Rain pounded against the limousine's windows as it pulled up to the entrance of Singer Salvage Yard.
The wipers swept frantically across the windshield, barely keeping pace with the downpour.
Inside, Katherine sat rigidly beside her daughter Nadia, opposite Klaus and Elijah. Rebekah occupied the third row of seats, her expression unreadable in the dim interior lighting.
"We're here," Klaus announced unnecessarily as the vehicle came to a stop.
The limousine doors opened, and they stepped out into the rain, water immediately soaking into their expensive clothing.
They stood for a moment, looking up at the ramshackle house where Bobby Singer lived – where Elena Gilbert was staying.
Katherine's face was a mask of determination as rain plastered her hair to her skin. "Let's get this over with," she said, starting toward the house.
She climbed the steps to the porch and knocked firmly on the door. Behind her, the Originals waited with stillness, unbothered by the rain soaking their clothes.
The door swung open to reveal Bobby Singer, his weathered face instantly hardening as recognition dawned- having never met Katherine but recognizing her from Elena's drawings. His eyes widened slightly, hand tightening on the doorframe.
Katherine opened her mouth to speak, but the words died as she registered Bobby's expression – he knew exactly who she was, for a moment confusing her, since no one should have a picture of her, or were the Winchesters' descriptions just that good?
Bobby remained frozen, neither inviting them in nor sending them away. His eyes darted from Katherine to the unknowns - the Originals - behind her, calculating the threat.
Seconds stretched into a full minute of tense silence, rain drumming on the porch roof above them.
Inside the house, Dean noticed Bobby's prolonged absence at the door. "Bobby?" he called, approaching from the living room. "Everything alright?"
When no answer came, Dean moved closer, continuing down the hall. "Bobby, who's at the-"
The words died in his throat as he caught sight of Katherine standing on the porch. His face transformed instantly, rage flooding his features.
"You," he snarled, lunging forward.
Bobby reacted with surprising speed for a man his age, intercepting Dean before he could cross the threshold. He slammed Dean against the hallway wall, forearm pressed against his chest.
"Use your damn head, boy," Bobby hissed. "Look at what you're seeing. Vampires. Multiple. Outside. Uninvited."
Understanding dawned in Dean's eyes, his muscles still straining against Bobby's grip. "They can't come in," he muttered.
"Exactly," Bobby confirmed. "So don't go outside giving them leverage."
The commotion drew the rest of the household. John appeared first, followed closely by Sam and Trevor. Kate emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel.
"What's going on?" Sam asked, then froze as he spotted the visitors.
Elena darted down the stairs, her expression anxious. "What's happening? Is it-"
Sam reached for her arm. "Elena, stay inside."
But Elena had already spotted Katherine through the doorway. She froze momentarily, eyes widening.
For a moment, there only being silence.
Then, with speed that surprised everyone, she darted past Bobby and Dean, through the doorway and into the rain. Before anyone could react, she flung herself at Katherine, wrapping her arms tightly around the vampire's waist.
Katherine caught herself, clearly baffled by the girl's embrace. Her hands hovered awkwardly, unsure whether to return the hug.
"Elena!" Kate's voice cracked with panic. "Get back in here right now! It's not safe!"
Elena shook her head against Katherine's stomach. "She's safe," her voice came, slightly muffled. "She saved me and Lucien."
A tense silence followed, broken only by the steady drumming of rain.
Elijah stepped forward, his posture impeccable despite the downpour. "Perhaps we might continue this conversation inside? The weather is rather... inclement."
Sam moved to the doorway, keeping carefully behind the threshold. "You can't seriously expect us to invite you in."
"What's stopping you from attacking the moment we do?" he continued, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Rebekah sighed dramatically, pushing past her brothers. "Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? At least that's what Lucien always said."
The Winchesters exchanged startled glances at the casual mention of their second youngest.
"If we truly had bad intentions," Rebekah continued, gesturing to Elena who still clung to Katherine, "the child is already outside, within the palm of our hands. And besides, we can destroy this house from the outside with ease to force you out. It's not like we care who sees us doing it."
Her words hung in the air.
After a long moment, John stepped forward. "Let them in, Bobby."
Bobby turned, disbelief evident on his face. "John, you can't be serious."
"They could have taken Elena hostage already if they wanted to," John said quietly. "And they're right about being able to force us out."
Bobby hesitated, then turned back to the door with a grimace. "Fine. Come in," he growled reluctantly.
The vampires crossed the threshold one by one, water dripping from their expensive clothes onto the worn floorboards.
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The living room of Bobby Singer's house had never felt smaller.
The Originals occupied the couch against the far wall, their regal bearing incongruous with the shabby furniture.
Katherine sat on a separate couch with Nadia beside her and Elena still clutching her arm, refusing to let go.
Jeremy had joined them, hovering uncertainly near Bobby's desk- Adam being the smart one to be listening from up the stairs, like how Lucien always taught him in case of dangerous strangers.
The Winchesters positioned themselves strategically around the room – John in the armchair closest to the door, Dean leaning against the wall with arms crossed, Sam beside the bookshelf.
Kate stood furthest from Katherine, her hands clasped tightly in front of her to keep from reaching for the gun at her back.
Bobby remained by the doorway, ready to intervene if needed.
The silence stretched, heavy.
John finally broke it, his voice cutting through the tension. "Where is my son?"
Katherine drew a breath. "It's a long story, one that we don't really have time for-"
"The question is fucking simple," Dean interrupted, pushing off from the wall. "Where is my little brother? Why isn't he with you? Last time, you were bound at the damn hip with him, had your disgusting paws all over him."
Kate's hands clenched into fists, knuckles whitening with the effort of restraint. The Originals noticed her reaction, exchanging subtle glances as they felt how much hatred she had for Katherine.
Katherine maintained her composure, though her jaw tightened slightly. "I understand what you're saying Dean, but-"
"Enough, Katerina," Klaus cut in, "Stop dancing around it."
Katherine fell silent immediately.
Klaus leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes moving from John to Dean to Sam. "The boy I have taken as my son has been abducted because of your weakness."
A shocked silence fell over the room. Dean's face flushed with anger, mouth opening to demand what the hell he means, but John spoke first, his voice cold and cutting as steel.
"What do you mean, 'the boy you've taken as your son'?"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as John and Klaus locked eyes.
"I think," Sam interjected before Klaus could respond, "we need to back up a bit." He turned to the Originals. "Who are you people? And what do you mean Lucien was taken? By who?"
Elijah straightened his already perfect posture. "Allow me to introduce ourselves properly. I am Elijah Mikaelson. These are my siblings, Niklaus and Rebekah. We are the Original vampires, the first of our kind- of the European Vampire branch as you hunters would call it. This is Nadia Petrova, Katerina's daughter."
If they were shocked about this, the humans didn't let it show.
He gestured elegantly despite the water still dripping from his sleeves. "Lucien has been with us for some time now. After Katerina was bitten by werewolf venom in Mystic Falls-"
"We know about that," Sam interrupted. "One of the main reasons he left."
"Indeed," Elijah acknowledged with a slight nod. "This led him to my brother Niklaus, as his blood is the only cure for such a bite. Lucien and my brother struck a deal. You see, Niklaus had a curse of his own, one that kept a side of him dormant for a millennium. In exchange for the cure, Lucien would break this curse."
"Which he did," Elijah continued, "after making a blood contract with Niklaus."
He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "My brother took an... interest in the boy. He saw many... similarities in their life experiences. He has, somewhat forcibly, adopted Lucien as his son."
John's face hardened further, but he remained silent, still listening.
"Recently, Lucien and Katerina had become... closer," Elijah said, the phrasing causing Kate's hand to drift toward her gun. Only Elena's position next to Katherine prevented her from drawing it.
"He developed the ability to sense her blood relations and located Nadia, Katerina's daughter from five centuries ago when she was still human. He reunited them."
Elijah's composure briefly cracked as he clenched his fist, the only outward sign of his inner turmoil. After a moment of silence, he continued.
"From what our witch allies have gathered, one of you was going to die soon," he said, causing the Winchesters to exchange alarmed glances. "Lucien's abilities warned him of this, and his power instinctively altered fate and reality, preventing that death."
This surprised them, that Lucien could actually see the future again – despite the Fates blinding him.
After another moment of silence, Elijah continued. "The problem came immediately after. Lucien had exhausted himself saving whoever it was among you. That's when Dracula appeared- having sensed the release of power. He captured Lucien before any of us could react and took him away."
Silence fell as the Winchesters processed this information, a mixture of emotions crossing their faces – shock at learning one of them had been marked for death, confusion about what Lucien did, and horror and rage at him actually having been taken by Dracula.
Trevor, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward. "Why are you here, then? Are you here for our help?"
Klaus laughed, a short, humorless sound. "Not from any of you, the useless lot of you only bring problems with your weakness." He threw a pointed glance at Elena, who tightened her grip on Katherine's arm. "But her..."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean demanded.
Elijah shot Klaus an annoyed, frustrated glare, which Klaus answered with a slow, deliberate smile and a casual shrug.
"What my brother means," Elijah said, attempting to salvage the conversation, "is that we need specific help." He turned to Trevor. "I don't know if you're aware, but Dracula was once known as Gabriel Belmont."
Trevor's jaw tightened at the name, his hands curling into fists.
"Belmont?" Sam repeated, looking at Trevor. "That's your family name."
"Gabriel was once God's champion on Earth," Elijah explained, "and the founding father of Trevor's family. But he fell into darkness and became a curse upon this world – one the Belmont family has been trying to remove ever since, to cleanse their name."
Trevor looked away, unable to meet anyone's eyes as his family's shame was laid bare.
"Dracula has taken Lucien to the remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, where-"
"Sodom and Gomorrah?" Sam interrupted, surprise evident in his voice.
Elijah nodded solemnly. "Yes. Their remains lie beyond the Ice Wall, where God's wrath still prevails. All who step there are destroyed – except, of course, Dracula - and those under his protection - who remains God's champion still, even after his fall."
He turned to Elena, extending his hand in a gentle gesture. "What we need now is a way to enter without being destroyed. That is where Elena comes in."
The room fell silent as Elijah delivered his final revelation.
"From what we have discovered, this girl is part angel – a Nephilim – with the capabilities of protecting us during the journey."
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In Dracula's castle, Lucien climbed the spiral staircase, his original child-body cradled in his left arm. Elaine followed close behind, her eyes darting nervously at every shadow.
The staircase wound upward through the heart of the castle, torches casting flickering light across ancient stone walls. Lucien moved with grace, each step silent despite the speed of their ascent.
Without warning, the wall beside them exploded inward.
"Wraaaggghhh!"
A nightcreature burst through the stone, claws extended toward Lucien's throat. Its red skin gleamed wetly in the torchlight, leathery wings half-unfurled in the confined space.
Lucien didn't break stride. His right hand shot out, catching the creature's face in his palm. Cold mist escaped his lips as he exhaled, his breath visible in the suddenly frigid air.
For a moment there was only stillness, and silence, ones only broken by the creatures' struggles as they slowed and then finally stopped as ice crystals formed across its skin- using Stefan's vampiric elemental affinity.
With a casual squeeze, Lucien crushed its frozen face. Cracks spread rapidly across the creature's body, a chain reaction that reduced it to glittering ice shards scattered across the stone steps.
Lucien continued climbing, not bothering to look back at the remains.
Elaine stood frozen, staring at the pile of ice crystals that had been a living monster moments before.
Lucien paused several steps above her, throwing an impatient glance over his shoulder. "Come on," he said, his tone casual despite the display of power. "We don't have time to dawdle."
Elaine snapped out of her shock and hurried to catch up, staying close behind him as they continued their ascent.
They reached the top of the stairs, confronted by a massive iron gate blocking their path. Ancient symbols were carved into the metal, glowing faintly with malevolent energy.
Lucien studied it briefly- it blocking all his senses from knowing what's behind it.
'Well... Here goes nothing.' he thought to himself as he then pushed with his free hand. The gate tore from its hinges with a shriek of protesting metal, flying forward into the chamber beyond.
A wet crunch followed as the gate crushed a line of nightcreatures that had been waiting on the other side. Dark blood splattered across the stone floor.
With the gate removed, Lucien's senses expanded into the space beyond. His expression shifted from determination to disbelief.
Before them stretched an enormous chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness high above.
And filling that chamber, stretching as far as the eye could see, stood thousands of nightcreatures, across the walls, ceiling, ground, everywhere – an army of monsters in every shape and form.
Some resembled wolves with too many limbs, others were winged abominations with human faces. All turned toward the intruders, a sea of glowing eyes fixing on Lucien.
Lucien raised his hand to his face, pressing his palm against his forehead in exasperation.
"Fuck," he muttered through his fingers.
Behind him, Elaine - who did all she could to hold back a scream - pressed herself against his back, using his body as a shield against the horror that awaited them.
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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
Do tell me how you found it.
I wrote it a bit fast - gotta go right now for the bus.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)