"What do you want Marcel?" Davina asked, crossing her arms. Davina had been in school when Marcel had texted her earlier and the teacher had almost caught her. Then she had to make a quick excuse to get out away from the other Ancestral NOLA Witches. They did not approve of her relationship with Marcel and Josh.
"Would it be possible for a witch or a coven create a pregnancy hoax?" Marcel asked carefully.
Davina blinked a couple times, not expecting that question at all. She racked her brain for anything related to pregnancies before realizing what Marcel was getting at.
"Why would they do that?" Davina asked perplexed, "It'd take so much magic and the amount of sacrifices required would be…"
"But it's possible?"
Davina swallowed as she nodded her head.
"How many people would they need to sacrifice?" Marcel asked quietly.
"Uh, off the top of my head, a couple just to start the spell and then at least 1 healthy, young person each day," Davina managed to get out.
"She's at least 6 months, so that's at least 182-185?" Marcel said as Davina blanched at the numbers said aloud.
"Wait, Cami's brother died about 6 months ago, right?" Davina said suddenly before, "Wait, they'd need the Founding Families to do the spell. A human, a witch, and a werewolf."
"So if Sean was the human, who was the witch and werewolf?" Marcel asked, thinking back, "That was just after the Harvest, so why wouldn't you have picked up on it? That would have to been a massive magical output. Even the sacrifices each additional day should have had some detectable magical output, right?"
"Maybe? Right after you saved me from the first Harvest was so hectic and confusing, I still don't remember all of it," Davina said with a sigh.
Davina had so much power right after the first Harvest was interrupted, she almost felt omnipotent and all-powerful. If Marcel hadn't kept Davina in that damned attic, the NOLA Witches would have recaptured Davina and forced the Harvest to completion.
"Is there a way to end the spell?" Marcel asked after a moment of silence, "Or make it known?"
"Even though this spell would require a human sacrifice everyday, it would need to be anchored, or fastened, to the female in question," Davina said slowly, "Similar to a daylight ring for a vampire."
"Similar to a daylight ring for a vampire? A pregnancy ring, basically," Marcel said dubiously.
"Or another piece of jewelry," Davina giggled, "Just one that almost always stayed on the body."
"Okay, point taken," Marcel smiled, "Could you do a locator spell to find it?"
"Maybe? It'd be easier if I had some of Hayley's blood but I could do a locator spell to detect the presence of strong magic?" Davina said hopefully.
"It wouldn't be hard to get you in the same room as her but convincing Klaus might be a little harder," Marcel said thinking out loud. Klaus was notoriously paranoid and didn't forgive easily, if at all. Both Marcel and Davina had recently gone against Klaus and were in no position to convince him of anything.
"Is there anyone that would be able to convince Klaus of the possibility?" Davina asked hopefully causing Marcel to take a deep breathe.
"There is but she may not be so inclined to help us," Marcel said rubbing the back of his neck.
"What did you do?" Davina demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"I had her brought here to use against Klaus. To make Klaus leave New Orleans," Marcel confessed.
"Please tell me you didn't torture her at least," Davina sighed in defeat.
"No, I was about to but she's feisty and was actually the one to clue us into the potential pregnancy hoax," Marcel laughed lightly.
"So she doesn't like Hayley?" Davina said, hoping they could use that to get this girl to help them.
"There is definitely no love lost between them," Marcel laughed, "I had Josh stay with her in the basement of the Abattoir."
Marcel grabbed his cell phone and called Josh to bring him, and Caroline by extension, up to speed and to say that he and Davina on their way but he hadn't noticed a pregnant brunette eavesdropping on their conversation.
Hayley had been coming back from meeting with Sophie and her witches when she had come upon Marcel and Davina talking. Mild curiosity, and the possibility of blackmail material against both Davina and Marcel, had her stopping to listen in on their conversation.
Now, as Hayley booked it back to the Abattoir, she was glad she stopped. All her work to help her long-lost pack was in danger of being all for naught. Hayley's mind raced on how she could turn this to her favor. Maybe she could 'confess' to Elijah and pin it all on the witches? She didn't dare go to Klaus, she was still on thin ice with him.
"Hayley! What's the matter? You don't look good," a familiar voice called out as Hayley burst through the door.
It caused Hayley to stop in her tracks, she hadn't considered Camille. Thinking quickly, Hayley dragged Cami along with her. Spinning a woeful, orphan tale and how there was a vampire being held in the basement of the Abattoir that threatened her 'family', Hayley hoped to convince Cami to help her.
"Hayley, uh, hi!" Josh said awkwardly. He was trying to think of something to do when Hayley abruptly snapped his neck.
"Josh!" Cami exclaimed, trying to make sure he didn't injure anything else as his body fell.
"Wow, you snapped another vampire's neck," Caroline said dryly, causing Cami to notice the blonde vampire for the first time.
She was young looking, beautiful (even if covered in grime), and somewhat similar looking. Cami looked to Hayley, to ream her for snapping Josh's neck but Hayley was already talking to the new vampire.
"Cami meet Caroline, the lesser you," Hayley sneered.
Caroline looked at the human realizing this was who Marcel had been talking about before. She was older than her or Hayley, maybe around Mason's age before Damon had killed him? Her clothes needed an overhaul, made her look older than she probably was.
"You must be Camille O'Connell, heard a lot about you," Caroline said diplomatically.
"Klaus moved on," Hayley said smiling as she rubbed her protruding belly and tilted her head towards Cami. Hayley was hoping to prey upon Caroline's obvious insecurity about being cast aside. She had heard enough from Tyler and had seen enough to know what buttons to press with Caroline.
Caroline scoffed and rolled her eyes while Cami looked at Hayley with confusion. She'd never seen Hayley act like this, maybe it was the hormones?
"You do realize that Klaus will find out what you did? Something this big, won't stay secret long. Especially if there's already a witch on to you," Caroline pointed out, making a show of looking at Hayley's stomach. Even though Hayley looked pregnant, Caroline couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat. Hayley's had picked up while Cami's had stayed relatively steady.
"What is she talking about Hayley?" Cami asked, completely confused. She wasn't sure why she was there beyond witnessing their exchange.
"Again Hayley is doing something beyond idiotic for information on her family or to help her family, which Hayley could have gotten much easier if she'd actually befriended a witch or two," Caroline said rolling her eyes.
Caroline couldn't believe that Hayley was that desperate that she didn't have the patience to befriend, or pretend to befriend, a couple witches. The girl did not know how to do things correctly, it was a surprise that she'd lasted this long.
"Like you wouldn't go to the lengths I went to for your friends and family," Hayley countered.
"Oh, I'd do a lot for my friends and family but I'd do them smarter than you did," Caroline smiled tightly, "Especially not getting a body count that was close to 200 people, including the brother of one of your so-called friends a little over 6 months ago."
Hayley stiffened at the number of people dead, she'd known that there would be large sacrifice but not that much. But she steeled herself by thinking of who she was doing this for.
"Wait...what?" Cami said in a small voice. Caroline wasn't talking about Sean, was she? From what both Marcel and Klaus had told her, Sean had died because of a hex by one of the New Orleans witches.
"To make sure everyone believed Klaus knocked up Hayley, there had to be a sacrifice of people from New Orleans Founding Families," Caroline explained with a look of sadness. While Caroline was all for Hayley getting her comeuppance, she was sorry for what Cami's brother died for and for how she was finding it out.
"And the O'Connells are a Founding Family," Cami said shocked.
"Don't listen to her!" Hayley exclaimed before being hit by a nearby branch in the temple by Cami.
"Oh, god! Oh GOD!" Cami said as Hayley slumped to the ground. She just hit a pregnant girl in the head!
"She's not pregnant, she'll be fine!" Caroline said, grabbing the stick from Cami.
"Are you sure?" Cami asked quietly.
"According to what Marcel said, there has to be a piece of jewelry that the spell is being anchored to that Hayley is wearing," Caroline said moving to search Hayley.
A memory snapped Cami out, "Hayley has a pendant that she mentioned was a family heirloom. Could that be it?"
"Could be," Caroline mumbled as she moved Hayley to find the pendant. As soon as Caroline touched the antiquey pendant, she could feel the magic emanating from it. Once in her hand, Caroline felt uneasy and her hand involuntarily closed around the pendant, crushing it.
"Oh my god, you were right!" Cami said in astonishment as Hayley's pregnant belly disappeared.
"Yep," Caroline agreed, tiredly.
"You, uh, you wouldn't know how to un-hex someone?" Cami asked, helping Caroline up.
"Me? No, but I have a friend who is very powerful that might be able to help," Caroline said dusting herself off, "Plus there's a bubble of non-Spirit Magic in my hometown that could also help."
Josh was starting to stir, he would be 'awake' well before Hayley regained consciousness. Caroline needed to get back to Whitmore, she had a paper due in a week that she needed to write.
"Bubble of what?" Cami asked as she followed Caroline out before leading the way for Caroline.
"Spirit Magic draws it's power from the Other Side, a place where the Supernatural go after they die. There's a group of people trying to bring it down where I live by creating a bubble of non-spirit magic that they hope to cover the world. If the hex is based in Spirit Magic, then the bubble could help your friend," Caroline explained to an attentive Cami.
"I think so? My uncle was hexxed by an Ancestral Witch here and Ancestral Magic is like a more concentrated version of Spirit Magic," Cami said as they exited the Abattoir.
"Can he travel?" Caroline asked, a plan starting to form.
"He's gets easily aggravated more, but doping him up with sedatives should make him more docile," Cami said easily after a moment of thought.
Caroline stopped suddenly.
"What?" Cami asked genuinely confused.
"Nothing," Caroline said quickly, pairing a bright smile with it. She had not expected Cami seriously suggest drugging her uncle as an answer. As they walked to Cami's car, Caroline considered how far she would go for her mother. She probably wouldn't go as far as Hayley did, but what Cami was considering? Totally, without a doubt.
Cami drove to a nearby church where her uncle worked and was staying. Her uncle, Father Kiernan O'Connell looked at Caroline curiously as Cami explained what the plan was. He was hesitant but he agreed in the end.
So roughly 45 minutes after Hayley had been knocked out, Caroline along with a chipper Cami and a very sedated Father Kiernan were driving past New Orleans city limits on Interstate 10. Father Kiernan completely zonked out a couple moments later, causing Caroline to sigh in relief. She absently wished she had her phone, to at least call her mom.
Caroline had hoped that Enzo had raised an alarm about her not showing up to their brainstorming session. She wondered which of her friends would help Enzo. She shook herself from that line of thinking by asking Cami if she could call a friend with her phone. Marcel must have taken it while she was 'knocked out'.
"Hello?" Enzo asked carefully, Caroline could hear the radio in the background along with car noises.
"It's me, Enzo," Caroline smiled, she was glad to hear the voice of a friend.
"Caroline?" Enzo asked in utter confusion before the screech of tires could be heard.
"Caroline?!" Her mother's voice came breathlessly.
"Mom? What are you doing with Enzo?" Caroline asked surprised.
"Coming to get you," Liz said, just as surprised as her daughter.
Never in a million years did Caroline ever expect Enzo to go to her mom for help. Wait, did that mean none of her friends believe she was in trouble?
"Enzo said you missed a meeting with him and the locator app I had installed in your phone said you were in New Orleans," Liz explained in a rush.
"I don't know where my phone went," Caroline winced, "Sorry."
"I don't give a damn about the phone, Caroline," Liz huffed, "Where are you?"
"We're on our way to Mystic Falls, to the Non-Spirit Magic Bubble actually," Caroline said glancing over at Cami who was driving.
"Why are you going there?" Liz asked.
"Who is with you, Gorgeous?" Enzo asked after Liz.
"A friend's uncle was hexed with Ancestral Magic and either Bonnie or the Bubble should be able to help him," Caroline explained matter-of-factly.
There was silence on the line for a good couple seconds before Enzo busted out laughing. Even a smack from Liz didn't stop Enzo's laughing.
"Anyway, we'll probably stop soon so I can get refreshed and food," Caroline said over his laughing and Liz's sigh.
"Which route are you taking? We can meet up," Liz said, ignoring Enzo.
"We're on Interstate 10 at the moment," Caroline said, "We'll pick up a map at the stop, call you back and we can figure out a intersecting route."
"Okay," Liz agreed, "I love you."
"Love you, too," Caroline said before the call ended.
Liz sighed, holding her phone to her chest and closed her eyes. Caroline was okay. Whatever happened, Caroline had overcome it and was on her way home. It also sounded like she hadn't crossed paths with Klaus. Liz counted that as a win.
Enzo had laughed himself out and was now smiling. Trust Caroline to not only free herself but make a 'friend' in the process. He hadn't been too surprised when Caroline mentioned a friend, although he'd expected it to be a certain Original Hybrid not a human. He'd have to check out the human once he met them, Enzo had a feeling this friend had only helped Caroline to help the uncle.
"Josh! Where's Caroline?" Marcel demanded as he walked into the dungeon, "Why's Hayley here...her stomach's flat and there's no extra heartbeat."
"Uh, surprise?" Josh weakly joked as he rubbed his neck.
"What's going on here?!" a voice roared causing Josh to blanche and Marcel to flinch. Klaus had found them, and probably knew about Caroline.
"Hayley's not pregnant!" Josh blurted out, accidentally ripping her shirt off to show her flat stomach.
Marcel almost snarled at Josh, that little tidbit was supposed to be exposed later. After Caroline had left, with promises of keeping quiet about the abduction and almost torture. But when Marcel looked at Klaus to gauge his reaction, Marcel was stunned silent.
Relief, pure unadulterated relief shown on Klaus' face before a familiar malicious glint came to his eyes.
"What?" Rebekah asked in a small and broken voice. She'd been so looking forward to the child Hayley was carrying. She had wanted another blood family member that would be easy to love.
As Klaus advanced on an unconscious Hayley, Rebekah's anger grew. This girl, this peasant, had lied to them and Rebekah hadn't detected a lie. Elijah had sold her on this dream, this perfect family dream.
Rebekah straighten her spine as that thought flittered through her brain. Elijah, how much did he know? Did he purposely perpetuate this lie?
Rebekah's head cocked as she heard familiar footfalls and flashed away.
"Where's Rebekah going?" Josh asked before a shriek followed by thud.
"Dealing with Elijah, I presume," Klaus chuckled. Trust Rebekah to be dramatic but Elijah would be dealt with. Even if he hadn't purposefully engineered the baby, Elijah had guilted Klaus into taking this...girl, into his home and tried to make him care about her.
Klaus smiled at Josh's audible gulp.
"So how did this, happen?" Klaus asked calmly crouching by Hayley's head.
"Um, we're not entirely sure," Josh said trying to keep his voice from quavering.
"Josh!" Marcel snapped. The boy seriously did not know how to use information for gain.
"What? He's scarier than you right now!" Josh exclaimed.
"What do you know?" Klaus asked in a calm voice absently playing with a lock of Hayley's hair.
Marcel sighed, it might be better for him to come clean with all the information. At least the information regarding Hayley but nothing concerning Caroline's abduction.
Over the next few minutes, Marcel explained the theory of the faux pregnancy and what was needed to keep it going.
"And how did you come about this theory? Surely this didn't cross your mind when you first found out about the she-wolf's condition, otherwise this wouldn't have been just a theory. You would have used this information as blackmail against her and to get me out of New Orleans in the most humiliating way possible," Klaus pointed out causing Marcel to suck in a breathe, "It wouldn't have to come from the 'guest' Thierry and Diego brought from Mystic Falls, did it?"
Josh squeaked before clapping a hand over his mouth.
"Beyond vervain and a broken neck, nothing happened to Caroline," Marcel started before Klaus pinned him to the wall by the neck.
"If nothing happened to her, where is she?" Klaus asked wildly.
Marcel tried to speak but Klaus had completely crushed his throat but looked at Josh before he blacked out.
"Ah, Joshua," Klaus said in a weird voice as Marcel dropped to the ground, "Where is Caroline?"
"Hayley and Cami came down here while I was talking with Caroline, who was unrestrained and recovering from the vervain, Hayley snapped my neck and when I came to, Hayley was, uh, there, and Cami and Caroline were gone," Josh spewed.
Unfortunately, Klaus was inclined to believe him. The amount of fear the boy was giving off was potent.
Josh flinched when Klaus pulled out his cell phone. Klaus rolled his eyes. He brought up Cami's contact and waited as it rang. And rang and rang before going to voicemail.
Growling, he hit redial and waited as it rang numerous times before going to voicemail again. Hayley started stirring on Klaus' third attempt at calling Cami.
"God, can you stop?!" An annoyed voice huffed causing Klaus to freeze. It was not the blonde he was expecting.
"Caroline? Why are you answering Cami's phone?" Klaus said after a moment.
"Because I'm with her?" Caroline said slowly.
Klaus was a little stunned, Caroline sounded perfectly fine, albeit a little annoyed. He could hear the sounds of a car in the background in addition to what apparently passed for music playing in the background. He wondered why she had hightailed it out of New Orleans with Cami.
"I have a paper due, that I still need to write, and we still have to figure out how to defeat Kai Parker and bring down the Bubble of non-Spirit Magic surrounding the town. I don't have time for you to show me all New Orleans has to offer," Caroline explained in a rush.
Klaus broke into an almost goofy grin, not only had she gotten the voicemail but Caroline had listened to it. Hayley's gasp brought his attention back to the reason he was in the dungeon.
"I'll talk with you later about Spring Break, Hayley's awoken," Klaus grinned malevolently.
"Wow, she knocked Hayley out good," Caroline said impressed.
"Hayley just woke up?" Klaus heard Cami ask Caroline before she ended the call. So that's where Cami fit in, she must have found out about Sean being used for the fake pregnancy. Cami was a very family-orientated person and she would not have taken nicely to finding out how her twin had died. Klaus also filed away the fact that Cami apparently aided Caroline, now he would have to rethink punishing the O'Connells.
At the moment, he had to deal with a treacherous she-wolf and he hadn't tortured someone, in earnest, for awhile. It was time to see how rusty he was.