While Frankie should've been used to the cryptic nature of Klaus' speeches towards her, the way he skirted around the topic of his family and yet forcefully seemed to consider her part of it infuriated her. His reassurances that all would be revealed in time didn't make her any happier, each time she was reminded what everyone else seemed to know that she didn't she wanted to hit something, hard.

Klaus hadn't explained much about his hybrids after their expedition to the woods and although she was curious, she didn't pry, knowing it seemed to be a tender topic for him. Stefan had been driving the car when she fell asleep but when she woke, it was Klaus speeding along as the sun rose around them, his face pensive as he planned their next moves. They eventually arrived in Chicago, Klaus gleefully leading them to a bar that Stefan seemed to recognise.

She should've been used to people knowing who she was when she didn't know them, but she wasn't. The bar they'd entered was empty, it was barely past noon, and a woman was walking around, pulling chairs off tables as she set up for the day. She was wearing dark clothes with she had jewellery dangling off her loosely and she walked with power and confidence.

"Francesca Rossi," the woman called out in surprise as she caught sight of them by the door, Klaus and Stefan ignored beside her, "You're here, my lord. Never thought I'd see the day."

"It's Frankie," she replied shortly, "Have we met?"

The woman glanced to Klaus with a surprised expression on her face, they seemed to have a silent conversation while Stefan and Frankie watched on with confusion. Yet another person knew her and she could tell by the pause and Klaus' expression that she would be yet another person to dodge her questions.

"No," the woman replied, "I've just- never mind, I'm Gloria, It's nice to meet you honey," she turned towards to Stefan now, grinning as she came closer, "I remember you."

"Yeah," Stefan replied, he seemed surprised by her presence, "You're Gloria. Shouldn't you be. . . "

"Old and dead?" Gloria replied, Frankie snorted, she'd gathered through Klaus' cryptic comments that Stefan had last been here in the twenties, apparently Gloria was too. Gloria shot her a surprised grin before continuing, "Now if I die, who'd going to run this place, huh?"

"Gloria's a very powerful witch," Klaus explained.

"I can slow the ageing down some. Herbs and spells. But don't worry, it'll catch up to me one day."

"Stefan," Klaus called out, "Why don't you and Frankie go and fix us up a little something from behind the bar?"

"Oh delightful," Frankie mumbled under her breath, "No time to stop for a drive through meal but time enough to sit in a bar at twelve fifteen."

Klaus glared at her, despite her mumbling he could hear each word she said clearly but he turned his attention instead to Gloria. He needed to know what was going wrong as he attempted to create his hybrids and he didn't have time to worry about Frankie's tantrums.

While Stefan had actually gotten to work making drinks, clearly using his enhanced hearing to eavesdrop, Frankie began to look around the bar. There were photos pinned up from behind the bar and they were fascinating, if the bar had been somewhere Stefan frequented through the twenties, then it must've existed during prohibition. It was fascinating staring at the photos from a bygone era when suddenly one caught her eye.

"Stefan," she called out, feeling his eyes tear reluctantly from Gloria and Klaus on the other side of the bar, "You've gotta see this."

-

"Fascinating stuff," Frankie said, "So we get to hear Stefan's tragic backstory is apparently even worse as he was friends with you," here she pretended to shudder, "Is it my turn to know why the whole bloody world seems to know who I am?"

They were in Stefan's apartment and while Klaus had tugged Stefan through to look at some morbid list of people he'd murdered, Frankie had stayed by the door. For one thing the apartment certainly hadn't been cleaned in 90 years and while she was far from a clean freak, she was pretty sure she might catch bedbugs or something from how decrepit it seemed now. For another, it kind of just freaked her out, she was well aware of Stefans ripper days, Klaus wouldn't shut up about them, but she wasn't about to revel in his murderous tendencies as Klaus was.

"The thing I enjoy most about you," Klaus told her sweetly, "Is your tact, the way you really take care with the words you say."

Frankie's eyes narrowed, she was about to launch into her daily reminder that he was both a kidnapper and a murderer and she could speak however she damn well pleased, when Stefan spun around in his place with a bottle in hand.

"1918, Single malt," Stefan declared.

"More alcohol," Frankie groaned, remembering when she got high and Klaus nearly killed her over it, imagine if she gave him as much shit as he gave her.

"My favourite," Klaus replied, grinning at Frankie mischievously, "Let's go and find someone to pair it with."

Fortunately they didn't find someone to pair it with, while Stefan was tapping his fingers nervously and seemed to be jonesing, Klaus caught the murderous look on Frankie's face before leading them all back to Glorias bar. It was later now and the evening seemed to be in full swing, the bar pumping with music and crowds as they were led to high seats at the bar.

"Where's Rebekah?" Gloria asked, sliding three beers over to them, before pulling a plate of fries out from the kitchen behind her.

"I love you," Frankie moaned out as she began to shovel the food into her mouth, Klaus had been so wrapped up with rushing from place to place since they'd arrived in Chicago that she hadn't had a thing to eat. They'd been to this bar twice and to a warehouse where Klaus' siblings lay daggered to undagger his sister and yet he still hadn't let her stop for a meal and she was on the verge of dying from starvation.

"She'll be here," Klaus replied cooly, "I can't just conjure her on demand."

"Perhaps your siblings would be more prone to doing what you wanted if you stopped murdering them?" Frankie muttered lowly.

"Perhaps I could just murder you and be done with this conversation," he replied with a toothy grin before turning to look at Stefan, "And what's with you? I thought Chicago was your playground?"

"So this is why you asked me to be your wingman?" Stefan asked with a raised eyebrow, "Because you liked the way that I tortured innocent people?"

"Well, that's certainly half of it," Klaus replied, stealing a fry from Frankies plate.

"What's the other half?" Frankie chipped in, curious to hear Klaus actually revealing some semblance of a plan.

"The other half," Klaus replied, pulling three shot glasses towards them and beginning to fill them, "Is that Stefan used to want to be my wingman."

Frankie rolled her eyes while Stefan stayed silent, his face unreadable. When Klaus held his shot glass up to the two of them, both Frankie and Stefan raised theirs too, toasting to friendship. Friendship and family, Klaus had wanted to say but he didn't, it wasn't time yet to explain to her the whole truth, not yet. He was waiting for the right time, the time when his family could be whole again, when the truth could come out and they could all know everything.

Tuning out a lot of their subsequent conversation, Frankie set her sights on Gloria, she was rushing about the bar serving patrons and managing staff but all the while she could see the way she kept an eye on Klaus and Stefan wearily. She didn't know what was going on, but Frankie knew that Gloria knew something, she had some idea of why Klaus was so obsessed with her and Frankie was going to get her to tell her something.

By the time Frankie looked up from her demolished bowl of food, Gloria was calling for last drinks and Stefan was gone. Frankie took another sip of the generous refill Klaus had poured for her, noting the way Klaus tensed as a man with dark hair sat beside him.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riff-raff now," Klaus said, turning to Frankie with a malicious smirk that she knew meant that trouble was coming.

"Oh honey, I've been called worse," the man replied, leaning forwards to shake Frankie's hand, "Hey Frankie, I know your brother, I'm Damon."

Frankie took Damon's outstretched hand, enjoying the look of displeasure that crossed Klaus' face as his arm passed across his front, "Say hi for me," she told him pointedly knowing Klaus would hate it.

"You don't give up, do you?" Klaus cut in, his hand grabbing Damon's and moving it away from his line of sight.

"Give me my brother back," replied Damon, "You'll never have to see me again."

"Well I am torn," said Klaus, Frankie meanwhile noticed the bar sat almost empty, she could see Gloria pottering around in a back office and she steeled herself for the moment to go and talk to her, "You see, I promised Stefan I wouldn't let you die, but how many freebies did I really sign up for? And clearly you want to die, otherwise you wouldn't be here, so.." Klaus trailed off, he was twirling a paper umbrella in his fingers and Frankie knew it was almost time that he would attack, surely he just needed one or two more sly comments from Damon before he snapped.

"What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker," Damon replied, there it was.

The next seconds contained a flurry of movement, Klaus' hand abandoned the glass on the bar as it snapped to Damon's neck, pulling him up in the air. Frankie slid from her seat, Klaus had begun to taunt Damon while he listened to her leave but noting that she avoided the front door he ignored her.

When Frankie slid into Gloria's office, sliding the door shut behind her Gloria didn't even pretend to be surprised, sinking down into the chair behind the desk expectantly as she waited for Frankie to plead her case.

"So, you've come to see what I know," Gloria declared, gesturing to the chair in front of her.

"You knew me," Frankie said, sliding into the seat, suddenly more nervous than she'd expected, "You knew my full name, how?"

"It's complicated."

"How complicated can it be?" Frankie pressed, she could see the reluctance in Gloria's face.

"Very," Gloria answered, "Look doll, I know you want answers but there's not much I can say, it's a conversation you need to have with the Mikaelsons."

"They won't say shit!" she stood up suddenly, "Look you've got to tell me something, I've been dragged all over the fucking country by Klaus for months and all he does is say cryptic shit like he's protecting me and that I'm family. What's he protecting me from?"

"There's a lot of people who would use you to manipulate the Mikaelsons."

"Why?" Frankie was exasperated, all that Gloria had done was confirm that Klaus was somewhat in the right but she still hadn't answered any questions, "What could I do to affect Klaus. I'm pretty sure he pictures all the ways he could murder me before he hits breakfast time, he couldn't give a shit about me."

"You have a lot more hold over Klaus than you know, sweetheart, you have a hold on their entire family."

"Elijah?"

"Elijah," Gloria nodded, "Rebekah too."

"But why? I don't even know Elijah or Rebekah how can I have a hold on them? Come on. I'm not spending the next sixty years being dragged around by Klaus without answers."

"I'm sorry," Gloria replied. She did seem apologetic, her face considering the girl in front of her assigned to a fate no one should endure, a family no one deserved. Although Gloria knew more, she couldn't tell her, she knew Klaus would have her head if she spilled the beans before he wanted and she knew it would be best to come from Elijah.

The silence between the two allowed Gloria to turn her focus to the sounds outside, she could hear a chair had been splintered to pieces and quickly standing standing, she rushed out the door of her office before Frankie could react.

"Not in my bar," Gloria snapped to Klaus, he'd been standing over Damon with a splintered piece of a chair, ready to stake Damon, when Gloria had appeared and set it alight, "You take it outside."

Frankie followed Gloria out of the office to see the mess they'd created, Damon laying still on the floor, he'd tried to sit up and Klaus only pushed him back down.

"You don't have to negotiate your brothers freedom," Klaus told him, "When I'm done with him, he won't want to come back."

Damon hadn't risen from the ground still, each time he tried Klaus pushed him back down before eventually he gave up, Klaus had approached Frankie and grabbed her arm.

"I can walk on my own thanks," Frankie snapped, yanking her arm away from Klaus who only rolled his eyes at her defiance. Frankie and Klaus had found Stefan outside, looking windswept as he leant against the front of the bar, and they'd all sped off back to the warehouse.

Frankie's thoughts were on the coffins stored there again, it was clear Klaus and apparently Gloria weren't going to give her answers, if Rebekah didn't explain what was going on then Frankie was going to set her sights on Elijah again and this time she was going to succeed.

"Rebekah," Klaus called out mockingly as he and Frankie entered the warehouse, "It's your big brother. Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Frankie was peering curiously around. The guard that Klaus had left for Rebekah to feed on was laying dead nearby and her coffin seemed empty now but the warehouse was silent and empty. She was edging to the coffin she was most certain was Elijah's when suddenly something sped forwards. Frankie registered the image of the girl from earlier with her blonde curled hair and dated 20's style dress before she realised the dagger that had been in her heart now lay in Klaus' chest.

"Go to hell, Nik!" the girl spat furiously.

"Don't pout," Klaus retorted, pulling the dagger from his chest and dropping it beside him, "You knew it wouldn't kill me."

"Yeah, but I was hoping it would hurt more," Frankie snorted with laughter at Rebekah's absolute disgust of her brother. Gasping out in surprise, Rebekah nearly tackled Frankie with a hug, "Francesca!"

"Frankie," she corrected, half defeated.

"Frankie," Rebekah tasted the name on her lips before her face suddenly furrowed, "But where's Elijah?"

Frankie spun around to look at Klaus with a victorious expression on her face, Klaus held his hands up in surrender, "Rebekah now is not the time," he told her somewhat sternly, faltering as her face fell into a scathing expression, "I will revive him in time, but for now, I have a little peace offering. You can come in."

Stefan entered cautiously and it seemed Rebekah knew him too as she gasped out his name in surprise, "Stefan."

Klaus approached Stefan, grabbing his shoulder to compel him, "Now you remember," he told him cooly. Frankie watched awestruck as Stefan's face seemed to flood with emotion, clearly this had been why Klaus had brought Stefan along for the trip and was so set on them becoming friends.

An idea popped up in Frankie's head as she watched the reunion of Klaus, Stefan and Rebekah, tuning their conversation. How they all knew her was confusing, but perhaps like Stefan she'd been compelled to forget them. Perhaps that was it, they knew her as a child, before she'd changed from Francesca to Frankie, and they knew her and her mother and viewed themselves as parental figures in her life?

Deep down Frankie knew this wasn't true, Rebekah had been daggered in the twenties and Elijah seemed surprised she was even alive. She knew there was some more logical explanation but now as Rebekah linked arms with Frankie and tugged her away from Klaus that was the best she could one up with.