Chapter Seventeen

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the Originals, but I do own my OCs.

Summary: Blair has been on the run for 400 years, trying to escape her past. She never stays in once place long enough, but she finds herself drawn to New Orleans and it is there that she meets the Originals. She soon finds herself drawn into their drama and ends up connecting with the Noble Original, Elijah Mikaelson. Slowburn.

wintermoon7: Thank you! I really want to build the relationship between Elijah and Blair before anything happens and I don't want their journey to be rushed. I am a sucker for slow burns and I think it shows!

ORIGINALS

Blair groaned as she woke up, her neck ached in a disturbingly familiar way and she felt a sense of Déjà vu – and it was not welcomed. As she mentally collected herself, Blair expanded her senses. One thing she could tell immediately was that she was lying on the solid ground, something her back would live to regret, and she could smell the earth around her. There was a slight breeze and she could see the sun from behind her closed eyes. Blair was outside and as long as she wasn't losing her memory, she was still in the Witch cemetery from the night before and Klaus had been the one to incapacitate her. The memory angered her and her magic bubbled in rage. Forcing her eyes open, Blair saw that she was concealed in one of the hideaways and Rebekah was beside her.

Sensing her gaze, Rebekah turned to the Fae, "Morning sunshine." She had been the one to find Blair and had dragged her body away, hidden from her brother's rage. Rebekah didn't put it past Klaus to inflict more damage to the Fae especially in the mood he was still in. However, something that played on her mind was Elijah's reaction to seeing Blair's body. Elijah had snarled in anger. Rebekah had never seen her brother react in such a violent way and it made her curious as to why he had exhibited such a reaction.

Growling dangerously low, Blair's eyes turned a violent shade of purple, "Where is he?"

Rebekah turned her head away from her and listened to the conversation between Klaus and Elijah. They had been at it all night, neither one giving in to one another, "Over that way," Elijah had instructed for her to stay out the way as it seemed as though her mere presence sent Klaus into a rage like no other.

Saying nothing more, Blair sat up, her body ached from being on the hard floor for so long. No doubt she had been there all night. Blair really wanted a bath and to sleep in an actual bed – even when on the run she refused to rough it. "We are ending this now," She hissed at the female Original with vengeance in her eyes. Standing up, Blair marched out of the stone room and walked in the direction of Klaus and Elijah, following their voices.

Slowly, Rebekah followed behind the Fae, weary of the rage that she was emitting. She had not seen Blair so bothered before and her magic pulsed from her very being. The air around Blair was thicker than usual and slightly harder to breathe, it was very uncomfortable to be around. Rebekah's mother had been a very powerful Witch but even she had never seen her mother manage such a feat before. She knew that if Kol was still alive then he would be interested in Blair as he was fascinated with anything regarding magic.

Blair marched forward, her magic locked on Klaus who was not too far away. Up ahead, she saw Klaus was pinned to the ground with Elijah holding him. The moment her eyes saw Klaus, her anger flared once more. "KLAUS!"

Elijah and Klaus turned to face her and that's when she held out her hand. Her eyes glowed purple as her magic came alive, attacking Klaus in a bling fury. Luckily, Elijah had enough sense to jump out of the way, seemingly able to guess what Blair's plan would be. The pulse of magic sped towards Klaus and sent him flying into a brick wall before he could even dodge. Klaus let out a cry of pain and he attempted to right himself but Blair was not done. Using her magic once more, she tied Klaus up, immobilising him with invisible magic rope, one that could not be undone until Blair undid the spell.

From his position from the ground, Klaus snarled at the Fae when he couldn't move. "Release me!" He couldn't move the slightest inch without the force around him tightening. This was magic he had never come across and so he didn't test its limits, weary of what the consequences would be.

Ignoring his demand, Blair glared at him. "This ends now. You talk this out like civilised people and get over yourself or I will stab you with that oak stake!" She pointed to the white oak stake that now lay on the floor. She was well aware that the wooden stake was the only thing that could kill an Original. She could feel dark magic emanating from it and this made her weary. The song was long and lethal and she wanted to be nowhere near it.

Elijah walked up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping for the Fae to calm down. Whirling around, Blair snarled at him before she stomped off, but she stayed within hearing distance. Elijah watched her go with a frown but he soon found his attention back on his brother, who was glaring at Blair in hatred.

Walking forward, Elijah picked up the white oak stake. "She is right. We were getting nowhere as we were," However, now Klaus was immobilised and could do no physical harm in this state, something he was sure his brother was steaming about. It did make Elijah relax a touch as now Klaus couldn't physically harm Rebekah in this state but that was not a guarantee that she was safe.

Klaus scowled darkly, "Oh, you'd like that. How could you expect me to forget this betrayal?" His darkened eyes were locked on his baby sister, "You summoned our father and you brought him to our home, how could that possibly be defensible?!"

Fearlessly, Rebekah stared at him. "I knew he was the only thing you feared and I wanted you to run,"

"Because you hated me," Klaus spat.

"Because you were hateful!" Rebekah exclaimed, "You denied me the freedom to love!" The years she had spent in fear of her brother finding out who she had let into her heart because she knew her heart would be crushed in the end. Klaus never allowed her this one pleasure to the point it had become suffocating.

Klaus stared at her mockingly, "So that's why you called Mikael? You called Mikael – the destroyer, the hunter of Vampires – because I detained you from pursuing some dull suitors,"

"You were cruel!" Rebekah cried out in frustration, "And controlling and manipulative!"

"I was trying to protect you from imbeciles and leeches. Not to mention your own poor judgement," Klaus yelled back.

Rebekah stared at him, "And what about the one you loved enough to call a friend?" Hurt flashed through Klaus' eyes at the mention of Marcel. However, Rebekah wasn't done, "Why did you forbid me to love Marcel?"

Klaus growled lowly, "Do not mention his name!"

There was a sadness in Rebekah's eyes, "What happened to you? I remember the sweet boy who made me laugh and gave me gifts, who loved art and music. I wanted to be just like you but look what you turned out to be," It upset to see how much her brother has fallen. He was like a ghost to his former self, one that Rebekah struggled to recognise at times.

Genuine hurt flickered in Klaus' eyes and he inhaled sharply at his sister's pointed words.

Elijah calmly looked between his two siblings, "You say you despise Rebekah but no one has stood by your side longer, not even I. Perhaps it is you that has forgotten." As Elijah and Klaus stared at one another, they seemed to share a memory of the time their father nearly beat Klaus to death one night. It had been a horrible night for everyone that night and Elijah had never felt so helpless. For years he had to watch as his father would hurt Klaus for no reason other than the boy had spoken too loudly or did something too slow for their father's liking.

"So you would paint her as the loyal sister but she betrayed me out of lust for Marcel," Klaus said tensely, tears gathering in his eyes. "Perhaps that's why you did it, for love. Perhaps I might temper my rage if Rebekah will admit that she was a victim of her own idiocy, that her great love Marcel used her to oust this family and take my city!"

Rebekah shook her head in exasperation, "Marcel did not manipulate me,"

Klaus stared at her incredulously, "You defend him and yet you can't help but wonder if I am right?"

"No," Rebekah scowled, "I do not defend him. I speak the truth. It was your refusal to accept this that led to your ruin," Any lingering feelings that she once had for Marcel was gone and would never come back. There was too much water under that bridge to ever be salvageable.

Vindictiveness coloured Klaus' face, "Then why didn't he chase after you when you fled New Orleans? Oh, yes. That's right, he was here stealing what I built,"

Elijah opened his mouth but he decided to withdraw what he was going to say. It was too late now and he mentally sighed to himself.

Tears gathered in Rebekah's blue eyes, "You want me to beg for forgiveness? Well, I refuse. Marcel is not at fault. I was the one who called Mikael. I was the one who brought him to New Orleans because of your wickedness. I wanted to love and happiness and you denied me the freedom to have either! Yes, I hated and I was afraid of our father, but he was a lesser evil than you! My bastard brother loomed over, threatening me as you are now! I wanted to be rid of you, and I would do it again,"

Klaus roared in anger as he struggled under his bounds but they did not give. In fact, they squeezed around Klaus tighter, silently warning him to stop his useless struggling. Klaus' breathing became erratic as the anger inside him consumed him. Rebekah always knew what buttons to push to make his anger explode.

Sensing this was getting nowhere, Elijah stepped in. "That is enough, both of you," He sent a glance in Rebekah's direction, who was still staring at Klaus with a cautious expression. He too was surprised how well the spell was combating Klaus' anger and made a mental note to employ Blair and this spell in the future if they ever needed it. Elijah turned his head and saw Blair staring at them, her arms crossed over her chest in a bored manner but he knew better.

Looking in the direction of his older brother, Klaus then looked down at the white oak stake that he held. "You hold the weapon that could rid the world of me forever and I am immobilised," He sent a glare in the direction of Blair, which the Fae ignored.

Elijah sent him a dry look. "Well, unlike you brother, I have no taste for fratricide. I only hold it to keep it from you or Rebekah so neither of you does something rash," He sent a pointed look at Rebekah and Klaus, knowing how quick their tempers were to explode.

Rebekah looked away, feeling chastised.

"Why must you defend her?" Klaus demanded from his spot on the floor. "I was not the only person that was betrayed when she brought Mikael here,"

"Because I remember what she used to be before we became Vampires," Elijah explained calmly. He could remember clear as day what Rebekah used to be like as a human. She had been vibrant, full of life and kind. He could even remember the day Rebekah had been born and when he was allowed to hold her. It was something he held very close to his heart as it was one of the very rare occasions that he has seen his father smiling.

Klaus' expression was sombre, "My memories serve to make her betrayal more painful,"

Rebekah looked away as the tears fell freely from her face once more.

Elijah frowned, "Can you not accept some small part of the blame? After all, Niklaus, it was your cruelty that led her to do what she did,"

"She wanted me dead!" Klaus argued back.

Elijah shook his head, "She would never want that."

"She has always hated me, and you know that's true!" Klaus shouted out in pain.

Staring at his young brother, he couldn't believe what he heard. Elijah knew that was no way Rebekah hated Klaus, even after all he had done. How did Klaus not see how similar he and Rebekah were? Elijah could see it very clearly. "She attempted to kill father for you. She could not stand the treatment you received and was about to use his own sword against him. If I hadn't stopped her then she would have done it. I often wished I could go back and do the act myself,"

Blair stared at Rebekah in shock, blinking slowly as this information came to light. The more she heard, the more Blair wondered about their family. They were all messed up – that was a fact – but now she was beginning to wonder exactly why they were all messed up. What had led to this? Exactly who had made them turn out like this?

Klaus stared at Rebekah in shock, "Is this true?" His voice was barely above a whisper. It was so fragile and vulnerable, so unlike him.

The tears in Rebekah's eyes fell harder. "I couldn't stand how he treated you. He was horrible but now you're turning into him so much that it scares me," This had been one of her worst fears, that one of her brothers would turn into her father and the fact it was Klaus hurt even more. Out of all her brothers, she was the closest to Klaus and it stung deeply to see what he had become. No longer was he the brother who rocked her back to sleep when the thunderstorms scared her or made her feel better when a boy made fun of her.

Inhaling sharply, it felt as though he had been physically struck with her words. Visibly, he deflated as his anger was chased from his bones. Camille had said similar words before he tracked down Rebekah but they hadn't stung as deeply. Even when Elijah made the comparison it hadn't hurt this badly – yes it had hurt but not as bad compared to Rebekah's accusation.

Elijah motioned for Rebekah to speak. While Klaus was like this he would be more susceptible to reasoning. "I never wanted you dead, Nik," Rebekah whispered softly, the tears stinging the back of her eyes. "There was a time that I did but then I realised how much I would miss you. I have wanted to take back that night for years but I have lived with that regret. I am sorry,"

Slowly Klaus looked down, his face void of emotion. "You accuse me of being evil and yet you are the one who conspired to kill your own blood."

Pure agony shinned strongly from Rebekah's eyes. "You made our lives a living hell. You tormented us,"

Then, Klaus did something that surprised Blair. He started to cry, the tears running down his face as the anguish poured out. "I love my family. You, Elijah, Kol and even Fin. I loved all of you. I know I can be difficult but I did not make myself this way. It was Mikael that ruined me."

"He ruined me too," Rebekah muttered softly.

Elijah nodded his head, "He ruined us all,"

"That's what you forget," Rebekah continued, her voice barely above a whisper, "Each of us is broken. You, with your anger and paranoia, me with my fear of abandonment and Elijah… you dedicate yourself to everyone but yourself." She stared at her other older brother. Elijah's shoulders deflated slightly, not able to argue against her words. "We are the strongest creatures in the world, and yet we are damaged beyond repair. We live without hope but we will never die. We are the definition of cursed. Always and forever," It had started as a pack between them had turned into a curse, one that had no end and no cure.

Feeling as though things had calmed down, Blair stepped closer and stopped when she was near Rebekah and Elijah. She had listened in to the entire conversation, her emotions varying as it continued. However, it had truly opened her eyes and allowed her to see a side to all the Originals she had never seen before. "You have a family around you, one that would do anything for you but you push them away," Blair looked directly at Klaus, holding his blue eyes with her own. "At this rate, you will lose them if something isn't done,"

Inhaling deeply, Klaus closed his eyes for a moment before looking at his sister. "What is it that you desire?"

"What I have always wanted, even as a child," Rebekah answered with ease, "I want a home. I want a family and I want someone who loves me unconditionally. I want to be free," At first, she had wanted freedom from her father but now she craved freedom from Klaus. She wanted to be able to settle down somewhere and be happy.

Klaus fell silent as he considered her words. "We are all too broken to stay together. Go, you have your freedom." He turned his head away, trying to hide the tears as they fell from his face at a faster pace. He didn't want to let Rebekah go but he now realised how much he had suffocated her and they needed space from one another. He couldn't stop but feel hurt every time he looked at Rebekah because of her betrayal and he was scared of what he would do in his rage. Space was the best thing for both of them right now. Maybe in the future, they could come together and not try and kill each other, but for now, it was too raw and painful.

Elijah and Rebekah shared a look of surprise, neither one expecting this. Rebekah's eyes lit up at the permission. "Thank you," Rebekah whispered softly as she walked over to the exit of the cemetery.

"Go," Elijah whispered to Blair softly, needing to be alone with his brother for the time being. The Fae was the only one who could break the barrier around the cemetery and Rebekah would need her to get out.

Blair nodded her head, sparing one last glance at Klaus. She walked away, following after Rebekah. With a quick wave of her hand, Blair dispelled the invisible ropes around Klaus, but only as she and Rebekah left the cemetery. This was in case he had a change of heart but he didn't. Klaus did not chase after them and she heard no cry of rage. All she heard was the cry of a sad man.

ORIGINALS

Hours had passed since then and dusk had fallen. Rebekah was long gone, to a destination unknown to the female Fae. As soon as she had been given her freedom, Rebekah had packed up her clothes, gave everyone a quick goodbye and then she was gone. The mood in the compound was sombre, even Klaus hadn't killed Marcel when he saw him gathered with all the other Vampires, outright challenging him for control of the city. It wasn't until Elijah appeared and threw Marcel against a wall that things got interesting. Blair had watched from the shadows, watched as the beast inside Elijah came out to play when he banished Marcel from the French Quarter for his part in the betrayal. Blair was honestly surprised that Marcel wasn't dead for this sin, people had died for much lesser crimes especially when it concerned the Originals.

Blair was in the kitchen, where she was drinking as much wine as possible. It still annoyed her to this day that she could never get drunk because she really wanted to be after the day she had. Usually, she would be thankful for this because she could never afford to be inebriated but now she longed for it. Just as she was finishing her second bottle of wine, Elijah walked into the kitchen.

"We have far better wine in the cellar," Elijah commented as he poured himself some whiskey. He grabbed another bottle of wine from the counter and brought it over to the island, where Blair sat.

Blair grunted and took the bottle of wine that Elijah offered. After pouring herself another healthy glass, Blair looked at him. "What's the deal with your father?" During the whole disagreement between the Mikaelson's, she had been confused as to what was happening. She didn't know their history and felt that it was a lot darker. Klaus shouldn't have been as hurt by their actions but he was and she wanted to understand why.

Elijah's eyes darkened and his frown deepened. "Our father was not a kind man, especially to Niklaus," This was an understatement, but there were truly no words that could accurately and wholly describe Mikael and his abominable actions.

Apprehension shot through Blair. "He hurt Klaus?"

Slowly, Elijah nodded his head. "When Niklaus was born, our father was happy to have another son. In our times, males were held in higher regard than females, it showed how much more powerful he was to have more sons. However, our mother had an affair and so Niklaus was not our father's blood,"

"And he found out," Blair guessed, knowing where this was going. As much as she hated it, she had seen this too many times in her four hundred years on the run. Instead of taking their anger out on their spouse, all the anger was directed to the child – the child that was wholly innocent in the situation and couldn't be helped being born from an affair.

Elijah's grip on his glass tightened, "Yes." After finding out the truth, any love and affection that Mikael showed his brother disappeared overnight. "Our father would constantly berate Niklaus, punishing him for simply being alive. There was an incident where Mikael found out Niklaus had used his hunting knife to widdle some wood for Rebekah. He beat Niklaus so savagely and didn't stop until I feared him gone,"

Horror filled Blair, "Didn't your mother try and stop it?" Surely as the Original Witch, she would have enough power to stop this cruelness.

"No," Elijah's voice was one of anger, "Our mother did nothing to help. She would heal Niklaus' injuries but that was it. She never once tried to intervene or stop Mikael," It had been left to them, him, Rebekah and even Kol. They all tried to help Klaus when things got bad. Finn followed their mother's example and never once lifted a hand to help and that was something Elijah couldn't accept. He always held the family in high regard but Finn constantly rejected the family and it made it difficult to form a relationship with that kind of person.

Blair's jaw clenched as anger consumed her. If she could, she would wipe all abusive parents from the earth. In her eyes, their mother's actions were just as bad as their father's. Parents were meant to protect their children, never to put them at risk. This was where the myth came about Fae stealing children, the Fae only ever took children away because it wasn't safe for them. They were saving the children but Witches twisted and manipulated the story to make the Fae look bad.

"It was our mother that turned us into Vampires. But, she came to regret her decision and tried to kill us. She turned Mikael into a hunter, a Vampire that killed Vampires and he had hunted us for years. We have had to flee places to avoid Mikael. Mikael hunted us all but his main target was Niklaus," Elijah explained, remembering each time Mikael had turned up and ruined their lives. The homes they had to flee from, the people and things they had to leave behind so they didn't get killed. However, it was his brother that was hunted most savagely, their father taking pleasure in hunting him.

"If I ever meet them, I will kill them myself," Blair sneered angrily.

Elijah smirked in amusement, "Luckily, they are both dead so it will not come to that," Their mother had died when she'd made a ploy to kill them by linking him and his siblings. Finn, ready to die, had sided with their mother and gave consent to be killed so they would all die. However, this plot did not succeed. Mikael was also killed in Mystic Falls, being killed by Klaus – which was a very poetic ending.

"Pity," Blair muttered before she sighed deeply, "So that's why Klaus reacted the way he did," In all honesty, she did not blame him for such a reaction. Blair felt she would have reacted the same in that situation. What Rebekah and Marcel had done was a very massive betrayal, though they didn't deserve to die, they definitely deserved to suffer.

Elijah nodded his head, "Yes. Rebekah and Niklaus are very similar in their tempers. She acted in anger and regretted her decision. They have always been the closest and our father attempted several times to separate the two and keep Niklaus isolated. Rebekah even attempted to kill Mikael when we were human and I stopped her."

Silently, Blair wished that Rebekah would have succeeded in her goal. "Well, at least that explains why he can be a douche," Blair offhandedly said as she took a huge sip of her wine. Now she understood why Klaus was so angry all the time and everything about him made sense. Abuse, no matter what kind, affected a person to the point it changed them and it always left a lasting mark.

"There were times I worried that I would turn into Mikael," Elijah admitted lowly, the darkness in his eyes deepening. This was a fear that everyone in their family had and it was a genuine fear. No one wanted to be like their father, even Finn for all his faults didn't want to be like their father.

Before Blair could even realise it, she had reached out a hand and grabbed Elijah's hand, squeezing it tightly. "You could never turn out to be that cruel. You'd rather die than let that happen," She had watched him around other people, especially Davina and she could see that he held no malice towards anyone unless they harmed his family. Elijah treated Davina with respect and kindness that made Blair happy.

Elijah's smile was nearly invisible but the softness in his eyes gave it away. He honestly didn't know why he was sharing such details of his past, he was usually more reserved and held this information closer to his chest. However, there was something about Blair that made him want to share this information, he wanted her to know this.

"I know what it feels like to hate your parents," Blair admitted softly, a frown marring her face. "I know what that fear is like as you dread becoming like them,"

This immediately caught Elijah's attention, his eyes watching every movement and twitch. He could see a deep sadness in her eyes, one that was usually locked away so deep inside her that no one got to see it. The more Elijah watched, the more bewitched he became. Elijah was certain that she didn't intend to say anything but he couldn't help but feel honoured that she shared a little piece of her past and he was eager to learn more but didn't push. Instead, Elijah put down his glass of half-drunk whiskey and placed his other hand over hers.

Neither one spoke, just sat in comfortable silence as they stayed in each other's company.