2010, Mystic Falls
Once again she was a slave to that horrifyingly familiar black horizon, decades passing like minutes before her shaded eyes.
Astrid was in a constant state of confusion, trapped within her own body, wondering how and why Nik had daggered her. It didn't make sense... After everything they'd been through.
The conscious part of her was filled with dread, hoping Mikael hadn't been the one to dagger her before moving his vengeance onto Nik.
Mikael only had one white oak stake and the putrid man had always held a torch of blind hatred for Klaus.
The original father wouldn't have used the white stake on them, he'd dagger them and throw their coffins to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Yet as she continued to actively dread what was happening in the living world, it was all over within a flip of a switch, or a slide of dagger.
It was as if someone had ripped the blindfold off, rescuing her from the depressing darkness she found ever so cold.
Although she didn't have the strength to peel her heavy eyelids open, she could feel the dark veins fading across her body, the colouring returning to her.
She heard the ringing sound of someone carelessly throwing the dagger that had led to her destruction aside as if it was nothing.
When she was finally able to pry her eyes open, she found herself squinting at the intense lighting above her.
The second thing she noticed was how hungry she was, her mouth was drier than any desert, tongue swiping across her bottom lip in an attempt to gather some sort of moisture to soothe the cracks and cuts.
"Well, well. Isn't this a reunion, huh?" An oddly familiar voice purred from beside her. An arm draping over her shoulder as the man, who was certainly not her husband, helped her into a sitting position.
Furrowing her brows together, taking note of how the décor had changed since the twenties, Astrid was surprised to find herself face to face with Damon.
He looked the same, but also different at the same time. It was rather strange.
His hair was shorter, and he was as handsome as he had been back in the twenties, yet it was his eyes and mannerism that unsettled her. The eyes that had once been filled with sorrow seemed cruel, while his entire mannerisms seemed smug and conceited.
"Damon?" Astrid questioned; voice slightly raspy as she took a moment to glance around the room.
Three other coffins were lined up beside her own, all of them with their lids open. It seemed all of the coffins were white, except her own, which was a startling red.
Nodding, Damon helped Astrid down from the coffin, watching with amusement when she stumbled, still unsteady.
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner. It's been a while, huh, hotness. Ninety years. Still regretting being stuck with the hybrid dick?-" Before Astrid could make sense of Damon's words, a hand laid on his shoulder.
Damon rolled his eyes as Elijah appeared behind him. Elijah's hair was much shorter than the last time she'd seen it, but then again, she hadn't seen Elijah since Mikael had come to New Orleans. He was wearing a fancy suit and looked very handsome.
Astrid relaxed at the familiar face, sure, she knew Damon, but not like she knew Elijah. She could trust Elijah.
"Why don't you go and get Astrid and my siblings some more blood bags? I imagine they are feeing rather famished." Elijah questioned Damon, though the expression on the originals face was clear. Damon didn't have a choice in the matter.
Scowling, Damon shrugged off Elijah's grip.
"Yes yes, your highness." He snarked, glancing once more at the blonde before walking away from the two.
Before Elijah could even get any words out, Astrid practically flung herself at him, burying her head in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. "Elijah! You're okay! I missed you."
Though her words were muffled by his suit, Elijah clearly understood as a small smile curved across his lips. He patted her back before she eventually let go.
"I've missed you too, Astrid. I imagine your rather confused, please, follow me and I'll explain everything." Elijah urged, offering an arm to Astrid.
Glancing at the dagger Damon had assumingly thrown aside, Astrid hesitated before nodding, picking up the dagger and holding it in her free hand tightly.
As Elijah lead her through the doors that lead to a sitting room, Astrid was greeted with several faces she had missed dearly.
"If I hear you moan about that cretin doppelganger one more time, I might just dagger myself." Kol complained, rolling his eyes at the ranting blonde beside him.
Kol, Rebekah and even Finn were all sat on the sofas, sipping blood from some sort of plastic bag. Finn was sat stiffly on the sofa, eyes darting around anxiously as he drained the bag before throwing it on a discarded pile.
As Finn began drinking another, the three siblings finally noticed the new arrival Elijah had brought to the room.
"Took you long enough, darling. Not even Bekah was that dramatic waking up from her beauty sleep." Kol teased, sending her a grin, though his posture was oddly tense.
Perhaps he was still concerned she was upset with him after it had been revealed he had secretly been working on a dagger that would work on her husband. Though, it wouldn't be a lie to say Nik didn't deserve it.
If anything, Kol should have been the one upset with her, as she'd left him in a coffin. In one sense, her being daggered was comeuppance for abandoning him and even poor Finn.
Rebekah sent her brother a glare, shoving him the in the shoulder as he snorted.
Unlike the rest of them, Rebekah was wearing some very strange clothing, a dress that was provocatively short and revealing, even more so than Astrid's dress. Astrid assumed this was modern clothing but didn't dwell on the matter.
Sending Astrid a smile, Rebekah stood to pass the blonde a blood bag. "Here, darling. Drink, then I'll explain what happened to you." Rebekah soothed as Elijah left the room without a word.
Rebekah guided Astrid to the sofa with a hand to her back, sitting beside her as the blonde stared down at the blood bag in confusion. Noticing this and having just figuring out himself the easiest way to drain the bag, Kol smirked.
Pulling the bag from her hands, ignoring her yell of protest as the veins beneath her eyes show cased how hungry she truly was, Kol pierced the bag above the blood.
Astrid smiled, thanking Kol before she began draining the bag. Before she knew it, she'd drained eight bags.
Her famished hunger was put to the side as she glanced down at the dagger. She was still clutching it tightly in her hand, tight enough that the sides had managed to scrape the palm of her hand.
Glancing towards Kol, who shrugged in response. Rebekah frowned. "Astrid, before I tell you what happened, I need to let you know we are planning on leaving after we confront Nik, all of us. Finn, Elijah, Me and Kol. We want you to come with us. We know you're for some reason loyal to that obnoxious wanker, but-"
Shaking her head, Astrid sniffled. "I want to come."
Even Kol seemed surprised, arching his brows beside her. "You sure about that, darling? You'd be far away from the love of your life; Niklaus." He snarked, his laughter silenced by the sharp glare Rebekah sent his way.
Finn seemed extremely disinterested on the other sofa, staring into space as if he was lost in his own thoughts. Although she'd never been particularly close to Finn as a human, she felt sorry for him.
He'd detested what they had turned into, hated even. The only time Astrid had ever seen him somewhat happy was when he'd met a red-haired woman named Sage during their time in Italy.
Astrid hadn't been fond of the woman, at all, she found her irritating and brash, Rebekah had shared the same opinion too.
Even when he was a human, Finn had been a sombre individual. Of course, it was understandable, the loss of his wife and child had affected him greatly.
Besides, Finn hadn't deserved to be trapped in that coffin. He'd been kind and his words after Ivar's death had helped more than he or herself at the time had truly recognised.
"I'm certain." Astrid informed Kol, blood beginning to drip from the sharp blade of the dagger.
Nodding, Rebekah rubbed Astrid's back. "Okay, well, let's start from the beginning shall we?"