Chapter 13
“Well this is romantic,” Myriam deadpanned as she came to in the dungeons. “Klaus! Really?”
“What do you remember from our flight home?” He moved so he could hand her a glass of blood.
“I killed Marcel – and I didn’t mean to.”
“And after?”
Myriam thought for a moment and shook her head as she gratefully took her glass of blood. It wasn’t human blood, either. She downed the glass in one go and held out her glass for more. “That’s delicious.”
Klaus opened the door and pulled a chair in to sit with her. “I’m willing to give you my blood for as long as it takes, but since we don’t know how long you can last on one glass…”
“I’m a lab rat?”
“Until we figure things out. I’ve already compelled a scientist to look over the papers that we brought from where we rescued you,” he smiled at her. “So, you get one glass now, and once you feel itchy again, I’ll fill up another.”
“But I could just drink from you, it’s not like I’ve not done that before.”
“I’d like to stay in one piece, love. You mutilated Marcel. Now, while you won’t be able to kill me, I don’t want you to experience to see yet someone else ruined, if only briefly,” he replied and motioned around. “You have a comfy bed, and there’s even a desk for you with your bag on it. Why is it so important to you, anyway?”
Myriam sighed as she got to her feet and headed over to her bag to fetch something so she could show Klaus. She returned with her journal and handed it to him. “Alaric really helped me. This was his idea, to keep a journal. He gave me some things to write about. Every time I felt something, I had to write it down. He gave me stuff to write about,” she then blushed. “You’re the first one to read it.”
He smiled at her and handed her the journal back, closed. “I don’t need to read that, love. That’s yours.”
“Everything that I am, that I have, I share with you,” she said as she pushed it back into his hands. “You can read it.”
“Myriam…”
She took the journal and sat down on his lap as she opened her journal. “I know you ran to New Orleans, not only to claim it back for us but also because you were running after Kol’s death,” Myriam sighed. “And I’m sorry that I fell apart as I had, and that I couldn’t join you here when you went. But, while I have lost a few people over time, only my mother’s passing hit me hard and now…”
“I know, love,” he kissed the top of her head. “And I’m sorry that I didn’t know what to do with that grief, other than joining you and mutilate Stefan.”
“Oh, that was fun,” she laughed. “Can we do that again?”
“When you’re feeling better,” Klaus replied with a small smile as she kept paging through the pages and his eyes fell on some of the words. “All of us have acted out at some point or another. Whether it to be because of loss, or betrayal or simply because we could. And it’s difficult to come back from that. The next time it’ll be easier. And then it’ll continue to get easier after that.”
“But I don’t want that, Klaus. It shouldn’t get easier because then that life didn’t mean anything. Didn’t Kol mean something to you? He was your brother!”
“I got angry, of course, but I wasn’t able to do something. Even Rebekah mourned for a full day,” he replied. “I miss my brother, but to stop and think about his loss will not be any good. I’d tear apart a whole town if I allowed myself to. It doesn’t mean that his life didn’t mean anything.” He then noticed something about the veil dropping and her taking Kol home. “What’s this?”
“Oh!” Myriam laughed as she looked at the page. “That was the day that Bonnie lowered the Veil to The Other Side. So, all supernatural beings there could come back if they wanted to. She did it to find some witch, so yeah… it had some perks though. Such as Kol coming back for a few hours.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I was selfish,” Myriam shrugged. “He wanted to incite all the supernaturals sacrificed for Silas and create mayhem, so I kidnapped him. Again. And then we had some fun until the Veil went back up. He told me to do as I told Alaric, to leave Mystic Falls and find some place where I could heal.”
“And that’s how you ended up with Alaric.”
Myriam nodded and sighed. “You smell really nice. Can I have another sip?”
“Already?”
“You didn’t give me enough to last very long,” Myriam pouted. “Don’t make me ask you again because I’ll just take it.”
“Really now?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t said ‘please’. You’re being rude.”
“Please?”
“Nah, you didn’t mean that.”
Myriam stood up and started to pace her cell. “It itches. I am so hungry, I need blood. Please, Klaus, give me your blood?”
“No,” Klaus placed her journal on her table. “Behave yourself.”
“I’m trying! Give me more!” Myriam begged. “Please! You said you’d take care of me, you need to give me more blood, Klaus, please!”
Klaus growled as he left her cell and closed the door before heading upstairs to fetch one of his vampires before throwing them in the cell with Myriam. It saddened him that a glass of his blood didn’t satisfy her, but he wasn’t going to allow her to drain him dry, either. Myriam looked like an animal as she snacked on Shep and she squeezed him like a capri-sun pouch. “I’ll be back later, with hopefully good news. I can’t release you while you’re like this, I hope you understand.”
“I can go and kill your enemies?” Myriam only briefly looked up from the body she was mangling. “You only have to tell me where they are and I’ll happily tear through them.”
Klaus paused then, for a short moment with a small smile on his face. “As much as I’d love to entertain that notion, it doesn’t help you, my love.”
“Neither does sitting here in a cage being fed vampires!”
“It’ll have to do, I can’t have you running around New Orleans like this. But I promise you, we’ll have a fix for you shortly.”
The scientist explained to him that for all intents and purposes, Myriam was a vampire ripper now. She was addicted to vampire blood and had little to no control over it. The scientist said that it’d likely take a while to make a cure, but that it was likely that Traveler witches were involved. Klaus hated the Travelers. Good thing that he knew a witch who knew of Traveler lore and hoped that he didn’t need fancy doppelganger blood to heal his wife.
While he impatiently waited, he turned some petty thieves into vampires to feed to his insatiable wife. She kept complaining that she felt like a caged animal in a zoo so on day two he handed her her phone back so she could call Alaric to distract her. And that had also been a bad idea as she lost her temper and broke her phone.
By day three, Alaric showed up and safely sat outside her cell on a chair. “You look like hell.”
“Klaus has been feeding me, but every time he does, I just want more…”
Alaric sighed and nodded. “Sorry you have to go through shit again, it’s highly unfair.”
“Isn’t it? I mean, why me?” Myriam whined. “Although I did some pretty horrible things, so I suppose it’s karma… And why did you come all the way to New Orleans, Ric? Don’t you have classes to teach?”
Alaric shrugged then. “I can teach anywhere I want, and what better place to teach about the Occult than New Orleans? Maybe I’ll pick up a thing or two.”
“You’re moving here?” she asked hopefully. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he let out a snort. “I found this great apartment near campus, and they had an opening for a teaching position so why not? What are you going to do when you get fixed?”
“Ah, I have a legitimate business here in New Orleans. It’s time that I run it myself again, and give my liaison her freedom. Although I never compelled her to stay and run the place for me but I think she deserves a long vacation.”
“Yeah? Anything I can help with?”
“Maybe,” she smiled. “Maybe not. We’ll see. I’m just pleased that you’re moving out here.”
“So am I. Fresh start.”
“Are you staying? Keep me company?”
“Sure,” he smiled at her and pointed at her journal. “Here’s one for you; write down how you’re feeling about Dr Wes Maxfield being dead as a doorknob.”
“He died?! But I wanted to kill him!”
“Damon killed him. For you. And for himself and Elena. They were infected too. However, their cure likely won’t work on you, so that’s why you’re still in here.”
“But…”
“You’re an Original now, Myriam,” Alaric reminded her as he poured himself a coffee from his thermos. “It won’t work.”
“Well… is Elena dead then?”
“No.”
“Good,” she said as she sat down at her table and started to write down her feelings like Alaric had told her to. “Then I can kill her instead.”
“Myriam.”
“I’ve never liked her, Ric.”
“We’ve been over this before.”
“I know that she’s like a daughter to you, but she’s a whiny, selfish and manipulative bitch, and she is already cured, and I’m not!”
Alaric sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. “If it makes you feel any better, at the rate that the children in Mystic Falls are going, they’ll likely end up killing themselves.”
“Not good enough!” Myriam yelled before her head shot up when Klaus came down with another vampire for her.
“Sorry about her mood,” Klaus apologised as he pushed the vampire inside Myriam’s cell and looked at Alaric. “She’ll go back to her usual self after she’s done with her feed. It’s best if you look away,” he said as he motioned for Alaric to follow him out.
“How are you holding up, Klaus?” Alaric said as they were stood in the hallway.
“The love of my life is infected by a virus that makes her want to eat vampires, and there’s no progress in finding a cure for her, how do you think I’m holding up?”
Alaric nodded. “I may have a solution. Don’t get your hopes up, but I think I know someone who might be able to help you.”
“Really? I’ve moved heaven and earth to find a witch and a scientist willing to help me, and they’re not getting anywhere, how do you think that your person will be able to?”
“On my travels for research into the supernatural, I came across a witch from an offshoot of the Traveler community. Her line can be traced back all the way to the beginning of the Travelers, but her line doesn’t want to do anything with them. In fact, they started their own coven, the Gemini, of which she was ousted because of her lack of real magic. She’s living in peace and helps people where she can when they’re afflicted by magic. She’s a siphoner,” Alaric explained.
“That won’t help because Myriam was injected with a scientifically engineered compound!”
“I’ve seen the research you’ve shared with me. The drugs that helped create the virus are nothing but glue and enhancers. It was created from a vampire that Westfield had conditioned to drink vampire blood only. That part is magic, and I believe that my friend can help her with that. Cleanse her body. Once that’s done, her own blood will get rid of everything in her system that doesn’t belong there.”
“You think.”
“What other choice is there? It’s not as if Myriam can die from trying.”
Klaus tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose. “Very well. Call her. Ask her if she’s willing to help. Not a lot of witches like us these days, it was Kol or Elijah who usually made nice with them and alas, Kol is dead, and Elijah will forever stay in his box. Thank you, Alaric.”
“Of course, Myriam is my friend. She saved me once or twice, it’s only fair if I return the favor, right?”
“You’ve saved her already and owe her nothing, it’s commendable that you’re still willing to help.”
By day five, Myriam had given up. She was sat on her bed with her legs hugged to her chest and not moving an inch, only when a vampire was thrown in with her she looked up and forced herself not to go after it. It was simply better to desiccate at this point than to keep on going. Oh, she was still so very hungry, but this wasn’t fair. When Klaus came in with another, she looked up. “Dagger me.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to work, love,” he sighed and motioned at the still living vampires in her cell. “You have to eat.”
“Dagger me.”
Rolling his eyes at her, he stabbed the vampire he was holding and pushed him into the cell, causing Myriam to lose her self-inflicted restriction and attacked him. And then the other vampires. “Good, because we may have a solution and I was told you needed to be fed for the ordeal.”
She paused long enough to reply. “Why didn’t you say something!”
“Because I wasn’t sure that Alaric managed to convince this person to come over as our reputation usually proceeds us,” Klaus replied. “But this one didn’t seem to be scared or offended or against us and knew of Kol. Upon hearing that he was your best friend, the witch was willing to travel to New Orleans. His name still opens doors to some witches.”
“Alaric?”
“He cares about you, love, and normally I’d be very jealous, but I’m not in the mood.”
“What’s wrong?” she cocked her head as she looked at him, finally noticing that Klaus wasn’t looking too good. “You look like you’re sick.”
“Just some arguments with werewolves, don’t you worry about me.”
“I’ll kill them for you,” she smiled as she leaned against the door. “Where do they live?”
Klaus looked at her for a moment, considering what his options were. Granted, Elijah said he’d take care of it, but Myriam would be faster. “They’re not vampires, love.”
“I don’t care. I have a lot of rage, I’ll kill them for you, and then I’ll come back, I promise.”
“And can you promise not to go after vampires?”
Myriam sighed. “No…”
“Then you’re staying here until Alaric, and his witch cured you.”
“Yeah, just for the record,” a female voice sounded as footsteps could be heard. “I’m not his witch, and I’m definitely not yours, Niklaus Mikaelson.”
“And here they are,” Klaus smiled at Myriam before looking at Alaric and his witch. “Welcome. And thank you.”
“I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for her,” the brunette said as she walked past Klaus and held out her hand through the bars for Myriam to shake. “I’m Jeri.”
“French?”
Jeri smiled at her. “Oui.”
“I like you already.”
“I don’t like vampires like any other witch, but Kol Mikaelson is a legend. I never had the pleasure to meet him myself, but if it’s true what Alaric says and you are a former witch and Kol Mikaelson’s best friend, I am willing to help you,” Jeri replied. “Plus, you’re kinda cute.”
Myriam’s curiosity of the witch immediately dimmed as she scowled at the girl. “I’m taken.”
Jeri laughed. “I know that, petite fille, but it doesn’t hurt to flirt. Now, give me your hand.”
“I am not a little girl!”
“Myriam!” Klaus raised his voice, tired of his wife’s predicament. “Now is not the time.”
Myriam pouted as she pushed her arm through the bars. “When I am fixed, I will fix you, mon LouLou.”
Jeri let out a snort as she grabbed Myriam’s hand and put her other hand on her arm. “Woah.”
“What?”
“You’ve got some serious ju-ju, lady,” she replied as she looked at Myriam before letting go of her. “Wait, there’s more than just that virus, isn’t there?” Jeri took a step back and looked at Alaric and Klaus. “Because I feel that she’s not a normal vampire.”
Klaus let out a sigh as he sat down on the steps. Tired. “My mother turned her into an Original vampire in the hopes of turning her against us. Granted, she used a modified version of the spell that created us, but—”
“Yeah. And that’s a problem,” Jeri said as she wrung her hands nervously. “You see… I can feel that. And once I start to syphon out what has been done to her last, I can’t stop myself from taking away that either. My powers don’t discriminate against other spells. Magic is magic. If I’d try that on you, it won’t work, but because she’s not entirely like you, she won’t have that anymore once I’m done.”
“Oh hell no,” Myriam said as she moved away from the bars and went to the furthest corner of her cell. “I’d rather be a raving lunatic munching on vampires than to feel vulnerable again. With your family history? Nobody stays dead. What if your mother decides to come back to life, Klaus?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you killed her yourself,” Klaus countered with a huff.
“Well… seeing as the Other Side is destroyed… it’s not entirely impossible for a powerful witch to return…” Jeri said thoughtfully.
Klaus let out a groan. “Knowing my mother, she will.”
“Klaus!” Myriam squeaked from her corner. “You’re not going to say what I think you’re going to say!”
“I’d rather have you alive and fragile than not at all, Myriam. If I allow you to be what you are now, you will eat through everyone, and I won’t be able to keep up with your currently demanding side.”
“No. Alaric! Say something!”
“I’m with Klaus on this, Myriam. I’d rather have you be a healthy vampire than this.”
“Traitor!”
Jeri turned around to face Myriam with a smile on her face. “Alright, what would Kol want for you?”
“Don’t you dare!” Myriam angrily shot at her. “Don’t you dare bring him up!”
“Well?”
Myriam was quiet for a moment. “He’d be fine with the way that I am now.”
“Liar,” Klaus and Alaric chorused. Klaus got to his feet and entered the cell. “You’re going to be alright. I’ll protect you from whatever will come our way. I promise.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry, love,” he said as he quickly reached out and snapped her neck, catching her before she fell. “She’s going to hate me, but I’m going to keep snapping her neck until you come up with a different solution.”
“There isn’t any!” Jeri exclaimed, surprised.
“Damon and Elena managed to be cured without you, so can Myriam.”
“I don’t know who’s more crazy,” Alaric muttered. “You or her.”
Jeri scowled as she pulled Alaric along with her. “Let’s go, we’re not wanted here. You should have never asked for my help! Now I have to stay in New Orleans until those two realize I am the only one who can help her!”
~o.O.o~
She was going to kill Klaus and then kill him some more. How dare he snap her neck so many times over the last few hours? Myriam wasn’t feeling any different, so that made her think that he hadn’t gone along with his original plan in the first place. Good. She’d hate to be turned back into a useless vampire who had to be careful not to piss off the wrong witch.
Klaus wasn’t with her now, though. She could hear a lot of commotion coming from upstairs, and when she paced her cell, she noticed her door being ajar. “Fuck this shit, I’m not going to wait until that witch strips me of everything that I am…” she muttered to herself and ran upstairs before killing a few werewolves and fleeing the compound.
She headed straight to one of the vampire hangouts and went to town on them. She slaughtered them all and finally, since a very long time, felt satiated enough to think clearly. Limbs were everywhere, and there was a lot of stray blood, hell, even she was covered in layers and layers of blood, but she didn’t care. She felt great. Ecstatic. High.
Myriam made the conscious decision not to head back to the partying French Quarter, but instead headed to Crescent Park and hopefully catch a few more vampires while enjoying the waterfront. The stars were pretty today, everything was so bright, the water so loud and the grass smelled so nice.
A couple was making out, and Myriam could smell their arousal. Licking her lips, she bit her wrist and forced them both to drink before snapping their necks and waited for another human to show up so she could feed her almost vampires human blood and then kill them again. She wanted more but had to stay away from the compound because she didn’t want to eat Klaus’ vampires.
She told her human to leave after having fed them to her two vampires and snacked on them. Discreetly.
Or not.
She found herself being flung out of the bench after killing her second vampire and angrily got to her feet. “Fucking witches! I wish this damn virus made me want to take a fucking bite out of you instead of other vampires!” Myriam raged as she ran towards the witch but stopped as she seemed to recognise this one.
“My, you’re in a state,” the witch replied. British accent. Not as inconsistent as Kol’s, but it was Kol, wasn’t it? Or was she merely seeing things now? Of course, she was, she was high on blood, high on life, high on everything and wanted to kill this witch. This wasn’t Kol. Couldn’t be Kol, because he was dead.
“You want to die too, witch?” Myriam snapped. “Because I’m ravenous and I won’t hesitate to turn you.”
“I can help you,” the witch said eagerly. “No ulterior motives. No backstabbing. Free of charge and you won’t owe me anything.”
“And let me guess, the catch is that I have to get my hands on a siphoner and they will take away everything.”
The witch chuckled and shook his head before reaching into his pocket and handed Myriam a vial. “This is the antidote to what ails you, tailored to what you are.”
This was Kol, wasn’t it? How else would this witch know about what was wrong and what to get for her unless it was Kol who had been watching from the Other Side? “I don’t trust witches.”
The witch sighed and shrugged before pointing at the vial in Myriam’s hands. “That works. Trust me. I do not wish to risk the chance of angering the Original Hybrid. You’re his wife, aren’t you?”
“Klaus is a puppy, it’s me who you need to be afraid of,” Myriam growled. “This works? And I get to be who I was before?”
“I promise. You needed science and magic to fix you. I made sure the cure was a little bit of both. I may be new to New Orleans, but I do wish to keep the peace between us witches and vampires. Where I’m from, we all liked each other.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, studying his face. “It’s her, isn’t it? She did this to you.”
“Take the cure. Feel better,” the witch said with a blush as he turned around to walk away from her.
She stood there, stunned, watching as the witch walked away. “I miss you, Mon Chou, and Merci.”
Kol’s shoulders slumped as he let out a sigh, but kept walking.
“Are you in trouble?” Myriam ran after him, but she got knocked on her ass by him.
“Take the cure, Myriam. Leave me alone, I don’t want you to get hurt and please, don’t tell Nik that I’m back. If Mother finds out, I helped you or—” He was genuinely frightened, and all Myriam could do was to nod and open the vial to take the cure for him.
“I won’t tell him,” she agreed with tears in her eyes, getting to her feet and hugging him. He was slightly taller now. “I miss you, be safe, whatever you’re up to.”
“Yeah,” he whispered reluctantly. “Don’t worry about little old me.”
“Come to Débauche when you’re in trouble. I’ll keep you safe,” she smiled at him as she cupped his cheek. “Thank you for saving me, Kol.”
“Always,” he smiled weakly. “I have to go. Don’t follow me or I will snap your neck and throw you into the Mississippi.”
She nodded and as he walked away from her, snapped her neck anyway.
When she came to she was back in her dungeon. “Oh, come on!” she cried out as she banged on the door. “Klaus! Let me out!”
“You killed at least fifty vampires last night, and I found you near two others in Crescent Park, I am not letting you out!” he countered angrily. “How could you?!”
“I’m fine now.”
“For how long?”
“Ahh…” Myriam smiled innocently and twirled around in her bloodied clothes as if she was a 4-year-old. “A friendly witch knew exactly what was going on and gave me an antidote they had created for me. I’m cured,” she sang. “Now, please? Let me out?”
“So you do not wish to drink my blood anymore?”
“Well, if you insist… I always want your blood! But others? Ew. No.”
“I don’t believe you,” he said suspiciously as he put Thierry in the cage with her. “You can have him, he was one of Marcel’s lieutenants, very unhappy with you killing him.”
Myriam sighed. “I didn’t mean to kill Marcel, and I’m certainly not going to take a bite out of Thierry, come on, he looks like a hippy, smells like old socks and booze and ugh. That hair! Give me a clean criminal human instead?”
Klaus rolled his eyes at her. “How do I know you’re truly cured? How do you know?”
“I feel great. I feel like myself again. Honestly. The witch who made this for me can be trusted.”
“Do I know her?”
“Doubtful. But I trust them. Let me out. Let me… clean up and let’s catch up. I’m of sound mind, and I promise I will leave your vampires alone,” she smiled at him before punching a hole in Thierry’s chest, yanked his heart out and chucked it at Klaus’ head. “And if you wanted him dead, you could have done that yourself.”
Klaus wearily looked at her before opening the door. “If you’re taking even one bite out of one of my vampires, I will put you right back.”
“You have nothing to worry about, mon LouLou,” she smiled at him as she patted his cheek and walked past him to go to the bathroom. She was going to take a long, hot bath and burn her clothes. She deserved it. “Are you going to join me, husband?”
~o.O.o~
They were still in bed the following morning, and Myriam stretched herself as if she were a cat. “Convinced?”
“Yes,” Klaus replied as he nuzzled her neck. “Now, will you tell me who your witch friend is so I can properly thank her?”
“Nope,” she smiled and then sighed happily. To know that Kol was back in some form or another did her good, and she could barely escape her excitement, but she promised him not to tell Klaus. “So, what do you need me to do about your werewolf problem?”
“Already dealt with, love. Last night while you were out.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m absolutely positive. But a witch is helping the werewolves, and I intend to get to know her and persuade her to stop,” he kept nuzzling her neck. “Hence why I’m asking you who your friendly witch was so I won’t end up killing her.”
“Well, you can kill any female witch if you’d like,” she let out a small moan. “My friendly witch was definitely male.”
Klaus scraped her neck with his teeth. “Anyone I should be concerned about?”
“Klaus!” Myriam laughed. “Oh my God! Stop that! I’d never! I mean… I consider Alaric to be my friend, are you jealous of him too?”
“No.”
“Then you won’t have to be jealous of my male witchy friend,” she replied with a smile. “Besides, when you eventually meet him, I’m sure you’ll like him too,” she kissed him before rolling away from him and getting dressed. “While you’re going to deal with your witch business, I think I’m going to Débauche. Take things back, give Isabella a long vacation.”
“You’re not killing her.”
Myriam huffed. “She’s the only self-created vampire that I haven’t killed. She stays. But she deserves a change of scenery after so long.”
“You are coming home tonight.”
“Yes, my love,” she flashed a smile at him. “And I’ll even cook you dinner if you want, like the good little wifey that I am.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s been a long time since you’ve had to miss New Orleans cuisine, I’ll find us a traditional cook.”
Myriam barked out a laugh. “Darling, nothing about New Orleans cuisine is traditional anymore but sure, find the one who makes the best gumbo in town.” She kissed him and then headed straight for Débauche.
“Surprise,” Myriam said as she walked into Isabella’s office.
“Myriam!” Isabella exclaimed, and Myriam wasn’t sure whether it was out of shock or surprise. “What a surprise! What-What are you doing here?”
“I was made to move back to New Orleans, what do you think I’m doing? I’m giving you the next like… two hundred years off, my friend. As a token of my appreciation for you having looked after Débauche for me.”
Isabella let out a snort. “Myriam, this club has been mine for so long, do you honestly believe I give it back to you? I’ve strung you along for all these years because you weren’t even here, but now? No way. This club is mine.”
“I thought you were my friend, Isabella, this is quite disappointing,” Myriam replied as two burly werewolves appeared in her peripheral vision. “And werewolves as security? That’s a detail you failed to mention.”
“As I said, my club. Not yours. Just because you’re a Mikaelson doesn’t mean you own something yourself or you have people working for you out of their good faith.”
“I’ve paid you handsomely for running Débauche, Isabella,” Myriam growled. “You received generous bonuses, and you didn’t have to worry about anything.” When the two werewolves behind her approached her, Myriam turned around and ripped out their hearts before she turned to chuck them at Isabella. “And here I promised my husband that I wasn’t in the mood to kill another vampire…” she sighed before she ducked as Isabella attacked her. Using all of her strength, Myriam took hold of the little vampire and pulled her head right off before grabbing a handful of pencils and pushed them into Isabella’s heart as if she was a pin cushion.
She then invited the entire staff into the office, with the dead werewolves and dead Isabella still in plain sight. “This is my baby. This business is my baby, and this bitch decided not to give it back to me. Look what happened to her!” Myriam said as she closed the door of the office and killed the remaining staff. “You really think I’d keep people on after this? No way. I’m cleaning house.”
Myriam then went floor to floor to see the state of her brothel and shelter and realised that Isabella had turned Débauche in something Myriam didn’t stand for, at all. The prostitutes were kept in dangerous conditions, and likely victims of human trafficking and nobody was in need of help in the shelter.
It hurt her heart.
She kicked everyone out and locked the doors after making sure nobody was inside and then went home. Angry. Pissed off. Disappointed. Isabella had ruined her business, it wasn’t all about the money, it was about helping people. The prostitutes had to want to work for her. Nothing forced.
She pouted as she walked into the wine cellar where Klaus was breaking off the neck of a bottle of wine and took a large gulp out of it. “I met the witch Cassie,” he snarled. “I studied her, her presence. The way that she carried herself. The fervour with which she voiced her hatred towards our kind. I looked into that girl’s eyes, and I swear to you, Myriam, she’s not just guided by my mother, she is my mother!”
“What is happening?” Rebekah said worried as she walked in.
“I’m going to kill her,” Klaus replied. “I’ll boil her bones and feed her to the dogs if that’s what it takes.”
“Nik,” Rebekah said with a small voice.
“What! What could possibly be more important than the return of our mother?”
“Our father,” Rebekah said. “I saw him standing there in the flesh just like you do now. He was enslaved by some bracelet attached to Davina. He holds the Stake. If she chooses to release him…”
“Well then… Then there’s only one question to ask, isn’t there? Which of our parents do we kill first?”
Deciding to let the siblings talk amongst themselves, Myriam agreed that the betrayal she had just experienced wasn’t a big of a deal anymore, at least not to share with her husband. Both Esther and Mikael were back, and Myriam was going to make herself scarce. She was going to rebuild Débauche the way that she had intended it to be; give everyone that she had just kicked out a very generous severance pay and start over.
And she had to start with cleaning the club from top to bottom, give it a fresh coat of paint, to eliminate the stench and the bad vibes the club had held under the rule of Isabella. Stupid backstabbing cow.
And she was going to start now. Staying out of Klaus and Rebekah’s way. Even though both Mikael and Esther were in town, she’d promised not to run, and she didn’t want to, she wanted to stick around. Now that she didn’t have her demons anymore, she was basically even more useless than Rebekah, never having had learned how to fight properly or whatever. She just went for it and hoped for the best in a fight usually.
Walking back into the wine room after having cleaned herself up, she found Klaus and Rebekah sitting together in silence, drinking their beverage. They were both lost in their own thoughts, and for a moment Myriam didn’t want to interrupt them.
“We need to wake Elijah,” Rebekah eventually said. “He always knew what to do.”
“We don’t need Elijah,” Klaus scowled. “He’ll only want to control us, Bekah, I’m not going through that again.” He then looked at Myriam and smiled. “How was your day, love?”
“Compared to the day you two had? Not really important, but I was wondering if I could borrow a few of your vampires tonight,” she asked from her position by the door. “There’s been some… issues at the club and I could use a cleanup and demolition crew.”
Klaus frowned as he held out his hand for her to join him. “Anything I can help you with?”
Myriam sighed as she walked over to him, took his hand and sat down on his lap. “It’s honestly not–”
“You’re my wife,” he said as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “And I understand you won’t want to be involved with dealing with our parents, but that doesn’t mean that what you’re dealing with isn’t as important.”
Rebekah blinked at that. “Seriously, Nik?”
“We’re a family, Rebekah. I’m sure that we’ll have to deal with our parents sooner or later, without Elijah, and we’ll come up with a plan. I’m curious why my wife – who claims to be cured – needs a cleanup crew, that’s all.”
Myriam let out a sigh. “Well, I did kill a vampire… and a few werewolves… and a few witches…”
“What!”
“What?” she let out a whine. “My friend who has been running Débauche for me for so long didn’t want to give it back to me, she even went as far as calling security on me!”
“You went on a murderous rampage?”
“Of course I did! It’s my business, my club! My baby!” Myriam defended herself. “So I need the bodies cleaned up, and I want to rip out everything in the club because I need to start over. She had turned it into an abomination, and it needs a good scrub, new paint, everything!”
“Yeah, you’re right, this isn’t as important as our parents being back from the dead. Again,” Rebekah said with a sour look on her face.
“But this is important to Myriam, Rebekah,” Klaus countered as he narrowed his eyes at his sister. “Just because she will not help or interfere with our dealings with our parents–”
“I didn’t say that. I’m picking my battles,” Myriam said as she looked at Klaus. “I already killed your mother once, it’s someone else’s turn now.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Anything to keep you with me, love,” he whispered in her ear. “And take ten vampires to make your business your second home again. Take as long as you need. But, do come home at night.”
Myriam softly kissed him. “Where’s Alaric staying? Do you know? Maybe he’d like to help me later.”
“You still need to kill that hack of a witch of his, love,” Klaus encouraged her. “After all, she wanted to take away everything from you.”
“Priorities,” Myriam sighed.
“Stay home tonight, let us have dinner like the family that we are,” Klaus smiled at her and poured her a glass of wine. “Worry about your club, and our parents, tomorrow.”
~o.O.o~
Myriam was the first one to be awake the following morning and decided to go on her way to get Klaus’ vampires to help her with Débauche. However, there was a breakfast spread standing in the middle of the courtyard, which was indeed a strange place for breakfast to be. “Klaus!” she called out to him, not touching anything. “Did you arrange breakfast?”
“No, love, I haven’t.”
“It looks good, though,” Rebekah replied as she came to a halt at the table. All three vampires were surprised when something moved on the table. Klaus cautiously lifted the lid off, and a handful of starlings flew out from underneath the cover, revealing a note.
“Oh, hell no,” Myriam threw up her hands and walked out. “Good luck with that!” She headed straight for Débauche after getting a few of Klaus’ vampires. They didn’t quite want to cooperate so she compelled them all, and one was going to find a skip or two so they could throw out every single piece of furniture in the club, brothel and shelter.
Fresh start.
While the vampires were taking care of things, she was in the office making sure that she had all the necessary papers and information before temporarily moving them back to the compound. When she returned, she was surprised to find Kol sitting on the bench in front of Débauche, looking at the vampires. “Who hurt you?” Myriam asked as she sat down next to him. “Want some of my blood?”
“Nah, Mother thought this would give me some sympathy votes with Davina,” he sighed as he motioned to his head. “I haven’t had a scar in over a thousand years, Myriam.”
“I told Klaus I was staying out of this.”
Kol barked out a laugh and nodded. “I thought you would, but I need their help to kill our Mother, I’m not on her side, you know. She wants us all in different bodies so we can live out our lives and then die.”
“You need to talk to Klaus,” Myriam gently pat his knee. “So, if you’re not here for some vampire blood, what are you doing here?”
He pointed behind him. “I walked by and saw your vampires working hard, and I wondered why.”
“Isabella ruined my business. She turned something pure into an abomination and illegal shit. Killed her, her staff, let the workers go and I’m going to start over from scratch,” Myriam sighed before elbowing Kol gently. Somehow, his current form looked super fragile. “Thank you for saving me. Alaric had brought a siphoner to help me, but she’d syphon away everything.”
“You wouldn’t get anything back,” Kol agreed. “Not even your demons. Good thing I found you in time, huh?”
Myriam smiled at him. “Where were you on your way to?”
“I’m actually looking for Davina, have you seen her?”
“Do I look like someone who looks like she knows who Davina is?” Myriam laughed. “I don’t know. But if you want to switch sides to the good side, just let me know, and we’ll go to Klaus together.” She then let out a huff. “Who in their right mind calls their little girl Davina? It’s almost as if they expected a boy to be born and were too lazy to change their name.”
“Myriam, be nice. Davina is currently controlling my Father, and he has the White Oak Stake that Mother wants. I didn’t tell Mother about Father, of course.”
“What’s Davina’s last name?”
He scratched his head then, looking slightly embarrassed. “You don’t want to know.”
Myriam’s eyes grew big. Kol was so predictable!. “It’s Claire, isn’t it? And you truly like her! Not because of your mother but your own fuzzy feelings! Oh my god, Kol, you really don’t change, do you?” she laughed, shaking her head. “You are smitten with this one.”
“I used her ancestor, that’s all, but yeah… she’s young, gorgeous, powerful… she hates Nik as much as I do and—”
“Hold on,” she put her hand on his mouth. “You’re not going to plot against Klaus again, are you? Because I’ve stopped you then and I will stop you now.”
“I just want to put him in a box for a few years like he’s done to me. I won’t kill him! I mean, if I did, that would mean I’d lose you. No, he just needs to get a taste of his own medicine.”
“And leave me without a husband.”
“And yes. Leave you without your husband.”
“You’re such an ass,” Myriam huffed. “We finally seem to be in a great place, and you are very fragile right now, so you’re going to leave him alone.”
“Threatening with bodily harm?”
“I’d rather not, Kol,” she smiled at him. “But, as you may be aware, we daggered Elijah because he was far too controlling. Klaus is without a leash now, without Elijah’s influence. He’s a normal person now. He’s changed. So, you may do whatever you want to Elijah, I’ll even tell you where his box is, but you’re leaving Klaus alone.”
He let out a breath and nodded. “Nik is the least of my worries now, I need to find Davina.”
“Good luck with that,” Myriam smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want some blood to fix your beautiful face?”
“Mother will kill me if I allow that to happen,” he said as he got to his feet. “But I will think about what you’ve said, Myriam. I’d rather be on Nik’s side than on Mother’s, but she’s scaring the living hell out of me.”
She took his hand and squeezed it. “Stay with me. I’ll protect you. Je m’ennuie tellement de toi.” And she meant it. She missed him. Now that he was back, she wanted him to be around her all the time.
Kol sighed and hung his head. “Moi aussi,” he replied. “Let me go, darling, I’ll find you again. Oh, before I forget,” he said as he handed her a paper with an address written on. “That’s where Alaric lives.”
“Merci,” she whispered as Kol walked off. Oh, she could do everything in her power to keep him with her, but he was on a mission, he was involved with whatever his mother was scheming, and Myriam had made the conscious decision to stay out of it.
She headed back inside to instruct her vampires, but they were still doing what she wanted them to do and then headed to Alaric’s home. It was indeed a lovely little apartment just off campus of the University and from what she could tell, the witch was inside his house as well. Sighing, Myriam knocked on the door, unsure if Alaric would allow her inside.
“Myriam? Hi, uh… how are you doing?”
“Why are you nervous?” Myriam cocked her head. “Didn’t expect me to show up at your door? Come on, Ric, you’re my friend. I brought booze?”
He looked at her for a moment. “You’re back in your right mind? How?”
Myriam shrugged. “I have my own ways. I didn’t fancy being stripped of everything that I am. Especially not with the crap my family is dealing with now, but I appreciate your effort by calling in your witch.”
“She’s not my witch,” Alaric let out a chuckle. “Alright, come in, let’s celebrate your regained sanity. Jeri’s inside too, we were waiting for Klaus to call with a decision.”
Myriam huffed as she stepped inside. “Oh, well, you don’t like change much, do you?” she barked out a laugh. “You literally just picked up everything and moved it in.”
“It’s not as if I’m a member of a very wealthy family and can leave my stuff whenever I move,” Alaric laughed, shaking his head. “But I’m glad you approve.”
“Didn’t say that,” Myriam smiled as she danced on the balls of her feet. “Could do with a lick of paint, but I’m too busy with my business so…”
“But you’re alright?”
“I’m fine,” Myriam smiled as she sat down on the sofa next to Jeri. “Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry I was in such a state the last time we met.” Myriam then opened the bottle of alcohol she’d brought and took a sip before ripping out Jeri’s heart without any warning whatsoever. Upon seeing Alaric’s shocked face, Myriam shrugged. “I’ll pay for a new sofa, don’t you worry, but she’s a hack.”
“Myriam!”
Myriam wiped her hand on the sofa and got to her feet with a big smile on her face. “It’s not too late to turn back, Ric. New Orleans is crawling with vampires, witches and werewolves. It’s quite possible that you’ll get caught up in something,” she said as she kissed his cheek and walked to the door. “Better get used to it now!”
“And what am I supposed to do with the couch and the body?” Alaric said frustrated. “You can’t do this again, Myriam!”
“Ah, don’t worry, I’ll send someone over to help you out,” she shrugged. “And yes, I can. I’m done with taking shit from people. The bitch that was supposed to look out for my club while I was gone turned it into something seedy and disgraceful, and now I have to start all over again. I killed her. I killed her staff and let the workers go,” she pointed at Jeri. “And she wanted to come in the good graces of the Mikaelsons because she’s a Kol groupie – even though she’d never met him. She was going to take away everything, Alaric. EVERYTHING! She’s a hack! Well, was. Siphoners are stupid anyway.”
“She was my friend!”
“I am your friend!” Myriam countered angrily. “And you can find new friends here in New Orleans!” And with that, Myriam opened the door and returned to Débauche. She wanted to go home, but she remembered that Esther had invited herself over for dinner. Yeah, she wasn’t going to go back until Klaus would tell her that it was safe to come home. But was it truly safe, though? Weren’t his vampires supposed to keep an eye on who came inside and went outside? How had it been possible for Esther to put a breakfast spread like that in the middle of the courtyard?
As she walked through the building and dodging the vampires who were stripping the entire building for her, she decided that some walls had to be knocked down and some built somewhere else to make more room. She wanted a door wide passageway for those who came to visit the ladies on the first floor, this way they could hide different spells and objects in the walls to make sure the johns were legit. There had to be a slightly larger reception area, but yes. This was an idea.
Her project was going to take a month. Maybe two. Depending on how fast her vampires worked. But for now, all she could do was to go and look for new inventory. Oh, she loved shopping!
