Damon's Daughter//Completed |1|

The Kindness of Strangers

In New Orleans, bodies cannot be buried. Instead, in boxes above the ground, the dead cluster together. When a man passes on, his family tomb is cracked open. Old bones are shoved aside to make room for fresh remains. Bloodlines rot, entangled. The houses are that way, too.

 Layer upon layer of peeling paint, hiding little tragedies. Scorch marks from the fires. Waterlines on wallpaper. These are the tombs of the living, where we rot alongside memories of our dead. Crowded with people we have failed and those who have failed us, we are forced to struggle with those we love.

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I groaned as I hit the ground with a thud. "Bloody hell" I groaned and turned as I saw Rebekah, Klaus, and a shirtless Kol. I smiled as I scrambled to my feet and Bekah came over hugging me tightly. "Ugh. I missed you" I told her, and when she let go Kol made his way over squeezing me.

 Letting go we turned to Rebekah who was opening a wine bottle. "I was in Corsica, drowning my sorrows about Hayley, and I suddenly dropped." She popped the cork and went o pour it in to the flute, but it was empty. "What I wouldn't give to spend just a decade without being dragged into a godforsaken Chambre de Chasse." Rebekah scoffed.

"Suppose you were in a board meeting." Klaus asked Kol who smiled and chuckled as he put a shirt on. "I was waiting for my wife to come home from work. Once again, ripped from complete contentment for this. Suppose I'll ask the obvious: piss off any witches lately?" Kol asked, "Actually, my current enemies are a group of hatemongers who see myself and my daughters as abominations to the vampire race." Niklaus said and placed a hand on my arm. "The bigoted undead. That's new. They must have a witch-for-hire." Bekah told us.

"A witch that's spent enough time here to replicate every detail. This is Elijah's prized Cheval Blanc." I told them pointing it out. "The culprit may be closer to home." Freya's voice called out as she walked down the stairs, "A witch who knows the compound well and who doesn't trust you to stay away from Elijah. Someone who would risk everything to save New Orleans from plagues." I nodded going along with the lie. 

"Vincent... On the bright side, he'd never harm Hope. You, on the other hand, I expect he'll be shipping your bodies to the four corners of the world." I told the three siblings.

"All of our bodies? He isn't here, is he?" Rebekah asked and Elijah's voice called out "He is. I think I might have just found a way out of here." We then looked at each other confused before we followed him to a door that held six locks. "This wasn't here before. What is it?" Elijah asked and I walked up. Kol followed me as I grabbed one of the locks to see a big S engraved. 

"It's representational magic." Kol answered and I nodded, "I expect there are keys, one for each of us, hidden somewhere meaningful. The locks have all of out initials on them. Somewhere connected to who we are." I told them. "And for those of us who don't remember who we are?" Elijah asked. "I'll give Antoinette your regards." I joked.

"Door won't open unless all five locks are released. The only way out is together." I told them, and Kol turned to Elijah, "Elijah, if we're to get through this without bloodshed, I recommend that you go to the corner of the house furthest from Nik. Come on. Follow me." he said and Elijah followed him. I just walked of in a different direction.

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I walked around the bottom level and smiling at I remembered a memory.

-flashback-

I smiled widely as I walked in to the compound. "Hayley!" I called out and she walked out to the balcony. I flashed up and stood next to her with a plastic to go box in my hands. "I brought you something from Rousseaus. Best restaurant in New Orleans" I boasted and gave it to her. "For you and my baby sister" I told her and gave it to her. That's when I noticed the M necklace around her neck. I smiled and lifted a hand up to it.