Thank you for all the reviews, you folks are pretty awesome and you make my heart full while reading your feedback. Getting over my block wasn't easy, but I finally did it. Thanks for sticking through with me and the story, and being ever so patient for an update. I realize that there is a lack of… physical stuff happening but that problem will be solved soon. May the writing gods smile upon me.

Chapter Six: Homecoming

Rebekah Mikaelson was not amused. Not the least bit. She was, in fact, currently bordering on pissed on her first day back at the compound after being away for such a long time. Here she was, desperately needing a long hot shower after all the traveling she'd done, but what was she to find as soon as she'd eagerly shed off her clothes and turned the knob?

Cold water all over.

Five minutes of running the water and still not a sign of it changing temperature. Someone had obviously used up all the hot water. And if her senses were to be relied on, she thought she'd heard Nik's shower turn off just ten minutes ago.

Of course it would be Nik. It was always Nik, getting the lion's share, even down to the damn hot water. And what was a tired female to do? Was she to subject herself to the horrors of taking a cold shower? Was this not the 21st century for God's sake? She didn't spend hundreds of years daggered in a box only to resort to such ancient and barbaric measures of cleaning one's self when the pleasures of hot showers have already been invented.

"Bloody hell, Nik," she muttered, scowling as she donned her black bathrobe, hell-bent on giving her annoyingly selfish brother a piece of her mind. Yes, over hot water. It was a damn bloody job, but someone had to do it.

With a couple of angry strides, she stopped in front of his door, rapping her knuckles against the wood rapidly. "Nik! Come out here I need to talk to you! Nik!"

No answer. She knocked again, louder this time. Tapping her foot impatiently, she screamed on top of her lungs, "Niklaus Mikaelson! I swear to God if you don't come out-"

He finally opened his door, staring down at her with eyebrows raised. "Ah yes, I thought those were your lovely dulcet tones I was hearing, Rebekah."

"I cannot believe you used up all the hot water in this house! Of all the inconsiderate, selfish prig things to do-"

"Is that why you were knocking on my door like someone was dying?"

"Yes!" she almost yelled in exasperation. "How am I supposed to take a bloody…"

"I imagine the same way you've done the first couple of hundred years you've always been bathing. With water and soap."

"You are a pain in the arse, you know that?"

"Welcome back, dear sister," he grinned, looking all too pleased with himself. As if pissing her off her first day back was some sort of accomplishment. She grunted in disgust. Perhaps it was. This was Nik after all.

An hour later, after finally getting the hot water back again and being able to shower and put on a set of clothes that weren't completely covered in dust, she went downstairs to look for her brothers. She sensed Elijah somewhere in the vicinity, and was surprised he was even in the compound given that he had his own place to stay across the river. She shrugged, making a mental note to ask him about that later. Whatever the reason was, she was glad that Elijah was here, because it was a trial to deal with Nik by herself. It was always better when Elijah was around.

She'd dropped by Hope's nursery the first thing when she got home, so she knew where the baby was as of this moment. And then there was one other presence that was vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place. Hayley? No, this wasn't Hayley. As far as she knew, the wolf queen was still at the bayou.

During these moments, Rebekah missed her original body with her hyper aware smell and hearing. Having a vampire body made her feel more secure because of all the keen sensing capacities that went with it, as well as the knowledge that she could just beat up anybody who came after her. But, she'd made her choice, and she felt in the end, with this witch's body, she could start anew, and that was ultimately the better decision.

She found Klaus in the dining area, surveying the huge oak table, already groaning under the weight of numerous plates of food on top of it. It was a breakfast buffet of fresh fruit, the most scrumptious delicate-looking pastries, a huge array of eggs cooked in different ways, multiple kinds of jams and butters. On to the side, there was a compelled man in a suit, waiting to serve freshly brewed coffee.

"Well, this certainly almost makes up for the hogging of all the hot water today," she commented, reaching to grab a handful of juicy blueberries from the bowl. "Almost."

Nik wagged his finger at her. "Tsk, little sister, Mother would be appalled at such manners. If she were here of course. I would advise you to wait on eating before our guest arrives."

"Our guest?" she asked, suddenly feeling nervous. Were there anymore long lost relatives that Nik had invited? Was he again planning to wage a war with a different faction today?

Oh God. Her first day back and already full of surprises.

"I've invited her for breakfast."

"Her?"

He looked pointedly at someone behind her, and Rebekah turned around.

Camille O'Connell. The human girl came down the stairs from the other side of the compound, positively glowing in a white sundress, unable to take her eyes off her brother. From the corner of her eye, she saw Nik taking her in as much as she did him.

Ahhhhh. Interesting.

She tried her damndest to keep the sly smile out of her face.

Upon nearing them, Cami finally noticed Rebekah standing there and she gave out an unladylike yelp, "Rebekah!"

Now unable to keep herself from full-blown grinning because of that enthusiastic greeting and contagiously warm smile that Cami was bestowing upon her, she reached and hugged the human girl tightly. "It's so nice to see you again, Cami. I'm glad you're still alive."

"Why, were you taking bets on when I'd kick the bucket?"

"Well, people who associate with us Mikaelsons tend to have a history of…"

"Rebekah, hush," Nik warned.

Cami gave him a wary glance and turned to back to her. "When did you get back?" she asked.

"Just this morning, in fact."

"Where did you go?" she asked curiously, and then seemingly realizing she sounded too intrusive, added, "That is, if you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all." She'd been gone for months. Of course people were going to ask her where she was. "Just here and there. Mostly the tropics for the beaches and that lovely weather. I've a ton of interesting stories, but that can be discussed some other time," she said, suddenly intrigued as to how Cami had come to be in the compound. "I'm more interested in you! You're officially staying here then? Oh come to think of it! It's no wonder Nik has to take such long showe-"

Nik rudely interrupted her by saying, "Ladies, please, shall we sit down? Everything is getting cold."

"Oh sod off, Nik," she grumbled but sat down anyway.

Cami smiled at him in pity and proceeded to sit. Nik sat beside her and they began to eat.

"Klaus, I hope you're paying this poor man for serving us coffee," Cami commented.

"If it makes you feel better, Camille, the barista is well-compensated. I merely do not wish for him to repeat what he sees and hears."

She looked dubiously at him, and decided not to pursue the subject. But Rebekah could tell from that gleam in her eye, that she'd let Nik have it later when it was just the two of them. The prospect of someone metaphorically grabbing her brother by the ear gave her so much glee, she had to stifle a laugh and pretend she was choking on some waffles instead. She wasn't surprised when Nik glared at her.

"Well, I'm hoping we can make a dent on this breakfast. Looks like a feast for ten sumo wrestlers," the human girl said.

Rebekah replied, "Oh Cami, aren't you used to us by now? We never do anything half-ar… in half measures. Like those eggs, for instance. Look at them! Just sitting there in a humongous pile. I suppose my brother never stopped to think, hmmm, maybe this is too much eggs for three people."

Nik stopped buttering his toast to answer her. "I did not, in fact. And just for your benefit, I enjoyed how these little eggs sacrificed their lives so that I could have an overly abundant breakfast spread to my liking. Besides, I wasn't sure if Camille had a secret love for farm fresh eggs and I refuse to make her uncomfortable as our guest. It is entirely unnecessary."

"How did you know," Cami said dryly, "I happen to enjoy having two dozen eggs to myself each morning. Wouldn't have it any other way."

"See, there you go," he said, rudely pointing his butter knife at Rebekah. "Can you pass the marmalade please?"

"God, Nik. You are as obnoxious as ever before. Glad to see nothing has changed."

"Is that your way of saying you've missed me, Rebekah?"

"It's my way of saying after a thousand years you could, maybe, I don't know, grow up."

Cami snorted at her comment. "Hear, hear."

"Why, I'll have you know, I don't appreciate being ganged up on. Blood thirsty wenches, the both of you," he complained, yet a tiny smile hinted at his lips.

Rebekah tried to hide her own smile. She hadn't seen her brother this cheerful since a vengeful murdering spree. And she had a feeling the reasons for this mood were something far less gruesome than that.

…

Now that Rebekah was home, Camille O'Connell found herself enjoying her stay more with the Mikaelsons. Initially, without the companionship of the strong female Mikaelson, she found herself prone to getting caught in between an Elijah and Klaus showdown. And more often than not, while she was trying to figure out a way on how to make a quick exit with the two of them arguing heatedly with her in the room, she'd find her name getting called, more commonly by Klaus, demanding to tell them who she thought was right in one of their arguments.

And not wanting to take a side or even say anything, usually because she found herself mentally agreeing with Elijah more, she'd make up a quick excuse and run back to her room or Hope's nursery to avoid these awkward situations.

Upon Rebekah's return, however, a more calming presence came with her, and Cami found herself utterly at ease just hanging out with another female in the house. She sensed Rebekah felt the same about her as well, now that they shared the connection of having the unfortunate experience of living with two bickering bull-headed overgrown vampire brothers.

One time they were both seated in the living room reading when they heard heated insults in angry male voices, going back and forth. Whatever they were arguing about, she suspected it wasn't that serious. It usually never was.

"Don't mind them, Cami," Rebekah said in a bored voice, flipping through the pages of one of her fashion magazines. "It's their way of showing each other affection. I wouldn't be bothered."

And she wasn't.

Time passed by quickly at the Mikaelson household and she found herself settling into a routine. One thing she was grateful about was that she could finally step outside once more without checking over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. During the afternoons she resumed going to class, and at night, she started picking up on her regular work schedule at the bar. It helped that the compound was much nearer than her apartment ever was, and she felt safer walking at night, knowing the place was a stone throw's away.

During the mornings that someone actually prepared breakfast, she would see all three Mikaelsons at once. She grew fond of the light-hearted bickering, it almost felt like getting adopted into a bigger, louder family. But despite all their bluster and sass, anybody could tell they all loved each other.

Most of her mornings though, were spent with her eating a bowl of cereal on the kitchen island by herself. And she valued these moments that she could just be alone without having to watch what she would say or do, and just read a book while eating breakfast to her leisure. After she was done, she'd spend more of her free time during the morning in Hope's nursery. The baby was always glad to see her, and she could tell Hope loved those moments Cami would sit on the rocking chair with Hope on her lap, and read to her while she listened.

It really didn't matter what material she read, Hope seemed to enjoy listening to even the most boring psych books that she had to catch up on for school, and would quietly just sit there and look up at her with such a solemn expression, head tilted to the side as if she understood what Cami was saying.

There were times, however, when she'd enter the nursery to find Klaus already sitting there, playing with Hope. The sound of the baby's happy gurgling would make her smile, and Klaus would look up to see her and give her this tiny grin, as if to say "I'm sorry I can't help it, she's so cute" and she'd back away and retire to her room to read instead. She knew how he valued these precious moments to spend with his daughter, and she understood how important it was for them to have their time alone together.

One morning, she found him already sitting there on the rocking chair, reading Hope the book she gave for her first birthday. She smiled at the sound of Klaus reading a children's story, and started backing away and closing the door, when he called her name.

"Yes?"

"Stay, will you?"

She didn't even know exactly why, but she felt a rush of pleasure at being invited to join them, and she reached out to hold Hope. He gave her a smile and handed his precious cargo to her, watching both of them with a curious sort of expression as Cami showered Hope with kisses.

"You usually read to her, don't you?" he suddenly said.

"Yes I do, how did you… oh, you could hear huh?"

"Of course."

A sudden realization dawned on her. "Oh my God. All of it?"

He tried to stifle his smile and those dimples popped up. "I love listening to you talk about abnormal psychology to my daughter. Especially the little sound effects you add-"

"I hate you right now, you know that, right?"

"I honestly have no idea why. I was complimenting your uhh… talent," he said with a straight expression on his face.

"Keep talking crap, buster," she said, frowning. She turned to the Hope instead and tried to whisper to her how much of a jerk her father was, and if anything she should know he was a bad example and know not to take after him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Klaus discreetly wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

She was about to say something scathing when her phone started vibrating inside her pocket, making her heart almost jump. She did her best to ignore the vibrations, and continued to play with Hope without saying a word. Klaus must have heard it for he stilled and looked at her closely, probably wondering why she wasn't answering her phone.

"Hiding from someone?" he asked casually.

She gave out an awkward laugh and handed him Hope back. "Not really. Although I should probably get it."

He stared at her for some time, and she had the crazy feeling he knew she was lying. Probably because he could hear her heart beat going extra fast right now. Damn these supernaturals and their stupid special senses. It was like being on a lie detector all the time while having a conversation.

"I'll catch you guys later," she said, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

She left the nursery and went back to her room. Once she was in the safety and privacy of her room without Klaus looking at her with too much interest, she now stared at her glowing phone screen.

Missed Call from Niall McAllister.

2 missed calls. 2 voicemails.

She went through the old messages, her thumb hovering on the REPLY button.

[Cami, I'm in New Orleans. Let's meet.]

[I went to your apartment and you weren't there. Where are you?]

[Have you not been getting my texts?]

[Please answer my calls, I'm getting worried.]

Really, she didn't know where to begin. How to answer his texts without making him more worried. Or how to answer his texts without getting a huge lecture, or a huge deal made out of this whole kooky situation where she was in right now. It's not that she didn't want to see him, God knows how much she'd wished he'd been there to keep her company all throughout everything, but he wasn't.

Niall was one of the constants in her life during her childhood, especially when their parents died. He, along with Kieran, served as their support system during those days. He was like the older brother she looked up to, the one who always looked out for her and Sean. Both of them were completely devastated when he had to move back to Ireland to inherit his parents' business. And Niall hadn't bothered to keep in touch with either her or Sean, so she assumed it was because he wasn't planning to return at all, and that he was too busy with his new life. The next time she saw him was during Sean's funeral service, and briefly at that.

So yes, she felt a little pissed that he was now apparently back in NOLA, demanding to see her, when he wanted to see her.

Talk about wrong timing. But her sense of guilt and obligation took over. It was completely wrong to hide from him, wasn't it. She knew exactly why she wasn't ready to hit that REPLY button just yet. Because she knew what Niall would say when he found out what situation she was in.

He wouldn't like it at all. Not one bit.

….

Elijah Mikaelson was seated in the living room, playing one of Bach's greatest concertos. He tried to close his eyes to let the music flow through him, to let it take him to a good place. Oh the sweet sound of those perfectly-tuned violins, he imagined the bows sweeping back and forth as the music built up to its crescendo. It was completely spiritual, to listen to classical music, all those instruments coming together to make such beautiful sounds, he could almost forget everything evil in this world, he could almost forget everything about himself. Nothing else existed, save for this world of music, this world of peace and harmony.

Out of the blue, a nagging image from last night came unbidden to his mind, and after that thought, he couldn't anymore find that mental state to relax. He sighed in frustration, eventually giving up his attempts to meditate, and was now working himself up to an annoyance he was finding difficult to control. He tried to calm himself down, but grew even more angry at the thought that even during his absence, Niklaus was bothering Elijah's relaxation time.

He was fast running out of patience with his brother, whom he sometimes could believe to be the smartest man on earth, but most times, proved himself to be a complete and utter imbecile in some matters. He tried to resist the strong urge to imagine himself strangling his moronic brother and having the ability to dagger him and leave him in a box for a century or two. Note, tried to resist, he was, of course, far from perfect. He let himself daydream about actually doing it, and curbed the impulse to smile like a lunatic in enjoyment. Ah, if only. A man can dream.

Where was he anyway?

He drummed his fingers impatiently on the table waiting for Niklaus to come out of his room to give him a piece of his mind. And he knew that Niklaus always came out of his room at this time. Came out to pour himself a glass or two of bourbon. Or scotch. Or whiskey. Didn't matter what drink, he would always come out. Eventually.

And sure enough, like clockwork, Niklaus sauntered out of his room and towards the living room to pour himself a drink, looking a bit pleased with himself.

"We need to talk," Elijah began.

He saw his brother's eyebrow rise at his tone. "Fire away. I always look forward to these… lectures of yours."

"What are you doing?"

"To what you are referring to, Elijah, I do not know. I am not a mind reader, perhaps you could regale me with a few more details, I might have more of a care."

"You know exactly what it is I am asking about."

Niklaus sighed, "I unfortunately have more important things that occupy my mind, so no, I do not…"

Elijah damn near exploded at him feigning innocence. "I do not have time for your games, Niklaus! Let me be the voice of reason when you so obviously cannot think for yourself."

His brother looked taken aback, but gave a shrug as if to tell him to go on.

"I have asked before if you wanted Camille turned, and may I remind you that you so adamantly refused to do so. Which makes what you are doing dallying with a mortal. What was it you have continuously said about Jackson again and again, Niklaus? "He is not one of us, he's mortal." Enlighten me, what is your intention with Camille exactly?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Elijah, but to be clear, there is no so-called 'dallying' going on."

"You say that yet you were in her room last night while she slept," Elijah sneered.

Niklaus stared at him, stunned at his statement. Elijah could see it in his eyes that his brother didn't expect him to know this.

He quickly recovered, saying, "Are you watching me now, Elijah? I have no reason to explain myself to you, but on this instance, just so you know, Camille screamed from a nightmare and I naturally went there to make sure she was fine. She never woke, she wasn't aware I was there the whole time."

"Please," Elijah said contemptuously. "Will your excuses be never ending? When are you going to admit your feelings for this woman?"

Niklaus took a swig of his drink and gave him a slow smile. "I see what this is about. It's because of Hayley, isn't it? I've torn the woman you love away from you and had her marry somebody else. Well look at the noble Elijah now, looking for a little payback."

"This has nothing to do with Hayley. And even so, even if by some small chance this had anything to do with her, you know as well as I do that Hayley is immortal. She does not offer the same complications as your relationship with Camille does. You must be blind to what feelings she wears on her sleeve. And as much as I appreciate everything she has done for you, brother, for me, for this family, you must know that there could be no happy ending for her in this story. Especially if you were never even once, planning to turn her. If you truly cared for her, you would know what it is that I speak of."

He saw his brother's expression momentarily switch to something else, and for a brief second, Elijah felt he was seeing a side of Niklaus he had not seen in years. Something he thought was long gone after he'd first turned into a werewolf, before Elijah had betrayed him when he'd had a hand in tying him up. It sent chills down his spine to witness such an expression of anguish once more in Niklaus' face. But it went away as soon as it came, and a hardened look very quickly replaced it.

"You will ruin her life, Niklaus," he said quietly.

His brother chose to study his glass of bourbon instead, gazing intently at the amber liquid he was swirling. He didn't look up at Elijah as he mockingly said, "Ah, there it is. The ghost of Tatia coming back up from the grave."

"Desist making this about me at once. This is my attempt at having a decent conversation with you and you insist on acting like-"

"A bastard? Which is what I am, of course. I am the life-ruiner, as you've aptly put."

"I do not wish to wound you, despite having good reason to. You, who have not spared me the pain of having a love taken from me. You, who have pettily rejoiced in vengeance to do these things to me. But because I want what is best for you, Niklaus, I will warn you to spare you the same kind of pain I am in. For one day, she will look at you and you will see it in her eyes that desire that she'd wished she led a normal life. That she would have gotten married, raised her own children, or seen her grandchildren. That she would have been spared the pain of living in this world, in our world. And as she grows older and her youth passes her while you remain the same, you would slowly see this pain in her eyes become more pronounced as the years go by. I do not think you want to do this to her, for you will not be able to give her what she wants, what she needs, and you will hate yourself even more for it."

Niklaus stared out the window for a while, not allowing Elijah to see what was in his eyes. He sat down, waiting for him to say something, anything, an indication that he understood what Elijah spoke of.

"You are not telling me anything I already do not know, Elijah," he said finally.

"And what is it that you do know?"

"That we are indeed the definition of cursed," he said, swallowing the last of his drink. "Always and forever."

….

It was one of those weeks that Hayley Marshall had come back to the Mikaelson compound. Since Hayley now was taking care of Hope full time while she was back, Rebekah told herself that now was a good time more than ever to leave the compound and get some much needed fresh air. She'd cajoled Cami into coming with her because shopping trips were a hundred percent better with another girl around. She couldn't remember the last time she had a girlfriend with her to tell her what looked absolutely beastly on her figure or not. Besides, she liked Cami's tastes in clothes.

So off they went, arm in arm, talking crap about Elijah and Nik the whole way, laughing at the random men outside trying to sweet-talk and impress them when they walked blocks and blocks to Rebekah's favorite shops downtown. And despite the whole previously messy business with Marcel dating Cami, there really was no bad blood between her and the human girl. Camille could amazingly put anybody at ease, whether she was aware of it or not. She didn't know whether it was the combination of self-deprecating humor and down-to-earth unaffectedness, but she was beginning to like this girl a lot. She felt like she could talk about mundane things such as fashion and men's bodies, and switch it up to more serious topics about the supernatural, and Cami would be right there with her, from which colors from this season looked good with their skin tones, to the questions of morality that being a vampire faced.

They'd ended their girls' day out by stopping at a frozen yogurt shop, and as Rebekah tasted that first spoonful of yogurt, she blissfully closed her eyes and thought she couldn't remember a more relaxing day she'd had in New Orleans.

"So tell me, Cami," Rebekah said, spooning more of the fro-yo into her mouth. "Are you in love with my brother?"

The question made the poor girl nearly choke on her food, and Rebekah had to pat her back with a little bit more force than necessary to make her alright. She finally stuttered, "W...what?"

"Oh come now, you can't possibly not notice this… thing… going on."

"I…"

"You know, if you were truly innocent, you would've asked me 'which brother are you referring to, Rebekah?' But since you didn't, I am assuming you know who it is…"

Cami sighed. "It's too late to ask that now, isn't it."

"Quite."

"Then the answer is yes. Yes. I am," she said defeatedly. "But then why bother asking me if you already knew?"

"It is evident to me, I merely wanted to hear it from your mouth."

"Does he know?"

"Who, Nik? He's as thick as two short planks when it comes to matters of the heart. But I can tell he umm…"

Cami looked at her inquisitively.

Rebekah shook her head, unwilling to reveal too much of her suspicions. "We should head back."

Thankfully, Cami didn't pursue her train of thought, and they both walked back to the compound, hands full of shopping bags, heads full of unsaid thoughts.

As they entered the compound, they met Hayley by the stairs, carrying Hope.

"Oh good haul, I love that shop!" Hayley exclaimed, looking at the bags they were dragging along. She shook her head, as if suddenly remembering something. "I was going to ask, are either of you expecting guests, by the way?"

"No, I don't think so. Not me," Rebekah said. "Cami?"

Cami shook her head. "Why?"

"Someone is coming."

"Someone?"

Hayley sniffed the air, eyes narrowing. "Yes, walking towards here right now. I can tell with the way he strides with a purpose, he's headed here. About twenty feet away now. Human, male. Early thirties maybe?" She breathed in again. "Expensive cologne."

They all turned around, waiting for this man to appear.

"Get Hope out of here," Rebekah commanded Hayley, unsure if they were about to face a dangerous situation.

Hayley was running up the stairs when the man finally showed himself and stepped towards the gate.

The first things Rebekah noticed were his dark hair and his height, at least six-feet, and a physique built to put Greek gods to shame. Next came what he wore, a crisp white button down dress shirt with the sleeves folded up to the forearms, tucked in well-fitting dark jeans and black leather shoes. If one thing could be said, the man knew how to dress for his body.

As he got closer to her and Cami, she noticed the well-defined jaw covered by a perfectly groomed five-o-clock shadow. She saw those slate-gray eyes, like the color of dark clouds converging before a huge storm.

"Niall," Cami whispered, dropping all of her bags on the ground and giving the man a weak wave.

"You know this guy?" Rebekah questioned incredulously.

Hayley stared at the both of them, forgetting that she was supposed to be hiding Hope in case this man posed a danger, but upon hearing Cami knew this stranger, the mission was now forgotten.

"Let me guess, Cami, the infamous on-again-off-again?" Rebekah said wryly.

With all the stress evident on her face, the joke completely flew over Cami's head. She'd been staring at him too in shock (or admiration, Rebekah couldn't really tell), but then turned back to frantically tell Rebekah, "He's a childhood friend. I'll explain later. Could you guys um… keep unfriendly entities from killing him?"

"I'll try. Can't promise anything, really. You know how it is 'round these parts."

Cami ran to the gate where Niall had stopped, not entering further. He was apparently not at ease to enter the compound without permission despite seeing Cami there, and he kept glancing at both Rebekah and Hayley with wary eyes.

Rebekah went up to where Hayley was, where the hybrid had an infinitely better view of the proceedings, and like gossipy old hens, they shamelessly peered down from the balcony, not even bothering to hide their desire to stare at Cami's friend.

"Hubba, hubba," she commented sideways to Hayley. "She never mentioned she knew fine male specimens like this."

They continued to stare, noting the way the man smiled roguishly at Cami.

Rebekah sighed deeply, "How is she still standing normally right now after being blasted with a smile like that?"

"I don't understand it either. I'm all the way up here from a distance and I'm melting."

"For God's sake, Hayley, you're a married woman now, pull yourself together."

"What Jackson doesn't know won't hurt him. And you should talk, Rebekah. Aren't you a little too old to be gawking? At least I feel some shame."

Both women stopped breathing upon seeing the man pull Cami close and give her the tightest hug in history. Definitely lasting longer than five seconds to be sure. Not that Rebekah was counting. Oh what she would give to trade places with Camille right now…

"What are you two biddies chin-wagging about on this lovely day," Nik's voice suddenly came up behind them.

They both turned around simultaneously, guilty looks on their faces, and Rebekah had this feeling like she'd been caught in the act of spying. Well, not 'like'. They really were spying. But then, it couldn't be helped with the gray-eyed Adonis right in front of them.

"We're checking out Cami's fine-looking friend," she said nonchalantly.

Hayley smiled, "Mm hmm, he sure is."

"Go away, Nik, we're enjoying ourselves here. Your presence is completely unnecessary. In fact, consider it downright unwelcome."

Both women noted how his eyebrows raised in question. How he tried to be subtle about peering below for himself, and therefore witnessing how this man touched Camille with a familiarity that could only happen with two people who've known each other for a long time. Both women also noted how his grip tightened slightly on the banister as he stared below with an impassive face.

Finally, he turned around to go back inside, leaving them without a word.

"Well," Rebekah said after some moments passed. "That was rather rude."

"I wasn't going to say anything, but he's your brother."

"Yes, but I wasn't the one he slept with and knocked up."

"Really, Rebekah? You had to go there?"

"Sorry, still have my bitch mode on, I keep forgetting to turn it off."

Shrugging their cattiness off the way only two women who are used to bickering like this could do, they both went back to watching Cami with the divine-looking man. They knew their priorities, after all.

…

Cami walked side by side with Niall towards a nearby coffee shop, opting to look down at her feet instead of looking directly at the person walking next to her. She could feel waves of annoyance practically radiating from him at her refusal to look him eye-to-eye at this point. She would have suggested going to the compound like any normal and properly raised human being would do, but things were quite complicated with everyone being present. She couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but she had a feeling that Klaus and Niall meeting would not bode well at all. And she knew, that the moment Niall could take a look at her face while Klaus was around, that he would know.

So here they were, entering some random coffee shop a couple of blocks away.

As he opened the door for her, she briefly noticed the way his muscles stretched his shirt. While Cami may have been in love with Klaus, this didn't make her entirely blind to good looking men around her. And Niall was very good-looking indeed. Even when they were young, his women troubles seemed to stem from trying to avoid them instead, for they rather liked pursuing him at all costs.

She looked at him again, noting that time had been very kind to him. He was now, what? Thirty-one? Thirty-two? Experience had only made his striking appearance look even more imposing, and she was sure the women in Ireland couldn't possibly immune to his charms, as well. Niall's appearance was the type that appealed to everyone around the world, and he'd probably left a string of broken hearts upon leaving Ireland to come here.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever look at me," he said, his voice still the same deep baritone she'd always remembered. That deep reverberating voice was the sound that calmed her during her darkest moments. Made her feel that everything was going to be fine. Other people were put off by the way he spoke, there was a commanding quality to it that made lesser men feel insecure, but how much she'd liked that voice.

"I was trying to find the courage," she finally said.

She had to admit, it was a little daunting to have him back. And she felt like a kid once more, the memories of having a crush on him came rushing back. She remembered being sixteen and looking at him like he was the world. Niall had never looked at her in that light, but treated her like a little sister instead. Now that he was here, she didn't exactly have the same kind of feelings anymore, but she knew Niall. She would always know Niall, that he'd have her best interests at heart. Although he was the first man to ever break her heart by moving away, and she felt a little betrayed that he'd never once looked back, she still felt a huge amount of affection for him. And that was something that would never change. He may look and sound like another uncaring businessman to the rest of the world, but she would always remember him as this big softie that looked out for her and Sean.

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm just realizing how much I've missed you."

His face, which seemed like it had a permanent frown etched on to it, more likely directed at her, softened on her unexpected admission. "I've missed you too, Cami."

"So tell me what brings you here?"

"You didn't believe me the first time when I said I'd come home for you?"

"Not in the slightest. What's the real reason?"

"Like I said. You," he said bluntly, looking at her with a directness that unnerved her. "Were you ever going to reply to my texts? Answer my calls? Tell me you've apparently moved?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"Cami, I've been out of my mind with worry since I got here. I've been here for three days to look only for you. Do you even want to know how I found you? I had to track down every bar in the goddamn French Quarter and ask whether you worked there. Then when I finally found Rousseau's, I had to make them give me your new address. And I only got it when I asked the fifth employee, the first four knew better than to give out addresses to strangers. I was ready to physically harm someone for it, to be honest."

"I'm sorry you had such a hard time."

"God, I was imagining the worst," he said, sighing in frustration, running his fingers through his hair as if he wanted to pull them out.

"I haven't seen you in years, Niall."

"I am aware of that. I'm just wondering how much you've changed."

"I haven't changed at all. Nothing's changed. Except Kieran is dead. And you didn't come home. And why now? Why come home now when you couldn't even stay a week after Sean's funeral?" She couldn't keep the accusing note out of her voice at her final sentence.

"There's no excuses for my behavior. You must know that Sean's funeral was one of the hardest things I had to go through. Leaving you as kids and coming back home to him lying in a casket. I couldn't deal with it at all. I couldn't stomach facing you because if I did, I would just be a fucking mess. I flew out as soon as I could to escape. To forget everything and throw myself at work day and night. I was a right bastard for not even checking up on you, I couldn't even face you, and the guilt I felt…"

"You don't owe me anything. You've done more than enough."

"No, you must know how I've… I'm sorry, Cami. I've kept in touch with Kieran all throughout these years, and he always told me how you've been. I wanted so many times to call and apologize."

"Why weren't you at Kieran's funeral?"

"He'd written to me before the curse had taken its full blown effect and-"

She stared at him, thinking she misheard. "The curse?"

"The curse, the hex, whatever those witches call it."

Her eyes widened. "Witches. You know," she breathed. "Niall, you know of it too?"

"Know of what?"

"This… all this… the supernaturals in New Orleans."

"Of course I do," he said impatiently. "How do you think Kieran acquired so much of those dark objects in his secret hide out? I was helping him for years while I was here."

Her mind raced, a million thoughts suddenly rushing through at this surprising revelation. She wanted to say something to him but her mind couldn't process the powers of speech as of that moment. Instead, she just stared at him as if seeing him in a whole new light.

He went on, "When Kieran was sick, was cursed, I'd written him that I wanted to come down here to be with you two. He told me I would be too late. That whatever would happen was going to kill him. He wanted me to finish up whatever the hell I needed to do in Ireland and come down here, to look after you. So I worked myself to the bone, finished everything, sold the business, tied off all my loose ends. And now here I am."

The realization that even while Kieran was in death's door and the only thing he thought of was her safety unexpectedly brought tears to her eyes. She tried to blink them off, not wanting to lose Niall's momentum of revealing everything that she had not been privy to all these years.

It felt good, to know that there was another human that knew of the world she now was actively thrown in. Like a weight was about to be lifted from her shoulders.

"Where are you staying right now?" she asked.

"I'm renting a house somewhere in Burgundy street."

He was silent after that, looking at her, as if waiting for her to speak and tell him more. She didn't, because she didn't know exactly where to begin. Or how he would look at her. Would he think she was some sort of traitor? She knew Niall. He had more rigid morals than she, which was why she could see him assisting Kieran in the hopes of fighting evil. She thought Niall would answer the call for priesthood too at some point, but apparently that wasn't part of his plan.

When she kept looking at him without saying anything, he suddenly moved closer to her and spoke quietly, "That place you live in, Cami, I know what it is. Or what it used to be."

She looked away, a part of her knowing where this was already going.

"Why do you stay there?" he asked.

Without too much elaboration or emotion, she told him of the story of how one of the regular patrons had followed her from the bar, entered her house while she was sleeping, and attempted to kill her. How she'd nearly lost, fighting for her life, how she no longer felt it was safe to stay in her apartment by herself. How her friends, the Mikaelsons, extended their invitation for her to stay with them.

"Jesus Christ," he said, looking like he wanted to punch someone badly. "I wish I could have been here for you."

"It's okay, I'm doing better now, I swear. I'm just glad you could still make it here. Sometimes it's good to see a friendly face from my childhood years."

He stared at her for the longest time, as if debating on what to say next. "These Mikaelsons… you mean the same Mikaelsons as the original vampires, I assume."

She bit her lip. He drummed his fingers, waiting for her reply.

"Niall, you have to tell me how much you know."

"More than you can imagine. Jesus. No wonder Kieran wanted me here. You're not exactly mixing in with the right sort, are you."

"I don't need a babysitter. Or a guardian. Or a…"

"Did you hear me mention any of those words?"

"No, but…"

"Then I'm not here as a baby-sitter, or a guardian. I'm here as your friend, as your family. Honestly someone needs to look after you, because you're doing a lousy job of looking out for yourself."

She forgot how direct Niall could be. She should have been offended but she wasn't. She was busy being happily surprised at the fact that someone wanted to count her as family. That she still had him, after all.

She gave him a tremulous smile. "I'm certainly not the best."

"You are welcome to stay with me if you want," he said with a smile, gray eyes turning dark. "The house has three bedrooms, you'd have your space, complete privacy. I've leased it for some time so there's no worry of you having to move out anytime soon."

"I…" she trailed off, completely taken aback at the offer. "I'll think about it."

He leaned back, clasped his hands together and regarded her with an intensity that made her uncomfortable.

After staring at her sometime, he finally asked, "Who is it?"

"Who is what?"

"Between the Mikaelson brothers. The one you're in love with."

"Niall, you..." she stopped, not knowing how to continue with this discussion.

He stared off at a distance for some time as if lost in thought, and then turned back to her with a humorless smile. "Well?"

"It's none of your business."

"Maybe it is," he shrugged, tucking both hands in his pockets and stretching out his long legs.

"What are you saying?"

He didn't answer and just stared at the couple next to them. One of the baristas had been giggling for quite some time now to get Niall's attention, and he finally turned to her and gave her a small smile, causing her to give a surprised squeal.

Cami laughed at the entire thing. "Oh God, nothing's changed."

He turned his gaze back to her. "You have," he said quietly.

"Me? How?"

He stared at her face for a while. "You've become even more beautiful."

….

After a while, when they'd finished catching up and were about to head back to the compound, the rain suddenly poured with the anger of a hundred gods hellbent on wiping humanity with a great deluge. Skies that were clear blue just an hour ago very quickly darkened. Huge rain clouds opened up without cease, drenching the whole of downtown, and Cami and Niall tried to make a run for it.

Midway, however, without the aid of an umbrella or any sort of protection, they were both soaked through and had given up running in full speed for a slow jog instead. They'd finally reached the compound gate and sought shelter under its awning.

Cami turned to him to say her goodbye, and he reached out to give her a hug once more.

"Niall, I appreciate you offering your place, but…"

"Don't decide yet," he interrupted, studying her face closely.

"Why?"

"You never know when you might need me," he said. He looked inside at the compound and then gazed back at her face, clasping her shoulders with both hands. "You're a smart girl. You must know that there is nothing for you here in this place. Nothing but heartbreak."

She tried to stop her emotions from coming out and said nothing.

"You already knew that, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"I will wait when, not if, but when, you need me."

"I don't want you to."

"That's not your choice is it? I promised Kieran I'd look out for you. I've already lost Sean and Kieran, Cami. I'm not about to lose you too."

He held her body, shuddering from the cold, shuddering from the onslaught of emotions, held her for some minutes amidst the heavy rainfall, until she finally went inside, where one Niklaus Mikaelson was waiting for her return.

….