Bloodlines

Chapter 6: Tangled Up In The Blue (TO)

Beta: PrincessOfSilence - seriously, she rocks! Go check out her incredible work!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my characters and my story.

A pair of green eyes ran over black cursive letters, small hands clutching a thick, leather bound book. Her fingers could make out the branded 'M' on the cover, but she was much to enchanted by Elijah's penmanship to really notice it. In a room nearby, Giuliana could hear Rebekah and Klaus talking, but she only lifted her head when Hayley sat down beside her.

Anything interesting?" The wolf wondered.

Giuliana shook her head and buried her eyes back in the mess of old pages worn by time. As she read the words, she could hear Elijah's voice in head and it brought her comfort to make believe that he was here and not locked in a coffin, a possession of Marcel's.

August 1359.

I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus. He continues to hide his loneliness with cruelty. Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness.

Giuliana cradled the book in her lap and ran her fingers over his words, feeling the very emotions pouring from the Original. She couldn't imagine his guilt, his helplessness as he watched his sibling descend into darkness. Elijah had always been the peacemaker in the family, but on more than one occasion he found himself wondering why he'd taken up that liberty.

"I cannot believe you disposed of those vampires without me. You know how I love to set things on fire." The girls heard Rebekah whining from inside the other room and they just silently rolled their eyes. She was always whining or complaining or doing both at the same time.

"Was I supposed to leave them in the front yard to rot? Besides, they were my responsibility. They attacked the helpless pregnant girl who's carrying my child." Klaus countered and Hayley gave a scoff under her breath.

"Now he acts like he cares," she grumbled.

"Well, he does have a point," Giuliana stated.

"And what's going to happen after I give birth to this baby?" The wolf crossed her legs underneath her. "You heard Rebekah, he'll stick me in a box like he does with the rest of his siblings."

"I won't let him do that." The ex-hunter shook her head and closed the heavy book. "He has no reason to kill you and when Elijah gets back-"

"You're talking as if Klaus will get him back. You should be saying if Klaus wants Elijah back." Hayley corrected.

"Well, I won't let Marcel keep Elijah. I don't care if I have to get on my hands and knees and beg for him back." Giuliana said.

"And somehow I think Marcel would like that." Hayley smirked. "Come on, I've heard all about how he's trying to make you his queen from the Original sibling duo."

"I'd do whatever it took to get Elijah back. He doesn't deserve what happened to him. All he was trying to do was help his brother."

Hayley made a sound of distaste with her lips. "Yeah, and look where that's gotten him." Giuliana frowned at that and her head snapped up hearing Klaus and Rebekah bickering about something.

"Let's break them up before Klaus puts his only sibling he has left in a box." Both girls got to their feet and wandered into the main room where Klaus and Rebekah were standing at opposite sides of the room.

"Oh, I am so moved by your newfound sense of fatherly duties towards the werewolf carrying your hybrid bun in her oven." Rebekah rolled her eyes and Hayley cleared her throat to get their attention.

"The werewolf would like to know what the plan is." She announced.

"Yeah, me too!" Giuliana hugged Elijah's journal to her chest.

Klaus turned his attention to the girls. "Well, that depends what plan you mean, love: My plan for global domination, or Rebekah's plan to find love in a cruel, cruel world." Rebekah smirked evilly before grabbing a sharpened pencil from the desk beside her and threw it at her brother as if it was a spear. Klaus managed to catch it easily, just a millimeter from impaling his face.

Giuliana tapped her foot impatiently against the floor. "No, we're not talking about either of your plans. We're talking about getting Elijah back. You know, the one who is now in the possession of your mortal enemy after you stabbed him in the back."

"In the front, if we're being specific." Klaus corrected and Giuliana scowled at him.

"So is there a plan, or what?" She asked.

"Okay. Well, firstly, Marcel is not my mortal enemy—he's my friend, albeit one who is unaware that I'm trying to sabotage his hold over the supernatural community of the French Quarter, but a friend nonetheless." Klaus stated. "And secondly, I daggered Elijah in order to gain Marcel's trust. If I had known he would place my brother in the hands of a particularly nasty teenage witch, I certainly would have weighed my options a bit differently. And thirdly, sister, please." Brother looked to sister who quickly jumped in.

"And thirdly, the plan, as you have demanded, is for Niklaus to simply ask Marcel for Elijah back."

Hayley's gaze shifted between the siblings, unsure to completely take their word. "That's...that's not the whole plan, is it?"

"Please, Klaus may be a miserable excuse for a sibling, but there is none more diabolical." Rebekah glowered.

Klaus plopped himself in a plush chair, crossing his legs and propping his elbows on the arm rests. "And that's only the Plan A, love. There's always a Plan B."

"And what, pray tell, is Plan B?" Giuliana questioned and she watched Klaus's lips pull into a sly smirk.

"War."

"I don't understand why I have to go to this party." Giuliana huffed, tossing yet another ornate gown aside. Klaus and Rebekah had recently dropped the bomb about it being mandatory that Giuliana attend a gala that Marcel was holding later tonight. Naturally, she wasn't thrilled to be in the presence of the king of the Quarter, but she knew that if she played her cards right and got in good with Marcel, that it would Klaus in his negotiations to get Elijah back. "I normally stay home with Hayley."

"I told Niklaus to get a witch to babysit. Try this on." Rebekah handed her one of her old gowns and she took it up in her hands, pressing the fabric against her body to measure it.

"Rebekah...how do you expect to get me into this dress?" She asked. It was much too small, Giuliana wasn't even sure if she could get it up her body.

"It's a corset. Of course it will fit." The blonde Original replied with an air of confidence.

Giuliana grimaced as Rebekah yanked and pulled at the corset strings. She slowly watched her figure get smaller and smaller with each tug and her breaths were becoming shorter and shorter. It was a beautiful gown, Giuliana had to admit that. Rich hues of blue wrapped around the corset and full skirt. White trim framed the bust line and collar, accentuating the open neck and exposed skin of her collarbone. The dress had no sleeves, only some fabric draped over the shoulder and it was meant to hang off of it. It was a dress fit for a queen and Rebekah thought of herself as nothing less. Giuliana gasped a strangled breath when Rebekah pulled again and she could have sworn that she could see black spots behind her eyes.

"Rebekah, this dress is beautiful, but-"

"It will fit. You just have to play around with it." The blonde cut her off when the doors opened behind them.

"Still playing dress up, little sister?" Klaus grinned at Rebekah's futile attempts to tie the back of the dress.

"Well, it would help if she would have a little confidence in me." Rebekah pouted and let the strings hang loosely.

Giuliana's shoulders slumped and she placed a hand on her midsection. "I would have more confidence if you weren't trying to break my ribs."

"Oh, don't be such a crybaby." She whined and turned on her heel with the intent of finding more dresses that were stashed in the upstairs closets. "Nik, mind tying the knot for her?"

"You know me, Rebekah. I'm much more experienced with taking off a corset rather than tying one." Klaus smirked widely, making Giuliana glower at her reflection in the mirror. With an exaggerated sigh, Rebekah left the room and Klaus chuckled seeing Giuliana try to reach her hands around to grasp the strings.

"Look, I don't care how you do it, just get this torture device off me." She pleaded and he walked to stand behind her.

"My sister is quite offended by your lack of appreciation for vintage fashion." Klaus tsked.

"I lived in a time without corsets, so you can probably imagine as to why I don't understand how women would subject themselves to gowns like these." She said.

"You're not seeing the big picture, love." His eyes ran up and down her figure, taking in how stunning she looked in the dress.

"I doubt that you know anything about women's fashion unless it's about how fabric looks on the floor." She jeered and finally grasped the strings, but she froze feeling Klaus's hands clasp hers.

"You might have been born in that era, but you play the part quite well." He said into her ear and he felt her grasp on the ties loosen. "The corset could be attributed to Catherine de' Medici. She placed a strict ban on thick waists in court attendance."

"Well, she quickly turned into be the most disliked person in the castle." Giuliana murmured.

Klaus chuckled, his warm breath ghosting over her neck. "Perhaps, but they helped to make the waist appear smaller, more aesthetically pleasing to the eye." A hand was placed at each side of her waist, his fingers passing over the long strips of whalebone that kept Giuliana's already lithe figure in place. "And to accentuate the feminine curves of a female figure." His hands then moved down her body, following the curve of her hip and Giuliana felt her skin burning up through the thick fabric and hard bone. If was to be touching her bare skin, she was afraid of her entire body to become set aflame. It was remarkable how after so many years his touch managed to still have such an effect on her. He invoked such passionate emotions from deep inside her and sometimes it scared her that a person had so much power over her.

Her body leaned into his involuntarily, as if being drawn to him and their eyes locked with one another's in the mirror's reflection. "And what about the fact that I can hardly breathe? Does that add to the aesthetics?"

"You can't breathe because of the dress or because of me?" The light stubble on his chin scratched against the shell of her ear, making her shiver. She knew that she walked right into that one and she cursed herself for being so vapid.

"Maybe it's a mix of both." She murmured coyly.

Klaus ran his lips over the shell of her ear and he held her gaze in the mirror. "I want you to be careful tonight."

Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat. "I will. Keep in mind you're talking to an ex-hunter. I still have my abilities." Even though she was relieved of her hunter abilities, she did have the very unique ability to turn her blood into a poison should the wrong person bite her.

"That's not the point, love," he said. "Marcel's vampires will be everywhere and if anything goes wrong tonight-"

"Everything will go according to plan." She told him.

"I don't want you getting hurt." That shut her up and she remained silent in his hold. One of his hands left her waist and gently touched the side of her cheek, his long fingers skimming along her jaw line. Her already scarce supply of oxygen depleted even more with him touching her like this. Again, she felt her skin heating under his hand and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Ever so slowly, he tilted her head to face him, so their eyes met directly and not through the mirror. Sky blue and forest green orbs flicked between soft lips, daring the other to test the line that they had drawn for one another. Giuliana's heart hammered away inside her chest, her skin was warm to the touch and a subtle blush colored her cheeks. The Original hybrid could hardly tear his eyes away from the sight of her. Her reactions to his touch, her raw emotions, her desire all screamed at him. Everything about her was so beautifully human, it reminded him how carefree he was when he was human. Faces drifted closer, lips just on the verge of touching, of giving in to the forbidden passion that they had denied one another for so many years.

"Hands off, brother." Rebekah snapped as she traipsed back into the room. "She's my doll to dress up, not yours." Giuliana broke away first, her already blushing cheeks flowering a deeper shade of red. Klaus hadn't moved too much, instead he smirked and gripped the strings unbeknownst to Giuliana.

"My apologies, sister. I was just giving your little doll a lesson in fashion." He explained, winding his hands in the ribbons.

"Oh?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"I was just telling Giuliana that back then," he suddenly gave a hard tug to the strings, making the girl gasp and brace her hands on the frame of the mirror. All of the breath had been knocked out of her lungs as the bone tightened around her and she struggled to breath. Klaus threw her a smirk in the reflection of the mirror. "Corsets were meant to be tight." With that, he took his leave and if Giuliana could move, she would have chased him down and strangled him with the corset strings. Rebekah quickly rushed to the girl, snapping the corset before her ribs broke and it fell to pieces in a heap around her feet.

"I...am going to...to kill your brother." She gasped, not even caring that she was standing in her lingerie.

Rebekah's teeth clenched as she threw down more dresses over the back of a chair. "Join the club. Come on, try another one."

"Wait, can I at least go shopping for myself?" Giuliana suggested. She was tired of trying on vintage gowns. Granted, they were all beautiful, but she wanted something a little more modern. "I'll only be out an hour. Please?"

The blonde tilted her head, thinking it over, a pensive look across her face. "Fine." She huffed.

Smiling, Giuliana gathered her clothes and threw them on. "You won't be disappointed."

Donned in a black gown and a black suit, Rebekah and Klaus entered the gala arm in arm. Marcel had truly outdone himself with the party. Acrobats performed on raised platforms that were staged throughout the room, dancers hung from the ceiling on curtains of fabric, twisting and turning seductively, and exotic animals were on display, executing tricks from the commands of their handlers. Glittered confetti rained upon entering guests and people on the dance floor. Klaus took in everything, this gathering easily trumped any party that Carol Lockwood would have thrown.

May she rest in peace.

Klaus dusted off some glitter from his shoulder, watching it flutter to the floor. "Well, this certainly is a fitting backdrop for tonight's events, I must say." Rebekah nodded, agreeing and both of their eyes spotted Cami at the bar. She was dressed in a vintage white beaded gown with a pair of angel wings strapped to her back. An angel in a room of devils. "What is she doing here?"

"I made a friend, Nik." Rebekah grinned and fixed the feather arrangement that was strategically placed in her blonde up-do. "And I wanted her to come."

"She is not part of the plan, Rebekah." He hissed lowly.

"I'll keep her away from everything." She stepped on the tail end of his words before looking around the dark room. "Where is Giuliana? She said that she would be here."

Klaus was going to answer, but his words were lodged in his throat seeing Giuliana make her way into the room. Her body was wrapped in black beaded lace with some see through panels on the sides. Her strong shoulders and arms were exposed with the crisscross top that acted like a choker around her neck. It fit her perfectly, the fabric hugged her natural curves better than any old corset could have done and the bottom fanned out a slightly, swishing across the floor as she walked. Her hair was blown out and worn loosely hanging over her shoulders, her highlights really showing especially under the dim lighting. Green eyes were surrounded by smoky eye shadow and her lips were painted ruby red. A vision; a very sinful one.

Rebekah's gaze followed her brother's and her face somewhat fell. "Well, I'll be damned. She actually pulled it off."

Giuliana crossed the room, ignoring the up and downs that she received from passing vampires and spotted the Original siblings. She noticed that while Rebekah looked rather pleased in her dress choice, Klaus's expression was unreadable but his eyes didn't leave her form as she made her way over to them.

"You're late." Rebekah chided sternly.

"You look beautiful too, Bekah." Giuliana smiled and looked to Klaus who seemed like he was at a loss for words.

"You look...ravishing." He took her hand in his and kissed the back.

"You clean up nice, Klaus." She nodded.

"Well, you two can chat." Rebekah stated. "I need booze." She quickly left them to greet Cami and Giuliana took a second to glance at the dark atmosphere around her.

"This is one hell of a party." She whistled.

"Marcel is just showing off." Klaus scoffed and they both turned hearing some people chattering loudly with the man of the hour. He was dressed in a suit, playing the part of Gatsby quite well. "Speak of the devil."

As if sensing his sire's presence, Marcel turned his head and his confident gaze softened once it landed on Giuliana's form. He excused himself from the conversation he was having and greeted Klaus with a firm handshake and hug.

"Looking sharp, man." He grinned.

"You don't look half bad yourself." Klaus said and nudged Giuliana forward with a hand at her lower back which was exposed as well. Taking a quick glance, he saw that the entire back of the dress was open, just stopping above her behind. "And you already know me friend-"

"Giuliana." Marcel finished, his eyes never leaving hers. "Wow. You look stunning."

The girl smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Thank you. This is a great party."

"Well, thank you. It is more of a work thing, but I'm glad that you could make it." He grasped a glass of champagne for her from a passing waiter and handed it to her. "I hope that my friend has been taking care of you." That comment was directed towards Klaus, but he let it roll right off his back.

"He is behaving himself surprisingly." Giuliana noted before taking a liberal sip.

"Well, don't be fooled, love. I'm the devil in disguise." Klaus smirked.

"We all know that." She countered, making Marcel chuckle.

"She's a witty one, Klaus." He said and Klaus nodded, catching Rebekah's glance from across the room.

"Pardon me for a moment." The hybrid left rather quickly and Giuliana frowned that she was now left alone with Marcel.

"So, what changed your mind?" The king wondered curiously.

"Rebekah." She jeered. "But, listen, if you have to tend to your guests than please do. I can annoy Klaus all night."

Marcel's lips pulled into an amused smile. "And leave you alone, looking the way you do? Hell with that."

Klaus's hand tightened around his glass yet again as he watched Giuliana giggle at one of Marcel's witty remarks. While this was all part of the plan to keep Marcel distracted, Klaus could feel envy ebbing through his veins. Rebekah roughly elbowed his side in an effort to get him to relax.

"Knock it off." She hissed. "This is what you wanted, right? Marcel is distracted and all you have to do is wait." So far, the plan was being executed perfectly with no hiccups. Klaus had sent his newly turned nightwalker, Joshua, to a pillaging with Marcel's other night walkers where he's blend in nicely. Klaus had compelled another vampire, one that he had kept alive the night that Hayley was attacked, and commanded him to attack a witch in the Quarter. Not just any witch, Thierry's girlfriend, Katie. Since the newly turned vampire couldn't fight off the compulsion of an Original, he bit Katie in the neck, sending Thierry into a blind rage. He killed the vampire that hurt his girlfriend and that would mean that he broke one of Marcel's rules. His sentence would be death as soon as Marcel found out. Klaus knew that it was a clever way to get Marcel's right hand man out of the way and his tracks would be completely covered. The next part of his plan was to have Sophie swoop in to console a hysterical Katie to cast a spell against Marcel and his vampires to save her boyfriend. Katie naturally agreed and Sophie would perform a locator spell at the same time to find where Marcel had hidden Elijah's body. It was full proof, what could go wrong?

"So, I thought you said you were in community work." Giuliana said as she danced with Marcel.

"Community fundraising. Throw a party, folks open their wallets. It's kind of my thing. Guess I'm what you call a necessary evil." Marcel explained.

"Hmm, very interesting." The girl hummed and he twirled her elegantly. She was actually having a nice time with Marcel. He wasn't as pompous as she thought, however she had yet to see how he would react to the news that his right hand man killed another vampire.

"I have to ask." He adjusted his hold on her, his hand curling around her hip. "How does a delicate little thing like you get tangled up with the Originals?"

Her nose wrinkled and her red lips twisted into a smirk. "Delicate? Ouch, that one hurt a little bit." Giuliana was not a vampire, but she would hardly call herself delicate or fragile.

"I didn't mean delicate. I meant human." Marcel shook his head, correcting himself.

"It's a really long story." She pouted.

"Look, I've spent this entire evening talking about myself." He pulled her much closer, their chests touching. "I want to talk about you."

"Fine. Since you asked so nicely." She grinned. "I was born in Italy and a band of vampires attacked my town. They killed my brother." Well, the story wasn't completely wrong; she just left out Kol and decided to pin the murder of her brother on some ruthless vampires.

Marcel frowned. "I'm sorry."

The girl just nodded, not wanting to bring up Alexander again and start sobbing. "I ran like hell and they were closing in on me, but Elijah was there. He saved me."

"Elijah's a good guy." The vampire said and now it was time for Giuliana to act a little bit. She made a sound of distaste and rolled her eyes. "Was it something I said?"

"Well, I came here with Elijah and he promised to watch over me while we're here, but he just left without a goodbye." She pouted. Maybe since Marcel took a liking to Giuliana, he'd be a little more willing to give Elijah back. It was a reach, but one that she was prepared to make. "It's not like him to up and leave."

"I'm sure that he'll be back soon." Marcel assured her and he happened to catch Klaus talking with Cami across the room. "And what about Klaus?"

"He's a beast. What about him?"

Marcel tsked at her. "Hey, come on. That's my sire you're talking about."

"That's true, but he has a habit of making me want to kill him." She laughed. "Just this morning he tried to choke me with a corset."

"I can see that since you're standing here looking as gorgeous that you do that he failed miserably." He noted.

"Was that a compliment coming from the king of the Quarter?" She smirked.

"Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't." He countered slyly, quoting the times she toyed with him.

"Now you're just playing my game." She gasped when he dipped her suddenly and brought her back up, their faces impossibly close now.

A twinkling of a wind chime in her attic room made Davina sink even more into her comfortable bed a serene aura surrounding her. She enjoyed times like these when she could be alone with her peaceful thoughts. Her hand waved leisurely, controlling the music from the chime and she let her eyes slowly drift closed. Her peace was shattered, however, seeing a pair of green eyes in the back of her mind. Focusing on them, she created a picture of the woman that they had belonged to and she pushed boundaries even further, seeing that Giuliana was dancing with Marcel. Something about her just didn't sit right with Davina and she hopped out of bed, silencing the wind chime with a sharp flick of her wrist. Picking up a black marker, she ripped a piece of paper off the easel in the corner of the room and immediately started drawing. Eyes squinted and hands moved frantically across the page as Davina drew, from her memory, a portrait of Giuliana. Her anger rose with each strike of the marker against the paper and she feared for Marcel. She was afraid that this woman would hurt him, the one person that was protecting her. Soft curves and hard lines appeared on the page and Davina took a step back when she had finished. She'd never met Giuliana in person, but from the memory of Marcel's mind, she was able to recreate her face. The witch let the marker drop to the floor and her hands clenched as her lips begun to chant hushed words. The lights in her attic room flickered on and off while a wind tossed papers around, she focused her magic and Giuliana and getting her away from Marcel.

A sudden sharp pain gripped Giuliana's head and she backed away from Marcel's advances. It came again in a short burst before dying out again, but it was worse than the last one. She let go of Marcel and placed a hand on her forehead. He was a little insulted at first, but he quickly saw that she was in pain.

"What's the matter?" He asked concernedly.

"It's nothing." Another intense hit, making her skull ache and she groaned quietly. "I think the champagne is going right to my head."

Klaus watched from afar as Marcel placed a comforting hand on Giuliana's shoulder. With raised eyebrows, he was unsure of exactly what was making her shy away from Marcel so suddenly. The entire night, Marcel had charmed his way right into her heart, but she was now turning away from him. A look of pain was strewn upon her face and a hand at her head made his eyebrows knit together. A witch? Perhaps Katie's magic was affecting her? His blue eyes checked the clock on the wall. No, it's a little too early for Katie to arrive, but it also could not have been Katie because the other vampires in the room would be affected as well. The hybrid was ready to leave from his post at the bar to whisk Giuliana away from Marcel, but he halted seeing Diego make his way through the crowd. He was another one of Marcel's night walkers and he certainly looked like he had quite the burden to bare as his gaze was set on Marcel. Making his way through the crowd, he lightly tapped Marcel's shoulder, making him back away and unhand Giuliana. Marcel was ready to snap Diego's neck for interrupting him, but he then learned about Thierry's indiscretions tonight.

"My cue to leave." Rebekah disappeared from her brother's side to assist Sophie in the locator spell and Klaus watched everything

"Marcel, is everything alright?" Giuliana asked him as she watched the vampire's anger rise. He whipped around to see Thierry standing there, his head down in shame and Marcel growled under his breath before looking to Giuliana again.

"Excuse me." He left her alone on the dance floor and caught Thierry by the neck, dragging him away from the party. Thierry's face was screwed up in pain as Marcel's hand squeezed roughly and Giuliana turned away from the sight, shielding her eyes.

Klaus was quick to join her side, a hand at her lower back. "Get home now before things get bad." He nudged her toward the door, but stopped realizing that she wasn't moving. Her eyes were glued on her right hand and a line of blood that ran across the top. He took up her hand and wiped the blood away, disregarding the cut, but underneath the crimson, black marks were lacing across her skin.

The Hunter's mark.

"No..." She whimpered as she bled even more, the ink of the tattoo quickly spread up her arm and shoulder. Like clockwork, all of the vampires in the room had their gazes locked on her, the smell of blood teasing their hunger. Even Marcel had turned away from scolding Thierry to peer down at Giuliana off the balcony.

"What in hell?" Klaus murmured and Giuliana gritted her teeth, hissing as pain was beginning to set in on her arm.

"Get me out of here before they all eat me." Giuliana begged and Klaus shrugged his suit jacket off, placing it around her shoulders to shield the smell and sight of blood from the vampires in the room. There was suddenly a commotion when night walkers rushed from the gala with Marcel leading them.

"Klaus," her weak voice hit his ears and he turned to see that her nose was now bleeding. "What's happening to me?"

The Original hybrid was at a loss for what to do. Blood was trailing down her face and right hand alarmingly and he had known that Katie was causing all of the panic outside the gala. He bit into his wrist and pressed it to her mouth, coaxing her to take his blood to help her heal. She drank small gulps as it partially helped her and the pain went away. Her hand healed up as well and her nose stopped bleeding. Klaus removed his wrist hearing the cries of Marcel's men and Katie's chanting, realizing that his plan had to be executed quickly.

"Klaus, go." She shooed him for the door and he could tell that she was feeling better since she was bossing him around. "I'll be fine. I'll stay here. Just go." He looked conflicted, but getting on Marcel's good side was his top priority now. Klaus disappeared from the gala to handle the witch situation outside and Giuliana's stomach curdled hearing Katie's neck snap loudly.

"Man, it feels good to be home." Giuliana sighed as she traipsed inside the mansion. Tonight had been eventful to say the least, but she was happy that her wounds had healed up nicely. However, she still wondered who caused her all of that pain. It couldn't have been a witch since Marcel would have known that she was performing magic in the Quarter. Pushing it aside, she rounded the staircase, but stopped in her tracks seeing a pool outside. Hmm, she'd been living in the house for almost a week as she hadn't even realized that the Mikaelsons had a pool in their backyard. Who knew that vampires enjoyed swimming or perhaps it was simply to dress up the backyard, but Giuliana was intrigued. She opened the doors leading to the backyard and sat on the ladder that dipped into the pool, but not before pulling up her dress at to not get it wet. The water was cold, but it did wonders for her aching feet.

A twig snapped not too far off and she whipped her head towards the sound. Standing up and keeping alert, her eyes scanned the area for any threats. Could Marcel's night walkers had followed her home? Low growling sounds within the brush by the pool made her blood run cold in her veins. A wolf emerged from the leaves and twigs, its yellow eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Giuliana had never seen a werewolf before, certainly not this close. She remembered hearing stories when she was child, but she'd never seen one in its true form. It was a beautiful creature, but it looked all the more threatening in the shadows of the night.

A hand was suddenly clamped over her mouth, stopping Giuliana from screaming which she had intended to do. Klaus wasn't home yet, but Rebekah surely would have heard her and come to her rescue. Giuliana fought against her captor, kicking and muffling against the hand that was preventing her from screaming.

"Shh! Will you stop that? It's me." Hayley's voice reached her ears and Giuliana was released from the wolf's hold as soon as she stopped struggling.

"Jesus Christ! Are you trying to kill me or something?!" She hissed.

"Just relax! That wolf isn't here to hurt anyone." Hayley explained. "It was here before and Sabine said that it's protective of me."

Giuliana's wary eyes jumped between the wolf and Hayley. "That's all fine and great, but it was looking at me like it wanted to eat me."

Hayley grumbled some reply under her breath before kneeling, locking eyes with the wolf. "It's okay. She's my friend." The wolf seemed to nod, as if understanding Hayley and it laid down in the brush, propping its large head down on the floor.

"Okay...that was just weird." Giuliana mumbled and tousled her hair, leaving Hayley with her new wolf friend. She went back into the house and wandered aimlessly into one of the rooms and saw Klaus sitting at the piano. His fingers were gliding across the keys; his eyes were vacant, almost lost in thought as he played a haunting melody.

"I didn't know you played." He stopped playing at the sound of her voice and looked up to where she was leaning against the door frame.

"A thousand years is a long time to live, so it's better to pass the time by learning different crafts." He replied.

Giuliana pushed herself off the wall and took a couple of steps towards him. "You mean like drawing and painting?"

Klaus's sky blue eyes met hers and he smiled, skimming the pads of his fingers over the ebony and ivory keys. "Now, that has been a talent that I've always had."

While she walked to meet him, she shrugged off his suit jacket that had still been resting on her shoulders. The sleeve was stained with blood and she wrinkled her nose as she handed it to him. "Thank you for letting me use this. It might need to go to the dry cleaners though."

"No harm done." He took the jacket and draped it over a chair.

"And thank you for helping me tonight." She added. "I don't know what was attacking me, but without your blood, I'd be as good as dead."

"Please, if any of Marcel's men would have went after you, you would have dislocated their head from their shoulders." He told her with an amused smirk. "You said so yourself that you're not delicate."

Her arms crossed over her chest and she tilted her head slightly to the right. "Eavesdropping, are you? That's quite rude."

"I couldn't help it, love, yours and Marcel's conversation was quite interesting." He grinned.

"So, you're jealous then?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nonsense." He shook his head and poured himself a glass of scotch.

"I'll have one too." She pranced over to him and snatched up a glass, gesturing with her smoky eyes for him to pour her some. "Marcel is a charming guy and I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy his company."

"A little too charming." Klaus rolled his eyes.

"Hey," she playfully smacked his shoulder. "There is nothing wrong with being nice. It might get you some friends."

"I have you."

Goose bumps rose along her skin, a shiver tingling up and down her spine. "Yes, you do."

Klaus drummed his fingers aimlessly along the side of his glass. "Marcel promised to give back Elijah."

"What? When?" Giuliana asked, unable to contain her excitement.

"Soon. Because I saved his life from Katie, he has considered giving me my brother back." He replied.

"But it was at the expense of killing someone else." She said.

"You sound like Rebekah." Klaus scowled.

"Maybe that's not so bad. You just killed someone in cold blood who wasn't supposed to die." She fought.

"I did what I had to do to get Elijah back." He growled, towering over her. "You would have done the same thing."

"You really think that?"

"Your brother was a member of 'The Five' and he would kill any vampire that he came across. That very trait was passed on to you, only you didn't fulfill it." Klaus explained gruffly. "You and I are a lot more alike than you would like to think."

Her hand smacked him hard across the face, the slapping sound echoing off the walls. His head snapped to the right, an angry red welt on his cheek, but it healed quickly. Giuliana then brushed right past him, but the same sharp pain from the gala clutched her head in a vice. She cried out and fell backwards, anticipating that she was going to hit the floor, but Klaus caught her. She could hear him calling her name, but she couldn't find the will to speak. Her vision became blurred and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Marcel opened up the door to Davina's attic room and the tiny witch rushed over to him. Her arms enveloped him, hugging him tightly. She was so worried after tonight that Marcel would have gotten hurt because of Giuliana or the witches, but she used her own magic to give Marcel strength to overcome the witch's spell.

"You're okay! I was so worried." She told him and pulled back, elated that he was fine.

Marcel smiled down at his little witch. "Thank you. Whatever you did, I felt it. You helped me."

"It was the old ones, wasn't it?" Davina asked, her gaze shifting over to Elijah's coffin.

"Actually, Klaus is the one that saved me tonight." He told her and her head tilted to the right. "I'm gonna make things right, starting off by giving him his brother back." He walked over to Elijah's coffin, but Davina stood in his way.

"No." She hissed and Marcel seemed taken aback by her sudden rush of anger.

"What? Davina—"

"No." Davina said again. "You said the old ones were dangerous. I won't give him back until I know how to kill them."

"Look, a deal is a deal. He saved my life and I have to repay him." Marcel explained and loosened his tie. Davina let out a breath, deciding to let go of her anger before it got out of control.

"How was the party?" She asked him, trying to diffuse the situation.

"It was fine, minus the mishap with Thierry and his witch." He grumbled. "But don't worry, that's all taken care of."

"Good. I'm glad." The tiny brunette nodded and Marcel's eyes looked upon her easel. On the pad was a drawing of Giuliana and he glanced between Davina and the picture.

"Did you draw this?" He asked her.

Davina nodded proudly, bouncing excitedly on the tips of her toes. "Yeah, I did."

"Did you cast a spell on her, Davina?" His voice was serious now and Davina's smile dampened a little bit.

"I-"

"Dammit, Davina! You could have killed her!" He hissed angrily.

"I didn't want her to hurt you, Marcel." She tried to defend her use of magic on Giuliana, but Marcel was fuming.

"She didn't hurt me. We were just dancing together." Marcel growled lowly.

"She is dangerous." Davina implored, but the vampire tore the drawing off the easel, crumpling it in his hands. "No! Please, I'm sorry!"

"You are never to hurt her again. Do you understand me?" With each hard word, he ripped the paper, tearing up her image so that Davina couldn't use the drawing again. It didn't stop her from making a new one, but after she saw how angry it made him, she knew that she had stepped too far over the line.

Davina nodded, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Yes, I understand. I'm so sorry, Marcel. I just got nervous and I didn't want her to hurt you."

Marcel disposed of the paper and looked back to the disappointed witch. She was just trying to help him, she did have good intentions. "It's okay, Davina. Just don't hurt her again."

"I won't. I promise." She said and hugged her savior tightly.

AN: Well, things are certainly getting interesting. Marcel still has eyes for Giuliana, but Davina thinks that her intentions are a lot more threatening than Marcel is telling her. Davina's spells do major damage to Giuliana and it looks like the last one was the strongest. Will she die? Will she be alright? Klaus is still very jealous when Marcel even looks at Giuliana, but what will happen when Elijah is released to him? Please review ;)

SomebodyWhoCares: Damon and Cass always manage to get interrupted :/ Thanks for reviewing!

VampirePrincess11: Thank you for reviewing! I agree, screw the universe!

Shining Ruby: Thank you for your review :) I am so glad that you love Cassandra as an original character. I agree with you when you saw that Damon deserves the most love because he is a man that can love someone so fiercely, but that love gets shoved back in his face. It will be hard for Damon and Cassandra to accept the fact that their child could be the cause for Cassandra's death, but like other obstacles they have faced, they will not go down without a fight!

xoxobianca13: Thank you for reviewing! I do love Katherine so much because she is really sassy and she adds a lot of her own personality to the episodes even though she isn't a vampire anymore. Defan is the best! I do love their brotherly moments :)

pannech: Thanks for reviewing and thank you for your message again! I am so glad that you're enjoying this story so far :) Well, it was intended that Damon would fall in love with Katherine only to have his heart broken in the end when she picked Stefan, so it would have worked, but Cassandra had come into the picture. The Universe totally does suck that it has been trying to keep Damon and Cass apart, but I think that they have done a pretty good job of staying together.

grapejuice101: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, Tessa is one crazy broad!

nickiR0x: I MISSED YOU TOO, GIRL! I've got a love/hate relationship with college too, but I will be graduating in May, so I'm almost there! I honestly like the Originals a lot more than I thought that I would. The first couple of episodes were kind of a drag, but I guess that the writers needed to fill in new viewers about everything. I am a fan of the flashbacks though! I mainly watch the show for Damon, (I think a lot of us do, haha!) but the show has completely sucked me in! Basically, the Universe never meant for Cassandra to come into existence in the first place, leaving Damon to fall in love with Katherine to only have his heart broken when she ultimately chose Stefan. It would be the same thing with Elena, but Cassandra was already in the picture. It is really sad that Qetsiyah tried to kill off Cassandra when she was a child, but nature was also doing quite a job to get rid of her. I actually enjoy Qetsiyah a lot. She is completely vindictive and insane, but I love her character and her reactions with Silas. They do remind me a bit of Klaus and Katherine too! Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope that you enjoyed this update :D

Silently Tearful: Thanks for reviewing! It is very sad that the Universe created Damon and Cassandra's child only to have it be used as a weapon :( But, like Cassandra said, people write their own fates and make their own choices. She and Damon will work hard to keep their marriage together and to take care of their child. The wolf may/may not be the same one that Hayley saw. It could very well be a different wolf. Perhaps we'll find out who that wolf is soon! Hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter!

shippolove844: Thank you for your review! Have faith because Damon and Cassandra have done a good job of staying together even though the Universe has been trying to tear them apart from the very start. Even when they did lose their way, they always managed to find their way back to one another. Very romantic if you ask me :)

Guest: Yes, Damon was meant to fall in love with Katherine only to have his heart broken in the end when she decided that she really loved Stefan. Cassandra will know and it honestly won't bother her too much because she knows that Damon will always love her. Cassandra isn't a huge believer in the Universe because she wants to believe in her heart of hearts that she and Damon wrote their own destinies and that eventually brought them together. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the Originals chapter!

Guest: Yeah, Damon is having a reaaallyy hard time getting some lovin' from his wife, but they'll get some time together in the future. I promise ;) Thanks for writing a review!

Karly: WOAH?! I'm not that heartless, girl! HAHA! No, Damon definitely is the father of Cassandra's baby. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)