Hayley Marshall. Of course, it would be her. it seems his instincts were correct. The Hollow had followed him back to this time after all, and clearly, she was wasting no time in making her move.

He paced his room with a frown; his fifth bourbon of the night clenched between his palms. It was a clever move. One he would have likely made himself. Utilize the Labonair bloodline to create an army. Prevent it from being used against you, while simultaneously forcing your enemy to face an impossible choice in fighting someone they cared about. It was as brilliant as it was ruthless, and he'd congratulate the witch for it if he wasn't overcome with the desire to make a soup out of her entrails.

No doubt his siblings were confused at the cry of rage at Marcel's announcement. No matter. He wasn't inclined to explain, and depending on what happened next, they were better off not knowing. He downed his drink and sat down at a small table where a large chessboard had been set up. His own side was black, with various pieces moved strategically around the board. Reluctantly he moved a knight and a few pawns on the other side. It seemed his fake story about a war with the vampires and the werewolves was about to become a reality. Marcellus had mentioned that they had unusual control over their ability, so someone amongst the witches was likely making moonlight rings. Head-to-head, the wolves would have an advantage over the average vampire as their bite was fatal and the only cure was his blood, and he wasn't inclined to share his blood with just any minion who got nicked. However, his hybrids once fully trained, should be able to match or even exceed their abilities, provided the Hollow had not found other ways to empower her minions. Considering the wolves had also allied with the New Orleans witches, he was not going to bet on that advantage.

He would have to figure out a few more contingencies, and he could not be more grateful that Freya had been recruiting more witches to their cause. A supernatural battle was akin to a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Wolf trumped vampire, vampire trumped witch, and witch trumped wolf. The average witch could only hold an aneurysm spell for so long after all, and the older a vampire was the more difficult it was to restrain them with it. That's what made Vincent and Davina such exceptionally powerful witches; both had the ability to incapacitate even himself without killing themselves in the process. Luckily, they were still susceptible to mortal wounds. But as his past life had drilled in his head, even a few minutes of incapacitation could have devastating consequences, especially when your enemy possessed powerful magic. Having his own witches would make that much more difficult. The real problem was Hayley.

His relationship with the mother of his child had been complicated to say the least. Initially he viewed her as a necessary evil, even obstacle, to his desire to build a kingdom for his daughter. Her self-righteousness and nauseating romantic entanglements, especially her back and forth with Elijah, had made him want to snap her neck on multiple occasions. Still, the woman had grit, and when the chips were down, she had proven to have a depth of loyalty and strength that he both respected and been forced to depend on. She helped to free him and his siblings from Marcel's treachery and raised his daughter when containing the Hollow kept him away. He considered her a worthy addition to his family and had been devastated at her loss. Another in an ever-growing pile of failures in his previous life. He had resigned himself to never seeing her again when he was sent back. At that time, he had no idea where she was or if the circumstances that had put her in his path would occur again. But it appeared the Hollow had other plans, and now he would be forced to face her as an adversary, a threat to his family and the life he was trying to build.

Still his heart clinched at the idea of having to kill her. His only consolation was that the burden would be his alone. His family was thankfully unaware of how important the werewolf had been to all of them. He crushed the glass in his hand, ignoring the shards of glass that embedded in his skin. The Hollow had made an excellent opening salvo. It was time to plan a counterstrike.

"How are you feeling?" came a soft voice from behind him. Marcel looked up and saw Rebekah approaching with a glass of whiskey in her hand.

"My city is lost, and all my friends are dead. But I suppose I'm not dying anymore."

"You're quite lucky you managed to make it to Niklaus in time."

"I owe it all to Davina. She managed to keep me going."

"I noticed you two seemed close. Taking a page out of Klaus's handbook and adopting strays?"

"There was something about her Beks. It's only been around seven months but seeing her fight against her fate while everyone else just stood and took it. It reminded me how I felt before Klaus took me in."

She gave him an understanding smile. "Well on the bright side, that officially makes Klaus a grandparent. I expect that little fact will be highly amusing for the next couple centuries."

"You do know that technically that means you dated your nephew, right?"

She glared at him. "You were the one who pursued me, you kinky little brat. Keep talking and I swear I'll set your entire wardrobe on fire. Again."

He laughed. "Thanks for checking on me Rebekah. Don't worry, if there's anything I've learned from Klaus, it's how to turn a setback into an opportunity. I'll take back my city one day and purge every single one of those wolves."

"Great. Blood, death, revenge. Definitely Klaus's son. Well, since you are well enough to start plotting, I have to go."

"Where are you headed?" he asked. "Want some company?"

He'd been too involved in his thoughts to notice, but now he saw that she was wearing a tight red dress that was cut low to reveal her cleavage and a pair of black heels. She looked stunning, and judging from her sudden smirk, she'd clearly noticed him checking her out.

"I'm afraid my dance card is full, Marcellus. I have a date with a sexy quarterback."

She put extra sway in her hips as she walked away, and he stared holes into her back.

Now that was interesting.

"Um Caroline, not that I don't appreciate the help, but do we really need all this?" Davina asked.

Her tiny arms were laden with bags of clothing, accessories and dozens of other miscellaneous things that the blonde vampire had decided she needed. Caroline gave her a baffled look and turned to the thin vampire that was accompanying them. His eyes shone with bemusement even as his own arms were similarly filled.

"We haven't even tried all the stores. Besides Bonnie and Elena are going to meet us at the next one and join us for lunch."

She gave the girl a comforting smile and quickly led them into the next store. Davina sighed but couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face as she followed the older vampire into the store. She'd never met anyone like Caroline Forbes before. She had been waiting patiently for Marcel to finish his meeting with his sire, when the older girl came and asked her which room, she wanted to put her things in. Upon confessing that she didn't have a chance to bring anything with her, the blonde's eyes had widened, and the next thing Davina knew she was being whisked off on the biggest shopping spree of her life. Clothes, linen, even underwear. The vampire was a ball of energy and enthusiasm, and it was apparently infectious as she found herself laughing and having fun.

The next store was a shoe store, and with all the grace and authority of a queen, Caroline soon had the salespeople eating out of her hand. They were soon joined by a pretty brunette and a lovely girl with black hair, who looked bemused at the sight of their friend's shopping frenzy.

"Caroline, perhaps you should give the poor girl a break and try on the dozen you already have next to you," the black girl said with a smile before turning to Davina. "Hi, I'm Bonnie. It's nice to meet you."

"Elena Gilbert," chimed in the other girl.

Davina shook both their hands and smiled softly before responding. "My name is Davina Claire. Thank you all for being so welcoming."

"It's our pleasure. Besides, from what Kol tells me, you are soon to be Caroline's granddaughter. It's the least we could do," Bonnie teased, enjoy the indignation on Caroline's face at being called a grandmother.

"What do you mean?" Davina asked in confusion.

"Marcel is Klaus's adopted son," Elena explained. "Since you two are family, and Klaus and Caroline are well, Klaus and Caroline, that technically makes you, their granddaughter."

"OMG! I will do anything you ask if you promise to call him grandfather. The look on his face would be priceless!"

"Calm down, Bon Bon. I swear Kol is rubbing off on you more than I thought," Caroline muttered, still pouting over the grandmother remark.

"Not as much as she'd like him to. What were the words you used? Dreamy intensity coupled with a chiseled ass you can crack a walnut on?"

"Elena Gilbert!" Bonnie cried aghast. "I told you that in confidence."

"Perhaps you should wipe the drool off your chin if you don't want anyone to know about your little crush," Caroline chimed in, happy at the subject change. "If it helps, I have definitive evidence that he's carrying quite the torch for you as well." She would have probably continued to tease, but suddenly she found no sound coming from her mouth.

"Davina, please close your eyes, I have to murder my former best friends," Bonnie said with a deceptively calm smile.

"That's an impressive spell," Davina remarked, trying to hold back a giggle at their antics. Besides the teasing and the threats, she could tell that the three girls were extremely close, and obviously had been friends, even family, for a long time.

"One of my favorites, especially dealing with this lot. Are you a witch as well?" Bonnie replied, turning to her with interest.

"Yes, a Claire witch. One of the founding families in New Orleans. I haven't learned much magic though. Truthfully, I never paid much attention to it." she looked down. "I wish I had, perhaps things could have been different."

"Cheer up. I'd be happy to show you some of what Kol is teaching me, and if I know him as well as I think I do, he will leap at the chance to instruct another witch."

"You mean it? Thanks so much," Davina said in awe before embracing the surprised girl. "I don't want to be weak anymore, or a victim. I want to be able to protect Marcel and everyone else that matters to me. I know I'm just a kid, but I promise I'll be stronger."

The older girls' eyes met, and they smiled. They knew exactly how she felt. They had made a similar vow themselves.

"Welcome to the Mystic Falls, Davina."

Mikael looked at the surprisingly pristine form of his wife's corpse with a hint of sadness. The centuries had dissipated most of the pain of her great betrayal of their vows, and seeing her at rest like this brought in memories of a happier time in his life. Despite the circumstances of their marriage, he could say things were good at first, especially after his oldest son and daughter were born. Their relationship had been cordial and happy, and he'd even say he loved his wife, as much as he was able to at least. He wasn't proud of the years that followed after Freya's death: the beatings, the drinking, the constant criticism of their children. In his own way he had been trying to make them stronger so they would be able to survive in the world that had taken his favorite child. He had sworn never to feel such loss again only to be ripped apart when the Bastard's foolishness led to the death of his youngest son. He should have known that a real son of his would never be so stupid.

"Was there any trouble retrieving her coffin?" he asked the silent vampire in the corner. His ascension to the metaphorical throne of the Strix had not been without its trials. His reputation as a vampire hunter who fed on his own kind, as well as the destruction he had reaped upon this very organization centuries ago, had made Aya's decisions to hand the reins to him controversial to say the least. However, after he singlehandedly slaughtered the dozen vampires who opposed his ascension, his position at the top was unanimously accepted.

"No, sir. We stayed in the shadows and took out the guards at the warehouse it was in."

"How many of the Bastards' abominations did you kill?" he asked, only halfway listening at this point. He had been disgusted to learn of the hybrid breaking his curse and of the half breeds he had taken to creating.

"Um, actually none. There were a half dozen vampires guarding the location, but we killed them quickly before they even knew we were there."

Mikael stopped his musing and stared at him. If the vampire words were true, then something was amiss. His bastard stepson was many things, but a careless fool was not one of them. He could just be distracted with his new toy but that was unlikely. The bastard was incapable of real feelings. He was up to something, not that it would help him very much.

"When will the resurrection begin?" he said instead.

"The sisters will begin it soon. Because she is such an old and powerful soul, they are tapping into the power of some of our dark objects to prepare."

"Let me know when it's done. It's time my wife and I had a long overdue discussion."

"You've called us all here, Niklaus. Have things progressed as expected?" Elijah questioned.

Around a large table in the room that Kol was secretly dubbing the war room, the Mikaelsons and their most important supporters were meeting. Lexi and Marcellus were special guests, finding themselves next to Stefan and Rebekah respectively. Lexi had even sparked up a conversation with Freya, who looked both surprised and intrigued by the girl's limitless energy.

"More or less. Although the ambush and meeting Stefan's little friend was unexpected. I sent Maddox and Tony to investigate the college, but so far, they have come up with nothing of interest. Kol, I want you to meet up with them and see if you can discover something they have missed. Lexi, I would appreciate it if you went as well."

The blonde girl flashed an agreeing smile, and Kol smirked.

"Sounds interesting. Hopefully they will have more little toys to play with. Care to join us Bon Bon?"

"I suppose someone has to keep you in line. The last thing Grams needs is you leaving a bloody mess at her workplace."

"Perhaps we can hit up some of those college parties while we are there. I hear they get wild."

"Fending off horny frat boys while you flirt with everything in a short skirt? No thanks."

"You wound me, Bon Bon. I'll have you know that I am known far and wide as a perfect gentleman," Kol said as innocently as he could while ignoring Rebekah's loud snort of disbelief.

Instead of scoffing, Bonnie merely looked amused.

"If you behave, perhaps I'll let you buy me a few drinks. Assuming of course that you can keep the bloodshed and skirt chasing to a minimum."

"Scouts honor my dear. I promise to be on my best behavior."

Unbidden, a shiver went down everyone's back. Kol's definition of best behavior was extremely fluid.

"My brother's deviant behavior aside. How are things progressing with our friends in the Strix?''

This time Klaus addressed Katerina, who was managing to lean catlike against Elijah.

"My informants have told me that the Strix have a new leader. I can only assume it's your dear father. The vampires I had guarding that coffin have been killed, so I'd say they have taken the bait."

"I made sure to draw a few vials of mother's blood as you requested, and we are monitoring their movements closely. I expect you will be their focus, Niklaus. We will have to find a way to draw them in when they think you are at your most vulnerable."

"I am never vulnerable, Elijah, as our loving parents will soon see. Still, we will have to make it convincing." He threw an amulet on the table. "This is the Seraturra, acquired from our dear friend Lucien before he left us. It can be used to trap powerful spiritual entities and could come in handy. Freya, I want you and your witches to continue scouring for magical methods to entrap foes who are invulnerable or possess powerful magic. Perhaps there are ways to enhance the witch cuffs for someone as strong as Mother?"

"I'll look into it. Kol is using his connections to find witches willing to assist us, as well as any grimoires and magical tomes he can find."

"Kol tells me that our resident Bennett witch is progressing well in her studies. Is this true?"

"She is very good. She has difficulty controlling her power at times, but her magical knowledge is growing. She is an excellent student."

Bonnie looked pleased at the praise from her teacher, and she flushed a bit at the proud look on Kol's face. Getting in touch with her magic had opened up parts of herself that she had never known she was missing. She felt strong, whole, and full of purpose, and she owed it all to the two people before her.

"You are to be commended, Miss Bennett," Elijah chimed. "Freya is not one for frivolous praise."

"Thank you," she said with a smile. She had not spoken to the elder Mikaelson much, but she knew he too wasn't one for meaningless flattery either

"Mindy, I want you to seek out information on other werewolf packs. See if anyone is interested in joining us. I'll be happy to recruit them the old way if necessary."

Mindy merely nodded her assent. The pack had been flourishing since becoming a part of Caroline and Klaus's hybrid pack, and she held nothing but love and respect for her Alpha and his mate.

"Marcellus, have you brought everyone up to speed with the state of things in New Orleans?"

"Yes. I still don't understand how the wolves could have mobilized so quickly even with the witches' support though."

"I have my own theories on that. But before we can reclaim your city, we have enemies before us that must be eliminated." Klaus gave his surrogate son a comforting look before turning to the youngest person in the room. "Welcome young Davina. Marcellus has told me many things about you. I want you to know that you are under my family's protection, and you are safe here."

She gave him a hesitant smile. "Thank you for your hospitality and for welcoming us into your home."

"Think nothing of it. Marcellus is family. And from what I understand he thinks of you as the same. As such there is no lengths in which we will not go to ensure your safety and happiness. Welcome to the Mikaelson family, Davina Claire."

Marcel looked pleased and gave his wards hand a comforting squeeze.

"Thank you, Klaus. I appreciate it. May I ask for a favor?"

"Of course," Caroline chimed in. Her eyes eager and curious as to what the teenager would ask for.

"I know some magic, but I'm afraid my teachers have been lackluster at best. Would it be okay if I joined Bonnie in her lessons? I promise to try as hard as I can to be useful to you all."

Klaus was about to agree when a look from Caroline gave him pause. The blonde gave Davina a once over and seemed pleased with what she saw because she grinned. "Agreed. But only if you promise to keep up your classes. It's important that you take your freshman year seriously if you want to get into a good college. "

"Deal," Davina said with a smile.

Only Caroline would focus on something like college at a war council.

She hated being here. The professor had been relentless in drilling her on expression, and she despised the oily feeling it gave her when she used it. As much as she hated to admit it though, it was comforting to be able to do magic again. Despite still being cut off from nature, she still felt a connection to a part of herself she thought she would never have access to again. Still, it would have been nice not to be the unwilling lackey of a fanatical professor who was determined to bring on the apocalypse. Every day she contemplated cutting bait and leaving; she was sure that she could overpower the man. Yet every time she did an image of Jake would pop in her head and she felt her resolve to see things through solidify.

After making sure she was skilled enough in expression for whatever plans were in play, they went to a remote island. After a few days they made their way to a cave and eventually down to a large tomb. Awaiting them were two people dressed in gray robes, a male and a female. Fellow cultists if Abby wasn't mistaken. At their urging the Bennett witch performed the spell to open the tomb, and the four made their way in. Inside was a fossilized corpse wearing a strange mask. One of the women cut her hand and allowed a few drops of her blood to drip into the corpse's mouth. After a few moments the corpse moved and with a grunt drained the woman of her blood before turning and addressing the man.

"You've done well, Massak. Please gather your fellow acolytes and begin our search for the other artifacts." He turned to Professor Shane and Abby.

"I am grateful for your loyalty, Atticus, and for your cooperation, Abby. I will keep my word and reunite you with your loved ones soon enough. But first, we have a few pieces of work to do for the spell. Come with me, it is time to begin."

He had thought long and hard about how he would feel speaking to his wife again. He had been furious and hurt upon discovering her betrayal and affair with that beast, but he had never been able to resolve it with her as his bastard son had killed her soon after. He was self-aware enough to note that a lot of the rage he felt towards his stepson was unresolved rage towards the woman that had betrayed him, and yet seeing her before him, as beautiful and composed as ever, he could not find it in himself to be rageful.

"It's been a long time, Mikael. I admit, having watched you from the other side, I did not expect this meeting to ever occur."

"Neither did I. It is strange company I find myself in these days, and yet I find them useful for now. It seems the abomination you brought into this world is set on making more half breeds , and so the cast offs of their sirelines have banded together against him . I always told him his nature would get him in trouble."

"I'm afraid all of our children have become monsters. Even sweet Rebekah and gentle Elijah. All have murdered and burned countless innocents in their unnaturally long life. My biggest regret, beyond breaking our vows, was turning them into what they are."

"The Bastard has fallen to even greater depths, even turning on those he claims to love. I'm surprised they have not abandoned him yet."

"Soon it will not matter. I have been conversing with my fellow witches on the other side, and we have a theory. If an original vampire is killed, it is likely the magic that connects him to his sireline will cause the deaths of all those who are bound to it. Which means that if we can put our children to rest from what they have become, perhaps even find a way to move them to mortal bodies to remove the stain of vampirism from them, then we can end the entire wretched race. Will you help me with this mission, Mikael?"

"I have long despised what we have become. If we can end these abominations and give the worthy amongst our children a chance at a mortal life again, it would be a dream come true. You have my support. And we will use these insects that cower around us to help us achieve our goal."

Its been a long time guys, I appreciate the patience. The person who edits for me has been having some family issues, which delayed getting this out. If anyone is interested in assisting as well, please drop a comment. Hopefully the next chapter will come out quicker. As always let me know what you think.