Circles of Magic
(A Crossover between The Secret Circle & The Originals)
Written & Adapted by Kai Michaels.
Chapter Four:
"Freaks Like Me"
Previously on Circles of Magic: -
The boathouse party was proving to be quite the success story with everyone seemingly having a good time. A couple of hours had passed, since the party first began and Finn Jr was standing in the corner, alone, with his back pressed up against the wall looking out at the crowd before him with a glass of soda in his hand that was just over half-full. Melissa had stepped away for a moment to use the ladies' room.
Finn Jr was unaware of the fact he had been catching the attention of a particular male suitor all night. Frederic stood at the end of the bar taking a swig of the pint of cider, he had in his hand; whose gaze remained fixated on Finn. The dark warlock couldn't seem to take his eyes off the Mikaelson witch; despite his best efforts. He couldn't explain it.
Finn took a sip of his soda when Frederic decided to introduce himself. He liked to know, who everyone was in town and this stranger remained a mystery to him for long enough now. The eldest Balcoin made his way over to the New Orleans warlock with his true intentions still in the dark.
"Hey." greeted Frederic with a half-baked smile.
Finn took in the appearance of the man before him. He was handsome, there was no denying that.
"Hi." Finn replied with a tentative smile, naturally cautious.
Frederic placed the palm of his hand slowly against the wall behind Finn, a few inches away from the side of his face. "I'm Freddie." he revealed softly, leaning in slightly towards Finn.
Finn just stared into Frederic's eyes for a moment, a confident snicker briefly made its presence known with the Mikaelson lad taking a second sip of his soda. "Finn." he replied, curious as to what the man's current intentions were.
"Finn eh? I like it." he admitted with admiration.
"Good to know." Finn stated a bit cocky with his delivery.
Frederic smirked a bit to himself, "I bet. Fancy a dance?" he asked with a hint of hope in his tone of voice, losing his original focus just a bit.
"Sure. I've got a spare minute or two." He answered with a confident grin.
Frederic grinned back, he liked Finn's attitude. Frederic took a few steps back, after putting both his and Finn's glasses to one side. He wiggled his finger slowly at Finn, gesturing for him to come towards him. Finn obliged, keeping his guard up and joined Frederic on the dancefloor.
Scarlett was already bored out of her mind; she was starting to get sick of waiting for her brother's signal and was considering just snatching Cassie herself. That's when she looked over at the dancefloor; her facial expression was of pure disbelief and annoyance.
"What the hell?!" Scarlett said out loud at the image of Frederic and Finn, dancing together. "What does he think he's doing?!" she growled a bit, looking to go over there only to find her way blocked by her other brother; Lucifer.
"Scar, leave our brother, be." Lucifer strongly insisted, staring her down.
Scarlett looked up at him, "Out of my way, Luc!" she demanded.
"I can't do that, sister." Lucifer said, turning down his sister's request with defiance.
"Move…" she paused stepping closer towards him, going toe-to-toe with him. "…or I'll make you!" she threatened him angrily; fully intent on seeing her threat realized.
"Try it sister, and you'll regret it! Do you hear me?" he threatened back with a sinister; intimidating look in his eye.
Scar took a moment to weigh her options, as she looked around at her surroundings and the back at the older brother that challenged her impulsive behavior. She was confident, she could take him quite easily, but what would that gain her; two extremely pissed off older brothers that's what. Frederic's temper was something she tried never to trifle with, but Luc's loyalty to him was positively making her sick to her stomach and a little jealous too if she was truly honest with herself here.
"Fine. I'll behave. But what the fuck is he doing with that guy? We should be grabbing Cassie! Our brother is too distracted to remember; why we came here in the first place! Do something; Lucifer!" she implored her half-brother.
Lucifer looked over his shoulder at Frederic and Finn, "I don't know. He must have his reasons. Maybe, he's trying to get some information. We know next to nothing about that guy, remember…" Luc said, returning his attention back to Scarlett.
"Well that's an interesting way to go about it, don't you think? Frederic is not gay, is he?" Scar asked; concerned about the nature of her brother's intentions towards their mystery male.
"What?! Of course not!" Lucifer exclaimed, defending his elder brother's sexuality, almost certain in his judgment.
Scarlett folded her arms across her chest: "Could've fooled me!" Scar protested, clearly not convinced.
"Look, we don't have time for this. The party is starting to wind down slowly; our window of opportunity is starting to close. I'll get Frederic; you get Sal and let's get what we came for!" Lucifer ordered.
Scar smirked, "Finally! Consider it done!" she replied, happy that was finally getting down to business before heading off in search of her younger brother, Salazar Balcoin.
Luc watched his sister leave before turning his attention back to Frederic; could he be having doubts about his own judgment? Was his brother gay and just secretive about his sexuality? He didn't have time to think about that now. He had a job to do and went to collect his brother.
Frederic and Finn were dancing quite cutely together. Frederic had his hands on Finn's hips as the two swayed a bit to the slower choice of music in play currently with both of Finn's arms lightly wrapped around the back of his neck. Frederic seems to have completely forgotten about his plan of attack for his poor; unsuspecting half-sister in Cassie Blake tonight. They were planning to kidnap her and bring her into the family fold like their father had done before them, before his death by Cassie and Diana's hand; using the Crystal Skull. A powerful weapon of magic and destruction, fashioned from the six crystals that were owned by the founding witch families of Chance Harbor.
"Why do I get the feeling you've done something like this before?" he inquired, staring happily into Finn's eyes with a warm smile. His demeanor was different from his normal attitude. It was softer, kinder and more inviting.
Finn smiled back a little, "Maybe, because I have." he admitted with pride.
"I see. So what's your story, Finn? Call me intrigued." He divulged, wanting to learn more about the man before him and the kind of person he was; both personally and professionally.
Finn smirked to himself and was ready to continue with their conversation; when they were rudely interrupted by Lucifer Balcoin.
"Sorry to interrupt mate, but I need to talk to my big brother. Excuse us." Lucifer said with a fake smile before ultimately pulling his brother away from Finn and into the corner rather abruptly.
"What do you think you're doing, Lucifer!?" shouted Freddie, shoving his brother back harshly; seething with anger now.
"That's funny! I was about to ask you the same thing!" Luc yelled back, getting in his brother's face a bit.
"That's none of your business! Now out of my way! You're dismissed!" he commanded furiously, pushing his brother out of his way and looking to return to Finn.
Lucifer looked in disbelief and immediately pulled Frederic back and slammed him into the nearest wall once again. Luc gripped the older Balcoin's shirt, staring down at him. "Have you completely forgotten about the whole reason, why we came here in the first place, brother?! We came for Cassie, remember!" he informed his brother, looking to refresh his memory and get his head back in the game.
Frederic rage was boiling over; his will began overpowering his younger brother's hold on him. The presence of dark magic was being felt, his heartbeat rising with every moment. Lucifer began choking, spitting out blood. Frederic watched his brother fall to his knees with intense; wrath filled eyes releasing the grip on his shirt.
"Freddie, stop-" choked Lucifer, struggling to speak in his attempts to dissuade his brother's from punishing him further with his current spell, as he felt his throat starting to close.
Frederic crouched down; his actions were currently concealed by flashing lights and the large crowds after the music changed becoming more upbeat and well received. He grabbed the base of his brother's chin violently, mad as a hornet still.
"You listen here, little brother…" he demanded, "…you dare lay your hands on me like that again and challenge my authority…I will kill you! Understood!?" Freddie vowed, his ruthless and unforgiving temper driving his actions right now.
The fear in Lucifer's eyes was as clear as day, as they began to bleed out and saw the younger Balcoin quickly nod in agreement. "I-I'm s-sorry, Freddie…" he pieced together vocally, genuine in his apologies.
"Good boy." Frederic replied, releasing Lucifer from his torturous spell. Lucifer fell onto all fours and was desperately trying to catch his breath with his fingertips touching the blood streams that poured out from his very eye sockets.
"Now clean yourself up and let's grab our little sister. The night is still young after all." Freddie requested, smirking sickeningly to himself, before walking off back into the party to finish what he came here to do. He could always finish his business with Finn later without his siblings getting in his way. He'd punish them all if he had too. No-one tells Frederic Balcoin what to do.
Meanwhile outside the boathouse, Scarlett and Salazar Balcoin were almost ready, to begin the next phase of their family's plan.
"You ready for this, kid?" Scar asked her baby brother, patronizing him a bit.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Salazar replied, rather smugly.
"Urgh…you are so annoying. Brat." insulted Scarlett.
"Bitch." Salazar countered.
"Hey! You two! Let's get on with it…I have things to do, you know." Frederic said exiting the boathouse. He was growing tired of waiting now; wanting to just grab Cassie now so he could get back to Finn sooner rather than later. Since their meeting and conversation were so rudely interrupted beforehand.
"Where's Luc?" Salazar asked.
"He's in position." Frederic said, moving behind the bushes to join his siblings. "Start chanting you two…" he instructed them.
The brother-sister duo held the other's hand and closed their eyes, starting their chant for the spell they were going to use to separate Cassie from her friends.
Back inside the boathouse, Finn was looking around for Freddie wondering where he had gotten too. Finn soon found himself bumping into a passing male's shoulder, who apologized for his clumsiness.
"Sorry man. I didn't look where I was going." he apologized.
"It's cool. No harm was done. Later." Finn replied with a nod and a soft smile, before taking his leave with the other male looking on with intrigue and heading off on his own back to the bar, he needed another drink.
"So hey, you ready to go?" smiled Melissa catching up to Finn now and weaving her arm around his, standing at his side now.
Finn turned his head to look at her, he smiled, "Err…yeah…sure. Let's err…go." he stated, a little disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to find Freddie one more time before the night was through and say goodbye to him, maybe even get his number. But he was sure, they would meet up again, it was a small town after all.
"Great! Let's just say goodnight to the guys' first okay?" suggested Melissa cheerfully.
"Sounds good…" Finn agreed blissfully.
The two friends were about to make their way over to the others when the entire boathouse began to shake suddenly, the two began to steadily balance themselves in the ruckus.
"Finn! What's going on?!" Melissa asked fearfully.
"I don't know…an earthquake, maybe?!" he assumed.
"But this is Chance Harbor? We don't get earthquakes!" Melissa replied, silencing Finn's assumptions right there and then.
"Well…there's a first time for everything, I guess…" Finn said the shaking increasing in strength.
"I'm scared, Finn!" Melissa said clinging onto Finn's muscular arm tightly with both hands as their balancing was becoming a little harder to steady now.
"Don't be! I won't let anything happen to you, Melissa! We've gotta get out of here, let's find the others!" he decided, taking Melissa's hand and leading her courageously through the fleeing boathouse.
"Jaaaake! What the hell is going on?" Faye asked, her two hands holding onto Jake's arm for safety.
"It's an earthquake of some kind, come on. We gotta go…NOW!" Jake ordered and quickly began heading for the entrance doors.
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Faye said following suit.
"Cassie?!" called Adam, "CASSIE?!" he yelled again, looking desperately around for her as a couple of beams hit the floor behind him.
"ADAM! Over here!" Cassie shouted, who instantly ran towards Adam, who ran to meet her.
"Are you okay?!" Adam asked, clearly concerned for her well-being.
"Yeah, I'm okay…I think. Where the others?" she asked.
"I don't know." He said, looking around. "We just have to hope they got out. Come on, this place is coming down. Let's get somewhere safe." Adam strongly suggested.
"Okay." Cassie agreed.
"Adam. You okay son?" Ethan said, finding his son and Cassie finally.
"Yeah Dad, don't worry." Adam replied.
"Come on." Ethan said urging his son and Cassie to follow his lead.
The three of them headed for doors when Ethan was suddenly flown back into a wall off to the side.
"DAD!" Adam said, calling after his father. He looked back at Cassie before he was thrown backward and over the bar by an unknown force.
"ADAM!" screamed Cassie, looking to run after him, but found her advance being brought to a stop, she couldn't move.
"Not so fast, Cassie…." said an unfamiliar voice from behind her, who stepped out from the shadows with their arm fully extended and their hand in a claw-like gesture, held out in front of them. It was Lucifer.
Lucifer moved around to face Cassie in front of her. "You're coming with me." Lucifer insisted with a dark smile.
Cassie looked at him, immobilized still by his spell. "Who the hell are you? And what do you want with me?" she asked in defiance.
"I've come to bring you home….little sister." Lucifer grinned, whose hand began uncloaking a hidden symbol burnt into the palm of his hand that Cassie knew all too well.
"It…it can't be." her eyes widened.
"But it is…dear sister." said another voice, it was Frederic this time alongside Scarlett and Salazar, who were chanting still and controlling the shaking with their family's dark magic, who had evil expressions on their faces.
"Father told you…we were coming, did he not?" grinned Frederic darkly.
Cassie gulped a bit, her disbelief ever increasing. It was her four half-siblings, she and Diana had heard about from their father before they killed him for trying to kill their entire kind and leave only his Balcoin family members alive to rule the world with dark magic.
"Let us introduce ourselves, Cassie. Since you're well…indisposed at the moment." he mocked. "I am Frederic, the eldest of our siblings. This is Scarlett and Salazar, who are controlling this mini-earthquake right now. They're quite talented you see. And well…you've already met Lucifer." he said pointing out his brother to Cassie in front of her.
"Hey." he grinned with a brief wave of his free hand.
"Like our brother said…you're coming with us! We have a circle of dark magic to build after all, and Diana will be along shortly from her little sabbatical. I've made it so." Frederic revealed proudly.
"I will…never…join you…and neither will Diana!" she protested ferociously, trying to use her own magic to break free. But the siblings just laugh a bit.
"You're not strong enough yet, Cassie. We've been at this a lot longer than you. So don't waste your energy. Your friends can't help you now either. So just come along quietly, and they get to live." he promised.
"That's what you think!" Adam said out loud with a groan, climbing up over the bar and landed on his feet and threw his hand up launching a table straight at Frederic, Scarlett, and Salazar.
Frederic threw his hand up, redirecting the table with his own magic now to the other side of the room with a simple maneuvering of his hand. Adam looked on, not too surprised by their resilience; but not sure what to do next.
Frederic laughed, "What was that? Amateur." he responded, by flicking two of his fingers forward and telekinetically tossing Adam out the way into a pillar.
"Adam!" Cassie yelled in concern for him. She was getting mad now, her rage increasing fuelling her own dark magic attempting to break Lucifer's spell and with one high-pitched scream, she broke out and send Lucifer flying through the air into a pile of chairs on the floor.
Scarlett and Salazar looked surprised, but Frederic looked as confident as ever. "Impressive, Cassie…" he threw his hand out in a claw-like fashion with that same symbol engraved into the palm of his hand ever present. "…but futile, none the less." He stated coldly, his magic lifting Cassie's body up off the floor slightly after straightening up her body much to Cassie's surprise, his hand was about to close shut when they were interrupted by a voice.
"Freddie?!" Finn said, having run back to the boathouse to see if there was any left he could help out. He was shocked to see, what was happening before him.
Frederic quickly turned his head to see Finn standing there. "Finn!? Get out of here now!"
He looked over at Adam and Ethan unconscious on the floor with Lucifer starting to get back on his feet and then up at Cassie in the air.
"Please…help me…" begged Cassie, not wanting to be kidnapped by her dark siblings and was currently powerless to stop them at the moment.
"Finn, I said go!" Frederic asked, almost pleading with him to do as he asked, not wanting to hurt him if he could avoid it.
"I can't do that, Freddie. I'm sorry…Vodux!" he said with great reluctance and without warning threw his hand out allowing the presence of magic to be felt, telekinetically launching Frederic into the closest wall rather violently, knocking him unconscious and releasing Cassie from his spell, who hit the floor reasonably gently.
Scarlett and Salazar quickly ended their chant and caused the shaking to end and went to attack Finn in retaliation for his attack on their brother looking to use some magic of their own. But Finn Jr was too quick for them, who raised both his hands up instantaneously in anticipation causing the hazy narrative of magic to return with a vengeance and threw them back into the wall, where they dropped down into the buffet tables, breaking them in two.
"Son of a bitch!" Lucifer said from behind now back up and angrier than ever.
Finn then quickly turned around to face the male charging towards him having grabbed a knife from one of the nearby tables, looking to stab him with it. "Lem duree mohana…" he recited with a claw-like hand gesture allowing Finn to inflict a magical hold on Lucifer, restricting him down onto his knees, restraining him with little effort.
"Clearly your dark magic is strong, but it's nothing compared to my family's magic." Finn stated in all seriousness, knowing he was the stronger witch currently. "Phasmatos Somnus!" he chanted twist his hand upright into a fist, knocking Lucifer out instantly under the golden gauze of magic.
Finn took a look around the fallen Balcoins and the mostly still intact boathouse. He saw Ethan and Adam on the floor along with Cassie. What did he just get himself into? What was going on around here that he didn't know about? And why was Freddie trying to hurt Cassie? It made no sense to him. The best thing he could do now though was to get some help and get everyone to the hospital. It was the least he could do.
...To Be Continued.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Originals, the Vampire Diaries or the Secret Circle.