My Soul to Keep

Chapter 10: Gonna Set Your Flag on Fire

Beta: PrincessOfSilence

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


"What have you done?" Esther whimpered weakly, her eyes leaving the blood pack on the cement floor to fall on her son.

"I've done what every good son does, Mother! I've followed the example of my parents. You taught me exactly how I should treat you." Klaus kicked the blood bag closer to her and she flinched away from it. "So, now, you can either be the thing that you hate the most, or you can be dead."

"No..." she whimpered.

"Your choice. Which is more than you ever gave us."

"You're a monster!" His mother seethed, hot tears streamed down her cheeks.

Klaus smirked evilly, letting his hybrid features show as if to taunt her. "That I am."

For the first time in a long time, Esther felt truly powerless; her magic had been stripped from her and she was on the verge of death with a very important choice to make. Would she fall privy to Klaus' deal and become the very thing she hated? Or could the witches help her regain her powers once her soul left the earth? She eyed the blood bag, a deep thirst had begun to erupt within her and it wasn't until Klaus shoved her back into her crypt did she tear her gaze away.

"Now, where is Audrey?"

Esther peered up at him with angry eyes and didn't respond to which Klaus chuckled low in his chest. Her expression then changed to one of aloofness.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid, mother. I want you to tell me where you sent her," he chided her.

Esther moved to sit up on her knees. "I'm telling the truth. I don't know where Audrey is."

Klaus' anger bubbled deep within him. "Tell me, or Finn is a dead man."

"No! I swear! I don't know where she is," she proclaimed, the aloofness was now replaced with fear. "Klaus, you have to believe me."

"A fool's bet." Her son growled and looked down upon her like she was the scum of the earth. "Have it your way, mother. I promise you that when Audrey returns, you'll have to worry about her wrath more than mine."

"Your father was right about her." She shook her head and Klaus quelled his anger enough to listen to her. "She's a distraction, always has been. After your father did away with her, you were never completely whole. She's hooked her claws in you and turned you away from what was really important: your family."

At that, Klaus laughed in her face, the very sound echoing off the brittle skulls that lined his mother's final resting place. He moved in closer, his booming laugh dimming down to a chuckle. "Oh mother, your imposing death is making you delusional."

Esther cowered from him, nestling back deeper into her tomb as is finally realizing that she was going to die here alone. A chill ran up her spine and her eyes found the blood bag at her feet. She did have a choice, but how far was she willing to go for it?

Without another word, Klaus turned his back on her, leaving his darling mother to toil over making a choice he thought would be easy.

Oh, how wrong he would be.


"Audrey?" A soft female voice cooed and the owner of the name began to stir slowly. Only one of Audrey's eyes opened as she was roused from her sleep. The other was nearly swollen shut, a dark purple bruise covering her eyelid. Her bones and muscles ached from all the thrashing about. Audrey tried to sit up on her own, but was met with much difficulty. Rebekah placed a hand at Audrey's back and eased her to sit against the bed frame.

"What happened to you?" Rebekah looked upon her friend sadly.

"I don't remember much of last night, but I do know that I fought and I lost." She mumbled, finding it hard to speak with a busted lip. Her eyes fell closed and behind her lids played bits and pieces of what occurred last night.

"Let go! Let me go!" Audrey's shrill voice rang through the halls as two large men carried her thrashing body. She whipped and fought and bucked against their harsh grip at her arms, but they remained unmoving and continued to drag her screaming body.

"Stop struggling!" A strong male voice commanded, but Audrey was relentless. The two men entered a bedroom at the end of the hallway and inside was another girl struggling to be held down onto one of the cots.

"Take your bloody hands off me!" The dark skinned girl bat her hands at her captor. "My name is Rebekah Mikaelson! Do you have any idea who I am?"

The two men carrying Audrey threw her down on the lumpy mattress. One held her firmly against it while the other reached into his pocket. A chill ran down Audrey's spine as he fished out a handful of pills and approached her.

"Open up, deary," he cooed. The other man's hand gripped at her jaw, roughly wrenching it open while his comrade angled the pills at her mouth. Audrey yanked her head out of the one man's grip and swiftly bit down on the hand that was feeding her. He howled in pain and Audrey refused to let go even when the metallic taste of blood hit or when her teeth were chomping on bone. A hard punch to her ribs made her screech after hearing a loud crack and the man's hand was released from her jaws. She spat out the blood and in the moment she had realized Rebekah had gone silent in her cot. With another man free to do their bidding, they all pounced on the witch, lifting her kicking body from the room and bringing her to another. The pain in her ribs ebbed with every movement, but she refused to stop fighting.

"Bloody hell. You look terrible."

"Yeah, I hate you too." Audrey took a look at Rebekah's new body again. "I guess it wasn't a dream then."

Rebekah shook her head and frowned. "No."

"Damn." She sighed and tried to get herself to sit up, but she just fell back onto the bed. Rebekah then guided her up, taking in more of her haggard appearance. Her knotted locks hung around her ghoulishly pale and bruised face. The eye that was not swollen was bloodshot, reddish veins making tracks along the white of her eye.

"Did they make you swallow those pills?" Rebekah asked her and Audrey nodded her head slowly. "I hid them under my pillow."

"Good. At least we know these wardens can be fooled." She mumbled. "Help me up, will you?"

Rebekah stood first and offered her open hands to Audrey, who took them frailly. She gripped them as hard as she could and pushed herself to stand up. Audrey wobbled on her feet, but Rebekah steadied her until she could stand on her own.

"They shouldn't have done this," Rebekah said quietly, rage harboring inside her.

"Don't worry. They'll get their own." Audrey gripped the bedrail and maneuvered herself around the cot to the doorframe of the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm looking for a way to get us out of this hell hole." Audrey looked to Rebekah from over her shoulder and gave her a smirk. "You coming?"


Across states, another body rose from a far more peaceful nights sleep than that of the witch. Giuliana was greeted by the morning sun breaking through the sheer gossamer curtains that were draped over her bedroom windows. The sheets skimmed her body as she rolled over and she was greeted by the cool air ghosting over her exposed skin. Her fingers were caught in her tangled hair as she tried to comb her unruly curls. Her muscles ached deliciously, a reminder of what had happened the night before.

It was then that she suddenly remembered exactly what had happened last night. She sat up abruptly, clutching the sheets to her naked body and her eyes darted about the room. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she did recall the feel of the embers from the fireplace against her already heated skin. Giuliana felt her cheeks blushing at the memory of her and Elijah making love and she bit her lip to try and hide her smile. She then became aware that her quick motions might have woken him up, so she slowly looked to the other side of the bed.

However the spot beside her was empty and cold which made her heart sink deep into her stomach and her shoulders fall forward. Had Elijah regretted their time spent together? Was he embarrassed? Ashamed? Giuliana rubbed her hands over her shoulders as her brain ran a million miles too quickly for her heart to catch up. Had she pushed him too far? Did he feel the same? Or were his intentions tarnished by his mother's wicked ways?

The agitated vampire threw the covers off her body and stomped to her adjoining bathroom to wash off the reminders of last night, but she often found her mind wandering to how Elijah's lips kissed every surface of her skin or how his hands cradled her shivering form in the throes of her orgasms. Those memories were quickly squashed thinking of the place in bed beside her that was cold. She emerged from the shower clean and slightly less upset about the Original that had managed to steal her heart and stomp on it.

Giuliana reached the bottom of their stairs just as she tied her damp hair in a bun and was greeted by the sounds of Hayley cooing to Hope in the kitchen. The sight of it made Giuliana smile and she pressed a kiss to Hope's forehead.

"Good morning ladies."

"Morning," Hayley smiled and continued to clean up the plates on the counter. "I'm sorry. I was hungry, so I made breakfast, but you were still sleeping."

Giuliana waved her hand animatedly and walked to the fridge. "No, no. It's alright. I'm going to make something now."

"So, how was your night last night?" Hayley asked.

"It was fine," Giuliana replied and continued getting the things she needed from the fridge. When she closed the door, Hayley was staring wily at her with Hope on her hip.

"What?" The vampire turned away to place the ingredients on the counter.

"Just fine?"

"Mmhmm."

Not satisfied with her friend's answer, Hayley leaned herself against the counter and watched her friend begin to make breakfast. She waited a few more moments for Giuliana to sing like a canary, but when she didn't, Hayley cleared her throat.

"You know, I am a werewolf and we have a very keen sense of smell." She explained. "It smelled awfully heady in here when I came home."

Giuliana dropped the spatula onto the counter and finally turned to face her friend. "Alright! Jeez! I get it! It smelled like..."

She trailed off seeing Hope in Hayley's arms, not wanting to fill her head with an inappropriate vocabulary. She bit her tongue and rocked on her heel while Hayley was grinning at her from ear to ear.

"So...you and Elijah?"

"Yes, Elijah and I did do...what you think we did." The vampire watched her friend's grin grow impossibly wider.

"Finally."

"Great. As if I couldn't feel any worse about myself." Giuliana huffed and returned to her breakfast. "It's bad enough you know and it's even worse that Elijah didn't—"

"Didn't what?"

Crap.

Giuliana whipped around with her mouth wide open to see Elijah standing in the doorframe of the kitchen with a large brown paper bag in his hands. She rocked nervously on the balls of her feet and fiddled with the spatula in her hand, trying to think of a way to cover up her embarrassment, but it was too late, Elijah had heard it all.

"I...uhm, what I meant was...I..." She was stammering like a fish out of water. If she didn't feel like an idiot earlier, she sure as hell felt like one now.

"You forgot to tell him you needed eggs from the supermarket, so I told him." Hayley jumped in and started taking items from the bag that Elijah had set down on the counter. Giuliana went back to making breakfast, her cheeks hot with a mixture of anger and shame.

"See?" Hayley held up the container of farm fresh eggs before placing them neatly in the fridge. "Plenty of eggs for everyone."

The vampire was so enthralled with watching her own eggs cook in the pan that she hadn't responded to Hayley, nor hear her leave to change Hope. She did, however, feel the stare of the Original behind her. She flipped her eggs over and dared to look up at him, further damning herself into turning into a puddle of want at his feet.

"Good morning." He greeted, a hint of a smile at his lips.

"Morning," she replied.

Elijah looked as if he wanted to say more, but what more could he say? He could feel her anger welling inside her and he couldn't blame her for being unhappy with him after last night. They spent a passion filled night together, their whispers of lust feeding their innermost desires until they were both satiated. Giuliana had fallen asleep in his arms, unable to keep her eyes open, but her lover was far from relaxed. The Original looked down at her spent body and watched the nightmares from his mother take over. Instead of a body covered in love bites, Giuliana's was marred with bruises. Her olive skin had become broken, damaged, pale, and cold. Her closed, sleep-filled eyes were suddenly open with a horrified expression holding them. Lastly, her lips which he had kissed were pulled apart as though she was screaming for mercy at his bloodied hands. In a panic, he had backed away from her, willing the nightmare to go away, which it did, but his heart was still hammering away inside his chest. He brought her upstairs to her room, laid her down on the bed as if she were a delicate flower and disappeared into the night. He didn't know where to go, but he had to just get away.

"Sleep well?" Her question caught him off, punishment for doing the same to her just moments earlier.

"No." His reply made her stomach drop as though she'd been kicked hard. "Giuliana, I'm s—"

"Sorry?" She whipped around to face him, mix of anger and sadness painting her features. "Yeah, me too."

In seconds, she zoomed out of the kitchen, leaving the Original burned just like the eggs she'd forgotten in the pan.


"Now that we've entombed our mother, I intend to finish making the city safe for Hope. Which, to start, means dealing with the lingering problem of Finn." Klaus announced. A group of them had been called to gather in the living room area of the house after Klaus had introduced Cami to Hope. Elijah stood the window, the farthest from everyone else and certainly the most detached. Cami sat on the couch while Giuliana leaned against the bookcase, opposite from Elijah.

Cami heaved a heavily sigh and held her hands under her chin. "Oh, once he figures out what you've done to your mother, he's gonna go off the deep end."

"Yeah, putting literally all of us in hot water." Giuliana added bitterly.

"That's exactly why we need to keep you out of harm's way." Klaus pointed to Cami. "Hayley, Giuliana, and I will return home and take care of my wayward brother. Elijah will remain here with you."

Giuliana wanted to protest. Cami staying with Elijah would not end well. At least having another vampire in the house would even the playing field slightly. Hope was a factor as well. What if Elijah's shadowed nightmares took over and went for Hope? Elijah would never forgive himself if he allowed that to happen. Cami chewed on her words and her bottom lip, nervously glancing between the pair of brothers.

"He's been experiencing some side effects since his ordeal as our mother's captive. Best he stay here and convalesce." He smirked at his brother's back.

Elijah finally turned to face his brother, offering him an offended look, clearly patronized by his brother.

"A single violent outburst at a filthy road-side café, and one never hears the end of it." He sighed heavily.

"Oh, Cami has a way with minds plagued by demons, brother. You two can bond!" Klaus chuckled excitedly. Giuliana looked between Elijah and Cami, possibly wondering if her anxiousness could outweigh their own.

"Well, if you excuse me, I best be on my way!" Klaus stated with a smile. "Rebekah should have already woken up in the body of Angelica Barker. Once she has cut the ties of Miss Barker's former life, she'll make her way directly here. You should expect her shortly."


"This place sucks." Audrey groaned as she and Rebekah walked downstairs. Shortly behind them walked Cassie, the Harvest girl whom Esther had taken control of. She too had become stuck in the house shortly after Esther's soul had left her body. She warned Audrey and Rebekah that there was no escaping the Fauline cottage and while many witches had tried and failed, death always awaited them no matter how close they came.

"Don't say that too loud." The tiny redhead piped up from behind them.

"What? I'm just speaking the truth." She mumbled.

"Don't let them hear you." Cassie hushed back to her. Audrey rolled her eyes as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Who?"

Cassie ducked behind the two girls just as a figure walked past them. She was a tall blonde haired woman with deep scars embedded in her cheeks. She scanned the witches up and down, scrutinizing their every detail. When she was finished, she stalked away from the trio, leaving them to their idle chatter.

"Them." Cassie replied once the woman was out of ear-shot. "The Kindred."

"Oh, I don't know if I'm in the mood for a longwinded history lesson." Rebekah moaned.

Cassie ignored the comment and cleared her throat. "Years ago, they got obsessed with dark magic; necromancy, immortality spells. So, the coven locked them up here. Since then they've kind of put themselves in charge."

"I imagine I have some sore at me for trying to kill them last night." Audrey continued weaving throughout the house. She came to a large family room of some sorts where the other witches were keeping to themselves. Some sat in front of an old TV while some played games at corners of the room. Thin beams of sunlight crept through the boarded up windows and a thick layer of dust covered just about every surface in the house. Some members of the Kindred were scattered about the room, keeping a careful watch on the lot of witches who all kept their heads down.

"They say this place is haunted." Cassie spoke up.

"I don't blame them for saying so." Audrey replied, a frown pulling at her lips. "This place is awful. This room should be pulsing with power, but...it's dead."

"How'd it get like this?" Rebekah asked.

"There's lots of versions of the story, but they all start the same way- with Astrid Malchance and Mary-Alice Claire." Cassie gestured to a wall with two portraits hanging on rusted nails. The women were young and vibrant, such opposites of the house they called a prison for many years.

"Any relation to Davina Claire?" Audrey wondered, her eyes finding similarities between the two women.

Cassie nodded. "She thought she could betray one Mikaelson brother without another sneaking up behind her and sticking a knife in her back. She and Astrid came to this house in 1914 and never left."

"Serves them both right." Audrey smirked. "Stupid girls."

"Audrey!" Cassie hissed and the witch's smirk only grew wider.

"What? And Mary-Alice's little living descendent is a real pain in my ass."

"You mean Davina?" Rebekah asked.

"We're not on the best terms." She said. "She keeps trying to kill my boyfriend and she's lucky I don't rip out her intestines and use them as a hula hoop."

The Original looked back at up the portraits on the wall and a cloud of dread washed over her as she thought of the fate those two girls shared. Betraying a Mikaelson always ends in death or worse. "What happened to them?"

"They were imprisoned here over a century ago by your brother." Cassie said sadly. "Then, the coven started to put others here too. Ones broken by magic; witches like me."

"So, that's it, then? They just lock you lot up and throw away the key?" Rebekah asked.

The tiny redhead shrugged. "The most you can do is try to keep your head down. Witches have tried to make it out of here, but no one has ever made it out alive."

Audrey uncrossed her arms from her chest, clenching her fists at her sides. "That's ridiculous. I'm not staying in this asylum."

"And how do you propose we get out?" Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer worth her while. Audrey jutted out her hip and bit her bottom lip as she scanned the room. She saw no phones hanging on the walls, so asking for her one phone call was out. The windows and doors were also spelled to stay completely locked no matter how much force was slammed against them. Audrey was then distracted by the girls at the table; one of them had dropped some tiles onto the floor. One of them skittered to the toe of Audrey's boot. The letter T stared up at her and an idea suddenly sparked in her head. She picked up the tile and showed it to the two witches.

Rebekah quickly caught onto her while Cassie seemed unsure. "We just send them a message."


In the courtyard of the compound stood two distinct groups. One were creatures that fed on blood and could only walk in the sunlight with a lapis lazuli ring. The other were slaves to the full moon and beastly creatures of the woods where they called home. Both sworn enemies since the beginning of time, but today they were in the same space facing one another in an effort to reach a truce of some sort that would benefit both sides. Hayley stood at the head of the wolves with Jackson by her side while Marcel stood opposite her with a couple of his key vampires just off his shoulders. Giuliana and Josh hung towards the back, wanting to stay as much out of the frontlines as possible.

"So, anyone else getting some serious West Side Story vibes right now?" Josh whispered to her.

"Are we the Sharks or Jets?" Giuliana nudged him with her elbow.

"I don't know, but you have to admit, Sharks is a badass name for a gang." He said.

"Oh, we're a gang now?" She chuckled.

"At this rate, we might as well be the Montagues and the Capulets." His eyes found Aiden across the room who was obviously with the wolves, but Josh wished he could be with him.

Giuliana frowned. "I'm sorry Josh. I know you like Aiden. Maybe this will all die down soon."

"And if it doesn't?"

"They can't tell you who to love." The vampire sighed, her mind going to Elijah and wondering how he was doing with Cami. As much as she still wanted to be angry with him, she loved him and didn't want any harm to come to him. "It just...happens. You can't control it."

"Looks like the two of us are having some relationship issues." Josh murmured.

"At least Aiden looks at you. Elijah can't even be in the same room with me and not want to rip my throat out with his teeth."

"I thought that would sound hotter coming out, but I was wrong. It's downright terrifying." The male vampire pursed his lips.

"So, I have to ask," Josh's voice trailed off and Giuliana looked to him to finish his train of thought, but all he did was wiggle his eyebrows at her.

"Oh God, you're worse than Hayley," she mumbled.

"Was the, "Oh God" a bad one or a good one?"

Giuliana could feel as though every vampire was looking at her, but in reality they were still concerned with the finer points of the upcoming truce that would hopefully be put into place. She then realized the only one in the room looking at her was Josh and she knew he wouldn't leave her alone until he got his answer. She tried to fight the smile that found its way to her lips.

"Oh, that good, huh?"

"It was, but...it didn't feel like it was really him." She said, but Josh looked as confused as ever. "His mother's curse...I still think its impacting him. I don't even know if he truly wanted to do it. Maybe it was just the curse and Esther wanted to prove a point to him?"

Josh was frowning now, knowing all too well the burn of being with someone who didn't truly want him for him. "Well, then the next thing you have to do is break that curse. Then you'll know if it was real or not."

"I hope it was." She whispered more to herself than to Josh. She loved Elijah, truly loved him. She wished on every star in the night sky that he would return it. A grumbling from the crowds made the two vampires draw closer, eager to hear how the negotiations were coming along.

"You wolves are here because you want freedom. And, I promise you, if you stay, you will be free. But..." Hayley looked to Marcel who seemed to be intently listening to every word. Her people came to try and form a truce and she would do her best to make sure her people were protected.

"We need as much help as we can get." She added.

"My vamps and I are willing to stand with you against the witches. In return, all I want is a promise that there will be peace between our sides after the wedding." Marcel brokered.

Jerick, a burly werewolf stepped through the crowd of his pack to meet Marcel halfway. "You're the one who spent the last one hundred years killing and cursing us!"

"Which means you might wanna listen to what I have to say." Marcel interjected.

Suddenly, Finn had joined them in the courtyard, interrupting their negotiations. He looked to each side with disdain, silently cursing the existance of each vampire and werewolf in the entire world.

"I see you're brokering a truce between mongrels and parasites!" He called to the crowds and he was met with angry glares. "And just how long do you think that's really going to last? A month? A week? A day? What you don't yet seem to understand is that the only thing that can exist between your two degenerate species is hatred, war, and death."

The warlock was backing away from them now and some stragglers from both sides had broken rank to slowly stalk his movements. Finn continued to move until he was under the archway of the compound. The outliers of each side were ready to pounce, but Finn blew on his fingers, casting a spell over the entire compound. The walls shook violently and those within the compound gripped onto one another to keep themselves standing. Finn then slammed his hand onto the brick of the archway and smirked at everyone's alarmed faces. The trembling stopped and Gia was the first to rush at Finn, however she was stopped by a barrier that burned her hands. Shouting in anger, she yanked her hands away and Marcel joined her. He poured over her healing hands and then to the barrier that was now in front of them.

"But, I imagine, given a little time confined together you'll come to see things the way I do." Finn then turned on his heel and left the group who was both worried and furious about what was to come within the next few hours if something wasn't done.

"We're all royally screwed." Giuliana groaned.


Rebekah closed the door behind her before she reached into her pocket and spilled some lettered tiles onto the floor. Audrey dropped to her knees and took some more tiles from inside her bra and had them join Rebekah's. With quick ad nimble fingers, the two pieced together a message to send to the Mikaelson brothers. Hopefully this plan would work because without it, they were back to square one.

SOS R AND A WITCH ASYLUM

"All we have to do is just pop this message off to my brothers." Rebekah placed the last tile down and held out her arms toward Cassie.

"Give me your hands and lead the way, I don't know what I'm doing."

"I can't." Cassie shook her head. "The pills they give us are lobilia flower. It makes it impossible to concentrate. No one can do much magic here."

"Those pills pack a wallop." Audrey shook the haze from her brain only to have it swoop back in again. She hadn't been feeling the affects of the pill because she had been in so much pain from her injuries.

"You're a Harvest girl, for God's sake! Now, pull yourself together!" Rebekah huffed and gestured for her hands again. Cassie reluctantly clasped Rebekah's hands and slowly spoke the incantation, so Rebekah could follow her lead. Soon, the girls were speaking in perfect time and a subtle wind began to circle within the room.

"Vain ce message ça a le main sur la vain." The girls repeated their chanting for a few more moments when suddenly the door flew open, revealing a member of the Kindred. She stared down at the three women with suspicion in her eyes before speaking to them.

"Time to eat." Her gruff voice made all three of them rise from the floor and follow one another outside the room, down the stairs and into the dining room like a herd of cattle. The Kindred member closed the door to keep up with the girls and only when everyone had gone from sight, the tiles on the floor were magically scattered out of order.


"This is getting out of hand." Giuliana pressed her fingers to her temples.

"I agree with Giuliana, things are getting testy out there. Come on, we better move this along." Marcel said.

"Uh, Vincent's boundary is too strong." Kol's confession made the other three vampires audibly groan. "But, what Davina and I can do is cast a destruction spell. It would temporarily neutralize all magical objects in the compound, including the compound itself. If it works? Well, then it will give us sixty seconds to escape whilst the boundary is shut down."

"Fine. Let's do it." The green eyed vampire nodded. "It's the only chance we have, so we might as well take it."

Marcel agreed, looking favorably to Kol. "That sounds good to me.

"If the spell works," Klaus stressed. "It will suppress all magical objects in the vicinity. That means your rings."

Giuliana peered down at the lapis lazuli ring that was perched on her finger. "Dammit."

"And if we go outside in the sun without our rings, we're dead." Marcel sighed.

"Unless you wait for nightfall." The Original hybrid offered to which Marcel cast a look out toward the courtyard to see the vampires all gathered in one corner. A couple of them were anxiously pacing back and forth, making Marcel uneasy about waiting a few hours until night.

"It could work." The green eyed vampire said.

"They're also new. They're not going to be able to fight the hunger. We can't wait until nightfall." Marcel shook his head sadly. Finn had completely managed to screw everyone over by casting a spell that would accelerate the hunger of the vampires in the courtyard. "We're going to have a bloodbath on our hands before we even get close."

"But we can't stay in here with the wolves either." Giuliana pointed out. "What else should we do?"

"Once again, I bring up the very important "if" statement." Klaus mentioned. "Keep in mind, you're resting the very fact that my brother and Davina will complete the spell correctly is on your shoulders."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, brother." Kol mumbled under his breath.

"Don't mention it."

"He makes a good point." The female vampire drummed her thumbs against the iron wrought table, her eyes piercing into Kol's. "We're risking a lot trusting you."

"You're just agreeing with my brother because you don't like me." Kol wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Well, you did try to kill my little sister and then me. Or did you completely forget about that?"

"Still sore at me for that?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "That's a nine-hundred year old grudge, darling."

"Italians are good at holding grudges." She shrugged.

"This bickering is getting us nowhere." Marcel's proclamation brought them both back to the issue at hand.

"Marcel, we have to take that chance. Josh, Gia, and I will be there to help keep the other vampires in line."

"I don't know." He rubbed his temples, feeling a slight bout of hunger scratching at his throat. Giuliana stood from her seat and patted Marcel's shoulder. She could the nervousness within him coming off in waves and she wish she knew what to tell him but she was at a loss for options. She gave him a small smile and left the room, closing the doors behind her, so they could speak in private.

Giuliana took a deep breath, exhaling her anxious fears before walking to meet the vampires at the end of the courtyard. Gia was nursing a bottle of dark brown alcohol while Josh picked at a hole in his jeans. The rest of the vampires were quietly chatting among themselves in an effort to keep their hunger at bay.

"How are we holding up?" She sat beside Gia who took a long swig before answering.

"We're fine for now, but we're losing ground fast. I don't know how much longer we can last." Her eyes then caught movement behind Giuliana and she bad to wonder if she was imagining things, but it wasn't until some of the wolves turned that she realized something was about to go down. One of the vampires had been slowly inching his way toward the wolves as if he was in a trance of some sort. His hands were shaking by his sides and Gia could only guess that Finn had sent him some more hunger pangs.

The wolves could feel his presence getting closer to them and most of them turned to face him, glaring and growling at the unwelcome visitor. The males gently nudged the females behind them in a protective nature and for the most part the two sides were at a silent standstill until one of the wolves, Jerrick, broke rank and marched to meet the vampire.

"What are you looking at?" Jerrick growled and shoved the vampire back.

"You want a piece of me?" He hissed as he regained his footing. Jerrick then picked up a nearby wooden table and smashed it to pieces with his bare fists. He and another werewolf picked up a splintered leg each to use as stakes. They swiped at the lone vampire when Aiden rose to break up the fight.

"Hey!" He called to his pack mates, but they were more concerned with trying to get the vampire away from them. Jerrick whipped around, but Aiden wasn't quick enough to dodge the sharp edges of the makeshift stake. A long, bloody gash donned his forearm and the sudden smell of fresh blood sent the vampires into a frenzy. They all began to creep closer, circling around Aiden and the wolves were rallying together as well. Gia crouched down, hissing and snapping her teeth, but just as she was about to lunge Giuliana tackled her to the ground.

"Gia, no!"

"Just one bite!" She fought.

"I can't let you do that." Giuliana's grip tightened on Gia's wrists.

"Get off me!" The vampire wriggled about, but Giuliana held onto her, doubling down.

Gia lifted her knee, bashing Giuliana in the stomach and with her captor distracted she zoomed for Aiden. She got close to the dog pile of vampires and werewolves, but Giuliana yanked her ankle, sending her flying across the compound. The green eyed vampire remained on her hands and knees, panting heavily but that did nothing to quell the hunger that was stirring deep in her belly. She could feel the taste of Aiden's blood on her tongue as if she'd dug her fangs into the skin of his neck. Her sharp canines pricked at her bottom lip and her eyes became clouded with red ribbons of hunger. The sounds of the fight were slowly drowning out.

Her mind was then brought back to Elijah; poor, tortured Elijah. What she was currently feeling must only have been a portion of what he was experiencing all because his mother wanted to teach him a lesson. Even an Original of his advanced age and restraint had a difficult time keeping his hunger at bay. She didn't know he hadn't managed to rip her throat out the night before. Lord knew he had the opportunity; he had multiple chances to tear into her, but he steeled himself, only drinking till he was full. Her heart sank into her chest at her remembrance of how she treated him this morning. In that moment, she promised herself if she made it out of this alive that she'd apologize to him.

"Joshua! You get away from him right now!" Klaus' booming voice from up on the balcony shook the compound and the thirsty vampires from themselves. In his hunger, Josh had disabled the other vampires from Aiden, but it was only because he wanted the werewolf for dinner. The vampire was pulled off Aiden by a companion while Marcel held Jerrick back. Both sides backed away, retreating to their respective corners of the room. Giuliana got to her feet and helped Gia who had been temporarily knocked unconscious from the blow.

"That really hurt." Gia grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll thank me later." Giuliana waved her hand through the air.

"Davina! Start the spell!" Marcel shouted to Kol and Davina who were waiting just outside the archway where Finn had trapped the vampires and werewolves inside their prison. Davina started crushing her herbs while Kol readied the space on his side by lighting thick candles near their feet. Klaus descended the stairs of the balcony and both parties shied away from him. He stood beside his brother who was now holding his hands up against the barrier. Davina's hands matched his perfectly and they chanted too quietly for the others around them to hear. The murmurs stayed that way and it became harder to hear as a strong gust of wind tore through the compound. It licked at the candle's flames and snuffed them all out completely.

The compound suddenly calmed and everyone inside had gone silent. Kol and Davina dropped their hands, uncertainty in their eyes as they were not sure that spell had worked. Hesitantly, Davina lifted her hand to the barrier and gently pushed through it. With a smile, she nodded to Kol and took her hand back to her side. Hayley's eyes met hers and Kol waved the wolves onward toward the archway.

"Okay, Jack, now!" Hayley patted Jackson's shoulder.

"Come on, go!" He rushed the wolves out of the compound along with Hayley while the vampires remained in the shadows.

"Remember, sixty seconds!" Kol ushered the last few wolves out and was about to follow them himself, but Klaus appeared before him.

"Slight change of plans, brother." He grabbed Kol's neck and threw him into the compound. He crashed to the floor and cut his forehead while Klaus stepped on the other side of boundary.

"I no longer have to treat you as anything but the treacherous liar that you truly are."

"What the bloody hell?"

"Where are they?" He growled.

Kol was quickly alerted to the hungry vampires at his back, but luckily for him he was encased in a pool of sunlight. For now, he was untouchable, but sunlight would only last until the boundary spell went back up again.

"Please! They'll kill him!" Davina pleased with Klaus.

"Well, he should have thought about that before he betrayed our sister and myself. Rebekah never made it to her new body, did she?" Klaus stared down at his brother, waiting for an answer. "And, seeing as you cast the spell and, well, you're you. I'd hardly call it an uncrackable case!"

"Rebekah's fine, Nik!" Kol explained and walked to his brother. "It was a prank, nothing more than anything you lot have done to me.

"And what about Audrey? Mother has no idea what happened to her, so I'm assuming you're the mastermind behind that as well."

Kol pressed his fingers into the bridge of his nose. "Nik, you have to understand...Mother, she—" He shouted out when he crossed the boundary which had been put back up. He cradled his hand to his chest and realized he was as good as dead. Tears stung Davina's eyes as her gaze flicked from the vampires to Kol.

"Ooh. Barrier's back up." Klaus smirked. The vampires then started to swarm around Kol. "And those vampires look oh-so hungry. Now, I was willing to welcome you back in my home, but you had to return to your petty, selfish jealousies! Well, let's see how well they help you survive when you're stuck in there!"

Davina gripped onto Klaus' sleeve like a child afraid of a storm. "Klaus, please they're going to kill him!"

Klaus yanked his arm from her grasp, her hand falling to rest at her side. "My brother took two very important things from me. Perhaps this will teach him not to betray me for the last time."

He stormed away from Davina who looked back at Kol who was scrambling away from the vampires that were circled around him. He unexpectedly bumped into Marcel who was starving and filled with rage.

"Woah, woah, woah." Kol raised his hands innocently.

"Marcel..." Davina called weakly. He cast a glance at her over his shoulder and after seeing her face, he reluctantly turned to Kol and shoved him toward the staircase leading up to the balcony.

"If I were you, I would make myself scarce. Go!" Marcel blocked the staircase, so the other vampires wouldn't follow and Kol rushed up them without protest.


After dinner, Rebekah and Audrey snuck back up to their room while Cassie remained downstairs with some of the other witches. Audrey took Rebekah's advice and slipped her pills inside her bra during dinner to avoid taking them and thankfully it had worked. The effects of the pills from the other evening had started to weaken and Audrey was beginning to feel like her old self again. Her powers were gently thrumming beneath the surface and she nestled them close to her until the time would come to use them. To the girl's dismay, the tiles on the floor were still a mess which could mean that their message had not been received yet. Rebekah went for the windows and tried to yank them open, but everyone she came to was locked tight.

"Kol." She growled in frustration, promising she'd kick his ass once she got out of this insane asylum.

"So, why would your brother lock you in this place?" Audrey asked her curiously.

"Probably to play a little joke."

The witch made a face. "Quite the joke."

"Although I don't really know why you're here." She shrugged.

"I'm putting money on your darling mother, but I kinda thought she liked me." The witch said. "Guess not."

"What gave you any indication that she liked you?"

"She seemed awfully concerned with how Klaus and I met."

"I remember that night. He was quite smitten with you." Rebekah smirked.

Audrey smiled. It was the first time she had smiled since she was in this awful place. "I was smitten too."

"I'm just surprised you've hung around this long. I figured after Mikael killed you and you came back from the dead that you'd move on." She sat on her lumpy cot.

"Mikael didn't scare me." She joined her, folding her hands in her lap. "Hayley did."

Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed. "Hayley?"

"Think about it. You come back from the dead to find the man you loved has knocked up some girl and is going to be a father. Part of me is still scared." Audrey twiddled her thumbs. "I feel like I'm an outsider a bit...Hope is Klaus and Hayley's daughter. I don't have any claim to her. I can't make any decisions concerning her, but when I looked into those blue eyes today...I wanted nothing more than to protect her with my entire being."

Rebekah's face softened, her mind traveling to that little baby who changed all of them for the better. "Hope is blessing to us all. Being with that baby for the past four months made me realize what is really important. You miss out on a lot being a vampire. I would have always liked to have children, you know?"

"I'm sorry you can't." She'd always taken it for granted that witches in her coven could pass along their powers to their offspring and while Audrey had no intentions of having a child of her own, her heart ached for Rebekah.

The Original remained quiet for a few moments before a wry smile tugged at her lips. "That just means we get to spoil Hope all we want."

Audrey's grin matched Rebekah's. "Your brother would kill us."

"Oh please. He'll only be a father once." The girls shared a giggle, but that was silenced when the sound of the plastic tiles moving on the wooden floor. They watched in awe as they assembled themselves into an order to spell out a question.

WHO ARE YOU

The Original peered down condescendingly at the tiles. "Rebekah bloody Mikaelson. Who the hell are you?"

They were met with no response. Something then compelled Audrey to remove herself from the bed and kneel beside the tiles. She held her hands out over them, her eyes falling closed as she focused on the energy over them. It was weak, but it was there. It was the first time she felt any inkling of magic since waking up in the house. She pressed the wisps of magic further, asking for some kind of guidance, but was met with nothing.

"Audrey..." Rebekah's panicked voice fell on her ears.

"What?" Audrey's eyes remained closed, wanting to keep her concentration.

"Audrey, look!"

The witch opened her eyes and kneeling opposite her was a woman with blonde hair in a black lace dress with a shroud covering her face. Audrey's blood ran ice cold in her veins and she went to pull her hands back, but the woman clamped onto her wrists. Audrey's eyes instantly turned black and she was shown visions of a woman with dark hair carrying a screaming child away from a crying redheaded woman. The witch felt the chill of the snow falling from the sky and the embers of the camp fire outside the humble hut nestled deep in the woods. She must have been sent back through time, she didn't recognize any of the faces or the place she was in. The child's wailing echoed in Audrey's ears and she felt sick watching the redhead fall to her knees in grief.

"Audrey, stop!" Rebekah grabbed Audrey's shoulders, yanking her back from the ghostly figure. The witch tumbled back and the woman disappeared in a flash. Before Audrey and Rebekah could utter a word about what they just witnessed, the door to their room flew open, revealing two members of the Kindred. They looked at them suspiciously and Rebekah got to her feet.

"She was just here!" She shouted at them as she moved back from them. The shorter Kindred approached her cautiously. Audrey joined Rebekah's side, her eyes moving between the Kindred members.

"No, you don't understand. There was someone in my room! Just listen to me, okay? There's a girl! A girl in black!" In Rebekah's panic, she knocked into her cot and her pillow fell to the floor along with the pills she had been hiding.

The taller Kindred member clenched their fists as the pills rolled along the hardwood floor. "She hasn't been taking her pills!"

They both descended on Rebekah, hands grabbing at her and yanking her this way and that, but they suddenly halted feeling a burning heat come over them. Rebekah looked up to see Audrey's hands outstretched toward the two Kindred. Her fingers glowed a warm red and Rebekah's captors were thrown away from her. Their skin began to sizzle and they wailed out in pain as their bodies burned from the inside out. Their screams were silenced once their vocal cords melted away and all that was left were two charred corpses on the floor of the room.

Rebekah's hands flew to her mouth, a gasp leaving her throat as she stared down at the pair of Kindred. "You killed them..."

Audrey cast a glance at Rebekah over her shoulder. "I couldn't let them bust you for the pills."

The Original was about to speak, but she saw a dark shadow run past the open doorway and down the hall. The two of them immediately rushed after it, seeing it standing before a set of stairs leading to the upper level of the home. The ghost girl ran up them and Rebekah took Audrey's hand as she followed her.

"Here's hoping you're a friendly ghost."

They made it to the top of the stairs and were met with a locked door. Rebekah and Audrey pounded against it, but the door remained shut. Audrey looked for another alcove the ghost could have ducked down while Rebekah threw her shoulder into the wood.

"Stupid human body!" She slammed against the door again, but nothing happened.

"This is ridiculous. Where did she go?" Audrey asked. "And who was she?"

"The hell if I know." A winded Rebekah hit the door one final time and then leaned against the adjacent wall. "This door is locked. There's no way we're getting past it."

"Did we imagine her?"

Rebekah shook her head defiantly. "She was real. She touched you."

Audrey shivered at the memory. "I know."

The girls suddenly felt as though they were at a loss. The door wouldn't budge and downstairs they would have to deal with explaining the two dead Kindred on their floor. Just as they were ready to give up and head downstairs, the door lock clicked and the hinges creaked as it opened for them. Audrey checked for anyone following them before she beckoned Rebekah into the room with her. It was covered in dust; clearly no one had disturbed it in years. It was mainly barren of all furniture except for a coffin wit a clear lid in the center of the room. Resting inside was the blonde haired shrouded girl that had led them there. Clutched in her hand was a blue and silver necklace that hung around her neck.

"What the hell?" Audrey whispered, unsure of what to think of their discovery.

"Why do they have a girl in a bloody coffin in here?" Rebekah drew closer, but was afraid to investigate further.

"I don't know, but—" A loud creaking noise from outside the room made Audrey hold her breath. Had more of the Kindred come for them? Or had their ghostly friend decided to join them? They both took one final look at the coffin before leaving the room and entering back into the hallway. As soon as they were out of the room, the door slammed shut behind them and to their dismay, a group of Kindred were waiting for them and they did not look happy.

"Who killed them?" The blonde one stepped forward, eyeing the two girls. Audrey immediately stepped in front of Rebekah, knowing she had to take the fall.

"I did."

The blonde Kindred snarled and the entire group grabbed for Audrey who did not fight them. She knew what fighting would lead to, so she allowed them to take her. Rebekah was panicking again. If they did that much damage to Audrey for not obeying them, she could only imagine the punishment for killing not one, but two of their members. She also assumed that she would be punished too since she was a guilty party as well. She swallowed thickly and stared down at the one Kindred was left behind. Following Audrey's example, she offered her arm and muttered.

"I'll come willingly."


I wish to be a part of Hope's life.

Klaus' watering blue eyes read over Audrey's wish for the thousandth time that evening. After he left the compound, he arrived at the cemetery to see the crypt empty and his mother gone. An empty blood bag lay crumpled on the floor and Klaus thought he would send his fist through the stone walls that surrounded him. His pious mother had taken his deal which he hadn't expected in all his planning. Not only did he have Finn to worry about, but his mother was also back on the loose. It seemed that he just couldn't win even at his own game that he had crafted so carefully and aligned the pieces in his favor. He called the necessary parties to deliver the news and confined himself to an iron-wrought balcony that overlooked a dimly lit New Orleans street.

He now knew why she was so rigid and hesitant the day before. She was afraid of overstepping herself with Hope and Hayley. He and Hayley had their past, but their future was to take care of Hope at all costs and protect her from any kind of danger. Audrey had been doing that long before she even met Hope, so Klaus immediately felt as though she had granted her own wish without even realizing it. He held the paper tightly in his fist, vowing to get her back from whatever place Kol sent her. In a perfect world, Rebekah and Audrey would be together, but the world was not perfect nor was Kol ever neat when it came to executing pranks. Klaus pocketed her wish before making himself scarce from New Orleans. In light of this madness, he had a daughter to go home to.


Hello and Happy belated Thanksgiving to all of you! I am so sorry for my absence lately, but I've been super, super busy with work. Here's the next chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy it ;)

I know not everyone who reads my works celebrates Thanksgiving, but during my turkey coma (it's a real thing, people!) I was overcome by the amount of support I continue to receive for my stories over the years. I know the number of reviews I get per chapter has gone down for both stories and I worry my time might be ending on Fanfiction :( Please continue to review! It let's me know you guys are there and interested. I do want to finish both of these stories to their ends and I do intend to, but I need some help from you guys! Keep being awesome and click that review button!


BrittStar1199: Thank you for reviewing! Yes! Elijah and Giuliana FINALLY did it, but it seems like Elijah is still haunted by his past. I do feel bad for Audrey too. It's an awkward situation for her to be in, but hopefully talking more with Rebekah will give her the strength she needs. Although, those Kindred don't look too happy with Audrey. Will they break her before she can leave the house alive? Muah ah ah ;)

NicoleR85: Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Only reviewer: Thank you so much for reviewing! I like both couples too. I feel like they click well together despite having their disagreements along the way. Hmm, I don't have actresses in mind. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts :) Leave your suggestion in a review!