I do not own TVD or TO.
The sound of a bell drew her attention. Looking back over her shoulder she sidestepped to avoid the bicycle that came careening towards her through the crowd of tourists. She could see the man on the bike making a rather rude gesture in her direction and caught the tail end of a word she was unfamiliar with before he vanished around a corner, but the inflection had been clear.
"It's a good thing she's not repeating every word she hears yet," Caroline's eyes darted to the stroller.
Hope chewed on the floppy ear of a mint green bunny and watched the people passing her. She tipped her head back to stare up through the clear patch in the top of the stroller.
"Yes," Amara murmured. She fell back into step with Caroline while straightening her hair that had been blown around in the wind. Her eyes quickly found the baby's and she smiled. "Does Klaus know we are in possession of his child?"
"He knew I had her," Caroline steered the stroller around a tour group while nodding. "He went to take a phone call, so I thought I'd bring her outside for some fresh air."
"I'll ask again, then," Amara's eyes darted around the street, "does he know where she is?"
Loud music drifted out from several of the restaurants in the Quarter creating a wall of noise that was indistinguishable to human ears until one was standing near the source of the sound, or perhaps it was because her ears were more attuned and she was making no effort to sort out anything beyond Caroline and the baby.
"I told him I was taking her for a walk," she shrugged.
"And he, the paranoid hybrid, didn't object to his child being out of his sight?" Amara cocked an eyebrow.
"No he didn't," Caroline paused to catch Hope's bunny when she threw it. "He's gotten less restrictive since Dahlia was dealt with."
"No he hasn't," Amara shook her head.
"Of course he has," Caroline insisted. "Why else would he let her out of his sight?"
"He trusts you."
She shifted on her heels and frowned as the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The sense that someone was staring at her grew until she slowly turned from the blonde to gaze out over the street.
Men, women, and children hurried along the street on their way home from school. She recognized a few vampires and witches that had been pointed out by Caroline and Josh respectively, but the vast majority of the crowd was faceless. Admitting defeat she made to turn away again when she caught a glimpse of a woman with smooth dark skin, but a second after she had she spotted the slim face it disappeared; the woman melted into the crowd.
Terror gripped her heart, but it had nothing on the hold she used on Caroline's upper arm.
"We have to go."
Klaus was just reaching for the door when a rush of wind nearly knocked him over. When the air stilled Amara stood in the center of the courtyard with Caroline and the stroller; the set of her jaw had panic roaring to life.
"What happened?" He began firing questions before he'd even reached the stroller, and continued while checking his child over for any injuries. "Is she hurt? Did someone attack you?"
The questions continued as they spiraled from inquiry to accusation. His tone grew sharper with each question that went unanswered.
Caroline's annoyance flared the further he went. Finally she cut him off.
"Hope is perfectly fine," she crossed her arms, "and if you'd let me get a word in I could tell you what happened."
Klaus quieted and shifted Hope in his arms.
Caroline opened her mouth to explain when Amara interrupted.
"Where's Kol?" Her heart pounded loudly when she couldn't hear him anywhere in the compound.
"I've no idea."
Amara was gone before he'd finished talking.
Caroline stared at the spot where she had stood for a moment before clearing her throat. Her eyes quickly found Klaus' again.
"I don't know what happened," she shrugged. "One minute we were walking down the street and the next Amara insists we need to go. When I didn't move fast enough she grabbed me and the stroller."
He glanced up from his book when the study door banged open with enough force to dent the shelves. A few antiques clattered to the floor.
"Amara…"
"Where's Kol?" She flashed to stand in front of him.
Elijah's eyes flickered over her features when she bent over and grasped the sides of his desk. Panic flashed in her dark eyes. He had only seen that look in her eyes once when he had reached for the necklace that had hidden her from the dead.
"He went for a walk with Elena," he marked his page and stood up. "Have you tried calling him?"
Her mouth popped open and for a moment she floundered in embarrassment. In her panic she had forgotten about the nuances of the twenty-first century and that her brother-in-law was literally a phone call away. Wordlessly, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and began scrolling.
She could barely breathe, but it was the good type of breathlessness. She drew in as much air as she could between long kisses before meeting his lips again. Her skin burned where his fingers teased her ribs, working her into a state of frenzy.
She could have gladly gone on like that for a while, but when she hooked her leg around his waist she felt the vibrations against her inner thigh.
Her hand slipped from his hair to trail down his chest. She heard him groan before she reached into his pocket.
She broke free from his lips and gasped to catch her breath.
"You've missed a few calls," she panted.
"I was rather occupied," he smirked and pressed a feather light kiss to the corner of her mouth.
Part of her wanted to toss the buzzing device into the far corner and let him push her further into the soft cushions of the daybed because the longer she spent with him the more the tiny flashes of memory increased. The other part of her thought he should answer the call since one glance at the screen showed a few dozen missed calls from Amara and Elijah.
"It looks like someone really wants to talk to you," she teased. Her eyes flickered to the table where her purse sat. The small bag moved as her phone began vibrating.
"How much do you want to bet that's your sister?" Kol chuckled.
"Or your brother," Elena hummed.
Sitting up he took his phone to answer the incoming call.
Amara paused in her pacing to fix them with a glare when they entered the compound. She was so focused on Elena and Kol that she didn't notice the way everyone else seemed to relax behind her.
"Where have you been?" She crossed her arms.
"We went for a walk," a line appeared between Elena's brows. She couldn't quite understand the panic in Amara's eyes.
"Well now we've got a problem," Amara snapped. "You need to stay inside."
"Oh joy," Elena sighed, "house arrest. Why can't we leave?"
"Because I saw her," she renewed her earlier pacing.
"Who did you see?" Elijah leaned against the wall.
"Qetsiyah," Amara wrung her hands together. "She was in the street, and then she was gone. She is somewhere in this city."
"That's not possible," Kol shook his head.
"The witch that killed them?" Elijah looked from Amara to Elena and Kol.
A shiver raced down Elena's spine. Her palm flattened over her twisting abdomen protectively. She didn't understand the sudden fear and surge of anger rising in her body, but the nausea made more sense.
"You must have been seeing things," Kol winced internally when the words came out. He hadn't thought about it until he'd said it, but when he realized it he cringed; Amara had spent the last few millennia seeing and hearing things that weren't there.
"Pigainete sta korakia," Amara rolled her eyes.
"Did that once, darling," Kol smirked. "My wife made it very clear I was not to do it again."
I did? Elena frowned. The words had come so quickly that she hadn't quite made them out, but she got the sense it was the type of ribbing that took place between family members.
"I know what I saw," she glared at her brother-in-law. "She was there!"
"She died 2000 years," Kol attempted to reason with her.
Amara's body stilled in the process of pacing. Slowly she turned around and fixed him with a look of complete calm that sent a bead of cold sweat trickling down his spine.
"So did you."
"How exactly is this going to work?"
She looked up from the heavy tome in her lap and the ancient symbols that had been long since lost to the ancient world.
"You help me and I'll help you," she hummed. "I believe the situation is referred to as quid-pro-quo in this century."
"What did she ever do to you anyway?"
"She destroyed my life," her eyes fell back to the spell in her lap, "and I will make her pay for it."
"Then what are we waiting around for?"
She sighed at the clear impatience in her companion's voice and closed the book.
"We are waiting until I have everything ready," she closed her eyes and sighed. "Amara's curse was moved, and I need to have everything in place before I can move it again. Have some patience; it won't be long now."
What do you guys think? I live for reviews so please take a few seconds to leave one. This story is getting close to the end.
You know I don't typically like to give spoilers in my notes, but I'll tell you that the last snippet is not entirely what it seems.