chapter one ─ the birthday

─────────

"EVERYTHING'S A MESS THERE, Morri. I was there, waiting, and she just woke up again! The whole town... everything's out of whack..."

That had been the desperate explanation that had drawn Morrigan and Lin Baudelaire to the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. They probably should have realized sooner the odd goings on in that town earlier, given how many deaths had happened in that town recently. As reapers ─ and specifically the Grim Reaper in Lin's case ─ making sure that people who die pass on to their afterlife was their entire business.

But there were always places in the world where, for a certain stretch of time, there would be more death than usual. Whether that be due to a serial killer, a plague, a war or anything else, there was no way around the fact that it happened. Normally, under any of those circumstances, Lin would assign a reaper to investigate, usually one of the higher ups, and they'd go on their merry way.

Mystic Falls, though? This small town in Virginia was not that. Oh no, they had a whole other problem. One that, over the years she'd been a reaper, she had never been particularly fond of.

Oh yes, Mystic Falls had a vampire problem. And a serious one. There were vampires all around that town and they weren't the only supernatural beings in the town. Werewolves and witches were also particularly fond of this town.

She didn't quite understand it, to be honest. Morrigan and Lin had been in the town for two months now and while the town was quaint and charming, it definitely wasn't the best place she'd ever been. It wasn't Paris and it certainly wasn't Lucerne.

While Lin was content to stay hidden and unobserved, Morrigan was all too curious about what it was that had drawn them to the town and he had been happy to indulge her. And they needed information, they needed to know more about this town and they needed to know what exactly had happened when Elena Gilbert didn't stay dead. And she wasn't the only one in town.

That was why Morrigan had spent the summer getting closer to Elena and her friends. It had worked remarkably well, they were all missing someone and there was an opening in their friend group. It had taken her a month to get them to open up about knowing about the supernatural and that had taken days and then weeks of subtle hints of her knowledge that there was more than just mere humans and mortals in the world.

Tonight was important. Tonight was the surprise party for Elena Gilbert's birthday. And with so many people getting drunk, it was the perfect opportunity for finally getting the concrete answers she was seeking. Someone would be drunk and willing to talk a little more loosely than they normally would.

At least, that was the plan.

Coming down the stairs, Morrigan swung into the living room where she saw Lin on the couch, lounging back with a folder open on his lap and reading it over. He looked up when he noticed her enter and gave her a once over.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, brow furrowing. "Only to possibly get the answers I've been working two months for."

"Which answers?"

"How lost in those soul reports are you?" she teased. "The answers as to why we're here. Why there's all this not-dying and extra dying going on around here in Mystic Falls? Jeez, Lin, we've only been working on this for two months."

"Right, right. Elena Gilbert. How are you going to get answers?"

"Surprise party. I'm counting on drunk teenagers for tonight."

"And you're going with the skull shirt for that?"

Morrigan's brow furrowed as she looked down at her shirt and the large skull patterned across the front of her tank top. She figured that it was a good choice.

"What? You don't like it?"

Lin simply shook his head and turned back to his reports. Rolling her eyes, Morrigan turned away and left the house, stepping out onto the streets of Mystic Falls. It didn't take her long to find her way through the streets until she came to the Salvatore Boarding School where the party was being held. Tucked in her back pocket was the gift she'd picked up for Elena. It hadn't cost much, but she was mostly sure that the brunette would like it and she couldn't just not give her a gift at her birthday party, so.

There were lots of cars parked outside the Boarding House already when Morrigan arrived, and people milling about both out front and in the doorway. The blonde slipped past them and into the house, where she saw the large group gathered in the living room. Looking to each side, the hallways were also packed.

Great, she thought, if I don't make one collection tonight, I'll be surprised.

"Morrigan!" a voice said.

Turning, she saw the blonde vampire that she knew as Caroline Forbes approaching. She immediately gripped her arm and pulled her down into the mass of people.

"I thought Elena said she wanted this party small," Morrigan mused.

"I... decided not to listen," Caroline answered, causing Morrigan to laugh. "You remembered to bring a gift for Elena, right?"

"Hey, I'm the adult here, of course I remembered," she answered, pulling the small box out of her back pocket to show Caroline before putting it back. "I might not be the most responsible adult in the world, but I remember gifts when they're necessary."

"What'd you get her?"

"You'll find out when she unwraps her presents, won't you?" Morrigan snagged a drink off the table. "Now, if you don't mind, as much as I like watching teenagers be irresponsible and break the law, I'm going to find some people closer to my age."

Caroline rolled her eyes but didn't stop her as Morrigan wandered away from the girl and through the house, looking for the two people she knew would not only be together, but mostly out of the way of most of the drinking teenagers. And, sure enough, out in the backyard, sitting on the stone railing, she found Damon Salvatore and Alaric Saltzman, a bottle of scotch between them.

"There are my two favourite borderline alcoholics. Not starting without me, are you?" she questioned, grabbing the bottle and sitting in it's place between them.

"Says the one with a drink in her hand," Damon countered. "What are you drinking?"

"Uh..." Morrigan started, looking down at the cup. "I don't know. It's very sweet, like almost too sweet. Definitely has alcohol in it, though."

"I am every parent's worst nightmare," Ric started. "I am the chaperone-teacher from hell."

Morrigan snickered and fought down a laugh. "Oh, you are nowhere near anything from Hell, my friend."

"I love high school parties," Damon said.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"Isn't Andie supposed to be coming?" Ric asked.

"Ten o'clock broadcast. She'll be here in a little bit," Damon informed them.

Andie Starr was a local news anchor and currently dating Damon. And though she was definitely into him, once he'd told her about vampires being real, he'd started compelling her to not only be unafraid of him, but to let him do things like feed on her when he wanted. It was very disturbing to Morrigan, but she wasn't supposed to have the power to do things like stop him and if she gave herself away now, she'd never get her answers. But she was biding her time, and as soon as she could, she'd be doing something about what he was doing to Andie.

"I still think you're awful for what you're doing to her, by the way," Morrigan reminded him.

"Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Not until the day I die."

"Just add it to the list of my atrocities, then."

"Oh, I keep an alphabetized list."

"Why?"

"Blackmail, obviously."

Damon rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink as Elena came out the back door towards them. "Hello, birthday girl."

"Drink," she requested and Damon handed over his drink. "Jeremy's smoking again," she explained, taking a sip.

"Is his stash any good?" Damon asked.

"You're an ass."

"Not exactly news, Elena."

"Don't I know it," she agreed, turning to Ric. "Talk to him, please? He looks up to you."

Having said what she needed to say, Elena handed Damon back his drink and turned back to the house to rejoin the party. Morrigan laughed at the worried look on Ric's face.

"You're screwed," Damon told him.

"What a reassuring thing to say to your friend, Damon. Why are you friends with him again, Ric?"

"Someone had to take pity on him," Ric said.

"Remind me again why we like you, Morrigan?"

"Because I'm hot and have a gorgeous accent."

"Mm," Damon agreed, looking her up and down, causing her to roll her eyes.

"You're supposed to be spoken for, Mr Salvatore."

Before he could retort in what would surely result in a verbal sparring match that Morrigan would wind up winning, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out. Morrigan watched the partygoers around them for a moment, sipping on her drink.

"Andie wants me to pick her up," Damon said.

"You're fake, compelled girlfriend wants you to be a chivalrous boyfriend?" Ric questioned.

"Well, it's a complicated dynamic," Damon answered.

"Hmm," Ric agreed.

"Yes, so very complicated, you compel her to let you do terrible things to her."

Damon ignored her. "Hold the fort down, will you?"

"You mean the fort full of my drunk history students?" Ric questioned.

"Drink more. It'll feel less weird," Damon suggested.

"Don't worry, Ric, you've still got me here," Morrigan assured him as Damon left. "Well, actually, that's only in reference to the house in general. I have a gift to give the birthday girl."

The blonde levered herself up from the railing, passing the bottle of scotch back to Ric. She went back into the house, looking around for the familiar face of Elena Gilbert. It took her a few minutes of wandering through the drunk teenagers, but eventually she saw Elena heading up the stairs and hurried to catch up to her.

"Hey, Elena!" she called at the top of the stairs, reaching for her arm.

"Oh, Morrigan, what's up?"

"I wanted to give you this before I forgot, it's your birthday present," she explained, pulling it out of her back pocket.

"I said you didn't have to-"

"Yeah, and Caroline would've had my neck if I didn't, so, just take it. I promise it wasn't too expensive or fancy or anything like that. Just take it."

Looking skeptical, Elena took the small box haphazardly wrapped in red paper with a pink bow. She tore the paper off to reveal the small notebook and two pens, looking up at Morrigan in surprise.

"I know you love to journal, so I thought a small notebook would be good to carry with you in case you needed to write anything down and those are some of the smoothest pens I've ever used, they practically glide across the paper. You'll love them." 

"Thank you," she said earnestly and Morrigan gave her a smile.

"No problem," she assured her. "I will leave you to... whatever it was that you were doing."

Morrigan took a step back, one foot down on a step.

"Actually. Have you seen Damon?"

"Uh..." she started, not knowing how to answer. On one hand, she could rat him out and get him in trouble with Elena for leaving the party. But on the other, she could let his lie build and get himself in trouble. "He went to find us a bottle of vodka, actually. Haven't seen him."

Before she could be questioned further, she hurried down the stairs and back into the party. She made herself a new drink and went back out to sit with Ric, who hadn't moved from his spot on the railing. He greeted her with a nod and they watched the party in silence for a few minutes before the chill ran up her spine that she immediately recognized.

Quickly excusing herself, Morrigan ducked into a closet and as soon as the door was closed behind her, she took a deep breath in, closed her eyes and took a step forward. When she opened her eyes, the whole world was tinged in grey and she wasn't in the Boarding House any longer, but what was obviously a news set.

At first, she was confused, but then she saw the confused figure of Andie Star and she sighed, realizing what had happened. At her feet was her body and next to it, Damon, looking honestly heartbroken by the death of his girlfriend, compelled or not.

"Hey, Andie," Morrigan greeted, getting her attention and stepping closer.

"Morrigan? What are you doing here?"

"Do you know what happened, Andie? Where we are?"

Her brow furrowed for a moment, before realization washed over her and her expression morphed into one of horror and sadness.

"Oh my god, am I dead?"

"Afraid so."

"Then why are you here? Are you dead, too?"

"No, no, don't worry. I'm here to take you to your afterlife."

"What about Damon? He's going to hurt someone because of this, isn't he?"

Morrigan couldn't really argue that. She stepped up in front of Andie.

"Maybe, but that's not for you to worry about anymore, okay? You are free, you now have all of eternity to bask in your favourite things. Sounds pretty good, huh?"

Andie nodded, eyes still brimming with tears. 

"Why don't you tell me what you believe in and take my hand? I'll make sure you get there."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

─────────

WHEN MORRIGAN ARRIVED BACK AT THE Boarding House, she leaned back against the wall of the closet and ran a hand over her face. Being a reaper wasn't an easy job. While it came with a calming influence over the souls they were to escort to the afterlife, it didn't make them any less sad when they realized that they were dead and had to leave their loved ones. And having to calm the souls sometimes weighed heavier on the shoulders than others. Andie was definitely one of the ones that was hard. She'd known her, been friends with her, felt bad for her for what Damon was doing to her and wanted to get her free of him.

This wasn't how she wanted to do it.

Taking a deep breath, Morrigan exited the closet and headed straight for the drink table, grabbing the bottle of vodka and heading back out to where Ric was sitting and plopping down next to him, spinning the top off of it and taking a long sip. Ric raised a brow at her but didn't say anything about it.

Lowering the bottle, Morrigan checked the time and mentally calculated how long it would take Damon to get back. She knew he was going to be in a foul mood and she wanted to try and lessen the chance that he would do something stupid, reckless and violent because of it. She had to find him a coping method that didn't involve killing innocent people.

"Want a swig?" she asked Ric, offering him the bottle. "I have a feeling this party is going to start sucking real soon."

"What makes you say that?" he asked, taking the bottle.

"Gut feeling," she lied. "This town is cursed, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'd say cursed sounds about right."

Taking the bottle back, Morrigan took another long swig of it. She glanced at the time again, mentally calculating the remaining time till Damon returned.

The cake was rolled out and though she looked less than enthusiastic, Elena blew out her candles before disappearing once more. Morrigan herself opted out of a slice, no longer feeling in the mood for cake. When the time came, she made her way to the door and watched Damon enter, passing Caroline and Tyler Lockwood on his way in.

Just by the look on his face, she could tell that his usual cocky and chipper mood had vanished. And she hated that she couldn't just tell him how she knew what had happened. She would have to wait for him to tell her, if he would. And that also wasn't guaranteed.

"Hey, Damon, Elena was looking for you and-"

"Not in the mood, Morrigan."

Well, that was quick.

"I thought you were picking up Andie, where is she?" Damon whipped around to give her a steely look. "Hey, what happened? What's got you in a mood?"

"I said I'm not in the mood."

"Oh tosh," she said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me what's wrong. Something obviously happened."

Damon sighed, but gestured for her to follow him. She did so, following him up the stairs where no one was and waited as he figured out how to tell her what she already knew.

"I saw Stefan," he told her, clenching his jaw.

"And that's bad? Isn't that what you've all been doing all summer? Trying to find him?"

"He compelled Andie to kill herself."

"Andie's dead?" she questioned. Damon nodded. "Shit. I thought Stefan was the good brother."

"Not funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny, Damon. I don't really understand what's going on here, you lot haven't really told me all of why Stefan left. Just that he had to and that you were trying to find him again." Morrigan paused, hoping he would say something, but when he didn't, she continued. "Listen, you can talk to me. Tell me what the hell is going on around here and maybe I can help. A fresh perspective never hurt."

"Fine," Damon said. "There's something you should see, then."

Morrigan followed Damon once more as he went to his room, but as soon as they entered, they saw Elena with stacks of papers in her hand and on the bed next to her. Damon looked surprised to see her, but Elena simply looked accusatory as she brandished the papers at Damon.

"What? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?" Elena questioned.

"Can we not do this right now? I'm having a really bad night..."

"All summer," she continued, undeterred, "every time I came to you with a lead, you made me feel like an idiot for having hope."

"You were an idiot," Damon said. "We both were."

Damon made to walk past her, Morrigan lingering near the door, but Elena stopped him.

"Tell me what you know, Damon."

"I know you need to get back to your party, Elena."

"We're supposed to be in this together," she accused. "Why didn't you tell me you've been tracking Klaus' victims?"

"Because they're not Klaus' victims, Elena," Damon snapped at her, eyes flicking to Morrigan's for a moment before back to Elena. "They're Stefan's."

"What?" Elena questioned, disbelieving.

"He's left a trail of body parts, up and down the eastern seaboard."

"No. You're wrong."

"I've seen it happen before. He's flipped the switch to full-blown Ripper," Damon said, snatching the papers back from her.

"Stop it, Damon."

"No, you stop, Elena. Stop looking for him, stop waiting for him to come home. Just stop! Stefan is gone and he's not coming back. Not in your lifetime."

Elena stood frozen, and Damon's angry expression morphed into one of regret. Morrigan decided now was her time to step in.

"I think maybe it's time for you to go home, Elena. Get some rest. Or have a drink," she said, opening the door.

After a moment, Elena turned, tears sparkling in her eyes as her hand clutched at her necklace. She walked slowly to the door and then out of it and Morrigan closed the door gently behind her. She let the silence in the room settle for a moment before she took a breath and looked at Damon.

"Well, now I have even more questions. So, let's talk."

"What's the craziest story you've ever heard, Morrigan?" Damon asked her. "Because I think I'm about to top it."

─────────

an. ahhh omg guys you have no idea how excited I am about this story!! I hope you love Morrigan as much as I do and I can't wait for you guys to see her and Elijah. Anyways, tell me what you thought! I treasure seeing your comments and hearing what you thought! I hope you enjoyed!