A/N: does the language on wattpad (except for stories) ever just become French for you guys or is it just me? Um literally everyone at work was having a bad day today
January 1, 2013
New Orleans, Louisiana
A Dress Shop
Poppy stood on a marble platform, staring at herself in the mirror as a tailor adjusted the white dress she wore; a dress with a sheer top and small flowers, with a flowing skirt, also decorated with flowers.
On her face was a small frown. Yes, she was getting ready for her wedding, but she had been doing it alone for her part. Her mother was dead, Hayley was preparing for her own wedding with Jackson (for the purpose of passing on her ability to turn at will to her pack), and Rebekah was missing. Her grandmother was wicked, so she was out of the picture. Despite the circumstances, she kept her tears at bay.
"Usually people are happy going wedding dress shopping." A voice spoke from directly behind her, unable to be seen from the mirror. "Especially if you're Caroline."
Poppy turned around to see Miss Elena Gilbert, and she smiled. "Elena!" She exclaimed, shooing the tailor away just as they finished, and she stepped off of the platform.
Elena smiled, walking to her and hugging her tightly. Poppy smiled, closing her eyes.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
"Hayley's wedding works in our favor. Newly-empowered and ruled by her, the wolves will be an asset to our family." Klaus spoke into the phone, holding a knife in his other hand, cutting up limes at the bar room.
"Yes, assuming you're willing to trust Jackson with our secrecy. I must confess, brother- I'm a little surprised to find that you do." Elijah sounded on the other end
"Well, my faith in Jackson is a means to an end." His brother said. "If I had simply killed him, Hayley would have turned against me." He held up the knife and gestured with it, as if Elijah could see him. "You should have seen the ferocity with which she defended him. It was impressive. That said, I don't take the matter of secrets lightly. Once the wedding takes place and the wolves are forever altered, well, Jackson's fate becomes a little less certain." He smiled, hanging up and setting down his phone, then set down his knife and left the bar room just as his daughter and her friends entered the courtyard. He smiled. "Poppy!"
Poppy smiled, carrying a dress, which was in a bag, in her arms. She looked at Elena, Caroline, and Davina, who all carried their own dress bags, with their bridesmaid dresses. "You guys can bring those to your rooms, Davina-"
"I'll take your dress to my old room." Davina said, smiling and taking the dress from her arms. "And, I will show Caroline and Elena to their rooms."
Poppy smiled more. "Thank you!" She said as the three walked to the third floor rooms. She turned to her dad, who smiled, and the pair turned around to see a woman enter, someone unfamiliar. She had curly dark hair, she was thin, and she had beautiful brown skin. Poppy backed up to stand next to Klaus,mane they both appeared confused.
"Hello, Nik," The woman smiled, stopping. "Poppy. I don't suppose you imagined that 'always and forever' would lead us to this?" She asked, and Klaus gaped in shock, but then he smiled.
"Rebekah."
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows, then held a look of remembrance. Esther had put Rebekah in a new body, one other than Cami. She smiled.
Rebekah Gave them a laugh. "You absolutely will not believe the week I've had."
New Orleans, Louisiana
Lenore's Store
The store was lit not by the lights inside, but by the light from outside. In a chair, Marcel was tied down, unconscious. Across from him stood Finncent, who seemed bored as he held a small knife. He watched as Marcel woke up.
"Good. You're awake." Finn stated before holding up a finger. "Now, just one more question."
Marcel blinked a few times. "Okay. Let my guys go free, and I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know." He said, knowing his vampires were still in the back.
The Mikaelson only laughed. "How selfless! But, we've already established that you don't know anything of any consequence. However, it's a common belief among the werewolves that you were, in fact, the last person to see Niklaus' child alive. You were in possession of the baby's corpse. So, tell me-how exactly did the baby die?" He asked, and he watched as Marcel thought, but didn't answer. Finn wasn't surprised by answer. "Yeah, you don't remember? You don't remember because you were compelled to forget. Why would Niklaus compel away the truth from the vampire he thinks of as his adopted son? What...besides a desire to protect his own daughter?"
Marcel's eyes widened and he sighed, realizing that he had just gotten Hope into danger. Finn, on the other hand, seemed joyful that he had figured out his brother's grand secret.
"She's still alive, which means that Poppy is Klaus's biological daughter also...you and your vampires are going to help me find the baby."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Poppy stood in her bedroom, looking through one of the grimoires to a page with a compound protection spell. She grabbed a pencil, adding a bit to it before walking into the lounge near her room, where her dad and aunt stood, looking at a painting of Rebekah's original self. She walked to the center of the room, followed by Elena, who was curious.
"That is just not my chin, Poppy. It was much more delicate." Rebekah said, staring at the painting.
Poppy looked at the painting before back at her grimoire. "You look fine, Bex."
"The only delicate thing about you, sister, is your ego." Klaus said, and his sister turned to him a sarcastic smirk.
Rebekah smiled more. "Well, placed next to the behemoth size of yours, certainly!" She shot back, and the pair laughed.
Rolling her eyes, but with a smile, Poppy handed her grimoire to Elena and walked to the wall, placing her hands on it.
"Could we dispense with this fascinating dispute for just a moment and return to the subject of our supposed long-lost sister?" Elijah asked from Klaus's phone, which was sitting on the table on speaker.
Poppy looked at Elena, motioning for her to be quiet. She didn't want Elijah to hear her, he'd be reminded of Tatia, who he had killed. Elena nodded, and Poppy turned back to the wall, muttering a spell.
Rebekah sighed. "There's not much to discuss, Elijah. She said she was Freya, and then she darted off into the night."
Poppy stopped the spell, looking at Rebekah. "Freya?"
"And you believed her?"
"Well, I met the girl in a mystical loony-bin. She could be anyone telling any lie." Rebekah said. "But, she did seem... familiar, somehow."
Her niece frowned, confused and nervous before turning back to the wall and continuing the spell.
"Then how is she still alive?" Klaus asked, clearly frustrated. He then rolled his eyes and walked to Elena, taking the grimoire and looking through it. Elena gave him an awkward small smile. "A question, as ridiculous as its possible solutions, given this family's annoying predilection for cheating death."
His sister shrugged. "I dunno, Nik, I'm just telling you what she said!
"Well, did you happen to ask, if by some similar miracle, our aunt Dahlia lives as well?" Klaus asked.
"I barely had a chance to process-"
Klaus interrupted. "Because on the list of obvious questions, it would be nice to know if the woman who placed a curse on the first-borns of this family is still breathing air."
"Well, let me just turn back time and do it again to your liking, then!" Rebekah exclaimed.
"Guys," Poppy backed away from the wall, finished with the spell. "I'm pretty the Dahlia that's been following me is not some ghost version of her. What do you think I've been doing all autumn?"
"Enough!" Elijah spoke. "All three of you. If she is who she says, we'll find out soon enough. For now, it remains imperative that no one learns of Hope's existence. This has been our salvation thus far."
"Unless Hayley's husband-to-be starts flapping his gums." He smiled. "Perhaps I should take preventative measures and separate him from his head?" He asked, closing the grimoire.
"Jackson will do nothing to jeopardize that wedding." His brother groaned.
Rebekah gasped. "Hayley's getting married?!" And Poppy and Klaus both smiled at her. "Well, what in hell else did I miss?"
"My marriage is tomorrow." Poppy said, smiling. "But you already knew that." She took the grimoire from her dad. "I'm going for a jog with Elena, I'll see you guys later." She said, walking out of the lounge room and to her own.
"We're going for a jog?" Elena asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Yup." The Mikaelson told her, tossing her a pair of jeggings and a long sleeve shirt. "Get dressed."
New Orleans, Louisiana
A Trail Along the River
The air was cold against their faces as the Gilbert and the Mikaelson jogged together along the river, their steps in sync with each other. Poppy pointed to a loft that could be seen from where they were.
"Over there is Algiers. My brother and his vampires live in that loft." She told Elena, who looked and nodded.
"So..do you all live in really big places?" She asked Poppy.
Poppy smirked. "Pretty much," she said. "What's been going on in Mystic Falls?"
Elena shrugged, looking at the trail ahead of them. "A lot. There's this place called the Prison World, where Damon was when the Other Side collapsed. It was created to hold this guy named Kai Parker, who's a siphon, he takes magic because he doesn't have his own, it's weird. His coven, his family, does this merging ritual where the twins compete against each other and whoever is weaker, dies. So, Kai ended up doing it with his brother Luke instead of his twin Jo, who Alaric likes, and Luke died.."
Poppy furrowed her eyebrows. "You don't mean Luke, as in the witch twin?"
"That's exactly who I mean."
"Wow." The tribrid remarked. "Is it just Mystic Falls and New Orleans that gets all of the drama?" She asked.
"I think so." Elena smirked, which then fell. "How are you doing? With everything that's going on.."
Her friend let out a sigh. "I'm terrified, but I just have to get through this week."
"And next week?"
"I'll get through that week too, and the week after that.."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
Klaus grabbed a statue off of the mantel and broke it with frustration. "This family makes me want to murder people!" He exclaimed before watching as Kol entered the room.
Now, Kol didn't seem like his regular self. He seemed tired, anxious. But to his siblings it went by unnoticed.
"I see my timing is as impeccable as usual." He said.
Klaus held his arms out. "Well, the traitor just thinks he can waltz in here like he's welcome!"
Rebekah scowled. Kol had been the one to put her in a witch asylum for a week. "As gracious as your apology better be, you're still getting one hell of a slap!" She lunged at him, but he backed up and held up a hand.
"Wait! Wait. I understand the irony of what I'm about to say, but I came here because I need your help." Kol told them, speaking quickly and nervously, and it resulted in a laugh from his brother, and more rage from his sister.
"Figure out how to do your wicked little body-swap, and then we can talk about help!"
Kol looked at Klaus. "Look, you don't understand, Nik. Finn has locked me in this body-no more jumping. He's put a curse on me, Nik. I am dying."
His brother raised his eyebrows, amuse, not believing it for a second. He looked at Rebekah, who didn't seem amused like Klaus, and simply folded her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
The younger brother scoffed, hurt by their reactions. "You don't believe me."
Klaus smirked. "Well, you're hardly the champion of truth-telling."
"Of course, why would a brother expect his siblings to leap to his aid?" Kol asked.
Klaus gave him a scoff. "Oh, spare me the pity party, Kol! Your recent actions merit a certain allowance for disbelief."
"Look, I know what I've done!" Kol raised his voice and turned to Rebekah, who stood behind him. "But, I won't apologize for trying to pull one over on you, Bex. You deserved it! But I don't deserve to die! Certainly not at the hands of my own family!" He was forced to face Klaus as he was spun around by his arm.
His brother was no longer amused. "What kind of con are you playing?"
"The kind I hate the most...the truth."
Rebekah frowned, now becoming worried. "He's not lying. Even as a boy, Kol never lied once called out on the act. He may play dirty pool, but he's not lying."
Klaus turned away and began to pace.
"Nik, I was helping Marcel for Davina. Finn has got him, he's trying to get a secret out of him, something he thinks Marcel knows about you." Kol said, then watched as Rebekah and Klaus shared scared looks with each other. "He's right, isn't he?"
"Marcel doesn't know anything about anything."
"Well, if I were you, I'd hope that that's true, because believe me. Finn has the means to get it out of him."
New Orleans, Louisiana
St. Louis Bell Tower
At a table in the bell tower sat Finn, who drank a bit of tea and looked at the blonde woman who sat across from him, another witch, and quite pretty. She had came to him not too long ago that day, and she had proven to him her identity.
Freya Mikaelson.
"I'm here because of a spell Dahlia cast, placing me in a deep sleep for a century, only to then wake for a single year of life." Freya said. "I've repeated this cycle for hundreds of years. It started as a way for us to stay young and beautiful. She said if a witch can't be immortal, this was the next best thing. But, in time, I realized that all her stories were paired with lies."
Finn frowned, looking at his older sister. "The way you're speaking of her... You're saying that Dahlia is still alive?"
She sipped her tea. "She doesn't just live. She hunts. I fled from her long ago, and I've been running ever since. To Dahlia, any act of betrayal is punishable by death." She leaned forward when Finn pinched the bridge of his nose with anxiety. "Dahlia is my cross to bear. She has no grudge against anyone but me."
"Did she ever speak to you about the curse she placed on this family? The one that says she can take the first-born of every generation?" Finn asked her.
Freya nodded. "Yes. But why should that concern you? When Niklaus's daughter was little I gave her a necklace to hide her from Dahlia, and to lighten her mood swings. There are no other children for Dahlia to take, our siblings are vampires."
"Niklaus. The hybrid. He had another daughter."
Freya sat back, shocked, and she brought her fingers to the blue pendant she wore on a necklace. "Where is she?" She asked.
Her brother seemed to panic. "He has her hidden! Our mother filled my head with the terror of what would happen to all of us if that child had lived, and I've been searching for her, but she's been impossible to find! It's not just that, but there are two children for her to take!"
His sister set down her mug calmly. "Nothing is impossible to find, Finn! As powerful as you are... I found you." Reaching into her pocket, she took out a few rune tiles. "I'll need wormwood and rippleweed and a few other items."
Finn watched with curiosity and interest as she picked up a caterpillar off of the table and watched it crawl on her fingers.
"I've come to understand a hard lesson in our time apart." she closed her fist, killing the caterpillar. "You have to let some things die so that others might live." Opening her hand, she revealed a beautiful butterfly. "Find the baby, I'll deal with the oldest."
New Orleans, Louisiana
In the Streets
Poppy jogged, her straightened pony tail swinging back and forth behind her, as did Elena's. She stared at the sidewalk ahead.
"This is Bourbon Street." She told Elena. "Foot traffic only, lots of parties." Her voice was normal, even though music was playing in the streets, but they were vampires, and they could hear each other.
Elena nodded. "Is it this loud all the time?" She inquired.
Poppy thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yup." She smiled when a familiar jogger joined them, and she knew immediately by his scent and pace that it was her fiancé. "Hey, you." She greeted, nudging him as the three jogged.
Elena waved at him. "Hey,"
"Hey, ladies." Silas smiled. "What have you been up to all day?"
"We were shopping, then I spelled the compound so only wanted people can come in, and then we've been jogging." Poppy said. "How about you?"
"Well, I've been preparing for my part of the wedding with Stefan and Damon, Caroline joined us to make sure we don't screw up,"
Elena laughed. "Sounds like Caroline."
The tribrid nodded. "I'm in good hands. Where's Damon at right now?"
Silas stopped jogging, and so the girls did also. "He's at Rousseau's, getting a celebratory drink-which reminds me why I'm here. He wants to know if you want to join us."
Poppy looked at Elena and smiled, then back at Silas. "I'm sure I can stop by and say hello."
New Orleans, Louisiana
Rousseau's
Poppy opened the door and stepped inside, smiling widely when she saw the backs of her brothers, more specifically Damon's.
"Damon Salvatore!" She exclaimed, unable to hold in her excited. She watched as Damon stood up from his seat and turned around with a smile.
He held out his arms for a hug. "Poppy Salvatore-Mikaelson, get over here, sister."
His little sister laughed and rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly, taking in his scent, which she hadn't smelled since May. She missed his leather jacket, his warmth, his voice. She missed him.
"I missed you so much.." She whispered.
"I missed you too, baby." Damon kissed the top of her head.
Poppy pulled away, smiling, her hands on the sides of his arms. She looked into his brilliant icey eyes. "I can't believe you're here..and you're real.." She looked back at Stefan, who had his back turned to her, sipping his drink. She frowned. "He doesn't want to see me.."
Her brother let out a sigh. "He does..he just feels guilty. He raised you, Pops, then he broke your heart."
"Don't remind me." She bit her lip. "I think I'm going to show Elena the Bayou. Tell Caroline that tonight we're having a slumber party."
"Will do."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Bayou
"How is Hayley doing?" Elena asked, scrunching her nose as she trudged through bushes.
The two were surrounded by trees and wildlife. Birds sang and squirrels chased each other. Poppy smiled, feeling at home, but in that smile was sadness..grief. In those woods, Ansel had died for Hope's cause, but unwillingly. He wanted to a be a part of the family, and in a way to Poppy, he was.
"She's doing well." She replied. "Do you think I should start calling her 'mom'?"
Elena looked at her. "If it feels right to you, and if it makes you happy. It's good that you see her that way."
The pair shared a smile and they reached the Cresent Wolf Encampment. Outside of the shack, Jackson was wrestling with a few little kids, who laughed and pulled at his arms and legs, trying to tackle him. Jackson laughed, happy and in a playful mood.
Poppy smirked, watching them play, and began to wonder if she and Sklas would have any kids in future. It was a happy thought. She made her way down the hill a bit just as Hayley emerged from the shack, a smile on her face as she watched the kids wrestle with the man she was going to marry.
"Oh, ho ho ho!" Jackson nearly fell over, and laughed.
"Hey, that's mine!" One of the little boys exclaimed. "Go to the water!"
"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Another boy yelled, and the kids rushed towards the lake, laughing.
Staying behind was a little girl, who kept tugging on him. With a smile, Jackson picked her up, swinging her around. He put her down when he saw Hayley, Poppy, and Elena, and he watched as she ran off to the others.
"Two of my favorite amazing women." Jackson smiled, wrapping an arm around Poppy's neck when she walked to his side, and he ruffled her hair.
Elena smiled, standing next to Hayley.
Hayley laughed. "Looks like I've got some competition!"
"Unfortunately for Daisy, I am a one-woman kind of guy." The werewolf laughed.
"The meeting's taking place at Mary's..who by the way is marrying you and Silas." She told the both of them.
Hayley's fiancé nodded. "'Kay."
The hybrid looked around, sensing a presence. "You go ahead! I'll be right there."
Jackson gave her a smile and gave her hand a squeeze before she whooshed away. He fluffed up Poppy's hair one more time. He moved his arm and looked at Jackson.
"My name's Jackson." He greeted, holding his hand out to shake Elena's. "I'm Poppy's favorite werewolf."
Elena smiled and shook his hand. "Elena."
He looked at Poppy, who was fixing her hair. "You sticking around?"
"I'm gonna show Elena around for a bit then I'll be on my way, but I'll definitely see you tomorrow."
Jackson smiled. "Of course."
A bit later, Poppy and Elena were walking down the back roads of the Bayou, smiling and laughing with each other about memories and future plans. They were having a good day, but like a typical good day in New Orleans, something just had to happen.
It started with a black van, which stood still with no driver in the middle of the road. Poppy glanced at Elena, confused as she walked towards the back. Slowly, she opened up the doors, bringing light into the Canmore revealing a group of Marcel's vampires, including Gia. They were waking up, confused.
"Gia?" Poppy asked.
Gia looked at her before jumping out of the back. "Where the hell are we?"
"The Bayou. G, what's going on?" Poppy stepped back to give the other vampires room.
"I'm super hungry, like, starving." One of the vampires said.
"There's blood back at the loft." Poppy told them. "Just get there safely and you should be fine."
"Poppy, you need to leave," Gia told her. "You and you're friend. You're fresh blood."
Poppy frowned and looked at Elena. "Go to the compound, I'll be right behind you."
Elena shook her head. "And leave you alone?"
"Elena. Go, I'll be right behind you." Poppy told her, more stern, and Elena nodded slowly, whooshing away. She looked back at Gia. "G, I can't let you go anywhere. Get back in the van, and I'll get you back to the loft."
The vampires stepped closer to her, causing her to step back. "I'm sorry," Gia said. "We have to, we're hungry."
Poppy gasped as a vampire lunged at her, and she shoved them to the ground, kicking another one as they advanced. Gia bared her teeth.
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound
When Elena reached the compound, it was nighttime, the stars and moon shining in the dark sky. She stopped running in the courtyard, taking deep breaths.
"Hello?!" She yelled, worried for Poppy, who she had left behind.
Klaus walked to the balcony, followed by Rebekah. "What's wrong?" He asked.
Elena looked up at him. "It's Poppy, she took on a group of vampires alone in the Bayou. She sent me here."
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Back Roads
The night was beautiful. The air was cold against her skin, and a few snowflakes fell from the sky and onto her eyelashes. And though the night was indeed beautiful, and she had a lot to look forward to, Poppy was in a lot of pain. Laying on the ground, she had a broken spine, her neck had been torn into, and her neck and chest was covered in blood, which was warm and a dark color. Her arms were also bitten into. She was tired, but unable to sleep due to the pain. She just wished someone would find her, and someone did. Just not someone she expected.
A woman knelt down next to her, brushing the hairs away from Poppy's lips. "It'll be okay," she said softly, her voice gentle and kind. "I can't take away all the pain, only some." The woman placed her hand on Poppy's cheek, and she felt some relief. "There's a rescue party heading this way. I think your dad compelled paramedics to help."
Poppy looked at her, instantly recognizing her. She was the witch from the Christmas party, the one who gave her the necklace. She opened her mouth the speak, but she couldn't find her voice.
"You've met me before.." The witch said. "Where's your necklace?" She asked, seeing that Poppy wasn't wearing it. And still, Poppy was unable to speak. "No matter, I'll make you a new one." She smiled a bit. "You've grown up so much. I can't wait to be your aunt."
Poppy watched as the witch stood up and walked away, leaving her in the cold, bleeding out. As closed her eyes and mouth, she slowly forgot where she was, and watch she was doing. She felt numb and as if she was floating. And just before she drifted away into the comfortable darkness, Poppy heard a vehicle pull up with sirens, and a helicopter could be heard from above. She could see a distant light beneath her eyelids, not knowing there was a spotlight on her.
"Miss, can you hear me?" A voice asked.
The tribrid made a small noise, her fingers twitching.
"Can you speak? Can you tell me your name?"
"Poppy....Mikaelson...." Poppy forced out, barely able to use her voice.
"We're going to help you, okay, Poppy? Everything's going to be all right, sweetie pie." The voice, as far as Poppy could tell, belonged to a woman with a southern accent. "Can you open your eyes?"
The answer was 'possibly'. Poppy found it hard to gather the willpower to open her eyes, but somehow, she did. Directly above her was a bright light, shining down on her and the area she was in. Next to her knelt a woman, who appeared to be a paramedic. Poppy turned her attention to her body, which was bloodied. She was laying on the ground, and another paramedic was dressing her wounds. It was odd, though. Poppy couldn't feel a thing.
"Good girl," the woman gave her a smile. "Look at me, okay?"
Poppy looked back at the woman.
"You're going to be okay. One of my coworkers is calling your dad right now. Does it hurt to speak?"
"..no.." She replied weakly. "..just...hard..." She closed her eyes, her eyelids heavy. She began to drift once more, the light becoming dim, dimmer, then gone.