News that the new hybrid had been murdered ran fast through the Quarter. It also was in part due to him being publicly hanged in a building that sped up the process. It came just before the news that Hayley was missing. And with that, Klaus made one timely call from a busy street.
"You want me to...tell him? Everything?" Cami couldn't believe what she was hearing, but this didn't shy Klaus away.
"Clearly, you're going to need a witch to undo the spell. I suggest Amarrah Collins since she also lives in France and is about one of the few witches that we can still trust," Klaus kept it straight forwards with her.
"Klaus, this isn't something you can just whip out," Cami sighed on the other end of the line. "Elijah doesn't know he's a Mikaelson, nor that he has a literal bloody past. I can't break that."
"You're going to have to. Hayley is missing, Maleny is here and the entire Quarter is on the brink of war yet again. Do it," he gave the final order then hung up. He focused his attention on the nearby chatter of witches and headed straight for them.
It was nearing Mardi Gras and all the factions, though divided, were in the process of creating their floats. It was there that Klaus met with Vincent to discuss the disappearance.
"I am telling you that it was not one of ours who took Hayley," Vincent shut Klaus' suspicions the moment the hybrid mention word of it.
"You witches always plead virtue, but if history's to be prologue, you're the most rotten of the bunch."
"As soon as Freya told me that Hayley had gone missing, there were a dozen of us witches out there on them streets performing locator spells, trying to find her! Because Hayley is actually a friend to us, okay? Hayley, unlike you, has earned our respect. And out of respect to her, I'm only gonna say this to you one time, Klaus: we had absolutely nothing to do with her disappearance."
This made no effect on Klaus as he came back with, "And yet it's not uncommon for witches to hold a grudge. Let's not forget that while Hayley has redeemed herself she's slaughtered her fair share of Quarter witches in the past. Any one of lingering resentment is enough for a witch to get clever. So I suggest if you want peace and prosperity you do everything to find her." He parted with that warning, mentally marking off the first faction he would be dealing with this morning.
~0~
Abigail Rowan never moved as fast as she'd done in the last day. After discovering where her daughter had gone off to, she first cast a cloaking spell to protect her daughter since the first one she cast was only meant to keep Maleny hidden in the beach. Afterwards, she spelled her way through an airport all the way to New Orleans. Now as she crossed through the Quarter, she nervously came in front of the compound - she hadn't seen it in seven years.
"Freya?" she hurriedly went inside, the sound of her baggage wheeling behind her. "Freya! Freya, where the he-" she came to a slow stop upon spotting her daughter sitting at a lone table in the middle of the courtyard.
Maleny held a glass of bourbon in her hand, but when her mother appeared she put it down to the table and spoke in such a cold tone that it froze Abigail in her spot. "Mother, we have much to speak about."
Abigail stayed where she was, examining her daughter for any physical injuries. Maleny faced her mother with the same flash of anger Abigail used to see in her late husband. Even if the man was god awful, Maleny was still his daughter.
"You shouldn't have left like that, Maleny," Abigail's statement was cut off by Maleny's loud, unamused laugh.
"N-n-n-n-no, wrong! You are wrong!" Maleny ended up shouting, startling the older blonde. "You started wrong."
"Maleny, you're-"
"-upset? Yeah, just a little," Maleny sarcastically finished for her. "You know what else I am? Confused," she spat the word out as she got up from her chair. "Do you know what happened yesterday?"
Abigail dreaded to know.
"Niklaus kicked me out of the compound, people in the Quarter seemed to be afraid or angry with me, and…" she came around the table and took a seat at the edge of it, "...oh yeah, I coughed up a bloody snake from my mouth!" Maleny's anger resurfaced just at the memory of the slimy snake in her throat. "A snake, mother! And all Klaus told me was that this was the reason he couldn't be under the same roof as me."
Abigail bit her lip with nervousness. "He shouldn't have said anything…"
Maleny incredulously stared at her. "Seriously!? That's what you're going to say?"
With a sigh, Abigail left her baggage and walked up to Maleny. "Maleny, we need to leave. This place is dangerous-"
"-and full of secrets by the looks of it," Maleny pushed Abigail's hands off her arms. "Starting with you and this family. I always thought Klaus hated me and that's why he never spoke to me, now I'm assuming part of his distancing was because of...whatever this is!"
"Maleny, listen to me, you can't stay here," Abigail desperately said as Maleny moved away from her. "It's dangerous!"
Maleny rolled her eyes and moved around Abigail. "That's not going to cut it, mother. You have a lot of explaining to do."
Abigail knew if she explained things it wouldn't end well. There were many things that were erased from Maleny's mind besides her kids and her love. They were hurtful things, things that could break her. She turned around and resorted to plead with Maleny again. "We need to return to Guayabitos at once."
"Are you not listening?" Maleny spun around and faced the woman. "Hayley is missing! I cannot and will not leave until she is safe and sound."
"Klaus can take care of it-"
"-or must be something big for you to not care that someone we consider family is missing," Maleny moved closer to her mother, being face to face allowed for a better study of Abigail's nervous expression. "Just what are you hiding, mother?"
Abigail sighed, her mouth opening and closing too many times to keep up her innocent charade. Maleny shook her head and turned to leave. "Feel free to stay, or not, I don't care." Her voice echoed in the compound as she left the building.
~0~
Nicolas was fixing his hair in front of a mirror when someone knocked into his bedroom. "Come in," he said while he tried to tame an incessant curl right at the top. He stopped when he saw his grandmother coming into the room. "Grandmother," he grinned.
Abigail smiled softly at him. "Hi sweetheart. I'm happy to see you're up and well."
Nicolas turned around and gave a weak shrug of his shoulders. "It's conditional but...I guess I'm doing a lot better than Hayley at the moment."
Abigail gave a nod. "I understand Niklaus is out searching for her as we speak."
"Yeah, Dad…" Nicolas sighed and leaned against the armoire. "I saw him in the morning for like...five minutes until he excused himself from the room." Abigail watched sadly as her grandson took in his situation yet again. "I also know Mum's here but I haven't really spoken to her."
Abigail knew it must be incredibly painful for him to see Maleny and yet have her see him as nothing more than a brother. "And yet…" she tried to raise his spirits a bit, "...here you are-" she walked up to him, making him smile when she finally forced his stray curl to stay down, "-all cleaned up and dressed to go out."
Nicolas shared a blip of a smile with her. "Thanks, I've struggled with that curl for twenty minutes. I got Dad's hair unfortunately."
Abigail chuckled. "You got a lot of your father's but fortunately you got a lot from Maleny as well."
"Speaking of Mum, she's gone again, isn't she?" Nicolas hated that she'd slipped from his view in the meanwhile he showered.
"Yes, unfortunately yes. She's set on staying here until Hayley is found."
"And when something gets into Mum's head, nothing can make it go away," Nicolas moved towards his bed where a nice black jacket was laid.
"But she can't be in the same city as Niklaus. She might not hear the whispers of the Hollow but it will not stop the other effects," Abigail warned, not that Nicolas forgot it.
"Then maybe we can find an alternative to temporarily allow them both in the city," Nicolas put on his jacket.
"I suppose so...but it's not safe having her seen by so many supernaturals," Abigail dreaded that the wrong person might find out about her memory and take advantage.
"Look, Mum isn't going anywhere and we all know that. The best thing we can do is take precautions to make sure she's safe during her stay," Nicolas said with resignation.
"She's asking questions, Nicolas. Niklaus must have spent too much time with her because she's raging over a snake crawling out of her mouth."
Nicolas paused and stared at her with wide eyes. "The effects must be suppressed for a while then."
"I'm supposed to do that on my own, then?" Abigail crossed her arms, eyeing her grandson with suspicion. "Where are you going?"
Nicolas sheepish smile reminded her of something Maleny would do. "It's just for a little bit, grandmother. Everyone knows I went missing so I want to make sure that...that someone knows... I'm back."
Abigail raised an eyebrow at him. "Someone? Like who?"
With a clear of his throat, he answered very quietly. "A woman…"
"This wouldn't be the woman mentioned a couple times before would it?"
Nicolas' smile spread. "Maybe…"
"Nicolas!"
"Oh grandmother, I work seven days a week in Mystic falls - two of those days and seven nights dedicated to grimoire research for the Hollow, so please... just give me an hour to see her." He walked back to her, towering over her with his height. "I know Zara must be worried."
Abigail's face was indescribable for a second but she ultimately gave in. "Zara? That's her name?"
"Yes, and I think you and Mum would really like her."
"She best prepare herself if she wants anything to do with the Mikaelsons," Abigail fixed the collars of Nicolas' jacket. "I'm sure she knows how...special you all are."
Nicolas chuckled. "She, uh, hasn't actually met any of the family yet. Well," he swayed his head, "Only Hope. And that's only because she followed me. Little sneak."
Abigail laughed softly. "Someone needs to keep an eye on you."
"I'll be back in one hour, I promise," Nicolas hugged her tight.
Abigail suspected he was more than used to limiting his own pursuits for his family, especially when he was needed like this. "It's okay. Freya and I will get a head start."
With a big grin on his face, Nicolas went on his way.
~0~
Zara Holland didn't expect to be visited yet again by Maleny. This time, however, the store was not alone.
"You are not welcome here," an older dark-haired woman declared the moment Maleny came into the store. Zara nervously looked between the two women.
The petite vampire raised an eyebrow at her, not seemingly affected by the rude greeting. "You know me?"
"Aunt Rose," Zara warned just as the woman opened her mouth. "Not a word."
Maleny's eyes flickered to Zara, even more suspicious now. "I am not in the mood to continue to be lied."
"And we are not in the mood to be threatened by yet another hybrid," Rose snapped, garnering Maleny's full attention again.
"Aunt Rose, please," Zara wanted to mediate some peace but her aunt was not in the same boat.
"No, Zara," Rose kept her eyes trained on Maleny. "I will not have another one come and threaten me in my own store."
"But I haven't said anything," Maleny's adopted innocence was not believed for a second, though it did make the two witches nervous. They both knew the terror that was Klaus Mikaelson and though Maleny hadn't been known for as long as he was, they learned to fear Maleny Rowan in her own hybrid state.
Zara would not wait to see Maleny show her true anger. "Did you need something Miss Rowan?" She moved around the counter, discreetly giving her aunt a warning glance to stay quiet. "I haven't had success since…" she purposely trailed off and Maleny didn't miss the second glance she gave Rose, clearly not wanting to finish due to her presence.
"It's fine. I require you for something else," Maleny said then offered her fuming aunt a clean smile. "And I do not take no for an answer."
Rose didn't take her mission well. Without hesitation, she attempted to use magic on Maleny - a traditional aneurysm - but the blonde hybrid flicked her fingers to the side and returned the favor with a violent slam against a shelf. Bottles shattered over Zara's body as the woman fell to the floor.
"Aunt Rose!" Zara rushed to her aunt but Maleny sped her back against counter.
"Please, I know you don't harm people! Y-you're a kind woman-"
Maleny raised her head and backed off the woman. "And that is exactly why I require your assistance. You know about me, more than you lead on, and while the Mikaelsons are keeping secrets from me, you won't do the same."
Before Zara could process, Maleny sped them out of the store.
~0~
"Well, you two seem comfortable," Klaus' comment pulled Abigail and Freya from their respective grimoires. The witches were sitting on the couch surrounded by grimoires Klaus doubted were all theirs.
"You realize my daughter could've been here," Abigail's scowl didn't faze Klaus.
"No, actually, because the whispers are rather quiet," he made a gesture to the side of his head.
"You realize how incredibly irresponsible you were by being in such close contact?"
"Very. But I learned my lesson. Do not give into temptation."
Freya slipped a bookmark into the selected page of her grimoire. "Don't worry, Abigail and I think we may have found a way for you and Maleny to be in close proximity without triggering the Hollow's power." Klaus didn't want to seem too interested but he just couldn't keep it going after seven years.
"This couldn't have come seven years ago?" Klaus couldn't help be just a tad bitter about their tardiness with such a spell.
Freya fixated a plain look on him. "This spell would only be temporary," she made sure to clarify for him. "We'd have at most a couple weeks if we're lucky."
"You're being generous," Abigail shook her head. "This is a situation we should not be in. Maleny should be far away from here, hidden away like we agreed."
"And yet we all know that's not happening until Hayley returns," Klaus wasn't the least bit surprised of the fight Maleny put in for her stay in the Quarter. As usual, she would fight for their family. "So instead of dwelling on it, how's about we do something to keep her safe. Like right now, where is she?"
"Out and about, where else?" frowned Abigail. "My daughter doesn't rest apparently."
"No one in the Quarter would hurt her," Freya assured them both. Vincent was wary of Maleny's presence but he ultimately agreed to remind the people that she was here on neutral terms just until they found Hayley.
"That doesn't mean she won't hurt them," Klaus said on a whim of thoughts. He earned himself a glare from Abigail but he stood by what he said. "We all know what happened seven years ago. The world does not forget and since the supernatural community lives a little longer, their grudges do too. They remember what she did and if given the chance, they will retaliate. She will fight back if she has to." And he wouldn't be sorry one bit. She would only be defending herself against those who foolishly believe they had a chance against her.
"Okay, well, this spell requires the two of you to be together in order for to establish the temporary link," Freya announced, though it soon brought upon a questionable look from Klaus.
"Link? You want to link us together?" he could see about a thousand problems with that idea. He and Maleny had no shortage of enemies between them.
"It wouldn't be your typical link," Freya eased his fears and Abigail's for that matter. The older witch was looking doubtful of the spell before even hearing it out. "This would be an illusion type of spell. Every time you're near each other, the Hollow would be tricked into believing that you weren't. The whispers, the power, it would all go to a totem instead."
"Do you have said totem?"
"Yeah, Vincent is more than happy to help keep the Quarter safe."
"Then...I shall go find Maleny," Klaus wouldn't show so quickly the glint of joy in his eyes. The prospect of being able to spend time with Maleny - even if it was just for a couple of weeks - was something he dreamed about at nights.
"You do that, then," Abigail nodded, not too happy about the plan but there wasn't much to do.
~0~
Zara nervously finished chanting a spell on the ground. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Maleny coming through two trees. The blonde was hard to read enough from the fact this was the first time Zara met her. Sure, Nicolas showed her - at one point - pictures of the Mikaelsons.
She'd seen pictures of his sister - his twin - who ran a fashion designing empire. She was beautiful, with raven hair and bright blue eyes, but Nicolas lamented the fact Marlenie never called anymore. She was, in that aspect, like Nicolas' father who took separation seriously. Out of everyone in the family, Marlenie Mikaelson had the fewest photographs in Nicolas' albums.
Pictures of the much feared hybrid, Klaus Mikaelson, were next to nothing as well. Nicolas told Zara he didn't get that much of a chance to spend time with his father. There were some records of his previous appearances in history. Zara knew all the stories of Klaus Mikaelson, learned to be afraid of the conniving man who breathed to murder. Still, Zara saw Nicolas in Klaus. Nicolas was a living copy of his father and yet Nicolas possessed a warmth that Klaus was rumored not to own. Nicolas, however, attested - vowed - that his father was a good father who loved his children. Zara believed it. Her coven wouldn't.
There was an abundant load of pictures of Maleny Rowan in Nicolas' album. The petite blonde remained the same in the last twelve years Nicolas spent with her. Her big blue eyes would stare at the camera with such joy that no one would ever figure she was a vampire with destruction at her finger tips. Zara was aware that Maleny didn't start out as a hybrid, she was a witch turned vampire who was then sought out by an ancient spirit because of the fact Maleny had lived and died for over a thousand years. The power inside her manifested to a load that no one else on the planet owned. Well, the Hollow wanted that power and she got it...for a while. Due to that, Maleny became a new type of hybrid who'd already made a bad reputation for herself early on. And yet, in the pictures Nicolas had, Maleny seemed like a kind, innocent woman who loved her family.
At this moment, however, all the nice things Nicolas said about his mother didn't fit with the woman in front of Zara. She was scared, rightfully scared, since Maleny brought her into a deserted part of the woods where even the wolves didn't go. It was a place that the Mikaelsons would know very well.
Though Maleny wouldn't remember the old plantation house she once visited with Rebekah and Hayley.
"I-I finished the cloaking spell," Zara announced, eyes following Maleny as the blonde crossed the foundation where the building used to stand.
"Good," Maleny stopped at the center of the foundation, staring down at it with a wistful look. "I would have cast it myself but my power seems to leave...a specific trace…" It was something she still couldn't understand but she chalked it off to the fact her magic derived from an ancient spirit and her own natural magic. Combined, her power seemed to be easily tracked by others. Abigail used it to find her whenever she disappeared from the hotel without notice.
Maleny raised her head to the sky and closed her eyes. Zara nervously stared until she felt the distinct use of magic around them. Maleny yelped all of a sudden and dropped to her knees with her hands on her head.
Zara picked herself up from the ground and rushed towards the blonde. "Miss Rowan, are you okay!?"
Maleny slowly opened her eyes after the pain in her head subsided. As Zara tried helping her stand, Maleny seized Zara's wrist and yanked her down. The brunette witch yelped and feared for her life at that moment.
"There is...something my family's not telling me," Maleny confessed, leaving Zara to freeze for a second. "My head, I'm old, I've got a very big mind...and there are lot of locks." Zara blinked with confusion as Maleny continued to speak. "There isn't anyone who'll assure me that I'm-I'm wrong! There's no one who'd tell me what's wrong with me. Except you."
Zara had an idea of what Maleny meant. Nicolas didn't tell her exactly what happened to his mother, nor his family for that matter, but she has the just that between Nicolas, his aunt and grandmother they'd erased Maleny's memory and implanted new memories in her head.
"I-I couldn't…" Zara barely got to say when Maleny pulled her closer.
"You're a good witch, you care which is why you haven't tried escaping yet…"
Zara weakly smiled. She knew better than to fight off a hybrid, much less a woman who was airtight with the Mikaelsons.
"I'll apologize to your aunt, but I just really need your help," Maleny finally got back on her feet. She pushed her hair behind her shoulders and stood straight. "I need to unlock whatever is sealed in my head."
"I don't know if I can do that, Miss Rowan. Your magic is very different from mine."
"Whatever has been done to me, my magic cannot absolve it. It's as if it's been made sure that my magic couldn't interfere," Maleny bitterly confessed. She just knew her mother was behind this and it pained her to believe that her mother would never willingly give into the truth. "I am asking you to help me. Now I can ask the nice way, or I will ask the harder way." Her narrowed eyes gave no sign of bluff.
Zara knew better than to antagonize a pseudo-Mikaelson.
~0~
Freya carefully drew a white circle on the ground, around a smaller circle table where Abigail was setting a wooden totem with ancient marks on it. Thanks to Vincent, they were well on their way to casting the illusion spell.
"Grandmother! Aunt Freya!" the two women began to hear Nicolas' frantic shouts.
"Nicolas?" Abigail moved around the table just as Nicolas hurried into the backroom. His neat appearance from earlier was exchanged for a disheveled, fearful one. "What's wrong?"
"Mum took Zara!" Nicolas rubbed his face with frustration. He'd found Zara's store empty but with crashed tables and one sore aunt Holly. When he helped the woman came to, she told him what happened and what most likely happened to her niece.
"What? Why would she do that?" frowned Freya, unable to come up with a logical reason for this spontaneous kidnapping. "She doesn't even know who Zara is."
"Exactly why we need to find them fast!" Nicolas practically shouted, reminding the two women who his father was. "Mum's magic was still in the shop but I can't track her! Not even Zara!"
"Calm down, I was the one who put up the cloaking spell on Maleny so I can bring it down," Abigail's words were only somewhat relaxing.
"Mum's not right. She wouldn't kidnap someone for nothing, not even in her state!" Nicolas started pacing back and forth. "She wants something!"
Abigail didn't have to think too much to figure out what Maleny would be searching for. "Answers," her voice stopped Nicolas for a second. "Niklaus accidentally spent too much time near her and she coughed up the Hollow's snakes."
"She's going to try to undo the memory spell," Freya realized, her dread spiking in that one second.
"Can she do that?" Nicolas immediately asked.
"We put a fail-safe on the spell. Maleny's magic can't undo anything, but if she has this woman with her…" Abigail didn't doubt that some memories would be able to resurface.
"Zara's a powerful witch but she's never done anything like this," Nicolas wanted to reason that Zara would be safe, but his mother was unpredictable at the moment. "Mum might lose it and…"
"Maleny is not a danger," Abigail frowned. "We just need to find her and get her back here."
"Even if we do that, she's going to want her answers," Freya, the voice of reason, reminded them. The game was over, apparently. "And if we don't give it to her, she'll just find another witch."
~0~
"You're not going!" Abigail shouted. "We're not finished here, Maleny!"
Maleny whirled around to face her mother, revealing an appearance readied to go out in the night. "I can do as I please, mother. How you found me is beyond me."
"Maleny, sweetheart, I'm just trying to help you-" Abigail attempted to walk up to her daughter to comfort her but Maleny pushed the woman away without a care for the mortal.
"-if you've forgotten, mother, I didn't asked for it," Maleny made the gesture for Abigail to leave the bedroom. "I'm free to do what I want now. And I have so many plans for tonight." With red lips curled into a smirk, she moved around her mother towards the door, leaving a concerned Abigail behind.
Maleny snapped opened her eyes, forcing Zara to stop a second. "I don't remember that," Maleny mumbled in thought.
Zara nervously stepped away from the woman, watching her with concern. There were far too many memories to be retrieved from Maleny's mind - about a thousand years worth - so there was no way Zara would be able to completely do the spell. Still, Maleny hoped that the witch would at least be able to find the memory that would answer why she coughed up snakes because of Klaus.
"My mother was shouting at me and it didn't even look like I cared," Maleny stepped around Zara, making a couple steps towards the plantation's old foundation. "I always care when my mother shouts."
"Maybe we should go back, Miss Rowan," Zara still hoped Maleny would think things through and get them both back to the Quarter. "The wolves, they might still roam these areas sometimes."
Maleny turned sideways, her hair whipping with her. "You're worried about the wolves? Don't be. Last time I heard, Klaus has them searching for Hayley while the others mourn Henry's death. They're busy. Besides," she started coming back, instinctively making Zara retract one step, "they're smart. They know not to mess with me."
"You'd hurt your friend's pack?"
"Not really, just give them a scare. People in the Quarter already seem to be afraid of me," Maleny crossed her arms. "I don't exactly want to give them another reason why."
"They fear you because of what you are," Zara said quietly, deciding to hold back the story Maleny probably wouldn't like to hear. It was the same story that made Nicolas feel terribly guilty.
"In retrospect, I probably do have some...killer qualities," Maleny smiled to herself. "If they knew I spent my mornings practicing on the waves, they'd maybe back off."
"I saw that," Zara's words made Maleny blink with surprise, prompting Zara to explain fast. "I-it was during the memory spell. Doors open involuntarily." Maleny's nod helped her relax.
"I have spent seven years in Guayabitos, practicing and...enjoying a nice, peaceful life," Maleny looked past Zara towards the woods. "And yet two days here have me...anxious. There are...places, that I look at...and I feel a nag in my head. Like those woods," she moved around Zara again and nodded towards the woods up ahead, "I feel like there's a lot of things that happened there to me but I can't remember."
How was she supposed to remember in that moment how she'd been once kidnapped by Mikael, or held hostage by Finn and rogue Crescent wolves, or even when the Hollow took her body over? It was the reason why Zara was there. Maleny needed to know what was missing in her mind.
"Let's start again," Maleny gave the command.
~ 0 ~
"No, there's no sign of her yet," Klaus oversaw the townsquare for Maleny, not that he thought she'd be stupid to be out in plain sight during the day.
"You have to keep looking," Freya's warning voice made no effect on his search. Of course he was searching, what did she think he was doing?
"Yes, Freya, I understand the rush on this. Marcel already has some vampires searching for her but the witches are a bit more insatiable at the moment."
"Vincent is making sure they don't step out into danger either. You just have to find Maleny and the witch she took."
"Yes, I do wonder why she chose this specific witch. I heard there was an older one in the store - why not pick her?" Klaus would've thought the older the witch the better experience but Maleny didn't think in conventional terms.
"Dad?"
Klaus lowered his phone to see Nicolas coming towards him. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I want to find Mum and Zara now," Nicolas didn't look phased as his father took steps away from him. "And if you say no, be prepared for a lengthy argument that involves magic."
Klaus raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by this boldness. "I can find your mother just fine."
"I know, but I also know that you won't think twice to snap Zara's neck to prevent Mum from getting her memories back," Nicolas withheld the suspicious stare of his father as best he could. He was not backing down from this.
Klaus watched his son with a degree of weariness and suspicion. "You know the bloody witch," he rolled his eyes.
"Don't call her that," Nicolas snapped.
The phone in Klaus' hand was still ongoing, and so he heard Freya calling to him with the location of Maleny. He knew perfectly well where it was. And since there was no way Nicolas was going to even consider staying back, Klaus reluctantly had to take him along. Still, it didn't mean Klaus was letting this witch business go.
"Her name is Zara Holland, she's part of the Algiers' covens," Nicolas explained while Klaus drove down the road towards the plantation house. "I, uh, met her through one of Vincent's meetings. I started going to her aunt's shop for ingredients…"
"And so I doubt you mentioned you were the son of the devil himself?" Klaus couldn't help the smirk that came to his face. Nicolas playfully rolled his eyes and looked out the passenger window. "It helps you were born to an angel mother…"
Nicolas snorted and actually laughed. "My mother is currently the one who kidnapped Zara."
"We both know she's not in her right mind," Klaus said, leaving a temporary air of silence between them. Both of them knew that Maleny, in her sane clear mind, would never kidnap an innocent person.
"I know," Nicolas said quietly after a moment. "Mum hasn't been herself in seven years." He left the other obvious statement out - no one in the family had.
Klaus quietly breathed in as the whispers in his head kept egging him to take action against Nicolas. Nicolas cast a spell meant to quiet the whispers in Klaus' head but it wasn't doing the complete job. Still, Klaus wouldn't say anything. This was the first time he'd seen his son in seven years.
"Zara knows who my parents are," Nicolas looked at Klaus with a small smile. "She just doesn't know why you're not together...nor why Mum can't really remember a lot of things."
"So if Maleny were to ask her to undo the memory spell...would she be able to?"
"...I don't think so. The spell was cast by three witches so it can only be undone by three."
"And exactly how mad do you think your mother will be when she realizes this?"
There were a few seconds of silence before the two exchanged the same exact smirks.
"I would not want to be in your shoes, Dad."
Klaus laughed. He honestly missed this.
~0~
"But please don't - d-don't! Please!"
There was a brief sound of a snap before a body dropped to the ground. Leather boots walked over the body in a confident stride.
Maleny's eyes snapped open, once again feeling the jab of pain at her head. "Why does it hurt!?"
"I'm sorry," Zara said as the woman paced back and forth. "It's a tough memory erase spell that...that's tied by very skilled witches."
Maleny stopped, a look of anger flashing across her face. "Like my family!? They did this to me!?" Zara stuttered to give an answer, especially when she herself had no idea. Maleny angrily stalked towards her, forcing the witch to backtrack. "I want this undone and I want done now!"
"I-I can't! I'm not strong enough!"
Maleny flicked her fingers, causing Zara to scream in pain. "I don't want to keep going on like this. I need this undone!"
"I'll try but I can't promise to do it!" Zara scrunched her face in pain. "It's too strong of a spell! Please stop!"
"Woah, woah, woah!" a new voice came into the area. Before Maleny could realize, someone had come at her and held her back. "Well, Maleny, nice to see you again!"
Maleny tilted her head up to see Marcel. "Can't say the same, Marcel. How'd you find me?"
"Klaus made a call. Some of my guys and I were in the woods so he thought it best if we got here first," Marcel's smirk irritated Maleny. It didn't help that three of Marcel's vampires were appearing at the scene.
The blonde growled and tried moving against Marcel. When her strength proved useless, she used her magic to subdue him. As soon as he dropped to his knees, the other three vampires charged towards her. She snapped one's neck and dodged a direct punch her way from the second one.
"Don't hurt her!" Zara exclaimed as the tackled the blonde to the ground.
"Not a finger on her!" Marcel reiterated as he got back on his feet.
"Get your hands off me!" Maleny struggled against the vampires pinning her to the ground. Her eyes narrowed on the brunette looking far too happy with the situation. "Levta, levta, me!" The same brunette was thrown off her, across the open field.
Before she could work against the others, a new visitor pulled the second vampire off her. As Maleny sat up, she recognized the back of the visitor. He had the vampire against a tree before snapping their neck.
"Julius?" Maleny lifted an eyebrow at the man who seemed more than smug when he turned around.
"You're a tough one to find, Mal," he almost chuckled just before Marcel zipped towards him to snap his neck.
"Don't touch him!" Maleny ordered his hands off Julius, giving the man even more reasons to feel smug.
Marcel turned sideways, one hand still grasping Julius' shoulder. "You know him or what?"
Maleny wasn't going to dignify that since she hardly knew Marcel (in her mind). Plus, she heard the distinct sound of a car approaching. In less than a minute, Klaus and Nicolas had arrived at the scene.
"Zara!" Nicolas was the first to climb out the car.
The woman in question chuckled with relief. "I'm okay! I'm alright!"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Maleny immediately demanded from Klaus. He took notice of the fearful step she retracted as he made his way towards them.
"I could ask the same thing, love," he smiled knowingly. "Quite the special place you've chosen for your kidnapping."
"I didn't kidnap, I borrowed," the blonde made a weak case for herself. "And yet I failed."
"She wants her memory back," she heard Zara whisper to Nicolas.
The glare Maleny threw to the two was one that made Nicolas fidget. "You bet your ass I do. I don't know what the hell you've done to me but I want it reversed now."
"I can't do that," Nicolas said quietly.
Maleny raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry, that was not a request. That was an order. Unless you'd like me to show you how serious I am." She raised her pointing and index fingers of her two hands, causing a streak of powerful aneurysms to cross over each person."
"Maleny! Stop this!" Klaus growled through the pain.
"This may come as a shocker to you, Niklaus Mikaelson, but you do not get to tell me to back off," she spat an actual hatred against him that it forced a moment of falter in him. There was a coldness in her eyes reserved just for him that it crushed his already weakened heart.
It was like they were truly strangers.
"Alright, enough!" Marcel tried jumping on her but Julius tackled him down. The two brawled on the ground, much to the shock of Maleny.
As the other vampires Marcel brought along tried to join the fight, Maleny telekinetically snapped their necks. At the same time, Julius managed to slip from Marcel's grasp and zipped beside Maleny.
"Mal, these people are not your family," he settled a hand on her arm. That was enough to garner suspicious looks from Klaus and Nicolas. "Mikaelsons only look out for their own. That's always been the rule."
"Who the hell are you?" Klaus stepped forwards but he was suddenly met with another jab at his head via magic. This time, however, Nicolas and Zara noted that the attack wasn't being inflicted by Maleny.
It was Julius.
"Julius Palemor," the man lifted the spell off Klaus. "And at the moment, Maleny, I am the only one you can trust."
Maleny met his gaze with an unsure one, but the facts were coming into her head. There were memories missing from her head and they were caused by the Mikaelsons. Even her own mother had a hand in it.
"We have to go," Julius urged her to follow him.
"Mal, don't go," Klaus said, but he knew a lost fight when he saw one.
"You didn't want me anyways," she spat with utter resentment and sped off. Julius went with her not a second later.
Author's Note:
It's like every time I come back to this story I just write more angst than the last time ._. Maybe it's because it's the last story? I mean...sorry?
P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "noble-crescent" and the tag I created for any posts having to do with my work is # noblecrescentedit.
For the review:
Miya-nyaan: I promise I'm drafting the story! I just get very distracted with other stories but this is a series I'm determined to end properly! And as for the relationship between Mal and Klaus...it's tetchy right now but of course we'll have fluff at some point, maybe some flirts...who knows ;).
