My Soul to Keep
Chapter 4: Live and Let Die
Beta: PrincessOfSilence
Disclaimer: I own nothing of The Originals. I only own my story and my characters.
Cami slid her phone inside her bag with a shake of her head as she continued to walk the busy streets of the French Quarter. All Hallow's Eve would be approaching in a matter of hours and people were already partying, most in a drunken stupor while it was still daylight. Cami dodged a few disorderly folks and kept herself on the sidewalk which was less crowded. The last thing she needed was to be swept up in the festivities, however even if she was, she wouldn't be enjoying them since she had a lot on her mind. Her phone call with Davina still stuck with her and she thought about calling her back, but she knew she would get her voicemail and have to leave a message for the thousandth time.
She hadn't heard from Davina for days, but she finally got a call from her; a very vague one at that. Davina assured her friend that she was okay and just needed to skip town for a few days. Cami begged her to reveal where she went, but Davina would not give up her whereabouts. A part of her worried if this was something that had to do with Klaus and that made her even more anxious. She knew that both Davina and Klaus were thickheaded and had something to prove to anyone who stood in their way. Klaus would not have any qualms about squashing Davina and the same applied to the young witch. Some days, Cami wished she'd never become tangled with all of this vampire business. She'd be much happier living a boring, normal life.
"Lovely day, isn't it?" That taunting voice made her halt her steps. She froze where she stood and whipped around to see the one and only Klaus Mikaelson standing a few feet from her.
"What do you want Klaus?" She asked hastily.
"I think you can help us with a little matter," Klaus began and Cami squinted her eyes.
"Us?" She wondered.
"Hello Cami," Audrey greeted and the blonde waitress jolted slightly. Audrey smirked widely just as Cami turned to walk away from her, but she bumped chests with Klaus who had stepped closer. Cami was stuck between a hybrid and a witch, unable to pick the lesser of two evils to go against. Either one of them could erase her from the world if they chose to, but she remained calm and grounded despite her frantically beating heart.
"I don't see you two for months and you're suddenly appearing out of the blue?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I have a list of people I need to track down over the years and you can imagine that the list grows with each new enemy I make."
"Is that so?" She wondered.
"Where is Davina?" Audrey asked gruffly.
"Maybe she doesn't want to be found." Cami was quick to reply.
"And for good reason," Klaus noted. "Had I magically resurrected the insane, vampire-hunting father of my sworn enemy, I'd be hiding too."
Cami gasped, almost stunned into silence after hearing about what Davina had done. "Wait, what?!"
"Oh, haven't you heard? Mikael the Destroyer, back from the dead. And, by all accounts, under the complete control of your little friend, Davina," he said.
"Well, you heard her, clearly." She glared, knowing that Klaus heard her entire conversation with Davina. "She didn't say where she was."
"Oh, on the contrary, love. You just had to know how to listen. For instance, I heard cicadas and I heard tans, but the real giveaway was the church bells. Did you know Davina's family owns a little cabin in Terrebonne Parish?"
"It's been abandoned for years," Audrey spoke up. "But, if you were to look at a map, it's just a mile from the cutest little chapel."
Cami knew they had her beat; there was no way she could lie about Davina's location since Klaus' hearing gave it all away. "Look, you guys just leave her alone, okay?"
"Sorry Cami. No can do." She shook her head.
"The way I see it, if Davina wants to use Mikael to kill me, we have two options. Option one, she lets me have Mikael and two...well you wouldn't like option two very much."
Her nose wrinkled and she clenched her fists at her sides. "You won't touch her!"
"If she's smart, she'll go with option one." The witch smirked.
"We must be on our way." Klaus took Audrey by the waist and led her down the street, but Cami tugged on his arm.
"Klaus, wait!" The pair stopped, allowing her to speak. "I get it. The hurt your parents have inflicted on you for a thousand years. I understand what you're fighting against, but there is no peace in revenge. Please think about what you're doing."
Klaus stormed forward, standing over Cami's shivering form. "I will not be outwitted by a sixteen year old witch. Nor will I run from Mikael anymore."
Cami shied away from him, his anger pushing her back. She didn't expect that kind of a reaction from him, but she did try her best to talk some sense into him. In her fear, she knocked into someone and apologized profusely for being so clumsy. By the time she looked up, Klaus and Audrey had vanished from the streets. She reached into her bag to grab her phone to warn Davina, but immediately panicked after not feeling the black rectangle where she normally kept it. She then checked her pockets, retracing her steps after calling Davina and perhaps thinking she had put it in her pockets rather than her bag, but the phone was nowhere to be found. She whirled around on the sidewalk, looking for Audrey's raven hair or Klaus' evil smirk, but they were both gone. Now she had no way to warn Davina that Klaus would be coming for her.
On a grated balcony above the frantic waitress, Klaus and Audrey watched as Cami cursed loudly before darting down the sidewalk and disappearing into the crowds. Klaus carelessly flipped Cami's cellphone in the air, catching it each time. When she had bumped into him, he was able to quickly grab her cell phone while Audrey distracted her. He couldn't have Cami warn Davina about his arrival. He wanted to give the young witch the surprise of her life. He tossed it up, caught it again, and crushed it in his grip, letting the discarded pieces fall to the floor of the balcony and he stomped on it with his foot for good measure.
"Bless her little human heart that she's trying to talk some sense into you," Audrey spoke.
"Psychology major," Klaus grumbled under his breath.
"Again."
Giuliana huffed in frustration and shook out her tired arms. She took her stance, holding her fists up even though her muscles were screaming at her. A light sheen of sweat coated her body and she was thankful that she dressed for the occasion that she would be learning how to fight today. She knew Elijah would make good on his word, but she really wished that it wasn't on a Saturday when she would normally sleep in late. This meeting had its advantages too, Marcel's band of vampires had been leaned on by the werewolves that remained loyal to Esther, and so Marcel reached out to Elijah for help which he was more than happy to offer. Marcel had taken the group outside while Elijah trained Giuliana on her own inside the loft. Taking a breath, she threw another punch, but Elijah blocked it...again.
"As a devout feminist, I refuse to say that you hit like a girl," he said.
She narrowed her eyes at him and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "Let's face it, I'll never be in a karate movie."
"No, you won't." He tossed her a towel and she caught it nimbly. She dabbed her face while he unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt. He folded them up, exposing his forearms and he also removed his tie along with unbuttoning the top buttons.
"Thanks for the support," she muttered sarcastically. Giuliana put the towel aside, feeling a lot less sweaty and she adjusted her ponytail since it had begun to come loose. "Be honest, am I the worst pupil you've taught?"
"Not the worst." Elijah shrugged.
"I just feel like we've been at this for hours and I still suck." Her hair tie suddenly snapped when she attempted to tie her hair back up and she tossed the wretched thing to the other side of the loft. Her dark waves dusted over her shoulders and Elijah couldn't help but sneak a peek at her. Even in the midst of her frustrations, she still looked beautiful. To distract himself from staring further at her, he moseyed on over to the bar where a stereo system was perched on the floor. He turned it on and flicked through the stations until he settled on something that was upbeat. He immediately noticed her attention shift and she was tapping her foot along to the song.
"You enjoy music, yes?" He asked her and she nodded. Ever since being turned, he noticed that she'd keep a pair of headphones handy, so she could plug in her phone and listen to songs. There were many nights she would sneak in late from her adventures in the Quarter and he could smell the sweat of human bodies on her. She'd gone out to dance and enjoy music, the one thing that helped her to escape even for just a little while.
"Like music, fighting is rhythm," he continued. "There is a meter; there is a pattern. Let that rhythm beat within you."
Giuliana nodded again, letting Elijah's wise words turn the gears in her head. Maybe she just had to think of fighting in a different way. Music was something she connected to when she was resurrected a few years back and it made the seemingly impossible possible. It was something about modern beats and innovative lyrics that drew her in. She focused on the sounds coming from the stereo, her internal clock becoming one with the music.
"Okay." She stood in her defensive stance, her fists at the ready and Elijah squared off across from her.
"Again."
Like a bullet leaving the chamber of a gun, she threw two quick punches in succession. Elijah blocked both of them with his forearms. She then swung her arm around to elbow him, but he caught it. She could already feel her movements become more powerful and were in sync with the music.
"Legato," he said before delivering a hit. Her Italian might have been rusty, but she knew it was a musical term meaning notes being played smoothly without a break. She dodged Elijah and advanced, her fists flying at him. She managed to get a good hit, nailing him in the cheek, but that didn't stop him.
"Ostinato." A pattern, she translated the word in her head and went back to her first two punches which Elijah blocked in the same exact manner. She then elbowed him and he caught her, like he'd done earlier. They both circled each other, their gazes burning into one another, daring their opponent to make the first move.
"Crescendo." She knew that term. A gradual increase in loudness or intensity. Giuliana lifted her leg, her kick nailing him in the shoulder. He gripped her leg and she spun out of it much quicker than he anticipated. She vamped behind him, hoping to catch him off guard, but he was already turned and facing her. The two threw punches and kicks, establishing a rhythm between them.
"And then, once you've established your cadence-" Elijah was cut off by Giuliana punching him in the stomach and pressing him to the wall. They were both panting from the fight, their chests gently moving in and out.
"You switch it up." She smiled, finally understand what the hell Elijah had been talking about when he was training her.
"Very nice." He breathed with a grin on his face. She had done well after responding to his analogy with music and fighting. He then took her free hand and pressed it against his chest.
"Now...the head or the heart?" His question made her heart skip a beat and she was happy that he didn't have his hand on her chest because he would have felt it. The head is responsible for making logical decisions, but the heart is notorious for throwing concerns from the head out of the window. She hated when her heart betrayed her head. It happened the night in the bayou when she kissed Elijah after he saved her from the explosions. It happened the following day when she let herself kiss Elijah back when she had confessed to him that he was the only person he trusted with her life. It was going to happen again if she didn't snap out of it.
Elijah noticed that she hesitated, realizing that she was having second thoughts about the next part of her training. He knew it would not be an easy thing for her to do, so he remained patient with her. "None of this matters if you cannot make the kill."
"I...can't do it," she mumbled weakly and removed her hand, but Elijah caught it. He firmly placed it back on his chest, right over his heart.
"You must. To survive." He implored. She could feel the beating muscle through his shirt and she gulped at tearing his chest open just to yank his heart out. Of course with Elijah on the receiving end, it made it much harder for her to do it, but she knew that if she needed to kill to stay alive, she'd do it. Elijah's hand tightened around her wrist and their eyes locked again.
"Now...the head or the heart?" The question came again, but this time, she didn't hesitate.
She reared her arm back and thrust it forward with as much force as she could muster. The palm of her hand cracked through his chest cavity, shattered a few ribs, and her fingers enclosed around the wildly beating organ. His warm blood made her grip slippery, but she held tight to his heart. Elijah winced in pain, but being an Original gave him the upper hand in terms of dealing with a hit from a newly turned vampire. Giuliana looked up from the hole in his chest, her gaze finding his and she was suddenly engulfed by the sound of his heartbeat. Every other noise fell away from them; the music, the training happening outside, all of it was gone and it was just the two of them inside that loft space. Elijah took a hold of the arm that was buried inside his chest and tugged her forward, her hand falling deeper inside him and their faces coming closer together.
It been too long since the last time his lips were on hers. She remembered when he pressed her back to the window and claimed her lips hungrily and she swore in that moment her world had stopped. She desperately wished for him to do the same thing, to take control and show her how he really felt. Her insides burned and ached for him, even more so now that she was a vampire. She knew everything would be heightened, but this feeling deep inside her chest was too strong to ignore.
"Elijah?"
Hayley's horrified voice started the pair, so much so that Giuliana tore her hand from Elijah's chest roughly. He groaned, but pushed his pain to the back burner. The young vampire could sense that she was blushing from the position that Hayley found her in and she desperately tried to think of something other than Elijah. He was mildly embarrassed as well, mentally scolding himself for losing his head earlier. He was meant to teach Giuliana how to fight and he had easily become distracted by her presence. He cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt, picking at the stained fabric and making a mental note that he'd have to send it out for cleaning.
"We need to talk," Hayley continued and a young man followed her inside the loft. He was a head taller than Hayley with dark hair and blue-green eyes. His scent was distinctly wolf and he looked nervous to be walking into the room with two vampires.
"We're not here for a fight. Just hear him out." The hybrid added. "This is Aiden."
Elijah looked the wolf up and down, scrutinizing his appearance. "Speak. I suggest you be succinct."
Aiden's gaze passed between the two bloodied vampires. Clearly, they weren't afraid to get their hands dirty and that made him all the more anxious. With a sigh, he spoke. "Please. I need your help."
Elijah gathered Oliver, Marcel, Josh and Gia inside the loft to discuss why Aiden had come to them in such a panic. Finn was planning to speak with some of the human faction that were hesitant to follow along with his new leadership, but he had leverage against the naysayers. Children. Werewolf children, specifically. Finn could use them as a bargaining chip, by making the kids make their first kill. This would activate their curse and there would be a whole bunch of young wolves running around the Quarter.
"The witch wants soldiers. So, now it's either join up, or pay the price," Aiden explained.
"I've known my brother Finn to be merciless, but I'll admit, this exceeds even my expectations," Elijah noted.
"So, she thinks making these kids activate their curses is her best shot?" Giuliana crossed her arms over her chest. "Man, I'm glad I missed dinner the other night. Your mom's a psycho."
"Where are they now?" Elijah ignored Giuliana's jab at his mother which stung her a little.
"The kids are being held in the City of the Dead until we bring them through the Quarter to St. Anne's Church." Aiden replied.
"They're just kids," Hayley spoke up. "Marcel, you know the Quarter like the back of your hand. If anyone can get them out of here, it's you."
"Oh? And take 'em where?" Marcel wondered.
"There's still wolves deep in the Bayou. Ones that didn't take a ring. They can look after them." Oliver suggested.
"The ones that never sold out, you mean." Marcel glared at the wolf.
Oliver growled low in his chest. "You wanna look at it like that, that's fine. We did what we had to do."
"Guys, enough." Giuliana held up her hands and both men seemingly backed down from one another. "We can argue about this later, but right now we have kids in jeopardy."
"Your wolves have been fighting us for decades." Marcel declared. "Why trust us now?"
"One of the recruits is my little brother." Aiden suddenly spoke up, silencing the bickering pair. Even the others in the room were quiet at his pull in the situation. With their attention, he continued. "There's no way I'm sending him to war."
Pairs of eyes wandered silently around the room, each looking into the anxious gaze of another. The room was divided. Vampires and werewolves fought since the beginning of time, but now they had to decide whether to come together or not. As much as the wolves trusted their own pack, they needed all the help they could get if they wanted to get those kids out from under Esther's thumb. Everyone's stare finally settled on Elijah who would be the leader of this whole operation. Without him, their plan would most likely fall to pieces. The Original gave a sigh, knowing that he would be dammed if he did help the wolves and dammed if he didn't, but he decided to aid in the destruction of another one of his mother's wretched plans.
"Tell us what you need."
While Aiden outlined his concerns to Elijah, Giuliana couldn't help but notice that Josh had been awkwardly uncomfortable since he entered the loft. He would shift on his feet, fidget with his hands and his eyes would dart all over the room. His nervousness was putting a kink in Giuliana's calm mood and she was becoming irked by him. She desperately tried to hold her tongue, but she managed to get his attention without disturbing Aiden and Elijah.
"Psst! What's up with you?" Her question only seemed to put him even more on edge.
"Nothing. I'm fine," he replied, not once taking his gaze off Aiden who was in deep conversation with the Original. Giuliana pouted and pursed her lips. She elbowed him harshly and he groaned low.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" He narrowed his gaze at her.
"Because you're acting weird." She hushed, getting the attention of Aiden who just shot them a sideways glance. Josh shifted his weight awkwardly on his feet and spared another look at Aiden before taking Giuliana's hand and pulling her out of the room and outside. Once he led her around the corner of the loft building, he looked around to make sure they were completely alone and out of earshot.
"Okay...if I tell you will you promise not to tell anyone?"
"Yes." She nodded.
"And will you promise not to freak out?" He questioned.
"Well, it depends on what you're going to tell me," the vampire debated. "I might not be able to help myself from freaking out."
Josh sighed, at least she promised not to tell anyone. So, he'd have to settle for her freaking out since he knew that she would. He took his phone from his pocket and logged into an app, all the while fidgeting nervously.
"Okay, so I've been messaging with this guy on a dating site..."
Giuliana grinned, happy to see that Josh was putting himself out there. "That's great!"
"It is, but...this one guy I've been talking to...I really like is..." He trailed off, staring at his feet.
"Is...?" She wondered, prompting him to continue, but he handed her his phone instead. She cautiously took it to see a photo of a young man on the screen.
"Ooh, he's cute," she gushed and flicked through the other pictures. "He's really-"
Josh knew why she suddenly stopped speaking. He then watched her scroll on the screen while opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. Giuliana's gaze switched from Josh to the phone, almost unable to form words at the situation. Out of all of the guys Josh could have been interested in, he had to be interested in this particular guy.
"Yeah." Josh sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Holy..."
"I know..."
"That's Aiden!" She shouted and Josh shushed her.
"Be quiet!"
"I'm sorry, but this moment is totally freak out worthy."
"I know," he groaned.
"Woah, talk about forbidden love." She gaped and handed him back his phone.
"Tell me about it," he agreed. "I mean, we started talking just as friends. You know, we flirted a little back and forth and we even talked about meeting up. I just didn't expect him to walk through the door today."
"Do you think he knows it's you?"
"I hope not. I've been trying to avoid him."
"Well, think of it this way, he came to us to ask for help, so he must not be completely opposed to the idea of vampires." She was trying to be logical about it, but Josh knew that vampire/werewolf relationships normally ended badly. Boy wolf meets boy vampire, boy wolf and boy vampire hook-up, boy wolf bites boy vampire and boy vampire dies.
"It'll never work." Josh shook his head. "We're too different and what will Marcel say?"
"You haven't even met him in person yet and you're already jumping to conclusions." She stopped him. "Do you like him?"
Josh pocketed his phone and slowly nodded. "Yeah."
"So, I don't see anything wrong in meeting up with him after this is over."
"But, he's a werewolf and I'm a vampire; we're sworn enemies."
"But today you're not," she countered. "Today you're both on the same side for the first time in a long time."
The male vampire rocked back and forth on his heels, battling with himself as far as what to do with the situation at hand. He really liked Aiden from talking with him via messages, but seeing him today made him doubt if their friendship, let alone future relationship would even work. However, Aiden was willing to come to vampires for help didn't completely rule him out.
"Look, we'll conduct business as business tonight, but once the kids are safe, I would definitely go for it." She added optimistically. "What do you have to lose?"
The smallest ghost of a smile tweaked the edges of Josh's lips and something inside him was cheering for him to take his friend's advice. His smile grew at she tilted her head toward the loft.
"Let's go. We've got some kids to rescue."
A low fog encircled Klaus and Audrey's ankles as they came upon Davina's cabin and they were thankful for the cover of night to hide their shadows. Klaus was right, it was a charming little cabin nestled away in the woods and while they walked the chiming of church bells could be heard in the distance. The fallen leaves crunched beneath their feet and a dim light from the cabin porch came into view. Audrey could feel Davina's presence inside, but upon coming closer, the cabin looked abandoned. Klaus' vision was sharp enough to peer through the windows, but he saw empty rooms. His fist clenched at his side and he gave a low growl at Davina's craftiness, but he knew her illusion would soon be yanked away.
Klaus continued to walk forward while Audrey remained still, her gaze examining the house for any movement or a flaw in Davina's spell. The hybrid came across a wooden staff that was stuck into the soil. He recognized the crest of his family's clan carved into the wood and his anger grew knowing Mikael was nearby, but under Davina's protection. He unearthed the staff, holding it tightly in his grip and he staggered back to meet Audrey. With one look, she told him to wait and she stepped closer to the house. She was about thirty feet from the porch when she could hear the crackle of Davina's magic.
Audrey's eyes suddenly turned black, the bright moon reflecting off the surface and she felt her aura walking up onto the porch. She pushed herself through the door, melting with the wood and coming out the other side. Davina and a young man were sitting cross-legged on the floor, their lips moving simultaneously to chant a spell. The aura moved closer, still unseen by the pair and it dissolved into a thin smoke. It grew closer to Davina's mouth and as soon as she took a breath, she inhaled the mist. Before she could understand what had happened to her, the aura already took over her entire body. She stopped chanting and her gaze became black like Audrey's. The young man beside her noticed that he was the only one speaking, so he frantically shook Davina by her shoulders. Davina remained unmoving, her body falling slack and limbs became limp.
Outside, a sly smirk painted Audrey's lips. With both witches quiet, the spell around the house dropped and Klaus could clearly see the young warlock and Davina through the once masked windows. The gentleman with her was panicked, unsure of what had happened to Davina and he would soon find out. Audrey snapped her fingers and the black sheen over Davina's gaze broke. The young witch was suddenly aware of her surroundings and that the spell had been stopped. Klaus then hoisted the wooden staff up and thrust it through the window. The glass shattered loudly and Davina screamed, trying to duck out of the way, but in her rush, she smacked her head on the corner of a trunk. She fell to the ground unconscious and the warlock leaned over her, gently smacking her cheeks to wake her. He then pulled her away from the window, afraid of what was outside coming in and he managed to get them in a room. He closed the door, barricading it with chairs and a dresser, but it would not hold against who was outside.
"Enough games, Davina!" Klaus shouted. "Send out my father! Let's finish this!"
Heavy footfalls made the wooden porch creak and groan loudly as a shadowed figure came into view. Mikael stepped down off the porch, the white oak stake gripped strongly in his hold. His gaze flicked between the pair and he smirked menacingly at them. Audrey's hands glowed dimly while Klaus produced Papa Tunde's blade from inside his jacket. A rustling could be heard from the cabin and Audrey saw the form of the warlock rushing between rooms. No doubt he might make the fight uneven, Klaus thought to himself. He tightened his hold on Papa Tunde's blade and Mikael did the same with the white oak stake.
"You handle the boy." Klaus spoke to Audrey and she nodded. Her fingertips glowed even brighter and Mikael lunged for her, thinking she was going to attack him, however he got as far as a few steps before Klaus rammed him with his shoulder. Both men squared off, blade and stake at the ready while Audrey slipped inside the cabin.
"Hello boy," Mikael spat. "You seem rather impatient. Are you so eager to meet your end?"
"I'm only eager to stand over your burning corpse again. Only this time, I intend to enjoy it more." Klaus seethed.
Mikael grinned evilly. "I've traveled all the way back from hell for this moment."
The hybrid gave a sly smile. "Well, then, I'd hate to keep you waiting."
Audrey quietly closed the door behind her and her eyes scanned the room. The house was quiet, minus the energy she was sensing from the warlock whom barricaded himself in a separate room. Davina must have been with him since she did not see her unconscious form. Audrey moved to stand right behind the door, the tiny bits of glass from the shattered window crunching beneath her feet. The sounds of Mikael and Klaus outside were able to mask her already stealthy movements and she prepared herself to go into battle with this new warlock. Her hands fell to her sides and her eyes began to glow dark red as did the tips of her fingers.
Kaleb pressed another trunk against the pile of objects already bolting the door. Giving a quick look out the window, he saw Klaus and Mikael fighting, but he was then panicked realizing that the witch his brother had come with was nowhere to be seen. He could only assume that she had come looking for him; which meant that he and Davina were in danger. Kaleb took Davina's limp body by her underarms and dragged her to a corner of the room before casting a cloaking spell on her. If this witch was here to cause some damage, he knew it would be better to keep Davina hidden and out of harm's way.
The door suddenly exploded open, the contents that had been pushed against it were thrown all throughout the room and Kaleb ducked. He covered his face and head with his hands and waited for the smoke to clear in the room. The impaled door barely hung from it hinges and the objects were in pieces, some hardly recognizable. He lifted his gaze to see Audrey wading through the damaged room. Her eyes locked onto his and before Kaleb could stop her, she had already taken a peek inside his brain. He could feel her poking around and with all of his magic, he forced her out, but she already knew his secret. The blood rushing through his veins was one that was familiar to her, much like the connection she felt with Finn in the nights prior. Like Finn, this Mikaelson was also wearing an entirely different mask.
"Ah," Audrey tsked with a knowing smirk. "Another Mikaelson."
"This doesn't concern you, dearie." Kol slowly crawled to his feet, bracing himself on an overturned bookcase.
Audrey rolled her eyes and zapped Kol with her magic, making him cry out in pain. "I was involved in this ever since I met your brother."
The warlock recovered quickly and shot a ball of electricity at Audrey. She managed to dodge it and prepared her next attack. "I'm not here to hurt you. Just leave us alone."
"I can't do that." She lifted her hand and Kol felt a force tightening around his neck. He groped at it, but was flung to the wall. "Now, what else does Mommy Dearest have in mind?"
Before Kol could protest anymore, his playful gaze turned black as night, much like what happened to Davina earlier. Audrey's turned the same color and she pressed herself into Kol's subconscious, looking for something useful. His body went slack under her powers which made it easier for Audrey scan his thoughts which were somewhat blurred and murky. She could see Esther, now in the body of Lenore, prattling on about trying to convince her children to take her deal. Audrey considered the Originals lucky for at least Esther settled with host bodies rather than killing her children like the last plans that had blown up in her face. Another vision passed her, almost too quickly, but she could see Lenore holding something close to her chest. It wasn't a physical object that Audrey could see and she pushed forward to get more from the vision but it dissolved quickly much like it had in Kol's subconscious.
Audrey let out a sigh and let Kol go, not seeing anything else of use to her. It seemed as if Esther's intentions to save her damned children by placing them in host bodies was genuine. Kol crumpled to the ground in a heap, holding his throat and panting heavily. He'd heard his mother talk of Audrey's power, but he had yet to experience it until tonight. She possessed a different kind of magic that greatly intrigued his mother.
"Useless." She scoffed down at the warlock. Kol glared at her, but was suddenly distracted by a movement over her shoulder. In the midst of everything, Davina had awoken and quietly snuck up behind the offending witch. With her hands outstretched, she began to chant, but she was suddenly choking on her words. She stammered, stumbling over syllables that normally came so easily to her.
Kol rose to help his seemingly paralyzed friend, but Audrey waved her fingers over his face and the warlock was sent into unconsciousness. Audrey then turned to face Davina who was crying out in frustration that she couldn't utter a single word in a spell. She was ambushed by both Klaus and Audrey, an attack that even all her power was not ready for. Audrey tilted her head to the side, curiously watching the witch unravel before her and some part of her took pleasure in seeing her fall down off her high horse. She remembered a time where even she was as careless as Davina when it came to practicing. She was young and reckless, but that only came back to bite her in the end. She tsked at Davina, knowing that history could very well repeat itself if she wasn't careful.
"Seems as though you've bitten off more than you can chew." She mocked Davina. The poor witch could only jabber in response, her tongue seemingly tied. Audrey fluttered her fingers, like how she did with Kol, and Davina fainted like a rag doll.
"Damn, I'm good." Audrey smirked to herself as she exited the house where she met Klaus. He was standing over Mikael's still body with the white oak stake in his hand. He'd used Papa Tunde's knife to immobilize his father, deciding that a quick death would be much too kind. A wolf bayed at the moon in the distant forest, a soothing sound for Klaus which reminded him that this battle was over.
Dainty olive skinned hands adjusted a skull mask to rest comfortably over emerald green eyes. The Quarter was swarming with hundreds of costumed bodies and masks faces as they danced on the streets and sidewalks. With a drink in one hand and the bottom of a dark skirt in the other, the skeleton weaved through the crowds, hot on the trail of a group of teenagers. From behind the mask, almond shaped eyes scanned the faces all around and she took a sip from her cup. Giuliana pushed through a few more gyrating bodies, trying her best to keep close to the kids, but cursing choosing a midnight blue corset as part of her costume for tonight. The laces were tied so tight she could hardly draw a breath and the added bodies squished beside her did not help, but she pushed onward, blending into the crowds. Aiden was leading them at the front, making it seem like he was leading the kids to St. Ann's church. Escorts remained along the perimeter while Gia and Giuliana were disguised as partygoers. Elijah and Oliver were waiting in a parking garage outside the city for the kids, but they had to be taken out of the Quarter first.
The wolf at the front continued to walk, but peered over his shoulder, catching Giuliana's glance and she nodded knowingly. She drunkenly stumbled over her own feet, knocking into one of Esther's followers. She gave him a charming smirk and pressed her body into his in an effort to distract him enough for Aiden to lead the kids off the street. This follower was less than impressed with the vampire, so he gripped her upper arms and tossed her aside. She hissed, flashing her fangs and she lunged at him, but Gia quickly snapped his neck before she could cause a scene. She dragged the body aside, leaving it in the street and they looked across the crowd to see that Gia had already taken out the other follower.
Giuliana adjusted the corset she was caged in and let out a huff. "I had him."
"Sure you did." Gia chuckled. "He wasn't exactly your type."
"Yeah, yeah." She waved her off and sent Aiden a signal to step on it. He called the kids around them and told them to keep up with him. They rushed through the Quarter and Aiden made a hard right around a corner which led them into an alley. He slowed his gait, not seeing Hayley, but she peeked her head outside Rousseau's and beckoned for them to come closer. The group of them bustled inside the bar and Hayley moved a cupboard away from the wall. Behind it was a door which she opened and it led to a series of tunnels.
"Go ahead." Hayley stood aside. "It's a passageway from the Prohibition days. It'll take us pretty much anywhere we want to go."
"Come on kids." Giuliana and Hayley led them inside with Aiden and Gia holding up the rear. The tunnels wound this way and that until they reached the exit which emptied into some woods behind a gas station. Josh was waiting patiently for them and he removed the grate, allowing the group out of the tunnels.
"Hey, where's Marcel?" He asked Gia.
"He's getting the getaway car," she replied.
"Hey! Big-mouth! Shut it!" Hayley hissed. "There are werewolves everywhere."
Gia held up her hands apologetically and beckoned the kids to follow Josh to their next point of interest. They weaved through the wooded area and walked to the dimly lit gas station where Marcel was waiting with an ambulance. He hopped out of the front seat and popped open the back doors, gesturing for the kids to get inside.
"An ambulance. Really?" Giuliana joked.
"It was all I could nab given the short notice." he replied and stole a look at her attire. "Nice costume."
"Shut up," she grumbled.
Aiden stood beside the doors, counting each kid that got in and his heart nearly exploded seeing the face of his younger brother in the mix. He enveloped him in a hug, thanking whatever powers that were that everything went as smoothly as it did.
"Aiden, you made it."
"Of course I did, Nick." Aiden pulled away and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "I told you I'd be here, didn't I?"
Nick smiled at his older brother before climbing inside the back with his other friends. Once everyone was inside, Hayley and Aiden closed the doors, locking them securely into place with a satisfying click. Aiden turned to the group that helped him with his plan, his gaze stopping to rest on each face.
"Thank you. All of you," he spoke genuinely.
"We're all fighting for the same thing, you know. Just trying to save the ones that we love." Hayley said and Aiden agreed with her. Marcel patted Aiden on the shoulder before going to the driver's seat of the ambulance and turning the keys in the ignition. Nick put his hand against the back window and Aiden waved at his brother lovingly. The ambulance drove away, inside it, a group of werewolf kids that had been spared of their curse for a little while longer.
In the interim, Josh was nervously twiddling his thumbs, not wanting to look at Aiden, but it was hard with Giuliana poking him in the ribs. She motioned for Josh to give Aiden a call, shaping her fingers like a telephone and Josh was ready to growl at her when Aiden turned to face them. Giuliana cleared her throat awkwardly and made sure her hand phone looked more like she was combing a piece of hair behind her ears. She smiled charmingly, partly because Aiden hadn't seen her gesturing at Josh and she bounced on the balls of her feet.
"So...who wants a drink?"
"All's well that ends well, I suppose," Audrey said and lightly nudged Mikael's body with the tip of her boot. It was strangely satisfying for her to be looking down upon the man that killed her with a stake to the heart almost ninety years ago. The only thing that would have made it even better would be if she were the one who had stabbed Mikael, but Audrey knew that him and his father had much bad blood between them, so she'd rather Klaus deliver the final blow.
Klaus trudged behind her, standing beside Mikael's still form. Dribbles of blood from where he stabbed him from Papa Tunde's blade stained his shirt and he looked down upon his own bloodstained hands. Mikael put up a good fight and Klaus did have the opportunity to kill him for good when the white oak stake fell into his possession, but he decided that a lifetime of pain and suffering would be a more fitting punishment for Mikael. Klaus popped open the trunk and hoisted Mikael's body inside, he'd keep him there until he could find a suitable resting place for him.
"What of Davina?" He asked while locking the trunk.
"She'll have a nasty bump on her head tomorrow, but she'll survive," the witch replied.
"And the boy?"
"Didn't give me much trouble." She grinned. "I thought you said that Kol was the most mischievous of your brothers."
Klaus sent her an odd look as if to ask why she was suddenly interested in his younger brother, but then it hit him. His mother informed him that even Kol, the wildest of the Mikaelsons, conformed to her ideals. He turned to face her, leaning against the side of the truck with his arms folded over his chest.
"Well, if it isn't the return of the Happy Homicidal Maniac." He sighed, shaking his head. "Now the whole family is back together."
"Aren't you thrilled?" She murmured sarcastically, making Klaus chuckle heartily.
"Mother must be beside herself."
"There was something else," she spoke and Klaus waited for her to continue. "Esther is hiding something."
Klaus took a step towards her, minimizing the space between them. "What is it?"
"I couldn't see it. It's not something that can be held, but whatever it is, she's holding it very close to her. Like she's haunted by it almost," she explained. "Perhaps a skeleton in her closet?"
"My mother is infamous for her skeleton filled closet." Klaus rolled his eyes.
"One thing we definitely know that she intends to put all of you in new bodies."
"Let her try," he grumbled.
"Oh, she will." The witch nodded, but then turned seeing some lights from the cabin go on. Cami had driven her car to the edge of the woods and tracked the cottage on a map she'd taken from a travel agency office in the Quarter and after hours of searching, she finally stumbled upon the smug couple and Mikael's body. She gave the pair of piece of her mind, shouting at them for intimidating her and taking her phone, but she was more concerned about Davina's wellbeing. Klaus directed her to the cabin and they hadn't heard from her since.
"We should be heading back. The night is still young." He unlocked the car and she climbed in the passenger seat. She clicked on her seatbelt and the engine roared to life.
"Where do you intend on putting him?" Audrey motioned to the body in the trunk.
Klaus' gaze remained on the wooded area in front of him and his smirk grew impossibly wide. "I know just the place."
"Hey," Hayley's soft voice lightly jostled Giuliana from her contemplation outside the bay window in Marcel's loft. After successfully completing their mission, Marcel had been kind enough to invite everyone back to the loft to have a celebratory drink. Aiden turned down the invitation, mentioning that he wanted to reconvene with his pack which made Josh visibly deflate, but he still decided to come to the loft to take his mind off things. Gia and Hayley were talking about their new beginnings as vampires when the hybrid noticed Giuliana had gone quiet and was fixated on the window.
The green eyed vampire held a glass of alcohol in her hands, but she hadn't taken a sip, her mind running too quickly to catch up with. Their mission had gone on without a hitch, but the group had easily forgotten about Elijah and Oliver's part of the plan. They were to wait in a parking garage outside the city and hold Esther's followers at bay until the kids were out of harm's way. They should have been back by now, Giuliana thought to herself as she tightened her hold on the glass. The hours stretched on and still she hadn't heard from either of them. Her stomach churned nervously in knots; she knew something didn't feel right. What if they had been overpowered by the wolves? What if Esther had found out about the plan to rescue the kids?
It was only until she heard Hayley's voice did her mind stop reeling and she turned to face the hybrid who was looking at her worriedly. Marcel and Gia were concerned too and even though the later had only met Giuliana and Elijah together for one occasion, she could see that the vampire harbored some strong emotions for the Original. Hayley sensed that Giuliana was nervous about Elijah's return or lack thereof and she wished she could put her friend at ease.
"You alright?" She asked.
Giuliana shook her head and tapped the sides of her glass with her nails. "We left Elijah alone."
Hayley sighed deeply and moved herself to sit beside her friend. "Look, I'm sure he's alright. It's Elijah we're talking about."
"Hayley, we're dealing with one of the most powerful witches of all time." She countered. "What if something happened?"
"Elijah can take care of himself."
"I know he can, but Esther is insane. You saw her that night."
The hybrid hadn't forgotten when they had been approached by Esther that fateful evening. Truthfully, she hadn't been able to shake their meeting with the Original witch. That woman was a whole other brand of insanity all on her own and Hayley was genuinely frightened for her life that night, but if anyone could handle Esther, she knew that Elijah could.
"I'm really worried, Hayley," Giuliana added. "I just...something doesn't feel right."
"Giuliana..."
"I'm going to look for him." She stood from her spot and suddenly so did Marcel who had been listening to their conversation.
"It's okay, just calm down." He spoke softly, holding up a hand.
"I can't just sit here, Marcel," she argued.
"Look, there is no sense in losing our heads right now," he reasoned. "I know Elijah. He's been in a lot of jams before, some of them a lot worse than this one and he's gotten out of them."
Giuliana wasn't nearly convinced by Marcel's testimony, but she had to give him credit. Elijah had been stuck in a lot of nasty situations, but no matter how high the odds were stacked against him, he'd find a way to turn things in his favor. Perhaps Marcel was right and Elijah was back at the compound safe and sound, but doubt quickly clouded her judgement. He would have called, she thought silently to herself. Deciding to take Marcel's advice, Giuliana nodded unsurely and sat herself back down. Marcel sent a glance to Hayley, somewhat surprised that Giuliana had listened to him considering how she felt toward the Original. Everyone went back to their own conversations; Giuliana even participated as the night grew older, but she couldn't help this odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was horribly wrong.
Hello my darlings! So sorry for the delay, but here is a new chapter :) Please give it lots of love!
NicoleR85: Thanks for reviewing Nicole! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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