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Thanks so much for the reviews, favs and follows so far, it's really encouraging.
As always, I own nothing except Aria even though I wish I did. Now let's get on with it!
~*•°•*~
It had been a little more than twenty four hours since Aria's revelation of what the Mikaelsons were doing in New Orleans and for some… insane reason that she couldn't even fathom, she hadn't told anyone.
Not even Kol.
She mentally sighed at the thought of him, last night when she'd been having her little realisation, he'd been watching her pacing her room, murmuring to herself – things that surely made no sense. Never the less, she wanted more of a grasp on the situation before she said anything.
She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard her dad speak. She was in the local tailors with Marcel and Thierry, getting a dress fitted for the party her dad was holding that night.
"Damn, I do look good in a suit." Marcel smirked.
"Please," Aria scoffed, "You'd say that if you were wearing a bin bag. I on the other hand…" She trailed off, twirling around slightly as her dress swayed. She sent a smile towards Thierry as he chuckled before looking over to the tv when photos of two missing people flashed up on screen.
"Are those two the ones you found yesterday?" She asked curiously as Thierry nodded.
"My guy at the docks is gonna come forward as an eyewitness, say he saw those two drunkenly fall into the Mississippi. They'll be dredging for weeks. No one will come looking around here." Thierry assured.
"That's good, considering one's dead in a dumpster behind the county morgue, and the other one is a vampire now. Anything else?" Marcel asked nonchalantly as Aria rolled her eyes.
"You're ridiculous, dad." She murmured, turning away when she noticed the tailor accidentally prick her finger on a pin as she hemmed the trousers Marcel was wearing.
"Allow me, darling." He said, reaching for her hand and gently sucking the blood off of her finger. Aria winced and Thierry took over once more,
"One thing. I sent four nightwalkers to look into a werewolf sighting in the Quarter. I haven't heard from them since." He said as Marcel stood back up and let out an aggravated sigh.
"That makes ten dead nightwalkers in the last week. You think the werewolves are back in town trying to start some trouble?"
Thierry hesitated, "Look, I know you and Klaus are friends, but the fact is, since the Originals showed up-" He began before being cut off by an all too familiar voice.
"Oh, come now, Thierry. You're not still upset about that little, toxic werewolf bite I gave you, are you? I thought we were at bygones." Klaus announced with a smirk as he entered the room.
Aria narrowed her eyes, "I see you've given him free rein of the compound now, too." She spoke.
Klaus turned to her, "Ah. The witch that kicked me out of my former home. As for your question, seeing as my family and I lived here. Built the place, in fact-"
"All right. Come on. Klaus, lay off. Now, I realise you two haven't been properly introduced. Aria, this is Klaus, my sire. Klaus, meet Aria, my daughter. What you and your family did for me, I did for her. So please, no fighting. Klaus is a guest here, so peace. All right?" He said as Klaus stared at Aria in mild surprise before Marcel spoke again, "What you need, my brother?"
Klaus broke out of his stupor and turned to Marcel, "I'm afraid my sister Rebekah is insisting I demand Elijah's return. She's quite worked up about it."
"I'll say." Marcel murmured.
Thierry scoffed, "We're not gonna have three Originals walking around town, are we? Half our guys think the sister killed the nightwalkers."
Klaus turned to Thierry with a glare, "Is that an accusation against an Original?" He asked as Thierry shrugged. Before Klaus could bite Thierry again, Aria sighed impatiently and with a few choice words, flicked her wrist and watched in amusement as they both continued to try to reach each other.
"The barrier is impenetrable. All you're doing is giving me amusement." She grinned.
"Come on kiddo, that's enough, I've got him," Marcel turned to Klaus, "Come on. Walk with me."
Klaus sent a smug smile towards Thierry as Marcel steered him out of the room and into the courtyard, "You okay Thierry?"
He smiled slightly at her, "The Originals are up to something. I know it."
Aria shrugged as she smoothed out her dress, "They probably are. But it's not like we can do anything. Anyways, I have a favour to request of you."
"Shoot."
Aria gave him a cheeky smile, "Do you think you might be able to play your trumpet at the party tonight?"
Thierry chuckled and ruffled her hair, "'Course kid," He grinned before tilting his head over to the door and smiling wider, "Marcel says I'm right. He knows we're on edge, knows that it'll make us nervous if he gives Elijah back now. He thinks it'll give the wrong impression of who's really in charge… And Klaus is not happy at all." He spoke, looking up at Aria with a smirk.
Aria smiled, "Well then, to the city."
"To the city." He agreed, downing a glass of blood.
But no amount of blood dispelled the feeling of foreboding that Aria was currently experiencing.
~*•°•*~
"He's good." Kol announced as Aria continued watching Thierry play his trumpet.
"I know. I asked him to play at the party tonight. Dad calls him 'music man'. I'm not sure if he hates it or loves it. Either way, he's put up with it for decades. I don't think it's ever gonna stop. He's spoken for too, lovely little witch. I don't care much for her to be honest but I guess she makes him happy. He says he loves her, dad isn't too sure."
"Hang on, Marcel's brightest soldier is fraternizing with the enemy, and he doesn't care?" Kol questioned sceptically.
Aria rolled his eyes, "Of course he cares. So do I. But Thierry's a grown man. He makes his own choices, and he gets us good intel. Besides, he's not gonna do anything to jeopardize what we're doing here. We have a community. No one is gonna mess that up."
"But from what I've seen of the witches in this town, they can get quite bold quite easily. I'm sure it's been considered that all the night walkers going missing lately could've been a trap."
Aria turned to him, eyebrows furrowed before she exchanged a look with Marcel at the other side of the balcony, "Well, maybe I'll send a little message to the witches," She murmured. Marcel's lip twitched into a small smirk and tilted his head slightly in a small nod. She leant over the barrier and cleared her throat slightly, "Thierry! Take a team of nightwalkers to the Cauldron tonight. Do a little rousting." She announced as Thierry smirked and nodded, "Oh, and T? Make it nasty."
~*•°•*~
Aria walked into the gala and smiled widely at the sight she was met with. Even though they were mostly to appease humans, these things never failed to make her smile. The acrobats, animals and confetti… all of it.
"You look lovely." Kol spoke from beside her. She smiled slightly and fiddled with the hem of her dress. She was wearing a knee length, sleeveless black cocktail dress. Lace covering her shoulders that reached down to her neckline and covered the rest of the dress over the opaque fabric.
"Thank you," She replied quietly, a small smile on her face that soon turned to a frown once she spotted Klaus and Rebekah on the other side of the room, "What're they doing here?" She sighed. Her frown deepened when she saw Cami, the bartender of whom she had quickly befriended since she'd entered town also walking into the party, taking Klaus' arm a moment later.
"What are they planning?" She murmured to herself, watching as her dad talked to Rebekah. Aria sighed and walked over to Cami,
"Cami!"
"Aria. Killer party."
She shrugged, "What can I say? I like parties like this. Even if it's just for boring work." She added as Cami laughed and Marcel walked over to the duo.
"Aria. Cami."
"As I told Aria, killer party."
Marcel chuckled, "As I imagine Aria has complained about, it's more of a work thing. I would've invited you-"
"Oh, no. We've been on one date. No explanation necessary. You do your thing, I'll entertain myself."
Before Marcel could answer, Aria did for him, "And what? Leave you alone, looking the way you do? Hell with that. Dad will happily stay with you." She grinned before sneaking off, leaving the two amused. She watched as Marcel offered his hand and took Cami out onto the dance floor.
"Playing matchmaker for your father, Darling?"
Aria sent him a look, "Maybe… I mean come on! They're practically already about to kiss I don't know what's stopping one of them from just leaning in! Or…" Aria's expression adopted a wicked smirk and with a small wiggle of her fingers, Cami tripped slightly and the distance between the two became no more.
"You're a cheeky little minx."
"I know." She sighed, a smile gracing her painted lips.
"I fear your happiness may be short lived, Darling." Kol suddenly said, urgency in his tone. Aria spun around and looked at him questioningly before he gestured towards the entrance.
Gestured towards Diego.
To Thierry.
Oh, T, what've you done?
She watched with concern as Diego approached her father and whispered something in his ear. Something that made him angry if the sight of his clenched jaw and fists was anything to go by. She heard him quickly excuse himself from Cami and angrily storm over to the man who was like her uncle and grab him by the throat.
"What did you do?" She heard him growl before Diego inputted, telling her dad not to do it there. She watched as Marcel sighed and back off before storming off, Thierry and Diego following.
"You should go, Darling."
He didn't need to tell her twice.
~*•°•*~
Marcel pulled Thierry into a corner as Aria ran to catch up with them.
"I want to hear your side of it." Marcel whispered furiously as Aria came to a stop around the corner.
"Hey, Marcel, come on-"
Just speak, Thierry.
"Your version. Go." Marcel repeated, his tone angrier than she'd ever heard it before.
"We were tossing the Cauldron. This guy, some nightwalker, he attacked Katie for no reason."
"His name was Max. I turned him, and as far as reasons go, he doesn't need one. She was a witch. He was a vampire. Now? He's dead." Marcel spat as Aria flinched. Thierry had killed a vampire? No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. Not here. Not now. Not him.
"I didn't mean for it to happen." Thierry whispered desperately.
"You broke my most important rule," Marcel said before sighing angrily, clearly conflicted, "Damn it, T. How long we been friends? Seventy years? I turned you into something that would never die. I gave you a gift." He whispered brokenly.
"And I have been loyal to you all this time, and I still am. I'm still your friend, Marcel. I swear, that hasn't changed." Thierry promised before another vampire walked up to the duo.
"We found this at his girl's place." The new vampire - Josh murmured quietly, handing a piece of paper over to Marcel.
Paper? PAPER? What was written on that bloody thing? Why did Marcel look even angrier?
"Still my friend, huh? That's funny, because it looks to me like that little witch of yours got her hands on a spell that I keep locked away." Marcel fumed, his tone angry but his eyes filled with betrayal.
"Marcel, I have never seen that." Thierry said immediately, expression frantic as he quickly went into denial.
Marcel scoffed, "Shut up. I see on your hand, you still have the daylight ring I gave you. So, what would you need with the recipe for making new ones? Unless maybe you and Katie were gonna go off and start a little kingdom of your own?"
Thierry stole the daylight ring spell?
No. No he wouldn't!
Thierry's expression broke, "Marcel, no!"
"Here's a lesson in friendship. Friends don't lie to me, they don't break my rules, and they do not steal what is mine," Marcel spat before turning and taking a calming breath before looking back to Thierry, "Ohh… For the crime of murdering one of his own, I sentence Thierry Vanchure to one hundred years in the Garden."
Aria broke.
"Dad, don't do this." She pleaded, running up to them.
"Aria, leave. Now." Marcel snapped.
"Dad, you know more than anyone that Thierry wouldn't do this." Aria pushed.
"I've made up my mind, and you can't change it no matter what. Now go."
Aria's eyes narrowed and she took Thierry's hand in hers. "No, I'm not leaving. You know that he would never-"
"Aria, leave. Now. I'm not giving you another chance." He growled as Aria went silent. She gave him a look of resentment and clenched her jaw before turning to Thierry. He gave her a half-hearted smile and she hugged him, tears falling down her face before she practically ran away and out onto a nearby balcony, out of view from everyone before she let the tears fall and sobs break loose from her throat.
Thierry would never betray them.
Betray her.
Yes, he loved Katie but he wouldn't turn on them. They'd been his family. Marcel was his best friend and he'd always treated her like a niece. After all, him and Marcel were similar to brothers.
It couldn't possibly be his fault, someone had to have staged it.
She felt a coldness wash over her and let out another gut-wrenching sob, "Leave me alone, Mikaelson."
"Aria-"
"Leave me be!" She yelled, slamming her hands over her ears as she collapsed down onto the ground, tears staining the concrete floor beneath her as yet another handful of sobs were torn from her throat.
This wasn't meant to happen!
Thierry would never betray her! Not even for Katie!
"Katie." She whispered to herself, looking up from the ground, eyes shocked even with the tears still swimming.
This was all about Katie.
Her head snapped down to look at the streets below her, she watched as some vampires led Thierry out of the party and onto the street. She closed her eyes and listened as the wind slowly carried familiar chants up towards her. Her eyes opened and she looked down to her left. Katie was approaching from down the street, chanting.
"Katie, no!" Thierry screamed.
But it was too late.
Katie waved her arm and Aria watched as a lamp's light exploded. All the vampires that were around Thierry including Marcel grabbed at their heads as they fell to the ground in pain. Marcel alone rose back up to face Katie, but she smashed another light and he dropped down again.
Katie forced Marcel down to the ground one more time after he attempted to stand up and she glared at him. Never the less, Marcel stood up once more, "You're here to save your man? Well, come on, little girl!" He growled as he ran to attack Katie, failing as she stopped him in his tracks and he fell down, groaning. Katie lifted a wooden stake above Marcel, and Aria startled, hands outstretched and ready to attack if she needed to.
"Die, you son of a bitch." She spat.
"No! Katie! Don't!" Thierry yelled from his spot on the ground.
Aria let out a strangled cry as she watched Klaus effortlessly run over to Katie and snap her neck, dropping her back to the ground carelessly.
"No." She murmured, watching helplessly as Thierry crawled over to Katie's body and cradled her, "No. Katie. No, no, no, no." He sobbed. Klaus looked over at Marcel and caught his eye, earning a nod.
~*•°•*~
Aria sat at a chair in Davina's attic, expression relatively emotionless as she watched Davina open Elijah's casket yet again to try to figure out how they might be able to replicate the dagger. She could feel the dried tear tracks on her face and barely even flinched at the noise when the door opened and Marcel walked in.
"You're okay! I was so worried." Davina said, running up to Marcel and embracing him tightly.
"Thank you. Whatever you did, I felt it. You helped me."
"It was the old ones, wasn't it?"
"Actually, Klaus is the one that saved me tonight. I'm gonna make things right, starting off by giving him his brother back."
That snapped Aria out of her daze, "No!"
Marcel looked up and though he looked guilty once he saw the tear tracks on her face, he didn't agree, "What? Aria-"
Davina spoke up, "No! No, Aria's right! You said the old ones were dangerous. We won't give him back until we know how to kill them. You can forget asking us otherwise." She said firmly. Marcel took another look between the girls and the coffin before sighing in aggravation and storming out of the room.
Davina sent Aria a sad look, "I'm sorry, 'Ari. Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe we can work on getting rid of that spirit!" She announced. Aria smiled softly at the attempts to cheer her up and nodded slightly.
Davina stood up and walked towards a table, she placed the few trinkets back onto the ground and turned to look at Aria again, "Alright, first off, can you see this spirit? Or just hear it?"
"Both."
Davina nodded to herself as she frowned, "Alright, then that makes things a little more difficult. One thing I learnt when preparing for the… the Harvest was that spirits usually always have some sort of attachment to the living world. A person, an object," Davina smiled slightly and shook her head, "But I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay, so this spirit… do you know if it has a name? If I know that then there's a chance it might be easier to determine what it's attached to."
Aria stared ahead and Davina almost shuddered at the cold look in her eyes, "His name is Kol. Kol Mikaelson."
~*•°•*~
And things are finally starting to get interesting...