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Eliza, Genesis, & Matthew – Age: 3 Years 8 Months
Abigail, Andrew, & Zachary – Age: 2 Years 5 Months
Anastasia & Elizabeth – 1 Year 2 Months
No One's POV
"Elskan, how are you this morning?" Elijah asks gently, voice as if he was talking to a wounded animal, as Alexis walks down the stairs, holding a sleepy Andrew close to her and frankly looking like a small train wreck, her sleep having been disturbed and overall restless as her mind looped around the what ifs.
"What is she doing here?" Alexis growls out lowly, holding Andrew closer to her, shielding her eldest of Kol's twins from Freya, Andrew continuing to cling to his mother like a wet blanket since yesterday afternoon's events.
Andrew immediately tensed at his mother's voice, sensing a slight shift in her already morose attitude; the bad lady was out. Andrew scrunched up his face confused. He thought he helped his Cousin Davina and Aunt Liv put her away in time out. Mommy and daddy said she was bad and wasn't going to help them anymore; it was clear mommy still didn't like her either or want her around.
"Elskan." Elijah approaches his mate, taking measured steps to his clearly wounded and grieving mate. "I promise you, if Freya should even attempt to betray us. I shall bury her under a thousand wretched torments."
"Okay." Alexis simply accepts Elijah's offered words and assurances, curling into herself a little, but accepting Elijah's touch and allowing him to pull her into his chest.
"I promise you, Elskan. We'll get him back. And we'll get Dahlia." Elijah murmurs, lips pressing a long, reassuring kiss to her crown.
"So…" Alexis sniffles a little, wiping a sniffle away. "What- what do we have so far?" She attempts a smile; it was less than successful.
"I warned you that the twin's magic would draw her to them. The spell you described... Dahlia calls it 'kenning', using proxies to watch her enemies from afar." Freya offers, leaning over the dining room table under the watchful eye of the Mikaelsons and nearly all of the Gemini Coven, including all three of the Gemini leaders (the coven had been called shortly after the events of Dahlia, practically flocking to the Mikaelson plantation like a flock of birds flying south for the winter).
"Awesome. So, basically every Hurricane-chugging, boob-flashing tourist on Bourbon Street is a potential spy." Alexis nearly wants to scream, snapping at Freya and glaring hard, honestly wanting to say that Freya's presence wasn't helpful to her nerves at all (why did they need her again, Alexis wanted to question, even if deep down, Alexis knew exactly why and for what purpose).
"Angel." Kol is gently hushing his mate, quickly at her side, a steady assurance to sooth his mate's grief-driven frustration. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything is okay. I promise."
"Mommy!" Andrew whimpers anxiously, squirming in his mother's hold, digging his face into her collar bone, and smushing his blanket and stuffed dragon against her neck; feeling the tense emotions in the room and his mother's high apprehension and anger in her form, and, if Andrew drew more attention to himself because he sensed his mother was getting more upset, well, no one but himself needed to know.
"Mommy's sorry, baby." Alexis automatically answers, plopping herself ungracefully down on the floor with a sigh, holding back more tears; she didn't want to cry anymore, she didn't want to feel weak, she was exhausted.
"Freya." Elijah sighs, heavy with disapproval, moving closer to his mate, all the brothers instinctively closing rank on Alexis like bodyguards. "Have tact. If you're not going to offer anything helpful. Don't speak at all. Perhaps you weren't raised with our parents, but certainly Dahlia taught you some sort of manners." At that, his tone was biting, ruthless under his carefully crafted façade.
"And if you can't." Niklaus growls, eyes flashing in warning. "There's always that lovely cell we dragged you out of."
Yes, the time out cell, Andrew liked that idea that daddy Nik said. Maybe mommy would feel better and be happier if the bad lady was gone; Andrew glared fiercely from under his mother's head to indicate his displeasure, his fierce look of hatred oddly misplaced on his otherwise two-year old's cherub face.
"The good news is, I know a little about how her magic works." Freya continues, looking chastised by her younger brothers. "And, this tonic will at least prevent her from using any of us. Dahlia is powerful enough… Even if you're Originals."
"Well…" Rebekah picks up a cup a little skeptically, sniffing it equally as warily. "I'd say I want to trust you… But, you told us yourself earlier this morning that Dahlia bonded you guys together… And, I suppose that means you do know something about her magic… I can see a million and one ways this could go wrong… But I also want to find my nephew. So, bottoms up!" At that she takes the drink and all but chugs it.
"Such class." Elijah deadpans, taking a cup as well.
"Is this it?" Alexis asks a bit weakly, Kol handing her a cup of her own to drink, as if questioning this was all there was to the plan.
"No. Niklaus guesses that Dahlia's attack yesterday was a test. To see how we responded to aggression." Elijah cuts in. "Taking- getting Zachary." He amends his statement carefully. "Was perhaps not necessarily something she counted on."
"She's preparing for battle. My guess is sooner, rather than later." Niklaus offers.
"Well, if she was watching us, she would know that we have our own army. She's seen the hybrids and the Strix." Alexis points out.
"She also knows where we are. And, given the immense nature of her power, we simply do not know what to expect from her. What we need is to create a new stronghold. Something that Dahlia knows nothing about. A sanctuary from any witchcraft. We are moving you to the penthouse." Elijah states, tone bartering no argument.
"That's a fine strategy. I offer another. We can use the hybrid to trace her magic back to its source. The magic lingers, even once the person is killed. Find out exactly where she is." Freya replies as everyone agrees, if not a bit wary of the eldest, wayward Mikaelson whose presence and timing had come too suspiciously for their liking.
"MOMMY! MOMMY!" Zachary screams at the top of his two-year old lungs, tears streaming down his red cheeks like the flood gates of Niagara Falls.
"I WANT MY MOMMY! TWAKE ME BWACK NOW! DWON'T WANT YOU!" Zachary continues to scream and wail, small fists pounding the floor and feet kicking until he was exhausted; it was cold, it was dirty and musty, and he was hungry, he just wanted to go home, he wanted his mommy and daddy, and he really didn't want to be here with this bad lady. She was even worse than the other bad lady.
"Your mother isn't here!" Dahlia harshly answers back, the constant screaming of her youngest nephew's child beginning to grate on her mind.
"NO, BAD LWADY! MOMMY! WANT MOMMY!" Zachary screams louder, his little fists tightening in anger and defiance; no, he wouldn't stop crying or be quiet, mommy always told him if he got taken from her to draw lots of attention so someone might find or help him. "WANT DREW AND DADDY!"
"Stop crying!" Dahlia nearly screams, the constant screeches and cries of her great-nephew grating on her nerves as she attempted to focus on her next plans forward.
"Nwo!" Zachary fights Dahlia's attempts to calm or subdue him, struggling as hard as his small body could against the bad lady; he wanted his mommy, she wasn't his mommy. "BAD LWADY! MOMMY! MOMMY!"
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Andrew cries, hands tugging insistently on his mother's shirt, claiming her attention from the comings and goings of people in the penthouse and his siblings.
"What is it, baby?" Alexis gently kneels to Andrew's level, hands pushing a lock of dirty blond hair out of his eyes.
"Zachy!" Andrew nods as seriously as he could, to emphasize the seriousness of the matter.
"Baby…" Alexis murmurs, trailing off. "Your brother is… Zach isn't- isn't here right now." Alexis swallows back raw emotions.
"Nwo. Zachy!" Andrew insists. "Help Zachy!"
"We're- we're going to, baby. We are." Alexis promises, tears pricking in her eyes. "We're gonna find him, okay? Momma's gonna bring him back."
"Nwo! Bad lwady has Zachy, mommy!" Andrew nearly stomps his feet and tugs harder on his mother's shirt. "HELP ZACHY!"
"OLIVIA! KOL!" Alexis screams, realizing that this was far out of her expertise.
Kol comes barreling into the living room of the penthouse, Olivia too, well, Olivia more like fast paced walking, since she was five months pregnant, with twins nonetheless.
"What!? What is it?" Kol asks frantically, looking for some sort of invisible enemy he could slay in order to protect his family.
"It's- it's Andrew… I think- I think it's- they're connected… Or Zachary is reaching out. Is that- is that possible?" Alexis hesitates, some sort of small hope growing.
"Daddy… Help Zachy!" Andrew demands, reaching out for his father and tugging insistently on his father's shirt. "Bad lwady!"
"It's- they're twins." Olivia offers carefully, not wanting to give hope where there may be none. "Lucas and I were always much more in tune to each other. Our magic included."
"Okay, bud." Kol kneels in front of Andrew. "It's okay. Mommy and I are listening."
"Zachy…" Andrew whines, eyes pleading for his father to listen; he wasn't playing a joke on daddy this time.
"Zach is what, buddy?" Kol prompts carefully.
"Find Zachy." Andrew buries his head into Kol's chest, clutching Kol's shirt in a death grip; he could help, he could, he could feel his brother, like an invisible thread reaching out across space to connect them together.
"Okay, okay." Olivia flails her hands a bit, attempting to recall a spell or something. "I can- we can work with this."
"Liv." Alexis places her hands on the older Gemini twin's shoulders. "Focus. Just for a moment. You can do this."
"Right. Right. Ummm. Luke and I used to play hide and seek. But we'd cheat. With a spell. You know, like, look through each other's eyes to figure out where we were. If I can show Andrew… We could- figure out where Zachary is…" Olivia suggest.
"Drew, bud, you want to help Auntie Liv?" Kol asks. "Help her with a spell?"
"Find Zachy?" Andrew perks up, tears drying slightly, eager to know that he was being listened to.
"Yes, find Zach. With your magic." Kol offers, gently ruffling his son's hair.
"Ywes." Andrew nods.
"Okay." Kol nods to the Gemini leader. "Go ahead, Olivia."
"Okay, Andrew. This is very important, alright? We're going to play hide and seek. With magic. But, with our minds. You are going to be able to see your brother. But only in here." At that, Olivia taps her head gently and then Andrew's. "Do you understand, buddy?"
"See Zachy?" Andrew scrunches his nose a little confused, but carefully listening to his Aunt Liv; he always listened to his Aunt Liv, she was very smart and taught him lots of things about magic and listening to how the Earth hummed with life and magic.
"Yes, see where he is. With the bad lady. And then, this is very important, too. You need to tell your daddy. So daddy can go get your brother." Olivia tells Andrew, nodding to his answer.
"Twell daddy. Okay." Andrew nods back seriously, his small face furrowed in concentration.
"Very good. Alright. That's so good, buddy." Olivia smiles at the Original Warlock hybrid. "Let's go over the spell now, slowly. Carefully."
"Vide quod videre. Audi quid ego audio." Olivia says each word distinctly so Andrew can hear the words and repeat them.
"Now, think you can do it with me? We'll do it together." Olivia offers, taking Andrew's hands in hers.
"Vide quod videre. Audi quid ego audio."
"Daddy!" Andrew runs to his father, Kol quickly catching a barreling two-year old.
"Yes, buddy?" Kol answers.
"Zachy! Zachy!" Andrew tumbles out. "Zachy sad!"
"Is that all? Is Zach hurt?" Kol asks.
"Nwo. Zachy sad. Wants mommy and daddy." Andrew shakes his head at his father's questions. "He's- he's- it's dwark. And- and dirty. He don't lwike it."
"Okay, bud. That's very good. And daddy is going to find him. But- daddy is going to need something a little more specific… So, how about you show me? With your mind? Okay, buddy? Is that okay?" Kol asks, gently placing his hand on his son's head; as a vampire, particularly an Original, they had one of the strongest minds in the world and could both impress their will and mind on another, but also could receive images if so inclined, simply by poking through the mind of those which they walked within.
"Otay, daddy." Andrew nods.
"Okay." Kol smiles, closing his eyes and gently pressing his forehead to Andrew's, not that it was strictly necessary to do so; his mind certainly strong enough to press into his son's impressionable mind from a distance, but he wouldn't do that.
"Andrew? Kol?" Alexis hovers and worries anxiously.
"Olivia." Kol snaps his eyes open only a few moments later. "Gather your coven. We're going to war."
Vide quod videre. Audi quid ego audio. ~ See what I see. Hear what I hear.