The Vixen & the Fox II

The Secret & the Legacy: Prologue

June 27, 2029.

Grove Hill, Virginia, United States of America...

The radio drowned out the soft pitter-patter of rain as Kaleb drove through the night. Behind him, his boys slept soundly in their booster seats. They had long since been lulled to sleep by the swaying of the car and the rumbling of the engine.

The young father had agreed to drive his two sets of twins down to Mystic Falls when Bon and Kai had decided to stay behind after the Bennet Family Reunion concluded. His two lovers wanted to continue investigating some of the more recent and disturbing reports of supernatural activity in the area.

Part of Kaleb wondered if said occurrences were a sign the Armillary Sphere was weakening. However, the Armillary Sphere had not expressed any indication of such, let alone released a magical surge large enough to cause a spike in supernatural activity, since its creation seven years ago. Honestly, at this point, the druid was unsure if the sphere could even weaken in the first place.

Kol Mikaelson had utilized the Armillary Sphere to reconstruct his Malivore Spell alongside nine sacred kinds of wood, eight planets, seven continents, five tribrids, four elements, three species, two genders, and one deity. The only number missing from the spell's makeup was the number six; as far as Kaleb could figure.

For the last seven years, Kaleb had been investigating ways to undo Kol's magic. But all his research had revealed for certain was that the Armillary Sphere was functioning near perfectly.

Still...

Every witch, vampire, wolf, banshee, and kitsune could feel something was askew in magic lately.

Antsy, Kaleb glanced in the rearview mirror to double-check on his boys. Upon seeing that all four of them were still asleep he shifted his focus back out the windshield, reassured. As the rain began to pick up, he risked a glance at the gas tank gauge.

The needle teetered on empty.

Sighing, he leaned forward to scan the overhead signs above the freeway.

There, on the second sign above the left lane, an exit marker indicated a gas station was coming up in three-quarters of a mile. Filled with relief, Kaleb carefully navigated his way past truckers still on the road despite the late hour to the far-right lane's exit ramp.

'Grove Hill, Virginia' the sign read as he drove off the ramp and into a small rest area.

Four gas stations on four separate corners greeted him. Between the 'Quick N Easy', '76', 'Exxon', and 'Shell', only the Exxon had its lights on, flickering though they were. With another bone-weary sigh, Kaleb pulled up to the Exxon pump.

Popping the lever for the gas cap, he triple-checked his boys were still alright before getting out of the car. Once the pump was secured, and gas was flowing in, he engaged the locks and then headed for the small store for a quick pick-me-up.

When he pushed through the doors, the attendant on duty appeared to be teetering on the edge of a fugue state. Regardless, Kaleb gave the man a tight smile and a quick wave as he went about fixing himself a cup of coffee.

The American gas station coffee, to the Irishman's surprise, was good. Or his exhausted brain was tricking him into thinking it was good. Either way, he let himself savor the caffeinated liquid as he took his first long sip.

Since there were just seven miles left until they reached Mystic Falls, he bypassed the snack aisle with the knowledge that the boys would have plenty of food to eat at home. Reaching the counter, he plopped his to-go coffee cup on the counter and pulled out his wallet.