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A woman walks outside of her house from the kitchen door, the humid air of a Tennessee summer brushed over her skin as she called out, "Rudy!" The woman whistled before continuing, "Rudy. Come on! It's too hot to make me come looking for you." She bends down and picks up a toy, however, when she turns around, Niklaus Mikaelson appeared in front of her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Niklaus expressed noticing how the women flinched at his unexpected presence, his accent was a poorly done Southern tone. "Can I help you?" The woman asked, though she remained suspicious of the stranger standing before her; her stomach told her something didn't feel right.

"Yeah, my car, uh─my car ran out of gas a couple of miles back. Eh, I feel like I've been walking forever... yours is the first house I came to, so I was just hoping I could use your phone?" Niklaus asked, his accent still sounding poor. "Don't you have a cell phone?" The woman snarked, his distrust deepening. "Huh, yeah..." Niklaus pulled his phone from his pocket, "Battery died. Look, I promise I'm not a serial killer, I just wanna use your phone." The woman watched him for a moment before she sighed, "Sure." Niklaus smiled slightly at her relenting tone, "So, I can come in?" The woman scoffed at his question, "No, I'll get the phone and I'll bring it out to you." Niklaus' patience broke.

"I thought you country folks were supposed to be more trusting," Niklaus expressed annoyed, he didn't want to be wasting his time here when he could be bonding with Cordelia Forbes right now. "I'm from Florida," The woman snarked. "Well, that explains it," Niklaus stated before he grabbed her throat and compels her, "Now show me a little Southern hospitality, Sweet Pea." The woman having no choice but to give in to his compulsion, invites Niklaus into the home. In the kitchen, another woman is frying food and walks over to the counter with the frying pan, she heard footsteps coming and assumed it was her companion.

"I bet you a hundred dollars that dog ran off to a house with air conditioning," The second woman spoke up with a slight laugh, bitterness in her tone. She turned around and spotted her companion being held by the nape of her neck by Niklaus, tears streaming down her face fearfully. "What's going on?" The second woman asked. "Please don't be alarmed. I was told Ray Sutton lives here," Niklaus explained to the women. "He's almost never here. He's on the road mostly," The second woman replied to him with a frown. "But I expect he makes it home once a month," Niklaus suggested getting a slight nod from that, "That's what I thought. Where is he now?" The second woman doesn't answer him.

"If I have to make you tell me, it's going to be infinitely more painful for you," He warned the women but neither said a word, Niklaus smiled. The second woman ran out of the kitchen and opens the front door but Alex Ganter is standing in the doorway, the woman screamed as Niklaus and the first woman approached behind her. "I love it when they run," Niklaus told Alex who smirked, his vampire face showing as he looked at the women as though they were simply food for the taking. "He's in Toll. It's near the border. A bar called Southern Comfort, it's on Highway 41," The second woman revealed, she was hoping they would just let them go now that they had the information they were searching for.

"Thank you, dear," Niklaus expressed before looking towards the woman he held captive, "Now, may my friend come in?" The first woman was still crying as she answered, "Yes." The second woman is terrified as she watched Alex walk inside the home. Niklaus pushed the first woman into Alex's arms, "Kill this one quickly." Niklaus looked at the second woman, "And make that one suffer. I'll be in the car." Niklaus walks out of the home with a grin as the women cried, they began pleading for their lives but Alex didn't care for their cries. He goes in for the attack, relishing in the blood and letting it cover him like the rain in a drought.

Niklaus approached the car and rolled his eyes amused as he stopped and raised a brow, his eyes focused on the sight of Stefan Salvatore sitting in the back seat with Cordelia straddling his waist, the two of them making out. It was a punishment for Niklaus, he knew that but he didn't mind watching the two of them. Being torn away from their family sucked for them but being together without the chaos of Mystic Falls was something they desperately needed. And so, they used the summer as a way to deepen their relationship and focus on them; treating it like a holiday while ignoring Niklaus along the way. Cordelia knew that Niklaus would only handle it for so long before snapping; she was kind of excited to see how that turned out.

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Meanwhile back in Mystic Falls, Caroline Forbes wasn't the same bubbly girl they all knew her to be. The lack of her twin sisters presence was taking its toll and there was only so much Samuel could do to help his girlfriend especially with the arrival of his little sister, Grace Winters and her best friend, Carmen Dilaurentis. Liz Forbes and Caroline had been working with Damon in locating Cordelia and Stefan, the Forbes family were eager to bring their sunshine back home while Damon felt hollow without his humanity or his brother by his side. Though Damon was often distracted with the presence of Elena Gilbert who was now officially his girlfriend, a few summer dates lead to something more.

Tyler carried his own form of guilt, blaming himself for Cordelia's deal with Niklaus to save Caroline; if he hadn't of bitten Caroline then Cordelia would've never left town. Jeremy did his best to help Tyler with that guilt, the two missing Cordelia deeply allowed them to turn to each other for a friendship that fit the former rivals. Jeremy used his resources to research further about werewolves in hopes to find something that would ease the transitions for Tyler; something that Cordelia wished to do but couldn't due to the chaos of the ritual. And so, to ease the hole in his chest, Jeremy focused on helping his best friend through his furry little problem.

In the process of this, Trevor and Rose-Marie had settled into their own home in Mystic Falls ─ Even willingly housing Katherine Pierce who was working on her redemption that was inspired by Cordelia Forbes herself. A positive for everyone was the blossoming love between Alaric and Jenna who were now officially living together, a decision made with Jeremy and Elena's approval and acceptance in the early summer break. Elena, along with the Forbes' women and Damon, was also searching for Cordelia despite the risk of revealing her still beating heart to Niklaus ─ Or even Stefan who had mourned her death. Elena felt that she owed her life to Cordelia, she wouldn't let the Starlight suffer without her family; something that means everything to the blonde Starlight.

Bonnie was the one who had been thankful for the lack of threats and chaos during the summer break, the lack of need for heavy magic allowing her to learn and practise naturally without needing to exhaust herself. She knew that Cordelia would hold some anger towards the Bennett witch for trying to kill Niklaus, especially knowing that the loss of a Soulmate can cause darkness to grow in one's soul but Cordelia was a forgiving soul once she understood the reasoning behind it. Bonnie had taken in the magic of her ancestors, witches who despised the existence of Niklaus and his species; they manipulated her and tried to use her as a vessel to rid the world of the Hybrid.

Mystic Falls didn't feel like home without Cordelia Forbes or Stefan Salvatore around, the entire Scooby Gang had come to understand that both were the glue and light for their unique mix of people. They could only hope that finding them and convincing them to come home would work otherwise Senior year wasn't going to be everything they had planned. It was their final year together without any distance or distraction and yet, they were without the two they dearly missed. Damon wouldn't give up on his little brother, he missed him too much especially with their newly reformed bond ─ And he missed his humanity, Cordelia Forbes, who was the only one to hold him back from destroying himself; he wanted them home.

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Damon smiled softly as he stood in the doorway, Elena was in the bathroom brushing through her hair preparing for her birthday party that Caroline was hosting for her; something the blonde always did. And for the first time in all eighteen years of Elena's life, she wished and prayed that Cordelia Forbes would be there. "You're overthinking again," Damon pointed out spotting the way Elena's brows were scrunched. "I just don't get it. You said that tracking them should be easy due to Stefan's history but now you and Liz are struggling 'cause there is no pattern," Elena expressed before turning to Damon and crossing her arms, "Do you think Ric was right? Cordelia stopped Stefan from letting his past repeat."

Damon took a breath at that, he knew if anyone could pull Stefan back from his inner demons, it would absolutely be Cordelia Forbes. But it left them with the unanswered question of where they were and what direction they were heading, it would've been easy for Damon to follow their path using Stefan's ripper past but knowing that some other vampire was responsible meaning any animal attack could be them left them on an unsteady path. "Cori wouldn't let Klaus weaponise Stefan's haunting past, she's probably the only person willing to stand against the Hybrid without fear," Damon replied vaguely, he didn't want Elena searching─ endangering herself.

Before either could say anything, the front doorbell rang alerting the two of them. Elena hummed to herself before heading down the stairs, opening the door with Damon not too far behind her. "Are you Elena Gilbert?" The person asked with a polite smile on their face. "Yes, I am," Elena hesitantly replied sharing a look with a confused Damon. "Oh good, this is for you. Have a good day!" The person handed Elena a wrapped gift before turning and walking away. Elena closed the door and walked over to the couch, she sat down and placed the present on the coffee table. "You don't think...?" Damon trailed off with a smirk as Elena grinned and opened the gift.

Inside the box was a few different things; a stuffed penguin, a box of chocolates, two yellow roses, and finally, a small box that contain a silver bracelet with a C&E charm. Elena felt her eyes sting with tears as she grabbed the card and opened it, Damon sat next to her and began reading it out over her shoulder, "To Elena, I am sorry that I am not there for your eighteenth birthday. Just know that I am having a good time with Stefan teasing and taunting Niklaus. I know you guys have been searching but please, trust me. I will come home, I promise. Have a good day, give everyone hugs and remember, I am always thinking of you all. Love Cordelia and Stefan." Elena sniffled as she wiped a tear away, it eased them both to know Cordelia was at least happy.

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Two months following an endless trail in search of a wolf pack was exhausting for Cordelia and Stefan, especially when their annoyance towards Niklaus was weakening with every day that passed by. The first month had been the easiest to ignore the Hybrid, seeing his irritation was amusing for the couple and Cordelia tended to push the limits knowing that he wouldn't harm her no matter how angry he got. By the end of the first month, Cordelia was beginning to crack under the compliments and gifts that Niklaus showered her in. Every state they ended up in, he would push his goal aside to let the blonde tick off her bucket list; even going out of his way to let her experience Disneyland.

For Stefan, seeing how happy that Cordelia was seemed to be the reason for his guard lessening around Niklaus, even to the point where he was willingly engaging in conversations and sharing drinks in local bars they went too. He wouldn't call Niklaus a friend but he wouldn't say he was a rival either, both wanted the same thing; Cordelia to be as happy as she can be. Of course, something deeper formed for both males with each glance and each conversation; but Stefan had noticed the sorrow in Niklaus' eyes with every conversation, he was hiding something from the Salvatore, Stefan knew that clear as day. Cordelia could see it to, the way Niklaus interacted with Stefan like an old friend; carrying memories that Stefan didn't.

The anomaly in the group was Alex Ganter, the Heretic who seemed so loyal to Niklaus that one would assumed he was sired by the Hybrid. The African-American supernatural was Niklaus' personal weapon who seemed to always find his eyes straying towards Cordelia who had shown him nothing but kindness compared to the rough treatment he received from Niklaus. Alex had told Cordelia that he was one of the first to be turned by the Mikaelson family, taken in when he was an orphan with a horrid fate of slavery. He stated that he owed his life to Niklaus who had spared him and given him a fate deemed better than what it could have been before. But there was something else in his eyes as he spoke─something unreadable that uneased Cordelia.

It had been by the end of the second month that Cordelia found herself letting Niklaus in, listening to his stories about his time as a human; and him bragging about how she would have fallen for his charm during that time. There was a side of Niklaus that no one else saw, the version of him that was on a deeper level; sensitive and broken. He was a damaged boy, harm caused by the very people who were supposed to love him unconditionally. Through Niklaus' stories, Cordelia and Stefan had come to resent Esther and Mikael deeply; the Starlight wishing to let them burn in the deepest pits of Hell. Stefan held a new spark with Niklaus, sharing the pain of an abusive father allowed them to heal something they hadn't known was festering.

The three made jokes about being a part of the deadbeat dads club, something that was amusing for them but not to Alex who would shake his head each time. While Bill Forbes was never physically abusive like that of Giuseppe Salvatore and Mikael, he was verbally aggressive; And no doubt, would be monstrous once learning of what both of his daughters now were. It was clear to Cordelia that Niklaus still viewed Mikael as a real threat to his life ─ to her, if he should be freed and hunt them down. Though Cordelia was capable of magic that a coven of witches couldn't handle, she knew that someone like Mikael ─ who had killed many Starlights in his life ─ would possibly know of a way to kill her if it meant ending the existence of Niklaus.

It gave Cordelia a new understanding behind why Niklaus was seeking out the creation of Hybrids; it wasn't to build an army for destruction but to protect the ones that Niklaus loved. Mikael was a threat and until he no longer had the power to be said threat, Niklaus would not be at peace nor will his siblings be free. Though Cordelia's views were different to his, she respected his choices in hopes that one day, he would understand her own. Cordelia wasn't daft, she knew that one day, Niklaus could possibly learn the truth about Elena surviving; And she knew that Niklaus would be angry, he'd act out impulsively and all she could do is handle it when it happened.

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Rosemary Speaks. . .

Welcome to the final act of Amongst The Stars. This journey will be an interesting one and may not reach the standard you hoped, but either way, thank you for your continued love and support on this book.

How do we feel about Stefan and Niklaus' budding friendship?

How do we feel about Alex's subtle glances towards Cordelia? How do you feel about Alex in general?

How do you feel about Stefan not being a ripper? I did that on purpose, Cordelia is his anchor, she helped him through that.

How do you feel about Niklaus opening up to Cordelia and Stefan? Unexpected?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions?

See you in the next chapter!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎉 TO 2025!!