Chapter 18 (Happy Valentine's Day! #Happyreading Looonnggg Chapter. Enjoy! Let me know whatcha think!)
"WHAT." It came out soft yet so aggressive.
Klaus tightly grips the steering wheel, almost crushing the material beneath his palm.
Hayley Immediately lunges forward as her irises turn a bright shade of gold. She forcefully brings her hand around to Ezra's throat . "When were you going to tell us? I swear if your psychopathic, sick mother lays one hand on my daughter, I will murder you both." She growls.
Ezra's hands comes up grabbing hers, pleading for her to release him.
"None….. of..it….was...my...plan." He chokes out.
"Let him go." Klaus orders.
"No…..you don't get to make these decisions on your own Klaus. This is our daughter, and I'd go through hell and high water to protect her."
Her anger was directed at Klaus now.
"As would I but you can't let anger cloud your judgement, we have to keep a clear mind."
"So it was okay when let your emotions run the show an hour ago but now I can't?"
"Was it okay for us to sit back and do nothing, but when the appropriate time comes we lash out in rage?"
Touche, hayley thinks. They had both completely done a one eighty in the past twenty minutes . Now hayley was reeling and Klaus was calm.
"I know you're enraged, as am I but release him. He is not the enemy."
She doesn't listen and her grip only gets tighter, constricting him further.
"Hayley please." Klaus gently pleads.
She takes a moment to look at Klaus,and then back to Ezra.
With a great amount of effort, she reluctantly releases him, retreating back into her seat.
"But if you-"
"Yada, yada ya, you'll kill me,it's nothing I haven't heard before."
Hayleys a bit taken back but remains composed.
"And it's a promise," She glares at Klaus, "Deal or no deal."
Klaus keeps his attention on the road for the rest of the ride,an attempt to avoid Hayley's icey stare.
"Make this left."
Klaus bangs a hard left before seeing the stadium. He turns the key and lets the engine die before grabbing his handle.
"We'll have to stay parked back here. That way no one can spot us." Ezra says.
Klaus comes to Hayley's side of the car, staring,carefully assessing her mental state.
"I'm fine," she rudely brushes him off, " let's go get our daughter."
Klaus takes a look at Ezra.
"What you promised me."
Klaus nods.
Flashback :When Ezra met Klaus
Klaus walks down to the cellar.
Hes fuming,tipsy, and unhinged.
He throws up the half drunken bottle of bourbon, watching it shatter against the concrete. The glass flies in all directions, and the liquid slowly pools to the floor around him.
The alcohol trickles down the walls creases and crevasses, and finally to the small coffin in the corner.
He walks over, flinging open the casket.
He takes a moment to step back and observe the was sleep, with tunde's blade still intact.
"Here he lay, may you rest in a broad sea of misery and restlessness. To tell you the truth, if I may, you'd be better off dead. This family, the name Mikaelson, is nothing but a facade, a never ending battle, a bottomless pit. Always and forever is just a saying."
He takes a blood bag lifting it high in the air.
"A toast, to the family you're most fortunate enough to never have had."
He began drinking the blood but has to stop.
Something was moving in the coffin.
Klaus scans his body from his feet to his shoulders, and as soon as he reached the head, Ezra's eyes fluttered wide open.
He almost drops the blood bag.
Only Mikael had been able to resist the effects of the blade. You felt pain and torment. You had no control over your mind or sensations.
Klaus kneels down, gaining a closer look.
He begins to move the blood bag in various
positions, trying to test his sense of direction.
Ezra's eyes only followed the bag.
"How about that." He says to himself.
Without any warnings or hesitation he pulls the magical blade from him.
Ezra wakes up in shock, gasping for air.
"Don't be so over dramatic mate, it was hardly inside of you for a minute."
He comes face to face with him and they both just stare at each other.
"Why'd ….you," he coughs, "do that?"
His voice was weak.
"I need to find my daughter," Klaus gives a warming smile, " and you dear Ezra, you're going to help me."
He gives a soft chuckle and Klaus' lips draw into a thin line.
"Says who?"
"I do, unless you'd rather rot in a coffin, let me be the first to tell you it isn't fun. Minutes turn to hours, years turn to decades. You can do the math"
"Hmmm," he coughs, " I'd rather rot . Besides I was actually enjoying the scenery in there. Could you put me down again? I rather be daggered than to hear you talk."
He lays back with his hands behind his neck, legs out stretched, relaxing.
"Hmm amusing. Using this sense of ease, a facade to mask the scent of fear."
"Barely, you're not that terrifying. "
"I would be terrified. Strangers house, he has the means and motive to kill you. No adversaries."
Ezra's eyes motion above his head.
"She's not coming for you." Klaus says sternly. 'You've been looking at that door for the past two minutes. Rescue isn't coming this time around, Might as well sit back and have a drink."
He passes Ezra the blood bag.
He retreats, looks at it in disgust.
"I prefer my blood at a warmer level, ninety eight point six Fahrenheit to be exact. Positive A and hold the underlying cause for a favor."
"The common human body temperature? You egyptians sure are picky, and the favor isn't underlying mate, I just want my daughter back. I've made that clear from the moment I've stepped in here."
"I'm not going-"
"Hold that thought." Klaus walks out into the hall and grabs a maid.
He brings her back in, offering Ezra her arm.
He looks at it and the veins began to creep under his eyes.
"Don't be shy, dig in," Klaus smiles, "You know you want too."
Without any more hesitation, he sinks his teeth deeply into her flesh.
"That's it, there you go." He sucks quickly and steadily, careful not to spill a drop.
"Done?"
He retracts his fangs and slides back into the coffin.
Klaus compels the maid and sends her on her way.
"Feeling better?
"Much."
Quickly he tries to speed past Klaus but he falls before reaching the door.
"Going somewhere?"
"What did you do to me?"
"Something called vervain. All the maids are laced with it."
"I know what it is, but all this for little old me?"
"Don't flatter yourself, its for me, to keep me in check. Or at least my brother thinks so. Her blood will give you your strength back in due time. The vervain only slows down the process."
Ezra props himself up on a nearby wall.
"You in check, huh?
"Yes sometimes I can be," He sighs, "rather difficult."
" You didn't seem so tough when we first met."
Klaus slides down to take a seat across from him.
"I was holding back, I assure you."
Ezra waves him off.
"If you had met me earlier in life the the pre-New Orleans Klaus you would've been dead."
"You think so?"
"Oh I'm quite certain of it. In fact when I was your age I was able to-"
"Stop." Ezra says.
Klaus was confused. He'd thought they were finally getting somewhere.
"I don't wanna' hear about your childhood and... bond, that's not me. I'm not Hope."
Ezra limps back to the coffin.
"I'm not trying to bond, we were just talking."
"Then you'll start to talk about your childhood and how you can relate to me. Get me to open up and tell you where Hope is. It's not gonna' happen, and you could never relate. I'm not your son. I'm not some scrawny slave you can manipulate and mold. I'd rather take my chances with the coffin."
Klaus' blood was boiling.
"I'm tired of playing mr nice guy and all you've done is spat in my face."
"Admit it, you didn't give a crap about me until they took your daughter. Until you needed my help!"
"Which is true! You've done nothing but try to kill me
Since you and your mother came to town!"
"Don't call her that!"
"You think you had a bad life because you were taught to hate all those years? Mommy using worse to learn it, to loathe someone emotionally programmed to love you. Turn you into a monster, track you down and kill you, lie to you. You know nothing of pain."
"You know nothing about me. Being born out of hate. Nothing but a science project,a guinea pig. Just to kill you. Not being able to think for yourself.
Ezra's head throbs and his face begins to show more emotion.
"Watching your mother's throat get slit in front of you. Watching her bleed out on the canvas."
Klaus takes it all in, a bit surprised.
"You know nothing of what I've been through because of you."
"I'm sorry if-"
He quickly wipes away a tear before it drops."Stop apologizing. No one in this life is truly sorry anyway."
"I didn't know." Klaus sympathetically states.
"No one knows, it is what it is. I just have to accept that I'm damaged. Used and abused,unnaturally birthed and could never stack up to the miracle baby."
Klaus looks down.
"You'll have to accept something too. You'll never see Hope again. Once Ingrid gets a hold of her it's over. I've seen her do it before."
"Meaning more than you."
He nods. "Test trials they called them. All the defective creations were killed. We were all branded," he pulls up his shirt, revealing a small hieroglyphic tattoo on his hip, " I was the last one standing. The closest replica of Klaus Mikaelson."
"She killed all those children."
He shakes his head. "I did."
Klaus raises his head.
" If Hope can't provide what she needs she'll be dead too."
"Unless you help me. I am not your enemy. I didn't do all those things to you. I didn't kill your birth mother."
"You didn't, but everything has a cause and effect."
"The people of Egypt."
"If you wouldn't have did what you did back then, none of this would be happening."
"Perhaps you're right but stand with me. Fight. Become a Mikaelson. Your rightful place."
Ezra chuckles and then his face goes straight. "No."
Klaus looks defeated.
"We've been following you all these years. Seen alot ,I'd rather not be associated with the name Mikaelson."
"Understood but help me. She doesn't care about you. If she did she'd be breaking down those doors right now."
Ezra nods his head.
"Please I'm begging you. Don't let her do to Hope what she did to you. I was wrong for what I did back then, and I know deep down you still blame me somewhat for your pain but please don't make her pay for my sins."
Ezra sighs."I'll help."
"You will."
"On one condition."
"Name it."
"Freedom."
"What?"
"I want to be free from her, from the coven, all of it and most importantly I want to be free from you."
Present TIME
"This way."Ezra says.
Hayley and Klaus follow closely behind.
"Right through those trees there."
They walk through the bulky trees and the rocky terrain. Almost at the door now.
"Okay my job is done." Ezra says.
"Wait you're not coming in with us?" Klaus asked.
"Oh yes he is."Hayley answers, "How do we know this isn't a trap?"
"You don't. But my part of the bargain is done. I said I'd help and I did. Now will you keep yours?"
Klaus nods and Ezra's gone in a flash.
"I can't believe you let him get away like that. That was his big deal. Escape?"
"Freedom means more to some than others. You have to be bound first to truly appreciate the feeling."
"Yea sure, whatever, path leads this way."
They walk until they hear a voice.
"Brother."
It was Elijah, with Marcel and Kol behind him.
They both turn to him."What happened?"
"I know what we must do."
"Wheres Hope?" Hayley asked.
"We'll get her back, I've found a way and it starts with that casket in the cellar."
"Ezra?"
(To be continued)