Ghost Busting

The years bled on as we traveled the world. Evelyn eventually decided that she wanted to go back into researching diseases and I gave her control over a lab in Switzerland. She mainly focused on disease prevention and finding cures to the many incurable illnesses in the world. Amelie went back to New York to finish her schooling and eventually opened a psychiatric clinic in the upper east side. Freya and I gave her our blessing. Freya was the last to leave. She wanted to find covens that had lost their regents and gather them all under one banner, hers. 

They came to visit me once in a while, often to update me on their progress and to reconnect. It didn't bother me much that they were so far away, I knew they could take care of themselves. I did grow bored however and after nearly several decades of traveling the world I decided to go back to Mystic Falls. I packed my bags and checked the date on my phone. It was April 20, 2009, just a few weeks before the Vampire Magnets parents would die in the car accident. 

I wondered if things had changed and juggled the idea of saving them so that Elena wouldn't be such a self sacrificing. I finished packing my bags and called the pilot to my private jet. 

"Is the plane ready?"

"Fueled and ready to take off once you get here Mr. Williamson." 

"Good, I'm on my way. ETA about ten minutes." 

I hung up the call and put my phone back into my coat pocket. I had visited Mystic Falls over the years mostly to check up on my estate and keep it up to date, the town had remained mostly the same. It had been about four years since my last visit. My mansion had been one of a handful of houses that still stood since the town's founding. The Salvatore property was another, and so was Lockwood manor. 

"Freya, are you done we're leaving soon." 

"Telling me to hurry up in another way isn't going to make packing this suitcase any faster." 

I helped her zip up the suitcase just as our driver came into the room to pick up the bags. Freya had come home to go visit Mystic Falls with me. We were currently in my property in France. We got into the car and I looked at her. Over half a century together and her beauty still captivated me. Amelie and Evelyn had visited beforehand but chose not to come with to Mystic Falls. If nothing had changed and the town was still in for a shit storm then they did so wisely. Freya had failed to find covens willing to abandon their traditions to follow her. She had decided that sticking with me would be the best way to get some entertainment. 

We boarded the plane and waited for it to take off. A steward offered us drinks and I took a glass of whiskey. 

"Do you think Niklaus go free?"

"It's been over forty years, Finn has been keeping a close eye on him. Why do you ask?" 

"I had a dream, he broke free and was causing havoc. I've never had a dream like this before. It felt almost prophetic." 

"Well once we get back state side we can go check on Finn and the rest of your family." 

Freya nodded and leaned back on her seat taking a deep breath. I sipped my drink as I looked out the window. The jet began to taxi the runway and I couldn't help but to think back. I had been in this world for over a thousand years now. I have watched technologies rise and fall. It felt strange being back in modern times after being stuck in the past for so long. It was one of the few perks of immortality in a sense. I get to claim that I was there to watch the first anything become a reality. Be it phones, planes, cars, and even guns. It was funny knowing that I predated firearms. Freya let out a sigh of content in her nap. I smiled and walked over to give her a soft kiss. 

We had been together for longer than most couples lived. Our relationship had its ups and downs, same with Amelie and Evelyn. But when you lived forever you pretty much had to sort things out or you'd have an enemy who would follow you to the ends of the world. Not that we ever got to the point that we wanted to kill each other. 

I pulled out my phone and checked my calendar, aside from a few meetings I had an open lifestyle. The decades have done my companies good. Williamson bank was one of the first to develop credit cards, my farm had been able to out pace famine due to cross breeding before it became an issue. I was one of the wealthiest people on the planet and I laughed internally at that. I had been a broke college student until I opened a cursed book in a bookstore in the middle of New Orleans. Now I was a thousand year old vampire with enough money to live thousands of years without lifting a finger. It didn't change anything, I still lived like any other human. Except for a few luxuries. Such as the jet I was on, a fleet of personal chauffeurs, and several dozen homes all across the world so that I'd never have to go to another hotel. 

Hours later we landed in New Orleans to make a quick stop. The plane refueled and Freya and I made our way to the compound. Finn and Kol greeted us at the gate. 

"Sister, Seth. What brings you over to New Orleans today?"

"Finn, when was the last time you checked on Niklaus?" 

"Why? The wards are still in place, I doubt he could have gotten out without any help." 

"Freya love, I'll go check with the witches. I want to see if they've still got a firm grasp on Dahlia or if we may have another problem arise in the future." 

"Take care then." 

I give her a kiss on her lips and nod to Finn and Kol before taking off into the sky with a sonic boom. My power's strengthened over the years. My telekinesis nearly quadrupled. Flight was effortless already but with the boost in strength I could easily achieve Mach speeds. I flew over to the witches coven and landed gently outside the gothic home. Young witches ran outside immediately ready to defend their house when an aging woman stepped out of the double doors. 

"Seth Williamson. To what do we owe the pleasure of a primordial being." 

"Josephine LaRue, I'm not a primordial being, I'm just a simple man with a few questions." 

"You've been on this word longer than the original family. I can feel it on you. I can also feel the runes that predate known magic etched into your bones. That kind of runic magic is ancient, lost to even us witches and our ancestors." 

'Well it was a gift from Morgana Le Fay, so there's no doubt it's old.' 

"I'm only here with a question regarding the prisoner I handed over decades ago. A Dahlia Hagen, sister to Esther Mikaelson. What has become of her?"

There were whispers among the gathering crowd. Some looked at me in fear, others in shock. I had started to levitate as a precautionary move just in case they decided to attack as a whole. 

"She has been moved to the Dowager Fauline Cottage." 

I flew back up into the air without another word, the name of that cottage sounded familiar but something I hadn't heard before. I decided to return to Freya to check on her progress. Landing outside the compound I walked inside just as Freya came running out with Finn and Kol. I sighed,

"Let me guess, Klaus broke free?" 

"A while ago it seems." 

"Finn, how often did you check on Niklaus?" 

"Not as often as I should have it seems." 

"It doesn't matter, we'll capture him again should he cause trouble." Freya looked at me, "What? It's not like I can't just freeze him on the spot. As long as he stays out of our way we won't interfere with whatever he's doing."

"That seems like it'll invite more trouble than it's worth."

"Trust me Finn I know exactly what your brother is capable of. Now do any of you know where the Fauline Cottage is?"

Freya stopped pacing and looked at me in shock. 

"Where did you hear that name?" 

"What is it love?" 

"That- That's where I was planning on hiding my enchanted coffin before I met you. It's an asylum for mentally unfit witches." 

"Well Regent LaRue has informed me that they have transferred Dahlia there. Will it be an issue?"

"Unless she can get help from the deranged witches, no it won't be." 

"Well let's go check just in case, I'm not letting both Klaus and Dahlia run amok in this city."

"Finn, do you think you can take Kol and take a look around the city? Marcel and Rebekah should be somewhere around the quarter."

"Not a problem dear sister." 

I turned to Freya, worry visible on her face. I took her hand and kissed her knuckles. 

"It'll be okay, just cause Klaus escaped doesn't mean it's the end." 

"No but it would mean that he'd come after us. He's the type to hold a grudge."

"And I'll stop him if he does." 

"What about Amelie and Evelyn? You won't be there to defend them." 

"They've got security around them 24/7 and they've each got a white oak stake." 

A decade ago I decided to cultivate a white oak tree in my Venetian estate. The massive tree grew surprisingly fast, reaching thirty feet in a mere three years. I never told anyone what it was but I had wooden bullets carved from its branches. You just never knew if you'd need them. As Finn and Kol did reconnaissance on the city Freya and I made our way to the asylum. The overgrown hedge obscured the property. Strange symbols were carved onto the wrought iron gates. Freya took a hesitating step forward. 

"Relax, you're a vampire. The wards won't affect you anymore." 

"Can't help but to still worry a bit." She looks at me with a small smile.

I held out my hand and she took it. Together we made our way to the dilapidated house. The doors swung open the second we stood at the steps leading to the entrance. Sharing a look we stepped into the home and the doors shut behind us. 

An uneasy air settled in around us, for an asylum supposedly filled with dangerous witches the place was eerily quiet. Nothing moved, not so much as a creaky plank of wood. 

"Freya, something is wrong here." 

"The magic, it feels dead."

"What do you mean? The air is thick with it."

"And it's dead, it feels cold. Lifeless and stagnant, if Dahlia is here we need to find her fast." 

We decided to split up, I took the upstairs rooms and Freya stayed at ground level. I went room to room searching for any sign of the ancient witch. I felt powerful wards trying to affect me but they were kept at bay by the runes carved into my bones. As I checked the final room and made my way back into the hall whispers began to echo in the house. I felt warmth radiate from my core and I spun around sensing a presence behind me. 

There a white clothed woman stood, and I felt my instincts tell me that she was dangerous. Her white dress was stained a dark brown from what smelled like dried blood. Her hands and feet were turning blue from decay. She looked up at me and I felt disgust as I observed her face. Her checks were sunken in and her eyes were rotted out. An unearthly scream tore from her boney mouth and I was thrown from my feet into a wall. I cursed, somehow her magic had affected me. I attempted  to use my power but the apparition shrugged it off like it was nothing. I was sent through another wall and down the stairs. 

Grunting in pain I yanked free the large wooden splinter that had tore through my gut. The wound healed and I spun looking for the specter just as Freya came crashing into me from another room. I helped her up and she glared at the direction she had come from. 

"My magic won't affect it." 

"Neither do my power, it can also cast spells on me." 

Glass began to float around us and Freya looked at me. 

"That's not me, I'm not doing that." 

The glass shot towards us and I barely raised a shield on time as Freya and I were pelted with shards of broken glass. I shot the glas back outward tearing into the wood in the room we were in. Another scream brought our attention to the back corner where the apparition had returned. It raised its hand and sent a chandelier flying at us. Freya used her magic to deflect the projectile into a wall. An idea sprung up in my mind. 

"Freya, distract it for a bit. I think I can beat that thing back to wherever it came from." 

"What are you planning?" 

"Just get me a minute, I need to grab something." 

She turned back to the apparition and started clinging objects from the room at it. The objects passed right through the apparition without much harm. I ran to a window and extended my hand reaching out with my power. There was a screech of metal being torn as a large iron bar from the gate flew through the window and into my hand. 

"Freya duck now!" 

She saw the spear-like bar in my hand and immediately dropped to the ground. Using my power I shattered the iron bar and sent the shards flying into the apparition. The ghostly being screamed before exploding into bright lights and smoke. I helped Freya up and she glared at me. 

"What the hell was that?" 

"I think that was a ghost." 

"And how do you know how to beat ghosts?" 

"It'll take too long to explain, and I used Iron. Apparently they're weak against it." 

"You bet our safety on a hunch?"

"Well it was more than just a hunch?" 

"You're lucky it worked, come on. Dahlia escaped." 

"How do you know?"

"The other witches, I found their bodies piled in another room in various states of decay. Dahlia has a way of leaching your magic from you and I know what her victims look like." 

"So she killed everyone and escaped?" 

"Unfortunately." 

"We should have just killed her." 

"We couldn't remember? We need my mothers blood which we do not have because Klaus has her body hidden where only he knows where it is."

"Let's just get back to Finn so we can warn them about Dahlia escaping as well." 

"The great news just keeps piling up today doesn't it?"

"We'll get her Freya, trust me. We'll get Dahlia and make sure she never dies what she did to you to anyone else." 

We got back to the compound to find the rest of the siblings gathered with Rebekah and Marcel sharing a drink. 

"What's the news?"

"Dahlia is gone too." 

"Damn, we'll need to double security around the compound. Marcel, have your day walkers keep a lookout for our aunt. I'll go with everyone else to search for my dear older brother." 

"Kol, don't go after Nik alone." 

"Bex I don't have much of a choice, in case you haven't noticed. Niklaus isn't one to let go of grudges." 

"Rebekah is right Kol." 

"Lijah you spent the most time with our dear brother, where do you think he's hiding?"

"I don't know, ever since he let our dear Aunt Dahlia use me as a vampire battery he hasn't been very forthcoming with details on his plans." 

"Sister, what are we to do moving forward?" 

"Finn, everyone here will be safe. I will erect a ward around the compound that will prevent Niklaus from stepping foot inside without being let in. Our aunt Dahlia may be able to break it but I doubt she will be out in the open if she knows that we have the means to kill her." 

"And what are we to do? Sit around with our heads up our own asses?"

"As entertaining as that would be, no Rebekah you don't. I have a feeling that I know exactly where and what Klaus is up to."

"And what is that?"

"He'll be headed to Mystic Falls, I believe a little vampire doppelgänger is there with the moonstone and he wishes to break the curse on him." 

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Let's just say that I have a reliable enough source." 

"That does sound like Nik, he'll still be trying to lift that curse after all these years. It's all he's ever wanted, and he'll need a witch to do it. Who wants to bet that dear old aunt Dahlia will be there willing to help in exchange for his help in taking all of us out." 

"There is no doubt about that. Freya and I are headed there within the week. If any of you wish to follow you must maintain a low profile. The town council is still very aware of the vampire population as well as how to dispatch a vampire." 

"Fine by me, when do we leave?"