Always and Forever:
A Sort Of Sequel To Always Getting Over You
Rheanna Mikaelson is finally living a semi-peaceful life. They may be dysfunctional, bickering lunatics but the Mikaelson family stick together no matter what. After returning to New Orleans, the city they had helped build, they face new threats, new adventures and old enemies. Can they handle the pressure, or have they finally reached their limits?
Always and Forever:
Flashback: Mississippi River, 1700's
The moonlight shone down on the water of the Mississippi River as two men gazed at the darkened silhouette of an abandoned ship that had been left in the middle of the sea.
"What do you make of that?" the first man asked the other in a quiet voice without taking his eyes off of the shadowed boat.
"No banner; no flag. Floated in out of nowhere. A miracle ship." The second man answered calmly as he peered over at his companion and nodded his head towards the ship with the barest hint of a smile.
"Why is it just sitting out there?"
"Suppose we ought to find out."
Soon after their conversation, the two men had arrived upon the seemingly abandoned ship with a small gathering of other men for back up. They approached the below desk to look for clues as to what had happened to the crew and entered the room from the wooden ladder one by one, each carrying a lit lantern for light.
The wooden panels creaked under their heavy footsteps and the sound of water constantly dripping echoed throughout the quiet room.
"Where in hell is everyone?" one of the men asked incredulously as he walked further into the room with a small frown on his lips.
"Deserted. Which makes everything in the hold legally forfeit. Take what suits you." another of the men announced in a slightly raised voice so that the other behind him could hear the words. There was a murmur of acknowledgement as the men went off to search the cargo hold of the ship for any treasures. The two men who had first noticed the ship strolled down the aisle of the ship together, keeping an eye out for anything valuable.
"What do you make of that?" the first man asked curiously as he paused in the middle of the aisle and grabbed the other man's shoulder to stop him in his tracks. They both looked towards a darkened alcove where two immaculate mahogany coffins and warily approached them. "Open it up."
The second man hesitated slightly as he looked over at his companion in bewilderment before slowly walking towards the closest coffin. He lifted the lid open cautiously to reveal the corpse of a young man with a dagger in his chest and he grimaced at the desiccated grey skin as he stepped back in shock "What the hell?!"
Suddenly, a door swung open somewhere in the hold and the two men spun around just in time to see one of the men they'd come with disappear into thin air. Another of the men vanished as a gush of wind swept through the room and the second men looked around wildly but all of the men he was with were nowhere to be found.
"Hello." A sweet female voice with a British accent greeted him from behind and he turned around quickly with his lantern held up to see their face. A beautiful blonde woman stood in front of him with black veins protruding from underneath her cerulean blue eyes and he watched in fascination as she wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Lovely to see such a handsome face after a long journey." Another unmistakably feminine voice with the same British accent stated pleasantly from behind him and he spun back around in shock with a startled gasp escaping him. A stunning woman with flowing honey coloured hair stood in front of him with a small smile on her lips and her oak brown eyes swept over him appreciatively with her head cocked to the side. "Can I eat him, brother?"
"I'd rather you didn't." a melodic male voice answered her question calmly as she pouted prettily and the man stared at her a moment longer before looking over her shoulder in the direction the voice had come from. A handsome man with dark brown hair was leaning against the wall with a slight smile on his lips and he strolled towards them with his hands clasped behind his back. "There's no need to be afraid."
The dark haired stranger's oak brown eyes locked onto the man's as they dilated slightly and the man's mind instantly became a blank canvas ready for the a master's touch. "And do exactly as I say. You will remember nothing."
"I will remember nothing." The man repeated back to him absently as he stared at the man in front of him with a blank expression on his face.
"We've had a very long journey, wherein which, unfortunately, we lost all of our crew. Therefore, I will ask you kindly to transport our belongings to the shore."
"What kind of hell demons are you?"
"We're vampires, darling." The honey haired woman answered him in an almost seductive tone of voice as she gracefully strolled passed him, brushing up against his arm as she passed him. He followed her movements with a mesmerised glint in his eyes as she came to a stop next to the blonde woman and he first noticed how similar the two women were in appearance.
"The Original vampires: Rebekah, Elijah, Rheanna, our brothers Kol and Finn; may they rest in peace." The blonde introduced them in a soothing voice as she gestured with her eyes to each of the people in the room, starting with herself and then towards the two coffins to the side of the room.
"Are we saving the best for last?" an accented male voice echoed throughout the cargo hold from overhead and Rebekah rolled her cerulean blue eyes in annoyance as she turned around to face the ladder leading up to the deck.
"And our half-brother, Niklaus. Ignore him; he's a beast." She continued in a relatively exasperated voice as she looked up at the opening at the top of the ladder. Another handsome man with curly blonde hair was standing on the deck with the corpse of a man in his arms. There was scarlet blonde coating his mouth with his incisors elongated into fangs and darkened veins protruding underneath his eyes. Niklaus laughed slightly at the blonde's comment as he pushed the dead body in his arms down the ladder and they all watched as it landed on the ground with a loud thud.
"We fled Europe and survived the seas. Would you rather I arrive hungry on the shores of our new homeland?"
"Niklaus, your manners are, as always, without equal." Elijah stated calmly with a slightly scolding tone in his voices as he glanced down at the corpse indifferently and the man spun around in surprise to face him, having forgotten that he was there with everything else going on.
"Sir, would you be so good as to tell us where it is that we have landed?" Rheanna asked him flirtatiously as she stepped forward to place a hand on his arm and he turned his head to look at her with wide eyes as she batted her eyelashes.
"The French colony of Louisiana, off the shores of a town they have named New Orleans." The man answered in a trembling voice as he stared into her memorising oak brown eyes and she was so close to him that her chest brushed against his arm.
"Thank you so much." She cooed huskily with coy smirk on her lips as she rubbed his forearm teasingly and he nodded numbly as he blinked at her owlishly. Elijah stifled a smirk as he wandered past them and he stopped just at the base of the ladder to look back at the pair earnestly.
"Oh, I do recommend that you find yourself further assistance for the luggage. My sincere apologies." Elijah said with a smirk as he glanced at the luggage to the side of the room and then turned on his heel to climb the stairs after Rebekah.
"My sibling can be a little discourteous at times. You'll have to forgive their boorish behaviour." Rheanna told the man with false regret in her voice as she ran a hand up his chest and his breathing deepened as she inched her lips closer to his with a smirk. "Perhaps I'll have to show their contrition."
She placed a hand over his heart as she started gently pushing him backwards until his back hit the wall and he gaped at her in shock as she smirked at him seductively. She leaned forward slightly as she tilted her head so that her lips glided over his jawline and he felt his heart rate skyrocket as her lips stopped over his pulse point. Pain shot through his body as she bit down into his skin and he let out a strangled cry as she gripped his shoulders to keep him for moving from her hold.
Rheanna POV: Mystic Falls, Present Day
One thing I had always loved about my family was that we didn't beat around the bush. We were blunt. We got what we wanted. So it was no surprise that when Elijah summoned me to our family mansion I complied easily because I knew that he wouldn't concede until I was standing in front of him.
Rebekah and I were sitting together on the chaise longue unenthusiastically waiting for Elijah to show up at the meeting he had requested.
"Where the bloody hell is he? I have a life, you know!" I exclaimed in annoyance as I crossed my arms immaturely over my chest with a pout on my lips and Rebekah sighed frustration as she hummed in agreement.
"Relax, Rheanna, I'm here." Elijah announced calmly in his usual tranquil tone as he strolled into the living room regally.
"Finally." Rebekah muttered under her breath as she rolled her cerulean blue eyes and I chuckled lightly as Elijah stopped in front of us with his hands in his pants pockets. "Why did you call this bogus semi-family meeting?"
"More like bogus family semi-meeting." I retorted proudly with a smirk on my lips as I flipped my honey coloured hair over my shoulder.
"Rebekah, Rheanna, I asked you – "
"Forced us." we both interrupted him in unison as we gave him matching pointed looks that he ignored.
"– here today to discuss our brother."
"Why? What's Niklaus done now?" I asked him in exasperation as I threw myself back on the couch with an annoyed pout on my lips.
"He's gone to New Orleans, Louisiana."
"New Orleans? What the hell is Klaus doing there?" Rebekah asked in irritated confusion as she tilted her head to the side with a frown and I raised an eyebrow at our older brother expectantly.
"Evidently there are witches conspiring against him. So, knowing our brother, this was a mission to silence and slaughter." Elijah explained calmly as he looked between us with a carefully composed expression and I looked over at him in surprise as I raised both of my eyebrows.
"Well, the French Quarter witches are not a lot to be trifled with." I pointed out thoughtfully as I tapped my chin gently with my lips pursed together and Elijah tilted his head to the side pensively as he nodded slowly.
"You don't suppose they've found a way to kill him once and for all, do you?" Rebekah asked hopefully with a gleeful smile on her lips as her eyes lit up and I rolled my eyes at her with a small smile on my lips.
"Rebekah, in the name of our family, you might try to dial down your glee." Elijah ordered slowly with a disapproving looked as he narrowed his oak brown eyes towards my sister.
"What family? We're three distrustful acquaintances who happen to share a bloodline. And Rheanna, who for some reason trusts all of us." she argued heatedly with a dismissive wave of her hand in my direction as she shook her head slightly and I opened my mouth to contend her statement but she shot me a pointed look, making me snap my mouth shut quickly. "I, for one, hope they've found a way to make that traitorous bastard rot."
"The witches of the French Quarter practice ancestral magic. Their power can only be harnessed within the boundaries of New Orleans, meaning that if Niklaus leaves New Orleans, they will be rendered powerless." I informed them lazily as I slouched on the couch with a bored expression on my face and Rebekah nodded along in agreement with me as she pointed a finger towards me.
"Where are you going?" Rebekah asked our brother incredulously as we watched Elijah started approaching the open double doors that led out of the room.
"To find out who's making a move against our brother. And then I'll either stop them... or I'll help them, depending on my mood." Elijah answered her passively as he stopped in the doorway with his back to us and I let out a small groan as I pushed myself up onto my feet with a roll of my eyes.
"Hold up, I'm coming." I told him reluctantly as I reached frown for my purse that was on the couch next to me and Elijah turned around to look at me with an eyebrow raised in question.
"What? Why are you going with him?" Rebekah asked me with a tinge of annoyance in her voice as she stood up from the longue.
"Well, someone has to make sure they don't get themselves killed."
"You mean because someone might kill them, or they'll kill each other?"
"Eh. It's a coin toss." I admitted to her with a smirk on my lips as I shrugged my shoulder slightly and she laughed in amusement at the truth behind my words as I pressed a kiss to her cheek before following Elijah out of the living room.
New Orleans, Louisiana
I looked around the crowded bar called Rousseau's from where I sat next to Elijah at the counter as I waited for the bartender to come back with our drinks.
"So what brings you both to the Big Easy?" the pretty blonde bartender asked us with a smile as she set our martini's down in front of us. I could tell that this girl wasn't trying to flirt with my brother like so many woman had before, but was actually curious about the answer.
"We used to live here." I answered for the both of us with a small smirk on my lips as I reached for my drink and Elijah nodded in agreement as he accepted his own.
"Really, when?"
"Oh, it feels like a hundred years ago."
"I just moved here myself. What brought you back?" she asked curiously as she tilted her head to the side and I took a sip of my drink so that I wouldn't have to come up with an appropriate answer.
"Well, our brother's here somewhere. I'm afraid he might have got himself into a bit of a bind." Elijah told her truthfully with a small smirk on his lips as he glanced at me momentarily and I smiled back at him as I placed my glass down on the counter.
"You say that like it's a common occurrence."
"Common occurrence like the sunset is a common occurrence." I interjected in amusement as I leaned one elbow on the countertop with a smirk on my lips and the bartender quirked an at me with a small smile as Elijah chuckled lowly.
"Well…he's complicated. Defiant, ill-mannered, and a little temperamental. See, we don't share the same father. Of course that never bothered me or Rheanna or any of our other siblings, but our brother resents it deeply. Never felt like he belongs. All told, he has a long history of getting himself into trouble. " Elijah elaborated with more detail than necessary as he looked over at the bartender earnestly and I nodded along with him in agreement as I continued to sip my martini.
"And I'm guessing you have a long history of getting him out of it." the bartender concluded knowingly with a small sigh as she leaned her hands on the countertop and Elijah nodded his head in acknowledgement with a smile on his lips. "What kind of bind is your brother in?"
"He believes there are people in this town that are conspiring against him." I told her airily with a dismissive wave of my hand as I smiled at her over the counter and she blinked at me in surprise as she shook her head slightly.
"Wow. Narcissistic and paranoid." She mused out loud with a thoughtful smile on her lips and I quirked an eyebrow at her as Elijah leaned forward in interest. "Sorry. Bartender with a grad degree in psychology. Total cliché."
"Listen, - " Elijah cut himself off to read the nameplate buttoned to her shirt as he clasped his hand together on top of the bar, " – Camille, we're looking for someone who might shed some light on his current predicament. She works here, Jane-Anne Deveraux. Any idea where we might find her?"
"No. But I know someone who might."
"This someone have a name, sweetheart?" I asked her politely as I turned my body slightly to rest both my elbows on the counter and sent her a smile as she nodded in answer to my question.
"There's a tour guide, Sabine Laurent. She's friends with Jane-Anne." Camille explained helpfully as she grabbed a napkin and a pen from under the countertop as she bit her lower lip. I leaned forward on my elbows curiously as she jotted down something and then slid the napkin towards us with a small smile. "This is where you'll find her."
"Thank you, Camille."
"I actually prefer Cami. I really need to get my nametag changed. Drunk guys keep hitting on me in French."
"Bonne idée. Merci, Camille." I said with a small smirk on my lips as I placed my hand over the napkin and she laughed lightly as I downed the rest of my martini in one swallow. "You have to admit, it's actually kind of hot when I speak French, right?"
"You're not my type." She countered in amusement with a smirk as she took my empty glass off the counter and I shrugged indifferently with one shoulder as I smirked back at her.
"Eh. It's okay. I have a very, very hot boyfriend back home."
"And an older brother sitting right beside you." Elijah interjected pointedly with mirth in his voice as he raised an eyebrow at our exchange and I giggled a little as I stood up from my seat at the bar with an apologetic smile.
I waved at Cami over my shoulder with a smile as I started towards the bar door while Elijah paid for our drinks and as I stepped out into the cool night air, I couldn't help but missing living in the city. New Orleans was one of the only places where we were then came close to being a proper family, even for a moment in time and I missed having all of us in one place acting like we could actually stand each other.
Elijah walked out of the doors as I turned to face him with a small smile and he returned it as he held his arm out for me to take. I linked my arm through his with a happy hum in the back of my throat as we started walking down the street and we used our vampire speed to ran towards one of the main tourist streets in the French Quarter.
We arrived on a busy street as we slowed down to a human's walking pace and I saw a dark skinned woman leading a group of excited tourist down the street.
"Welcome to New Orleans, and the crown jewel of the Crescent city, the French Quarter. Jazz and jambalaya, romance, poetry, not to mention the things that go bump in the night. Monsters that feed off human blood, vengeful spirits of the dead, and my personal favourite, the witches. Here we have the voodoo shop, Jardin Gris. Go on, browse for a hex." The dark skinned woman, who I figured must have been Sabine, said brightly to the gathered tourists as she gestured towards an opened shop and they all slowly wandered in excitedly as Sabine took a few steps onto the empty road. "Are you going to continue following me, Elijah, or do you wanna talk?"
Elijah let go of my arm with a look that told me to stay hidden where I was as he strolled casually out into the light that bathed the road from the overhead streetlight. "You know who I am."
"Original vampire, always wears a suit." Sabine stated in a slightly amused tone of voice as she swept her gaze over his body and Elijah smiled demurely a little at her as she raised her eyebrows. "And Rheanna, one half of the Original twins, former witch."
"The better half, I like to think." I told her modestly with a small shrug of my shoulder as I walked out of the shadows and she smirked a me a little as I came to a stop next to my brother.
"You two and your family are famous amongst the witches, especially with your... brother back in town."
"Well, Niklaus is here because he learned that a witch was conspiring against him. Someone by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux."
"Well, if he's looking for Jane Anne, he's a little late."
"Are you telling us she's dead?" Elijah asked her in surprise as I watched Sabine's expression fade into a slightly distraught frown and I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion as I tilted my head to the side.
"Come on, her sister Sophie's gonna want to talk to you." she informed us softly as she gestured with her head for us to follow her and I shared a look with my brother before we started trailing after her as she walked down the street.
The crowd soon thinned out until we were walking down a completely empty street with the overhead streetlights the only form of illumination. It was nearly entirely silent except for our footsteps as Sabine led us towards a gathering of people who I suspected were witches. Some of them were standing on the outskirts of the group, others were crouched down next to something but each down the same depressed expression on their faces. We stopped down the street from the group as I looked closer to see what they were gathered around and my mouth dropped open slightly when I caught sight of the corpse of a brunette woman on the ground with dried blood on her neck. Lit candles and bouquets of flowers were set respectfully around the woman's body as the witches silently wept for their fallen coven member.
"That's Jane-Anne? Killed in public for anyone to find..." I trailed off in shock as I stared sympathetically at the mourning witches and turned to look at Sabine for an explanation.
"Only people that come around here are the witches. Now her sister has come to take her body. Her spirit can't rest until it's been properly interred in the cemetery."
"Please tell me that my brother had nothing to do with this." Elijah pleaded almost desperately as he turned to look at the dark skinned witch with hope in his oak brown eyes.
"No. Jane-Anne died because she got caught doing magic." Sabine answered softly as she stared at the body of her friend sadly and I spun around to look at her in confusion with a frown on my lips.
"What do you mean she got caught doing magic?" I asked her in a demand as I tilted my head to the side with an angry frown and a loud whistle echoed throughout the silent night air from somewhere down the street.
You wanna know who killed Jane-Anne? You're about to get your first glimpse of Marcel in action."
"The vampire Marcel?" Elijah asked her in shock as he raised an eyebrow at her and I grimaced guiltily because I had known that Marcel had survived after 1919 when we vacated the city.
Things have changed since your family left town. Marcel has changed." Sabine told her in a rush as she watched a few vampires jumping over cars, leaping down from balconies and a horde of walking vampires as they approached the group of witches. "I'm asking you, stay hidden. If Marcel finds out that a witch lured the Originals back into town, my people will be slaughtered."
Elijah grabbed my elbow tightly without taking his eyes off of the emerging crowd of vampires and we jumped up onto the overhanging balcony to watch the proceedings from the shadows.
"Well, well, well, what have we here? I gotta tell you Soph, this street corner is not proving the luckiest spot for your family tonight. Not half an hour ago, we had to teach your sister a little lesson." Marcel's familiar voice called from below as he approached the body of Jane-Anne and addressed the pretty brunette that was kneeling next to her with silent tears running down her cheeks.
"We're putting her to rest Marcel. Leave us alone." Sophie said tiredly as she stood up from her crouch with a weary sigh and I leaned my hands on the metal railing in front of me as I frowned at the scene.
"I never said you could move the body. Matter of fact, I left her here for a reason: send a message. If anybody is thinking of joining some kind of rebellion, my rules state that witches can't practice magic in the Quarter and yet a little birdy informed me that Jane-Anne was cooking up something magically delicious. Oh, yeah. While I have you, quick Q&A. My old friend – the hybrid, Klaus – he just happened to show up out of the blue asking for, of all people, Jane-Anne. Any idea why?"
"I don't know. Witches don't get involved in vampire business."
"Hmm. That would be pretty stupid, that's for sure. Tell you what, go back to the restaurant, cook up some of that famous gumbo, and keep those tourists happy." Marcel ordered Sophie in a mock-friendly voice as he circled around her like an animal circling its prey and then he turned towards one of his followers with a grin. "Take the body."
"What? No! Stop! Stop! Marcel!" she cried pleadingly as she tried to stop the vampires that had moved forward to take Jane-Anne's body but one of the vampire's grabbed her.
"I'm gonna hold on to your sister's body in case maybe you remember why Klaus is here."
"Marcel, please. Her body won't be at peace."
"Not my problem." He called back to her in sing-song voice as he walked back down the street the way he had come and the vampire's all followed after him, one of them with Jane-Anne's corpse in his arms.
I scoffed under my breath as I narrowed my eyes at his retreating figure and tightened my grip on the railing to stop myself from going to beat some sense into him. Elijah placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as he frowned down at the witches with sympathy in his oak brown eyes.
"Come along." Elijah murmured quietly to me as he slipped his hand into the crook of my elbow and assisted me in leaping over the railing of the balcony so that we landed gracefully on the road underneath.
"We should probably contact Rebekah and inform her of this new development." I suggested softly as we started walking down the sidewalk with our arms linked at the elbow and he nodded in agreement as he reached into his suit pocket with his free hand before dialling our sister's number.
"Hello, big brother. Is this a courtesy call to let me know Niklaus is dead?" I heard Rebekah asked through the phone line in greeting with unmistakable glee in her voice.
"Mind your tongue, Rebekah. This is a courtesy call to let you know Marcellus now has control of the French Quarter." Elijah explained in a firm voice as he subtly rolled his oak brown eyes at her merriment and I ducked my head to hide the small quirk of my lips.
"You mean to tell me, after all these years, Marcel is alive and well?"
"Quite." He affirmed for her in a murmur as his eyes drifted towards me and I grimaced guiltily as I tried to avoid looking at him. "Hold on a moment, Rebekah. Our sister appears exceptionally guilty at the moment."
"What? No, I don't. I'm fine." I declared falsely with a perfectly straight face as I turned my head to look at Elijah and he lifted an eyebrow at me doubtfully as he gave me pointed look.
"Rheanna…"
"Okay, I knew he was alive."
"How?"
"Just before Christmas, the Salvatore brother's and I came to New Orleans in search of a witch Damon once knew in the 1940's. He wanted information on breaking a sire bond for him and Elena, but the witch was dead and we couldn't find anything I didn't already know. When we were finished, I was wandering around, reminiscing, and I ran into a vampire who started yapping on about some 'King of the Quarter'. So, I went with him to meet his so-called 'king'. Imagine my surprise when he led me straight to Marcellus."
"Why did you not inform us of his survival?" Elijah asked me tersely with a stern expression as he pulled me to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk and I glanced down at the ground nervously before meeting his oak brown eyes unflinchingly.
"Our family was better off not knowing. Especially after all this time. We are surprisingly happy in Mystic Falls. I know we are fighting over the cure and no-emotions Elena is a complete bitch, but we were all on speaking terms, no one was daggered, that's probably the best our family can muster." I stated passionately with not a hint of remorse in my voice as I turned my body to face him and held my chin up defiantly as I crossed my arms over my chest.
Elijah stared at me with his oak brown eyes sweeping over my face scrutinisingly and then suddenly, he leaned forward to press a kiss to my forehead as he cupped my cheek with his free hand before looking into my eyes, "You did the right thing, Rheanna. It's not a bad thing to want us to be a family."
"I'm still here you know!" Rebekah cried through the phone in an outraged tone as I smiled sadly at our brother and Elijah held the phone back up to his ear as we started walking down the street once more.
"Our brother seems to have wandered into a war zone. And I haven't been able to find him. Marcel, who Klaus sired and brought up beneath his own wing, now rules a menagerie of savage vampires running wild, killing in public for any human to come upon. Witches are held in subjugation. I doubt Niklaus had any idea what he was walking into."
"Sorry, what was that? I stopped paying attention at 'our brother'."
"Rebekah."
"Our hateful, traitorous bastard of a brother, who's negated any sympathy I once had for him by his repeated efforts to ensure neither you nor I know happiness outside of his own selfish universe."
"Always and forever, Rebekah, that is what we once swore to each other." I reminded her pointedly as I glanced at the phone in Elijah hand as though it was really her standing next to me.
"Consider this me calling take-backs." Rebekah commented flippantly as I rolled my eyes at her blasé attitude regarding our vow because she was the one who suggested we make it in the first place.
"Well, you've called take-backs dozens of times over the centuries and yet when our father found us and chased us from this very city..." Elijah trailed off with a slight hint of amusement in his voice as he shook his head at her dramatics.
"I may be old, Elijah, but I'm hardly senile. I know very well I stuck with Klaus, and not three years later he stuck a silver dagger in my and Rhea's chests and sent us into a magical slumber for ninety years. Do you know why? Because we had the audacity to try and live our lives on our own without him."
"Enough. I believe our brother's in trouble, so whatever is going on between Marcel and the witches, it's dire enough that they'd risk bringing an Original back to town. The witches have lured him here, I'd like to know why." He announced firmly in a voice drenched in authority as he glared at something in front of him that I couldn't see before hanging up the phone without another word.
"Rousseau's?" I asked him knowingly as I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the bar and he hummed in agreement as he pocketed his phone.
We started running at vampire speed to a darkened corner of the street just down the path from Rousseau's, the bar that the Deveraux sister's owned because the place was basically surrounded by humans.
"You're doing magic?" I heard a male voice ask someone in the distance, through the loud interlaced voices and I closed my eyes as I concentrated my vampire hearing so I could pinpoint the location.
"I'm praying to my dead sister. Go ahead, pay your respects." I heard Sophie snap in a raised voice around in the alley behind Rousseau's and I opened my eyes with a frown as I immediately started walking towards the voices.
"Don't make this a thing, Sophie. The hybrid was looking for Jane-Anne. Marcel wants to know why."
"I'd say ask her yourself, but I guess you can't, seeing as Marcel killed her. " she retorted sharply as I jumped up onto the roof overlooking the dark alley and I saw the brunette witch from before standing in between two male vampires. One of the vampires sped towards Sophie but I jumped down from the roof top and grabbed his arm tightly before leaping back onto the roof with him in my grasp.
"Hello, there." I whispered sweetly to him with a smirk on my lips as he stared at me in shock and I plunged my hand into his chest as I curled my fingers around his heart before ripping it out of his body. I dropped his body onto the ground unceremoniously with a roll of my eyes and I strolled over to the other end of the roof before I let the bloodied heart roll out of my hand onto the alley below. I peeked over the ledge as the other vampire and Sophie both looked around in confusion and Elijah moved to my side with a casual air around him as I smirked at him over my shoulder. The vampire in the alley turned to glare at Sophie as though this was all her doing and moved towards her at lightning speed, but Elijah jumped down gracefully and grabbed the vampires arm tightly as he dragged him into the shadows of the alley. Elijah pulled a dagger from the confines of his jacket as he pushed the vampire backwards and then threw the dagger with deadly accuracy so that it embedded in his heart, killing him instantly before pinning him to the brick wall of the alley.
"I'm Elijah. You heard of me?" Elijah asked the frightened looking witch casually as he stared up at the deceased vampire. I leapt over the edge of the rooftop with ease and landed gracefully next to Elijah as I flipped my hair over my shoulder.
"And I'm Rheanna." I stated offhandedly as I glanced at the bloodied heart on the ground with my nose scrunched up slightly in disgust. "And he just ruined my manicure."
"I know who you are." Sophie announced in a shaky voice as she nodded jerkily in answer and I looked over at her with an eyebrow quirked questioningly.
"So, why don't you tell us what business your family has with our brother?"
I looked around the darkened Lafayette Cemetery warily as Sophie entered through the squeaking gate at the entrance to the cemetery and I was forced to a stop next to Elijah as I frowned in confusion.
"What is this?" I asked in a demand as I turned my attention to the brunette witch in front of me and she stared back at me unflinchingly as she lifted her chin defiantly.
"This is sacred ground, which means vampires have to be invited in. But, since I'm desperate... Come on in." Sophie said reluctantly as she gestured for us to enter the cemetery and I narrowed my eyes at her as I strolled into the cemetery. Elijah trailed in after me as I started following Sophie through the rugged terrain and I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket as I looked around at the tombstones. "We can talk freely here."
"Then I suggest you start talking. What did your sister want with Niklaus?"
"Isn't it obvious? We have a vampire problem, and we need help. Marcel has an army backing him. The witches have been trying to fight back. We haven't had much luck, until my sister Jane-Anne met a girl, a werewolf passing through the quarter from a small town in Virginia. She had a special connection to your brother. "
"What kind of connection?" Elijah asked her curiously as he shifted his weight with his head tilted to the side and I tried to remember any female werewolves I had come across in Mystic Falls.
"Apparently, they spent some time together. One thing led to another and now this special werewolf girl – she's pregnant. And the father of the child she's carrying is your brother Klaus." Sophie announced pointedly with a straight face as I raised both my eyebrows at her in disbelief, all other thoughts leaving my mind.
"That's impossible." I argued heatedly with a scowl on my lips as I fought back the urge to break her neck for making such ludicrous accusations.
"Nothing is impossible, especially not when it comes to your brother. Think about it – they call him the hybrid, right? Bring her out!" she called in a raised voice as she turned her head towards the entrance to the mausoleum behind us and I frowned at her as I looked over her shoulder in interest.
Three female witches came out of the mausoleum entrance surrounding a familiar looking brunette werewolf and I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously as I tried to remember her name from our brief meeting in Mystic Falls.
"Who the hell are you?" the werewolf asked in a mixture of confusion and irritation as she looked between my brother and me warily.
"Give us a moment, please." Elijah murmured to Sophie quietly as he gazed at the werewolf in obvious interest and I nodded in agreement as I pursed my lips together doubtfully.
"Inside the burial vault, you can talk privately." Sophie told us shortly as she gestured back towards the mausoleum and I pushed passed her roughly as Elijah nodded gratefully before trailing after me.
"You, werewolf girl, follow me if you know what's good for you." I demanded curtly as I stalked towards the small group in front of the entrance and she looked at me boldly for a moment before nodding slightly. I glared at the witches surrounding her warningly as I gestured with my hand for her to go first and she licked her lips as she started strolling into the tomb with a forced air of calmness.
I glanced over my shoulder at Elijah as he gave me a reprimanding look for speaking so harshly to the girl and I rolled my eyes at him as I followed the werewolf through the entrance way with my brother trailing after me.
We entered a burial vault lowly lit by numerous candles on the walls around us and I watched as the werewolf sat with her legs crossed on top of a stone altar in the middle of the room.
"So, have they been holding you here against your will?" Elijah asked her in slight concern as he looked around the vault curiously and I leaned against the stone wall with my arms crossed over my chest.
"They lured me out to the bayou and grabbed me. And they did all these... weird witchy tests. Not that I understand how this could happen. I mean, vampires are dead. They can't have children!" the werewolf pondered out loud in a slightly frustrated voice as she looked at my brother with wide eyes.
"Yes, I'm aware of that fact, thank you." I stated drily as I narrowed my eyes at her in mild annoyance and she meet my eyes of a moment before ducking her head sheepishly.
"Perhaps if you knew my brother's story, it might explain how this is possible." Elijah informed her calmly as he strolled closer to her with his arm outstretched towards her temple. "Here, if I may."
The werewolf recoiled quickly before he could touch her with a frightened widening of her eyes and Elijah pulled his hand back slightly as she looked up at him in slight shock. "What are you doing?"
"Relax. If you open your mind to me, I can show you." he explained softly as he sat down next to her on the edge of the stone altar and she stole an unsure glance in my direction before nodding subtly to indicate her approval.
Elijah placed both his hand on her side the side of her head as they both closed their eyes and I watched in interest as he started to tell the tale of our creation into Original vampires.
"In the beginning, our family was human... A thousand years ago, now. Although our mother dabbled in the dark arts, we were actually just a family trying to survive in a time when it was quite difficult to do so. And, for better or worse, we were happy. That is, however, until one night, our youngest brother was killed by our village's greatest threat. Men that could transform themselves into wolves during the full moon. Our family was devastated, none more than Niklaus. Desperate to protect the rest of us, our father forced our mother to call upon her black magic in order to make us stronger. Thus, the first vampires were born. But with this speed, this strength, this immortality, came a terrible hunger. No one felt this hunger more than Niklaus. When he killed for the first time, we knew what he truly was. He wasn't just a vampire."
"He was also a werewolf. That's how the werewolf curse works. It isn't activated until you take a life."
"Niklaus was the result of an indiscretion our mother had hidden from us all. An affair, with a werewolf like yourself." I interjected quietly from my place leaning the entrance as the werewolf's eyes fluttered open and I let my arms dropped to my side limply as she looked over at me curiously. "Infuriated by this betrayal, our father forced our mother to cast a spell that would suppress Klaus's werewolf side, denying him any connection with his true self."
"Your dad was a dick." The werewolf stated matter-of-factly as both her eyebrow rose slightly and I let out a small laugh as Elijah chuckled lowly at the comment. "I'm Hayley, by the way. You should probably know my name if you're gonna tell me your whole life story. I mean, I know yours. Your family is legendary. Your brother is a notorious psycho... who I slept with. Classic me."
"I'm sleeping with the Ripper of Monterrey. You know, the infamous serial killer best known for his horrific killing sprees, including the massacre of an entire migrant village in 1917? We all have our type."
"Rheanna, please." Elijah scolded me lightly with a slight upturn of his lips as he shook his head at me and I smiled back at him innocently as I shrugged my shoulders. He stood up from the edge of the stone altar gracefully as he straightened his jacket cuff and looked over at Hayley as he strolled towards the middle of the chamber. "I cannot excuse his behaviour, but you must understand, when our father hunted him – hunted us – for centuries, every time we found a moment of happiness, we were forced to flee. Even here, in New Orleans, where we were happiest of all. Not long after Niklaus broke the spell which prevented him from becoming a hybrid, he defeated our father. I thought this would make him happy. He was angrier than ever."
"How would you know? You weren't even there." I reminded him pointedly as I pushed myself off of the wall I was leaning on and Elijah turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. "How do we even know this baby is Niklaus's? Because a bunch of desperate witches say so? It could just as easily been Tyler Lockwood's bastard child."
"I never slept with Tyler." Hayley interjected quickly in a hard voice as she narrowed her eyes at me and I flashed a tight smile in her direction as I tilted my head to the side.
"Never?"
"Not in the Appalachian Mountains, and not in Mystic Falls." She stated firmly as she looked me right in the eyes without blinking and I listened intently for any upticks in her heartbeat to see if she was lying.
"It seems she's telling truth. An apology may be in order, Rheanna." Elijah pointed out in amusement as he looked over at me with a raised eyebrow and I scoffed lightly at his scolding tone of voice.
"I'm not apologising for the assumption when it's obviously what they wanted everyone to think. If anything I should be congratulating her on a job well done." I remarked casually with a dismissive wave of my hand as I leaned back against the stone wall and Hayley smirked slightly in amusement as Elijah rolled his oak brown eyes.
"I wonder if perhaps this baby might be a way for my brother to find happiness. A way to save him from himself." Elijah continued his conversation with Hayley as though I had never interrupted him and I heard footsteps approaching the entrance to the vault. I positioned myself protectively in front of Hayley as Sophie strolled into the vault entryway and Elijah moved to stand next to me with a hard expression.
"I'm glad you feel that way, because we need your help." Sophie announced in a sharply voice as she looked between my brother and me with blank expression.
"What, precisely, is it that you want and what does it have to do with this young woman?"
"We want to run Marcel and his vampires out of town. Klaus is the key. Everything Marcel knows about being a vampire, he learned from Klaus. Marcel trusts him, looks up to him, and he won't see the betrayal coming."
"Yes, well, as I'm sure you're aware, our brother Niklaus doesn't like to be told what to do."
"That's why I brought you here. Marcel drove the werewolves out of town decades ago. Do you really think he's going to welcome a hybrid baby to the neighbourhood? Convince Klaus to help us, and no one has to know about the newest member of the Original family."
"That sounds remarkably like blackmail." I stated in a threatening tone as I pursed my lips together in annoyance and Elijah smirked slightly in amusement.
"Like I said, I'm desperate." Sophie replied in a hard tone as she stared at me unblinkingly and I met her gaze with a glare of my own. I couldn't help thinking that there was more to this for Sophie than just wanting her people to be free of Marcel's suppression.
"Well, then, I have my work cut out for me, don't I?" Elijah asked rhetorically with a slightly amused smile as he sighed heavily in exasperation and I looked over at him with an eyebrow quirked in question. "Rheanna?"
"I'm going to stay here with Hayley. I don't trust her wellbeing under the care of these witches." I told him shortly as I glanced over my shoulder at Sophie with a suspicious frown on my lips.
"I'll be back once I've located Niklaus."
"I'll be right here, babysitting the baby mama."
"Oh, god. Please, take her with you." Hayley murmured with behind me with a groan and I chuckled lightly as I glanced over at her with a small smile on my lips. She smirked back at me in amusement as her eyes twinkled with mischief and I felt myself liking her slightly more than I had been previously.
"We'll be fine. I promise, Elijah." I said to my brother honestly as I turned back to look at him earnestly and he nodded with a small smile as he stepped forward to kiss my forehead gently. I watched silently as Sophie and Elijah both exited the burial vault together and then spun around on my heel to face the brunette sitting on the altar. "I'm sorry for the assumption. Caroline is my friend, and I'm very protective of my friends."
"It's okay. Why did you want to apologise before?"
"Because I didn't want him to think he was right." I answered with a shrug of my shoulders as though it was completely obvious and she chuckled lightly as she nodded in understanding. "We may be 1000 years old, but at the end of the day we are still siblings."
"I wouldn't know. Only child." She replied easily with a small shrug of her shoulders and I walked over to where she was before sitting down next to her on the altar.
"Yes, well, you're going to have to get over that whole 'having no family' thing." I told her casually as I crossed my legs on top of the altar with a small smirk on my lips and she raised an eyebrow at me in confusion. "Oh, honey. You're stuck with us now. That child you're carrying, it's a Mikaelson. And Mikaelson's stick together no matter what."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"
"Depends what mood Niklaus is in. Elijah may be the oldest of us all and the head of our family, but for some reason our family always revolves around Niklaus and his rapidly changing temper."
"Why do you stay with him then?"
"He's my family, my brother. And I'm immortal. What else am I meant to do? Spend eternity alone?" I asked her in a small voice as tilted my head to the side curiously, literally requesting an answer from her.
The sound of a gate squeaking as it opened drew my attention to the entryway and I snapped my head around, instantly vigilant as I stood up from my place next to Hayley. "Stay here a moment while I check this out."
"Be careful." She told me seriously as she stood up from the altar in case she needed to make a quick getaway. I offered her a small smile over my shoulder as I started walking down the darkened hallway towards the mausoleum.
"You know you're famous in this town? Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus." I heard Sophie say to someone in a hard voice as I came to the entrance and I saw Niklaus standing in front of the brunette witch with an amused look on his face as Elijah stood off to the side.
"He's a hybrid, actually." I interjected calmly as I strolled into the main tomb where everyone was gathered and Nik smirked at me slightly as Elijah shot me a scolding glare.
"We know Marcel was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made him what he is. And now he's out of control. He does what he wants, he kills who he wants. I'm gonna stop him, and you're gonna help me."
"This is why you brought me here?" Nik asked our brother incredulously with an amused grin as he pointed a finger in between him and Sophie.
"Hear her out." Elijah ordered him curtly as I walked over to his side with an almost pleading expression and Nik scoffed a little as he shook his head in disbelief.
"I don't need to hear her out. I assure you, love, there is not a thing on this earth that will matter enough for me to waste even thirty more seconds of my time. Elijah, what madness is this?"
"Klaus." I heard Hayley call out from the entryway I had just exited and I turned around to see her being escorted into the tomb by two witches from the coven. "You need to listen to them."
Niklaus looked at the brunette werewolf in confusion for a moment as he frowned before he broke out in almost hysterically laughter. "You're all out of your minds if you think some liquor-fuelled, one-night stand - no offense, sweetheart - means a thing to me."
"Marcel may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still know when nature has cooked up something new. For example, I have a special gift... of sensing when a girl is pregnant." Sophie explained calmly as she looked defiantly at my brother and I watched intently as all the amusement drained from his face in a matter of seconds.
"What?"
"I know it's impossible..." Hayley trailed off unsurely as she licked her lips nervously and she glanced at me for support as I nodded at her subtly with a small smile.
"What are you saying?" Nik asked her in a horrified whisper as he stared at her unblinkingly and I felt a wash of sympathy for my brother, followed closely with jealousy.
"Niklaus... the girl is carrying your child." I told him earnestly as he turned his attention towards me with the same dismayed expression on his face.
"No. It's impossible. You, of all people Rheanna, you know that. Vampires cannot procreate."
"But werewolves can. Magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf. You're the Original hybrid, the first of your kind, and this pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes." Sophie snapped at him with fading patience as she narrowed her eyes at him and I pursed my lips together to stop from yelling at her for her lack of compassion given the situation.
Niklaus' clenched his jaw shut in anger as he fought for control over his facial expression and then spun around to face Hayley with fury written all over his face. "You've been with someone else, admit it!"
"Hey, I've spent days held captive in a freaking alligator bayou because they think that I'm carrying some magical miracle baby. Don't you think I would've fessed up if it wasn't yours?" Hayley asked him rhetorically in a tight voice as she struggled not to snap at him angrily and I had to duck my head to hide my smile at her comment.
"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy. Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us." Sophie admitted sharply with tears in her eyes at the thought of her sister and I frowned at her in surprise as I glanced towards Elijah but he had the same confused frown as me. "If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me, Hayley won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress."
"Wait, what?"
"Enough of this. If you want Marcel dead, he's dead. I'll do it myself." Elijah told her flippantly as he watched Niklaus walk further into the tomb and I kept my eyes trailed on Sophie suspiciously as she moved towards Hayley.
"No. We can't, not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules." Sophie said curtly as she looked back at Elijah with determination written all over her face and I cringed at her wording because I knew that it was only a matter of second before one of my brother cracked.
Niklaus slowly turned around to face the witches with his fury barely restrained on his face and he took one step closer to them as he started to speak in a frightening quiet voice, "How dare you command me... "
I grimaced slightly as I took a step back so that I was behind Elijah because I had been on the receiving end of Niklaus' anger before and it wasn't something I wanted to witness ever again.
"…threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weaknesses. I won't hear any more lies!" Nik shouted loudly as he took another menacing step towards the witch and he stalked past us with a glare as he headed towards the exit of the tomb.
"Niklaus!" Elijah called out sharply as he turned around to look at our brother's back and Niklaus paused tensely as he slowly turned around to face him with an unreadable expression. "Listen."
I watched in a mixture of jealousy and hopefulness as Nik turned towards Hayley and listened to the rapid heartbeat coming from her abdomen. I had always wanted to carry a child but our parents took that opportunity away from me when they turned us into vampires. When the cure was first mentioned back in Mystic Falls, I wanted nothing more than to take it and start a loving family, but that opportunity was also taking away from me when we learned there was only one dose.
Niklaus slowly turned back around to face us with a blank expression on his face as he inclined his chin and I looked at him hopefully as his gaze swept over both of our faces. "Kill her and the baby. What do I care?"
All the hope in my heart came crashing down in a heap as I watched my brother storm out of the mausoleum and I exhaled out the breath I didn't know I had been holding in as I closed my eyes.
"Screw this, I'm out of here." Hayley exclaimed in a mixture of horror and sadness as she started for the exit to the mausoleum but the witches stepped in front of her to block her path.
"No one touches the girl. We'll fix this." I told the witches sharply as I sped over to Hayley's side protectively and met Sophie's eyes across the room as she nodded in understanding. I glanced at Elijah as he walked towards the entryway and I gave Hayley a reassuring look before following him out into the chilly night air.
"I'm going to speak to Niklaus alone. Hopefully, he'll see reason after thinking this through." Elijah said to me calmly as we walked through the cemetery towards the exit and I held back the derisive laugh that I felt bubbling up at his words.
"I'm going to call Stefan and check in with him. Make sure everyone in Mystic Falls in behaving themselves while I'm out of town."
Elijah briefly pressed a kiss to my forehead before disappearing into the night and I sighed heavily as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, already dialling my boyfriend's familiar number.
"Stefan's phone. How may I help you?" I heard Damon ask in a smug voice as he answered the phone call and I rolled my eyes at him as I walked out of the cemetery.
"If I wanted to speak to you, Damon, I would have called you. Where's Stefan?" I asked him in a curt tone as I stuffed a hand in my pocket and headed towards the populated area of the French Quarter.
"Princess! What's going on? Where are you? Got yourself a new boyfriend? Is this a break up call?"
"Damon, I'm not in the mood for your attempt at humour. And you, of all people, shouldn't be giving out comments on relationships."
"God, who peed in your Cheerio's? Stefan's right here."
"Rhea? I hope Damon wasn't too… Damon-ish." Stefan stated over the line as he took the phone from his brother and I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice. Everything that I had learned today came crashing down on me and I stumbled slightly before forcing myself to stop walking in the middle of the sidewalk. "Rhea? Are you there?"
"I'm here. Sorry." I apologised weakly as I looked around the nearly empty street and I walked over to a bench as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"Rheanna. Tell me what's going on." He demanded in a hard voice but I could hear the concern as I sat down on the bench and a sudden wave of exhaustion hit me as I felt tears sting my eyes.
"It isn't fair…" I trailed off feebly as a few stray tears ran down my cheek and I brushed them away with the back of my hand. "Niklaus is having a child. I know that it sounds impossible, but it's true. Magic made him a vampire, but he was born a werewolf. The pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes. That werewolf, Hayley, she's carrying his child."
"Klaus is going to be a father?"
"The witches are holding Hayley hostage until they get Niklaus' cooperation in taking down the vampire king of New Orleans. Marcel was nothing but an orphan street rat, until our family took him in. Niklaus made him what he is. And now he's out of control. He does what he wants, he kills who he wants. He rules a menagerie of savage vampires running wild, killing in public for any human to come upon. Witches are held in subjugation, unable to practice standard magic."
"What's he going to do?" Stefan asked me curiously with a hint of sympathy in his voice and I shrugged my shoulders even though he couldn't see me.
"He said he wants nothing to do with the girl or the baby. Even told the witches to kill them, but Elijah's speaking to him now. Trying to get him to change his mind. He's willing to give up everything." I murmured quietly into the phone as I wrapped an arm around my stomach and tried not to feel the resentment building inside of me.
"Come on, Rheanna, does that really surprise you?"
"I already see it. He's spiralling. He's lashing out in blind rage. You know, the last time I saw him like this it lasted 200 years. Maybe I should leave him to his temper tantrum and come home. He was so close. When he heard the baby's heartbeat, I could see it in his eyes. He... he wanted... he could almost taste happiness. And now his temper has destroyed it."
"Maybe Elijah will talk him around." He suggested hopefully in a soothing voice as I nodded along with him and I pushed down the images floating in my head of the children we could have had together.
"I have to go check on Hayley. I left her alone with the witches, and I don't trust them at all."
"Alright, babe. Call me later?"
"Of course. Love you."
"Love you too." He told me softly as I smiled despite myself at the words and I hung up the phone as I stood up from the bench.
I started strolling back in the direction of the cemetery with the resentment burning in my stomach but I pushed it down and focused on the present situation. I had no doubt in my mind that the witches were desperate enough to something unspeakable and I watched to protect Hayley and her unborn child because the child was family.
I entered the dark cemetery as I looked around for any sign of my brothers' and I saw Elijah walking towards me by himself as he shook his head in answer to my silent question. I exhaled in annoyance as I met up with him at the entrance to the mausoleum and I linked my arms through his as we entered the stone building.
"These aren't just any vampires, Agnes. They're the Originals." I heard Sophie say to someone in the main part of the tomb as we approach them silently so that we didn't alert them to our presence.
"What makes you think you can control the hybrid?" an older female voice asked spitefully as Elijah leaned on the wall by the entryway and I cocked my head to the side with a hand on my hip.
"She can't." I answered for the brunette witch with a smirk on my lips as the coven in the tomb turned around to look at us in surprise.
"I'm not entirely certain that I can, either. But now that your coven has drawn his ire, I have a question: What prevents my brother from murdering you instead of cooperating?" Elijah asked them curiously as he started walking further into the tomb and I planted myself in the entryway in case any of them made a move against us.
Sophie met his gaze even for a moment before wandering over to the side of the tomb and picked up a small needle as she walked back over to where she was standing. She held up the needle in front of her silently and then stuck the sharp end of it into the palm of her hand.
"Ow!" Hayley exclaimed in pain from the back of the mausoleum as she looked down at her hand in shock and I frowned at her as she held up her hand so that we could all see the drop of scarlet blood in exactly the same place Sophie had hurt herself. "What the hell!?"
"The spell my sister performed, the one that got her killed? It didn't just confirm the pregnancy. It linked me to Hayley. So anything that happens to me, happens to her, which means her life is in my hands. Klaus may not care about his own child, but it's very clear what it already means to you. If I have to hurt Hayley – or worse – to ensure that I have your attention, I will." Sophie informed us sharply as she narrowed her eyes threateningly and I chuckled slightly at her audacity as I stepped forward menacingly.
"You would dare threaten an Original? Not just one, but two?" I asked her incredulously as I held my arms out to my side with a small smirk on my lips and she looked at me determinedly as she inclined her chin defiantly.
"I have nothing to lose. You have until midnight to get Klaus to change his mind."
"Rheanna, come along. It seems we need to speak to our brother." Elijah said lowly as he stared Sophie without blinking and I turned on my heel as I stalked out of the mausoleum without a backwards glance.
I roughly pushed open the squeaky gate to the cemetery as I let out a frustrated shriek and I stopped abruptly as I spun around to face Elijah with a frown on my lips. "I'm going to find Niklaus."
"I'll go speak to Marcel on behalf of the witches and attempt to retrieve Jane-Anne's body. Perhaps they will be more lenient if I bring proof of our intent to help them."
"That's good idea. I don't like that she isn't being granted peace just because Marcel is on a power trip of epic proportions."
I sped off into the darkness without another word as I listened for the sound of my brothers voice and I ran in the direction I last heard him moving in as I slowed down to a walk on the pathway. I could see my brother sitting alone on a bench under a streetlight with his elbows on his knees and I strolled over to him as I stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets.
"Did Elijah send you here to give me another pep talk on the joys of fatherhood?" Nik asked me bitterly without looking at me as I sat down next to him on the bench and I shook my head in answer as I crossed my ankles.
"You really don't want to know what I have to say." I told him honestly as I stared off into the distance with a sad smile on my lips and I felt his eyes on the side of my face but I refused to look at him.
"Why not?"
"Because after everything you've done to me, to our family, and even you have to admit there has been a lot, I don't think I've ever hated you more than I do right this very second." I confessed truthfully as I folded my hands over my knee and slowly turned my head to look him in the eye.
"Because I refuse to be manipulated by the witches." He stated resentfully as he turned his head back to the front of us and I let out a hollow humourless laugh as I smiled bitterly.
"No. Because you have been handed something I want on a silver platter, something that I would do anything in my power to obtain, and yet you are running from it as fast as you possibly can." I snapped at him in annoyance as I stood up from bench abruptly and he looked up at me in confusion as I sighed in frustration. "Do you even know why I wanted the cure? I wanted a family. I wanted children. That choice was ripped away from me by our parents 1000 years ago and I have never gotten over that fact."
"That not something I ever wanted for myself."
"You know, you preach about your desire to be a family, but I don't think you fully understand the concept!"
"Then please, dear sister, explained to me the true meaning of family." Nik spat at me heatedly as he narrowed his light blue eyes at me angrily and I ran a frustrated hand through my hair as I pursed my lips.
"The bond of family blesses us with an immeasurable power. But we also must accept what comes with it. It gives us a responsibility to love without condition, without apology. We can never waver from the power of that bond, even if it's tested. The bond nourishes us, gives us strength. Without that power, we are nothing. Family is power, Niklaus. Love, loyalty – that's power. This is what we swore to one another a thousand years ago, before life tore away what little humanity you had left, before ego, before anger, before paranoia created in this person before me someone I can barely even recognize as my own brother. This is us, the Original family, and we remain together, always and forever."
"Is that what this baby means to you?" he asked me in a quiet whisper as he looked up at me earnestly and I felt tears blurring my eyes as I nodded my head mutely in answer.
"It's gift. It's your chance – it's our chance." I murmured honestly almost in a whisper as a few stray tears ran down my cheeks and I briskly wiped them away with a small sniffle.
"To what?"
"To start over. Take back everything we lost, everything that was taken from us. Niklaus, our own parents came to despise us. Our family was ruined – we were ruined. And since then, all that you have ever wanted – all that we have ever wanted was a family. I think this child could offer you the one thing that you've never believed you had. The unconditional love of family." I told him softly as I sat down next to him on the bench with a sad smile and he glanced at me briefly before turning his attention to the front of us.
We sat in companionable silence as I listened to the distant sound of music playing and I closed my eyes peacefully as I let my mind wander back to the past when we lived here happily.
"I forgot how much I liked this town." Nik said suddenly in a wistful voice as I opened my eyes to look at him with a small smile on my lips.
"I didn't forget. All the centuries we've spent together, and yet I can count on one hand the number of times that our family has been truly happy. I hated leaving here."
"As did I."
"What is on your mind, brother?" I asked him curiously as I turned my body to face him a little and his lips quirked up in a small smile as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
"For a thousand years, I lived in fear. Any time I settled anywhere, our father would hunt me down and... chase me off. He made me feel powerless, and I hated it. This town was my home once, and in my absence, Marcel has gotten everything that I ever wanted. Power, loyalty, family. I made him in my image and he has bettered me. I want what he has. I want to be king." He admitted to me passionately as he turned his head to look at me sincerely and I nodded slowly in understanding as I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"And what of Hayley and the baby?"
"Every king needs an heir." Nik said to me softly with a smile on his lips as he looked over at me and I grinned back at him as I reached over to hold his hand gently. "Tell Sophie Deveraux we have a deal."
"Thank you." I murmured sincerely as I squeezed his hand tightly and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he pulled me into his side. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head as I shifted to get comfortable on the bench and I stared up at the starry night sky as I pushed down the resentment still burning in my stomach.
Mystic Falls, West Virginia
"So that's it? I'm just supposed to pack up my things and leave for good? Forget my life here and my pursuit of the cure?" Rebekah asked Elijah spitefully as she turned around to look at him where he stood leaning in the doorway between the living room and parlour.
Oh, the cure was a fool's errand. I mean, taking it would've stripped you of everything you are, for what? More high school proms?" Elijah asked her incredulously with a small grimace on his lips as I stood in between them with my arms crossed over my chest.
"I wanted to be human. I wanted children and a family."
"And I stand before you to offer you both." He told her brightly as he walked forward into the room with his arms held out to his side as though presenting himself as the prize.
"It's not the same, Elijah. The child Hayley is carrying may be family, but it's not our child. I wanted to feel life growing inside of me, and the unconditional love of a child that calls me 'mother'. It's not the same." I declared heatedly as I turned to glare at my brother for being so callous with such a delicate matter and he had the decency to look sheepish under my scolding.
"And if I decide against you? A dagger in my heart and then back in a box?" Rebekah asked him quietly in a bitter tone of voice as she stepped forward a few steps without taking her eyes off of him.
"I've made my case. Your family needs you, and what choice you make right now is your own." He told her sincerely as he tried to hide the hurt in his expression and I looked between them as my twin sister considered his words for a long moment.
"I owe him nothing. I wish him no joy, no love. I will stay here and live my life the way I want to, and if you're smart I suggest you do the same."
I watched Rebekah stalked out of the room with my heart sinking in my chest and I sighed heavily as I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. I could feel Elijah's gaze turn to me as I made my way over to the chaise longue and sat down tiredly as he walked to stand in front of me.
"And what of you, Rheanna? Will you stand by our brother, or will you stay hidden in Mystic Falls?" he asked me pointedly as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets and I looked up at him with my eyes narrowed at the slight accusation in his voice.
"I'm doing anything without first discussing it with Stefan. Unlike you and everyone else in our family, I'm in a committed, functional relationship." I snapped at him in annoyance with a tight smile on my lips as I tilted my head to the side and he rolled his oak brown eyes at me as he looked away. "I'm definitely staying in Mystic Falls until graduation. I've never been to high school before, and I'd like to have said I've graduated at least once. Maybe after that we'll join you in New Orleans."
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