•.•.•.•.•

GRACE was not necessarily afraid of Klaus. In fact, she was not afraid at all. But, if she got on Klaus' good side, they would help each other out. Like they had promised.

Grace had a bond to Katherine, whether she liked it or not. And that meant that she knew where the whore was at all times.

No one knew about the reputation Grace had had before being turned. She was a witch back in her days, and a damn good one at that.

But most people knew Grace to be a trickster.

Venice, Italy - 1656

"GRACIELLE? Gracielle! Why have I just gotten word about the Spinelli family having half of their sheep's wool set on fire?"

Gracielle looked up at her father, giving him the most innocent eyes she could muster.

"Papa, I've no idea what you're talking about-" "Don't lie to me, Gracielle! Your mother and I have figured out what you are. You've got the curse of witchcraft, don't you?"

Gracielle's eyes began to flood with tears.

"No, papa! No, it's not true! Please, I'm begging you-" "We have to do what must be done, Gracie. Don't make this harder for me-" "Papa, you have to believe me," Gracielle cried frantically as two men were summoned in.

"PLEASE! Papa, no! I'm not a witch! I would never do these things!" Gracielle lied, being torn away from her bedpost which she clung to for dear life.

She stared into the blank eyes of her family, her vision blurred from the tears falling down her face.

Soon enough, she stopped her crying. It was draining her energy. Her arms had been tied behind her back.

As if that could stop her.

Gracielle waited patiently to be put on the cart which would take her to the gallows.

Then, as the cart arrived and each man took her arms, they fell back. Pain inflicted their brains out of nowhere, causing each to writhe on the ground for some unknown reason.

Swiftly, Gracielle summoned fire around her hands to burn away the ropes, and she began running.

Clutching her dress in her sweaty hands, Gracielle tore into the woods, searching frantically for a place to hide. It would only be a matter of time before they found her. She had to plan her escape, fast.

Suddenly, Gracielle felt an arm take her shoulder.

Gracielle turned, prepared to inflict an aneurysm.

Instead, she stopped quickly, her eyes analyzing the young woman in front of her.

"What's wrong? You seem to be scared, dear."

Panicked, Gracielle stepped away, fearing that the woman would soon realize she was a convict.

"Who are you running from? I won't tell, I promise. If I'm being honest, I'm running from someone, too."

Gracielle turned her head, the wild look in her eyes soon fading away.

"They've accused me of being a witch. My own family sent me away," Gracielle muttered quietly.

Staring with pity in her eyes, the young woman held out a hand.

"Katerina Petrova. Pleased to meet you, miss...?"

Gracielle took her hand.

"Gracielle Vredickson." For a compelling reason, she felt completely trusting of Katerina.

That was her first mistake.

Mystic Falls , circa. present day

"WEAK skills, Mr. Salvatore. Just when I was beginning to think you were competition," Grace teased to Damon.

"You have like two hundred years on me," Damon retorted, shooting away at the pool ball.

"I think I'm going to call it quits, since I've obviously already won. I was kind of hoping to grab a bite to eat before I turn in for the night."

Damon raised his eyebrows at Grace, smirking.

"I think I like being a vampire with you. There's so much more to do-" "Damon, you shouldn't. And you either, Grace. Feeding on innocent people is- it's wrong," Stefan interjected.

Grace crossed her arms and stood straight, giving Stefan a mocking look.

"I'm sorry, who are you? Not the Stefan I remember. Besides, it doesn't matter as long as I don't kill them. I have control, you see."

Grace noticed the uncomfortable look on Elena's face. She was beginning to not like her very much. At least Katherine was alright with the idea of feeding on people.

Vampires had to do it to survive as long as Grace did.

She sighed, rolling her eyes at Stefan's nonverbal reply.

"Can I let you in on a little secret, Stef? And, I suppose anyone else who wants to listen. I've never killed anyone. Not a single drop of the blood I've taken from people has been wasted into the ground. I've become quite meticulous at this, by now."

Both Damon and Stefan marveled at Grace. Elena did not seem to notice how big of a feat this was for a vampire.

"That's... that's nearly impossible. How have you been alive for three hundred and something years without killing a single soul?"

Grace leaned against the pool table, growing impatient and hungrier.

"Control. It's something I'm good at. I can control myself and I know what I need. And precisely how much of it. Taking care of myself is something I take pride in."

With that, she pushed off of the table, and offered her arm to Damon.

"Well, are you coming?"

.    .    .    .

"CAN'T believe I'm saying this, but I'm full. How many people do you usually go through in one night?" Damon asked, wiping his bloodied mouth.

Grace exhaled, shrugging and also wiping blood away from her mouth.

"Two or three. Four, if I've gone longer without. Why, are you not used to this much fresh blood?" Grace asked, baring her long canines in a smile.

Damon placed his hands on his hips, letting out a tired sigh from the parlor of the Salvatore boarding house.

"Not in a long time. Stefan convinced me to slack off a bit, just because he thought I was getting too carried away or whatever. At least I didn't attack little fluffy bunnies like he did."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Vampire vegan diet, huh? Interesting."

Taking hold of the young girl in front of her, Grace said, "Alright, sweetheart, it's time to go home. Patch up those wounds, and forget about all of this. Your boyfriend likes to get a little kinky, remember?"

The girl nodded slowly, taking in every word and leaving.

Grace got rid of the other two quickly, as well, then collapsed on the couch.

"Wow. What an eventful night. I'll say, if I would've known you'd be this much fun, I might stay a little longer."

Damon laughed a little, flinging himself beside her with dramatic flair.

"Then why don't you? Find yourself a good human to live with, then no pesky little vampires or hybrids or whatever else there is can get in."

Grace sighed, toying with Damon's somewhat bloody fingers.

"I can't, Damon. Staying in Mystic Falls would drive me insane. I like living in the big cities. You know, I met Harry Styles in Los Angeles recently. He didn't have the best blood, but the VIP performance was spot on."

Damon chuckled, saying, "Unbelievable. I think you're my soulmate, Gracie Lou."

She rolled her eyes, quickly replying, "No. It's someone else. I saw the way you practically drooled all over her."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Excuse you-" "Don't deny it, Damon. I know you like Elena. Or do you love her? Jesus, it's like Katherine all over again."

For a moment, Damon stayed silent. Grace then knew she had screwed up.

"I- that's not how I meant it," she quickly objected, but Damon was already standing and walking away.

"I know how you meant it," he shot back before disappearing.

Letting out a small sigh, Grace went to clean herself up. She rustled through a closet of an unknown owner, pilfering a shirt, sweatpants, and socks.

After changing, Grace invited herself into the guest bedroom, quickly dozing away. Tomorrow would be stressful.

.    .    .    .

"OH, my God!" Grace quickly shot up, hearing the gasp of a feminine voice.

Rubbing her eyes bleakly, she adjusted them to the girl in front of her.

She was tall, skinny, with blonde ringlets and blue eyes. The girl could have been a real-life Barbie.

Grace yawned.

"I-I am so sorry," the girl began, but Grace dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

"No, no. It's fine, really. I should be getting up, anyway."

The girl, still unnamed to Grace, gave an apologetic smile as she watched Grace slide out of the bed.

"Um, my name is Caroline. Caroline Forbes. I had no idea there'd be anyone in here, really..."

Grace pulled her hair back into a low bun, returning the smile. She liked this girl. Her personality was quite lovely.

"Grace Fredricks. If you don't mind me asking, are you a vampire? I got this sense, it's some kind of witch thing, you know."

The girl seemed a little apprehensive, but nodded.

"Yeah, actually. I didn't know witches could pick up on that sort of thing."

Grace smiled warmly. "Ah, well, not at first. Young witches can't pick it up as well. But I'm quite old, you see."

Caroline grinned. "You certainly don't look it, Grace."

Laughing, Grace shrugged and crossed her arms.

"So, uh, what were you wondering into the guest bedroom for?" Grace asked, trying not to be too nosy.

Caroline inhaled.

"Well you see, there's this throwback dance at school tonight, and I just wanted a few more pieces to complete my look."

Grace's face lit up. "Oh! Well, forget looking here. Damon and Stefan have no sense of fashion. What decade is it, exactly?"

"The twenties. My flapper look needs a set of matching earrings and a necklace."

Grace smiled slowly.

"What if I lent you something? I do remember that decade quite well, and I've got a few keepsakes."

Caroline grinned from ear to ear.

"What? You would really do that? We just met!"

Grace laughed. "It's fine. I like you, Caroline. You seem like the kind of gal I wanna be friends with."

Caroline nodded, replying, "You, too! I've never met such a nice vampire, before! Stefan is always brooding and grouchy, and Damon is so sarcastic and threatening."

Grace giggled once more.

"Agreed. If you'll give me a minute to change, I'll be right down."

Caroline gave a curt nod, disappearing back down the hallway.

Grace had brought some of her belongings over for the night, and changed into the outfit she packed with her.

She had eclectic style and taste. She paired a denim jacket with black jeans and a purple band t-shirt. Grace laced up a pair of Doc Martens to finish off her look. Rather hastily, she applied her dark makeup that made her already captivating eyes pop.

Someone entered the room just as she was gathering her things.

Grace looked up, giving a curt smile.

"Oh, hi Stefan. What's up?"

"Someone's here to see you. And for your sake and mine, you'd better go talk to them."

Grace straightened up quickly, analyzing Stefan's serious look. Her heart was thumping out of her chest, it seemed.

"Who... who is it?" she asked apprehensively.

Stefan pursed his lips.

"You'll see."

To Grace, Stefan was acting rather oddly. Then again, it had been a century since she had last seen him.

So, Grace unknowingly followed Stefan downstairs, where something ominous was apparently waiting.

She sensed the presence. It was someone strong, and very powerful.

And then she saw him.

The one. The only.

Niklaus Mikaelson.

Grace's eyes bulged, as she stepped back in preparation to run. Klaus immediately sensed this, flashing over to her from where he had been sitting.

So there she stood, staring into the eyes of the beast. Klaus had to have been able to sense her nervousness. But there was no fear.

Grace was not afraid of Klaus.

Her fear was failure. Or, perhaps, she was afraid that after all of these years, Klaus would have forgotten her.

Slowly and with anticipation, a smile formed across Klaus' face.

"Grace, love. What a wonderful surprise-" Grace cut him off in an instant, pulling Klaus into a tight embrace.

This, much to the shock of Stefan and Damon.

Klaus hugged her back just as tight, if not more.

And, yes. There is a story.

NOTES

ok so... thoughts and feedback?? idk about y'all, but personally i think it's pretty good so far ;)