"Can I convince you to stay?" Hayley and Charlotte were outside of the Michelson compound standing in front of her bike. After their trip to the Bayou, and the story she told about her mother, she wanted to know more about it and her. "I feel like there's so much I don't know."
"I can't give you any more answers about the wolves. I'm sorry." She had told her everything that she knew and couldn't give her much more than that though she wished she could. Finding answers was the reason she had came out to the Bayou. She discovered more than she thought she would.
"I was actually talking about you." She could tell her answer had surprised her because it came across her well crafted emotionless mask but only for a split second before the mask was placed back up. "I've spent my whole life looking for family and it turns out that it was looking for me."
"You have questions," Charolette certainly could understand that. There was a few things that she wanted to know herself. Mainly, she just wanted a connection to that other part of herself she hadn't been able to find. She just hoped that the wolves could accept her in a way that the witches never could. "I want to give you those answers, but now is not the right time. We have to find a way to unlink your from Sophie first and then we'll talk."
"Promise?"
"Yes," she said with the smallest of smiles her eyes flickering over Hayley's head as she saw Elijah step out. She looked back to Hayley and saw her shiver. "Now it go inside. From what I remember the temperature drops a little at night and even wolves aren't immune to the common cold."
Hayley turned to go inside spotting Elijah as she did. He stepped down the stairs as Hayley went up. Charlotte couldn't help but raise her brow at the subtle look between them as they passed each other and made a note to ask Hayley about that later. She had some other business to attend to now that Elijah was back.
"Rebecca has been filling me in on what I've missed in my absence."
"In your absence," Charlotte turned her eyes back to Elijah once Hayley was inside, "which is a way too polite way of saying that Klaus stuck a dagger in your heart, you've missed a lot. What to happened tonight was just the tip of the iceberg."
"Yes," he drawled out the s in yes further exposing his English accent, "it would seem I have, but what I'm most curious about is this business with Agnes."
She knew his curiosity wasn't actual curiousness but rather suspicion of her from him which lead her to respond with, "and here I thought Klaus was the paranoid one."
"Making sure that my family isn't dragged into another unjust cause isn't paranoia. I'd thought you of people could most certainly understand to protect my family." If what she said was actually the truth, is what she knew was left unsaid. Given what he'd just found out about Sophie from Davina, left him feeling a duped so he was bound to be a lot more cautious this time around.
She also understood that if she wanted him to fork over his mother's grimoire, there can't be any doubt in his mind as to why she was there. She needed him to trust her and if she could him to she knew she would win Rebecca over as well. So she dropped her defensive stance and let down her guard. "I do. Like I said it's why I came back. I promise you Elijah you don't have anything to worry about concerning Hayley or or your family from me." She hoped he could see her sincerity.
He didn't know her well enough to know if he could trust her at just her word and she could that. "I know you have your reasons not to trust me, but coming back her, exposing myself like this poses a greater risk to me than you realize. Agnes tried to do the same thing to me that she's doing to Hayley but I was much younger and couldn't defend myself."
Recognition of what she meant dawned on his face and she could see the doubt and suspicious he had over her true motives begin to slowly vanish. "It's why I came back and why I stayed once I knew they real reason she was here. I know how dangerous this town is for wolves and Hayley carrying your brother's baby puts her in greater danger. I can not watch Agnes do to her what she did to my mother, what she tried do to me. I was too young to protect either of us but I will not sit by and watch as she spills any more of my blood."
His eyes widen at the implication of her last words as he realize what she meant and he is eyes inspected her face looking for any signs of what she was being true. It was then he saw it, the similarities between the two. It wasn't just in their physical features in which there were many; the shape of the eyes, the bride of there nose, their cheek bones and the curve of their lips. Perhaps the strongest was the determination and fire that they both possessed. He understood now why she had risked so much to protect her. "You share more blood with Hayley than just by pack." He said for confirmation.
She looked down digging the toe of her boot in the ground for a few silent seconds and it was the first time he saw any hint of vulnerability. It was hidden the minute she looked back up. "I'm going to tell her than minute that this whole business with Sophie it dealt with so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything. The only reason why I'm told you was because I knew it was the only way to get you to trust me."
The fierceness was back and the vulnerability completely swept away so much so that he even question if he even saw it in the first place. "Family means the same thing to the both of us and we'd do anything, give up anything to protect them. That's why I was hoping to get a look at your mother's grimoire. She must have a spell in there that will unlink Hayley from Sophie."
He wanted to ask how she knew about his mother's grimoire but chose instead to focus on how she planned on using it to unlink Hayley from Sophie. "This plan you have to unlink Hayley from Sophie requires a witch and I doubt they're going to be inclined to help with Hayley being their leverage and being forbidden to practice magic by Marcel."
"That's where you come in." He looked at curiously. "Do you think you've gain enough of Davina's trust?"
He understood why she'd asked and where she was going. "You wanna use Davina to unlink Hayley?"
"She's the only who can. It's like you said the witches can't help even if they could they wouldn't. Hayley is the only thing that insures they get Davina back and continues the harvest. We break this link not only is Hayley free but the witches lose their magic and Hayley and her baby are safe." She took a step closer to him making sure they he understands what he needs to do. "To do that we need that grimoire. You're brother would never trust me with it but you can get it from him. Do that, find the spell and put it in Davina's hands, I'll take care of the rest."
"I'll get the grimoire," he said with certainty, "you just be prepared to do what you need to do."
She turned to her bike grabbing her helmet. "We pull this off and Hayley is free. She swung her legs around straddling her bike and kicked up the kickstand placing her feet firmly on the ground. "As soon as she is, Agnes is mine."
She revved the bike and drove away.
"I thought witches practicing magic in the quarter was forbidden," Hayley didn't recognize anything on the counter as food so she and assumed that she was cooking up something magical.
Charlotte answered standing eye level with the kitchen counter so that she could get the right measurements responded with, "this type of magic," she looked over her shoulder and saw Hayley studying a stalk of Lemon balm before turning back to what she was doing, standing, "it can't be tracked."
She came to see where Elijah had gotten with the grimoire. She was let in by Rebecca and together they walked into the living room where Elijah and Klaus sat across from each other reading.
"So, this is what you do the first time we're back together as a family?" Rebekah asked upon seeing her brothers and Charlotte walks over to Elijah standing behind his chair. "Vampire book club?"
She wanted to see if it was looking over his mother's grimoire as they discussed and she was pleased to see that he was.
"Reading edifies the mind, sister." He looked to Elijah. "Isn't that right, Elijah?
Elijah didn't bother to look up when he answered, "Yes, that's quite right, Niklaus."
"And what's this business?" She gestured to the dead girl on the table and Charlotte looked up seeing her for the first time.
"This…" Elijah gestured as though he's searching for a word. She watched her blood drop on the carpet with slight interest before looking back down at the book. "...is a peace offering. She knew that seeing a dead girl bleeding on the carpet should have bothered her but it wasn't the worse thing she'd seen over the years.
"I presumed, after so much time desiccating in a coffin, that my big brother might be a bit peckish." Klaus said.
"And I explained to my little brother that forgiveness cannot be bought. I'd simply prefer to see a change in behavior that indicates contrition and personal growth."
Klaus rolls his eyes guiltily, and Elijah gestured to the girl on the table. "Not this nonsense."
Klaus smiled as he answered, "Well, I couldn't very well let her go to waste, could I?"
"Well, I suppose I'll go fetch the rubbish bin, because she's staining a two hundred year old carpet." Rebekah stalked over into the kitchen and Charlotte followed her leaving the reading to Elijah.
"So what is it?" Charlotte looked over to Hayley who was spinning ginseng between her fingers.
She poured plant extract into a cup, added sugar and turned to her with it. "Something to help you relax."
She smelled it but didn't recognize any of the scent except lemon, "What's in it?"
She pointed to the plants individual, "Ginseng,-" red bean like plants. "Kava and Lemon balm-" both green leaved plants but with different shapes, "Ginseng helps prevent fatigue, and the green ones works as a muscle relaxant." She slowly sipped it. "It's the wonders of modern medicine but doesn't affect you or the baby."
She bottles the rest for later and begins to clean up. "I thought you could use it after the last couple of days you've had."
"What I could use is some food." She walked over to the fridge and Elijah walked in saying good morning. Charlotte poured the rest of the tea into a jar to put away for later and walked to the other side of the counter to clean up.
"Listen," Hayley said not finding what she was looking for in the fridge, "I know I'm the only one in this house that actually drinks milk, but would it kill any of you to make sure it's on the grocery list?" She turned around and looked at Elijah.
"Speaking of, add bleach." Rebekah stomped through the kitchen. Elijah turned to dig around in a cupboard Hayley pulls ice cream out of the freezer
"You know, I do hope my siblings were hospitable to you in my absence." He looked brought a bowl, a spoon, and a bag of cereal to the counter.
"While you were missing thanks to Klaus I have been attacked by French Quarter vampires, I've had to live in a house with a secret dungeon full of coffins, and I was nearly murdered by witches who are convinced my baby is Lucifer.
Elijah smiled sympathetically as he pulled orange juice and milk out of the fridge, pours Hayley a bowl of cereal, and then fills it with milk. When Hayley realized that they had milk all along, she looks slightly guilty and embarrassed.
"Oh... milk." She paused for a beat and Charlotte continued to silently watched their exchange. Hayley answered Elijah initial question. "They've been fine. Your siblings are weirdly protective, I know I have you to thank for that."
"I'm just happy to see that you're in one piece." He smiled at her and hands her the bowl of cereal and Charlotte realized she wasn't reading into watch she saw the night before. "So, back to the murderous witches. I have some concerns."
Hayley worriedly said. "They're evil. And, my life is still magically linked to Sophie Deveraux, which is not comforting."
"I think it's time we took care of that little problem." Charlotte finale spoke since Elijah walked in looking to him. "Don't you."
Hayley looked between them sensing she missed something and Rebekah suddenly re-enters the kitchen, dragging the corpse of the girl Klaus killed across the floor behind her. She said, "I am all for it. As soon as they're unlinked, we get to leave this crap town. Who do we have to kill?"
Elijah considered it for a moment. "Probably no one."
Hayley and Charlotte both gives Elijah a significant look of disbelief. Elijah rolls his eyes and sighs. "Alright, potentially everyone." He turned to leave and Hayley took a bite of his cereal.
"So you and Elijah?" Charlotte asked once he was gone. "What's going on there?"
Rebekah is scrubbing at the bloodstains in the carpet while Klaus continues to read "A Poison Tree."
"Poetry about poisoned apples from dead trees." She said. "Looks like someone's worried about impending daddy-hood."
Klaus shook his head. "Nonsense. Elijah's back. In his presence, all problems turn to pixie-dust and float away!"
Rebekah side-eyed him and grinning, and Klaus grinned back. Elijah heard them talking about him and joined them in the living room.
"Strange, I don't recall any pixie-dust from the darkness of the coffin I was recently forced to endure." Elijah opened Esther's grimoire and flipped through it causing Rebekah to ask
"What are you doing with mother's spell book?"
Charlotte walked in and saw him with the book, "find that spell yet."
Rebekah and Klaus exchanged a look.
Charlotte looked at the page that Elijah ripped out of the book. "An unknotting spell?" She looked to him. "That could actually work. Now all you gotta do is slip it to Davina."
Rebekah and Klaus look at each other in confusion. Rebekah being the first to figure out and was stunned when she said, "Wait, you want to use Davina to unlink Hayley from Sophie Deveraux?"
"Sophie brought us here under false pretenses. She doesn't just want us to take down Marcel and his minions, she wants to take Davina back. So, she yoked her own cause to ours with magic threats and half-truths. Well, no more. As of now, our deal with Sophie Deveraux is null and void."
Klaus and Rebekah smile at each other
Elijah started to dual out instructions. "Niklaus, I need you to come with me. I need five minutes alone with Davina. You need to make certain that I am not interrupted."
They were making a play to free Hayley she had to make sure Jaxon was ready to do is part. She turned and left with Elijah after he appointed Rebekah as Hayley watcher. Klaus followed Elijah and Charlotte out annoyed he put himself in charge.
"Where do you think your going?" Klaus caught Charlotte as she mounted her bike.
She answered with, "everybody has their part to play. I'm going to make sure mines in place."
She drove away from the Mikealson home and back the place she use to call home.
Jax was just wiping the cold from his eyes when she returned and found her searching through her drawers. "Late night?"
She glanced at him to see that he was naked from the waist up and only wear a pair of black joggers. She turned back to the boxes, "early morning."
He checked the clock to see that it was a little after ten. "It must have been a really early morning."
"Well we all can't be sleuths like you."
He stepped into the room. "What are you looking for?"
"The purple pouch with the gold string." She answered continuing to search. "The one we picked up from out stay in Mexico."
He knew exactly which one she had been referring to, "the one we were saving for-"
"Yeah," her face formed a smile and she looked at her brother. "I did it. I convinced Elijah to use his mother's grimoire. He's giving a page to Davina. As soon as she unlinks Hayley from Sophie."
"There's nothing stopping us from going after Agnes."
Her smiled brighten, "and with Marcel having the witches on lock down there's nothing she can do to us. This is it." She said excitedly. "This is the chance we've been waiting for. We can finale avenge our mother's death. Then you and I can take our place where we belong." She turned to her back. "I just have to find it first."
His brow formed into a frown as he thought about it and left the room. Charlotte was too busy searching to notice but she did notice when he returned with the very bag she was looking for. She snatched it from him, "you took it?"
"I couldn't exactly trust you not to use it after she came after Hayley."
She would be lying if she said she hadn't think about it. He handed it over to him. "You think you can get it ready by tonight. I wanted it to be ready to go as soon as the link is lifted."
"I'll see what I can do."
