A/N: As always, shout out to coveredinthecolors for her awesome beta work and totally non-biased comments about Elijah and Jackson.
If you still find any mistakes, it's all my fault and I apologize.
Thanks very much to everyone who has been reading this story and sharing their thoughts and feelings with me. ❤ You guys rock and really do make my day! I very much appreciate your comments, so keep 'em coming!
"Caroline," Father Kieran greets her with a smile when she leaves the church after mass.
She was never really the religious type, even though her mom used to take her to Sunday masses every once in a while when she was younger. When you're a witch, growing up aware that the mysteries of this world are far greater than anything the Bible might've ever implied, the church's notions of right and wrong, good and evil, kind of seem totally beside the point. And, well. Once you understand that Jesus might have actually been a vampire, your perspective on the whole miracle thing kind of changes as well.
But when Klaus said he was going to the church, it was just too good a chance to pass.
He's still in a caustic mood, which is saying a lot when you consider that grumpy is Klaus' default state of being, but there have been improvements. Instead of lashing out, he's taken to being unusually quiet. Elijah has been pointedly avoiding Caroline, especially when his brother is around, even though she still thinks that is utter bullshit. It's ridiculous that they can't be friends just because Klaus is weird. If he has issues, he needs to deal with it like a thousand years old grown up; scowling and pouting his way through life is not gonna take him anywhere. But since he refuses to acknowledge there's a problem, Caroline has decided to approach the situation by simply pretending it doesn't exist. If Klaus talks to her, she talks to him. If he wakes up roaring and snappish, she just ignores him until he's approachable again. Far from ideal, she knows, but then absolutely nothing about their circumstance is, and she's got way too many problems to be mindful of Klaus' delicate mood swings.
She is the hormonal person in that house. Pregnant trumps temperamental. They should all be mindful of her.
He seemed to have woken up in a semi-decent mood that morning, even sat with her for breakfast, and when he announced he'd be attending mass, she immediately volunteered to tag along. It just seemed to her like one of those once in a lifetime opportunities she couldn't miss.
Much to Klaus' annoyance - and Marcel's amusement - Caroline teased him all the way there. "Do you think the statues will bleed when you walk in? What happens if someone throws holy water on you? Can you pray? Do you even believe in God? How do you feel knowing that you're almost as old as Jesus Christ but he has a much larger fanbase?"
"He's dead and I'm still here, so I guess that means I win."
"How do you know? I'm pretty sure he could be a vampire. Maybe the first one ever. What if he just cut his hair, changed his name and moved to Florida? He could be just a stranger on a bus, trying to make his way home, you never know."
Marcel understood the reference, Klaus clearly didn't.
It was interesting to be back at a church after so many years, considering everything that's happened in her life. She almost burst into laughter in the middle of Father Kieran's sermon when it dawned on her that she was in a church, living in sin with Klaus Mikaelson, 28 weeks pregnant with his baby. How to be religious when life is crazy like that?
In all honesty, however, she expected that accompanying two vampires to a mass would be more eventful, but Klaus and Marcel were perfectly well-behaved, hanging onto Father Kieran's every word. Klaus can barely sit still through dinner with his family, but in a church? Sure, he'll be polite and mindful, why not?
Father Kieran was very eloquent and gripping, but Caroline found her attention slipping away. Masses can be so boringly long... She'd start looking around the church, paying attention to the architectural details, the very old looking iron chandeliers and the religious art on the walls representing important passages of the Bible. There's a certain decaying aspect to the whole building, but the rustic thing works strangely well from the inside, especially with daylight filtering in through the large stained glass windows. It's beautiful.
When she turned her head to check the paintings on the back, though, she caught a woman staring right at her. Red-headed, really pretty, piercing blue eyes. She smiled when she noticed Caroline looking, and then turned away.
"Problem?" Marcel whispered to her.
"Huh?" She snapped back to him, blinking. "What? No."
"Then pay attention," he smirked. "We're meant to seem like devoted parishioners."
Caroline rolled her eyes at him, but she did try to focus on the sermon. Father Kieran was right in the middle of a speech about how St. Anne's was reopening to become once more the heart of their community.
"Lovely sermon this morning, Father," Caroline says, shaking his hand. "Very inspirational."
"Thank you. It's good to see you here. But I wasn't expecting you to join us," he says, pointedly looking at Klaus and Marcel.
"We were hoping for some word from your human sources on the recent witchy blast from the past," said Klaus.
"My guys have their ears to the ground. No one has seen or heard any sign of whatever his name is."
"He's called Papa Tunde," Marcel adds. "And right now he's wandering the Quarter with the power he absorbed from every soul I had buried in the garden. So you might wanna put your ear a little closer to the ground."
"Or I could steer clear of whatever war is brewing between your kind and his before I find myself in -"
"Hi, uncle," Camille says, materializing between Caroline and Marcel. "I wanted to congratulate you on getting the church up and running." She takes Father Kieran's hand and gives it a hard shake. "I can see this is a bad time, though," she adds, sending Klaus a death glare. "Nice to see you, Marcel. Caroline." She turns to Caroline and gives her a quick hug. "Really good to see you." And then she stalks away.
A little thrown by her friend's surprise appearance, Caroline frowns. "Did she just say uncle?"
"Cami is my niece," Father Kieran replies. "I didn't know you were friends."
"We are. That explains a lot," Caroline muses. She thought Kieran looked slightly familiar when they met, and now she gets why; he has Cami's big, expressive green eyes. It also explains why Klaus would pick him to represent the human faction in this council-like thing he has going in New Orleans, even calling him trustworthy. Klaus really does have an appreciation for the O'Connells.
As they walk back to the car after a final round of threats thinly disguised as friendly advice so the priest would get his informants to work — "You two have no respect whatsoever, do you? Bossing a priest around on mass day. Where do you draw the line?" Caroline reprehended —, Klaus allows Marcel to go ahead and falls in stride with her.
"Interesting thing, Camille's reaction just now," he muses.
"Oh?"
"Yes. Last time I saw her, many weeks ago, I compelled her not to remember anything, not even in my presence."
"Oh."
"Just now I could swear it was almost as though she'd broken the compulsion."
"Interesting."
"You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Me? No. Nothing," Caroline says, shaking her head. "But. Whoever did help her do it has my total support. I did tell you a million times to stop compelling her and you never listened to me, so I'm glad she broke free on her own."
Klaus is quiet for a moment, his expression serious. "I did listen. I was just trying to keep her away from all this. The less she knew, the less danger she'd be in."
Caroline considers him thoughtfully. He sounds honest, perhaps even well-intentioned, but missing an important point. "It was not your choice to make, Klaus. Not anymore. You had a choice when you brought her into this and opened up the doors to this world for her. But once you did that, it was no longer up to you to decide whether she should know or not. The way you compelled her — it left too many blank spaces. Cami is too smart not to realize there was something wrong with her. She couldn't just let it go, it was driving her out of her mind. So whoever helped her remember — it was a good thing. For her, of course. For you? Not so much. She might be a little upset for a while. I suggest upping your tips if you want her to reconsider being your friend."
Klaus gives her a strange look, and when it seems like he's going to say something, his phone rings.
"Yes, Diego. What do you have for me?"
Caroline continues to walk and, after a moment, she realizes Klaus has stopped. When she turns, she finds him tense, his jaw set and a dark look in his eyes.
"What?" she asks.
"We need to get back to the compound," he speaks gravely. "Now."
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"Back in the day, the witches wanted to send a threat, they'd just kill a chicken and leave it on your doorstep," Marcel says.
"It's a rather large and ominous chicken, wouldn't you say?" Elijah offers, inspecting the large gash on Papa Tunde's neck for the millionth time.
Perhaps the greatest threat they've encountered since their return to New Orleans, a man who became so powerful he'd taken down Rebekah and nearly done the same to both him and Marcellus, and who was now running amok powered on the vital energy of dozens of vampires. Dead. Just like that. And delivered to their door like an offering — or rather, like a warning.
For once, Elijah isn't happy at all that this problem apparently took care of itself. This doesn't feel like the end of something, but rather like the start. Everything about this is worrisome, starting with the fact that somebody got inside the compound to leave Papa Tunde's body in the middle of the courtyard unperturbed. No one saw a thing. They either used magic, or Elijah needs to have a word with Niklaus about how secure the property really is.
A single wound on his neck. A cut done from left to right, deep but extremely clean. No signs of struggle whatsoever. Could he have done it to himself? He's an ingenious witch, so it's possible. But Elijah doubts it. The way the body was placed on the ground was not accidental either. His arms under his body, his left leg bent to form the number 4. Could they be alluding to the four resurrected witches?
Well. Three now.
Either way, it seems like Tunde wasn't murdered, but rather sacrificed himself, which spells a whole new set of possible complications. Even though he's dead, their problems only seem to have gotten worse.
"Can I get you anything, brother?" Klaus asks, in that annoying impatient way of his when answers aren't provided with the speed he wants. "A magnifying glass? A pipe, perhaps?"
"You have a theory you would like to share with us, Niklaus?" he retorts, standing to his feet.
"Papa Tunde defeated Rebekah with ease, almost got the two of you as well. If he was supposed to be their prized fighter, why leave him for dead in our front yard?" Klaus inquires.
"Oh, don't you all look cheery this morning," Rebekah says as she joins them.
She left early without telling them where she was going. Elijah called her several times, but she wasn't answering her phone. For a moment he thought she might've been caught again, but then Papa Tunde's body appeared. He wasn't sure whether to be more or less concerned.
"Listen to this," she continues. "A girl literally exploded from a grave today as Sabine was giving her tour of the city of the dead at the cemetery. It was Monique Deveraux."
"What?" Klaus asks, his expression taut.
"The tourists thought it was part of the show, but the witches are celebrating like it was some kind of bloody miracle."
"Maybe it is," Marcel says, a hopeful grin on his face. "They think that all hope is lost, but suddenly a Harvest girl is resurrected. This is how we're gonna get Davina back. Kill the witch who took her place."
"I have a theory about who one of them could be," Caroline chimes in, sweeping down the stairs to join them with Davina's sketches.
"Celeste." The name rolls off Elijah's tongue almost involuntarily, his heart lurching in his chest.
"Davina was trying to tell us something. She was drawing pictures of a person she'd never met. There has to be a reason," Caroline says. "It was a warning about a great evil coming," she continues, in a softer tone, looking directly at Elijah. "It has to be Celeste."
Elijah doesn't know what to think. Would Celeste be involved in a plot against him? Or have they understood this all wrong? Papa Tunde had enough reason to want revenge, but... Why would she? She suffered a horrible death, but at the hands of a human. Elijah made sure the man and his son paid for it. For years he went every single day to her secret grave, resisting the urge to leave flowers. It was decades before he stopped dreaming of her almost every night. To this day, the mere memory of her brings a dull ache to his chest. What would he do if he ran into her on the street? What would he say? And what if she is, as Caroline suspects, the great evil from Davina's premonitions?
"First Papa Tunde returns to settle old scores," Klaus says, also turning to face him. Suddenly he feels as though he's directly involved in something he can't quite understand. Something much bigger than he could've ever imagined this to be. "Now your murdered lover is back. This isn't witches attacking vampires. They're declaring war on our family."
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They're all discussing theories and strategy when Klaus, being Klaus, begins to insist that the solution to their problem is just to kill every single witch in New Orleans. That her brother can actually suggest these things with a straight face is remarkable. Caroline, obviously, takes great offense.
"Really? Why don't you start with me, then? I'd love to see you try."
"Of course I don't mean you. You don't count as a witch."
"Then what the hell do I count as?"
"You're -"
"If you say baby mama, Klaus, I swear to God."
They go back and forth on this nonsense for the next twenty minutes. Rebekah and Marcel try their best to put the conversation back on more productive tracks, but it's useless.
"Aren't they sleeping together?" Marcel asks.
"You'd think so. Clearly the worst that could happen already did."
"Well, they should be."
"That's what I've been saying for months."
When Rebekah turns to plead for Elijah's support, she realizes he's not there anymore. Maybe it's the whole pointless argument that bored him to hell, but Rebekah thinks there might be more to it. Elijah was unusually quiet to begin with, and took the moment of distraction to sneak out unnoticed.
She finds him alone at the study room, eyes distant and haunted, a grim, thoughtful expression on his face.
The return of Celeste is obviously affecting him more than he's willing to let on. It's been two hundred years, but clearly he still feels very deeply for her. And it pains Rebekah to see her imposing older brother so forlorn.
"Well, that's been quite a morning," she says, as merrily as she can. "Is it too early for a scotch, do you think?"
"It is entirely too early if one intends to drive, yes," he replies vaguely.
Rebekah pours herself a glass and lifts it in a toast. "Just as well. I don't have any plans to go anywhere."
Elijah looks at her for a long time, his face wrought deep with a thought.
"She's not safe here," he finally says. "You have to take Caroline to the plantation house until this is over."
The smile vanishes from Rebekah's lips. "Are you worried about Caroline or whether or not you can trust me?"
"It's precisely because I trust you that I'm asking you to do this."
"Here's a novel idea. Why don't you let Caroline decide for herself? Why are you trying to dictate her fate?"
Elijah scrubs a hand across his face. "You know why,'' he mutters.
"Then perhaps you should take her yourself."
"Then that would make me the very hypocrite you've accused me of being." He gives her an almost apologetic lopsided smile. "Rebekah, I cannot legislate my feelings. My actions, however..." Her brother takes her hands and gazes straight into her eyes. "So would you kindly do this for me?"
Rebekah sighs. She really doesn't know how to stay mad at Elijah. He's way too reasonable to be hateful. "You know the mama witch loves to be told what to do. She's not gonna like it. But... I will do it. For you. If only to end this silly quarrel between the two of us."
One of these days, Rebekah thinks, she's gonna have to learn how to say no to Elijah.
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Sometimes, the universe conspires in your favor.
In Caroline's experience, it's a very rare occurrence, but it seems like this might be one of those one-offs, and she's not about to start questioning it. Things have been so hectic and generally awful lately that she's ready to embrace whatever blessings come her way. Even if that's just Rebekah informing her that she's been sent to the plantation house for the time being. Caroline had a few issues with the tone, but she let it slide because it just so happens that she was already planning on going anyway.
For almost a month now, Caroline has been corresponding with a werewolf named Eve. She apparently helped Elijah and Rebekah when they went out to the Bayou to stop the wolf massacre ordered by Klaus a few months ago, and she wrote to Caroline to thank her for her concern. Since then, they've been exchanging notes, usually delivered by trusted messengers — sometimes by Josh, who would do just about anything to stay out of Klaus' hair, including get himself in the middle of a vampire-hating werewolf camp. Caroline may or may not have used Josh's panic of Klaus in her favor. Normally, she'd be ashamed of that kind of thing. But being almost seven months pregnant means she cares very little for other people's discomfort when that is pretty much the state she lives in 100% of the time.
Caroline wrote to Eve after the storm to ask if everyone was all right, and Eve thanked her for making Klaus find shelter for the wolves. She explained that it hadn't been her idea, that Klaus did it all on his own, but Eve didn't seem very convinced. Apparently Klaus' reputation around the Bayou isn't all that great, even though he is the one related to them. Caroline mentioned that she'd like to meet them some time, the wolves that saved her life, and Eve said that they could arrange something for the one night when they would be back to their human forms, on the full moon. Which so happens to be tonight.
She already ordered the booze and the food to be delivered directly to the plantation house. Loads of beer kegs and meaty dishes, as per Eve's suggestion. Eve also said they love a good bonfire and live music. Her new wolf friends will have the full experience of a Caroline Forbes party, and she wants it to be perfect.
For months now Caroline has been dying to meet them, and the fact that it's actually going to happen is making her swell with anticipation. She considered telling Klaus about it for five seconds, but who was she kidding? If Klaus even allowed it to happen at all, he would definitely be making an appearance, and then he'd be awful to everyone, totally ruin the party and probably pick a fight or two. Before the night was over, the wolves would be sorry they ever helped her escape the witches. Not to mention — Mikaelsons are total snobs. She can't imagine Klaus in one of his thousand-dollar jackets having fun at a kegger around a bonfire.
If this first meeting turns out well, then maybe she can plan something different for the next full moon. Prepare the wolves for their long lost relative with a temper from hell. For now, though... What Klaus doesn't know can't hurt other people.
That said, the prospect of being the only outsider in a party surrounded by werewolves is giving her major anxiety. Caroline's memories of hanging out with werewolves aren't exactly inspiring. When Tyler was on his own, it was fine, but the second he found himself a pack of sorts with the rest of the hybrids it became impossible for her to pretend that they still had a lot in common. She just couldn't reach him anymore. He was someone else.
Rebekah has no idea what she's getting herself into, but she's a life saver.
In the end, if she disregards the whole all-powerful-witch-showing-up-dead-on-their-front-yard-in-totally-suspicious-circumstances thing —which she is disregarding, just for tonight —, it seems like everything has worked out for the best.
"I thought I was gonna have to drag you out here kicking and screaming," Rebekah says when she parks the car in front of the plantation house. Having someone to drive for her was a given as well. Caroline's at that stage where even wearing a seat belt is uncomfortable. "Little disappointed, to be honest. I was kind of relishing the thought."
"Yeah, well. We all just wanna protect the baby, right?" she mutters distractedly.
"Hey. I'm on your side here," Rebekah says, solemnly. "So what gives?"
Caroline peers at her. "Tonight's a full moon," she starts. "I... May have invited some people over."
Rebekah's face breaks into a knowing grin. "Of course. Every red-blooded American werewolf will be a bundle of fur and sharp teeth tonight whilst your cursed friends will be -"
"Human. But only for a few hours and won't be again until the next full moon. So I asked Josh to get a message out to the people in the Bayou."
A man comes out of the house pushing an empty cart. He looks at Caroline and gives her a thumb up.
"Huh. It appears you didn't even wait for my permission to throw a kegger," Rebekah raises her eyebrows.
"Look, everyone wants me out of the French Quarter right now. I hate being bossed around and treated like an invalid, but, just for now, I'll do as I'm told and won't argue. I'll play the freaking damsel in the glass tower. Because tonight is the one night I can meet the people who protected me when I was this close from dying. So you can rat me out to your brothers, have Klaus here to ruin my plans and send me to my room. Or." Caroline smiles. "You can help me throw one hell of a party."
Rebekah crosses her arms. "You, inviting me to host a party with you? Now that is unexpected. You couldn't wait to kick me out of every single dance committee back at school."
Caroline shrugs. "Think of this as making amends."
Rebekah squints her eyes at Caroline before her lips twist into a smirk. "Well, count me in, then."
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It takes Elijah exactly four minutes to find just the witch he was looking for.
It's almost as though Sabine was waiting for him to show up, and not at all displeased to see him.
"Elijah," she says, whirling around with an easy smile on her face. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"My family needs an ally among the witches and you've helped us in the past," he says, mouth slanting in a not-quite-smile. "Perhaps together we can avoid an unnecessary conflict."
"They may be willing to make a deal with the noble Elijah. But there will never be any peace as long as it involves Klaus."
"Is that what all this is about? You want my brother out of town?"
"I'm just telling you how they feel," Sabine shrugs. "My people are scared. They're desperate, but they're not dumb." She tilts her head. "You have a niece on the way. It stands to reason you would be willing to discuss how to run him out of the city."
As always, Niklaus is at the heart of all his problems. And as always, the witches are willing to strike low and use his niece as a means to their end.
Elijah is all for peaceful resolutions, it's what he's been advocating for since the beginning. But if there's one personality trait he shares with Niklaus, it's his distaste for being manipulated.
They honestly haven't understood what they're up against here if they think it's possible to convince Niklaus to skip town without a fight. And maybe not even then. His brother is determined to make New Orleans their home again, and he will cleanse the city — the entire state of Louisiana if he has to — of any threats if that means keeping Caroline and their child safely with him.
Underestimating Niklaus has never ended well before. Not once. It would do them well to understand that while there's still time to avoid bloodshed.
"Let's walk together," Elijah says with a lopsided grin. If common sense doesn't work, then perhaps charm will. "You can take me on one of your famous tours."
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The party is a success.
The band is great. The food is amazing. There's more than enough beer to keep a bunch of werewolves going all night long. Everyone's dancing, having a laugh, enjoying themselves. Even Rebekah, who quickly found herself a suitable partner in the form of a particularly toned blonde werewolf named Oliver.
It certainly looks like they're all having a fantastic time, which is everything Caroline could've hoped for. She's fine just watching. From inside the house. Where everything's quiet and nobody's dancing.
It's ok. Really. Tonight is not about her. Caroline's not bitter. Not at all.
Ok, so maybe she kind of wishes they'd at least said hi before they went straight to the beer kegs, but she can understand why they wouldn't. They only have a few hours to get as much alcohol pumped inside as they possibly can. Caroline can sympathize. Seven months without a single drop of alcohol is taking a toll on her as well.
At least she got to properly meet Eve, who's the sweetest person ever. But she was also very eager to spend some quality time with the part of her pack that only ever gets to speak once a month.
Caroline hasn't been shy a single day in her life, but she was standing out like a sore thumb with her giant belly in the middle of a bunch of drunk werewolves. And once it started getting too awkward, she decided to go find something else to do.
Lucky for her, the house is a bit of a mess. All those paper cups and plates all over the place are an anxious witch's paradise. Bending over to pick stuff up is not so fun, and she's pretty sure her lower back is gonna kill her come morning, but, for now, she's just enjoying the distraction.
As long as everyone's having fun, that's all that matters. It's her way to say thank you.
"I seriously doubt you invited us here to wait on us."
Caroline whips around to find a man standing by the door, smiling apologetically at her. He's wearing what appears to be official werewolf uniform - flannel and jeans. He's got long dark hair and kind eyes, and his voice is deep and heavily accented. Being around posh-sounding vampires all day, she almost forgets what a southern accent really sounds like.
"Busted," she says, grinning sheepishly. "It's a funny habit of mine to placate my anxiety. Cleaning."
"You're Caroline," he says, not as a question. "I'm Jackson. It's nice to see you again."
Her mouth opens in a silent oh. "You're the wolf who attacked the witches that night. The one who was watching me."
"Gotta keep my eyes on you," he shrugs. "Precious cargo and all."
"Right," she nods. "Miracle baby."
"It's more than just a miracle baby. It's the heir to a throne. But I don't really care about the baby." Caroline raises her eyebrows at him. "Sorry," Jackson says with a grimace. "That came out wrong. I mean, of course I care. Your baby is the alpha who's supposed to unite all the packs. It's just that... Personally, my interest is in you."
"I'm not a werewolf."
"I know. But I've been watching you, and you're more of a mama wolf than many I've seen."
Caroline chuckles, the warmth in his eyes suddenly making her feel very self-conscious.
She clears her throat. "What was that you said about my kid uniting the packs?"
"She's of an important bloodline among us. One we thought was lost. Forever. We're the same people, but not the same lines. Hers is a very old lineage of werewolf royalty. My fiancé, whom I was supposed to marry in order to unite our packs, was of the same line. A distant relative of your daughter. She was murdered."
He looks upset all of a sudden, and Caroline realizes this is probably not something he talks about a lot, seeing that he spends most of his time in wolf form. She's about to say she's sorry for his loss when something hits her.
"Wait," she starts, narrowing her eyes at him and placing a protective hand on top of her baby bump. "You're not gonna get all Twilight on me now and tell me you want to marry my unborn baby, are you?"
Jackson laughs whole-heartedly. "Nothing like that. I'm supposed to guide her. Be like a mentor until she's ready to become our alpha. And you, as the mother, will always be welcome with us, too."
"Wow," Caroline breathes, suddenly feeling a little airy. She sits down on the couch behind her, trying to piece together everything he just said. She suspected Klaus was somehow related to those wolves, if they were so eager to protect her, but she could've never imagined the level of complexity of this connection. "Seems like you've got my daughter's whole life planned."
"It's... not like that."
"It's what it sounded like."
"I'm sorry," Jackson says, combing his fingers through his hair. "That was not the best way to explain all this to you."
"Nope. Definitely not." She crosses her arms on top of her bump. "Luckily, we've got time. So try again."
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"So this next part of town is one of the few areas where any of the original French architecture remains. Most of the buildings were destroyed in the 1700s when the city burned for the first time."
Sabine's storytelling makes Elijah flash on the big fire that tore through New Orleans in the 1700s. The Good Friday fire destroyed virtually the entire city, sparing only a few buildings closer to the river. The real French Quarter disappeared, and the rebuilding mostly followed Spanish styles.
But of course Sabine knows he knows all that. He never needed a tour of the city he helped build, and then rebuild. It's not why he wanted to walk with her.
Ever since it was revealed that someone had already consecrated Celeste's remains, Elijah's had a weight in his chest. And it has only grown since then. He gave the matter a lot of thought over the last few weeks. Davina's prophetic drawings. The resurrected witches. It was all connected. It had to be. Her death triggered an event much greater than just the completion of the Harvest ritual.
How Celeste would connect to all that was a mystery that occupied many of his nights. Elijah's had a suspicion for a long time now. It started small, and he initially chalked it off as coincidences and nostalgia. But then this morning, when Caroline suggested Celeste had to be behind everything... Little alarm bells went chiming inside of him.
He had to confirm it. Which is what today has been all about. And now that he's certain... He feels ridiculous for not having realized it right away.
"Am I boring you?" Sabine asks when she realizes he wasn't really paying attention.
Elijah presses his lips together. "Surprising as you might find it, it's not every day someone asks me to betray my own brother," he says, fixing her with a glare. "Celeste."
She doesn't even look surprised. Her eyes sparkle with malice, her lips curving into an amused smile. "How did you know?"
"As Davina was drawing your likeness, I dared to imagine that your presence was near. And when Sophie discovered that there was no magic in your remains, I wondered... Could you have possibly cheated death by using your power to place your essence into the body of another? And if so, who? And then I recalled the lovely Sabine. Your visions of my brother's child precipitated the death of the last elder on your coven, ensuring the Harvest ritual could not be completed — unless you would control it."
"Bravo, Elijah," she says. "I have to confess I did wonder whether you'd recognize me. And I'm a little flattered that you have."
Elijah narrows his eyes at her. The way she cocks her head, the way she places her hands on her hips, even the way she holds herself, so elegantly... It's Celeste, indeed, even if in another's body. But the sparkle in her eyes... His Celeste didn't have a single wicked vein in her body. That mischief was not there before.
"You've been playing a very long game, indeed. To what end?" he muses.
Celeste approaches him, her hands cupping his face ever so gently. Elijah draws in a long breath, meekly allowing himself to be manipulated. When she brushes his lips with her own, he doesn't flinch. And when she kisses him, he parts his lips and kisses her back, closing his eyes and, for just a moment, losing himself in the memory of her.
"Oh, Elijah..." she breathes against his mouth. "My lost love... After all this time... Don't you understand?"
Celeste releases him, takes a step back, and Elijah feels as though the air was suddenly knocked off his lungs.
"I died because of Klaus," Celeste hisses, anger twisting every line on her face. She blurs in and out of focus as he's hit with a sharp wave of dizziness. "And even after all his vindictive lies about witches led to my death, you stood by him. All because of your vow. Always and forever."
Elijah stumbles back, pulling at his collar, a burning sensation lancing through him, making it impossible to breathe. "What have you done to me?"
"It's a little enchantment. You needn't worry. I'm not here to kill you, Elijah, I'm here to teach you the error of your ways. Always and Forever was the greatest mistake of your life."
He claws at his neck, gasping, a ripple of despair traveling across his body as he loses his balance and falls to the ground. "You've poisoned me with a kiss," he hisses. "At least you haven't lost your sense of irony."
"We may have time for more," she offers. His vision swims before him, and Elijah struggles to remain alert. "But first I'm going to cure you of your greatest flaw... This absurd devotion to your lunatic family."
"Your anger is with me. If you have come here seeking revenge–"
"Oh, I will have my revenge," she snaps. "Starting with Klaus. He's gonna know pain and torment like he's never felt before. Unless you choose to save him, of course. But then that leaves Rebekah... Your tragic sister. She's about to find herself in quite the predicament."
Panic explodes inside of him as he finally understands the sick game Celeste is playing.
"You could save her," she continues. "But that leaves Caroline in jeopardy."
"No," he groans, a heart-stopping rush shooting through him. "No, no" he grumbles incoherently as he tries to stand to his feet, only for his arms and legs to buckle under his weight.
"Oh, this poor girl... She has no idea how dangerous it is to be loved by a Mikaelson, let alone two. Oh, well. With your body weakened by my spell you won't be able to save them all."
Elijah's chest tightens, pain turning his vision black at the edges, and he finally drops down, unable to fight it anymore.
"You'll recover with just enough time to choose one," Celeste says. "Who will it be? I can't wait to find out."
The last thing he hears before he's engulfed by darkness is the sound of Celeste's laughter.
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"I know it's a lot to take in," Jackson offers in a calm and sympathetic manner when Caroline fails to speak for an uncomfortably long time, her mind reeling as she tries to compose her thoughts.
"You think? I just wanted to meet my savior. I never imagined I'd find out I'm carrying the wolf messiah in my womb."
Jackson seems like a genuinely nice guy. Even though he has every reason in this world to be burning with rage and thirsty for revenge after what happened to his pack and the curse Marcel put on him and his closest people, he actually sounds hopeful. War and grief couldn't kill the goodness in his heart, and it shows. He has an earnest smile, and when he talks to Caroline, he's not imposing or demanding, just being honest. But she is more than a little overwhelmed here.
"Ours isn't just an ordinary pack of wolves. Our bloodlines go back to the very beginning. Two families. Hers and mine. I guess that kind of makes us royalty."
She huffs out a nervous laugh. "Don't tell Klaus that. He already thinks himself a king. His ego can definitely do without that bit of information."
Jackson chuckles. "Klaus is the son of a legendary leader of our clan. There's a whole myth around him. But... I gotta say, he doesn't have a lot of fans around the Bayou."
"Oh? You mean like there's a place on this earth where Klaus does have fans?"
"Good point," Jackson says, nodding. "But your child... She shouldn't be possible. She's much closer to the origins of the pack than anyone else, because of who her father is."
"You know, you'll have to forgive me if I'm not exactly excited about this. You expect my girl to, what? Go live with your people in the middle of the swamp?"
Jackson grinds his jaw, a shadow crossing his eyes. "New Orleans used to be our city. We lost everything because of some infighting. Then the vampires came after us, and if our families had been united, we could've taken them. So our leaders decided to bring the two lines back together. And Andrea and I were betrothed. But... There was no time. They killed her entire family."
"And I'm really sorry for you, I really am. But... That's not saying much to me."
"Our pack made a huge misstep with the vampires when we refused to back down. Then Marcel had us cursed by a witch. You're a witch, Caroline, and the mother of the last representative of an entire legendary werewolf bloodline," he says, again with that hopeful tone that scares Caroline more than anything else. It's like Elijah with his hope conversation all over again. Her baby hasn't even taken her first breath yet and already she has the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. "Our people will protect and follow you, because of what you represent."
"And what is that, exactly?"
"A time when things were different for us, when we fought back. And after everything you went through to find us, to bring us here tonight..." Jackson's lips curl into a huge, tender smile. "You're the one who's gonna break our curse."
Caroline's eyebrows go up to her hairline. "I'm sorry - what? What are you talking about?"
Jackson blinks, confused. "Your witch friend. She told Eve that you were coming here tonight to set us free."
Caroline feels all the color draining out of her face, a tendril of worry unraveling inside of her.
"What witch friend?"
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Elijah comes to with a gasp, a dull ache in his chest as he coughs for air.
He tries to stand to his feet. Just moving his joints is agony, but his sense of urgency is greater than the pain. Elijah pushes himself up, grunting as he does so, fighting with the lingering fog in his head.
He feels something vibrating against his chest and realizes it's his phone.
"Caroline," he says, still a little out of breath.
"Elijah, something's going on with the witches again. I'm trying to call Klaus, but he's not answering."
"Listen to me," he starts, swallowing past the dryness in his throat. "You were right. Celeste is back. Niklaus, Rebekah. You're all in danger."
There's a loud bang on the other end of the line, and Elijah hears the voice a man saying What's going on? in a rather alarmed inflection.
"Shit," Caroline hisses. "It's a trap. I didn't talk to any witches, I asked a vampire friend to deliver the message for me," she says, and Elijah is confused for a second before he realizes she's talking to the man.
"Caroline, you have to find Rebekah," he speaks. "Find her and stay with her, do you understand? Caroline? Caroline!"
The line goes dead. Elijah curses under his breath, trying to reach Niklaus as he uses all the energy he can muster to run with vampire speed. The pain and the struggle do not matter now. Even if he drops dead at the end of this evening, he doesn't care.
He needs to save his family.
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"What is going on?!" Jackson grunts in frustration. He uses all his might to pull the front door open but it won't budge.
"It's a spell. They're trying to keep us trapped inside."
Caroline draws a sharp breath in and tries to quiet down the growing panic and clear her mind, reaching for the magic inside of her. She chants, loud and clearly, but nothing happens. Caroline shakes her head, straightens her posture and tries again, digging deeper this time, her face creasing with determination. And still there's nothing. It's like her magic has gone completely dormant.
"Damn it!"
"What is it? What's happening?"
"I don't know! My magic is jagged. They must've cursed the house."
Caroline starts combing her mind for a way out of this. To block out magic like this, the easiest way would be to use a cursed object. Before she has a chance to even start searching, however, the house goes up in flames. All around them, fire licks up the walls, the furniture, the curtains. Jackson holds her arm and pulls her with him as they try to escape through another room, but the fire rages on, cornering them.
Caroline's eyes start to burn with the heat and the smoke, and she's struck by a violent coughing fit. It's spreading too fast. The witches are trying to cook them alive.
Jackson wets a piece of cloth in a flower vase, shoving it into her face. "Breathe through this!" he cries out.
Caroline kneels down, trying to stay as close to the floor as possible, but even that is difficult. The smoke is taking over everything and the flames are getting way too close.
She presses her eyes shut, trying to feel the rumble of magic inside of her. Come on, come on, come on, she pleads to all the cosmic forces in the universe, one of her hands clutching her belly tightly. Desperation is scratching against the back of her throat. This can't be how she dies. How everything ends. She didn't make it this far to die in a fire caused by vengeful witches. But even as she focuses all her energy into conjuring up her magic, she knows it won't work. It's like there's something blocking it — she can feel the magic, but it won't answer her calls.
All of her confidence melts down and disappears as fear washes over her. Please, don't let my baby die, please...
She's starting to feel herself dizzy, the edges of her sight turning black as she chokes on all the smoke, when there's a loud noise of glass exploding. The next thing she knows, there are arms around her, lifting her off the floor and whisking her away. The overwhelming heat suddenly dwindles and she feels herself gasping for fresh air. Her vision blurs, but she recognizes Elijah's stern expression, his eyes dark like the night. He puts her down on the ground outside, a safe distance away from the house, and when Caroline turns her face, she sees that everything has been consumed by the flames. There will be nothing left of the property.
Jackson.
She rolls over, trying to lift herself off the ground. Her magic is rumbling inside of he again; if only she could stop coughing for a second and focus she might be able to–
"What are you doing? Stay down."
"Jack... Jackson," she stutters between coughing fits. "He's still inside. I have to–" More coughing. Her throat feels raw, like someone stuffed it with sandpaper. "I have to help him."
Elijah grunts, looking from her back to the house. "Stay here."
He flashes away and a moment later he's back with a frightened and coughing Jackson, barely conscious but alive.
Caroline sinks back to the floor, both hands on her belly as a stifled sob escapes her lips.
"Where's Rebekah?" Elijah asks.
She shakes her head. "She went out with one of them. The woods," she grits out. "I think she's in the– the woods." Elijah hesitates, and Caroline nods. "I'll be fine. Go."
Caroline shuts her eyes as Elijah blurs away. She draws a shuddery breath in, trying to calm herself down, her heart hammering against her ribcage. Already she's feeling better, more clear-minded. It must be the baby's vampire blood. That's a good sign; if her daughter's healing her, she's also healing herself. Jackson shouldn't take too long to recover either, with his werewolf strength. But there's a much deeper fear jolting through her.
She can feel it in her bones that this was a trap meant for someone else. Something must've happened to Rebekah, if she didn't rush back to the house as soon as the fire started. And Klaus hasn't picked up his phone all night. They used her to distract Elijah.
She came this close to dying, but it wasn't meant for her. It was meant for the Mikaelsons.
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It doesn't take long for Elijah to convince himself he won't find Rebekah. There are signs of struggle all over the woods — and blood, too much blood. He senses werewolf stench everywhere, which tells him Caroline's friends were likely in collusion with the witches.
They have his sister and, by now, Niklaus as well. The moment he decided to go for Caroline first, it didn't matter how fast he was, he never stood a chance to save his siblings.
A feral rumble escapes his mouth. This is all his fault. Celeste had been tricking him, biding her time. How could he be so naive? How could he not see this coming? He played right into her trap and never realized a thing.
It won't happen again.
They call Elijah the noble one, think Niklaus is the worst of the worst. Celeste is about to find out she has no idea.
When Elijah returns to the house, the werewolf is gone. Caroline is up on her feet, staring mesmerized at the blazing structure as it turns to ash. Her face and clothes are covered in soot, but even from a distance Elijah can see the fierceness in her eyes. Her jaw is set, her shoulders tense, her lips pressed into a fine line.
"Rebekah?" she asks, her voice hoarse and thin, when he approaches.
"Gone."
Caroline presses her eyes shut, swallowing down hard. She looks down at the phone in her hand. "He's not answering his phone."
"He won't. They have him, too."
"Why are they doing this?"
Elijah gazes away from her, to the house where they lived as a family not long ago. "They want to destroy us. Our family. They call us monsters at the same time they trap a pregnant woman inside a house and set fire to it." He pauses, tasting something acrid in his mouth. "Well, if it's monsters they want, monsters they shall have."
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"Marcel!" Elijah's voice thunders all through the compound. Caroline feels the thrum of it in her bones.
Anger flares hot within him and it's hard not to notice the shift in his demeanor. She's never seen him like this before. His eyes are wild with rage, hard like stones. If the witches thought they were leaving the softest Mikaelson free while they dealt with the reckless ones, they are about to find out they've made a mistake.
Caroline is still caught in a bit of a daze, still choked up with the horrifying certainty she was going to die. The taste of soot lingers in her mouth and she fights hard to ignore the dizziness that rises and falls like waves. But she can feel anger rearing its head inside of her, roiling in her gut, mixed with the nausea.
"Where is my brother?" Elijah demands, in a clipped, harsh tone.
"I got guys out looking for him right now," Marcel replies, motioning for Elijah to relax.
Big mistake. He grabs two vampires by the throat and breaks their necks with a flick of his wrists. Marcel's eyes narrow dangerously, gritting his teeth.
"Klaus threw one of his classic temper tantrums, snapped my neck and tried to take on a coven of witches by himself," he explains.
"Where was this?" Caroline asks.
"By Jackson Square," Marcel says. "But he's not there anymore and he's not picking up his calls either. All I know is the witches got him down. I don't know where they took him or how to find him."
"They also have Rebekah," Caroline tells him. Marcel's eyes flash, a muscle twitching on his jaw. Clearly he wasn't aware of the whole story.
"Every one of you will help me find them. This is not a request," Elijah speaks in a deceptively calm manner. "And then I'll kill them all."
TBC
A/N 1: Just in case someone didn't catch the reference (like Klaus), Caroline's line about Jesus "He could be just a stranger on a bus, trying to make his way home, you never know." is a reference to What if God Was One of Us, a song by Joan Osborne. If you don't remember or don't know the song, go listen to it 'cause it's great!
A/N 2: You may have noticed the lack of KC interaction in this chapter - again. Unfortunately, that goes on for a little bit. The thing is I didn't realize how dragged this whole Celeste vs Mikaelsons story line was on the show. It takes a few episodes for the whole thing to have a resolution. But it is a MAJOR part of the story, it gets a lot of things in motion and stuff that happens during this part will very much dictate where the whole story is going from here, so it's important. But like you, I'm here for the fan service. I imight/i put two chapters together to make things move a bit faster, and I suppose I could try to have a quicker update out as well, but you guys have to let me know if you'd like that or not. If you're not that interested, I'll update regularly and let the story flow. It takes work - not just from me, but also from my beta - to have these long chapters out, so I don't feel like it's fair to push through the extra work unless there's real interest. I realize this story can get very angsty and the chapters tend to be more on the longer side, so I like to give people enough time to read. This would be just a little treat cause I realize things will get TOUGH from here on. So let me know!
As always, I'm looking forward to your thoughts and feelings about this chapter. :) Don't be shy! I'll start: my favorite thing about this chapter was Jackson Kenner. ❤ lol I love him so much. He was my second favorite character from TO. Such a sweet human golden retrivier! So glad he's finally in the story.
Thanks so much for reading!