Laura's POV
The aftermath of my little feeding spree in the woods created just the right amount of agitated buzz. Stefan, with his perpetually furrowed brow of concern, was undoubtedly trying to piece together the "random attack," while Damon was probably just enjoying the fresh mystery. Good. Let them chase their tails. It bought me time.
The next few days at school, I continued my meticulous performance. "Laura Thorne" was polite, a little aloof, and increasingly, an object of fascination for her new classmates. Caroline, bless her bubbly heart, kept trying to set me up with Matt Donovan. I politely demurred. Humans were for feeding, not for dating. And Matt was far too… earnest.
I was in the library, feigning research for a history paper on the founding families – a delightful irony – when I felt it. A ripple, like a stone dropped into calm water, echoing through the supernatural undercurrents of Mystic Falls. Not just one, but three distinct, powerful signatures. Ancient. Familiar. Unmistakably… Original.
My head snapped up, my eyes scanning the room, though I knew they wouldn't be here. The feeling was distant, but unmistakable. Niklaus, Rebekah, and Elijah. My siblings. After centuries of polite, occasionally hostile, avoidance, they were here. Why? And more importantly, what havoc would they inevitably bring?
A small, genuine smile touched my lips. Chaos always followed the Mikaelsons. And chaos, I had to admit, was often… entertaining.
Elijah's POV
The journey to Mystic Falls had been swift, driven by the persistent whispers of a doppelgänger. A Petrova doppelgänger. My siblings, Niklaus and Rebekah, were predictably drawn to it like moths to a flame, each for their own self-serving reasons. Niklaus for his hybrids, Rebekah for… well, for whatever fleeting human desire currently captivated her. For me, it was always about the balance, the natural order. And a Petrova doppelgänger meant the natural order was very much out of balance.
We stepped out of the black SUV, the tires crunching on the gravel drive of the old Lockwood mansion. It was a suitably grand, if slightly decaying, structure. "So, this is the illustrious Mystic Falls," Rebekah drawled, pulling a silk scarf tighter around her neck. "Rather quaint. Are you quite sure this is where our elusive doppelgänger resides, Niklaus?"
"The witch confirmed it, sister," Niklaus replied, his eyes already assessing the surroundings with a predatory glint. "And her aura, even from afar, is undeniable. Powerful. And if she is indeed the key to my hybrid curse, then this little town will become our new hunting ground."
My senses, more refined than my siblings' blunt instruments, were already sifting through the subtle energies of the town. And then I felt it. A familiar hum, deeper than any other vampire, older than even our own lineage, though connected to it. An Original. Another one. And not one of us, yet… so profoundly of us.
"Interesting," I murmured, my gaze sweeping the trees, trying to pinpoint the source. "It appears we are not the only ancient vampires who have taken an interest in Mystic Falls."
Niklaus turned to me, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. "Another Original? Who?"
"I cannot say for certain, brother," I replied, a frown creasing my brow. "The signature is… elusive. But it feels familiar. Very old. And yet… it resonates with our own blood." My mind sifted through millennia of encounters. And then, a fleeting image, a flash of raven hair from an impossibly long time ago, standing beside our mother, Esther. No. It couldn't be. Not her.
Laura's POV (continued)
The tremor of their arrival settled, a low hum beneath the surface of the town. I knew it wouldn't be long before our paths crossed. The Mikaelsons rarely stayed hidden for long.
Later that afternoon, I was walking home from school, enjoying the crisp autumn air, when a sleek black car pulled up beside me. The window rolled down, revealing faces I knew better than my own.
"Well, well. If it isn't Laura," Niklaus Mikaelson said, his voice a smooth, dangerous purr. His eyes, a shade of green that could be charming or utterly ruthless, assessed me. "Looking remarkably… youthful. Still slumming it with the mortals, I see."
"Klaus," I replied, my voice calm, but my internal alarm bells were ringing. This was a bad sign. "To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of your reappearance?"
"Always straight to the point, aren't you?" He chuckled, a sound that always made me want to grab a stake. "We heard tell of a certain doppelgänger in residence. And then, a curious energy signature. One I haven't felt in… centuries. One that screams of a Mikaelson, yet without the usual… attachment." His gaze sharpened, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "It seems Mystic Falls is full of delightful surprises."
Rebekah leaned forward from the back seat, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder. "Laura! Still playing the loner, darling? I thought you'd have found a suitable manor by now, not slumming it in a… high school."
"Rebekah. Always the same," I said, a flicker of genuine annoyance. She was even more self-absorbed than I remembered.
Then, Elijah stepped out of the car, his impeccable suit unruffled, his expression calm and discerning. His gaze held mine, a deep, knowing look that sent a familiar chill down my spine. "Laura. It has been a considerable amount of time. Or should I say… Sister?"
My carefully constructed facade didn't crack, but my eyes flashed. I hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly. No one ever did. My surname, Thorne, was a deliberate rejection, a symbol of my freedom from them.
Flashback: Somewhere in the Roman Empire, Circa 2nd Century AD
The sun beat down on the dusty road, but the heat didn't touch me. My hunger was a constant companion, a dull thrum beneath my skin. I watched the Roman legions march past, their steel glinting. It had been decades since our transformation, since Mikael had cursed us. Since our mother, Esther, had betrayed us.
I was restless, tired of my siblings' squabbles, Klaus's temper, Rebekah's vanity, Kol's recklessness. Elijah, always trying to keep the peace. But I craved something else. Freedom. An existence untethered from their endless drama, from Mikael's vengeful hunt.
"I'm leaving," I'd told Elijah one evening, as we rested in a hidden cave.
He looked up, his brow furrowed. "Where would you go, Sister? We are a family."
"A family of monsters, bound by a curse," I'd retorted, my voice cold. "I am tired of the chase, tired of the fear. I need to forge my own path, away from the name that binds us to such a legacy."
He'd understood. He always did. "And what name will you take?"
"I am Laura now," I'd declared, the name feeling like a fresh, clean slate on my tongue. "Laura Thorne. It sounds… solid. Unburdened."
Elijah had simply nodded, his silent acceptance a balm to my restless soul. "May you find the peace you seek, Laura. Though I doubt it will last." He had been right, of course. Peace was a fleeting illusion for creatures like us.
Laura's POV (continued)
"Elijah. Always the perceptive one," I said, my voice dry. "I shed that name a long, long time ago. It carries too much baggage."
"Indeed," he conceded, a faint hint of sadness in his eyes. "But it does explain the resonance. So, what brings our sister to this quaint little town, Laura? A sudden interest in the local history, perhaps?"
I smiled, a slow, deliberate smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "One could say that. There's a certain… vibrancy here. A sense of history repeating itself, perhaps. And some rather intriguing residents." My gaze flicked subtly towards the direction of the Gilbert house.
Klaus's eyes followed my gaze, then snapped back to me, recognition dawning. "Ah. So you've discovered our little Petrova doppelgänger. A rather charming coincidence, wouldn't you say?"
"Coincidences are rare in our world, Klaus," I countered, my voice laced with steel. "Especially when it comes to bloodlines."
"Indeed," he agreed, his smirk widening. "So, you're here for her. For her blood." It wasn't a question.
"My reasons are my own," I said, my voice dropping, warning them off. "And I don't appreciate others meddling in my affairs."
Rebekah scoffed. "Meddling? Darling, this is our business. We're here for the doppelgänger. Always have been."
"Perhaps not always," I corrected, my eyes holding Klaus's. "Some of us have deeper, older connections to the doppelgänger lineage than even you, Klaus. Connections that predate your… personal quest. The Petrova blood, the very essence of the doppelgänger line, was an obsession for some of the earliest of our kind. A desire for its power, for its… uniqueness. A longing that runs through our very blood, deeper than your personal curse, Niklaus."
Klaus's eyes narrowed, a flicker of surprise and then deep calculation in their depths. The revelation hit him. He knew I spoke of something even more ancient than his own quest. He knew the whispers of the original magic tied to the doppelgängers, the primordial power that even our parents had sought to harness.
"And what exactly do you mean by that, Laura?" Klaus asked, his voice deceptively soft, but filled with raw menace. "Are you speaking of our parents' ambitions?"
"Let's just say," I purred, enjoying the slight shift in their collective demeanor, "the Petrova blood has always held a special allure for certain Originals. A very, very old allure. One that even you, Niklaus, merely tap into. I suggest you all stay out of my way. This doppelgänger is mine."
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken threats and dawning realization. Elijah watched me, his expression unreadable, but a flicker of understanding in his eyes. Rebekah looked annoyed, but intrigued. And Klaus… Klaus's smirk had vanished, replaced by a calculating, dangerous glint. The family dynamics, instantly re-established despite centuries of separation, were already at play.
"We shall see about that, Laura," Klaus said, his voice quiet, but lethal. "Welcome back to the family drama. May your stay be… eventful."
With that, he rolled up the window, and the car pulled away, leaving me standing on the sidewalk, the hum of their ancient power receding. My siblings. Here. This was going to be even more fun than I anticipated. The stage was set for a truly grand spectacle of chaos. And I, Laura, intended to be the star. The name Laura Thorne was merely a convenient disguise; I was, and always would be, a Mikaelson.
The Mikaelsons are back, and now they know your true identity! How will Laura's claim over Elena be challenged, and what old family secrets will come to light?