Hello loves!
I'll be honest, I kinda wanted to test out Ben… so here we are. And I feel like I'm neglecting Davina a tad recently, especially since I've tagged her as one of the main characters in this fic. Also, quite a bit of gore and violence shown in this chapter. Now, there are a couple of things in this chapter that may rely on the updated Rebirth chapter which I have also posted alongside this, but reading that is personal choice of course. It won't be difficult at all to put the pieces together without reading it, but I would be very glad if you did. As always, I own nothing. Now let's get on with it!
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: THE HOUSE GUEST
Benjamin LaRue was done.
Absolutely, unequivocally, and undeniably done.
Because this was the umpteenth – seventeenth, to be exact – time Davina Claire had shown up to the cemetery, watching him like a hawk. Apparently the girl couldn't take no for an answer, not when she wasn't joined at the hip with Aria Gerard. He closed his eyes in a brief beg for strength, before opening them and continuing. He had planned his speech with his mother the night prior, and now it seemed it needed to be cut to nothing. Yet another thing he could dislike her for, "Thank you for coming. To get to the point, I have spent the night consulting our ancestors, and they say we must remain strong and to defend our homes. But, for now, no covens are to engage with the vampires that are now running the Quarter, this decision is to keep us from a violent turf-war with them. And it is final. Because whilst I'd love nothing more than to drive a stake through their hearts, only what the Ancestors decree is going to happen."
Benjamin let himself glance over the crowd, insistent on ignoring the Harvest Witch, before he travelled too far and landed on the familiar head of hair. She raised an eyebrow his way, and he sent her a brief mock smile before speaking, not once taking his eyes from her, "That's all. Everyone is dismissed."
The covens began to bleed from the cemetery, large groups going at a time until the very fewest remained. At that time, Benjamin stepped off of his pedestal and walked away from the tomb, passing Davina without a glance.
She caught up to him easily enough, "Ben!"
He rolled his eyes and continued on with walking, mouth twitching into a slight smile when she huffed in annoyance, "Ben I know you can hear me."
He stopped walking and barely supressed his groan as he turned around, "Yes, I heard you, Davina. I'm fairly certain the whole of New Orleans heard you. Unfortunately, I'm in no mood for company, especially not when I cut my speech short because of a certain tricky little witch."
"Good thing too, poor things they'd be if they were forced to listen to a speech that long."
"Goodbye Davina."
Benjamin spun on his heel, and Davina's eyes narrowed as she hurriedly kept up beside him, "Well tough luck. Look, I'm sorry that you're going through some personal issues right now, but I think it's time for you to acknowledge that I'm not going away any time soon. And the harder you make it, the more I'm gonna fight back."
His amusement quickly faded, "Get over what exactly? I have nothing to do with you, scarce to do with the Mikaelsons, yet they have been sending you here for months trying to what, acquire me as an ally? Like a little collectable figurine? Do they think we knew each other at all before they started sending you? Davina Claire, my mother is ill, I am acting Regent exactly as is expected of me until they instate a new one – again, most likely to be me – and I don't care whatever it is that the Mikaelsons think they have to say. Now, does any that make sense in your head?"
Davina paused and sighed. You and your big mouth don't make sense to me, more like. She was going to amend her statement before she frowned, "You know what? Yeah."
His eyes widened almost comically.
"Because everyone's got responsibilities, Ben. In this city, they are life and death. Death being something that awaits us all-"
"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine?"
"Shut it. Am I saying you should like the Mikaelsons? No, I'm not an idiot, and I wouldn't say that. But if anything, get this through your thick skull, they're here to stay! They dealt with their aunt, and they've consoled with Marcel. There is literally no one left to be angry at, and if you hold it all in, it'll destroy you. So good luck with that. Because I'm not gonna be sticking around long enough to see it."
Benjamin eyed her critically, staring up and down, "This some reverse psychology?"
Davina literally waved the thought away, "Don't be ridiculous. Come on, I know you're smart enough, so don't be so stupid now."
"Are you seriously trying to threaten me?"
"Yes."
Benjamin sucked in his cheeks, and gave her a harsh smile. He relaxed his features a second later and stared, narrow-eyed, "You know, I think we have met before."
Davina arched an eyebrow in mock interest, plastering a fake smile, "Have we now?"
Benjamin hummed, the very same look on his own face, "Not that long ago. The Harvest preparations."
A knowing spark lit in Davina's eyes, even if she gave no outward show, and his fake smile grew the slightest bit more genuine, voice softer, "You were a very powerful one."
"Is that meant to be an insult?"
"Do you take everything the wrong way? Or perhaps just entirely as it's unintended?"
Davina waited a second, "You really want me to leave?"
"I really want you to leave." He nodded.
And then Benjamin watched as she left the cemetery, before breathing a long sigh of relief.
"Finally. Alone at last."
~*•°•*~
Hanging up the phone with Rebekah, Klaus was forced to contemplate the conversation in silence for a brief moment before finally settling back to reading. It only took a second before the words began to blur together as the conversation began to bleed through his mind properly, and he placed the book down, settling back in his chair as his eyes set on the clock.
He watched the second hand go around for sixty counts, and then blinked in frustration at the slow, wilting footsteps heading his way. She was late, and still taking her sweet time with it.
Because yes, Klaus Mikaelson had exactly two witch problems.
They both had names, Davina Claire and Benjamin LaRue, respectively. The former of which was entering the room, with what he could guess were rather disappointing results.
He watched Davina, with keen interest, "You're late."
The witch scoffed, a little less than caring, "I'm here, aren't I? Besides, not here for you, remember? Just because you happen to be interested in what I have to say, doesn't mean you're getting it."
"You failed."
"I hate you." He didn't react, and her eyes narrowed, "I'm not Aria, you know. So whatever creepy situation you have going on with her, kindly keep it away from me please." She paused, "And on second thought, keep it away from her, too."
Klaus sighed, "There is no creepy situation, as you've so eloquently put."
Davina raised an eyebrow, and came to a stop across the table, "I don't need to listen to your heartbeat to tell when you're lying."
His grin was almost deadly, "If you think that you're so clever, then how about you-"
"Niklaus!"
Davina had never been more thankful to hear Elijah Mikaelson's voice in her life. She turned, and then felt double the relief when she saw Finn beside him, looking decidedly more relaxed than she would have otherwise thought he'd be. She supposed that his bond with his family had somewhat eased his slow introduction to the modern world. After another couple of years away.
This family were a mess.
"Just the guy I needed to see."
Finn smiled, pleasant, and beside Elijah he made it seem like the suit-wearing vampire had been copying him for his immortal life, "Apologies to keep you waiting, Miss Claire."
Exactly like Elijah.
"On the contrary, brother, she's been here barely a moment."
"Niklaus, your input is largely unneeded."
Exactly like Elijah.
She shook her head to clear the thoughts away, and crossed over to him as they left the room. She could hear the beginnings of the conversation between Klaus and Elijah just before the door closed, along the lines of Rebekah or something similar. She wondered how the Original was doing.
"How have your brothers been?"
Finn had a small smile on his face, and side-eyed her, "Concerned for them?"
"Ha ha." She drawled, "Just wanna know if there's anything that could screw you or me over. Especially since they both have short tempers."
"That would insinuate we were doing anything that may cause them to lose said tempers."
"And we're not?" Davina questioned, slight concern on her face. Finn pursed his lips and turned to face ahead again, walking without so much as a stumble.
"Well, since our sister left with Aria, and since Niklaus' first sired vampire has arrived, they have talked and talked, on and on, yada yada yada. Yet nothing of note. It seems our activities are flying under the radar."
"Klaus' first ever sired vampire is here?"
Finn sighed and nodded, and Davina's lip twitched upwards in a fond smile. It seemed his siblings were getting to him, after all. His hand combed through his hair, and the very slight shaking stopped, the calming motion working exactly as it had been intended.
"As soon as both of our girls return, then we may finally have some semblance of peace, yes?"
Davina made a noise of agreement in the back of her throat, smile blooming. They walked in silence for another minute and they reached the front doors, "Have a good evening, Miss Claire."
He slipped her a folded paper as he gave her hand a shake, and then walked back to the upstairs corridor without another word. Davina watched after him for a moment, before spinning on her heel and leaving, unfolding the parchment as her eyes scanned it in curiosity.
It took her little time to get back to the Opera House, to work her way through the small gathering crowds in the foyer, and then up the rackety old staircase to get back home. She unlocked the door, closed it behind her, and immediately headed to her room as she took her shoes off, hopping along the way to get it done quicker. Her shoes found themselves in random positions scattered across the living room floor as a result, and she paid it no mind as she headed for the large set up pinned across most of the wall opposite her bed.
If someone were to enter Davina's room, they might find themselves somewhat concerned for her general health, mental or otherwise, as shown by the excess of red string linking several notes together, a handful of pictures strung up beside them.
Everything linked entirely to a big question mark in the centre of the wall, bright red, and around it were various notes including those about Dahlia's coffin, Freya, Finn's almost successful vampirism intervention. Klaus had several notes amongst all the others, though not as many as she would have initially thought. The parchment that Finn had given her went directly above a previous, almost identical one – the fixed spell work now finally linking it to the set of runes which linked to Dahlia's coffin, which linked to Freya's emergence which then linked back to the question mark.
She let a deep breath out, shoulders sagging as she moved back to her bed, waiting until she felt it hit the back of her legs until she flopped down on it. Arm splayed across her stomach, she played with the hem of her shirt as she traced the thin cracks in the ceiling. It took roughly a minute before the cracks began to grow fainter, her vision began to grow darker, a rather pained headache blossomed, and she fell asleep in the wake of twenty-six long hours awake.
~*•°•*~
Davina startled awake rather suddenly and groaned at the uncomfortable position she'd fallen asleep in. A glance outside told her it was night, and she'd probably been sleeping for only a few short hours. Regrettable as it was, she could sleep when she was dead, and so she settled with a quick freshen up in the bathroom, a change of clothes and she was sure that with something in her stomach, she'd feel right as rain in no time.
She crossed through her threshold, left the door open because she'd been living alone for some time and hadn't yet felt the need to practice privacy at all and headed down the few steps. Her fingers traced the cool surface of her phone in her back pocket, debating calling Aria. Though, in the wake of several missed attempts at making conversation, schedule differences she supposed, it was probably a less than ideal idea.
For some reason, the witch clearly wasn't aware that even as she was travelling with a woman who remained mystified by 21st century technology, that did not translate to her forgetting how it worked. When Aria saw her name pop up on her phone, she was supposed to answer it. She hadn't thus far.
Davina stumbled as she reached the living room, eyebrows knitting together in a briefly unhappy look, studying the witch standing across from her. He cast an almost ghostly presence in the darkness, arms crossed, significantly taller than she, and inspecting the pictures beside the front door with what she was sure would be a critical eye. She schooled her features quickly, unable to hide the flash of curiosity remaining, and slowly crossed closer to him, glimmer of a smile on her face.
"Hours after you lecture me about boundaries, and here you are in my house in the middle of the night..." Davina commented, crossing and taking a seat on her sofa. When she had spoken, Benjamin didn't exactly startle, but he did seem momentarily surprised he wasn't alone. Seconds later, he sighed in what she could only figure was exasperation and sat in an armchair opposite her, shifting in an effort to get snug.
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
The sarcasm seemed to be ignored. Wasted on her intruder turned house guest.
"We're familiar enough at this point for my presence to be noted as little more than an unfavourable intrusion."
"Unfavourable intrusion? You're being very nice to yourself."
"I came in through the front door. The unlocked front door, need I add – might want to get that looked at." Davina frowned as he continued, "You on the other hand, have been stalking me for the past three months. I assure you, there is a world of difference. Besides, this is a matter of life and death."
"More than usual?"
Benjamin didn't give an answer, and his grim expression was enough to sober Davina somewhat. Instead, he opened his bag and pulled out a laptop, Davina arched an eyebrow as he remained motionless for a second, before recoiling as he turned the electronic to face her. Her hand flew to her mouth, a reflex, and her eyes gazed borderline unseeing at the image. A picture, with far too much detail to be faked, of a man in a suit, arms strung up and spread wide by ropes like some macabre puppet. The mouth, drowned with red, slashed open ear to ear with blood dripping down his shirt. It took her a second to realise Benjamin was looking toward her, but still couldn't find it in herself to tear her eyes away.
A strangled noise, an acknowledgement that he could turn the screen away, emerged from her mouth and he did just that. His lips were pursed, and he studied her until she finally spoke, calmer than she would have imagined she should sound.
"What was that?" She sighed, a frown pulling at her mouth.
Benjamin was quiet, "The cops are on it, they have a psychological profile from one of the O'Connells. There have been two killings so far. Thing is this doesn't seem like something they can handle, they're no match for it, not like this."
"Why did you show me?"
He didn't seem like he would be answering her any time soon.
"I'm no forensic psychologist, but whoever did it took their time. He bled – a lot – which means he was alive but he just stood here. Those ropes? Just for display. He wasn't bound, there are no marks on his wrists, no signs of struggling or clawing. The guy was just torn apart. I mean, there are no obvious puncture wounds, but whoever did that had to be a vampire. And nobody heard any screams. He was compelled, Davina. I think Rich-Boy pissed off the wrong vampire, and he was compelled to just stand there and suffer."
Something occurred to Davina and she frowned at him, unhappy with the insinuation, "You think this was Marcel's guys? They know better than to leave a body in the streets. Dead bodies lead to headlines, which means tourism drops. They don't like to mess with their food supply. And yeah, maybe someone new lost control. But maybe you should consider that his guys aren't the only vampires in town-"
Benjamin laughed, an odd reaction, as he cut her off.
"Hey, hey. Chill. I don't."
"You don't think this was Klaus, do you?"
"Apparently Klaus has been on his best behaviour. I have a feeling best behaviour isn't exactly his thing." Davina nodded in agreement, "Sooner or later, I figure he'll cut loose. But I don't think he already has." A pause, "Call it a hunch, but I think his new friend Lucien is torturing and killing humans in the Quarter."
Lucien… Ah, the first sired vampire.
Davina rolled her eyes, "Would such an old vampire be so sloppy?" The picture flashed in her mind again, and her slight smile fell as she conceded, "Although, the timing is very convenient... But for the final time, why did you come to me?"
"You want to prove to me that you're more than just a Mikaelson lackey? Help me make sure this latest victim is the last one."
His gaze was curious, when she almost scoffed, "Look, even I can't take down a thousand-year-old psycho with vampire powers-"
"Oh but you can. You're the smartest, and the strongest, and the scariest. Look, I do remember who you are. You told your entire Coven to go shove it. Together, we can figure this out and make him stop."
Davina arched an eyebrow, "You're acting Regent, Benjamin. Flattery won't get you anywhere, not when I know that there isn't anything I can do for you that you can't do for yourself. You have an entire entourage of witches at your disposal, witches that, you know, have decades of experience more than I do?"
"Do they have your ridiculous power? Your gifts in understanding complex spell work?" He bent closer to her, eyes intense, "You figured out how to unlink a sireline, Miss Claire."
Silence was the response.
Then, Davina shifted, and watched him with mild interest, "Good enough, I suppose. Even if I only needed something simple."
She wouldn't lie and say that the description hadn't pleased her, some darker corner of her mind quite liking the title of 'the scariest'. A moment passed, and she still hadn't made up her mind when Benjamin sighed and offered her a playful smile.
"Could be fun." He shrugged, trying to feign disinterest when it was all too clear of the opposite.
Fun. Her forever breaking point.
"Fine." She hummed, picking up her bag lying forgotten beside the sofa, "Let's go."
She hid a smile as Benjamin definitely did not trail behind her.
~*•°•*~
Davina was making a record, visiting the Compound twice in two days. Not that she wanted to visit the building more than she had to, but apparently it was the one place Benjamin was rather insistent on going. She didn't want to see Klaus, but who else would he want to see? Elijah? The two were perhaps on worse terms than the Mikaelsons and their parents.
It took a second to realise that he was several steps ahead of her, and she caught up with him just as he began walking up the stairs leading to Klaus' study, eyes narrowing because she knew that he didn't walk quite that fast and had been trying to leave her as politely as possible despite having approached her in the first place.
"You're aware that leaving me after dragging me all the way here isn't polite, right?"
He barely refrained from a long-suffering sigh, "I wasn't trying to leave. You looked like you were all too fascinated with your musings in that head and I merely left you to think over them in privacy."
"You're very quick, aren't you?"
"Thank you."
Davina made a face. And she was still amused when they entered the study with little warning, startling the Hybrid somewhat before his confusion turned to plain annoyance. His eyebrows furrowed, "Ah. My two lovely witch problems." He announced, kicking his legs up to rest on the table in front of him. A bit extra, Davina thought, but he could do as he wished to, "Have you managed to persuade Benjamin to talk to Elijah yet, Davina?"
The witch in question looked unimpressed. And Benjamin looked… well, as bored as ever, he supposed.
Davina opened her mouth to reply, but Klaus cut her off, "Or perhaps this is a coup."
"Stop reflecting your paranoia onto us, Klaus, we're not here to overthrow anyone." Davina drawled.
Klaus studied them, amusement shining in his eyes. Not real amusement, more mocking. Fitting of Klaus Mikaelson, though, so it didn't surprise the Harvest witch all that much. He straightened in his chair somewhat, and finally let a smile flood over his mouth – one to match his eyes.
"Ah, I see what's going on here, you-" He pointed at the two of them, "You've tag teamed. A little crime-solving duo. Sherlock and Watson, perhaps." His voice lowered the slightest bit, but he was still talking to them, "Just wonder who's who."
Davina's polite chuckle spoke nothing towards her irritation, and she silently thanked Benjamin for intervening.
"No, not Sherlock and Watson." He chuckled, and the Harvest Witch didn't have to wonder how he was all charm, not with Josephine as his mother, "We're just asking a couple of questions, Mr. Mikaelson."
Klaus' eyebrows raised high on his forehead, and his smile widened, cheeks showing dimples, "Amusing as that is, it's not needed."
Benjamin nodded, and he made it immediately clear that he didn't care either way, "We'd just like to know how long Lucien Castle is planning to stay here."
"We?"
"Me."
The Hybrid shrugged, and began nosing around his things, "Not much of my business, to be honest."
Benjamin leant closer to Davina, forehead in the perpetual impression of confusion, "He lying or is he just an idiot?"
Klaus' mouth twitched down, and Benjamin's did the polar opposite.
"Got my answer then."
Klaus' nose twitched slightly in irritation, and his head turned to the window as he debated something over in his mind. It took a handful of seconds before he turned back to the witches before him, both looking like they would rather be anywhere else, "Is Lucien really causing this much trouble? Camille and Vincent already have their suspicions and now if the Regent is getting involved-"
"And a Harvest Witch." Benjamin imputed, ignoring the muted surprise on said witch's face beside him, "And yes. We'd just like to know how much longer we need to play nice with the vampire before he leaves."
Klaus sighed, "It appears he plans to maintain a permanent residence here."
Davina arched her eyebrow, and was entirely ready to ask for more information before Benjamin nodded, fixing a polite smile on his mouth and then turned to leave. He didn't make any motion for her to follow, and for a second she found herself confused with what to do, before there was a blur, and a rush of wind that met her ears and she found that Klaus now stood in the way of the door, right in front of Benjamin.
His head cocked to the side, and the witch let out a deep breath, shoulders sagging in defeat. Davina rolled her eyes and attempted to work out a way around them to leave anyway, but came up short.
"I haven't had much of a chance to speak with you, Ben-"
"Benjamin, please."
"But from what I'm told, you seem to be a rather spitting image of your mother-"
Benjamin's voice dropped, new and dangerous, "Don't talk about my mother."
Klaus' head bent the slightest in acknowledgement not to stray on the topic, though he moved on with his point, "Which is why I'm sure you'll understand what I mean when I say you've been a thorn in my side recently."
"So much so that you've been sending Miss Claire to spy on me? You understand we are not friends, yes?"
"Well you are both witches so you must understand each other on the base level, regardless of my being sure that her mother taught her not to talk to strangers."
It had been an interesting tennis match for Davina until that point, at which her face became stony and she spoke herself, "She was the stranger."
That certainly shut him up, and his eyes widened along with it.
Neither fully turned to her, even as Klaus' head moved ever so slightly, but whatever conversation they had been having was clearly finished by now. Then, the door opened and they were interrupted once more. Elijah stumbled somewhat as his eyes assessed each of them, noting the tense atmosphere, the closeness between Klaus and Benjamin and Davina standing on the side-lines, unimpressed.
He adopted her expression, and turned directly to Klaus, arching an eyebrow, "Niklaus, I declare…"
And it took only another second before the Hybrid winced, pure pain flashing over his face and staying there. Benjamin's eyes darted to her, the silent question clear, but she shook her head. If he wasn't doing anything, and she wasn't, then what was happening? Klaus' hand cradled his head, blood rushing to his face, as a very quiet sound – disguised as a grunt of pain but were words upon further inspection – emerged, "What is that hideous screaming?"
'There is no screaming' was what she wanted to say.
And yet she didn't dare say as such out loud, not with the amber flashing in his eyes.
Elijah, composed as always, had the barest of expressions on his face but it was still clear that he too was pained, "I must admit, I'm sure the new features are useful to her, but this nausea is… unbearable."
Davina watched them with knitted eyebrows, arms crossed. Confused, "Her?"
Elijah seemed more excluded than his brother, not fully under the torture that the sibling in front of him seemed to be experiencing, yet there was a spark of pain, and then of dawning realisation in his eyes. A terrible knowing.
A knowing in this case that in an ideal world would have been something akin to an old friend announcing her visit in an unusual way, or a migraine that had afflicted each sibling from when they were young, but a knowing in this case that Davina was quite sure meant the Mikaelson Family had pissed somebody off quite some time ago and that this – whilst not perhaps a common occurrence – was certainly something that had happened to them before, and enough times for them to be aware of what was happening.
Who had they pissed off?
All too quickly, the pain stopped and the siblings slowly stood taller, confusion etched into the lines of their faces, lingering pain set deeply.
What was that?
If it had been torture, then it was over far too quickly.
Something stirred within the deep recesses of her mind, something that didn't belong to her, that reminded her distinctly of Aria. And yet didn't. Something that seemed amused with her prior thought.
The tension in the room seemed to grow thicker, and a brief hope that Aria had returned was smothered when she realised that it felt so much like her friend, but Aria's power was different, less chaotic than this. This felt… decidedly unhinged. Davina's eyes tingled, and she rubbed at them absentmindedly, nothing growing more painful but the sensation did not recede, either.
A hand on her elbow drew her attention away and she locked eyes with Benjamin, breaking out of whatever fever dream she had been observing the prior events in for the past few moments.
"Are you-" His eyes widened comically, "Alright?"
He had fixed himself very quickly, but the stumble was notable. Davina's forehead creased in confusion, "What?"
"I-"
"What the fuck?"
The crude remark caught Davina's attention and she turned to Klaus, raised eyebrow already in place, "Excuse me?"
Both of the Mikaelsons stared at her in wonderous disbelief, for whatever reason she couldn't possibly understand, and first Klaus and then Elijah slowly began to take steps towards her, advancing like animals.
Not quite yet, it is not your time.
Then, an all-blinding white light consumed the Harvest Girl, and she fell and hit the floor with a thud.
~*•°•*~
27/11/2022
First of all: beyondthestaras – Many apologies for such a long wait in replying, I've been meaning to for weeks and for whatever reason replying has just slipped my mind! At this moment in time, I do intend for this to be a standalone story, however that doesn't mean that this will be the last we ever see of Miss Aria Gerard ;)
Now, I am so, so sorry. But this chapter is so… poor, and feels rushed, and actually hurts me a bit but I don't know where I went wrong, so here we are. Though the part I do like is one I hope y'all are liking too, being our ghostie's little one liner quips in the absence of their longer ones.
I actually have an excuse this week, as well. And that is exams. Mocks, more accurately, but they're still a pain in the butt. Freaking hell. And as someone who doesn't revise for most things, I've naturally been tearing my hair out over it. I've made my way through them, but I'll have a new round coming up in the new year before my actual things arrive and I am not looking forward to them in the slightest. Wish me luck!
And I am aware that I turned into a less eloquent Lemony Snicket towards the end of this, but I've been binging ASOUE recently and I was stuck while writing this and it managed to bring me out of my stoop. Thoughts and opinions on Benny the Benson and Davina, either as a duo or separate are always appreciated, they're a hoot to write!
(Gods, I feel like I've just aged seventy years :))
As always, all of you are appreciated greatly – both for reading this and otherwise, and I do hope you're are keeping warm in these cold times, even if you're somewhere delightfully sunny xx.
Anyways, thanks for reading, and adios!
As Always, SecretMidnightRose