It was nearly unbearable inside of the compound. Elijah and Klaus were both depressed since they had sent Hope away with Rebekah. The plan was to shut ourselves away in mourning to no one would expect us when we finally made our move, but there wasn't much pretending involved.

Klaus grew more frustrated each day, trying to work out his anger on a canvas, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't enough for him. Elijah aligned himself with the historical society as he tried to locate the moonlight rings Correa had given her followers; the rings that sapped his brother's power every full moon. I wanted simply to kill the entire city, but Elijah kept holding me back. I may have changed my mind about Hayley, but I had still wanted to be an aunt and they hadn't let me shack up with Rebekah.

I sat in the courtyard wondering if several months was long enough to mourn a baby that wasn't actually dead when Camille walked in; right through our front door.

"You need to go," I told her. "It's dangerous to be here and Nik won't speak to anybody."

"You have to do something!" she begged. "It's a military state. The Correas need to be taken out."

I tried to guide her back to the door. "Thanks for coming."

Elijah appeared by my side when she left. "It's time," he said simply, placing a kiss on my temple.

For the first time since they sent Hope away, I felt happy. We went on our own to attack Correa and her inner circle while Hayley and Marcellus stayed at the compound to make sure no one could hurt Klaus while he was weak.

I knocked on the Correa's front door. The bitch answered and one of her bodyguards stood dutifully behind her.

"It's fine," she smiled through pursed lips. "They can't come in."

"Can't we?" Elijah smirked.

She scoffed at us. "Don't bluff me, you can't win."

"You mobsters all suffer from such hubris," Elijah commented. "Do you know Al Capone thought himself invincible back in his day and he was sentenced to the filth of Alcatraz for which of his atrocities? Anyone?"

"Tax evasion!" I answered proudly for them.

"Exactly, and in the end Liz tore out his heart with her bare hands. I suppose the devil's in the details, isn't it?" He smiled politely. "My, you have a beautiful home here. I was so pleased when the city took my suggestion to protect its heritage and invoke eminent domain. So I suppose that means the house now belongs to the public and anyone can enter with invitation."

Killing those wolves had really lifted my spirits, but now that Klaus was back to full strength, Elijah's time had once again become preoccupied with Hayley. So I avoided the compound. I haunted the streets of the French Quarter where I found a teenage boy with a shit-eating grin.

"You're impossible," I ran up to him.

He smirked. "Am I supposed to understand what you mean by that, Liz?"

My eyes widened. I had never met this kid before so he couldn't possibly have known my name. The only way he could have was impossible. "Kol?"

The boy smirked again and I hit him. "You are Kol! How?"

He shushed me. "I can't tell you, not yet."

I threw my arms around him, excited to see him. He had always been so much fun. I was surprised, though, to hear his heart beating. "Whatever it is, you need to promise me to be careful."

"You worried about me?" he asked and I could see his ego inflate.

"You're mortal now. I really don't want to deal with you dying again," I laughed at him.

He hugged me, but something must have caught his attention because he let me go quickly. "Don't cause too much damage without me," he grinned and then hurried across the street at human pace.

I stepped into the compound where I found Klaus raving. Almost instantaneously upon my arrival, Elijah's attention turned from his brother to me. "Where have you been?" he demanded.

"Oh, I matter now?" I asked innocently.

He frowned at me. "Of course you matter, Elizabetta."

"Let me rephrase that: you care what I do, now?" I growled.

"What has gotten into you?" Elijah asked as calmly as he could muster.

I snarled at him and barred my fangs. "Ever since we moved down here, you spend less and less time with me. Some days, you don't even look at me. It's I love you this, and, I love you that, but your words are fucking empty. I don't want to fucking see you if you don't want to fucking see me." I wanted him to attack. I wanted to fight to let all this anger out. But he didn't react. Not at all, so I stormed away, shutting myself in one of the extra rooms. I threw some furniture around, but was soon tired and pissed off and unsatisfied.

There was a knock at the door which gave way to Klaus.

"What do you want, Nik?" I sighed.

"Nothing," he shrugged and took a seat in one of the velvet armchairs.

"I'm really, not in the mood, Nik."

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously. You're in the mood to kill someone. Maybe several someones, but you need to go back in there and forgive Elijah."

"No that's bullshit."

Klaus hopped up and grabbed my wrists, pulling me towards him. "Our parents are back. We cannot afford to have divisions within the family. Besides, you and me, we need all the friends you can get."

I scoffed. "I have plenty of friends."

"You have me. And Rebekah on a good day."

"I have plenty of friends," I repeated. "And might I remind you. You've only got me."

"Please, forgive Elijah," Klaus pleaded. "For me."

"You owe me," I grumbled I stormed into mine and Elijah's room.

Without a word, he wrapped me up in his arms. He squeezed me to him, burying his face in my neck. "I am so sorry." It came out muffled as he spoke into my skin. "It was never my intention to ignore you."

With his strong arms around me, I remembered that we loved each other and I was convinced everything would be alright.

"Birds? Really?" I commented as I descended the stairs to the courtyard. The brothers and Hayley stood around a fully set table filled with fresh fruits and food. "A bit grandiose don't you think? That's definitely Nik's department."

He scoffed and reached to pick up a piece of paper on one of the silver trays.

"What the hell is that?" Hayley asked.

"An invitation from our mother," he answered, grinding his teeth.

Immediately, responsibilities began being delegated and plans were formed. I volunteered to fetch a witch. "Elijah will go with you," was Klaus's reaction. "We need the witch alive."

Elijah took me to Marcellus's new commune of vampires, but I opted to wait outside of the building, thinking he would not help find a witch if he knew I was there. When Elijah emerged, he brought with him a female vampire.

"Don't ask," he growled when I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't tell," I chuckled back and he grimaced. I joined him at his side and tugged on his jacket sleeve, up by his shoulder. In one swift movement, I was on his back with my arms wrapped around his neck. He carried me for a minute and then the vampire walking behind us finally spoke.

"You wanna walk in silence, fine, but you're going the wrong way," she shouted.

Elijah, sighed, stopped and turned to face her without putting me down. "Marcel seems to think I can instruct you," he told the girl. "Frist lesson: try not to waste my time." Elijah bent his knees slightly and popped back up, throwing me up further on his back. He gripped my legs and once I was secure, followed the fledgling into town.

We entered a witch's shop manned by an elderly witch grinding herbs with a mortar and pestel. She looked up as the bell over her door rang. "Go away. I'm busy."

Elijah gently set me down and kissed my temple. "You're blatantly practicing magic, I see," he approached her.

"Herbal remedies for a neighbor who lost her insurance, but my guess is an Original ain't here to talk gossip," she responded.

"I have a favor to ask of you," he explained.

"The whole Quarter is crawling with witches. Go ask one of them," the witch spat.

"I don't typically ask favors of my enemies," Elijah replied gently.

"So you've come across the river to bother me," she sighed.

Elijah didn't answer right away, he needed to find a new angle. I hung back because my angle was a bit more forceful. "It's unfortunate, isn't it? Bureaucracy has not been kind to your community," he began. "Those tax incentives on local business have been stalling for months. Of course, a persuasive person could potentially remove any red tape."

"I'm listening," she put down her tools.

The Original smirked. "A certain someone, let's say a witch, has a troublesome tendency of jumping into other bodies. When she does so again, I'd like to know into whom she jumps."

"Soul branding," the witch responded immediately. "It's a sacrificial spell. I'm gonna need an item that's been spelled by the witch in question. And a python."

"I shall retrieve the enchanted item," Elijah declared. "My partner will take care of the python."

"Like hell!" I exclaimed. I was not an errand girl and I would never serve up a snake for sacrifice; a goat, maybe, a human, sure. Snakes liked me, though.

"Not you," Elijah corrected. "Gia."

"A what?" the fledgling scoffed.

Elijah smiled cruelly at her. "Second lesson of the day: acquisition through mind compulsion."

"That is so mean!" I chuckled as we left the store.

He smiled at me and took my hand. "Come, we have to find Niklaus."