The Quarter18

"Not five o' clock yet," Kat scolded as Jay took another shot.
She noted how cozily her friend was cuddled up to Micah, throwing Mimi a displeased look. Mimi hadn't even made it through her first shot yet, sipping at the small glance and making faces.
"Mimi, give up," Micah urged.
"I can't!" Mimi insisted. "It would be disrespectful!"
Jay's eyes shimmered mischieviously.
"The secret is to take it all in one go," she advised with a grin.
The mere gesture seemed out of place, given the circumstances that brought them to the bar. Kat's gaze flashed briefly to Klaus who looked lonely and miserable, his gaze sometimes landing on Micah and Jay. That seemed to continuously add to his foul mood.
"All in one go?" Mimi repeated.
"Don't-"
Mimi did not heed Kat's warning, tossing back the shot. Instantly, she was on her feet.
"Nope, nope, not a good idea," she rasped, hurrying away.
Jay shook with barely contained laughter that was definently a bad idea at the moment, despite the cheerful music and the mournful, celebratory mood of those gathered. Micah shook his head.
"I see with Ursula trapped in the Garden, you've taken to tormenting Mimi," he remarked.
"Gotta keep it fresh," Jay retorted, downing another shot.
Micah opened his mouth to speak but his phone went off, an ominous ringtone that darkened his mood in seconds, tops. Jay was instantly alert as his arm left her shoulders.
"I'll be right back," he said, rising.
They watched him go, suspicious, both fighting the urge to follow. It would have been fruitless as Micah picked a spot far enough away that, given the noise, they couldn't hear him, and positioning himself so that he could see them if they approached.
"He's hiding something from us," Kat observed, hiding her words behind her beer bottle.
Jay caught on, recalling, as Kat did, Micah's lip reading skills. She lifted another shot, her sixth that morning.
"I caught sight of the caller ID. It was Andrew," she informed Kat.
Recognition flared in Kat's eyes at the name of Ariel's second oldest brother.
"What do you think he wants?"
Jay threw back her shot.
"What everyone seems to want. Ursula."
She reached for another shot and Kat caught her hand before she could, earning her a deep sigh from Jay.
"What is with you today?" Kat demanded to know. "You never drink this much unless something is bothering you."
Jay meant her observation with a stoic look that clearly said she didn't want to talk about it. Kat refused to be deterred. Now was the perfect time to work on their mental health issues, given that the enemy that had lurked in the shadows always was no trapped in them, magicless and mourning the fact. For a few hours more anyway, until her coven came for her.
"Jay!" Kat hissed, giving her hand a shake.
Jay let out a ragged but annoyed sigh.
"Very well. I had a dream the other night," she admitted.
"About?" Kat prompted.
"A baby," Jay relented through clenched teeth, shadows crossing her face.
Kat released her hand, sitting back a bit.
"Well, despite all the drama, Ariel just had one and Klaus's miracle child is still in the making. Baby fever will no doubt spread like wildfire," Kat reasoned, relaxing.
"Yeah," Jay agreed. "Except the baby wasn't the only special guest I had."
"Oh?" Kat asked, sipping her beer.
"Yeah. Mikael was there too."


"I saw him."
Micah tried not to sound alarmed as he tried to calm Ariel down. As he tried not to cry out at the possibility, though slim, that she'd really seen Garrett. That his brother was alive. No, it wasn't possible. He'd seen Garrett's body, limp, bloody, lifeless, in Kat's arms. It was the last time he'd ever seen Kat so out of control. He'd honest to god never seen her cry, her world so shattered that she couldn't think of a single thing better to do. Looking at Kat and Jay conversing, their glasses hiding their lips as they tried to keep their conversation private from him, very much like he was trying to do to them, he didn't want to tell them. Because it was after Garrett's death, not long after, that he'd lost Jay. And he was just now winning her back. He couldn't lose her. The female werewolf, the one carrying Klaus's spawn crossed the room, catching his eye and she joined Klaus and Elijah at the bar. He tensed, noticing that his companions noticed her as well and Kat's zoned in on Jay with a look of absolute seriousness.
"Ariel," he began, trying to hang up so he could hurry back and wrap himself around Jay.
Because he knew what was coming next if he didn't get back soon. Jay rose.
'Shit!'
He took two steps forward, hesitated, and then kept going, trying to intercept, pouring just a little bit of vampire speed into his steps.
"Garrett is alive!" Ariel cried.
A glass bottle shattered somewhere in the room but Micah's eyes took in how fast Jay tensed, turning to face him. He realized then that he'd walked back into their hearing range and that not just Jay but Kat too had heard Ariel's hysterical declaration. It had been Kat's bottle shattering. On the bright side, though, Jay's attention was anywhere but on Klaus.


(She was suspicious as she caught sight of Monique and just ahead, the object of Monique's intense concentration as well as the poppet in her hands was Hayley. Jay was instantly suspicious, moving closer, not willing to reveal that she was tailing Monique just yet. The girl was chanting, lowly, and Jay failed to catch the words but she saw Monique stab the poppet and Hayley reacted to a degree. And Jay knew. Her every sense was on alert and she zipped closer, catching Monique's arm. Monique let out a surprised yelp that was lost as Jay sped away, dragging her as well.
"Jay!" Monique objected, off balance as Jay stopped abruptly, letting her go.
"What the hell were you doing?" Jay demanded, crossing her arms.
Monique was silent, not meeting Jay's eye and Jay's own narrowed.
"If Klaus finds out about this, even if you manage to slip through the cracks, witches will be punished," Jay warned, tone ominous.
"What do you care?" Monique demanded. "You're one of them."
Jay mentally sighed. Oh, good ole teenage rebellion. When it came to witches though, they had magic and they thought themselves invincible. Especially Quarter witches. Jay rested her hand on her hip.
"I care very much," she chastised the girl. "I've been a part of your family for so long and you're it. I want your line to continue. But your mother only had one kid and Sophie didn't have time for her own. I'd very much like for you to have a full life, one that Klaus doesn't dictate."
"You're just like Marcel," Monique grumbled. "Always looking out for the kids."
She spat that last word, clearly thinking she was past being a kid. Jay smirked, resting her hand on top of the girl's head, fighting the urge to mess up the dark locks.
"Where do you think he got it from?" she asked.
Monique knocked her hand away.
"What do you want?" she demanded. "You've been absent from my life for a few weeks now."
"And that absence, sadly, must continue. I'm heading to Maine for a bit," she informed the young witch.
That got Monique's attention.
"What?" she gasped. "No! You can't!"
"Its only for a little while," Jay assured her.
"Why?"
Jay opened her mouth to spill her guts but a flash of movement in her periphreal stopped her. Her head snapped up, her eyes scanning the darkness as she took a defensive stance.
"What? What is it?" Monique demanded.
She didn't like the tenseness in Jay's body and she hated that she was suddenly so scared. Her magic thrummed in her veins but even that wasn't enough to chase away the choking fear. She moved closer to Jay, feeling that the once vampire now hybrid had gone completely still, clearly listening for some tell of whatever had alerted her. Jay was two seconds away from approaching the last place she'd seen the flash, the last being the only time, when the source of it revealed itself.
"Hello Jaiyana."
That gravel tone shook her and shots of fear pierced her very soul.
"Mikael," she whispered.
The monster smiled, barely.
"I am so very glad you recognize me," he said. "I had feared your memory would be foggy at best.")


Jay was not ready for a New Orleans funeral but she got up anyway. She hadn't the foggiest idea how she'd gotten home the night before or even to her bed but she had brief flashes of Micah so just maybe he was responsible. Either way, standing under the sun, walking amongst the mourning crowd, her mood was way too dark for a funeral. It was the effect Mikeal had on her. When Klaus had turned her, thousands of years ago, she'd relished the thought that she was free from it all. Time, death, fear. But Mikeal, well, there was a reason even Klaus feared him. Klaus. Her eyes shot straight to him and she locked in, half curious about the conversation he, Hayley and Elijah were having. But Micah was making it very hard to focus. Just his mere presence distracted her. It was why she'd turned him in the first place, why she felt attracted to him at all. He was distracting in a good way and at the time, she'd so needed a distraction. Glancing at him, in his funeral glory, she hated herself just a bit for dragging him into this world and then not offering him everything she'd promised.
"Do you ever think about getting married?" she asked.
Micah stumbled, probably because she'd picked such an impromptu time to ask the question.
"Ma-marriage," he sputtered.
Jay smirked.
"Yeah. I mean, you actually attended Ariel's wedding. Did you...did you see us up there one day?" she asked.
Micah smiled her way, slowly.
"Have you?"
Shit. Jay realized then that she'd never told him that one little secret. That she'd been married to Klaus ages ago and technically, since neither one had really died again, they were still married. Double shit, that meant Klaus was still cheating one her. Jay shook her head clear.
"No," she admitted. "Can't imagine you in a tux."
Micah smiled at her joke, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close. She let herself enjoy it for a brief second before noticing that just ahead, Klaus's gaze was centered on them. For one split second, Jay felt guilty. And then she chased away the guilt, recalling that he'd slept with the blonde vampire ,Caroline, impregnated Hayley, courted Cami and was knocking boots with the wannabe Wendy's mascot. Micah was her only "indiscretion". Her logic made her feel better and she cuddled closer to Micah, locking eyes with Klaus to let him know that he'd have no say in her future. He turned away then and that left Jay feeling a deeper sense of loss.
"Do not mourn him, my dear. Not yet."
Mikael's voice was right there and she stopped, abruptly, causing Micah to lose his balance. He barely stayed upright as Jay whirled around, looking for the man.
"Jay?" Micah asked.
Her eyes searched for Mikael until she found him, waiting only a few feet away, clearly wanting her to follow.
"Micah, stay here," Jay ordered, taking off.
"Jay!" Micah objected.
She hadn't meant to use the sire bond on him but she had and she'd deal with those consequences later. Right now, she had to find out what her stepfather-in-law was up to. And why he was haunting her.


Kat hated Maine. Magic hung so thick in the air. It was to be expected. Ariel's family were some of the strongest witches in History. Well, supernatural History. Kat chose to ignore the fact that they could erase her from being as she approached two of Ariel's seven brothers. The oldest, Aquarius, was leaning against the glass window, waiting but Andrew, the second oldest, was pacing.
"At least they sent the one with the soul," Mimi mumbled as Aquarius pushed off the glass, approaching them.
His brown eyes held a storm within them as he looked at Mimi.
"You're the one that left him at the altar," Kat pointed out.
"You're support is overwhelming," Mimi deadpanned.
Kat smirked, stepping forward to intercept Aquarius.
"Where's Ariel?" she demanded.
"At the compound."
Any other of Ariel's brothers would have made a joke, insisted on a greeting, small talk. Aquarius, well, he wasn't civil. He was a warlock that knew when shit was serious, you took care of that first. Pleasantries could wait or be avoided altogether. It was a wonder he and Mimi had made it through being engaged as well as dating with his usual disposition.
"Do you know-" she began.
It was Andrew that cut her off.
"The Veil," he said.
He was suddenly just there and Kat fought not to jump out of her skin. She knew how creepy Andrew could be. The guy was a medium for gods sakes. The dead were his forte.
"The Veil?" Kat repeated, having never heard of it.
"Its where supernaturals go when they die," Aquarius explained. "And someone destroyed it."
"What's that mean?"
"It means all the souls over there are seeing their last days, again. It makes sense the benevolent ones would show up to say goodbye," Aquarius went on.
Say goodbye. Kat's throat tightened. She'd already said goodbye to Garrett. She'd held him, watched him smile until the life oozed from his body and with it, Ursula's power. And she'd whispered that she'd loved him. And since then,she'd never truly given her heart to anyone because her heart had died with him.
"We'll be preforming a seance tonight," Andrew continued.
Kat could sense Mimi's tension without even looking at her. Where Andrew specialized in the dead, Mimi was a witch who focused on life. She brought it into this world and nursed it to health when needed. If Aquarius and Andrew had been born as one, they would have embodied everything Mimi wasn't. But Kat couldn't focus on Mimi's hang ups. Or even the drama still unfolding between Ariel's oldest brother and the midwife hearth witch. No, she was thinking ahead, to the seance. If it was a success, she would see Garrett again. Would talk to him. And she didn't think she could handle it.


Mikael had led her to this. Jay froze a few feet away, staring at Hayley as she lay on the table, her heart still in her chest. Jay stared at the scene, watched Elijah lose his cool and she knew then what Mikael wanted.
"Live," she willed Hayley, her voice a whisper.
She didn't want Mikael to win. She couldn't explain the relief she felt when Hayley gasped for breath, sitting up, stammering out the truth that had just hit Jay. Mikael's target had been Hayley and Hayley's baby. And taunting Jay with his presence had been icing on the cake. Mikael was sick like that. As the brothers fawned over her, Jay took a few steps forward, not even bothering to announce herself. Elijah noticed her first, eyebrows raised. It was that reaction that distracted Klaus enough to notice her as well. Jay ignored the two of them, standing across from Hayley who met her gaze. Jay stared into those eyes, ignoring the challenge that was set in them. Finally she smiled. Without a word to Klaus or even a glance in his direction, she turned to go.
"Jaiyana," Elijah called, following.
"Not right now, Elijah," Jay said.
She kept walking, hugging herself as she did. The girl was a fighter,a  survivor. If anyone could hope to handle Klaus it was her and Jay liked that. Klaus was every lady's man and Jay would never truly have his heart. And she couldn't be part of the political intrigue for long. The streets were overflowing with partiers and Jay merged with them, the internal sense she had in her leading her to Micah. He was still where she left him, sitting in the streets.
"Micah."
He smirked.
"I knew you were there," he informed her.
He stood.
"Can I move now?"
"Come here?" Jay ordered playfully, opening her arms.
She hugged Micah, clinging to him, not sure she ever wanted to let go.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't-"
"I know," Micah assured her.
He smoothed her hair.
"Jay, let's leave."
She tensed at his words and he rushed to finish before she could object.
"Look, Kat and Mimi are already in Maine. They made it. If we left now, we could be there in a few hours, a day, tops. Not even Klaus would face their magic. He probably couldn't if he wanted to. We'll be safe."
Jay drew back, looking into his face.
"I can't just leave," she said.
Micah's disappointment was clear on his face and her heart sank. She wanted happiness and Micah was the only one offering. The only one willing. Perhaps it was time to take Kat's words to heart.
"Not yet."
Micah perked up at that.
"I have a few skeletons to bury," Jay went on. "And I need to do that alone."
Now he just looked confused. Jay regretted what she was about to do but she had to do it.
"Micah, go to Maine. Get a head start for us on this new life. And once I have everything sorted out, I'll join you."
She hated at that moment the sire bond and all that it entitled but she knew he wouldn't leave otherwise. Micah's hands slipped from around her as he fought to resist her will but failed. With one last heartbroken look at her, he vanished into the night, no doubt to run to Maine.
"Wait for me," Jay whispered to the night air, tucking her hands into her pockets.
Now she faced just a few more problems that went hand and hand with taking her life back. One, she had to divorce Klaus which was probably done when she could be sure Micah was safe from the hybrid's wrath in Maine. Next, she had to help protect the baby from the witches, at least until she was born. And last but not least, she had to protect Monique until she could make the girl see reason and prevent her from making anymore attempts on Hayley or the baby's life that could draw Klaus's attention to the witches. Sighing, Jay stretched, realizing she had her work cut out for her. As she began walking away, she noticed Marcel as he walked away, probably to resume his exile. Jay watched him go, hidden by the shadows and her own superb hiding skills. Okay, maybe there was one more thing on her list.