disclaimer: I do not own the vampire diaries, the originals or legacies nor any of the characters in it, only the characters bael & rhea.


:::

Mystic Falls

2013

Rebekah stared at the little girl who she could honestly say had to be a clone of Bonnie. It was honestly astounding how the little girl looked just like the witch she sat next to. Matt had introduced her as a relative of Bonnie's but their scents were so similar it had Rebekah wondering if Bonnie had found a way to create a child through magical means. It wasn't a farfetched concept and if anyone could pull off the unthinkable it was going to be the witch sitting across from her.

Natural either fought back against Bonnie Bennett or bowed to her whim, there was no in-between. It was one of the reasons Rebekah respected her. It was begrudging respect but one the girl had earned. No witch had ever brought her brother so close to Death's door and she had never met anyone with the level of loyalty she possessed. It was a pity they had never been able to get her on their side.

They would have been unstoppable.

The girl had been introduced as Rhea and it had brought a smile to Rebekah's face. The little girl reminded her of Hope in some fashion. Perhaps it was because she could see them being friends in the future though she doubted it. Hope was barely a year old while this little one couldn't be older than ten years.

There were definite Bennett features, there was no mistaking. But as Rebekah looked at the child, she saw bits of her father there. The texture of her curls reminded her too much of Mikael but her hair color was more of a deep honeyed brown.

For some reason, she thought of a man she had met decades ago. He was a passing witch who had chatted with her during one of her brother's lavish parties. He had never given his name but something about him had her on edge. Perhaps it had been how he held himself.

Rebekah had never seen him again. She had never expected to think of him again. But this little girl seemed to definitely bring him back to her mind.

Rhea seemed to squirm under her gaze and she turned towards Bonnie. The other girl was munching on a new plate of chili fries and had been sharing her milkshake with the child. Bonnie turned to look at her when her sleeve had been tugged.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" she asked.

Bonnie nodded to her, "Do you need me to take you?"

"I can find it, I promise!" she assured her and then scooted out the booth. The four of them watched as she rushed down the hallway. Caroline had tuned her hearing to pick up her footsteps and heartbeat the moment she stepped out of the booth.

"She's in the bathroom Bonnie, you can let out that breath," joked the blonde.

"She's a kid Care," Bonnie told her, her tone almost like that of a mother worried for her child.

"A kid who seems attached to your hip," Rebekah cut in, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Just how had a little girl gotten into Mystic Falls without anyone of their spies letting them know? Klaus had compelled quite a few people to let them know if anything happened.

It was how they knew about the Heretics; the product of a siphoner and vampirism. When they had learned of them, Elijah had taken to finding out everything they could while the Heretics were only confined to Mystic Falls. It was why she had gotten into a car and headed for Virginia.

If anyone was going to reign terror down on Mystic Falls, it was going to the Mikaelsons. It was their home after all.

"She's none of your business," Caroline hissed at her. She didn't give a damn if Rhea was possibly related to the older vampire, there was no way she was going to turn over a new leaf for the bimbo. Caroline would rather ingest vervain before she called Rebekah a friend.

Oh, how she was going to eat those words in the future.

"She's a new face strumpet, of course, she is my business."

Matt and Bonnie shared a look before they took a sip of their respectful drinks, Bonnie's milkshake, and Matt's sip of cola. So much for them being civil. It had only lasted until Rhea left the table.

:::

Enzo wasn't sure how he got stuck with the task of being a babysitter. Yet there he was, sitting at the bar of the Mystic Grille waiting on a fucking teenager. Well, he was a teenager in everything but actual age. Lily had been rummaging around the cellar of the Boarding house and the properties surrounding it and she had come across a coffin.

Now Enzo had an unfortunate shadow in the form of a vampire by the name of Sebastian. The boy had no last name but he had quickly become Nora and Mary-Louise's favorite. The kid didn't talk much but when he did, it was like he was chatting with a version of Damon if he had still been a teen and taken out the pages of a young romance novel. Lily affectionately called him a catty little thing.

Catty? Absolutely.

Little? The vampire was apparently older than him.

He huffed, downing his drink, and focused his hearing. Sebastian had wandered off after muttering something about needing to take a piss. Of course, he said it with a bit more poshness and articulation and Enzo hated it.

He frowned when he realized he couldn't exactly hear him. He cursed and moved to get up when he came face to face with a pair of annoying ice blue eyes.

"Hey there, Enzo," Damon greeted and shoved him back in his seat. "Let's have a chat."

:::

Whatever had pulled him in this direction, Sebastian had no idea what he was going to find. But he had felt a pull deep in his stomach, calling him towards the restrooms. He took cautious steps as he continued his trek. His feet stopped at the door of the woman's restroom. He listened in and found only one heartbeat.

Whoever was inside obvious was calling to him. He smirked at the idea of a beautiful and helpless young woman.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. The sound of the rapid heartbeat was in the last stall and he moved with light footsteps towards the door. His fang elongated and he could feel the veins along his face. Kicking the door open, he lunged forward only to stop when he saw the sight in front of him.

The girl - a child no less - couldn't be much older than he had been when his parents sold him. Her skin was a warm brown hue and her hair a mess of curls. She smelt of magic and salt, though the latter was due to her shaking shoulders and ragged breathing. The little girl sat on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest and her sobs barely audible. Sebastian found he had a hard time hearing them even with his advanced hearing.

Curiosity got the better of him. Just what was wrong with this child? Was she lost?

He glanced down at the floor and frowned. It looked disgusting and probably hadn't been cleaned. The child had to be covered in god knows what. He inhaled through his nose, annoyed at that. Wasn't she worried about catching something?

He took another glance around the bathroom. He heard no footsteps and wondered why no one had come to find her. Turning back to the girl, Sebastian cleared his throat.

The child startled and looked up, giving Sebastian a look into large, wet, and luminous malachite-colored eyes. Suddenly that pull in the center of his gut seemed to snap in place. It was like something had reached deep inside him and wrapped around the child.

He wasn't sure what it was but he hated it.

"W-who-who are you?" the child hiccupped, reaching up to wipe her eyes with her arm.

Sebastian frowned, "Are you not afraid of me little one?"

She blinked at him, almost as if she was wondering if she was supposed to be afraid of him. He wouldn't put it past her. It was rare for children to sense the dangers of the supernatural but this child had magic. He could practically taste it on his tongue and he hadn't ripped open her throat with his fangs yet. Sebastian frowned that thought. If he were going to kill her, he would have done it already.

But he was finding he was more interested about her situation. He bent down, kneeling to her level, and held out his hand. He caught how her eyes flashed to the daylight ring he wore and then she seemed to look over his attire. Sebastian followed her eyes, taking in his dark pants, many rings and the fitted white shirt. The girl let out a small giggle at him and he frowned at her.

"Do you find me funny?"

She nodded, a small smile on her face. "You look like a pirate," she told him, and then turned away. She looked to be embarrassed and he found himself smiling at the sight. It was amusing.

"Well dearie, let me tell you a secret," he said in a hushed tone. He watched as she peered out at him and then turned her head back to meet his eyes. Sebastian leaned in closer so he could whisper in the same hushed tone, "I am a pirate."

Her eyes widened in wonder. It was a sight Sebastian found endearing and he locked it away in his memory. He wasn't sure why, but something was telling him he may not see the child for quite some time. He pushed his hand closer to her and the little girl reached for it.

"Thank you," she said after he lifted her off the ground. She reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. Her nose was snotty and while she couldn't see it, Sebastian could see how puffy her eyes were getting. Letting go of his hand, the little girl (he really needed to learn her name) headed for the mirror. She leaned forward onto the sink and then pushed herself onto her tiptoes.

"Yuck!" she exclaimed, her tongue jutting out and she winked her nose in disgust. "I look like a cry baby."

"Well you were crying," he offered her.

Her gemstone eyes turned to him and he found himself amused by the fire in them. "I was not!"

He tapped under his right eyelid, "The tear tracks say otherwise, dearie."

The little girl frowned and opened her mouth to say something when the door burst open. Sebastian and the little girl turned to see blonde girl who had been in the middle of asking a question when the blonde girl turned her eyes on the sight before them. He cursed. It probably looked like he was some pervert praying on an innocent young girl.

Sebastian barely had time to notice the girl was at least his age before she had him pinned up against the stall of the bathroom, hissing at him like a feral animal.

"Aunt Caroline, wait!" the little girl cried and grabbed at her other hand. The wrapped around his throat tightened as she ignored the child and kept her focus on him.

"You've got some sick nerve attacking a child in a fucking bathroom," the woman – Caroline—snarled at him before she threw him towards the wall. Sebastian fell into the floor and cursed the fact he was still weak. The rations Lily was giving him had his strength at a fraction of what it was. The girl couldn't be older than a few years and yet she tossed him around like a ragdoll.

"Auntie please!" the child cried and stepped between them. "He didn't do anything, I promise."

"Go wait with your mom, sweetie," Caroline said dismissing her pleas. "Now."

The child shrank back at the authority in her tone. She looked like she didn't want to move but didn't want to anger the woman. Sebastian took a chance, knowing the woman would probably kill him. He met the little girl's eyes and smiled at her.

"I'll be alright, dearie. This old pirate's been through worse," he lied to her.

The girl looked like she wanted to say something but Caroline beat her to it.

"Rhea, I won't say it again. Go outside now!"

Sebastian watched as the child did as she was told, rushing from the bathroom. It was the last thing he saw before he felt the vampire snap his neck.

:::

Bonnie was up and out of her seat when she saw Rhea come running towards the booth. Her eyes were wet with tears and she hugged her mom close to her.

"Please," the child said out of breath. "Please mom, you have to stop her!"

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm sorry but did she say mom?" Rebekah asked. Matt was the one who had taken off towards the direction of the bathrooms, leaving the Original vampire and the witch.

Rebekah looked at the witch, "What the hell is going on?"


Sebastian is a character from Legacies. Next chapter update will be Friday.