At the abattoir, Marcel checked himself out in the mirror, wearing a suit for tonight's party. "Damn, I do look good in a suit."

I chuckled, looking toward the TV as the news showed two pictures of the girl and guy that had died yesterday.

"Tina McGreavy and Joshua Rosza, 18, had recently arrived--"

Thierry was standing in the doorway. "My guy at the docks is gonna come forward as an eyewitness, say he saw those two drunkenly fall into the Mississippi. They'll be dredging for weeks. No one will come looking around here."

"That's good, considering one is dead in a dumpster behind the county morgue and the other one is a vampire now," I told them. "Anything else?"

The woman tailoring his suit accidentally pricked her finger. "Ow!"

Marcel knelt in front of her. "Allow me, darling."

Marcel put her finger to his mouth, taking the blood away.

"One thing," I told them. "I sent four nightwalkers to look into a werewolf sighting in the Quarter. I haven't heard from them since."

Marcel sighed, looking up. "That makes 10 dead nightwalkers in the last week." He stood. "You think the werewolves are back in town trying to start some trouble?"

"Look, I know you and Klaus are friends, but the fact is, since the Originals showed up--" Thierry started.

Klaus appeared. "Oh, come now, Thierry. You're not still upset about that little, toxic werewolf bite I gave you, are you? I thought we were at bygones."

Thierry looked at Marcel. "I see you've give him free reign of your compound now, too."

"Yes," Klaus said. "Well, seeing as my family and I lived here, built the place, in fact--"

"All right," I told them. "Come on. You both know the drill."

Marcel looked at Klaus. "Thierry is our guy, inner circle. Noah turned him. Klaus is my old-time friend and sire. He's also a guest here. I'm Noah's sire, and he is my guy. Peace, all right? All right. What you need, my brother?"

"I'm afraid my sister Rebekah is insisting I demand Elijah's return," Klaus told him. "She's quite worked up about it."

"I'll say," Marcel told him.

"We're not gonna have three Originals walking around town, are we?" Thierry asked. He held a hand toward Klaus. "Half our guys think the sister killed the nightwalkers."

"Is that an accusation?" Klaus asked.

"Eh," Thierry said.

Klaus stepped toward him threateningly. "Against an Original?"

Marcel stepped between them. "What did I say about peace?"

I looked from Marcel to Klaus. "Come on. Walk with me."

Klaus smirked at Thierry.

Marcel had to lead him away to follow me.

Klaus looked at me. "I don't see how you're so comfortable about all of this, Noah. You hate Originals more than he does."

"I hated one Original, and if what you say is true, you killed him," I told him. "Like Marcel said, peace."

"All right," Klaus said. "Well, your inner circle man, the one you turned, lacks a sense of humor."

"He's a little overprotective, but loyal to a fault," I told him. "I saved his life back in the '40s." I walked downstairs. They followed. "Found him dying of a war wound outside a VA hospital. He'd kill for either of us and die for either of us."

"Hey, you think you can play a little tonight at the party?" Marcel asked. I turned to face him. Marcel looked at Klaus. "This boy can play the trumpet, the guitar, anything you can think of, like you couldn't believe."

"So you went from sad, little orphan boy back in the early 1900s to a musical prodigy that plays gigs at parties?" Klaus asked.

I shrugged. "What's the point of living for eternity if you don't explore every possibility?"

"Fair enough," Klaus told me.

"Hey, you're coming tonight, to the party, right?" Marcel asked.

"How can I miss my chance to meet the city councilman as he accepts your gigantic charitable donation?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, he's a schmuck, but he lets us do our thing in exchange for certain community services, like keeping our fangs out of the locals," I told him.

Marcel looked at Klaus. "Listen. About your brother, I would love to help you out, but Thierry is right. My guys are on edge. They see the Original family moving in, vampires dying, it makes them nervous. If I hand Elijah back now, it might give the wrong impression about who's really in charge here. You know what I mean?"

Klaus tilted his head. "You understand I had to ask."

*

Sitting on the stairs of the abattoir, playing the trumpet, I heard Klaus and Marcel speaking.

"You're right," Klaus told him. "He's good."

"Right?" Marcel asked. "Wait till you see what he can do with the bass. Music man I call him. Ladies love him."

"He's spoken for?" Klaus asked.

"No," Marcel answered.

"Ah," Klaus said. "So he's a true player?" Marcel chuckled. "So what of the others? Any romantic interests?"

"Diego's free, and Thierry, he knocks around with this pretty, little witch, says he loves her, but I don't know," Marcel told him.

"One of your brightest soldiers is fraternizing with your enemy, and you don't care," Klaus told him.

"Well, of course I care, but Thierry is a grown man," Marcel told him. "He makes his own choices, and I get some good intel. Besides, he's not gonna do anything to jeopardize what we're doing here. I mean, check this out, a vampire hosting a ritzy charity event. We have a community here. No one is gonna mess that up."

"Still...you don't want the witches to get too bold, given that a witch's tip about a werewolf in town led to the disappearance of your nightwalkers," Klaus told him. "I'm sure you've considered the possibility that it could've been a trap."

Marcel nodded, looking away. He looked at Klaus. "Maybe I'll send a little message." He looked toward me. "Noah...take a team of nightwalkers to the Cauldron tonight, do a little rousting..." I smirked, nodding, standing. "Oh, and, Noah, make it nasty."

*

At the Cauldron, vampires gathered outside, Thierry, Diego and I included, transforming to scare them, jumping down from rooftops, climbing over the cars, trashing the place.

A vampire attacked Katie, a witch that Thierry was dating, biting her, feeding, making her scream.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Thierry told him, rushing toward him, pushing him onto the ground.

The vampire fell into a table, making it break at the impact.

Thierry rushed toward him, grabbing a broken wooden piece, staking him in the heart, killing him.

Everyone watched him in disbelief.

Marcel's rules was that you could not kill a vampire without dying yourself.

Thierry looked as if he couldn't believe what he had just done.

*

I walked into the party at the abattoir, seeing Cami and Marcel dancing together, walking toward him, whispering into his ear about what had happened so Cami wouldn't hear.

We both looked toward the door as Diego led Thierry inside.

Thierry took off his hat in guilt.

Marcel looked at him in anger.

Marcel looked at Cami. "Excuse me." We walked toward Diego and Thierry. Marcel grabbed Thierry's throat, pushing him against the wall. "What the hell did you do?"

I pulled him back. "No, not here. Not here."

*

Marcel looked at Thierry. "I want to hear your side of it."

"Hey, Marcel, come on," Thierry told him.

"Your version," Marcel told him. "Go."

"We were tossing the Cauldron," Thierry told him. "This guy, some nightwalker, he attacked Katie for no reason."

"His name was Max," Marcel told him. "I turned him. As far as reasons go, he doesn't need one. She was a witch, he was a vampire. Now he's dead."

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Thierry told us.

"You broke my most important rule," Marcel told him.

Marcel looked at me.

"Damn it, T," I told him. "How long we been friends, 70 years?"

"Yeah," Thierry answered.

"I turned you into something that would never die," I told him. "I gave you a gift."

"And I have been loyal to you, and to Marcel, all this time, and I still am," Thierry told me. "I'm still your friend, Noah. I swear, that hasn't changed."

Marcel turned away.

*

Josh walked up to us, handing a folded up piece of parchment to Marcel. "We found this at his girl's place."

Marcel took it, looking it over. He looked at Thierry. "Still our friend, huh? That's funny, beause it looks to me like that little witch of yours got her hands on a spell that I keep locked away."

"Marcel, I have never seen that," Thierry told him.

"Shut up," Marcel told him. "I see on your hand, you still have the daylight ring I gave you. So what would you need with the recipe for making new ones? Unless maybe you and Katie were gonna go off and start a little kingdom of your own."

"Marcel, no," Thierry told him.

"Here's a lesson in friendship," Marcel told him. "Friends don't lie to me, they don't break my rules, and they do not steal what is mine." I turned away, leaning against the balcony railing, sighing. "For the crime of murdering one of his own, I sentence Thierry Vanchure to 100 years in the garden."

The garden was where several desiccated vampires laid, rotting, never to come out until their time was surved.

*

Thierry, Marcel, Diego, me and the rest of the vampires walked outside.

Katie walked down the street toward us, her eyes closed in concentration, her arms raised in the air, chanting distinctly.

*

Katie raised her arm toward us.

"Katie, no!" Thierry told her.

Katie pushed her hand to the side, making the street lamp break.

All of the vampires' heads felt like they were going up in flames, lowering to their knees.

*

Katie broke another light.

It caused more pain for us all.

*

I looked at Katie, rising to my feet, stepping forward.

Katie broke another light.

Holding my head in pain, I fell to the ground.

*

Marcel tried to stand.

Katie broke his bones, making him fall.

*

Marcel could suddenly stand perfectly now without being affected by pain. "You're here to save your man. Well, come on, little girl."

Marcel rushed toward her.

Katie broke his bones, making him fall.

*

Katie held a stake above her head. "Die, you son of a bitch."

"No!" Thierry told her. "Katie! Stop!"

Klaus rushed out of nowhere, snapping Katie's neck, letting her fall to the ground.

*

With Katie dead and her magic no longer affecting us, the vampires started to recover.

Thierry crawled toward her body, holding it in his arms. "No. Katie. No, no, no, no."

Marcel stood, nodding to Klaus.

Klaus smirked.

*

In the garden, Marcel had Thierry shackled to the brick wall.

I stood in front of him. "Just tell me this. Was she worth it?"

"I loved her," Thierry told me.

I nodded, turning away.

Marcel staked Thierry in the stomach, pinning him to the wall, making him groan in pain. He handed a hammer to a worker. "Seal him up and let him rot."

Marcel looked at me, walking out of the garden.

The worker started to spread the paste to make the bricks surrounding Thierry.

I shook my head in slight guilt and disappointment, walking away.

"Noah," Thierry told me. I looked at him. "I'm sorry."

I didn't answer, walking away, out of the garden.

*

I walked into the abattoir, sighing.

Marcel was having a drink up on the balcony. "Join me for a drink, will you? Looks like you could use one."

I walked upstairs, standing next to them, taking a glass. "Like hell."

There was a moment of silence.

"I am sorry about Thierry, you know?" Marcel asked. "I can tell he was a good friend."

"I made him what he was," I told him. "Obviously, my trust was misplaced."

"Doesn't make it easier," Marcel told me. "You've been a vampire all of 93 years, Noah. You're still considered young, and you still have a lot to learn."

"Klaus saved us tonight," I told him. "I guess that means I can stop hating him now?" Marcel smirked. "He asked for his brother back. Seems like the least we can do."

Marcel sighed, nodding, finishing his drink.

Marcel was right, though.

I was turned into a vampire in 1919.

I had been 18 when I turned.

So, all in all, I was 111 years old.

I still had a long way to go.