AN: I intend to write these characters as in-character as possible, the good and the bad. Elijah's hypocrisy, Katherine's secrecy, etc, etc.
So glad you guys are enjoying it! I enjoy writing it.
And yes, I included a Romeo and Juliet reference with Kalijah. I'm not even sorry. Credit goes to Shakespeare. -Izzy x
Chapter Five – The Originals 3x06
The compound was in ruin, destroyed for them affairs of the last few nights. Furniture was broken, glass was everywhere, clothes were strewn across the floor. In the top floor bedroom, Klaus lowered his phone, slipping it into his pocket as his face darkened. A naked Aurora sat up in his bed, grinning at him.
"Why are you so far away?" She asked, pouting. "Come closer."
Klaus just blinked, refusing to face her. "I think it best you remain out of arms reach," he claimed, scowling.
He heard Aurora sigh behind him. "So, I guess you heard about the busy day everyone had. Let me take away that scowl. I'll tell you everything I know."
24 Hours Earlier
When Katherine woke up, she immediately grinned, remembering the affairs of the night before. She clutched her heavy sheets closer and found herself lying across his hard stomach. He played with her hair, brushing the curls into place and working his way through some of the morning knots. She smiled, contently and tried to fall back to sleep.
"I should leave soon," he mused, unhappily.
"No," she whined, pulling him as close as possible. "Stay."
She felt Elijah smile and looked up to see it, resting her chin where her head was on his chest. He looked down to meet her gaze and eventually his smile fell. "I need to try and call a truce with Klaus," he informed her, clearly in distaste. "In the name of the damn prophecy."
Katherine rolled her eyes. "You can do that in the morning," she claimed.
Elijah's eyebrows knitted together as he studied her, his eyes flicking to the window above the bed. "It is the morning, darling Katerina," he told her, listening to the soft birds outside begin their morning song. "Don't you hear the birds?"
Katherine huffed, shaking her head at his confusion. "Those are the nightingales, my Lord," she insisted. "Not the lark."
Now Elijah rolled his own eyes, sitting and forcing Katherine to roll off him. "I can't stay here," he said, looking down at her fondly.
"Why not?!" She whined, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaning her head on one.
Elijah held up his forearm to show her the burning, sizzling wound in his flesh. Katherine jumped at the sight of it, perking up at the thing she least expected. "Because of this," Elijah said. "The bite healed for a while and returned a couple hours ago. If I don't leave soon, you'll be on the receiving end of my madness. And given our history I'd say it could get brutal."
Katherine paused taking a hold of his hand and inspecting the bite herself. "Klaus won't make it easy for you to get his blood," she said. "Maybe you should just ride it out. You don't owe him anything. I'll call Hayley if you want – she's almost strong enough to handle your madness…"
Elijah shook his head. "No, I can't risk a war with my brother, right now. Not with this prophecy looming over us. I'm sure he feels the same. I should be going."
Katherine groaned but relented, letting him walk away. She got up as well and wrapped the sheet around herself. Elijah was dressed in an instant and she walked him to the front door, kissing him goodbye.
"Good luck," she wished him before he left.
And when he did, she closed the door, dropped the sheet, and started running the water in her new bath. She only got to have a single moment to herself before a phone started ringing.
She rolled her eyes, pulling her back over and flicking through it. Aside from the usual purse, gum, sunglasses, make up, hair clips and hand cream, Katherine had three phones, two guns, a number of fake ID, and a detailed floorplan of a bank in New York, but she was holding that for a friend.
She ignored the call and texted the caller, labelled 'M' instead.
What do you want? -K
The reply came a few short seconds later. Call me -M
Katherine clicked her tongue. No. Why? -K
Meet me today. It's an emergency. -M
Katherine huffed, pissed. The Graveyard, noon. Don't be late. You'll have five minutes. -K
She put her phone down and sank into the bath, feeling the clear water rise to her neck and found herself grinning again when she recalled her encounter with Elijah the night before.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Although Freya was beginning to get used to the kinds of fights her brothers had, she still wasn't expecting to come home to the entire compound trashed, furniture broken, blood strewn everywhere. She walked slowly through the courtyard, noticing the mess and disarray.
She found her two younger brothers in the dining area, both with shots of alcohol in front of them. They were both bloody, their clothes ripped apart. One of Elijah's fingers were at a strange angle, but he popped that back into place as Klaus slit his wrist, bleeding into a cup.
Freya rolled her eyes and joined them. "May I ask what happened?"
"We had a little chat about the past last night," Klaus explained, seeming quite cheery for the occasion. "Elijah returned this morning to make up. We just finished an hour of… reconciliations."
"We are attempting to make peace," Elijah added, downing another shot and inspecting the bite on his arm. "Tristan and Lucien are looking for our ends, and in truth, we would do better to try and move on from quarrels."
"Elijah wrong me; I wronged him," Klaus concluded. "All is said and done. We must come to an understanding on the real issue."
"And after all this civil discourse, what understanding did you come to?" Freya asked.
"That we expose and destroy out first sired," Elijah informed her.
Klaus handed Elijah the glass of his blood and nodded. "Couldn't agree with you more. You see, gentlemen know when it's time to call a truce. And turn all fury in a more useful direction."
They both raised their glasses and clinked them together in a toast, downing their final drink of the argument.
Before noon, Katherine found Hayley and walked with her for a little while. She was heading to meet Davina, the two of them firing up a budding friendship. Katherine was planning on asking Hayley to keep an eye on Elijah for the day, but apparently, she was too busy.
Hayley had asked her to come, though, to meet Davina properly. Katherine had shrugged and agreed, having nothing better to do for another three hours.
"Hey Davina, it's me," Hayley said, when she left a message for the little witch. "I'm running a little late. I should be there soon. And I'm bringing a friend who wants to meet you…" She trailed off, noticing the reflection of somebody watching her in the window of a shop. "On second thought, I'll be a little longer." She hung up and turned to Katherine. "Kat, wait here."
Katherine obliged, quite happily saving her own skin and she leaned against the building, bringing her phone out and finding Elijah's contact number.
How did things go with Klaus? She asked in a text.
Okay. Trouble with Rebekah, however. I'll tell you later. -E
There was a pause as Katherine watched Hayley duck into an alleyway, followed by some middle-aged Asian guy in black. She considered texting 'M' so see if he knew anything about Hayley's stalker, but decided against it. He was following Hayley. Not her. She was fine…
On the other side of the street, however, she saw Klaus walking side by side with Aurora, which made her look twice. Since when were those two all chummy again?
She shrugged, remembering that she didn't care.
After about a minute, Hayley stepped out of the alleyway, dragging an unconscious body with her. "I bit him," she informed Katherine. "We gotta take him to Marcel first, he's a member of the Strix. I'll call Davina and let her know we can't make it."
"What's Marcel going to be able to do?" Katherine asked, pulling a length of rope out of her handbag and handing it to Hayley, who tied his wrists and ankles.
"Maybe tell us what he wants," Hayley answered. "If he's not betraying his new family."
It was a fifteen-minute walk to Marcel's hideout, during which Katherine helped drag the body as Hayley compelled everyone not to notice the abduction. When they arrived, Marcel helped move the guy into a chair and fix the ropes accordingly.
"You make remember him from that pretentious excuse of a party," Hayley said, pacing behind the guy and watching Marcel carefully.
"Shen Min," Marcel mused, almost fascinated by their new prisoner. "Eight-hundred years old. According to Tristan, he was a torture consultant."
"I don't care if he's a Gemini who likes long walks on the beach," Hayley snapped, scowling at him. "Marcel. Why was he following me?"
"I don't know," Marcel claimed.
"You don't know?" Hayley questioned. "Or you're sworn to the code of silence."
"Hey, easy," Marcel soothed, offended. "We're on the same side here."
Hayley stepped forward, challengingly. "Then prove it."
Katherine, who was stood somewhere in the background on her phone before then, finally spoke up. "Hey, I gotta go," she said. "If you ever get to Davina, tell her I'll meet her some other time."
Before she could leave, Hayley walked over to her, from Marcel. "Hey, you okay?" She asked, unsure of the sudden change in attitude.
Katherine just nodded, putting her phone away and pulling out her wallet to get a cab. "Yeah, I just have somewhere to be," she answered, vaguely. "Good luck with your stalker."
Hayley nodded. "Yeah okay. Hey, if you need someone to come and kick an ass for you, give me a call, okay?"
Katherine huffed but smiled politely before leaving and hailing a taxi.
"It's called the city of the dead," Klaus mused, walking with Aurora through the pathways between the large gravestones and tombs, reserved for the richest civilians of New Orleans. It was an eerie space at night, but during the day it was calm, beautiful even, and refreshingly simple, ironically.
Klaus didn't know Katherine wasn't too far away, hiding behind a tomb and trying not to draw attention to herself from the couple. They were everywhere today! She waited until they were far away before getting to her feet and wrapping her jacket tighter around her shoulders, sitting down on the steps leading up to another tomb.
She entwined her fingers and took a deep breath, thinking to herself. If she sat Elijah down and told him now, everything from the start, he might be inclined to help her. He might take her out of town to hide her. He might even ask for Klaus's help.
Or he would be angrier than before. Mad that she put them in danger, even if that wasn't true. He might still help her, but he would not be doing it happily.
Maybe she should wait until he told her he loved her. But maybe then, he'd be too angry about the fact it took her so long to tell him, and not when it was relevant, like with Tristan and the Strix.
Maybe she should just wait and then pretend she didn't know.
But then he wouldn't believe he…
"Katerina," came a voice from the side.
Katherine looked up at 'M', an average-height man with dark hair, an Eastern European complexion and a dark suit. He didn't smile in greeting, but rather studied her with an emotionless expression of pure studying nature.
"Markos," Katherine greeted the ex-leader of the Travelers, narrowing her eyes in distaste. "Sit."
Markos did so, taking a seat next to her on the step and bringing out a bottle of Scotch, offering her some. She refused it but he took a large swig.
"Have we ever been this close to each other, without one of us drinking?" Katherine asked, thoughtfully thinking back.
Markos almost smirked. "What would Nadia think of us?" He asked.
After a slight pause, Katherine reached over and snatched the alcohol out of his hand, chugging a fair amount for passing it back. "Don't talk to me about Nadia, Markos," she snapped, angrily. "I'm not in the mood."
Markos took the bottle back, raising an eyebrow. "I would have expected you to have tried to resurrect her by now," he claimed.
There was another long pause as Katherine looked down at her hands, twisting her thumbs and biting her lip. Truthfully, she'd thought about it more than anything since she arrived in New Orleans, but it was always something she pushed to the back of her mind.
"By the time I died," she replied, "I had gotten the long-awaited opportunity to get to know my daughter. I ate with her, ran with her, talked to her. I bonded with her, and got to really know her. I loved her, Markos. And because of that, I died completely content."
Markos blinked, refusing to look at her. "Then why did you come back?" He asked.
"Because Hell hurt," she answered, snappily. "Like a bitch, it hurt. And I didn't want to spend an eternity in that kind of pain. I came back for me, not for closure. Nadia, on the other hand… Nadia found peace. She's happy. She doesn't need to be resurrected."
Markos waited for a full minute before replying. "Hell hurt," he agreed. "But I returned because I didn't have what you did. My daughter died before I even realised she was mine. I never got the chance to meet her."
"So you want to bring her back?" Katherine asked, taking another drink from him.
He shrugged. "I haven't decided yet."
"If you do," she mused, "I'll help. She's my daughter, too, Markos."
Markos turned to Katherine, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. "Is that why you helped me?" He asked. "For Nadia?"
Katherine rolled her eyes and snapped. "Forget about Nadia, Markos," she ordered. "What did you want to tell me?"
Markos looked away, sucking his teeth. He rarely portrayed any kind of facial expression, so he must have been really upset that day. She guessed that Nadia had been on the very front of his mind, ever since she told him the truth about her heritage. "What are you doing with the oldest Mikaelson boy?" He asked. "He wasn't part of the plan."
Katherine laughed. "So, what? You're stalking me now?"
"You specifically said to leave Elijah out of this," he reminded her. "And now you're sharing a bed with him."
"You sound like a jealous boyfriend," Katherine accused. "I'm with Elijah because I like Elijah. And sleeping with him won't screw up the plan at all."
"It better not" Markos snapped. "The beast is in town, Katherine. One of his lackeys came looking for me this morning. He'll be after you just as soon."
Katherine rolled her eyes, taking another drink. "You need to chill," she told him, leaning back. "This is what we've been preparing for. This is the entire reason we're here. We knew this was going to happen."
He scowled, unsure. "I'm still part of the plan, aren't I?" He asked. "I know you, Katerina. You drop everyone who might put you endanger. You and I still have arrangements for me, don't we?"
"Yes!" She snapped. "I told you Tristan was the way to go. You're the one who's waiting."
"I don't even know who Tristan is!"
She huffed, handing the bottle to him. "He's the leader of the Strix, the oldest and strongest alliance of vampires in the world. He's also nearing a thousand years old, and crazily strong. I'll text you all his relations, and we'll get you into his body tonight. You can't be touched there."
"And you?" Markos asked. "You're staying in your own body?"
"I made a deal with one of the oldest and certainly the strongest being on this Earth," she reminded him. "He's watching my back, officially. I've got my own protection."
Markos paused for a while, drinking. "Well, I'll trust you with your own life, anyway," he decided. "Should we find this Tristan tonight at seven? You'll need to lock the passenger spell."
Katherine just nodded, but didn't reply. She'd have Elijah over at about ten or eleven, at the earliest, so she'd have a lot of time to help Markos. Maybe she'd explain things to Elijah tonight. Probably not, but maybe.
"Do you ever think about death?" She asked, lost in thought. "I'm going to have to die eventually, probably you too. And when we do, we're right back in hell, and all of this was for nothing. Either way, we spend eternity burning." She took a deep breath, blinking. "That's why I'm with Elijah. This needs to be worth something."
Markos agreed, tapping his leg. "As long as you have my back, I'll have yours."
Katherine nodded, approvingly. "I think Nadia would be happy about this," she mused.
In the late evening of the day, Katherine walked into an empty café bar with Markos by her side. Apart from the bartender, the only person around was Tristan, enjoying a meal and messaging somebody on the phone.
Katherine walked over to the bartender to distract him as Markos approached Tristan. The second she slammed the bartender's head down on the counter, knocking him out, Markos grabbed the sides of Tristan's head and began chanting.
The leader of the Strix blinked, his eyes turning completely black before he passed out. Markos ran outside to the car they bought and sat down before Tristan woke up. "Katerina," he identified. "What th-"
"Veet," Katherine said, bored. His eyes went black again. When they opened, Tristan smirked. "So?" Katherine asked. "Did it work?"
Markos nodded with Tristan's head. "It worked," he announced.
"Good," Katherine said. "You know, Markos… we just might get away with this."
So I really wanted to include another character that came from hell, and for a while, and at first I thought Kai, but then the plotlines I had planned made more sense with Markos. And that headcannon about Markos being Nadia's father, was inspired by these dreams go on. Amazing KC & KE writer.
Hours to write, seconds to review... -Izzy x
