A/N: I put off trying to sleep so that i could get this up for you guys :)

The next morning I was up bright and early. I went downstairs and was surprised to see Marcel already up.

"Good morning Elena," he said, looking up from his paper. I paused, taken aback by the amount he reminded me of Elijah. I pushed away the thoughts and concentrated.

"Morning… do you ever sleep?"

"Only when I've got nothing better to do." He gave me a grin. I couldn't help but smile back. He was such a warm easy going person, it was impossible not to be charmed by him. "Are you off to see the witches?"

"I was going to, yes. Also, I wanted to ask you something. I met a witch at a bar yesterday, I was wondering if you knew her name."

"Which bar?"

"Rousseau's. She was the chef?"

"That's Sophie Deveraux. Her and her sister Jane-Anne work there. Was she causing trouble?"

"No, I just thought it was a good idea to put a name to the face. And I'd like to talk to her again, try and get her recipe for gumbo."

"Good luck with that. She keeps it close to her chest."

"I can be very persistent." I smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Thierry's not up yet and he's supposed to be accompanying you. Why don't you have some breakfast first?"

"I don't mind going alone. He can meet me there?"

"It's up to you but I'd feel more comfortable if you took Thierry." I considered this. I wasn't used to being given the choice. Ordinarily it was a matter of 'I know better than you and you will do this to keep you safe'.

"Alright, I'll wait." I decided to follow Marcel's advice, partly as a sign of respect and partly because it was probably a lot safer to go with Thierry. I went through to the kitchen area. My appetite hadn't been particularly good lately but I knew that I needed to eat so I started making myself breakfast. As I was looking through the fridge, I spotted a blood bag tucked into the corner. I paused, my eyes fixed on the bag. I felt a strange desire to tear it open and drink the liquid inside. I reached for the bag unconsciously. My fingers brushed against it, the cold plastic restoring my senses. I pulled back sharply.

I headed back out.

"I'm going to head off. I just need some air."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for Thierry?"

"There's no need to wait for Thierry, Thierry is here," said Thierry, appearing in the doorway. He gestured for me to lead on. I headed out of the building with him, walking in silence for a few minutes. A realization hit me. If I went into the witches' quarter, they'd all freak out the way Sophie had. And then Thierry would find out my secret and he'd tell Marcel. Fuck.

I waited until I felt we were a decent distance away from the compound before I spoke up.

"You know, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I can take care of myself."

"Marcel asked me too and I do what he says." I suppressed a groan. As much as I admired his loyalty, I was beginning to wish Marcel had sent someone else with me who'd be more willing to bend the rules.

I stayed quiet, wondering what to do. Thierry walked in silence, leading the way. He stopped abruptly and turned to me.

"This is what the others call 'Witches Alley'. Most of the French Quarter Witches live, work and hang out around here." He waited for me to take the lead, falling into the role of bodyguard. I took a deep breath and entered the street. As I walked, people around me stopped and turned to stare. It was easy to tell who were witches and who were just tourists passing through. Even though some of the witches stopped staring very quickly, I saw them glancing in my direction. Thierry eyed them warily, clearly confused.

"Do… they normally act like this?" I asked, quietly hoping that they might just be reacting to the threatening vampire behind me.

"No… normally they're more discrete with their staring. And when a vampire comes near they usually clear out fairly quickly."

I hesitated, unsure if I wanted to go any further. An older woman passed by and paused, taking us both in.

"Well now, what have we done to warrant a video from Marcel's lapdog?" she asked.

"We're not here to cause trouble. Elena is Marcel's new envoy to your people. She's here to listen to all your complaints and concerns and relay them back to him," Thierry explained. I smiled nervously. The woman frowned.

"That's oddly considerate of him." She turned to me. "I am Agnes, one of the Elders of the French Quarter coven. Come and sit with me, we will talk." I followed her over to a small table she had set up with fortune telling gear. Thierry made to follow and she gave him a sharp look.

"I'll be… around when you're ready to go," Thierry said and quickly retreated. I got the feeling the witches made him nervous.

I sat opposite Agnes, aware that the others were still staring at me, now far more openly that Thierry was gone.

"They're afraid of you."

"I'm not a threat."

"You are the greatest threat. A creature outside of nature, something not bound to normal rules. Our path is about ensuring the balance of nature. You are a great threat to us. As is…" she trailed off.

"You can sense it to?"

"No. Sophie Deveraux told us of your arrival. She has a unique ability to detect these things."

"I asked her if she knew why this was happening to me. I don't suppose you know?"

"In part it is because of what you are. That is what has allowed you to carry this child. Had it been conceived in another, nature would have ensured that the body rejected it."

"So being a doppelganger lets me keep it… but what got me pregnant in the first place?"

"Dark magic. Far darker than any witch should ever possess. Are you aware of any magic being placed on you?"

"Yes… I was bound to five original vampires." Her expression became grave and she stiffened slightly before leaning in closer, her voice hushed.

"Are you still?"

"No. Another two witches did a different spell which bound me to another vampire. But he's dead now." I didn't want to add 'I think' on the end. That might open a whole new bunch of issues.

"Hmm. I believe I may know what has happened. The magic which bound you to these vampires, did it allow you to make use of their abilities?"

"Some of them. I healed faster. And there was one time when I could access their senses for a short time."

"It is as I thought. This spell would have called for the merging of blood, yes?"

"Yes."

"It is dark blood magic that was cast on you. By binding you to these vampires, your essence and theirs were merged. You took on traits of the vampire and they took on traits of the human, thus allowing them to conceive."

"So, would this happen for any vampire who was bonded to me with the same spell?" I tried to keep the panic out of my voice but a small amount slipped in. I'd experienced being an ingredient for a spell before. It was not a pleasant experience and I did not want it to happen again.

"Yes." She paused. "Do any vampires know of this yet?"

"No. I've been keeping it hidden. Obviously, your people know. And one untriggered werewolf is aware of its true nature."

"I would advise you keep it that way. The more people who know, the greater the chance that you will be harmed. My kind would certainly not wish vampires to be able to procreate with ease and I can imagine that the werewolves would not want that either." I nodded and sighed softly.

"I won't say anything to anyone." I decided to change the subject. "So, I suppose I'm here to listen to your grievances? Any messages you want me to pass to Marcel?"

"Yes. My coven needs to practice. Our faith is centred in our magic and we need to conduct our ceremonies at the very least on festival days and days of significance. This is the bear minimum I'm asking for"

"I'll ask him. I can't guarantee anything obviously."

"Well, conversation is the first step to change. It would be much appreciated if we could practice freely once again." She gave a slight smile. "In the meantime, please introduce yourself to the rest of the coven. I promise they will not harm either of you. And if you visit Sophie, I am sure she will be able to assist you with your… condition."

I nodded and got to my feet. I began to wander the area, intending to talk to some of the others in the coven. However most of them just stared at me warily and retreated when I got too close. I sighed and decided to find Thierry so I could leave.

I spotted his capped head in a shop called Jardin Gris. I let myself in, a small bell ringing as I entered. A strange sense of calm settled over me as I came in. There was a rich spicy smell in the air which I realised was coming from a small bowl of smoking powder.

I looked around, examining the herbs on display. I wondered how much of it was real and how much was just used to attract tourists. Thierry hadn't noticed me yet, too caught up in conversation with a pretty young witch who was behind the register. I peered between the shelves, watching them silently. He reached over and gently brushed some hair from her cheek.

Oh shit. Were they…?

Fuck.

If Thierry was dating the witch, then chances were that she'd tell him about my secret. And he'd tell Marcel. There was no way I'd be able to convince him not to.

I quietly slipped back out of the shop and walked briskly, not really sure where I was going or what I was going to do. I turned to leave the street when I heard Thierry calling my name. I paused and looked back. He jogged over to catch up with me.

"You all done then?"

"I… yeah, pretty much. The other witches didn't seem so keen on talking."

"They can be fairly self-contained and most of them aren't keen on anyone involved with vampires." Did he know? I couldn't tell. He seemed to be in a far better mood than before but that could just be from seeing the girl.

I decided not to bring it up. If he did know, I couldn't do anything anyway. If he didn't know and I mentioned it then I'd lose any chance I had to keep it secret.

We walked in silence again back to the compound. I spotted a few of Marcel's men on the street handing out flyers for a party tonight. That was probably going to be another one of their murder feasting parties. Another issue to think of.

God, why couldn't things ever be simple?

Thierry didn't mention anything the entire journey back and when we got back, he said nothing to Marcel. It looked like I was in the clear. I was still nervous that his girlfriend might bring it up at another time but for the time being all I could do was wait and keep an eye on him.

I found out that there was a party planned for that night and Marcel confirmed it was so his people would feed. I decided to use the opportunity to go back to Rousseau's and talk to Sophie again. That would at least keep me away from everything so I didn't have to listen to all the helpless people screaming.

When it got dark, I slipped out of the compound and headed down the winding streets towards Rousseau's. I was about halfway there when a strange smell wafted to my nostrils from a side street. I felt my mouth watering at the smell that was both familiar and new. I turned off my path and followed it, oblivious to everything else around me.

The side street was dark and almost completely empty. There was one person there, a young man who was examining his knee where there was a large tear in his jeans. In the flickering light from the lanterns, I could see blood staining his skin. It looked almost black in this light.

Hypnotized by the sight, I moved towards him. He looked up as I approached and opened his mouth to speak but fell silent before any words were spoken. He stared at me, mouth slack, eyes vacant. I knelt down, eyes locked with his. I wasn't aware of my movements but at the same time, everything felt very precise. It was like… some kind of dark instinct had been woken inside of me.

I gently ran my fingers over his knee, gathering the blood on the digits. My mind screamed at me to stop but I couldn't…

I brought the fingers to my mouth and licked them. A moan escaped my lips and I closed my eyes, in ecstasy. I leant down ran my tongue over the wound.

"Mmm…"

Shit what was I doing?

I leapt to my feet, suddenly horrified. I scampered back, watching the man to see if he made any move. He was still staring into space, as if in a trance. I turned and ran off, letting the darkness swallow me up.

Once I reached the main street I let myself slow down and eventually stop. I leant against a wall, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. I could feel blood staining my lips and I hurriedly wiped it away. How had I done that? My hands were trembling, fingers faintly red. I could see the sign for Rousseau's further down the street and I headed that way.

I slipped through the bar and into the toilet at the back. I looked at my reflection as little as possible as I washed the blood off my hands. No matter how many times I tried to clean them, I still felt like it wasn't enough. I was positive that the second I entered the bar someone would realize what I'd done.

Eventually I had to leave the bathroom though. I went back into the bar, moving slowly and hesitantly. It was busier than the day before. Everyone was busy having a good time. No one reacted to me, or even looked at me. No one knew. No one cared.

I slumped into a chair, resting my head on the table as I tried to ground myself. The bartender from the day before brought me over a water and gave me a comforting smile. I took a few moments, letting myself relax and my body unclench. I wasn't sure why it had happened but I was sure it was a one-time thing. It had to be. It would be. I wouldn't let it happen again, I was certain of that.

I still felt vaguely nauseous at the thought of what I'd done but it was tolerable. In my mind it was easy to separate the act and the knowledge of what I'd done, probably because to me the blood hadn't tasted like… well, like blood. Which was probably the only reason I wasn't throwing up at the thought of it.

Sophie came out of the kitchen and spotted me. She made to come over but the bartender diverted her attention, pointing to a man at the end of the bar. He was sitting so his back was to me, hunched up, head down with a number of glasses in front of him.

"Excuse me." The bar was loud but Sophie's voice carried. "I think you've had enough. Time for you to leave."

The man mumbled something unintelligible in response.

"Look, I've told you before. You can come in here but you can't keep drinking this much. Last time you went nuts and beat up our customers. So you can leave peacefully now and we'll see you tomorrow when you're sober or you can fight and I'll bar you."

"Fuck you," said the man. "I'll drink as much as I bloody like."

I froze. Shit. Really?

A/N: Can i sleep now?