Riley was unsure how long she had been lying on the park bench in the heavy rain. At times, it felt like minutes and then suddenly, it felt like hours. Her emotions were like a roller coaster, quickly shifting from anger to anxiety to sadness. She lost count of how many people she rudely flipped off for simply showing concern for her being alone on such a cold, dark night. Some of Marcel's lackeys, including the boorish Diego, spotted her in the park in their search for a witch using magic in the city. Their relentless questions about any suspicious witches nearby made Riley wish that she never lost her magic in the caves on the night of graduation. If she had retained her magic, she would have burnt them to a crisp to get a few moments of peace. She was unfazed by Diego's pathetic threats, her thoughts solely on Elijah. Learning that he was in Marcel's possession, daggered and trapped in a coffin, made her regret severing the connection between them. That physical connection could have been easy way for her to find him. Despite that regret, there was an upside. The connection between herself and Klaus remained and she used it to take her anger out on him, pricking her arm with a bobby pin. She hoped that he felt every bit of her pain.

Her eyes fluttered open as something tickled her nose. "Kol, honestly. Could you be any more immature?" she heard.

"It's like waking up a little bunny"

Rebekah and Kol were standing in front of her. It was very early in the morning, the sun peeking out from behind a series of tall buildings. Kol's fingers were tapping her nose. She sat up, her clothes partially dried from the heat of the hot sun.

"It's morning"

"Yes, that is what they call the time of the day when the sun has come up" said Rebekah.

"I don't even remember falling asleep"

"If you are expecting a pity party, you're not getting one"

Riley glared at Rebekah. "I didn't ask for your pity. All I'm going to ask is that you stay out of my way when I rip out your brother's guts and string them around the house like Christmas lights"

"Well, I'm glad you haven't turned into a pathetic mess incapable of defending herself like your cousin. We are just as angry with him, Riley"

"Somehow, I doubt that"

"We understand but you have to put it aside so we can find Elijah. I'm not asking you to forgive Niklaus.. You never have to speak to him again for the rest of your life. The sad truth is that without him, we cannot hope to get Elijah back from Marcel"

"I happen to be an amazing interpreter, darling. I can translate anything you'd like to say to Nik without speaking a word. Sadly, we do need him alive so you need to work out this anger. Come with us" said Kol.

A bit hesitant, she followed them out of the park. She was confused when they brought her to an indoor shooting range. Kol had compelled the owner to leave the keys to the building under a potted plant. At the far end of the back room, cardboard and paper targets were hung from the ceiling. He placed a small handgun in her right hand and Rebekah flipped on the lights. The middle target was a giant picture of Klaus from the Mikaelson ball, dressed in his suit and white bowtie.

"What is going on?"

"Since we need Nik's help, you need to somehow take your anger out on him. You don't have to worry about him getting hurt. We're vampires. Bullets feel like a tickle, except if they're wooden…which these just happen to be by some happy coincidence"

"You're insane"

"The best people are, darling"

"Where did you get that picture?"

"From an album of Rebekah's. We went to a local shop to blow it up to poster size. Don't worry if you put too many holes in this one. We made three copies. Do you know how to shoot?"

"My dad taught me"

"Then have at it. Just a little advice. He hates getting hit in the knee"

Riley never imagined shooting a poster-sized Klaus in the face with a .45 caliber handgun. All of her doubts vanished when she took that first shot, hitting his left knee. Her stomach was teeming with repressed rage. Each shot allowed her to pretend that she was taking her frustrations out on the real Klaus. By the end of the hour, all three pictures were nothing more than heaps of paper on the floor. Rebekah and Kol's method of dealing with her emotions was much different than her other friends. If she had been at Whitmore, with the same problem, Caroline would act like her therapist. Upon their return to the plantation house, she spotted a pile of burned bodies in the backyard. She assumed that they were the vampires that attempted to kill Hayley the previous night.

Hayley and Klaus were in the kitchen, eating breakfast in silence. She looked relieved to see Riley back at the house. Before Klaus could even open his mouth, Riley turned on her heel and walked into her now furnished bedroom. A note in his handwriting rested on the dresser. Not bothering to read it, she tore the note into pieces. She grabbed her laptop from her suitcase and sat on her bed. Downstairs, Klaus was shouting at Kol for recklessly leaving the house without his permission. She drowned out the argument by putting in her earbuds. A chat message popped up on the screen. As she clicked it, a smaller screen appeared, showing Caroline.

"Finally! I've been trying to message you since last night. You didn't answer any texts or calls. What, were you too busy cuddling with Elijah?"

Riley held back any tears and feigned a laugh. "Sorry, Care. I was trying to settle into the city. It's a lot different from Mystic Falls. What was so urgent? Does Megan use a red toothbrush instead of a pink one? The horror"

"Megan's dead"

Her smile faltered. "What?"

Caroline began a long explanation of the events over the past two days. On the night that Riley was heading to New Orleans, they had gone to the party at Whitmore House. Unable to step into the house without an invitation, Elena and Caroline walked around outside where they received a distressed call from Megan. Seconds after the call, they discovered her dead body, two bite marks in her neck. Elena managed to steal Megan's death certificate, which ruled her death as a suicide. One of the professors, Dr. Maxfield, signed the certificate, covering up the truth. With Riley down in New Orleans, Jayden was chosen as her substitute and forced to sneak into one of Maxfield's microbiology classes with them. They wanted to learn more about the professor to protect themselves. Unfortunately, their plan was a complete failure, leading to them being humiliated in front of a group of upperclassmen.

"I could've told you that was a terrible plan"

"Well, you weren't around to come up with a better one. Please come back here"

"Care, I've been gone barely a week. Maybe it's not some conspiracy. Just because this Dr. Maxfield covered up Megan's death, it doesn't mean he knows the truth about you and Elena"

"And what if he does? Maybe that's why he kicked us out of the class"

"Or it was because you know nothing about microbiology"

"Caroline, what are you—I told you not to call Riley yet" said Elena.

Elena and Jayden appeared on the screen. They had attempted to spy on Dr. Maxfield but lost him in the crowd of students. Caroline rolled her eyes, hearing that people were gathered around Megan's memorial.

"Very sympathetic, Care"

"Riley, they knew her for like a day…some of them didn't even know her. College kids are so dramatic"

"Pot, meet kettle. Have you talked to my mom about it?"

"She's been busy with the first week of classes. I visited her office this morning but her assistant said that she was in Mystic Falls for the day" said Jayden.

"If you want to find out about this professor, ask her. It's better than compelling your way into an advanced class"

"Can't you just come back for a day?" asked Caroline, hopefully.

Elena pushed her shoulder. "Caroline, stop. Riley can't fly all the way back here whenever something bad happens. Besides, she doesn't have her magic"

"She doesn't need it to spook Dr. Creepy into telling us why he lied on the death certificate"

There was a knock at the door. Riley made them promise to give her updates on the strange situation at Whitmore. After placing her laptop on her desk, she opened the door. Her nostrils flared, seeing Klaus. She was unaffected by his puppy dog eyes.

"I know that you must be furious with me. Truth be told, I'm surprised you even returned to the house though I suspect it was more for Hayley's sake. I want to—"

"Wait!"

Kol hurried up the staircase and stood beside her. "Kol, we're speaking privately" said Klaus, the softness in his voice replaced with an icy tone.

"I'm her translator, Nik. She refuses to speak to you"

"If you want to get out of this house for even a minute, you'll do well not to anger me. Leave"

"Go on with your apologies. Pretend I'm not here"

Klaus sighed. "Riley, I'll admit that it was wrong of me to dagger Elijah and give him to Marcel. I wasn't thinking clearly"

Riley crossed her arms. Kol imitated her, shaking his head.

"As if I would believe that, Klaus. You knew exactly what you were doing when you plunged that dagger into Elijah's chest"

"Kol"

"This is Riley speaking, brother. She also says that you wanted Elijah out of the way because it would give you the chance to woo her and slip your tongue between her—"

"Kol!" he snarled as Riley smacked him in the chest.

"I just translated what she was saying with her eyes, Nik. Her face shows that she's angry but her eyes show what she's really thinking"

"Enough of this foolishness. Riley, I will not use Kol as a messenger owl. You can't give me the silent treatment forever"

"Ooh, that's not a good face. It says 'watch me'. Poor choice of words on your part, Nik"

"I was wrong, Kol. You should go venture into the city. Go make a spectacle and let Marcel know of your arrival. You enjoy taking risks. See if he'll have you sent to The Garden for breaking one of his rules"

"I sense a bit of hostility"

For four straight days, Riley continued to give Klaus the silent treatment. Rebekah and Kol relished their roles as her interpreters, able to verbalize her anger and annoy him at the same time. Kol was especially irritating, throwing little jabs at his older brother. While Riley avoided Klaus at the plantation house, she spent more time with Hayley, who showed her a collection of Elijah's journals. The entries dated back to before his family became vampires. With Elijah gone, she was grateful for the journals, reading them to feel any kind of connection to him. Riley seemed to be the only one focused on so much as speaking to Hayley. The Originals were too busy planning ways to retrieve Elijah from Marcel's hiding place. After learning of Klaus's foolish scheme, Rebekah searched for Marcel to ask for Elijah's return. He brought her to Elijah's coffin though she could not remember its location. The secret weapon that he used against the witches was another witch with an enormous amount of power. Rebekah's memory had been erased by this secret weapon.

Not helping matters was the animosity between Klaus and Kol. Marcel's lackeys were uneasy about two Originals running around New Orleans. Kol's arrival would only make Marcel more suspicious of their intentions, mostly because Kol was thought to be dead. He was forced to stay in the house, unable to walk past the front yard. Though he was confined to such a small space, it gave him the opportunity to pester Klaus. He would purposely make jokes at his expense to get just the tiniest smile from Riley. Bringing him back from the Other Side had been the perfect revenge for Klaus's misdeed.

Riley was sitting in her bedroom, reading an entry in Elijah's journal about his time in New Orleans. He had written about a visit to her ancestor, Anastasia Lacroix, in hopes of negotiating peace between vampires and witches. Anastasia was only willing to trust Elijah, who proved himself as an honorable man. Towards the end of the entry, he lamented that Marcel was causing problems by sending vampires to murder members of the coven. He claimed that Marcel learned such a violent strategy from Klaus, his mentor. Sliding the journal under her bed, she walked down to the kitchen. Klaus was leaning against the counter, holding a box of pop-tarts.

"I could hear your stomach growling. I bought your favorite…chocolate chip"

She snatched the box from him and placed two pop-tarts in the toaster. As she waited for her breakfast, she could feel Klaus's eyes on her.

"I was planning on meeting Marcel today to ask him for Elijah. To prove that I'm being honest, I hoped that you would accompany me. Sadly, your interpreter, cannot join us. You'll have to break your little silent treatment"

Riley typed a message on her phone. "Not a problem. This works fine" said a computerized voice.

"Are you joking?"

"If I was, I would've ended it with LOL. Let's go, jackass. The sooner we get Elijah back, the sooner I can enjoy watching him beat the snot out of you"

Klaus drove them into the city. Entering Marcel's home, they found Thierry and Marcel, who was being fitted for a suit. The woman pinning his pants appeared to be under compulsion. Thierry mentioned that the four nightwalkers sent to find Hayley never returned to the compound or messaged him about the possible werewolf sighting. Marcel looked displeased that he had lost ten vampires in less than a week. He suggested that werewolves were behind the attacks.

"Look, I know you and Klaus are friends, but the fact is, since the Originals showed up—"

Riley could feel the ire emanating from Klaus. He stepped into the room with a fake grin.

"Oh come now, Thierry. You're not still upset about that little, toxic werewolf bite I gave you, are you? I thought we were at bygones"

Thierry glared slightly, remembering his near-death experience. "I see you've given him free rein of your compound now, too"

"Yes. Well, seeing as my family and I lived here, built the place, in fact—"

Marcel interrupted their bickering. He insisted that Klaus was a guest and he wanted peace between them. When Marcel questioned him about his sudden visit, Riley nudged Klaus in the ribs.

"I'm afraid Mae and my sister are requesting Elijah's return. They're quite worked up about it"

"I'll say"

In her search for Elijah, Rebekah had intruded on a date between Marcel and his bartender crush. She chose a violent tactic to get information, threatening to murder the girl.

"Judging by that icy look on her face, I'm glad both of them aren't here with you"

Thierry looked unnerved by the request. "We're not going to have three Originals walking around town, are we? Half our guys think the sister and blondie here killed the nightwalkers"

"Is that an accusation?" asked Klaus.

Riley pressed her hand into his chest, stopping him from ripping off Thierry's head. "Don't you have a Newsies audition to prepare for or something? Instead of coming up with lame theories that make absolutely no sense, go hop on a bicycle and ride around town, offering newspapers for like five cents"

"You better watch that mouth, pipsqueak. Without your magic, your neck snaps easily"

"Oh, I'm shaking in my converse" she replied, sarcastically.

"What did I say about peace? Come on, you two, walk with me" said Marcel.

Klaus and Marcel left the room. Riley stopped in the middle of the doorway.

"Oh, Thierry? I forgot to say something else"

She reached into her jacket and threw a stake. The stake pierced his shoulder. He cried out in pain. She removed the stake roughly and pressed it under his chin.

"If you ever call me pipsqueak again, I will shove that little cap so far down your throat that you'll crap out the fabric. Remember that" she said, patting his cheek.

Marcel was telling Klaus about a charitable masquerade gala at the compound later that night. It was part of an arrangement with the city councilman in exchange for hiding the supernatural community from the humans. Along with the other wealthy guests, Marcel would be giving a very large donation. Her fists clenched when he declined the request for Elijah's coffin. He sided with Thierry, revealing that his lackeys were nervous about the presence of the Originals. Giving Elijah back would have them questioning who held the real power in New Orleans.

"I'll give you one more chance to think carefully about your decision. If you choose wrong, I'll shove a stake through your heart"

Marcel chuckled. "I get that you miss him, doe eyes. It won't be forever. Once my guys calm down, I'll hand him back. You know, I prefer you to his last girlfriend"

"He had a girlfriend in the 1900s?"

"No. It was about six months ago. I heard rumors that he was hooking up with the little Gilbert witch"

Riley became very tense. "You heard about that?"

"An Original hooks up with a bad little witch? That news travels fast. She was all the witches here would talk about for months. You'd have no chance of getting Elijah back if he was still with her, Klaus. Good riddance to her"

It was Klaus's turn to prevent her from making a mistake. The corner of her mouth twitched in anger. Without her magic, she was unable to cause Marcel much harm and instead, she settled on imagining him being thrown in a pit of fire and teared apart by lions.

"You never met the girl, Marcel. Let's not make snap judgments" said Klaus.

"Didn't have to meet her. Think of her ancestors. She got what she deserved. I'm sure she was just as crazy as the witches were saying. The witches here kept hoping that she wasn't dead. They thought she could take care of my secret weapon against them. I'll admit that I was a little nervous about that but hey, maybe her power was all talk. Maybe she wasn't that great. You know that Anastasia loved to talk a big game but in the end, we won. I have to go take care of something. I'll see you both at the party tonight"

Riley and Klaus returned to the plantation house. In the basement, Josh, a young guy in his early twenties with lightly tanned skin, wavy dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes, was stabbing the remaining vampire from the attack on Hayley. Klaus had ordered him to drain the man of vervain. Judging by the tiny stab wounds and lack of blood, he was doing a poor job. Kol sat on a barrel, drinking from a bottle of scotch and insulting Josh. Riley sat beside him while Klaus called Rebekah, who was visiting the voodoo magic shop where Hayley purchased wolfsbane. All of them were in agreement that the witch in the shop had a part in Marcel finding out about a possible werewolf in the city.

"A hundred year old woman on her death bed could do a better job" said Kol as Riley grabbed the bottle from him, taking a couple sips.

"I'm trying"

"If this is you trying, you're a pathetic excuse for a vampire"

"Who are you again?"

"The guy who's going to rip out your spine if you don't start making this fool bleed"

Klaus was not impressed by Josh's minimal progress. He impaled the man through the chest with a pitchfork. Josh grimaced, watching the blood pour from the open wounds. Not wanting to waste time, Klaus compelled him to stab the man with the pitchfork again. Being a new vampire, Josh had little understanding of his acquired abilities. He was confused by something as simple as mind compulsion.

"Ooh, Nik. Nik, over here. Mae and I have something to help this poor idiot. We made it yesterday"

Kol pulled out a stack of papers stapled together. The first page had the title So You've Just Become A Vampire, a drawing of a cartoon vampire underneath it.

"The pictures pop up too. I drew some of these"

"I can tell" said Klaus, looking at the crudely drawn sun.

"We'll have a little story time while you handle the torture. Josh, do you need a juice box?"

"Um no…" said Josh, awkwardly.

Riley flipped the book to the next page. "Rule one. You are now immortal. That means you will be an adorable twenty year old for the rest of your life"

Josh smiled at the drawing of him that popped up from the paper. Klaus put his head in his hands. Uninterested in their childish book, he picked up the pitchfork and stabbed the man in the stomach. He compelled Josh to finish the job. As the vervain began to leave the man's body, he received another call from Rebekah. The witch, a young girl named Katie, had been the traitor, exposing Hayley to her vampire boyfriend. Riley was surprised that her boyfriend was none other than Thierry. Rebekah was on her way back to the plantation house with Sophie. Leaving the man unconscious on the floor, surrounded by a pool of his own blood, they waited in the living room. Hayley was asleep in her bedroom. Klaus stood by the window next to the front door, peeking through the curtains.

"So how come I burn in the sun but they don't?" asked Josh.

"Daylight rings. That's towards the end of the book. A witch casts a spell on a special stone and it allows a vampire to walk around during the day"

"And you're a witch?"

"Sort of. I uh lost my magic a few months ago. It's a long story"

"I guess you don't need it when Klaus is your boyfriend"

Kol spit out his drink, bursting into a fit of laughter. Riley scrunched her nose in disgust.

"I take it back, mate. You are hilarious"

"I didn't mean to—I just thought…forget I said anything"

"It's fine. We're—it's complicated" said Riley.

Klaus entered the room with Rebekah and Sophie. He ordered Josh to return to the plantation house an hour before the charity gala. Kol was introduced as a close friend. They doubted that Sophie would recognize every member of the Original family. Riley had not yet forgiven Sophie for her part in Klaus's scheme. It added to the reasons for her to never trust the witches.

"Remind me again why we can't just kill Marcel"

"We have a very specific plan" said Sophie.

"Why? You want him gone so let one of them rip out his heart"

"It's not that simple" said Rebekah.

"It's very simple. Clearly, you two are just too emotionally attached to him"

"Excuse me?"

"He was the jackass hybrid's creepy adopted son and you obviously used to screw him"

Rebekah crossed her arms. "I never—"

"Yea, not buying that for a second. Keith and I, on the other hand, don't give a damn about Marcel. We'll figure out where they're hiding Elijah, get the coffin back, and I will set that stupid house on fire. I'll even kill Marcel for you. I have more than enough reasons to do it myself. I'll slit his throat until his head is separated from his neck. Problem solved" she explained, nodding towards Kol.

"Is she always this violent?" asked Sophie.

"This is her being kind, love" said Klaus.

"I second that idea. I'd hate to see him harm another witch" said Kol.

Riley noticed that he was eying Sophie with interest. She and Rebekah shared a quick glance, resisting the urge to roll their eyes. With Marcel's refusal to return Elijah, they decided to use their backup plan. Rebekah suggested that Sophie could locate Elijah with a quick spell. Sophie reiterated Marcel's rules against magic. If a witch was caught practicing any spells, the punishment was death.

"Witches in this town get caught and they get killed"

"I'm fine with that" replied Riley, her tone indifferent.

"Ignore her. She's in a bad mood. About this getting caught business, it seems you left out a crucial detail when we made our deal. Marcel's secret weapon…the way he knows when a witch is using magic" said Klaus.

Rebekah described the witch as a cute, young girl with anger issues. Sophie looked at her, shocked.

"Davina? H—have you seen her?"

"I don't know. The little brat erased my memory right after she threw me out a window with her bloody mind"

Riley did not expect Davina to be the secret weapon. She recalled her first trip to New Orleans, meeting Davina in the middle of magic lessons. Back then, she seemed like an innocent teenage girl. She was confused why she would suddenly turn against her own kind. Sophie's reaction made it obvious that the witches were not being entirely honest. Riley wondered how long Davina had been working for Marcel. When she asked about Davina's whereabouts before returning to Mystic Falls with Elijah, Sophie acted just as tense.

The plan was for Katie to perform a much more powerful spell to create a smokescreen, concealing Sophie's locater spell. Sophie refused to let Katie be part of a suicide mission. Klaus convinced her by pointing out that Katie played a role in Jane-Anne's capture. Jane-Anne had attempted to flee on a freighter but was caught before it left New Orleans. Thierry, Katie's boyfriend, was in charge of the docks. After a few minutes, Sophie agreed to help with the plan.

"Good. You will go to Katie and tell her of this plan. Rebekah and I have business to attend to in the city. I'll have another little chat with Marcel while she finds a way to distract him at the party. You two, behave yourselves. When Hayley wakes up, tell her the same. I don't want to be burning any bodies"

Riley blocked the doorway as Sophie followed Rebekah. "How long has Davina been with Marcel?"

"About eight months"

"So when I asked you about her, you were lying to my face"

"It's hard to explain, Mae. She isn't helping him willingly. Well, she sort of is but—we'll get her back. That's important to me"

"Then why has it taken you eight months?"

"We need Klaus's help to get her. Look, I want to apologize for—"

"You can take your apology and shove it. You want to prove that you're sorry for helping Klaus deceive me? Then you're going to help me with something. It'll be between us and if you breathe a word to anyone else, you'll be very sorry"

"W—what do you want me to do?"

"We'll talk about it later"

"Don't go scaring her, Mae. She's our guest. Allow me to walk you out, Sophie" said Kol.

Riley leaned against the doorway, watching Kol lead Sophie out of the house…

~Klaus~

When Klaus first learned of the relationship between Thierry and one of the witches, he thought it would be the perfect ammunition to cause tension between Marcel and a trusted member of his inner circle. He was disappointed that Marcel showed no concern that one of his own was fraternizing with the enemy. Marcel explained that Thierry was free to make his own choices. Besides giving him such freedom, the relationship allowed Marcel to gain intel on the witches.

"You don't want the witches to get too bold, given that a witch's tip about a werewolf in town led to the disappearance of your nightwalkers. I'm sure you've considered the possibility that it could've been a trap"

"Maybe I'll send a little message"

Marcel told Thierry to take a group to the Cauldron, a popular hangout for the witches. He wanted his men to give the witches a good scare. A faint smirk graced Klaus's lips as Marcel fell right into his trap. Thierry left the compound with two other men.

"Speaking of the witches, I didn't get your girl too mad, did I? I'm sure she expected me to hand over Elijah"

"She was quite upset but I helped her understand your reasons. She cares very much for him"

"You know, those rumors weren't just about your brother and that Gilbert witch. I heard you knew her pretty well too…spent an entire summer together"

"I was using her to figure out how to make more hybrids. Her abilities were greatly exaggerated"

"I doubt that. Like I said before, the way the witches here were talking, I'm surprised they didn't come to her rescue. Course they couldn't since they practice ancestral magic but I'm sure they could have come up with some way to save her. They've been keeping an eye on her since she was a baby"

Klaus looked at him, curiously. "How do you know that?"

"I didn't always have this much control over the witches but I had a few spies. My spies would tell me about their meetings in the cemetery. On the day she was born, the elders had a meeting to celebrate the return of her bloodline. They wanted to keep it a secret from the other covens. I ruined that pretty quickly. I told the council about her"

"You told them about the Gilbert girl?"

"Spoke to Alec Burke myself. We didn't need a new Lacroix running around. Anastasia was bad enough. That girl could've been ten times worse. If I never said anything, the witches would never have found out about her"

Listening to Marcel, his nails dug into the wooden railing. On the outside, he was chuckling along with his friend but beneath the smile, he was furious. He knew that the witch community kept a very close eye on Riley since she was no more than a year old. Marcel set off a chain of events that led to her almost dying at the hands of a psychotic witch. If he never revealed her abilities to the council, Riley would be living a normal life instead of having to hide for many months for her protection and donning a disguise. He contemplated telling her about this discovery, as a way to gain her forgiveness, but decided against it, knowing that Riley could also murder Marcel with her bare hands upon hearing this information…

~Riley~

Klaus was the first to return from his business in the city. He tricked Marcel into sending some of his vampires, including Thierry, to frighten the witches. Among the group was the now vervain-free vampire, who was compelled to attack Katie. The plan was that the attack would provoke Thierry enough to kill another vampire, essentially breaking Marcel's most important rule.

Riley was getting dressed for the charity gala. As she zipped up her floor-length, strapless navy blue dress, she listened to Kol argue with Klaus over attending the party. Kol was growing tired of being cooped up in the house for days. She was distracted by her phone vibrating on the desk.

"Damon? It hasn't even been a week. You miss me that much?"

"Well, you did promise weekly chats, shorty. Let's catch up. You go first. You and Elijah aren't spending all your time breaking the bed, right?"

"Elijah isn't here"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't tell the others. I don't need to hear them freaking out"

Riley quietly told him about Klaus's betrayal, from him daggering Elijah to impersonating him over the phone. She left out the true intention behind using the dagger on Elijah, which was to gain Marcel's trust. Damon called Klaus a bunch of bad names. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Did you beat him up yet?"

"No, Damon"

"At least tell me you cut off his Klaus junior"

"I'm taking a more peaceful approach"

He groaned. "That's boring. When you come to your senses, I want pictures of him with his front teeth knocked out. I need a good laugh these days"

"Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing"

"You didn't call me to just catch up, Damon. I know a vampire attacked Elena and Caroline's roommate at Whitmore and it was covered up by a professor. Did he try to hurt them?"

"No. Pfft, they can take on a microbiology nerd"

"Then what happened?"

"Well, it turns out that Stefan hasn't been traveling the world for the summer and Silas was never put in that safe. Silas hid him somewhere and took his place. He also wants Katherine. Won't say why but I doubt it's for a chat over tea. Oh, and Jeremy got expelled but I fixed that. He also got in a car accident because of Katherine but I healed him. He's all good to make stupid choices and fail at flirting with girls" he said in one breath.

"What?!"

While Caroline, Elena, and Jayden dealt with the death of one of their classmates, Silas visited Mystic Falls. He met Damon at the Mystic Grill, pretending to be Stefan. Damon believed the ruse, despite 'Stefan' acting strangley, until Jeremy pointed out that a touch from Silas gave him chills. He stopped Silas from attacking Katherine and learned that he was Stefan's doppelganger. Silas turned to Elena, using his mind control to get her to hurt him. Elena returned to Mystic Falls to assist in the search for Stefan and Katherine was now living at the boardinghouse with him, Elena, and Jeremy. Only adding to the complications was Elena's continuous dreams about Stefan.

"Did you find Stefan?"

"Found the safe that was meant for Silas. It had a dead body inside. My guess is that he killed whoever opened the safe and now he's extremely hungry. Back to Señor Hybrid literally stabbing Fancy Pants in the back…or was it the front?"

"I don't give a damn about Klaus. What—"

The door opened, revealing Rebekah in the hallway. "We're leaving. Are you ready?"

Riley lowered her phone. "I'll uh meet you there. I'm listening to Caroline complain about her boring classes. Leave your car keys"

"Oh, don't leave me alone in a car with that wanker. You better not ditch the party. It's bad enough that I have to be around Marcel"

"And yet you'll probably end up in his bed tonight"

"Shut up. Be there in ten minutes or I'll compel some oaf to shamelessly flirt with you"

She waited for Rebekah and Klaus to leave the house. Once she heard the car speed out of the driveway, she placed the phone against her ear.

"Sorry. They got invited to some ritzy party and I have to tag along. Back to the big problem. Have you seen Stefan since he left that safe?"

"No. He doesn't have his daylight ring so he couldn't have gone far"

"What about Silas? With the cure gone, there's no way to—"

"Why are we worrying about a 2,000 year old immortal with psychic powers? I am going to book a flight to New Orleans. We can beat up Klaus together. I'll get some chains laced with vervain, tie him up, and then you can punch him so many times that his head almost falls off his shoulders. I think that would be a fun visit"

"You're not coming to New Orleans"

"I can hear how angry you are with him. You want to be the bigger person and not get revenge. Let me do it for you. We could—I don't remember this being a three-way conversation. No, go away. I'm talking to her. I don't care if—don't cough on me. Hey, stop it"

For a few minutes, she heard Damon arguing with another person. The person fought with him for control of the phone.

"Damon?"

"Guess again, mini Gilbert"

"Katherine" she said, exasperated.

"Damon's wrong. You should definitely come back to Mystic Falls right away. He doesn't have this situation handled at all. He's going to get Elena and Jeremy killed because he's an idiot. Let go of me, Damon. So, should I book that flight for you? Ow!"

"Ignore her. She wants you here because she thinks your grimoires have a spell to turn her back into a vampire. She's all paranoid now that she's human. The only reason I let her stay here is because Silas wants her" said Damon.

Katherine scoffed. "I'd rather be anywhere else. Riley, we're friends. I miss you. Forget college. Come back here and we can be buddies like we were for those six months. Guys come and go but girlfriends are forever"

"Is that the best you can do? That was terrible. You tried to kill Elena. She's not going to be friends with you. Would you leave?"

"Not until—ow! Fine, I'm going. I'll bother Elena instead"

"This is what I get for being a charitable person. I let her in my home and she annoys me 24/7. Don't come to Mystic Falls. I've got this handled"

"Are you sure?" asked Riley.

"Yes. We'll find Stefan, have Bonnie figure out a way to put down Silas, and then everything will be sunshine and rainbows. Go have fun at your party"

Hanging up the phone, Riley was torn between staying in New Orleans and visiting Mystic Falls. She did not want to risk something worse happening to Elijah in her absence. If Klaus's plan worked, Elijah would out of that coffin later that night. She could not deny that she worried about her friends back home. With Silas skulking around Mystic Falls, they were all in danger. Walking down the staircase, she saw Kol and Hayley in the kitchen, eating bowls of ice cream. Hayley's bowl contained sliced pickles, a sign of her pregnancy cravings.

"Don't you look lovely" said Kol, licking mint ice cream from a spoon.

"I don't see why you'd want to go to this stupid party. It's just a bunch of rich people schmoozing and kissing each other's asses"

She made a circle with her fingers and placed it over her eye like a monocole. "Hello Mr. Moneybags. Yes, I've got a lot of money too. Isn't it great to be rich? Ha ha, look at all those poor people without their butlers and caviar. I just bought my tenth car. I don't need it but it's a nice decoration. Ha ha ha" she said, sounding like a stereotypical snobby rich person.

Hayley stifled a laugh. "You should talk like that for the entire party"

"I'll sneak you back from fancy desserts. What kind of cake do you like?"

"Red velvet with bananas and hot fudge. These cravings are driving me nuts"

"And I'll sneak you back some champagne" she told Kol.

"No need. Just humiliate Nik in some way and that will make up for me missing the party"

Riley drove over to the compound. It was packed from wall to wall with people, both humans and vampires. Entertainers were standing on small circular stages, performing tricks and dancing with glow in the dark ribbons and hula hoops. One entertainer, wearing a mask, had a giant python wrapped around her hands. Riley removed the falling red confetti from her hair. Rebekah and Klaus were standing by the bar, watching Marcel dance with a blonde girl in her early twenties. She assumed that the girl was his bartender crush.

"Staring at them isn't very subtle"

"She's the perfect distraction" said Rebekah.

A middle-aged woman moved through the crowd, asking for donations from the guests. Riley took out her checkbook from her clutch and wrote out a check. Rebekah gawked at the large sum.

"300,000 dollars? Where did you get that kind of money?"

"I sold the car that Klaus bought me for my birthday"

"Why would you do that?" asked Klaus, dumbfounded.

She typed her response on her phone. "Because I'd rather walk to my classes than take anything from you" said the computerized voice.

"I bought it as a gift, not to distract you from what happened to Elijah. This childish behavior has to stop. You can hate me all you like but you have to talk to me"

"I'd rather submerge myself in hydrochloric acid"

Rebekah hissed for them to be quiet. A group of vampires had just entered the compound. Diego walked over to Marcel, speaking in a very low whisper and pointing at a guilt-ridden Thierry. The compelled vampire was now dead, thanks to Thierry driving a wooden chair leg through his heart. Klaus's plan had worked perfectly. There was a fire in Marcel's eyes. He smiled at the blonde girl, promising to be back for the next song. As he turned around, the rage building up inside showed on his face. He violently pinned Thierry against the wall. Diego stepped between them, not wanting to make a scene in front of the guests. The group headed up the staircase, away from the rest of the party. Rebekah left the compound to meet Sophie at the cemetery. Riley recoiled when Klaus's hand rested on her back.

"It will look suspicious if we don't blend in, love. It's one dance. My touch won't burn you"

A slow song was playing through the speakers. She kept as much distance as possible between them though his hand remained on her back. Riley glanced up towards the confrontation between Marcel and Thierry. Klaus was able to hear every word. To say that Marcel was furious was an understatement. He viewed Thierry's actions as a betrayal, not caring that the vampire attacked his girlfriend. Marcel believed that vampires mattered more than witches and humans.

"This reminds me of the party my mother threw back in Mystic Falls. You looked just as stunning as you do now"

She tore her gaze away from spectacle above them. Klaus was staring at her, a warmth in his eyes.

"Tell me what I can do to gain your forgiveness…besides retrieving Elijah. My intentions were solely to gain Marcel's trust, nothing else"

She raised her eyebrow in disbelief. "If I had told you the truth on the night of graduation, what would you have done? I already know. You would have gone to New Orleans, found Elijah, and driven a stake through half of Marcel's men to get him back. That would have sparked a war. We can't be so obvious with our intentions. Elijah would not want blood on your hands, even for his sake"

Josh awkwardly interrupted their conversation. Reaching into his suit pocket, Klaus handed him a sealed envelope. It contained a parchment with the spell for daylight rings. To solidify Thierry's betrayal, he wanted Marcel to believe that the spell was stolen by him. When he was given the parchment, Marcel's rage reached its boiling point. He accused Thierry of stealing the spell for him and Katie to create daylight rings for their own empire. His voice carried over the loud music.

"Here's a lesson in friendship! Friends don't lie to me, they don't break my rules, and they do not steal what is mine!"

For his punishment, Thierry was sentenced to a hundred years in The Garden. It was a prison created for vampires that broke Marcel's rules. The prisoners were buried in the walls and ground and left to desiccate for the time of their sentence, from weeks to years.

"And it begins. That worked better than I thought. Now we wait for part two of the plan" said Klaus, contentedly.

Riley nodded. "Please say something. One word would be enough at this moment"

Silently, she pushed his hand off of her waist. She walked over to the desserts table to get Hayley's cake. The server gave her a strange look when she requested the sliced bananas and hot fudge. Placing the cake in a box and paying the server, she left the compound. She stopped in front of the church, feeling a chill down her spine. Ignoring the strange feeling, she drove down to the cemetery. She passed by a circle of unlit candles, a pocket watch, and a map of the city covered in black powder. Not seeing Rebekah or Sophie there gave her little hope that the locater spell was a success. Putting her trust in Klaus was not a comforting alternative. She entered her ancestors' mausoleum. The middle coffin had a plaque with the inscription: Anastasia Lacroix.

"I bet you're all watching me right now and think I'm an idiot for trusting any vampire. You're probably mad that I gave up my magic too. It's not like I had a choice"

Soft voices whispered in her ear. She jumped when Anastasia's coffin moved aside. Listening to the voices, she descended down the hidden staircase. The room was filled with vials of herbs and other ingredients for spells. On the wall beside vials of red powder, she tapped three bricks in a triangular formation. The middle brick slid out, falling to the floor. Reaching into the hole, she pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment. She recognized the handwriting from one of her grimoires. It was written by Anastasia herself. Riley glanced over the parchment.

"You're joking"

The vial flew off of the shelf, nearly hitting her in the face. She dodged it at the last second.

"All right, I believe you. You don't have to smash glass in my face"

Something glittered inside the hole. Sticking her hand in again, she grabbed the shiny object. She gaped at her fully intact necklace, the eyes of the intertwined snakes shining bright red. The last time she saw the necklace, it was a pile of dust in the cave beneath the school.

"I definitely believe you now"

Riley drove back to the plantation house. She gave Hayley the cake for a late night snack. Rebekah and Kol were sitting in the drawing room, looking sulky. Tapping keys on the piano, Rebekah told her that the plan to find Elijah was a failure. Katie died before Sophie could get an exact location.

"Where's Nik?" asked Kol.

"I guess he's still at the party. I left early"

"Did you embarrass him at all? Pour champagne on his head?"

"Didn't have the time"

"We can get him when he comes home. I'll put a bucket of water over the door"

As Kol left the drawing room, Klaus passed by him. He looked unusually satisified despite Sophie failing to find Elijah. Her grip tightened on her glass of scotch when he confessed to killing Katie himself. He was aware that Katie planned to murder Marcel outside the compound and by saving his life, he gained his full trust. There was no concern for the death of an innocent girl. From what Rebekah told her, Katie was only a year older than Riley. Instead of snapping her neck, they could have taken her to a safehouse to avoid Marcel's wrath. Klaus seemed more concerned with being in Marcel's good graces than finding Elijah. By saving Marcel, he gained his full trust and agreed to hand Elijah to them. Rebekah was disgusted by his actions. He explained that if the witches retrieved Davina, she would simply be their new weapon against the vampires. His new plan was to take Davina for himself.

"No"

"Have you finally broken your silence?" he asked Riley.

"Rebekah, can you give us a minute?"

As she opened the door, Riley noticed Kol standing on a ladder with a bucket of water. Rebekah shoved him off of the ladder.

"You are not going anywhere near that girl"

"So we are to leave her under Marcel's control? Elijah would agree with me that it's the noble thing to do"

"Give me a break with this noble crap. You only want her because she's a powerful witch. Maybe that's the only reason you were ever nice to me"

"You know that's not true"

"Davina isn't a pawn in your stupid game. If you lay a hand on her, I'll find where you hid the white oak stake and stab you right through the heart"

"Which would lead to the deaths of all your friends back in Mystic Falls, except for Jeremy, Jayden, and Matt"

"I'll find a way to protect them and then I'll stake you"

"You won't do it"

"I won't let you use her like some puppet! We'll free her from Marcel's control but when we do, no one is getting her…not you and not the witches. I trust those witches about as much as I trust you, Klaus. You didn't have to kill Katie either. She made a couple mistakes but she was a teenager in love. Maybe if you had a heart, you'd feel the tiniest bit of remorse for killing an innocent girl"

Turning around, she almost bumped into Klaus. He backed her against the piano. She kept her guard up, scanning the room for a possible weapon in case his anger got the better of him and he attacked her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I do have a heart. Perhaps I shut it off to relieve myself of the torment it gave me every day…because it couldn't have what it wants…what it craves. I could have left Elijah to rot in whatever hole Marcel dumped him in for safekeeping but instead, I'm getting him back. I'm saving my brother even though I want what is his. For a moment, I did have it during those long phone calls"

"Shut up" she said, gritting her teeth.

"Perhaps your anger is not only with me, but with yourself. You've had those suspicions for quite some time…that something was amiss with Elijah and yet you continued those calls. Perhaps you're angry with yourself for enjoying it when you knew it wasn't him. Listening to that voice tell you how they wished to tear off your clothes and throw you on the bed"

His hand slid up her dress. She tried to stop him but he was too strong. He leaned close to her ear.

"How they wished to kiss every inch of your body and give you the pleasure you deserve…to hear you cry out their name in ecstasy" he said, caressing her inner thigh.

"G—get off me"

"You knew Elijah wouldn't say such things. You knew it was me and you imagined me in your bed, not him. Just as I've imagined you every night in my sleep. You say you feel nothing but deep down—"

Riley smashed her glass against his face. He let go of her and staggered backwards. Blood seeped through his fingers. The shattered glass scattered across the floor. She wanted to tell him to never touch her but the words would not form in her mouth. Instead of yelling at him, she stormed out of the room, leaving him with a half healed gash across his cheek…

A/N: Thanks for reading. All feedback is appreciated. The tension between Riley and Klaus is not going to stop anytime soon. She will continue giving him the silent treatment, especially after his behavior in the drawing room. Now that she knows Davina is Marcel's secret weapon, she will want to protect her at all costs, taking on a sort of big sister role. She doesn't want Davina to become a pawn in this war between the supernaturals in New Orleans. In the next chapter, there will be a meeting between them but it may not be a happy reunion. Davina has become very distrustful of others since the last time that Riley saw her. Riley will also be making a side deal with Sophie, as a way for Sophie to make up for her part in Klaus's scheme, to further her own personal agenda. Riley is going to start keeping her own secrets while she helps the Originals take down Marcel. The next chapter will also show Riley's first day at college where she will make both friends and rivals, including her new "Alison".