Bloodlines
Chapter 28: Crescent City
Beta: PrincessOfSilence - Stop by her page and read her stories! You will LOVE them!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD or TO. I only own my story and my characters.
Light and cheerful conversations filled the large chapel hall in St. Anne's church and most of the pews had parishioners sitting closely side by side. The church was buzzing with excitement and it made Father Kieran smile to see so many people in his beloved church. He was even surprised to Klaus sitting in one of the first pews, especially since the hybrid didn't seem like a church-goer. Beside him sat Marcel and at his other side sat Giuliana, who were waiting for the service to start. The priest waited a few more minutes for the last remaining people outside to come in and find their seats before taking his place at the altar. Once the priest stepped up, people shushed one another and a curtain of silence hushed over the crowds.
"Thank you all for coming. It means more than I can tell you." Father Kieran greeted his smiling audience. "We gather today for the first public service of our newly reopened church. St. Anne's can finally once again be the heart of our community, where we can congregate as a people united. Here, this hour, we come together to praise God and give thanks. The events that took place at our church were tragic."
As Kieran spoke, Marcel's eyes drifted and his gaze landed upon a very familiar face within the crowds of people. In fact, he was so intrigued, that he was openly staring and causing attention to himself while Father Kieran was speaking. He recognized her, that was for certain, but he couldn't get a good look at her. Klaus immediately picked up on his rudeness and nudged Marcel's shoulder to bring him back to reality.
"Problem?" He asked him.
Marcel turned back in his seat and shook his head. "No."
"Then pay attention," Klaus growled lowly. "We're meant to seem like devoted parishioners.
Giuliana let out a low chuckle. "You are so full of shi-"
"Language, love. We are in a holy space after-all." Klaus chastised her as playfully as he could.
"Well, I don't see why I had to come with you this morning." She bit irritably.
"I'm sure you'd rather stay at the compound making lovey-dovey eyes at Elijah, but I figured that it would be good for you to be around other people."
A scoff left her lips which made some people in the pews in front of them throw glances of their shoulders. "For your information, I was not making lovey-dovey anything at your brother. I was looking over Blood Magic spells after your friend Audrey decided to attack me."
"Ah, yes. It seems that the Harvest worked, I suppose," he said.
"But only those who practice ancestral magic could be resurrected by the Harvest. Blood Magic is different ancestral magic. I don't know exactly how it's different, but I'll look more into it."
"I imagine you would have been able to do more research if you weren't playing footsie with Elijah." Klaus jabbed and that made Giuliana roll her eyes. Just as he was about to speak another insult, he felt his entire body go numb and he couldn't move any part of him. He tried to speak, but gasps left his lips. Giuliana then let up her magic just as quickly as she hit him with it and sat back in the pew, quite proud of her work. With his body not paralyzed, he growled lowly at the witch beside him who just smirked triumphantly.
"Enough comments about your brother and I," she warned. "It seems to me like you're jealous, Klaus. Perhaps you need to take up a hobby."
Marcel smirked at that and Giuliana threw him a playful wink. It was nice to see him, especially since him and Klaus had been busy. Klaus was his usual teasing self and she did have to take a step back and thank her lucky stars that he was in a good mood. He was a bit of a problem when he was in his murderous, brooding mood. With no more conversation between them, they tuned in for Father Kieran's final words.
"And it is that hope in our hearts, and with the help of many benefactors, that allows us to be here today." Father Kieran continued to speak and the three otherwise occupied supernaturals turned their attention back to the priest. "So, we gather with renewed spirit, made stronger, committed to the ideals of peace and love. Amen."
"Amen." The church echoed him and some people stood to make their way out of the pews while others made small talk and chatter with one another. Klaus looked to his two comrades and all three of them rose to their feet. They sauntered out of the church to where Father Kieran was standing on the steps to speak with some of the people who attended the service. Once some people moved out of the way, Klaus was next in line with Giuliana and Marcel by his side.
"Lovely sermon this morning, Father," Klaus greeted him with a grin. "Quite inspirational."
"I wasn't expecting you to join us." The priest looked between the three friends.
"Don't worry; I thought that Klaus stepping foot in a church would mean that he would spontaneously combust too." Giuliana joked and that seemed make Kieran more at ease because he chuckled.
"Regardless, thank you for coming today," he thanked them.
Klaus stepped forward, so that others around them wouldn't hear them. "Oh, we were hoping for some word from your human sources on the recent Haitian invasion."
"My guys have their ears on the ground and no one has seen or heard any sign of whatever his name is." The priest replied in a low tone.
"He is called Papa Tunde," Marcel said. "And right now he's wandering in the Quarter with the power he absorbed from every soul I had buried in the Garden, so you might wanna put your ear a little closer to the ground."
"Or I could steer clear of whatever war is brewing between your kind and his, before I find myself–" Father Kieran's voice faded when he saw his niece, Cami, making a bee line for him from across the way. Once she reached him, she shook his hand.
"I wanted to congratulate you on getting the church up running. I can see this is a bad time." She continued to shake his hand as she blabbed to him, but none of the words that came out of her mouth sounded sincere. She acted as if she had been put up to come to the church and congratulate her uncle when really it was the last place she wanted to bed.
"Nice to see you, Marcel. Giuliana." She nodded to the pair who waved back, but Cami had already sped off.
"Cami!" Her uncle called after her, but she was already gone.
"Well, don't look at me. I tried to send her away." Klaus shrugged and ignored Kieran's pointed glare when his phone rang.
"Yes, Diego. What do you have for me?"
"Uh, we got a special delivery." The vampire replied.
Klaus' eyes narrowed. "Would you care to elaborate?"
Lying just off to the side of Diego was Papa Tunde's dead, bloodied body inside a salt circle. "Either our witch problems are over, or they're just getting started."
Hanging up his phone, Klaus decided that it would be in their best interest to investigate. Marcel and Giuliana were not too far behind.
"God be with you." Kieran bid them and the other's who had come to his sermon farewell.
"Can I get you anything, brother? A magnifying glass? A pipe, perhaps?" Klaus jeered from afar as he watched his brother kneel beside Papa Tunde's corpse. The two Original brothers, Marcel and Giuliana had come to the courtyard to investigate the very strange and sudden death of Papa Tunde. At first, it was thought that it was just another vampire casualty, but upon further scrutiny, they could see that Papa Tunde had bit the dust.
Elijah glanced up at his brother. "You have a theory you'd like to share with us, Niklaus?"
"Back in the day, if the witches wanted to send a threat, they just killed a chicken and leave it on your doorstep." Marcel interrupted the two brothers before the real bickering would start.
"It's rather a large and ominous chicken, wouldn't you say?" The elder Original's eyebrows furrowed.
"I'll say," Giuliana mumbled. "But, this guy wasn't a pushover by any sense of the word.
"Papa Tunde defeated Rebekah with ease; almost got the two of us as well. If he was supposed to be the prize fighter, why leave him for dead in our front yard?" Klaus wondered.
Just then, Rebekah bustled into the room, a puzzled look adorning her features. "Well, don't you look cheery? Listen to this. A girl literally exploded from a grave today as Sabine was giving a tour of the city of the dead. It was Monique Deveraux."
"What?" Klaus growled in disbelief.
"So, that means the Harvest worked?" The brunette concluded.
"The tourists thought it was part of the show, but the witches are celebrating like it's some kind of bloody miracle." His sister explained.
"Maybe it is." Marcel noted. "They think that all hope is lost, but now suddenly a Harvest girl is resurrected. This is how we're gonna get Davina back—kill the witch who took her place."
"Well, I have one guess as to who it might be." Giuliana announced and in seconds, all pairs of eyes were directed towards her. "No one? No one has any idea as to who it could be?" When she received vacant stares to her questions, she smacked her palm against her forehead. "Uh, hello? Celeste! Think about it, Davina was drawing pictures of Celeste like she was trying to warn us."
Klaus taped his fingers against his chin thoughtfully. "First, Papa Tunde returns to settle old scores," his gaze shifted to Elijah who was grappling with the very possibility that Celeste was back and causing trouble. "Now your murdered lover is back. This isn't witches attacking vampires; they're declaring war on us."
"I thought I was gonna have to drag you two to the plantation kicking and screaming." Rebekah gloated as she slammed the door to her car closed. She was given special orders by Elijah to take both Hayley and Giuliana back to their home where they would be safe and Rebekah was not one to disobey her elder brother.
"Especially you, Giuliana. I was betting that Elijah would have had to compel you to come here." She added, earning quite the deadly glare from Giuliana.
"As much as I don't want to be here with you, your brother has a point, Rebekah." The brunette exited the car and began the trek up the driveway. "He wants to keep us all safe and I trust his judgment even though I don't completely agree with it. Plus, that crazy witch bitch, Audrey, is around."
"I remember Audrey. And so does Niklaus. He couldn't resist her charms and she couldn't resist falling into bed with him."
Giuliana raised an eyebrow at Rebekah. "They were-"
"I'd rather not talk about what they did behind closed doors since I just had my lunch." Rebekah grimaced and looked back to the car. "Let's go, Hayley!"
"I'm coming!" The pregnant wolf called and waddled her way over to the pair.
"So, did you tell her yet?" Giuliana nudged Hayley's shoulder.
"Tell me what?" Rebekah looked between both girls.
"I was getting to that." Hayley bit through her clenched teeth.
"Will someone tell me what the bloody hell is going on?"
Hayley stopped walking and turned toward the Original sister. "Tonight's a full moon, Rebekah."
Rebekah shrugged. "So what? You're preggers, you can't turn."
"Yes, but I wanted to invite a few people over." She started to walk again with Giuliana by her side.
"Of course." Rebekah let out a long sigh. "Every red-blooded American werewolf will be a bundle of fur and sharp teeth tonight, whilst your cursed crescent clan will be–"
"Human," Hayley stated. "But only for a few hours and won't be again until the next full moon, so I asked Josh to get a message out to Eve in the bayou."
"Josh isn't dead yet? Well, good on him. I love a nice survival story."
"Hey! Leave him alone. He's a nice kid." Giuliana defended as a man walked out the front door of the plantation house rolling an empty moving dolly behind him.
"Who the bloody hell is that?" Rebekah wondered.
"Kegs out back, right?" Hayley asked the man and he nodded before tipping his hat at the ladies and leaving.
"Right. It appears you weren't gonna wait for me to grant you permission to throw a kegger." The blonde muttered.
"Listen, you all want me safe, fine. I'll do as I'm told. I'll play damsel in the glass tower, but tonight's the one night a month that I can meet my family. Now you could rat me out, send me to my room, or you could help me to throw one hell of a party." Hayley gave Rebekah an ultimatum and was secretly hoping that she wouldn't blab to her siblings.
Rebekah's blue eyes snapped to Giuliana who was bouncing excitedly on her toes. "You knew about this?"
"Guilty." She giggled, waving her hand. "Come on, Rebekah. Hayley has every right to meet her family. And think of it this way, we'll all be safe here at the house and it'll be an awesome party."
The Original sister clenched her fists; these two girls had pulled the wool over her eyes and weren't even going to ask her permission to throw a party for Hayley's family. Although, she had a feeling that if they did ask her permission, they'd throw the party even if she said no. With a long sigh, her hard expression cracked and she pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Well, if you two are going to throw a shindig, call someone to clean out the gutters. I mean, really, we can't have Hayley's family think we live in a pigsty." Hayley and Giuliana smiled at one another, happy that Rebekah was going to help them and not rat them out.
Smoke and the intense smell of alcohol assaulted Marcel's senses the second he walked into a dive bar just off Bourbon Street. With all of the hullabaloo about Papa Tunde's death going around, he decided to discreetly slip away to do some investigating of his own. He'd seen a very familiar face in St. Ann's earlier this morning and he was determined to find out if his mind was playing tricks on him, or if this sick joke was now his chilling reality. He asked around, without telling anyone, of course, and his answers led him to his current location. He took a thin, leggy, redheaded waitress by the arm and compelled her to tell him where he could find his target and she gave him the answer he wanted.
"She's by the poker tables," the woman replied and Marcel gave her his most charming smile before letting her go and making her forget about the conversation they had. He stalked to the tables and was able to pick her out immediately. First off, she was the only woman at the tables and her shining black hair was a quality he'd always admired about her. She was sitting with three other men who were easily twice her size and each hand held a set of playing cards. A pile of money sat in the center of the table and each player added more money. None of them seemed to notice the vampire; they were much too enthralled in their game. Her back was towards him, so he could sneak up on her if need be, but instead, he approached her like how a predator towers over their prey.
"Hello Marcel," she purred, keeping her eyes dead set on the hand of cards in front of her.
"Audrey." He greeted her as cordially as possible and that earned a huff from her.
"Well, if you're going to continue staring at me, at least take a seat." Again, she didn't look at him. She plucked a card from her and hand and replaced it back in her hand in a different place, suggesting that she was ordering her cards.
"I have some questions for you-"
"In a moment." Audrey stepped on his words. Her eyes then lifted up to the men around the table who were concentrated on her cards. "Let's see what you have, boys."
One of them folded immediately, knowing that his hand had no shot of taking the pot in the middle of the table. Another placed his cards down, revealing his cards which made the one who still had to reveal his cards fold. The supposed winner of the game laughed heartily and reached toward the money to take it, but Audrey tsked, shaking her head. She showed her cards, earning a low whistle from the other two players, meanwhile the previous winner's face dropped.
"Read 'em and weep." Audrey smirked. All of the men leaned forward to get a good look at them and grimaced seeing that her hand was the highest and that she had won the game. The men grumbled and cursed low under their breaths as they vacated the table and Audrey gathered up her winnings. As she was counting the large bills in her hand, Marcel came to sit next to her.
"Those questions I have-"
"I'm listening," she murmured, keeping her eyes on the growing count of money in her hands.
"First things first, what were you doing in that church earlier today?" He asked.
"Can't a girl enjoy a nice sermon? I mean, I was never the church-goer, but it was nice nonetheless." Her blue eyes glinted playfully. "I bet you also saw my friend, Genevieve too?"
"I did." Marcel gritted which made her snicker. "Why are you back from the dead?" That question made her actually stop counting her winnings and look him straight in the eye. She pocketed the money and folded her hands on the table's surface.
"That's a question I still have not found the answer to." She admitted. "My people do not practice ancestral magic. Therefore, when the Harvest was completed, only ancestral witches rose from the dead; I guess I am a special case of some-sort."
"So, you have nothing to do with the Harvest being completed?"
"You got paint in your ears?" She mocked. "I told you that my kind of magic is different from the kind of magic used for the Harvest."
Marcel's fingers drummed against the surface of the table. "You do know that by attacking the Originals that you've signed your death sentence."
"It was a matter of self-defense. I wasn't going to let Elijah pummel me into the ground for threatening his little sweetheart." She leaned back in her chair coolly.
"What about my guy, Thierry? Was that self-defense too?" He was heated.
"Oh, don't be such a stiff, Marcel." With that, she placed her hands on the table and pushed herself up from her seat, but Marcel roughly grabbed her wrist.
"Sit down." He was livid now and his grip tightened around her thin wrist. Without missing a beat, Audrey's hand was now on his.
"No, you sit down." Her voice was low and threatening and as soon as Marcel was ready to retort, he felt her magic rushing through his veins. His body buckled under her powers, bowing to her presence as he grew dizzy and lightheaded. Her magic was draining him of blood and he could feel the very substance that kept him alive leaving his body. Much to his dismay, his knees couldn't hold out any longer and he slumped back into his chair, making Audrey smirk triumphantly.
"Good boy." She grinned. "In fact, that's exactly what you are, a boy. You're no king, Marcel. You're just a foot soldier. Even when Klaus had this city in the palm of his hand, you were nothing but a newbie vampire chasing after Rebekah."
Marcel was still doubled over in pain and no one at the bar had turned their eye to him. He grew weaker and weaker with each passing moment, but Audrey stopped that by letting go of him. He gasped loudly, taking in air and letting his body adjust to the blood loss he was suffering.
"I'm sure that Klaus knows that I'm back, but tell him I'd like to see him." Audrey gathered up her money and pocketed it. She turned on her heel and sauntered out of the bar, leaving Marcel to practically craw out after her.
Giuliana threw another few shirts on the clothesline as more newly turned humans waded closer to the house. The sun had set, so the members of the pack were now humans. Naked humans. Hayley had opened up the doors to the plantation house and Rebekah was cooking some food in the kitchen. The thought alone of Rebekah doing something domestic, like cooking, made Giuliana worry that the members of Hayley's family might get sick from Rebekah's lack of time in the kitchen over her thousand years. Shaking the thought away, she greeted some more wolves that came to gather some clothes. They smiled in gratification, taking the clothes and feeling the fabric in their hands before putting them on their bodies. The brunette gestured for a bunch of the pack to come to the house and follow the path which most of them did. She then moved to adjust a shirt on the clothesline, but another hand brushed against hers. Her green eyes snapped up to see a burly gentleman with mused shoulder-length blonde locks and a scruffy beard. She gave him a welcoming smile and stepped back, allowing him to take the shirt and put it on.
"Hello darlin'." He winked and looked her up and down.
"Welcome. Won't you come join us?" She angled her body to show him the path and suddenly gasped when she turned back to see that this man was naked from the waist down. Again, he sent a charming grin her way and she cleared her throat, a signal to tell him to keep moving.
"I didn't catch your name." He grinned at her.
"Uh," her eyes wandered for a pair of pants or something on the line to give him. "Maybe when you have pants on?"
The wolf took up a pair by him and slipped them on, ridding Giuliana of her anxiousness. Once he was fully clothed, he stepped under the clothesline and held out his hand.
"I'm Oliver."
"Giuliana." She shook his hand and once again pointed him towards the house. "Party's that way."
"Thanks." His playful gaze held hers for a few moments longer and he then trailed down the path. Giuliana hung the remaining clothes from the laundry basket on the line and brought the basket back into the house. She disposed of it and walked in the kitchen to see Rebekah floundering a bit in the kitchen.
"Bloody hell. Where is the salt?" The Original mumbled to herself as she opened some cabinets. Giuliana looked beside her and noticed the salt shaker hiding behind the paper towel rack, so she plucked it up and handed it to Rebekah.
"Here." The blonde took it and added a dash of salt to one of the boiling pots.
"Thanks. Hayley's family is all here?"
"Seems like it. Need any help in here?"
Rebekah shook her head and continued to bustle around the kitchen while Giuliana leaned against one of the counters. She had wanted to talk to Rebekah about the conversation that she'd overheard between her and Elijah the other night. The words just never sat right with her and she found that they were keeping her up at night. They haunted her and Giuliana just couldn't shake them.
"Giuliana can make you happy and make you feel human, but I wonder, brother, what will happen when you have to choose between her and your family? Who will you choose?" They echoed like a frightening death sentence and they hung in the air. It was quite the question that no one had the answer to. How can one be asked to choose between two things that are equally important?
"Rebekah, can I talk to you about something?"
With a loud huff, the Original lowered the burners on the oven and turned to face Giuliana. "Make it quick, will you? I can imagine that these people eat like animals and I have to get this food done."
"I heard what you said to Elijah the night we saved you from Papa Tunde," she started off. "About Elijah having to choose between me and his family." Rebekah's lips pursed and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Quite the little eavesdropper, aren't you?"
"I don't want Elijah to ever have to choose," Giuliana spoke. "But if he did, I wouldn't want him to choose me; you're his little sister."
"That hasn't stopped him before. Celeste ruined him, you know? He gave his heart away to her to only end up broken." She jutted out her hip.
"I would never hurt him. I couldn't. I care too much for him."
"I know you do, but caring for him or for any of us puts you in danger."
"I know it does." Giuliana admitted.
Rebekah's head tilted to the side, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "And yet you've stayed here this entire time."
Giuliana nodded wordlessly and the two girls shared a quiet moment together. Rebekah had her moments, but at times she could be a sweet, sensitive woman.
"I just don't want either of you to get hurt because believe it or not, I actually like you." She added and Giuliana smiled brightly.
"Aww, thanks, Bekah."
"Alright, enough of this mushy business." She sighed and waved the spatula at Giuliana who dodged it. "Shoo! I have a dinner to prepare!"
"What do you know about cooking?" She asked.
"Enough to know that these wolves will have me for dinner if I don't get this right. So, out!"
"So, this next part of town is one of the few areas where any of the original French architecture remains. The most of the buildings were destroyed in the seventeen hundreds when the city burned for the first time." Sabine explained and pointed out the buildings to Elijah who was deep in thought. He kindly asked Sabine to take him on a little tour of the city and she was only too happy to oblige him. They walked and talked; well, Sabine did all of the talking since Elijah's mind was burdened with troubles.
He worried about his decision to have Hayley and Giuliana at the plantation house mainly for their safety. He knew that Papa Tunde was out of the way, but he still worried that a darker danger lurked just around the corner. Rebekah could hold her own in a fight and he knew that, but having to protect two other people could be too much for her to handle. He was also very worried that his worst fears would be confirmed when the woman beside him would be revealed to be none other than Celeste. Still, he was biding his time and he walked with her, listening to how she and her people wanted Klaus out of New Orleans and as she spoke, he became more and more sure of himself that the spirit of Celeste had come back into another form. Giuliana had put the idea in his head earlier in the day of the possibility that Celeste was back, but as the day dragged on, her idea seemed more and more plausible.
"Am I putting you to sleep?" The witch wondered, finally taking Elijah gently by the arm and turning his body to face her.
"As surprising as you might find this, it's not every day that someone asks you to betray your own brother...Celeste." Even her name felt like poison on his tongue and the look of utter shock on her face confirmed that Giuliana was right all along.
"How did you know?"
"As Davina was drawing your likeness, I dared to imagine that your presence was near. And when Sophie discovered that there was no magic in your remains, I wondered – could you have possibly cheated death by using your power to place your essence into the body of another?" He pulled his arm from her loosening grasp and distanced himself from her. "And if so, then who? And then I recalled the lovely Sabine."
Sabine, Celeste rather, was fuming now that her cover had been blown. Her fists clenched angrily by her sides and she gnashed her teeth together behind her lips. A part of her wanted to give Elijah credit for finally figuring out her mystery, but she wouldn't give him that. She had been keeping up her charade for a long time, so she did feel as if she accomplished something.
"Your visions of my brother's child precipitated the death of the last elder within your coven, ensuring that the Harvest ritual could not be completed – unless you were to control it. You have been playing a very long game indeed. But to what end?" Elijah continued, his eyes burning into her soul. He cracked one part of the puzzle, but he was hardly through with getting his answers.
Celeste let her anger dull to a simmer and she stepped closer to the Original. She reached up, took his face in her hands and kissed his lips ever so gently. Elijah recoiled immediately. This was not the same woman he loved all those years ago. Naturally she did not have the same face, but Celeste had been corrupted from the inside, making herself unrecognizable to him. Her lips were not the ones he wanted on his.
"Oh, Elijah, my lost love. After all this time, don't you understand?" She cooed to him and stroked his cheeks, but he pulled away from her which only angered her more. "I died because of Klaus. And even after all his vindictive lies about witches led to my death, you stood by him. All because of your vow: 'Always and forever.'"
Elijah's vision began to blur and he grew dizzy with each passing second. He touched his tingling lips with his fingers and looked to Celeste. "What have you done to me?"
"Oh, it's a simple enchantment. You needn't worry. I'm not here to kill you, Elijah." She informed as the Original fell to his knees, gasping for air. "I'm here to teach you the error of your ways. 'Always and Forever' was the greatest mistake of your life."
"Wow, these people sure know how to party." Giuliana nudged Hayley's shoulder and the young wolf smiled warmly. The girls watched as members of the pack drank, ate, and twirled around the fire pit that was outside. Rebekah was even dancing with Oliver and she looked like she was having a genuinely good. Giuliana had the pleasure of getting to know some of Hayley's family and they were all humbled to be welcomed to the house.
"I imagined that it would always be like this if I had a family." She said and pulled her jacket tighter around her. "I can't believe that this is actually real."
"It is. So, live it up." The girl wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Thank you." Hayley's voice was soft, but Giuliana heard it. "For all of this."
Giuliana then took Hayley to the side, so they could both sit down and watch the party. "You know, my whole life I was surrounded by my family. It was always very important to me and I want it to be when I start a family of my own. Everyone deserves to at least know their family. You deserved this more than anything."
Hayley's hands fell to her stomach where her daughter kicked eagerly. "She agrees and she can't wait to meet her new family."
"She'll have to meet a lot of them." Giuliana rubbed Hayley's stomach. "Even Klaus' siblings too."
"Speaking of, you and Klaus never...?" Her voice trailed off and her eyebrows shifted suggestively.
"No," she shook her head. "I mean, we have in the past, but we both want different things now. He wants to be the King of New Orleans."
"And what do you want?" She wondered.
Giuliana sighed heavily and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what I want. When I came here, I thought I wanted something else, but...things changed."
"I think we all changed by coming here." Hayley mentioned.
"Yeah, I mean, Rebekah thinks she's a gourmet chef." Both girls laughed heartily just as some young men from the pack approached them.
"You ladies aren't drinking tonight?" One asked them.
"Well, she's preggers and I'm not in the mood for drinking tonight, boys." Giuliana said. "But thanks."
"Afraid you can't hold your liquor?" The other joked and bumped the other with his elbow.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She raised her eyebrows.
"You've done it now." Hayley chuckled.
"I can out drink you two any day of the week." Giuliana stood up now and placed her hands on her hips.
"Doubt that." The first smirked and lifted his full beer bottle to his lips, but the brunette snagged it out of his hands. She grinned and proceeded to chug the entire bottle down without stopping. When she was finished, she handed it back to the boy and smiled widely.
"Told you." The pregnant wolf was trying to keep herself from giggling.
"Well, boys, I believe that you owe me a dance?" She held out her hands and they each took one. "See you later, Hayl."
"Have fun!" She called back to her friend just in time to see her get twirled by one of the men. Looking around her, all she could see were smiling faces and one big happy family. She could get used to this.
"You poisoned me with a kiss. At least you haven't lost your sense of irony." The Original muttered under his breath.
"We may have time for more." She grinned seductively. "But first I'm going to cure you of your greatest flaw – this absurd devotion to your lunatic family." She bent down to where he was crouched on the ground.
Elijah's angry eyes met her smug ones. "Your anger is with me. Now, if you have come here seeking revenge–"
Celeste placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back, upsetting his already wobbly balance and making him tumble back onto the concrete. "Oh, I'll have my revenge. Starting with Klaus. He is gonna know pain and torment like he's never felt before. Unless you choose to save him, of course. But then that leaves Rebekah, your tragic sister. She's about to find herself in quite the predicament. You could save her."
Elijah knew where this was all going. This was a test on how loyal he could stay to his family. Who would he choose to save when it came down to the wire? Would he stay loyal to his family? Or would he break that promise he made to his siblings a thousand years ago?
"But then that leaves Hayley and her baby in jeopardy. And don't think I haven't forgotten about your little lover, Giuliana. I have something extra special planned for her." She grinned evilly at the mention of her plans for Giuliana.
"No. No, no..." Elijah held his head in his hands. Her magic had weakened him so much that he could barely stand and he knew that this lesson Celeste wanted to teach him would bring nothing but anguish.
"Poor girl. She has no idea how dangerous it is to be loved by you. Oh, well. With your body weakened by my spell, you won't be able to save them all. You'll recover with just enough time to choose one. Who will it be? I can't wait to find out." Celeste watched as Elijah's energy ran out and his eyes fell closed. His head knocked loudly against the concrete and the witch stepped over his seemingly sleeping form to pay someone a visit.
"We have got to invite her family over again sometime." Giuliana slurred a bit as she traipsed into the first floor of the house. Tonight truly had been a success and many of Hayley's family had gone back into the woods to ready themselves for their change back into wolves. Rebekah was nowhere to be found; the last time Giuliana saw her was when she was dancing with Oliver and she saw then slip away into the night, but no one thought anything of it.
Giuliana entered the kitchen and started doing the dishes, humming and washing as she went along. She always enjoyed hand-washing dishes. She found it calmed her and she felt as if the water would wash away any worries she had for the time being. She received strange looks from her Original roommates when she dove her hands into the soapy water, especially since they had a top of the line dishwasher installed, but she insisted on washing the dishes herself.
As she picked up a dishtowel to start drying, a noise from the living room caught her attention. She placed down the dish and rag, arming herself with a knife hearing a man's voice in the next room. Who else was here? The pack had supposedly left and there were no other men in the house. She tiptoed to the edge of the kitchen wall, knife in hand and she rushed into the living room, but stopped dead in her tracks seeing Hayley talking with a young man.
"Oh...hi, guys. I didn't, uhm…" She hid the knife behind her back quickly so that neither of them saw it and posed herself awkwardly against the wall. "I thought everyone left."
Hayley smiled to the young man and looked up to Giuliana. "Yeah, sorry. We've got a straggler."
The man now looked towards Giuliana. He had shoulder-length brown hair and a scruffy beard. "I'm sorry for intruding."
"Oh, it's no worry; just being in this big, empty house gives me the creeps. The smallest noise makes me jumpy." She grinned.
"Giuliana, this is Jackson." Hayley introduced them both and the girl waved amicably.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." They exchanged their pleasantries and Hayley shot Giuliana a look to communicate that she needed some time alone with Jackson.
"Well, I'm going to take a bath and get some sleep. It was nice meeting you, Jackson." She then excused herself back into the kitchen, placed the knife back in the holder on the counter and snuck upstairs where she locked herself in the bathroom, so that she could take her bath in peace.
Her mind whirled a bit, partly from the alcohol, but partly as to why Jackson stuck around. She did see him at the party; however, they were never properly introduced. Whenever she saw him, his gaze was fixed on Hayley. Not in a malicious way, but it was like he was having an internal battle with himself on whether to talk to her or not. Maybe he was just anxious with the crowds tonight and wanted to speak with her alone, Giuliana thought to herself and cranked the faucet on the bathtub. She couldn't wait to soak in a nice hot bath for the night and slip into her bed.
She looked in the lower cabinets for shampoo, conditioner, body wash and a washcloth, placing each item on the shelf by the tub and she turned her back to open the linen closet for some big towels. She placed those on the edge of the sink and started to undress when she caught a dark figure in the mirror behind her.
Whipping around, she saw Sabine leaning against the bathtub. She leaned over and turned the faucet off seeing that the tub had filled and she tested the water with the tips of her fingers.
"You know, I've always enjoyed taking hot baths." She smiled and Giuliana pressed herself into the counter. "That was before I was drowned in one."
"Celeste." Giuliana hushed and the witch smirked evilly.
"Such a smart girl." Celeste praised. "You're the second person to figure it out; Elijah being the first. He actually might be joining us soon. Then again, he might not."
The girl's eyebrows creased. "What are you talking about?"
"I want him to understand that his alliance to his family has clouded his judgment." She moved around the bathroom, pacing like a panther.
"What did you do to him?" She growled low, her green eyes flashing with anger.
"I am going to teach him a lesson. One that will stick with him for the rest of his immortal life." The witch replied. "He will have to make a very important choice soon and his decision will have quite the consequence."
Giuliana swallowed thickly and her green eyes darted for the locked door. If she could get past Celeste, she could run downstairs and at least get out of the house. She focused her powers on the other witch who let out a small groan of pain when she felt it, but she whirled on Giuliana, pushing her magic onto her.
"You call yourself a witch? You're an embarrassment." She increased the tight squeeze she had on Giuliana's skull. The girl whimpered and held her head, shaking it back and forth as if she was trying to shake the pain away.
"You won't win this, Celeste." Giuliana panted with bated breath.
"Don't you see?" The witch was now standing in front of Giuliana with a wild look in her eyes. "I've already won."
With that, Celeste's hands wrapped themselves around Giuliana's throat and she pushed her over the rim of the bathtub. Hot water engulfed her body, seeping into her clothes and hair. Both women were struggling and spilling water out of the tub and onto the floor. Celeste's hands tightened, straining Giuliana's airways and she pushed her head under the water. Giuliana tried to scream for help before she was pushed under, but she was met with water rushing into her lungs. Her hands clawed at Celeste's, but the witch refused to let up even when her skin was nicked and some droplets of blood escaped the cuts. Eyes burned, lungs burned, limbs burned and Celeste grinned seeing that Giuliana was giving up her fight. Applying more pressure to Giuliana's already compressed airways, she went in for the kill, strangling the girl until the last bubbles of air left her nose and lips. Horror-stricken eyes were slowly falling closed and Celeste continued to hold Giuliana underwater until her pulse slowed to a halt.
She backed away from the scene of the crime with not an ounce of remorse. She dried her hands on the bath towel that was hanging on the rack and admired her work one last time before taking her leave. One part of her plan was already firmly in place. All she had to do was wait for the other pieces of her game to fall into place.
Buzz.
Buzz.
Elijah was slowly coming too, blinking his eyes quickly to clear his vision and he rolled over onto his side with a groan. His body was still weak, his limbs were still tired, but he was beginning to gain his strength back. He felt his phone vibrating in his suit jacket pocket and as he reached for it, he noticed that he was still outside where Celeste had...
Celeste. She enchanted him. She said that she would teach him lesson that he would never forget. And his choice would haunt him for all eternity. He looked down at his phone to see Hayley calling him again and he answered immediately.
"Hayley."
"Elijah, something's going on with the witches." She said.
"Listen to me. You were right. Celeste is back. Niklaus, Rebekah, Giuliana – you're all in danger." He got to his feet. "Hayley, you have to find Rebekah.
"Something's wrong. We're trapped in the house." Hayley's voice turned frantic and Elijah could hear her talking to someone and banging at the door.
"I'll be right over."
Elijah had come up to the plantation house to see that it was up in flames. His old home was burning right before his eyes. He could hear people inside the house and he kicked the front door down. Crouched in the living room was Hayley with a wet rag over her mouth and a young man was with her. He ushered them out of the house as far away as possible to make sure that Hayley wouldn't breathe in any more smoke.
"Where is Giuliana?" He asked her once she was able to breathe freely.
"We don't know. Giuliana's nowhere to be found." She replied, looking back up to the house engulfed in flames.
"We called for her, but she didn't answer." Jackson added, placing a comforting hand on Hayley's shoulder.
In seconds, Elijah zoomed back into the house, dodging flames as he went and he called out into the empty house.
"Giuliana! Giuliana!" He received no answer, but he continued to scream her name. His eyes searched frantically for any sight of movement while his ears concentrated on any noise of distress that he hoped to find. The house was seemingly empty. Could it be that Giuliana had escaped before the fire broke out? Perhaps this was another one of Celeste's tricks?
"I have something extra special planned for her." Celeste's words taunted him as he raced through the burning house.
Suddenly, a droplet of water fell from the ceiling and hit his cheek. Creasing his eyebrows, he looked up to see that the ceiling was beginning to buckle from a leak that was happening upstairs. Someone had left the water on? That didn't make sense to him. More droplets fell from above him and in that moment, the blood in his veins ran ice cold when he realized the room that was just over his head. He raced for the stairs, practically jumping up them and he found himself in the doorway of the bathroom where water was nipping at his expensive shoes. The bathtub faucet had been left running and he waded through the rising water to shut it off, but the running water had quickly become an afterthought when he saw Giuliana's limp and lifeless body in the tub. He immediately pulled her out of the water and cradled her close to his chest. Her lips were slowly turning blue and her skin was cold to the touch. Supporting the back of her neck and head, he carried her in his arms and zipped out of the burning plantation house where Hayley and Jackson were waiting for him.
"Oh my God!" Hayley shrieked as Elijah set Giuliana down on the ground. "Is she...?"
"I don't know." Elijah yanked off his jacket and wrapped it around her cold, wet body. He then snatched a towel Jackson had given Hayley to breathe through in the house to lay under Giuliana's head. His fingers pressed against her pulse and his stomach dropped feeling nothing.
"Who did this to her?" The young wolf asked, her bottom lip quivering a bit.
"Celeste." He growled. "She was the one who spelled the house as well. She wanted to teach me a lesson." Elijah then placed his hand under Giuliana's neck, tilting her head back a little and he brought his lips to hers. He blew air into her lungs, endlessly pushing as much life as he could into her. Hayley bent down beside them both and took up Giuliana's hand in hers, rubbing the back of it. Elijah pulled back, his eyes stinging with hot tears and he pressed on Giuliana's chest with his hands for some time before going back to breathing for her.
"C'mon. Wake up." Hayley whispered against her friend's hand and squeezed it. Time seemed to stretch on forever as Elijah continued to try to revive her, but nothing had worked. Hayley's tears were flowing freely and Elijah was just at the breaking point when he finally heard Giuliana gasp. Even Hayley jumped back in shock, nearly falling into Jackson, who helped her up. Her eyes shot open and she flipped over onto her side, spitting up water and retching the contents of her stomach onto the floor. When she was finished, her body collapsed back to the ground, but Elijah caught her against him.
"You're alright. You're safe now. I promise." He assured her tired eyes. Her color was beginning to come back and her temperature was slowly climbing back up.
"Elijah..." Giuliana croaked weakly.
"I'm sorry." He shook his head and moved aside some wet strands of hair that stuck to her face and neck. "I am so sorry." Her body gave a visible shiver and he hugged her body into his. She moaned softly, pressing herself closer to his warm body and her shaking arms wrapped around his torso. She wanted to say something, to thank him, to apologize to him, but no words came to her, so she settled for burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"We've looked everywhere for him. Tore apart The Cauldron, The City of the Dead. Wherever they got him, he ain't in the French Quarter." Diego reported to Marcel. The compound was filled with vampires who had been looking Klaus ever since the witches took care of him. They searched up and down the streets of the Quarter only to have their search turn up empty. The doors of the compound suddenly burst open, making everyone's head turn to see Hayley and Elijah walking inside with Giuliana in his arms.
"What the hell happened?" Marcel asked him, but Elijah didn't answer. He placed Giuliana down on the couch and Hayley sat beside her.
"Where is my brother?" Elijah countered, his eyes narrowed at Marcel and his band of vampires.
"I got guys out looking for him right now." He replied, but Elijah didn't want to hear that answer. He took two of the vampires in the group by their throats and tossed them back so hard that impact of their bodies broke the walls.
"Hey! Enough!" Marcel hissed, gaining Elijah's attention. "Klaus threw one of his classic temper tantrums, snapped my neck, tried to take on a coven of witches by himself. He got dropped. I don't know where he is or how to find him."
Elijah cracked his knuckles and moved in closer to Marcel who was nervously shifting backwards. "They also have Rebekah. Every one of you will help me to find them. I'm gonna kill them all."
Hello everyone! Thank you for all of your reviews! I had a wonderful time in Disney and I am happy to be back and writing! I apologize for my lack of updates since I have been going on interviews, started graduate school and my dad has been admitted to the hospital. So, a lot has been happening over here, but I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive. You all rock my world! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned for the next update ;)
grapejuice101: HAHA! Yes, Enzo and David are in BIIG trouble with Cassandra. Hope you enjoyed this update!
VampirePrincess11: LOL! Sh*t is going down! Thank you for reviewing!
elisesellas: Hello, dear! So nice to hear from you again! I want to thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I am so happy to hear that you can use my story as an escape from essays and such. I use my writing in the same way and even to get away from my hectic life. I plan on writing until this show is over and maybe after too ;) Sending lots of love your way too! Hope to hear from you soon!
binks13: Hey girl! Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, Damon deserved to get his ass kicked hehe ;) Enzo is an AWESOME character and he, Damon, and Cassandra will spend a ton of time in the next chapter. They might even get on each other's nerves hehe. I think Damon and Cassandra will be able to work out their issues, but it might take a bit of time bc of Damon's new ripper virus. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
SomebodyWhoCares: Wait till the next chapter ;) Hehe, Damon will get it from Cass!
The Cynical Nerd: Nope, no ripper virus for Cassandra. I am still not over Damon's death, so I am dreading writing that inevitable chapter. Thanks for reviewing and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter!
lovinurbuks: Thanks for reviewing! Had a great time in Disney! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Guest: Thank you for your review! I had a wonderful time in Disney! Cassandra is Italian even though her parents were born in America, but her ancestors come from Italy. Did it say in the show that Damon and Stefan's mother was French? I don't recall it, but I'm curious to know. I haven't read the books, so I am not 100% sure.
twin of a sister: Hello gorgeous! Thanks so much for reviewing as always :) I'm glad to have Cassandra back too and I'm happy you enjoyed reading the fight scene between Enzo and Cassandra. It was fun to write! Talk to you soon!
Shining Ruby: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, Cassandra had to come back with a punch ;) She is a really strong character and I like showing that in my story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Guest: Thanks for your review! He will see that picture soon, don't worry. I am not sure about how the baby will act - let's get her born first LOL!
NicoleR85: Thank you for reviewing! I wasn't going to have Cassandra forgive Damon that quickly ;)
21angle: HAHA! Cassandra and Damon will definitely have a little talk in the next chapter. Make up sex will come too ;) Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: I have thought up baby names for the baby and I might put them in a poll to see which one readers like the most. Thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Damon and Cassandra will eventually make up. I am not sure about having a baby shower since the chapters are hectic from here going on, but I'll try to think of something! Thanks for your review!
Harshita94: Hello, my dear! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Yeah, Damon did deserve that punch ;) Thank you for reviewing!
Guest: Ah, I have actually never thought about Damon or Cassandra having a Bachelor/Bachelorette party. Maybe if I see it fit, I can add a flashback or something. Thank you so much for reviewing!
Guest: Damon can get a little possessive since he and Cassandra are so closely bonded. The baby will definitely be born before the story is over. Thanks for reviewing!
Guest: Thank you for reviewing! Damon and Cassandra might not get to New Orleans during this story only because the season picks up from here going on. Maybe for the next season since there have been a lot of rumors of a TVD and TO crossover.
Critic: Hi there! I have tried to update Love Like This on a more timely schedule, however I have not gotten a lot of inspiration for it. It is very difficult to write a story when your muse has run away :( I have written parts of it, but it is not enough for a chapter and I would never update a story with a chapter that I am not happy with, you know? I thank you for your review and I hope you have enjoyed this chapter.