As usual, Nik's introspection dominates a lot of the chapter. Finn still got a section but it's more plot than his personal thoughts. Promise more meaningful Finn/Sol interaction coming soon. Each brother is going to get some time with her alone while still in the prison world.

Side Note: I think I have an idea of how much longer the story is gonna be. I'd say we'll be done in about 20-30 more chapters.

-43-

Niklaus

Klaus was angry beyond the usual measure. The memory of the choice he made in the underworld twisted his gut and he did his best to ignore the torrent of emotions the thought of his child, his daughter, stirred within him.

It had been many years since he last thought about what it would've been like to have children. Marcel (his chest tightened thinking about Marcel) had been the closest he'd come to having a child. The rare times he considered what it would've been like he'd decided he would've made a mess of parenting and was glad for being robbed of the ability.

It seemed his wolf heritage gave him the ability to procreate after all. And in the life he'd been meant to live he did in fact make a mess of parenting. He had too many enemies always crawling out of the woodwork with the intent to murder him and his family. It was not a safe world for any child of his then. It still wasn't.

He was struggling to evade that part of him that wanted to create a family of his own, now that he knew it was possible. Now that he'd seen his child in the original lifetime and the children he could have in this one.

But his enemies needed to die first. And they would, a few had already been taken care of. With Isolde's aid, they'd likely see all of his enemies dead in a decade or so. Once her own enemies fell.

And fall they would.

There was no denying her power, even now at her weakest. Not now that he'd seen her destroy New Orleans. But she needed to listen to him if they were to rid the world of their adversaries. Because Isolde's most fatal flaw is that she had a tendency to trust everyone around her, and it seemed that no one around her could be trusted at all. Not even her own siblings.

That fact alone was what had him rushing off toward her, because they'd left her with a sociopathic siphoner who'd been imprisoned for the crime of murdering his own siblings.

Guaranteed this 'Kai' was siphoning magic off of her as Klaus and his brothers wandered off to hear what Anubis had to say.

Granted, it was important information. But Anubis needn't worry about them letting Isolde reunite with the other siblings. That wasn't going to happen. Not after seeing what they had done. In fact, Klaus wanted Rebekah far away from Theon at this point. He had been right, the man was a lech. Worse than a lech, he was the kind of man who would scheme to kill his own family. His sister's child. For something as frivolous as economic growth and security.

Theon had just made it to the top of Klaus' list of people who didn't deserve to live.

Klaus made it back into the market only to discover Isolde and Kai gone. Annoyed, and worried underneath his annoyance, Klaus tore off at hybrid speed to follow his mate's scent.

Klaus didn't care if Kai was Anubis' soul bond. Isolde loved far too easily and openly. So much so that she'd accepted him and his brothers without a moment's hesitation. Knowing their history and reputation. It was unthinkable how easily she had accepted them into her lives.

Now she declared this new person her friend, having only just met him. Why, because Anubis vouched for him? What was she thinking? It was enough to make him want to rip his hair out of his head in frustration as he came upon a large, well lit house. He stepped up to the porch and banged on the extravagant front door, bracing his hands on either side of the threshold.

Footsteps, too heavy to be Isolde, stopped at the door. He could hear a shower running upstairs and guessed that was where she was. Completely vulnerable. Alone in a house with a stranger who was also a madman. Klaus and his brothers were unable to enter without invitation.

Isolde had lost her bloody mind.

His wolf paced and snapped at him, agitated.

"Who is it?" Kai Parker sang, high pitched with no tune whatsoever and it grated on Klaus' already frayed nerves.

"The big bad wolf," he snarked, releasing the door frame, "let me in, Parker, I need to speak with my mate."

"Password?"

Klaus growled dangerously and Kai laughed, wrenching the door open. He leaned against the interior frame and took a bite out of an apple, gesturing inside with a sardonic eye roll. "I'm kidding, lighten up. She told me to let you guys in when you all showed up. Come on in, buddy."

"We are not familiar." Klaus growled at the young man, moving past him and bounding up the stairs without looking back. He heard Kai say 'wow, so grumpy' and chose to ignore it.

Isolde was indeed in the shower. He paused for a moment and considered whether he should wait or just walk in. Their relationship had taken a more physical turn before Mikael turned up to soil the mood. He was quite sure they would've ended up intimate against a tree had they not been interrupted. He'd also already seen her without clothes once before… she hadn't been shy at that time. Would she care?

He was unsure. Instead of continuing to agonize over it, he turned the knob and entered the bathroom. The steam had already fogged the glass of the shower door and the mirror. Klaus leaned back against the vanity, eying the shower door as Isolde pulled it back and poked her head out to look at him.

"Oh. Hey." She smiled, though it was unsure and that his surly behavior had given her a reason to doubt him and his commitment to their bond twisted his stomach and he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Are you okay?"

"I would be better if you would desist in taking in every stray you meet and trusting each of them without merit."

Isolde's jaw twitched, her teeth ground together and she retreated behind the glass door.

"Do you disagree?" Klaus pressed. This was not a conversation he could let her avoid. It was important for her to understand what he was trying to tell her. It was important she understood, for the safety of the children they would one day have.

He wished he could share with her the futuristic vision that Anubis had shown him, but he couldn't without also showing her everything else Anubis had revealed. It put him in a spot, as far as transparency in the conversation went. He didn't want to withhold the truth from her, as she had gone out of her way to ensure he always knew the truth. Yet he also didn't know what her reaction would be, and that worried him. Especially after Anubis' warnings.

"No." She answered him quietly, so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

He was silent for a moment, listening. It was difficult with the shower running, but he was able to discern the slight change in the air— the salt of tears. The sound of swallowing, her throat had likely gone sore. She was trying to hold it back.

Klaus frowned. He supposed all the revelations of the past few days and the stress was getting to her and she no longer had the capacity to shield herself.

Or perhaps she'd come to trust him enough to allow him to see her this vulnerable.

Either way, his heart sank. He didn't think too much about his actions as he shucked off his jacket and kicked his shoes into the corner, tossing his socks in the same direction. He kicked off his pants and threw his shirt off, leaving his underclothes just in case he was being too presumptuous.

Of course, being nearly naked was more than a little forward itself, but he didn't overthink it. He just slid the shower door open and got in behind Isolde.

She didn't react to his entrance, but he knew she was aware of his presence at her back. Klaus observed her quivering shoulders and felt worse for picking a fight when he saw her whole body jolt with effort to suppress a sob that tore out of her throat anyway.

Klaus had never been the Mikaelson anyone turned to for comfort. This was more Elijah's territory and he floundered, trying to find the words to say to make better what he hadn't the ability to fix himself.

For the first time in a long while Klaus' silver tongue tied and he found himself unable to say anything at all. So he tried something altogether new to him; physical comfort.

He stepped up until he was chest-to-back with Isolde. All movement from her ceased and he was stricken with sudden regret, about to rip himself away in embarrassment.

Before he got the chance, Isolde spun around. The spray from the shower smacked his face but he couldn't bring himself to care as Isolde pressed into him, laying her head in the juncture between his neck and shoulder. She was shaking and holding her breath. As if she was trying to hold back great, heaving sobs. Klaus hesitated, but raised tentative arms around her, one hand cupping the back of her wet head and the other around her back.

He instinctually settled into rocking them both back and forth slightly as his mother used to do for him as a child. Thankfully it seemed to be soothing Isolde so he kept doing it. She was no longer shaking, her arms circled his waist at some point and he knew the water had gone cold a few minutes past. Still, she did not draw away from him so he held her until she did, a few minutes later.

She wiped furiously at her eyes when she detached her arms from around his waist. She didn't step away, though, and Klaus found he was quite comfortable in his position so he maintained their proximity with his hands still in her hair and on her back.

Isolde flashed a self deprecating smile and looked down at their feet. "You must think I'm pathetic."

He hadn't truly told her how he felt, had he? He wasn't good at expressing such things, he'd been taught from a young age that emotion was weakness, and he'd been a sensitive boy. Mikael had beaten him for being 'emotional' and weak many times and it had left a lifelong stain upon Klaus.

But Mikael was gone now. So too should be his legacy in Klaus' life.

"I think you're fierce," he began– making eye contact when she looked up at him, "it can be easy for a person with power and ability beyond the norm to become monstrous, and mean spirited. But you are kind and forgiving. Despite the world and those close to you repeatedly giving you reasons to be cruel. To give no quarter. You could crush them all under your heel, and you choose otherwise. You're strong, in ways I could never be, and more loyal than anyone I've met. I could never look at you and think you pathetic, in any capacity."

The way she looked up at him after he finished was the way Klaus had seen countless others look at their loved ones. No one had ever looked at him with so much love written in their gaze and Klaus was overcome. He had no words or action to counter such intensity, so he broke eye contact and dragged her head back to his neck, burying his nose in her hair.

He wanted to kiss her, and this would've been a good opportunity to do so, but now wasn't the time. Especially while he couldn't be honest about what Anubis revealed.

(He was doing his best to ignore her nudity. The fact that this was an emotional time for her was the only thing keeping his physical reactions and his attraction to her in check–thankfully.)

There was much he wanted to say, things he could say, but the words lodged in his throat until he settled on; "My distance and attitude earlier wasn't about you. I'm weary of your brother. I'm not so keen on having memories that I cannot recall until after someone else returns them to me."

"Understandable." Isolde whispered into his clavicle. Of course she would understand. Of course she wouldn't be angry.

Far too forgiving, his mate. It was a large part of the reason he was so drawn to her. But her capacity for forgiveness, understanding, and trust were great strengths, and also among her greatest weaknesses.

Anubis had to know that. That was why he bonded her to Klaus, the hybrid figured. Because he was opposite Isolde. Klaus had a great capacity for grudges, distrust, and quick judgements. Anubis had to have sought to find a balance for his sister. Someone damaged, Klaus thought. Someone damaged enough to appreciate Isolde for who she was, without taking advantage of her station and abilities. Unlike everyone else.

He and his brothers did indeed fit the bill.

(The guilt gnawed at his stomach at that realization, because from the moment they met until just recently Klaus had been plotting to take all the advantage he could get from his bond to Isolde.)

But that was all conjecture. Without talking to Anubis, Klaus couldn't be sure. And he didn't relish the thought of having a talk with the most terrifying Alexander yet.

That was the reason for the cold shoulder, despite the angry quip he'd made about manipulating soul bonds.

Anubis terrified Klaus.

Emeric had been more adversarial. A King. Kings can be unseated. Their territory could be conquered. In this case, Klaus had been thinking of ways to make the King pay for his indiscretions against his sister. Klaus had begun weaving a life in which Isolde would take his advice and put her brother out of his job—taking the throne in Cairo as her own. He and his brothers beside her. Because Emeric didn't deserve his throne nor his people.

Now his careful planning, getting Isolde on board, all out the window with the introduction of new information. Now Theon and Vera were accomplices. He should have picked up on that.

Thinking about it, though, Theon was a master of illusion. Could that be a part of it? It was difficult to discern. Theon himself was intimidating, because Klaus had no idea how to combat such trickery. The illusions truly felt real when he was stuck in them. And that was a problem.

Anubis, though.

Anubis was something else altogether. A being that puts one person above all else. A being that planned things millennia in advance and had his hands dipped into the many moving parts of this tale from beyond the realm of the living.

Anubis was what Klaus always assumed a god would be like, before he met the Alexanders. And Klaus had never wanted to meet a god.

"You're covered in battlefield grime." Isolde muttered, drawing away from him again and frowning, reaching up to cup his face. He leaned into her hand. "Shower's gone cold."

"Vampire's don't feel it," he confessed with a shrug, "it's a non-issue."

"I'll leave you to your privacy." Isolde's hand slid from his face and dropped back down to her side and he missed her touch.

Klaus didn't want her to go, but if she stayed they may end up in a similar position to how they were in the bayou and Klaus didn't want to have to explain to her why he couldn't follow through whilst maintaining the secret, so he just nodded when she offered to go.

"Thank you for being here for me. You're not wrong about letting people into my life and trusting them without merit." Her eyes were still red when she said this, leaning forward into him once more and pressed a lingering kiss to his cheek. "Keep calling me out–I need it. Even when I don't want to hear it. I promise to at least listen to your opinion."

His heart rate increased without his consent as she pulled back the shower door and left him to it, wrapping a towel around her body and shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

All of his blood flowed downward in an instant and he groaned softly, leaning back against the shower wall and knocking his head against the tiles a few times, whispering curses upon Anubis for revealing so much and making it so they couldn't tell Isolde. And cursing himself for being bloody noble for once in his life.

"I suppose one silver lining is that the shower is already cold." He sighed to himself.

Finn

Finn and his brothers migrated toward where Isolde and Niklaus' scent trails lead. Kai let them into his house after a little jesting that none of them were in the mood for. They stopped short as soon as they entered the kitchen, seeing Isolde in nothing but a towel, reaching up into a tall cupboard for something, causing her towel to rise to an indecent height.

Kol leaned forward on his arms against the kitchen island, a salacious grin curling his lips and a mischievous look in his eyes. Even Elijah was admiring the view and while Finn couldn't deny that Isolde had wonderful physical attributes, she was not to be ogled disrespectfully. So Finn moved to block his brother's views, folding his arms over his chest and staring them both down until they had the decency to look away, Elijah ashamed and Kol annoyed.

Isolde either didn't notice them or pretended as if she didn't. Certain his brothers were properly chastised, Finn turned around to face her and reached over her head to grab what her fingers were just grazing.

"Thank you, tall person." Isolde grinned as he lowered the item over her shoulder so it was in front of her. She snagged it from his hand and turned to look at him, eyes brightening and a smile stretching across her face when she realized it was him. She wrapped her arms around his middle immediately and he hugged her back just as fast.

Her scent and proximity calmed him. As far as he was concerned, Anubis should have left his memory of his choice. He'd endure the box and its infinite black horizon for another nine hundred years if Isolde's smile waited for him at the end of it all. Finn didn't want to let her go, happy as he was to have her in his arms after such a long, trying, day but he did when she pulled back.

She looked around the room, noticing Elijah and Kol. She flashed a smile at them both, moving toward the island and pulling out a drawer with utensils inside, grabbing a spoon. "We've probably got a lot to talk about. And showers all around," she wrinkled her nose at them, "I ran out the hot water but Klaus has informed me that water temperature is a non-issue for you all so I can't bring myself to feel bad."

"It's an issue for me!" Kai walked in, backing up against the countertop and pushing himself up to sit on it. "I don't want to freeze."

Finn's gaze settled on the young man, narrowing in warning. Isolde was in a towel. If Kai's eyes strayed even once there would be trouble. Not just from him, either, Finn knew.

"You've siphoned enough magic off me to heat your shower. Don't give me that." Isolde rolled her eyes at him. "I didn't introduce you all properly, gods know Bis wasn't going to," she said with a fond smile, "Kai, this is Kol," Kol gave a half wave, barely looking at Kai, "Elijah," Elijah nodded at the younger man, "and Finn. The surly one upstairs is Klaus." Finn failed to withhold his smile at that last part, nodding to Kai.

"It's been quite some time since I last came across a siphoner," Kol interjected, arm reaching forward to brush his fingers over Isolde's as if he couldn't go too long without touching her in some way. Finn understood. She smiled at him and offered her hand, Kol laced his fingers in between her's looking content, then he looked back at Kai again. "Long bloodline or are you the first in your family?"

"Can't say. First, probably. I doubt they'd have locked me away and forbade me from touching anyone if they knew how to deal with it."

"Before the prison?" Elijah asked, looking more pale and tired than Finn recalled ever seeing him. Elijah peeled off his jacket, watching Kai.

Isolde withdrew her hand from Kol after a small squeeze. She turned away and started opening and shutting cabinets.

Kai shrugged, watching Isolde and respectfully keeping his eyes on her head and nowhere else, ignoring the gaze of the three Originals staring him down. Finn had to give it to the boy, he was good with pressure. He also didn't seem the least bit interested in Isolde in an improper way. Good.

"Yeah, and now too, I guess. They made it so I couldn't kill myself in here. Alone forever and can't even die to get out of it. Eternal punishment, and all that." He didn't bother looking at Elijah at all, instead changing the subject, still watching Isolde. "What are you looking for?"

"Cups," Isolde huffed, exasperated, "shouldn't they be near the fridge?"

"I put them over here." Kai gestured beside him. The farthest cabinet from the fridge.

"Boys," Isolde mumbled, brushing past Finn to get to the other side of the kitchen as Kai pulled open the cabinet door for her, "thank you. Also," she smacked the top of Kai's head lightly with the spoon in her hand, he just blinked at her in response as she pointed the spoon threateningly at him, "pot kettle, but no suicide talk."

That reminded Finn, he still needed to speak with Isolde at some point, especially now that her long struggle with depression and suicidal thoughts was confirmed. It was glossed over in the memories that Jack had shared with Finn a thousand years ago, but it was there. Pairing that with what he'd read between the lines of the things Isolde said… Finn worried. He was worried about her.

And he worried more, knowing about Theon, Vera, and Emeric's betrayal.

"I'm not going to do it now," Kai huffed indignantly, pressing his fists down on the counter to adjust his position as Isolde dropped the spoon on the counter and started pulling cups out of the cabinet, "interesting things are happening."

Finn wanted to changed the subject from the suicide topic, so he asked Kai how long he'd been imprisoned.

"Since '94. So, however long. I don't know what year it is."

"So that's seventeen years," Kol leaned back in his seat, "the last time I was under was a hundred."

"You weren't aware of the time passing," Finn interjected, irritation stabbing his chest at Kol's attempt to disregard Kai Parker's struggle with his imprisonment, especially hearing that the young man had tried to kill himself, "it makes things far more difficult."

"I suppose your nine hundred supercedes my mere century." Kol conceded with a nod.

"I have you all beat - combined, and I was aware of every second. So we can stop with the pissing contest." Isolde lined four glasses up in a row and with no warning she ripped a knife from the block just beside her and slit her wrist, causing Finn and his brothers to flinch. (They flinched at her words–too, not just the feel of a blade across their own wrists.) She lifted the first cup and tilted it to her wrist, letting the blood fill it.

"Didn't you just say no suicide?" Kai asked with an incredulous look.

"This is hardly suicide." Isolde turned her head to roll her eyes at him.

"Oh really?" Kai stressed, nodding to Finn and his brothers, who's faces had all changed and fangs extended the instant they smelt her blood. "Oh wait, big G. Forgot about that part."

Isolde looked at them all, the first cup filled to the brim as her wrist wound closed. She stepped over to place the cup in front of Elijah. "You don't look well. None of you do," she said to the room, "it's mine or Kai's and I'd rather it be mine."

"Better you than me, I don't regenerate as fast as you. I'll keep my blood where it is, thanks." Kai said in a rush, pushing himself off the counter. "I'm just going to be… anywhere else while the hungry vampires feed." He left the room in a hurry, Finn heard the front door open and shut.

Isolde watched him go with a laugh as she slit her wrist again for the second cup, this time they didn't feel the pain of her injury, and she turned to look at them all. "I like him. He's a lot like Bis–oh, that reminds me. Bis wants to be called Jack now. A western name to match the rest of us. I'm not sure I'll get used to it but I'll try."

Elijah was looking much better after the first sip of Isolde's blood, so he seemed to nurse the rest like it was a precious gift, his eyes never leaving her as she turned to fill up the third cup. Finn couldn't tell what was going through Elijah's head. He'd always been twisty.

"So," Isolde started, setting the second cup down in front of Kol, "what did my brother show you?" Kol nearly choked on his first sip of blood. Isolde raised her brows at him, now working on the third cup. "Oh do tell."

Elijah, calm as ever, covered for Kol. "We saw Apophis. I didn't realize the sheer devastation he was capable of."

Isolde tisked, handing off the third glass to Finn. He took it and contemplated if drinking it was proper. Would he crave her blood after having it? If so, would he hurt her to get it again? His struggle went unnoticed by Isolde and his brothers.

"Bis probably shouldn't have gone that far, I hadn't really talked to any of you about Apophis. He's… not your problem. When he returns, it's safer for you all if you're nowhere near that battlefield."

"Absolutely not," Niklaus' voice interrupted as he strode into the room, hair wet and wearing only his pants and tunic. The hybrid braced his arms on the edges of the island, "if anything we should grab you and run."

Isolde gave Niklaus a flat stare, gliding the knife over her wrist a fourth time and filling the last cup she set out. "Anubis' memory would be the one where we were still 'mortal–'

"Why did you say that with air quotes?" Kol interrupted, setting his now empty glass down in front of him.

"Because according to new information, Bi–Jack, Jack and I weren't born, we were manifested. Nephthys wasn't our mother." Isolde deadpanned, setting the last glass in front of Niklaus, who ignored it in favor of staring at their bond as if she'd spontaneously grown a second head.

Finn was struggling not to look at her the same way, in all honesty, as he tentatively took a sip of her blood for the first time. Deciding that he wouldn't hurt her even if he began to crave her blood. He wouldn't allow himself.

He bit back the moan he wanted to release as the sweetest of ambrosia hit his tongue.

"Then who was?" Kol asked without any tact whatsoever and all three older brothers glared at him.

Isolde looked down at the jar Finn had retrieved for her, opening it slowly and turning to swipe the spoon she left on Kai's vacated counter top seat. "Amaunet. Or Nyx– as the Greeks call her."

"Missy knew," Finn said, mostly to himself as his mind made the connections, drawing Isolde's attention, "she alluded to knowing something about you that you didn't know about yourself when we were imprisoned by the Romans."

Isolde's jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. She jabbed the spoon into the jar without taking a bite and pushed it away from her with a faint sneer. "That bitch."

"Missy?" Elijah questioned, glancing down at the jar and back toward Isolde with a faint look of warning.

Isolde paused for a moment, looked down at the jar, then back at Elijah who was still looking at her pointedly. She huffed and grabbed the spoon, eating a bite of whatever was in the jar.

"No, I love Missy. Zeus," she answered him after swallowing, "Zeus is scared of Nyx. He's a scheming little…" she took a deep breath, then started muttering, "... marry his kid to hers and earn her favor. It's fucking politics. He must've forced Paul to try and trap me so he could bring Nyx to heel. If Em hadn't wanted Zeus as an ally I would've wrecked his–. Damn it. I need to go to Olymp– no." She raised her hands, still talking to herself. "Let it go, Sol, it's long past."

"Perhaps not." Niklaus began after Isolde finished her soft tirade. "Finn, was there anything else that stood out about your interactions with your jailors? Especially in regards to the Greeks."

Shocked that Niklaus was bringing him into the conversation by asking him for information, Finn's brow pinched and he looked down at his remaining half glass of Isolde's blood. He thought about it for a moment, combing through the information he'd gathered until he recalled something that stood out. He looked back to Niklaus.

"He mentioned that no Greeks were to be harmed. They were 'ordered not to harm any Greeks.'"

Niklaus shared a look with Elijah. Kol sighed deeply.

Isolde grit her teeth and spoke. "That's not concrete evidence but it's a solid lead as to who is behind the current unrest in the realms. Playing the Romans like marionette dolls. I'm not convinced, however."

"No? Please enlighten the room." Niklaus gestured to them all, pushing off the island to stand at full height, his tone wasn't sarcastic for once and that was more than a little surprising.

"Too easy," Isolde said, having another spoonful of her snack (surely she couldn't expect that to be her meal), "Marcus is tricky. He's especially good at instilling doubt. Tiny things. One liners here and there that'll make you question things that you thought you knew were certain. His line about the Greeks could be a red herring."

"What is a red herring?" Finn asked, still unsure of a lot of the slang terms in the world these days.

"A red herring," Elijah began as he finished his glass and slid out of his chair looking back at full health again, "is a clue that is or is intended to be misleading or distracting." His back was straight and confident. "It's typically used as a literary device in books when authors want to lead readers toward false conclusions. But in real life application it's a term for a logical fallacy." Elijah strode around the island and leaned into Isolde, leaving a lingering kiss at her temple before moving behind her and past Finn, opening the fridge.

"I've seen Marcus decimate entire civilizations without having to draw a sword." Isolde deadpanned as Elijah started pulling things out of the fridge. "Plant the doubt. Let the people do the rest. He can spark a civil war with a few well placed words to the right people. Ruthless cunning. That's his thing."

"Lovely," Kol quipped bitterly, draining the rest of his glass of blood, "So anything he says can be part of some grand design. I'm glad you like clever people, darling, but let's stop collecting them, they seem to turn against you without warning." Isolde's jaw jumped but she didn't refute Kol's point.

"If they turn against Isolde then they're not particularly clever." Klaus stated, finally acknowledging the glass of blood in front of him. Finn watched Isolde send Niklaus an appreciative glance and the hybrid nodded back at her discreetly. Something passed between the two, Finn wasn't entirely sure what.

Still, something else bothered Finn, so he brought it up. "I still don't understand why Gaius would be so foolish as to attack Elijah. He didn't seem the type."

"Because I was about to kill Marcus. There was real love between them, he made a sacrifice play."

"How is this a gas stove?" Elijah interrupted, turning the striker so that fire lit underneath a pan he'd placed on the stovetop. "How is anything real in this place?"

Isolde turned to smile at him. "It's a dimensional rift created by Vera and the Gemini coven during an eclipse in '94. There's no logic, it's pure magic. Extremely advanced magic."

Kai chose that moment to walk in, smacking an armful of clothes on the island and nearly tipping Niklaus' glass of blood in the process. The hybrid snagged it off the counter in time to save it.

"I went shopping." Kai grinned at Isolde and ignored all of them, holding up a shirt that said 'bite me' on the front and wiggling it. "Saw this and thought of you."

Isolde's face went bright red and she burst out laughing, refusing to look at Elijah whose shoulders were shaking whilst he busied himself with the stove.

Note: This one just flowed out of me. I had to stop it here or we'd keep going and we're already well over 5.5k words.