Chapter Text
Astrid Mikaelson has been taking care of her siblings for a thousand years. Even her older brothers Elijah and Finn.
She wasn’t able to stop her oldest brother dying, Matt Donovan had killed him before she even knew what was happening. Caroline had decided to distract her.
Her other siblings had left the town after their mother was dead. Elijah left with his soulmate Mia Salvatore. Kol left with his soulmate Nova Bennett in search of a way to turn Elena back to human. They’re growing on each other, as he informs her. Klaus had tried to leave with his soulmate, but Amara Sommers hates his guts. And Rebekah had stayed for her soulmate and to graduate school.
Astrid, however, stayed because of Caroline Forbes. She might not be her soulmate, but the oldest Mikaelson sister sure has taken a liking.
“Astrid!” Rebekah sing-songs, skipping into the room.
She should’ve stayed at the Lockwood mansion instead of going to her sister’s new place.
Astrid lets out a sigh, turning her head to her. “Yes, Bekah?”
She holds out a flyer. “Come tonight, please? We’re having a party and it’s Aisling’s eighteenth today. She wanted a full-blown-out one, and I decided to throw it at our new place.”
Astrid reads it over. “Anti-curfew?”
She huffs. “Aisling didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so she decided to do an anti-curfew party.” Rebekah hands her another flyer. “This is the actual flyer.”
Aisling’s Saltzman's 18th birthday rager
“Will you be there?”
Astrid lets out a sigh and a nod. “I will. But only because it is Aisling’s birthday.”
Rebekah smiles. “I love you!”
***
Astrid walks through the Lockwood mansion where she hears two hearts beating inside the room, others beating outside of it, her eyes on her phone. “Tyler, where is your sister? My brother is getting pissed that he can’t find her.”
“Back at her pack in Florida." He answers. “She left as soon as Klaus was gone. She wanted to go back to her pack, be the Alpha again.”
Astrid hums. “And what do you want me to tell Nik?”
“That I have no idea where she is.”
Astrid nods, typing the message.
She’s gotten along pretty well with Tyler. Considering she’s trying to take his girl. But he likes her a lot better than the one who turned him.
She finally looks up to look at the second heartbeat, only for her wrist to start burning.
She blinks in shock, head whipping down to her wrist to find an infinity mark glowing on it.
Her soulmate.
The woman winces, looking down at her own wrist in confusion. “What the hell is that?”
Tyler looks between them in confusion. “What’s happening?”
Astrid clears her throat, eyes flicking back to the hybrid. “Rebekah’s throwing a party for Aisling’s birthday tonight. I can get you out of the house for half an hour to see her. I have to go there anyway.”
Tyler closes his eyes. “Today’s Aisling’s birthday?”
Astrid nods. “Yeah. You forgot.”
“She’ll understand, won’t she?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know her very well. All I know is she thinks all of you are pissed at her.”
“Why would we- Shit. The whole Rebekah thing.” He sighs. “You can sneak me out? Without the hybrids?”
She nods. “Just as long as we have someone to pretend to be you.”
Tyler’s head turns to the woman. “I have an idea.”
***
“So, how does this work?” She asks.
“You’re just going to be in here and pretend to sleep or something. You can’t talk or the hybrids will hear you. But you want them to hear your heartbeat so they know someone’s in here.”
She glances over to the doorway where Tyler had disappeared through. “And, uh, what’s this?”
Astrid’s eyes flick down to her wrist. “Your soulmate mark. You are my soulmate.” She holds her hand out. “I’m Astrid Mikaelson.”
“Hayley. Marshall.”
She smiles softly. “I’ll be back. We won’t be gone for long. Just stay here and be quiet.”
Tyler walks back in the room with the gift he had picked out weeks ago. “Can we go?”
Astrid nods. “Through the back door. They won’t notice us there.”
***
Rebekah Mikaelson’s laugh echoes through the house as they step inside without an invitation, Astrid’s brows raising at the prospect of it.
“Sister!” She calls, making their way in to the sound of her voice. “Who did you kill to get this house?”
Rebekah lets out a scoff as they approach, turning towards her. “No one! I just simply compelled someone to hand over the deed.”
“Before or after you fed from them?”
Aisling raises a brow with a small laugh. “Before.”
Rebekah gasps, turning a shocked look to her. “Excuse you! You snitch!”
Astrid shakes her head. “Well, I just decided to stop by and sneak this one out of the house to congratulate you.”
Tyler waves his hand. “Happy birthday, Ais.”
“Happy eighteenth birthday, Aisling.” Astrid smiles. “It’s a big one.”
“Oh, yeah, I know.” Aisling whips out a knife from her pocket. “Jenna gave this to me this morning. Said my dad had it specially made a few months ago. It says my name.” She flips the handle towards them a smile.
Sprawled right on the handle in near cursive writing engraved into the silver of the knife, surrounded by designs, is her name:
Aisling
She flips it over. “And…”
Saltzman
“He knew how much my heritage meant to me. How much he meant to me.” Aisling wipes the stray tear that had fallen down her cheek. “Sorry. I just miss him.”
Tyler steps forward and pulls her into a hug. “Don’t apologize, Ais. He’s your dad. You’re gonna miss him.” He pulls back with a small smile.
She lets out a chuckle. “I’m surprised you all don’t hate me. Jeremy, Matt, you, Elena. I mean, come on. I’m soulmates with the evil original vampire who killed Elena and terrorized the rest of you.”
“Hey, don’t put yourself down like that.” Tyler puts his arm around her shoulders. “You are amazing, loving the enemy or not.” He purposefully avoided the two sisters’ gazes. “It’s your birthday, you deserve all the love in the world. Leave everything else for tomorrow.”
Astrid hums, looking up to her younger sister. “You know, that’s good advice.”
Rebekah scoffs. “Don’t even think about it. I’m not forgiving Nik, he doesn’t deserve it. I honestly can’t even believe Kol for even still keeping in contact with him.”
“Kol had nothing to do with any of this. Besides, he’s pestering Nova Bennett. She’s going to snap soon.”
Rebekah lets out a snort. “Yeah, and she’ll come running back to that boy of hers. It’ll never last.”
“Let ‘em believe.” Astrid shakes her head, sighing as she leads the girl away from the two friends. “We might know they’ll never last, but she doesn’t. Let her have her time with the Gilbert boy for a little longer.”
“Why are you optimistic today?” Rebekah questions. “You hated your life this morning. You were all mopey.”
Astrid smiles, taking her sister’s hands in hers and looking in her eyes. “I found her. My soulmate.”
Rebekah lets out a squeal. “Who is she!?” Her face turns down. “It better not be Caroline.”
Astrid scoffs. “I don’t understand your grudge with her. But no. Her name’s Hayley. And she’s at Tyler’s house waiting for us to get back.”
“Well, go!” Rebekah rushes, pulling her hands out of hers. “What are you waiting for? You’ve been waiting for her for a thousand years.”
Astrid lets out a breath through her nose. “I’m nervous. I have never had a relationship before. With Nik…”
“Fuck Nik!” Rebekah puts her hands on her shoulders, shaking her. “This is it, Astrid. The one you’ve been waiting for for a thousand years! Who cares what Nik thinks, he can’t judge you. He has Amara. This girl, she is your soulmate. And it’s time you get your happy ending like the rest of us.”
Astrid smiles. “I’m so glad I got a little sister.”
Rebekah smiles back. “And I’m so happy I had my older sister before I was born.”
***
“I have found my soulmate, brother.” Astrid announces as she waltzes in the room, a loving smile on her face. “Her name is Hayley. And she’s a werewolf.”
Klaus’ brows raise. “A werewolf for your soulmate, sister? Don’t you think that’s a little.. On the nose?”
She scoffs, sending him a glare. “Aisling’s a hunter, yet you have nothing to say about that.”
“Aisling has no relation to anyone. This werewolf girl - she seems to have Tyler wrapped around her finger. Caroline seems to not know about her.”
Astrid blinks.
His lips curl. “You forgot about Caroline. In all the excitement, you forgot about the girl you were courting.”
“I did not!” She objects, slumping down in a chair. “I just… Overlooked her.”
“Also known as forgot.”
“Aren’t I supposed to be scolding you?” She glares. “I’m the older sibling.”
“Well, you’re not a very good one.”
She scoffs, pushing herself to her feet. “You know what, fuck you too, Nik. Stay away from Hayley. She’s better off not knowing my brother. She’ll be dead by the end of the week if that happens.”
Klaus sighs, eyes flicking to watch her walk out. “Astrid-”
She ignores him, walking to the room harbouring the werewolf. “Hayley,”
Hayley turns, eyes landing on her. “How did I know you were there? I didn’t even smell you.”
Astrid’s lips quirk up. “It’s a soulmate thing. Amara explained it before. You can know when your soulmate is watching you or nearby. It’s kind of like a magical tracking system, but it only works in close quarters.”
Hayley hums. “Weird. So, can you explain a little more? Like, how in the hell this is possible?”
Astrid chuckles, sitting down on the couch. “Of course. Just sit and ask me anything you want. We have all day.”
***
Klaus told her when he left he was going to be at the hospital with Damon Salvatore and the hunter in town. He offered for her to come, but she was getting to know Hayley.
Well, that was until Hayley kicked her out to process everything. She didn’t even know soulmates existed.
So, she gave her space to instead go torture the hunter. “Oh, brother! What’s this I hear about a hunter?”
“Sister!” Klaus smiles at her as she approaches. “May I introduce you? He’s not much of a talker, alas.”
Astrid hums, bending down in front of him, her eyes narrowed. “He doesn’t look like much. Aisling looks better fitted to the role than he does. Hell, even bunny-muncher does.”
Damon snorts.
Astrid stands back up, standing beside Klaus, crossing her arms as she watches him carefully put his hand on the arrow in his side. “I do believe those are attached to bombs. You’ll die, kill evil over here as long as you get it just right, and my brother and I will only be angry when we regenerate.”
“Evil?” Damon questions, his brow cocked. “Look in the mirror, sweetheart.”
Astrid hisses at him, baring her fangs. “Say that to me again, and I’ll rip out your heart.”
Damon’s eyes flick to the hunter. “Keep it up, buddy. We’ll be scraping you off the ceiling.”
“You three are gonna kill me anyway.” He says.
“Well, let’s not be too hasty.” Klaus says. “I feel like we’re just getting to know each other.”
“This evil you say,” Astrid says, remembering the update Klaus sent her. He’s like a child. He wants his big sister’s approval in his torture methods. “What is it? Because I can guarantee you there’s nothing I can’t defeat with my siblings.”
“Start with the basics.” Damon adds. “Where are you from? What do you know? Maybe you can cue me in on this greater evil because I’ve fought this guy and there’s nothing more evil than that.”
Klaus takes the paper from his hand. “Yeah, truth be told, I’m as evil as it gets. Though, my sister here likes to keep me on my toes.”
Astrid smiles, wiggling her fingers at him.
“I’m not telling you anything.” The hunter glares at him. “You think if you kill me, it’s gonna be over? There’s another waiting to take my place.”
“See, this is what I like to hear.” Damon says. “Vague threats, ominous prophecies, disappearing tattoos.”
Astrid’s head whips to him, face dropping. “What did you just say?”
Klaus’ face drops, his eyes staying on the hunter. “What do you mean tattoos?”
“Don’t bother. You can’t see the damn thing.” Damon says.
“Brother,” Astrid says carefully, eyes wide. “We should not be here. Not if that means what I think it means. Not again.”
Klaus waves her off, leaning down to get in his face. “There’s more to you than meets the eye, isn’t there?”
When the hunter tries to put a stake in his heart, Klaus catches his hand. “Nice try, but I’m faster than your average vampire.” He twists his arm back, knocking him in the face and taking the stake.
Astrid takes it from him, flipping it over to look at the symbol carved in it, her eyes widening. She turns her head to him, nodding towards it. “I was right.”
Klaus stares at it in shock. “You’re one of The Five.”
“The what?” Damon questions.
“I’m faster than your average hunter.” Then he pulls the string, setting off the bomb, making Damon speed out before he can get blown up.
Astrid grips the stake in her hand right before it blows, giving her brother a look, and speeding off.
***
“I’m surprised he hasn’t woken up.” Astrid comments, her arms crossed as she stares at the hunter passed out on the couch of his RV.
“I’m surprised by his lack of civilization.” Klaus retorts. “Who would want to live like this?”
Astrid snorts. “We’re rich, Nik. We have no concern for this. I imagine he’s barely living, traveling, hunting vampires. He’s probably just making enough money to pay for gas and necessities.”
Klaus hums. “Poor him.”
Astrid holds up a finger, shushing him. “His heartbeat changed. He’s waking up.”
The hunter’s head stirs, eyes flicking behind his eyelids. When he opens them, his head turns to the two vampires watching him.
Klaus pushes him back down on his ass when he tries to bolt up, making him groan from his injuries Astrid patched up. There was no way she was giving him her blood. A hunter. Gross.
No offense to Aisling, of course.
His eyes flick up to them. “You saved me?”
“Congratulations. You just became worth more to me alive than dead.” Klaus says.
“Much more.” Astrid adds, eyes narrowed. “And you’re going to help us with a few things. To stay alive.”
His eyes flick down, neither agreeing or disagreeing to her terms. “What-” He sighs. “What did you mean when you said I was one of The Five?”
Klaus’ face drops. “You don’t know your own history?”
Astrid’s head cocks. “Oh, you poor boy. You must think you’re crazy. Seeing things, knowing things.” She sits down in the booth behind her, elbows on her knees, a smile curling her lips. “You must have a lot of questions, then. Your history’s a good one.”
Klaus sits down on the couch beside the hunter. “Well, let’s just say it’s made you the most well-protected vampire hunter in town.” His lips curl.
“Now, what do you know?”