AN: Hello! Yeah, prepare for craziness in this chapter... Adrianas not apart of the main plot in this episode as I just can't see her bothering to leave the house after her daughters death. Enjoy!
A Mothers Love
In which they play a dangerous game
Adriana Mafiay did not believe in funerals.
However, she did believe in mourning.
And revenge.
"Elijah." Rebekah growled, almost breaking her brothers bedroom door door with her viscous knocking. "Elijah, you've get to come out here now, your wife has officially gone crazy."
With a deep sigh, Elijah left his room and followed his sister down the hall.
He had blocked out Adrianas wails all night when they had finally managed to drag her away from Davinas dead body, his wife kicking, biting and screeching all the way back.
A sharp scream rang down the corridor, the sound of shuffling and glass shaking following soon after.
"Let go of me." Adriana shouted, she and Klaus coming into view as the hybrid dragged her away from Davinas bedroom doorway. "Let me go, right now Niklaus!"
"You were trying to set fire to the whole house." Klaus snapped back, letting go of Adriana and shoving her to the floor.
"My baby." Adriana wailed for the fifth hundredth time that day. "My little light, you killed her! Tu bastardo! I wanted my baby back, but no; you just had to go and kill her!"
"Adriana-" Elijah tried to implore, kneeling down next to the crying women.
"Oh, don't you start." Adriana snarled, lunging at Elijah and knocking him to his back. "Murderer! You killed my baby, you killed both of my children, this family has torn apart mine."
"Both?" Hayley muttered to Rebekah, stopping next to the blonde Mikaelson. "I thought Adriana only had one child?"
"Kol." Rebekah replied gravely, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Kol!" Adriana sobbed, bringing her knees up to her chin and letting the tears race down her cheeks. "I raised that boy like my own son, I protected him when you lot wouldn't, I mourned him when you didn't. I'm still mourning, you disgrace, you didn't even mourn your own brother. Your own brother! I did! I mourned him! I mourned him because he was the child I never got to have."
She was growling by the end of her speech, latching onto Elijah and holding him down by his shirt, screaming and growling right in his face.
"And then we have Cienna- Davina, whatever you want to call her." Adriana sneered, pushing herself off of Elijah and snarling at how all five of them just stared at her. "You murdered her! You knew that the witch-bitch was going to slit her throat, yet none of you thought it would be a good idea to inform me. None of you but Marcel, our supposed enemy! You lot murdered my daughter, the only scrap of a bloodline I had left, and here you all are, just standing there like she was just merely a peice of dirt you could easily forget about. That was my daughter you sacrificed like a pig. My daughter!"
Adriana stepped backwards eyeing down each and everyone of them before setting her venomous eyes on Elijah.
"And you..." She trailed off, Elijah meeting her steely glare with one of his own. "I told you a long time ago that a maids loyalty is one of the best things you could find, but you know the one thing better than that?"
Adriana laughed bitterly when he didn't answer.
"A mothers love for her children, blood related or not." She spat at them all stepping backwards so that the shadows of the hallway almost engulfed her. "You, every single when off you, can go to the dark pits of hell. I may not be able to kill you, or even run away, but I can damn you all to the black pits of hell."
"I'll see you there then, wife." Elijah growled back, casually stepping forward and straightening out his white shirt, this situation just another common occurrence to him.
"Oh, but husband, I already have my place in hell reserved, little warrior." Adriana smirked dangerously, a bitter cackle bouncing of the walls as she fully stepped into the shadows. "I do believe it's called a throne."
Elijah growled lowly, watching his wife through the shadows as she walked away.
"You want to play this game, gypsy girl?" Elijah hummed, calmly spinning on his heel and heading in the opposite direction of Adriana. "Fine, I'll play. Game on, sweetheart, we both know I've never lost."
"Do me a favour, love." Klaus stated, stepping next to a confused Hayley as they both watched Elijah stride down the corridor. "Stay away from both of them, it's a dangerous game they play."
Yes, it is a dangerous game they play.
It's a dark game, one a mere human wouldn't get a day through.
It's a game of wit, skill, and perseverance.
Whatever you do, there's only one rule in their game, only one rule you have to abide by.
Don't fall in love.
Don't fall in love with either of them.
Elijah killed for his wife, tortured millions if anyone made her cry, he would walk into a full city and paint the whole place red if it meant he could kill every single person Adriana had an affair with.
Adriana, however, wasn't as direct in her approach, she gently drove each and every mistress insane with her twisted silver web of words. She dragged them to the very summit of madness, and pushed them of the edge with a smile.
You don't separate them, you can never truly cut off the twisted bond Elijah and Adriana shared, you may blow off a few leaves, or maybe even snap off a feeble twig, but the tree itself is always fully intact.
Adriana whirled around, easily slicing three long scratches down Elijahs cheek. The clean slices healed instantly as Elijahs stare grew cold.
He didn't strike back, just stared at her as she stepped away from him.
"Let's play a game, Adriana." He stated instead, raising the glass of scotch to his lips and tipping it all back before speaking again. "Here's how it goes, you can do anything, be with anyone, but you always return here. You can do anything, drag anyone into our game, but the first one that falls in love loses."
That's the problem with their game, there never truly is a winner, neither will admit it.
Nearly five hundred years since that faithful night, they snap, they drag, they climb, and they fall.
Pause.
Rewind.
Repeat.
That's the problem, they never truly stopped playing their dangerous game.
"Why are you drinking?" Adriana asked Marcel later that day, dead roses decorating her hair, black lace gloves on her fingers, and a black floor length dress ghosting around her feet with every step she took. "It's not as if you're going to find an elixir of life once you drain the whole of New Orleans of its alcohol."
"I can try." Marcel muttered gruffly, throwing back the burning liquid once more. "Heard you went ballistic on everyone last night. What happened?"
"I tried to set her room on fire." Adriana hummed, tilting her head to the side as she watched him. "Klaus thought it would be a fire hazard. Like I care, the only person in this house that could get hurt is the wolf, and I hold no compassionate feelings towards her."
"Adriana Mafiay," Marcel muttered, a small smile flashing on his face before disappearing. "Have I ever mentioned that you're the best woman I know?"
"It's always nice to be reminded."
A soft pause fell upon the two, Adriana calmly sitting down, and curling her legs behind her.
"I miss her." Adriana finally breathed out staring at her hands, tears welling in her eyes. "I want my baby back."
"Me too, Adri." Marcel replied, wrapping a hand around her waist and letting her rest a head on his shoulder. "Me too."
"Ugh, is this what's it's come to?" Klaus' voice filled both of their ears, Adriana standing to face him, Marcel taking another long sip of his drink. "I bear the full weight of our kingdom while you two pout like children."
"You wanted to be king." Marcel dismissed, Adriana watching them both carefully. "Besides, you look like you got it covered."
"If the men see you shirk your duties, they're likely to do the same." Klaus carried on, unfazed by Adrianas critical stare.
"I told you, I am not in the mood for vampire hijinks."
"No." Klaus huffed, rolling his eyes slightly. "You'd rather sit wallowing in sorrow for your lost little friend."
Adriana stepped forward with a growl, narrowing her eyes at Klaus
"Don't push me right now." Marcel hissed, leaping to his feet and pointing a finger at the Mikaelson brother.
"I am sorry Davina is gone, okay? I'm sorry. But this mournful attitude is unworthy of you, and it's boring to me.
"No, your not." Adriana contradicted, speaking up as she stepped forward once more. "You don't know what it feels like to lose a child Niklaus, and I don't think you truly know what it truly feels like to lose anybody. Your family may go around spewing whatever you may, but you have all closed yourselves off so much that you can't feel loss. Mourning. Come back and beg for our forgiveness when you know what your talking about."
Her words were calm, opposing all her screaming she had done at dawn.
"Hey, guys, we got a problem." Diego stepped in, cutting off whatever reply Klaus had in mind.
"Stay here, Adriana." Marcel stated, when Adriana moved to go with them. "Please, you're pratically the only family I have left."
Adriana nodded solemnly, sitting back down in her chair and watching them go.
"And off the men go." She hummed, fixing a dead rose back into her bun. "Will they come back, no one knows..."
"Someone will die for this." Klaus stated, everyone having gathered in the courtyard.
Adriana had been dragged there.
"Remarkably, I don't disagree." Elijah nodded, Adriana rolling her eyes from where she stood next to him. "However, I would like to know where they learned such dark magic."
"I would like to know why I'm here." Adriana snapped at him, crossing her arms over her black dress. "Guess we don't always get what we want."
"I had hoped never to see that symbol again." Klaus muttered. "I recall it is the signature of a fool who once stood against us."
"Clearly, some upstart witch is salvaging old tricks." Elijah waved off easily.
"I don't know, and I don't care." Adriana snarled. "Someone just kill them already and be done with it, I don't see the point in this meeting."
"Thank you for your input Adriana, it was not needed." Elijah sighed, looking down a his wife.
"You know what else wasn't needed? You slicing my daughters throat."
"I thought you were over that already."
"Over it? Over it?" Adriana hissed like a caged animal. "Oh, I am so far away from over it, it isn't even funny."
"You know what gypsy girl, I'm not really seeing the point in you being her either."
"Well, what do you know, you actually do have a few brain cells up ther-"
"For once, Adri is right." Klaus said, cutting her off and turning to Diego. "Diego, when night falls, I want you to gather every vampire in the Quarter. Get me the head of whoever did this and put it on a stick."
"Yeah. That's gonna be a problem." Diego sighed, shuffling on his feet slightly. "Everyone is freaked out, man. We haven't had witches killing vampires in a long time. Marcel made sure of that."
"Marcel has run off like a scared child." Adriana snapped her teeth at him angrily, Elijah growling at her in defence. "You lot are left with me. Now, who of you will fight to defend our home?" Silence. "Not a single one of you will stand with me, so afraid are you of this new threat? You should know better. I'll handle this myself."
With that Klaus stormed off, Adriana and Elijah tilting there heads in sync as they watched him go.
"He's going to get himself killed." Adriana determined, folding her hands infront of her.
"Let us hope he doesn't."
"Why are you still talking to me?" Adriana snarled at him, flashing an icy glare in his direction before disappearing with a twirl of her dress.
Adriana sat alone on Davinas bed, threading a lighter through her black painted nails as she lifted a beautifully detailed drawing of a flower up to eye level, casually raising the lighter to the paper, watching the flames greedily eat away at the paper with a sad smile. The burns on the tip of her fingers healing instantly.
Adriana growled at her fingers, watching the burn heal with a loathing stare.
She could heal her self instantly, compel people to do whatever she wished, heal with just a small drop of blood.
Yet she couldn't save her own daughter.
Pathetic.
She angrily snatched up another drawing of some herb and set the flickering flame from the lighter on the edge of the paper, not even jumping when the door slammed open.
"What are you doing?" Hayley screamed, pulling Adriana from the bed. "We need those."
Adrianas head snapped to the side, Hayley's harsh slap not even stinging for a second. The vampire slowly turned her head back to the wolf, raising a hand to touch her cheek.
"Get out." Adriana whispered, her glare staring right through to Hayley's soul. "I said, get out!"
"You can't just set fire to those drawings." Hayley shouted back, gesturing to the pile of sketches on the bed. "I need them."
"Need them for what?" Adriana scoffed, letting her hand fall to the ground and rolling her eyes. "To snatch my husband back into your web? What, is little mistress upset she doesn't have everyone eating out of the palms of her hands? Get over it, honey."
"Look, Adriana." Hayley hissed, trying, and failing, to match Adrianas glare. "You miss your daughter, I get it. But now your just being pathetic, this is ridiculous."
"Look, Hayley." Adriana mocked with a sneer, a single hand snatching out and holding Hayley on the wall by her neck. "I don't know what's happening between you and my husband right now, frankly I don't care. I lost my own child yesterday, you don't know how that feels? Well, perhaps I should make you feels it..."
Adriana trailed off, glancing down at the wolfs stomach with an evil glint in her eyes.
"But I wont." Adriana continued with a hiss, carelessly throwing Hayley to the other side of the room. "I'm not you, I didn't murder someone else's child."
"Leave her alone, Adriana." A strong voice rang out, Elijah stepping into the room with his hands shoved into his pockets. "She means no harm."
"Get out." Adriana commanded once more, daintily sitting back on the bed and picking up her lighter. "Neither of you are welcome here."
"You're crazy." Hayley muttered, Elijah flashing infront of her when Adriana snapped up from the bed.
"We're going." Elijah snapped at his wife, pulling Hayley up by her forearm.
Adrina flicked on the lighter with a soft smile, watching the flame dance before her eyes.
"Adriana, what are you doing?" Hayley asked, Elijah turning on his heel to watch his wife with a critical eye. "Adriana-NO!"
The lighter slipped from Adrianas fingers and landed on the pile of paper before Elijah had the time to react.
"Whoops." Adriana blinked, watching as the flames burned away every scrap of paper there was and begin to eat away at the bed. "Was I not meant to do that? Oh well, too late now."
Adriana sat down beside the burning bed, soft laughter escaping her lips as the bed was engulfed in flames and Elijah dragged Hayley out of the room.
"There he is." Klaus greeted Marcel, raising his drink as he approached the three of them. "Our war hero, triumphantly returned. Oh, good to have you back, Marcellus. Welcome home."
"The prodigal son has finally learned to hold his liquor." Elijah laughed, Adriana grinning at Marcel in joy.
"The Army'll do that to you." Marcel shrugged off, taking another sip of his drink.
"Well, it's good to have you back." Elijah nodded, glancing down at his wife. "Niklaus and Adriana were beside themselves in your absence. Adriana was moping around as if you had actually died."
"Well, he bloody well could have." Adriana smiled, briefly hugging Marcel before returning to her husband. "I'm so glad you're okay littlest warrior, your letters gave me a great peace of mind."
"Enough Adri, the boy is not a child anymore." Klaus laughed. "Now that you are here, perhaps you could help settle an argument. You see, you've traded a war abroad for one here in the Quarter. Some rogue witch wants a piece of the city we built, and Elijah, for reasons beyond my comprehension, insists that negotiation is our best recourse."
"While me and Klaus both agree it would be easier just to slit their throats." Adriana continued, tapping a long pink painted on her glass. "But my dear husband, has decided it's better to talk to them."
Elijah laughed and nodded as Adriana took another sip of her wine.
"On the topic of your failed comprehension, as a soldier, Marcel has seen not only how small the world has become and how fast news can travel, but also the very horrors of war itself. Surely, Marcel would agree with me."
"The best way for us to defend our home is by exercising discretion." Elijah stressed, having gone over his reasons a thousand times by now.
"Boring." Adriana drawled out.
"So who's the witch you want to kill?" Marcel said, smiling at Adrianas flippiant attitude to the whole situation.
"His name is Papa Tunde." Klaus informed. "I think he's a charlatan."
"Well, Marcel shall be able to decide that for himself." Elijah sighed, gesturing to the doors as Papa Tunde entered. "You invited him here."
"Of course. We're not savages, are we?" Klaus asked, walking away to greet the witch.
"That is up for debate." Adriana muttered, taking a sip of her drink before passing the glass to Elijah. "Hold this darling, time to play house wife."
A charming, sweet smile plastered itself on Adrianas face, the brunette elegantly striding over to the two men.
"Thank you for accepting our invitation, and welcome." Klaus greeted, shaking Papa Tunde's hand as Adriana expertly cut in.
"I'm Adriana Mikaelson, I see you have already met my brother in law, Niklaus." The female smiled, her eyes warm and genuine to anyone who didn't know her well enough. "I am the mistress of this household, wife of the eldest brother. Please, if you need anything, anything at all during this event. Don't think twice about coming to inform me."
"Pleasure before business, then." Tunde smiled, kissing the female vampires hand in greeting.
"Of course." Adriana smiled delicately, exchanging a suspicious look with Klaus when the witches back was turned. "I'll go and introduce you to everybody."
"That would be wonderful, Mrs Mikaelson." Papa Tunde nodded.
"Please," Adriana laughed. "Call me Adriana, almost everyone does."
"It seems I missed quite the event." Adriana giggled, the burns on her hands and feet closing and fading away. Nothing left from her dance with fire. "What a shame, did anyone die?"
"You missed it all?" Marcel grinned, wrapping an arm around Adrianas waist as they all gathered in the compound. "Why, do I have some stories to tell you. What have you been doing this whole time?"
"Oh, just setting somethings on fire, messing with a wolfs head, a normal day really." Adriana shrugged, threading the lighter through her fingers.
"Well, it seems you've had a much more interesting day than me." Marcel chuckled, both of them turning to watch Klaus' speech.
"Not long ago, you all united against me." The original started. "You failed. Since then, in my benevolence, I have wiped the slate clean. Yet, it seems clear you think that I am the one who needs to earn your respect, your loyalty. You're mistaken. It is you who must prove yourselves to me. Our community is under attack. I require soldiers. I need warriors, not cowards. Each of you has a decision to make. You either fight alongside me or you leave now."
"We don't owe you anything." Thierry spoke up. "If staying in the Quarter means living under your rule, I'd just as soon get the hell out."
Adriana watched with a raised eyebrow as a handful join Thierry and leave the compound.
"Hello bitchy witchy." Adriana drawled out, passing Sophie in the corridor. "Fancy seeing you here today."
Sophie opened her mouth to say something, but the sharp movement of Adrianas eyes made her shut it again.
"Get out of my sight before I kill you in the most painful way possible." The Original wife stated calmly. "I'm not looking to kill you, in fact, I'm looking for my husband. Have you seen him?"
"No." Sophie answered shakily, deciding not to underestimate the nine hundred year old vampire.
"Haven't you? What a shame, no ones seen him." Adriana hummed, walking away dragging a fire extinguisher and a lighter as she walked. "What are you staring at? Move along."
"Where are you going Adriana?" Elijah sighed, appearing in the hallway several milli seconds later. "In fact, what are you even doing?"
"I'm going to set stuff on fire." Adriana smirked, continuing on her way to Davinas room.
Adriana Mafiay was many things. A wife, a killer, a saviour, a traitor.
But, that one night, as she sat in what used to be Davinas room, the bed nothing but scraps of burnt wood, she was only one thing,
Davinas mother.
Adriana Mafiay repositioned the crown of dead roses on her head and glanced at the large cardboard box of clothes and pictures she had set aside to be buried with the body.
Everything else she had thrown onto the pyre to be burnt with the rest of this cursed room.
In one hand rested her lighter, in the other rested an aged wooden charm, threaded on a leather string.
An intricate design of a dagger was engraved on the charm, the name Mafiay on a ribbon encircled around it.
It had been handed down from each Mafiay woman.
It had been the only thing Adriana had gotten from her mother before the slave owner snatched her away.
Adriana had kept it in a ruby box for nine hundred years, shielding it away from any harm.
The necklace was a sign of trust and acceptance to the Mafiay, and once the whole ordeal with New Orleans was over, she was going to have given it to Davina.
But she couldn't now, for the obvious reasons.
"I'm so sorry baby girl." Adriana sobbed, tightening her grip on the charm. "I'm so so sorry, I'm sorry O couldn't protect you, and I'm sorry I couldn't stop her. I wont forget you, I promise, that's the problem with being a Mafiay. We wouldn't even dream about forgetting the ones we love. I'm so sorry little light, I love you."
With tears streaming down her face, Adriana flicked on the lighter and dropped it into the fire, the charm following shortly after, the aged wood quickly catching aflame.
"But this is goodbye."