I Do Not Own Vampire Diaries/The Originals/Legacies
Davina Claire was sitting at Mystic Grill with Kol as he went over the map of the states while he plotted the route to New Orleans.
"You do know that there's GPS," Davina asked as she sipped her coffee.
"What is it with everyone and telling me about GPS?" he demanded as he glared up at Davina.
"It's useful," she shrugged.
"You're being disrespectful to your elders," Kol stated.
"I think you mean the dead," she smiled. "You're far too old to be an elder for me!"
"Little You is developing that spine of steel and spitfire," he mused.
"How do you know it's Little Me!?" she sputtered.
"Simple, Big You would've had a smartass quip about me being set in my ways, not going for my age," he explained. "Also, Little You likes rubbing technology in my face."
"It's helpful."
"It's lazy," he countered.
"Careful Kol, your old man is showing," she giggled.
"I'm not that old!" he sighed in exasperation.
"You're the oldest person I know," she mused.
"Hey," Jo appeared then and Davina blinked a bit when she saw two blonds flanking her. The girl was tall and slender, curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes on her pouty features. The boy shared the same blond hair and blue eyes as well as similar pouty features but thicker in some way, he was shorter than the girl by a little bit though.
"Dr. Laughlin," Kol greeted as he leaned back in his seat. "A pleasure to see you, but I didn't know about the company," he said.
"These are my younger twin siblings, Lucas and Olivia," she said as they sat.
"I'm Davina, he's Kol," Davina introduced as she moved closer to Kol. She could see the way the girl was looking Kol over appraisingly and she looked questioningly at Kol who shrugged. She always felt like she was missing something when people looked over Kol, it twisted up something in her gut and made her want to snap at the girls looking. It left her seriously confused and wanting to throw herself around Kol or talking to Hayley, who was busy packing them back up.
"They wanted to learn about the Merge and Travelers," Jo explained.
"Well, first, if Travelers are coming, I'm moving my shit to New Orleans," he said firmly.
"Why?"
"There's Nine powerful Covens in New Orleans who'll dwarf any solo witch and won't take any Traveler shit," Kol explain.
"It's also better to have allies," Davina muttered as she felt her cheeks heat a little when Kol raised a brow at her curiously. "I pay attention to you and Big Me!"
"It appears I'm underestimating you, Little Davina Claire," he chuckled.
"I can give you a list of people who have underestimated. I didn't think I'd have to put you on it," she grumbled.
"Color me impress, love," Kol mused. "And unlikely to fall for you wiles now."
"That's good. It's no fun if everyone underestimates me," she pouted a bit before smiling. Kol snorted as he shook his head.
"Gods, you're going to get me killed, darling," he chuckled.
"Isn't she young for you?" Liv asked which had Davina's eyes narrowing on the older girl.
"I like them clever and foxy, not subpar," he retorted dryly. "Besides, she's my partner in crime," Kol declared as he draped his arm over the back of her seat. Davina smiled happily at his declaration. "And we're going to New Orleans, it'll be the fastest way to get allies against the Travelers, it's also where this one," he pointed at her. "Needs to be, and that's not negotiable."
"Don't blame me, blame Big Me," she muttered as she sipped her coffee. "I'm still grounded for stealing that truck, and I didn't do it!"
"Blaming Big You, does not change the fact that you did it," he pointed out.
"I wasn't even present!"
"And, where were you?" he demanded.
"I don't know," she shrugged and batted her lashes innocently.
"Don't even, I'll sic Marcel on you!" he warned.
"I'm grounded for something, I, Little Me!, Did Not Do!" she stressed.
"You, Big You, is you, don't even try to logic around it, Davina Claire," Kol warned. "Point is we are going to New Orleans, and we're going to fix your problem, but to solve the rest of our problems…"
"To New Orleans," Davina sighed. "You're welcomed to join us!"
"We just got here!" Liv hissed at Davina.
"I was going there either way, we didn't mean for you to get you here before we left," Kol shrugged. "And we were always going back, I didn't make the alliance contingent upon my location, if I had, it would not be Mystic Falls."
"What's in New Orleans?" Luke asked. "I mean the Covens?"
"Why?" Kol asked.
"We don't meet other Covens," Luke confessed.
"Gemini Coven is reclusive, but I'd have thought they'd have heard other of my Coven or others. New Orleans is a witch hotspot in the world, the Nine Covens are famous. I'm Davina Claire, French Quarter Witch," she said with a smile as she leaned on the table and rested her chin on her hands.
"You are sitting before greatness. Davina Claire is the most powerful witch of your generation," he declared with a color of pride in his voice.
"You're powerful," Liv pointed out.
"I'm a few hundred years too old for my power to be considered your generation, or any living generation really," he shrugged. "Now, about New Orleans, we're leaving in three days. You're free to join us or not, but we are going to New Orleans because of all the places to go it's the safest to be when going up against Travelers."
"Travelers aren't powerful," Liv stated.
"What they lack in power they make up for with a crafty way around normal magical means, the sheer volume of them make them dangerous. Witches are rare enough, but in small numbers put witches at a disadvantage in a war against a group of Traveler witches. They overwhelm you in sheer numbers, which is why, New Orleans is where we're heading. New Orleans has the largest gathering of Covens on this earth. There are places where three or four Covens might gather, but New Orleans is Nine strong and all Nine are some of the toughest, and most formidable witches to exist within Covens, going to war against New Orleans Witches is suicide, but the Travelers won't anticipate or know that."
"Why not?"
"Because if the Gemini Coven doesn't know New Orleans is Nine strong, what makes you think the rest of the world is aware?" Kol asked. "Bennetts are famous, and Gemini's are revered, but the Nine Covens of New Orleans will out do whatever even the strongest witch can do because when they work together, they are unstoppable. Anything a Bennett or Gemini Coven can do, is dwarfed by the Nine."
"I'll be wherever the pickup is," Luke decided.
"Luke!" Liv hissed.
"What!? This sounds… interesting," he said.
"It is, pick up is in three days, I'll call with details," Kol said as he got up and pulled her along. Davina trotted after him and hugged her coat tight as she walked outside. Kol dropped his arm around her shoulders as she found herself pressed up against him. Sipping her coffee as she kept stride with the giant she tried not to trip.
"Can we slow down?" she sputtered as she tried to keep step with him.
"Sorry, forgot I'm travelling with a midget," he said.
"How!?" She demanded.
"Simple, we're always together and you keep up," he answered.
"True, but you know by now I'm short," she pointed out. "Kind of hard to hide my height deficiency."
"Ah, so you admit you're a dwarf!"
"I'm missing a beard, and a penchant for ale."
"You pay attention!" he chuckled.
"Nope, I learned that from Big Me, who's watched Lord of the Rings, and something called Hobbit a thousand times with a Josh guy?" she said.
"Josh is her best friend, or yours, I don't know how that works admittedly, you'll probably meet Josh," he shrugged. "I haven't worked out all the particulars, but friendships come around regardless, they're sort of fate."
"Like ours?"
"I suppose so," he conceded.
"Hey!" a voice shouted, and they turned to see the blond guy jogging towards them. "Look, about back there. I want to know more about the Merge."
Kol looked at her then she shrugged.
"We were going to a witch playhouse to help the Bennett witch right now, come on," he said.
"Okay," he nodded as they walked.
"The Merge was a curse created before my time," Kol started. "It was created to cripple the largest coven at the time, while cutting the prosperity down and tearing apart the minds of the witches, because it's difficult living with the death of a sibling, especially a twin when the witch believes they're responsible. Over time, the Gemini Coven has converted the Merge into a right of passage to display strength…"
"I can't find her," Sophie admitted finally.
"We have to!" Jane-Anne sobbed.
"Either she really doesn't want to be found or she's dead!" Sophie stated.
"Then why isn't Monique back!" Jane-Anne shrieked as she hugged herself and sobbed.
"She's not dead," Céleste announced. Of this Céleste was certain. Davina Claire was nothing more than a pampered little bratty princess who had no concept of life outside the Coven. Céleste had learned about sixty years ago it was for the best if she could isolate the witches' young within the Coven, she had been an Elder who advocated for the complete reclusion of their children for education. It made these witches easier prey.
Davina Claire was the most powerful natural born witch Céleste had ever encountered in her two hundred years of existence. From the moment she had helped birth that girl and held her, Céleste had wanted her! Céleste had even contemplated discarding all her little plans and fleeing with Davina before handing her back to Nicolette Claire and Mary-Alice Claire. If Davina Claire survived the Harvest the Céleste was going to make Davina her next host, the power in that little witch alone, even before the Harvest would be enough to enact her revenge against the Mikaelsons for ruining her life and Elijah's.
"How do you know?"
"Our magic would be gone," she answered honestly. If Davina Claire died before the completion of the Harvest, then they would lose all their power.
"Where is she?" Jane-Anne sobbed.
"I'll find her," stated.
"If we can't find her, Sabine," Sophie started.
"It'll be alright," she nodded and watched the Deveraux sisters leave. Sophie and Jane-Anne were second rate witches, though Jane-Anne's daughter did hold a lot of power. Still, it was eclipsed by the power of Davina Claire. Céleste wanted that power, it was a once and a lifetime sort of witch and she wanted that power.
Once Céleste was certain she was alone she started preparing an alter that she favored in Dark Magic. Her mama had taught her the old ways in secret when slavery was common and secrecy was needed, before Elijah. Lighting the candles and tying Sabine's blood to the spell as she reached out to the French Quarter Witch Ancestors to harness them as she spread her essence to seek the Other Side out. The chant which left her lips was low and steady and slowly she reached out the witch on the Other Side who had been aiding her in the last two hundred years.
"Davina Claire, Find and Bring Me Davina Claire," she breathed into the Other Side before the power of Sabine waned and had Céleste falling backwards.
Laying there she gasped for breath, Sabine's power was waning, soon she would need a new body, and she wanted it to be Davina Claire's!
A small black speckled starling fluttered by and chirped. Céleste smiled knowing her allies had heard her demand and were doing her bidding.
Davina Claire's power would be hers.
Davina was sitting on the stoop looking through a grimoire Kol had found about the Merge. She was curious about this idea of merging with her older self, she hadn't put too much active thought into it but she liked it. Having her older self in the back of her mind had helped her process a lot of things, she knew that wasn't right, but older her had granted her a lot of insight to herself, and who she had wanted to become; strong, powerful, knowledgeable, clever, and even loved. It had given her some hope what she could become. Davina had never thought herself to be any of those things, no one had ever given her hope she could be all those things.
Davina had always been a prodigal witch, but she had felt like she was purposely hampered. Her Coven had insulated her, and she hadn't known much of the outside world, or what 'normal people' were like; especially after her mémé had died in Katrina. She didn't know vampires beyond them being evil abominations of nature and yet, Marcel had been the most loving man she had met, and Kol's family, while messed up, was more of a family than her Coven ever had been.
It had opened her eyes, a lot.
Then there was Kol and Bonnie, Davina had never interacted with witches outside of her immediate Coven group, and even then, aside from Monique, she had always felt isolated and freaky. Abby and Cassie were her friends too, but they were sort of weren't too. Monique, Cassie, and Abby weren't in her league for power, or magical ability, and the Coven had sort of separated them, there was a gap between her and her Coven in so many ways. She had felt lost, alone, scared, and unloved.
Having her Older Self within her had sort of enlightened her.
Davina looked up when Bonnie came towards her, Kol was still going over the Merge with Luke.
"Hey," Bonnie greeted as she huffed her hair out of her face as she sat.
"Hey," Davina smiled.
"I haven't gotten a chance how you feel about going back to New Orleans," Bonnie said as she rubbed her arms against the cold.
"I was always going to go home," Davina admitted softly. She, unlike big her, was not ready to leave her home completely. And she wanted to save her friend, Monique, she wanted to see Tim again and at least tell him she liked him. She wanted to hear the never-ending jazz and feel the heat of summer before a thunderstorm. She wanted to hear the hurricanes again and feel that wild power of a storm.
"Really?"
"Yes," she nodded. "When I was younger, during Katrina, I remember the power of that storm, and how it felt when I connected to it, and I didn't want to leave my home though we had to, storm claimed my grandmother, swept her away, we couldn't concentrate her, my friends are there, my home is there. I'm not ready to leave it or give up on it."
"You… you connected to Katrina?"
Davina nodded. "I didn't mean to, I thought though, if I connected to it, I could save my grandmother."
"Did you?"
"No," she answered. "I want to go home because I have the power to do something, I can help my people, save my friends, save my home. I'm not ready to leave it. So, I was going back, I always knew I would."
"I don't know if I'll ever return to Mystic Falls if I leave."
"Home is where your heart is," Davina said as she looked at Kol. "Mine's in New Orleans. It also happens to be where all the trouble is going to be."
"I think all the trouble is wherever you and Kol are," Bonnie chuckled.
"I think it's your idiot group," she countered.
"Hey!"
"I know all about Silas, and the hunt for the cure," she reminded the older witch.
"Doesn't make us idiots."
"Seems idiotic to me, little me, and I'm younger than you," she pointed out.
"Not the brightest idea, but we did want to save our friend."
"Elena didn't need to be saved, she needed to embrace the inevitable, you can't change what you are, and if you don't like what you are, better yourself. The cure wasn't the answer."
"I guess it wasn't, though something was for Kol."
"I still don't know how that happened," she lied.
Davina wasn't going to let Bonnie's crazy friends try to hurt Kol for being the cure now, she wasn't losing her best friend because Elena Gilbert wanted to be human again.
Hayley was going through the bathroom packing when she came across her box of tampons which had her frowning. Her period was due next week, which made her unhappy to think about because she didn't want to deal with that right now. Still, she tossed the box in her overnight bag.
Clearing out everything she was happy to find it empty.
"Hayley?" a voice called.
"Up here!" she called and turned when she saw Marcel coming up. "Hey," she smiled.
"I got the trailer," he said as he looked around the small room.
"That's good, I'll get things out there," she said standing. She winced as she blinked a few times and caught the footboard of the bed.
"Whoa," she whispered as she tried to breathe, it had felt like the room was ripped out from under her feet.
"Hayley?" Marcel had her by her shoulders.
"Yeah, sorry," she huffed as she focused on breathing. "Must've been not eating breakfast or lunch," she waved off as she felt alright again.
"Alright, we'll head over to the Grill for some dinner, D will be here in ten," he said.
"Sounds good," she smiled.
"No more skipping meals," he warned seriously.
"I'm not a kid, Marcel."
"If D and Lil D's my kid, then so are you, and I won't take any arguments," he warned as he walked away. Hayley shook her head in amusement, she had never expected Davina to just find her a family better than anything she could anticipate.
She took a few steps to the stairs and nearly grimaced when she looked down them and it was like those beer goggles from D.A.R.E., fuck, maybe Marcel was right, no more missing meals.