That night, Sophie and the other witches laid Blanche to rest, and placing a blessing and charm on Katie's grave elsewhere. Sabine blew out the smoke on a large piece of lavender, then trailed the smoke over Blanche's face. The woman had died looking angry, and the spirit had changed it to looking peaceful. If the ancestors had allowed, Blanche would've simply come back.
But not Katie. Katie was human, and only an extraordinarily powerful witch could revive them. Katie didn't have those kind of allies. But she would be with Thierry again...someday. Sabine wished she had had that kind of loyalty.
Sophie ignored the elder Agnes's scalding glare until she and Sabine were done with the funeral rites.
"This is what happens when you align yourself with such unholiness." Agnes said, keeping the hiss from her voice but not her disdain. Sophie stood with rage in her eyes.
"At least I'm doing something. What about you?" She shot back. Agnes was taken aback, clearly not used to being talked back to that way. Sophie wanted to apologize, lest she be hexed or replaced as the leader of her plans. But instead she stalked from the funeral, eyes downcast. Agnes turned to Sabine.
"You said there was an important message for us from the ancestors." Agnes prompted. Sabine looked at them all, nodding gravely.
"It's a girl. The wolf. And we now know. The child must not live." Sabine said.
Duong hadn't told her what the ancestors had said, only about the gender reveal. If Dew found out Sabine had said this...she'd kill her.
Rebekah walked down the street, looking at details along the way; both to judge and tell Elijah about. He would want to be as up to date on the city's current events as possible.
She stopped short with she saw Marcel flirting with a motorcycle cop. She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, knowing from the build of the cop they were male. Marcel was too charismatic to keep it all in. But to give the man the hope of a chance with him? Shameless. Not even she flirted with women who wanted her unless she was genuinely interested.
She turned around, and Marcel was right before her. With him came heavy panic.
"You're following me." She accused. Marcel glanced at her mouth with the slightest of smiles. She had never stopped thinking that face was sexy. Marcel took a step in, and kissed her. She kissed him back with fervency, but he pushed her against the storefront they were by and broke the contact.
"Maybe you're just in my way." He replied and a twitch of an eyebrow. Holding her eyes, he walked past and wiped the taste of her lips from his.
Marcel went to visit Davina again the next morning, ignoring a priest setting about his duties to prepare for an upcoming mass. He found Davina kneeling barefoot beside Elijah's coffin, looking over the Originals' body from the little door she'd opened. He knew that coffin from decades of looking at it, both when the older brother was daggered inside it, and when he wasn't.
"The coffin's designed to keep the dagger pinned it, in case one of them aligns with a witch who spells the dagger to fly out." Marcel told her. She looked at him. He wanted to keep his promise to Klaus, yet not let Davina think she had the upper hand on him. He loved the kid, but she had no idea what she was getting into.
He watched Davina yank the dagger out with a malicious face, hoping it would hurt him. He knew however, that it would take a lot more than that now, after everything Klaus and his siblings had done to hurt each other.
When Davina studied the dark blood glistening on the blade, she considered wiping it off to get a better view of the metal. But she didn't know how long it would take to rouse the old one again, so she just reveled in ramming the blade back into Elijah's body.
"Sucker's resilient. A cockroach in a suit." Marcel grumbled to himself. Davina stood and went to watch the street from one of her curtained windows.
"Tonight's the annual Dauphine street music festival." Davina piped up. She walked to him. "I want to go," she nearly pleaded. Marcel sighed and looked away.
"You know it's dangerous, D. Witches are looking for you, if vampires notice you're a witch they'll want to do something to you." Marcel crossed his arms. "You know what's in the middle of that Dauphine street? Sophie Deveraux."
"Oh you mean the girl you're crushing on?" Davina teased. "Look, you control the witches. Just make them go away. Just for tonight!"
"I said no." Marcel replied, putting his hands out. Argument over. Davina glared incredulously back at him.
"I stay up here for you, Marcel! I want to protect you from the Old ones, and you won't do this one thing for me?" She protested. He gave her a look. "You forget what I'm capable of." She added. "Did you know I can make blood boil? Even in someone's veins. All I have to do is focus." She focused on Marcel's temple with an uncaring look, and triumphantly saw beads of sweat on his stoic face. Marcel scoffed and her evil smile vanished.
"You forget that witches have thrown a lot at me over the decades. You'd have to do better than that." Marcel replied. Davina's hands balled into frustrated fists and he laughed in spite of himself. "That being said, you do seem intent on going to this thing."
"Good. I was about to test my spell on ripping a vampire's limbs off." Davina threatened playfully. Marcel flashed her a smile.
"If you did that, who would bring you stuff up here?" He joked. "You going out there alone is too dangerous, so I'll give you a chaperone. Long as you don't do that again."
Davina squealed and went to get ready.
"Over the course of my life, I've discovered no shortage of those who would presume to talk of morals." Klaus said, lifting his eyes to still-annoyed Caroline. She had her arms crossed and was glaring back at him. "Was it evil, what we did last night? Or simply a means to an end?"
"Klaus, I'm not saying that if those women were to live your twins would die, or even Elijah would still be in captivity. I'm just wondering if you had to kill them when they were innocent women caught up in a war between a megalomaniac and a son trying to keep his empire." Caroline pointed out. Klaus gave her an amused look. Him in his normal attire made it so much worse. Sure, two people had died that weren't important in the grand scheme of things. But the world kept turning without them, and there were still people left behind to mourn.
"Your sense of good and evil will be the death of me, love." He replied.
"Well, the babies would still have Hayley." She quipped. Klaus turned around and rolled his eyes. He took a few steps around the room, his hands behind his back before he tweaked the position of an ornament next to a mirror, or fiddled with incense sticks left on a writing table.
"Elijah will be returning to us today, or soon at the very least." He caught Caroline's eyes and his face turned from a scolded child to serious "But I feel it would be careless not to warn you of his loyalty to this family." Klaus planted his foot firmly. "If he believes you have the slightest inclination of betraying us after everything your friends had done before, he won't hesitate to harm you." Caroline gulped.
"Elena wouldn't like that." She challenged. Klaus scoffed, about to go on a tirade about Elijah's history with the doppelgangers, "But still, as long as the babies have a protector, I guess I won't need to be here." She added.
"On the contrary. Hayley's given her gratitude for your nursemaid abilities. She'd like you to stay." Klaus stared back at her. Later on, he'd need to persuade Hayley Caroline had desired to stay for her and the benefits of it. Caroline nodded in understanding and he hid his happy smile as he turned around.
"I told you like ten times, Agnes, I feel great." Hayley protested. She had to close the 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' book Rebekah had thrown at her now that Agnes felt the need to pressure her into a doctor's visit. She knew though that Caroline was reading her own copy, and would be able to tell her anything she needed or wanted to know.
Having these babies in her felt like an anchor.
Or a tumor.
"You are overdue for a checkup." Agnes insisted. The elder was right, Hayley had needed to see how the babies were progressing and had missed the last two appointments. But Caroline had been too worried the witches would find out about the surprise twin twist and Hayley would also die along with them. And Caroline wasn't by her side right then to help her with her decision.
"What am I gonna do, pop into the Quarter for a quick ultrasound?" Hayley retorted before freezing. If they actually had that in mind they'd definitely find out about the other baby, wouldn't they? Her relief at Agnes not noticing her body language overtook her when the witch shook her head.
"A pregnant werewolf and a witch in the Quarter is the last thing we want, dear." Agnes assured her.
"A lot of women would kill for a chance to have a baby. Strikes me as odd that you're not taking better care of yours." Rebekah called from her spot in front of a laptop. She was looking at new shoes to buy, and would pick a pair as soon as Elijah returned, then gift him with something as a 'welcome home' present. He practically had a collection of little trinkets by now.
Hayley rolled her eyes at the vampire's comment, and sighed in relief again as Caroline walked in the room.
"I know a doctor's office in the bayou." Agnes said. Hayley looked at Caroline, who seemed to be considering the offer. "I took the liberty of making an appointment for you tonight, just us." Agnes assured Hayley. "Marcel's vampires will never hear a word of it."
"Next time, don't take the liberty." Caroline shot back, then gave a surprised Hayley a smile. "That's the nursemaid's job."
Agnes glared at her then stood. Caroline walked her out of the manor, and watched to make sure the woman was gone and hadn't done anything off. She needed to get a hold of Bonnie, and soon. She didn't know that much about magic beyond what she'd seen Bonnie do, and wanted to make sure Agnes wasn't trying to hurt Hayley without Caroline knowing.
If Bonnie would pick up her phone, that is...
Klaus walked past Rebekah and snorted at what was on her screen.
"Don't start celebrating yet, baby sister." He advised. "Marcel's delayed in returning our brother, nor has he tried to inform me that Elijah's been undaggered, which leads me to assume he's no longer in charge of the situation." He sat down with another crystal pitcher, this one of bourbon.
"Why would you think Marcel would take the dagger out of Elijah then send him to you without it?" Caroline asked as she passed him to get a drink of her own. Klaus smiled at her reply.
"Because then he'd still have a weapon against most of us, which I'm sure he still wants in order to assuage his vampires." He grinned at Caroline as she sat with her drink, but she ignored him and his dimpled evil-cherubim face. "But no matter." He looked away. Rebekah clicked her tongue in annoyance and began searching for shoes again, this time with jewelry.
"If Davina's loyalty to him is strained, then perhaps she'd be open to discussing a new alliance." Klaus added, smirking to Caroline and Rebekah both almost as if waiting for praise. Caroline shook her head.
"Wait I'm lost. Who's Davina again?" She asked. Klaus scoffed.
"A nursemaid would certainly remember these details better, love."
"Just tell me." She snapped in annoyance.
"Davina is the witch Marcel is using to keep Elijah at bay. And the one who the witches want to get back, for reasons they've yet to tell us, though I suspect it's something to do with the Harvest."
"Harvest?" Caroline asked.
"Furthermore," Klaus interrupted, ignoring her question "She's the weapon Marcel is using against the witches, to keep them from using magic. The witches kidnapped Hayley and are trying to use her unborn 'child'," He used air quotations with two fingers, earning a skin-shrinking glare from Caroline, "against me to force me to help them against Marcellus."
"Yeah I knew that last part, Klaus." Caroline replied with a sigh. Her hands balled into fists in frustration. "Ugh, there's just so many variables and people here that I just met! And then things that are happening with Bonnie, and Elena and Damon..." She practically bit her tongue to stop herself spilling anything more.
"Anything we need to know?" Rebekah asked, her eyes still glued to the screen.
"No." Caroline replied a little too quickly. Klaus and Rebekah shared a quick look, luckily Caroline was too busy beating herself up internally to notice. Klaus would try to pull the truth from her later on.
He had placed a hybrid at the place Rebekah had told him Elijah was, and was informed an hour ago Davina would be going to a music festival that night.
He would be going too.
Josh walked nervously around a smokey, dimly lit bar in a basement of Diego Ducasse' house. It was filled with feeding vampires, and had a record player for an overly-used jazz song.
Diego had his mouth buried into an unconscious woman at the bar. Clearly he didn't care if this one lived to give him more blood or not.
"Uh, Diego?" Josh asked. Diego stopped gulping reluctantly, and pushed the woman unceremoniously to the ground, turning to him with disdain. He wiped the excess blood from his lips.
"So, there's that..." Josh cleared his throat "What does it take for someone to fast-track his way to getting a daylight ring around here?" He asked. Klaus had asked him to get one, along with him hating that he couldn't enjoy the sun anymore.
"Getting invited into the inner circle." Diego replied. "For you, that probably won't happen." He added, turning around. He knew something was off about Josh, but he didn't want to even think about what it could be. He didn't know how powerful the Original vampires were, and still enjoyed life too much to be without a heart or a head.
Yeah, you either. Josh thought.
"There's an opening for it though, right?" Josh asked. "I mean because of Thierry..."
Diego sprung from the seat, shoving his face into Josh's.
"Don't talk about Thierry." Diego spat. Josh tried not to flinch at the spittle flying at him "He didn't deserve that. Marcel was showing off for Klaus." He eyed Josh as he went past. He would kill Josh if he thought he could get away with it. "Can't wait until his ancient ass is out of this town." Diego grumbled.
"You and me both!" A female voice quipped. Rebekah walked in with a smile and Diego went to her.
"Look alive, everyone. We got ourselves one high-class Original vampire." Diego called with a smile.
"Mmm, charmer." Rebekah hummed. "What if I told you I could help you out with that in exchange for a tiny bit of gossip?" She eyed him.
"Name it." Diego replied.
"You might've heard that once upon a time, Marcellus and I were quite the item. I've heard that he's moved on and I'd like to find out with whom."
She already knew. But she wanted to make Marcel nervous about carrying on with Sophie under her nose. Maybe even break up with her to 'protect her'. Both from her...and from his vampires. Nevertheless, Diego scoffed and shook his head at her. He went back to sit down.
She followed him.
"Look. I just need the tiniest bit of closure and I'll be sure to take Klaus with me."
"Marcel's going with a lot of women. But if there's someone serious, she'd be somewhere close by. And that my lady, is all I got."
"Hmm." Rebekah replied. "Are you sure? Perhaps he's doing the same as your man Thierry...and carrying on with a witch."
Her excitement leapt as Diego did from his seat again.
"Marcel would not do that. Not to us." Diego snapped. "Now I would ask you to leave, but I'm sure you'd rip my head off. So I'll just, let the suggestion hang in the air."
Much like your head Rebekah almost said. But she knew that if she'd voiced it, Marcel would come screaming at her about threatening his guys. She didn't care for the hassle right then.
Davina led Marcel down the street to the first bar where a loud jazz band was playing. He'd walked down the beginning of Dauphine street with a group of his vampires earlier in the afternoon.
"Tonight's a big night; music, drinking, a lot of eyes watching. Which means no witches." He commanded. "Send word through the cauldron. If witches come through here, we'll kill them. And while we're at it, no Originals. I don't like the way Rebekah's been snooping around." Marcel said decidedly...as if the decisions hadn't been made for him.
"I've got a friend coming in here. Someone important. So, no one goes near the humans tonight. You got it?" He sent the vampires scattering to their work, some giving him suspicious eyes before departing.
Marcel turned to Davina who grinned happily at the swaying trumpeters.
"Is it everything you hoped for?" He asked. She nodded in excitement and his face nearly split from grinning back. "Okay, so we go over the rules."
A man whistled at the edge of the band, cheering them on and Davina's heart quickened. She glanced at the waiting Marcel.
"No talking to anybody about anything, I shouldn't go near witches, vampires, or talk about them, Originals, or you." Davina recited, hopeful Marcel wouldn't change his mind suddenly and just drag her back with him. He nodded instead and smiled at the noise.
"But you also said you weren't going to hover." She replied, swaying on her tip-toes. He gave her a look and she smiled. But soon enough Marcel squeezed her shoulder and went to get her chaperone.
Agnes pulled in front of a one-story house structure, her headlights illuminating how covered-up it was. The shutters were half closed on the one window built into the structure facing them.
"This place is pretty hidden." Hayley noted.
"Marcel drove the werewolves far into the bayou. This was the safest place Dr. Paige could find." Agnes defended. She looked at Hayley and they both unbuckled their seat belts.
"I'll help you out." Caroline said, unbuckling her own belt and hopping from her seat.
"I still have the strength of a regular wolf, Caroline. I don't need to be coddled like an ailing grandma yet." Hayley protested as Caroline gingerly pulled her from her seat.
"Anything can go wrong in a pregnancy this early. We're just taking precautions." Caroline assured her. They followed Agnes into the clinic.
While Agnes exchanged pleasantries with Dr. Paige, Hayley was sent into the patient room which was clean, bright and white in a cozy little room. Then with the door closed, she heard Caroline in a brief argument before the doctor came in.
"Is she not coming in here?" Hayley asked.
"Your friend's been asked to wait outside."
"I want her in here."
"It's my policy, miss."
"Screw your policy, either Caroline comes in here or I'm out." Hayley asserted. Dr. Paige sighed. Then multiple footsteps were heard from the other room. Then Hayley's phone buzzed and she looked at the screen.
Rebekah: Where are you
At any other point of the day Hayley would've ignored her or said she didn't need to be keeping an eye on her right then, but Dr. Paige and Agnes both were giving her weird looks.
The doctor went from the room, hopefully to retrieve Caroline, as Hayley replied.
' At the bayou clinic. Doctor's acting weird. '
Hayley opened the door and saw a group of men had appeared. Agnes was talking to them.
Then Dr. Paige was back and she saw a glint of something metal. The woman clearly had not tried to hurt another living being before, because she did a piss poor job of making the needle fly towards Hayley's neck. She easily wrenched it from the woman's hand and plunged it into the doctor's neck instead, the body quickly slumped to the ground.
Another shuffled then scrap on the floor, and Hayley saw a glint of blonde hair on the floor.
"Hayley, run." Caroline wheezed, pulling herself along the ground as the men charged towards them. She dropped to her haunches and tugged on the vampire's body to get her into the room before slamming the door and locking it. Caroline hissed in pain and gripped Hayley's arm tight with her blunt fingernails cutting into her skin.
"Run!" She insisted, shoving her towards the window. Hayley didn't hesitate to yank the window open, knowing the vampire was still conscious so she'd be alright somehow.
She hightailed it across the open grass and only turned around when she couldn't hear anything anymore.
The new show that played after a Gypsy Jazz song was three people; two guitars and a violin. Davina watched the violinist more intensely as the young man tapped his foot and began to get in the rhythm of the other two, the song becoming louder as the crowd cheered. She had evaded the person that Marcel had set to be her chaperone and followed the young man to another bar.
"What's his name?" The bartender quipped. Davina glanced at a short dark haired woman cleaning a spilled drink and went back to staring at the man.
"Tim." She replied without more prompting.
"He the guy playing the violin?" The woman asked. Davina looked back at her in surprise, the smile on the woman's face making her scatter of freckles pop.
"How'd you guess?"
"I have my magical bartending ways." The woman replied. Davina pretended to laugh, suddenly on edge. The woman didn't notice. "I'm Nancy."
"June." Davina lied. Not that giving the woman a fake name would throw her off the scent if she was indeed a witch, but it would make it easier not to track her down.
"Tim's performed at these music festivals for years. I always try to catch a show, because I haven't been able to talk to him for a couple of years."
"Why not?" Nancy asked. "If you don't mind my rude questions." She mocked herself. Davina laughed.
"Family issues. Real Romeo and Juliet stuff." She lied again. She and Tim had been friends since childhood. Then feelings grew a year before she was yanked out of school like a fish out of water to be tested for the harvest.
"Well don't let your story end up like theirs." Nancy replied. Davina's jaw dropped.
"H-how did it end?"
"I suppose a kid like you wouldn't have learned such a gruesome thing in school, huh. You sure you wanna know?" Nancy asked, now cleaning glasses. The witch nodded. "Suicides. One at one time and one at the other cause they thought the other was dead."
Davina fought the urge to make the woman fly from the bar and crash into other patrons while she made an escape. Marcel would know where she was, it would look bad for him, the vampires would descend on her, not to mention the witches. So she just clamped her fists and nodded, ducking out of the place.
Rebekah walked into the church Sabine had pointed her to and watched a priest polishing already clean goblets, bells and incense holders. The priest glanced back at her.
"Visiting hours are over." He muttered. "Go take a ghost tour if you want some horror."
"I don't much care for horror, padre." Rebekah lied, nearing him. "I do have a question for you however." She noticed blood spatter on the walls. "You took such great care with your mass utensils, yet you leave the gruesome details up for all to see?"
"Not my decision. The man who owns this place wants them there." The priest replied, crossing his arms. Rebekah furrowed her brow.
"Who owns this place?" She asked.
"No one you want to know, young lady." He said.
"Let me ask again." She took a step toward him, close enough to see his pupils. "Who owns this place?"
"And I told you I'm not telling." The priest replied, mildly agitated. She blinked.
"Alright, well at least tell me what's so pretty about these bloodstains." Rebekah taunted. The priest sighed.
"There was a massacre that left this place abandoned. A nun who was requested to be here by another priest who'd left by the time she'd arrived, told any parishioner who would listen about the evils that lurked in this church. And she'd scared enough of them to the point of insanity, that during one sermon three people stood up during a psalm and massacred the rest, including the nun. Her blood is what stains most of these walls."
"Alright then. Mind if I take a look around?" Rebekah put a hand on up to silence the man's protest. "Scratch that. I'm going to take a look around. and if you like I can take your dismembered hands on the walk with me or you can keep them and stay here." The priest stared at her, mouth agape as she breezed by, and checked every room.
Until she got to the attic. The room she couldn't enter.
She could see that Elijah wasn't shoved against the wall like a decoration, but a circle of salt was around him, and his coffin's door was open. She smirked. There have been too many witches that tried to do the same to Elijah, and even if he physically couldn't get out of the circle, his consciousness could. But then she remembered he was daggered and her smile dropped.
"Damn." She said aloud. Then Elijah's eyes popped open to pierce hers.
Rebekah reached out with her mind, and suddenly it was darker. She gasped at the scene. It looked like the inside of Marcel's compound, where the party had been held. But no decorations or other people. She walked through the corridor and found a horse and carriage waiting in the middle of the main part of the compound. No driver, but presents of flowers and a small table and chair set next to it.
"When the blood hell is this?" She asked Elijah, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Why did you take me back to this time?"
"Language Rebekah, please." Elijah chided playfully, walking up from behind her. She giggled happily and threw her arms around him. Then she noticed she was no longer wearing a leather jacket with her hair down. Instead, she wore a ball gown more designed to be worn to an opera than to a ball in her opinion. Her hair was curled in large messy rolls over her scalp, with a large grey hair clip in the shape of a blooming rose. A blue glass-bead necklace framed her neck, but didn't match anything else she wore. It would practically advertise to others in that time that she was a vampire.
Elijah wore a lace shirt under another of his suits, only for this time period the jacket was much longer and had no buttons, and the pants were tighter, with the classic pair of highly polished black shoes. Large amounts of lace spilled from his cuffs, and dangled as he held his hand up to grip hers as they began to walk to the hallway again.
"You don't remember?" He asked. Rebekah gave him an irritated glance. "This was your first induction back into New Orleans society once Niklaus had removed the dagger from you in the 1700s. I was the one to take you, so this is a memory only you and I share."
"How are you awake?"
"Davina had removed the dagger earlier, not knowing that doing so negated its power. And poor Marcellus had not been privy to that knowledge beforehand." Elijah smirked at the unexpected advantage, and Rebekah returned it. "In just a few hours, I'll be as good as new and can simply pull the dagger out myself."
"Put me back into the attic so we can get you out, then." Rebekah demanded.
"I'm not ready to leave just yet." Elijah replied, flashing his sister a smile. "It would be best that this doesn't happen again. Davina is very loyal to Marcel, but also willful. I shall be able to speak with her soon and perhaps gain her trust, propose a truce."
Elijah went to a table against the wall of the dark corridor, pouring a glass of brandy. He had loved that vintage. She walked to him, hearing the sound of her train following behind her as she gestured for a glass for herself.
"If all goes to my plan, Davina will be an ally, and help us keep Hayley and the babies safe."
"If only you could broker peace between the vampires and witches as well."
"What makes you believe I couldn't?" Elijah asked.
"Nik believes that Davina has something important to do with the Harvest." She replied. Elijah lowered the bottle of brandy. Rebekah watched him. "Once I told Sophie about her, she became very interested. The spell that we used to find you was also to find her."
"Well then perhaps I need to inform Davina about what we've learned." He said. He picked up Rebekah's glass and walked it to her. "In the meantime, I need you to look after Hayley."
She considered telling him about Caroline. But decided against it, since he would get overprotective and cross with her that she had allowed Caroline to stay near them.
Rebekah took her glass and they clinked their drinks in agreement. With one small sip of Elijah's favorite brandy, the memory of the taste still clinging to her lips, she blinked and she was back in the attic.
Davina had wandered the streets for an hour, carefully avoiding vampires leering at humans who seemed desperate to give them blood, and avoiding witches who dared get too close to the festivities.
She got to the lip of an alley when she came across a car parked there, and Tim with his violin in case, fumbling with the keys and dropping them.
"Here," She called, trotting over then handing them back to him. Tim's face lit up with a wide grin.
"Vina!" Tim greeted. She unlocked the car for him and he set his instrument down carefully.
They stood facing each other and just grinned for a happy moment.
She had planned to say goodbye in this meeting. But now, seeing him here...she never wanted to stop being near him. His unruly curly hair clinging to his face, his baby face, the lily pad green of his eyes...
"It's amazing to see you." Tim added. "I can't believe I'm here with you right now. Just..." He stared at her. "Wow."
Davina giggled, and dropped her eyes.
"Where have you been, what's been happening?" He asked. Davina shrugged. She nearly told him. It was Tim after all, she could trust him with anything. But if Marcel found out, she'd never leave the attic again.
"I uh, had to take care of some things. There was an emergency."
"Oh. Are you okay?" Tim asked worriedly. "I mean, you look fine." His gaze turned dreamy. "More than fine, actually. You look great."
She giggled again.
"Are you coming back to school?" He asked. Davina hesitated, and by the furrowing of his thin brow, he noticed. She shook her head, looking away.
"But I needed to you know, that even though I wasn't there..." She found his eyes again, full of concern and question "I missed you. I miss you. I miss you playing your violin." He smiled, and she glanced hesitantly at his mouth.
"Well, the night is still young." Tim replied. She watched him curiously as he took up his case again. "Let's find a place with good acoustics."
"I know a place." Davina said, gesturing for him to follow. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand. And the ten minute walk to her church was the best of her life.
Tim set the violin case down, picked up the instrument and gestured for Davina to sit. She grinned and did so, keeping her eyes locked on his as he played.
Klaus had followed them to the church where Davina and Marcel had held Elijah. Rebekah had been there, he could tell from the smell of her perfume lingering in the air. But he'd learn soon enough what that had been all about. Right now he sat down in a back pew silently, and enjoyed the show.
Young love, unabashedly staring at the other and loving everything about them. He wondered if Caroline would ever be like this with him, perhaps watching him paint or him being allowed to stand beside her as she ordered her little minions about the place for an event. He hoped she'd be here long enough to feel comfortable organizing something later on.
There had been many occasions where his fingers itched to paint her. But what if someone found that portrait and Caroline both? It would be all too easy to hurt her after just to get revenge on him. He'd need to have an extraordinarily good reason to paint her.
His phone buzzed, but he ignored it. Right now, Davina was more important. How wrong he'd find he was later.
Tim set his violin back in his case after playing a song, and Davina stood to come watch again. They held each other's eyes and smiled. Tim's grin disappeared as he glanced at her mouth.
"You two are absolutely adorable!" Klaus called across the room, walking to them. "It warms my heart, it really does."
Davina walked around to shield Tim.
"I'm going to need a word with the little lady, so," Klaus locked eyes with Tim over Davina's shoulder, even when she tried bumping him. "Go sit down, Tim. Quietly go count to 100,000."
Without hesitation, Tim took his instrument and sat at the back of the church.
He turned to Davina who fumed at his actions.
"I assume you know who I am, so let's just get right to it."
Klaus walked up to the base of the altar, making a mockery of a bow and prayer. "Your current situation strikes me as a case of poor alliances. Your loyal to Marcel, yet he keeps you tucked away in an attic." He gave her a side eye. "Surely you'd enjoy just a little more freedom?" Klaus smirked. "You are a prisoner here in this place."
"Marcel doesn't keep me prisoner, he keeps me safe. He's my friend."
And the closest thing to a brother and a father I've ever had.
Klaus looked down at her from leaning on the altar, gripping the sides as if he was sitting on a table or at the edge of a bar, the standing epitome of blasphemy.
"I've no doubt he is your friend." He let go of the altar and took a step towards her, then crunched down to let her be at a higher eye level than him. It wasn't lost on her how he was treating her like a child. "But for a girl caught in a war between the vampires and the witches, I might be a better friend."
Davina glared down at him, unconvinced. She shook her head, not getting his meaning.
"I could keep you safe. And with me, I'd allow you your freedom. The ability to walk down the street without worrying if someone will recognize you. They would of course, but under my protection, they wouldn't dare lay a finger on you."
Davina looked away, thinking it over. Klaus stood and breezed by her.
"If Marcel was able to do so, why hasn't he?" He threw his arms up and shouted the words along the walls. "And it begs the question." He wagged a finger in the air, looking back at her. "If he can't protect you, then what of the ones you care about?"
Klaus held a hand out to Tim. Tim was at 20,000.
"If anyone tries to hurt the people I care about, I'll kill them." Davina threatened, panicking over Klaus's words and his proximity to Tim.
"Well then. Sounds like you don't need Marcel at all." Klaus replied decidedly, dropping his hand and smiling at her, impressed. Time for a different tactic.
"Perhaps you've suspected it all along. Your dear friend Marcel tricks you into doing his bidding, and all the while, you rot away in the attic." He held his hand out behind him to Tim, "While dear Timothy moves on with his life."
Davina pursed her lips in anger. He gasped in surprise at the beads of sweat on his forehead.
"You feel that?" She spat at him. "That's your blood starting to boil."
"Oh my dear girl." Klaus shook his head. "I can't count the number of times witches have done so to me." He turned around and casually walked to Tim. Davina reached out to behind his knee and it broke. Klaus hissed in pain, but the advantage of being a hybrid made him acutely used to the breaking of bones.
He picked Tim up from the pew, his knee now healed, and he crushed the boy's windpipe slowly. Tim was at 75,000.
"It'd be such a shame to lose him when you've only just reunited again." Klaus threatened.
"Don't you dare hurt him!" Davina shrieked, swaying on her legs as she tried to figure out what to do.
"Well that entirely depends on you." Klaus replied, letting his werewolf yellow eyes and vampire blood veins appear on his face with a smile.
"Let him go now!" Davina demanded.
"You should know I don't do well with demands." He said. She reached out and broke his arm that was holding Tim, and his leg both. He groaned at the stability of his footing until he snapped the bones back into place. "You don't want to fight me, love. Not only am I too strong for you, but innocent people who would've been spared otherwise, tend to wind up dead."
Davina didn't believe him.
Tim had five more numbers, before he began to breathe unsteadily and look back at the man holding him.
"Please let me go."
"Your choice, little witch." Klaus said, ignoring him "Swear allegiance to me alone, or lose your little boyfriend."
Davina screamed, and sent Klaus and Tim soaring back. Klaus made sure to keep a good grip on the boy. Whatever she threw at the hybrid he could take. Tim on the other hand...
Glass from the full-wall windows shattered, pages from missals flew around, and the candles that were unlit before were now flaming a foot high.
Klaus twisted his leg around the boy's and as they dropped to the ground, Tim's leg broke in two places. He screamed in pain.
Hayley started to run again when she realized the wolves knew where she had headed. She hid behind a thick tree while the group of men trotted past her, apparently too caught up in their blood lust to pay attention to their sense of smell. The bayou forest was too dense with fog and the rustling of non-human animals. Mosquitoes buzzed, toads croaked and the trees surrounding them gave off scents big enough to mask those hiding in them if someone wasn't paying attention.
Caroline was apparently out of commission or just hadn't come to find her. Either way, she needed to defend herself.
Hayley ran after the first man that she was nearest, then as he heard her come up on him she broke his neck. She twirled around and continued running, jumping up onto the next man that heard her and driving him into the ground with her hands and knees. With the snap of another neck, she got back up and perked her ears for movement.
Hayley took the weapon from the man she'd just killed, and used it to smack an incoming wolf hard enough to drop him. It wouldn't kill him though. He was harmless then, though. She heard a branch snap, and ran hard, stepping up onto a fallen tree, jumping and taking another wolf down to the ground with her. She bashed his head in with the weapon she took, and at the smell of the blood her wolf senses kicked into overdrive.
The last wolf was too close for her to jump, and her sense were overloaded with the toads croaking, the mosquitoes buzzing, the brightness of the light bouncing off the water. The man's mouth hung open to reveal fangs, and he stood over her.
Caroline was suddenly behind him and snapped the man's neck. He slumped to the ground beside the one Hayley had killed.
"I gotta say I'm impressed."
"I texted Rebekah a while ago." Hayley told her. Caroline nodded.
"Then we'll have backup for when more come."
"What do you mean, more?" The wolf asked. Caroline gave her a look.
"Your babies were prophesied to bring death to all witches. The witches and wolves clearly have an alliance, so they know about the prophecy." She shook her head and groaned. "It was stupid to come out here. We should've just compelled a couple nurses to give you the ultrasound in the Quarter."
"What good would an ultrasound have done the babies, Caroline? The witches would've figured out I'm carrying twins."
Caroline huffed. "From what I've learned about witches, they're practically omnipotent. If the babies know they're in danger, they'd figure out a way to protect each other somehow."
She walked along the ground, counting the bodies absently.
"If Bonnie would pick up her damn phone maybe we wouldn't have had to do to a doctor's office at all." She muttered to herself. She'd called Bonnie fifteen times today alone. All she'd gotten was her voicemail. No texts, no missed calls, nothing.
Suddenly she noticed a larger group that the one Hayley dealt with heading through the trees, stupidly using flashlights to guide their way and announce their location.
Caroline spun around and looked at Hayley who'd noticed them as well.
"There's too many to fight. Run." Caroline said. Hayley chewed her lip, considering fighting her decision, but jumped over the dead bodies and began to run.
"If I had a dollar for every mess my family's gotten me into." A voice sounded behind Caroline. She turned to an annoyed Rebekah.
"Took you long enough to get here."
"I was having a chat with my older brother Elijah." Caroline stilled. "Besides, Hayley's already got a protector, I assumed you had things under control."
"Yeah, well they have precautions for vampires coming into the bayou, apparently." The young vampire brushed her hair back in embarrassment. "They shot me with vervain. It wasn't too much, so I was able to get Hayley out of the doctor's office before they could do anything to her too."
Rebekah shook her head. "Nik's going to want to hear this." She took out her phone and texted. When there was no answer, she practically shrieked in frustration. "He's probably dealing with that little brat witch at the moment."
Caroline opened her mouth to say something and was cut off as an arrow went into her side. Rebekah spun around just in time for an arrow to pierce her in her heart. And then another one.
They both slumped to the ground.
Davina picked herself up to sit on the church floor, looking around. The windows were bare, papers clung to her dress and her hair was frizzed from the fire.
Breathing heavy in panic, she saw no one. No Klaus, luckily. Maybe she'd finally scared him off.
But also no Tim. She ran out of the church, and Klaus watched her from the church's balcony. He took out his phone and saw Rebekah's text.
' Caroline and Hayley in the bayou, something happened and they had to run from the witches. Wolves tried to get them as well. '
Klaus growled at the news. He put his phone away, then pulled an already injured Tim to his feet, and briefly considered healing him before dropping him over the balcony. Tim avoided his eyes.
"Please don't hurt me again."
"It wasn't my intent to, but I've run out of time to play nice." Klaus replied simply. He gripped the boy's shoulder then dropped him over. The crash and cry of pain ensued that made him think Davina would hear and come back.
He tossed the violin over as well for good measure.
' I'm on my way. '
He had to make it quick, unfortunately. Caroline was important, but so was securing an alliance with Davina, by any means necessary. It was to protect the twins, it was to protect his family. And of course, to protect Caroline.
Rebekah walked around the now empty doctor's office, trying to hear any slight sound. The doctor had been tranquilized, and there were a few muddy footprints but other than that the place was cozy, homely and seemed safe.
She had woke up five minutes after the vervained arrows pierced her heart, and decided that leaving Caroline down sounded alright. She would wake up soon enough, and could sort her own problems if anyone else chanced on her. She'd been able to keep Hayley safe so far.
One loud boot signaled another person, and she turned to see Klaus glaring her down with his hands behind his back.
"Where's Caroline?" He asked. Rebekah scoffed at his priorities, knowing Elijah would scold him if he'd heard the words.
"Still out in the forest. She'll be here soon enough."
"You left her out there with the werewolves and witches lurking about?" Klaus demanded.
"She's not the one carrying your bloody children, Nik." Rebekah reminded him.
"Who went after them?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know."
"I had an arrow in my heart." Rebekah replied firmly, a little on edge by Klaus's sneer and deadly glare.
They heard someone coming and left the building, finding Hayley trudging up to the side of the car and Caroline holding her up. Caroline's shirt was ripped from taking out the arrow, and Hayley was dirtied and disheveled.
"Caroline." Klaus walked quickly down the stairs "What happened. Tell me what happened."
"Beyond getting shot in the side with an arrow after saving Hayley for a second time, I don't know." Caroline replied. She turned to Hayley, the same question hanging in the air.
Hayley shook her head with a dazed look on her face. "I don't know."
Klaus looked Caroline over while Rebekah came and did the same to Hayley.
"She's completely healed." Rebekah told Klaus, breathing a sigh of relief.
"One of the perks of being a werewolf, remember?" Hayley replied. Rebekah shook her head.
"Not that fast."
"Leave her alone." Caroline replied, leading her to the stairs and shouldering past Klaus.
"You've got a bite on your arm, love." He protested.
"Hayley's pregnant, she takes priority at this second." Caroline said.
"It's the babies." Klaus said with his back to them. Caroline looked at him. "My blood in your system. It can heal any wound." He smirked at them both as they were sat down. "Your children healed you."
Well Hayley did like the sound of having extra help in there. But they were still the reason she was stuck in this situation, forced to stay until god knows what happened.
"How did you get out of there?" Caroline asked her. Rebekah stood over them, glancing back at Klaus to gauge his reactions. "When I came to, those men around us were ripped to shreds."
Caroline groaned absently at the pain on her arm, and noticed her pants were ripped too, with two long sets of claws ripping into the fabric.
I'm gonna have to buy new pants now.
Klaus hurried over to her, and bit into his vein to offer it to Caroline. She took it and gulped longer than she had ever needed to before, before wiping her mouth and pushing his hands away. Rebekah saw this and set her jaw.
"I think it was the wolf." Hayley said into the silence. The vampires looked at her. "The one I saw back at the house. I think it's trying to protect me."
"Those witches were supposed to protect you. Not to mention what they did to her." He pointed at Caroline.
"All they did was inject me with vervain, Klaus. Chill out."
"They were obviously going to kill Hayley and the twins. What do you think they would've done to you to keep you quiet?" He demanded. Caroline didn't reply.
"When I get my hands on Sophie Deveraux-"
"It wasn't Sophie." Hayley interrupted. Klaus looked at her. "It was Agnes."
"Agnes, Sophie, one witch is as good as the other. I'll slaughter the whole poisonous lot of them."
"Not if Elijah gets there first." Rebekah said. They all looked to her.
"Elijah?" Hayley asked excitedly. Rebekah glanced between her and Klaus.
"He's been in touch, he has a plan." She replied. Klaus smiled at the news. "All he asked is that we take care of you." She turned to Hayley. Hayley smiled, then fought it down at Klaus's furrowed brow.
If Elijah was the one that would take up with Hayley after the twins were born, good for him. But what about Caroline? He couldn't lose Hayley's precious cargo.
"Can we go home now?" Hayley asked, changing the subject. "I'd really like to sleep for a few...days. A week at the most."
She stood up and swayed on her feet, groaning. Caroline caught her but Rebekah nodded at her.
"You're injured, you need rest as well."
Rebekah picked Hayley up and Caroline looked at Klaus as she stood.
"The nursemaid's gonna live to fight another day." She assured him as she started to walk. Rebekah had gotten Hayley in the car, and now it was Caroline's turn to be unsteady on her feet. Klaus didn't try to pick her up however. He just put an arm under her shoulder, and she held onto him for support without much choice in the matter.
He debated going back to heal Tim. Caroline needed his help. But no. Tim was an important pawn in turning Davina to his side if he was able to. He needed to make her believe Marcel couldn't protect her like she previously believed. He would give Caroline a copious amount of his blood to drink, then go back to the church.
Davina had come back and saw Tim trying to move. His back had broken.
"Tim no! Please," She pulled his head into her lap. If Tim were able to say anything, he no doubt thought his dying words should be how beautiful she looked and how long he wanted to be hers. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Davina promised.
"A tragic consequence of war." Klaus noted, walking up to them. Davina glared at him. "Innocent bystanders. And what a terrible guilt you'll have to live with, young Timothy's blood on your hands."
"Get away from him!" Davina demanded. He held his hands up in mock surrender.
"Let's not be hasty. After all I can heal him."
Davina's eyes raised to his, and he saw she was seconds from crying.
"All you have to do," He got onto his haunches again. "Is ask." He bounced on the balls of his feet in excited anticipation. This was going to be too easy. Davina looked at him then down to Tim, who seemed to be losing consciousness. She nodded to herself. It seemed she was willing to do anything for young Timothy.
"Please." She whispered, fighting to keep the tears from falling.
Klaus smiled. "For you Davina, with great pleasure."
He got onto his knees and made a show of biting into his own flesh, then gently tucked his wrist into Tim's mouth, the boy taking it in without knowing what was happening.
Tim gasped in a breath of air with his head still on Davina's lap, her fingers in his curls, and he gulped again, blood was running down the side of his face. But it wasn't his, thank god.
Klaus took the boy's chin and turned Tim's head towards his eyes.
"You will forget everything that happened after your night of playing music." He smirked at Davina. "Including the fact that you saw Davina."
She picked her head up.
"What? No." She protested weakly.
"If he remembers you, he might come looking for you. The witches would learn you have a weakness, and you will be put into an awful situation of choosing your own freedom or his life." He smirked. "Again."
Klaus stood and yanked Tim up with him. He gripped Tim's face again.
"Take your case with you. You'll remember your violin backstage. You really should be more careful."