A Hybrid's Mother

Goodbye

Damon POV

Of course we did exactly what Erika had told us not to do and that was split up. Josef had gone to the forest and I was to check out the local bars. I knew she wouldn't be found if she didn't want to be found. I took a deep breath and stopped in the alley rubbing my forehead with my eyes closed.

It tore through me like fire, the gun shells sent me falling to the floor as I groaned. They were soaked in  vervain, before I managed to get my barring I felt someone lift my head and poke my neck, however they never pushed the plunger in cause a voice had stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Stop....take me. Leave him, he isn't worth your time. He's a new born and I've got millenniums."

"Erika....no..." I mumbled before everything went dark and the last thing I could hear was her screams.

Erika POV

I couldn't even remember how I had gotten out of the alley and into a cell. The cold stone was the first thing I noticed as I sat up and felt the metal chain and collar around my neck. I couldn't tell where I actually was other than hell itself again. Clearing my throat I stood and wandered over to the bars, groaning at it stung slightly. Vervain couldn't effect me very much unless in large doses. What had made we weak was the loss of blood. It was obvious they'd already siphoned a large amount out of me. My lips were cracking and my thirst was driving me crazy.

"Subject number one seems to be functioning and awake. Ready for processing of stage one" A groan passed my lips as a bright light was shined in my eyes, causing me to stumble back to the floor. "Subject one seems to be still under the influence of blood loss, golden eyes are still revealed. Preparing for injection." I blinked a few times, I couldn't even tell my eyes were shifted, let alone have control of it. The younger gentleman walked in the cell, grabbing my arm and pushing in his needle. My instincts told me to bite and feed, yet I was frozen. Augustine apparently had mastered the art of vampire medicine. Then it hit me, rushing to my brain like a virus sending me to howl in pain until it went dark.

"Erika?" I couldn't tell I was dreaming, after all I was still in a cell, yet of course in the cell next to me was the one person I didn't want to see. Damon. I felt my face curl up as if I'd had a lemon in my mouth, tears well up in my eyes.

"No...no...Damon you can't be here! I came here to protect you!" Sobs passed my lips as I hit the ground, busting my knuckles open.

"Shhh we got out of this once before didn't we?" He gave a slight smirk and reached under the bars as he laid on his stomach. "Give me your hand Rika...we're gonna be okay." I laid on my stomach and grasped his hand, resting my cheek on my upper arm.

"I can't do this again...I can't. Damon I want to go home...back to Egypt for all I care...I'd rather go back to the beating of my father...anything but this hell." I ran my tongue along my dry lips, closing my eyes before reality came back and my eyes shot open mid operation.

"Subject one seems to be coming out of her first dose, injecting round two."

"No!" And again I sunk fast like a ship blown to pieces. I couldn't tell it wasn't real, shit, hell was hell. Truth be told I'd rather my insides be taken apart than be my brain be picked apart like a puzzle. New Years eve...it was the best nightmare of all and I didn't want to relive it. Enzo, Damon, and myself stood in the cage in the center of the room like near death zombies.

"Here we have a great specimen this female vampire here seems to be much more tolerant and strong compared to the males. We believe it could be because of age, possible gender. For example..." Doctor Whitmore opened the cage and ushered myself and Damon out. " Subject one....attack him....dont...hold...back." I looked to Damon and took a breath before blurring at him and pinning him to the wall, barring my fangs. He tripped me to the floor yet quickly I flipped us and pinned him to the ground. Here he was trapped completely and already the game was over.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered for only his vampire senses to hear before I stood and he was ushered into the cage. They let my blood flow over the cups this year just like every other before we were all sent back down to the dungeon in one cell. After all everyone was too drunk to properly do their job. Hybrid blood was like fine whiskey.

Sitting in the cell I looked up at the moon in the small barred window. I wanted to run...to howl...to shift. Just like that I snapped out of it again and looked around to all the empty cells, my insides were burning from the procedures as always. I glanced over to the gentleman and stood, wandering almost drunkly over to the bars.

"You're the only one here so far eh? They send bait?" He gave a slight laugh and put down his clip board.

"Bait is not the word for me. I'm merely here to see if there is good subjects to be had in New Orleans. You are the best we've seen." I gave a laugh and shook my head, baring my hybrid fangs.

"You don't know who you've decided to mess with....Ive done this for years with you fools...maybe I'm the one experimenting on you....figuring out what you have against the supernatural so I can warn many others. Didn't think about it that way did you?"

"Mmmm why do you think I'm keeping you so drugged up then hmm?" He pushed open the cell and held up the full syringe before grabbing my neck and stabbing it in where ever it landed. "Sweet dreams."

Damon POV

"Damon wake the fuck up!" Josef smacked me again roughly nearly breaking my neck. A groan passing my lips as my eyes fluttered open before I looked around. I was still in the alley except now it was dark and Josefs eyes were glowing crimson.

"Erika....where...where is she...they...they took her." My face tensed up before I growled and punched the brick wall, some of it crumbling against my force. "We gotta go find her."

"No...not without help. We don't know how many doctors there are or what power they've got." I stood and started following Josef who led us back to the quarter. Everyone was standing around considering we'd been gone for hours. Alexander blurred over to Josef and examined his eyes.

"I hate to ask where mother is however it seems I already know." His jaw tensed, Josef grabbed his arm yet Alexander pulled away.

"Alex we'll find ~"

"Bullshit! They've got her! They get to play with her head!" He grabbed Josef's throat, yet Josef flipped him on his back.

"Don't test me brother....I've got centuries on you...we'll find her and then fix her like we did last time." Niklaus growled and grabbed them both lifting them both into the air with each hand.

"I've got many centuries on you both...what happened." He set them down then glanced at me. "Where is my mother..?"

"Shes...I was in an alley and Augustine had me and she traded herself for me. I just woke up when Josef found me." I glanced around, Elena was still as sour as a lemon, I merely shrugged it off. "We need to find her now." Niklaus didn't even answer and sped walked past me. Josef shrugged and followed after as did Alexander and myself. Niklaus stopped once he reached the road and closed his eyes, using his heightened senses.

"I know this city like the back of my hand...there is only one good place to hide a lab and it's the old warehouse near the docks...other than that everything else is too far for anyone to transport her before she'd wake up." With that he blurred off. I was barely able to keep up, yet thankfully the place wasn't too far and he stopped once outside the door. I'd never acted so fast when I heard the screams of Erika filling the air. I blurred through the door, Niklaus behind me with his brother, taking out everyone and thing that stopped me from reaching her. Josef had the doctor by the throat and Alexander tied him up, forcing him to sit. The others were out and surely not coming back if they noticed us. Then there she was, curled in a ball just like decades ago. I covered my hand with my sleeve and opened the door, slowly approaching her before sitting beside her.

"Rika...hey it's me Damon."

"Damon...I want to go home..." I eased my arms under her knees and supported her back. Her body was on fire, nearly twitching against my touch. She hid her face in the crook of my neck.

"We're going home..." I whispered while glaring at the man who had destroyed her mind in mere hours.