TWENTY THREE ▶ AUGUST THIRD
August third.
Faye didn't know how to feel about that date.
For one, it was her birthday. She would be nineteen years old and was past the age of her becoming legal. She would get to make a wish and have some cake, maybe even get a present from the two men she travelled with.
Though, that day was something else. It was the eleventh year anniversary of her parents' death. The eleventh year anniversary of the night she mauled her parents to death; the night she became a killer.
Maybe she did know how she felt about the date. She hated her birthday more than anything in the world.
__
Faye's head was rested against the leather seat of Klaus' Ford Expedition during the whole ride to the mystery location. She was sleeping, seeing that she was unable to sleep last night due to nightmares of the night she first shifted.
It was weird that she could remember that night vividly, but every memory of her life before that night was a blur.
Klaus peered back at the sleeping girl from the driver's seat, sighing, "What's wrong with her today? She's been more nasty then usual."
That morning, when they were packing up their stuff from the motel and getting in the car, Faye had lashed out at Klaus. He had just asked her if she wanted help with her bags and she yelled at him, telling him to leave her alone.
"It's her birthday." Stefan replied, staring back at her. She seemed to be having a dreamless sleep, which he was glad for. Faye deserved some rest.
Stefan was worried about her. It was her first birthday as a human instead of a wolf. He didn't know how she'd be now that she could feel all these new things.
"Why is her birthday so bad?" Klaus asked him.
"You don't want to now." Stefan brushed off the question, knowing Faye wouldn't want him to know.
Faye whimpered when she awoke in the backseat. She covered her eyes when she saw the sun come in through the windows. Her vision was blurring and there was a kink in her neck.
"Where are we?"Faye muttered sleepily.
"Near our destination." Klaus informed her, "Have a nice sleep, love?"
Faye blinked a couple of times and nodded, "That was the best sleep I've had in two months."
"Maybe you'll be in a better mood than this morning. Who can be that cranky on their birthday?" Klaus said without knowing about her parents deaths.
Faye froze. She had almost forgotten it was her birthday. Her mood instantly dropped and she buried her face back into the leather seat. She decided going back to sleep would be better than facing the world today.
But, it was inevitable. The car pulled to a stop in a warehouse and Faye was forced to get out. Her, Stefan, and Klaus walked up to an open window that exposed a large city.
"Welcome back to Chicago, Stefan." Klaus said as they looked down upon the city.
Faye frowned, "What are we doing here?"
"I know how much Stefan loved it here." The male hybrid looked over at Stefan with a smirk, "Bringing back memories of the good old ripper days?"
Stefan shrugged, "Blacked out most of them. A lot of blood, a lot of partying. The details are all a blur."
"Well, that is a crying shame." Klaus responded, "The details are what makes it legend." He began telling a short story, "Word was the ripper of Monterrey got lonely, so he escaped to the city for comfort. It was prohibition. Everything was off limits then, which made everything so much fun." He grinned fondly down at the buildings below them, "Chicago was magical."
Stefan sighed, "Yeah, well, I'll take your word for it. Like I said, I don't remember most of it."
"Going to get down to business, then?" Klaus asked, hearing his tone.
"Why are we still with you?" Stefan questioned, "We had our fun, your hybrids failed. I mean, don't you want to move on?"
"We're going to see my favorite witch." Klaus told him, "If anyone can help us with our hybrid problem, it's her."
__
Klaus' witch ran a bar called Gloria's, which was named after herself. It was slightly hidden from what Faye noticed, but they found it soon enough.
Her, Klaus, and Stefan walked inside and Stefan seemed to recognize the place.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?" Klaus asked Stefan almost tauntingly.
"I can't believe this place is still here." Stefan breathed out.
"You got to be kidding me." An older woman walked out of the back room and up to the trio, a smile adorning her face.
Klaus smiled back at her, "So a hybrid walks into a bar, says to the bartender..."
"Stop." The woman who Faye presumed was Gloria said, "You may be invincible, but that doesn't make you funny." The witch turned and looked at Stefan, "I remember you."
Stefan nodded, "Yeah. You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be..."
"Old and dead?" Gloria finished for him, "Now if I die, who's going to run this place, huh?"
"Gloria's a very powerful witch." Klaus informed them.
Gloria sighed, "I can slow the aging down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day." She turned and examined the small redhead standing next to Stefan, "Who are you?"
"I'm Faye." She said, holding out her hand. Gloria took it, suddenly tensing.
Faye knew what was happening. When she had first met Bonnie, she had gotten visions of her killing her parents and her wolf life. Gloria was acting the same way Bonnie did.
Gloria pulled her hand back, looking at the girl with sympathy, "Oh, honey. You poor thing."She reached to stroked Faye's cheek in comfort, but the strawberry blonde jerked back, not wanting her to get any more visions.
"Stefan, Faye, why don't you go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?" Klaus suggested after he watched the weird exchange between the witch and the hybrid.
Faye and Stefan nodded, going behind the bar. Faye reached and grabbed the nearest bottle of whiskey and poured herself a glass. Stefan looked at her, concerned.
"Are you okay?" Stefan inquired.
"I'm fine." Faye mumbled a reply.
"Faye-"
"Oh, look! Pictures!" Faye changed the subject, walking over to the corkboard. She pointed out pictures, commenting on them, "He's hot. He's not. That dress reminds me of Caroline- OH MY GOD!" She pulled the picture off the corkboard, shoving it in Stefan's face, "You have some explaining to do."
Stefan frowned, taking the picture from her, "This doesn't make any sense." He turned around, getting Klaus' attention, "What is this?"
Klaus saw the photo and smirked, "Well, I told you, Stefan. Chicago's a magical place."
"But this is me. With you."
In the photo, Klaus and Stefan were grinning and had their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders.
__
Klaus took them back to the warehouse where he stored all of his coffins. Faye felt like rushing forward and letting Elijah out. She missed him and could really use his comfort right now.
"This doesn't make any sense. Why don't I remember you?" Stefan pestered Klaus about the photo and their supposed time together in the twenties. Faye wasn't very interested in it.
"You said it yourself, that time had a lot of dark holes." Klaus responded.
"No, if you knew me, then why haven't you said anything?" Stefan asked.
Klaus smacked his lips in annoyance, "I'm a little busy right now. Memory Lane will have to wait."
Stefan grabbed his arm roughly, surprising Faye, "What the hell is going on? Answer me."
"Let's just say we didn't get off to a brilliant start." Klaus told him, giving him a little insight on how they knew each other, "To be honest, I hated you. You were with my little sister and being her big brother and all..."
"Your sister." Stefan mumbled to himself, "So I knew another original vampire."
"If you can't handle it, then don't ask." Klaus told him. He walked over to one of the coffins, Faye and Stefan following him. He opened it, revealing a blonde, desiccated woman.
Klaus smiled and stroked the woman's cheek. Stefan frowned at the daggered body, "I don't recognize her."
"Well, don't tell her that." Klaus warned, "Rebekah's temper is worse than mine."
"Rebekah." Faye muttered, "That's my middle name. I guess I know where it comes from now." Her father must of cared about the blonde a lot to name her after her. Faye's heart broke a bit at the thought of her father.
"Well, your father and her got along quite well." Klaus said, moving to pull out the dagger, "Time to wake up, little sister." He removed the dagger and they waited a while for her to wake up, "Any day now, Rebekah."
Klaus looked over at Faye, "She's being dramatic."
"Well, you did dagger her, she does have a reason to be." Faye said under her breath. Klaus rolled his eyes at her accusation.
" Look, why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" Stefan asked, getting straight to the point once again, "I mean, you obviously want me here for a reason, right?"
Klaus shrugged, "Well, you have many useful talents."
"Do I?"
"In fact, I learned some of my favorite tricks from you." Klaus responded, "You tortured a lot of people, Stefan and I was your number one fan."
"Why should he believe any of this?" Faye asked Klaus.
Klaus walked away from them and towards the man who handled the transport. He compelled him, "When she wakes up, tell her to meet us at Gloria's bar. Then volunteer your carotid artery and let her feed until you die." He then started walking out the door once again.
"Where are you going?" Stefan called out.
Klaus stopped and turned around, "You think I'm lying, Stefan. You and I knew each other. You trusted me with one of your secrets and now I'm going to prove it to you."
"How?"
"We're going to your old apartment."
__
Faye was disgusted by the state of the apartment building they were in. It had mold growing on the walls and the stairs were near falling apart. She was very cautious when she had walked up the steps and help on to Stefan the whole time.
Klaus opened the door to the apartment and they all walked inside. Faye got this weird feeling that someone else was there besides her, Klaus, and Stefan.
"What a charming little homestead." Klaus muttered and got the same feeling Faye was, "Do you feel that? Is anybody here?"
"It's been vacant for decades. People must break in all the time." Stefan concluded, "Why'd you bring me here?"
"Your friend, Liam Grant, the one who drank his wife's blood..."
"Ew." Faye gagged at the thought of it.
"I never could figure out why you wanted his name. And then you told me your little secret. It was all part of your special little ritual." Klaus continued.
Stefan pursued his lips, "To write it down."
"And relive the kill..." Klaus said with a grin, "Over and over again." He walked over and opened a secret door, revealing a liquor cabinet.
Stefan and Faye moved towards the closet and peaked there head inside. Stefan turned his head to the side and Faye followed his gaze. She almost jumped when she saw Elena clutching Stefan's journal to her chest as she hid in the closet.
Elena looked at them with hope, but they ignored it.
"Look what I found." Stefan called back to Klaus. Elena and Faye were about to panic, but he grabbed a bottle of liquor.
Stefan and Faye moved out of the closet and showed Klaus the bottle, "1918. Single malt." Stefan said, handing it to Klaus.
"My favorite. Let's go and find someone to pair it with." Klaus said with a grin, guiding them to leave.
Faye raised her hand awkwardly, "Can I just go back to Gloria's, please? I kind of want to get a nice shower."
It wasn't a lie. She had been offered to get cleaned up earlier in Gloria's small apartment before they left, but she had to decline seeing Klaus was impatient. She wanted to get all of the road trip nastiness off of her and also not have to kill another person.
Klaus nodded, "Fine, but stay there." He and Stefan left, going to go find someone to feed on. Once she heard them leave the building, Faye rushed over to the closet and pulled Elena out.
"Are you crazy? I thought we told you to stop following us!" Faye shouted at the girl.
"We just want you and Stefan to come home." Elena told her as she was slammed up against the wall.
"Do you not understand we can't?!" Faye yelled, "We are indebted to Klaus and if we fail to pay that debt, he comes back and kills every you and I care about. And I will not let anyone else die because of me." She let Elena go, beginning to walk backwards towards the door, "Not today."
Faye turned around, walking out the door and leaving Elena alone to drown in her thoughts.
__
Faye emerged from the back of the bar where Gloria's apartment was. Her hair had some life to it now and she wasn't wearing her road trip clothes, which were the usual pair of shorts and a v-neck. She wore a white, strapless, high to low sundress that was paired with light brown boots.
When she walked out of the back room, Klaus and Stefan were already there at the bar. They both looked up at her with different facial expressions.
Stefan was smiling. Faye looked like herself and he hadn't seen that since they left with Klaus. She seemed radiant, even on the worst day of her life.
Klaus was left speechless. Faye seemed to look like an angel in that dress; completely innocent. A part of him wanted to tear it straight off of her and ravish her against the wall in front of Stefan.
"Where'd you get the dress?" Stefan asked when Faye slid into the bar stool beside him.
"Gloria." Faye answered, "She gave it to me as a birthday present. I didn't want to accept, but I had nothing else to wear besides jean shorts that are currently covered in blood."
Stefan nodded slowly at her, turning back to face forward. Klaus still had his eyes on the girl, sinful thoughts racing through his brain.
"Where's Rebekah?" Gloria broke Klaus from his gaze as she set some shot glasses down in front of them.
Klaus took one of the shots in his hand, "She'll be here. I can't just conjure her on demand." Gloria glared before walking away from them. Klaus turned and looked at Stefan, "What's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground."
"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman?" Stefan asked him, "Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?"
"Well, that's certainly half of it." Klaus told him.
Faye frowned, picking up a shot glass herself, "What's the other half?"
"The other half is that Stefan used to want to be my wingman." Klaus told him. He raised his shot, "To friendship."
Faye didn't want to drink to that, but she was going to drink anyways. She knocked back the shot, letting the bitter alcohol run down her throat.
"So I'm confused." Stefan said to Klaus, "If we were such great friends, then why do I only know you as the hybrid dick who sacrificed my girlfriend on an altar of fire?"
"All good things must come to an end." Klaus responded, not revealing much.
Faye sat there for a moment, trying to figure it out. Black spots in memories, like amnesia. It could've been the blood, but it sounded more like-
"You compelled him to forget?" Faye asked Klaus.
Klaus nodded, "It was time for Rebekah and I to move on. Better to have a clean slate."
"But why?" Stefan questioned, "You shouldn't have to cover your tracks..." Stefan put two and two together, "Unless you're running from someone."
"Storytime's over." Klaus curtly said.
Stefan turned his head and spotted Damon by the door. He gestured for his younger brother to follow before heading out the door. Neither Klaus or Faye had noticed him.
"I need another drink. A real one." Stefan said and got up, walking out the door.
That left Faye and Klaus alone in silence. Klaus was trying so hard to keep his eyes off her, but he barely could. Faye avoided his gaze the best she could. She soon left to go to the bathroom, but when she came back, she was horrified.
Klaus was over Damon, stabbing him constantly with a wooden tooth pick. Faye felt her claws extend and she saw red. The only thing she could think of currently was that she had to protect her pack.
Faye rushed forward, pulling Klaus off of Damon. Klaus slid across the floor, staring up at Faye with astonishment.
"Leave. Him. Alone." Faye growled, in hybrid form.
Klaus blurred over to her grabbing by her arm, "I don't want hurt you, love."
"I am not losing anyone on my birthday." Faye said through clenched teeth, "Not again." She pushed him away from Damon who was still suffering from some wounds.
Klaus picked her up and threw her to the ground. Faye groaned as she hit her head on the floor. Klaus walked back over to Damon and broke one of the chairs nearby. He picked up one of the legs and prepared to stake Damon with it.
Well, until Gloria set it on fire.
"Really?" Klaus asked Gloria, unamused.
"Not in my bar. You take it outside." Gloria said to him before turning around and walking back to where she came from.
Klaus smacked his lips and turned back to Damon, "You don't have to negotiate Faye and your brother's freedom. When I'm done with them, they won't want to go back."
Damon got up, glaring at him. He glanced at Faye who was now getting up and healing. She nodded towards the door, telling him to go. Damon looked at her, desperate for her to come home. She shook her head, striding past him to go into the backroom with Gloria.
Damon left and Klaus watched the door that Faye had gone, feeling like he just ruined what little of a relationship they had.
__
When Stefan came back, Klaus decided to go check on Rebekah and see if she had awoken yet. Faye didn't want to go, she was done with the day and wanted to go to sleep. Klaus refused, saying that they needed to stick together (for some reason Faye thought was absolutely stupid).
Klaus went into the warehouse alone. He noticed that her coffin was empty and the man he had order to be drained was dead.
"Rebekah..." Klaus called out for his sister, "It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are."
Rebekah rushed at him, stabbing him in the stomach with the dagger, "Go to hell, Nik!" He groaned a bit before pulling it out.
"Don't pout." He instructed when he saw her expression, "You knew it wouldn't kill me."
"Yeah, but I was hoping it would hurt more."
"I understand that you're upset with me, Rebekah..." Klaus sighed as he threw the dagger to the ground, "So I'm going to let that go. Just this once." He looked back towards the, "Brought you a little peace offering. You can come in." He called out to the vampire outside.
Stefan walked into the warehouse and Rebekah felt like she couldn't breath, "Stefan..."
Klaus got closer to Stefan and compelled him, "Now you remember."
Memories flashed through his mind and he had to hold his head for a moment. When he faced forward again, his eyes connected with Rebekah's, "Rebekah."
"Stefan." Klaus said, turning the attention to him.
"I remember you. We were friends." Stefan said, pointing at him.
"We are friends." Klaus clapped his hand on his shoulder. He then looked towards his sister, "And now the reason you're here. Gloria tells me you know how to contact the original witch."
Rebekah frowned, "The original witch?"
"What do you have that Gloria needs?" Klaus asked her.
Rebekah reached up to touch her neck for her necklace, only to find it gone, "Where's my necklace?" She whispered before raging, "What did you do with it? I never take it off!"
"I don't know. I didn't touch it." Klaus said honestly.
"We need to find it, Nik." Rebekah told him, "Now, I want it back!"
Klaus stared at her, "Tell me that's not what she needs, Rebekah!"
Rebekah began to look everywhere for it and Klaus was now stressed. He turned around to look at Stefan and noticed that Faye was not there with them.
"Where the bloody hell is Faye?" Klaus asked him.
"She needed to blow off some steam so she went for a walk." Stefan told him. Klaus huffed, ready to go after her. Stefan stopped him, "Klaus, don't mess with her. Not today."
"What is so bad about today?" Klaus asked him.
"Just leave it alone."
Klaus shook his head and pushed past him, "Watch Rebekah, I'm going to go find Faye." He left the warehouse to go find the young redhead.
__
Klaus found Faye on the roof of a building not to far away. Faye sat in the corner, with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her hair was caked with blood along with the once pure white dress. He couldn't see her face, but he could hear her sobs. Dead bodies were scattered around the rooftop along with many bottles of tequila.
"Faye..." Klaus got her attention, "Sweetheart." Her head snapped and he could see the streaks of tears running down her face. Blood was smeared across her lips.
Faye looked like an angel of death.
Faye looked around at the bodies and then back up at Klaus, "I didn't mean to." She cried, "They just kept asking about my parents and where to take me home and I just-" She began to sob again, "I got so angry and I killed them."
Klaus crouched down next to her, stroking her hair, "It's okay, love. We all go on a rampage sometimes."
"No. No." Faye shook her head, "I tore them apart on my birthday, like I did my parents."
Klaus had forgotten that part of the story. Lacey had told him of the curse, but he had forgotten that when Faye shifted on her eighth birthday, she mauled her parents to death.
"You were upset..." Klaus said, but the words fell upon deaf ears.
"They'll use it against me. They'll taunt me until I kill myself." Faye sobbed.
Klaus frowned at her, "What do you mean?"
"Everytime I kill a human, they come back and taunt me until I pay for what I've done. I've tried to ignore it and they invaded my dreams." Faye revealed him, the drinks she had loosening her tongue.
Klaus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everytime he had forced her to kill, she suffered. He finally understood why Stefan was constantly offer to kill instead of her. Stefan wanted to protect her from her nightmares.
He shook his head, knowing this wasn't about him. Klaus took her hands and moved to help her up.
"We should get you to Stefan." Klaus told her, "He'll get you cleaned-"
"No!" She protested, "Please don't take me to him. He can't know I did this. He'll be so mad."
Klaus sighed, "Fine." He pulled her up and swept her off her feet, "I'll take you back to my hotel room and help clean up."
Faye nodded, "Okay."
Klaus sped away with her, making it back to the hotel room. He had gotten a nicer hotel since they'd been in Chicago for a long while.
Klaus slid in the hotel room key before kicking open the door. Rebekah was sitting on one of the beds inside the room, brushing her hair. She jumped up when she saw him enter the room with Faye in his arms.
"Is this Faye?" Rebekah asked, stepping towards them. Klaus nodded, "What happened to her?"
"She had a bad night." Klaus told her.
"Make that a bad decade." Faye muttered in response. Klaus helped put her down on the floor and Faye frowned at Rebekah's attire, "You're wearing my pajamas."
Rebekah sighed, "Sorry, had to wear something that wasn't from the twenties."
"It's okay." Faye said to her.
Klaus began guiding her to the bathroom, "Come on, sweetheart." He prepared a bath for her and she undressed. Faye tried to get her dress off, but she failed.
"Klaus." Faye got his attention. Klaus turned his gaze to her and she raised her arms, pouting, "Help."
Klaus groaned, walking over to pull her dress off. That left her in her underwear and Klaus couldn't help, but stare. He would have loved to taken her right then and there, but he wasn't going to take advantage of her in this state.
"Turn around, perv." Faye told him and he did as he was told. She struggled to get her bra off, but she managed to remove it in the end. Once she was stripped, she slid into the tub.
Klaus left the room and Rebekah went in, in his place to help Faye clean up. The blood that covered her ran down the drain and her hair went back to the strawberry blonde color. She looked as good as new.
Rebekah helped her changed into some clothes that were clean. It ended up being Klaus' shirts and a pair of his boxers.
"You should go tell Stefan we found her." Klaus suggested to Rebekah when she was helping put Faye to bed. Rebekah nodded and went to do just that.
Faye snuggled into the covers of the bed, shutting her eyes. Klaus watched her fondly. Faye opened one of her eyes, stared at him curiously.
"Are you watching me?" She quietly asked.
"It certainly looks like that." Klaus said awkwardly.
"It's creepy." Faye said and cuddled back into the pillow her head rested on. Klaus moved to exit the room and talk to Stefan, but Faye stopped him.
"Klaus?" Faye called out. Klaus glanced back at her, "Can you stay with me? I don't want to be alone when the come to get me." Faye spoke of the people she had killed earlier.
Klaus reluctantly agreed, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. He sat down beside her on the bed, resting his back against the headboard. Faye smiled warmly and buried herself into his side. He was surprised, but decided that the alcohol she had drank was just making her needy.
"Thanks." Faye mumbled to him.
"You're welcome, love." Klaus responded.
"Stop calling me love. I'm not your love-" Faye fell asleep mid-sentence. Klaus chuckled and stroked her hair.
"Goodnight, love." He said and kiss her forehead, "Happy birthday."
__
A/N: I really loved writing the last part. Faye is a very weepy, needy drunk. I put up a new mix for this season on my 8tracks so go check it out.
Next chapter: Faye properly meets Rebekah, shopping, and the necklace.
-Karina
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top