Hi everyone, I'm back! A couple of heads-ups to you all:
- I completely changed the backstories of some TO characters and it's going to show real soon…
- I apologize if there is anyone here with Irish descent because all of my knowledge about the Gaels and the history of Ireland is web-based and extremely limited and I took some (read: many) creative liberties with historical dates and conflicts in order to create an interesting background for our main villain. Just remember when reading that I in no way claim to know what I'm talking about.
Moving on, I hope no one will be bothered by any of that and instead enjoy what I came up with. Also, this one's for 'imyourdejavuu' -tumblr for being the best supporter a girl could ask for. Just a warning though, if you hated Klaus in the previous chapter then you will LOATHE him in this one hehe…
Let me know what you guys think! xx.
Chapter 14: Try to break me
Some time ago…
Old Ireland
There was once a time when the Lady Bree Walsh still had her innocence intact. When she had not yet heard of the Mikaelson's, nor of the world of vampires and the way that it poisons everything it touches. When her name was not Walsh but Lochlainn, and she was on track to one day becoming the new Empress of the Gaels.
There was a time when her only troubles were on the topic of living up to the high expectations of her clan, to impress the people that would one day be under her reign, to make her family proud as the next Lady Lieutenant of Southern Uí Néill - a steppingstone to her true ambitions.
But that all changed when their defenses crumbled, the British invasion commenced, and the chaos followed - allowing for the beasts of the night to enter her land and make a home for themselves there for years to come…
And during all that time, her life had become a nightmare. Her people were slaughtered, her family eaten before her very eyes, her husband was ripped to pieces in order of making a statement, and her love… Her one true love, the fairest and sharpest woman she had ever come across, had been taken. Never to be seen again.
They had met during one of her travels to what was then known as Normandy. Her father would often drag her along on such trips in attempt to school her on her coming diplomatic duties, and the relationship with the Normans was especially important back then as they wanted to keep holding the Catholic forces back from taking over their land. Of course, as history soon proved, their efforts failed. Ireland was invaded and taken over by the British and their old culture and customs were stripped from existence until nothing but traces of folklore remained… Mere legends of stories involving beings created by nature in servitude of man…
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The year was 1164 and a chilly summer was approaching when Bree and her family traveled to visit their allied Normans. There had been rumors of Henry II building a trust with someone from within the clans and fear had soon spread through the land as the forces kept fighting to cross their border. Now, it would only be another few years before the King of Leinster was exiled, only to later return with masses of British subjects and successfully taking the kingdom. But before all that, there had been a delicate peace between the clans. Or at the very least a mutual understanding that resulted in something akin to respect, born out of the desperation to remain free from the looming invasion. And Normandy had been nothing but welcoming as they came to make their case to one of the higher lordships of the fiefdom: Count Leonard de Martel.
She spent the better part of a year with the Count's family, and during that time she grew particularly close to his children. Especially so to the alluring Lady Aurora.
Their affair had been scandalous and exciting and had only ended because Bree needed to return to her home. Aurora had made her promise to come back as soon as possible, since she could not travel so far on her own while still being unmarried. With tear-filled smiles and salty kisses, they had said goodbye and sworn to write to each other as often as possible.
Bree held up her end of the promise, even as her lover's letters grew rarer with time, her affections for Aurora only growing deeper and deeper until she could no longer deny her heart's desires. While her country was at war, she too struggled. But her troubles, as opposed to those of her people's, could be solved by another trip to Normandy. And after pleading with her family, and getting nothing but rejections in response, she finally decided to run away. Knowing what was at stake; her title, her home, her future… She still was ready to throw it all away for love.
Only, her presence was not as welcome this time. Especially since things had changed between the two countries during those years at war and the Normans were not too eager to have a Lady from their rivals showing up unannounced.
Worse yet - Aurora was gone.
Her entire village had been ruined by something unnatural. By vicious shadows that had plagued the people for several long months. Until one day it all culminated in a grand battle and the people succeeded in beating the monsters, ridding them from their land. There had been significant casualties and the Count's family had been amongst them, everyone having perished during the fight. But there were whispers of few having survived and fleeing up north, and that gave Bree hope for her happiness yet.
When she came back home, she again was met with devastation as the war ravaged the clans one by one. Her family was slow to allow her back into their good graces, but they caved after she agreed to marry the eldest son of one of the last remaining clan-leaders; Ayden Walsh. Their wedding was fast and small as they rushed to the union with nothing but family loyalty in their hearts. But it helped bring together some of the scattered clans and helped them grow stronger as the Catholic forces neared them closer and closer with each passing day.
However, it was not the British that brought their clan to its knees but something else entirely. Monsters of the dark, disguising as humans but lacking any human weaknesses. They fed on the armies, killed their way through every community and hid in the night.
It wasn't until Bree came face to face with a group of them herself that she finally made the connection in her mind, that she realized that these beings were the very same ones that had left Normandy in ashes. But Bree had never feared evil before and did not cower when in their presence then; instead she swung her sword and clawed with her hands even as the monsters refused to back away. Calling on the old gods to help her, to make her strong, to make her brave…
And with the cold loss still present in her heart, she managed to summon something just as big and dark in return. Loud howls having echoed through the village just as a pack of wolves suddenly came to her rescue, clearly sent by the divine in answer to her prayers.
That was how she first learned of her abilities, of the connection she held to their old gods - the very same which the Catholics were attempting to replace with false deities…
That was also how she discovered that these beings emerging from the shadows and slaughtering her people were not in fact indestructible. She saw it with her own eyes as the wolves tore the monsters apart, ripped off their heads and ate their hearts out of their chests. She saw them dry up as they died one by one, gruesome veins crawling over their paling skin as they rotted away to nothing.
The large wolves attacked so viciously, moving as if possessed by her fear. Their golden eyes shining like the fire of her rage, their snarling teeth sharp as her hatred, their thunderous growls rumbling through the woods just as her own cries had moments ago.
When the wolves had finished, they turned to her and bowed their heads in submission.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
Klaus wasn't one to take the backseat during hands-on interrogations very often, but after finding nothing but empty leads for the entire night and early morning – his heart was simply no longer in it. Instead, he stood back while Rebekah used her new abilities to press the vampire population for information. He kept his hands clasped behind his back as he studied the views outside the deserted restaurant where they had taken up shop, admiring the silent morning that had spread over the Quarter now that the dust had fully settled.
People do tend to fixate on the 'calm before the storm', but the hybrid himself had always been partial to the eerie emptiness that comes after the fact. And this time was no different as he took a long breath and blocked out the pained cries of the young man in Rebekah's crosshairs. He watched as residents busied themselves with cleaning up the streets and hiding dead bodies in an attempt to cover up the chaos from the tourists as well as the less-aware citizens of New Orleans.
After having spent all night interviewing the witches and werewolves, he had hoped that the last supernatural group would yield some more useful results. But he was becoming increasingly restless as Rebekah took over his efforts, and he was starting to find the solemn faces of the humans and werewolves walking by outside far more entertaining. Having already decided that if they had not found any answers by now; they likely never would. At least not with their current methods – not that he was in any mood to tell his vengeful sister as much…
"I don't know, okay!" the captured vampire groaned out hoarsely. "They just attacked out of nowhere! And they were faster too… a-and strong! Stronger than I've ever seen…"
Now that managed to catch Klaus' attention as he raised an eyebrow in interest. Turning his head to the side as he examined the man closely while his sister nodded at him.
"Go on." Rebekah crooned, receiving a sharp exhale as the vampire eagerly did.
"Usually you can take a wolf down by ripping out their hearts, right?" he continued with a stutter. "But it took four of us to get even close enough to try it, and the guy barely reacted when I punched my fist through his chest… It just shrugged us all off and kept going, ripping into all my buddies like we were nothing…"
Klaus hummed internally at that, finding it very familiar and in line with his personal theories regarding the people responsible for the werewolf attacks. "What of his eyes?" he interjected curiously.
"What?" the man stammered, looking between the two Mikaelson's anxiously.
"Did they change at all?" he pushed on. "Flicker in different colors?"
"N-no, I… I don't think so."
He nodded at that, managing to cross off another point on his list as he considered the remaining possibilities. About to ask further questions when the vampire suddenly chimed in again. "But…" he drawled slowly. "He seemed almost sorry… Remorseful."
That made Klaus' back straighten as he walked over with far more investment into the conversation now. "How so?" he pressed.
"There was this moment when I was running from him, he looked like he was… apologizing?"
"Well, that hardly seems far-fetched, lad." Klaus sighed at that, no longer as excited about the man's revelations. "Seeing as the wolves were all acting against their will during the transformation."
The man looked down at his lap in reply as the fear began to settle in again, though fortunately for him the hybrid glanced back to Rebekah with a gesturing tilt of his head. "Next one." he told her, earning a short nod before she started setting the vampire free. At which point the door slammed open and revealed a fuming Marcel.
"What the hell, Klaus!?" he roared out, his fists clenched by his sides as he stormed over to the hybrid.
"Good morning, Marcellus. Have you come for some breakfast and tea?" he chimed in answer, shrugging easily at his old protégé. "I'm afraid the chef is indisposed at the moment but I'm sure we could whip something up together."
"You did not get my approval for this." Marcel hissed, ignoring the nonchalance in Klaus' tone as he waved around him pointedly.
"Didn't I?" the Mikaelson drawled, pursing his lips in thought shortly. "How strange… Well, perhaps the reason for that is because I never sought it in the first place."
Marcel was quick to push him back, his palm to his chest as he pinned him to a column with his dark eyes piercing through him. "This was always your problem, Klaus…" he gritted through his teeth. "You're so quick to act out in anger and violence without any thought to the consequences – because at the end of the day, you're never around to deal with them." he mused bitterly, shaking his head in disapproval before he continued.
"You burn villages down, tear cities apart, and then you run off to start the process all over again someplace else. But it's people like me, and like Marcus there that you so cruelly and pointlessly tortured for information…" he nodded over at the now vacant chair before he went on. "… that get left behind to clean up your messes."
"Is that what you call inviting dangerous enemies into our home, Marcel?" Klaus scoffed in disbelief, easily pushing the vampire off him as he stood tall under his angry gaze. "Cleaning up messes?"
"Yes, because someone had to mend fences with New York before your family could do any more harm." Marcel countered with a cold smile. "And now, yet again, you leave a whole lot of suffering and destruction in the wake of your impulsive acts. And instead of taking responsibility, what are you doing?"
"Responsibility!?" Klaus bit out in humor. "Had it not been for your meddling in my affairs-"
Marcel cut him off with a viscous shout. "They stopped being your affairs the moment they bled out into my city!" he told him sharply.
"Your city!?" the hybrid challenged with a deep chuckle. "Check your memory, old friend. Lest you forget how it was my family that built this empire from the ground up!"
"And then abandoned it the second it got too fucking-"
"Hey!" a third voice called out in interruption, bringing the two of them to freeze up as Rebekah marched forward with a deep scowl on her face. "What is the matter with you two!?" she pressed on as they both clasped their mouths shut at once.
She glanced between them with a disgusted snarl. "Are your male egos really so bloody astronomical that you fail to see how the current problem is far more important than whatever petty squabble this here is!?"
"Rebekah-" the hybrid began but was quickly silenced by her dark glare.
"Take a break, Nik." she ordered, the command only pissing him off further as he dug his nails into his palms. "Do it." she added before he could protest. Something in her eyes managing to convince him as he merely sighed and did as asked, storming out of the restaurant the same way Marcel had entered.
He had just taken a long breath in attempt to cool off when he felt a presence creep up his spine like tingles, a scent hitting him as he found himself forcing back a smirk. Suddenly not angry anymore as he struggled to keep his face passive while turning around…
"Hello, Caroline." he chimed, meeting her curious eyes as she stood watching him from across the street.
It had been kind of strange running through the Quarter as she left the Mikaelson home behind, possibly forever. But Caroline had a clear goal in mind; get the clothes that Marcel had promised would be sent to Cami's apartment and then leave town before anyone could catch up with her.
Of course, she hadn't counted on Camille being out during the night, leaving her to pace the hallway outside her entrance in wait as she remained unable to cross the threshold – whatever magic Freya had put on the place still clearly active. She tried to break the door down, enter through the balcony, use the windows… But a shield seemed to surround the place, keeping her out no matter her efforts.
She waited for hours before the irritating little human finally showed up, looking tired and ruffled as she dug for her keys before catching her unplanned guest. "Caroline." she yelped in surprise, her big eyes taking her in slowly as all her thoughts shone through her fair face.
"The one and only." the vampire quipped as she got up from her current spot on the floor. "I was wondering how long you'd be. Don't tell me you had a shift tonight? After everything going on?"
"No, actually…" Cami snickered lightly, running a hand through her hair as she let out a long breath. "I was helping out with the clean-up."
"Clean-up?" Caroline echoed in question, earning a short chuckle from the other blonde.
"Right. Humanity-free." she muttered to herself before she brought her keys out and started letting them both inside. "I've lived in New Orleans my entire life." she explained with a sad smile. "And the people here can't stand to watch the city in ruins, so a lot of us made sure to straighten things up."
"Well... that doesn't sound like a complete waste of time." the vampire muttered out in sarcasm as she followed closely behind the human. "Where are my stuff?" she pressed on, focusing on the important part as soon as they were inside the living room together.
"Oh, uhm…" Cami drawled as she considered it, shaking her head with another tired smile before she gestured for the immortal to follow. They walked through the halls until reaching the guest room, causing Caroline to quickly enter as she started gathering everything she recognized as her own.
"So, are you leaving?" the therapist-to-be asked, trying to make conversation or to be polite… Caroline wasn't sure which.
"Yeah." she replied with a noncommittal tone as she began packing.
"I'm sure your friend will be disappointed to hear that."
"Who? Klaus?" Caroline scoffed incredulously, not giving the girl a single glance as she started going through the room for some extra toiletries to 'borrow'.
"No, I meant the guy… I think he said his name was Nico?"
That made the vampire still as she turned around to study the other blonde for a moment. "Nico?" she echoed in suspicion. "How do you know Nico?"
"He came looking for you." Cami replied with a shrug, something looking off about her as she spoke. "Said to tell you that he wanted to meet."
"Did he?" Caroline questioned, moving closer as she scanned the human from head to toe in search for an explanation. "When was this?"
"Uhm…" Cami began, blinking shortly in confusion. "I-I'm not sure."
"Really?" she pressed, realizing why the woman seemed so strange to her: "You've been compelled." she concluded.
"What? Of course not." Camille scoffed in reply.
"No?" the vampire quipped, wondering just how she had come into contact with Nico in the first place – and if it really was Nico who had planted such an idea in the girl's head or if this was just some weird trick on Klaus' part… "What else did Nico say?"
"He wanted me to give you something." she replied before she started looking through her purse, finding a piece of paper and offering it to her then. "This."
Caroline watched it as if it would suddenly jump out and bite her, unsure of what to do in the moment as she slowly weighed her paranoia against her curiosity – the latter evidently winning when she finally accepted the note and turned it over to study the scribbles across it.
Hermosa,
I have some information that could be important to you.
Meet me at the following address at 8 am please.
N.
The message was cryptic enough, but what was even weirder was the strange location at the bottom of the note. An address she didn't recognize, and was certain she'd never visited before… So, why would Nico ask her to go there?
She crumbled the paper up and tossed it aside. "Well, screw Nico." she decided as she turned to resume packing, Camille's voice stopping her.
"Who's Nico?"
Caroline studied the human at that, finding it only stranger that Nico would go to such lengths to keep himself anonymous. "You don't remember?" she pressed.
"Remember what?" Cami asked with a confused frown.
Well, now her curiosity was definitely running ahead of her sense of caution…
"Never mind." she sighed out, deciding to put her packing on hold for now as she glanced over at the wall-mounted clock and found that she had about twenty minutes to meet the vampire – if she were to in fact meet with him at all.
Deciding to investigate further, she swiped Cami's phone and compelled her to forget about seeing her at all. Finding that she was still vulnerable to suggestion when the older blonde nodded in agreement to her orders. She then told Camille to finish packing and leave the bags outside the apartment for the vampire to pick up later.
At that, she flashed off and searched for the mysterious address. Double-checking the location twice as she studied the street it had directed her to.
She looked at the people – seemingly human – picking up trash and fixing askew signs around her. Wondering again why Nico would want to meet there and then, but soon catching a possible answer as she heard some yelling before a man stepped outside a locale opposite her. The way he walked was enough to identify him even if she hadn't already recognized his hair and clothes…
The question now was why Nico had wanted her in the same place as Klaus Mikaelson?
Fearing that it might all be some trap, she was ready to run away before he could spot her but was stopped in her tracks soon enough… His whole body seemingly tensing as he turned around to face her.
"Hello, Caroline."
It took a second for her stomach to settle and her pulse to calm down as she watched the emotions flash across his face. "Funny running into you here." she mused, shrugging as she tried to look as relaxed as he appeared…
"Indeed." the hybrid snickered with a slow nod. "Especially since I expected you to be in Florida by now…" he considered with a short smirk that didn't quite reach his gaze. "Was that not the plan?"
"Yeah." she replied, nodding a little as she studied his squared shoulders and rigid back. "Right." she added with another shrug. About to tell him that she should probably go now if she wanted to beat the morning traffic outside the city… But the words leaving her were entirely different from her intentions. "What happened to you last night?"
She cringed at her own voice as she wished he could pretend she hadn't said anything at all, clearing her throat as she decided to simply move on. Though, he clearly had other plans for them... "Nothing." he replied with an easy shrug. "Why do you ask?"
For a moment she wondered if all the men had gotten hit with some weirdness-spell or something – first Nico and now Klaus – but decided to simply brush herself off. To let his nonchalance and dismissive eyes wash past her without leaving an impression. Because she would be damned if he actually succeeded in getting her to feel something real. Especially now that she was so close to freedom.
Her eyes followed his form as she considered her options, thinking that perhaps he could have orchestrated their meeting and used Cami to lure her out… Sure, it wouldn't be the first time that Klaus had pretended to be someone else – but what would be the reason now? To get her to meet with him? To what end?
Unless… she thought as she walked over to him, closing the distance between them until she could feel his breath against her cheek. Catching the tiniest glimpse of heat in his eyes before she leaned in and kissed him, her lips working eagerly against his as he reciprocated immediately. Letting out a soft sigh as she circled her arms around his neck and pressed her body tightly against his.
To her surprise, he ended the kiss and backed away. Watching her with a scowl as she glanced between his mouth and eyes in question.
"What do you want, Caroline?" he pressed, the words throwing her off as she let her arms fall to her sides.
"What do you think?" she quipped in retort, barely getting a little smirk from him in reply before he quickly steeled himself up again.
"You know… I have this theory." he drawled, cocking his head to the side as he studied her face with narrowed eyes. "That you do not know the answer yourself."
"What are you talking about?" she snickered.
"Well, you are clearly still unburdened by the moral weight of your humanity – yet you keep seeking out human connection." he mused with a shrug. "You are intent on holding onto that switch of yours, violently fighting against any little temptation that may flip it over against your will… Yet, you insist on exposing yourself to possible vulnerabilities that could bring your entire façade down. You push yourself as close to the real you as possible, but refuse to admit that you are still her."
"What's your point?" she sighed out.
"My point is… That you don't know what you're doing." he decided. "You don't know what you want, who you want, nor why you want any of it. You don't know why you keep running from this thing between us, nor why you can't stop testing it over and over." he continued with a shrug. "And I believe the reason for all of this is that you want to feel something. You just don't want the pain that comes with it."
She shook her head in a chuckle. "If you say so, Klaus." she said, at a loss for a different reply. "Or maybe I just like sleeping with you."
The smugness that spread over his face felt like a victory, before it quickly disappeared out of sight as he continued sharing his deductions about her. "Or maybe you're only fooling yourself." he countered. "See, I think the truth is that you actually want to flip the switch. You're just not sure what will happen when you do, and you're worried that you won't be able to deal with it. With the guilt, the shame, the loss… With everything that drove you to turn it off in the first place." he assessed with sharp eyes that looked straight through her. "You want to pick and choose what emotions to feel, and how deeply to feel them. But that's not how life works." he added with a sigh.
He reached for her cheek and stroked it gently, forcing her to keep meeting his gaze as he continued. "You can't only have the good without the bad, Caroline. The light without the dark..." he told her, sympathy suddenly seeping into his tone and feeling like an actual blow to her gut… "And you're only fooling yourself if you think this is in any way sustainable. Because all that pain you've pushed away while you blissfully danced in its absence? It'll keep building, and it will only get worse the longer you avoid dealing with it. And all the while, you will keep inching further and further away from yourself – until you can no longer find your way back."
She was going to protest, but she only opened her mouth to find that she had no good response. Instead, she watched him wear a heartless smile as he began again.
"Yes, I don't reckon it was quite as clear to me either until this point… But the Caroline Forbes I met in Mystic Falls; the Caroline Forbes I fell for? The Caroline that made me want to be better, to change, to repent…" he shared with a short frown. "That light in you that first drew me in, it might have been a bit dimmed when I found you in New York but at least then I could still sense it. Now? That's no longer the case."
"What are you saying?" she stammered out in bewilderment.
"I'm saying…" he sighed, letting go of her then as his entire being suddenly looked distant and cold to her. "I don't see any reason to keep fighting for you anymore. Not when you've so clearly stopped fighting for yourself." he explained with a monotone voice, taking a couple of steps back and away from her before he began again. "I hope the rest of your travels are… satisfactory. Because I will no longer be around to ensure it."
"Wait, what?" she scoffed, unsure of why he was suddenly looking at her like she was a stranger to him now. And why she disliked it so much…
"Don't." he told her with a shake of his head. "I think we both know you couldn't even begin to try and persuade me even if you wished it. So, what's the point?"
She gaped at him as he turned around, about to walk away before she quickly found her voice and stopped him. "Well… Isn't this convenient?" she interjected in challenge. "You giving up on me only after I gave it up to you?"
He dropped his head in a sigh of pure disappointment before he turned back to look at her again, the smile so cold and empty on his face as he shrugged at her. "You are only further working to prove my point, Caroline." he countered. "Don't you see? Last night wasn't what either of us wanted. Yet, I appear to be the only one genuinely regretting it here." he explained, raising his hand in gesture towards her. "I thought I could help you, but you don't want me to. And it just so happens that it took you 'giving it up' for me to truly understand that." he said with a shrug. "I shouldn't be the only one trying to keep your soul intact, love." he added solemnly before he started to walk away from her again.
"S-so, now what?" she pushed on, following behind him as she refused to let him get the last word. "You're going to just act like you don't know me anymore? Going to do the whole awkward 'pretending not to see me when we walk by each other'-thing?"
"That won't be an issue after today, sweetheart." he called over his shoulder. "Since you will be leaving town, and my life, for good."
"I-what?" she bit out in surprise, finally getting him to stop again as he gave her another defeated frown. Making her jump in once more before he could interrupt. "Klaus, whatever game this is - I'm not falling for it. You're not going to win." she insisted, gritting her teeth as he merely looked at her with a dead-cold gaze that she was sure she hadn't ever seen on him before.
"You're right, I won't. Because I am done." he said, making her freeze up in shock as she watched him slowly walk away. "Good luck on your future endeavors…" he muttered out bitterly before landing the final stab to her chest. "Ms. Forbes."
With that he disappeared, leaving her to stare at the now empty air in disbelief. Only one thought in her head as she had no idea what to do with herself in that moment:
Did that just happen?
Her instincts told her to run, run from Klaus and the city, run from the temptations and her vulnerabilities… A sharp pain hitting her as she turned to do just that; to escape from it all before it consumed her. Her eyes blurring with what she assumed were tears as she struggled to accept what was happening to her. How the realization of Klaus giving up on her – the last person who hadn't yet turned their back on her – was tugging at her restraint. Her head swam with something heavy and agonizing that made her stumble on her feet a little, her body collapsing as she was suddenly too weak to stand.
"I'm sorry, hermosa." she heard from somewhere, or perhaps it had only been her imagination… But it was the last thing she heard before she was overtaken by darkness.
About a week ago…
New Orleans, Louisiana
Her ears rang as she stretched her hands out in front of her, spreading her fingers as she felt herself regain control of her body – one limb at the time. Her legs starting to follow her commands as she left the dusty old house, disguising herself in the long shadows of the moonlight.
It had been more difficult to wake this time, she noted. And she suspected that had something to do with the spirit currently possessing her form. But she wasn't too worried about that. All she had to do was find a strong enough source from which to draw her powers until she could finally expel the stranger for good. And what better option was there other than the very magical coven that had long since shunned her from their community?
She knew she needed to be smart about it, careful not to leave too many clues behind for the others to find… Especially since she had started to learn just who had taken over her life, and why: A vampire.
It was too ironic for her to comprehend, really. How an undead creature could possibly possess enough knowledge and power to overthrow her soul and keep her captive within her own mind for so long. But she had plenty of time to plot her escape whilst being held hostage by the vampire's spirit. She had even learned that the vampire in question came well-connected and had somehow succeeded in bargaining a truce with the Tremé on her behalf.
An unwanted truce, but one nonetheless.
The King of New Orleans himself had negotiated the terms of it, and she had been able to listen in while he and the trespassing vampire spoke… and planned… A glimpse here and there. But enough for her to learn what she needed to do to break free, and the first step; finding Josephine LaRue and absorbing her powers.
As she moved through the city with her goal clear in mind, she sorted through the various conversations she'd overheard and the different puzzle pieces she could put together to understand just what she was dealing with… Something about a Queen out East somewhere, and about inviting some vampires over for a peace offering of some kind.
It was all blurry, but it was enough for her to make a plan of her own. One that included drawing this mysterious Queen out all by herself – and persuading her to join forces.
Because, after all; an enemy of the vampires of New Orleans was an ally to Eva Sinclair. At least for as long as she remained bound to one of those bloodsucking beasts against her will…
She had covertly done as much research as she could without alerting anyone of her presence, specifically the despicable woman currently overcrowding her body and mind. And she understood that this particular vampire even had a history with the Queen, a rather gruesome one too, and she planned on using that to her advantage.
It had been during a moment of extreme distress on the vampire's part that she had managed to catch the Queen's name, as it proved to be one of the stranger's many weaknesses; she let her emotions get the better of her, time and time again. And whenever she was feeling particularly jealous, angry, bitter, sad or vengeful… Eva managed to sneak into consciousness long enough to surveil her surroundings, to listen into some stray dialogue and even push her body to move on her behalf.
This time it had been some petty squabble with one of her brothers that drove the vampire to lose control of their shared mind – and allowing the true owner of their body to take over. She forced the vampire back until only an echo of her protesting screams remained, as annoying as they were while they lingered in the back of her head… But it was a small price to pay for freedom. And this time had been even more triumphant, because she had learned of a new face;
Freya.
A fellow witch, as it turned out. And she appeared very powerful, as well as dangerous to her own cause as long as the blonde remained personally connected to the vampire in her body.
Sisters, she'd realized soon after that. But their bond wasn't nearly as strong as she would've suspected for someone who had likely lived centuries on this earth, so she guessed that this 'Freya' wasn't very close to the trespasser after all. And that gave her the possibility to steal her identity back without the other witch being the wiser about it.
She lost her breath for a moment as she felt the vampire fight back just then, causing her to falter on her feet as she reached out and steadied herself against a nearby tree. Focusing on the dark sky and heavy fog around her as she continued deeper into the woods, determined to get to Josephine tonight before the vampire could take over yet again.
With one step at the time, she made it to No Man's Land; the grounds between the nine covens just outside the Quarter, with the Tremé at the far end where the familiar mansion stood. Eva had visited it many times before, but she wasn't sure she could step onto the property without being spotted this time. Especially not while that pesky little vampire kept struggling against her temple in an attempt to escape her current hold.
But as it turned out, she didn't need to. Because she soon felt her skin prickle in expectation as a heavy presence surrounded her. She managed to spot silhouettes all over the grounds, their eyes glistening from a distance as they remained covered in darkness. Watching her, waiting for her to cross one of their boundaries and make herself a target to either coven.
"I know you're there." she called out, turning to study a particularly dark figure from behind her. "I can taste your powers, Josephine."
"And I can taste yours." the woman replied low as she stepped into view at that. "But it has clearly weakened since the last time I saw you."
"Has it?" Eva challenged with a smirk. "Or are you simply projecting your own insecurities onto me?"
The older witch shook her head as she moved closer, cautiously assessing the threat before her. "I suspected you would soon overpower that docile vampire in your head." she mused with a short purse of her lips, her gaze filled with ice as she continued. "Considering how weak she must be with that flappable temper of hers - without any of her inhuman strengths to keep it in check…"
"You're saying you know who possesses me?" the young brunette pressed. "I can't believe you would let her do this to a New Orleans witch…"
"I owe you nothing, Eva." Josephine interrupted with a cold sneer. "Least of all some resemblance of loyalty after everything you have done to forsake the magic within you."
That felt like a slap to her face as the witch stepped forward in anger. "There was once a time when you thought of me as your kin." she bit out sharply.
"Things change." the Tremé leader countered, shrugging nonchalantly. "People change."
"Do they, though?" Eva snickered, shaking her head as she felt her entire body burn with uncontrollable ire. She was about to press on but the two were cut off by the sound of birds screeching in the distance, a flock of them flying above their heads in a menacing formation.
She could see the look on her old teacher's face, screaming with fear as they shared their suspicions on the meaning behind such a display. "What have you done now, Eva?" Josephine whispered under her breath.
A low growl made the two freeze up as they both turned in time to see a wolf attack one of the hiding witches. Soon accompanied by many more as the animals spread out across the grounds.
Eva took her shot then, whispering a chant as she kept Josephine from moving to help the others. Her body stiffened and her eyes widened in terror as she struggled to breathe against the magic. "Ev- Eva…" she choked out, prompting a smile on the young woman's face in result.
"That is for trying to kill me." she hissed, murmuring another spell and bringing the Regent to her knees as she cried out in pain. "And that is for turning your back on me when I needed you the most." she added, bending down to meet the pale look on her face as she continued. "And for abandoning me instead of doing what you promised you would always do… Teach me. Guide me. Help me."
A few of the wolves tried to intervene, but Eva was quick to raise her hands and force them back. Sending them flying with loud howls and screeches as she soon focused on the witch by her feet again.
"This one's mine!" she yelled out, hoping the animals would understand the message despite their crazed state.
Blood began to fall from Josephine's eyes as she stared up at her with pleading whispers. "Stop her, Rebekah… Fight back… Please." she said, but all Eva could focus on was the woman's racing heartbeat. Soon it became too fast, too painful for the witch to handle. And she collapsed on the ground with that traumatized expression still plastered all over her features. The look of it sending thrills through Eva's body as she grinned in triumph.
She felt her head spin from the effort, her plan to absorb Josephine's magic suddenly no longer plausible as she fought to simply keep her eyes sharp and her body upright.
"No…" she whispered to herself as she realized what it all meant. What was happening to her. Her legs bent beneath her body, pulling her down as she listened to the wolves retreating around her. Leaving her alone with the corpses laid out across No Man's Land. With her in the middle as she glared at a dead Josephine LaRue.
While she was slowly being dragged back into the nothingness of her own mind, she managed to hold on long enough to connect Josephine's last words with the name of the trespasser currently choking the air from her lungs;
Rebekah.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
It was truly a curse to be so right all of the time, especially when you did not want to be. Which was precisely the case for Klaus Mikaelson as he followed up on a lead outside of town, not feeling too surprised to find the big old house empty… Par for a dead body splayed out in the middle of the living room.
He had expected the scene, the placement of the corpse eerily familiar as he started to circle in on his final suspect. Though, he had not foreseen the identity of their latest victim as he turned the body over and scowled in result. The tanned skin and dark hair disappointing him as he knew it would not go over too well at home…
"Sorry, lad." he muttered under his breath, reaching for his phone swiftly as a call came through just then. "Elijah." he answered solemnly. "I have some bad news."
"They don't happen to include Marcel's current whereabouts by any chance, do they?" his brother quipped, prompting the hybrid to sigh sharply.
"I'm afraid this concerns something else… Albeit equally important." he shared, pulling the dusty curtains off their rod as he used them to cover up the body. "I need you to meet me right away."
"Send me the location."
"Oh, and Elijah?" he quickly added, hoping to divert a disaster before things got truly out of hand… "Don't tell Hayley."
"Why not?" his brother drawled in suspicion.
"Because I found her husband." he explained grimly. "And he won't be coming over for dinner anytime soon. Or ever again."
There was a long silence over the phone as he squatted down to examine Jackson's body closer. Recognizing the fatal injuries and cursing internally as he knew who the person responsible was now more than ever. The only person who would bother hitting a target so close to home; bringing pain on the family without hurting them directly. It was something he had inadvertently taught her himself all those centuries ago now…
Lady Bree Walsh.
The question was where she could be hiding, and what her next step would be.
Or rather whom she would proceed to target next.
A thought occurred to him as he heard some shuffling on the other end of the call; a way of luring the malevolent queen out into the open. "Elijah, we need to find Marcel right now or I fear he will be their next victim…" he announced, hoping to keep his voice appropriately urgent. "Let's split up so we can cover the city faster. Recruit all the help you can find."
"I'll put Rebekah and Freya to work on a locator spell." his brother offered, bringing him to sigh.
"Which will likely be useless with whoever we're up against." he determined, hoping to push the vampire into the direction he was aiming for… "Have Hayley go out with some wolves in search, that ought to keep her occupied from learning of her becoming a widow and evidently splitting her focus."
"I'll meet with Josh and ask him to gather the vampires, as well as tasking someone to accompany Hayley." Elijah mused aloud, the background noises informing him that the elder Mikaelson was already moving. "Gia just got here, she will take a head-start on the search for Marcel. You should assist her until I can join you both. Agreed?"
A smirk played on the hybrid's lips as he very much did, seeing as it was his plan all along. To separate Elijah from them – and send Gia out in the open where the Queen would likely lie in wait, ready to hand her the same sentence as she had Jackson…
Another eye for an eye.
"Agreed." he said, pausing shortly as he felt a small twinge of guilt hit him; knowing that he was sending his brother's current paramour into certain danger. But it was necessary, as he reminded himself. Or he would not be able to get to their enemy soon enough...
He finished the call and headed to meet with Gia, hoping to be successful in luring out Bree before Elijah could catch onto the plan. Since, for it to work, his brother needed to be as far away from his girlfriend as possible.
Some time ago…
Old Ireland
The years passed as Bree and her family struggled to keep their people safe, both from the newfound beasts running through the land and the British forces slowly progressing towards their community. And while her husband had taken it upon himself to rally the troops and train their soldiers, Bree had turned elsewhere for help.
She learned that the wolves were anything but normal. One day, she had lost her temper with one of the trainers in the village and yelled at them to stop being so lazy with their sessions. When she came to check in on them the next day, the man was still standing in the very same spot she had left him. Still sparring against the wooden creation that was supposed to act as some sort of target practice or other. His hands and knees had been bloodied raw from the efforts, because he had spent the whole night and subsequent morning training harder.
"Because the lady requested it." had been his excuse when she asked him about it.
He stopped immediately when she told him to. And in his fatigue, his eyes had shifted with something familiar… And she had known. Just as she knew that the sky was blue, that her hair was wavy, that the leaves fell every year… She knew that this man was one of the wolves she had been meeting at night. And she understood why she only found them once or twice a month, because the rest of the time they spent acting human. Hiding in plain sight all around them.
She had immediately visited an elder healer and asked her about it, and after the initial resistance she had finally told her everything. About the men who became wolves, and the wolves that walked as men. About the moon, and how it controlled them. About their old clans, and the way they all knew about it ages ago. The knowledge had died down with the generations, and eventually it had seemed more as fairytale rather than truth.
When she asked the healer why she hadn't shared about this until now, the woman had cringed and snapped her head to both sides before lowering her voice. Making sure no one would catch their conversation.
"Because now the Lady is one of us." she had whispered to her.
"How do you mean?" Bree had pressed, earning a nervous smile from the woman.
"Has the Lady ever questioned where her husband resides during the nights of the full moon?"
Until then the answer had been no – she barely spoke more than a few polite words with Ayden on a normal day. Mostly because they both knew that their marriage was far more a business arrangement than anything else. But armed with this new information, she had waited until the next phase of the moon to be just right and hid when her husband disappeared shortly after bedtime.
And she had found out exactly how the men turned into wolves.
It had been horrific, but also glorious. The sheer strength of the animal as it forced its way out of the human form, the way their mind shifted and the wolf took over all of his senses… Even as her husband patted over to her, his eyes amber and his form large and covered with dark fur, he had recognized her. And he had pressed his face against her neck in affection as she stroked him in return.
After that, their relationship had become far less estranged. Ayden had shared all of his knowledge with her and told her the truth about the monsters they were fighting in the night.
Vampires, he'd called them. He'd told her how they fed on human blood, how they could run faster than the speed of sound and how they had the strength of nearly a hundred men.
It turned out that it had not been a coincidence, his marrying her just as the vampires entered the Kingdom. He had needed her help to survive, because without her station he would have no real influence within the human society. He had gone to her family with the hopes of saving his own, and when she had agreed to marry him he had been so grateful that he had not cared that her heart was not in it.
They spent so many hours merely talking, as if for the first time, and truly getting to know each other… By the end of it, they had come closer than ever before and had even drawn up a plan for eradicating the vampires once and for all: Bree's abilities would be used to call other wolves – werewolves, as they were known – to their community and Ayden would train them to fight.
They spent months building a substantial army and were finally ready to storm the overtaken villages when they instead nearly perished in their efforts...
The vampires had not been like the ones Ayden described. They had been stronger, faster, smarter. And when they had seen how large the wolf pack had grown by then, they had demanded to speak with their leader.
When the wolves had all gathered to protect Bree at that, one of the vampires had looked absolutely triumphant.
"Hello, love." he had crooned, the voice sending chills through Bree's bones. His eyes scanned her from the distance and his lips twitched with humor. "Seeing as you are standing here on two legs instead of four, I believe it is safe to assume that you are in fact not this pack's alpha." he had mused, walking closer without giving the warning snarls sent his way any acknowledgment. "Which begs the question; what are you?"
"I am Lady Bree Mac Lochlainn Walsh of Limerick." she had announced, keeping herself calm in his presence as she continued. "And you… as well as your kind, are not welcome in our land."
That seemed to only entertain the man further as he grinned widely at that. "On whose authority are you banishing us, sweetheart?" he asked with a shrug. "It is my understanding that this land here has been taken under British law, one that does not recognize any ladyships of the former Gael."
The words grated her nerves as she scowled at him darkly. "As long as there is even one last man or woman of true Gaelic heritage standing, this land will be ours yet." she relayed sharply, earning some low growls of agreement from the wolves in reply. "And on my count, there are far more than enough of us left to claim as much."
"For now." the man had chimed, sounding almost wistful as he examined the animals shielding her slowly. "But that could always change. And I dare say that you are at quite a disadvantage here, my lady." he added, his face suddenly changing into the one of true evil as he offered her a fanged smile. "Let us count again."
With movements faster than her eyes could see, the vampire had taken down several of the wolves. Her chock spanning long enough to watch them drop to the ground with high whines of pain before she finally snapped out of it and called for the others to fight back.
Immediately, the wolves acted on her command and attacked the others. A group of them struggling to keep the mouthy vampire down as he seemed to truly be stronger than all of them combined. Others failing to hurt the two men who had accompanied him, both with dark hair and equally dark eyes as they moved just as fast and killed more of the wolves.
Finally, she called for them to stop. Feeling the loss of every death like the loss of a limb as she saw them torn apart and in pain…
Her act made the vampires freeze as well, and for a short second Bree dared to think that she had somehow succeeded in controlling even them. But then a pair of cold blue eyes covered her sight, slender hands held her face and pressed something against her lips… The world disappeared from view with a loud crack before she could properly identify it, but she almost thought it tasted like blood.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
Klaus knew there were certain people who couldn't be compelled. Sometimes due to such strong emotions that the person in question could fight the compulsion until their very last breath, having rather died than gone through with the forced command. There were also some vampire hunters as well as few small communities that practiced their whole lives to fight off all kinds of mind control, until they became completely immune to it. However that was extremely rare, and often he found that there was always a way to sneak through their built defenses, to spot a particularly weak point or a certain sore subject that made their resolve crumble and gave him enough time to gain foothold into their minds…
And if resisting it was rare, then undoing compulsion was entirely unheard of. Sure, his family had the ability to override certain commands; redirect its focus or even replacing the order entirely if it had not been entirely foolproof from the start. But the compulsion would still be there, manipulated but present nonetheless. To scrub it clean from your mind however?
No, that could not be possible. He was certain of it.
But there was a small voice in his mind that kept bringing it up, the reason being that he had gone through every single possible identity of the fiend currently turning his life upside-down and he came up empty. Because there was one name that made sense, but only if erasing compulsion was possible. Which it wasn't.
However, as he went over the command he had made he realized that it may have left some space for interpretation - which of course would count as one of those weak points… He had been rushed after all, and he had assumed that he had been successful in eliminating the very last of the Queen's suspicions regarding his visit in New York… But what if she had already gained some incriminating information before Nico delivered his pre-composed report? What if he had let something slip that hinted at his being compelled, further fueling Bree's distrust? What if, gods forbid, she had done the impossible and somehow taken away the hybrid's command after all?
He had told Nico to protect Caroline and keep her identity secret. But he hadn't mentioned anything about his own family, because he had been pressed for time and rather distracted at the moment…
Had he left something crucial out of the order, allowing Bree the opportunity to break his directive?
As he stepped into the old warehouse to meet with Gia, and saw none other than Nico himself standing there with his hand inside her chest, he suspected he would soon find out.
"Klaus Mikaelson." Nico called down from his spot on the balcony above. "I had expected your brother."
"He is otherwise engaged at the moment." the hybrid shrugged. "Where is she?"
"Who?" Nico pressed, an eyebrow raised as he challenged him smugly.
"Your treacherous queen, of course. Who else?" Klaus scoffed, receiving a strange flicker on the man's face that he couldn't quite identify.
"I'd be more careful not to insult her if I were you." Nico drawled, a danger clear in his eyes as he seemed… Frightened almost?
That made Klaus smirk as he realized why the lad was doing all of this after all; Bree had something on him. Something important enough to risk his own life for.
But what?
"Well… Mr. Guerrera, you are most certainly not me." the Original shrugged, locking his hands behind his back as he took a few pacing steps to the side. Keeping an eye on the pain and apprehension on Gia's face as she struggled against Nico's hold. "See, because I would have never gotten myself into this position to begin with. And I most definitely would not have made the fatal mistake of taking hostage someone so close to my family… At least not without considering the repercussions."
"You are clearly delusional if you think you have the upper-hand here, Klaus." Nico muttered low.
"Are you certain about that?" the hybrid smirked darkly. "After all, there are only four of you. Hardly seems like a fair fight, mate."
Upon his speaking, the other three lackeys made themselves known as they stepped out of their subpar hiding spots and surrounded him slowly. A frown passed over Nico's face as he scanned the grounds before gripping Gia's heart even tighter in his hand. It drew muted groans from the woman's lips as her face contorted in agony.
"Why don't you count again, Klaus?" a new voice echoed from behind him, bringing the Mikaelson to grin widely as he finally got to have a peek behind the curtain. Meeting the woman who had been behind it all from the start as she walked across the room with slow steps.
"You see, we may not be strong enough to take you down." she crooned slowly, pulling out a phone and tossing it over to him which he caught on pure instinct. "But we do have something that you currently lack."
His jaw clenched as he looked at the photo showing on the screen of a bound and gagged Marcel. Blood covering his face as he had clearly been tortured for information, or merely the pure joy of it… "Leverage." the Queen smirked, the expression nearly bringing some twisted sense of pride to the hybrid's heart.
He sharpened his senses as he listened for any hidden surprises, finding that all the pulses he could hear were currently accounted for. "And what, pray tell, do you plan to do with this leverage of yours?" he asked casually, waving over at where Gia remained captive on the balcony. "Force me to pick between my brother's lover and my sister's?" he added with a deep chuckle.
"Not at all." Bree chimed back, the vicious smile on her face almost making him falter in uncertainty. "But you do get the pleasure of telling your siblings that you had the chance to save both their beloveds – yet opted not to."
"Ah, of course." he snickered with a shrug. "Very well… Name your demands and let's get on with it, hm?"
"Rebekah." she hissed through clenched teeth, ancient pain lingering in her tone as he watched her carefully. "I want Rebekah."
"Haven't we been over this already?" he asked. "Rebekah's gone."
"Don't lie to me!" she growled in warning. "I know she is here just as I know that she was in New York." she relayed with a low and dangerous tone.
"Have you ever heard of this modern little invention called Facebook?" he quipped cheekily. "Works wonders when trying to reconnect with people from your past…"
She gave him a hard and bemused scowl. "I want her to pay for what she did."
"And knowing about these malevolent intentions of yours, why would I ever let you anywhere near my sister?" he countered with a slow smile. "Perhaps I should simply skip to the end and tear you apart right here and now…"
"You will bring her to me or you will watch everyone your family has ever loved die." she threatened, a pointed nod to the phone still in his hand. "Starting with your so-called son."
"Oh, come now…" Klaus teased, letting his eyes change in color as he felt it appropriate to remind the lady just whom she was dealing with. "We both know that you're bluffing, love. Drop this charade immediately and I just might feel inclined to spare your life."
"The only one bluffing here is you, Klaus." she said with a scoff. "However the question I keep asking myself is just how far you are willing to go? Is your pride really worth the lives of innocent people? People you care for, whom you've opened your home for… People you consider family?"
He let his face darken further as he took one slow step closer to her, smirking in delight at the way Bree's back straightened in fear. "Do it." he challenged. "Kill them both."
Bree tsked at that. "Do not tempt me." she countered with a slow shake of her head. "I am merely getting started."
"And the finish line is what, exactly?" he questioned. "Turning me and my family into your worst enemies? That could hardly be your master plan, Lady Walsh."
"No. But it does prove that I am serious in my demands." she interjected, looking up at Nico and giving him a quick nod. "Kill her."
Klaus barely had time to react as a loud cry cut through the air just before Gia's heart was ripped out of her chest. He recognized Elijah's voice as he ran in to intervene – but it was too late. And Klaus was fast to hold his brother back as his face shone with unadulterated fury.
Elijah growled as he tried to push him away but the hybrid was too strong for him, his hold tight as he kept him in place. "No! No… No!" he yelled in disbelief as Gia's body was kicked from the balcony and landed a few feet away from them.
Klaus lost the battle against his brother's will then as the elder Mikaelson threw himself to the corpse, cradling Gia's head in his hands with further words of denial and despair falling from his lips in hushed whispers.
The hybrid turned slowly back to face the queen, finding that Nico and the other vampires had scurried off while he and Elijah were both distracted and now only Bree remained with a wicked look in her eye. "You have twenty-four hours to bring Rebekah to me." she concluded, throwing a glance at the discarded phone left on the ground between them. "The information will be sent there." she added before disappearing with the others. Leaving him then with his distraught brother as he laid his forehead against Gia's. Tears visible on Elijah's cheeks as he remained still and quiet for a long while.
"Brother…" Klaus began but the way Elijah's shoulders tensed at his voice warned him to stand back and give him some space.
"You knew." the vampire muttered, bringing a heavy weight to Klaus' chest as he couldn't find it within himself to deny the claim. "You knew something like this would happen. You sent her here, alone, to her death…"
"Elijah-"
"No!" his brother roared as he stood up and spun to face him then. The expression on his face bringing even Klaus to shiver in result. "You found Jackson dead and told us to look for Marcel – because you knew what would come next. Meaning that you had already figured out who was behind it all." he concluded, his finger pointed at the younger man. "You sent me to the other side of the city, knowing that she would be left out in the open – just ripe for the taking…" he said with a sad crack to his voice as he echoed the accusation once more. "You. Knew."
There was no point in lying. And still, Klaus tried to think of something to say to take away the fierce hatred he saw shining in his brother's eyes. "Yes." he finally admitted.
Elijah stepped back at that as if he had been hit, his lips parting in chock as he too appeared at a loss for words. They stood staring at each other for a long moment, the silence tense and unnerving as Klaus waited for the chastising words that clearly sat on the tip of the vampire's tongue.
"Why?"
That was not it.
Klaus blinked in bewilderment, feeling disoriented as he studied the man's bloodstained clothes and broken eyes. He had been prepared for something else, something far worse. "Because…" he began, for a second he considered trying at some teasing joke but thought better of it in the end. "She was an easy target." he told him, the truth in his admission surprising even him. "I needed to buy some time, to redirect Bree's ire…"
"So you chose to save Marcel over her." Elijah determined with another cold scowl.
"I didn't choose-" he started but his brother's livid face made him swallow the rest of his sentence.
"You chose him over her." the vampire said, shaking his head slowly as if in disbelief. "You chose him over me."
"No, I-" Klaus tried, but this time he was met with a hard knuckle to his jaw. Causing him to fly off into a wall with a sharp grunt of pain.
His eyes went black then as he soon scrambled to his feet and hit back, immediately connecting with skin as the two left all pretense behind and instead chose to display their respective angers in a much more physical way.
Some time ago…
Old Ireland
When Bree awoke from a lifeless slumber, she knew something was different right away. Not only did she feel the strange rhythm that her heart had suddenly taken on, a pace that was warped and unnatural, but she also smelled something new in the air. Something like iron, and flesh… It was calling to her like a siren.
"Ah, you're back." a voice crooned, snapping her attention to the same cold eyes she had seen right before the dark took her over. "Drink this." he ordered, moving a cup to her face that made her entire body suddenly itch.
She stared down at the dark liquid, suspecting it to be some type of poison but still reaching for it nonetheless. The smell that had been drawing her in seemed to come from it, seemed to be it.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice hoarse as she struggled against herself. Something inside of her craving the contents, but another part of her refused to surrender to the vampire's commands.
"Does it matter?" he asked, surprise flashing across his face as he studied her closely. "You will drink it either way."
"No." she bit out just as her hand moved the cup to her lips. The liquid hitting her tongue felt like lightning as she soon coughed in useless protests, throwing the drink away as she folded over her knees in pain. Her hands scratching at her own throat as she wished to drain the liquid from her body somehow.
She quickly understood that it was too late, her eyes moving over their surroundings and finding shapes and shadows in the dark unlit tent that she was certain she shouldn't be able to see. Hearing voices that seemed to come from somewhere far away. Feeling the way every bone in her body shook and tensed at something foreign in her system.
"What did you do to me?" she hissed out with pure hatred, turning to the man with a deep scowl as she felt her face crawling with her own anger.
"I turned you." he stated nonchalantly.
"Into what?" she spat back, her eyes widening as she realized she knew the answer to that already. "No…" she whispered under her breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, no, no… This cannot be… I can't…"
"You are one of us now, love." he informed her with another malicious smile on his lips.
"No, never." she hissed at him, earning a deep chuckle in response.
"You can fight and deny it as much as you'd like." he shrugged. "But that does not change the truth."
"I don't believe you." she lied, and she hated the way he smirked at her as if he knew.
"Let me prove it to you then." he offered, turning his head to call for someone outside.
Bright light streamed in and burned at her skin and eyes, causing her to jump back in chock as she tried to hide away from the foreign pain. One of his companions stepped into the tent with another cold expression on his face. He was dragging someone with him, their identity shielded by a cloth sack and their words muffled.
"Elijah, would you please show the lady what we have happened upon this morning?" the vampire asked, earning a short nod from the man.
As the sack was removed from the victim's head, Bree's heart froze. "Ayden." she whispered as she stared at her husband's bruised face. A rag was tied around his jaw to keep him from talking, but he still managed to get some words out that she recognized.
"Forgive me, Bree." he said to her, making her chest clench as she shook her head at him.
"No." she whispered, throwing herself to the ground by him as they stood on their knees. She raised her hands to his face and untied the rag gently before bringing her palm to his cheek in a soft caress. "I am the one in need of forgiveness, my dear. I did this to you." she insisted with a hard gulp. "I was the one who refused to give up, I was the one who convinced you to rally the pack…"
"You could not have known…" he began with a heavy sadness in his voice but was soon interrupted by a throat clearing beside them.
"As touching as this little scene is…" the man with the cold blue gaze drawled in boredom. "It is not the reason for which I brought him here."
"What do you want?" Bree gritted through her teeth as she glared up in anger.
"This is your husband, yes?" he asked her, bending down to hold her chin tightly as he forced her to meet his eyes. "Speak the truth."
"Y-yes." she replied, not having been able to keep the word from bubbling out of her at his order.
"And he is also the pack Alpha, is he not?"
"Yes."
The man smiled at that, straightening up and dropping her face at once. "Good." he murmured, rounding them slowly while keeping a calculating eye on them both. "You see, there is something here that simply does not sit right with me…" he mused. "If he is the Alpha, then why is it that the pack responds to you?"
She had opened her mouth to answer when Ayden quickly stopped her. "No!" he hissed in anger, the look in his eyes somehow giving her the strength to keep from talking. "You do not have to tell them anything, my dear." he said with a gentle voice directed at her, shaking his head vehemently as he watched her struggle in response. "You are strong, Bree. You can fight him. Just as you have fought for our people, for your family, for me."
Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she watched him, swallowing the words that tried to escape her lips. Forcefully pushing them back down her throat again, her hands clenched into tight knuckles as she fought to control her own will. Recognizing what her husband was trying to tell her; this was their trick. Their magic. This was how they controlled people…
But she could resist. She had to.
"Fascinating." a voice purred, not coming from the vampire who until then had done all the talking. "Do you see that, Niklaus? She was able to refuse your command."
"Yes." the first vampire replied with a nod. "And I would very much like to know how she managed it."
"One question at the time, brother." the other man said with a wave of his hand before turning his attention to the couple again. "Tell me, Lady Walsh. How long have you had the ability to control the wolves?"
She felt something press against her mind, the weight of his order piercing her resolve and forcing its way into her very core… "No…" she whispered as she again fought back.
"Tell me the truth. Now." the man told her in demand, every word feeling like a blow to her head.
"I-" she began, biting her tongue as she struggled against his magic. "I don't-" she uttered, groaning as she felt genuine pain at not following his directive. "-know." she finally spat out against her will, her entire body collapsing with exhaustion as she panted heavily from the fruitless effort.
"Be honest." the man ordered. "What do you mean?"
"I-I-…" she grunted out, feeling a hand against her shoulder and recognizing her husband's comforting touch. "No." she finally replied. "I will not tell you anything."
"You would be wise to reconsider, dear…" the vampire she now recognized as 'Niklaus' crooned, another dangerous smirk on his face as he studied her closely. "You see, Ayden here is merely the first on a rather substantial list of loved ones on your part. And I for one am quite eager to get better acquainted with them all."
She was left with no time to question what he meant as his hand suddenly tore straight through Ayden's chest. The other man held her back as she wailed in despair, trying to reach for her husband as he gurgled out a pained breath and collapsed. His heart still beating inside Niklaus' palm as he held it out to her.
"Very informative, if I may say so myself." he quipped, dragging a bloodied finger against her lips. "Don't you agree?" he asked as she struggled to turn away from him, the call of Ayden's blood suddenly overwhelming the loss of seeing him killed in such a gruesome way…
"No!" she cried as she tossed and kicked to try and escape the hold on her arms. "Stop! Please!"
"But we have just begun getting to know each other, love." Niklaus drawled, kneeling before her as he held the organ close to her face. "Now, either tell me what I want to know…" he began, grabbing her chin and forcing her to meet his dead eyes. "Or I will make you eat your husband's heart."
"Brother…" the man holding her back began to protest, sounding just as abhorred by it as she herself felt in that moment.
"Now now, Elijah. The question was not directed at you, was it?" Niklaus chimed darkly, throwing the other vampire a quick glance before he focused on Bree again. "Well, sweetheart? What will it be?"
"Go to hell." she spat out, tears burning her cheeks as she felt the rage build like a fire in her chest.
"A little late for that, I'm afraid." Niklaus muttered. "Last chance now… How do you control the wolves?"
She glared at him with all the hatred she could muster up, hoping to keep herself distracted from the abnormal hunger that crawled beneath her skin… The dark need that asked her to defy him simply because she did not fear the punishment – on the opposite, she was more than eager to follow through on it.
But her eyes went to Ayden again, to his frozen face and paling skin. The pain gripping something deep inside of her as it brought forth a strength she didn't know she had. She managed to break free from 'Elijah' and jumped on the evil monster taunting her. Tearing at his throat with her blunt nails as she aimed to kill him right then and there.
Unfortunately for her, it proved counterproductive as Niklaus merely grinned at her in result.
She was soon detained once more by the dark-haired brother as she growled and bore her teeth in warning. Waiting for another opportunity to strike again as Niklaus smoothly stood up and faced her. His skin knitted itself together before her very eyes and the sight knocked the air straight out of her lungs as she stared in disbelief.
"How?" she whispered in chock.
He shrugged as he ran a hand across the closing wound. "It is both a blessing and a curse, truth be told." he murmured low before seemingly remembering himself again. His shoulders rolling back as he glared at her with another hard scowl. "Tell me now everything you know about controlling the werewolves."
There was no fight left in her that time, so she told them everything. About discovering her powers, about how it worked even when the werewolves were human, about her loss after coming home from Normandy and finding no trace of her love left…
"Aurora?" Niklaus echoed after a while. "Aurora de Martel?"
"Y-yes." she stammered, surprised that he would chose to focus on such a trivial part of her confession.
The men shared a knowing glance before Niklaus suddenly stood up and left the room, baffling Bree as she stared after him. His brother calling on the man and stopping long enough to order her to stay and not attempt any escape before following outside.
As she was left alone with the body of her husband, she felt two things reverberate through her entire being:
1 – the deep grief that threatened to swallow her whole at seeing him dead, at knowing that her family was next, that she too would share in the same fate…
2 – a dangerous stirring in the back of her mind that pushed her forward, closer and closer to the body still… until she was burying her face into his cold neck and draining him of every last drop of blood.
She knew then that she had become the most horrifying monster that could ever exist. And she blamed none other than the man known as Niklaus.
Present day
New Orleans, Louisiana
Klaus had been in the middle of stabbing a large wooden plank into Elijah's back when he suddenly felt an intense pain against his temples. It made him groan loudly as he dropped the makeshift weapon, struggling not to fall to his knees as his gaze shifted around them to try and identify the threat hurting him from afar.
"Enough!" a sharp voice said as the pain quickly subsided, bringing him to notice that his brother too had slumped forward in spontaneous agony.
They turned to the blonde raising both hands in the air, directing her magic at them as she kept the two from jumping each other again. "This is not what I came here for." Freya spat out in fury. "This is not what I fought and suffered for… To have my family tear itself apart over some petty grievances."
"Petty!?" Elijah echoed in disbelief, pointing a finger to the corpse still on the ground. "He sent her to die!"
Freya flinched at that, bringing her stormy eyes to the hybrid in question. "What happened?" she pressed.
"Lady Walsh happened." Klaus muttered, straightening his back and groaning as he realized that he had a dislocated shoulder and a couple of broken bones that weren't healing just yet. A grim reminder that he hadn't fed in a day or two. "She had Marcel hostage and took Gia-"
"Do not-!" Elijah roared at that, glaring at him darkly. "-say her name. Not whilst in my presence, Niklaus, or I swear…" he finished through a low hiss. The way he shifted on his feet alerting the hybrid that Freya was using her magic to keep him somewhat subdued.
"What does she want?" the witch interjected, turning the brothers' focus back to her. "You said Marcel was taken, what were her demands for releasing him?"
"She wants Rebekah." Klaus answered, noticing the two suddenly sharp glares drilling into his skull then. "To punish her for something that happened back in Ireland."
"Ireland?" Freya repeated in confusion. "When was even the last time you stepped foot there?"
"Last? A couple decades ago. But the first time was over 800 years prior." the hybrid replied.
The witch nodded slowly in understanding. "So, she is strong." she concluded. "Could she be a real threat to us?"
"To us, no. To Marcel, however…" Klaus drawled, gulping as he hesitated to finish the sentence.
"This is ludicrous." Elijah scoffed, wiping off dust from his pants as he threw both blondes a judging glare. "I am not discussing the Lady Walsh or anyone else for that matter while Gia lies butchered and warm still." he bit out, just barely holding back his anger as he nodded at Freya then. "Release me."
She watched him for a moment longer before dropping one of her hands, letting the vampire out of her magical hold and allowing him to move towards the dead girl once more. He kneeled by her side and picked her up in his arms, not meeting the others' eyes again when he spoke. "We can talk about this tomorrow." he decided with a low voice. "After we've held a proper burial."
"Elijah, do we really have the time-" Klaus began but his brother had already vanished with the body by the last word. He closed his eyes in a long breath before facing Freya again. "We need to act fast." he told her. "Before Bree can get to anyone else… To Hope or Hayley or-"
His voice died off as he realized that he was about to say Caroline's name. Finding himself frustrated with how she was still somehow on the rather short list of people who he cared whether they lived or died.
He was supposed to forget about her. To push her out of his mind for good.
So, why was he still concerned about the possibility of Bree hurting her?
"I think I have an idea." Freya said, pulling him from his dark thoughts then and sending a grateful sigh through his chest. "There could be a way of giving Bree what she wants without sacrificing anyone else."
"I am on-board with whatever strategy that allows me the pleasure of finally tearing that wretched woman apart… So, tell me, sister; what do you suggest?" he snickered, trying to sound supportive despite not feeling too hopeful of her abilities in that particular moment.
Yet, he failed to realize that he had called her his sister until after she was finished telling him the plan.
A whirring sound echoed in her ears as she started to regain consciousness. She identified it as something mechanical; a fan perhaps or a vent. Her eyes were covered with some thick piece of fabric, one she attempted to pull off only to find out that her hands were tightly locked behind her. The restraints were a chain of some sort, but the cuffs around her wrist dug into her bones with sharp spikes that kept her from escaping. Her knees chafed from the hard surface underneath as she failed to stand up on her feet. She figured that they had drugged her and locked her up somewhere but she wasn't too sure about the who and why…
"She's awake." a strange voice announced, followed by some scratching as the person moved from a chair in the distance. The way it scraped against the floor told their captive that she was being held in a basement, or maybe a cave? No, less likely. She couldn't imagine there being a whole lot of caves, possibly with some sort of air-conditioning, around New Orleans.
Unless they weren't in New Orleans anymore.
Her warden opened some container, she assumed it was water or some other drink but was harshly corrected when the acidic fluid was suddenly poured over her arms and back. Sending loud shrieks from her hoarse throat as she protested the agonizing way her skin bubbled and burned…
Vervain.
Great.
"Rise and shine!" the stranger called out, splashing some more vervain-water over her skin and drawing out a sharp scream from her lips before she silenced herself. Deciding that she wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Since "they" clearly wanted her to suffer.
Fearing another hit of the poison, she ground her teeth tight and hissed for them to stop.
"So she speaks!" her kidnapper scoffed. "That's good. Then this might just go a lot faster than with the other one."
Caroline wondered shortly what 'other one' he was talking about, but her thoughts stilled when a bite suddenly pierced through her arm. The way it seared her flesh was much too familiar, especially considering that it had been less than 48 or so hours since she'd felt it last.
Werewolf bite. Werewolf poison.
And this time, no blood from Klaus to keep her alive.
In fact, there would be no Klaus whatsoever. Not after today…
A heavy door whined as someone new entered the room, coming closer and gently untying her blindfold. Allowing their blurry face to fill her vision as he kneeled down before her. "You will be fine, hermosa." the voice murmured softly, quickly familiar to the blonde. "Just tell her everything you know and she will let you go."
"Nico?" she croaked out, hating how weak and small she sounded. But he soon stepped out of view as another pair of steps moved closer to her then.
"So this is the infamous Caroline Forbes." a woman drawled as her freckled face came into focus slowly. "I have a few questions for you, my dear."
"I don't know anything." she muttered, feeling already done with the interrogation and the torture and the city and hell – she really wished she had just run away from Klaus when she saw him in New York and never looked back…
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss your knowledge just yet, darling." the woman snickered lightly. "See, I have a feeling you may possess an answer or two… First being; how you are still alive."
Caroline had trouble following the silhouette as the woman paced the small space of the room, circling the blonde as she waited for some response. "What are you talking about?" she asked, the question genuine.
"Well, my wolves swear up and down that they all had a hearty bite of you the other night…" the lady continued with a shrug. "And yet… Here you are. Still healthy as could be. For now, at least."
Great, the young vampire thought as she realized that she was in even bigger trouble than she'd initially believed. Because the people wanted Klaus – and he wouldn't be coming for her. Hell, he wouldn't even care if they used her as some bargaining chip because he had already written her out of his life…
She was so fucking screwed.
"It is such an interesting feat, you see. Because throughout my many centuries on this earth, I have never once come across any sort of cure for a werewolf's bite." the psycho-lady kept blabbering, her voice getting harder to follow as the poison in question was spreading at record speed through her system. "Which is why I would so like to hear how you explain your survival. Especially since it was never in my plans…" the woman continued on. "I had counted on you dying that very night, you see, acting as the first of many deaths designed to plague the Mikaelson's for the rest of eternity."
Caroline caught some movement to her side but disregarded it, until the woman spoke again. "Oh, don't look so chocked, Nico." she sighed out. "I gave you plenty of chances to bring her into the fold, and you failed. She was quickly becoming a loose thread and in need of getting cut. You know how it is."
"You were behind the wolf attacks…" Caroline thought aloud as her venom-riddled brain slowly pieced it all together. "How?" she pressed weakly.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that." she countered with a deeply condescending smile as she bent down to stand closer to the blonde. "Now, my guess is whatever was inside your system that managed to ward off your demise last time wasn't permanent… Which means that it has likely left your bloodstream by now." she mused with a snicker. "So, if you wish to leave here alive, you really should consider telling me where to get some more of it. And fast."
Caroline kept her lips in a tight line as she refused to say anything else, perhaps out of exhaustion as the venom and vervain drained her life with every passing minute… Or maybe because of pride, or stubbornness, or even some weird loyalty… To what or whom, she wasn't entirely sure.
"Very well…" the lady sighed. "Then I suppose we shall wait and see which is stronger; this mystical cure that may or may not still be keeping you immune to werewolf venom…" she drawled, pulling out a small vial of some green liquid and holding it close to her as she continued. "Or this. A little something I've concocted after many trials over the years…" she explained. "All the wolves in my kingdom ingest it regularly. It makes them stronger, faster… and their venom much more potent."
Well… that filled in some of the blanks at least, the blonde thought to herself with a bitter scoff.
"But see, I rather dislike the idea of there existing some strange remedy out there that could possibly undo all my hard work in the blink of an eye." the lady sighed out. "So, if you would be so kind as to tell me the source of it so that I can promptly locate and destroy it, I would be very grateful to you. Perhaps even grateful enough to cure you and let you go…"
That made Caroline smile widely, a chuckle even escaping her as she considered the irony of it all. Because if the woman was somehow able to kill Klaus – she would by extension be killing Caroline as well. So it really didn't matter what she said, did it?
However, there was a part of her that crooned at the thought of Klaus killing this insane bitch for even trying to get close to him at all…
"Blood." she murmured, drawing the woman's attention right away.
"What was that, darling?"
"The cure… It's blood." Caroline shared, her smile turning into a crazy grin as she looked up at the confused pair of eyes before her. "From the Original hybrid himself."
The woman visibly winced at her words, shaking her head in denial. "You're lying."
"I'm really not." the blonde snickered. "I've been through this enough times to know that it works. His blood is the only cure for a werewolf bite."
The displeasure on the stranger's face brought something wicked to Caroline's gut as she chuckled in reply. "So, if you really want to destroy the cure… You have to kill Klaus Mikaelson." she relayed with a shake of her head. "And trust me, that's not as easy as it sounds."
The woman looked absolutely appalled as she turned away and ran out of the room then, a few shadows quickly following after her as she did.
"Nico." the blonde whispered, noticing how one of the silhouettes froze at her voice. "I told her the truth. Now let me go."
His body turned and moved towards her slowly, surprising her when a hand came up to touch her cheek in a soft caress. "I really am sorry for all of this, Caroline." he murmured. "If I had any choice in the matter…"
The words didn't make sense at first as she blinked at him in silence, her mind working through the thick fog that had taken it over until she understood what he was saying. "What does she have on you?" she pressed quietly, bringing him to stop and immediately pull his hand away from her.
"I'm sorry." he said again. "I promise you will be given a merciful death once we're done here."
"Nico…" she tried as she watched him turn away and leave. "Nico, wait!"
A heavy thud informed her that the last person had exited the room and that she was now alone. In the dark. With vervain in the air and venom in her blood…
"So… That went well."
The voice came from nowhere, causing her to glance around the space until her eyes suddenly landed on someone who she knew could not be standing right there with her… The leather jacket giving her away as her face could've so easily fooled her otherwise.
"Katherine?" she scoffed, earning a bright smile from the brunette as she cocked her head to the side.
The hallucinations had started, she realized. And they had started with Katherine freaking Pierce.
She whispered under a shaky breath as she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to perish from the venom faster.
"Oh, for fucks sake…"
Soooo, obviously I changed some stuff from canon TO but I kinda like this better. Hope you don't totally disagree. Oh, and will Caroline dying from werewolf bites ever get old? Didn't think so. See you soon, xx.
