CHAPTER 1
Sophie and Elijah were at the cemetery. Sophie opened the squeaking gate and entered the cemetery. Elijah stopped in front of the entry. Sophie turned around.
"This is sacred ground, which means vampires are not allowed. Wait here, I'll be back with them." Sophie told Elijah and walked off.
"Them?" Elijah asked.
Hayley woke up on a cold and hard floor somewhere in the dark and was quite distraught as she looked at her surroundings. It was a dark room, cold, it seemed like she was outside because some sunshine was coming in from somewhere in the ceiling. The last thing she remembered was being in the bayou and seeing dark figures approaching her, but now she had no idea where she was.
"It's a mausoleum."
Hayley jumped at the sound of a familiar voice. In her distraught state she couldn't put the voice together with a face, until the woman who that voice belonged to moved herself out of the shadows and to the little light that came to the room. And the Hayley recognized her.
Caroline Forbes.
"Caroline, what are you doing here?" Hayley asked her.
Caroline pulled at the chains and showed Hayley that she was shackled to the wall.
"Same as you, being kidnapped by bunch of pissed off witches."
It was only now that Hayley realized that that she too had hands and legs tied together with a rope. She tried yank and pull at them, but they didn't budge.
"Damn it." Hayley muttered.
Caroline just sighed and leaned back against the wall.
"Why am I here? Why are you here?" Hayley asked her then.
"Well, apparently you're carrying Klaus' demon spawn, so witches want to use you to bend Klaus to their will."
"I'm not pregnant." Hayley got defensive.
Caroline still couldn't believe Klaus slept with the she-devil and didn't even mention it to her. And now the she-devil was pregnant and Caroline had to spend time with her for god knows how long as somehow both women had become the most important women in Klaus' life.
"Apparently you are. Congratulations."
Hayley huffed at her. "And why are you here? In case a baby with me isn't gonna suffice, they brought in his current obsession?"
"Something like that" Caroline muttered.
"Great." Hayley muttered back and sighed, leaning against the cold wall.
Then three women came in, Sophie Deveraux and the others Caroline hadn't met yet.
"You're both coming with us and one wrong move and you'll be screaming with pain." Sophie told them both.
The witches freed them from their binds and one witch grabbed Caroline's arm while the other grabbed Hayley' and they started dragging them toward the exit. Sophie walked behind them and kept threatening them about what would happen if they tried anything.
Elijah was pacing at the gate impatiently and as soon as he saw the five figures approaching, he stopped in confusion. He right away recognized Caroline Forbes, one of Elena Gilbert's best friends he hadn't had the pleasure to formally meet. But the other woman they manhandled toward the gate was a stranger to her. She was very pretty and Elijah couldn't help but take liking to her.
"What is the meaning of this?" Elijah asked when they stopped in front of him at the other side of the gate.
Sophie stepped in front of the others and said, "Isn't it obvious? We have a vampire problem, and we need help. Marcel is not what you think, he's more now. The witches have been trying to fight back but it's complicated as his bite can kill any supernatural."
"I don't understand. Marcel's a regular vampire by brother sired."
"He was but then he met Lucien Castle and made us perform a spell that turned them both into some kind of über-Vampires. Lucien is god knows where now but Marcel rules this city and no supernatural, let alone humans can do anything to him. The Originals, your brother Klaus, the Big Bad Hybrid is our best hope."
"By brother is not into charity."
"As I was saying, witches haven't had much luck fighting back, until my sister Jane-Anne met a girl, a werewolf passing through the quarter from a small town in Virginia. She had a special connection to your brother."
"What kind of connection?" Elijah asked.
"Apparently, they spent some time together. One thing led to another and now this special werewolf girl – she's pregnant. And the father of the child she's carrying is your brother Klaus."
"That's impossible." Elijah couldn't believe he had been wasting time on something like that.
"Nothing is impossible, especially not when it comes to your brother. Think about it – he's not just a vampire, he's part wolf, right? And wolves can father children."
Elijah shook his head in disbelief, "What about the other girl, Caroline Forbes, why did you take her?"
"Insurance." Sophie replied. "Apparently she has different kind of connection to your brother. He's in love with her. So this way Klaus has double incentive motivating him to do what's necessary. When Klaus agrees to work with us, one of them will be released, the one Klaus chooses, the other one will be held captive until Marcel is dead."
Elijah shook his head in disbelief. "My brother won't be threatened and manipulated like that, he will find a way to kill you all for taking these women."
"That's why I brought you here. Convince Klaus to help us and one of these ladies will be free right away."
Some time later Elijah had dragged Klaus to the cemetery. They stopped at the gate and Elijah whistled to get the witches' attention.
"What is the meaning of this, Elijah?" Klaus impatiently asked his brother.
"You wanna know what the witches have in store for you? Just wait a minute." Elijah replied.
Few minutes later Sophie returned with Caroline and Hayley at either side of her.
Klaus saw Caroline first and although it pained him to see her in danger, he couldn't let the witches know just how much he cared about her.
So he turned to the witch.
"Sophie Deveraux. What is this?"
"First let me tell you this, Klaus. You can't enter here and they are not able to leave the cemetery. So you better behave."
"You know you're famous in this town? Witches tell bedtime stories about the powerful vampire Klaus. We know Marcel was nothing but an orphan street rat, until you made him what he is. And now he's out of control. He's not what he used to be, he's more stronger now, as strong as an Original, so he does whatever he wants."
"It's impossible. He can't be as strong as an Original."
"He is. Do you remember Lucien Castle."
At the mention of Lucien Castle, Klaus turned to look at Elijah who just nodded at him.
"He has done research and done tests with both werewolves and vampires for decades now and he finally discovered a way to become as strong as Originals, maybe even stronger. We don't know the details but he used some witches to perform a spell that turned both he and Marcel to über-vampires."
"Unbelievable. Where's Lucien now?"
"We don't know, creating havoc somewhere else in the world. But Marcel is right here and he's a problem for us all. So we're gonna stop him and you're gonna help." Sophie laid it out for him.
Klaus chuckled and turned to Elijah, "This is why you brought me here?"
"Klaus. You need to listen to them." Hayley told him.
"You're all mad if you think some liquor-fueled one night stand – no offence, love – means a thing to me."
"Marcel may be able to keep up from practicing real magic in this town, but as keepers of the balance we still know when nature has cooked up something new. For example, I have a special gift...of sensing when a girl is pregnant."
All amusement left Klaus face.
"What?"
"Niklaus...the girl is carrying your child." Elijah said out loud to Klaus what he needed to hear.
"No. It's impossible. Vampires cannot procreate." Klaus retorted.
"But werewolves can. Magic made you a vampire, but you were born a werewolf. You're the Original hybrid, the first of your kind, and this pregnancy is one of nature's loopholes."
Klaus fought for control over his facial expression before he turned to Hayley and shouted at her.
"You've been with someone else, admit it!" Klaus was now angrier than ever.
"Hey, I've spent days held captive in a freaking alligator bayou because they think that I'm carrying some magical miracle baby. Don't you think I would've fessed up if it wasn't yours?"
"My sister gave her life to perform the spell she needed to confirm this pregnancy. Because of Jane-Anne's sacrifice, the lives of this girl and her baby are now controlled by us."
Elijah, Hayley and Caroline are all surprised to hear that.
"If you don't help us take down Marcel, so help me, Hayley won't live long enough to see her first maternity dress."
"Wait, what?" Hayley asked in disbelief.
"Enough of this. If you want Marcel dead, he's dead. I'll do it myself." Elijah now raised his voice.
"No. We can't, not yet. We have a clear plan that we need to follow, and there are rules."
"How dare you command me... threaten me, with what you wrongfully perceive to be my weaknesses. I won't hear any more lies." Klaus shouted at Sophie.
He started to leave and but Elijah stopped him saying, "Niklaus. Listen."
Klaus turned toward Hayley, from whose abdomen he could hear a rapid heartbeat. Klaus listened in wonderment for a few long moments, met Hayley's eyes, then closed himself off once more.
He turned to Sophie again, "Kill her and the baby. What do I care?"
Klaus turned his back on them again, but then Sophie shouted, "What about her? Caroline Forbes. Want me to kill her too?"
Klaus turned to look at Caroline in anguish and something wordless was said between them before Klaus turned to Sophie and said, "Kill them all, if you want. I won't be your bitch. Not today, not ever."
Klaus stormed off.
"No one touches them. I'll fix this." Elijah told Sophie and left too.
When Elijah had caught up with Klaus in the streets of the Quarter, he asked his brother, "Are you insane, Niklaus? This baby could change everything."
"The baby changes nothing, even if it's mine. But Caroline, they never should have touched her. I'll make them pay for bringing her into this."
"So some infatuation means more to you than your own flesh and blood. Very well, let's go back and negotiate both of them free." Elija pleaded with his brother.
Klaus stepped closer to his brother, got only inches from his face and looking him straight in the eye, he said, "No."
But mere hours later Klaus returned to the cemetery and offered the witches a deal.
"Release Caroline and Hayley and I will help, you have my word."
Sophie scoffed, "This is not how the game is played. For your word, I'll give you one of them, you choose. After Marcel had been killed or neutralized, you can have the other girl."
Klaus stepped closer to the gate and started waving his finger at Sophie.
"You bitch, you don't make rules. I do. Now release them both."
"Sorry, Klaus, but these are the terms. Which one are we gonna release?"
Klaus now realised how grave the situation was. Woman he loved above all or his flesh and blood he's yet to form a bond with. He closed his eyes in defeat and then muttered, "Release, Caroline. Now!"
"Very well, if Caroline is the one you value more, then she is going to stay here and Hayley will be coming home with you."
He tried to the bars of that gate in anger but was met with an invisible wall that pushed him back a few metres.
"Klaus, it's okay, better me than the mother of your child." Caroline finally opened her mouth that evening.
"Hayley, you are free to leave. Go." Sophie gently pushed Hayley toward the gate.
When she had stepped out, Klaus grabbed her arm and before leaving with her, he told Caroline, "I'll get you out, sweetheart, I promise."
And then he turned to Sophie and threatened her, "You will regret this."