𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓
﹙ 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆, 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 ﹚
࿐ ࿔ ✧˖*°
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Rory wakes up to a bone-chilling shiver running up her spine. She peels her eyes open slowly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness of her shared bedroom. The weight of Klaus' chest against her back tells her that the hybrid is still asleep according to his steady breaths, his arm wrapped securely around her waist and his head tucked into the crook of her neck.
There's a feeling of uneasiness that spawns in her chest, one that she can't ignore. There's a lump forming in her throat, and she forces herself to swallow it down. Her mouth feels dry and like she just swallowed cotton.
She slowly tugs Klaus' arm from around her, lifting it up to push herself into a sitting position on the bed. She takes the pillow from behind her head to rest it in her place, letting the older male's arm curl around the pillow instead. She lowers herself to grab Klaus' discarded shirt off the floor, pulling it over her head as she stands up.
She pauses at the mirror, seeing a shadow poised behind her. There's a certain...aura around it, like dark smoke. Rory turns over her shoulder to see if it was really there, only to find the spot empty. She turns back to the mirror, seeing it gone as well. She rubs at her eyes, shaking her head as she tucks a hair behind her ear.
You're seeing things.
She makes her way out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her quietly as she exits out into the hallway.
She massages the bridge of her nose as she makes her way down towards the kitchen, only for the sound of heels clicking against the floor to fill her ears. Her eyebrows pull together in slight confusion, thinking that it could be Rebekah—but the sound comes from behind her; upstairs.
Rory turns around to face the imposter, her breath stuttering as she realises that it's not Rebekah.
"Katherine?" Rory whispers in an incredulous manner.
The vampire's lips upturn into a smirk, one that is identical to her own. Rory knows that Katherine is dead, knows more than anybody, but she looks so real. Her hair is curled down to her waist, skin-tight jeans and a leather jacket slung over her shoulders. She still has her daylight bracelet on despite Rory knowing she was human before she died...but how is she here if she's dead?
"Hi, baby Rory," Katherine teases as she saunters towards her. She stops right in front of Rory—halfway down the staircase, holding onto the bannister. Rory's eyes flicker to her hand; she's real. Her hands look like flesh and it's not decayed, and she isn't a corpse—Katherine is here. "Did you miss me?"
"How are you..." Rory stammers as she looks up at Katherine. "How are you here right now? You're dead—Stefan—"
"—Killed me? I know," Katherine shrugs one of her shoulders, cocking her head to the side, and it's so Katherine that Rory doesn't think for a second that this could be a figment of her imagination. "But does anyone really stay dead, Rory?"
Rory clenches her jaw as Katherine trails a hand over her chest, walking around her. Katherine reminds Rory of a vulture circling its prey, her prying brown eyes digging into the flesh of Rory's face.
"You're not real," Rory whispers.
"Am I not?" Katherine's voice takes a mocking tone as her lips brush Rory's ear. "Does this feel fake to you, Rory?" Katherine inquires, her hand wrapping around Rory's upper arm. No. "How about this?"
Katherine's free hand pierces through Rory's back, jamming itself through Rory's ribcage to grab onto her heart. Katherine releases Rory's forearm to cover her mouth, silencing any screams that Rory ached to let out as she feels Katherine's fingers tighten around her. Blood spews from between her lips as Katherine twists the vital organ in her hand, as if mocking Rory.
"You know as much as I do that nobody really dies in your life," Katherine whispers. "Remember Frederick? You killed his wife to punish him...only for her to come back as a vampire," Rory's eyes skew shut at Katherine's words. "And then you killed her. Again. And then you killed Frederick."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
new orleans, three years ago.
Rory's heels click against the marble floors of the Davilla estate, Jasper trailing behind her in silence. There's a grimness that settles over the two of them as she opens a familiar door at the end of the hallway, pushing it inwards. It reveals a long way of stairs, as well as the pungent smell of blood filling her nostrils. Rory clenches her jaw as she feels the veins begin to grow under her skin, but slowly breathes inwards in an attempt to calm herself.
Her fists curl at her sides, her fingernails digging into her palm. A few drops of blood bubble to the surface of her skin as the veins subside under her skin, Rory starting to walk down the staircase. Jasper closes the door behind her, ensuring that nobody else follows after them.
Rory rounds the corner, and her eyes come in contact with a brown-haired, green-eyed male. Frederick Wilson. 680 years old, a loyal member of the Strix, and a devoted member to Rory's cause. Well, at least he used to be.
Frederick's shoulders are being held against the chair by two other vampires—each 800 years old respectively—to keep him from escaping. A gash is open on Frederick's cheek, not healing due to the amount of vervain being slowly injected into his veins.
Rory takes a seat across from him, Jasper crossing his arms over his chest as the two of them regard Frederick.
"You know why you're here, don't you?" Rory inquires.
One of the vampires reach forward to rip the duct tape off his mouth, Frederick's lips twisting into a scowl.
"I couldn't disobey Marcel."
Rory's lips twitch. "You've been disobeying Marcel for about...two and a half years now, give or take," Rory shrugs. "What makes this time different?"
"The difference is that he threatened my wife. And I'm going to be honest, Rory—you're nice, and I like being your friend, but my life ain't worth it just because you want to save some slut half-breed," Frederick sneers. "If I didn't put a stake through Hayley Marshall's heart, Marcel would have both mine and Annalise's."
"Marcel threatened your wife?" Rory questions curiously. Frederick nods, pressing his lips together. "Well, I have your wife."
Frederick's eyes widen as Jasper pushes away from his space stood next to Rory, stalking towards the other end of the room. He pulls off a sheet from the floor, revealing Annalise Wilson, half-conscious. She's been chloroformed and only now is regaining her consciousness. Jasper grabs her by the wrists, dragging her towards Rory and dropping her by Rory's feet.
Frederick's heart hammers against his chest. He's heard all about Rory Gilbert—he's heard about her kind heart and inability to be vengeful. That was one of the reasons he decided that he'd join her—perhaps she'd grant him mercy in case he screws up under Marcel's thumb; everyone knows that Marcel listens to her. What he didn't expect is just how serious Rory is when it comes to ensuring Hayley Marshall's safety.
"You won't hurt her," Frederick attempts to lurch forward, but the two vampires tighten their grip on either one of his shoulders, keeping him pinned.
Rory lifts her arm, holding out a hand. Jasper pulls out a gun from his back pocket, placing it in Rory's grip. The brunette undoes the safety, pointing it in the direction of Annalise's temple.
"You really think so?" Rory asks, lifting an eyebrow.
"Rory, please."
"I asked you for one thing. I've asked all of you for only one thing," Rory snaps. "That if you ever see Hayley Marshall and you've received a kill order, you turn the other way."
"There's no way Marcel would've believed me, Rory! I'm six times Hayley's age!" Frederick sputters.
"And she's a hybrid. One bite from her and it would kill you," Rory sneers. "There are no excuses, little Freddy. You swore that you'd be loyal to me and you turned your back on me. You got Hayley hurt."
"What do you care about her anyway?!" Frederick cries hysterically. "She's just some wolf—she has a kid with your fiancé, for god sakes! Get her out of the picture would be doing you a favour—"
Frederick's sentence is cut off as Rory pulls the trigger into Annalise's chest. The human jolts as the bullet enters her heart, barely able to scream as the vital organ stops beating. Frederick lets out a torturous scream, attempting to wriggle free from his restraints.
"Fuck you!" Frederick spits, kicking his feet out. "Fuck you, you nasty little bitch! I'll kill you!" Frederick shouts.
Rory stands up from her seat, discarding the gun. She steps over Annalise's body, crouching in front of Frederick as she meets his gaze. "Tell me where you last saw Hayley Marshall."
"As if I'm going to tell you anything," Frederick sneers. "I'm going to blow the whistle on this entire thing, I swear it. As soon as I leave, I'm telling Marcel everything. You won't be able to spread your legs for some fake loyalty anymore, you cunt."
"You want the opportunity to walk out of here, Frederick? You want the opportunity to blow the whistle on everything?" Rory cocks her head, examining him. "I'll let you. All you have to do is tell me where Hayley Marshall is. Because let me tell you something—I don't care if you tell Marcel. I have him wrapped around my little finger—if anything, he'll probably turn the other cheek. I have every single member of the Strix eating out of the palm of my hands, and they would testify for me in a heartbeat. They worship me. And you? You would be executed for your disloyalty, for lying on my name."
Frederick's chin quivers in anger, his gaze burning holes into Rory's own. He peels his lips back and spits directly in Rory's face, causing the brunette to stand up in surprise. Jasper immediately replaces Rory's place, punching the older male directly across the cheek.
Rory wipes the saliva off her cheek, a soft sound of disgust leaving her mouth. Jasper sends hit after hit against Frederick's face, the rings on his finger opening wounds on his skin with every swing.
"Stop," Rory demands. Jasper pauses, his fist still curled around Frederick's shirt collar. Rory turns to face him, lightly pushing Jasper aside. "That wasn't very nice."
"You think I care?" Frederick laughs, spitting out a mouthful of blood at Rory's feet. "Annalise isn't dead. You really think I wouldn't give her vampire blood? As long as she's alive, I don't care what happens to me! So you can hurt me all you want, but you wouldn't kill her. You can't. Because you're just a little girl, you don't have the guts. Tristan brought you to the Strix because you were nothing but a pretty face; a whore. There's nothing special about you, Rory. You wouldn't do it, you don't have the nerve!"
Rory turns her head, pursing her lips together. She looks down at Annalise, seeing that her wound had stopped bleeding. She runs her tongue over her teeth, nodding at Frederick's words.
"You make a good point," Rory says as she stalks towards Annalise's body. She crouches over the young woman, placing a hand over her forehead. "Tristan did bring me here because I was nothing but a pretty face. And maybe I am unremarkable, but you're wrong about one thing: I'm not a little girl anymore."
Rory plunges her hand through Annalise's chest, gripping her heart in her hand. Frederick's face pales as Rory slowly pulls the organ out of her, desiccation creeping up the woman's arms and legs. Frederick starts to trash in his seat once more, screaming out as Rory holds Annalise's heart in her hand.
Rory tosses the organ aside, licking her fingers clean. Jasper hands her a handkerchief, letting her wipe her fingers on the piece of cloth.
"I'll ask you again—where did you last see Hayley Marshall?" Rory asks, coming to a stop in front of him.
"Burn in hell," Frederick spits.
Rory lets out a soft sigh as she pulls a stake out of Jasper's crossbow. "Thank you for that, Frederick." she says, before plunging the wooden stake through his heart, silencing anymore of his comments.
Desiccation creeps up his arms and legs, the two vampires releasing him. His body falls forward onto the floor, landing at Annalise's feet. Rory licks her lips as she walks towards the staircase, Jasper trailing after her in silence.
"Burn the bodies," Rory calls as she walks up the stairs. "Tell Marcel that they decided to leave the Strix and start a farm out in Utah."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
present day.
Rory blinks the tears that gather at her lash line at the memory that fills her head. "I did what I had to do to protect Hayley," the brunette's words are muffled against Katherine's palm, but they're legible enough for the vampire to hear.
"Really?" Katherine asks in mock fascination. "So you don't think that you...enjoyed having all that power, hm? You didn't enjoy having people at your beck and call, listening to your every word? Face it, Rory—this family has ruined you, just like they did to me. You've become a sadist. Frederick's not your only victim, isn't he? Oh, there are countless. And your poor, clueless fiancé has no idea of the monster you've become in the name of the Mikaelsons. In the name of protecting precious little Hayley."
Katherine twists a piece of the wooden bannister off, ripping her hand out of Rory's chest. It's quickly replaced by the makeshift stake through the stomach, Rory gasping out in pain as her hand falls weakly over the open wound.
"You're just like me now," Katherine cocks her head as she walks in front of Rory. "Maybe even worse. Everybody thinks you're still sweet, pure little Rory, not knowing just what she had to do to survive five years alone in the city. You let the power get to your head, little me, and you love it. You love having people worship at your altar, you loved knowing that every single time a Strix member went out there in search for Hayley, they weren't really searching; they were disobeying Marcel's orders for you. Picture-perfect little Rory, not so picture-perfect anymore."
Katherine forces Rory onto her knees in front of her, meeting her gaze head on.
"You're not even real," Rory spits out. "You're dead. You know how I know that? Because I forced the cure into your mouth and left you behind. And then your ex-boyfriend stabbed you in the back; the very ex-boyfriend that calls himself my friend. The only question is how the hell you're here."
Katherine's eyes flash electric blue, making Rory flinch back in surprise. Katherine pushes the stake deeper through Rory's abdomen, the younger doppelganger letting out a cough as blood begins to pour out of her mouth.
"When are you going to realise that this family has done nothing for you, Rory? Hm? That what they've done in years of knowing you is just drag you further and further into the darkness? You've lost family members, you've lost friends; you've lost yourself. Everything was fine before Klaus came along, you were fine," Katherine grips Rory's shoulder in her hand tightly. "You could've had a family, you were a human, you could've been a filmmaker. But instead you have a daughter that isn't even your own and people that don't even realise how fucked up you've really become."
"Rory?" Klaus' voice suddenly sounds from the top of the staircase. Katherine immediately disappears before Rory's eyes, only empty space in front of her. Klaus descends the stairs, crouching in front of her in concern. "Rory, what happened?"
Rory looks down at her stomach, finding that the stake was still lodged through her stomach. She looks down at her hands, finding that they were stained red. Katherine was never here; she did this to herself. Rory looks up at Klaus, meeting his worried gaze.
"I think there's something really, really wrong," Rory responds through gritted teeth.
All Klaus can respond with is a look of grimness, realising that perhaps Rory was not far off.
/. ₓ˚.✧ ━━━
"Tell me what happened again?" Freya inquires as Rory stands across from her, arms crossed over her chest. Klaus stands by her closely, his chest almost pressed against her back in an overprotective manner. The hybrid hadn't left her side since he found Rory sprawled over the staircase, a stake through her abdomen.
"I, um...I woke up in the middle of the night feeling this heaviness in my chest," Rory scratches the bridge of her nose, hugging herself with her arms. "I thought I saw a shadow in the mirror, but there was nothing there when I turned around. And when I went into the hallway, I saw...I saw Katherine."
"And this is Katherine Pierce? One of your ancestors?" Freya questions. Rory nods. "And she's supposedly dead?"
"Not supposedly, Freya. She is," Klaus interjects.
Freya sighs. "Klaus has been seeing things too, but his hallucinations are not out of the ordinary—he actually encountered the Hollow. You were at the compound the entire time. Furthermore, I actually managed to banish the thing."
"You said this thing could be attracted to Hope. I was with her for most of the night. Maybe...maybe, I don't know, the thing managed to survive?" Rory asks.
"That's unlikely. Klaus, you made sure to stop yourself from killing Marcel as the Hollow demanded?" Freya turns to face her brother.
"Yes, Freya, I'm sure. But let's just try to take extra precautions; if it could infect Rory without her even coming into contact with the spirit, then we don't know how far its power really goes," Klaus responds, placing a hand over Rory's shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being too cautious."
Freya nods with hesitance, opening her hands for Rory to slip hers into her grip. Freya closes her eyes, attempting to find the magical signature within the brunette.
"I can't feel anything," Freya murmurs.
"What?" Rory frowns.
"I mean there isn't a magical signature. Whatever it is, it's gone," Freya releases Rory's hands. "It's just like Klaus; as soon as I banished it with the magical powder, all traces of the Hollow disappeared."
"But..."
"Listen, Rory. If you have anymore visions, make sure to tell me," Freya reassures, placing a hand on Rory's arm. "But for now, I can't purify something that isn't there."
Freya pats Rory's shoulder as she walks away, closing the door behind her. Rory frowns at the space Freya once stood, her hand curling around the edge of the desk. She runs a hand through her hair as Klaus sighs beside her.
"Are you feeling alright, though?" he questions in concern.
"I'm fine. I just..." Rory tilts her head back, looking at the ceiling. She lowers her gaze to meet Klaus'. "Maybe...maybe Freya's right. Maybe there wasn't anything there in the first place. Maybe it's just...maybe it's just my guilty conscience."
"For what?" Klaus frowns. "Rory, I've told you many times, what happened to me isn't your fault—"
"Not just about that," Rory interjects. "Could you...could you sit down?"
Klaus spares her another hesitant glance before he takes her orders in stride, lowering himself onto the loveseat across from Rory. Rory wrings her fingers in her grip, starting to pace in front of him.
"Okay, so...I don't want to make any excuses for myself, because I know that what I did was wrong," Rory begins, turning to face her fiancé.
"Quite a frightening start," Klaus comments.
Rory's lips twitch. "Um, I don't know about that...but..." Rory trails off. "I just...I had to do some things to make sure that things were under my control while I was in New Orleans and to make sure nothing happened to Hayley or Hope, or to any of you; I had to make sure that Marcel was under my thumb and that nothing would screw up."
"Rory..." Klaus trails off in concern.
"I...killed people," Rory confesses as her shoulders slump. "I killed a lot of people to make sure they wouldn't betray me, and Marcel wouldn't find out. And I killed a lot of their significant others and various members of their family to make sure I meant business, and...and I tortured them, and, um..." Rory places her fingers against her lips as they begin to quiver. "Um, I didn't...feel bad about it?" she laughs a little, just because it's fucking ridiculous. "I just...I didn't want Hayley to get hurt, and um..."
Klaus stands up from his place, immediately enveloping Rory into a hug. Rory's sentence trails off as he hugs her head against his chest, pressing his lips over the crown over her head.
"It's okay," Klaus says, rubbing her back in a reassuring manner. "Rory, you don't have to explain yourself to me. In fact, I'm the last person to pass judgment, especially in the name of family," Klaus pulls away to cup Rory's face in his hands. "I've wondered for so long how you've managed to keep your cool within the city all on your own, but I suppose I have my answer now. My fiancée is a very powerful woman."
Rory lets out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "You don't...you don't think differently of me, do you?" she whispers. "I'm not...I'm not ruined?"
"Oh, Rory," Klaus strokes a thumb over the top of her cheekbone. "There are plenty of words to describe the enigma of the woman you are, but ruined is not one of them," he says quietly. "Is that what Katerina was trying to tell you?"
Rory nods in response. "Yeah. I don't know, it was just...I don't even know if it was the Hollow or my guilty conscience at this point."
Klaus kisses Rory's forehead, pulling her against his chest once more. "There's nothing to feel guilty for, my love," he says as he rests his chin against the top of her head. "You've always done whatever it takes to save the ones that you love. I think our family is forever in your debt."
Unbeknownst to the two of them, Hope Mikaelson stands at the doorway of the study, steadily listening into their conversation. An odd feeling spreads over her chest, cold and icy.
As soon as I banished it with the magical powder, all traces of the Hollow disappeared.
A/N: well, y'all didn't think rory's life in new
orleans was going to be easy did you? c'mon.
sorry this chapter was more a filler than anything,
but i had fun writing it. i hope you guys don't
mind the lack of much canon action in this, but
this episode in particular was a little hard to write
especially with the less-than-descriptive transcripts
so i just chose not to do it.
let me know what you guys think! comment and
vote for more. love ya. <3