Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Azalea "Zoe" Mikaelson – Holland Roden.

Chapter 4:

"Karma comes after everyone eventually.

You can't get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don't care who you are.

What goes around comes around. That's how it works.

Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve." – Jessica Brody.

Mystic Falls

Gilbert Residence

"Kol," Elena repeated, fear and shock plain on her features, "H-How-"

"How am I alive?" Kol finished for her with relish, savoring the potent aroma of fear pervading the air. Emulating the perfect picture of nonchalance, Kol crossed his ankles together, and although mirth was detected in his tone, his mahogany orbs were like steel, burning through each individual in the doppelgänger's abode with the promise of future pain. "I'm hurt, doppelicious. I would have thought you'd all be expecting me. After all, darling Zoe did mention I'd be alive and kicking to Goldilocks and Eddie Quist over there," the resurrected Original lazily waved a hand between Caroline and Tyler, both of whom were as pale as a ghost.

Caroline's reaction was immediate; her cornflower-blue eyes never left Kol's relaxed stance, ignoring the hubbub of her friends. "But-but I thought it was another empty threat," she choked out, Tyler nodding fervently from her side. When the enigmatic Zoe mentioned Kol's impending return, they took it with a grain of salt.

"You failed to mention that crucial piece of information, Barbie," Damon snarled, standing protectively in front of a rapidly paling Elena.

Kol's lackadaisical posture turned rigid by the end of the blonde vampire's genuine confession, his face hardening with malice at the Mystic Falls Gang. The fact that Caroline Forbes stated 'empty threat' to be subconsciously prefixed by 'another' was a slap to the face, portraying how the almighty Originals who had all supernatural entities quake at the mere mention of their name, had fallen. "Another empty threat, dear Car-o-line," he dangerously purred, "I thank you for bringing that fact to my attention. Truly, I do. You see, from now on, there shall be no more 'empty threats'." And as though proving a point, the Wildest Original disappeared for a split second, before reappearing by the front door, an inch away from the threshold, with a tank of gasoline and a box of matches in hand.

"What are you doing?" Matt unnecessarily asked, eyeing the container with trepidation. Kol's gaze fell onto the only human in the room with the misfortune in picking out friends, "Sorry mate, nothing personal. I know my little sister's taken quite a liking to you, but she got over that quickly since she jumped right into bed with the broody Salvatore. If it's any consolation, I was rooting for you."

Stefan began to speak in an attempt to alleviate the perilous situation and have them all walk away with their lives fully intact, but Damon interjected, "I can easily get out of here and kill you all over again! Don't you dare light that up!"

Now that was an empty threat… a quite pathetic one, really.

Amused, Kol started the process of emptying the container, the hazardous liquid splashing onto every surface he could reach from his place by the door. "You see, Damon, that's a perfect example of an empty threat. What do you think I've been doing when your bitch had me killed?" he sneered, eyes glaring daggers at the frozen doppelgänger. "Twiddling my thumbs? Counting pennies? Feeling remorse? No. I've been watching you. All of you. And the only weapon that could kill me was given to my dear sister by your dull-witted girlfriend. However, I did enjoy watching the little hunter die from the peanut gallery." Kol flashed a sobbing Elena a mock smile of sympathy, "My sincerest condolences. Karmic intervention can be such a bitch, aye?"

Tossing the empty container over his shoulder with a loud thunk, Kol lit up the first match, a malicious grin on his handsome face that only grew more pronounced when the Bennett Bitch tried and failed to give him an aneurysm, courtesy of Zoe's benevolent contribution.

"Why isn't it working?!" Bonnie fretted aloud, garnering her friends' absolute attention, "I'm trying several spells to stop him, they're not-"

The Original decided to let the panicked witch stew on her failure.

"You know what," Kol mused out loud, and he snuffed out the small ball of flame. "Two contributed in my death; one is dead already. And while the Ripper and our favorite Bennett Bitch were involved in the doppelgänger's devious plot, I am feeling quite generous. How about a nice little deal, aye? Invite me in, doppelgänger, or come out. Either way I don't care. I kill you and in return, I leave all your admirers alone."

Seeing that Elena was seriously considering Kol's ultimatum, Damon curled a firm hand around her bicep and roughly yanked her to his side, "Don't you dare, Elena. He's bluffing, he won't do it."

"Am I now," Kol arched an eyebrow, leisurely picking another match from the box. Stefan cautiously spoke up, his words reeking with certainty, "Klaus needs Elena to make more hybrids. You kill Elena, and you'll end up back in your box."

Shrugging, Kol smirked, "Oh well. If that's the case then…"and without further ado, he tossed the lit match into the room, "Ooops. My bad."

Impacting with the stream of gasoline, the flames split up, slithering throughout several canals, and in tantalizing slow motion, they roared to life, taking up a life of its own. Kol stood rooted to his spot, elatedly observing as they tried to escape the many path of flames, while yelling for the witch to use her magic. However, Kol's fun was abruptly paused when they extinguished in a comical 'poof', prompting him to scowl at the newcomer's interruption.

"About time, witchy," Damon ungratefully snapped. But Bonnie was flummoxed, "It wasn't me. I didn't do this."

"I did," a melodious voice permeated the air; the Mystic Falls Gang whipped around to discern the owner of the sweet voice, and only two features dawned with recognition, having already had the displeasure of meeting her. The gorgeous woman confidentially sauntered into the house, her killer heels clicking ominously with every step, "I believe it's time we had a little chat." Forest green eyes raked Caroline's form. "Pumpkin, I see the color returned to your face. No hard feelings, eh," she smirked, a mocking quality to her tone.

Caroline glowered back, but otherwise, smartly kept her trap shut and sidled closer to Tyler, while keeping a protective hold on Matt's forearm.

A contemplative look furrowed Stefan's brow as he scrutinized the overconfident intruder; for some puzzling reason, Stefan felt as if he should know the woman. Although Stefan was certain he had never encountered the blonde in his lifetime, she looked familiar…

"Let me guess. You're the lucky Mrs. Klaus Mikaelson," Damon drawled, glaring daggers at her. Zoe pursed her lips together and banished all notions of Damon Salvatore's identity as her uncle from her mind. "Mmmhmm, and you must be Mr. Salvatore, the brother that doesn't have a brain to mouth filter installed. Pleasure," she dryly uttered.

Damon scowled, especially when he noticed that everyone but Elena found amusement in her statement, despite her being a Mikaelson.

Kol groused out from the threshold, "Zoe, you're disrupting my revenge."

"Sorry, carissimo, but we've got bigger fish to dry," Zoe subtly sent the sullen Original a 'we'll-discuss-this-later' look before moving her gaze to Elena. "Before we have our little chat, it's quite rude to keep a guest stranded by the door, don't you think, Ms. Gilbert?" she rhetorically inquired, and before the others could intervene, Zoe softly commanded, "Invite him in."

Damon scoffed, staring incredulously at the latest Mikaelson, "Yeah, no! Fat chance of tha-"

"Kol, come in," Elena's invite had the Gang reeling in shock, especially when Kol smugly strode inside and jovially plumped himself on the couch, resting his legs on the coffee table to better witness the fireworks. As though awakened from a trance she hadn't been put in, Elena's widened eyes focused on the irritatingly calm Zoe, "H-How?! I'm on vervain. You, you compelled me!"

"I'm not a vampire, sweet cheeks," Zoe retorted.

True to his impulsive nature, Damon moved to rip Zoe's heart out, however, just as his hand was an inch away from her chest, Kol collided into him with brutal force and slammed him against the wall, his hand plunged inside and tightly gripping his heart, evoking a pained groan from the raven-haired vampire. "You dared to harm another member of my family!" he hissed, face vamping out as he squeezed the cavity.

Zoe demanded Kol to release Damon, forest greens blazing like an inferno as she met the gaze of her uncle, and she trampled the emotion of hurt and betrayal as she softly disentangled her brother-in-law from the shaken vampire. "Thank you, Kol, but killing him is unnecessary. You would do well to think before you act, Salvatore," she sneered. Kol's glare never left Damon's pallid visage as Zoe approached Elena, almost daring the reckless vampire to make another move.

"Elena Gilbert. Always the poor victim, never the culprit, hm?" Zoe mocked her, her breathtaking features contorted in distaste. "In one year, you lost four parents, and poor Auntie Jenna. In the span of five months, you lost your stepfather and your brother. How utterly… tragic," she whispered in a conspiratorial manner, though everybody heard her loud and clear. Elena, her face the color of bleach, trembled due to a mixture of rage and grief, and her hands clenched and unclenched as though itching to rip off Zoe's head. However, Zoe's next words extinguished her murderous intentions. "I could bring dear Jeremy back you know. It's a simple procedure… as easy as riding a bike."

Kol gaped at his sister-in-law in betrayal, but before he could express his ire, Zoe's melodious voice reverberated in his head, revealing her offer was no more than a deception.

Simultaneously, Matt suspiciously inquired, "What's the catch?" and Bonnie gasped in incredulity, "You can do that?"

"Who do you think is responsible for Kol standing among us? As for the catch," Zoe coquettishly uttered, "there is one itsy bitsy stipulation, and it's up to Elena to fulfill. Interested?"

Elena nodded wholeheartedly; hope springing at the chance to be reunited with her brother again. The others warily followed Zoe's movements, watching as she reached out to the back of her jeans pocket and produced a wooden stake. Zoe simply offered it to the doppelgänger, "A life for a life, Elena Gilbert. So… what's it going to be?"

Pandemonium struck; Elena was reduced to tears, chocolate orbs focused intently on the sharp point of the stake; Kol looked as though all his dreams had come true and was inwardly impressed with his brother's wife… very sneaky. No matter what Elena chose, she wouldn't be reunited with the little hunter, and Kol's revenge would be doled out, for if Elena were to kill herself, Jeremy would be inconsolable, unable to live his life knowing that he was living one due to his dear sister's sacrifice.

Damon violently snatched the stake and haphazardly tossed it into the fireplace. "No! We don't want, nor do we need your help. Elena, we'll find another way," he tried making himself heard over Elena's hysterical bawling. Bonnie nodded, rubbing soothing circles on Elena's back as she backed Damon's claim, "Exactly, Elena. We don't need the Mikaelsons, I'll bring him back. I promise!"

"Oh, you will, will you?" Zoe commented bitingly; Caroline and Tyler had yet to utter a word since her intrusion, but their expressions were easy to read, and she clearly deciphered their disapproval with Bonnie and Damon, endearing them to her, despite their incessant attacks against her husband. The temperature dropped in the room, prompting everyone but Zoe and Kol to shiver. Zoe stepped up to Bonnie, disregarding her personal space, "Let me make myself perfectly clear, Bennett Junior. You're involving yourself in matters that are way above your pay grade."

"What are you-"

"Spirits talk, Bonnie Bennett," Zoe hissed, interjecting the foolish witch. "They already forsook you, stripped you of your birthright to teach you a lesson. Tormented your grandmother. And yet, you still haven't learned your lesson!" Zoe allowed her gaze to travel to each and every individual in the room, "I want Katerina Petrova. And you are going to bring her to me. Then, I'm going to pry the cure from her and shove it down Silas's throat, and if any one of you try and fight me on this, or backstab me, I promise you, I'll make sure you live to regret it, because when I make a threat, I carry it out. Don't make an enemy out of someone you don't know."

Zoe motioned for Kol to follow her out, which he grudgingly did. Her hand on the doorknob, Zoe gained their attention before her departure, "Oh, and Damon? I strongly advise that you remove that ridiculous plan from your head. If you abuse your sirebond to turn off Ms. Gilbert's humanity, she won't have any emotions and therefore, you won't be able to activate the bond again to return her humanity. And Ms. Bennett, don't forget, I'll be watching you."

Spluttering, Damon gaped at the front door that had just closed behind the two Mikaelsons, "How did she know about that?" He was thinking it… could it be? Is it possible she read his mind?!

"Klaus's wife is… intense," Matt breathed out.

Stefan however, separated himself from the rest as they tried comforting Elena; before Zoe left, she looked straight at him, and her voice echoed in his head, 'Heed my advice, Stefan. Break free from the doppelgänger's influence. Fraternizing with Elena Gilbert would do more harm than good.'

1860

"Buon compleanno, cara!" Gianna De Luca exuberantly grappled her darling granddaughter into an embrace, "I cannot believe you are sixteen already. Come, come. Let us eat, you are all skin and bones, I must fatten you up. Come, come."

Veronica fondly shook her head and followed her grandmother to the kitchen where they dined in a comfortable silence.

It had been thirteen years since Gianna returned to Italy with her granddaughter, and Veronica had evolved into a remarkable girl, and an exceptional witch under Gianna's tutelage. On her twelfth birthday, Veronica had been informed of her prestigious heritage, and her parentage, including the existence of her twin. Almost instantaneously she despised her father and his Coven for hunting down her family, and held a certain disdain toward her mother for not only abandoning, but betraying her own family to their enemies. Veronica did not consider herself a Tulle, nor a member of the Gemini Coven, but a proud De Luca whose aim was to carry out the legacy of her Lord.

As per ancient tradition, when a De Luca was nearing majority, which was anytime between the ages of sixteen to twenty-one, the witch or warlock would be given permission to commune with their Lord and make enquiries to their heart's contents. For that particular reason, an impatient Veronica scarfed down her breakfast, too excited to finally confront her forefather and identify his face.

"Cara, you are acting like a Neanderthal," Gianna weakly rebuked her granddaughter. "Maintain decorum during mealtimes, even if it is just the two of u-"

CRASH!

Grandmother and granddaughter jolted in fright and shot to their feet at once. Voices accompanied the crunch of footsteps grinding the debris of the destroyed front door. Knowing the intruders could be none but the Gemini Coven, Gianna ordered for Veronica to remain out of sight while she dealt with them.

Clamping a hand tightly over her mouth, her back flush against the wall, Veronica sharply listened in to the ongoing struggle; grunts and yells accompanied Gianna's many incantations, noting that a few hexes were invoked non-verbally. The furniture exploded, intruders cursed, and Veronica distinguished a few choking on their own blood. And just as relief consumed her, thinking her grandmother was the victor, a bloodcurdling yell echoed throughout the foundations.

"NONNA!" spurred by fear and the need to protect her last living relative, Veronica impulsively charged into the living room, wide blue eyes taking in the wreckage, the blood, and the dead bodies littered on the ground, until they finally landed on the fallen form of Gianna De Luca, her expressive jade eyes eerily vacant and her mouth open in mid-spell.

"Another abomination?" a warlock hissed to his surviving two companions, all three of them staring at the familiar looking girl in shock. The lone witch cocked her head to the side, brown orbs raking Veronica's form, "She is the spitting image of Valerie Tulle. You don't think-"

Screaming in fury and grief, Veronica waved her hand in a slashing motion, non-verbally decapitating the witch before she could finish her hypothesis and expose her secret. The two warlocks gaped at their companion's detached head as it rolled to their feet.

Veronica, driven by rage and vengeance, took over Gianna's fight. Suddenly, the sixteen-year-old felt death magic vibrate inside of her, it sang to her, and she knew her Lord had come to her aid. Invigorated by its potency and the new aura that engulfed her, Veronica successively liquefied one of the two warlock's organs, and just as she turned to slay the last warlock the Gemini Coven sent over, his hex impacted her.

Stars flooded Veronica's vision, and through the haze of tears, she caught the smug grin on his face. She lost the battle with her consciousness and a positively brutal war cry emanated from her lips just as she collapsed onto the ground and welcomed the darkness, her hand unconsciously reaching out to interlace with the immobile one of her grandmother's.

Mystic Falls

Mikaelson Mansion

Klaus rolled his eyes and let out a sigh of relief as he parked the car in front of the Mansion and released the steering wheel from his vice grip. Rebekah scowled at him from the passenger seat, "If you couldn't stand to be near me, why bother picking me up from the airport?! I could have made do without your kindness," she sneered; kindness and Niklaus were uncomplimentary after all.

"Zoe insisted. Especially after those morons you hitchhiked with abandoned you on that godforsaken island, Rebekah," Klaus snarled through gritted teeth; the mention of Zoe's name was like a balm, for Rebekah's hostile disposition cooled down slightly and her expression softened, seemingly mollified. Slamming the car door, blue-green eyes connected with the cerulean eyes his darling sister inherited from Mikael, "The entire ride over you've been harping on and on about the cure, my deception regarding Zoe's living status and Katerina blood Petrova. Of course I'm relieved to be away from you!"

Rebekah scoffed, not taking her hotheaded brother's words to heart. She obediently followed Klaus into the Mansion, giddy with joy to see the best friend she thought had perished decades ago. However, the last thing Rebekah expected, was to see Kol – alive and kicking, in the midst of a heated argument with Zoe – looking perfectly healthy for a woman who was supposedly dead.

"Kol?" her gasp went completely ignored as the two allegedly dead beings ensued their argument, eyes piercing one another and hands gesticulating wildly as they each made their point. Whipping around to face her dumbstruck brother, she hissed, "You failed to mention that our recently deceased brother has been brought back. How is that possible?!"

"In a minute Bekah," Klaus muttered as he tried grabbing the bickering powerful beings' attention.

"You said I could have my revenge! All in due time, Kol. They will pay, Kol. Bullocks!"; "And they WILL, but not like that! Our enemies our more useful to us alive than dead at the moment!"; "Right. You've said that already. I fail to perceive their usefulness. Illuminate me darling!"; "I will, LATER!"; "You mean later once you've come up with a ridiculous excuse-"

"ENOUGH!" Klaus bellowed.

Aware of their surroundings, Kol and Zoe looked between Klaus and Rebekah. Kol sneered at his younger sister and went to refill his drink. Although hurt by her brother's dismissal, tears cascaded down Rebekah's face when a genuine smile colored Zoe's features and the two best friends lunged toward each other for a suffocating hug, sealing their reunion.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, Zoe! I mourned you, I-I woke up after ninety years and was told you were dead-"

Zoe hushed the babbling Original and softly stoked her golden locks, "I promise I'll explain everything." Despite being over a thousand years old, Rebekah was a seventeen-year-old girl at heart, with an unhealthy amount of insecurities and had gotten by her immortality by compelling herself some friends. At least until Zoe came along.

Husband and wife kissed each other in greeting just as Kol stormed back into the room. "Oh. Hello, Bex. Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did!" Rebekah insisted, moisture brimming her eyes as she devoured her resurrected brother. Kol snorted into his bourbon, "Funny. I do recall you dismissing my death and pursuing the cure with my murderers. I'm sure you did."

Guilt marred Rebekah's gorgeous features and she shamefully looked away, averting eye contact from her brother.

"When I left you two, you were getting along fine. What happened?" Klaus asked in exasperation. Kol glared daggers at an equally furious Zoe and he spat out, "Your darling wife-"

"WIFE!" the materialistic vampire's eyes zoned in on the ostentatious wedding ring on Zoe's finger, cerulean eyes widening in awe and glee, "You got married?! When? How? Where? Tell me everything! I need details."

Klaus and Kol – despite his current fury – groaned, hoping they wouldn't be forced to listen to the girls gossip around like a bunch of teenagers. Zoe beamed, all anger diminishing from her features, and she stroked Klaus's forearms, her eyes twinkling with joy and adoration, "I tell you what, Bex. How about tomorrow, you and me, girl's day out, shopping, lunch, gossip?"

Tears blinded Rebekah's vision, her face alight with happiness – genuine happiness that Klaus hadn't seen since the 1920s. "Yes. Don't you dare back out, though!" Rebekah's voice however, lacked any venom and it came out as a desperate plea.

"Anyways!" Kol interjected, not about to admit that the elation visible on his little sister's face touched him deeply; Rebekah may have everything people would die for: money, mansions, cars, clothes, family, powers, beauty, immortality, etcetera, but she always lacked a true friend, and Kol was again grateful to the bloody necromancer. "I set out to achieve my revenge when your wife intruded and ruined my fun! Elena Gilbert killed me, Nik! I thought we agreed that I can kill her!" he sounded like a petulant child instead of a furious one-thousand-year-old immortal.

Before Klaus could offer a response, Zoe heatedly interjected, "We did! But vengeance doesn't mean kill everything in sight! Dangling the fact that her brother could be resurrected if she dies is the perfect method of revenge! It'll eat at her until she breaks. It's the best form of torture!"

Kol sneered at his sister-in-law, "Oh, so you don't want the doppelgänger dead, is that it then? That's what you're saying!"

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Zoe hissed venomously, her knuckles whitening, "You weren't just about to kill Elena, and you know it!" Whipping around to face a flummoxed Klaus, she spat out, "Your brother, was planning on burning the doppelgänger's house to the ground while the entire Mystic Falls Gang were inside. Not just Elena!"

And the penny dropped. Recognition dawned on his features, "Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh'!" Zoe retorted. Rebekah was even more confused at the exchange between her brother and best friend, and Kol's ire was reaching its breaking point as he impatiently snarled, "Would you bloody stop having a mental conversation and let us in on what's going on!"

Klaus pierced Kol with a solemn gaze, "The Salvatores are off limits. Do whatever you need to do, but leave the Salvatores out of your vendetta."

"Why?" Rebekah and Kol intoned, confusion coloring their features.

Klaus silently gazed at his wife; it was after all, her decision whether or not she wished to reveal the secret only he had been confided in. Inhaling a deep breath, Zoe looked between her brother and sister-in law, "Because, Stefan Salvatore is my father."

"What?" they dumbly intoned, those word the last thing they ever expected to hear.

New Orleans

French Quarter

The bell hung on the door of Jardin Gris chimed, alerting those within to the caller.

A beautiful woman in her mid-thirties with raven hair and sparkling blue eyes smiled gently at her fellow witches. Striding toward them, she rubbed a certain soft-spoken witch's arm in an effort to alleviate her fears; Katie had only confided in her about the relationship she had been pursuing with a vampire, worst of all, the King of New Orleans right-hand man. Ever since that shocking discovery had come to light, she feared the consequences Katie would have to face if their fellow witches, the vampires, and the Ancestors discovered the forbidden dalliance.

"Diana!" Bastianna sternly identified her presence, "You're late!"

She bowed her head in subservience at the rebuke from one of her Coven's Elders. "I apologize for my tardiness. Davina has caught a fever and I couldn't find a sitter at the last moment. I had to wait until she had fallen asleep."

Agnes and Bastianna glanced at each other, a silent conversation taking place and in unison, they nodded; Bastianna gestured for her fellow Elder to take the reins.

"Diana, as discussed, we have come to a mutual agreement to continue onwards with the Harvest as per our tradition. Jane-Anne," Agnes gestured toward an excited Jane-Anne Deveraux who waved at her, "Sylvia," Sylvia Lefebvre preened her hair in an arrogant demeanor, "and Crystelle," Crystelle Pasquet acknowledged her with a curt nod, "have appeased our ancestors by offering up their daughters, Monique, Abigail, and Cassandra. What say you?"

She felt her blood run cold and a vice-like grip squeeze her heart at what the Elders were insinuating. "You're asking that I offer my daughter as the fourth sacrifice?" Diana tentatively inquired, deftly concealing her skepticism regarding the entire barbaric ritual her Coven were adamant in reinstating.

"We're asking," Bastianna haughtily intercepted, "that you prove your faith by proudly offering your daughter up as our last Harvest Girl, Diana Claire! The vampires have taken control of our city for too long. It is time we step up fromMarcel's totalitarian regime and his subjugation of the witches in the Quarter, and seize control! What say you?!" she menacingly demanded, cold green eyes daring Diana to refuse.

Diana's voice died in her throat, eyes flickering between her coven members, most especially the three mothers that quickly offered up their daughters as sheep for slaughter. "I-I-"she stuttered, at a loss for words, not liking the fact that she was put on the spot; suddenly, the image of her daughter, bedridden with a fever infiltrated her vision. Her mind conjured those eyes she had inherited from her that always, without fail, stared back at her with idolization and trust.

Decision made, Diana apologetically shot up to her feet, eyes blazing with fire that only a mother's love could produce, "I apologize, but I do not wish to offer my daughter for your sacrifice as a gambit for power. Truly, I am sorry."

With her head held high, Diana strode toward the door.

The door wouldn't budge.

"I apologize, Diana," Agnes gravely stated. Diana whipped around, resembling a caged animal as she met the harsh gaze of her fellow coven members. Bastianna too, got onto her feet, her index finger menacingly pointed at the distressed witch, "You never had a say in the matter. With or without your assent, Davina Claire will be the fourth offering to our ancestors."

Diana allowed her eyes to flicker between each and every member of the French Quarter Coven, betrayal heavy on her features, most of all once directed at a guilt-ridden Katie who didn't even have the decency to establish eye contact. "You can't make me give up my daughter, Bastianna, Agnes! I won't let you," Diana put her foot down, her voice unwavering, unwilling to be intimidated by the sea of hostile expressions glaring back at her.

Agnes sorrowfully shook her head, "We won't force you, Diana. You will give us your consent… and you will prepare Davina for the Harvest. Involuntarily."

Mystic Falls

Mikaelson Mansion

Sequestered in their room, Klaus and Zoe were a tangle of limbs as they spooned each other under the sheets.

After Zoe aired her secret to Kol and Rebekah, she immediately left their presence and took solace in the bedroom, communing with the spirits while Klaus did damage control. She wasn't interested in watching the fireworks downstairs; Kol despised the Salvatores from the moment he emerged out of his coffin a few months back, and Rebekah had a romantic history with her biological father, which turned Zoe's stomach at the mere thought of it. The main reason Klaus had Rebekah daggered in the '20s was because of her, consuming Zoe with guilt…

"What are you thinking, love?" Klaus softly cupped her chin to better achieve eye contact. Forest green orbs gazed up at him, remorse evident in its depths, "You think Rebekah will ever forgive me? I mean… I am mostly to blame for her stint in her coffin."

Klaus chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose in adoration, "Bekah loves you, sweetheart. Never doubt that." Zoe hummed in return and burrowed herself deeper in his strong arms, senselessly drawing patterns on his forearms with the tip of her fingers. After a while, Klaus spoke up, breaking the tranquil silence, "I got a call earlier when I went to pick up Rebekah. From that wench, Hayley."

Scowling, Zoe shifted to better observe Klaus, "What does that harlot want?"

Hayley Marshall had scored herself a position in Zoe's little black book, her name somewhere between the Top 5 individuals she wished to annihilate. Not only had the she-wolf plotted against her husband's back by turning his hybrids against him, but Hayley ended up being a two-faced, back-stabbing whore and had betrayed those hybrids who looked up to her for guidance and left Tyler Lockwood to reap what she had sowed. In Zoe's opinion, people like that bint couldn't be trusted and were the true abominations.

"Apparently, she's found herself in quite a pickle," a wolfish grin materialized on Klaus's devastatingly handsome features, prompting Zoe's eyes to gleam with interest. "The ever elusive Katerina is sending vampires after her."

Zoe scoffed, "How predictable of her. Katerina and Hayley conspired together and now that the doppelgänger has the cure in her clutches, she no longer has a need for the wolf. Tying up loose ends by murder. Only Katerina."

"Yes," Klaus mused aloud, "The she-wolf arrived to the same conclusion. She offered me information regarding Katerina's whereabouts, and in return, I give her my protection."

A Cheshire smile took over Zoe's face, intriguing Klaus, "What do you know, my love?"

"What don't I know," she pleasantly retorted, schemes and best methods of retribution raveling and unraveling in the recess of her mind.

1860

When Veronica came to, she found herself in a strange room, a figure diligently sitting by her beside.

"You're awake," a familiar voice hoarsely stated.

Blinking the haze of darkness from her vision, Veronica found herself on the receiving end of a pitying gaze. "Evelynn?"

"Oh, my child," Evelynn Claire, her grandmother's best friend, stared solemnly at the sixteen-year-old, dabbing the influx of tears with a handkerchief.

"Nonna's dead, isn't she?" it was more of a rhetoric question, for Veronica had already taken a glimpse of her corpse. Evelynn nodded sadly, "I traveled the distance at Gianna's request, hoping to make it on time for your birthday celebration. I arrived in time to dispatch the last Gemini witch. Unfortunately, I was too late, for he struck you with a dark hex."

Stretching, she winced at the sharp pain that wracked her body at the simple movement, and in a serious tone, asked, "What's the verdict?" when the older witch hesitated, she said, "I can take it, Evelynn. I already lost my last relative to those, those monsters! How bad could it be?"

Apparently, the situation could get worse.

"You're barren."

To ensure the De Luca line could no longer flourish, an unspeakable act, almost taboo to witches, had been made. Veronica was incapable of producing any offspring of her own.

A/N: Whew… I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

(1) The flashbacks are VERY important for the plot of my story, so keep that in mind! XD (2) The Claire Witches play a very important role in my story as you can see. (3) And we're finally entering the New Orleans plot, but I am deviating from canon, so things will happen very differently. (4) I don't know about you… but I found it odd that only Monique Deveraux's background was introduced; after all, Jane-Anne and Sophie were the ones that began the entire plotline for The Originals. So I decided to portray that yes, the other Harvest Girls did indeed have a mother. LOL! Diana Claire will play an important part… and maybe even Katie? ;) surprises for later… (5) Did you like the confrontation with the Scooby Gang? XD I had fun writing it… Zoe's ingenious when it comes to the art of torture, after all… she did marry Klaus.

Next chapter: We will have more Mikaelson gatherings & the Mystic Falls Gang as well. Plans for Hayley and Katherine will come to light, and Elijah might be mentioned. It all depends on how the plot goes.

POLL: Katherine Pierce: Should she…? (A) Have the same fate as Canon & die? (B) Play a role in the future & remain elusive. (C) Kalijah Shippers – End up with Elijah?

R&R.