Moonlight// MultiFandom

Men of Memory

*Stephan Pov*
"I just don't see why I have to do it?" I rub my temples, Damon rolls his eyes. "That's the deal. I go pick up her little human side kick, you watch the weird vampire but not really blonde doppelganger chick." Damon rolls his eyes, slipping on his jacket and walking into the livingroom. "Yes but why do I have to bathe her?" I ask. "Because she's covered in soot and smells like dead people and we don't know if she can die by drowning. Now suck it up and give the girl a bath Stephan." He rolls his eyes, leaving the house. Down comes Adelaide, wearing the same burned clothes that she had technically died in. "Stephan? What's wrong?" She asks, viewing my worried expression with even more worry. "I'm gonna run you a bath Addie, and I'm going to help you clean up. Is that alright?" I ask, and she shrugs. "If you want." She nods, picking up an empty crystal glass. She holds it up, the multi-faceted cup casts beautiful, diamond like patterns on the cherrywood floors. "So pretty..." she whispers, it slips out of her fingers and she drops the thing. It shatters into a million pieces. She reaches down to pick it up, but it nicks the pad of her pointer finger. Blood trickles down her hand. It doesn't stop. It doesn't heal. What the hell? "Ow." She wimpers, I smell her blood. But it doesn't smell like normal human blood... it's sweeter, but somehow more savory. Like the most delicious thing I have ever smelled. I feel my face shift. I bite back the ripper, trying desperately to keep my blood lust at bay. I pick up a cup of water and dip her finger in it, satiating the smell, but only dully. She looks up at me with those wide blue eyes and, abruptly, presses her lips to mine. I feel myself physically weaken. How can someone  have such an effect on me. I pull away. The smell is completely gone. I pick up her hand and examine her fingertip. The wound is gone. So she just heals exceptionally slowly then? "There's a broom on the back porch." I say and she smiles. "I'll get it." She speeds towards the back door. I smile, but it quickly falls as I realise it's still daylight outside. Just as she opens the door, I zip over to her, a split second too late. The door stands wide open, the hot rays engulf her. But, strikingly, she does not burn. "Are you even a vampire?" I ask exhasperatedly. She looks up with wondering eyes. "Am I supposed to be?" She asks. I sigh. "Yeah." "Do you want me to be?" She tilts her head. I shake mine. "No." I answer simply. She shrugs, turning back towards me. She picks up a small vial from the side table. Vervain. "This smells nice." She smiles, opening it and dabbing it on her wrist. She screams. It burns her skin. Seriously? What the hell is going on?! "It's vervain, it's like acid to vampires." I say, taking the vial from her and placing it back in the original spot. "But I'm not a vampire, am I?" She asks, confused. I breathe out. "Well, you are dirty. Let's get you in the bath." I turn, leading her into the bathroom. I turn on the tap, making the temperature just below scalding. "Is this okay?" I ask her. She puts her hand under the tap. "Yes." She nods. I pour some bubble bath-courtesy of Damon- into the running water. Bubbles begin to fill the large tub. I look over at Addie, who has gotten naked. I desperately try to keep my gaze at eye level. She steps into the tub, and hugs her knees to her chest. I pick up a rag and dip it in the water, running it down the length of her arm, creating a very pale stripe in the dark soot. I dip the rag and swirl it, then go back up to the adjacent spot. My thumb slips, touching her shoulder, the warm skin is rigid, indented. Like scar tissue. I touch the skin, running the rag over the spot in circular motions, clearing all of the soot. A scar stands out, light pink over alabaster skin. A branding. An equalateral triangle. She was branded. But how? I massage my thumb over the skin, trying to smooth it out. Addie goes slack against me. I look at her face. She's asleep. There's only one way to find out. I close my eyes, invading her dreams. I focus on the scar. The image appears foggy, resistant.

She slides between shadows so easily it's almost as if she became one. The house is large, ornate, sterile. "Virginia!" Shouts a familiar voice angrily. She holds her mouth, as if to hide her breath. She slips into a room, picking up a bottle of clear liquid. "Virginia I don't want to have to replace the door again. Open it." The man demands, his voice booming so loud it vibrates against the floor. "Please Niklaus, leave me alone." Virginia begs. The door is kicked down. A fuming Niklaus stands in the doorway. She throws the bottle at him, it shatters. Vervain. His face and neck burn but he doesn't back down, stalking towards her. She jumps through the open window. Her ankles break, but she still runs. She ducks into the wooded area separating the mansion and the highway. He's right on her heels. He grabs her, throwing her over his shoulder. "No Niklaus. I cannot go in a box. I cannot be alone. Please." She begs, slamming her hands down on his back, desperately trying to get him to release her. "You are MINE Virginia. You need to realise this." He says dryly. "Fuck off!" She growls, grasping a tree branch and shoving it into his throat. He coughs up blood' falling over. She rolls out of his grasp and procedes to beath the ever loving shit out of him. He coughs up blood. She stakes his wrists and to a tree. He screams angrily. She rips his shirt open, and places a dagger to his chest. "Who'd you undagger?" Niklaus asks, his eyes wide. She ignores him, asking her own question instead. "What man in his right mind would lock someone he loves away in a coffin?!" She sobs, pressing the dagger into his chest, it just barely scrapes his heart. "I wont lock you away, if you agree to marry me." He pleads, holding her eyes softly. "If it means you will regard me as your equal, and not as a doll you can lock away in a box, yes." She nods angrily. "You will carry my mark." He responds. "I love you Nik. As much as I hate you, I love you. But you cannot continue to control me." She says softly, placing a hand on his cheek gently. A woman appears behind them, chanting in a language not unlike the one used by Bonnie. She's dressed in a mannor that leads me to believe it's the late 1950's. She splashes something on Addie and her eyes go wide. Klaus rips his hands away from the tree, showing he could have escaped at any point. "Nik, what are you doing?!" She asks, her eyes wide as she goes limp into his arms. He picks her up like shes an infant. "N-nik please." She says weakly. He ignores her, hauling her back into his mansion. A man meets them in the bedroom, standing next to a rolling cart with tattoo supplies. He wears a leather jacket and has a rolled cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Klaus sets Addie on a couch, leaning her over the armrest. He sits on the other end. The witch rubs oil into Addie's shoulder blade. "People are not playthings Niklaus." She says, struggling to keep consciousness. "That's holy oil love, so the mark doesn't immediately heal. It'll be locked into your skin." Niklaus ignores her pleas. The man picks up a red hot branding iron from the fire place, and jabs it into Addie's shoulder. She screams.