I went to bed early that night, purposefully cloaking myself as not to be seen or heard as Rebekah showed me to the room I could use. It was rather dusty, so I used a little magic in order to clean things up but just that was enough to make me feel light headed, causing me to blink as I dropped my bags down on the floor. "Ugh…kiddo, you gotta work with me here. If I'm going to be your grand saviour, I need to be able to snap my fingers and produce awesome magic without fainting. Okay?" I said quietly, touching my stomach briefly before snapping out of it. Don't get broody, Lia, this isn't your kid. You're just the walking incubator for now. All the fun stuff comes later.
Thankfully being a druid, my ancestors were also famous healers, which included all things to do with childbirth and pregnancy. I'll need to stock up some herbs, and I could do with putting some protective boundaries around the mansion but for now, all I wanted to do was just sleep. I kept the room cool so that I wouldn't overheat in the night, and in the morning I woke up feeling groggy and lethargic. Judging by the stage of pregnancy, I'd picked it up at the worst time and it hit me all at once like a tonne of bricks. I must be insane for doing this. I literally just picked up a magic miracle baby and just let it hitch a ride in my body.
It's not like I had a choice, Hayley had made it very clear she wasn't going to let the baby put her at risk, which was kinda a sucky move but I get it. It must have been tough for her these past few weeks. Deciding to get up after lounging in bed for a while, I put on a loose flowing shirt and a pair of shorts, heading on downstairs to brave the thought of breakfast and hoping I didn't instantly give myself away to Klaus. Thankfully, he was otherwise preoccupied with Rebekah who happened to come through the door just at that moment. How's that for timing?
Sneaking away to the kitchen, I listened to their conversation whilst making myself some breakfast, pleased to learn that I was yet to feel any nausea. "You were right." Bekah announced as I wandered through with a bowl of cereal, eating quietly and happily to myself as I listened, looking over Klaus's shoulder to Bekah who glanced my way but did not give me away to her brother, who was entirely focused on her. "The girl, Cami. She's the key. Marcel likes her, and because of that I got to see the secret weapon of his that you've been going on about." Secret weapon? Oh right, the leverage Marcel has over the witches.
"Well, don't stand on ceremony. What is it?"
"It's not a what, it's a who. A girl, Davina. She can't be more than sixteen, and I have never felt power like that." Rebekah informed us, which immediately caught my interest. A girl with exceptional magic power. Now that sounded like a girl worth meeting. "Aside from you of course, Lia." I saluted my cereal in gratitude. It was then that Klaus turned his head, suddenly realising I was standing there. I allowed our eyes to meet with indifference, doing my best to not even allow myself to be pissed off at him. I didn't even bother to try and figure out what he was feeling, because I just didn't care. I looked away.
"So she's a witch then." Turning to Rebekah, I pointedly ignored Klaus from there. "Makes sense why the witches were so cryptic about the details when you asked."
"She's not just any witch, she's something I've never seen before, something beyond powerful, and now because of you, brother, she has Elijah. Who knows what she could do to him?" With an angry glare, Rebekah glowered at Klaus who pressed to know her location, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Klaus was already planning on getting her for himself. I mean, throw the word power out there and he'll snatch it up like a fish jumping for bait.
"Where is she?" Pausing a moment, Rebekah seemed to be very confused for a moment before blinking.
"That clever bitch. I don't know." This increased my intrigue, so I pushed my foot off the doorframe I'd been leaning against in order to wander over, munching away on my cereal though it was starting to taste soggy and like cardboard in my mouth. "She wiped my memory of the location. Marcel possesses a weapon bigger and more powerful than an Original, and you handed our brother to him!" Now she was furious, and I can't say I blame her. Elijah didn't deserve to be used and treated this way, not after all he'd done for Klaus, for all the times he'd hoped and believed that there was a part of him that could still be given absolution. What a fantasy. "How many times will Elijah forgive you? How long until his hope for your redemption finally dies?"
"I did what I had to do! Marcel took our home!"
"And our home is worthless without family." As the two of them began to argue, I paused, lingering back as not to get involved as Rebekah looked at her brother with all the power and fury of a storm, making me smirk and think how badass she was being today. "I am finding Elijah. Whatever it takes. Are you going to help me?" Clenching his jaw only for a moment, Klaus begrudgingly accepted that he would also do whatever it took to get Elijah back.
Choosing that as my moment, I held my cereal up in one hand then lifted my hand to Rebekah and she naturally stayed very still as I took her chin and turned her head from side to side as I studied the magic that had been used on her, considering it closely before clicking my tongue. "This witch is good."
"Can you bring back my memories?" Bekah asked me hopefully as I remained fully aware of the fact that Klaus's eyes were on me all the while.
"Not without putting you through a great deal of pain. When she removed them, she scrubbed your brain good. If I try bring them back, they'll be fragmented and I could very well make you go insane, so best not go down that route." Letting go of her, I gave a quick smile. "Don't worry, there's plenty of ways we can get Elijah back. I'd like to meet this girl, see what she's about. Anyway, I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me to help cook up a plan." Smoothly making my exit, I continued to give the cold shoulder towards Klaus, but this time seemed to be the last straw for him.
He followed me into the kitchen where I finished my cereal then got myself some fresh orange juice to drink before rooting around to try and find the glasses in this kitchen which was ridiculously overpopulated with cupboards. "Is this how it is to be from now, love?" Klaus questioned me as I continued my search, rather unsuccessfully.
"Whatever could you mean?" Playing dumb, I opened a cupboard door and looked in but still failed to find the glasses. You'd think there would be some kind of system going on around here. Annoyed, I looked up and shot Klaus a dark glare. "And don't call me 'love'. You don't get that leisure anymore."
"I see you are still angry with me." No kidding. "Which is rather unfair considering I have already decided to forgive you for your little stunt at the Gilbert residence, where you subjected me to two days of torture." Thinking back on it and remembering just how much discomfort Klaus had endured, I couldn't help but stand up and smirk.
"You got exactly what you deserved. If anything you got off lightly. I could have made you bleed from every orifice." Well this conversation was going downhill pretty fast. Maybe I should just give up on the damn glass and drink from the carton. Suddenly Klaus rushed at me and I immediately reacted with instinctual fear and wariness, hand jumping to cover my neck and turn around so that my back wasn't facing him as my eyes widened in alarm. He halted, looking at me and seeing how I'd jumped to protect myself at his sudden movement, so he proceeded more slowly. Almost deliberately.
He reached up and opened one of the cupboards I had yet to check then delicately plucked a glass down for me, showing it to me before then putting it on the breakfast island next to the orange juice. My eyes followed his every move, concealing my response as he then flicked the cupboard door shut, his own eyes never having turned away from mine. I could tell that he was angry with me, that he wanted nothing more than to somehow put me in my place or tell me that I shouldn't be baiting him, but he held it in. In fact, I think he was actually trying to be reasonable.
"This city is one of the richest in culture and beauty I have ever known. I have many fond memories of it from when it was my home. If you would permit me, I would very much like to show it to you someday." Klaus said to me softly, eyes dropping slightly as if he could no longer bring himself to look me in the eye. Twitching slightly, my brows pulled together as I began to wonder at Klaus's behaviour and actions. If I wasn't mistaken, I think he was trying to apologise to me. He wasn't pushing me as he'd used 'someday' instead of 'today' or any other more immediate time phrase. It was probably the most consideration I had seen from him in a long time, and it was enough to throw me.
Stunned, I couldn't even think of anything for a few moments, completely taken by surprise at the fact that Klaus was willing to try and make amends with me. My first instinct was to push him away, because I knew that going down this road would only end up in heartbreak and hurt, again, but then I couldn't bring myself to outright reject him. "I'll think about it." It wasn't a definitive, but it gave me enough time to build myself up towards a proper refusal. Klaus didn't get to just be his charming self and suddenly waltz back into my life. Though I guess technically I was carrying his baby he conceived with another woman so…it's complicated.
"Enjoy the rest of your breakfast…Ophelia." Out of habit I guess he'd gone to say 'love' like he usually did, so I appreciated the fact that he actually listened to me when I'd told him not to call me that anymore. Damn it. He's not going to make this easy for me, is he? Tapping the worktop by the glass and the juice, Klaus then left me to it and once he was gone, I sighed heavily and took a moment to survive through a dizzy spell. Seriously. Right now kiddo? I have a feeling you're going to be just as big a pain in the ass as your dad.
Thankfully the spell didn't last long and I guzzled a couple glasses of juice before putting it away, leaving the glass in the sink before then heading out of the kitchen in search of someone else. Preferably Bekah, but I'd still take Hayley over Klaus at this point. Unfortunately, I found all three of them together which means I was stuck with Klaus either way. He hadn't seemed to notice yet that the baby had magically jumped from one person to another, and I hoped we could at least keep it that way until we got Elijah back. I didn't like our odds facing Klaus's impending wrath when he finds out what we did unless Elijah was there to help calm him down after.
They were discussing the plan to get Elijah, which was actually very simple and mundane. They were just going to ask for him back. At least I wasn't the only person in the room who felt that this plan was a rather lacklustre one, as well as one which was probably going to fall through instantaneously. "That's…that's not the whole plan, is it?" Hayley asked with worry as I noticed that she seemed to hold quite a great deal of concern for Elijah. I noticed an old volume tucked against her, and I would bet my bottom dollar that the book either belonged to Elijah, or it had his memoirs written within.
"Please. Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical." Rebekah scoffed, totally on board with such a simple plan.
"And that's only the Plan 'A' love. There's always a Plan 'B'." Somehow, I don't think I'm going to like the answer to the question that Hayley asked rather predictably, wanting to know exactly what was Plan 'B'. To answer, Klaus gave a slow and gradual smirk that chilled me to the bone, making me hug my waist and rub my neck nervously. "War."