King Of The French Quarters, New Orleans.
Author's Notes.
The characters do not belong to me the only plot is mine.
Thanks to Scarlett 2112, Anabel Poe, Delana4ever25, Tia Salvatore, Leanne Nickerson, Damonfangirl and my guest reviewer thank you for your wonderful reviews and thank you to my readers who follow or favourite this story.
( Special Notes)
Dear readers, these are difficult time so please stay safe, take necessary precautions and most importantly be kind and have patience. I pray we all survive this virus and if someone is affected then they get healthy soon.
"Thanks, mom, hopefully, we will find them soon." Caroline then says goodbye to her mom as she disconnects the call.
"We got lead on Bonnie's car, it was last spotted 80 miles from here."
She put her finger on a map Stefan was checking out. He looked closely at the spot and then frowned as he said. "Why would they take this route? There are nothing miles from there except this asylum."
As soon he said this Caroline felt worried about them. "Maybe they are trying to throw us off their tracks? I mean it's a long way from French Quarters but still, they can reach there in a day or two. "
She watched doubtful expression forming on his face but soon he picked his phone.
"Damon we got a lead, it could be a diversion but it's better to check it out."
He waited for a second as his brother discuss this with his companions.
"Check it out Steff and if you find them then call me immediately and please gently persuade Hope to stay there with you until we reached there."
"I promise to inform you if we managed to find her." Stefan then felt worried for his brother as he asks. "Where are you? Is everything alright?"
He heard a scoffing noise out of Damon's mouth who replied. "We will reach French Quarters by sunrise and don't worry everyone is alive so far because Ric and Elijah are great peacemakers."
With that, he hung up and Stefan continue driving towards their own route.
The sun has set long ago and they had been driving non-stop for hours when Caroline get another text. "Its mom, Bonnie's car has been spotted over next town."
"It's getting late to travel with kid, maybe she is stopping at a nearby motel for a night." Stefan mused as he drives faster than ever.
It was around midnight when they saw the first motel at a sight.
Stopping his car they both were out in seconds and made their way towards a reception table where to their surprise the man behind the reception table was snoring loudly.
"Excuse me. Mr, Hello! Hello! Wake up!" Caroline yelled at him but after a few minutes of failed tries, she huffed in frustration. "Why the hell is he not waking up?!"
But Stefan was quick enough to understand as he answered. "She must have put spell on him. Try slapping, it worked for me."
So she slapped him hard but the guy was sleeping a peaceful sleep as he mumbles. "Go away, mommy."
Caroline sigh as she turned to face Stefan. "Well, we just proved that sleeping spell affects humans way more than vampires."
He chuckled but grabbed her hand. "Luckily we are vampires and it's time we use our other senses."
When she looked confused he playfully tapped her nose with one hand and gently pulled her ear with another.
Pulling away, she cutely scrunches her nose. "Great! You are now going to treat me like a hunting dog."
He couldn't stop his laughter as he watched her walking ahead of him while sniffing in the air.
"There are so many scents and voices here." She complained, So he reminds her. "Remember what I taught you? Concentrate on that one scent and then try to search for it."
This time she applied her old lessons and a few minutes later she was able to distinguish a familiar scent in the midst of many scents.
"This way."
They both rushed towards the corridors and on the far end, there was a room that Caroline was pointing out. "There! Bonnie's scent is coming strong from there." She said in low voice.
Slowly they crept towards the room and Stefan gently opened the door. There they saw Bonnie sitting on the bed. By the look of it, she looked physically fine but at the same time, she also seems exhausted and bit emotional as she stares at Hope who stood in the middle of the room with blonde women kneeling beside her as they share some kind of emotional moment with each other. "Don't worry, I will help you, my child."
Hope has tears in her eyes as she says. "I know, that's why I love you, aunt Freya."
The woman Freya eyes filled with tears as she pulled Hope in her embrace.
Behind him, he could feel Caroline fidgeting and before he could stop her she says. "Bonnie."
All three eyes snapped at them and while Bonnie and Hope were surprised to see them the woman who's name was Freya stood up in a defensive stance.
Shielding Caroline behind him Stefan tried to placate them. "We meant no harm. We just.." but rest of his words never came out because in that second the woman lifts her palm in the air before twisting her fist and in next second two neck-snapping sounds, plus Hope and Bonnie's shocking scream echoes around the room as Stefan and Caroline collapse on the ground.
############
(A few hours later)
It was another night on the road before Ric urged them to stop. "Let's wait until morning. Maybe we hear from Stefan or your siblings."
Damon was hesitant but Elijah seems to agree with Ric. "He is right, Kol is trying to detect a coven of witches that can help us trace Ms Bennett's exact location. Maybe it's better to wait and besides our destination will be waiting there for us in the morning."
Damon was about to suggest to continue this journey alone while they stay here and wait for news when Klaus finally spoke up. "One of my Hybrid just called me. They have reached French Quarters and so far no sign of either one of them has been detected anywhere in the area."
He hates to admit but for the first time, Klaus words bring him any relief. He then spotted a bar and stopped his car there. "Looks like we are stopping till dawn."
With that four of them climbed out of his car and made their way inside and Damon felt happy when he saw almost empty bar. "Come, Ric, let's drink bourbon in the bourbon City."
Ric happily followed his friend leaving originals brothers behind who easily detect dismissal in Damon's tone.
"He is really angry with you?" Elijah observes as they walked towards another side of the bar. "I guess it's justified since everything you did with them in past and everything you are going to do in future."
"What do you mean?" Klaus snapped in irritation but his brother replied in the same calm tone. "Look at that man. He must be thinking how a monster like you could have fathered his grandchild? He must be coming up with the most heinous conclusions and you are not born yesterday to know what kind of thoughts those are."
Elijah waited and to his relief, something similar to horror expression appear on his brothers face. "I had never." He gulped before clearing his throat as he admitted something which Elijah believes in his heart. "I am a monster but you must know I am not that kind of monster."
"I know that brother but I don't think he knows that." With that, he patted his younger brother shoulder and called bartender to order their drinks.
Meanwhile, Damon told Ric to order their drinks as he found a remote place to make a call.
"Hello, Damon? Have you found them? How are you? Please don't tell me that you tried to kill Klaus.!" He couldn't help but smile as Elena's voice get pitch higher with each question.
"Relax, we are close to finding them and I am fine." He tried to assure her before answering the rest of her question. "Also I tried to stake him once but now Ric and Elijah are accompanying us so I won't
be tempted again."
"Damon!" He heard her sigh as she says. "You can't kill him otherwise Hope."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence! He has nothing to do with my granddaughter."
The line went silent and he cursed himself. "I am so sorry Elena. It's just that!" He raked his hands on his hair in frustration. " I am so worried about her but still it's no excuse for me snapping at you like this."
"It's okay, just bring our girl home." She told him in a soft tone.
"I promise and Elena stays safe for me until I returned to you."
He heard her laugh and then a small sigh as she says. "Promise me that you too be careful and I want both of you to return home safe and sound."
His heart jumped at the word home. Truth is for past few days Elena and Hope become his home and maybe they are part of her home too.
He wanted to say so many things but instead, he could only say. "We will return home soon, I promise."
With that, they said their goodbyes and he felt a little bit of stress leaving his body.
Feeling a lot better he went to join Ric and for next hour both friends get drunk ( or Ric did as he was dozing away on the counter after his sixth glass)
"Cheers buddy." Damon raised his glass at Ric who mumbled in his sleep.
"Looks like you could use a company." The most annoying voice told him.
Damon inwardly groaned as Klaus joined him when he settled next to him.
"What do you want?! Damon snapped at him. "Go torment your brother."
"Actually it's another way around," Klaus told him while raising his drink at him. "I have my limits when it comes to hearing my brother's non-stop righteous thoughts. I think you and I can bond over irritating brotherly habits as they tried to bring our moral side back."
He waited and a few seconds later smiled triumphantly as Damon clicked his glass with his while he muttered. "Stupid brothers."
They both finished their drinks and Klaus was about to order more when Damon stood up, pulled out a few dollars from his pocket which he placed it near his glass and left without another word.
For a second he stared at his retreating form before giving up as he told himself. "Why should I care about his inner turmoil?"
It was then his eyes fell on the place where Damon was sitting and apparently a folded paper must have fallen from his pocket when he took out his cash.
Picking it up he unfolds that paper and inside he saw a sketch of a beautiful woman who supposed to be that child's mother. His future child-mother if it's somehow true.
'I guess you got your answer.' A small voice whispered in his head.
Tracing that face with his fingers he tried to imagine colours to fill this sketch but somehow he was unable to imagine it at all. 'She hasn't even born yet you moron! Stop fantasising and fix things with her father!'
"He will stake me first." He told his conscious voice but nonetheless went outside while tucking that sketch inside his pocket.
There he saw Damon sitting alone by fire and he wasn't surprised when he saw him carving stakes out of wood.
"You know? if you adjust your angle little bit, you can get a sharper edge."
Ignoring his annoying voice Damon continues working but still rolled his eyes as he sat beside him.
"I know how to do it." He grumbles as he carved it sharply with his knife while imagining it to be Klaus's face.
"I am just trying to help," Klaus told him with a smug smile on his face. "After all, I got Nine hundred years of experience over you."
'Damn he is annoying.' He thought to himself.
"Thanks but no thanks grandpa," Damon replied in mock tone but this amused him most as he said. "Isn't that what my daughter called you?"
"That's it!" Damon stood up as he fumed in anger. "Don't you dare say anything about Hope!"
Making a surrendering gesture he tried to make amends. "I didn't mean any offence, old habits aside I am really trying to understand and you are the only one who can give me clarity about this situation."
Damon wanted to leave but when he saw sincerity behind his eyes, it dissolves a little bit of his annoyance. Well, just a little bit as he settled down beside him once again and told him. "You are really annoying, you know that?"
"I have a general idea." He replied back making him laugh.
For a while, they sat together in strangely comfortable silence until Damon finally ask. "So what more do you want to know? I already told you guys everything I knew."
"I, tell me about the child. Her personality, things she likes or dislikes..." He trails off unable to come up with more questions because the truth is he wants to know everything.
He watched as Damon face softened a little bit and a smile from on his face even when his eyes stayed sad. "Hope is a remarkable child. Being a powerful witch or whatever she is aside, she is quite bright for her age but I should warn you she is terrible at keeping secrets."
Klaus chuckle at that as he says. "Thanks for warning mate. What else? Tell me more about her?"
"She has a hell of a temper, you should have seen her that night when she saves Stefan from her evil grandmother's ghost." Damon then stopped talking when he finally figured it out. "It was your mother's ghost that attacked us." He told him.
"My mother's spirit?! What do you mean?"
So he began recalling everything that happened that night and the more he thought about it the more few things become clear.
"I think your mother is the reason Hope was forced to travel back in our time." He watched Klaus's eyes widened, not in surprise but in shock. "But she is dead?"
"I don't know much about that but according to Hope your mother is trying to harm each and every member of our." He quickly backtracks feeling awkward. "I um, I meant her family in the future. I mean think about it? The reason she is here in the first place is that our future selves got captured and she really hates your mother so maybe she exists there in some form and she is the reason behind everything that is wrong in that time."
He watched closely as Klaus's face got hardened as he clenched his fist.
Damon then watched his glare and with a pang, he realized that it's same glare he often saw on Hope's face. 'She is really his daughter.' He thought dejectedly before trying to change the topic.
"She also loves to read and play the piano but painting and drawing is by far her favourite hobby. She is a brilliant artist which makes me wonder from where she gets her artistic genes?"
And then for the first time a soft smile grace on Klaus's face as he beamed at him.
"That would be me." He began to say proudly and when Damon looked confused he clarifies. "What I meant is that I too enjoy the art of painting and sketching. I could carve sculptures too."
Damon's mouth hung open in surprise as he realizes more similarities between this Hybrid and Hope.
"She was able to compel Stefan. She compelled him to turn on his humanity." Damon told Klaus who looked extremely impressed.
"Do you like pickles in your burger?" He asks out of nowhere and Klaus felt a little bit of perplexed. "Do I look like a guy who would enjoy consuming that greasy disgusting food?"
Damon then smirked at him as he informed him. "Well I loved them and so does Hope. You should see her consuming burgers like a champ."
He frowned in disapproval. "Its not right for a young child like her to be exposed to that unhealthy foods."
Damon rolled his eyes as Klaus carry on about benefits of a healthy diet. "Will you chill out! Hope is a perfect, healthy child and for your information, she eats her veggies too without any complaints."
Klaus nods his head in approval while Damon chuckled under his breath.
"What a pleasant surprise to see you bond over that child."
They both sprang on their feet and saw Elijah leaning casually against the tree while watching them with great amusement.
"I suspect you both will be civil towards each other from now on?" He asks and tried hard to contain his smile as he watched them squirmed little at this question.
"We should head back on the road," Damon told him instead and with one look at Klaus, he walked inside leaving both brothers behind.
Elijah was about to say something when his brother yelled in embarrassment. "Don't gloat brother or I will find another way to put you down."
Not meeting his eyes Klaus took off but not before he heard his brothers laughter.
############
The sun has risen in New Orleans and streets were filled with tourists as they watched parades or visit voodoo shop.
To a human, it seems like a tourist spot but Damon knew what kind of dangers exist in this city.
Elijah who was strolling with them stared around his surroundings. "It seems Marcel did impeccable job restoring this place after our father has burned it to the ground."
Damon and Ric could see Klaus getting tense whenever this guy name was mentioned. "And who exactly is this Marcel fellow?" Ric asks Elijah who fell quite and it was Damon who answered him.
"Apparently he is King of New Orleans French Quarters. Back in the forties when Stefan and I were here we were invited by his goons to join their vampire faction."
When neither Klaus or Elijah intervene, he continued with his tale. "There were few rules and one of it didn't sit well with us."
"What was it?" Ric asks curiously.
"It was to show our allegiance to the King and hand over our daylight rings because the only king can decide who is worthy of them and here is the kicker once you swear your allegiance you are bound to stay in that place forever."
He didn't need to explain what happened next because there was no way he would be stuck in that place forever and as his brother was trying to detox human blood out from his system which makes French Quarters last place on Earth he wanted to be.
"What I don't understand is how come a century-old King vampire ended up being the big brother of my future granddaughter?"
It was Klaus who answered him. "Because Marcel Gerard is first and foremost my son."
Damon watched stumped as he tries to process this news. "Son? As in?"
"Klaus took him under his wings when he was young boy," Elijah explained and before he could ask any more questions Damon saw someone he didn't expect to see at all. "What are you doing here?"
"Elijah sends me here to assess the situation," Katherine told them while keeping her distance from Klaus who's stare at her and then at his brother in great displease. "Going behind my back again brother?"
"No Nicklaus, I merely ask her to get information on our long lost friend."
"Marcel is more powerful than you could imagine, he not only rule three hundred vampires but he also has command over humans, witches and werewolves factions," Katherine informed them and before Klaus could say anything else, Damon interjected as he inquires. "Where can we meet this king?"
"He lives in a compound that is constructed right in the middle of the city." She replied making Klaus and Elijah stare at each other.
"He not just restored our city but also our home." Elijah muses as Klaus stare ahead. "Then it's time we go and meet my son."
############
By nightfall, the place turned into a big party city.
Music was blaring inside the compound as people dance and enjoy themselves.
Damon, Klaus Elijah and Katherine enter the compound leaving Ric with Klaus's Hybrids while instructing Ric to bring back up if things get out of their control.
"I don't see why there is so much hype about this place?" Damon asks and in answer, Katherine points at the clock.
He watched as clock stroke at midnight and then in seconds lights go dim and the music gets louder and then vampires start draining the tourists.
"That's why?" Katherine finally replied with a smirk as she watched Damon's eyes widened as he watched the scene in front of him.
For the next ten minutes, it was a race to see who can drink more blood and Damon felt bile rising in his throat as he imagines Hope or Elena at a place like this.
"There is a Marcel," Katherine whispered and three head snapped towards a tall man who sat on a raised platform.
He wasn't drinking blood like others instead there was a plant in his hands from which he was plucking leaves and eating it.
"Is that?" Damon gulped while Klaus answers him. "Vervain."
The man then raised his palm in a stop sign and to their surprise, each vampire pulled away from their victims. "Compelled them and leave." His voice boomed as he passed the order and each vampire obediently follow his orders.
He then stood up and left upstairs and one by one human and vampire alike, head towards door except four of them as they waited for the room to be cleared.
"So what's your plan?" Katherine asks them but before anyone could answer a voice echoes through the walls.
"Welcome everyone! Welcome to my City!"
They all watched as Marcel stood casually at the top of the stairs.
"Please help yourself with drinks while Klaus and I chat privately upstairs." He then turned around and walked away and soon Klaus followed him.
Damon was about to follow him when he found his path blocked by Elijah. "Trust me, Damon, that is one reunion you don't want to witness."
"But Hope? What will we do if he tried to harm her?"
He then felt Katherine's hand on his shoulder as she assured him. "You don't need to worry about that because one of Marcel's rules is to never harm any children no matter from which faction they belong to. If anyone breaks this rule then the King himself chopped their head off."
Something in both Katherine and Elijah's gaze assured him about Hope safety but now he had new kind of concern. "He still could harm her if he decided to kill Klaus."
With these words, all three vampires looked upstairs while hoping the conversation between father and son didn't turn into a bloodbath.
############
Bonnie, Freya and Hope arrived at French Quarters minutes after midnight.
Since they cast invisibility spell over them and their car they easily went undetected as they passed borders where Bonnie can see Ric with Rebekah and two other guys who she remembered being daggered inside the coffin.
"It's nice to see my siblings again," Freya told Hope who smile sympathetically at her. "Don't worry aunt Freya, your family loves you too and you are really happy from where I came."
"Married too," Bonnie added unconsciously making her eyes widened in surprise. "Did you saw more in your visions?" Freya asks her. "I just saw my future self when I was still in hibernation."
"Yeah, I saw your husband, you, her brother and my future husband in my vision," Bonnie explained.
"I guess you needed more persuasion than me because I had some experience with these kinds of spells," Freya informed her while giving her far away look. "Although I have to admit that time travel spell is something I still have to learn."
Soon they arrived at the compound and Bonnie make sure that invisibility spell is still working and Stefan and Caroline are still sleeping on the backseat.
Once they were ready all three of them head inside before stopping at their tracks.
"Pappie?!" Hope whispered with a gasp and her lips quiver as they watched her eyes shifts to Damon from someone else.
"Uncle El! Aunt Kathy! What are they doing here?"
"I think they are here to protect you," Freya told her and Bonnie agreed with her as she thought about Stefan and Caroline.
"Come, let's find your brother and leave this place."
With that, all three of them head upstairs and for a fleeting second, she thought all three vampires heads turning at their direction.
Soon they hear voices which were coming from the end of the corridor.
There they saw Klaus with a man as they stood at the balcony.
"Marcel!" Hope felt excited until she saw him talking with her dad.
"You abandoned me!" They watched him yell at Klaus who looked remorseful.
"You, Rebekah your entire smug family left me to die and you still have the audacity to call me your son!"
"Marcellus." Klaus began to placate him as he fumed in anger. "My name is Marcel and like me you abandoned this city too so tell me why did you return because if you think I will forgive you or welcome you back in my city with open arms, then I am sorry to say that you didn't know me at all!"
"I thought Mikael killed you?" Klaus tried to explain his reason. "We saw him staking you!"
"Oh, he did stake me. It was witches who saved me before that wood could pierce my heart but you people didn't stick around to notice that."
Klaus sigh and for the first time, he felt his age as he exhaustedly leans against the railing. "We mourned you Marcellus and I swear if I had even a little bit of an inkling that you survive then I would have been here sooner."
"So what's bring you back here now?" He asks and in their obliviousness, they didn't see as Hope lift invisibility spell over herself.
"I, I'm the reason they are here."
As soon Hope said these words the other witches lift their spell as well and at same time Damon, Elijah and Katherine appeared behind them with a shocked expression on their faces.
The same shocked expression that could be seen on Klaus's face as he watched this remarkable girl in front of him.
"How?! Who are you?! Marcel's confuse inquiry break the trance as everyone got tense again.
Well everyone except Hope who reached out inside her jacket from where she pulls out a letter and a small wooden horse.
She then hands both letter and toy to Marcel who along with Klaus recognize this old toy that once belonged to him which Klaus himself carved as a gift for Marcel.
Turning it in his hand Marcel stare at this girl in disbelief. "How did you get this? When It's still inside my trunk."
"That's because you will give it to me on my third birthday." She replied in a calm tone.
"What? What is she saying?" He demanded an answer from grown-up but it was the child who answered him. "I am Hope and I am going to be your sister and niece in future who travelled back in time to take you, my aunt Freya and my Grams with me ."
Marcel who has enough of this nonsense trick ask this girl with an amusing smile. "Really? And where are you taking me exactly?"
In answer, she just said one thing.
"Back to the future, silly."
It was then a booming laughter echo around the compound but while King of New Orleans laughed at this joke the others knew that Hope is not joking at all.
############
Author's Notes.
Here you go. I hope you like this chapter and in next chapter, Marcel will read his letter and get surprise vision from future, plus Damon and Klaus teaming up to get back in good books of Hope and an evil enemy threatened Hope's mission. So yeah stay tuned and please if you read this chapter then please send me your review. It is the only thing that motivates me to write more and more. Stay safe and healthy.
