Title: And when I fall

Rated for: language, violence, future M chapter

Genre: Angst, Romance, Suspense, Horror?, Adventure

Fandom/Universe: Vampire Diaries / Supernatural

Characters: Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, Alaric, Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Klaus, Rebecca, Elijah / Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer

Pairings: Damon / OC / Dean, Caroline / Tyler, Bonnie / Jeremy

Spoilers/Warning: Mentions of events on the shows and books.

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries and all related characters belong L. J. Smith and The CW. No infringement intended. Supernatural and all related characters belong to Erik Kripke and OC's are all ME. No infringement intended. The Originals and all related characters belong to Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros.

Summary: She was looking for answers. He was just passing the time.

Status: In-Progress

Author's Note: Another peek because I'm being cautious. I hope I'm giving just enough answers to keep everyone curious.

And before I go any further let me just point out that yes, this is mostly Vampire Diaries verse and yes, it's going to stay with the OC rather than the tv characters. The Supernatural bits later. And NO there is no Damon/Dean slash anything.

Chapter: Answer Me This

Answer Me This

Two days of sitting and watching and waiting and more waiting, gah! But there's a pattern for sure and now Rheygne knows a little more about her target than she did with Google. The inside of Graham, the gunmetal gray, '41 Hollywood hot-rod, is cozy and clean. Except for little box on the floor of the passenger seat that contains all of Rheygne's snack wrappers and take out containers. She pulls out the plastic bag lining it and takes it with her dumping it into the trash can in the street. Peeking through the window she spots her target placing his order.

'Here goes…'

The Mystic Grill seems to be the one place the whole town likes to hang out in. Alaric takes the table almost in the center of the space; people coming and going don't draw his attention. He sips from his water waiting for his food ignoring as the door opens for the hundredth time since he's arrived.

The chair across from him scrapes on the wooden floors and a slim brunette sits offering a perfunctory smile as she does. They study each other for a long silent moment. Alaric slightly confused and curious, he takes a cursory glance around the restaurant, brow furrowed when his gaze falls on her once again. "…Hello...?"

Rheygne wonders what it is…maybe nothing at all but she can sense something … different, about this Hunter. "I need help." She'd roll her eyes but … blurting things out when she felt anxious or uncomfortable is one of the things she's been told to work on.

Alaric watches the 'girl' across from him bite her lip, her eyes following his every move. "…okay…?"

"Answers, actually." She sticks her hand out across the table over the water glass. "Rheygne Henrié."

Alaric is wary, not sure he gets what's going on. He reaches across and takes her hand in his, her grip is firm. "Do we know each other?" her voice doesn't have the accent she used on her name; French. 'Definitely.'

"You'd think." Rheygne just rolls her eyes, a tiny shake of her head the only other sign of slight annoyance. "The life we chose … pretty hard not to run into another Hunter." She watches the shift in his expression; confusion gives way to alarm then wariness as he sits back in his chair studying her.

Alaric casts his gaze around the Mystic Grill wondering who he knows. By the bar he spots Matt working the afternoon shift and Jeremy carting a gray plastic bin to the tables and by the open door entering on the gust of cold air is Caroline.

"Please, don't think me stupid and feign ignorance." Rheygne warns with a hint of annoyance coloring her tone. "Pretty face." she points a finger at her face and it is that; big dark eyes that spark with fire under the lighting of his table. She bats her lashes in a very girly way offering a cute smile. "Brain has more than air. So…" her expression falls into seriousness so fast Alaric blinks at the sudden change. Her gaze wanders around the place and spots the blond girl at the bar. Rheygne offers a slight smile at the intense gaze directed towards them. "Friend of yours?" she lets the smirk play about her full lips turning to Alaric.

"Student." Alaric replies shortly. "Who are you?" his arms cross over his chest and he straightens up in his chair.

"Let's move onto how you can help me." Rheygne brushes off his question without care. She wants answers and the fact she's going on a lead from a demon is so … 'I must be crazy to believe it was telling the truth.' But she was at a dead end with the clues Theo left behind. And their grandfather wasn't going to get involved; he made that extremely clear the day Theo walked out on them. "And I, you." Rheygne rests her arms on the table leaning towards him as her voice drops slightly. Alaric knows its not going to affect Caroline's eavesdropping.

"Help me…what?" Alaric has the distinct feeling he already knows what kind of 'help' she's offering him. It's unsettling because that is what he does-or should be doing. It's why he came to Mystic Falls in the first place- one of the reasons.

"With your infestation problem. Here. In Mystic Falls." Rheygne doesn't get why he's being so reticent. Hell! The Winchesters hadn't been so hard to crack once she got past Dean and came clean about why she was on her own and what she was doing. Allowing her to Hunt with alone with him? Yeah, that had been a totally different nut to crack with John but then he was usually off on his own Hunt.

"I'm … managing fine."

Rheygne's eyes narrow on him. She doesn't understand why he's slightly flippin' out at the offer. He's all twitchy in his seat, eyes constantly darting towards the bar and his hands are fisted she can see the whites of his knuckles. "… right … I'll try not to burst your bubble." She sits up, her expression forcibly relaxed as she looks him over once more. "Denial doesn't look half bad on you."

"You mustn't need my help…" Alaric eyes her, lips pressed into disapproval. He's curious for sure. This 'girl' comes out of nowhere asking for answers-which she hasn't even asked him the questions to- offering her services as a fellow Hunter- 'How old is she?' His frown elicits some kind of apology.

"My bad." Rheygne chokes down the rest of her sarcastic quips and looks into his eyes. "I just …" she's' all kinds of conflicted. Sad because Theo is dead. Angry because he's dead and she doesn't know why and because the idiot never asked for help when he'd clearly needed it. Worried she'll never find out what happened-the reason for any of it. Scared she won't like the answers she's looking for. Anxious because she's following a lead they tortured out of a demon and those are all a bunch of liars anyway.

Rheygne drags in a fortifying breath, pulls out her cell phone and slides it across the table. Alaric spares it a glance before taking it in hand. His brow furrows, thinking maybe he's seen the sketch before but he's not sure and skips through the images on her cell.

"My brother… he drew this. I don't know why or where it's from but I'm sure this is why he's dead." Rheygne clears her throat, her eyes filling with hope as she watches Alaric glance up from the image in his hand. "You knew Daniel Elkins. The kind of Hunt he preferred… my brother, Theo, he -."

"Here you are." Matt gives a perfunctory smile and sets the plate in front of Alaric. "Can I get you anything?" his smile is polite as he looks at her. Curiosity and annoyance with Caroline for hissing at him the girl with Alaric is trouble. He really doesn't need more trouble in his life when his friends bring him plenty of it.

Rheygne stamps down annoyance for the interruption and forces a pleasant smile on her face. "Nope. I'm good. Thanks. Bye." She practically runs him off, turning in her seat slightly as he starts to move off and catches the little blond at the bar still watching.

Matt's brow furrows. He isn't sure how to take the dismissal but he walks away, a faltering smile on his face that fades once his back turns on the table.

"How is Daniel?" Alaric draws her attention and takes up his fork. He spears a carrot from his plate, eyes intent on her. Rheygne's head tilts slightly, an exasperated exhale the only sign of annoyance.

"Dead. Unless you didn't know…?" Rheygne eyes him. Being tested is a given especially when they take one look at her. All they see is the 'tiny girl', big amber eyes with a pout dressed like a little rebel. No one ever bothers to look past the surface and see the experienced Hunter Reîgner raised from the age of six when his son was taken from the world.

'Now it's just the two of us. Grandpa and me, we're all that's left of two Hunter families…' sadness fills her heart at the loss. Stories she had grown up hearing from her Mother, about the loup-garou wars in France… Well, there were no more stories to tell.

"You've seen this." Rheygne is positive as she grabs her phone back from the table. She doesn't take her eyes from him and the fact he's still to take a bite from his food. She shakes her head at him when Alaric sets his fork down and begins a protest. "Not an airhead, man." She frowns staring at him. "What do you know?"

Alaric sits back in his chair. His food left untouched and over her shoulder he can see Caroline intently watching them.

Listening.

Curiosity. It gets you every time and Alaric is definitely intrigued by the unasked questions this 'girl' wants him to answer. And they have a 'friend' in common.

"Not here."

o0o0o0o0o0o

The house is dark- not exactly 'house' but it's where he lives or rather where Alaric keeps his belongings. Rheygne doesn't see the place getting much use and the dark smudge on her finger from where she ran it across the surface of the mantel is proof. She wipes her hands and moves across the sparse living room to the couch though she doesn't sit, and waits for Alaric to come back from his kitchen.

"Nice." She scans the room; large, looking for emergency exits and handy weapons- just in case; it never hurts to be prepared.

"It's…" Alaric trails off with a slight shrug. He motions to the couch and moves around to take a seat where he sets down both glasses. "Here." The ledger styled book he takes from the drawer in the coffee table is thin- not much information or rather, the answers Rheygne is looking to find.

"So…. How'd you get this?" Rheygne sneaks a glance at him through her lashes and the discomfort crossing his features is quickly wiped away.

"My… I knew someone who found this sort of thing interesting." Though at the time Alaric had not wanted to see it for the obsession it really was.

That 'my' registers but for now Rheygne is willing to let it go. She opens the book, scanning through the first couple of pages before silence and the steady gaze she should ignore draw hers from the neat script on the weathered pages.

"Are you going to start the lecture?"

Alaric's brow furrows but she doesn't seem at all upset over the idea. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"Oh, it's like that." Rheygne nods, the book is set on her lap and she crosses her hands over it, sitting back in the couch while leveling a stern gaze in his direction. "You're not the last one who's going to point out- like I don't know this already- the fact I'm a 'girl'." And she raises her hands to add air quotes, eyes rolling so Alaric's lips twitch with mild amusement. "That Hunting isn't for me because I'll get hurt or, oooh." She shudders mockingly. "Die. Cus this life, that's how you go out. Bloody and gory and painfully. Did I miss anything else?"

She sits there, her gaze never wavering and Alaric shakes his head. "You're a child." He mutters under his breath, still loud enough she hears him. He's just thinking of the lives already changed- Elena, Jeremy, Tyler, Caroline… so young and here there's another one ready to jump into the fire.

"I've been living this life longer than you." Rheygne retorts, the heat behind her words held in check. "Look, you've got vampires running around town picking off civilians. You don't want help taking care of this, fine. You think I'm just a girl out for an adventure, fine. I really don't care what you think of me. You don't know me so that's fair. But I am going to stick around a few days, do some Hunting of my own." She gets to her feet, the book in her hand. "I'll get this back to you once I make a copy." She eyes him. "Unless you want it back right this second?"

Alaric wonders- take it back, deny her access to his dead wife's research… send her angry out of his apartment to take it out on the Salvatore brothers, Caroline, Tyler…

"Keep it." Alaric gets to his feet, her surprise quickly hidden and he leads her to the door. "Just… be careful." He warns though he'll make sure to let the others know there's a Hunter in Mystic Falls. A very young one at that…

"Ok." Rheygne pauses mid-step before the partially open door and walking into the hall and out of the 'fake' apartment. There's something she's not getting and that feeling annoys her to no end every single time. Usually, in the end, it really ends up hurting. "Thank you."

"Your brother…" Alaric pauses with the door partially open. "He… how did he know Daniel?"

"Our grandfather." Another long story with tons of family history and adventure. "They exchanged information- he ran into a particularly rare sort of vampire. Hybrid." She shrugs her shoulder, brow furrowing. "I've never seen one, nor heard of one before that or since. My grandfather and Mr. Elkins took it down."

"Hybrids…" Alaric's thoughts spin in his head. Had Klaus managed to make hybrids before? And why pretend he hadn't…? "And your brother?"

"I don't know." Rheygne shifts her weight; the tight press of her lips says more about what she feels than her words. "He didn't want this life. As far as I knew, Theo was regular Joe and happy." There never was any real explanation as to why he'd take up the family legacy and never mention it to Pops or herself. There were a lot of questions as to why Theo had stayed away from them once he became a Hunter. And why go to Daniel Elkins in the first place? Why focus on vampires when there were other things to Hunt? A family legacy to follow…

"What kind of hybrid?" Alaric tries not to sound too interested.

Rheygne smirks, she doesn't hide the fact it's a bit farfetched but she knows better than to mock anything her grandfather says. He's usually right. "Vampire and werewolf." She smiles, head tilted slightly as she looks at him. "My Mother's family has a long history of Hunting. Overseas, of course." She points out. "La famille Henrié est bien connu des loups-garous en Europe."

And it was that war Pops says sent a branch of the family to the New World when there was a chance.

"I think there's some still left over there." She shrugs. "But we don't really do the family dinners or holidays." She grabs the sharpie ever handy in her back pocket and snags his hand. "You change your mind about Hunting, feel free to call." She smiles perfunctorily and drops his hand. "Or for questions. You seem the type." She opens the door wider and steps into the hall leaving Alaric to stand in the entrance.

'The Henrié family is well known to the werewolves in Europe...'

Alaric wonders if either of the Slavatore's have heard of them…?

Has Klaus?

o0o0o0o0o0o