Davina Claire had a bit of a temper. She acted on her emotions and, well, her emotions tended to manifest through her magic. Depending on the situation it could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing.
In the instance when Kol Mikaelson told her his real name, she hadn't decided.
"Now, now, darling, I did ask you to remember what I said about Nik." Kol choked out, trying to pry his limbs from the wall, but Davina, or rather her magic, had a tight hold on him. He'd been stuck for nearly ten minutes, thrown hard against it the moment the words Kol Mikaelson left his mouth. She also hadn't spoken a word to Kol since, choosing to pace.
"Stop talking." She hissed, snapping her head to the side and Kol's head smacked the back of the wall. He did wince, but it irked Davina that he seemed more amused than anything.
"You must at least give me a chance to explain?" He questioned, ignoring her request.
"You lied to me." She hissed, throwing him a dark look. "You're a Mikaelson."
"Yes, I am, darling." He responded.
"What were you doing with me?" She demanded. "Intent on using me like the witches? Planning to kill me for your own amusement? We've all heard the stories of Kol Mikaelson, notorious sociopath, almost worse than Klaus himself."
"Well," he muttered, looking her in the eyes, "if you'd calm down and let me explain, you'd know."
With a life like Davina's, she did not trust easily and she was hostile. She didn't have the luxury to be anything else. But if anyone has gotten close, it was Kol.
Davina turned sharply and tightened her grip. "One wrong move and I send you back to the witches as a traitor, and we both know what they'll do to you, and it'll be much worse than what they did to me."
"Promise, darling." He winked cheekily, but hit the ground hard as Davina released her spell.
"Well?" She snapped, crossing her arms.
He started with the story of his death, how Elena and Jeremy killed him for their own personal gain. Then about his mother's second attempt at "saving" her children and how she brought them back with the intent to turn them into mortal beings. How she wanted to kill their bodies and effectively wiping the plant of vampires. Davina seemed shocked, both at the mention of his mother's want to kill her children and that all her friends' lives were resting on Klaus'. Kol was quick to reassure her that he had no intention of killing his siblings or helping his mother, but he did have a more appealing offer.
"I told you that I don't get along well with my siblings, Niklaus especially." He began, and Davina had to turn away from the flirtatious stares. "He daggers and puts us in boxes like we're ornaments, I want to do the same."
Davina looked up cautiously. "He's your brother, would you betray him?"
"I wouldn't call it betrayal." Kol corrected her, leaning towards her and batting his eyelashes. "Sibling rivalry."
"And how do I know you're not using me?" Davina pointed out blatantly.
"Because I like you, Davina Claire. Powerful, smart, beautiful, I think I quite like having you around." Kol responded, and the way he moved told Davina that he definitely wanted to reach out and brush her hair behind her ear like he often did.
"So you want me to help you create a dagger to put down Klaus." Davina stated, he nodded in response.
"But as you said, I don't want you to think I'm using you, so I have something to offer you in return." Kol said, she prompted him to keep going. "I have more money than I'll ever need and gimories than any witch, you help me and I'll let you have access to all of it."
"What?" Davina asked, her mind running blank at his proposition.
"I've spent the last few months getting to know you, and dare I say there isn't anyone that knows you better than me, darling. I know that staying here isn't what you want, not in an attic afraid of what lies beyond it. The only thing that ties you here is what Marcel provides for you, but with my money and magical knowledge, you could be free." Kol whispered, getting closer and closer. "What do you say, Davina Claire?"
In the thousands of years that Freya Mikaelson had been alive, she had lived in a slow cycle of toture. Every hundred years, she only got to live for a single year of life. Even then, she was barely living. Not when she had split her time tracking down wayward Mikaelsons and fleeing from Dahlia's grasps.
But suddenly, things had changed. In an instant, instead of her deep slumber, Freya found herself standing in the Dowager Fauline Cottage, looking at her own body. That had never happened before. Freya didn't even have a moment to consider her situation because she felt a pull, as if someone was summoning her. She tried to fight it off, tried to use her magic to ground herself, but she couldn't hold onto anything because she wasn't tangible herself.
It felt as if she was fading in and out of reality, only to reappear in front of a modern house with a picket fence. There were toys scattered in the yard, as well as a tipped over bike, and a small pond tucked in the corner. There was even a picnic blanket set up underneath a willow tree with a glass tea set haphazardly set out.
It wasn't the suburban neighborhood or strange new surroundings that shocked her though, it was the fact that she was staring at her only sister holding a little girl. They were sitting on a wooden porch swing, Rebekah rocking them back and forth as she spoke to the little girl. She was blond and beautiful, and Freya knew she wasn't biologically Rebekah's, but that didn't matter, not with the way Rebekah clearly loved her.
"Rebekah." Freya whispered, and she prayed to all the deities that had faded in and out of power in her thousand years of life, that her baby sister could hear her. It was all the more devastating when Rebekah didn't even flinch. But it seemed like someone did hear her.
Freya watched the little girl whisper something to Rebekah and then slid off her lap, letting her little legs carry her to the picnic blanket and she sat down fiddling with the cups. Freya hesitantly walked over and kneeled down smiling softly.
"Hello." The little girl murmured, looking up at Freya with wide eyes.
"Hi." Freya laughed lightly, unsurprised that she could hear and see her. She had a strange magical signature. "Did you bring me here?" The little girl nodded. "What's your name, sweet girl?"
"Ingrid." She answered slowly. "Who are you?"
"My name is Freya." She responded, her thoughts now confused as to how Ingrid had even brought her here. "Is that your mother?"
"That's Mummy." Ingrid confirmed, smiling at the thought of her mother. Freya couldn't help but feel warmth spread through her body at the idea of Rebekah having a little girl who loved her so much. It was also quite adorable that Ingrid was beginning to pick up on Rebekah's accent.
"Your Mom is my sister." Freya said, sitting down a little closer to Ingrid. "Which means I'm your auntie."
"Really?" Ingrid whispered. She looked proud of herself, as if she'd figured out a secret no one else was privy to.
Freya nodded. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded once again, not one for many words. "How did you bring me here? Do you know?"
"No." Ingrid said. "But you felt like Mummy," Ingrid said, and this time she stood up and placed a hand on Freya's heart, "like Mummy's brothers."
"And what do we feel like?" Freya asked, wondering how she was so young but so perceptive.
"Like death." Ingrid whispered.
Three months ago, Katherine had pulled Caroline off the floor, blood smearing both their hands and for a moment, she did not look like Katherine Pierce, but Katerina Petrova.
That night, Caroline couldn't comprehend much, but she remembered running to grab Hope from the closet. How the little girl had slept through the whole ordeal and it calmed her nerves. She was glad that Hope wasn't going to see the dead body lying where they had afternoon tea, or the blood covering her mothers body.
Katherine only gave her a moment before she said they had to go. And suddenly there was too much movement. Clothes were being thrown haphazardly into suitcases, toys and grimoires into another. Caroline simply watched her move, unable to understand the motive behind why Katherine was even there in the first place.
"Take these." She'd said, shoving bags into Caroline's hands. "Go to my car, and pack everything else you'll need. I'll be right back."
Caroline had done as she asked, shoving bags into the back of Katherine's black Mercedes, and then rushed inside to all their papers, keepsakes, and destroy anything they couldn't afford to let anyone find. Her body was moving on autopilot and she didn't spare a thought to where Katherine had gone, she probably should have.
Her other senses picked up the smoke and fire before she saw it, it coated her skin and made her choke. On instinct, she used her sweater to cover Hope's face, mostly because she didn't want her to see the destruction. All Caroline saw was red. She had Hope clutched to her chest as she stood at the edge of the villa, watching as fire spread through the town and set everything ablaze. It turned to ash and so did the people.
"Katherine," Caroline had choked out as the brunette vampire sped back into view, throwing an empty can of gasoline in the bushes and tucking a lighter into her jacket.
"It won't reach the villa, but we can't stay. Get in the car, Caroline." Was all she offered, but her tone was slightly melancholy and it gave Caroline some comfort to know she didn't just burn an entire town without remorse.
They drove for hours before Caroline had spoken again.
"Why?"
"Why did I save you? Or why am I here?" Katherine asked, glancing at Caroline from the corner of her eyes. Caroline just nodded to both.
"Because that little girl is gonna buy me my freedom." She responded.
Kol had spent months teaching Davina all sorts of magic, offering her gifts and pretty words. She'd originally been a means to an end, it wouldn't be the first time he'd used witches and women in the same fashion. Except, Davina was not the same. Kol honestly thought it had something to do with the fact that he wasn't in his vampire body. The ever present blood lust had dulled over a thousand years, but Kol hadn't remembered what a life without it was like, not until his mother brought him back.
The parts of him that craved a thrill back when he was a child he found in magic. Then he found it by indulging in his blood lust. But now, Davina was slowly replacing that part of him with herself. He was consumed by her, especially with the way her magic felt.
"I cannot believe there's a whole Claire family crypt filled with dark objects." Davina muttered, walking into the dusty, dark space.
"Well, Mary Alice closed it herself, and I don't think she wanted any of her future bloodline associated with me." Kol shrugged, flicking on the lights and leading her further into the room.
"She had good judgment." Davina quipped, but she had a small smile on her face.
"And you're here with me now, so what does that say about you?" Kol responded again. Davina stared at him dryly.
"How exactly are we going to create a dagger to put down your brother?" Davina asked. "And follow up question, what about the rest of your siblings? How do we know they aren't just going to pull it out?"
"Elijah wouldn't." Kol shrugged. "He wants nothing more than Niklaus' salvation and daggering him will find him time to do so. Rebekah may favor Niklaus, but even she wouldn't pull the dagger out if it allowed her time to fall in love without fear of him dying. She's a naive romantic."
"And the dagger?" Davina questioned again.
"We're going to make it." He said. Davina looked perplexed but didn't say anything. "There is one problem we need to take care of first."
Davina whirled around and glared at him. "Another contingency? You happen to have a lot of those, not really inspiring trust here."
"Relax, darling," Kol said, shooting her a smile, "it won't cause much trouble."
"Well?" Davina asked, "what is it?"
"There's a diamond we need to make the dagger." Kol explained. "About a hundred years ago, my brother and Marcellus took it from me."
"So let's go steal it back." She responded, a smirk gracing her features. It was those kinds of mannerisms that reminded Kol she was still young. That she liked to cause mischief and felt invincible, with all her power, she was pretty close.
"I'm sure it's in the compound, but we need something else as well." Kol said nonchalantly. "Nik has the ashes to my original body, and we need them too."
"Your vampire body?" Davina inquired. "I thought you preferred being a witch?" There was a certain edge to her tone she couldn't quite place.
"I do." He confirmed. "But my mother was the one that put me into this body and I wouldn't put it past her to do something horrid if I betrayed her. If something goes wrong, then I can jump back into my original body."
"So ashes and a diamond." Davina confirmed. "So what exactly is your plan to get into the compound? Between your brothers and Hayley, that's not gonna be easy. Not to mention the literal war between the witches, wolves, and vampires."
"That's easy, Davina Claire." Kol said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "We're going to play my least favorite con, the truth."
One of the things Caroline perpetually forgot about, was her appearance. She was turned when she was seventeen and she looked seventeen. While she looked old enough with makeup and clothes, the maximum age she could reach was twenty-five. Even then, her bone structure wasn't as refined as it could've been and her features still had an innocent, young quality about them. Because of her appearance, that often came with a lot of judgmental looks from strangers when she was out with Hope.
When Hope was young, she used to take her to the park, but eventually the judgment won out and Caroline had stopped. But there were other places she couldn't avoid, and people she couldn't avoid. The older Hope got, the harder it was for Caroline to raise her. There were excuses she came up with, and Caroline was almost ashamed about how easily and how well she could lie. Despite all that, Caroline's biggest worry was the hindrance it had on Hope.
She didn't want Hope to have to lie, that wasn't something she wanted to teach her, but that wasn't a luxury they had. They were tangled within the Mikaelson family drama, and that meant living on survival.
Admittedly, Caroline's survival skills only went so far, and that's where Katherine came in. Caroline had gotten lucky with her time with Hope, relying on her compulsion and the Mikaelson family's money. But they had enemies she didn't know about, and it played into Caroline's paranoia, wondering what would've happened if Katherine wasn't there, who else she could've been caught by.
As the months grew on, Katherine had as well.
It was blatantly clear the only reason Katherine even bothered to help them was for her own personal benefit, but that had changed.
Mostly because Katherine had begun to bond with Hope.
The first time had been two weeks after the fire and they'd been living in a motel room.
"Katherine?" Caroline called, walking towards the bathroom with Hope asleep on her chest. It was the first time Hope had fallen asleep peacefully in the past two weeks, moving always made her anxious and fussy till she felt settled in their new home.
"What?" She responded, walking over and leaning on the doorframe. Katherine was still dressed in her signature dark, tight clothes, but her heels were kicked off, which seemed to strike Caroline as odd.
"Can you hold her?" Caroline asked, already adjusting the little girl. "I have blood on my shirt and I need to soak it before it dries and stains."
"What?" Katherine repeated, looking at her in disbelief. "No."
"No?" Caroline questioned with a slight laugh at the thought of Katherine scared to hold a baby. "I just got her to start sleeping regularly again and if I put her down she'll wake up. I just need you to hold her for a second."
"I-I," Katherine stuttered, looking between Caroline and Hope. "I can't hold her."
"Nonsense." Caroline shrugged, already walking towards Katherine. Without waiting for a response, she slightly adjusted Katherine's arms and placed Hope in them.
She watched them for a moment, and Katherine didn't actually seem all that bothered. If Caroline had to guess, Katherine probably just didn't want to get attached. Even with her hard exterior, Katherine craved people and affection, it was why she still loved Elijah even if she wouldn't say it, or still bothered to protect Stefan.
"See," Caroline said softly, "you're a natural."
Katherine hadn't responded, just kept her eyes trained on Hope, like the little girl would disappear from her arms.
The second time Hope had sought out Katherine herself.
It was a few weeks later, and by that point they were living in a penthouse somewhere in France that was owned by Katherine. They decided to stay away from the Mikaelson homes until they could scout out the neighboring town and make sure they didn't have a repeat of the villa.
The living situation had slowly begun to improve between the three of them, and they'd fallen into an odd sort of routine. Which was only made easier by the fact that Katherine's usual plotting wasn't what Caroline had expected. In fact, she thought Katherine intended to take Hope from her, but it was the opposite. Katherine offered to protect them, train Caroline to protect herself. And in return, Caroline would ask Klaus to give Katherine her freedom. At the time, Caroline had asked why, and the only response Katherine offered was an exasperated look and asked if she was really that naive.
Caroline had been cooking them dinner, while Hope was sitting on a blanket in the middle of the kitchen, using her magic to make her toys float and amuse herself. Hope must've grown bored, because she did notice Hope get up and toddle her way towards the living room where Katherine was.
Caroline peered her head around the corner and watched Hope stop just in front of Katherine's legs.
"Yes?" Katherine asked, looking away from her phone. Katherine didn't voluntarily seek out the little girl, but wasn't cruel, she wouldn't ignore someone so innocent.
Hope struggled to climb up, using her legs to lift her onto the couch. She may have been stronger than an adult, but the couch was slightly too high for her to gain any leverage. Katherine watched for ten seconds before she sighed exasperatedly and promptly picked Hope up and placed her onto the couch.
Hope huffed, but smiled. "Thank you." Caroline smiled at her manners.
"Did you need something, Hope?" Katherine asked, feeling perplexed and looking down at her.
"No." Shook her head, her curls fluttering around her. Hope maneuvered herself around and she crawled into Katherine's lap and snuggled into her arms. Katherine looked a bit appalled, unsure if she should move her or not. "Bored."
Katherine only stared down at her. She didn't move, she didn't breath, and Caroline could've sworn her usual hard exterior began to falter. Caroline smiled to herself and took a picture.
It seemed that Katherine had become less hostile in her actions, less willing to sacrifice for her own personal gain. Caroline had always had conflicting feelings about Katherine, whether she was truly a bad person or not. She didn't have an easy life, between having her daughter ripped away and then forced into Klaus' games simply because she was born a doppelganger. Katherine did choose to do bad things, but most of her actions had reasons and it wasn't as if she was worse than the rest of them. The Mikaelsons had a combined body count higher than the population of the United States, and even Caroline herself had killed someone.
Caroline wasn't automatically going to agree to barter for her freedom from Klaus, not without a reason, but over the next couple of months, Katherine had given her one.
The city was slowly falling into disarray. Months and months of witches and wolves scheming behind closed doors, Marcel rebuilding his vampire army across town, and his own family running rampant.
Hayley had significantly calmed down since the death of Francesca, but her new goal was trying to take back the wolves from Cassie. Elijah was doing God knows what, thinking if he made enough alliances, the city would be safe. Klaus had thought sending his daughter away would be enough, that they could make it safe enough to bring her home. Yet, the longer she was away, the more it felt like the city was about to burn to the ground. There was too much chaos, too many lies and broken promises.
He'd once loved the city because of the security it offered his family, how the darkness was more like desire and pleasure. It made him feel as if that part of himself so easily labeled as evil could be something good. Klaus wanted that for his daughter.
He had taken to spending more time in what was Hope's nursery, the only thing left was a rocking chair. Klaus supposed that was better, not being able to torture himself with pieces of what should've been hers. In the darkness of the moonlight, when the compound was quiet, his thoughts strayed to his family and what they'd become.
His daughter was lost. Two of his brothers dead. His baby sister sent on the run. They had fallen so far from grace and Klaus blamed himself for some of it, some he blamed on his family's inability to see past his actions.
"Niklaus," Elijah called as he walked into their home, Klaus sighed and walked out to meet him.
"What is it, brother?" Klaus asked, thoughts of his little girl pushed aside for now. "Another threat on its way?"
"No threat." Elijah responded, taking off his jacket and draping it over the back of a chair. It was a clear sign he was just as exhausted as Klaus, it wasn't often Elijah looked less than perfect. "No more than usual."
"Hayley," Klaus said, "where is she?"
"Looking for redemption I suppose, for the wolves aligning themselves with the witches." Elijah shrugged, pouring himself and Klaus a glass of liquor.
"We're moving too slow, Elijah, how much longer are we expected to play mind games with these factions?" Klaus demanded. "The witches think they own the quarter now, killing vampires on sight. The wolves doing dirty work for a teenage girl, and us, the most powerful beings on earth, reduced to cowering! We built this city in our image!"
"And what do you propose we do, Niklaus?" Elijah asked calmly, handing his brother the glass. "Had we done this your way, the city would reek of blood."
"At least it would be safe." Klaus snapped.
"Would it?" Elijah demanded. "Killing those who have crossed us is what created our enemies."
"And it also created their fear." Klaus pointed out.
"Is that what you want for Hope?" Elijah asked. "We sent her away so she would be safe and happy, but to bring her back into a city built on blood is not what she deserves."
"What do you propose we do then, Elijah?" Klaus demanded.
"Perhaps killing our mother would be the answer." Both Klaus and Elijah's heads snapped up to the entrance of the compound where a man stood. He was tall, mischievous, his mannerisms so familiar as they replicated those of their deceased brother.
"And who might you be?" Elijah asked. Both brothers taking note of what he'd said.
"Forgotten me already, brother? Should I be offended?" He asked, mockingly putting a hand on his chest.
Klaus and Elijah looked at each other once before studying the man in front of them. It took another ten seconds before Klaus had his hand clasped around his throat and shoved against a wall.
"What right do you have, coming into our home and claiming the identity of our brother!" He snapped. He and Kol had always had a complicated relationship, plagued by vengeance and destruction, but he wouldn't stand by the memory of his brother being disrespected. "Who sent you? The witches, the wolves?"
"Niklaus." Elijah warned, placing a warning hand on the arm of his younger brother.
"Oh come on now, Nik, always the paranoid one." He said exasperatedly. "Put me down will you, this body isn't as invincible as the other."
"Who sent you?" Klaus asked again.
"It's me Nik," he swore, then turned to Elijah, "brother, I swear."
"Put him down." Elijah said. Klaus looked at him in disbelief, and the pair seemed to share a silent conversation before Klaus relented and dropped the man to his feet.
"Who are you?" Elijah asked, but his stance was still defensive.
"Kol Mikaelson." He deadpanned.
"And should we believe anything you say?" Klaus snapped.
"I'm sure you've met Cassie, nasty little witch." He responded and laughed a little when Klaus growled impatiently. "I'm sure you've also noticed how familiar she is, makes tea and scolds like our mother."
A flicker of recognition flashed in Klaus because it was true. He'd met the witch and during their conversation everything about her was so much like his mother. So much so that the thought had crossed his mind.
"Are you saying she is?" Elijah was the one to voice the question.
"Hijacked the body of the poor harvest girl who was supposed to come back." The man claiming to be their youngest brother responded. "Then she brought back Finn, and me of course."
"Niklaus?" Elijah questioned, and it was clear what he was truly asking.
Klaus studied the man in front of him. He certainly didn't look like his brother but that was to be expected. If it was true his mother brought Kol back from the dead, she wouldn't bring him back in his vampire body. But the rest of Kol was so blatantly there. The way he moved, the way he talked, the way he carried himself with that glint in his eyes. Perhaps part of Klaus wanted to believe this was his brother, the one he failed.
So he turned back and clasped his hand to the man's neck with a familiar affection. "Hello, brother."
Klaus' finger hovered over the contact on his phone, unsure if pressing would be right, but part of him didn't care. So he did. It rang, oncee, twice, three times, answer.
"Hello, love." He said, a small smile gracing his features. He could hear a small shuffle on the other side and a door slam, followed by her shallow breathing.
"Klaus." She sounded tired and her voice was small.
"I'm surprised, I didn't expect you to answer my call." He said, leaning against the doorframe of his daughter's nursery.
"Then why did you?" She deadpanned, but it wasn't filled with her usual disdain, she almost sounded as if he was teasing her.
"Things are a bit chaotic here, what better person to call than a neurotic planner?" He chuckled softly.
"Taking war strategy advice from me?" She laughed, and Klaus felt a bit of pride knowing he did that. "You must be desperate."
"Or perhaps it was all a ruse and I just wanted to hear your voice." Klaus said and her breathing hitched. "It's been a long time, Caroline."
"Yeah, it has." She whispered. "New Orleans, is it any closer to peace?"
"Not likely." He responded, looking at the spot where his daughter's crib used to be.
"The magical community likes to talk." Caroline murmured. "They say walking into New Orleans is a death sentence."
"Perhaps they are right, I aim to change that." He responded, even if she wasn't looking for one. "And what are you doing, Caroline? Going to college parties and building a life?"
"Something like that." She answered, but her tone was blank, something he took note of.
"Is it not everything you wished for?" He asked, a sadistic part of him hoping she would say no.
"It's not what I imagined I'd be doing." She said softly.
"Enough to coax you into accepting my offer?" He laughed.
She sighed exasperatedly on the other end. "Klaus, I'm not doing this with you."
"Eternity is a long time, love, whether it'd be now or another thousand, the offer will always be yours to accept." He told her, both in reassurance, that he wasn't going to push, but the choice was still there. He felt like that was something she needed, with her friends constantly using her, he wanted her to know she didn't have to give in.
"Klaus?" And suddenly her voice was timid and small.
"Yes, love?"
"I was sorry to hear about your little girl." She whispered. His breathing stopped and he walked into the nursery, dropping into the rocking chair.
"You know." He stated. "She was beautiful."
"Of course she was." Caroline murmured. "I wanted to call as soon as I heard-"
"It's alright." Klaus said, cutting her off. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if hearing her would've helped at the time. His daughter was taken from him and there was nothing that could soothe the heartache or vengeance.
Their conversation had taken a melancholy tone. He wasn't speaking, and neither was she, he wasn't sure there was much left to say at all. But there was something comforting about the silence, the steadiness of her breathing and the slow beat of her heart. It brought him peace, which he hadn't felt in a long time.
It was probably no longer than a few moments, but he indulged in her presence even if it was over the phone. "Klaus?" She murmured softly. "Klaus, I have to go."
"I suppose I do too." He sighed, reminded of the war waging beyond the walls of the compound.
"Goodbye, Klaus." Her voice was sweet and offered him a sense of security.
"Goodbye, love."
