Nothing Without You

When morning came I felt more nervous than a kid before their first Christmas concert. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into but I was already starting to regret it. This was crazy, and I felt like I was, quite literally, walking into the lions den. Or the hybrid’s den if you want to get real.

When noon came, I heard a honk coming from the driveway. I felt entirely unprepared and I just wanted to hide. “Who is that?” Jared asked, making Emma some hangover food.

“Uh, Klaus. We’re just hanging out today.” It wasn’t a full lie, but now wasn’t the time to come clean to them about things they never would have believed anyway. “I’ll be back later.” I hoped.

“If you aren’t back by tonight I’m calling the cops!” He said this in a joking way, but a small part of me knew he was serious. He seemed a little suspicious and leery of Klaus, as was appropriate, not that he knew why.

“Please do.” I laughed, playing it cool as I grabbed a light jacket and stepped outside.

Klaus was waiting for me in the drivers seat of his 1970’s era Mustang with the windows down. He opened the door for me from the inside and greeted me as I settled in and shut the door behind me. “Good afternoon, love.”

“Hey.” Was about all I could mumble out.

The ride to, well, wherever we were headed, was relatively short. We spent a few awkward minutes in silence, but it gave me time to admire the beauty that was the car. It looked brand new, but it had that old, American, muscle car kind of look. And it smelled like Klaus, like pine and bourbon.

We got out of the car at an old compound building. I’d seen it before, but I didn’t realize people still lived there. It was upkept well from the outside, but it was almost impossible to tell if it was being used or not.

He lead me inside to a large, open area surrounded in doors a windows. There were some tables set up, but all were vacant. It was kind of dark and eerily quiet, I really started wondering what kind of trouble I was in. “Calm, have a seat.” He said as he pulled out a chair for me at one of the tables. He must have heard my heavy heart or staggered breath.

I sat down and waited as he left the room. Part of me felt like running, but I had to wonder how good of an idea that was. After a few silent moments, a man in a suit wakes down the stairwell that I hadn’t even noticed before then. “Who are you?” He asked, sounding slightly threatening.

“Cat.” I choked out, barely able to look him in the eye. His posture was perfect and he had this sense of proper and prim being. Had I not known any better, I would say this guy was scarier than Klaus, though Klaus has yet to do anything to actually scare me.

“What are you doing in my home?” Fuck. He was so serious and intimidating, if I didn’t want to run before, I definitely did now.

“Klaus brought me here. I’m supposed to meet Freya.” I silently thanked the gods I remembered her name, I felt it made my story believable, even though I wasn’t even lying.

He slowly and quietly approached me and grabbed my chin, making me look him in the eyes. “What are you, creature?” I was irritated by the way I’d been addressed, but it did just make it slightly more evident that I was going to lose this bet I’d made.

“That’s why she’s here!” Klaus exclaimed from across the room. “Elijah, this is Catalina.”

“We’ve met.” He said, not breaking eye contact with me. He let me go and stood up straight. “Niklaus, do you have any idea what you’re doing?” He turned to face him, looking like he might lecture him.

“Enough with the theatrics brother. We have work to do.” Klaus crosses his arms, challenging Elijah.

After a moment of silence and intense staring, a blond who I assumed to be Frey’s stepped in. “Enough you two, let me work.” She shooed Elijah away and, oddly, he obeyed her. "Catalina, my name is Freya. I need you to answer a few questions for me." I nodded in response, afraid to speak. Freya had this authoritative presence, when she walked into a room she demanded respect. "Aside from anyone in this room, have you ever met a vampire?"

"No." I answered, almost out of my own control. It was odd how fast it came out, like it had been rehearsed.

She stopped and stared at me like she was suspicious. "Why are you in New Orleans?"

Again, like it was rehearsed, I said "I moved away to better my life."

"What made you want to do that?" This answer stumped me. How could I not remember? I'd never really thought about it. Come to think of it, there was a lot I couldn't recall. She must have seen the look on my face and knew what I was thinking. She continued on without my answer."Where did you move from?"
"Virginia." It was nice to be able to answer, I was starting to feel like I was going crazy.

"Who was the last person you saw before you moved?"

"Why are you asking these things?" I wasn't even sure if she could hear me with how quiet I was.

"Please answer me. Was it a friend? Family? A boyfriend? a-"

"He was my boyfriend. I was with him for so long." I recalled, but when I tried to say his name, I couldn't. I didn't know it, how could I spend such a long time with someone and not remember his name? I couldn't even remember his face anymore. "I don't know who he his."

"Just based off of this little questionnaire, I'm going to say its safe to assume you've been compelled to forget quite a bit." I didn't know why I was shocked at this, or why I didn't believe her right away.

"How is that possible? I've never even-" Then it hit me. I must have been compelled to forget I knew the vampire that knew me.

"I'm suspecting this boyfriend of yours left you high and dry without a memory to show for it." She looked wildly unamused.

Klaus sighed and spoke up "Well that's all very interesting but that's not what you're here for." He reminded us. I was learning that he was quite impatient.

Freya rolled her eyes and put her hands on my head. "Relax." She instructed as she closed her eyes. She chanted word that I didn't understand, her face looked worried but focused. I felt this most strange tingling at her finger tips, and as much as I wanted to stand up and run out of that place, I stayed seated. "What the hell." She muttered after a few moments of her chanting. She looked up at me in, dare I say, fear. "What are you?"

I looked at Klaus, terrified that he was right. And although he did win this bet it seemed, he did not look victorious. "Isn't that why I'm here? I don't know."

"Yes, of course." Freya stuttered. "Sorry I just..." She trailed off before straightening back up. "Let me try something else.” She put her hands on my head again and chanted something else, of course, that I didn’t understand. She suddenly backed off, looking irritated. “Whoever did this to you is experienced. I can’t get past your block.”

“So there’s nothing you can do?” I asked, feeling more worried now than ever.

“There is. I can break you from being compelled, but I warn you, it’s a long process, and it hurts.” She seemed eager to get to the bottom of this, but she respected me enough to let me make the decision on my own.

“How bad?” I asked, terrified of her answer.

“Unbearable. I’ve had people pass out. You need to be sure you’re up for it.” She warned. I glanced at Elijah and and he spoke up.

“I think I should be done. We need to know what we’re dealing with.” His stern, harsh words made my hands tremble.

I looked over at Klaus for some kind of help, some answer. He shook his head, obviously disagreeing with his brother. “There must be another way.” I said, still keeping eye contact with Klaus.

“There is. But you’d have to find the vampire who compelled you and get them to undo it. Otherwise you could just become a vampire. That’ll do the trick.” She said it like a joke but she wasn’t kidding.

“No way. The last one is out.” The last thing I wanted to do was become a vampire, so I immediately ruled that out.

“Then you better get started. I’d start in Virginia.” She nodded and got up to walk away.

“Thanks.” I called out, grateful she’d been able to tell me what she could.

“Let me know if you get your memories back.” She smiled and disappeared into one of the many doorways.

I thought for a moment as Elijah paced the room and Klaus sat in silence. “So what now?” I asked, feeling a little hopeless.

“What now?” Elijah asked, almost looking like he might lose his solid composure. “Now you-“

He was cut off my Klaus holding up his hand. “Now, we head to Virginia. What city?”

“Mystic Falls.” His face fell and he looked intrigued in the worst way.

He and Elijah exchanged looks that I could decipher. “Mystic Falls, you say?” He laughed, though I wasn’t sure why. “Well, perfect. We’re going to pay a little visit to an old friend.”