Sophia's POV
"Damn girl, not bad!" I heard Marcel yell out over the screams and yells of his vampires but I was pissed and was in no mood to wait so I sped up behind the winner and snapped her neck before glaring up towards the balcony where Marcel was standing looking down and glaring back at me as Nik joined me as the whole room goes silent.
"Good evening, I'd like a word" Nik yelled up towards Marcel.
"What do you think you're doing?" Marcel asks us.
"It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs!" Elijah replies as he walks into the courtyard. "We've come here for the girl, give it to us or...we kill everyone here, starting with you" he points up at Marcel.
"You three got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands" Marcel argues glaring down at us.
"Your home, is it?" Nik spat at him as I huffed.
"The girl!" Elijah yelled focusing on the topic most important here. "I will not ask again"
"I assume you're talking about Hayley, yay high, dark hair, bitchy attitude?" he asks us and I glare clenching my fists at my sides. "Who is she, anyway?" he asked us.
"She's an old friend, you know how sentimental I am about old friends" Nik replied and Marcel smiled.
"Well I ain't got her and before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave and imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence, your girl Hayley answered the door we exchanged hellos, that was it" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. "You don't believe me, look around hell I'll even help you find her but the question that I'd ask is...if Hayley isn't here, then where is she?" he added and I frowned sharing a look with Nik since he had a point and I was back to worrying.
Elijah and Nik had moved to a table in the courtyard and sat down while Marcel brought in his help for us but I couldn't sit still I was too anxious and too worried and so I was pacing behind them pretty sure I was burning a hole in the floor in the process.
"Not the most attractive community, are they?" Elijah said clearly talking about Marcel's community of vampires.
"You do realize they can hear you?" Nik smiled at him.
"You do realize I don't care?" I rolled my eyes at them as Marcel appears, followed by some vampires and the witch.
"You know Elijah, I liked you better in that box" Marcel jabs at Elijah before he turns to Nik. "But Klaus, my sire, you I owe the world and I always show respect to my elders, if your special lady friend is missing-" I growled and Marcel smirked towards me. "You could benefit from the help of a witch and since I control all the witches in this town, I'll grant you one little locator spell, Sabine's the best guide in the Quarter, need to find someone I guarantee she's your girl" he says then turns to leave us to our business while I glare at Sabine since from what I'd heard she was the witch responsible for the ridiculous prophecy about our baby.
"Where are you going?" Nik asks him.
"I hate to cut this short but the sun's coming up soon, my nightwalkers need to get inside and I have got a city to run, I leave you to track down your lost sheep"
"Can you find her?" Elijah asked the witch.
"I can try" she replied and Nik stood to give her his seat and she got started with a map to try and do a locator spell to find Hayley. "I'll need some blood" she stated and I bit into my palm immediately holding my hand over a glass letting my blood drip into it seeing Nik's disapproving eyes.
"Should have allowed me to, my love" he protested and I rolled my eyes.
"We both share blood with the baby, who cares whose blood we use" I argued.
"Both would be better if you're willing" Sabine suddenly said and Nik stared at her with his usual distrustful look before he bit down on his wrist and came over standing across from me placing his hand next to mine as our blood dripped down and joined together in the glass.
"Witches" I scoffed rolling my eyes since their ingredients always had to be so personal before Sabine stated that she had enough so we stepped back and she tipped a small amount of blood onto the map then began waving her hands over the map, where our joined puddle of blood traces from our current location to where Hayley is using our child inside her.
"She's in the back country, way up past Houma deep in the bayou" I frowned since what the hell was since doing up there.
"I don't suppose you could be more precise?" Elijah asked her.
"What's the matter Elijah, you're worried a bit of splashing about in the bog might ruin your expensive shoes?" Nik smirked over at Elijah and my frown deepened, for the fact that I had to look down at my own shoes as they actually were expensive Louis Vuitton heels.
"As a matter of fact, after my recent confinement I could use a decent stroll through the countryside" Elijah argued and I huffed.
"There are stories of exiled werewolves, encampments" Sabine spoke up and I stopped my pacing for a moment.
"If Hayley went out that far, chances are she went to find them" I sighed knowing how much Hayley wished to find her family.
"Clearly, she hopes to make the acquaintance of more like herself, I suppose our company wasn't good enough for her"
"Now isn't the time for jokes Niklaus" I spat at him while Elijah looks at Sabine worriedly before we set out for the bayou to continue our search for Hayley near the werewolf encampments since we couldn't leave her out here alone.
"We should head south towards the water" Elijah instructed taking the lead making Nik and I share an annoyed look.
"You seem quite determined to find the little wolf" Nik pointed out.
"If I'm moving too fast for you Niklaus, you're welcome to wait in the car, do be certain to leave the windows down" I couldn't help the snigger at Elijah's words quickly cutting myself off when Nik turned to glare at me for laughing at Elijah's clear 'dog' joke.
"Ah so I've touched a nerve, you've begun to admire this girl" Nik went on as we continued to follow behind Elijah "Perhaps that's why you've been barking orders since your return, hoping to impress Hayley by assuming the role of family patriarch"
"If you're going to insist on treating her like a walking incubator, then that's your mistake" Elijah snapped back and I frowned shaking my head at their bickering before Nik suddenly sniffs in a deep breath clearly catching a scent.
"Have you found her scent?" I asked suddenly hopeful.
"No but I found someone else's" he replies before speeding off with Elijah and I immediately following him to a truck where he was pulling everything from the cab out sniffing it. "This vehicle reeks of someone I thought I was rid of...Tyler Lockwood" I frowned raising a piece of clothing he'd thrown towards us and recoiled at the scent agreeing that it was definitely Tyler's but what the hell was he doing in Louisiana.
"And why would your little hybrid-sidekick from Mystic Falls have any interest in Hayley?" Elijah asks him while I frowned and contemplated calling my brothers to see if they knew why Tyler has strayed so far given Nik had given him permission to return to Mystic Falls as a graduation present to Caroline.
"He wants revenge because I took away his free-will and made him bite his girlfriend" Nik told him and I scoffed since that was the least of what he did to Tyler but man things seemed so much easier back then.
"Why do I suspect this is the least of your offenses?" Elijah questioned.
"Back when I had the means to sire hybrids he was my first, although I didn't give him much choice in the matter" Nik explained before heading over to the truck bed and opened it pulling a blanket out of the abandoned car and sniffs at it. "He was loyal in the beginning but he grew insubordinate, turned my other hybrids against me, I couldn't have that so I massacred the lot of them, Tyler ran like a coward before I could finish him off" Elijah turned to me as if he didn't believe any of this.
"Anything else that you would like to share?"
"Well, there was this business with his mum-" I began to tell him about Nik killing Tyler's mother.
"You killed his mother, wonderful" he cut me off staring back at Nik.
"He needed to be taught a lesson!"
"And what lesson will you be taught Niklaus, if he retaliates by harming Hayley?" Elijah asks him and I let out a sigh.
"So you do care about her, well go on then have at it brother save her, claim what spoils you can" Nik told him while I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "I'll kill Tyler Lockwood myself" he adds before he vamp-runs away to find Tyler.
"Just great" I sighed before looking up at Elijah. "I'll go after him, you keep heading towards the water see if you can get there first, just don't hurt Tyler...I'll never hear the end of it from my stupid brothers" I told him and he nodded before I went after Nik.
Third Person's POV
Dwayne had left Hayley alone tied to the fireplace so she got busy trying to loosen the binds but these were heavy duty cable ties and before she could give it too much effort the door opened and Tyler walked in with a bag glaring at Hayley.
"Tyler there's been a wolf watching me lately" Hayley suddenly spoke up. "Protecting me like it instinctively knows that I'm part of its pack, you're a hybrid you can turn into a wolf whenever you want, was it you?" she asked him awaiting his answer.
"No" he replied shaking his head and her head dropped putting her back to square one. "But your right only hybrids can control when they change and I'm the only one left besides Klaus which is why we're here"
"Whatever you think you're doing you know that whole original family has made some sort of pact or something to keep me and the baby safe" she snapped at him. "If you hurt me they'll kill you"
"What makes you think I'm afraid to die?" he asked and her brows furrowed but before she could answer Dwayne came back into the shack. "You ready for this?" Tyler asked him.
"Let's do it" Dwayne nodded and Hayley frowned confused on what the hell they were gonna do but then Tyler held up a syringe with a really long needle attached and her eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" she asked staring at it as Dwayne came towards her to hold her down. "Tyler, please no...no Tyler!" she begged as he approached me.
"Klaus destroyed everything good in my life, so I'm gonna take away the thing he wants most" he spat at me.
"No please Tyler please!" she begged but he ignored her and she let out a scream when she felt the needle pierce through her skin straight into her womb and he pulled back drawing blood then stared in shock as he injected it into Dwayne's neck before a sharp twist and he had snapped the guys neck and the dude dropped dead...she stared in shock with the realization of what he was trying to do, why he wanted her.
"Don't get all judgey" Tyler said looking at Hayley who was staring in shock at Dwayne's body. "Dwayne knew what he was getting into, he volunteered"
"For you to kill him?" Hayley spat angrily since he was a part of the pack she'd been looking for.
"Dwayne is a werewolf who died with your blood in his system, same blood you share with that hybrid baby"
"You're trying to turn him into a hybrid that's impossible" she asked coming to that conclusion.
"Been running with wolf packs all over the country, one of them was tight with a witch she had nightmare visions about that baby and how Klaus could use its blood to make an army of hybrid slaves" Hayley's eyes narrowed.
"I am sick of these witches and their premonitions about this baby, it's just a baby!" she yelled since it was frickin ridiculous.
"Maybe, maybe not that's where Dwayne comes in" Tyler argued and she glared at him. "You see he was happy to be the test case, if you haven't noticed these people don't have much to live for, they'd all welcome the chance to become the superior species, trouble is all hybrids are sired to Klaus they follow his every move" he grabbed a knife from his bag and sets it on the table. "No way I let that happen"
"How can you be so sure Klaus knows what the baby's blood will do?" she asked him.
"What do you think Klaus Mikaelson, killer of men, women and puppies, all of a sudden wants to be a daddy, Sophia sure but Klaus?" he spat back at me. "Or he's got an ulterior motive, hybrids can walk in the sun, their bite is lethal to vampires they'll take over New Orleans by the end of the week and you know what's going to stop Klaus then...nothing" he finished right as Dwayne woke up with a gasp and started freaking out. "You're gonna have to feed on her" Tyler told him not even looking away from Hayley as he spoke to Dwayne then picked up the knife and walks towards her and sliced it across her neck.
"Ahhhhh!" she spat as she glared at him.
"Do it" he instructed and Dwayne wasted no time running over and bit into her neck and Tyler just stood by and watched before Dwayne stops feeding and falls to the floor yelling out in pain to which Tyler pushes him outside and leaves to tend to him.
Sophia's POV
"Nik!" I yelled calling out for him as I sped through this mosquito infested bayou. "Niklaus!" I let out a sigh before I heard the sound of a fight up ahead so I picked up my pace zooming towards the commotion just in time to spot Tyler as run up behind Klaus and stab him through the chest with a stake, Nik yells in pain and backhands Tyler away before he pulls the stake out of his chest and readies himself to fight back while I stand in shock not sure if I should help or let them work it out.
"Let's end this, shall we?" Nik spits at Tyler with a glare before they lunge forward to fight, their hybrid eyes and fangs emerge right before Tyler tackles Nik and they both roll down a small hill and land in front of a shack with Tyler punching Nik in the face, so Nik grabs him in a chokehold. "How dare you!"
"I'm just getting started" Tyler argues before he stakes him in the side and Nik yells out in pain.
"You've grown bloodthirsty, perhaps it's best your mother didn't live to see you like this" Nik laughed and I rolled my eyes before Tyler gets more enraged and begins to pummel Nik in the face and with that I'd had enough so I sped forwards knocking Tyler off Nik grabbing his throat.
"Enough!" I yelled at them but Nik wasn't done and used me holding down Tyler to his advantage and skated him in the chest with the stake that had been stuck in his side and Tyler yells in pain. "Nik!" I exclaimed pushing him away as we all let go of each other and stand to our feet.
"It's sad really, I thought I made you better, turns out you're quite the disappointment" Nik told him while Tyler pulls the stake out of his chest and throws it aside.
"I guess I'm another one of your failures, like how you failed at making hybrids, how you failed your family, failed your wife!" Tyler goaded Nik as he approaches him smiling. "Now it looks like you're going to fail your own kid!" it's my turn to glare at Tyler since that wasn't true and Nik didn't need any more doubt in his mind but before I could react Nik suddenly grabs Tyler by the throat and pushes him against a tree.
"And thus ends your tedious little life, at least it was brief!" he yells before he jams his hand into Tyler's chest and Tyler shouts in agony.
"Nik don't!" I exclaimed.
"Do it!" Tyler yells making me turn to look at him in shock. "You're never gonna break me, only thing you can do is kill me, so go on...go on get it over with!" he yelled like he was almost begging Nik to kill him and Nik started chuckling.
"You want me to end your suffering, don't you?" he asks Tyler before smirking. "I did break you, took everything from you and now you're begging me to sweep away the shards of your shattered little life" he stares at him for a moment and just when I thinks Nik is about to go through with it, he pulls his empty hand out of Tyler's chest grabbing his throat instead. "Death offers more peace than you deserve, it's better to let you live and each morning, you will wake knowing your wretched existence continues only by my will" Nik states before he locks eyes with Tyler. "Now go and live the rest of your days knowing that you are nothing to me" he compels him before Nik lets him go, first coming towards me and we leave him behind in agony by himself.
"Nik, don't believe a word Tyler says okay, your not failing me and your not going to fail our child" I spoke up as we walked heading into the shack but our eyes found the sight of a dead body and one look at him told us he was a hybrid but that was impossible since he wasn't one of Nik's and that's the only way hybrids can be made and without Elena's human blood it wasn't possible for there to be any new hybrids.
"Impossible" Nik breathed out kicking the guy over and we saw the hole in his chest where his heart had once been.
"How is this possible?" I asked but it was clear that he didn't know, he picked up the body and took it outside right as Elijah and Hayley walked up and I let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Hayley was safe.
"There you are, I see you've found our wandering stray" I turned to glare at Nik shaking my head at him. "Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation, this..." he kicks the body over off the porch. "...appears to be a hybrid"
"His name was Dwayne" Hayley tells us and I frown since who cares what his name was.
"Well whoever it was I didn't sire him, any idea how that's possible?" Nik asked looking towards Hayley.
"As if you didn't know!" she argues walking towards us but Elijah holds her back and walks in front of her as if to protect her from us.
"Ah well, aren't you two fast friends?" Nik remarks. "Oh come on then, what kind of horrible accusation have you conspired to levy against me?"
"Tyler Lockwood brought Hayley here to test a theory" Elijah began but trailed off so Nik nods at him to continue. "That the blood of the child could be used to sire hybrids, he claims that you knew that, furthermore that you intended to use this knowledge to build an army" I narrowed my eyes at Elijah since he couldn't honestly believe that Nik had any ill intentions towards our child.
"And of course you assume it's true, I mean why else would I show interest in my own flesh and blood, the child of my wife?" Nik argues glaring at them but I could see the hurt in his eyes from the accusation. "A heartbroken little crybaby points his finger at me and my own brother falls in line eager to believe it, how quickly you believe the worst especially when it comes from her" he turns to glare at Hayley.
"Oh spare me your indignation, when have you ever demonstrated any kind of concern towards Hayley or the child beyond your own selfish pursuits and what was it you once said to me 'Every king needs an heir'!" I frowned turning to Nik wondering if he actually used those words.
"My big brother, so you doubt my intention well I can't say I'm surprised, standing next to the noble Elijah, how can I be anything but the lesser brother, a liar, a manipulator, a bastard" I let out a sigh shaking my head as the two stare at each other before Nik approaches him. "That's all I am to you isn't it...and Rebekah and no doubt my child will as well" I shake my head at him since no way in hell would I let my child believe that, not when he's the best thing to happen to me and from that our child was created.
"Brother, if-"
"You've said all that needs to be said, brother" Nik cuts him off as he steps back a few steps and holds his arms out in defeat. "I'll play the role I've been given" he turns to walk away but suddenly stops and vamp-runs over to Elijah biting down on his neck savagely.
"Nik!" I exclaimed in shock as Hayley screams in horror and runs over to Elijah as soon as Nik steps back and wipes his mouth with his hand.
"You two enjoy each other's company, you'll have much to bond over once the hallucinations and dementia set in, consider that bite to be my parting gift to you both" he states before he turns to me and holds out his hand towards me, I frowned looking over at Elijah for a second before letting out a sigh and took his hand since I think he needed me more right now.
We went back to the plantation house and I immediately poured myself a drink feeling like I needed it after tonight to curb the slight cravings I had since all this stress is making me crazy but I knew Hayley was better off away from all this right now and I just hoped that she didn't take off with my baby or do something stupid like try and abort it again since I wouldn't be able to survive that.
"Nik-"
"Do you believe them?" he asks me and I frown immediately shaking my head.
"Of course not but I have to ask" I replied and he turned towards me. "What are your true thoughts about the baby?" I asked and he seemed to hesitate. "I saw the book you were reading yesterday, about the poisoned apples...are you scared of becoming a father?" I asked moving towards him as he looked down at the ground. "Nik please"
"Yes" he nodded finally looking up, his cheeks wet with tears that I felt my heart breaking for him so I wrapped my arms around his shoulders tucking my head into the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist tightly pulling me against him that I had to rest on my toes from our height difference.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
"I was scared to face you, to tell you" I was so shocked by his candor since he's never been afraid to tell me something.
"Nik you always tell me to never be afraid to tell you something, well the same goes for you, you can always talk to me" he nodded into my hair and I stepped back brushing my thumbs over his cheeks to wipe away the few tears that had escaped, it was such a shock to see Klaus cry since he rarely, if ever cried so I knew this had really been troubling him. "I'm gonna go take a shower, wash off the bayou stink, you wanna join me?" I asked him and he smiled.
"Maybe in a little bit" I nodded figuring he needed time so I stepped back and left him heading upstairs to shower, not taking as long as I would have if Nik had joined me putting on some fresh clothes frowning at the state of my favorite pair of Louis Vuitton heels before I went back downstairs and froze in the doorway when I saw Rebekah was back
"...where are Elijah and Hayley?" Rebekah asked him.
"I left them in the bayou"
"Why?"
"Elijah and I had a bit of a row" Nik laughed and I rolled my eyes at him especially with the glass of scotch in his hands, who knows how much he's had since I left him. "Hayley's conspired to turn him against me, you know our brother was never one to resist a pretty face. So one thing led to another and I bit him, left them both stranded in the swamp"
"Daggering, biting, deserting, does your wickedness ever end?" Rebekah exclaimed clearly livid with Nik.
"My 'wickedness' is self-preservation and I wouldn't have to go to such lengths were I not presented on all sides with ignorance and treachery, now that Elijah's abandoned me I'll be needing you in my plot against Marcel" he replies but Rebekah glares at her brother quite resentfully. "Don't expect to be leaving town anytime soon" he adds as he pours himself another drink.
"Why should I help you, after what you did to Elijah?"
"You're my family, besides who better to spy on Marcel than the girl he so clearly loves?" he sits on the coffee table in front of Rebekah, who sits on the couch and I let out a sigh finally heading in and sitting in one of the armchairs. "You can tell me all his secrets, like how did he find us here, huh any idea about that little sister?" I frowned at Nik since Rebekah wouldn't betray us like that.
"How should I know why Marcel does what he does?" Rebekah shot back at him.
"You think I don't know about your engineered run-ins all over the Quarter, I know you've had private chats with him just tell me what secrets he's confided to you, is he plotting against me?"
"My poor brother, so paranoid" she spits with a glare at him and gets in his face. "Marcel knows nothing, he's not plotting against you, he simply thinks you're in a quarrel in need of making up"
"Perhaps we will, after all-" he trails off pointing and leaning in toward Rebekah rather b b aggressively. "-you know I'm capable of forgiving those who disappoint me, as soon as they've seen the error of their ways and suffered for them, you'd do well to remember that" Nik gets up and walks away.
"You never let me forget" I hear Rebekah mutter to herself before we share a look and I let out a sigh as I get up and follow Nik out, man how I miss the simple chaos that Mystic Falls used to bring to my life and I can't believe I can even say that.