Part II of the Alexander/Mikaelson showdown. In which the Mikaelsons might just emerge the victors. Up to you to decide.

-29-

Elijah

"Where's my character assessment?" Rebekah asked. She'd turned around and crossed her arms, brow arched haughtily. "Don't leave me out because Theon's here– I'd like to know what you think."

Elijah was of the mindset that no, Rebekah didn't wish to know. His own assessment had left him feeling nearly sick to his stomach– his anger flashing from himself to Emeric and back again. His own faults and culpability for the instability of his family hit him all at once with a staggering force as Emeric's scarlett eyes had shifted away from him and onto Kol.

But Rebekah proved to be braver than he. His little sister stood and stopped directly in front of Emeric with crossed arms and an expectant look.

"Oh come now Emeric, you've spent the last hour locked in a pissing contest with my brothers; exploiting their benevolence towards you due to your relationship with their mate."

Rebekah was glaring at the man who towered over her, absolutely without fear. Elijah supposed that having dealt with Niklaus for so many years Rebekah was desensitized.

"Your assessment neglected to note that my brothers are no ordinary men, my sister and I not just any women. We've grown into what we are through harsh trials and many lifetimes of tribulation– fighting, always and forever, for each other and our very lives. And we have room left to change. To adapt. If any existed that could keep up with your families lofty expectations and responsibilities it would be us. We are Mikaelsons." She said this with a fury that did them all more justice than they'd ever deserved. "None of us will run from Theon, or Isolde, or Vera. And we most certainly will not be intimidated by you, despite your melodramatic warnings designed to manipulate my family into fleeing because of your own fears– the ones you're pretending not to have." She looked between all of her brothers, lingering on Niklaus. "I feel rather challenged, don't you?"

The swell of pride that Elijah felt toward Rebekah was difficult to describe. Watching her bare down upon a man that was five times her age and experience that outmatched their entire family. Rebekah was nearly glowing under the lights in the plane. Angry and determined. His fiercely loyal and loving younger sister– stepping into her maternity and womanhood right before his eyes.

Kol was the first to process all that Rebekah had said and recover. Bolstered by Freya and Rebekah's courage to face down Emeric Alexander, Kol also stood, a look of firm resolve and focus.

"Your long winded admonishment suggests insecurity, mate." He walked around to Rebekah's other side, clasping his arms behind his back in a move that channeled Niklaus to an unsettling degree. "Isolde's bond to us has somehow begun to heal her– you're glad for this and yet you're beside yourself with fear of the unknown. What will happen when Isolde is no longer isolated? Will she meet the challenge of removing her monster and find a way to complete," he sneered at the word, as though the phrase was distasteful, "herself? Will she come after you again when she does?" Kol's eyes narrowed, raking over Emeric just like Emeric had done to him.

"Or is your fear more base than that?" Klaus rose from his seat now, too, coming to stand beside Freya, "Is it that Isolde will get closer to us and farther from you. As you said, she's begun to change. Without you. She will continue to grow. Without you. It's a big brother's worst nightmare– losing their little sister to another man." His brows lifted, a mischievous spark lighting his eyes as Elijah and Finn both rose to stand behind the rest of their family. "In this case, four other men. She'd have no time left for you. After five thousand years of being the steady rock in her life, are you suddenly feeling yourself grow moss?"

Oh Niklaus, taunting? Now was not the best time.

Still, Elijah would offer his own rebuttal. "You're the elder brother. The shield," he slid one hand into his pants pocket, the other raising to point a finger at the eldest immortal in the room, pulling his confidence up as though it hadn't just been viciously eviscerated, "as you so put it. Yet you wielded your responsibility as a sword and you cut Isolde in such a way that shifted the trajectory of her life– forever. All out of your perceived duty to your realm. Non nobis solum nati sumus; your philosophy, and yet it doesn't encompass the only thing that matters. Your own family."

"It is you who doesn't understand," Finn now spoke and every Mikaelson turned to look at him, out of shock more than anything else, "aside from Niklaus each of us has lost between decades and centuries to confinement. Each of us has suffered at the hands of our family. Especially Niklaus. Who was brutalized by our parents, who had a part of what he was always meant to be locked away out of reach without his consent. For a thousand years." Elijah noticed how Klaus' eyes widened and his mouth dropped, he took a step away and Elijah fought the urge to reach out and pull his brother to him. "We, of all men, can empathize with Isolde in a way no other ever could. I can empathize. I admit– my relationship with my family is strained because of this. And yet even now, after nine hundred years of staring into a dark abyss with no real concept of the time that passed me by, I can stand with my family with a common goal. Rebekah said it correctly. We. Are. Mikaelsons. We will not be intimidated."

"So you should ask yourself, King Emeric, would you prefer a weaker family than ours? If we are too much– would you accept less?" Freya asked as they all turned back toward Emeric with determined faces and straight spines.

For the second time in a week, Elijah watched his family stand united. Even Finn. Freya returned to them. Isolde being the catalyst for both of these instances. He felt the pride he had toward Rebekah expand to encompass his entire family in that moment. Together, they were strong. Together, they could overcome any obstacles.

They waited on bated breath for Emeric's response. He stood before them, face as stoic as it had been before his rage gave way to his inner thoughts about the Mikaelsons. Silence. Long enough that they were growing uncomfortable and bracing for the backlash.

Then, the stoic King cracked a smile. Genuine. Not like the ones he'd been fabricating for them since he swooped out of the sky– all false charm and friendliness.

"You were right." Emeric said, turning to look at Theon, who'd twisted to lay on the couch with his legs crossed, arms folded, back against the arm and a cunning smirk stretched across his face as he eyed the spectacle before him.

Theon laughed and reached toward Rebekah's hand, she was standing close to him and had been blocking the younger Alexander from Elijah's view. Theon had been so quiet Elijah had nearly forgotten he was there. Rebekah threaded her fingers with his and he guided her to sit with him, swinging out of his lounge position to sit properly.

"I'm always right, brother." He raised Rebekah's hand and placed a chaste kiss on the back of it. "You should know this by now."

"What is happening?" Kol asked, eyes shifting between the two Alexanders.

Emeric waved a hand and sunk back into his chair. "I am not in the business of disobeying the gods' will. I do, however, question it when their will does not align with my impression. Theon said you were a good fit for this family. I didn't believe him."

"This was all a test." Elijah realized. He'd known this, Isolde had told him that Emeric would test them. She'd told him her brother would make him think he'd done something wrong– said the wrong thing– to test his reactions. Yet when faced with the god of war, Elijah had felt his hackles rising in a way that didn't leave room for much rational thought.

Especially when it became apparent that Emeric didn't like him at all. From that very first handshake.

"Of course it was." Theon smirked. "We didn't lie to you– stepping into this family means accepting a large role within our sovereign nations. Heavy lies the crown and all," he waved a hand as if dismissing the magnitude of ruling, "I told Emeric when he called me that the Mikaelsons were a better fit than any family that has ever existed. That the gods had chosen well."

"You will be subject to scrutiny from millions of supernatural beings, many of whom are far older than you. I wanted to ensure you wouldn't crack under the pressure." Emeric took the cigarette pack and tossed it into the bin at the back of the plane. "Especially when your senses are being assaulted by things that would grate against them."

"You wanted to test our temperament like a pack of mangy dogs." Kol narrowed his eyes.

Emeric leveled him with a look. "No shit."

Elijah was taken aback that the regal man in front of him just dropped a swear. It didn't seem like his character.

This must be the real Emeric Alexander they were now seeing.

Elijah was the first to return to his seat, picking up his untouched glass of bourbon and swallowing it all in one go before taking his seat once more. One by one his family did the same. Most of the tension unfurled, despite the anger that was still lingering among his family. Emeric's character assessment had been relatively on point for them all. Elijah could only guess that his brothers, namely Niklaus, were not too keen on Emeric now, and rightly so.

For his part, Elijah felt the need to address his mistakes and flaws.

"I need access to the laws that have been written for the supernatural community." Elijah began as Niklaus took his seat beside him. Elijah's jaw ticked and he looked to Niklaus by his side. "I have recently been made aware by Isolde and now you–" He met Emeric's eye, emboldened by the knowledge that the elder Alexander would continue to test him, despite having agreed that the Mikaelsons were a good fit for his family. It was enough for Elijah to feel that spark of a challenge. That… need to do better. To prove himself. "That our species is out of control with no guiding hand to keep them in line. I like to think I learn from mistakes of the past."

Emeric nodded, his fingers lacing under his chin. "You have my number. Text me your email– I'll send you the pdfs."

Elijah blinked, then nodded slowly. A thousand years of rummaging through witches' grimoires for information and the five thousand year old god was going to send him a pdf.

"The vampires and the wolf-vampire hybrids will answer us fully by the end of the decade." Klaus vowed, looking to Elijah, not Emeric. Telling, not asking. "We will see to it."

"And I will assess the Strix. The problem in part with them is that they became ego-maniacal sociopaths. I will purge their numbers." Elijah looked to Kol when he said this, "I could use your help. They've no doubt amassed a great deal of magical artifacts that will prove difficult."

"I'll help with that." Theon stated. "I have more information about the dealings of the Strix than you do at this point. We've had people infiltrate their ranks for centuries."

Elijah didn't know how to feel about that tidbit besides extremely uncomfortable. The Alexanders had been spying on his family for a thousand years.

"I can help with that as well." Freya offered, sipping her drink, she gazed over at Elijah. "And I could use help tracking down Dahlia. If I am awake, so is she. She'll be a problem if she's not taken care of right away."

"Dahlia will be a problem," Finn supplied, "she is far stronger than Mother was."

"Given the right ingredients I can take her down myself." Freya was looking into her glass of amber liquid, swirling it around. Mind far from the jet at this point. "But I need father."

"Absolutely not." Niklaus interrupted, quite tetchy at the suggestion. "We're not going to resurrect Mikael– he is to rot where I've left him. Tell us what you need and we'll find a way to get it to you without resorting to such extreme methods."

Freya looked as though she wanted to argue, but thought better of it. She pursed her lips and changed the subject. "The first order of business is to retrieve Vera from New Orleans. I cannot abide her capture. Especially being the reason for it."

"That goes without saying," Elijah waved his hand, "we are the reason she was in New Orleans. She risked more than anyone we've ever encountered to unite our family for no other reason than because she could. She shall see our gratitude returned tenfold."

Every Mikaelson nodded at this.

"Speaking of which." Kol stared across the jet to look between Emeric and Theon. "The witches of New Orleans practice ancestral magic, they are exceptionally powerful on their own lands and they will utilize that advantage. Do we know if they are fighting with us for Vera's release or against? If time permits I'd like to track down a collection of dark objects that I last had in the city. With luck they wont have fallen into the wrong hands."

"I'll help you track them down after the fighting dies down." Emeric said, and Elijah balked at the King's easy offer. Not really an offer at all, really. He was telling Kol he would be helping. Just like how Vera just decided she would go in search of Freya. No hesitation. "The degree to which the witches of the quarter are involved will be up to their reaction to Vera. Her presence alone will have stirred the ancestors– they will know that the High Priestess is in their midst. We will assess their reaction and decide then." Emeric informed them. "Isolde's people will have a detailed report for us when we land."

"Already?" Rebekah asked with raised brows.

"Oh yeah," Theon laughed not unkindly, "the Shade are damn good at what they do. And if Marcus is indeed there like Emeric suspects, they already know everything we need to know."

The door to the cockpit swung open and Isolde stepped out. It was like a breath of fresh air, putting eyes on her after the stressful conversation they'd just had with her brothers. The feelings of grief that came with learning the details of all she had endured was still fresh in Elijah's mind and heart, weighing him down like cinder blocks. And he had to stop himself from rushing to her and dragging her into his arms to comfort and protect her from all that would dare to harm her.

But Isolde didn't need his protection. The threat was long past. And she didn't need his comfort either. Isolde had been struggling with the fallout of her imprisonment for millenia without such things and it would be too bold to assume she needed attention drawn to it now, just because he now knew how she'd suffered.

"Hey." Her smile lit the room as she pulled the door shut behind her. Now knowing that she hadn't smiled like that in decades caused Elijah's heart to stutter, appreciating the way it lit her face and the way her mouth stretched around her straight teeth. The way her eyes glittered and brightened every time she made eye contact with one of them. She dropped into the chair beside Freya. "We're circling around to line up with the runway. Gaius doesn't think I'm ready to land in the newer models so he shoo-d me out. What did I miss?"

"Not much," Kol said, eyes steady and serious despite the joking tone, "quite a bit of bravado was thrown about but no one died so we can count that as a win."

Isolde once again smiled, this time turning her attention to Emeric. "Good, I'd hate to have to kick your ass the first time I get to see you in three years."

"I can take you." Emeric snarked with a smirk.

Isolde hummed, leaning back into her chair. "I might've picked up a new trick or two while you sat around in Egypt."

"Sat around in Egypt?" Emeric laughed and it reached his eyes, mouth turned up in a smile even as it dropped open at the good-natured ribbing, "sat around. I'll have you know I stand from time to time."

"Wow. So much ambition. Should I tell the Greeks to look out? You might be coming back for them."

This is what had been missing, Elijah realized. Isolde. She was like a balm and a glue in one. Her presence was releasing what remained of everyone's tension. Emeric sent her away because he knew he wouldn't have had the opportunity to test them all the way he did if she had been here to do what she was doing now.

Elijah's appreciation for Isolde rose tremendously.

"Missy and Paul wish we would go to war with them again," Emeric rolled his eyes, "I maintain that it would've turned out differently if Theon had not insisted that Zeus wasn't a problem and we didn't need to worry about why he'd withdrawn his forces."

"How was I supposed to know he was about to light the field up like a fourth of july barbeque?" Theon pressed his hand into his chest with mock indignation before he drew the Mikaelsons into the conversation, turning to Bekah. "It was sometime around 600 BC, we'd just met the Greeks, we'd not encountered gods outside of Egypt before. We weren't prepared." He looked over to the couch opposite of them to Klaus, Kol, and Elijah. "They won– Zeus lit the field up with lightning and put me and Vera out of commission in seconds because we were just so shocked over it." Isolde snorted and laughed, burning her head in her hands. "Right after all that, these crazy loons throw down their weapons and invite us to party with them."

"I'm following, but I'm still stuck on the whole 'Zeus is real' portion of this story." Kol rubbed his hands down his face. "Do all the gods of eld exist?"

"No," Isolde shook her head, waving a hand in Emeric's direction, "Most of us have just gone by several different names. Horus, Mars, Ares." She pointed at Theon. "Thoth, Hermes. Or Vera… she's been known by so many names it's hard to keep track. Ma'at, Isis, Hecate, and so on."

"You said Missy and Paul are Greeks?" Elijah asked, looking at Emeric.

"Artemis and Apollo," the King nodded with a half smile, "we don't have much contact with most of the Greeks anymore. But Missy and Paul just won't leave us alone– they show up from time to time and insert themselves into our lives for a few years."

"What he means is that they're our friends," Theon said, "the concept is hard for him to reconcile."

Emeric threw the nearest item - a tissue box- at his little brother. "I have friends."

"Gaius and Aris don't count." Isolde and Theon said at the same time.

"Marcus." Emeric stated smugly and laughed when his siblings groaned.

Nothing was alright, and emotions were still raw. Niklaus was folded into his seat on the couch, paying half attention to everything around him and clearly busy turning his mind over and over the conversation they'd just had. Processing new information. Planning a true rebuttal to Emeric's rebuke. Kol and Rebekah were throwing questions out at the Alexanders rapidly. Finn and Freya were quietly talking whilst everyone else was distracted– Finn's face pinched and Freya's so very apologetic.

Elijah thought that maybe, just maybe, things between the Mikaelsons and Alexanders wouldn't be such a harsh trial to overcome after all.

A lot of you wanted Rebekah to get wrecked just like her brothers did, but I really can't see that one going over too well. Maybe later on someone will lose their temper and Rebekah will receive a bit of a cutting character analysis but not for now.