A.N. - Please keep reviewing! :D thanks for the support. Enjoy
Song: Hozier - Arsonist's Lullaby
The Mikaelsons were hosting a charity gala at the compound. Like everything that happened at the compound, it was going to be a huge, extravagant event. A few days had passed since Belle fired the first shot in a brewing war with her mother, but there had been nothing but radio silence since. She wasn't going to go out of her way to attack Claudia, so she decided to reach out to Max instead. She needed intel and she trusted him more than any of their other siblings.
She was walking down the hallway upstairs as she dialed his number. The line rang twice before she heard something: a phone ringing. It came from Elijah's study. Part of her thought it was just a coincidence, but her curiosity wouldn't let her dismiss it without checking. Cautiously, she turned the knob and opened the door. Her mouth gaped at what she saw. Max and Josh were sprawled across Elijah's desk, making out like a couple of teenagers. Papers were scattered around the floor along with their shirts. "Max?! What the hell?"
Their heads jerked abruptly in her direction. "Belle?" Max jumped up and grabbed his shirt from the floor.
"Oh my God!" Josh exclaimed. He looked like he was about to either have a heart attack or pee his pants. "This is...awkward," he said, avoiding Belle's gaze. His face was as red as a tomato.
"When did you get here?" she demanded. Under normal circumstances she would be laughing, but this wasn't one of those times. "Why didn't you tell me you were back? I though you'd be playing house with mother dearest. Please tell me you've finally come to your senses and untangled yourself from her web." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Don't fool yourself. I came here to see Josh." Max tugged his shirt over his head and turned to face her.
She narrowed her eyes. "Josh doesn't live here, genius. What's the real reason?"
Max let out a deep, annoyed sigh. "I actually came here to see you. Happy?"
Josh, now fully clothed, coughed uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go. See you later, Max." He grinned before getting off the desk and awkwardly shuffling out of the room.
Belle smirked. "If I weren't such a good sister I'd tell Elijah what you two were doing in here."
"If you were a good sister you wouldn't have lied to me for nearly a millennium," he spat venomously. He put his hands in his pockets and leaned on the back of a chair.
She flinched on the inside, but on the outside she remained unphased, almost statuesque. "Can't bygones just be bygones for five seconds? We have more important things to worry about."
"Like what? Like the little present you left for our mother the other day?"
"Like how we're going to kill her, actually," she snapped.
Max's eyes widened in either shock or disbelief; she couldn't tell which. "You can't be serious. You're not going to kill her." His voice was coated in doubt and disapproval.
Their eyes locked. "What makes you say that? She deserves it, Max. Even you can't deny that, so stop playing the loyal son and help me," she insisted.
"Help you what? Get yourself killed? You can't kill her. She's stronger than you think. Not to mention how pissed she is now - that'll only make her stronger." His eyes softened. "Don't do this."
She shook her head. "You don't understand, Max. She ruined me." Tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip as she tried to blink them away.
"She ruined me, too. She ruined all of us," he whispered. He took a few steps forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "There's been enough bloodshed in our family already. You don't have to do this." The desperation in his voice shone in his eyes like headlights in the night. It almost made her give in, but she knew deep down that that wasn't what she wanted.
She put a hand on Max's shoulder, mirroring his stance. She looked up into his eyes as she spoke. "I'm sorry Max, but I have to." She stepped back and took a calming breath, blinking away the tears that tried to spill over. "Now, I'd recommend you clean this place up before Elijah finds out what you and Josh almost did in here. " She forced a smile before turning around. She started to walk away, but lingered in the doorway. "Feel free to stop by tonight. Tell the others they're welcome too," she said. She didn't turn around to face him, unable to bear the disappointment in his eyes.
Hours later, Belle had done her makeup and straightened her hair. All she needed to do was put on her dress - a strapless mermaid gown made of burgundy satin. Klaus walked in. He smirked as he eyed her approvingly. "You look stunning." He stood behind her as she looked in the mirror. He was wearing a black suit and a tie that was identical in both color and material to the dress.
"You're not so bad yourself." She grinned and spun around to face him, hooking her arms around his neck. She stood on her tip toes to peck him on the lips. "You should go ahead and go downstairs. I'll be there in a minute."
He narrowed his eyes slightly at her reluctance, but nodded. "Don't take too long," he said. She nodded before he left.
She walked over to the bed where her dress was laid out, waiting for her to put it on. Just as she picked it up her phone started ringing. "Who could that be?" She picked it up from the nightstand and checked - unknown. Cautiously, she accepted it. "Hello?"
"Belinda, darling. I'm calling because your baby sister wanted to say hello. Go on, Sabrina," Claudia said. She sounded angry and utterly neurotic.
"Belle? Please help me! Don't let her hurt me," Sabrina cried in fear.
Belle's eyes widened. "What have you done to her, Claudia?"
Laughing echoed from the opposite line. "Oh my dear, it's not what I have done, but what I will do if you don't meet me. Now," Claudia demanded. "We're at Lafayette Cemetery. You have one hour - come alone, or I'll kill her." With that, she hung up.
Frantically, Belle put the phone in her pocket, grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Before she could even open it, Klaus busted in, a terrified and bewildered look on his face. "The party's cancelled. Hayley's gone into labor! We need your help." He grabbed her by the arm and proceeded to drag her downstairs. She started to panic; she couldn't help Hayley and save Sabrina at the same time. It wasn't even up for debate in her mind - save Sabrina.
She tried to pull away when they got to the courtyard. "Nik, stop." She yanked her arm out of his iron grip. "I - I have something to do. I'll explain later." She ran outside before he could stop or question her. She got in her car and sped down the highway to the cemetery.
As soon as she arrived, she turned off the car and bolted for the gate. It was open, but she couldn't enter. "Dammit! Come on!" she screamed in frustration. Vampires had to be invited in by a French Quarter witch. She wondered who in their right mind would invite Claudia in. "I'm here, Claudia. That's what you wanted, right?" Her voice echoed.
After a few seconds she saw three figures emerge from the fog: Claudia, Sabrina and a young girl she didn't recognize. "Belinda, I was afraid you'd be late," Claudia said.
She looked at Sabrina. Her eyes were red and puffy - she was crying. There was dried blood on her lips and around her nose. The fact that Claudia dared to hurt her made Belle's blood boil. "Enough with the small talk. I'm here - give me Sabrina. That was the deal." She pushed anxiously against the invisible barrier that separated her from them.
Claudia turned to the girl beside her. She had short dark brown hair and couldn't be much older than sixteen. "Invite her in, please."
The girl eyed Belle warily. "Come in." So she was a witch - no doubt Claudia had her wrapped around her finger. There was something in her voice Belle couldn't put her finger on, but that was the least of her worries. She had to get to her sister.
She stepped forward - the barrier was gone. She walked over to them and tried to take Sabrina's hand, but Claudia pulled her back. "Not so fast. We have business to take care of," Claudia cautioned before turning to the witch and nodding.
The girl began chanting in Latin and within seconds Belle felt like her head was about to explode. She cried out in pain. Warm blood poured from her nose; she could taste it as it reached her lips. Suddenly, her whole body felt like it was on fire - every nerve ignited. Belle had heard plenty of witches chant in her day, but she couldn't remember hearing the spell anywhere before. What was happening? What was she doing to her? Suddenly everything grew dark and the sound of the chanting faded as she started to lose consciousness.
Claudia approached her as she collapsed in agony, curling up on the ground. She bent down and whispered in her ear, "In case you were wondering, I'm not going to kill you. Not yet."