Hello, my lovely readers. After Klaus' latest stunt, Esther has had enough, and decides to take a day off from being "Mother." On with the show…
Chapter 10: What Do You Truly Desire?
Esther Mikaelson laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling of her room as if her son had found new level of disappointing behavior to show her. She tried to pinpoint the exact moment that she went so terribly wrong with Niklaus, this century... Was it staying behind to comfort Finn about his spat with Sage? Should Esther have gone to the decade dance instead? Perhaps it was before that... She should have questioned Klaus' sudden impulse to hold a decade dance. Her son did not do things without a reason...
Working her way back, Esther decided it must have begun when she insisted that Klaus attend high school. It had made sense to her at the time. Rebekah was going-and despite what Klaus might try to insist-the years between their ages equaled no more than four, or the difference between freshman and senior class. And given Klaus' tendency to get himself into trouble, he would have been held back, naturally, in a small town that did not recognize gifted students when they walked the halls. Also, Stefan Salvatore went to the high school with Caroline Forbes; it only made sense for Klaus to be around his little mates and to learn to enjoy what they did... More than likely, it was Esther's coming to teach at the school that created such a state in her son's mind. Klaus would want to make his mark without his Mother's shadow being cast over him. Why does he have to resent her so...
The sounds of an argument, in the hallway of Klaus' home broke through Esther's inner turmoil. She could spell the room to only emit quiet. However, she would have to leave the room sometime. Esther did not relish the idea of coming out to find blood spattered walls and have no idea how that happened, this time.
With a sigh, Esther wondered why her children could not take their quarrel onto the front lawn for the neighbors to gawk at and make a video of to post to their social media accounts?
The argument continued, louder and more irksome the closer Esther got to the door. With a dull wave of her hand, she waited for the piece of wood to swing open. Exiting the door, Esther strode out and into the hallway. Her eyes flicked back and forth to take in the sight of Niklaus and Rebekah having their every thirty seconds row of the hour.
"You ruin EVERYTHING!" Rebekah shouted, hands balled into fists at her sides, teeth bared-although she was not brandishing fang, just yet. Esther must have entered the first of their three-part arguments that would end in A) Rebekah breaking something, B) Klaus daggering Rebekah, or C) Rebekah slamming out of the house to engage in activities with an inappropriate boy Esther never wished to meet.
To settle how this one would end, Rebekah turned her back on her brother and stalked off on high heels which were too high and offered women very little arch support. Esther's mood darkened. After she dealt with her children, she needed to deal with the shoemaker of the past century. Perhaps she would spell them to feel the trauma they inflicted on those who wore their merchandise? Or send them to a dimension where someone just as sadistic as these so-called designers would have to wear little death contraptions of their own? Or -
"Mother!" Klaus' voice snapped her out of her plans. She must come back to them though...
"You've left your room. Is there anything I can get you?" Klaus' bright tone and smile made Esther stare back with a blank expression. He truly did not seem to register how she felt.
"Is there anything you can get me?" Esther repeated, feeling emotionally drained and unable to cope with this conversation. She shook her head and attempted to move past her son. Of course, Niklaus had been stubborn as a child and only seemed to grow more so with each passing year. You would think that after the one thousand mark, he would complete the circle and become a little more flexible, like Elijah.
Popping up in front of his mother, Klaus continued to try to lighten the mood, and managed to fuel Esther's irritation. Why couldn't he understand what giving someone space meant? "Mother," Klaus began, "I did not mean to anger you," (Those are words that no one should ever breathe when they do not mean to anger someone because they, inevitably are followed by words to anger the person they are speaking with.) And, of course, Klaus uttered them: "But you must know that your little experiment would fail. Miserably!" Klaus let out a quiet laugh. He even had the nerve to smile.
Esther could feel her mind letting loose a number of spells that would end in Klaus feeling the same pain and irritation she felt. "Thank you, Niklaus, for pointing out my inability to know the minds and needs of my own off-spring. This has been most helpful. Now, if you will excuse me." See, she was in control and did not hex her son...
But Klaus was not done. "I have lived too long, seen too much and done too much. I can not possibly relate to these children -"
"You are right! I was a fool to think that you could learn anything from being around such unremarkable creatures. And I should have not expected you to ever lower yourself to playing nice with others -"
"'Playing nice?'" Klaus scoffed, throwing his arms in the air. She could feel his mood darkening now. "Is that to be a joke, Mother? Those children have no compassion, or common decency! If you had seen what one of the boys scrawled on Kol's locker; you would applaud my desire to end their terror!"
Esther let out a bitter laugh. "Did you think the incident was not spoken of in the teacher's lounge? Or that no one would have spoken within hearing of the attack on my son? Did you think I would not lift a finger to those who brought harm to my child? No, Niklaus! I was in the process of spelling those boys to have poison oak that would last for years with no treatment any human could manufacture! I would have given them boils, and blisters! I would turn them inside out! However, Kol, of all my children, the most likely to lash out when in pain, and to cause mischief, and sometimes terror, took it upon himself to punish the humans without risking exposure or harm to anyone but the vile children themselves! Perhaps there is a lesson in that for all of us."
Klaus lowered his gaze to the floor with a look of shame. "As usual I am the only child you find wanting."
"No, Niklaus! You do not get to play the role of long-suffering child! You blew up a school! You could have killed someone! You could have killed many! What if the janitor had been about to clean up? Do the people who clean up after you not matter? Do they not have families? You showed me that you still have a bit of ground to cover when it comes to respect for our natural world and all of the creatures who make it."
"The bomb blew up the school," Klaus muttered, scuffing the floor with his boot.
"You placed the explosives inside it!"
"My minions did that!"
"Enough!" Esther inhaled and exhaled. If they did not diffuse the tension, the walls would be bloody by days end. "I wish for a second chance, but you wish to make a mockery of my work. You wish for your freedom from me, take it. I will not attempt to stop you."
Klaus' hands balled into fists at his sides and Esther expected for him to attack her, as he did the night she lost her life. That was alright. She was ready. His eyes burned into her before he whirled on his heel and stalked down the hall. Esther heard his feet banging down the stairs, followed by the door slamming closed.
Closing her eyes, Esther deflated. Her shoulders slumped and she would have broken down into tears if she had not exhausted that ability last night after helping Rebekah to bed. Esther had laid in her own bed, tears silently streaming down her cheeks as she listened to Klaus drinking and breaking things on the first floor.
Right now, Esther did not know what to do with herself, but she knew she must leave this house for the time being before it was the next thing to undergo the wrath of a Mikaelson.
~0~
The music of today played and Esther found herself yearning for her own. Unfortunately all of the musicians of her day died out, a millennia ago-sometimes due to disease, or the Vikings displeasure for the tune. Esther remembered her first time she and Mikael went to what people now referee to as a concert. It involved an open field and people dancing until the singer found himself confronted with the Viking whose daughter he had pledged to marry before escaping to the land Esther walked now. It ended with the singer losing his head. But until then, she'd been enjoying the show...
Walking down the aisle of the local market which Elijah had told her once was a grocery; Esther felt perplexed. Many of the uniformed men and women who worked here had a vacant look in their eye like they were in a trance. Had the local vampires been compelling these poor people? Or was it a spell cast by a witch? Esther missed the old days in which she could dicker with the local vendors for their wares. It would be nice to chat with a human about the price of mustard, but these humans seemed too depressed to bother.
Esther caught sight of a woman who seemed to have drunk vervain or be a fellow witch. She uncorked a bottle of wine. The woman's gaze fell on Esther and the woman smiled. "Hello, ma'am, may I interest you in a sample of our latest: Red Leaf Wine?" The woman held up a small, paper cup.
Crossing the distance, Esther smiled in return. "Thank you." She took a sip and her nose wrinkled. "What on earth have they done to the poor grapes? Dear, they scream with sorrow from the rancid heap of soil from which they grew!" She set the cup down, placing a hand on the vendor's arm, Esther leaned closer, "You must rid yourself of this foul brew, my fellow witch. Return to your grimoire and continue your good work to create a wine to lift the spirits. Just not literally."
The woman stared at Esther. "You could have just said it sucked like a normal person." Rolling her eyes, she poured out more samples and called out to other, unsuspecting souls.
With a sigh, Esther pushed her cart along. When that woman was forced to live inside the trunk of a tree for serving such a deplorable concoction; she could not say that Esther did not warn her to stop.
Two aisles down, Esther caught sight of a woman struggling with three small children. Recalling those days, Esther observed the children trying to slip from their mother's sight in three different directions. Under her breath, Esther whispered, "Monstri vidre," waving her hand in the children's direction.
One of the children let out an ear-piercing scream. "Mommy! Mommy, there's a monster!" The youngest of the three cried, staring at the end of the aisle. The child moved to clutch at their mother's legs with eyes wide.
The oldest child grabbed the middle one, shoving them closer to their mother's cart. "There's another one! Behind the canned tomatoes!"
"Derek, you are too old for these games," the mother admonished her eldest child. But a small smile appeared on her face as her children followed her closely.
If only it could be that easy for Esther to deal with her own children...
Esther became lost in her thoughts once more, and she wandered the aisles, still not sure what she was looking for, but sure this place, with its seemingly endless bits would reveal something she needed. Sure enough something she had not been looking for revealed itself.
Down a shockingly cold aisle stood the town's sheriff, Elizabeth Forbes. Esther pushed her cart down the aisle and towards Elizabeth. The other woman did not seem to sense anyone coming towards her. Esther wondered if that was a good quality in law enforcement. However, Esther was too happy to be the presence of another mother to mention this possible flaw.
"Excuse me, Sheriff Forbes!" Esther called.
The sheriff turned to stare at Esther. "Hello..."
"Esther Mikaelson. I used to teach your daughter, Caroline, before the unfortunate incident with the school."
The sheriff's brows rose. "Oh, yes, Caroline mentioned you. I think. Or was it Klaus. If you wanted to discuss the investigation -"
"Oh, no!" Esther let out a light laugh. "We knew Klaus did not. But he can not be killed. So, it would be best to let the matter rest. Possibly ask him to have the school rebuilt, and add access to Wi-Fi, and better parking."
The sheriff held her little basket tighter. "I'll think about that."
"What is that?" Esther stared at the stacks of cartons behind the Sheriff's back.
"Oh? That's ice cream. You caught me on my day off trying to figure out which flavor I don't mind going to my thighs." She let out a laugh.
"Ah!" Esther moved closer to the freezing cold door. "Chunky Monkey? And people eat this?"
"They do..." The sheriff stared at Esther. "You're like Klaus," she lowered her voice, "from a different time."
"Yes. Regrettably. I have not had time to indulge in all the things from this time period." Esther shrugged. "Now would seem like a good time, since my latest project, showing Niklaus the error of his ways, is failing."
The sheriff let out another laugh. Esther stared at the other woman. "Sorry. I'm not laughing at you. It's just the whole being a mother who has no idea what to do with her kid; I get that." Liz opened the freezer door. "That is why Rocky Road was invented, to cure us of what ails." She placed the Rocky Road in her basket.
"What would you recommend for a novice ice cream ester, such as myself, Sheriff?" Esther inquired.
"Call me Liz when I'm in my blue jeans." Liz replied. "How about the basics: Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint chip...and my fav, Rocky Road." Liz placed a container of each in Esther's cart.
"Thank you." Esther felt better knowing that a stranger could show her kindness. If only Klaus could see this behavior in humans, and attempt to relate...
Eyes going back to the ice cream, Esther opened the door. "I am feeling drawn to the peanut butter, for some reason."
Liz shrugged. "Go for it."
Together, the mothers left the aisle and continued on their way. "Crap!" Liz cried and moved to edge past an aisle. Esther looked down it and recognized the mayor. "Madame Mayor!" Esther called, waving. Liz turned and gave Esther a look like Caroline used on her friends before the baby vampire began yelling.
"Yes?" The mayor slid a bottle of wine into her basket and tried to hide it. "Hello." She walked over and spotted Liz. "Hello, Liz. How is Caroline? "
"Fine." Liz looked into her basket.
Esther looked at the mayor. "I was planning a Mom's Day off... Yes, I rather like the sound of that."
"You're a mother?" The mayor inquired.
"Klaus Mikaelson's."
"Oh, how nice. Well, I must be going. Say 'Hello' to Caroline, for me, Liz!" The mayor tried to leave.
"You do not have to fear me," Esther called out. "Liz and I were just about to eat ice cream."
"Oh?" The mayor turned and looked at the ice cream. "Richard would have that... I'm in."
~0~
"Are you sure this is safe?" Liz asked. She sat crossed-legged, in Elijah's favorite chair. A bowl of ice cream balanced on her knees. A tumbler of Klaus' finest scotch sat on an end table. Esther nodded. She was standing in the middle of the floor, maintaining her concentration as Carol Lockwood hovered near the ceiling. The mayor's eyes were closed and she looked tranquil.
As long as no one interrupted Esther's current state, Carol could remain in the air for the next three hours. "I'm going next!" Liz called in between bites of Rocky Road. Esther smiled. It felt nice to have friends. She could not remember what it was like to be anything more than "Mother."
And on cue, Finn came running into the room. "Mother, Sage texted me back!"
Losing her concentration for a split second, Carol went into free fall. Grinding her teeth together, Esther waved a hand, and a couch went sailing under the mayor. That would have been quite the mess.
Carol lifted head. "What a rush!" she cried with a laugh.
"Mother!" Finn called.
Rolling off the side of the couch, Carol went over to pour herself a drink. "Liz, you drank all the good stuff!" She turned the bottle upside down and shook it.
"Mother?" Finn continued. "Did you hear me?"
"Yes, darling, but mother is having a day off." Esther walked over and patted Finn on the shoulder. "Tell me tomorrow. Come with me, ladies! We need to get properly dressed before we search for more refreshments!"
"But...you never take a day off..." Finn complained.
~0~
An hour later, Carol drove through town with the roof of her convertible down. "Mind the crown!" Esther warned from the passenger side. "It's like Catherine the Great needs it anymore, but Niklaus might blow something else up if it comes up missing."
Liz let out a laugh. "He'll probably just give it to Caroline. Your son has a creepy fascination with my daughter," she whispered to Esther, leaning on her elbow into the passenger seat.
"I know!" Esther threw her head back and laughed. "I taught him how to woo girls; that was before he wanted to bite them all!"
"Sometimes I worry Tyler will bring home fleas!" Carol shouted. They all began to laugh as Carol pulled into a certain vampire's driveway. "To the booze!" she declared, pointing up the drive.
They got out of the car and Liz led the way. The sheriff pulled out a key and shoved it in the lock. "No one is supposed to know, but this works on everyone's house."
"Not on Klaus.' He had his door spelled."
"Can you spell mine?" Carol asked. "Now, I'll fear Liz will drink all my scotch!"
"Like I could get through it!" Liz retorted, stepping inside the quiet house. "Come on!" She waved the other women behind her.
They walked into a great room and Liz grabbed a full decanter at the same time that someone shouted: "Stef, find a new school! You're cramping my style!" Damon Salvatore whooshed in and Liz dropped the decanter. "What are you doing?"
"Mother's Day Off!" Liz proclaimed.
Damon placed his hands on his hips. "I can see that. And it includes stealing from Rebekah Mikaelson's closet." He shook his head Rebekah's "borrowed" glittery tank which read: I Want Love Inside a large, pink, and completely inaccurate heart-shape. "And you didn't invite me to your party? I'm hurt!"
Carol moved forward. "We have ice cream!" She shook a bag with the ice cream they did not go through.
"Alright. You can stay. But I need to know what led to Liz in a skirt." His brows wriggled and Liz blushed and giggled.
Esther felt pleased. More friends and more time to play.
~0~
"So, Kol seduced the queen and Klaus stole the crown!" Damon cried, laughing. "See, if I didn't know Kol wasn't a jackass; I would want to hang."
Esther narrowed her eyes and Damon looked at the TV. "TV sucks during the day!" He shook his head at the TV while sprawling across his bed. Liz lay to his left, Carol was on his right. Esther sat on a pile of throw pillows and ate Mint Chip with a glass of vodka beside her.
"Anyone want some of this?" Damon asked holding up his Rocky Road with a shot glass worth of O-negative.
"NO!" The human women cried. Getting to her feet, Esther cracked her knuckles and concentrated on the TV. "Futurus television!" she commanded it.
Damon sat up. "What did you do to my TV?" He asked, glancing at Esther who took a seat with a pleased expression.
"Behold, the future of TV!" Esther said. They watched a man in a suit drive down a street.
"Oh, good! This is like Klaus' TV! Hey, you guys got his hair wrong!" Damon shouted.
"Shush!" Carol snapped.
Esther tuned them out and watched the entire episode with intent. She felt quite sober and finished her ice cream while thinking about the episode. Suddenly, she felt...inspired. A slow smile appeared on her face. Perhaps all she needed to know was what Klaus truly desired, and her other children, of course...
Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.
Be safe,
-J