When I woke up that next morning, I did not expect Klaus to still be there in my room, waiting for me. Opening my eyes to see him sitting there beside my bed, I blinked once then groaned. Rolling onto my back I yawned and stretched, allowing myself time to wake up properly before dealing with this. "I see you took my request to wait until the morning quite literally."
"Well it has at the very least provided me time to think and even temper my initial outrage." His smooth reply came and as I listened to the sound of his lyrical voice and accent, I couldn't help but smile as I draped myself over my pillows, too comfortable to even think about moving too far just yet. "Why did you do it, Ophelia?"
"Because Hayley was panicking." I answered him truthfully, opening my eyes so that I could look him in the eye whilst I explained. "She wasn't going to listen to anything either Bekah or I tried to say to her, all she wanted was to remove the danger and responsibility. You can't blame her, she's no older than I am and suddenly she was being used as a bargaining chip in the middle of a war. She just wanted an out, so I gave her one without the need to actually get rid of the baby." Leaning in closer, Klaus searched my face in order to ascertain the truth, so I let him search until he was satisfied.
"Why you?"
"You really think I was going to let a child die right in front of me? I thought you knew me better than that." Without even thinking about it, my hand trailed down to my stomach and rested over the area where the little one was growing still. "Rebekah couldn't do it because she's your sister, the genetics are too similar and also, I'm not sure if a vampire could potentially carry a child. There were just too many risks involved. That only left me. It's not like we could just post an ad in the local paper asking for a surrogate, Hayley didn't want to wait."
"So you just magically transferred my child into yourself." Klaus said to me, his jaw clenching as he struggled to figure out exactly how he felt about it. Seeing that struggle, my natural instinct was to reach out for him again, smoothing my hand against the side of his face.
"I know you and I have had our differences, and we're not exactly on friendly terms right now, but I can promise you that I won't let anything happen to your child, Nik." A faint glimmer of a smile touched his mouth upon hearing me use his more familiar name. "There is no place safer for her to be than with me. I will make sure that no one will ever be able to touch her, not now, not ever." This seemed to only add to the confusion, though it reassured Klaus of his concerns for his child's wellbeing. I was glad to see him being so…fatherly. It was odd, but comforting.
"For what reason would you give up and sacrifice so much for a child who is not even your own? My child, no less." That was a rather excellent question, and one I hadn't even considered. It threw me for a moment, blinking at Klaus and retracting my hand as I frowned quizzically, trying to think.
"I don't know. Maybe it's because I want to give the baby it's best shot in life. Maybe it's because once I make a decision, I stick with it through to the end. Just because you're her dad, doesn't mean necessarily that I'm going to dislike her." Making a face, I tried to put it into words but was failing miserably. "I don't hate you, Nik. I'm angry and hurt about what you did, but I never hated you for it, and I don't hate this kid either. I want you to be able to trust me, trust that I can keep the little one safe, and part of me hopes that we can at least try and move on from what happened. What is it you're so fond of saying? Let bygones be bygones. I'm the one who's pregnant now, which means pretty soon I'll be too exhausted to even climb the stairs, and I sure as hell don't want to be fighting with you at that point. I'd just be too worn out to be a challenge for you." The glimmer of a smile from before returned, and this time it was here to stay.
Reaching for me, Klaus started to fuss with my hair, pulling it out of the way and tidying it a little from the wild mess it had become whilst I'd slept. "I regret my actions from before, sweet Ophelia. The moment I hurt you, I knew that I had made an irrevocable mistake." Softly whispering to me, Klaus leaned over and kissed the top of my head, lingering for a moment as he drew in a breath then exhaled heavily. "I do not apologise easily, but I will apologise to you. I'm sorry, Ophelia."
"Jeez, you make it so hard to be mad at you with that face." I rolled my eyes with sarcasm, letting myself lay back down on my mountain of pillows, rubbing my stomach lightly. "I guess I can accept your apology, but you better be treading on eggshells around me from now on." Chuckling richly and promising that he would, Klaus shifted across from the chair to the bed, sitting beside me as I turned over and flung an arm over him, getting myself comfortable and closing my eyes to sleep for a little longer. "Also don't be mad at Hayley. No matter what, she's still the mother of this baby. She did what she felt was best both for her and the kid. You can't blame her for that."
"I will take it under consideration."
"No, you have to promise me. Play nice." Again accepting my instruction, Klaus played with my hair absently and I sank back into sleep, catching another half an hour or so before waking up again. From then on, Klaus was even more alert around me. His eyes would follow me wherever I went, watching me like a hawk as if terrified I'd just up and disappear with his child, though part of it might have been concern also. At least I got a break from it when he went out to kidnap a certain witch, bringing her back to the mansion so that we could ask her some very imperative questions, like what the hell?
"We had a deal!" Already yelling, I wandered into the front room where Sophie had been thrown into one of the chairs in order to be interrogated. "You protect my unborn child, I dismantle Marcel's army, and whilst I've been busy fulfilling my part of the bargain, you allowed Hayley and Ophelia to be attacked and almost killed by a gaggle of lunatic witches." I'm glad he had the sense to at least keep the fact that we'd switched hosts for the baby a secret. For now, at least. We still needed to figure out what was going on with the witches first.
"I had nothing to do with it, I swear. Hayley and I are linked, remember? She dies, I die." Well, not necessarily true anymore. Courtesy of me. I love being so awesome.
"Then who were they?"
"They are a faction of extremists. Sabine stupidly told them about some vision she had about the baby." You're kidding me.
"Oh great. So you're telling me that we have a bunch of crazy psycho witches believing a vision spelling doom for witches at the hands of an unborn child." I said sarcastically, making Sophie frown at me and ask how I knew. "I was there when she had the vision, and I know magic. I knew what she was saying." She gaped at me so I smiled sweetly in return.
"What does this mean, exactly? What was her vision?" Klaus pressed, not wanting to be kept in the dark for too long.
"She has them all the time. They are totally open to interpretation. I'm guessing she's wrong on this one, because it pretty much implied that your baby would bring death to all witches." Klaus sat up with interest before reclining back in his preferred chair with a smirk of satisfaction in his face.
"Ah well. I grow fonder of this child by the second." I had to hide my smirk of amusement.
"Sophie, look. I promised Elijah that I would protect the Mikaelson miracle baby whilst he tries to win your witch Davina's loyalty. Why don't you tell me just how extreme this faction is?" Rebekah stepped in, steering the conversation back onto the point as Sophie looked at her quickly with surprise.
"Elijah's talking to Davina?"
"Yeah. As we speak, I imagine." Looking cynical, Sophie commented how Davina probably had a lot to say about the witches, and I'm guessing from the look on her face and her tone none of it would be good. Inviting her to elaborate, Sophie began to explain everything that had led us all to being here in this moment, beginning with eight months ago.
"I wasn't always an advocate for the witches. My sister was devoted, like our parents, and our upbringing was very strict which drove me nuts. The minute I turned twenty one, I left the Quarter to travel…and play." She admitted, giving us a little background information to clarify. "But, I wanted to be a chef, so I came back to Rousseau's. I came back to meet with my sister, who told me that our coven elders had decided to move forwards with a ritual called the Harvest." Now I very much doubt it's a harvest of crops, so I can only assume it's something way darker and gory.
"What the bloody hell is a Harvest?"
"It's a ritual our coven does every three centuries so that the bond to our ancestral magic is restored. We appease our ancestors, they keep our ancestral power flowing." Guess I was right, no magic crops involved.
"And why haven't I heard of this?" Klaus demanded sceptically as we all listened in together.
"Because a Harvest always seemed like a myth. A story, passed on through generations like Noah's ark, or the Buddha walking on water. The kind some people take literally, and some people don't. Thing is, for the Harvest to work there needs to be four girls to act as a sacrifice. They had the girls of our community preparing for months. Four would be chosen for the Harvest. They said that it was an honour, that they were special. I thought it was a myth."
"Was it?"
"I don't know Bekah. You throw around the words 'ritual', 'harvest' and 'sacrifice'? I doubt honour has anything to do with it." I commented as I struggled to make myself comfortable, constantly having these hot flushes which were driving me absolutely crazy. Before Sophie could answer, Klaus's ringtone interrupted us and he made us hit the pause button on the story in order for him to answer.
"Marcel. Bit early in the day for you, isn't it?" I couldn't hear the other end of the line, so all we heard was Klaus's side. "Rather you than me. All that responsibility seems like such a bore." Giving up trying to be comfortable, I stood and pulled off my jacket and went to go get myself some ice, still hearing Klaus in the background. "Dead witches in the Bayou. Sounds like less of a problem, and more like a cause for celebration…oh, why not? Haven't been to the Bayou in ages. I'm on my way." Guess our little witchy friends had been found. Having found a chunk of ice, I pressed it against my neck and instantly felt more refreshed as I then wandered back through to where the others were situated, Sophie looking around at Klaus imploringly.
"You can't go out there now. I need to gather the witches' remains and consecrate them. If I don't get to them before sundown, we'll lose the link to their magic." She tried to explain but Klaus made it very clear that he didn't give a damn about a bunch of witches who tried to kill me and Hayley last night and that he had no intention of allowing anything to lead back to us here. Pointing at Hayley, he ordered her to stay put and wait for him to come back before finishing the rest of her story as he strode out of the room in order to hit the road.
Of course, pretty much the moment Klaus was gone Sophie took off, and not long after Hayley and Bekah followed after her, though Rebekah was not happy about having to follow after them both in order to keep an eye on them. "If I lose that witch then Nik will have my head, and with everyone still thinking Hayley is carrying the baby she's just as vulnerable." She complained, searching around for some half decent shoes to wear that wouldn't hold her back so I lent her a pair of my more functional boots.
"Just make sure they stay out of trouble, and keep an eye out for that wolf that's been hanging around. He seems to have a real interest in Hayley." I reminded her as I leaned against the wall.
"You'll stay here, won't you? If you disappeared then I think Nik really would find a way to kill me for good."
"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere." Vowing that I would stay and guard the house, I spent most of my day looking through books and finding several grimoires which caught my interest, viewing them out of professional interest before tucking them away again. It was a little boring just being stuck inside so I started to think about accepting Klaus's offer to show me around New Orleans. It would be perfectly safe. No one knew about the baby, I wasn't a werewolf or a witch, so Marcel and his vampire minions won't have any problem with me, and if they did then I'll just set them on fire. It's simple really.
Anyway, the others were out for a couple of hours before I heard them come back in the house, the border line having alerted me first that someone was arriving and I quickly recognised them, so I came sliding down the banisters just for a thrill before jumping off and landing lightly by the door, opening it up with an enthusiastic grin. "Welcome home!"
"What's gotten into you?" Bekah asked suspiciously, wondering what had put me into such good spirits.
"Oh literally nothing, I'm just bored out of my mind." Hayley grinned at my antics, coming inside with the rest of us where Rebekah very quickly went to pour herself a drink, clearly ruffled and unhappy with her venture back into the wilds.
"I don't care if we have to get you a leash, that was your last trip to the Bayou. What is it with you and those wolves, anyway?" She asked, pouring two scotches, one for her and one for Hayley and was about to pour me one when she remembered I was currently on alcohol ban. Yeah. That's something that seriously sucks.
"I feel like we're connected somehow. I don't know. Maybe it's just some pipe dream that I have of finding any real family out there, but sometimes, when I feel like it's me against the world, it keeps me going." Hayley admitted as I arched an eyebrow at them both. Had something happened out there? It didn't seem like it.
"Well, if you ask me, family is a pain in the behind." Rebekah said bluntly, draining her glass before pouring herself another drink. "And as for being in it alone, how dare you? I don't ruin a perfectly fabulous pair of boots traipsing through the Bayou for just anyone."
"My boots, technically." I corrected her, looking down to seeing them completely trashed from mud, scratched up from god knows what and I actually felt genuine despair for them. Those were real ass kicker boots, not anymore.
"Yes, remind me I owe you a pair." She said to me, draining her second drink and I had to laugh to myself. Bekah really didn't like the outdoors, as expressed by the way she was knocking back those drinks. Guess she must really like Hayley to keep on looking out for her like this. Hearing the door go, I had completely missed the fact that two more people had walked through the border until I turned around to see Klaus opening the door and stepping through, making Rebekah put down her glass and go striding over to him. "Nik! Finally, what…?" She trailed off when the second figure made himself apparent, Hayley and I following as I heard Rebekah inhale sharply before beaming. "Elijah! You're safe! Now that you're home, is your first plan to kill Niklaus?"
Rushing into his arms, Rebekah and Elijah shared an embrace, holding one another tightly though as he held his sister, I noticed that Elijah's eyes strayed almost instantly towards Hayley. She smiled softly, dipping towards him before she left the room in order to head out onto the porch, and all the while Elijah watched her go. "Excuse me just a moment." Kissing Rebekah softly, Elijah then looked to me as he walked over, reaching out as I naturally gravitated into his arms.
"Welcome home, Eli." Using his pet name I'd started voicing in recent months, I felt Elijah give me a careful squeeze, albeit a quick one.
"We will speak soon." He promised me, holding my face in his hands and brushing a kiss against my head before he then followed after Hayley, and I couldn't hold back my smirk as Bekah just looked around in confusion.
"Where the bloody hell is he going?" Lifting my eyebrows at her suggestively, Bekah then caught onto what I was insinuating as Klaus had gone straight to finding himself a drink. Rebekah's jaw dropped fully, staring at me openly as she silently asked if I was serious, so I gave a shrug to say I wasn't sure. We exchanged a flurry of gestures and looks, communicating discreetly behind Klaus's back until he told us to either use our mouths like intelligent people or stop fluttering around like schoolgirls. He clearly sounded bitter, what's up with him?
Figuring it as just another Klaus mood swing, I brushed it off and didn't think about it again. Whilst we waited for Elijah to freshen up, Rebekah filled me in on all the information that I'd missed out on today as she and Hayley had grilled Sophie for the rest of the story concerning Davina and the Harvest ritual. Basically, it didn't end well. Instead of putting the girls into a peaceful sleep, they just slit their throats but before the ritual could be completed, with Davina being the last of them, Marcel and his vampires interrupted and put a stop to it, where Marcel took Davina away in order to hide her from the witches.
Sophie had been against the Harvest, believing it to be a complete fantasy but she had seen that something had been happening after the deaths of three of the four girls, their magic flowing into Davina. It really made my head spin, just how idiotic, savage and outlandish some of these rituals can be. I mean, at the very least if you have a ritual that is paramount to the survival of your coven, keep a better record of it. Like if it actually worked, and maybe don't just murder the girls right in front of everyone. At least put them to sleep or something so they don't feel anything. I guess I could do some digging through my ancestor's knowledge to see if they've ever come across this ritual, since apparently it was only ever held once every three centuries, but I doubt it'll be of much use. Anyway, we should listen to what Elijah has learned and go from there.
We all ended up in the study, where Elijah had taken off his dusty jacket in order to tell us everything he'd learned through his conversations with Davina, the teenaged witch that Marcel was holding. Everybody found themselves a seat, but I wasn't feeling too comfortable sitting all the way down so I perched myself on the armrest of Klaus's chair, fully focused on Elijah but did not brush Klaus away when his arm came to rest behind me and his hand brushed against my waist. "Everything that brought us here to New Orleans was a lie." Elijah began, summing it up pretty clearly so that we were all on the same page. "This story that Sophie Deveraux fabricated, this struggle for control of the French Quarter, this war between vampires and witches, wasn't over territory at all, this was over Davina."
"Our mysterious little witch girl." I mused curiously, wanting to meet this kid all the more.
"Eight months ago, Sophie Deveraux and her sister Jane-Anne lost everything. Now, four months after that, a young pregnant girl wanders into their restaurant." Elijah listed, keeping the series of events concise in an effort to save time as he then gestured to Hayley. "Suddenly, all hope is renewed. Jane-Anne sacrificed her life so that her sister can use you to find Davina. If Sophie Deveraux is successful in capturing Davina, she can return Jane-Anne's daughter back to life." As farfetched as it sounded, it wasn't impossible considering the wide scope of magic and it's capability. "We thought we'd come here to wage a war for power. This is about family. In order to return her niece to life, Sophie Deveraux will fight to the death. That makes her more dangerous than anyone."
"This is all very well and good, but what does that mean for us?" Rebekah reasoned curtly, arms folded as Elijah stood before us all like we were in a conference. "As far as I'm concerned, we can leave this city anytime we like, the sooner the better in my opinion. Hayley is unlinked, Lia is carrying our little miracle baby and the witches can solve their own problems."
"I'd like to meet Davina." I voiced, everyone turning towards me as I remained sitting beside Klaus with his arm around me, as if to make sure I didn't fall. "She sounds like she's been through a lot, and if she's got the magic of four people inside her then it's only going to become all the more unstable. I think I could help her."
"Going anywhere near that girl will only put you in danger." Klaus said broodingly, probably cooking up diabolical plots as we spoke. "If Marcel becomes even remotely aware of what you are or what condition you are currently in, he will do everything in his power to capture you and use you as leverage against me." I scowled at him.
"You really think I'm going to let some arrogant, pig-headed vampire you sired come at me? I'll be fine. It's not like he can do anything to me, or come near me if I don't want. I can always deactivate the magic in his daylight ring, then we'll see how much fun he has walking around under the sun." I continued, speaking with reason as Klaus frowned deeply, still unsettled by the idea of letting me loose in New Orleans. "Besides, it'll be fine if he doesn't figure out I'm not connected to you guys. As far as he'll be concerned, I'm just a new tourist in the Quarter. If I just so happen to stumble across a powerful little teenaged witch stuffed up in an attic, then it's just an honest mistake."
"Marcel won't take kindly to you sniffing around. He is dangerous, Lia. Please do not underestimate him. He has a small army of vampires who he will turn on you if he perceives you as a threat." Bekah reminded me so I promised that I'd be careful and that I wouldn't do anything too soon.
"It'll be best if Elijah is the one who continues to maintain contact. She clearly trusts you, Eli, so if you can continue to develop that livelihood, you can broach the subject of offering Davina a tutor. Yours truly." Elijah did not object to the plan, so I looked down at Klaus who continued to clench his jaw and I could almost hear his thoughts rattling around in his head. Part of him wanted to keep me locked up, but the other part of him knew if he did that I'd just break out and go anyway. Sympathising to his struggle, I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You don't have to worry about me Nik. Just think of it as me stretching my legs and exploring some new sights. Exercise is healthy for the little one, you know."
Agreeing to at least consider it, I took it as that he was open to further negotiation at a later date. I'll take it. It's not an outright refusal, and I'm pretty sure I can weasel my way into getting what I want. You just have to present it in a way that makes it seem like it would benefit Klaus too. Let's just hope nothing else kicks off until I can actually get around to meeting this Davina girl.