𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐍:
What are friends for?
(S2:E11 — By the light of the moon)

"SO, YOU'RE A WRITER NOW?"

Genesis raises an eyebrow at the man wearing a dark gray suit and black coat, approaching Elijah, who had just finished his conversation with Caroline Lockwood. A writer who's researching about the small town of Virginia.

"I do enjoy literature, even more so creating one," Elijah answers with a gentle smile as he approaches her car and sits on the passenger side.

"I know a person who shares the same interest as yours. It's a long overdue meeting, anyway." Genesis tells him as she drives towards Cassandra's house.

"Clementine. I presume?" Elijah asks as they both exit the house and walk towards the front porch.

"A lucky guess?"

"Not so lucky." Elijah denies it with a subtle shake of his head, "Niklaus mentioned her when he was telling me of the unfortunate event that happened two years ago." Genesis purses her lips as Elijah continues, "Clementine asked Niklaus if she could borrow a book I wrote. She told Niklaus that she was fond of how I constructed the story and my writing style."

Genesis smiles. She could practically feel how pleased and proud Elijah was when someone shared the same interest as him. Elijah and Clementine would get along. With Elijah's willingness to share his wisdom and Clementine's eagerness to learn more—especially when it comes to literature, it'll be good for the both of them, mainly to Clementine, who has been longing for a father figure, and Genesis is sure Elijah will be happy to guide her but not replace Clementine's father.

Clementine opens the door with a soft smile. She looks between Elijah and Genesis, then settles her gaze to Elijah, "You can come in." Clementine moves away from the door as Genesis and Elijah enter, and Cassandra's cooking invades their scent. Clementine walks back to the kitchen and says.

"Mama, Genesis, and Elijah are here."

Genesis and Elijah stood in front of the dining table as Cassandra yelled, "Nak, set the table and tell them to eat lunch with us."

"I'm sure they heard you, Mama," Clementine says softly as she laughs. Doing what she's told and placing two extra plates, cups, and utensils on the table, Clementine gestures to them to sit, so they do, with Genesis and Elijah seated beside each other. Cassandra strolls out of the kitchen wearing an apron with her hair tied up with a pitcher of iced tea in her hand.

"Genesis, Elijah." Cassandra greets with a bright smile, placing the pitcher on the table.

"Cassandra." Elijah smiles at her, observing. "You've aged gracefully."

Cassandra waves her hand in dismissal.  "At least one of us has to age." Cassandra raises a teasing eyebrow at him, and he chuckles. "You haven't changed a bit since 1977." Cassandra squints her eyes at him and then says. "Maybe the hair."

Genesis watches their interaction with a fond smile. Niklaus told her that the Rivera Coven has been helping them spread out the legend of the sun and moon curse since the 1970s in Asia.

Witches are not supposed to help Niklaus Mikaelson break his curse. But to prevent it.

But the Rivera Coven doesn't believe in the balance of nature. They believe in using magic the way it should be.

What should be done shall be done.

And if Niklaus is truly an abomination to nature, vampirism should not have worked with him, and it should have sensed the werewolf blood in him. It wouldn't have allowed it. And they have their own secrets to carry—it's one of the reasons they formed an alliance with Niklaus.

"Hope you eat Pinoy food, Elijah," Cassandra says as she and Clementine bring out two dishes and bowls of rice to the table. Sitting opposite of them.

Elijah nods, looking at the food in front of him, "Smells delightful, Cassandra. It's been a while since I ate a home-cooked meal." Then he looks at Genesis, who is eyeing the food hungrily.

"Liempo and Sisig Tokwa." Clementine informs them, "Liempo is grilled pork belly. Sisig Tokwa is fried tofu cubes with chopped chilis and onions. Mama said we already have pork, so she made the sisig with tofu instead of pork."

"Sounds absolutely delicious," Genesis says as Cassandra shakes her head but with a smile on her lips as she serves Genesis with slices of liempo and a serving spoon full of sisig tokwa and hands her a cup of rice.

"I have to watch my cholesterol now. Less pork is better." Cassandra tells them and looks at Elijah, "Let's see if my cooking is much better than those fancy fine dining."

Elijah chuckles as he serves himself some food, taking a spoon full of rice and biting a piece of pork from his fork. He nods in approval, "That's quite savory, I must say. I like it."

Cassandra hums, "That's called seasoning and a hint of MSG." Cassandra jokes.

Genesis takes a bite and releases a soft moan as the food touches her tongue, a burst of flavor coating her palette, the strong taste of the herbs Cassandra used, and how soft and tender the pork is. "You should open a restaurant."

"When I retire. I always wanted to open a small restaurant in the Philippines."

"You should. I would hundred percent support it." Genesis assures, and Cassandra laughs.

Elijah looks at Clementine, who is eating her meal in silence, but one thing catches his eye. Clementine glances at the empty seat beside her with furrowed brows as if she is listening to something.

"Clementine," Elijah calls her softly, and Clementine looks at him as if she was caught on by how attentive she responded when he called her. "Are you alright?" He asks, concerned.

"Yes," Clementine responded instantly, her voice tight. "I'm fine." she clears out her throat, giving him a shy smile.

"Niklaus told me you have a hobby of reading." Elijah starts as Clementine nods enthusiastically. "What genre do you read?"

Clementine answers. "Mostly contemporary romance and fantasy." she took a quick glance at the side, muttering lowly, "Stop it."

Elijah ignores it, pondering. Who is Clementine talking to? Then Genesis spoke, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Are there any locations here in Mystic Falls surrounded with magic, like where they could've died in a tragic manner?" Genesis asks Cassandra and Clementine, gaze focusing on Clementine, "That could help you?"

When a witch dies violently, they release powerful magic, marking the place of their death with power.

Clementine shakes her head, "I'm not familiar enough to know about the location where the witches in this town died. The old archives in the library didn't mention anything."

Elijah looks at them intriguingly. "Do you need help with your magic, Clementine?" If she needs help, he could ask the Jonas witches to assist her or lend her some grimoires.

Clementine looks at Cassandra—a silent permission. Cassandra nods with a soft smile. Cassandra shyly tells Elijah. "I don't have magic of my own."

Elijah furrows his eyebrows, looking at her with pure curiosity. Clementine continues, "I need to absorb it from someone or something that has magic."

It dawns upon Elijah. In one of his brother's letters back in the 15th century, Kol mentioned that he had come across a coven of witches—rare witches who formed their own coven when they were exiled from their original coven; they were known to be the abomination to nature.

"You're a siphoner," Elijah says in awe, and it removes the hesitancy in Clementine's features as she relaxes in her seat. "How fascinating you are."

Clementine is taken aback by his statement and answers confusedly, "Thank you?"

Elijah chuckles as he looks between Cassandra and Clementine, "Need not worry. I'll take care of it."

Genesis looks at him, "How?"

"Carol Lockwood told me that she's currently unavailable to help me. So she directed me to Jenna Sommers, who is going to lend me the founding families archives." Elijah informs them, and that seems to catch Clementine's interest.

"Elena's aunt." Cassandra says, and Elijah nods, continuing, "A much-needed conversation. I'll propose to her a false deal. That I'm sure she'll accept."

"Protecting her loved ones. I assume?" Genesis chuckles as she takes a sip of iced tea.

"Correct." Elijah muses with a grin. Cassandra shakes her head. She's used to this kind of conversation and continues eating.

Clementine then says, "Just leave Giana and Caroline out of this." and Genesis nods as she says.

"I noticed that Caroline has been hesitant around Elena and the Salvatores. She hasn't been in the Salvatore house in a while. Elena barely mentioned her."

Elijah listens intently. Clementine confirms Genesis's statement with a nod, "Ever since Caroline turned when Damon's compulsion was gone, she remembered what Damon did to her and how Elena noticed but didn't do anything. And how Katherine almost killed Giana. Giana told me that Caroline has been rethinking her friendship with Elena."

Genesis grins. "Do you think that Caroline would stomach betraying Elena?"

Clementine ponders for a moment as she purses her lips to the side, then says, "Caroline draws the line when Giana is dragged into something dangerous by or because of the Salvatores—or Elena."

Elijah looks at Genesis, who has a mischievous smile on her plump red lips. "Tell me what you're thinking." He says softly.

"Katherine turned Caroline because she's the vampire that's supposed to be part of the ritual," Genesis informs Elijah as he listens to her intently, focused on her. Clementine frowns.

Genesis noticed Clementine's expression and assured. "Don't worry. We'll find another vampire. I like Caroline too much for her to die." Clementine released a relieved sigh as Cassandra placed a hand on top of hers, squeezing softly.

"And from what you told me, Clementine. Has Elena been abusing her friendship with Caroline? As to what she's been doing to Bonnie too." Genesis asks in confirmation as Clementine says, "Yeah."

"It's only a matter of time before those two are fed up with Elena and the Salvatores. Bonnie has wanted to distance herself for a while now, but she's too kind to refuse." Genesis tells them as Elijah says, tone impressed, "And by that time, they'll come to you, willingly."

"I just need to execute my act well enough. Then we'll have them." Genesis tells them with a grin.

"You're a brilliant woman, Genesis."

"Oh, I know."

───⊱⁜⊰───

"EVEN I KNOW NOT TO PISS OFF A WEREWOLF DURING THE FULL MOON, DAMON. It's the only time of the month that they have the upper hand. Out of all the days, why today?" Genesis frustratedly asks, gritting her teeth, face hardened. She was irritated beyond compare. Before Damon called, Luka had informed her that Bonnie planned to channel the power of the full moon to destroy the moonstone—the replica, anyway. So, now Simon put his sister on house arrest.

Teenagers don't know how to listen, and they think they know what's best for them. Genesis rolls her eyes at the thought, especially when it comes to trying to break a curse a millennium older than them—all of this is bound to happen.

"I wasn't thinking."

"You're always not thinking. If you wrote all the stupid shit you have done, it would be the thickest autobiography ever to exist." Genesis scolds, pacing around the living room in the Salvatore boarding house. Whoever the wolf Damon pissed off probably has his scent in their mind. And Genesis needed to get the fuck away from him.

Werewolf hunting is fun, but not on a full moon when they have their sharp teeth that can actually kill a vampire in one bite. Damon might not believe in it. But Genesis does because she witnessed it happen. So she gathered her bag, ready to leave. Rose walks out of the kitchen with two glasses in her hand.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rose asks with a frown, continuing, "I made you your favorite cosmopolitan?" Rose raises the two glasses, and Genesis looks at her and smiles.

Strangely enough, Rose was waiting for her on the front porch of her house, telling Genesis that she had nowhere else to go. So Genesis let her stay. And they chatted, and the conversation flowed smoothly and effortlessly between them.

It's been a long time since a woman actually wanted to have a decent conversation with her with no envy in their tone or hidden spite in their replies.

"I'm actually going to my house, want to come with? I have a lot more alcohol there." Genesis offers, and Rose perks up, placing the glasses on the coffee table.

"Yeah, su—" Rose is cut off when they hear glass shattering on the other side of the house. They looked at each other and hurried towards the living room. They saw the broken window, and then they heard a growl.

Fucking shit.

Genesis repeated the swear in her mind, ready to bolt. Damon took the sword from the mantelpiece, and the wolf leaped towards them—towards them, with Rose pushing Genesis out of the way, and attacking Rose instead. They fell to the ground. It all happened so fast.

Then Rose screamed, and Genesis heard the wolf's teeth ripping Rose's skin, so Genesis pushed the wolf off from Rose with Damon stabbing the wolf in the stomach. Genesis helped Rose from the ground, and Genesis looked at the bite—it was healing, but Genesis knew it wouldn't last.

Rose pushed her out of the way.

And she needed to make a call.

After ensuring that Rose was alright, she headed towards her house and dialed a number.

"Ge–" Niklaus didn't even finish his greeting when Genesis said.

"I need your blood."

"At least give me a brief explanation of why you want my blood." Niklaus muses.

"Rose got bit, and I want you to heal her."

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"And you always get what you want."

"Exactly."

The line went silent then Niklaus sighed heavily. "Is this part of your plan?"

Genesis stops listening to her surroundings. Someone was listening to their conversation—and she knew exactly who it was. She grins, continuing her conversation.

"Yes." Genesis tells him, "And believe it or not, Niklaus, Rose, and I are friends now."

"How shocking." Niklaus mocks a gasp, and Genesis rolls her eyes.

"You don't want my female friend to die, won't you? Or I'll have no choice but to tell you how veiny and muscular your brother's arms are." Genesis teases and Niklaus groans.

"Fine. Fine." Niklaus defeatedly sighs. "How do you want FedEx delivery? You know they have overnight delivery."

"Didn't know you're a promoter now." Genesis chuckles, and Niklaus huffs, "Stop scowling. I can feel you scowling, and it's not good for your face."

Niklaus grumbles out, "I'll send someone to expect it in a few hours."

Genesis then says softly, "Thank you, Niklaus."

"What are friends for?" Niklaus tells her, but before Genesis can reply, he ends the call. Genesis laughs lightly, shaking her head.

Oh, Niklaus, a friend you are, indeed.

Author's Note:
—Okay, I hope I'm not too late for this, but I was scrolling through Pinterest earlier, and I saw these two hairstyles, and it's what I imagined Genesis's hairstyle throughout season 2. I put a sticker on the girl's face out of respect since I'm only using their hair for inspiration.

When it's done, updo and hair down. Whichever fits the outfits, I put on the like-top image thingy: