Written In Blood

Chapter Thirty.

The Year: 1992
Location: Chicago, IL 

Rayna and Niklaus were wondering the streets of Chicago, bored out of their minds.
"Niklaus, we need to find something to do or else I may just shove a stake in my chest." The Heretic groaned, hanging off her companion's arm as they walked.
"We could always go catch dinner." Niklaus smirked.
Rayna glared up at him, making him chuckle.
"This place has really gone to the dogs since the twenties. I miss it." The Original sighed.
"You were here in the twenties?" Rayna raised an eyebrow.
"Ah yes, the years of prohibition were prosperous. The speak easies were always full and there was always a party going on somewhere." Niklaus reminisced.
"Was that before or after you daggered your sister and shoved her in a box?" Rayna playfully scowled.
Niklaus chuckled once more. "Before. She joined me. We met another Vampire there. Stefan, his name was – brilliant for a joke about. He was one of the worst of the worst when it came to brutality."
Rayna's eyebrows furrowed.
"What is it, love?" Niklaus asked.
"Did this Stefan have a last name?" She wondered.
"Stefan Salvatore." He replied, almost proudly.
Rayna's heart almost gave out and she stopped in her tracks.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, love." Niklaus chuckled.
"Not today. Only heard of one. I knew Stefan Salvatore back when he was human." Rayna explained. "And just after he turned."
Niklaus raised an eyebrow.
"Small world." He said, simply. 

The two continued to walk the streets of the city, Niklaus telling Rayna all about his friendship with Stefan – not that Stefan would remember it, as Niklaus had compelled him to forget.
By the time they stopped talking about all that, they had reached an old building by the docks.
"Here it is. This used to be the Speak Easy Stefan, Rebekah and I spent the majority of the twenties in." Niklaus pointed to the small black door, practically falling off it's hinges.
"It's funny how old things begin to look the more technology takes over our world. Especially when we stay the same for all these centuries." Rayna chuckled to herself. "I mean, you tell someone in the 1890's that in a century, we'll have all the knowledge we need tucked away behind a screen and keyboard, they'd throw you in an asylum. Or that just ten years from then, two brothers would find a way to propel people up into the sky and not have them fall to their deaths. Or that a hand-held, portable telephone would be available for anyone who wanted it, to call anyone, anytime. It's incredible what this century has given us – almost scary."
"I suppose it is a little bit. This certainly has been the century for technology." Niklaus agreed, nodding as they made their way back into the city centre.
"I think we should take a trip to Mystic Falls." Niklaus announced later that evening as they sat in their apartment.
"Why?" Rayna scoffed, slouching in her armchair.
"Just to take a peak. I'm sure you've been falling over yourself with thoughts of those brothers of yours." Niklaus smirked as he laid back on the couch.
"And which brothers would those be?" Rayna raised her eyebrows as a slightly smug look spilled its way onto her face. "There's just been so many 'two brothers and I' moments in my lifetime."
Niklaus laughed, throwing a pillow at her.
"You don't even know if they'll be there. I'm not even sure I want to see them. The last time I saw Stefan, he said he'd come to me so that I could teach him the ways of the Vampire and he left me. The last time I saw Damon, he had his humanity off and was murdering his way through New York." Rayna explained.
"Oh wow. There's more to this history than I thought. Do tell, love." Niklaus smirked, reaching for his Bourbon which was sat on the coffee table in front of him.
"Perhaps another time. I've done enough reminiscing for one day, I think." Rayna sighed, reaching for her own drink.
Though as hard as she tried not to think about those boys of hers, she simply couldn't scrape them from her mind – she didn't know if she ever truly would. 

"Don't go, please." Stefan begged.
"What's the point? Damon doesn't want me. You'll be fine." Rayna frowned, folding her arms over her chest.
"I won't cope. I need you." The younger brother argued.
Rayna sighed heavily.
"Fine. I'll remain at my house for two days. If you don't come, I'll leave town without you." She said.
Stefan gave her a small smile.
"Thank you."
Rayna replayed the last conversation she had with her former best friend over and over in her mind as she laid in her bed that night.
She wondered if the reason he never showed up was because he went on a ripper binge. She was sure that one day she would be able to ask him and find out, but until that day, she couldn't help but wonder what could've been.