"Francesca?"

"Come now Ricky," Frankie teased lightly as she stepped by her brother into the apartment, "I miss one thanksgiving with dad and Di and we're back to Francesca? I feel like a nana."

Dumping her backpack ungraciously by the door, Frankie suddenly noticed another figure in the room. Back towards the window sat a girl with long brown hair who was dressed all in black. She realised now her brothers guest must be the reason he was acting so unusual. Bounding forwards she held her hand out to introduce herself, this must be Jenna his girlfriend. She knew they'd been having issues recently and now Frankie realised that possibly she'd interrupted at an awkward moment between them.

"Hi," she approached with a grin, "I'm Frankie, the sister, you must be Jenna! I've heard a tonne about you."

"Frankie," Alaric stuttered out a weak laugh, "I didn't expect you, uh, not Jenna. This is my friend, Katerina."

The girl stood up, nervously glancing between Frankie and Alaric who still stood by the door and held her hand out, "Hi," she said dryly, "Most people just call me Katherine."

"It's nice to meet you," she smiled before turning back to her brother, "It is cool if I stay for a bit right Ric? If it's a bad time I can figure something else-"

"No," Alaric cut her off suddenly, almost desperately, before letting out an awkward chuckle, "No of course it's alright. Stay as long as you need."

There was silence between the three for a moment, an awkward tension as Katherine and Alaric stared nervously at each other, neither sure of what to do or say. Frankie figured the best thing to do would be to give them a moment of space to talk, so when they both remained silent she took charge.

"Hey Ric, I might go change if that's cool?" Alaric nodded forcing a smile on his shell shocked face and Frankie took off with her backpack.

Her brother was acting weird but she figured she had just barged into his home after six months without seeing him. When she finally emerged from his bedroom in a set of sweatpants and shirt, Katherine was gone and her brother's head shot up at her presence.

"So, Frankie," the way he said her name was odd, as though he were testing out a new name she'd given for herself rather than her moniker for the past decade, "What's going on?"

Frankie sighed, "You were right when you said Mitch is kind of a dick."

Alaric tensed in front of her, his face darkened and his hands that lay beside him previously curled into fists, "He did this to you?" he pointed at her lip and then caught sight of her wrists, his brow furrowing as he caught her hands and pulled them to him.

"It's fine Ric," she laughed off uncomfortable with the stare he was giving her, "I just need to lay low for a bit. I'm thinking I'll find a new city, not like I'm particularly attached to that shitty bar I worked at."

Alaric didn't seem convinced but he nodded, "Stay here. Don't go out for a few days, just stay inside."

This seemed like a bit of an overkill to Frankie but she knew he was just worried about her. She wasn't exactly someone who was good at staying cooped up but a few days indoors wouldn't kill her. Laying low for a couple of days before she forced her brother to integrate her into his life until she had her next steps sorted seemed like a fair ask.

"Alright."

"So I have to, uh," Alaric paused for a moment, "I have to chaperone a dance at the high school tonight. Will you be alright here alone."

"Please go," Frankie laughed easily at Alaric's relieved glance, "I'll just order some postmates and watch tv. Do you have postmates here?" Alaric looked puzzled which was really an answer in itself, "Perhaps I'll just make pasta."

Falling asleep on the sofa, Frankie heard the door open and close when her brother returned but she didn't move to greet him, smiling instead when she felt him place a blanket over her and pull her notebook and pen from her hand, placing them in front of her on the coffee table. Faintly she could hear him talking with someone but she couldn't make out who the other voice was.

-

When Frankie woke the next day she found herself in her brothers bed, she could hear voices outside in the main area. She knew she'd fallen asleep on the couch and she remembered Alaric wrapping a blanket over her so perhaps when she'd slept in, he'd carried her in so she wouldn't bother them in the living room. Tugging a sweater on as she walked out, Frankie could see four men in the room wheeling in a large crate, Katherine had returned and there was another woman in the room standing beside her brother.

"What's all this?" she asked, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve as she sat beside Katherine on the couch.

"Katerina," Alaric sighed, realising Frankie was in the room, "Don't allow her to leave."

"Ric?"

Frankie was concerned for her brother with the way he was acting, she stayed sitting, not wanting to interrupt, but she felt confused and concerned by everything happening around her. Most of the people who'd entered the room earlier had left but the girl and one of the men remained, they began laying out large candles in a row.

Her brother had really lost the plot, was this some weird seance attempt to talk to his dead wife? The candles were arranged in a circle and the two strangers knelt inside of the circle, beginning to chant something illegible.

"What's going on?" Frankie turned to Katherine who gave her an uneasy glance but didn't respond.

Suddenly Alaric who was a standing before them thrust his head up to the sky, Frankie moved forward flinching as Katherine grabbed her arm, tugging her back with a frantic shake of her head. She didn't like the grip that Katherine had on her so when her hold finally loosened she stepped away, towards the kitchen to watch from afar.

Alaric looked back down again and his eyes landed on Katherine, "Elena?" he said quietly, his voice sounded shocked and confused. Frankie had been about to correct him on his friends name when suddenly he fell to his knees and then the ground, unconscious.

"Dude," Frankie shouted.

All of the strangers in the room ignored Alaric's collapse, she began to run towards him when suddenly Katherine was in front of her. She didn't understand how she'd moved so quickly but there she was, blocking her pathway and pushing her back as the man who'd been kneeling and chanting stood, walking towards the crate before them and opening it.

A man with blonde hair and pale skin stepped out, turning to Frankie and Katherine with a grin that seemed almost sinister. Had he just been waiting in there? It was like some bizarre magic trick where they pretended to make a man apparate into a box.

"Now that's more like it," he said. The man had a British accent and Frankie needed him to explain what in the ever loving fuck was going on. Why had he been waiting in a box, what the hell had happened to her brother, and why was no one surprised.

"What the actual fuck is going on," she said, pushing past Katherine to kneel beside her brother, "Who on earth are you?"

"Ah my dear Francesca," the man grinned sinisterly, "I think it's time you and I had a little chat about the world."

"I think it's time we called a fucking ambulance," Frankie said as she grabbed his wrist, her thumb feeling around gently for a pulse.

"He'll be fine."

"My apologies, are you hiding your medical license in that box you were in?"

"Katerina," the man said, calling Katherine by the same name as her brother, "Take the teacher into the bedroom."

"No," Frankie, interjected, her arms protectively raised above him, "he just passed out we shouldn't move him. What if he hurt his head?"

"He'll be fine," the man snapped, grabbing hold of Frankie's arm and pulling her to her feet before snapping at Katherine again, "Katerina."

Frankie watched impressed as Katherine, who was slimmer than herself and looked significantly weaker, bent down and easily pulled Alaric to his feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, she ungraciously dragged him to the bedroom.

"Who the hell are you?" Frankie snapped, wrenching her arm from the mans grip, "What the hell is going on?"

"My name is Klaus," the man explained, gesturing towards the couch to imply she should sit, "Tell me Francesca, what do you know about the supernatural."

"It's Frankie."

"Frankie," the man corrected himself with gritted teeth.

His frustration with her only made her want to argue with him more, she couldn't understand why he was talking so cryptically, the supernatural? Was he going to say he could talk to spirits? Perhaps he was here to make her brother believe that his dead wife was contacting him from beyond.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, what do I know about the supernatural?"

Klaus sighed, that in itself was answer enough. He had to refrain from rolling his eyes at the inevitable panic attack she was going to have once he explained it to her. His brother was going to owe him several favours for dealing with her frivolous emotions and for keeping her alive, he'd do well to remind him when the time came.

"I'm a vampire, love."

"Right," she responded dryly, rolling her eyes and standing from the couch so she could stand level with him, "Me too, what a goddamn coincidence."

"Dear me," Klaus laughed, "The last one was much quieter."

Frankie narrowed her eyes at his words that he'd half muttered under his breath, "The last who?"

"Not to worry," he dismissed leaning forwards to compel her, "Now sweetheart I'm not in the mood to chat, Katerina and I are vampires, your brother is a vampire hunter, and you're going to do whatever I tell you."

"I'm not doing shit," Frankie laughed in his face.

Klaus' face darkened when the compulsion failed to take hold and her expression refused to change. Alas, he'd have to show her what he was so she believed him and he'd just have to accept her inevitable breakdown, perhaps if she cried too much he could have Maddox put her to sleep.

"You will," Klaus snapped morphing his face and allowing the veins under his eyes to grow as he bared his fangs.

"What the fuck?" Frankie muttered lowly as she stepped back, "shit."

"Now sweetheart clearly you can't be compelled so I'm going to have to ensure you follow my orders a different way," Klaus considered for a moment before catching her eyes locked on the bedroom door, "You'll stay in this apartment, or I'll kill your brother."

Frankie felt nervous, she didn't know how Klaus had done whatever he'd done with his face but what he was saying was crazy, he was crazy. She was now stuck in an apartment with him, a lunatic, and a woman who seemed super strong and followed his every word.

Frankie couldn't get her brother out, she didn't know how Katherine had carried him but she knew that she certainly couldn't do the same, instead she needed to get away and get help, threats be dammed. She saw Klaus hold the phone to his ear and she began edging away. Finally his back was turned to her and grabbing her skateboard which stood against the wall, she yanked the door open and ran from the room.

Klaus had been on the other side of the room, even if he'd taken off just as she did to follow there was no way he could reach her but as she ran towards the stairs she suddenly barrelled directly into his chest.

How could he have moved so quickly? Katherine had done the same thing earlier, perhaps Frankie had been drugged? That must be it, she'd been drugged somehow and she wasn't seeing straight or moving properly even though she thought she was.

"Dear me," Klaus said, grabbing hold of her arm tightly as he turned back towards the apartment, "I thought I told you to stay in the apartment."

"You can't keep me here."

When he didn't respond and her attempts to pull her arm free failed she used the skateboard in her hands to swing at his head. It was at his chest when his hand caught it easily, yanking it from her grip as he pushed her inside.

The smirk that'd graced his face for most of the conversation was now gone, the fury on him so clear that Frankie felt scared of what he would do for the first time. She was shoved onto the couch as he towered above her, her skateboard abandoned by the doorway as he pulled out his phone.

"Maddox," he snapped down the line, his arms crossed over his chest, "Cast the spell, she may not leave the apartment."

"You're fucking insane dude," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms petulantly as she listened to his call.

"You should be frightened of me," he informed her when the call had ended, "I killed the last one you know, I can just as easily kill you. You should be grateful"

"Oh my apologies," Frankie rolled her eyes, "Thank you for not killing me Count Chocula."

Klaus pulled the phone out again, "Put her to sleep until the spell is done."