✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Talia strolled through the Quarter, her hands in the pockets of her black leather jacket, heels clicking against the cement as she walked. She was lost in thought, but still on edge. Her dark eyes scanned every strange face, looking for evil. 

She jumped when a hand touched her elbow, chocolate eyes locating a new face. More drama? Really?

The man had black hair and dark eyes and seemed to be from Asian decent. A mix of Indian and Japonese, if she had to factor a guess. "My name is Roan." He had a thick English accent, and his eyes were filled with certainty. "We need to talk, Ms. Monroe." 

Talia opened and closed her mouth before wrenching from his grip. "Who are you? How do you know who I am?" 

Roan slowly tugged up his sleeve, revealing a mark she had seen once years ago. On her own body before it mysteriously healed. A broken heart with two arrows sticking out of it. The tattoo she received during the three days that were missing from her memory. When she was kidnapped in Montana. 

"What-" 

"Ma'am, I really think we need to talk." 

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Talia decided on a small Cafe a few blocks away and Roan was okay with that. As long as she felt comfortable, he said. He didn't mean her harm. 

"You kidnapped me." Talia started dully once her green tea was ordered and received. "For three days and stole my memories." 

Roan nodded, a look of guilt plastered on his handsome face. "Yes. Sorry about that. We needed to get to know you. Do you remember it?" 

She shook her head, staring down at the tea in between her hands. "No." 

"Klaus Mikaelson is the Hybrid. First and last of his kind. An impossible thing. Soulmates are rare, also an impossible thing. Yet, Klaus seems to both be a Hybrid and have a soulmate. We needed to know why, what was so special about him. So, we took you. I apologize for my part." 

Talia nodded, remaining quiet so Roan could tell his story. 

"You were oddly willing to share information about Klaus, I'm unsure if truth serum was involved but . . . I doubt it was." 

Had she once been so willing to sell out her own best friend? Perhaps, Talia couldn't remember the feeling, though. These days her feelings for Niklaus were confused and muddled. 

Roan blinked, taking a long sip of his coffee as he gathered his thoughts. "The soulmate bond is not just a telepathic connection between two people. It's a bond, yes. A connection between souls. Like a string tying you two together. But it's more than that. So many people believe it has to do with romance. That the duo will always fall in love. That they have to fall in love. That's not true. But the bond is strong, and ofttimes the soulmates do fall for each other. There's none of the strangeness you find in novels that's filled with sexual ideals. The bond is a bond that connects two souls. You're not two halves of one soul, you're two souls altogether. Just connected. Now, what the bond does may surprise you. Besides the telepathic connection, it makes you stronger. When united you two are the strongest you will ever be. When fighting or in turmoil with each other, you're even weaker than normal. Obviously there's also the feeling each other's pain, getting each other's injuries, and if one dies so does the other. But, there's no feelings. The bond doesn't cause romantic attraction. Any attraction that is there is just yours. Every choice you make is yours, not the bond deciding. Does that make sense?" 

Talia's brain was spinning. For the past thirty years, ever inkling of a feeling she felt for Klaus she blamed on the soulmate bond. But, it was never the bond. It was just her. 

"Yes. Keep going. Why was I there for three days?" 

"We needed to study the bond. Especially such an odd one like the one you and Klaus have. Since Klaus is an Original, he's already incredibly strong, but you two always fighting, never truly being  in-sync was strange for my Boss, who has known many soulmate pairs and never saw one quite like you two." 

Talia held up a hand, her dark eyes closing. "Your Boss?" 

Roan nodded and smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Yes. He's a shaman, over two hundred years old who perfected the art of immortality spells. He looks for soulmates all over the world, and you happen to be the most interesting. Can I continue my story?" She nodded, murmuring an apology. "You and Klaus always seemed to butt heads in recent years, before that, though, you two weren't at odds but the bond was still weak. He was controlling you, you weren't in-sync. My boss found that intriguing, so we took you. You told us that in simple terms, Klaus Mikaelson was a dick. He used you as a trophy wife, etc. Then, my boss branded you. The brand is magical, it healed, of course, but I'll tell you what it does." Roan stirred some more cream into his coffee. "It's like a protection spell. My Boss has certain . . . abilities. He can sometimes see the future. Slight glimpses. Small visions. The brand was something to mark a broken pair, hence the broken heart. But it's also to bring protection. Your bond was cut, sliced, really. By Esther Mikaelson, yes?" 

"Yes." 

"Mm. That means your death is imminent, in only a few short months. However, Klaus has done nothing to save you. The brand was like a mini bond, Talia. The last bit of string connecting you and Klaus. We can use it to, metaphorically, knit your whole bond right back together. We can use it to save you." 

The Companion finally drank some of her green tea, dark eyes staring through the cafe window out at the street. At the tourists and the locals and the activities. A mother passed holding a child. A young man had a pretty girl on his arm, they were smiling. An old woman was moving with a cane and she seemed to be struggling before a younger woman ran up and began to help her walk. 

"Why? What's in it for you? For your boss?" 

Roan sighed, tapping the table. "Nothing. Strange, I know. My Boss doesn't want such a rare pair like yourselves to fade away. As I said, what Klaus Mikaelson has is a one-in-a-billion thing, he'll regret it deeply if he loses you. Let us help you." 

She couldn't help wonder if this was a trap. Another way to get to Klaus Mikaelson. If she died he would hate himself, she knew that. But a part of him would be glad that she was gone. She was a weakness. Talia continued to stare out the window. If this was a trap, if this was another way for the young Companion to die, then maybe she should let it happen. Klaus would be free of her. He could live his life. Have his daughter. Be happy for once. Free of her. 

Her chocolate eyes closed. If it wasn't a trap then she would be immortal again. They would have their bond back. She really missed their bond. She missed Niklaus and their petty arguments and their friendship when they were actually soulmates. The feelings she had for him would have to be addressed if this wasn't a trap, too. 

"Will Nik need to be involved?" 

Roan shook his head, a faint smile playing on his face. "No, you were where the bond was severed and you are where it needs to be remade. So, you're agreeing?" 

"Yes." 

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Roan walked Talia into a warehouse on the far side of the city, and she found herself in a semi-modern laboratory-like place. White walls, tiles and lab coats were the first thing the Companion saw when she entered. 

Roan guided her up to a man with short brown hair that was cropped like it would be in the military. He was tall, about 6'4 with green eyes and tan skin, freckles all over. "Talia Monroe, my name is Daniel Sheehan." 

The Companion opened and closed her dark eyes for a moment, blinking a few times in shock. "This place wasn't - what is - where - what is this place?" 

Daniel laughed, shaking his head as he looked around. "Welcome to Broken Arrow Laboratories. Cheesy name, I'm aware. We're studying the supernatural, number one thing being soulmate pairs. You and Klaus Mikaelson are pretty well-known around here. I'm guessing you agreed to Roan?" 

She nodded, looking around warily. "Yes, I wasn't aware you were so well-funded." 

"Here, how about I have Matthew Campbell give you a tour, alright? He has a soulmate too, maybe you two will have a bit to talk about." He waved over a dark haired, Afro-American man with long dreads dressed in a white labcoat and dark jeans. "Matthew, this is-" 

"Talia Monroe, damn I never thought I'd meet you in-person. Big fan! I've studied everything about you and Klaus-" 

Her chocolate eyes widened and Talia's mouth dropped open. "What? Wait, what?!" Spinning, the brunette peered up at Daniel again, feeling her eyebrows pull together. "What does he mean? We're studyable? Is there like a book on us or something? Talia and Klaus-" 

She felt her fist open and close, fingers flexing slightly. Her privacy had been breached. She wasn't sure how long ago or for how long, but it had been. 

"Look, Talia, it's not as bad as it sounds. We haven't been watching you. It's some basic studies on a soulmate pair. You two create a lot of . . . power, I would say. Like a bright, blinking light. A beacon of sorts. Klaus already does that but the bond only adds onto it. It's really not that bad, I promise that not a single one of us has stalked, photographed or watched you. We've only studied your bond." 

She calmed down at the shaman's promise, feeling her heartbeat slow. "Okay. But, I don't need a tour. I just need the bond fixed. I need my life back, can you do that?" 

Daniel Sheehan smiled a wide, Cheshire Cat smile and his green eyes twinkled. "Yes." 

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

Klaus turned away from where Camille was seated on the couch, typewriter positioned in-front of her. "They have all forsaken me. My siblings are just as deceitful in disease as my parents ever were. Accusing me of using my baby for my own gain, trusting others before their own blood." His face screwed in distaste, blue eyes peering up at the ceiling fan as it spun. 

Camille, a friendly bartender he had met and compelled, looked over at him in annoyance after writing down everything he had said. "Would a laptop kill you?" 

She was a pretty thing, and smart, too. Major in Psychology and all, but not exactly his type. Just someone that was easy to compel and control. 

"That typewriter was good enough for Hemingway," the Hybrid replied lightly, tapping his hand against his hip as he studied the ignorant human. 

Cami nodded slowly, her green eyes closing. "Right, I see the resemblance. Booze," she nodded to the bottle on the table, "and random acts of violence." 

Klaus glowered. "Elijah and Rebekah have cut to the quick with their vicious lies about me. And all I've done is tried to win this battle of wills over Marcel's control of the quarter in order to reclaim our home. Type, please!" He waved his fingers to the typewriter and the bartender began before stopping again. 

God, she was exhausting. 

"What's the point? You just repeat the same thing over and over again. Rebekah's out to get you. Elijah's out to get you." She waved her hand in a circular motion. "Is there anyone who isn't plotting your downfall? I doubt you trust your own reflection." 

Was there anyone? Yes, it was Talia. Talia who had been by his side even in fights. Talia, his best friend. Talia, who he had no idea where she was in that moment. His body stilled, head tilting as his hearing tried to pick up on her heartbeat. Or her voice in the area. Neither were available to him. She had promised to stay close as she went to a cafe within hearing distance. 

She wasn't there. 

Now wasn't the time to panic over it, he would find her. He always would. Klaus blinked, clearing his thoughts as he reoriented on the conversation at hand. "You know," he pondered for a moment, slowly beginning to pace, "if the daggers weren't missing I would put one in each of their hearts. Rid myself of the burden of my siblings for a couple of centuries." 

Cami's face twisted, her lips pursing and her nose scrunched as she studied the angry immortal standing in-front of her. He could feel the burn of her gaze. "Look at you!" She waved her hand, signalling him in his entirety. But this wasn't his entirety. Part of him was missing. Part of him was Talia. "Repeating the same destructive cycles over and over again. You are the architect of your own unhappiness." 

He couldn't exactly disagree, but that didn't mean it didn't bite any less. "I don't remember asking for your advice," the Hybrid sneered in response, his blue eyes blazing. 

"Oh, really? So of all the people in New Orleans you choose someone with a masters in psychology to record your life-story." She nearly stood up there, he saw it in the tensing of her muscles like she was going to spring. "You're over a thousand years old. Pretty damn sure you know how to type. The truth is: You compelled me to come here because you have no one else to talk to, and you want to be understood. Then you compel me to forget everything as soon as I leave your presence because you are too scared to trust." 

There was a ring of truth to Camille's words, but Klaus rolled his eyes and flexed his hands. Because, it wasn't all true either. He trusted people, well, one person. One person that was dying and he was letting her. His teeth bit hard against each other, grating as he pursed his lips. 

"I'm scared of nothing," the man finally decided to say, peering over at Camille as he began wandering around his office. His gaze caught on a paper with a strange insignia on it near the typewriter next to Camille. "What is this?" He picked it up, showing it off to the bartender. 

Cami's face blanked as she studied the paper. "It's an ancient mystical plot I'm using to destroy you." He balked, staring at her in distrust before she rolled her green eyes. "Relax, it's a tattoo design." 

He dropped it again, shaking his hand as if ridding himself of a disease. "Draw on your own time." 

Camille glowered, her green eyes fixated on the paper before turning back to him. "This is my time, you steal it from me!" 

She picked up her things and indignantly left, leaving the Hybrid alone. As soon as she was gone, he vamped out of the office he was renting with an alias to go find Talia. 

✧✶⭒☆⭒✶✧

"So, we do a little magic spell, I give you my blood and bam, the bond is back?" Talia leaned forward in her seat, her hands flat on the table as she peered curiously up at Daniel. "That seems . . . easy." 

The shaman shrugged, his lips pressed together and fingers arched on the desk. "Yeah, it does. It is easy, it's odd that Klaus hasn't done it yet." 

The Companion nodded, her nose scrunching slightly. "How do you know how to do this again? And, also, shouldn't we also need Klaus's blood? 'Cause, like, he's also part of the bond?" 

This whole thing wasn't making a lot of sense. 

"The Universe told me." Daniel Sheehan shrugged, tapping his nails on the desk with a sly smile. "We don't need Klaus, Miss Monroe, stop worrying." 

This man gave Talia an odd feeling in her gut. She didn't trust him but she needed him. She just wanted the goddamn bond back and she didn't feel like dying. Freedom was right at Talia's fingertips and she was aching for it. "Okay, then, let's get this over with." 

Daniel nodded, waving over a petite woman with dark skin and dark eyes. She appeared to be of Middle-Eastern descent and was wearing a red silk hijab. "My name is Laurie, I'm going to cut your palm, alright?" She smiled kindly, holding a small knife in her left hand as she held her right out flat for Talia to place her own right hand on. 

Talia blinked and looked over to Daniel who was placing a brown bowl under where Talia would be slicing her palm. "Okay. . ." 

The Monroe girl slowly held out her hand and Laurie took it gently, flipping it over to cut into Talia's palm. Talia winced slightly as the metal bit into her skin and quickly her hand was pooling with her own blood. She turned her wrist, letting it pour into the bowl and Daniel began to chant in latin.

Herbs were put into the bowl and candles were set. Daniel continued chanting, his eyes closed and Laurie joined in. Then Roan came up and joined too. 

It was strange to see a witch ceremony happening in such a laboratory place. Like something wild happening somewhere sterile. It was a strange contrast and Talia couldn't keep her eyes off it. 

Then, the chanting died down but the brunette was focused on that anymore. She could feel something in her head settling and she felt everything in her body lighten. The aches she had started to develop with her quickening age faded away, the gray streaks in her curls were gone, too. The wrinkles on her hands smoothed out and her mind was awash with thoughts, but they weren't her own. 

Niklaus. 

The bond, it was bright and loud and cheerful in her brain. She could hear his wonder. 

Talia? 

Nik! It's back, it's back!

Yet, before the soulmates could cheer in celebration, Daniel Sheehan was standing in-front of Talia. "Sorry, sweetheart, but the Hybrid needs to die and the only way is through you." 

That is how Talia Monroe found herself falling to the ground with a snapped neck. The last thing she saw was the sad blue gaze of the shaman. 

That is how Talia Monroe died.