A/N (12/5/22): Happy Holidays!
Warning: Canon typical violence, grammar errors, plot armor, and contrived circumstances.
Edit: A grammarly download + old computer screwed up my formatting, and I wasn't even able to really use grammarly for grammar help (!).
The Fury (Part 1)
Sophia paced back and forth before the open entrance to the compound, daring herself to take a step outside. Just one step without a nauseous mix of adrenaline and terror racing through her, screaming Do you want to die again? Have you learned anything?!
"Good job Hope," Sophia beamed as her daughter used the coffee table as leverage to pull herself up. Hope smiled as she waddled over to Sophia, arms outstretched. "You're such a smart girl," she laughed as she hugged her.
"Dada," Hope babbled as she pulled away, walking on unsteady legs towards the door.
Sophia raised an eyebrow as a doting Klaus appeared at the doorway, his grin wide as he lifted Hope into his arms. Her giggles filled the air as he spun her in a circle.
"I endured horrendous birth and actual death for that little girl, and dada is her first word," Sophia said dryly as she stood up to her feet and made her way over to the pair.
Sophia and Freya exchanged subdued glances with each other as they drank their wine.
Sophia had done her best to get Klaus to make a decent apology to Elijah, to no avail. His pride would be the end of him, she considered morosely.
"This was a lovely dinner, Freya, Sophia," Elijah began as he stood up.
"I can get Hope if you would like to say bye-"
"No, that's quite alright," Elijah smiled kindly at Sophia. "Another time, let her sleep. I believe I should take my exit. Goodnight, ladies."
Klaus spared his brother no glance as he left.
Sophia sat in her old bedroom, the only TV in the compound turned on before her, with Buffy and Willow taking up the screen.
The lamp light beside the armchair helped her see her progress as she attempted to knit a new blanket for Hope.
When Sophia could sleep through the night (rare as it was), she gravitated towards the master bedroom that she now shared with Klaus, and when she couldn't, she found herself in here. (Starved of sleep and peace of mind.)
She looked up as the door opened. "Nik," she frowned.
"Love," Klaus murmured, a bright oversized mug in his hand. "And what melodrama are we watching tonight?"
She sighed as he walked over to her. "You shouldn't have-"
"Shouldn't have what?" he raised an eyebrow, sipping from the tea in his hands.
She felt herself blush. "Oh, I-"
He wrinkled his nose, chuckling as placed the mug on the table beside her. "You're the only one one in the Abattoir with a craving for spearmint."
She hit his arm with a free pillow as he took a seat on the floor in front of her, propping himself against the chair. "At least one of us should be getting sleep-"
"Spike fancies Buffy does he?" Klaus asked archly, eyes intent on the screen. "Well, he's certainly preferable to Angel."
"It doesn't have to be today, Soph," Hayley said gently, arms crossed as she leaned against the entrance to the compound.
"No, you and Nik are right, I can't spend the rest of my life cooped up in here- Hell, I can't spend the rest of Hope's life stuck in here. I don't want her to be scared like I am," she finished softly.
Hayley walked over to her, squeezing her shoulder once she was at her side. "You're gonna get through this, and in the meantime, me and Elijah have a surprise for you."
Sophia raised an eyebrow, wondering what that could possibly be.
"So, where is Klaus?" Hayley asked dryly.
"He and Camille are having one of their chats," Sophia said distractedly as she touched her hand to the stone wall.
Just cross the street over to Hayley's place, she told herself. It would be progress.
"And how do you feel about that?" Hayley asked carefully.
If Klaus wanted to continue his sessions with her, Camille had demanded an established time to meet (which he did most days).
Sophia shrugged, her chest tight as she took a minuscule step outside her home's protection. "I hoped she would help him see that his behavior towards you and Elijah was, well, an overreaction, but he really doesn't seem sorry about any of it." A pang of guilt hit her, and she looked over at Hayley. "Again, I'm so sorry for putting you in that-"
"You need to stop apologizing for him," Hayley said sternly.
Sophia compressed her lips as she stepped back inside, turning to address Hayley. "I'm happy that he has someone… Level-headed to talk to, if nothing else. That he has someone outside of his family he can call a friend."
Hayley pursed her lips. "And it doesn't bother you that he never would have looked her way if she hadn't been blonde and pretty, that this someone is clearly attracted to him-"
Sophia furrowed her eyebrows. "You've been gossiping too much with Josh and Davina."
It had insidiously crept up on her, this absolute fear she felt for the world outside.
She had died so many times. It came with the territory of being a two thousand year old palia psychi- But this was her last life, and she had never had so much at stake before.
(A man who broke the monotony of her going through the motions, and their beautiful baby girl who had only just started walking.)
It was paralyzing.
Klaus had practically been her nurse in the aftermath of Sophia being reunited with her shade. At the start of it all, he had to coax her from sleeping and crying all day, making sure she ate and saw sunlight.
In between being Sophia's caretaker and being Hope's more stable, primary parent, the romance (and the need to rip each other's clothes off) had tapered away.
Sophia took her first complete step outside of her home in months (her heart pounding and her hands somehow both cool and sweaty) as Elijah's town car pulled up before the compound.
"Elena, Jer!" she smiled despite it all, engulfing her siblings in a hug. "I can't believe you guys are here."
The next day, Jeremy went out to pick up lunch. At Sophia's suggestion, he had left early to study the various art and artists to be found throughout the city, while she and Elena relaxed on Sophia's balcony, ruby red sangria in hand.
"I'm a mess, 'Lena," Sophia surmised tiredly.
Her sister let out a choked laugh. "God, Soph- With everything you've been through, of course you're traumatized… And maybe a touch agoraphobic," she tacked on lightly, taking a sip of her drink. "It won't be for forever-"
"I don't think I've ever made it well into my twenties, not in the past lives I learned about-"
"That doesn't mean that this time-"
"Don't." Sophia took a long gulp of her drink. "I thought I had made my peace with my mortality, but now that I'm alive again, now that my heart's beating again, and I can remember all too well how easy it is for someone to tear it from my chest-"
Elena reached out to grasp her hand, squeezing it tightly, helping to ground her.
"It's almost enough for me to want to turn again," she whispered.
Why had she wanted her shade back so badly, she wondered.
Without it, then she wouldn't have to care about any of this.
"Okay, I know I'm no Caroline, but I saw this, and it just seemed- You, y'know," Elena smiled as handed a bag over to Sophia.
"Oh," the wolf breathed as she took out a delicate, gossamer black mini dress. She hadn't worn anything so overtly sexy in what felt like forever. (It hadn't been a priority during her pregnancy, and certainly not during her shadeless postpartum.)
She was surprised to find tears pricking at her eyes.
"Oh, Sophie," Elena said as she sat by her side in the bed.
"It's nothing," Sophie sniffled, laughing. "I just haven't worn something like this in forever-" She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Klaus hasn't done much more than kiss me in months… The way we were when I lost my shade-" He couldn't keep his hands off of her at times. The dynamic of their relationship had changed so much-
Elena had always been good at reading between the lines.
"Okay, so Klaus is not the guy I would have wanted for you, for obvious reasons," the vampire began firmly, "But the way he looks at you- You've been through so much… I think he's waiting for you." Elena raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna have to be the one to make the first move."
"You know what, aside from her eyes, this baby is all Gilbert," argued Elena mock defensively, then her face broke out into a wide, exaggerated smile. "Aren't you Hope?"
Hope babbled in response, studying Elena with curious eyes. Sophia smiled at this sight as she walked away to help set up the dining room. Given how vampires ran amuck here, Freya had charmed every room so that conversations weren't overheard.
"It's kinda weird seeing her like this, huh?" Jeremy asked as he prepped the assorted take out food that he bought.
"She really had Alaric erase every trace of Damon," Sophia observed gently. Elena must have been desperate for relief if had come to that.
"I think it's- That is better this way." Jeremy cleared his throat. "You should bring Hope to Mystic Falls one day- When you're ready, I mean. She should see where the Gilberts grew up."
Sophia smiled at her brother. "I will- I want that for her too."
"And you don't mourn for Damon at all?" Klaus wondered offhandedly as he sipped at his gumbo, eyes mischievous. "Such a tragedy that entire mess was."
Elena furrowed her eyebrows as Jeremy glared at the hybrid.
"Nik," Sophia warned.
"Why would I- Yes, of course I think it's awful that Stefan lost his brother, but Damon and I weren't ever exactly close, not after what he did to Jeremy."
Despite himself, it seemed Jeremy couldn't help a wry scoff. "You would think, but uh-" Jeremy met Klaus's eyes, then raised an eyebrow at Sophia. "Questionable taste in guys seems to run in the family." Elena frowned in bemusement at him.
Klaus smirked and Sophia shook her head. His gaze softened as he briefly met her eyes, and he reached under the table to take her hand into his. "You're in college now, I've heard. Sophia tells me you want to be a doctor like your father?"
Elena and Jeremy drunkenly cheered her on, somewhat obnoxiously, as Sophia tentatively walked down the street from the compound.
"You guys are ridiculous, "she smiled as her heart raced.
(Not long after, she had to wish her siblings safe travels back home and promise that she and Hope would visit soon.)
"I'm sorry that I can't be there tonight, Nik-"
"Nonsense," he grinned, all charm. "I'll whisk you away for a private showing another night." He raised her hand to place a kiss, and with a wink, he was gone.
Klaus was presenting his work at an art gallery on the other side of the city, and Sophia did plan to be there tonight.
She hurried as she did her makeup, all that time she spent preparing for Mystic Falls's various socials coming in handy. She donned on the satin soft dress Elena had bought her, which fell mid-thigh, showing off her legs.
"What do you think?" she asked as she walked into Hope's room, where Hayley was keeping an eye on the exploring, toddling one year old.
Hayley lifted the baby, turning her towards Sophia, and her daughter raised her arms as she set course in the old souls direction.
"You always look great Sophie, but you do look especially pretty tonight," the hybrid smiled.
Journeying across town felt a bit overwhelming, but it helped that the full moon was out that night, summoning the wolf in her closer to the surface. Her moonlight ring seemed to glow on her hand as she shrugged on an oversized leather jacket she had stolen from Klaus's closet.
After Hayley took Hope back to her place, Sophia made her over to the gallery, only to realize that Klaus had left not a few minutes earlier.
Sophia had felt nearly dejected enough to return straight home, when a canvas at the far end corner of the room caught her eye.
She slowly made her way over, entranced by a gothic, viridescent painting. She spent enough time with Klaus to spot that he recreated the meadow in her mind on an oil portrait. Her breath was taken away by his interpretation of that landscape- Delicate swirls of dark greens and purples and blues.
It was beautiful.
Feeling unusually brave, Sophia took a slow stroll down Bourbon Street, taking in the tipsy tourists and the musicians parked at every other corner, letting herself get lost in the crowd.
She turned a corner onto a considerably more empty road as she began her way back to the compound. Checking the time on her phone, she paused as she caught a handful of missed calls from Klaus.
She raised her head, and up a few yards at the Abbatours entrance, Klaus had just stormed out, his eyes flared as he caught sight of her.
One by friend, one by family, one by foe…
The original had made a hasty exit from Lucien's penthouse, making a call to Sophia, intent on returning home to discuss this new danger with her. He frowned as she didn't answer.
The closer he got to the compound, the more doubts of sharing this with her thrived in his mind.
She had improved leaps and bounds the past few months, but he was all too aware of the deep seated fears that kept her bound to the compound. This prophecy nonsense could undo the progress she's made, and he still wasn't sure what to make of the threat himself.
"Sophia," he called out as he entered the compound.
"She wanted to surprise you at the art show-"
Klaus had hung up on Hayley, reassured that his daughter was safe and his alarm over his absent paramour somewhat abated. Of all the nights to venture out on her own, it had to be when bloody Lucien was in town and what remained of the original sirelines were agitated and out for blood.
Jaw clenched and his head pounding, he left the compound in a storm as he resolved to find Sophia. She should have returned by now-
He came to a halt as he spotted a familiar, slender figure.
Dark eyes widened as they met his gaze.
Sophia was radiant under the moonlight. Smooth, lazy curls framed her face- She slowly walked over towards him, hands coyly tucked into his jacket pockets, a hint of a smile on her face.
The wolf unfurled within him, and a pining fervor caused his hands to tremble. Klaus couldn't be sure if it was the full moon, the mingling of his and Sophia's scents being blown over his way in the cool breeze, the seedy danger that had come into town- In that moment, the prophecy was the least of his worries.
"Nik," Sophia said softly, lips twitching, watching in amused fascination as an all too familiar expression replaced the anger in his face.
He pulled his shoulders back, eyes hooded as they swept her frame up and down as she made her way over to him.
"Honored as I am that you ventured over to my gallery, I could've done without the shock of finding you missing, love," he said, his voice low.
She shrugged with a slight smile, now standing face to face with him. "I wanted to surprise you- I loved your gallery, and especially one painting in particular-"
She shivered as his hands snuck under the open jacket she wore, ghosting over her dress before gripping her hips. "Stole my jacket, did you?"
Sophia leaned into the hard planes of his body, raising one hand to his hair the other on his neck, guiding him to kiss her.
"Our room- our bed is just over there," she had laughed against his lips, her words breathless.
The best they could manage was against the wall in a dark corner of the compound- Klaus hushing her whimpers with a teasing smirk, his dark denim undone and her legs wrapped around his waist.
Klaus stood at the terrace, frowning over a paint pallet as he settled on choosing the right colors for his painting, the morning sun shining on his hair.
Hope was settled comfortably enough in her baby blue high chair, smiling as she allowed Sophia to spoon feed her bits of mashed bananas.
The old soul had been stuck in her head yesterday, and as she studied Klaus now, she recalled the worry on his face before he spotted her.
"What happened last night, Nik?"
He turned towards her, smirk on his lips, eyebrows suggestive.
"Not that." Her lips twitched into a smile, then it fell away as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why'd you leave your art gallery early and why were you so worried?"
He frowned. "An old friend arrived in town with rather… Upsetting news. What remains of my siblings and my own sirelines are out of sorts now that they are aware of how simple it can be for the vampire species to die."
Startled, Sophia turned fully to face him. "What does-"
The hybrid smoothed his frustration into a smile, blue eyes vehement . "It's nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart," he said as he focused back on his painting.
Sophia focused back on Hope, pursing her lips.
Sophia took deep breaths as she walked over to Hayley's apartment, Hope balanced on her hip. With the full moon and her siblings gone, some of her comfort had left her.
All was well. She was fine. Klaus would be right across from here and was keeping an ear out.
"Hi there baby girl," Hayley cheered as she lifted Hope from Sophia's arms and swung her in the air.
"Hi Jackson," Sophia smiled as he welcomed her in.
"It's good to see you Sophia," he smiled as he gave her a quick hug, eyes somber as he exchanged a glance with Hayley.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"A handful of us still like to transform under the moon and embrace the wolf… Five from our pack are missing as of this morning, and witnesses swear up and down they were being hunted last night."
Sophia nodded as she took in Jackson's words, meeting Hayley's eyes as the hybrid spoke up.
"Guerilla tactics- No one got a good look at these so called hunters," she said darkly. "Me and Jackson visited the bayou this morning only to learn that the land was bought out by Kingmaker land development." Hayley quieted for a moment, seeming to avoid Jackson's gaze. "...Elijah says the CEO is a friend of Klaus's. Lucien Castle."
Jackson reached over to take Hayley's hand in his. "We wanted to see if you could ask Klaus to find out more. Better him than us sniffing around a thousand year old vampire." He looked pointedly at Hayley who rolled her eyes.
"Please, Soph."
"Listen to the advice of your superiors and do better. Study the weaknesses if those who outrank you and eliminate them your own experience-"
Sophia paused the video on her laptop, her eyes stuck on Lucien's face. The CEO of a prominent land development company, it seems the ancient vampire made the best of his immortality.
'He's an old friend, yes, but there's no reason for you to worry, love. I know better than to hold trust with the likes of Lucien Castle,' Klaus had attempted to placate her when she told him what Hayley and Jackson had learned.
"How exactly would you describe your relationship with Lucien?" Sophia wondered as Klaus stepped out of the bathroom, buttoning up his shirt.
Klaus tilted his head thoughtfully. "He was a stable boy, and the first vampire I ever sired. A tale as old as time, really. An envious proletariat who wanted to kill and maim the bourgeoisie-"
"And when he couldn't kill them he joined them," she murmured.
Klaus rested on the arm of the couch chair she was tucked on, wrapping his arm around her as he bent to press a kiss to her forehead.
At the last moment, Sophia tilted her head up so that he met her lips instead.
"I know that there's more you're not telling me Nik." she murmured against his mouth.
He smiled against her lips before pulling away. "I don't want you to worry unnecessarily sweetheart, me and Elijah will sort this all out and find out why Lucien is really in town."
As if that sentiment didn't ensure that her anxiety would spike even more. Elijah was still so angry with his younger brother, the only reason for their cease fire had to be a genuine threat that was a cause for worry.
Sophia tentatively left the compound, entrusting Hayley with Hope's safety. She refused to be scared away from the progress she had been making, and her curiosity had been piqued by a voicemail Cami had left her.
Once she made her way to Rouseouss and surveyed the room, she was disappointed at the unfamiliar woman on the other side of the bar. "What can I get you?" the brunette smiled as Sophia sat on a nearby stool.
Sophia summoned a smile as the room grew increasingly claustrophobic, and all she wanted was to return to the safety of the compound, to her daughter. "Nevermind, I'm just gonna-"
"Nonsense," a well dressed man said as he took seat beside her. "This menu is so festive- Two Big Easy's, if you would."
The twenty-something bartender whipped up the bright blue cocktails with flourish as Sophia studied the new patron. His accent was familiar, his brown eyes shark like.
"And you are?" she asked.
"Lucien Castle at your service, my dear. And you must be Sophia Gilbert, Klaus's famous beloved."
Sophia remained in her seat, silently studying the smug face in front of her. "And how can I help you, Lucien?"
"Has Nik not mentioned me?" Lucien tutted with dancing eyes. "He is my sire, and I am the first in his line. So many of us are curious about the mother of his progeny- I'll admit, as striking as you certainly are, you aren't what I had pictured."
"Sorry to disappoint," Sophia offered wryly as took a sip of her drink, unsure of what to make of Lucien. He so obviously wasn't to be trusted. Still, she sat in place as she attempted to assess exactly how much trouble he would be. "Really? The first vampire Klaus ever turned?"
"Indeed, Nik and I struck up a friendship when I was nothing but a castle servant and he a 'nobleman'." Lucien smirked. "Despite our different stations, we shared quite a bit in common. One would say too much… I should clarify, one woman in particular."
"Sophia," a familiar voice said from behind her, a firm hand gripping her shoulder. Sophia turned to see Klaus at her side, with the hybrid glaring daggers at Lucien. "Stay away from her."
"Nik," Lucien grinned wickedly. "I must say, with Cami I understood the appeal- The fight in her eyes reminded me quite a bit of Aurora. Sophia, has Nik told you about the lovely Lady Aurora-"
"Lucien," Klaus uttered warningly.
Sophia shook her head, shooting him a questioning glance, and when she turned again towards Lucien, he was gone.
"You aren't to leave the compound without a escort, although I would prefer if you wouldn't leave it's safety for the next-"
"You wanted me to get out-"
"I changed my mind." As they entered their bedroom, Klaus grasped her hands. "Sophia, please-"
"Whose Aurora?"
Klaus froze, then frowned. "An old paramour, and not someone I care to discuss right now. I need to find Freya. Please don't leave the compound on your own- At the very least, insist that Hayley accompany you if you must."
"Nik," Sophia sighed, but he was already gone.
"What is the Strix, exactly?"
"Some sort of society Elijah created- 'Like Minded individuals', he said. From what I gather, over the centuries they've morphed into something of a menacing threat," Freya shared as studied herself in the mirror, dressed in a colorful disguise in preparation to sneak into an ancient frat party.
Sophia held her breath, then decided to go for it. "What isn't Nik telling me? What's he so worried about?"
Freya turned to face Sophia with an exasperated expression. "He really should have told you himself- But I suppose, he's lost his chance. We suspect a formidable threat is in town, and it won't do any of us any good walking around blind."
Drink deep, but beware. What you broke is beyond repair. All your oaths you betray. Your sacred vows you sever. And now, you see nothing lasts always and forever. Three yet remain, two already crossed. Yet in one year's time, you'll all be lost. As your family is undone, you will seed the beast that is yet to come.
The witch who foretold the Mikaelson's doom sat at the center of the compound, wary and tired from her time at the Strix. Sophia waited with her, along with Freya, as they awaited the Mikaelsons.
"Sophia, meet Alexis. Our family's harbinger," Freya introduced plainly as she stepped away to get a drink.
The witch smiled winsomely at Sophia. "Such fury the messenger suffers. If Lucien wasn't bound to your Klaus, all this would not be worth the trouble."
Sophia took on the other end of the couch, beside Alexis. "And what makes Lucien worth the trouble?"
Alexis's eyes twinkled. "What makes Niklaus worth the trouble?" Touche.
The witch's expression shifted as she eyed Sophia thoughtfully. "You share his burdens and he shares yours, husband and wife after all this time. Would you run away from it all, Sofija, if it would save him from certain misery?"
"Excuse me?" Sophia asked sharply, narrowing her eyes.
She went on, her tone remaining casual. "Then again, prophecies are tricky things.-"
Sophia inched closer. "What are you-"
The witch seemed to lunge at her, her nails digging into Sophia's forearms, and the old soul held on to her in return to keep from falling off her seat as Alexis crashed her lips upon Sophia's in a harsh kiss. The witch's words were spoken in Sophia's mind, lyrical and haunting.
Beware: Persephone's protectors have abandoned their post. Wasting away in forgotten trenches, an ancient one waits and watches. Preying on those weak of will and desperate of heart, her disciples will stop at nothing to unspell her lock. Armed with sweet words and a tricker's touch, she will devour all that you love.
Twin men, their shared face so familiar to her.
The anger and terror the french quarter witch's had suffered under Marcels awful reign.
Klaus pinning her to the wall, his hand wrapped around her throat, heartache and misery plain on his face.
A little girl, blue eyes huge on her terrified face. 'Mom, she's here-'
Sophia fell away from Alexis and nearly onto the floor, but the witch still had a decent grip on her and managed to prop the old soul back onto the couch.
"What was that-" she sputtered.
The witch's eyes shone an edge of sadness. "Tragedy and misfortune seem to haunt you at every turn, palia psychi, and this life has been no different. I only knew the words, the vision hadn't crystallized until I met you." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Lucien misinterpreted my words. The Mikaelson's enemies and the trouble you are to face aren't one and the same."
Sophia shook her head. "Please," she begged, her thoughts stuck on that little girl with Klaus's eyes. "Tell me more, I don't understand-"
The witch opened her mouth to speak, when she hacked out a surprised cough instead. She raised her fingers to her bleeding nose.
Klaus and Lucien arrived just in time to see Alexis choke on her own blood.
Worry and anger mixed in her blood, Sophia's temples ached and boiled as she paced back and forth in the candle lit library, the smell of gentle lavender surrounding her. (Even the mild, soft glowing light from the lamps had stung her eyes too much.)
She only had maybe an hour or two until sunrise, until she had to put a brave face on for Hope. Klaus had escorted a grieving Lucien back to his penthouse, and he still had yet to return home.
She wrote down Alexis's last words in a journal, reading them over and over again until they were engraved in her mind. So vague on their own, and the visions that had accompanied were of minimal help.
And then there was the Mikaleon's prophecy to tackle.
Sophia's gut told her not to trust Lucian, to trust none of these newcomers that were making their way to town. She supposed they should be sorted out first before she could really focus on the words directed at her-
She opened the doors to the terrace and gripped the rail with white knuckles as cool air flowed around her. She closed her eyes for just a few seconds, and when she opened them, Klaus was standing at the entrance of the compound, his gaze stuck on her, simply studying her.
She opened her mouth, but before a word could be spoken, he was standing behind her, wrapping strong arms around her and as he hugged her to him.
She relaxed against him, taking in the swirling scent of what had to be top shelf whiskey and something a little harder to note, familiar and sweet and musky.
"Nik," she breathed as his cold nose nuzzled her neck.
"Why are you still awake?"
"Why didn't you tell me the prophecy when you learned about it?" She asked gently. She had her suspicions.
He tensed against her, his muscles relaxing once again as she squeezed his hands, turning her head just enough to press a kiss to his cheek. "You were- You are still recuperating, love. I wanted to learn more of it before I worried you."
She nodded. "Far too many enemies are circling the city, Nik. We have to be on guard, and tell each other everything."
He nodded. "I know. It won't happen again."
Wincing, Sophia turned around in his arms, locking her hands around his neck. "And on that note, there's something I should share with you."
Sophia sat on a rickety park bench, watching as Nik pushed their sweet baby girl forward on the swings, her small face flushed as she giggled wildly.
She wondered if a panicked little girl haunted him. She looked no more than seven, if that. Pale, skinny limbed, and swishing dark hair, it was no question who she was. She had looked so scared.
"We will get to the bottom of this," Klaus had vowed darkly after she shared Alexis's prophecy.
Feeling eyes on her, Sophia focused her gaze on the street at the edges of the park in time to see a woman with a mane of deep auburn hair turning around a building corner.
Sophia wondered what it said about her that she was only somewhat startled, but mostly dismayed, at the sight of a young woman, not much older than herself, dead and bled out over a bed of deep green at the center of the compound.
Thank god it was Hope's naptime and she was tucked in her crib.
The old soul was inexpressive as she read the crisp, expensive parchment she found tucked in the poor girl's hands.
Roses are red, lavender is blue. Come find me before I find you.
She turned to the sound of a familiar voice.
"So my first sire wants to kill you and yours wants to kill me," she overheard Elijah say.
"It makes you regret turning any vampires in the first place," Klaus responded as the pair entered Sophia's line of sight. "Two of them, two of us-"
Both brothers stopped short, mouths falling at the sight of Sophia standing beside the dead girl, the sweet floral, evergreen scent entwined with smell of wet blood
She held up the note for Klaus to grasp as he walked over to her.
Sophia's tone was mild as she met Klaus's furious eyes. "You sired Lucien and Elijah sired Tristian- I suppose that would mean Rebekah sired this Aurora?"
Klaus remained quiet, his now conflicted gaze stuck on her. She wasn't sure how to interpret the look in his eyes.
"I remember when Lucien mentioned her, and at the time I didn't want to push, but I think you should tell me about her now, Nik."
I never meant for you to know me, I never meant to let you in- But then, I should not have kissed you. Not the first time, certainly not the second. There is a light in you so bright, it makes me feel like the man I wish I was- And forget the thing I am.
The death of his mother weighed on him. Whenever Elijah tried to corral the lot of them, when Bekah touched hand to her necklace. His beautiful mother, who seemed to favor him when Mikael had his back turned, who indulged his love of art and nature and fanciful colors. It had been she who had tutted at his affections for Tatia and who had been kindly amused at how he dotted on Sofija.
It had also been she who denied him his true father, his rightful heritage. Left him vulnerable for Mikael to torment. Who had been so cruel to his wife in the aftermath of her miscarriage.
There had been such a look of devastating guilt on her face when she heard of Sofija's death. Then there was the wolf. Despite being locked and bound, he festered and clawed just beneath Klaus's skin. The wolf knew something Klaus didn't.
(His hands were wrapped around her neck before he knew what he was doing.)
Klaus killed her. His own mother, she who gifted him life.
His siblings wouldn't understand. This would be his secret to bear alone.
In the time it took for him and his siblings to cross the ocean. Klaus, more often than not, woke up content. For just a moment, Sofija was still with him. His breathtaking wife, who loved him in spite of the monster that he was.
It only took mere seconds for this fanciful illusion to be remedied. Reality would crash upon him.
He felt as if his chest, his heart, collapsed in on itself every day.
By the time he and his family found their way to France, the weight of her loss didn't strangle him of his breath as it once did. The reality of Mikael had set in.
In spite of this, he tried to live as the man she had known, as much as he could be despite the bloodthirsty beast his mother's dark magic had designed him to be. He fed to satiate his cravings, to take only what he needed. As tempting as it was, he resisted playing with his food. To satisfy the predator within.
He was younger then. He had been naive.
His first glance at Aurora de Martel struck him deeply. Hair spun of red gold, her eyes a bright green. She had been just as intrigued of him as he was of her.
He ruminated over their minute conversations long past after their playful words had been exchanged, the faces equally enraptured as they spoke, so eager untangle one another.
Her laugh, her smile, the deep pain beneath her fine silks and posturing haunted his thoughts- Was it possible to love one so entirely so quickly?
The thought of it caused guilt to stab at him. He began to feed aggressively and cruelly through the castle's servants.
His love for Sofija had been a seed she planted as an incorrigible little girl. His affection for her had been unequivocal, and somehow, he found the nerve to be astonished as he realized he never wanted to be without her.
Sofija has been his partner, his friend, the love of his life. There would never be another her, no one else he would allow to know him quite so well.
Even as he acknowledged this, thoughts of the lady Aurora overstayed their welcome. He would give almost anything to erase the fear in her eyes as she saw him for what he truly was, the insatiable beast inside him.
"However broken you think you are, you are not as broken as me."
Aurora's eyes were bright as she cupped his face. "Once again, you seek to repel me with our differences, but all I can see is how you and I are the same. Well then, let us share this gift with each other- You will forever hold my deepest shame and I will hold yours."
For the briefest of moments, it had been tempting to agree to her request, to turn her, make her immortal as him. Then everything he hadn't told Aurora flooded his mind. The wild, sweet girl who he would always belong to, who would always be his. The temptation was there to tell their story, but in the end, Klaus felt that Sofija was his oath to keep.
He told himself he wouldn't turn Aurora to spare her the monster's cravings, the insatiable hunger that would rob her of her light.
It was Rebekah who saw the truth of the matter, who he refused to talk for a forthright for her keen observation. If it couldn't be Sofija who could be his side as he figured out what eternity meant, then no one could.
Furious as he initially had been to learn that Aurora was turned, unwittingly, at his sister's hand, he couldn't deny the relief he felt that he wasn't doomed to walk the world alone. That someone as wonderful and undaunting as her exclaimed her love, proudly, for him.
He had been immediately and wholly taken with Aurora, not unlike his admiration for Tatia. Upon later reflection, perhaps that similarity should have served as a warning for the fool's gold his relationship with Aurora turned out to be.
"You can always lure the insect with the scent of a flower- But it's the scent of blood that draws a carnivore-"
"And what draws a snake," Klaus demanded.
Aurora laughed. A sound that used to glitter with the sound of bells was now reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard. "How you loathe me, so certain I've come to do you harm. Yet, as I recall, we did plenty of harm to each other. And, if I'm not mistaken, we both rather liked it, didn't we?"
Their dalliances evasively rose to the forefront of his mind, but Klaus just as quickly brushed them aside. Much truth could be found in the words she had spoken- For a moment it truly did feel that it had just been yesterday that they did see each other. And while Klaus keenly remembered how enamored he had been with her, how his highs and lows had been so fraught upon her smile's and appraises… He just as aptly recalled the throes of grief he had been in upon meeting Aurora. How tortured.
"To be with someone every bit as powerful, as tormented, and cursed as you," Aurora whispered before him, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"Yes," Klaus rasped, remembering how the woman before him had been a balm for wounds that had bled endlessly. How she delighted in their shared monstrosity.
Do you still love her? Sophia had asked with curious eyes.
"Look me in the eye," Aurora demanded feverishly," And tell me that you haven't thought about what we had every day for the last thousand years. You want to know why I have come? Because after a thousand years of trying to erase your touch, your smell, the taste of your lips- I'm here for you. For this," Aurora said plaintively, cupping her face as she pulled his lips to hers.
Klaus immediately jerked away, making his way to the other end of the room. "Don't," he growled in disgust. Dark hair and laughing eyes and easy smiles whirled in his mind.
He kept his face still as Aurora's eyes glittered with rage before him, regretting his lack of finesse. This wouldn't do. He still needed to get her to tell him what she was doing here, what her swat of brother was up to.
"We could have been the greatest love story ever told," he informed her coldly. "Perhaps you've forgotten why we are not?"
"Oh, I remember quite well," she said angrily, eyes flashing with scorn. "The night you left me, you didn't even bother to look back."
Klaus remembered how it felt, how his already precariously torn heart chipped all the more as Aurora used his darkest secret against him, broke her promise, proclaimed she could never love him.
"Yes, I was rather cruel wasn't I?" Aurora questioned rhetorically. "Some might say uncharacteristically so. Tell me, did you truly love me? Or was I merely a pretty plaything you used to distract yourself from the death of your precious Sophia. One would think, if you really did love me, it wouldn't have been so easy for you to walk away."
Klaus kept his face still as she shared Elijah's words.
Elijah had walked brusquely past her, barely taking the time to inform her that his father had returned and that he and his family had to leave. denying her Niklaus. saying that she wasn't blood.
"It's better this way Aurora," he said unsympathetically. "You were merely a distraction from his grief over the woman he truly loved. To take you with us would be cruel."
Immediately, she recalled the haunted look on Niklaus's face as they shared their losses, the words he strained to say, a name he once breathed as he snapped out of a bloodthirsty haze, his face horrified. He had been terror-stricken to learn that he had drunk her brother's chambermaid dry. A plain, pale girl with rather lovely, curly dark hair. He had breathed out a name, but Aurora hadn't been able to make it out, to caught up in her newfound bloodlust.
Later, Niklaus had made it seem as though she had dreamed up the whole event.
She shook her head obstinately. Elijah didn't know what he was talking about. The affection between her and Nik was tried and true.
"Perhaps he did love another, but it's me he chooses now- And blood makes no difference to me." Niklaus's secret glowed brightly in her mind. She was it's sole keeper. That meant something. "All this talk of your sacred family bond, of this mysterious lost love- When I know things about him that you never will! Even that which weighs heaviest on his heart." She knew her words were a mistake as soon as she spoke them.
Curiosity and anger marred Elijah's face as he stepped towards her. "Tell me- What do you know of Sofija?"
Aurora shook her head. Sofija?
Elijah scoffed. "Niklaus did not even deem you worthy enough to share with you the loss of his wife- That of which weighs the heaviest on his heart. What, precisely, has my brother told you? Speak!"
Despite her best efforts, the words were somehow forced out of Aurora. Her loves darkest secret.
Sophia had to sift through centuries worth of sketches and canvasses hidden away in a dry and dark wine cellar turned storage room. (It was a wonder Marcel hadn't tossed them onto the street when he took hold of the compound, if only to free up some extra space.)
Finally, she found it. Found her. Aurora De Martel.
It would be a lie to say I hadn't loved her, but that was a long time ago.
The similarities between her love story to Klaus and Aurora's connection with him pricked at her.
A former lover he had lost a thousand years ago, one who had been prominent enough to leave him with a broken heart.
A rebound! Who doesn't fall in love with their rebound? Clearly Klaus is no exception, Caroline had comforted over the phone.
Sophia carefully studied the canvas, taking in Aurora's milk white skin, her bright eyes, a bright red-gold hair that had darkened over time. So beautiful and regal. The lovely Lady Aurora, Lucien had said.
She carried the portrait with her upstairs, wondering if Klaus would be bothered if she were to set it on fire.
Once she reached the top, she came face to face with Elijah.
"I thought you were with Klaus?"
Elijah frowned ever so slightly. "He felt we could cover more ground if we worked apart." His eyes dipped to the painting in her hands.
"Please, Elijah, what can you tell me about Aurora?"
Apparently, the noblewoman and Klaus had been two peas in a pod.
"Rash and a slave to her emotions, not unlike Niklaus. I and Rebekah had been surprised at how taken he was with her-" Elijah's seemed to take in how Sophia was holding her breath. "He never ceased mourning you, not even when he was with her. But she did get under his skin. She was a beloved, spoiled only daughter who had never been told no. I've kept tabs on her and Tristan over the years. She's an incredibly unbalanced creature, Sophia. It would probably be best-"
"To not leave the compound, and if I must, not without an escort. I know," she sighed. "So what's this secret you were worried about?"
"You knew that your secret betrayal was the cause of everything I became!"
Breaks and snaps and perhaps the slam of a body thrown against the wall, Sophia waited no time stepping out of bed at the sound of Klaus's angry, loud words.
"All this blame!" She heard Elijah shout as made her way to the outside railing. Then, in a low tone that she was only able to make out due to her wolf-aided hearing, "Have you ever looked at yourself- I have carried you for centuries, Niklaus. No more. If you want a fight-"
Klaus bared his teeth as Elijah's gaze drifted up to hers. The hybrid's face snapped to hers, guilt marring his features,
She shook her head at the pair of them, unsure what to say.
"Don't let me stop you- Just keep this down. For Hope's sake."
Sophia turned on the lamp in her room, her feet itching to pace over back and forth, her mind wired awake and stuck on Aurora. On what this secret millenia-old secret could be-
"I apologize for waking you."
Sophia crossed her arms as she slowly turned to face Klaus, his sad eyes and the harsh set of his mouth softening her. She nodded in acknowledgment. "It's okay." She held his gaze. "What was that all about anyway?" Silence ticked on. "What's this secret that Elijah was apparently right to be so worried about-"
"He didn't tell you?" Honest surprise sounded in his question.
Sophia took a seat on the bed. "He thought I should hear it from you."
She felt the mattress dip as Klaus took a seat beside her, their legs side by side. "Aurora told me… I finally learned that had the choice been up to her, she would still be at my side. After all this time, I finally found out that it was Elijah who bidded her to stay away from me, to exalt her hatred for the monster that I am." His words were hurt and grim.
Sophia took in a shaky breath, her thoughts drifting over to her sister. The old soul firmly believed that it was possible to love two people at once (or to love one, and hopelessly wonder what could have been with another) and had witnessed herself the confusion that could come of it.
Just when they were catching their bearings.
"Did you miss her that much Niklaus?" She laughed despite herself, remembering the destruction she witnessed outside.
"No," he said firmly. She frowned as he softly cupped her chin with one hand, gently forcing her to meet his eyes. "No, Sophia… Take a walk with me."
They walked down the street outside their compound, the city almost empty after last call had been sounded out hours ago.
Something guilt adjacent reproached her. She uncrossed her arms a reached over to interlace her fingers with Klaus's free hand, pulling him to her. His sad expression met hers. "Look, if I'm being honest, I'm hurt and a little jealous of your Aurora." Her forced a teasing smile, hoping to lighten the mood. "It's just that your story with her is awfully similar to ours. You two lost each other all that time ago, and she's clearly left her mark on you. Outside your family, very few can claim that-"
"Sophia," Klaus sighed.
"Sorry, I'm rambling. My point is, I don't want to make you feel bad about that. It… It was after our time, and I think it's important for you to be honest with yourself right now if we're going to make it through this prophecy nonsense, and for you and Elijah to make amends-"
Klaus seemed to be at a loss at the words coming out of her mouth, and was quick to seize on his brother's name. "Elijah, he- He set my course!" Klaus's expression darkened, his hand tightened around Sophia's. "Aurora she… She restored a measure of peace within me, that I was still capable of love and decency after all that I had done. I had done my best to remain the man you knew me as, a battle I was losing everyday and she…"
"You fell in love," Sophia smiled softly. Klaus turned heavy eyes on her. "It's okay, I'm even kind of glad you found her when you did, Nik." Sophia coughed out a laugh. "I mean, I'd rather she had stayed where she was and not come into our lives now-"
"She wasn't you." Their steps slowed as they continued walking. "Perhaps it was love I shared with her, but it felt dim in comparison, and maybe-" Klaus stared up to the sky, cursing under his breath. "Perhaps Elijah had the right of it, that it would have been wrong for me to keep her at my side when I would have traded her for you in a heartbeat."
Oh.
Sophia caught her breath. She shook her head at him, unsure what to say next-
Klaus aligned his body with hers, pressing his lips to hers, then the corner of her mouth. Her cheek. Her temple. He hugged her to him, his entire body clinging to her.
She felt the rise of his chest as he took in a deep breath, and he cinched his arms even tighter around her before letting her go. His eyes were soft and sorry, then he seemed to shake it off as he continued. "My history with Elijah has more than a few sour notes, and learning of this betrayal all this time after-"
"I understand," Sophia interrupted gently.
Klaus nodded, his gaze turning serious. "Learning of you fractured the love story Aurora's spun in her head- I'm to tread carefully if I'm going to learn what her and her brother are up to. Loathe as I am to admit, Tristan and his strix have become quite formidable over the centuries. I need you to tread lightly with them all in town. I have half a mind to send you and Hope away if only I could tolerate you two leaving my sight-" He touched his forehead to hers. No one would protect you two as I would.
His eyes glowed, and the wolf seemed to glare at her, daring her to leave his grip, to leave him, possessive and grasping.
She hooked her arms around his neck. "I'll be careful, Nik."
"She's so sweet," Davina beamed as she walked hand in hand with Hope, helping to keep the baby steady as they made their way around Lafayette Cemetery.
"Is it morbid that I'm letting my one and a half year old take a tour of a graveyard?" Sophia wondered out loud to Hayley. They wandered behind a few paces from the witches.
"She's a New Orleans witch, Soph," Davina said kindly, looking over her shoulder. "It's good for her to become familiar with her history."
Sophia hummed in response. She refused to be scared back into the tramstised hermit she had been, doing her best to get her and her daughter out of the compoud these days, tricky as it was with all the ancient vampires making their way to town (many of whom held Klaus in ill regard). The cemetery, and the company of witches who followed Davina's words, was one of the safest places for her daughter to be.
Such a difference from when she first came into this life.
"So," Davina said leadingly as she guided Hope to turn a corner, "Rumor is Klaus's psycho ex-girlfriend is in town."
Sophia's eyes darted to Hayley with a frown.
Hayley shrugged. "It may have slipped out- You've been to calm about the whole thing, and according to Elijah, she's quite deranged-"
"You and Elijah seem to be talking more and more-"
Davina hummed in agreement.
"You- you what?"
"I took the cure," Elena repeated plainly.
Hope was asleep in the crib, her room lit softly with candles along various shelves, smelling sweetly of lavender and mint. A book was left open on Sophia's lap as she answered her phone.
"I didn't know that was an option," Sophia said in shock.
"Yeah," Elena laughed breathlessly, then shared how Bonnie recovered the cure, having found a duplicate of it in the prison world she was trapped in. While he wasn't forthcoming with it, Damon eventually did share it was in his possession.
"Omigod, 'Lena," Sophia repeated.
"I know I gave it up the first time. I was just so in love with Damon- And I still am," her sister hurried to say. "I had just gotten used to being a vampire, and I didn't think it was so bad. But Jo telling me she was pregnant, and seeing Hope and how much she reminds me of, well, she looks so much like you in your baby pictures to be honest. It was all just hitting me, that I'll never have that."
"I'm sorry Elena," Sophia said softly, guilty for having been spared all the inner turmoil her sister had been facing.
"It's okay, really. And that's not all- Damon wants to take the cure with me."
"Crawled back to your little wife, have you?"
Klaus kept his expression implacable as he continued to walk down the unevenly cobbled road, the sun shining above him, pleased to find Aurora was not as unpredictable as she prided herself to be.
"For better or for worse, she's my family, Aurora." It wouldn't do to conceal his affection for Sophia. He had already revealed his cards in that regard, and the auburn haired vampire was all too shrewd and perceptive for his liking.
"I suppose I can't say I don't understand the appeal of a first love… And a first heartbreak. Such an ardent, unforgettable quality they possess. I have asked around, my love, and from what I gather, the only thing that qualifies her as more 'special' than me is that you met her first." Aurora paused, now standing before Klaus, studying his eyes. "I'm sure you'll see that in time."
Her daring expression changed in a second as her mouth curved into a brilliant smile. "Care to take me on a tour of your charming city?"
Klaus resisted plunging his hand into her chest, rendering her so that she would cease to be a nuisance (a terror to his family), but he needed to know what she knew, and it wouldn't do to anger her miserable brother before it was necessary.
He matched her with a dimpled grin of his own, holding out his arm, bent at the elbow, which she readily hooked her's through. "Allow me to lead the way."
"So, how's married life treating you?" Sophia asked as she pushed Hope's stroller down the street from the compound, hoping to lull the tired and cranky one year old to sleep.
Or maybe it was Sophia herself who needed the distraction. Klaus had left earlier that afternoon with the intention of "seducing" Aurora, for lack of a better term, to soften her, confuse her loyalties.
She trusted him, but still. She felt she had more than enough experience dealing with confusion from variables from other lives, and no matter what he said, surely he was feeling that too.
"It's been touch and go, specially' after the Crescent Cure being recast," Jackson said breezily, looking ahead, careful not to dole out any blame. "Hayley's embracing it, and I think we're really finding our footing."
"I'm glad," Sophia smiled at him.
She couldn't help but notice they were both sidestepping the Elijah of it all, careful not to bring up the ancient vampire and the time Hayley was spending with him in order to protect the wolves.
"You seem like you're doing better," Jackson said kindly.
Before Sophia could respond, she saw his eyes glazed over, and how he froze midstep. Sophia shook his shoulder with one hand, pulling Hope stroller closer to her. "Jackson-"
"Don't worry, just a simple freezing charm. Neat, isn't it?" a soft, melodic voice said.
Sophia turned forward and saw a pale slip of a girl standing in the previously empty space. The feel of her blue eyed gaze felt sad, almost heavy.
"Who are you?"
"You've been warned once already of the trickster bleeding out of her cage- Very much her father's daughter." The witch looked down at Hope, the baby fighting sleep with heavily blinking eyes. "She's very lucky to have you for a mother, if only mine had felt an inkling of the devotion you have for your child-"
"What do you want with us?" Sophia asked, not unkindly. The girl, maybe Davina's age, possibly younger, just seemed so plaintive. Despite her rendering Jackson ineffectual, Sophia felt hostility was not the best course of action here.
"A dark tide is slowly creeping over this city. The Strix are merely striking the match, but it is not they who are meant to usher in the Miksealson's doom."
"What's your name?" Sophia asked
The young witch looked up, meeting Sophia's eyes, a hint of a smile on her face. "Ariane." She held out a hand, palm open and out. Sophia tentatively grasped her hand and felt a curse replay in her mind.
Beware- Persephone's protectors have abandoned their post…
Hope, Sophia thought as she saw the little girl her baby would turn into, frightened and worried.
"She whispers to me," Ariane said with haunted eyes. "She comforts the disgraceful and the miserable- Entices us with our hearts desires. It is a tough thing not to crave." Ariane squeezed Sophia's hand, digging in her nails. "Take care, palia psychi, you and your daughter intrigue her."
"Who is she?" Sophia whispered, terror slowly poisoning her heart. "Where is she-"
The waifish witch smiled sadly. "It is just as I warned them- Your mental barriers have been built over two thousand years, impossible to peek through without permission- Permission you have only granted to one. They are searching for a weapon to kill an original, and it's only an matter of time before it reveals itself."
Sophia had so many questions,and was frustrated with both the witch's riddled words and more overt threats, but Hope whimpering had her immediate attention. She bent down to pick up her daughter, who was fussing in her stroller. When she stood back up, Ariane had disappeared as suddenly as she had come, and Jackson had regained his senses.
"I just- This is the second witch to bring up this other danger we're facing, another seer … I have a really bad feeling about this Nik," Sophia said, her eyes pleading.
The Mikaelson's were all caught up with the prophecy and their various sires, rightfully so, but Sophia felt she couldn't ignore this. If only she knew where to start.
"One thing at a time love," Klaus attempted to soothe her, raising her hand, placing a kiss upon her knuckles. "As soon as we sort out this prophecy nonsense."
Sophia nodded, leaning back on the lounger they were sat on, staring up at the stars. She wondered if it would do any good for them to leave town, to run away from their dangers. If it was possible to run away from a prophecy.
"Are you really considering joining the dark sisters?"
Davina's gaze was focused on the shelved books ahead of her. "It's the only way I can summon the power to bring Kol back- Freya and Rebkeha haven't been any help-"
"In all fairness to Bekah, she's daggered at the bottom of the ocean-"
"I suppose that's a fair excuse," Davina said stiffly. The young witch was fond of nursing grudges. "Anyways, here it is."
She handed Sophia a huge leather bound book, the shade of dark walnut. The Noble Family grimoire. Sophia opened it, taking in the foreign texts and abstract pictures.
Sophia had gone through the books Kol had left in the compound, noting his fascination with the Noble family. They were no longer around today, the last of them dying out in the 80s', with Diana Noble being executed by the elder french quarter witches.
"She was an incredible seer, but everyone says her connection to the spirits drove her insane. She would go into crazy rants about a broken prison, and was obsessed with finding the magic to fix it. She resorted to dark sacrificial magic, stealing the witches' own children."
"I read she was executed-"
Davina shook her head. "She was meant to be imprisoned, but she ended up killing herself- The elders didn't want to admit they lost control of her." She joined Sophia by the stone table, flipping through the grimoire herself.
"Why was Kol so fascinated with her?"
"Rumor of this dark magic her family practised- Not quite expression, but similar enough. And at one point, the elders were obsessed with this grimoire, no one can understand it. I'm not even completely sure what language it's written in. Something old and dead."
To her surprise, Sophia could make out certain words in the grimoire. While the sparse ones she could identify didn't add up to much, they nagged at her. A language lost to time, it was difficult to pinpoint which of her lives they called out to.
With the Mikaelons scheming on how to undo the Lucian and Tristians revenge pact, Sophia had invited Hayley and Jackson over as she obsessed over the riddles the witches had cursed her with.
"Look at the sources, Sophia- Maybe you shouldn't trust them," Jackson offered.
Sophia was distracted by Hayley frowning over the Noble grimoire. "Hayley?"
"I- This looks familiar to some of Hannah's research, it might be worth reaching out to her."
"I'm just gonna check if Cami's free for dinner."
Jackson nodded, waiting with Hope in his arms outside of Roussous.
Sophia hoped the bartender would be free to join her and Jackson's makeshift little Thanksgiving. Jackson was (understandbly) frustrated that even Hayley had been summoned to help, and both her and Klaus inisistd that Sophia stay out of the foray and celebrate the holiday with Hope.
"Hey Laci," the old soul smiled as she walked up to the bar. "Is Cami in?"
The young bartender shook her head. "Haven't seen her since last week, actually. Tom said she didn't even bother to call in sick."
As Laci stepped away to tend to other patrons, Sophia made quick work of calling Cami. With everything going on, she hadn't done a good job of keeping up with her friend.
Sophia frowned as her call went straight to voicemail, tapping her fingers along the bar, wondering what her next step should be.
"Hey, is it okay if we stop by Cami's before heading back?" she asked Jackson when she saw him again. The holidays tended to a rough time for people for a myriad of reasons, but Sophia knew that Cami didn't have family in the city to lean on, not after her uncle died. With all the danger lurking around town, it was worth a visit.
-AND
Sophia walked hurriedly up Cami's fifth floor walk up. Hope had woken up on the way over and started fussing in her stroller. She asked Jackson the favor of taking her back to his apartment while she went to check on Cami.
'She's only a few blocks away from here, it shouldn't take too long,' she had assured him.
An eerie forboding crawled across her skin as she finally made her way to her friends hallway. She looked over shoulder, wondering if someone was watching her. When she turned ahead, she saw that Cami's door was cracked open, and Sophia slowed her steps. Pausing, she pulled out her phone, debating leaving the building as she called for backup.
"Sophie," she heard a familiar, strained voice call out.
Reacting on instinct, Sophia hurried over to the door, pushing it further open.
"Cami!" Sophia immediately saw the blonde holding on to her kitchen counter with all her strength, deathly pale and breath away from collapsing. "Cami," Sophia said urgently as she ran over to her friend.
Cami began to rapidly shake her head as Sophia hovered near her, prepared to help shoulder the blonde's weight. "I'm sorry-"
"Sophia Mikaelson," a plummy, chipper voice said amiably.
Sophia had ducked under Cami's loose arm, and wrapped her own around Camille's waist to act as a crutch. The two woman instinctively clutched each other tighter as a pale redhead stepped into the room.
Sophia eyed the woman, face wary. "Aurora." The name suited the pretty, creamy skinned vampired.
Aurora laughed, her expression delighted. "So, Nik has told you about me, how interesing. He refused to utter a word about you, his first love, mother of his child. Then there's Cami here- It's come to my attention she's quite precious to him as well. I think it's time we all become acquainted with each other, don't you?"
Sophia had managed to get Cami to her couch. She couldn't spot exactly where the blonde might be injured, she just seemed so light-headed and shaky. Not that Sophia could blame her, considering the circumstances.
They both sat side by side as Aurora paced before them.
"Nik is a wiley one, isn't he? How come it's not until I had made my own way to this city that I found out about you, Sophia? His other long lost love?"
Aurora took a seat on the arm chair across from her. "It is also the first I've heard of old souls- What an odd concept. For a being that's apparently as old as I am, you share the face of an ingenue. Perhaps that's the appeal." Aurora hummed, then looked towards Camille. "And sweet Cami here- I suppose Nik has a type-"
"What do you want with us?" Sophia wondered carefully, her expression canvassing.
"You see, Nik's taken my brother hostage and won't release him unless I trade in his sister." Aurora tsked, shaking her head, then broke out into a sharp smile. "I suppose it says something of his affection for me that he let me go at all. I do have hope that we can pick up where we left off- But he needs to be more… Clear headed for that to happen."
The vampire seemed to perk up, and she called in a henchman by the name of Tobias.
"Alright dears, I did promise Nik he would regret holding my brother hostage, and I do intend to keep my promise."
Sophia stayed quiet, holding onto Cami's hand as Aurora murmured with the sallow, pinched looking vampire. Cami shared a pensive glance with her, the blonde brow's furrowed, and the old soul wondered what was going on in her head.
Sophia didn't know how to navigate this situation. One would think she would be better at negotiating with volatile immortal's, but the truth of the matter was, Aurora seemed more unstable than the rest of them. (As shrewd as she was, petty vampire didn't seem the type to look towards the bigger picture.) Sophia was scared that if she or Cami got under her skin, Aurora would be more likely to kill the pair of them before getting around to bartering with Klaus for her brother.
"I really should get along to making my next move," Aurora sighed, speaking at them again. "Lucien had divulged Cami's whereabouts before I left, and Nik ought to know by now that you're missing." Her eyes zeroed in on Sophia. "I am surprised he doesn't keep better tabs on you- Just a werewolf, aren't you? It really makes me want to call into question all that rubbish Elijah went on and on about you being his dearest love. " Now, Aurora fixated her gaze on Cami. "Such a queer friendship you two share. Exactly what does take place during your," Aurora arched a lewd eyebrow, " 'therapy sessions with Nik?'" The vampire seemed to be continuing an ongoing conversation with Cami, and Sophia felt as if she were walking in on the middle of it.
Cami remained silent, simply holding the vampires gaze.
"Tick-tock Cami, before I kill you instead."
Sophia opened her mouth-
"We're friends," the blonde emphasized. "I can see that he wants to be more than he is, if not for his own sake, then for his daughter and for Sophia. I don't think you would do much to help him, in that regard," Cami muttered, seemingly unable to help herself. If she felt pain as Sophia dug her nails into her hand, the bartender didn't show it.
Aurora smirked, her eyes dark. "Just friends, are you?" She walked over to them, perching herself on Cami's coffee table, touching knees with the blonde, ignoring Sophia as she met Cami's eyes. "Spell it out for me Cami- What sort of affection do you believe Nik holds for you, and you him?"
Camille glared at Aurora, her gaze briefly side sweeping over to Sophia before she squeezed her eyes shut. "I have… Complicated feelings for a monster. At one time, I think it was entirely possible he had complicated feelings for me too." Her eyes fluttered open. "But whatever moment we may have shared is long gone, and was never in the cards for us- Just as how things stand between Klaus and you." Sophia looked over at her friend, whose face was flushed feverishly red. She fixed her stare on Aurora as she squeezed Sophia's hand. "You are beautiful and you are powerful, and yes, you do share a long history with Klaus- But so does Sophia. Beautiful and ancient and- If rumors are to be believed- In some ways, she's as broken as you believe you are. Its eats at you, wondering why Klaus so obviously prefers her to you-"
"Enough," Aurora snapped, tilting her chin up, her eyes vicious. Behind her, her henchmen cleared his throat. A halting laugh escaped as she tossed her hair back. "Time got away from me there. I suppose it's my own fault that Nik will only have time to save one of you- Oh, well, it's the only way he'll learn. I do so hope you wrong about a number of things, Camille. It'll make the events that are to play out far more interesting to watch unfold."
Aurora slipped a dagger out of her coat pocket as she grabbed as Cami's free arm, placing the blade to Cami's palm. The bartender winced in pain, shocked into meeting Aurora's eyes
"Here we are- Hush dear, it'll be over soon," Aurora said soothingly as she viciously stabbed a needle into Sophia's neck.
The old soul could only guess what she was being injected with now, having already been poisoned with wolfsbane. The amount Aurora had flooded her with had dulled her senses and her made her limbs sluggish and useless.
Sophia struggled to keep her eyes open, her tongue heavy in her mouth. "I thought you wanted to see your brother again-"
"I have contingencies," Aurora said confidently.
Sophia struggled with her next words, then gasped in pain, feeling as if molten fire was running through her veins. She began to convulse, and she leaned back against the wall of the stone bridge Aurora had tossed her against. The vampire crouched down beside her, soothingly brushing her hair back.
"It's a slow acting poison, believe it or not. I'm not so cruel as to not give Nik the opportunity to say his goodbyes. The agony you ought to be feeling now is a good sign, it's when the paralysis sets in that you should be worried."
Sophia fought to regain control of her muscles. Klaus wouldn't find her in time. Aurora would make it so that he wouldn't find her in time.
"If you're so sure you belong together, why bother with any of this?" Sophia gasped out as the vampire stood up.
Aurora shook her head, eyes worried. "Nik's in danger of losing the love of his life- Me and him are finally together after so much time apart. I just have to help him dodge a few obstacles- That nuisance of a prophecy, my brother's internment, Elijah… and you. I've waited too long to share him."
Sophia hissed in pain, hugging her knees as she rolled into the she fetal position.
She managed to turn her head to meet Aurora's gaze with wolf gold eyes, her words pragmatic and miserable. "I know Nik loved you, and not all that long ago, you two might've made more sense together- But if you don't understand that it's Hope is who matters-" Sophia gasped as the pain in her burned a notch brighter. "He won't forgive you for robbing her of her mother," she whispered. The palia psychi turned her head towards the stone floor, her hair falling over her face, breaking into a silent sob.
Aurora scoffed, but Sophia couldn't be bothered to look at her. "It's not as if Nik or his daughter will never see you again, is that not the defintion of being a palia psychi?"
The wolf remained quiet, a tear slipping down her face, not wanting to give Aurora the satifisafaction of knowing this death will be permeantate.
"The next time you crop up, I'll have managed to get to Nik to see thing my way," Aurora said, seeming to reassure herself more than anything.
"Does your pathetic Cami excite you the way I can? How about Sophia-"
Klaus growled, squeezing his hand around Aurora's neck, pinning her against the alley wall. He meant to entertain her delusions of their grand love in order to rescue Camille-
Then Hayley had called, and he learned that Sophia never made it in time for dinner.
His dropped Aurora, stepping away. "I tire of this fantasy, Aurora, where is Sophia-"
"I thought you were here to rescue sweet Cami?"Green eyes coyly met his gaze as Aurora stared at him from beneath her eye lashes."Orignally, I thought it cruel to poisen both of your little pets, but Sophia all but fell into my lap, and I thought a little experiment was necessary in order to gain insight on where your affections lie."
"Who will you choose Nik-"
Klaus twisted Aurora's arm, causing her to hiss as he called Hayley, who was scouring the city.
"Klaus," she answered.
"Camille's at Audubon Park-"
"What about Sophie-"
"At St Anne's church, I'll go to her. Be quick in rescuing Cami and get her to Freya. Aurora poisoned her and Freya's her best chance." Klaus hung up on the fellow hybrid, his yellow gaze falling on the vampire in his grip.
"I did have my witch only make enough antidote for just the one of them," Aurora reminded him as he took the antidote she offered in her palm.
Embittterd by her words, with a snarl, he bit at the juncture where her neck met her shoulder. She collapsed to the cold floor, eyes wide with shock as she touched her hand to her bloody neck.
Cami could only tell it was Klaus by the sound of his voice, his figure a faraway blur to her.
"Sophia!" he had called out as he bursted into the church.
She shut her eyes as her body jolted with a sudden spasm.
"No," she heard him say in denial as he spotted her. "Where's Sophia-"
Cami opened her eyes, slowly shaking her head. "She switched us, Klaus-" she inhaled sharply, lurching forward in pain.
Now that he was kneeling before her, she saw the shame in Klaus's eyes as he slide the vial in his hands into his pocket.
"Ill get you to my sister-" he muttered when he stood up, pulling out his cellphone as he turned towards the window.
She so badly wanted to warn him, but she could barely get out the words. "You won't have enough time." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Answer Hayley," he muttered.
She shut her eyes, wishing Klaus had spotted the dagger in her hand,
"Rest assured, Sophia, I won't leave Nik without a playmate." Cami had thrashed as Aurora held her bleeding wrist over the blonde's mouth.
"Should he insist on saving Sophia over you-"
Camille was able to take in one last breath before plunging the dagger into her heart.
Sophia could hardly keep her eyes open. Her spasms were weakening. She didn't have long.
Oh, god, she hoped that Aurora hadn't been twisting the knife, that she had been telling the truth about giving Klaus enough time to find her before it was too late, before they could say bye.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
She thought of their quiet mornings with Hope and Klaus laughing at her hideous attempts to knit a hat (and picking up on the skill quite masterfully himself), how he and her family had finally reached a point where they could be a in the same room-
Her chest tightened as she fought for breath.
How her shadeless self had scoffed at his proposal, at the idea of marrying. Now, Sophia wished she had such a memory to look back on.
She heard footsteps along the stone bridge, and she was knew the shadowed figure lumbering over to her was not Klaus.
"Help," she croaked.
"This won't do," the man said grimly.
a/n (odd thoughts): I'm past the point of keeping up with TVD canon. Klaus probably should have predicted Aurora's switcheroo (maybe?). Writing for AuroraxKlaus was an interesting exercise. Credits to Taylor Swift and TO (direct dialogued was used and reused). I'll hopefully have Part 2 posted before the month ends.
Thank you for reading! :)