When Riley woke up, she found herself back in the car. Hours had passed and they had already entered Kentucky. Klaus refused to answer any of her questions. He would not even tell her or Stefan where they were currently heading, not giving so much as the town. His last words to her before knocking her out in the woods had not left her mind. During the long drive, she tried to figure out if she ever met Klaus. She could not remember any other time that she saw him. Klaus was not someone that she would forget, especially since he had bitten her during what she thought was their first encounter. She was unsure if he was lying to keep her with him or telling the truth. If he was being honest, it led to more questions, including how and why her memory of him had been erased. In protest of him telling her nothing, she stayed quiet during the car ride, not answering him when he spoke to her.

They were currently driving through Illinois. To pass the time, Riley read a book. She had not looked at Klaus or Stefan once for the past eight hours. The driver stopped at a fast food restaurant and Klaus told Stefan to buy food for Riley. Stefan stepped out of the car. Riley kept her eyes on her book.

"I don't want food"

"Ah, she speaks. You need to eat, love. I can hear your stomach growling"

"I would rather starve than accept food from you. At least it would get me out of this stupid trip"

"Riley, there's no need to be angry with me"

"You think I'm angry? No. You just told me that I'm never going home and slammed my head into a tree. I'm not angry. I want to rip your head off"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Klaus smirk. It frustrated her that no matter what she said, he never became irritated or angry with her. He was amused by her sarcastic remarks.

"You'll enjoy being with me. Hasn't this trip been a tiny bit fun?"

"Nope. You know what else isn't fun? Lying that I knew you before you decided to make me your late night snack"

"That wasn't a lie"

"I don't care if I'm another doppelganger"

"You're not"

"Or some weird reincarnation of a past love"

"That isn't it either. When your parents are ready, I'm sure they'll tell you the truth"

Riley gripped the pages of her book. She was not going to listen to him slander her parents. Silently, she cast a spell. He clutched his throat, beginning to choke. She used magic to reduce the feeling that she was getting in her throat from their connection. After a minute, she reversed the spell and threatened him that if he ever said anything bad about her parents again, she would hurt him ten times worse. Stefan returned to the car with chicken nuggets and french fries. She immediately threw the bag out the window.

"Wh—Riley"

"Let it go, Stefan. Our little witch isn't in the mood to eat"

The car entered a storage facility. Klaus revealed that they were in Chicago. A truck was driving towards them, carrying the coffins. Stefan admitted that he blacked out most of the 1920s when he had been in this city. All he could remember was that it involved a lot of partying and bloodshed. Klaus wanted to visit his so-called favorite witch to find a solution for his hybrid problem. As she followed him through the city, she noticed some people staring at her. One of them, a middle-aged woman, looked almost frightened. Riley checked her appearance in the window of a boutique to see what could be offending them. Her skirt might have been a little too short but she was not dressed like a prostitute. Klaus and Stefan entered Gloria's, a bar. She walked towards the bar but was stopped by an invisible force. It tugged at her navel, preventing her from moving closer. She looked at the amulet. The eyes of the two snakes glittered in the sunlight.

From outside, she could see Klaus speaking to a dark-skinned woman in her forties with cropped platinum blonde hair. The woman, who he called Gloria, was a powerful witch. She had been able to slow down her aging so that she looked young despite being alive during the 1920s.

"Sweetheart, I don't want us to be separated. Come in here"

Riley struggled to fight the invisible force that repelled her from the bar. With a little concentration, she broke the hold on her and walked through the door. Stefan was behind the counter, making drinks. Klaus was sitting at a table with Gloria.

"No need to be shy. Gloria's an old friend. This is R"

Gloria glared. "Get her out of here"

"Now Gloria, I promise not to serve any minors"

"I said get her out of my bar"

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Riley, confused.

"Riley, why don't you wait outside? We won't be long" said Klaus, hearing the anger in Gloria's voice.

Riley sat on a bench outside the bar. Taking out a compact mirror, she cast a spell to spy on Klaus. The mirror showed the inside of the bar. Gloria was avoiding his questions about her strange behavior around Riley. Their discussion shifted to his hybrid problem. Gloria explained that to find a loophole in the curse, she needed to contact the witch who created it. The side of Riley's head vibrated. She removed the barrette, transfiguring it into the phone.

"Hello my favorite shorty"

"Damon, why are you calling?"

"Surprised you can even answer with Klaus around"

"He's inside some bar, talking to a witch about why he can't make new hybrids. She doesn't like me"

"What bar?"

"Gloria's. I don't know how much longer they'll be in there"

"Well don't worry. I'm coming to the rescue. Once we're in Chicago, you won't be Klaus's hostage anymore"

"Let's hope so"

Seeing Klaus leave the bar, she hung up the phone and put the barrette back in her hair. Klaus led her back to the storage facility. To contact the Original witch, the one who created the hybrid curse, Gloria needed his sister Rebekah. Riley was not excited about meeting another Original who shared a connection with her. Stefan was behind them, holding a photo. Sneaking a peek, she saw an old-time photo of him and Klaus in suits. She looked at him for an explanation but he did not seem to have one.

"I hope Gloria didn't scare you. She's paranoid in her old age"

"That's all you think it is?" she asked, remembering how others looked at her in the city.

"Is something bothering you?"

"No" she lied.

Angrily, Stefan questioned Klaus about knowing each other during the 1920s. Klaus would only tell him that they were not friends at first and Stefan had also met Rebekah. Riley made the connection that Klaus had compelled Stefan to forget about their previous encounters. She was curious why Klaus wiped his memories. Opening one of the coffins, Klaus removed the dagger from Rebekah's chest. She was still dressed in twenties attire. Stefan did not recognize her. Even with the dagger out, her skin remained ashy grey. Klaus compelled a security guard to tell Rebekah to meet them at Gloria's and let her feed from him. He wanted to prove that he knew Stefan by going to his old apartment. Riley stopped, a thought nagging her in the back of her mind. Klaus turned towards her.

"Have you lost the ability to walk, love? It isn't that far"

"I'm hungry"

"Oh now you're hungry?" asked Stefan.

"Can I have money and go get food? I promise not to run away. It's not like I have a car to go anywhere, Klaus. Please?" she said, pouting.

He handed her some cash. "You'll meet us outside the bar. Behave yourself" he whispered.

Riley waited for them to disappear down the street. Once they were completely out of sight, she headed over to the bar. It was now packed with people. Ignoring guys offering to buy her drinks, she searched for Gloria. She was behind the counter, wiping it with a rag while speaking to Damon. Riley shook her head when he flirted with her.

"They'll be back here later tonight. They're out running a little errand for me"

Damon rested his hand over hers. "Gloria, don't be a tease. What kind of errand?"

"I don't think so. You may be cute but you're still a vampire" she said, moving his wand.

Riley stood next to Damon. "Well I'm not"

Gloria's smile faltered. She turned her back, picking up glasses.

"Ooh, did it just get chilly in here?" asked Damon.

"I want to know why you freaked out when you saw me"

Gloria remained silent, pouring drinks. Riley's fists clenched. A rush of energy flowed through her. Gloria was forcibly turned around, facing her. Damon looked at Riley, shocked.

"It's rude not to answer people when they're talking to you. Now this can go two ways. The easy way is you just telling me what I want to know. The hard way involves me dragging you out back and painfully ripping out the information from your head"

Gloria put down the rag. "You know, Klaus isn't the only one the witches talk about these days. You're a hot topic, Riley"

"How do you know my name?"

"Like I said, witches talk. It started as rumors about eighteen years ago after you were born. The rumors turned to real accounts of little incidents involving you. Then when you went in that cave with your uncle, we all know it was true"

"Why do you care about me? You're a witch too. I know that I'm descended from the original line"

With a chuckle, Gloria agreed but claimed Riley did not know the full story. She explained that Riley was a descendant from two original witch bloodlines, one for regular magic and one for dark magic. The originators of dark magic appeared a few centuries after the first witches, pushing the boundaries of magic for nefarious purposes. There were two separate covens for each branch of magic, constantly at war. In a sort of Romeo and Juliet scenario, a warlock from the light coven and a witch from the dark coven developed romantic feelings for each other, leading to a child. Riley learned that the woman she saw in her dreams was the leader of the dark coven at the time. The other witches had caused her death, as a way to eliminate dark magic, but were unaware that she produced a child with the mixed bloodlines. The symbol of the intertwined snakes represented that union between the covens. In an attempt to suppress such power, they cast a curse to prevent any of that child's descendants from being witches. Riley was the first to break through the curse.

"You're the devil in a mini skirt"

"Hold on, Riley isn't some evil witch" defended Damon.

"She's a ticking time bomb. That darkness will consume her and being around Klaus won't do her any favors. You can't fight the darkness, sweetie. There's a reason that witches bound that power. It's too much for one person, especially a little girl. I'd keep a low profile. A lot of witches want to see you dead"

Quietly, she left the bar. She ran her hand through her hair, pacing around the parking lot. Someone grabbed her waist, spinning her towards him. It was Damon.

"Ignore Gloria"

"Ignore that she said I'm like some evil demon witch? Or should I just ignore that every witch wants me dead?"

"Riley"

"I didn't even—okay, I did magic when I was little but I didn't even realize it until a few months ago. Now I find out that I'm like target number one for a witchy hit list. It's not comforting"

"Gloria's wrong. I know that you're not a bad person. Come with me. Elena's waiting and Gloria is right about one thing. Staying with Klaus is bad"

"I can't leave now. Just go. I'll be fine"

"Tonight, I'm bringing you back to Mystic Falls. I promise you that"

Damon vanished from the parking lot. A group of guys passed by her, carrying bags of liquor. Using her magic, she made them give her one of the bags. While she waited for Klaus, she drank a bottle of whiskey. She wished that she was home. Her parents would be able to assuage her fears about her magic. As she finished her second bottle of whiskey, she heard the door open behind her.

"This is where you've been for the past hour and a half?"

"It's been this long? Didn't realize"

Klaus bent down to her and snatched the bottle. "Why are you drinking?"

"It's how I'm coping with the fact that I'm going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life. Give it back"

"You're lying"

"And you're a jerk"

He forced her into the bar. They sat at the counter. Gloria avoided any eye contact with her. Riley picked up Stefan's half-empty glass of scotch. Klaus pestered her about what had gotten her upset in the past hour. She downed the scotch and magically refilled the glass. Klaus reached for her hand. She moved her hand, placing it on her lap.

"Stop trying to talk to me. I don't want to talk"

"I don't like to see you upset"

"Then you shouldn't have blackmailed me into leaving with you"

Damon sat on the other side of Klaus. The bar was empty except for the three of them. Gloria had gone into a back room. Klaus did not look pleased with Damon's presence. Damon suggested that if he returned Stefan and Riley, Klaus would never see him again.

"Well I am torn. You see, I promised Stefan that I wouldn't let you die but how many freebies did I really sign up for? Clearly, you want to die otherwise you wouldn't be here…"

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker"

Klaus grabbed him by the throat. "Klaus, don't" pleaded Riley.

He lifted Damon up from the floor. Toying with him, he pierced him with a cocktail umbrella in different parts of the body. Damon groaned in pain. He offered to take Stefan's place. Klaus threw him down to the ground. He ripped off a chair leg.

"You won't be any fun after you're dead"

Riley stood in front of Damon. "Klaus, don't. Just let him go"

The angered expression in his eyes softened. He pushed her aside.

"Don't bother defending him, Riley. He's not worth your time"

She held onto his arm, stopping him from staking Damon. The chair leg caught fire. Gloria was standing behind the counter. She told Klaus that there was no fighting allowed inside the bar.

"You don't have to negotiate your brother's freedom. When I'm done with him, he won't want to go back. As for Riley, she's perfectly safe in my hands"

"I promise to get you home" Damon mouthed to her.

He left the bar, holding his side. Klaus wanted to check on Rebekah. He promised to meet with Gloria tomorrow morning. Gloria asked to speak to Riley privately. Once Klaus left, Gloria handed her a small map. A circle had been drawn around the woods.

"Meet me here after my talk with him and his sister"

"Why would I meet you anywhere? I don't trust you"

"I can help with your little problem, sweetie. You'll find a cottage in the woods. Meet me there. Better to trust a witch than a vampire. I didn't mean to scare you but you deserve to know the truth about your history"

"Fine. I'll sneak off and meet you. How are you going to help?"

"Don't worry about that"

Riley walked to the storage facility. She folded up the map and hid it in her bra. The security guard was laying motionless on the ground, blood pouring out of his neck. As if she needed anything else to ruin her night, Rebekah had woken up from her coffin. She was looking at Stefan with lovey-dovey eyes. Sniffing the air, she spotted Riley near a stack of crates. Her fangs emerged and she zoomed towards her.

"Rebekah, don't!"

Riley pushed her hand forward. Similar to the night of the sixties decade dance, a blinding white light emitted from her wand. It struck Rebekah, sending her flying through multiple walls. Riley was knocked back at the same time. Klaus caught her before she hit the concrete wall, holding her bridal style. Out of instinct, her arms wrapped around his neck. She had not expected that much power. Rebekah appeared in front of them, growling.

"Little bitch"

"Rebekah, you will not harm her. Riley is under my protection"

"You kept me in a box for 90 years and you're denying me a sweet snack like her?"

"If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I'll throw you back in that box" he hissed.

Klaus sat her down on one of the crates. "You're all right, love. Don't be afraid of her. She won't hurt you"

Rebekah scrunched her nose. While Klaus told Rebekah about wanting to contact the Original witch, Stefan sat beside Riley.

"That was a lot of power"

"I didn't mean to do that"

"I remember everything. Klaus brought back my memories. It's unreal that I forgot all of this"

Rebekah touched her bare neck, as though expecting to find a necklace. She freaked out, insisting that she never removed it. Stefan's face was filled with worry, watching Rebekah tip over her coffin in anger.

"What do you know?" Riley whispered in his ear.

"Her necklace is the same one that Elena wears" he mouthed.

Riley sighed to herself. She should not have been surprised that it would all circle back to Elena. Stefan quietly told her that the Chicago police had raided Gloria's bar. Rebekah and Klaus left in a hurry and she accidentally dropped her necklace. Stefan took it with him after he was questioned by a man looking for the two Originals. Due to the compulsion by Klaus, he could not remember them.

"So he was looking for them?"

"I think they knew it was him that caused the raid. They ran out of there really fast"

"My dad might know something. Before the sacrifice, Klaus had cornered me outside the grill. My dad stopped him and mentioned someone. He didn't say a name…just that my parents knew where he was and it definitely scared Klaus"

"I wonder who it is"

"It has to be someone bad if he can scare an Original vampire. I have a plan. I was able to sneak a phone out of that bar in Tennessee. I will distract Klaus, use magic to keep him distracted, and then call my dad for some answers. Maybe if we know who this scary guy is, it could get you out of helping Klaus"

"And how are you going to distract Klaus?"

Klaus looked furious with his little sister. Rebekah stopped tearing apart the coffin. Riley offered to take her shopping in the morning for new clothes. She suggested that it would be easier for Rebekah to blend in if she was wearing clothes from this century. The next morning, they were shopping at a high-end boutique. Rebekah proved to be a difficult shopper. She hated most of the clothing in the store. It did not help that she seemed to dislike Riley greatly. As part of her plan, Riley tried on clothes. She chose very revealing clothing, which easily got Klaus's attention. He and Stefan were sitting outside the changing rooms, drinking glasses of champagne. Rebekah was complaining, once again, about the clothing style.

"Why are you so grumpy?" she heard Rebekah ask.

"I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids were dying…your necklace and you lost it" said Klaus.

"I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for ninety years"

Riley left the changing room, wearing a low-cut black leather dress that stopped at her upper thighs. Klaus's grumpy demeanor vanished in an instant. His eyes were traveling over her body. Rebekah crossed her arms.

"So I was right. Women in this century do dress like prostitutes"

Riley smiled at Klaus. "If you've got a hot body, why not flaunt it?"

"I agree"

Rebekah scoffed, returning to her changing room. Riley gave Stefan a subtle wink. As she walked back to her room, she lied she needed help with the zipper. There was a knock on the door. Opening it, she saw Klaus.

"I'll be more than happy to assist"

"What a shock"

"I think you should definitely buy this dress"

"Why? So you can keep drooling over me in it?"

"I wasn't drooling"

"Oh please, you could create a whole new ocean with the drool coming from your mouth"

He smiled, pulling down the zipper. "You could look ravishing in a potato sack"

Riley focused on him in the mirror. He froze in place, his hand still on the zipper. The spell would not last for a very long time. She called her father. The call went straight to voice mail.

"Dad, it's me. I promise that I'm safe. I need to know what leverage you have over Klaus. It could help with getting me home. Just tell me who scares him so much. I really miss you"

She hid the phone in the pocket of her shorts. Klaus began to move. He blinked a couple times.

"It doesn't take that long to move a zipper, does it?"

"Was I asleep?"

"No..."

"It felt as if I blacked out"

"Good excuse for getting to hold me this long. Time's up"

Keeping her dress up, she pushed him out of the changing room…

A/N: Thanks for reading. In this chapter, Riley learned more about her witch history. It's a lot for her to take in because, as she said to Damon, she did not even know about her abilities until she returned to Mystic Falls. She is just starting to learn control and accept herself as a witch then Gloria basically tells her that the other witches see her as a danger. The next chapter will start Riley's own personal arc besides dealing with the Originals and other things in season 3.