So here we are, the beginning of the sequel to Crazy Stupid Love. If you haven't read that story yet, I highly suggest you do so before reading this because it will allow you the chance to get to know Cassandra and see how her relationship with Klaus developed. Plus, if you have a keen eye and memory, you might be able to recognize little tidbits and references to the first story, but only if you've read it. I can't begin to describe how excited I am to finally start sharing this. It is going to be one grand, epic adventure with many ups and downs, twists and turns, and I'm thrilled to have you along for the ride. Without further ado, I give you Crazy Wild Life!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the the show. The only thing that is my own original creation is Cassandra.
Chapter 1 - A Secret Plan Revealed
Her first clue that she was no longer alone in the enormous Colonial-style mansion was the sound of the front door opening and closing with a loud click. Armed with an iron fireplace poker, Cassandra Forbes quietly tiptoed down the stairs. Her heart pounded inside of her chest as she gripped the iron tightly in her hands, preparing to defend herself from the unexpected intruder.
"Cassandra?" A familiar female voice stopped her in her tracks as she neared the bottom of the staircase.
"Rebekah?" Cassandra's face broke out into a huge grin. "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" She set down the poker at the foot of the stars and rushed over to the original vampire, throwing her arms around her in a warm embrace.
"Well, hello to you too," Rebekah chuckled as she hugged Cassandra back. After they broke apart, Rebekah's face grew serious. "Elijah isn't answering his phone. I'm worried. Do you know where he is?"
Cassandra shook her head. "Last time I saw him was when Klaus and I arrived here three days ago. The next morning Klaus told me he bailed. I didn't think Elijah was the type to break promises, especially considering the lengths he took to keep me safe.
"He isn't, which means Niklaus has done something dastardly and Klaus-like," Rebekah spoke through clenched teeth." She turned and began to walk farther into the house, yelling out as she rounded a corner and headed into the parlor room. "Klaus, get out here and tell me what you've done with our brother, you narcissistic, backstabbing wanker!"
Fighting the urge to laugh, Cassandra turned around and began to make her way back upstairs. When she reached the first floor landing she sat down and made herself comfortable on the first step of the next set of stairs and stared out at the wooden banister at Klaus and Rebekah who began to bicker about their older brother's whereabouts.
So many different thoughts were swirling inside her mind. What happened to Elijah? Why would Klaus make up a lie about Elijah leaving, especially when he and Cassandra were supposed to be working on patching things up? In her mind this was a step in the wrong direction. It wasn't helping him earn her forgiveness. She knew she'd have to talk to him about it eventually, but for now she was willing to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself. She needed cold, hard proof that he'd lied before she could confront him.
She was shaken out of her thoughts when Klaus announced that he was going out to have another drink with Marcel Gerard, the vampire who currently controlled New Orleans.
"Elijah told me your plan to take apart Marcel's empire piece by piece. I don't remember it involving you two drinking New Orleans dry together," Rebekah narrowed her eyes at her older brother as he started to move towards the front door.
"I know you don't have many friends, Rebekah, but what some friends do when they get together is they drink," Klaus turned around and walked back over to her. "And when they drink, they tell secrets. Marcel has somehow found a way to control the entirety of witches in the Quarter, and I aim to uncover the 'how' so I might take it for myself. Finding Elijah didn't make my to-do list today." He walked over to the front door and pulled it open. Before he left, he turned around to face Rebekah one last time with a smug grin on his face. "Oh, and welcome home, little sister."
Rebekah shook her head as the door shut behind him and turned around to face Cassandra. "All right. I'm going to search this whole house inch by inch until I find what my evil brother has done to my good one. And you're going to help."
Cassandra quickly rose to her feet. "Lead the way."
Rebekah motioned for Cassandra to follow and led the way to a winding spiral staircase located in the main hall which led below the foundation of the mansion to a stone covered, cob web infested cellar. "The governor who built this house had lots of secret rooms. I'll show you his favorite."
The beam from the flashlight in Rebekah's hand landed on a dust covered coffin. "Klaus daggered Elijah, didn't he?" Cassandra whispered. She suddenly began to feel sick to her stomach. "But why? Why would he do this?"
"Why does my brother do anything evil? Because he feels like it," Rebekah met Cassandra's eyes briefly before walking further into the cellar. She stopped in front of another coffin. "This one's mine."
"Seriously? He's keeping your coffin on standby? Even after how mad I was at him after he daggered you back in Mystic Falls?"
"You know as well as I do, love, how he likes to be prepared for when his family members inevitably disappoint him," she sighed. "Elijah's isn't here. He must have stashed him elsewhere."
"Oh, ugh. I feel sick," Cassandra groaned and rubbed her stomach.
Rebekah turned around and gave her a sympathetic glance. "You should have stayed with your family in Mystic Falls."
"Yeah, well, the witches cast some sort of spell on me, linking me to one of them. They were less than thrilled when they found out I left the city to go to my sister's high school graduation and threatened to kill me if I leave town again," Cassandra grumbled in a low voice. "So I am stuck here for the time being."
"Oh, how lovely. Now I have some witches to deal with," Rebekah scoffed. "Once I deal with them and free you from their hex, I'm leaving as soon as I find Elijah. If you're smart you'll come with us."
Cassandra stood frozen in the cellar as Rebekah's words echoed in her mind. She watched Rebekah climb back up the spiral staircase, only following her once her legs remembered how to function properly. She hadn't considered leaving once they found a way to break the link between her and Sophie Deveraux. Klaus wanted the three of them, him, her, and their baby, to be a family. Truthfully, it was what she wanted too, but that didn't mean she couldn't be mad at him for daggering Elijah.
Resigned to not letting Rebekah's harsh words about her brother influence her, she started to turn around to head back up the spiral staircase when a piece of cloth sticking out from under Rebekah's coffin caught her eye. Curious, she used every ounce of muscle strength she had to push the coffin to the side and discovered the piece of cloth was actually a bundle with something wrapped in side. She reached down and picked the bundle up, palming it carefully as she untied the cloth strand keeping it wrapped up. When she pulled the cloth back and saw what was inside, her face broke out into a wide grin. She quickly put the cloth back in place and scurried upstairs with her discovery. She didn't stop until she reached her room and stuffed the cloth bundle into her purse for safe keeping. She would show it to Rebekah later.
Letting out a big sigh, she sunk down on the bed and let her eyes wander around the lavish suite. When they had first arrived at the house, she told Klaus that she wasn't ready to share a room with him yet and wanted her own, so he set her up in the suite next to his. She was extremely grateful he had respected her wishes. He also had gone above and beyond to make her feel as comfortable and at home as possible. She gazed over at the framed photo of her, her sister Caroline, and their mother taken after Caroline's high school graduation, recalling the moment Klaus had surprised her with it after they'd arrived at the mansion.
"Ugh, how can he go from doing something so incredibly thoughtful and sweet to doing something horribly nasty and cruel?" She sighed to herself. "Because he's Klaus, that's how."
She sprang off the bed to her feet as her aggravation over the situation grew. She grabbed her purse and quickly made her way downstairs, deciding some fresh air was exactly what she needed to calm down. As she walked down the circular driveway to the gate she let out a deep breath and embraced the warmth from the sun. A light, pleasant breeze hung in the air which kept her comfortable as she made her way down the street. She didn't intend to go far, just a few blocks.
A few minutes later she came upon a couple eating delicious looking, powdered sugar covered pastries. As she passed by them, Cassandra recognized the pastry from her first visit to New Orleans. Oh man those look so good! She groaned silently. As she kept walking they were all she could think about. She had to get some for herself. Determined to go to the ends of the earth if necessary, she pulled her phone out of her purse and did a search for the nearest bakery that made beignets. As luck would have it, she only had to walk four more blocks to get to one. With an extra little hop in her step, she continued on her way.
Just before she reached the final block before her final destination, she paused in front of the windows of a voodoo shop. The window displays instantly made her think of Bonnie. She eyed the door to the shop, debating whether or not to go in and find a little something for Bonnie, when the shopkeeper came out and locked the door behind her.
"Sorry, we're closed," she smiled apologetically at Cassandra.
"That's okay," Cassandra held up a hand. "I was just looking...and admiring. I have a friend who would totally love this store."
"You should bring her by."
"She lives in a different state, otherwise I would."
"Oh, sorry. Well, if you're interested in finding a gift for her, why don't you come back tomorrow? We open at 8. I'd be more than happy to help you then. I'm Katie," the dark-skinned, curly black haired shopkeeper held out her hand.
Cassandra placed her hand in Katie's, shaking it. "Cassandra. Thanks. I'll see if I can get back over here."
Katie stared silently at her for a long moment as they shook hands before releasing her grip and dropping her hand back to her side. "I hope to see you tomorrow. Have a nice night."
"You too," Cassandra gave her a friendly nod before continuing on her way down the street. With her back to Katie, she failed to notice the shopkeeper pulling her phone out to make a phone call while keeping her gaze fixed on Cassandra.
After stopping at the bakery and ordering a bag of beignets, Cassandra found a bench to sit down at so she could eat her snack. She moaned softly as she took a big bite out of one of the pastries, savoring every delicious crumb. In no time at all she polished off the entire bag she'd purchased. Feeling incredibly content, she leaned back against the wooden bench and let out a deep sigh.
"Hey, I know you," a light and friendly voice brought her out of her blissful state. Snapping her eyes open, Cassandra found the face of a familiar blonde smiling at her. "It's Cassandra, right?"
"Yeah. You…you're the bartender from Rousseau's. Camille..Cami," Cassandra smiled back.
"That's right. You're still in the city. Does that mean the interview went well? Did you get the job?
"Actually, I never made it to that interview."
"What? Why?" Cami sat down on the bench beside her. "I mean, if it's okay that I asked."
Cassandra nodded once. "It's fine. I was, uh, unexpectedly detained. It's just as well. I've got so much going on right now that I wouldn't be able to focus properly on writing a column for a paper." She paused to take a breath before continuing. "I found out I'm pregnant."
"Oh my god," Cami's eyes widened.
"The guy I told you about last time, the one I've been seeing for a while, he didn't think he could have kids, so we didn't take any precautions. Go figure, right?" Cassandra sighed softly.
"You sure he wasn't just feeding you some crappy line to get you to sleep with him?" Cami arched her eyebrows. "Because some guys are low enough scum to pull something like that."
"Oh gosh. Klaus isn't like that. I am absolutely certain of it. He honest to goodness didn't think it was physically possible for him to have children."
"Did you just say Klaus?"
"Yeah," Cassandra answered slowly. "Why?"
"This guy was at the bar tonight, hitting on me. He was with someone named Klaus," Cami told her.
Cassandra sat up straighter and turned her upper body towards Cami. "Cami, this is important. The guy that was hitting on you, his name wouldn't happen to be Marcel would it?"
"How on earth did you know that?" Cami stared her wide eyed.
"Because the guy named Klaus you mentioned…he's my Klaus. And Marcel is…was…an old friend of his. But they aren't friends anymore. It's complicated, but all you need to know is Marcel is bad news. Please, please be careful around him," Cassandra placed her hands on top of Cami's.
"You know, I pegged him, Marcel, as a bad boy. Don't worry, I plan to stay far, far away from both of them. I'd warn you to do the same, but…" she trailed off and glanced at Cassandra's stomach.
"Yeah," Cassandra murmured softly. "That's never going to happen. Klaus and I are forever connected now."
"Listen," Cami leaned forward slightly, "I don't know what kind of support system you have back home, but if you ever need someone to talk to, please, call me. You don't have to go through this alone, and I know from experience that sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who doesn't know you that well as opposed to talking to a family member."
"Thanks, Cami," Cassandra gave her a genuine smile. "That means a lot to me. You're like..the first real friend I've made since I've been here."
"Don't mention it. Hey, can I see your phone?" Cami held out a hand. Cassandra dug her cell phone out of her purse and handed it to the blonde bartender. Cami quickly tapped the screen, adding her phone number to Cassandra's contact list. "Now you have my number. Call me any time, day or night."
"I'll remember that. Same goes for you." Cassandra quickly dialed the number Cami had given her so Cami would have her phone number, too. They stood up and hugged each other before going their separate ways.
Cassandra began to walk at a brisk pace down the street in the direction of the mansion. The sun was setting and she wanted to get back before it went down completely. The streets were lacking in people as the shops had closed up for the night. She kept a tight grip on her purse straps and hugged it to her side as she walked. A loud crack from a twig snapping into two made her jump. She looked all around her, but didn't see anyone anywhere. Letting out a shaky breath, she turned back to the path in front of her and flinched backwards as she came face to face with a tall and muscular brown haired man. His most defining features were his blood red irises and black veins appearing underneath his eyes, and his very visible vampire fangs.
"You're the human under the protection of the Mikaelson's," he spoke in a low voice. "Marcel will want to meet you."
Eyes wide with terror, Cassandra gasped and turned around intending to run. She was unable to take even one step because there were two more vampires blocking her path. The brown haired vampire standing behind her grabbed her arm and yanked her backwards to him.
"If you want to live," he whispered into her ear, "You won't run."
"Please…don't…" Cassandra's voice trembled. Before she could say anything else, someone snapped the neck of one of the two vampires that she was now facing, and pulled the heart out of the other vampire, sending them both to the ground in a heap.
"Now that is no way to treat a pregnant lady," Rebekah stared at the two immobilized vampires as she tossed the bloody heart she held in her hand onto the sidewalk beside them. "I do hate bad manners."
Before Cassandra had enough time to blink, Rebekah whooshed behind the vampire that held her arm and snapped his neck, sending him to the ground. Cassandra side stepped to the right, putting some distance between herself and the incapacitated vampires.
"Thanks," she exhaled slowly in relief.
"You're welcome," Rebekah gave a single nod of her head. She pulled out her phone and called Klaus to notify him of what happened. The call lasted less than a minute. "He's on his way with the car. Be warned, he's in quite the foul mood now."
"Yeah, kinda figured he would be," Cassandra mumbled in a low voice as she hung her head down.
Klaus arrived five minutes later and wordlessly assisted Rebekah in putting the bodies of the three vampires into the back of the black SUV. The short ride back to the mansion was just as silent which put Cassandra on edge. She wished he would just have at it and yell at her. At least when he was yelling she knew what he was thinking.
Once they were at the mansion, Cassandra waited near the front steps while Rebekah stacked a pile of wood in the middle of the circular driveway and Klaus dragged over the three lifeless vampires from the back of the SUV.
"This is why I told you not to go anywhere alone," Klaus scolded her in a low voice as he dropped the last of the vampire bodies on the stack of wood and took a few steps towards Cassandra and Rebekah. "I had a plan, and your little evening stroll put it all in peril."
Cassandra wanted nothing more than to crawl and hide in dark hole. She felt like a little kid being reprimanded for something like crossing the street without permission. She had a hard time meeting his eyes, but she knew if she didn't try her best to maintain eye contact, she'd be a lot worse off.
One of the vampires, the one who'd grabbed her arm, started to wake up. Rebekah noticed and started to walk towards the center of the driveway.
"Leave him!" Klaus yelled, causing Cassandra to flinch in surprise and Rebekah to stop in her tracks and stare at him with her lips parted slightly. "You've done enough, don't you think? Leaving a trail of bodies like a roadmap to my door?"
"If I hadn't overheard this lot bragging about human leverage to be used against the Mikaelson's, everyone here would be screwed," Rebekah shot back with a glare. "And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan and no one's seen you do a damn thing! Elijah made a deal to protect your child and the girl you supposedly love so that they could save you from your selfish, rotten self. But you obviously don't give a damn about the child, or Cassandra, or Elijah because what have you done to honor them?"
"I have done everything," Klaus growled as his eyes grew glossy from the emotions Rebekah's words evoked inside of him. "Let me spell it out for you, shall I? From the day I arrived, Marcel hasn't trusted me. From day one, he's had his vampires ingest toxic vervain, which as you know, little sister, protects them from my mind control. I needed a spy. Someone on the inside with me who Marcel would never suspect, so I created a day zero and got there first. Marcel had just lost six vampires, thanks to your little murder spree, and he needed new recruit, so I made the new one mine before he'd had even a drop of vervain. But we all know the real way to a man is through his heart, so I compelled the girl he fancies to give him a chance and report back to me where he goes and who he sees."
Cassandra wanted to give Klaus a piece of her mind for using her only friend like that, but she knew it was neither the time or place for it. She was certain he wasn't done lecturing her, and she didn't want to risk him doing something drastic like make Cami forget they ever met if he knew she'd told Cami she was pregnant. No, the best thing for her to do was remain silent.
"And this one," Klaus turned and pointed at the vampire behind them that was slowly waking up. He walked over and grabbed the vampire by the collar of his leather vest and began dragging him towards the front door. "I'm gonna drain him of vervain, compel him to believe his mates found religion and moved to Utah so that he can explain to Marcel why he lost three more vampires tonight."
Rebekah rejoined Cassandra and together they trailed behind Klaus as he opened the front door and dragged the vampire inside the mansion where he dropped him as soon as he crossed the threshold. They stopped just inside the doorway as Klaus turned around to face them again.
"Does anyone have anymore questions?" He held his arms to signify that he was still open to answering anything else they wanted to know. Cassandra stared silently at her hands. Rebekah didn't have anything else to add at the moment either. "No? Good. Because I have a question. Cassandra, sweetheart, what were you doing in the bloody quarter by yourself in the first place?"
Cassandra slowly raised her eyes to meet his and took a deep breath before answering. "I just wanted to take a walk and get some fresh air, clear my head. I was starting to go stir crazy being stuck inside this huge place. And frankly," she paused and folded her arms across her chest as she started to glare at him. "I've been trying to figure out why you looked me in the eyes and lied to my face about Elijah's whereabouts. I know you daggered him, so don't even try to deny it. Why would you do that to him after everything he's done to protect me and the baby…your baby. You say you want us to be a family, but families don't keep each other in the dark when it comes to things like this. Families communicate. Families trust each other no matter what. At least where I come from that's what a family is, and it's the kind of family I want for our child."
Stunned by her accusations and overwhelmed with guilt, Klaus slowly sat down on the outer edge of the staircase landing and leaned back against the wooden bannister. He gazed blankly at the floor as Cassandra calmly walked over and sat down beside him.
"I gave Elijah to Marcel," he spoke in a soft voice, glancing over at her briefly before facing forward again.
"What?" Rebekah and Cassandra whispered, sharing a look of surprise.
"Marcel was nervous. It was bad enough one Original returned to town, but two?" He cautiously met her eyes. "His crew was getting antsy. He wanted Elijah gone, so I gave him a peace offering.
"You bartered our brother?" Rebekah stared in disbelief.
"I have a plan," Klaus flashed his eyes over to her briefly before returning his focus back to Cassandra. "Gain Marcel's trust, dismantle his empire, keep you and the baby safe at all costs, which I can't very well do when you go off by yourself without telling me or Rebekah. I am executing that plan the only way I know how. If you don't like it," he paused and shifted his gaze towards Rebekah again, directing his next words at her. "There's the door. See if I care."
He started to stand when Cassandra gently placed a hand on top of his arm, stopping him. "Wait," she murmured in a soft voice. He glanced at her, raising his eyebrows expectantly as he waited for her to continue. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for leaving without telling you. I know now that it was a dumb move that I didn't think through at all, and I promise it won't happen again."
"Thank you," he whispered as he gave her a nod of appreciation.
"Look, I won't lie to you. I don't like what you've done to Elijah one bit, but..."she paused when she noticed him beginning to frown and ran her hand down his arm until she reached his hand and slowly intertwined their fingers together. "I do understand your reasons for why you did what you did. I just wish you trusted me enough to confide in me."
"I do trust you, love, more than you probably know, but, can you honestly tell me you wouldn't have gone straight to Rebekah afterwards if I had told you about what I did to Elijah?" He asked in a soft voice. Her silence was a deafening no. "You see? That is why I never told you. I know how close you and my sister have grown, and as grateful as I am for that, it presents a small conundrum leaving me no choice but to pick and choose what I do and do not divulge to you. Now I could compel you to keep my secrets, but I choose not to because it's the one thing I've never done to you in the entire time we've known each other, and I don't intend to change that. Ever."
"I suppose that's fair," A small smile tugged at Cassandra's lips.
"Indeed, it's quite fair," Klaus chuckled lightly. "And just for the record, when the time is right I will get Elijah back."
"You're mental if you think I'm going to believe that," Rebekah scoffed as she folded her arms across her chest. "Do whatever the bloody hell you want. It's not like my opinion matters anyway." She stormed off in a huff, leaving Cassandra and Klaus alone in the foyer.
"She'll come around eventually," Klaus mused. "She always does."
"I'll talk to her. In the meantime, you can take care of that." Cassandra motioned with her at the lifeless vampire sprawled out on the floor in front of the entryway. "And his two buddies outside."
"Right you are, love," he smiled at her. He slowly stood up, bringing her with him. He started to pull his hand away from hers, but she wasn't ready to let go. He eyed her curiously. "Something wrong?"
She remained silent as she stepped closer to him and brought her free hand up to the side of his face. She leaned in and gently pressed her lips against his, letting them linger there for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Just wanted to do that, is all," she grinned.
"Mmm, I have missed that," he hummed as his eyes fluttered open.
"Well, maybe, if you play your cards right, there'll be more where that came from," she winked and turned around to head in the same direction Rebekah had gone. She could hear the soft growl that Klaus emitted under his breath as she walked away. For a brief second she thought he might block her path, but she heard the door open and close behind her, letting her know he'd gone outside to take care of the dead vampire bodies.
She found Rebekah sitting in a chair on the back porch. She made her way over and sat down in the empty chair beside her. "You know, I never thanked you for coming to my rescue back in the Quarter," Cassandra murmured as she turned her head towards Rebekah.
"We're family now," Rebekah flashed her a small smile. "Us girls have got to look out for each other."
"I never knew until I met your brother how exhausting it is to hate someone and love them at the same time," Cassandra sighed and leaned back against in her chair.
"Welcome to the last one thousand years of my life," Rebekah scoffed. "I try and try to love him and be the doting sister he desires, but sometimes the hate is just so powerful. You heard us talking about the governor's son earlier, right? Emil. He wasn't the only boyfriend of mine that Klaus killed." Cassandra nodded as a shudder ran through her. She didn't like thinking about that side of Klaus. She pushed them to the back of her mind and listened as Rebekah continued to talk. "He did it again and again every time I found someone to care about. He just kept doing it until finally I stopped falling in love. He said he was protecting me from my mistakes, that no one was ever good enough for his little sister…until one day someone was."
Cassandra leaned forward in her seat, her eyes growing wider as Rebekah told her about her past romance with Marcel Gerard when he was still human. It pained her to hear that Klaus had resorted to daggering Rebekah to keep her from being with Marcel. "I knew that Klaus had turned him, but, I didn't know he rescued Marcel when he was just a boy and raised him."
"Changes things a little, doesn't it?" Rebekah arched her eyebrows.
"Yeah. If you know Marcel has Elijah, why don't you just get him back yourself?"
"You know as well as I do if I cross Nik, there's still a coffin downstairs with my name on it."
The mention of the coffins instantly reminded Cassandra of what she'd found earlier that day. She told Rebekah she'd be right back and dashed off to the foyer to retrieve her purse from where she'd left it. She returned a minute later and sat back down beside Rebekah, resting her purse on her lap.
"He may have your coffin in the cellar, but it'll be a little hard for him to dagger you when he doesn't have these," she pulled the bundle of cloth out of her purse and pealed back the fabric to reveal two silver daggers.
"Oh my god," Rebekah stared in awe. "You clever girl. Where did you find them?"
"Under your coffin. Do you have any idea how much that thing weighs?" Cassandra laughed softly as she handed the daggers to Rebekah. "So, now there's nothing stopping you from getting Elijah back."
"No, there isn't," Rebekah's lips curled upward in a devious smirk. "Thank you, Cassandra."
"You're welcome," Cassandra grinned back. They stood up and exchanged a quick hug before Rebekah walked off to put the daggers in a safe place before taking Elijah's rescue into her own hands.
-o-
A warm, feathery sensation against her forehead stirred Cassandra from her slumber the next morning. She blinked her eyes open and found Klaus gazing down at her, smiling as he brushed her hair away from her face.
"Good Morning, sweetheart," he cooed softly. "Or should I afternoon?"
"Wha…afternoon? Mmm...what time is it?" She yawned as she sat up.
"A few minutes past noon," he answered.
"Noon?!" Her eyes widened. "Why'd you let me sleep in so late?"
Chuckling, Klaus lowered himself to a sitting position on the edge of the bed and took her hand into his. He ran his thumb against the top of her hand in small movements. "You seemed especially tired, and I thought it best you got as much rest as necessary."
"Oh. Yeah, this house is like a swamp sauna. Took me forever to fall asleep last night," she murmured.
"I'll have someone see to the air conditioning," he gave her a reassuring smile. "In the meantime, you need to eat, and I just so happen to make a mean omelet."
"As opposed to a nice one?" She couldn't resist cracking the joke. Klaus rolled his eyes as she burst into a fit of giggles.
"Ha ha, very funny. As soon as you're done laughing, why don't you get dressed and meet me in the kitchen," he released her hand and rose to his feet.
"Oh, come on. You totally walked into that one and you know it," she tilted her head to the side. As he reached the door, she called out to him. "Hey. I was wondering about something after a conversation I had with Rebekah last night."
"All right," he turned around and walked back over to the bed. "Go ahead."
"This whole thing with Marcel, the deal you have with the witches, trying to take him down, take what's his, Rebekah told me that you two once loved each other like family. What happened?"
Klaus sighed and sat back down next to her on the edge of the bed. "I made Marcel everything that he is, I treated him like a son, and when my father chased me and my family from New Orleans a hundred years ago, we believed Marcel was killed. We each mourned him in our own way. Yet when I returned, I found not only had he survived, he had thrived. Instead of seeking us out, instead of sticking together as one, he made a choice to take everything my family had built and make it his own. Now he is living in our home. He is sleeping in our beds. That 'M' he stamps everywhere is not for 'Marcel', it's for Mikaelson. I want it all back. And if I have to push him out to get it, then that's exactly what I'll do."
"Klaus I…I had no idea," she whispered, reaching out to cup the side of his face. "With the exception of daggering another sibling, you do whatever you must to take him down and gain control of the city. The last thing I want to do is bring our child into this world when there is a huge supernatural war brewing."
He turned his head and brushed his lips lightly against the palm of her hand. "I intend to, love, and believe me, that is the very last thing I want for our child as well. Now that I've answered your question, am I allowed to leave so I can make you that omelet?"
Chuckling softly, she nodded and dropped her hand to her side. Once he'd left the room she climbed out of bed and, after using the bathroom, changed into a cotton tank top and a comfortable pair of jean shorts. She was surprised to see now snug they fit after fastening the button. As she walked towards the bedroom door, she made a mental note to talk to Rebekah about taking a shopping trip someone in the near future. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she came to an abrupt halt as she stumbled onto Klaus and Rebekah in what was a very heated conversation.
"It's not a what. It's a who, a girl, Davina. She can't be more than sixteen, and I have never felt power like that," Rebekah spoke calmly, but the fear was evident in her eyes.
"A witch," Klaus whispered.
"She's not just any witch. She's something I've never seen before, some beyond powerful, and now because of you, she has Elijah. Who knows what she could do to him."
"What?" Cassandra gasped as she moved to stand beside Klaus. "Elijah is being held hostage by a witch more powerful than Bonnie? Are you kidding me?"
"Where is she?" Klaus asked through a clenched jaw.
Rebekah paused to think about it, then stared back at them dumbfounded. "That clever bitch. I don't know.
A look of concern flashed across Klaus's face. "What's wrong?"
"She wiped my memory of the location." She stepped towards Klaus as this new implication made her anger rise. "Marcel possesses a weapon bigger and more powerful than an original, and you handed our brother to him! How many times will Elijah forgive you? How long until his hope for your redemption finally dies?"
"I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO!" Klaus growled as he followed after Rebekah who had walked off towards the front door, leaving Cassandra at the base of the stairs. "Marcel took our home."
"And our home is worthless…without family," Rebekah stepped towards him. "I am finding Elijah, whatever it takes. Are you going to help me?"
"Whatever it takes," Klaus whispered with the smallest nod of his head.
"Whatever it takes," Cassandra joined them, lacing her fingers through Klaus's hand and reaching for Rebekah's hand to give it a gentle squeeze.