Cousin, Dearest.

The Return

"It's a beautiful day outside. Streets are packed with tourists. They're drinking beers, they're chasing beads, headed out on the vampire walking tour of New Orleans."

A crowd of witches and vampires alike watched Vincent speak. He was the regent therefore earning their respect attention. Amongst the crowd, Clara and Lucien sat in the front, while she frowned slightly. Lucien didn't seem worried about getting caught but Clara tried to keep her undead heartbeat in check. Lucien glanced over, prepared to whisper comforting words but he shook her head. She was aware of Marcel creeping in the shadows behind them. With all the new vampire lurking around and the dead bodies, his paranoia must be at a high,

"They think it's just a myth. Just part of our city's charm. Well, we know better. Just like we know that there's a storm coming." Vince brought his eyes to her. He knew. Yet he said nothing. Instead jabbing her with his next sentence. "This week marks five years since the fall of the Mikaelsons." My family's downfall, she thought. "Five years of peace. And we paid a high price for that peace. We witches we earned that peace. We snatched back our freedom, we severed our link with our ancestors. To take back our city, we backed Marcel Gerard." She inwardly scoffed and rolled her eyes, earning her an almost unnoticeable look from Vincent. "Now, since then, we fought hard to build this community. And in the next week, as we celebrate our independence, that community will be challenged because every year we get visitors."

Even Clara felt something in the air. Vincent was right; something was coming. It couldn't be Lucien. Marcel was already the tyrant. Niklaus was defeated. Surely her family wouldn't be the downfall of New Orleans. If anything, New Orleans was the downfall of them.

Recently, though, Hayley had reveal that Freya left instructions on how to wake her up early and an idea on how to cure them all. Realizing Lucien was back, and disliking heavily-- but too busy to even consider killing him--, she kept Clara out of the loop to go gather everything.

Though, she'd thankfully let the heretic see her niece every now and then. Maybe she wasn't too bad.

"Vampires from all over the world. They come here, and they want to see firsthand the suffering of Klaus Mikaelson." He, once again, looked straight at her and she understood what he was silently asking. "Now some of those vampires, they're gonna be well-behaved. Others... not so much. You see, out-of-town vampires they don't care about our city. They don't follow our rules. They will instigate trouble. They will attempt to upset our peace and the only way that we're gonna get through that is if we get through that together. Now, this ain't the first time that we faced conflict. Each and every single one of us here has faced their fair share of monsters. I swear, I feel sometimes the city just has evil lurking in the shadows. For a long time, we've managed to keep our monsters buried. And now we've got to make sure that they stay buried."

Thanks, Vincent.

"Otherwise, we will lose everything that we've built... we will lose it, forever."

Once his little sermon was over Marcel, who hid in the back, left. After he was gone Vincent approached her with a not so pleasant smile. "Clara. What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think?" She retorted. "I'm here to see Niklaus."

"Uh huh. And what makes you think he will let you?"

He being Marcel. "I don't know, maybe I'll let my charms do the talking."

Vincent sighed. "You can take off your disguise-" Then he turned to Lucien, "But I recommend keeping his on. Forever."

Clara nodded and grabbed Lucien's arm. "We'll be off, then. I've got to begin dazzling Marcel. I'll see you around."

"Wait, wait, wait. He's requested a meeting with me at Rousseau's. You can come along if you'd like." He emphasized 'you' while cutting his eyes at Lucien, who found it incredibly disrespectful.

"Watch your-"

"Stop." After giving him a scolding glare, she turned back the Vincent and smiled. "I'd love to come along. Lucien, If you would please just go to our hotel room and stay until I get back." Before they exited the building she turned once more towards Lucien, "Please don't cause any trouble."

"I wouldn't dare."

His reply didn't convince Clara or the regent but still they left.

On their way to Rousseau's, Vincent told her that Marcel had removed Papa Tunde's blade from Klaus' chest; Now he just sits in a circle of salt cuffed from his neck to his ankles in the magical chains Lucien had procured over the years. Even if it ripped a new hole in her chest at the thought of him in such a state, she was happy the aw blade wasn't causing him pain.

Hayley was so close to a cure for their family. One girl, the last of the Malraux pack, was the key to her family's salvation. Clara had begged her to tell her when she found the girl the girl, Keelin, so she could be there to greet Freya when she wakes.

More important things to worry about, Clara.

Pushing all unnecessary thoughts aside, She realized they were all Bourbon street already. Not much had changed. Tourists still bustled around the streets, witches still held ghost tours, and sold 'magical' herbs and spells to gullible out-of-towners. But there was something different. The lack of presence of the psychotic ancestors. No more being controlled and no more resurrected ancestors coming to destroy my family. They did not go without a fight. Marcel being the product of their revenge.

"He's not here yet." Vincent said, breaking her train of thought. He looked around the bar, noticeably displeased with the lack of Marcel.

Clara shrugged her shoulders and hid in the back while Vincent complained to Josh about Marcel's tardiness. He then sat in the back where they waited in silence for the great and mighty Upgraded Original to arrive. She listened out with her sensitive hearing

"Vincent. Appreciate you coming..." Marcel stopped when she saw Clara standing beside his regent. "What the hell?"

"I could say the same thing. You're a little late, but I guess you got a city to run." The words were sarcastic and s bit vicious. Even for Vincent.

"Yeah, it'd be a lot easier if I knew the witches were in check." Marcel said, hints of annoyance laced his words and he glared at Clara. "You bring Clara back to town and don't even tell me?"

Vincent smirked and shook his head, "I didn't bring her her back. She came on her own. I guess the word on Klaus Mikaelson are spreading around pretty fast."

"That wasn't the reason I can, I'll admit." Clara said, "But, I was in Miami when I overheard a few vampire talking about Klaus. One of them was to me familiar and I fear he's already here."

"Now, the cauldron will stay in line," Vincent butted in, "Provided you keep the vampires out."

Marcel frowned, displeased, "So why am I hearing about secret conclaves, sigils scribbled on the walls?" He questioned. "Sounds like someone's stirring up trouble."

"Marcel, these out-of-town vampires got you a little bit paranoid, man."

"All right, look, I'm asking you, especially this week, handle your community. Keep them in the cauldron. Find out who's stirring up trouble, and when you do, get 'em to stop." Marcel glanced at Clara, "As far as our out-of-town friends go, if they act up, I'll handle 'em."

"Excellent!" Clara clasped her hands together and smiled a plastic smile. "Now take me to Niklaus."

-