A/N (9/11/21): Hello! To old readers and new, thank you so much for still tuning in. This chapter is a bit choppy; I tried to keep Sophia up with the drama in Mystic Falls but it wasn't my main priority.
Anyhow, hope you enjoy!
Trigger Warnings: Canon typical violence
The Chosen (Part 3)
Sophia was silent as the trio made their way to Rebekah's former mansion at the outskirts of Mystic Falls. The brunette hummed nervously when she saw Jeremy waiting for her on the porch. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly took a step out of the rental car.
"Hi Jer," Sophia smiled as he made his way to her, and reached out for a hug when he was close enough.
His eyes widened as they immediately zeroed in her stomach, and he remained silent as he ever so cautiously hugged her back.
Sophia laughed despite herself. "I won't break, y'know. At almost five months old, your niece already packs quite the punch."
Jeremy shook his head in a daze. "You already know it's a girl?"
Sophia frowned. She hadn't realized she hadn't told her brother that.
"She's also destined to bring ruin to the witches and unite the wolves as an alpha they've never seen before," Rebekah smiled genially as she stepped out of the car. "Good to see you up and about little Gilbert." The blonde patted Jeremy on the shoulder as she made her way into her house.
Hayley nodded in greeting at him before following the vampire's lead.
With knitted eyebrows, Jeremy turned baffled eyes onto his sister. Sophia's smile turned rigid. "It's a long story." How she loathed legends and prophecies.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't high tail you back to New Orleans right this instant." Rebekah's words were aggrieved, her blue eyes scathing.
Even Jeremy's face was unsettled, and twisted in worry. "Soph, I wouldn't have told you to come back if I had known-"
The old soul shook her head. "Yes, you would've because it's Bonnie's last chance, okay? I think even Qetsiyah can agree that I've paid the price for my crimes over the last two thousand years, and I'm banking on her being fixated on finally getting her revenge on Silas to pay any mind to me."
Jeremy's eyes flickered guiltily to his left where Sophia guessed Bonnie sat. Only her brother would buy that Sophia was unfazed by reuniting with the ancient witch who cursed her with so much torment. The vampire and hybrid in the room were likely privy to how her heart was working overtime, beating like a jackhammer in her chest. The brunette slowly breathed in and out as she calmed herself down.
"How dare you put yourself, and in effect, your daughter, in danger by willingly meeting with the witch who butchered you in your first life. The lunatic bint clearly knows how to hold a grudge- How can you be so thoughtless, Sophia?" the original vampire shook her head incredulously.
Hayley, who had remained silent as Sophia filled in the gaps as to why Qetsiyah, or Tessa (as she was calling herself nowadays), would request her presence in Mystic Fall, spoke up. "I'm sorry Sophie, but I think it was really stupid of you to come back here."
Sophia felt her cheeks burn as shame bubbled within her. She hadn't thought, she acted. She blinked away the moisture gathering in her eyes as she flattened a hand against her round belly. Was she already failing as a mother by not putting her daughter's safety first?
Sophia cleared her throat. "Look- I'm already here… And I can't just walk away now-"
"Yes, you can." Rebekah eyed her sternly, then looked unapologetically at Jeremy and the empty spot beside him on the couch. "My apologies, Bonnie, but I can't let Sophia risk herself and my niece like this-" The original didn't pay any mind to the hybrid calmly making her way to her, and Sophia flinched as Hayley made quick work of snapping Rebekah's neck.
"So much for not using the sire bond against me." Hayley's gaze burned as she eyed Sophia with disappointment.
The wolf's eyes darted to the floor, then over to her brother. "I thought Rebekah might react like this." She looked back to Hayley. "I'm not sure how much time this will buy us, call me when she wakes-"
Hayley held up her hand. "I remember my instructions," the hybrid bit out bitterly.
Sophia silently vowed this would be the last time she would use the sire bond against Hayley, but knew voicing such a promise would mean very little to her friend in this moment. She looked to her brother. "C'mon, let's get going."
Sophia anxiously eyed Jeremy as she hesitated to step into the Salvatore boarding house. Behind them, the sky was darkening as daylight gave way to nightfall.
He shrugged at her. "Hey- Like I said, you should've told Elena months ago." He sighed as she remained frozen, and opened the door for her. She nodded to him as she walked inside.
Elena sat with Caroline and Katherine by the fireplace. Her sister's eyes brightened as they met Sophia's. "Sophie-" Elena had begun. The rest of her words slipped away as all eyes in the room fell to her swollen stomach.
Katherine broke the silence. " Well well- Last I heard from my contact in New Orleans, you were trying to do away with Klaus's devil spawn… Clearly, that didn't take."
"Klaus?" Caroline exclaimed loudly.
"What does Klaus have to do with this?" Elena asked numbly as she stood up.
Sophia coughed tensely as she walked over to them. "I'm pregnant, as you can see... And he's the father- I've been with him in New Orleans this entire time."
"How- How is Klaus the father?" Caroline sputtered as Elena remained frozen in place.
Sophia shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "Magical loophole-"
"When did you and Klaus even sleep together?" Elena managed to ask.
Katherine rolled her eyes derisively. "Oh, I'd say about four or five months ago-"
"You guys totally had sex when you returned home back in May, didn't you?" Caroline asked as she shook her head. "I thought something happened, with the way he was looking at you… But I didn't think you two actually-"
"You knew?" Elena burst out as she turned her gaze onto Caroline.
"Nothing for sure- And I definitely didn't know about that," Caroline said as she waved her hand at Sophia's stomach.
Sophia winced, feeling dizzy, and wavered where she stood as Caroline and her siblings continued to remain silent.
Katherine sighed, irritated, as she stood up and walked over to Sophia, offering an arm. Having no choice as she continued to remain off balance, Sophia accepted it and let the doppelganger guide her to an armchair. "Hello- She's pregnant for god's sake," the brunette snapped as Sophia took a seat and lowered her head as she gathered her bearings. "And you all say I'm the bitch."
Her brown eyes still stunned, Elena murmured, "I better go check on Amara- I shouldn't leave her alone for too long-"
Sophia's head snapped up. "Amara's here? Where?"
Her sister frowned as she met Sophia's gaze. "In the cellar- And no offense, but why does Qetsiyah need you for the spell anyway? She mentioned to Damon that your blood made the other side, but what does that even mean?"
Sophia met Jeremy's gaze. "Can you fill them in? I'll go check on Amara-" Sophia hesitated as she stood up "Why shouldn't you be leaving her alone?"
"Oh, Amara," Sophia breathed as she opened the heavy door to the cellar. There she was, her first friend, the woman she had once loved as a sister… The woman who's secret turned Sophia's worlds upside down.
Amara's confused, tearful eyes turned up to Sophia's from where she sat, huddled on the floor. Sophia tentatively sat next to her. Amara seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as Sophia grasped her hand.
The old soul wished she could say it had been the good she remembered at that moment- The laughter from their childhood and the kinship of feeling other in their village. But, it was the bad that the wolf remembered. Amara's screams as Qetsiyah bound their legacies together- The blade of the knife Qetsiyah had sliced through Sophia. From the look in her doe eyes, she felt the first immortal woman was remembering much of the same.
"I am sorry, Sofia. More than you could possibly know," her friend whispered.
"They tell me you want to die," Sophia responded softly.
The brunette's pale face looked pained as she briefly shut her eyes. "I am so, so tired. I never should've…" Amara opened her eyes as she looked beseechingly at Sophia. "I loved him- I still do. But I was young, and so very foolish."
Sophia smiled wanly as she briefly looked down to her stomach. "I didn't understand then, but I do now. I have done some very foolish things for the sake of love."
Amara's eyes twinkled ever so slightly, a mischievous look to them, and for the moment, they were the young girls they had once been. "He is a handsome one, this man you love." Doe brown eyes shrewdly looked over Sophia's face. "And a violent one- I have met many of his victims in death." Sophia nodded somberly, eyes downcast.
"If you look to me for disapproval, you won't find any," Amara said gently as she squeezed Sophia's hand. "I know how happy he makes you- So much so, that weathering the pain feels a fair price pay for those quiet moments of peace."
Sophia was quiet as she let Amara's words sit with her.
"He loves you as well." Amara smiled sadly. "In that same, terrible way Silas cares for me… It's not merely the law of surprise that draws you two together, but the vows you made to one another when you married- That's what reunited you two now in spite of how Qetsiyah has cursed you."
Sophia drew a shaky breath. "How could you know that?"
"You are not the only palia psychi to bind yourself to another-"
"Isn't this sweet," an intrusive voice interrupted bitingly.
Sophia's entire body recoiled as she met Qetsiyah's dark eyes, and she was back in that dark tent, feeling the full extent of the pain the witch before her had inflicted-
"Well if it isn't the face that launched a thousand doppelganger-" the witch's eyes cut to Sophia's. "And you-"
"Sofia, leave." Amara's voice was strong. Sophia shook her head- But then, her friend's eyes pierced hers. "Please," Amara said quietly. "You needn't be here for this."
Qetisyah's lips were curled in a sneer as she glanced down to Sophia's midsection. "I would say she owes me an apology just as much as you-"
"Sophie, c'mon, let's go." Qetsiyah's tirade was cut short by Elena, who stepped into the room. The witch rolled her eyes at the warning look the vampire shot her as Sophia let herself be helped up and led out of the cellar.
"Why did you wait so long to tell me? Why lie?" Elena asked gently as she took a seat beside Sophia on the couch. "I mean- you're pregnant Sophie… And Klaus is somehow the father. I still don't get that part." Elena pulled a face as Sophia turned wry eyes to her. "Obviously, I know how you got pregnant... But he's a vampire-"
"And the original hybrid," Sophia interrupted. "And somehow, by activating his curse, nature created a loophole."
A hollow laugh escaped Elena. "You two are welcome, I guess."
Sophia grimaced. "I thought you would be more mad- I would completely understand if you were."
Elena shook her head. "I think I'm still in shock- And Caroline's plenty mad for the both of us. Look, I went off the deep end when Jeremy died- The things I did… I'm not thrilled that Klaus is the father of my niece…" A disturbed look entered the doppelganger's eyes. "... Or that I killed her uncle before he could kill our brother, who also happens to be her uncle- Or that I'm competing with Rebekah as the favorite aunt-"
Sophia snorted as her head fell miserably onto Elena's shoulder. "It's all a mess, I know-"
"It's not a secret how much I'm not a fan of the fact that there was a you and a Klaus- That there is a you and a Klaus. I don't know… I know it's weird, but it's like I've been going through my own mourning process about the whole thing. And I'm done with the anger and the denial and the bargaining, and I've finally reached acceptance." Sophia lifted her head and looked at her sister dubiously. "No, really. I'm finally starting to understand that your relationship with him is… Complicated, to say the least. And I'm done holding that against you."
Sophia blinked hazily at the doppelgangers aside and before her. She couldn't see straight. They all seemed to emanate a sallow, gold glow that made her sick.
She was gathered with them in one of the Salvatore's study rooms as Qetsiyah prepared herself for the spell.
"You- Stand over here." Qetsiyah ordered. Sophia held her breath as she went to stand before the witch. Self preservation had kicked in much too late and it was all could do to keep herself from fleeing the room. The ancient witch grabbed Sophia's hands, digging her sharp nails into the old soul's skin, goosebumps rising on her as Qetsiyah began to chant.
Sophia cried out as a sharp, tapering pain punctured her head. She vaguely heard Elena and Amara cry out in concern, but her own screams drowned them out. She fell to her knees before the unforgiving witch, who wouldn't let Sophia pull away from her.
"You're welcome," she heard Qetsiayh say impersonally as the agony finally eased, and consciousness slipped away from Sophia.
Sophia blinked dizzily as she felt herself wake up, then groaned, and curled on her side. How early was it?
"Sophia, wait- Stay awake," a familiar voice said urgently.
The wolf grabbed the nearby pillow and placed it over her head. "Not now, Care-" She cut herself off. Caroline? But that would mean-
Sophia sat up straight as the last 24 hours came to her. From Jeremy's call to-
"What did she do to me?" Sophia asked as she glanced down to her swollen stomach. "Is she still-" She was in one of Salvatore's many bedrooms, tucked into bed, Caroline at her side.
The vampire comfortingly grasped her hand. "I'm no doctor, but from what I can hear, your baby is just as healthy as she was when you got here. I can hear her heart beating, Sophie." The wolf exhaled a large sigh of relief. She would deserve all of Rebekah's venom and more. What had she been thinking?
"Not that her words mean much, but Qetsiyah said you'll be fine. I already set up a doctor's appointment first thing tomorrow morning for you, but we can go now if-"
"What did she do to me?" Sophia pressed.
"She- She said she undid your link to the doppel… The shadow selves? Something about needing the magic and connection from that link to use it to make Bonnie the next anchor."
Sophia shook her head. Her curse had been undone- Just like that? The words didn't make sense to her.
"She's lying-" Sophia's voice broke and Caroline shrugged her shoulders somberly.
"Maybe- But I don't think she was. Elena said she could feel the loss of it- So did Katherine and Amara."
Sophia turned her gaze away from her friend. "What happened after? How long have I been out?"
"You haven't even been knocked out a full hour- Before Qetsiyah could finish the spell, Silas interrupted, Stefan ran away with Amara, and Elena is making sure the spell is being finished so we can get Bonnie back." The pair sat in silence as Sophia let her friend's words sink in.
Caroline spoke up again. "Months. You've been lying for months, Sophie. Don't think I didn't force Jeremy to cough up everything he knew while you were busy with... Anyways. Cursed and linked to psycho witches, pregnant with a miracle baby, playing house with Klaus." The blonde laughed incredulously. "Why didn't you ask for help, Sophie? We could've figured something out-"
"You would've tried to rescue me." Sophie smiled fondly at her friend. "And I didn't- It wouldn't have been what I needed from you guys- Not with Klaus in the picture."
Caroline frowned. "You're not going back to him- Are you?"
Sophia met her friend's eyes. "A lot about Klaus can be questioned and is up for debate- But the one thing I don't doubt is his love for our baby… And that- For now, at least- My place is in New Orleans, at his side as we try to figure out what comes next."
Caroline shook her head in disappointment. "First Damon and Elena and now you and Klaus- I never thought I'd say this, but the only Gilbert with any good taste and sense is Jeremy. At least when it comes to his love life."
Sophia cheeks dimpled, but her smile gave way to a frown as remembered the prophecies the witches and wolves were already spouting off about her daughter. "I think Jeremy mentioned Tyler visited you not that long ago- How much did he tell you about what he's been up to while he's been away?"
The vampire tilted her head, blue eyes confused and lost at the mention of her wayward boyfriend.
"You can see me?" Bonnie gasped, tears running down her face. Qetsiyah's spell had worked, and Bonnie was corporal- the anchor to otherside.
Sophia was the last to join her sister and friends' huddle, moving carefully due to the precious cargo she was carrying.
"Thank you so much Sophie- I can't even begin to understand how hard it must've been for you to see her again- Just… Thank you." Bonnie said as she grasped Sophia in a firm hug. Regret, doubt, and second thoughts nagged at the pregnant wolf the second she stepped foot back in Mystic Falls- And were exacerbated when she came face to face with Qetsiyah.
With her friend in her arms, it was all too easy to lie to herself- To tell herself she would do it again if she had to.
Curious as to what had been made of Qetsiyah, Sophia excused herself from her friend's celebrations as she spotted Katherine storming purposefully back to the boarding house's library.
"Okay, I'm ready," Sophia heard Katherine annouce as made her way to the witch.
"Ready for what?" the old asked the pair as she made her way into the room.
Katherine looked over her shoulder, rolled her eyes at Sophia, then looked away, flipping over her curls in the process.
"You. Right." Tessa said uncaringly as she turned around. Her unfocused gaze cleared some as she looked at Sophia. "Finally come to thank me?"
A quiet rage Sophia had become adept at tucking away snarled and hissed. "Thank you for what?" she sneered, surprising herself with her own viciousness.
The vampire stood at the halfway point between the pregnant werewolf and the witch. "Okay, enough of… this." Katherine waved her lazily between the two, impatient look on her face as she walked closer to Qetsiyah.
"You want me to stop the aging- I'd find a drug store cream." How Qetsiyah's detached tone infuriated Sophia."
Katheine giggled girlishly, then turned serious. "Hilarious, but the thing is, I'm not getting any younger. So, spell away."
Qetsiyah looked at Sophia, her gaze prickly and ruinous and uncomfortably judicious. "Altering someone's life span is what started this whole mess in the first place- I've learned my lesson." Sophia's eyes widened as Qetsiyah unclasped her hands, revealing her wrists. Dark blood was overflowing from her veins, concealing the initial wounds. When Sophia walked closer, she saw that Qetsiayh was standing in a small pool of her own blood. "I was young when I cursed you. I didn't think much of the Gods and the laws of old magic. It was obvious they had all but abandoned us- I can see now that was an error in judgment. I've certainly paid the price for cursing a daughter of nature. As punishment for my folly, it took me over two millenia's for my own retribution to come to fruition. And not all that long after I undid what I did to you… I won." The witch's smile was maniacal. "Amara's gone- And Silas is waiting for me on the otherside."
"No- No!" Katerine exclaimed angrily as Qetsiyah fell to the floor. "Help- Help! Somebody help her," the former vampire pleaded desperately. "She's dying!"
Qetsiyah was dead- Again. As were Silas and Amara. And Sophia didn't know how to feel about any of it. Quietly tortured she had been for two thousand years… And now her curse was simply taken away. And, to be honest, she didn't feel any different. It certainly didn't make her feel any better about all that she had endured.
She supposed being around Elena gave her less of a headache. Objectively, Elena still possessed the face of the woman that had haunted Sophia for over a millenia- But the thought no longer left a bad taste in Sophia's mouth. Now her sister was simply… Her sister. That was enough, for now.
"Scream as loud as you need to," Sophia coached Hayley a week later. The young hybrid was thrashing on the forest floor yards away from her. The hazel- eyed hybrid moaned loudly in pain.
"I can't," her friend gasped.
"You can do this- You have to, until you don't feel the pain anymore."
Hayley growled, but she didn't quit.
"Back already?" Rebekah commented offhandedly, not lifting her eyes from her book.
"I need a shower," Hayley deadpanned as she made her way upstairs.
Sophia took a seat across from Rebekah. "So- Hayley's not bonded to me anymore." Rebekah ticked an eyebrow but remained silent.
Sophia sighed. She hadn't received a complete silent treatment from the original vampire, and the blonde hadn't forced Sophia back to New Orleans, which she was very much grateful for. Still, she knew her friend held a grudge for what Sophia had done, and had yet to forgive her.
With Hayley- The pair had decided to let bygones be bygones after Sophia followed through on her promise of expelling away the sire bond.
"Klaus wants to know when we'll be returning," Rebekah said as she turned a page.
Sophia nodded. Her communications with Klaus had very… formal. Other than wanting to visit her family, he knew the real reason she returned to Mystic Falls- Rebekah had told him in a fit of anger when she had revived after Hayley had snapped her neck. Luckily, she had also been able to confirm Sophia's good health, having checked on the werewolf before her brother called.
And since then, he hadn't talked directly to Sophia- Their communication was usually through his sister and occasionally through Hayley. Not that there was much to discuss other than checking on her and the baby's health, and when she planned to return home.
All in all, it was a touch more disturbing than the anger she had been expecting. She insisted on extending her visit to her family because she missed them, yes. But Sophia was also prolonging her departure because she didn't know what she would be returning home to.
Sophia, after a restless night of sleep, decided to take a walk through her hometown. At a quarter to six in the morning, the sun was barely rising, and the streets were empty. The crisp air and the remisnet scenery made her feel lighter for the moment as she thought back to simpler times.
"I thought you would be staying with Elena on campus," a familiar voice said amiably.
"Jesus Christ," gasped Sophia as she felt her feet slip from under her. Luckily, Stefan was quick to reach out and steady her. "Thanks- Actually, no thanks. You shouldn't be creeping up on pregnant women, Stefan."
The vampire seemed to be holding back a smile. "Is it safe for you to be wandering out on your own? What about your 24/7 bodyguards?"
"I'm pregnant, not helpless. And Matt's been keeping Rebekah… company, and Hayley is out visiting a mutual friend of ours. She hasn't been a fan of the tension in the air," Sophia smiled gloomily.
"Caroline's not ready to let bygones be bygones?" Stefan's lips twitched knowingly. "She told me how Tyler tried to kill you, to kill your…"
Sophia sighed dramatically. "I know it's all a lot for her. Tyler was pushed to his breaking point, in large part, thanks to Klaus-" Sophia laid one hand to her stomach as she and Stefan continued their slow pace. "No, that's not fair. It was all because of Klaus."
"Caroline loves you, and what Tyler did was unforgivable-"
"Aren't we all a little unforgivable?" Sophia interrupted blandly. "Maybe some more than others, don't get me wrong…" Sophia furrowed her eyebrows as she thought of her own sins, and those of her loved ones. "How've you been, Stefan? Elena told me about… Of-"
"Of me being locked in a safe for three months and left to drown at the bottom of a quarry while the love of my life and my brother had the time of their lives?" The green- eyed vampire's lips were twisted cynically.
The old soul winced. "I'm sorry, Stefan. And I know Elena's really sorr-"
"How do you deal with it?" The vampire's eyes pierced her's as they crossed the street. "Every time I close my eyes, I can feel myself drowning- I can't make it stop. Even after I killed Silas… It didn't make me feel any better." Sophia nodded in appreciation. She had seen Qetsiyah die before her own eyes, but it hadn't brought her any relief. " Rebekah told me how you scream in your sleep- how it's happened every night since Qetsiyah did us all a favor and killed herself."
Except Katherine, Sophia thought offhandedly. "Bekah told you that, huh?" the brunette shook her head. "Seeing Qetsiyah… Dredged up a lot of stuff for me. A goodbye present, I guess. Honestly, I take it one day at a time. I used to try to drink the pain away but-" she raised an eyebrow and looked down to her rounding stomach.
Stefan nodded in understanding.
"I'm sorry, I know I'm not being much help. To be honest with you, it's going to take time, and soon… Well, some days will be easier than others…"
For the rest of her short stay in Mystic Falls, the younger Salvatore and the pregnant werewolf would meet up before the sun rises, and kept each other quiet, companioble company as they walked through the picturesque town that had once been their home.
Sophia pointedly ignored the guys she clocked from the corner of her eye checking her out and resisted tugging up her shirt. It wasn't even particularly low cut, but as the end of September neared, she was officially five months pregnant, and her previously modest breasts had grown at least two cups sizes. Her woefully ill-fitting clothing did little to hide this. She was sitting at the bar at a cafe on Whitemore's campus, which hid her pregnancy belly.
"To be fair," Caroline said as she sipped her coffee, "They look good- I mean, you look good. You're glowing- Please, let me take you shopping," the vampire begged.
Sophia's lips twitched as she sipped at her ice tea. She had taken to visiting Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie at the campus, spending the occasional night in their dorm. Despite her visible pregnancy, it was surprisingly easy to imagine herself as a college freshman.
But those daydreams were typically dispelled by the flutterings in her stomach- She had learned from the doctor appointment Caroline had set for her that that was the baby moving within her.
"Is it just me- Or is he kind of cute," Sophia murmured, blushing after accidentally making eye contact with a guy across the cafe.
Caroline seemed to be resisting a laugh. "The guy with the mohawk, piercings, and tattoos- How hard up are you? "
Sophia double down. "I think it suits him," she sniffed as she remembered Klaus's tattoo. Sophia hated her pregnancy hormones. The red on her cheeks spread to her entire face as she remembered how she had shamelessly checked out Elena's Poli Sci Professor throughout his lecture when she went with her sister to class the other day, had even felt bold enough to make her way towards him after his class (Hey- He wasn't her professor). Luckily, Elena had pulled her away before Sophia could say something she would regret. She's never been much flirt, God knows what would have come out of her mouth.
The blonde's lips twitched. "You're usually into the clean-cut, oppressive tyrant type- Speaking of, for that poor guy's sake, don't go for it. I doubt your baby- daddy would be pleased with that guy as a step-dad."
The mention of Klaus had Sophia remembering the curl of his hair, the ease with how he could pick her up, the way the pupils in his blue eyes blew when they-
Nope. No. No.
Going down memory lane in her present state would lead to nothing good.
"Those pregnancy hormones sure are something," the vampire observed. "You were never this boy crazy in high school."
Sophia folded her arms on the bar and abjectly rested her head on them.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked as took a seat next to Sophia, smiling hello when the wolf sat upright.
"I'm-" Sophia glared at Caroline who's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter. "How to phrase this- I guess you could say I'm... erotically charged."
Loud, bright laughter escaped Caroline. "She's horny," the blonde declared bluntly when the worst of it subsided.
"Caroline," Sophia meant to hiss- It came out more like a whine.
"Caroline? Do you even know what you're doing?" Stefan's voice was muffled by the safe Caroline had locked him in.
"Yes- Well, it's my textbook," the blonde vampire responded as she skimmed over the texts. "Let me find it."
Sophia nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, not so sure if Caroline's freshman Psychology class was adept enough to handle Stefan's trauma.
Katherine, who had been leaning in the doorway, stepped further into the room. "Have you two ever, um- y'know?"
Sophia arched an eyebrow as she looked curiously over at her friend.
"No, I don't know?" Caroline said, turning lost eyes onto Sophia.
"Oh, come on." Katherine said, pulling focus back on her. "You know- Have you?" The recently cured vampire asked suggestively.
"Oh my god," Caroline exclaimed, her faced twisted in distress. "Katherine! Seriously?"
"It's not a completely ridiculous question," Sophia murmured as she recalled Elena's observations between Caroline and Stefan. The blonde vampire turned sharp eyes on to her as Katherine nodded in agreement with Sophia's words.
"That wasn't exactly a yes or a no," the 500 year old mortal commented.
"We are friends," Caroline affirmed to the former vampire and the old soul.
"I know it's a little extreme," Caroline said apologetically, "But the baby steps approach wasn't working."
Sophia sat on the couch, her chin propped on her hand as leaned forward, watching the safe with interest. Katherine's idea did seem like it had merit to it- She had been on to something when she acknowledged Stefan's savior complex.
Stefan begged to be let out of the safe, worried he would hurt Katherine who was locked in there with him.
Caroline huffed as she tried to lift the ridiculously heavy safe she had retrieved to help Stefan while Sophia watched with vague interest from the couch.
"I would help, but-" Sophia helplessly shrugged her shoulders.
Caroline fondly rolled her eyes as she called out for reinforcement. "A little help here! I mean, I know I'm a vampire, but this thing is really heavy. Stefan? Hello?" Sighing, she shook her head. "Wanna have a sleepover at my mom's tonight? I think I'm officially homesick."
Sophia nodded with a smile.
"Let me just let Elena know," the blonde said thoughtfully, then frowned. "Oh my god," the vampire said as she turned wide eyes to Sophia.
It wouldn't be until Sophia was buckled up in Caroline sleek car that the vampire would share how she overheard Stefan and Katherine having sex.
Shock and disturbed aptly described how Caroline felt about Stefan's fun buddy. After the initial shock had worn, Sophia found she didn't care either way- In fact, she was jealous. One of the more debilitating side of affects of her pregnancy was that she could not stop thinking about sex. More specifically, her mind was stuck on blue eyes and calloused hands (And sure enough, that was another reason for delaying a plane ride back to Louisiana- She had to get a grip before she could be in the same room as Klaus).
Plus, she got a kick out of Katherine becoming a health nut in an attempt to slow down her aging. The day-to-day in Mystic Falls was more entertaining than she thought it would be.
"Elena broke up with you?" Sophia asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she tried to shake herself awake.
"He broke up with her," Jeremy said pointedly from the armchair beside Sophia.
The brunette scrunched her eyes at the blue-eyed Salvatore across from her as he lined up shots of bourbon. She had crashed at the Salvatore's the previous night, and woke up to the news that Katerina Petrova was going to bite the dust.
"Rule number one," Damon said, ignoring her and her brother, "Think of the worst thing Katherine Pierce has ever done to you. Rule number two, toast to the glory of her impending death." His smile was distinctly shark-like. "Rule number three- If you come across something that's worse- Which you will- Repeat rules one and two." He lamented on how he waited 145 for years for Katherine Pierce, then pondered if Katherine pretending to be Elena and kissing him on the front porch was worse.
Matt was stumped during his turn by Damon's penchant for early morning booze, but her little brother was game for tequila shots in the am.
"She fed me to Silas and I died," Jeremy announced dryly as he took a shot.
Damon nodded in commiseration. "Doozy."
Her little brother went on."Then she made me crash my car into a pole and left me for dead again."
"Double doozy," Damon affirmed. "Drink."
Matt spoke up. "My sister's dead because of her." The dark haired vampire passed over a shot glass.
"Little Miss Sophie- Care to share?" Damon waggled his eyebrows at her.
Sophia cleared her throat. "When we were friends- if we ever were- She abandoned me for Klaus to kill while she made her escape… and five hundred years later, she nearly choked me to death. Made Aunt Jenna stab herself- Lured Jenna away for Klaus to kill." Sophia bit her lip, and reminded herself that Matt was sitting side by side with the vampire who turned and killed his sister. It was screwed up… But it made her feel a little better. "She killed my little brother. She may have been involved in the French Quarter witch's conspiracy to trap me and lure in Klaus?" The pregnant wolf questioned as she absently accepted a shot glass from Damon, then stared longingly at it. "I can't drink this."
"Right, your little-" He gestured vaguely at her midsection. "Devil spawn." He took the shot back from her and downed it. "No worries, Soph. I'm your huckleberry- And I think your history with Katherine counts for four more shots." A snort escaped her as Damon did just that.
"Seriously?" Elena interrupted as she strolled into the room with Caroline and Bonnie.
Matt attempted to salvage the situation while Damon cringed in his seat. "Elena- We were just-"
"I know what you were doing," her sister interrupted. "You're cut off," she ordered Jeremy, then turned pointed eyes to Sophia.
The wolf raised her hands in mock defense. "Damon's my liquor proxy- Haven't had a bit."
The vampire's lips twitched as she reached out for a shot glass. "If anyone is drinking to Katherine's last days- It's going to be me. She impersonated me… Repeatedly," Elena said as she took her first drink.
Sophia watched on in envy as her friends drank themselves silly. "So not fair," she moaned as she leaned back in her seat while Matt left to get more booze.
"Please- One night of hot sex with her and your brainwashed," Damon said caustically after Stefan insisted on toasting to the innocent, scarred girl Katherine had once been.
"I knew her then, Stefan." Sophia shrugged at him. "Thought we were decent enough friends- And I might be the first person she threw away to save her own skin."
Elena's jaw had dropped. "What?!"
"Oh my," Caroline said as she looked with wide eyes at Bonnie and Elena.
It took a moment for their surprise to register to Sophia. "Oh right, you didn't know about Stefan and Katherine-"
"You knew," Elena asked, stunned.
With Matt having yet to return, and before Damon could go grab more booze, a svelte vampire by the name of Nadia made an appearance. Elena's mind was further blown by the introduction of Katherine's daughter.
"I found a way to save my mother," Nadia proclaimed. And in order to get them all to comply with her, she buried Matt (sans life- resuscitating ring) in the safe Stefan had been locked in somewhere on the property.
Elena and Stefan had volunteered to help Nadia with… Well, Sophia wasn't entirely sure, as Katherine's daughter hadn't been willing to divulge the details. Meanwhile, Sophia, Bonnie, Caroline, and Jerermy went out to try to find Matt. Damon opted out of their search in favor of psychologically torturing a dying woman.
Sophia growled in frustration as Rebekah continued to ignore her texts and calls. "Screw it- I'm driving back to her place-"
"Sophie," Caroline began to object.
"We need another vampire to help look for Matt, Care. And Rebekah has a soft spot for him- She'll want to help," Sophia insisted as she walked briskly back to her car.
Sophia hurriedly unlocked the front door to Rebekah's home, her back facing the front yard. "Rebekah!" She shouted. "Please! Let me know if you're here!"
"Hello, Sophia," an amused, accented voice greeted. She whirled around.
"Nik," she breathed, dropping her keys. Was she imagining him? She paid no mind as they crashed to the floor, his eyes pinning her in place. "What are you doing here?"
"Damon informed me that Katerina Petrova has taken a tragic turn."
"And you came to gloat?" she absentmindedly concluded as her eyes canvassed his person, drinking up the sight of him. He matched, well dressed in his black jeans and a simple, button-up shirt that probably cost a small fortune.
Her heart fluttered in her chest, and she realized that she missed him. "I should- I should go help find Matt-"
"No need to worry love," Klaus assured as he walked over to her, hands clasped behind his back, "While your friends were vamping off in all the wrong directions, I heard his screams." He smirked. Sophia sucked in her lower lip. "I assure you, he'll be quite happy with his rescuer."
She had been expecting a demonstrative, violent sort of outrage when she had seen him again and was surprised to be met with quiet exasperation. He paused on the front steps, allowing Sophia to stand a head taller than him. "You recklessly endangered your life and that of our child's- you hid your true intentions from me." His eyes searched hers. "I wish you wouldn't be so reckless-"
"I- I thought you would be angrier," she said numbly.
His grin was rueful. "Oh, I was. What you did was senseless and dangerous. You could have been killed, our daughter-" Sophia took a step back as he stepped fully onto the porch, and was now staring down at her.
"Unfortunately for me, love, as Rebekah so astutely pointed out- Pregnant women are among a select group of people who are actually allowed to act insane… And I know I haven't been the most- Dutiful partner."
Sophia stayed in place as he edged closer to her."Bonnie's my friend, and after everything she's done for me-" Sophia quieted as Klaus stepped up so that they were eye to eye, her breathing shortened. Maybe she finally lost it and this was a dream- Surely, there would be more yelling if Klaus was actually standing before her. He overwhelmed her senses. His concern, his uncharacteristic empathy… His scent, the tension in his broad shoulders. It all made her dizzy and addled.
He frowned ever so minutely, eyes perplexed as she closed the distance between them even further, balanced on her toes as she leaned up to kiss him.
He responded instinctively, grasping her none-too-small waist, steadying her as his lips melded with hers. All too soon, he pulled her away from him.
"Sophia," Klaus frowned, his voice chastising as his gaze lowered, lingering briefly on her cleavage and then much too long on her growing stomach. "What sort of charade-"
Sophia felt her face burn as she wrenched herself away from him. "Oh God, I'm sorry- I thought-" To her humiliation, tears blurred her vision. She had taken for granted Klaus's readied attraction to her, thinking it would always be the case. But her body had changed so much since the last time they had- She was nearly halfway through her pregnancy.
"I'm sorry, you probably aren't- I've just been so-" Oh. God. Her face might actually be on fire, and she didn't dare tell him the cards her second trimester of pregnancy had dealt her. She wiped at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "I can't do this," she said as she backed away from him and tried to scurry into the house. His palm kept her from slamming the door on him.
"Sophia- Truly, I don't understand," he began as he gently pushed the door further open and stepped inside.
"It's my fault- I keep pushing you away and tell you I'm not ready for more- And I'm not." Sophia swallowed. "But- I've missed you. I haven't been able to stop thinking of you. And- Let's face it, Caroline was spot on- I'm…" She hesitated, then shook her head. Nope, still couldn't bring herself to say it, not out loud to him. "And you show up on my front porch looking like- Well, you. And you must think I'm disgusting-" Was she seriously about to start crying again.
Something finally must've clicked in his mind as Klaus's eyes sharpened in realization, and his low chuckle was one of surprise. Sophia turned around, starting to walk away from him.
"Please don't laugh at me, I'd rather you yell-"
"As you said, the last time we were in Mystic Falls, you told me you weren't ready- And with the state of our relationship, you can imagine my confusion when I'm greeted with a kiss-"
As soon as Sophia stepped into the next room, her back was pressed to his solid chest, his hands holding her hips in place. The gruff in his voice made her toes curl. "You look impossibly more ravishing since we saw each other, little love-"
"I'm not a little anything," Sophia declared stubbornly even as she melted against him. "I'm huge-"
"Let me assure you, sweetheart," Klaus prefaced as he started a trail of kisses and nips from her shoulder up the curve of her neck, his hands slipping beneath her shirt, "Watching you grow more radiant every day you carry our child hasn't detracted from your beauty…" A whimper escaped Sophia as he sucked at her pulse point. "Quite the opposite-"
"I missed you," Sophia murmured. She laid with Klaus in bed, bare of clothes and tucked under his arm. Her eyebrows knitted as he groaned.
"And yet," he responded as he stroked her hair, blue eyes flashing bright.
Sophia sighed, guilt knotting within her, and nestled closer against him. "I'm sorry, Nik." She whispered.
He pulled ever so slightly away from her, his eyes soft as he ran knuckles across her cheek, traced his thumb over her lips.
I love you, I love you.
The memory of it was too much for her, and turned her eyes to the window. "It's anyone's guess how much time Katherine has left- You should probably leave now if you're going to give her your… Regards."
Klaus's gaze bruised as turned away from her, barking a laugh as he pulled entirely away from her to cross his arms beneath his head, his smile sardonic. "Must you mention her."
Sophia sat up against the headboard, pulling up the luxurious bed sheet against her chest. "It's why you came all this way… Isn't it?"
His next words were measured. "And if I decide otherwise?" She stayed quiet. "I believe I have until… Let's agree at sunrise, if fortune is on my side, before your good sense returns and you kick me out of your bed."
Sophia choked on her laugh. "A bit presumptuous, don't you think-" She squeaked as she was pulled suddenly back into bed, breathless and her eyes wide as she looked into Klaus's, who was careful about balancing himself on his forearms as he looked down at her
"Best to not expend my breath on Katerina then- There's not a moment to waste," he dimpled, his smile sweet and sinful as he bent down, and her mouth fell open as he coaxed her lips with his.
She didn't know what it was, why it was suddenly all too easy to give in. If it was being enveloped in the familiar, somehow cozy and manageable drama of Mystic Falls… Or being away from the chaotic and drowning tragedy of New Orleans.
It was simply her and Nik getting lost in each other, and letting the rest of the world fall away. It was pure indulgence. Or, as Caroline would say, it was scandalous. It was exactly what she needed.
The sun was just rising as Klaus was buttoning up his shirt. "When will you be returning home?"
Sophia self consciously tried to flatten out her hair. "Soon," she promised as she sat at the edge of the bed, now clad in a wrinkled dress.
Klaus sat next to her and pressed his lips to her forehead. Sophia clutched his shirt before he could stand up, and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.
"Soon," he echoed, his eyes ardent and promising- And then he was gone.
Hayley returned from Hannah's the next morning, and Rebekah had them all booked for a plane that early evening. All that was left was for Sophia to make her goodbyes.
"Keep me updated on my niece," her sister had smiled sunnily.
Sophia had been a touch bemused as she hugged her goodbye. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
Something akin to alarm briefly flickered in Elena's eyes, but after a blink, it was gone. "Yeah, I'm sure," the brunette laughed. "Why do you ask?"
"I don't know," Sophia shrugged. "You just seem a little- Off." Elena merely smiled and shrugged back.
"Let me know when you get there, that you landed safely."
Sophia nodded in agreement, trying to let go of the unease she felt at the look in Elena's eyes as she hugged Jerermy and her friends goodbye.
Sophia frowned at the vampire's gathered below her room on the ground floor of the abattoir, wondering why Klaus orchestrated a meeting this particular morning. It was the day after she had returned to New Orleans, and she was not so subtly scanning the compound for Klaus from her balcony. The hybrid himself finally caught her eyes as he walked into the compound with another vampire. Terry? Thierry?"Dearest brethren- Attention please…"
Her chest was tight and her smile was lopsided as blue eyes glanced up at her. He briefly raised his head and quirked his lips in return, his gaze light and mirthful.
"What do you look like that for?" Hayley asked as she sipped from a blood bag, then rolled her eyes as she followed Sophia's gaze over to Klaus. "You two totally fuc-"
"Hayley," Sophia said warningly as she walked back into her room.
"Please," the hybrid scoffed. "Your room back in Mystic Falls reeked of sex."
Sophia shook her head. "I-He-"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me- Don't get me wrong, I don't know if I'll ever understand why you and Elijah keep giving him chances- But he is your baby daddy and it's your business."
Fair enough, Sophia thought as looked through Davina's drawing of Celeste. "Speaking of- How are things between you and Elijah?"
Hayley averted her eyes from Sophia's.
"Sophia- Have you heard from Rebekah?" Sophia looked up from her bed at the sound of Elijah's urgent voice as he entered her room. "She's not answering her calls."
"I haven't seen her since we got back to New Orleans last night." The old soul frowned as she looked backed down at her bedspread where Davina's drawings of Celeste laid. It nagged at her that they never really got an answer to what the rather glaring message meant.
"She asked me to keep an eye out on the witch stuff," Thierry rasped as Elijah held him up by the neck. "I found something, and when I showed her, we were jumped by some guy- He desiccated her with his touch."
Elijah was less than impressed by the cowed vampire. "Like a coward, you left her."
As it turned out, Thierry turned out to be a bit of a weak kneed punk- He and Rebekah had been in cahoots. Elijah had threatened the younger vampire into telling the truth of what happened to his sister. Sophia wasn't surprised, per say. The original sister hadn't been shy about her misgivings towards her brother. Sophia was a bit baffled by how Elijah seemed to expect Thierry's confession.
After a pointed look from Hayley, Elijah admitted he had already known Rebekah was plotting against her Klaus.
Thanks to Thierry's tip, they found a pale grey and still Rebekah right where the cowardly vampire said she would be- Down at the docks, at Warehouse 57. She laid the center of white chalk circle drawn around her, eyes closed in a mockery of sleep. Ashy veins were prominent on her face, an odd mark carved on her forehead. The sight of it all sickened Sophia.
"What's happening?" she asked as she backed away from the circle.
"Some sort of boundary spell," Elijah replied as he held out his arm to keep her and Hayley from stepping forward. "Someone is channelling her- Typically it's a lethal process, but because she's an original, she cannot die. Instead, she's an endless source of power."
Elijah hadn't wanted Sophia to tag along with him, but Hayley had had her back, snapping at him that he couldn't make the wolf's choice for her. Now, while Sophia knew that the hybrid's ferociousness on the subject hadn't been completely on her behalf (if at all), she appreciated it all the same if it meant she could help Rebekah.
As it turned out, Sophia (or more specifically, the baby) were rather integral to helping Rebekah against the hex a witch by the name Papa Tunde had put on her.
Elijah had Hayley call Sophie Deverioux to talk them through helping the outsourced original.
"It's a convoluted spell," Sophia heard the witch say over speaker phone. "It's like a witch's recipe- You can spoil it by adding a more potent ingredient, a mythical binding agent. I don't know- volcanic ash, rock salt- anything up to and including eye of newt."
Elijah's eyes turned towards Sophia. "What about the blood of a witch?"
Sophia hugged her stomach. Her daughter would be one quarter witch.
Sophia's blood- the baby's blood- had done the trick. The effect had been instantaneous, as soon as blood spilled onto the white powered circle, it had fizzled and evaporated away. When Rebekah came to, she was not pleased.
"You either fight alongside me, or you leave- Now."
Nearly all the New Orleans vampires had been gathered that night in the Abattoir, and now, their number was cut by a quarter- Their fear of the witch's gaining power outweighing whatever loyalty they had for Klaus or Marcel. Despite the loss of numbers, Klaus seemed pleased with those who remained- The weak had been weeded out. Those who decided to stay had buckled down and became soldiers in the fight against the witches.
Sophia herself had been irritated by the end of Klaus's speech. She never thought of herself as the needy type, really (Was she?), but it bothered her that he hadn't checked in with her all day. Throughout his speech, his gaze never met her's. While she was making her way to him at the end of the night, he left with Marcel, ignoring her half-hearted attempt to call out for him.
Sophia would learn through the grapevine that the vampires sentenced to desiccation by Marcel had now met peace… In the form of death. They had been sacrificed by Papa Tunde to help grow his power. Or so Sophia and everyone else had thought.
The next morning, she woke up to a very much dead Papa Tunde splayed out at the center of a chalk white circle, similar to the one Rebekah had been found in, right in the middle of the Abattoir.
Sophia and Hayley heard Marcel, Klaus, and Elijah conversing among themselves as they made their way down the stairs over to them.
"Back in the day," shared Marcel, "The witches wanted to send a threat, they'd just kill a chicken and leave it on your doorstep."
"It's a rather large and ominous chicken," concluded Elijah.
"Papa Tunde defeated Rebekah with ease," threw in Klaus," Almost got the two of us as well." Sophia turned wild eyes to Hayley. She hadn't known that. "If he was supposed to be their prized fighter, why leave him dead on our front yard?"
Rebkah arrived as Hayley and Sophia made it to the bottom of the stairs, Davina's drawings taped together and in Sophia's grasp.
"Well, don't you all look cheery," the female original greeted. "Listen to this- A girl literally exploded from a grave today as Sabine was giving a tour of the city of the dead. It was Monique Deveraux."
"What?" Klaus demanded harshly.
"The tourists thought it was part of the show," his sister went on, "But the witches are celebrating like it's some kind of bloody miracle."
Marcel spoke up. "Maybe it is. They think that all hope is lost but now, suddenly, a harvest girl is resurrected. This is how we're going to get Davina back- Kill the witch who took her place."
Sophia figured this was a good time to jump into the foray. "I have a theory about who one of them could be," she said. Somehow, when looking in her direction, Klaus still wouldn't meet her eyes. Ignoring him for the time being, Sophia presented Davina's drawings. "Celeste. I mean, it's got to be. Davina was trying to tell us- She was drawing pictures of Celeste. She was warning us that a great evil was coming."
Klaus resumed focus as he spoke again. "First, Papa Tunde returns to settle old scores, now your murdered lover is back." He jabbed a hand in Elijah's direction. "This isn't witches attacking vampires, they're declaring war on us."
Sophia's breath felt stolen from her as Klaus finally met her gaze, his eyes seemingly tracing the contours of her face. His expression striked her as hungry, relief and then torment inspired by the sight of her. And in the time it took for lightning to flash, it was gone.
Sophia sat in the library, trying to read up on the history of french quarter witches as detailed by the various originals, but her mind refused to focus, to make sense of the words on the pages before her. With a frustrated huff, she slammed the book closed. She flushed when she saw that Elijah was standing at the doorway.
"How long have you been standing there?" Likely long enough to see her tantrum.
"How are you, Sophia?" She turned confused eyes onto him as he sat before her on an armchair.
"Um." Sophia took a moment to put her thoughts into words. The wrong Mikaelson brother was asking her how she felt, but he would do. "I guess stressed is the best word for how I feel. I think Nik is right, that the witches- or a certain faction of them- are declaring war on vampires. On the Originals." I guess that includes us now, Sophia admitted to herself as she hugged her stomach. Her voice turned unsteady as tears stung her eyes. "It's all not very conducive to my daughter being born somewhere safe and-" Sophia's voice wavered as her eyes shied away from Elijah's. "And on top of all that, I'm such a girl, and I can't stop thinking about how Niklaus hasn't found any time to check in with me himself. And it's not just that. He- He's avoiding me." Sophia wiped away a stray tear with the sleeve of her dress.
A beat passed, and then Elijah's thoughtful voice filled the silence. "This is far from the first time Niklaus has waged war for the soul of New Orleans, or that our family has been personally attacked by an aggrieved enemy. He's in his element, really... One thing is different, however. Never have the stakes been this high. Not for him." Elijah's dark gaze flickered down towards her stomach, then pierced Sophia's eyes. "I believe that when you love someone, and that person loves you in return, you are uniquely vulnerable. Myself, Rebekah, Finn- even Kol, on occasion- are not unfamiliar with this type of peril, if you will. It is a peculiar vulnerability Niklaus has not allowed himself in over a millenia."
Sophia squeezed her eyes shut as she felt herself curl inwards, as if her body was physically rejecting what Elijah was spelling out for her. "He sent you, didn't he?" When she opened her eyes, Elijah's face was gentle, even while his following words left no room for argument.
"He has requested for you to go to the plantation house. He and I are of a similar mind on this matter, it's not safe for you here."
As far as Klaus was concerned, it was a given that Hayley would go with Sophia to the plantation house. It was Elijah's idea for Rebekah to accompany them as a little extra backup.
"I'm surprised you're not more peeved out about this," Sophia sighed as she buckled up in Rebekah's car. Hayley settled in the back seat.
"Oh, I am. But I saw this coming from a mile away, and I decided to make lemonade out of lemons." Sophia's lips quirked as she angled her body to face the hybrid, wondering what she had in mind.
"Who the bloody hell is that?" Rebekah asked of the heavy set man that just stepped out of the mansion with an empty dolly.
"Kegs out back, right?" Hayley inquired.
The man nodded at her. "Yep."
"Right," said Rebekah. "It appears you two weren't going to wait for me to grant you permission to throw a kegger."
Hayley had sprung her idea for a reunion with the Crescent clan on Sophia as well, but the wolf stood in solidarity with the hybrid. "Look, you all want me safe- Fine. I'll do as I'm told. But tonight's the one night that Hayley can meet her family. Do you really want to rat us out, or do you want to help us throw one hell of a party?"
"I'm in trouble- What happened to your brother Sean is about to start happening to me. I've been hexed. And I don't know how long I have."
Her uncle's shaky, frightened words kept running in her mind. The curved, pale, shark- tooth like blade burned in her jacket pocket as Cami waited for Klaus in her uncle's church. The blonde quietly seethed as she remembered the auburn haired witch who tried to get the bartender to do her dirty work for her.
"I got your message- Where's Kieren at now?" Klaus asked as he entered the church and met her where she sat. Camille knew he would come when she called- And so had the witch. And even though she knew that, she still didn't know why.
She let herself be comforted by Klaus's words as he soothed her anger over her uncle's lies. Truth be told, his thoughtful words made her decision easier.
"As for these witches," the vampire went on, "Their attack on Kieran should be proof enough they're the enemy. In that, we are united."
Cami stood up as he prepared to leave. "Klaus," she called out, unsheathing the disturbing blade from her pocket and held it out before her, the sharp end facing her as she offered it to him.
"This is Papa Tunde's blade," Klaus acknowledged as he grasped it.
"A witch gave it to me," Camille shared. "Said it would cause untold pain and torment- Even to an original. She said if I stuck it in your heart, she would heal Kieran."
"And yet you chose to reject that offer."
Camille crossed her arms. "Maybe if I were more like you, I could do it. But I'm not-"
"A monster," he finished.
The bartender didn't think so highly of herself. "I'm not stupid," she admitted. "If there's a war going on, I want to be on the winning side."
She wasn't proud either.
"Let's see what we can do about saving your uncle, shall we?"
It wasn't the first life he ran wild under the full moon, the wolf told him. It also wasn't the first time his eyes had seen her either, but then, somehow, it was.
"Hi there," she smiled kindly as she pinned up clothes out under the night sky. He didn't like how she wandered away from those meant to protect her, but he was here, and he would make sure no harm would come to her. "I can't wait to meet you."
He blinked, and in her place was a girl with the same face, same kind eyes- But her wavy, dark hair was wild with riotous curls going every which way. He blinked again, and where she stood was a considerably smaller girl- The little girl who had talked him into leaving the caves, caves that were meant to protect them, during the full moon so they could see the wolves. He hadn't wanted to, had been scared to, but he couldn't let her go alone. She was Sofija, and he wouldn't abandon her.
He had loved that girl. Had quietly admired her for as long as he had known her- But for as long as Jai could remember, her eyes had trailed after the Mikaelson boy.
The wolf turned and ran, running off the wake of fury upon remembering his death at the hands Mikael Mikaelson. The wolf shook his head, confused. Not Jai, Jackson corrected harshly, even though he knew names didn't matter.
He wondered how, a thousand years later, she was still Sophia (or Sophie, he had heard some call her). And why her eyes still followed the Mikaelson boy.
"Hayley! Sophia! The party's here," Sophia heard Rebekah shout from the living room. The wolf trailed behind Hayley out into the yard where the wolves gathered, clothed, and a touch unsure of what to do next.
Sophia smiled as she spotted Rebkah dancing with one of the Crescent's- He had introduced himself to her. Oliver? Meanwhile, Hayley was mingling and dancing, beer in hand. Smiling at the scene, Sophia went inside and absentmindedly began to clear up the trash that had already piled in the house.
"I seriously doubt you invited us here to wait on us," a familiar voice said behind her.
Sophia furrowed her eyebrows as she turned around. She stood up straight. In shock, she mouthed the name 'Jai' as she met eyes dark as her own. It was him. Clad in jeans and plaid, beard and hair just a shade darker than hers.
"How-" she began, then cut herself off. She somehow had the presence of mind to remember that he might not know of his past life. Despite herself, her face broke out into a crooked smile. "Hi," she settled on.
He was calm, gentle, as he continued to talk. Like he was afraid he might scare her way."Your Sophia, I'm Jackson." Jackson, her mind echoed. "It's nice to see you again."
Sophia rapidly blinked away the tears prickling her eyes before they could fall. He had no idea. "You're the wolf who's been watching me," she realized.
Finally, he smiled. "I got to keep my eye on you- Precious cargo and all." He glanced towards her stomach.
"Right," Sophia realized. "Gotta protect the miracle baby."
"No- That's not what I meant. I don't care about the baby."
Sophia raised an eyebrow, biting back a smile. Jai and Jackson had their bluntness in common. She tended to find it endearing.
He winced, his smile still in place. "Sorry- that came out wrong. I mean, of course I care. But that's not all. Personally, my interest is in you."
Sophia tilted her head, perplexed. "You don't even know me." The words didn't feel right, but they were technically the truth.
"But we do- don't we?"
Sophia crossed her arms. Did he remember?
"I don't completely understand it, but when I activated the curse and became a full time wolf, thirty days out of the month, I started having- I don't know, dreams? Visions? I tried asking a witch what was going on with me, but she wasn't all that forthcoming. Then, a wolf from another pack said I might be something called an old soul." Jackson smiled wryly. "That I was reborn, and somehow, while a wolf, I was remembering my past life. It's actually more clear when I'm wolf- The visions are a little more fuzzy now. But I know that I know you, that we know each other."
Sophia sucked in a deep breath. "You're a palia psychi," she said softly. She raised her voice as he looked more intently at her. "That's fancy witch lingo for old soul, same difference. And you're right, we used to know each other- used to be best friends."
Jackson's face took on a mystified tinge as he raised his hand smooth his hair back as he laughed in disbelief. "Wow- I kinda feel bad for not remembering you better then. Sorry." His lips curved sheepishly.
Sophia was a little mystified herself. Jackson was Jai, and he wasn't. Jai had been a shy child who grew into a reserved man, but if you knew him a little better, he had always been quick to laugh and generally was just pleasant to be around. Jackson, as an adult, generally seemed more open than Jai had been, but that could be because of the memories that had resurfaced.
"Eh, no harm done," she shrugged. "It was over a thousand years ago."
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You're kidding, I never thought-" He shook head. "I had basically no clue what all this old soul stuff meant, it's all very new to me."
Sophia nodded in understanding. "It- It can be a lot to unpack." She held back a cringe as she remembered cradling a slaughtered Jai in her arms. "And it's something we can talk about another time."
"You've poisoned me with a kiss." Elijah had collapsed on the pavement as a result of the indulgence he had allowed himself- To kiss Celeste one more time. He coughed a laugh. "At least you haven't lost your sense of irony."
Celeste was masquerading in Sabine's body. It hadn't been all the difficult to deduce, once he had the full picture.
"We may have time for more," she teased, standing proudly in front of him. "But first, I'm going to cure you of your greatest flaw- This absurd devotion to your lunatic family."
"Your anger is with me," Elijah gasped as he regained more muscle control, now able to stand on his knees. "Now, if you have come seeking revenge-"
The formidable witch cut him off. "Oh, I'll have my revenge," she snapped. "Starting with Klaus. He is going to know pain and torment like he's never felt before- Unless you choose to save him, of course. But then that leaves Rebekah, your tragic sister. She's about to find herself in quite the predicament- You could save her, but then that leaves Sophia in jeopardy."
"No- no," Elijah called out weakly as he collapsed again.
"I'm not sure what to make of the poor girl, to be honest with you." Sabine shook her head. "Your brother's salvation. She knows how dangerous it is to be loved by a Mikaelson, and by Klaus no less, and she still threw in her lot with him. Oh well," Celeste concluded flippantly, rolling her eyes. "With your body weakened by my spell, you won't be able to save them all. You'll recover with just enough time to choose one- Who will it be?" She smiled devilishly as she turned to walk away. "I can't wait to find out."
Sophia leaned against an entryway while Jackson tapped his fingers against the piano. "Your friend, the Leboniar-"
"Hayley," Sophia corrected.
"Hayley," Jackson nodded, casting his eyes down. "She- You two have to be pretty close, for her to be sticking out your pregnancy with you."
Sophia nodded, unsure of what his point was.
"Does she know she's practically werewolf royalty?"
"What do you mean?" Sophia asked.
"Both of our families' bloodlines go way back- I mean, I know what I am- Now. But as Jackson Kenner, in this life-"
Sophia laughed. "I know what you mean Jackson."
He smiled gratefully. "Anyways, we were supposed to be married- our parents arranged it."
Sophia nodded slowly. Well, that was a plot twist, but she supposed wolves tended to be fans of arranged marriages.
"The crescents are just any pack of wolves," he went on, expelling information, as if he had been holding it in for a long time and was finally able to let it out. Sophia indulged him. "The bloodline goes back to the very beginning- Two families. Mine and hers." His excited gaze turned sour as he walked closer to her. "New Orleans used to be our town, but we lost all thanks to some infighting. The vampires came after us, and if our families had been united, we could have taken them. So our parents decided to bring the two lines back together, and me and her were… betrothed."
Sophia nodded gamely. "I gotta say, Ja- Jackson, I like to think I know Hayley pretty well, and I don't think she's in a hurry for marriage- Especially to a guy she doesn't know. Have you even introduced yourself yet?"
Jackson raked his hand through his hair. "Well I'm not exactly thrilled about it either," he burst out.
Sophia frowned at him.
"I'm sorry- I just… Things didn't work out like anybody thought they would. Our pack made a huge misstep with the vampires when we refused to back down, and Marcel had us cursed by a witch. And Andrea is the last of her bloodline, or Hayley- Whatever she calls herself. She's a hybrid- And the way she's helped protect you and your baby… These people will follow her."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sophia asked. "You should talk to Hayley- She'll hear you out-"
Jackson sighed frustratedly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pile this on you, but the wolf, I mean- It feels like I know you." He shook his head ruefully. "Sorry- again. I didn't mean to bring this up at all, actually. Had decided awhile ago I wasn't going to pile this all on Hayley either. But- I feel like I owe it to my people to try with her. After everything she went through to find us- She's going to be the one to break our curse."
Sophia frowned. "What are you talking about?"
For the first time, uncertainty flashed in Jackson's eyes. "Her witch friend- She told Eve she was coming here tonight to set us free."
A chill went down Sophia's spine. "What witch friend?"
Klaus' phone went straight to voicemail, and Rebekah hadn't answered hers. Sophia already knew Hayley didn't have any witch friends, so she called Elijah. She walked through the kitchen as Elijah answered her call. "Elijah, something's going on with the witches-"
"Listen to me," he interrupted hurriedly. "You and Hayley were right, Celeste is back. Niklaus, Rebekah- You're all in danger."
Sophia tried to walk out into the yard when the doors were slammed shut.
"What's going on?" Jackson asked.
"It's a trap," Sophia told him urgently. "Hayley didn't make a deal with any witch."
"Sophia, you have to find Hayley and Rebekah- And you stay with them until I get there."
Sophia moved forward and tried to open the doors, when the curtains burst into flames- the door hadn't been budging anyways. She gasped as she took a step back. "Elijah, it's a spell. They're trapping us inside."
She and Jackson tried to find an exit, but all the doors were slamming shut before them, and any other entry point was being set on fire. The fellow wolf took the lead into trying to get them out as Sophia grew dizzy. Before they knew it, they were cornered in the living room, all doors locked.
"We have to get out of here," Sophia said as Jackson threw a chair out the window- Or, he had tried. The chair broke into pieces while the window remained unshattered. The fire alarm was startled into action as bright hot flames licked up the perimeter of the room. Sophia crouched low to the floor, gasping.
"Breath through this," Jackson said as he handed her a piece of cloth. All around them, the room burned. Things seemed pretty dismal to Sophia- And then Elijah was before her. He picked her up, cradling her in his arms, and the next thing she knew, she was hacking up a lung in the blissfully cool night air.
"Where's Rebekah?" Elijah asked, looking down at her.
Sophia was laid out on the floor. "I don't know," she gasped as she continued to cough. "She went off with one of them," she remembered, gesturing to where the party had been.
"Elijah- My friend is still in there," Sophia said weakly, her eyes pleading. He hesitated, Sophia was lucid enough to see that. But ultimately, he had gone back and rescued Jackson.
Elijah followed Rebekah's scent deep into the woods, where he stumbled upon husks of wolves, and near them, his sister's jacket.
"Missing something?" Celeste announced, catching him off guard as she walked over to him. "You won't hurt me," she declared as he stepped towards her. Another witch- an elder- stood at her side and a vaguely familiar red-headed woman stood on the other. "I'm the only one alive who can break the curse on Hayley's family- And Geneivieve knows where your sister is. Bastiana has Klaus tucked away someplace safe. He's suffering horribly, I might add- And all because you chose to save the little wolf instead of your own blood."
Elijah stepped menacingly towards the trio, when his spine cracked. He cried out in pain as he fell to his knees.
"What a horrific ending," Celeste dug in. "To your pathetic, diseased family." Elijah yelled out in torment as he felt his blood vessels burst. "I guess always isn't forever after all."
Jackson had helped Sophia find Hayley- The hybrid had been subdued by the twist of the neck.
"Your pack couldn't have done this, they weren't strong enough" Sophia murmured softly as she crouched by Hayley, smoothing back her hair. "It was the witches" she concluded as she looked up towards Jackson, who was looking at the burning mansion.
"I've got to go," he said as Sophia stood up. "The moon."
"Listen Jai- Jackson." An ache flickered in his eyes the sound of his former name, but Sophia paid it no mind. "I want to thank you for protecting me- Not just tonight."
His gaze softened. "I've been dreaming about meeting you ever since I activated this curse- I never thought it would go like this." He began to walk away. Sophia reached out to grasp his elbow.
"I won't stop until I find a way to break this curse," Sophia vowed as she met his eyes. "And neither will Hayley. I promise."
Jackson nodded somberly at her before walking away.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sophia asked as Hayley sucked through her fifth blood bag. They were back at the compound in the old soul's bedroom, Hayley drinking and recuperating as Sophia explained what had happened. The basics, to start with. Hayley learning about her betrothed, who was an old soul, could wait until tomorrow.
"I'll be fine," the hybrid's lips were twisted bitterly. "And you didn't overstep with your promise- I will do everything I can to undo that curse."
"And I'll help you." Sophia couldn't return Hayley's half hearted smile even if she wanted to- Klaus was still missing, and Marcel was cagey on the details.
"Marcel!" Sophia heard Elijah shout furiously. "Where is my brother!?" Both she and Hayley stepped out onto the balcony in time to see the original throwing around Marcel's men like rag dolls.
"Elijah," Hayley reprimanded, and Sophia found herself mildly impressed as Elijah ceased his violence, his eyes taking the time to sweep over Hayley, confirming she was safe.
"I got guys out looking for him right now," Marcel explained. "Klaus threw one of his classic temper tantrums, snapped my neck, tried to take on a coven of witches by himself- He got dropped. I don't know where he is or how to find him."
"They also have Rebkah," Elijah rasped. "Every one of you will help me to find him," Elijah demanded as he glared at the nightwalkers. He looked back to Marcel. "I'm going to kill them all."
So, I'm heavily inspired by songs and lyrics (among other things) as I try to figure out the characters' characterizations, and I wanted to share the backdrop for Klaus and Sophia, feel free to take or leave them.
Klaus (the past few chapters): [I know I should go, but I follow you like a man possessed/ There's a traitor here beneath my breast/ And it hurts me more than you've ever guessed/ If my heart could beat, it would break my chest/ But I can see you're unimpressed/ So leave me be] Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rest in Peace
Sophia (This chapter, and a bit of foreshadowing): [When I watch you, want to do you, right where you're standing yeah/ Right on the foyer on this dark day right in plain view, oh yeah/.../ I'll dream about you, I will not doubt you, with the passing of time/ Should they kill me, your love will fill me/.../ I'll know my purpose, this war was worth this/ I will not let you down] Say Anything, Alive with the Glory of Love
*Yes, I typed up these lyrics- Might've been easier to suggest you listen to the songs. Oh well.