Even in Death

“Why are we in New Orleans? It’s very… dirty.” The tall, British woman cringed when a pedestrian brushed passed her.

The shorter woman rolled her eyes, pulling her companion down an alleyway. “I told you, Addison, I have family business here.”

Addison huffed. “You always drag me away from our vacations because of family business, it’s never been anything other than family business. I just don’t understand why we have to come back to New Orleans, it was bad enough the first time. Why can’t we just go back to England, it’s nice there, it’s clean there. Avani!”

Avani kept walking. “If you don’t want to be here, then go. Go back to England, send me a postcard.”

Addison pursed her lips and hastily caught up to Avani. “I’m not leaving you, you know that.”

Avani smirked. “Yeah, you’re just jealous that I have family to go to.”

Addison scoffed. “I think you and I both know that I’m perfectly happy without ever seeing my family again.”

“Well yeah, I mean, that is why you-”

“Also I’m not entirely sure if this counts as going to your family if they don’t even know who you are.”

Avani glared at her. “Yeah, well, I’m going to tell them this time.”

“That’s what you said last time. And the time before that. And the one before that. And-”

“Okay, I get it! But this time I’m serious. My husband…”

Addison gripped Avani’s shoulder.

“After everything that’s happened, I have to tell them, and I have to do it before the only three that are left kill each other.”

“You didn’t mind when your father-in-law died.”

“Yes, well, my father-in-law was the prick that killed me in the first place. Like, the very first place, he’s the reason my original body is forever gone. Jackass.”

“What about your mother-in-law?”

“She was technically dead for the majority of the last millennia, so there’s that. Plus she always hated me. She only taught me because I was already married to her son and there was nothing that she could do to change that.”

Addison shrugged. “She could have killed you.”

Avani snorted. “Yes, and make her own son hate her in the process. No, she never would have done anything to hurt any of her children, even if it meant that she had to put up with me.”

“What do you mean, she never would have done anything to hurt her children? She tried to kill them all not too long ago!”

Avani sighed. “She thought of it as fixing the wrong that she had done. She was dead for a long time, so obviously her judgment was a little… off.”

“A little?”

“Eh, a little, a lot, what’s it matter, we’re immortal. We all have skewed judgment at this point, and our morals are-”

“Nonexistent?”

“Basically.”

Avani and Addison walked into the cemetery and made their way to the only conscious Original vampire.

“Hello, Niklaus.”

Klaus’ head snapped up to look at the two women standing in front of him.

“What are you doing here? Who are you?” His hand moved to grab the white oak stake, but Avani summoned it to her hand before he could grab it.

Avani turned the stake, looking it over with an irritated expression. “I told you I hated these fucking things.”

Addison poked at the silver running down the stake. “What is it?”

“Those damn resurrection rings.” Avani pointed the stake at Addison’s face. “You should’ve let me destroy them when I had the chance, then we wouldn’t be having this problem.”

Addison pushed the stake away from her face. “It was either destroy the rings or-” she looked at Klaus “- you know what. Besides, you weren’t upset about this before.”

Avani rolled her eyes. “Yeah, before, I wasn’t mad about it before but I am now. God damn it.”

“What the bloody hell are you two infernal women yammering on about?”

Avani turned back to Klaus and pointed the stake at him. “I’m talking about this damn indestructible white oak stake! Fucking Esther, I swear to god.”

Addison gave Avani a puzzled look. “You know, for someone that doesn’t believe in god, you invoke his name quite regularly.”

“It’s a figure of speech, Addison, I’ve told you this a thousand times.” Avani turned back to Klaus, white oak stake still pointed at him. “You and I are going to have a discussion.”

Klaus raised his eyebrows, eyeing Avani. “Oh really?”

Avani cocked an eyebrow at him. “Yes. But not now, I have a little witch I need to go deal with. Two, actually. In the meantime-” Avani waved her hand in a complex gesture “-the barrier is down now, though I suggest you stick around and at least talk to Rebekah. You are seriously lacking in the communication department, and that needs to change.”

Avani handed the stake back to Klaus.

“You’re just giving this back to me. You held in your hands the one weapon in the world that can kill me and you just gave it back?”

“Yes. I don’t want you dead, Niklaus, that has never been something I have wanted. Besides, it’s not like I need the protection. You couldn’t kill either of us even if you tried.”

“So you think.” Klaus smirked.

“So I know. If you kill me, I’ll just pop into another body and her, well, she’s entirely immortal, no weaknesses to speak of, physically at least, so you can’t kill her either.”

“Do you really think I believe that?”

Avani shrugged. “No, not really, but I’m in no mood for you to test it out. I just got all of my tattoos where I want them and I would really rather not have to waste my time with it again, it’s unbearably tedious.”

“Of course,” Klaus said, his sarcastic tone matching his smug and indulgent expression.

“You’re always so arrogant, Niklaus. A little humility would do you well. For now, though, we’ll be off. I’ll come ‘round for that discussion soon enough.”

Avani and Addison walked away, leisurely making their way to the gate.

“You never told me who you are,” Klaus called after them.

The women stopped and Avani turned back to look at him. “I’ll tell you exactly who I am later, but for now you can call me Ava. Oh, and if you ever want to be on good terms with Rebekah again, maybe you should ask her what she wants for once. Goodbye, Niklaus. I’ll see you again soon.”

With that the two women disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“What the bloody hell was that all about?”