Bloodlines

Chapter 45: From a Cradle to a Grave - Part 1

Beta: PrincessOfSilence

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

Important AN** - This TO chapter is split into two parts and will alternate with a two part TVD finale.

Klaus kicked the doors of St. Ann's wide open and he strode down the long aisle with fury in his eyes. After dealing with Marcel and his band of vampires, he'd taken Audrey's vision and wasted no time getting to the church. While he knew what the witches were capable of, he swore that they would beg for mercy after he was finished with them. The blood of weak vampires stained his mouth, but he was practically relishing in the feeling of his thirst being quenched by the blood of the witches that crossed him. He'd nearly reached them by the altar, but they were ready for him. The witches at the altar stopped their movements and each of them held up a hand, propelling Klaus off his feet and pinning him high up on the wall of the church. He fought their spell with every part of him, but he remained held there. He roared loudly, demanding to be set free, but the witches continued about their business to prepare for the birth. Giuliana immediately leapt up from Hayley's side and went to Genevieve.

"Leave him out of this!" She pleaded.

"It's his fault that he entered here," Genevieve fought.

"Please, just—"

"Enough!" Monique was quick to jump in, gripping Giuliana's hair and tossing her to the floor. The Blood Witch braced her hands on the floor and glared at Monique. "Enough of this arguing. We have a baby that is to be born."

Giuliana wanted to fight back, but her instincts were telling her just to do what the witches wanted. She got to her feet and approached Hayley who was just finishing a contraction. Her lower half had been covered with a white sheet and her clothes were soaked with sweat from pushing. Her throat was sore from screaming at the witches who'd taken her hostage and shouting in agony with each passing contraction.

"Don't make me do this," Hayley rasped weakly. "They're going to take her from me."

"No, no." Giuliana took Hayley's clammy hand and rubbed the back of it. "I won't let them."

Hayley's labor pains started yet again and the witches went back to their chanting. Giuliana took her place and coached her friend through contractions, telling her when to push; all Klaus could do was watch and curse the witches who held him in his place. The baby was beginning to emerge which should have brought happiness to Giuliana, but it only meant dread that she would have to give it up to Genevieve.

"I will bring hell to your family!" Klaus warned them, but Genevieve was hardly listening.

"One more push, Hayley," Giuliana told her. "You can do it."

"I will bathe in rivers of your blood!"

"No! No!" Hayley moaned in pain.

"Push, Hayley!" Her friend coached.

"I can see the baby!" Monique cheered.

"I don't want to," the wolf cried.

"Push! Gently! Gently!" Genevieve said.

"No!" Hayley roared and wriggled about on the altar. "I will not have you take my baby from me!"

"Hayley, please; you have to push," Giuliana begged.

"You will die screaming!" Klaus threatened.

"They'll have to kill me before they touch my baby!" Her throat burned from shouting.

"Have it your way then." Before anyone could decipher what had happened, Monique slashed across Hayley's neck with a knife. Her screams stopped and she gurgled as blood poured from the wound.

"NO!" Giuliana shrieked and cradled her friend to her. She pressed her hands to the long cut and willed her magic to heal her, but the light had long left Hayley's eyes. Giuliana sobbed loudly, her hot tears searing her cheeks as she combed her friend's hair. Their friendship had been formed from an unlikely start, but they both agreed that their special bond was something that could never break. Her heart was filled with such sadness, that it ached painfully in her chest. Even Klaus was howling in agony up on the wall that his baby would never know her mother. The witches were unmoved by Hayley's death and they stepped in to help with the birth while Genevieve readied the sacrifice.

The baby came quickly and with a shout. She was covered in blood and mucus from the birth, so the witches cut the umbilical cord and swaddled her wriggling body in blankets. The newborn cried and cried, as if sensing that danger was all around her and her wails didn't lessen when she was placed in Genevieve's arms. Klaus stared on in awe at the sight of his tiny daughter, unable to comprehend that this miracle baby had finally come into the world. Giuliana, on the other hand, was still rocking Hayley to her and whispering how sorry she was that she couldn't stop Monique from killing her.

Genevieve walked over to Klaus who was on the verge of tears and spoke to him. "You have a beautiful baby daughter." She then turned to the other witches who were waiting for commands. "We must start the sacrifice as soon as the moon sets with the morning sky."

Cami pressed an ice pack against Audrey's cheek and she made a face as the slight bite from the ice hit her. She thanked the human wordlessly and held the pack in place while watching Elijah nearly pace a hole in the floor of the courtyard. The Original passed a hand through his hair as his anxiousness continued to rise since his brother demanded that he and Audrey stay behind; he'd never been the kind of person to shy away from confrontation, but in this case, he felt completely and utterly useless as he waited and waited and waited for what seemed like hours. He didn't know for how much longer he could do this. He had to help his brother fight the witches, but he'd hold back as long as possible to honor Klaus' wishes. He pulled at his collar exposing the stinging werewolf bites that were making him feel ill, but he kept a calm head for the time being.

Audrey sighed and moved the ice pack to rest against her cheekbone which she was positive had been shattered by a brass ring worn by one of Francesca's lackeys. Her blue orbs were getting dizzy watching Elijah, but she knew he was doing it to stay loyal to his brother. She could practically hear his mind whirring a thousand miles a minute about Giuliana and her safety. He was genuinely scared for her life, but he'd made a promise to protect her no matter what. Cami sat quietly in the chair across from her and she tapped her foot on the floor; as if trying to fill the suffocating silence in the courtyard. The Blood Witch was about to go crazy with waiting, so she'd propose a plan to make themselves more useful.

"Pacing won't help, Elijah." Audrey piped up, but the Original continued to walk back and forth. The Blood Witch sighed and rolled her eyes. "Do you mind? You're making me dizzy."

Elijah suddenly halted and whirled around to face her. "What do you suppose we do then? Hmm?"

"I say we stop waiting around like sitting ducks and do something," she said.

"Klaus wants us to stay here." He told her.

"And look where that's gotten us. Nowhere."

"I can leave if you—" Cami stood awkwardly.

"No." Elijah and Audrey spoke and Cami promptly sat back down in her seat.

"We can't leave the compound. If we do, it could mean danger for Hayley and Giuliana." The Original continued.

"We can still do our part here for the time being." Audrey stood and traipsed to Giuliana's dried blood. Like she had done before, she touched it and the spatter glowed a dark red.

"What are you doing?" Cami asked curiously.

"Genevieve has my dagger. She could use it to siphon my power, but I'm going to try to beat her at her own game." Audrey explained. "I can try to transfer my power to Giuliana, so that she'll have the upper hand."

"Upper hand?" Elijah questioned.

"Should things get bad, she can take my powers and use them," she said and motioned to Elijah for a knife which he brought her. Wasting no time, she made a cut along the palms of her hands and pressed them back down to Giuliana's spatter. Once again, the ground glowed red and Audrey allowed her magic to flow from her veins, into the floor and into Giuliana's veins. She grew weak with each passing moment and could feel her muscles ache with the loss of her power.

"Is there anything I can do?" The Original approached her.

"You can make yourself useful by adding your blood to the mix." Audrey muttered. "She can take from the magic that made you a vampire."

The witch passed Elijah the knife and he rolled up his sleeves before slashing both his palms. He knelt down and copied Audrey's posture as he laid his hands on the floor, palms down. She did all the work and Elijah could feel his blood leaving him and vanishing into thin air.

Giuliana staggered down from the altar and fell to her knees, still sobbing loudly over Hayley's death. Her glance passed to Klaus who was pained just watching her and she whimpered pathetically while the witches spoke. Just when she thought all hope was lost, she felt the slightest pulse of energy entering her veins. It continued to steadily grow inside her, mounting and spreading throughout her entire body. She didn't understand it, but she didn't fight it. Instead, she welcomed it fully. Her palms grew warm and she peered down to see her skin glowing bright red. Klaus watched on, curious as to what was happening, but he remained quiet as to not alert the witches who were still fusing over the baby. They couldn't even see that Giuliana's hands were glowing brighter and brighter.

Green eyes dilated as even more magic flowed through her, but this kind felt different. It was as if she could taste it on her tongue and feel it ooze from her pores. The savoriness of it made her mouth water and she recalled who it belonged to. Elijah. She'd know the taste of his blood anywhere. She could feel Audrey's magic and Elijah's power were being infused into her body. She'd read about this kind of transfer, but never felt the need to use it. Now, however, was the perfect time for this spell to be cast. With the extra power, she would be a difficult enemy for the witches to fight off. Her gaze locked with Klaus' who had remained still and she placed a glowing finger to her lips. She closed her eyes and held her palms up towards the ceiling, calling on the powers she had welcomed into her body.

The ground suddenly gave a low rumble and the church began to shake. With a gust of wind, the doors slammed shut with a loud bang and the coven huddled together by the altar. Genevieve covered the baby from the debris that began to fall from the ceiling while some of the witches screamed in horror as all of the light bulbs exploded and the candles were blown out. Monique scowled and took up the Blood Dagger that had dropped to the floor in the scuffle of things. She suspected Audrey was on her way with reinforcements, so she thought it best to be prepared with a weapon. They were then faced with Giuliana who stood opposite them with her glowing hands held out; sheglared at the women in white and flicked her wrist at one of them. A blonde witch was thrown across the church, her body slamming into the wall so hard that her spine snapped and she was killed on impact.

The other witches began chanting, but Giuliana was already one step ahead of them. She brought pain to them, making their bodies bow and arch to her commands. Fear struck Genevieve and she nearly stumbled backwards to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The baby in her arms cried and screamed as chaos unraveled the coven. The witches begged for mercy, shouting and calling out in agony, but Giuliana was unyielding to their pleas. She brought them to their knees before her and she sent another witch to her death by flinging her into the wooden pews, her body riddled with splinters of wood. Giuliana's gaze then found Genevieve squished into the corner and she raised her hand to bring her powers onto her, but her back suddenly ached and the chaos in the church suddenly stopped.

Monique stood at the opposite end of the church, her hand poised just so as if she'd let something fly from her hands. A devilish smirk painted her features and she lowered her hand seeing that there was no more work to be done. Giuliana peered down to see the hilt of Audrey's dagger sticking out from the left side of her chest. At first, she felt pain beyond her wildest imagination. Her skin was split, her muscles slashed, her ribs broken and her heart pierced. The sensations were all too much and hit her hard, but it lasted for all of a few seconds. A soothing numbness then spread from the entry point of the dagger to the ends of her body. Her green eyes blinked a couple of times and her body fell backwards, unable to hold herself up anymore.

Klaus' roar drowned out the loud crack of Giuliana's head hitting the marble stairs that led up to the altar and he thrashed even more seeing blood trickle from the wound at the back of her head. She can't be dead, he thought to himself in his rage. Two still bodies lay dead on the altar and he could do nothing but watch as each one was ruthlessly murdered. He shed tears for his brother's sake; he wouldn't know how he would react to Giuliana's death, but he knew he would not take it well. Klaus had stopped his thrashing and hung weakly upon the wall. His body was drained from his anger and was being weighed down by his grief. The witches that had survived Giuliana's attack were quickly ushered from the church, followed by Genevieve and the baby. Monique was the last to exit, but not without freeing Klaus from his place.

When his feet touched the floor, he rushed for Hayley. Without checking for any vitals, he bit into his wrist and held it to her mouth. He did the same for Giuliana, but both women were unmoving to him. He knew it was a futile effort, but he had to try to heal them. Hayley had already been dead for a few minutes and Giuliana had passed just as her head slammed against the floor of the church. The Original hybrid looked around him. He managed to let two people die at his hands and the witches had made off with his baby girl.

There had never been a time where he felt so alone.

Audrey's head fell back and she let out a screech as she felt a sharp sensation in her heart. Elijah's eyes grew wide and he warned Cami to stay back in case Audrey's spell was backfiring. The glow that encompassed their hands slowly faded away and trailed into Audrey's hands through the two long cuts on her palms. Her shoulders sagged forward and she breathed heavily as hot tears left her eyes. She'd seen it all happen. Klaus pinned to the wall, Hayley's dead body, Giuliana's power surge, the cowering witches, Monique stabbing Giuliana in the heart with the Blood Dagger. The events flashed before her over and over again with no sign of stopping.

Giuliana's death had to be the most horrifying image for her to relive. Even with all that power, Monique had managed to outsmart her. Audrey could feel Giuliana's death within her own body. Her chest ached where the knife had been thrust and she could feel the right ventricle of her heart being punctured. The sensation of blood spurting and pool in her heart made it hard to breathe and she gasped as she shared the very same feelings of suffocating. Death had come quickly for Giuliana, but the lingering pain within Audrey made it feel like centuries had passed. Her fellow witch, her friend was now dead and there was no way to resurrect her. She had died a human and there was nothing left to do, but put her in a grave. Audrey let out a sob and cradled her head. Blood smeared her dark locks and she whimpered sadly.

"No..." She was barely heard, but Elijah grew tense. Why had the spell suddenly stopped? Had the connection been severed? Did something go wrong?

"Audrey, what happened?" He asked her. The witch shook her head as if unable to form the words that were playing out in pictures in her mind.

"This can't be," she cried and gripped her hair, yanking at it as she cried.

Cami drew closer, but Elijah held up his hand, halting her movements. He gripped Audrey's wrists and shook her slightly. She continued to cry, a mess of words falling from her mouth, but Elijah couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"What happened?" He hissed impatiently. The bites only made him angrier and he squeezed her wrists so hard he thought they'd break.

"Elijah, she's in shock." Cami warned him and walked to them despite his motions to stay back. "Give her some space to breathe."

The blonde practically had to pry him away from Audrey and she gently took her hands. She checked her pulse at her wrist to confirm that it was racing. Cami coached her to breathe and with some encouragement, Audrey had come back into herself. Her lifeless eyes met Elijah's expectant ones and with immense grief, she whispered the very words he never wished to hear.

"It's Giuliana..."

"GIULIANA!"

Klaus didn't even lift his head when his brother stormed into the church. He remained stone still, seated on the floor between the two bodies. His eyes didn't leave the marble floor that was encrusted with blood. His brother was panting and out of breath, no doubt a reaction from the werewolf bites and he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the altar. Hayley cold hand rested in Klaus' grip and her neck was viciously slashed from end to end. A white sheet was laid over her lower body and more blood had pooled between her legs from the labor. He unwillingly drew himself closer and felt a lump rise in his throat. Giuliana's body was laid on the steps leading up to the altar. Her hair splayed around her head like a bloodied halo. Her dead eyes were fixated on the painting of angels that decorated the ceiling and a dagger rested in her chest cavity. He heard no heartbeat from either of them and he stumbled forward, his vision going in and out of focus. As he approached them, he fell to his knees and realized the inevitable that they were both dead.

"No, no, no, no..." His whimpers made Klaus' heart clench. Elijah took Giuliana's head into his lap and he could feel where her skull had been shattered. He gently caressed her cold cheek with his knuckles and rubbed his thumb beneath her bottom lip. The lifeless stare in her eyes was one that he could not hold for a moment longer, so he closed her eyes with his hand. At least this way, she looked as if she was in a peaceful slumber.

"She's gone, Elijah. They're both gone." Klaus spoke and Elijah finally let forth the tears he'd been holding in since he entered the church. The Original hugged Giuliana to him, gently pressing her face into his chest and he rocked back and forth. Low sobs escaped him and he kissed her forehead, making Klaus begin to cry as well. In his sadness, he spied Elijah's throbbing bites and he gently took his brother's shoulder.

"You've been bitten," he said and chomped down onto his wrist, reopening the same wound he used to feed Hayley and Giuliana his blood. "Here."

Elijah was stunned by his brother's display of kindness, but he wordlessly took up wrist and drank from it. He could already feel the bites becoming soothed and the venom dissipating from his bloodstream. He'd had his fill and pulled away, unable to tear his glance from the bloodied body in his lap. He never expected this; he couldn't even process that Giuliana was gone forever. There was no way to bring her back. He could feel his concrete revere crumbling underneath his feet and he had no idea how to stop it.

Klaus placed the blanket over Hayley's body, leaving her at peace and he wanted to bestow that same peace upon Giuliana, so he covered her body with a spare sheet the witches had left behind. The looked like ghosts once they were completely covered, but both brothers felt lost at the very thought of these two women being ripped from their lives. Elijah, still distraught, wiped his tears and turned to his brother.

"How?" A stammer was something that no one would ever hear coming out of his mouth, but being on the verge of a breakdown was a good enough excuse.

"I was bested," Klaus replied numbly which flicked a switch off in Elijah.

"You were bested, huh?" He spat angrily. "You were bested? My invincible brother."

There was nothing that Klaus could say; no words to ease his brother's suffering and he hated himself for that. Everything he touched turned to mud. He cautiously walked to Elijah and clapped his shoulder. "They took the baby, but there's still time. We can save her."

Well, well – quite the interesting turn of events ;) Hayley and Giuliana are dead. Klaus could do nothing, but watch and Elijah will now have to deal with his grief. Will the brothers be able to put down the coven that caused them so much pain? Will they save the baby before the sacrifice?

Until next time! Please review!

NicoleR85: Thank you, Nicole! Hope you enjoyed this next update!

VampirePrincess11: Thanks for reviewing! A lot has happened to Hayley and Giuliana :( The Mikaelsons are certainly beaten down by it, but they have to rally together in order to save the baby.

CarlyLynn: Thank you so much for reviewing! I am very glad that you like my story thus far. Hope you enjoyed this update :)

twin of a sister: Hey girl! Thanks SO much for reviewing as always and for being my sanity when it comes to my freak out moments during writing. You're a rock star and I love you like crazy :) I am fangirling a lot that you told me that the last chapter was one of the best I've written. Seriously, I squealed…loudly. I hope you liked this little teaser of a chapter and I will talk to you soon xoxo!

elisesellas: Hello, my dear! Always lovely to hear from you and thank you so much for reviewing :) If you friend was a fan of the show, I'd have you ask her to read it and I would be curious as to see what she thinks ;) Audrey has gone through a lot of pain, but I am glad you can see that she is a brave young woman even though she has been through a lot. That's what I wanted my readers to understand when they read Audrey.

New York is good; can't complain. My sunflowers are doing well too! I think I need to move them from the pots and into the soil because they are crowded. We've finally had some gorgeous, sunny days, so they've been able to grow even more. I hope your garden is doing well too :)

Talk to you soon, my dear! Hugs and kisses xoxo

SomebodyWhoCares: I know, riiiiigghhhtt?! Thanks for reviewing!

grapejuice101: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the little twist I added – this chapter will be full of them ;)

Guest: Thanks for reviewing! I like the name Ava and I feel like it fits for a sweet little girl. There will be a moment with Ava and her parents in the next chapter and it interesting to see how the new parents are adjusting to having a newborn.

Guest: Thank you for your review! Valentina has a nice ring to it and I will take it under considering :)

Asma20: I have not completely decided what to do with some aspects of season 6 yet. While it is part of the season, I feel like it is very out of character for Cassandra to want to compel all of her memories of Damon away, especially since he is the father to Ava. We will have to see what happens when we get to this story in season 6 ;) Thanks so much for reviewing!

binks13: Hello my dear! How have you been? I hope you've been well and I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the last chapter :) The Originals is an AWESOME show and I cannot wait to see what is planned for season 3. Until next time xoxo

GuestLiz: Thanks for the review! It totally made me smile :D I like to have readers on the edge of their seats and I am thrilled that you enjoyed the last chapter update. Markos' will not go down without a fight. Cassandra is not out of the woods yet, but you'll have to wait and see what happens next ;)

EvaRose123: Here's your update :) Hope you enjoyed it!

Guest: Here is your update! Hope you liked it :)