Keeping her dress up, she pushed him out of the changing room. Riley took her time in the room, pretending to try on the rest of her outfits. She was attempting to stall Klaus for as long as possible from learning that Elena was alive and in possession of the necklace he needed to figure out the solution to his hybrid problem. If he did figure out the truth, that Elena had not actually died during the sacrifice, she doubted that he would show much leniency to Stefan or her. She could not come up with any scenario where Klaus would ignore that she lied to him over the past few months. From what Stefan said, Elena's death was the key to create other successful hybrids. She checked her phone repeatedly, hoping to see a voicemail from her father or at least a text. Klaus called out to her, telling her to finish trying out on outfits so that they could head over to Gloria's. As she tied her sneakers, she heard her phone vibrate.

Picking up the phone, she saw a text from her father. It merely said It isn't the time for that conversation. Just trust that your mother and I will find a way to get you home. She hid the phone in her shorts and left the changing room. Klaus was sitting in the red chair, drinking champagne. Stefan had gone outside for 'fresh air'. Riley could not see him anywhere near the boutique. As she checked for him on the sidewalk, she felt a tug on her waist. She ended up on Klaus's lap. He poured champagne in Stefan's empty glass and handed it to her.

"I'm not getting drunk with you"

"You didn't seem to mind that last night"

"Last night, I had a reason"

"Yes, which you haven't told me yet"

"I did tell you. You just refuse to believe that someone could hate being stuck with you"

"I do wish you'd be honest with me, Riley"

"Are you two lovebirds finished?" she heard Rebekah say in a disgusted tone.

Rebekah left the changing rooms, carrying a stack of clothes. Riley followed her over to the register. While Rebekah bought out half the boutique, Riley did not purchase any outfits. Klaus handed her a small bag, containing the black leather dress.

"I am not wearing this"

"I'm sure you'll find some use for it. It would be a shame to not buy such a lovely dress, especially when it looks perfect on you"

After they dropped off Rebekah's new clothes in the truck, they walked towards the bar. Stefan had not joined them, being somewhere in the city. Riley was hesitant to see Gloria again. The two of them were certainly not close friends. Though Riley would later meet Gloria in the woods for some magic help, she did not fully trust her. Gloria explained to Klaus that she would use magic to locate the necklace that belonged to the Original witch. Riley was curious if they were referring to her ancestors. While Gloria placed candles on a table, Klaus sat Riley on his lap again.

"You know, there are other seats that I can use"

"I'd prefer that you were right here. You comfort me. You always did"

Riley's fists clenched. She was frustrated that he referenced their supposed past together. When she found her way back to Mystic Falls, she would not let her parents leave the room until she learned the truth. Eyes closed, Gloria moved her hands over a grimoire. She was having no luck in finding the necklace. Klaus was slowly getting impatient.

"You could let me try. I bet I'd do better than her with this spell" suggested Riley, thinking that she could lie about the necklace's location to give Elena time to get rid of it.

Klaus put down his glass and rested his head on her shoulder. His breath on her neck made her shiver.

"While I have no doubt that you are a very powerful witch, Gloria is a bit more experienced, love. She'll find it…or today will be her last day alive"

"Charming" she said, sarcastically.

Rebekah was watching them with a shrewd look in her eyes. Their conversation was interrupted by Stefan entering the bar. He lied about needing a break from their shopping trip. When Klaus made a remark about Gloria failing with her spell, Rebekah offered to act as a conduit since she wore the necklace for a thousand years. Sitting on the table, she let Gloria hold her hand. Stefan looked uneasy.

"Wipe that look off your face. If they notice it, we're dead" she mouthed.

He crossed his arms, leaning against the bar. Riley felt Klaus's lips brush her neck. She grabbed a knife and jammed it into his thigh.

"If you try that again, I'll use this to slice off your mini Klaus" she hissed.

"One day, you'll beg for my lips to touch more than your neck" he whispered in her ear, his thumb brushing against her bare hip.

"You can't do that if I rip off your lips"

"I admire that fire of yours"

"I found it" said Gloria.

Thankfully, the spell had not given her precise location. She had seen images in her head of three girls. Riley immediately knew that she was referring to Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie. Rebekah was a bit violent, ready to kill them for having her necklace. Gloria requested more time to get better details. Stefan suggested that they find some people to feed on and return to the bar later in the day.

As Riley left the bar, she shared a quick glance with Gloria. Klaus compelled three girls to come with them back to the storage facility. Riley hid her disgust as they fed on the girls. Rebekah tossed her girl to the floor and sat on a small crate, pouting. Klaus joked about her being annoying. She whined when Stefan laughed at his comment, claiming that Stefan used to love her. Her anger only worsened as Klaus insinuated that she was a brat.

"Stop being mean to her" said Riley.

"I don't need your help" replied Rebekah.

"Ignore her. She tends to get jealous"

Rebekah glared at Klaus. "I am not jealous of her. Stop it"

"Well while you two fight, I'm leaving"

"For where?" asked Klaus, suspiciously.

"The bathroom. That's something humans need to use sometimes. I can find it by myself. I don't need anyone to hold my hand on the way there"

Riley walked out of the storage facility. Grabbing the map from her shorts, she followed it to the nearby woods. She was wary of her surroundings, being far from the city. Ten minutes later, she found the cottage near a lake. The cottage looked like it had been uninhabited for many years. It was covered in dust and cobwebs. Waiting for Gloria, she sat on the tattered couch. She heard a loud creaking noise upstairs. Conjuring a ball of fire in her hand, she snuck over to the stairs. The creaking noises continued, emitting from all different corners of the cottage.

"Whoever this is, just come out. Stop being a wimp"

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head. She clutched her head, falling to her knees. A cloth covered her mouth. She struggled against the person's grip, grabbing their wrist. The person cried out as a burn formed on their wrist from her magic. Everything around her turned to black.

When Riley woke up, she was no longer in the cottage. She was somewhere underground, laying on a cold metal table. Her arms and legs had been restrained, making it impossible to cast any spells. The concrete walls of the dimly lit room were covered in dirt, blood, and scratch marks. Turning her head, she saw that the table was surrounded by a circle of black powder. The door opened and a dozen hooded figures entered the room, holding candles. They placed the candles around the table. One of the figures stepped towards her, pulling down their hood and revealing a middle-aged man with cold grey eyes. He smiled at her, only making her more uncomfortable.

"Hello Riley. My name is Alec Burke"

"I don't give a damn who you are. Let me go"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. There's no reason to be afraid. The other witches and I only want to help you. I am the leader of this coven"

She scoffed. "You want to help me? How does keeping me strapped to a table help me? I don't need some witchy intervention"

"We're going to cleanse you. Don't try to use magic. The powder around the table prevents it"

Alec sliced both of her palms with a silver dagger. He used the dagger to rip open her shirt and made a long gash across her stomach. The other witches ignored her screams. Alec crushed a yellow herb in his hand and pressed his hand into her stomach. Her stomach felt like it was on fire.

"P—please, stop"

"My, you're very strong already. We've been underestimating you. There's all this hidden potential"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Gloria mentioned that you were with the hybrid…a very bad combination. You have far too much power for you to handle, Riley. I am going to relieve you of this burden"

"By killing me?"

"Not yet. First, I am going to take your magic"

She looked at him, confused. Alec explained that he wanted her magic for himself. He had been waiting for the opportunity to find a witch with her mixed bloodline. When he first heard about her, he planned to snatch her from Mystic Falls but she was heavily protected by Bonnie's mother and grandmother, both witches. He instead learned more about her through John, who had no idea that Alec could use magic. According to Alec, many witches were eager to take her magic, either for their entire coven or just for themselves. Even if he sapped her of her magic completely, it would not work for him until she was dead. She begged for any of the other witches in the room to help her. All of them kept their heads down. They began to chant and she struggled to breathe. Alec joined the chanting, not moving his hand from her stomach.

"You're a fighter. I like that"

"Please don't do this"

"What's happening to your eyes?"

The eyes of the snakes on her amulet glowed bright green. As the pain got worse, she let out a piercing scream. The room shook violently. One of the witches begged Alec to let go of Riley. He refused, threatening that if she did not continue the spell, he would rip out her heart. Cracks formed in the ground and on the walls. Riley panicked as the ceiling caved in and shut her eyes, expecting the concrete ceiling to crush her. After a few seconds, she felt nothing and nervously opened her eyes. The witches, including Alec, were buried under the debris. Her restraints snapped open. Riley hurried out of the room, holding her stomach. She could barely walk a few steps before she had to stop to catch her breath. Finding a set of wooden stairs, she climbed out of the cellar. The woods around her were unfamiliar. Two of the witches, a girl and guy in their early twenties, emerged from the cellar.

Riley pushed her hand forward. The girl was thrown back, slamming into the ground. Holding her stomach, she ran through the woods. She spotted the cottage just a couple feet away. The guy chased after her, tackling her into the lake. He dragged her out of the lake by her hair. She realized that her wounds were partially healed. He backhanded her and raised the dagger. Desperately crying out for help, she grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from hurting her. Blood seeped from his nose. His face became sunken and ashy grey. He slowly resembled a corpse. Riley screamed in terror as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell into the lake. Someone lifted her up from the ground. Klaus was in front of her.

"Riley, what's happened? You're hurt"

Veins protruded under his eyes. She stepped back, thinking that he was going to bite her. He groaned, holding the sides of his head.

"Riley"

"Get away from me"

"You're in a state of shock. Just talk to"

"Get away from me!"

Flames popped up near him. He jumped back, telling her to reverse the spell. His face returned to normal. He moved in front of her.

"Who did this to you? I'll"

"You'll what? This is your fault!"

"Riley, I would never harm you"

"Says the guy who bit me before and kept me hostage for months! If I wasn't stuck with you, I would be home in Mystic Falls! I'd be hanging out with my friends! I wouldn't be in Chicago, almost dying!"

"You're injured. Let me heal you" he said, biting into his wrist.

"I don't want your blood! I'd rather die than ever let your blood inside me"

"Fine. I'll let you heal your own injuries. Come with me and tell me how I can make you feel better"

"I want to go home. Just let me go home"

"Riley, I already told you" he started.

"I don't care!"

Tears filled her eyes. The only other time she felt this vulnerable was the night that Klaus attacked her. She was afraid that those other witches, especially Alec, were not dead. This near-death experience really shook her. Being Klaus's friend happened to be the last thing on her mind.

"I—I killed people. Look at him" she said, her voice cracking.

Klaus spotted the body in the lake. "Riley, it was self defense"

"No, self defense would have been stabbing him and then keep running. He's—I don't even know what to call that and the others were flattened like pancakes. I didn't even know what I was doing"

"Riley, I can help you with your magic"

She sniffled. "No. I want to go home. I want my parents. I want to hear my dad tell a stupid joke to make me feel better and my mom to come up with some long explanation that makes like no sense to me. You keep saying that you care so if you mean it, then give me the keys to the car and let me go home"

Klaus handed her the keys. Tilting her chin up, he looked into her eyes.

"Do not let this break you. I know how strong you are. Whoever hurt you, I will make sure that they pay"

He kissed her forehead. Riley silently thanked him and headed over to the bar. It was pitch black outside, meaning no one could see her wounds. She healed the gash across her stomach. Entering the bar, she saw Stefan covering Gloria's body with a tarp. Katherine was standing next to him.

"Mini Gilbert, that is an interesting new style. You pull off the Carrie look very well" she said, seeing Riley covered in blood.

"Don't ask what happened" said Riley, seeing the worry on Stefan's face.

"You have cuts on your hands and are covered in blood. You really don't want me to ask questions?"

"Gloria screwed me over. I came here to kick the crap out of her but looks like someone beat me to it. How did she die?"

"That would be me" replied Katherine, smirking.

As Katherine offered to help Stefan with his plan, Riley bent down to Gloria's body. There was a nasty burn on her wrist. She was not completely dead yet. Riley touched the palm of her hand. An invisible force flowed through her. It made her feel even stronger. Stefan picked up Gloria and left the bar.

"Did he reject you?"

"He's being stubborn. He thinks he's clever and can trick Klaus by finding out who this hunter is…"

"A hunter? That's who Klaus is scared of?"

"Apparently. So mini Gilbert, how is Klaus allowing you to walk around without a leash?"

"Well after what happened tonight, he's letting me go home to Mystic Falls. Do you want to come with me?"

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I have a feeling that this hunter is the same person that my parents know. Plus it's only a matter of time before Klaus figures out that the necklace is in Mystic Falls. We can take it and hide it somewhere that he can't get it"

"I like how you think"

For the next eleven hours, they drove back to Mystic Falls. During the long drive, Riley was able to locate the necklace. It was currently with Bonnie. They formed a plan to sneak it away from her while Riley tried to find out more about this vampire hunter from her parents. When they reached her house, Katherine disappeared to find out what they had missed in town. Riley knocked on the front door. As it opened, she saw her father.

"Hey da"

He hugged her tightly. "Riley, how are you—did Klaus come back here?"

"No, it's just me. He let me go"

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm home…and really hungry"

Her father brought her into the kitchen. Seeing Riley, her mother dropped her spatula. Riley was subjected to a bone-crushing hug for nearly five minutes. Her mother made her an entire breakfast feast. She made sure that Riley ate multiple helpings of food.

"Mom, he didn't make me starve for months. I ate while I was gone"

"All I care about is that my little girl is home. If he hurt you"

"He didn't. I don't want to go into all the details of my trip. Can we save it for another day?"

"Of course, sweetheart. You rest for as long as you need. We won't tell everybody that you're back until you're ready"

"You can tell them today. There is something I need to talk about with you…well, a couple things. You can't ignore my texts anymore. I want to know who can scare Klaus. He's looking for Elena's necklace"

"Her necklace? Why?" asked her father, confused.

"It belonged to the Original witch, the one who put the hybrid curse on him. He needed it to figure out why he can't make more hybrids. Long story short, his sister Rebekah had it until she lost it at a club and Stefan took it then gave it to Elena. The witch he was using is dead but he'll find another…and he'll realize that Elena is alive"

"Riley, we can't talk about this—person. It's a secret"

"Dad, come on. I deserve to know after I was on the road trip from Hell this summer"

"We swore to keep it a secret. Even if we told you, he's not exactly alive at the moment"

"Fine. Then tell me why Klaus thinks I knew him before he made a meal out of me in France"

There was an awkward tension in the kitchen. Riley had expected either of her parents to deny it or claim that Klaus was putting on an act to gain her trust. Her father admitted that he and her mother used to work for Klaus. When they were sophomores in college, her grandfather on her mother's side had gotten into a bad situation with him and they offered to work for him in exchange for her grandfather's safety. Her parents would help Klaus locate powerful witches, find magical objects, and track Katherine's whereabouts over the years. He found them useful since they were part of the Mystic Falls town council and no one would suspect them of aiding a vampire. Sometimes, he would even visit them at the college. By their senior year, when Riley was about two years old, he considered them part of his inner circle. They were already aware that vampires were very attracted to her blood and used magical herbs to hide her scent from Klaus. Her parents decided to break free from his hold, leading to many arguments between Klaus and them. After a particularly bad fight, where her father threatened to send this hunter after Klaus, they were allowed to stop helping him.

"We never liked working for him. This hunter came to Mystic Falls, looking for Elena. If Klaus knew that he was here, he would be right behind him to see why he came to this little town. We didn't want him to find Elena so we distracted him by telling him that we wanted out" explained her mother.

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"We asked a witch friend to erase your memories. That was a part of our past that we wanted to forget. We always worried that he would catch your scent and kill you right in front of us. There were a few close calls"

"So all this time, you knew that he attacked me?"

"No. We weren't sure. With all of his siblings, it's hard to keep track of who is alive and who is in one of those coffins. Sweetheart, we did this to protect you. Klaus is not going to take you again. If he so much as touches you, I'll snap his neck repeatedly until his head falls off of his body" said her father.

Her head was reeling from all of this information. She could not imagine her parents working for Klaus. Going up to her room, she found her spell books. She found an old photo album in her closet and sat on her bed. Flipping through the album, she took out a photo of her and her parents in a small apartment. They had lived there until her parents graduated from college. She cast a spell on the photo, attempting to extract some memories. Placing the photo under her pillow, she fell asleep.

~Riley found herself in the old apartment. Her two year old self was drawing in a notebook while sitting in front of the TV. The spell had allowed her to see one of the repressed memories. There was a knock on the door. Her mother walked over to the door, holding a stack of books. She told her younger self to not make a mess on the carpet. As she opened the door, Riley saw Klaus. Her mother looked surprised.

"Klaus"

"Hello Alice. I heard that you purchased a new home. I thought I would paid a visit"

"It's not much of a home…just a little apartment"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"O—of course. Come in and I'll get Brendon. Sorry about the mess. I've got a big exam tomorrow morning"

Klaus stepped into the apartment. Her mother put the books down on the floor and left the living room. He walked over to her younger self.

"How is my little artist today?"

"Hi Mr. Klaus"

Riley rolled her eyes when he sat on the couch, placing her on his lap. Even as a little girl, he did this to her. He picked up her drawing.

"This is a very good cat"

"It's an owl" she said, looking upset.

"Ah, I see that now"

She giggled. "I was joking. It's a cat"

He smiled. "Very impressive. Perhaps next time, I will bring one of my own drawings"

Her younger self stared at the floor, playing with her hair. "I don't think you can come here again"

"Why is that?"

"I heard my mommy and daddy talking. I don't think they like helping you. Daddy said you were a bad person"

"I've heard that quite often throughout my life, Riley. Do you believe that?"

"No, I think you're really nice. Maybe my daddy can't see it but I do" she said, hugging him.

Riley resisted the urge to vomit. She remembered how Klaus told her that she saw the good in him and could not believe he was basing that on what she said as a two year old. Her parents entered the living room. His demeanor instantly changed. She could tell that he was now suspicious of them. Since her younger self was busy watching a cartoon, she did not hear their entire conversation.

"I'd just like you to remember that the only reason Alice's father is still alive is because of your work for me. Is that clear?"

"Klaus, she's a child. She misunderstands things" said her father.

"I hope that's true"

He sniffed the air. "What is that smell? It's very sweet"

"I was baking some cookies for Riley"

"It's not that"

"It's me" said her younger self.

As Klaus looked at her, her father shook his head slightly. Her younger self told Klaus that it was her mother's old perfume.

"Do I smell nice like her?"

"Yes. Remember what I told you two. I expect answers when I return tomorrow morning"

He opened the door. Before leaving, he looked back at her younger self, intrigued~

Riley woke up, breathing heavily. Returning the photo to the album, she laid down on her bed and drifted back to sleep…

A/N: Thanks for reading. Now that Riley is back in Mystic Falls, she is going to be focused on controlling her magic and testing the limits of her abilities since the incident in the woods scared her. The fact that her parents used to work for Klaus is going to add a different dynamic to the relationship between her and Klaus. He remembers how she was as a very young girl but Riley has grown up so she's not as innocent and naive as in the past. Those witches are not just going to be forgotten in her mind. She is not completely sure that the entire coven in Chicago is dead and she will remember how the leader mentioned that other witches were interested in taking her magic for themselves. There will be some scenes between just her and Bonnie, the only person who understands being a witch.