[Paris' outfit for this chapter is at the very top.]

꧁ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇɪɢʜᴛᴇᴇɴ ꧂
ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ

❝I'm getting used to being targetted and used as leverage just because I'm human and I can die.❞

♠

     DAYS WENT BY fast and quiet. It was uneventful, which was surprising considering the huge history of Mystic Falls being a very eventful one.

Bonnie helped with keeping Camila locked away somewhere inside Paris, only this time, she made sure that Camila stays powerless in that spot, and Paris stays dominant of her own body.

Damon and Paris are still in no speaking terms. Damon decided it's best to let her be, instead of constantly bugging her with his apologies. Damon never really liked apologies anyway, that's why he barely gave any.

After all of that, nothing has been happening. But of course, this is Mystic Falls, after one problem, there's always another.

Paris holds her camera firmly on her hands as her eyes roam around her to find a perfect scenery to capture. It's been a while since she just gets her camera and takes pictures. She's been so busy with surviving that she forgot what her previous life used to be like.

She found herself standing in the middle of the Wickery Bridge. A small smile creeps its way into her lips while she recalled some of the times she had here together with someone she once treated as a friend. More than a friend actually, but she never wants to admit it.

She went to the edge of the bridge and caressed the rough surface of where they used to sit. Her gaze turned to the water under the bridge and her smile faded away.

Her mind drifts off into another memory. A memory she keeps buried deep. A memory that once again keeps haunting her when Camila messed with her mind.

Her airways felt like it was closing, like it was when she was drowning. Her vision became blurry as it was when ocean water surrounded her. Her hearing starts to hear indistinct noises, similar to when water filled her ears. And most of all, her body felt like it was floating in water when in reality, she's about to collapse.

Before her body hits the ground, someone caught her.

Paris immediately snaps back to reality as soon as she made contact with that particular someone. She glances behind her to see who it was and she gave a stunned expression.

"I take it nothing has been easy for you since I left the town of hell?" He said. A small smile forming in his lips after his question.

"Lucien?" Paris muttered. It was almost unbelievable to see him back here. She didn't think there's a reason for him to come back, but here he is.

"Is that relief I sense? You must be very frustrated. Either emotionally or sexually, but who cares?" Lucien joked.

Paris laughs softly and rolls her eyes. She felt solace in Lucien's presence. Like she needed him. After everything that happened, she needed someone she could talk to, like how Lucien needed her.

♠

"So, this Camila. Is she charming?" Lucien asked after Paris informed him about the latest threat.

Paris glances at the vampire and scrunches her face in an annoyed manner before she responded.

"After all of that, that's your question?" She said.

Lucien looks at her and shrugs his shoulders. Paris just smiles before she looks away and answers his question.

"She is. She's very charming. Maybe one of the most beautiful persons I've ever encountered." Paris said while her eyes stared at the scenery in front of them.

"Nonsense. No one can ever surpass your level of beauty, love." Lucien told her.

The sudden compliment softens Paris' heart. But that was just it. Just a compliment. No reason to think that there's something more to that compliment. Or at least that was her mindset. Because there is actually more to that compliment of his.

Lucien clears his throat and the gesture made Paris snap her out of her thoughts.

"Shall I walk you home?" Lucien asked.

"Sure, let me just----" Paris said but she was cut off when her consciousness immediately faded.

"Paris?" Lucien said before he caught her.

He looks at the unconscious Paris with a dart at the back of her neck before his eyes avert from her and turn to the feminine figure in front of him. A very familiar one.

"Aurora?" He said.

"Ah. Tranquilizers. They've always been a pain in the behind." Aurora said.

"The bloody hell are you doing in Mystic Falls?" Lucien asked with disbelief plastered across his face.

Aurora de Martel, whom Lucien told Paris and the others about, smiles eerily at her old friend while her auburn hair falls below her shoulders.

"Well, a little birdie told me that my one true love is here. But what makes me wonder, is why you are here as well." Aurora said while she circled around Lucien who is still carrying Paris in his arms.

Aurora stops beside Lucien's arm where Paris' head rests upon and eyes her before glancing at Lucien. "I think I just found my answer." She whispered.

"What are you really here for, Aurora? If it's for Niklaus then you should've done that already. You've been searching for him for centuries. And yet, here you are. Tell me what you really want." Lucien said, sensing something's wrong.

"The serum, Lucien. I want it." Aurora said. Lucien's face dropped at her statement. This wasn't about Klaus at all. It was about him. About the serum.

"And what makes you think I'll give it to you of all people?" Lucien asked.

"Because you will, if you want to let Paris live longer so the poor girl could graduate." She said while she brushes away strands of hair covering Paris' face and Lucien grabs Aurora's wrist with his free hand.

"You will never hurt her." Lucien growled, his eyes flashing red.

"Why do people say that line right before they actually get hurt?" Aurora asked innocently, but of course, her innocence is utterly mythical.

Aurora caught Lucien off guard by blowing some grey-ish powder into his face, causing him to inhale some of it. Unfortunately, the purpose of the powder is to temporarily discard the person of their ability to move. In short, to paralyze someone.

Lucien completely loses his balance and falls to the ground. Aurora held Paris and looks at Lucien while he laid on the ground with a creased forehead and a clenched jaw.

"I'll be holding on to her. You know, leverage and all." Aurora said.

She grins at the furious Lucien on the ground before she speeds herself together with Paris away from him.

♠

Slowly, Paris regains her consciousness and begins to blink multiple times to clear her rather blurry vision.

She finds herself inside a dim room with not so much furniture. She tries to move but the restraints on her hands and feet are keeping her from doing so.

"You've got to be kidding me." Paris muttered.

"Hello." Aurora said, who is sitting on top of a desk not far from her, at a cheery tone.

Paris snaps her gaze towards where the voice came from and there she saw a redhead with a chilling aura surrounding her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Aurora de Martel. And you're Paris." She said.

Paris remembers her name from Lucien's stories. She recalls her being the woman whom Lucien once adored. As well as the woman Elijah compelled to pretend as Rebekah for his family's sake.

"Don't worry. This is only ephemeral until Lucien gives me what I want. You're just leverage." Aurora explained.

"Of course I am." Paris said with a frustrated tone.

Aurora tilts her head and narrows her eyes at the brunette before she pushes herself up from sitting on the desk.

"I take it you're very much familiar with captivity?" Aurora said.

"I'm getting used to being targetted and used as leverage just because I'm human and I can die." Paris responded.

Aurora raises her eyebrows in interest. "Intriguing." She just said.

When Aurora said nothing more, Paris took it upon herself to ask more questions.

"Why am I restrained, exactly?" She asked.

"I need something from Lucien."

"And that is?"

"The serum"

Paris furrows her eyebrows at her vague answer.

"What serum?"

Aurora approaches the brunette slowly before she answered.

"The serum to become an upgraded vampire. To become something much more powerful, even powerful than the original vampires themselves." Aurora explained.

Meanwhile, after Lucien had recovered from being paralyzed, he went to ask Damon for help. Of course, things went chaotic first between him and Lucien before they actually decided to find Paris.

Bonnie was able to pinpoint Aurora and Paris' whereabouts using a locator spell, which is just in a small cabin outside of town. As soon as they found out where they are, they immediately went to get her and now, they're just behind the entrance door, as well as Ric, who insisted on coming with them.

"I need that serum. And I will get it no matter what it ta-----" a gasp leaves Aurora's lips resulting in her cutting off her sentence.

She falls forward to the ground Paris saw five darts of tranquilizers poking her back, probably vervain darts.

"Sorry, what was that? You didn't finish." Damon said as he looks down on Aurora.

Damon looks at Paris while Lucien unties her. The exchange of looks between the two were very inconspicuous, that even Ric didn't notice.

"Come on, love. Let's get you out of here." Lucien said.

Paris rubs her wrists that were previously tied up and glances at Damon in concern.

"Thank you for today." She told him.

Damon could only give a small smile to the brunette before Lucien took her home.

♠

"Home sweet home, I guess." Lucien said as they stood at the porch of the Fell's residence.

"Thank you for saving me. To be honest, I'm not even surprised by that kinds of problems anymore. Not when one of them is living inside of me." Paris said.

Lucien looks at Paris with sadness and hesitation in his eyes. He sighs heavily before he decided to say something that he would probably regret in the near future.

"I think I might have a solution for that particular problem." Lucien told her.

Paris narrows her eyes at Lucien as she waited for his response.

"What?" She asked.

"Drink the serum."

♠

Hey guys! Classes have been suspended here for a week so I'm using that time to update as much as I can. So I hope you guys enjoyed this.

You may remember Aurora from The Originals or from the other chapters wherein Lucien opened up to Paris and then later to Damon and the others about his connection to Klaus.

I hate her. I really do.

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