August 1518. I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality.

I have lost the woman I love to the demands of the English court, and our child remains with her and Rebekah while I attempt to reason with her. It has been unsuccessful, but I hope that I may earn their affection back.

I fear I may have gone too far this time.

However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus.

He continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. I suppose I made a grave error in judgment hiding the truth about Katherine and the witch from him. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness.

~~~~

Titania didn't bother wondering where Rebekah had run off to the previous evening.

Anything involving her father, uncle, and a plantation had zero appeal to her.

The magical pregnant wolf girl, sure. But Rebekah could bring her to the Quarter or make arrangements to bring her to the apartments.

No damn way in the nine circles of Dante's hell would she interact with any of that shit.

A cigarette hung between her lips as the sun's rays began to filter over her little balcony she sat on, hands occupied with a mug of coffee.

She had a little while before she needed to be in her office, and she reminded herself that she should probably thank Rebekah for the compulsion she used to make sure the apartments were furnished.

It was the little things, especially when one was cycling into a depressive episode and it had the threat of being severe.

So all in all, the makings of such a lovely day in a place she didn't want to be.

The demon took a long drag, inhaling and exhaling smoke in a thick cloud before chasing it with a long sip of black coffee.

Damp curls brushed over her cheeks as she tilted her head and studied, watching activity for the little shops below them and people starting to fill the streets.

Titania often did people watch, it was an interesting hobby she'd picked up in her long few centuries of life. It still hadn't lost its flavor after all this time.

She observed in silence, just continuing to watch the street beneath her as it steadily began to become more crowded. Vendors began to line the sidewalks, little carts taking up space as they reached out to passerbys.

It wasn't until she'd finished her cigarette that she made her way back inside, depositing her mug in the kitchen sink before retreating to her office.

She supposed it was time to start her work day, she did have three counseling sessions this morning to perform.

It was her commitment, after all.

~~~~

The clock struck two pm before Titania pulled herself away from her laptop, the incessant knocking on her front door making her eye twitch in sheer annoyance.

Her suspicion was confirmed as she crossed the apartment and opened the door, Rebekah cheerily standing on the other side with her fist raised like she just was about to assault the wood again.

She needed to learn the virtue of patience.

"There is my favorite niece! So, how about a drink? I heard about this adorable little spot, Rousseau's?" The blonde tilted her head, little grin plastered on her lips.

"I do still need to take my lunch break, and some bourbon does sound rather nice....what are you scheming up now?" She raised an eyebrow curiously, knowing the grin on her face a little too well.

"Oh not much at all, darling. I just stopped by a little witchy shop to speak with Sophie and Katie, witches here. Apparently they sold magical werewolf girl some wolfsbane, which led to a nasty quarrel with me having to unfortunately dispose of eight vampires. Such a shame, they shouldn't have attacked a pregnant girl. Anyway! We need a locator spell to find Elijah because a witch, whom I cannot remember, has wiped my memory." Rebekah watched her grab her bag off of her little end table by the door and step outside as she explained.

The lawyer furrowed her brow while she locked the door, "you do realize that you could ask me to undo that and get your memory back, yes?"

"I'm doing my best to keep the peace so that, when we get your father back, we can get the hell out of here." Her explanation made sense, she supposed.

If Klaus took her away again, nothing would stop her from ending him this time.

"A drink, you said?" Titania turned, rolling her eyes as Rebekah offered her arm.

"I need one after talking to Sophie." The original did the same as her niece threaded her arm through hers.

"Mmm, why do we need Sophie exactly?" She questioned as she was pulled along towards the stairs.

"The bitch also linked herself to baby momma." Rebekah huffed, the annoyance rather hilariously spreading over her face.

Oh but of course she did. Honestly, that was a smart fucking move.

"Sounds about right. So you need her to find the jackass and get this witch to unlink herself from Hayley, but you have to placate the rabid toddler?" The hybrid followed down the stairs as she tried to figure out what the hell was actually happening.

"See? This is why you're the smartest in the family." Rebekah led them to the streets of the Quarter, right into a flood of tourists and residents.

"You could have just said all that in the first place." She grumbled, shooting her a glare of partially facetious frustration.

"Did I not?" The vampire weaved through people with her.

"No?!" Titania hissed as she was tugged around a throng of pedestrians.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry sweetheart, really I just found out all of this last evening and this morning." Her sigh of apology was almost lost as jazz echoed from somewhere on the right.

"Mmmm-hmmmmm." The lawyer wasn't entirely convinced.

Then again, when was Klaus ever honest about his plans to anyone?

Rebekah gestured to a bar nestled in the midst of shops, tucked between a boutique and a bookstore.

"Would an apology bourbon make it better?" She offered with another smile, releasing her arm as they reached the door.

"...I will consider it." Titania quirked a brow as she opened the door and held it for her aunt.

She happily strode right in and left her to follow again, turquoise eyes falling from one blonde to another.

The same one from her visions, who seemed to be muttering something before snapping her head up with a smile of her own.

"Hi ladies, coming for a drink?" Her eyes reached hers and her expression morphed into a mixture of surprise and familiarity.

Well that was certainly interesting?

"I believe I have stressed out my niece and I owe her a consolation bourbon, if you don't mind...Camille, is it?" Rebekah dropped onto a stool at the bar, motioning for her to take the seat next to her.

"As if my job is not enough, you just have to waltz in and drag me around." Titania played along as she moved to join her.

"Oh? What do you do for work?" Camille shifted to grab a bottle of amber liquid and a cold glass.

"I run two law firms, specializing in families and divorce. I mostly help women and children out of bad situations." She answered as she rested her elbows on the cool wooden top, seeing a little blonde tyke sitting on the floor with a coloring book.

Well shit. That little one was in her damn visions too.

"Wow, that's...kind of amazing? I was hoping to use my doctorate I'm working towards to do something similar." The blonde shook her head with a chuckle as she poured.

"Well don't you two have so much in common?" Rebekah didn't bother to hide her amusement, a flash of mischief in her blue eyes.

"CiCi, I wanna snack." The little girl pouted, barely looking up from the princess she was coloring in.

"In a second honey, okay? Here's that bourbon, sorry I didn't catch your name?" Camille shifted to stand before her and set her drink down in front of her.

"Titania. Lovely to meet you darling." She hummed, a crooked smirk splaying over her lips.

"And I'm Rebekah, who is going to very kindly ask for some bourbon as well?" The original turned her attention back to her.

"Of course. It's nice to meet you both." Her hand was taken by the little girl.

"CiCi, snack please?" She asked again, matching green eyes widening.

Titania raised an eyebrow conspiratorially, reaching into her purse and finding a dark chocolate candy bar.

Her episodes became more bearable with medication and super foods. Chocolate just happened to be her favorite.

"One second Fallon, I have Cheerios in my backpack," Camille chuckled as she freed herself and snagged another cool glass, "I'm so sorry, her sitter is sick and I couldn't seem to find anyone else who could watch her. I mean, three year olds are so much energy so I can't blame 'em."

"Oh that's quite alright, we do love little ones!" Rebekah smiled again as caught her niece opening candy.

The Boleyn caught Fallon's attention and tilted her head while Camille wasn't looking, holding up the piece of the bar she'd broken off.

Fallon gasped excitedly and shyly crept around the bar, hesitantly padding over to her with her crayons and book clutched to her chest.

"You are more than welcome, here." She whispered, extending the little piece towards her.

The tiny blonde rushed over, the little bow in her hair bouncing with her curls.

"Thank you!" Her little giggle was so reminiscent of her dreams.

Rebekah and Camille started talking, but Titania wasn't really paying attention to it.

"Of course, little love." The lawyer winked, trying to not laugh as she watched her scarf down her section of candy.

Fallon clambered up onto the stool next to her, dramatically laying out her coloring book and crayons between them.

"Color?" She offered a green crayon to her.

"...why not?" Titania shrugged, taking the crayon and letting Fallon show her which page she could use.

The hybrid passed her another piece of the bar in silent thanks, starting to shade in a bush in the background.

"And so then, I moved back here to be closer to my brothers because, let's face it, family's important. Right, Camille?" Rebekah leaned forward, her niece catching it out of the corner of her eye.

Oh, here we go.

"Cami. I have to change this name tag-- drunk guys keep hitting on me in French," Cami laughed in spite of herself as she glanced at Titania and Fallon coloring, "You sure you haven't been in here before? Your face looks so familiar."

She glanced up at that, "I was here for a case a few years back, it is entirely possible that we ran into each other then."

"Oh, maybe that's why! I'm so sorry, she likes to color so much, if she's bothering you feel free to send her back here." The student looked apologetic even though her expression was soft.

"Oh she is no trouble at all. I work with children her age all the time." Titania shrugged easily, slipping another piece of chocolate to said child under the counter.

"Aren't you dating Marcel Gerard? He's a pal of mine... sort of. I heard he had a crush on the blonde bartender at Rousseau's." Rebekah tilted her head as she changed the subject.

"I would hardly call it dating. He's wooing me... sort of. I don't know. I mean, he's very charming, which probably means I should run for the hills. Honestly I feel like women may be the better option." Cami lifted a towel to start drying clean glasses, needing a way to expand the odd energy coursing through her.

"I'm kind of in an on-again/off-again thing myself at the moment. But I will commend you, women are definitely the better option, I...I miss my girlfriend. She passed away a long time ago and...nothing really has been the same sense." The vampire sighed heavily, swirling the glass in her hand around.

So the stunning bartender with a tyke liked women? Now that was certainly very, very interesting.

"Those are the worst, aren't they? The ones you can't shake, even though you know better, and you always know better? But I'm...I'm so sorry to hear that, I can't even imagine. I thought losing my siblings was horrible, but a partner is a whole other thing entirely." She paused her drying and offered a sympathetic smile.

"It very much is. All loss is rather painful, no matter who it is," Titania hummed her agreement as Fallon carefully slid over and settled into her lap, "are you quite comfortable now?"

"I like you, Cami. And it seems my niece and your little one have hit it off quite well, which admittedly makes me like you even more." Rebekah snickered, eyes fixed on Titania dipping her head to sneak more chocolate to her.

She honestly didn't mind, Fallon was surprisingly entertaining company.

"Looks like it...thank you, really. Normally she doesn't like anyone but me, she's kinda been having a hard time." Cami softened even more, and good nine hells that made her even more gorgeous.

"Not a problem at all, coloring is relaxing, isn't it?" The lawyer playfully tickled her sides, eliciting a shrieking laugh from the three year old.

"I love her, CiCi. She gived me candy!" Fallon exclaimed happily.

"I ah...had a chocolate bar in my purse." She admitted, flashing the most apologetic smile she could muster.

"Literally the entire time we've been here. Titania has quite the way with children, they just seem to like her." The original quirked a brow, thoroughly amused by the fact the little one had her hardass niece wrapped around her pinky.

"Ahhhh so that's why, huh? Well still, thank you. She hasn't really wanted to be around anyone, but she seems happy with you." Her attention was returned to her and turquoise locked onto green.

"I am sure it was just the candy, but I did enjoy the coloring." Titania chuckled as Fallon slipped back down to dash to her aunt again.

"Hey, we're supposed to go to this posh charity thing thrown by this philanthropist tonight. He's a bit of a Gatsby, throws a mean party. Any interest? I mean, we all seem to get along quite well." Rebekah extended an invitation, one neither of them had any clue about.

For fuck's sake. A party? Was she kidding?

"Oh ah...if I can find someone to watch her, why not?" Cami agreed after a moment, eyes still fixed on the darker woman in front of her.

"Perfect, I need to see about a dress. Say goodbye for the both of us, won't you sweetheart?" The blonde slid out of her seat, teasingly squeezing her niece's shoulder on the way out of the bar.

"Allow me to apologize for her, she is very much the matriarch of our family and is used to getting her way." She glared after her until she was completely out of sight.

"She definitely seems like it." Her amused chuckle was literal music to her ears.

"However, if Fallon would ever so kindly spare you this evening, I would be honored to escort you to the party." Titania leaned forward, the dark red fabric of her button down crinkling as she moved.

Cami stammered for a moment, trying to be incredulous but the flush of her cheeks betrayed her as she watched a pen be whipped out of her back pocket.

"If you would like, here is my number. You can reach me any time." She wrote quickly on a napkin and passed it to her.

"Oh, thank you. I ah...I will let you know." Her cheeks turned even darker.

The demon lifted herself from her stool at that, carefully taking her hand and lifting it, "J'espère te voir bientôt, ma chérie."

She gently kissed her knuckles before releasing her hand and shifting to Fallon, "thank you for letting me color with you."

"Oh you're stuck now. She's never going to let the you stop." Cami snorted, Fallon running back around to wave goodbye as she moved towards the door after her aunt.

"Sounds like a perfectly fine way to spend the day. Jusqu'à la prochaine fois, mes ves d'amour." Titania winked over her shoulder as she stepped outside.

So this is why she was having those goddamn visions. They were about them. Maybe her mother's plan worked after all, after all this time.