built this town from dust

Klaus had once again been reunited with his younger brother, Kol, he had removed the dagger for one reason and one reason only. He knew his brother wouldn’t cause horrid bloodshed once he was able to see her, it was the reason as to why Klaus had returned to the city he called home. New Orleans was constantly changing and evolving, but the city would always be home to him. He had been staying away for the longest time, he had lost the love of his life in the city and didn’t want to be reminded of her. Annmarie. She had brought light back into his dark bloody world, she was the only person who didn’t know the monster that he was. Her heart was pure, and he wanted to keep her that way, maybe that’s why she died, because he never spoke up about the world that so many have no clue exist. Maybe there was nothing he could have done to save her, after all he had left her once Mikael found out where he had been hiding.

He had been leaving Mystic Falls when he heard the whispers, Annmarie was alive and still living in New Orleans. Klaus couldn’t believe what he was hearing, the woman he gave his heart to was alive. Although, that meant one thing, she had been turned into a vampire. So, he packed up and drove all the way to his old home, as he needed to see for himself. And, the witches had been telling the truth this once, there she was. Just as beautiful as he remembered her to be, her pale skin still glowing with joy while her eyes sparkled every time she smiled. He was currently watching her walk along the streets of New Orleans, he was just simply admiring her from afar to make sure this wasn’t some sick twisted trick that was being played on him.

He had given a street name to Kol when his brother was ready to attack after waking up again in his coffin, he assured his brother that everything would be right again as long as he found the café on that street. He begun to walk along the pathway, he grew closer and closer to her. His eyes never leaving her, not even when she stopped to glance at a store’s window display. “Excuse me, darling…” He spoke knowing that she would recognise his voice from anywhere.

---

Stella was sitting at an outdoor table of a café that she liked to go to, she would get herself a coffee and sit outside just to watch people go on with their day. The other day Marie had been given a refresher on her curse, where the local coven would wipe her memory clean, apart from certain memories that involved people she cared about. Stella always dreaded when the time came where she had to bring her best friend to the witches, she was nervous something would go wrong with the curse and either harm Marie or the curse would break. Both of which she knew wouldn’t happen, but she had seen Marie struggle once before with her magic when she had been turned into a vampire. It had nearly killed them both, she could deal just fine with New Orleans falling, but she couldn’t lose Marie.

They were practically sisters now, Marie had been the one who helped Stella through her transition, but she had been there before that. When Stella had gotten the news that seventy percent of her body was riddled with cancer, when Stella was so weak all she could do was lay in a hospital bed. Marie had been there. Stella didn’t have any family left, her family had died before she had gotten sick. She had thought of someone else who had been her family, but he left her without an explanation or a goodbye. Stella assumed he didn’t want to waste his time when she was dying and couldn’t offer him anything, it was hard to move on from him because she had loved him so deeply. But Stella had to move on, and she eventually did with both Marie and Marcel there by her side.

Finishing off her coffee, Stella stood up from the table, so she could either go find Marie or head back to the compound to see what Marcel was up to. Turning around her feet started to carry her along the street, she didn’t get far as she became frozen in place. It wasn’t long until her eyes had found him standing there in the busy street, he was the last person she expected to see but deep down he was the only person she wanted to see. “Kol?”

Marie was used to wandering aimlessly around New Orleans, and she always enjoyed it - there was always something new to see. She knew she’d have to meet up with Marcel and Stella later, but, for now, she wanted to just window shop, maybe find something to buy her friends. She’d already grabbed a snack to eat while she was out, so she’d mostly been enjoying her time, never worried about being alone in New Orleans. While she knew New Orleans wasn’t the safest place by far, she had a sense of safety with the fact that she and Stella were close to Marcel and she knew how much influence he had in the city, even though Annmarie wasn’t entirely sure how he had that influence or what that influence really was.

Her attention was taken away from the display she was staring at, though, when she heard somebody speak, her eyes going to the man as she watched him for a moment. Something about him seemed almost familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it and she arched a brow in response instead. “Question, is that your actual accent or did you work on that for a very long time?” she asked a little jokingly, mildly amused, and she watched him for a moment, “Ah, sorry, am I in your way? I’m trying really hard not to block the display.” She made a face slightly, mildly worried, and shifted out of the way a bit, just in case, her gaze going back to the display for a moment as she eyed it, wondering if Stella would like the dress or if Marcel would like the jacket.

“Actually, since I just got approached by an accented man, I have another question,” she mentioned before motioning to the jacket, “What do you think of that jacket?” She then pointed to the dress. “And that dress? Not together, of course.”

---

When Kol had been daggered back in Mystic Falls, he’d sworn to himself that he’d make Klaus pay for doing this to him again. He hated being daggered, hated being put in that slumber and missing the world pass on by without him. The worst time he’d been daggered, he’d lost the person who’d meant the most to him, the person who’d brought out the best in him, the person who’d tamed him. He wasn’t sure what had happened to her - he hadn’t gotten to see whether she’d survived with his blood in her system or if it’d just made things worse. And, he knew he’d never know, because Klaus had taken that from him and Klaus kept taking that from him and reminding him of what he’d lost each time he got daggered by his brother. He hated it. A part of him hated Klaus for it, too.

When he’d woken, he’d been ready to lunge at Klaus and to try to rip his head off, even though he knew it wouldn’t actually kill his brother. Instead, though, Klaus had given him pause, had told him about an address, and, when he realized they were in New Orleans, he couldn’t help but to grow curious about what exactly he’d find there. Either way, Kol had been quick to leave, mentally reminding himself that the quarrel between himself and Klaus was far from over, and he went in search of the address, finding it easily. What he found there, though, stopped him in his tracks. “Stella,” he managed out, watching her with surprise, taking her in, unable to help it. She looked as stunning as he remembered her in her prime, before she’d fallen so horribly ill - even then, he’d found her beautiful, but he hated how much she had suffered.

“You’re alive?” he questioned carefully, quietly, as he made his way over, finding himself in a state of disbelief. She wasn’t really alive, he knew that - she had to be a vampire. His heart ached with learning this, but seeing her there and alive brought so much relief to him that he almost felt at a loss for words. Before he could stop himself, he made his way over quicker, taking her face in his hands gently as he watched her, scanning over her features, taking her in. “Oh, love, how I’ve missed you…” he said quietly, shock still evident in his own features, but his relief was more present now, too.

Confusion clouded Klaus’ eyes as his expression changed drastically, this wasn’t at all the reunion he had been expecting. He looked at Annmarie, taking her in as she asked about his accent. It was like she didn’t remember him, he searched her eyes waiting for the spark to show that she always got when she looked at him. But nothing came, surely, she couldn’t just forget about him. She couldn’t forget the time they spent together, the love they shared for each other, but it seemed she had. Klaus knew Annmarie wouldn’t have just forgotten him like this, it was like they hadn’t even met before, something wasn’t right, and he would get to the bottom of this. “Yes dear, I’ve always had this accent.” He decided to go along with her, he knew just the person he needed to see, and he would force her to explain everything to him, whether she wanted to or not.

“You aren’t in the way, love. Never have been,” Disappointment was thick in his voice, his heart was being ripped out all over again. Here she was, standing before him again, and yet he couldn’t hold her or kiss her. After all these years of believing she was dead, she was right there, and he could do nothing but talk to her. He felt the same pain as when he left her, he had debated on taking her with him but knew he would hate himself if he did. He wanted her to have a good life, and she wouldn’t have gotten that if she was with him as they ran from Mikael. He wasn’t sure if her life had been good to her, clearly there was more to her now and Klaus wanted to know what.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her, she had always been gorgeous, and nothing had changed. Her beauty was still incomparable, she glowed from the inside out which was something Klaus loved about her. He briefly glanced over to the clothing items, before he looked back to her again. “The jacket is nice, and the dress isn’t really my style but is still lovely.” He grinned at her, “Are you thinking for yourself?”.

---

Stella never once thought that Kol was dead, she just never knew where he was or what he was doing. It had been so long since she last saw him, she made herself believe that she’d simply never see him again. So, to see him now in New Orleans was a shock. “Yeah,” She whispered as she watched him move over to her, she wasn’t alive, but she knew exactly what he meant. A heavy sign escaped her lips when his hands held her face, her eyes closing for a moment as a shockwave pulsed through her body from his touch. Looking at him, her eyes moved over his handsome face. Taking in every feature which she could see clearer now, she hadn’t seen him since she was turned into a vampire.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” She could feel some tears welling in her eyes from all the emotions she was being put through, moving her hands to his arms she relished in how it felt to touch him again. She had desperately wanted to search for him, there had been many times where she was about to. But what stopped her was Marie, her friend needed her, she knew Marcel couldn’t handle it all on his own. And she loved Marie, the only family she had left was Marie and Marcel, she couldn’t leave them just so she could find love again, that was selfish.

Her hands held onto him as she was scared he would be taken away from her again, she wouldn’t be able to go through that pain again. It had nearly been enough for her to turn her humanity off, it had been both Marie and Marcel who stopped that from happening. “What happened to you?” There was so much for them to catch up on, so much that she would need to tell him. She trusted him completely, and she had never been good at keeping anything from him. He had always been able to tell when she wasn’t telling him everything. She wondered if his family was close, she remembered Kol didn’t always have the best relationship with his siblings, but she knew she would have to step in if Klaus had returned to New Orleans. She would do whatever was needed to keep the curse on Marie in tack, something that the hybrid wouldn’t care about.

“Huh… Well, I bet that accent gets you a lot of attention, in that case,” Marie said with faint amusement, though she nodded slightly to herself, watching him. She could hear the disappointment in his voice and it caused her brows to furrow with confusion. It was an odd reaction to what she’d said and what the conversation had been so far and she found herself trying to understand what would prompt that kind of response from this man, despite herself. She really shouldn’t be this interested in the first place and she knew that, but something about this man seemed more than a little intriguing, though she didn’t want to admit that, especially not to herself. So, instead of questioning the odd behavior, the odd reaction and response, she smiled slightly and nodded again.

“Well… That’s good, then,” she said, peering back at the items for a few moments, “It’d suck if I was actually in the way.” But, she found herself over-analyzing his choice of words. He’d said she’d never been in the way, which was odd. He could have merely left it at stating that she wasn’t in the way, but he’d decided to go with never, as if he were familiar with any of her patterns or any part of her life. The thoughts caused her to take a few moments before she spoke again, and she blinked her thoughts away, peering back up at him as she tried to force her thoughts away. There wasn’t a point in reading too deeply into what the man had said - it was probably just a slip of the tongue or perhaps it was merely how people wherever he was from spoke. How was she to know?

“No, no, actually, it wouldn’t be for me,” she told him, shaking her head as she looked back to the items, “The dress, I’m thinking of getting it for my best friend, Stella. The jacket, I figure I can get for another friend - Marcel. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten him a gift, I think.” She paused, trying to recall the last time she’d gotten either a gift but, when she found herself at a loss, she pushed the thoughts away, figuring it had definitely been too long. “I think I’ll definitely get them at this point, especially with having somebody else’s opinion, thank you.”

---

“The feeling’s mutual, love,” Kol told her honestly, his voice soft, though his words were genuine. He’d been so certain that she was dead. It angered him more, knowing that Klaus had deprived him of all those years with her. They could have had a happy life together - they could have done anything they wanted to do, they could have made as many plans for their future as possible, and just enjoyed their time together, but that had all been stolen from them because of his brother. He frowned with the thought but pushed the thoughts away. No, he couldn’t think about what Nik had done, not when he was so relieved to see Stella there, to know that she was had gotten to live all of these years - well, as much living as any vampire could, anyways. But, she was there, and she was okay, and she was healthy and he was so relieved to see it, so relieved to see her.

His thumbs ran over her cheeks for a few moments as he took her in, just taking in the moment, his expression softening into a fond, relieved smile. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, love,” he told her quietly, shifting to press his forehead to hers. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he was worried that she might be upset with him for the fact that he’d ended up disappearing - not of his own volition. He’d have to explain that, let her know that he’d never wanted to be separated from her, that it wasn’t his choice, that his choice had been taken away from him. Before he could even start explaining it himself, though, she asked him what had happened and he nearly chuckled; he shouldn’t be surprised that she would ask about it just as soon as he was about to explain it. It was a relief that things hadn’t changed.

“Nik daggered me,” he explained gently as he watched her for a few moments. “And he left me daggered for a very long time. I got undaggered in this one horse town, Mystic Falls, but only for a short time. Nik daggered me again there and, when I woke up this time, here in New Orleans, he gave me this address. I wasn’t sure what he what he was sending me for, but I was curious once I realized where we were. There were so many… Memories in New Orleans, I think a part of me mostly wanted to wander the streets to remember you, love.” He’d missed her, more than anything. But, she was there and he could touch her and hold her and he was honestly rather relieved with it.

Klaus was still so confused, Marie was standing before him without a clue who he was. She hadn’t aged a day since he saw her last, but from what he could tell of her, she wasn’t a vampire. There was no way she should still be this young and alive, something had to have happened to her. Something horrible for her to be this way, he would find out what it was in time. Right now, he was enjoying the time he was spending with her, even if she didn’t know him or remember the history they held together. “I don’t tend to notice the attention, if I am receiving it then it’s all unwanted. No, my heart only belongs to one person. You remind me of her,” He looked at Marie, he desperately wanted to hold her again. But, that was something he wouldn’t be doing for a while if she didn’t remember him.

He had to stop himself from chuckling as he watched her, he could tell she was overthinking his choice of words. The way her brows moved closer together and her eyes seemed slightly far away, it was the tell-tale sign for Klaus, that he always knew when Marie was thinking about something. She often stopped speaking or moving when her mind took her to another place, it was a trait of hers that Klaus had always found adorable. He used to give her a thought, just so he could watch her expressions as she worked through the thought in her mind. Of course, it often annoyed her when he did, but he couldn’t help himself most of the time. It was her own fault, if she wasn’t so cute then he wouldn’t have bothered. He watched her closely, smiling when she seemed to push the thoughts to the back of her mind. He did know better, if she couldn’t remember him for whatever reason, he shouldn’t be acting like they did. But it was Annmarie, the love of his love.

His smile stayed on his face when she mentioned that the dress would be for Stella, he always liked that girl. She was the only person who brought out the best in his younger brother, she tamed Kol like no one had or could. His brother learnt self-control, the senseless deaths stopped once Kol met Stella. But, his smile soon dropped when he heard who the jacket was for. “Marcel?” His voice wasn’t strong as again, shock rocked through him. Marcel was alive? Klaus had been certain his close friend had died that night, in the fire as Klaus once again escaped from Mikael. “I’m sure they would both love the gifts,” He looked at her trying to hide his emotions from her, he wanted to ask her where Marcel was. He wanted to see his friend again, but he also wanted to spend us much time with Marie as he could. Why was Marcel close to Marie? To the point where she wanted to buy Marcel a gift? Had he taken Marie’s memories? Was he behind all of this? “I must apologize, I never introduced myself. I’m Klaus,” He was attempting to control his emotions and thoughts, so he could spend more time with her. She had always been the most important person in his life, that would never change.

---

Stella closed her eyes as she allowed herself to completely enjoy his touch, to relish in how he was making her feel again after all the years they had been be apart. “Actually, I have a pretty clear idea of how much you’ve me,” She smiled as her eyes opened, relieved to still find him there and that this hadn’t been a dream. Normally Stella would have waited until they had privacy, she had never really been someone who overly displayed affection whilst out in public. However, she hadn’t seen Kol for many years and all she wanted was to kiss him. So, she did, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. The memories that they shared came flooding back to her, she never forgot a memory but kissing him, brought it all back. Their embrace hadn’t changed much, her knees still trembled, and her lips tingled. The only changes now, were because she was also a vampire, the feelings she had were magnified greatly.

Pulling back, Stella smiled as she took him in. Her hands found their way to his chest, she listened to his words. She could feel the anger bubbling inside of her hearing that the only reason Kol had left her, was because Klaus had daggered him. Stella never had much to do with Klaus when she had been human, at that point he was becoming someone she disliked. “One day I will find a way to kill him,” She wasn’t joking, Klaus had taken Kol from her when she needed him the most. Waking up in transition and not knowing what was going on, had been the hardest on Stella. Waking up to find that the man she loved was gone, had broken her. Stella was still afraid to think about what she could have done, what she could have become if Marcel hadn’t shown up that day and taken her under his wing. He showed her and taught her how to be a vampire, the only thing he couldn’t taught her was about the new magic she held inside of her.

Bringing herself to focus on Kol, she looked at him. “Like where we went on our first date, or where I first told you that I loved you.” A tender smile graced Stella’s lips as she remembered back to those times, “I hope me being here, is better than just remembering memories.” She smiled at him, she would deal with Klaus later. She knew where to find him anyway, either with Marie or with Marcel. He would be easy to find, and when she did, he better hide because she wasn’t in the mood to be nice to him. She would ask Marcel to compel Marie to forget if she saw something she wasn’t meant to, they have done it before. Stella couldn’t bring herself to compel her best friend, not after everything they had been through together. “I had been certain that I’d lost you forever, either from me being so sick… or something happened to you and then I’d feel guilty that I couldn’t save you.” Her voice softened as she a part of her, a small part had always wondered if Kol left because she had been slowly dying.

Marie listened to his words quietly, tilting her head slightly in mild surprise. “Well… What about me reminds you of her?” she asked with confusion, because they’d barely even spoken. It was a little odd, but she tried not to think about it too much. At the same time, it was second nature for her to delve into her mind to try to piece things together but, so far, she couldn’t figure anything out right now. A part of her felt like she wasn’t getting something, she wasn’t connecting something, but she wasn’t really sure what that could even be, what could be missing. Shaking her head to clear her head of the thoughts once more, she cleared her throat, trying to focus on the conversation, rather than on what was going on in her mind and why she was struggling so hard with this.

But, for a moment, she could tell that he was a little amused with her and she wondered why. There wasn’t much that she could go on - she didn’t know enough about this man to make too many assumptions. Maybe he was just amused by the fact that she reminded him of the person he’d said his heart belonged to. She idly wondered what that person was like and, even more so, she found herself wondering where that woman was - she wasn’t sure if she reminded him of her because he lost her or if she reminded him of her just because he was waiting on her to show up or something. It was difficult to determine what was really going on in this man’s mind, and she wasn’t used to finding something like that difficult. Still, again, she tried to force these thoughts to the back of her mind, hoping to just ponder on it all later, maybe, in her free time. Or, maybe she shouldn’t ponder on it at all; what was the likelihood of running into this man again in a city as crazy as New Orleans?

Her attention refocused on the man, though, when he asked about Marcel and, for a moment, she watched him, surprised that he sounded as though he might actually know Marcel. “Yeah, Marcel,” she confirmed with a small nod, “He’s a really good friend of mine. Do you know him?” She watched him, her brows furrowing slightly in confusion. Of course, she was well aware of how many friends Marcel had - he always seemed to have new friends, even, - and she knew that Marcel knew most people in the city in general; he was pretty close knit with several important people, many higher ups and officials. But, it was usually hard to actually run into and talk to somebody who knew Marcel. She smiled, though, and nodded. “Yeah, well… In that case, I really hope they like them.” She looked back towards the dress and jacket, more firm now on her idea to buy them. She was about to move to go into the store but paused when she heard him speaking again, and she offered a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Klaus,” she told him, offering out her hand for a shake, “I’m Marie. Well… Annmarie, but still.” She grinned, shrugging.

---

A broad grin formed on Kol’s features despite himself, because he couldn’t help but to love hearing the words coming from her lips, hearing the confirmation that she’d missed him as much as he missed her. How could he have possibly been so lucky as to meet a woman like her? But, then, he supposed his luck wasn’t the best, because he had been ripped from her when she’d needed him the most - he wanted to make up for that as soon as possible, make sure that she understood he never would have done that to her, if he’d been able to avoid it. But, before he could say much, he could feel her lips on his and he returned her kiss happily, glad to have her there, glad to have her alive, glad to feel her in his arms, glad that they could be like this again, glad to be near her again, and, above all else, glad that the love they shared hadn’t diminished at all - in fact, he was certain it’d grown with the fact that he’d been so certain he’d lost her so long ago.

And, when she pulled back, his hand moved to her cheek, his thumb stroking over the skin there as he watched her, finding it surreal that she was there. He could see the anger in her eyes, but he could tell it wasn’t directed at him, which left him relieved. Hearing her words, though, he chuckled lowly in response. “Now, now, love,” he murmured, leaning to kiss her forehead once more, “I wouldn’t want you to get caught in my brother’s crosshairs.” They knew well that Klaus’s bite - or any werewolf bite - could kill a vampire, but his blood was also necessary to cure it. He worried that, if she went after Klaus and Klaus bit her, there would be no way that his brother would heal her. “And I certainly don’t want either of us to be pried away from each other ever again.” His eyes ran over her features and he pressed his forehead to hers, taking her in. “I never want to lose you again, or for you to lose me again.” He wasn’t sure he would survive it. He’d never felt that kind of pain before, when he’d woken in Mystic Falls and thought for sure that she was long since dead.

But, then, a broad grin formed on his features. “Exactly like those memories,” he chimed with amusement, watching her. They would have been painful memories to relive if he hadn’t just found out that she was alive, that she was there. “But, yes, love, it is far better having you here, compared to remembering those memories. In fact, if you weren’t here, I’m afraid I would have been destroyed by those memories alone.” His expression softened, though, when she continued speaking and he quickly shook his head, wanting to rid those thoughts from her mind. “I never would have left you if I had had a choice in the matter, love. I swear it.” And, as wily and bad as Kol could be, he wouldn’t lie when it came to promises, and he was certain Stella knew this. “I’m just so relieved that you’re alive - more so even that you’ve survived in this disaster of a city this long and that you didn’t find your fate at the hands of death some time within the century since we were forced to part.” Because, if she had, they wouldn’t be together now.

“Many things about you remind me of her. You have a similar appearance to her, and she cared deeply about the people close to her. Which you clear do as well, considering you asked for my option on the dress and jacket.” Klaus explained to Marie, he could have easily told her that she was the woman who he had given his heart to many years ago. He had decided against it as he still didn’t know for the reason as to why Marie had lost all memory of him, he couldn’t continue to just think of himself and what would benefit him. Marie had survived, admittedly she had to have been turned into a vampire which meant someone had harmed her. But turning into a vampire wouldn’t have wiped someone’s memories, there was more to Marie’s situation and Klaus was going to find out what was going on with the love of his life.

Hearing that Marie was good friends with Marcel, didn’t worry him per say, but he did feel rather cautious with the fact he had just learnt. As he had never once introduced Marcel to Marie when she had been human, and they were together, so when had she met Marcel? Why had she met Marcel? Had he been the one who turned her? Klaus knew Marcel would be furious with him, he did after all leave Marcel with Mikael in the theatre as it burned to the ground. That was the reason why Klaus believed for Marcel to have died in the fire, Mikael wouldn’t have simply let the man escape and carry on living his life. Mikael wasn’t that nice to anyone, but it seemed to be that Marcel had escaped the deadly fire that night. If only Klaus had known, he would have returned to New Orleans sooner to see his good friend. “I do, yes. We had been very close, sadly I haven’t seen him for many, many years.” It was all he could tell Marie, as everything surrounding her wasn’t making any sense to him and that caused his guard to come up instantly.

Extending his own hand, he took her smaller hand into his and bent down to press his lips to the back of her hand. “It’s been my pleasure, Marie.” He grinned remembering he had kissed her hand in the same manner on the day they had first met, looking at her he couldn’t stop from smiling. She always had this ability to make him smile, to calm him down, to make him forgot about all the atrocious things he has done and continues to do on a near daily basis. Letting her hand go, he stepped around her and carried on walking down the street. He didn’t go far before he stopped walking, hiding his presence he kept a close eye on Marie as he knew she would lead him to wherever Marcel was. He wanted to see his friend again, the man he considered family, the man he had watched grow from a young child. He would get his answers from Marcel, rather the vampire wanted to give them to him or not.

---

Sighing softly, Stella looked at Kol and she knew he was right. She couldn’t go after Klaus, he could kill her much easier than what she could do to him. She would simply just have to deal with him, deal with knowing he was the single and only reason as to why Kol left her that night. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to control herself the next time she saw the hybrid, he deserved to feel her wrath but Kol was right, she couldn’t risk fighting Klaus. “Fine, I won’t try to kill him. No matter how much I do want to,” She looked at the man before her, knowing she wouldn’t let anything come between them. She wouldn’t allow either of them to be taken from the other, not after how long they have spent separated. “Nothing would dare try to come between us or pry us from each other.” She smiled resting her forehead against his, her hand moving to his cheek as his words struck her heart. She knew exactly what he was talking about, there had been countless times when her memories nearly destroyed her. She hated thinking back to those dark times in her life, but she had almost let the memories of Kol engulf her, however each time it had been Marcel who had dragged her away from the darkness.

Nodding her head slightly as she looked at him, deep down she did always know Kol hadn’t left her because she was dying. Although, at times her mind would still consider that as the reason to why he hadn’t been there when she had woken up in transition. “I know, I guess I still always wondered what happened that night.” She was glad that she finally knew the truth, it put her mind and heart at ease knowing if hadn’t been Kol’s decision to leave her in the hospital bed. Shaking her head Stella frowned softly, “You’re stronger than that, my love.” She murmured quietly to him, happy to have him back there with her. He had been through more than she could imagine, and his memories hadn’t yet been his downfall. “The city isn’t always that bad. The werewolves don’t bother us, the vampires who live here keep to the rules. It’s really only the witches that I can’t stand,” Stella assured him with a lowered voice as she did know Kol had never been fond of the city in general.

“Are you hungry?” She asked knowing Marcel had a stock of blood bags at the compound for her, Stella had always preferred to drink from a blood bag than from an actual human, she hated the thought of hurting innocent people just because she was a vampire. She couldn’t keep the blood bags at her apartment as there was a high risk of Marie finding them, it had happened once when they first moved into the apartment together and Marcel had compelled Marie to forget. After that Stella kept her supply of blood at the compound. She wouldn’t mind if Kol preferred a human meal, she had seen his control when she had been human. He learnt self-control for her, so he could be comfortable around her and they could be together without him fearing he would hurt her. She never once wanted nor thought about changing him, changing how he was as a vampire. If he wanted a drink from a human, it wouldn’t make her see him any different or make her love him any less.

Marie listened quietly to his words, taking them in. “You seem to still love her very much,” she mentioned before she offered a small smile and nodded, “She’s a very lucky woman to receive that much praise.” But, the way he talked, it almost seemed like he wasn’t with the woman he was talking about. If that was the case, she wondered how that was possible, when this man so clearly cared about the woman he spoke of - had something happened? Shaking her head to rid her mind of the thoughts, figuring that it wasn’t really too much of her business for the most part; it wasn’t really anything that she should think too much about. Instead, she decided to focus her attention on the conversation, mostly just enjoying the talk outside of the usual stuff she was used to, with the people she had in her life. As much as she loved her friends and talking to them, making new friends was enjoyable, too.

“That’s a shame,” she mentioned when the conversation was back on Marcel, and she made a slight face. “It’s not good for friendships, for so many years to pass with no contact. There’s no way to know if something happened to them if you just cease contact for so long. What if he’d died during that time and you missed his funeral? That would just… Completely suck, especially if the friendship meant a lot to both of you.” While she wasn’t sure how much their friendship meant to each of them - especially since she’d never heard of Klaus from Marcel, - she figured that at least Klaus thought highly of the friendship, since he’d said that they had been very close before. It was a shame that they’d lost contact, though. She wondered why, then, had she not known about Klaus, though? Marcel had never left New Orleans - if Marcel had known Klaus, that would mean that Klaus had been in New Orleans, and… Well, she’d known Marcel for as long as she could remember, so that was odd.

But, then, Klaus was getting ready to leave, and Marie blinked when he kissed her hand, but watched him for a long moment before she nodded. “It was nice meeting you, Klaus,” she told him, offering a small smile as she took him in, but she watched him leave. Eventually, she went into the shop to get the dress and the jacket and, after paying, she left and went to the compound to find Marcel, figuring she should mention that his friend was in town. Surely he’d want to know. Bags in hand, she headed to the compound.

---

Kol couldn’t help but to chuckle lowly to Stella’s words, amused, but also fond. He’d always loved how feisty and fierce she could be - but, of course, he preferred that she not let that control her, because he certainly didn’t want her to go after his brother and for her to get killed in the process. He’d lost her once already; he didn’t want to lose her again, especially when he’d only just gotten hre back in his life. Lifting his hand, he ran his fingers through her hair, smiling as he watched her. “I’m very relieved to hear that. I don’t think I could bare losing you again, love,” he murmured quietly, his eyes examining over her for a few long moments, just taking her in, memorizing every inch of her that he could see. He nodded, though, to her words, offering a small smile as he tilted his head slightly. “I can agree there. I won’t let anything get between us again. And I certainly won’t be letting Nik dagger me again.” He’d do whatever it took to prevent it from happening again.

At the same time, though, Klaus had been the one to undagger him and send him to find Stella, so a part of Kol hoped that he wouldn’t have to worry about his brother at all. But, he knew how temperamental his brother could be, so he was doubtful that this kindness his brother was showing would last too long. “I won’t let it happen again,” he promised quietly as he examined her for a long moment and kissed her forehead gently, “I wish I could have been there for you when you turned. I wish I could have helped you.” But, more than anything, he wished that he could have spent all these years with her. She’d always been the love of his life, she’d had his heart since the moment he met her; spending so long without her had all but broken him, left him destroyed. And, now he had her back, he wouldn’t risk losing her again. He smiled, though, amused. “The witches, hm?” he asked, amused, and a little teasingly, “What is it the witches have been doing lately, then, to cause you such resentment towards them?”

But, then, Stella was asking if he was hungry, and he couldn’t help but to remember that he’d only just gotten undaggered and hadn’t fed yet, so he was quite literally starving, since he’d been daggered for a few years now. “I’m starving, love,” he said, nodding slowly as he watched her, “It comes with only just waking up from being daggered again. Do you have any place in mind where we could feed a bit?” Because, the sooner he fed, the less likely he was to be dangerous to the city - and he didn’t want to stir anything up and give Klaus a reason to dagger him again so soon.

Marie’s words echoed through Klaus’ mind, he had never stopped loving her because she was truly the first person who he had ever fallen in love with. Being with her had changed him for the better, she had the ability to calm him which he knew he needed in his life. He knew all too well how he could be, how ruthless he could act and how heartless he could be. Marie changed all of that in him, he wanted to be the best man he could for her and be someone who she would be proud of. When he left her, he went straight back to being the cold-blooded monster that he was deep down. Without Marie in his life, he didn’t care about anyone or even himself. It was a dark time for Klaus and a time he would rather not visit again, however if Marie couldn’t remember him or the memories they made together, that dark time could come knocking and Klaus wasn’t sure if he’d be strong enough to refuse that darkness. She had been right about his relationship with Marcel, he never wanted to abandon Marcel that night, but Mikael already had his claws into the man who he saw as a son. The night still haunted him to this very day, he had abandoned the two most important people in his life without any form of an explanation. He couldn’t change what he did on that night, all he could do was try to make up for what he did to those two people that mattered to him that most.

Which is the reason he followed Marie through the streets of New Orleans as she headed towards the compound, he knew where he would be able to find Marcel as the compound was after all, still his. But he wanted to make sure that Marie returned safely as Klaus didn’t trust anyone, he hadn’t trusted many people in all the years he’s been alive. Marie had been the opposite, she trusted nearly everyone, and it was what he loved about her the most. How she could see the good in people she knew and didn’t know, he had loved watching her as a human when she would meet people and talk to them. She could always brighten someone’s day or brighten an entire room from just stepping inside, he would be damned if he allowed anyone to harm her. Once she did reach the compound, Klaus paused as he listened to voices greet the beautiful brunette, the voices weren’t matching to Marcel though. Walking through the large wooden door, a smirk formed on his lips as his eyes moved over the vampires that Marcel must keep around him. Thierry was the first to stand up from the chair he had been sitting on when his eyes landed on the Original Hybrid, “Marie… go upstairs now.” He ordered the brunette as he stepped in front of her, so he was in between her and the Mikaelson. “Now, now… no need to tell the lady what to do.” Klaus smirked as he could easily take out all of the vampires in the compound, he probably wouldn’t even break a sweat doing so.

---

“Well isn’t it a good thing that I’m not planning on going anywhere, certainly not without you.” Stella smiled as she now had another reason to survive what was thrown her way, for so long her sole reason for living was Marie. Protecting her best friend from the horrors that came with being surrounded by supernatural creatures, keeping Marie sane as to not break the spell that is keeping her from destroying the city around them. But now she had the love of her life back, her dream had finally come true as he had found her and had come back to her. “Trust me, if he even thinks about putting that dagger back into your heart. He’ll have to go through me first, and I’m tougher than I look.” She promised him as she wouldn’t stand for Klaus using the dagger on his younger brother again, she wasn’t sure what her magic would do to Klaus, would she even be strong enough to stop him? Stella wasn’t sure but if it came to it, she wouldn’t hold back on what she could cause to the Original hybrid. Looking at Kol, she could feel her heart cracking when he expressed his guilt for not being there for her when she had been transforming. Her palm found his cheek as her gaze softened, “It doesn’t matter, love. I did have help, I was never alone through that time. And I don’t want us thinking back to those times either, I want to focus on now and the new memories that we’re about to make together.” There was no point in torturing themselves with what happened in the past, the deserved this happiness and time together which is what they needed to focus on now.

“The witches are just being… well witches, but that’s a long story for another time.” Stella would tell him about everything, but right now he had to be starving and she would rather not have him lose control in a very public space. Nodding her head, her fingers found his as she held his hand. “I’ll show you where I keep my stash,” She wasn’t sure how Kol would take it going to the compound, not only was Marcel more than likely going to be but so would the New Orleans vampires. She knew that Kol had never been overly fond of Marcel, and he had just been undaggered and would now be walking into the compound that is full of strange vampires that he didn’t know. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she enjoyed walking through the streets of New Orleans holding Kol’s hand. They hadn’t been able to do this much when she had been human, as she had gotten much to sick to even go outside and towards the end, she didn’t have the energy to walk a few steps without needing his help to support her. Yet all of that hadn’t made him love her any less, it was then she knew he was the man for her, vampire or not. Her thumb grazed his skin the closer they got to the compound, until they were walking inside and were greeted with a rather tense situation. Both Thierry and Diego were blocking Klaus from reaching a very confused Marie, letting go of Kol’s hand she moved across the compound as fast as a human would. “What do you think your doing?” She hissed as she fixed Klaus with a hard glare as she past him, she needed to remove Marie from the situation first, then she would deal with the hybrid later if Marcel didn’t get to him first.

(Since they’re all together, I shall combine!)

When Marie had walked into the compound, she’d been all grins, excitedly greeting her friends before she’d asked where Marcel was. Before anybody could tell her, though, Klaus had walked in, and she blinked with confusion, her grin falling as everybody got so defensive. What was going on? “Thierry, I don’t understand what the problem is,” she said with confusion, her brows furrowing, “I mean, he said he was friends with Marcel…” She watched the way Thierry seemed so intent on staying there, though, and she looked towards the stairs, wondering where the hell Marcel was to get Thierry to calm down. She assumed he was just being protective, that Klaus was just somebody he didn’t know and that most people who came there that the group didn’t know were met with this type of concern, because they didn’t know what to expect. After all, what else could it possibly be? “Just listen to us for once, Marie,” Diego insisted, standing guard as he watched Klaus warily.

Kol had grinned when he heard Stella’s words, so happy to hear them. “Well, I’m certainly glad to hear that, love,” he admitted as he watched her, “Because I honestly do not think I could bear losing you again.” It had hurt far too much the first time; he didn’t want to experience it again. Especially not now, after learning that she had been a vampire this whole time, that he could have been with her this whole time, by her side, helping her, teaching her, just being with her. “Well, Nik is the one who pulled the dagger out this time, I’m a little curious as to why. He told me where to find you and everything - it certainly caught me off guard. Perhaps I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt just this once.” Although, he didn’t plan to forgive his brother, not any time soon, not when he took away his chance to be with Stella all this time. When he felt her touch, he leaned into it, nodding slightly. “Right, love, focusing on now seems like a dream come true, building a life together, making new memories - I couldn’t imagine anything better.” He smiled slightly, watching her, but left the conversation about witches behind them, deciding to pry later, but he nodded as he followed her. When they got to the compound, he was mildly surprised to find Klaus already there, but even more so to see Annmarie there. He had only met her once, but she should have been long since dead and she clearly wasn’t a vampire.

“Stella!” Marie said with relief when she saw her best friend come in, “God, please, get Thierry and Diego to calm down. They’re being ridic-” She paused, though, when Stella approached Klaus with so much animosity, her brows furrowing slightly. Why did she feel like she was left out of the loop with all of this? Why did it seem like everybody, even Stella, had known who Klaus was, when Marie had only met him that morning? Her confusion only continued to grow. “Stella, what’s going on?” she asked carefully, cautious and worried about the situation. A slight anxiety built up in her, because everybody seemed to be against Klaus - and Stella wouldn’t show animosity to just anyone, she wouldn’t be hostile towards anybody who didn’t deserve it, so who was Klaus, what had he done to deserve that from Stella? For a long moment, she stared at Stella, trying to figure it out, before her gaze went to Klaus, her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to understand what was going on. “Look, I just met this guy like twenty minutes ago, and he doesn’t seem so bad, so can somebody please fill me in on why everybody seems to hate him?”

“Love,” Kol called from where he was, watching them for a moment, arching a brow as he listened to the others before he made his way over. Marie seemed just as confused and he wondered what was going on there - she didn’t even seem to recognize him and, by her words, she certainly didn’t recognize his brother. Arching a brow, he looked to Klaus before he looked back to Stella. “I feel as though I’m missing something quite huge here. I understand your anger towards Nik, but there seems to be something larger at play here.” And, he couldn’t figure out what it was, and he didn’t quite like that. He wasn’t used to being in the dark, especially when it came to Stella; they didn’t generally keep anything from each other. “Nik, perhaps you should run along and play somewhere else?” he suggested to Klaus, looking towards his brother for a moment, “You tend to put everybody around you on edge. I doubt you’ll get whatever you’re looking for here right now.”

Marcel heard the commotion from upstairs, his brows furrowing. He’d listened in on what he could, recognizing the voices, and a slight annoyance built up in him. What were Klaus and Kol doing in New Orleans? What were they doing in his compound, his home? Standing from his seat, he made his way out of the study and headed downstairs, peering around at the others. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” he asked, offering a fake smile as he settled his gaze on Klaus, but moved closer to Marie, gently pushing her behind him, worried that too much interaction with Klaus would break the spell on her; the town would be put at risk again, and so would Marie’s humanity. Seeing Stella, he worried about her being too close to Klaus and, frowning, he turned to Marie, compelling her, “Wait upstairs, don’t pay attention to anything that happens down here.” She’d walked away then, and it was only at that point that he quickly made his way down the rest of the stairs to join by Stella’s side, standing a little in front of her, but blocking her as protectively as he could with how close she was to Klaus. “What are you doing here, Klaus?”

Klaus didn’t know the two male vampires that were keeping him from getting to Marie, he wouldn’t hesitant if he needed to kill them if they continued to stand in his way. His eyes glanced over to where his brother walked in, of course Stella wouldn’t be far away from any trouble that could occur near Marie. With how quickly the blonde was to react to him being near her friend, he knew then that she knew exactly what had happened to the love of his life. He would get the information he wanted out of someone, even the blonde if he had to. “I’m not going anywhere, brother.” He looked to Kol as he also didn’t seem to know what was going on, why would he? He hadn’t had much time with Stella, she wouldn’t have explained it to him yet. His eyes moved back onto Marie, she looked confused about how he was being treated and he would have used that to his advantage until the blonde vampire showed up. He could only watch the slight change in Marie’s eyes, she was still confused but she now also wondered why Stella didn’t like him and that wasn’t going to make this any easier for him.

“He isn’t a friend, Marie.” Thierry knew this could happen one day and he had prepared himself for this day, he couldn’t give too much away in fear something he said could trigger Marie’s memory of Klaus. He had been there the first time when Marie had been turned into a vampire, her magic was far too powerful for her to control as she had no idea what was even happening to her. The magic didn’t wait for any of them to explain it all to her, it would have overtaken her and destroyed the city at the same time. Stella looked back at Marie and it pained her knowing that she couldn’t tell Marie the truth, that Marcel would need to compel her again. All thanks to Klaus showing up where he wasn’t welcomed, that thought alone made her angry at Klaus because it would undoubtedly stop at nothing until he knew why Marie couldn’t remember him. She wasn’t sure if he would try to retrigger her memories of him or not, Stella wouldn’t let him if he did try. If he did and Marie’s magic and vampire sides clashed again, it could very well kill her if she wasn’t strong enough to handle it all. Or it would push away her humanity, then nothing would be able to stop her.

“Yes, I agree. We’re both missing out on something, care to explain it to us?” Klaus looked to Stella once his brother had joined them, clearly Kol wasn’t used to having secrets from the blonde and he would use that for his own selfish reasons. Stella looked at Kol and felt a pang of hurt in her chest, she never kept anything from him and this wouldn’t be different. “I promise I’ll explain it all to you, but right now I can’t have Klaus near Marie.” She lowered her voice as to not have her best friend overhear her, she really didn’t know what they were going to do now that Klaus was back in New Orleans. Nothing would be able to stop him from seeing Marie, he had once loved her and possibly still did. They could explain to him what happened, he wouldn’t take it well but at least he would know, and hopefully wouldn’t try to break the spell that the witches had put on Marie. So, Stella didn’t move from where she stood. She could take Klaus down in a second, if it came to that and she might also enjoy it considering he was the sole reason for Kol being taken away from her. Thierry and Diego didn’t move from where they stood protecting the most innocent one in the compound, neither liked that they were behind Stella but surely the hybrid wouldn’t hurt the blonde when his brother was standing there.

Straightening slightly, Klaus looked to Marcel as he walked down the staircase. Compelling Marie to wait upstairs before he moved closer to him, “Marcel.” He was suddenly at a loss of words now that he was standing in front of the man who had been like a son to him for many years, the man who he had abandoned and thought to be dead from the actions of his father. Yet, here he was. Seemingly, thriving in New Orleans and living in Klaus’ home. “It is good to see you again, if it hadn’t been for the witches then I never would have known you and my Marie were still alive.” He spoke as he looked at the man who had been only a young boy when they had first met, so much has happened between them, he would apologize to Marcel for abandoning him in private. Stella looked to Marcel when he injected himself between her and the hybrid, a frown settled on her features as she listened to what Klaus had said. The witches had told him that Marie and Marcel were still alive? Why would they do that? It didn’t make sense, the witches put the spell on Marie and knew the Klaus could break the spell. “The witches sent you here?” Her eyes moved to Marcel as she was now confused about what the witches were actually up to. “You should go check on Marie, we’ll keep this scum away from you both.” Diego stepped forward and reached out for Stella’s arm, gently pulling her away from the hybrid and his brother.

Kol felt his lips curl into a sneer when he saw Diego reaching for Stella’s arm and he quickly sped over, grabbing Diego by the throat to pin him to the wall. “First of all, mate, you’d be smart to not touch her,” he warned him firmly, glaring at the other vampire harshly, his sneer having not vanished at all. “Secondly, I don’t know who you’re calling scum, but you are not in charge of Stella. She can make her own choices and you have absolutely no right to tell her what to do, especially when it comes to me and my family. You’d be best to wrap your head around that and keep it in mind from now on before you act.” He threw Diego aside, then, certain that he couldn’t be able to kill Diego without upsetting Stella and the last thing he wanted to do was to upset her. But, he certainly did not like Diego or Thierry, annoyed that they were trying to get involved in all of this. “This is family business. You two should scamper off before I lose my patience. Not that I have much patience to begin with.” Especially when it came to other, regular vampires who thought they could boss Originals around. He looked to Stella, then, unsure about how to feel with the fact that Stella had kept him in the dark about anything, especially something important that could affect Klaus. But, he didn’t hold it against her, certain she had her reasons. He just wanted to know what was going on at this point.

Marcel’s brows furrowed as he listened to Klaus’s words, running over them in his mind. “The witches informed you?” he asked with surprise, trying to wrap his head around the information. “That doesn’t make any sense, though. They’re the ones who did this in the first place.” At Marcel’s pleading, of course, because it was either do this or let Marie die - and he couldn’t let Marie die. But, still, the witches had made the decision to agree, they’d been the one to do the spell. His jaw clenched with the thought. The witches had played them, it seems. Shaking his head, he looked to Klaus for a long moment. “You have to understand, we’re not keeping Marie from you to hurt you, Klaus.” While he didn’t look at Klaus with the idolization he had when he’d been a kid, he had no intentions of lying to him. “But, if the spell on her breaks, it could kill her. When she turned, it turned out that she was part witch - a siphoner, I guess? But her magic was locked away, I’m assuming, since she never used magic. But, being thrown into this world in two different ways, with the magic and the vampirism, she lost control of her magic and nearly took out the city, nearly died, and nearly lost her humanity as well, so the witches agreed to save her by locking away both the witch and vampire sides, so that she’d live as a human but with eternity. But, if the spell breaks, all of that will crash on her again.”

“Kol,” Stella spoke softly as she watched the man she loved threaten Diego, once he had finished she walked over to him and wrapped her fingers with his. She stood beside him as Marcel spoke to Klaus, she knew back when the witches agreed to help them with Marie, that it was too good. But all these years that they had helped them, refreshed the spell on Marie whenever it needed to be done. The witches never wanted anything in return, until now it seemed. She wanted Kol to hear what Marcel said, and once he was done, she then pulled him away. She took him upstairs and into a spare room, so they could have some privacy, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you straight away. But I never thought I’d see you again, so telling you about Marie never crossed my mind.” She explained as she looked at him, knowing she would need to tell him everything now. “Now you generally know what happened to Marie… but there’s more, about me” She looked at him with nerves in her stomach, she wasn’t sure how he would take what she was about to tell him. “When I died… I held back from drinking blood for two days, I wasn’t sure what I wanted, and I was still trying to find out what happened to you. When I decided to become a vampire… I lost control and fed on Marie.” Stella still hated herself for feeding on her best friend, thinking of that time made her feel sick to the stomach. “No one really knows what happened when I did feed on her, but I didn’t just become a vampire… somehow I also gained her siphoner abilities. We still don’t know how this happened,” She explained hoping Kol would understand and not hate her, as she knew how much he adored being a witch before his mother had turned him into a vampire. Keeping her distance, Stella wanted to give him as much time as he needed to process what she had told him. But she was worried, scared he would see her differently and not want to be with her.

---

For once, Klaus listened to Marcel in silence. A frown set hard on his features as he took it all in and tried to understand it all, which was hard considering it all sounded like rubbish. If he hadn’t known Marcel as well as he did, he would have called the vampire a liar. Though he knew no matter what he put Marcel through, the younger man would never lie to him, especially if it involved Marie. “I have heard stories of witches would didn’t naturally have magic,” However, he had thought of those stories to be false as he had never met a witch who didn’t have magic. “Why did Marie never mention this to me? Did she not know?” He asked as he couldn’t even imagine what his sweet Marie had gone through after she was turned into a vampire, unlike his siblings, he never had magic run through his veins. “How will the spell break if she sees me again? And why did the witches take her memories from her in the first place?” He could feel the anger bubbling up inside of him, the witches may have been the ones who told him that Marie was alive. But they had also taken away Marie’s memory, they had erased him from her mind and heart. For that alone, he wanted the witches to pay dearly. “I love her, Marcel. You know I do, I can keep her safe. I’ll do whatever I have to, I won’t let her die or have her humanity lost.” She needed to remember him, remember how deeply he loved her and cared for her.

Kol's brows furrowed as he followed after Stella quietly, watching her as they walked until they were inside a room, and he turned to her, listening intently as she spoke, focusing entirely on what she was saying, on her voice, and his brows furrowed all the more once he heard her explanation of what had happened to her. “You don't have to apologize for not telling me anything, love,” he told her quietly, though he focused fully on what all she had to say, taking it all in quietly. “So, you're able to do magic?” he asked with mild shock, having never heard of something like this happening, having never even thought that it would be possible. It surprised him, shocked him, caught him off guard, but it didn't upset or anger him, especially since Stella was here, alive - or as alive as a vampire could be - because she'd fed on that blood, so the fact that the magic came with it, it didn't trouble him at all. Watching her, he shifted, cupping her face gently, concerned. “Have you at least had any lessons in how to control your magic? Has anybody taught you any spells? Anything?”

---

Marcel listened to Klaus's questions quietly and thought for a few long moments, because it was something they could really only speculate on, considering Marie didn't have those memories anymore and couldn't outright tell them whether she knew or not. “We don't think she knew,” he told him eventually, “She wasn't involved with the covens here in New Orleans, and, when she turned and the magic became prominent, she seemed terrified, so we think it caught her by surprise, so, no, we don't think she knew that she had any magical abilities.” Hearing Klaus's further questions, he sighed, scrubbing a hand along his face. “I'm not sure if it will break the spell. I just don't think you can pretend nothing's changed, like you can pick up where you left off. You can't do things the two of you would normally do. They had to take her memories for the spell, because they needed something powerful and personal to seal away her magic and vampirism - and her memories were the most personal thing about her.” He nodded, though, as he listened to him. “I know you do, Klaus.”

Klaus was silent as he processed everything he had learnt about what happened to his Marie after he abandoned her, if he had stayed and faced his father, maybe he could have helped her after she was turned. “Then I will start something new with Marie, I won’t bring up the memories of what we had in the past.” He decided that would work, he would take it slow with her like he had when he first met her, but this time it would be taken slow as Klaus wouldn’t do anything to risk Marie or her humanity. Even if Marcel didn’t agree with him, there was nothing he’d be able to do to stop Klaus now that he had made his mind up. He never stopped loving Marie, she made him a better person, he needed her to be in his life. He was being given a second chance with her, he wasn’t going to ruin it this time. “Thank you Marcel, for keeping her safe all these years. It means a lot to me that you’ve been here for her,” He looked at his old friend, Marcel would never understand how much it truly meant to Klaus that Marie had someone looking out for her. “We need to watch the witches, it won’t be much of a surprise if they’re up to something.” He spoke knowing that if he needed to kill some witches then he would without even thinking, they would have a reason for why they told him that Marie was alive.

---

Stella nodded slightly, “I can. The magic seems to form because I have vampire blood in my system, that’s how we learnt that Marie could do magic, it was only after she had been turned into a vampire. No one, not even the witches, can explain to me why this happened.” She looked at him as he closed the gap between them, she sighed contently at his touch as her eyes locked onto his. “I’ve mostly taught myself, reading books and testing the magic. I tried asking the witches for help, but I think their more scared of me now and no one volunteered to teach me.” It had been hard, and it still was hard for Stella to use her magic, especially when it came to controlling the magic. She was fine most of the time, unless her emotions got to strong and then she struggled to control the magic that now so easily formed in her hands. “It scared me a lot, not knowing how to control myself. I’m terrified one day I won’t be able to and I’ll hurt so many people,” That was the last thing she wanted, for her magic or hunger to take over and she hurts or kills innocent people, people that she cares about, people that she considers her family. She had searched for someone who would willingly help her, she has yet to find that people and honestly, Stella gave up the search a long time ago because it was getting her nowhere.

Marcel watched Klaus for a few long moments, uncertain. A part of him didn’t want to give Klaus the chance to do as he pleased, aware that, if he gave Klaus an inch, Klaus would extend that to a mile. If Marcel let him take his chances with Marie, Klaus would surely extend it to trying to take New Orleans back from him, probably by assuming Marcel was too weak, too easy, to be the king of New Orleans. It was already bad enough that Klaus was even there - trouble followed the Mikaelsons wherever they went, it always had. But the thought of losing New Orleans to Klaus? He couldn’t allow it. But, he figured that, perhaps, giving into this would at least lower Klaus’s guard, keep Klaus placated for a while, and, if Klaus began to try to take New Orleans from him, Marcel could always have Marie’s memories refreshed again, just to spite Klaus. “Alright,” he decided eventually as he watched Klaus, nodding slowly. “I’ll take your word for it. And, Stella and my vampires helped keep Marie safe, so play nice.” He arched a brow, but nodded. “Well, the witches are conniving, I’ll give them that.”

---

Kol listened quietly to Stella’s explanation, but his heart ached for her, his concern for her growing, because he couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be all alone through all of that. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out, love,” he told her softly, running his thumb over her cheek gently as he examined her. “And, from here on out, I can help to teach you. I may not be able to perform magic myself anymore, but I’ve always been good at helping when it comes to magic.” Offering a small, weak grin, too concerned about her to really be overly excited about the idea, he leaned to press a gentle kiss to her forehead as he examined her for a few moments, just wanting her to know that he was there for her, that he’d do everything he could to help her - he was determined to do so at this point. “And I’ll help you learn control, too.” Shifting, he removed his hands from her face, resting his hands instead on her hips gently as he held her close, hugging her gently to himself. “You won’t ever have to worry about hurting anybody again, I promise. I’ll make sure of it.” And, he would; he’d do anything for Stella, he always had.

“Thank you, Marcel.” Klaus looked to his old friend as he truly meant his words, anyone who knew of their story would know that Marcel was being the better man. That it would have taken a lot for Marcel to agree in allowing Klaus back into Marie’s life again, so Klaus truly did mean his thanks because if he had been in Marcel’s shoes, he would have thrown him straight out of New Orleans. “I will play as nice as I can,” He grinned at his old friend as that has been something that Klaus didn’t do well, he never really did play nice with anyone except for Marcel and Marie. “Shall we go slaughter some witches then?” He looked to Marcel knowing that he would feel much better after some witches died by his hands, he couldn’t be sure if Marcel would allow him to do that in a town that didn’t belong to him any longer. Marcel could have changed during the many years that Klaus wasn’t around, he could very well have put rules in place to keep the order in New Orleans. Something, Klaus hadn’t done in his time being the king of New Orleans, as he would simply just kill anyone who he felt like stepped out of line, but that was a different time and things had certainly changed in his home town.

---

Stella smiled softly at the man in front of her, she knew that now Kol was back in her life, they would figure it all out together. How she could better control her magic, how to best use her magic and even how to keep Marie safe. They always worked things out together. “I know we will,” Her voice was light as her eyes stayed on him, though as she listened to his latter words, a worried frown pulled her brows closer together. “Are you sure, love? I know how much you missed being a witch after your mother turned you into a vampire,” She didn’t want to make Kol feel even worse about not being a witch anymore, as she knew how much he loved using his magic as a human. She wanted to make life easier for him, not harder or where he regretted offering to help her. “I’m sure I could learn enough to make sure I don’t hurt anyone, if it would be too hard on you.” She had only just found out that he was still alive, she wasn’t about to do anything that would make him leave her. Feeling his hands find her hips, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close to her. Resting her head against his chest, she knew she would do everything to make sure nothing happened to him again. She would take on anyone who threatened him or tried to hurt him, if she needed to kill then she would.

(we can drop Klaus/Marcel if you want!)

Marcel watched him, at least glad and relieved to see that Klaus seemed to believe him, and he eventually nodded. “You don’t have to thank me,” he told him eventually, wanting to keep up this whole thing for as long as he could. He didn’t trust Klaus, of course, so he had to keep his guard up, but he was making sure not to be obvious about it, and he offered a smile. “I am all for slaughtering some witches, but it might be better to reign it in, maybe just a rousting to teach them a lesson.” He needed the witches, after all, to keep up with Marie’s memories - and, more than that, he needed to keep the witches in line. He couldn’t force too much, worried that it would make them rise up in some way to react in a way that he didn’t want to have to deal with. No, he needed to keep New Orleans safe and the best way to do that was to make sure that all sides did what they were supposed to.

---

Kol was relieved to hear her words, but he smiled as he took her in, just glad to see her again after so long. It felt like everything was right in the world again - of course it did, she was his world. She was everything good in his life, everything that kept him together, everything that made him want to be a better person, and he’d been so sure he’d lost her. Having her there with him again, right in front of him, meant more to him than he could put into words, and he was so grateful that he’d gotten the opportunity to be like this with her again, that he got to have her in his life again, that it felt like nothing between them had really changed. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that, despite all the time that had passed since he’d last seen her, she was still his and he was still hers - it was all he could have ever asked for, to have forever with her, and now he had the chance to experience it, and he wanted to enjoy every moment he could.

“I’m sure,” he promised her gently, shaking his head slightly when he heard her voicing her concerns. “You’re alive. That’s what matters to me, not the magic.” Because, while he loved the magic, while he’d missed it, he loved and missed her more, and he would never choose magic over her. She was the most important thing to exist in his world. “You don’t have to worry about that.” Shifting, he held her closer to himself, relaxing when he felt her head against his chest, and he rubbed her back gently, just wanting to feel the contact, and wanting to comfort her as much as he could, wanting her to know that he would always be there now, that he would keep her safe and protect her, no matter what lengths he would have to go to in order to ensure that. “I want to help you, love. It won’t be too hard on me, I can handle it, especially for you.” He shifted again, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “When it comes to you, I’ll take on anything.”

(Sure, I’ll have Klaus go find Marie!)

“As you wish, I’ll try my best to behave myself around the witches.” Klaus looked at the young vampire before him, he wasn’t about to make a promise to Marcel that he knew he may not be able to keep. If a witch were to step out of line in Klaus’ opinion then he would take things into his own hands, it was how the hybrid was and has always been. He was still wrapping his head around everything he had learned around Marie and what happened to her after he left, he understood that the witches were now more important in keeping Marie safe. However, Klaus wasn’t one who trusted many people, he especially never trusted a witch so if one of them made him angry, then his emotions would most likely get the better of him. Sending a grin in Marcel’s direction, he placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder as he looked at him. “You know that I’d never put Marie in danger,” His voice lowered as he spoke to Marcel, giving his shoulder a squeeze before he continued on and walked up the stairs to find the woman he still loved. Marcel and his little friends would never be strong enough to take on an Original vampire, so they would have no chance if they decided to take Klaus on as a single bite from him would kill them, something he assumed they all knew.

As he walked along the hallway, he listened in behind each closed door so he could find the room where Marie was. His brother’s voice captured his attention as he walked past a room, he never had much contact with Stella when she had been human. Only meeting her once and seeing her with Kol another handful times, what he did see was the great improvement of his brother’s actions and how much control Kol learnt because he loved a human and never wanted to hurt her. But she had been sick and was dying, Klaus needed his family close by and so he didn’t think twice about daggering his brother. Walking a little further into the compound that he knew like the back of his hand, his lips pulled into a smile when he came across the room which held the love of his life. He tapped his knuckled on the dark wooden door, he listened to her light footsteps cross the timber floors as she neared the closed door. All he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and take her away from the compound, he wanted to tell her about the time they had shared together, trigger her memories of him because he was selfish and wanted so desperately for her to just remember him. He wouldn’t though, he wouldn’t put her life in danger like that and it killed him that she didn’t know who he was.

---

Stella smiled to herself as she rested her head against Kol’s chest, her eyes closing as she enjoyed the contact she had again with him. Listening to his words, she felt relief wash through her mind as he promised to help her with learning magic and that he didn’t care about the fact that she did have magic. Part of her knew that it wouldn’t affect him, but there was still a small part that had been concerned that perhaps he would or that it would be hard on him considering he was no longer a witch. “Thank you,” She whispered knowing full well that she didn’t need to thank him, she would do absolutely anything for him and that was a mutual feeling that they both shared. Yet, she wanted to thank him. She needed him to know that she appreciated him and everything that he has done and will be doing for her, she had literally only got him back in her life and he was already taking on a lot more than what either of them bargained for. Her eyes opened when she heard footsteps in the hallway outside the room, she still wanted to have a word with Klaus. There was a lot on her mind that she wanted to get off her chest, all of which involved the hybrid. Yet, deep down she knew she couldn’t trust Klaus. He could still very well bite her and that would be it for her, Klaus wouldn’t have to listen to Kol or Marie or even Marcel. She couldn’t leave Marie, not when she still needed to be protected from how ugly the world had gotten over the years. Plus, she now had Kol back in her life and she never wanted to put him through that kind of pain again.

Lifting her head from Kol’s chest once she heard Klaus moving on from the room they were in, looking for Marie no doubt. “There is one thing I do want to ask you,” Looking into his eyes, she knew what she was about to ask him would be hard for him, but it was important to her. “Could you try to be at least a little bit more friendly with the vampires here, mainly Thierry and Diego. They’re both important to me, Thierry helped me a lot when I turned.” Stella got lost in his eyes as she spoke, something that had always been easy for her to do. And it was something she used to do more often after her illness started to overtake her body more and more each day, getting lost in Kol’s eyes or simply focusing on him, would take her mind of the pain that attacked her bones and made her feel weak and exhausted. “I know you probably won’t like them, but could you not kill them.” A small smile graced her lips as she looked at the man she loved wholeheartedly.