Bloodlines

Chapter 16: Bloodletting (TO)

Beta:PrincessOfSilence

Disclaimer:I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my plot.

Marcel Gerard opened the balcony doors and stood up on the platform, looking down into the courtyard of the Abattoir, where the vampires of the Quarter had gathered for a very special evening. The vampires were rubbing elbows with one another, taking drinks and trading stories about their lives in New Orleans when Marcel cleared his throat to speak.

"Ladies. Gentlemen." He called and the vampires in the courtyard directed their complete attention onto Marcel. "Welcome to Fight Night!" He announced and the crowd erupted into a thunderous applause, hooting and hollering loudly for their king. Marcel overlooked his kingdom, a wide smirk on his lips; he held up his hand and a hush fell over the crowd, eager to listen to him. "And, the first rule of Fight Night is: The vampire left standing at the end of the night is one step closer to the inner circle, and one of these."

He held up his hand where a daylight ring was perched on his finger. The vampires in the courtyard oohed quietly, wishing that they would be the ones to acquire a daylight ring to walk in the sunlight. "A daylight ring. If you can impress me with a little ultra-violence, you too can enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face. All you got to do is kick a little ass. Here we go!" Everyone cheered again before spreading out on the lower level. They backed away, making a circle of free space on the floor and they were starting to size each other up as they waited for Marcel to announce the first two fighters.

"Our first two contenders: Felicia and Otto!" They both stepped forward, Felicia a small female vampire while Otto towered over her. The fight hardly looked fair, but neither one was backing down. They lunged for each other and grappled while the other vampires cheered them on. Otto had managed to hit Felicia hard a few times, sending her head spinning, but she wasn't going to let him ruin her chance at getting a daylight ring. So, she used her short stature to her advantage, being able to punch Otto and make him wobble on his feet. She smirked and jumped on his back, locking her arms tightly around his neck and she yanked it roughly to the side, making Otto's body crumple to the ground in an unconscious heap. Fans of Felicia cheered her on and the vampire did a victory strut around the circle.

Marcel chuckled, nodding approvingly at Felicia. "Damn, girl! Not bad!"

Suddenly, Felicia's neck was snapped from behind, the sound quieted the rest of the rebel rousers and it echoed throughout the courtyard. Her body dropped to the floor, revealing Elijah and Klaus who looked all business.

"Good evening!" The Original hybrid greeted cheerfully, but he was given nothing in return. The rest of the vampires in the Abattoir were too afraid to speak. He then pointed up at Marcel who did not look pleased. "I'd like a word."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs," Elijah spoke up, standing beside his brother. "We've come here for the girl. Give it to us or we kill everyone here. Starting with you."

Marcel's hands gripped the railing even tighter and his knuckles were turning white. "You two got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands."

"Your home, is it?" Klaus growled.

"The girl. I will not ask again." His brother requested.

"I assume you're talking about Hayley? Yay high, dark hair, bitchy attitude? Who is she, anyway?" Marcel inquired.

"She's an old friend. You know how sentimental I am about old friends." Klaus replied.

"Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight. I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And, imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence. Your girl, Hayley, answered the door, we exchanged hellos; that was it." The king explained his story.

"Lies!" Klaus hissed loudly. "Then where did you go after you left my home?"

His jaw clenched tightly. "I was out."

"Out?" The Original hybrid sneered.

"Out."

"I believe we have established that he was out, brother." Elijah added.

"He was out with me."

The crowd of vampires then parted to reveal Giuliana as she walked among the grounds of the courtyard. They whispered amongst each other, some inquiring about her while others quietly hissed about why Marcel would spend his time with a human when he had every vampire in the Quarter at his beck and call. She walked through the throngs of bodies and some of the men even whistled as she made her way past them. Klaus was in a state of shock, but his anger was still boiling over. Elijah, on the other hand, looked upon her with dark eyes and Giuliana had a hard time gauging his expression.

"Well, well," Klaus tsked and pocketed his hands. "Is that true, Marcel?"

"It's true." He nodded and Giuliana parted her lips to speak.

"I can explain."

"Oh, yes, you should." The hybrid cut her off. "You can start by explaining why you left the house when you had to stay with Hayley."

"I didn't know that she was missing." She was a bit panicked hearing that Hayley was gone and she couldn't fathom who in the Quarter would have taken her. Agnes was dead and the witches now knew to stay back from the Original family.

"She is and we suspect that your new beau had something to do with it." His blue eyes glanced between Marcel and Giuliana.

"He's not my-"

"I'm not her-"

"Clearly you two don't understand the importance of this situation." Elijah interrupted coldly. "Hayley is gone and she needs to be found immediately."

"Like I told you before I saw Hayley, we exchanged some words and then I left with Giuliana. That's all that happened." Marcel said, looking down upon his sire. "I don't know where Hayley is, hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question that I'd ask is: if Hayley isn't here, then where is she?"

Minutes later, the Abattoir had been cleared out and Klaus and Elijah were seated at an iron-wrought table in the backyard. They were waiting patiently for Marcel to offer his assistance and the King was watching them from inside the Abattoir. He couldn't help but wonder to himself why the brothers were so interested about a bitchy girl like Hayley. He took a sip from his glass and further pondered the thought when he felt someone approach him.

"Sabine is coming?" Giuliana asked him and he turned to face her.

"Yeah, I gave her a call and she's on her way. Since Klaus and Elijah need Hayley back so badly, I figured I'd bend the rules and let Sabine perform magic." He nodded and looked upon the brunette who was chewing at her bottom lip.

"Look, Marcel, I'm sorry about this. I know that you had nothing to do with Hayley being kidnapped, but they don't see it." She said with a solemn tone to her voice.

"I think they're more annoyed that I was spending time with you." Marcel sighed and placed his drink down.

"Well, that's too bad. They'll get over it." She grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I did have fun with you."

A smile tugged at the corners of Marcel's lips. "I did too." Just as Giuliana suspected, Klaus and Elijah automatically jumped to the conclusion that she and Marcel had spent the night together. They did, however in a completely different context. They'd gone to a bar in the Quarter where they indulged in a few drinks before going to Marcel's place. There, they sat on the couch in front of the warm fire and just talked. They talked about anything and everything.

Marcel would share his stories about being born a slave and how he was forced to work at a very young age. He'd work until his bones ached and the skin on his hands became calloused and bled when he worked in the fields. He admitted to being mouthy to his master and for that, he was beaten badly until he was bleeding and bruised. Giuliana was practically on the edge of her seat, listening to every word that he spoke and she cringed when he talked about being beaten. The time they shared together was something special and a mutual connection was formed between the two of them.

As the night wound down, Giuliana felt sleep tugging at her eyelashes and Marcel was kind enough to offer her a room. She surprised herself when she agreed and he passed a comment about her taking his bed. They laughed about it, but that was all there was to it. Marcel had put her up in a spare room and made sure that she was settled. When he was tidying up her room, he hadn't noticed that she had fallen asleep on the bed, barely under the covers until he heard her snoring softly. Chuckling to himself, he moved her into the bed and tucked her in so that she was comfortable. She slightly stirred when the pads of his fingertips lightly brushed some strands of hair out of her face, but Marcel continued anyway. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before heading to the Abattoir to conduct the Fight Night festivities.

Marcel caught himself staring at the brunette in front of him and all she did was smile warmly back at him. A small knock from the doorframe made their stares break and Sabine walked into the room.

"You called?"

"I need you to help a friend of mine." Marcel explained to the witch what she needed to and led her out into the courtyard where Klaus and Elijah were seated.

"Not the most attractive community, are they?" Elijah remarked about some members of Marcel's inner circle that had stayed around.

"You do realize they can hear you?" Klaus murmured.

"You do realize I don't care?" His brother smirked and turned his attention to Marcel who was walking towards them with Giuliana by his side and Sabine in tow.

"You know, Elijah, I liked you better in that box." He spoke to the Original before looking to his sire. "But Klaus, my sire, you I owe the world, and I always show respect to my elders. If your special lady friend is missing, you could benefit from the help of a witch. And, since I control all the witches in this town, I'll grant you one little locator spell. Sabine's the best guide in the Quarter. Need to find someone? I guarantee, she's your girl." He told them and turned to leave them.

"Where are you going?" Klaus asked.

"I hate to cut this short, but the sun's coming up soon. My nightwalkers need to get inside, and I have got a city to run. I leave you to track down your lost sheep." Marcel called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the night. Elijah then looked to Sabine who had her eyes on him.

"Can you find her?"

"I can try."

Sabine had informed them by using a locator spell that Hayley was somewhere deep in the bayou where stories of exiled werewolf encampments haunted the woods. Giuliana opened the car door and stepped out with Elijah's help as he took her hand so she could steadily find her footing on the moss covered floor. The woods were quiet, too quiet and it made the situation much more eerie.

"Why would Hayley come here?" She asked.

"I do not think that she came here willingly." Elijah concluded as his brother rounded the car and the three began to walk.

"You think that she was kidnapped? But she wanted to find answers about her family. Her family were werewolves." She said.

"You both seem quite determined to find the little wolf." Klaus called as he kept a somewhat leisurely pace.

"If I'm moving too fast for you, Niklaus, you're welcome to wait in the car. Do be certain to leave the windows down." His brother remarked and Giuliana snickered to herself.

Klaus smirked widely and jogged to meet them. "No need for low blows, Elijah. Remember that I can put you back in that box so fast your head will spin."

"And I'll slap you so hard that your head will spin," Giuliana growled. "Enough with the bickering please."

"Giuliana has a point, brother. If we continue to bicker then Hayley continues to be in danger." Elijah said and Klaus suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning his nose upward and sniffing the air.

Elijah followed his brother's eyes. "Have you found her scent?"

Klaus frowned and darted towards a pickup truck that had been abandoned a little while down in the woods. "No, but I found someone else's. This vehicle reeks of someone I thought I was rid of. Tyler Lockwood."

"Good boy." Giuliana praised him like a master would praise a dog for peeing outside as opposed to ruining an expensive rug. "I don't think we have any treats in the car, but I'll buy you some when we get out of the bayou and back to the Quarter."

"Strong words for someone who found her way into the bed of the King of the Quarter." He retaliated and the brunette's green eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Oh! Is someone jealous?" She narrowed her eyes. "For your information, big mouth! Nothing happened between Marcel and me."

Klaus jumped up into the back of the pickup truck and peered down at her. "If you say so."

"And why would your little hybrid-sidekick from Mystic Falls have any interest in Hayley?" Elijah wondered, hoping to break the obvious tension between the two of them.

"He wants revenge after a little business with his mum." He snatched up a blanket from the trunk of the car and held it to his nose. Hayley's scent was all over it.

Elijah was so taken aback and the shock was evident in his eyes. "You killed his mother. Wonderful." Giuliana frowned deeply, remembering hearing about what had happened to the mayor of Mystic Falls.

"He needed to be taught a lesson!" His brother growled.

"And what lesson will you be taught, Niklaus, if he retaliates by harming Hayley?" He asked.

"Enough. I'll kill Tyler Lockwood myself." Klaus snapped and whizzed off into the woods, leaving Elijah and Giuliana alone.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked curiously and Elijah pursed his lips.

"We are not doing anything." He reached into his pocket and handed her the keys to his car. "Drive back to the Quarter and do not stop for anyone. I don't want you here where you can be in danger."

"What? No! I'm not leaving." She tried to take her hand away, but he caught it and wrapped her fingers around the set of keys. "Elijah,"

"Please, go. I—" he suddenly stopped, hearing approaching footsteps and the both of them tensed. They listened to the footsteps as they picked up in pace and seconds later, Hayley came barreling into the clearing.

"Run! He's after me!" She panted, but Elijah stopped her.

"Calm down, Hayley. We're here to take you home." He told her, but she was more focused on looking back over her shoulder.

"He'll come for me!" She told them.

"Who?"

"Tyler."

"We won't let him get to you, Hayley. You're safe now." Giuliana assured the young wolf.

Hayley gave a weary sigh and she rubbed her stomach as if to try and calm her baby too. "You two will not believe the crap day I'm having."

"We're just glad that we found you." The brunette told her.

"We'll take you home." Elijah started to walk away, but Hayley's fingers grasped the sleeve of his jacket. A worried look was painted on her face and her hand was still pressed on her stomach.

"There is something that you both need to know about the baby."

"You mean to tell me that the blood of your baby can make hybrids?!" Giuliana's voice was so loud that it scared some birds from their perches on the branches of high trees. Elijah paced around anxiously while Hayley was seated on a tree stump. The wolf had told them that Tyler had extracted some of the baby's blood from her womb and injected it into a werewolf buddy of his, Dwayne. The result was that he turned into a hybrid that reacted strangely when Tyler was threatening Hayley. The two hybrids got into a fight, allowing Hayley to escape and Tyler killed Dwayne before running off after Hayley.

"Klaus must have known, that's the only explanation! He could care less about the baby; he just wants her to be born so he can use her to make more sired hybrids." Hayley explained and Elijah remained silent. His eyes averted Hayley's form and he seemed troubled about the news he'd heard about the baby. "Although...the way that Dwayne was acting it was more like he was sired to me."

"Like he wanted to protect you?" The brunette sat beside her on the stump.

"That's what it felt like. He was getting irritated when Tyler was yelling and threatening me." She said.

Elijah stopped pacing and looked to Hayley. "I should take you both home."

"Are you serious? Home to what?" Hayley raised an eyebrow at him.

"Look, regardless of my brother's intentions, mine remain the same. I said that I would protect you, even, if need be, from Klaus himself." He spoke and his gaze moved to Giuliana who still clutching the car keys that he handed to her before. He hadn't realized it before, but the green in her eyes really sparkled when out in the brilliance of nature. She had the most beautiful eyes and many a time he caught himself getting lost in them. "I promised to keep you both safe." He breathed as his gaze held hers; he could hear her heartbeat quickening when he spoke to her and he could make out a blush rising in her cheeks.

Hayley stood and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "I can take care of myself. I've done it for a long time."

Giuliana rolled those brilliant green eyes of hers. "Oh, Hayley. Don't throw yourself a pity party. We told you that we'd look out for you and let me tell you, we wouldn't be in the middle of the freakin' bayou for just anyone. Now get your butt off that tree stump and let's get you home." She turned on her heel and started walking out of the clearing, leaving Elijah and Hayley to glance curiously at one another. "Hurry up, Elijah, or I'm driving!"

Both Hayley and Elijah were slightly taken aback by Giuliana's little outburst. She was always a woman to speak her mind, but she had managed to bring both parties to silence. Hayley shrugged and got up, dusting off her pants of any bark from the stump and she sighed exaggeratedly.

"Damn, girl's got a point." She grumbled as she followed Giuliana, listening for the jingling of car keys to keep up with her. Elijah gave one last look over his shoulder at the forest, making sure that no danger was a foot and trudged on after both girls, now that it was his responsibility to keep them safe.

"She does have a point." He chuckled to himself.

Klaus leaned against the wooden beamed of the dilapidated shack as he waited for Hayley, Giuliana, and Elijah to return. With an impatient growl, he began to pace back and forth, beginning to become bored with waiting for them, but he felt somewhat comforted by the fact that he pummeled Tyler Lockwood to a pulp. He took great satisfaction in putting that disgrace of a hybrid in his place he smirked to himself remembering how Tyler left the clearing with his tail between his legs. His reminiscing was shattered when he saw Elijah, Giuliana, and Hayley approaching in the distance. He hoisted up Dwayne's dead body and shoved it onto the porch.

"There you are! I see you've found our wandering stray. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation." His foot kicked Dwayne's body harshly. "This appears to be a hybrid."

"His name was Dwayne." Hayley hissed coldly.

Klaus shrugged uncaringly. "Well, whoever it was, I didn't sire him. Any idea how that's possible?"

Hayley suddenly stomped towards Klaus, jabbing her finger at him. "As if you didn't know!" Giuliana pulled her friend back by her upper arm, hoping to keep her safe from Klaus fury if things escalated and got ugly.

Klaus smirked at the two girls who were glaring at him. "Ah, well, aren't you two fast friends? I would warn you, little wolf, that Giuliana is already quite friendly with Marcel. Wouldn't want her to spill your little secret now, would you?"

"For the thousandth time, nothing happened between Marcel and me!" She growled. "We just talked."

"Yes, because I'm supposed to believe that you two were talking during the early hours of the morning." He snickered and flashed to stand right in front of her. She jumped in her spot, not expecting him to be so close to her and Klaus smirked, seeing it and the fact that his brother was now tensing with Hayley by his side.

"For someone who claims to care about no one but himself, you're awfully caring a lot about what I am doing." She glowered darkly.

"I don't care, but perhaps Marcel and I can trade stories about how exquisite a lay you are." The smirk that painted his lips was slapped cleanly off his face and Giuliana's hand throbbed from the hit. Klaus' head snapped to the left and a red handprint was left on his cheek. Blue hues shifted and a low growl was rumbling in his chest.

"Do you know why Tyler came to New Orleans and kidnapped Hayley?" She clenched her fists tightly. "He wanted to test a theory that the blood of Hayley's child could be used to sire hybrids. He swears that you knew about it and that you wanted to build an army."

Klaus' already angered expression deepened and his growls grew louder. For the first time in a long time, he looked hurt by the accusations made against him. "And, of course, you all assume it's true. I mean, why else would I show interest in my own flesh and blood? A heartbroken little crybaby points his finger at me, and someone who I call my friend, eager to believe it! How quickly you believe the worst, Giuliana."

Elijah now stepped forward; his worry about his brother's temper was making him concerned about Giuliana's safety, so he pulled her back. "Oh, spare us your indignation. When have you ever demonstrated any kind of concern towards Hayley or her child, beyond your own selfish pursuits? And what was it you once said to me? Every king needs an heir!" He impersonated his brother's quote to him when they had first learned about Hayley's pregnancy.

"My big brother, so, you doubt my intentions? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, standing next to the noble Elijah, how can I be anything but the lesser brother? A liar, a manipulator, a bastard." Klaus' anger was now being transferred into hurt. His eyes shown with hatred towards his brother and the other two girls who had also been so quick to accuse him. The two brothers stared at one another and Elijah seemed to be reconsidering his position on accusing his brother of knowing about the baby's blood.

"Klaus..." Giuliana trailed off, sensing the tension between the brothers which was quickly escalating.

"That's all I am to you, isn't it? And Rebekah. And, judging by the way Hayley hangs on your every word, it's clear she feels the same way! No doubt my child will as well." Klaus was quickly becoming angrier with each word that was spewed from his mouth.

Elijah shifted uneasily on his feet, knowing that he had gone too far and he knew that he had to fix it. "Brother, if-"

"You've said all that needs to be said, brother." Klaus snapped and took a few steps back, holding out his hands up in defeat. "I'll play the role I've been given." He turned to walk away, but he suddenly rushed back to Elijah and savagely bit into his neck. Giuliana screamed in horror and ran to the two of them when Klaus let his brother go. The bite wound did not heal; instead, it festered and bled freely.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Giuliana pressed a piece of cloth to the bite mark to stop the bleeding.

Klaus simply wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You two enjoy each other's company. You'll have much to bond over, once the hallucinations and dementia set in. Consider that bite to be my parting gift to you both." He then turned to Hayley, whose eyes were wide with horror. "Come with me, little wolf."

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" She hissed. "I'm not leaving my friends like this. It might be easy for you, but I'm not leaving them here."

"Fine. Have it your way then. But I must warn you, that these woods won't be so pleasant at night." He warned and sped away.

"You keep staring at me like something is going to happen." Elijah smirked and Giuliana broke her stare, looking down and blushing furiously. She and Hayley helped Elijah to get inside the cabin, so they could use it as a safe house for however long they were staying there for. Hayley had been rummaging through some boxes which held some old photographs, but Giuliana couldn't keep her gaze off Elijah. The bite mark had stopped bleeding, but it was now a painful looking open sore. Klaus had taken a large chunk of out his brother's neck and it was all because she decided to provoke him about what Hayley told her about the baby. She had never been around a vampire who was bitten before, but she'd seen humans from her village come back wounded from a werewolf attack. She wondered what Klaus meant by dementia and hallucinations setting in. She hoped that Elijah wouldn't get too bad because she would have no idea how to comfort him in a situation like that.

"Sorry. I'm just worried about you." She murmured and looked down at her hands which were folded in her lap.

"The bite won't kill me, Giuliana. Like Niklaus himself, it's more than a nuisance than anything." He told her.

"Good, 'cause I'm eventually going to need a ride home." Hayley smiled in an effort to lighten the mood. "And thanks, by the way, for staying out here. You both don't have to."

"But, you said the people of this village are the only family you have left. I can relate." Elijah winced when a twinge of pain went up the side of his neck.

"You're thinking about Klaus." Giuliana sighed and started to rifle through some boxes on her own, looking for some ointment or bandage to put on Elijah's neck.

"Perhaps I was too willing to condemn him. In the thousand years that we have been together, my brother has committed numerous unspeakable acts. But, then again, so has Rebekah. So have I." Elijah told them.

"So did I, the last time I was in Cabo." Hayley mentioned and Elijah gave her a confused look.

"We've all done bad things, Elijah. It's just, most people die before the list gets embarrassing. But, don't for a second compare yourself to Klaus." Giuliana said, her eyes meeting his. "You're nothing like your brother." She walked back to him with a few bottles in hand and some bandages.

"Let's have a look at this." She sat beside him and took his cheek in her hand, gently tilting his head to the side to expose more of his neck. Up close it looked even worse. She could see four distinct holes where Klaus had bitten him with his fangs and some blood had crusted around the holes. Tiny purplish spidery veins radiated off the bite and up the side of his neck and downward going toward his collarbone. Her fingers traced over them, but she immediately stopped feeling the muscles in his neck tense. "I'm sorry." She apologized and moved to take her hands away from him, but his hands gripped her wrists, keeping her in place. He was now looking into her eyes and her heart beat a little faster when his thumbs brushed over her soft skin.

Hayley cleared her throat loudly and Elijah let go of Giuliana's wrists, allowing her to move back, but she didn't. "I'll leave you two be. I'm gonna get some air outside." She pushed open the door and stood out on the porch.

"She is awfully subtle, isn't she?" Elijah grinned.

"If you would call what she just did subtle." Giuliana chuckled and opened up one of the bottles labeled hydrogen peroxide. She poured some onto a cloth, the fibers sucked up the clear liquid and she cautiously placed it on Elijah's neck. He made a small sound of displeasure, but let her clean the wound. She stroked the cloth over the bite mark and took it away after a few moments. The crusted, dried blood had come loose, so she cleaned it with the cloth a few more times until the skin was completely clean. It did look a little better, but the bite was still there.

"This is all my fault." She muttered, but Elijah heard her.

"Giuliana—"

"No, Elijah. You were bitten because I aggravated your brother. If I wouldn't have hit him when he teased me about being with Marcel and if I didn't accuse him of knowing about the baby, this never would have happened. It's my fault that you got hurt." She never felt so ashamed in her entire life. Because of her smart mouth, Elijah had to pay the price.

He took her hand in his, holding it firmly as he saw tears flood her eyes. "None of this is your doing. Niklaus attacked me because he knew that I would survive it. If he hurt you or Hayley, I would have killed him for it. I would rather he hurt me than hurt you."

Giuliana remained quiet, but she picked up on the fact that he had left out Hayley's name in his last statement. One small tear escaped from her eye and she quickly wiped it away, not wanting him to see her cry. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth before meeting his hypnotizing stare. His hands then cupped her cheeks and he brought their foreheads close together so that they were touching. Both sets of eyes fell closed and Giuliana suspended her control over her mind to let Elijah peer inside. He watched her memories from the night before like a home movie reel and he saw her and Marcel throughout the night. They exchanged stories, shared laughs and smiles, but there was nothing more. As the memories faded to black, he could feel Giuliana's hands grasp his which still held her face.

"Nothing happened between Marcel and me," she said.

"I know." He nodded and kissed her forehead. "I am sorry if I ever doubted you for a second."

Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing her deep emerald eyes. "You, I can forgive. I'm not so sure about Klaus." Silence wrapped around the pair and they stared intensely into each other's eyes. They hadn't realized it, but their faces were growing closer and closer as the seconds ticked on.

The creaking front door made them separate from each other immediately and Hayley was just left to wonder what had happened between them. She was holding a small, thick book in her hands and she walked to the pair.

"Someone left this here."

"What is it?" Elijah asked curiously.

"A Bible, with a family history that goes back generations." She explained and all three were pouring over the book. There were pages and pages of names and birth dates documented in the book and it looked as if the names and years spanned back generations.

"What are these names?" He wondered.

"It looks like a family tree of some kind." Giuliana noted and pointed to the very last name at the bottom of the list. It read, "Andrea Labonair 6 June 1991."

"Who is Andrea?"

Hayley's stomach dropped as she read over the name and date a thousand times over. "I think I am..." Both Elijah and Giuliana were staring at her in shock. "That's the day that I was born."

Wow! Hi everyone! I hope that all of you are doing well especially with the snow! An update on what is going on in my life, I am now student teaching in Kindergarten! It is an amazing experience, but also very demanding. Because of this, I haven't been able to write as often as I'd like :( That being said, I am asking all of you to continue to be patient with me and my updates. I promise that I'm not going anywhere, I just need more time to write. Every single one of you have been absolutely amazing and I am happy to say that this story has hit 200 reviews. I couldn't have done it all without you.

Next, please, please, please go read my beta's fics. Her account name is PrincessOfSilence and she is an incredible writer and I would be nowhere without her!

Lastly, this chapter is dedicated to twin of a sister because she sent me such a wonderful message. We have been messaging back and forth and she is absolutely wonderful! This chapter is for you, girl! I hope that you enjoy it :D

grapejuice101: Hehe, yes I did leave you with a cliffhanger ;) Glad to hear that you enjoyed this chapter! Hope you liked the update!

Rose1324: Thank you for reviewing! I love Damon and Cassandra too! I don't want her to die either, but we won't know what the future holds for her.

WickedlyMinx: Thanks for reviewing! Glad that you like this story! As for "Love Like This," I am working on a new chapter :)

Guest: I think Sophia is such a cute name and I think it fits for a baby girl! I am taking suggestions for names if you have any other ones. Hope you enjoyed this update!

Brucas-chair23: Thanks for reviewing, girl! Hope you liked this chapter!

binks13: Thank you for your review, girl! Damon is an awesome character and I love writing him whenever he teases someone on the show. Cassandra is a very maternal character and she does care a lot about the Mystic Falls gang. Amara was an interesting character to have even if she was on the show for an episode or so. I did like Tessa because she was such a crazy bitch, LOL! Hope you enjoyed this update!

VampirePrincess11: Thanks for reviewing! I agree! Screw the Universe!

Shining Ruby: I am glad that Bonnie is back too! I missed her a lot on the show! Hehe, well Tessa is a creep and is hell-bent on having Cassandra dead. Thanks for reviewing!

lovinurbuks: Tessa is a crazy bitch ;) Hope you enjoyed this update and thank you for reviewing!

SomebodyWhoCares: Damon and Cassandra always get interrupted, LOL! And I think Damon was joking when he said that he broke his toe. You know Damon and his sarcasm! Thank you for reviewing!

Bangbaby: Thanks so much for reviewing! I can't believe I hit 200 reviews! As for my Klaus/OC, I have been brainstorming ideas to possibly continue it, but I would be starting over. It is a big project to take on, but just know that I have no forgotten about it :)

Kayla: Thanks for leaving a review! I sometimes wish that my story could be translated onto the screen too! Hmm, maybe Julie will read this someday :-P

KlausLover: Thank you for reviewing! So glad to hear that you are enjoying this story! As for my Klaus/OC, it is on hiatus because I don't really know what to do with it. I have been brainstorming ideas and I am considering starting it up again, but only until I know what direction I want to go in. If you are looking for Klaus/OC stories, my beta PrincessOfSilence has a WONDERFUL one and you can also look on my page in my 'favorites' list for other stories :)

harshita: Thanks for reviewing! I am so happy that you like my story and Cassandra too! Tessa is crazy, but she's not gone for good! Hope you enjoyed this update!

rosa: Thank you for reviewing! I am glad to see that you like both the Originals and The Vampire Diaries chapters. As for Davina being killed off, I am not sure how I want to bring it into the story. I have missed a few episodes because of work/school, but I am hoping to get back on track soon.

annie: Thanks for your review! I haven't seen the 500 Years of Solitude episode because I have been so busy with work/school, but I have a break coming up in two weeks, so I will get the chance to catch up! Please continue to be patient with my updates and I will talk to you soon :)

Nymartian: Thanks girl! I think that Damon and Cassandra are the greatest couple too! I wish that Damon had someone like her on the show!

CharmedGirl92: Thanks girl! I haven't been on top of watching the episodes because I have been so busy with school/work, but I will hopefully get back on track. I have read some spoilers, so I am getting ideas on what to do next! Talk to you soon!

annie: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed this update :D