From that moment things dissolved into chaos with Cami's anger causing Lucien's to grow.

Engulfed with rage over Cami's disrespect, he'd yelled with such ferocity that even Frankie who'd been convincing herself she wasn't frightened flinched back and felt her heart begin to pound. Though she didn't often let herself remember the times Mitch would yell it didn't mean she did well with raised voices and Lucien's rage was accompanied by the very real truth that he had the power to hurt them with barely any effort nor remorse.

What followed Lucien's rage was worse still as he noted her fear and grinned devilishly at her. Next turning to Kinney, ordering him to slice open an artery with the command that if Frankie so much as stood from her seat, he was to slice open a second.

Frankie sunk in her place while Cami stared in horror, powerless against Lucian and his will.

At one point when Lucien had left, she'd tried leaning across to at least help Kinney quell the bleeding but that had caused him to snatch up a knife and hold against her throat. It was clear that the threat wasn't something he'd done of his own volition because his eyes widened in terror until she held her hands up and leaned away.

"You've made your point," Frankie snapped when Lucien strolled into the room an hour later to check their progress, "You win, humans lose. Heal him and let him go. I'm here, you don't need both of us as a threat for Cami to find your little medal."

Lucien rolled his eyes, ignoring Frankies pleas and Kinney's eyelids drooping closed, instead turning to Cami expectantly, "Have you found it?"

"Maybe," Cami said, looking past him to Frankie and Kinney nervously, "but I'll only show you if you heal him now."

"Show me first," he pressed.

"Heal him."

Lucien faltered as though he was considering the proposition and Frankie's heart pounded with hope. Kinney beside her was worsening by the second and she wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to manage considering the amount of blood that was pouring into the ice bucket Lucien had provided to save the floors.

"Heal him," Frankie said desperately, "We're obviously not going anywhere, just heal him."

With an overdramatic sigh, Lucien bit into his wrist, reluctantly allowing his blood to drip into a glass before passing it over.

"It's okay," Cami soothed as Frankie passed Kinney the cup, "You can drink it. It'll heal you."

Despite the disgusted expression across his face, Kinney pulled the cup towards him, his hands shaky as he tipped it to his lips. The blood worked quickly at least, the wound stitching itself up and his body losing the sallowness that had been engulfing him over the past hour.

Lucien turned to Cami now, striding closer expectantly. All eyes were on her and Cami's eyes flicked to Frankies quickly before nervously pulling out a skull shaped object. Frankie wasn't sure what it was about the way Cami glanced at her but she steeled herself to fight. She wasn't brave enough to stand from the chair, Kinney was still compelled to slice open a second artery if she did, but she was preparing for something nonetheless.

"I've checked everywhere else," Cami said as she placed the skull on the table, "This is the only place it could be."

Lucien reached for the skull, picking it up curiously. Just as his fingers grazed the eye sockets they began to glow a bright green. His hand that held the skull shook vigorously and he was thrown to the floor groaning in agony.

Frankie moved quickly, her hand shooting out to grab the knife Kinney had used on himself, throwing it as forcefully as she could at Lucien. Her move after that was going to be to grab Kinney and Cami, hoping that without a knife he couldn't fufill the compulsion, and tear themselves from the apartment. Before the knife even was halfway towards Lucien he'd recovered, snatching it out of the air and turning furiously to face her.

As he turned to face Frankie, Cami moved too, snatching a stake from the box and brandishing it in an attempt to attack him herself. Without even turning he caught her wrist, snatching the stake from her and beginning to laugh

"Oh," he exclaimed as he turned to face Cami at last, "I can see why Nik is fond of you. Even when she fails, you try. You do have spirit!"

Lucien paused, strolling away until he reached Kinney and Frankie, passing the blade to Kinney nonchalantly.

"But, your heart skipped a beat just before I healed your friend. I know you know exactly where my medallion is, you crafty girl," Lucien grinned as he spoke, looking at Kinney and nodding to Frankie, "Knife to her throat, mate."

Frankie felt her breath catch in her throat. The knife that she'd thrown at Lucien earlier was now pressed more firmly than she was comfortable with against her neck. With each breath in she could feel it tickle her skin and as much as she wanted to pull away she knew wherever she went, it would follow.

She didn't know what was going to happen now. Certainly she had expected that she and Cami were protected to some extent because of how complicated things would be with the Mikaelsons if they were to die but evidently they weren't more important than whatever tool he was searching for to take them down.

"Don't do this," Cami begged, staring with horror at her friend, "please."

"Are you trying to appeal to my merciful side?" he chuckled, "I hate to tell you, darling- I don't have one."

Frankie knew her heart was pounding loudly because she could feel it literally throbbing through her body. Elijah had told her that Lucien still hated him after all these years and she was certain by this point that her death as collateral was something that he was willing to allow.

There was little that Frankie could do in that moment but even as she sat in her terror she knew one thing, if there was a choice between her or Elijah she'd choose him. She didn't want to die but she knew now that she didn't want to live without him either. Elijah had spent years protecting her and she knew if it came down to it, she'd do just the same.

There was no way they could allow Lucien to get the medallion because she couldn't let him have something that could hurt Elijah, she'd only just gotten him back and she couldn't lose him, she needed him.

Cami seemed to falter, her eyes slipped between Frankie, the knife, and then one of the boxes beside her. She was trying to signal to her friend that it wasn't worth it but Cami didn't seem to notice, too wrapped up in concern to hide her own fear.

"Don't give it to him," Frankie said quickly, wincing as the movement caused the blade to press tighter to her skin. Kinney was mumbling apologies behind her while Lucien seemed to be more furious by the moment.

"Oh, enough," he snapped, "Go on. Slit her th-"

Frankie could feel Kinney's hand began to twitch in anticipation of the command that was about to be delivered and she screwed up her eyes. She'd had her throat slit before and she didn't know if that made it better because she knew what to expect, or worse, because she knew what to expect.

Before Lucien could finish his command Cami shouted desperately, "Wait," Lucien looked to her and she reached into one of the farther boxes, pulling out a large wooden object and handing it to him, "Take it. Just take it. It's in here."

"Huh, had it all along. How about that?" Lucien laughed.

A coldness seemed to wash over his face and then suddenly he moved, smashing the object against the table until it broke to pieces, a golden medallion facing to the floor.

"Turns out we make quite a team," he grinned, looking at Cami and then to Frankie who still had the blade pressed to her throat.

"Now you've got that," Frankie said weakly, "mind letting me breathe?"

Lucien seemed reluctant to allow Kinney to lower the knife but he did it with a roll of his eyes, ignoring the relieved sighs that each of them let out. She was allowed too to finally stand from her seat and the three of them set about tidying up the apartment while Lucien barked orders condescendingly.

Finally they finished and while Kinney was cruelly compelled by Lucien to forget everything, she and Cami were forced to wait with Lucien until the vervain wore off so he could compel them too.

While she was outwardly furious over this arrangement, inwardly she felt relieved that they would be alright. At least if they were waiting for the vervain to leave their bodies, perhaps they would be freed before Lucien had the chance to compel them. She'd barely been back in New Orleans a month and while she wanted to be fine, honestly being thrust back into a situation like this that she thought she'd escaped from shook her more than she would let on.

They waited for the vervain to pass with Cami and Frankie placed on house arrest, forced to stay in the room of the dead seer or else tolerate Luciens irritating taunts. At least, as awful as it was, they were allowed to stay together though, reassuring one another that they'd find a way to stop Lucien and that they'd make it past this.

There wasn't much of a plan that they'd made together. Both of them knew that Lucien was faster, more ruthless, and could hear everything they whispered and after their attempts to injure him earlier had been so flawed, they had little hope for escape. The only thing they'd agreed on however was that if one of them had the chance to run, they would, even if it meant leaving the other to wait while they got help.

Frankie and Cami sat in the living room now, arms crossed as they shot daggers at Lucien who'd been taunting them half the morning. A knock came on the door and his face shone with delight.

"That'll be the nanny," he declared, "Francesca, I'm sure you remember our friend Anton."

Anton was of course the man who'd taken her from Cami's house and while she glared at him now he only shot her a smirk before turning away. He was big, intimidating even if he'd been human but more so knowing he had fangs and speed too.

"Anton is of course a very loyal and very dangerous friend. Tread carefully," Lucien said to them both before turning away, "Oh, and, uh, Anton? If you should not hear from me by nightfall, go on and kill them both. But do it quickly. Oh, and for God's sake, don't ask if they have any final words, you'll be here through the weekend."

"For the first time I think I'm actually keen to watch as Elijah rips someone's heart out," Frankie murmured to Cami, grinning sweetly when Lucien overheard and shot a snarl at them.

Their thanksgiving passed by in a fairly mundane manner. For the most part Anton spent his time in front of the television, barking requests for beers and ignoring the girls. At one point Cami had gone to get him one, faltering for too long and considering whether she'd be able to grab one of her dark objects that lay nearby causing him to come and threaten them again.

Frankie in retaliation, grabbed two beers and took a seat in the lounge, downing hers quickly. Cami followed suit though she seemed more reluctant to drink, catching on when they were on their second beer and Frankie began to laugh a little too loudly. By their fourth beers both girls were giggling, stumbling over to the dining areas as they pretended to clean.

It hadn't been hard for Cami to figure out Frankie's plan, especially when she worked a little too hard on slurring her words despite both girls knowing that a handful of beers wouldn't get them wasted. Nudging Cami towards the boxes, she began sloppily gathering bottles to take to the kitchen.

"Thought I told y'all to sit still," Anton said with annoyance, strolling over to lean against the table and frown.

"No," Frankie laughed, "No, you told her to drink, and implied I should too, so we drank and now we're cleaning up. Because I don't know about you but Lucien definitely doesn't seem the type to recycle."

"How much do you know about the Mikaelsons," Cami probed, stumbling over and into Frankie who caught her with a giggle, quietly pulling the knife she'd been handed away and into her pocket, "Because the chances of Lucien coming back are, um. . . kind of slim."

"You better hope you're wrong, or neither of you may make it though the night." Anton said grimly, looking with distaste at the way both girls were falling over each other in their drunkenness.

"Oh I don't think you want to hurt us," Frankie said, "See, Klaus is the most ruthless vampire in all of history, and guess what? He's totally got a thing for Cami and he kinda calls me family. I mean, phew, you should've seen the way he talked about my shitty ex boyfriend and he's human."

"Not to mention there's Elijah," Cami added helpfully, "I think you should be the one worrying about whether or not you make it through the night with two Mikaelson's after you."

Cami stumbled again and Frankie giggled more, helping her stand up and noting that she'd pulled an empty beer bottle in her hand. Cami's arm had wrapped around Frankie's waist as she stumbled and though she didn't look at her or say anything, her fingers tightened twice causing her to steel herself to act.

"You're terrible drunks," Anton noted.

Cami pulled herself out of Frankie's grip, looking as though she was only straightening herself up and instead smashing the beer bottle over his head. Anton screamed out furiously and Frankie's hand flew to her pocket, tugging out the knife Cami had given her earlier and using it to sever his finger with its daylight ring from his hand that had landed on the table.

"Oh, I'm gonna kill you both-" he snapped, lunging towards them when Cami grabbed Frankie, tugging her back towards the stream of sunlight flooding through the windows.

"Not while the sun's still out," Cami snarled.

Their hearts both pounded with adrenaline, Frankie's face screwing up in disgust as she tugged the ring from his dismembered finger and pocketed it. Racing to the door, Cami was the one who pounded against the elevator button, frantically pressing it over and over as Frankie curled her fingers around her friend's.

"That was a good hit," she mumbled at last, "Never seen you take someone out like that."

"Thanks," Cami laughed, her fingers curling around Frankie's hand too as she tried to push the terror that Anton was going to come for them before the elevator, "Nice work with the ring."

"After you did so well I had to keep the momentum going," Frankie smiled, a sigh escaping her when the elevator dinged in front of them.

Both girls made to enter, freezing in place as the doors opened to show a woman that neither recognised. She was petite with red hair and a cool grin that concealed malice for both girls before her.

"You must be Cami," she said with insincere delight, "And Francesca, you do look like your predecessor."

😱