She stopped in the moonlight, just a few steps beyond the front gate. It had been years, But the old house looked better than she expected. She had spent her whole childhood in that house. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of gardenias and roses and sweet olive, all swirling through the humid Louisiana night air. So familiar, and yet almost forgotten. The aroma seemed to pull her along, around to the back yard.
She followed a row of gardenia bushes toward the back porch. In a daze of memories from the past, she climbed the cement steps and took a seat on the old porch swing. It creaked and groaned as she began to push it back and forth. She had spent so many hours on this porch swing, reading and sipping ice tea, talking with her best friend, foolishly day dreaming about her future with Niklaus a future that would never be.
"Are you going to stay out here all night or are you coming in?" A voice asked from behind her in the dark shadows of the porch.
Ariana Delphien grinned. "Rebekah!"
"The one and only." Rebekah Mikaelson said stepping out of the shadows a smile on her beautiful face.
"Damn it's good to see you." Ariana murmured standing and embracing her best friend in a tight hug. "It's been a long time."
"Only one hundred years give or take."
Ariana smiled. "Much too long if you ask me…I've missed you my friend."
Rebekah took Ariana's hand and moved them both to where they were sitting on the porch swing. Using one foot she set the swing in motion. "What are you doing here?"
"A little birdie called and said the Mikaelson's had returned to "New Orleans and I just had to come and see for myself if it was true."
"Well I for one am glad you're here…I could use someone I trust to watch my back
."
"Things are that bad huh?" Ariana asked quietly looking over at her.
"Oh you know the everyday fighting with Niklaus, wondering when he will stick a dagger in my heart just because I did something that displeased him or so one of his diabolical plans with come to be."
Ariana sighed. "I guess my prayers that changed were in vain."
Rebekah looked at her and cocked her eyebrow. "Ariana you know Niklaus better than anybody, don't tell me that you actually thought time would change him for the better? If anything it's made him worse. He fully intends to start a war with Marcel to reclaim his place as the rightful ruler of all New Orleans. Hell he even daggered Elijah of all people to set his diabolical plan in motion.
Ariana shook her head. "Poor Elijah out of everyone he's the one that tries the hardest to save Nik from himself."
"Unfortunately you can't save someone who doesn't want to be save it took me having a dagger stuck in my chest three times before I realized it."
Suddenly the back door creaked open "Rebekah is that you out here?" A female voice asked quietly.
"Yes Hailey it's me, an old friend has stopped by why don't you umm…come out and meet her."
Ariana watched as a pretty brunette stepped out on the porch.
"Ariana Delphien this is Hailey a…friend of the family." Rebekah dreaded being the one to tell Ariana that Hailey was carrying Niklaus's child.
Ariana stood and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Hailey."
"Ariana Delphien? I read about you in Elijah's journal…it's so nice to meet you." Hailey said sincerely.
"Thank you Hailey…Elijah wrote about me in his journal?" She asked touched.
I haven't gotten very far yet, but from what he has written about you so far tells me that you were special to him."
Ariana's throat tightened. "Elijah was like a father to me. When my parents were killed in a carriage accident we were in he was the one to find me. I was injured badly and he healed me. I had no other family and instead of letting me be sent to the orphanage he brought me here to live with him, Rebekah and Niklaus.
Rebekah smiled. "Yes Ariana and I were like sisters. I hope we will be again. You are sticking around aren't you?
"Well now that I know Niklaus has daggered Elijah and that you and Hailey are pretty much here with Niklaus alone I would love…"
"Well well well if it isn't Ariana Delphien!" An all too familiar voice said interrupting her.
"Hello Niklaus." Ariana said her holding her head high as he walked up on the porch to stand in front of her.
"Well love, I have to say you look beautiful as ever. What brings you by our little humble abode?"
"I heard you all had returned to New Orleans so I came home to see Rebekah."
"And here I thought perhaps you had come here to see me." He said laughter ringing in his voice.
"Don't flatter yourself." Ariana said with a roll of her eyes.
"Hailey love, have you told Ariana are good news?"
"Good News?" Hailey asked her brow wrinkling in confusion.
"Yes darling about our little bundle of joy on the way." Niklaus said settling one arm around Hailey's shoulders and placing his hand over Hailey's midsection.
Ariana looked between the two of them shocked.. She crossed her arms over her chest so he couldn't see her hands begin to shake. She turned to look anywhere but at him and Hailey. "Perhaps I should go for now. Rebekah how about lunch tomorrow."
"You are such a bastard!" Rebekah said ignoring Ariana's question.
Hailey moved from beneath Niklaus's arm as she suddenly realized that there must have been something between Niklaus and Ariana at one time.
"Oh come now Rebekah, I'm simply sharing our happy news."
"You're simply being a cruel bastard!" Rebekah exploded as Ariana moved to make her way off the porch and to her car. Before she could make it to the second step Rebekah blocked her path. "You aren't going anywhere Ariana, this is still your home just as much as it is ours. You will stay here with us. Elijah would be really angry if he knew I let you stay in some hotel when your bedroom is still as you left it."
"Bekah…I'm not so sure that is such a good idea."
"Rebekah is right this is your home too, so please don't let Niklaus's lack of manners and his rudeness from making you feel welcome in your own home." Hailey said sincerely.
Ariana looked between Hailey and Niklaus. She could tell that even though Niklaus tried to make it seem like there was something between him and Hailey it was the furthest thing from the truth. "Alright since you both put it that way perhaps I will stay." If Niklaus wanted to play games she'd play along. Knowing it would irritate him to no end she agreed. Niklaus's face suddenly fell. "You should really work on that poker face Nik, your slipping." She said with a laugh following a smiling Rebekah off the porch and around the side of the house and to her car to retrieve her bags. She heard Niklaus utter a string of curses and Hailey laugh as the screen door slammed shut and smiled to herself. Ariana Delphien 1 point and Niklaus Mikaelson 0.
"Well this should be interesting." Rebekah said laughing as Ariana unlocked the trunk of her Mercedes.
"How on earth did Niklaus who is a thousand year old Original vampire manage to knock up that poor girl?" Ariana asked grabbing her overnight bag and one of the suite cases as Rebekah grabbed the other.
"It's a long story, one that we aren't even sure of yet…but you have to admit it is kind of a miracle." She said as they made their way back to the house.
"Yeah but what I don't understand is…why is Hayley reading Elijah's journal?"
"Elijah is the one who found out about Hailey and the baby through the witches in the French Quarter. The witches were holding Hailey hostage trying to use her as leverage against Niklaus."
"Leverage against Niklaus?"'
"I told you it's a long story but the short version is that Marcel controls New Orleans and ever supernatural being in it Vampires, Witches and Werewolves. Witches are forbidden from practicing magic, werewolves are banned from entering the city. Hailey is a werewolf. Since Niklaus is both vampire and werewolf any offspring that he would create would be a hybrid. So the witches were holding Hailey as hostage because they want Niklaus to get rid of Marcel. What they didn't expect was for Niklaus to say he didn't give a shit what happened to Hailey or the baby. It was Elijah who stepped in and convinced that this baby may be our family's saving grace. He arranged for Hailey's release and placed her under his protection. Elijah kept calling me and trying to get me to come to New Orleans and I was refusing saying I didn't give a shit about Niklaus and his vengeful vendetta against Marcel. I didn't come here until Elijah wasn't answering my phone calls and I began to worry and think Niklaus had done something to Elijah. It wasn't until I got here that I found out I was right and Niklaus had put a dagger in Elijah's chest and given his body to Marcel as a kind of peace offering."
"Damn you weren't kidding when you said it was complicated. Well if Elijah has placed Hailey under his protection I will honor that and do my part in protecting her. Elijah has always had a good choice in character so that is good enough for me." Ariana said
"I didn't want you to find out about the baby like that…I'm sorry!"
"Rebekah stop apologizing for your brother's rudeness and selfish need to inflict pain on others."
Rebekah smiled as she opened the door and stepped inside. "I just know how you feel about Niklaus and what happened between the two of you and I know it had to have hurt. As for apologizing for my brother I've been doing so for a thousand years old habits are hard to break."
"Yeah well one of these days Niklaus Mikaelson is going to have to start apologizing for himself." Ariana said loud enough for Niklaus to hear wherever he was in the house.
"Don't hold your breath!" she heard him yell loudly.
"Why not? I'm a vampire I don't need to breath remember." She yelled back as they made their way up the stairs to Ariana's old room. The two woman walked into Ariana's room to find Hailey opening the windows.
"Oh sorry I thought I'd come in and start airing it out for you." She murmured nervously.
"Thank you Hailey I appreciate that." Ariana responded with a small smile.
Hailey watched Ariana set her bags on the bed and chewed on her bottom lip a minute trying to decide something. "Umm…I just want you to know…there isn't anything between Niklaus. I mean yes I am pregnant and the baby is his but let's just chalk it up to an unfortunate night of having a little too much to drink and a bad decision."
Ariana turned to the girl and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Haylie, it's none of my business. Whatever there may have been between Niklaus and myself was a very long time ago and it's in the past. I have no right to judge you and neither does anyone else. Everything happens for a reason regardless if we understand that reason or not. There is just one thing I won't tolerate and that is Elijah being hurt. He saved my life, gave me a home and loved me like a father. If it wasn't for him I would have been sent to an orphanage with."
"I totally understand where you are coming from. My birth parents abandoned me and my adoptive parents kicked me out when I was a teenager after I turned the first time. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to me hurting Elijah because that would never happen."
Ariana reached out and squeezed Hailey's hand. "I'm glad we have that cleared up." Ariana could tell she was going to like Hailey the girl was honest and she liked that about her.
"Me too…I will let you get settled and see you in the morning" Hailey said with a smile as she walked out of the room.
"Are you all set here? Anything else I can get you?" Rebekah asked drawing Ariana's attention back to her.
"No sweetie I think I'm good here. Thank you." Ariana replied leaning in to give Rebekah a hug.
Rebekah hugged her back then headed for the door herself. "I'm glad you came home. I've missed you."
Ariana smiled. "Thank you it's good to be home and I've missed you too, more than you know."
Rebekah smiled and gently pulled the door closed behind her on the way out it leaving Ariana alone in the quiet bedroom she had once loved so much.
Ariana quickly unpacked and stowed her suitcases beneath the bed. "Lord, if you are up there listening please give me the strength to deal with Niklaus Mikaelson. I don't know if I can handle another heart ache." She whispered knowing that he was her one weakness.