chapter 26

I'm comin' home,
I'm comin' home
Tell the world I'm comin' home
Let the rain wash away
All the pain of yesterday
I know my kingdom awaits

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

As Jade strolled through the familiar streets of New Orleans, she felt like she could finally breathe. The rhythmic jazz melodies that filled the air and the colorful buildings adorned with intricate ironwork balconies welcomed her like long-lost companions. The uneven cobblestone streets, weathered by time and countless footsteps, gave the impression of an old dance floor that had witnessed joyful celebrations and quiet moments of reflection, which Jade particularly made use of, whether dancing her heart out during Mardi Gras or sitting drunk on the curb, complaining about life. The scent of spicy gumbo wafted through the warm, humid air, and she couldn't help but hum in contentment.

Oh, how she missed this.

Jade's eyes wandered, taking in the vibrant sights of the French Quarter. The streets were alive with a kaleidoscope of people from all walks of life, and she couldn't help but smile at the diversity of cultures that had melded together in the historic city. Street performers captivated passersby with their talents, and the infectious rhythm of a brass band echoed from the corner of a bustling square. She so fucking missed the soulful energy of this place, the feeling of being part of something bigger than herself. The sultry southern charm of New Orleans had a way of seeping into one's soul, and Jade had often found solace in its warm embrace during her time there.

As she meandered through the French Market, the vibrant colors of local art and the lively chatter of street vendors tugged at her heartstrings. She remembered the days when she would spend hours searching for unique treasures to bring back home or even put out some of her own artwork, sharing it with the city.

Jade knew that no matter where life took her, New Orleans would always be her cherished home.

Now, her steps headed to the most famous and her absolute favorite bar in the entire city, namely Rousseau's.

She smiled in excitement at the thought of seeing her favorite Louisiana blonde again. She didn't see Cami in over six months and didn't speak to her in three! She will kill her, mark her words. It's basically the same thing with Marcel, she couldn't call, she didn't have their numbers! Besides━wouldn't it be better if she surprised them? Jade loved drama, after all.

And she will be the one killing Marcel, the lying bastard of the Big Easy.

Oh, and things in Mystic Falls were that Elijah and Rebekah were going to update her of any development about Daddy Original and Damon Spyvatore, and Caroline and Katherine were supposed to inform her if Daddy Devil made any moves.

But she didn't expect much, after all, she would be gone for one day.

C'mon, what could really happen in a single day?

Okay, nevermind. It was Mystic fucking Falls, the devil himself could rise from the ground and swallow the whole damn town in one-single-fucking-day.

But they all promised that they could just fine without the Forbes woman, and Jade nodded, not believing them at all and got her ass on a plane.

Let's just hope no one will die.

Nevermind, that's possible, too.

As she pushed open the bar's door, the dimly lit interior of Rousseau's greeted her with its familiar warmth and charm. The aged wooden floors creaked beneath her feet as she scanned the room, searching for Cami's unmistakable presence.

And there she was, tending to the bar with her signature grace and charm. Cami's golden hair cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders, a pencil tucked under her ear, from which dangled the golden earrings Jade given her two years ago on Christmas. Jade smiled at the sight.

Yet the first thing that caught her attention was the music—loud, jazzy piano tunes echoed off the walls of the bar, and behind the keys sat none other than Marcel Gerard. Jade shook her head, watching his face lost in the music, his fingers dancing effortlessly over the piano keys, and his trademark pearly smile on full display.

Jade quietly and discreetly approached the bar, choosing a seat as far away as possible from the O'Connell woman, who was lost in her work, pouring some people their shots. She rested her chin on her hand, her warm eyes flickering between her friends, whom she missed mercilessly.

Seeing them in their element, feeling the distinctive scent of the bar and the lively buzz of customers, Jade finally felt at home. Mystic Falls had been her family's residence, but it never truly felt like home, tainted by her father's toxic presence. Here in New Orleans, among her friends, she felt a sense of belonging she had never experienced elsewhere.

Her real home.

As she looked at her friends, a memory immediately popped into her head of how the three of them sat celebrating Cami's birthday in this very bar. Cami had the day off at the time, and the three of them got absolutely shit-faced.

Well, if she thought about it, Gerard actually didn't.

Bastard.

Cami challenged Jade to dance on the bar top, and Jade asked if it wouldn't be her responsibility to clean it up in the morning, to which the O'Connell replied that it was future Cami's problem. Jade said fair enough and got up on the counter, following her dare. Marcel stole some tambourine from the band playing in the corner and started shaking it to the rhythm of Jade's impromptu bar-top dance.

Everybody cheered and clapped along.

It was a weird night.

And future Cami was pissed when she had to clean up all the broken bottles that Jade shattered with her feet.

Watching them for a long moment, she could no longer hold back. Resting her chin on her knuckles, she spoke up. "What does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?" She questioned, her voice loud as she poked her eyes into the blonde, who's head whipped around in a flash at the sound of her voice. "And what the hell is this music? My ears are about to bleed!" She exclaimed in mock distaste, pointing at the Gerard man, who's eyes snapped to hers in a blink.

"You've got to be kidding me." Cami mumbled under her breath, her wide eyes locked onto the unexpected sight of Jade Forbes, who responded with a smirking confidence that only Jade could muster.

"Well, well, well," Marcel declared into the microphone, a slow, wide grin stretching across his face. "Look what the cat dragged in."

Jade snorted in amusement, flashing her eyebrows up and down. "Actually, Morti's back in Falls." She mumbled under her breath, glancing at Cami, who continued to gape at her in shock.

"My, my. Jade Forbes as I live and breathe." Marcel shook his head as he slowly walked up to the blonde, who responsed with an amused smirk. "What? Too bored in your little Mystic Falls?" He questioned, pulling her for a hug.

Jade couldn't help but bark an involuntary laugh into his shoulder. "On the contrary, actually." She muttered knowingly as she pulled back from the embrace, stealing a glance at Cami, who's face was very pissed now.

"Are you insane?!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Where the hell have you been? I thought you were dead!" She pointed at the blonde angrily with some cloth she had in her hand.

Jade kissed her teeth. "Yeah, sorry..." She trailed off with a strained smile, to which the other blonde scowled. "I... lost," She briefly rolled her eyes. "My phone and I didn't have your numbers and... ya know." She sent the woman and awkward smile, to which the blonde narrowed her eyes in both suspision and irritation. "I'll explain everything later, I give you my word." Jade promised, pouting and batting her eyelashes like an impish puppy.

Cami scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "And I am going to kill you!"

"I've missed you so much, Cams." Jade chimed in cheekily, her grin widening, which only elicited another scoff from the blonde.

"Oh, don't you 'Cams' me! I was so wo━"

"━Another beer, darlin'." Some old guy interrupted her upcoming rant, and Cami turned around in flash, threateningly pointing at him with her finger.

"Zip it, Hank!" She snapped, eyes narrowed. "Go home, you miserable drunk." She spat, nodding in the front's door direction. As she started to bicker with the drunken grandpa, Jade couldn't help but smile lovingly at the blonde.

Home, sweet home!

Marcel, who was sipping his drink in silence, raked his eyes over the woman. His gaze stopped on the ring he gave her for her 18th birthday. What surprised him was that he couldn't smell the vervain from it.

Seconds later, he widened his eyes, looking at the girl as if she had grown a second head or a third arm.

She smelled different. She smelled... dead.

Jade Forbes was a vampire. May God save us all.

"And I think we have to talk, too, J." He said knowingly, looking at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

Jade smirked to herself, side-eyeing him. "Damn fucking straight, Gerard." She muttered, sending him a knowing, blazing look.

As Cami finally thrown the guy out of the bar, she turned to her best friend. "Okay, no, no, no." She mumbled under her breath, untying her apron from her hips. "We're leaving, now." She spat, pointing her finger into Jade's face, who grinned in amusement.

"Haven't you just started?" Marcel questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I'm feeling a tad... sick,"  She nodded to herself at the lie. "I'm sure you will find another blonde to stare at. Goodbye, Marcel." She quipped with a cold smirk. Marcel threw the O'Connell woman his trademark pearly smile, and Cami rolled her eyes again, turning to a very amused Jade, who couldn't help but burst out laughing. Oh, how she missed them. "You have so much explaining to do." Cami grumbled, looping her arm with the other blonde's.

"Don't I fucking know it." Jade sighed, clicking her tongue against her teeth as they walked to the bar's entrance. As soon as they were about to exit, she twisted her head to the Gerard man. "Ba-bye, baldie. See you very soon." She said knowingly, shooting him a smirk.

"Can't wait, J." Marcel grumbled with irony, downing his drink in one go.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade and Cami were climbing the stairs of the tenement house where the Forbes woman lived. The creaking wooden steps echoed with each footfall, creating a nostalgic symphony of sounds that Jade had missed dearly. Being here again, after such a long time, filled her with an incredible feeling of homecoming.

As they passed one particular hole in the wall on the staircase, she couldn't help herself and laughed, causing Cami to give her a confused look.

"I just thought of..." She trailed off, pointing at the wall.

Cami momentarily understood her best friend and let out a loud laugh, nodding. "Oddly enough, I didn't get a concussion."

Jade hummed, tilting her head in thought. "It was a close call, I would say." She mumbled with a smirk.

"Well, I don't know, since you didn't feel like taking me to the hospital." Cami deadpanned, cocking her head to the side with a raised eyebrow.

"You're alive, don't you?" Jade asked, shaking her head with raised eyebrows. "Besides, I gave you mouth-to-mouth." She waved her hand dismissively and continued to climb the stairs.

"I wasn't even unconcious!" Cami exclaimed, following after the blonde.

"As if you didn't like it." Jade murmured with a sly smirk as she side-eyed the O'Connell woman. "I knew you had a crush on me."

"Ego in check as always, I see." Cami barked a laugh, her head shaking. "I've missed you, Jades."

"I've missed you, too." Jade echoed with a grin. As they passed some door, her eyes lit up. "Oh, right!" She snapped her fingers in the air, leaving Cami with a confused look as she watched Jade knock on her landlord's door.

An elderly man cracked open the door with an annoyed expression. When he saw the blonde waving at him with a grin, he let out an infuriated huff, pushing the door open further. "I wondered if I would ever see you again, Miss Forbes!" He exclaimed, shaking his head disapprovingly, at which she rolled her eyes, preparing for the usual rant he made when he spoke to her. "Are you serious, Miss? You can't disappear like that without a word, I sent letters, called, but of course you didn't answer, did you even give me your real number? I'm throwing you out of here! It is simply impossible to treat━"

"━Shush, you're embarassing me, Mr. Broussard." Jade leaned towards him, glancing at the her best friend, who just shook her head at her. Smirking, she shifted her attention towards the man, her pupils dilating. "Have you done anything to my apartment?" She asked, testing him if he was on vervain.

Mr. Broussard blinked in a daze. "No, I was waiting for you to come back. I hoped you will, I missed seeing your face everyday." He said robotically, as if he were a programmed machine.

Jade and Cami scrunched their faces in unison, grimacing at the old man.

No vervain, I guess.

"O...kay?" Jade said hesistantly, her face sour. After shaking herself off the disguist, her pupils dilated once again. "You will rename my apartment to Camille O'Connell, do you understand? You will her give the deed to the apartment, so it will be completely hers, no rent." She compelled, and Cami widened her eyes, opening and closing her mouth a few times, but no words came out; she was too baffled.

"Of course, Miss Forbes." The landlord nodded robotically, to which she smirked.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Broussard." She cooed, tilting his head at the man. "Now, you will do as I told and then forget about our little conversation." She compelled him once more and the man nodded, stepping back into his apartament and closing the door.

"What in the absolute hell was that?" Cami asked immediately, her wide eyes fixed at the blonde.

Jade shrugged, searching for her apartament's keys. "Proof number one." She said nonchalantly.

Cami furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Proof about what?"

"Vampires." Jade answered with a smile as she unlocked the door. "Let's see If I can..." She trailed off, trying to cross the apartment's threshold.

She couldn't. God bless Mr. Broussard!

Jade twisted her head around with a grin. "Looks like you have to invite me in." She said, her knowing smirk almost breaking her face in half.

Cami let out a disbelieving scoff. "You can't be serious."

Jade raised her eyebrow as she banged her fist on the invisible barrier. "Try to push me in."

Cami raised her eyebrows, looking at Jade as if she had grown a second hand. With the biggest eyeroll, she did as she was told, although Jade's body met an invisible barrier.

"You're fucking with me, aren't you?" Cami narrowed her eyes at her amused friend. "You freakishly strong, you're pushing yourself."

Jade rolled her eyes, literally leaning her back on the invisible wall. "Just invite me in, Cams."

Cami furrowed her eyebrows, looking at her friend doing a Michael Jackson pose in the air. "You're fucking with me." She whispered, waving her hand between the threshold. "Come in."

As soon as Camille uttered those words, Jade stumbled back slightly, the barrier disappearing. "See?" She smirked as she walked into her apartament, and Cami narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "And I just hypnotized a man with my eyes." Jade twisted her head around, giving her a look.

"He has some freaky crush on you!" Cami countered, throwing her hands in the air. "And why the hell would you give me your apartment?"

"Ugh, I almost forgot how stubborn you are." Jade grumbled under her breath, rubbing her forehead in exasperation, to which the O'Connell woman raised a questioning eyebrow. "We need some alcohol for this." Jade muttered under her breath, reaching for the liquor cabinet in her living room. As she glanced at her best friend disbelieving face, she nodded to herself. "Okay, a lot of alcohol." She concluded, eyeing her impressive collection of various spirits.

Before Jade started telling Cami about the supernatural world, she couldn't help but take a little tour of her apartment.

It was not unbelievably large━yes, her mother helped her pay for it━but c'mon. It was small, cozy and just hers. Everything, every little thing in her home screamed 'Jade Forbes,'  if you thought about it. From her dark clothes, which were literally everywhere, to the million paintings and drawings on the walls━half hers and half those she bought at the flea market, which was every Sunday at the French Market.

Probably, her favorite thing about her apartment was its high ceiling, which meant it had huge windows that allowed her a view of the French Quarter, which was amazing, especially at night. She loved sitting on one of the windows and smoking a cigarette, watching from above the hustle and bustle that was a constant feature of the city.

Also, almost every piece of her furniture was different. Take, for instance, the mustard-colored couch that now graced her living room. She had rescued it from the street, a discarded beauty waiting for a second chance. It had been dirty and tattered, but to a skilled woman like Jade, that was nothing a little care couldn't fix. Duh. The only real challenge had been moving it into her apartment, but Marcel had swooped in to lend his muscle. Now she knew why it had seemed so effortless for him, that sly bastard.

She took something from the street, something from a flea market, something from a dump. And that's how she composed her beloved apartment, which was buzzing with passion and simply her.

"I'm actually shocked that you remembered to water my plants." Jade remarked, her lips curling into an impressed smile as she surveyed her well-maintained living room.

Cami scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "How about some 'thank you'?" She deadpanned. "I felt like a damn gardener! You have a freaking jungle here." She muttered, her gaze sweeping over the myriad of greenery that had been a nightmare to water.

"Thank you, my dear Camille." Jade cooed, throwing herself beside the O'Connell woman on the couch. "And not a jungle. Just a few, pretty plants." She said innocently, shrugging her shoulders.

"Ew, don't. I'm not a grandma." Cami grumbled in distaste, to which the other blonde snorted. "And━jungle." She added, making Jade roll her eyes.

"Ready?" She asked knowingly, raising her eyebrows at her.

Cami sighed, rubbing her forehead, already exhausted. "Sure."

Jade rolled her eyes again, pouring a generous amount of whiskey into their glasses. "Drink. You're gonna need it." She muttered, flashing her eyebrows up and down. Cami merely mirrored her, taking a sip out of her glass.

So Jade told her story, and Cami listened without interruption. She told her about vampires, witches and werewolves, everything she knew about them. Then she told about the events that were happening in Mystic Falls. About hybrids━okay, about one particular hybrid, about her sister, about the ritual, about her tour of the country and finally about the ghosts.

When she was done, a silence fell between them, the only sound echoing in the apartment was the clock ticking on the wall, mingled with distant sound of the bustling city.

"You know how that sounds, right?" Cami finally spoke up, looking at Jade as if she grown a second head.

"Oh, I know." Jade widened her eyes, taking a big gulp out of her drink. "And I also know that you won't believe me until I show you." She added, her tone carrying a touch of strain as the alcohol burned down her throat. Cami furrowed her eyebrows, eyeing her best friend in bewilderment. "So..." Jade trailed off, turning her body towards the other blonde.

As the O'Connell merely raised her eyebrow in anticipation, Jade stared at her, burning her with her stormy eyes. A few moments later, Jade's stormy blue eyes transformed. The blue faded, replaced by crimson and darkness. Her skin under her eyes tightened, revealing the inky black veins that marked her as something other than human. She opened her mouth slightly, revealing her sharp, lethal fangs.

Cami's eyes widened instantaneously, and she instinctively flinched away from her friend as any normal person would. "Holy... shit!" She hissed, staring at Jade in complete shock.

Jade smirked, closing her eyes and supressing her inner monster. "Told ya." She quipped, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly as she reached for her glass.

Cami stared at her for a long time, her eyes bulging. Jade was actually surprised that they didn't fell out of their sockets.

"Wha━" The blonde breathed, her her shaking rapidly. "What?!" She barked in shock, abruptly standing up, her eyes not leaving her best friend.

Jade snorted in amusement. "Don't tell me you're scared." She said, leaning back on the couch and flashing her a teasing grin.

Cami scoffed, eyes darting around the apartment for a second. "Of you? Please." She deadpanned, making Jade raise her eyebrow. "But what━"

"━Many are." Jade sang, shooting a knowing glance at nothingness and taking a casual sip of her drink.

"Jesus fucking Christ..." Cami muttered under her breath, her eyes locked on Jade as she involuntarily started pacing in circles. "You were telling the truth..." She whispered, eyes wide as she rubbed her face with her hands. "Oh, my God..."

Jade leaned back on the couch, her arms folding as she looked at her friend in amusement. "Can I just say that it's so funny seeing you like this?"

Cami's mind was reeling as she tried to make sense of everything she had just learned. "And Marcel..." She began, too occupied with her swirling thoughts to acknowledge Jade's comment. "Oh, God." She turned the Forbes with her eyes widened. "He was trailing around me the whole time!"

Jade kissed her teeth, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I might've encouraged it."

"What?!"

"I wanted you safe! And he's old as hell, so━"

"━What?! How old is he?"

Jade clicked her tongue against her teeth, shrugging innocently. "Two hundred, apparently."

Cami's eyes widened impossibly more. "I'm gonna have a heart attack." She whispered to herself.

"Please do, I know mouth-to-mouth." Jade winked and wiggled her eyebrows at the same time.

"It's not funny!" Camille shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

"It is kinda funny." Jade muttered under her breath, a smirk creeping on her face.

"Your sister almost died..." Cami trailed off, her head shaking slightly. "You almost died." She pointed a finger at the other blonde, who just tightened her lips in response. "No, scratch that. You both are dead!" She exclaimed, and Jade merely pouted in thought, and then nodded. "And who the fuck is this Klaus?" She questioned, her face scrunched as she uttered the name.

"Um..." Jade drawled, actually not knowing the answer.

Sociopathic hybrid? Yes. Enemy? No.

So...

"Friend?" She replied, her words coming out more like a question rather than a definitive answer.

"Friend?!" Cami echoed in bewilderment, blinking rapidly at the blonde in disbelief.

Jade tilted her head back and groaned in annoyance. "I don't know, okay?" She whined, her eyes closed. "He's... something." She rolled her eyes, leaning towards the table and pouring herself a generous amount of whiskey.

"Oh, my God." Cami breathed out, sitting down beside the blonde with her eyes wide.

Jade furrowed her eyebrows and slowly turned her head towards her. "What?"

"He's something." O'Connell repeated in horror.

Jade raised her eyebrow in confusion. "And?" She drawled.

"In your vocabulary?" Cami deadpanned. "Jade, you're in love with a man who wanted to kill you!" She exclaimed.

Jade immediately closed her eyes, a painful groan escaping her lips. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Not you, too." She whined, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.  "First of all, I'm not in love." She pointed her finger at her, emphasizing the last word mockingly. "Second of all, he killed me like thirty times already." She added, waving a dismissive hand in the air.

"What?!" Cami hissed in response, her shock not lessening. She ran her hands through her hair, trying with all her mind to process the information. "And how old is he?"

"Yeah, it's like a vampiric equivalent of shutting someone up." Jade explained matter-of-factly, and Cami sighed, resting her head in her hands in defeat. "No biggie, I wake right back up in a couple of hours." She patted her on her shoulder with a smirk. "And he's like a thousand." She added casually, taking a sip from her glass.

Cami snapped her head to the other blonde in a flash. "I'm literally having a heart attack." She said, her head rapidly shaking.

"Do you, now?" Jade murmured, raising a suggestive eyebrow at her, to which Cami responded with an angered slap on her arm.

"Stop!" She hissed, making the other blonde smirk. "And Vicki? She died? And then she was a ghost? What?"

"Yeah..." Jade breathed, running her hand through her hair. "I spent a day with her yesterday. I got to say goodbye and all." She said quietly, smiling a little. "And then I talked to Klaus..." She trailed off, downing her drink as her thoughts returned to the hybrid again.

Cami watched carefully her friend's face when she mentioned the Original, catching the new spark in her eyes that she never seen before. "I know that that is a common knowledge━but there's something seriously wrong with you."

"Ugh, you haven't seen him." Jade defended herself, rolling her eyes as she collapsed on the couch in defeat.

Cami let out a snort of amusement, nodding. "Yeah, I'm sure his face would somehow━"

"━He has a British accent." Jade interjected with a blank stare. "And dimples."

Cami immediately clamped her mouth shut. "Oh." She let out quietly, her lips pursing.

"Yeah." Jade drawled, shaking her head at nothingness.

A few seconds of silence fell between them.

"You're fucked." Cami stated with a sigh, breaking the stillness.

Jade nodded to herself, staring into the distance. "I know."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade walked down the main street of the French Quarter, a cigarette between her fingers as she slowly made her way toward Marcel's house, the Abattoir, or whatever.

After a few hours of catching up with Camille, the blonde finally let Jade meet Marcel. It was difficult, but she managed. The women talked more deeply about Jade's issues in Mystic Falls, especially about Vicki, and Jade allowed herself to wallow like a little child, after all, it was Cami. Only she had the permission to see Jade at her worst. Well, and she listened like no one else.

Okay, maybe someone else would have too, but nevermind.

The girls also met Sean, Cami's twin brother, and their uncle, Father Kieran, who was a priest at St. Anne Church for lunch. She was looking forward to it because she treated Kieran like her own uncle━maybe he was a priest, but the man was damn funny! He always said he had to pray every time he saw her.

Rightfully so.

With Sean she didn't have such a good contact, she always had the impression that the guy was a bit weird, totally different from her sister, who she adored so much. Well, but what could she say about siblings who are their contrast?

She strolled peacefully along the sidewalk, absorbing with a smile and remembering every detail of her favorite city when the ringing sound of her phone interrupted her.

Pulling the device out of her pocket, she raised her eyebrows with a little smile at the sight of the caller's ID. "Alaric Saltzman," She drawled as she answered. "What's so important that you're interrupting my day off?"

"As much I as I am sorry, I need your help." Alaric said with a little amusement in his tone.

"Who doesn't." Jade grumbled, rolling her eyes. "What's up?"

"I sent you something. I saw that you have some tattoos with that lettering on your fingers, so I thought you might know something about it."

Jade furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and checked her messages. She immediately widened her eyes at the picture. "What the fuck is this?" She hissed as she stared at the screen.

The photo had a name written in Nordic runes on some stone wall. Not just any name, though.

ᚾᛁᚲᛚᚨᚢᛋ

Meaning? Fucking Niklaus.

"We found that and many more in some caves under the Lockwood property." She heard Alaric say as she put the phone back to her ear, her expression bewildered as she stopped her walk. "They all tell some kind of story."  He said, and Jade let out a soft breath, rubbing her forehead.

Yeah, peace her fucking ass.

"Don't you have internet?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

The historian chuckled. "Yeah, but can't I talk to my favorite vampire who maybe knows about it?"

"Well, sorry, Ric, but I don't have a clue." She lied, pulling her lips as she stared into the distance.

And that was annoying.

Alaric, who was team Elena and anti Mikaelsons, was annoying.

Jade, who was in the middle, was annoying.

Of course, she understood that Saltzman had become some kind of guardian of the Gilberts, but she couldn't hide how annoying it was. He was her friend, and they were on two, opposite sides of the barricade. Not only was she playing this game with her sister, but she also had to play it with him. Ugh.

Life couldn't be just simple, you know? It would be too boring.

"You literally have tattoos with that." Alaric scoffed on the other side of the line.

"It looked pretty!" Jade defended, biting her bottom lip.

It did look pretty, though.

Alaric barked a laugh. "Nah, it's okay." He dismissed, and Jade let out a sigh of relief. "How's NOLA?"

She let out a smile. "Amazing as always." She breathed, leaning against some wall as she raked her eyes over the French Quarter. "I just broke down to my friend that vampires are real, so that's fun."

"Oh, I don't envy them."

Jade snorted, shaking her head. "Cami's great. Still in shock mode, but great overall. Doesn't resent me or anything."

"Who would resent you?" The historian questioned with a hint of amusement.

"Oh, I don't know..." She trailed off with irony, making him chuckle. "How's Mystic Falls?"

"Nothing weird so far. No ghosts or fairies or whatever."

Jade raised her eyebrows. "That's shocking."

"Yeah, just this." He let out a sigh, and Jade could literally see his defeated face. "It's some kind of ancient story about werewolves or something..."

"Sounds like a historian's wet dream." She smirked.

"It is." He barked a laugh, and Jade joined. After it died, he spoke up once again. "Okay, I should get back to work. Have a nice day of peace, Jade."

"Why thank you." She chirped, smiling to herself. "And good luck with your... thing." She said a little hesistantly, concern crossing her features.

"Thanks, I'll need it. Bye-bye, J."

As soon as he hung up, Jade opened the picture once again. "What in the fucking..." She trailed off under her breath, examining the lettering.

An ancient werewolf story? More of an ancient story about an equally ancient family.

Jade ran a hand through her hair, letting out a deep breath. A moment later, she froze.

Why the fuck didn't she know about it already? Did they know? They━meaning Elijah and Rebekah. After all, that's why they compelled the Spyvatore. Why the hell didn't they call? They were supposed t━

She's going to kill them.

Well, Elijah.

She knew well what he was like, and she knew damn well what he probably said to Rebekah. 

'No, dear sister. We should respect her desire to enjoy her visit without involving her in our family matters, because I'm Elijah, and my nobleness barely fits into my tight and sexy as hell suits.'

Or something like that.

She was about to call the damn suit-lover, but a voice resounding behind her interrupted her.

"J, my beloved friend." Marcel mused with a sly grin, his fingers gently encircling her shoulders.

"Hello again, Marcey." She greeted, her voice carrying a hint of amusement as she rested her head trustingly on his shoulder. "Ready to get your ass kicked?" She quipped, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.

"By you? Always." He replied with his usual pearly smile. She was about to reply, but a woman who was walking toward them got her attention. The dark-skinned woman━no, not just any woman━a witch, as Jade's vampire nose sensed, widened her eyes and then lowered her head down, quickly crossing to the other side of the street.

The fuck?

Jade glanced at Marcel with furrowed eyebrows, but he seemed like he didn't even caught that. "Come in. Let's not entertain the tourists this time." He quipped knowingly, leading her into his opulent mansion.

Once inside, Marcel closed the grand doors behind them, and before he could react, he found himself pinned against the wall, his throat held captive by Jade's strong grip.

"Why the fuck," She hissed, her eyes blazing with intensity as she locked onto his gaze. "Would you hide that shit from me?"

Marcel raised his eyebrow, eyeing the her outstretched hand. In a flash, he reversed their positions, his hand on her throat now. "How's vampire life treating ya, J?" He cocked his head to the side with a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Jade groaned in annoyance. "Oh, fuck off. Don't change the subject." She grumbled, clutching his arm and twisting it, momentarily breaking it. Second later, she kicked him on his knees, resulting in him falling to the floor.

A pained huff escaped Marcel, but he wasted no time retaliating. He aimed for her face, and she barely managed to block his punch. He swiftly followed up with another punch, landing it squarely on her jaw. "Fine, but I'm not letting that go." He declared, snapping his arm back into place. Jade did the same with her jaw and lunged for him, the pair tangled in a battle of fists and blocks. "Why wouldn't I? You were just a kid who could barely cope with your own life, let alone with such knowledge." Marcel reasoned as Jade ducked, narrowly avoiding his punch. "I kept you safe and out of it all."

"Bullshit, Marcel." She spat, her roundhouse kick connecting with his jaw and sending him sprawling to the ground. "Why do people always think that when they hide something from someone it automatically protects them?" She questioned, bringing her heel to his throat. "And I can protect myself, thank you very much." She added, a condescending smile gracing her lips.

Marcel smirked and seized her leg, tossing her to the side. She stumbled but managed to keep her footing. "Now you can." He said as he stood up. Jade let out an angered huff and lunged for him again, grabbing him by his hand and pressing him back to the ground, banging his head on the floor. "Five years ago? The hell you couldn't." He breathed as she clutched her throat and threw her away from himself. "And I protected you, taught you how to fight, how to defend yourself." He said as he stood up, pointing at the blonde.

"And I'm grateful." She said with a humorless chuckle as she too, raised to her feet. "But still, you lied to me!" She shouted, her voice laced with anger as she aimed a punch at his face.

Marcel acted quickly, grabbing her wrist. "For your own good!" He exclaimed.

Jade scoffed. "Oh, don't you mother me!" She yelled, sharply pulling her arm free from his hold. "Who are you, Marcel?" She questioned, shaking her head rapidly. "Why were you immediately by my side when I took one step into the city? Why do you have your own minions? Why does a witch runs to the other side on the street from you? And what the fuck is this damn castle?" Her voice escalated with each question, her gestures pointing wildly around the magnificent mansion.

"I'm the king." He replied calmly, his eyes narrowing at the girl.

Jade blinked at him for a few seconds. "You're a what?" She hissed, leaning forward in sheer bewilderment, scrunching up her face.

"I'm the king of New Orleans." He announced proudly, spreading his arms in the air as if proclaiming his reign. "Since almost a century."

Jade blinked again, trying to process his words. "O...kay, that just sounds... weird as hell." She mumbled under her breath.

"That's the truth." He shrugged. "It's my city. I decide who comes and goes." He walked towards some table in the middle pouring them both a glass of bourbon.

"What?" She barked, completely bewildered, her eyes raking around the Abattoir. She heard Marcel hum in the background, but she payed him no attention, when her eyes landed on something very interesting. "What..." She breathed, her eyes widening in realization. "Oh, fucking wait a fucking minute..." She trailed off, gears turning in her head. Marcel furrowed his eyebrows as he took a sip and turned to the blonde. Jade scoffed, pointing at the wall, or rather at what was hanging on it. "Holy, motherfucking, shit."

M.

New Orleans.

The same M, she saw around Klaus' neck.

━━━━━━━━━

"You lived there?" Jade asked, blinking rapidly.

"For two hundred years." Klaus whispered.

━━━━━━━━━

"How old are you, Marcel?" Jade asked in suspicion.

A few, long second of silence passed. "...I turned 200 this year."

━━━━━━━━━

"What?" Marcel asked, looking at her in confusion.

"That!" She exclaimed, pointing at the Original family's crest hanging on the wall. "That's not for Marcel." She declared, shaking her head. "That's for... " She trailed off, slowly turning her head towards Gerard, who was frozen, staring at her intently. "Mikaelson." She whispered, looking at him in bewilderment.

What the fuck was going on?

Marcel, who had been about to take another sip from his glass, snapped his eyes to Jade in an instant. Slowly, he placed the glass back on the table, never breaking eye contact with her. "How... do you know that?" He questioned, suspicion lacing his words.

Jade's head tilted to the side, her own eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Marcel... what are you not telling me?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she took few stepts towards the man.

"How do you know that?" He echoed himself, meeting her in the middle.

"Answer me." She hissed, her head twitching to the side.

"No, you answer me first." He said, forcefully grabing her arm.

"You have five seconds to remove your hand or I'll remove it for you. " She spat, her eyes narrowed as she scanned him up and down. "They call me a ripper for a reason."

Marcel's face broke into a pearly grin. "Ripper, you say? Well, I expected nothing less." He said with a smirk, and Jade's jaw clenched. "And you're like a mouse to me, Forbes. Don't get cocky." He reminded her with a triumphant smile.

"Hm." She hummed coldly, her lips curling into a chilling smile. "You seem very disturbed that I know about this. I wonder why." She clicked her tongue against her teeth and sharply pulled from his hold, darting her eyes around the Gerard's mansion.

Correction━Mikaelson's mansion.

"How?" Marcel pressed, his eyes not leaving the Forbes woman.

"Like I told you, Klaus came to town." She shrugged nonchalantly, boring her gaze into the the Original Family's crest.

He really could be more subtle.

"And?" He drawled.

Jade shook her head, abruptly spinning around in his direction. "How do you know him, Marcel? And don't bullshit me that you've only 'heard about him.'" She snapped, air quoting. "You're eyes are literally screaming and you're heart is pounding. I will know if you lie." 

"Answer me."

Jade let out an annoyed huff. "Klaus has a necklace with that around his neck." She snapped, pointing at the wall again. "That's their family's crest."

Marcel narrowed his eyes at the girl. "You know them."

"So do you." She countered, sharing his expression. "Marcel, what the fuck are you not telling me?" She asked, shaking her head.

Silence hung heavy in the dimly lit room, a tense stillness settling between the two vampires. Their unwavering gazes bore into each other, each carefully monitoring the other's slightest movements.

Finally, it was Marcel who broke the silence, his words bursting forth in a sudden rush of confession. "Klaus is my sire." He blurted out, his voice heavy.

Jade blinked, her face blank. "Excuse me?" She breathed, not processing the information.

"And he's..." He sighed, rubbing his face in defeat. "My father."

Jade blinked again, staring at him with her face still blank.

Did she fucking heard that right?

Silence fell between them, and Jade stood there completely frozen, eyes fixed on the Gerard man.

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'father'?" She shook her head rapidly, a breathless chuckle escaping her lips in disbelief.

"Adopted father." He corrected, pouring himself a generous drink and downing it in one go.

Jade scoffed, eyes darting round the compound. "Well, obviou-fucking-sly!" She exclaimed, pointing at the other vampire. "Explain, Marcel. Fast." She growled, folding her arms over her chest, to which the Gerard man sighed and looked pointedly at some chair beside him in a silent invitation.

Marcel told her about how he met the hybrid in his years as a slave, how Klaus rescued him and adopted him, also giving him a name. How he later lived with the Mikaelsons and how they raised him for a hundred years. About his romance with Rebekah, how, one day, the Original family fled New Orleans, driven out by The Destroyer, and how Marcel himself was the victim of his massacre, left in the fires of the burning Opera House. Yet, he managed to survive, and decided to rebuild New Orleans, taking control of the city.

Jade listened to his story with wide eyes and her jaw dropped.

"What... the... actual..." She whispered under her breath, leaning back on her chair when he finished his story. "Fuck." She concluded, nodding to herself as she took a mighty gulp of the bourbon. "This fucking week is something else." She grumbled under her breath, running her hand through her hair. "Wait... you told me once that I remind you of someone. Were you talking about Rebekah?"

"Maybe." He drawled, flashing his eyebrows up and down as he, too, took a sip from his glass.

"I fucking can't." She pinched the skin between her eyebrows in exasperation. "Why is everything connected with that damn family?" She shook her head, and then stopped, giving him a pointed look. "No, sorry, your family." She corrected, prompting a slight clenching of Marcel's jaw. "Wait, doesn't that mean you had a thing for your aunt?"

"She's not my aunt." He grumbled under his breath.

"Well, she's Klaus' sister, so..." She trailed off with a cheeky smirk, putting her chin in her palm.

Marcel shook his head, turning to the blonde with furrowed eyebrows. "And what's your deal with them? How the hell do you know what's around Klaus' neck?"

Jade made an awkward clicking sound with her tongue. "Well, when you're kinda forced to be around him for a few months, you start to catch some things." She said innocently.

The image of her pulling Klaus closer by that necklace in a club in Chicago flashed before her eyes.

Wait a fucking second, did she almost made out with her friend's dad?

That's actually hilarious.

"What?" Marcel blurted out in shock, scrunching his face.

She clicked her tongue against her teeth, trying with all her might to surpress the smirk that begged to be let out after thinking about being the Gerard's stepmom. "He kidnapped me for a roadtrip around the country in search for werewolves. And he smashed my phone in the meantime, so I couldn't call." She explained, pulling out one of her Marlboros and placing it between her lips, lighting it up.

"Sounds like him." He sighed, shaking his head. "Did he hurt you?" He asked, concern flashing on his features.

"No." Jade shook her head, exhaling a stream of smoke. "I mean, he did, many times, but nothing bad." She waved her hand in the air, dismissing his worries. "We're... friends now." She added a little hesistantly, scrunching her face in thought.

Marcel immediately widened his eyes,  completely stunned as he snapped his eyes to the blonde. "What?" He hissed in bewilderment.

It couldn't be damn possible. Befriend one, random girl and she ends up friends with Klaus fucking Mikaelson.

Of course.

As the blonde shrugged, taking an awkward drag out of her cigarette, he sighed. "Jade..." He trailed off in defeat. "What the hell are you doing?"

Jade scoffed, flicking the ash into her empty glass. "What am I doing? What the fuck is the deal with this city? So what? They left, so you took their scraps and made your own?" She questioned, twirling her cigarette in the air.

Marcel arched his eyebrow. "Are you defending them?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "I'm just telling you how things look like." She said defensively.

Gerard shook his head in disbelief. "They left me, this city, alone." He reminded her, a note of anger creeping into his words.

"They had to." She countered, narrowing her eyes at the man as she took another inhale of the smoke. "And they think you're dead!" She added, her voice more escalated than she intended.

Marcel scoffed, leaning towards her dangerously.  "Why are you on their side?" He growled, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.

"Jesus, I see the fucking resemblence." She muttered under her breath before shoving the man back into his seat.

"There's no resemblence." He grumbled, pointing at her with an accusatory finger, his jaw clenched.

"Sure." She send him a sarcastic smile. "And I'm not on their side." She spat, shrugging her shoulders. After a second, she let out a dark chuckle. "I didn't even knew there were any sides a fucking moment ago!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

Marcel hummed. "You sure about that? You seem to know a lot." She looked pointedly at the blonde, to which she arched her eyebrow in response. "And you're 'friends' with Klaus, huh?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side.

Jade barked an unamused laugh, her head shaking. "You say you're not him, but look at you." She spat, nodding towards the man. "You're just as paranoid and power hungry as he is." She said, standing up. "I asked you about him and all you told me that it's 'hard to not hear about him.'" She recalled his own words, shaking her head as she walked around the table. "How about, I'm his fucking family?" She exclaimed, stopping in her tracks and throwing an angered look at the man.

"It's not that simple, Jade!" He abruptly stood up, spreading his arms in the air. "You don't know the whole story!"

"Because you won't tell me!" Jade retorted, her patience wearing thin.

"Because I can't!" Marcel shouted, slamming his fists on the table. Jade narrowed her eyes, and Marcel took a deep breath, turning his gaze toward the blonde. "There's something going on with you and that family." He accused, pointing at her with his finger. "And I warn you━keep doing what you do, and you'll end up dead."

Jade scoffed, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "You are that family, Marcel!" She shouted. "And how the fuck did it turned to me? I'm mad at you; you have no right to be mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you, I'm scared for you." He defended.

Jade shook her head. "No, it seems to me that you're scared that I'll rat you out."

Marcel raised his eyebrow. "Will you?"

Jade snorted, throwing her finished cigarette into the glass. "I can't believe this." She muttered to herself. "Is this how you've always been?" She questioned, her tone incredulous. "That's the side of you you were hiding from me?"

Marcel clenched his jaw, walking up to the woman. "I don't want any damn Mikaelsons in my city, do you get that?" He questioned, coming to a halt when he was right in front of her.

"You made me mad, so we'll see." She responded with a cruel smile. "I'm petty like that." She added in a whisper.

Marcel let out a brief grin, that disappeared almost as soon as it formed. "Let me just set one thing straight━If I see any of them running around, I will know who to blame." He said in a low voice, leaning towards her. "And it won't be pretty."

"Are you threatening me, Marcel?" She asked, matching his tone.

Marcel smirked. "No, I'm just damn promising."

"Okay." She nodded innocently with a sweet smile. "Just don't forget who taught me all their tricks." She taunted, cocking her head knowingly to the side. When his smile dropped, she turned on her heel and began to walk toward the front door of the Abattoir. As she was about to exit, she turned around, bowing mockingly. "Good riddence, your royal highness." She said with a cruel smirk, before pushing the brass door and leaving, slamming it behind herself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Jade was walking furiously through the streets, heading for Camille's apartment and wiping her bloody lips on her sleeve.  Who did he think he was? Fucking king, her ass! And that he was his son? What in the goddamn mother fuck?

She left him a little present in the form of three decapitated heads on his doormat.

She stood at a traffic light, furiously bouncing her heel on the sidewalk as she waiting for the light to turn to green. Suddenly, her phone ringed out. Pulling the device out of her pocket, she groaned and threw her head back in exasperation.

"I'm going to kill myself." She whined under her breath, causing some woman to throw her a concerned look.

The blonde ignored her and answered the call. "And what do you want?" She snapped.

"Why haven't I received a postcard from New Orleans by now?" Klaus' voice rang out on the other side of the line.

Jade let out an annoyed sigh, her eyes rolling skyward as she crossed the street. "Your brother is such a gossip." She mumbled into the phone. "About the wrong things, of course." She added with an annoyed smirk. "Do you know they found some sort of scribbles of your fam's history?"

"Yes, I am aware." Klaus replied, his voice surprisingly calm."And I'm also aware that they want to lure me back in town."

Jade scrunched her face immediately. "Why?"

"Mikael showed up, the murderous philanthropist." He said, and she could picture his deadly smirk and blazing eyes at that moment.

Jade widened her eyes. "What?!" She exclaimed, suddenly halting her brisk walk, causing a passerby to bump into her. When a man opened his mouth to say something, she spun around, throwing him a murderous look. He merely raised his palms in response and walked past her, muttering something about crazy women. "When? Why? Where?" She let out in a rush, ignoring the guy.

"Yes, today, to kill me, at some bar." Klaus replied monotonously, answering each of her questions.

Jade scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. "I'm gonna kill your brother!" She declared, resuming her quick stride.

The hybrid hummed in a little amusement. "That's a common statement lately."

"It's not funny!" She shouted into the device. "They were supposed to update me!" She added, her voice dripping with outrage.

Klaus let out a deep sigh. "I think Elijah has more important matters at hand, sweetheart."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What matters?"

"Dear Elena broke down to my sister that Mikael wasn't the one who killed our mother."

She widened her eyes like pennies. "Oh, shit..." She whispered to herself, her thoughts racing. After a brief moment of being stunned, she scoffed, her eyes blazing with anger directed at nothing in particular. "I told you to tell her! But no, you always know best!" She scolded, and she could literally see his eyeroll. "How is she?" She asked, concern lacing her words.

"Angry." He replied in defeat. "Very angry."

Jade hummed with a hint of malice. "I told you so."

"Let's not play this game now, alright?" He snapped in annoyance.

She was about to taunt him some more, but a thought crossed her mind. "Wait, how's Elijah not pissed?" She question in confusion.

"And that's a mystery at the moment." He admitted. "But again━it's Elijah. If there's one thing he's excellent at, it's forgiveness."

Jade sighed. "I guess you're right." She muttered, running her hand through her hair. "You better prepare some kick ass apology." She growled theateningly, pointing her finger at nothingness.

"I'll think about it."

"You're impossible." She mumbled, letting out an annoyed sigh. "I have a night flight, I'll be in Falls by morning and then I'm gonna kill them all." She said matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather. "Don't you dare come back." She snapped, her eyes narrowed.

Klaus let out a small huff. "As amusing as it is to hear the concern in your voice," He began, and Jade rolled her eyes. "You're a little late, I'm driving there as we speak."

Her jaw dropped. "You're what?! Are you insane?!" She hissed into the phone, her eyes widened. "He wants to kill you!" She shouted, making some people around her turn their heads, but she merely showed them her middle finger in response.

"And my siblings are there." Klaus countered, his voice oozing with anger and concern. "Knowing my sister, she will probably join forces with Mikael in an act of rage, and I don't trust him to suddenly turn into a loving daddy." He explained, and she sighed, silently agreeing with him. "And I won't let Elijah go against him alone. Or at all. It's my fight." He growled, his voice dripping with venom. Jade listened intently, and then she closed her eyes, letting out a soft giggle. "What's so funny?" He questioned in exasperation.

"I wanted one day." She chuckled, shaking her head. "One fucking day of peace." She lamented, running her hand over her face in annoyance. "It's impossible, isn't it?"

Klaus let out an involuntary chuckle."I think not, sweetheart." He said, his tone softening. "I would prefer you to stay where you are, but I have this little feeling you won't listen."

"Duh. Have you just met me?" She raised her eyebrow, gesturing in the air as she walked. Klaus let out a soft snort in amusement and she smiled. Moment later, her amusement dropped. "I think you should talk to Bekah, though." She added.

"I would, if she answered my calls."

"I told you s━"

"━Mhm." His malicious hum interrupted her, and she rolled her eyes. "How's New Orleans?" He questioned, changing the subject.

"Well, uh..." She began, awkwardly scratching her neck.

Awesome, found out you have a son! Who's alive, by the way, and is some weird King or whatever.

"Great? Weird? Shitty?" She spat out in a rush, every word coming out like a question. Then, she let out a pained groan, rubbing her face in annoyance. "Ugh, don't get me started." She mumbled. "See you in Falls?" She questioned, sighing.

"Can't wait." He replied.

Jade's lips curled into a slight smile. "Bye, Mikaelson."

"Goodbye, Jade." He said warmly, ending the call.

The blonde sighed, slipping the phone back into her pocket. "Fuck me." She muttered under her breath as she resumed her walk to Cami's apartment.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"What?!" The blonde exclaimed after hearing Jade's story, in which it turned out that Marcel was the son of the same Klaus who wanted to kill her and then became her friend, and then that there was some kind of strange hierarchy in the city, which Gerard, it turned out, reigned over.

You can't make that shit up.

Jade nodded rapidly, her hands gesturing wildly as she lounged on the couch. "Right?!"

Cami blinked, her brain struggling to keep up with the cascade of shocking revelations. She slumped onto the couch beside her best friend, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make sense of it all. "I thought this day couldn't get any more insane." She mumbled unuder her breath as she rubbed her face.

Jade sighed, raising to a sitting position, shooting the other blonde an apologetic glance. "Sorry that I'm suddenly dumping all of this on you."

Cami shook her head. "No, no, it's fine." She waved her hand in the air, reassuring her. "I much prefer this than being in the dark." She sighed, leaning back on the couch, and Jade smiled as she mirrored her. "Do you really have to go back?" She asked with a little pout as she twisted her head in Forbes' direction.

"Yeah..." She breathed in defeat. "Believe me, it's even more fucked up over there." She snorted, before giving Cami a warm smile and patting her thigh. "But don't worry, I'll be back."

Cami hummed, nodding to herself. "I really need to visit sometime. It sounds exciting."

"Absolutely the fuck not." Jade immediately snapped, pointing at her with her finger. "That town is literally hell on Earth."

Cami barked a laugh. "Okay, then you need to visit NOLA more." She raised her eyebrow at the vampire.

Jade's face broke into a grin. "And that's something I can agree with."

Camille huffed with a smile and checked her wristwatch. "We still have some time before your flight, wanna go do that fancy bar you love so much?" She asked, putting her head on Jade's shoulder.

"Honestly?" Forbes breathed, raising her eyebrows. "I much prefer staying in and drain your liquor stash."

Cami abruptly pulled back, staring at her friend in confusion. "What the hell happened to my Jade, the crazy party girl?"

"She grew up." Jade shrugged her shoulders.

After a few moments of silence, both women burst into laughter.

"Kidding, I just want to spend more time with my favorite blonde from Lousiana." She admitted with a smirk. "Alone, without the possibility of the King bumping into us." She added, mockingly emphasizing the title.

"Aww, Jades." Cami coeed, placing her hand on her chest, earning an eyeroll from the other blonde. She walked towards her liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of red wine. "So, why don't you tell me more about your British suitor?" She cocked her head to the side, waving the bottle in the air.

Jade narrowed her eyes, a hint of a smirk on her lips. "I hate you."

So they talked. About everything in general, not just Jade's love life, which turned out to be the most interesting topic for the Louisianan. Jade allowed herself to be candid, admitting that she was... intrigued by him, to put it mildly. Cami was in awe, because it meant the woman's heart wasn't as made of stone as she thought.

Who would have thought that it took a thousand-year-old murderer to stir it?

Certainly not Cami.

On the way to the airport, they made a small stop at a studio where (as it turned out) the Forbes woman no longer worked. Shocker.

But what little compulsion can't fix? A little of this and that, and not only did Jade have a job again, but she'll be getting paid without even showing up. Isn't being a vampire fucking great?

Currently, the women were standing in line for the plane, which was heading to Virignia state.

"Call me when you land." Cami instructed with concern, pointing a finger at her friend in a somewhat threatening manner. "And call me tomorrow." She added, nodding to herself. A moment later, she shook her head. "You know what? Just call me everyday."

Jade huffed a laugh. "Everyday might be a little hard." She bobbed her head from side to side in thought. "But I'll try." She winked.

"You better fucking try, Forbes." The O'Connell warned, driving her nail into the blonde's shoulder for emphasis. "Otherwise, I'm not gonna wait this time and just get my own ass on a plane." She threatened, waving it now in front of her face.

"Okay, okay!" Jade exclaimed, swatting Cami's hand away. As they locked eyes for a moment, Jade suddenly pulled her best friend into a tight hug. "I'm gonna miss you." She whined.

"I'm gonna miss you, too." Cami breathed, shaking her head slightly. "Be careful, okay?" She said as they pulled back.

Jade pouted, nodding rapidly as her eyes darted around herself. "Sure." She chirped.

Camille narrowed her eyes, slapping her on her arm. "I'm not kidding!" She exclaimed, earning a soft chuckle from the other blonde. "And I need to meet that Klaus." She added, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jade's amusement dropped instantly. "What the hell for?" She grumbled, her face scrunched in suspicion.

"To check if he's worthy, duh." Cami responded as if it were the most obvious answer.

Jade blinked, and then a breathless laugh escaped her lips, her head shaking. "You're deranged." She muttered in amusement. She glanced around, realizing that it was nearly her turn to board the plane. "I love you." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Cami grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Jade's mouth fell open. "Say you love me back!" She exclaimed with mock outrage.

Camille shook her head, still feigning annoyance. "No, maybe then you won't leave." She muttered.

Jade's lips stretched into a grin. "Aww, you're so sappy." She teased, giving Cami a little push.

"Shut up, I'm mad." She grumbled. When she saw that it was, in fact, Jade's turn to get on the plane, she rolled her eyes, pulling the blonde into another hug. "Ugh, I love you." She mumbled in defeat.

Jade laughed and gave her a tender peck on the cheek before handing her plane ticket to the waiting staff. "Bye, blondie." She winked, blowing a kiss over her shoulder.

"Call me!"

a/n: OKAY DONT GET MAD AT ME FOR THAT MARCEL THING PLS
i know you wanted a little cute moment with them gossiping about the mikaelsons, but i really thought it over and over and i just couldn't think of ONE reason how that dialogue could end happily. i mean--marcel is literally klaus' mirror, his protégé, he acts like him, even if he says otherwise. new orleans is what matters the most to him, and if he sensed even a hint that jade is not hating the originals, he would act like he did here. he loves her, of course he does, but he loves the city more. just like he chose vampirism over rebekah. his situation with jade is not like with davina--she was a 16 y.o kid and hated the mikaelsons, so i fully believe that he would act like above with jade, who is a grown ass adult--threatening her and defending 'his' city. and jade--she is kinda stuck in the middle. she cares for marcel, but also developed a strong bond with the originals, so she doesn't really know what to do. she wants to do right by both, but it's not possible and she knows that she'll end up hurting one side.

but don't worry, they'll make up. eventually

sorry for that rant lmao i just felt the need to explain myself (;;;*_*)

oh, and sean, cami's twin brother wasn't hexed and the harvest didn't happen yet

that fucking timeline is so confusing!!! what the hell did i sign up for geez

and, as always, i don't like this chapter lmaoo. but i think you will like the next one hehe

also, idk how airports work