Dance Back from the Grave

Flashback -
Virginia, 1855:

Lily stands on the porch of the Salvatore home in the early hours of morning, watching as Giuseppe helps young Damon and Stefan into the carriage. Giuseppe turns to face Lily, "We'll be back in a few days."

Lily grins sweetly, "Have a safe trip, dear." She remains standing on the porch as she waves the carriage off, not leaving from her stance until the carriage is no longer in sight. Lily turns her head slightly when she notices one of the maids approaching behind her, "Get the other carriage ready immediately."

The maid nods before hurrying back into the home. Taking a deep breath, Lily walks back into the home, grabbing two hooded cloaks before rushing upstairs. She walks straight into Charlotte's bedroom, "Get dressed, Charlotte."

A confused looking Charlotte sitting beside her bedroom window glances over to her mother who begins going through Charlotte's wardrobe, "What's going on?"

Lily pulls out one of Charlotte's dresses, she smiles at it in her hands, "This one is my favourite. You'll wear this, it looks lovely on you."

"Have you heard from aunt Cora?" Charlotte's words shine with hope, it's been months since Cora was last here and she had promised Charlotte that she'd be back before her birthday. Alas, it's the eve of Charlotte's birthday and Cora hasn't arrived, "Will she be arriving here soon?"

The colour drains from Lily's face, unable to give her daughter eye contact. Lily clears her throat as she lays the dress onto Charlotte's bed. She takes a deep breath before taking hold of Charlotte's hands, "My dear, there's something I've been keeping from you."

Charlotte snatches her hands out of Lily's grasp, she walks back towards the window sill as she shakes her head, "It wouldn't be the first time you've kept something from me, mother."

"I needed to wait until your father took the boys on a hunting trip before I spoke to you about this." A guilt ridden Lily sits in front of Charlotte, "I'm going to take you to see Cora," Charlotte immediately sits up straight, her eyes light up, "The carriage is waiting outside to take us both. We need to be quick."

Not needing to hear anything else, Charlotte comes to a stand and goes straight behind the room divider and starts to get ready. Lily sits on the edge of the window, her chest becoming tight as her breathing becomes uneasy. There was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that happens whenever Cora is mentioned around Charlotte. She watches how her daughters demeanour completely changes.

It's as though the pit in her stomach is formed from jealousy, seeing Charlotte have a relationship with her own sister which she longed to have with her own daughter; her only daughter. She knows it's her fault that Charlotte acts cold towards her but is her normal self when Cora is around, that's why guilt is mixed with the jealousy she feels within. She fears after today, Charlotte is going to resent her even more than before.

"Is this okay, mother?"

Charlotte's voice jumps Lily out of her thoughts. Lily smiles over to her daughter, looking as beautiful as she always does, wearing a pale lilac dress that was Lily's favourite and a large tied up lilac ribbon pulling some of her hair back.

She blinks away the pool of tears beginning to form as she walks towards Charlotte, "You look beautiful, Charlotte. You always do." Lily takes the ivory hooded cloak from the bed and placing it around Charlotte, "You must keep this hood up even when we're in the carriage. You won't take it off until we're in Cora's home. Do you understand?"

Charlotte can't read the expression that is plastered over her mother's face and she is partially shocked as this is the most her mother has spoken to her for as long as she can remember. Charlotte hesitates before nodding, "I understand."

Lily cups Charlotte's cheeks, she wears a sad smile as she leaves a kiss against Charlotte's forehead, "My beautiful little flower."

Once they arrive at Cora's rural cottage in the midst of the woods, Lily climbs out of the carriage first before helping Charlotte step out, "Keep your head down, Charlotte." She closes the carriage door behind Charlotte, guiding her daughter into the cottage.

Charlotte walks ahead of Lily once they step in, a wide smiled Athena, Cora's maid greets them both before moving to the side and allowing Charlotte to step upstairs towards Cora's bedroom.

Charlotte peeks her head around the door leading to Cora's bedroom where a frail, pale looking Cora is staring out the window until she slowly moves her head towards the door. A warm smile graces her pale complexion, "My sweet girl, I have missed you."

"I've missed you more." Charlotte rushes to her aunt's side, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling Cora into a warm embrace. Each of them feeling less tense as they were before, Charlotte frowns as she pulls away, "Are you okay? You look-"

Cora's eyes sparkle with tease, taking hold of Charlotte's hands, "You're not going to insult your aunt are you? I'm fine, darling. Just a little tired, that's all."

Lily clears her throat as she stands in the doorway to the bedroom, "Charlotte, could you give us both a moment to talk, please?"

Charlotte exhales a frustrated breath, glancing over her shoulder towards her mother, "I've just got here and already you're wanting me to leave?"

Cora looks over to a guilty looking Lily, staring at her with pleading eyes. Cora clears her throat, taking hold of Charlotte's hand, "There are fresh daisies outside. How about you pick us as many as you can then you can come back and we'll make daisy crowns. Does that sound fun?" She smiles genuinely at her niece before gesturing towards where her maid stands behind Lily, "Athena will take you out into the gardens."

Charlotte hesitates for a moment before smiling back at her aunt and nodding. Her smile completely disappears as she stands up from the edge of Cora's bed and walks past her mother and leaves the room. Both sisters remain staring at each other in complete silence until they can hear the side door from downstairs opening and closing.

Cora scoffs, looking away from Lily, "The guilt has finally started to eat you alive I see."

Lily sighs as she steps further into the room, "Giuseppe was never going to allow Charlotte to come and see you, Cordelia. I had to wait until he left with the boys."

"How do you think it felt for that child having to stay at home when you all came here the other day?" Cora's tone floods with hatred for the way she sees her niece being treated in her family, "Being stuck in that horrible home with no one around her. Charlotte needs people around her, Lillian."

"She won't understand what's going on." Lily argues back, she shakes her head as she walks towards the window and looks out to the gardens, "She's just a little girl."

Cora rolls her eyes, hitting her hands against her bed, "She's thirteen tomorrow. She's not a little girl anymore and one of these days you're going to lose your daughter, Lillian. It will be no one's fault but your own."

Lily's eyes sadden as she stares out into the gardens to see her daughter wearing her bright smile as she picks daisies with Athena. Lily's heart sinks not even remembering the last time Charlotte smiled in her presence. She jumps out of her thoughts at the warmth of a singular tear falling down her cheek.

Lily clears her throat, wiping the stray tear away before turning to face her older sister, "I love my daughter. I just want to protect her."

"If you brought her to me sooner than we'd be in a completely different situation. I was stronger last week, I'd have been able to reverse the spell, but-" Cora's brows knit together as she begins to cough vigorously, as though each cough worsens the invisible noose tightening around her neck. She grabs an ivory handkerchief from the night stand, resting her head against the plump pillows and takes deep breaths, "As you can see, I don't particularly look well enough to do so. Charlotte would have been able to save me from this hex and I'd have saved her in more ways than one."

"Cora, I'm-"

The older sister holds her hand up, shaking her head to stop Lily from continuing, "Spare me whatever apology you're attempting to make. You should be apologising to your daughter, not me." A shaky breath falls from her lips as she looks towards her sister, "I don't know how long I have left and I'd like to spend whatever time I do have with my niece."

"Is this enough?"

The two women's attentions go towards the doorway to the bedroom where Charlotte stands with a basket full of daisies, smiling towards her aunt.

Cora mirrors the same smile, "It's perfect."

The two sisters watch as Charlotte sits on the edge of Cora's bed once more, totally engrossed by all the fresh daisies, already eager to begin creating the chains. Cora glances up at her sister standing to the side before back at Charlotte, "How would you feel about staying here all day? We can do everything we love to do, then tomorrow we will celebrate your birthday. I have a sneaking suspicion that your mother may be going to retrieve your favourite lemon cake for the celebrations." Cora flashes an excited grin before raising a knowing brow towards Lily, "Isn't that right, Lillian?"

Charlotte remains silent, deep down fearing that her mother would never allow this. She refuses to look towards her mother, scared that her eagerness to stay here will infuriate her mother.

Lily picking up on what her daughter is going, this not being the first time that Charlotte has been too afraid to look at her in the eyes. Lily swallows harshly before a faint smile appears, "That's right." Charlotte then looks towards her mother, no longer looking excited but confused at her mother's sudden change in tone. Lily smiles down at Charlotte, "I'll be back tomorrow."

Charlotte follows shortly after Lily leaves the room, she stands at the top of the stairs and watches as her mother leaves. She rushes back into Cora's room, her eyes brighten with the same hope they wore earlier in the day, "We're leaving before mother returns, yes? Starting a new life like we've planned."

Cora closes her eyes as she sighs deeply, "Charlotte-"

"You don't need to worry about packing." Charlotte goes towards the wardrobe within Cora's room, removing an empty trunk and looks through clothing, "I will do that for you. A month ago I even hid a case of my things within the woods we can find. Then we can leave and never come back."

"Charlotte, please." Cora's weak voice turns into a whisper, Charlotte stops what she is doing and turns to face her aunt who smiles weakly at her, holding her hand out, "Come sit here, I need to look at you."

Charlotte sits on the edge of the bed when Cora takes hold of her hand. Cora's eyes begin to turn glossy, she pushes back some of Charlotte's hair and rests her hand against her niece's cheek, "My beautiful girl. Do you know how proud I am of you? I remember on this exact day, thirteen years ago, your mother and I were in this very room, sat over there." Cora raises a brow towards the two chairs in the bay window that overlooks the large gardens, "She was getting nervous being so close to you being born. Damon was a handful as a child so to soon have two of you it was a lot for your mother to take in. She still hadn't decided on your name, so we sat and came up with dozens and dozens of names but none really stuck. Until I suggested Charlotte which is when you kicked your mother with such force she thought it may have induced labour." Cora laughs as she relives the memory, "That's when we knew you had to be called Charlotte, it was your way of telling us this was how we carried on our mother's name and legacy."

Charlotte smiles sadly as she bows her head, "I wish I met grandmother."

"Your grandmother passed away not long before you were born and she longed to continue her family, her biggest dream was to have so many grandchildren." Cora takes a framed photograph from her nightstand, handing it over to Charlotte to reveal a picture from when Cora and Lily were children, sitting on a picnic blanket with their mother, Charlotte, "I see so much of her in you. You look so much like her."

Cora begins to cough once more, it intensifies as she begins to gasp for air. Charlotte stands from the bed, taking the water on the nightstand and holding it up against Cora's mouth. Cora takes a small sip which doesn't stop the coughing, once again covering her mouth with the handkerchief as she attempts to calm herself down. Her heart drops as she moves the handkerchief away to show specks of blood against it, quickly folding it up to hide away from Charlotte.

Charlotte frowns as she sits back on the edge of the bed, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Cora wears a fake smile as she nods, "I have you by my side, I've never been better." Cora stays silent for a moment, the fake smile turns into a genuine one that has a hidden sense of sadness to it, "You have the most beautiful soul, it's as though the hands of the universe carefully crafted you with stardust. I want you to promise me that you will never let anyone make you think you're not that. Okay? Promise me."

"I promise." Charlotte laughs slightly, narrowing her eyes towards her aunt, "Cora-"

"You are going to go through hard times in your life but you will always pull out of them. Do you know why?" Cora sits up in her bed, leaning against the headboard as she smiles over to Charlotte, "You're a fighter, just like every Whittaker that has came before you. I am confident that you are going to get everything you deserve in life. It may take time, but one day you're going to sit and look back at everything and you'll smile. You'll smile because you will realise in that exact moment that you are exactly where you need to be. And don't think that if you don't find someone to spend your life with straight away makes you a failure. Never settle. There will be some frogs along the way but in time I know you will find that special someone." Cora leans closer with a sparkle of tease in her eyes as she smirks, "Just make sure they're kind and that they're able to handle the fire us Whittaker's have within us."

"I'm not even thirteen yet, Cora." Charlotte looks down at Cora, her brows furrow in confusion, "I'm not planning to find anyone any time soon."

"You will some day. Perhaps you'll even marry them but don't rush it. You will know when the time is right. If they don't gift you with flowers now and then they aren't the one. I hear pink peonies are meant to be beautiful." Cora's teasing grin turns into one of sadness, "I hope you wait for someone who loves you like you give all of the colour to the world, like the earth is a colouring book and you are the very thing that brings this pale blue dot to life. Like the world is only contour lines, emptiness and shades of grey without you in it. And if they look at you with any less enchantment than when they look at the sky on a cloudless day, or at sunsets when the horizon bleeds out in shades of red, then keep waiting." Her hand grips tighten against Charlotte's, "You are meant to be loved like the world comes to life when you rise each morning and like it dies each night when you close your eyes and go to sleep."

Charlotte laughs breathlessly, shaking her head, "I don't-" Her heart sinks when she sees the sorrow look in her aunt's eyes, a mixture of helplessness and heartache, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

Agony spreads across Cora's face, she glances down at her hands, grabbing hold of Charlotte's. A single tear falls down her cheek as she looks back to her niece, "Charlotte, I've been sick for a while and I don't think I'm going to get better."

Charlotte's chest begins to tighten, making it harder to control her breathing as she shakes her head in disbelief, "No." She waits for Cora to laugh to say she was creating a joke but that never comes. She watches as Cora's own heart breaks making Charlotte be hit with reality, "No, you can't leave me here on my own."

"Charlotte." Cora's heart breaks as she watches her niece break apart in front of her. So young and yet has had to deal with more heartbreak and loss than someone twice her age. Charlotte turns away from her aunt, hysterically sobbing and barely able to stop for breath until Cora takes hold of her hand, "Listen to me. Charlotte, look at me. This one is important."

With a deep breath, Charlotte's tear stained face and bloodshot eyes lock with Cora's weak stare as she smiles sadly to her niece, "This is really the important one. Some day you're going to have a baby and you're going to feel overwhelmed by this little life that you're responsible for. You're going to worry that everything that you do is wrong, but that's normal. That is completely normal. You'll be conscious on what to feed them, how to dress them and even whether they should take piano or painting lessons. But I'll let you in on a little secret, it doesn't matter. Whether your child becomes a world renowned artist or a concert pianist, it doesn't matter. Because all that truly matters is if your child is happy."

Unable to keep the tears from falling, Cora exhales a shaky breath as tears stream down her cheekbones as her hold grips tighter against Charlotte's hand, "So you're going to feel sad for a little while and that's okay. But don't feel sad forever, okay? Can you promise me that? Promise me that you won't feel sad for too long."

Charlotte's vision is blurry with the floods of tears that are streaming, she smiles sadly as she nods, "I promise."

"Thank you." Cora holds Charlotte close against her chest as she lowers herself back against the pillows, wrapping her arms around Charlotte, "That makes me feel much better."

Charlotte buries her face into Cora as she sobs uncontrollably, her hands grip onto Cora's dress in fear if she lets go then Cora won't be there. Cora takes a deep breath as she too sobs, she pulls away some of Charlotte's hair from her face before leaving a soft kiss against her forehead. The worst thing that could happen in both of their lives is happening and nothing can be done to postpone or end it for good. 

Cora coos Charlotte, trying to calm her niece down but it's no use. Charlotte takes deep, shaky breaths in between her sobs, "I can't do this without you."

"Yes you can." Cora lifts Charlotte's head up from her chest, her hands on either one of Charlotte's cheeks as her thumbs wipe away fallen tears, "You may not be my true daughter but you are the closest thing I have ever had to one. There will be times you will feel overwhelmed with loss but all you need to do is find something that gives you peace. Sunsets on the beach for example. Because sunsets are proof that no matter how bad your day may have been, they will always end beautiful. So use that as your peace and when you watch that sunset just know I'll be with you." Cora lowers Charlotte's head to her lips, once again leaving a soft kiss against her forehead, "I'll be with you even when you can't see me."

Charlotte's brows pull inwards, her eyes are tightly shut as tears continue to fall. As she slowly opens her eyes, there is nothing but fear and heartbreak that dull her once bright and warm eyes, "I'm scared."

Cora chews on her lip as she nods lightly, she clears her throat before wiping away her own tears, "Grief is a strange thing, it will always be there, now I don't know how to control it but it doesn't stay a weakness, my darling, There is one thing I know for certain, you will turn it into your strength. The strength you have within you at such a young age is admirable. Some people double, triple your age will never gain as much strength as you already possess." 

She laughs breathlessly as she straightens up in her bed slightly, "We still have time, my sweet girl. Show me your strength now. Let us carry on with a wonderful day of celebrations for your birthday tomorrow, starting with these."

Cora places the basket of daisies in between them both and begins to create daisy chains. Charlotte watches for a moment as she can see her aunt's demeanour change instantly, something she has always admired. Something she aspires to do. She smiles faintly as Cora glances up at her before Charlotte too takes out some daisies and begins to make daisy chains. 

Hours go by where they both create so many chains, both wearing long ones around their necks, medium sized ones placed on their head as crowns and smaller chains around their wrists as bracelets until all the daisies have been used. 

Charlotte lays beside Cora as they look through childhood photographs of Cora and Lily as they grew up, a handful of baby pictures of all the Salvatores: Damon, Charlotte and Stefan. Laughing at one photograph in particular where a toddler Stefan lays across Damon and Charlotte who both lay across the grass. All three of them wearing beaming smiles, as though you could hear the laughter through the picture. Pure, sweet and innocent happiness.

As the sun sets on this Sunday evening, Charlotte pulls a chair to the side of Cora's bed and begins to read through Jane Eyre. Cora gifted Charlotte this for her previous birthday and not a day goes by where Charlotte doesn't read the book, whether it only be a few pages, a few chapters or the entire book in one sitting. Now feeling more confident with some of the complicated words in the book, she has been ecstatic to read it through to Cora. The aunt can't help but laugh at her niece, mimicking different accents as she reads the different speeches within the book. Cora's smile hasn't left her face as she watches Charlotte, not knowing where this girl gained her beauty, knowledge and innocence comes from and yet her heart warms at how proud and content she is in this very moment. Her smile stays on her face even as she slowly drifts off to sleep as Charlotte continues reading.

It feels as though Cora only shut her eyes for a few minutes as she wakes up with a slight gasp, slowly opening her eyes to reveal darkness and the only source of light being the small candle on the nightstand. She relaxes a bit more as she looks to her side to see Charlotte fast asleep in the chair with the Jane Eyre book still open in her hands. Cora leans forward and slowly takes the book out of her hands, not wanting to wake Charlotte. She quietly opens up a drawer within her nightstand revealing a letter addressed to Charlotte. She puts it at the back of the Jane Eyre book along with the childhood photograph of Charlotte and her brothers before placing it onto the nightstand. Taking hold of Charlotte's hand, Cora lays back down in her bed and begins to drift off into a deep sleep.

Charlotte awakens at the sound of birds singing, she wakes with a smile on her face adjusting her eyes to the sun seeping through the windows. Her smile broadens as she notices a robin on the windowsill staring back at her, chirping.

"Cora, look." Charlotte stands up from the chair, slowly walking towards the window, "There's a robin." She laughs slightly as the robin flies away and seeks refuge in the nearest large oak tree, Charlotte turns to see Cora still asleep in the bed, "Cora?"

She frowns as she steps closer towards the bed, something in the pit of her stomach not feeling right. Her breathing becomes heavy as tears begin to sting her eyes staring down at Cora's still body, "Don't do this please." Charlotte falls at the edge of the bed and begins to attempt at shaking Cora awake, "Cora, please don't leave me." 

"Athena!" Charlotte's voice breaks as she shouts for the maid, panic and fear seeps through her voice. She turns to face Cora once more as she continues to try and shake her, "You said we still have time. Open your eyes, Cora!" 

Athena rushes in, she stands in the doorway shocked as she looks at Cora's lifeless body in the bed and a hysterical Charlotte attempting to wake her aunt. Her panicked stare meets Charlotte's as the girl turns to face her, "Get a doctor, Athena! Help me wake Cora up!" Charlotte sobs even harder as she wraps her arms around Cora's body, burying her face into the covers, "She needs to wake up."

"Charlotte," Athena's tone is calm, she steps closer putting her hand on Charlotte's shoulder, "She's gone."

"No!" Charlotte snaps, "Don't say that, it's not true!" 

Athena takes hold of Charlotte's arms, pulling her up from the floor and attempts to walk her out of the room. Charlotte's stare doesn't leave Cora as her heart breaks into a thousand pieces, "I can't do this on my own. Cora, please." Charlotte's knees buckle beneath her, she falls to the floor as her sobs become unbearable. 

Athena kneels behind the young girl, wrapping her arms around her as she tries to calm her down, "She's at peace now."

Those four words make Charlotte cry out and hyperventilate, wishing she had never fell asleep and maybe she'd have been able to save her aunt. She buries her face into Athena's chest as she continues to sob. Her mind is empty, her heart is empty; it feels as though her soul has died along with her aunt.

—✤—

The term watching paint dry is often used as an insult, that you'd rather watch paint drying at the agonisingly slow rate that it does other than doing quite literally anything else. And yet, as Lola sits, she finds herself engrossed, watching actual paint drying on a large white canvas. Or more like the person painting on the canvas.

Painting never interested Lola, until she met Klaus. He made the hobby way more enjoyable, the way his posture would relax when he would speak about art, the way his brows furrow ever so slightly concentrating when he paints. The way his hand would hold onto the various paintbrushes so effortlessly, his fingers wrapping around them moving the brushes softly against the canvas.

Chewing on her lip, Lola watches Klaus concentrate as he paints a landscape piece. She presses her thighs together, her breath halts in her throat as though the room has suddenly gone unbearably hot when Klaus leans to the side, his shirt riding up his torso slightly as he narrows his eyes towards the canvas at a different angle.

The smallest hint of a smirk appears when Klaus notices Lola's stare on him, yet his eyes don't leave the canvas, "Are you feeling all right, love?"

Lola clears her throat as she is pulled out of her trance, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

Klaus looks away from the canvas, his eyes full of mischief as he points the paintbrush in his hand towards Lola, "You've been on the same page of that book for an hour."

Lola purses her lips glancing at the book in her hands, she shrugs smirking over to him, "Maybe I found something that interested me more than this book."

Klaus chuckles softly as he rests the paintbrush against the easel before holding his hand out towards his love, "Come here." Lola stands from the sofa, intertwining her hand with his as Klaus pulls her in front of him and wraps his arms around her, resting his chin upon her shoulder, "What number art lesson is this?"

"I lost count around the 300th mark." Lola rolls her eyes as she laughs slightly, tilting her head to the side a little to face Klaus, "Which proves no matter how many 'lessons' you give, I will not become an artist."

"Perhaps..." Klaus drawls out as he hums in thought. Lola closes her eyes as she feels the soft touch of Klaus' lips against the nape of her neck as his hands explore her entire body, "However, it's a perfect excuse that my talented hands can be in use for something else."

Lola's breath halts at the back of her through as Klaus spins Lola around to face him properly, his eyes light with tease as he smirks, "Close your eyes."

She narrows her eyes at him, "Is this a new kind of foreplay or something?" Klaus steps back slightly as he looks at Lola unimpressed making her scoff before closing her eyes, "Fine."

"Hold your hands out."

"Seriously?" Lola scoffs, her eyes remain shut as her shoulders slump, "I'm not falling for that again." 

Klaus takes Lola's hands and holds them out himself before he rests something against the palm of her hands. Lola frowns not knowing what is it, "What the-" She opens her eyes, looking down at the bunch of daisies tied with string in her hands. Lola's smile beams as she looks over to Klaus, "What are these for?"

"One hundred and twenty years ago we stood exactly where we are now, neither of us being our usual stubborn selves and admitted how we've felt all along. However, months prior to that I remember how you told me why you love daisies so much and how they make you feel closer to your aunt." Klaus takes the daisies out of Lola's hands, placing them on the coffee table beside them. He wears a warm smile as he takes hold of Lola's hands, "You said she would always find a way to help you through dark times and I have made this promise to you before but I'm going to say it again. I am going to be by your side until the end of time, if you let me, and neither of us will ever have to be alone through dark times again. I love you."

"I love you." Lola presses her lips against Klaus' before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in a hug before laughing softly, "You're making me feel crappy I didn't remember what date today is."

"Nonsense." Klaus pulls away from the hug, his hands run through Lola's long honey coloured hair as he smirks, "Whether it was that date today or not, I will always find a reason to spoil my wife-to-be."

Lola mimics the same smirk as she wraps her arms around Klaus' waist, pulling him closer to her, "I love how you say that."

Klaus leans closer to Lola, his lips practically hover over hers as his eyes gleam with mischief, "My wife."

Lola's smile radiates, goosebumps rush through her body as Klaus buries his head into the nape of her neck, leaving a trail of kisses against her skin. She squeals as Klaus lifts her up in a bridal carry, as though she is as light as a feather. He lowers her onto their bed before towering over her and colliding his lips with hers in an electrifying, heated kiss.

Shivers go up Klaus' spine as he feels Lola's touch against his torso as she rolls his shirt up before pulling it over his head and throwing it onto the floor. They both wear the same eager grin before crashing their lips against each other's once more. Klaus rips the top of Lola's dress before latching his lips against her chest, moving upwards to her collarbone and neck, eventually landing against her rapid pulse. Her back arches up towards Klaus' body as she feels his hand slowly moving upwards in her inner thigh. 

She can feel Klaus smirk against her skin before he slowly raises his head, smirking down at her, "Use your words, sweetheart." His voice is low with a dominate tone, "What do you want?"

Lola rolls her hips, pushing herself further into Klaus touch before she threads a finger through Klaus' belt loop and pulls him even closer, "You." Klaus' heart rate increases as Lola's hand slowly moves down his lower body, she smirks as she brushes her lips over his, "All of you."

—✤—

Lola sits at her vanity, clasping a hair clip around her locks, leaving two small strands to naturally fall down the sides of her face. She looks through the mirror towards Klaus walking out of the bathroom as he puts a shirt on, "I've been thinking about something."

Klaus smirks as he stands beside Lola, his hands rest against her shoulders as he lowers himself to look at her through the mirror, "If you are wanting to do all of that again, I'll happily oblige."

"Not that." Lola playfully rolls her eyes as she pushes Klaus away from her. She turns in her seat to face him, "With us being her parents, it will be inevitable that she will get into some sort of trouble at least once or twice." Lola's hand rests against her growing bump, "But who do you think she'd go to first?"

Klaus shrugs nonchalant, pursing his lips as he sits on the edge of their bed, "Me."

Lola narrows her stare towards him, "You answered that awfully fast."

"With you being her mother, love..." Klaus smirks as he stands from the bed, taking hold of Lola's hands to bring her to a stand, "It's inevitable that whatever trouble she may be in, you'll be by her side right in the middle of it as well."

Lola's mouth gapes open as she scoffs softly, "That's a very bold statement to make."

A low rumbled chuckle escapes Klaus' lips as he closes the gap between him and Lola, "And I will gladly remind you of my bold statement once it comes to life."

"Get out of here." Lola softly pushes Klaus away from her as she laughs. She frowns noticing something in the corner of her eye as Klaus kisses her cheek. Noticing the empty dish on the nightstand, "Hey, have you put my ring somewhere?"

"It's getting resized, remember?" Klaus takes his jacket from the coat rack before smiling over to Lola, "I'll be back shortly."

Lola sits on the edge of the bed as she tries to rethink what has happened since they arrived back from Mystic Falls. Klaus has been teasing her that this pregnancy is making Lola forgetful and yet she swears that she had her engagement ring last night, after it had been resized and remembers putting it in the same dish she does every night. She shakes her head as though she is shaking out the doubts in her mind before grabbing her own jacket and heads out of the compound to see Adrianna.

"Lola," Diego clears his throat behind Lola as she walks through the courtyard. She turns to face him, signalling him to continue. He gestures towards a table in the middle of the courtyard, "They were here for you this morning."

Diego walks out of the courtyard into one of the rooms before Lola walks towards the table, frowning at a bunch of purple flowers laying across it. Her chest starts to feel tight as she notices something tied against the flowers, her engagement ring. Lola picks the flowers up from the table, unwrapping her ring before glancing around to only see two or three others in the other corner within the courtyard. Lola clears her throat, placing her ring back onto her hand and shoves the bunch of flowers into her back and heads straight out of the compound.

A giggly Adrianna and Nate walk out of their bedroom into the living room of their apartment, whispering to each other until they both see Lola sitting on their couch with a tub of ice cream on her lap.

Adrianna's smile beams towards her best friend, "Hey! What are you doing here?"

Nate looks towards her confused, "How did you get in here?"

Lola shrugs before pointing the spoon in her hand towards the front door, "I opened the door with my mind."

Nate's brows shoot up in surprise as he laughs slightly, "Wait, seriously?"

"No, dumbass." Lola rolls her eyes, "Ade gave me a key. Just an FYI, I can easily make your bedroom soundproof." She grimaces towards the loved up pair, giving them a knowing look, "You're both really loud. Scott is five doors down and I bet he could hear you both."

Adrianna blushes slightly as she watches Nate walk down the corridor into the kitchen. She turns back to face Lola slumped on the couch, "Do you want a drink, Lo? Or something to eat that isn't cookie dough ice cream."

"Hey! Check it out." Lola's smile widens as she moves her hands away from the ice cream tub that is now balancing on her stomach, "Cool, huh?"

Adrianna bites her lower lip to conceal her amusement, "Oh, Lo, you need to find a hobby." She tilts her head, smirking towards her best friend, "Wait, hold on. Look at me."

Lola looks over to her, completely oblivious, "Why?"

"Never mind, you have got a hobby." Adrianna chuckles as she sits beside the table, narrowing her teasing stare towards Lola, "You're covered in sex glow."

"Huh, that makes two of us." Lola sighs heavily as she stands up, the ice cream still in her grip as she paces around the room, "These hormones are driving me crazy, Ade. One minute, I want to kill him. But then a minute later I want to rip his clothes straight off his perfect body."

"The sex was that good?"

Lola sighs dramatically as she sits opposite Adrianna at the table, "You have no idea." Lola's cheeks heat up with blush, thinking back to her morning with Klaus. She frowns slightly, grabbing a magazine from the table and begins to fan herself, "Has it just got really hot in here all of a sudden?"

Adrianna's lips form a thin line as she attempts to hold back her laughter, shaking her head she takes the ice cream tub out of Lola's hold, "It's just you, Lo. Because as of right now you're not thinking with your brain..." Adrianna playfully looks Lola up and down, "If you know what I mean."

Lola pushes Adrianna against her shoulder as she scoffs. They look over to Nate walking in with two cups of coffee and placing them onto the dining table. Lola's eyes gleam with excitement as she reaches out for one of the cups before Nate pulls them out of Lola's grasp, "Nope."

She glares over to a smug looking Nate who holds out a bottle of water, waving it in front of Lola's face before placing it in front of her.

Adrianna points towards Lola, not bothering to hide her amused grin, "So, this is the reason why I haven't seen you since you've came back from Mystic Falls? How was it with Damon and Stefan?"

"Just as we expected." Lola leans forward against the table, getting another spoonful of ice cream, "Damon had a meltdown, Stefan sat there speechless."

She then pushes the tub towards where Nate is sitting who takes it from her, "Has the bad feeling gone that you were having before you left?"

Lola scoffs as she leans back in her seat, staring down at her nails, "Living in New Orleans that feeling never completely goes away."

"What's going on with you?" Adrianna's face floods with concern, "That look, are you okay?"

Lola flashes a fake smile as she shakes her head, "I'm totally fine."

Adrianna gives Lola a deadpanned look as her shoulders sink, "Is it possible for pregnancy to make you a bad liar? Because it's happening. Talk to me."

Lola glances down at her bag beside her feet before grimacing towards the pair, "You're gonna think I'm insane."

Nate shrugs as he stares down at the coffee in his hand, "We already do."

Adrianna scoffs before hitting Nate across the side of his head. She turns to fully face Lola, pulling her seat closer, "I'm serious though, Lo. You don't seem yourself right now."

Lola stays silent for a moment, trying to think on how to approach the subject, "I think there is someone from my past screwing with my head from the other side."

"What do you mean?" Adrianna looks confused as Lola pulls out a bunch of purple flowers out of her bag and places them onto the table, "Flowers?"

"They're not just flowers." Lola shakes her head, holding the flowers up, "They're forget me nots. My ring was wrapped around this string and I always leave my ring in the little dish at the side of the bed. Always. Every night. But it wasn't there this morning and when I mentioned it to Klaus he said it was getting resized but it had already been resized and I picked it up the day before and-"

"Sweetie, slow down." Adrianna interrupts Lola's rambling, placing her hand over Lola's as she shrugs, "Maybe Klaus slyly took it from the dish and thought it would be a nice idea to have it against some flowers." Adrianna turns to the side to look where Nate is sitting, "Because flowers are always an option to make the one you love happy."

Nate scoffs as he rolls his eyes before gesturing to the large filled vase on the coffee table, "I literally bought you lilies this morning."

"Whenever Klaus gives me flowers they're either peonies or daisies. It's never any other flower because he knows they're both my favourites. Plus, he gave me a bunch of daisies this morning." Lola scoffs, gesturing towards the flowers on the table, "Why would he give me them but then also leave some ugly ass flowers downstairs in the compound?"

Adrianna shrugs looking towards her with a helpless look in her eyes, "I don't know what you want me to say to you, Lo."

"That you agree someone is screwing with me!"

"Who could possibly think to leave you flowers as a way to screwing with your head?" Adrianna laughs slightly, thinking Lola's conspiracy is ridiculous. Her amused grin slowly leaves her face as she watches Lola sit back in her seat, staring down at the flowers as her eyes widen, "What?" Adrianna's voice makes Lola jump out of her thoughts, the colour has drained from her face as though she's seen a ghost, "What aren't you telling me?"

"I have to go." Lola shoves the flowers back into her back and rushes towards the front door, "I'll explain everything but I need to speak to Klaus. I love you!" As Lola opens the door she jumps back when Scott is already standing in the doorway, "Shit. What the hell, Scott?"

"Woa-" Scott looks at Lola confused before looking past her into Nate and Adrianna's apartment, "What are you doing here?"

"Do I need permission from you to come here?"

"I just thought you'd be at home." Scott pulls his phone out of his back pocket, searching through it, "I got a text from you telling me to bring everyone to the compound immediately."

"I never-" Lola looks into her bag before she mentally slaps herself, "I really need to start remembering my phone."

"You're probably just a bit, you know," Scott whistles, twirling his fingers towards his temple as he grins, "Because of the baby."

Lola raises an unamused brow towards the ripper, "You did not just call me crazy."

Scott's eyes widen, staring at Lola like a deer in headlights. He smiles awkwardly and glances up at the ceiling before back at Lola, "Looking back in hindsight, I wish I didn't because right now you look like you're going to kill me."

Holding her hand up, Lola silences Scott before he begins to panic even more, "Just step aside and don't say anything else."

Scott salutes Lola as he moves to the side of the hallway, allowing her to walk down the corridor, "Yes, ma'am."

"Dude." Nate scoffs, slapping the back of Scott's head as he walks out the door, "Never piss off a pregnant woman."

Adrianna rolls her eyes, closing the apartment door behind herself, "Never piss off Lola."

Lola whips her head around the corner of the hallway, glaring at the trio, "I can hear you, assholes!"

—✤—

Lola leans against the railings of the balcony over looking the courtyard. She watches as the vampires begin to congregate around in little groups. A door shutting behind her makes her jump out of her thoughts, she turns to see an exhausted looking Marcel with a bottle of bourbon in his grasp, "I was going to ask how you were feeling." Marcel stops in his step beside Lola as she gestures to the bottle, "Although, guessing by the half empty bottle of bourbon in your hand I can sorta tell you aren't feeling that great."

Marcel smiles slightly as he shakes his head, "You don't have to be worrying about me, Lo. You've got bigger things to be focusing on."

"But I do worry about you. I care about you, Marcel. I always have." Lola shifts in her spot slightly, glancing down at the groups of vampires before looking back at Marcel, "Listen, I've been looking through my grimoires and might have found something. Nothing on how to bring Davina back fully, yet, but I may be able to find a way to speak to her."

Marcel's eyes brighten with hope as he straightens up his posture, "Really?"

"It's called a séance, I just need something that belonged to Davina and held importance to her." Lola tilts her head slightly watching as Marcel looks away in thought, "Can you think of anything like that?"

"One or two things." Marcel mumbles as he nods faintly, he looks back towards Lola, slightly confused, "You'd really do this?"

"Of course I would." She smiles genuinely towards Marcel, "I didn't know Davina long and didn't exactly have a great relationship with her but I'll do anything I can to help you and her."

"On an average day," Adrianna drawls out as she stands beside Lola, passing a bottle of water towards her, "How often does Klaus do these mysterious meet ups which are more than likely going to end with some kind of dramatic speech?"

Lola sighs as she leans against the railings, looking down at Klaus walking back into the compound, "The limit of dramatic speeches does not exist lately. Here comes the first one of the day." She takes a sharp breath as she stands up straight, hand going straight to the side of her stomach and laughs slightly, "And the first of many summersaults this one is going to attempt."

"Dearest brethren, your attention, please." Klaus' booming voice announces as he steps further into the courtyard, his hand against Thierry's shoulder, "No doubt, you're all surprised to see Thierry Vanchure, who's supposed to be rotting in the Garden for the crime of killing one of our own, and I personally decided to issue him with a pardon. I hope you'll all welcome home Thierry."

Thierry smiles as Diego approaches him and pulls him into a hug, "Welcome home, man."

"You're in a good mood." Marcel gestures towards Klaus who's smug grin hasn't left since he walked in, "You and Lola should take personal days more often."

A hint of a smile graces Klaus' face as he looks up towards the balcony to see Lola wearing a bright smile as Adrianna jumps around in excitement at the feeling of the baby kicking, "Well, as much as we might like to, I have pressing responsibilities here." He turns to address the crowd of vampires, "Now, as you all know, the witch Davina is no longer with us. Without Davina, we can no longer monitor the activity of our witch neighbours. However, since their Harvest failed, their magic will soon be gone forever. Until then, I say we keep them on their toes. Diego, I wonder if you might lead a rousting in the cauldron."

Diego claps his hands together as he grins before turning to face the other vampires to begin their plan. Marcel grabs his bottle and goes to walk away until Klaus stands in front of him, "Marcel, I'd hoped you would join Diego."

"Nah." Marcel breathes out, he glances over to the group of vampires before looking back at Klaus with no emotion, "I'm gonna take a personal day."

Klaus watches on, annoyed, as Marcel walks out of the courtyard which is when Klaus notices Scott and Nate standing in the corner. He snaps his fingers towards them, "You two. Come with me."

Lola sighs as she watches all three of them walk out of the compound, "Ah, shit."

—✤—

Adrianna rolls her eyes as she watches Lola pacing in front of her, chewing on her nail. Adrianna throws the book in her hand onto the sofa before pinching the bridge of her nose, "Oh, please, I beg of you." Lola stops pacing looking at down an annoyed looking Adrianna, "Will you stop worrying?"

"How can I not?" Lola exclaims as she begins to pace once more, "For all we know, Scott's body is at the bottom of the Mississippi and his head has been kicked to Alaska."

Adrianna frowns as she sits up and moves to the edge of the sofa, "Why do you keep on thinking Klaus is going to do something to Scott?"

"Oh, I don't know." Lola laughs sarcastically, pursing her lips, "Maybe because Scott announced that we hooked up right in front of Klaus! Now Klaus thinks he's in love with me."

The confused stare continues to be on Adrianna's face as she shrugs, "But he's not in love with you."

"Yes, I know that!" Lola scoffs as she sits beside her best friend, "Have you ever tried to get an Original to change their mind about something? It's borderline impossible."

"It's not just a trait in Original vampires." Adrianna mumbles under her breath. She flashes a smile over to Lola and clears her throat, "Scott has been acting strange the last few days though. I think he's met someone."

"And you're just telling me this now?" Lola turns to face Adrianna looking intrigued, "Who is it?"

"I have no idea, but he has spent a lot of time in the bar opposite our apartments. Begins with an R, I can't remember."

"Rousseau's?"

Both of their attentions go towards the door where Nate and Scott walk in. Nate smiles towards the pair, "Hey, there you both are."

Lola picks up on the strange expression both men are wearing, "What's going on?"

They both glance to each other before Scott points his thumb over his shoulder, "You should see what we found."

Both Lola and Adrianna follow the men down the stairs into the courtyard where Klaus, Elijah and other vampires are crowded around two desiccated vampires on the floor. Lola hums in thought as she steps closer to them, "Are we decorating early for Halloween?"

Klaus stares down at the two bodies, he's tense looking at a mark he's familiar with from a hundred years ago, "Someone will die for this."

"Remarkably, I don't disagree." Elijah stands up straight after kneeling beside the bodies, "However, I would like to know where they learned such dark magic. I had hoped never to see that symbol again."

Klaus scoffs, "I recall it is the signature of a fool who once stood against us. Clearly, some upstart witch is salvaging old tricks. I'll do for him as I did the other." He turns his attention towards the group of vampires,  "Diego, when night falls, I want you to gather every vampire in the Quarter. Get me the head of whoever did this and put it on a stick."

"Yeah. That's gonna be a problem." Diego looks away sheepish as he glances to the anxious looking vampires behind him, "Everyone is freaked out, man. We haven't had witches killing vampires in a long time. Marcel made sure of that."

"Marcel has run off like a scared child." Klaus grins as he puts his hand against Diego's shoulder, "You lot are left with me. Now, who of you will fight to defend our home?" Klaus looks around to the small group of vampires, none of them coming forward, "Not a single one of you will stand with me, so afraid are you of this new threat? You should know better." Klaus gestures towards Scott and Nate that stand behind him, "I suppose myself and the two yankees will handle this."

—✤—

Elijah sighs heavily as he removes his phone from his ear as his call goes straight to voicemail for the tenth time. He walks over to a grinning Lola, "Has the suit hotline finally blocked your number?"

Elijah shakes his head, staring down at the phone in his hand, "Rebekah is not answering her calls."

Lola's tone turns serious as she nods, "Do you think this papa what's-his-face or a wannabe version of him has done something to her?"

"Frankly, I'm worried that she had something to do with this." Elijah glances around the courtyard when he notices Thierry sitting on his own, "She's very displeased with Niklaus, perhaps even conspiring with others." Both Elijah and Lola walk over to where Thierry is sitting who glances up at the pair, "Thierry, is it?"

Thierry nods, attempting to not look nervous in front of the Original, "That's right." 

Lola steps closer to him, flicking his hat straight off his head making it fall to the floor. Elijah sighs, lowering his head slightly, "Charlotte..."

"I wanted to see what he keeps under that ugly ass hat." Lola shrugs before flashing a condescending grin towards Thierry, "Just a receding hairline, I guess."

A hint of a smile appears as Elijah leans onto the table, "My sister is rather fond of you. Strange, she's not typically drawn to unremarkable men. Would you care to explain your sudden magnetism?"

"I don't know what you're-"

Elijah quickly grows annoyed at the vampire, he cuts Thierry off but grabbing him by the throat and pushing him against the brick wall, "You can either tell me what you know, or I can distribute tiny pieces of you throughout the Quarter."

"She asked me to keep an eye out on witch stuff." Thierry breathes out as he struggles in Elijah's grip, "I found something, and when I showed her, we were jumped by some guy. He desiccated her with his touch."

Elijah jaw tightens as he grows more annoyed towards him, he pushes Thierry further into the wall, "Like a coward, you left her."

"What was I supposed to do?" Thierry spits out, "Fight some warlock that took out an Original?"

"Where was this, exactly?" Lola demands which is greeted by silence. She rolls her eyes before pressing her finger against Thierry's temple. He starts screaming out at the surge of pain seeping through to his brain, "Tell us where Rebekah is or I'll keep going."

"The docks, warehouse 57." Thierry blurts out, he breathes out a relief sigh when Lola pulls away from him, "I was just doing what she asked. You cannot tell Klaus about this."

Lola and Elijah share a knowing glance before Elijah throws Thierry across the room, hitting him against another brick wall which knocks him out immediately. Elijah fixes his suit before he begins to walk away, "I shall take that into consideration."

Lola stands in front of Elijah to stop him from going any further, "I'm coming with you."

"No. Stay here." Elijah gestures towards the courtyard behind Lola, "The compound is safe."

"Rebekah is in trouble." Lola ignores Elijah's demand and starts to walk past him, "I'm going."

Elijah steps back slightly, holding his arm up to stop Lola before giving her a stern look, "You do not leave my side, do you understand?"

Lola wears a smug grin as she nods and continues to walk out, "We should come up with a theme tune or something for whenever we go on a Lola and Elijah adventure."

Elijah looks unimpressed as he holds the door open for Lola, "Are you going to be like this for the rest of the day?"

"Oh, a tagline! Or a nickname." Lola claps her hands together before looking at Elijah with tease in her eyes. She pats Elijah against his chest, "Suit-man."

Elijah remains silent, he holds the door open further for Lola and places his hand on her back to guide her out. Lola holds her hands up as she walks, "Okay, okay, I'm going."

Elijah harshly stops the car outside of the warehouse and the pair quickly get out of the car and rush in. Their eyes widen as they see Rebekah's desiccated body laying in the centre of a salt circle with candles dotted around; marked with Papa Tunde's symbol.

"Rebekah!" Elijah attempts to step into the circle but is blocked by a barrier made by the salt.

Lola stands beside him staring down at the salt, "It's a boundary spell."

"Someone is channeling her." Elijah's tone is panicked, he paces around the circle as his breathing becomes erratic, "Typically, it's a lethal process, but because she's an Original, she can't die. Instead, she's an endless source of power."

Lola steps closer to the circle, holding her hands out, "I know what to do."

Elijah takes hold of Lola's wrist with a light grip, once again wearing a stern look, "You can't possibly think I'm going to let you do what you're about to."

Lola snatches her wrist out of Elijah's grip, "You can't possibly think that I'm going to stand here and let Rebekah stay in this creepy circle for a moment longer." He opens his mouth to say something back but Lola holds her hand up, "Elijah, you can try and argue with a hormonal witch but you will lose."

—✤—

Lola rushes into her and Klaus' room, breathing a sigh of relief before pulling Klaus in a warm embrace, "Are you okay? The guys told me what happened."

Klaus breathes in Lola's scent, instantly feeling more relaxed, "I'm better now you're here, love. You were quite the saviour today." He pulls away from the embrace, a warm smile on his face, "Not only did you save Rebekah but you saved me. Another second longer and Papa Tunde would currently be channelling my power as well."

"Where is he now?"

"We'll find him and end him once more."

Lola smiles softly before stepping behind Klaus and walks towards her bag, "Nik, there's something we need to talk about."

"Nate and Scott," Klaus drawls out causing Lola to turn and face him again as he smiles, "...they're good men. They both done everything in their power to try and help defeat Papa Tunde. They've also both said they're going to join us on our fight." He steps backwards towards the door, holding his hand out, "Which leads me to the next item of business, come with me."

Lola smiles over to where Adrianna, Scott and Nate are standing along with Hayley, "Hey, stranger."

Mumblings of all the vampires surrounding the compound come into play until Klaus leans against the balcony, staring down at them all, "Not long ago, you all united against me. You failed. Since then, in my benevolence, I have wiped the slate clean. Yet, it seems clear you think that I am the one who needs to earn your respect, your loyalty. You're mistaken. It is you who must prove yourselves to me. Our community is under attack. I require soldiers. I need warriors, not cowards." He smiles slightly as he gestures towards the crowds, "Each of you has a decision to make. You either fight alongside me or you leave now."

Chatter starts between all the of vampires until Thierry nods to himself, stepping further into the courtyard and looks up at Klaus with a smug expression, "We don't owe you anything. If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, I'd just as soon get the hell out."

Klaus watches as Thierry walks through the crowd, giving Diego a knowing look in the hopes that he'll join and just Diego faintly shakes his head and doesn't move from his spot. Thierry shakes his head, pushing past Diego as he continues to walk out with a handful of vampires that join him. Most vampires remain within the courtyard, ready to side alongside Klaus.

—✤—

A/N: help why did i think that papa tunde was in more than one episode...

oh well, never mind. bye bye papa boring.

thank you for your patience while i've been away with the fam. i'm back home now and fingers crossed more frequent chapters will be coming!! i never want to have a set day that i upload because it's too much pressure. i don't want to rush chapters out where i'm not 100% happy with them so would rather not stress myself out by sticking to a set date. 

hope you're still liking the story

love, holly x