A new chapter, enjoy! I'm busy with real life at the moment so updates will be irregular.

Thank you to Senema for her beta. I changed a few things afterwards so all remaining mistakes are my own. As always I appreciate comments, they keep me writing.

Chapter 10

As soon as Freya got into the car, she turned to Charlotte. "Do you know a coffee shop on the way to the police station, where they sell very good coffee?"

Charlotte answered her question but she couldn't quite hide an incredulous look.

Freya chuckled. "Coffee and alcohol help vampires to forget their thirst for blood for a moment, and it ensures that the blood flows faster through their veins. Their skin becomes warmer; it is not so pale anymore and looks more human-like."

She instructed the driver to stop at the coffee shop. She didn't care what the driver heard. Klaus had compelled him so that he forgot everything that pointed to the supernatural. They could talk freely in his presence.

"Ah", said Charlotte comprehendingly.

"Apart from that Elijah can be a little snob about coffee", added Freya with a grin. "Do they have good coffee in prison?"

"I think that's very unlikely", Charlotte replied with a laugh.

The driver stopped in front of the coffee shop. It had to be very good, judging by the crowd, who waited patiently in it.

"Believe me, it will improve his general mood a lot if we bring him coffee as well as blood", Freya assured her and opened the car door. "Shall I bring you one too?"

"Black, extra strong, with sugar", answered Charlotte curtly and looked at her watch. When she saw through the shop window, how crowded the shop was, she only hoped she could be at the police station on time.

Freya got out of the car and was back five minutes later with three large coffee cups.

Charlotte looked through the glass windows, the coffee shop was as full as before. "How are you back so quickly?" She asked curiously.

"I used magic to put myself at the head of the queue", Freya replied with a shrug. "Normally I wouldn't use my skills for such ordinary purposes, but I want to see my brother as soon as possible."

"It was for a good cause", said Charlotte, and took a sip of coffee. She sighed contentedly. "A very good cause!"

Freya laughed and took a sip from her cup too.

A few minutes later, they reached the police station and both women entered it side by side.

Dan greeted them and smiled tenderly at Charlotte. "Hello Charlotte. Your client is waiting in the interrogation room." He looked at Freya. "Who is she?"

Freya gave the cop a business-like smile. "I'm Freya Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson's older sister."

A loud bang caused all three heads to whirl toward the source of the noise. One of the secretaries blushed and picked up the files she had dropped.

Freya narrowed her eyes. Her senses clearly picked up the signature of another witch. Was she one of the players involved in this trap?

"Freya would like to see her brother and to be present at the interrogation." Charlotte smiled charmingly and put a hand on Dan's forearm.

Dan reacted flustered. "I'm going to ask Chloe, but I don't see a problem with it." He got serious. "Only as long as you don't interfere in the interrogation, of course, Miss Mikaelson."

Freya smiled and was so happy that it was her and not Klaus, who had assumed this task. "Mrs. Mikaelson-Malraux but call me Freya. I'll be quiet during the interrogation but now I really would like to talk to my brother."

Chloe had joined the group. Dan explained to her, who Freya was and what she wanted.

Chloe eyed her carefully until she noticed the coffee cup. "For Elijah?"

"Yes, he will be very happy about it", Freya replied and her eyes twinkled.

"You have no bags or weapons with you?" Chloe inquired next.

Freya wore tight red trousers, a white top and a short jacket in the same colour as the trouser. She carefully spread her arms and turned slowly around; always making sure that nothing happened to the coffee cup. "You can search me if you want."

"I think that is unnecessary." Chloe stepped aside and checked her watch. "The interrogation begins in thirty minutes."

"Oh, before I forget to tell you, Elijah has a bail hearing with Judge Cosby at 7 p.m.", Charlotte said.

Chloe blinked, a little amazed at the fact that Charlotte got an appointment so quickly on the weekend, while Dan's features went rigid. This time he took a closer look at Freya and his aroused suspicion was evident for Freya.

Freya gave him a brittle smile. Well, that was apparently a cop, who knew about the supernatural.

"Can I take a look at the approved application?" Dan asked tensely. Charlotte did him the favour. Dan glanced at the code on top. He pressed his lips together and handed it back to Charlotte. "Thank you."

Freya thought he looked like a man who had just realized something that had previously puzzled him.

Charlotte went to the interrogation room, her briefcase in hand, which, of course, the cops would never check. Freya followed her without hesitation.

When they entered the interrogation room, Elijah looked up, apparently calm and bored. When he recognized Freya, he got up and smiled happily at her. To an outsider, Elijah looked completely composed and balanced.

Freya, who knew her brother better, could see behind this facade. Elijah was hungry and nearly at the end of his tether. The sooner he got something to eat, the better for everyone.

Freya closed the door behind her. "Give him a blood bag, quick!" She said in a strained voice.

Charlotte looked at her and without saying another word she opened the briefcase and gave Elijah the first blood bag.

It was proof of Elijah's outstanding self-control that he didn't just tear the bag greedily out of Charlotte's hand. As soon as he had it, he drank from it well-mannered without making a mess.

Only Freya could see the subtle relaxation in Elijah's body language. With a sympathetic smile, she held out the coffee cup to him. "For you!"

Freya wasn't surprised that Elijah took the coffee cup much faster than the blood bag. He covetously drank the first sip of coffee and smiled slightly.

"As I said, a coffee snob and between us, he is a coffee addict too", Freya confided in Charlotte in a whisper.

"You know that I can hear you, sister, do you?" Elijah asked lazily.

With a cheeky smile, Freya approached Elijah. "I am aware of that, brother."

Elijah took her in his arms and hid his face in her neck. She put her arms around him too and hugged him tightly. She felt how his face vamped out against her neck and how he let himself slightly relax into the hug, not that an outsider would ever notice this moment of weakness.

She hadn't yet been with her siblings at the time but Klaus had told her a little about what Esther had done to Elijah. Elijah might not have been tortured this time but the human prison had without doubt evoked unpleasant memories and emotions in him.

Freya frowned at the thought. On second thought, her brother was behaving a little uncharacteristically. All his siblings were aware that Elijah still had a long way to go to recover from Hayley's death and that he was under certain circumstances still extremely vulnerable.

Had something happened to him in the cell? No, not the cell, Elijah would be unobserved there and he had the advantage in such a small space. However, if one of the guards had harassed him beforehand, it was quite possible that Elijah hadn't dared to defend himself out of fear of being exposed.

Freya scowled fiercely. If so, whoever dared to bully her little brother would soon be sorry! She would show him, why pissing off a powerful witch like her was such a bad idea.

"We are all here, Elijah", Freya whispered in his ear. "Klaus, Rebekah and me. And we're not going to stop or give up until we find out who is behind this."

Elijah took a step away from her, put his hand on the side of her neck and touched his forehead to hers. "I am glad you are here!"

Freya inwardly raised an eyebrow. Okay, that was definitely an unusual statement. At the next opportunity, she had to have an extensive and private conversation with her brother, without the presence of strangers and above all without Klaus.

The last thing they needed now was an outburst of anger from Klaus because someone had hurt his brother. Freya couldn't help but shudder when she imagined Klaus's most likely reaction to this.

xxxxx

Maze watched Danny visibly relax as soon as Klaus and Rebekah left the club.

Without asking Maze's permission, Danny reached over the bar and got himself a bottle of whisky. He opened the cap and emptied almost a third of the bottle in one gulp. With a sigh, he put it down again. "Sorry Maze, I'll pay for it of course!"

Maze waved him off. "Don't worry, Danny, it's on the house."

"Gosh, I've never seen anyone drink so much in such a short time without choking on it or coughing from the sting of the whisky", Linda said, fascinated.

Danny laughed. "We vampires all drink a lot of alcohol; it makes us forget our thirst for blood. And we don't get drunk as quickly as humans, our metabolism processes alcohol much faster."

"So, no liver damage for vampires", said Linda, amused.

Danny inclined his head and grinned. "And the older you get, the more you need to drink to feel any effect."

"So even a whole bottle of bourbon isn't enough to get an old vampire drunk", Maze said thoughtfully.

Danny got serious. "If you are alluding to Elijah, he could drink three bottles without you noticing any change in his behaviour."

Now that Danny had spoken out Elijah's name, Maze wanted to take the opportunity to ask a question that was bothering her. "What did Klaus do to you? I know that vampires can force humans to do what they want but it looked as if he..."

"Did compel me?" Danny shrugged. "He did, he is an Original, and every one of them can compel vampires too. They are the founders of our race and they have power over us. There is only one thing that can prevent this, Vervain."

"What is Vervain?" Linda asked curiously.

"A flower that prevents compelling", Danny explained. "If you take it, even an Original cannot compel you."

"What would Klaus have done if you had taken it?" Maze asked quietly.

"With a little luck, he would have killed me on the spot", Danny replied succinctly. "Or what is more likely, Klaus would have dragged me to some hiding place, bled me repeatedly to death until I had no more Vervain in my body and then interrogated me. Then, after I would have told him everything I know, he would have decided that I was a danger to his family and killed me, probably in a very brutal way."

"That doesn't sound very nice", Linda muttered.

"Klaus isn't a particularly nice person either", Danny replied dryly. "But that is true of all Originals, they are not particularly gracious or considerate in their dealings with others." He shrugged. "On the other hand, they don't have to be, after all, there isn't much that can harm them.

No, I'm glad I don't take Vervain, but even so, I've never been this close to death's door since I died and became a vampire." Danny took a deep breath and sat down on one of the bar stools.

"Why were you this...?" Maze hesitated. "Compliant?" she finally settled on a word uncomfortable.

"Let's put it this way, complete cooperation is the most sensible thing you can do when dealing with the Originals", Danny explained with a sigh. "Especially when you're dealing with the hybrid and the only person, who can, at least sometimes, slow him down and control him, isn't around." Danny shivered.

"You mean Elijah?" Linda asked in amazement.

"Yes, I mean Elijah", Danny replied, rubbing his face. "Elijah is the most sensible and calm of the Originals; he is the only one Klaus listens to. No one in his or her right mind should even want to disconnect Elijah and Klaus for a longer period. Klaus without Elijah is like a tank that drives down a very steep mountain without brakes and leaving behind a huge trail of devastation.

Moreover, the difficulties only really begin, when someone gets in his way. Either Klaus races through the obstacle or he strikes it like a bomb, subtlety is not a strong suit of his." Danny laughed grimly. "But believe me Klaus will walk out of this devastation completely unscathed, while everything else lies in ruins."

"Is that why you asked which of his siblings is in prison?" Linda asked comprehensively.

"Yeah, and as soon as I heard it was Elijah, I knew Los Angeles or at least the supernatural part of the population, is now in deep shit", Danny said with a sigh.

"Klaus actually seemed to be quite rational", said Maze in astonishment.

Danny laughed humourlessly. "You heard Klaus, his brother wants him to behave. For the moment, he sees us as his allies. Believe me, that is Klaus on his best and most polite demeanour!"

"Are you serious?" Linda looked at him horrified.

"We're all still alive, aren't we?" Danny shrugged.

"Oh", breathed Linda and sat down next to Danny.

It was quiet in the club for a few minutes as the vampire and the two women each had a drink and thought about everything, they had heard.

"Why were you so shaken that four Originals are in town?" Maze finally asked.

"Under normal circumstances, you don't even want one Original in your town. As I said, they are not exactly the most pleasant beings to be around." Danny made a face. "When they come to your town, all you can do is hope that they aren't after someone. If they are, chances are high that the death rate of vampires, witches, and werewolves will skyrocket."

Danny took a deep breath. "Given the reason the Originals came to this town, this case is even more serious. As soon as Elijah is out of jail, we're talking about three Originals, who will be pretty pissed off, and besides, their sister Freya is with them too, who is a very powerful witch. In short, my assumption is that Los Angeles will turn into a war zone in a very short time."

"That sounds like a very bleak prediction", said Linda uneasily.

"You have described quite extensively how Klaus is without Elijah, when someone provokes him or gets in his way." Now it was Maze's turn to get serious. "How does Elijah react under these circumstances?"

"Oh, like Klaus. The only difference is that Elijah will perform the same actions carefully, calculated and ice-cold." Danny shifted uncomfortably. "Most of their opponents fear Klaus because of his brutality, ruthlessness and lack of control. The really clever amongst them fear Elijah because of his brutality, ruthlessness and self-control."

"Hm, which of the two would be more challenging and demanding, if I want to have a good fight?" Maze asked, fascinated.

Danny and Linda looked at her in amazement.

"Are you serious?" Linda asked before laughing softly. "Who am I asking? Of course you are, we are talking about you after all."

Danny, who had also gotten to know Maze well enough, rolled his eyes. "If you want brutal strength and anger, then Klaus. If technique and skill are more important to you, then Elijah, he is by far the best fighter among the Originals."

"Damn, he was right in front of me this whole time and I didn't even know he was the Original I was looking for", Maze muttered angrily.

"That fits with what I've heard about Elijah", Danny replied quietly. "When he comes to a city, rumours about his presence exist but there are usually no conspicuous incidents. He behaves very discreetly until he has gotten what he wants. After that, he either withdraws as quietly as he came in or he decides that some people deserve a lesson and then it gets very bloody."

"Yes, my dear elder brother is very good at appearing harmless and unremarkable but believe me; he's as dangerous as me." Klaus had managed to surprise everyone a second time.

Maze turned around and immediately noticed that Lucifer and the two Originals looked very grim. "What did you find out?"

Klaus growled. "Werewolves were involved in the trap but they hid themselves so that Elijah wouldn't notice their presence."

Lucifer walked behind the bar. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Bourbon", replied Rebekah.

"For me too", said Klaus and sat down at the bar.

Rebekah sat down next to Linda and held out her hand. "I'm Rebekah, delighted to meet you."

"Linda Martin", replied Linda, taking her hand.

"What is your profession?" Rebekah asked casually.

"I'm a psychologist", Linda replied frankly.

Maze noticed how both Originals startled slightly at this answer and then covertly looked at each other. When she thought back to Elijah's first meeting with her, he had reacted quite strangely to Linda too. Did she remind the Originals of someone they had lost?

Lucifer had seen the flinch too, but something else bothered him more. "Danny, I have a question. Why did Elijah pull the knife out? I mean, I know he isn't the murderer but I just can't explain why he committed this mistake. For me he's too clever for that under normal circumstances."

Danny looked over at Klaus, who nodded after a moment's hesitation. "There's something I haven't told you. When a vampire gives blood to a human, it heals even the worst injuries. I suspect that Elijah wanted to save the man's life and he had to remove the knife, because otherwise the blood would not have worked. But it seems he was too late."

"So, Elijah wanted to do the right and decent thing and was arrested for it", Lucifer said quietly. "They used his compassion against him."

Rebekah nodded sadly. "And of course, he can't tell anyone about it because it would reveal him as a vampire."

Maze looked at Lucifer. She knew her boss's particularities well enough to know that he was very angry about what he had just heard. And sure enough, his eyes glowed red and for a moment he showed his true face.

The Originals had seen it too but where others would have run away screaming, they just looked merely intrigued. Danny, on the other hand, looked very pale and distraught.

"Oh, cool, you actually look like the devil", said Rebekah, impressed.

Lucifer took Rebekah's hand and placed a kiss on the back of the hand. "My love, I am the devil!"

"Elijah really has a knack for always making the most interesting friends." Klaus grinned malevolently.

"Oh, even better, plagiarists are always so boring, I prefer originals", was Rebekah's carefree reaction to Lucifer's answer.

"Yes, very interesting, another one", said Klaus thoughtfully. "However, I know from a reliable source that the devil of our afterlife is dead." He looked at Lucifer. "Let me guess, only normal humans end up in your hell."

Now it was Maze's turn to be impressed. She had seen many reactions to Lucifer's real face but never such case-hardened ones.

Even Lucifer looked mesmerised. "Usually everyone is quite panicked when I show them my face."

"Oh, we've seen some very bizarre things in our long life", Klaus replied, grinning at Lucifer, who returned the grin in the same way. "Oh, I think I'll enjoy working with you. We are going to have so much fun!"

"Maybe I should say that Nik's definition of fun differs very much from the definition of other people", Rebekah said sarcastically and smirked like her brother. "But I agree with him, we'll have fun."

Maze grinned full of anticipation as well; she couldn't wait to work with the Originals. After everything Danny had told her, it would be oh so fascinating to watch them in action. As a demon, she loved chaos and she wanted to see, which mayhem the Originals would cause.

Guest = Thank you. Lucifer is more amused than angry about Klaus's arrogance and he wants to learn more. I hope you like their reactions.

About his powers, I will keep them as they are in Canon. In season two Lucifer hasn't his wings yet, so I think they will be equal in power. None of them can really hurt the other even if they wanted to.