Disclaimer: I do not own The Originals, all rights to the show belong to Julie Plec and the CW.
Hello, my lovely readers. Okay, so this was inspired after watching 4x02 of TO, and, yeah, I've got nothing…
Don't Walk Away:
Marcel Gerard sat in his apartment. He'd sent his newest girl off. He needed time to contemplate how to help the children of his city and he couldn't do that if he was immersed in political games. He didn't look up when he heard the sound of feet making their way to his door. The soft knock did not come as any kind of surprise. He knew they couldn't stay away for long but he did not need this shit right now.
Sighing heavily, Marcel forced himself to his feet. He strode over to the door, not even bothering to plaster on a fake smile for his company's benefit. His fingers wrapped around the knob and he jerked the door open. "Hayley, I thought you made a promise to not come back," he snapped, narrowing his eyes.
Hayley glared back at him, her jaw tight. "No. I didn't make that promise. Klaus did. And I don't do what Klaus tells me to. Why should I start now?" The last quip made his lips twist into a faint smile before his eyes flicked down to the little girl with the big eyes, staring up at him.
"And you brought Hope." Marcel's shoulders drooped. He could not handle this right now. Of course she brought the kid. She knew him. She knew his rules. She knew that he would not lay a hand on her or her kid. Damn.
Marcel rolled his eyes, forced a smile and held his arm outward, waving them inside. "You know that coming here was one hell of a risk, right?" he asked Hayley.
"Yes," Hayley nodded, taking Hope over to a couch and sitting down. "From what I hear there's nowhere that's safe for the kids of this city." She looked at Hope.
Hope got up and walked over to Marcel. "I see this in my dreams," she told him with the seriousness of a person three times her age. He could see the signs of sleep deprivation that the girl suffered from, and frowned, taking the paper. It looked exactly like the same sigil that Vincent had shown him on top of that blasted book. Damn.
Marcel's eyes moved to Hope. She looked so solemn. That's the Elijah in her. That thought wasn't going to help anything. His eyes moved to Hayley who sat on the edge of the couch, poised to strike if he so much as breathed wrong on Hope. Rolling his eyes, he smirked at the overly-protective mama wolf.
His gaze slid back to Hope who held her clasped hands in front of her. She was waiting for him. For what? He didn't know. Dropping to one knee, Marcel took another, closer look at Hope's drawing. His heart clenched as he thought of Davina, drawing in wild loops, lost in her witchy visions.
Hope touched his shoulder. "Help me," she said quietly. "Please."
Tilting his head up, Marcel softened under the girl's wide-eyed gaze. Everyone he loved and hated were a part of this child. Rebekah. Klaus. Hayley. Elijah. Kol. His family. His torment.
"Okay," Marcel breathed, taking her hand off his shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. "For a little New Orleans witch, I will do what I can." He offered her a smile that made girls twice her age melt.
Hope just continued to stare at him with that solemn expression. "She told me about you, too."
"Who?" Marcel's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
Hope smiled for the first time and Marcel felt the hardest thing he'd felt in a long time: love. A glimmer of the kind of love he'd always feel for Davina pierced his heart. The desire to protect this child, to watch her flourish in their world, to nurture her came as another shock and it hurt as if someone had jabbed a fiery stake through his heart. No. He couldn't do this. Not again. Not to watch her die, too. It felt like too much.
Standing up, Marcel plastered on the show-man smile for Hayley. "I'll help you, guys. Whatever you need. Just call me and let me know." He side-stepped and moved to walk around Hope when she caught his hand. He looked down at her, not understanding what this kid wanted from him.
"She told me I had a big brother who protects the children," Hope said. "She said he's hurt. He lost his daughter and he's angry. But you won't hurt me. Or her. She said you're family, too, no matter what anyone else says. You're our family."
Marcel's mouth opened and he looked at Hayley whose lips tugged upward into a smile. "She did, now did she?" he asked, his own lips curving into a smile.
"Yeah. And daddy's heart is broken, too. He can't say it. But he misses you," Hope told him.
"Oh, and how do you know that?" Marcel asked, folding his arms on his chest.
Hope waved her hand, beckoning him to lean down so she could whisper into his ear. Marcel leaned down and Hope cupped her hand over her mouth, her fingers brushing his ear, and he smiled, genuinely.
"Because I can see his thoughts. And when he thinks about how hurt you are, he gets really sad. You're his son. You're his family, too." Hope whispered into his ear and Marcel felt something expanding inside of him. Stupid werewolf feelings. Why did he ever have to do this to himself?
"Marcel, are you crying?" Hayley asked and he could hear the teasing lilt to her tone.
Marcel straightened up and looked away. "No. Just got something in my eye. I've got to get someone in here to make sure we're not having paint chips falling off the ceiling or something." He made a show of trying to find something lodged in his lid. "Yup. Just as I suspected. Teeny bit of paint." He flicked the invisible paint from between his fingernails.
Hope and Hayley smirked at each other. Marcel pretended not to notice. "We've got to go before someone tells Klaus where I went and he comes here," Hayley said, holding out a hand to Hope.
Hope smiled up at Marcel. "Bye," she said with a wave.
Marcel nodded at her. "Bye, Hope," he said, waving back.
Hope ran over to her mother and they walked to the door while Marcel followed them. He watched them head down the hallway. He was about to shut the door when a small body came running at him. Out of instinct, he dropped to his knees, capturing the tiny creature and holding her to him. She was so much larger than the first time he held her but she melted his rage as he suspected she melted their father's. "I'll see you soon, kid," Marcel said, kissing Hope on her forehead before she pulled away and ran back to her mother.
When Marcel was alone, he walked back to where he'd been sitting before his unexpected guests showed up. Sitting down, he began to cry. "Damn," he muttered under his breath. He hadn't allowed himself to be vulnerable or to give a damn like this in a long time. The grief for Davina washed over him and he was paralyzed by it. "Why did you leave, D?" he asked the room. "Why did you leave us all alone?"
No one answered his question and Marcel continued to cry. He felt happy that none of his new lackeys were there to see their king in his weakest state. Klaus was right. Not about his needing Klaus' approval. But he needed his dad. He needed his family. And he knew just how he would get them back.
Steeling himself, Marcel pulled out his phone and made a call. "Yeah. Vincent," he said, holding Hope's sketch to examine it more closely. "I think I found someone else who needs our help. Yeah. She's a New Orleans witch, too. I'll tell you more when we meet." Hanging up, Marcel pocketed his phone and got to his feet.
Kol was wrong. Marcel is a Mikaelson. Always and forever. And he was going to prove it. Today.
The End
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Peace,
Jessica