Cadiz, Spain - 1702

Cadiz, Spain - 1702

Horse neighs. The stomping of their feet dug through the ground as they ran on a small hill, away

from the small town being burned to the ground. In the distance, a mansion.

They enter the estate and are greeted with blood on the walls and bodies scattered around, their

necks bitten and drained of blood.

Elijah sighs exasperatedly, removing his hat. Niklaus doing the same. "All of my efforts to keep

this family concealed," He places his hat on top of a corpse, "And yet debauchery like this has

led Father to us."

"Kol, show yourself!" Niklaus calls out to the perpetrator.

Elijah, "This is no time for games."

Kol shows himself on the other side of the room, biting on a woman's neck before dropping her

on the ground, drained of blood.

"Come, come, brother. There's always times for games." Kol jokes, grabbing a tin mug off the

floor and drinking out of it.

"We must leave," Elijah orders no room for persuasion. "Mikael is very nearly upon us."

Kol sits down and places his feet on top of a table. "If Mikael were upon us, I imagine Niklaus

would be quite dead."

"I barely escaped. Father left the head of my horse on a pike in the town square." Niklaus said.

Kol feigns sadness. "He killed poor Theo? What a beast…But then, Father has always hated you

most." Hearing those words, Niklaus breathes deeply to stop himself from the jab. "Surely, He'll

chase you if you flee, leaving me here. Perhaps I'll make myself mayor."

"Rebekah and Finn have already gone to the ship," Elijah informed. "It is imperative we remain

together," Niklaus added.

At that, Kol snaps and stands up, raising his voice. "Rebekah does what she's told because she

fears Nik, and Finn is in no position to argue, given the dagger in his heart." Kol stares at

Niklaus. "I'll take my chances here."

Kol smiles, thinking he has won, but when he turns to leave, he steps back when Elijah blocks

his path. He turns back to Niklaus, who slowly approaches him.

"I find it amusing that you think you have a choice." With that, Niklaus prepares to stab him with

a dagger.

Kol is able to hold the hand back, but Elijah keeps him in place and his arm is slowly being

easily overpowered by Niklaus. "No. I swear to you, the day will come when I am not easily

subdued, and on that day, I will make you suffer." Kol swore, glaring daggers at Niklaus.

Niklaus remains unphased by his threat, "perhaps, but today is not that day." And with that,

Niklaus buries the dagger in Kol's heart. No killing him, but subduing him and having him stay

in a comatose state.

With Kol now temporarily dead, the two merely dragged his body to the boat and left the burning

town. And on top of the hill, as the ship goes farther, a woman in black, hidden in her parasol

watches them go.

"Wouldn't you normally at least be in the same room as him, or one of his siblings?" A man

asked the woman with the parasol.

She huffs in annoyance, walking past him, "I see no need to be in his presence."

More than a hundred years have passed.

It was now 1820 and the siblings now reside in New Orleans. The drunken fool of a governor hid

away all the sibling's vampire sins in exchange for gold.

Rebekah strides in all her glory. She looks to the side to see Niklaus flirting with twins and

buttering them with sweet nothings. Bringing them deeper into the house and far away from the

guests.

The governor had prepared a lavish party as if to impress Niklaus. Rebekah, herself, had found

herself a short moment of affection with the governor's son; Emil.

Emil smiles, kissing her hand before her lips. Rebekah stares in love with the man in front of her.

And even Rebekah remembers during this time, Elijah had been happy. Well, as happy as they

would love to believe. It was more close to distraction.

Elijah smothers a woman's lips and cheeks. She hummed in satisfaction, looking to the side to

see the two corpses of the twins.

"Your brother, it's gone too far." She commented.

Elijah stops and turns to see Niklaus sucking the last twin's drain of blood from her wrist.

"Niklaus, there's no hope for you, is there?" Niklaus merely bites down harder.

Rebekah joins in with Emil. "Are we interrupting?"

Niklaus, "Yes."

Elijah, "No."

Rebekah turns to Elijah in excitement, "Dearest Elijah, you've only ever wished happiness for

me." She starts, then holds Emil's hand. "Emil and I are in love. Please let me turn him."

Niklaus laughs. Finding amusement in seeing one of her sister's "antics" once more when it

comes to love.

"Rebekah, the governor has graciously hidden a lot of our…" Elijah pauses before glancing at

the two corpses., "...indiscretions. It would not do to turn his only son into one of us."

Rebekah doesn't give up and pleads, "Please, for me. You know yourself how this feels."

Niklaus cuts in, "It's not gonna happen. Sister. If we turned every man, you dropped your

knickers for then human beings would cease to exist and we'd have no bloody food."

Hearing such words towards their own family and to the person he feels affection to, Emil steps

forward. "How dare you, sir! You would do well to-ACK!"

Emil struggles at Niklaus's hold on to his neck and starts dragging him somewhere.

Both Elijah and Rebekah plead for him to stop, with Rebekah being the loudest.

They continue to plead with a man who knows no sympathy. Niklaus throws Emil over the top of

a balcony. Emil dies on impact. Rebekah cries while Elijah holds her close.

Not long after they hide away the body and create an elaborate story of what happened to the

governor's son, they meet a young black boy, being whipped.

To Elijah and Rebekah's disbelief, Niklaus is the one to step in and kill the whipper and take the

body under his care. The boy wasn't given a name, so Niklaus gave him something fitting;

Marcellus. Meaning: "Little warrior".

Back with Stolas. It had been a while since she had last seen Elijah or any of his siblings. Having

decided to distract herself with her astronomy and her grimoire.

Going to the farthest depths of the universe, watching asteroids collide with each other.

Her mind wanders over to the oldest sibling; Elijah. She remembers how her sudden infatuation

with the vampire shocked her.

But, it doesn't matter to her then. After a while, that infatuation blossomed into something more

and she found herself buried deep. No longer able to crawl out of the ditch.

Stolas can't have such feelings. All were too sudden. But she later learned to accept this. No

longer thinking much of it.

Stolas felt love but also the pain of having one. Elijah doesn't hide it. He clearly shows his

distance from the demoness. No silly words would sway him and he priorities something more.

But to see him fall in love willingly to another was a knife to her chest.

It was hard to say if they ever became something more, but it has already been 100 years since

then, and in that time, Stolas has kept away from him.

Stolas sighs softly, looking at the vast space around her. Mumbling to herself, "I merely wished,

you would look my way…" Stolas closed her eyes, her brows furrowed. The pain of unrequited

love was truly a horrid emotion to experience.

With Elijah, he merely brushed off the lack of demoness following them, and in those first few

years, he finally felt he could breathe easily.

But after a while, that 'while' being a hundred years, his mind would start to wonder about her

and her lack of presence. Elijah would remember those long years they'd seen each other and

how the demoness would try to get close

He slowly starts to miss her. They weren't close. Far from it, he made sure to keep his distance.

Now he wished he would've opened up a little.

"I've never seen you so down, brother." Niklaus enters the room, Elijah lowering the book he

barely read.

"What do you mean, brother?" Elijah asked.

"I meant is, you can't fool a man who has his heart crushed," Niklaus said, bluntly. "I know that

look. Is the person you miss a…demon?"

Elijah avoids the question, huffing in amusement. "I expect this talk to be not with you and more

with Rebekah."

Niklaus smirks, resting her arms on the chair Elijah sits on. "I still remember her pouting over

me throwing her boy toy off the edge."

Elijah scoffs, remembering having to hide the body, "You threw the man she loved to his death in

front of her eyes, what did you expect?"

"I expected her to understand she can't fall to every man who compliments her knickers and

have them turn to one of us. She was foolish." Niklaus rants.

Though he understands, Elijah still tells him off, "The problem is you don't see her point. Both

of you do."

"Then listen to this one as it is rather good." Niklaus said, standing straight, "Find her. And tell

her what you feel. I don't care what you both will decide on."

"I question why you aren't this lenient with Rebekah?" Elijah mused.

"We still need our meals, dear brother." Niklaus just before leaving the room.

Which is why, Elijah wonders how he is at her estate so quickly and suddenly. He stares at the

front gate dumbfounded.

Inside, Stolas berates her father for not minding his own business.

A servant comes out and instructs him to come inside. Elijah hesitates but winters, the gate

slowly but loudly closing behind him.

"The Young Lady and Master will join you shortly." The little imp informs before scurrying off.

Elijah looks around the room before sitting in a red loveseat. The fire in the fireplace crackles as

he waits.

After a while, the door opens and the beautiful lady Stolas enters with, what he presumes, is the

father.

Elijah stands and bows. "Greetings, it is an honor."

Stolas urges him to stand while her father gives a small nod of acknowledgment, "Greetings. I

hope the journey wasn't too slow." The father said, sitting on the chair across from Elijah.

"No, it was rather quick," Elijah said. It wasn't a lie though, the one who announced the

invitation used a crystal portal.

"Good," Her father nodded.

"I apologize for the inconvenience." Stolas cuts in.

Elijah stares, now just realizing how he missed her voice, "No. I'm glad."

Stolas nods, looking down in fear he might look at her with indifference.

The father sees this and sighs in annoyance. Kids. They love to dance around the bushes.

So he clears his throat and says, "I will be blunt. I would love to know what you see of my

daughter."

"Father!" Stolas gasped. He merely raised his hand, still staring at Elijah who sits still. Not

expecting the question.

"I…am not sure I understand, Sir." He stutters.

"My question or your feelings?" He asked once more.

Elijah thinks this through. He finds the answer. "My…feelings, sir…"

"I see." And with that, he stands up and opens the door to leave but not before saying. "I would

like you two to talk while I finish some business." A lie no one believes but doesn't stop him.

The two sit across from each other in silence.

Stolas is the first to break it, "I would like to express my feelings properly so we can live our

lives however we want." She sighs. Taking a deep breath before confessing, "I have found

myself in love with you. And I…don't know how to feel about this as I know of your…" Stolas

gulps, "...indifference when it comes to me."

Stolas sits still.

Stolas exhaled, "I would hope to know your answer. Whether good or bad…."

"I am not sure myself…" Elijah starts. "...But this years without seeing you has left me agitated

and I have found myself longing for your return."

Stolas stares wide eyes. Her eyes shone.

Elijah stands and kneels in front of her, he places his hand on his chest. "But I would like to see

through this slow. I need to know how we could make this work." With that, he offers his hand.

Stolas smiled softly and placed it on his. "I would love that as well."