Nothing Dark Can Stay, Either

Chapter 63

Her dreams had been unpleasant.

It was as though her subconscious had decided to plague her with every memory of her time with Klaus.

She saw the good and bad. The pleasant and terrible. Every last kiss and punch she'd thrown at him. The arguments they'd had. The way they'd fallen in to bed afterward to make up for any tension. It had been toxic and she only just seemed to realize it.

She didn't want to think that she made a mistake. She loved Klaus. He could be incredibly good and selfless and kind. But their relationship had always been toxic. Sticking as friends was their best bet. They could still be honest with each other. But once they started getting more intimate, it led to more worries and problems.

She woke up tired and bitter. Shuffling about in annoyance, she went down and ate breakfast before heading for the exit.

"Where are you off to?"

She turned and saw Elijah. "Off to see Vincent," she said simply. "Just to see what we find. Don't feel like staying here."

"I will accompany you," he offered. "Hayley is going to do some investigating, and I believe I would benefit from being away from my brother."

She snorted. "So we're both pissed at him?"

Elijah smirked. "'Pissed,' yes, I like that word. Let us go see how Vincent is doing."

He sped the two of them away to Vincent's apartment. They knocked on the door and soon, the witch opened.

"What do you want now?" Vincent said to Elijah.

"Can we at least pretend to be civilized?" asked the Original.

"We're supposed to be civil? Does Marcel know that? I helped Beatrix because she deserves my help. The rest of you have him trapped in your dungeon."

"Please, invite us in," said Elijah. "We have things to discuss. Marcel will only be detained until we can be sure he is free of this thing's vile influence."

Vincent sighed. "You Mikaelson's, you always find a way to get right back on top, don't you? I bet you've got a plan all figured out."

Elijah nodded. "As a matter of fact, I do. A rather festive one. Let me tell you about it."

Vincent pursed his lips, and looked over at Beatrix, as if deciding that he'd do this, only for her. "Well, if it's gonna help me fight this thing, you're gonna have to know what you're up against. Come in before I change my mind."

"Wonderful," said Beatrix quietly as the two walked in. They found Vincent had pinned maps to the wall, covering them in post-its and red string.

He stepped in front of the maps and beckoned toward them. "Beatrix and I had already discussed how this thing has been haunting the city for a very long time. Before, all we really knew was that this spirit practiced some very dark magic to try to get back into this world. That's why it tried to sacrifice those kids. That's why it tried to do the exact same thing to Marcel and to Klaus. Because if it kills them, if they die, it absorbs all of their power." He pointed over the post its. "This is the history of the city. This is the ebb and flow of violence and tragedy. Look, this is, um, Madame LaLaurie, this is uh, The Axeman. I mean the list goes on and on and on and on and on and sometimes it's hidden, but if you know what you're looking for, right, there's always a sign it's The Hollow. And when it does bubble up, it always do so in a pattern of four."

"Four," murmured Beatrix. "Not exactly the most sacred number in the book. We know that it wants to get back, and it reaches through the desperate to try and gain a foothold. All we know now is that she wants to have me. We're related distantly."