Strange Fates

Chapter 7 - Family Matters

You had seen neither Elijah nor Niklaus in the last two days. You had texted with both of them and talked to Elijah on the phone but that was all. To be honest, you expected this from Elijah but you had no idea why Niklaus was avoiding you. After another day of vague texting, you decided to head to Rousseau's. At least when Cami texted you it was because she was working. You had no idea what excuse your soulmates had.

Cami smiled and waved when you stepped through the door. She gestured to a spot at the end of the bar and you nodded as you made your way to it. A glance around showed it to be a slow night which meant she would be able to talk with you in between serving drinks. Once she made sure everyone else was good, she came over and sat a bottle of beer in front of you. She grinned and leaned on the bar. "Hey, stranger. How are you doing?"

You gave a little shrug as you sipped at the beer.

"And how's Elijah?" her voice held a teasing lilt that would normally have you returning her smile.

Instead, you sat the beer down and picked at the label so you wouldn't have to look up at her. "I'm pretty sure he's decided that I'm not worth it." Thinking the words was one thing. Actually, saying it aloud was quite another. And gods it hurt.

"Hey, Tom," Cami called to the only waiter on the floor. She gestured to the bar and he nodded before making his way over. She looked through the bottles, finally selecting one and grabbing it with a couple of glasses. "I'm out," she said as Tom walked past her and once again, he simply nodded.

"You don't have to take off on my account, Cami." You slid off your stool to follow her to the dark booth tucked into the back corner. It was by far the quietest part of the bar.

She glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. "I can do whatever I want. Marcel gave me the bar."

Your brows shot up. "He bought you a bar?" you asked as you took the seat across from her.

She nodded as she poured you both a drink. "Enough about me. Start talking. What's going on with Elijah?"

With a sigh, you turned your arm and pushed up your sleeve so she could see your soulmarks. She grasped your wrist and twisted slightly to get a better look. "When did this happen?" she breathed.

"The night we were supposed to go out. I met him on my way home."

She wrapped her hands around her glass and stared at the liquid within as she thought. "Okay. What do you know about him?"

You huffed a laugh. "He's gorgeous and his name is Niklaus. That's about it." You weren't about to run around New Orleans announcing you'd met a hybrid.

Cami went very still and blinked at you repeatedly. In fact, she almost looked like she was in shock. You reached out and laid one of your hands over hers. "Are you okay, Cami?"

She licked her lips. "I think maybe you should talk to Marcel."

Your brow furrowed. Why would she think you needed to talk to her soulmate? Maybe he knew Niklaus? "Yeah, all right." Cami hadn't steered you wrong yet and you liked Marcel so if she wanted you to talk to him, you'd talk to him.

She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text before setting it face down on the table. "While we're waiting for him, tell me about your family. You mentioned your bitchy sister in passing and your grandfather. Anyone else."

You sipped at your drink. "My family is a mess. Even as a small child it didn't escape my notice that my mother favored my sister. That made me more of a daddy's girl than I would have been anyway."

"Didn't he do anything about it?"

"She didn't act that way in front of him. And what was I supposed to do? That was my mom." You ran a hand over your face to remove any trace of the tears that kept trying to pool in your eyes. "When I was twelve years old, my father was killed. I was the one that found him. Gods, I was heartbroken. I was still wearing his blood when my mother decided to inform me that she was not my mother. My real mother had apparently given birth, taken one look at me and disappeared. Megan informed me that I was no longer her problem and told me to get out of the house."

"That's horrible." Cami's voice broke just a bit and you glanced up from where your gaze had been glued to the table. One hand covered her mouth and her eyes shone with tears of sympathy.

You gave her a sad smile. "In a way it was a relief. At least there was a reason for her to hate me so much. My grandfather took me in and reminded me everyday that there was at least one person in the world that loved me unconditionally. His death was what brought me here. There was no reason for me to stay in that town. My sister and her mom only hated me more when they found out I got all of Dad's money. Technically it was still my grandfather's. He fed it into a trust monthly. Megan had no idea. And for some reason they thought they would get a piece of Grandfather's estate even though he hated them."

Your soulmark itched and you rubbed your forearms together. "On top of that, I was always different. Different enough the other kids noticed. And if my own sister was calling me a freak why shouldn't they? She made up stories. I don't even know what all of them were but none of them helped me gain any friends." You looked at the mark again and swallowed the lump in your throat. "I can't even do this right. Emily was probably right and I'll end up alone."

Cami covered the mark with her hand and you glanced up at her. "Don't you believe that. She's a jealous bitch. That's all."

That surprised a laugh from you. "I'll try to remember that. I just..." You shook your head and didn't finish the sentence. You'd been depressing enough for one night you thought. And she was friends with Elijah. She didn't need to hear you lamenting on how you thought maybe you'd have a family again. Somewhere to welcome you with that unconditional love.

Your friend's face lit up and you knew Marcel must have arrived. That right there was what you wanted and you'd had it, however briefly. He kissed Cami on the cheek and greeted you with a nod before taking one of the empty chairs at the table. "All right, I came as soon as I could. What's up, baby?"

"Our friend here found another one of her soulmates."

Marcel smiled. "Well, that's great." His smile faded as he took in the looks both of you wore. "Isn't it?"

"I didn't mention her original soulmate is Elijah Mikaelson," Cami said and Marcel's brows shot up.

"Well, that certainly explains a few things about his recent behavior." He grinned. "And I can see why you might be having some issues. Elijah's not exactly the sharing type."

"The other soulmate is Niklaus." With that pronouncement, Cami leaned back and rested her elbow on the back of her chair. She pressed her lips together and looked at Marcel.

Marcel on the other hand was staring at his soulmate with his mouth literally hanging open. "You can't be serious?"

She shrugged and gestured toward you. You shifted in your seat feeling uncomfortable under their observation. "I feel like both of you know who Niklaus is. Would you mind sharing with the class? I know little besides his name."

Marcel licked his lips. "I have been friends with Klaus for a very long time. I am astonished the fates even saw fit to give him a mate, honestly."

You tilted your head and looked him over. "When you say a long time..."

He shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"You might be surprised what I'd believe."

"In that case, would you believe me if I told you that Klaus is Niklaus Mikaelson, Elijah's younger brother?"

***

You excused yourself not long after. Your brain was running through what you'd discovered from your short conversation with Marcel. First and least importantly, your friend's soulmate was a vampire. You wondered if she knew. And if she didn't, should you tell her? I mean how exactly did one go about having a conversation like that?

Elijah and Klaus were brothers. No wonder you hadn't really heard from either of them. Plus, that meant Elijah was a hybrid as well or a vampire maybe. Werewolves didn't live that long. You wondered briefly if the fates were having a great cosmic laugh at your predicament. They certainly seemed to enjoy throwing the unexpected in your path at every available opportunity.

You sent both men a text as you walked home asking them to meet you at the shop in the morning. Both accepted almost immediately. Well, this should be fun.