I looked down from the balcony in my room and watched the city abuzz with mills of people in town for the annual Casket Girls Festival. I saw a horse and carriage driving down the street with people dressed up in old fashioned costumes and wedding dresses drinking on the sidewalks. I smiled at the sight before looking through old wedding dresses I'd found. I put on an old cream wedding dress but struggled with the zipper. I groaned in frustration before looking in the mirror to see Nik smiling softly at me.
"Would you like some help?" he asked me.
"You're going to need to use all your Hybrid strength for this one." I told him.
"If you think so." He said coming up behind me. I moved my hair out of his way and he slowly moved the zipper up while running his fingers along my spine before buttoning the buttons over the zipper.
"Thank you. Not too many pregnant Casket Girls out there I suppose." I said running my hands over my abdomen.
"You look ravishing." He told me before wrapping his arms around me and our baby making me smile.
"Thank you." I said.
"You should be more careful, love. You never know who might want to take advantage of your looks." He told me and I smiled at him.
"No one will use a pregnant woman like that. Besides, if they do I'll kill them myself." I told him before sighing and looking at myself in the mirror.
"You know... if you wanted the attend the festivities tonight, I would be more than willing to take you." He told me.
"No, but thank you. Don't you have things you have to do here?" I asked him.
"Yes, I do. Tell me have you seen Davina recently?" he asked me and I looked back at him.
"Not since I told her I killed Agnes, why?" I asked him.
"She's not in her room. I thought you might know where she might be hiding." He said before turning to leave.
"Nik," he turned back to me. "Do you mind?" I asked turning my back to him. He walked back to me and undid the dress slowly once more and leaving so I could change in privacy.
After I'd changed I met with Marcel and Nik in the living room to discuss Davina missing.
"You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to know the obvious. Our secret weapon has escaped after Nicole told her of Agnes' departure from the living." Nik told us.
"She wouldn't just leave. She knows the witches want her back." Marcel told us as Elijah appeared from around the corner.
"Her violin is missing. She may have left of her own volition." Elijah said.
"What did you say to her in the attic? She lied to my face so she could stay up there, thinking that you'd help her control her magic. How do we know you didn't take her?" Marcel asked him angrily.
"I have no idea where Davina is, or why she ran away. Can I suggest you take a step back?" Elijah asked him and Marcel eyed him for a moment before turning away. "I can assure you I have absolutely no desire to see that child come into harm's way. She's suffered enough with this Harvest ritual nonsense."
"That child, to whom you refer to so affectionately, is the most powerful witch in New Orleans. If she's fled, what's to stop her from destroying us? In fact, destroying all we've worked for? No, if she's not a friend to this family, then she is our enemy." Nik said.
"She is a friend, Klaus." Marcel told him.
"Well, let's hope so. Lucky for you, I know how to get her back. Follow my lead." Nik told us before he stormed off. Marcel was going to follow when Elijah stopped him. "You know how Niklaus operates. If he perceives a threat, he can become quite ruthless. This would not bode well for Davina."
"I'm not going to let anybody lay a finger on her." Marcel told Elijah.
"Nor will I." Elijah insisted.
"Nicole!" I looked down to see Hayley and Bekah looking through old chests. "Come down here and get an outfit." I smiled at them before walking down to the two of them. We all talked as we rifled through the old clothes, searching for a Casket Girls Festival outfit to wear.
"So the witch is missing, huh?" Hayley asked me.
"Walked right out of the front door, apparently. Know anything about it?" Bekah asked.
"I told her that the last of the witch Elders were dead." I told them.
"Well, why would she care, when the witches tried to kill her in their ritual?" Bekah asked me.
"I think it was more that Marcel didn't tell her that the one thing preventing her from being free had been killed." I said.
"So you are the reason she's run off." She said and I gave her a look.
"Hey, all I did was just tell her the truth. She deserved it." I told her.
"Well it's about time she realized they were just using her to keep their control over the witches." Hayley said.
"Yeah well, I've never been a fan of the boys club. Just wait, Elijah will join them and the three of them will be impossible." Bekah said and the three of us watched Marcel and Nik on the balcony as they muttered quietly to each other. "Used by the witches, lied to by Marcel, manipulated by Elijah, threatened by Klaus. Just like a modern-day Casket Girl."
"Are you talking about Davina or yourself?" Hayley asked her.
"Does it matter? Either way, us girls have got to stick together." Bekah said smiling at us.
Later that day I was walking through the courtyard with two vampire bodyguards behind me. I stopped and sighed annoyed before turning to them.
"Okay, guys, I know Nik told you to follow me, but does that really mean you have to follow me to the everywhere?" I asked them. They just crossed their arms over their chests and I groaned as my phone rang. I looked down at it to see Sophie's name. "Great, just what I need." I said before looking at my guards. "Give me two minutes. It's my gynecologist. Unless you wanna hear about all this wonderful baby business." I said smirking before going into the garage and shutting the door before answering the phone. "Why the hell are you calling me?" I asked her.
"I know you don't trust me, but you need to listen. Everything is about to change. Davina's on the loose." Sophie told me.
"Well, well. Look who's in on the loop finally. "Remind me again why I shouldn't hang up on you right now?"
"I need something from you so that the witches can complete the Harvest." Sophie told me.
"On what planet would I help you witches get more power and kill an innocent girl? All you've done is hex me and my baby left and right." I said.
"You'll help me because if we don't complete the Harvest, our access to magic will fade for good, which doesn't bode well for Hayley's family." She told me.
"What do you know about her family?" I asked her.
"She's from the Crescent Wolf bloodline. Marcel forced a witch to curse them so they'd be trapped in wolf form." She told me.
"And I should keep listening to you because, why? Your sparkling personality and our budding friendship?" I asked her sarcastically.
"Because my bloodline executed that curse. Help me complete the Harvest, and I'll undo the curse for her." Sophie told me.
"But what can I do?" I asked her confused.
"I need to consecrate the remains of a powerful witch so I can absorb their magic. I know of one whose body was never found. Her name is Celeste DuBois. I believe you and she have a friend in common?" Sophie asked knowing I knew the answer.
"Elijah." I sighed.
"Story goes that when she died, he buried her in a secret spot at her request. All you have to do is find out where." Sophie said.
"Not happening." I told her. "Elijah is my family and I won't break the trust he has in me." I said before hanging up on her and leaving the garage.
That night I was out with the others trying to find Davina in the crowd.
"Ah, you two look rather cozy." Nik said as we walked up to Marcel and Elijah.
"Hardly." Marcel scoffed. "I was just telling Elijah how we're wasting time."
"You don't like festivals?" Nik asked him with a smirk on his face as Bekah joined us.
"I don't see why not. Who doesn't love a street fair?" she asked.
"Sister, come to help us find our stray?" Nik asked her.
"We can't let your secret weapon get in the wrong hands, can we?" Bekah asked smiling serenely.
"For the record, we're moments away from retrieving her." Nik told her.
"I recognize that tone of voice, Niklaus. Clearly you have some diabolical machination. What is it?" Elijah asked him but he just smirked before leaving.
"Nik?" I called after him as he followed a young boy.
Later Nik, Elijah and I were all in the courtyard of the compound thinking of where Davina could have gone.
"Where's Rebekah gotten off to?" Nik asked.
"It's not Rebekah that I'm concerned about. And how can you be so certain that Davina will come?" Elijah asked her.
"One might think you've forgotten what it's like to be in the grip of an all-consuming infatuation. She'll come." Nik said smirking and I sighed before looking up at a young boy playing his violin from his seat on the rafters.
"Are the maudlin theatrics absolutely necessary, Niklaus?" Elijah asked him.
"Ha! It's a fair point." Nik said before looking up at the boy. "Timothy, play something a little more upbeat, please. That's a good lad."
"That's not what he meant Nik." I told him. "You are treating her like an enemy when she wants what we want. The witches out of power. She's a 16 year old girl, not a war general."
"All the same. This is needed to ensure her compliance." He told me.
"You've used this boy against her before, haven't you?" I asked him. "Partitally makes me wonder what will happen when our daughter starts dating and you don't approve of the boy." He gave me a look which I gave back as Marcel returned.
"Took you long enough to spread the word." Nik told him.
"Have you met his nightwalkers? Not the brightest assortment." Elijah reminded him.
"All that matters is I got it covered. When Davina gets here, you two need to let me do the talking." Marcel told us.
"Well, I'm sure you'll have your chance." Nik said before turning to the entry way. I followed his gaze to see Davina in a Casket Girl costume. "Hello, love." He then looked up at Timothy. "Silence is golden, Timothy. Thank you."
"Davina?" the boy asked confused.
"You got me here. Now let him down." She ordered.
"Well, first, we have to have a little chat about you returning to the fold." Nik told her.
"What did I say, Klaus? I got this." Marcel told Nik before turning to Davina. "D, what happened? Why'd you run? Talk to me. Hey, I can make it right."
"How? By threatening my friend?" she asked angrily.
"Actually, that was my idea. Apologies. I've been known to go too far to make a point, but I do always get results." Nik told her and I shook my head.
"You pretend to be so confident, but I know the truth. You're afraid everyone can see what you really are- an animal." She casted a spell that brought Nik to his knees as he groaned in pain. "A beast. Why don't you show us your real face?" she magically forced him to partially transform into a werewolf before telekinetically snapping his neck. "That's enough of you."
"Davina, you don't have to do this." Elijah told her.
"You! You looked me in the eyes and lied to my face. Pretended you wanted to help me." Davina said.
"Listen to me—" he said nervously.
"—You call yourself the noble one, but you're a killer just like your brother. For 1,000 years, you've fed on innocent blood. Why don't you choke on it?" she asked before casting a spell on Elijah that caused him to regurgitate all of the blood he'd ever consumed before he fell unconscious. She then turned to me and I took a deep breath. "Why is it the only one who's told me nothing but the truth is part of their family, their inner circle? Watch and know these are the men you've trusted." She cast a spell on me and I gasped as I was thrown into the past watching all of Nik, Elijah and even Marcel kill innocent people. I never noticed my own body falling to the ground.
When I woke up Nik was holding me in his arms as he spoke on the phone with someone.
"There is no dealing with those who threaten us. Davina sealed her fate when she stood against me. This was her choice, not mine." He said before hanging up and looking down at me.
"Nik, what did you do?" I asked him horrified of the answer.
"I did what had to be done." He told me before looking up at his older brother. "Don't worry, Elijah. I remain as redeemable as ever."
"So you compelled that boy to poison Davina without consulting Marcel or myself." Elijah stated.
"You know what the worst part is? It's that you're so predictable, I had to make an alliance with your brother, who I don't even like." Marcel said.
"Judging by your expression, you have something you'd like to share." Nik said unamused.
"Damn straight, I do. I got a call from Kieran earlier, right after Sabine and some witches almost got their hands on Davina first. I had one of them cast a little protection spell on her for me." Marcel told us and I sighed with relief.
"So, when you slipped away to allegedly check on your nightwalkers, you were, in fact, colluding with a witch. That's very clever. I suppose I should be proud." Nik said.
"Eh, I just wanted to make sure I had a fail-safe just in case, as Elijah expected, you started acting like you." Marcel said.
"Except that now you've involved the witches, who, last time I checked, were enemy to us all, to everything we have, and to our family." Nik reminded him.
"Davina is Marcel's family." I said drawing their eyes to me as I looked up at my husband. "Put me down." I ordered and Nik let my feet gently touch the ground before I pushed myself out of his arms. I wasn't disgusted by what Davina showed me. We've all done things in our lives that others would find horrific. But she was just a teenager, three years younger than I am.
"You will call Rebekah. You'll tell her that Davina will recover. I do wish the same could be said for that boy." Elijah ordered before walking away.
I watched from the balcony as Bekah walked into the compound with a sleeping Davina in her arms. Marcel rushed to her as soon as he saw her awake.
"Is she okay?" Marcel asked worriedly.
"She's devastated and exhausted. Where's her room?" Bekah asked.
"No. I got her. I got her." Marcel said. Bekah stared at him for a moment before handing Davina over to him. Bekah glared up at where I was and I turned to see Nik behind me. I looked back at the scene below us and watched Marcel carry Davina to her room before going to my own.
"Nicole." Nik said from behind me once we were alone.
"Don't." I told him. "She's 16, Nik. A teenager."
"I know this upsets you, but this is how we have to rule the city." He told me and I turned to him in anger.
"Is this how we have to rule? With cruelty and killing innocent girls just because they piss you off and won't do as they are told?" I nearly shouted at him.
"Nicole…"
"No! You don't get to say anything and get away with this one, Nik. When I started hunting you down I was younger than she is now. I was 16 when I finally found you and 17 when I was pregnant with Nikolas. Now I'm 19 and what? What's changed really? I'm not a good person, I made peace with that a long time ago, but we have to draw the line somewhere." I told him.
"One day things will be different, but today this is the way it had to end." He told me getting angry.
"No, it isn't. You didn't have to kill the kid and you didn't have to poison Davina." I said shaking my head at him.
"Get out." He said calmly but I could still see the anger boiling in his eyes.
"Fine." I stormed towards the door but stopped short of leaving the room. "You have all the power in every relationship, and I'll stand beside you no matter what. You know that." I moved away from the door and closer to him, ignoring the order to leave him alone. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course." He said, but the way he said it made me think otherwise.
"Nik, answer me honestly. Do you trust me?" I asked him again.
"Of course I do." He told me again. "What spell did she cast on you?"
"She made me see all the people you'd killed." I told him and a look passed his eyes, but the moment it was there it was gone. "But that's not all I saw. At some point during the spell, I seemed to focus on what happened when you'd thought I'd died in that car accident. I don't know how, but I saw how lost and heartbroken you were before the relief of finding me in Mystic Falls." He turned away from me to stare at the bed, the wall, anything but me. "If you still want me to leave, I will. But if you want me to stay with you, tell me now." I said. He said nothing and I nodded before walking to the door and walking out.
Hey guys! Just a heads up for those of you who didn't already see I fixed Chapter 69: The River in Reverse to include the battle between Nik and Nikky and Marcel and Rebekah! So I hope you enjoy it as well as all the rest to come.
