Okay, here is the betaed chapter. Thank you to Senema for her time und her help. I changed a few things, so if there are still mistakes they are mine.
A big thank you to 'nevermore_evermore' for generously allowing me to use her amazing story 'between twilight' on Archiveofourown as a starting point for my story. The original idea is hers, I just took inspiration from it.
I can't post the link, I don't know why, so if you want it, you can PM me if you want to.
Chapter 1
Elijah and Hayley returned to the hideout where she lived with Hope and had hidden the coffins.
Hayley called loudly for Hope, who emerged crying from her hiding place and threw herself into her mother's arms for comfort.
"It's all right, Hope", Hayley comforted her daughter. She led her into the living room, sat down on the couch and pulled Hope into her lap. It took a while, but eventually Hope had mostly calmed down and only sniffled softly.
Elijah had been waiting in the doorway in silence the whole time, watching them wistfully. His niece had grown up so fast and he regretted that he and his siblings had missed the last four years of her development.
"Look who woke up", Hayley said quietly. "Your uncle Elijah is well again and next we will wake up his siblings."
Hope looked uncertainly at the man she only knew from her mother's stories.
Elijah approached mother and daughter and knelt in front of them. He smiled softly. "Hello, Hope!"
Hope looked at her mother, who nudged her encouragingly. "Say hello to your uncle, Hope."
"Hello, Uncle Elijah", Hope said quietly.
"May I hug you?" Elijah asked hopefully. Nevertheless, he made no move to raise his arms so Hope didn't feel pressured.
Hope hesitated for a moment, but then she stepped up to Elijah and put her arms around his neck. Only now did Elijah raise his arms and embraced Hope as well.
Hayley took a deep breath; they had overcome the first hurdle in the reunion of her family.
Finally, uncle and niece broke away from each other. Hope sat back down in her mother's lap while Elijah sat down next to them.
"Why are you awake? Mom said you're sick and can't be woken until we get all the ingredients for the spell." Hope looked questioningly at her mother.
"A lot has changed. The witches who kidnapped us were performing a ritual and they woke something up", Hayley explained hesitantly.
"Something bad?" Hope asked anxiously.
"No, but something very ancient and powerful", Elijah answered and took over the explanation. "You see, your mother and I have known each other for many past lives. Each life we kept bumping into each other until my mother turned my siblings and me into vampires. This broke the reincarnation loop and prevented us from finding each other for a thousand years."
"Until Mom and Dad met and made me", Hope said thoughtfully.
"Which is what caused your uncle and me to meet." Hayley sighed. "But even then we didn't remember our past lives; we just felt this incredible attraction between us."
"These witches must have somehow learned who our original identities were and upon awakening wanted to bind them and harness their power for themselves." Elijah smiled grimly. "But it didn't work the way they wanted. Our true personalities awakened, we remembered all reincarnations and thus regained our old power. Because of who I am, I healed myself and I can also get my siblings out of their coma and heal them."
"And what will you do then?" Hope whispered softly. The longing in her eyes broke Hayley's heart and Elijah swallowed heavily too.
"After that we'll free your father and make sure no one can ever separate us again", Hayley replied grimly and smiled at Elijah.
"And we make sure that some injustices are corrected." Elijah smiled in amusement. "Of course, only if your mother will grant me these favours."
"How could I refuse you a request after such a long time", Hayley replied, just as amused. "Let me guess, Camille, Davina, Finn and Henrik."
"But didn't you tell me they are dead." Hope frowned in confusion. "And who were your original personalities?"
"Well, I was Hades", Hayley said calmly. "The god of death and ruler over the dead and the underworld."
"And I was Persephone, goddess of life and nature, wife of Hades", Elijah said equally calmly. "Together we have ruled over the underworld, all underworlds, those that existed then and those that were newly added. Just now I'm thinking mostly about the afterlife of the witches of New Orleans." Elijah smiled wickedly at Hayley who just rolled her eyes.
"But aren't you the wrong gender to be them?" Hope looked confused.
"It's more about personality and character traits then gender", Hayley replied with amusement. "And believe me, it was Persephone who was the real power behind my throne. She was the one who organized everything and made sure that every dead person went into the appropriate afterlife for them." She laughed aloud. "No wonder you were so talented at managing your siblings."
"Believe me, my siblings were a challenge even for me", Elijah replied dryly.
"Ok, do you have more questions, Hope?" Hayley asked softly.
"No, but I still find all this confusing", Hope replied, slightly pouting.
"Believe me, you're not the only one", Elijah grumbled and Hayley nodded.
Hayley picked Hope up and sat her back on the couch. "Come on, Elijah and I want to wake up your uncle and aunts. But you stay here until we are back, do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mom", Hope replied obediently.
Together, Hayley and Elijah got up and went to the coffins. But before that, Hayley got a cooler filled with blood bags and water for Freya. She knew Kol and Rebekah would be very hungry. She frowned at the thought. Actually, she should be hungry as well or at least feeling the usual craving for blood. "Elijah, are you hungry?" she asked worried.
Elijah was startled now too. "Not especially. I mean, well, I could use a bag of blood, but there's not the unbearable need I'm used to."
"I feel the same." Hayley was relieved, so it wasn't just her. "Who do you want to wake up first?"
"Freya, then Kol, and then Rebekah." Elijah hesitated. "Maybe we should wait before explaining everything to them. I mean, until Niklaus is with us too."
"No, I think there is no point", Hayley disagreed. "Both Freya and Kol will know immediately that something unusual has happened. They and Rebekah will pester you with questions and won't quit until they have answers. You know them!"
Elijah sighed. "Yes, you are of course right. But how will they look at me when they know everything?"
Hayley kissed Elijah on the cheek. "How they always looked at you, as their brother who always took care of them. And once Kol knows you can bring Davina back to him, he won't care anyway."
"And if I can piss off a few witches in New Orleans at the same time, that's a very welcome bonus." Elijah smiled lazily.
"What do you want to do with Marcel?" asked Hayley.
"Depends on the condition I'll find Niklaus in", Elijah replied grimly. "I'm afraid poor Marcellus is in for some very unpleasant surprises."
Hayley flinched inward as she thought about the rumours she had heard about Klaus's treatment. It was better she kept these to herself for now.
"Remember how much you regretted what you did to him afterwards", Hayley admonished.
Elijah shrugged. "Any regrets I may have felt have vanished after the past four years. Now the only thing I care about is the well-being and safety of my family. Marcellus has shown to be a threat to it and if he tries to harm them again, he will pay the price. And I will ensure that his afterlife will be the most cruel I can find."
Hayley looked into Elijah's eyes and saw Persephone, the ruthless and determined goddess who had never hesitated to make the difficult and hard decisions when it became necessary, a trait she shared with Elijah. "Shouldn't you let Klaus decide? After all, it is he who has been held captive by Marcel for the last four years."
"My brother loves Marcellus and would never harm him, a fact that Marcellus took full advantage of over the years." Elijah looked even angrier. "Another reason Marcel gets no mercy from me anymore. Niklaus hadn't done anything to him and Kol had nothing to do with Davina's death either. I understand that he wanted to kill me and I don't hold a grudge against him for that, but he harmed my siblings."
Hayley sighed. "Of course you don't hold a grudge when someone wants to kill only you."
Another trait Elijah shared with Persephone was his martyr complex. Elijah smirked at her as if he knew what she was thinking. With a shrug, Hayley admitted that he probably did know, after all, they had known each other for thousands of years.
Elijah and Hayley opened all of the coffins, to check if all his siblings were still all right. To both of their relief, the witches hadn't touched the other coffins.
Elijah looked warmly at his older sister before placing his hand on her forehead. He concentrated and felt his power awaken and begin to heal Freya. When the healing was complete, he removed his hand and eagerly waited for her to open her eyes.
A few seconds later Freya opened her eyes, blinked at him sleepily and a little confused. She straightened up from the coffin and looked around startled. "Why are you awake before me, Elijah?" she asked worried.
"Things have changed, Freya, but let me wake Kol and Rebekah first. Hayley and I will explain everything to you and then we will go save Niklaus", Elijah answered softly. He turned to Hayley, who was already holding out the bottle of water. He took it und gave it to Freya.
Next, Elijah went to Kol's coffin to repeat his healing, Hayley following him with the blood bags for his siblings. However, knowing about Kol's problems with controlling his bloodlust, Elijah waited as a precaution until he had drunk a few bags of blood before waking up Rebekah last.
All three of his siblings were of course confused about the healing without spells and who did the healing. They were curious and as Hayley had predicted, asked many questions as to why he was suddenly able to do this.
To give Elijah time to sort his thoughts, Hayley pointed out to them that Hope couldn't wait to finally meet her family. That worked and the questions stopped for the moment.
The first meeting with Hope was just as awkward for Freya, Rebekah and Kol as it had been for Elijah.
Hayley decided since it was early in the morning that they should all have breakfast together. She hoped that would break the ice, plus it would be good for the Mikaelsons to have some time to acclimatize after these four years and to spend some time with their niece. This way they could finally see that their many sacrifices for Hope had not been in vain and that she was a happy child.
After breakfast, Hayley sent Hope to her room because she didn't want Hope to hear what she needed to tell the Mikaelsons about Klaus and see the reactions it would no doubt evoke.
Hayley and Elijah shared at first what happened to them, who they really were, and how Elijah was able to heal his siblings. Freya, Rebekah, and Kol remained silent for a while as they digested what they had heard. Even for thousand-year-old vampires or a witch, that was an unusual story.
"So, you are Hades and Persephone", Freya finally said thoughtfully. Dahlia had once told her stories, which she now remembered. "Those witches woke you up completely?"
"Yes, they did", Hayley confirmed with amusement. "I've already announced our imminent return. Our servants have already started the preparations; we'll be resuming our thrones within a few hours." She looked at Kol. "But before we free Klaus, we're going to bring some other people back first."
Kol swallowed hard. "Davina?" he asked hoarsely.
"Yes, brother, Davina", Elijah confirmed calmly. "Also, we will bring back Camille, Finn, and Henrik as well, assuming they want to come back."
"But how?" Rebekah asked confused.
"Don't forget that I'm Hades," Hayley replied. "If I so desire, I can let anyone leave my kingdom. And Persephone is the goddess of life, she can bring anyone back to life."
"Persephone is also the ancient patron of witches", said Freya thoughtfully. "When witches say they are servants of nature, they mean Persephone. Dahlia told me some old stories."
"I know these stories; they are true by the way. And right now I'm very disgruntled at how low many of my servants have sunk and how corrupted they have become", Elijah said with a wicked smile.
"Okay, you are more powerful than before, but aren't we still a little outnumbered?" Kol asked sceptically. "I mean Marcel is still the Beast. And he'll no doubt have plenty of minions gathered around him to stroke his ego and kiss his boots." There was contempt in his voice.
"We have nature on our side", Hayley said calmly. "And there will be even more vampires in New Orleans than you think. Marcel brings Klaus out of the dungeon on each anniversary of his capture to present him in front of everyone and show off, how he was the vampire who defeated the hybrid." She scoffed as scornfully as Kol had done. "From the rumours I hear he allows Klaus to be beaten and humiliated by them."
Rebekah's eyes turned icy. If that was true, she would make Marcel pay for it. Kol looked just as vengeful.
"Don't worry, Kol", Elijah said, eyes narrowing. Wisely, Hayley hadn't told him about it until now. "First, Marcellus has gained his abilities through magic and I have total power and dominion over witches, they have to fulfil my every wish or will pay the price. Perhaps I can even take that ability away from him myself, we'll see. One way or another, Marcellus' days as the beast are numbered."
"And he no longer poses a threat to Elijah, even if he manages to bite him again." Hayley's eyes were cold. This time it was Hades who spoke through her and who would never allow anyone to disrespect or attack his wife.
"Good, if you say so. How are we gonna do it? Sneak in and mingle with the cannon fodder?" Kol asked uncertainly.
"No, we'll just walk in and openly challenge Marcellus", Elijah replied, smugly smiling.
"That didn't work so well last time though", Kol grumbled.
"You are right about that, of course." Elijah grew serious. "But when Hayley says nature is on our side, she means it literally." He gestured with his hand and suddenly the cacti, which had until now looked pretty battered and half-dead, started blooming.
Rebekah gasped. "Can you do this with all plants?"
"Yes, even with those, who are already withered. I can also grow plants that are not actually found in these latitudes, such as vines." Elijah smiled dreamily. "I can alter them, make them into weapons. Can any of you imagine how a jungle can fight when there is an intelligence behind it to guide it?"
Freya, Rebekah, and Kol exchanged uneasy looks; this smile was so unlike their brother. For the first time they got a glimpse of the goddess, who now resided in Elijah too. They knew how scary their brother could get when he put his mind to it. As it now turned out, he could even scare them if he spoke as a goddess; they shuddered simultaneously.
"And how will this ascension to the throne work?" Freya asked to distract Elijah from his current plans for revenge.
Hayley and Elijah exchanged looks.
"Pretty simple actually", Hayley said hesitantly. "The Erinyes, winged monsters with serpent heads, will fetch those from the various underworlds that Elijah or I have named to them."
"It's always good when enemies are present at such an ascension to the throne." Elijah looked absolutely gleeful now and this time it was utterly their brother and not an ancient goddess. "Can you imagine the faces of Esther and Mikael when they see me sit on the throne of the underworld?"
Kol and Rebekah looked fascinated while Freya looked a little uncomfortable. She knew that her siblings had no friendly feelings for either Esther or Mikael.
"Can't we be there too?" Kol asked wistfully.
Hayley and Elijah exchanged looks again.
"It's possible", Hayley finally said hesitantly, looking thoughtful.
Elijah frowned. "But who'll look after Hope?"
"How about you and your siblings go to the underworld alone? Our servants will obey you the same way as they obey me." Hayley grinned. "After all, I don't want to spoil your fun. You four deserve your justice after everything your parents put you through."
"You're so good to me", Elijah replied with amusement.
"It's just too bad Nik can't be there too", Rebekah said sadly.
"There is a possibility, but Niklaus would have to be asleep for that", Elijah said hesitantly and looked at Hayley.
"I'll see if I can track him down." Hayley closed her eyes and her identity as Hades searched for Klaus's soul.
"How can Hayley track Nik?" Kol asked curiously.
"When someone is asleep, they also wander through part of the underworld and that's where we can find them", Elijah readily replied. "After all, sleeping is a little like dying." He frowned suddenly. "I remember now how I always wandered through the underworld when Niklaus daggered me. Everyone bowed to me and asked, when Hades and I would finally return to take our throne again. Of course, I never remembered it afterwards."
"Have we also wandered through the underworld?" asked Rebekah disturbed.
"Yes, and I have given orders that you shall not be harassed or disturbed in any way. That you are my family and they should treat you the same way they treat me." Elijah smiled slightly. "You may not remember it, but you've always had a great time in the underworld."
Hayley opened her eyes. "He's fast asleep and I've made sure nothing can get him out of the underworld for the moment. He is fine and being taken care of while he waits for us." She chuckled softly. "He's quite confused, but I assured him he'll see you soon. At the moment, he still thinks that he has a wonderful dream from which he definitely doesn't want to wake up."
"Thanks, Hayley", Rebekah said quietly.
"You are welcome and how could I do anything else." Hayley tilted her head and Elijah did the same, as if they heard someone calling them. "The time has come!"
"Sit down so that you are comfortable. Unlike me, only your soul will wander in the underworld, not your body." Elijah looked at them seriously. "I will protect you, but you must stay close to me and not stray. There is a difference if you are asleep or daggered or if you enter the underworld in this way, there are certain dangers. Do you understand me?"
His siblings nodded uneasily. They knew their brother well enough to see that he was deadly serious about this.
Finally, it was time and with a last loving smile to Hayley, Elijah made a hand movement and disappeared without a trace. Freya, Rebekah, and Kol collapsed; Hayley could feel how their souls left their bodies completely.
Hayley sighed, now it was time to wait. The best thing to do now was to go to Hope and explain to her what had happened, so she wouldn't be scared when she found her aunts and uncle like this.