Day

...

Third Person Pov

...

The well-known evening city was surrounded by a blue forest. Intelligent creatures moved within its mysterious depths. Once, long ago, the locals had wanted to fence the parameter. They were scared of what they couldn't understand.

It took some time but they were able to learn to respect one another.

Inside the city, well it was all but silent...

An enchanted sun and moon hung in the blue and purple sky. Creating a constant stunning twilight. Compared to the other cities in the Underworld, it was peaceful and considered a haven from all the madness.

Fruit, herbs, grain, and clothing markets had been shut down hours before, the owners having already gone home to rest up for the next day. Going to bed late and rising early is what kept them stable in the ever-changing world. You could never go wrong with gold. That was a currency that all the realms and different universes seemed to accept. However, this particular city thrived on secrets and of all things truth or dare (answer the question honestly or do something the owner of the shop told you to to do and come back tell them what happened in exchange for silky fabrics, fine grains, and rare herbs, or even precious fruits).

The tourists from different; cities, planes, worlds, and realms that were staying in the hotel had turned in for some rest when the lion oiseaus began flying in. A few rouge ghosts roamed the empty streets, singing a chorus of songs from their time... It all made a truly haunting scene, but it was a beautiful one...

Inside the shimmering gold palace, past the open entrance, the meticulously decorated ballroom, the elegant spiraling staircase, and spare rooms a rare hybrid lay restless.

"Sometimes, I think...after everything I've done that it's...my fault," The were-witch declared to no one. Though, feeling strongly as she angrily fisted the sheets. Esmée was surprised she hadn't ripped the rich satin fabric. She had been doing this for the past hour after waking from a nightmare. Her friend's daughter, Luna, was being tortured and she had been forced to watch. After shedding some tears she had been thinking back to that cold fateful November night...as she always did...

"If I would have left Apollo's I would have gotten there 5 minutes earlier," she licked her lips, reminiscing... "I stayed wanting to grab a quick drink for the road. When I really just wanted to see Johnathan... God, I am such an awful person... and now Luna is paying for it... Damn it!"

The empty glass on her nightstand instantly shattered when it was met with an angry wave of the hybrid's magic, the sound echoing in the grand room.

An ethereal woman on the left side of the bed arose halfway at the sound of talking. She yawned toothily, eyes fluttering open, as she pushed the heavy curtain of bistre hair out of her face. Red sheets like waves abruptly drew back, revealing a slim set of warm tawny-beige legs.

"We 'ave 'en over zis, Esmée," was the tired words that came from the ancient and rather passionate demon... She was the true meaning of immortal... No blade through the heart or whispered 3-worded hex would end her days. But those with holy nature saw her as a sickness. When she had lived in the outside world she was shunned in the village. The poor blonde girl with tears in her dresses, bruises, and cuts on her arms from hard work didn't. Exactly 3 of her fellow demons moved to destroy her newfound friend. Given their status they were impossible to kill, but with the help of her friend they managed to put them in jars. One of them even went willingly. The two others who wanted nothing to do with the fight and ran. But those who tried to hurt Esmée had their essences trapped, forever in jars. The 7 deadly sins were suddenly reduced down to 3.

Over the years Nikkita and Esmée took care of eachother...always having each other's backs... They just happened to fall in love 100 years down the road later...

The demon did everything in her power to keep her safe, and she would continue to do so even when Esmée stopped loving her...

Despite her wife's attempts to smooth her lover over, Esmée remained upset. A hot puff of air leaving her lips. A string of curses followed soon after.

"Qui else can you blame 'ut you?" Nikkita asked, despite not wanting to have this conversation...yet again... Discussing her friend's death was painful. She would just be reminded of everything she did and didn't do. Her wife was brave enough to voice her pain, to suffer out in the open... Nikkita wasn't...

"Marcel-"

"No, 'e wasn't aware of Madd's whereabouts. You know zat..." The demon leaned over her wife's shoulder, placing a chaste kiss on her angel-shaped birthmark.

Esmée glared daggers at something she couldn't see, causing all the candles in the room to sputter out. Noticing the sudden darkness, without effort Nikkita relit them. "Mimi?"

Catching the slightly worried tone in her nickname, Esmée reached back and stroked the back of her wife's head. Hoping to put her at ease... "I'm okay, sorry for my cryptic attitude these past few days. I didn't mean for that to be the first thing you heard when you woke up... I just got angry..."

"Vous are not alone. We all loved Elle aussi. Do not apologize for love," her accentuated voice lowered, "Et Je will always love rien that Vous say."

Esmée breathed, reeling in her magic and enjoying her wife's steady hands over her heart. She had known Nikkita long enough to catch most of everything she said. The were-witch had plenty of time to learn the foreign language but she never did. In her 300 years of immortal life, she found that she preferred mysteries over knowing everything. But no one could blame her. Anything that came out of her wife's mouth was beautiful even if it was nothing but curses. The type of monster her wife was could rob any man, woman, or child of everything they had. Esmée considered herself lucky that her wife didn't enjoy taking everyone's choices away.

"For a demon, you sure are happy in the mornings."

"Technically speaking it iz neither night nor day. Zat 'as always been clear en Abend."

Esmée hummed and leaned back further into her wife's shoulder after reading the text message she received from Marcel.

It was urgent.

But the hybrid sighed, as her wife's ring-covered fingers played with the white strings on her pink cotton shorts.

She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay in Abend, where there was no night and day. But knew she had to.

"I have to go see Marcel. Davina is struggling again."

Nikkita stopped kissing her wife's neck at once, concerned, "Iz Elle alright? Qu'est-il arrivé?"

Esmée knew why. Her wife had been fond of the little witch and Davina adored the demon as well. "She's been asking for you," Esmée says, as she turns around to face her wife. Seeking for her deep eyes that never failed to give her the security she needed.

But Nikkita looked down, feeling shame run through her, "Pollo needed me. A peu work needed to be taken care of. Cole était inquiet à propos de Phoebe. Elle's été sentiment vers le bas dernièrement. Je n'ai jamais refusé un ami. Perhaps, I 'ould go with you today," the words came out fast, but Esmée heard her perfectly. "If zat would be alright with Marcel."

Nikkita finally lifted her head up. And Esmée found all the reassurance she needed in her wife's dark deep-set eyes. Esmée remembered the first time she saw the rich color. She had been absolutely certain they were the exact shade of brown that was chocolate... The warm kind that melted your insides... With her wondrous round lips, cute button nose, and sugary voice Esmée believed that her wife could take over the world...

She never would have thought they'd be together... Even past the 100-year mark she still couldn't believe it. Sometimes, she pinched herself real hard, wondering if this was nothing more than a dream.

"But of course," Esmée said and Nikkita beamed. "Merci, Mimi."

"Je t'en prie, my sul...uh hold on."

Esmée took a deep breath trying to pronounce the three worded phrase correctly. She cleared her throat and thanked her wife silently for being so patient and especially kind-hearted.

"Mon- my se ul. Oh damn, wait, that wasn't right." Nikkita's eyes shone as her partner stuttered through her words. "Mmm, My sel amour. Excuse me," Esmée giggled, after hiccuping.

Nikkita tenderly took Esmée's face into her hands. Love visible, on the demon's delicate features.

"Mon seul l'amour."

The were-witch had a dazed smile on her face as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against the left side of her wife's warm mouth.

They had shared hundreds of kisses everywhere possible. But the needy feelings never went away. And there was never a cold moment shared between the two.

Once she felt Nikkita's lips uplift in a soft smile, Esmée moved to the right side of her mouth though this time she didn't linger as long. Soon she had kissed the tip of her nose, both her cheeks, her chin, her jaw, and finally her forehead. And she repeated this process.

Every kiss was like firey ashes falling onto her skin, and Nikkita laughed joyously. Suddenly Esmée pulled back, a look of feigned hurt on her unlined face.

"You think my love for you is a joke?"

Nikkita was happy to see her wife in such good spirits... It had been much too long for her liking...

"Mimi, Vous mizunderstand," Nikkita gently enunciated, filled to the brim with desire as she gazed into her were-witch's divine aegean teal eyes.

The emotional, tempestuous demon had been around for quite some time and never had she come across another with the undeniably pretty harmonized aggregate of blue-green and gray.

In the village, Mai, Esmée was not considered the most beautiful. Not only did she work in the hay fields, but she additionally fostered and gathered all the greens in the village. Her witch blood made growing anything absurdly simple. While she worked, her mischievous twin brothers (Abel and Asher) were looked after by her equally mischievous cousin, Thom Ide. Despite how Mai harshly anteceded appearances, Nikkita had avered that Esmée was beautiful. Under the grime and sweat, a lovely hue of ivory with neutral undertones lay. Her hair was long and plaited during the sweltering harvest months. It was roughly the same color as the hay she bailed and pin-straight. But when in the light of the day-star, it had appeared more golden. Her eyes were that engaging shade of blue that penetrated through things without purpose. Her pretty thin lips stayed pursed most of the time. The people of Mai had assumed she was angry due to her mother abandoning her and her brothers. And in turn, leaving the three of them alone with their drunken father. But Nikkita knew she was only trying to direct her focus on the things she considered necessary. And everything else was irrelevant. The natural oval contour of her face was conspicuous through the dirt. All the other females in Mai had greatly ossified appearances. They struggled to comfort their children properly; because of all their sharp points and edges. It wasn't inherited. They starved themselves by choice. Esmée's spoon-shaped figure was fit from all of her years of exertion. But as worn down and tired as she'd been, she was always healthier than most. And she certainly didn't hold back her appetite unless there wasn't enough food for everyone, then she would save it for her brothers. The demon wasn't shallow. A pretty face and comely body weren't everything. At first, Nikkita admired how the girl worked so hard to provide for her family (most of which she didn't even like). The girl was full of so much passion, the kind Nikkita understood. And then Nikkita admired the girl...

The lion oiseaus had started to roar, pulling the passionate demon out of her mind.

The birds were signaling that people would begin arriving soon. Nikkita wouldn't be surprised if the locals were out before the birds even thought about roaring. The classic shops were continually fun to go into because there was always something you'd never expect to find. And the markets that distributed the precious fruits, grains, and clothing needed half an hour to set up. The people of Abend had been doing this for a very long time. Even before the city's ensorcelled sun and moon arose in the sky for the first time.

The fragrance of Esmée's signature perfume, Diptyque Eau des Sens Eau de Toilette, was one of the few citrusy scents she liked. It reminded her of orange trees warmed by the last rays of sunlight. The notes of freshness from the orange blossom, juniper berry, and patchouli constructed the perfect summer scent.

Her belly coiled, feeling Esmée's magic envelop her. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood up as literal sparks of fire danced across her skin, and their beloved red sheet satin set.

Nikkita craved to possess the woman she loved. Not in a controlling way but more of an erotic way.

She touched her round lips softly upon the hybrids. Smirking when her lover's puff of wine tainted breath shakily came out.

After all the kisses and touches they had shared, Nikkita never failed to find joy in Esmée's little reactions. She found it endearing how; her hands that held such glorious power would twist in the sheets, her magic leaving her body in the most eccentric ways. And when the heat became unendurable between them, her striking eyes would shift to that lucid hue of tawny the demon had come to love. Then Esmée's lips and teeth would work together to create marks all over the passionate demon's flawless skin.

Esmée raised a brow, perplexed but not making any moves to pull away. The smell of Nikkita's timeless Rosé perfume kept her captive.

She couldn't pull away even if she wanted to, and why fight it?

A dull thought echoed in her mind as their mouths leisurely glided over one another. Nikkita's hands drifted to her wife's arms. Admiring how fit she was.

Esmée shivered, feeling the soft tickle of Nikkita's breath below her nose.

If they intended to go and see Marcel and Davina before the morning ended, they would have to leave soon.

But Esmée wasn't so sure that she wanted to leave anymore, as her lips grew a mind of their own and parted, allowing her wife's sinful tongue to slip inside. The were-witch softened on the inside at the gradual intrusion, and her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

Of course, with all the lit candles and the soft purplish light coming from their terrace, she was perfectly convinced that everything was melting, including her...

"We must 'urry, if we intend on meeting ze vampire king," Nikitta whispered, after she had pulled away successfully breaking through the spell that was their love.

They would have plenty of time later.

And she couldn't help but notice Esmée's aegean teal eyes were full of hope.

"Maybe, she knows more about Luna's condition."

The passionate demon's heart ached at the mention of the name. She too had nightmares about the moonchild.

"...Perhaps, mon amour..."

...

New Orleans; Claire's Hotel

...

Marcel Pov

...

Admittedly, I was curious about what would happen in this meeting. Our previous ones had been good despite all of Thierry's warnings and worries.

Nomadic vampires just passing through much of a big deal to them. But Klaus being an original, did a hell of a lot more than making them uneasy.

But I knew Klaus, and while he was his usual self, something seemed off.

Something was different. And I hoped that my coming to his hotel room would answer my questions.

A part of me wondered if he had found out about what I had done all those years ago. It hadn't been illicit desires whispered at the moment after the throes of passion. It had been planned.

All of it.

Purposefully.

To this day, I-I had no regrets. Yes, I hurt the man who raised me, but what other choice did he give me? I begged him to let me court her, and he refused. Being in love wasn't an excuse for what I did...for what we did...

But we had been desperate to be together...to be happy...

I dismissed my worries and thoughts of the past. It would be extremely unlikely for him to uncover everything we had hid so deeply.

I took a deep breath before entering the luxurious 5-star hotel.

...

"It's nice to see you, Marcellus."

Elijah's grip on my hand tightened slightly before he released it. The oldest Mikaelson was quite a mystery.

He looked glad to see me, but he was also good at hiding things, especially his feelings.

Our relationship had been the most uncomplex. Kol had been more like an uncle who showed you things you weren't supposed to see. Remembering the live take on Shakesphere, the younger brother had shown me all those years ago, I shivered.

Klaus nodded at me from the other room. He looked to be having a conversation on the phone.

"And you must be..." I trailed off, looking at the girl beside Elijah with a yellow manila folder clutched tightly to her chest.

"Andrea?"

I couldn't believe it, but it had to be her. No way was she anyone else.

She was damn near the spitting image of Laura with her thin willowy frame and downturned lips. And Jason was there in her high cheekbones and in her eyes.

The girl's hazel-green eyes narrowed, "No, it's Hayley. Wait, why did you call me that?"

The sound of a door opening and slamming cut everyone off.

"Because that is legally your name," Klaus says as he lets Hayley look over the paper in his hand.

"But, I..." Andrea, or rather Hayley, stumbled over her words. "I've seen my birth certificate and-"

I cut her off, "It was a fake."

"How do you know? And why would-"

"Because your parents appointed me you and Luna's godfather before they died."

...

I explained everything in the shortest version possible, but let them know that there was more depth to everything that had happened.

How I met her parents. Our relationship over the years. Their unexpected death. Me failing to save Luna. Me falsifying Hayley's records. Finding a human couple looking to adopt who was familiar with werewolves to get her out of the city. I didn't leave out the part about me fearing what would happen if she stayed.

Thankfully, Hayley didn't ask about her parents as much. I was almost to the point of tears while explaining how it all went down.

All those painful memories were coming up to the surface.

"It's been 20 years, and you still don't know where she is?"

Hayley had now resorted to pacing while Klaus and Elijah sat idly by in white twin velvet armchairs.

A maroon rug lay under a glass coffee table that was slam full of folders, files, and papers containing everything that was known about Luna Rahmah Labonair.

"The witches have made sure not to make any mistakes. And if they do make mistakes, they cover them up faster than we can find them."

"You said my dad was alpha of a pack-"

"The Crescents," I noted, and she nodded vigorously, causing a lock of brown hair to come out of her updo.

"Can't they help you? I'm almost 100% certain that they would offer if you told them. She's one of them...after all..." Hayley cut herself off, and something told me there was more for her to say.

Before I could try and catch her eye, Klaus had already managed to. The look he gave her wasn't threatening, but the message behind his blue eyes was clear, stop.

I didn't press or waste my time wondering.

They had let me into their place. Trusted me enough to tell me that my godchild was carrying the next generation of Mikaelson blood.

I wasn't about to let my curiosity jeopardize everything.

"They do know. In fact, before the agreement was formed we ran dozens of joint operations together trying to find Luna and get her the hell out of their grasp."

It was Klaus who spoke up this time.

"What went wrong? Surely the numbers were strong enough."

Klaus didn't miss a thing. A ghost of a smile tugged on the edges of my mouth.

"...They held a knife to her throat, and you can probably figure out the rest..."

"How are you certain that they haven't already killed Luna?"

"Because my daughter Davina is bonded to her."

"Daughter?"

"Bonded?"

Klaus and Hayley's questions came at me simultaneously. I turned to the man who raised me first. "Adopted."

He smirked, and before he could say anything else, I added, "It's a long story."

"Yes, bonded. People in the Supernatural world, especially in the witch communities, end up bonding. From what I understand, it happens when two people are born in the fall months. At the same time and day. While Luna was born in September Davina was born in October."

The suited original was leaned forward with interest, "So the both of them were born on the 24th day?"

I nodded, responding to Elijah's question. "At 3:00 a.m. in the morning."

Hayley paused and turned around, forehead creased.

She was still confused.

I scrambled my brain trying to find a way to describe it. I smirked remembering how Davina first explained it to me.

"It's kind of like...already knowing your best friend before you meet them."

She nodded her face softening as she resumed her pacing, her sister's birth certificate still against her chest.

"Can she feel her pain?" Elijah asked, concern but also curiosity overtaking his features. "No. Thank God."

The very thought of Davina experiencing what Luna was made me sick.

"How about a stiff drink?"

Klaus must have sensed my discomfort but it was Elijah who got up. I watched as Hayley excused herself from the room.

"You really have no idea where she is?" Klaus says, as he props his feet on top of the coffee table. To anyone else, he might have looked relaxed but he looked more uneasy than I've seen him in a long time.

"I would have told you if I knew..." I trailed off unsure, "Why are you-"

"Because I have a hunch."

"A hunch?"

"Yes," Klaus simpered.

His reply was simple but it wasn't simple I wanted. After learning about Selene and Blade's theory about how the silver-haired deity was connected to my godchild.

"What kind of hunch?"

"The kind that could allow me to save your godchild."

...

Esmée Pov

...

"Bonjour, joli bébé, " Nikkita uttered to the child in a stroller. The couple got excited and mentioned how happy they were to meet another person who spoke their language.

My wife always drew people in. Sometimes like the couple, they were nice. But there were other times when they weren't.

Walking down the streets of the French Quarter never got old. New Orleans was one of those few places left in the world, that managed to maintain a certain timelessness. Towering glass skyscrapers were beautiful and all but as it was said everything thing that glitters isn't gold.

There was beauty in things made out of wood. Watching fire burn was more pleasant when done in person.

Slowly the old ways would leave the world. And my heart broke at the very thought.

...The unmistakable jazz spewing from every orifice, vibrant colored beads strung on posts, people from all walks of life, the smell of gumbo...

And of course, the unmissable glances I and Nikkita got were no different. I couldn't blame them... Nikkita was beautiful, and I was...pretty...

I couldn't help but unconsciously tug the back of my shorts down. I wasn't as slim as Nikkita so when it came to showing so much skin it worried me. It's not that I didn't like showing skin because I did. Even after being alive for 300 years, I was never able to learn to love my body the way my wife did.

"What are Vous 'talking about?" I was pulled to the side by my wife who had an unhappy expression on her face. Her perfectly sculpted brows were drawn together and her bottom lip was jutted out.

"I am pretty..." I trailed off uncertainly. Nikkita shook her head and an easy smile passed over her glittery lips.

"No."

A cold sense of dread filled me when I heard the two-lettered word come out.

"Mon seul l'amour, Vous are gorgeous."

I was wearing a backless, cap sleeve spring green high neck top, black jean cut-offs, paired with light flats. Nothing nearly as special or as elegant as her attire.

But I believed her words.

And she whispered them again in my head, as she kissed my cheek took my hand, and led us back into the streets.

I followed, the encouraging smile on her face uplifting my dampened spirits.

"This is me."

"Oui. Zis is you, my dear. The you zat I know. And whether you are dressed like you are now or wrapped up in our red silk sheets back home you will always look stunning."

Okay, so maybe I was learning, I thought as I straightened up. Seeing the instant proud look on her face and the fact that I felt more confident made it all worth it.

This was it.

This was one of the best moments in life.

People are lucky if they only get a few. I just happened to be one of the few exceptional beings who had the chance to live forever.

My beautiful wife was always pushing my limits, and because of that, I was growing stronger. I know she didn't want me to spend our forever hunched down and ashamed. Truth be told I didn't want that either.

"Az long az it takes, my dear. I just want you to be 'appy."

"Being with you has always been and will always be enough for me," was my honest reply.

Nikkita brushed my blonde hair aside with her glossy nude nails and softly kissed my neck. A red flush crept up to my face and I was sure it would remain there for the rest of the walk, possibly longer...

...

The church looked like any other one I had entered. The high ceiling, stained window panes... But there were the undercurrents of something else...something sinister...

The Dark Arts always left something behind.

There was once a time where there had been others. But now in this day and age, they were forgotten. And the people who did remember were cursed and could never practice them again. But currently, there were only 3 magics that fit into the category.

Black magic was the one most easily found and sought after. This branch tended to involve more sacrificial practices, most of the curses and hexes tended to be irreversible. Anything from baby animals to children bled and died for the purpose of one spell or potion. Despite it being the most popular it was not the easiest of the three. In order for the practice to be done properly, you had to be in a dark place of mind. Blue magic was sought after by those who knew of its existence but it was not so easily found. The potions in this particular territory had things that could only be found in the 9 Magical realms. To successfully do a spell you had to become a part of the land, and that meant placing a few of your tears on the Stones of Grey. Blood magic was the most feared. It was deprived of early voodoo and is said to have been created by a witch doctor with a heart full of hate. One drop of blood mixed with some rare herbs and ashes was all that was needed. In the 11 Planes of Existence, and all the Realms included...blood...was powerful. Most of the hierarchies in the Underworld were of familial blood. The liquid be it acidic or not connected people and even places together.

Whether it was temporary or forever depended on what had been done... And of course the spellcaster...

Father Kieran had asked me to look into it and I was. The death of his nephew had been terrible. It is what drove me to stay up late some nights. But so far, nothing new had come to light. Only his words and those from his niece, Cami, kept me thinking that this wasn't any normal suicide.

I enjoyed watching detectives work on the tv screen, but being one in real life was no fun and games.

The wooden pews were temporarily moved and big tables took up the empty space. Everything from canned goods to nearly perfect shoes were on the white plastic surfaces. The sign outside told me that the place would be full tonight with those in need.

"Good day, Monsieur Kieran."

Father Kieran turned at her words. As always, he blushed and gave a wave, "Hello, Nikkita." He nodded politely at me, "Esmée."

"The weather is lovely today. I do 'ope Vous are bein," Nikkita continued, leaning on the podium. I couldn't help but admire her in this lighting. Her dark bistre wavy curly hair was done up in an elegant half-up, half-down twist. This morning I watched her in the mirror, dumbfounded. She was the one who did hair. Even though mine was down and straight as always she insisted she run a brush through it anyway. Her coral pink narrow collar top was a birthday present from me, just like the soft ivory knit scarf hung around her neck. Her black slacks were flared at the bottom allowing me to see the dainty white peep-toe heels she had elegantly slipped on before we left.

"I am. And I hope that the two of you are also...well... Are you here to see Davina?"

"Yes," I spoke up walking over to the staircase that led up to the attic. "But Marcel isn't here...is he?"

"No, he had to leave. Something about some nomad vampire in town."

Of course.

I nodded, thanking him before making my way up the staircase.

Nikkita and the priest had a friendship.

One I didn't understand but respected regardless.

Religion, like politics, never did sit quite well with me.

After what happened to my parents, my brothers, and now even Luna it seemed hard and even stupid to believe in anything like that. Letting someone suffer so they could embark on this great journey was a bunch of shit. Telling you who you couldn't love was wrong and controlling. Once I had, had no plans to love anyone, much less a girl, but it happened.

And I had no regrets...

But no way was I going to waste my time putting faith into anyone but the one who's had my back from day one.

...

"Esmée!"

I smiled, hearing her cheery voice as I tossed my brown woven purse onto the old plush love seat. "In the flesh," I say while taking in her appearance.

Her chestnut hair that was usually styled down in waves was sticking up in the back. She was still in her farm animal pajamas Marcel had gotten her. He was a terrible shopper so he appointed that duty to Nikkita. Who had gracefully accepted his offer? But Davina still wore the overtop t-shirt and hoodies along with the printed leggings.

She looked exhausted...poor girl...

The teenage harvest witch brushed past Josh and tackled me with a hug. "Sorry, it's just nice to see another girl around here. Is your wife with you?"

"Yes, she is," I watched as her hazel eyes widened in excitement.

"Can we skip past the pleasantries? Look Nikkita's cool but my best friend is bleeding out of her ears."

Just then my nose picked up the coppery scent hidden beneath the perfume and unscented deodorant. I recognized the fresh scent. Davina had said that she didn't want to smell like flowers or fruit. So Nikkita got her Aeropostale's girl's 'Promise Me' fragrance.

I frowned, usually she put the right amount on but this time it was almost overwhelming.

She had tried to hide it.

If it hadn't been for my wolf senses I never would have realized something was wrong.

I moved her dark hair aside just in time to see the blood drip down. I could question her later. "Josh, get me a tissue and the green bottle in my purse."

He did as I asked. Usually, he would refuse to get into my purse because it was wrong. But currently, my hands were full and he knew that.

With Josh's help, I thankfully managed to stop the blood.

...

Davina had to put on a new change of clothes due to her blood-stained pajamas. I promised to return them to her after they had been cleaned.

Her room wasn't what a normal teenagers room should be.

There were no posters or cut-out pictures of half-naked boy band members. Her furniture (bed included) had all been given to her by some of Marcel's friends. Meaning it was old and a little out of style for this decade. Her vanity was stuffed full of the best makeup products the world had to offer. A colorful clothing rack was pushed against a wall, her shoes smartly laid underneath it. The easel in the corner of the room was full of fresh paper. Earlier I had sneaked a peek, it was obvious she had been working on something but was too shy to leave it out in the open.

"Why haven't you been taking your potion?" I asked once Josh had left the room for a bathroom break. The kid hadn't stopped clucking like a mother hen until I laid her down in bed and put a cool rag over her head to bring her temperature down.

She didn't stutter through her explanation. I had heard it many times before and I was certain she had given Marcel the same response.

I handed her a spare hair tie of mine and helped her put her hair up the way she wanted. "She's my best friend," Davina mumbled, "Or will be," she amended, throwing her hair out of her face with obvious frustration.

She threw the rag down and the candles in the room flickered.

"I know she's in pain. I might not be able to know exactly what's happening to her but...I-I know it hurts...and I know that my Dad's doing everything he can but I just feel so...so helpless!"

She started crying then. Having a feeling that it was long overdue I just patted her back.

"Zat's it," said a sugary voice from the doorway, Nikkita of course.

"Let it out," she sighed taking off her scarf and heels. "Holding everything inside you is never good. Elle, you know that."

My wife climbed onto the bed and elegantly crossed her legs over one another before Davina crawled onto her lap.

...

Claire's Hotel; New Orleans

1 Week Ago

...

Klaus Pov

...

"Say it, again."

I awoke with a start, heart-pounding, and body shaking in excitement.

At last.

Despite not remembering much, she had left quite an impact. In the moments me and this goddess shared, I felt at peace.

Even in the beginning moments of wakefulness, my fingers itched for something to draw her with.

I had a total of 3 paintings dedicated to her. In all of them, the fine lines of her face and body were just visible.

For over a month now, I've been having dreams of a woman. Or rather, visions because she felt real.

No, I corrected myself; she was real.

The beast inside me rumbled in agreement. For a second, I wondered if I had gone crazy, but then I remembered that there had always been another side of me. Even before my mother turned me into what I was today.

I couldn't remember much other than the fact that she was beautiful. My painstakingly crafted art was done so with skepticism. Her face, for the most part, unknown, and her voice lyrical.

I closed my eyes and laughed. I knew so little about this person, and there was one emotion she managed to make me constantly feel.

Happiness.

The visions I had been experiencing were ones I never wanted to fade away. But as wonderful as they were, they never left me satisfied because I was always begging for more.

"I will find you."

Rain began falling gradually at first, then coming down in heavy sheets afterward. The wind accompanied it, producing whispering sounds.

It seemed that that was the only reply I was going to get... For now, at least...

...

The sky was cloudy and gainsboro gray.

After every storm as a child, I would enjoy viewing the aftermath. The tallest of trees would be put on their sides by the brightest of lighting strikes. Houses torn apart by the great winds, the animals tasting the air before they ungrouped. It wasn't the destruction or loss of life that I appreciated. As an artist, it was possible to see beauty where others could not. There was a certain appeal to ruin. The meadow was a scarce part of the wood where I'd hide from one man, Mikael. After the worst of storms, the soft blades of grass that I laid my head upon and the bright flowers that would surround me ceased to exist. Every day there would be new signs of life; virescent sprouting blades of grass and tall stems with blooms along the sides. Watching the new growth take over the old had taught me one thing.

Reinvention was feasible.

Even after all the damage, my meadow had faced during the warm months, it always came back in the spring.

A part of me yearned to go back to it and even stay there for a while. Not to hide as I did as a boy, but just for old time's sake.

With the visions of this woman and rumors of witches conspiring against me, I couldn't help but think back to my meadow...

...

"Rebekah! Do you have any idea how many times I've called you?! Do you know how close I was to coming to Mystic Falls?!"

The rooftop of the hotel was excellent for private talks. I had been up most of the night, even after the visions. They were the reason I had been calling to talk to her in the first place. Maybe she had experience with them.

"Nik, I'm fine-" I cut her off, shaking my head in disdain. My sister would never learn and but she always knew how to worry a bloke to death.

"How was I to know that? Not to mention you were also ignoring Elijah's calls."

I frowned, feeling raindrops dampen my shirt. I glared up at the sky, wishing to intimidate it somehow.

"I would have answered the bloody phone if I had seen it was you!"

That was odd and interesting at the same time. Rebekah and Elijah rarely ever did have a falling out. But now was not the time to question what had happened.

"How have you been?"

She scoffed, "First you yell at me, and then you ask how I've been? You're lucky I can't kick your arse right now."

"I didn't call you to apologize. I stand by everything I said, Rebekah."

She gave no reply, but I knew she wasn't surprised by my nonexistent apology.

"What do you want, Nik?"

"Advice."

There was a pregnant pause, and I was about to repeat myself when-

"Why would you possibly want advice from me? Elijah-"

"Elijah wouldn't understand," I say, somehow managing to stay composed.

I busied myself in watching people flock to shops. Most were couples carrying small children. There was a brief pang of longing before Rebekah started speaking again. This time she sounded concerned.

"Of course, I-I would love to help you. What's happened?"

I suffered in silence for less than a minute, struggling. To figure out how to describe the woman who pleasurably habituated my mind as I slept and in my waking hours. I didn't want to come off as crazy. Hopefully, my sister wouldn't view me any differently.

"I have these dreams...no visions of this woman."

"It's probably just that damned coven messing with-"

"No," I say, running my hands through my hair. "I know what it's like to have witches in my head, but this isn't it...this feels different, stronger somehow..."

"Do you sense danger around this woman?"

"No, not at all."

Her curiosity displayed in her silence. I had thought she would have badgered me with questions by now, but she must have been too bewildered to do so.

"I feel happy when I am with her. If that makes me sound mad-"

"No, I don't think you're mad... Controlling, yes. Possessive, yes. But not off your rocker..."

The sigh of relief I gave could not be feigned. A cool breeze came but thankfully, no rain followed. I watched as two teenagers came out of a shop running, a security guard trailing behind.

Oh, to be young...

"Have you met her? In real life, I mean."

"No," I paused, "But that doesn't mean she's not real."

"Nik, I didn't mean..." She trailed off, "Our dear Melinda had visions if you remember-"

"Of course," I interceded. Melinda Warren had been good friends with my family, like Ayana Bennett.

Melinda had extraordinary gifts. The likes of which made even the most seasoned spellcasters, like Ayana, nervous. She told stories of the demons and monsters she vanquished under the screen of darkness. As I got older, I realized that they weren't just stories. They were every bit of the truth. How else could she have gotten those scars?

"But like you and most of our siblings, I never quite tapped into my inner witch."

"True, but remember what Melinda said about active and passive powers."

I nodded, another frown forming on my face as I considered what she said. "I never thought of it that way. Thank you, Rebekah. For the first time in weeks, I've finally gotten somewhere."

"No problem, Nik. I'll probably be down there soon anyway. Living in a small town has more cons than I care to name."

I chuckled, knowing full well what she meant.

"Well, when you do decide to join Elijah and me, it will be on your terms."

She didn't reply, but I knew she was still thankful nonetheless.

"Nik?"

"Yes?"

She breathed, "Dreams aren't as sweet as you may think. They are tricky things that one should strive to avoid at all costs. When chasing them, you end up lost. Because, after all, they are just dreams. They will mislead anyone on the path they wish to take. In the end, they can't, and their hearts break a little more once they come to the realization. They make great distractions from pain and longing. But when it's all said and done, they amount to nothing. Visions speak of truth-"

"And you only have to open your ears. A grasp at the future you could have or a clue to what took place in the past," I finished smiling.

Rebekah laughed, and I joined in. Thanks to this conversation, we were on much better terms.

"I thought you would have forgotten."

"Melinda made sure I remembered that particular quote."

She sighed, "Well, this is where I say that she's wrong."

Her words shocked me.

"Follow your dreams, Nik. If they do happen to lead you astray, hopefully, they lead you to her."

"Hopefully," I agreed, happy that she didn't think I was mad.

...

Present Day

...

Hayley Pov

...

"Andrea."

I met the vampire's dark eyes but didn't answer.

The father of my child and my godfather had just left for their brunch with some witch queen.

Everything seemed to be moving at supersonic speed. I was being hit with everything at once, blinded by certain things...and hurt deeply by others...

I not only had a sister who was being held captive somewhere but I also had a godfather who cared an awful lot. On top of this, I had just found out my parents were dead, and Luna's mother too. From what Marcel had told me and seeing the picture of Laura and Madeline together they would have been close. I was certain that she would have been a big part of my life.

...They all would have been...

But they were gone.

Just like Jan and Mitch Marshall, my foster parents. My memories of life before all the drama were painful and the others I wished to forget. I had lost a friend, yes, but I had gained so much more. Because of my actions, I had found a piece of my real family. To me that was irreplaceable. Damn what everyone else thought of me, in my eyes I had done the right thing.

Maybe, Klaus and I weren't so different after all...

I looked away from Elijah, heat beginning to swell in my eyes.

My entire life had been a lie. Despite that fact, I had been taken very well care of. Better than my sister that's for sure.

"Are you alright?"

I moved my feet disliking the fact that they had fallen asleep

The window seemed like a safe enough place to stare. It was slow today, I noted the still cars and equally still streets. In fact, most of the shops around the hotel seemed closed which seemed off-putting to me. Elijah Mikaelson had asked me that question 2 times in the last 5 days. The first time, I had thought it was an odd thing to ask. He didn't know me, why the hell should he care? But I humored myself and answered him honestly anyway. But this time, he kind of did know me a little. He knew my real name. He knew that I wasn't afraid to stand up to his most of the time jerkish hybrid brother. He knew that I hated tea but liked coffee. And he knew that my favorite color was blue, and for some reason I let myself tell him the reason why...

...

Flashback

...

Sitting in the original hybrid's brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee in the big easy wasn't exactly part of my plan.

I didn't care how cool it was in the car. I wanted to be out, taking in the sights. Out in the heat. Jan and Mitch used to take trips all the time, it was only natural I go along. I was a sucker for trips and vacations of any kind.

But no way would Klaus or his brother let me near any of these people. It was a shame. I had been looking forward to trying some gumbo.

"We could talk if you'd like..."

I turned away from the numbers on the radio stations, fingers poised around the little black dial. Klaus would be pissed but I was bored sitting here in this car, in the big easy.

Besides, it wasn't like I was purposefully trying to piss him off, I was trying to find a decent rock channel or at least pop. So far all I had come across was rap, country, and of course jazz.

Klaus' older brother was nice. Not just his personality but it was his obviously expensive suits, shoes, and even his hair. But the 'I'm so Fancy,' vibe wasn't there. He seemed like the more subtle type despite the way he looked and dressed. If he had an apartment and if he invited me inside then I would know if I was right or wrong.

"I don't see why not?" I shrugged, not afraid to hide how I felt. There was no point in keeping anything from him. Klaus yes, but I felt like I could trust this man.

I leaned forward and focused my attention back on the radio dial, screaming when I recognized the familiar tune.

'Breaking my back just to know your name

Seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game'

"Oh my god!"

Elijah turned to me a concerned look on his face as I relaxed into the back seat and began to nod my head along to The Killers- Somebody Told Me.

"Hayley!"

"What?" I shouted back singing,

"I said, oh, heaven ain't close in a place like this

Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight

Ooh-ooh"

The ancient vampire had contorted his body so that he was facing me. I blushed under his dark-eyed gaze, closing my eyes to try and tune him out.

"Never thought I'd let a rumor ruin my moonlight

Well, somebody told me that you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend

That I had in February of last year

It's not confidential, I've got potential

Ready? Let's roll onto something new Taking its toll then I'm leaving with you"

I inhaled a big gulp of air, my eyes still closed.

"Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight

Ooh-ooh

Never thought I'd let a rumor ruin my moonlight

Well, somebody told me you had a boyfriend

Who looked like a girlfriend

That I had in February of last year-"

I reached down for my cup, taking a long drink while my feet remained in motion. Luckily I put it down just in time for the bridge.

"Pace yourself for me

I said maybe, baby, please"

He was still looking at me, I could feel that much. But I refused to reply to him and tell him that I was alright because this was my song.

"But I just don't know now (Maybe, baby)

When all I want to do is try"

I brushed my hair out of my face finally straightening up after finishing the last chorus of the song. "Sorry, but that was my song."

My face was hot from all the dancing and it only seemed to get worse when I remembered that he must have been watching me the entire song.

Thank God for tinted windows.

The original gave me no clue that he had heard what I had just said, he just looked at me. I would be lying if I said I was perfectly comfortable under his gaze. I felt as if I was slowly being burned alive when his brown eyes met mine.

"I'm sure you understand."

Oh my god please don't think I'm a freak!

"You have a song?" I swallowed hard, my throat feeling dry all of a sudden. "Don't you?"

He nodded, licking his lips before raising his head. A smirk was on his face. For a second I compared it to Klaus' and in an instant, I knew whose I preferred.

"Yes...but you won't catch me dancing around like you just did."

"You're over a thousand years old, and you couldn't find the time to take dancing lessons?" I was aware of Saving Abel - Addicted playing but remained still this time around even though this was another one of my songs.

He chuckled and I smiled, happy to have got such a reaction from him.

"I can dance but my kind of music has no words. None spoken anyway." Confusion passed over my features if he saw it he didn't say anything.

"Perhaps I can show you one day."

I nodded, coming to the realization that this man was a mystery.

...

"What's your favorite color?" I asked when the commercial break hit.

"White."

"White," I repeated, interested and confused at the same time. "I've gotta say, that's one I haven't heard."

"I appreciate its translucency..." The vampire sighed, "It's pure..."

With patience, I sat there listening as Ozzie and Oasis played. I don't think I'd ever wanted a commercial break to come so fast until today.

"May I ask what yours is?"

"I'm sure you've heard of it before," was my reply.

Nervously, I picked at my nails. Thinking of how ridiculous it was to worry about telling him about my favorite color.

Then again he made me nervous.

"Blue."

He hummed before speaking again.

"Is there a reason?"

I hadn't ever been asked that. "Actually, yeah."

I breathed deeply and began fiddling with my thread-woven bracelet. My adoptive mother, Jan had made them as a hobby. And when she had gotten sick... And didn't remember my name or even hers she remembered to make these...

She made dozens for me and all of them were careful, stored away in a shoebox.

What I was about to tell Elijah was personal. I hadn't even shared it with the few friends I had once had. Not even Ty.

"After Jan died Mitch took me to Australia. The three of us had been planning the trip for years and we had just saved up enough to go. But then life happened and-"

The stabbing sensation in my throat choked me up to the point of me being in tears. I reached down to grab the edge of my t-shirt but Elijah flourished a white handkerchief in front of me. "Thank you," I whispered taking the soft linen fabric in my hands. "Keep it."

I waited a moment before speaking. As a precaution, I sipped water out of one of those red and white plastic straws.

"Anyway, we went and it was amazing. Before my favorite color had been green but after running along the tide and seeing the first of many sunsets I had no choice but to jump on the blue train."

Looking up, I thanked my lucky stars that I had bitten my lip during my storytelling. He was looking at me again. I don't know what I would have said. Probably some sarcastic comment to ruin the moment.

"That's a reasonable answer."

I shrugged, sipping more of the water out of my cup. "It was a reasonable question."

...

End of Flashback

...

"It's Hayley. Please, just call me Hayley," I say, finally. "And no, I am not alright. I will be alright when my sister is safe and in front of me. I will be alright when the people who hurt her are dead," I spat out, turning my head to the side.

"Forgive me."

The silence spared no mercy as it weighed upon me like a ton of bricks. My fingers grazed the photograph of my baby sister as I sat on the couch, bored by watching people.

Marcel had recovered the only one from the ruins of my parent's house that they shared with Madeline. It had been the only one he could find.

Luna had been a cute baby in her first year of life. She was chewing contently on some soft multi-colored keys. She wore a navy-blue flannel shirt around her little frame, a light pink onesie just visible. I had been told that that was our father's and whenever he was gone she would if she didn't have it. Deep lush curls trailed a little past her shoulders. Her hair already resembled her mother's. Her almond-shaped green eyes sparkled with life. Even with the layer of fat, her high cheekbones were prominent.

"It's okay, Elijah, you don't have to-"

I never got to finish due to the sound of knocking.

"Sit," Elijah told me. The tone of his voice was so assertive that I found myself doing just that.

Who could be knocking? This couldn't be Klaus since he and Marcel were out for a few hours.

Trying to hear exactly what was going on, I was straining my ears. "It seems we have company..."

"Elijah, c-could you please," I stuttered, flustered because he had appeared out of thin air. "Not do that."

"My apologies," he retorted head slightly bowing. "There is someone-"

"Thanks but I can introduce myself," announced a voice from the other side of the room. How rude of him to interrupt Elijah.

With a cane in his right hand, the man strode forward. His walnut brown hair was tousled and he looked about 38 years old. With a bomber jacket and a washed pair of denims, this man wore a Rolling Stones t-shirt.

He would have had my automatic respect but he seemed like a jerk.

As he popped a pill into his mouth, he smirked, "You can call me House." I had a feeling we weren't going to get along very well.

"It's nice to meet you, Andrea Labonair."

His use of my name made me tense. Elijah, I could stand saying my name but not House.

Despite how much your mother wanted you named Madison, your dad was not a fan of the idea. Your 'lost and found' look suggests that you might prefer to stay with your fake name, which is," he trailed off, making a 'go on' motion with his hands.

In response, I coughed into his arm, feeling uncomfortable under his probing blue-eyed gaze. "Hayley."

"Did Klaus call you?"

After rolling his eyes at me, House plopped down in an armchair across from me. I was vaguely aware of Elijah settling down next to me. "Well, it certainly wasn't either of you."

...

"I hear your expecting."

The living room was now empty except for me and House. I really wanted to curl up on the couch with a pillow pressed to my stomach and sleep for the rest of the day.

Despite having caught up on it the previous day and night, I still wanted to sleep.

The white eggshell wall was dominated by a large flatscreen. An NHL match was currently taking place. Sounds from the game brought memories flooding in. I had taken my boots off hours ago because there was no way that Klaus or Elijah would let me leave. He left to give us some time alone. Having him not far away put me at ease. The man who sat across from me intimidated me.

"Who told you?"

In an instant, I was tense and on guard. I worried for my safety.

"Your baby daddy."

"I don't see a ring on your finger," I rolled my eyes.

Klaus and I are not even a couple, much less married, without being able to help it, I shuddered at the thought. That was a bomb just waiting to go off.

"I'm not his wife."

"Of course," he replied, nodding his head.

I grit my teeth, today was going to be a long day...

...

Davina Pov

...

My mind as always drifted to Luna and the bond that we shared.

Days ago there had been a meteor shower. I stood on the roof of the compound with Marcel, and for every shooting star, I saw I wished for her to be safe. Not being a little girl anymore I knew that I had probably wasted all my time but it was nice to think that it could have worked. I slept better that night, feeling as if I had really helped her.

I wondered if she would ever get out. If we would ever become what we were meant to be.

Best friends, or friends so close that they are practically siblings.

I would be happy to endure all of her pain. Once I even thought about offering myself up to replace her. Marcel wouldn't allow it and Josh would never agree to it (I had tried pulling the friend card but he was on to me and covered his ears and started humming the Star Wars theme).

True I wasn't considered a princess or a very good witch but they did want me. Finishing the harvest ritual consumed their everyday thoughts. I would be lying if I said that didn't make me the least bit satisfied.

"Juste ferme tes yeux,

le soleil se couche"

The sound of Nikkita singing always calmed me down. She even managed to put Josh asleep and while I was tempted I resisted.

Fear keeping me wide awake.

Having dreams of Luna being beaten bloody made me sick to my stomach. Going to sleep was not part of my plan for today.

A soft hand steadily brushed my cheek, Esmée. I opened my eyes to find the two looking at me with enough warmth and kindness to turn Antarctica into a beach. The thought of polar bears walking around in Bermuda shorts and sunglasses improved my mood considerably.

"Tu iras bien"

My antique four-poster canopy bed had become my sanctuary. Moments like these are ones I cherished.

"Plus personne ne peut te faire du mal maintenant

Viens la lumière du matin

toi et moi serons sains et saufs"

It seemed silly to someone like Josh, but he was normal. He didn't get emotional about the simple things.

"Elle, are you feeling better?" Nikkita stroked my back in a slow soothing rhythm. Something told me she would have been a good masseuse.

"I know zat Taylor Swift song is one of your favorites? I could try zat direction band, oh what was the one that you said were from the back of the streets?"

Without meaning too I laughed. The sound startling the three of us. But before I could answer Esmée did, putting an arm around her wife's shoulders. An affectionate look on her face.

"Nikki, she's stopped crying so I think it's safe to say that she's feeling better than before, right?"

I nodded and moved off of Nikkita's lap yawning and stretching. I think I'm going to pass out if I don't get lunch soon," I thought, as I walked away from my bed.

The two women started whispering about something so I busied myself with waking Josh. I know Esmée wouldn't be leaving my bed any time soon. She had fallen in love with my white silk duvet comforter. It had been a gift from Teddy, one of Marcel's friends who was also a leader of his own vampire clan.

"What, oh it's you! Sorry, it's just I remember hearing Nikkita sing-" I cut him off, helping him off of the sofa.

"Don't stress!"

He looked at me like I had grown a pair of 2 extra arms. "Marcel didn't send you here to babysit me anyway."

He looked down, ashamed. But I wasn't having any of that today.

I sighed, saying, "Josh, we've been over this."

A mantra I found myself repeating weekly.

For a second I wondered if he had actually listened but my nerdy friend suddenly perked up, "Oh, I forgot to tell you I have a date."

"You have a date?! Oh my god, Josh, that's amazing!" I couldn't have tried to hide my excitement.

Lately, he's been depressed because he's been 'alone' and is certain that no one in their right mind would be interested in him. It didn't matter what I said once his mind was set in stone.

"Date?" Esmée asked, looking over at her wife, who just smirked.

"When did you finally get the courage to talk to Tim? Esmée asked as she wrapped her arm around Nikkita's delicate shoulders, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise.

"Tell me what he said!" She turned to Josh, who was laughing genuinely. I hadn't heard him make a heartfelt sound like that in a while.

A flush of red was visible on his cheeks. I grinned widely, as I hadn't seen him like this.

Well, apart from when he read the comic books about Peter Parker. We sat and watched the movies together and even argued over whose version was better (he just didn't get how I thought Andrew Garfield was perfect in every way. Including playing Peter Parker).

"Sooo et was Vous, then?"

Nikkita didn't miss a thing. Josh coughed, looking down and finding his green converse all of a sudden interesting.

"Yeah, we are supposed to go to Cosimo's. A place he knows that has every kind of pizza and cocktail you could imagine. Anywhere that has pizza is somewhere I'd rather be. I am so psyched by the way."

As I was getting ready to ask for a picture, Esmée detached herself from Nikkita.

"Josh and I are going to get lunch, so Ina won't pass out," Nikkita's deep eyes twinkled.

I shouldn't have been surprised. Nikkita technically wasn't telepathic, but she could read other's wishes and desires. A girl could dream about such a power. Being a Claire witch, the only cool thing I considered about myself was that I could speak/read some Latin (which wasn't. My family didn't have any special abilities, from what I understood.

"Munchies, please?"

"But of course, Elle. Zee ham and cheese one, right?"

I nodded, my stomach rumbling at the smell of the simple creation. Nikkita hooked her arm in Josh's, "Lead ze way, monsieur."

Just as they walked out the door I heard, "Oh, quelque old man Vous are! Sneaking up on me!"

"And you look about as old as a fresh drop of spring rain, on a young sapling's leaf in the forest, Auvergne."

Nikkita gasped, "Aww, well thank you, Blade! What 'as it been? 2 years? Nevertheless, it is a pleasure to savoir that there is a softness to your sharpness."

"The years start to fade together once you reach a certain point of grief."

I watched her smile sadly. "Until next time, then oh génial Gardien?"

"Nice to see you again, Miss," Blade replied politely tipping his hat. "I look forward to our next meeting as always." Their whole exchange belonged on my phone screen.

"Mister," Blade acknowledged Josh, who was still in shock.

...

"Did it ever occur to you that something might be seriously wrong as you were bleeding out of your ears? This could be life-threatening! Could you please explain this to me, Davina? Because I'm running it over in my head, and I can't make sense of it!"

"I didn't think, and I apologize," I whispered. The consequences of my reckless actions did not make me feel good.

"What would your father say?"

"I just didn't want anyone to worry about me," I pleaded, feeling ashamed for acting so insensitively.

I told her why at least six times. But I only think she asked the question three different ways.

After pacing the room for a few moments, the were-witch dumped her contents from her purse onto the cushion next to it.

"Too late for that..." She muttered, clucking her tongue and turning pages hastily for something I could only guess at.

Esmée was angry.

At me.

It would be great if Nikkita and Josh could hurry back. The tight coil of uneasiness in my stomach had made me lose my appetite.

To be honest, I felt a bit sick.

I was bleeding from my right ear, and Blade smiled kindly at me as he applied a handkerchief festooned with a bird-decorated design. I was glad that I had not angered him.

I will tell you this, none of us are weak simply because our hearts are heavy."

Blade had a compelling voice, similar to Nikkita's. Her voice was sweet, but he was smokey and leathery. Deep and hazy, it didn't take much to catch attention. His eyes changed colors frequently. I had seen him with blue eyes that looked translucent, and I had also seen him with black eyes that had no light coming from them. Gray with blue hints now, they looked arid. I assumed that it was the result of a mutual understanding between the two colors.

He continued, "Even though you weren't doing what was right, it's still the thought that counts."

In this moment, his eyes seemed impossibly old.

My sincere thanks came out as a whisper.

I felt weak most of the time if not all of the time. It didn't matter how many times my Dad told me I was the complete opposite. My stubborn side would show with ferocity. I preferred to create instead of punching my bedroom walls and ripping things apart. One time, I managed to burn all the candles in the room to nothing but pools of hot liquid wax. My anger was high that night. I usually experimented with my charcoal art. It was rare that I used the pencils, though I did sometimes. But I liked the sticks better. Somedays, the only things I could draw were lines, some curled, others not. Although they may have been meaningless to someone else, to me, they meant something... though I was just unable to see it yet...

Whenever I could, I preferred to create rather than destroy.

And my heart did feel heavy.

Living with the fact that I was mostly safe and Luna wasn't kept me awake at night.

There were pros and cons to the bond. It made some things easier while making others harder. Knowing that she was my best friend, feeling and thinking that I knew everything about her, but in reality, I knew very little about her. The feeling that she was alive, as well as the feeling that she was in pain.

Esmeé was looking through an old notebook with her lip stuck between her teeth. Showing her was out of the question.

I moved forward without hesitation. "Now, sweetheart, you have to hold still," Blade says, as he stops me.

"There's something I want to show you," I say, and he removes his arm, allowing me to walk to the corner of my room where my easel is.

Just as I was about to touch the blank page and flip it over, a sudden gust of wind, which seemed to be out of nowhere, caused pages to fly from their holders.

In disbelief, I trailed off as I watched the papers fluttering around in the air and on the ground in some kind of tornado.

My vision was dotted with black spots...

I was vaguely aware of my knees hitting the ground and Blade... He was calling Esmée...

An irritating ringing in my ears, something warm trickling down my neck...

Although my name was being yelled, the loudest sound in the room was the pages sliding against and around each other.

My stomach turned over, and I threw up something that left me with a metallic taste.

Blood.

...Opening my eyes, I saw red. I blinked, heavy tears falling from my eyes...

"Jinkies," Esmée breathed.

The singular word had been clear. I now understood why I had heard it so well. The pages stopped rustling.

What I saw made me lose my breath.

In a uniquely orderly fashion, the pages were lying on the ground. A wind or another force had arranged the pattern.

This was not a coincidence.

Lines were twisted and spiraled together in loops. Curls. Now I realized that they made hair. Lots of it, it would seem.

An outline of a face was also visible. I can still recall the moment when I sketched the perfect shape.

Both Blade and Esmée kneeled beside me. I felt their words vibrate in my head, but I couldn't understand them.

The sudden need to draw caused my hands to shake, and I began to dry heave.

Because I was fearful that I would start vomiting blood again, I launched myself toward where my art supplies were kept.

To finish what I had begun, I had to push the two adults off of me.

"Patents!" I whimpered, sighed in relief after the drawer flung open, leaving a mess on the hardwood floor.

I inched over the papers, careful not to disturb them. I had started seeing black spots in my vision.

Before drawing and even sketching, I always second-guessed myself at least ten times before I decided what to do.

But I fought it.

My body was under a towering wave of fatigue, which threatened to overpower me at any moment.

I curved and outlined the charcoal stick, shaded and colored it in, and finally blended it. I squeezed and squeezed my fingers tighter as I worked.

The thought of what I was doing was surreal, but I felt that my body was going to give up on me sooner rather than later.

But I was going to finish this damn thing, even if it was the last thing I ever did.

I felt the ringing in my ears diminish and the coil loosen in my stomach. Blade and Esmée had started talking again...or maybe they had been talking all along...

In awe of what I'd made, I fell to my side. When the great wave of fatigue finally passed over me, my strength was washed away...diminished entirely... And I was alone in the dark...

...

Sabine Pov

...

My most enjoyable activity with the princess was brushing her hair.

The constant pressure and strain on her mind and body did not prevent her from maintaining a lustrous head of hair. Curls like vines would wrap around my fingers as if they had their very own minds. It was ordered by Agnes that her hair be trimmed just below her shoulder blades. I could not handle it otherwise. But I loved taking care of her hair. Her soft curls made me feel at peace as I threaded my fingers through them. The entire process was therapeutic to me.

It would be missed by me. It felt necessary to share this with her.

"You have such beautiful hair..."

Luna did not respond. There was no sign that she heard me.

A hiss escaped her lips as I yanked back hard. Her arms and legs were bound with heavy chains. Physically, she couldn't harm me. In addition to strengthening her binds, the doll inhibited her access to her magic.

After she made no response, I repeated the statement, my lips curled in anger. I contemplated what to do.

I was not frightened by the silence, but I was worried about the individual in front of me.

"Beauty doesn't matter here."

Luna's silvery voice was as beautiful as ever and as ever full of distaste...and anger. In the mirror I could see the expression her face had taken; her naturally arched brows were drawn together, dark curled eyelashes acting as wings revealing her glassy owl-like eyes, nose gently crinkled, and pink full lips frowning.

Even in my true body, I had never been that pretty when I glowered at someone. It was jealousy that made me yank again.

The very air seemed to become static. After being painfully shocked by her hair, I jumped back.

"You do," I rubbed my hand, silently cursing to myself.

How the hell did that happen?

Seeing my distress her gray eyes shimmered, "Lie to them all you want, but you can't lie to me. I figured your secret out years ago."

"They say there is always pain behind a beautiful thing."

I put the brush down and took a seat in the chair next to her cell, having no desire to be shocked again.

"So what does that make you and everybody else? Ugly?"

I did not respond to that, waiting for something else to be said. Until this conversation, she hadn't talked to me so much in one sitting. Suddenly, my eyes and lips twitched as I remembered the blinding pain...

"Why haven't you killed me yet?"

She had lost the distasteful tone in her voice, and her face wasn't as inflamed with hatred as it once was. The look on her face had softer, more vulnerable edges now.

"Our use of your blood for spells and potions has set us apart from the other 8 covens," I stated proudly. "In a good way, of course..."

"And what have you gained from all this abuse?" She asked, leaning her head back against the metal bars of her cell.

Recalling that the bars were covered with wolfsbane each day, I frowned.

Didn't that hurt her?

Cold, I crossed my arms over one another. "Agnes and some others thought we could break you."

"Break me," her voice was quiet, and she had turned away from the mirror.

"She had hopes to turn you into our-"

"Perfect hybrid soldier to carry out deeds others are too weak to do," she snapped. "Sabine, I know the drill. It was pretty damn obvious. The failed mind control spells, compulsion... Though you guys did succeed in taking some of my memories away."

I lied straight through my teeth, "That wasn't supposed to happen.". She didn't need to find out or remember anything about Mr. AB.

If she caught me lying she didn't point it out. I reminded myself that I had to be careful, especially around her.

She hummed, saying nothing for a moment.

The bright flames atop the candles surrounding her cell faded into dull gray whisps.

"You will lose."

I swallowed hard. "It doesn't matter how you change your plans, what you do to me, or how hard she hits me... I won't break...it's impossible because I was never whole in the first place!"

The mirror in her cell shattered, and the shards flew back at me. It was too late for me to raise my hands to shield myself.


Part II

...

Real Life


...

Klaus Pov

...

Things had gone quite well during the brunch. Just watching Marcel's vampires squirm was entertainment in its own right.

Theirry was most amusing, snooping in our conversations, implying that I was the cause of a recent death to their nightwalker crew. There was no fault on my part. The bloody bloke forced himself on a woman. He had it coming. I was sure Marcel would agree, but I never had the chance to explain because he rejected the allegation. I didn't see the point in bringing it up again.

Not only did I have Marcel's trust, but I also gained the trust of the current Regent of the nine witch covens of NOLA.

Audrey was initially interested in my presence and that of my brother, but I directed her attention to something more meaningless. The woman was pleasant enough, but the last thing I needed was someone else keeping tabs on me.

After the Brunch, I had returned to the hotel along with Marcel. Hayley and House were arguing, and Elijah had enlisted himself to be the referee. The event would have been interesting if it had been held on a different day. In that room, insults were flying around in a comical manner. However, I was not faring well.

Sleep had been pointless.

My muse didn't enter my dreams, not even once.

During that hour, I devoted myself wholly to studying the sketches and paintings she inspired. The time allotted me to deduce a few things.

One, I was thoroughly convinced that she had curly hair. Oddly, comparable to the pictures of Madeline. Two, her lips were full. I had retained the shape and softness of them against my skin. Three, her skin was unmistakably light brown. Though, I classified the exquisite warm shade as carmel in my mind.

In light of my newly minted appreciation of her, I retouched my artwork: darkened the timid light lines, filled and shaded, colored and tinted. Upon finishing, Elijah walked in praising them. When he asked me who she was, I answered, I did not know.

Roaming around at midnight, alone, in the Garden District hadn't been a part of my plan.

Taking into consideration Rebekah's advice to 'follow your feelings,' as well as Melinda's comments about passive powers, led me here.

It would have been pleasant to walk along the oak tree-lined streets during the day, due to their shade. A couple of restaurants were open, but most were closed. The same thing could be said for the shops-

"And here we have Lafayette Cemetery. A non-denominational, non-segregated cemetery, and the oldest of the seven municipal, city-operated cemeteries in New Orleans."

I smirked as I heard the high-pitched tour guide's voice. This should be interesting.

An odd tugging sensation made all other thoughts vanish from my mind. It didn't hurt. But it was as if I had one end of the rope and an unknown someone was tugging the other end. The feeling, along with the powerful sense of longing I felt for the one I dreamed about, had melded together.

"This cemetery was the first in Lafayette that allowed non-Catholics to be buried, and there are over 26 nationalities buried there. It was called Lafayette #1 in honor of the City Lafayette and was established in 1833."

A few oohs and ahhs from the crowd. It made me roll my eyes.

"I can tell you some more facts, but that's not what you signed up for. You came here for a ghost tour. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask."

"Troy, is anyone famous in there?" asked a boy of 8 holding his parents' hands.

Yes, and thanks for asking, Mr..."

"Parish, Thomas Parish," replied the boy as he pushed his wire-framed glasses up his nose.

"That's a cool last name, little guy," the tour guide, Troy, smiled kindly at the boy. The guide continued, "Only one pertains to this tour-"

He paused dramatically.

"Marie Laveau."

"For those of you who don't know, she was a free woman of color who earned a reputation as the city's most powerful voodoo queen in the 1800s. Her tomb is littered with money, alcohol, candy, jewelry, and all sorts of trinkets."

Thomas frowned, "But why?"

"The people who leave those things behind in hope that the queen will grant them their desires from beyond the grave."

"If Mrs. Laveau is dead, then who is the new voodoo queen?"

Several brown fallen leaves were blown across the street by the wind, causing some people to jump at the sudden scraping sound.

"That is one question that will remain unanswered."

"Sorry, little one," he said, seeing the boys slumped shoulders.

A resounding scream sounded and cut through the voices of everyone who had started speaking. The voice was emphatic and undoubtedly full of pain. Someone from the inside could not have acted like that.

Both the tour group and I were shaken up by the sound that had cut through the night with ease.

This was real.

"What the hell was that?" The father of the analytical boy demanded. The mother was clutching her son, eyes widening as another scream was heard.

At that moment, the pull matured. Now more potent than ever.

I grit my teeth.

It was maddening; the voice was so familiar yet foreign.

"That..." Troy pointed behind him, "Is why I brought you here. The screams you hear are what have named this cemetery the most haunted in Louisiana for nearly two decades. At first, the scream was one of a child, but as you can hear-"

The tour guide flinched, and I followed suit. "It has morphed into something else."

Thomas Parish put his head into his mother's side and began to cry.

One of a child.

It couldn't be...

Luna.

I thought of my theory about Hayley's sister: how I thought she was a hybrid, how I imagined her being held captive by the French Quarter witch coven.

Without pause, I vamped to the tour guide, placing my hands on his throat. The sudden act of violence had not been planned or thought of. It was almost as if it was natural to act this way.

All I knew is that I needed to stop the screams, stop the pain she was feeling.

Getting information out of the tour guide was only the first step.

"Tell me everything you know about the screaming," I compelled him, and he began rambling off everything I had already guessed and or assumed.

My time had been wasted.

"Get everyone out of here, and don't come back."

I briefly heard him tell the others to disperse and go their separate ways because the tour was canceled.

Forever.

A few had already disbanded.

After entering the cemetery, a chill passed over me. At the other end of the rope, someone else was pulling too. I stopped tugging and instead trusted to let it guide me.

...

A grisly scene was playing out before my eyes, and I wished to forget it.

But I couldn't forget because she was here.

It was unmistakable.

The metal cane being brought across her bruised and gaping back, the faint cut on her cheek...

She was the one I had been dreaming of, yes, but this was real life. And despite her being here, I found myself unable to move to help her.

A sorry excuse I was for a man...

"Come on, fight!"The red-faced woman shouted, kicking the downed girl with her boot. She hit her once more, but the girl remained still.

She was wearing a white dress that had been stained with her blood and dirt from the ground. There were lash marks on her leg, but they looked to be in the process of healing. Sickness rose inside me. Her dark curly tresses flowed around her. The part in her silky hair allowed me to see the gentle curve of her jaw and a portion of her face. Her alluring lashes curved upward, her mouth was slightly ajar.

"Hey, Mac, who is that?"

"I don't know..."

"The fuck is he doing?"

The angry voice was muted just by her. Within close proximity, everything became more precise. Yet everyone and everything else around me blurred at the same time.

"You aren't supposed to be here!"

Annoyed, I turned to the man that had spoken. Looking him up and down, he reminded me of Ray (the werewolf I spent that entire summer tracking down with an old pal of mine). Except this, one looked like a rat, smelled like one too.

"Neither would you. It would seem. Now, what in the hell is going on?"

The woman standing over the girl didn't turn as she spoke, "You must be new here. Your Marcus, right? From the Risque coven?"

"Marcus isn't supposed to be here for another week," says someone with an, 'I know everything' tone of voice.

"I'm just the opposite, actually. Old is the more correct term.'

Voices murmured but my eyes had drifted back to the girl on the floor. I craved to shelter her, protect her from those who wished her harm.

But how was I supposed to know that if I came close to her that she would rip my heart out? She had already done so the first time I laid my eyes on her. And I wouldn't blame her nor would I try and stop her.

Trust, the voice in the back of my head muttered with urgency. Seal the bond.

Yes...trust...

I agreed, though not having the foggiest idea about, sealing the bond.

Show her that you will not hurt her.

For the briefest of moments, Luna peered at me through her heavy dark lashes.

The moment our eyes met, the pull had begun again, harder than ever.

A sort of heat flooded me, nearly knocking every breath out of my body. Her eyes were a soft gray, and something told me there was supposed to be another color like blue, maybe green. But they didn't hold sorrow as I had been expecting. And I couldn't see any pain either. They held defiance. She shut her eyes then, and I looked back to the woman, heart pounding in my chest.

An unspoken plan formed.

Distract her.

"You see, I came for her."

A few observers laughed. Shooting them all a glare, they stopped. I noticed that a group of mothers with their crying children stood in a corner, shaking.

"Interested in a halfbreed bitch for a mate, hybrid?"

A growl slipped past my lips at the degrading name. Walking around the other night, I had heard the exact two words. The people who spoken them, well, I sent them to an early grave.

This lot wasn't too far away from their fate.

"I plan to take her out of here...somewhere safe..."

More snickers, but a handful had remained quiet. Sensing the severity of the situation.

"And no harm...will come to her," I momentarily viewed as her lashes fluttered and lips pressed together, closing the small gap. "Because if I catch the slightest hint...of a threat... I'll show you ways to hurt that haven't yet been heard of..."

The woman turned, looking at those around her. "He must be joking right?"

"Julie!" A voice yelled but it was too late.

The woman crumpled to the ground holding her chest, gasping.

She had turned her back on a wolf and a witch.

A mistake.

One that would cost her, her life.

People tried to go towards the exit but I blocked it, smiling. "I think it would be best if you lot stay here. Vengeance is sweet..."

I turned my attention back to Luna, hearing the surprisingly calm tone of her stunning silvery voice.

"You feel that? That's all the blood vessels in your lungs expanding... Contracting... Expanding... Contracting... Expanding..."

Julie's chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate, hands still at her chest. "How are you doing magic? The doll..." she rasped.

Luna walked a circle around her before kicking the metal cane away with distaste (Julie had tried to reach for it).

"Guess, it's not adequately strong enough to filter my magic. But it is effective enough to take away everyone else's magic, temporarily. But this won't take long."

People tried getting through me but I pushed them back. The women with their children remained in their corner. I was tempted to let them pass when-

"Ruby, Hannah, Charlotte, Ava..."

They all lifted their pale faces, at the sound of her ethereal voice, "Leave."

"Why?" The dark-skinned one asked, pale dreaded hair tied back. "We don't deserve to live. We sat here and watched as you were..."

Luna held up her hand, silently cutting the woman off. "I know that she forced you to be here and watch. Agnes killed your husband because you disagreed with her about me. And she threatened to use your kids for the monthly Vis potion she takes. I know you would have helped me if you could... But thank you all for your thoughtfulness..."

The women took their children in their arms and walked towards the exit. Without a second thought, I let them pass, watching as the four witches ran away into the night with their children.

Luna's facial expression shifted into something more sinister.

Julie heaved dryly, spitting out saliva that was mixed with her blood.

"That happens when one of the capillaries inside of our lungs break. Painful isn't it?"

She laughed, bitterly. "Reminds me of the time your...husband... repeatedly punched me in my chest. I couldn't breathe. Can you breathe now, Julie?"

The woman's face had begun to redden and frantically clawed at her chest falling to the ground and rolling on her back.

"You see what your experiencing now is all of them breaking... Now, you are going to drown and choke on your own blood."

It wasn't long before Julie departed from this life, still staring fearfully up at Luna, her blood that had started leaking from her mouth spilled onto the floor.

...

"Why did you come for me?" She asked softly, still sitting in the corner of the room where the man had thrown her.

I had ripped his liver out, but she chose to remain where she was. He had been the only one left breathing.

At the sound of her empyreal voice, my body automatically turned to Luna.

Trust.

The five-lettered word echoed in my head.

If you want to be trusted, be honest.

Looking at her tired, trembling form, I knew she wouldn't let me help her until I told her what she needed to hear.

"Long story short, you have a half-sister that I happen to know. And by that, I mean she is pregnant with my child. Her name is Hayley. These past few days, I've been searching for her family. Hoping to present the ones I found as compensation for what she'll have to deal with in the years to come. I found that her parents and yours died years ago."

The expression on her face hadn't changed, but she inclined her pretty head against the wall.

Hands dyed red from blood, a byproduct of the fight that took place nearly half an hour ago. Curly hair frazzled, and the white material of her dress was barely holding up. The cut on her face had healed, and the lashes on her legs were barely visible. She looked exhausted. But it was clear to me that that wasn't what she wanted me to see.

"I was walking, aimlessly around in the Garden District, and overheard a tour. I listened in, everything was normal, and then I heard your screams."

Something told me that I should keep the things I felt to myself. I wouldn't be lying, but I wouldn't be telling the entire truth either. After all, I didn't want Luna to think I was crazy when I attempted explaining the feeling of a rope being pulled when I had first heard the musical sound of her voice in real life. Even now, as we were in the same vicinity, the desire to go to her persisted.

"You heard my screams?"

I nodded, not taking any pleasure when recalling the memory of it.

"The wards must be down..." She mumbled, eyes darting across the floor.

"Wards?"

"Yes, the witches put them up to block anyone from entering here. It was supposed to block out any noise too..."

She trailed off, watching me as I walked until I stood in front of her, with my hand held out.

"Now you know of my motivations. I hope to have put some if not all of your doubts about me to rest. And I meant what I said, Luna."

The taste of her name on my tongue was sweet, and I was tempted to call out her name again. Just to feel the thrilling warmth that flickered so casually around my heart. That was the first time I had said her name aloud with her present and in front of me.

"I won't let any harm come to you. I'll protect you."

She turned her face away.

"You have my word."

Moments later, she faced me again and really looked at me. As her vitreous eyes peered into my own, I felt the odd sense that she was seeing through me.

Who I was.

All the heinous acts I had committed.

But also the good.

No one ever paid mind to the good I had done.

My breath hitched when I felt her warm hand come in contact with mine.

"I believe you."

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A/N: Sooo the first chapter has officially been rewritten and edited! Over 30k words! I'm excited to see what you guys think!

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Dictionary

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Abend - German word meaning evening. It is one of the oldest cities in the Underworld

Palace of the 7 - A palace built for the 7 deadly sins

Rouge - French for; red

Lion oiseaus - are essentially a species of birds that are only native to the city and surrounding forest of Abend

Mon seul l'amour - French for; My Only Love

Tawny-beige - is a warm shade of brown

Bistre - a dark shade of brown

Carmel - a light shade of brown

Virtus immutandi - Latin for; power exchanging

Vis - Latin for; energy