A/N: I must remind you that this story hasn't been beta'ed. Please, forgive any mistakes you will surely find!
I won't be repeating myself here about warnings and such, but if you skipped last chapter's A/N, please take a look.
"Wow," Caroline marvels under her breath as she enters Elijah's new apartment.
You'd never guess what this place is like just looking from the outside. The area consists of abandoned warehouses and old administration buildings, nothing and no one but the occasional crackhead for miles, although Marcel is in the neighborhood, in a building that, much like this one, tricks you into thinking it's falling apart rather than housing luxurious lofts. She wonders if that's an old vampire thing, this taste for derelict architecture. The compound is a bit like that, too; it could certainly use some renovations. There, however, it's more on the inside than the outside. Here, it's the opposite. When you walk in... It's almost obscene. Whoever Elijah hired to fix the place for him - at least she hopes he hired them, paying actual money - did a fantastic job, and in record time, too.
Everything reeks of money: the furniture, the decor, the hardwood floors, the art pieces and all the appliances and the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Mississippi. Caroline knows the Mikaelsons are stinking rich, but it still shocks her to see just how much.
The thing that strikes her the most, though, is how different the place feels from the compound. It's modern, clean, like a millionaire bachelor's apartment. Somehow, it feels like Elijah in here, much more so than even his room at the compound did. His personality is just screaming across these walls, while there it was swallowed up by Klaus' louder, more in-your-face features. Then again, what doesn't get swallowed up by Klaus?
She gets distracted for a while just admiring Elijah's good taste before she remembers she came here for a reason, and they don't have much time. The loft is almost entirely made of an open space, but there's a large door on one end which she guesses must lead to his bedroom, since she doesn't see a bed anywhere out here. Caroline takes tentative steps towards it, not wanting to intrude in case he's busy with whatever. The door is a little ajar, so, craning her neck, she can peek inside.
She sees the end of a ridiculously large unmade bed, charcoal sheets all rumpled, but the bed seems to be empty. She gets a little closer, and then she finally locates Elijah, standing by the window, and - Caroline halts in startling shock, gaping.
He's not alone.
Her eyes bulge like a cartoon's when she spots him caught in what seems to be a heated make out session with... Gia. Oh my God.
The woman is fully dressed and he's only shirtless - thank the Lord - but they look... Well. They look like they had a good night.
With her heart pounding against her ribcage and somewhat exasperated, Caroline backtracks to the door, meaning to get the hell out of there before anyone notices, but ends up bumping into an end table. A vase that probably costs more than her liver in the black-market sways dangerously, and she gasps, loudly, reaching out to catch it.
"Caroline?"
She curses under her breath, her whole face scrunching up into a grimace as she puts the vase back on its place. Caroline feels her cheeks burning furiously with embarrassment before she turns around with an apologetic look. "Hi," she says meekly, attempting a smile but not entirely sure she's getting it right.
Elijah blinks at her, with Gia standing beside him looking completely mortified. Fuck. She just blew this, didn't she?
"I'm sorry," she offers. "I didn't mean to barge in, it's just - there was no doorbell outside and - you know what? I should've just called. I'm so sorry. I'll just see myself out."
"It's ok," Gia says. "I was just leaving, anyway." She exchanges a look and a timid smile with Elijah before collecting a coat and a violin case and heading for the door. Caroline can't help but notice she's wearing a really nice dress. Did they have a date night? Did she just completely ruin Elijah's morning after? Fuck, fuck, fuck.
As soon as Gia is gone, Caroline turns back to Elijah with huge eyes, putting her palms together in a plea. "I am so sorry! God, I'm terrible!"
"It's quite alright," he says, deliberately avoiding her gaze as he moves to a clothes rack.
Despite having lived with Elijah for a very long time, she never once saw him in this state of undress. Very occasionally he'd show up wearing something that wasn't a suit, like sweater and jeans, which was strange enough. This is... A bit of a shock, really. Underneath all those ties and pressed button shirts, there's a totally ripped torso. And biceps like woah. Do vampires even work out? Does Elijah?
Huh, her brain goes, and then she realizes she's been staring while he's looking at her as he puts on his shirt, eyebrows arched up, waiting for her to say something.
Caroline snaps away from him like a child caught with her hands in the cookie jar, a fierce flush creeping up her throat. "So," she says, clearing her throat. "Gia, huh?"
"Yes," Elijah offers mildly as he puts on his tie.
As the worst of her embarrassment dissipates and she can finally face him again, Caroline's lips draw into a slow smile, a bubble of excitement bursting inside of her. "Oh my God!" she blurts out, bouncing on her feet.
"Caroline -"
"I knew it! I just knew there was something there! Ugh, I should never doubt my instincts. I'm so good at this! Is that the first time she spends the night?"
Elijah keeps his face perfectly impassive. "I don't kiss and tell."
"But that's for dudes! I'm not a dude! You can tell me." Elijah turns away from her, shrugging on his jacket. "Oh, come on!" she whines. "I'm so excited!"
"Yes, I can see. Although I cannot imagine why," he says flatly.
"Because! Scandalous sex, Elijah. You are having scandalous sex!"
He sighs. "Is there a reason why you're here or did you just want to..." Elijah trails off, motioning vaguely towards her.
"Oh. Yeah. There's a reason," she says, suddenly pulled back to the issue at hand. She stores away the scandalous sex information for later. "Klaus invited your long-lost sister for brunch."
"I'm aware. My presence has been requested."
"Mine hasn't," she bites out grumpily. "He told me to go to the Bayou to take my new skills for a test drive with the wolves."
"I take it you're not heeding his advice."
"Not a fat chance. And I thought we should talk before you head into this family reunion. He's been acting like an insane person ever since you moved out, even more so than usual, and this morning he was euphoric. I think he's up to something and, whatever it is, I don't like it."
"Niklaus, up to something? Color me surprised," he says evenly as he puts on his coat, heading to the door. "Come with me, then. You can tell me all about my brother's latest bout of insanity on the way to Marcel's."
Caroline falls in stride with him. "Why are we going to Marcel's?"
"Because a quiet morning in is apparently too much to ask for. I got a distress call. It seems there are some Treme witches there, and they want to take my sister."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Whatever the problem is, if you don't back up, I guarantee you, it's gonna get worse," Marcel tells the witches hoarding around his place. He's got most of his guys to back him up, but he knows if these Treme witches decide to attack, there won't be much they can do to stop them. They're too many and too powerful. A bunch of rookie vamps can't take on all of them fast enough. So he keeps his face serious, raises his voice a little and tries to present a confidence he does not feel.
"Marcel Gerard," Josephine Larue says in that flat, cold way of hers, with eyes that pierce into your soul. That woman scares the shit out of him. She's like an older, female Elijah. "Do you realize you're harboring a renegade witch?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She cocks her head to the side, looking behind Marcel. "Is that a fact?"
He curses under his breath when he sees Rebekah marching out of the building. "I thought I told you to stay put."
"Well, I hate being told what to do, so I ignored you," she says, brushing him off to address Josephine. "Beg your pardon, love, but I think this is all a simple misunderstanding."
"Not at all. This is retaliation for the evil you unleashed last night. Two of our children attacked unmercifully, one dead, the other missing. All signs lead to you, Eva."
"Wait, hold on," Marcel says, stepping in front of Rebekah again. "The witch you knew as Eva Sinclair is gone, all right? Her body was taken over by Rebekah Mikaelson."
"Is that your version of an alibi?" She turns to her guys and says, "Take her."
At that moment, Elijah and Caroline whoosh out of nowhere and get between the witches and Rebekah, both of them ready to put up a fight.
"That won't be necessary," Elijah says.
"Are you all right?" Caroline asks Rebekah.
"Yes, I'm fine," she replies, none too convincingly in Marcel's opinion. He can see the worry etched onto her face, even as she attempts to put up a strong front. She hasn't told her family about the episodes yet, and that's what gets both her and Marcel most concerned.
Rebekah has been losing track of time, waking up in strange places with no clue of how she got there, entire chunks of her day that she simply cannot recall. He doesn't want to say the witches might have a point, but... It seems like they're not entirely without reason.
"Miss Larue, it would be a great shame to soil the goodwill of our recent agreement. I am sorry for your loss, but Marcel is telling the truth. Rebekah now occupies the body of Eva Sinclair, and my sister is innocent of this crime. You have my word I will find whoever is responsible and make certain that justice is served. Now, I would encourage you all to leave," Elijah says, the steely sharpness of his tone making clear this is a threat.
Josephine considers him for a moment. He must've really caused a good impression on that visit he paid her, because the old stubborn bat then says, "You have until tomorrow. After that, it won't matter what I say. Witches will stop at nothing to protect their children." She turns to Caroline then, narrowing those icy blue eyes of hers just a tad. "It's an impulse I know you can respect."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Ah, there you are, finally," Klaus says as Elijah arrives for their brunch. He was starting to think he'd be slighted by his brother. That would be awfully rude, considering he's arranged for a formidable family reunion, beignets and everything.
"I was delayed," Elijah says, removing his coat. Klaus opens his mouth to query about the nature of this delay when Caroline walks in right after.
His expression immediately hardens. "You are early."
"Actually, I'm right on time," she retorts simply. "Where's your guest of honor?"
"She'll be here momentarily. And I would hope that you'd be long gone by the time she arrives. I sent all your poorly groomed friends to spend the day with their werewolf brethren while I deal with family business as I see fit."
Caroline folds her arms across her chest, cocking her head to the side. "So it must've been a mistake that my invitation to this family brunch got lost in the mail. Or are you implying that I'm not part of the family?"
"I would rather you didn't come in close contact with my lost sister, whose intentions are still as mysterious to us as she is herself."
"Well, you and Elijah are here. What's the risk? She tries anything, you'll jump to my aid, right?" She punctuates her sentence with a saccharine grin.
Klaus slits his eyes at her. "You take pleasure in defying me, don't you, sweetheart?"
"Only when you're being a bossy jackass, cupcake."
"I hate to interrupt your lover's quarrel," Elijah cuts in. "But we seem to have a situation, Niklaus. Caroline and I have just returned from Marcellus' place, where a mob of angry Treme witches were demanding our sister's head on a pike."
"I thought this matter had been sorted."
"As did I. But it appears Eva Sinclair is not interested in letting our sister take over her body without a fight. She's waking up. Rebekah's having these... episodes. She loses track of time, wakes up in strange places with no idea how she ended up there, has these weird dreams that appear too real to be mere fantasy." Klaus huffs out in annoyance, shaking his head. Is there not a flimsy minute of peace? Not a single part of their lives that isn't actively trying to get them all murdered? Just as they get rid of one problem, three others rise from the depths of hell. "That means," Elijah continues. "We may need Freya's assistance in handling the situation, so whatever you're planning here, don't."
He shrugs innocently. "All I'm planning is a simple chat with a long lost relative. You yourself said to hear her out."
"Yes. And you yourself said that would be idiocy."
"Did I?" Klaus parrots, smirking. "Well, that does sound like me. Regardless on the off chance, if Freya has some information that could protect my daughter -"
"Our daughter," Caroline corrects grumpily.
He merely grins at her. "I prefer she shares it on my terms. Ah! I think I hear her now." Klaus whirls around on his heels, clapping his hands together once just as Freya enters the dining room. "Sister!" he greets her, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Well, come in, come in! Make yourself comfortable."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Caroline exchanges a look with Elijah, who is, apparently, just as weirded out over Klaus' enthusiastic behavior as she is. He is so arrogant he doesn't even bother being subtle; it's like he wants everyone to know he's got something wicked planned, just to keep them on their toes.
Caroline refrains from grabbing his shoulders and giving him a jerk just to see if he'll fall into his senses. There's a reason why Klaus didn't want her to be here and that's because she's way too sensible to endure a Mikaelson family reunion. He knows she's not going to condone his methods, whatever they are. And that... Well, it kinda makes her wish she hadn't come, to be honest; sometimes, especially where this family is concerned, ignorance is bliss. But if Freya is making claims that concern her daughter, then she wants to hear what she has to say.
As they all move to take their seats, Freya picks the spot exactly across from Caroline, smiling when she catches her eyes. "You must be Caroline," she says pleasantly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
"I uh..." Caroline looks at Klaus and then at Elijah, both of them staring fixedly at Freya. "No offense, but... I didn't even know you existed until... Well, until your brother tried to kill my daughter and Elijah blew up their house to keep him from doing it. The house Finn found with your help."
The smile slides off Freya's face as she casts her gaze down. Caroline didn't mean to be this hostile towards her right off the bat, but... It was just stronger. She helped a lunatic find an innocent baby; if they're going to be nice to each other, then this needs to be addressed.
"Yes..." Freya says, a little forlorn. "I'd like to offer my most sincere apologies. I never meant any harm to your daughter."
"Yes, sister, you've already said that," Elijah speaks with a hint of impatience. "Forgive me, but I believe we have more pressing issues."
Klaus sniggers. "Please, excuse my brother's lack of decorum. He's been in a foul mood of late." Caroline holds back on the urge to roll her eyes. Like Elijah is the one who's been moody these days. "However, he is right. I did ask you here in the hopes that you would share some of Dahlia's secrets. So. Without further ado, let's get to it."
Klaus motions for them all to sit down. He takes the spot at the head of the table, Elijah sits to his right, with Caroline beside him and Freya moves closer to Klaus, taking the place to his left.
For once, Caroline wishes Klaus had given in to his alcoholic ways and offered something stronger than coffee to go with brunch, but since that's all there is, she pours herself a cup. It's hot, but she doesn't mind, just lets it burn down her throat, washing away some of the anxiety clogged there.
She's not entirely sure why, but the idea of discussing this aunt Dahlia is getting on her nerves with a passion. So far, they'd treated the matter almost as fantasy, some half-assed story Esther had come up with to justify what she tried to do to Eve. But now that Freya is here, the whole thing has suddenly gotten way more real. Life has been throwing some wicked curve balls their way for the past seven months and she has a weird feeling that they haven't even seen the worst of it yet.
"The first thing you should know is that Dahlia's the most powerful witch I have ever known," Freya starts, her eyes traveling across the table to all of them. "And she craves more power still. Right now, she is like me, limited to one year of life in a century, but she wants to be free of that restriction, to gain true immortality, and that is why she will come here, drawn by your daughter. To take the child's power for herself." She fixes her gaze on Klaus, and then turns to Caroline. "And she will kill anyone who would defy her."
"And yet you would defy her," Elijah points out.
"I don't have a choice. She will never let me be free. My one chance is to align with you and kill her."
"Well, now that we're suitably motivated, let's talk specifics," Klaus says, motioning for her to go on.
"For you to understand, I need to start from the beginning. After she took me from mother, Dahlia used me to forge a new brand of connective magic, one that augmented my power as it allowed her to draw from me. Once we were bonded, she became unstoppable. She wasted no time proving her might. The chief of a nearby village threatened to run us off, accusing her of witchcraft, and she decided to make an example out of the entire encampment. Men, women... Children. She killed them all with a wave of her hand." Freya smiles sadly, her eyes distant as she recounts the incident. If she's faking it, Caroline thinks, she's a damn good actress. "That was my first inkling of the power that Dahlia had. Over the course of a thousand years, she's only grown stronger, and she will bring all her power to bear against you when she comes for your child."
Caroline huffs out in irritation. "I don't know about you all, but I'm kinda sick of these old bitches coming for my daughter."
Klaus grins softly at her. It's brief and perhaps even a little inappropriate given the circumstances, but it's also the first completely non-aggressive exchange they've had in days. It's distracting, and for a second, she almost forgets she's supposed to be annoyed and preoccupied while she gets lost in the way Klaus looks at her and the single dimple in his cheek - but then Elijah's phone rings and snaps her out of it.
"Excuse me," he says as he stands up to take the call. Like walking to the other side of the room is going to make a difference with the vampires dotted with super hearing around the table, but Elijah's polite like that. "Rebekah, how are you feeling?"
"As if I walked straight into a brick wall," they hear her grumble from the other end. "I just came to see Davina, she's looking through Kol's old witchy stuff, seeing if she can find anything to help. Any luck with Freya?"
Elijah looks back at his sister. "Luck is not a word that I would use. You should be here."
"Fine, I'm on my way."
He gets back to the table with extra lines scribbled across his forehead, looking seriously at Klaus, whose expression has gone dark all of a sudden. At least when it comes to Rebekah the two of them seem to be on the same page.
They're all over each other's throats mercilessly, but when it comes to protecting each other, they're just vicious.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Elijah pours himself a cup of coffee, hoping that the bitterness of it might distract his mind from Rebekah's unfortunate situation. He knows how important it is to understand as much as possible about Dahlia's frame of mind, her weaknesses and strengths, but he desperately wants to address his sister's particular drama, which is more urgent at the present moment, considering they have a clock on it. Elijah believes he can persuade Josephine to extend their deadline if absolutely needed, but he doesn't wish to stretch the boundaries of their friendship so soon. They might need some favors from the witches, and it would be good to have some credit to spend. For now, however, he lets Niklaus conduct the conversation. They'll talk about Rebekah once she gets here.
"Your stories are fascinating, and Dahlia does indeed sound dreadful," Niklaus says. "But Elijah and I have killed our fair share of evil witches. Even Caroline has done her part."
"None like her," Freya replies coldly.
"What are her weaknesses?" Elijah asks, sipping from his coffee.
"She's paranoid, obsessed with power. She hungers constantly for what's been denied her, be it love or revenge."
Caroline hums thoughtfully, touching her chin. "That sounds strangely familiar... Where have I seen someone like that before?" she queries, her eyes cutting to his brother.
"Yes, Caroline. I'm quite familiar with the type as well," he concours.
Niklaus smiles lazily, arching his eyebrows at the two of them like he doesn't mind being teased at all. Elijah expected to find him in one of his hell-rising tempers, from what Caroline has shared. Instead, he's been perfectly mild-mannered, if a bit excessive. The inner wirings of his brother's mind truly are a mystery.
Freya draws the air in as though bracing herself for what she's about to say. "When I was a child, Dahlia would tell me tales of her own youth, of being victimized by those stronger than her. She vowed never to be weak again. She bargained for the first born of Esther's bloodline, intending to raise us in her own image, forming a coven of her own, from which she could draw endless power. That plan was foiled the day she learned that Esther had ended her bloodline by turning you all into vampires. And so the burden fell to me. Dahlia demanded I bear the first born that would add to her power, but I would not allow a child of mine to live as I did. As a slave." Freya's last words come out thick with emotion, from behind grit teeth, her voice more than a little quivery as her eyes become bright with the threat of tears.
"So I vowed never to love, never to have a child of my own. Of course, the more I resisted, the more Dahlia fought to control me," she continues, her hands clenching on top of the table. "Until the day she took the last of the little freedom I had left. I begged her not to curse me with eternal sleep, but she wouldn't let me. She forced me into the spell. And so we slept, our magic accruing over time until we woke, filled with immense power and allowed to live a single year of life. That has been the existence I have suffered for the last ten centuries."
Elijah can feel her bitterness, simmering hatred underlying her words. She really does hate Dahlia. Whatever their thousand years together was like, he can believe that it wasn't a happy life for Freya.
Niklaus, of course, clearly differs, breaking into a fit of laughter.
"Niklaus," he admonishes sharply.
When he realizes everyone is looking at him with varying degrees of judgement, he makes an effort to rein himself in.
"Well, it's quite the ordeal, isn't it? But it does beg the question, since there was obviously one easy way out of it. Why not put an end to it yourself? A high enough bridge, a tight enough noose... You must have considered it."
Freya shuts her eyes, swallowing. He almost wants to tell her to stop. If it's this painful to watch, he can only imagine how painful it must be for her to share all this. Elijah would know; he has some harrowing memories of his own which he wouldn't want to discuss openly. The little he shared with Camille was agonizing enough. And yet, he understands the need for them to know. Elijah can accept Freya's identity and believe that she's one of them, but that doesn't make her any less of a stranger. They live through dangerous times, which makes trust a rare commodity, one they must offer cautiously. They need to know where she is coming from, what her motivations are - and, more importantly, that she is truthful, even if they might still have some reservations.
That is not to say Elijah condones his brother's flippant manners. He doesn't have to feel sorry for her or exercise this beautifully human quality called empathy, which he seldom has; Niklaus just needs to keep his mouth shut and let her talk.
"Long ago, I did consider it," Freya finally speaks, opening her eyes again, now swimming with tears she could not hold back. "But Dahlia would never give me even that freedom. I would later learn the spell made me like her, immortal and impervious to harm." Freya wipes her tears with her fingers, smiling crudely at both him and Niklaus.
Elijah knows almost nothing of her or what she endured for the past millennium, but he can swear he sees in her green eyes the same sorrow that plagues his soul.
"So, you see, I am like you," Freya says. "A creature of great power... Cursed for all time."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"It was this evil wench, Eva! The nasty little cow is inside me, trying to bust her way out! Don't tell me to calm down, Elijah!" Rebekah bellows as she paces angrily around the study room, pointing a finger at him as he opens his mouth to speak. She's still shaking.
She stormed into the compound an hour later than she was supposed to with an ashen complexion and fear in her eyes, gesticulating frantically. This time, she remembered when the episode happened, could feel the exact moment Eva took control of her. It was like she was awake the whole time, but locked up somewhere dark and distant, completely powerless. When she was brought back to the forefront, she was far away from the French Quarter, in the middle of a deserted warehouse area, and rightfully terrified.
Elijah, Caroline and Niklaus excused themselves to go sort the immediate problem with Rebekah, although it doesn't seem like there's much the three of them can do for her. But someone else might be able to help.
"I wasn't going to," he says easily. "Freya is waiting downstairs. Perhaps we could -"
"Have you lost your mind?" Niklaus cuts him off sharply. "Tell me we're not considering opening our sister's head to someone we barely know."
"Nik, for God's sake, she is our sister!" Rebekah protests. "I've known it since she saved me from the Fauline cottage."
"An act no doubt meant to secure your trust, perhaps for this very moment, to strike when we are vulnerable. No. We've no way to prove anything she said today is true."
"Niklaus, I understand your concern," Elijah says slowly, in as conciliatory a tone as he can manage, like he's explaining quantum physics to a child. "But both of us are powerless to help our sister. Either we leave Rebekah to suffer through this ordeal we have no idea how it will end, or we place our faith in the hands of someone I believe to be our blood. Right now, I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to family."
His brother's eyes flash darkly at him, but Elijah decides not to wait for his further objections. Rebekah nods her head at him, while Caroline remains quiet, merely observing them, perhaps sensing that this is a conversation she should not meddle in. At this point, she should know she's just as much a part of this family as the rest of them - and more so than some, like Freya - but he doesn't wish to prolong the discussion any further. If Rebekah is willing to trust her with this, then they should at the very least hear what she has to say. Not like they're overflowing with ideas. Their 24 hours are ticking by.
"I'll be right back," he says, feeling Niklaus' eyes burning on him as he turns around to go fetch their sister.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
As soon as Elijah steps out, Klaus turns the full potency of his glare on to Rebekah. "You agree with this madness?" he said, his question winding up like an accusation.
Rebekah sits down on the couch with a weary sigh. "I don't see another choice, Nik."
"You've all lost your minds," he hisses as he moves over to the bar, finding refuge against his siblings' rebellion in a glass of bourbon.
He knocks the first glass back at once, then immediately pours another one. This is hardly the focus of anyone's concern at the moment, but Caroline can't help the tendrils of worry creeping inside of her at Klaus' erratic behavior. He was welcoming almost to the point of euphoria earlier, and now he's flipping out about having Freya even so much as consulting on Rebekah's case, like he doesn't want her anywhere near their family in a more intimate capacity. He called her sister when she arrived, but Caroline sees now that was all for show. He wanted her to open up about Dahlia, but even that has not been enough to convince him of her intentions.
Every day, Klaus gets a little bit worse, and with everything else that's happening, there's hardly any time to address it. She thought it was all about Elijah, but she sees now that his anger over his brother's decision to move out was already a symptom of a deeper issue. Paranoia is taking over. He's always been overly suspicious to the point of irrationality at times, but she doesn't think she's ever seen him flipping out like this. It's a constant and steady flow towards madness and she's watching it unfold right before her eyes, with no idea how to stop it. Calling him out on it hasn't worked. Being mad at him hasn't worked. Neither did being understanding and reassuring. Klaus is tiptoeing on the edge of the precipice and Caroline has no idea how to pull him back to safety. The thought of what might happen when he falls scares the shit out of her.
"Rebekah!" Freya says with a pleased smile as she walks into the study, followed by Elijah. Rebekah stands up and the two of them share a warm embrace. "It's good to see you again."
"And you, though I'd prefer better circumstances," Rebekah mumbles moodily as she pulls Freya to sit with her.
"You needn't worry. Elijah explained the problem and I can help you," Freya says, to which Klaus scoffs from the bar, pointedly looking at his glass.
"Rather confident, aren't we?" he derides.
"The spirit in Rebekah's body," Caroline starts, taking a step forward to finally add her two cents. It's not up to her to decide how much they're allowed to trust Freya. It's their long-lost sister, not hers. But since they're apparently doing this, maybe she can help by offering some former-witch insight. "It's powerful, and it's fighting back. From what I understand, the body jump spell should've been enough to suppress the other essence, but it's like it's cracking through Rebekah's conscience. So far, because Rebekah's powerful as well, she's been able to regain control, but what I'm afraid here is that this witch might find a way to eliminate Rebekah once she's back piloting the body. The episodes are getting more frequent, which means she's growing more powerful."
"You're correct. The more frequent the episodes become, the more in control the witch will be. She's getting the hold of it. It's her body, after all. She knows exactly how to tap into her power, whereas you don't," Freya says to Rebekah.
"Yeah, she's also, apparently, evil," Caroline adds. "Has been doing all sorts of nasty things. Is there a way to put Eva away and guarantee that she'll stay dormant?"
"I can cast a spell, put Rebekah in a deep sleep, and then suppress this other essence for good. It'll be just fine," Freya assures calmly, like a spell of this magnitude is child's play for her. Just how strong exactly is Freya?
"Lovely," Rebekah says. "When do we start?"
"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Klaus finally snaps. "She spouts off some magical diagnosis and we are all supposed to applaud."
"Nik, she's trying to help."
"Yes, but for the sake of keeping our options open, why not write down your spell and incantations? That way, we can have them double-checked by an impartial third party."
Caroline's brows slash together. "What the hell am I? I can double-check what she's doing."
"No offense, love, but you're not a witch anymore, are you?" Caroline gapes furiously at him, but Klaus simply ignores her piercing glare. "Why don't we go to Davina instead? She'd love to prove me wrong."
"I doubt she, or any of you, for that matter, would understand my magic, let alone have enough power to execute it," Freya says. "It's unlike anything any modern witch has seen."
"Oh, so you're our only hope? Seems rather convenient, doesn't it?"
Only Klaus can make a person go from being genuinely concerned about him to wanting to punch him in the face. And judging by the looks she sees around her, everyone feels pretty much the same way. But it's Freya who makes a move, standing to her feet to address her brother with a gentle demeanor that he certainly does not deserve.
"I knew it would be difficult to win your trust, Niklaus. Your reputation precedes you." He smiles smugly, like being universally known as a jackass is something to be proud of. "But if we are to face Dahlia together, you will have to trust me. Given the peril that Rebekah now faces, are you truly incapable of giving me even a chance to prove myself?"
Klaus snorts with disdain, turning his back on all of them as he returns to his drink like he's suddenly lost interest in the conversation.
Grinning awkwardly, Freya turns back to the more sensible human beings in the room. "I know I appear as an outsider, but I have dreamt of you all, my family, for a thousand years. Elijah..." Freya's face lights up as she fixes her eyes on her brother. "When you were in Esther's womb, she would ask me to sing to you. I would feel her belly as I did... How you would kick. She would say it was as if Thor himself had raised his hammer -"
"And summoned thunder and lightning," Elijah completes, a soft smile gracing his features. For once, this seems to be a memory from his human past that he keeps with fondness. "Mother rarely mentioned you. When she did, she would say how enchanted you were by the prospect of my birth."
"How I wanted more brothers... And a sister, more than anything! But between Esther and Dahlia, that wish was taken from me." Freya's smile turns bitter, her eyes darkening. "I was ruined by those who raised me. If nothing else, at least we have that in common. There is nothing that can replace what was taken from us, but I hope we can make something better in its place. All you have to do is trust me."
Elijah and Rebekah both smile affably at their sister, clearly willing to offer her the benefit of the doubt, but before they can say anything, Klaus flashes over to Freya and, with one swift, brutal move, snaps her neck.
"Well, that's enough of that, don't you think?" He drops her body to the ground, wiping his hands on his jeans. "Right. Now we can have a proper family meeting."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The room explodes in a cacophony of heated curses and - in his opinion, highly exaggerated - chiding.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Caroline snarls, her eyes spitting fire.
"I was doing us all a favor," he replies with a dismissive shrug. "I couldn't sit through another minute of her saccharine tales."
"That was absolutely unnecessary!" Rebekah rebukes, crouching down next to Freya's - for now, at least - dead body.
"Oh, please. She was insufferable."
"That was ridiculous, even for you." Elijah's tone is even, but Klaus can sense all of the heat of his reproach.
"You've only just met her!" he argues with indignation. "Let's not get sentimental. Besides, if she was telling the truth about being immortal, she'll awaken shortly. If she was lying, good riddance."
"Yes. Of course, if she wakes, she'll be willing to help us with unbridled enthusiasm," Elijah counters.
Caroline steps up to him, anger etched onto every line of her pretty face. He cannot believe that even she fell for Freya's poor-kidnapped-girl charm. Rebekah and Elijah have soft hearts when it comes to family, but Caroline owes Freya absolutely nothing. She should know better.
"Can you not see that you are acting like a crazy person?" she seethes.
"She played you all for fools. Can you not see that? She spins a sad yarn about a small child taken by an evil witch and you fall over yourselves to mend what's broken."
"How can you be so certain that she was lying?" Rebekah asks.
"Simple," he says, pursing his lips. "It's exactly what I would do."
Caroline rolls her eyes. "Oh perfect," she huffs out. "A psychopath recognizing another?"
Klaus ignores her taunt in favor of keeping his focus on what's at stake here. "My only question, which she failed to answer, is what's in it for her?"
Elijah kneels down, touching a finger to her neck, feeling for a pulse. "Whatever the truth may be, she's in no position to help us now."
"We should try Marcel," Rebekah says sourly, shooting a dark look his way. "Surely he's put in a better effort."
She storms out of the room and Elijah makes to follow behind, but Klaus stops him.
"You know I'm right, Elijah. We can't have an alliance with someone we can't trust. I've learned my lesson, why haven't you?"
His brother levels him with a harsh look, not a single hint of sympathy in his eyes. "You don't trust her, that's your choice. I only hope that choice comes from a place of reason, not fear."
He chases after Rebekah, leaving him and Caroline with Freya's dead form. They face off for a moment and he waits for her to snap or walk out as well in protest, but she only glowers - furiously so.
"Well, go on, then," he concedes, not taking the loaded silence any longer. "Tell me what a monster I am, why don't you?"
Caroline is quiet for a heartbeat longer, and when she speaks, the ice in her tone cuts deep into his chest. "I love you, Klaus. But right now, I don't like you at all."
With that, she walks out as well, but through a different door, no doubt going to check on their daughter. Klaus shuts his eyes, her words sinking hard inside of him. He and Caroline are always working around a new set of differences, but lately it seems as though they've simply lost their pace and can't see eye to eye on absolutely anything. A lot of it, he knows, it's his own fault, with his frayed temper and moody outbursts. He refuses to take the blame for everything, though, especially when he's right.
Instead of feeling guilty, however, he just gets all the angrier with Freya. As always, his family is getting in the way of his conjugal bliss, pushing him towards a murderous disposition when he should be enjoying a peaceful time with Caroline and their child. And while she charms her way into their foolish hearts, his cautious attitude is met with revile and anger, isolating him from his family. That they would rather side with her than heed his warnings is not only absurd, but infuriating.
Well. He and Freya are going to have a little word about that.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Ah, you're awake," Klaus says with fake cheer as Freya finally comes to. He was starting to think she wouldn't. "Clearly, your restorative powers are not renowned for their speed."
She rolls over in a haste, pulling herself off the ground with sparks in her eyes. "You would dare lay your hands on me," she hisses.
"Immortality is a bold claim. I had to make sure you were telling the truth."
Freya's jaw clenches as she takes in her surroundings, realizing that they're no longer at the compound. It was a bit of a nuisance to carry her all the way over to the bell tower at St. Louis' cathedral - had to fend off some bold onlookers with an eye roll and a good-natured "Tourists, who can stand them, right?" It didn't seem practical to conduct his interrogation at home, with the social justice warriors of his family just a few rooms away. Depending on what Freya might have to say, well… Things could turn ugly fast.
"Why did you bring me here?" she queries.
"I couldn't very well let you stay at my home. That honor is something I reserve for those I consider family."
Her lips twist angrily. "So you refuse me as your sister."
Klaus' smirk turns cruel. "Well, you had a lovely audition, it just didn't seem to be the right fit."
"I think Elijah felt otherwise," she counters with her chin up. "Rebekah, too. Even Caroline."
"Yes, you did a fine job of convincing them with all your melodramatic tales, however I suspect you were not entirely forthcoming. The truth is Elijah and Rebekah can be a bit naive when it comes to family relations, and Caroline is too kind-hearted for her own good, always willing to believe the best in people. Case in point, their unending faith in me." He smiles widely, motioning his hands towards himself. "You see, we've had our fair share of putting our trust in the wrong hands over the last year, and it brought us nothing but pain. So I shall repay their loyalty by guarding them against treachery they cannot see, and I sense you are treacherous indeed. You wish to worm your way into my family, I want to know why. So, sister, I'm going to give you one last chance to tell me the full truth. I suggest you don't muck it up." He punctuates his sentence with a predatory grin, full of teeth.
"Very well," Freya starts quietly, though he can see the storm in her eyes. There's something not quite stable about her. She tries to put on this front of cunningness and power, but she seems to be constantly on edge, lost amidst the turmoil of her own feelings. The familiarity of it speaks to him, and Klaus has to resist the temptation to connect with her over their shared brokenness. Whatever her truth might be, Klaus can at least believe that dear aunt Dahlia has mauled her sanity. He just doesn't particularly care.
"You want to know why I hate Dahlia? It goes back to a man. His name was Mathias. We knew each other for one perfect year in the early 1400s. I loved him more than my own life, and Dahlia allowed me to love him."
"Of course. She wanted you to bear her another first born."
"I broke my vow and gave in to love, and that led to the darkest moment of my life... The day when I tried to steal from Dahlia that which she wanted most."
Klaus narrows his eyes with interest. "And what precisely was that?"
Freya's face darkens, filled with deep-rooted anguish. "My son," she says, the word mangled. "When she learned I was with child, Dahlia cursed Mathias to death. I knew I'd never be free of her, that my child would be born a slave. To spare us both from the horrors of the life I'd known, I took a bottle of Dahlia's strongest poison. I'd always thought about taking my own life, but never as strongly as in that moment. I knew then that only death would give me the release I longed for. But Dahlia knew that it was not an option for me. That was the day I learned I could never die." Freya swallows, averting his gaze as tears stream down her cheeks. "But the spell that protected me did not protect my child. I came back to life, but he remained dead. When I woke up... It was as though I'd never been pregnant."
Klaus's face tightens, his heart constricting painfully as he is taken back to that one terrible night seven months ago that still haunts him. He cannot imagine what Caroline would've been like if she'd woken up as a vampire to find that their daughter was gone. Her first few weeks after completing transition were nightmarish enough as it was. The hatred and the regret he harbors over it threatens to consume him to this day; if Caroline or Eve hadn't made it... Klaus doesn't think New Orleans would still be standing.
"It was Dahlia who made me do what I did," Freya continues after a brief pause to recompose herself. "She turned me into a monster, and for the last 600 years I've wanted nothing more than to destroy her for it. And now I've learned that another of our family has had a child... And I cannot let her have your daughter. I cannot let her have what she wants. Tell me, brother. Is that the truth you wanted to hear?"
The heated rancor behind her words finds echo inside of him. He lives with this same feeling every single day. A blind hunger for revenge that overcomes everything else. The problem is... Klaus knows very well that he would stop at nothing to protect his family and punish those who would harm them. How far would Freya go?
"Whether I believe you or not is no matter," he says, a steely edge to his voice. "You told that tale in order to garner my sympathy, thinking the shared plight of a child in danger would bond us, but I will not be manipulated."
"Whatever you choose, one final truth remains. Dahlia is coming for us. With me, you have a chance to defeat her. Without me, she will take your daughter and make her a slave. She will suffer as I did, never knowing her mother and father because Dahlia will have rendered you into ash."
"Are you quite finished?" Klaus snaps, eyes flashing dangerously. "If there is to be an alliance between us, it will be one of my design. And if you ever try to control me again, sister... You'll spend the rest of your immortal life regretting it."
"Then leave. I already have Rebekah and Elijah's trust, and even the mother of your daughter is on my side. I'm not going anywhere. But if I were you, brother, I'd rethink your alliances as you go forward."
Klaus takes a step forward, his monster stirring inside of him. "I do not appreciate mind games... sister. But I especially do not deal well with being threatened. You might want to do some research. I'm known to have a temper. I recommend you do not test it."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Klaus left with Freya - unconscious, thrown over his shoulder like a potato sack - but when he comes back, he's alone. And in one of those apocalyptic moods as well. Caroline can see the dark clouds from afar.
He cuts a beeline to the bar cart and pours himself a whiskey. That's never a good sign. From the second floor, Caroline braces herself for confrontation. Ideally, it wouldn't have to be a confrontation; just a regular conversation between two adults to try and sort through their communication issues. But Klaus doesn't do regular conversations or adulting, so. It's best to prepare for the worse.
"We need to talk," she announces.
The muscles on Klaus' back go all taut before he unwinds with a heavy exhale. "Do we, indeed?" he grumbles crossly. "Have you come to express your gratitude for the courtesy I've shown Jackson and the werewolves? Or perhaps you want to thank me for my efforts to protect you and our daughter from those who would harm you?"
Caroline halts midstep as she comes down the stairs, shooting a look at him. Does he really think he's been courteous towards the werewolves?
"We'll talk about the wolves in a second," she says, resuming her descent and stopping right behind him, waiting until he's facing her to continue. "First... I appreciate how careful you're being about Eve, Klaus. And I understand where you're coming from, I really do. But in case you've forgotten, I was there, too. I was the one giving birth while they slashed my throat open."
"You were there, but you were not forced to watch it in complete and utter hopelessness, unable to do anything to prevent it, knowing all the while that the woman you love was dead and your child would soon be gone, while you'd still be alive once it was all over, cursed for all eternity to bear the weight of your own dreadful failure," he retorts with heat, his eyes sparking with vicious intent.
"Are you seriously trying to say that you had it worse?"
"No, Caroline. Of course not. What I'm trying to say, and which seems to inexplicably escape you, is that I won't ever let that happen again. I do not care what I have to do to prevent it. You of all people should be on my side. I trusted my own abilities to overcome any attempted treacheries too much in the past, thinking this family untouchable only to be proved wrong in the worst possible manner, and I will not be taking any risks this time. I have learned my lesson and I cannot fathom how you haven't."
"You have no idea what it took me to get here," she starts slowly, feeling a wave of heat thrumming in her veins. "For months, I didn't know if I would survive another day, and I would've definitely not made it if I had chosen to live like you are now. We can't spend the rest of our lives refusing to trust everyone. That is no life, Klaus, and I don't want my daughter to grow up in a paranoid world built by her father where she can't even trust her own shadow."
"So you'd rather she gets mauled by a witch whose intentions we believe to be moderately clear? Or perhaps a werewolf who grew up as Jackson's best friend, only to betray his entire pack in a personal quest for power? Or maybe some illustrious nobody who seems to want nothing but our sympathy and turns out to be a monster in sheep's skin?"
"Do you even hear yourself?! Your reason, your objective thinking - it's all getting clouded by fear. You're gonna let this drive you insane."
"You're spending too much time with the werewolves, love," he sneers. "It's making you soft."
"I will die to protect my daughter, Klaus," she retorts darkly. "And, as a matter of fact, so will the werewolves. So will Jackson. You speak of them with disdain, like they're a burden to you. That man walked across your ballroom to bond himself to me in a complete distortion of his own beliefs and traditions just to help keep our daughter safe."
"Oh so selfless, our dearest Jackson," he says with mock-consideration. "I suppose it had nothing to do with being turned into a makeshift hybrid or gaining himself an entire army of them."
"Exactly. His army. He controls them. You have to put your animosity behind you and stop trying to command them. Give him the space he needs to run his pack whichever way he sees fit. He's not our errand boy. No more orders, no more favors. He is alpha, period."
Klaus looks at her with a blank expression for a second before cracking up with laughter, a sardonic sound that carries no mirth. "I'm sorry. Did you really think that I would ever agree to let Jackson control the wolves?"
"Show him some respect, Klaus!" she fires at him. "He is on our side, fighting for our daughter!"
Klaus' patronizing expression descends into a scowl, angry lines scribbled across his forehead. "I've spent all day hearing nonsense from people who claim to be fighting for our daughter. Some I believe, some I do not, but one thing is for sure: there is only one person I fully trust when it comes to our child's safety, and that would be me!" His voice escalates as he goes until he's nearly snarling at Caroline's face.
She is so thrown by the venom in his words that all she can do is stare at him in bafflement as he whizzes by her spitting fire. But then he stops, whirls around. "You know, you all seem to think this is a democracy. I assure you, it is not! If Dahlia is coming, then she is a threat to you and to Eve. I watched you die once. I will not stand by and let it happen again. And if Jackson or anyone strays from the course that I set, they will answer to me. You would do well to remind him of that."
Caroline watches with a heavy heart as Klaus barrels off into the night, breathing barely controlled twists from rage. She doesn't know whether to be mad at him, or outraged, or something else entirely. Klaus is being crazy and insulting, but she cannot pretend she didn't catch the sharp wheeze of emotion in his voice, the way air seemed to catch in his throat even in the midst of a fit of ire. It doesn't excuse anything, but it gives her pause. He's dead set on a path of destruction, his own more than anyone else's.
So how does she stop a train wreck?
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Elijah's new quarters are tragic from the outside. Klaus almost felt insulted when he laid eyes on the building, thinking that his brother must truly despise him if he was willing to move across the river into such derelict a residence just to get away from him. But the inside is a different story. A bit pedestrian, perhaps, too modern for his more classic tastes, a bit soulless, like something out of a fancy store catalogue. Nothing like the opulence and the rich, breathing life of the compound; but cozy nonetheless, he guesses.
It smells like new furniture and pine needles in there.
"So this is where you live. It's nicer on the inside, at least," he says conversationally, looking around as he steps in, not bothering with formalities. He stops when his eyes settle on his brother, who's lighting candles. Klaus' lips instantly curl into a wolfish smirk. "Are you expecting anyone?"
"Can I help you with something, Niklaus, or did you cross the river purely to critique my decor and meddle in my life?" he asks flatly, not bothering to look up.
Now that he's noticed the candles - Elijah also seems to be rather dressed up. It's hard to see the difference between his everyday style and what he'd wear for a more distinguished event, but Klaus has learned how to read the slight nuance of Elijah's suits over the years. This dark grey ensemble isn't what he'd be wearing for a quiet night in.
"Ah, so there is someone," he drawls with interest. "Is that why you moved out, then? To have some privacy away from your nosy siblings? Afraid we'll scare her away? Assuming it's a she, of course. You know we don't discriminate." He takes up a random vase, inspecting the piece before putting it back down. "Can't fault you for trying to hide them from us, though. Although it's not entirely fair, seeing as you are deeply familiarized with all the joys and woes of my personal entanglement. If I may offer a word of wisdom, brother. Relationships are highly overrated," he grumbles.
"Allow me to offer a counter-advice," Elijah says, turning to him. "Relationships are far easier to weather if you'll only listen to your partner and refrain from annoying them every chance you get. Not acting like a deranged lunatic also helps, I'm told."
Klaus rolls his eyes at him. He didn't come here to get a lecture on how to handle his romantic affairs from Elijah, of all people. So he shifts the conversation back to less prickly shores. To him, at least.
"I thought you might like to know I was moved by what you said about my decision to trust our long-lost sister," he speaks as he prowls to the window, evaluating the view. Not as good as Marcel's, but not bad either. "So I waited until she revived and when she did, we had quite a chat."
"And your position remains unchanged?"
"I looked in her eyes and I saw only anger and fear, the will to do whatever it takes to survive, no matter who she has to hurt. I could use that to my own ends, of course, but I could never allow so damaged a creature to have a say in my plans. She is a danger to Eve."
Elijah considers him carefully. "You may not trust her, but trust me, brother. We may have had our differences of late, but I agree with you that we should exercise caution. It's just your manners that are severely lacking. Treat her fairly, let her show us what she's truly capable of, and then we'll decide whether or not to welcome her back into our family."
Something about this still doesn't sit right with Klaus, but Elijah is not being entirely unreasonable. They need to cultivate a certain camaraderie with Freya, if nothing else then for the sake of defeating Dahlia. Assuming, of course, that she's being honest about her true desires to rid herself of the one who raised her for a thousand years. Klaus knows only too well that not everyone has it in them to murder a parental figure in cold blood, no matter how cruel that parent might have been. Dahlia is the closest thing Freya has known to a mother.
"If you're so certain," he concedes grudgingly. "I'll let you pursue it. But should Freya betray us -"
"If Freya should ever attempt to betray us, I will bury her beneath a thousand wretched torments myself."
Klaus grins wanly at his brother. "I don't doubt it. But what if you're too late? What if Freya is duplicitous? What if she intends to use my daughter to bargain for her freedom? You won't have to worry that I will never forgive you, Elijah, because you will never forgive yourself. You will suffer a guilt that will be impossible to endure. I should know. I am reminded of my own failures every single day, more strongly still when I see Eve and her mother together. Because of me, they almost never had the chance to meet. Caroline was put through the most violent torture that could ever be inflicted upon a mother and robbed of the first six months of our daughter's life. I saw it, Elijah, and I see it still, how terrified she is." He pauses, standing face to face with Elijah, staring him dead in the eye. "I will spare no one to protect them, least of all a sister whose existence we ignored until now. Of this you can be certain."
Elijah's expression clouds over. "Nothing will happen to that child or to her mother, but we have to consider every weapon at our disposal. Dahlia is coming. The only question is when," he says, a steely edge to his tone that brings Klaus a measure of reassurance, however flitting.
Klaus doesn't trust many people in this world, but his big brother is one of the privileged few. For now, anyway. However hurt he might still feel over his decision to move out of their home, he feels better - safer, more empowered - knowing he can count on his support.
He'll certainly need it for what's to come.
TBC
A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this quicker update and, if you do, please drop me a note and let me know your thoughts! I hate to be the writer who keeps mentioning that, but I got exactly zero reactions to last chapter. So that's telling me nobody's really bothering with this story anymore, so maybe I shouldn't either. Again, if you *are* reading this here and you *do* want me to keep going, please, please, consider leaving me a comment to let me know. It means the world to me. 💖
Klaus is going into the cray-cray zone, but that's not to say he doesn't care, quite the opposite... The more he cares, the worst he gets. Hopefully, this chapter was able to communicate some of his motivations more clearly. Klaus' authoritarian ways make him sound like he's being unreasonable, but my opinion is that this situation has many valid points of view, his included. Also, poor boi doesn't really know how to do the whole relationship thing. lol It's not as easy as manipulating his siblings. He'll learn it soon enough. :)