Wow. I wasn't sure how you guys were going to take the whole Cassandra/Elijah development, and I must say I am very pleasantly surprised. I just hope I'm not on the brink of a Team Elijah vs. Team Klaus war. (Though I'm not sure I'd complain too much!) I think it's safe to say this chapter is chalk full of action. We're in the second half of season one now, so hold on to your hats, 'cause things are gonna get a lot more intense as we progress. Thank you guys so much for all of the amazing things you had to say about the last chapter. I'll never be able to say it enough. You guys are the best. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Chapter 12 - Caught In The War
"Thank you all for coming. It means more than I can tell you," Father Kieran addressed the room full of parishioners from the pulpit at the front of the stage. Among those in attendance were Cassandra, Klaus and Marcel, along with Cami, but she was seated a few rows up. Cassandra had been surprised when Klaus asked her if she would like to attend the church's reopening mass the following morning. Even though she wasn't catholic, she jumped at the chance to do something in the city and eagerly accepted his invitation. Klaus held her hand in his, their fingers intertwined, as they listened to Father Kieran continue with his message. "We gather today for the first public service of our newly reopened church. St. Anne's can finally once again be the heart of our community where we can congregate as a people united."
As Father Kieran spoke, Cassandra shifted her eyes over to where her friend Cami was sitting. Cami turned her head back, and their eyes met. Cassandra smiled at her, and Cami returned it with a smile of her own before shifting her gaze forward again. A moment later, Cassandra could hear Klaus leaning to the side to whisper something to Marcel. They were talking too softly for her to understand anything they were saying, so she shrugged it off and focused her attention on Father Kieran. As he mentioned that they were there with the help of many benefactors, she saw the tiniest of smiles start to appear on the corners of Klaus's mouth and had to suppress a chuckle.
After the service, Cassandra headed outside with Klaus and Marcel to greet Father Kieran. "Lovely sermon this morning, Father," Klaus was the first to shake his hand. "Quite inspirational."
"I wasn't expecting you to join us," Kieran smiled politely. He shook Marcel's hand, then Cassandra's. "I'm glad you could make it."
"So am I," Cassandra smiled.
"Oh, we were hoping for some word from your human sources on the recent Haitian invasion," Klaus cut right to the chase.
"My eyes have their ears to the ground, and no one has seen or heard any sign of whatever his name is," Kieran gave a slight shake of his head.
"He's called Papa Tunde," Marcel told him. "And right now he's wandering the Quarter with the power he absorbed from every soul I had buried in the garden. So you might want to put your ear a little closer to the ground."
Kieran had his own proposition. "Or I could steer clear of whatever war is brewing between your kind and his before I find myself—"
"I wanted to congratulate you on getting the church up and running," Cami suddenly stepped in front of Father Kieran and firmly shook his hand. "I can see this is a bad time." She paused and turned to Marcel, acknowledging him. "Nice to see you, Marcel. Oh.." she spun around to face Cassandra and gave her a quick hug. "It's nice to see you too, Cass. I see you've met my Uncle."
"Yeah, I'm glad to—wait. Your uncle?" Cassandra blinked in surprise.
"Mmm hmm," Cami nodded. "Call me later if you want to catch up more."
"Okay," Cassandra nodded, watching as she walked off completely ignoring Klaus.
"Cami," Kieran called out after her to no avail. He shot a glare at Klaus.
"Well, don't look at me. I tried to send her away," Klaus stared back defensively as his cell phone started to ring. He reached into his pocket for it and pulled it out, holding it up to his ear after answering it. "Yes, Diego. What do you have for me?"
"Uh," Diego let out a nervous breath. "We got a special delivery."
"Would you care to elaborate?" Klaus asked.
Cassandra watched Klaus's face, wishing like mad she could hear whatever it was Diego was telling him. Whatever it was, the most she could surmise was that it wasn't good. Sure enough, as soon as he hung up with Diego he took her hand in his and announced that he and Marcel needed to head back to the compound. What they found waiting there for them in the courtyard was disconcerting to say the least.
They stared at the dead body of the witch Marcel called Papa Tunde laying in the middle of a familiar white circle. Elijah knelt down beside the body, examining Papa Tunde's fatal wounds, searching for clues as to what had happened.
"Can I get you anything, brother?" Klaus looked on, impatience ringing in his voice. "A magnifying glass, a pipe perhaps?"
"You have a theory you'd like to share with us, Niklaus?" Elijah glanced up at his brother.
"Back in the day," Marcel jumped into the conversation. "the witches wanted to send a threat, they'd just kill a chicken and leave it on your doorstep."
"Ew, gross," Cassandra muttered under her breath, eliciting a smirk from Marcel.
"It's rather a large and ominous chicken, wouldn't you say?" Elijah slowly rose to his feet.
"Papa Tunde defeated Rebekah with ease, almost got the two of us as well," Klaus eyed Papa Tunde's body suspiciously.
"What?" Cassandra gasped, staring at Klaus wide eyed. "You never said—"
"I didn't want to worry you, love," Klaus gave her a soft look before turning back to body. "If he was supposed to be their prize fighter, why leave him for dead in our front yard?"
"Well, don't you all look cheery," Rebekah came strutting over to where they stood in the courtyard. "Listen to this...a girl literally exploded from a grave today as Sabine was giving her tour of the city of the dead. It was Monique Deveraux?"
"What?" Klaus growled and stared at Rebekah in surprised.
"The tourists thought it was part of the show, but the witches are celebrating like it's some kind of bloody miracle," Rebekah continued.
"Maybe it is. They think that all hope is lost, but now suddenly a Harvest Girl is resurrected. This is how we're gonna get Davina back," Marcel realized. "Kill the witch who took her place."
After Rebekah had dropped her bombshell, Cassandra's mind began racing as she went over everything having do with the witches, the Harvest, and how Davina's sketches factored in. Marcel's comment sparked a new thought, one that rocked her to her core.
"I have a theory about who one of the witches could be," she blurted out, causing all of them to stare at her. "Celeste. It's got to be. Davina was trying to tell us. She was drawing pictures of Celeste. She was warning us that a great evil is coming."
Klaus tightened his jaw, not at all thrilled by this revelation, as he eyed Elijah. "First Papa Tunde returns to settle old scores. Now your murdered lover is back. This isn't witches attacking vampires. They're declaring war on us."
-o-
"You're sure I'll be safe here?" Cassandra asked Rebekah as they climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door of the Plantation House.
"Yes," Rebekah nodded as she opened the door and lead the way inside. Cassandra had already taken care of inviting all of the Mikaelsons inside on the night they buried Esther's body on the plantation grounds after Elijah put the deed to the mansion in her name. "It's far enough outside the city where all of the attacks have been. No reason for you and your baby to get caught the crossfire from this new war that's brewing between vampires and witches. Now, come. I didn't have the new maternity wardrobe that is waiting for you upstairs sent here to collect dust."
"Wait..you did what?" Cassandra blinked and stared at Rebekah's grinning face in awe.
"Your tum is getting bigger is it not?' Rebekah raised her eyebrows, smiling as her gaze momenarily flickered onto Cassandra's protruding stomach. "You need clothes that will be more accommodating for the growth that will continue to occur throughout the second half of your pregnancy."
"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Cassandra's lips spread into a wide grin. She hurried up the stairs after Rebekah and found a couple of clothes racks lined up in her old bedroom. It didn't take long for Cassandra's arms to fill up with garments to try on. The thing that amazed her the most was how well Rebekah had been able to pick out clothes that fit Cassandra's style. "You know, I'm really beginning to like having you as my personal stylist. Don't you dare tell my sister I said that. She'd have a cow."
"Yes, I suppose she would," Rebekah chuckled at the thought. "Now, shoo. I can't wait to see how some of these outfits look on you."
"Okay, okay. I'm going!" Cassandra scurried into the bathroom. She peeled off her shirt and pulled a cute empire-waist blouse off of a hanger. As she slipped her arms through the sleeves and began to pull the fabric over her head, she felt her phone buzzing in her back pocket. She quickly pulled it out and found Cami's name flashing back at her. She tapped the answer button and held the phone up to her ear. "Hey Cami."
"Oh, thank god!" Cami let out a breath of relief. "I wasn't sure you were gonna answer. I need your help. Well, I need you to talk to Klaus for me. It's my Uncle Kieran."
"Woah, slow down," Cassandra sat down on top of the covered toilet seat. "What happened?"
"Sorry. I'm just...really freaking out right now. A witch cursed him. It's the same curse that was placed on my brother."
Cassandra's eyes widened in horror as she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god!"
"There's more. This witch, she told me if I want to save him, all I have to do is plunge this curvy blade into Klaus's heart. She said it will cause untold pain and torment, even to an Original."
"What?" Cassandra shrieked.
"I'm not going to do it," Cami spoke quickly. "I would never do that to you. And it's not who I am either."
"Oh. Thank goodness for that."
"Listen, Cass. I-I need a favor. I don't know what else to do or who else to ask, but I also don't want you to think this is some kind of ruse. I…could you call Klaus? If anyone can figure out a way out of this…"
"He can," Cassandra finished. "I trust you, Cami. I'll call him. I'm not sure what he'll be able to do, but like you said, if anyone can….anyway, stay strong. Call me if you need anything else, okay? You don't have to go through this alone. I lost my dad last year, he was murdered while he had vampire blood in his system, and refused to complete the transition to becoming a vampire. I don't know how I would have gotten through that without my mom and my sister so…just know I'm here for you."
"Thanks, Cass. That means a lot. I should go, but I will keep you posted." Cami murmured.
They murmured their goodbyes and hung up. Cassandra quickly pulled up Klaus's number and explained the situation with Cami and her uncle as quickly as she could.
"Please, Klaus. She's my friend, and he's all the family she has left. If there's anything you can do to help him, please do it," she pleaded softly.
"Kieran is a good man. He does not deserve this," Klaus sighed softly. "I will do what I can to help him, but I make no promises."
"Thank you. I'll let her know you're coming. They're at the church."
"Right, well, I best be off. I better not see you there, do you hear me?"
"But—"
"No buts, love. I need you to stay right where you are," Klaus was adamant about this.
Cassandra let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. You be careful too. I know you're the all-powerful Original Hybrid, but that doesn't mean the witches won't try again to take you down."
"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. Like you said, I am the all-powerful Original Hybrid."
"Ugh, I have a strong feeling I'm going to regret that particular choice of words."
"Perhaps," Klaus chuckled lightly. She was certain he was grinning from ear to ear.
They lingered on the phone for a few moments longer before disconnecting. Cassandra sent a text to Cami to let her know Klaus was heading to the church to help her uncle. When she was done, she set her phone on the bathroom counter and went back to trying on clothes and modeling them for Rebekah. A couple of hours later she let out a big sigh of relief as she hung up the final piece of clothing after trying it on.
"Well, I'll just have this lot returned to the store then," Rebekah scooped the small pile of clothes Cassandra had decided she didn't want and carried it out to her car. Cassandra made herself comfortable on the couch and punched in a message to Caroline to tell her about the new outfits and send a couple of photos she'd snapped. She hadn't realized until she finally laid down how tired she was, and eventually she drifted off into a light sleep.
After Klaus's unsuccessful attempt at using compulsion to counter the curse placed on Kieran, he decided it was time to hunt down the witch responsible and force them to undo the curse. To do this he needed leverage, which was why he grabbed the newly resurrected Monique Deveraux from the Compound where Marcel had conveniently brought her and her aunt to do a locator spell to find the other resurrected witches. He walked down the street, guiding Monique with one hand while he held the Papa Tunde Blade in the other, though he kept it pointed at the girl.
"Witches of the French Quarter," he called out in a loud voice. "I have with me Monique Deveraux. What a shame it would be were I forced to send her back to the death she's just escaped. Should you wish to prevent this, bring me the witch Bastiana."
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Marcel came walking out into the middle of the street.
Klaus turned around to face him. "I'm opening negotiations."
"You know my rules," Marcel marched towards Klaus and Monique. "We do not hurt kids."
"Spare me the hypocrisy of your moral code," Klaus pointed the blade at Marcel. "It didn't stop you from killing Monique's mother." He stole a sideways glance at Monique before gazing around at the buildings as he started yelling out to the witches again. "Bastiana! I know you're close. The stench of witches hangs in the air. Mark my words. I will end this girl with the very blade you meant for me."
"I'm not saying it again!" Marcel growled. "We do not kill kids."
The last thing Klaus liked was being told what he could or couldn't do. To prove a point, he sneered at Marcel as he pressed the edge of the blade against Monique's throat, causing her to gasp in surprise. Marcel whooshed up to Klaus and shoved him away from Monique. He grabbed Klaus's blade wielding arm and held it out, twisting his wrist to make Klaus let go the blade. With Klaus now disarmed, Marcel pushed him back a few feet to create some distance, but Klaus whooshed back towards Marcel and gave him a hard shove, sending him flying onto the ground. Marcel vamp-sped back towards Klaus, only to have Klaus grab him in an iron head lock. Klaus slowly twisted Marcel's neck until it finally snapped, sending him down to the ground in a motionless heap.
"I decide who lives and who dies here, Marcellus," Klaus stared down at Marcel's body.
While they'd been fighting, they failed to notice Sophie Deveraux quietly approaching. She stopped next to the spot where the Papa Tunde blade had landed on the ground and picked it up before continuing over to stand next to her niece. When Klaus turned around to face Monique after snapping Marcel's neck, Sophie was right there waiting. With one hard, fluid motion, she slammed the curved blade into Klaus's chest.
"AHH!" He yelled out, staring down at the blade protruding from his chest. He groaned and gasped as the blade slowly disappeared inside him. He fell to his knees and let out a blood curdling scream as he clawed at his chest before falling to the ground, his body going limp as he succumbed to the blade's unending torment.
It was then that the witch Bastiana finally appeared. "I'll take it from here," she murmured to Sophie and Monique as a wicked smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Cassandra was surprised to find that the sun had gone down when she awoke from her nap. After a quick pit stop in the bathroom, she headed into the kitchen to find something to eat. She was pleased to find that the cupboards and refrigerator were fully stocked and eagerly pulled out the fixings for a sandwich. A few minutes later she went back into the sitting room carrying a plate and sat down on the couch to eat her sandwich. Between bites, she picked her phone up from the coffee table and dialed Rebekah's number, but the Original Vampire didn't answer. She left a quick message, hung up, then redialed for good measure.
"Huh. That's strange," Cassandra murmured to herself when Rebekah's voicemail came on a second time. "I wonder where she could be."
Shrugging it off for the time being, she tried calling Klaus next. When his phone went to voicemail, instead of leaving a message she hung up and redialed. After getting his voice mail a second time, her stomach dropped.
"Hey," she tried her hardest to keep her voice sounding calm as she left him a message. "Just wondered how things were going with Kieran. Also, have you heard from Rebekah? She disappeared..um, I'm not sure when exactly. I sort of..fell asleep on the couch. Anyway, she's not answering her phone. Neither are you, obviously. It has me a little worried. Please, call me back. I need to know that you're okay, that you both are."
She ended the call with a sigh and decided she better call Elijah. "Please answer," she mumbled as she held the phone back up to her ear.
"Cassandra," Elijah answered the phone after one ring in a breathy voice.
"Oh thank god," Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief. "Rebekah and Klaus aren't answering their phones. I'm worried something's happened. They'd never not answer my calls, or at the very least they'd text me if they couldn't talk."
"Listen to me," he gasped as he stood to his feet. He had been weakened and knocked out by an enchanted kiss he'd received from Celeste and was finally beginning to recover. "You were right. Celeste is back. Niklaus, Rebekah. You're all in danger."
"What?" Cassandra yelped. She'd just placed her now empty plate in the kitchen sink and spun around as Elijah spoke. She started to walk towards the open double doors leading to the backyard when a howling gust of wind pulled the doors shut with a loud slam. She ran over and tugged on the handles, but they wouldn't budge. Instead, a tall flame erupted outside the doors, rendering the exit unusable and causing her to jump back with a surprised gasp. "Elijah, it's a spell. The witches, I think they're trying to trap me inside!"
"I'm on my way!" Elijah growled into the phone before hanging up.
Cassandra nodded and raced from the kitchen through the parlor and over to the front double doors, but they slammed shut and more flames appeared, cutting her off from another possible exit. More flames sprouted in the kitchen. The flames surrounding the front door grew, forcing her to double back into the parlor. The second she crossed the threshold, the doors to the parlor slammed shut.
"Oh my god. Oh my god. They're trying to burn me alive! Me and my baby! I have to get out of here!" She could feel her panic level rising. As she stood next to the baby grand piano, a trail of flames exploded in the parlor and moved along the frame of the room, setting off the fire alarms in the process. It didn't take long for Cassandra to start coughing from inhaling too much smoke. Coughing into her shoulder, she looked around for something, anything to cover her mouth with, when her eyes landed on the top of the piano. It had been covered with a small cloth table runner. She quickly grabbed it and held it against her mouth as she continued to cough. She looked around, watching as the fire continued to grow. Her eyes watered and burned from the smoke and it was getting harder and harder to breath. She knew she didn't have much time left. Please hurry Elijah! Please!
Like an answer to a prayer, the glass from one of the nearby windows exploded as Elijah rocked through it at vampire speed. He quickly scooped her up into his arms and sped away from the burning mansion. Once they were far enough from the structure, he gently laid her on down on the brick driveway. He lifted her arms so they were level with her head, giving her lungs more room to expand as her coughing slowly calmed down. Once she was breathing normally again, he released her arms, allowing them to drop back down to her sides.
"Wait here," he told her before disappearing in search of his sister.
Cassandra slowly sat up and stared at the once beautiful colonial mansion as it stood incased in a sea of bright orange and yellow flames. She was saddened at the thought of never being able to wear the outfits Rebekah had picked out for her. "Guess we'll just have to go on another shopping trip, if she ever turns up again."
A few long minutes later, Elijah reappeared holding a black jacket in his hand. "The witches have her," Elijah murmured softly.
"Oh no," Cassandra's eyes widened. "What about Klaus?"
Elijah stared at her, tightening his jaw as he remained silent. She nodded slowly as she swallowed the lump that had begun to form in her throat. He waited another beat, then held out his hand to her. "Come. We need to get back to the compound."
She didn't hesitate to place her hand in his and allow him to pull her up to her feet. Instead of driving Rebekah's car, he vamp-sped back to the compound. As they walked through the entrance tunnel, she could almost feel the anger radiating off of him. Lord help anyone that got in his way.
"Marcel!" Elijah yelled out as they walked into the courtyard and made a beeline to where Marcel and a congregation of his vampire cronies were standing. "Where is my brother?"
"I got guys out looking for him right now," Marcel held his hands out in a settle down position as he spoke calmly. Not the least bit satisfied with this answer, Elijah started grabbing vampires and tossing them against the courtyard walls with ease.
"Elijah!" Cassandra called out in an attempt to settle him down. He glanced over at her, letting out a breath, then turned back towards Marcel.
"Klaus threw one of his classic temper tantrums, snapped my neck, tried to take on a coven of witches by himself. He got dropped," Marcel explained as Elijah and Cassandra stared at him in shock. "I don't know where he is or how to find him."
"They also have Rebekah," Elijah murmured in a low voice. The surprise in Marcel's eyes confirmed this was news to him. Turning to address the rest of the vampires in the courtyard, Elijah began to speak in a loud, authoritative voice. "Every last one of you will help me find them. I'm going to kill them all."
Numb from what Marcel had just told them about Klaus, Cassandra slowly made her way up the stairs to the second floor to her and Klaus's shared bedroom. She came to a stop in front of the easel he had set up near the bedroom window and stared at the canvas he'd began to paint. It felt like a bad dream she couldn't wake up from, knowing he was out there somewhere, suffering in untold ways at the hands of witches. She wasn't sure how long she stood there staring at the painted colors on the canvas as her grief and worry festered within her. Eventually it became too much for her to keep bottled up inside. With a loud yell, she picked up the jar of paint brushes Klaus had left in front of the canvas and threw it against the wall before collapsing onto the ground in a heap of sobs. The next thing she knew, Elijah was holding her against his chest, rubbing her back in slow, circular movements as he consoled her.
"I promise you, we will find them," he whispered, doing his best to sound reassuring.
"I-I told him to be c-careful," she stammered between sobs. "That the w-witches would try again to take..take him down. I…I can't….I need…."
"Ssssh," Elijah whispered soothingly. "Everything's going to be fine, Cassandra. We will find him and kill the witches responsible. For now, you need to be strong. For Rebekah. And for Niklaus."
She nodded her head slowly and took a deep breath, followed by another, and another, until her sobs finally subsided. Elijah reached into his outer jacket pocket for his handkerchief and handed it to her. She murmured a weak thank you as she took it and used it to wipe her eyes.
"Well," Elijah let out a soft sigh and began to help Cassandra back onto her feet. "It's been an
exceedingly long and trying day. You should get some rest."
Cassandra blinked and stared at Elijah like he'd sprouted a second head. "You seriously think I'm going to get any sleep tonight knowing Klaus is out there somewhere, suffering at the hands of the witches? We should be out there searching for him, Elijah. I know he would move hell and earth to find me if I were the one missing."
"Yes, I'm certain he would, as would I. You, however, do not have the same physical means and abilities that we do. Believe me, Cassandra, I want to find him and Rebekah just as much as you do, and I give you my word that I will. Marcel is recruiting his day and nightwalkers as we speak to continue the search throughout the night. You need to focus on taking care of yourself and the baby," he paused and reached out for her hands, taking hold of them in his own as she pressed her lips together and shook her head back and forth. "You must try, Cassandra. Try to get some sleep. It's what Niklaus would want you to do."
"I can't," she whispered.
"I could always make you," he countered with raised eyebrows.
"Make me?" Cassandra stared at him, confused. He kept a straight face as he eyed her, waiting for her to figure out what he meant. It only took her a few extra seconds to realize what he was getting at. When she did figure it out, her eyes widened in surprise. "You would really do that to me?"
"If it were deemed absolutely necessary, then yes. I would," Elijah answered in light, calm voice.
Cassandra's hand instinctively went up to her chest. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she felt the cool heart pendant filled with vervain resting right where it was supposed to be. Rather than continuing to protest and give Elijah the chance to follow through on his word, she handed back his handkerchief and stalked over to the side of the bed where her pajamas were. She could feel his eyes on her as she disappeared into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. He was still standing in the same place when she reemerged and walked back over to the bed. She refused to look at him as she pulled the covers back and climbed in. She rolled onto her side, putting her back to him, as she got situated and tucked the covers back around her. He turned off the light and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Once he was gone, she stared at Klaus's empty side of the bed in the dark and felt a new wave of tears sting her eyes. Burying her face in her pillow, she began to cry again, gripping her pillow as she did her best to muffle the sound of her sobs as best she could. She hadn't been crying for more than a few minutes when she felt a gentle hand rubbing her back in a soothing manner. She turned her head and found Elijah sitting beside her. She rolled over and scooted into his awaiting arms, burying her face against his chest. He continued to rub her back while she cried softly until she finally fell asleep. He gazed down at her sleeping form, listening to both her and her baby's steadily beating heartbeats. He tilted his head forward and brushed his lips gently against her hair before letting out a soft sigh. Knowing he wasn't going anywhere for the remainder of the night, he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax until he, too, drifted off to sleep.