Bloodlines

Chapter 22: Casket Girls

Beta: PrincessOfSilence

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

"For centuries, people have come to New Orleans looking for a fresh start. Looking to find adventure, fortune, and even love. Young society women imported from France with the promise of marrying a proper New Orleans gentleman like the legendary Casket Girls. Little did they know that the men who awaited them were far from proper, and not at all gentle. The Casket Girls legend lives on, now celebrated in typical New Orleans fashion with stylish costumes and supernatural flair. It's a yearly reminder of how woman can be oppressed by selfish men and how they can triumph when brave enough to fight for themselves."

Giuliana pulled another period gown from a trunk that rested on the floor while Hayley stood admiring her reflection in the mirror. Rebekah had told the girls the story of the Casket Girls and how it was something that was celebrated in New Orleans. Giuliana quite liked the idea of oppressed women liberating themselves and being brave enough to fight back against the forces which oppressed them. It was an empowering message and it made her want to partake in the festivities. Rebekah had dug up an old trunk she'd found in the attic and Hayley and Giuliana were having an interesting time trying on dresses from the eighteenth century.

"I like this one." Hayley smiled at herself in the mirror and did a little twirl. "And it actually fits."

"Maybe you lucked out and got the dress of a casket girl who was preggers." Giuliana joked and Hayley lobbed a pin cushion at her. "Hey!"

"Way to kill my self esteem."

"Oh, don't give me that. You look great." Giuliana held up the dress she'd picked from the trunk and held it up. It was hardly a gown of her style, but it looked pretty. "Wait till you see what I look like in this thing." She rushed to a partition on one end of the room and stripped down, laying her clothes over the top of it. She shimmied into the dress and tried to zip up the back, but her arms couldn't reach it.

"Hurry up!" Hayley bellowed.

"Okay, ready?"

"Ready."

"Uhm, you have to promise not to laugh."

Hayley sighed and exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. "Oh, will you just come out already?"

Giuliana appeared from behind the partition in a pale ivory frock with three-quarter inch sleeves. The fabric swished gracefully along the floor and she held out her hands as if waiting for Hayley's criticism. "So...?"

Hayley's lips contorted as if trying to hold in her laughs, but she just couldn't. She exploded, laughing long and hard about how ridiculous the two of them look. "You...you look like a marshmallow."

"I do not!" The girl stomped over to the mirror and peered at her own reflection with a dismal expression. "Uhm, I...I look like a pretty marshmallow."

"We look ridiculous." Hayley stood beside her, her reflection joining hers.

"We look like bridesmaids." Giuliana added and toyed with the fabric at the bottom. "Well, this one isn't so bad."

"If you say so. Help me unzip this?" Hayley turned her back to her friend and she unzipped the zipper. "I'm gonna change back into normal clothes."

"Alright." She watched her go before turning back to her own reflection in the mirror. The dress wasn't horrible; it just didn't lay right because the back wasn't zippered all the way. "I do not look like a marshmallow." She grumbled to herself and reached back to fumble with the buttons as well as the zipper.

"Would you like some help?" Elijah's form appeared in the doorway, startling Giuliana just slightly. He was dressed a little more casually than usual and it managed to catch her attention. She didn't think she'd ever seen Elijah in anything but a suit, but seeing him now in a plain white t-shirt, dark wash jeans and a black jacket was very appealing.

"Yeah, I...uh. I can't reach. Short arms, you know?" She stumbled over her words and wanted to smack herself for doing so. He smiled to himself before meeting her and taking the fabric in his hands. With quick and nimble fingers, he slid the zipper up all the way and buttoned each button along the back of the dress. Now the dress finally laid right and conformed to her figure.

"See! I told her that I didn't look like a marshmallow." Giuliana giggled and did a spin, surveying her appearance. "What do you think?"

Elijah's gaze trailed over her form and he took her hand in his. "You look beautiful." He placed a kiss to the back of her hand and she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from blushing.

"Well, thank you, kind sir." She curtsied.

"Hayley informed me that you were attacked by a witch last night. Are you alright?"

Giuliana nodded and realized that Elijah hadn't let go of her hand yet; not that she minded it. "I'm fine. Davina said it could have been a witch from outside the Quarter and that's why she didn't feel it."

Elijah pursed his lips and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand before letting go. "Perhaps I should-"

"No, perhaps you shouldn't." She stopped him right away, knowing that he wanted nothing more than to bury the witch that hurt her. "Elijah, it could have been anyone. It could have been a mistake. It's okay. I'm okay."

"I'll have you know that you are taking away all of my fun." He grinned at her.

"Good." She matched his expression and placed her hands on her hips. "Hmm, all dressed up and nowhere to go."

"You know, if you wanted to attend the festivities tonight, I would be more than willing to take you." Elijah told her and she was intrigued by the offer, but she was given strict orders by Klaus to stay with Hayley.

"I would love to, but..."

"But?"

"Klaus wants me to stay with Hayley." She frowned. "And I know that you and Klaus are back on speaking terms, so let's keep it that way."

Elijah nodded. "Of course."

"Maybe next year." She said with a smile. "Although, I'll probably be on babysitting duty."

"If that's the case, I'd speak with my brother to give you the night off." He grinned.

"How very kind of you," she chuckled and turned her back to Elijah. "Do you mind?" He stepped behind her and moved her long waves off her back and over her shoulder. Her deep green eyes met his soft brown ones in the mirror as his fingers carefully undid each button from its loop. He did it much slower now, taking his time and enjoying how the fabric felt between his fingers. Once he finished the buttons, he gripped the zipper and slid it down, swallowing hard as more of her olive skin was revealed. He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing and a heat rose in his cheeks that he hoped she couldn't feel because they were so close together. Her skin looked soft to the touch and he wished that he could run his fingers along her spine and feel for himself. How he wished to press his lips to her shoulder blade where the faintest scar could be seen from the arrow that pierced her from Agnes' witches fatal attack in the woods.

"You seem to be enjoying this." Her playful dig brought him back to reality and out of his wonderment of her as he slid the zipper all the way down until it stopped. The sleeves folded slightly off her shoulders, exposing more of her and she didn't seem fazed by the garment nearly falling off her. She then turned to face him once the zipper had hit its ending and she smiled warmly at the Original. She then leaned forward and pressed her lips to his warm cheek. This stunned Elijah quite a bit, but he was sure to wipe that expression off his face when she pulled back.

"Thank you." She then darted off to change back into her street clothes while Elijah gently touched the spot where her lips touched his skin. It still felt warm and his entire body was tingling from the electric sensation.

"So the witch is missing, huh?" Hayley murmured as she, Rebekah and Giuliana were standing about in the Abattoir. They heard the rumor going around the assortment of night walkers, but it was confirmed after hearing Klaus, Marcel and Elijah arguing about it in one of the rooms of the Abattoir and they certainly were not quiet about it.

Rebekah sighed and tossed a white dress back into a large chest that was resting on the floor. "Walked right out of the front door, apparently. Know anything about it?"

"No," Hayley shook her head. "Although I did tell her that the witch Elders were dead."

"She wouldn't care about them." Giuliana closed the chest and sat on it. "If anything, she'd be happy to hear that those witches who tried to kill her in their ritual are dead."

"The ex-hunter has a point." The blonde Original said.

"I think it was more that Marcel didn't tell her that the one thing preventing her from being free had been eliminated," Hayley explained.

Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed. "So, you are the reason she's run off."

"Hey, I was just telling her the truth. She's the one who realized they were just using her to keep their control over the witches." The pregnant wolf told her.

"Yeah well, I've never been a fan of the boys club. Just wait, Elijah will join them and the three of them will be impossible." She scoffed and noticed Marcel and Klaus who were murmuring on one of the upper balconies. They looked upset to say the least and Giuliana found herself looking for Elijah.

"Used by the witches, lied to by Marcel, manipulated by Elijah, threatened by Klaus. Just like a modern-day Casket Girl." Rebekah sang.

"Are you talking about Davina or yourself?" Hayley wondered and the blonde threw her a look.

"Does it matter? Either way, us girls have got to stick together. Right, Giuliana?" When she didn't hear the ex-hunter's reply, she saw that she was looking up at Elijah who had joined his brother and Marcel. A few moments passed before both Klaus and Marcel departed, informing Elijah of their plans and he was left alone on the balcony. His hands gripped the edge as he looked over the vampires minding their own business in the Abattoir when he caught Giuliana staring openly at him. He smiled at her and she dropped her eyes, her cheeks slowly turning red that he caught her and she awkwardly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"What's got her?"

Hayley's eyes followed Rebekah's and she smiled knowingly. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Of course it's obvious. I just don't want to make it even more obvious than it already is." She scoffed and nudged Giuliana's shoulder, effectively breaking hers and Elijah's longing stare.

"Hey! What was that for?!" She growled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to break up the lovebirds, but I didn't want to upset my stomach." Rebekah grumbled.

Giuliana rubbed her sore shoulder and happened to look back up at the balcony and frowned to see that Elijah had gone. Probably went off to find Davina, she thought to herself and picked at her nails. How could it be that one sixteen year old witch could cause so much trouble? She shook it off and watched as Hayley was trying to shake off her own bodyguards. It was a precaution that Klaus had taken to keep her safe, but they constantly followed her around.

"I know Klaus told you to follow me, but does that really mean you have to follow me to the bathroom?" The pregnant wolf asked and Giuliana quickly jumped in.

"Yeah, give her some room to breathe." She agreed and glance to Hayley who was receiving a call from someone who made her nose scrunch up.

"Give me two minutes; it's my gynecologist." Hayley looked up at the men before entering the parking garage and shutting the door behind her. Giuliana gave the two vampires a big smile and rocked awkwardly on the balls of her feet. The pair of bodyguards were easily bigger than her and towered over her, but Giuliana wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"So...how much do you guys get paid to follow her around?"

They didn't answer her; they only exchanged an odd glance with each other as if they were listening to her speak a different language.

"I mean, you should at least get combat pay because she's wicked when she gets one of those mood swings."

Again, they didn't answer her.

"Look, guys, I'm trying to make your job a little more enjoyable because by the look on your faces, you hate Klaus' changes as much as the next vampire." She explained and the taller vampire nodded slowly.

"You talk a lot, but you make a good point." He said and Giuliana nodded with a smile.

"Of course I do." Hayley had emerged from the parking garage and suddenly gripped Giuliana's arm, yanking her into the room with her. The door shut with a loud bang and Giuliana scowled at her. "I was just getting through to them."

"That was Sophie who just called," she hushed.

"What the hell does she want?" The smaller girl grumbled and Hayley looked around to make sure that they were really alone before speaking.

"Her bloodline executed the curse on the Crescent Moon wolves. That's why my family can only turn into humans during a full moon. She wants me to help her complete the Harvest in exchange for undoing the curse."

Giuliana crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't I like where this is going?"

"Sophie needs to consecrate the remains of a powerful witch so she can absorb their magic." Hayley said.

"And which witch would this be?"

"Celeste DuBois. If we can find where she is buried, then we can-"

"Woah, woah, woah." Giuliana interrupted her friend's train of thought. "We? Hayley, we are not doing anything."

"Please, I need you to help me with this. Sophie said that Elijah buried Celeste in a secret spot upon her request. Maybe he wrote it down in his journals." She speculated.

"So, you're going to ask me to poke through Elijah's things, find out where his former witch lover is buried and dig her up?"

"Giuliana, this is the only way to help my family."

"I can't do it to Elijah. It wouldn't be right." She shook her head, growing uneasy as the seconds ticked on.

Hayley's lips pursed and a glare settled in her eyes. "I thought that you were my friend."

Giuliana stepped forward in an effort to console the angry wolf. "I am your friend, Hayley. But, I'm Elijah's too. I can't betray him like that."

"So, you're going to let my family suffer?"

"Hayley-"

"No, it's fine. I just see who you're really loyal to." The wolf huffed and pushed past Giuliana to exit the garage. The green eyed girl palmed her face, knowing that she upset Hayley, but she knew that if she picked either side of the argument she would have gotten burned. If she helped Hayley, she knew that Elijah would be furious with her and she didn't want that, but because she has chosen to stand by Elijah, Hayley was angry with her. Either way, she just couldn't win.

Just as she went to leave the garage to follow Hayley, she was receiving a call from the one and only Sophie. Against her better judgment, she answered her phone.

"Speak of the devil." She muttered lowly. "I already know what you want and the answer is 'no.'"

"Help Hayley find Celeste's remains." The witch demanded.

"Sorry, but I have plans of not pissing off an Original vampire that don't include digging up his dead ex-lover." Giuliana growled.

Sophie sighed on the other line. "Look, I know that you and Elijah have a thing, but-"

"Woah, woah, woah. What thing? There is no 'thing.'"

"Oh, please. You love him and you're worried that digging up Celeste's remains will make him angry."

"You're a bright one, you know that?" She jeered.

"Fine. What will make you help Hayley?" Sophie wondered.

"Nothing. I already told you that I won't help you."

"I can tell you about your family."

"My family?" She scoffed. "They're all dead. The line ended when the Originals slaughtered them all."

"Not exactly. Believe it or not, your family name went on for quite some time." Sophie baited and Giuliana was completely silent. She smiled, knowing she had Giuliana right where she wanted her "Ah, I see the Originals didn't tell you that."

"How do I know that you're not lying to me?" Giuliana asked, her patience wearing thin with the witch.

"Do you know why your blood is the way that it is?" Sophie countered.

"No, and let me guess, you do."

"I can tell you why if you help Hayley."

Giuliana worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she tossed around the idea of possibly going behind Elijah's back and doing what Sophie was asking her to do. She knew that Elijah would be angry with her, but in return for doing Sophie's bidding, she would finally learn why she was the way that she was and about her family which she thought had all been slaughtered. Elijah and Klaus both swore that her family lived, but they gave her no proof. She paced back and forth, running her hands through her hair anxiously, knowing that the decision that she was going to make would not end well for Elijah.

"You'll give me all the answers I need?" She wanted to make sure that Sophie would.

"Just do what I asked and I will," the witch promised.

After a few moments of silence, she finally gave her answer. "I'll do it. Where is Celeste buried?"

"Like I know? That's your job."

"Tell me you're joking." Giuliana raised her eyebrows.

"I wish I was, but no one knows where Elijah buried her. Story goes that when she died, he buried her in a secret spot at her request. All you have to do is find out where." Sophie said. "I'll be in touch."

The line went dead and Giuliana couldn't shake the inkling feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. How the hell would she know where Celeste was buried? And she couldn't exactly ask Elijah where he buried his true love. Pocketing her phone, she exited the garage and looked around the crowded Abattoir. Elijah and Klaus and Marcel were still speaking up on the balcony and when she saw the opportune moment, she slipped out of the room without being seen.

The ex-hunter cursed herself as she walked up the porch steps of the Mikaelson house. She opened up the door and literally smashed into Hayley's two bodyguards. She nearly fell back on her bottom, but she quickly caught herself and cleared her throat.

"Uh, hey, guys. Fancy meeting you here. Always a pleasure." She gave them a big smile when they just looked between each other. "Where's Hayley?"

"Giuliana, what are you doing here?" The wolf emerged in the doorway behind her lackeys.

"You're gynecologist called and said that she couldn't reach you." She stressed and Hayley got the message.

"Oh, sure. Come on in." She gestured for her to come in and the brunette slid past the bodyguards. The two girls walked into one of the rooms and Hayley motioned for her bodyguards to leave them to talk in peace which they did. Once they were alone, Hayley pulled them into a room.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to help you."

Hayley raised a curious eyebrow. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Look, as much as I don't want to go behind Elijah's back, Sophie said that she'd give me some answers about my family." Giuliana explained and her wolf friend gave her a sympathetic look, knowing what it was like to be close to getting answers about family matters.

"I understand. Thank you for doing this." She said.

"You can thank me later after we dig up this witch."

"Yeah, one problem about that. No one knows where she's buried." Hayley deadpanned. Giuliana sidestepped the wolf and knelt beside a large trunk that was up against a wall. She popped the lock open and nestled inside were journals upon journals. She knew that Elijah kept them there and if he was to write about where he buried Celeste, it would be in one of the journals. She took out two, handing one to Hayley and keeping one for herself.

"Well, let's start looking."

Four journals later, the girls were ready to give up all hope in finding where Elijah had buried Celeste. They thumbed through journal after journal, page after page, word after word, but they found nothing. Picking up her fifth journal, Giuliana opened it with a sigh and began to read, but recognized that he wrote this journal shortly after he came to Italy and met her brother Alexander.

The Ricci family has been kind enough to let us stay with them. They are warm and welcoming and they do not suspect that my siblings and I are vampires.

She skipped a few pages and continued reading, her curiosity getting the best of her. Her green eyes scanned over every elegantly written word.

Today was the Grape Harvest in the village and it reminded me of the Fall Harvest we had in our village. I spent quite a bit of time with Alexander's sister, Giuliana, and I enjoyed her company. She is carefree and full of light. And at times, she matches wits with Niklaus. She reminds me what it was like to be human.

"Hey," Hayley's voice shook her from her searching. "Did you find anything?"

Giuliana shook her head, keeping her eyes remained on the journal in her lap. "Uhm, no. Did you?"

Hayley passed her a journal which looked a little more recent and the ex-hunter read the words to herself quietly. As she read, she could hear Elijah's voice in her head.

Celeste entrances me...

She is perfection...

She is dead. Even as the sun rises, I see only night. But for the promise I made to her, that in death, I would bury her far from the mayhem of witches, vampires, and men...

"I think we found it." Hayley said and her friend nodded, but it didn't make her feel better. The wolf got up and mentioned to Giuliana that she was going to start the car, but her friend didn't move from her place on the floor. Her fingertips brushed over the words of the place that Elijah had kept secret, the place that he had promised Celeste where he'd bury her and she was now going to disturb Celeste's resting place for her own selfish need.

"I'm so sorry, Elijah."

The entire drive back to the Abattoir, Giuliana was thinking of all of the ways that she could avoid Elijah just for a couple of days, so that she wouldn't draw attention to her anxiousness. She bit her fingernails down to the bone and she just wanted to turn it in for the night, but she wanted to have a drink first.

She figured she might as well drown her sorrows before she hit the hay. She hadn't spoken to Sophie yet, but she would definitely get in touch with her soon. When she entered the parlor, she saw Elijah rearranging some sketches on the floor with a pensive expression on his face.

"Hi," she spoke softly, making sure not to frighten him too much. He looked up from the drawings and gave her a smile. "You okay?"

"I'm better now." He said with a nod. "How was your day?"

There was a multitude of answers that should could have given him, but she decided on the simplest one. "Fine." She rocked on the balls of her feet before casting a glance to the art on the floor. "What's with the artwork?"

Elijah gestured for her to have a look with him. "Davina's sketches. I wonder if they represent some kind of premonition. They seem to suggest something is coming. Something sinister."

Giuliana tilted her head to the side, squinting her eyes as she tried to make sense of them. All of them seemed so abstract on their own, but each of them had harsh black lines to show shape and soft smudges to indicate shadows. She got down on her knees, taking a few of the sketches in her hands while Elijah did the same beside her. They sorted out some of the images and one of them seemed to stand out to her.

"You see this one..." She reached for one drawing just as Elijah did the same. Their hands brushed against each other's, the skin tingling and Elijah immediately withdrew his hand, allowing her to take up the sketch. She did and held it up to him. "Uh, as I was saying. What does it look like to you?"

Elijah took a few longing glances at the photo and then the answer hit him. "It looks like...an eye."

"That's what I thought." She nodded and the Original took up another image that matched it. A pair of dark eyes were now staring back at them from the floor.

"It's a face." He gathered.

"Well, let's see who Davina was trying to warn us about." The pair worked on putting the drawings in the proper places. Once the eyes were set up, the rest was easy to align and it took minutes to finish. Elijah put the last sketch in place and they both stood to get a different perspective, however once they saw the face as a whole product, they knew exactly who it was.

"Oh, my god. Isn't that..." Giuliana trailed off, her words being swallowed by the haunting pair of eyes in the drawing.

"Celeste," Elijah murmured.

Hello everyone! I decided to update because...*drum roll* I PASSED MY PORTFOLIO! Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and for your patience during this tough time. I have four weeks left of my semester and I will be graduating in May! Very exciting stuff! I hope all of you enjoyed this update and please review xoxo

grapejuice101: I know! Damon shouldn't be listening to Enzo! Hopefully Cass and Damon will work out their issues. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)

VampirePrincess11: I believe that Damon will be a great father too and so does Cass, but Damon doesn't believe it :( Thanks for reviewing!

SomebodyWhoCares: I agree with you completely! Damon needs to stop being stubborn AND he needs a Gibbs slap! Hope you enjoyed the update!

lovinurbuks: Poor Damon is always so hard on himself :( He does need to learn that nobody is perfect! Thanks for reviewing, girl!

Shining Ruby: Thank you so much for reviewing and I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter! Cassandra and Damon both went through a lot in their own ways and I feel like that is really beginning to weigh down heavily on them. They are a strong couple and they work things out, so let's hope that stays true! Hope you enjoyed this update!

binks13: Hello darling! Very happy that you enjoyed my last update! Both Cassandra and Damon went through a lot. Cassandra has a very nurturing and maternal side. I felt bad for Cassandra too because Damon knows how to get under her skin and they both walked away from the argument angry. Hopefully they will be able to work things out! Thanks so much for reviewing!

DritneyForever: Thanks for posting your review! Hope you enjoyed this update :)

Guest: I totally agree with you! Damon would make a great father! I think seeing the picture would definitely change his tune! Thank you for reviewing!

Guest: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this update! As for my other updates, they are in progress, but I am waiting for the summer to really sit down and work on them. Thank you for being so, so patient :)

Guest: Yes, Damon is very insecure and I hope that Cass can help him turn that around because he is a really good guy. Thanks for reviewing!

Guest: Thank you for reviewing! And Cassandra does not have any other siblings. She's an only child.

ThisIsMeAndYou: I do agree with you when it comes to Elijah and Giuliana. They have a lot of chemistry together and it really shows! But they are too stubborn and can't admit it to each other. I never thought of Marcel and Giuliana having a brother/sister relationship, but it is an interesting way to think of it. I think Klaus needs someone for him, so maybe if the season permits it, I can add someone new ;)

Julia: Ah, a Stelena shipper reading my stories?! AWESOME! And it's even more awesome that you love my Damon/Cassandra pairing! Glad to hear that you're enjoying my stories and thanks for the well wishes :D

Harshita: It's never too late to write a review! I am glad to hear that you've been enjoying my updates and thanks for the well wishes on my exams and such!