My Soul to Keep

Chapter 7: Chasing the Devil's Tail

Beta:PrincessOfSilence

Disclaimer:I own nothing of The Originals. I only own my characters and story.


"You shouldn't be in here." Audrey murmured in her trance-like state. Even while chanting and performing her magic, she could sense Klaus' presence in the doorframe. She felt him pacing back and forth downstairs, debating on whether to intervene, and she had wished he would have remained in the parlor. The two hadn't spoken since they returned from the cemetery.

"How is he?" Klaus asked from his shadow in the doorframe.

"Weak," she replied simply. "His mind is practically a series of overwhelming nightmares. Where one ends, another begins and he can't find a way to escape them."

"Is there a way you can enter his thoughts?"

"Don't you think I've tried?" Now she lifted her head for him to see the look of disdain etched on her face. "Esther has locked me out. I can only see what is being projected in his mind. It's not pretty."

Klaus moved out of the doorframe and closer to the bed, gazing upon his fragile brother. After closer examination, Klaus could see a rash-like wound along the side of Elijah's neck. The reddened patches of skin resembled the petals of a flower that Klaus knew all too well. He reached his hand out to touch to wound, but was nudged back by Audrey's magic.

"He needs to rest." She stood slowly.

"That mark...I haven't seen this since I was a child." He hushed. "Mikael would return home from battle more blindly temperamental than usual, and our mother would use the petals of a rare merlock orchid to put him to sleep. She would mend his mind with a spell, and then wake him with the roots of the same plant. If she has access to it now, then maybe it also grows in the bayou."

Audrey remained silent, her eyes glued to Elijah's form. She watched as his sweat soaked body tensed again; he was having another nightmare. His fists clenched by his sides and he gave a pained moan. His head twitched back and forth on the pillow and the veins in his neck pulsed angrily. She was so enraptured by Elijah's agony, that she almost didn't feel Klaus' eyes on her, however she did feel his fingers reaching to tuck a lock of raven hair behind her ear. She flinched as if his touch held lightning bolts and put distance between them.

"Don't touch me." Her neck ached from the vice grip he had on her and even in the dim light of Elijah's room, Klaus could see her skin starting to discolor.

"What happened tonight..." He was grasping for words, unaware of what he had done until the bruises began to show. "I was not myself."

"Leave." She didn't want to hear him speak apologies to her. "Now."

"Audrey..." All it took was one step for him to suddenly be crumpled on his knees. His hands gripped the sides of his head, hoping to keep it from splitting open at the intense pain that surged through his skull. The witch looked down upon him, a burning fire in her eyes.

"Your excuses mean nothing to me. I don't want to hear them." Her voice rumbled like thunder in the distance. "My loyalty to you and your family knows no bounds. I've been tested and succeeded many times yet you have to audacity to question where I stand."

With a wave of her fingertips, the pain increased ten-fold and Klaus let out a loud groan. Dark red trickles of blood fell from his eyes and nose. He groveled and sniveled at her feet as if trying to beg her to stop the onslaught of agony she released on him, but she was unyielding. Then another powerful wave hit him, nearly knocking him unconscious if he wasn't an Original.

"Y-Y-You...ventured into the bayou and then to the...cemetery to battle my mother for...Elijah." He gritted and peered up at her. "You c-could have been...killed."

"I am not a bird to be locked in a cage, Klaus." She told him and brought her open palms to rest above his head. A sickening crack filled the room as Klaus' back arched at an ungodly angle; he shouted as his arms and legs snapped as well. The glowing amber in his eyes and his emerging fangs were reminiscent of his wolf form which Audrey had forced him to shift into, however she paused the transformation midway, causing significant damage to his body.

"S-Stop!" He pleaded.

"You will never hurt me again." Tears stung her blue eyes, but she pushed them back. She hated seeing Klaus like this, but he needed to understand that she was not against him. She was an ally, a partner, a lover. She was not his enemy and never would be. Sensing he'd had enough, she cut her magic and watched him fall to his hands and knees, panting heavily. His body went back to normal, but the memory of her power would stay with him forever.

"Leave." She turned her back to him and knelt by Elijah's bedside once more. Without another word, Klaus sped from the room, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.


Hayley, Josh, Marcel and Giuliana stood around the island at Marcel's place while Aiden smoothed out a map of the city on the wooden surface. In a desperate plan to take down Esther's son, Cami wanted to orchestrate a plan to meet Finn at a location and bombard him until he was powerless. It would be difficult, but all of them were willing to try and neutralize Finn. Aiden was discussing possible location spots with Marcel when Giuliana caught Josh staring longingly at the wolf. She stifled a smile, remembering how she would look upon boys of age in her village, especially when Elijah arrived to meet with her family. She could recall the feeling of the air being pulled from her lungs and her heart pounding in her ears when she first laid eyes on him.

Stealing a glance down at her phone, she frowned seeing no news from Audrey about an improvement of Elijah's state. Part of her was relieved that he was home, but his nightmare driven slumber only added to her worry. Would he awaken to be the same person? Or will have Esther's dark magic have changed his mind about being reborn as a witch so the family could be whole again? These questions and more only clouded her mind and seeing him since Esther released him nearly made her burst into tears. She watched him for some time, flinching when his body trembled and his lips murmured unintelligible words. How could a mother do this to her own child?

"Cami said Vincent wants to meet at Preservation Hall. But, he won't be unprotected," Aiden's soft voice woke her from her internal war and the group all drew closer around the map. He pointed to a few alleyways near Preservation Hall that could possibly be detrimental to their plan being carried out successfully.

"There will be wolves positioned here and here." He pointed to two areas where Vincent would keep his wolves.

"Can we keep this alley open?" Marcel pointed to a spot on the map and Aiden nodded.

"Alright, I'll wait there and rip Vincent's head off," Hayley said.

"Wait a second guys," Giuliana interrupted. "Vincent can body jump into anyone he wants and, no offense, I really don't want to have a Mikaelson in me."

Hayley raised her eyebrows at the newbie vampire's remark while Josh was stifling giggles behind his hand. Even Marcel was smirking; however, Aiden was unsure of what the three of them were laughing about. He smiled uncomfortably while looking at Giuliana whose forehead had become creased.

"Yeah, not that Mikaelson," Josh finally composed himself to speak.

Realizing she'd just walked into a sexual innuendo concerning the Mikaelsons, Giuliana's cheeks flushed bright red, causing the trio to snicker and bump elbows with one another. Even Aiden chuckled too without fully being aware of the situation.

"I...I didn't mean it like that," she stammered.

"Jeez, get your mind out of the gutter," Hayley added, trying to snuff out her giggles.

"Stop that." The female vampire blushed bright red. "What I meant to say was that Vincent's head needs to stay on."

"Agreed." All of them turned to see Cami enter the apartment carrying a large cardboard box which she then placed on top of the map. "He'll have a hard time answering questions without it."

"Sweet, it's a big box of dusty old junk. We're saved!" Josh cawed sarcastically.

"What's all this?" Hayley opened the box and the group peered inside it.

"They're dark objects my uncle left for me. I've been cataloging them according to Kieran's notes," Cami explained as she took some of the objects out from the box and put them on the island. There were an assortment of stakes, daggers, bracelets and rosary beads that neither of the vampires wanted to touch.

"As far as I can tell, these can be used against witches specifically," Cami added as she held up a pair of shackles that were attached with a chain between them.

"Kinky." Hayley smirked and Josh laughed.

"Really?" Giuliana smacked his shoulder. "And I was made fun of for that Mikaelson slip?"

"Well, you fell right into that one." Josh snorted.

"Gee, thanks." She rolled her eyes.

Cami glanced between the giggling vampire and hybrid. "Did I miss something?"

"Ignore them." Marcel smiled and grasped the shackles. "Ah, I remember these! A hundred years ago, the Human Faction waged a war against the Voodoo Queens. They had a traitor spell these manacles. Slap 'em on a witch, they can't do magic as long as they're on."

Giuliana gestured for Marcel to hand them to her, which he did and she weighed them in her hands. "Sounds easy enough."

"Alright, we're not gonna get the "Handcuffs of Doom" on him while he's surrounded by a werewolf entourage." Josh pointed out.

"We can just lure him away," Aiden spoke up. "I can do that."

"Yeah," Giuliana nodded. "Then Hayley, Josh, Marcel and I can take it from there."

"Cami, if we do this, you're the bait." Hayley warned. "Are you sure you're okay with that?"

The group waited with bated breath to hear Cami's response. The blonde's blue eyes shifted to each person in the room. Some she knew well and some were new faces. Taking down Vincent wouldn't be easy and everyone would have to work together in order for the plan to work. She straightened herself and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Make it look convincing. The guy's really smart."


Audrey hissed and drew her hands back from Elijah's forehead as she was forcefully shoved from the confines of his nightmares. She rested her arms by her side and let out a sigh. She'd been working tirelessly to try and break whatever spell was torturing him, but Esther's magic had prevailed each time. Audrey massaged her hands and winced at the aches that pained her. She was unsure of how many more times she could continue to push herself, but she didn't want to see Elijah motionless anymore. If Esther's hold wasn't as strong, she could at least get inside Elijah's mind and expel some of the dark magic.

Audrey's blue eyes suddenly widened and she peered down to Elijah once more. Maybe she had been going about this the wrong way. Esther was the one that had put the spell on Elijah, so perhaps if she had become weakened, her magic would dissipate just long enough to make a crack in the surface of the spell. It would be risky, but Audrey secretly reveled in the idea of knocking Esther off her incredibly high horse. The witch straightened her back and let her eyelids fall closed. Using the connection between Elijah and Esther, she followed the spell's tether right to the cemetery.

The aura moved through the tombstones and dying flowers until zeroing in on an exact location. Inside one of the mausoleums, Esther and Finn were gathered around a table. The topic of their conversation wasn't what Audrey wanted to hear, so she let her aura suspend itself, invisible to them both. It drew closer to Esther, hovering just in front of her face before rearing back and pushing inside her mind. She tumbled to the floor and Finn immediately went to her side. His panic rose when he saw her eyes turn black and he tried to figure out what had happened to her.

Back in the compound, Audrey's eyes opened and she gripped the sides of Elijah's head. She didn't have much time before Esther would come too and realize another witch had attacked her. Being in Elijah's mind was like falling down a rabbit hole. Down she fell through the darkness until she found herself in a forest shrouded in night. A low roll of thunder was accompanied by flashes of lightening in the distance. The dry leaves crunched beneath Audrey's feet as she wandered aimlessly, unsure of why she had come here, but her questions would soon be answered.

A young boy, no older than thirteen had come into the clearing where Audrey stood, however he was too focused on looking for someone or something that he hardly saw her there. He was dressed in a long tunic with pants underneath and worn shoes on his feet. Attached at his hip by a belt was a small hatchet that glinted in the moonlight. His deep brown eyes whirled around the woods and he called out once more.

"Klaus?" He received no response, only his own echo. "Niklaus?"

The snap of a fallen stick nearby caused the boy to become startled and he was now aware that he was not alone in the woods. He stared at the tall woman with dark hair in the clearing. Judging by her unfamiliar face and odd clothing, he figured she was perhaps lost or from another village. Audrey stood speechless in her spot as she watched a young Elijah come closer to her. It was so odd to see him like this, so human. No fancy suits or expensive ties or creased pocket squares. Just human. She offered him a friendly smile.

"Hello Elijah." She greeted him and his eyebrows furrowed.

"How do you know my name?"

"I'm here to help you. Are you lost?" Her question made Elijah frown and turn over his shoulders a couple of times.

"I...yes, I am lost." He shuffled his feet. "I was playing with my brother and-"

"There you are." A deeper voice emerged from within the thick brush and Audrey whipped around to see a grown-up Elijah standing opposite them. A crack of lightening flashed across the sky, illuminating his bloodied face and suit. Audrey stood tall as he drew closer to them. The boy was nearly cowering by the time his older self had met his newfound friend, but he still managed to keep his shaking hand on the axe at his waist.

"Is this what you've become?" Audrey asked the man in the suit. "Your mother is controlling you. You're blinded by her."

"On the contrary, Audrey," Elijah smoothed out his blood stained tie. "I see quite clearly now."

Another smack of thunder made the boy jump, but Audrey remained still as stone. She could feel her powers surging through her as she braced herself for an attack from Elijah who seemed all too cool. Just behind him, however, she caught the sight of Esther just a few feet away. She looked less than pleased after feeling the disturbance from inside Elijah's mind, but she was not surprised that Audrey had been the one to worm her way around her spell.

"You're a smart little witch bitch," Esther snarled.

"This is over, Esther." The younger witch proclaimed. "Give up now."

Esther lifted her hands in the air and the winds in the forest picked up. It rattled the branches in the trees and danced leaves off the Earth. She would not be beaten by another witch; no. Her plans were already in place and she could not afford any mishaps. She would have her family intact and she would stop at nothing for her wish to be completed.

"Finish her," she commanded and Elijah lunged through the air, but Audrey's glowing red hands held him still. His knees buckled and he struggled to keep his body upright despite the incredible amount of force she was placing on him. He clenched his teeth hard, hissing and glaring at Audrey.

"In here you're her puppet and nothing more," she said. "Force her out. She has no control over you anymore, Elijah."

"Enough! Kill her, now!" Esther growled to her son before waving her hand at Audrey. The young witch flew backwards, smashing into the thick trunk of a tree. Elijah then surged forward, pinning her body to the bark and biting hard into her neck.

Audrey's nails scratched at his hands and she kicked beneath him, but his hold on her was one of steel. Her eyes darted around for the young boy, but the clearing was empty. Even the materialization of Esther had vanished. Coming into Elijah's mind had backfired; he was too far gone even for her to save. Audrey felt the blood leave her body as she tried tirelessly to heave the vampire off her.

The vice grip of Elijah's teeth on her neck suddenly loosened and she hung weakly. She pressed a hand to her neck, hoping to stop the bleeding. Elijah looked down at his side to see the handle of an axe sticking out at an odd angle. His eyes found the boy he'd been searching for and with a growl, he dropped Audrey to the forest floor. Young Elijah took some wobbly steps back, the fear eminent on his face as he stared up at the man who shared his name. Without flinching, Elijah removed the axe from his side and threw it at the boy's feet.

"Do you understand?" The boy was frozen in fear as Elijah towered over him. "One day, only a monster will remain."

Fangs grew from behind his lips and his dark eyes sought out the vein in the boy's throat. Elijah hissed, grabbing onto his younger self and rearing his head back before lunging forward. Before he could get close to the boy's throat, a force tossed him through the air and into the trunk of a tree. The boy let out a breath and saw Audrey holding her hands out, her fingertips glowing brightly in the darkness.

"Run." Audrey whispered weakly to him. "Run as fast as you can."

The boy immediately turned on his heel and dashed through the brush, but not before picking up his axe with a shaky hand. Audrey's magic was wavering, so she dropped Elijah hard onto the ground. The pain in her neck had started to numb and so did her limbs from the loss of blood. She tried to blink away the spots from her eyes, but they seemed to multiply as the seconds ticked on. The last sight she saw before blacking out was Elijah's form getting to his feet and springing at her.


"I always thought having a woman's mouth on my neck would be more erotic." Cami quipped while holding a towel to her bleeding neck.

"You'll heal fast. Drink this." Hayley then bit into her wrist and let the blood dribble into a chalice she'd taken off the altar. "Let's get all these lights off."

The group nodded and began blowing out candles that were scattered around the church. Earlier in the evening, Cami had met Finn at a jazz club to keep him away from his wolves. The two were enjoying their time together until Cami slipped away to answer her phone. Finn became worried after she had been gone for a while and rushed outside to see her bitten and nearly unconscious in the alley behind the club. Before he could help her, she was whisked away by Hayley who had her face covered to hide her identity. In a rage, Finn stormed to his office and called Aiden, wanting to know which of his wolves broke rank and attacked Cami. Aiden said he would figure it out, but unbeknownst to Finn, Aiden was working on a plan to get Finn to the church where he could be neutralized with the handcuffs.

Josh pulled Aiden aside and the two shared a hushed conversation while Giuliana checked her phone again. She hadn't heard from Audrey or Klaus about Elijah's condition and she was quickly becoming worried. She hoped Esther hadn't hooked her claws into him and changed his mind about joining her. She knew Elijah was stronger than that, but ever man has their own breaking point. She pocketed her phone and finished up the last of the candles on the altar. Before blowing out the last one, her green eyes stopped on the paintings of angels that decorated the walls. It had been a while, but she thought now was as good a time as ever to pray. A little voice in her head wondered if angels took prayers from vampires, but she had to have gotten points for effort.

"Hey," Hayley's presence made her turn from the angels. "You okay?"

The vampire's green eyes drifted back to the angels again. "We died here, Hayley."

Hayley noticeably frowned and stepped to stand beside her at the altar, staring at the same angels her friend was so occupied with. She remembered all of it. Hope's birth, the witches, and a quick death. It haunted her long after it happened and being in St. Ann's made the memories come back to her. When she awoke as a hybrid, she saw Giuliana's lifeless body on the steps. Her head had been cracked open by the impact of the marble steps and a dagger was embedded in her chest. Hayley cried over her friend's cold body, stricken with a grief so strong that she was sure it would tear her apart. Once her sobs subsided, she knew she had to fight for her baby and for vengeance. It wasn't until the battle at Lafayette Cemetery did she learn that Giuliana had turned as well and she was filled with immense relief.

"We did," Hayley replied. "But we were also reborn here. Our lives could have ended, but they didn't. Sure, it's not the way we planned, but I'll take it over the other option."

"I...I never thought of it that way." Giuliana's eyebrows wrinkled in contemplation. In a very strange turn of events, they both managed to cheat death and return to their loved ones. Most people weren't so lucky, but Giuliana was now aware of how lucky she was. Vampirism was never a life she wanted for herself, but she grew to accept that it had become a part of her.

"I mean, come on. My baby needed someone to be a godmother who isn't a Mikaelson." Hayley quipped, making Giuliana chuckle. They both turned from the angels and embraced, their arms wrapping firmly around one another. Friends had grown few and far between for the Mikaelsons, so Hayley and Giuliana were thankful for their own friendship that had developed since they both set foot in New Orleans. Pulling back, Hayley gently squeezed Giuliana by the shoulders just as Cami strolled up to them.

"Okay, tell me the plan one more time." She removed the towel from her neck to reveal healed skin.

"Aiden's gonna get Vincent to the altar and then I'm gonna jump him. Giuliana will be a buffer in case things get bad." All three women nodded in understanding. Hayley handed Cami the shackles they had found earlier.

"He's powerful, though, so we only have a few seconds to get the shackles on him."

Cami took them and stowed them in an inside pocket of her jacket and made sure they didn't show. "Where's Marcel?"

"He's looking for Davina. He heard she was back in town," Hayley replied.

"Overprotective-dad stuff?"

Hayley smirked. "If you want to call ripping Kol Mikaelson into a thousand little pieces 'protective dad stuff,' then, yeah. That's it."

"Damn, wish I could be the one to rip Kol into a thousand little pieces." Giuliana snapped her fingers. "Although, I did help kill him back in Mystic Falls."

"What's your beef with Kol?" Cami wondered.

"Well, considering he tried to kill my sister and I back in the 1400s. I'm quite sour," the vampire replied.

"That was a thousand years ago." the blonde said.

"Italians really know how to hold grudges." Giuliana smirked.

Both girls chuckled softly as Aiden rushed up to them with his cell phone clutched in his hand. "Finn is on his way."

"Showtime." Giuliana smirked and sped away to her hiding place on the upper balcony. Hayley and Josh made themselves scarce on the lower level while Cami hid herself from plain sight. Aiden did a once over the church and appeared outside the church just before Finn arrived.

"I staked it out." Aiden told him. "It looks like a couple of Oliver's friends wanting to avenge his death."

"Where's Cami?" Finn asked in a panic.

"She's, uh, she's tied up near the altar. Hey, you bee-line for her, I'll handle the rest of them, alright?" He turned to open the church doors, but Finn's firm grip on his shoulder stopped him.

"Aiden? Your brother was among the recruits that Oliver rescued, was he not?"

The young wolf gaped, unable to respond because he knew no matter what reply came out of his mouth that Finn had him cornered. The rouse was over and Aiden was prepared for the whole plan to go right down the drain. Finn flicked his wrist in Aiden's direction and the wolf's body suddenly crashed through the doors of the church. He slid along the marble aisle and smacked his head against a pew, knocking himself out. That made Josh sped from his hiding place to check on Aiden, however his neck was quickly snapped by Finn who had made himself known in the church. He lifted his hands, lighting all of the candles in the space and frantically searched for Cami.

"Camille? Camille!" He shouted and turned just in time for his face to meet Hayley's fist.

"First, I'm going to kick your ass. Then, I'm going to take my pack back." She growled at him.

Finn chuckled and felt his bleeding lip. "Your pack? Last I checked, your pack was blindly following me."

"You wanna talk about following? How do your mother's boots taste?" Hayley kicked Finn hard in an effort to quiet him, but he continued to laugh at her.

"What have you done with Cami?" He asked. Hayley shrugged her shoulders and Finn snarled. He raised his hands, ready to cast a spell, but Hayley was not worried for she saw a figure just over his shoulder.

Giuliana lept off the balcony, her body propelling through the air gracefully that Finn hadn't heard her. She latched onto him, wrapping her legs tightly around his torso and digging her nails into his chest. She bit into his neck. Hard. He howled and tried to shake her off him, but she held on like her life depended on it. Hayley rushed forward, smashing her foot into his face and he fell to the ground. Giuliana sprung off him, standing beside Hayley while Finn struggled to get to his feet. A two on one battle hardly seemed fair, but Finn wouldn't go down without a fight.

"You okay Finn? You look a little pale." The vampire smirked with bloodied lips.

"You have tried my patience long enough." He spoke. "Where is Cami?"

"That's for us to know and you to dot, dot, dot." She added and looked to Hayley. "I've always wanted to say something like that."

"Isn't that from a movie or something?" The hybrid wondered coyly.

Giuliana shrugged. "I don't know, but admit it, it sounds cool."

Finn raised his left hand and waved it, sending the vampire flying through the air and into a set of pews. The wood splintered loudly and Hayley gulped seeing that Giuliana remained motionless in the sharp pile. The hybrid rushed to her friend, but she was stopped by Finn's magic.

"You both died once in this church and I can make it happen again." He threatened and turned his attention to Hayley. Using the same hand, he clenched his fist in the direction of her chest and she doubled over. Her lungs coughed up bright red blood and it spilled onto the floor.

"Le specto tre colo ves bestia! Le specto tre colo ves bestia!" He chanted over and over. Hayley clutched her chest as she spit up more blood. She could feel Finn trying to pull her heart from her chest without even touching her. She was sure she was a goner when suddenly, an arrow flew from the back of the church.

The arrow pierced Finn in the shoulder, breaking his spell and Hayley turned in time to see Jackson jumping down from the balcony with a bow and quiver in hand. He loaded another arrow into the bow and released, shooting Finn through the thigh while Hayley went to Giuliana's side. Finn crawled up onto the altar in hope to escape Jackson, but before he could react further, Cami appeared from behind the sacristy and slapped the manacles onto his wrists. Finn stared up at Cami in shock, gaping like a fish out of water. He couldn't believe she of all people had betrayed him. He tried to fend her off with magic, but the manacles had put a stop to his powers.

"You would have done the same thing to me, Finn." She glared. Finn struggled to rise to his feet in an effort to explain himself, but was quickly shoved back down by Giuliana who was still picking splinters out of her skin.

"Have a seat, Finn. Stay a while." With an uppercut upside the cheek, Finn was knocked unconscious. "You alright?" She asked Cami.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." The blonde nodded.

"You did good." Giuliana patted her shoulder before plucking a piece of wood from her collarbone. Cami watched as the woman's olive skin stitched itself back together as each splinter was removed.

"Thank you," she said softly and looked down at Finn's form. "If I only had kept my big mouth shut, then he wouldn't have gotten so close to me."

"You didn't know, Cami." Giuliana sat beside her. "Think of it this way, after Klaus is done with him. He won't bother anyone again."

Her blue eyes widened. "Do you think Klaus will kill him?"

Giuliana shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows what he has planned."

The blonde bartender suddenly fell quiet. She didn't want anyone getting hurt, but she knew how Klaus could be. She'd only hoped that Audrey would be able to knock some sense into him, however sometimes the witch was just as ruthless as her hybrid counterpart.

The vampire then patted Cami's knee reassuringly and stood up. "Come on, help me load Finn in the back of the car."

Cami blanched; she'd never received that kind of a request before. Giuliana bent down to pick up Finn by the back of his collar and had dragged him halfway down the aisle before Cami snapped to her senses and trailed after.

"Oh...okay. I'll help."


Klaus placed an ice pack wrapped in a hand towel upon Audrey's forehead, gently pressing it to make sure the coolness registered on her skin. When he returned to the compound, he was confused to find his brother awake and Audrey unconscious on the floor of the bedroom. He questioned Elijah, but was quickly shut down realizing that his brother had only awoken just moments ago. After spending his day in the woods with Ansel, he was anxious to get home, but he was now worried that his time away had given Esther the chance to strike again. Klaus adjusted the ice pack and Audrey jostled slightly, her lips mumbling words so soft even Klaus could not understand them. He ran his fingers along her cheek, leaving small goose bumps in his wake. Audrey's eyes slowly opened, still drowsy with sleep and she squinted until she adjusted to the light in the room. Peering up at Klaus she could see his shoulders fall as a sigh of relief left him. His pink lips curled into a smile and he peered down at her.

"You gave us quite the fright, love." His chest rumbled as he spoke.

Audrey's eyebrows furrowed. "Us?"

From over Klaus' form emerged Elijah who had awoken from his deep slumber. He was changed out of his clothes from earlier and wrapped back in his familiar suit and tie. Even though he was wide awake, a sheen of sleep still lingered over him. He walked closer to the side of the bed to stand just off Klaus' shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" He asked Audrey as she tried to sit up.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She huffed as she was able to prop herself up on some pillows that were behind her.

"The worst has past. Though, I suspect the nightmares are far from over." Elijah replied.

"Esther sure knows how to make a nightmare. I'll give her that." The witch held the ice pack in place on her forehead. "You should be resting."

"As should you," the Original chided. "When I awoke, you were unconscious on the floor. That was when I called for Niklaus immediately."

"I'm fine. Nothing a stiff drink won't cure." Audrey waved her hand dismissively and nudged Klaus off the bed. He stood close by as she braced herself on the foot of the bed frame and pushed herself up. Her feet touched the floor and she straightened her body, but she wobbled on unsteady legs. Klaus wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close, so she could lean against him.

"Audrey, you must rest," he implored.

"And you mustn't fuss over me." She countered and moved away from Klaus to stand behind the chair that she sat in while trying to break into Elijah's mind.

"I feel as though I should." Klaus began. "After the message I sent Mother tonight, I expect hell-fire to rain upon us imminently."

Elijah and Audrey looked to him with questions in their eyes, but the witch was the first to speak.

"I don't understand."

Klaus sobered for a moment his nervous gaze shifting between his lover and his brother. "I spent the day with my father. My real father."

Elijah remained silent, his dark eyes were wide with shock. He sat on the edge of the bed near Audrey. The witch felt her stomach churn, somehow putting the pieces together of what might have happened tonight while Klaus was looking in the woods for the flower that had woken his brother.

"Esther brought him back from the dead, believing he could convince me to renounce vampirism." Klaus continued and took a small notebook from inside his jacket. "The thought of what I could be, had I been raised by him. Had I been nurtured. This was his."

His brother took the book and opened it, flipping its worn pages to find writings and sketches scrawled along them. He stopped on a drawing of Klaus when he was a young boy. Elijah could feel the remnants of his nightmare creeping inside his head once more. He remembered seeing his younger self playing with Klaus before Audrey had stepped in to thwart his mother's efforts. Audrey peered at the picture over Elijah's shoulder and smiled when she saw it. She'd never seen what Klaus looked like as a young boy before tonight and she felt her insides grow warm at the thought of him being carefree as he ran through the woods of his home.

"He knew about Hope."

Klaus' voice broke the silence in the room and the sudden reality of the situation came crashing down on all of them. Elijah closed the notebook while Audrey's head whipped in Klaus' direction to see his eyes flooding with fresh hot tears. He didn't even have to speak for her to know what he had done. She placed her hand atop the notebook and was shown Ansel's death behind her closed eyes. She didn't know Ansel for long, but his very presence gave her the hope that Klaus would learn more about himself as a man and a father. However, that hope was now buried with Ansel. She withdrew her hand with a small gasp and Elijah stood with the notebook in his grasp.

"I wanted to trust him more than anything in the world. I-I wanted to, but..." Klaus' words trailed off without him, unable to sort the emotions that were ramming against his soul. "I couldn't be sure. And, I would never forgive myself if something happened to her because of my selfish desire for a father. So, I killed him. Without hesitation. I killed him."

Audrey knew why Klaus had done what he did, but she wished he hadn't. She truly felt that Ansel would have been good for Klaus and the Mikaelsons as a whole. Ansel could have helped Klaus understand his anger and resentment, but Audrey knew his death had to come swiftly. Ansel was Esther's creation and she could have easily heard that Hope indeed was alive and that would mean the destruction of the entire Mikaelson line.

"You killed him for Hope." Elijah spoke and walked to meet Klaus who was on the verge of turmoil. He handed him the notebook and grasped his brother by the back of the neck.

"And whatever innocence remains, we must protect at any cost." He added and Klaus let his tears fall against his brother's shoulder. Audrey stood slowly from the bed and was ready to give the brothers their moment to reconcile, but she could feel Klaus' eyes on her, almost begging her to stay.

Elijah pulled back from his brother, clapping his shoulders firmly. He followed Klaus' gaze to Audrey and knew they had things to discuss just by the volumes behind their eyes. He left the room, closing the door behind him and the two remained silent for many long moments.

"I am sorry for any pain that I have caused you," he spoke softly. "Everything you've ever done has been to protect my family and I am forever grateful. I will never put my hands on you again no matter how much I disagree on the choices you make."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" She wondered curiously.

"My father...Ansel, he helped me." Klaus replied. "Even though Hope is not your child, you have protected her as though she is your own."

"Of course. She is your daughter." Audrey shifted on her feet, not looking up at Klaus as he moved closer to her. He nearly closed the gap between them and took one of her hand in both of his. He stared into her eyes as Ansel's words echoed in his head from earlier.

"How come you never told me that you were the one that placed the protection spell around Hope and Rebekah? It's kept them hidden all this time." He added. It was news to him when Ansel told him that Audrey had used her own magic to cloak his family from Esther. At first, Klaus was hesitant to believe it since Audrey had informed him that it had been taken care of, but she never explained who had performed the spell. Klaus was shocked to his core that Audrey had done something so selfless and all to keep his family safe.

"Well, now you know," the witch said.

"But why?" He asked her.

"Because I see how you've changed since Hope was born. She makes you want to be a better person. Seeing that makes me want to protect Hope till my last dying breath." She replied. "I know you miss her terribly, Klaus. If I can help in any way to bring her home to you, then I will do it."

Klaus felt his eyes well up again with tears at her selflessness. He hands gently squeezed hers before lifting his fingers to brush along her cheek. She leaned into him, missing his soft touch for far too long. They were very alike, Audrey and Klaus. Sometimes almost too alike. They would both fight fiercely for their loved ones and would dispose of any force or being that stood in their way. However, this similarity caused them to disagree in ways that shook them both deep down to their cores. They didn't want to fight. They wanted to join together and face whatever challenges were ahead of them.

"I love you," Klaus whispered, his breath caressing her skin. Those three words had been very seldom used for Klaus Mikaelson. It was said in moments of passion with lovers passed or to those he felt deserved it, but ultimately betrayed him, but this time finally understood what those three words truly meant.

Audrey smiled and one lone tears trailed down her cheek. "And I love you. Always and forever."

The hybrid felt a smile tug at his before kissing his witch fully. He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She moved her lips in tandem with his own, letting the weight of his words sink into her skin. When Audrey had first met the Mikaelsons, she saw them as a broken family that was trying their hardest to fight against the odds to become whole again. After seeing it fragmented with the return of Esther, she was now beginning to watch the pieces slowly sew themselves together again. Audrey made a promise to herself a long time ago that she would help them see the strength within their family bonds, mainly because she did not have a family of her own and for the first time, she felt that she belonged somewhere.

Klaus pulled back, resting his forehead against hers and running the tip of his nose along her own. She nuzzled him, swearing she could hear his soft purrs at the back of his throat. She peered up at her hybrid and pressed a kiss on his cheek. They remained embraced for quite some time until they noticed Elijah standing expectantly in the doorway.

"If you two would come downstairs, there is a gift waiting." Elijah gestured to the open door and Klaus stepped backward, bowing his arms to Audrey.

"After you."

The trio made their way down the staircase and into the main foyer of the compound. Waiting inside were Marcel and Giuliana, both looking awfully smug as the trio approached them. The green-eyed vampire could feel her heart leap in her chest seeing Elijah upright. Her smile spread even wider across her lips while she fought the urge to hug him tightly.

"It's good to see you standing." She grinned at the vampire who returned it with only wide eyes.

"How are you doing, Elijah?" Marcel asked. Elijah opened his mouth to speak, his eyes still locked on Giuliana when his mind was suddenly assaulted by the nightmare of the red door. He saw flashes of himself chasing a screaming Giuliana down the hallway until ultimately burying his fangs inside of her neck.

"Elijah?" Giuliana's soft voice shook him and it wasn't until then that he'd realized his eyes had fallen closed. He stared back at the pair of vampires and composed himself before they could question him further.

"As fine as I possibly can." Elijah answered.

"Well, we're hoping the gifts Marcel and I left you in the ballroom will help cheer you up." She smirked widely.

The Originals were confused to say the least, but they stepped around the vampire pair to the doorway to the ballroom. They threw the doors open and chained to the double iron wrought stairways were Finn and Kol. The prisoners struggled against their restraints, but they had been trapped like sitting ducks. Audrey raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised, but impressed that Marcel and Giuliana were able to snatch up the remaining two Mikaelsons right from under Esther's nose.

"Kidnapping?" Kol asked incredulously. "That's a rather unpleasant way to begin a family reunion!"

"Well, wait until you see how we end it." Klaus grinned at them smugly.


Hello my darlings! Thank you so much for being patient with me with my updates. I will be finishing up with classes in December which means I will have more free time to crank out chapters. I hope you enjoyed this one ;) Please leave a review!


NicoleR85: Thank you, my dear! I am so happy you're enjoying this story thus far.

BrittStar1199: The smut is coming, my friend ;) For Elijah and Giuliana it will be a little while, however Klaus and Audrey seemed to have made up after she practically threatened him. After this chapter, I think Klaus really realized that Audrey will be by his side no matter what happens. Hold on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride ;) Thank you for reviewing!

CarlyLynn: Yes, Elijah is back home, but he is not himself. It will take him some time for him to get back to normal since Esther did quite a number on him. Thanks for reviewing!

twin of a sister: Hello my dear friend :) Thank you so much for reviewing! I hope that this update can make your day as well. This chapter was action packed too! Talk to you soon xoxo

CharmedGirl92: Hi girl! Thank you for reviewing! I have been trying to go my own route as far as the story goes. It gets difficult at times when coming up with things to write, but I think it ultimately pays out in the end because my readers enjoy reading my stories. I have been meaning to read and review your Captain America stories and I will get around to doing that (I promise!).

grapejuice101: Thanks so much for reviewing! Trying to crank these chapters out as quickly as possible ;)