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000
present, somewhere deep in the Bayou
IN THE CENTER OF A MEADOW, A SMALL COTTAGE THAT LOOKED STRAIGHT OUT OF A FAIRYTALE WAS APPROACHED BY A DARK HAIRED WOMAN. A bountiful garden surrounded the hovel, hosting a stone well as well as a chicken coop. The perimeter of the oval-shaped meadow was lined with glassy black rocks glinting purple hues from the rays of sun piercing past the overhead, like the one she clutched in her hand. If she hadn't been holding the obsidian stone, she would've walked past the entire meadow and the impenetrable cloaking spell it was under.
Kneeling in the flowerbeds, a dark haired woman looked up and laughed in relief. "It's been two weeks!" Rory got to her feet, her hand supporting her back since her center of gravity was way off with how pregnant she was. "If not for my dad sneaking around the edges of the Quarter and bringing back your note, I thought Klaus had killed you or worse," she sniffed, her voice thick with emotion as she hugged her cousin tightly.
Rory had fought with her fear and anxiety a million times by now, but she didn't regret leaving. She desperately needed to take a break from everything or she would've lost herself in the process. And after all she had been through, she deserved to live her life on her own terms. For a little while, at least.
"Sorry it took so long," Hayley frowned, shaking her head as she followed Rory into the cottage. "Klaus is convinced I know how to find you—he isn't wrong, obviously, but he and his vamps were watching my every move. I can't stay long, I'm afraid." She had to take three detours to evade the daywalkers. There was no doubt some were already looking for her in the Bayou.
"That's okay." Rory sipped a mug of green tea while she and Hayley sat at the small circular table set. "Me and little wolfie have been doing some growing of our own. God, it feels so sad this is the first time in half a year I've gone longer than two weeks without being kidnapped or locked up in a house."
Hayley looked around the humble abode, slightly impressed by all the improvements Rory had made since she had last seen the place. Even surrounded by a lively garden in a magically hidden meadow in the middle of the Bayou, the cottage had plants placed everywhere, from the window sills to the fireplace mantle. Rory had brought art supplies to no one's surprise, there were now at least ten paintings hanging on the wall above the bed.
The small stone cottage was about a three hour drive into the Bayou from the French Quarter. It was close enough to a small town for her to make short trips for supplies and avoid Klaus' search parties, but far enough Thanks to the working well (which had been maintained before Rory's arrival) and a generator connected to solar panels, there was working water, a functional bathroom, and electricity.
"You can't stay out here forever," Hayley sighed, eyeing Rory's huge bump. She had assumed the place would be for emergency, as in a temporary safe place, not a war bunker. Besides, as far along in her pregnancy as she was, Rory shouldn't be alone in case anything happened.