✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

New Orleans - 2013

~Five Months Later~

Heels clip-clopped along the sidewalk, brown hair bundled up into a high ponytail as nimble fingers worked to adjust and straighten the white blouse she wore. 

Talia Monroe's dark eyes roamed over the tourist-filled streets of New Orleans, her mind dancing from thought to thought. 

It was night and crowded and the air was filled with the smell of spicy foods and the sound of jazz. Her hand lifted, popping a few buttons of her blouse and then moving downwards, tugging her jeans further up her hips to accentuate her waist and ass. 

A few people glanced her way, but it wasn't the people that mattered as her gaze drew upwards, catching sight of a certain someone resting uneasily against the balcony above. Lifting her fingers in a wave, Talia smiled charismatically at Elijah. 

He waved, dark eyes narrowing slightly. 

Her hips swayed side-to-side as she moved into Rousseau's, a bar and restaurant right on the corner of a street called Bourbon and another street who's name she didn't quite like as much. 

Sliding into a seat at the bar, her dark gaze flitted over to the dark-skinned man on her left. Marcel Gerard, Klaus's son . . . of sorts. 

He was talking to someone that was wearing a silly cap in a low, yet, serious tone before the man left and Marcel was alone. 

Talia busied herself with reading the menu behind the bar, her brown eyes narrowed slightly. "Hi, I haven't seen you around." His voice was deep but warm, something about it reminding her of chestnuts and hot coffee. "I'm Marcel."

The Companion peered over at him, her lips pulling into a flashy smile. "Talia, I'm new in town. I just arrived last night, actually." 

"A tourist or. . ." he trailed off, his eyebrows raising to let her fill in the suggested blank. 

Crossing her legs, Talia lifted her hand, toying with her pony-tail. "Not sure yet, I was getting antsy in this small town a few states away. Had to go somewhere more . . . adventurous." 

Marcel laughed, taking a swig of the beer in-front of him. "An adventurer? How's intriguing." His head tilted, his smile wide and flirtatious and Talia merely chuckled. 

Her dark eyes moved back to the menu and then returned to the vampire. "I'm a curious person. I like danger. Speaking of, you order for me." She rested her elbow on the bar, resting her chin in her hand and leaning forward so she was closer to him. "Surprise me, Marcel."

"You're not afraid to say what you want," he teased lightly and looked up at the menu, "I like that." His head bobbed before he turned to the blonde bartender. "One Sex in the Driveway, please."

He winked at Talia and she couldn't help the bubbly laugh from escaping her lips. "Neither are you. Ditto." 

The duo continued their flirting game for awhile longer, even after the bartender brought over the bright blue drink. 

When Talia had finished with it, she felt quite tipsy, making her next moves quite easy to do. 

"So, what do you say? Should we move this somewhere else?" Her voice was light and airy, hand resting on Marcel's bicep with a large smile plastered easily across her face. 

Marcel laughed deeply, his arm wrapping around her waist. "Let's."

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Earlier That Evening

Talia rested against the bar next to Elijah, her fingers pressing against the bartop as her friend grabbed his bourbon. Her dark eyes were fixated on the bar when a pretty blonde bartender came, resting Talia's tequila in-front of her. "So, what brings you two to the Big Easy?" 

Elijah looked up, his brown gaze dancing to Talia and then back to the bartender. "I used to live here."

"Really? When?" The bartender, Camille, looked between them and Talia smiled faintly. 

"Oh, feels like 100 years ago," Elijah chuckled, his words coming with a sigh, a charming smile resting on his handsome face. Elijah, the Noble Stag to her Wily Fox. 

Talia laughed under her breath at that, it probably was a 100 years ago. 

Camille began sorting napkins, her green eyes warm as she obviously flirted with the vampire. "I just moved here myself, what brought you back?" 

The pretty brunette laughed loudly, interjecting into the conversation with a flourish. "It's my best friend, his brother."

Elijah agreed, looking down at the bourbon on the bar in-front of him. "I'm afraid he might've gotten himself into a bit of a bind," he picked up the glass, swishing around the amber liquid. 

Camille rose a perfectly waxed eyebrow, her gaze dancing between the two traveling companions. "You say that like it's a common occurrence." 

"Nik is . . . complicated," Talia shrugged, her dark eyes closing. 

Elijah snorted at that, as if complicated didn't even begin to cover Niklaus's behavior. "Defiant, ill-mannered, and a little temperamental. But, complicated is a good word, too." He looked over at Talia who shrugged, tapping her fingers against the bartop impatiently. "See, we don't share the same father. Of course, that never bothered me . . . but my brother resents it deeply, never felt like he belonged." 

Talia flinched, rolling her eyes at that. It wasn't that Niklaus resented it, it was that Mikael never treated him like a son. Mikael never let him belong. "Also add in the fact that your Dad was an abusive dick, 'Lijah," Talia replied with a quirk of her brow and a sneer. 

"All told, he has a long history of getting himself into trouble," the Mikaelson finished, shooting her a look to shut-up and let him work his charm. His thick accent mixed with the suit and the puppy-dog eyes lead him to get whatever he wanted from women. Sans Talia, who didn't find Elijah attractive like that at all. 

"Am I'm guessing you - you both - have a long history of getting him out of it," Camille peered between the duo as Talia rolled her eyes at the sentiment. Yeah, long. 

Not as long as Elijah though, but Elijah wasn't Klaus's destined soulmate, either, so, they had different lives when it came to the Hybrid. 

Camille began wiping the counter, her curious gaze focused on the rag. "What kind of bind is your brother in?"

Talia lifted up her tequila and finished it quickly, her lips popping with a sigh after. "That's a long story, honey. He thinks someone is trying to kill him, or whatever." Talia waved her hand, rolling her chocolate eyes. "He's my best friend, but's a dumbass."

"Wow, narcissistic and paranoid," Camille laughed and looked between them again, though her gaze remained more fixated on Elijah. Elijah's fingers locked together, head tilting to the side at that statement. "Sorry, bartender with a degree in psychology. Total cliche." 

Talia looked back and forth between Elijah and the bartender and decided it was that moment to leave. "I'm gonna go find Nik, see you later, 'Lijah."

She exited the restaurant, a pep in her step as she stepped out onto the dark streets of New Orleans, packed to the brim with tourists. She moved down a few side streets, heading in the general direction of the cemetery. 

Where there was bodies, there were witches. 

Adjusting the clothes she wore, Talia strode with ease down the street when two men stepped in her way. Vampires. 

They smiled widely, predatory with gleaming, white teeth and eyes shadowed by their hair. "Stay still, sweetheart. This will only take a minute." 

The larger one had moved closer, close enough she could see his green eyes and watch his pupils dilate as he attempted to compel her. Between her vervain bracelet and the soulmate bond, Talia wasn't exactly able to be compelled. 

She stumbled backwards, hand flying to her throat to grab the silver moon charm between her collar bones. "Klaus, help." Her voice was barely a whisper as the second vampire came behind her, grabbing her arms. 

"Sorry, honey. Dinner is on tonight and you just happen to be the only thing on the menu." 

The larger one, the one in-front of her, revealed his sharp fangs as he lunged towards her, readying to sink his canines into her jugular. Just before he could there was a blur of black and gray and then the vampire was laying on the side of the road with a broken neck, Klaus standing over him. 

The Hybrid spun, his eyes glowing gold with black veins underneath, large fangs protruding from his canines. "Try me, mate." His voice came out in a guttural growl, gaze fixated on the vampire still holding her still. 

A second later and the vampire fled, leaving Talia in the street. Her hand went to her heart which was beating fast, dark eyes focused on her soulmate. "Hi, Nik." 

He sighed, his face returning to normal, his legs moving him closer to her until they were only a few inches apart. "Hello, love. Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, I think so." She scratched her scalp, looking him up and down. "You look great."

"It hasn't been that long, Talia." His brows pulled into a glare, focused on her as if she were the enemy in this situation.

She swallowed and nodded, her eyes closing for a moment. "Yeah, only, what? Five months? Five months with my soulmate ignoring my calls, my texts, my emails. I even considered sending a pigeon."

He narrowed his blue eyes, shooting her an even more prominent glare than before. His voice came out rough, filled with a pain she understood, it was the same pain she felt. "We're not soulmates, anymore, Talia. How are you faring? You look well."

"Mm, the Bennett witch slowed down the aging. She thinks there's a way to repair the bond, if you'd like." The shrug she had was obvious, making her entire body shudder with the single movement. She was doing her best to appear uncaring, but the sight of him after so long made her knees shake and her heart to break. 

Klaus looked away, unable to meet her intent gaze with his own pale, arctic one. "All it ever did was hurt you. We don't even know if it'll work, if the bond can be restored." He scoffed, rolling his blue eyes. "It could kill one of us, for all we know."

Talia laughed faintly at that, lifting her hair up off her neck, trying to air it out as she felt sudden rage begin to simmer in her gut. "Yeah, Nik. At least it wasn't killing me. Because, guess what? I'm gonna die in a year, you stupid, selfish bastard! The spell only slows the aging down, it doesn't stop it. It doesn't slow it down enough, I mean, look at this." She pulled her dark hair to the side, showing the few streaks of gray in the dark mass. "You and your . . . your arrogance and your stupidity." She closed the distance between them, her index pressing into his chest. "I hated you, Klaus Mikaelson. I hated you with every bone in my body, but I never stopped loving you." Her eyes closed, a shuddering breath making its way through the Companion's aging body. "I guess it wasn't the same for you. Because, I would do anything to get that bond back."

He stared at her, his eyes flitting down to the necklace around her throat. A necklace he had gotten her right before they stopped talking. "You'll be fine, Talia." He leaned forward, his nose brushing over her neck and he inhaled deeply before tilting his head, lips scraping her ear and causing shivers down her spine. "It seems Elijah has taken well care of you." 

She froze, feeling her muscles stiffen before pulling sharply away and slapping him across the face. "How dare you?" Her chest heaved, dark brown eyes flashing dangerously. "How dare you? I never slept with your brother, Klaus! God, Elijah is who convinced Bonnie to save me. Without him I would be dead and buried, right now. Fuck you, Klaus Mikaelson. Fuck you!" She turned, spinning on her heel and storming off. "I wish I never came to New Orleans looking for you, you stupid bastard! Waste of a plane ticket. I hope whoever's conspiring against you succeeds and they fucking kill you!" She kicked at a few pebbles in her way and then pulled her heel off, turning and throwing it at his head, followed quickly by the other one. "I don't need your clothes, I fucking hate you!" 

"Then leave, Talia. No-one wants you here, no-one needs you here," he called after her, his voice venomous. 

Klaus didn't move, only stood there and watched her go, his handsome face blank of any emotions as Talia stormed barefoot away from the stupid Mikaelson man. 

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Present 

Talia rested against the headboard of the large bed, cradling a glass of red wine and watching Marcel as he sat watching her. Both of them fully dressed and neither of them had yet to make a move. 

"So, why'd you come to New Orleans of all places?" He finally spoke, looking out the massive windows of his apartment that showed off the entire New Orleans skyline. 

Talia followed his gaze, a small smile on her face. "In truth, I was looking for a friend. I don't think he wanted to be found." She stared into the red wine, feeling her heart flip as a few more pieces broke away. Klaus Mikaelson had broken her heart and she had no idea how. "We had a big fight, I called him a bastard . . . I called him a bastard a lot, actually. But he is one, if you knew the guy, you'd get it. God - he's a lot to deal with." 

Marcel chuckled, looking down at his own glass of wine. "I think I know the type. Arrogant, narcissistic, only cares about his own ass and it doesn't matter to him if you die, as long as he lives." 

Talia rose an eyebrow and nodded, stretching out her legs so her bare feet rested against Marcel's stomach. He grinned down at them, rubbing her leg slightly. "I know what you mean. Alright, truth or truth. Personal questions only." 

He peered up at her, his head tilting to the side before he nodded. "Have you ever been in-love?" 

She looked past him, her gaze fixated out the window at the skyline. Had she ever been in-love? Talia wasn't even sure she knew what love was, what it felt like or what it looked like. But when she thought of what she had with Klaus, how much she hated him but at the same time loved him, maybe she had been. 

So, as her almond-shaped gaze returned to the vampire, she nodded. "Yes. Have you?" 

He nodded as-well, running his hand up and down her calf over the fabric of her jeans. "Yeah, a really long time ago. Feels like a hundred years ago. She betrayed me." He lifted the wine to his lips, taking a slow sip of the red liquid. "Family life?"

"I'm an orphan," she shrugged with ease, finishing off the wine and placing it on the nightstand. Marcel moved forwards so he was laying next to her on the bed and she sat criss-cross, staring down at him. "Your favorite fairytale?"

He tilted his head, studying the ceiling before looking back at her, tugging on her messy ponytail with a lazy grin. "Beauty and the Beast."

Rolling her dark eyes and laughing, Talia pinched his cheek. "Flirt."

Marcel lifted one hand in defense, the other placing his wine glass next to her empty one. "Hey, it's a classic." He had a charismatic laugh, the type of laugh that made one smile and want to laugh with him. "Your favorite song?" 

She grinned easily and rested her hands on her lap, peering down at her jeans. "Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri." She tilted her head to the side, meeting his burning, brown gaze. "Family life?"

"I already asked that," Marcel replied lightly but answered it anyway. "Complicated, I had an abusive father. My mother died when I was young, then a man came and he adopted me. Raised me. Loved me, I think. He was my dad, for a really long time he was my dad and my best friend. Then, he left me. Him and his family . . . my family. They left me to die." He had sat up at this point, resting against the headboard. "Sorry, that went deep quick."

She shrugged, moving so she laid against the headboard next to him, resting her cheek on his broad shoulder. "Trust me, I know complicated."

Marcel reached forwards, his index resting under her chin and then moving up her cheek, brushing a few strands of dark hair that had escaped her pony tail. He pushed them back behind her ear with a smile and met her gaze. "You are not like any other girl I've ever brought home, Talia."

"Is that really your best line, Marcel?" She teased, booping his nose. 

Snorting, the vampire slid his hand so it cupped her cheek, rather than his index brushing the skin. "It's not a line, but if you really want to see my best, here it is." He pouted, raising one eyebrow in an attempt to look like Flynn Ryder. "Hey."

Snorting, Talia laughed loudly and her head flew back, almost hitting the headboard but his hand flew out, cushioning it before it could do so. She barely noticed, her hand flying to her lips to cut off the giggles. "Oh my God, does that even work?" 

He nodded, winking at her. "It's worked once."

"Oh?" 

Marcel's hand that was on the back of her head slid down, resting on the back of her neck. "Just with you."

Her dark eyes danced downwards to his lips and the brunette closed the distance between them, their lips colliding.

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Klaus rested on a bench in the French Quarter, his brother next to him. There were a thousand things on his mind, primarily that there was currently a werewolf being held hostage by witches that was pregnant with his baby. The second was that Marcel was alive and had declared himself 'King of the Quarter'. A childish name, but one that belonged to Klaus himself. 

Placing his hands on his lap, he looked around the city he had built himself three hundred years ago. "A penny for your thoughts?" Elijah's voice was light, filled with confidence for their plan. Their plan to retake the Quarter and protect that werewolf girl. 

The sound of his brother's voice made him recall the night before. The fight with Talia, and he recalled the unshed tears in her eyes as she yelled at him. She had been furious, but more than furious she had been hurt. He didn't understand at all why she had acted in such a manner, she had finally gotten what she wanted. Freedom from him, from his family, from everything. 

"Talia. I'm thinking about Talia." Klaus let his pale gaze meet his brother's dark one. "Is she still here or did she leave? I told her to leave, that she was free from me."

Elijah's head shook and he began adjusting his cuff sleeves. "She's still here. She's doing something for me."

Klaus rose an eyebrow, looking over at his brother curiously. "What?"

"Distracting Marcel so you could meet Hayley." Elijah shrugged as if he hadn't used Talia like a piece of meat tossed for the hungry lion. 

The Hybrid's entire body stiffened and he focused intently on his brother. "Distract Marcel? In what way?" 

His older brother shrugged, twisting his wrist to study the watch there. "Well, it's nearing 2 am so if they're not still at the bar, he probably took her home. You may not have noticed, Niklaus, but Talia is quite an attractive woman and Marcel enjoys the presence of attractive women, like most arrogant, young vampires." 

Klaus's mouth went dry, his blue eyes flashing gold as he pushed off from the bench, fingers curling into tight fists. "What? You sent my best - my soulmate to go have sex with our enemy number one?" 

Elijah leaped up as well, his dark eyes cold as ice. "You're the one who distanced yourself from her, Niklaus. You're the one who decided she wasn't worth your time, anymore. I didn't send Talia Monroe anywhere. No-one can make that woman do something she doesn't want to. It was her idea, in the end. It's too late now, perhaps you should've paid more attention to your 'soulmate' in the first place. You two were created for each other and you can't even bother loving her when she barely has a year left on this earth." 

The Noble Mikaelson sucked on his teeth, his dark eyes dancing over his brother's furious features. "If you appreciated what you had, the rarity of such a bond, you might have never lost it in the first place. All you did to that poor girl was drag her around like a trophy wife, used her like an assistant and never treated her like what she was, which was family. You broke her, brother. She pushed herself up and fixed herself without you. If you treated like what you claim her to be, your best friend - your soulmate - then perhaps she would be here with you, at your side like a soulmate should be . . . like your Queen should be, rather than in the bed of your worst enemy." Elijah scoffed and turned, moving away from his brother. "Treat that woman with some respect, Niklaus."

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Talia pulled away laughing from the kiss, her dark eyes meeting Marcel's. "This mattress is really comfy. Is it memory foam? Oh my God, you must be one of those guys that probably bought a massage chair or something, aren't you?" 

Marcel laughed loudly, pulling away from her. "I did not buy a massage chair."

She rose an eyebrow, peering at him intensely. "You sure about that, bud?"

"Alright, maybe I did."

Laughing again, Talia dragged him back down for another lust-filled kiss before pushing him away again. "How many times have you used it?" Her dark eyes danced over his and he grinned, rolling his chocolate gaze. "Come on, how many times?"

Pressing his lips firmly together, Marcel flopped to the side so he wasn't on-top of her anymore. "Three times," the vampire admitted after an agonizingly long period of time. 

Talia guffawed at that and leaped from the bed, adjusting her jeans. "Really? I want to try it."

"It's in the living room. Here, I'll show you." He rolled off the bed, taking her hand in his and leading her to a black chair. She settled down on it as he turned it on, pressing a few buttons so it got going. After a few minutes of it, Talia looked up at him from under her long lashes. 

"I hate it."

He laughed, turning it off and pulling her up from the chair. "Right? It sucks so much."

"So much," she agreed, resting her forehead against his shoulder to stifle her giggles. "Do you have anything to eat, I'm starving."

He paused, his head tilting as he tried to recall. "I have brownie mix? Some milk, too. The essentials to make brownies."

Her eyes widened and Talia nodded, pulling away from him, though his hands rested on her waist. "We should make brownies!" 

The vampire nodded and turned, starting to head to the kitchen and leaving her to follow behind. She ran after him, jumping up so her legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck, causing Marcel to chuckle and grab her legs, adjusting so the piggy-back ride was more comfortable for both of them. "Am I still not like other girls, Marcel?" She quoted lightly, very aware of the sexist sentiments to the statement. "Y'know, that's kind of sexist." 

"I don't mean like that, just that I've never baked brownies with someone at three am." He shrugged, setting her on the counter as he grabbed the brownie mix and placed it next to a bowl next to her. "I like you, Talia." He grinned, winking at her and she rolled her eyes. 

Drawing her legs to her chest, the brunette smiled widely at the vampire. "I like you, too, Marcel."

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Talia sat at the table, eating one of the brownies they had baked. "These are really good, surprisingly."

"Maybe I should bake at three am more often," Marcel quipped, popping the last of the brownie in his mouth. She snorted and rolled her eyes, elbowing his side from where he sat next to her. "What? I'm just being honest."

Talia merely grabbed another brownie and stood up from the table, shimmying out of her jeans and unbuttoning her blouse so it fell to the floor. Marcel watched quietly from the table, his gaze moving down her body. She was wearing a black silk underwear set underneath the clothing, and it didn't exactly cover anything as she strode towards the bedroom, slowly eating the brownie. "I'm heading to bed, it's late. You can join me, if you want."

"It's my apartment!" He called after her as he got up, pulling off his shirt. 

She grinned, resting against the doorway and looking over her shoulder at him as he pulled down his black jeans. "Mkay." 

The temptress finished her brownie and fell onto the bed, her dark eyes finding Marcel as he came and laid down next to her, the duo practically naked but they both knew that nothing sexual was going to happen. 

Marcel, somehow, fell asleep fast as they quietly discussed their lives and as he did fall asleep, she curled up under his arm with her cheek on his chest, listening to him breathe. 

Eventually, she was drawn under the waves of sleep as well.

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Klaus looked up as the door of his new home opened, expecting the beautiful brunette he had spent thirty years with to walk through. He was revealed instead Hayley as she returned from the garden. 

"Who're you waiting for?" The werewolf girl moved forward, her lips pressed together and her hand resting protectively against her abdomen. 

Klaus peered at her, from her pale features to her dark hair and eyes. "You'll meet her eventually, I have no doubt. She's stubborn." His head tilted, his eyes closing as he recalled her face to mind. "Talia."

Hayley moved closer, her hands crossing over her chest and his eyes flashed open, watching her. "You're in-love with her, huh? It's the reason you slept with me, right? To get over her or make her jealous, whatever."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, standing and walking past the girl. "No, it's no business of yours, anyway. Go upstairs and do whatever pregnant women are supposed to. Keep my child safe." He stalked into another room, leaving the werewolf girl behind.

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Marcel had disappeared in the middle of the night but had returned an hour after sunrise, settling back into bed with her, though she was awake. "Where'd you go?" 

He shrugged, resting his head against the headboard as she moved so she was once-again resting against his chest. "I had a meeting with an old friend. One of the members of that family I told you about. The man who raised me, he's back in town. His brother, too. I have no doubt their sister is soon to follow." He lifted a strand of Talia's hair, wrapping it around his finger. "How'd you sleep?"

"Your expensive mattress does wonders for the back," Talia teased, poking his cheek. "I slept like a baby."

His head tilted as he continued playing with her hair, a faint smile present on his face. "Trust me, babies don't sleep as well as the saying says."

Snorting, Talia nodded, splaying her hand out on his chest. "You sound like you've spent a lot of time with babies." Her eyes narrowed as she peered up at him. "Are you secretly a father, Marcel? Is there a child stashed in this apartment somewhere?"

"God, no. I'm just an adult, unlike you, obviously." He tugged playfully on her hair and she laughed, pressing her lips to his cheek. "Go to dinner with me, tonight."

She gazed out the window behind him, at the blue sky and the beautiful city. Somewhere out there Klaus was a raging ball of fury, not something that she wanted to be exposed to. 

She was only supposed to be with Marcel for the night, but she enjoyed his presence far more than Niklaus or grumpy Elijah. "Alright."